The Historic counties data shows the county boundaries based on records and mapping circa 1888, using the following acts as primary sources:
Local Government (England and Wales) Act 1888
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
Sheriffs Act 1887
The dataset shows the boundaries in place in 1888 in England and Wales, and those established a year later in Scotland. The alignments of the counties for England and Wales are derived from mapping sourced from the National Archives which dates from 1890. The most recent available county alignment mapping for Scotland is from 1940.
Historic counties are not updated; therefore, the lifecycle dates will not change.
