County - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition county

Definition :

County [fr. Comte, Fr.; comitatus, Lat.], a shire or portion of country comprehending a great number of hundreds. England is divided into forty counties or shires, Wales into twelve and Scotland into thirty.It seems probable that the realm was originally divided into counties with a view to the convenient administration of justice, the judicial business of the kingdom having, in former times, been chiefly despatched in local Courts held in each different county, before the sheriff as its principal officer. His duties are now more ministerial than judicial.

All the English counties except Rutland are subdivided for purposes of parliamentary representation.

As to the divisons of counties for holding petty and special sessions, see the (English) Division of Counties Act, 1828 (9 Geo. 4, c. 43), the (English) Petty Sessional Divisions Act, 1836 (6 & 7 Wm. 4, c. 12), and the (English) Petty Sessional Divisions Act, 1859, Chitty's Statutes, tit. 'Justices (Sessions).'

By (English) Local Government Act, 1933 (23 & 24 Geo, 5, c. 51), s. 305, county means administrative county.

The largest territorial division for local government within a state, generally considered to be a political subdivision and a quasi-corporation, Black's Laws Dictionary, 7th Edn.