Postal counties of the United Kingdom System and History

The postal counties of the United Kingdom have a fascinating history that dates back to the 19th century. The system was introduced to simplify the delivery of mail by dividing the country into smaller areas.

The first postal counties were established in 1857, with each county corresponding to a specific geographic area. This system made it easier for postal workers to navigate and deliver mail.

Prior to the introduction of postal counties, mail was delivered based on the recipient's town or village. This system was often confusing and led to delays in mail delivery.

The postal counties system has undergone changes over the years, but its core purpose remains the same: to efficiently deliver mail across the country.

In the 19th century and early 20th centuries, the Post Office required the name of the post town to be included in addresses, but advised against including the county name.

The Post Office had a specific rule for when to include a county name: if a post town's name was not unique, the county name was included to distinguish between post towns of the same name.

Sometime between 1920 and 1934, the Post Office changed its advice on counties, recommending that the county name be included in most cases, except for certain large towns and cities.

This change in policy was likely made to help with mail sorting and delivery, as it provided more information about the location of the post town.

Postal county boundaries can be quite complex, especially when considering places that straddle county lines. In the UK, about 7% of towns and villages with a post office are located in a postal county different from their geographical county.

These discrepancies often occur near county boundaries, where the postal service aims to provide a quick and efficient delivery at a reasonable cost. This can result in a village being part of a post town in another county, even if it's not geographically located there.

The post town of Rickmansworth, for example, includes the village of Chenies, which is actually located in Buckinghamshire. Similarly, the post town of Montgomery includes the village of Chirbury, which is situated in Shropshire but has a postal address in Powys, Wales.

Here are some examples of places with postal county boundaries that don't match their geographical county:

These examples illustrate how postal county boundaries can differ from geographical county boundaries, often due to the need for efficient mail delivery.

The postal county system was a complex network of postal addresses that didn't always align with geographical county boundaries.

In some cases, post towns straddled county boundaries, and the postal addresses of places within these areas included the postal county of the post town, regardless of their actual location. This was the case for approximately 7% of towns and villages with a post office.

Lord Chesham, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport, estimated this in 1963, explaining that the main concern was to ensure a quick and efficient postal service at reasonable cost.

Examples of places with postal addresses in a different county than their geographical county include Chenies in Buckinghamshire, which had a post town of Rickmansworth and a postal county of Hertfordshire.

Other examples include Chirbury in Shropshire, which had a post town of Montgomery and a postal county of Powys in Wales.

In some cases, the postal county was even different from the geographical county of the post town itself. For instance, the post town of Westerham had a postal county of Kent, despite being in Surrey.

Here are some specific examples of places with postal addresses in a different county than their geographical county:

The postal county system was subject to change over time, with some post towns near county boundaries being amended. For example, Chinley in Derbyshire had a postal address of "Stockport, Cheshire" which was later updated to "High Peak, Derbyshire" when a new post town was created.

Postcode to County mapping is a crucial tool for businesses and organizations. It allows them to allocate customers or sales leads to sales areas defined by County, making it easier to assess demand for County-based local services.

The data is essential for validating and completing address elements in the data you hold already. This can be particularly useful for organizations that rely on accurate address information.

The list of Postcodes by County names is ideal for relating postcodes and address information to their relevant Traditional, Administrative, and or Ceremonial County. This information can be used to inform business decisions and improve customer service.

By using postcode to County mapping, organizations can gain a better understanding of their customer base and tailor their services accordingly.

Related reading: Canada Address Example with Postal Code

The postal counties of the United Kingdom have a complex history. The first postal counties were introduced in 1857, with the establishment of the General Post Office.

The General Post Office was responsible for delivering mail across the country. The postal counties were initially based on the counties as defined by the Acts of Union in 1707.

The postal counties were later modified in 1889, with the establishment of the Local Government Act. This act created new postal counties that were based on the administrative counties of England and Wales.

The postal counties were used for postal sorting and delivery until 1996. In that year, the Royal Mail introduced a new system of postal areas.

You might like: Canada Postal Code New Brunswick

In the UK, postal counties play a crucial role in relating postcodes and address information to their relevant Traditional, Administrative and or Ceremonial County. This data is essential for various purposes, such as allocating customers or sales leads to sales areas defined by County.

In Northern Ireland, counties are named with the word 'County' to avoid confusion with towns of the same name. For example, County Antrim, County Armagh, and County Down are all officially recognized by this naming convention.

Here's a list of Northern Ireland's postal counties, as per the official records:

England has a rich history of postal counties, which sometimes deviated from the county boundaries established in 1974.

Avon was a postal county that didn't match the county boundaries, but its abbreviation is not specified in the article.

Bedfordshire, on the other hand, was a postal county with the abbreviation "Beds". Its geographic coverage is not mentioned in the article.

Berkshire, with the abbreviation "Berks", also had a different postal county boundary than the 1974 county boundaries.

Buckinghamshire, known as "Bucks", shared a similar issue with its postal county boundary.

Cambridgeshire, abbreviated as "Cambs", had a postal county boundary that didn't match the 1974 county boundaries.

Cheshire's postal county boundary was significantly different from the 1974 county boundaries, and it also extended into Greater Manchester.

Cleveland was a postal county with no specified abbreviation, and its geographic coverage is not mentioned in the article.

Cornwall was a postal county with no specified abbreviation, but its geographic coverage is not mentioned in the article.

County Durham, known as "Co Durham", had a postal county boundary that didn't match the 1974 county boundaries.

Cumbria's postal county boundary was also different from the 1974 county boundaries, and it extended into Northumberland and Dumfries & Galloway.

Derbyshire, East Sussex, and Devon were all postal counties with different boundaries than the 1974 county boundaries.

Dorset, Essex, and Gloucestershire had postal county boundaries that didn't match the 1974 county boundaries, with Essex even extending into Greater London.

Gloucestershire, known as "Glos", had a postal county boundary that didn't match the 1974 county boundaries.

Hampshire, known as "Hants", had a postal county boundary that didn't match the 1974 county boundaries.

Here are some of the postal counties in England, listed along with their abbreviations:

Scotland's postal counties were largely based on the boundaries of its civil counties, but with some notable exceptions. The islands off the mainland were considered distinct postal counties.

Aberdeenshire, for instance, approximated to the 1890-1975 county, plus Banffshire and Kincardineshire, and less the Aberdeen post town. Angus, on the other hand, was approximated to the 1890-1975 county less areas in Dundee post town.

Here's a list of some of the former postal counties in Scotland, along with their geographic coverage:

Some of the islands off the mainland were considered distinct postal counties, such as the Isle of Arran and the Isle of Bute. The Isle of Arran, for example, was a distinct postal county, separate from the rest of Ayrshire.

In Northern Ireland, counties are often distinguished from towns with the same name by using the word "County" in their full name. This helps avoid confusion.

For example, County Antrim is abbreviated as Co Antrim, which is a common convention. You'll notice this pattern in the other counties as well.

The counties in Northern Ireland have specific abbreviations, which are often used in postal and other contexts. Here's a list of the counties in Northern Ireland, along with their abbreviations and map references:

This list shows the counties in Northern Ireland, their abbreviations, and map references.

London is a special case when it comes to postal counties. The London postal district was created in 1858 and has been periodically revised, but its boundary has never coincided with the metropolis of 1855-1965 or the Greater London area created in 1965.

It's worth noting that addresses in the London post town did not include a county, covering an area of 241 square miles (620 km) or 40% of Greater London. This is a significant portion of the city.

The rest of Greater London, which makes up 60% of its area, was divided into other post towns in postal counties like Surrey, Kent, Essex, Middlesex, and Hertfordshire. For example, Wembley Stadium had a postal address of Wembley, Middlesex, rather than London.

Some London boroughs were split between multiple postal counties, such as Barnet, which had sections in the London postal district and in the Middlesex and Hertfordshire postal counties.