County town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elected. Following the establishment of the English county councils in 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually located in the county town of each county. However, the concept of a county town pre-dates the establishment of these councils.
The concept of a county town is ill-defined and unofficial. Some counties have their administrative bodies located elsewhere. For example, Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, but the county council is located in Preston. Some county towns are no longer situated within the administrative county because of changes in the county's boundaries. For example, Nottingham is administered by a unitary authority separate from the rest of Nottinghamshire.
UK county towns, pre-19th-century reforms
Historic counties of England
This list shows county towns prior to the reforms of 1889.| County | County town |
| Bedfordshire | Bedford |
| Berkshire | Reading, previously also Abingdon |
| Buckinghamshire | Aylesbury, although the county is named after Buckingham |
| Cambridgeshire | Cambridge |
| Cheshire | Chester |
| Cornwall | Truro |
| Cumberland | Carlisle |
| Derbyshire | Derby |
| Devon | Exeter |
| Dorset | Dorchester |
| County Durham | Durham |
| Essex | Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire | Gloucester |
| Hampshire | Winchester, although the county is named after Southampton |
| Herefordshire | Hereford |
| Hertfordshire | Hertford |
| Huntingdonshire | Huntingdon |
| Kent | Maidstone |
| Lancashire | Lancaster |
| Leicestershire | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire | Lincoln |
| Middlesex | Brentford, Clerkenwell, the City of London or Westminster for different functions. |
| Norfolk | Norwich |
| Northamptonshire | Northampton |
| Northumberland | Alnwick |
| Nottinghamshire | Nottingham |
| Oxfordshire | Oxford |
| Rutland | Oakham |
| Shropshire | Shrewsbury |
| Somerset | Taunton, although the county is named after Somerton |
| Staffordshire | Stafford |
| Suffolk | Ipswich |
| Surrey | Guildford |
| Sussex | Lewes |
| Warwickshire | Warwick |
| Westmorland | Appleby |
| Wiltshire | Trowbridge although the county is named after Wilton |
| Worcestershire | Worcester |
| Yorkshire | York |
Historic counties of Scotland
Historic counties of Wales
This list shows county towns prior to the reforms of 1889.| County | County town |
| Anglesey | Beaumaris |
| Brecknockshire | Brecon |
| Caernarfonshire | Caernarfon |
| Cardiganshire | Cardigan |
| Carmarthenshire | Carmarthen |
| Denbighshire | Ruthin |
| Flintshire | Mold |
| Glamorgan | Cardiff |
| Merionethshire | Dolgellau |
| Montgomeryshire | Welshpool |
| Monmouthshire | Monmouth |
| Pembrokeshire | Haverfordwest |
| Radnorshire | Presteigne |
Historic counties of Northern Ireland
UK county towns post 19th-century reforms
With the creation of elected county councils in 1889 the location of administrative headquarters in some cases moved away from the traditional county town. Furthermore, in 1965 and 1974 there were major boundary changes in England and Wales and administrative counties were replaced with new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. The boundaries underwent further alterations between 1995 and 1998 to create unitary authorities and some of the ancient counties and county towns were restored. Before 1974 many of the county halls were located in towns and cities that had the status of a county borough i.e.: a borough outside of the county council's jurisdiction.England
| County council | Date | Headquarters |
| Avon | 1974 to 1996 | Bristol |
| Bedfordshire | 1889 to 2009 | Bedford |
| Berkshire | 1889 to 1998 | Reading |
| City and County of Bristol | 1996 onwards | Bristol |
| Buckinghamshire | 1889 onwards | Aylesbury |
| Cambridgeshire | 1889 to 1965 1974 onwards | Cambridge |
| Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely | 1965 to 1974 | Cambridge |
| Cheshire | 1889 to 2009 | Chester |
| Cleveland | 1974 to 1996 | Middlesbrough |
| Cornwall | 1889 onwards | Truro |
| Cumberland | 1889 to 1974 | Carlisle |
| Cumbria | 1974 onwards | Carlisle |
| Derbyshire | 1889 onwards | Matlock |
| Devon | 1889 onwards | Exeter. In 1963 the Devon County Buildings Area was transferred from the county borough of Exeter to the administrative county of Devon, of which it formed an exclave until 1974. |
| Dorset | 1889 onwards | Dorchester |
| Durham | 1889 onwards | Durham |
| Essex | 1889 onwards | Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire | 1889 onwards | Gloucester |
| Greater London | 1965 to 1986 2002 onwards | County Hall, Lambeth ' City Hall, Southwark ' |
| Greater Manchester | 1974 to 1986 | Manchester |
| Hampshire | 1889 onwards | Winchester |
| Herefordshire | 1889 to 1974 1998 onwards | Hereford |
| Hereford and Worcester | 1974 to 1998 | Worcester |
| Hertfordshire | 1889 onwards | Hertford |
| Humberside | 1974 to 1996 | Beverley |
| Huntingdonshire | 1889 to 1965 | Huntingdon |
| Huntingdon and Peterborough | 1965 to 1974 | Huntingdon |
| Isle of Ely | 1889 to 1965 | March |
| Isle of Wight | 1890 onwards | Newport |
| Kent | 1889 onwards | Maidstone |
| Lancashire | 1889 onwards | Preston |
| Leicestershire | 1889 onwards | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey | 1889 to 1974 | Lincoln |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland | 1889 to 1974 | Boston |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven | 1889 to 1974 | Sleaford |
| Lincolnshire | 1974 onwards | Lincoln |
| London | 1889 to 1965 | Spring Gardens, Westminster until 1922, County Hall at Lambeth thereafter |
| Merseyside | 1974 to 1986 | Liverpool |
| Middlesex | 1889 to 1965 | Middlesex Guildhall at Westminster in County of London |
| Norfolk | 1889 onwards | Norwich |
| Northamptonshire | 1889 onwards | Northampton |
| Northumberland | 1889 onwards | County Hall Newcastle upon Tyne 1889 – 1981 County Hall Morpeth since 1981 |
| Nottinghamshire | 1889 onwards | West Bridgford |
| Oxfordshire | 1889 onwards | Oxford |
| Soke of Peterborough | 1889 to 1965 | Peterborough, although geographically considered part of Northamptonshire |
| Rutland | 1889 to 1974 1997 onwards | Oakham |
| Shropshire | 1889 onwards | Shrewsbury |
| Somerset | 1889 onwards | Taunton |
| Staffordshire | 1889 onwards | Stafford |
| East Suffolk | 1889 to 1974 | Ipswich |
| West Suffolk | 1889 to 1974 | Bury St Edmunds |
| Suffolk | 1974 onwards | Ipswich |
| Surrey | 1889 onwards | Inner London Sessions House, Newington, until County Hall, Kingston upon Thames opened in 1893. |
| East Sussex | 1889 onwards | Lewes |
| West Sussex | 1889 onwards | Chichester |
| Tyne and Wear | 1974 to 1986 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Warwickshire | 1889 onwards | Warwick |
| West Midlands | 1974 to 1986 | Birmingham |
| Westmorland | 1889 to 1974 | Kendal |
| Wiltshire | 1889 onwards | Trowbridge |
| Worcestershire | 1889 to 1974 1998 onwards | Worcester |
| Yorkshire, East Riding | 1889 to 1974 1996 onwards | Beverley |
| Yorkshire, North Riding | 1889 to 1974 | Northallerton |
| North Yorkshire | 1974 onwards | Northallerton |
| South Yorkshire | 1974 to 1986 | Barnsley |
| Yorkshire, West Riding | 1889 to 1974 | Wakefield |
| West Yorkshire | 1974 to 1986 | Wakefield |
Wales
| County council | Date | Headquarters |
| Anglesey | 1889 to 1974 | Beaumaris1 |
| Brecknockshire | 1889 to 1974 | Brecon |
| Caernarvonshire | 1889 to 1974 | Caernarfon |
| Carmarthenshire | 1889 to 1974 1996 onwards | Carmarthen |
| Cardiganshire | 1889 to 1974 | Aberystwyth2 |
| Ceredigion | 1996 onwards | Aberaeron |
| Clwyd | 1974 to 1996 | Mold |
| Denbighshire | 1889 to 1974 | Denbigh |
| Dyfed | 1974 to 1996 | Carmarthen |
| Flintshire | 1889 to 1974 | Mold |
| Glamorgan | 1889 to 1974 | Cardiff |
| Gwent | 1974 to 1996 | Newport, Cwmbran |
| Gwynedd | 1974 onwards | Caernarfon |
| Mid Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Cardiff |
| Merionethshire | 1889 to 1974 | Dolgellau |
| Montgomeryshire | 1889 to 1974 | Welshpool |
| Monmouthshire | 1889 to 1974 | Newport |
| Radnorshire | 1889 to 1974 | Presteigne3 |
| Pembrokeshire | 1889 to 1974 1996 onwards | Haverfordwest |
| Powys | 1974 onwards | Llandrindod Wells |
| South Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Cardiff |
| West Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Swansea |
| Ynys Môn | 1996 onwards | Llangefni |
- Due to its better transport links and more central location, some administrative functions were moved to Llangefni.
- Cardigan was often still referred to as 'the county town' due to the name link. However, assizes were held at Lampeter while Aberystwyth housed the administration of the county council. Aberystwyth was therefore the de facto county town.
- Due to its better transport links and more central location, some administrative functions were moved to Llandrindod Wells.
Ireland
| County | Councils | County town | Notes |
| County Carlow | Carlow County Council | Carlow | |
| County Cavan | Cavan County Council | Cavan | |
| County Clare | Clare County Council | Ennis | |
| County Cork | Cork County Council | Cork city | |
| County Cork | Cork City Council | Cork city | |
| County Donegal | Donegal County Council | Lifford | |
| County Dublin | Dublin City Council | Dublin city | |
| County Dublin | Dún Laoghaire | Until 1994, formed Dublin County Council, with its administrative offices in Dublin City | |
| County Dublin | Fingal County Council | Swords | Until 1994, formed Dublin County Council, with its administrative offices in Dublin City |
| County Dublin | South Dublin County Council | Tallaght | Until 1994, formed Dublin County Council, with its administrative offices in Dublin City |
| County Galway | Galway City Council | Galway city | |
| County Galway | Galway County Council | Galway city | |
| County Kerry | Kerry County Council | Tralee | |
| County Kildare | Kildare County Council | Naas | |
| County Kilkenny | Kilkenny County Council | Kilkenny | |
| County Laois | Laois County Council | Port Laoise | Called Maryborough till 1929 |
| County Leitrim | Leitrim County Council | ||
| County Limerick | Limerick City and County Council | Limerick | |
| County Longford | Longford County Council | Longford | |
| County Louth | Louth County Council | Dundalk | |
| County Mayo | Mayo County Council | Castlebar | |
| County Meath | Meath County Council | Navan | previously Trim was the administrative town |
| County Monaghan | Monaghan County Council | Monaghan | |
| County Offaly | Offaly County Council | Tullamore | Prior to 1883, the county town was Daingean, then known as Philipstown |
| Roscommon County Council | Roscommon | ||
| County Sligo | Sligo County Council | Sligo | |
| Tipperary County Council | Clonmel/Nenagh | Until the Local Government Reform Act 2014, these were respectively the administrative towns of South Tipperary County Council and North Tipperary County Council | |
| County Waterford | Waterford City and County Council | Waterford | |
| County Westmeath | Westmeath County Council | Mullingar | |
| County Wexford | Wexford County Council | Wexford | |
| County Wicklow | Wicklow County Council | Wicklow |
Jamaica
Jamaica's three counties were established in 1758 to facilitate the holding of courts along the lines of the British county court system, with each county having a county town. The counties have no current administrative relevance.| County | County town |
| Cornwall | Savanna-la-Mar |
| Middlesex | Spanish Town |
| Surrey | Kingston |