Postal counties of the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The postal counties of the United Kingdom
, now known officially as the former postal counties, were postal subdivisions in routine use by the Royal Mail
until 1996. The raison d'être of the postal county – as opposed to any other kind of county – was to aid the sorting of mail by enabling differentiation between like-sounding post town
s. Since 1996 this has been done by using the outward code (first half) of the postcode instead. For operational reasons the former postal counties, although broadly based on the counties of the United Kingdom, did not match up to their boundaries; in some cases with significant differences.
According to the Royal Mail, the former postal county data no longer forms part of postal addresses. It was removed from the Postcode Address File
database in 2000 and does not form part of its code of practice for changing addresses. Despite this, county data is routinely sold to companies, ostensibly in order for them to cleanse their own address data. As the former postal county data was the last to be in routine use, some organisations have continued to use this obsolete data as part of postal addresses. In 2009 the Royal Mail code of practice consultation included discussion of the possibility of replacing the currently supplied 'alias data' with an up-to-date county information data field
. In 2010 the regulator advised Royal Mail to cease supply of county data altogether and a timetable has been put in place for this to occur between 2013 and 2016.
s straddled county boundaries and the postal addresses of all places in such areas included the postal county of the post town regardless of their actual location. In a written answer in the House of Lords
in 1963, Lord Chesham
, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport
estimated that about 7% of towns and villages with a post office lay in a postal county different from their geographical county. He went to explain that:
Examples, usually consisting of small villages near to county boundaries, included:
There were additional examples resulting from the 1974 reorganisation of local government:
Secondly, the London postal district
, which formed a special post town, did not conform to any administrative boundaries. The postal district was created in 1858 and has periodically been revised. However, at no point has its boundary coincided with either the metropolis (later County of London
) of 1855—1965, which was somewhat smaller, or the Greater London
area created in 1965, which was much bigger. Addresses in the London post town, an area of 241 square miles (624.2 km²) (or 40% of Greater London), did not include a county; however, the rest of Greater London (60% of its area) formed parts of other post towns in the postal counties of Surrey
, Kent
, Essex
, Middlesex
and Hertfordshire
. For example, the London Borough of Barnet
had sections in the London postal district (e.g. Golders Green
) and in the Middlesex and Hertfordshire postal counties (e.g. Edgware
and East Barnet
); with the NW7 postcode district
touching the Greater London boundary to divide the three sections. Anomalously, Sewardstone
, outside Greater London in the Epping Forest district of Essex, is included in the London postal district.
with respect to the outer London suburbs, it did reflect the move of Potters Bar
from Middlesex to Hertfordshire. In contrast, Middlesex remained part of the postal address for Staines and Sunbury, which had transferred to Surrey. The 1960s saw an increase in the number of addresses the Post Office delivered to, but a decrease in the volume of mail sent which caused a significant drop in revenue and an increase in operational costs. Furthermore, retaining the existing postal county boundaries was explained as largely due to cost reasons. The Times
pointed out that this might cause confusion, noting that in future "children will no doubt wonder why their address should refer to a county in which they have never lived", but that "some people […] want the name of Middlesex preserved because of its historical associations".
The Local Government Act 1972
redrew the county map of England and Wales outside Greater London. The Post Office was considering its policy in January 1973, and in November 1973 noted that "Greater Manchester" would be unlikely to be adopted because of confusion of the Manchester post town
, but that Avon was likely to be introduced. When the local government changes came into force, the Post Office announced that the new counties would form part of postal addresses from 1 July 1974, and should be used as "soon as possible". Old counties could, however, still be used until 1 July 1975. It was stated that the rule applied to: "...addresses throughout England and Wales outside Greater London with the exception of Greater Manchester and Hereford and Worcester where addresses remain unchanged. In Humberside it is necessary to show whether an address is in North Humberside or South Humberside. Addresses in certain post-towns have not, in the past, included a county name; these addresses are unchanged, but the postcode should be shown. Addresses in Greater London are also unchanged as are addresses in any place where the new county bears the same name as the former one."
In Scotland
, counties were entirely abolished for local government purposes
in May 1975. The matter of postal counties was raised in the House of Lords
in April 1975. Lord Beswick
, Minister of State at the Department of Industry, stated that "the Post Office is consulting its customers in Scotland about the possible use of new postal addresses for Scotland based on the new local government Regions and Island Areas". In the event, the postal counties were not changed. Thus Alva, despite being in the Central Region
after 1975, was still postally in Clackmannanshire
. Gordon Oakes
, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment
, explained the policy in a written answer to a question in parliament, shortly after the changes were brought in:
on the mainland. Offshore islands, however, were regarded as distinct counties for postal purposes. There was no postal county of Buteshire
, which was instead divided between the Isles of Arran, Bute and Cumbrae.
Normally, counties in Northern Ireland are named with the word 'County', and not simply the county name perhaps to avoid confusion with the towns of the same name.
equipment in 1996. Instead, using postcode defined circulation, the outward code (first half) of the postcode is used to differentiate between like-sounding post towns. In 2000 the postal county data was removed from the Postcode Address File
database and was added to the Alias File, which is used to cleanse data
of local, colloquial and "postally-not-required" details that have been added to addresses. According to Royal Mail policy the field is not updated and where new post towns are created they will not be assigned to a former postal county. In guidance to customers it is required that the correct post town and postcode must be included in addresses and a county is not required. As part of a "flexible addressing policy" customers can add a county, which will be ignored in the sorting process.
Hereford and Worcester was abolished and reconstituted as two separate counties once more, broadly matching the former postal counties. Greater London and Greater Manchester remained unaffected by the reform. Local government was also reorganised in 1996 in both Scotland (Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
) and Wales (Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
), such that in some places counties reverted to the historic names once again (e.g. Pembrokeshire
), but in others the post-1974 names were retained (e.g. Powys
and Highland
). The former postal county data was not updated to reflect the changes that occurred throughout the United Kingdom.
stipulating that counties no longer form part of addresses, many organisations have continued to routinely include them as part of postal addressing, often simply combining Postcode Address File data with the data from the Alias File. Some organisations using software which requires a county to be included as part of a postal address have extended the use of counties to addresses in special post towns, which never needed them.
This continued use has caused customers in areas where there is discrepancy between the postal and geographic counties to complain to Royal Mail. Until 2007 the Royal Mail position was that under their current code of practice, changes to county data will not be considered. However, after a lengthy and well-organised campaign, the Royal Mail agreed to create a postal county of Rutland
in 2007. This was achieved in January 2008 by amending the former postal county for all of the Oakham
(LE15) post town and part of the Market Harborough
(LE16) post town. In contrast, Seaton Delaval residents had unsuccessfully campaigned in 2004 to be removed from the former postal county of Tyne and Wear.
In 2009 the Royal Mail code of practice came up for renewal, and the regulator Postcomm held a public consultation on its future. Consultation guidance from the regulator indicated that although the former postal county data is obsolete, it was the last available data set
to be in routine use and was therefore the most likely to be used by corporate customers for their address databases. It was also recognised that residential customers in some areas were not happy with this situation. The Royal Mail reconfirmed its preference for eliminating counties altogether from addressing, but also invited comments on providing a new and updated county data field, reflecting boundary changes. Postcomm found that many respondents objected to the use of obsolete counties. In May 2010 Postcomm decided to advise Royal Mail to "discontinue provision of such information at the earliest opportunity". However because some existing software included the use of counties, Royal Mail was advised not to implement the change before 2013. The timetable announced by Royal Mail in July 2010 indicates this is likely to happen between 2013 and 2016.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, now known officially as the former postal counties, were postal subdivisions in routine use by the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
until 1996. The raison d'être of the postal county – as opposed to any other kind of county – was to aid the sorting of mail by enabling differentiation between like-sounding post town
Post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...
s. Since 1996 this has been done by using the outward code (first half) of the postcode instead. For operational reasons the former postal counties, although broadly based on the counties of the United Kingdom, did not match up to their boundaries; in some cases with significant differences.
According to the Royal Mail, the former postal county data no longer forms part of postal addresses. It was removed from the Postcode Address File
Postcode Address File
The Postcode Address File is a database which contains all known "Delivery Points" and postcodes in the United Kingdom. Buildings which contain several flats or businesses but only one external front door, will only have the external front door listed; the full addresses which include flat...
database in 2000 and does not form part of its code of practice for changing addresses. Despite this, county data is routinely sold to companies, ostensibly in order for them to cleanse their own address data. As the former postal county data was the last to be in routine use, some organisations have continued to use this obsolete data as part of postal addresses. In 2009 the Royal Mail code of practice consultation included discussion of the possibility of replacing the currently supplied 'alias data' with an up-to-date county information data field
Data field
A data field is a place where you can store data. Commonly used to refer to a column in a database or a field in a data entry form or web form.The field may contain data to be entered as well as data to be displayed.-See also:*Data dictionary...
. In 2010 the regulator advised Royal Mail to cease supply of county data altogether and a timetable has been put in place for this to occur between 2013 and 2016.
Differences
Counties were used in postal addresses from the earliest days of the Post Office, but over time the postal counties of many places did not match geographic counties or counties used for administrative purposes. There were several reasons for this:Places part of a post town in another county
First, many of the approximately 1,500 post townPost town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...
s straddled county boundaries and the postal addresses of all places in such areas included the postal county of the post town regardless of their actual location. In a written answer in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in 1963, Lord Chesham
John Cavendish, 5th Baron Chesham
John Charles Compton Cavendish, 5th Baron Chesham, PC , was a British Conservative politician.A member of the Cavendish family headed by the Duke of Devonshire, Chesham was the son of John Compton Cavendish, 4th Baron Chesham and Margot Mills...
, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
estimated that about 7% of towns and villages with a post office lay in a postal county different from their geographical county. He went to explain that:
Examples, usually consisting of small villages near to county boundaries, included:
| Geographic locality | Geographic county | Post town | Former postal county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chenies Chenies Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district.... |
Buckinghamshire | RICKMANSWORTH | Hertfordshire |
| Cornhill-on-Tweed Cornhill-on-Tweed Cornhill-on-Tweed is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, in England about to the east of Coldstream.To the south and west of the village are the hamlets of West Learmouth and East Learmouth.- History :... (England) |
Northumberland | COLDSTREAM TD postcode area The TD postcode area, also known as the Galashiels postcode area, is a group of postcode districts around the River Tweed including Berwick-upon-Tweed, Cockburnspath, Coldstream, Cornhill-on-Tweed, Duns, Earlston, Eyemouth, Galashiels, Gordon, Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso, Lauder, Melrose, Mindrum,... |
Berwickshire (Scotland) |
| Hinwick Hinwick Hinwick is a hamlet in northwest Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom; it is around nine miles north west of Bedford and is about east of the county border with Northamptonshire which is also the postal county. The hamlet is in the parish of Podington, which is sometimes called "Podington and... and Podington Podington Podington is a village and civil parish in northwest Bedfordshire in England, United Kingdom. The village is within the electoral ward of Harrold in the Borough of Bedford. Podington lies around northwest of Bedford and is about east of the county border with Northamptonshire... |
Bedfordshire | WELLINGBOROUGH NN postcode area The NN postcode area, also known as the Northampton postcode area, is a group of postcode districts around Brackley, Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Northampton, Rushden, Towcester and Wellingborough in England.-Coverage:... |
Northamptonshire |
| Melbourn Melbourn Melbourn is a large village in the far south west of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located next to the A10 just north of Royston. Melbourn has over 4,400 inhabitants... |
Cambridgeshire | ROYSTON | Hertfordshire |
| Pitstone Pitstone Pitstone is a village and civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard... |
Buckinghamshire | LEIGHTON BUZZARD LU postcode area The LU postcode area, also known as the Luton postcode area, is a group of postcode districts around Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in England... |
Bedfordshire |
| Tatsfield Tatsfield Tatsfield is a village of some 1800 inhabitants located in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, and 16 miles south south-east of Charing Cross in London... |
Surrey | WESTERHAM TN postcode area The TN postcode area, also known as the Tonbridge postcode area, is a group of postcode districts in England. The majority of the TN postcode districts cover places in Kent, with some covering places in East Sussex... |
Kent |
| Ugley Ugley Ugley is a small hamlet in the non-metropolitan district of Uttlesford in Essex, England. It is about a mile north of Stansted Mountfitchet, and located between Saffron Walden and Bishop's Stortford.... and Molehill Green Molehill Green Molehill Green is a hamlet close to the perimeter of Stansted Airport which consists of approximately 40 houses. It has one pub called The Three Horseshoes, a small village hall, a shop and a cricket club. Most of the houses are named rather than numbered, and it has only one named street, School... |
Essex | BISHOP'S STORTFORD | Hertfordshire |
| Woodcote Woodcote Woodcote is a village in the civil parish in South Oxfordshire, about southeast of Wallingford and about northwest of Reading, Berkshire. It is in the Chiltern Hills, and the highest part of the village is above sea level.... and Sonning Common Sonning Common Sonning Common is a village and civil parish the Chiltern Hills west of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is on the B481 road between Reading, Berkshire to the south and Nettlebed to the north.-History:... |
Oxfordshire | READING RG postcode area The RG postcode area, also known as the Reading postcode area, is a group of postcode districts centered on Reading and Basingstoke in Southern England... |
Berkshire |
There were additional examples resulting from the 1974 reorganisation of local government:
| Geographic locality | Ceremonial county | Post town | Former postal county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birtley Birtley, Tyne and Wear Birtley is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is situated to the south of Gateshead town and is physically linked to Chester-le-Street across the County boundary in County Durham. Until 1974, Birtley and the adjoining areas of Barley Mow, Vigo and... |
Tyne and Wear | CHESTER LE STREET | County Durham |
| Coleshill Coleshill, Warwickshire Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:... and Water Orton Water Orton Water Orton is a village near the River Tame in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in England. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan county boundary to the north, west and south. At the last census in 2001, the population was... |
Warwickshire | BIRMINGHAM B postcode area The B postcode area, also known as the Birmingham postcode area, provides postcodes for the boroughs of Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire in England.-Coverage:... |
West Midlands |
| Seaton Delaval Seaton Delaval Seaton Delaval is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of 4,371. It is the largest of the five villages in Seaton Valley and is the site of Seaton Delaval Hall, the masterpiece completed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1727.... |
Northumberland | WHITLEY BAY NE postcode area The NE postcode area, also known as the Newcastle upon Tyne postcode area, is a group of postcode districts around Alnwick, Ashington, Bamburgh, Bedlington, Belford, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Blyth, Boldon Colliery, Chathill, Choppington, Corbridge, Cramlington, East Boldon, Gateshead, Haltwhistle, Hebburn,... |
Tyne and Wear |
| Sedgefield Sedgefield Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,... |
County Durham | STOCKTON-ON-TEES TS postcode area The TS postcode area, also known as the Cleveland postcode area, comprises the postcode districts covering the post towns of Billingham, Guisborough, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Trimdon Station, Wingate and Yarm in north east England.-Coverage:The... |
| Cleveland |
| Stokesley Stokesley Stokesley is a small market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Leven. Stokesley is located about two miles south of the boundary of the borough of Middlesbrough and ten miles south of Middlesbrough town centre. Stokesley is located... and Great Ayton Great Ayton Great Ayton is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire on the edge of the North York Moors in England. The name Great Ayton is thought to derive from Ea-tun, tun meaning farm and 'ea' meaning river. It has a population of 4,570.... |
North Yorkshire | MIDDLESBROUGH TS postcode area The TS postcode area, also known as the Cleveland postcode area, comprises the postcode districts covering the post towns of Billingham, Guisborough, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Trimdon Station, Wingate and Yarm in north east England.-Coverage:The... |
| Cleveland |
London
London postal district
The London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal...
, which formed a special post town, did not conform to any administrative boundaries. The postal district was created in 1858 and has periodically been revised. However, at no point has its boundary coincided with either the metropolis (later County of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
) of 1855—1965, which was somewhat smaller, or the Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
area created in 1965, which was much bigger. Addresses in the London post town, an area of 241 square miles (624.2 km²) (or 40% of Greater London), did not include a county; however, the rest of Greater London (60% of its area) formed parts of other post towns in the postal counties of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. For example, the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
had sections in the London postal district (e.g. Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
) and in the Middlesex and Hertfordshire postal counties (e.g. Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
and East Barnet
East Barnet
East Barnet is an area of North London within the London Borough of Barnet bordered by New Barnet, Cockfosters and Southgate. It is a largely residential suburb whose central area, known locally as the Village, contains a variety of shops, public houses, restaurants and services. East Barnet is...
); with the NW7 postcode district
NW postcode area
The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of northwest London, England...
touching the Greater London boundary to divide the three sections. Anomalously, Sewardstone
Sewardstone
Sewardstone is a place in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England.It is located 11.6 miles north north-east of Charing Cross and is the only area outside Greater London to be covered by a London postcode district . The area consists of scattered development with large sections of open land...
, outside Greater London in the Epping Forest district of Essex, is included in the London postal district.
Changes to geographic county boundaries
Thirdly, the Royal Mail adopted some, but not all, of the local government reforms of 1965 and 1974/5. This caused postal counties in some areas to reflect boundary changes, while in other areas they did not. Although the Post Office did not follow the changes of the London Government Act 1963London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...
with respect to the outer London suburbs, it did reflect the move of Potters Bar
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
from Middlesex to Hertfordshire. In contrast, Middlesex remained part of the postal address for Staines and Sunbury, which had transferred to Surrey. The 1960s saw an increase in the number of addresses the Post Office delivered to, but a decrease in the volume of mail sent which caused a significant drop in revenue and an increase in operational costs. Furthermore, retaining the existing postal county boundaries was explained as largely due to cost reasons. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
pointed out that this might cause confusion, noting that in future "children will no doubt wonder why their address should refer to a county in which they have never lived", but that "some people […] want the name of Middlesex preserved because of its historical associations".
The Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
redrew the county map of England and Wales outside Greater London. The Post Office was considering its policy in January 1973, and in November 1973 noted that "Greater Manchester" would be unlikely to be adopted because of confusion of the Manchester post town
M postal area
The M postcode area, also known as the Manchester postcode area, is a group of several postcode districts in Greater Manchester, England.The area is divided into three post towns: Manchester, Salford, and Sale...
, but that Avon was likely to be introduced. When the local government changes came into force, the Post Office announced that the new counties would form part of postal addresses from 1 July 1974, and should be used as "soon as possible". Old counties could, however, still be used until 1 July 1975. It was stated that the rule applied to: "...addresses throughout England and Wales outside Greater London with the exception of Greater Manchester and Hereford and Worcester where addresses remain unchanged. In Humberside it is necessary to show whether an address is in North Humberside or South Humberside. Addresses in certain post-towns have not, in the past, included a county name; these addresses are unchanged, but the postcode should be shown. Addresses in Greater London are also unchanged as are addresses in any place where the new county bears the same name as the former one."
In Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, counties were entirely abolished for local government purposes
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
in May 1975. The matter of postal counties was raised in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in April 1975. Lord Beswick
Frank Beswick, Baron Beswick
Frank Beswick, Baron Beswick was a British Labour Co-operative politician.Born in 1911 in Nottingham, Beswick's father was a coal miner. He was educated in Nottingham and then at the Working Men's College in London. He became a journalist and was elected to the London County Council...
, Minister of State at the Department of Industry, stated that "the Post Office is consulting its customers in Scotland about the possible use of new postal addresses for Scotland based on the new local government Regions and Island Areas". In the event, the postal counties were not changed. Thus Alva, despite being in the Central Region
Central Region, Scotland
Central Region was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the council areas of Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire, which had previously been districts within Central...
after 1975, was still postally in Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire, often abbreviated to Clacks is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'....
. Gordon Oakes
Gordon Oakes
Gordon James Oakes was a British Labour Party politician.Oakes was educated at Wade Deacon grammar school, Widnes and at Liverpool University...
, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
, explained the policy in a written answer to a question in parliament, shortly after the changes were brought in:
England
| Former postal county | Abbreviation | Geographic coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Avon | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Bedfordshire | Beds | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Berkshire | Berks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Buckinghamshire | Bucks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Cambridgeshire | Cambs | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Cheshire | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the... |
|
| Cleveland | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Cornwall | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| County Durham | Co Durham | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Cumbria | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Northumberland Northumberland Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region... and Dumfries & Galloway |
|
| Derbyshire | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Devon | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Dorset | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| East Sussex | E Sussex | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Essex | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Greater London | |
| Gloucestershire | Glos | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Hampshire | Hants | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Herefordshire | Covered part of Hereford and Worcester | |
| Hertfordshire | Herts | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Greater London |
| Isle of Wight | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Kent | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Greater London | |
| Lancashire | Lancs | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974; also extended into Cumbria, Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest... |
| Leicestershire | Leics | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Lincolnshire | Lincs | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| London | Not a postal county, but the London postal district London postal district The London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal... corresponded to the London post town Post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of... |
|
| Merseyside | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Middlesex | Middx | Covered parts of Greater London and Surrey; Enfield post town was a detached part, separated from the rest by the London postal district and Hertfordshire |
| Norfolk | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| North Humberside North Humberside North Humberside is a former postal county of England. It was introduced by the Royal Mail on 1 July 1974, when some addresses were altered in response to the changes in administration brought about under the Local Government Act 1972.... |
N Humbs | Covered part of Humberside |
| North Yorkshire | N Yorks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Northamptonshire | Northants | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Northumberland | Northd | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Nottinghamshire | Notts | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Oxfordshire | Oxon | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Shropshire | Salop | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Somerset | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| South Humberside South Humberside South Humberside is a former postal county of England. It was introduced by the Royal Mail on 1 July 1974, when some addresses were altered in response to the changes in administration brought about under the Local Government Act 1972.... |
S Humbs | Covered part of Humberside |
| South Yorkshire | S Yorks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Staffordshire | Staffs | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Suffolk | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Surrey | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974, except Spelthorne Spelthorne Spelthorne is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Ashford, Laleham, Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell and Sunbury... ; also extended into Greater London |
|
| Tyne and Wear | Tyne & Wear | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Warwickshire | Warks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| West Midlands | W Mids | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| West Sussex | W Sussex | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| West Yorkshire | W Yorks | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Wiltshire | Wilts | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Worcestershire | Worcs | Covered part of Hereford and Worcester |
Scotland
The postal counties of Scotland broadly followed the boundaries of the civil countiesCounties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
on the mainland. Offshore islands, however, were regarded as distinct counties for postal purposes. There was no postal county of Buteshire
County of Bute
The County of Bute is one of the registration counties of Scotland. In 2001 its usually resident population was 13,720.-Local government county:...
, which was instead divided between the Isles of Arran, Bute and Cumbrae.
|
|
Wales
| Former postal county | Abbreviation | Geographic coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Clwyd | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Dyfed | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Gwent | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Gwynedd | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| Mid Glamorgan | M Glam | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| South Glamorgan | S Glam | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
| Powys | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 | |
| West Glamorgan | W Glam | Broadly matched the county boundaries established in 1974 |
Northern Ireland
| Former postal county | Abbreviation | Geographic coverage |
|---|---|---|
| County Antrim | Co Antrim | |
| County Armagh | Co Armagh | |
| County Down | Co Down | |
| County Fermanagh | Co Fermanagh | |
| County Londonderry | Co Londonderry | |
| County Tyrone | Co Tyrone |
Normally, counties in Northern Ireland are named with the word 'County', and not simply the county name perhaps to avoid confusion with the towns of the same name.
Special post towns
The postal county was omitted for 110 of the larger towns and cities and places where the county name was derived from the post town. These post towns were:- ABERDEEN
- ABOYNE
- ANTRIM
- ARMAGH
- AYR
- BANFF
- BATH
- BEDFORD
- BELFAST
- BERWICK-UPON-TWEED
- BIRMINGHAM
- BLACKBURN
- BLACKPOOL
- BOLTON
- BOURNEMOUTH
- BRIGHTON
- BRISTOL
- BROMLEY
- BUCKINGHAM
- BUSHEY
- CAMBRIDGE
- CARDIFF
- CARLISLE
- CHELMSFORD
- CHESTER
- CLACKMANNAN
- COLCHESTER
- COVENTRY
- CREWE
- CROYDON
- DARTFORD
- DERBY
- DUMBARTON
- DUMFRIES
- DUNDEE
- DURHAM
- EDINBURGH
- ELLESMERE PORT
- EXETER
- FALKIRK
- GLASGOW
- GLOUCESTER
- GUERNSEY
- HEREFORD
- HERTFORD
- HOUNSLOW
- HUDDERSFIELD
- HULL
- INVERNESS
- IPSWICH
- ISLE OF MAN
- ISLES OF SCILLY
- JERSEY
- KINROSS
- KIRKCUDBRIGHT
- LANARK
- LANCASTER
- LEEDS
- LEICESTER
- LINCOLN
- LIVERPOOL
- LONDONLondon postal districtThe London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal...
- LONDONDERRY
- LUTON
- MANCHESTER
- MILTON KEYNES
- NAIRN
- NESTON
- NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
- NORTHAMPTON
- NORWICH
- NOTTINGHAM
- OLDHAM
- ORKNEY
- OXFORD
- PEEBLES
- PERTH
- PETERBOROUGH
- PLYMOUTH
- PORTSMOUTH
- PRESTON
- READING
- REDHILL
- RENFREW
- ROMFORD
- SALFORD
- SALISBURY
- SELKIRK
- SHEFFIELD
- SHETLAND
- SHREWSBURY
- SLOUGH
- SOUTHAMPTON
- SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
- STAFFORD
- STIRLING
- STOKE-ON-TRENT
- STRATHDON
- SUNDERLAND
- SWANSEA
- SWINDON
- TORQUAY
- TWICKENHAM
- WALSALL
- WARRINGTON
- WARWICK
- WATFORD
- WOLVERHAMPTON
- WORCESTER
- YORK
Postcode defined circulation
The Royal Mail ceased to use postal counties as a means of sorting mail following the modernisation of their optical character recognitionOptical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
equipment in 1996. Instead, using postcode defined circulation, the outward code (first half) of the postcode is used to differentiate between like-sounding post towns. In 2000 the postal county data was removed from the Postcode Address File
Postcode Address File
The Postcode Address File is a database which contains all known "Delivery Points" and postcodes in the United Kingdom. Buildings which contain several flats or businesses but only one external front door, will only have the external front door listed; the full addresses which include flat...
database and was added to the Alias File, which is used to cleanse data
Data cleansing
Data cleansing, data cleaning, or data scrubbing is the process of detecting and correcting corrupt or inaccurate records from a record set, table, or database. Used mainly in databases, the term refers to identifying incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate, irrelevant, etc...
of local, colloquial and "postally-not-required" details that have been added to addresses. According to Royal Mail policy the field is not updated and where new post towns are created they will not be assigned to a former postal county. In guidance to customers it is required that the correct post town and postcode must be included in addresses and a county is not required. As part of a "flexible addressing policy" customers can add a county, which will be ignored in the sorting process.
1990s local government reform
During the 1990s a reform of local government in England caused further changes to the locations in which the former postal counties did not match up to the geographic counties. Avon, Cleveland and Humberside were abolished as geographic counties and Rutland was reconstituted. This had the following effects on the relationship between the geographic and postal counties:| Former postal county | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Avon | Bristol, Somerset (part), Gloucestershire (part) |
| Cleveland | County Durham (part), North Yorkshire (part) |
| North Humberside | East Riding of Yorkshire |
| South Humberside | Lincolnshire (part) |
| Leicestershire (part) | Rutland |
Hereford and Worcester was abolished and reconstituted as two separate counties once more, broadly matching the former postal counties. Greater London and Greater Manchester remained unaffected by the reform. Local government was also reorganised in 1996 in both Scotland (Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
) and Wales (Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
The Local Government Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as principal areas in the Act, and abolished the previous two-tier structure of counties and districts...
), such that in some places counties reverted to the historic names once again (e.g. Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
), but in others the post-1974 names were retained (e.g. Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
and Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
). The former postal county data was not updated to reflect the changes that occurred throughout the United Kingdom.
Extended usage
Despite the Royal MailRoyal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
stipulating that counties no longer form part of addresses, many organisations have continued to routinely include them as part of postal addressing, often simply combining Postcode Address File data with the data from the Alias File. Some organisations using software which requires a county to be included as part of a postal address have extended the use of counties to addresses in special post towns, which never needed them.
This continued use has caused customers in areas where there is discrepancy between the postal and geographic counties to complain to Royal Mail. Until 2007 the Royal Mail position was that under their current code of practice, changes to county data will not be considered. However, after a lengthy and well-organised campaign, the Royal Mail agreed to create a postal county of Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
in 2007. This was achieved in January 2008 by amending the former postal county for all of the Oakham
Oakham
-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
(LE15) post town and part of the Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
(LE16) post town. In contrast, Seaton Delaval residents had unsuccessfully campaigned in 2004 to be removed from the former postal county of Tyne and Wear.
In 2009 the Royal Mail code of practice came up for renewal, and the regulator Postcomm held a public consultation on its future. Consultation guidance from the regulator indicated that although the former postal county data is obsolete, it was the last available data set
Data set
A data set is a collection of data, usually presented in tabular form. Each column represents a particular variable. Each row corresponds to a given member of the data set in question. Its values for each of the variables, such as height and weight of an object or values of random numbers. Each...
to be in routine use and was therefore the most likely to be used by corporate customers for their address databases. It was also recognised that residential customers in some areas were not happy with this situation. The Royal Mail reconfirmed its preference for eliminating counties altogether from addressing, but also invited comments on providing a new and updated county data field, reflecting boundary changes. Postcomm found that many respondents objected to the use of obsolete counties. In May 2010 Postcomm decided to advise Royal Mail to "discontinue provision of such information at the earliest opportunity". However because some existing software included the use of counties, Royal Mail was advised not to implement the change before 2013. The timetable announced by Royal Mail in July 2010 indicates this is likely to happen between 2013 and 2016.