Under the generical name of town, are comprehend ed the several species of cities, boroughs, and common towns. A city is a town incorporated, which either is, or has been, the see of a bishop ; for though the bisho pric be dissolved, as at Westminster, it still remains a ci ty. Every town, whether corporate or not, that sends burgesses to parliament, is a borough. There are other towns which are neither cities nor boroughs; some have the privilege of markets, and others not. To several of these there are attached small appendages, called Ham lets, which originally, according to Sir Henry Spelman, consisted of less than five freemen. Hamlets are some times under the same administration as the town to which they are attached, and sometimes governed by separate officers.
The number of counties into which England is at present divided, is forty ; and Wales consists of twelve. Of the former, six may be considered as northern ; four border on Wales: twelve compose the midland district of England ; eight may be classed as eastern ; three as south-eastern ; four as southern ; and three lie in the south-west of the kingdom. Wales is divided into two parts, North Wales and South Wales; in the former are six counties, and in the latter the same number.
Although, under each of the counties of England and Wales, a particular description and account of them will be found, yet it may be proper here, in order to render this article more complete, to give their bounda ries, their divisions into hundreds, parishes, Cc. and a list of their principal towns; referring the reader to each county for further particulars.
The northern division of England consists of North umberland, which is bounded by Scotland and Cumber land on the west ; by Durham and Cumberland on the south ; by the German Ocean on the. east, and by Scot land on the north. It contains one county town, seven wards, twelve market-towns, and 460 parishes and town ships; the principal towns in it are Newcastle, North Shields, Hexham, Morpeth, and Alnwick. Cumberland is bounded by Scotland on the north ; by the Irish Sea on the west; on the east by Northumberland and Durham; and on the south by Westmoreland and Lancashire. It contains one city, five wards, 17 market towns, and 99 parishes; the principal towns are Carlisle, Whitehaven, 1Vorkington, and Penrith. Durham is bounded on the east, by the German Ocean; on the north, by Northum berland; on the west, by Cumberland; and on the south, by Yorkshire. It contains one city, four wards, thrco detached hundreds in Northumberland ; 14 market towns, and 118 parishes ; its principal towns are Durham, Sun derland, and Darkngton. Yorkshire is bounded on the north, by Durham and Westmoreland; on the cast, by the German Ocean; on the west, by Westmoreland and Lancashire ; and on the south, by Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. It contains one
city, 30 wapentakes, 60 market towns, and 563 parishes ; and is besides, from its great extent, divided into three tidings, the east, north, and west. In the east riding, the principal towns are York, Hull, and Beverly ; in the north riding, Whitby, Scarborough, and Richmond ; and in the west riding, Leeds, Halifax, Wakefield, Hudders field, Sheffield, and Bradford. Westmoreland is bounded, on the north and north-east, by Cumberland ; on the east, by Yorkshire; and on the smith and south-west, by Lan cashire. It contains one county town, four wards or ba ronies, as they are sometimes called, eight market towns, and 26 parishes ; its principal towns are Kendal and Appleby. Lancashire, the last of the northern counties, is bounded on the north, by Westmoreland and a part of Cumberland ; on the east, by Yorkshire ; on the west, by the Irish Sea ; and on the south, by Cheshire. It con tains one county town, six hundreds, 27 market towns, and 61 parishes; its principal towns are Liverpool, Manchester, Bolton, Preston, Lancaster, Wigan, War rington, Blackburn, Rochdale, and Bury.
The four counties which border on Wales, are Che shire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Monmouthshire. The county of Chester is bounded on the north by Lan cashire, and a small point of Yorkshire; on the east, by Derbyshire and Staffordshire ; on the south, by Shrop shire, and a detached part of Flintshire; and on the west, by Denbighshire and Flintshire. It contains one city, seven hundreds, 13 market towns, and 68 parishes : the principal towns in Cheshire, are Chester, Stockport, • Knutsford, Macclesfield, and Nantwich. Shropshire, or the county of Salop, is bounded by Cheshire, the detach ed part of Flintshire, and a corner of Denbighshire, on the north; on the west, by Denbighshire, Montgomery shire, and Radnorshire ; on the south, by Herefordshire and Worcestershire; and on the east, by Staffordshire. It contains one county town, 14 hundreds, 17 market towns, and 170 parishes: the principal towns in Shrop shire, are Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Bridgnorth, and Oswes• try. Herefordshire is bounded, on the north, by Shrop shire; on the west, by Radnorshire and Brecknockshire; on the south, by Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire ; and on the east, by Worcestershire. It contains one ci ty, eleven hundreds, seven market towns, and 176 parish es ; its principal towns are, Hereford and Leominster. Minnmouthshire is bounded, on the north, by Hereford shire and Brecknockshire; on the west, by Glamorgan shire and Brecknockshire ; on the south, by the Bristol Channel; and on the east, by Gloucestershire. It con tains one county town, six hundreds, seven market towns, and 127 parishes: the principal towns in Monmouthshire, are Monmouth, Chepstow, and Abergavenny.