shire

An administrative area or district between about the 5th to the 11th century, subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; also, a present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; a

Yorkshire is the largest shire in England.

I thanke his grace he hath appointed him, / Chiefe colonell of all thoſe companies / Muſtred in London, and the ſhires about, / To ſerue his highneſſe in thoſe warres of France: […]

The people living in a shire (noun sense 1.1) considered collectively.

You, my love, are a little paragon—positively a little jewel—You have more brains than half the shire— […]

The general area in which a person comes from or lives.

When are you coming back to the shire?

An administrative area or district in other countries.

[T]his old Evil-queſtioning asked the Doubters if they vvere all of a Tovvn, (he knevv that they vvere all of one Kingdom)? and they anſvvered no, nor not of one Shire neither; […]

An administrative area or district in other countries.

To constitute or reconstitute (a country or region) into one or more shires (noun noun sense 1.1) or counties.

County Longford was shired in 1586.

[I]t made no Matter, if the Countrie vvere never ſhired, nor her Majesties VVritt othervviſe curraunt then it is; for humblye he kepeth all his People ſubiect to Obedience and good Order; […]

A surname.

A placename

A placename