Shires of Virginia facts for kids
The eight Shires of Virginia were like the first "counties" in the Virginia Colony. They were created in 1634, based on how local areas were governed in England at that time. Just a few years later, these shires were officially renamed as counties. Today, five of these original eight shires still exist in Virginia as counties, even though some of their borders and names have changed over nearly 400 years.
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How Virginia's First Counties Were Formed
In 1634, King Charles I of England ordered a new way to organize local government in the Virginia Colony. The House of Burgesses, which was like Virginia's early government group, named eight areas as "shires." Each shire had its own local leaders.
Just a few years later, the word "shire" was officially changed to "county." Some names also changed early on. For example, Warrosquyoake, a Native American name, became Isle of Wight. Also, during the English Civil War, Charles River County and the Charles River were renamed York County and York River. However, Charles City County kept its original royal name.
The Original Eight Shires
Here are the first eight shires of Virginia:
- Accomac Shire (later split into Northampton and Accomack Counties)
- Charles City Shire (still exists as Charles City County)
- Charles River Shire (later became York County)
- Elizabeth City Shire (no longer a county; it joined with the City of Hampton)
- Henrico Shire (still exists as Henrico County)
- James City Shire (still exists as James City County)
- Warwick River Shire (no longer a county; it joined with the City of Newport News)
- Warrosquyoake Shire (later became Isle of Wight County)
Why Some Names Can Be Confusing
Four of the shire names included names of cities that were created in 1619. Between 1637 and 1642, their names officially changed from "Shire" to "County." This caused some confusion much later, especially after independent cities were created in Virginia around the 1870s. In Virginia, an area can be either in a city or in a county, but not in both.
James City's Name Journey
The county that included the first settlement at Jamestown tried to avoid confusion. For a while, its official name was "County of James City." Today, it is officially called James City County again.
Elizabeth City Becomes Part of Hampton
In 1952, the people of "Elizabeth City County" voted to stop being a county. They decided to join with the independent city of Hampton. They also voted to use the shorter and more famous name, Hampton.
Warwick County Joins Newport News
Also in 1952, Warwick County changed its status to an independent city. Then, on July 1, 1958, the new city of Warwick officially joined with the independent city of Newport News. Newport News had actually separated from Warwick County earlier, in 1896.
