County confusion

[Bunza]

I am convinced different parts of Yorkshire have changed names in the past and then changed them back again. Is this true...? Also does Middlesex still exist?

[geofbob]

You're right about Yorkshire, but I'll let someone else provide the details of its name changes. Middlesex no longer exists as an administrative county - it was absorbed into Greater London in 1963. But Middlesex lives on in the names of many organisations - eg Middlesex County Cricket team, Middlesex University, Middlesex Hospital etc. Also Middlesex is still used in many north London postal addresses - eg in Harrow and Edgware.

[Andromeda]

In 1974 the three ridings of (North, West and East) Yorkshire were abolished and York which had been a county in its own right, independent of the three ridings was incorporated into the new county called North Yorkshire. Northallerton, the capital of the North Riding continued its administrative role as the headquarters for North Yorkshire, but Middlesbrough which once held a quarter of the North Riding population was moved into the newly created county called Cleveland which also included Hartlepool and Stockton from County Durham north of the Tees. Most of East Yorkshire centred on Hull was combined with North Lincolnshire to form called Humberside, administered at Beverley. Humberside ceased to exist in 1996(?) and East Riding came back into existence.

Andy