Knight of the shire

Knight of the shire
Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a smaller district; as, Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Richmondshire, Hallamshire. [1913 Webster]

An indefinite number of these hundreds make up a county or shire. --Blackstone. [1913 Webster]

2. A division of a State, embracing several contiguous townships; a county. [U. S.] [1913 Webster]

Note: Shire is commonly added to the specific designation of a county as a part of its name; as, Yorkshire instead of York shire, or the shire of York; Berkshire instead of Berks shire. Such expressions as the county of Yorkshire, which in a strict sense are tautological, are used in England. In the United States the composite word is sometimes the only name of a county; as, Berkshire county, as it is called in Massachusetts, instead of Berks county, as in Pensylvania. [1913 Webster]

The Tyne, Tees, Humber, Wash, Yare, Stour, and Thames separate the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, etc. --Encyc. Brit. [1913 Webster]

{Knight of the shire}. See under {Knight}.

{Shire clerk}, an officer of a county court; also, an under sheriff. [Eng.]

{Shire mote} (Old. Eng. Law), the county court; sheriff's turn, or court. [Obs.] --Cowell. --Blackstone.

{Shire reeve} (Old Eng. Law), the reeve, or bailiff, of a shire; a sheriff. --Burrill.

{Shire town}, the capital town of a county; a county town.

{Shire wick}, a county; a shire. [Obs.] --Holland. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Knight of the shire — Knight Knight, n. [OE. knight, cniht, knight, soldier, AS. cniht, cneoht, a boy, youth, attendant, military follower; akin to D. & G. knecht servant; perh. akin to E. kin.] 1. A young servant or follower; a military attendant. [Obs.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • knight of the shire — noun (plural knights of the shire) Etymology: Middle English 1. : a knight selected by the freeholders to represent a shire in the House of Commons especially in medieval times the knight of the shire was the connecting link between the baron and …   Useful english dictionary

  • Knight of the shire — One of the two knights of a shire or *county elected to be its representative in parliament. Their election was overseen by the *sheriff in the county court, in response to the king s summons. Cf. Mainpernor …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • Knight of the post — Knight Knight, n. [OE. knight, cniht, knight, soldier, AS. cniht, cneoht, a boy, youth, attendant, military follower; akin to D. & G. knecht servant; perh. akin to E. kin.] 1. A young servant or follower; a military attendant. [Obs.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire — Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a smaller …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire clerk — Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire mote — Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire reeve — Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire town — Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shire wick — Shire Shire, n. [AS. sc[=i]re, sc[=i]r, a division, province, county. Cf. {Sheriff}.] 1. A portion of Great Britain originally under the supervision of an earl; a territorial division, usually identical with a county, but sometimes limited to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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