List of tripoints of counties of England

This article contains a list of tripoints of counties of England. A tripoint is the point at which three geographical regions meet.

Ceremonial county tripoints

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The table contains a list of the 68 tripoints for the ceremonial counties of England as per the Lieutenancies Act 1997, as amended. Also included are the three points at which two counties meet the borders with Wales and Scotland. For each tripoint the counties are ordered with the first alphabetically given first, and the counties listed anti-clockwise around the point from there.

County 1 County 2 County 3 Grid Ref Notes
Devon Dorset Somerset ST328027
Dorset Wiltshire Somerset ST773311
Dorset Hampshire Wiltshire SU031211
Hampshire West Sussex Surrey SU873326
East Sussex Surrey West Sussex TQ419398 [1]
East Sussex Kent Surrey TQ434401 [1]
Berkshire Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire SU766834
Berkshire Surrey Buckinghamshire TQ026757
Berkshire Hampshire Surrey SU854599
Berkshire Wiltshire Hampshire SU350590
Berkshire Oxfordshire Wiltshire SU289807
Greater London Surrey Kent TQ424568 [2]
Essex Hertfordshire Greater London TQ375999 [3]
Essex Greater London Kent TQ535786
Cambridgeshire Norfolk Lincolnshire TF466178
Cambridgeshire Suffolk Norfolk TL652848 [4]
Cambridgeshire Essex Suffolk TL649435
Cambridgeshire Hertfordshire Essex TL420361
Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Lincolnshire TF019057 [5]
Lincolnshire Rutland Northamptonshire TF019057 [5]
Bedfordshire Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire TL263440
Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire SP997152
Bedfordshire Northamptonshire Buckinghamshire SP911559 [6]
Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire TL046705 [7]
Buckinghamshire Greater London Hertfordshire TQ039900
Berkshire Surrey Greater London TQ035755
Buckinghamshire Northamptonshire Oxfordshire SP605356
Bristol Somerset Gloucestershire ST646700
Gloucestershire Somerset Wiltshire ST796700
Gloucestershire Herefordshire Wales SO552143
Gloucestershire Worcestershire Herefordshire SO759358
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Worcestershire SP160460
Gloucestershire Oxfordshire Warwickshire SP230321 [8]
Gloucestershire Wiltshire Oxfordshire SU220991
Herefordshire Shropshire Wales SO350727
Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire SO579678
West Midlands Worcestershire Warwickshire SP088744
Northamptonshire Warwickshire Oxfordshire SP458524
Leicestershire Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire SK821428 [9]
Leicestershire Rutland Lincolnshire SK902184
Leicestershire Northamptonshire Rutland SP873926
Leicestershire Warwickshire Northamptonshire SP544779 [10]
Leicestershire Staffordshire Warwickshire SK278100 [11]
Staffordshire West Midlands Warwickshire SP144989
Staffordshire Worcestershire West Midlands SO889813
Shropshire Worcestershire Staffordshire SO805841
Derbyshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire SE118027
Derbyshire Nottinghamshire South Yorkshire SK534797 [12]
Derbyshire Leicestershire Nottinghamshire SK493309
Derbyshire Staffordshire Leicestershire SK273115 [11]
Derbyshire West Yorkshire Greater Manchester SE061046
Cheshire Greater Manchester Merseyside SJ617945
Cheshire Derbyshire Greater Manchester SJ980859
Cheshire Staffordshire Derbyshire SK009685 [13]
Cheshire Shropshire Staffordshire SJ745446
Cheshire Wales Shropshire SJ512431
Greater Manchester West Yorkshire Lancashire SD904206
Greater Manchester Lancashire Merseyside SD516028
East Riding Nottinghamshire Lincolnshire SK799960
East Riding South Yorkshire Nottinghamshire SE707011
East Riding North Yorkshire South Yorkshire SE629181
Lancashire West Yorkshire North Yorkshire SD970393
North Yorkshire West Yorkshire South Yorkshire SE508141
Durham Tyne and Wear Northumberland NZ115567
Cumbria Durham Northumberland NY800440
Cumbria North Yorkshire Durham NY890070
Cumbria Lancashire North Yorkshire SD700813
Cumbria Northumberland Scotland NY561884

As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, between 1974 and 1996 the counties of Avon and Cleveland had three tripoints that are no longer in existence.[14]

County 1 County 2 County 3 Grid Ref
Avon Wiltshire Gloucestershire ST812865
Avon Somerset Wiltshire ST799585
Cleveland Durham North Yorkshire NZ196157

Historic county tripoints

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The table contains a list of the 58 principal tripoints for the historic counties of England prior to 1800.[15] As the English county boundaries had remained essentially unchanged since the eleventh century,[16] the list can thus be seen to represent the "original" locations of the English county tripoints.

During the nineteenth century a number of laws, most notably the Counties Act of 1844, resulted in the relocation of some sections of historic boundaries, principally to remove detached portions of counties. With the notable exception of the creation of the metropolitan counties in 1974, the majority of the boundaries have remained unchanged since then. For comparison the locations of the tripoints in 1890 are also listed in the table, by which time the majority of the localised changes had been made. The handful of additional tripoints that were formed by detached parts of counties are not listed in the table (e.g. Devon(detached)-Dorset-Somerset, Staffordshire-Shropshire(detached)-Worcestershire(detached)).

The symbol (†) indicates that the original point still exists unchanged as a tripoint of the current ceremonial counties. (Many of the other points still exist as the meeting of three administrative districts.) For each tripoint the counties are ordered with the first alphabetically given first, and the counties listed anti-clockwise around the point from there.

County 1 County 2 County 3 Grid Ref (1806) Grid Ref (1890) Notes
Devon Dorset Somerset ST259087 ST328027
Dorset Wiltshire Somerset ST773311 ST773311
Dorset Hampshire Wiltshire SU117144 SU031211
Hampshire Sussex Surrey SU873326 SU873326
Kent Surrey Sussex TQ434401 TQ434401
Berkshire Wiltshire Hampshire SU358612 SU350590
Berkshire Hampshire Surrey SU854599 SU854599
Berkshire Surrey Buckinghamshire SU993734 SU993734
Berkshire Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire SU768839 SU768839
Berkshire Oxfordshire Gloucestershire SU244984 SU244984 [17]
Berkshire Gloucestershire Wiltshire SU195968 SU220991 [17]
Gloucestershire Somerset Wiltshire ST796700 ST796700
Gloucestershire Worcestershire Herefordshire SO759358 SO759358
Gloucestershire Herefordshire Monmouthshire SO552143 SO552143
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Worcestershire SP102479 SP102479 [18]
Gloucestershire Oxfordshire Warwickshire SP230321 SP230321
Buckinghamshire Northamptonshire Oxfordshire SP605356 SP605356
Buckinghamshire Surrey Middlesex TQ027717 TQ027717
Buckinghamshire Middlesex Hertfordshire TQ039900 TQ039900
Bedfordshire Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire TL263440 TL263440
Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire TL008157 SP997152
Bedfordshire Northamptonshire Buckinghamshire SP911559 SP911559
Bedfordshire Huntingdonshire Northamptonshire TL046705 TL046705
Middlesex Surrey Kent TQ368790 TQ368790
Essex Middlesex Kent TQ394804 TQ394804
Essex Hertfordshire Middlesex TQ375999 TQ375999
Cambridgeshire Hertfordshire Essex TL399414 TL420361
Cambridgeshire Essex Suffolk TL649435 TL649435
Cambridgeshire Suffolk Norfolk TL605916 TL652848
Cambridgeshire Norfolk Lincolnshire TF478176 TF478176
Cambridgeshire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire TF258076 TF258076
Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Huntingdonshire TL194981 TL223963
Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire TL170561 TL220527
Lincolnshire Rutland Northamptonshire TF014057 TF014057
Leicestershire Northamptonshire Rutland SP873926 SP873926
Leicestershire Warwickshire Northamptonshire SP544779 SP544779
Leicestershire Staffordshire Warwickshire SK278100 SK278100
Leicestershire Rutland Lincolnshire SK902184 SK902184
Staffordshire Worcestershire Warwickshire SP038831 SP063835
Shropshire Worcestershire Staffordshire SO774785 SO774785
Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire SO581679 SO577677
Herefordshire Shropshire Radnorshire SO350727 SO350727
Derbyshire Staffordshire Leicestershire SK273115 SK273115
Derbyshire Leicestershire Nottinghamshire SK493309 SK493309
Leicestershire Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire SK821428 SK821428
Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Yorkshire SK533789 SK533789
Cheshire Flintshire Shropshire SJ512431 SJ512431
Cheshire Shropshire Staffordshire SJ745446 SJ745446
Cheshire Staffordshire Derbyshire SK009685 SK009685
Cheshire Derbyshire Yorkshire SK133996 SK133996
Cheshire Yorkshire Lancashire SD975025 SD975025
Lincolnshire Yorkshire Nottinghamshire SE701018 SE701018
Lancashire Yorkshire Westmorland SD701827 SD701827
Cumberland Lancashire Westmorland NY276027 NY276027
Cumberland Westmorland Durham NY771336 NY771336
Durham Westmorland Yorkshire NY815283 NY815283
Cumberland Durham Northumberland NY800440 NY800440
Cumberland Northumberland Roxburghshire NY561884 NY561884

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b These two tripoints are just about a mile from one another, to the east of East Grinstead.
  2. ^ Formerly located at TQ426574
  3. ^ This tripoint is located beside where the M25 motorway crosses the River Lea.
  4. ^ Near to Shippea Hill railway station
  5. ^ a b Often incorrectly believed to be a quadripoint, these two tripoints are around 20 metres apart.
  6. ^ Located at the edge of "Threeshire Wood".
  7. ^ Marked by a "Three Shire Stone"
  8. ^ Location of the "Four Shire Stone" monument, marking the location of a former quadripoint when the site also bordered a detached area of Worcestershire.
  9. ^ Marked by "Three Shire Oak".
  10. ^ Marked by Dow Bridge
  11. ^ a b These two tripoints are just under a mile from one another - see No Man's Heath.
  12. ^ Situated 500m north of "Three Shires Oak".
  13. ^ Known as Three Shire Heads and the former location of three stones marking the boundary and shown on John Speed's map of 1612.
  14. ^ "County boundary mapping from 1995". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 2008-12-09.
  15. ^ Ordnance Survey: First Edition, 1806
  16. ^ Encyclopedia Americana Corp. (1918). Encyclopedia Americana. p. 354.
  17. ^ a b These two tripoints are just over a mile from one another near Lechlade.
  18. ^ Marked by the "Three Shire Elms"