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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Shires
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A term for the counties of the Midlands, used originally by their neighbours to the east and south (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey) whose own names did not end in 'shire'. It later became applied in particular to Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, counties famous for *hunting. It was here in the late 17C that packs of hounds were first kept purely for the purpose of hunting foxes, and many of England's oldest and best-known hunts are in this region – in particular the Cottesmore (which lays claim to be the oldest hunt of all, dating back to 1666), the Quorn (1698), the Pytchley (1750) and the Belvoir (1762).
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