The story of the shire begins not with the Anglo-Saxons, as is commonly believed, but with earlier tribal kingdoms. However, the term scir (Old English for "office," "care," or "district") emerged as the dominant organizing principle of Wessex and Mercia between the 7th and 11th centuries.
: There are estimated to be only 2,000 Shire horses left in the world . english shires
: Each shire was managed by an official known as a shire reeve , which eventually evolved into the modern word Sheriff . The story of the shire begins not with
: Sheriffs were royal officials who "farmed" the shires, collecting revenues for the crown and often keeping a portion for themselves. as is commonly believed