'Shire mote' definitions:

Definition of 'Shire mote'

From: GCIDE
  • Shire \Shire\, n. [AS. sc[imac]re, sc[imac]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]