Salop? Shrops?

 Handbook of Salop CC, 1890

One of the confusing matters for 'outsiders' is deciding what name to apply to the county - 'Salop' or 'Shropshire'.  The names can be used interchangeably, but such loose usage can also lead to rows among purists. 

The county council was formed in 1889 and switched often between the two monikers until a ruling in 1933 confirmed the name as Salop.  But even then, it was felt to be too old-fashioned; and more rows saw the legal name changed to Shropshire later.

One of the rows was around the the new council’s arms, which you can see in the council's official handbook of 1890 (in the photo above).  The arms - as you can see - were basically no different to the arms of Shrewsbury, with the loggerheads front and centre.  Cue...: objections from the rest of Shropshire!

And the rows continue today really. The various kerfuffles are outlined in the new book about the loggerheads. 

A new book has now been published to celebrate 600 years of the loggerheads - click here to find out more.

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