York Shire (also known as the Shire of York and Yorkshire) was the first large governmental unit organized in the English

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

soon after English control of the area was established in 1664.

History

On August 29, 1664, The

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

’s forces captured

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

from the Dutch, as part of their conquest of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

. They renamed New Netherland as the Province of New York, which included modern New York, New Jersey, Vermont, southeast Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Yorkshire was created soon afterward in 1664. Its jurisdiction included Long Island, Staten Island, Manhattan Island, and the east side of the Hudson River coterminous with today's Bronx and Westchester. Like the original

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

in England for which it was named, Yorkshire, New York was divided into three ridings: ''East'', ''West'' and ''North''. Yorkshire's East Riding consisted of modern Suffolk County, its West Riding contained

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, modern

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and modern

Elmhurst, Queens Elmhurst (formerly Newtown) is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on the east; and the New York Connecting Railr ...

(also known as Newtown), while its North Riding encompassed the rest of modern

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Nassau County,

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

and

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, in addition to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. On July 21, 1667, the

Peace of Breda The Peace of Breda, or Treaty of Breda was signed in the Dutch city of Breda, on 31 July 1667. It consisted of three separate treaties between England and each of its opponents in the Second Anglo-Dutch War: the Dutch Republic, France, and Denma ...

between England, France and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

confirmed the English conquest of New York from the Dutch in 1664. As a result of renewed fighting between England and the Netherlands, the Dutch re-captured New York in August 1673. On September 12, 1673, New Netherland reverted the government structure in New Amsterdam. On February 9, 1674, the Anglo-Dutch War was concluded with the Treaty of Westminster, the terms of which again transferred the territory to British control. The English reverted the organization to the one they previously established plus the take over of the governments the Dutch established in the interim. On June 29, 1674, King

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

granted the same territory previously granted to the Duke of York on March 12, 1663, including all territory previously in the Province of New York. Yorkshire was eliminated on November 1, 1683, and the three ridings were converted into counties. The East Riding became Suffolk County, the West Riding became Richmond (Staten Island) and Kings (Brooklyn) counties, and the North Riding into Queens (including today's Nassau County), New York, and Westchester (including today's Bronx) counties.New York: Commissioners of Statutory Revision: ''Colonial Laws of New York from the year 1664 to the Revolution, including the Charters of the Duke of York, the Commissions and instructions to Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of the Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York, and the acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775, inclusive. Report to the Assembly No. 107, 1894. Five Volumes.

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

; 1894–1896.'' Chapter 4; Volume 1; Page 122

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:York Shire (Province Of New York) Former counties of the United States History of New York City Pre-statehood history of New York (state) 1664 establishments in the Province of New York