The Saxon Chronicles, during the period anterior to the reign of Ælfred, seem to know only the old general divisions: thus we have Cantwara land, Kent[130]; Westseaxan, Súðseaxan, Eástseaxan, Middleseaxan, Wessex, Sussex, Essex, Middlesex: Eástengle, Eastanglia: Norðanhymbra land, Súðanhymbra land, Myrcna land, Northumberland, Southumberland, Mercia: Lindisware and Lindisse, Lincolnshire: Súðrige, Surrey; Wiht, the Isle of Wight; Hwiccas, the Hwiccii in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire[131]; Merscware, the people of Romney Marsh: Wilsætan, Dornsætan and Sumorsætan, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire[132]. But after the time of Ælfred, the different manuscripts of the Chronicles usually adopt the word Scír, in the same places as we do, and with the same meaning. Thus we find, Bearrucscír, Bedanfordscír, Buccingahámscír, Defenascír, Deórabyscír, Eoforwícscír, Gleáwanceasterscír, Grantabrycgscír, Hámtúnscír (Southampton), Hámtúnscír (Northampton), Heortfordscír, Herefordscír, Huntandúnscír, Legeceasterscír, Lindicolnascír, Oxnafordscír, Scrobbesbyrigscír (but also Scrobsetan), Snotingahámscír, Stæffordscír, Wæringwícscír or Wæringscír, Wigraceasterscír, and Wiltunscír: Middelseaxe, Eástseaxe, Súðseaxe, Súðrige and Cent remain: Eástengle is not divided into Norfolk and Suffolk. Thus, out of the thirty-two shires south of the Humber, which Florence and William of Malmesbury mention, the Chronicles note twenty-six, of which twenty-one are distinguished as _shires_ by the word scír. ----- Footnote 130: The division of Kent into Eást Centingas and West Centingas is retained by the charters till late in the eleventh century. Footnote 131: “Cirrenceaster adiit, qui Britannice Cairceri nominatur, quae est in meridiana parte Huicciorum.” Asser, Vit. Ælfr. an. 879. Footnote 132: Where the country is considered as a territorial division, rather than with reference to the race that possesses it, instead of sætan or setan, _the settlers_, we have sæte, _the land settled_; thus Sumorsæte. So Eástseaxe for Eástseaxan or Eástseaxna land; Cent for Centingas or Cantware; Lindisse for Lindisware. ----- In Beda nothing of the kind is to be found: the general scope of his Ecclesiastical History rendered it unnecessary for him to descend to minute details, and besides the names of races and kingdoms, he mentions few divisions of the land. Still he notices the Provincia Huicciorum: the Middelangli or Angli Mediterranei, a portion of the Mercians: the Mercii Australes and Aquilonales: the Regio Sudergeona or Surrey: the Regio Loidis or Elmet near York: the Provincia Meanwarorum, or Hundreds of East and West Meon in Southampton; the Regio Gyrwiorum in which Peterborough lies, and distinct from this, the Australes Gyrwii or South Gyrwians.