[Talk-GB] 'historic' county boundaries added to the database

[Adam Snape]

Hi,

If these boundaries were purely of historical interest I doubt that you'd
find many experienced contributors arguing for their inclusion in OSM. The
argument is that these areas retain a continued cultural geographic
relevance. People with no particularinterest in history can and do still
consider themselves as living in (for eg.) Wigan, Lancashire or Dentdale,
Yorkshire (administratively in the Yorkshire Dales but not Yorkshire - how
ridiculous!).

To me the best comparison is with loc_name and old_name, tags in which we
appreciate the significance of older or alternate names for areas where
they retain some current significance.

Btw, I'm surprised that we've got this far without mention (unless I've
missed it) the Government's position on this issue, namely that despite
ceasing to have administrative function, the traditional counties continue
to exist and form an important part of of local identities:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/eric-pickles-celebrate-st-george-and-englands-traditional-counties

Kind regards,

Adam
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