The U.S. state of South Carolina is divided into 46 counties. Berkeley, Colleton, and Craven counties were the first proprietary counties created in 1682, and the last county to be formed was Allendale County on database record on March 25, 1919.
Today’s South Carolina counties did not always exist in the present form. They went through many different changes in the space of a few short years, shifting from early colonial proprietary boundaries and Anglican election parishes to a comprehensive judicial “District” system before the state constitution permanently established modern county governments.
In 1769, the colonial assembly organized seven overarching judicial districts to manage court registries outside of Charleston. These original administrative boundaries spanned across the entire state and provided the framework for post-Revolutionary partitions.
There were originally 3 South Carolina counties when it was first mapped under the Lords Proprietors in 1682, they were Berkeley, Colleton, and Craven counties.
The State of South Carolina entered the union as the 8th state on May 23, 1788.
Former counties and history
Claremont County: Created in 1785 within the Camden District. It was named to honor the local plantation estate of state legislator Thomas Sumter. The county was permanently abolished in 1800 when the state unified the territory with Salem and Clarendon counties to form the larger Sumter District.
Craven County: Established in 1682 as one of the three foundational proprietary counties of the colony. It was named for William, Earl of Craven, one of the original Lords Proprietors. Lacking a localized local courthouse or independent civil administration, it was officially declared obsolete and abolished in 1769 when the state adopted the judicial circuit district layout.
Granville County (Old): Created in 1708 along the southernmost coastal tier of the province and named for John Granville, a prominent Lord Proprietor. The early frontier jurisdiction was completely dissolved in 1769 during the regulatory overhaul that centralized court filings into localized judicial circuits.
Pendleton County: Created on March 7, 1789, from newly acquired Cherokee indigenous treaty cessions. It was named in honor of Judge Henry Pendleton, a noted Revolutionary War patriot. Due to rapid population growth and the immense geographic distance required to reach the town seat, the legislature abolished the county on December 20, 1826, dividing its territory to form Anderson and Pickens counties.
Salem County: Formed in 1792 from portions of Claremont and Clarendon counties to give rural farming families closer access to local court magistrates. It was named after the local Salem Black River Presbyterian church settlement. The county was completely dissolved in 1800 when its lands were consolidated into the unified Sumter District.
Winton County: Created in 1785 from the sprawling southern backcountry limits of the Orangeburg District. It was named to honor the local Winton family pioneers. Finding the county boundaries and court operations inefficient, the state legislature completely abolished the jurisdiction in 1800 and reorganized the entire land tract under the name Barnwell District.