Middleshire

Middleshire is a fictional English county that is mentioned in several of Christie's works. It's location is indefinite and the various references contradict. It is thus to be regarded as a pseudonym used by Christie when she does not want to pin events down to a real geographical locale.

Middleshire in the works by Agatha Christie

 * Hercule Poirot's Christmas - Colonel Johnson is the Chief Constable of Middleshire. In an earlier book, he is Chief Constable of Yorkshire and textual evidence points to the two Johnsons as being the same person. In this case, Middleshire might have been a pseudonym for Yorkshire.
 * A Murder is Announced - George Rydesdale is Chief Constable of Middleshire. Inspector Craddock affirms this same thing in the ITV 2005 adaptation. The village of Chipping Cleghorn is therefore in Middleshire.