 After the establishment of Hampshire County Council, following the passage of the 1888 Local Government Act, Southampton (along with nearby Portsmouth) became a county borough within the county of Hampshire, which meant that the Corporation in Southampton had the combined powers of a lower-tier (borough) and an upper-tier (county) council within the city boundaries, while the new county council was responsible for upper-tier functions outside the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth.There is scope for confusion in the fact that the ancient shire county, along with its associated assizes, was known as the "County of Southampton" or "Southamptonshire".This was officially changed to "Hampshire" in 1959, although the county had been commonly known as Hampshire (and previously Hantescire – the origin of the abbreviation "Hants.")