In 1768, South Carolina eliminated all of the original counties and established seven new "overarching Districts," with judicial seats in each district. The Act creating these new districts was nullified by the British Parliament, but the re-introduction of the Act in 1769 was approved. From 1769 to 1785, these districts remained intact, however, the district seats did change some during that time-frame.

After the American Revolution in 1785, South Carolina re-established the concept of counties and thirty-four (34) "new" counties were defined and established. Each of these new counties were "subsets" of, and subordinate to, the "overarching Districts" that had been in existence since 1769. Some of the newly-defined counties were abolished between 1785 and 1800, whereas other newly-defined counties were created during that period.

The 1785 County Court Act created four "subordinate" counties within the "overarching" Georgetown District - Winyah County, Williamsburg County, Liberty County, and Kingston County. All four of these "new counties" did not take root with the local citizenship, who were apparently quite comfortable doing their governmental business in Georgetown, and these four "new counties" were abolished in 1798. Two of the four were ressurrected within two years - Liberty became Marion County and Winyah became Georgetown County in 1800. Kingston County became Horry County in 1801, and Williamsburg was simply reinstated with the same boundaries and name in 1804. All four exist to this day.

In 1800, South Carolina abolished all "overarching Districts" and essentially went with the county concept from that year forward. However, in 1800, all counties were now called "districts" and would continue being called districts until after the American Civil War. In 1868, South Carolina reverted back to the term "county" and this term has been used continuously since then.

The first United States Census was taken in 1790 and each of the original seven "overarching Districts" were enumerated within that census. By the 1800 U.S. Census, all of the original seven "overarching Districts" had been abolished and new counties (called districts at that time) were enumerated separately in that census.