Saddleworth White Rose Society
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The Saddleworth White Rose Society is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of the historic county of Yorkshire as the primary geographic reference frame for the English civil parish of Saddleworth. Saddleworth was made part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester under the Local Government Act 1972, and the group, associated with the more general Yorkshire Ridings Society, aims to gain wider recognition for the use of the historic county system over the modern county system.
Successive legislation regarding county status in the United Kingdom has led to confusion and debate by some areas of the Saddleworth community as to which system should constitute the foremost reference frame.
The Society promotes their contention that Saddleworth remains in Yorkshire, as it believes that the historic counties were never in fact abolished and exist alongside the new metropolitan counties [1], via the publication of its newsletter and the organisation of various events, most notably on August 1 - Yorkshire Day.
Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county based around the connurbation surrounding the city of Manchester. Saddleworth was created part of this county despite its rural setting. Saddleworth is also the only part of the Metropolitan borough of Oldham which formed part of Yorkshire, the rest being in Lancashire.
The Society is affiliated to the Association of British Counties and has expressed support for the CountyWatch direct action group. [1]
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[edit] Commentary
The Prince of Wales referred to Saddleworth's continuing Yorkshire status when he visited the area in 2001: "The fact that Saddleworth is still part of the historic West Riding is extremely important".[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Newsletter No 29 Winter 2005/2006. Saddleworth White Rose Society.
- ^ David McKie: Elsewhere,The Guardian 23 September 2004
