Yorkshire

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Yorkshire
Flag of Yorkshire
Yorkshire within England in 1881
Geography
1831 area	3,669,510 acres (14,850 km²)[1]
1901 area	3,883,979 acres (15,718 km²)[1]
1991 area	2,941,247 acres (11,903 km²)[1]
HQ	York
Chapman code	YKS
History
Origin	Kingdom of Jórvík
Created	In antiquity
Succeeded by	Various
Demography
1831 population - 1831 density	1,371,359[1] 0.37/acre
1901 population - 1901 density	3,512,838[1] 0.9/acre
1991 population - 1991 density	3,978,484[1] 1.35/acre
Subdivisions
Type	Ridings
Units	1 North • 2 West • 3 East

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions have increasingly been undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes Yorkshire has continued to function as a recognised territory and cultural region.^[2][3] The name is familiar and well-understood across the United Kingdom and is in common use, featuring in the title of current areas of civil administration such as Yorkshire and the Humber.

Throughout much of history, Yorkshire has played a prominent role in Great Britain. The Brigantes, who were the largest Celtic Briton tribe held it as their heartland. The Romans made Eboracum, later to be named York, from which the county derives its name, the capital of Britannia Inferior, one of the provinces of Roman Britain.^[4] The area was an independent Viking kingdom known as Jórvík for around a century, before being taken by England. Most of the modern day large cities were founded during the Norman period.^[5]

The county covered just under 6,000 square miles (15,000 km²) in 1831^[6] and the modern day Yorkshire and the Humber region has a population of around five million.^[7] Yorkshire is widely considered to be the greenest area in England, due to both the vast rural countryside of the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and some of the major cities,^[8][9] this has led to Yorkshire being nicknamed God's Own County.^[10][11]

The emblem of Yorkshire is the White Rose of the House of York, the most common flag representative of Yorkshire is the White Rose on a dark blue background.^[12] Yorkshire Day, held on August 1, is a celebration of the general culture of Yorkshire, ranging from its history to its own language.^[13]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Celtic tribes 1.2 Roman Yorkshire 1.3 Second Celtic period and Angles 1.4 Kingdom of Jórvík 1.5 Norman conquest 1.6 Wars of the Roses 1.7 Saints, Civil War and textile industry 1.8 Modern Yorkshire 2 Geography 2.1 Physical and geological 2.2 Natural areas 3 Transport 4 Culture 4.1 Architecture 4.2 Literature and art 4.3 Sport 4.4 Cuisine 4.5 Popular music and film 5 Governance 5.1 Politics 5.2 Monarchy and peerage 6 Noted Yorkshire people 7 References 8 Notes 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Yorkshire

[edit] Celtic tribes

Early inhabitants of Yorkshire were Celts, who came from two separate tribes, the Brigantes and the Parisii. The Brigantes, who originated in the Alps or Gallaecia, controlled territory which would later become all of the North Riding of Yorkshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The tribe controlled most of Northern England and more territory than any other Celtic tribe in England.^[14] That they made the Yorkshire area their heartland is evident in that Isurium Brigantum (now known as Aldborough) was the capital town of their territory. Six of the nine Brigantian poleis described by Claudius Ptolemaeus in the Geographia fall within the historic county.^[15][16] The Parisii who controlled the area that would become the East Riding of Yorkshire, are thought to have been related to the Parisii of Lutetia Parisiorum, Gaul (known today as Paris, France).^[17] The Roman conquest of Britain began in 43 AD, however the Brigantes continued control of their kingdom as a client state of Rome for an extended period, reigned over by the Brigantian monarchs Cartimandua and her husband Venutius. Initially, this situation suited both the Romans and the Brigantes who were known as the most militant tribe in Britain.^[18]

[edit] Roman Yorkshire

Queen Cartimandua left her husband for Vellocatus, setting off a chain of events which would change the ownership of the Yorkshire area. Cartimandua, due to her good relationship with the Romans was able to keep control of the kingdom, however her former husband staged rebellions against her and her Roman allies.^[19] At the second attempt Venutius took back the kingdom, but the Romans under general Petillius Cerialis conquered the Brigantes in 71 AD.^[20] Under Roman rule, the high profile of the area continued; the fortified city of Eboracum (now known as York) was named as capital of Britannia Inferior and joint-capital of all Roman Britain.^[21] For the two years before the death of Emperor Septimus Severus, the entire Roman Empire was run from Eboracum by him.^[22]

A second Emperor Constantius Chlorus died in Yorkshire during a visit in 306 AD, this saw his son Constantine the Great proclaimed Emperor in the city; he would become renowned due to his contributions to Christianity.^[23] In the early 400s the Roman rule ceased with the withdrawal of the last active Roman troops, by this stage the Empire was in heavy decline.^[22] However, during the three and a half centuries of Roman rule in Yorkshire they had introduced much to help forward civilisation there, such as; sanitation, irrigation, education, roads, public libraries, cement, bricks, heated baths, coins, art, literature, law, wine, the calendar, glass, shops, public order, cats, various fruits and vegetables (carrots, turnips, apples, peas, cabbage, pears, grapes) and more.^[24]

[edit] Second Celtic period and Angles

After the Romans left, small Celtic kingdoms built up in Yorkshire; the Kingdom of Ebrauc around York and more notably the Kingdom of Elmet around West Yorkshire.^[25][26] The Elmet in particular managed to hold out with their Celtic kingdom against the invading Angles for a century and a half, ensuring that the Anglian kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria on either side developed separately. Eventually the Elmet succumbed and became part of the Anglian kingdom of Deira.^[27] It should be noted that, although this period is called the Anglo-Saxon period, it was the Angles (from Angeln) who conquered the North, while the Saxons (from Nordalbingia) conquered the South.^[28] Under Aethelfrith Deira merged with another Anglian kingdom of Bernicia in the early 600s, to form the Kingdom of Northumbria. At its greatest extent, Northumbria stretched from the Irish Sea to the North Sea and from Edinburgh down to Hallamshire in South Yorkshire.^[29]

[edit] Kingdom of Jórvík

Main article: Kingdom of Jórvík

An army of Danish Vikings invaded Northumbrian territory in 886 AD, with what was named by their enemies as the "Great Heathen Army".^[30] The Danes took what is modern day York and renamed it as Jórvík, making it their new capital city of a kingdom under the same name; the area which they took as their kingdom was Southern Northumbria (Yorkshire).^[5] The Danes went on to conquer a large area of England which afterwards became known as the Danelaw, but whereas most of the Danelaw was still English land, albeit in submission to Viking overlords, it was in the Kingdom of Jórvík founded by Halfdan Ragnarsson,^[31] that the only truly Viking territory on mainland Britain was established. Although it was founded by Danes, the kingdom was passed onto Norwegian kings.^[31]

Through the Vikings evolving trade, Jórvík was able to trade with the British Isles, North-West Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.^[32] Eric Bloodaxe, who was the last independent Viking king of Jórvík is a particularly noted figure in history.^[33] After around 100 years of a Norse-Yorkshire kingdom, the Kingdom of Wessex gained control of Yorkshire and the North in general, placing Yorkshire within Northumbria again - which was now an almost-independent earldom, rather than a separate kingdom. The Wessex Kings of England were reputed to have respected the Norse customs in Yorkshire and left law-making in the hands of the local aristocracy.^[34]

[edit] Norman conquest

In the weeks immediately leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, Harold II of England was distracted by events in Yorkshire; his brother Tostig and Harold Hardrada King of Norway were attempting a take over bid in the North, they had already won the Battle of Fulford. The King of England marched North and the two armies met at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Tostig and Hardrada were both killed and their army was defeated decisively. However, Harold Godwinson was forced immediately to march his army back down to the South where William the Conqueror was landing. The King was defeated at Hastings and this led to the Norman conquest of England.

The people of the North rebelled again in September 1069 AD, this time against the Normans, enlisting Sweyn II of Denmark; they tried to take back York but the Normans burnt it before they could.^[35] What followed was the Harrying of the North ordered by William, from York to Durham all crops, domestic animals and farming tools were scorched. Many villages between the towns were burnt and many local Northerners were indiscriminately murdered.^[36] During the winter that followed, whole families starved to death, thousands of peasants died of cold and hunger; Orderic Vitalis put the estimation at "more than 100,000" people from the North dead from hunger.^[37]

In the centuries following, many abbeys and priories were built in Yorkshire. The Norman landowners were keen to increase their revenues and established new towns such as Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Scarborough and others. Of the towns founded before the conquest only York, Bridlington and Pocklington carried on at a prominent level.^[38] The population of Yorkshire was booming, until it like the rest of Britain was hit by the Great Famine in the years between 1315 and 1322.^[38] In the early 1300s the people of Yorkshire also had to contest with the Battle of the Standard at Northallerton with the Scots, representing the Kingdom of England led by Archbishop Thurstan of York soldiers from Yorkshire defeated the more numerous Scots.^[39] The Black Death reached Yorkshire by 1349, killing around a third of the entire population.^[38]

[edit] Wars of the Roses

For more information: House of York, Wars of the Roses

When King Richard II was overthrown, antagonism between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both branches of the House of Plantagenet, began to emerge. Eventually the two houses fought in a series of civil wars for the throne of England, commonly known as the Wars of the Roses. Some of the battles took place in Yorkshire, such as those at Wakefield and Towton, the latter of which is known as the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil.^[40] After a long violent struggle, King Henry VI of the House of Lancaster was deposed and imprisoned on 4 March 1461 by his Yorkist cousin and new King of England, Edward IV.^[41] Eight years later hostilities resumed, Edward was forced into exile to Burgundy by Richard Neville and turncoat John Neville as Lancaster's Henry VI was reinstated.

Edward would return though, landing in Ravenspurn he eventually went on to defeat the House of Lancaster, as Henry VI had no heirs, he was killed to strengthen Yorkist grip on the throne as Edward was restored as King of England. This was generally considered an end to the most significant hostilities, the rest of Edward's reign was peaceful. After Edward IV suddenly died and his 12 year old son Edward V was proclaimed as heir, a political storm erupted; a family named the Woodvilles had found themselves high up the political hierarchy and were in a position to influence the young Yorkist king.

Frictions had developed between Edward IV and the Woodvilles, the family of his wife Elizabeth Woodville, before his death and so Edward IV's brother Richard III (a man who had spent much of his early life at Middleham Castle, Yorkshire),^[42] put the young king in the Tower of London along with his younger brother, they became known as the Princes in the Tower.^[41] Richard III argued that Elizabeth Woodville's marriage to Edward IV was illegal and thus the two boys were illegitimate, Parliament agreed and Richard was crowned King of England; he would prove to be the last Yorkist king.^[41] Henry Tudor of the House of Lancaster, then defeated and killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field, he then became King Henry VII and married Elizabeth of York daughter of Yorkist Edward IV, ending the wars.^[43] The two roses were combined to form the Tudor Rose.^[a][44]

[edit] Saints, Civil War and textile industry

The wool industry being centred in West Yorkshire helped a revival in the 16th century. The textile industry in general helped Wakefield and Halifax grow.^[45] Changes were afoot outside of employment after Henry VIII closed some monasteries and so 1536 saw the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion. Due to the Protestant Reformation wider England became a Protestant country, however some of the Catholic contingent in Yorkshire continued to practice their religion and those caught were executed during the reign of Elizabeth I, such as York woman Margaret Clitherow who was later canonised.^[46]

Yorkshire had divided loyalties during the English Civil War, which started in 1642 between king and parliament; Hull famously shut the gates of the city on the king when he came to enter the city a few months before fighting began, while the North Riding of Yorkshire in particular was strongly royalist.^[47][48] York was the base for cavaliers (Royalists), and from there they captured Leeds and Wakefield only to have them recaptured a few months later. The royalists won the Battle of Adwalton Moor meaning they controlled Yorkshire (with the exception of Hull). From their base in Hull the Roundheads (parliamentarians) fought back, re-taking Yorkshire town by town, until they had won the Battle of Marston Moor and with it control of all the North of England.^[49]

Leeds and other wool industry centred towns continued to grow, along with Sheffield, Huddersfield and Hull, while coal mining first came into prominence in the West Riding of Yorkshire.^[50] Canals and turnpike roads were introduced in the late 1700s. In the following century the spa towns of Harrogate and Scarborough also flourished, due to people believing mineral water had curing properties.^[51]

[edit] Modern Yorkshire

Main article: History of local government in Yorkshire

The 19th century saw Yorkshire's continued growth, with the population growing and the Industrial Revolution continuing with prominent industries in coal, textile and steel (especially in Sheffield). However, despite the booming industry, living conditions declined in the industrial towns due to overcrowding, this saw bouts of cholera in both 1832 and 1848.^[52] Fortunately for the county, advances were made by the end of the century with the introduction of modern sewers and water supplies. Several Yorkshire railway networks were introduced as railways spread across the country to reach remote areas.^[53] County councils were created for the three ridings in 1889, but their area of control did not include the large towns, which became county boroughs, and included an increasing large part of the population.^[54]

During the Second World War, Yorkshire became an important base for RAF Bomber Command and brought the county into the cutting edge of the war.^[55] In the 1970s there were major reforms of local government throughout the United Kingdom. Some of the changes were unpopular,^[56] and controversially Yorkshire and its ridings lost status in 1974^[57] as part of the Local Government Act 1972.^[58] The East Riding was resurrected with reduced boundaries in 1996 with the abolition of Humberside. With slightly different borders, the government office entity which currently contains most of the area of Yorkshire is the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England.^[57] This region includes a northern slice of Lincolnshire, but omits Saddleworth (now in Greater Manchester); the Forest of Bowland (Lancashire); Sedbergh and Dent (Cumbria); Upper Teesdale (County Durham) as well as Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.^[56]

[edit] Geography

[edit] Physical and geological

Main articles: Geology of Yorkshire and list of places in Yorkshire

Historically, the northern boundary of Yorkshire was the River Tees, the eastern boundary was the North Sea coast and the southern boundary was the Humber Estuary and River Don and River Sheaf. The western boundary meandered along the western slopes of the Pennine Hills to again meet the River Tees.^[59] It is bordered by several other historic counties in the form of County Durham, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Westmorland.^[60] In Yorkshire there is a very close relationship between the major topographical areas and the geological period in which they were formed.^[59] The Pennine chain of Hills in the west is of Carboniferous origin. The central vale is Permo-Triassic. The North York Moors in the north-east of the county are Jurassic in age while the Yorkshire Wolds to the south east are Cretaceous chalk uplands.^[59]

Yorkshire is drained by several rivers. In Western and central Yorkshire the many rivers empty their waters into the River Ouse which reaches the North Sea via the Humber Estuary.^[61] The most northerly of the rivers in the Ouse system is the Swale, which drains Swaledale before passing through Richmond and meandering across the Vale of Mowbray. Next, draining Wensleydale, is the River Ure, which joins the Swale east of Boroughbridge. The River Nidd rises on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and flows along Nidderdale before reaching the Vale of York.^[61]

The Ouse is the name given to the river after its confluence with the Ure at Ouse Gill Beck. The River Wharfe, which drains Wharfedale, joins the Ouse upstream of Cawood.^[61] The Rivers Aire and Calder are more southerly contributors to the River Ouse and the most southerly Yorkshire tributary is the River Don, which flows northwards to join the main river at Goole. In the far north of the county the River Tees flows eastwards through Teesdale and empties its waters into the North Sea downstream of Middlesbrough. The smaller River Esk flows from west to east at the northern foot of the North York Moors to reach the sea at Whitby.^[61] The River Derwent rises on the North York Moors, flows south then westwards through the Vale of Pickering then turns south again to drain the eastern part of the Vale of York. It empties into the River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh.^[61] To the east of the Yorkshire Wolds the River Hull flows southwards to join the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull. The western Pennines are served by the River Ribble which drains westwards into the Irish Sea close to Lytham St Anne's.^[61]

[edit] Natural areas

Main article: Topographical areas of Yorkshire

The countryside of Yorkshire has acquired the common nickname of God's Own County.^[11][10] In recent times, North Yorkshire has displaced Kent to take the title Garden of England according to The Guardian.^[62] Yorkshire has three national parks, in the form of the Peak District, North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, and two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Nidderdale and the Howardian Hills.^[63] The three designated Heritage Coast areas in Yorkshire are Spurn Point, Flamborough Head and coastal North York Moors.^[64] These areas of Yorkshire are noted for their scenic views with rugged cliffs^[65] such as the jet cliffs at Whitby,^[65] the limestone cliffs at Filey and the chalk cliffs at Flamborough Head.^[66][67]

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds runs nature reserves such as the one at Bempton Cliffs with coastal wildlife such as the Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin and Razorbill.^[68] Spurn Point is a narrow, three mile (5 km) long sand spit. It is a National Nature Reserve owned by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and is noted for its cyclical nature whereby the spit is destroyed and re-created approximately once every 250 years.^[69] There are seaside resorts in Yorkshire with sand beaches; Scarborough is Britain's oldest seaside resort dating back to the spa town-era in the 17th century,^[70] while Whitby has been voted as the United Kingdom's best beach, with a "postcard-perfect harbour."^[71]

[edit] Transport

The most prominent road in Yorkshire, historically called the Great North Road, is known as the A1.^[72] This trunk road passes through the centre of the county and is the prime route from London to Edinburgh.^[73] Another important road is the more easterly A19 road which is also prominent for travelling up and down England. The M62 motorway crosses the county from east to west from Hull towards Greater Manchester and Merseyside.^[74] The M1 carries traffic from London and the south of England to Yorkshire. In 1999 about 8 miles was added to make it swing east of Leeds and connect to the A1.^[75] The East Coast Main Line rail link between Scotland and London runs roughly parallel with the A1 through Yorkshire and the Trans Pennine rail link runs east to west from Hull to Liverpool via Leeds.^[76]

Before the advent of rail transport, seaports of Hull and Whitby played an important role in transporting goods. Historically canals were used, including the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which is the longest canal in England. Nowadays mainland Europe (the Netherlands and Belgium) can be reached from Hull via regular ferry services from P&O Ferries.^[77] Yorkshire also has air transport services from Leeds Bradford International Airport. This airport has experienced significant and rapid growth in both terminal size and passenger facilities since 1996, when improvements began, until the present day.^[78] South Yorkshire is served by the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, based in Finningley.^[79]

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Yorkshire

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The native people of Yorkshire and their culture is an accumulated product of various different civilisations who have directly controlled its history, including; the Celts (Brigantes and Parisii), Romans, Angles, Norse Vikings and Normans amongst others.^[80] Centered on the town Richmond, around half of the historic North Riding had an additional infusion of Breton culture due to the Honour of Richmond.^[81] The people of Yorkshire are immensely proud of their county and local culture and it is sometimes suggested Yorkshiremen identify more strongly with their county than they do with their country.^[82] The Yorkshire people have their own distinctive dialect known as Tyke, which some have argued is a fully fledged language in its own right.^[83] The county has also produced a unique set of Yorkshire colloquialisms, which are in use in the county. Among Yorkshire's unique traditions is the Long Sword dance, a traditional dance not found elsewhere in England. The most famous traditional song of Yorkshire is On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at ("On Ilkley Moor without a hat"), it is considered the unofficial anthem of the county.^[84]

[edit] Architecture

Throughout Yorkshire many castles were built, this practice began during the Norman-Breton period after the Harrying of the North with the construction of castles such as York Castle, Richmond Castle, Pickering Castle, Bowes Castle and others.^[85] Later castles were built as a means of defence against the invading Scots, such as Helmsley Castle, Scarborough Castle and Middleham Castle.^[86] The latter is of particular note due to the fact that Yorkist king Richard III of England spent his childhood there and considered Middleham his favourite residence.^[86] Parts of these castles remain to varying extents, with some being English Heritage sites they remain popular tourist destinations.^[86] There are some stately homes in Yorkshire which carry the name "castle" in their title, even though they are more akin to a palace.^[87] The most notable examples are Allerton Castle and Castle Howard,^[88] both linked to the Howard family of Catholic recusants.^[89] Castle Howard and the Earl of Harewood's Harewood House are included amongst the Treasure Houses of England, a group of nine English stately homes.^[90]

There are numerous other Grade I listed buildings within Yorkshire including areas in public places such as Leeds Town Hall, Sheffield Town Hall, the Yorkshire Museum and Guildhall, as well as large estates Wentworth Castle, Brodsworth Hall and Temple Newsam. In addition to this there are entities which are conserved and managed by the National Trust, such as Studley Royal Park, Nunnington Hall and the Rievaulx Terrace & Temples.^[91] Religious places of note such as historic cathedrals as well as the ruins of monasteries and abbeys are in abundance. Many of these prominent buildings suffered from the destruction under Henry VIII; this includes Whitby Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, St Mary's Abbey, Gisborough Priory, Bolton Abbey amongst numerous others.^[92] However, some noted religious buildings of historic origins are still in use, such as York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe.^[92] Others include Beverley Minster, Ripon Cathedral and Bradford Cathedral.^[92]

[edit] Literature and art

During the time of the kingdom Northumbria which Yorkshire made up half, there were several noted exponents who were poets, scholars and ecclesiastics, they included Alcuin, Cædmon and Wilfrid.^[93] The most noted literary family from the county are the three Brontë sisters, with part of Yorkshire being nicknamed Brontë Country in their honour.^[94] Their novels, written in the mid-1800s, caused a sensation when they were first published, and were subsequently accepted into the canon of great English literature.^[95] Amongst the most noted novels credited to the sisters are Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.^[94] Bram Stoker authored Dracula while living in Whitby^[96] and it includes several parts of local folklore such as the beaching of the Russian ship Dmitri, which became the basis of Demeter in the book.^[97]

The novelist tradition in Yorkshire continued on into the 20th century, with authors such as J. B. Priestley, Alan Bennett and Barbara Taylor Bradford being noted examples.^[98][99] Taylor Bradford in particular is noted for A Woman of Substance which is one of the top-ten bestselling novels in history.^[100] Another noted author was children's writer Arthur Ransome who was the author the Swallows and Amazons series.^[99] In terms of poetry exponents include W. H. Auden, William Empson and Andrew Marvell.^{[99][101][102]} Two well known sculptors emerged in the 20th century; contemporaries Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Some of their works are available for public viewing at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.^[103] There are several art galleries in Yorkshire featuring extensive collections, such as Leeds Art Gallery, York Art Gallery, Millennium Galleries and Ferens Art Gallery.^[104][105] One of the better known local painters is David Hockney, who gained importance during the pop art movement of the 1960s.^[106] The 1853 Gallery at Salts Mill contains over 400 works by Hockney.^[107]

[edit] Sport

Yorkshire has a long history in the field of sports, with participation in football, rugby league, cricket and horse racing being the most established sporting ventures.^{[108][109][110][111]} Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county in the domestic first class cricket County Championship; with a total of 30 championship titles, 12 more than any other county, Yorkshire is the most decorated county cricket club.^[110] Some of the most highly regarded figures in the game are Yorkshiremen,^[112] amongst them Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton.^[112] England's oldest horse race, which began in 1519, is run each year at Kiplingcotes near Market Weighton.^[111] Furthermore in the field of horse racing, there are currently nine established racecourses in the county.^[113] Yorkshire is officially recognised by FIFA as the birth-place of club football,^[114][115] as Sheffield FC founded in 1857 are certified as the oldest association football club in the world.^[116] The world's first inter-club match and local derby was competed in the county, at the world's oldest ground Sandygate Road.^[117] The Laws of the Game which are now used worldwide were drafted by Ebenezer Cobb Morley from Hull.^[118]

The most successful football clubs founded in Yorkshire are Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United.^[119] All four have been the league champions with Huddersfield being the first club to win three consecutive league titles.^[120] Noted players from Yorkshire who have had an impact on the game include World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks^[121] and two time European Footballer of the Year award winner Kevin Keegan,^[122] as well as prominent managers Brian Clough, Don Revie and George Raynor.^[123] The Rugby Football League and with it the sport of rugby league was founded during 1895 in Huddersfield after a North-South schism within the Rugby Football Union.^[124] The top league is the Super League and the most decorated Yorkshire clubs are Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Bradford Bulls, Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos.^[125] In total six Yorkshiremen have been inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame amongst them is Harold Wagstaff, Jonty Parkin and Roger Millward.^[126] In the area of boxing "Prince" Naseem Hamed from Sheffield achieved title success and widespread fame,^[127] in what the BBC describes as "one of British boxing's most illustrious careers".^[127]

[edit] Cuisine

Foods associated with the county include: Yorkshire curd tart, a curd tart recipe with rosewater;^[128][129] Parkin, a sweet ginger cake which is different from standard ginger cakes in that it includes oatmeal and treacle;^[130] and Wensleydale cheese, a cheese associated with Wensleydale.^[131] The beverage ginger beer, flavoured with ginger, came from Yorkshire and has existed since the mid 1700s. Liquorice sweet was first created in Yorkshire by George Dunhill from Pontefract, who in the 1760s thought to mix the liquorice plant with sugar.^[132] Yorkshire and in particular the city of York played a prominent role in the confectionary industry, with chocolate factories or companies such as Rowntree's, Terry's and Thorntons inventing many of Britain's most popular sweets.^[133][134] Another traditional Yorkshire food includes pikelets which are similar to a crumpet but much thinner.^[135]

[edit] Popular music and film

During the 1970s David Bowie, himself of a father from Tadcaster in North Yorkshire,^[136] hired three musicians from Hull in the form of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey; together they recorded Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, an album that went on to become widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential of all time.^[137] In the following decade, Yorkshire had a very strong post-punk scene which went on to achieve wide spread acclaim and success, including; The Sisters of Mercy, The Cult, Gang of Four, The Human League, New Model Army, Soft Cell, Chumbawamba, The Wedding Present and The Mission.^[138] Pulp from Sheffield had a massive hit in the form of Common People during 1995, the song focuses on working-class northern life.^[139] The 2000s saw popularity of indie rock and post-punk revival bands from the area with the Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys, the latter of whom hold the record for the fastest-selling debut album in British music history with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.^[140]

The three most prominent British television shows filmed in (and based around) Yorkshire are sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, drama series Heartbeat, and soap opera Emmerdale, the latter two of which are produced by Yorkshire Television. Last of the Summer Wine in particular is noted for holding the record of longest-running comedy series in the world, from 1973 until present.^[141] Several noted films are set in Yorkshire, including Kes, This Sporting Life and Room at the Top. A comedy film set in Sheffield named The Full Monty, won an Academy Award and was voted the second best British movie of all-time by ANI.^[142] The county is also referenced in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life during a segment on birth where title card read, "The Miracle of Birth, Part II—The Third World". The scene opens into a mill town street, subtitled "Yorkshire".^[143] Monty Python were also performed the Four Yorkshiremen sketch live, which first featured on At Last the 1948 Show.^[144]

[edit] Governance

[edit] Politics

Main articles: Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency), High Sheriff of Yorkshire, and Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire

Traditionally, Yorkshire was represented by two Members of Parliament of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832 when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.^[145] Yorkshire was represented during this time period in the form of one single, large, county constituency.^[145] Like other counties, there was also some county boroughs within Yorkshire during some of this time, the oldest was the City of York which existed since the ancient De Montfort's Parliament of 1265. After the Reform Act 1832, Yorkshire's political representation in parliament was drawn from a more subdivisional basis, in the form of Member of Parliament represenatives from each three of the historic ridings of Yorkshire; North Riding, East Riding and West Riding constituencies.^[145]

For the 1865 general elections onwards, the West Riding was further divided into Northern, Eastern and Southern parliament constituency divisions, though these only lasted until the major Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.^[146] This act saw the localisation of government in the United Kingdom, with the introduction of 26 new parliament constituencies within Yorkshire, while the Local Government Act 1888 saw some reforms for the county boroughs, there were 8 within Yorkshire by the end of the 19th century.^[147]

With the Representation of the People Act 1918 there was some reshuffling on a local level for the 1918 general election, revised again during the 1950s.^[148] The most controversial reorganisation of local government in Yorkshire was the Local Government Act 1972,^[149] put into practice in 1974. Under the act, the ridings lost their lieutenancies, shrievalties, administrative counties, county boroughs and their councils were abolished, followed by metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties with vastly reformed borders.^[150] Although some government officials^[151] and Prince Charles^[152] have asserted such reform isn't meant to alter the ancient boundaries or cultural loyalties, there are pressure groups such as the Yorkshire Ridings Society who want greater recognition for the historic boundaries.^[153] In 1996 the East Riding of Yorkshire was reformed as a unitary authority area and a ceremonial county, as well as the insertion of the Yorkshire and the Humber region of government office covering most, but not all of the historic county, with calls for complete reinsertion remaning.^[154]

[edit] Monarchy and peerage

Main articles: Kings of Jórvík, Earl of York, Duke of York, and House of York

When the area of Yorkshire began to take shape as a result of the invasion of the Norse vikings, they inserted a monarchy in the form of a line of Kings of Jórvík who based their capital in the central city of Yorkshire at York.^[155] The reign of the Norse royal family came to an end with the last king Eric Bloodaxe dying in 954, this was due to the invasion and conquest by the Kingdom of England from the south. Jórvík was the last of the independent kingdoms to be taken to form part of the Kingdom of England and thus the local monarchal title became defunct.^[156]

Though the monarchal title became defunct, it was succeeded by the creation of the Earl of York title of nobility (the earldom covered the general area of Yorkshire and is sometimes referred to as the Earl of Yorkshire),^[157] by king of England Edgar the Peaceful in 960.^[157] The title passed through the hands of various nobles from different areas of England, decided by the current king of the country at the time. The last man to hold the title was William le Gros, however the earldom was abolished by Henry II as a result of a troubled period known as The Anarchy.^[158]

The title of peerage was recreated by Edward III in 1385, this time in the form of the prestigious title Duke of York which he gave to his son Edmund of Langley. When he gained the title Edmund founded the House of York, later the title would be merged with that of the King of England as there was a line of three Yorkist kings. Much of the modern day symbolism of Yorkshire is derived from the Yorkists, such as the White Rose of York,^[159] giving the house a special affinity within the culture of Yorkshire and its identity, especially king Richard III who spent much of his life at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire.^[42][160] Since that time the title has passed through the hands of many, being merged with the crown and then recreated several times. Today the title Duke of York is still prestigious and is used by the current United Kingdom royal family, given to the second son of the British monarch.^[161]

[edit] Noted Yorkshire people

For more details on this topic, see List of people from Yorkshire.

Cartimandua (died 69), queen Paulinus of York (584 – 644), saint, bishop Edwin (586 – 633), saint, king Wilfrid (634 – 709), saint, bishop Alcuin (735 – 804), scholar, poet Eric Bloodaxe (895 – 954), king Robin Hood (1160 – 1247), outlaw[162] John Fisher (1469 – 1535), saint, martyr, cardinal Margaret Clitherow (1556 – 1586), saint, martyr Guy Fawkes (1570 – 1606), revolutionary William Bradford (1590 – 1657), pilgrim father Thomas Fairfax (1612 – 1671), soldier Andrew Marvell (1621 – 1678), poet John Harrison (1693 – 1776), inventor John Smeaton (1724 – 1792), inventor James Cook (1728 – 1779), explorer Joseph Priestley (1733 – 1804), scientist William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833), politician, abolished slavery

George Cayley (1773 – 1857), engineer William Bradley (1787 – 1820), tallest ever Briton Charlotte Brontë (1816 – 1855), novelist, poet Emily Brontë (1818 – 1848), novelist, poet Anne Brontë (1820 – 1849), novelist, poet Augustus Pitt-Rivers (1827 – 1900), anthropologist, archaeologist Harry Brearley (1871 – 1948), inventor Percy Shaw (1890 – 1976), inventor Henry Moore (1898 – 1986), sculptor, artist Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962), actor Barbara Hepworth (1903 – 1975), sculptor, artist W. H. Auden (1907 – 1973), poet Leonard Hutton (1916 – 1990), cricketer Asa Briggs (born 1921), historian Judi Dench (born 1934), actress Alan Bennett (born 1934), writer and dramatist Gordon Banks (born 1937), footballer Michael Palin (born 1943), actor

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

^a Though the Wars of the Roses were fought between royal houses bearing the names of York and Lancaster, the wars took place over a wide area of England.They were a dynastic clash between cadet branches of the House of Plantagenet.The most prominent family in Yorkshire, below the monarchy, the Nevilles of Sheriff Hutton and Middleham fought for the Yorkists, as did the the Scropes of Bolton, the Latimers of Danby and Snape, as well as the the Mowbrays of Thirsk and Burton in Lonsdale. Yet some fought for the Lancastrians such as the Percies, the Cliffords of Skipton, Ros of Helmsley, Greystock of Henderskelfe, Stafford of Holderness and Talbot of Sheffield.

[edit] See also

Find more about Yorkshire on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
	Textbooks
	Quotations
	Source texts
	Images and media
	News stories
	Learning resources

• 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake
• List of collieries in Yorkshire 1984-present with dates of closure
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service
• Yorkshire Building Society
• Yorkshire Forward
• Yorkshire Regiment
• Yorkshire Society
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Yorkshire Wolds

[edit] External links

• The History of Yorkshire
• Samples of Yorkshire Dialect
• Yorkshire Forum
• Yorkshire Inquisitions 1275-1295
• Visitor's Guide to Yorkshire

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