Yorkshire

This article is about the historic English county. For other uses, see Yorkshire (disambiguation).

Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England, it is the largest historic county in all of Great Britain. The area is widely considered to be the greenest in England, due to both the vast rural countryside of the Yorkshire Dales and some of the major cities, this has led to Yorkshire being nicknamed God's Own County.

Although Yorkshire is a historic county, with no current official standing (except as part of the name of the English region of Yorkshire and the Humber), the name is completely familiar and well-understood across the United Kingdom and is in common use.

The emblem of Yorkshire is the White Rose of the House of York. The (unofficial) flag is the White Rose on a pale blue ground. Yorkshire Day is on 1 August.

Yorkshire covers just under 6,000 sq. miles (15,000 km²) with a population of around five million.

Location and transport

Historically, the northern boundary of the county was the River Tees, the eastern boundary was the North Sea coast and the southern boundary was the Humber Estuary and Rivers Don and Sheaf. The western boundary meandered along the western slopes of the Pennine Hills to again meet the River Tees. It is bordered by County Durham (along the River Tees), Lincolnshire (along the Humber), Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire (along the Pennines), Westmorland and the North Sea. Today, the southern boundary of Yorkshire is not much different from the ancient one formed by the River Don and the River Sheaf. However, Sheffield has expanded southwards, crossing these rivers and absorbing several Derbyshire villages.

The most prominent road in Yorkshire, both now and in the past, is the A1(M).

File:A1&M62.jpg

The A1(M) and M62 junction at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire

Historically named The Great North Road, this highway passes through the central north-south oriented lowland vale. It is the main route from London to Edinburgh. The other important north-south road is the A19, which runs along the eastern part of the central lowlands to serve Doncaster, Selby, York and Thirsk before going northwards to Teeside and thence to Tyneside. The M62 crosses the county from east to west linking Hull to the West Riding urban areas and thence to Manchester and Liverpool. The M1 from London terminates at Leeds after crossing the south of Yorkshire. The most northerly east west route is the A66 which runs from Scotch Corner on the A1(M) to join the M6 at Penrith. A number of major roads radiate from York. West and south Yorkshire are served by a complex network of routes that has evolved piecemeal over many centuries in response to the demands of trade and commerce.

The East Coast Main Line rail link between Scotland and London runs roughly parallel with the A1(M) through Yorkshire and the Trans Pennine rail link runs east to west joining Hull and Liverpool via Leeds..

Before the advent of rail transport in the mid 19th century the entrepreneurs of Yorkshire were dependent on water borne transport for the movement of goods. The seaports of Hull, Whitby and Middlesbrough flourished as it was cheaper to transport goods around the coast and then inland by river than to go overland. River transport was supplemented by the construction of canals. The best known of the Yorkshire canals, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, is the longest canal in England. It crosses the Pennines using a number of locks. Other canals and improvements to the navigability of rivers were made but most became defunct in the first part of the 20th century and are now used only for leisure craft.

Villages, towns and cities in Yorkshire

See also: list of places in Yorkshire

Physical Geography

Geology and topography

The geology of Yorkshire(much simplified)

The natural sub-regions of Yorkshire.

In Yorkshire there is a very close relationship between the major topographical areas and the geological period in which they were formed.

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. The plain of Holderness and the Humberhead levels both owe their present form to the Quaternary ice ages.

Much of Yorkshire presents heavily glaciated scenery as few places escaped the great ice sheets as they advanced during the last ice age.

The highest point in the geographical area of traditional Yorkshire is Mickle Fell at 788 m (2585 ft); this summit now lies in County Durham

Drainage

Western and central Yorkshire are largely drained by rivers which empty their waters into the River Ouse which reaches the North Sea via the Humber Estuary.

The main Rivers of Yorkshire.

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. 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. 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 easteards 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.

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. 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..

Natural History

Natural Areas

Natural England, the name given to the body responsible to the UK government for natural affairs has defined 14 distinctive Natural Areas in Yorkshire. These are:

• Yorkshire Dales (16)
• Southern Pennines (12)
• Pennine Dales Fringe (15)
• Vale of York and Mowbray (1&8)
• North York Moors and Hills (13)
• Vale of Pickering (2)
• Yorkshire Wolds (4)
• Holderness (5)
• Humberhead Levels (7)
• Southern Magnesian Limestone (9)
• Coal Measures (10)
• Humber Estuary
• Saltburn to Bridlington
• Bridlington to Skegness

(Figures in brackets refer to the equivalent Joint Character Areas outlined in the next section and illustrated on the map there.)

Natural Areas are defined as “biogeographic zones which reflect the geographic foundation, the natural systems and processes, and the wildlife in different parts of England, and provide a framework for setting objectives for nature conservation.”

Joint Character Areas

The Natural Areas concept was further refined by the Joint Nature Concervancy Council in their definition of Joint Character Areas. These used Natural Areas for their basis but added other defining characteristics such as historical associations to produce a list of characteristic areas within the county.

Location of Yorkshire Joint Character Areas

The areas so defined are:

1. Vale of Mowbray
2. Vale of Pickering
3. Howardian Hills
4. Yorkshire Wolds
5. Holderness
6. Humber Estuary
7. Humberhead Levels
8. Vale of York
9. Southern Magnesian Limestone
10. Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield
11. Yorkshire Southern Pennine Fringe
12. Southern Pennines
13. North Yorkshire Moors and Cleveland Hills
14. Tees Lowlands
15. Pennine Dales Fringe
16. Yorkshire Dales
17. North Pennines
18. Bowland Fells

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

• Nidderdale
• North Pennines

National Parks

• Peak District
• North York Moors
• Yorkshire Dales

SSSI’S

• Spurn Point

Nature Reserves

- RSPB Fairburn Ings - RSPB Old Moor - RSPB Blacktoft Sands - RSPB Bempton Cliffs - YWT Spurn Point - YWT Wheldrake Ings - YWT North Cave Wetlands - YWT Potteric Carr

History

Main article: History of Yorkshire

Roman Yorkshire

Yorkshire was an important part of Roman Britain; the city of York (in Latin, Eboracum) itself was founded by the Romans, who also erected the famous York city walls to protect it. Constantine the Great himself was proclaimed emperor of all Rome in York, just outside of York Minster during 306.

Anglo-Saxon

In early Anglo-Saxon times, Elmet, a British (Celtic) kingdom around modern Leeds/Sheffield, held out against the invading English (Angles) for long enough to ensure that the Anglian kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria on either side developed separately.

Note the use of the word "Angles". "Saxon" is often used as though it is simply an abbreviation for "Anglo Saxon" - but the Saxons settled in southern England, not the Midlands or North. In Yorkshire (or even as far north as southern Scotland, see below) the local Anglo Saxons were Angles. Thus, for instance, pre-Norman churches in Yorkshire cannot correctly be described as "Saxon" .

Elmet eventually succumbed, and all of what is now modern Yorkshire became the Anglian ("English") kingdom of Deira. Later, Deira merged with (also Anglian) Bernicia to form the English Kingdom of Northumbria. At its greatest extent, Northumbria stretched from the Irish Sea to the North Sea and from Edinburgh down to Hallamshire (the district around modern Sheffield).

Vikings / Danes

In Viking times, the Danes (the word "Viking" properly refers to the early coast raiders, rather than the later settlers, who are better referred to as "Danes" or "Anglo-Danes")occupied the southern half of Northumbria (but not Bernicia) to create the Danish city and kingdom of Jorvik (the Danish version of Roman "Eboracum") from which stem the names of York and Yorkshire ("Eurvicscire" in the Domesday Book). 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 York that the only truly Danish territory on mainland Britain was established. Even to this day, place names of Danish-Viking origin (eg place names ending in -by -thwaite) exist in far greater numbers in Yorkshire than anywhere else in England, and examples of Old Norse may be found in much of the native dialect. A recent genetic study of Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies has also found that the people of York are Britain's closest genetic relatives of the modern Danish.

After around 100 years of Dano-Yorkshire independence, the English crown nominally regained sovereignty, and Yorkshire became again part of Northumbria - which was now an almost-independent earldom, rather than a separate kingdom. Even as late as the centralising Tudors the monarch ruled the former Northumbria at arms length - via the Council of the North based in York.

Early Medieval

In the weeks immediately preceding the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England, Harold Godwinson, King of the English, was distracted by events in Yorkshire. The hold of the English kings on the part of their realm that lay north of the Humber was insecure. The northern nobility had developed a tradition of separatism and had an empathy with the Scandinavians.

In 1066 AD, Tostig, a disaffected and deposed northern earl and Harold Hardrada of Norway invaded Yorkshire. They disembarked at Riccal on the River Ouse and fought their first battle at Fulford, south of York. On hearing the news of this invasion Harold Godwinson marched his army north and into Yorkshire. He engaged his enemies at Stamford Bridge. Harold Godwinson won the battle. Both Earl Tostig and Harold Hardrada were killed in battle. The King had then immediately to march his army to the south coast where William, Duke of Normandy, had landed his invading forces. King Harold’s army was defeated at the ensuing Battle of Hastings.

After the Battle of Hastings William, Duke of Normandy, became King William I of England. The northern part of his new realm proved to be rebellious and there was no certainty that Yorkshire would remain part of the kingdom. In the spring of 1068 the northern Earls Edwin and Morcar led a revolt which was quelled by William. In the following year another rebellion broke out in the north and William returned to York. In September 1069 the northern rebels emerged from the uplands where they had taken refuge and joined Danish allies to attack York. William put down this rebellion then proceeded to exterminate the rebels and their supporters in a ruthless and horrific campaign, which became known as the harrying of the North. Contemporary writers reported total devastation of all the lands between York and Durham.

In the early years of Norman rule ringwork castles were built. These were circular defensive enclosures formed by the construction of a bank and a ditch. Examples of these in Yorkshire can be found at Kippax, near Leeds and at Castleton on the North York Moors. Yorkshire was frontier country. It was vulnerable to attack from the north by the Scots and from across the North Sea by the Danes. More complex motte and bailey castles were built as the ruthless and ambitious barons appointed by King William to rule Yorkshire gained a hold on their territories. The parcels of land bestowed by William to his followers in Yorkshire were fewer and much larger than in more southern counties. Each was able to support a sizeable garrison in a strong castle. Castles were established at Conisbrough, Tickhill, Pontefract, Richmond, Middleham and Skipsea. At this time also was established the chain of castles across the southern edge of the North York Moors which included Scarborough, Pickering and Helmsley.

In the centuries following the Conquest splendid abbeys and priories were built in Yorkshire. The first of these was Selby Abbey, founded in 1069 and the birthplace of Henry I of England. There followed the abbeys of St Mary’s at York, Rievaulx, Fountains, Whitby, Byland, Jervaulx, Kirkstall, Roche, Meaux and many other smaller establishments.

The Norman landowners were keen to increase their revenues by establishing new towns and planned villages. Among others, the boroughs of Richmond, Pontefract, Sheffield, Doncaster, Helmsley and Scarborough were established in this way. York was the pre-eminent centre of population before the conquest and was one of only four pre existing towns. The others included Bridlington and Pocklington.

The Danish invasions ceased at this time but the Scots continued their invasions throughout the medieval period. The Battle of the Standard was fought against the Scots near Northallerton in 1138.

Later Medieval

The "Wars of the Roses" is often thought of as a war between Yorkshire and Lancashire. In fact, it is better characterised as a North/South conflict. It was a dynastic struggle between two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty for the crown of England: the house of the Dukes of York held land primarily in the North (Yorkshire AND Lancashire) and the house of the Dukes of Lancashire held land in the South of England and elsewhere. Originally it was called the Barons war.

20th century

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. Elvington Airfield and Museum is the largest remaining. It is also an Allied Forces Memorial, visited by people from around the world.

Administrative Reforms

Various small boundary changes happened over the years, but a major reform in 1974 (see below) was more fundamental. Yorkshire councils lost administrative control of most of their territory west of the Pennines (Saddleworth to Greater Manchester, parts of Craven and Bowland to Lancashire, and Dent/Sedbergh to Cumbria), some chunks in the north-east (to County Durham and the new Cleveland) and the south-east (to the new Humberside). Internally: the North Riding became North Yorkshire, swallowing those parts of the East Riding not transferred to Humberside; and the West Riding lost a chunk to North Yorkshire, and was split into West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. Within twenty years, many of these changes had been reversed: in particular, the East Riding emerged again, and Cleveland and Humberside disappeared. Also several towns and cities became "Unitary Authorities".

Historic Divisions of Yorkshire

Yorkshire was traditionally divided into West, North and East Ridings (from Old Norse þriðing, "third part", a legacy of the area's ninth century Scandinavian settlers). Each of the ridings was then further subdivided into smaller units called Wapentakes, which were administered by an early form of democratic representation termed a "Thing". Later the wapentakes were used as the basis for administration. In about 1823 the wapentakes were:

North Riding

• Allertonshire
• Birdforth
• Bulmer
• Gilling East and West
• Halikeld
• Hang East and West
• Langbaurgh East and West
• Pickering Lythe
• Ryedale
• Whitby Strand
• City Of York

The White Yorkshire rose.

East Riding

• Buckrose
• Dickering
• Harthill — Bainton beacon, Holme beacon, Hunsley beacon and Wilton beacon
• Holderness South Middle and North
• Howdenshire
• Hullshire
• Hunsley Beacon
• Ouse and Derwent

West Riding

• Agbrigg and Morley (Agbrigg and Morley divisions)
• Barkston Ash
• Ewcross
• Claro Lower and Upper
• Morley
• Osgoldcross
• Skyrack Lower and Upper
• Staincliffe East and West
• Staincross
• Strafforth and Tickhill Lower and Upper

1904 map of Yorkshire

Apart from these there were the Ainsty wapentake surrounding the City of York (not part of any riding). Lesser boroughs were Yorkshire isolates; Richmondshire and Allertonshire in the North Riding, Hallamshire in the West Riding and Hullshire in the East Riding.

The Ridings were used as the basis of administrative counties upon the introduction of local government, in 1888, although many boroughs within the area were made county boroughs in their own right.

Post 1974 divisions of Yorkshire

In 1974 the local government system of England was reformed, and the administrative functions associated with the Ridings of Yorkshire were split into different administrative areas:

• North Yorkshire (including Yorkshire's county town of York — although the county town of North Yorkshire is Northallerton)
• South Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire
• Humberside (including parts of Lincolnshire although the county council was not established until 1976, with its county-town of Beverley because of local upset over the original choice of county-town of Kingston upon Hull)
• Cleveland (including parts of County Durham)

South and West Yorkshire are termed metropolitan counties, as they cover mostly built-up areas, although about two thirds of each county is rural. Additionally, small portions were ceded to the control of Cumbria (Sedbergh Rural District), Lancashire (Bowland Rural District, Barnoldswick, Earby, and part of Skipton Rural District), County Durham (Startforth Rural District) and Greater Manchester (Saddleworth).

In 1986 the county councils of West and South Yorkshire were abolished, and in 1996 Cleveland and Humberside were broken up into districts, which became independent administrative districts (unitary authority areas) in their own right, as did an expanded City of York. The non-Lincolnshire part of Humberside became known as the East Riding of Yorkshire, with Kingston upon Hull being independent from the East Riding unitary authority-- but remaining part of the ceremonial county.

Ceremonial Yorkshire

The bulk of historic county of Yorkshire now forms the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and East Riding, with small parts in the Teesdale district of County Durham, the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, the Ribble Valley and Pendle districts of Lancashire, and the boroughs of Oldham and Tameside in Greater Manchester. The four current ceremonial counties, together with a small part of Lincolnshire, form the Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber. Excluded from this region is the former-Cleveland area of North Yorkshire which is part of the North East Region.

Much of Yorkshire remains in the following four ceremonial counties with a Lord Lieutenant appointed to each:

• East Riding of Yorkshire
  • East Riding of Yorkshire
  • Kingston upon Hull
• North Yorkshire
  • Middlesbrough
  • York
  • Redcar and Cleveland
  • Stockton-on-Tees - that part south of the River Tees is in North Yorkshire
  • North Yorkshire
    • Non-metropolitan districts: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby
• South Yorkshire
  • Metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield
• West Yorkshire
  • Metropolitan boroughs: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield

For ceremonial purposes the districts previously covered by Cleveland now fall in the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire (south of the Tees) and County Durham (north of the Tees), and the districts previously covered by Humberside now fall in the ceremonial counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

When, in 2005, the people of the North East England region voted to reject the proposition that their regional assembly become an elected body, plans for a similar referendum in the Yorkshire and the Humber region were shelved, and the regional assembly remains an unelected body.

Much of Yorkshire is now included in the national government administrative region of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Culture, media and sport

The Yorkshire boundary still marks the start of the North of England, with strong traces of the old Anglian/Danish amalgam of character and dialect which once made it so different from southern (Saxon) England - though it is related to the areas of Anglian Mercia in the modern East Midlands which were also ruled by Danes, though for a shorter time.

Journalist and broadcaster Sir Bernard Ingham recently wrote a book Yorkshire Greats: The County's Fifty Finest, in which he proposed a list of the greatest ever Yorkshiremen and women. The list included the likes of James Cook, William Wilberforce and George Cayley.

Traditions and stereotypes

See also: Four Yorkshiremen sketch

The people of Yorkshire are immensely proud of both their county (commonly referred to as "God's Own County") and their identity. It is sometimes suggested that Yorkshiremen identify more strongly with their county than they do with their country. They are often stereotyped as being warm and friendly but "bloody minded" (or stubborn) and argumentative. One social stereotype of a Yorkshireman had a tendency to include such accessories as a flat cap and a whippet. Another stereotype often heard in connection with Yorkshire workers is the proverb "where there’s muck, there’s brass", which means that the people of Yorkshire, of whom quite a lot worked in the coal mining industry, are digging in the dirt to make money (brass).

"Tyke" is now a colloquialism for the Yorkshire dialect, as well as the term some Yorkshiremen affectionately use to describe themselves, especially in the West Riding. "Tyke" was originally a term of abuse given by Yorkshire people to Londoners, because they thought that their speech made them sound like yapping mongrel dogs (tykes). Londoners turned this around and used the term to describe Yorkshire folk..

Among Yorkshire's unique traditions is the Long Sword dance, a traditional dance not found elsewhere in England.

Traditional and historic names for Yorkshire districts are still retained locally, for example around Sheffield, where the names "Hallam" and "Hallamshire" are still used for - amongst other things - a University, hospital, pubs, and a radio station.

Music

In recent times Yorkshire has produced a number of popular bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys and Tiny Dancers (leading NME to call this movement 'New Yorkshire'). Yorkshire has been home to its own genre of techno music, Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass.

Flags

1. 
   Yorkshire is usually represented by the White Rose of York on a blue field[1].
2. 
   This unofficial flag for Yorkshire was designed by Michael Faul, Director of the Flag Institute[2].

Yorkshire day

Main article: Yorkshire Day

Yorkshire Day is an annual celebration that has been held on 1 August since 1975. Amongst the celebrations there is a Civic gathering of Lord Mayors, Mayors and other Civic Heads from across the county and convened by the Yorkshire Society. In 2003 it was held in Halifax, in 2004 it was held in Leeds and in 2005 it was held in Bradford. The people of Penistone hosted the Civic gathering in 2006. On 1 August 2007 the civic gathering will be held in Hull and will acknowledge the Wilberforce commemorations. There is also what may be called an "anthem" for the county in the form of the Yorkshire dialect folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at" (on Ilkley Moor without a hat), which is based on the popular feature near Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

See also

• Yorkshire Emigration to Nova Scotia
• Duke of York
• Earl of York
• Famous Yorkshire people
• Jorvik
• Kings of Jorvik
• List of collieries in Yorkshire 1984-present with dates of closure
• North Yorkshire Moors
• Parkin
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service
• Yorkshire County Cricket Club
• Yorkshire Dales
• Yorkshire Forward
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Yorkshire Regiment
• Yorkshire Society
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Yorkshire Wolds
• Yorkshire dialect and accent
• Yorkshireisms

External links

• The History of Yorkshire
• Samples of Yorkshire Dialect
• Yorkshire flags
• Yorkshire Images - a gallery of drawings depicting Yorkshire as it was in the 1800s.
• Yorkshire Dales Inns and Pubs
• Yorkshire Forum - a friendly, not-for-profit Yorkshire forum and message board.