§ 4. Local Identity 

1. What is the character of ‘local pride’? 

 Each country (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has a special sense of identity strongly affected by its own distinctive history and tradition. In the north of England, in the words of one MP, people are ‘Warm, friendly, quick-tempered and insular’. Com­munities such as those in the mining villages of Durham are tightly knit, with a strong sense of loyalty. The people of Yorkshire and Lancashire, too, have a strong sense of community identity that can hardly be found in the south. In Cornwall, in the far south west, there is still a sense of Celtic identity, and a romantic affinity with their cousins, the Celtic people of Brittany in north-west France, persists.

A sense of identity based on place of birth is, like family identity, not very common or strong in most parts of Britain - and perhaps for the same reason. People are just too mobile and very few live in the same place all their lives. There is quite a lot of local pride, and people find many opportu­nities to express it. This pride, however, arises because people are happy to live in what they consider to be a nice place and often when they are fighting to preserve it. It does not usually mean that the people of a locality feel strongly that they belong to that place. 

2. In what way do the administrative and geographical divisions command local loyalties?

A sense of identity with a larger geographical area is strong too. Nearly everybody has a spoken accent that identifies them as coming from particular large city or region.  In some cases there is quite a strong sense of identification. Liverpudlians (from Liverpool), Mancunians (from Manchester), Geordies (from the Newcas­tle area) and Cockneys (from London) are often proud to be known by these names. In other cases, identity is associated with a county. These are the most ancient divisions of England, created over a thousand years ago. Even in the most homogeneous part of Britain, the ‘Home Countries’ (Middlesex. Herefordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey) around London, people can still feel strongly about their county identity. Although their boundaries and names do not always conform to the modern arrangement of local government, they still claim the allegiance of some people. Yorkshire, in the north of England, is a notable example. Another is Cornwall, in the south-west corner of England. Even today, some Cornish people still talk about ‘going to England’ when they cross the county border - a testament to its ethnic Celtic history.

Many English people see themselves as either ‘northerners’ or ‘south­erners’. The fact that the south is on the whole richer than the north, and the domination of the media by the affairs of London and the south-east, lead to resentment in the north. This reinforces the pride in their northern roots felt by many northerners, who, stereotypically, see themselves as tougher, more honest and warmer hearted than the soft, hypocritical and unfriendly southerners. To people in the south, the stereotypical northerner (who is usually male) is rather ignorant and uncultured and interested in sport and beer-drinking. As one moves closer to London, community loyalties are weaker and society is both more homogeneous and yet also more individuali­stic, the characteristics of a highly integrated modern society.

The sense of local differences may be partly a matter of history, but it is also to do with the subtle changes in landscape, architecture or even the way English is spoken, from one country to another. 

Questions:

1. Are the historical roots and the place of birth important for a person? Why?

2. What proves a strong sense of identification of British people?

3. What are stereotypical views on ‘southerners’ and ‘northerners’?

 Additional Reading                        What is a Cockney?    

Traditionally, a true Cockney is anybody born with in the sound of Bow bells (the bells of the church of St Mary-le-Bow in the East End of London). In fact, the term is commonly used to denote people who come from a wider area of the innermost eastern suburbs of London and also an adjoining area south of the Thames.

‘Cockney’ is also used to describe a strong London accent and, like any such local accent, is associated with working-class origins.

A feature of Cockney speech is rhyming slang, in which, for example, ‘wife’ is referred to as ‘trouble and strife’, and ‘stairs’ as ‘apples and pears’ (usually shortened to ‘apples’). Some rhyming slang has passed into general informal British usage; some examples are ‘use your loaf’, which means ‘think' (from ‘loaf of bread’ = ‘head’) and ‘have a butcher's’, which means ‘have a look’ (from ‘butcher's hook’ = ‘look’).