Northern England

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Image:EnglandNorth.png Northern England is a rather ill-defined term, with no universally accepted definition. Its extent is often down to personal opinion and many companies or forms of local and national government have differing ideas as to what constitutes The North.

This is a part of England which has had much interaction with Ireland and Scotland.

The Romans called this region of Brigantes; "Britannia Inferior" and ruled from the city of York. Then known as Eboracum, the subcapital held sway over the rest of the land north of there, which included for a brief period the part of the Scottish lowlands between Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall.

There were six Northern Counties: Cumberland, Northumberland, Westmorland, Durham, Lancashire and Yorkshire but modern definitions often include Cheshire and parts of northern Lincolnshire. This region coincides with the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria before it expanded into Gododdin and the Vikings conquered the Kingdom of Strathclyde.

In elder contexts Northern England is defined by the ecclesiastical Province of York, which is administered by the Archbishop of York. The See includes the Isle of Man, which was at one time a part of Jorvik in contention with Dublin over said island and Galloway.

The North and East of England was subject to Danish Law (Danelaw) during the Viking era, evidence of which can be found in the etymology of many place names and surnames in the area. Anglo-Norman aspirations in the Pale of Ireland have some routes in the Viking forays on the Irish Sea and the trade root which ran from York and crossing the Edinburgh-Glasgow area, to Dublin in Ireland.

Geographically, the north of England is split into east and west by the Pennines, a mountain range often referred to as "the backbone of England", stretching from the Peak District in the Midlands to the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland. Although the land in the north is generally higher than in the south of England, the Pennines are often referred to as 'hills' rather than 'mountains'. There is more rainfall in the western counties and more sunlight in the eastern counties.

Northern England has long been characterised by its industrial centres, from the mill towns of Lancashire, to the mining towns of the north-east and the bustling fishing ports along both east and west coasts. However, whilst the south of England has prospered economically, the north has, until now, remained relatively poor, although currently there are many urban regeneration projects happening across northern towns and cities hoping to address this imbalance since five of the top ten most populous cities in the United Kingdom lie in the north.[1]

The people who live in the north, (called "northerners" in colloquial speech) are often subject to stereotypes in the London-based media. Stereotypical northern activities include whippet-racing and pigeon-breeding, whilst typical northern foods would include chips with gravy and mushy peas. Northerners are characterised by Southerners as a little slow but overall down-to-earth and friendly. This is part of a general rivalry between South and North, that is sometimes seen as friendly, sometimes as bitter. The North used to have a measure of independence and was ruled over by the Council of the North set up in 1484 by Richard III. However decisions affecting the North of England have been made from London since this institution was abolished in 1641. Although there is some measure of regional control in the form of local councils.


The major cities which feature in probably all definitions of northern England include:

Other towns and cities include:

Towns and cities which feature in some definitions of the north include:

The North borders the Midlands to the south and Scotland to the north.

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See also

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