Time for Yorkshire independence draws near – Colin Speakman
To fully understand what makes Yorkshire so very special and different, we need to know a little about its history.
Two thousand years ago, Eboracum, the military settlement on the River Ouse that we know now as York, was the Northern capital of the Roman colony of Britannia.
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Hide AdIt was only after Anglian and later Viking invaders that the land, so well defined geographically between the Humber, Tees, Pennines and East Coast, began to assume its unique identity.
For almost a century, Jorvik as it was known, was an independent Anglo-Viking kingdom, with its own parliament in York.
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Hide AdYork became a prosperous European port, trading as far away as Asia. The kingdom was divided in the ninth century into administrative thirds or “thriddings”, later known as the East, North and West Ridings, with York its capital.
It is therefore not true to describe Yorkshire as a “county”, which it has never been, though the Ridings had such status from 1888 until ruthlessly abolished in 1974 by central Government.
Until the later Middle Ages, York was England’s second city, much of its wealth built on the wool and textile trade with the near Continent.
But it was that Viking period which really determined the unique character of Yorkshire, even after the disastrous Norman Conquest which left much of the old kingdom in ruins after the brutal Harrying of the North.
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Hide AdSome people believe the Normans with their great castles and estates never left.
Hundreds of Yorkshire surnames and place names are Norse or Danish in origin. Yorkshire dialect contains many Viking words.
Many Yorkshire people, hard-working, shrewd, thrifty, slow of speech but quick of wit, may owe much of their personality as well as their DNA to their Viking forefathers, despite many centuries of immigration, from Ireland, Continental Europe and former British colonies, enriching that culture.
The Industrial Revolution which began in the Pennines provided much of the wealth of Victorian England – the mills, mines, workshops of the great Northern cities.
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Hide AdLeeds was once famous for steam locomotives and traction engines, Bradford the world centre of the wool trade, Sheffield of steel and cutlery.
Britain’s industrial decline in recent decades has hit the great industrial heartlands of Yorkshire hard. Since the 1980s, closures of mills, mines, forges and factories have left bitter memories and real poverty in the older industrial towns.
New service industries have not fully compensated for the loss of so many skilled jobs among working class communities. Yet Yorkshire people have much to be proud of and celebrate.
This is a region with a magnificent landscape and cultural heritage – two great National Parks, the Dales, Moors and part of the Peak, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a dramatic heritage coast, and architecture of international importance, such as York Minster, Castle Howard and Wentworth Woodhouse.
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Hide AdYorkshire has become one of the great centres of creativity. Writers from the Brontës onwards, painters, sculptors, dramatists and film makers have helped define not just Yorkshire, but England. We also have several great universities, developing the skilled young workforce and technologies to deal with the challenges of the climate crisis.
So why, according to one independent 2017 study, is Yorkshire’s individual GDP, that is wealth per head, 20 per cent lower than the UK average, and 17 per cent less than the EU?
The answer is simple. For the last 1,000 years or more, Yorkshire has been subservient to London and Home Counties. It is almost as if Yorkshire is a remote colony of the Empire.
In 1986 the powerful Metropolitan Counties of West and South Yorkshire were abolished. In 2012 even the regional government offices were closed.
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Hide AdYorkshire continues to suffer chronic underinvestment. But things are changing. Britain is now officially four nations. As the pandemic proved, more localised decision-making by elected representatives is almost always more effective than Whitehall diktat.
With three devolved nations now semi-autonomous, where does that leave England? No one is seriously suggesting going back to the independent kingdom of Viking times. But the first crucial step is to bring back appropriate decision-taking to elected politicians in the regions.
With a population of 5.4 million, Yorkshire has a greater population than Wales and Northern Ireland with their parliaments or regional assemblies, and the same as Scotland. We deserve similar treatment.
We should also look at other prosperous parts of Europe, such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland with their Länder or Cantons, to see how regional governance encourages local investment. It could work in England.
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Hide AdIt won’t happen overnight, but a major step has been taken by creating the new all-party Yorkshire Leaders Group, and One Yorkshire Committee, working with Government, in positive ways to give the people of Yorkshire the democratic powers of an English devolved region they so richly deserve.
* Colin Speakman is the co-creator (alongside the late Tom Wilcock) of the Dales Way and his new book Yorkshire – Ancient Nation, Future Province (Gritstone Publishing) will be launched at a public lecture at Bradford University on November 17 at 2.30pm. Free entry but advance booking is required via www.eventbrite.co.uk.
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