Historic North-South Divide
England has long been a divided society. Initiatives over many years by all governments have failed. The country remains economically, socially and culturally divided.
Yorkshire has historically proven to be quite rebellious to their governing masters and not without good reason. However, their concerns have always fallen on deaf ears. Yorkshire seems to have a history of rejection. The latest rebuttal is Yorkshire request for One Yorkshire devolution.
The North-South divide is as old as the Norman conquest. The north of England rebelled as it considered itself independent from the rest of the country. In 1069. William the Conqueror quickly put down the rebellion. Shortly after his armies returned north killing the people, destroyed the villages and farms slaughtering livestock. Those that escaped took to the forests although most people who survived starved to death. The Domesday Book in 1086 records that Yorkshire was uncultivated and unpopulated.
The Northern people are known to be friendly, fair-minded hard-working people who only rebel when they suffer injustice. Over the centuries this was to occur many times, often ending with a brutal put-down.
The peasant revolt in 1381. Yorkshire was in the thick of this uprising. Sir Henry Percy appointed by King Richard 11 to restore order in Yorkshire.
The Yorkshire rebellion of 1469. and Henry V11 deployed a large army, quickly put down the armed resistance, hanged the leader but eventually gave a royal pardon to others.
Pilgram of Grace 1536. This uprising began in Yorkshire, spread to other northern regions due to religious upheavals and economic factors instigated by King Henry VIII. In total, 216 were executed: including several lords and knights.
The Rising of the North 1569. In support of the Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I in favour of Mary Queen of Scots. There was little support in Yorkshire for this rebellion, this, however, did not stop Queen Elizabeth executing hundreds of Yorkshire folk.
Peterloo Massacre of 1819 took place in Manchester to demand reform of the parliamentary representation and became one of the bloodiest political events of the 19th century. The troubles spread to the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1820.
Battle of Bradford 1837. The riot in Bradford was one of many protests against the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.
1929-33 Yorkshire mining, steel, shipbuilding communities suffered during the Great Depression. The artist L.S. Lowry drew his Matchstick Men encapsulating the poverty in the north of England.
The 1984 Miners Strike started in South Yorkshire. The closure of these mines has resulted in communities in the north-east of England still facing severe health and economic problems decades after pits closed.
The North of England has good reason to complain. The IPPR report stated that ‘the UK is the most regionally divided than any comparable advanced economy.
Many governments have over the generations have failed to resolve this divide.
Winston Churchill over a hundred years ago proposed dividing England into several self-governing areas, the south, particularly London, was far too dominant. One of the many promises that did not materialise.
The Yorkshire Party believes it is time for local people to look after their affairs. Yorkshire would benefit from a one Yorkshire regional parliament with the same powers as Scotland to create a thriving region in a fairer UK.