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Yorkshire is the largest Traditional County Of England , covering some 6,000 Sq. Miles ( 15,000 Km&2 ) with a population of some five million. It is traditionally divided into West , North and East Ridings (from Old Norse ''þriðing'', "third part", a legacy of the area's Ninth Century Scandinavia n settlers). The County Town , York , is not part of any riding, although usually associated with the North Riding when needed. The emblem of Yorkshire is the White Rose of the House Of York , and there is a Yorkshire Day celebrated on August 1 . 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 2004 it was held in Leeds and in 2005 it was held in Bradford. The people of Penistone will be hosting the Civic gathering in 2006. There is also an "anthem" for the county in the form of the Folk Song " On Ilkla Moor Baht'at " (on Ilkley Moor without a Hat). HISTORY Main article History Of Yorkshire 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 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 "AngloSaxon" - 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 AngloSaxons were Angles.'' 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 (a name still used around Sheffield ). In Viking times, the Danes occupied the southern half of Northumbria (but not Bernicia) to create the Danish city and kingdom of Jorvik , from which stem the names of York and Yorkshire. ("Jorvik" was the Danish version of the Roman " Eboracum ") After around 100 years of 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 former Northumbria was ruled differently from the South - via the Council Of The North . Today, the southern boundary of Yorkshire is not much different from the old boundary formed by the the River Don and the River Sheaf , though it has been moved slighly southwards by the expansion of Sheffield. This boundary marks the start of the distinctive North of England, with strong traces of the old Anglian/Danish amalgam of character and Dialect quite distinct from southern (Saxon) England - though it is related to the also-Danish-ruled (though for a shorter time) areas of Anglian Mercia in the modern East Midlands ). DIVISIONS OF YORKSHIRE Yorkshire comprised of three Ridings , which were divided further into Wapentake s. In about 1823 the wapentakes were: North Riding
.]] East Riding
West Riding
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 Borough s in their own right. In 1974 the local government system was reformed, with the bulk of the area being split between:
South and West Yorkshire are termed Metropolitan Counties , as they cover mostly built-up areas. Additionally, small portions were ceded to the control of Cumbria ( Sedbergh Rural District ), Lancashire ( Bowland Rural District , Barnoldswick , Earlby , and part of Skipton Rural District ), County Durham ( Startforth Rural District ) and Greater Manchester ( Saddleworth ). In 1986 the County Council s of West and South Yorkshire were abolished, and in 1996 Cleveland and Humberside were broken up into districts, which became independent administrative counties ( Unitary Authority areas) in their own right, as did an expanded City Of York . The bulk of the Yorkshire part of Humberside became known as the East Riding Of Yorkshire , with Kingston Upon Hull being independent. For ceremonial purposes the districts previously covered by Cleveland now fall in the Ceremonial Counties of North Yorkshire and County Durham, and the districts previously covered by Humberside now fall in the ceremonial counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Much of Yorkshire is now represented by the Region of Yorkshire And The Humber . VILLAGES, TOWNS AND CITIES IN YORKSHIRE ''See the List Of Places In Yorkshire .'' LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN CEREMONIAL YORKSHIRE
SEE ALSO
TRADITIONS AND STEREOTYPES "Tyke" is now a Colloquialism for the Yorkshire Dialect as well as the term some Yorkshiremen affectionately use to describe themselves, especially in West and South Yorkshire. "Tyke" was originally a term of abuse given by West Yorkshire people to Londoners, because they thought their speech made them sound like yapping mongrel dogs (tykes). Londoners turned this around and used the term to describe Yorkshire folk . The Social Stereotype of a Yorkshireman has a tendency to include such accessories as a Flat Cap and a Whippet , although these fashions were started in London, and were brought to Yorkshire by the engineers and workmen who came when the railways were being built out from London in the early 19th century . Among Yorkshire's unique traditions is the Long Sword Dance , a traditional dance not found elsewhere in England. More recently, Yorkshire has been home to its own genre of techno music, Yorkshire Bleeps And Bass . EXTERNAL LINKS
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