SOG-UK-L Archives

Archiver > SOG-UK > 2001-02 > 0981026231


From: Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake <>
Subject: Re: [SoG] Meaning of SB on SCT birth cert
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 11:17:11 +0000
In-Reply-To: <3A793C74.3990C1CA@cwcom.net>


In message <>, Renia <>
writes
>North Britain usually means Scotland, doesn't it?
>
North Britain was a phrase to describe Scotland that was introduced by
the English in the late 18th century. At the time there were a
disproportionate number of Scottish Ministers in the government, and the
population of England, then as now an order of magnitude greater than
that of Scotland, had reservations about being governed by a minority.
Echoes of 2001. John Wilkes, that thorn in the side of all politicians,
published a newspaper called the 'North Briton' in which he lampooned
the Scots politicians, causing the phrase North Briton to take on a
pejorative meaning in Scotland. So, use it with care even today;
memories are long.
--
Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake

Drake Software web site: http://www.tdrake.demon.co.uk

This thread: