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    Being British
    Being British
    Being British
    Ebook207 pages2 hours

    Being British

    By Kieran Hughes and Maureen Hughes

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    A smashing guide to the customs, history, and idiosyncrasies of Great Britain—from geography and landmarks to education, food, language, and royalty.
     
    Being British is the perfect book for everyone who lives (or wishes they lived) in our wonderful country. Here the British will discover what they already suspected, and that is that many of the GREAT historical figures of all time were British, many of the GREATEST inventions were British, as well as many other patriotic facts. They will also be reminded of all great and unique customs and traditions inherent in our beautiful land, and probably learn of some they never knew existed too, as well as laughing at the things that only The British could do!
     
    Being British is also an excellent companion for all tourists and new inhabitants who are struggling to come to terms with and understand the way in which we British live and conduct ourselves and our lives.
     
    “As it gives a ‘once-over lightly’ introduction to ‘British’ culture, this volume will probably have wide appeal. Tourists and potential immigrants are likely to peruse it with great and earnest interest.” —NZ Crown Mines
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJul 30, 2017
    ISBN9781526704139
    Being British
    Author

    Kieran Hughes

    Kieran, son of Maureen, was born in Liverpool, spent his childhood in Shrewsbury, then spent the first part of his life in London, as a journalist and newsreader on BBC and commercial radio. By his late thirties he had started university to study for two degrees and teacher training. His Mum had persuaded him that he would make a good teacher! Kieran now teaches history full-time at a school in High Wycombe. He has four sons, seven grandchildren and lives with his wife Bridget near the town centre.

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      Book preview

      Being British - Kieran Hughes

      Introduction

      A number of recent surveys of what makes Britain great, read before writing this book, seem to feature some recurring themes and topics. They nearly always include the countryside, roast dinners, fish and chips, cream teas, the Queen, Stonehenge, Cornish pasties, James Bond, historic buildings and Shakespeare. There is so much in Britain worthy of celebration but unfortunately it has only been possible to pick a few examples. Apologies if your favourite place, food, hobby or attribute is not featured. Hopefully, this book will remind you how great it is to be British and for those wanting to settle here, provide a little something about our customs, history and idiosyncrasies.

      Acknowledgements

      Many people have helped the both of us to put this book together over the years, including the following family, friends and organisations: David Benson (my dad), Bethan Hughes, Gail Hughes, Geraint Hughes, Hugh Mothersole, Hilary Elston, Cadbury’s, Phil Seaman, Bridget Hughes and Kirstin Pettet. Apologies if I have missed out anyone else who helped along the way.

      Kieran Hughes

      May 2017

      Chapter 1

      The Geography of Britain and Its Counties

      Q. What is the Difference Between the United Kingdom and Great Britain? Worryingly this seems to be a question that many British people fail to answer correctly. The answer is quite complicated and transcends both politics and geography.

      1. The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

      2. Great Britain comprises only England, Scotland and Wales.

      3. Britain comprises England and Wales.

      4. The British Isles comprise England, Scotland and Wales, several islands, of which Great Britain is the largest, and the Republic of Ireland as well.

      England, formerly known as Engla Land, covers an area of over 50,000 sq. miles and its capital is London. It is the birthplace of the English language and this is spoken by the majority of the English population.

      Scotland covers an area of over 30,000 sq. miles and its capital is Edinburgh. Although it does have its own language, the majority of Scottish people choose to speak English in everyday life, albeit it with an accent that, although very attractive to the ear, some may find difficult to understand.

      Wales covers an area of over 8,000 sq. miles and its capital is Cardiff. Wales, like Scotland, does have its own language but, unlike the Scots, many of the Welsh people are bilingual and conduct their everyday business in their own language, particularly in the north of the country.

      Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as Ulster, was once part of Catholic Ireland until Elizabeth I (1558–1603) suppressed three rebellions in the area and invited Scots Presbyterians to settle in the region after confiscating Catholic lands. Anglican Englishmen settled in Ulster in the seventeenth century after further rebellions, thus reinforcing a Catholic– Protestant divide. Protestant settlements flourished in Ulster on the back of preferential political treatment. Northern Ireland became a political entity when the six counties accepted the Home Rule Bill of 1920, with a semiautonomous parliament but indirect rule from the Cabinet. Today, there is still a Catholic majority in Southern Ireland and a Protestant majority in Northern Ireland.

      A Walk Around the Counties of Great Britain

      Great Britain is divided into the countries of England, Scotland and Wales and then subdivided into counties. The residents of each of these counties are territorially very proud of their cultural heritage and geographical presence, so much so that to some extent when one crosses the county border it is sometimes akin to crossing a country border! Most British people are fiercely proud of where they were born; and it is just that – where they were born and not where they necessarily grew up or have lived for most of their lives. There is no definitive number of counties as borders change – generally for administrative reasons. For the purpose of this book, though at the risk of offending some, a number of counties have been selected for closer examination; the only reason for omitting others is lack of space.

      England

      Chapter 2

      British Landmarks

      People often ask where they should visit when holidaying in Great Britain, be they British or from foreign shores. Well, the initial answer has got to be: ‘How long have you got?’ You would need a year-long holiday, and still you wouldn’t see all that Britain has to offer. It is a country rich in history, sparkling with beauty and calm in the serenity of a green and wonderful land. One of the major problems in compiling this book was deciding what to include and what to omit. This chapter alone could fill several books, but space precludes that so we have attempted to whet your appetite and hopefully encourage you to experience more than the tip of the iceberg.

      A Selection of Interesting Places to Visit

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