Northumbrians (modern)
Northumbrians is a term for a regional group of English people inhabiting the historic counties of Northumberland and County Durham.[1][2]
Regions with significant populations | |
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Languages | |
Northumbrian dialect, English | |
Religion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
English, Scots, Ulster Scots |
The Northumbrian dialect is an Anglic language variety that derives from Northumbrian Old English and shares a close kinship with the Scots language.
Culture
Northumbrians are culturally distinct from other English people. Northumbrian culture has aspects in common with the cultures of both England and Scotland[3], but also includes many unique traditions not found elsewhere in England. Northumbrian traditions including the rapper sword dance, the Northumberland and Durham clog dance and the Northumbrian smallpipe.
Northumbria has its own tradition of Christian saints that have given rise to localised dedications. St. Cuthbert is of particular significance; annual St. Cuthbert's day celebrations are held each year by the Northumbrian Association and marked by a walk from Chester-le-Street to Durham, followed by a procession through Durham city.[4]
Music
Northumbrians possess a distinctive style of folk music characterised by border balladry, use of the Northumbrian smallpipes and strong fiddle tradition that was already well-established in the 1690s.
Historical and genetic origins
Northumberland and County Durham, together with Tweeddale, are conterminous with the ancient British tribal kingdom of Bernicia (Bryneich) which is notable for the stable ancestry of its present indigenous population. The people of the region have been identified by DNA analysis to be an offshoot of the group Scotland, Cumbria and the North of Ireland, but not so closely related to the other peoples of the UK.[5][6]
References
- Jackson, Dan (2019). The Northumbrians: North-East England and Its People: A New History. United Kingdom: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. p. 7. ISBN 9781787381940.
- Minahan, J. (2002). Encyclopedia of stateless nations : ethnic and national groups around the world. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. p. 1414. ISBN 161069953X.
- Jackson, Dan (2019). The Northumbrians: North-East England and Its People: A New History. United Kingdom: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. ISBN 9781787381940.
- "Details of annual St Cuthbert's Day festival announced".
- Nature Journal (19 March 2015). "The fine-scale genetic structure of the British population". Cite journal requires
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