This History Centre City of Culture blog explores the anniversary of 'Yorkshire Day'...
Created by the Yorkshire Ridings Society, it was first celebrated in Beverley in 1975. Yorkshire Day was initially conceived as a protest against the Local
Government reorganisation of 1974, during which the county of Humberside was created. Humberside was never universally popular and many believed that the name change did not recognise the cultural, social and economic differences between the opposite banks of the Humber. In short, both sides felt that the creation of Humberside removed the areas's ancient and historic associations with Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The East Yorkshire Action Group (EYAG) was formed in 1974 and campaigned for the return of the East Riding of Yorkshire and the abolition of Humberside.
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| Morden's map showing the East Riding of Yorkshire, 1695 |
The date of 1st August was chosen to celebrate Yorkshire Day because it is the anniversary of the Battle of Minden (1759) and the end of slavery within the British Empire (1834). With these things in mind its easy to see how Yorkshire Day can also be conceived of as a celebration of freedom: freedom of expression; freedom of identity; and freedom of person.
Battle of Minden
The Battle of Minden was a military engagement in the
Seven Years War, fought between the French and an allied force comprised of
Prussians, Hanoverians and British regiments. One of the five British infantry
regiments involved in the battle was the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
As the story goes, whilst marching to battle the British soldiers passed
through rose gardens and stopped to place white roses on their headdresses and
coats. The allied army was victorious and so, in commemoration of the victory
and to remember the fallen, the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, now part
of the Yorkshire Regiment, wear a white rose in their caps on 1st
August.
Emancipation of
Slaves
The emancipation
of slaves in the British Empire in 1834 was the culmination of a decades long
struggle for which Yorkshire MP, William Wilberforce, had campaigned tirelessly.
The British slave trade had been abolished in 1807, but Wilberforce and his
fellow campaigners had to fight another 27 years to see the end of slavery
within the British Empire. Wilberforce died only three days after hearing that
the Slavery Abolition Act had been passed by Parliament. William
Wilberforce was born in Hull and many items relating to him and the abolition
movement are now displayed at his family home, Wilberforce House, on High
Street in Hull. The Hull History Centre also maintains a Special Collection of
books relating to Wilberforce, slavery and the abolition movement. Many of the
books in the collection can be borrowed using a Hull Libraries card.
Recent Yorkshire Day Celebrations
The county of Humberside was eventually abolished in 1995, returning Hull and the surrounding area to Yorkshire proper. However, this didn't mean the end to Yorkshire Day. In recent years,
the Yorkshire Society has organised an annual gathering on 1st August of Lord
Mayors, Mayors and other civic notables from across Yorkshire for parades and
other festivities. The host town or city changes each year and Hull has played
host twice, in 1999 and 2007. The unveiling of the Yorkshire flag as an
official emblem, recognised by the Flag Institute, was also conducted in Hull
on 29 July 2008.
Hull History Centre's Yorkshire Collections
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| Pamphlet produced by the East Yorkshire Action Group [U DEY] |
The History
Centre holds various books and archival collections relating to Yorkshire and
its history. We provide free access to many Yorkshire newspapers via our microfilm collections and through access to the
British Newspaper Archive Online website. Our local studies book collection contains many titles on the history of Yorkshire. Amongst our Yorkshire-related
archival material, the East Yorkshire Action Group Records [U DEY] are a
key collection documenting protest against the creation of Humberside and the loss of identity this was seen to cause. All this material and much more, can be accessed for free here at the History Centre.
From all of us here at the Hull History Centre, we hope
you have a very happy Yorkshire Day!
Verity Minniti, Archives Assistant (HUA)
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