INTRODUCTION INTO THE AREA STUDIES OF THE UK
THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS SYMBOLS
I.
HISTORY OF THE NAME
The British Isles, which include Great Britain, Ireland and a lot of smaller islands, are
situated in the north western coast of Europe. They became islands when they were separated
from it. The separation took place 1000s years ago, after the last Ice Age, when the ice melted,
the level of the oceans rose and drowned the low-lying coastlands.
Politically the British Isles are divided into 2 countries – the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Irish Republic or Eire
. All in all there are 5000
islands in the system of the British Isles. The largest one is Great Britain which contains
England, Scotland, and Wales. The second largest of the British Isles is Ireland. The larger part
of Ireland is the Republic of Ireland, an independent state with its capital in Dublin
.
Northern Ireland, which occupies northern-east part of Ireland, remains a part of the United
Kingdom with London as its capital.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a highly centralized and
unitary state – the country which has acquired this official name since 1922. The United
Kingdom is an entity of more than 300 years old – the state which emerged from the union of the
ancient separate kingdoms of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
The formation of the United Kingdom took centuries and involved a lot of armed struggle
and blood shedding. The union of England with Wales dates from 1301, when Edward I’s son
was announced the first Prince of Wales. But only in 1485 a Welsh Prince Henry Tudor became
king (Henry VII) of England. And it was his son Henry VIII who formally incorporated Wales in
1535 (the first Act of Union).
The union of England and Scotland dates from 1603 when king of Scotland James VI
inherited the crown of England after the death of childless Elisabeth I. “Great Britain” was first
officially used in 1604 when James I was proclaimed “King of Great Britain”. Though England
and Scotland were ruled by the same monarch they remained separate kingdoms with their own
parliaments. England and Scotland joined in the Act of Union in 1707, their parliaments also
being untied. Since then the country and the island on which it is situated has been known as
Great Britain or, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Ireland used to be Britain’s oldest colony; it conquering started as early as the 12th
century. In 1155 King Henry II of England was made King of all Great Britain and Ireland by the
Pope of Rome. Though hard resistance never ceased and numerous revolts and rebellions were
made up and down from time to time, Irish legislature and parliament were abolished by the
Act of Union in 1801. In the same year a new national flag – Union Jack – was established and
the country’s official name became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. A new
wave of national liberation movement in Ireland inspired by the October Revolution in Russia
was quite a successful one. And in 1921 – 1926 Irish counties withdrew from the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland forming the Irish Free State (renamed to the Republic of
Ireland in 1949). Only 6 northern counties remained under British control thus giving addition to
the country’s official name The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Though
that is the official name of the country it is often called unofficially the UK, Great Britain,
Britain or England, as the largest part of Great Britain. It is sometimes also referred to by its old
romantic name – Albion.
II.
NATIONAL SYMBOLS
Nowadays the UK is personified under the name “Britannia”, as a helmeted woman seated
on a globe with one arm on a shield and grasping a spear with her free hand.
The national flag is Union Jack. It was set up in 1801 after the last of three Acts of Union.
Union Jack presents of combination of colours and crosses reflecting the peculiarities of the
existing at that time national flags of England, Scotland and Ireland. The name, the colours and
crosses symbolize the united parts of the country. Union Jack comprises three crosses.
The red upright cross on the white field is St. George’s Cross – the patron saint of
England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a
dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back to the city of Silene on a lead like dog. Saint
George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April. Saint George is also the patron of Germany, Portugal
and Greece.
The diagonal white cross on the blue field is St. Andrew Cross – the patron of Scotland.
Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of
St. Andrew often showed him being killed on X-shaped cross. St. Andrew’s Day is celebrated on
30 November. He is the patron of Russian also.
The red diagonal cross on the white field is St. Patrick’s Cross – the patron saint of Ireland.
St. Patrick was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity and is supposed to
have got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March.
The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, started a number
of monasteries in the country. Paintings of St. David normally show him with the dove on his
shoulder. His relics are now in Saint David’s Cathedral in Wales. Saint David’s day is celebrated
on 1 March.
The national anthem is the oldest in the world, established in 1745 and based on a song of
the 17th century. The beginning of it runs as follows:
God save our gracious Queen,
God save our noble Queen, God Save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us,
God Save the Queen!
Besides the Union Jack there is the Royal Standard – Royal personal flag.
National emblems are: the red rose – of England; the thistle – of Scotland; the leek – of
Wales; the shamrock – of Ireland.
The red rose became the emblem of England after the war of roses (1455 – 1485) which
was the war of the dynasties for the English throne. All rivalry between the Roses ended by the
marriage of Henry VII Tudor (the Lancastrian whose emblem was the red rose) with Princess
Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV (the Yorkist whose emblem was the white rose). The red
rose has since become the national emblem of England.
The thistle, the national emblem of Scotland, was chosen as such because it saved the
country from the enemy. This is what the legend says about it. In ancient times the Norsemen
raided the east coast of Scotland intending to plunder it and settle the country. The Scots took
their stations behind the river Tay, the largest in Scotland. Not expecting the enemy before the
next day and being weary and tired after a long march they pitched their camp and were resting.
The Norsemen saw that no guards protected the camp so they crossed the river intending to take
the Scots by surprise. On coming quite near they took their shoes not to make noise. But one of
the Norsemen stepped on a thistle and shrieked with pain. The alarm was given in the Scots
camp and the Norsemen were put to flight, thankful for timely help, chose the thistle as their
national emblem.
The leek or daffodil is Welshmen’s emblem. Welshmen all over the world celebrate (on
March, 1) St. David’s Day by wearing either leeks or daffodils. St. David is supposed to have
lived for several years on bread and wild leeks, so the link between the leek and St. David is a
strong one. The daffodil is also associated with St. David’s Day due to the belief that it flowers
on that very day. It became the alternative to the leek as a Welsh emblem in the present century,
because some thought the leek is vulgar. The Welsh national flag is called Welsh Dragon. It
bears the red dragon on the white and green background.
The shamrock, the national emblem of the Irish, is proudly on St. Patrick’s Day. It is worn
in memory of Ireland’s patron saint., who when preaching the doctrine Trinity to the pagan Irish
used the shamrock (a small white clover with three leaves on one stem) as an illustration of the
mystery.
Some historical and poetic names
Albion is a word used in some poetic or rhetorical contexts to refer to England . It
was the original Roman name for Britain. It may come from the Latin word albus,
meaning 'wh ite'. The white chalk cliff" around Dover on the south coast are the first pan
of England to be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland
Britannia is the name that the Romans gave to their southern British province
(which covered, approximately, the area of present-day England ). It is also the name
given to the female embodiment of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding
a trident (the symbol of power over the sea) , hence the patriotic song which begins 'Rule
Britannia, Britannia rule the waves'. The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side
of many British coins for more than 300 years.
Other signs of national identity
Names. The prefix 'Mac' or 'Me' in surnames (such as McCall, MacCarthy,
MacDonald) is always either Scottish or Irish. The prefix 'O' (as in O'Brien, O'Hara) is
distinctly Irish. A very large number of surnames (for example, Davis, Evans, Jones,
Lloyd, Morgan, Price, Rees. Williams) suggest Welsh origin (although many of these are
found throughout England). The most common surname in both England and Scotland is
actually 'Smith'. First names can also be indicative. The Scottish form of 'John' is 'Ian'
and its Irish form is 'Sean' (although all three names are common throughout Britain).
There are also nicknames for Scottish, Irish and Welsh men. For example, an English,
Welsh or Irish person might refer to and address a Scottish friend as 'Jock', whatever his
first name is. Irishmen are called 'Paddy ' or 'Mick' and Welshmen are known as 'Dai' or
'Taffy'. If the person is not a friend the nickname can sound rather insulting.
Clothes. The kilt, a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men, is a very well -known
symbol of Scottishness (though it is hardly ever worn in everyday life) .
Musical instruments The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The
bagpipes are regarded as distinctively Scottish (though a smaller type is also used in
traditional Irish music).
Characteristics There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well
known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers, the Scots have a
reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are renowned for their singing
ability. These characteristics are, of course, only caricatures and are not reliable
descriptions of individual people from these countries. Nevertheless, they indicate some
slight differences in the value attached to certain kinds of behaviour in the countries
concerned.
Briton is a word used in official contexts and in formal writing to describe a
citizen of the United Kingdom. 'Ancient Britons' is the name given to the race of people
who lived in England before and during the Roman occupation (AD 43-410). These are
the ancestors of the present-day Welsh people.
Caledonia. Cambria and Hibernia were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and,
Ireland respectively. The words are commonly used today in scholarly classifications (for
example, the type of English used in Ireland is sometimes called 'Hiberno-English') and
for the names of organizations (for example, the airline 'British Caledonian').
Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. 'The Emerald Isle' is another way of referring to
Ireland, evoking the lush greenery of its countryside