We ask that question on Lincolnshire Day 2017.
Our community is among the towns and villages about which this question is being asked at the moment.
You may have seen Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers on BBC TV's Look North, supporting the idea of using Lincolnshire as a term for the area from Stamford up to Barton.
A northerly portion of Lincolnshire, in 1974, became the southerly part of Humberside. But the new county was done away with in 1996.
In its place we got North Lincolnshire, while Grimsby and Cleethorpes became part of North East Lincolnshire.
Yet we still have Humberside Police covering the same area it has since 1974 - including Brigg.
Business types and government officials also refer to the Humber as a region.
It's confusing and Mr Vickers, and others, think it's time things were simplified.
Lincolnshire Day 2017 will be very well supported by events and promotions in Lincoln and to the south, but less so up in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
No-one sees this as a burning issue, which is part of the problem and the reason things meander along as they have for years.
Some of those who support the use of Lincolnshire to refer to the area from Stamford to Barton suggest that North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are merely local government districts.
But pre-1974 Lincolnshire was broken down into three parts - Lindsey (administering the north), Kesteven (central) and Holland (the south).
Cricket in the county has never had any truck with these new-fangled boundaries.
After 1974, the Lincolnshire Minor Counties cricket team continued to play at Stamford and also at northerly venues like Cleethorpes and Grimsby.
There was never a Humberside team in the Minor Counties competition, though it was considered within the county council back in the 1980s.
There was a Humberside Alliance League, though, in which Brigg Town played for some seasons. It had teams from both sides of the River Humber.
This being Lincolnshire Day, October 1, it would be good if local people reflected on this issue - perhaps while tucking into some traditional Lincolnshire fare.
Some of us in Brigg still receive letters in the post with "South Humberside" on the bottom line of the address.
Lincolnshire is already regarded as the ceremonial county and incorporates N. Lincs and NE Lincs.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire who represents the Queen in the County extends his duties to include North and NE Lincs..He would normally attend any function in the ceremonial county, which involves a member of the Royal Family.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire who represents the Queen in the County extends his duties to include North and NE Lincs..He would normally attend any function in the ceremonial county, which involves a member of the Royal Family.
ReplyDeleteLincolnshire is already regarded as the ceremonial county and incorporates N. Lincs and NE Lincs.
ReplyDeleteIn the days of Humberside, the Lord Liuetenant of Lincolnshire officiated in South Humberside, while the LL of Yorkshire officiated in North Humberside....
ReplyDelete......the notion of a Ceremonial County does really apply to the massive conurbations of, for example, Merseyside...Historically, Liverpool was in Lancashire, but Merseyside appointed its own LL.
ReplyDelete......the notion of a Ceremonial County does really apply to the massive conurbations of, for example, Merseyside...Historically, Liverpool was in Lancashire, but Merseyside appointed its own LL.
ReplyDeleteTraditional Lincolnshire...perhaps many will think about Lincolnshire bangers and Lincolnshire Plum Bread....but if one equates traditional with historical, local folk would have eaten rabbit, wild fowl and eels from the Ancholme one, or two centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the draining of the Ancholme and the canalising of the Ancholme created riots with local folks....previous common land, which allowed everyday folks to trap rabbit and catch fish, became private land and tracts of the valley were reclaimed.
Landowners appointed gamekeepers and water bailiffs to stop the common man trepassing.......there are various stories of the land/water enforcers mysteriously 'disappearing'...
Another related brief was that the quagmire of the Ancholme Valley was populated by mischievous creatures and one had to appease them to be allowed to catch wild fowl and coarse fish.
When the Dutch navvies started to dig the New Ancholme local folk warned them of disappearing the valley spirits...and illness and death may ensue.
And it sure did!....Many of the navvies became ill and some were killed inside their exploding tents....so proving that the bog spirits really existed.
...
But did they? The fact was that the gangs of navvies were digging and living in Nige and their work was disturbing bog gas (methane), which could ignite, particularly if someone lit a lamp inside a confined space, such as a tent!!
Traditional Lincolnshire...perhaps many will think about Lincolnshire bangers and Lincolnshire Plum Bread....but if one equates traditional with historical, local folk would have eaten rabbit, wild fowl and eels from the Ancholme one, or two centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the draining of the Ancholme and the canalising of the Ancholme created riots with local folks....previous common land, which allowed everyday folks to trap rabbit and catch fish, became private land and tracts of the valley were reclaimed.
Landowners appointed gamekeepers and water bailiffs to stop the common man trepassing.......there are various stories of the land/water enforcers mysteriously 'disappearing'...
Another related brief was that the quagmire of the Ancholme Valley was populated by mischievous creatures and one had to appease them to be allowed to catch wild fowl and coarse fish.
When the Dutch navvies started to dig the New Ancholme local folk warned them of disappearing the valley spirits...and illness and death may ensue.
And it sure did!....Many of the navvies became ill and some were killed inside their exploding tents....so proving that the bog spirits really existed.
...
But did they? The fact was that the gangs of navvies were digging and living in Nige and their work was disturbing bog gas (methane), which could ignite, particularly if someone lit a lamp inside a confined space, such as a tent!!