The British: People from worldwide origins

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. First and Early Settlement up to 1066 AD

III. Growth and Immigration up to the Twentieth Century

IV. Immigration and Population Movements in the Twentieth Century

V. Attitudes towards National Identities and Bri-tishness

VI. Conclusion

VII. Bibliography

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Map 1: The British Isles¹

I. Introduction

“We call our islands by no less than six different names, England, Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles, the United Kingdom and, in very exalted moments, Albion.”²

This quotation taken from George Orwell’s essay England, Your England (1941) clearly shows that the names quoted above are often used as synonyms, although they patently are not. So it is no surprise that some people define themselves as being “Englishsorrybritish” – a term which occurred in the newspapers several times over the last few months. A lot of people seem to be quite confused about their identity, about who they are and where they belong. But using the words “English” and “British” interchangeably is, in my opinion, not very fair – especially with regard to the inhabitants of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In fact, the so-called United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland comprises four different indigenous nations: English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish. And considering the fact that the British Isles (cf. map 1, page 2) – of which the United Kingdom³ is a part – have attracted settlers and immigrants for several centuries, it is not surprising that the contemporary British are a very diverse people, or – as is stated in the title of my paper – people from worldwide origins. The question arises whether the majority of people in the United Kingdom consider themselves to be British or rather to be English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish or part of any other community often referred to as a so-called ethnic minority group.

However, I will first outline the historical development that led to the creation of a multicultural, multinational and multiracial Britain.⁴ I divided this historical overview into three parts: The first part will deal with the early settlement up to 1066 AD (cf. chapter II). As Britain’s last invasion from overseas took place in 1066 AD, I thought it would be good to make an incision there. In the second section I am going to talk about immigration movements up to the twentieth century (cf. chapter III) and later I will go on with immigration and population movements in the twentieth century (cf. chapter IV).

As the multinational and multicultural characteristics of contemporary British society raise questions about national identities, on the one hand, and about the meaning of Britishness, on the other, I will also talk about visions of and attitudes toward these two notions (cf. chapter V). My thoughts on Britishness and national identities will be followed by some summarising final remarks on “The British: People from Worldwide Origins”⁵ (cf. chapter VI).

II. First and Early Settlement up to 1066 AD

There is of course no distinctive information about what the early settlement of Britain was like, but the oldest human bones found were about 500,000 years in age. Old Stone Age nomads from mainland Europe – the so-called Palaeolithic people – who came to Britain when the country was joined to the European land mass, are said to be the first settlers in Britain. In contrast to the later settlers who were skilled in the

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Map 2: The Celts in Britain by 50 BC⁶

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Map 3: The Roman Conquest 54 BC – 100 AD⁷

use of stones, these first people had a much more primitive way of using stone implements. Between 8300 and 2000 BC, these later settlers travelled to Britain from Europe and the Mediterranean region. Today, these periods are known as Mesolithic and Neolithic – the New Stone Age.

The Bronze Age culture brought into the country by later arrivals was largely replaced by the Iron Age culture which was introduced when Celtic tribes invaded the islands between 800 and 200 BC.⁸ Many Celtic tribes (cf. map 2, page 6) had in turn been subjugated by the Romans who conquered Britain under the Emperor Claudius in 43 AD (cf. map 3, page 7). The Romans left the country in the early fifth century to help defend other parts of the Roman Empire. By this time, the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians, who where among the German invaders, settled the country. The so-called Anglo-Saxons pushed the existing population westwards so that Wales, Scotland and Ireland had Celtic areas while England was occupied by the Anglo-Saxons.

The seventh and eighth centuries were marked by the so- called Anglo-Saxon heptarchy, a coexistence of the seven (not equally powerful) kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Wessex, Sussex and Kent. From the eighth to the eleventh century, Scandinavian invaders arrived in Britain. The most significant settlement in northern and eastern parts of England was the one by the Danes; in the north-west of England and in Scotland it was by Norwegians. King Alfred of Wessex defeated the Vikings led by Guthrum at Edington. As a consequence of this, the Vikings left Wessex and settled in East Anglia. But at the end of the tenth century, fresh Viking raids let to the installation of a Danish dynasty as kings of England between 1016 and 1042 AD.⁹

The year 1066 AD marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. A French-speaking dynasty from the dukedom of Normandy was installed in England. The so-called Norman Conquest of England (cf. map 4, page 10) under the leadership of Duke William of Normandy led to a subjection of England to Norman rules. Although Celtic civilisations continued in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, British society was deeply influenced by the Norman Conquest. Not only did the Normans introduce the second main period in English language history – the Middle English period – but they also initiated a lot of “social and institutional frameworks, like a feudal system”¹⁰.

However, there was no uniform habitation pattern of Britain at that time. This was mainly due to geographical and climatic obstacles. Not only the varying identities between groups in the English regions but also the racial differences between the people from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have produced the actually existing national diversity in the United Kingdom. On the one hand, every new group of settlers adopted some of the native characteristics, but on the other hand, they also imposed their own cultures on the existing society. Such influences can often be seen in administrations and in language development.

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¹ Oakland, John. British Civilization. London: Routledge, 1995, page 14.

² Orwell, George. Selected Essays. London: Penguin Books, 1957, page 72.

³ I will use the term United Kingdom throughout this paper to describe the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

⁴ I will use the term Britain throughout my paper to describe the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

⁵ Compare the paper’s title.

⁶ Gilbert, Martin. The Dent Atlas of British History. London: JM Dent Ltd, 1993, page 1.

⁷ Gilbert, Martin. The Dent Atlas of British History. London: JM Dent Ltd, 1993, page 2.

⁸ Oakland, John. British Civilization. London and New York, Routledge, 1995, page 42.

⁹“The Origins of English“ in: Graddol, David; Leith, Dick; Swann, Joan. English: History, Diversity and Change. London, Routledge, 1996, pages 95 to 135.

¹⁰ Oakland, John. British Civilization. London: Routledge, 1995, page 43.