The culture of Yorkshire has developed over the county's history, influenced by the cultures of those who came to control/settle in the region, including the Celts (Brigantes and Parisii) , Romans, Angles, Vikings, Normans Yorkshire people are said to have a strong sense of regional identity, and are sometimes thought to identify more strongly with Yorkshire than England, or the UK as a whole. Despite the decline of many traditional and distinctive features of the Yorkshire dialect, its accent is widely perceived as trustworthy and friendly.
According to a genetic study published in Nature (19 March 2015), the local population of West Yorkshire is genetically distinct from the rest of the population of Yorkshire.https://www.nature.com/news/uk-mapped-out-by-genetic-ancestry-1.17136 citing Leslie, S., Winney, B., Hellenthal, G. et al. The fine-scale genetic structure of the British population. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14230
The 2015 Oxford University study compared the current genetic distribution in Britain to the geographical maps of its historic Kingdoms, and found that the distinct West Yorkshire genetic cluster closely corresponds to Elmet's known territories. This suggests Yorkshire may have maintained a regional Celtic identity through the centuries.
Traditions and stereotypes
Many Yorkshire people are immensely proud of both their county and their identity, embracing the popular nickname of God's Own Country, which appears on mugs and tea towels and used by the writer Nigel Farndale, himself a Yorkshireman, as a headline in a special Yorkshire edition of Country Life magazine in 1995.
The most common stereotype of a Yorkshire person is as tight with money: there is a British saying that "a Yorkshireman is a Scotsman with all the generosity squeezed out of him", which references how Scots are also stereotyped as being tight but not as tight as Yorkshire folk. This stereotype can also be seen in the Yorkshireman's Motto:
Ear all, see all, say nowt; Eyt all, sup all, pay nowt; And if ivver tha does owt fer nowt – Allus do it fer thissen.
Translation: "Hear all, see all, say nothing; Eat all, drink all, pay nothing; And if ever you do anything for nothing – always do it for yourself."
Yorkshire people are often stereotyped as friendly but "bloody-minded", stubborn (also known as "Yorkshire-stubborn") and argumentative. Indeed, throughout the history of the area, this has been noted, dating from the Celt Brigantes, Norse Viking settlement, through the Norman period, the Wars of the Roses, the Pilgrimage of Grace during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, to the 1984 Miner's Strike; The region has seen a number of rebellions against non-Yorkshire or non-Northern rulers.
It is this stereotype which is referred to in the saying "Yo can allus tell a Yorkshireman, but yo can't tell him mich" ("you can always tell a Yorkshireman, but you can't tell him much"). However, the popular understanding of the Wars of the Roses is mostly false. The House of York had its support mostly in southern England, while northern England on either side of the Pennines mainly supported the House of Lancaster. Indeed, the city of York itself was a Lancastrian power base.
One social stereotype of a Yorkshireman had a tendency to include such accessories as a flat cap and a whippet; this alludes to rural life. While the stereotype might not always ring true, the county certainly has an illustrious rural history; many of the now prominent West Yorkshire cities grew thanks in part to the wool industry. Another stereotype often heard in connection with Yorkshire workers is the proverb "wheer ther's muck, ther's brass" ("where there's muck, there's money"); this refers to the widely held view that where one is willing to do unpalatable work, there is plenty of money to be made.
Tyke or Yorkie is now a colloquialism used to identify the Yorkshire dialect, as well as the term some Yorkshiremen affectionately use to describe themselves, especially in the West Riding. Originally "tyke" was a highly derogatory word, meaning "a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement"; southerners used the term against Yorkshiremen, but in defiance of the negative connotations it was adopted locally, taking on a new life.
Among Yorkshire's unique traditions is the Long Sword dance, a traditional dance not found elsewhere in England. The most famous song of Yorkshire is On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at ("On Ilkley Moor without a hat"); it is considered the unofficial anthem of the county. In celebration of its culture, Yorkshire Day has been celebrated annually on 1 August since 1975. Amongst the celebrations is a civic gathering of Lord Mayors, Mayors and other civic heads from across the county, convened by the Yorkshire Society.
Food and drink The cuisine of Yorkshire and that of Northern England in general is known for its rich ingredients, especially in sweet dishes.
Yorkshire gave its name to the Yorkshire pudding. It is commonly made from a savoury batter-mix and served with roast beef, vegetables, potatoes and gravy to form part of a Sunday roast, which itself developed from the county. It is tradition for it to eaten before the main meal as a starter – the idea being that you would then not want to eat as much of the more expensive meat. Typically a single pud varies in size from filling a saucer to a dinner plate. It an also be served as a savoury dish with onions and herbs as part of the mix or as part of a sweet dish with jam.
Wensleydale cheese is a associated with the local pastures of Wensleydale which give the cheese the distinct flavour. Fine Fettle Yorkshire and Swaledale cheese are also local Yorkshire derived cheeses.
Yorkshire is also a historic centre for the brewing of beer, with breweries such as Tetley's, John Smith's, Sam Smith's, Black Sheep, Wards Brewing Company, Stones Theakston, Timothy Taylor and Copper Dragon.
Sweet Ginger beer is commonly a soft drink, flavoured with ginger, which existed since the mid-1700s. A Parkin is a sweet ginger cake which is different from standard ginger cakes in that it includes oatmeal and treacle as part of the traditional recipe. Yorkshire has a form of gingerbread which has a layer of crystallised ginger in the middle, rather than an essence of ginger or ginger shavings.
The Yorkshire curd tart a curd tart recipe which has been around since at least the 1750s, unique because of its use of rosewater.
The Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle is a triangle in West Yorkshire, between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell, famous for producing early forced rhubarb which is harvested by candlelight. In February 2010, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb was awarded Protected Designation of Origin status under the European Commission's Protected Food Name scheme after being recommended by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Defra).
Liquorice, is a plant thought to have been brought over to Yorkshire by returning Crusaders or Dominican friars in the 14th century. It became synonymous with Pontefract in Yorkshire,
Confection A local Pontefract man George Dunhill in the 1760s thought to mix liquorice with sugar, creating what was known locally as "Pomfret cakes", but is now well known as "liquorice". As liquorice requires deep soil to grow, it was mainly grown in Pontefract. Although it is no longer grown in the area, Pontefract has two large liquorice confectionery derived factories as a legacy.
From the 1700s onwards, Yorkshire (in particular the city of York) saw the growth of several chocolate and general confection factories or companies, forming an important part of now with globally known products. These include: Nestle (Switzerland) owned: Mackintosh's (Quality Street continues to be produced in Halifax) – makers of toffee. Rowntree's (continues to be of York, repurposed as a jelly sweet confection brand) – has produced Kit Kat, Smarties, Aero, Fruit Pastilles, Black Magic and Polo. Valeo Confectionery (Ireland, confection produced in Leeds) – current makers of York Fruits (originally of Pontefract). Ferrero (Italy) owned and brand remain in use: Terry's (formerly of York) – produced Terry's Chocolate Orange, Neapolitans and Terry's All Gold. Thorntons (formerly of Sheffield) – involved in the field of luxury chocolate such as chocolate truffles. Bassett's (continues to be produced in Sheffield under the name Maynards Bassetts, owned by Mondelez) – accidental inventors of liquorice allsorts in 1899. Simpkins– manufactures the world's first Airtight Glucose Travel Tin Sweets.
Sport Yorkshire has played a highly important role in the development of sports, some forms of which have become world-famous. Sport is important in the modern culture of the county. The main sports are football, cricket and rugby league.
In the London 2012 Olympics, competitors from Yorkshire won 7 gold medals, 2 silver and 3 bronze. If Yorkshire had been treated as a country it would have come twelfth in the overall medal table.
Cricket
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county at first-class cricket. It competes in the County Championship against 17 others, playing at their home ground of Headingley, Leeds. and occasionally North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough, Yorkshire is by far the most successful in the history of the championship: they have won the title 32 times (outright). Their nearest competitor in titles achieved is Surrey, who have won it 19 times (outright). They participate in a derby with Lancashire County Cricket Club known as the Roses Match, named after the Wars of the Roses.
The first cricket club in Yorkshire is thought to have been Sheffield Cricket Club, founded in 1751. Some players from Yorkshire have been highly acclaimed in the general history of the sport, including Herbert Sutcliffe, Sir Leonard Hutton, Wilfred Rhodes, George Herbert Hirst, Fred Trueman and Geoffrey Boycott. Aside from the county club and its achievements, Yorkshiremen have also made a distinct mark on cricket in general: Thomas Lord founded Lord's Cricket Ground in London. As for umpires, the man regarded as the most famous and a figure synonymous with cricket, Dickie Bird, is from Barnsley.
Football
Yorkshire is officially recognised by FIFA as the birthplace of club football, as Sheffield F.C. who were founded in 1857 are certified as the oldest association football club in the world. South Yorkshire hosted the first ever inter-club match and the first ever local derby on 26 December 1860; between Sheffield FC and Hallam FC. South Yorkshire is also home to what is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the Oldest Ground in the World, Sandygate Road. The Sheffield rules code was highly influential to the development of the FA's Laws of the Game, which is now the worldwide standard code for the game and happened to be drafted by Ebenezer Cobb Morley from Hull.
In 1961 Rotherham United played in the first League Cup Final, when they lost 3–2 to Aston Villa in two legs, they won the first 2–0, but lost the second 3–0. Yorkshire clubs compete in the English football league system. While they are by no means the most dominant footballing county, Yorkshire has produced several national league winners, some of whom have won the title more than once, including Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United. Some players from Yorkshire have gone on to become some of the most highly regarded in the history of the game, including World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks and two time European Footballer of the Year award winner Kevin Keegan.
Rugby