If there are only two options, North or South, then the Welsh must surely count as honorary Northerners. After all, the valleys are hardly the home counties.
But not according to Oxford University, apparently.
In the 13th century, all students at the university were divided into Southerners and Northerners, with a proctor for each group. The river Neme in modern Northamptonshire divided the nation. If a student came from Scotland, he was classed with the Northerners. If he came from Wales or Ireland or was French, or from anywhere else at all, he was classed with the Southereners.
The university eventually decided to drop the idea of the two groups because they kept fighting and occasionally killing one another.
G. R. Evans, John Wyclif: Myth and reality (Oxford, Lion, 2005) p72
Saturday, April 29, 2006
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Thanks to all those who've said nice things about my comments on Marc's blog. For those who've not yet found it (and because Marc hasn't seen fit to make a link to it) my blog is available at www.ihaveaquestion.blog.co.uk
So now you don't have to bother reading Marc's thoughts at all.
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