White or Red Rose?

Growing up on the south coast of England, I always knew I was different. 

My parents made sure I knew where I came from. I might have looked and sounded like all the other kids in Bournemouth, but I knew I was from a place in the North called Oldham, and I was always proud to tell my friends about it.

‘Oldham?’ They’d say. ‘Where’s that?’

‘Near Manchester,’ I’d say. Because everyone knew Manchester United.

And it made me feel special. Knowing that I came from somewhere that seemed like another world to all the kids who were born and raised down south.

After I moved to London in my early twenties, whenever I was asked where I was from, I’d say, ‘Well, I grew up in Bournemouth, but I’m from the North originally.’

‘Oh yeah? Whereabouts?’

And I’d tell them, and then the conversation would move on to something else. Until that is, I met a guy called Shaun, who ended up becoming one of my best friends.

‘No way, I’m from Oldham,” he told me.

It took me a while to convince him I really was from the same place as him. But when I started telling him about how I lived in Delph he got more enthusiastic as he had family in Saddleworth. In a city full of strangers, it was easy to bond over our shared roots, and it helped me feel closer to the town of my birth.

We had mutual friends from the other side of the Pennines, so friendly discussions of Lancashire versus Yorkshire would often take place in the pub. But imagine my surprise one day when Shaun turned to me and said, ‘You know you’re part Yorkshire though?’

I thought he was pulling my leg. ‘Oldham’s in Lancashire, mate. What are you talking about?’

‘Yeah, but Saddleworth isn’t. Well, some people think it is. Some people think it’s in Yorkshire.’

All my life I’d been a proud Lancastrian, telling anyone who would listen how great the North is, and how the Red Rose is always best. And now I was hit by the bombshell that, actually, I might be a Yorkshireman.

Here are the facts:

Until 1974, Saddleworth was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. That is indisputable. Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into force on 1st April 1974, the West Riding of Yorkshire was abolished, and Saddleworth was incorporated into the metropolitan borough of Oldham in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.

So does that mean anyone born in Saddleworth before 1st April 1974 is from Yorkshire, and anyone born after is from Lancashire? (My brother was born in February 1974, whereas I was born in 1976, which could explain all the fighting when we were kids.)

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that.

Technically, in terms of administration, Greater Manchester isn’t part of Lancashire, as the same government act created it as a separate county. But good luck trying to tell people from any other part of Greater Manchester that they’re not from Lancashire.

It’s easy to argue that the Pennines form a natural border between Lancashire and Yorkshire (when I was a kid, I thought they did!) and so it makes sense that Saddleworth is part of Lancashire. But history books tell us that Saddleworth was recognised as being in Yorkshire as far back as the Middle Ages. Although for some of the 17th Century it was part of the ancient parish of Rochdale, in Salfordshire – a subdivision of Lancashire.

Yorkshire Day is proudly celebrated in Saddleworth every year. But there is also the annual Rushcart, which has its origins in Lancashire and Cumbria.

The more I read about it, the more I realise that for every argument in one direction, there is a counter-argument in the other. No wonder there can never be total agreement.

But whichever side you’re on, one thing is certain: Saddleworth is an incredibly special place with a unique history, beautiful scenery, and fantastic people. It draws on influences from Yorkshire and Lancashire, creating something which you’ll not find the like of in either.

So perhaps, instead of having to choose the white or red rose, we can choose the Tudor Rose to celebrate the coming together of two great counties to make something even better.

Author: Luke Morris

Freelance copywriter at www.lukewmorris.com