England - A Short Description
Britain, consisting of the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, is the largest island in the world, encompassed by the ocean, the German and French seas. The largest and southern part of it is England, so named from the Angli, who quitting the little territory yet called Angel in the kingdom of Denmark, took possession here. It is governed by its own King, who owns no superior but God. It is divided into thirty-nine counties, to which thirteen in Wales were added by Henry VIII., the first who distributed that principality into counties; over each of these, in times of danger, a lord lieutenant, nominated by the King, presides with an unlimited power. Every year some gentleman, an inhabitant of the place, is appointed sheriff; his office is to collect the public moneys, to raise fines, or to make seizures, and account for it to the Treasury; to attend upon the judges, and put their sentence in execution; to empanel the jury, who sit upon facts, and return their verdict to the judges (who in England are only such of the law, and not of the fact); to convey the condemned to execution, and to dertermine in lesser causes, for the greater are tried by the judges, formerly called travelling judges of assize; these go their circuits through the counties twice every year to hear causes, and pronounce sentence upon prisoners.
source: www. visionofbritain.org.uk
Brief Synopsis of This Is England by The Coolest Englishman On The Planet
The movie “This Is England” is set in England in July of 1983. The plot centres around the Skinhead subculture – Skinheads get their label because they shave their heads. It gives them a look of violence and aggression. The identity, belonging and culture are at the heart of the film.
There is an irony in the film and indeed the Skinhead culture that the music most often associated with Skinheads has its roots in Jamaican reggae music. The early non-racist stance of the Skinheads is disturbed by the arrival from prison of an older and more aggressive Skinhead, known as Combo. The film was directed and written by Shane Meadows who also directed films such as Dead Man’s Shoes and A Room for Romeo Brass.
For further information about England visit www.tonyradford.com the website of Tony Radford the coolest Englishman on the planet.
Englishness And The English Identity - First Ideas
We are looking at the concept of Englishness. It is fair to say that England is a special nation with something of a national identity crisis. The English are often puzzled when asked if to choose between describing themselves as ‘English’ or ‘British’. It seems as though the English have no national identity.
The country of England co-exists with Wales and Scotland on the island of Britain, with England being the largest country of the three. Together with the people of Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland in total constitute the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, i.e. the UK. The nation of the British people is Britain. However, not all British citizens live on the island of Britain. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and its people are British. Geographically Northern Ireland occupies a small part of Ireland. Physically speaking the majority of Ireland is the territory of the Irish Republic, i.e. Eire. Thus England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, more commonly known as the UK. Note that technically speaking Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain..
Historically the English are an ethnic group who are native to the land of England, who speak the English language. It was during the early medieval period that the specific identity of the English as a people is thought to have arisen. Genetically speaking the English are a mix of Northern European invaders and settlers including the Angles, the Saxons the Jutes and the Vikings, who co-existed with the indigenous Britons. Southern Europeans came with the Romans and the Norman invasion of 1066 has left a French legacy. Migrants from Wales, Scotland and Ireland also came to England. In later centuries there were influxes from many other countries, particularly from the Commonwealth and other European nations. These peoples and these events created what was to become known as England and all ultimately contribute to that mix of values known as Englishness. However it is not just our mixed roots that give this identity crisis however but that is the subject of another article.
