Three comments on the Scotland and Wales question.------Johnnie
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Thu, 9 Dec 93 8:45 GMT
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RE: Scotland and Wales
One minor point to add is that the full name for the United Kingdom is
'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'
'Great Britain' is also a term that confuses - it is a geographical name for
theisland of the British Isles that comprises England, Scotland and Wales.
Bob McIntosh
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Thu, 09 Dec 1993 07:46:50 -0700 (MST)
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Re: Scotland and Wales
Scotland Forever! Down the Sassenach!
Charley Seavey (Clan Donald)
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Thu, 9 Dec 1993 10:17 EST
"Mr. Geography" <EDNEY@BINGVAXA>
RE: Scotland and Wales
Just to fine-tune the two recent answers to the question of England, Wales,
and Scotland. ...
1. Wales was annexed during the eleventh and twelfth centuries by Anglo-Norman
(later English) barons who owed fealty to the English King. (One of these,
the Earl of Pembroke, was responsible for the first English presence in Ireland
which led to Henry II proclaiming his son John, Lord of Ireland in 1180 or so.)
King Edward I imposed royal authority and so Wales was merged with England; it
therefore shares the English educational and legal systems.
2. The continuation of separate Scottish currencies (Bank of Sc.; Royal Bank of
Sc.; Clydesdale Bank, etc.) does not reflect sovereignty. Before 1800, any
bank in Great Britain (Engalnd + Wales + Scotland) could issue bank notes if
they had gold bullion. In 1819 or so, parliament passed a law which said that
if any bank-note-issuing bank went broke, then its gold and associated banknotes
would revert to the Bank of England. All the English and Welsh banks have long
since folded, but the four or so Scottish banks have not, for purely historical
circumstances.
3. The separate postal stamps and currencies of the Channel Isles, Isle of Man,
and Northern Ireland, DO reflect sovereignty and their separate status within
the U.K.
4. And then there is the wonderful cases of Monmouthshire and Berwick-upon-
Tweed. Monmouthshire has shuttled between England and Wales according to who
knows what criteria. Berwick similarly between England and Scotland. If I
remember the trivia aright, Berwick is still at war with France. When G.B.
declared war on France in 1794, it was "Kingdoms of England and Scotland, and
Berwick-upon-Tweed"; the peace of 1816 (18?) said only "Kingdoms of England
and Scotland."
I hope this is not too clarifying.
Matthew Edney
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