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'British people', or 'Britons',^[1] are a nation^{[2][3][4][5][6]} or inhabitants of Great Britain^[7][8] or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories. In an historical context, the word is used to refer to the ancient Brythons, the indigenous inhabitants of most of Great Britain.

Contents

Origins

British Identity

In the United Kingdom

"Britishness" today

Demographics

Sensitivity around use of term

In Ireland

In the Commonwealth

New Zealand

See also

References

Origins

Greek and Roman writers between the first centry BCE and the first century CE describe the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland as ''Priteni'',^[9] the origin of the Latin word ''Britannic''. Etymologicum Genuinum and Parthenius ^[10]mention of ''Bretannus'' (the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Βρεττανός) as a Celt forefather of the Britons. It has been suggested that this name came from a Gaullish description meaning "people of the forms" referring to their practice of tattooing or painting their bodies using blue woad.^[11] By 50 BC Greek geographers were using equivalents of ''Prettanikē'' as a group name for the islands.^[9][9] However, with the Roman conquest of Britain the Latin term ''Britannia'' was used for the island of Great Britain.^[14][15] The name became associated with the Roman province of Britannia and as the Romans failed to establish control of the Scottish Highlands the frontier was effectively drawn at the Antonine Wall, then around AD 200 at Hadrian's Wall. The post-Roman period brought a series of invasions, and in medieval Britain control of territory by Brythons became confined to Wales, Cornwall and Cumbria. The term ''Britannia'' remained in use as the Latin name for the island, and ''Historia Britonum'' claimed legendary British origins as a prestigious genealogy for Welsh kings, followed by the ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' which popularised this pseudo-history to support the claims of the kings of England. Today only the Welsh and the genetic descendants of the Cornish Britons remain in the same locations as their Dark-Age and Medieval ancestors. The Bretons in Brittany are related, having migrated in the Post-Roman period.
During the years of Tudor rule in England and Wales, the idea of Britannia and the term ''British'' became increasingly politically important. This coincided with the assuming by King of England (and Wales) of the title of the King of Ireland in 1542 on to the personal union of the crowns of England and Scotland under James Stuart in 1603. It was during this period that the terms ''British Isles'' and ''British Empire'' were coined, but the kingdoms remained separate and ''British'' only became synonymous with a national civic identity with the formation in 1707 of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the state that subsequently merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It in turn became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the secession of what became the Republic of Ireland.

British Identity

In the United Kingdom

"Britishness" today

Main articles: Britishness

"Britishness" today is political concept that seeks to develop or more often define what it is to be British. The term is often associated with the British unionist tradition however the term ''Unionist'' is often associated with Northern Ireland and so ''Britishness'' is more often used. It can be seen however that Britishness evokes a range of responses and attitudes that make an exact definition elusive.^[16]
Most recently this concept has been used by Gordon Brown to initiate debate on British identity.^[17] Brown's speech to the Fabian Society's ''Britishness Conference'' proposed that British values demand a new constitutional settlement and symbols to represent a modern patriotism, including a new youth community service scheme and a ''British Day'' to celebrate.^[18]
One focus can be seen in terms of celebrating the best of the United Kingdom. That is to stress that what unites the United Kingdom is stronger than the issues dividing it, such as support in Scotland for Scottish independence, international football loyalties, or growing signs of English revolt against distribution of funds to the Scottish Parliament. One of the central issues identified at the Fabian Society conference was how the English identity fits within the framework of a devolved United Kingdom. Does England require a new constitutional settlement for instance?^[19]
A tangible expression of the Government's initiative to promote Britishness was the inaugural Veterans' Day which was first held on 27 June 2006. As well as celebrating the achievements of armed forces veterans, Browns' speech at the first event for the celebration said: "Scots and people from the rest of the UK share the purpose – that Britain has something to say to the rest of the world about the values of freedom, democracy and the dignity of the people that you stand up for. So at a time when people can talk about football and devolution and money, it is important that we also remember the values that we share in common".^[20]

Demographics

Identity in Britain^[21]

Identity	Percent
British only	31%
British + Home Nations Identity	15%
Home Nations Identity	49%
Other	5%

Historically, ''British'' was expounded as a meta-identity for all of the residents of Britain, the number of people in Great Britain identifying themselves as British, as opposed to their national identity, has been declining. For example, it fell in England from 63% in 1991-2 to 48% in 2003, in Scotland from 31% in 1974 to 20% in 2003, and in Wales from 34% in 1978-9 to 27% in 2003. As have those describing themselves as equally British and their national identity.^[22]
The 2001 UK General Household Survey (GHS) contained an element measuring the number of people describing themselves as ''British''.^[21] The incidence of those willing to call themselves ''British'' in any sense is highest in England, but nowhere commands a majority. Interestingly, it does command a majority of non-White respondents (57%), compared to 45% White respondents. Furthermore, 51% of non-White respondents consider themselves British-only, whereas only 29% of White respondents describe themselves so.^[21]

British in any sense^[21]

Location / Group	Percent
England	48%
Northern Ireland	64%
Scotland	20%
Wales	35%
White	45%
Non-white	57%

Starting in the 2001 census, ''White Irish'' and ''White British'' were recognised as distinct ethnic groups in Great Britain. This distinction is avoided in the census of Northern Ireland, where ''White Irish'' and ''White British'' are combined into a single "White" ethnic group on the census forms. Naturally, numbers of those describing themselves as ''British'' in Northern Ireland are divided dramatically across community lines (approximate to religious differences between Catholic and Protestant). An Institute of Governance briefing in 2006^[26] described the division between the communities so:
The 2001 UK census measured the numbers of Protestant in Northern Ireland to be 53% and Catholic to be 44%.
The ''Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey'' samples attitudes to nationality and ethnicity every year. The results of the 2006 survey suggest that 90 percent of Protestants in Northern Ireland regard themselves as British and 15 percent of Roman Catholics regard themselves as such; 71 percent of Catholics regard themselves as Irish and 3 percent of Protestants regard themselves as this; 6 percent of Protestants and 8 percent of Catholics regard themselves as both British and Irish. The total of people who regard themselves as British in Northern Ireland was 56 percent; as Irish 33percent; and as both British and Irish was 8 percent.Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey 2006
In 2006 however, the ''Life & Times'' survey omitted the categories ''Northern Irish'', ''Ulster'' and ''Don't know'' from the question. The category for Northern Irish had attracted 21 percent in 2004 (25 percent of Catholics and 17 percent of Protestants).Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey 2004
Of those claiming to not be of any particular religion, 60 percent regarded themselves as British; 23 percent as Irish; and 12 percent as both.

Sensitivity around use of term

Whether someone refers to their nationality as English, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh, it does not necessarily mean that they do not also consider themselves British.²² For example, a person may consider himself British or Welsh, or equally British and Welsh, or mostly one or the other. However, even when given the widest common choice of options, some people still prefer to identify themselves as exclusively English (17%), Scottish (31%), Welsh (21%),^[22] or Northern Irish (21%), referring to aspects of their own culture and history which distinguish the nations of the United Kingdom from each other.^[28]
The use of the term is sensitive in some areas, particularly in Northern Ireland,^[29] and can vary in exact meaning depending on context and the author's personal prejudices.
The term ''British'' is also used by naturalised immigrants and their descendants. By a slight margin it is the preferred term of non-White residents of the United Kingdom.^[21] Thus ''Black British'' is common usage, particularly in England, though less so in Scotland where such groups can be, for example, Pakistani Scots.^[31]

In Ireland

National Identity in Northern Ireland
Identity in Northern Ireland since 1968. Protestant identity is shown on the left. Catholic identity is shown on the right.

British identity has long been problematic in Ireland. Prior to the union with the Great Britain, British identity was never applied to Irish people. From an Irish perspective, regardless of religion or political persuasion, this status quo continued during the period when the whole island formed part of the United Kingdom, although a greater number of people on Great Britain began to describe Irish people as British during the same period. Since partition of the island in 1922, British identity has become a source of division in Northern Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, British identity is never asserted and will almost certainly cause offense. A pejorative term, ''West Briton'', has been in use since the 19th century, though not originally intended pejoratively, and was used by nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell British House of Commons in 1832:
Before the 20th century, and the partition of the country, the aristocratic class identified themselves as Anglo-Irish rather than British. At partition, Unionists in what was to become Northern Ireland, identified as Ulstermen or -women and the contentious term, ''British Isles'', was avoided by Unionist historians as much as it was by Nationalist ones.^[32][33]
Since the Troubles, there has been a doubling of those identifying as British within the Protestant community in Northern Ireland (rising to nearly 70%), while Ulster and Irish identity has collapsed among that group. Conversely, there has been a 75% drop among Catholics of those identifying as British (from 20% down to 6%) in the same period, where Irish is the predominant identity (approximately 60%).^[34] High rates of intermarriage between nationalists and unionists following independence is attributed as the disappearance of British Unionist and Anglo-Irish identities in the Republic of Ireland, where the political implications of intermarriage are perceived as unimportant. In Northern Ireland, in contrast, with high degrees of housing, educational, political and community segregation, only 5% of marriages cross community divides.^[34] The people of Northern Ireland are jointly British and Irish citizens, and individuals may choose to assert either or both as they choose fit.

In the Commonwealth

New Zealand

A significant number of New Zealanders are of British ancestry.^[36] As late as the 1950s it was common for New Zealanders to refer to themselves as ethnically British, such as when Prime Minister Keith Holyoake described Sir Edmund Hillary's successful ascent of Mt. Everest as ''"[putting] the British race and New Zealand on top of the world"''.^[37] New Zealand passports described nationals as "British Subject and New Zealand Citizen" until 1974, when this was changed to "New Zealand Citizen".^[38]
While "European" identity predominates political discourse in New Zealand today, the term "British" is still used by some to explain aspects of cultural affiliaiton. Others see the term as better describing previous generations; for instance, journalist Colin James referred to "we ex-British New Zealanders" in a 2005 speech.^[39] It remains a relatively uncontroversial descriptor of ancestry.
In an interview with the New Zealand Listener in 2006, the opposition leader of that time Don Brash made the following statement;
:''British immigrants fit in here very well. My own ancestry is all British. New Zealand values are British values, derived from centuries of struggle since Magna Carta. Those things make New Zealand the society it is.''^[40]

See also

★ Alternative words for British

★ British Isles (terminology)

★ British nationality law

★ British subject

★ Demographics of the United Kingdom

★ Immigration to the United Kingdom

★ List of British people

★ List of Black Britons

★ Genetic history of Europe

References

1. Compact Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2007
2. Todd, M. ''Anglo-Saxon Origins: The Reality of the Myth''
3. Bradshaw, B. (1998), ''British Consciousness and Identity: The Making of Britain, 1533-1707'', Cambridge University Press.
4. Colley, L. (2005), ''Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837'', Yale University Press.
5. Weight, R. (2003) ''Patriots: National Identity in Britain 1940-2000'', Pan Books
6. Ward, P. (2004), ''Britishness Since 1870'' Routledge
7. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved 9 December 2005.
8. Definition of Briton. Merriam-Webster Online
9.
10. Patrhenius, ''Love Stories 2, 30'' [1]
11. ,Encyclopedia of the Celts: Pretani
12.
13.
14. provides a translation describing Caeser's first invasion, using terms which from appear in Latin as arriving "tamen in Britanniam", the inhabitants being "Britannos", and on p30 "principes Britanniae" is translated as "chiefs of Britain".
15. In Book 1 of his ''Geography'' Strabo uses the "B" spelling, in his other books he uses the "P" spelling: Cunliffe suggests this may have been an error by a scribe.
16. Ethos, November 2005
17. Brown speech promotes Britishness BBC News, 14 January 2006.
18. The future of Britishness Fabian Society, 14 January 2006.
19. New Britishness must resolve the English question Fabian Society, 14 January 2006
20. Brown pinning his hopes on a new regiment
21. National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
22. (2006) in ''Devolution and Constitutional Change'', ESRC list of authors
23. National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
24. National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
25. National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
26. , the Institute of Governance, 2006
27. (2006) in ''Devolution and Constitutional Change'', ESRC list of authors
28. Gene Expression article ''February 2005''
29. British? Irish? Or what? from Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland (1968 to the Present) ''CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the INternet)''
30. National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
31. UK: 25% of ethnic minority Scots have tried drugs, ''The Herald'', Glasgow, 02 November 2001
32. Nicholas Canny, 2003, "Writing Early Modern History: Ireland, Britain, and the Wider World", ''The Historical Journal'', 46, 3, Cambridge University Press, p. 738
33. Nicholas Canny, 2003, "Writing Early Modern History: Ireland, Britain, and the Wider World", ''The Historical Journal'', 46, 3, Cambridge University Press, p. 738
34. Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, ''Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report'', Blackstaff Press: Belfast
35. Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, ''Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report'', Blackstaff Press: Belfast
36. Te Ara: New Zealanders: New Zealand Peoples: Britons
37. Population Conference 1997, New Zealand: Panel Discussion 3c - Population Change And International Linkages, Phillip Gibson, Chief Executive, Asia 2000 Foundation
38. Carl Walrond. 'Kiwis overseas - Staying in Britain', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13 April 2007.
39. ''The Pacific-ation of New Zealand''. Colin James's speech to the Sydney Institute, 3 February 2005. Accessed 2007-06-05.
40. New Zealand Listener: So who do we keep out?, Bruce Ansley, September 2-8 2006