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Lancashire Times
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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
3:00 AM 27th November 2022
lifestyle

The Wars Of The Roses

 
photo by pipilongstockings
photo by pipilongstockings
Lancashire Day is celebrated on the 27 November every year.

Why the red or white rose?

The county flower of Lancashire is the Red Rose of Lancaster, in contrast to the White Rose of Yorkshire. This was immortalised in the verse:

"In the battle for England's head/York was white, Lancaster red" (referring to the 15th century War of the Roses).

Interesting facts about the Wars of the Roses

Neither side used a rose as its sole symbol - The name came from the colour of the roses - red for Lancaster and white for York. It is possibly a legend which William Shakespeare wrote about along with others.
Yorkshire used the white rose but the red rose of Lancaster was only adopted when the conflict was nearly over in the 1480's. The name 'Wars of the Roses' came about in the 19th century.

Yorks and Lancasters were descended from the same family

The Wars of the Roses might never have happened if not for the tenuous state of English politics in the 1450s.

The Wars of the Roses saw the Yorks and Lancasters play musical chairs with the English throne.

The Wars reached their climax at 1485’s Battle of Bosworth Field.


Tudor Rose - image by Janice Staines
Tudor Rose - image by Janice Staines
The Tudor Rose

The Wars of the Roses ended when Henry VII of England married Elizabeth of York symbolically uniting the white and red roses creating the Tudor rose, containing both the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. This signified the unity between these two powerful and previously warring houses.

Lancashire Day

In 2022 Lancashire Day is on Sunday 27 November when the people of Lancashire celebrate the culture, lifestyle and achievements of the county, which is in North West England. Lancaster is the county town but the administrative centre is Preston.

People from Lancashire are called Lancastrians. On Lancashire Day people are encouraged to visit their local towns and shops to support the local area.

The History of Lancashire Day

Lancashire was established in 1183. November 27 has been Lancashire Day since 1996. It is an annual celebration of the first elected representatives from Lancashire to be called to Westminster in the year 1295 by King Edward I to what was later called ‘The Model Parliament’.

The county covers an area of 3,075 sq km – making it one of the largest shire counties and has a population of 1,460,893.

Lancashire Day Proclamation

All over the county town criers read out the Lancashire Day Proclamation.

“To the people of the city and county palatine of Lancaster

Greetings!

Know ye that this day, November 27th in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty Two, the 1st year of the reign of His Majesty King Charles 1II, Duke of Lancaster, is Lancashire Day.

Know ye also, and rejoice, that by virtue of Her Majesty's County Palatine of Lancaster, the citizens of the Hundreds of Lonsdale, North and South of the Sands, Amounderness, Leyland, Blackburn, Salford and West Derby are forever entitled to style themselves Lancastrians.

Throughout the County Palatine, from the Furness Fells to the River Mersey, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines, this day shall ever mark the people's pleasure in that excellent distinction - true Lancastrians, proud of the Red Rose and loyal to our Sovereign Duke.

GOD BLESS LANCASHIRE
AND GOD SAVE THE KING,
DUKE OF LANCASTER."


Yorkshire Day

Yorkshire Day takes place on the 1 August every year and celebrates everything related to the White Rose county.

The History of Yorkshire Day

Every year on the 1st August Yorkshire Day is celebrated and it is a celebration of everything that is Yorkshire.

Yorkshire is known as 'God's Own County' and Yorkshire is the biggest county in the UK, with a population of over 5 million which is almost twice the size of Wales.

The county is named after York and York is a shortened form of the Viking name Jorvik, which was in turn an interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon name Eoforwic.

The white rose which is recognised as the symbol of Yorkshire is thought to have been adopted by Edmund of Langley, the first Duke of York and the founder of the House of York.

What is the Yorkshire Declaration?

"That all persons born therein or resident therein and loyal to the Ridings are Yorkshiremen and women; That any person or corporate body which deliberately ignores or denies the aforementioned shall forfeit all claim to Yorkshire status. These declarations made this Yorkshire Day (year). God Save the King!"