Briton

British people
The Union Flag, the popular symbol of Britishness.
Image:BR05AG 2.jpg
Britannia on a 2005 Britannia Silver Coin.
Total population
~29,250,000+ — ~62,250,000
Regions with significant populations
These figures are estimates based on census data of populations and official surveys of identity. They do not take into account natives of countries established as British colonies who retain a British ethnicity.
The British Isles Population (ex. RoI): 60,842,003 Identity (UK-only): 27,880,210 [1][2] British Overseas Territories Population: 247,899 [3] USA Ancestry: 1,085,720 [4] New Zealand Resident: 27,237 [5] Australia Ancestry: 14,049 [6]
Languages
Cornish, Dgèrnésiais, English, Irish, Jèrriais, Manx, Scots, Scottish Gaelic,Welsh
Religions
Anglican, Presbyterianism, Roman Catholicism

British people, or Britons,^[7] are inhabitants of Great Britain^[8][9] or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man or one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British Overseas Territories. In an historical context, the word is used refers to the ancient Brythons, the indigenous inhabitants of most of Great Britain. The term "British" is also used to describe the ethnicity of the large proportion of citizens with British ancestry in nations and communities established as British colonies, such as the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.^[10]

Origins

Their earliest inhabitants of the islands now known as Great Britain and Ireland are described in Greek and Roman sources as Priteni,^[11] the origin of the Latin word Britannic. 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.^[12] By 50 BC Greek geographers were using equivalents of Prettanikē as a group name for the islands.^[13][14] However, with the Roman conquest of Britain the Latin term Britannia was used for the island of Great Britain.^[15][16] 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. 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.

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,

Today, Briton and British maintain much of that meaning, and so, in highly contested areas such as Northern Ireland, those who wish to remain part of the UK near-universally identify themselves as British, while those who not want to remain part of the UK near-universally do not identify themselves as such.

British Identity

In the United Kingdom

"Britishness" today

Main article: 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.^[17]

Most recently this concept has been used by Gordon Brown to initiate debate on British identity.^[18] 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.^[19]

One focus can be seen in terms of celebrating the best of Britain. That is to stress that what unites Britain 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 Britain. Does England require a new constitutional settlement for instance?^[20]

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".^[21]

Demographics

Historically, British was expounded as a meta-identity for all of the residents of the British Isles, 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.^[23]

The 2001 UK General Household Survey (GHS) contained an element measuring the number of people describing themselves as British.^[24] 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.^[25]

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^[27] 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%. Combining data from both sources using a weighted mean calculation results in 46% of people in the Northern Ireland as a whole identifying themselves as British.

No official figures exist for the Republic of Ireland, although anecdotally it is generally believed to be very small.

Sensitivity around use of term

Main article: British Isles (terminology)

Whether someone refers to their nationality as English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish, it does not necessarily mean that they do not also consider themselves British.^[23] For example, a person may be 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%), or Welsh (21%),^[23] referring to aspects of their own culture and history which distinguish the nations of Britain 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 Britain.^[30] 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 the Commonwealth

New Zealand

See also: New Zealand European

A significant number of New Zealanders are of British ancestry.^[32] 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".^[33]

While "European" identity predominates political discourse in New Zealand today, the term "British" is still used by some to explain their ethnicity and is a useful descriptor in terms 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.^[34]

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 (also: List of Black Britons)

References

it:Britannici lt:Britai nl:Briton pl:Brytowie fi:Britit

Wikipedia information about Briton This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Briton". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.