Identity of Saddleworth

Peter Hanlon looks at what identity means in Saddleworth

THERE HAS long been a certain identity crisis in and around Saddleworth, which may be illustrated by Lancashire (red rose) and Yorkshire (white rose) allegiances.

The War of the Roses mainly involved loyalty to feudal Barons or Lords and following upsets of the 100 years’ War was by no means limited to the houses of York or Lancashire.

If we put the 1400s behind us, there is a strong argument these rivalries encourage healthier outcomes: Saddleworth enjoyed a Yorkshire heritage, shared a parish with Rochdale and enjoyed arguments with Lancastrians.

What was called the West Riding of Yorkshire was, in a stroke of the administrator’s pen in the 1970s, detached from Yorkshire and super-glued to Lancashire.  The anonymous people who wielded the pen carried more weight than our ancestors who took up swords.

We enjoy our rivalries and do not need ‘comer inners’ to play geographical roulette with where we live. The strength of our heritage lies in what we believe and share.

For example, Yorkshire has a coastline, puddings, brass bands, lonely moors, industrial and military heritage and ancient castles.  Lancashire has puddings, etc etc.  Sharing much, we define ourselves by where we live and what we believe in.

While roses still blossom, people now say ‘smell the coffee.’  Our customary, if not cosy, rivalry is fading in many areas – except cricket.

This may partly be due to more global trends, such as wider diversity, migration to follow the job market and multiculturalism.  However, while welcoming creative and peaceful folk, we are keen to preserve our countryside and our traditions.

Some may define themselves less by what they are for but by what they are against. This can be seen in some football supporters, who less praise their teams but express their identity by denigrating others in a tribal manner.

Or take former conflicts between Catholic and Protestant, Sunny and Shi’ite Hindu or Islam. Meanwhile in the area of gender, some demand there should be limits to what women can do and boundaries on their freedoms and their potential.

Everyday we can watch the news and, away from our rolling shires, people seem to have a compulsion to express hate against how others want to live.

As Spok would say in Star Trek: ‘It’s difference Jim, but not as we know it.’  What we can do in Saddleworth is live in harmony.  We respect other traditions and beliefs.  We respect our own identity including the Lancashire –Yorkshire divide.

In fact, Saddleworth reminds me of some parts of Africa where a tradition or philosophy has emerged called Unbuntu, which teaches that you cannot exist as a human being in isolation.

When you think about our heritage, diversity, and rivalry, it has been lively. Yet we have endured in affirming the humanity of each other. That is why the world can learn a lesson from us, our culture and our differences.