English_British Icons,Symbols & Institutions

8/7/2019 English_British Icons,Symbols & Institutions

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Icons, symbols and institutions

There are certain icons and institutions which eventhe British themselves consider as "British." This

is just a selection of those things which spring to

mind whenever one hears the word "British."

The BULLDOG symbolises the very essence of Britishness. He is

solid, reliable, unshakeably loyal, very individual, VERY nice whenyou get to know him - and kind of cute in his own funny little way!

He also bears a startling resemblance to Winston Churchill,

Britain's great wartime leader whose memory is still held in great

esteem by the majority of the British.


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The Americans have Uncle Sam, British have JOHN BULL. He is a

fictional character, used to personify the British nation, and is

always depicted as an elderly gentleman, rather portly in build,

wearing full riding kit complete with breeches and boots, and a

Union Jack waistcoat. He was created by John Arbuthnot (1667-

1735) a Scottish author, scientist, and physician who wrote five

satirical pamphlets in 1712 on the politics of the day, using John

Bull as the typical Englishman. The character obviously struck a

chor d and he has persisted ever since : the picture on the left

comes from a 1916 British Army recruiting poster.


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A BRITISH LION is really a member of a Rugby Football team (a

very GOOD one, though) - the Lion is the emblem of England. It is

actually a "lion passant gardant" - a walking lion, looking out at you

full face, and was first used by Rollo, Duke of Normandy (father

of William the Conqueror, who added the second lion.) The third

was added by Henry II, and Henry VIII added a crown to the

lion. In heraldry, the lion stands for "deathless courage" and the

lion passant gardant for "resolution and prudence" The Scots also

have a lion as their heraldic emblem: theirs is a red lion rampant

(standing on its hind legs, looking straight forward.)


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BRITANNIA is the personification of British nationalism. She is

portrayed as a young woman in a neo-classical gown and helmet,

seated by the sea ("Britannia Rules the Waves.") She is holding a

trident in one hand and a shield, decorated with the Union flag, in

the other. The Romans called their newly-conquered province,

just across the sea from Gaul, Britannia, and the coinage of the

day featured the image of a woman in armour. This image was not

used on coins again until the reign of King Charles II, and

Britannia became a popular figure in 1707 when Scotland, Wales

and England were finally united to form Great Britain. She was

immortalised in 1740 when James Thompson wrote the words of

"Rule Britannia" and set it to music by Thomas Arne. It wasperformed on the London stage where it immediately captured

the public imagination. The song "Rule Britannia" is still sung

every year on the last night of the "Proms" - the Promenade

Concerts held in the Royal Albert Hall in London - when the whole

audience joins in a burst of nationalistic fervour and flag-waving,

invariably drowning out the soloist who is supposed to be doing

the singing! Britannia has continued to feature on British coins

since her reintroduction, mostly on copper (penny and halfpenny)coins but occasionally on silver, and at present is to be seen on

the 50p coin.


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The BOWLER HATconjures up an instant image of Britishness.

Originally designed in 1850 by Lock's the hatters for William

Coke II, later the Earl of Leicester, it was actually MADE by the

hat maker William Bowler. It was first called the "Coke" but soonbecame known as a "Bowler," partly because of its maker but also

because of its bowl-like shape. The bowler hat became the

trademark of several well-known Englishmen : Charlie Chaplin

(born in London), Stan Laurel (from Ulverston) and more recently

John Steed, the archetypal Gentleman Spy of The Avengersfame

(left, played by Patrick McNee). Goldfinger's sidekick Oddjob

used a bowler hat to devastating effect, and you will still see

bowler hats being worn on the streets of London today as they

form part of the unofficial "uniform" of the city gent, always

accessorised with a rolled black umbrella.


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CRICKET- and I don't mean the commercialised, multicoloured

specially-for-TV spectacle that masquerades under that name but

the REAL game. There is no "British" national team, the team

that competes with the other great cricketing nations of

Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, India and the West Indies is

England. At a more local level, cricket has county teams, works,

club, village and even school teams, and families play their own

versions of the game on playing fields and beaches every summer.

Cricket is a leisurely game: Test matches (internationals) take up

to five days, and three or two-day matches are usual at the

higher levels of play. Even a village cricket match may take all

day, and on a fine, sunny Sunday, village greens and cricketpitches around the country will see families picnicking on the

grass around the boundary whilst watching the match in play.


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The British BOBBY is one of our most cherished icons, called

after the founder of the modern police force, Sir Robert Peel.

The local policemen may also be known as the "Plod" after the

delightful policeman character Mr. Plod in Enid Blyton's "Noddy"

stories, or as a "copper," from his habit of "copping" (seeing what

they are up to and catching) wrongdoers. Our policemen are not

routinely armed and there is considerable public support for it

remaining that way; the British have a natural aversion to the

everyday use of guns, and still yearn for the days when the local

Bobby could dispense summary justice to misbehaving juveniles

with a swift clout as soon as he caught them.


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TEA is most definitely Britain's national drink, and it is difficult

to get a decent cuppa anywhere else in the world! Tea drinking is

not just a means of refreshment, it is also a social ritual and any

hostess (or host) will put the kettle on immediately after

greeting visitors. To make a proper cup of tea, you need a china or

earthenware teapot; fill the kettle with freshly-drawn water and

bring it to the boil. WARM THE POT by pouring in some of the

boiling water, swishing it around then emptying it again. Purists

will insist on loose tea but good quality teabags are acceptable -

the traditional "one for each person and one for the pot" will

produce rather a strong brew! I prefer mine a bit less violent -

about 3 spoons between four. Bring the water back to boil andpour it onto the tea immediately. Leave the tea to

brew/mash/stand - it depends on where you live - for about five

minutes. Gently give it a stir and leave for another minute for the

tea leaves to settle again, then pour it out - but put the milk in

the cup first! If you use loose tea, you might want to use a tea-

strainer ( a sort of mini-sieve designed for just that purpose.)

Add sugar to taste, and drink and enjoy!


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ENGLISH PUBS pop up in all sorts of places, but if they're not in

England - they're not English pubs! There is an alarming trend

towards "modernisation" and "theme pubs" but there is also a

growing backlash against chrome-and-formica and loud music. You

can find good pubs in both town and country, although city pubs

have by and large succumbed to the need to attract a younger

clientele. A good pub will have "atmosphere" - a cheerful and

friendly landlord (or landlady), helpful and chatty bar staff - if

they are also decorative then that is a bonus - and "locals" willing

to gossip with any visitor. There is a popular fallacy that we drink

our beer warm : this is decidedly not so : a good beer (that is,

made from malted barley and flavoured with real hops, notchemical stuff) is served at cellar (storage) temperature - which

given the climate, is decidedly NOT warm! Continental lagers are

served chilled, but then no true Englishman would consider lager

as real beer.


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The ROBINis everyone's favourite bird : when a national

newspaper conducted a poll to decide Britain's national bird (we

didn't have one before) millions voted, and the robin won by a

landslide. It is not the same species as the American Robin (whichis closely related to our blackbird) but shares the same

distinctive red breast. Indeed, the American Robin was probably

given its name by the first settlers because of its similar

colouring. The robin is immediately recognisable - no other

British bird has the same red breast, which is present in both

sexes, and it is the one bird everyone can identify even if they

can name no other bird! Robins are so familiar because they are

so tame : this seems a characteristic of British robins, which

elsewhere in their range are shy woodland birds. Here, they will

approach people closely and will go so far as to perch on a

gardener's spade in order to be first to the worms being turned

up. It's as if they KNOW that everyone loves them!


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Red double-decker buses and black taxis are a typical sight onLondon's busy roads.Double-decker buses can be seen all over Britain but only redones are seen in London

a London taxi


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British post box

british telephone box

fish and chips


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EMBLEMSOFBRITAINEach country in Britain has its own patron saint and floralemblem:

England - St. George and the Rose The national flower ofEngland is the rose. The flower has been adopted as Englands

emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars

(1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose

emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose

emblem was a white rose).

Scotland - St. Andrew and the Scottish Bluebell The nationalflower of Scotland iscommonly thought to be the thistle, a

prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th

century as a symbol of defence. However, the national flower is

infacttheScottish bluebell.


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Wales - St. David and the Daffodil The national flower of

Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. DavidsDay. The vegetable calledleek is also considered to be a

traditional emblem of Wales. There are many explanations of how

the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales.

One is that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with

the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from

foe. As Shakespeare records in Henry V, the Welsh archers wore

leeks at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Northern Ireland - St. Patrick and the Shamrock Thenational flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-

leaved plant similar to clover.


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The motto of England is " Dieu et mon Droit " (French for

God and my right).

The motto was used by King Richard I in 1198 and adopted as

the royal motto of England in the time of Henry VI.

Royal Coat of Arms

The function of the Royal Coat of Arms is to identify the person

who is Head of State.

On the left, the shield is supported by the English Lion. On the

right it is supported by the Unicorn of Scotland. (The unicorn is

chained because in mediaeval times a free unicorn was considered

a very dangerous beast (only a virgin could touch a unicorn) The

coat features both the motto of British Monarchs Dieu et mondroit (God and my right) and the motto of the Order of the

Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shamed be he who thinks ill

of it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.

On the official coat of arms, the shield shows the various royal

emblems of different parts of the United Kingdom.

the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters,

the lion of Scotland in the second

and the harp of Northern Ireland (previously for Ireland) inthe third.


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Shakespeare, William (1564-1616), English poet and playwright,

recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all

dramatists.

Lifecomplete, authoritative account of Shakespeares life is lacking;

much supposition surrounds relatively few facts. His day of birth

is traditionally held to be April 23; it is known he was baptized on

April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

he Merchant of Venice(c. 1594-1598)

Henry V(c. 1599)

Hamlet(c. 1601)

Othello(c. 1602-1604)

Antony and Cleopatra(c. 1606-1607)


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Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, the most important work of Old

English literature and the first major poem written in a European

vernacular language. The only surviving manuscript is in the British

Museum; it is written in the West Saxon dialect and is believed to date

from the late 10th century. On the basis of this text, Beowulfis generallyconsidered the work of an 8th-century Anglian poet who fused

Scandinavian history and pagan mythology with Christian elements.

The poem consists of 3,182 lines, each line with four accents marked by

alliteration and divided into two parts by a caesura(seeVersification). The

structure of the typical Beowulfline comes through in modern translation,

for example:

Then came from the moor under misted cliffs

Grendel marching God's anger he bore

The sombre story is told in vigorous, picturesque language, with much use

of metaphor (seeFigures of Speech); a famous example is whale-road for

sea. It tells of two major events in the life of a hero, a Scandinavian prince

named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, half-man and

half-fiend, and Grendel's mother, who comes that evening to avenge

Grendel's death. Fifty years later Beowulf, now king of his native land,fights a dragon who threatens his people. Both Beowulf and the dragon are

mortally wounded in the fight. The poem ends with Beowulf's funeral as his

mourners chant his epitaph


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Diana, Princess of Wales (1961- ), former wife of Prince Charles. She was

born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961, in a rented house on the royal

estate at Sandringham, Norfolk. Her father, Edward Spencer, Viscount

Althorp, was heir to an earldom, and her mother was the daughter of the

4th Baron Fermoy. As a child, Diana used to play with princes Edward andAndrew, younger sons of Queen Elizabeth II. She was educated at

Riddlesworth Hall, Norfolk, and West Heath School in Kent. After

attending finishing school in Switzerland, she shared a house with three

women friends, and worked as a kindergarten teacher. Renewed contact

with the British royal family led to the announcement, on February 24,

1981, of her engagement to Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir to the

throne. On July 29, 1981, they were married in St Pauls Cathedral, London.

Diana gave birth to two sons: Prince William (June 21, 1982), and Prince

Henry (September 15, 1984). Although she was popular with the media andthe public it was obvious by the late 1980s that her marriage was under

strain. In December 1992 a separation was announced, following which

Diana continued to give active support to charities caring for homeless and

deprived children, and AIDS victims. Following her appearance in a

television interview in December 1995, she was urged by the Queen to

proceed with a formal divorce from Charles: negotiations for this began

early in 1996, and a decree nisi was granted in July. The couple were

formally divorced on August 28, 1996; Diana kept her title as Princess of

Wales. She made a visit to Angola in January 1997, in support of a Red

Cross campaign to ban land mines, which was criticized by some politicians.


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Wallace, Sir William (c. 1272-1305), Scottish national hero. The only

source of information concerning Wallace's early life is a 15th-century

biographical poem by the Scottish poet Henry the Minstrel, who was known

as Blind Harry. According to this work Wallace was outlawed by the English

because of a quarrel that resulted in the death of an Englishman. Hesubsequently burned an English garrison and led an attack upon the English

justiciar, an officer for the king, at Scone, Scotland. In 1297 his name

appeared in a treaty of submission to England that was signed by the

Scottish nobles who took part in his rebellion. Wallace captured many

English fortresses north of the Forth, and on September 11, 1297, in the

Battle of Stirling Bridge, he severely defeated English forces attempting

to cross the Forth. He was then elected to the office of guardian of the

kingdom. In 1298 Scotland was invaded by a large English force led by the

English king Edward I. On July 22, 1298, Edward defeated Wallace's armyin the Battle of Falkirk, and Wallace was forced into hiding. He lived in

France for a time but returned and was captured near Glasgow by the

Scottish knight Sir John de Menteith (died after 1329). He was brought to

London, tried for treason, and executed.

Newton, Sir Isaac (1642-1727), mathematician and physicist, one of the

foremost scientific intellects of all time. Born at Woolsthorpe, near

Grantham in Lincolnshire, where he attended school, he entered Cambridge

University in 1661; he was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1667, andLucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. He remained at the university,

lecturing in most years, until 1696. Of these Cambridge years, in which

Newton was at the height of his creative power, he singled out 1665-1666

(spent largely in Lincolnshire because of plague in Cambridge) as the prime

of my age for invention. During two to three years of intense mental

effort he prepared Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica

(Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) commonly known as the

Principia, although this was not published until 1687.

As a firm opponent of the attempt by King James II to make the

universities into Catholic institutions, Newton was elected Member of

Parliament for the University of Cambridge to the Convention Parliament

of 1689, and sat again in 1701-1702. Meanwhile, in 1696 he had moved to

London as Warden of the Royal Mint. He became Master of the Mint in

1699, an office he retained to his death. He was elected a Fellow of the


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Royal Society of London in 1671, and in 1703 he became President, being

annually re-elected for the rest of his life. His major work, Opticks,

appeared the next year; he was knighted in Cambridge in 1705.

As Newtonian science became increasingly accepted on the Continent, and

especially after a general peace was restored in 1714, following the War ofthe Spanish Succession, Newton became the most highly esteemed natural

philosopher in Europe. His last decades were passed in revising his major

works, polishing his studies of ancient history, and defending himself

against critics, as well as carrying out his official duties. Newton was

modest, diffident, and a man of simple tastes. He was angered by criticism

or opposition, and harboured resentment; he was harsh towards enemies

but generous to friends. In government, and at the Royal Society, he

proved an able administrator. He never married and lived modestly, but was

buried with great pomp in Westminster Abbey.

Newton has been regarded for almost 300 years as the founding examplar

of modern physical science, his achievements in experimental investigation

being as innovative as those in mathematical research. With equal, if not

greater, energy and originality he also plunged into chemistry, the early

history of Western civilization, and theology; among his special studies was

an investigation of the form and dimensions, as described in the Bible, of

Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

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English_British Icons,Symbols & Institutions