In this interview, Paul Lancaster & North East historian & writer David Simpson, the Founder & Owner of the popular regional history website englandsnortheast.co.uk & the North East-themed merchandise site tangledworm.com, discuss the region’s distinct identity, history & the challenges of regional branding.
Defining the North East Region
- Modern Boundaries: When asked “What is the North East of England?”, David defined it as comprising Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside, County Durham & Teesside, stretching from Yorkshire up to the Scottish borders & across to the Pennines in the West (which divide it from the North West of England).
- Historical Scope: The ancient kingdom of Northumbria was vastly larger, extending north of the Humber, sometimes south into Lincolnshire, reaching up to Edinburgh & across to Carlisle & down to the Mersey Estuary at one point. (We recommend reading ‘The Northumbrians: North East England and Its People‘ by Dan Jackson).
- Geographical Identity: The North East is somewhat self-contained, enclosed by the Pennines & Cheviots. Unlike Yorkshire, which is largely one massive flood plain feeding the Humber, the North East has three independent river systems (the Tees, Tyne & Wear). This physical geography, combined with the coal fields, settlements & trade routes, fostered strong, almost “tribal” local identities which are still there to this day.
Local Rivalry and Identity
- Tyneside vs. Wearside: The rivalry between Newcastle & Sunderland is deeply rooted in political, industrial & football competition. For example, people from the Newcastle area are thought to have originally been nicknamed ‘Geordies’ due to their allegiance to King George II during the Scottish Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Meanwhile, the people of Sunderland were documented as being sympathetic to & even harbouring the Jacobite rebels & became known as ‘Jamies’ (a variation of the name James which was the name of the Jacobite pretender to the throne, James Edward Stuart. Over time, when Sunderland developed a strong shipbuilding industry, their vessels were called “Jamies”. The term “Mackem” for people living & working in Sunderland supporters is thought to have originated on Tyneside as a derogatory term, implying that Sunderland ships were “made” cheaply rather than properly “built,” reflecting intense shipbuilding rivalry. In 1815, Northumberland-born & bred engineer George Stephenson invented a widely used safety lamp for coal miners. Because local miners preferred this to the competing Davy Lamp, they (& eventually everyone from the surrounding area) became known as “Geordies”. When it comes to football (or soccer for our US & Canadian readers), supporters of Newcastle United call themselves ‘Geordies’ & supporters of Sunderland AFC call themselves ‘Mackems’.
- Teesside’s Difference: Teesside has a slightly different identity, partly because it lies outside the core coalfield & developed its own form of industry & trade routes, resulting in a distinct dialect (e.g. saying “Owee” or “Oway” (usually dropping the ‘H’) instead of “Howay” (Geordie) or “Haway’ (Mackem).
The Challenge of Regional Unity
- A Vague Brand: Paul suggests that the North East’s inter-regional rivalries have potentially held the region back nationally & internationally, especially when compared to Yorkshire, which is promoted as a stronger, single brand or even ‘Greater Manchester’ in the North West (which has become ‘the London of the North’).
- Past Initiatives: David & Paul agree that when Regional Development Agency One NorthEast ran their national marketing & TV campaign ‘Passionate people, Passionate Places’ between 2005-2011, it was effective in boosting regional confidence but Paul believes the core message lacked uniqueness & apart from the beautiful imagery could have come from anywhere (passionate people are not unique to the North East). Since then, nobody has been able to come up with a strong campaign that the whole of the North East of England can get behind. Paul believes that ‘Greater Newcastle’ or ‘Greater North East’ could be used nationally & internationally & is encouraging people to use the #ThisIsMINE (Made In North East) hashtag & slogan on social media now.
- Lack of Confidence: David observes that the region does still suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’ which sometimes leads to a fallback on “petty politics or the petty regional localism,” which can be a disadvantage when competing against regions like Greater Manchester & the wider North West of England or other parts of the UK.
- Devolution Issues: Historically, the seven North East councils often argued & failed to present a united front, making engagement difficult for central government (e.g. during the initial devolution discussions). However, since May 2024 the seven councils united behind a North East Combined Authority which has been doing a good job of promoting & championing the interests of the region under the leadership of North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness.
Promoting the North East’s Heritage and Future
- Beyond Nostalgia: David advocates for promoting the region’s significant heritage (e.g. Bamburgh Castle, Durham Cathedral, Hadrian’s Wall) but using modern, up-to-date photographs to show the current beauty of the region & demonstrate that the history is a part of the present, not just nostalgia. Paul agreed & made a point of saying that David does an excellent job of this in his recently published book about Newcastle upon Tyne which you can find at https://tangledworm.com/product/newcastle-upon-tyne-town-and-country-series-book/
- Finding Perspective: Both Paul & David agree that people in the North East of England can sometimes be “introspective” & need to explore other parts of the UK & other countries to truly appreciate what makes their own region unique.
Want to know more?
- englandsnortheast.co.uk This website has been running since the mid-90s, offering a rich resource on regional history & culture with tens of thousands of unique visitors each month.
- Tangled Worm David’s commercial outlet is his online shop, tangledworm.com, which sells printed poster maps (including ‘Castles. Peles & Bastles‘, ‘Notable Northerners‘, ‘Collieries of North East England‘, ‘Border Reiver Surnames of the Anglo-Scottish Border‘ & ‘Viking Age Northumbria‘), books (on ‘Newcastle upon Tyne‘ & ‘City of York‘) & print-on-demand goods including hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, coasters, tote bags, door mats & journals. The name is inspired by ancient North East worm (or wyvern / dragon) legends like the Laidley Worm & Lambton Worm & the logo mixes paganism & Christian symbolism.
ps You can also listen to this interview (& more) on Paul’s ‘SuperConnector Show’ podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible or Spreaker via our ‘Podcasts‘ page.
