Geordie

Geordie refers to a person originating from Tyneside and the adjacent former coal mining areas of northern County Durham or the dialect spoken by such people. There are a number of rival theories to explain how the term came about, though all accept that it derives from a familiar diminutive form of the name "George".

Derivation of the term

One explanation is that it was established during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The Jacobites declared that the natives of Newcastle were staunch supporters of the Hanoverian Kings, in particular of George II during the 1745 rebellion. This contrasted with rural Northumbria, which largely supported the Jacobite cause. If true, the term may have derived from a popular anti-Hanoverian song, which calls the first Hanoverian king "Geordie Whelps", meaning "George the Guelph".

Related Topics:
Jacobite Rebellion - George II - 1745 - Northumbria - Guelph

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An alternative explanation for the name is that local miners used "Geordie" safety lamps designed by George Stephenson, rather than the "Davy Lamps" designed by Humphry Davy which were used in other mining communities.

Related Topics:
George Stephenson - Humphry Davy

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The term Geordie is often incorrectly used to cover all the peoples of the North East of England, though this usage is generally confined to people from other parts of the United Kingdom, and is considered an insult by North-Easterners who do not come from Tyneside, due to intense local rivalries. To North-Easterners the term exclusively refers to persons from Tyneside; since about 1991 people from Wearside have been termed Mackems; people from Hartlepool are known as monkey hangers, whilst natives of the Teesside conurbation are generally referred to as Smoggies. People from the countryside in between these urban areas are generally referred to as 'farm yackers' or 'pit yackers' (particularly in Northumberland around the Ashington area).

Related Topics:
North East of England - United Kingdom - 1991 - Wearside - Mackems - Hartlepool - Monkey hanger - Teesside - Smoggies

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