South Britain is a term which was occasionally used in the 17th and 18th centuries, for
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
in relation to their position in the southern half of the island of
Great Britain. It was used mainly by
Scottish writers, in apposition to the term "
North Britain", which generally referred to
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Origins
Early uses of the designation have been noted after the 1603
Union of the Crowns of the Kingdoms of
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
King James VI & I used the terms "South Britain" and "North Britain" for England (and, implicitly,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
) and Scotland respectively, most famously in his Proclamation of 1606 (
''here'')
establishing the first
Union Flag, where Scotland and England are not otherwise named:
This usage was repeated in
Charles I's Proclamation of 1634 on the use of the flag, though adding ''England'' and ''Scotland'' too for explanation:
See also
*
North–South divide in the United Kingdom
References
History of the British Isles
Regions of the United Kingdom
Early modern history of Scotland
Early modern history of England
17th century in England
17th century in Wales
18th century in Wales
{{UK-hist-stub