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Northumberland, U.K.
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This is the beautiful flag of Northumberland.  Based upon a banner that represented the ancient kingdom of Northumbria,  it is very likely the oldest flag design in England.
 
Be sure to check out my links at the bottom of the page;  they contain much more information about the history and culture of this magnificient place!
Northumberland is one of the few counties in England that has it's own anthem!  This especially pretty arrangement uses one of the county's unique instruments,  the Northumbrian pipes.  The sound file below will take a while to load,  but it is
well worth the wait!! 

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Alnwick Castle
You cannot hardly go anywhere in Northumberland without running into a castle or two!  Dozens of castles,  ruins,  and other historical sites dot the pristine landscape.  Not to mention Hadrian's Wall,  which also trails through the county.  Folks, forget London,  the real stuff to see is in Northumberland! 

Wildlife in Northumberland is abundant- little critters such as red squirrels,  badgers, and rabbits are plentiful in the unspoilt forests and meadows of this beautiful county.  Birds also thrive in the ideal habitats Northumberland provides.  Since I am a bit partial to birds, I had to include a couple of pictures of some very English  bird species,  the Great Spotted Woodpecker,  and the Black Grouse,  neither of which live in the US.  (A side note about myself... I am very fond of birds- I have 8 field guides on North America,  and 4 for Great Britian and Ireland...anyway)  

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Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
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Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix)

Northumberland has its own language! This unique tongue is one of the foundational languages of Modern English!  Northumbrian is a Germanic tongue with Celtic influences,  but is very pure of the French\Norman language  that tainted many early dialects and tongues in other regions of England.  It is suspected that the epic Beowulf was written not in Anglo-Saxon,  but Northumbrian!!  So obviously,  this is a very ancient language!  The remarkable thing about Northumbrian is it's marked similarity to Modern English.  The words are so similar,  one would probably simply dismiss it as a thick accent,  but indeed,  it is a unique and distinct tongue.  Sadly,  it's use is becoming obsolete,  as Modern English encroaches on the once remote villages and towns of Northumberland where it's language flourished.  Societies exist today that are putting forth effort to preserve the historical language of Northumbrian.  What a shame if this beautiful language becomes extinct! 
Check out my links below on Northumbrian.

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(there was one more thing I really wanted to put on this page,  and I'll add it later... the White cattle of Chillingham!!  I included a link anyway,  but I'll put some pictures and stuff up on here another time... it is nearly 11 pm now and I just wanted to get this page finally up  lol  so if you ever wonder why there are so many misspellings on here btw,  it is because I stay up till midnight typing  lol  please forgive me  lol)
Anyway!  the links I have been promising you!!
This is a good site with lots of info,  especially about the language and music.
The official UK website on Northumberland-- lots of info on this page.
Great site with history of Northumberland.
Dictionary of Northumbrian words!!
A site about this magnificient county.  Be sure to look at the articles about the Lindisfarne Gospels!  They belong in Northumberland,  not some dusty London library!!!!!
Finally,  the wild white cattle of Chillingham!
(I am eventually going to get some more links on here about the Castles and the Lindisfarne Gospels,  and hopefully some about the Roman forts and Hadrian's wall.  But,  this is all I can do before falling asleep  lol)
 
 

Want some fun?  Type some stuff in the box below and it will "translate"  it into "Geordie".  (which is em em somewhat like Northumbrian  lol)