For centuries there’s been a fierce rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire, two northern counties with strong identities. Today (November 27) the former celebrates its heritage for Lancashire Day.
Tensions between the two counties, separated by the Pennines, stretch as far back as the War of the Roses in the 1400s. During this time the Houses of York, represented by the white rose, and Lancaster, by a red rose, fought each other in a bid to take the English throne.
Visit either county and you’ll notice a strong sense of pride among residents, whether its in the form of a “Yorkshire” chant or “ Lancashire la, la, la”. Yet one town in a far corner of Pendle isn’t quite that sure which side of the rivalry it belongs to, LancsLive reports.
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Earby, the last stop on the border before entering Yorkshire through Skipton Road, was part of the old East Riding of Yorkshire county until 1974.
That's when the boundary commission reformed county borders across the UK, taking Liverpool and Manchester away from Lancashire. It was at this time that Earby had the honour of becoming part of Lancashire.
Despite living in the county for the past 47 years, some residents there find it hard to let go of the white rose. So, we at LancsLive decided to head to Earby to see what people thought.
Earby really is the final stop between East Lancashire and West Yorkshire - a mile separates Thornton-in-Craven and Earby yet you do cross county lines.
If you drive back from Thornton to Earby you will see the first signs of Lancashire denial. A big sign welcomes you to the town with the message "Welcome to West Craven in Pendle" and underneath that "Earby part of the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire."
The first pub I see, the Punch Bowl, says it is selling Whitby scampi, a Yorkshire delicacy, and the first people who are willing to chat to me on the street stick to a loyalist line.
"I like to think that we're still in Yorkshire, I don't really think about it," said James who lives in the town. His accompanying partner simply shrugs at the question: "My grandma always says we're in Yorkshire but who cares."
A few more Yorkshire references greet me as I walk through the town centre, a Leeds United car sticker here, a white rose set into a stained glass window there. "Yorkshire," a man says to me without feeling to add much else before moving on. Maybe he knew I was a Lancastrian.
The high street yields some subtle Lancs references though, a shop selling Chorley cakes (can't get more Lancastrian than that) a house with the sign Brereton (You're either Chilean or a Blackburn fan if you have that right?) and, most intriguing of all, Demdyke Cottage.
Demdyke was the alias of Elizabeth Southerns, one of the Pendle witches. You know, Pendle in Lancashire. The high street yields some great shop names, the "Have I got news 4 you" newsagents and the "Allsorts" gift shop (the letters are coloured with Bertie Bassett's famous sweets).
A woman taking her chocolate lab for a walk tells me enthusiastically: "We're still in Craven so it counts as Yorkshire."
In fact I only get one person to admit to their Lancastrian status, a perplexed looking teen who looks at me like I've asked something quite stupid. At least someone knows. At the end of the day a little trip to Earby is summed up by the words of one woman, passing me just as I approach the Lead Mining Museum.
"Home is where the heart is, pet."
For more of today's top stories, click here.
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