North Britain - Historic Use

Historic Use

North Britain is often used historically, referencing the time period before the formation of Scotland and England. As such, it forms a geographic, yet politically and culturally neutral description of the area.

The term, particularly in adjective form, found use in the creation of the railway system. The North British Railway operated from 1846 to 1923, leaving a later legacy in the name of the North British Hotel in Edinburgh, which was renamed ‘The Balmoral Hotel’ in the 1980s. The North British Locomotive Company existed from 1903 until its bankruptcy in 1962, again leaving a naming legacy in other organisations.

The name is found in other private enterprises, an example being the North British Distillery Company in Edinburgh, founded in 1885.

An example of its use in respect to northern Great Britain rather than Scotland can be found in the title of the North British Academy of Arts which existed from 1908 to 1924 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a city in northern England.

The North Briton and New North Briton were newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in 1844 there was also a North British Advertiser. The North British Review was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Church of Scotland as a Scottish "national review" for those unsatisfied with the secular Edinburgh Review or the conservative Quarterly Review. It continued until 1871.

Particularly in the 19th century, "North Britain" or "N.B." was widely used for postal addresses in Scotland. A post office leaflet was issued requesting people to avoid putting "NB" on envelopes as it might get confused with the London N8 postal district. However, by the early 20th century, any vestiges of popular usage of this style had declined. 'South Britain', the complementary style apportioned to England, had never seriously established itself, either north or south of the Anglo-Scottish border.