[Magdalen] Canada's election

[Allan Carr]

(From a Wikipedia article, Riding, a Country Subdivision, and from another
article Yorkshire.

The etymology of the term riding stems from Scandinavia, Old Norse *þriðjungr
and late Old English ***þriðing* or **þriding" *meaning a third part of a
county. The notion it came from the distance a horse can walk is a common
misconception.

The Danes conquered southern Northumbria in 866 and named this area the Kingdom
of Jórvík <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3rv%C3%ADk> with a capital
city of the same name. This was the only truly Viking territory on mainland
Britain. A much larger territory called the Danelaw also came into
submission to the Danish overlords but remained English. After a hundred
years, the area reverted to English rule under the Kingdom of Wessex. The
Wessex king respected the Norse customs and left lawmaking under the local
aristocracy. The ancient county of Yorkshire, stemming from the Kingdom of
Jórvík <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3rv%C3%ADk>, had three ridings,
North, West, and East.

(As a further note, Harold II of England
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson> was distracted by events
in Yorkshire in the weeks immediately leading up to the Battle of Hastings
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings> in 1066 AD, His brother
Tostig <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tostig_Godwinson> and Harold Hardrada
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hardrada>, King of Norway
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Norway>, attempted a takeover in the
north, having won the Battle of Fulford
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fulford>. The King of England
marched North where the two armies met at the Battle of Stamford Bridge
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge>. Tostig and
Hardrada were both killed and their army was defeated decisively. However,
Harold Godwinson was forced immediately to march his army back down to the
South where William the Conqueror
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror> was landing. The King
was defeated at Hastings, which led to the Norman conquest of England
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England>.)



On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 1:34 PM, Jon Egger <revegger at gmail.com> wrote:

> Why do they call the seats "ridings?"
>
> Grace and peace,
> brud


-- 
Allan Carr