Delving into the human stories behind these northerners creates an emotional tale of loss and heroism throughout time, connecting readers with the past and their history.” It was the engine of the nation’s growth, powered by pioneers like textile magnate Richard Arkwright, a barber and wig-maker from Preston, known as King Cotton, who created the factory system that dominated industry for a century. Northern England, fashioned by waves of migration, invasions and battles, has had a profound impact on European culture and the global economy. It was not just the Industrial Revolution, viewed by economic historians as the key event in human history – and in which Manchester played a globally decisive role. At least six Roman emperors ruled for a period from the north. And the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria was Europe’s leading cultural and intellectual centre. That being said, I wish Groom had gone into a little more detail in places. This study could never go into too much depth, but I felt the absence of some chapters. In particular, since my research involves crime, Groom says nothing about the Moors Murders or the Yorkshire Ripper, significant parts of the North's history, whether it likes it or not. This criticism is personal, however. The only other criticism I have is that there was some repeated information towards the end of the book. It would have been better if Groom only wrote new information instead of repeating points made in previous chapters. While Northerners charts the story of “great” historic individuals, Groom also dedicates time to dialect and landscape as well as northerners’ relationship to immigration, leisure, and work. In the wake of the Brexit vote, it is impossible not to try and situate those themes within the context of contemporary discussions about identity. Groom concludes by drawing a link between the traditionalism espoused by the northern “royalists” in the 17th century Civil Wars and the decision to vote Leave in the 2016 referendum.

What I have taken from the book is a list of things I would like to read further on. Thankfully the footnotes and the select bibliography have given me somewhere to go next in my exploration of Northern history. (On that note, I think the book could have done with a map of the North at the beginning for those that are less familiar with Northern geography).

Underpinning the narrative is the impact of the Industrial Revolution, which not only shaped Britain’s economic growth, but developed the “hard labour” image of the north around the world. This was a time of great pioneering industrialists, such as the Preston-born Richard Arkwright, the textile king who created the modern factory system. Writer Brian Groom seeks to do just that in Northerners: A History, a definitive new chronicle of the region, the first to appear this century.

Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day, by Brian Groom, published by HarperCollins (Image: HarperCollins)

Book News

Undertaking the research for ‘Northerners’ was a labour of love for Groom. Over several years, he delved deep into historical archives, exploring countless rabbit holes to uncover hidden gems and untold stories. Figures such as King Oswald of Northumbria, Saint Cuthbert and Bede, Victorian heroine Grace Darling, reformers Josephine Butler, Mary Astell and Emily Davies, Jarrow MP Ellen Wilkinson, railway pioneers George and Robert Stephenson and engineer William Armstrong feature prominently in Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day by journalist Brian Groom.