Geordie: Encyclopedia II - Geordie - Derivation of the term

Geordie - Derivation of the term

One explanation is that it was established during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The Jacobites declared that the natives of Newcastle were staunch supporters of the Hanoverian kings, in particular of George II during the 1745 rebellion. This contrasted with rural Northumbria, which largely supported the Jacobite cause. If true, the term may have derived from a popular anti-Hanoverian song ("Cam ye ower frae France?"), which calls the first Hanoverian king "Geordie Whelps", meaning "George the Guelph".

An alternative explanation for the name is that local miners used "Geordie" safety lamps, designed by George Stephenson, rather than the "Davy lamps" designed by Humphry Davy which were used in other mining communities.

Newcastle publisher Frank Graham's Geordie Dictionary states:

In Graham's many years of research, the earliest record he has found of the term's use was in 1823 by the famous local comedian, Billy Purvis. Purvis had set up a booth at the Newcastle Races on the Town Moor. In an angry tirade against a rival showman, who had hired a young pitman called Tom Johnson to dress as a clown, Billy cried out to the clown:

Judging by this account, "Geordie" meant a fool (in 1823). George III was an unpopular king who lost the Americas and in 1788 became clearly insane and his son (later George IV) had to become regent for a while and became King in January 1820. Later that year there was a gigantic rally in Newcastle in support of the Queen Caroline whom George IV was trying to divorce.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Derivation of the term", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki