116-616: The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league . Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions . For most of the 20th century, the Great Britain team toured overseas, played against foreign touring teams and competed in the Rugby League World Cup , which they won three times: in 1954 , 1960 and 1972 . Since 1995 ,
232-640: A landbridge now known as Doggerland , Great Britain has been inhabited by modern humans for around 30,000 years. In 2011, it had a population of about 61 million , making it the world's third-most-populous island after Honshu in Japan and Java in Indonesia , and the most populated island outside of Asia . The term "Great Britain" can also refer to the political territory of England , Scotland and Wales , which includes their offshore islands. This territory, together with Northern Ireland , constitutes
348-420: A try in the 22–10 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1911 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1911–12 season at Belle Vue , Wakefield on Saturday 25 November 1911, In 1914 Wagstaff was made captain of Great Britain, a post held during that year's tour of Australia and New Zealand . He was captain in the famous 'Rorke's Drift' match on 4 July 1914. Wagstaff played at centre and scored two tries in
464-510: A "touch" type of football at Benoni, Gauteng . The British team played with more gusto in the second match at Durban but the French team refused to take the game seriously. Feelings ran high between the two visiting teams after this match with the French players expressing resentment at Britain's sudden volte-face. It was anticipated that the third match at East London , in view of the strained relations now existing between both teams, would prove
580-642: A 13-all draw against a combined Australasian side in front of over 42,000 at the Agricultural Ground. These tests have been credited as making rugby league the predominant code of rugby football in Australia, a situation which continues to this day. Upon arriving in Auckland on 17 July, the team was accorded a mayoral reception. On 30 July, they defeated New Zealand 52–20. The second Lions tour down under in 1914, led by Harold Wagstaff , became
696-458: A Goidelic language, Manx . Northern Scotland mainly spoke Pritennic , which became Pictish , which may have been a Brythonic language. During the period of the Roman occupation of Southern Britain (AD 43 to c. 410 ), Common Brythonic borrowed a large stock of Latin words. Approximately 800 of these Latin loan-words have survived in the three modern Brythonic languages. Romano-British
812-529: A better qualifying record. Sullivan was the last British captain to lift the World Cup. Saturday 24 November 1973. Great Britain had won the first Test three weeks earlier at Wembley, and needed to win at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds to retain the Ashes. Australia won 14–6, their first Test victory at Headingley. The Kangaroos went on to win the third Test 15–5 at Wilderspool on 1 December 1973, and so took
928-456: A common ancestral language termed Brittonic , British , Common Brythonic , Old Brythonic or Proto-Brythonic , which is thought to have developed from Proto-Celtic or early Insular Celtic by the 6th century AD. Brythonic languages were probably spoken before the Roman invasion at least in the majority of Great Britain south of the rivers Forth and Clyde , though the Isle of Man later had
1044-445: A few months later made his début for England against the first ever touring Australian side : the 'First Kangaroos' of 1908 . By 1912 Wagstaff was appointed captain of Huddersfield, aged 19. He captained Huddersfield at centre in their 2–8 loss against Wakefield Trinity in the 1910 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1910–11 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910, played at centre , and scored
1160-655: A last minute penalty against the Kangaroos for an obstruction play handed England a goal and a 22-all draw in front of a crowd of 2,000. The second test in Newcastle in January 1909 attracted a crowd of 22,000, and the Northern Union won 15–5. The third test was played at Villa Park , Birmingham, the Northern Union winning again 6–5 before a crowd of 9,000. The Australians suggested that the series should be named "
1276-583: A peninsular extension of mainland Europe until catastrophic flooding between then and 130,000 years ago resulted in the creation of the English Channel and Britain becoming an island during warm interglacial periods like the Last Interglacial/Eemian (130–115,000 years ago), though it remained connected to mainland Europe during glacial periods when sea levels were low. Archaic humans repeatedly occupied Britain before abandoning
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#17327826400891392-499: A possible royal match in 1548, Lord Protector Somerset said that the English and Scots were, "like as twoo brethren of one Islande of great Britaynes again." In 1604, James VI and I styled himself "King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland". Great Britain refers geographically to the island of Great Britain. Politically, it may refer to the whole of England , Scotland and Wales , including their smaller offshore islands. It
1508-714: A result of this eventful geological history, the island shows a rich variety of landscapes . The oldest rocks in Great Britain are the Lewisian gneisses , metamorphic rocks found in the far north west of the island and in the Hebrides (with a few small outcrops elsewhere), which date from at least 2,700 My ago. South of the gneisses are a complex mixture of rocks forming the North West Highlands and Grampian Highlands in Scotland. These are essentially
1624-699: A similar sense to fauna, and for similar reasons, the flora consists of fewer species compared to much larger continental Europe. The flora comprises 3,354 vascular plant species, of which 2,297 are native and 1,057 have been introduced. The island has a wide variety of trees , including native species of birch , beech , ash , hawthorn , elm , oak , yew , pine , cherry and apple . Other trees have been naturalised, introduced especially from other parts of Europe (particularly Norway) and North America. Introduced trees include several varieties of pine, chestnut , maple , spruce , sycamore and fir , as well as cherry plum and pear trees . The tallest species are
1740-410: A thriller. This supposed grudge match did not eventuate, and the series faded out with Britain again winning with consummate ease. Great Britain played two matches against France after the 1957 World Cup, alternating between venues in Great Britain and France. Great Britain won both tests; 14–25 at Stade Municipal , Toulouse; 44–15 at Central Park, Wigan . On Saturday 14 June 1958, Great Britain lost
1856-538: A tour of Australia. In 1947, Roy Francis was the first of a long line of black players to be capped by Great Britain. Australia made their 7th tour to the UK in 1948, and this time played the Ashes series against a side officially called Great Britain. Great Britain won both games 16–7 and 23–21. In 1950, the British Lions returned to Perth soundly beating a full Western Australia team at Claremont Showground. In
1972-494: A tour of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand . Initially Great Britain were represented by a team made up of players from the Northern Rugby Football Union , known simply as the "Northern Union" side. On 25 January 1908, the first ever Great Britain test match took place at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds , versus New Zealand. At the time, Great Britain were referred to as the "Northern Union" – they won
2088-401: A very extended period of time. Changing latitude and sea levels have been important factors in the nature of sedimentary sequences, whilst successive continental collisions have affected its geological structure with major faulting and folding being a legacy of each orogeny (mountain-building period), often associated with volcanic activity and the metamorphism of existing rock sequences. As
2204-677: Is G. On the Internet, .uk is the country code top-level domain for the United Kingdom. A .gb top-level domain was used to a limited extent, but is now deprecated; although existing registrations still exist (mainly by government organizations and email providers), the domain name registrar will not take new registrations. In the Olympics, Team GB is used by the British Olympic Association to represent
2320-743: Is also more than 1000 species of bryophyte including algae and mosses across the island. The currently known species include 767 mosses, 298 liverworts and 4 hornworts . There are many species of fungi including lichen -forming species, and the mycobiota is less poorly known than in many other parts of the world. The most recent checklist of Basidiomycota (bracket fungi, jelly fungi, mushrooms and toadstools, puffballs, rusts and smuts), published in 2005, accepts over 3600 species. The most recent checklist of Ascomycota (cup fungi and their allies, including most lichen-forming fungi), published in 1985, accepts another 5100 species. These two lists did not include conidial fungi (fungi mostly with affinities in
2436-576: Is not technically correct to use the term to refer to the whole of the United Kingdom which includes Northern Ireland , though the Oxford English Dictionary states "...the term is also used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom." Similarly, Britain can refer to either all islands in Great Britain, the largest island, or the political grouping of countries. There is no clear distinction, even in government documents:
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#17327826400892552-463: Is subject to continuing urbanisation , which have contributed towards the overall loss of species. A DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate . However, some species, such as the brown rat , red fox , and introduced grey squirrel , are well adapted to urban areas. Rodents make up 40% of
2668-898: Is the capital city of Scotland , and is the seat of the Scottish Government as well as the highest courts in Scotland . The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Cardiff is the capital city of Wales , and is the seat of the Welsh Government . In the Late Bronze Age, Britain was part of a culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age , held together by maritime trading, which also included Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. In contrast to
2784-598: Is the largest denomination in Wales . There are other non-conformist minorities, such as Baptists , Quakers , the United Reformed Church (a union of Congregationalists and English Presbyterians ), Unitarians . The first patron saint of Great Britain was Saint Alban . He was the first Christian martyr dating from the Romano-British period, condemned to death for his faith and sacrificed to
2900-529: Is the largest species, with roe deer and fallow deer also prominent; the latter was introduced by the Normans . Sika deer and two more species of smaller deer, muntjac and Chinese water deer , have been introduced, muntjac becoming widespread in England and parts of Wales while Chinese water deer are restricted mainly to East Anglia. Habitat loss has affected many species. Extinct large mammals include
3016-791: Is the name for the Latinised form of the language used by Roman authors. British English is spoken in the present day across the island, and developed from the Old English brought to the island by Anglo-Saxon settlers from the mid 5th century. Some 1.5 million people speak Scots —which was indigenous language of Scotland and has become closer to English over centuries. An estimated 700,000 people speak Welsh , an official language in Wales . In parts of north west Scotland, Scottish Gaelic remains widely spoken. There are various regional dialects of English, and numerous languages spoken by some immigrant populations. Christianity has been
3132-473: The British Olympic team . The Olympic Federation of Ireland represents the whole island of Ireland , and Northern Irish sportspeople may choose to compete for either team, most choosing to represent Ireland. Politically, Great Britain refers to the whole of England , Scotland and Wales in combination, but not Northern Ireland ; it includes islands, such as the Isle of Wight , Anglesey ,
3248-824: The Celtic languages to the island. During the Iron Age , Britain was inhabited by various different Celtic tribes . The Romans conquered most of the island (up to Hadrian's Wall in northern England) and this became the Ancient Roman province of Britannia . In the course of the 500 years after the Roman Empire fell, the Britons of the south and east of the island were assimilated or displaced by invading Germanic tribes ( Angles , Saxons , and Jutes , often referred to collectively as Anglo-Saxons ). At about
3364-957: The Douglas firs ; two specimens have been recorded measuring 65 metres or 212 feet. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is the oldest tree in Europe. There are at least 1,500 different species of wildflower . Some 107 species are particularly rare or vulnerable and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 . It is illegal to uproot any wildflowers without the landowner's permission. A vote in 2002 nominated various wildflowers to represent specific counties. These include red poppies , bluebells , daisies , daffodils , rosemary , gorse , iris , ivy , mint , orchids , brambles , thistles , buttercups , primrose , thyme , tulips , violets , cowslip , heather and many more. There
3480-522: The Gregorian mission . It was the main religion for around a thousand years. There are over 5 million adherents today, 4.5 million Catholics in England and Wales and 750,000 in Scotland , although fewer than a million Catholics regularly attend mass . The Church of Scotland , a form of Protestantism with a Presbyterian system of ecclesiastical polity , is the third most numerous on
3596-477: The Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia . Judaism figured slightly more than Buddhism at the 2011 census, having 263,000 adherents (excluding Scotland's about 6000). Jews have inhabited Britain since 1070. However, those resident and open about their religion were expelled from England in 1290, replicated in some other Catholic countries of the era. Jews were permitted to re-establish settlement as of 1656, in
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3712-574: The Isles of Scilly , the Hebrides and the island groups of Orkney and Shetland , that are part of England, Wales, or Scotland. It does not include the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands . The political union which joined the kingdoms of England and Scotland occurred in 1707 when the Acts of Union ratified the 1706 Treaty of Union and merged the parliaments of the two nations, forming
3828-717: The Kingdom of Great Britain , which covered the entire island. Before this, a personal union had existed between these two countries since the 1603 Union of the Crowns under James VI of Scotland and I of England . The oldest evidence for archaic humans in Britain are the Happisburgh footprints and associated stone tools found in Norfolk , dating to around 950–850,000 years ago. Prior to 450,000 years ago, Britain formed
3944-585: The Privy Council of England was drafting the proclamation of the new king, Charles I, a Scottish peer, Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie , succeeded in insisting that it use the phrase "King of Great Britain", which James had preferred, rather than King of Scotland and England (or vice versa). While that title was also used by some of James's successors, England and Scotland each remained legally separate countries, each with its own parliament, until 1707, when each parliament passed an Act of Union to ratify
4060-458: The Treaty of Union that had been agreed the previous year. This created a single kingdom with one parliament with effect from 1 May 1707. The Treaty of Union specified the name of the new all-island state as "Great Britain", while describing it as "One Kingdom" and "the United Kingdom". To most historians, therefore, the all-island state that existed between 1707 and 1800 is either "Great Britain" or
4176-562: The United Kingdom . The archipelago has been referred to by a single name for over 2000 years: the term ' British Isles ' derives from terms used by classical geographers to describe this island group. By 50 BC, Greek geographers were using equivalents of Prettanikē as a collective name for the British Isles. However, with the Roman conquest of Britain , the Latin term Britannia
4292-433: The brown bear , grey wolf and wild boar ; the latter has had a limited reintroduction in recent times. There is a wealth of birdlife , with 628 species recorded, of which 258 breed on the island or remain during winter. Because of its mild winters for its latitude, Great Britain hosts important numbers of many wintering species, particularly waders , ducks , geese and swans . Other well known bird species include
4408-520: The golden eagle , grey heron , common kingfisher , common wood pigeon , house sparrow , European robin , grey partridge , and various species of crow , finch , gull , auk , grouse , owl and falcon . There are six species of reptile on the island; three snakes and three lizards including the legless slowworm . One snake, the adder , is venomous but rarely deadly. Amphibians present are frogs , toads and newts . There are also several introduced species of reptile and amphibian. In
4524-454: The largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world . It is dominated by a maritime climate with narrow temperature differences between seasons. The island of Ireland , with an area 40 per cent that of Great Britain, is to the west – these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands and named substantial rocks , comprise the British Isles archipelago . Connected to mainland Europe until 9,000 years ago by
4640-548: The mammal species . These include squirrels , mice , voles , rats and the recently reintroduced European beaver . There is also an abundance of European rabbit , European hare , shrews , European mole and several species of bat . Carnivorous mammals include the red fox , Eurasian badger , Eurasian otter , weasel , stoat and elusive Scottish wildcat . Various species of seal , whale and dolphin are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are deer . The red deer
4756-525: The pagan gods . In more recent times, some have suggested the adoption of St Aidan as another patron saint of Britain. From Ireland, he worked at Iona amongst the Dál Riata and then Lindisfarne where he restored Christianity to Northumbria . The three constituent countries of the United Kingdom have patron saints: Saint George and Saint Andrew are represented in the flags of England and Scotland respectively. These two flags combined to form
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4872-716: The " Kingdom of Great Britain ". Great Britain lies on the European continental shelf, part of the Eurasian Plate and off the north-west coast of continental Europe , separated from this European mainland by the North Sea and by the English Channel , which narrows to 34 km (18 nmi; 21 mi) at the Straits of Dover . It stretches over about ten degrees of latitude on its longer, north–south axis and covers 209,331 km (80,823 sq mi), excluding
4988-797: The 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a centre and was nicknamed the Prince of Centres . A captain of Great Britain , he also played representative rugby league for England , and Yorkshire . Wagstaff has been inducted into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame , and the Huddersfield Giants Hall of Fame. Wagstaff was born in the village of Underbank within Holmfirth on 9 May 1891 and first played at local amateur side, Underbank Rangers , aged 14. Wagstaff's first professional game, for Huddersfield in 1906,
5104-550: The 1957 World Cup held in Australia, Great Britain played three matches against France , alternating between venues in Great Britain and France. Great Britain won two and drew one of the fixtures: 45–12 Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds ; 19–19 Stade Municipal , Toulouse; 29–14 Knowsley Road , St. Helens . The first Rugby League World Cup took place in France in October and November 1954. Dave Valentine 's side, without most of
5220-762: The 31–0 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1914 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1914–15 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds on Saturday 28 November 1914. During his career as the captain of the Huddersfield team, known as The Team of all The Talents , he led them to victory in the Rugby League Challenge Cup , the Championship Trophy, the Yorkshire Cup , and the Yorkshire League in 1915. They thus became
5336-518: The 4th century BC. The term used by Pytheas may derive from a Celtic word meaning "the painted ones" or "the tattooed folk" in reference to body decorations . According to Strabo, Pytheas referred to Britain as Bretannikē , which is treated a feminine noun. Marcian of Heraclea , in his Periplus maris exteri , described the island group as αἱ Πρεττανικαὶ νῆσοι (the Prettanic Isles). The Greco-Egyptian scientist Ptolemy referred to
5452-547: The Angles. Germanic speakers referred to Britons as Welsh . This term came to be applied exclusively to the inhabitants of what is now Wales, but it also survives in names such as Wallace and in the second syllable of Cornwall . Cymry , a name the Britons used to describe themselves, is similarly restricted in modern Welsh to people from Wales, but also survives in English in the place name of Cumbria . The Britons living in
5568-497: The Ascomycota but known only in their asexual state) or any of the other main fungal groups (Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota). The number of fungal species known very probably exceeds 10,000. There is widespread agreement among mycologists that many others are yet to be discovered. London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom as a whole, and is the seat of the United Kingdom's government . Edinburgh
5684-623: The Ashes " after the cricket series of the same name. The first British tour of the Southern Hemisphere began on 4 June 1910 captained by James Lomas . The Northern Union played New South Wales in front of 33,000 spectators in Sydney, losing 28–14. But they won the first test in Sydney against Australia 27–20 in front of 42,000 at the old Sydney Showground. They then won the second test in Brisbane 22–17. The tourists also recorded
5800-594: The Ashes back to Australia, where they have remained ever since. Great Britain Great Britain (commonly shortened to Britain ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe , consisting of the countries England , Scotland and Wales . With an area of 209,331 km (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles ,
5916-485: The Ashes series against Clive Churchill 's Australians, the 1950 touring side led by Bradford Northern 's Ernest Ward had the unfortunate distinction of being the first England/Great Britain team to lose the Ashes since 1920. Great Britain won the opening game 6–4 on an SCG mudheap, but lost the second test played on a dry track at the Brisbane Cricket Ground 15–3. Returning to Sydney the third test
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#17327826400896032-501: The Ashes that had been lost in 1920. They would not be lost again until 1950. The 1924 Lions added the red and blue chevron to the all-white jersey. On the 1928 tour of Australasia , Great Britain lost only five of 24 tour matches. The Lions won the first Test 15–12. On Saturday 14 July 1928, when Great Britain met Australia in the second Test on a sea of mud at the Sydney Cricket Ground . The Lions won 8–0, containing
6148-453: The Ashes. His career had lasted for 19 years until his retirement in 1925. Wagstaff was the manager of the Royal Swan Hotel, Westgate, Huddersfield , and died in 1939. In 1988 he was inducted into the British Rugby League Hall of Fame . He was one of five famous players to feature on a set of British stamps issued in 1995 to commemorate the centenary of Rugby League. Wagstaff and his contribution to Anglo-Australian rugby league culture were
6264-439: The Australians. According to Muir, Clay's response was "Barry, I've got to live here." Great Britain beat France 12–0 in Avignon in 1964, they also won the return leg 10–0 in Leeds but were booed off the field. All ten points had come from the boot of David Hobbs . Great Britain won the first Test 16–11 at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds . The second Test was played at the old White City Stadium on Friday 3 November 1967, it
6380-434: The Church is the monarch of the United Kingdom, as the Supreme Governor . It has the status of established church in England. There are just over 26 million adherents to Anglicanism in Britain today, although only around one million regularly attend services. The second largest Christian practice is the Latin Church of the Catholic Church , which traces its history to the 6th century with Augustine of Canterbury and
6496-624: The French winning 17–5. The Kangaroos toured in 1956, Great Britain won the first Test 21–10 at Central Park , Wigan and Australia won the second 9–22 at Odsal, Bradford. Great Britain defeated Australia 19–0 in the third Test held at Station Road, Swinton, to take the Ashes series 2–1. Britain were the favourites to win the second World Cup. A group stage was held first. Great Britain beat France 23–5 at Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney, lost 6–31 to Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, and 21–29 to New Zealand at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. Australia won all three of their games and were declared
6612-503: The Great Britain captaincy, the first black captain of a home international side, and was in charge for the 1972 World Cup held in France. Jim Challinor was coach. Sullivan and Challinor led the under-rated Lions to victory over Australia (27–21), France (13–4) and New Zealand (53–19), claiming a try in each game. Clive scored a long distance try in the final in Stade Gerland , Lyon as they drew with Australia 10–10 after extra time. Great Britain won their third World Cup by virtue of having
6728-429: The Kangaroos who, for the only time in Test match history, failed to score on home soil. After clinching the Test series, the Lions lost the final Test. They were presented with the Ashes Trophy by the Australians, which the two countries have competed for ever since. Great Britain then set off for New Zealand , where they lost the first Test. On Saturday 18 August 1928 the Lions travelled to Tahuna Park , Dunedin , for
6844-455: The London area sinking at double this partly due to the continuing compaction of the recent clay deposits. Animal diversity is modest, as a result of factors including the island's small land area, the relatively recent age of the habitats developed since the last glacial period and the island's physical separation from continental Europe , and the effects of seasonal variability. Great Britain also experienced early industrialisation and
6960-415: The RFL announced that after the 2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis. Instead its players would represent England , Wales and Scotland at Test level, and it was planned that the Great Britain team would come together in future only for occasional tours, similar to the British and Irish Lions in rugby union . The Lions most recently played in 2019, in
7076-417: The RFL has sent separate home nations teams to the World Cup. Great Britain continued to compete as a Test playing nation both home and away. They competed against Australia for the Ashes , and New Zealand for the Baskerville Shield , as well the Tri-Nations series with both Australia and New Zealand. Great Britain also played in series and tours against France , Papua New Guinea and Fiji . In 2006,
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#17327826400897192-423: The SCG gates after 70,204 crammed into the SCG. This would remain the world record test match attendance until eclipsed by the 73,631 who attended the 1992 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium . On New Year's Eve 1933 in Paris, England and Australia play the first game of rugby league in France. The match was one sided, with Australia winning 63–13 in front of a crowd of 5,000, but the seed was sown. Jim Sullivan
7308-405: The UK government yearbooks have used both Britain and United Kingdom . GB and GBR are used instead of UK in some international codes to refer to the United Kingdom, including the Universal Postal Union , international sports teams, NATO , and the International Organization for Standardization country codes ISO 3166-2 and ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 , whilst the aircraft registration prefix
7424-549: The World Cup was played on home soil. The tournament is decided on a league system but with both Great Britain and Australia undefeated, the last match became a virtual World Cup final. Eric Ashton lifted the trophy after a 10–3 victory at Odsal in front of a crowd of 32,733 and Britain played in an exhibition game in lieu of a decider. In December 1960, Great Britain beat France 21–10 at Stade André Moga , Bordeaux, and in January 1961, they won again 27–8 at Knowsley Road, St Helens. New Zealand toured Great Britain in 1961. They won
7540-431: The area during cooler periods. Modern humans arrived in Britain about 40,000 years ago, as evidenced by remains found in Kents Cavern in Devon, following the disappearance of Neanderthals . Prior to 9,000 years ago Britain retained a land connection to the continent, with an area of mostly low marshland ( Doggerland ) joining it to what are now Denmark and the Netherlands . During the Mesolithic period, Britain
7656-402: The areas now known as Wales, Cumbria and Cornwall were not assimilated by the Germanic tribes, a fact reflected in the survival of Celtic languages in these areas into more recent times. At the time of the Germanic invasion of southern Britain , many Britons emigrated to the area now known as Brittany , where Breton , a Celtic language closely related to Welsh and Cornish and descended from
7772-479: The back of an impressive tally of points against New Zealand. The final was held at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds . Although Great Britain dominated the possession, the Kangaroos were able to exploit their chances, and ran out unexpected 12–7 winners in a scrappy, bad-tempered game that became known as "The Battle of Leeds". In 1971 New Zealand wins a series in Britain for the first time, winning 17–14 in Castleford and 18–13 in Salford. Clive Sullivan had risen to
7888-600: The basis of the Great Britain royal flag of 1604. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. There are many other British saints. Some of the best known are Cuthbert , Columba , Patrick , Margaret , Edward the Confessor , Mungo , Thomas More , Petroc , Bede , and Thomas Becket . Numerous other religions are practised. The 2011 census recorded that Islam had around 2.7 million adherents (excluding Scotland with about 76,000). More than 1.4 million people (excluding Scotland's about 38,000) believe in Hinduism , Sikhism , or Buddhism —religions that developed in
8004-425: The bed of the North Sea was dry and acted as a land bridge, now known as Doggerland , to the Continent. It is generally thought that as sea levels gradually rose after the end of the last glacial period of the current ice age, Doggerland reflooded cutting off what was the British peninsula from the European mainland by around 6500 BC. Great Britain has been subject to a variety of plate tectonic processes over
8120-437: The breaching of the Weald-Artois Anticline , a ridge that held back a large proglacial lake , now submerged under the North Sea. Around 10,000 years ago, during the Devensian glaciation with its lower sea level , Great Britain was not an island, but an upland region of continental north-western Europe, lying partially underneath the Eurasian ice sheet. The sea level was about 120 metres (390 ft) lower than today, and
8236-422: The champions as the organisers decided no official final was necessary. Great Britain finished second. After the 1957 World Cup series in Australia, Alan Prescott 's team went to New Zealand and then stopped off in South Africa to play some missionary games. Mixed-race Billy Boston flew home directly and alone, as apartheid was still in force. Both teams regarded the matches as mere exhibitions and engaged in
8352-659: The continental region which approximates to modern Brittany and had been settled in the fifth and sixth centuries by Celtic Briton migrants from Great Britain. The term Great Britain was first used officially in 1474, in the instrument drawing up the proposal for a marriage between Cecily , daughter of Edward IV of England , and James , son of James III of Scotland , which described it as "this Nobill Isle, callit Gret Britanee". The Scottish philosopher and historian, John Major (Mair), published his 'History of Great Britain, both England and Scotland' ( Historia majoris Britanniae, tam Angliae quam Scotiae ) in 1521. While promoting
8468-538: The field in disgust at the players' persistent fighting after 56 minutes, so the match was abandoned. The first Test was held at the SCG, Sydney, and was won by Australia. 47,096 people attended the Great Britain versus Australia Test on 3 July 1954 at the Brisbane Cricket Ground , which is still the ground's attendance record for any sport. The most famous incident of the tour took place on Saturday 10 July,
8584-540: The first Test 22–14 at Station Road, Swinton . Great Britain won the second 11–10 at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds , and won the third 18–12 at Central Park, Wigan with a match-winning try in the last few minutes, to take the Ashes series 2–1. This was the last Ashes won on home soil to date. In the March prior to the 1960 World Cup, Great Britain played two matches against France, alternating between venues in France and Great Britain. Great Britain drew one and lost one of
8700-636: The first Test 25–8 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 48 hours later the British Lions played Brisbane team , Britain won 34–29, and then remained undefeated throughout the rest of their visit to Australia. On 5 July 1958, the Lions defeated Australia 25–18 in the second test at Brisbane with only eight fit players on the pitch. Captain Alan Prescott played for 77 minutes with a broken arm, substitutions not being permitted until six years later,
8816-518: The first choice internationals was not expected to do well, but beat Australia and New Zealand to finish top of the table level on points with France. The final, played at the Parc des Princes packed with 30,000 fans, took place on 13 November, where Great Britain beat France 16–12. Second-row forward Don Robinson was named man of the match. On 11 December 1955 the first official Test match took place between Great Britain and France, at Parc des Princes,
8932-555: The first of the three matches 29–11 at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds . Eric Ashton was again captain of the 1962 Lions side and Colin Hutton was coach. The British Lions won the opening two Tests 31–12 and then 17–10, the first time in 34 years that they had won the first two matches on Australian soil. The first Test was played before more than 70,000 spectators. The third Test was staged at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 14 July 1962. A controversial last-minute Australian try and
9048-429: The fixtures: France won 20–18 at Stade Municipal, Toulouse. On 65 minutes a colossal brawl erupted when Georges Fages kicked Derek Turner on the chin following a tackle on Fages. When the dust settled Turner was ordered off, but five minutes elapsed before he was finally escorted from the field by Bill Fallowfield , secretary of the Rugby Football League . There was 17–17 draw at Knowsley Road , St. Helens . In 1960,
9164-485: The game 14–6 before a crowd of 8,000. The second test went to New Zealand by 18–6, before 14,000 at Stamford Bridge , London. The third test was played at Cheltenham , and 4,000 watched New Zealand win 8–5. The first Kangaroos arrived in England on 27 September 1908, they toured Britain, losing more games than they won. They played their first ever test against the Northern Union in December at Loftus Road , London;
9280-730: The generally accepted view that Celtic originated in the context of the Hallstatt culture , since 2009, John T. Koch and others have proposed that the origins of the Celtic languages are to be sought in Bronze Age Western Europe, especially the Iberian Peninsula. Koch et al.'s proposal has failed to find wide acceptance among experts on the Celtic languages. All the modern Brythonic languages (Breton, Cornish, Welsh) are generally considered to derive from
9396-495: The highest for a rugby league World Cup match. However, Great Britain failed to make the final. The 1968 Great Britain World Cup squad made a visit to Queensland on their way back to Britain. They played three matches in three days, the middle match being against North Queensland at Townsville on Sunday 16 June. Britain won 25–2. The last time that Britain won the Ashes was in 1970 with emerging stars like Roger Millward and Mal Reilly . Under coach Johnny Whiteley , they won
9512-464: The home side triumph by 20–19. The first Test was played at Odsal , Bradford , and the third Test at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds . Dickie Williams was captain of Great Britain for the 1954 tour of Australia, a gruelling schedule which lasted just over 3 months, and included 22 matches in Australia with a further 10 in New Zealand. In one match against New South Wales the referee left
9628-403: The interregnum which was a peak of anti-Catholicism. Most Jews in Great Britain have ancestors who fled for their lives , particularly from 19th century Lithuania and the territories occupied by Nazi Germany . Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy" , was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in
9744-560: The island with around 2.1 million members. Introduced in Scotland by clergyman John Knox , it has the status of national church in Scotland. The monarch of the United Kingdom is represented by a Lord High Commissioner . Methodism is the fourth largest and grew out of Anglicanism through John Wesley . It gained popularity in the old mill towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire , also amongst tin miners in Cornwall . The Presbyterian Church of Wales , which follows Calvinistic Methodism ,
9860-456: The language of the emigrants, is still spoken. In the 9th century, a series of Danish assaults on northern English kingdoms led to them coming under Danish control (an area known as the Danelaw ). In the 10th century, however, all the English kingdoms were unified under one ruler as the kingdom of England when the last constituent kingdom, Northumbria, submitted to Edgar in 959. In 1066, England
9976-418: The larger island as great Britain (μεγάλη Βρεττανία megale Brettania ) and to Ireland as little Britain (μικρὰ Βρεττανία mikra Brettania ) in his work Almagest (147–148 AD). In his later work, Geography ( c. 150 AD ), he gave the islands the names Alwion , Iwernia , and Mona (the Isle of Man ), suggesting these may have been the names of the individual islands not known to him at
10092-541: The largest religion by number of adherents since the Early Middle Ages : it was introduced under the ancient Romans, developing as Celtic Christianity . According to tradition, Christianity arrived in the 1st or 2nd century . The most popular form is Anglicanism (known as Episcopalism in Scotland). Dating from the 16th-century Reformation , it regards itself as both Catholic and Reformed . The Head of
10208-569: The match became known as "Prescott's Match" or "the Battle of Brisbane". That lifted the tourists to clinch the series by winning the decider 40–17 in Sydney. rlhalloffame.org.uk – rlhalloffame Resources and Information. The third test win is still a record win against the Australians on their turf. In 1958, Great Britain were defeated 23–9 by France at Stade Lesdiguières . During Australia's 1959 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain, Australia won
10324-496: The much smaller surrounding islands. The North Channel , Irish Sea , St George's Channel and Celtic Sea separate the island from the island of Ireland to its west. The island is since 1993 joined, via one structure, with continental Europe: the Channel Tunnel , the longest undersea rail tunnel in the world. The island is marked by low, rolling countryside in the east and south, while hills and mountains predominate in
10440-472: The name of 'Britanniæ.'" The name Britain descends from the Latin name for Britain, Britannia or Brittānia , the land of the Britons. Old French Bretaigne (whence also Modern French Bretagne ) and Middle English Bretayne , Breteyne . The French form replaced the Old English Breoton, Breoten, Bryten, Breten (also Breoton-lond, Breten-lond ). Britannia
10556-472: The remains of folded sedimentary rocks that were deposited between 1,000 My and 670 My ago over the gneiss on what was then the floor of the Iapetus Ocean . In the current era the north of the island is rising as a result of the weight of Devensian ice being lifted. Counterbalanced, the south and east is sinking, generally estimated at 1 mm ( 1 ⁄ 25 inch) per year, with
10672-577: The same source as the Goidelic term Cruithne used to refer to the early Brythonic -speaking inhabitants of Ireland. The latter were later called Picts or Caledonians by the Romans . Greek historians Diodorus of Sicily and Strabo preserved variants of Prettanike from the work of Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia , who travelled from his home in Hellenistic southern Gaul to Britain in
10788-583: The same time, Gaelic tribes from Ireland invaded the north-west, absorbing both the Picts and Britons of northern Britain, eventually forming the Kingdom of Scotland in the 9th century. The south-east of Scotland was colonised by the Angles and formed, until 1018, a part of the Kingdom of Northumbria . Ultimately, the population of south-east Britain came to be referred to as the English people , so-named after
10904-472: The second 9–3 at Headingley , Leeds on 9 November 1929. The third test, held at Station Road , Swinton , resulted in a 0–0 draw with Australia having a try disallowed in the last minute. With the series tied 1–1, an unprecedented fourth test was played at the Athletic Grounds , Rochdale . Britain won the test 3–0 to take the Ashes. Britain again won the Ashes in 1932. In 1932 the police locked
11020-514: The second Test. The Lions led 7–5 at the interval and went on to win 13–5. Seven days later the Lions won the third Test 6–5 to clinch the series two Tests to one. Before coming home they played some missionary games in Canada , which led to the formation of a rugby league competition in that country. On 5 October 1929, Australia won the first Test at the Boulevard , Hull 31–8. Great Britain won
11136-614: The second of only three teams ever to win All Four Cups , the others being Hunslet (1908) and Swinton (1928). Wagstaff was also stationed in Egypt during World War I . Wagstaff once again captained Great Britain on their 1920 tour of Australasia. In November that year, rugby league's first players' union, the 'Northern Rugby Union Players' Union was founded in Huddersfield under the chairmanship of Wagstaff, with his Huddersfield team-mate Gwyn Thomas as secretary. The enrolment fee
11252-456: The second test was scheduled for Station Road in Swinton . In what became known as the "Swinton Massacre", the Kangaroos wrapped up the series with a 50–12 win over the Lions, including 3 tries by Ken Irvine , 2 each to Reg Gasnier and Peter Dimond , while Graeme Langlands scored two himself as well as kicking seven goals. The Lions avoided a series whitewash with a hard-fought 16–5 win in
11368-471: The series 2–1 in Australia after winning the final two test matches. Great Britain won 22, drew one and lost one – making them the most successful British tourists to date. The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in England in November 1970. Britain were hot favourites, and won all three of their group stage games. All the other nations lost two games each, and Australia qualified for the final largely on
11484-563: The stuff of legend. They played three Tests in eight days with the first two in three days. After sharing the first two tests, Great Britain finished with only 10 men due to injuries, but still managed to hang on for a 14–6 victory in Sydney in July 1914. It was dubbed " Rorke's Drift test ", after a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War . Great Britain defeated a touring Australian side 2–1 in the 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain to win back
11600-615: The subsequent touchline conversion resulted in a 17–18 defeat; but for this, the 62 Lions would have been the first team to achieve a whitewash of the Australians. After crossing the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, they lost both Tests against New Zealand with a team depleted with injuries. The first Test 19–0, only the second time a British team had been held scoreless. In the second Test at Carlaw Park , Auckland on Saturday 11 August 1962, several players had to play out of position and New Zealand won 27–8. Sixteen Lions visited South Africa on
11716-426: The third test at Headingley Rugby Stadium , Leeds which is regarded as one of the most brutal tests played between the two teams. Referee "Sergeant Major" Eric Clay was prominent when he sent off Lions blind-side prop (10) Cliff Watson , as well as Australians Brian Hambly and Barry Muir . After giving Clay a few 'choice words' as he left the field, Muir later spoke to Clay claiming the English referee had robbed
11832-587: The time of writing Almagest . The name Albion appears to have fallen out of use sometime after the Roman conquest of Britain , after which Britain became the more commonplace name for the island. After the Anglo-Saxon period, Britain was used as a historical term only. Geoffrey of Monmouth in his pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae ( c. 1136 ) refers to the island of Great Britain as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"), to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain"),
11948-544: The way home and played three matches against South Africa. The second of those matches took place on Saturday 25 August in Durban, Great Britain won 39–33. In 1962, Great Britain were defeated 17–12 by France at Stade Gilbert Brutus , Perpignan . In 1963, Great Britain were defeated 2–1 in the Ashes series by the touring 1963 Kangaroos . After the Aussies had won the first test 28–2 at Wembley in front of only 13,946 fans,
12064-459: The weekend before the third Test. With the series level at one win each, the Great Britain management decided to rest most of their Test players and field a side which was predominantly made up of forwards for the game against New South Wales. The match was an exceptionally brutal affair and was abandoned in the second half after a brawl between all 26 players. Great Britain lost the deciding third Test 20–16 in Sydney in front of 67,577 fans. Prior to
12180-452: The western and northern regions. It is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands and islets . The greatest distance between two points is 968.0 km ( 601 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi) (between Land's End , Cornwall and John o' Groats , Caithness ), 838 miles (1,349 km) by road. The English Channel is thought to have been created between 450,000 and 180,000 years ago by two catastrophic glacial lake outburst floods caused by
12296-510: The word are quotations of the periplus by later authors, such as those within Strabo's Geographica , Pliny's Natural History and Diodorus of Sicily's Bibliotheca historica . Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79) in his Natural History records of Great Britain: "Its former name was Albion; but at a later period, all the islands, of which we shall just now briefly make mention, were included under
12412-481: Was conquered by the Normans , who introduced a Norman -speaking administration that was eventually assimilated. Wales came under Anglo-Norman control in 1282, and was officially annexed to England in the 16th century. On 20 October 1604 King James , who had succeeded separately to the two thrones of England and Scotland, proclaimed himself "King of Great Brittaine, France , and Ireland". When James died in 1625 and
12528-438: Was asked to go again as captain of the 1936 tourists , but declined on the grounds of his wife's ill health. Britain again won the Ashes in 1936. The 1946 Great Britain Lions tour saw the team sail to Australia on HMS Indomitable . After a five-day train journey across Australia, Gus Risman 's team retained the Ashes, drawing the first Test and winning the other two Tests to become the only touring side to remain unbeaten on
12644-480: Was at the age of 15 years and 175 days. For many years he was considered to be the youngest person to play professional rugby league. However it is Harold Edmondson who holds this accolade, making his first try for Bramley against Bradford Northern on 1 February 1919 aged 15 years 81 days. Edmondson later joined Wagstaff at Huddersfield. Wagstaff became the youngest representative in rugby league football when he turned out for Yorkshire age 17 years and 141 days, and
12760-508: Was by Aristotle (384–322 BC), or possibly by Pseudo-Aristotle , in his text On the Universe , Vol. III. To quote his works, "There are two very large islands in it, called the British Isles, Albion and Ierne ". The first known written use of the word Britain was an ancient Greek transliteration of the original Proto-Celtic term in a work on the travels and discoveries of Pytheas that has not survived. The earliest existing records of
12876-425: Was five shillings with a weekly contribution from each member; the declared aims of the union were (i) the promotion of the spirit of comradeship amongst the players, (ii) to redress grievances, (iii) to obtain modification of the transfer rules and (iv) to obtain benefits for players after fixed term of service. Wagstaff played his last Test match in January 1922, when he helped Great Britain beat Australia and regain
12992-510: Was inhabited by hunter gatherers. Neolithic farmers , of Anatolian origin, arrived in Britain around 4000 BC, replacing the pre-existing hunter gatherers. Around 2000 BC, the Bronze Age Bell Beaker Culture arrived in Britain, which genetic evidence suggests was associated with another episode of nearly complete population replacement. Later significant migration to southern Britain around 1000 BC may have brought
13108-486: Was played again on a mudheap, as Sydney was lashed by wet weather. The game was in the balance at 2–2 until Australian winger Ron Roberts crossed in front of the Paddington Stand to seal the 5–2 win. On Saturday 10 November 1951 the first televised rugby league match was broadcast from Station Road , Swinton , where Great Britain met New Zealand in the second Test of the 1951 series. A last-minute penalty saw
13224-566: Was the only Test match ever to be played there. Australian tour manager Jack Drews appealed to the thousands of Australians living in London to support the tourists and was rewarded with a crowd of 17,445, many of them supporting Australia. Australia won 17–11, and then went on to clinch the series with an 11–3 victory in a blizzard at Swinton. The fourth Rugby League World Cup , held in Australia and New Zealand, in 1968. The match between Great Britain and Australia attracted an attendance of 62,256,
13340-607: Was used by the Romans from the 1st century BC for the British Isles taken together. It is derived from the travel writings of Pytheas around 320 BC, which described various islands in the North Atlantic as far north as Thule (probably Norway ). The peoples of these islands of Prettanike were called the Πρεττανοί, Priteni or Pretani . Priteni is the source of the Welsh language term Prydain , Britain , which has
13456-492: Was used for the island of Great Britain, and later Roman-occupied Britain south of Caledonia . The earliest known name for Great Britain is Albion ( Greek : Ἀλβιών ) or insula Albionum , from either the Latin albus meaning "white" (possibly referring to the white cliffs of Dover , the first view of Britain from the continent) or the "island of the Albiones ". The oldest mention of terms related to Great Britain
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