User:Trans-Neptunian object/Sandbox

Celtic Devon controversy

There exists a controversy surrounding the extent of which the county of Devon in South West England is to be considered Celtic in origin. The issue arises from present cultural, socio-economic issues and histography surrounding Devon's genetic, linguistic and social history. Proponents of the "Celtic Devon" hypothesis point to the continued usage of the Southwestern Brittonic languages after the unification of England by Æthelstan in the 10th century, alongside possible Brythonic-speaking communities existing after the Norman conquest of 1066. Other supporting evidence pointed to include Devon's more unique genetic population signature compared to other areas of England, alongside its blend of maritime, farming and high moorland cultures, extant Celtic place-names, and its general proximity to modern-day Celtic nation of Cornwall, of which Devon shares some cultural aspects.

No single pan-Celtic organisation has lent support to the idea of a Celtic Devon, such as the Celtic League and Celtic Congress, who have remained broadly silent on the issue. No noteworthy political parties in any of the modern Celtic nations have given acknowledgment or support to Devon becoming the next Celtic nation. Linguists and historians have pointed out that Devon would have likely been fully incorporated into Wessex by the late 9th century, and was defined by its boundary with Cornwall in the early 10th. The language ties have been criticised as either weak or tenuous, with pockets of Brythonic-speakers dying out in the early Middle Ages. The genetic signature of Devon is also markedly different to that of Cornwall, which brings into question the hypothesis that Devon was never fully Anglicised, evident by no continuity with the other Brythonic groups in Great Britain. Devonians unique genetic signature has been put down to there being less inter-migrations in the early modern (1485-1780) and industrial periods (1780-1840).

More direct opponents of a "Celtic Devon" would include the majority of Cornish nationalists, who see the advancement of a "Celtic Devon" as being detrimental to their own struggle for cultural and political independence (such as the backlash over the Flag of Devon). Some Celtic nationalist claims have an irredentist and ethnonationalist outlook, viewing the population of Devon as being firmly "Anglo-Saxon" and thus non-native to the land itself. Such viewpoints are criticised as being xenophobic, backwards, chauvinistic and by extension racist, with some urging Devonians to adopt a more inclusive cultural outlook, with the slogan of "Devon does not need to be Celtic to be unique".