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What
on earth is a Yellowbelly? |
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For
years, anyone born and bred in the county of Lincolnshire has been
known as a Yellowbelly.
Quite
why is a cause of much debate, as you will see...
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| Unshirt
a Lincolnshire man and you'll find a pot of gold... |
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If
there's one thing you can say about true yellowbellies it's that
they're an argumentative lot. The easiest way to prove this is to
ask them where the name 'yellowbelly' came from. Chances are every
single person you ask will have a slightly different version of
events. So here for your enlightenment and delight are a few of
the most common stories.
And
don't forget you can add your own versions of events here >>
| The
Royal North Lincolnshire Militia |
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The building on Burton Road, Lincoln that is now home to the
Museum of Lincolnshire Life was once the barracks of the Royal
North Lincolnshire Militia. The officers of this regiment would
wear bright yellow waistcoats on the battlefield. This made
it easier for their men to spot them (let's overlook the fact
that it also made them rather obvious targets...) and also earned
them the name Lincolnshire Yellowbellies. |
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| Newts
and frogs |
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There
is, apparently, a breed of newt common to the fens that has
a bright yellow underside. So now you know.
Should
you not be very partial to newts Marion Christy, a yellowbelly
herself, was always told that it was frogs that had the yellow
bellies and were rather partial to the damp conditions of
the undrained fens.
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| Know
another reason why we are called yellowbellies? Add it to our
database of reasons here
>> |
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| Farmers |
| During
summer the farmers would often work without their shirts on
(the saucy devils). As they tended the fields they would be
bent over, and get a lovely suntan on their back. Their fronts
however would be in the shadows the whole time and so would
stay white. The reflection of the corn is said to have given
a yellow hue to their bellies. |
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| Mail
Coach |
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mail coach that ran from Lincoln to London had a yellow undercarriage.
Upon it's arrival in London it is said that the locals would
call out "Here comes the Lincolnshire yellowbelly".
Geoffrey Alan Wildman assures us that this is the real reason,
although he tells me that the coach went from Lincoln to York. |
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| Sheep |
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traditional breed of sheep in the county is the Lincoln Longwool.
As the name suggests, it's fleece was, well, long. It looked
rather like the sheep in question had a bad perm. These sheep
would often graze in the fields of mustard that were once a
common sight around Lincolnshire. As their shaggy coat dragged
along the ground it would pick up pollen from the mustard flowers
and give them, you've guessed it, a yellow belly. |
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| Is
this the story you know? If not add you version of events to
the origins of yellowbelly
page >> |
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Find out more
about the latest local talent
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Virtual tours
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Explore
the unexplained - do you believe?
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BBC Lincolnshire
Radion Buildings
PO Box 219
Newport
Lincoln
LN1 3XY
Telephone: 01522 511411
E-mail: lincolnshire@bbc.co.uk
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