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Kingdom of Cleveland
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Teesside, England
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Kingdom of Cleveland
Cleveland in pink (2012)
Motto
Endeavour
Capital Middlesbrough
Largest city Middlesbrough
Other cities Darlington, Stockton, Guisborough, Harrogate, Doncaster, Beverley, Driffield, Bridlington, Barnsley.
Language
  official
 
English (official)
  others Cleveish, Pitmatic, Tyke, Hindi, Bangladeshi, Chinese
Queen Zara
Prime Minister Ray Mallon
Area 5750 sq miles, 14881 sq km km²
Population 574,000 (approx) 
Independence 1984
Annexation 2016
Currency Cleveland Pound
DD1983 WCRB Flag Reclamation in progress

This 1983: Doomsday article is currently being updated by its writers. Please do not edit or expand upon this page as it has not been completed. Feel free to comment on the talk page.
Thank you for your cooperation.

The Kingdom of Cleveland was a survivor nation located on the east coast of the former nation of Great Britain around the industrial centre of the Tees Valley and the North York Moors. It has united with the Duchy of Northumberland to form the Kingdom of Northumbria under the branch house of Royal House of Windsor, The Royal House Bamburgh in 2016.

Background[]

Doomsday[]

At approximately 2 AM on the 26th of September 1983, nuclear weapons began detonating over the United Kingdom.

At approximately 2:20 AM, two of the three 100 kiloton missiles aimed for the Tees Valley area detonated. However, they missed their designated targets due to electromagnetic interference from the detonations in the Tyne and Wear Valleys. A third missile veered off-course and failed to detonate, remaining missing for almost 27 years.

The first warhead detonated 12 miles south of Middlesbrough in the practically uninhabited North Yorkshire Moors, after burying itself 30 feet underground in a peat bog, between Farndale, Rosedale and Westerdale.

This explosion created a half mile wide, 130 feet deep crater that has since filled with water forming a radioactive lake, named Lake Rose.

The Second bomb exploded less than five minutes later, seven miles off the coast north east of the port town of Hartlepool. Due to a malfunction of the detonator it detonated on the seabed 40 metres beneath the North Sea. The explosion launched irradiated water vapour high into the atmosphere which upon later mixing with smoke from other explosions, fell back over the coast as a black radioactive rain.

Other Bombs in the North of England fell:

  • one 200 Kiloton bomb on Newcastle.
  • one 200 Kiloton bomb on Sunderland.

Other tactical nuclear weapons (approximately five to ten Kilotons) fell on military bases in and around the area:

  • Catterick Garrison - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Linton on Ouse - North Yorkshire - shared with the United States Air Force.
  • RAF listening base and radar station Fylingdales - North Yorkshire.
  • RAF Bulmer - Northumberland.
  • RAF Menwith Hill - joint UK/US base - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Carlisle - Cumbria
  • RAF Spadeadam - Cumbria
  • RAF Holmpton - East Yorkshire
  • RAF Leconfield - East Yorkshire
  • RAF Church Fenton - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Dishforth (Air force)/AAC Dishforth (Army) - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Leeming - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Radar station Staxton Wold - North Yorkshire
  • RAF Topcliffe - North Yorkshire

Weather on DD[]

The temperature at the time of the bombing was near freezing point, a north-easterly wind blowing at 15 miles per hour, with thick sea fog up to ten miles inland. Due to the detonations the fog cleared almost instantly and high level clouds formed, these produced heavy rain over the next three days.

Although the bombs themselves missed, radioactive fallout, particularly from the bomb that exploded in the North Sea blew inland on the prevailing North-east winds and then fell in rain that fell for the following three days. The wind then changed to a northerly and then to the westerly bringing more fallout from the cities to the north and west such as Newcastle, Sunderland and Manchester.

Hardship, Horror and Hope[]

Due to extensive education about the after effects of a nuclear bomb attack, the British people knew that the priority after an attack was to stay in shelter a minimum of three days, and five would be better. However, people living close to the cities of Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland began moving south and east towards the Tees Valley and Yorkshire as soon as the sun came up on the morning of the 26th September, mainly due to the high cloud base reflecting the colour of burning everywhere else.

Many people in Newcastle and the surrounding suburbs spread north and west. However, due to the sparse population of the area and low amounts of food to be found, the majority of the people from the cities who travelled this way died within two months due to starvation, radiation sickness, hypothermia and infighting with other refugees. Those who headed south into County Durham and the Tees Valley fared better but the difficulties were far from over. Due to people being outside as the radioactive fallout continued the majority of the refugees died within the next two weeks of radiation based illness and hypothermia as night time temperatures fell well below freezing. Mass graves were dug near the town of Sedgefield. It is estimated that 175,000+ people are buried in these mass graves. Sparse records mean exact figures are hard to come by.

By 12:00pm on the 27th September, heavy rain began to fall over the entire area. It rained solidly for the next 36 hours, helping to wash away radioactive dust and to extinguish the burning ruins of Sunderland and Newcastle as the radioactive soot formed by the burning began to fall across the area. Within three days majority of those who had been in critical care in hospital throughout the area had either died due to complications and lack of stable power or had been released into family care. Elderly people in care homes who had no family help began dying due to employees leaving them to look after their own families, an estimated 1000 people. Many people who had existing health problems on DD, such as diabetics and people requiring heart medication, died within two weeks of Doomsday as existing medication ran out. It is approximated that between 5,000 and 6,500 died in Cleveland due to medication running out.

The first week was chaotic. People fleeing from the north south and west were filtering into the region via two corridors through Durham and York. Towns such as Catterick were all but abandoned after bombs had detonated near local army bases. The tide of refugees was handled as best as the civilian authorities could, many were put into temporary accommodation in Durham and York but this effort was in vain. The sheer number of people fleeing carnage elsewhere overwhelmed the local councils and soon anarchy reigned. The cities of York and Durham collapsed, the local council fleeing with their families further into the tees valley and north Yorkshire respectively. An altercation between police forces and disgruntled local people in Durham led to a fire breaking out at the cathedral. Many people from both cities starved or died during violent unrest as the region tried its hardest to hold onto civilisation.

Over the next month radioactive fallout killed over two thirds of the total population of the Tees valley area (roughly 150,000 people). Many of those who survived took shelter in underground anhydrite, coal and potash mines located in the area. By late October the first snows of winter had begun falling. As day time temperatures fell well below freezing, many thousands of refugees (many experts estimate over 10,000) who had not found shelter froze to death. People who had survived the cold, starvation, disease, and radioactive fallout now had to face anarchy as governing structures in the Tees Valley Area and across the former nation had collapsed. Local Police forces began issuing strict stay at home curfews for most residents barring those who were public servants (medical professionals, surviving government officials etc).

Those who had sheltered in the mines in the upper Tees Valley had also fared poorly. In December 1983 an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea occurred in the mines. It was determined that it was caused by the unsanitary conditions throughout the mines. The most senior police officer in the mines, Ray Mallon, made one part of the mine the latrines and the farthest away part of the mines the food preparation and storage area. Once leaving the latrines, people must wash their hands, arms and feet, and lower legs to reduce cross contamination. However the outbreak had taken the lives of 527 people, mostly very young (under 3), the elderly (over 70) and people with existing health problems. Survivors stayed underground as long as possible, with scavenging parties made of older women because any damage resulting from radiation will not be passed onto the next generations. They returned with any rations they can collect from the surface to the mines. The situation in the mines came to an end when the power supply in the region failed, causing the pumps to fail, the slow but persistent flooding of the mines led to them being abandoned in early 1984.

After the evacuation of the mines in January 1984 Mallon alongside most of the police personnel regrouped in Middlesbrough, the considerations for where to go were aided by scouting parties declaring burning ruins both to the north and south. They established a base of operations in the town hall in Middlesbrough which had been under control of the surviving local councillors up until this point. Tented refugee camps were set up in major greenspaces across the area with the biggest in Stewart Park, The Middlesbrough Golf Course and at Stockton Racecourse. Each camp contained approximately 10,000 people. They were used for medical treatment and registration for food rations; once a person was registered, they received three days food rations and medical treatment if needed, The local authorities then would try to rehome everyone in the camps into homes that had since been abandoned or in which the previous occupants had died or not returned. Though the Hartlepool nuclear plant had been operating, brownouts and eventual breakdowns of the power grid forced most of the major towns into a blackout. A curfew was imposed soon after this. It took nearly five weeks to rehouse every survivor, usually with five-to-twelve people per house. Several hundred people died while in the camps due to starvation, violence, or exposure.

The situation in the late 80s was turbulent but the local authorities would do everything in their power to stop the complete collapse of society. Greenspaces in the town were repurposed into allotments and many farms would take people from the towns and surrounding villages to expand production. Rationing was sparse and a thriving black-market would soon underpin the current economy. Church halls across the Tees Valley were repurposed into Triage centres and school halls became rehousing centres for the steady stream of refugees that were still filtering into the towns. The lack of power at night led to more violent crime from those breaking curfew to use the night to their advantage. Large swathes of the region would be barred from public access due to radioactivity, police personnel and scientists from the local universities were allowed restricted access for short periods. The exclusion zone borders were patrolled but this did not deter looters and scavengers sneaking in under the cover of darkness to see what they could steal. The police would be joined by local militia men and horse-mounted guards to try to keep law and order. Things in the region were exacerbated when the cities of Durham and York would fall to anarchy, the wave of refugees putting strain on neighbouring communities. Teesside was brought to the brink, with the worst year, 1988 seeing extreme crackdowns to public unrest by the police and militia. After this, stricter measures and more severe punishments were implemented by the police in a hopes to return some civil control. Tens of thousands died in this time and would continue to into the early 90s.

The Inheritors of the Aftermath[]

The early 90s was much the same as the late 80s. It was not until the mid 90s that the region would start to return to the new normal. At this point the majority of people in the towns would work on the municipal farming cooperatives or would work in constructing further housing for the refugees, slowly but surely the average household capacity was decreasing. The government promoted many policies of the world war, with the promotion of mend and make do, and how to prepare more food with less including leftovers. The Hartlepool powerplant was still in the process of being shut down safely by scientists and researches from the plant itself and from Teesside polytechnic. and its generators were being routed to keep it in a zombie-like state. Chemical plants such as ICI wilton, were monitoring storage and potential disposal of chemical stocks as the sites were effectively mothballed.

The land surrounding the nuclear wastes of the Tyne and Wear was re-wilded, with large forests being planted to hopefully contain the radiation. Rivers were planted upstream with absorbent water plants to help reduce contamination of the Ouse, Wear and Derwent rivers, which still carried contaminants from up stream ruins. Due to the wet and windy conditions of the Northeast of England, many ruined regions were in rapid decay, the hollowed out remnants of buildings were often reported to collapse, leading to more danger for smugglers entering the exclusion zones. There was a ban on fishing nearby to coastal waters and river mouths as the waters would often be the outflow of radioactive particulates from up river.

The first semblance of normality came in 1995, when following the organised census across towns in Cleveland, the first post-Doomsday general election was held. Turnout was low and the organisation lacking, but it was the first step towards a new normal. The new government elected was majority the new Royalist Party with the Prime Minister being named as former Cleveland Police Officer Ray Mallon. Under proposals by the new government the name of the area reverted to its ancient name of Cleveland and would become a constitutional parliamentary kingdom, though the throne would remain vacant for the time being, with Middlesbrough named as the capital. Its new motto was incorporated as Resurgemus, Latin for 'We shall rise again'. The lords, the secondary chamber to power would be comprised of men selected by the prime minister in proportion to votes tallied by the respective parties. This was the precursor to the Lord's Elect system of the modern parliament.

The census also brought the non-irradiated parts of the former counties of North Yorkshire and Durham into the Kingdom of Cleveland. The population stood at 104,271. With an approximated 735,000 deaths from radioactivity, starvation, social unrest, disease and general accidents.

In 1996, it was decided that as much of the surrounding radioactive landscape on the moors where a bomb had formed Lake Rose would be bulldozed into the half filled crater to remove as much radioactivity from the surrounding environment, approximately 4500 metric tonnes of material (The top 4-5 feet of soil and any surviving vegetation from within half a mile of the crater) was disposed of into the crater filling it to within 30 feet of the expected water surface. Lake Rose began draining down Westerdale to the North Sea at Whitby in 1998, the water flowing from the crater was found to be slightly radioactive and in order to reduce the radioactivity in Whitby, a dam was placed in Westerdale in 1999 and when the water was one meter deep it was planted with water reeds as these are known to absorb chemicals, particles and other pollutants. The works at Lake Rose had angered concerned citizens in the region who had been spared the worst of the bombs but now would see their land poisoned by radiation. The people involved would later form the North Yorkshire Preservation Society, a precursor to the modern Yorkshire Green Party.

In 1999 many of the coal mines in Durham reopened as public ventures by the government, coal production restarted in early 2000 and by 2002 are producing 50,000 tonnes of coal per year.

A fire in the terraces of North Ormesby, one of the older parts of Middlesbrough razed many of the overcrowded slum like houses to the ground. The death toll of this tragedy was not calculable due to the sever overcrowding in the old Victorian terraces. This tragedy would lead to regulatory reform in the city of Middlesbrough, the government would allow those who were to provide military service, to instead spend six month of their required service in the construction sector, providing modern housing for the residents of the city.

A New Millenium[]

To celebrate the new millennium a group of ship builders from Dormanstown began work on an exact replica of HMS Bark Endeavour, the ship of famous local Captain James Cook. Their intention was to sail from Whitby, North Yorkshire to Sydney, Australia once the ship was sea-worthy in 2010.

In 2001 the government of Cleveland announced that the old Victorian street houses in the centre of Middlesbrough, particularly Gresham and North Ormesby wards would be progressively demolished and families resettled to renovated semi-detached houses in newer areas of the town following the inquest after the fire that killed many in North Ormesby. In the areas cleared new residences will be built alongside public buildings.

Studies taken in 2004 showed that the reeds had stopped 98% of the radiation downstream and were judged a success. Studies of Lake Rose have shown that within the last ten years the radiation has begun to be locked into a peaty silt that is building up in the bottom of the lake, it is hoped that within another 10 years the amount of radioactivity in the surrounding landscape will return to 'safe' levels and the area will be reintegrated in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.

The 2000s saw the extension of the borders to incorporate more of Yorkshire including the ruined city of York, and the incorporation of Cumbrian territories in Westmoreland and Furness.

2005 saw the second census and consolidation of parliament. The election this year returned another Royalist majority, though the appetite for change was starting to swell as people had seen the Royalist Party to be quite liberal with the public purse.

League of Nations Membership[]

Queen Anne II and Prime Minster Mallon of the Kingdom of Cleveland as well as King George I of Northumbria send a message to the Tongan King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV Secretary General of the League of Nations asking for admittance as a joint country due to their future unification after the accession of Crown Princess Zara of Cleveland and Crown Prince George of Northumbria.

DD10[]

In June 2010 a third warhead was found. The unexploded 100 kiloton warhead had cracked open on impact and was located in thick woodland close to the village of Hamsterley near Bishop Auckland. The leaking radioactive material killed the three teenagers who had discovered it while on a camping trip. (They had picked up the metal radioactive core and brought it into their campsite.) The warhead was removed and secured safely in a double lead lined sarcophagus for subsequent disposal.

Assisting Newolland in Lincolnshire[]

On the 3rd of June 2011 an agreement was made with the Newolland government and with the assistance of the other OBN nations, two Battalions of Cleveland Territorial Army (Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) and the Blues - approximately 600 troops) have been stationed on the south side of the River Humber in former North Lincolnshire, they assisted the repair teams from Cleveland Railway working on the connecting rail lines between Cleveland and Newolland. The operation has been given the code name Operation Hearts and Minds

They will also assist in any repairs to road and foot bridges in the area as well as setting up diplomatic links between the OBN and the locals.

Three patrol boats from the Royal Cleveland Navy (RCN) have been temporarily transferred to the Humber to assist with exploration of the Humber coastline and any other navigable rivers in the area. Each patrol boat will carry 25 Durham Light Infantry troops.

After discussions with the government of Newolland (who claims the area) any areas suitable for hydro-electric plants and places for wind turbines will be surveyed and after reporting to the government of Newolland will be constructed and connected to a new electrical grid.

In December 2011 all remaining Cleveish troops were withdrawn from this area, they handed all military control over to Newolland.

After the Lincolnshire Infrastructure project the South Yorkshire towns of Worksop, Maltby and Retford voted to become part of Newolland instead of Cleveish towns, mainly as they are closer to Newolland than Cleveland.

War with Ur Alba[]

Main article : The Ur Alba War

A final death totals and injuries have been announced for the Royal Cleveland Territorial Army, there were 27 fatalities and 184 injuries.

2013

  • Production to begin on the new oil and gas rigs.
  • The new rail line to Liverpool will be extended along the north Welsh coast.

2015

  • Three new coal fired power stations to come online.
  • Next General Census and General Election.

Coronation of Queen Zara[]

The coronation of Queen Zara takes place at Ripon Cathedral on the 15th January 2011. The former Queen Anne II entered the Cathedral wearing the crown that was given to her on her coronation day in 1995. At the point of coronation the Bishop of Durham removed the crown from the head of Queen Anne II, passed the crown the Bishop of York who then placed the crown on the head of Queen Zara. The new queen then proceeded with the investiture oath:

  • The Bishop of York: "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the Kingdom of Cleveland according to their respective laws and customs?"
  • Queen Zara: "I solemnly promise so to do."
  • The Bishop of Durham: "Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?"
  • Queen Zara: "I will."
  • The Bishop of York: "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the Kingdom of Cleveland, the Reformed Christian Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement of the Church of Albion, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in Cleveland? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of the Kingdom of Cleveland, and to the churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?"
  • Queen Zara: "All this I promise to do. The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God."

At this point Queen Zara is anointed with Holy oil imported from Israel, given the royal sceptre and an ermine robe. She then stood and made her way outside the Cathedral to greet her new subjects.

The entire Coronation is shown live on the new CBC channel on Television, apart from the anointing part of the ceremony.

DD20[]

Demographics[]

Culture, Language, Religion, Education etc.[]

Media[]

TV[]

In early 2011 the CBC channel begins test broadcasts, the first major broadcast is the Coronation of Queen Zara on the 15th January 2011.

The channel broadcasts 9 AM to 7 PM, there are three news broadcasts at 9 AM, 12 Noon and 6 PM. Many programmes are old pre-Doomsday sitcoms, soaps and general information who's tapes had survived DD in the former BBC vaults in Middlesbrough.

Production of a new sitcom based in Middlesbrough to be shown once a week began in early February 2011 with it expected on TV in mid March, it has been called 'Steel River Blues' and a soap based in the Yorkshire Dales which will be a follow on from the Pre-DD 'Emmerdale farm' it will be called simply 'Emmerdale' to be shown twice a week on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

Radio[]

Radio is the major form of mass media in the Kingdom of Cleveland with three national stations:

  • 98.1FM - Radio 1, mainly music from post doomsday
  • 100.7FM - Century Radio, music from pre-doomsday
  • 89.2FM - Radio Cleveland, music, discussions, phone in's etc.

There are several local radio stations

  • Yorkshire Radio - inland Yorkshire
  • TFM - Tees valley Radio station
  • Highlands Radio - covering the high ground of the Pennines
  • Durham Radio - Covering the areas in County Durham.
  • Yorkshire Coast Radio - Covering the coast from the Humber to the Tees

Newspapers[]

There are many newspapers in the Kingdom of Cleveland, many are locally produced papers for individual towns and villages. However, there are some national papers:

  • Evening Gazette, daily (not Sunday) three different publications, Central Tees Valley, Yorkshire, and Durham
  • Northern Echo, daily (not Sunday)
  • The Times (originally the Stockton and Darlington Times but expanded to countrywide)

Society and Politics[]

Home[]

Parliament[]

The Parliament of the Kingdom of Cleveland is based on the former United Kingdom Parliament. The Cleveland Parliament currently has 40 Members of Parliament, each member takes the title Most Honourable and takes the letters MP (For Members of Parliament) after their name.

Usually the leader of the political party with the largest representation in Parliament becomes the Prime Minster or the PM. However, currently the government of Cleveland is led by a Royalist/Conservative coalition.

The current Prime Minister is James McCartney (the leader of the Conservative Party) who took the role of Prime Minister when former Prime Minister Ray Mallon died of a heart attack in February 2012. New general elections will be held in June 2012.

There are currently five main political parties in the Kingdom of Cleveland and after the General Election in East Yorkshire the Parliament of Cleveland is as follows:

  • Royalists - led by Harry Jackman MP, currently main governmental party. - 14 seats
  • Labour Party - led by Jenny Chapman MP, current opposition party. - 14 seats
  • Conservatives (also known as Tory Party)- led by Prime Minister Jason McCartney. - 8 seats
  • Liberal Democrats - led by Ian Swales MP - 1 seat
  • Green Party - led by Helen Hodgson. - 1 seat
  • There are two independent Parliamentarians

The next General Election in Cleveland was due in 2015. However, due to the death of Prime Minister Mallon, elections will be held on 22nd June 2012.

Councils[]

The Kingdom of Cleveland is split into several separate councils that run the day to day business of the Kingdom, these are:

  • Middlesbrough Council
  • North Tees Council - Stockton, Thornaby and Billingham, though there are talks of separating Stockton from the other suburbs.
  • Redcar and East Cleveland Council
  • Darlington Council
  • North Yorkshire Council
  • Yorkshire Coast Council
  • East Yorkshire Council
  • Durham and Sedgefield Council
  • West and South Hartlepool Council
  • Holderness Council - Coastal East Yorkshire
  • Humberside Council - Inland East Yorkshire

Councils run the cleaning of the streets, bin collection, recycling, maintenance of minor roads, parks (shrubs, trees, cutting grassed areas, etc), and street lighting.

Public Holidays[]

from 1st January 2010 all public holidays are shared with the Kingdom of Northumbria.

  • 1st January - New Years Day.
  • 20th March - Saint Cuthbert's day - Patron saint of Northumbria.
  • Good Friday.
  • Easter Monday.
  • May Bank Holiday - 1st Monday and Tuesday in May.
  • Summer Holiday - 1st Monday and Tuesday in July.
  • Late Summer Bank Holiday - last Monday and Tuesday in August.
  • 26th September - Doomsday Memorial day.
  • 31st October - All Hallows Eve.
  • 17th November - Saint Hilda's day - Patron saint of Cleveland.
  • Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The Government of Cleveland pays for free train journeys to Blackpool in the Duchy of Lancaster, the Yorkshire Dales and the Yorkshire Coast (particularly Scarborough and Whitby) during the May Bank Holiday, Summer Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday. Tickets are distributed by prior application.

During the public holidays there are two trains per day running to Blackpool via the Yorkshire Dales town of Skipton and three trains a day running to Scarborough and Whitby.

There are also plans that with the opening of the Lincolnshire Coastal Railway that travel to the Newolland east coast resort of Skegness, the plans will run along the same lines at the Blackpool trains, it is hoped that train journeys will begin for the late summer holiday of 2012.

Law and Order[]

Capital punishment[]

New laws were brought into effect after the elections in 1995, the death penalty was reintroduced in Cleveland for murder, paedophilia, rape, treason and armed theft. The method of death was introduced as long drop hanging. Life term prison sentences were increased from the average pre-DD UK term of 15-20 years to life being 99 years.

Hard labour for life prison inmates in introduced in 2000, hard labour consist of road building, laying of railway lines, land clearing, mining, tree planting in exclusion zones and demolition works. In 2005 the death penalty was rescinded for rape, treason and armed theft, the sentence will now be life in prison with hard labour. In 2007 the death penalty for paedophilia is rescinded with the sentence now chemical castration followed by life with hard labour. As of 2011, murder is the only criminal conviction that can have the death sentence, in order for the death penalty to given there has to be a unanimous verdict of guilty from all 11 jurors, otherwise the sentence is life with hard labour.

Corporal punishment[]

In 2004 new laws were introduced, for minor law breaking such as mugging, burglary, general theft, assault, drunk and disorderly and general public disorder the punishment was between 12 and 48 hours in stocks (in six hour stints).

The stocks set up alongside the main shopping street of Linthorpe Road outside the former parliament building in Middlesbrough in Victoria Square. The stocks are set up so that the prisoner is seated on a wooden bench (they can pay extra, about five pounds, for a cushion - money goes to a local orphanage) and his or her feet are secured at the ankles. Above the stocks are a small roof (mainly to keep the rain off the prisoner) and from the roof hangs a banner showing the name and crime of the person in the stocks.

In total there are four stocks and only once have they all been filled at the same time, this was in 2002 after Middlesbrough FC had beaten Darlington FC 6-0 and all four people in the stocks had been arrested for drunk and disorderly offenses. In late 2011 three new sets of stocks were set up in Ripon, Scarborough and Beverley.

Penal system[]

Originally there were two small prisons in Cleveland (one in Yarm and one in Guisborough). However, they were mainly used for holding before sentencing or before the death penalty is undertaken. As well as the stocks there is also the option of community service, ranging from 20 hours to 1500 hours, it is to be served building new railways, working on state owned farmland, working in the coal mines or working at a local recycling centre sifting incoming rubbish. The sentences are served at a maximum of eight hours per day, six days a week, at that rate the maximum sentence (1500 hours) would take 31 weeks to finish. In 2010 a new prison was built in Sedgefield, it can hold 150 prisoners, once opened the two existing prisons closed.

Marriage laws[]

On 22nd December 1996 a governmental decree states that the age for marriage in the Kingdom of Cleveland has, firstly, been raised from 16 (with parental permission) to 18, this is mainly due to the number of children who had lost both parents before the age of 16, and that secondly, that marriage by law was between two adults.

Drinking laws[]

The age of legal drinking across Cleveland is 18. However, the licencing laws denote that it is up to the publican to decide the minimum age (it cannot be below 18), many publicans who serve local moonshine Poi-chin make the minimum age for drinking it 25 due to its renowned intoxicating capacities.

Driving laws[]

For motorised vehicles the ages of driving is 17. However, due to the almost total lack of motorised vehicles the driving age for non-motorised vehicles such as horse and carts has been reduced from 17 to 14.

Military[]

Army[]

The Army of the Kingdom of Cleveland consists of:

Full time Army[]

  • A full time cavalry regiment of 50 soldiers riding Cleveland Bay/Thoroughbred cross horses (based at Ormesby Hall) mainly tasked with protecting the Queen, Royal family and Parliament.
  • Two regiments of riflemen consisting of 500 soldiers, using jeeps and land rover 4x4's.
  • A company of 500 Marines.
  • 200 Royal Engineers
  • 150 Special Forces (SAS and SBS)

Part Time Army[]

The Royal Cleveland Territorial Army or TA - every member of the population of Cleveland (as long as they a physically capable) between the ages of 18 and 50 serve one year in the Royal Cleveland Territorial Army, they are trained in basic hand to hand combat as well as target shooting and bomb construction, they remain part of the military and have to undertake five weeks of training per year. It is estimated that in late 2010 there are approximately 98,000 serving Clevelanders in the TA.

The TA is divided into ten Regiments, these take their names from former British Regiments

  • The Royal Green Jackets
  • The Green Howards
  • The Blues and Royals
  • The Life Guards
  • The Durham Light Infantry
  • The Dragoon Guards
  • The Queens Own Hussars
  • Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • The Grenadier Guards

Each Regiment contain 900 men divided into three Battalions.

In April 2011 three Regiments (The Royal Green Jackets, The Durham Light Infantry and The Green Howards - 2100 personnel) were mobilised and moved north to help protect the Northumbrian - Ur Alba border

Royal Cleveland Navy[]

Although the Royal Cleveland Navy of the Kingdom of Cleveland is small it is in the process of being expanded due to the expanding merchant navy. At present it is made of small merchant vessels, patrol boats and fishing vessels that have been armed with small guns (4 inch) and have been partially armoured. The Royal Cleveland Navy (RCN) currently has 500 men serving.

In late 2009 it was announced that five new vessels will be built specifically for the RCN, these will be built along the lines of HMS Warrior (originally commissioned 1860) which was being renovated in Hartlepool on DD. It is of an ironclad design and have a modern steam turbine powered engines with a back up of three masts and sails. On the new vessels the steam engines and weaponry have been upgraded, they are expected to be called:

  • HMS Tees - completed January 2011, Sea trials abandoned early due to need to blockade Ur Alba ports during the Ur Alba War. Sea trials finally completed on 6th June 2011. Entered service 23rd August 2011
  • HMS Durham - Completed September 2011, Sea trials completed 21st September 2011. Entered service 2nd October 2011.
  • HMS Cleveland - expected completion date, mid 2012.
  • HMS York,- expected completion date of late 2012.
  • HMS Northumbia.

There are also 200 men in the Royal Navy Reserve, it is similar the the TA in its serving terms.

They work in old fishing vessels and converted private yachts.

Royal Air Force[]

The Royal Air Force (RAF) of small helicopter and single engine planes based at the Queen Anne II International airport, formally Teesside International Airport, fuelled by bio-fuel, they fly infrequently and plans are in force to acquire new planes and helicopters from the Nordic Union and Celtic Alliance in 2012.

Orders have been placed with the Nordic Union for:

  • 10 Saab 37 Viggen aircraft with eight being ground attack/fighters combination and two being reconnaissance with delivery dates of 2012 to 2013.
  • 5 Saab 39 Gripen multi-role fighters with a delivery date of 2014.

Orders have been placed with the Celtic Alliance for:

  • 5 Gazelle helicopters
  • 2 Sea King, air/sea rescue helicopters, orders have also been made for spare parts to the two existing Sea Kings owned by the Kingdom of Northumbria. Once fixed they will be flown to Wexford for total strip down and overhaul.
  • 4 SF.260 trainer aircraft
  • 4 UH-1 'Huey' helicopter to be fitted as Air Ambulance's - one for Kingdom of Northumbria, one for County Durham and the main Tees Valley, one for North Yorkshire and one for South and East Yorkshire.

All are expected to be delivered between 2013 and 2017.

Climate[]

Before DD the general climate of Cleveland was relatively mild with an average summer temperature of 18 Celsius with heatwaves of 30 Celsius, and average winter temperature of 5 Celsius with some cold snaps of minus 5 Celsius. Snowfall was rare with only two to four inches on average per year.

After DD it took several years for the new global climate to settle in. In the last ten years the average summer temperature has risen slightly to 20 Celsius with heatwaves above 35 Celsius. During winter, however, the temperature now drops to an average of minus 10 Celsius and cold snaps below minus 15 Celsius. Snowfall now averages two to three feet per year, although it is rare for all three feet to fall at the same time.

Cleveland Wildlife Trust[]

10th November 2010

The governments of Cleveland and Northumbria jointly announce that the area between the Tyne and the Wear will be turned into the first new National Park. It will be known as the Tyne and Wear National Park and will be approximately 150 square miles in size. Its borders will run from the coast at Seaton Sluice west along the old A190 to the A19 to Seaton Burn, then west to Ponteland, south the Heddon on the Wall across the Tyne to Stanley, east to Chester le street, Houghton le Spring and eastward to the coast at Seaham. The area within those borders will be left to return to nature, there are currently approximately 150 people living in the new national park, these people will not be asked to leave. However, no new people will be allowed to move to the area for the foreseeable future (except for close family members) and no new buildings will be allowed within the park, the exception being replacement to any existing building or to increase productivity of farming of existing residents.

23rd March 2011

Plans have been announced to expand the number of native species in the country by adding in the species made extinct in the recent past. To do this the Albion Wildlife Trust has plans to reintroduce the European beaver, European elk, Red Deer, and European Bison in the near future to the Tyne and Wear National Park.

  • The first five families groups of European beaver from the Nordic Union were released into the Tyne and Wear national park in July 2011, at the same time 200 red deer from Celtic Alliance controlled Scotland were released.
  • 25 European Bison (Wisent) and 25 Konik horses, five males and 20 females of each species (they will be divided into five family groups) from the Białowieża Forest in East Poland arrived in Cleveland in January 2012, they will be health checked and released into the national park in early summer.
  • 30 European Elk (moose) arrived from the Nordic Union in April 2012, they will undergo health checks and will be released in summer 2012.

22nd July 2011

Construction has begun on a Doomsday memorial within the Tyne and Wear National Park, it is expected to be completed in time for the 30th anniversary of DD in 2013.

The mass graves dug after DD, near the town of Sedgefield will be exhumed, the bodies will be identified if possible and each will be buried separately, there are thought to be over 30,000 bodies buried in the mass graves.

Infrastructure[]

Trade[]

The main exports of the Kingdom of Cleveland are as follows:

  • Potash - used for fertilizer for crops.
  • Wool.
  • Coal
  • Iron and steel.
  • Electric wind generators.

Trade route have been set up across land

  • North - by rail, to Northumbria and by 2011 the Celtic Alliance (Glasgow).
  • West - by road as far as the lowlands of the Pennines, and by rail to Lancaster, Liverpool in the Celtic Alliance and the west coast.
  • South - rail to the former NRCO towns and East Yorkshire (by 2012) and by sea along the east coast to Woodbridge, Essex and Newolland.

Trade routes by sea

  • Worldwide - East Caribbean Federation, Prussia, The Nordic Union, The Celtic Alliance, and Canada plans are underway to begin trading with Gallician Republic, Basque Republic and the Western coast of former France

The single largest trade organisation in Cleveland is The Singleton Clan who's headquarters is in Scarborough.

The steel works at Redcar came fully back online in August 2008, in 2008 it began making rail lines for the Cleveland railway system as well as for export to Lancaster. In May 2010 it began to make sheet steel for a new shipyard based on the south bank of the Tees that has began to build a new type of cargo ships based on WW2 Liberty ships.

In 2010, Prime Minister Mallon announces that trade relations have been established with the East Caribbean Federation, Cleveland is hoping to start importing more tropical items such as pineapples, banana's, sugar and cotton in exchange for coal, steel, and electric wind generators. Cleveland hopes to use newly developed clipper type ships which will do the journey across the north Atlantic and around northern Scotland to the main port at Hartlepool in roughly 12 days. Due to the extreme rarity of these items they are expensive and are usually only bought by higher paid citizens of Cleveland.

Currency[]

Between Doomsday and 1999 the Kingdom of Cleveland continued to use the old UK Pound Stirling, after the new government of Cleveland was introduced in 1995 tenders were sent out to designers for the design of the new currency.

The new Cleveland Pound was introduced in 1997 and was used in conjunction with the old Pound Stirling coinage (with a £1 Stirling = £1 Cleveland) until 1999 when the old coinage and notes were removed from circulation.

The currency of the Kingdom of Cleveland is the Pound (£), this is divided into 10 shillings (S) and each shilling is worth 10 pence (P) (therefore 100 pence to the pound)

The Pound is fixed to the price of gold, with each Pound coin is made of 9 carat gold at the weight of 0.5 gram.

The coinage in Cleveland is:

  • 1 Pound coin - gold, commonly called - Quid, Pound or Crown
  • 50 pence or 5 shilling coin - made of silver, commonly called a Half Crown
  • 20 pence or 2 shilling coin - silver coloured, commonly called a Doubleflorin or Duo.
  • 10 pence or 1 shilling coin - silver coloured, commonly called a Florin
  • 5 pence coin - copper, commonly called a copper shilling or half shilling
  • 2 pence coin - copper, commonly called a tuppence.
  • 1 pence coin - copper, commonly called a Penny

There are also two paper notes produced in the mint located in Darlington these are:

  • £10 note
  • £5 note

The notes designs feature the Queen's face on one side of the note with the Cleveland flag in the background. The reverse side changes every ten years to stop forgery. Currently the 10 Pound note has George Stephenson on the back and the 5 Pound note has Captain James Cook on the reverse.

In 2011 with the accession of Queen Zara to the throne the currency of Cleveland will change its 'heads' side to show a portrait of the new Queen, the portrait will be facing to the left (where as the portrait of Queen Anne II was facing to the right). The currency showing Queen Anne II will be withdrawn from circulation in 2015. The first of the 'new Zara' coins and notes will begin to enter circulation in March 2011.

In early 2012 in was announced that a new £20 note will be launched in September 2012, it will have Queen Zara's face on one side and a picture of the four Bronte siblings (Anne, Branwell, Charlotte and Emily.)

See Also[]

History of Cleveland 1984 to 2005

News: 2010 - 11

Personal Testimonies

Current situation - Kingdom of Cleveland

Royalty in the Kingdom of Cleveland (1983: Doomsday)

Kingdom of Cleveland: Expeditions

Religion[]

Like many places after Doomsday many people turned towards religion as a way of understanding what had happened. However over the following years many began turning away from organised religion and returning to more ancient religious forms

Christianity[]

Anglican[]

The Anglican Church which had its base locally in York survived well due the the Bishop of Durham Stuart Blanch and the Archbishop of York John Habgood surviving as they were in retreat together discussing the accession of Stuart Blanch to become the new Archbishop of York which was planned to happen in early October 1983.

Catholic[]

The Catholic Church, however, was hit hard, with no contact from the British base in Westminster and with the assumption that the Holy See in Rome had been destroyed the church began to crumble and by 1985 it had fallen into almost total collapse with only a few small churches still functioning.

Other Denominations[]

Others such as the Methodists and Baptists also fared badly, as locally there had been no major administration bases in the area.


First Conclave of the United Churches

By 1999 all the leaders of the Christian Churches meet in a conclave to discuss the future of the Christian Church in Cleveland, it is decided that it will be best for the churches to unify under one name. They decide to take the name of the Church of Albion from the works of the Venerable Bede Historica Ecclesiasica Gentis Anglorum roughly translated as the history of the church in England (Albion) written in 731AD, it was decided to take this name as in 731 AD there were no Anglican, Methodist or Baptist churches, only Catholic.

Several things were decided in the first conclave,

  • The day-to-day workings of the church will be based on the Catholic masses. However, they will be simplified and be taken in English and not Latin.
  • Women will be allowed to be become priests and bishops (not Archbishops)
  • Celibacy will be discontinued.

2005 - Second Conclave

In 2005 the Church of Albion decides to make links with the newly discovered Celtic Church in the Celtic Alliance.

It will also approach the churches still existing in Northumbria with the hopes of joining together to make a stronger church.

2010 Conclave - Third Conclave

Several things are discussed during this conclave, Durham Cathedral will be repaired and returned to it's pre-DD state it is also decided to approach the Celtic Church in hopes of unification of the Churches by 2020.

The Celtic Church has asked to build a new abbey on the site of former St Hildas Church in Hartlepool. It will hold 20 monks and 20 nuns as well as lay brothers and have a church for the general public to use. It is expected that building will begin in 2012 and will be completed by 2020 in time for the unification of the churches.


Islam[]

Although the total population of Muslims in Cleveland is relatively low (less than 1000) there is a large population in central Middlesbrough, it is known locally as little Mecca. There are currently two main Mosques in Middlesbrough.

Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism[]

Like Islam there are small pockets of Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and Buddhists spread throughout the borders of the Capital, Middlesbrough.

However the numbers are low and the population of Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists are decreasing every census, it has been noted that if this decrease continues at this level there will be no Jews or Buddhists in Cleveland by 2020 and no Sikhs in Cleveland by 2035.

Paganism[]

After Doomsday many people turned away from the major organised religions and the destruction of doomsday and returned to a more harmonious nature based form of religion. This was more prevalent in the countryside in North and West Yorkshire. One of the first major pagan religious groups to become well established was the Wicca, these worship mother earth and other nature deities, many others groups were set up by former hippies in remote farming communities.

In 2007 a major gathering of Pagan groups took place in Whitby, at that gathering it was decided that the desperate groups should join together to become more organised, they would be known as the United Reformed Paganism Movement (URPM)


As of the most recent census the religious demographic is as follows:

  • Christian - 45%
  • Paganism (many forms, mainly URPM) - 10%
  • Muslim - 8%
  • Hindu - 2%
  • Jewish - 0.8%
  • Sikh - 0.5%
  • Buddhist - 0.2%
  • Atheist/Non-believer - 33.5%

Language[]

Since DD Cleveland has been separated from the rest of the world, as such the Teesside dialect has evolved into a separate version of English known locally as Cleveish.

Many influences from local ethnic minorities such as Hindu, Urdu, Chinese, Bangladeshi, and Arabic. An example of this new language is below (with translation):

Cleveish "Whodder y'men like y'canna't understan yan? There aint nowt wrong with 'ow thee talk. Youse lot just 'aven't been 'ere long enough, nutther kupola months an y'll be yakking like the resta yan!"

Translation - "What do you mean you cannot understand me? There is nothing wrong with how we talk. you lot haven't been here long enough, another couple of months and you will all talking like the rest of us!"

Cleveish words

  • Tax - to take without owners knowledge
  • Felted - to hide
  • Fettle - to fix something
  • Sneck - lock for a door or gate.
  • Sneckleway - gated alleyway.
  • Claggy/Klarty - mess or sticky substance, often used about mud. Claggy is more localised to Middlesbrough and surrounding area and clarty is more rural.
  • Crogg - an apple stolen during an orchard raid, also know as Oggy Raiding.
  • Cleg - large biting flies found on the moors
  • Fadgie - bread bun.
  • Stixs - The countryside, as in 'to live in out the stixs'
  • MAMBA - Acronym used to describe the moors, translates as (M)iles (A)nd (M)iles of (B)ugger (A)ll.

There are also lots of local names for various peoples around Cleveland

  • Smoggies - people of Middlesbrough (due to the smog from the industrial works)
  • Scaly backs - people from Redcar and other ports
  • Woolly backs - people from Cleveland hills and lower Yorkshire Moors.
  • Tykes - people from West and South Yorkshire.
  • Monkey Hangers - people from Hartlepool (due to an old local legend).
  • Poolies - also people from Hartlepool (less offensive then 'Monkey Hanger' and more likely to be used by Hartlepool residents themselves).
  • Pit Yakkers - miners and anyone from a mining town.
  • Farm Yakkers - People from Yorkshire - farmers and farm workers. Also used more generally to mean something along the lines of 'country bumpkin'.
  • Townies - people from towns and villages, not the countryside.
  • Sand scratchers - people from Redcar (probably due to people from that area raking sea coal off the beach).
  • Cod heads - people from North Yorkshire fishing ports.

Services[]

Water[]

Water in Cleveland comes from various sources, water for the mains supply in Middlesbrough, Darlington, Stockton and surrounding areas is supplied from Cow Green Reservoir on the upper Tees. Many smaller settlements take their water from wells and small streams.

Electricity supply[]

There are several coal electric power stations working throughout the Kingdom

In early 2002 it is discovered that Hartlepool Nuclear power station has started to become dangerous and it decided that it should be shut down and replaced by 2006. Prime minster Mallon makes an executive order that the power station shall be replaced with a small coal powered station in Durham near the new coal mines and a waste to energy plant (by burning rubbish) on the outskirts of Middlesbrough as well as numerous wind turbines on the local Pennine, Eston and Cleveland hills as well as hydroelectric plants on rivers across the kingdom.

On 23rd July 2006 Prime minster Mallon announces that renewable power generators (wind and hydro-electric) will be built across the former NRCO territories, these will begin generating power by early October 2009 and the NRCO will be 90% powered by mid 2010.

Gas[]

In 2000 a new coal gas plant is set up in the former county Durham using coal from existing and reopened coal mines in the area.

This gas is piped along the former natural gas pipelines into many homes and businesses in Cleveland.

With the new oil and gas platforms being built in Cleveland it is hoped that there will be an increase in natural gas for the usage of the population by 2015.

Sport[]

See main article :Sport in Cleveland

Education[]

Education in Cleveland is mandatory from the age of five until the age of 14. After the age of 14 children can leave full time education to take up a trained apprenticeship or continue in education until the age of 16 when they take the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) exams.

G.C.E. exams are a choice of four from the list of the following, either Science, English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Geography, World History, Irish/Scottish Language, and Metalwork/Woodwork.

Further Education[]

Further education takes place from the age of 16 to 18, students choose two subjects to continue from G.C.E. level (providing they passed the exams with a appropriate level) at the end of which the students take the A -level exams.

After the age of 18 student can continue to Higher Education at one of the local Universities to study a variety of subjects.

Discovery by the Celtic Alliance[]

In 1997, during a fishing trip from off the east coast of Yorkshire a small Scottish trawler comes across a cobble (small open fishing boat) longline fishing.

The two crews make contact and after visiting the mainland they return to Scotland, setting up trade routes between the Kingdom of Cleveland and the Celtic Alliance.

The Queen Anne International airport (former Teesside International) has been adapted for use as a medical staging points. However, Prime Minister Mallon refuses to allow an end cycle center as he believes that every life is important.

The Kingdom of Cleveland is due to vote on a referendum on becoming part of the Celtic Alliance in mid 2010. However, popular opinion is that the Kingdom of Cleveland will remain independent.

The date for the referendum on joining the Celtic Alliance has been announced. On May 21st, 2010, the vote will take place, the results will be announced on the 28th May 2010.

28th May 2010

At 10 AM the results of the referendum on the Kingdom of Cleveland joining the Celtic Alliance. The vote was as follows:

  • Yes - 17%
  • No - 83%

the voter turn out was 78%.

Prime Minster Mallon makes a statement at 11 AM, that the people of Cleveland had spoken, but just because the vote had been no, that trade relations were just as good as before the referendum.

International relations[]

The Kingdom of Cleveland is a member of the League of Nations.

Trade routes have been set up with Newolland, Woodbridge, Celtic Alliance, Duchy of Lancaster, Kingdom of Northumbria, Southern England and Essex.

From the 14th November 2010, the Kingdom of Cleveland (along with the Kingdom of Northumbria) became members of the Organisation of British Nations

See also[]


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