A Yellowbelly is a native-born resident of Copthorne, West Sussex, England. The origin of this nickname is uncertain, but a number of explanations have been offered. These include:

  • The men of Copthorne used to smelt iron and make charcoal in the woods around the village, stripped to the waist, and their bellies turned yellow in the smoke;[1]
  • Copthorne Rovers, a local soccer club, was known as the Yellow Bellies, and the nickname was then applied to the whole community;[1]
  • Bellies became yellow while crawling through fields of buttercups to poach game;[1]
  • In a local iron quarry, the men became covered in yellow dust;[1]
  • The gypsies on the common placed a gold sovereign on the belly buttons of their new-born children;[1]
  • The early Saxons living in this area used yellow ochre, found in the local clay, to colour the walls of their homes;[1]
  • An outsider wishing to marry a Copthorne girl had to cross their prospective bride's belly with gold sovereigns;[1]
  • The old villagers wore gold strapped to their bellies[1]
  • A scurrilous story was spread by the residents of the neighbouring village of Crawley Down about urination habits in Copthorne;[1] and
  • Local smugglers would run away if they thought they were likely to be caught.[1]

The Crooked Brook Beer Company Limited, a brewery in Copthorne, was known until 2014 as the Yellowbelly Brewery.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Joy Day, "Traditions and Characters" in Copthorne: the story so far (Copthorne Village Millennium Group, 1999)
  2. ↑ Crooked Brook Beer Company Limited, copthorne.cylex-uk.co.uk, accessed 14 August 2022
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