Cumberland. The South begins north of Manchester.

Vivienne Halsall Burnham, Buckinghamshire

SIR – I grew up in a village a few miles north of Mansfield. In Roman times the divide between North and South was the spot on Ermine Street (now broadly the Great North Road) intersected by the River Trent. This is just north of Newark. Mansfield, Chesterfield and Matlock all lie to the north of this.

If we allow for a buffer area between North and South called the Midlands, then, linguistically, the Midlands term of endearment “duck” turns to “love” somewhat further north. Similarly a Midlands “mashing” (of tea) morphs into a northern “brew”. Mansfield is firmly in the duck and mash camp.

Either way, this region holds one of the loveliest works of art in Europe – the “M1 South” direction sign at Junction 27.

Mart Ralph

Salisbury, Wiltshire

SIR – Chesterfield (Letters, November 10) is in the East Midlands, not the North.

For travellers by train from the town, the North begins when you emerge from Bradway tunnel near Dronfield and begin the descent into Sheffield station. For drivers, it starts when you reach the roundabout at the northern end of the Dronfield bypass on the A61, at the southern edge of the built-up area of the city. The invisible boundary at Clay Cross which Alan G Barstow mentions (“Sound of the Midlands”, Letters, November 11) undoubtedly exists, but it separates north-east Derbyshire (drained by the Rother) from mid-derbyshire (drained by the Amber).

Philip Riden

Chairman, Chesterfield and District Civic Society

SIR – Some years ago, in February, my wife and I had to drive from Kidderminster to Glasgow to collect my son from hospital.

While waiting for his discharge we said to the nurse that we hoped to get off as soon as possible, as snow was predicted up North. Her response was an emphatic: “You’re nae up North here, sonny.” Everything is relative. Michael Smith

Tedburn St Mary, Devon