One UK city is technically owned by Scotland despite being 150 miles away.
Doncaster was handed to Scotland by King Stephen during the 12th century as part of the Treaty of Durham in return for Wark, Alnwick, Norham and Newcastle.
As part of the deal, Scotland’s King David I also got parts of Cumberland and Lancashire.
Of course, this has not been recognised in the modern era, with the distance between Doncaster and Scotland making for a number of logistical issues.
But some living in the Yorkshire city once set up a petition in a bid to be officially recognised as part of Scotland.
A petition set up in October 2020 was rejected by Parliament as it said it was “not clear what the petition is asking the UK government or Parliament to do”.
The petition read: “Allow the population of Doncaster a choice of nationality or dual nationality and therefore a choice in passport.
“Doncaster was given to Scotland during the 12th century. It was never officially reclaimed by England, making the area legally still part of Scotland.
“Allow the people of Doncaster to have a choice in their future.”
The petition was launched despite both English and Scottish people holding the same UK passport.
When being rejected by Parliament, the Government said its Scottish counterpart would have to give consent if Doncaster was to become officially Scottish.
It said: “Petitions need to call on the Government or House of Commons to take a specific action.
“Your petition refers to giving citizens of Doncaster a right to choose their nationality or passport, but citizens of England and Scotland are both UK citizens and have the same passports.
“We could accept a petition calling on the UK government to hold a referendum on whether Doncaster wishes to become part of Scotland, although taking over responsibility for Doncaster would also require the consent of the Scottish government.”
