Dear Cecil
Julius Caesar invaded the island in 55 BCE and named it Britannia, later corrupted to Britain. Britannia extended north to Hadrian’s Wall beyond which was Caledonia, which later became Scotland. After the Anglo-Saxon invasions following the Roman withdrawal around 400 CE, Britain was split into England and the Principality of Wales. Great Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales to distinguish it from Britain, which consists only of England and Wales. Around 1919 Ireland was partitioned into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Quite a mouthful, but I suppose an improvement on the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Thanks for posting, Bryson. Here’s a link to the column in question.
The partition of Ireland with the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 created the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland as part of the UK. The Republic was not declared until 1949.
Wrong. Great Britain (“Britannia Major” in Latin) is the entire island, including Scotland. The “Great” is to distinguish it from Brittany in France (“Britannia Minor”).
Scotland was admittedly not included in the Roman province, but the name historically referred to the entire island.
He may have been the first person to use the word in Latin, but it is from a Celtic original, probably “Priteni”, “Prydain” in modern Welsh.
Now you’re talking about the Roman province of Britannia, not the island.
No, Britannia, the province.
And Cumbria and Cornwall.
I have never heard of such a definition before, and it contradicts all traditional use.
1922
No, the Irish Free State. The Republic of Ireland came later, in 1937.
No, remained.
It was never named that. It was first “The United Kingdom of Great Britain” (after 1707 and the First Act of Union), “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” (after 1801 and the Second Act of Union), or “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (after 1922 and the Anglo-Irish treaty).
In the interests of succinctness, you can probably drop the word ‘traditional’. No Brits, whatever their geographical, political or ideological background, would recognised this definition of ‘Britain’. (The Irish would love it, though 
)
As I posted above the Republic came about in 1949 not 1937. In 1937 a Constitution was adopted that furthered the divide between the South of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
While that is true, some authorities apparently maintain that the Ireland that existed between 1937 and 1949 should be regarded as the early form of the Republic of Ireland, rather than as either the late form of the Irish Free State or a tertium quid. Not being either Irish or a lawyer, I don’t personally care.