The noted Yorkshire flatulist Obson Croggy (pictured above) demonstrates a somewhat exaggerated example of his county’s traditional farting posture, popularly known as a “Bingley Cry”.
According to Mr Croggy, a renowned West Riding expert in matters pertaining to farting, a slight lifting of the left leg is all that is is required to satisfactorily initiate the release of flatus in the accepted Yorkshire manner.
A lean to one side is commonly added to the movement, but this is seen as an affectation imported from the south of the country and is not formally required to complete the action.
Observers will note that in neighbouring Lancashire it is the right leg that is lifted, again slightly, whenever a fart is released.
Farting in Yorkshire posture explained
Mr Croggy believes that the differences in postures demonstrated by farters from the two counties have their origins in the fifteenth century Wars of the Roses, which were fought to establish which royal household would eventually step up to the throne of England.
“Habitually, the House of York stepped up to the throne left leg first, whereas members of the House of Lancaster favoured putting the right one in. These are the essential differences between “guffing” in Yorkshire and letting one off in Lancashire.
“The argument over whether the left leg or the right leg should be put in raged throughout the 30 years of the conflict and became known as the ‘Hokey Cokey’, the term eventually being seen as a metaphor for the conflict. Today we see its legacy in the differential leg-lifting frequently accompanying flatulence across the two counties. My theory is that the past lingers on and one movement is a resounding symbol of Yorkist triumph and the other is one of Lancastrian defiance,” said Mr Croggy.