There also seems to be a fine line between being genuinely eccentric and deliberately ‘kooky’. In fact, there is nothing more horribly contrived and incredibly grating than somebody who is trying really hard to be ‘eccentric’ as opposed to genuinely being of the unconventional and quirky sort. Ironically, a true eccentric will have no idea that their behaviour is anything but totally normal. Indeed, John Jolliffe author of Eccentrics commences his book with the assertion that deliberate and/or over the top eccentricity is not of any interest to him at all:

“Eccentricity is the condition of being regulated by no central control, of being ‘irregular, odd, capricious, whimsical’. In the eyes of most of us, a little eccentricity goes a long way, and too much of it soon becomes tedious. So if an eccentric is to be a rewarding and attractive character, as opposed to a bore, he or she must exert some degree of self-discipline, or at least have some non-eccentric qualities. Moreover, if it is self-conscious, or studied, eccentricity soon becomes off-putting.”

It is certainly very interesting to think that some people hanker after being thought of as eccentric – deliberately attempting to display as many quirky idiosyncrasies as possible, like an army brigadier proudly sporting a legion of medals upon his breast.
It probably has a lot to do with the fact that British people have always tended to place heavy onus on personality and a sense of humour. Indeed, in his book Brief Lives, John Aubrey establishes in literary terms the English obsession with character and personality as the most enduring aspects of a person's legacy.

So, it seems we definitely relish the idea of being viewed as “quirky” and “different”, certainly on an individual basis, not to mention on a broad scale. Our reputation of being a nation of eccentrics is willingly filtered across the globe via many of our leading thespians, writers, fashion designers, artists and those most revered in the public eye, and our own media trumpets what an “eccentric lot” we are almost every day. And with eccentricity often standing in many people’s minds as a synonym for whimsical, charismatic and unique, who are we – the so-called nation of lovable eccentrics – to disagree?

We certainly seem to be incredibly enamored with the idea of our own eccentricity, but the interesting question is why? True eccentrics aside (who if true to form wouldn’t even be aware of being eccentric anyway) why is it that we are hugely proud of the fact that our national stamp has “eccentric” firmly engrained within its hall mark? Why do we revel in the idea of being viewed as capricious, highly distinctive and well, a bit odd?

First and foremost, our eccentricity – perceived or tangible – has long since played a pivotal role in terms of establishing and celebrating facets of our cultural identity.

Whilst tracing the development of English eccentricity throughout the years, it is imperative to consider concrete examples such as the fact that we proudly retained our autonomy and sense of national identity during both World Wars. We should also consider how it was often the little, simple things – the endless cups of tea, the queuing (and subsequent gossiping) for food rations, the obsession with our gardens large or small, tending to our allotments with military precision – that helped us cling on to feeling British despite the impenetrable threat that was closing in on our geographical and national freedom.

As it happens, these little things that we relied upon during both World Wars - although considered by some of our foreign counterparts as “quirkily English”, “twee” even - helped keep us grounded and calm in times of duress. Our wartime experience subsequently acts as one of the clearest explanations as to why we treasure our independence and qualities of individualism so much.

A further explanation as to why we feel so strongly about the rights of the individual can be traced back to the translation of the King James Bible in the 1600s. As Jeremy Paxman, author of The English explains:

“The most important consequence of the translation of the Bible was to embed in the English mind a belief in the rights of the common man. It is the fight with Church and state, first to get access to the Bible in their own language, and then to use the scriptures to establish their own relationships with one another and with authority, that we see the spirit of English individualism at work. It is one of the reasons that it has never been necessary for an Englishman or Englishwoman to submerge their identity within the state. And it is one of the reasons that the country has produced so many eccentrics.”

It is also highly likely that the English place heavy onus on the importance of the individual because they don’t place much, if any, trust in the state.

“Since the performance of the state as a whole has been less than impressive in the last five decades, its roots must be in the individual.” (Jeremy Paxman, The English)

The Bill of Rights is the document which gives the most complete and unambiguous statement of English liberties and the freedom of the individual from the undue power of the state. It is also the document which inspired the American Bill of Rights - the first ten amendments to the constitution.

Indeed, the English have a long history of possessing a deeply political sense of themselves – a strong sense of “I know my rights”. Our bloody-minded fight for individual liberty helped us achieve the Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus, trial by jury and freedom of election and freedom of the press for a start. And our subsequent hard-earned freedom and the spirit required to achieve it, is something we’re not likely to forget in a hurry as a nation – instead it underpins our sense of self, our history, heritage and overall identity – perhaps more than any other factor.