According to English Heritage, St George was probably a Roman officer, not a knight, who is thought to have been born in Cappodocia (now in Turkey) and to have died in Lydda, which was in the Roman province of Palestine, in AD 303. He was martyred for his Christian faith.
The legend of George slaying a dragon doesn’t appear until the 13th century.
Venice, Genoa, Portugal and Catalonia also celebrate St George and the day is both the birth date and death date of William Shakespeare.
5. Scout parade
Pictured at the Cenotaph, Barkers Pool, Sheffield, where the 1999-2000 Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Coun Trevor Bagshaw, is seen taking the salute at the St George's Day Parade | JPIMedia Photo: Mike Waistell
6. Band on march
A St George's Day Parade make its way towards the Mansion House in Doncaster | JPIMedia Photo: Steve Ellis
7. Eager Beavers
Children from 1/36th Doncaster St Peters Beaver Group takes part in a St George's Day parade in Doncaster | JPIMedia Photo: Holly Allen
8. Taste of England
Thurnscoe's SureStart Children's Centre Platform Cafe chef James O'Hara cooked different English dishes each day for a week to celebrate St George's Day and the first anniversary of the cafe opening. He is pictured here with a plate of toad in the hole | JPIMedia Photo: Marie Caley