WWell, I have mentioned a few English tunes that get played to listen to, as opposed to dance two. The Northern Lass, Never Love Thee More,the Beggar Boy of the North. To which I might the various English versions of the Broom, and Westmoreland. Now, these are just a few I have played myself over the years, and recorded. I would think of them all as northern in feel, certainly, but I challenge anyone to prove they are Northumbrian. They just aren't, as far as I can tell.Anybody who makes pontifical statements about the origins of tunes needs to be prepared to give chapter and verse.
I will stick by what I've said already: the tradition of playing slower music for listening too has been stronger in the north than the south in recent years. But to claim that Northumbria doesn't count is just silly.
However, I will certainly agree that the traditions of, say, Cumbria Northumberland and Shropshire don't fit into the notion of "Englishness", as peddled by the practitioners of "English country music";the stuff that was developed by the usual suspects in the 70's and 80's. They certainly didn't play slow airs, for sure: they were much too jolly! But English music is emphatically not only Flowers and Frolics, Old Swan Band, Scan Tester, Headington Quarry and Walter Bulwer etc etc. They are the south-eastern contingent; there are other worlds up in the frozen north and the celtic twilight west!