Lancashire (pop. 1,235,354) is a county on the northwestern coast of England. Its people, called Lancastrians, live mainly in manufacturing towns such as Burnley and Accrington, or in the busy seaside resort town of Morecambe. Other large towns include Preston and Lancaster. Preston is an industrial and administrative center. Lancaster is the traditional county town, because it was for centuries the home of the lords of Lancaster who once ruled the county. In the western parts of the county, many Lancastrians live in small but prosperous agricultural villages.
People and government.
Local traditional activities include Sunday-school outings, choir trips, brass band contests, and day excursions to the coast. The old textile towns of Lancashire still observe wakes (holiday weeks) when most local workers take holidays at the same time.
Association football draws large crowds throughout Lancashire. Burnley and Preston have professional football teams. There are also many amateur football teams in Lancashire.
Cricket is popular and Lancashire has a team in the first class county championship, while league cricket is popular in the eastern part of the county. Rugby and golf have many supporters. Lytham St. Anne’s has golf courses over which major British golf events, including Ryder Cup matches and the British Open Championship, have been played. Sports, such as fishing, bowling, darts, and snooker, are usually based on local public houses or working-men’s clubs.
Lancashire is divided into 12 local government districts: Burnley; Chorley; Fylde, which includes Lytham St. Anne’s; Hyndburn, which includes Accrington; Lancaster; Pendle, which includes Nelson; Preston; Ribble Valley, which includes Clitheroe; Rossendale, which includes Bacup; South Ribble, which includes Leyland; West Lancashire, which includes Ormskirk; and Wyre, which includes Fleetwood. Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool became unitary authorities in 1998, with all local government powers within their boundaries. Lancashire County Council, which has headquarters at Preston, provides some public services throughout the county.
Skelmersdale, in southern Lancashire, is a new town. It is designed to grow rapidly, attracting new industries and new residents.
The crown court meets at Preston. The county’s police force is the Lancashire Constabulary, which has headquarters at Hutton.
Economy.
At one time, cotton manufacturing dominated Lancashire’s economy. But since the 1920’s, the textile industry has decreased in size. It now uses as much artificial fiber as cotton. Many former cotton mills have been adapted for other industries. Some are used for making clothes, light engineering goods, or plastics goods. Other manufacturing industries in the county include aircraft engineering, electrical engineering, flour milling, milk processing, and the production of floor coverings and furniture.
In western Lancashire, agriculture is the most important industry. Crops include root vegetables, cabbages, peas, and beans, which are grown for the local markets or for freezing and canning. Truck farmers produce lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers for sale in the local markets. Farms in Lancashire also produce milk and eggs. Fleetwood is one of the United Kingdom’s major fishing ports. Its trawlers, which fish in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, supply fish for a great part of northwestern England.
Coal mining is a dying industry. Coal was first mined near Burnley in the 1200’s and in the Wigan area in the 1500’s. But now little coal is mined within the county. Quarries in the Carnforth area produce much limestone.
The coastal towns of Morecambe and Fleetwood attract large crowds of vacationers. Lune Valley, the Forest of Bowland, and the chain of hills known as the Pennines attract many hikers. An increasing number of people hire boats to go cruising on Lancashire canals.
Land and climate.
Lancashire covers an area of about 1,121 square miles (2,903 square kilometers). The fertile coastal plain of Lancashire has large stretches of reclaimed marshland. All of eastern Lancashire is hilly. The county’s rivers flow from the eastern mountains into the Irish Sea. Chief rivers include the Lune, the Ribble, and the Wyre. Lancashire has no natural lakes. But several Pennine streams have been dammed to create reservoirs.
The Irish Sea has a moderating effect on Lancashire’s climate. Snow seldom lies for long in the county, and summer heat waves are rare.
Average temperatures are about 36 F (2 °C) in mid-winter and 66 F (19 °C) in midsummer. Western Lancashire has an average annual rainfall of about 35 inches (89 centimeters). In northern and eastern Lancashire, the average rainfall is more than 40 inches (102 centimeters).
History.
In Roman times, Lancashire was sparsely populated. The area’s only interest to the Romans was as a route from Deva (now Chester) to Hadrian’s Wall. Anglo-Saxons colonized the Lancashire area late in their settlement of Britain. During the 900’s, many Vikings invaded from the Irish Sea and settled on Lancashire’s coastal plain.
When William I of Normandy conquered England in 1066, he entrusted Lancashire to Roger of Poitou. Roger built a castle at Lancaster and endowed Lancaster Priory, the county’s first monastery.
In 1351, King Edward III made Lancashire a palatinate, giving royal privileges and power to its ruler, as a reward to Henry, First Duke of Lancaster, for outstanding service in the Hundred Years’ War. In 1399, Henry, Third Duke of Lancaster, became King Henry IV. He maintained the Duchy and the Palatinate as separate administrative units. Even today, people within the county still toast the monarch as Duke of Lancaster.
During the 1500’s, Lancashire’s prosperity increased. The new wealth came from cottage spinning and weaving, surface coal mining, improved agriculture, and the manufacture of iron goods on small forges. Families owning land built new homes, many of which still stand. But religious strife limited the prosperity. In western Lancashire, many families defied the Reformation and persisted in Roman Catholicism. In the east, Puritanism flourished. During the civil war of the mid-1600’s, Lancastrians were divided in their loyalties.
Roman Catholicism maintained much strength in Lancashire. But Lancastrians gave little help to the Roman Catholic Jacobite uprising of 1715. This uprising received a crushing defeat at Preston.
By the mid-1700’s, industry was developing steadily in Lancashire. There was a growing overseas demand for Lancashire goods, especially textiles and metal goods. As industry expanded, families left their village homes and crowded into hastily built towns to work in factories.
Famous people associated with Lancashire include William Cardinal Allen, who was born at Rossall. Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth lived at Gawthorpe Hall, near Burnley. He laid the foundation for state education in England and Wales. But Lancashire’s most characteristic personalities were factory owners and inventors, such as Sir Richard Arkwright and James Hargreaves.
