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The county is traditionally divided into the six [[hundred (division)|hundred]]s of [[Amounderness]], [[Blackburn (hundred)|Blackburn]], [[Leyland (hundred)|Leyland]], [[Lonsdale (hundred)|Lonsdale]], [[Salford (hundred)|Salford]] and [[West Derby (hundred)|West Derby]]. <ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10173000&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Lancashire ancient county divisions</ref> Lonsdale was further partitioned into Lonsdale North, which was the detached part north of [[Morecambe Bay]] (also known as [[Furness]]), and Lonsdale South.
The county is traditionally divided into the six [[hundred (division)|hundred]]s of [[Amounderness]], [[Blackburn (hundred)|Blackburn]], [[Leyland (hundred)|Leyland]], [[Lonsdale (hundred)|Lonsdale]], [[Salford (hundred)|Salford]] and [[West Derby (hundred)|West Derby]]. <ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10173000&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Lancashire ancient county divisions</ref> Lonsdale was further partitioned into Lonsdale North, which was the detached part north of [[Morecambe Bay]] (also known as [[Furness]]), and Lonsdale South.


Lancashire is now much smaller that its historic extent due to a local government reform. <ref>Berrington, E., ''Change in British Politics'', (1984)</ref> In 1889 an [[administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Lancashire was created, covering the historic county except for [[county borough]]s such as [[Liverpool]] and [[Manchester]]. <ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10173000&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Lancashire ancient county boundaries</ref> The area covered by the Lord-Lieutenant (termed now a [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]]) continued to cover the entirety of the administrative county along with the county boroughs, and thus was expanded slightly whenever boroughs annexed areas in other neighbouring counties. Examples of this include [[Wythenshawe]] (an area of [[Manchester]] south of the [[River Mersey]] and historically in [[Cheshire]]), and southern [[Warrington]]. This area also did not cover the western part of [[Todmorden]], where the traditional border between Lancashire and [[Yorkshire]] runs through the middle of the town.
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan counties bearing the name Lancashire are now much smaller than the traditional county due to a local government reform. <ref>Berrington, E., ''Change in British Politics'', (1984)</ref> In 1889 an [[administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Lancashire was created, covering the historic county except for [[county borough]]s such as [[Liverpool]] and [[Manchester]]. <ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10173000&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Lancashire ancient county boundaries</ref> The area covered by the Lord-Lieutenant (termed now a [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]]) continued to cover the entirety of the administrative county along with the county boroughs, and thus was expanded slightly whenever boroughs annexed areas in other neighbouring counties. Examples of this include [[Wythenshawe]] (an area of [[Manchester]] south of the [[River Mersey]] and historically in [[Cheshire]]), and southern [[Warrington]]. This area also did not cover the western part of [[Todmorden]], where the traditional border between Lancashire and [[Yorkshire]] runs through the middle of the town.


On [[1 April]] [[1974]], under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], the administrative county of Lancashire was abolished, as were the county boroughs. By this time the south of the county had become nearly entirely urbanised, and thus became part of two new [[metropolitan counties]]. The south-western part became part of [[Merseyside]], the south-eastern part was incorporated into [[Greater Manchester]]. The new county of [[Cumbria]] took the Furness exclave. <ref> George, D., ''Lancashire'', (1991)</ref> The boroughs of [[Liverpool]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Sefton]] were entirely from Lancashire. In Greater Manchester the successor boroughs were Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham (part), Rochdale, Salford, Tameside (part), Trafford (part) and Wigan.
On [[1 April]] [[1974]], under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], the administrative county of Lancashire was abolished, as were the county boroughs. By this time the south of the county had become nearly entirely urbanised, and thus became part of two new [[metropolitan counties]]. The south-western part became part of [[Merseyside]], the south-eastern part was incorporated into [[Greater Manchester]]. The new county of [[Cumbria]] took the Furness exclave. <ref> George, D., ''Lancashire'', (1991)</ref> The boroughs of [[Liverpool]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Sefton]] were entirely from Lancashire. In Greater Manchester the successor boroughs were Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham (part), Rochdale, Salford, Tameside (part), Trafford (part) and Wigan.

Revision as of 11:04, 23 September 2006

Lancashire
Geography
Status Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Origin Historic
Region North West England
Area
- Total
- Admin. council
- Admin. area 		Ranked 17th
3,075 km²
Ranked 16th
2,903 km²
Admin HQ Preston
ISO 3166-2 GB-LAN
ONS code 30
NUTS 3 UKD43
Demographics
Population
- Total (2022)
- Density
- Admin. council
- Admin. pop. 		Ranked 8th
8th
506 / km²
Ranked
Ethnicity 93.4% White
5.3% S. Asian
Politics
Arms of Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/
Executive  
Members of Parliament
Districts
  1. West Lancashire
  2. Chorley
  3. South Ribble
  4. Fylde
  5. Preston
  6. Wyre
  7. Lancaster
  8. Ribble Valley
  9. Pendle
  10. Burnley
  11. Rossendale
  12. Hyndburn
  13. Blackpool (Unitary)
  14. Blackburn with Darwen (Unitary)

Lancashire is a county and duchy palatine [citation needed] in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster [1] and its county council is based at Preston. Commonly, Lancashire is referred to by the abbreviation Lancs, originally used by the Royal Mail. People from the county are known as Lancastrians. The historic county boundaries additionally include the cities of Manchester and Liverpool and most of their surrounding conurbations, which now form part of Greater Manchester and Merseyside. [2] [3]


Divisions and environs

The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into a number of local government districts. They are Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, the Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, and Wyre. [4]

Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen are unitary authorities which form part of the county for functions such as policing and Lord Lieutenant but do not come under county council control. [5] The ceremonial county, the area including the unitary authorities, currently borders Cumbria, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, and Merseyside and forms part of the North West England region. [6]

Lancashire County Council

Main article: Lancashire County Council

The county council, serving the shire county, is based in Preston. Local elections for 84 councillors from 28 divisions are held every four years. The council is currently Labour Party controlled. [7]

Lancashire Constabulary

Main article: Lancashire Constabulary

Lancashire is policed by the Lancashire Constabulary, whose territory covers the ceremonial county. It is headquartered in Preston and is split into six divisions. Like most British police forces, those of the Lancashire Constabulary are not habitually armed, but armed response teams are on patrol around the county armed with G36 assault rifles and GLOCK pistols. Lancashire's railways are policed by the British Transport Police.

Physical geography

County top

The highest point of the ceremonial county is Gragareth, near Whernside, which reaches a height of 627 m (2,057 ft)[8]. However, Green Hill near to Gragareth has also been cited as the county top. The highest point within the historic boundaries is Coniston Old Man in the Lake District at 803 m (2,634 ft).

Rivers and lakes

The major rivers which discharge into the sea are the Mersey (which forms the traditional border with Cheshire), Ribble, Wyre, Lune, Leven and Duddon (which forms the traditional border with Cumberland). Major tributaries of these rivers include the Calder, Crake, Darwen, Douglas, Hodder, Irwell, Roch, Tame and Yarrow.

Within the historic boundaries are the lakes of Windermere, Coniston Water and Esthwaite Water in the Lake District, which now form part of Cumbria,[9]. Windermere forms the traditional border with Westmorland, as does the River Brathay which feeds the lake at its northern end and the River Winster and flows into the Kent estuary to the south-east.

History

Main article: History of Lancashire
The Red rose of Lancashire

The county was established in 1182 [10] and later than many other counties. In the Domesday Book, its lands between the Ribble and the Mersey had been part of Cheshire and the territority to the north formed part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. [11] It bordered on Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, and Cheshire.

The Red Rose of Lancaster is the traditional symbol for the House of Lancaster, immortalized in the verse "In the battle for England's head/York was white, Lancaster red" (referring to the 15th century War of the Roses).

A pressure group, the Friends of Real Lancashire, seek to promote use of the historic borders.

By the census of 1971 the population of Lancashire (including all its associated county boroughs) had reached 5,129,416, making it then the most populous county in the UK.

Divisions and changes

The county is traditionally divided into the six hundreds of Amounderness, Blackburn, Leyland, Lonsdale, Salford and West Derby. [12] Lonsdale was further partitioned into Lonsdale North, which was the detached part north of Morecambe Bay (also known as Furness), and Lonsdale South.

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan counties bearing the name Lancashire are now much smaller than the traditional county due to a local government reform. [13] In 1889 an administrative county of Lancashire was created, covering the historic county except for county boroughs such as Liverpool and Manchester. [14] The area covered by the Lord-Lieutenant (termed now a ceremonial county) continued to cover the entirety of the administrative county along with the county boroughs, and thus was expanded slightly whenever boroughs annexed areas in other neighbouring counties. Examples of this include Wythenshawe (an area of Manchester south of the River Mersey and historically in Cheshire), and southern Warrington. This area also did not cover the western part of Todmorden, where the traditional border between Lancashire and Yorkshire runs through the middle of the town.

On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the administrative county of Lancashire was abolished, as were the county boroughs. By this time the south of the county had become nearly entirely urbanised, and thus became part of two new metropolitan counties. The south-western part became part of Merseyside, the south-eastern part was incorporated into Greater Manchester. The new county of Cumbria took the Furness exclave. [15] The boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens and Sefton were entirely from Lancashire. In Greater Manchester the successor boroughs were Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham (part), Rochdale, Salford, Tameside (part), Trafford (part) and Wigan.

Warrington and Widnes, south of the new Merseyside/Greater Manchester border, rather than become part of Greater Manchester or Merseyside were instead made part of the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire. The urban districts of Barnoldswick and Earby, the Bowland Rural District and the parishes of Bracewell and Brogden and Salterforth from the Skipton Rural District from the West Riding of Yorkshire became part of the new Lancashire. [16] One parish, Simonswood, was transferred from the borough of Knowsley in Merseyside to the district of West Lancashire in 1994.[17]

In 1998 the county borough system re-appeared in all but name, when Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen became independent unitary authorities.

Northern England referendums, 2004

Main article: Northern England referendums, 2004

In 2004 the Boundary Committee for England published recommendations for a new systems of unitary authorities in the North West. A referendum in the North East rejected a similar reform there and plans to hold a further reform in the North West, including Lancashire, were cancelled.

Duchy of Lancaster

The Duchy of Lancaster is one of two remaining duchies in the United Kingdom. It has large landholdings throughout the region and elsewhere, and operates as a property company, but also excercises the right of the crown in the County Palatine of Lancaster, which has the same borders as the traditional county [citation needed]. There is no separate Duke of Lancaster, the title having merged in the Crown many centuries ago - but the Duchy is administered by the Queen in Right of the Duchy of Lancaster. A separate court system for the county palatine was finally abolished by Courts Act 1971. A particular form of the The Loyal Toast is still in regular local use: 'The Queen, Duke of Lancaster'.

Industry and commerce

Lancashire in the 19th century was a major centre of industrial activity and hence of wealth. Activities included mining and textile production, though on the coast there was also fishing. Historically, the docks in Preston were an industrial port, though are now disused for commercial purposes. Lancashire was historically the location of the Mersey Ports (now on Merseyside) while Barrow-in-Furness (now in Cumbria) is famous for shipbuilding.

Today Lancashire is home to firms such as BAE Systems (which has four factories in Lancashire including Warton and Samlesbury, major centres of production for the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter), Heinz, TVR cars, Leyland Trucks and Marconi telecoms.

Economic output

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional Gross Value AddedTemplate:Fn AgricultureTemplate:Fn IndustryTemplate:Fn ServicesTemplate:Fn
1995 13,789 344 5,461 7,984
2000 16,584 259 6,097 10,229
2003 19,206 294 6,352 12,560

Template:Fnb includes hunting and forestry Template:Fnb includes energy and construction Template:Fnb includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured Template:Fnb Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

Transport

Lancashire has a well-developed transport infrastructure [18] with an extensive network of motorways covering the county. The West Coast Main Line provides direct rail links with London and other major cities, with stations at Preston and Lancaster. The county is served by Blackpool Airport, however Manchester International Airport in Greater Manchester is the main airport in the region. Liverpool John Lennon Airport, on Merseyside is also nearby.

Heysham and Fleetwood offer ferry services to Ireland and the Isle of Man. [19] As part of its industrial past, Lancashire gave rise to an extensive network of canals, which extend into neighbouring counties. These include the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Lancaster Canal, Bridgewater Canal, Rochdale Canal, Ashton Canal and Manchester Ship Canal.

Settlements

Main article: List of places in Lancashire
Blackpool Tower

Some settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the counties of West Yorkshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cumbria:

Greater Manchester Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Bury, Chadderton, Denton, Eccles, Farnworth, Heywood, Hindley, Leigh, Manchester, Middleton, Oldham, Prestwich, Radcliffe, Rochdale, Salford, Tyldesley, Westhoughton, Wigan
Merseyside Bootle, Crosby, Formby, Huyton, Kirkby, Liverpool, Maghull, Newton-le-Willows, Prescot, St Helens, Southport
Cumbria Barrow-in-Furness, Coniston, Dalton-in-Furness, Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston
Cheshire Warrington, Widnes
West Yorkshire Todmorden

Note: Cities are in bold | † - part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974

Boundary changes to occur before 1974 include:

  • Todmorden (split between Lancashire and Yorkshire) entirely to West Riding of Yorkshire in 1889
  • Mossley (split between Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire) entirely to Lancashire in 1889
  • Stalybridge, entirely to Cheshire in 1889
  • the former county boroughs of Manchester and Warrington both extended south of the Mersey into historic Cheshire (areas such as Wythenshawe and Latchford)
  • correspondingly, the former county borough of Stockport extended north into historic Lancashire, including areas such as Reddish

Sport

File:Deepdale.jpg
The newly redeveloped Deepdale stadium home of Preston North End

Lancashire is one of Britain's most successful sporting counties. [citation needed]

Cricket

Lancashire County Cricket Club, based at Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, has been one of the most successful county cricket teams, particularly in the one-day game. It is home to England cricket team members Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood.

Historically important local cricket leagues include the Lancashire League and the Central Lancashire League, both of which were formed in 1892. These league clubs hire international professional players to play alongside their amateur players.

Football

Six of the twelve clubs which founded the Football League were from Lancashire. Based in Lancashire are Premiership team Blackburn Rovers, Championship teams Burnley and Preston North End from League One: Blackpool and from League Two: Accrington Stanley.

Teams based in other counties, which originated from Lancashire include Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Wigan Athletic, Oldham Athletic, Bury and Rochdale.

Together these teams have achieved 51 Football League/ Premier League titles, 7 European Cups and 42 F.A. Cups.

Rugby

Lancashire is home to the Blackpool Panthers who play in National League Two. Several successful rugby league teams originate from Lancashire but are now located in other counties, they include Salford City Reds, St Helens, Warrington Wolves, Widnes Vikings and Wigan Warriors.

Other

Lancashire has a long history of wrestling with many clubs that over the years have produced many renowned wrestlers. Some of these have crossed over into the mainstream world of professional wrestling, including Billy Riley, Davey Boy Smith, and The Dynamite Kid.

Cuisine

The Ashton Memorial, Lancaster

Lancashire is widely-known for its eponymous Lancashire Hotpot, a casserole dish traditionally made with lamb and for Lancashire cheese, reputed to be the best toasting cheese in the world. Other traditional foods from the area include:

  • Black Pudding: long associated with the town of Bury.
  • Bury Simnel: cross between a fruitcake and a biscuit. Eaten on Simnel or Mid-Lent Sunday.
  • Butter Cake - slice of bread and butter.
  • Clapbread: oatcake
  • Chorley cakes: from the town of Chorley.
  • Ducks: faggots as in savoury ducks.
  • Eccles cakes: from the town of Eccles.
  • Fag Pie: pie made from chopped dried figs, sugar and lard. Associated with Blackburn and Burnley where it was the highlight of Fag Pie Sunday (Mid-Lent Sunday).
  • Fish and Chips: fish and chip shop claimed to have been invented in Oldham in 1870.
  • Frog-i'-th'-'ole pudding: now known as toad in the hole.
  • Frumenty: sweet porridge. Once a popular dish at Lancashire festivals like Christmas and Easter Monday.
  • Goosnargh Cakes: Small flat shortbread biscuits with corriander or caraway seeds pressed into the biscuit before baking. Tradionally baked on feast days like Shrove Tuesday.
  • Jannock: cake or small loaf of oatmeal. Allegedly introduced to Lancashire (possibly Bolton by Flemish weavers.
  • Nettle Porridge: a common starvation diet in Lancashire in the early 1800s. Made from boiled stinging nettles with perhaps a handful of meal.
  • Ormskirk Gingerbread: local delicacy which were sold all over South Lancashire
  • Pobs, Pobbies: bread and milk.
  • Potato Hotpot, a variation of the Lancashire Hotpot without meat also known as fatherless pie
  • Ran Dan: barley bread. Food of last resort for the poor at the end of the 18th Century and beginning of the 19th Century.

Famous Lancastrians

As one of the most populous counties Lancashire has produced many famous names. See Natives of Lancashire.

Places of interest

Key
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
Accessible open space Accessible open space
Amusement/Theme Park
Castle
Country Park Country Park
English Heritage
Forestry Commission
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house Historic House
Places of Worship Places of Worship
Museum (free)
Museum		 Museum (free/not free)
National Trust National Trust
Theatre
Zoo

The following are places of interest in the ceremonial county.

References

  1. ^ Vision of Britain - Lancashire
  2. ^ George, D., Lancashire, (1991)
  3. ^ Local Government Act 1972
  4. ^ Vision of Britain - Divisions of Lancashire
  5. ^ Lancashire County Council - Map of Lancashire (Unitary boundaries shown)
  6. ^ Government Office for the North West - Local Authorities
  7. ^ Lancashire County Council - County Councillors by Area
  8. ^ BUBL Information Service - The Relative Hills of Britain
  9. ^ Cumbria County Council - Discover Cumbria
  10. ^ George, D., Lancashire, (1991)
  11. ^ Booth, P. cited in George, D., Lancashire, (1991)
  12. ^ Vision of Britain - Lancashire ancient county divisions
  13. ^ Berrington, E., Change in British Politics, (1984)
  14. ^ Vision of Britain - Lancashire ancient county boundaries
  15. ^ George, D., Lancashire, (1991)
  16. ^ Local Government Act 1972.
  17. ^ The Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside (County and Metropolitan Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
  18. ^ Lancashire County Council - Local Transport Plan
  19. ^ Transport for Lancashire - Lancashire Inter Urban Bus and Rail Map (PDF)


Template:England ceremonial counties
Template:England traditional counties

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