This page gives an overview of the history of Lancashire, from the prehistoric to the 20th Century. There are links to many of the sites mentioned on this page, which will take you to a discussion of each one and how to access them.
Prehistoric Lancashire History
The earliest sites in Lancashire date from the Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age, a time when hunter gatherers roamed what has become the moorland areas of today. They lived in temporary camps and hunted the deer that would browse the woodland fringes. Although these sites are now difficult to spot in the landscape, many have been discovered and Lancashire has more than any other county in England. Evidence consists of burnt areas where a fire would have been set, and fragments of flint or chert from where stone was chipped to make tiny specialised blades for their arrows.
By the time of the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, farming became a more important part of life. This led to permanent settlements. Although their wooden houses have left little trace in the landscape, what does survive from this era are stone monuments to the dead. Two of the most well known are the Pikestones at Anglezarke, and the spectacular Calderstones near Liverpool. While the Pikestones sit on their original site and are somewhat neglected, the Calderstones are in stunning condition and have recently had a purpose built display area constructed for them. Their carvings show similarities to those found on Anglesey and in Southern Ireland, indicating there was contact with Lancashire tribes from those regions. A related monument, The Robin Hood Stone, is located nearby to the Calderstones.
During the Bronze Age, burial practices changed with the construction of Round Barrows. These were often on high points on the moors, affording dramatic views out to the land below. Two well known examples are the barrows on Winter Hill and Noon Hill, both of which have been excavated. More enigmatic are the henges – circular or horseshoe shaped features consisting of posts and an outer ditch. Examples can be found at Bleasdale and at Astley Park, Chorley.
By the time of the Iron Age, hill forts became a dominating and controlling feature of the landscape. These protected, high status enclosures would encircle a collection of Round Houses. Most people would have lived outside the forts, but they would afford protection in times of tribal warfare. Castle Stedes at Hornby, Castlesteads at Bury and Castercliff at Nelson can all be visited today.
A more sinister finding from the Iron Age is that of the Bog Body, a form of ritual sacrifice. Beginning in the later Bronze age and extending into the Romano-British era, this practice reached its height in the Iron Age. A number of sites where this has happened have been found in the county. It is usual in Lancashire for just the head to be buried with the body disposed of elsewhere. Noted examples are the Red Moss Woman, Pilling Woman and Worsley Man. There is even some evidence that some (or perhaps all) of the Guardian Skulls in old houses in Lancashire could well be bog bodies. Tradition usually holds that they are victims of a violent death that happened in the last three hundred years or so, but they could well be around two thousand years old if they are prehistoric. The Timberbottom Skulls are a possible example of this tradition.
Roman Lancashire History
The Romans invaded the Lancashire area by land and by sea. The landscape and people came quickly under their control in the early 70s AD, with the first forts constructed at Lancaster, Ribchester and Manchester. Importation of goods from Europe, and the manufacture of essential equipment to keep the army stocked were carried out in military-controlled bases at Walton-le-Dale near Preston and Stockton Heath at Warrington. The fort of Ribchester became an important linkage point, sending goods up to Hadrian’s Wall, and the surrounding area became a place of retirement for soldiers who had served their time. A village would grow up around these forts, known as a vicus, to service the needs of the army. Each fort also had a bath house and the remains of these have been found at Ribchester, Wigan and Lancaster. The full understanding of this time period is yet to be revealed, and exciting new discoveries continue to this day. In recent years, a fort at Burscough has been uncovered and a fortlet near Edgeworth, Bolton identified by ground penetrating radar.
Saxon and Viking Lancashire History
With the retreat of the Romans, Lancashire entered into a Dark Age period. Little is known about the years 500-700 AD, but the coming of the Saxons was a major influx. This can be seen from the many names of places in the county that have a Saxon name that derives from Old English. ‘Bury’ means ‘a fortified place’ for example, Samlesbury, Salesbury and Bury itself. ‘Ley’ means a clearing, giving Chorley (the clearing by the river Chor) and Burnley (clearing by the river Brun). ‘Ton’ indicates a farmstead or village, for example Preston (priest’s farmstead) and Middleton (the middle village). There is little in the way of visible remains of Saxon Lancashire, but Heysham has unique rock-cut graves and a ruined church that date from this period. A feature that has been dated to the Dark Ages is the enigmatic Nico Ditch in Manchester.
The Norwegian Vikings arrived around the 900s. Often originating from their bases in southern Ireland, they initially settled the more marginal land in the county. Their settlements often end in the letters ‘by’, for example Formby (the old farmstead) and Crosby (farmstead by the cross). There is sculpture from this period that shows definite Viking influence, such as the spectacular Sigurd’s Cross at Halton. The crosses at Whalley also show Viking motifs and the double cross socket at Haslingden is dated to that time.
Burial of silver is a hallmark of the Viking era. The Cuerdale hoard is one of the largest in Europe, and this is now housed at the British Museum. Hoards continue to be found in Lancashire by metal detectorists, one of the most significant being discovered at Silverdale.
Norman Lancashire History
The Norman invasion in Lancashire saw huge changes in how the county was run. Motte and Bailey wooden castles were established to subdue the resident population and control the area. Penwortham and Tulketh, twin castles on the River Ribble at Preston, could observe traffic both on the river and its respective banks. The Iron Age forts at Rochdale and Hornby were reused as sites for castles. Roger of Poitou was responsible for building the enormous castle keep at Lancaster. Initially he owned the area between the Mersey and the Ribble, with Amounderness (modern day Fylde and Wyre) added later. Later still he gained the peninsulas of Furness and Cartmel. A trusted supporter of King William Rufus (William the Conqueror’s son), he rebelled against Rufus’s younger brother, King Henry I, on his accession to the throne and subsequently lost all of his lands.
Medieval Lancashire History
The Medieval period saw Cistercian monks establishing abbeys within the region. Although from the same order, Whalley Abbey and Sawley Abbey were located too close together and became great rivals for patronage and resources. Smaller monasteries, known as priories, were set up at Lancaster, Penwortham, and Upholland. While many of the abbeys and priories tended to be away from major population areas, monks known as friars would set up premises within existing towns. There were friaries at Preston, Warrington and Lancaster.
After the initial flurry of wooden castle building following the Norman Conquest, not many of them were later converted to stone, a noted exception being Clitheroe. The motte and bailey castles fell into disuse. Lancaster Castle became the main administrative and defensive structure in the county, and held the quarterly court sessions where ‘justice’ could be dispensed. King John set up Liverpool Castle in his bid to conquer Ireland.
Wealthy families built themselves stone manor houses. Examples of these still exist today with the one at Warton, known (rather confusingly) as the Old Rectory, being a good example. Intact ones still exist, but these have been ‘modernised’ in the Tudor and Stuart period and incorporated into larger halls. Good examples can be seen at Smithills and Rufford. A re-creation of a manor house, using some of its original cruick frames, exists at Hyde.
Tudor and Stuart Lancashire History
With the order to destroy the monasteries, starting with the smaller ones first, King Henry VIII was able to grab their wealth for himself. Smaller ones, such as Penwortham, were the first to go. With larger ones such as Whalley Abbey being implicated in a rebellion against the closures, known the Pilgrimage of Grace, their fate was sealed too.
Wealthy families added to or constructed new homes in this era. A good example of the period exists at Hoghton Tower. The need for this to be built as a fortified structure was a sign of the times. There were frequent tensions between wealthy families that could lead to armed conflict, as happened at Broughton Tower near Preston. Turton Tower and Radcliffe Tower are both Pele-style buildings, more reminiscent of those built in Cumbria and Northumberland in order to defend against Scottish Reivers.
Tensions between Protestant, Catholics and Dissenters meant that suspicion and accusation between religious groups could be high. Superstition was still rife, and the trial of the Samlesbury and Pendle Witches brought such things to public attention. Less well known now, but certainly famous in their time, were the suspected demon possession cases of The Seven in Lancashire and The Surey Demoniack.
Religious divisions were also one of the contributory factors in the Civil War. Parliamentary and Royalist troops clashed throughout the region, with battles fought at Bolton, Lancaster and Read near Whalley. Sieges occurred at at Lathom House and Greenhalgh Castle, Garstang. The decisive battle that ended the whole Civil War took place at Preston in 1648.
Georgian and Victorian Lancashire History
In the Georgian period, local landed families still dominated much of the economy, and built for themselves grand new homes such as Platt Hall in Rusholme and Lytham Hall. Windmills proliferated across the region, with the Clifton family of Lytham owning both the ones at Clifton and Lytham. Well restored ones still exist today at Thornton and Blackpool.
Major canals were built across the county, starting with the Bridgewater Canal, soon followed by the Leeds & Liverpool and then the Lancaster. Large loading warehouses and their wharves can still be seen at Foulridge, Burscough Bridge, Enfield, and a particularly large one at Portland Basin, now a museum.
During this period, the Industrial Revolution got underway with Lancashire leading the world in the spinning and weaving of cotton cloth. The first mills were small buildings, harnessing the water power of streams in the upland moors. Early examples of these from the late 1700s are found at Holcombe, where the Cinder Hill Engine House has been excavated, and nearby at Cheesdum Lumb, which had a number of textile concerns. Visible remains of larger cotton mills can also be seen at Higher Woodhill and Burrs in Bury. In time, the smaller mills began to be outcompeted as power moved away from water and instead embraced steam. Huge mills were built on the flat sites away from the hills, powered by huge steam engines. A good example of this kind of engine can still be found for at Ellenroad in Newhey. Bolton Steam Museum continues to preserve and operate textile engines, while the museums of Helmshore Mills and Queens Street Mill demonstrate the spinning and weaving processes respectively.
Lancashire also specialised in the bleaching and printing of cotton cloth. Wealthy bleachers such as the Ainsworth family of Halliwell secured vast fortunes from the process. Today there are still ruins to be found in the county of these works, for example at Kem Mill, Whittle-le-Woods near Chorley. Printworks factories, where patterns were printed directly onto cloth, could be found throughout the county. Extensive ruined remains of one of these exist at Tottington near Bury. Wealthy mill owners’ houses would be a familiar sight within towns, such as Mr Gatty’s Hall at Accrington and what is now the Whitaker Museum in Rawtenstall.
The huge growth of the towns in which the mills were based brought demands for water, both for industry and for drinking water for the many workers. In the mid to late 1800s, huge reservoirs were constructed to service these needs. These reservoirs are still in place and have become a haven for wildlife and walkers. Well loved examples can be found at Haslingden Grane, Piethorne and Ashworth Moor,
Pride in Victorian achievement and celebration of local powerful families saw the building of monuments such as the now ruined Grants Tower and the very much intact Peel Monument, both at Bury. Perhaps the most extravagant of all is the Ashton Memorial at Lancaster.
The Twentieth Century
The demand for clean, healthy public recreation space saw the creation of parks, often in the grounds of what were once stately homes. Good examples are to be found at Astley and Cuerden, both near Chorley, where huge estates were converted. Smaller examples include that of Ribbleton Hall and Hurst Grange, both near Preston.
The demand for drinking water continued to grow, so much so that some villages were emptied of inhabitants so that their surrounding valleys could be flooded. The Rochdale reservoirs of Watergrove, Greenbooth and Cowm all required mills and homes to be levelled in their creation.
By mid-century, the textile mills that had created Lancashire’s wealth were in serious decline and within the next couple of decades most had closed. The region needed to diversify if it was to continue to thrive. In 1974, a Local Government reform act meant that Lancashire, the most populous geographic county in England, was split into three separate counties, only one of which retained the title of ‘Lancashire’. The towns around Manchester became the county of Greater Manchester and those around Liverpool became part of Merseyside. The small regions of Cartmel and Furness were given to the newly created county of Cumbria. The reform act also saw Lancashire’s administrative headquarters move from Lancaster to Preston. This website, Lancashire Past, aims to cover the history of all of the pre-1974 county of Lancashire.
Lancashire Past 