Lancaster
For the Second World War bomber aircraft, see Avro Lancaster.
| Lancaster | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Shire county | Lancashire |
| Population | 52,234 |
Lancaster is a city in north-west England and the traditional county town of Lancashire. It is within the administrative area served by Lancashire County Council. It was formerly an important centre of political power in the north and capital of the county palatine of Lancaster. It is overlooked by its castle (which was a prison until 2011) and has many attractive Georgian buildings. The House of Lancaster was one of the combatants in the Wars of the Roses; the emblem of Lancashire being a red rose.
The title Duke of Lancaster is held by the British monarch regardless of gender.
Contents
Geography
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, and lies in the north of that county within the Lonsdale hundred. It does not directly face the Irish Sea, but is close to Morecambe Bay, across which to the north west lies the Lake District, which is clearly visible from the town's more elevated areas such as Williamson Park. The west of the town, including Williamson Park itself, was originally occupied by moorland. The foothills of the Pennines are close to the town, with part of the Forest of Bowland lying immediately to the east.
History
Following the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD, present-day Lancaster seems to have had a Roman fort constructed on the site at which the castle now stands by the late 1st century. Coin evidence suggest the fort may have already existed as early as 60 AD, but most histories give the date for the establishment of the fort as c. 80 AD. The original Latin name of the fort is not known with any certainty although since the late 1990s, due to a theory popularised by David Shotter, it has been suggested that Galacum (previously thought to have been the fort at Over Burrow, 17 miles to the north-west) was in fact Roman Lancaster. The original fort was built from wood, and had been rebuilt in stone by 102 AD.
Following the end of Roman rule in Great Britain, present-day England was settled by Germanic-speaking tribes from around c. 540 AD onwards. Little is known about Lancaster in the early Anglo-Saxon era due to lack of documentary evidence. By c. 700 AD, the area was within the kingdom of Northumbria, which covered much of present-day northern England and south-east Scotland. There may have been a Northumbrian monastery on or near the site of Lancaster priory by c. 800 AD. This monastery, as suggested by a Priory charter from 1094, was likely re-established as a parish church some time before the Norman conquest in 1066.
The name "Lancaster" is recorded relatively late; the first documentation (in the form Loncastre) is in the Domesday Book (1086), a survey taken following the Norman conquest of England. Lancaster was held by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is of Old English origin and means "Roman fort at the River Lune". At this time, it formed a part of the Amounderness hundred of Yorkshire and had no recorded population.
The first known Medieval document specific to the town was the founding Priory charter of 1094. By this time, William the Conqueror was deceased and had been succeeded by William Rufus (or William II). Lancaster and its immediate surroundings had been passed on to Roger de Poitou 2 years prior, whose lordship included an area similar to present-day Lancashire and extended as far as Cumberland, at that time contested between England and Scotland, in the north. Although there is no firm documentation for the construction of the first castle at Lancaster, it is generally assumed that Roger began the construction. The original fortifications were most likely wooden and may have incorporated parts of Roman earthworks.
Among the most famous witch trails in English history was the trial of the Pendle witches, which were held in August 1612 at the Assizes of Lancaster Castle. The witches lived in the vicinity of Pendle Hill, which lies in the Pennines in the south-east of Lancashire. One witch who lived just over the border in Gisburn, Yorkshire was tried at York. The Samlesbury witches were also tried at Lancaster on those dates. Only one of the alleged witches, Alice Grey, was found not guilty. The other nine accused - Alizon Device, Elizabeth Device, James Device, Anne Whittle, Anne Redferne, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, John Bulcock and Jane Bulcock - were sentenced to death and hanged at Gallows Hill in Lancaster. Although the exact location of Gallows Hill is difficult to confidently place, maps such as Yates (1786) both depict and place the gallows within the triangle of land formed by Quernmore and Wyresdale Road, almost opposite the present-day site of Williamson Park.
As part of the coronation celebrations of George VI, Lancaster was granted city status on 12 May 1937.
Lancaster University was established as one of the seven plate glass universities announced between 1958 and 1961. The university was established by royal charter in 1964. The charter stipulated that Princess Alexandra of Kent be the first chancellor. She was inaugurated in 1964 and retired in 2004.
Lancaster was linked up to the English motorway network on 29 January 1965 when a section of the M6 was opened, linking the city with Preston. This came after a short motorway bypass of Lancaster has been constructed 5 years prior, which also forms a part of the M6. The M6 was opened north of Lancaster to Penrith (later Carlisle) in 1970.
Administration
The upper-tier council responsible for Lancaster is Lancashire County Council (whose boundaries are quite different to the traditional county Lancashire itself). LCC is a non-metropolitan council, meaning it is responsible for such things as education, fire and rescue and strategic planning. That council area is divided into several non-metropolitan districts, whose councils are concerned with things like housing, planning applications and the provision of leisure services. Lancaster lends its name to the lower-tier district council, Lancaster City Council, which covers not only Lancaster, but also the surrounding rural areas and the nearby towns of Carnforth, Heysham and Morecambe.
