Lancaster
For the Second World War bomber aircraft, see Avro Lancaster.
| Lancaster | |
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| 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 (now a prison) 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.
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.