Lancashire

Lancashire has a population of around 1,400, and covers an area of 1,878 square miles and is located in the North East of England. The county town is Lancaster.

Industry

Market gardening is a major source of income near the Ribble estuary. Lancaster and Preston are the main industrial centres. The chief industries are textiles, paper, chemicals, rubber goods, and glass. Arable and dairy products are also economically important. Market gardening is a major source of income near the Ribble estuary. Lancaster and Preston are the main industrial centres.

Geography

The principal rivers are the Mersey (which forms much of the county's southern border), the Lune, the Wyre, and the Ribble. The coastline is low and broken by estuaries. Morecambe Bay separates Furness from the rest of the county. Lancashire's principal cities are Manchester and Liverpool. The north-western part of the county is part of the Lake District and the National Park. The west and the south consist of lowlands, known as the Lancashire plain, and some moorlands. The county has deposits of coal, slate, and sandstone.

History

Until late in the 6th Century, Lancashire was part of the Celtic Kingdoms. Latter in Anglo-Saxon times these were conquered at it became part of the kingdom of Northumbria. In 1351 it was made a county palatine, and in 1399 the palatine rights were vested in the king. Lancashire's economic growth in medieval times started with the introduction of the woollen industry. The process accelerated in the Industrial Revolution, and the population rapidly increased in the 19th and early 20th cent.

Lancashire County Flag