Lancashire Family History Resources – including the cities of Liverpool and Manchester

The Lancashire Family History page provides links and other family history resources for the historic county of Lancashire.

The County of Lancashire

Lancashire as an Historic County

The historic county of Lancashire was established in the late 12th Century. This makes it one of the youngest historic counties in England – most had been established as administrative regions by the Normans a century earlier.

Lancashire as an Administrative County

In 1889, ‘administrative counties’ and ‘county boroughs’ were created throughout England and Wales and the old ‘historic counties’ lost their administrative powers. As part of this process, the administrative county of Lancashire was created, together with its own county council.

The administrative county of Lancashire covered the same geographical area as the historic county of Lancashire, minus its larger urban areas which now became independent ‘county boroughs’. These areas were: Blackburn, Burnley, Barrow-in-Furness, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Wigan. More Lancashire towns were added to this list as their population grew.

Lancashire as a Non-Metropolitan County

The boundary reforms of 1972 (effective: 1974), replaced administrative counties and county boroughs with a mixture of non-metropolitan and metropolitan counties. These reforms saw the administrative county of Lancashire replaced by the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire.

Also, Liverpool (and South West Lancashire) and Manchester (and South East Lancashire) became independent metropolitan counties of Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

The Northern area of Lancashire in the Lake District was lost to the newly created county of Cumbria. However, Lancashire gained part of West Riding of Yorkshire (which it shared with the newly created Humberside).

There were further government reforms during the 1990s restructured some non-metropolitan counties and created Unitary Authorities within them.

Lancashire as a Ceremonial County

Lancashire is also a ‘ceremonial’ (i.e. geographical) county. This means that it has its own Lord Lieutenant. Its ‘ceremonial county’ boundaries include some areas which are are no longer included in the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire i.e. the independent unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool.

Although the county town of Lancashire is Lancaster (from where it derives its name) its administrative centre is the city of Preston.

A brief history of Lancashire

The Romans

Prior to the Roman occupation of Britain, the Brigantes tribe controlled large areas of North England, including the area we now refer to as Lancashire.

Following the Roman invasion of 43AD, the area of Lancashire gradually fell under Roman control and, by the 2nd Century AD, the Brigantes were fully conquered.

Many forts were built by the Romans, prior to their departure in the in the 5th Century. These forts later became significant towns and cities such as Manchester, Lancaster, Ribchester, Burrow, Elslack and Castleshaw.

The Red Rose of Lancashire

The county of Lancashire played a pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses (1455 – 1487). These were a series of civil wars which took their name from the emblems worn by the two main protagonists; the red rose of the House of Lancaster and the white Rose of the House of York. Following the Battle of Bosworth (1485), in which Henry Tudor (later, Henry VII) defeated Richard III, the red rose became the emblem for the county of Lancashire.

The Industrial Revolution

The county of Lancashire was in the vanguard of the first industrial revolution, principally because it was the centre of Britain’s textile industry. There were a number of reasons why Lancashire became a prime location for the mass production of textiles.

Firstly, at the dawn of the industrial revolution, Lancashire had in place a workforce that was already skilled in textile production. Since the 14th century, the inhabitants of Lancashire, most notably Manchester and Blackburn, had been spinning and weaving wool and linen. This tradition is thought to be partly initiated by the immigration of Flemish weavers in the 1300s. Later on, cotton was also spun in Lancashire and the damp climate assisted the spinning process.

Lancashire also possessed a plentiful supply of fast running water. This was essential for running the water powered cotton mills which were introduced in the 18th century. Later, when steam power replaced water power, the Lancashire coalfield supplied the coal from which steam was produced. Lancashire was also blessed with soft water which aided the bleaching process.

Liverpool – the world’s greatest port – was based in Lancashire. Via the Port of Liverpool, cotton was imported raw from America. The cotton was then spun and woven in one of the many ‘mill towns’ of Lancashire such as Manchester, Blackburn, Bolton or Preston. The finished cloth was then exported back to America. Manchester, nicknamed ‘Cottonpolis’ by the Victorians, is considered to be the ‘World’s first industrial city’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester).

The Liverpool to Manchester railway, opened in 1830, highlighted the interdependence of Liverpool and Manchester. This was the first railway to run totally on steam powered engines, and the first to have a signalling system and 100% double track.

Unrest

Throughout Britain, the early 19th Century was marred by economic hardship which, in turn, fuelled political discontent. The Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815, had ushered in a period of very high unemployment. With spectacularly bad timing, the ‘Corn Laws’ were introduced in the same year. These Laws imposed tariffs on imported grain which pushed up food prices.

During this period, the population of Lancashire had particular grounds for holding economic and political grievances. Textile workers, the majority of whom were based in Lancashire, were suffering from the increased mechanisation of textile production. Some disgruntled textile workers, known as ‘Luddites’, formed a secret society whose aim was to smash up textile machinery. The ‘Luddite’ movement, which started in Nottingham, spread to Lancashire in 1813.

Politically, the inhabitants of Lancashire also fared badly. The whole of Lancashire, including Manchester, was represented by just two MPs – whilst in some areas of the country, just one voter elected two MPs!

This growing public discontent was viewed with suspicion and fear by the authorities, still jittery in the aftermath of the French Revolution. This unhappy period reached a tragic conclusion in one of the most infamous episodes of this period. On 16 August 1819, a crowd of between 60,000 to 80,000 people gathered at St Peter’s Field in Manchester. They had come to hear Henry Hunt, a political radical who argued for parliamentary reform and repeal of the ‘Corn Laws’.

In a botched attempt to arrest Hunt, the authorities ordered a cavalry to charge the crowd, resulting in 18 deaths and hundreds injured. This event was soon termed the ‘Peterloo Massacre’, an ironic reference to the recent battle of Waterloo.

Initially, the Peterloo Massacre only encouraged the authorities to deal harshly with any dissent. However, with the perspective of history, we can see that this tragic event was a catalyst for parliamentary reform to ‘prevent the necessity of revolution’ (Lord Grey, 1830).

Places to visit in Lancashire

The historic county of Lancashire ranges from the vibrant urban areas of Liverpool and Manchester, to the more scenic and peaceful areas of the Lake District. Its rich history has left its mark with historic buildings and other monuments spanning almost two thousand years. As a result, visitors to Lancashire are spoilt for choice. Here is just a sample of places to visit in Lancashire.

Ribchester Village
The village of Ribchester is of great interest to anyone interested in Roman history. It contains the remains of both a Roman fort and Roman baths. You can also visit the Ribchester Museum, a specialist Roman museum.

Lancaster Castle
This is a remarkably intact medieval castle believed to have been built in the 11th Century on the grounds of a 1st Century Roman fort. Amazingly, it was used as a prison as recently as 2011. Following significant refurbishment it is now open to the general public.

Clitheroe Castle and Clitheroe Castle Museum
The imposing Clitheroe Castle keep is believed to date back to the 12th Century.

Speke Hall
This is an exceptional Tudor manor house situated by the River Mersey.

Furness Abbey
Visit the extensive remains of Furness Abbey located near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. (Cumbria is a ceremonial county which partly overlaps the historic county of Lancashire). Furness Abbey was one of the most significant Cistercian monasteries in England, second only to Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire.

The 15th Century Bow Bridge is less than half a mile away.

Liverpool Maritime Mercentile City
As already mentioned, Liverpool was the world’s greatest port at the time of the industrial revolution. The Liverpool Maritime Mercentile City is a world heritage site. Not only is it of huge historic significance, but it is an amazing place to visit.