Episode 2

Lancashire

In 1168 Lancashire was first termed 'the county of Lancashire' under King Henry II.

1267 Edmund Crouchback was created 1st Earl of Lancaster.

The Lancashire Day proclamation is read out by town criers throughout the county on 27th November.
On this day in 1295 the first elected representatives from Lancashire were called to Westminster by King Edward I to attend what later became known as "The Model Parliament".

In 1351 Henry, Earl of Lancaster, was made a Duke and was also granted Palatinate powers - the royal powers, or the powers belonging to the palace.

These powers lapsed with Henry's Death, but were restored to the most famous Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt and were made hereditary.

War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1487 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name Wars of the Roses is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists.
Henry VII (1457 - 1509) was the first Tudor monarch. His claim to the throne was not strong and he became king after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Henry's success on the battlefield ended the Wars of the Roses that had begun in 1455.

Accrington Pals.

The Accrington Pals is probably the best remembered of the battalions raised in the early months of the First World War in response to Kitchener's call for a volunteer army. Groups of friends from all walks of life in Accrington and its neighbouring towns enlisted together to form a battalion with a distinctively local identity. In its first major action, the battalion suffered devastating losses in the attack on Serre on 1st July 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. The losses were hard to bear in a community where nearly everyone had a relative or friend who had been killed or wounded. Although the battalion was to fight again, its Pals character had been irretrievably lost.

Pendle Hill

VISITORS to East Lancashire cannot fail to be impressed by the gaunt yet beautiful shape of Pendle Hill. All over the world from Ayer's Rock to the Matterhorn, hills and mountains that stand alone are focuses for the spiritual needs of the people. It is no different with Pendle. This weird mass of millstone grit, covered with thick peat and fragrant clusters of bilberry and cloudberry, is the mecca for thousands every Hallowe'en - drawn there by some unknown need. During the reign of James 1 Pendle was the backdrop to the strange saga of the Lancashire Witches. In 1652 George Fox experienced amazing visions as he ascended Pendle. They led him to found the Quaker movement. The distinctive outline of Pendle is visible huge distances away. Yet it has a magnetic pull that draws people from near and far.

Blackpool Tower

WHEN Lancashire mills closed for the Wakes Weeks, Blackpool Tower became the beacon by the sea that drew the cotton town masses. This titanic edifice in iron and steel was not conceived as some temporary side show in the bustling resort. Rather, it took the Eiffel Tower itself as its model. Five million bricks were used to house the base alone, but building on the grand scale did not mean neglecting aesthetics. Blackpool Tower is an elegant masterpiece, especially when clothed with its annual garb of 10,000 illuminated bulbs. From its top, all 518 feet from the coastline of the Fylde peninsula, several of the other wonders of Lancashire are visible. Blackpool Tower is the most famous wonder. It dominates Europe's greatest resort. There is, quite simply, no place like Blackpool. There is no tower like Blackpool Tower. But then, there is no county like Lancashire.

Lancaster Canal.

One of the most scenic canals now on the network, this gentle waterway offers wonderful views of the Silverdale coast, Forest of Bowland and rolling countryside of Wyre.
The Lancaster Canal is unique. Being a contour canal (built along the natural lie of the land), it has 41 miles without locks.


A few Famous people.
Robert Peel, who created the first police force.
Ken Dodd, Comedian
The Beatles, need I say more
Gracie Stansfield, Garcie Fields to us.
Eric Bartholomew, Eric Morecambe to you and me

I can not fail to metion Alfred Wainright who started work on the first page of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells on 9 November 1952 and took 13 years to complete.
He also did the Coast to Coast Walk which is a 192-mile (according to a recent re-measuring the real distance is almost 220 miles) unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England it passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park.
Wainwright recommends that walkers dip their booted feet in the Irish Sea at St Bees and, at the end of the walk, dip their naked feet in the North Sea at Robin Hood's Bay.

Folklore

Beware of the Fairies in Lancashire

Throughout England, there are many curious superstitions connected with human birth, all of which invest this momentous event with an atmosphere of the supernatural. Thus, in Lancashire there is a strong dread of ...

“ the witches or fairies coming secretly
and exchanging their own ill-favoured imps
for the newly born infant;
and various charms are used
to prevent the child from being thus stolen away..”

... thus it is said in the North of England to carefully watch over newly born children to make sure they are not stolen away..


Blackburn

In the Middle Ages Lancashire was a poor area with few towns. At that time Blackburn was just a village. However in the 16th century Blackburn grew into a small market town. As well as weekly markets it also had annual fairs (in those days fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year and people came from all over Lancashire to attend a Blackburn fair). From 1514 Blackburn also had a grammar school.

Then from the late 18th century with the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the cotton industry Blackburn mushroomed. By the time of the first census in 1801 Blackburn had a population of about 11,000. It would not seem large to us but by the standards of the time Blackburn was an important town.
Now it has a population of over 105,000

Blackburn Rovers Football Club was formed by a group of public schoolboys in 1875


Bolton
Did you know that with 260,000 people Bolton is the largest town in Britain

Burnley
Britain's shortest river is the Brun which runs through Burnley.

Carnforth
Carnforth Station was the location in 1945 of the filming of the Iconic movie 'Brief Encounter'

Clitheroe
Clitheroe Castle is a motte and bailey castle built in a natural carboniferous limestone.
It was built around 1186 by Robert de Lacy as an administrative centre for his estates in the area but later passed by inheritance to the Crown. It consists of one of the smallest keeps in the country and at one time it was surrounded by a curtain wall. It was anciently the seat of the Lords of Bowland.
There is a legend that the Devil threw a boulder from Pendle Hill and hit the castle creating the hole in the walls that you can see today.

Darwen

The cockpit of the Spitfire was made in Darwen.

Preston

When James I stayed at Hoghton Tower in 1617 he so enjoyed his hosts hospitality that one night, over dinner, he drew his sword and knighted the beef. "arise Sir Loin" he intoned so naming this particular cut.
Did you know that Preston is home to Europes largest bus station

Manchester

The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36-mile long river navigation. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.

The canal is no longer considered to be an important shipping route, but it still carries about 6 million tons of freight each year. It is now operated under private ownership.

Home of the famous Manchester united, allegedly the most supported football team in the world, also, allegedly, the most hated as well.

Wigan

Famous for its pier. A wooden jetty used for loading coal onto the canal barges.

Next Episode, Scotland.

Re: Episode 2

Many thanks for those interesting facts, AB.

Look forward to the Scottish ones We have many famous forefathers up here

Take care and thanks for sharing - you're a gem!

Re: Episode 2

Well done, AB - I find your history lessons far more interesting than they were at school!

Re: Episode 2

So you got fairies in Lancashire too!. Alfred Wainright, saw a program on him recently, very dedicated Man. The Beatles, best band in the World ever, pure talent and originality.
Many thanks AB.

Re: Episode 2

Well done AB....brought back memories of the Wakes Weeks when it seemed everybody headed to Blackpool. Everybody had the same two weeks holiday then-usually last week in July and first week August. All the shops, more or less, closed and newspapers were sold from a shop doorway in town. Used to go every day to get my Dad's paper. We always had three days out during the holidays- 1 day at Blackpool, 1 day at Southport and 1 day at either Morecambe or Fleetwood.......happy days!