Identifier: countiesofenglan01ditc (find matches)
Title: The counties of England, their story and antiquities
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson), 1854-1930
Subjects: Great Britain -- History England -- Antiquities
Publisher: London : G. Allen
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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For a long period the repeated invasions made by the
Scots were a great source of trouble to the people of
Lancashire, so much so that in 1290 the land about
Lancaster was reported to be sterile and uncultivated,
and the towns of Ribchester and Preston had been nearly
destroyed. Another contributing cause to the depopula
tion of the county was the ravages made by the " Black
Death," which, towards the middle of the fourteenth
century, made its appearance, and in some places carried
off a very large percentage of the inhabitants. In ten
parishes of Amounderness alone 13,180 perished in about
four months. It will not be necessary here to give an
account of the Dukes of Lancaster, but we should not
omit to mention that in 1353, Henry, the son of Henry,
Earl of Lancaster, was created the first Duke of Lancaster,
and was empowered to hold a Chancery Court for the
Duchy and enjoy all the liberties and regalities belonging
to a County Palatine. He was succeeded by his son-in-
law, John of Gaunt, who died in 1399; during his time
Lancaster Castle was partly rebuilt. It may be well to
note here that the County Palatine and the Duchy are
not identical—to the former belong many places not in
the latter.
Lancashire was first represented in Parliament in
1259, when the shire returned two members; but in 1295
two burgesses were sent from each of the towns—
Text Appearing After Image:

LANCASTER CASTLE IN 1778

LANCASHIRE 99

Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, and Liverpool. At this
period the only two seaports of any importance were
Liverpool and Preston, but at neither place was there
much shipping beyond what was used for fishing
purposes. The beginning of the fourteenth century
witnessed a rapid increase in the prosperity of some of
the towns, as, for example, at Preston the influx of people
from the surrounding districts was so great that it was
found necessary to pave the streets; and to enable the
Corporation to do this, Royal Letters Patent were issued
in 1314, empowering them to levy toll upon all goods
and merchandise brought into the town for sale. The
articles which thus became taxable serve well to indicate
the every-day wants of the community of this rising
town. The following examples are also of interest as
showing the amount of toll paid:
— A horse-load of corn, ¼d.; horses, cows, and oxen, ⅛d.;
hides of horses, cows, or oxen, fresh, salted, or preserved,
½d.; any kind of carts bringing flesh, fresh or salted, 1d.;

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