Officially Registered Lancashire County Flag
County
Identity
The true identity of
Lancashire
has
been very confused in the minds of some people, especially those working for
the media, since local government was reorganised in 1974. At that time
(referring to the new administrative counties) the government stated that the
"new counties" were only administrative areas and that the boundaries
of traditional counties had not been altered. The media far too often ignore
the fact that places such as
Barrow-in-Furness
,
Grange-over-Sands and Hawkshead in the north, through to
Liverpool
,
Manchester
,
Salford
,
Warrington
and
Widnes
in the south are still in
Lancashire
.
Mapping
Since 1974 Ordnance
Survey has chosen to interpret the Act of 1841 to mean that they only have to
show administrative areas on maps. Before 1974 they depicted the traditional
county areas, why the different interpretation?
Mapping
England
by its 39 traditional counties would restore a stable geography to the country,
which has been missing since 1974.
The traditions and culture of our nation are bound up with traditional
counties. Many tourist attractions depend on the history and culture of
traditional Counties to attract visitors from both home and overseas.
Mapping by administrative areas is of little use to the general public
or to travellers, and means that maps have to be altered every time there are
changes to local government areas.
We want the true
county
of
Lancashire
back on the map as it was for
hundreds of years, until 1974.
Postal Addresses
Royal Mail removed
administrative county names from the Postal Address Book for the
North West
in 1995 and
confirmed that the inclusion of a traditional county name in an address will
not affect the way that mail is processed, providing the Post Code is used.
Royal Mail has now launched its latest UK Addresses CD which lists the
Traditional
County
against every place name in the
UK
.
Lancashire
is listed against every place in the
traditional county area.
Always Include
the name
Lancashire
in addresses for all
places within the
Real
County
boundaries. This
is the easiest way of promoting our county name and everyone can do it.
Boundary Signs
This sign is on the A59 Lancashire/Yorkshire border and paid for by the
FORL.
If the Highways Agency can
mark rivers, canals and administrative county boundaries with road signs, it
should mark traditional
county boundaries also.
This would be a great help to tourists and other travellers.
We want road signs marking the boundary of
Lancashire
on all main roads.
Lancashire
Day - 27th November
The 27th November,
Lancashire
day is a celebration of
Lancashire
's continued
existence, a day to remind people of their Lancastrian heritage. Throughout the
length and breadth of Real Lancashire, people wear the Red Rose of
Lancashire
, and gather together to celebrate Our County
Day. At
9 o'clock
in the
evening Lancastrians, wherever they are, can raise their glasses and drink the
Loyal Toast to:
"The Queen, Duke of
Lancaster
"
Lancashire
a historic county
At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the
County
of
Lancashire
had not yet been defined,
but its subsequent components already existed as administrative areas.
Six or seven
years after the conquest (1072/73) King William gave the land between the
Ribble and the Mersey, together with Amounderness to Roger of Poitou. In the
early 1090s King William II (William Rufus) added Lonsdale, Cartmel and
Furness to Roger's estates, thereby giving him control of all the land
between the river
Mersey
in the south and
the river Duddon in the north. Roger chose
Lancaster
as the site for his castle which
thereby became the centre of administration for the lands that he controlled.
As the area of lands held by a lord were known as his 'honour', Roger's lands
became known as the Honour of Roger of Poitou or the Honour of Lancaster.
In 1102 Roger
supported his brother Robert of Bellene in an unsuccessful rebellion against
King Henry I and all his English estates were confiscated and given to
Stephen of Blois the grandson of the Conqueror.
In 1168
Lancashire
was first termed 'the
county
of
Lancashire
'
under King Henry II.
In 1267 Edmund
Crouchback was created 1st Earl of Lancaster.
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.
Palatinate
status was granted to
Lancashire
because of
its strategic position in defending
England
from the Scots and
conferred legal recognition of the extraordinary powers of the Duke within
Lancashire.
The county developed its own chancery,
could issue writs under its own seal and even had its own dating year running
from
6th March 1351
,
the date of the establishment of the palatine. The Duke was able to appoint
his own sheriff who was answerable to the Duke, not the King.
Lancaster
had its own
justices and the king's writ did not run within the palatine county. The king
did however still collect the taxes and reserved the right to correct 'errors
of judgement' in the duke's courts.
For a short
period in the 16th century the Duke appointed a butler to collect dues
payable to him for wine brought into the county.
Lancashire
Tea
Our own county
brand of tea is now more widely available in Supermarkets, Stores, Hotels,
Restaurants, etc. It is produced at ‘Lancashire
Tea’ in Newton-le-Willows,
Lancashire
and is packed in boxes bearing a map of the
County Palatine and the Red Rose. If you can’t find it locally visit the web
site ' http://www.lancashiretea.co.uk’ where
you can buy a pack of 6 boxes for £9.90. Mention that you are a member of FORL and your membership number and
get 6 boxes for the price of 5. You can also order by e-mail, ‘sales@lancashiretea.co.uk’.
Another
accolade for Lancashire
The ‘Hazelmere Café’
in Yewbarrow Terrace, Grange-over-Sands was recently named ‘Best in
Britain
’ by the Tea Council.
The owners were
awarded a splendid stained glass trophy worded ‘TOP TEA PLACE 2006’, which hangs in a window to show it to the
best effect.
The Café has
been a Tea Shop since the terrace was built in the 1890s and today has some 38
teas on offer.
A
Lancashire
Grace
We thank thee
Lord, for gradely food
Well-served, to
our Lancastrian Brood
But as we eat, let
us kindly heed
The calls of
those in dire need
So we can raise
our emblems higher
Unsullied Red
Rose of
Lancashire
.
FW Free
Eccleston
St Helens
.
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