Lancaster

Archives and libraries
Cemeteries
Census
Church History
Church Records
Civil Registration
Select map to view larger area
Gazetteers
Historical Geography
History
Maps
Merchant Marine
Probate Records
An ancient, well-built, and improving town. On the summit of a hill stands the castle, which is not ancient, but large and strong, and now serves both as the shire house and the county gaol. On the top of this castle is a square tower, called John of Gaunt's Chair, where there is a fine prospect of the mountains of Cumberland, and of the course of the Lune; the view towards the sea extending to the Isle of Man. The town hall is a handsome structure. Lancaster carries on some foreign trade, especially to the West Indies, America, and the Baltic. The exports are hardware, woollen goods, candles, and cabinet work, for the making of which last it is noted; and it has also a manufacture of sail-cloth. It is seated on the river Lune, which here forms a port for vessels of moderate size, and over which it has a new stone bridge of five elliptical arches. It is 235 miles from London. Markets, Wednesday and Saturday, and one on every other Wednesday for cattle. Population, 24,707.

(From Barclay's Complete and Universal Dictionary of 1842.)

Archives and libraries

District Central Library,
Market Square,
Lancaster
LA1 1HY

Tel: 01524 63266/7
Fax: 01524 842629

Cemeteries

Lancaster Priory Gravestones.

Monumental inscriptions for St John with St Anne, the Friends Meeting House, and the United Reformed Church have been published by the LFH&HS.

Census

Details about the census records, and indexes for Lancaster.

Church History

Church Records

You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Lancaster area that are recorded in the GENUKI church database. This will also help identify churches in nearby townships and/or parishes. You also have the option to see the location of the churches marked marked on a map.

If you keep this page loaded for a very long time and the database is updated since loading it, the church links above may become stale and may display the wrong church. If this happens, reloading this page will correct them.

Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Lancaster area is Lancaster.

Gazetteers

Ask for the gazetteer for a calculation of the distance from Lancaster to another place.

A description of the town taken from the Imperial Gazetteer 1872.

Historical Geography

In 1835 the parish of Lancaster contained the townships of Lancaster, Gressingham, Poulton, Bare and Torrisholme, Skerton, Bulk, Heaton with Oxcliffe, Aldcliffe, Ashton with Stodday, Overton, Thurnham, Scotforth, Quernmore, Caton, Over Wyresdale, Bleasdale, Preesall with Hackensall, Stalmine, Myerscough and Fulwood.

Information about boundaries and administrative areas is available from A Vision of Britain through time.

History

An interesting description of Lancaster in 1835 is available from Roger Corrie.

Maps

View maps of Lancaster and places within its boundaries.

John Speed's map of Lancaster in 1611.

A map of Lancaster around 1845.

A map of Lancaster around 1890.

Merchant Marine

Histories of 21 merchant sailing ships built at Lancaster or Glasson Dock.

Poor Houses, Poor Law

The Workhouse site has an interesting description of Lancaster workhouse.

Penny's Almshouses were established from a £700 endowment left by William Penny (Mayor of Lancaster) in 1716. They were built for 12 poor men in 1720.

Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Lancaster was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the Diocese of Chester. The original wills for the Archdeaconry of Richmond are held at the Lancashire Record Office.