A Brief History
The Romans first built a fort at what is today Lancaster in approximately 80AD, later a town grew up around it. In the late 11th Century the Normans built a castle at Lancaster with the stone keep being built in 1170. In 1322 the Scots attacked and burnt Lancaster and raided again in 1389. The famous Pendle witch trials took place in Lancaster in 1612. During the civil war parliamentary troops captured Lancaster in 1642 only for Royalists to take the town back one year later. In 1651 Charles I was crowned King of England in Lancaster but was forced to flee abroad after his army was defeated at the battle of Worcester. By 1788 Skerton bridge was built and Lancaster became a flourishing port, famous for furniture making. In 1792 the canal opened between Lancaster and Preston allowing goods to be transported between the two in just 3 hours. In 1840 a railway to Preston opened speeding things up even more. The Queen Victoria Monument was erected in 1906 and a new town hall 3 years later. 1964 saw the opening of Lancaster University, with the University of Cumbria and Northwood opening in 2007.
