Lancastrians

A landmark new history of the great English county of Lancashire, exploring its peoples impact on Britain and beyond. This popular history explores the cultural heritage and identity of Lancashire, stretching from the Mersey to the Lake District. Paul Salveson charts the countys transformation from a largely agricultural region noted for its religious learning into the Industrial Revolutions powerhouse, as an emerging self-confident bourgeoisie drove economic growth. This capital boom came with a cultural blossoming, creating todays Lancashire. Industrialists strongly committed to the arts endowed galleries and museums, producing a diverse world of science, technology, music and literature. Lancashire developed a distinct business culture, but this was also the birthplace of the world co-operative movement, and the heart of democracy campaigns including Chartism and womens suffrage. Lancashire has generally welcomed incomers, who have long helped to inform its distinctive identity: fourteenth-century Flemish weavers; nineteenth-century Irish immigrants and Jewish refugees; and, more recently, New Lancastrians from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. This long-overdue book explores contemporary Lancastrian culture, following modern upheavals and Lancashires fragmentation compared with its old rival Yorkshire. What future awaits the 6 million people of this rich historic region?