God went missing for 6 days. On the 7th day, the Angel Gabriel found him at rest and asked God what he had been doing.
"I have been creating the Earth" replied God and took Gabriel to observe his work.
"You see Gabriel" said God "its all about balance". "Observe... that land over there is America." In the North it is rich, but in the South it is poor". That is balance!!!"
"Now that island is Australia and it is hot, but that island, Antarctic, is covered in ice". "That is balance Gabriel"
Suddenly Gabriels eyes were drawn to a little place in England. "What is that" he asked. "AHH" said God "that is my most beautiful creation, its name is LANCASHIRE !!!
"In LANCASHIRE ", he explained "there are the most beautiful lakes and countryside, the best food and drink, the most friendly, generous and intelligent people". "It is my greatest work Gabriel"!!!
Gabriel pondered for a while then said to God " but you said that it was all about balance" to which God replied "yes it is my child". Gabriel puzzled some more and asked "but where IS the balance then?
And God replied............................"Let me tell you about YORKSHIRE"
Lancashire is undoubtedly the best of the 39 historic counties of England. It is a county rich in culture and diversity, from the breath-taking scenery of the Lake District, to the towns and cities of the south which were once the centre of the industrialised world. Lancashire has its own food, its own accents and dialects. It is where the CD was invented (Blackburn), where the first tarmacadamed road in the world was laid (Hurst Green), had the first stretch of motorway in Britain (Preston), includes part of a National Park (Lakes), part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Bowland) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Liverpool). It is one of only three Palatine counties in England, and it was the Lancastrian Henry Tudor who put an end to the Wars of the Roses, founding the Tudor dynasty which shaped mediaeval England.
Despite all this, few people realise what exactly Lancashire consists of. Why the confusion? In 1888, County Councils were created across Britain. Lancashire's County Council covered the whole of the county with the exception of the western half of Todmorden. Some towns and cities became separate to the control of the county council but retained their Lancastrian identity nevertheless. The Local Government Act (1972), which came into effect in 1974, abolished the county councils and established new administrative counties across England and Wales. Lancashire County Council's area of authority was drastically reduced and extended east into Yorkshire, but retained the name 'Lancashire'. Cumbria, Merseyside and Greater Manchester were created to govern parts of Lancashire and neighbouring counties, whilst Warrington and Widnes in the south were put under the control of Cheshire and Todmorden in the east under West Yorkshire. Since then, Blackburn and Blackpool have become unitary authorities. These changes were enacted solely for the purposes of local government: NO LAW, since the creation of Lancashire in the twelfth century, has altered the county boundaries. The historic county of Lancashire continues to exist, even though Ordnance Survey only mark the council area on maps and the media uses this as a geographical reference.
Although Barrow-in-Furness, Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Warrington and western Todmorden are not administered by Lancashire County Council, in common law, they are still within the historic county.
"The new county boundaries are administrative areas, and will not alter the traditional boundaries of counties, nor is it intended that the loyalties of people living in them will change, despite the different names adopted by the new administrative counties."
(Government statement, The Times, 1st April 1974)
"The Local Government Act 1972 did not abolish traditional counties, only administrative ones. Although for local government purposes some of the historic counties have ceased to be administrative areas, they continue to exist for other purposes." (Department of the Environment Sept 1991)
This group celebrates the ancient and full County Palatine of Lancaster, Lancashire, which stretches from the River Duddon to the River Mersey, the River Hodder to the Irish Sea, not the small part of Lancashire and Yorkshire which the council has controlled for the last 30 years.