Lancashire is a county in the north west of England. Founded in 1182, Lancashire emerged as a major commercial and industrial region during the Industrial Revolution. Liverpool and Manchester grew into its largest cities, with economies built around the docks and the cotton mills respectively. The county's borders were redrawn significantly in 1974, as the urban regions around Liverpool and Manchester were removed to form the counties of Merseyside and Greater Manchester and the northern part became part of Cumbria.
This picture, titled The Countie Pallatine of Lancaster Described and Divided into Hundreds, 1610, is a map of Lancashire engraved in around 1627 by John Speed. It features a street plan of the county town, Lancaster, and side panels containing portraits of kings from the House of Lancaster and the House of York.Engraving: John Speed; restoration: Adam Cuerden