Went to Alston Hall near Longridge today to listen to Stephen Sartin speak about the history of Preston through its Guild Merchant. Stephen Sartin being one of the current leading historians about Preston although he currently seems more involved in Lancaster.
A lot of interesting points and plenty of anecdotes providing further points for reading . Such as the coat of arms having the sitting lamb of St John the Baptist from around 1600. Before that date it was the standing lamb of St Wilfrid. Most texts I’ve read say the current one is St Wilfrids. Said to be because Wilfrid was too Catholic at that time.
The possibility of a charter earlier than the widely recognised first one of 1179. Also the term ‘custumal’ to represent a statement of the earliest freedoms. That a town that in those days was small has played a part in many major national events like the civil war and has a thread through time like the Guild Merchant provides a lot to talk about. The passage next to the Red Lion pub on Church Street, according to Mr Sartin, saw the creation of the invention in a local joiners shop that brought on the factory system a world changing event. Arkwrights Water Frame. Good stuff.