LANCASHIRE, a north-western county of England, bounded on the north by Cumberland and Westmorland, east by Yorkshire, south by Cheshire and west by the Irish sea. The area is 1,8661 sq.m. The coast is generally flat with low boulder-clay cliffs at places and broken by great inlets, with wide expanses of sandy foreshore at low tides. The chief inlets, from north to south are : the estuary of the river Duddon; Morecambe bay; and the estu aries of the Ribble and the Mersey. Morecambe bay receives the rivers Crake and Leven in a common estuary, and the Kent from Westmorland; while the Lune and the Wyre discharge into Lan caster bay, which is only partially separated from Morecambe bay by the promontory of Red Nab. Morecambe bay also detaches from the rest of the county the district of Furness (q.v.), having off its coast the island of Walney, 8 m. long, and several small isles within the strait between Walney and the mainland. The principal seaside resorts and watering-places from south to north are South port, Lytham-St. Annes, Blackpool, Fleetwood and Morecambe; while at the head of Morecambe bay are several villages fre quented by visitors, such as Arnside and Grange.
Of the rivers the Mersey (q.v.) separating the county from Cheshire is the principal, and receives from Lancashire the Irwell, Sankey and other small streams. The Ribble, which rises in the mountains of the West Riding of Yorkshire, forms for a few miles the boundary with that county, and then flows south-west to Pres ton, receiving the Hodder from the north and the Calder and Darwen from the south. Furness, entirely hilly except for a nar row coastal tract, extends north to include the southern part of the Lake District (q.v.) ; it contains Coniston lake and borders Windermere, which lie upon Silurian rock, and which are drained respectively by the Leven and Crake, with some smaller lakes and such mountains as the Old Man and Wetherlam. Another elevated district, forming part of the Pennine (q.v.) uplands, runs along the whole eastern boundary of the county, and to the south of the Ribble occupies more than half the area, stretching west nearly to Liverpool. The moorlands in the southern district
are generally bleak and covered with heather. Towards the north the scenery is frequently beautiful, the green rounded elevated ridges being separated by pleasant cultivated valleys variegated by woods and watered by rivers. The more elevated parts of Lancashire are formed of Carboniferous rocks with Silurian and Ordovician in the Furness and Secibergh districts. The coastal plain from the mouth of the Lune to Liverpool and stretching up the Mersey valley to beyond Manchester is formed of red Triassic sandstones. The finest scenery is found in the limestone area in the northern half of the county, whilst the moorlands of the southern district are formed of Millstone Grit and Coal-Measure shales and sandstone. None of the summits of the range within Lancashire attains an elevation of 2,000 ft., the highest being Blackstone Edge (1,323 ft.), Pendle hill (1,831 ft.) and Bouls worth hill (1,70o ft.).
Along the sea coast from the Mersey to Lancaster there is a continuous plain, formerly occupied by peat mosses, many of which have been reclaimed, the bad drainage being due to deposits of boulder clay. The largest is Chat Moss between Liverpool and Manchester. A large district in the north belonging to the duchy Lancaster was at one time occupied by forests, but these have wholly disappeared, though their existence is recalled in nomen clature, as in the forest of Rossendale, near the Yorkshire bound ary somewhat south of the centre. The shore near Formby, etc., shows traces of submerged forests.
On the south Lancashire coal-basin are situated the most im portant towns of the district, whilst part of the Ingleton coal field also lies in the county. Large pockets of iron-ore (haema tite), occur in the Carboniferous limestones of the Furness dis trict. The available coal supply of the Lancashire coal-field has been proved at 4,238,500,00o tons. In addition to coal and fire clay, quantities of limestone, sandstone, slate and salt, which is also obtained from the brine, are raised. The haematite obtained in the Furness district is very valuable. Metals, excepting iron are unimportant.