[Illustration: CASTLE SQUARE, LANCASTER.]
John of Gaunt, "time-honored Lancaster," was granted the Duchy of
Lancaster by his father, King Edward III., but the place which stands
upon the river Lune is of much greater antiquity. It was a Roman camp,
and hence its name. The Picts destroyed it when the Romans left; the
Saxons afterwards restored it, and ultimately it gave the name to the
county. King John gave the town a charter, and John of Gaunt rebuilt the
fortress, which became indissolubly connected with the fortunes of the
House of Lancaster. Though sometimes besieged, it was maintained more
for purposes of state than of war, and two centuries ago it still
existed in all its ancient splendor, commanding the city and the sea.
Lancaster stands on the slope of an eminence rising from the river Lune,
and the castle-towers crown the summit, the fortress being spacious,
with a large courtyard and variously-shaped towers. The keep is square,
enormously strong, and defended by two semi-octagonal towers. This keep
is known as "John of Gaunt's Chair," and commands a fine view of the
surrounding country and far away across the sea to the distant outlines
of the Isle of Man. This famous castle, partly modernized, is now used
for the county jail and courts, the prison-chapel being in the keep. In
the town several large manufactories attest the presiding genius of
Lancashire, and the inn is the comfortable and old-fashioned King's Arms
described by Dickens.
[Illustration: BRADDA HEAD.]