Statue of Queen Victoria in Lancaster England Lancaster is a city and the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune. Long existing as a commercial, cultural and educational centre, Lancaster is the settlement that gives Lancashire its name. Lancaster has several unique ties to the British monarchy; the House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family, whilst the Duchy of Lancaster holds large estates on behalf of Elizabeth II, who herself is also the Duke of Lancaster in her capacity as monarch. With its history based on its port and canal, Lancaster is an ancient settlement, dominated by Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Priory Church and the Ashton Memorial. The city`s name, first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Loncastre, where `Lon` refers to the River Lune, and `castre`, from the Old English cæster and Latin castrum for `fort`, refers to the Roman fort which stood at the site Lancaster Castle, partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman garrison. Lancaster Castle is well known as the site of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. It was said that the court based in the castle the Lancaster Assizes sentenced more people to be hanged than any other in the country outside London, earning Lancaster the nickname, `the Hanging Town`
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