Lancashire's Sacred Landscape: From Prehistory to the Viking Age

2010 | History & Politics

Lancashire, situated in the north west of England, does not at first tend to conjure up an images of 'a sacred' landscape. But look at bit deeper and one will discover a vast array of sites of ritual and early worship. Archaeological remains of prehistoric stone circles, cairns and burial chambers, pre-Christian place-names, Anglo-Saxon and Viking stone sculpture, as well as tales of fairies and 'otherworldly' creatures within the folklore and legend are spread throughout the county. Within this book the reader will find a discussion of all these, including a comprehensive gazetteer of prehistoric sites, listings of place names, locations of stone sculpture and detailed analyses of carvings and the inscriptions upon them, as well as a personal, experiential approach to landscape. Extensive photographs illustrate the sites described within the chapters. The contributors to this book are from a variety of academic disciplines - geology, archaeology, art history, history, place-name and folklore research. They have spent many years deeply engaged in their own different areas of research in order to produce this wide-ranging material.

Each chapter is accompanied by details of how to visit the sites in discussion. 'Readers of this book will find suggestions, speculations, guidance, material to stimulate them to find out more about the sacred landscape of Lancashire and the many interpretations it may hold' - Dr Jenny Blain, Sheffield Hallam University. Linda Sever is Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire.

Linda Sever (Author)