95 



after 400 years of possession, the Danes and Northmen from the 

 regions of Scandinavia came over and conquered 



The Native Britons 



more thoroughly than the Romans. The Eomans spared the 

 natives and became their protectors ; the Northmen took posses- 

 sion with fire and sword, and those natives who were not killed 

 or made slaves fled to the hills and fastnesses of Cliviger and 

 Briercliflfe. Six hundred years after the Eomans had left England 

 and the Northmen and Saxons had settled on the lands of the 

 ancient Britons, the Normans conquered England. Now these 

 Normans were exactly of the same race of people as those who 

 were settled in Lancashire, cousins, only far removed ; for in the 

 ancient Druidical and Roman times whilst one horde of Northnjen 

 over-ran the North of England, another over-ran and conquered 

 the North of France ; the French called them Normans, we called 

 them Northmen. These later Normans, like the earlier North- 

 men, came to live and settle here, so that before manufacturing 

 industry arose and brought all nations into Lancashire, the 

 natives of this part of Lancashire consisted principally of North- 

 men with a sprinkling of Saxons, and as these very Saxons were 

 cousins of the Northmen, we may say that this part of the county 

 was a Danish settlement. We have seen that the ancient Britons 

 had not much settled or cultivated lands, consequently they have 

 left but little trace of their existence. The Romans were eminently 

 a military people, and their hopes and eyes were always towards 

 Rome, so that we have not much trace other than military of 

 their presence. The Danes and Saxons were a people of squatters ; 

 no sooner did they steal a piece of land than they felled trees, 

 put up fences, and built a house, consequently they have left 

 many more traces of their existence than the others. The Nor- 

 mans were not only a military people but they loved the chase, 

 they were hunting lords and they lorded it over the natives with 

 a high hand. The peasants were slaves and belonged to the soil. 

 From the times of the Danes to the Normans if a serf caused a 

 deer to run till it panted, whether by design or accident, he was 

 whipped tiU the skin peeled from him, if a free peasant, that is 

 a farmer who was not sold with the land, caused a deer to pant 

 by running, he forfeited IDs. to the king. If the beast caused to 

 pant was a royal stag the freeman lost his liberty for a year, the 

 bondsman for two years, and the serf (viUein) was outlawed. 

 During 



The Norman Occupation 



inquests were held over all deer found dead or wounded, just as in- 

 quests are held now over dead people. The Forest of Lancaster con- 

 sisted of the forests of Rowland, Blackburnshire, Pendle, Trawden, 

 Accrington and Rossendale, including lands, - sometimes called 



