Page "Preston, Lancashire" Paragraph 1

Preston and its surroundings have provided evidence of ancient Roman activity in the area, largely in the form of a Roman road which led to a camp at Walton-le-Dale.

The Angles established Preston ; the name Preston is derived from Old English words meaning " Priest settlement " and in the Domesday Book appears as " Prestune ".

During the Middle Ages, Preston formed a parish and township in the hundred of Amounderness and was granted a Guild Merchant charter in 1179, giving it the status of a market town.

Textiles have been produced in Preston since the middle of the 13th century, when locally produced wool was woven in people's houses.

Flemish weavers who settled in the area during the 14th century helped to develop the industry.

Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the spinning frame, was born in Preston.

The most rapid period of growth and development in Preston's history coincided with the industrialisation and expansion of textile manufacturing.

Preston was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, becoming a densely populated engineering centre, with large industrial plants.