n.
City and borough (pop., 2001: 129,642), county seat of Lancashire , England.
On the River Ribble , Preston grew near the site of a Roman fort and received its first charter in 1179. As a market centre, it became known for its wool and linen weaving and its cotton mills. It was the site of the Lancashire Royalist headquarters during the English Civil Wars . The Royalists were defeated there by Oliver Cromwell in 1648. Despite the decline of the cotton textile industry, the economy has remained strong through diversification, and it produces aircraft and motor vehicles.