Lancashire is the second most Taskered county in England, with over 1,320 IGI records (including many repeat entries). Only Yorkshire has more Taskers – in fact twice as many!

The earliest Tasker family was at Whalley, a village between Blackburn and Clitheroe in east Lancashire. Lawrence Tasker, born there about 1515, married Margaret Wood on 7 June 1540, with son John christened on 8 August 1540. John went on to marry Margaret Farrer on 11 July 1557, with son Robert christened on 3 October 1558. Robert remained in Whalley, marrying Margaret Broxop there on 3 February 1590. The Lawrence Tasker and Margaret Bayley, whose daughter Margaret was christened in Clitheroe on 10 March 1587, must also belong to this family somehow.

Another early Tasker family was at Brindle, a small village between Preston, Blackburn and Leyland in mid-Lancashire. Richard Tasker was born there about 1535, marrying Ann Tugood on 20 January 1559, with daughter Margaret christened on 8 Dec 1560. A year later Janet Tasker (his sister?) married Richard Chafforth, on 12 October 1561. Then William Tasker (Richard's brother?) had four children: Margaret (1571), Richard (1573), Agnes (1582) and Ann (1585). Nicholas Tasker (another brother?) had nine children including Eline & Agnes (1577), 'Jenet' (1580), William (1582), Richard (1588), Margaret (1589), Robert (1594), Agnes (1596) and Jane (1599). Finally, for that generation, Robert Tasker (another brother?) had daughter Ann christened on 23 Apr 1573. Twenty years later, Edward Tasker had son Nicholas christened on 15 Dec 1596.

Meanwhile at Ormskirk, Jane Tasker, born about 1539, married Hugh Latham on 17 Nov 1560. She then seems to have married Peter Jackson on 13 or 15 June 1575, Thomas Sutch on 16 September 1580, and died and was buried on 4 July 1581, as the wife of Hugh Latham. There may, of course, have been more than one Jane here. Thomas Tasker, brother of one of them (?) married Ellin Parker on 11 November 1565, with children Margery (born 1570) and Roger (1573). Henry Tasker (possibly another brother?) had daughter Anne christened on 4 September 1586. To confuse matters a little, an un-named 'Tasker' had four children christened too: Jane (1565), Ellen (1567), Richard (1567) and Jane (1568). Then a presumably un-recorded daughter Anne Tasker married Gilbert Welch there on 6 May 1592.

The only other locations for Taskers before 1600 have no obvious link to these three extended families. In Manchester, Thomas Tasker had son Rauffe christened in Manchester Cathedral in 1574, followed by daughter Margery in 1577. Then a Roger Tasker, born about 1579 or 1582, of Manchester, married Margery Browne there on 16 Sep 1604. Up towards the Cumbria border, Ann Tasker married Richard Deny on 14 November 1584 at the village of Whittington. There is also an odd record for John Tasker, born about 1532 at Walton, who married Alice Fish on 7 March 1657 (showing you can't Trust IGI dates all the time! – so was it both 1500s or both 1600s? And which Walton?)