What is the importance of Lancashire in the biography, Will in the World?

Lancashire was the likely destination for the late adolescent Shakespeare who, according to the author's research, spent time as a schoolteacher there in a community some distance from Stratford. At the time, this county was extensively populated by secretive Roman Catholics, who kept their faith secret from the violent pro-Protestant English government. The author presents evidence that it was in Lancashire that Shakespeare encountered several important religious figures and was forced to confront his personal faith - or lack thereof.