There is no surprise that Lincoln Cathedral is such a landmark. William the Conqueror picked this strategic site of a former Roman fortress to build his castle (1068) and cathedral (1072) as very clear messages – proclaiming his power and dominance to his new population; one the stick, the other the carrot.
Lincoln Cathedral has hosted parliament, welcomed kings, buried queens and withstood armed attack. The cathedral’s sister building, Lincoln Castle, is clearly William’s stick, sending out his – ‘I’m in charge now’ statement. It is a pragmatic building, functional where the cathedral is beautiful, built using lower-quality stone and having money spent on it only when needed.
Henry II (father of Richard the Lionheart and King John) visited Lincoln in 1175, 1179, 1181 and 1183. He was an excellent administrator and was constantly on the move around his kingdom. During the £22m restoration of Lincoln Castle a midden was uncovered, it included broken pottery and over 1,700 bones which gave a snapshot into the lifestyle of the elite. The sheer number and diversity stands out, apart from the usual animals, there were also 28 different bird varieties and 17 varieties of fish. Archaeologists now have such forensic techniques that they can tell that the hens were in lay or that the pork was suckling pig, a delicacy typically eaten by the rich. They think that the midden was created between late winter and late autumn and within a window 1175-1190. Undoubtedly conspicuously grand feasting, was it for a royal visit to Lincoln by Henry II and his retinue?
Lincoln Castle has strong connections with powerful women. The Lucy Tower is named for Countess Lucy, a noblewoman of considerable standing and heiress to vast estates in Lincolnshire. She married three times and when her last husband died Lucy was able to secure her freedom from remarriage by making a payment of 500 marks to King Henry I. Countess Lucy died around 1138.
It was the site of the most significant battle waged on English soil since 1066. The Battle of Lincoln Fair in 1217 is so little known, but it is the reason we’re not French! The constable of Lincoln Castle at the time was the elderly Lady Nicholaa de la Haye.
King John had died in 1216, his son Henry was only 9. The rebel barons turned against the crown and invited the son of the King of France to take over. The deciding battle was at Lincoln where Lady Nicholaa held the castle then under siege by the French. The infant Henry was represented by William Marshall, a man feted as ‘the greatest knight in all the world’. They were heavily out-numbered by the French, but Marshall planned carefully using the local topography and by creating a diversion took the French by surprise with a fierce fight taking place between Castle and Cathedral. The French were pursued down Steep Hill, at huge disadvantage fighting whilst going backwards downhill. Many were caught in the bottleneck at the southern gate and slaughtered. William Marshall had led the Royalists to a stunning victory. This is not a battlefield as field – everything is still there – castle, cathedral, Newport Arch and Steep Hill. A chronicler of the time wrote ‘Nicholaa, not thinking about anything womanly, defended … [Lincoln] castle manfully’.
Henry VIII called Lincolnshire “the most brute and beastly in the realm” – we were being rather rebellious at the time. It does rather speak to our independent spirit, we like to do things our own way!
In the Tudor period Grimsthorpe Castle was much rebuilt and extended, and in only 18 months in 1541, it was ready for a visit by Henry VIII. It seems that the additions were hastily constructed and substantial repairs were required later due to the poor state of the foundations. Also in 1541 Henry VIII stayed at Gainsborough Old Hall with his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
