Lincoln which is situated in Lincolnshire, is a cathedral city and as per 2011 census had a population of 94,600. In the early periods, it was known as Lindum Colonia, a Roman colony. Lindum Colonia had come up from a settlement of the Iron Age that belonged to the 1st Century B.C. The settlement was the result of a deep pool and the name also probably comes from the word Lindon which was later converted to the Latin form Lindum. The full name for the location was Colonia Domitiana Lindensium, which went by its founder, Domitian’s name. The colony was established within the walls of the hilltop fortress, to which an extension was also added later on, of an equal area.
Cathedral
First of all the construction of the Lincoln Cathedral began with the see being removed from the backwater of Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. It was completed in 1092 but had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed it. The cause of the fire is said to have been an earthquake that shook Lincoln in 1185. When the Lincoln Minster was rebuilt it had an added portion to the east. The construction was completed on a superb scale with the crossing tower decorated by a pinnacle that rose to 525 ft, and considered to be the highest Europe has ever had till date. After the completion of all the three spires, the central spire is expected to be the tallest man-made structure in the world after the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
The Bishops of Lincoln were said to be one of the richest people in medieval England. The Diocese of Lincoln, considered to be the biggest in England, was home to more monasteries than the entire English counties put together.
When Magna Carta, the charter to bring peace between the king and rebel barons, was signed, one of the witnesses happened to be the Bishop of Lincoln, Hugh of Wells. There is only one copy that remains of the four originals and that is in the Lincoln Castle.
Lincoln Cathedral
The bishops of Lincoln who were most known were :
- Robert Bloet
- Hugh of Avalon
- Robert Grosseteste
- Henry Beaufort
- Thomas Wolsey
- Philip Repyngdon
- Thomas Rotherham
Theologian William de Montibus was the chancellor and head of the cathedral school till his death in 1213. The Bishop’s Palace was the centre of administration. Built towards the end of the 12th Century, it was a magnificent building of that era in England. The East Hall of the Palace, designed by Hugh of Lincoln, is the earliest enduring example of a roofed domestic hall. Bishop William of Alnwick was responsible for building the other two parts namely the chapel range and entrance tower. It was he who also improvised upon the existing structure and lend a modern look to it in the 1430s. King Henry VIII and James I are said to have been e guests of the bishops at Lincoln Cathedral. Some royal troops ransacked the cathedral in 1648 during the civil war. The cathedral had another recent break-in due to which the stained glass had to be replaced.
Notable people
- Penelope Fitzgerald, born in 1916 was a novelist and biographer
- George Boole, born in Lincoln in 1815 and developed the Boolean Algebra
- Sir Francis Hill, mayor of Lincoln was born in Lincoln in 1899.
- William Byrd, organist and composer
- Neville Marriner (1924–2016).
- Sam Clucas, a Hull City footballer was born in Lincoln in 1990.
- Steve Race, broadcaster, was born in Lincoln
Famous Attractions
- Jew’s House
- Jew’s Court
- Lincoln Castle
- Lincoln Cathedral
- Steep Hill
- Viking Way
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