When Lincoln's Greatest Roman Treasure was Almost Lost

 

From the original blogpost 31 May 2012

Newport Arch was the north gate of the upper Roman town of Lindum Colonia.  It is now the only Roman arch in the country still open to traffic.  It is the entrance to Lincoln's historic centre that includes most of Roman and Medieval Lincoln.

Newport Arch probably got its name in the medieval period, many houses were demolished for the building of Lincoln castle in the late 11^th century and the displaced residents moved to an area north of what is now known as Newport.  At the time it was open country but soon grew and eventually had its own market.

Built in the 3rd century, Ermine Street passed through it to link Lincoln to another major Roman provincial centre, York.  The arch was enlarged when the city became capital of the province Flavie Caesariensis in the 4th century.  The remains we see today are of the inner arch and a footway on the east side of the arch, the outer arch was demolished in the late 18^th century.  The arch was much higher in Roman times, approximately 2.4 metres of it are below today’s ground level.

More about the design of the gateway was discovered in 1954 when the north-west bastion, a semi-circular  structure, was excavated, the remains of which are still visible.  There would have been another bastion on the north-east side of the gateway, the remains of that are now below the adjoining cottage.

The modern age has brought damage from motor vehicles, the worst of which happened in 1964 when a lorry carrying peas severely damaged the upper part of the arch.  This resulted in its dismantling and rebuilding.  To see an image of the accident please click here.

Lincoln’s Stonebow now stands on the site of the Roman south gate of the lower city

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When Lincoln Was Numbered

19 to 23 Minster Yard are known as the Number Houses, so-called because they are thought to be the first numbered houses in Lincoln; but why start at 19?

Standing at the north-west corner of Lincoln Cathedral, which they complement.  The houses were built in the early to mid 18th century with 19th century modifications and are, as you would expect, Grade II and Grade II* listed.

Over the years many of the houses have been updated but still retain their character.  The curve of bay windows and the regularity of the Georgian windows place these houses among the finest in the city.    

When house numbering first began, under the Postage Act of 1765, buildings were often numbered in sequence, 1 to x on the left-hand side from a main road, and x+1 (opposite x) to the last number on the other side - a clockwise sequence (Lincoln's High Street retains this numbering sequence).  Later buildings on the left would usually be odd numbers and the opposite side would be even. 

At first sight, nothing remarkable about this mid-19th century row of terraced houses built for the better-off professional classes, in need of tender loving care and blighted by poorly designed double-glazed windows and the ubiquitous wheelie bin.

These seemingly two double-fronted houses are. in fact, four single-fronted houses.  The plaque to the left of the right-hand door shows number 67, and it can be seen from the wheelie bins that the houses are numbered 65 to 71.

This is the artificial stone lintel above the right-hand door:

From this lintel, it can be clearly seen that the houses were previously numbered from 43 to 46.  All the houses were unoccupied in the 1861 census, so they must have been newly built, or in the course of being built at that time.

In 1871 number 43 was still unoccupied, but the others were lived in:

• 44 - John Heywood, age 42, a cashier at an engineering works.  Under where born: "travelling on the continent", his son, Edward, was born at Heywood, Lancashire. 
• 45 - Elizabeth Bullivant, 65, living on her own means, born in Aisthorpe.  
• 46 - George Williamson, 48, Manager Steam Engineer, born Gainsborough.

Sometime between 1891 and 1894, the houses were renumbered to the current sequence.

In the case of Monks Road buildings were numbered sequentially on what would be the right, and when the numbering changed number 1 was still on the right.  I believe the reason for this is that the first houses were built on the south side of the road as Monks Leys Common was on the north side.

When these four houses were built, behind them would be many of the major engineering works of the City, but in front would be a pleasant view of the countryside leading up the hill. To the left would be the recently opened cattle market with a great view of the Cathedral above it.

Many other roads, including High Street, have been re-numbered.

Monks Road Numbering 1894 - New Numbers

Monks Road Numbering 1894 - Old Numbers

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Lincoln Arboretum

The Lincoln Commons Act of 1870 enabled Lincoln Corporation to purchase Monks Leys Common for the building of housing for Lincoln's booming population. Towns and cities throughout the country were recognising the leisure needs of their people, Lincoln was no exception in this and in 1870 undertook to provide a public park in what was to become a densely populated part of the City.  Temple Gardens, although privately owned, had been used as a public park on an informal basis.  Joseph Mawer Collingham, a son of the founder of the department store, Joseph Collingham, bought Temple Gardens in 1863 and built his new house on Lindum Road on the south side of Temple Gardens.  Read more about Temple Gardens here.

Edward Milner (1819-84) was commissioned to design what was to become The Arboretum.  Milner was responsible for the design of the grounds of Hartsholme Hall in 1862.  Three acres of Monks Leys Common was sold to fund the development of The Arboretum.  Milner also designed the West Gate Lodge and the Tea Room at the main entrance from Monks Road.  At the first flight of steps an Edward Milner designed a pavilion was erected but, following years of neglect and vandalism, it was taken down in 1948.

The Arboretum was opened in August 1872. The importance to local people of the new attraction was the fact that 25,000 people attended the opening ceremony (Lincoln's population at the 1871 census was a little less than 27,000).  The people were entertained by Professor Renzo’s Performing Dogs, Mr Emmanuel Jackson, the Midland aeronaut in his new balloon, brass band recitals and a ladies choir from Liverpool.

F J Clarke, a successful Lincoln chemist, in 1872 presented to the Arboretum a Coade stone lion by Austin & Seeley of New Road, Regent's Park.

The Arboretum Lion
Dave Hitchborne / The Lion, The Arboretum, Lincoln / 

CC BY-SA 2.0

Brass Band concerts* had become a popular event in the Arboretum and in 1884 a bandstand was erected on the large lawn in front of the terrace and a cast iron shelter constructed by Lockerbie and Wilson, of Tipton, Staffordshire, was also erected about the same time.

In 1894 Nathaniel Clayton Cockburn donated land to the north west for an extension to the Arboretum.  This was laid out by Edward Milner's son Henry Ernest Milner (1845-1906).

A fountain was erected in 1911 to celebrate the turning on of
the new water supply from Elkesley in Nottinghamshire.

Sister Swan's Nursing Home at Cold Bath House, stood near the Junction of Lindum Terrace and Sewell Road.  During the Second World War the House was bombed and eventually demolished. The house got it's name from a spring which ran into its cellar.  In 1953, to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the site was landscaped and added to the Arboretum, the spring is used to create a water feature in the Arboretum.  This extension increased the area of the Arboretum to 21 acres (8.8 hectares).

The Arboretum was renovated in 2002/3 at a cost of £3 million to bring it back to its original condition.

*In 1889 over 40,000 people attended the band concerts.

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Lincoln Companies - Fambrini & Daniels

 This unusual building stands on Canwick Road.

Joseph Fambrini, born in Italy in 1815, was a plaster manufacturer and landlord at the Packet Inn on Waterside North.  He later moved to the Crown & Cushion (The Pelham Bridge in the image below) on Melville Street.

Fambrini produced artificial stone and moulded it to customer requirements.  Fambrini and Joseph Daniels, his grandson, became partners in Fambrini & Daniels.  They produced decorative artificial stone mouldings, they were listed in street directories as artificial stone manufacturers and architectural modellers.

Fambrini produced artificial stone and moulded it to customer requirements.  Fambrini and Joseph Daniels, his grandson, became partners in Fambrini & Daniels.  They produced decorative artificial stone mouldings, they were listed in street directories as artificial stone manufacturers and architectural modellers.

Florence Villa later Villa Firenze

Fambrini no doubt benefited from the rapid growth of Lincoln housing in the latter half of the 19th century as he had a large house built on the corner of  Monks Road and Baggholme Road in 1876, naturally artificial stone was used to decorate it. It was named Florence Villa (Florence may be where he was born).  Fambrini resigned from the partnership in 1889 and Daniels continued trading as Fambrini & Daniels.  Fabrini died in 1890 and his house was renamed Villa Firenze.

In 1899 Joseph Daniels commissioned William Mortimer to design an office & showroom (top picture) for Fambrini & Daniels.  It was designed to exhibit many of the companies products.  The building is Grade II listed.  The eaves cornice has decorative corbels and banding, with above in parapet a projecting panel decorated with pendant flag and wreath. Rainwater heads in
form of monstrous heads. Side entrance facade has similar elaborate architectural detail. Topped with panel bearing Lincoln City coat of arms surmounted by segmental pediment
bearing date 1889.

The business was taken over by Lindum Stone Company about 1913.

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Lincoln's Traffic Problems: A Missed Opportunity?

 

Image from Google Earth

Have you ever thought what the name Outer Circle Road means?  .

In October 1917, towards the end of the First World War, the city council discussed the possibility of building a road from Greetwell Road to Wragby Road.  The war over, in December 1920 the Ministry of Transport agreed to contribute half the estimated cost of £14,210. Like many other projects in this country at that time it was seen as way to give work to the vast numbers of unemployed.  The road was completed in 1922

James Hole & Company Ltd of Newark applied in February 1924 to the Licening Justices for a licence for serving intoxication liquor at proposed premises at the junction of Wragby Road and Outer Circle Road - The Bowling Green Hotel.  The Bowling Green opened in July 1926, Ronnie Sewell, former professional footballer for Burnley and Blackburn Rovers, was the first landlord.

With the building of the St Giles' Estate, a new road was built from Wragby Road opposite Outer Circle Road and called Outer Circle Drive; possibly the powers that be decided "Drive" would be more attractive to the people who were being moved from properties in Stamp End and other parts of the city.

Owners and tenants of 208 to 218 Doddington Road were summonsed to court for "failing to abate a nuisance in regard to drainage", the magistrates were not prepared to make an order, they felt it was the corporations responsibility.  Robert Horton, the owner of 216 & 218, produced a plan provided by the corporation in 1929, when the houses were built, the letter accopanying the plan referred to a proposed "Outer Circle Road"; it seems the intention was to continue the road around the north and west of Lincoln and joining with Newark Road at Swanholme.

There were many complaints about the state of footpaths on St Giles, Outer Circle Drive was often covered by mud, it seems the Corporation didn't have the money to complete Outer Circle Road.

Lincoln's World War One V.C.

Born in Lincoln on 12th August 1893, Leonard James Keyworth was the son of James and Emma Keyworth of 22 Coningsby Street, Lincoln. 

He tried to join The Lincolnshire Regiment at the outbreak of war in 1914. Rejected, he successfully joined the 24th County of London Battalion, the London Regiment (the Queen’s) Territorial Force as a private on 16th September 1914.

Following six months’ basic training in London, Leonard headed to the front line in France.

On the night of 25th/26th May 1915, the battalion had made a successful assault on a German position and was trying to follow it up with a bomb attack against fierce opposition.

In a letter home to his sister, Leonard modestly described his actions on the battlefield.

‘I can tell you we have had a very rough time. We entered the trenches at 6.30 on May 25th and were told to mount the trenches and commence straight away an attack on the German trenches about 250 yards away. This attack we made without our artillery’s covering fire.

‘Our lads went at it with great determination and were soon successful.

'I was with the bombing party and was the only one to come through without a scratch.

‘I went along a ridge on my stomach and threw bombs into a German trench, my distance being about 15 yards.

‘Men were shot down by my side. Still I continued, and came out safe.

‘I was at once recommended to my officers, who posted it to the colonel. It is supposed to be for bravery, but I cannot understand where it came in, as I only did my duty. But how I came out God only knows.

‘Some of our men who were slightly wounded, and who have come back, could not believe that I came out alive.’

This modest account belies the fact that Leonard was key to the success of the action that day. A fellow soldier recalled seeing Leonard refuse to give in even whilst under heavy enemy fire. He said:

'Seeing that we were done for, Keyworth laid hold of all the bombs he could get, and springing on to the enemy parapet, kept pelting them with bombs just as if he were taking shots at an Aunt Sally.

“It was a mercy that he escaped, for all the time the Germans were shooting at him madly. He kept it up for over two hours, and his audacity paralysed the whole German counter-attack.”

An extract from the "London Gazette," dated 2nd July, 1915, records the following:

"For most conspicuous bravery at Givenchy on the night of 25-26th May, 1915. After the assault on the German possition by the 24th Battalion, London Regt, efforts were made by that Unit to follow up their sucess by a bomb attack, during the progress of which 58 men out of a total 75 became casualties. During this very fierce encounter Lance-Cpl Keyworth stood fully exsposed for 2 hours on the top of the enemy's parapet, and threw about 150 bombs amongst the Germans, who were only a few yards away."

Lance Corporal Keyworth received the Victoria Cross from the King at Buckingham Palace in July 1915. After the ceremony, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Daily Mail.

He was also awarded the Medal of St. George (2nd Class) of Russia.

Leonard was given a hero’s welcome.on 14th July 1915 when he returned to Lincoln. Crowds of people flocked to see him as his train arrived in the city and he, his family, the Mayor and Sheriff, were escorted through the streets by the Territorials. The crowds delayed their progress, it took half an hour to get to his home on Coningsby Street.

The Mayor gave a speech and then Leonard was carried shoulder-high to his door, as the crowds cheered.

Sadly on 19 October 1915, he was shot in the head and taken to the Stationary Hospital at Abbeville and died from his wounds, he was just 22. Three days after his death, his final letter home arrived at his parent’s house. It read:

‘I expect you will be wondering what has become of me. We have had quite a busy time.

‘I hope you both are quite well, in fact, all Coningsby Street. How is Lincoln looking now? I wish I could pay it a visit.

‘I am glad to say I am in the best of health and happy to know we are doing our best against the Germans and doing it well.

‘ We are fighting as Britons should do, and it is for our King and country.’

Leonard James Keyworth V.C. is buried at the Abbeville Communal Cemetery in France.

Horse Racing at the Carholme

Horse Racing in Lincoln has a long history.

The first horse racing in the area is thought to have taken place at Temple Bruer: The Knights Templars, seeking a break from jousting and tournaments, would wager on the results of races held among themselves. After the dissolution of the Order farmworkers would hold races at the end of harvest.

The first recorded race was on 12th February 1597, when "the mayor's charges for a scaffold at the horse race" were approved. This must have been a wooden framed tiered stand so that spectators would have a good view of the race.

In April 1617 King James stayed in Lincoln for a few days:

" On Thursday (3rd April) thear was a great horse race on the Heath for a cupp, when his Majestie was present, and stood on a scaffold the Citie had caused to be set upp, and withall caused the race a quarter of a mile long to be raled and corded with rope and hoopes on both sides, whearby the people were kept out, and the horses that rouned were seen faire."

George 1 also visited Lincoln races in 1716, putting up £100 guineas in prize money himself.

Horse racing moved to Waddington Heath, a four mile long course, and remained there until 1770. It is believed that horse racing then continued near Dunholme for the next 20 years

In 1793 horse racing moved to the Carholme on the West Common at the edge of Lincoln. Most of the horses entered were local to the area until in 1806, when a Gold Cup of 115 Guineas was instituted.

At first a temporary wooden shed was erected for the important visitors at the meeting. In 1826 The Grandstand was erected by the Corporation.

The provision of the grandstand and improvements to the course and turf was at a cost of £7,000; a large sum of money in 1826. The improvements meant that more people could enjoy the spectacle of horse racing on the Carholme.

But in 1831 Lincoln was still regarded as an unimportant racing venue. The New Sporting Magazine of that year says, "The utter insignificance of these races would not have entitled them to a place in our monthly notices but for the extraordinary scene that occurred in the third day.":

700 or 800 "thimblemen"* including many dishonest characters moved from race meeting to race meeting to cheat people out of their winnings, turned up at the Lincoln meeting.

They were very successful in the first two days, but on the third day the racegoers attacked them with clubs and sticks. At first the thimblemen held their own; but a large number of horsemen arrived and routed them. Then the local people destroyed their stalls and caravans.

The royal purse of One Hundred Sovereigns, given to several Towns in England, to be run for mares only, in order to improve the breed of blood horses, and the ' Gold Cup ' or Subscription Plate of One Hundred Pounds. Many famous horses ran at the Carholme course in the early 19th century, among them:
Eclipse, Redshank, Carnaby, Volage, Bessy Bedlam, Bullet, Ballad Singer, Fleur-de-lis, Laurel, Lucy, Mullatto, Fortitude, Briuda, Lottery, Gallopade, Varnish, Marie, La Fille Mai Garde, Nancy.

The 1826 Grandstand

The winning of the Lincoln Gold Cup by Bessy Bedlam was celebrated by the naming of a public house at 33 Steep Hill in her honour. By 1857 it was re-named Fox & Hounds.

Jumps were added to the course in 1843 but were not a popular addition to the racing.

The Lincolnshire Handicap was first run in 1849, was won in that year by Media, a filly belonging to Lord Exeter; and in 1874 the race was won by the famous Fred Archer, then only a boy, on a horse called Tomahawk. Gradually Lincoln became more popular, and the Spring Meeting in particular assumed the importance to racing it retained until the closure. A second, larger grandstand was erected in 1897, designed W Mortimer, a well respected local architect, and built by William Wright. At the Spring Meeting in 1900the starting-gate was first used in a race for 2-year-old fillies, a feature of racing in which Lincoln can claim to be a pioneer.

The spring meeting, held in March, was the opening meeting of the flat racing calendar.

The winners of the Lincolnshire Handicap from 1926 to 1937 were, in chronological order:

King of Clubs (1926), Priory Park (1927), Dark Warrior (1928), Elton (1929), Leonidas (1930), Knight Error (1931), Jerome Fandor (1932), Dorigen (1933), Play On (1934), Flamenco (1935), Over Coat (1936), Marmaduke Jinks (1937) -     

Click on "Flamenco" to see the horse win the 1935 Lincolnshire Handicap.

The New Stand in 1897

Racing moved to Pontefract from 1942 to 1945 and never really recovered after World War II.
​
In 1964 the Horse Race Betting Levy Board announced they would not support the course after 1966. A meeting of the City Council was held 21st July 1964 in the Guildhall where it was decided that horse racing at the Carholme would cease immediately, therefore the last race was held on 18th March 1964, ending a tradition of almost 200 years of racing on the Carholme.

The 1826 grandstand was demolished in 1966.

The 1948 Lincolnshire Handicap had the largest number of runners - a total of 58!

Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company was formed in 2010 to bring racing back to Lincoln but it was opposed by the City Council and many West End residents, so the course is destined to remain unused for the foreseeable future.

*The word "thimbleman" has passed into obscurity but this is the best definition I have found:
"thimblerigger: one who practises the trick of thimblerig; a low trickster or sharper. Also thimbleman."
A thimbleman may also "nobble" horses.

The Legend of the Head in the Wall

 If you walk Along Lincoln's Eastgate from Bailgate towards Langworthgate you will come across a high stone wall on the north side of the Cathedral.  Look up and you will see a stone head sticking out of the wall.

The "Legend of the Head in the Wall" is not very well known, even to the people of Lincoln.  If you go on the "Lincoln Ghost Walk" you will be told that the Dean of Lincoln had it placed there to remind those in holy orders that they must be temperate in their drinking habits.

The version I prefer is the one told me by my father many years ago:

"The husband had gone out for a drink at the White Horse Inn, across the road, (where the restaurant is now).  The wife became anxious when it was time for bed and he hadn't arrived home, so she opened the sash window and looked out.  While she had her head out of the window the sash failed and the window came crashing down and broke her neck.  The husband arrived home much later to find the lifeless body of his wife through the window."

The head was carved and placed in the wall as a memorial to the unfortunate lady.

In my view the logical explanation for the head is that it came from the Cathedral when Cromwell's men decapitated many of the statues and some jolly fellow thought that it would be a wheeze to put it in the wall!

This and other stories about Lincoln can be read in: 

It's About Lincoln: Snippets of History

The Crooked House and the Harlequin

The Crooked House at the top of Michaelgate is well known and is probably one of the most photographed buildings in Lincoln after the Cathedral, Castle and Stonebow.

This house looked like any other terraced house until the 1930s. At that time there was a major slum clearance throughout the city; in areas close to the factories and foundries of the Waterside, even Jews Court was in danger of being lost until it was rescued by the Lincolnshire Architectural and Archaeological Society (now The Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology).  In late 1933 a demolition order was issued for numbers 34, 36, 38 and 40 Michaelgate. When demolition of no 40 began it was discovered there was a half-timbered building behind the brick façade.  The owner of the house asked the council to rescind the demolition order, Permission was granted by the Minister of Health subject to it not being used for human habitation.   

Dating from the 16th century, the house has C18, C19 and C20 alterations. Dressed stone and brick, with close studded first floor with rendered nogging. Pantile roof. 2 storeys, 2 bays. Street front has a replica plank door to the left, and to right, a 2-light sliding sash. Above, to the right, a C20 casement. South gable has a C20 door to left and a C20 casement above. Gable framing has curved braces and corner posts. (https://historicengland.org.uk/)

The house was acquired by Lincoln Council and renovated to its original style, it became one of the oldest council houses in England.  The house is still owned by the City of Lincoln Council and managed by the National Trust.

Click here to read about the interior of the house

Walk on to Steep Hill and you will see another old half-timbered building:

The Harlequin Inn (also known as the Harlequin and Columbine when it was connected with the theatre on Drury Lane) dates from the 15th century, first recorded as an inn in the mid 18th century, in 1931 it was refused the renewal of its alcohol licence as "structurally unsuitable".  George Shelton was an antique furniture dealer for about 30 years and then it was the Harlequin Galleries an antiquarian bookshop for over 50 years until it closed a few years ago.

Other Lincoln Houses

The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Boultham Hall
The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Hartsholme Hall
The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Eastgate House
The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Monk's Tower
The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Monk's Manor

The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Cold Bath House

The Lost Houses of Lincoln  - Sibthorp House

The Lost Houses of Lincoln - Eastcliffe House

The Old House on Corporation Street

Grand House Built on the Sale of Drugs

Lincoln Companies - James Dawson & Son Ltd.

James Dawson was born in Welton near Lincoln in 1836. He moved to Sheffield in the mid-1850s and was making boots and shoes, employing 4 men. James married Mary Skelton at St George's, Sheffield in 1858. By 1868 he was back in Lincoln selling boots and shoes at 15 Sincil Street. 

1880 he recognised the need for leather belts for all the machinery that was being manufactured in Lincoln and other places in the UK. He formed a company with Walter, his son, and William Posnett, the belting works opened at Unity Square in the same year. The company grew rapidly.  In 1881 a Dawson belt was shown at the Lincolnshire Show 2ft 4in (0.71 metres) by 60 ft (18.3 metres), weighing 3 cwt (152 Kg)

Dawsons gained a "First Order of Merit" in 1887 at the Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition for Leather machine belting, over the years there were many other awards for their belting. The Belting works moved from Unity Square to New Boultham about 1890.

Posnett left the company in 1892 and the company was incorporated as a private limited company on 10th March 1896 with a capital of £70,000 in £10 shares, becoming James Dawson & Son Ltd.

The Lincona V belt for motorcycles was introduced in 1902 and in 1908 Balata belting was introduced using the sap from the South American Balata tree.  James, the son of the founder, invented the Balata rubber process.

Walter left the company and became a farmer, and another son, George, became managing director.  James Dawson senior retire in 1902 and died on 24th April 1912, Sadly George died in March 1912. Following the deaths of his father and brother, James became managing director, he was chairman of the company from 1922.  James, his son and a grandson of the founder, became managing director.

Dawsons had large contracts during World War One for infantry equipment and other war material.

The Lincona laminated V belt was introduced in 1920 for use with industrial machinery. V Rubber ropes were made available from 1931 as a modern version of the Balata belt.  The Speedona V transmission rope was added to the range of products in 1934 for use with centre drives.

Dawsons expanded the size of their factory with the purchase of the Poppleton's sweet factory from the company's receivers in July 1936  

James Dawson (born 1872) died at Sutton on Sea on 13th October 1936, his home was Welbourn Manor.  He left £81,852.

In 1978 Dawson's became part of Fenner plc and are at the forefront of hose and ducting manufacture with manufacturing facilities in the UK and China. On 31st May 2018 the Fenner Group became part of Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin Sca the owners of the Michelin Tyre Company.

Dawsons have always been a major employer in Lincoln and today are Lincoln's second-largest employer. Of all the manufacturing companies established in Lincoln in the 19th century, Dawson's is the only one that retains its original name.

Click here to read about Poppleton's confectionery factory.

More Lincoln Companies:

Lincoln Companies - Lincoln Gas, Light and Coke Co.
Lincoln Companies - Clayton & Shuttleworth
Lincoln Companies - H Newsum & Sons Ltd
Lincoln Companies - W Rainforth & Sons
Lincoln Companies - James Dawson & Son Ltd.
Lincoln Companies - Penney & Porter Ltd

The Foss Dyke

The Foss Dyke Navigation is about 11 miles long, from Torksey Lock on the river Trent to Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln; it is the oldest canal in Britain, however, we do not know for sure how old it is. Sometime before 1774 a bronze statuette of the Roman god Mars was found in the Foss Dyke at Torksey; this discovery dated it as Roman.  Click the link to see image and description of the statuette http://bit.ly/marsfoss

The canal was reputedly used by the Danes when they invaded England and by the Normans to carry stone to build Lincoln Cathedral in the 11th century.

But the earliest mention of the canal is in the year 1121, in Symeon of Durham's, Historia Regium : "In the same year, king Henry cut a large canal from Torksey to Lincoln, and by causing the River Trent to flow into it, he made it navigable for vessels." The absence of any other documentary evidence indicates that the Canal was built during the reign of Henry I.

The Romans may have built a canal from Torksey to Hardwick, at the centre of a large Roman farm; this canal was probably extended during Henry I's reign.

The Foss Dyke enabled Lincoln and the Fens of Lincolnshire to communicate with Gainsborough and Hull, and with the Ouse and York.

Over the centuries the canal went into decline due to lack of maintenance. Katherine Swynford, who lived at Kettlethorpe near to the canal, is credited with having organized a protest to repair it, in 1375. The canal continued to deteriorate, until by the 17th century it was virtually impassable.

"1518, 10 June. A collection begins to be made towards the cleansing and repairing of the Foss-dyke, for which the King has sent down his commission. [The work was found to involve more cost than it proved easy to discharge, and on 14 Dec. it is reported that the Bishop of Lincoln had issued a commission to all curates and others in his diocese for aid, and granted pardon to all them that helped in the same, and collectors are appointed in consequence to ride to divers towns. Collections continued to be made for a long time, including York and Hull in their range.]" 
"1571 24 March Where[as] within the county of Lincoln, timber, wood, coal, turf and other necessaries have been almost clearly felled, taken away, consumed and spent by many greedy persons, owners of the same since the dissolution of the late religious houses, to the great decay of the poor ancient city of Lincoln, formerly served out of the said county with these necessaries for the relief of the said city and for setting the poor people on work; and for that there is yet some plenty of timber, &c. within the counties of Nottingham, Derby and York next adjoining, whence the said poor city could be well served if the same could be brought by water; [it is desired] that an Act of Parliament may be made for a commission to assess all persons within seven miles of the city for the dyking, cleansing and scouring of Foss-dyke, in order that sufficient water may be brought from the Trent to bring the said timber, etc." - The corporation of Lincoln: Registers, vol. IV (1564-99)

King James I transferred ownership of the canal to the Corporation of Lincoln.

In 1671, during the reign of Charles II, Lincoln obtained an Act which authorised improvements from Boston to the Trent. Work was carried out on the Fossdyke, but only the first 100 yards (91 m) of the Witham, from Brayford Pool to High Bridge, received attention. The work was carried out by Samuel Fortrey, a man with previous experience of draining the fens. He was required to bear some of the cost himself, in exchange for some of the profits. The work was completed in 1672, and included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey, which had first been proposed by Simon Hill in 1632. Warehouses and wharves were built at Brayford Pool.

1685 July 21.—Whereas for these several years now last past it hath been a custom in this city for the mayor elect and the two sheriffs elect severally to make and give a treat or banqueting on every Holy Rood day, being Sept. 14, presently after they were elected, and the said treat or banquetting not only being a great trouble and charge, and several abuses and misdemeanours committed on that day by the freemen and inhabitants and the great number of foreigners which constantly resort to the said treat, to the great disturbance of the King's peace and abuse of the said treat; and for that the said treat or banquetting upon serious consideration is looked upon to be a thing altogether unnecessary and useless; therefore it is hereby ordered that the said treat . . . . shall for the future be clearly laid aside and none made. And the city being much in debt for money borrowed for the Foss dyke and for renewing the charter, 13l 13s. 4d. shall yearly be deducted from the Mayor's allowance of 90l., and 26l. 6s. 8d. from the sheriffs' allowance of 46l. p. 398. - The corporation of Lincoln: Registers, vols VI and VII (1653-1710)

By 1717, passage from Torksey was again difficult. Coal traffic averaged 1,357 tons per year, bound for Lincoln, but tolls were insufficient to finance repairs. 

The corporation in 1741 granted a lease of two-thirds of it for 999 years, at a rent of £50 per annum, and of the remaining third, for 99 years, at £25 per annum to Richard Ellison of Thorne, and it was reopened in 1745. Previously to this period coals were sold at twenty one shillings per chaldron ; but when Ellison cleared the canal, and re-opened the river in 1745, they were offered and sold at thirteen shillings.  He dredged it to provide 3.5 feet (1.1 m) of depth, and re-opened it in 1744. Two years later, the tolls were £595, and continued to increase. Under his son, the tolls were £2,367 in 1789, while his grandson collected £5,159 in 1811.

"From that time to the present, this long neglected canal has been improving, and the increasing number of vessels daily floating on its surface, renders it an almost inexhaustible mine of wealth to the lessee, an incalculable benefit to the commercial part of the city, and a never failing source of employment to the industrious poor."
- The History of Lincoln; Containing an Account of Its Antiquities - 1825

1826 Plan of the Fossdyke Navigation

The Great Northern Railway negotiated with the proprietors of the Witham and Fossdyke in 1846, to guarantee them an income by leasing the waterways. Richard Ellison IV had agreed a lease for 894 years, at £9,570 per year, based on the average profit for the previous three years plus 5 per cent.

A series of takeovers and mergers resulted in its ownership changing several times, before it was nationalised, and became the responsibility of the British Waterways Board in 1948.

Today the Foss Dyke is a popular pleasure boating canal, boats from Lincoln and Boston can connect with the canals system of England, subject to beam width.

Today Torksey Lock is a popular mooring for pleasure boates.

When did Lincoln become a city?

I came across this question on Google when I was researching something else.  There were several answers, 1072, 1350, 1660, 1837, so I had to find out.

Lincoln had been a port since the time of the Roman Empire, shipping grain and produce to other parts of Roman Britain via the Foss dyke canal (it is not known if the Roman's built the whole of the canal, but they may have built the canal from Torksey to Hardwick near Saxilby) and the River Witham.

The population of Roman Lincoln is believed to be between 6,000 and 8,000.

Within a century of the Roman's departure Lincoln was virtually deserted, it wasn't until the Viking conquest in the late 9th century that Lincoln started to grow again.  By the Norman Conquest Lincoln was a important Viking town.  William I, built his castle here not just because of its superb defensive position but also to subdue the Viking population.  Four years after the building of the castle the building of bishop Remigius' cathedral commenced, enhancing Lincoln's (known as Nicole by the Normans) status even further.  Estimates based on the Domesday Book give a population in Lincoln at that time of about 6,000.

Lincoln grew rapidly in the 12th century, the main driver of this was cloth-making, the famous Lincoln Green used by Robin Hood, and Lincoln Scarlet, for those that could afford it.  By 1150, Lincoln was one of the wealthiest towns in England.  Lincoln cloth-makers travelled to fairs throughout England; Flanders, Castile and Portugal were important export markets. English Kings bought Lincoln Scarlet.

Lincoln became a Staple Town in 1291, exporting wool and cloth to mainland Europe.  Many landowners changed at this time from arable farming to rearing sheep, the Lincolnshire Wolds had been one of the most densely populated areas of the country, the change in farming brought about a decline in the population of the wolds.

Over the years the River Witham became more and more impassable, so much so that in 1369 the Staple was moved to Boston, this on top of the Black Death of 20 years earlier, had a devastating effect on the prosperity of Lincoln.

In an attempt to improve Lincoln's prosperity, Henry IV, by a charter of 1409, raised Lincoln to the status of a county, "The County of the City of Lincoln", this allowed the city to elect two sheriffs, and to receive the taxes previously paid to the county.  Henry also granted a 31 day fair to be held 15 days before and 15 days after 17 November, St Hugh's Feast Day (a 31-day market! Can you imagine Lincoln Christmas Market lasting that long?).

Even after this charter, Lincoln continued to deteriorate and depopulate and in 1461 Edward IV granted a charter that removed the villages Branston, Waddington, Bracebridge and Canwick from the county and added them to "The County of the City of Lincoln".

Lincoln had city status conferred on it by letters patent in 1540, along with 19 other cities, but Lincoln had been known as a city since "time immemorial", in fact since the year 1072.  All the places qualified for city status due to them having a diocesan cathedral