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    Bloody British History: Lincoln
    Bloody British History: Lincoln
    Bloody British History: Lincoln
    Ebook154 pages3 hours

    Bloody British History: Lincoln

    By Douglas Wynn

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    Built by the Romans, looted by the Danes and conquered by King William I (who devastated the town to build a castle and a cathedral), the city of Lincoln has had a long and most dreadful history. Containing medieval child murder, vile sieges of (and escapes from) the castle, the savage repression of the Lincolnshire rising by King Henry VIII (who had the ringleaders hanged, drawn and quartered) and plagues, lepers, prisons, riots, typhoid, tanks and terrible hangings by the ton, you’ll never see the city in the same way again.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe History Press
    Release dateJan 31, 2012
    ISBN9780752481890
    Bloody British History: Lincoln

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      Book preview

      Bloody British History - Douglas Wynn

      years.

      INTRODUCTION

      ‘Gentle reader! We are not about to slay you with the ponderous club of historical narration and bury you under piles of tedious detail.’

      Lincolnshire in History by J. Metcalf

      THE WORDS ABOVE, although a bit archaic, might apply to this short book on the history of Lincoln. The idea is to present a selective history of the city, emphasising those parts most interesting to the general reader. But what a wealth of material to consider! The city has a long history and its citizens have much to be proud of, including being instrumental in changing the face of modern warfare. The city and the area around it had some of the earliest roads in the country (built by the Romans, of course) and Lincoln in its early history became second only to London in its importance in commerce. The huge diocese of Lincoln stretched from the Humber down to the River Thames and has one of the largest – and to many people one of the most beautiful – cathedrals in the country. The bishops of Lincoln have been both colourful and influential; one of them so annoyed the King that he was lucky not to suffer the same fate as Archbishop Becket, who was murdered in his own cathedral.

      The city bore the brunt of much of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions. The Romano-British occupants were driven away to the North and the West, and were replaced by new immigrants. If you like battles and sieges, Lincoln has them in plenty – three or four during the Civil War and a great many before that. The castle, one of the most important and ancient buildings in the city, was built by William the Conqueror; its walls are still standing, mainly due to the fact that it has always housed a prison. And its walls have seen many assaults, from siege engines to explosive devices hidden beneath them.

      If you are interested in royalty, most of the reigning monarchs of the country have visited Lincoln, some of them to court popularity and prop up their fading administrations – one of them even held a parliament in Lincoln. If your interest is in the more macabre, stories of the Black Death and typhoid outbreaks also appear in this book. But if your desire is for the more romantic, then there’s the king whose wife died just outside Lincoln – he set up crosses at every place where the funeral party stopped on the way to Westminster Abbey, where she is buried. And there is a house in Lincoln where two lovers met in one of the greatest love affairs of medieval times, which produced a whole dynasty of kings and queens of England.

      A Victorian view of Lincoln. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-08547)

      43 – 61

      ROMAN SCANDALS

      IN AD 43, eight Roman legions landed in the Medway estuary under their commander, Plautius, and fought a battle with the Britons near Rochester. The superior armour, weapons and discipline of the Roman soldiers soon told, and the British forces were routed. Plautius then sent legions to the North, across the Thames estuary, to capture Colchester – the capital of the Catuvellauni tribe, who occupied the region. Legions also went to the West and Midlands, and the 9th Legion was sent to secure the Trent valley and the Humber estuary. The troop was known as the Hispania Legion (after battle honours secured in Spain) and comprised some 5,000 men. There were probably many battles fought against the British tribes on the way and several forts were built, including a large encampment at Longthorpe, just outside what is now Peterborough. In around AD 47, the 9th Legion followed the old prehistoric trackway known as Icknield Street north along the limestone escarpment, with the River Witham on the west, and built a fort at what is now Lincoln.

      The name Lincoln derives from the old Celtic word for a lake, ‘Lindo’, the lake being what we now call Brayford Pool. Over the years, the Romans built a substantial fort on the high ground above the lake, and eventually extended it down the hill to the lakeside, when the place became a colonia (a place where pensioned-off soldiers could retire to). The Romans built Ermine Street (which ran from London to Lincoln) and the Fosse Way (running from Exeter to Lincoln). They constructed a canal linking the Witham with the Trent, and another canal called the Cardyke. This was cut from the River Welland in the south of the county to the River Witham near Lincoln, and helped to drain the marshy ground to the east.

      Relations with the Celtic tribes were not cordial. The Britons subjugated by the Romans were disarmed, heavily taxed and often forced into slavery. But occasionally, a tribal leader was allowed a certain amount of latitude. One of these was Prasutagus, King of the Iceni tribe which occupied part of East Anglia. Over the years he had amassed a considerable wealth and, to keep in with the Romans, had promised that when he died half of his kingdom would pass to the Roman Emperor Nero. Prasutagus died in AD 60, but the Romans, under Suetonius (the governor of the province), demanded the whole of his kingdom. Prasutagus’ widow Boudicca (or Boadicea), a much younger woman from another tribe, was said to be a striking-looking woman, very tall, with long, red hair and a commanding presence. But she was publicly humiliated. She was stripped and flogged, and her two daughters were raped by Roman slaves. Then the lands of the Iceni were plundered and their treasures were confiscated.

      The Roman legionary fortress. (Courtesy of David Vale and the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology)

      This caused huge resentment against the Romans, and several other tribes joined with the Iceni in a revolt. An army of 100,000 tribesmen marched on Colchester, which had been taken over by the Romans as their local headquarters. At the time, Suetonius was away in Wales, along with two thirds of the Roman forces in the country, trying to subdue rebellious tribes there; consequently, Colchester was not well defended. It was sacked and the Roman forces routed. The victorious Britons next turned towards London and began to march south. But, in the meantime, word had reached the fort at Lincoln of the rebellion, and a detachment from the 9th Legion was dispatched to meet the rebels. It is not known where exactly the battle was fought, but the Roman infantry were decisively defeated. Only the cavalry were able to make their escape, and they retreated to the fort at Longthorpe.

      Suetonius rushed back from Wales – but, to facilitate his speed, was only able to bring a small force. He decided to abandon London and left its citizens to the mercy of the attackers; they were duly slaughtered by the forces of Boudicca. The whole town was burned, and recent excavations have shown a thick layer of ash which still remains beneath the city. Roman buildings were destroyed and even Roman cemeteries were desecrated. The Britons then turned north to the town of St Albans – this too was sacked, and its inhabitants put to the sword.

      The Roman colonia. (Courtesy of David Vale and the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology)

      By this time, Suetonius had withdrawn into the West Midlands. But, realising that such an extensive enemy would need a great deal of food, on his retreat he systematically destroyed all the food stores that the Romans had made. Eventually, the two armies met, and fought a battle which was later called the Battle of Watling Street, thought to be near Nuneaton. But this time, Suetonius was able to choose the site of the battle. He grouped his forces on top of a hill with forest around on three sides, so that his soldiers could not be ambushed. The only way an attack could be made against him was between a narrow passage to his front; the huge Celtic force would be forced to rush uphill against their foes. Suetonius had only

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