Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/611

LINCOLNSHIRE. 603 LINCOLN. superintendent registries, with 17 new County Courts. The towns, 30 of which have markets, are neither very populous nor remarkable. Lincoln is a cathedral city, being the seat of a bishop, and is the county town. Boston, Great Grimsby, and Gainsborough are flourish- ing seaports. Other fair towns are, Stamford, which had a university and four colleges in the reign of Henry III., Horncastle, Louth, Grantham, Spalding, and Barton. The other market towns are, Bourne, Caistor, Glandford Brigg, Holbeach, Sleaford, Spilsby, Market Easen, Alford, Bolingbroke, Market Deeping, Donnington, Epworth, Folkingham, Kirton, Sutton, Swineshead, Tattcrshall, Wainfleet, and Wragby. Besides these, there are 2,000 towns, villages, and hamlets. The chief Beats are, Riseholme Palace, of the Bishop of Lincoln ; Bclton House, near Grantham, "of Earl Brownlow ; Bel- voir Castle, of the Duke of Rutland ; Burghlcy House, of the Marquis of Exeter ; Glentworth, of tho Earl of Scarborough ; Brocklesby and Manby, of tho Earl of Yarborough ; TJffington Hall, of the Earl of Lindsey ; Haverholm, of tho Countess Dowager of Winchilsea ; Nocton Park, of tho Earl De Grey and Ripon ; Grims- thorpe Castle, near Edenham, of Lord Willoughby D'Eresby; Buckminster, of Lord Huntingtower ; Burton Hall, of Lord Monson ; Little Grimsby, of Lord Beau- clerk ; Aswarby, of Whichcote, Bart. ; Burgh Hall, of Crawford, Bart. ; Caswick Hall, of Sir J. Trollope, Bart., M.P. ; Denton Hall, of Welby, Bart. ; Easton Hall and Norton Place, of Cholmeley, Bart. ; Lea Hall, of Anderson, Bart. ; Normanby, of Sheffield, Bart. ; Somerby, of Beckett, Bart. ; Stubton Hall, of Neville, Esq., where is a heronry ; Scrivelsby Court, of Dymoke, Bart. ; Sysdon Hall, of Thorold, Bart. ; Thurlby Hall, of Bromhead, Bart. ; Bayons Manor, of the Hon. C. T. D'Eyncourt ; Bloxholm Hall and Well Vale, of tho Hon. R. C. N. Hamilton ; Branston Hall, of tho Hon. A. L. Melville, besides numerous mansions of private gentry. The antiquities are numerous and interesting, chiefly situated on the lines of the Roman roads Ermine Street, Fosso Way, Salt Way, and Tilbridge Lane, all of which traversed parts of the county. The capitol, Lindmn, the modern Lincoln, is mentioned by Ptolemy as Alvlov, and was evidently a British town before it was made a Roman station. The walls of the Roman encampment which occupied tho summit of the hill, where now stand tho cathedral and castle, enclosed an area of 1,200 feet by 1,300, nearly facing the cardinal points, with a gate on each side. Although time has almost levelled with the ground the ancient walls, one gate still remains, called " Newport Gate," and is one of the most remarkable Roman remains in the kingdom, consisting of one central arch about 16 feet wide, flanked by two smaller arches now nearly choked up by the detritus of tho old wall and accumulation of soil. Another portion of tho wall, including an arch, is incorporated into the wall of tho Norman castle, and is formed of stones apparently piled together without cement. In 1739 a tcsselated pavement, 13 feet below the present surface, was discovered here, also portions of glazed earthen conduit pipes, and various other antiquities, comprising hypocausts, stone coffins, a sarcophagus, earthen and glass urns, besides numerous coins of Nero, asian, Julian, and Carausius. At Ancaster, supposed the station Ctaaenna mentioned byAntonine, Roman coins have been found. At Winterton, or Wintering- ham, supposed to bo Ad Ahum mentioned by Richard ' Circncestcr, three tesselated pavements were found in 1747, also chimney stones and other antiquities, but last were unfortunately not preserved. At Scamp- Denton, and Horkstow, tesselated pavements, Mosaics, and foundations of villas, have been found ; one discovered in 1795 covered an area of 200 feet square, and comprised 40 chambers on the ground plan. At Boxby, Apjileby, Broughton, Hibbaldstow, and Sandton, numerous antiquities have been met with, and on tho banks of the Trent, a little to the W. of Stow, two Roman altars wero found. In the same part of tho 'ty, near Gainsborough and Alkborough, are traces ot Roman camps, and at the latter place a labyrinth formed of banks known as Julian's Bower. There are also traces of camps at Gedney Hill, near Holbeach, at Honington, near Grantham, at Yarborough, Caistor, South Ormsby, and Summer Castle camp, besides British or Danish camps at Barrow, Falkingham, Ingoldsby, Revesby, and Well. There are remains of Norman castles at Lincoln, Somerton, Tattershall, Torksey, and Moor Tower, and of monastic edifices at Thornton, where the Abbey church, gatehouse, refectory, and part of the octa- gonal chapter-house, are still standing ; Croyland Abbey, with its curious triangular bridge : Barlings Abbey, where the rising began in 1536 under Prior Mackerel, and of which part of tho walls and some fragments of columns remain; Bardney Abbey, Kirkstead Abbey, Revesby Abbey, Louth Abbey, and Tupholm ; besides which there are priory ruins at Bullington, Burwell, Croxhill, Haver- holm, now incorporated into a modern mansion, Semp- ringham, and Stamford. The Knights Templars had preceptories at Aslackby and Temple Bruer; of the latter, the tower of the church and a few vaults are all that remain. At Stamford and Tattershall were colleges, and at Spittal a hospital. The old hall at Gainsborough is an interesting specimen of ancient architecture, as are also the old houses of Morlaby, Belleau, and Pinchbeck. Of the other ecclesiastical edifices, including the cathedral of Lincoln, and the many churches in the Fens, which present a number of interesting features, no particular notice is here requisite, as they are described under the names of their respective parishes. LINCOLN, the capital of Lincolnshire, a city, muni- cipal and parliamentary borough, and county of itself, situated on tho left bank of tho river Witham, in 53 14' N. lat., and 32' W. long., distant 132 miles N.W. from London by road, and 140 miles by rail. It has stations on the Great Northern, the Nottingham and Lincoln, and tho Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln railways. The limits of the municipal and parliamentary borough are co-extensive. The population in 1861 was 20,999 ; the number of inhabited houses in tho same year was 4,315, and of uninhabited, 135. From the earliest period Lincoln has been a place of considerable importance. Previous to tho conquest of Britain by the Romans, a British town existed here, which subsequently gave place to tho Roman station Lindmn. This station was in the form of a parallelogram, divided into four parts by two streets which intersected each other at right angles. It is stated to have been relieved by King Arthur in 518 when besieged by tho Saxons, who after- wards captured it, and raised it to the dignity of one of the capitals of Mercia. During the Saxon period Lin- coln was tho scene of numerous contests. At tho period of the Domesday Survey it was one of the most impor- tant towns in England, containing 900 burgesses and 1,070 houses ; of the latter 166 wero pulled down in 1086 to make way for tho castle. Under Henry I. the trade of Lincoln was in a very flourishing condition, and its prosperity was still further promoted by the clearing of the Fossedyke, whereby communication with other parts of the kingdom was much facilitated. During the civil war of the reign of Stephen, Lincoln sustained several sieges ; it was taken by Stephen in 1140, was afterwards recaptured by the partisans of the Empress Maud, who wero again besieged here by Stephen and relieved by Robert, Duke of Gloucester, natural brother to tho empress, in 1141. In the wars of the reign of John it fell into the hands of Gilbert do Gaunt, Earl of Lincoln, one of tho barons in the interest of Louis, Dauphin of France. On the death of John tho adherents of the Dauphin were totally defeated here, and tho town was recaptured by tho Earl of Pembroke. In tho great civil war of the reign of Charles I. Lincoln was tho scene of numerous struggles. It was finally stormed by the par- liamentary forces under the Earl of Manchester in 1644, and taken after a determined resistance made by a body of royalists who had retired to tho castle and the cathe- dral. Tho city is built on the summit and southern declivity of a hill which rises from the left bank of the river Witham. Tho streets in the northern part aro narrow, and tho general plan of tho town is irregular.