Lincolnshire · Local History

The History of Lincoln

A place in Lincolnshire with a history you can trace through the records: its entry in the 1086 Domesday Book, the archaeological finds and scheduled monuments around it, and the nearest Roman sites and battlefields. Everything below is drawn from the historical record.

In 1086, Lincoln was held by King William.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Lincoln

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Lincoln in 1086, they recorded 13 manors held by King William.

The settlement was assessed at 13.5 hides for tax. Its recorded resources included meadow (100 acres). The manors were valued at 100 pounds in 1086, up from 30 pounds in 1066.

The record in full
Holdings
13 manors
Held in 1086 by
King William
Value in 1086
100 pounds (30 pounds in 1066)
Taxable assessment
13.5 hides
Meadow
100 acres

The Domesday Book was the great survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror in 1085 and completed in 1086, the oldest surviving public record in the country. How the survey worked →

Lincoln was one of the settlements recorded in Lincolnshire in the 1086 survey. Lincolnshire in the Domesday survey →

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Everything a full report reveals about Lincoln

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Lincoln's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Conflict

Battlefields near Lincoln

Nationally registered historic battlefields within 25 miles of Lincoln.

Battle of Stoke (Field) 1487
Registered battlefield · 1487 · ~20.1 miles
Battle of Winceby (1643)
Registered battlefield · 1643 · ~20.9 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Lincoln

6 recorded finds have been logged within about 5 miles of Lincoln, reported by members of the public and entered in the national record of archaeological finds. They span these periods:

Roman: 2Medieval: 2Early medieval: 1Iron age: 1
Landscape

The ground beneath Lincoln

The bedrock beneath Lincoln is Lias Group (Aalenian).

Common questions

Questions about Lincoln

Was Lincoln in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Lincoln was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Lincolnshire.
Who held Lincoln in 1086?+
In 1086, Lincoln was held by King William.
Where is Lincoln today?+
Lincoln is a settlement in the historic county of Lincolnshire, England.
Aubrey Research

Discover Lincoln's Complete Historical Record

Aubrey's full report for this location includes every Domesday manor, the complete record of medieval lordship, archaeological context, and the story of how this settlement evolved from 1086 to the present day.

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