Lincolia.
("Doomsday Book.")
The commercial importance of Lincoln, whatever it may be now, was at one
time considerable. At the time of the Norman survey it commanded
sufficient attention to cause the entry of the city in the "Doomsday
Book" as one of the leading centres of commerce. This happy state was
continued, or rather increased, by the famous Ordinance of the Staple in
the reign of Edward III. He was an ambitious monarch, and desired to
become master of France. If we recall the battles of Cressy and
Poitiers, we can readily understand what an enormous expenditure would
be required for the proper conduct of the war. By some means or other
the English revenues had to be found. This was met to a great extent by
the Ordinance of the Wool Staple, enacted by Edward III., who, besides
waging war in France, was keen on the extension of foreign trade. By
charters granted to merchants of Gascony, who imported wine and other
commodities, and by giving special protection to the Flemish weavers in
England, the King enhanced the prospects of trade. But the most
important of all his commercial projects was, as we have said, his
scheme, finally declared in 1353, by which a staple for English exports
was established under the direct control of the Crown. Thus the monopoly
of wool, which accrued so advantageously to Bruges and other cities on
the Continent, and had become unbearable, was in 1353 transferred to
England. For the exclusive sale of wool ten English towns were chosen.
They were situated within easy distance of the coast, or the town was in
connection with a convenient port. Of these ten towns with corresponding
ports, Lincoln with Boston was chosen as a staple town for wool. This
with other sources of trade, such as the staple of lead and leather,
flourished in Lincoln from Edward III.'s time till the commencement of
the eighteenth century, when the trade of the town declined. Through the
several plagues prevalent in the fourteenth century, such as the black
death and other epidemics similar in death-dealing if not in character
at that time, especially about the year 1390, many towns in England were
much decayed. Except London, York, Bristol, Coventry, and Plymouth, the
afflicted towns did not regain the population they enjoyed in the
fourteenth century till the Tudor period, and some, notably Sarum and
Leicester, not until late in the reign of Elizabeth. The decline of
Lincoln, though progressive, in a way appears to have been truly a
gradual decay, and more terrible in its imperceptible undermining than
any knock-down blow, for it never recovered its old trade prosperity;
whilst Norwich, which before the plagues was next to London, bore
relatively and even greater and sharper evidence of the terrible
visitation, yet managed somehow to hark back in a measure to days of its
former glory. The old saying which ran "Lincoln was, London is, York
shall be" indicates, far more than anything else, the change of
Lincoln's fortunes. Whatever its shortcomings may be, Lincoln possesses
a most interesting record of antiquity. Its minster is truly a gem, for
it is not only the earliest example of a pure Gothic building in Europe,
but presents a delightful study of every kind of style, from the early
Norman down to the Late Decorated.
Of the many characteristics of this interesting edifice--the foundation
of Remigius--we will note the chief. The building material consists of
the oolite and calcareous stone of Lincoln Heath and Haydor, the
surface of which, when worked upon with tools, appears to become quite
hardened.
Remigius adopted the plan of the church at Rouen as the model of his
foundation, which he laid in 1086. It was completed by his successor,
Bishop Bloet. The accidental fire that broke out gave his successor,
Bishop Alexander, the opportunity of repairing it. To prevent a like
occurrence, this prelate conceived and carried out his idea of covering
the aisles with a vaulted roof of stone. It had a disastrous effect in
that its pressure weighed too heavily upon the walls. It necessitated a
thorough overhauling by St. Hugh, a subsequent bishop, in the reign of
Henry II. He rebuilt the church upon a plan then newly introduced, and
greatly enlarged it by taking down the east end and re-erecting it upon
a far bigger scale. Since his time the Cathedral has undergone several
alterations and embellishments at the fostering care of several
succeeding prelates. On the magnificent central tower there used to be a
lofty spire, which was blown down in 1547. The two western towers were
also deprived of their spires in 1808 to avert a similar calamity. The
approximate dates of the different portions of the Cathedral are:
[Illustration: LINCOLN