In pursuance of a decree of a synod held at London at this time, that
all the episcopal sees should be removed to fortified places,
Remigius, the Bishop of Dorchester, determined to establish the seat
of his diocese at Lincoln. He built the church and an episcopal palace,
but died just before its consecration.
His work was completed by his successor, Robert Bloet. In the reign of
Henry II. the Diocese, which once extended from the Thames to the
Humber, was curtailed to add a part to form that of Ely. It again
suffered diminution in Henry VIII.'s time, when the limits of the Sees
of Oxford and Peterborough were defined. In spite of it all, Lincoln's
see is fairly extensive, though it suffered again in 1884. Prior to this
monarch's reign Lincoln had as many as fifty-two churches, but when he
decided upon reformation from Popery their number was greatly
diminished. Their names, still preserved, are the sole reminders of
their former existence, with the exception of fourteen which remain.
These have probably been rebuilt.
Before entering further concerning the See, and the Cathedral founded by
Remigius, which was constantly in the hands of the architect even down
to recent years, we shall add the chief political events subsequent to
Stephen. On the death of this monarch, Henry II., probably not satisfied
with his coronation in London, underwent the ceremony again at Wigford,
a place just a little to the south of Lincoln city.
John here early in his reign received the homage of David the King of
Scotland. During the struggle with the barons in 1216 the citizens
remained loyal to their sovereign; but their city was taken at last in
1217, and invested by the barons under Gilbert de Gaunt, afterwards
created Earl of Lincoln. After the disaster that overtook John's army in
the passage across the Wash, and his death, which took place soon
afterwards, his son Henry III. was loyally assisted by the inhabitants
against the barons, who had summoned to their aid Louis, the Dauphin of
France. The Castle, however, remained for many years in the possession
of the Crown. Eventually it became the summer residence of the
celebrated John of Gaunt. He was Earl of Lincoln, and in 1396 married
here Lady Swinford, who was a sister-in-law to Chaucer.
Several times Parliament was held in Lincoln; namely, twice by Edward
I., and in 1301 and 1305; twice also by Edward II.; and in the first
year of Edward III.'s reign.
Henry VI. paid a visit, as did also Henry VII., who held a public
thanksgiving for his victory over Richard III. at the battle of Bosworth
Field.
Throughout the parliamentary war the inhabitants were staunch
supporters of the Crown. The city was stormed by Earl Manchester, an
indefatigable soldier of Cromwell. The Commonwealth troopers during
their occupation created considerable havoc in the ecclesiastical
buildings. According to their invariable custom they stabled their
horses and housed themselves within the cathedral walls. Not satisfied
with that, they damaged the tombs and deprived the niches of their
statuary.
To go back a matter of four hundred years to this period, the population
of Lincoln rose _en masse_ against the Jews. They were alleged to have
crucified a little Lincoln boy, presumably a Christian, at a place
called Dunestall in the year 1255. The enraged mob wreaked their
vengeance by causing the execution of eighteen Jews, murdering many
more, and later on making a saint of the victim, under the name of
"little Saint Hugh." The punishment seems to be out of proportion to the
crime. In fact little Hugh's crucifixion appears rather to have served
as an excuse for the wrongful persecution of the Semitic race than for
the proper administration of the law irrespective of creed. Even to this
day this regrettable racial feeling is kept alive. In the middle ages
this bitter feeling was fostered and brought about chiefly owing to the
wonderful success of the Jews in England, who grew rich upon the profits
accruing to usury, which they alone might exercise. Among many prominent
instances of popular vengeance, besides little St. Hugh's murder, are
the tombs of boy-martyrs, shrines which became often the most popular in
the Cathedral.
The most characteristic are the records of the burials, attended with
great pomp, of St. William of Norwich in 1144, Harold of Gloucester in
1168, Robert of Edmundsbury in 1184, a nameless boy in London in 1244,
and St. Hugh of Lincoln in 1255; boys canonised by the populace simply
through bitter racial feeling. Remains of the shrine of little St. Hugh
are still extant at Lincoln.
Among the many interesting antiquities of Lincoln is a fine specimen of
the Norman domestic architecture. It is called the Jews' House, and it
is an edifice of curious design. Its mouldings much resemble those of
the west portals of the Cathedral, a date which probably would be 1184.
The house belonged to a Jewess called Belaset de Wallingford. She was
hanged in the reign of Edward I. for clipping the coin.
Besides this are noticeable the ancient conduits of St. Mary le Wigford,
which is Gothic, and the Greyfriars Conduit in High Street.
In the cloister garden are preserved a tesselated pavement and the
sepulchral slab of a Roman soldier. From the same place the splendidly
carved stone coffin lid of Bishop Remigius has recently been removed
into the interior of the Cathedral.
In the years 1884 to 1891 excavations were conducted on the site of the
old "Angel Inn," when it was discovered that it had been a Roman
burial-place. Amongst the debris were found several funeral urns. Under
St. Peter's at Gowts was brought to light a Roman altar, and remains of
a Roman villa were unearthed at Greetwell. In the same year, that is to
say 1884, the Blue Coat School was closed, its endowments were given to
the Middle School, and the buildings were sold to the Church Institute.
Within the last few years two memorable events occurred. In the year
1884 the See of Lincoln was deprived of the county of Nottingham, which
was transferred from that see to the See of Southwell. This was followed
shortly afterwards by the great lawsuit called "The Lincoln Judgment."
Great controversy arose and came to a climax. In the year 1888 Dr. King,
the Bishop of Lincoln, was cited before his metropolitan, Dr. Benson,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, to answer charges of various ritual
offences alleged to have been committed by himself at the administration
of the Holy Communion.
The action was brought by certain gentlemen of Lincoln interested in the
doings of their prelate. Their religious scruples had been outraged, it
appears, on two separate occasions; namely, in the Church of St. Peter's
at Gowts on December 4, 1887, and in the Cathedral on December 10 of the
same year. An appeal had been made to the Archbishop to restrain these
illegal practices. The celebrated ecclesiastical lawsuit was heard in
1888. The judgment was confined to the declarations of the law, which
were summarised. No monition or sentence was pronounced against the
Bishop of Lincoln for having committed breaches of the ecclesiastical
law. The dissension has happily ended. The Bishop of Lincoln has
conformed his practice to the Archbishop's judgment from the date of its
delivery, and still retains his bishopric. Thus has ended the conflict
between the Primate and the Suffragan, which agitated, for a brief space
of time, the opponents of offences of ritualism, and brought about the
famous Lincoln Judgment.