Lincolnshire, England derived from the merging of the territory of the ancient Kingdom of Lindsey with that controlled by the Danelaw borough Stamford. For some time the entire county was called 'Lindsey', and it is recorded as such in the Domesday Book. Later, Lindsey was applied only the northern core, around Lincoln, and emerged as one of the three 'Parts of Lincolnshire', along with the Parts of Holland in the south-east and Kesteven in the south west.

In 1888 when county councils were set up, Lindsey, Holland and Kesteven each received their own separate one. These survived until 1974, when Holland, Kesteven, and most of Lindsey were unified into Lincolnshire, and the northern part, with Scunthorpe and Grimsby, going to the newly formed administrative county of Humberside, along with most of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

A further local government reform in 1996 abolished Humberside, and the parts south of the Humber became the unitary authorities of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. These areas became part of Lincolnshire for ceremonial purposes such as the Lord-Lieutenancy, but are not covered by the Lincolnshire police. These two authorities are in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

The remaining districts of Lincolnshire are Boston, East Lindsey, Lincoln, South Holland, South Kesteven, North Kesteven and West Lindsey. They are part of the East Midlands region.

Pre-Roman and Roman

Lincolnshire before the Romans was a Druid nation, a subdivision of the Iceni tribe, called the Coriceni , and were driven to this part of the country by the Celtic Gauls around 300 BC. Several small barrows from this period have been discovered near Boston and Frampton.

The Romans had established permanent government in Lincolnshire by 43 AD, but the tyrannical rule of the Roman sub-prætor Ostorius Scapula so inflamed the Coriceni and their neighbours in Yorkshire, the Briganties, that they conducted a simmering low key rebellion lasting well into 70 AD.

Eventually, the Governorship of Britain was given to the Deputy of the Prefect of Gaul and the title Vicar of Britain created. He resided at York, and the sub-district of Flavia Cæsaeriensis , which comprised Lincolnshire and parts of the Midlands created.

Once established, the Romans set about improving Lincolnshire. They cut navigable drains such as the Cardyke , which ran from the River Welland at West Deeping for forty miles to the River Witham at Fiskerton . They also dug the Fossdyke , running from the River Witham at Lincoln to the River Trent, at Torksey , and the River Westlode , which drains water off the fens into the River Welland.

They also constructed sea defences, raising a large earth bank running along the coast some thirty miles from Ingoldmells to Boston, known now as Roman Bank . There is evidence that they were assisted by the Coriceni, and by expert foriegners, possibly the Dutch. They also constructed hard standings and walkways across the fens, and inland ports such as the Brayford Pool at Lincoln.

The main Roman forts in Lincolnshire were:

• Alkborough (Aquis)
• Ancaster (Causennis)
• Brant Broughton (Briga)
• Caistor
• Broughton (Pretorium)
• Horncastle (Banovallum)
• Kirton in Lindsey (Inmedio)
• Lincoln (Lindum Colonia)
• Ludford
• Stow (Sidnacester)
• Tattershall (Drurobrivis)
• Torksey (Tiovulfingacester)
• Wainfleet (Vainona)
• Willoughby (Verometum)
• Winteringham (Adadum)

Three major Roman Roads passed through Lincolnshire, mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary:

• Ermine Street
• Fosse Way
• Salt Way

Other roads definitely of roman origin are Tillbridge Lane, running east from Stow to Ermine Street, and Raven Bank, running from Tydd St Mary to Wainfleet. Ther are also scores of smaller sectinos of roads branching off from the three major routes which are certainly roman as well.

When the Romans departed in 448 AD, all these works gradually fell into ruin and disrepair.

The Saxons and the Danes

The Britons, left to there own devices by the Romans, quickly fell into anarchy, but external attacks by the Picts and Scots forced the Britons to organise into military dictatorships, and cooperate to repel the threat. However, the size of the military threat was such that they were forced to hire Saxon Mercenaries to help then, and no sooner had the Picts and Scots been defeated and repelled, then the Saxons turned on the Britons, who were by now led by Vortigern and the legendary King Arthur.

Arthur almost succeded in ejecting the Saxons, but died in 520 AD and the Britons, now lacking a strong leader, were swept back again by the Saxons, who by now consisted of two tribes, the Jutes, and the Angles, from which the term Anglo-Saxon derives. This was no easy conquest — it took 111 years from the death of Arthur to the establishment of the Saxon Heptarchy, as the seven kingdoms of Kent, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, Northumbria and Mercia were known.

Mercia was the largest, comprising Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and parts of some other counties; Lincoln was its capital city. There is a modern aphorism: "Lincoln was, London is and York shall be / the greatest city of the three". The Druid culture of the Britons that the Romans were quite happy to let alone was now crushed and the pagan sun and moon worship of the Saxons prevailed. This alarmed the then-Pope, Gregory I, and in 590 AD he sent Augustine, a roman monk, and in 628 AD, Paulinus , to England to convert the heathens. Paulinus did so, baptising hundreds of Saxons and Britons in the River Trent near Torksey.

The Kingdom of Mercia existed for about 300 years.

The lasting legacy of this period was the division by Alfred the Great of the County into areas of land using Feudal measurement.

In 768, the Danes, lead by Hinguar and Hubba, lead an invasion force and landed at Humberstone, near Grimsby. They burnt, looted, raped and pillaged their way across Lincolnshire, destroying the Abbeys at Crowland and Bardney, and murdering the monks.

The Norman Conquest

The Anglo-Saxon nobility of Lincolnshire was destroyed by William the Conquerer, and the lands divided amongst his followers. He constructed Lincoln Castle, and another at Tattershall, and imposed a curfew on the populace.

The English Civil War

Lincolnshire was Royalist during the English Civil War.

World War Two

The RAF in WWII

Lincolnshire was a largely unvisited, peaceful agricultural backwater until World War Two when a large number of Royal Air Force bases were built around the county, expanding the large number already present. By 1945 the number of RAF bases exceeded 46. The very first airfields were built for the Royal Flying Corps. The first Royal Flying Corps of theses bases was built at Skegness, on the Lincolnshire coast in 1912. Amongst other famous RAF bases in the county that were constructed were RAF Cranwell, the Officer Training College, RAF Swinderby , the main Recruit Training Camp, and RAF Scampton, the home base of 633 Squadron.

Lincolnshire still has the stongest claim to being the 'home' of Bomber Command. Names such as the 'Dambusters', the Lancaster Bomber, and 617 Squadron evoke many memories of heroic wartime Britain, and are indelibly tied to Lincolnshire. In fact, the Battle of Britain memorial flight is still led by a Lancaster named 'The City of Lincoln'.

Most of the airfields were closed after the war and, although most have been built over, disused airfields, abandoned control towers and crumbling concrete bunkers and airfield buildings remain a physical feature of the county in a number of places. Many people in Lincolnshire have leaned to drive a car on the disused concrete airstrips of the county.

Cold War History

RAF Waddington and Scampton formed two of the main bases for the V Bomber Force during the Cold War.

See also

• History of England