If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Burials revealed during construction work suggest that this is the possible site of St John the Poor church and churchyard.

Full description

PRN 70549
[Note: the location and extent of the polygon for this record are approximate.]
The foundation date of this church is uncertain, as is its location and the extent of its churchyard (although it is thought to lie within the gardens of Chad Varah House). It first appears in the documentary sources in c. 1260 when a grant was made to an anchoress resident at the church. The parish appears to have been small and probably impoverished, and it has been suggested that the suffix 'the Poor' in the dedication refers to the parish rather than the saint. It may have been associated with the fishmarket in the area. There were fewer than ten inhabitants in the parish by 1428, and the church had disappeared by the end of the 15th century. It is not known exactly when it ceased to function, or what happened to the building and the churchyard following this. {1}{2}{3}
Some authors have suggested that the spurious church of All Hallows was in fact this church. However, it has also been suggested that it was actually All Saints Hungate (see PRN 70558). {1}{2}
During construction work in 1983, a retaining wall on the south side of Chad Varah House grounds collapsed revealing a number of burials associated with the churchyard of St John the Poor. {6}

<1> Jones, Michael, J; Stocker, D.; and Vince, A., 2003, The City by the Pool including LARA, RAZ 9.60.34, 10.60.34 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI9142.

<2> Kenneth Cameron, 1984, The Place-Names of Lincolnshire, Part 1, p.124, p.112 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI6442.

<3> Edmund Venables, 1888, 'A list and brief description of the churches of Lincoln previous to the period of the Reformation' in Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers, p.341, no.4 (Article in Serial). SLI11158.

<4> Ordnance Survey, OS card index for Lincoln, SK 97 SE; 64 (Index). SLI2604.

<5> SMR file cards for Lincoln, SK 97 SE; EO (Index). SLI3134.

<6> Jones, M and Stocker, D and Trueman, M, 1983, Archaeology in Lincoln 1982-1983, pp.27-28 (Article in Serial). SLI11204.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 1050 AD? to 1499 AD?)
• CHURCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 1050 AD? to 1499 AD?)
• CHURCHYARD (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 1050 AD? to 1499 AD?)
• ANCHORESSES CELL (Medieval - 1250 AD? to 1350 AD?)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 1050 AD? to 1499 AD?)

Associated Events

• Watching brief at Spring Hill/Michaelgate, 1983

Protected Status

• Conservation Area

Sources and further reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.