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Summary

Cathedral church with attached cloisters, chapter house and libraries.

Full description

Cathedral church with attached cloisters, chapter house and libraries. The cathedral is essentially of three periods, two of them divided into two phases each. The first is the Norman west front. The original cathedral was built by Bishop Remigius starting sometime between 1072 and 1075, and consecrated in 1092. It was damaged by fire, and subsequently restored and enlarged by Bishop Alexander between 1123 and 1148. The second phase is Early English from 1192 to 1250, and 1256 and about 1300, by Bishop St Hugh and his successors. The final medieval building phase was carried out in the 14th and 15th centuries. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1}{2}{3}{4}

Archaeological investigations were carried out in 1992, during installation of electricity cables at the cathedral. Inside the cathedral, trenches were dug in the north transept, the nave, St Anne's chapel and the cloister. Structural remains associated with the Romanesque church were identified, including a stone slab floor. There was also evidence of fire destruction and a stylobate. Burials were encountered in the north transept and the nave. External excavations at the Dean's Green, the cathedral west front and the north-east lawn revealed some archaeological features, including sections of wall, but they were not greatly significant, and were mostly disturbed. {5}

The changing moisture content of some of the roof timbers at Lincoln Cathedral were surveyed in 1995, as part of a national study to inform better preservation of medieval roof structures. Resistance moisture meters were installed in the roofs of the Consistory Court and Ringers' Chapel, in an attempt to assess their vulnerability to Deathwatch Beetles and Oak Rot Fungus. The survey recorded a seasonal variation of moisture content at the surface of the timbers, with more stable moisture levels deeper in. {6}

During a watching brief in 1998, a concrete patch was recorded adjacent to the flying buttresses of the chapter house, which may represent a later support to a buttress. Brick foundations or a surface located immediately east of the cathedral may represent an early path or boundary within the cathedral grounds, as depicted on the 3rd edition 6" Ordnance Survey County Series map of 1938. Dump deposits possibly associated with grave-digging or dumping were also noted. {7}{8}

Historic graffiti at Lincoln Cathedral was recorded between January and June 2018 by the Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project. The survey identified an exceptionally large number of historic marks, numbering in the thousands of examples. The marks are distributed throughout the cathedral, on almost every available surface, but do seem to have a concentration around the central crossing. The survey revealed an exceptionally large range of graffiti types were present, with examples of almost all of the main medieval and post-medieval graffit types being identified and recorded, along with many of the much rarer types present. Some of the more significant marks include at least 11 examples of ship graffiti, 26 examples of possible music notation, 24 human figure or face representations, and 9 merels and 6 other medieval gaming boards. {9}{10}{11}

<1> Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram, 1989, Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition), pp.444-82 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1062.

<2> Morgan, Nigel; Cheshire, Jim; Kupper, Tom; Bennett, Carol, 2012, Stained Glass of Lincoln Cathedral, - (Bibliographic Reference). SLI13805.

<3> Fernie, E.C., 1977, 'Alexander's Frieze on Lincoln Minster' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, vol.12, pp.19-28 (Article in Serial). SLI6104.

<4> Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Dec 1999, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 9/224 (Index). SLI5854.

<5> City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit, 1992, Lincoln Cathedral 1992 Electricity Cable Installation: Archaeological Report (Interim), - (Report). SLI1834.

<6> Historic England, 2020, The Variability in Resistance Moisture Meter Readings Obtained From Medieval Roofs, - (Report). SLI16663.

<7> Archaeological Project Services, Dec 1998, The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lincoln, LCL98 (Report). SLI8250.

<8> Archaeological Project Services, Dec 1998, The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lincoln, LCNCC 161.98 (Archive). SLI8251.

<9> Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project, 2013->, Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project Surveys, - (Index). SLI17096.

<10> Matthew Champion, 2015, Medieval Graffiti: The Lost Voices of England's Churches, pp.106, 233 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI17126.

<11> Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project, 2018, Lincoln Cathedral Graffiti Survey, - (Report). SLI17134.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• CATHEDRAL (Medieval to Modern - 1072 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lincoln
• Archaeological investigation at Lincoln Cathedral, 1992
• The Variability in Resistance Moisture Meter Readings Obtained From Medieval Roofs
• Lincoln Cathedral Graffiti Survey

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Conservation Area

Sources and further reading

Related records

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