Lincoln, Lincolnshire Genealogy

Guide to Lincoln history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

History
The earliest origins of Lincoln can be traced to the remains of an Iron Age settlement of round wooden dwellings (which were discovered by archaeologists in 1972) that have been dated to the 1st century BC.

The origins of the name Lincoln may come from this period, when the settlement is thought to have been named in the Brythonic language of Iron Age Britain's Celtic inhabitants as Lindon "The Pool".

The Romans conquered this part of Britain in AD 48 as part of their overall conquest of southern Britain, and shortly afterwards built a legionary fortress high on a hill overlooking the natural lake formed by the widening of the River Witham (the modern day Brayford Pool) and at the northern end of the Fosse Way Roman road. Note that the Fosse Way, although improved and strengthened by the Romans for the use of wagons, was originally an old Celtic highway.

The Celtic name Lindon was subsequently Latinised to Lindum and given the title Colonia when it was converted into a settlement for army veterans

It became a major flourishing settlement, accessible from the sea both through the River Trent and through the River Witham. This made the settlement a major hub for the commerce of the time.

Several hundred years later, after the departure of the Romans, the Latin name Lindum Colonia was shortened in Old English to become 'Lincylene'.

After about 750 A.D.,Lincoln experienced an unprecedented explosion in its economy with the settlement of the Danes. Like York, the Upper City seems to have been given over to purely administrative functions up to 850 or so, while the Lower City, running down the hill towards the River Witham, may have been largely deserted.

During the Anarchy, in 1141 Lincoln was the site of a battle between King Stephen and the forces of Empress Matilda, led by her illegitimate halfbrother Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. After fierce fighting in the city's streets, Stephen's forces were defeated. Stephen himself was captured and taken to Bristol.

By 1150, Lincoln was among the wealthiest towns in England. The basis of the economy was cloth and wool, exported to Flanders; Lincoln weavers had set up a guild in 1130 to produce Lincoln Cloth, especially the fine dyed 'scarlet' and 'green', the reputation of which was later enhanced by Robin Hood wearing woolens of Lincoln green. In the Guildhall that surmounts the city gate called the Stonebow, the ancient Council Chamber contains Lincoln's civic insignia, a particularly fine collection of civic regalia.

Coupled with the arrival of the railway links, Lincoln boomed again during the Industrial Revolution, and several world-famous companies arose, such as Ruston's, Clayton's, Proctor's and William Foster's. Lincoln began to excel in heavy engineering, building locomotives, steam shovels and all manner of heavy machinery.

A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of the "Old Barracks" (now the Museum of Lincolnshire Life) in 1857; these were replaced by the "New Barracks" (now Sobraon Barracks) in 1890.

During WW!!, Lincoln's heavy industries were turned to the war effort, producing aircraft parts, heavy duty diesel engines, and train sub-assemblies. These activities have largely ceased, as heavy industry manufacture has been relocated to either other areas of the UK, the Continent, or the Far East.

Lincoln is situated on a very fertile plain in the flatlands of east-central, England. It became a major flourishing settlement, accessible from the sea both through the River Trent and through the River Witham. Both rivers could also be forded although major bridges were built in the Middle Ages. These conditions led to Lincoln as the market center of a thriving agricultural area.

Cemeteries (Civil)

 * Lincoln cemeteries


 * Newport cemetery


 * Find a Grave, Newport cemetery

Church Records
Because Lincoln is a Cathedral City, the Church of England in this area is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The address for the Diocese follows:


 * Edward King House
 * Minster Yard
 * Lincoln.
 * LN2 1PU


 * Tel : 01522 50 40 50


 * Lincoln Diocese

Parishes
There are altogether 644 parish churches which are regularly used for worship. There would be far too many to list here. A useful link follows:


 * Lincoln Diocese Parishes

Non Conformists
Lincoln is one of the more active cities in the UK for religion. Non Conformist Christian groups include:


 * Baptist
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
 * Jehovah's Witness
 * Methodist
 * Plymouth Brethren
 * Quakers (Society of Friends)
 * Roman Catholic
 * Seventh Day Adventist

Non Christian Groups that meet regularly follow:


 * Buddhist
 * Hindu
 * Muslim
 * Jewish
 * Shinto
 * Sikh
 * Taoist

Civil Registration

 * UKBMD Lincolnshire


 * West Midlands BMD


 * Forebears BMD

Local Histories

 * Local Histories, Lincoln
 * Society for Lincolnshire History
 * A History of Lincoln by Richard Gurnham

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Different maps of Lincoln
 * Historic maps of Lincolnshire
 * Historic gazetteer of Lincolnshire
 * Vision of Britain, Lincolnshire Gazetteer

Newspapers

 * Lincolnshire Echo
 * Newspapers in the UK, Lincolnshire
 * Spalding and Lincolnshire Free Press

Occupations
Today, Lincoln's economy is based mainly on public administration, commerce, arable farming and tourism. Like many other cities in Britain, Lincoln has developed a growing IT economy, with many e-commerce mail order companies setting up in or around the city. A plethora of other, more conventional small industrial businesses are located in and around Lincoln. One of the reasons for building the University of Lincoln was to increase inward investment and act as a springboard for small companies. The University's presence has also drawn many more licensed premises to the town centre around the Brayford Pool. A new small business unit next door to a university accommodation building, the Think Tank, opened in June 2009

The main employment sectors in Lincoln are; public administration, education and health, which accounts for 34 per cent of the workforce. Distribution, restaurants and hotels account for 25 per cent of the workforce.

Societies

 * Lincolnshire Family History Society


 * LIncolnshire family history research


 * Family Tree Forum, Lincolnshire

Archives

 * Lincolnshire County Council


 * County Offices
 * Newland, Lincoln
 * LN1 1YL
 * Telephone: 01522-552222
 * Fax: 01522-516137


 * Lincolnshire Archives


 * Lincs to the Past, Lincolnshire


 * The National Archives; Lincolnshire

Websites

 * Visit Lincoln


 * Lincolnshire Council website


 * City of Lincoln website


 * Wikipedia, Lincoln