LINCOLN CASTLE AND THE MAGNA CARTA

William the Conqueror triumphed over King Harold and the English army at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but he was still facing resistance from the rebellious north of England. To assert his authority, he ordered the construction of a castle at Lincoln. Sited on a hill, where the Romans had established their fortress, it reused the stone walls which remained from that time. The castle offered commanding views to spot potential enemies, and it was a symbol of strength; reminding the local population just who was in charge.

Lincoln Castle has two mottes and a large bailey. The first motte, to the south-east, holds the Observatory Tower, built in the 11th century. The second, on the south-west side, holds Lucy Tower, named after Lucy Bolingbroke, the Countess of Chester. It is rare for a castle to have more than one motte.

A subterranean vault in the grounds of Lincoln Castle is home to Lincoln’s Magna Carta, one of only four surviving originals of the ancient charter of rights, which was sealed by King John on 15 June, 1215. The most famous clauses are: “No free man shall be imprisoned or stripped of his possessions, or deprived of his standing in any other way... except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.” Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, was present at the sealing, and he ensured that a copy was brought to Lincoln Cathedral. The text, comprising 3,500 words, is handwritten on a single sheet of parchment.

The Magna Carta only stood for 12 weeks. King John detested it, because it made him accountable to his barons. He went to the Pope to have it annulled, and by September of the same year, it was worthless. After King John’s death, the charter was reissued by King Henry III at Newark in Nottinghamshire, alongside a smaller charter, called The Charter of the Forest. Both documents are displayed at Lincoln Castle. It is the only place in the world that they can be seen together.