Unsuspecting heritage: Next time you are stuck at the barriers waiting for the train to pass, have a glance at the tower built by Eirtrig and the curious Roman memorial he reused.
With Discover Lincolnshire providing free access to many city attractions last weekend, I wanted to provide insight into a few interesting pieces of Lincoln history which are always free of charge and often overlooked, with one such example being the Roman ‘gravestone’ in St. Mary-le-Wigford church off the High Street.
The church at St. Mary-le-Wigford, dirty from the soot of the railway line and the main roads which it sits upon, has existed for a thousand years. It is as unassuming a church as can be found. Situated next to the High Street level-crossing, few would ever bother to even glance at it as they waited endlessly for a train to pass the barriers. The church, however, is one of surprises and intriguing history.
King Stephen, for example, who had fought and was captured by the forces of the Empress Matilda in 1141 was supposed to have tethered his horse at the church before battle. Others tales claim that Henry II had his son (the future king) John proclaimed his successor at the church, but this is most certainly untrue.
The church was originally believed to have been constructed in the 11th century, by an Englishman, either before or after the Norman Conquest. Close analysis of the structure and the history of the area of which it was built have caused this initial construction date to be questioned.
The tower of the church, which faces onto the High Street is almost certainly of 11th century construction, reusing old Roman stones for its construction. The tower as well as other parts of the church, appear to have re-purposed pieces of an earlier Christian church, dating from the 10th century.
In addition to these finds, it has been noted that the tower and church are not of one construction, but rather, the tower has been butted up to the church at a later date. These discoveries seem to point to an earlier church on the site (probably of English or Scandinavian construction) in the 9th or 10th centuries, later rebuilt to its present appearance.
Perhaps the most unique and interesting part of the church, is not its age or history, but rather a simple stone outside of it. On the west façade of the tower is a memorial stone, placed there with an inscribed dedication by the founder, a man named Eirtrig. The stone, however, is not from an earlier English or Norse grave, but rather one from a Roman.
The memorial stone (sometimes refereed to as a gravestone) belonged to a Roman named Sacer. Nothing is known of Sacer apart from what is inscribed upon his memorial: “In memory of the departed; to the name of Sacer, son of Bruscus, a Senonian citizen, and Carssouna his wife and Quintus his son.” From this we know that Sacer was a Roman citizen and a Gaul, as Senonia relates to the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis, centred on modern-day Lyon. Why Sacer had travelled and settled to Lincoln, however, remains a mystery.
What we do know, is that sometime in the 11th century, an Englishman named Eirtrig built a tower at the church and needing a stone for dedicating the building, used the memorial stone of Sacer — perhaps because of its quality of shape and carvings, or possibly because it was the best surface for the task. Regardless of his reasons, Eirtrig re-purposed the stone, having his own message carved into it: “Eirtrig had me built and endowed to the glory of Christ and St. Mary”.
For the majesty of his new tower be fully appreciated, the words carved upon the stone by Eirtrig were placed to be read from bottom to top, to ensure that the viewers’ gaze would go from reading the message to beholding the magnificence of the tower which he had constructed.
Next time you are stuck at the barriers waiting for the train to pass, have a glance at the tower built by Eirtrig and the curious Roman memorial he reused to dedicate it to St. Mary and Christ. It may not be as exciting or awe-inspiring as the Cathedral or Castle, but it is an interesting and tangible piece of our city’s Roman and pre-conquest history.
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Cory Santos is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Lincoln who specialises in the social history of Britain during the Second World War. Besides his main research focuses, he also enjoys local history and the interesting tales it often turns up.
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The new roundabout at the A46 Dunholme and Welton junction is nearly ready, and will be fully open next month.
The project began in July and, subject to weather, will be complete and fully open to the public by the end of May.
As well as the roundabout, Horncastle Lane and northbound Lincoln Road will also reopen during the week commencing April 19.
Final preparation works will mean that five nights of road closures are needed to lay the final layer of road surfacing on the A46 between Deepdale Lane, Nettleham to Lincoln Road, Dunholme.
The closures will take place overnight between 7pm and 6am, starting from Tuesday, May 4.
The A46 will be closed from Deepdale Lane, Nettleham to Lincoln Road, Dunholme, with a diversion route via the A46 Nettleham roundabout / A15 Riseholme roundabout / A15-A1500 Showground roundabout / A15-A631 roundabout at Caenby Corner / either the A631 or A1103 back to the A46, and vice versa.
The diversion route for the A46’s closure at Deepdale Lane. | Photo: LCC
Lincoln Road, Welton will close from its junction with Honeyholes Lane to the new roundabout, with a diversion via Honeyholes Lane / right onto Ryland Road / right onto Lincoln Road Dunholme, which joins the main closure diversion on the A46 towards Lincoln.
The diversion route for Lincoln Road, Welton. | Photo: LCC
Finally, Horncastle Lane will be closed from the A15 to the A46, with access at the A15 end. The diversion route will be via the A15-A1500 Showground roundabout / A15 Riseholme roundabout / A46 Nettleham roundabout, and vice versa.
The diversion route for Horncastle Lane. | Photo: LCC
During these closures, Heath Lane to Scothern will remain closed, with a right-turn ban and 24/7 temporary traffic lights on the A46 until the end of the project.
The full A46 Dunholme / Welton roundabout project has been part-funded by the £2 million allocated to Lincolnshire County Council by the Department of Transport.
The remaining funding has come from a combination of the council themselves and third party contributions.
An “isolated” man downloaded thousands of indecent images of children, Lincoln Crown Court was told on Friday.
Nigel Deacon was caught after police received information and raided his home at Cranwell in July 2019.
Edna Leonard, prosecuting, said images had been downloaded onto laptops and two USB sticks which were later examined by officers.
The investigation revealed that Deacon had been downloading illegal images of children aged between nine and 15 years old.
Over 32,000 indecent images of children were found on the devices the vast majority of which were in the least serious category.
Seven images, including three videos, were in the most serious category.
Miss Leonard said: “The defendant was arrested and interviewed and made admissions.”
Deacon, 59, of North Road, Cranwell, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children.
He also admitted possession of 198 prohibited images of children and possession of 124 extreme pornographic images.
Leanne Summers, in mitigation, said Deacon had no previous convictions and has sought help following his arrest.
She told the court: “He isn’t able to explain his offending. He describes it as totally irrational thinking at a time when he says he was running away from reality.
“He has for many years lived an isolated life. He has been in what he calls a very dark place.”
Miss Summers said that Deacon’s business was on the point of collapse as he lost customers when details of his offences became known.
Deacon was given an eight-month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete 50 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Roman Bank, one of Skegness’ busiest roads, will temporarily pause roadworks and reopen to the public for four months this summer.
The project began in September 2020 and was scheduled to take eight months, with the road being closed throughout to repair and replace worn out carriageways and footpaths.
Lincolnshire County Council has now confirmed that construction will be halted for four months in May, allowing for locals to move freely around Skegness as lockdown eases further.
Traffic management is expected to be removed by Wednesday, May 26, meaning residents will be free to use the area over the summer.
The project will then resume on Monday, September 20, before completing road and footway improvements from Muirfield Drive up to the junction with North Shore Road by spring 2022.
Before the reopening, work will take place to rebuild the Roman Bank section north of Muirfield Drive to Fenland Laundry, excavating 500 tonnes of old road in the process.
The project has seen one of Skegness’ busiest roads closed for some time.
As well as this, a road closure will be in place between Asda and Brancaster Drive for seven days, starting on Monday, May 17.
The diversion route for this will be via the A52/C541/A158 at the Gunby dual carriageway, and vice versa.
The road’s rebuild hasn’t been without its setbacks, with the council blaming Cadent Gas, suppliers of the gas pipes for the project, for delaying the project in March by asking to move one of the pipes.
Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at LCC, said the date allows for businesses to trade easier and locals to utilise the town more.
She said: “This was the best of all the options we looked at since it means businesses can trade and take deliveries freely throughout summer, while residents and visitors can get around town and park without having to worry about road works.
“Once the school holidays are over in September, we’ll head back to town with Cadent so they can finish diverting the gas main between Muirfield Drive and Brancaster Drive ahead of us completing our road and footway improvements from Muirfield Drive up to the junction with North Shore Road in spring 2022.”