Cory Santos

By Cory Santos corysantos

Everyone is familiar with Lincoln Castle, the mighty fortification of the city, built by orders of William the Conqueror and standing proudly and securely uphill. Few, however, know of the second, lost castle of the city, which protected the south walls for some seventy years: Thorngate Castle.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column concerning the Battles of Lincoln and how pivotal a role the city played in the political scene of English medieval history. After the article was published, a reader, Phil Gresham, contacted The Lincolnite noting that he had come across evidence for a second castle in Lincoln, the ‘Castellum de Torngate’ (Thorngate Castle) and asking if I could provide any new insight to the great information he had amassed. What was this supposed second castle and what do we know of its short history?

The origins of the castle on Thorngate are obscure. The first real evidence of the castle at Thorngate appears in the title of one Robert de Cundy (or de Condet) who was ‘Lord of Thorngate Castle’ as well as Lord of South Carlton, Eagle and Skellingthorpe, and Thurlby, as well as of several other locations in Kent and Nottinghamshire. The birth date for Robert is up for debate, with dates ranging from 1096 to 1108. He is, however, listed as being born within the castle, so the construction date must therefore be before 1100 A.D.

The site of the former Thorngate Castle, Lincoln’s second castle, is believed to be at the corner of Waterside North and Broadgate. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The pre-1100 construction of the castle seems to point towards a late 1080s building of the fortification. The exact date, however, is difficult, if not impossible, to fix. The reasons for this are the hectic and ever-changing political and security situation of ‘The Anarchy’ (scores of castles and defensive works were built in the period), as well as the poor keeping of records prior to the reign of Henry II and his successor Richard I (the Lion-heart). During his reign, King Henry II ordered the destruction of over 1,150 castles in his realm. Despite the demolition of this staggering number of fortifications, by the end of Henry’s rule there appear to be more castles in existence than before he took the throne. This seemingly paradoxical fact can be traced back to the poor, or even non-recording of castles during the reigns of the previous several monarchs after William the Conqueror.

What little information we do have about Thorngate Castle can be of some help to trace the lifespan of the structure. It is attested to in 1141, when Alice de Cundy, Thomas’ now widow (he had died earlier in 1141) pledged the castle, along with her estates in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Kent to the cause of King Stephen. With the known destruction of the castle by King Stephen in 1151, this seems to point to the castle remaining within the hands of the de Cundy family for its entire existence. Why though, was the castle destroyed?

The destruction of the castle was pledged to the Earl of Chester, Ranulf de Gurnon. The Earl had opposed Stephen at the battle of Lincoln in 1141 but had switched allegiance to the king in 1144 in order to wage war with the Empress Matilda’s ally, the King of Scotland, over a land dispute. He revolted against the king again, however, in 1146 and tried to seize Lincoln (unsuccessfully) in 1149 under the guise of supporting Matilda’s son, the Prince Henry. It appears as a result of an attempted peace brokering between Stephen and the Earl of Chester, the Thorngate Castle was used as a bargaining chip and its destruction ordered.

The site of the castle today appears to be located around the corner of Waterside North and Broadgate (many thanks to Phil for this information), and as it was a wooden structure; most likely nothing remains of it under the present building’s foundations. Even though the castle has long since disappeared from sight, it brings a sense of wonder when passing the Waterside area of what the city could have looked like had Lincoln kept its second castle.

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.

By Cory Santos corysantos

When most people think of King Arthur, images of round tables, chivalric knights clad in armour and the sorcerer Merlin spring to mind. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In reality, Arthur was a dark age warlord, fighting to expel Germanic invaders in the aftermath of the Romans leaving Britain in 410 A.D. He was also, as I will now explain, someone potentially with a big link to Lincoln.

In the wake of the Roman departure from Britain, the island was a place of constant warfare. The fourth and fifth centuries had been full of upheaval with the migration of Germanic groups across Europe, and this was also the case in Britain (though likely some of these groups had been settled here prior to the Roman departure).

By the middle of the fifth century, Britain was a land divided amongst many small or ‘petty’ kingdoms, with the Germanic people of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes controlling much of the east and south, and the Britons controlling the west and the north of the island.

The area of modern north Lincolnshire was in this period known as the Kingdom of Lindsey. This small kingdom, ruled by the Angles, featured kings such as Winta, Cretta, and the wonderfully named Bubba. The name Lindsey itself meant ‘Isle of Lincoln’ and encompassed the area between the rivers Trent and Witham, the Foss Dyke and the North Sea.

The kingdom was believed to be centred in Lincoln, and was surrounded by the Mercians in the west and Deira in the north, in what is now East Yorkshire, and the East Angles to the south, in modern East Anglia and Cambridgeshire.

How though, does Arthur fit into this picture? The earliest records for Arthur are the 10th century Welsh chronicles and ‘The History of the Britons’ by Nennius. In his work, Nennius ascribes twelve famous victories to Arthur, with the final being the famous Battle of Badon (Bath). Interestingly, the second through fifth were fought near the river called Dubglas (black water) in the region of Linnuis. Historians have debated where ‘Linnuis’ may be, with places in Scotland and Lancashire suggested, but the most obvious translation of the place is ‘Lindsey’.

Geoffrey of Monmouth, the author of the 12th century ‘History of the Kings of Britain,’ who introduced the classic depictions of Arthur: the chivalric king with his Knights of the Round Table, also places the battles at Lincoln and gives further details into why they occurred. According to Geoffrey, Arthur, upon coming to power, vowed to retake the Saxon stronghold of York for the Britons. As he marched north with his forces, he was intercepted by the King of Deira, a man named Colgrin, at Lincoln.

Geoffrey’s account of the circumstances of these battles is interesting. Lindsey, as I have mentioned, was a small, ‘petty’ Anglian kingdom. What is little known of the kingdom is that it quickly fell under the domination of its neighbours, namely the Mercians and the Deirians, giving an air of truth to the account.

Lincoln also stood on the important Roman route north, Ermine Street, meaning it would be of great strategic importance to both the Germanic kings and those trying to separate their forces and defeat them (namely Arthur).

It also raises the possibility of a continuing presence of Arthur in the Lincoln area. Nennius notes twelve famous victories for Arthur. If ‘Linnuis’ is Lincoln, then four of his victories were in the area around the city. This would mean the Britons must have gained and lost control of the area numerous times, resulting in the need for Arthur and his forces to remain in the area.

While all of these historical accounts are uncertain and can probably never be truly verified, it is exciting to think that Lincolnshire, and more specifically Lincoln, potentially played a key part in the creation of one of the most enduring and beloved stories in the world, that of King Arthur.

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.