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SLHA Awards for 2022
Announcement at 2022 AGM

The winners of the 2022 SLHA Awards were announced at the on-line Annual General meeting on 23 November.

The Flora Murray Award for 2022 was made to the Old Sleaford Heritage Group for their book 'Old Place: New Perspectives'.

An Award for Excellence was made to Mrs Smith's Cottage (North Kesteven District Council) for the 'Navenby Heritage Trail and Navenby Datestones'.

November 2022

SLHA Annual General Meeting, 2022
Reports and elections on-line

The Society's AGM for 2022 took place on line on Thursday 23 November. SLHA Chairman, Ian George, took the chair. About 40 members were in attendance.

The meeting approved the Society's general report for 2022 and the Treasurer's 2021/22 financial reports for both Lincolnshire Heritage and SLHA.

Officers elected for the coming year were as follows:

PresidentNaomi Field

Chairman: Andrew Walker
Vice Chairmen: Michael Daly, David McOmish
TreasurerChris Hewis

Committee/Team Chairmen: Archaeology: Ian GeorgeBuilding RecordingDavid StockerHistory of LincolnshireAndrew Walker; Industrial Archaeology: Stephen BetteridgeLocal HistoryMark Acton; Publications: vacant; Property: vacant

Additional members of Executive Committee: Caroline CraneKen Hollamby, Michael Jones, Eva Moore, Ken Redmore, Stewart Squires, David Start, Neil Wright, Jonathan Fitzgibbon

The Flora Murray Award for 2022 was made to the Old Sleaford Heritage Group for their book 'Old Place, New Perspectives'. North Kesteven District Council (Mrs Smith's Cottage) received an Award of Excellence for their project 'Navenby Heritage Trail and Navenby Datestones'.

 





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November 2022

Lincolnshire Railway Conference
'off the rail' topics presented at Grantham

The annual conference arranged by SLHA’s Industrial Archaeology team was held in Grantham on 19 November on the theme of Lincolnshire Railways. Stephen Betteridge, leader of the IA Team, took the chair for the day. A wide range of topics were covered.

Charles Parker gave a personal view of the North Lincolnshire Light Railway which ran a passenger service from Scunthorpe via Winterton and Winteringham to Whitton and its ferry on the banks of the Humber from 1910. There was also a freight link to Flixbrorough wharf on the Trent. The northernmost 3-mile stetch to Whitton closed in the 1950s and the truncated line ending at Winteringham Station closed in 1964. Charles showed photographs from his personal collection of the line in operation and the ironstone mines through which it ran.

Steve Stubbins spent all his working life at Scunthorpe’s steelworks and over the years amassed a huge collection of photographs of the 85-mile rail network around the site, some taken by himself, and some historic. The conference was treated to a selection of these photographs, with his knowledgeable commentary. These included locomotives (both steam and diesel), freight wagons of every description and views of steelmaking plant not normally seen by visitors and rarely captured on film.

Peter Balderston presented a talk on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, with which he has been closely involved for 40 years. This two-foot gauge railway was originally located in Cleethorpes and then, after a period of forced closure, re-opened in 2009 on a ¾ mile long track at the Water Leisure Park at Ingoldmells. Much of the line’s ‘hardware’ and rolling stock originated from World War One battlefield tracks via the Nocton farm railway of the inter-war years. The LCLR’s most celebrated locomotive, ‘Jurassic’, is a Peckett steam loco built in 1903 and rescued from a cement works near Rugby.

Peter Worsley grew up in Grimsby and was very familiar with the Grimsby and Immingham Electric Railway which carried passengers - principally workmen - between the two ports from 1912 to 1961. He gave a detailed history of this single-track line of standard gauge which ran from Corporation Bridge in Grimsby to the landward end of the eastern jetty at Immingham. Electricity (500 volts, DC) was supplied by the small power station situated at Immingham Docks with a primary function to run cranes and lock gates. One railcar, originally from Gateshead and no longer in the G&IER livery, has been preserved in the Crich tramway collection.

'Making tracks through Grantham' was the title of a talk given by John Clayson and Mel Smith. This wide-ranging talk presented a history of the main line and lesser lines linked to the town since the mid-nineteenth century. For many years the station was an important stopping point on the East Coast Main Line where steam locomotives were serviced, topped up and re-fuelled. Famous trains from each era stopped or raced through; freight trains (fish, iron ore, for example) were also in evidence. Like other busy main-line stations there was a large body of railway workers performing a variety of tasks to keep the railway running smoothly and attending to the needs of passengers and commercial customers.

Photographs: At Scunthorpe Steelworks (top), Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway (centre), Grimsby & Immingham Electric Railway (bottom) 

November 2022

The Tudors
A family activity event at Kirton in Lindsey

An October half term event organised by the Society for families on the popular theme ofthe Tudors took place at the Jubilee Town Hall at Kirton Lindsey

This very well attended event offered visitors a selection of activities, one of which was to craft a jester's head in clay. This was inspired by a jester's head which is part of a clay whistle, features in the photo galleries on the Society website and is part of the Archaeology Collections at The Collection in Lincoln (see right).

Additional activities included making a pendant inspired by designs from examples of high-status jewellery from the Tudor period, creating a games board on which to play Merels, a game popular through the centuries and to decorate a ‘Tudor’ style crown.

Both visitors and volunteers from the Kirton Society are keen to continue to work with the SLHA to develop more events for families.

Event organised by Kathy Holland in conjunction with the Kirton Society.

October 2022

Archaeology in Lincolnshire
Wide-ranging topics at a day conference

The 2022 Day Conference organised by the SLHA Archaeology Team took place in Welton Village Hall, near Lincoln, on Saturday 8 October. It provided a series of talks given by leading archaeologists from within the county and beyond about the long and illustrious past of Lincolnshire.

The conference gave the large audience an understanding of recent discoveries which are helping to re-write the past. Developer-funded and research projects are shedding new light on how our ancestors settled in this part of the country and how people in the past lived and worked.

The speakers and their topics were:

Recent Discoveries in Lincolnshire - Lisa Brundle, Lincolnshire County Council

Characterising Lincolnshire’s Towns - Nicky Grayson, Lincolnshire County Council

Reviving Time Team Bringing Archaeology to an on-line audience - Prof. Carenza Lewis, University of Lincoln

Roman Settlement of the Central Lincolnshire Wolds - Dr Steve Willis, University of Kent

Encounters with Achilles: The Trojan War as seen from Rutland - Dr John Thomas

The Romano-British Pottery Industry at Market Rasen - Leigh Brocklehurst

Grantham Southern Relief Road - Catherine Edwards, AOC Archaeology


October 2022

A Fresh Look at Wroxeter
A Roman City's Social and Cultural History

Dr Roger White of the University of Birmingham, who has 40 years’ experience of Wroxeter in Shropshire, was the speaker at a meeting of Society members at St Hugh’s Hall on 14 September.

Wroxeter, site of the Roman town of Viriconium, has a rich tradition of responses to its archaeology from poets, artists, writers and even musicians.

This is unusual, especially for Roman sites, and Dr White’s lecture explored both the diversity of material, and why the site has been so engaging over the centuries.

September 2022

St Benedict's Church, Scrivelsby
A Heritage Open Days visit to the King's Champion's church

The greenstone church across the fields at Scrivelsby was heavily restored in the mid-nineteenth century but much of the internal architecture and a range of monuments date from much earlier periods. Several members of the Dymoke family - the hereditary King's or Queen's Champions - are represented in the impressive monuments.

The history of the church and its connection with the Dymokes was outlined to a large group by Jean Howard on 13 September, an event featuring in the Heritage Open Days 2022 programme. Tea was served to the visitors by Francis and Gail Dymoke.

September 2022Scrivelsby Dymoke

St Benedict's Church, Haltham
A guided visit to an outstanding medieval church

Jean Howard, Blue Badge Guide, led a tour of this memorable medieval church on Tuesday 13 September. This was organised by SLHA as a contribution to the Heritage Open Days programme for 2022.

St Benedict’s Church, under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, has a number of attractive and noteworthy features, especially the interior woodwork (screens, bench ends, box pews and pulpit). The exceptionally large four-light east window is the dominant feature of the church when viewed from the churchyard.

September 2022

Lincoln Riots: 1911
A tour of the key sites

Andrew Walker was the leader of an informative evening walking tour around the centre of Lincoln on 25 August. The theme of the tour was the short period of riots that disrupted the city in August 1911.

Andrew described the background of national and local unrest, especially concentrating on the railway and engineering workers in the city. The key events were examined at the sites where they occurred: the railway stations, Sessions House, Guildhall among them. This on-site recollection and an introduction to the main ‘players’ in the events brought this episode of Lincoln’s history into clear and interesting focus.

At the High Street level crossing

August 2022

St Wulfram's and ChristChurch
A visit to churches in Grantham

St Wulfram’s Church was the chief focus for a Society visit to Grantham on Wednesday 16 August arranged by John Manterfield. John took the group on a tour of the church’s splendid interior, including the crypt and remarkable Trigge Chained Library.

The morning was completed by a short walk through the town centre and a visit to ChristChurch, the former Finkin Street Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.

In front of the high altar at St Wulfram's

August 2022

Historic Horncastle
A walking tour and picnic

The Society’s Annual Picnic was based in a town centre venue, the Sir Joseph Banks Centre in Horncastle, on Saturday 13 August. It was an exceptionally hot day and the Tribute Garden at the rear of the Bridge Street premises provided welcome shade.
 
Ian Marshman, Chairman of Horncastle History and Heritage Society, led a walk around the centre of the town which highlighted some of its principal historical features, particularly those relating to the Roman period.
 
Members also enjoyed the display collection in the SJB Centre and heard about the work of the Society.

Examining the Stukeley map of Horncastle on the wall of the former National School

August 2022

Behind the Scenes ...
... at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life

Sara Basquill, Collections Development Officer with Lincolnshire County Council’s Museum Service, led a large group of members on a tour of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life’s stores on 12 July.

Time was given to examine unusual and infrequently displayed large museum items in the Butterworth Building at the rear of the Burton Road site. Sara also introduced some of the smaller and more fragile objects held by the Museum.

It was a privilege to see rare and important artefacts at close quarters and to become acquainted with some of the issues faced by today’s museums.

Inside the Butterworth Store

July 2022

Tennyson in Cornwall
Idylls of the King

The annual Brackenbury Lecture, organised jointly with the Tennyson Society, the Wolds Methodist Church and SLHA, was held in Raithby’s historic Methodist Chapel on Saturday 9 July. The speaker was Dr Jim Cheshire of the University of Lincoln; his topic: Tennyson's Cornwall and Idylls of the King: Poetic Research and the Diffusion of Celtic Culture.

The lecture discussed Tennyson’s tours of Cornwall in 1848 and 1860 and how this informed the genesis of Idylls of the King. Dr Cheshire argued that Tennyson simultaneously popularised and diluted the Celtic roots of Arthurian literature and that the way Victorian culture co-opted Tennyson’s poem, merged the myth with the growing admiration for the Anglo-Saxons.

Dr Jim Cheshire

July 2022

East Lincolnshire Railway
Surviving structures visited

To mark fifty years since the closure of the East Lincolnshire Line members of the SLHA Industrial Archaeology team have spent several days examining what remains of this important line and its branches between Firsby and Louth.
 
Station buildings and crossing cottages are the most obvious survivors – some relatively unchanged – but with the aid of plans and maps other smaller and less significant features have been identified and examined.
 
In the photo (l to r): Stephen Betteridge, Chris Padley, Stewart Squires and Colin East. Photo by Ken Redmore

At the road bridge near Mumby Road Station

May 2022

SLHA receives LINCOLN CIVIC AWARD
Ceremony in Lincoln's Guildhall

At a ceremony held in Lincoln's Guildhall on 3 May, the Mayor of Lincoln, Cllr Jackie Kirk, presented the Lincoln Civic Award for 2022 to SLHA.
 
The Chairman of the Civic Award Trust, Henry Ruddock, began the meeting by outlining the purpose of the award and the range of previous winners.
 
The Award, represented by a fine piece of locally-made silverware, was then received from the Mayor by the Society's Chairman, Ian George.
 
Ian spoke of the role of SLHA in promoting local heritage and expressed thanks for the great honour of receiving the Civic Award.
 
Read further details here (from The Lincolnite) 
 
Photograph: Cllr Jackie Kirk, Mayor of Lincoln, presents the Lincoln Civic Award to Ian George, Chairman of SLHA


May 2022

Lincolnshire Documentary Material
Donation from SLHA to Historic Environment Record

A large collection of hand-written, typed and printed material - mostly unpublished - has been accumulated over the years at Jews' Court through donations to the Society. Regrettably, it has not been possible to manage the collection satisfactorily nor to arrange appropriate access.

The filed material has been donated to the Historic Environment Record at Lancaster House, West Parade, Lincoln, where it will form part of their extensive resources about the history and archaeology of the County.

Richard Watts (Historic Environment Record) and Lee Belt (SLHA volunteer)

April 2022

Visits to two Churches
SLHA outing to Legbourne and Little Cawthorpe

A large group of SLHA members enjoyed visits to the churches in Legbourne and Little Cawthorpe on Tuesday 26 April. The leader for the morning's tour was Jean Howard, Blue Badge Guide, local church member and Churches Conservation Trust volunteer. 

All Saints Church at Legbourne, largely built of chalk, has outstanding Victorian stained glass windows and other significant features, some dating from the medieval period. By contrast, Little Cawthorpe's Church of St Helen, built in 1860 by eminent architect R J Withers, reflects Victorian taste in its style and decoration.

The day was bright though cool, ideal for Jean's guided walk  - a bonus - on the quiet lane and paths between the two churches. Coffee and cake served by church members at Legbourne were much appreciated.

In the chancel at All Saints Church, Legbourne


St Helen's Church, Little Cawthorpe

April 2022

Alan Rogers (1933-2022)
Founder member of History of Lincolnshire Committee

Members of SLHA will be sad to learn of the death on 5 April of Professor Alan Rogers, Honorary Professor of Adult Education at Nottingham University.
 
It was Alan Rogers who brought the idea of producing a history of Lincolnshire to the Lincolnshire Local History Society, and he was a key member in a distinguished group of East Midlands historians who met in January 1966 to inaugurate the History of Lincolnshire Committee. He served as Chairman of the committee for a period from 1968.
 
Professor Rogers worked as a member of the academic staff at Nottingham, Ulster and Reading. He wrote a number of highly regarded books on the teaching of adults and several on historical aspects of Stamford.

April 2022

Houses and Gardens
Day Conference in Woodhall Spa

A day conference organised by the SLHA Local History team was held in glorious spring weather at the Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa on Saturday 26 March. The theme - appropriate to the venue and the day - was Lincolnshire Houses and Gardens.

The morning session, chaired by Mark Acton, Chairman of the LH team, was opened by Emma Brealey, the hotel's owner, who spoke about the Petwood's historic past and its Grade 2 listed garden. The hotel was built for the wealthy heiress Grace Weigall in 1905 as a private house with a large estate.
 
It played a significant role as convalescent home in World War One and RAF squadron HQ in the second war.  Many notable men and women of the twentieth century slept and dined in the building. The garden was laid out by the eminent designer Harold Peto and has been restored through a major project beginning in 2012.

Holyrood House in Spalding was the subject of Patty Harris's presentation. This late-fifteenth century building was situated on the east side of the River Welland near Ayscoughfee House and the parish church. Built by the Gayton family, it had a brick-built ground floor with timber and plaster walls above.
 
Patty recounted the succession of owners and the changes to its name. When the Johnson family were in occupation it served as the meeting place and museum for the Spalding Gentlemen's Society. After rural district council ownership in the twentieth century it fell into disrepair and, in the absence of a willing developer, was demolished.

A small development of 113 houses covering about 15 acres at Swanpool off Skellingthorpe Road was Lincoln's first experiment with the Garden City concept arising from the principles set out by Ebenezer Howard. Lesley Clarke, a former resident of Swanpool, explained how this occurred and gave details of the design of the houses and their layout within the estate.
 
The original plan, formulated by Ruston and Sharpley, was to build about 3000 houses for engineering workers, but the harsh times of the early 1920s prevented this. Developments elsewhere in the City (St Giles, Hartsholme) took place a little later and were built with simpler and less expensive designs and materials.

After lunch, in a session chaired by John Manterfield, Andrew Walker gave an overview of the application of technology in country houses, with particular reference to Lincolnshire. Generally speaking, the gentry were slow to adopt new and more efficient ways of running their households, especially when labour was cheap and plentiful.
 
Interior plumbing and the provision of baths and hot water were slow to arrive; open fires continued to be preferred to central heating systems; only slowly were candles and oil lamps replaced by gas and later electric lights. Nevertheless, radical changes did occur in Lincolnshire's larger country houses; whether for reasons of economy, comfort or fashion is perhaps debatable.

Heckington Manor is a large house in the centre of the village with a long and interesting history. Charles Pinchbeck, who owns the property and is currently restoring it, gave an account of the building's history, its owners and its role in Heckington's village life.
 
It was extensively remodelled in the Edwardian period by the Smith family but went into institutional use first as a children's home, then as a home for old people, before serving as a residential clinic until 2003. Years of neglect and poor maintenance are now being addressed and the house and much the impressive garden are being brought back to their early twentieth-century splendour.

The final speaker was Paul Smith on the topic of Mrs Smith's cottage and garden in Navenby. Mrs Hilda Smith lived in the brick double cottage - built in the nineteenth century - for several decades and was a keen practical gardener. The small plot at the front of the cottage was devoted to flowers and the entries in her diary list the species she grew.
 
Similarly, there is detailed knowledge of her vegetable and herb plantings in the small allotment she cultivated near the cottage. Mrs Smith is known to have been a devoted Methodist; she gave much time to the local chapel and was valued for the generous sharing of her flowers and vegetables.
 
Administration of the conference: Caroline Crane and Kathy Holland 

The Petwood, west front

The Conference speakers:
Back row - Andrew Walker, Paul Smith, Charles Pinchbeck, Mark Acton (KH Committee Chairman);

front row - Patty Harris and Lesley Clarke

March 2022

Lincolnshire Smallholdings
A Twentieth Century Development in the Fens

The Society's first face to face lecture at St Hugh's Hall. Lincoln for over two years was given by Dr Shirley Brook on 16 March. Her topic was smallholdings in Lincolnshire in the early twentieth century.
 
After the First World War there was a national drive to create smallholdings and the Lincolnshire councils were prominent in this movement, especially in fenland areas where intensive farming on a small scale was likely to be sustainable.
 
Dr Brook gave details of smallholdings in the far south-east of the county close to the outfall of the Nene into the Wash, and also mentioned a holding close to the Witham in Blankney Dales. In many instances new farmhouses and farm buildings were built to a standard design, with associated landholdings of about 50 acres.
 
It was intended that tenants of the new holdings would be the most disadvantaged in society but in reality it was the more resourceful - and perhaps well-resourced - men and women who seized the opportunity.

Smallholding on Blankney Fen

March 2022

Old Houses in the Witham Valley
Re-use of material from Medieval Monasteries

At the Sunday Special held at Nettleham on 13 March Naomi Field spoke about recent visits made by the SLHA Building Recording Group (RUBL) to two houses built near medieval monasteries in the Witham valley.
 
When religious houses were demolished at the time of the Reformation the materials were commonly re-used in the construction of domestic buildings close by. RUBL visited and surveyed Abbey Farmhouse in Stixwould and Kirkstead Old Hall with this in mind.
 
The stone-built house at Stixwould has elements - a grave cover, a carved face - built into its walls which very likely originate from the nearby Priory. However, tree-ring analysis of roof timbers in the main range gives a date in the 1740s.
 
Kirkstead Old Hall, built in more than one phase, has both brick and stone in its construction. The roof of one wing of the building has timber dating around 1500; another range is about 150 years later. More detailed study of both buildings is planned.
Photo awaited

March 2022

Airfield Archaeology
The life of USAAF airmen in WW2

Derwin Gregory* has recently led an investigation of the site of the former RAF Thorpe Abbey near Diss, Norfolk, occupied by the USAAF from 1942. More than 3000 American servicemen were based at the station, which was designed and staffed to meet all their needs.
 
Dr Gregory, speaking at the Sunday Special at Nettleham on 13 March, explained how his project, led on behalf of UEA, had focussed on the communal and accommodation areas of the site with the aim of understanding better the pattern of life led by the US men.
 
Despite the site having been thoroughly cleared at the end of WW2, cans and bottles were found which gave clues to the sources of soft drinks and other everyday consumables.
 
Of special interest was the collection of "dog tags" (metal tokens bearing servicemen's ID details), buried in a common location. The tags related to men who had lost their lives and the presence of the collection suggested a ritual of remembrance.
 
Dr Gregory plans to undertake similar fieldwork at a number of former airfields in Lincolnshire.
 
* Dr Derwin Gregory is Programme Leader, Archaeology and Heritage, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln

USAAF 'dog tag'

March 2022

Gainsborough Town Centre
Re-creation and improvement

Gainsborough is currently the focus of a Townscape Heritage Initiative project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Over a 4-year period this will bring an investment of over 2 million pounds to improve town centre buildings and engage community support and interest.
 
Details of the project were described by Jonathan Lee and Teresa Workman at an on-line meeting on 2 March. Grants of up to 90% will enable shop and business owners in Market Place and Lord Street to restore buildings, especially at first and second floor levels.
 
A range of activities are introducing the local community to the history and significance of the familiar streetscape and are aiming to increase appreciation and value.

Gainsborough Market Place, c.1910

March 2022

Ruston in Blue Lagoon
The rescue and restoration of an historic excavator

The oldest surviving navvy excavator made by Ruston Proctor & Co was the subject of an on-line talk by Andy Blow on 16 February.
 
The 48-ton navvy was made in Lincoln in 1909 and worked in a chalk quarry at Arlesey, Bedfordshire for almost 40 years. When quarrying ceased in 1977, the excavator was left where it stood and became submerged when the pit was flooded to create the "blue lagoon".
 
Andy described the difficult and expensive process of recovering the navvy and bringing it to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life for restoration and display under the direction of Ray Hooley.
 
Continued maintenance and care of the machine in its static position at MLL was a problem and in 2008 the excavator was taken to the Vintage Excavator Trust's site at Threlkeld in Cumbria where, after further restoration, it now shifts huge loads of material as it did in its heyday.
 
Andy illustrated his talk with a superb range of still images and video clips.
 
Illustrations: The Ruston Proctor navvy at work at Arlesey (above) and at Thelkeld (below) 

 

 


February 2022

Elys Varney
Passing of Classical Linguist and Historian

We report with sadness the death on 9 February of Mrs Elys Varney of Lincoln at the age of 88. She was a much-valued member of SLHA.

She will be especially missed by the many students who attended her WEA classes on classical Greece and Rome.

Elys was born in South London and read Classics at London University before becoming a secondary school teacher. She married a fellow classicist, Roderick Varney, in 1968 and moved to Lincoln. Her husband died tragically in 1970.

She was an active member of many clubs and societies and a regular worshipper at the Cathedral. 


February 2022

Revolutionary Lincoln
A City on Turmoil, August 1911

The theme of Andrew Walker's on-line talk to SLHA members on 26 January was the riot that took place near the city centre in Lincoln in 1911.
 
Over this unprecedented weekend - in scorching weather - two individuals lost their lives: Police Constable Alfred Clay and Thomas Starmer, a picture frame dealer.
 
The lives of many more Lincoln citizens were also significantly affected, including several prominent civic figures, whose actions, or perceived lack of them, were much criticised by an Assizes Judge, Mr Justice Ridley. Nine rioters received prison sentences of between three and six months.
 
Andrew also examined the event's origins and aftermath at a time of particular economic, social and political turbulence at both local and national levels.

January 2022

Early Farm Railways
The work of Hayes of Stamford

Members and friends meeting at Nettleham's Old School on 23 January for a Sunday Special heard Stewart Squires talk on a subject which is one of his particular areas of interest: farm railways in Lincolnshire,
 
A catalogue from Hayes & Son of Stamford printed in French, possibly for the 1867 Paris Exposition, includes details of a simple farm railway supplied by the firm. Both timber and iron were used in the construction of wagons and rails.
 
Hayes & Son was a very successful company making a wide range of wheeled vehicles from the 1830s to 1924. They appear to have been linked to the Beverley firm of Crosskill and their award-winning farm railway of the 1850s and 60s.
 
The widespread use of these light, portable railways in the UK stalled until the early 1900s, though there were early examples in France and elsewhere on the continent supplied by French or German firms.

The audience in Nettleham Old School

January 2022

Twelfth-Century Timber
Investigation using X-ray fluorescence

Richard Croft of the SLHA Building Recording Group gave one of three talks at a Sunday Special held at the Old School Nettleham on 23 January.
 
He reported on a sophisticated investigation of wooden beams and joists at Lincoln Road Farmhouse (aka The Nunnery), Sixhills. Dendrochronology on this timber, which lies above the first floor in one wing of the building, has given a date of mid-twelfth century.
 
The timber, of high quality, almost certainly came from the nearby Sixhills Priory, where the absence of joints and carpentry marks suggests it was in use as sarking boards immediately below a lead roof covering.
 
However, investigation of the timber by X-Ray fluorescence has not shown abnormal levels of lead on the face of the samples, as would have been expected. The mystery remains.

Lincoln Road Farmhouse, Sixhills

January 2022

Roman Remains at Riseholme
-- and a link to Peru

The third of the talks given at the Sunday Special on 23 January in Nettleham was by Adam Daubney, Finds Liaison Officer at Lincolnshire County Council.
 
A range of Roman artefacts have been discovered by metal detectorists close to the rare square Roman barrow in the tiny settlement of Riseholme. These include a box of coins and the remains of a building, all of interest and significance.
 
Riseholme Hall was the birthplace of the writer and traveller Rosita Forbes who, having visited Pachacamac in Peru, donated a number of ancient pots to the Lincoln's City and County Museum in the 1940s. It seems likely that she was familiar with the Roman barrow in her youth.

Riseholme Hall

January 2022

Lincolnshire Anniversaries 2022
People, Events, Buildings

1072
* Hereward the Wake, Anglo-Saxon nobleman, died. Based in the fenland, he led local resistance to the Norman rulers
* Bishop Remigius (by contrast a strong supporter of the Normans) moved his see from Dorchester to Lincoln

1372
* Death of John, third Baron de Willoughby (29 March). His tomb is in St James' Church, Spilsby.

1572
* End of William Byrd's period as organist and master of choristers at Lincoln Cathedral
* St Leonard's church, Mumby Chapel, rebuilt after a flood

1622
* Death of Sir William Armyne of Osgodby (Lenton), MP for Grantham. He was buried at Lenton.
* Birth of Sir Richard Cust, MP for Stamford

1722
* A bore was made in Blue Hill near Spilsby in an attempt to find coal
* Tower of St Michael & All Angels, Thorpe on the Hill, rebuilt 
* Somersby Grange built for Robert Burton, attributed uncertainly to Sir John Vanbrugh
* William Sands of Spalding built the distinctive octagonal nave of St James, Moulton Chapel 

1772
* The Exchange Buildings in Boston Market Place, designed by Thomas Lumby, completed
* John Shadford of Scotter selected by John Wesley as one of 8 preachers to spread gospel in America
* Thomas Reckitt, founder of Hull pharmaceutical firm, born in Wainfleet
* Lincoln Cathedral's north-east chapel of north east transept - probably St Hugh's original burial place - rebuilt by James Essex
* Spalding Barrier Bank Turnpike Trust (Peakirk to Spalding) formed

1822
* Wesleyan Methodists built new chapels at Long Bennington and on Frith Bank
* Moulton windmill, reputedly the tallest in the UK, was built by Robert King
* Schools were built at Croft (to replace an earlier one) and at Swinderby
* A new permanent library opened in Lincoln
* A dwelling house in Leadenham was licensed for worship
* Sausthorpe Hall was extended and remodelled
* First record of Baptists worshipping in Grimsby
* South Wold Hunt founded
* Appleby Hall enlarged
* Death of Lieut-Gen Gonville Bromhead of Thurlby by Lincoln
* Silver chalice stolen in a burglary at St Mary's church, Mablethorpe

1872
 
Births:
* Cyril Bland, cricketer, who played for Sussex, born Boston
* Frederick Cyril Nugent Hicks, Bishop of Lincoln
* Dora Abdy in Stamford. She was a pioneer for girls' education in Africa
* Norman Angell, Nobel Prize winner, in Holbeach

New buildings:
* HM prison opened on Greetwell Road, Lincoln in June
* Belchford Wesleyan Methodist Chapel opened for worship (June)
* New York Wesleyan Methodist Chapel opened
* Bracebridge Heath Primitive Methodist chapel erected
* Gainsborough National School premises in Trinity Street opened (August)
* Dry Doddington school opened 
* Bishop Norton school built
* West Rasen school opened (later served as a chapel)
* High Toynton St John Baptist Church rebuilt at cost of £1200
* Building of Cleethorpes pier commenced
* Barracks at Grantham built (second phase)
* Ingham Lower Mill built at a cost of £1000
* Boultham Park entrance piers erected (designed by William Watkins)
* Gosberton Gasworks built on High Street, cost £1500

Churches and chapels restored or enlarged:
* Cabourne St Nicholas restored by A W Blomfield
* West Ashby All Saints restored by Ewan Christian
* Great Ponton, Holy Cross, restored
* Burgh on Bain St Helen restored
* Lincoln St Mary le Wigford restored
* Brandon Chapel of ease restored by Charles Kirk
* The Primitive Methodist chapel at Potterhanworth enlarged
* Binbrook Free Methodist chapel renovated
* Nettleton Primitive Methodist chapel enlarged

Other events: 
* The two ecclesiastical parishes in Allington united
* Norbertines established themselves at Crowle
* Ruddocks, printer and stationer of Lincoln, established
* The Witham Shield donated to British Museum by Augustus Wollaston Franks
* The Barton to Lincoln turnpike (and also several more) freed from tolls (1 Nov)
* The Great Northern Railway line opened between Bourne and Sleaford, a distance of about 16 miles (2 Jan)
* The Arboretum in Lincoln laid out

1922
Births:
* Leslie Manser, VC, WW2 bomber pilot, born in India. He flew from Swinderby and Skellingthorpe
* Brian Tierney, born in Scunthorpe. He was an historian with particular interest in the medieval church

Deaths:
* Rev George Henry Hales, Rector of Stickney, world record hammer thrower
* Sir John Henry Thorold, 12th baronet, of Syston Hall, former MP for Grantham
* Revd E A Woodruffe-Peacock at Grayingham (3 Feb), He was an outstanding naturalist.
 
Openings:
* Grosvenor House Hotel, Skegness, built by the Spencer family;
* Kinema in the Woods cinema opened in Woodhall Spa;
* Casino in Skegness, with ballroom and indoor roller-skating rink
 
Closures:
* Machine Gun Corps, based at Belton Park, disbanded (15 July)
* Closure of Metheringham Reform Union Methodist chapel
 
Other events: 
* Unveiling and dedication of many memorials to those who served in WW1 
* Cleethorpes 5-sailed windmill demolished
* Kirkstead railway station renamed Woodhall Junction
* F M Thompson of Louth began making double deck buses for Birmingham

1972
Closures:
* St Marks Church Lincoln demolished
* Boston Congregational Church closed
* Lincoln St Paul in the Bail church demolished
* Horncastle Holy Trinity church declared redundant
* Welby School closed (July)
* Wrangle Bank Primitive Methodist chapel closed
* Last service held in Langrick Wesleyan Methodist chapel
* Monksthorpe Baptist church - last use of baptistry
* Closure of Keal Hill Wesleyan Methodist chapel in January
 
Other events:
* Jonathan Kerrigan, actor, born
* Last commercial traffic on Fossdyke
* Hagworthingham Holy Trinity tower fell down
* Scunthorpe Centenary Methodist Church rebuilt in Frodingham Road
* Thomas Cooper Memorial Baptist Church opened in Lincoln's High Street
* Sleaford Methodist church rebuilt
* Flora Murray, Secretary to the Lincolnshire Community Council, awarded OBE
* Creation of Canwick golf course
* Narrow gauge farm railway laid at North Ings, Dorrington

January 2022