LINCOLN. 733 
jtmfdifHon and wealth. It included fb many counties, 
that it was delcribed as ready to fink under the weight of 
its own greatnefsj and, though Henry II. took out of it 
the diocel'e of Ely, and Henry VIII. thole of Peterborough 
and Oxford, it is Hill confidered the larged in England. 
As the jurifdiction was great, fo, prior to the reformation, 
the revenues were propdrtionably abundant. Except the 
two archbilhoprics, and thofe termed the principality- 
bilhoprics, Winchefter, Durham, and Ely, no fee was fo 
well endowed, which was the reafon that there is no re¬ 
cord, prior to the time of Elizabeth, of any bilhop of 
thN fee having been tranflated to another, except Win¬ 
chefter; though fince that time, Willis obferves, “no lefis 
than ten out of feventeen have left this for more valuable 
ones.” Nor was it lefs remarkable for the number of epif- 
copal palaces within the diocefe. Previous to the year 
*54.7, it had eight; but all thefe, except that at Lincoln, 
with about thirty manors, were given up, in the firft year 
of Edward VI. by Holbech, the firfi married bilhop; who, 
in order to gratify the withes of fome courtiers, and to 
raife his own family, exchanged almoft every fpecies of 
landed property annexed to the fee for impropriations; fo 
that now only four manors remain of the ancient demefnes. 
The prefent revenues, therefore, principally arife from 
rectorial property or tythes. 
The cathedral is not only the mod prominent object of 
this city, but is the mod intereding as a fubject of hif- 
tory, antiquity, and art. This magnificent ftru&ure, from 
its fituation on the fummit of a hill, and from the flat date 
of the country to the fouth-ead and fouth-wed, may be 
feen at the didance of twenty miles. Raifed at a vad ex- 
penfe, by the munificence of feveral prelates, it difcovers, 
in many parts, Angular (kill and beauty, particularly in 
its weftern front, which mud attract the attention of every 
traveller. It confids of a nave, with its aides; a tranfept 
at the weft end; and two other trahfepts, one near the 
centre, and the other towards the eaftern end ; alfo, a 
choir ;Ind chancel, with their aides, of correfponding 
height and width with the nave and aides. The great 
tranfept has a nave towards the ealt; attached to the welt- 
ern fide of this tranfept is a gallilee, or grand porch ; and 
on the fouthern fide of the eaftern aifle are two orato¬ 
ries, or private chapels ; while the northern fide has one 
of nearly fimilar ftiape and character. Branching from 
the northern fide are the cloifters, which communicate 
with the chapter-houfe. The church is ornamented with 
three towers; one at the centre, and two at the weftern 
end; thefe are lofty, and are decorated with varied trace¬ 
ry, pillars, pilafters, windows, See. That nothing might 
be wanting to render this church as fplendid in its furni¬ 
ture as it was elegant in its workmanlhip, it received the 
molt lavilh donations. So fumptuoufly was it fupplied 
with rich ftirines, jewels, &c. that, Dngdale informs us, 
Henry VIII. took away 2621 ounces of gold, and 4285 
ounces of filver, befides precious ftones of great value. 
This cathedral had formerly a great number of coftly fe- 
pulchres and monumental records; of marly; not a veftige' 
remains; nor are the places known where they flood. At 
the reformation, what the ravages of time had left, the 
.zealots pulled down or defaced ; fo that, at the ciofe of 
the year 1548, there was fcarcely a perfect tomb remain¬ 
ing. Among the illuftrious perlons who were buried here, 
and had monuments erected to their memory, were Ca¬ 
tharine Swinford, wife of John of Gaunt, duke of Lan- 
cafter; Joan, countefs of Weftmoreland, their daughter; 
and Bartholomew lord Burgherfh, brother to the bifhop 
of that name. Many of the bifhops were interred here. 
It has been lately difeovered, by the commifiioners of 
public records, that the moft correft and authentic raa- 
mifcript of Magna Charta is that now in the archives of 
Lincoln cathedral, which is fupp'ofed to be the charter 
tranfmitted by the hands of Hugh, the then bifiiop of Lin¬ 
coln, who is one of the bifhops named in the introductory 
claufe. The parchment on which it is written ineafufes 
about eighteen inches fquare, but has so isaL 
Yol- XII. No. 867. 
On the north fide of, and esnnefted with, the cathedral, 
are the cloifters, of which only three fides remain in the 
original ftate. Attached to the eaftern fide is the chapter- 
houfe, a lofty elegant ftruflure : it forms a decagon, the 
groined roof of which is fupported by an umbilical pillar, 
confifting of a circularfhaft, with ten fmall fluted columns 
attached to it; having a band in the centre, with foliated 
capitals: one of the ten fides forms the entrance; in the 
other fides are nine windows, having pointed arches with 
two lights each. Over the north fide of the cloifters is 
the library, which contains a large collection of books, 
and fome curious fpecimens of Roman antiquities: it was 
built by dean Honeyvvood. 
Befides monafteries, nunneries, and other edifices for pi¬ 
ous ufes, Lincoln had formerly more than fifty churches. 
Eleven only, exclufive of the cathedral, now remain; and 
fearedy any of them merit a particular defeription. Thofe 
moft worthy of notice, are St. Bennet’s, St. Mary de Wig- 
ford’s, and St. Peter’s at Gowts; thefe have lofty fquare 
towers in the Norman ftyle. St. Peter’s is a very ancient 
ftrufture, and appears to have been the chapel of fome 
religious noufe, of which the remains are not extant. The 
places of worfhip for the different denominations of dif- 
fenters, are, one for Roman-catholics, one for independent 
baptifts, one for prefbyterians, and one for method ills. 
The number of parifhes within the city is twelve, which, 
with the four townfhips within its jurifdiflion, make 
fixteen. Thefe, according to the government-furvey in 
the year 1810, were inhabited by 8600 perlons. Many of 
the lioufes are old ; but there are fome very good build¬ 
ings, both upon and below the hill. The city has of 
late been confiderably improved, by making a new road, 
paving the footways, and ereCIing a new market-place. 
Lincoln has an extenfive trade in corn and wooj, of 
which great quantities are exported into Yorkf’nire, by vef- 
fels which obtain a back-freightage of coals and other ne- 
ceffary articles for the ufe of the interior. This city is s- 
county of itfelf, having fubjeifl to it four townfhips in the 
vicinity; Bracebridge, Canwick, Branfton, and Wad- 
dington, called the Liberty of Lincoln. This privilege 
was conferred in the third year of George I. and in offi¬ 
cial afts it is denominated, The City and County of the 
City ofLincoln. Its vifeountial jurifdiftion extends twenty 
miles round; a privilege unequalled by that of any city 
in the kingdom. In the 26th year of Edward I. anno 
1298, Willielmus Dilney and Johannes Marmion were 
fummoned to parliament as its firft reprefentatives. Irr 
the Hiftory of the Boroughs of Great Britain, it is faid, 
“This city had fummons, with London and York, to fend 
members to parliament, the forty-ninth of Henry III.” 
The right of election is confidered to be iri the freemen ; 
and the number of voters is about eleven hundred. The 
political influence, though by no means abfolute, is pof- 
iefied by lord Delaval, who has a feat at Doddington, in 
the neighbourhood. The civil government of Lincoln is 
vefted in a corporation, confifting of a mayor, twelve al¬ 
dermen, two fherifts, twenty-eight common-councilmen, 
and four chamberlains; with a recorder, deputy-recorder, 
fievvard of the courts of borough-mote, a town-clerk, four 
coroners, four ferjeants of the key, or bailiffs, and other 
inferior officers. The city was incorporated fo early as 
the feventh year of Edward II. Henry Belt being then the' 
firft mayor. 
Leland, in his defeription of Lincoln, enumerates five 
“gates in the waulles of the citie ;” and obferves, “ It is 
eafy to be perceived, that the towneof Lincoln hath been 
notably builded at three tymes.” Of the caftle, built by 
the Conqueror, little now remains; and the area is occu¬ 
pied by buildings appropriated to ufes of the municipal 
power. The walls are above feven feet in thicknefs. In 
a corner of the area is a curious fmall building, appearing 
on the outlide like a tower, called Cob’s hall; which Mr. 
King thinks was originally ufed as a chapel. Few places 
in the kingdom exhibit fo many ancient remains as Lin¬ 
coln s Saxon, Norman, and pointed, arches; and doors 
9 A ways 
