Local History

21st October 1939 

The war is only a few weeks old, and already there's been some enemy action over the county. This particular day is recreated in the old operations room at RAF Digby, where it was originally controlled from. The Luftwaffe attacked two convoys which were passing in opposite directions off the Lincolnshire coast, and Spitfires were scrambled to see them off - result RAF 7, Luftwaffe nil. Not really a battle I know (especially as it was Spitfires versus seaplanes), but it symbolises the vital role Lincolnshire played in establishing British air power in the Second World War.

11th October 1643

In the Civil War, Lincolnshire is solidly for the King. Cromwell is besieging a Royalist garrison at Bolingbroke Castle near Horncastle, and a force sets off from Newark to relieve them. They attack Horncastle, which warns Cromwell they're coming, and the two forces meet at Winceby. They're about the same size, mostly cavalry, and the battle only lasts about half an hour. Cromwell is nearly killed when his horse is shot from under him, but in the end the Royalists misunderstand an order and start to retreat. A rout follows, and many of them are massacred in a gulley called Slash Hollow. The rest escape, and from then on Lincolnshire is firmly in the hands of Parliament.

20th May 1217

Bad King John has just died, leaving the Crown to his nine year old son who becomes Henry III - but Louis, the son of the French King reckons he's got a decent claim to the throne, and joins forces with the barons who were King John's enemies (Magna Carta and all that). They besiege a loyal garrison in Lincoln Castle, but are attacked and beaten by a force supporting Henry III. The usual massacres, looting and rape follow, which is why it's known ironically as the Battle of Lincoln Fair. You can visit most of the scenes of the action in a stroll between Newport Arch and the Stonebow.

2nd February 1141

Another Battle of Lincoln, this time part of the civil war between Stephen and Matilda - cousins both fighting for the Crown. Stephen is attacking Matilda supporters in Lincoln Castle, but as we keep seeing, he is himself attacked. He refuses all offers of escape and fought to the bitter end (uncharacteristically, because he was a bit of a wimp). He was captured, by Matilda generously let him stay King as long as he lived - which was only for another year. She had the last laugh though, because her son became Henry II, first of the Plantagenet dynasty - so again the future of England has been decided in Lincolnshire.

Around 500AD

IF you believe King Arthur existed, and IF you believe he wasn't the romantic figure of Camelot (or indeed Spamalot), then the chances are he was around at the time the Romans had left Britain and was trying to stop the Anglo-Saxon invasion. A Welsh historian called Nennius, writing several hundred years later, says he fought twelve battles against them, the first of which was at the mouth of the River Glen. We speculate that this is the Lincolnshire River Glen - though there are other contenders - and we reckon the mouth would then have been somewhere near Surfleet Seas End near Spalding. The final conclusion: your guess is as good as ours.