A pictorial investigation of St Mary-le-Wigford church (Lincoln) from the Roman era to the Present day.

Mike Garrett & Jackie Kirk

The Ancient Stones

of St Mary-le-Wigford

Introduction

St Mary-le-Wigford church is the oldest parish church in the City of Lincoln. Evidence for the earliest Christian activity on the site is represented by a re-used Romano-British tomb stone, which is (with an additional Anglo-Saxon inscription upon it) incorporated into the west face of the church’s tower, serving as a Dedication stone. Other re-used tomb fragments from the late Anglo-Saxon period (also incorporated into the church’s structure) attest to the site’s on-going role as a place of Christian worship. The church is currently (early 21st century) recognised and symbolised by its distinctive 11th century Saxo-Norman (Romanesque) tower. It also retains its 13th century (“Early English”) Nave, North Aisle and Chapel, a 19th century South Aisle and Vestry, and a Church Hall that was added in 1975. The church has strong Civic connections with the City of Lincoln, with many associated ceremonies and services taking place, throughout each year. Several 19th century Mayors, Justices of the Peace, and other notable members of Lincoln society, are commemorated on the church’s memorial stones. Text and Editing: Mike Garrett BA (Hons.) Photographs: Jackie Kirk Right: The 13th century effigy of St Mary, on the exterior wall of the North Aisle. It was defaced by the Puritans during the 17 th century and has subsequently suffered from further weathering. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Third Edition, April 2014.

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Welcome to

St Mary-le-Wigford church The oldest parish church in Lincoln

St Mary-le-Wigford church, St. Mary’s Street, Lincoln, LN5 7EQ. Tel: 01522 529364

Priest-in-Charge: Rev. Jeremy Cullimore email: jscullimore@btinternet.com

Church Warden: Jackie Kirk email: 8721kirk@armymail.mod.uk

Parish Archivist: Mike Garrett

email: lincolnhistory@hotmail.com

We hope you enjoy your visit!

Drawings of the Church

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Above: Samuel Grimm’s 1784 drawing of the church. Photo © The British Library

Above: A view of the church taken from the Buck brothers’ Lincolnshire sketch book

1723, MS Gough / Lincs. 15 f.52r. Photo © Oxford Bodleian Library

Plan of St Mary-le-Wigford church

The church in the 10th century possibly consisted of a timber-framed Nave and Chancel, which were then replaced in stone. In the late 11th century, the present Tower was added. In the late 13th century, the old stone Nave had a North Aisle added, and at about the same time, the Chancel was modified and extended, and finally, the Chapel was also added.

In the early 19th century, the North Aisle’s western extent was shortened, and then (late 19th century) the Nave’s southern wall was removed – and the present Vestry, South Aisle and South Arcade were added Due to the Chapel being raised to the same height as the North Aisle, an arch was also added (between the North Aisle and Chapel) at the same time as the Vestry and the South Aisle.

Above: The western end of the North Aisle. Note the apparent in-filled Lancet window and doorway. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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Window inserted in 1872 (and replaced a previous

two-light window)

N

The Historical features of the Tower

Parapet and Gargoyles added in the 13th century Belfry height increased in the 13th century 11th century Saxo-Norman double-headed opening (with central shaft) String course 19th century tie-rod plate 19th century clock 19th century tie-rod plate 11th century window (restored) Side-alternating quoins (cornerstones) Medieval window removed in the 19th century

Position of former 18th century clock Medieval window replaced in the 19th century (by a window with a similar appearance)

The present door hoodmould is a 19th century replacement, for a 13th century original

Door “imposts” have early Norman (11th century) chequer-board decoration

Dedication Stone

Blocked doorway, due to 1974 re-ordering The tower is constructed from re-cut Romano-British stones (saxa quadrata)

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The church’s Tower is “butted” (added on) to the western end of what was, a pre-existing Nave.

The Dedication Stone

A Roman memorial stone, has been re-used as the church Dedication Stone, and is incorporated into the west face of the Tower. The lower original (Latin) inscription on the stone reads: “Dis Manibus / nomini Sacri / Brusci fili(i) civis / Senoni et Carsso / unae coniugis / eius et Quinti f(ilii)”. It is translated as follows: “To the departed spirits and to the name of Sacer. Son of Bruscus, a citizen of the Senones and of Carssouna, his wife and of Quintus, his son…” Reading upwards, from the base of the triangular (gabled) top of the stone, the later-added (Old English) inscription reads: “Eirtig me let wircean / and fios godian / Criste to / lofe and sancta / Marie XP”. Above: The Dedication Stone, on the west face of the Tower. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

It is translated as follows: “Eirtig had me built and endowed to the glory of Christ and St. Mary, XP”. Eirtig appears to be an Anglo-Scandinavian name, and the fact that the name and inscription are written in Old English, not Latin (as in the Norman practice), indicates, together with the architecture of the tower, that the inscription was written in the 11th century. Further evidence of 11th century Anglo-Scandinavian Christian benefactors in Lincoln, can be found in the Domesday Book (1086) which mentions Coleswegen: “outside the city he has 36 houses and 2 churches to which nothing belongs, which he built on the waste land that the king gave him and that never before was built on”. The name Coleswegen, sometimes appears as Colswein or Kolsvein. There is however, no mention of Eirtig, in either the Domesday Book, or in any other contemporary written record. In 1875, at a lecture in Grantham, Professor Freeman put forward the view that the two churches mentioned “outside the city” were the Wigford suburb churches of St. Mary-le-Wigford and St. Peter-at-Gowts. However, the name Coleswegen is not commemorated on either church; there is only the name Eirtig, on the church of St. Mary-le-Wigford. Conversely, the 19th century Lincoln antiquarian John Ross noted that at St. Mary’s Abbey, York, records show that Picot, the son of Coleswegen, gave to St. Mary’s abbey, a church on the east side of Lincoln (in the Butwerk suburb – which now equates to the western Monks Road area). If Picot’s church was founded in the eastern Butwerk suburb of Lincoln, he was thus donating a church he had inherited from his father at that location. The issue remains unresolved but one could argue that the weight of probability is that Eirtig and Coleswegen were both wealthy local church benefactors within the 11th century Anglo-Scandinavian Christian community of Lincoln, but benefactors of churches at different locations.

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The Nave

There was possibly a timber Nave and Chancel in the late 10th century, which were then, replaced in stone. The visible evidence for 10th century Christian activity on the site today is represented by the presence of three late 10th / early 11th century tomb cover fragments. The largest fragment may be found at ground level, inside, re-set in the south jamb of the Tower Arch; the other two (smaller) fragments may be seen outside, re-set above the South Aisle door. In the late 13th century, the Nave’s northern wall was removed in order to add a North Aisle, and at about the same time, the Chancel was also modified and extended, and finally, a Chapel was also added. All of these added structures (and the resulting North Arcade, between the Nave and North Aisle) incorporate distinctive late 13th century stiff-leaf-decoration. A South Aisle, Vestry and South Arcade were added; 1872 – 1877. Below: The Nave’s 19th century “South Arcade”. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Above: A large fragment of a re-used “mid-Kesteven type” interlaced tomb cover (late 10th / early 11th century) which has been subsequently incorporated into the south jamb of the 11th century Tower Arch, and can be viewed from within the Nave. A smaller interlace fragment (possibly from the same grave cover) may also be seen outside, above the South Aisle door. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Below: The Nave’s 13th century “North Arcade”. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The Chancel The present Chancel was constructed in the 13th century and then underwent modifications in the 19th century when a Vestry (and upper Organ Loft) was constructed on its southern side. The wrought iron railings, and the wrought iron Chancel screen, were also added in the 19th century. The 13th century Chancel may have replaced an earlier stone Norman Chancel but the only present evidence for this, is represented by a re-set Norman scalloped “volute” capital (from a window bay) that can be seen in the South Aisle’s wall (See page 10). Left: The eastern exterior of the 13th century Chancel, showing the two Lancet windows and the pointed quatrefoil in the gable above. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: The eastern interior of the Chancel, showing the 13th century three-bay window arcade, the later-added stained glass by Clayton and Bell (1877), the Corporation’s 1720 sixteen-light brass chandelier and the 19th century alabaster figure of our Lord, the Good Shepherd. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The North Aisle and Lady Chapel

The North Aisle, modified Chancel and Chapel were added in the late 13th century. It is probable (considering the style of its buttresses, and other practicalities) that the Chapel was completed last, perhaps at the turn of the 13th / 14th century. On the exterior northern wall of the North Aisle, east of the 1975 porch, can be found the 13th century effigy of St Mary (though it may be, a re-set earlier sculpture). It was defaced by the Puritans during the 17th century and has suffered from weathering, ever since (See page 1). Top Left: Padley’s street map of Lincoln (showing St Mary-le-Wigford church), 1842. Left: The present main entrance of the church (North Aisle), which includes an award-winning 1975 wooden porch, in front of the 13th century doorway. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: Grimm’s drawing of 1784, showing the North Aisle. Note that the aisle’s western end was flush with the western face of the tower at this time. The North Aisle’s length was shortened (black arrow) and its new western end was approximately aligned with the western end of the Nave (sometime between 1784 and 1842). Also see page 3.

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Right: The arch window in the North Aisle wall, and the masonry patching (dashed line) immediately to its west that is possibly equating to part of the removed buttress depicted in Grimm’s 1784 drawing. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: Grimm’s drawing of 1784, showing the crenelated roof of the Chapel, the arched Baptistry window and eastern buttress of the North Aisle.

Below: The north wall of the Chapel. Note the six courses of masonry immediately below roof gutter. These six courses, along with the chimney stack, the boiler room beneath the Chapel and extended roof, were added during the restorations of 1872. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The Vestry

In 1870, Revd Tyson Harvey and Mrs Harvey had raised sufficient funds from donations to commence extensive restorations, beginning with the construction of the present Vestry in 1872, and then continuing with the construction work in order to complete a South Aisle by 1877, under the direction of R.C. Clarke of Nottingham. The Vestry was built (butted) against the south wall of the Chancel.

Above: A re-set Norman scalloped “volute” capital, possibly from the church’s earlier Chancel, in the southern wall of the 1877 South Aisle. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Left: The southern side of the 1872 Vestry and 1877 South Aisle. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: Incorporated within the southern Vestry wall, a stone slab fragment, on which is incised a part-depiction of two monk figures. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Left: A re-set arched doorway (possibly from nearby St Mark’s or St Benedict’s) in the southern wall of the 1872 Vestry. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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Above: A re-set medieval tomb cover (13th century) in the eastern wall of the 1872 Vestry. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Above: The eastern side of the 1872 Vestry. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Below Left: A medieval window re-set in the southern wall of the 1872 Vestry. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: Part of Buck’s drawing 0f 1723, showing doors and windows that were later re-used in the 19th century Vestry and South Aisle.

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Right: An artwork-inscribed stone slab, re-set in the north-east corner of the Vestry. The incomplete picture might represent the Virgin Mary, but there is no apparent depiction of Christ with her, and behind her head (rather than a halo) is what may possibly be a tasselled pillow, similar to that on the 16th century Lacock Stone (See page 15). It might be conjectured, though not confirmed, that the 16th century Lacock Stone, this figure and the incised part-depiction of two monks (re-set on the southern exterior of the Vestry) are contemporary with each other; all being brought from St Mark’s, in 1540. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

The southern Vestry wall (above the string course, at the eastern end) incorporates the stone slab fragment, on which is incised a part-depiction of two monk figures. On the eastern side of the Vestry, a Maltese cross is carved into the east-facing corner buttress and another medieval tomb cover is incorporated into the wall masonry above the string course (and these both appear to be of 13th century date). The interior eastern and southern Vestry walls have mid-19th century (pre-1872) memorial stones re-set within them; and these were presumably on the southern interior Nave wall, before the Vestry and South Aisle were added. On the upper southern and western interior Vestry walls may be seen the Medieval Latin-inscribed fragments from three or four separate tomb covers (dating from the 13th century or a little later). It is perhaps likely (though not confirmable) that these represent the edges of tomb covers that were inadvertently struck, when the foundation trenches for the 1872 Vestry walls (or the 1877 South Aisle walls) were initially excavated. Right: One of the medieval tomb fragments, re-set in the Vestry walls. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The South Aisle

The South Aisle’s construction was completed in 1877, incorporating two re-used window bays within its southern wall, a single re-used window bay within its east end, and a single re-used bay within its west end. All four of these Tracery windows are depicted on Buck’s 1723 drawing, in the southern 13th century Nave wall. The South Aisle’s southern wall (western end) incorporates a re-set 13th century door; with a roll moulded arch, dog tooth decoration, shafts and stiff-leaf capitals. There are no memorial stones or plaques, on the interior walls of the present South Aisle. They were taken down, and placed on the interior eastern and southern Vestry walls, in 1872. As part of the 1975 re-ordering of the church, two single-storey flat-roofed utility rooms, referred to as “pods” (presently, a store room and a meeting room) were constructed within the South Aisle. On the outer wall of the meeting room, is a medieval grave cover that was originally from St Mark’s. (See page 23).

Above: The west face of the South Aisle, which also incorporates re-used medieval (13th – 15th century) tomb cover fragments. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Left: Close-up photographs of the re-used medieval tomb cover fragments in the west face of the South Aisle. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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Above: A re-used medieval stone fragment. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Left: The southern wall of the South Aisle, showing the re-set 13th century south door and (by the use of arrows) the location of several re-used stone fragments. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Above: One of two fragments, of a re-used “mid-Kesteven type” tomb cover (late 10th / early 11th century). This fragment originally formed part of the cover’s side panel. The other larger fragment (thought to be from the same cover) is located within the church, in the southern jamb of the tower’s interior Tower Arch. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Left: A re-used fragment from the upper portion of an upright rectangular grave marker (late 10th / early 11th century). This is an example of the “Lindsey group” of markers found within the Lincoln city centre and Lindsey. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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Above: In order to clearly show the Lacock Stone details, two different (over-lapped) edited versions of the same photograph have been used. Original photograph © Jackie Kirk.

The Lacock Stone

Located in the north-west corner of the North Aisle, the Lacock memorial stone was originally in St Mark’s church. Leonard Lacock (who signed his name “Lococke”) was the churchwarden of St Mark’s church several times, between 1574 and 1593. He was Sheriff of the City of Lincoln in 1572. The Latin inscription reads: “hic jacet corpus leonardi, lacock generosi qui in, ivveculi aeta te servus erat, illustrissimi nuper regis, henrici octavi provectiorem, vero aetatem lincolniae tran, segit vbi margaretam filiam, teomae ienison de marneham, in comitat nott generosi duxit, uxcrem per qvam habvit duo, filios georgium et gregorium, toti denq filias elizabetham, et dorotheum ibiq aeta te sua 81, in manus domini iesu, salvatoris eius emisit, tum die 21 iumii ao ini 1594”.

This translates as: “Here lies the body of Leonard Lacock, Gentleman, who in his youth was a servant of the late, most noble King Henry VIII. In his later years, he lived in Lincoln where he married the Margaret, daughter of Thomas Jenison, Gentleman, of Marnham, in the county of Nottingham. By her he had two sons, George and Gregory, and also two daughters, Elizabeth and Dorothy. And there he finally rested in the hands of the Lord Jesus his Saviour and died aged 81...on 21st June 1594 A.D”. Although the Lacock Stone is currently held in a vertical position against the wall, it was originally designed to lie horizontally, as there are four carved cat faces on the end of the stone (albeit one is now apparently replaced by a different architectural fragment, two are defaced and the fourth cat face remains intact). A mirror on the floor of the aisle helps the viewer to see the intact cat face.

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The Grantham Tomb

Located in the North Aisle of St Mary-le-Wigford Church, the early 17th century alabaster Grantham Tomb, with crests on its side and supine (sleeping) figures on its top, is dedicated to the memory of Sir Thomas and Lady Grantham. Generations of the Grantham family have given service to both the Church and the City; Brauncegate (located nearby in Lincoln’s City Centre) was renamed Grantham Street in their honour. Sir Thomas Grantham was the son of Vincent Grantham (of Goltho and St Katherines, Lincolnshire). He was High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1600 and was knighted at Belvoir Castle on the 23rd April 1603. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Lincoln in 1604 and 1614 (and for Lincolnshire in 1621). He was again elected as Member of Parliament for Lincoln in 1625, 1626 and 1628. He was also known to take action against Catholic Recusants (those who refused to attend Anglican services). He first married Frances, the daughter of (Lord Keeper) John Puckering. They had four sons and three daughters. Sir Thomas died at Goltho (Lincolnshire) in 1630, and his tomb was placed in St Martin-at-Dernstall church (Lincoln).

In 1644, during a Parliamentarian attack on the City of Lincoln, both the church and the tomb inside it were severely damaged. In 1807, Wilson’s visit to the church revealed that the canopy of Sir Thomas and Lady Grantham had fallen and broken the faces of the statues. The tomb had been hit by part of the falling church masonry. It was then moved into the Tower, which remained standing. In 1889 Mr Justice Grantham removed it, on the basis of an unfounded claim of relationship - and without a church Faculty document (giving him permission). Around the same time, he also removed the 1657 armorial glass panel of Sir Thomas’s son (also called Thomas Grantham), from Goltho church, and took both the glass panel and the tomb to Barcombe (Sussex). It was Canon Harding who later recovered the tomb (but not the glass) from Barcombe and had it placed in the Lincoln church of St.Benedict’s. It was later offered to Lincoln Cathedral, where it remained in their workshop to be restored. The tomb was finally moved again to the church of “St Mary-le-Wigford with St Mark”. Below: The Grantham Tomb in the North Aisle. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The Conduit

On the very western edge of the St Mary-le-Wigford churchyard (almost immediately north of Lincoln’s High Street level crossing) stands a unique architectural structure known as St Mary’s Conduit, from which the people of Lincoln have been able to collect drinking water from 1540 to 1906. This very ornately-decorated Conduit was constructed from architectural fragments taken from the Whitefriars (Carmelite) Friary which was located a little further down the High Street, on the western side, on the site now occupied by the former St Mark’s Station (Argos superstore), Station Street and St Mark’s Square. The Whitefriars Friary was dissolved in 1538 and some of the stone taken from it to construct the Conduit (circa 1540), has been identified as coming from the 15th century De Kyme family chapel (who had earlier connections with St Mary-le-Wigford) which was located on the Whitefriars site.

In the 16th century, the travelling antiquarian John Leland wrote: “There lay in a chapelle at the White Freres a rich merchant called Ranulphus de Kyme, whos image was thens taken and set at the south ende of the new castelle of the conducte of water in Wikerford”. The two de Kyme tomb covers were placed on the stone boundary wall, immediately south of the Conduit (and where depicted in that position, in Grimm’s Conduit drawing of 1784 and Louse Raynor’s painting of 1863). At some point, most likely 1872 - 1877, the tomb covers were brought into the church and the wall they had laid upon was dismantled, possibly to provide building-stone for the South Aisle.

Below: Grimm’s 1784 Conduit drawing

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The extremely-worn tomb cover (“image”) of Raneulphe de Kyme may be found on the floor, in the western end of the North Aisle. He is depicted wearing a kirtle (long robe) and also appears to have a sword in a scabbard. The masonry fragments, next to his tomb cover, also came from the De Kyme Chantry. The tomb cover of “Lady de Kyme” is now in the funerary recess of the Chapel, and she is depicted with a wimple, dress and prayer book. The Conduit is not now in the position it occupied circa 1540. The last known depiction of the Conduit in its first position is perhaps represented by Louise Rayner’s painting of 1863. A report by Lincoln Corporation in 1836, stated that the Conduit still had its original pipes, made of lead but in a poor condition. A decision was taken in 1864, to move the Conduit slightly further away (eastwards) from the High Street, to the position where it now stands (20 metres northwest of St Mary-le-Wigford church). The Conduit then continued in its role as an active Conduit, between 1864 and 1906. This and other Lincoln conduits (no longer extant) were more trusted as a water supply by the local populace than the mains water, during the typhoid outbreak of 1904-1905.

Above: The tomb cover of Raneulphe de Kyme, photographed in the western end of the North Aisle. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Below: The tomb cover of “Lady de Kyme” photographed in the funerary recess of the Chapel. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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English Heritage classifies the Conduit as a Grade 2 listed structure (Scheduled Ancient Monument, County Number 22). The Conduit has a 4.4m (14.44ft) frontage (not including the angled buttresses), a 2.2m (7.21ft) width and an approximate maximum height of 6.096m (20ft). Although no form of roof has ever been depicted on early drawings of the Conduit, from the 20th century onwards it has been seen with a gabled asphalt roof covering (supported by a wooden frame). The Conduit has angled corner buttresses, with a chamfered plinth incorporated into the lower part of its four walls; it has a coped parapet and gables with a quatrefoil frieze, and a ball-finial above each gable. The north, south and west sides each have a decorative 4-bay blind arcade. The east side has three corbels and a close-boarded door.

Above: Louise Rayner’s painting of 1863.

Below: The Conduit today. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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The Churchyard

The earliest known depiction of the churchyard was drawn by cartographer John Speed on 19th July 1607. From that original drawing, his Dutch friend, the engraver Jodocus Hondius, then engraved it upon the more-well-known county of Lincolnshire map plate in 1610. The maximum extents of the churchyard seem to have remained constant throughout the centuries; approximately 60.96m (200ft) northwest-southeast by 30.48m (100ft) northeast-southwest. It should also be noted (as shown on James Padley’s 1842 street map) that Wigford Place ran immediately outside the northern and eastern churchyard boundaries, in the early 19th century, with a row of back-to-back properties separating the northern arm of Wigford Place from St. Mary’s Street, immediately to the north. There were other properties immediately east of the churchyard (and Wigford Place); but like Wigford Place and those back-to-back properties to the north of the church, these were cleared-away once the railway station arrived in 1848. The 1784 drawing by Samuel Grimm, and the 1863 painting by Louise Rayner, show that (in the 1784 - 1863 period at least), a wall of stone rubble construction defined the western boundary; the other sides had a simpler wooden fence. By the time of the publication of the 1887 street plan, the northwest corner of the churchyard had also become “rounded” to aesthetically tie-in with the new street-paving immediately outside.

By comparing the 1887 map with images of the church in 1908 and 1932, it can be seen that a low brick wall (with iron railings) defined the churchyard boundary on its western side and north-western corner. On its northern, southern and eastern side, the boundary was defined by a brick wall. In 1975, a major re-ordering of the churchyard (and church) took place. The iron railings of the church boundary had probably already been removed during the Second World War as photographic and drawing evidence, from 1974 and a little earlier, shows just the lower boundary walls on the north and west sides. In 1975, in conjunction with a plan to improve the pedestrian walk ways of the city centre, these low boundary walls were removed (except the lengths immediately flanking the Conduit) and they were replaced by bricks that were laid flush with the surface of the paving slabs. Above: The portion of James Padley’s 1842 street map which depicts St Mary-le-Wigford church (from Lincoln City Council’s Heritage Database). Below: Wigford suburb, on the 1610 Lincolnshire map plate. North is to the left. Original map © The British Library

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Plan of the Churchyard

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Above: St Mary-le-Wigford church in 1908 (Special thanks to the “Society for Lincolnshire

History and Archaeology” for allowing this to be used from their postcard collection)

The 1975 re-ordering also affected the gravestones within the churchyard. Between 1854 and 1855, nine Lincoln parishes (including Saint Mary-le-Wigford) had together formed the Lincoln Burial Board. The board opened the Canwick Road cemetery in 1856 and this in turn resulted in the closure of Saint Mary-le-Wigford churchyard. In 1975, with the churchyard being long-since-inactive as a burial ground, it was decided to remove the (18th and 19th century) gravestones from their original positions and lay them flat, incorporating them into the new pavement scheme on the northern and western sides of the church. The southwest corner of the churchyard (where the Conduit was located) remained as a grassed area. A few gravestones were also laid flat in this grass area; others were placed vertically against the southern brick boundary wall. The major new structural addition in 1975 was the construction of a single-storey brick Church Hall annexe, located in the south-eastern corner of the churchyard. Some stone architectural fragments, brought from the former churches of St Mark’s and St Benedict’s, were used to decorate the outer western wall of the Church Hall, while other fragments were used to construct the Offerings Box on the northern yard boundary. An award-winning arched wooden North Door Porch was also added to the church. This was now the main entrance, as the door in the west face of the tower had become an office window.

Above: The present view across the western part of the churchyard. Photo © Jackie Kirk. Below: Viewed from the southern churchyard, the western wall of the 1975 Church Hall can be seen to be faced with a re-set arch and chevron-patterned (archway) fragments, from St Mark’s church. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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And Finally…

Above: The 1975 Offerings Box on the northern churchyard boundary. The cruciform decorative capital on its top is thought to come from nearby St Benedict’s, as are some of the other visible fragments. The chevron-patterned fragments on the reverse side are definitely from St Mark’s. Below: A now brass-less 16th century memorial (possibly from St Mark’s), in the North Aisle of St Mary-le-Wigford church. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

Above: St Mary-le-Wigford church, in 1908 (Special thanks to the “Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology” for allowing this to be used from their collection) Below: A re-set medieval tomb cover (originally from St Mark’s), now in the South Aisle of St Mary-le-Wigford church. Photo © Jackie Kirk.

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Recommended Further Reading:

Hill, F., Medieval Lincoln, (Paul Watkins, 1990) Steane, K. (Ed.), The Archaeology of Wigford and the Brayford Pool, (Oxbow, 2001) Stocker, D. (Ed.), The City by the Pool, (Oxbow, 2003) Stocker, D. and Everson, P., Summoning St. Michael – Early Romanesque Towers in Lincolnshire, (Oxbow, 2006)