Building record MLI89088 - St Mary le Wigford church and churchyard, St Mary's Street, Lincoln

Summary

St Mary le Wigford church and churchyard, St Mary's Street, Lincoln

Type and Period (2)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 1000 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Post Medieval - 1000 AD to 1850 AD?)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

PRN 70508 An eleventh century church with later additions and alterations from the medieval period onwards. The west tower is Anglo-Saxon 11th century and has a reset stone with Roman and Anglo-Saxon inscriptions (PRN 70030). For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1} Tall Saxo-Norman tower of two unequal stages. Narrow, over-restored western doorway, the imposts with chequer ornament. To its right a Roman tombstone with a truncated Latin inscription has been set in the wall. Above it, a reset triangular stone with 11th century inscription (PRN 70030). The rest of the church is essentially Early English.{2} The architecture of this church has been extensively discussed. The Anglo-Saxon inscription carved on the re-used Roman tombstone (PRN 70030) reads in translation: "Eirtig had me built and endowed to the glory of Christ and St Mary". Eirtig is not recorded elsewhere, and it is not known who he was or even if this name is the correct reading of the stone. {3}{4}{5} There are also several other fragments of Anglo-Saxon stonework incorporated into the fabric of the church. These include cross fragments and various pieces of grave covers and grave markers. {6} Recently it has been suggested that the church was founded as early as the second half of the 10th century, and that it was founded by a group of the city's mercantile elite rather than a single lord, although this theory requires further testing. The associated parish appears to have been relatively prosperous and the church received wealthy patronage during the medieval period. The graveyard received elite burials during the medieval period and remained in use until the 1850s. {7} The church is first mentioned by name in documentary sources in 1163. {8} Graffiti on the church roof have been noted, the earliest dating to 1622. {9} The west tower of this church is an early example of the late 11th century 'Lincolnshire Tower' type. This type of tower has been discussed extensively, and it has been recently suggested that these towers are related to the introduction of new Norman liturgical practices, specifically those related to burial. {12}

Sources/Archives (12)

  •  Index: Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Dec 1999. Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1941-1/14/174; 269.286.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). pages 497-498.
  •  Article in Serial: Edmund Venables. 1888. 'A list and brief description of the churches of Lincoln previous to the period of the Reformation' in Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers. p 333, no. 11.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: E. Mansel Sympson. 1906. Lincoln: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City. pp 330-32.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: HILL, J.W.F.. 1948. Medieval Lincoln. pp 135-39, figs 10, 11.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Paul Everson and David Stocker. 1999. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture. Lincolnshire. pp 211-17.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Jones, Michael, J; Stocker, D.; and Vince, A.. 2003. The City by the Pool including LARA. RAZ 9.60.26, 10.60.26, 11.91.6.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1984. The Place-Names of Lincolnshire, Part 1. 1. p 128.
  •  Correspondence: St Mary Le Wigford Church Parish File. LINCOLN. -.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. OS card index for Lincoln. LINCOLN. SK 97 SE; 17.
  •  Index: SMR file cards for Lincoln. LINCOLN. SK 97 SE; CY.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Paul Everson and David Stocker. 2006. Summoning St Michael: Early Romanesque Towers in Lincolnshire. No 35.

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Location

Grid reference Centred SK 97492 70947 (57m by 41m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish PARK, LINCOLN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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