At the weekend Lincolnshire Tom forwarded some pictures from one of his FaceBook groups asking if I'd ever heard of a particular earthwork near Laceby in Lincs. The answer was that this was a complete surprise. Especially as I'd passed close by several times on the A18 on my bike as a teenager, and across the fields when out walking a few years before that. My big question is why there; why is there an isolated fort in that specific location. Puzzling. Answers on a postcard (or blog comment) please.
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| Would the roughly rectangular features inside be signs of an old building? A Manor House perhaps. The whole fort measures c200 x 100 yards. |
For a little more context here is a map of the wider area. The built-up place to the top right is the western edge of Grimsby, which would have been a small town of 1-2000 people at the time. The only other relic of the Civil War that I know of (though I don't know for certain that it is) is a ditch and bank around an old farm building in Old Clee, Grimsby, off map to the top right.
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| The earthwork is circled in the bottom left. It looks too far from the junction of the roads, and from memory it hasn't a clear line of site owing to the lie of the land. |
Barton Street (the A18 in this stretch) roughly follows the edge of the dip side of the escarpment formed by the Lincolnshire Wolds. Along this line are several springs which are the sources of several streams, or becks, one of which becomes the River Freshney which flowed into what was then the harbour at Grimsby.
If I'd known about this 5 1/2 years ago I'd have woven it into my narrative Lincolnshire campaign.
A nice find and some more research in the offing I would think? To me it looks like possibly a small fort, rather than a manor house, as there is no road leading to it, or other buildings nearby. Possibly the A18 was an important road then, hence its position?
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise until some 10 years or so ago that there is a small star fort (Earith Bulwark) on the outskirts of Earith, where my Mum was born and close to where I grew up. The only logic for it being there is to control the crossings by the Great Ouse and two drainage channels, as well as one of the approaches to St Ives, where old Cromwell was based for a time.
I might have to walk up there next time I visit the old place.
DeleteInteresting that you should have had a similar discovery years later too.
Chris
Here you go Chris:
Deletehttps://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1007735?section=official-list-entry
And for the Earith Bulwark should you be interested:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013282?section=official-list-entry
That’s fabulous Steve. Thanks.
DeleteSaid Lincolnshire Tom suggested we go on a Civil War tour of Lincs. Sounds a great idea.
Chris
Fascinating,.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Interesting sleuthwork! You really must do some more digging, literally.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Lincolnshire Tom and Steve J.
DeleteI’m too old and comfortable now to start digging in the mud and rain.
Chris
Very interesting, I'm with Steve, just to keep an eye on the road I'd guess , can't remember the local tendencies, thought it might be parliamentarians, it's more Royalist off towards Nottinghamshire?
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
I don’t think that area came down strongly either side of the fence. Grimsby had two MPs (at the same time): Gervase Holles who was a Royalist and Christopher Wray (Parliamentarian). The county of Lincolnshire had 2 MPs (Sir John Wray and Sir Edward Ayscough) both of whom were Parliamentarian supporters.
DeleteChris