The great city of the East Midlands: the Roman upper city with the castle and Bishop Hugh's cathedral (his new choir rising since 1192), the lower city down to the Witham, a cloth industry of weavers and dyers, and the richest Jewry in England after London's.
Who holds it
- Name
- King John; the citizens of Lincoln
- Title
- King of England (fee farm held by the citizens)
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
The king; the citizens hold at fee farm under Richard's charter of 1194. The castle is in the custody of Gerard de Camville and Nicola de la Haye; the bishop (Hugh of Avalon) and the chapter hold the close and the bishop's fee.
How things stand that morning
Royal city, at peace.
Charter
Henry II's charters (several, 1154-79: the customs of the city and the gild merchant); Richard I (1194: the city at fee farm). John's charter of 1200 is the likely course (Ballard).
Council
The citizens and their reeves, with the gild merchant; a mayor appears in the first decade of the thirteenth century (not pinned for 1200).
Communities
A rich Jewry, home of Aaron of Lincoln (died 1186), the greatest financier of the age, whose debts the crown still collects through a special exchequer; one of the chests of 1194.
Fairs and markets
Markets in the upper and lower city; fairs not pinned.
Militia
The citizens' levy; the city saw the battle of Lincoln in 1141.
Walls and castle
Roman walls and gates (the Newport Arch); the castle and cathedral on the hill.
Trade and crafts
Cloth (the weavers' gild dates from Henry I; Lincoln scarlet), wool, and the river trade by the Witham to Boston and by the Fossdyke to the Trent.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- spring 1200 (date not pinned)John confirms the city's charter.Depends on: John in England and payment Stopped by: the king staying away
- 22 to 24 November 1200William the Lion does homage to John on the hill outside Lincoln; the kings carry Bishop Hugh's bier to the cathedral.Depends on: William's journey; Hugh's death on 16 November Stopped by: a break with Scotland
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Charters from Ballard.
Primary sources for England
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
- Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
- Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online
22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.