| Abstract: |
A collection of papers arising from a conference held in 1990. In `Approaches to the study of Lincoln and Lindsey before the Vikings' (1--5) Alan Vince introduces the questions and evidence tackled in ensuing papers. Simon Esmonde Cleary's `Late Roman towns in Britain and their fate' (6--13) considers the functions of the towns and asks what happened to them when the Roman system broke down. Michael J Jones then looks at `The latter days of Roman Lincoln' (14--28), considering the historical background and physical remains of private and commercial life in the town, which seems to have been occupied after AD~450 by a possibly political, small and powerful group. Kevin Leahy picks up the thread in `The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Lindsey' (29--44), the main evidence for which comes from the forty-three known pagan cemeteries. Appendix A lists `Early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in Lindsey and the surrounding area' and Appendix B is a `Handlist of late Roman “early Germanic” metalwork in Lincolnshire'. The fifteen `Late Celtic hanging-bowls in Lincolnshire and South Humberside' are fully described and illustrated by Rupert Bruce-Mitford (45--70). Kate Steane & Alan Vince then examine `Post-Roman Lincoln: archaeological evidence for activity in Lincoln from the 5th to the 9th centuries' (71--9), to elucidate the extent to which the period's structures -- buildings, defences, gates, highways -- influenced subsequent physical and functional use of the site. `Coin finds and coin circulation in Lindsey, c 600--900' is Mark Blackburn's subject (80--90), with finds listed in an appendix. Paul Everson's discussion of `Pre-Viking settlement in Lindsey' (91--100) concentrates on the earlier, largely pre-Christian, part of the period. David Stocker follows with `The early church in Lincolnshire: a study of the sites and their significance' (101--22). He examines individual sites and looks at models of early ecclesiastical provision, concluding that the region was dominated by a group of enclosed and regulated monasteries. In `The episcopal churches of Lindsey in the early 9th century' Richard Gem (123--7) suggests that the bishops of Lindsey ruled over two churches and examines the possible origins of these. Sarah Foot looks at historical references to `The kingdom of Lindsey' (128--40) and Barbara Yorke (141--50) draws together the evidence for the existence of Lindsey as an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the concluding paper, `Lindsey: the lost kingdom found?'. |
