LINCOLN ARCHAEOLOGY 0 - Archaeology Data Service

CITY OF
LINCOLN ARCHAEOLOGY 0

Liaee'n h're County Council
Anh" :.* 'Section
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A
Report to
Lincoln City Council
June 1995
Prepared by
TTie C7/)> of Lincoln Archaeology Unit
Charlotte House
The Lawn
Union Road
Lincoln
LN1 3BL
Tel: Lincoln (01522) 545326
Fax: Lincoln (01522) 548089
© CLAU
46-47 STEEP HILL, LINCOLN
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING
By L Donel
94/? ~ro\Of
CLAU ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT NO: 177

CONTENTS
Introduction
46-47 STEEP HILL (NORMAN HOUSE)
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING DURING CONSERVATION WORKS
Description and History of Building
Accompanying Data
Previous Archaeological Work
1993-1994 Project
Introduction
Objectives and Methodology
Results
Discussion
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Appendices
1. Context list and matrix
2. The Registered Finds, Bulk Materials and Non-Ceramic
Building Materials, Report on Mortar Samples
3. Extract from Lines History and Archaeology 1992
4. Extract from Lincoln Archaeology 1991-1992
5. Extract from Lincoln Archaeology 1992-1993
6. Archive Deposition Sheet

Figures in Text
Fig.l: Location of Site
Fig.2: Cellar Plan (Lincoln City Council)
Fig.3: Ground Floor Plan (Lincoln City Council
Fig.4 West Facing Elevation (Ploughman Craven)
-2-
Fig.5 South Facing Elevation annotated to show position of steel inserts
(Ploughman Craven)
Fig.6: Ground Floor - after removal of floorboards
Fig.7: Ground Floor - top of vault and slots in east wall
Fig.8: Ground Floor - slots in east wall
Fig.9: Cellar - large stone at foot of west window
Fig. 10: Cellar window
Fig. 11: Cellar - detail of lintel
Fig. 12: Cellar window
Fig.13: Cellar - view of conserved vault
Fig. 14: Ground Floor after conservation works

46-47 STEEP HILL (NORMAN HOUSE)
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING DURING CONSERVATION WORKS
INTRODUCTION
As a condition for conservation works to be carried out, The CLAU was commissioned by Lincoln City
Council to undertake an intermittent watching brief during internal conservation works at nos. 46-47 Steep
Hill (Norman House). After consultation with English Heritage, it was decided that the recording would
take the form of a photographic archive of the work.
The information in this document is presented with the proviso that further data may yet emerge. The Unit,
its Members and employees cannot, therefore, be held responsible for any loss, delay or damage, material
or otherwise, arising out of this report. The document has been prepared in accordance with the Unit's Article
of Association, the Code of Conduct of the Institute of Field Archaeologists and The Management of
Archaeology Projects (English Heritage, 1991)
DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY OF BUILDING
The building lies to the south of the Cathedral on the slope of Steep Hill at the corner of Steep Hill and
Christ's Hospital Terrace. The South Gate of the city lay to the north of the site (Fig. 1).
In order to insure that the vault would be recorded both from above and below, two main areas were designated
for archaeological recording/investigation: the barrel vault and the ground floor (Figs.2 & 3).
The basement is a long narrow trapezoid roofed by a barrel vault. A chamfered string-course at the springing
level of the vault was orginally a continuous feature of both the east and west walls. The only point of
access in the original plan was a doorway at the west end of the south wall. This is shown by the rising of
the string-course to accommodate the door which would have opened inwards. The current south doorway
is relatively modern.
There are three other points of access to the basement: 1) a squarish opening now used as a window but
which may have acted as more than a light source cut into the west wall; 2) a stone stair from the northern
end of the building, and 3) a wooden stair at the extreme north end. The vault has been cut back at the
insertion of the stairs.
Although, originally, the basement belonged to both properties, it had been subdivided into three areas.
Below No.46 was a small section divided from the rest of the vault by a relatively modern brick wall. The
rest of the vault lay below No.47. This section had also been subdivided by a modern brick wall.
The original building probably dates from the late 12th century. Incorrectly ascribed to Aaron the Jew, a
famous Jewish financier in the Medieval period, the building probably was built and owned by Joceus of
York, another Jewish business man who is mentionned in the Hundred Rolls and probably died in the massacre
at York in 1190 (Johnson and Vince 1992, pl6.)
Prior to 1217, the building also appears to have been associated with William of Tillbrook who gave the
X

property to his wife but then had to surrender it to the king in 1217. The property then appears to have been
held by Peter of Legbourne who leased out parts in 1250. By 1281 it appears to have been transferred to
William of Rowston, butafter his death in 1300 the property ownership is not clear. There is no clear
indentification of ownership available from existing records from 1300 up to recent times. (Johnson and
Vince, pl6). Some conservation work was carried out in the 19th century. A replacement window was
incorrectly thought to date from the original building, but the form is much later in date (Fig.4). However,
there is little information as to the nature of the repairs to the building and who commissioned it. At present
the building is owned by Lincoln City Council and leased as business property.
ACCOMPANYING DATA
This document is accompanied by a set of slides of various phases of conservation work
PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK
Although conservation work was undertaken in the 19th century, there does not appear to be any record of
archaeological work having been carried out prior to the 1990's. A full measured survey was made and
ground plans at present floor and string course level were drawn of the basement vault, by Pam Marshall
and Peter Hill in 1991. Cross sections of the vault at five points as well as profiles of the string course and
corbels were drawn (Appendix 4). A report on the building, by Stanley Jones, accompanied the published
survey (Appendix 4). A photographic record was also made of the vault by Pam Marshall and Phil Dixon
and a photogrammetric record was made of the outside of the building by Ploughman Craven Assoc. Ltd..
Following this work the information was used to aid research being carried out by Roland Harris as part of
his doctoral thesis for Oxford University (Appendix 5).
1993-1994 PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
Prior to the presentation of proposals for any remedial works, a site investigation was undertaken, on 18
October 1993, by Maddocks, Lusher and Mathews, Chartered Civil and Structural Engineers.
The top surface of the vault was found to be approximately horizontal. A crack had formed between the
wall and vault at the soffit, measuring 20mm. The soffit of the vault in the vicinity of the doors in the south
wall was more or less flat, thus virtually destroying any arch action within the vault. Approximately 2.7m
from the south wall the vault appeared to have suffered a buckle at the crown, with associated loosening of
the stonework and loss of joint mortar. The condition of the mortar in the joints varied widely from significant
loss to reasonably sound.
It was decided that the remedial works would take the following form:
Cellar.
Follwing the removal of the brick partitions, the partial brick and wooden floors would be removed and
Yorkstone would be laid over the whole of the Cellar area.
The vaulting in the cellar would be repaired and repointed in conjunction with the operations above on the

-3-
ground floor where the vault would be taken down and repaired on the southern end and then the cellar area
would be white washed.
Access would be from the main doors onto Steep Hill and from the internal door at no.46. The access from
no.47 would be closed.
The cellar window which lies on the west side of the building was also repaired by removing the wooden
lintel beams and replacing them with new umber as well as replacing the entire window.
Ground floor.
The floor boards would be raised and the vault would be repaired and lifted using steel inserts that would
run north south through the building. The floor boards were subsequently replaced by new boards.
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
The main objective of the archaeological element of the project was to record, by photography, the conservation
works as they were carried out. Fortunately, the team was also given the opportunity to complete a
drawn record of several of the elements of the conservation work and to take samples of the wood and mortar
removed during those works.The recording programme was coordinated and supervised by Lisa Donel,
and the fleldwork was carried out with the assistance of Janet Hooper, Yvonne Rose and Kevin Wragg. The
final photographs and drawings were produced by Lisa Donel.
Work was carried out following English Heritage guidelines (as provided to the CLAU for the Old Bishop's
Palace project) and guidelines provided by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
(1990).
RESULTS
Ground Floor - Vault
Following the removal, in the front room, of the floorboards (Fig.6) and the accumulated soil and debris
(100) between them and above the vault, a series of slots(106 - 110,116) running along the bottom of the
east wall was revealed (Figs.7 & 8). The slots had a square face but appeared to run west-east back into the
building. The material (117-122) filling these slots was very similar to that of the debris removed from
beneath the floorboards, consisting of newspaper fragments, small bone fragments and nails. There did not
appear to be any reason for these slots on the west side of the wall as the vault did not permit any easy
access to them. It is possible that they represented the back of a feature which lay on the east side of the
wall. Another possibility is that they somehow were part of either a ventilation or heating system for the
building. At the southern end of the wall at the foot of a blocked doorway, lying directly on the vaulting,
were four large stones. They had been laid without mortar and did not appear to have any recognisable
function.
Cellar below no.46
There were three areas of work in this area: the vault, the floor, and the north wall. The vault was assessed
originally for repointing. The second element of work on the vault was the pinning of the north eastern corner
below no.46 where it had been cut away probably at the insertion of steps from the shop above to the
cellar and the rebuilding of part of the stairway. Following this work the vault was limewashed (Fig. 13)
The floor, which had been covered by wooden planks and fragments of old door, was levelled and a new

-4-
Yorkstone floor was laid. The north wall was also repointed and limewashed.
Cellar below 47
Brick and soil flooring was removed revealing a large stone, lying east-west from the window (Fig.7). It is
possible that the stone either pre-dates the building or that it was brought in as replacement for the stairs
which appear to have undergone some work in the 19th century. Sealing the stone and acting as bedding for
the brick floor(lOl) was a dark brown sandy soil(102) which was dated by pot, etc., to the 19th century.
Interestingly, there was a large amount of mortar in this deposit which appeared to have come off of the
western wall and apparently had been incorporated into the infill below the brick wall. The mortar resembled
material sampled prior to the conservation work (Appendix 6). This material conformed to medieval
mortar.The lowest step of the central stairs sealed this deposit of material(102). It is possible that the stairs
are not an early feature but represent modern repair of an earlier feature. No medieval material was found
in situ during the conservation work.
At the south-west comer of the cellar there was evidence of some change and repair to the corner of the
vault. This was mirrored on the ground floor by a change in the pitch of the stone in the vault. It is possible
that a feature such as a stairway was removed and a patch in the vault constructed. Because of the need to
repair this corner a voussoir in the cellar was removed. It was later replaced in the general area but not in
situ as it affected the floor levels and the rebuilding of the the arch at the south end. Following the conservation
work the vault was limewashed (Fig. 13)
Cellar window
Originally the area above the timbers was to be approached from above. This would have meant the
removal and subsequent reconstruction of part of the vault so that a new lintel could be set in place. It was
decided that instead of the above procedure, the wooden beams could be assessed and replaced as necessary
(Figs. 10 & 11)). Six beams were removed and retained for tree ring dating analysis, but proved inadequate
for the process. The beams were planned in situ, numbered and photographed prior to removal.
The second phase was to replace, completely, the window and frame. The window was drawn and photographed
prior to its removal(Fig.l2)
Internal stairs - Cellars '
Stonework to the south and east of the wooden stairs at the north end of the basement was rebuilt, although
a timber strut was retained. The stairs which led upstairs in no.47 were blocked at the ground floor. The
stairs were a later addition to the building as originally there was no access other than the entrance at street
level which led to the ground floor and the entrance at basement level to the south of the building. Part of
the wall in the stairwell had been constructed from brick.
DISCUSSION
The majority of the building appears to have been subjected to conservation works in the 19th century.
There was no evidence in the deposits investigated of any earlier dating. Whether the property was physically
divided at cellar level in the medieval period could not be established from the archaeological evidence
available, as there was no evidence for any earlier division; the brick walls appeared to be relatively
modern and there was no indication of any early partitions either in stone, brick or wood. The ground floor,
in contrast, had been divided much earlier in the building's history (Harris 1993). The fact that early material
was found to be lying below the lower step of the stairway to no.47 and the brick walling along its side,

may mean that either the stairway as known today was repaired in the 19th century or possibly was built
then as well. It was not possible to determine from the limited investigation of this feature.
There is the possiblility that a second cellar may exist to the east of the existing cellar. At present this is
based on a 'hollow noise' emitted from the brick walling of the stairs and the possible filled in area in a
closet direcdy below the stairs that lead from the ground floor to the first floor. This, coupled with a problem
of subsidence in the back hallway and room of the building, have led to the suggestion that there may
have been a second cellar. However, at this time it must remain supposition as a larger area would need to
be examined in order to prove its existence.
\
The other unforeseen, but interesting element of this investigation was the discovery on the ground floor of
the series of slots lying at the base of the east wall to the east of the vault. There are several ideas as to the
reason for the slots: 1) they represent an earlier form of the building prior to the construction of the vault, 2)
they relate to the back of the building rather than the front, 3) they represent a heating system, 4) they represent
a ventilation system. At present there is not enough evidence for any of these hypotheses.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Unit would like to thank Mr. Colin Holland, Lincoln City Council for his help, enthusiasm and assistance
throughout the project. The Unit would also like to thank Mr. D. Espin and Mr. P. Hodgson of E.
Bowman & Sons for providing easy access to the site and help with removing large timbers and Mr. Peter
Hill, Stonework Consultant to the Project for his advice on aspects of the building.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harris, R B 1993 An interpretation of the twelfth century townhouse, Unpublished report for City Lincoln
Archaeol Unit, [LAM BD3594 nh92/20/l ]
Harris, Roland 1993 The Jew's House & The Norman House: Interpretation of the medieval fabric, in
Jones, Michael J (ed) Lincoln Archaeology 1992-1993, Annu Rep City Lincoln Archaeol Unit 5, 24-8, Lincoln,
[LAM BIB 221 ]
Johnson, Christopher & Vince, Alan 1992 The South Bail Gates of Lincoln Lincolnshire Hist Archaeol 27,
12-16, [LAM;agvhome BIB259 ]
Marshall, Pamela & Jones, S 1992 Norman House, in Jones, Michael, J (ed) Lincoln Archaeology
1991-1992, Annu Rep City Lincoln Archaeol Unit 4, 21-5, Lincoln, [LAM BIB372 ]

Fig. 2
J

Fi«J
10
Metres

Ssl
SI .11
ft
Si!
Il
ill
5 i|I.
litis

Fig.10

metres
•••den slats
CITY OF LINCOLN ARCHAEOLOGY UNIT
SITE CODE: XHiss I rLAJF/^-^Y/mfr-^HQH NO?
client: Laaair crrr councn.
OE9CSXFTIOIT:
CELUJl TTOOT s
9CAL& 1'J.O
DKJLVH HT: LCO
SCUSKDM ACCESSION NO: 3i:«3
Fig.12
DATS »/«/»+

APPENDIX 1

NHA93.XLS
APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT LIST - 46-47 STEEP HILL(NHA 93)
CONTEXT NO. AREA DESCRIPTION
100 1 Loose light brown sandy soil
101 2 Brick Floor
102 2 Loose dark brown earth
103 1 Stone pad
104 1 stone vault
105 1 Pitched stone patch in vault
106 1 Squared slot
107 ditto
108 1 ditto
109 ditto
110 1 ditto
111 1 Fireplace
112 1 Possible window
113 1 Floor boards
114 Loose It brown sandy soil
115 1 Loose/medium compact It br snady soil
116 1 Medium compact mid brown sandy soil
117 1 Steps
118 1 Door jamb
119 1 Concrete
120 1 Mortar
121 2 Lintel
122 2 Window
123 21 Lintel packing
124 1 Floor joists - closet
125 1 i Reed packing
126 1 j Boarding - closet
127 1! Metal plating
128 1 Concrete floor
129 2! Stone Window

NHA 93 MATRIX 31.93
REA 1 (GROUND FLOOR) AREA 2 (CELLAR)
LOORBOARDS 113
STONE I'AD 103
LAYER 100 LAYER 114
LOTS 106 107 108 109 110
.S. 13/06/95
STONE FEATURE 112 STEPS 117 DOOR JAMB 118 METAL PLATING 127
FIREPLACE 111
CONCRETE 119
LAYER 120
LAYER 115
CEMENT FLOOR 128
REED PACKING 105
FLOOR JOISTS 124
LAYER 115 BOARDING PG
LOE
BRJCK FLOOR 101
LAYER
102
WINDOW 122
LINTEL PACKING P ^
LINTEL P I

APPENDIX 2

THE REGISTERED FINDS, BULK MATERIALS AND NON-
CERAMIC BUILDING MATERIALS FROM NORMAN HOUSE
(NHA93)
1. Introduction
Approximately three dozen registered finds, a modest quantity of bulk materials, and some wall plaster
were recovered, as listed below (Appendices 1 & 2; see tile for plaster details). Most of the registered finds
are metalwork: largely iron and copper alloy, with a little lead, and these generally are heavily corroded.
There are few items in other materials such as glass, bone or stone although an unusually high proportion of
ceramic objects (at least 10%; see 3, below) was recovered, and some organic materials (wood and leather)
survived. The latter had been preserved by anaerobic conditions beneath the wooden floor of the shop
(100), and the brick floor of the cellar (102).
2. Archive
All finds were recorded using the standard CLAU finds cards or recording forms, and all data entered onto
the computer using the CLAU finds thesaurus. All metalwork was X-rayed at the Lincoln City and County
Museum Conservation Laboratory.
3. Date Range and Type
Most of the material is not closely datable, but is of post-medieval to modern type and almost certainly
belongs to the latter part of that period. Only four pieces are certainly of earlier date; these include a stone
spindlewhorl (100) and a poorly preserved iron key (100) , the latter of medieval type, and probably
dating to the 14th century at the latest. Two architectural fragments are also of medieval date; although
one of these (115) is not closely datable, the other (104) is part of a door jamb with chevron
moulding, and is comparable with a piece from the Bishops' Palace, for which a date range of between
1145 and 1170 has been suggested. The latest find from this context, however, a small brass bell (104)
, suggests it to be of modern date, and the door jamb is therefore a residual piece in this context.
The two largest groups of material came from contexts (100) and (102); that from the former includes a few
costume fittings (lace tag, buttons, etc) together with an iron masonry chisel, a ceramic 'marble', and a
number of bottle corks and clay pipes, the latest of which date to the early 19th century. The latest material
from this context, however, includes a scrap of newspaper which post-dates 1889, together with a modern
(20th-century) plastic button and a wooden pencil!
The finds from context 102 are similar in terms of date range: the latest pieces include much bottle glass
(together with bottle corks) of late 19th- to early 20th-century date, together with other items which almost
certainly reflect the latest use of the premises (paper tag, felt, wallpaper). Ironwork includes one arm from
a pair of scissors and the iron blade of a spade; this group was notable, however, for the presence of items
associated with pastimes among the registered finds (representing approximately 30% of the whole group).
These include three ceramic 'marbles' and another of glass, although this could perhaps be a
bottle stopper, together with two wooden knob-shaped objects which have been tentatively identified as
spinning-tops , and a virtually complete (but damaged) lead alloy whistle . A small quantity of
wall plaster recovered from this context is almost certainly of late medieval or post-medieval date although

-2-
this is too poorly preserved and too little survives for any conclusions to be drawn of the nature of the decoration
that it represents.
The only other context that produced datable finds is (123), within which were found two further ceramic
'marbles' , together with fragments of very late 19th- or early 20th-century bottle glass.
4. Storage
Nc further work is required on any of this material, and little merits retention except perhaps as part of a
folk collection, such as the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

APPENDIX 1 - REGISTERED FINDS
00.1.COPPER,LTAG,WHOLE CF FIBR
00.1 JTBREiACE.CF COPP LTAG
OO.2.COPPER.ROD.TAPER (LTAG?)
003 J-EAD.-.BUN SHAP (BICON) WEIG? WHOLE
00,4iE AD X)ISC,WHOLE
00 J .IRON JCEY MED?; WHOLE
00,6,IRON,CHIS,MOD?: WHOLE
OOJ.IRON.BUTT.+ WHITE META?
00.8.IRON,-,MOD?;PULLEY SHAP
00.9,STONE,SPWH,CYLIND WHOLE
00,10.CERAMIC,ALLE.WHOLE (SURFACE COAT?)
00,1 l.WOOD.-LGE PLUG/DOWEL FACET WHOLE + FIBR AD HER
00.12,COPPER JDIS C.PERF JETO?
02,13,COPPER,VESS,MINI WHOLE
02.14JRON COLL,WHOLE
02,15,IRON.SCIS.MOD;ARM
02.16.IRON.-.STRIP LOZ TERM
02.17,IRON,-.SHEET RIM REINF (VESS? +)
02,18.IRON,TOOLANG POKER SHAPE LOOP TERM WHOLE
02,19,IRON.SPAD,BLADE
0230.LEATHER.-,X5 SHOE? +
02.21 ,BONE,BUTT,W COPP LOOP? CF FIBR
02.21,FIBRE.THRD.CF BONE BUTT
15.22,STONE,MLDG,MED:LST ROLL MLDG
16,23,IRON,-,ROD/BAR
04.24.STONE,MLDG,MED; 12:1145-1170:LST DOOR JAMB
02.25,COPPER,RING, WHOLE
02.26,-,ALLE.CERA? WHOLE
02.27,CERAMIC, ALLE, WHOLE
02.28,GLASS,ALLE.(STOP?) WHOLE
02.29,CERAMIC, ALLE, WHOLE
0230,C0PPER3UTTPMED-M0D: WHOLE
0231,COPPER,-JFERR? WHOLE
0232,WOOD,-.SPTP? + IRON
0233,WOOD,-,SPTP? + IRON
0234XEAD.WHIS.MOD; WHOLE?
04,35,COPPER.BELL.MOD:IRON SUSP + CLAPPER?
02,36.IRON,-,X3 SHEET CASTX1?
23,37,CERAMIC,ALLE, WHOLE
23.37,-,ALLE,CERA? WHOLE
00,39,BONE.WAST,-
02,40,STONE,-,GNEISS? POUN/SMOO?

.APPENDIX 2 - BULK MATERIALS
00ANBN,404,CRUSTACEANX1 MUMMIFIED M0USEX1
OO.BOTT.4 JMED-MOD; 18-L18
OO.COAL.l.DIS
OO.CTPB, 1.MOD:L 18-E19:LOC MARK HURST (REF COLL)
00,CTPS,40,PMED-MOD: 18-I9;DIS (REF COLLX4)
OO.MSTO, l,PMED-MOD:SLA PENC DIS
OO.NAIL.6.BOLTX3 DIS
OO.OGLA,8,PMED-MOD; WIND/FLAT BOTT?
OO.OMIS, 1 ,MOD;FIBR (CARPET/DOORMAT!)
00,0MIS, 1 ,MOD;20;PENCEL DIS
OO.OMIS,l.M0D;L19+:NEWSPAPER REF TO 1889
OO.OMIS,l.MOD;BUTT
00,SHEL.65,0YSTX34 MUSSX20 COCKXIO WHELX1 DIS
OO.OMIS,1,WALNUT SHELL
00,SYNT.2,MOD:PLASTIC BUTT + FIBR (FELT?)
OO.WIND.5PMED-MOD;18
OO.WOOD,3,MOD;CORK X2DIS
02.ANBN.79.MUMMIFIED M0USEX1?
02,CTPS.10,MOD;19:DIS (REF C0LLX1)
023OTT,62,MOD:L19-E20:WINEX58 INKX1
02,WIND.1.MOD;18-19
02,OGLA,2,MOD;M19-L19;INCL TUMB BASE
02,NAIL.4,BOLTX3? + LAMINATED FRAGS
02.COAL.1.5GMS DIS
02.SHEL.6.0YSTX2 MUSSX3 C0CKX1 DtS
02.MST0.2,GYPSX1 QTZX1? DIS
02,OMIS.2,MOD;FIBR CLOT + FELT
02,0MIS, 1 ,MOD;PAPER + TAG + FIBR THRD
02,OMIS J2JVI0D; WALLPAPER
02,0MIS,1,M0D;CERA CASTOR
02,SYNT, 1 ,MOD?;PERF DISC RUBBER?
02,WOOD,16,MOD?;CORK STOPPERS + BUNGS?
15ANBN.11,-
15,SHEL,1,0YSTDIS
16ANBN.2,-
16.SHEL,1,0YSTDIS
22.ANBN.3.SM MAMMAL?
22,WIND,l,MOD;COMPLETE PANE (REFC)
23 ,B0TT,2,M0D;VL 19-E20

NAMAS
ING
I >529
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TESTING LIMITED
RAYNESWAY, DERBY, DE21 7BB. Telephone: (0332) 666161
Fax: (0332) 674138
Client: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit
Charlotte House
The Lawn
Union Road
Lincoln
LN1 3BL
Date: 16th August 1993
Originator: Jenny Mann
Order ref: Letter dated 11-8-93
Our ref: 6428/1/CH
Site: The Norman House
Lincoln
Report No. 10984
Sample: 1 No. sample of medieval mortar supplied by the client and
marked NHA 93 . Approx 350g of sample, mainly 'powder'
with sane very friable pieces.
Requirements: Analyse the sample using methods described in BS 4551:
1980 in order to establish the composition of the mix.
Procedure
& Results: The sample was analysed for the following: Insoluble
residue, soluble silica (Si02), lime (CaO), calcium
carbonate (CaCO^), carbon dioxide (C02) and loss on
ignition.
Interpretation of the results is as follows: The sample
consists essentially of a mixture of lime (CaO) and sand.
The dry mix percentages are:
CaO = 9%
Sand = 91%
ie, approximately 10 : 1 sand/lime mix.
Also at 18 Fir Tree Lane, Groby, Leicester LE6 0FH (0533) 876111
Consultants J. P. Withers, C.Eng., M.I.C.E., Prof. Roger Hawkins, M.Sc., Ph.D., C.Eng., F.I.C.E., F.I.H.T.
Reg. in Cardiff Company No. 1280352 Registered Office: Raynesway, Derby DE21 7BB
STING

If Report No. 10984 Page 2 of 3
N
•
Ccmments: The amount of calcium carbonate found indicates complete
carbonation of the lime by atmospheric C02, this is
consistent with the age of the mortar. Soluble silica
(Si02) is comparatively low and is most probably
contributed by the sand alone.
Detailed analytical results are appended.
\ Construction Materials Testing Limited
Reply Filed
1 8 AUG 1993
Cityof Lincoln Archaeological Unit
August 1993

EM7
Report No. 10984
Detailed Analytical Rpgiifc
Lime (CaO)
Silica (Si02)
Insoluble residue
Loss on ignition
CaCO^
COn
Assumptions:
\
(%)
(%)
(%)
(%)
(%)
(%)
8.33
0.64
80.22
8.70
13.31
5.86
1) The sand contains an insignificant quantity of Cao.
2) £ SSSS^SS^ ^ s a n d
- »

TILE - 46/47 STEEP HILL
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,3840,-,13,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,471013,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,4430,-,13,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,6800,-,13,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR; ROUNDED APEX
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,6150,-,13?,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR; (EARLY?);
15/16THC?
+;UNDER FLOOR,RID,1,4150,-,13,1,COMPLETE; TYPE SERIES; MORTAR; ROUNDED
100,PANT,1,65,-,-,1,MORTAR
100,NIB,1,90,-,2A,7,M/L12-E13
100,BRK,1,15,-,-,B2,-
100,PNR,1,15,-,-, 1, -
100, PNR, 1,10, -, -, 1, MORTAR
100,BRK,1,220,-,-,B2,CORN
102,BRK, 1, 250,-,-,B2,CORN X3
102,PLAS,19,1438,-,-,-,PMED; PAINT
102,STILE,1,40,-,ROOF,SLATE,DIS
104,MORR,1,354,-,-,-,SURF; PAINT; FROM VAULT
115, BRK, 1,2320,-,11,B2,COMPLETE; MORTAR; 230 X 115 X 55MM THK
115,BRK,2,1800,-, 11, B2, NEAR COMPLETE; MORTAR; 210+ X 115 X 55MM THK; SAME BRK
123, PNR, 1,150, -,-, 1,MORTAR
123,PNR,1,100,-,-,1,MORTAR

APPENDIX 3

X
•incolrsshire History and
The Society for Lincolnshire
History and Archaeology
For Lincolnshire and South Humb
i
'j ' i i c v u I G C

Lincolnshire History and Archaeology Vol. 27, 1992
The South Bail Gates
of Lincoln
Christopher Johnson and Alan Vince
Introduction
The aims of this paper are to establish some historical context
for the South Gate of thf* Rail rlpmnlichprl in 1774-anH
thought to have been built in the early thirteenth century; to
consider the topographical development of the area straddling
the line of the south wall of the Roman Colonia and to place
on record tne tenemental history of the various neighbouring
properties.
1) The Roman South Bail Gate
The Roman iegionary fortress at Lincoln was founded in the
middle of the first century, C.AD50. The position of the gates
of the fortress and succeeding colonia have been established
and it is clear that there are fundamental differences between
the East Gate of the colonia, which has two carriageways, and
those to the north and west, which have single carriageways.
The number of carriageways possessed by the South Gate
is uncertain. Richmond and Thompson both suggest that it
had a single carriageway, which- would give the fortress and
j;olonia a symmetry around its east-west axis. The discovery
pf a sketch by Nathan Drake of the South Gate of c. 1740-50
•Fig. 1) has led to the suggestion that in fact the South Gate
had two carriageways. In this case one might suggest that the
South and East Gates were the major points of access to the
walled area, although a consideration of the setting of the
fortress might suggest that if the gates reflected the degree of
traffic the North and South Gates should have been larger
than those to the east and west. 1
A vestige of the Roman gateway, leading to the upper city,
may still be seen in the form of a vertical section set into the
wall between 25 and 26 Steep Hill, on the west side of the hill.
From the available evidence, this must be the western side of
the central (or western) carriageway. For the corresponding
eastern side there is nothing visible above ground, but some
masonry has been recorded in the cellar of 44 Steep Hill,
formerly the Leopard Inn. 2 The front face of the gate is
marked by the abrupt change of alignment in the street
frontage line between nos 44 and 45 (Joy's).
This Roman gateway (or its medieval successor) is mentioned
several times in the Hundred Rolls, usually by the term
porta Ballii, implying that it was regarded as the official
entrance to the Bail. 1 Also implicit in this phrase is the
acknowledgement that the Castle authorities, landlords of the
Bail, regarded it as their property and responsibility. By way
of further corroboration for this point, the hereditary Constables
of the Castle still controlled much of the land directly
under the Roman wall, particularly on the west side: Nicholaa
de la Have granted the site of the later 25 Steep Hill c. 1220-22
to Peter Waisdarus (the woad seller). A late thirteenth century
endorsement on this deed refers to this property as situated
between the gates of the Bail and the city above hill, 'iacsnte
inter portas Ballii et civitatis supra montem'. 4
It may be assumed then that until the early thirteenth
century the Castle controlled access to the upper city. They
also controlled the wall (or its remnants) together with such
of the abutments as were extant; as the wall itself fell victim
to changing circumstances and sundry housebuilders these
pieces of land were disposed of. This happened at the west
side of Steep Hill, and the Roman wall line there is almost
Pen and wash sketch of the South Gate of the Bail, Lincoln, by Nathan Drake c.1740-50. Reproduced by kind permission of the Usher Gallery, Lincoln.

impossible to trace on the surface. On the east side however,
the line of the wall appears to survive for its whole length as
the southern boundary of the Cathedral precinct, the Close.
Although the Close Wall was not formally established until
the close of the thirteenth century, the boundary it was to
follow here was already marked, although, as indicated
below, there is some doubt about whether it actually did so.
As to how long the Roman gateway survived, there is no
firm indication. Certainly parts of it were standing during the
thirteenth century, but by the time of Nathan Drake's depiction
of it in the mid eighteenth century there was little to be
seen. From this work more of it was visible on the east than
on the west, but certain aspects of this drawing are curious.
In the centre of the picture, just behind the remains of the
gateway stands the inn known as the Fiddle and Trumpet,
renamed the Leopard in 1781. This is the house in whose
cellars the real remains are. Drake has added somewhat to the
existing remains with a blocked archway and return wall to the
north which are not known from any other source. Added to
this is ±e further complication that Drake composed this view
in 1730,'- at which date the view of the Harlequin would have
been blotted out by the City Gate. Drake's artistic licence has
made for a thoroughly romantic picture, but one which is a
less than faithful rendition of the original.
Nevertheless, the reconstruction of this gate, in its original
Roman state, as having two carriageways receives support
from the Hundred Rolls. It has long been acknowledged that
the properties on the eastern side of Steep Hill from the
Leopard Inn northwards were purprestures on the original
carriageway. If the evidence of the cellar there is anything to
go by, and it is corroborated by the references to these properties
in the Hundred Roll, the roadway in the early post-
Conquest period was much wider, extending eastwards to the
line of what is known as the Precentor's Wall. There will be
further discussion of this range of buildings in Fascicule IV of
The Survey of Ancient Houses in Lincoln. 6
2) The City Gate
Strictly speaking, this gateway was not intended to be a gate
into the Bail, but quite the reverse, a gate into the City. It was
consequently never called the Bail Gate until the early eighteenth
century, and the earliest references we have all refer to
it as the City Gate. This feature stood a few yards to the south
of the remains of the Roman gateway, sufficient of which was
still standing in the thirteenth century to merit a mention in
the Hundred Roll.
As to the age of the City Gate, the best clue can be found
in the Hundred Rolls where there is a reference to an escheat
having been made of properties 'inter veterem portam Ballii
et novam portam per Mossi Bosse judeum ex parte occid' et
per Wiilelmum de Tilbroc ex parte orient... ' 7 i.e. between
the old gate of the Bail and the new gate, by Mosseus Bosse
the Jew on the west (24-25 Steep Hill) and by William of
Tilbrook on the east (45 Steep Hill). This escheat comes in the
wake of the Barons' Revolt of 1217 and must have been made
before 1220, in which year William was murdered. This
implies that the City Gate had only recently been built,
certainly within the previous thirty to fifty years; the old
gateway was ruinous and a new one would suit a variety of
purposes. The fact that these particular tenements were
escheated lends further weight to the defensive aspect, as does
a later reference in the Hundred Rolls to the Norman House
(47 Steep Hill) which as late as 1266 is described as a detriment
to the defence of the city. 3
Presuming, as we must for lack of contradictory evidence,
that the gate remained unaltered until the early seventeenth
century, we can build up a picture of its layout. Like other
gatehouses in the Bail and Close, the South Gate consisted of
a simple carriageway approximately fifteen feet wide situated
on the west side of the present roadway, surmounted by a
leadened chamber, with rooms and shops on the ground, and
THE SOUTH BAIL GATES OF LINCOLN
chamber floors on each side of it. On the east side these rooms
would have been on pan of the present roadway (Fig. 2). The
beam joints for the upper storey may still be seen embedded
in the stone wall of the present 46 Steep Hill, and stonework
at the division between 46 and 47 is a further pointer to the
exact position and dimensions of the eastern portion of the
gatehouse. A lease of 1618 gives some measurements of the
holding. 9
The Common Council of the City were active landlords,
and we have information on leases and occupiers from the
mid sixteenth century until the demolition of the gate in 1774.
For tenancy purposes the holding was divided into two leaseholds;
the western portion consisted of rooms and shops on
the west side and the leadened chamber over the carriageway,
and the eastern portion comprised the lower and part of the
upper floor on that side. The western leasehold was valued at
5s. per annum, with a quit-rent of six fat chickens or two
shillings, and the eastern tenement at 12d. with a quit-rent of
one fat mallard or one shilling. 10
In 1618 came the first recorded attempt to demolish the
structure. Gregory Lowcock, mercer, obtained a lease of the
western pan as well as permission to demolish and rebuild it.
However, no such work appears to have taken place, but the
'outline planning permission' appeared regularly on subsequent
leases, as in 1717 where this right was reserved to the
Mayor Sheriffs and Commonalty." Obviously the main
drawback of such a feature, the restriction of the carriageway,
was more of an obstruction in peacetime than it had been of
advantage in more unsettled times.
During June 1774 an order was made by the Common
Council for the acquisition of both leases, and the necessary
surrenders were made by the end of August. On 22 September
following, the gate was ordered to be taken down and the
necessary alterations to neighbouring properties were to be
doarai the-dry's i^jomi-By Tty ftdhmm^ Myjhe wcat. was
complete and some land on the western side made over on a
building lease to William Willson. 12
In its latter days a number of small shopkeepers had set up
in the various rooms of the gatehouse. Among them was an
old woman who sold sweets to the scholars at the Bluecoat
(Christ's Hospital) School around the corner. One of these
boys, Robert Bristow, recounted this tale to Edward James
Willson, the architect and antiquary; another of Willson's
aged interviewees recalled a Mr Julian, glover and breeches
maker, who also had a shop there. 13 Other occupiers may be
identified from the various leases and assignments.
The brick built tenement erected by Willson in 1775 survived
until c. 1878 when it was demolished to make way for
Wordsworth Street. This roadway was constructed to link
Steep Hill with Drury Lane and, more importantly, the main
entrance to the newly established Theological College, which
had just taken over a site vacated by the County Hospital.' 4
3) Topographic development around the South Gates
of the Bail
Despite the survival of pans of the Roman gate and the
Norman House there is very little known for certain about the
topography of this area either in the Roman period or later.
The sequence of development and alteration of the south wall
of the Fortress/Colonia/Bail is clearest to the east of the gate
where excavations by Dennis Petch in the grounds of the Old
Bishop's Palace established that the surviving wall is actually
a medieval rebuild, some ten to fifteen metres to the north of
the Roman line. 13 Whether this medieval alignment ran parallel
with the Roman one to the South Bail Gate or whether the
two converged is unknown. Indeed, the assumption that the
more northerly gate is indeed Roman has been questioned by
Jones. 16 To the west of the gate the line of the Roman wall
has been established at Wordsworth Street and Drury Lane
(Fig. 3). 17
13

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON AND ALAN VINCE
1 i
Roman South Gate
„ . . . a = ?Entrance
Parish boundary
b = Carriageway under gate chamber, c. 4.50m wide
Building c = Low rooms on ground floor with chamber over
d = ?Partition between two leaseholds
Fig. 2 Sketch reconstruction plan of the City Gate, Steep Hill. Lincoln.
Line of Roman City Wall
Line of Castle Ditch
Fig. 3 Plan showing the situation of the South Gate of the Bail and the City Gate, Lincoln.
To the south of the Roman wall would have been a ditch,
the northern lip of which was revealed by Petch in trench 2 of
the Old Bishop's Palace excavation. The subsequent history
of this ditch is not known. It is perhaps unlikely to have
survived after the extension of the defences to include the
Lower City in the second or third century, although the wall
itself appears to have been rebuilt at a date subsequent to this
extension. 18 This ditch would probably have had butt ends
vhere Ermine Street entered the upper enclosure but there is
no reason why its remains should not have survived underneath
properties to the north of Wordsworth Street and
hrists Hospital Terrace. Ermine Street itself would have run
irough the South Gate although there is no direct evidence
"tor its width or position. What is thought to have been the
west wall of the Roman sewer first discovered further north
i Bailgate in 1878 was observed by C.L.A.U. in 1986 at the
14
A = Tower of Roman South Gate
B = Position of City Gate
C = Position of west site of central Roman sewer
junction of Wordsworth Street and Steep Hill. 19 This observation
confirms that the Roman road continued due south
from the Roman South Gate.
How much of the Roman topograhy survived through the
Anglo-Saxon period is quite unknown. Elsewhere in the Bail
remarkable survival is attested, such as the complete West
Gate standing to first floor level when buried under the castle
bank in the eleventh century. Excavations on the line of
Ermine Street at Chestnut House, Michaelgate in 1984 established
that a flight of steps had existed there in the Roman
period but was buried under a spread of building debris
containing no finds of post-Roman date. This debris was itself
sealed by a metalled surface upon which were found sherds of
tenth-century pottery. The surface was then covered with
hillwash or make-up deposits and cut by a pit dating to the
late tenth or early eleventh century containing a coin of
-B

Ethelred II (991-97). The evidence from this site hints that
perhaps the Roman road alignment was in use in the tenth
century whereas by the late tenth or eleventh century the medieval
route along the Strait and Steep Hill had superseded it.
To the west of the gate major changes to the topography
took place following the foundation of the castle in 1068. It
is conceivable that the first Norman castle utilised the original
Roman wall for its west and south defences but by the time
that the Lucy tower motte was constructed the south wall of
the castle had been moved north, presumably so that the
Roman wall could act as a retaining wall for the motte. A
stretch of walling identified by Patrick in 1890 as pan of the
south wall of the fortress lies across the line of what had been
Casde Dykes, the c.30 metre wide ditch surrounding the castle.
Whilst it is possible that the wall survived as a stub in the side
of the ditch it is worth noting that a property boundary is
shown on the Duchy of Lancaster survey of the castle (1783)
in the same position as Patrick's wall.- 0 The Roman wail
from Drury Lane to Steep Hill/Bailgate apparently survives
in places incorporated into properties fronting on to Wordsworth
Street and it may be this stretch of wall which Aaron
the Jew was accused of encroaching upon in the Hundred
Rolls (see below), since it has been established that .Aaron held
the block of land immediately to the north of this wall. It
seems unlikely that the Roman ditch was ever recut along this
stretch of wall and there is both documentary and architectural
evidence to show that the site of the ditch was distributed
amongst several landholders by the late twelfth century.
This documentary evidence reveals that whereas the line of
the wall had lost its importance to the west of the gate, being
merely one property boundary amongst others, on the east its
importance continued. Properties to the north of what later
became Christ's Hospital Terrace are said to be in the churchyard
of St. Michael and use the King's wall as their northern
boundary. Further east the bishop had to obtain the kings
permission to breach the wall which separated the cathedral
from his new palace even though it is now known through
Petch's excavations that this wall was a medieval rebuild and
did not lie directly over the original, Roman wall.
As we have already noted, the properties on the east side of
Bailgate from the South Gate northwards were purprestures
on the original carriageway. Consideration of the topography
shows that this must also have been the case with those
properties running south from the South Gate to the Norman
house. It is unclear whether the original eastern edge of the
road along this stretch was developed but seems unlikely. It
was probably the case that the South Gate opened out on to
an open space, the ancestor of the high market, and that this
itself merged with the churchyard of St. Michael.
Although there is no evidence at present, it is likely that the
encroachment upon the king's highway took place in the later
twelfth century at the time of construction of the Norman
house and the complex to which it belonged.
Once this pattern of tenements had been established, the
nly major changes to the topography were the construction
f the City Gate in or before the early thirteenth century, as
escribed above, the destruction of this gate in 1774 and of the
Bail Gate at some undocumented date between the thirteenth
d the sixteenth centuries and finally, in 1878, the destruction
the small building constructed in 1775 on the site of the
•western chamber of the City Gate and the construction of
Wordsworth Street, a widening and rationalisation of an
"fcisting passageway.
Tenemental histories of neighbouring properties
6-34 Sleep Hill
is not the purpose in this present paper to give a full account of this very
eresting range of properties, as they will be more fully covered in
fascicule IV of The Survey of Ancient Houses in Lincoln. However, it may
be worthwhile to discuss briefly the earliest evidence we have and say one
THE SOUTH BAIL GATES OF LINCOLN
or two things about the later development of this range. The Hundred
Rolls link these houses, and indeed the whole block of property between
Steep Hill and the Castle ditch, with Aaron the Jew. It reports an escheat
to the King of all the houses inside (i.e. north of) the old gate of the Bail
on the west by Aaron le Riche, Jew of Lincoln in length ana breadth in
each direction from opposite the Castle gateway as well as opposite the
Castle ditch 'in longitudine et ladtudine circumquaque cam ex opposito
portam Castri quam ex opposito fossat' castn' .-t The escheated range
was worth 60s. or more per annum whereas Aaron's actual house was
worth 6s. per annum. According to the Book of Fees this was escheated
to the Crown, and was requisitioned by the Constable of the Castle
'occasione castri', i.e. forCastle purposes.— This could mean that it was
physically near to one of the Castle gateways or one of the walls. Perhaps,
given the fact that Aaron held the whole block of land in question, his
domus was situated to the north of this block, i.e. pan of the present
Castle Square, a site which would certainly have had a strategic importance
to anyone holding the castle.
Numbers 26-34 Steep Hill are not recorded again before the sixteenth
century when we begin to find references to them in the Common Fund
accounts of the Dean and Chapter from 1549 onwards, paying a rent of
22s. (eleven houses at 2s. each) to the Duchy of Lancaster. 23 This date
may be significant: 1548 saw the abolition of chantries. However, the Liber
de Ordinationibus Cantanarum does not specifically identify these
properties. What is certain is that a further 10s. per annum accruing from
this range was set aside towards the Dean and Chapter's contribution to
the stipend of the master of the Grammar School, thus earning them the
appellation 'Scole Lands', mentioned in several of the later leases. 14 For
some unknown reason no. 30 may not have been included within this
arrangement and needs some further investigation.
24-25 Steep Hill
There was a strong Jewish connection with both these houses. Benedict
the Jew, possibly the one of the same name who was a son of Aaron, held
a mortgage on property in this area in c. 1180. and Mosse Bosse also had
an interest in a messuage here before his death, which must have occurred
c. 1217.- Both properties became escheated to the Crown soon after.
Number 25, mentioned above as having been granted by Nicholaa to Peter
the woad seller, was later (c. 1245) conveyed to dom William de Wvnchecumb.
Canon of Lincoln, and was later sold to provide funds for the
purchase of other property to endow his chantry, although, a qua-rem of
one pound of wax was payable each year to the heirs of Nicholaa.- 6
Little more is known about these properties until the sixteenth century
when a few relevant title deeds may be identified as being enrolled in the
White Book of the city. No. 25 appears to have become the property of
William Hynde, Clerk to the Common Council, whilst No. 24 was
acquired in 1576 from the Dighton family by Humphrey Suttyll: a previous
occupier of this house had been John Wyngfield, one of a handful of
goldsmiths to have set up business in the city. Another, John Morley, may
have had his shop here before Wvngfieid. 27 Later owners and occupiers
of these two properties are little known, and certainly less colourful, but
the main point arising from comparing lists of tenants is that the occupants
of No. 25 appear to be identical to those of the City Gate, testifying to
some son of informal link between the two.
Property to the south and west of the City Gate
Apart from some references to some sixteenth century occupiers in the
deeds to No. 24 Steep Hill, our main source of information for this plot
is a bundle of deeds dated 1730-1804 among records relating to property
purchased by the Governors of the County Hospital to expand their
holding.
This was owned c. 1550 by William Dighton, and subsequently by
Christopher Wyllesforth. Then there is a gap in the record until 1730, when
a pewterer named William Darby lived there. It was bought in 1771 by
Edward Varlow, a blacksmith, and then in 1797 by George Lough of
Branston, dyer. 23
Leopard Inn and properties northward to Exchequergate
As with the range opposite, a full account will appear in the forthcoming
Civic Trust fascicule. The Leopard, the name which seems to have 'stuck'
with local historians, probably began as two separate holdings which came
together c. 1270 under Mag. William of Langworth, and were immediately
acquired by the Vicars Choral. 29 Near this would have been the shop left
to his wife Matilda by Jocelyn de Insula in 1328, 'within the south gate
of the Bail in the corner under the Kings Wall in the parish of St
Michael'. 30
The occupiers of the shops running northwards were many and various.
One stands out: Agnes the hatter, mentioned in the Chantries Cartulary
in the early fourteenth century. 31 There was a hatters' row here (rengia
tenatricum).
15

I CHRISTOPHER
JOHNSON AND ALAN VINCE
Property south of the Roman Gate
Apart from the rooms attached to the City Gate, all the property southward
from the Leopard on the east side was in one main holding, whose
tenants in chief, according to a deed of c. 1200-10, were the Brethren of
the Hospital. 32
The most important pan of this holding was the aula, situated on the
comer of Steep Hill and Christs Hospital Terrace. This late twelfth century
hall was for some time erroneously called 'Aaron the Jews House':
Aaron's it most certainly was not, but it did at one time belong to a Jew
known to him. Joceus or Josce of York, mentioned in the Hundred Roils,
may perhaps have built this magnificent house. It has been extensively
renovated over the centuries, but yet retains a fair measure of its original
quality, particularly in its external features. He was killed 'in the old war'
which here probably means the York massacre of 1190. 33
The other name, not associated with this property before 1217, was
William of Tillbrook, a Bedfordshire magnate who held land in many
areas of Lincolnshire, and had his capital messuage at Hardwick, near
Saxilby. He married Eleanor de Baiocis and gave her this property as her
dower c.1210. 34 However,, he was forced.to surrender it to the King after
the troubles of 1217, 31 and three years later he was dead, murdered by
various members and retainers of his wife's family. 36
By c. 1225 it was owned by Peter of Legboume and his wife Joan. He
or she may have been connected to William by birth, as he had landholdings
in Tillbrook itself. 37 Under the Legbournes, parts of the property
were divided and leased out; by 1250 the part north of the City Gate
(i.e. 45 Steep Hill) was in the hands of Thoraild Copper; after the death
of Peter (before 1265) Joan renewed the lease. Thorald the Fruiter held
the range to the east of the aula, and after him came his nephew John. 38
Joan died some time before 1273, and the various holdings came into
the hands of Mag. William of Rowston, a physician, a process which was
complete by 1281. 39 William, usually sumamed Ruffy, died c. 1300 and
his executors founded a chantry in his name. This and other property
provided five marks per annum towards the expenses.' 10 After this, the
aula cannot again be identified from surviving records, and even quite
recent documentation has eluded discovery, so we are unable to trace
properly the tenemental history of one of Lincoln's finest old houses.
JTOTES
1. I. A. Richmond 'The Roman city of Lincoln and the four coloniae
of Roman Britain', Archaeol. Jul., 103 (1946), 25-68. F. H. Thompson
& J. B. Whitwell, 'The gates of Roman Lincoln', Archaeologia, 104
(1973). A. J. White & M. J. Jones, 'The east and south gates of the
upper city: some new evidence', in M. J. Jones & B. Gilmour, eds..
The Western Defences of the Lower City, The archaeology of Lincoln
VII/2 (forthcoming).
2. Information from Stanley Jones.
3. Rotuii Hundredorum, 2 vols (London, 1812), I, p.322a.
4. Kathleen Major, ed.. The Registrum Antiquissimum of the Cathedral
Church of Lincoln... VIII, Lincoln Record Society, 51 (1958), no.
2297. The Book of Fees, p.364.
16
5. Information from Richard Wood, Keeper at the Usher Art Gallery,
where the drawing is to be seen.
6. Lincoln Civic Trust, forthcoming.
7. Lincolnshire Archives Office (hereafter L.A.O.) Liincolni Clityl
Leases 84 (1717), where it is called the Baile yatestead; Rotuii
Hundredorum, p.322a.
8. Rotuii Hundredorum, p.311a.
9. L.A.O. Lincoln City Lease Book Ll/3/2 fol 66v.
10. L.A.O. L. C. Leases 150.
11. L.A.O. L. C. Leases 84.
12. L.A.O. L. C. Leases 414.
13. Society of Antiquaries (London), Willson Collection MS 786 vol. 5,
p.71.
14. L.A.O. Danby, Epton and Griffiths deposit 15/21, 28-33.
15. D. F. Petch, 'Excavations at Lincoln 1955-58', Archaeol. Jni., 117
(1960), 40-70. Thompson & Whitwell, 201-03; M. J. Jones, The
Defences of the Upper Roman Enclosure, The archaeology of Lincoln
VII/1 (1980), p.27.
16. Jones, p.28.
17. Jones, sites 14 and 15.
18. Jones, p.53.
19. A. G. Vince & M. J. Jones, Lincoln's Buried Archaeological Heritage
(1990), ON33. Observation recorded by Christopher Guy.
20. G. Patrick, 'Notes on Lincoln Castle', Jnl. Brit. Archaeol. Assn., 46
(1890), p. 8ff. The plan is reproduced in J. W. F. Hill, Medieval
Lincoln (1948), P1.2.
21. Rotuii Hundredorum. p.322b.
22. Book of Fees, p.365.
23. L.A.0. Dean and Chapter Common Fund compoti Bj .3.4 and Bj .2.1,
passim.
24. e.g. L.A.O. Dean and Chapter Bij.3.19: lease dated 21 September
1603.
25. Book of Fees, p.364.
26. Registrum Antiquissimum... VIII. nos. 2297-99, passim.
27. L.A.O. Lincoln City White Book LI/3/1 fols 130v (Hvnde); 122
(Suttvll).
28. L.A.O. DEG 10, passim.
29. L.A.O. Vicars Choral Cartulary: VC2/1, nos. 184-86.
30. L.A.O. Dean and Chapter MS 169 (Burwarmote Book) fol. 108, no.
168.
31. L.A.O. Dean and Chapter A.1.8 (Liber de Ordinationibus
Cantariarum), no. 197.
32. Kathleen Major, ed.. Registrum Antiquissimum... X, Lincoln
Record Society 67 (1973), no. 2943.
33. Rotuii Hundredorum, p.322a; Dobson, 'The Jews of Medieval York
and the massacre of March 1190', Borthwick Papers, 45 (1974),
passim.
34. As note 32 above: this came several vears after their marriage
c. 1198/99 for which see Pipe Roll 9 Ric. I, p.l 14 and Pipe Roll 10 Ric.
I. p.62.
35. Rotuii Hundredorum. p.322a.
36. Curia Regis Roll 1219-1220, pp.381-83.
37. Book of Fees, p.888, 895.
38. L.A.O. Dean and Chapter A.1.8, nos. 729-31.
39. Ibid., nos. 732-37.
40. Ibid., nos. 738-39.
A

APPENDIX 4

10 THE NORMAN HOUSE (46-7 STEEP
HILL)
Tlic building formerly and erroneously referred id as
Aaron the Jew's House is one of Ihe remaikrible
12th-cenlury survivals for which Lincoln is famous.
Documcnlary research by Chris Johnson has identified its
first owner as
J o s i u s of
York, who
also owned
no. 45, to the
north. Over
recent years
the house's
barrel vault
has been
showing signs
of structural
failure. The
U nit w
accordingly
brought in by
Ihe City Couiic
i I, which
owns it, lb
produce ti
detailed sufvey
of part of
Ihe buildiilg:
this was undertaken by Pamela Marshall with Ihe aid bf a
phologrammelric survey provided by Plowman Cniven.
The building has also been examined internally tind
externally by Stanley Jones as pari of Ihe Survey of
Ancient Houses project under the auspices of llie Lii|coln
Civic Trust, their preliminary reports are presented licit.
The Norman //iliac. wcsl fi\\nl, looking south ern!
M J /dues
Tjie basement survey
J|ie southern half of Ihe building's basement vault has
hpcome dangerously unstable and is suppoiled by a forest
t||f aero-props. A full measured survey was made and
gjpund-plans al present floor and sliing-cQurse level were
(|r|iwn. Cross-sections of the vault al five points were also
drawn, as well
as profiles of
(lie stringcourse
and corjiels.
A full
photographic
(ecord was
made.
Originally
|he basements
pf the two prop
e r t i e s
jielonged lo Ihe
6ame bouse,
but are now
sub-divided by
n relatively
modern wall
Into a small
section under
No. 46 and a
much larger section
under Ihe
Gorman House, which is itself further sub divided by a
tj|odcm brick wall.
, Hie basement is a long, thin trapezoid roofed by a
llhrrel vault. Al Ihe southern end the vault structure
respects Ihe shorter south wall rather Ihan the longer side
walls where its haunches lie, and litis may in p:ul account
for its instability, although Ihe insertion of post-Medieval
qccess points which have caused the vault lo be cul back

22
in places should certainly carry some blame. A chamfered |inusua|, but undoubtedly original, as each flight of corbels
string-course at Ihe springing level of Ihe vault was |s supplied on a relieving arch built into the wall below
originally a continuous feature of bolli long walls lo east (ind dcq|gncd lo deflect the llirust exerted on the corbels.
and west. This has been broken at various points, notably The vajill between Ihe corbels has been cut back and Ihe
by Ihe intrusion of later points of access. Hie only point of Wall wpjglit is carried on timber lintels.
acccss in the original |>lan was a doorway al llic west end TWQ' points of access into the west wqll of the
of the south
baseipenl are
wall where the
post-Medieval.
c h a m f e r e d
Hie earlier of
string-course
the two is by a
rises I o
stone ptair from
accommodate
the ||orlh end
Ihe door open-
of the Norman
ing inwards
House, where
and (tie vault
the basement
is cut back as
vault has been
rebate for the
slightly cut
open door.
back to accom-
The present
modate its
doorway is
entry, and Ihere
relatively
is a rebate for a
modern and
door opening
very wide.
into Ihe base-
The weight of
ment. The
the wall above
other is a lim-
rests on a
ber staircase,
massive tim-
recently
ber linlcl with
further rear lin-
David Vale's reconstruction drawing of the Norman House in ils selling
renewed,
No. 46
from
Sleep""
tels, also in limber. The internal west jamb may be a llill. 11|is lias caused a considerable cut back in Ihe vault
remnant of the original door, I lie east jamb and heading ill ils point of entry.
having been removed when Ihe door was widened.
Iliere is a triangular-headed aumbry of 12th century
A fuilber opening in the west wall, now cut in two by (late in (lie wesl wall of the basement under the Norman
the dividing wall between No. 46 and the Norman Mouse, Mouse, find evidence that a second aumbry in the norlli
may have been a second doorway, but was perhaps more Wall, IIO| necessarily coittcni|)ornry, has been blocked.
likely for light and ventilation only. Ilie opening is
elaborately supported on a series of paired corbcis, each of
which projects further as they rise. Hie arrangement is
Pamela Marshall, S R Jones

Vaulting
The hand vault springs Trout a chamfered stringcourse of
luoilesl projection set roughly at | .65 in from the basement
floor: the height of the vault is approximately 2.4 in In the
southern end of the basement and the width of the latter is
4.57 m. As yet the medieval floor level awaits confirmation.
Sections of the chamfered stringcourse are missing
luit sufficient remains at intervals to indicate that it was a
continuous feature on both long side walls originally. One
interesting deviation from its common level was noted at
the south end of the west wall where the siting, from a
point 990 mm short of the south wall, slo|)cs sharply
upwards to a height of 2.4 m from floor level. This curious
deflection is nol corroborated by any external evidence,
indeed at this particular angle the coursing of the 12th
century ashlar work is both intact and uiulislurlied. In
trying to tic in this apparently wayward stringcourse (note,
there is no corresponding inclined string in the east wall)
as an original feature one must needs make sense of how
the vault was completed at the south-west angle. Missing
sections of string-course can be accounted for from the
east wall by the making of later doorways anil stair-Mights:
elsewhere. Tor reasons other than those of collapse, the
vault may have been cut back to house equipment (if one
kind or another related to trade.
At the horlh end of the basement the vault ailt) side
walls abut (lie south wall of no. 45 Steep Hill. Frtijn the
stepped character of the wall to no. 45, having a iliaiked
offset in it^ np|icr half, it may be inferred that it pll-dates
the building of nos. 46-47. No. 45 is essentially il brick
and stone structure of the later IHlli century illul is
provided with a basement under the western and inajor
portion of tlic tenement. Without closer examination t>f the
wall face within no. 45 il cannot be claimed tluil this
particular party wall survives from an earlier period, is
prior to c. 1200. For the time being one must accCjit the
inteqirclalion of the evidence within the basement J>f no.
46 that it) terms of building sct|ucnce the Norman House
made uso pf an existing wall for its north end.
Access
Die triplq division of the basement is of modern origin
and the ipjtial culling through for a stair and entrance was
made in |j|e present central division, cast wall. A date cut
deeply ii| |hc soffit of lite doorway lintel of 1107, unless
mislaken|y set up for 1710, is misleading: the stone is
re-used ypt in its present context sits happily pnougli.
Rebates for a door are on the basement face of ll|c jambs
the stair treads precluding movement eastwards effectively.
Il |s highly probable that the making of sla|f access
from the jiody of the tenement coincided with the jilocking
and conversion of the external approach in the west wall
to a window. In the northern division the present slair and
doorway tire later still in origin cutting through ||ic vault
and at ground-floor level the approach can be seen to have
been made, together with an adjoining doorway, at the
expense of a section of original walling c. 1200. A rough
date for the northern division, slair etc., and inter alia for
the division itself, is that of the later 18th century.
Fenestration
Only the West and south walls were capable of providing a
natural solirce of light, Hie south wall with its altered door
opening carries no fenestration unless at an earlier and
original phase the doorway represents an enlargement of a
window. |t is at this cud of the basement, where the floor
level conltidcs advantageously with that of the street, that
one might have expected the provision of a shop. Such a
shop would traditionally have been open fronted but had il
ever existed no obvious traces now survive. In 1971
during renovations to No. 7 Christ's Hospital Terrace there
were signs of a former sub-division of that basement area
into two equal-sized shops with aumbries or lockers set in
a common north wall: here I lie basement was ceiletl with

heavy liml>er joists and cross heanis carried on single
coihels. Each shop was in turn sub divided on the line of
one of Ihe transverse beams overhead. Lighting for both
shops came from a wide splayed opening in the south wall
of which arrangement only Ihe eastern jamb up lo lintel
level had survived in 1971. Given Ihe obvious paucity of
natural lighting in the basement of nos. 46 47. the
provision of artificial illumination would have been most
essential lo its effective use.
Conclusion
llie alterations thai permitted the |)asement lo be approached
internally from (lie tenement above arc posl-niedieva!
in dale. Originally the basement, though structurally
integral to Ihe remainder of the tenement was separately
leased and occupied and designed as such.
S R Jones
Nos 46-47 Sleep Hill & No. 1 Christ's Hospital
Terrace
From what may be inferred from the slrucluie the original
plan of Ihe tenement c. l2(X) was thai of a 'double-range*.
Iliis consisted of two parallel conjoined ranges aligned
roughly NW-SE and each separately roofed. Hie principal
elevations fronted Sleep Hill lo the south and west. Only
the western half of Ihe double range appears lo have been
two storied its upper storey forming a superior healed
chamber. The eastern half, much altered in ils noilli and
east sides, may have contained au open ball with ils dais
or equivalent at llie north end of that apartment.
Hie main doorway scl centrally in the west elevation
led originally from Ihe street into a passage, partitioned olf
from rooms on either hand, thai in turn gave onto a door
opening in the spine wall common lo both east and west
ranges. Significantly this spine wall doorway has its door
checks facing cast indicating llial additional security was
i|i||iiiied for jliose persons in occupation of the east range.
NJorc curioi|sly, this 'reversed' doorway is flanked by two
eppval (lal headed door openings, now blocked, thai have
lllpir doorcljecks towards the wcsl range and hence could
lip considciid lo be more securablc from within the rooms
l||ey served, llic need for access lo such rooms from Ihe
c(|st range suggests they may not have served as sliojfs bill
i|)prc simply' for storage or foodstuffs. Taking all '(liree
openings together it is not too wildly speculative lo ijec in
l|ic arrangement thai which one may observe al the owcr
cpd of the J lical Hall of Ihe Bishop's Palace lo w j the
sprvice doofways either side of llie central passage leading
lf| the kilchcijs.
Exlcmal|y the west elevation shows signs of coi|$ideri||)le
alteration. North of the principal doorway il may be
Observed that the entire wall is conslructcd of small
squared stones lo its junction with no. 45 Sleep Hill. This
woik is probably lo be associated with the taking down of
the south gale or outer postern in c. 1790. If ibis
hypothesis is correct then it argues for a close integration
of gatehouse structure and neighbouring tenement. One
may also IKI(C that the rebuilding rose no higher llian (lie
enisling caves level and by observing llie relationship of
l||e string-course remnants of Ihe I2lh-ccntury tenement it
cilii be deduced thai the entire building has been lowered
ill height by pcihaps 6(K)-9(X) mm. Hie central entrance
litis lost its chimney shaft projection overhead and to the
south of this lo the south-west angle Ihe wall has been
icliuill. By reference lo the plan however (his work
probably represents a rcfacing only al gionnd level and
something more drastic above.
In an aljempl lo establish when Ihc lowering occurred
sijme note must be taken of Ihc brickwoik of Ihc south end
wjtlls of no, 47 and no. I respectively. In Ihe case of no.
Ibis is confined lo the gable and replaces what
presumably was once stone lo Ihc apex: in no. 1 llie south
eijil is almost entirely of Itiick but with a significant
section of coursed ashlar overlapping eastwards from no.

47 nnil al flic soiilli-east angle low down a substantial mass
of masonry. Here again, with Hie exception of the gable,
the brickwork may simply be refacing of a stone core and
replace ashlar courses throughout. From the window
detail, with which one may reasonably link Ihc brickwoik,
a dale towards Ihc end of the 18th century would be
appropriate, lliis is not necessarily the period of lowering
however comprehensive the consolidation woik, and to
judge from llie character of Ihc roof tnisses above llie West
range, in which there is much re used medieval material, a
17th century date seems jo be more acceptable for the
lowered profile of the entire tenement.
The sash windows in Ihc south end of no. 47 occupy
infilled larger rectangular openings. From their probations
these former window positions once carried wooden
frames with mullions and transoms and were conceivably
part of the 17th century refurbishing. The upper window is
accountable for Ihc destruction of the decorative string
course and the consequent irregularity of the stone courses
in its vicinity. Tbc lower window insertion appears lo have
disrupted the stonework westwards as far as the soiilh-wcsl
angle, li may be assumed that the south end of Ihc
tenement was endowed with windows originally and we
may infet from the dccohilive string-course on litis side
corrohonllive evidence thai these were equally as blahorale
as that restored example ill Ihc west elevation.
Front, a drawing (c. l8(X)) in the Banks Collection,
Lincoln hublic Library, the west elevation of mlb. 46-47
may be Keen to differ from that present day lit several
resjiects. In Ihc northern half of Ihc fronjfige the
fenestration shows a change in its dis|x>silion with a long
7 light window al first-floor level: there is nil evident
medieval work in this section, notably Hie ahsellie of a
slring-collrse. Above Ihc main doorway Ihc fdiimucy
projcclioii is shown intact to caves level. Ac toss Ihc
chimney ti length of decorative string-course is |licscrvcd
that continues southwards briefly and lerminaltJi at the
jamb of a destroyed 12th century window. Hie lilic of the
string-course is picked up again al the south-west angle.
Frofii Ihc fracture line shown in Ihc drawing near the angle
il i^ plear thai Ihc same fault, or nearly so, present day lias
bce|t tidied up in a post-1800 rebuildiug/refacing of the
walj, Il will be noted thai when recorded the wall from Ihc
main entrance lo the south gable, apparently had no
wii|ijow openings etc.
S R Jones
After several years' negotiations, the City Counc il lias taken over
the khnt Wall (north wall of the Roman for ton basilica or town
liallI aiul early in 1992 carried out repairs, which Were
moillloretl by the Unit. An information board for visitors is lo be
. provided in the near future

APPENDIX 5

6) THE JEW'S HOUSE & THE NORMAN
HOUSE: Interpretation or (lie medieval fabric
These townhouses have heen Ihe subject of antiquarian
interest for several centuries, but have escaped close
analysis. Indeed, drawings from r.l8(M) in Ihc city's Ranks
Collection have provided Ihe mosl detailed elevalional
surveys available until recently and slill provide an
important record of Ihe buildings before restoration woik
and alterations in the nineteenth century. Under Ihe
auspices of Ihe City Council, which owns the building
and needs lo carry on! repairs, in 1991-92 Plowman
Craven Associates made a rectified photographic survey
of the two street elevations of Ihe Norman House (46-47
Steep Hill), and Ihe City of Lincoln Archaeology lluil
produced plans and cross-sections of Ihc undercroft
(described in lale year's report). This was a useful starting
poiuf for further survey work and inleiprelalion of Ihe
original jqyoul of Ihe building. At the Jew's House (15
Ihe Slra)j/I Sleep Hill), no previous survey woik bad
beei] undertaken so a similar elevation draw|pg was
prepnred psing rectified photography, and interior plans
and i|cla|ls were recorded. Both surveys were umjerlaken
its pari of Ihc author's research al Oxford University, and
with jhe Assistance of Diane Hams and John Croo|c.
Roland Harris with his wife Diane ami colleague John
Crook hiking a break from re-examining the Norman House.
(Photo: Kale Sleane)
The Jefr's House (15 The Strait/I Sleep Hill)
The Jew's House is ihe most intact example of a twelfth
century jownhouse in Britain and ils stone facade is
unusually well preserved. Nevertheless, Ihe form of Ihc
building |n Ihe medieval period is not immediately
obvious, since the present shopfronls obscure some
important details. Close inspection reveals thai Ihe
shouldered arches shown supporting wooden lintels in Ihe
c.1800 iilink's Collection dr awing do survive, although
Ihe tirciHfe pier in Ihc centre of Ihe Jew's House
Rcsli|iirai|l pari has been removed, its place now being

B
occupied by a doorway. The wide arches, each spanning
c.2.4m, are more suhslanlial than window openings and
imply an arcade fronting three shops. The surviving jamhs
confirm this arrangement as they continue down from the
linlels lo ground level. The shouldered arches, however,
are cleatly of a later da|e than the twelfth century, and
this whole arcade would appear lo he coeval willi the
former trefoil-headed window which was inscilcd midway
between the two ro-
mauesqiie windows,
anil which was re-
placed in the nine-
teenth century by the
present window; thai
is, these modifica-
tions were probably
of Ihc laler thirteenth
century.
These modest al-
terations to the
facade were not un-
dertaken for reasons
of changing fashion
or function since il is
clear that the severe
distortions visible in
Ihc building occurcd
prior to this date,
meaning that il is al-
most certain thai the
new woik was simply
a repair. Remarkably,
The Jew's llohse: the sli eel elevation in its l2tli century form. The hutching
represents reconstructed areas of stonework
al either end of Ihc two arcade bays south of Ihc original
doorway, evidence remains for ait identical twelfth
century arrangement. Adjacent lo the doorway a mutilated
monolithic shaft survives in situ and supports Ihc springer
of a segmental arch. The column was Ih a less weathered
condition when recorded r.1800, al which point a
counterpart north of the doorway also survived; this has
sitjee been removed. Al the southern end of the facade
lliefc is another twelfth century jamb, in this case without
ilq detached shaft, and at a wild off-vertical angle caused
by |hc structural failure. This jamb supports two voussoirs
also from a segmental arch; both Ihc evidenced segmental
arp|ies and the three surviving or known jambs reveal
complete consistency with the locations and spans of
openings of Ihc lale
thirteenth century ar-
cade, confirming thai
the existing arrange-
ment differs from the
original only in mai-
lers of stylistic detail.
A |i o v e , (he
twelfth century form
of (lie building is
more obvious, willi
Hie only modifica-
tions being the afore-
mentioned insertion
of two successive
central windows, as
well as the loss of
several shafts from
the romanesque win-
dows. The projecting
chimney breast, while
more intact than its
counterpart at Ihe
Norman House, lias
lost its free-standing slack above caves level; a sketch by
Bljck from 1724, however, records il at a date where Ihc
chimney survived intact lo virtually Ihe lop of Ihe
chimney pol. 1
The internal arrangements of Ihc house arc partially
obscured by cladding, plaster and fillings, but il is clear,

nevertheless, Ihnl Ihc ground floor comprised only llircc
shops r.4.5m deep, with a central passage. Ihe doorway
al Ihc rear of this passage survives as indeed does most of
Ihe rear wall. Stonework west of this point was designated
'doubtfully 12lli century' by Wood, 2 but it seems unlikely
lhat Ihc building extended beyond Ihe front range as Ihe
intact doorway al Ihc rear of Ihc northernmost shop has a
hoodmonld on ils west face, revealing thai il was an
exterior wall. The bona
fide twelfth century door-
way lo Ihe upper storey,
in this same wall, but al
Ihe extreme northern end,
would have been accessed
by an external staircase,
necessarily in a similar
location lo Ihe modern
replacement.
The off-centre position
of the chimney and the
lack of any other twelfth
century domestic rooms
imply thai Ihe solar over-
looking Ihe street was
subdivided, most probably
with a greater chamber,
assuming something of
Ihe function of a hall, al
NORMAN MOUSE
the noilhcm end, and a smaller private chamber to Ihc
south. Willi Ihe lack of non commercial rooms on Ihc
ground floor il is also probable thai a free-standing
kitchen and other ancillary structures would have been
located in the plot behind Ihe house.
The Norman House (46-47 Sleep Hill)
Despite the fact that a large proportion of Ihe two slrccl
elevations has undergone complete rebuilding, il is
possible to reconstruct much of Ihc original lownhousc.
L
liisl Moot
The ||[pscnl structure comprises two parallel ranges which
shard a common ccnlral wall, and which have gables
ovcijppking Ihe side sticet (Christ's Hospital Terrace). On
this (joullicm wall fabric from Ihe first phase, including
Ihe d|,slinclive string-course, continues rearwards of Ihc
cenl|j|| wall, confirming thai the original plan was similar
lo ll||j| surviving. This is corroborated by the existing rear
ground lloor
undercroft
wal| jvhich, despite modifications, is largely medieval and
JEW'S HOUSE
[ H I
15 iitelies 1
Comparative plans of the Jew's llonse and the Norman House. The
teller 'S' marks I lie location of shops
preserves what appears to
Ire Ihe twelfth century
northeast re|urn. This
then reveals q rear range
coeval with Ihe slreel-
frout range, qnd of simi-
lar scalc, |ieighl and
stone construction. An
absence of twelfth cen-
tury detail prevents a
more complcle under-
standing of this part of
Ihe house, bill Ihe conti-
nuity of Ihc string-course
al first-floor level on the
south wall and part-sur-
viving blind-arcadiug on
Ihc rear face of Ihe ccn-
lral wall, which conforms
lo Ihc ceiling level of Ihc
front fange, provide strong evidence for il being Iwo-
storcyed in Ihc manner of Ihe front range. Such au
arrangement presages Ihe 'double-range' plan identified
by Paiitin as a common thiilccnlh and fourteenth century
lownliouse type, 3 but the Iwo-slorcy rear range at the
Noiipnn House precludes Ihe open-hall which forms an
essential part of this arrangement. The absence of an open
hall further corroborated by Ihc presence of a large and
heated solar in Ihc slrcetfront range which, as al Ihc Jew's
Hoiiset may have functioned as Ihe principal room.

i = I
»
imm —J
5 n = H » IB h i
•ifH'lU
m F' i i i J • i s
Il is llic slrcctfronl range at (lie Noiiuan House,
however, which provides Hie most interesting structural
evidence. The ornately carved doorway in Ihc west wall
has a simpler counterpart, with a joggled arch, in the
central wall and it is clear thai they were linked by a
passage. A timber socket in the central wall and a
corresponding change in Ihc colour of Hie stone surface
confirm Ihe former presence of Ihc expected side wall of
the passage on Hie south side, and there is an existing
partition wall on the approximate line of its northern
counterpart. Both were probably of timber panelling or
watllc and daub; significantly, thin partition walls on holli
sides are shown on Ihe r. 18(H) drawing. Flanking Ihe
twelfth century doorway in Ihc central wall are two
coeval doorways with monolithic flat headed lintels and
both contained doors opening in the opposite direction of
Ihe central door.
Here then, is the very common arrangement of a
passage accessing Ihe domcslic part of Ihe house, with
smaller doorways opening forwards into Ihe rear of shops
on Ihe slreetfront. Thai Ibis indeed was Ihe case at the
Norman House is evidenced by Ihe survival of an original
splayed jamb in Ihe front wall. This jamb, adjacent lo and
of Ihe same build as Ihe southern jamb of Ihc front
doorway, extends down to Ihc floor and imjilies an open
arcade similar lo that known lo have existed al Ihe Jew's
House.
Al first floor level, Ihe nineteenth century reproduction
of a Norman window, replaces an original solar window,
sel a little higher so lliat its sill was level with the ornate
string-course. This arrangement is shown on Hie r. 1800
drawing, which also provides evidence for ilie projecting
chimney breast over Ihe doorway, Ihe base bf which slill
survives up lo string-course level. Together these imply a
substantial healed solar which may have occupied Ihc full
widlli of Ihe building; unlike Ihe Jew's House, Ihc
Norman House contained oilier non-comlitercial rooms
and, thus, there would have been less pressure lo
subdivide this front chamber.
The barrel-vaulted undercroft is largely intact from Ihe
twelfth century, and has preserved its original window in
the west wall, with multiple corhcls supporting the vault
al jliis point. A slope in Ihc string-course al Ihe southern
end confirms that Hie present entrance is in Ihe same
location as the twelfth century precursor. The original
lijiingular-lieadcd recess in Ihe wesl wall is rebated for a
cijpboard door; such cupl>oards arc a very common
feqlure in undercrofts and most probably functioned as
safe places lo leave money or small valuable items. The
implied commercial function of the uiu|ercroft is continued
by Ihe fact that il was independent from the house
ahpve; thai is, Ihcre was no original internal staircase
allowing it to function like a modern cellilf. The staircase
iij Ihc northern subdivision of the undcfproft is almost
cejlainly contemporary with Ihe relatively jccenl insertion
of two brick transverse walls, whilst that inserted near Ihe
centre is of a square-headed form with an internal rebate;
similar doorways al Ihe rear of undercrofts at 39 Bridge
Street, Chester, and Tackley's Inn, Oxford, are fourteenth
century, but the form is so simple that a later dale is
clearly possible.
Dating
The traditional dating of both houses to 1170-1180
derives from Margaret Wood's work, 4 but recently a
much later dale of r. 12(H) has been postulated for Hie
Norman House. 5 In Ibis building it is the front doorway
which provides the closest dating criteria, and with Ihe
c|i)ckel like capitals showing a tendency towards stiff-leaf
ajul Ihc shafts being integral and carinalcd, a dale range
of 1180-1190 would seem much more reasonable. Cerlijinly
there should be no assumption that since these are
vernacular buildings they utilise stylistic features outof-date
in ecclesiastical architecture. It is unfortunate that
ii) the proto-golhic context of Ihe Norman House, (lie
nineteenth century restorers chose a style Iwo decades loo

E S • • • ]
w t 2S Mi • • • I • • • « J L
eaily for llieir reconstructed window. Indeed, tlicy may
have used Ihe Jew's House .is llieir model since, willi its
detached monolithic shafts and drilled capitals, it is
clearly wholly romanesque and much earlier. Il is more
similar in date to St N|ary's Guildhall llian Ihc Norman
House; thai is, Ihe origlps of Ihc Jew's House must lie in
Ihe late 1150s or 1160s.
In the case of the Norman House, Ihcsc more
reasonable date ranges provide an interesting correlation
with historical researclj into tenements in this pail of
Lincoln. II has been sliqwn that 46-47 Sleep Hill, so long
erroneously associated \vilh Aaron the Jew, was in fact
owned by another Jew, Joccus or Josce of Yoik, who
probably died in 1190, and it is, thus, extremely likely
thai Ihe house was built by him. 6
Conclusions
Although two decades apart in date, the Jew's House and
Ihe Nonnan House provide Iwo very cons|stcnt models for
the appearance of romanesquc commercial lownhouscs.
The evidence for open arcades fronting small shop units is
remarkably in-kccpiug with contemporary structures in
Europe; examples at Bcaugcncy, Cluny, Monlpelcier,
Orviclo and Pisa make good comparisons. The scniisubterranean
undercroft al the Norman House, however, is
an extremely important and early example of a trend in
England towards a more sophisticated type of lownhousc.
Willi shops above, this arrangement allowed for a
doubting of Ihc commercial fionlagc and. in Ihc intensely
commercial high streets dining Ihe subsequent 150 years,
il becamc dominant, reaching its logical apogee in (lie
continuous galleries of Ihe Rows of Chester.
References
1. MS Cough Lines 15, fol 26
2. Wood. M, 1965 The English Mediaeval llause
(London), fig I
3. Panlin, W A, 1962-3 Medieval English Town-House
1-
-V
Plans, Me,lieva\ Arrliaeol 6-7, 203 and 217-223.
Wood, M, 1974 Norman Domestic Architecture
(London). 40-44
Jones. S R, I9 ( l? The Norman House (46-7 Sleep Hill),
Lincoln Archaeology 1991-2, 4, 21-25
Johnson, C & Y|nce, A. 1992 I hc South Bail Gales of
Lincoln, Lincoi\fhire llisl Archaeol, 27, 16
Roland Harris

APPENDIX 6

APPENDIX 6 : ARCHIVE DEPOSITION
The archive consists of:
No. Description
1 Site diary
I Report
43 Context records
II Scale drawings
1 set Photographic records - Colour slides
1 Stratigraphic matrix
The primary archive material, as detailed above, is currently held by :
The City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit,
Charlotte House,
The Lawn,
Union Road,
Lincoln,
Lincolnshire,
LN1 3BL.
It is intended that transfer to the City and County Museum, Friars Lane,
Lincoln, in accordance with current published requirements, under Museum
Accession Number 50.95, will be undertaken within approximately six months
of completion of this project.