EXPLORE SAXON AND VIKING LINCOLN!
St Mary le Wigford Church
It is possible that a church was built
on this site in the late 10th Century
(around AD 980). A stone tower was
added by a wealthy merchant called
Ertig. Inside the church, you can see
an Anglo Saxon tomb cover.
Lincoln Castle
Recently, the ruins of a Saxon church
were found in the Castle grounds. A
stone sarcophagus and the skeleton of
a Saxon man can be seen in Lincoln
Castle Museum. Archaeologists
believe that the man must have been
very important to have been buried in
a stone coffin.
The Collection Museum
The Collection has a fascinating Viking display. The site
of the Collection would have been at the heart of an
important Viking trading settlement. Here you can see
many of the Viking artefacts that were found in
excavations around the city. The museum has a
reconstruction of a Viking comb-maker’s workshop. It
also has carved grave covers, a Viking sword and axe
head and bone ice skates and
jewellery, including the only
gold Thor’s Hammer pendant
ever found in Britain.
The Vikings first turned up in the area in the 870s. The Vikings who moved to Lincoln were not vicious raiders but traders. The crumbling Roman ruins of Lincoln were an ideal spot for a Viking town and,
because of its access to the river, Lincoln became a very important Viking trading settlement. At about AD 900 Lincoln was a small trading settlement with the majority of the population living in the lower part
of the old Roman city, near where the Collection is found today. At this time, Vikings and Saxons lived together and the artefacts from this time show a mix of Saxon and Viking traditions.
The ‘gates’
Local street names in the centre of Lincoln show us
evidence of the Viking settlers. Next to the museum is
Danesgate which means ‘Danish Street’ (geat is the old
Viking word for street).
Flaxengate was a street where people turned flax (a plant)
into linen to make clothes. It is an area of the city where
many Viking artefacts have
been discovered.
The name Saltergate suggests
that salt was brought up the
River Witham and was traded
here.
Nearby, you can also find Michaelgate and Hungate.
Danish Moot
On Lincoln’s busy High Street,
look out for a small reminder of
Lincoln’s Viking rulers. This little
blue plaque marks the site of the
Moot Stone. This was where the
meeting place of the Danes who
governed here after the Viking
invasion.
Around Lincoln
Goods and products that were made in Lincoln were sold and
traded by the Vikings. Trading was an important part of Viking
life and Lincoln was an ideal location for this, with links by
surviving Roman roads and by the Foss Dyke and the River
Witham to the coast. The Brayford would have been used by
Viking trading ships to tie up and unload goods for trade.
Viking era artefacts from France, Germany, Holland and even
China have been found in Lincoln.
You can also find clues about the Vikings in many of the
villages around Lincoln. Many
village names include ‘-by’
meaning farmstead and ‘-
thorpe’ meaning hamlet.
Look out for Whisby,
Bransby, Wragby, or
Skellingthorpe.
VIKING LONGSHIPS
As you probably know, longships were used for raiding and exploring.
longboats were long, thin and light so they could be carried over land to
take their targets by surprise. Back in Viking times, they built fast boats so
they could travel more quickly, and the longships had square sails and a
mast to sail with, but if there was no wind they could be rowed. Viking
longships were made of wooden planks that were stuck together with
sticky tar or animal hair so they wouldn't have leaks. The longship had
room for between 24 and 120 people, depending on it’s size. On the prow,
which was found at the front of the boat, there was a carved animal head.
It was often a dragon’s head, and was designed to scare their enemies and
their enemies’ spirits. In those days, the only way to navigate was by using
the stars. By Lily, Seth and Maddison-Belle.
VIKING FARMS
Many Vikings settled in Britain because of the good quality land, and so
there were lots of farmers living here in Viking times. Life on farms was
hard because there were no machines so every job had to be done by
hand. Viking farmers used simple tools to plough the ground, and they
used a sickle to harvest their crops. Some Viking farmers grew oats and
barley which was used for making flour, ale and porridge. Other farmers
grew vegetables . On many farms, animals were kept, such as pigs,
sheep, cows and chickens. As well as meat, the farmers got milk from
sheep, cows and goats. Sometimes in the winter, animals were kept in the
longhouse when it was very cold. Richer farmers had a byre to shelter
their animals from the cold, but some animals would die if they had to stay
outside. The number of animals farmers had was a sign of how rich they
were. By Rohail, Nizar and Jayden.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN A VIKING TOWN? VIKING HOUSES
Usually, Viking homes were made out of any materials that people could
find. They were mainly made from wood, or if there were no trees, from
stones, clay or turf. Often, to keep the house warm, it had wattle and
daub stuck on the walls. On top of the longhouse , there was a thatched,
straw roof which was slanted so water would run off it. Normally, men
went to work and women looked after the home. In the longhouse there
was one rectangular room that was used for sleeping, eating and living,
with a large fire that was used for cooking, light and warmth. In side it
was smoky as there were no windows. On the inside walls of the house
there were benches for sitting and sleeping. Rich Vikings had chairs and
a table, but poor Vikings had no furniture. Floors were made of earth and
covered with reeds. By Faye, Rowan and Seth.
VIKING HARBOURS
In Viking times, boats were kept in harbours to shel-
ter them from the weather and keep them safe from
thieves. Usually, Viking longships were built next to
the sea, so that they could easily be launched to go
exploring, or for raiding and pillaging. Vikings also
built other smaller boats, designed for shorter trips,
such as fishing boats, boats for carrying cargo, and
boats for carrying passengers. Often there would
be a warehouse close to the harbour, which was
used to store goods to sell overseas. Shipbuilders
near the harbours built and mended longboats
ready for summer raids. By Enzo and Rees-Thomas.
VIKING MARKETS
Did you know that in Viking times, there were some
large towns and settlements such as Jorvik in Eng-
land? You may not already know this, but Vikings
didn’t just raid and pillage, they also made goods
and sold them in different places including in mar-
kets in these towns. Viking farmers grew crops such
as and vegetables, then brought them to the mar-
kets to sell. Craftsmen also sold the goods that they
made, such as shoes and belts. Dealers came to
buy and sell goods like slaves, different furs and
walrus ivory. Rich people rode around market towns
in chariots pulled by horses or oxen, but poor people
had to walk everywhere. By Jessica and Erin.
WELLS
Everyone needs water to survive., so we all need to be close
to a supply of water. It was the same in Viking times. Viking
people living in villages had to collect their water from a
stream, river, lake or pond as there were no wells in towns. It
wouldn’t have been clean water. In towns, they did have a well
to use. How did they get their water from the stone wells?
Well, they did this with ancient, wooden buckets. As well as
drinking water, people also used to drink beer, mead, wine
and milk in Viking times. The milk they drank was heated by
being put in a sheep’s bladder and then warmed with hot
stones. By Ethan, Rees-Thomas and Harley.
WORKSHOPS
In Viking times people needed objects like bowls to eat from, and weapons to carry out raids. So, craftsmen made these goods in workshops and sold them at the markets. For exam-ple, blacksmiths made tools and weapons from iron, and pot-ters made pots out of clay. Jewellers made rings and brooch-es out of precious jewels. Woodworkers used wood to make plates, bowls and cups, while tanners made belts and shoes out of leather. Many of the workshops the craftsmen used were found near the harbour. Rich craftsmen had a home to live in too, but poor craftsmen slept in a corner of their work-shop. By Chloe, Rio, Kyle, Lewis C. and Joseph.
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