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.