Lincoln Castle, Castle Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln Castle was built by order of William I in the late 11th century. It consists of a double motte and bailey in an excellent state of preservation. It is built in the south-western corner of the Roman area of Lincoln. The remaining part of the Roman city was used as an outer bailey, "the Bail". The boundaries, as defined in 1390, are exactly those of the Roman area. Although it was an important royal castle in the reign of William I, it had fallen into disrepair by the time of Henry II's reign. Lincoln was one of the few major cities not to have been fortified during the troubles of Henry's reign. The castle was repaired to some extent in the reigns of both Richard and John, and following large scale damage during the siege by Louis of France in 1217. A barbican was added in 1224-6. By the 14th century the castle was regarded as a possession of the Earls of Lincoln. It was forfeited to the Crown in 1322. In 1327 it was recorded as poorly kept and needing more than £1000 to repair. No such expenditure was forthcoming, beyond repairing the county gaol and shire house within the bailey. From then on the castle's only function was to serve as an enclosure for those two buildings.
