Kingdom of Lindsey
Encyclopedia
Lindsey or Linnuis is the name of a petty Anglo-Saxon kingdom, absorbed into Northumbria
in the 7th century.
It lay between the Humber
and the Wash
, forming its inland boundaries from the course of the Witham
and Trent
rivers (with the inclusion of an area inside of a marshy region south of the Humber known as the Isle of Axholme
), and the Foss Dyke
between them. It is believed that Roman Lindum
(Lincoln) was the capital of this kingdom, with continuity of the place-name suggesting continuity of settlement traditions: in 625, Bede recounts, the missionary Paulinus of York
was received by the praefectus of Lindum. Place-name evidence indicates that the Anglian
settlement known as Lindisfaras
spread from the Humber
coast. Compare Winta and Winteringham
.
Its name means the 'island of Lincoln'. This derives from the fact that it was surrounded by water and very wet land and had Lincoln towards its south-west corner. In the period of Anglo-Saxon settlement in Great Britain beginning in about 450, the kingdom of Lindsey was one of the petty kingdoms within the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy
. Although it has its own list of kings, at an early date it came under external influence. It was from time to time effectively part of Deira, the Northumbria
n kingdom and particularly later, of Mercia
. Lindsey's independence was gone well before the arrival of the Danish Settlers
.
The kingdom's heyday seems to have come before the historical period. By the time of the first historical records of Lindsey, it had become a subjugated polity, under the alternating control of Northumbria
and Mercia
. It is possible that the setback arose in the years around 500, from the opposition of the British
leader known as Arthur
, the second, third and fourth of whose twelve battles were fought in 'Linnuis' and whose twelfth victory held back Anglo-Saxon expansion for fifty years. See the Historia Britonum
. However it may be, all trace of its individuality vanished before the Viking
assault in the late ninth century. Its territories evolved into the historical English
county
of Lincolnshire
, the northern part of which is called Lindsey
.
Dr. Kevin Leahy, The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey: The Archaeology of an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom (2008) is a recent overview of the archaeology of this kingdom.
" of genealogies
, created in the last years of king Offa
's reign, gives the names of the ruling lineage of Lindsey. The early names will relate either to life in Angeln
or to a boastful genealogy arising from gods such as Woden
.
From Winta on, the names will refer to the early leaders in Lindsey.
None of the individuals can be securely dated. With regard to Aldfrið, Frank Stenton
referred to the witness list for an Anglo-Saxon charter which includes an "Ealfrid rex", and dated its writing to some time between the years 787 and 796. Unfortunately it is now believed that the name on the witness list should read "Ecgfrið Rex
", and refers to Offa
's son, who was anointed King of the Mercians in 787, nine years before his succession in 796, and would have been correctly styled "rex". Stenton also suggested that the name 'Biscop' came from the title 'bishop' and must post-date Paulinus's mission to Lindsey of 628 CE. However, as Sarah Foot
has pointed out, Biscop is a perfectly good name, and we have no need to look for an external origin. The other genealogies in the Anglian collection close with historic personages whose dates are known, such as Edwin of Deira (616-33), Ethelred of Mercia (675-704) and Ethelbert II of Kent (725-62), but this wide range offers little help in dating Aldfrið.
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
in the 7th century.
It lay between the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
and the Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
, forming its inland boundaries from the course of the Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
and Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
rivers (with the inclusion of an area inside of a marshy region south of the Humber known as the Isle of Axholme
Isle of Axholme
The Isle of Axholme is part of North Lincolnshire, England. It is the only part of Lincolnshire west of the River Trent. It is between the three towns of Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough.- Description:...
), and the Foss Dyke
Foss Dyke
The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around 120 AD by the Romans, but there is no consensus among authors...
between them. It is believed that Roman Lindum
Lindum Colonia
Lindum Colonia was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is called Lincoln, in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Fort and name:...
(Lincoln) was the capital of this kingdom, with continuity of the place-name suggesting continuity of settlement traditions: in 625, Bede recounts, the missionary Paulinus of York
Paulinus of York
Paulinus was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group...
was received by the praefectus of Lindum. Place-name evidence indicates that the Anglian
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
settlement known as Lindisfaras
Lindisfaras
The Lindisfaras were an Anglian tribe who, in the 6th century, established the kingdom of Lindsey between the valleys of the rivers Humber and Witham, in the north of what is now Lincolnshire...
spread from the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
coast. Compare Winta and Winteringham
Winteringham
Winteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire and on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, population 989 .The Romans had a settlement here probably called Ad Abum . The Roman road Ermine Street from London and Lincoln to the south crossed the Humber here by way of a ferry or ford to Brough, and...
.
Its name means the 'island of Lincoln'. This derives from the fact that it was surrounded by water and very wet land and had Lincoln towards its south-west corner. In the period of Anglo-Saxon settlement in Great Britain beginning in about 450, the kingdom of Lindsey was one of the petty kingdoms within the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy
Heptarchy
The Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of south, east, and central Great Britain during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, conventionally identified as seven: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex...
. Although it has its own list of kings, at an early date it came under external influence. It was from time to time effectively part of Deira, the Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n kingdom and particularly later, of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. Lindsey's independence was gone well before the arrival of the Danish Settlers
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
.
The kingdom's heyday seems to have come before the historical period. By the time of the first historical records of Lindsey, it had become a subjugated polity, under the alternating control of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. It is possible that the setback arose in the years around 500, from the opposition of the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
leader known as Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, the second, third and fourth of whose twelve battles were fought in 'Linnuis' and whose twelfth victory held back Anglo-Saxon expansion for fifty years. See the Historia Britonum
Historia Britonum
The Historia Brittonum, or The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first composed around 830, and exists in several recensions of varying difference. It purports to relate the history of the Brittonic inhabitants of Britain from earliest times, and this text has been used to write...
. However it may be, all trace of its individuality vanished before the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
assault in the late ninth century. Its territories evolved into the historical English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, the northern part of which is called Lindsey
Lindsey
Lindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it...
.
Dr. Kevin Leahy, The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey: The Archaeology of an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom (2008) is a recent overview of the archaeology of this kingdom.
Kings of Lindsey
The "Anglian collectionAnglian collection
The Anglian collection is a collection of Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies and regnal lists. These survive in four manuscripts; two of which now reside in the British Library...
" of genealogies
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, created in the last years of king Offa
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
's reign, gives the names of the ruling lineage of Lindsey. The early names will relate either to life in Angeln
Angeln
Modern Angeln, also known as Anglia , is a small peninsula in Southern Schleswig in the northern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, protruding into the Bay of Kiel...
or to a boastful genealogy arising from gods such as Woden
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
.
- Geot - Compare the GeatGeatGeats , and sometimes Goths) were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting what is now Götaland in modern Sweden...
s who are frequently mentioned in BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
's story. - Godulf
- Finn
- Frioðulf
- Frealaf
- WodenWodenWoden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
- Compare Woden, the god.
From Winta on, the names will refer to the early leaders in Lindsey.
- Winta - Compare WinteringhamWinteringhamWinteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire and on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, population 989 .The Romans had a settlement here probably called Ad Abum . The Roman road Ermine Street from London and Lincoln to the south crossed the Humber here by way of a ferry or ford to Brough, and...
(the homestead of Winta's people). - Cretta
- Cuelgils
- Caedbaed
- Bubba
- Beda
- Biscop
- Eanferð
- Eatta
- Aldfrið
None of the individuals can be securely dated. With regard to Aldfrið, Frank Stenton
Frank Stenton
Sir Frank Merry Stenton was a 20th century historian of Anglo-Saxon England, and president of the Royal Historical Society . He was the author of Anglo-Saxon England, a volume of the Oxford History of England, first published in 1943 and widely considered a classic history of the period...
referred to the witness list for an Anglo-Saxon charter which includes an "Ealfrid rex", and dated its writing to some time between the years 787 and 796. Unfortunately it is now believed that the name on the witness list should read "Ecgfrið Rex
Ecgfrith of Mercia
Ecgfrith was a King of Mercia who briefly ruled in the year 796. He was the son and heir of King Offa of Mercia and his wife Cynethryth. In 787, Offa had Ecgfrith crowned as co-ruler. He succeeded his father in July 796, but despite Offa's efforts to secure his son's succession, it is recorded...
", and refers to Offa
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
's son, who was anointed King of the Mercians in 787, nine years before his succession in 796, and would have been correctly styled "rex". Stenton also suggested that the name 'Biscop' came from the title 'bishop' and must post-date Paulinus's mission to Lindsey of 628 CE. However, as Sarah Foot
Sarah Foot
Sarah Foot is a British early medieval historian and currently holds the Regius Chair of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford....
has pointed out, Biscop is a perfectly good name, and we have no need to look for an external origin. The other genealogies in the Anglian collection close with historic personages whose dates are known, such as Edwin of Deira (616-33), Ethelred of Mercia (675-704) and Ethelbert II of Kent (725-62), but this wide range offers little help in dating Aldfrið.