JCA 45/47 Northern Lincolnshire Edge with Coversands/
Southern Lincolnshire Edge.
4 JCA sub-units.1:northern Lincolnshire Edge, 2:coversands, 3:Lincolnshire
Cliff, 4:dip slope
1. Settlement and Development
Visible archaeological evidence of early settlement is widespread along the Edge, including prehistoric
burial mounds, linear boundary features (Roman and later dyke or canal, Car Dyke, surviving in visible
form near Potterhanworth and Martin) and trackways and, most noticeable of all, the Roman roads
converging on the fort and later colonia at Lincoln.
.
Saxon and Medieval settlement developed in a series of small villages along the spring lines on the
western scarp, and the lower claylands of the dipslope to the east. Some, such as Gainsthorpe, were
abandoned or depopulated as a result of later agricultural changes, but many survived to form the basis
of the post-medieval and present pattern of nucleated settlements and very low densities of dispersion.
The drier and higher ground of the cliff and edge, and the light soils of the coversands remained largely
unsettled until the expansion of enclosed farmland in the late 18th and 19th centuries, and even now the
pattern is extremely sparse.
The city of Lincoln, sitting beneath the prominent cathedral, is the foremost historic town in the area,
retaining visible remains of the Roman city and a wealth of medieval and later archaeology and
architecture. It grew as a major engineering centre from the mid 19th century.
Scunthorpe, the largest settlement on the Northern Lincolnshire edge ironstones, grew rapidly in the
19th century as a centre of the iron and steel production, with a corresponding impact on the ironstone
ridges alongside the northern cliff.
The other sizeable settlements originated as market centres within the village landscape of the dipslope,
and expanded alongside the railway in the 19th century. Airfields established in First World War and
redeveloped as substantial bomber bases in 1930s through to Cold War; these include Scampton and
Waddington, and the officer training base at Cranwell. The extensive use of the Edge for military
airfields in both World Wars has left many tell-tale signatures in the landscape. Even where airfields
have been sublimated by a return to agriculture their presence is often detectable from the persistence
of curious boundaries, areas of hard standing and the occasional derelict or reused military building.
Traditional building materials are brick and tile, and limestone. Extensive rebuilding in 17th century and
later. Fine manor houses dating from late medieval period, and country houses with their estates (eg
Belton).
2. Agriculture
The expansive top of the Lincolnshire Edge was largely unsettled heath until the late 18th century providing common pasture for flocks otherwise folded on the fallow lands below. Linear parishes across
the heath reflect this - aligned east to west either side of Ermine Street to take advantage of both the
open grassland and the settled farmland across the eastern dipslope and below the western cliff.
Village agriculture continued across the dipslope into the post medieval period, fragmenting to varied
extents depending on the level of piecemeal or general enclosure instigated by the major landowners.
The heath itself was subdivided in the later 18th and early 19th century principally by parliamentary acts,
resulting in a large scale enclosed landscape. Infrequent brick farmsteads, generally rebuilt in the earlymid 19th century, typically have combination barns serving cattle courts.
3. Fields and boundary patterns
The high heathland along the Edge underwent general enclosure around the time of the Napoleonic
Wars. Whether created through private agreements or parliamentary acts the resulting enclosures were
much the same - broad rectilinear fields aligned with the Roman road, wide roadside verges, low thorn
hedgerows and limestone rubble field walls
A similar process based on improved pasture and sheep-corn farming replaced the heathland and late
medieval warrens of the coversands in the 18th century, although close-grained, thickly hedged field
systems of earlier dates persist around the smaller settlements.
The field systems to either side of the Edge, along the cliff and dipslope were commonly subjected to
enclosure and rationalisation by the larger landowners from the 14th century onward. These areas still
reflect the more complex enclosure history through more intricate and irregular field systems, taller and
more woody hedgerows and complicated mixtures of farm buildings of various periods.
Parklands associated with the country houses of the major landowners are found on both sides of the
Edge.
Some more modern boundary patterns retain the ghostly outlines of redundant WWII airfields
4. Trees and woodland
The area was substantially cleared of woodland by the 11th century. Woodland cover is limited across
the Edge - largely restricted to shelterbelts planted alongside the Georgian and early Victorian
farmsteads.
The Coversands have extensive modern conifer plantations and areas of colonising or shelterbelt birch
and oak.
The irregular field patterns of the cliff scarp include areas of ancient managed woodland, particularly in
the less accessible creases and in the context of historic parkland .
Ancient woodland cover is similarly characteristic of the eastern dipslope - clustered around the village
settlements and dispersed within the older and more irregular field patterns. Again, woodland remains a
significant component of the country house estates.
5. Semi-natural environments
Coversand heaths such as Risky Warren are important ecological and historical survivals.
The disused limestone, ironstone and aggregate quarries along the northern cliff and coversands reflect
the 19th and 20th century industrial history of the area. Some of these are now important semi-natural
habitats.
6. River and coastal features.