St Catherine's is an area of
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln () is a cathedral city, a non-metropolitan district, and the county town of Lincolnshire, England. In the 2021 Census, the Lincoln district had a population of 103,813. The 2011 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including North H ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, at the southern end of the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, and centred on a roundabout at its junction with the
A15, B1190 (Newark Road) and South Park Avenue (continuation of the A15). The area is bordered by the South Common in the east and the River
Witham
Witham () is a town in the county of Essex in the East of England, with a population ( 2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the city of Chelms ...
in the west. It is built over the site of the 12th century Priory of
Saint Katherine without Lincoln, a monastic community that ran the Hospital of Saint Sepulchre.
St Katherine's
The area is named after the dominant church of St Katherine's, a
Grade II
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed, landmark building and Anglican church.
[www.lincolnpriory.org](_blank)
St Katherine's has views over the South Common, is home to the Priory Centre (officially opened by
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
after extensive conservation work), the original site of the Lincoln
Eleanor Cross
The Eleanor crosses were a series of twelve tall and lavishly decorated stone monuments topped with crosses erected in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had them built between 1291 and about 1295 in memory of his beloved wi ...
and a residential area with some local businesses, includin
Jacksons Workwear RentalUK Ink Supplies New Road Fish Shop, Doctors' Surgery, Dentist, and hotels. St Catherine's is also the former home of the Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board offices.
The residential property in St Catherine's mainly consists of red brick built terraced housing, with some large detached and semi-detached houses, surrounding the local church of St Catherine's. The church of St Catherine lends its name to several roads in the area including St Catherine's Road, St Catherine's Terrace, St Catherine's Grove and St Catherine's Court.
St Katherine's Heritage and Cultural Centre
St Katherine's Heritage and Cultural Centre is a multi-use access centre, offering the wider community a flexible, friendly community facility, providing a range of services and activities to all. It features exhibits of local history, and it operated by
The Priory Trust.
Eleanor cross
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
built
Eleanor cross
The Eleanor crosses were a series of twelve tall and lavishly decorated stone monuments topped with crosses erected in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had them built between 1291 and about 1295 in memory of his beloved wi ...
es between 1291 and 1295 in memory of his wife
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony.
The marriage was known to be particularly close, and ...
. The
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
cross was built between 1291 and 1293 by Richard of Stow at a total recorded cost of over £120, with sculptures by
William of Ireland
The Eleanor crosses were a series of twelve tall and lavishly decorated stone monuments topped with crosses erected in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had them built between 1291 and about 1295 in memory of his beloved wi ...
, which would have most likely reflected the typical style of Eleanor cross, with multiple statues in a small tower.
[Colvin 1963, p. 483.] John Leland, in the early 1540s, noted that "a litle without Barre
ate
Ate or ATE may refer to:
Organizations
* Active Training and Education Trust, a not-for-profit organization providing "Superweeks", holidays for children in the United Kingdom
* Association of Technical Employees, a trade union, now called the Nat ...
is a very fair crosse and large".
Queen Eleanor was taken ill on a journey to meet King Edward and was diagnosed as having "slow fever", she was taken to Richard de Westons manor house at
Harby near Lincoln, and it was there she died in November 1290. Edward was grief-stricken at his wife's death and shut himself away for several days, possibly planning memorials to his beloved Queen Eleanor.
The Queen's body was first taken to Lincoln for embalming at
St Catherine's Priory. The
viscera
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
was buried in a tomb at
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...
on 3 December 1290, and her heart was buried at
Blackfriars church
Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London.
Blackfriars Priory
The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...
in London. Her body was taken to
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
for burial in a tomb. King Edward later declared that to honour Eleanor, a memorial would be erected wherever the Queen's body had rested on its journey home to Westminster.
Crosses of this nature were erected in the hope that pilgrims and those passing by would pray for the soul of the Queen. The first of the Eleanor crosses was erected on Swine's Green, opposite the gates of St Catherine's, an area just outside the city at the southern end of the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
. Of the twelve crosses erected, only three now remain standing.
[Powrie 1990, pp. 65–67.]
The statue had disappeared by the early 18th century, but the only surviving piece, the lower half of one of the statues, was rediscovered in the 19th century. The only remaining piece of the Eleanor cross that survives is a small piece preserved in
Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle is a major medieval castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is one of only ...
.
The Priory Centre is planning to have a replica of the Queen Eleanor cross erected at the front of the Priory.
The Priory Academy LSST (school)
The Priory Academy LSST
The Priory Academy LSST (formerly the Lincoln School of Science and Technology) is a co-educational partially-selective academy school and teaching school situated on Cross O'Cliff Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It specialises in scienc ...
is a secondary school and Sixth Form named after St Catherine's Priory (based near its original site). It now forms part of the
Priory Federation of Academies, a group of Lincolnshire schools including the Priory Witham Academy, the Priory City of Lincoln Academy and the Priory Ruskin Academy.
References
External links
The Priory Trust
{{Authority control
Areas of Lincoln, England