I don't need to tell you that this year is the 800 anniversary of King John signing the first edition of the Magna Carta - signed not as the media has it at Runnymede but in Wraysbury - the other side of the river. To be fair the Magna Carta Memorial is on the flood plains of Runnymede. I know this as I studied the area for both my History & Geography "O" levels back in the dark ages of the 1970's. Being close to where I grew up in the not so historic town of Egham and attending "Magna Carta School", I was keen to see an original 1215 copy of the Charter owned by Lincoln Cathedral and housed in Lincoln Castle. Although their were revisions of Magna Carta copies were given to each of the Cathedral Cities for safe keeping, only 4 exist today.
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| Lincoln Yard & Cathedral from the Castle walls |
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| Victorian Prison |
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| Stephen finds a friend! |
This also fitted into our Wesley tour, as John and Charles Wesley father,
Samuel was familiar also with the castle, as he too stayed there for "safe Keeping", when he was sent to the castle prison for a £30 debt. Whilst there he was allowed to preach to his fellow inmates! His wife Susanna sent her rings to him in jail to cover the debt, he returned them and wrote to the Archbishop of York for help. The Archbishop a friend, paid of the debt!
Later John preached in both the
Castle Yard and in the Prison Chapel, which was rebuilt in Victorian times. Wesley also admired the
Gothic cathedral that stands opposite the castle, which he described as
"being more elegant than York Minister" - I wonder what the Archbishop thought about that!
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| Lincoln Castle |
The Prison chapel was interesting as prisoners attending were segregated into individual high box pew from where they could see the preacher but not each other - yet the preacher could see all of them!
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| Prison Chapel |
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