Tennyson:- The poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born at Somersby in the Lincolnshire Wolds, where his father was the vicar. A favourite of Queen Victoria, he was Poet Laureate for much of her reign. He is one of the most frequently quoted writers “To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.” was inscribed in the athletes’ village at the London 2012 Olympics. Visit: the village churches of Somersby and Bag Enderby and the surrounding countryside; in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral the statue of Tennyson with his beloved dog, Karenina was created by GF Watts.
Sir Joseph Banks:- The Sir Joseph Banks Centre on Bridge Street in Horncastle, celebrates the life of this great botanist who sailed with Captain Cook on HMS Endeavour. Sir Joseph Banks lived at nearby Revesby Abbey and around 80 species of plants bear his name, he was also instrumental in making Kew Gardens the world’s leading botanical garden. His scientific discoveries were documented in his numerous journals which he kept for more than 30 years of his life. Visit: the Usher Gallery in Lincoln to see the portrait of Banks by Benjamin West.
Books about Katherine Swynford perhaps the most romantic figure of medieval times Katherine is buried in Lincoln Cathedral. The classic book from 1954, ‘Katherine’ by Anya Seton brought the story of the romance between Katherine and John of Gaunt to life, first as his mistress and then wife. They are the ancestors of most of the British Royal Family. Subsequent books on Katherine by Alison Weir and Sarah Hogg. Kettlethorpe, a modest little group of buildings deep in the Lincolnshire countryside, was the home of Katherine Swynford. Sarah Hogg now lives in Katherine’s former home and her book is called ‘Katherine’s House’. In telling the story of Kettlethorpe, it touches on some of the greatest events in our history, from the Danish invasion and the Norman Conquest to the Battle of Lincoln Fair, the Pilgrimage of Grace and the Civil War. Katherine also lived in the Cathedral Close in her later life and there are also connections with Bolingbroke Castle where John of Gaunt’s son Henry IV was born. Visit: Katherine’s tomb at Lincoln Cathedral and the Cathedral Close where she lived; the ruins of Bolingbroke Castle in the Lincolnshire Wolds village of Old Bolingbroke; Kettlethorpe church.
Colin Dexter was born in Stamford and wrote 13 detective novels about the grumpy policeman Inspector Morse. The hit TV series starred John Thaw and Kevin Whateley.
Tracy Borman from Scothern, near Lincoln is a historian, broadcaster and author. She is also Chancellor of Lincoln Bishop University and Historic Royal Palaces’ Chief Historian. She has written many books about the Tudor period, but also about Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror. Growing up in such a historic city “really did fire my imagination and my first ever job in history was dressing up as a Victorian jailer and showing visitors around Lincoln Castle”.
George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss first published in 1860, was set in Lincolnshire, although the River Floss and the village of St Ogg’s are both fictional. George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, visited Gainsborough in 1859 when researching a riverside setting for scenes in her novel. She needed a provincial town with a tidal river prone to flooding and Gainsborough met the criteria perfectly. Visit: Gainsborough Riverside Walk and Gainsborough Old Hall.
