In the year 1217 Lincoln castle was under siege by rebel barons led by the French Prince Louis, he thought to occupy the throne of the English and saw the revolt against King John’s repudiation of the 1215 Magna Carta as an opportunity.
At the time the Constable of Lincoln castle was also the Keeper of the King’s Forests of Lincolnshire, both inherited appointments from her father, Richard, she was named Nicholaa, and was also at one time the Sheriff of Lincoln.
Under Nicholaa’s leadership the castle held firm, despite a shower of missiles coming from siege engines set up around the castle by the assaulting forces.
!2 Miles away to the west in the castle at Laxton, the Keeper of the King’s Forest of Sherwood, Matilda, was sending out patrols to gather information. One found the advancing army of William Marshal at Newark and was able to guide them past the castle of Lincoln to advance down Ermine street and take the rebels by surprise from the rear, they were soon scattered and the war soon petered out.
The remarkable thing about Nicholaa is that she was at the time in her sixties. She must have been a remarkable character and by any measure still deserves recognition for her bravery.
If Lincoln had fallen England would have soon followed and we would all be speaking French now.
