Sir Francis Hill's volumes on the history of the City of Lincoln are a historical monument for which it is not easy to think of a parallel. Written by a distinguished (and very busy) public man, they are works of patient scholarship. They give a survey of the growth and development of one of England's ancient boroughs: a county town, a cathedral city, and a centre of trade and industry. Medieval Lincoln, first published in 1948 and now reprinted, is recognized as a model of what local history should be. It is based on primary sources, it is local without being parochial, and uses a close study as a key to medieval history as a whole. The plan is mainly chronological; Lincoln is studied from Roman times to the fifteenth century. There are also chapters on certain topics of particular local interest: the minster, the castle and the bail, parish churches and religious houses, the Jews, the Mayor and Commonalty, communications and trade, and fields and pastures. There are seven Appendices; twenty-two plates; and the figures include useful detailed maps.
