Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower
She paid a king five hundred marks for the right to be left alone. She outlived three husbands, presided over one of the most strategically significant castles in England, and left such an indelible mark on Lincoln Castle that a tower still bears her name nine centuries later. Yet Lucy of Bolingbroke remains one of the least-known powerful women of the Norman era – overshadowed, perhaps, by the very castle she helped to shape.
Today, I’m bringing this important but forgotten woman back into the light (as much as I can).
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Biographies
- 12 Aug 2026 Reginald FitzUrse: The Bear Knight Who Slayed a Saint 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen, Duchess, and Mother of Rebels 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 Henry II of England – The Jailer of Queens 12 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Geoffrey of Anjou: The Handsome Count Who Founded the Plantagenet Dynasty (Died 7th September 1151) 11 Aug 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower 3 Jul 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Muriel of Lincoln 3 Jul 2026
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Countries and Places
- 10 Aug 2026 Willikin of the Weald: Was He the Real Inspiration for Robin Hood? 10 Aug 2026
- 3 Aug 2026 The Real Sheriff of Nottingham? 3 Aug 2026
- 6 Jul 2026 Lincoln's Lost Castle: The Rise and Fall of Thorngate 6 Jul 2026
- 23 Jun 2026 Why the Plantenet Angevins Ruled Half of Europe 23 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 Bloodbath at the Lionheart’s Coronation 22 Jun 2026
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Crime and Justice
- 12 Aug 2026 Henry II of England – The Jailer of Queens 12 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Geoffrey de Mandeville – The Terror of Widows and Nuns 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Philippe II (Augustus) of France Humiliated Queen Ingeborg 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Fulk V of Anjou: the King Who Beat His Queen 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Matthew of Boulogne: The Count Who Kidnapped a Nun 11 Aug 2026
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Everyday Life
- 17 Aug 2026 Capons, Cocks and Hens: Keeping Chickens in Medieval England 17 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 All Souls’ Day: Soul Cakes, Prayer and Memory 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 All Hallows’ Day: The Feast of All Saints 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 All Hallows’ Eve: The Vigil of the Departed 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 Lanterns and Mischief: From Samhain Fires to Punkie Night 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 What Is Allhallowtide? The Three Days of the Dead… 12 Aug 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 What Languages Did Jews Speak in Medieval England? 22 Jun 2026
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Historical Events
- 12 Aug 2026 Reginald FitzUrse: The Bear Knight Who Slayed a Saint 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 The Shadow of Becket: How a Murder Shook the Kingdom 12 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Princes Without Power: Why Henry the Young King Rebelled 11 Aug 2026
- 27 Jul 2026 What really burned at York Castle in 1190? 27 Jul 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 The Battle of Fornham: When a Countess Rode to War and Changed Medieval England Forever 22 Jun 2026
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Historical Fiction
- 12 Aug 2026 Zipporah, the Wife of Moses 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 The Revenant of Hereford: Walter Map’s Medieval Walking Dead 12 Aug 2026
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People
- 12 Aug 2026 The Shadow of Becket: How a Murder Shook the Kingdom 12 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Princes Without Power: Why Henry the Young King Rebelled 11 Aug 2026
- 10 Aug 2026 Willikin of the Weald: Was He the Real Inspiration for Robin Hood? 10 Aug 2026
- 3 Aug 2026 The Real Sheriff of Nottingham? 3 Aug 2026
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Religion Magic and Belief
- 12 Aug 2026 All Souls’ Day: Soul Cakes, Prayer and Memory 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 All Hallows’ Day: The Feast of All Saints 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 All Hallows’ Eve: The Vigil of the Departed 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 The Revenant of Hereford: Walter Map’s Medieval Walking Dead 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 Lanterns and Mischief: From Samhain Fires to Punkie Night 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 What Is Allhallowtide? The Three Days of the Dead… 12 Aug 2026
- 27 Jul 2026 What really burned at York Castle in 1190? 27 Jul 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 Bloodbath at the Lionheart’s Coronation 22 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 What Languages Did Jews Speak in Medieval England? 22 Jun 2026
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Time Periods
- 11 Aug 2026 Geoffrey of Anjou: The Handsome Count Who Founded the Plantagenet Dynasty (Died 7th September 1151) 11 Aug 2026
- 23 Jun 2026 Why the Plantenet Angevins Ruled Half of Europe 23 Jun 2026
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Women in History
- 12 Aug 2026 Zipporah, the Wife of Moses 12 Aug 2026
- 12 Aug 2026 Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen, Duchess, and Mother of Rebels 12 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Geoffrey de Mandeville – The Terror of Widows and Nuns 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Philippe II (Augustus) of France Humiliated Queen Ingeborg 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Fulk V of Anjou: the King Who Beat His Queen 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug 2026 Matthew of Boulogne: The Count Who Kidnapped a Nun 11 Aug 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower 3 Jul 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Muriel of Lincoln 3 Jul 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 The Battle of Fornham: When a Countess Rode to War and Changed Medieval England Forever 22 Jun 2026
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- Adeliza de Meschines
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- Thomas Becket
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- was Clifford’s Tower wooden
- Waterside North Broadgate history
- Why did Henry the Young King Rebel
- WIllikin of the Weald
- Women in History
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