Cathedral Quarter

     More madness from Lincoln...

     Not content with the new cultural quarter in Lincoln, the 'Uphill' area of Lincoln - the ancient 'Bail' and not quite so ancient 'Close' - has been renamed the 'Cathedral Quarter'....in fact the 'Bail' - the part of the City that lies within the walls of the Roman upper city - has be known by that name for the best part of a thousand years. Up until the 'reforms' of the nineteenth century it lay outside the jurisdiction of the City; being the outer bailey of Lincoln castle it was under the authority of the Duchy of Lancaster and was administered by a Steward and Court Leet. The 'Close', which encircles the Cathedral, was a later division of the City and formed a fortified enclosure for the protection of both the cathedral and its staff; two of the gates survive, another is a Regency/Victorian 'creation'. It was administered by the Dean and Chapter via a Court Leet that met within the Galilee porch of the cathedral.