Lincolnshire
ceremonial county in the east of England
Lincolnshire () is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to the north, the North Sea to the east, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, and Rutland to the south, and Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and South Yorkshire to the west.
The county is predominantly rural, with an area of 6,959 km2 (2,687 sq mi) and an estimated population of 1,120,749 in 2024. The cathedral and county city of Lincoln is located in the mid-west of the county close to the county border with Nottinghamshire. The port town of Grimsby is in the north-east coast of the county, Boston in the south-east, Grantham in the south-west and Scunthorpe in the north-west. For local government purposes Lincolnshire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with seven districts, and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The last two areas are part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region, and the rest of the county is in the East Midlands. The non-metropolitan county council and two unitary councils collaborate through the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority.
The county is the second largest in England and has a varied geography. The south-east contains part of the Fens, a naturally marshy region which has been drained for agriculture, and the south-west is an upland region.
“Lincolnshire” enters the record as ceremonial county in the east of England. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Lincolnshire, ceremonial and county can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Lincolnshire” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Lincolnshire, ceremonial and county provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q23090. VIAF identifies the subject as 167021112. The Library of Congress control number is n79107974. Authority coordinates are 53.100, -0.200. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2024.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lincolnshire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lincolnshire primary sources, Lincolnshire archive and Lincolnshire research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lincolnshire”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lincolnshire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.