Historic county of England
Lincolnshire
Lincs
Fen south, Lincoln Edge through the middle, Wolds and Humber north, North Sea east.
Lincolnshire is one of England’s largest counties, running from the Wash and the Fens northwards to the Humber and along a long North Sea coast. Its landscapes are spacious but far from uniform: drained fenland dominates much of the south-east, the Lincoln Edge forms a long north–south ridge, the Wolds rise across the north-east, and broad lowlands extend towards the Humber.
Lincoln stands where the Edge crosses the centre of the county, its cathedral visible far across the lower country. Lincolnshire has also traditionally been understood through its three great Parts — Lindsey, Kesteven and Holland — divisions which reflect the county’s scale and internal variety without dividing it into separate geographic counties.
- Roman & Viking Lincoln
- Shire from Anglo-Saxon era
- Fenlands & cathedral city
- Later subdivided into ‘Parts’
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 407.0 people per sq mi (157.2 people per km²)
- Population
- 1,093,390
Lindsey, Kesteven and Holland
Lincolnshire’s three traditional Parts provide a remarkably useful way to read the county. Lindsey occupies the north, Kesteven the south-west and Holland the south-east.
Each developed a strong identity of its own and was later used separately for administrative purposes, but all three remain Parts of one geographic Lincolnshire.
Fen and Edge
Southern and south-eastern Lincolnshire contain part of the Great Fen, once wetland and shallow water but transformed by drainage into exceptionally productive agricultural country.
To the west rises the Lincoln Edge, modest in absolute height but striking above the surrounding lowlands. Its long ridge creates one of the county’s most important physical and visual lines.
Wolds, Humber and coast
Further north-east, the Lincolnshire Wolds rise above the plains as rolling chalk upland. Beyond them the land falls towards the North Sea coast, while northern Lincolnshire opens towards the broad Humber.
Ports, resorts, farmland and industrial settlements therefore occupy very different landscapes along the county’s northern and eastern margins.
County questions
Questions about Lincolnshire
Are Lindsey, Kesteven and Holland separate counties?
No. They are the three traditional Parts of geographic Lincolnshire. Their later use as separate areas for local administration did not make them separate geographic counties.
Why does Lincolnshire seem so flat?
Large areas are low-lying fen, coastal plain and former wetland. The Lincoln Edge and Wolds provide higher country, but their effect is especially noticeable precisely because the surrounding land is so open and level.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Lincoln
- Alternative name
- Lincs
- County day
- 01-Oct
Lincolnshire and County of Lincoln are forms of the same county name; Lincs is the familiar abbreviation. Its three Parts, fenland, central ridge and Wolds give the county a strong structure despite its great size.