The construction of Lincoln Castle on the site of an ancient fortification, and of Lincoln Cathedral only yards away, was commissioned by William the Conqueror, as a response to the continuing resistance in the old Danelaw lands of the north to Norman rule. The castle and the Cathedral, rather like Durham Cathedral, are a monumental statement of the reality of the new regime and just who is charge. The castle, which sits on the top of the highest local hill, is unusual in having two mottes, at the southeast and southwest corners.
