There have been a variety of influential figures from the Lincolnshire Wolds throughout history, and you can walk in their footsteps! From the place where Alfred, Lord Tennyson had his very first poems printed to the birthplace of the explorer saved by Pocahontas, there's plenty of stories to uncover.
Spilsby’s famous explorer
Sir John Franklin was born in Spilsby in 1786. After joining the Navy as a teenager, he fought in two of the most famous sea battles – Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar in 1805.
His first expedition to the Arctic took pace in 1819, and he chartered over 1,000 miles of the Arctic coast. It is said during this first trip, Franklin and his companions were forced to eat the lichen and leather from their boots in order to survive!
Franklin made his last voyage at the age of 59 to the Northwest Passage between Canada and the Arctic. The entire expedition disappeared and it was 12 years before it was confirmed that Franklin had died on Beechy Island in July 1847.
A statue commemorating the famous explorer can be seen in the marker place in Spilsby.
To discover more about Franklin’s life, follow Sir John Franklin's trail map.
The footsteps of Lord Tennyson
The Lincolnshire Wolds is home to the birthplace of Alfred, Lord Tennyson – the most successful poet of the Victorian era.
Born in the village of Somersby in 1809, Tennyson was the third surviving child of Reverend George Clayton and Elizabeth Tennyson. After attending the local village school as well as being taught by their father, at the age of 7 Tennyson was sent to Louth Grammar School.
In April 1827, Tennyson had his first poems printed by Jacksons Booksellers and Printers in Louth. Jacksons paid Alfred and his brother Charles £20 for the copyright of the ‘Poems by Two Brothers’ and the brothers spent some of this money hiring a carriage to ride to Mablethorpe, a favourite holiday destination, and shouted their poetry joyously to the sea.
Despite finally settling in Farringford on the Isle of White with his wife Emily, the Lincolnshire Wolds always remained in his heart and continued to be reflected in much of his work.
To find out more about Tennyson’s life, love, heartbreak and see the places which gave him so much inspiration, follow Alfred, Lord Tennyson's trail map.
Lincolnshire’s distinguished botanist
Sir Joseph Banks – naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences – was raised at Revesby Abbey, situated on the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens. He is one of the most influential men in Georgian England and was involved in not only the development of the county, but the development of the world.
It was during his schooling at Eton that the explorer first began to show an interest in nature, ultimately leading to his further education in botany at Oxford.
With the sudden death of his father in 1761, Banks was thrust into property and land management as he inherited numerous Lincolnshire estates.
His interest in exploration led to his voyage on the infamous ship, the Endeavour, to assist Captain Cook on his travels to the South Seas and Australia.
You can find out more about Banks and his life in Lincolnshire by following Sir Joseph Banks' Trail Map.
Home to Captain John Smith
The Wolds is home to the birthplace of Captain John Smith, the soldier, explorer and author who helped establish the first permanent English colony in North America, a decade before the Pilgrim Fathers set sail.
Born in the Lincolnshire village of Willoughby, Alford in 1580, Smith is regarded as one of the country’s most famous explorers. The son of an ordinary yeoman farmer, he had great ambitions and courage and rose through the ranks of English society to become the Captain of Cavalry with his own coat of arms – the mark of a ‘gentleman’.
In 1607 Smith became an important leader of the first permanent settlement in the New World at Jamestown, Virginia. He ensured his survival by building a relationship with Virginian Indians – one of whom was the legendary Pocahontas, who is said to have saved Smith’s life when he was due to be executed by her father.
Captain John Smith’s historic journey began in a small Lincolnshire village, and the font from which he is Christened is still in St. Helena’s Church today, alongside a window depicting his remarkable life.
