The Lucy Tower is a polygonal keep, a stone wall surrounding open space at the top of a mound. Shell keeps are relatively early transitional stage from a wooden palisade, and this fits with the latest thinking that the Lucy Tower’s mound is the original Norman one, set in a dominant position on the cliff-edge in the south-west corner of the castle bailey. Timber buildings would probably originally have been built against the inside of the wall. Although the name ‘Lucy is first associated with this tower in documents from the 18th century, it is assumed to be the tower ‘fortified by the countess Lucy’ mentioned King Stephen’s charter to Lucy’s son, the earl of Chester.

The surviving walls have been reduced in height, but they still contain two original entrances: the main gate on the north-east side, and a smaller one to the south.*

By the early 19th century the interior of the keep was derelict and the space began to be used as a burial place for the unfortunates who had been executed in the prison or had died of natural causes there, even though it was not a consecrated area.*

*Lincoln Castle guide book – Scala Arts & Heritage Publisher Ltd 2015