Talk:Lincoln Cliff

Lincoln Edge?
I grew up in Lincoln and I've never heard it called Lincoln cliff. Lincoln Edge is the term I use.

86.133.238.180 10:40, 22 April 2006 (UTC)


 * Well having lived in Waddingham it is definitely called 'Lincolnshire Cliff' up there! The village even has a Cliff Lane which heads that way.Dsergeant 13:50, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Picking up on this discussion, I think Lincoln Edge is the preferable term for the scarp itself, as it avoids confusion with the name Lincoln Cliff. The latter is used north of Lincoln, but it refers to the whole of the Jurassic limestone ridge running north to the Humber, not just its steep western scarp (ie. the Lincoln Edge). Thus, placenames like Waddingham Cliff, Owmby Cliff and Welton Cliff refer to parish-based sub-divisions of the limesone plateau and probably date back to before enclosure.

South of Lincoln, the term Lincoln Cliff is sometimes used to refer to the scarp (Lincoln Edge), though never to the plateau, which is called the Lincoln Heath. However, I have not been able to confirm whether this is an authentic local usage or a modern one. Several bodies including North Kesteven Council use the term 'Cliff Villages', while Normanton has recently re-named itself Normanton-by-Cliffe. It is possible that 'cliff' is traditional here, as the term occurs in several places in Lincolnshire to mean a steep slope, such as Newton Cliff on the Trent and Burton Cliff or Trent Cliff at Burton-upon-Stather. Possibly, the Lincoln Edge is therefore a cliff rather than being the Lincoln Cliff? Or maybe the term Lincoln Cliff was simply used differently in Kesteven and Lindsey?

Any further info on this would be welcomed....

Jon Fox 16.6.09 217.32.193.18 (talk) 10:59, 16 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've created a redirect from Lincoln Edge to this page to help cater to both forms - I'm an outsider (west of the Pennines) - I'd always known it as Lincoln Edge but happy to accept that both are in use. cheers Geopersona (talk) 13:48, 14 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I know I'm a bit late, but I'd never heard of the term "Lincoln Edge" before I found this page - it's always been a cliff to me! Benjamin Bryztal (talk) 22:52, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * You may be interested in the discussion below at "Trent Cliff". If you have reliable sources about these names, and what they apply to, that would be good.  There is a related discussion at Talk:Burton upon Stather about its hyphenation, where the reliable sources point strongly (although not unanimously) in one direction, but a couple point in the other direction, and that other direction is also supported by people with local knowledge.
 * From a Wikipedia perspective, local knowledge is not regarded as "reliable source". Nevertheless, folk with such local knowledge are probably well-placed to unearth sources that could back it up. So in these various discussions, you may well be able to help improve the article by contributing to these areas of ambiguity.
 * Feline Hymnic (talk) 10:43, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * I am afraid I have no sources, only some local knowledge, and I'd actually never heard it called Trent Cliff either. There are places along the cliff called Welton Cliff, Hackthorn Cliff, Normanby Cliff, and Hemswell Cliff (all north of Lincoln), and there used to be an electoral division south of Lincoln just called Cliff. Lincoln also has a Cliff medical centre, and many roads and farms in the area are called things like Cliff Road or Cliff Farm. But yes, these aren't exactly reliable sources as far as Wikipedia is concerned, but unfortunately that is all I can contribute, though I'll make sure to keep an eye out and add anything I come across. Benjamin Bryztal (talk) 15:14, 21 June 2022 (UTC)

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Trent Cliff
Though this name is referenced as an alternative to Lincoln Cliff/Edge, I don't have access to the reference and so cannot check it. But is 'Trent Cliff not likely to be the name just of the separate 'cliff' or scarp which rises directly above the tidal section of the River Trent running from Scunthorpe north via Flixborough to Whitton on the Humber? The most prominent part of the scarp between Burton upon Stather and Alkborough is labelled on OS 25K mapping as 'The Cliff'. It is geologically and topographically distinct from Lincoln Edge (as I have always known the main N-S scarp feature) being some 2 - 4 km to its west, and arising where the Scunthorpe Mudstone Formation overlies the Mercia Mudstone and Penarth group rocks. cheers Geopersona (talk) 05:23, 30 June 2020 (UTC)
 * My family moved to Burton-upon-Stather in 1964, I was 7. Only today did I learn that it was also called Lincoln and Trent Cliff. -Roxy the grumpy dog . wooF 06:10, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * A Google search for "Trent Cliff" reveals almost nothing about this name in reference to the geological feature. The results are mainly about a small number of organisations adopting the name for their branding.  These seem localised to the Scunthorpe area (and slightly south including the "Trent Cliff" group of parishes at Hemswell).  The article cites a reference, but that is to a general publication that is not readily available and so unverifiable.  So I have slightly rewritten the lead along these lines, so that the term is slightly less prominent, and to the questionable exact-equivalence of the name to "Lincoln Cliff". Feline Hymnic (talk) 10:06, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * I've been thinking some more, and there are two geological features near burton (not hyphenated) that fit this bill. The first goes from the confluence of the Ouse, Trent and Humber at Alkborough in the north, south through Burton upon Stather and Burton Stather on to Flixborough and Scunny, then more or less stops. The Lincoln edge is a few miles further East and runs paralell to what I just described, and much further down the county as described in the article. I think perhaps The Cliff referred to above is not the Edge of this article. I'll see what the internetz can provide to help me in the next few hours. This has been interesting. -Roxy the grumpy dog . wooF 21:08, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Both the feature I describe are shown on this OS map. It isn't definitive for our purposes though. (Adding that by shown I mean I can see the contour lines that illustrate this.) - Roxy the grumpy dog . wooF 21:16, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Is there (or has there been) a local history society? They sometimes produce publications which can be reasonably decent at describing such things.  If you are still local there (or with connections), and/or have access to a local library, do they have anything? Feline Hymnic (talk) 21:56, 20 June 2022 (UTC)