Fosters Field Finds

A Memory of Lincoln.

As a child in the late 50's I used live in Fairfield Street opposite the Monks Abbey. Every day after the school day was finished at Monks Road school, I used play around the Abbey ruins and Fosters field as well as the Arboretum. Fosters field was the area where I used to find in the ground old coins and broken old clay pipes. The old coins I used to take to the museum where the old wizened old curator had them dated for me. One such coin was dated as 4th Century Roman. One day whilst digging a shallow trench looking for coins, I came across a long stone step, 4 or 5 feet long about 12" under the soil and then another one about a foot further up the field. After I had discovered 3 stone steps that followed the South to North path I went to see the museum curator and told him about my find. He told me he would tell someone important. But as the months progressed and nothing happened, he explained to me that there was so much `old stuff` to investigate that my discovery had been logged and filed away. Shortly afterwards I left to live in Australia and upon my return after 20 years I visited the field and found the area exactly as I had left it. My trenches were gone of course, again covered in soil and grass, forgotten over the years. I now live in the States still fascinated by the `old stuff` of yesteryear. But sometimes I wonder. Why was I finding Roman coins in Fosters Field. What were the stone steps used for and by whom? Guess I'll never know. One day perhaps there will be a strong enough reason and interest to investigate Fosters Field. But since my finds of coins and the stone steps, 58 years have passed. And yes, I still wonder...what if...?

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