Although Gainsborough was a former capital of England, councils responsible for Gainsborough didn’t bid for city status. Winning city status can provide a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there, as is the case with previous winners, where the local economies benefited from their improved national and global standing.
Boston was the only town applying for city status in Lincolnshire, however was unsuccessful. Michelle Sacks, deputy chief executive (growth), at Boston Borough Council, said that although there is “some disappointment” that Boston was not chosen as one of the new cities, the town’s profile was raised just by taking part in the competition.
Doncaster, in South Yorkshire and close to Gainsborough, was granted city status.
A city doesn’t need to have to be densely populated; The City of Ripon has 16,702 inhabitants, Llanelwy (St Asaph) has 3,355 inhabitants, Tyddewi (St Davids) has 1,841 inhabitants and Truro has 18,766 inhabitants.
The successful bidders have joined 69 current cities in the UK – with 51 in England, six in Wales, seven in Scotland and five in Northern Ireland. There a now 8 new cities in the UK.
Gainsborough was named as capital of the country, and also Denmark
Towards the end of July 1013, the Dane Sweyn Forkbeard and his son and heir Cnut (Canute) arrived in Gainsborough with an army of conquest. Sweyn defeated the Anglo-Saxon opposition and King Ethelred fled the country.
Sweyn was declared King of England and returned to Gainsborough.
Sweyn and Cnut took up high office at the Gainsborough Castle on the site of the present-day Old Hall, while his army occupied the camp at Thonock (now known as Castle Hills). However, Sweyn died, or perhaps was killed five weeks later in Gainsborough. His son Cnut established a base elsewhere. So Gainsborough was named as capital of England and of Denmark for five weeks in the year 1013.
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