Lincoln green
A yellowish-green cloth colour first made in medieval Lincoln, England
Lincoln green is a yellowish-green shade once made by overdyeing blue woad-dyed wool with yellow from weld or dyers' broom. It was produced in Lincoln, England, during the Middle Ages and is closely linked with Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The colour later became part of military dress and remains a symbol of English folklore.
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- Created by overdyeing blue woad-dyed wool with yellow weld or dyers' broom
- First recorded as a colour name in English in 1510
- Closely linked with Robin Hood and his Merry Men
- Revived for military uniforms before the First World War
- Produced in the medieval English city of Lincoln
What colour is Lincoln green?
Lincoln green is a yellowish-green colour that was once famous as the shade of woollen cloth dyed in the city of Lincoln, England. The colour stands out for its link to English folklore, especially the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. It is lighter and yellower than many other greens, owing to the way it was made by layering blue and yellow dyes on wool.
Where does Lincoln green come from?
The name comes from Lincoln, a major cloth-making city in medieval England. Dyers there created the colour by first dyeing wool with woad, a plant that gives a blue shade, and then overdyeing it with yellow from weld or dyers' broom. The term 'Lincoln green' first appeared in English in 1510. The colour became old-fashioned by the late 1500s, but was remembered for its quality and its links to foresters and outlaws in English stories.
How is Lincoln green made?
To make Lincoln green, dyers first treated wool with woad to produce a strong blue. They then dyed this blue wool again with yellow weld or dyers' broom, both plants used for their yellow dye. This double-dyeing gave the cloth its distinctive green shade. The process was specific to Lincoln, setting it apart from other towns with their own signature colours.
Where Lincoln green is used
Lincoln green was most widely used for woollen clothing in medieval England, especially for cloaks and tunics. It became famous as the colour worn by Robin Hood and his followers in stories set in Sherwood Forest. In the early 1900s, the colour was revived for military uniforms, including the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and as a facing colour for the Sherwood Foresters Regiment.
What Lincoln green means
While Lincoln green is not tied to a particular meaning in faith or ritual, it is strongly associated with English folklore and the image of the forest outlaw. In literature and popular culture, it signals a connection to Robin Hood and the idea of the English greenwood.
Green around the world
What the green family means from country to country.
A green kerchief is the sign of the campaign for legal abortion. Huge crowds wore it in 2018, and the movement was called the green wave.
Politics and protestHopeSource: Green scarfGreen and gold have been the official national colours since 1984 and are worn by national sports teams. They echo the leaves and flowers of the golden wattle.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: National colours of AustraliaA Test cricketer is given a dark green cap, the baggy green, on first playing for Australia. Many players wear the same faded cap for a whole career.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Baggy greenThe green field of the flag stands for the land and its rice fields. Many people also read it as the youth and vigour of the country.
Nature and renewalPolitics and protestHopeSource: Flag of BangladeshThe flag is white, green and red. The green band, which took the place of the blue in the Russian flag, is read as the country's forests and farmland.
Politics and protestNature and renewalSource: Flag of BulgariaThe green field of the flag is commonly said to stand for the forests. It was first the colour of the House of Braganza, the family of the first emperor.
Politics and protestNature and renewalPrideSource: Flag of BrazilShades and relatives of Lincoln green
Other towns in England produced their own signature cloth colours, such as Coventry blue and Kendal green. Lincoln green is lighter and more yellow than the darker rifle green used by later military uniforms. It is sometimes confused with these other historic greens, but its method of overdyeing and its specific link to Lincoln set it apart.
Colours that go with Lincoln green
Harmonies are worked out from the value #195905. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Lincoln green
What colour is Lincoln green?
Lincoln green is a yellowish-green shade, lighter and more yellow than many other greens, made by dyeing blue woad-dyed wool with yellow from weld or dyers' broom.
Where does the name Lincoln green come from?
The name comes from Lincoln, a city in England known in the Middle Ages for its cloth industry and skilled dyers.
How was Lincoln green made?
Dyers first coloured wool with blue from woad, then overdyeing it with yellow from weld or dyers' broom to produce the green shade.
What is Lincoln green best known for?
It is best known as the colour worn by Robin Hood and his Merry Men in English folklore and stories.
Is Lincoln green still used today?
The colour was revived for some military uniforms in the early 20th century and remains a symbol in English culture, though it is no longer widely used for cloth.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Lincoln green", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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