King’s Lynn – Norfolk From The Middle Ages Till Today

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March112010

King's Lynn - Norfolk From the Middle Ages Till Today

Norfolk is the beautiful county which is home to King’s Lynn, once named Bishops Lynn until Henry VIII renamed it for himself. Lynn is a word from medieval English, and it is used to describe a tidal pool, which is the Oust at Kings Lynn, so this is actually both a port and a market town.

Religion played a large role in populating towns in medieval times and this is the case with Kings Lynn which once belonged to the Bishop De Losinga. An abbey was erected by Benedictine Monks and the town grew around this from 1095. This bishop also bestowed market rights on the town and the annual fair is still held today, starting on St. Valentines Day. Weekly markets are also still a feature of Kings Lynn.

In the 12th Century Bishop Turbus a church was erected in the honor of the patron saint of sailors, St. Nicholas, and Kings Lynngrew to become a large and very important town with a population of around 5 500 residents. Salt, wool and grain were exported from this port, while timber, pitch iron and fish came in from Scandinavia by sea and this may have proved its downfall.

Plague was sweeping Europe and came into England because of trading routes, many outbreaks of these decimated populations of British people, with the first outbreak in 1348 killing half the residents of Kings Lynn. Fire was also a problem, but Thatched roofs were banned way back in 1572 and the last outbreak of the Black Death was recorded in 1665.

Trades people and religious order built guildhalls in the town and the St. Georges was one of the first built in 1406. This was made into a theatre in the 20th century, and in the 13th century the first stone wall was built to protect the town.

Being a magnet for pilgrims and religious orders the then Bishops Lynn, got Thoresby College in 1500, this was completed in 1510. However by 1537 King Henry VIII was on the rampage regarding the Catholic religion and he took over the town, renamed it Kings Lynn, closing down a swathe of friaries, Priories and Abbeys, and the rest as they say is history.

Kings Lynn has a very interesting and busy history and the most remarkable pieces of history which is still standing is the Greyfriars Tower, although there are also many other buildings or parts of building with historic significance.

This feature is the only surviving part of a magnificent Franciscan friary from medieval times. The tower was rapidly decaying in recent times until it found itself a finalist in the 2003 series of BBCs Restoration. This brought attention to the leaning tower as it is called and it has now been completely repaired.

Look for hotels in King’s Lynn.