In 1588, England stood on the edge of crisis. The Spanish Armada – a fleet of over 130 ships – was on its way, aiming […]
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Charles Burney: The Scholar Who Learned To Like King’s Lynn
I Greatly Dislike This Place (King’s Lynn) After only a few days living in King’s Lynn, a young man wrote to his wife complaining that […]
Read moreThe Lover From Norfolk And The 5 Women Left Behind
Listen to a Podcast on this material. Lord Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England (approximately 25 miles north-east of King’s Lynn). […]
Read moreThe Bishop of Norwich, the Sheep, and the Unholy War
The Fighting Bishop: Henry Despenser’s 1383 Crusade A Holy War with Unholy Motives? In 1383, an English bishop led an army across the Channel with […]
Read moreRoger From Hunstanton And His Battles For The Kings
The secret meeting with the seaman at the Pastons’ in Appleton was nearly fatal for Roger from Hunstanton. The seaman (perhaps sensibly) decided that the […]
Read more1953 King’s Lynn Flood – The Bungalow and the Steam Train
The Bungalow and the Steam Train to King’s Lynn Train drivers are unfortunately used to seeing hazards on the line – timber, random objects thrown […]
Read moreSpells, Suspicion, and Sentences: English Witchcraft Laws
Introduction There may have been others, but according to the records we have, eight women were executed in King’s Lynn for being a witch. 1583 […]
Read moreHanging in Chains
Hanging in Chains (Gibbeting): Unravelling the Dark Legacy of Britain’s Spectacular Justice System From 1751 to 1834, Britain employed one of the most macabre punishments […]
Read moreCopper Shortage In King’s Lynn
King’s Lynn Farthing, 1668: A Token of Resilience in a Time of Need When the copper runs out, local traders find a creative solution. In […]
Read moreCapturing the King: the First Battle of Lincoln
The First Battle of Lincoln (February 2, 1141) The First Battle of Lincoln, fought on February 2, 1141, was a critical event during the period […]
Read moreKing’s Lynn’s Special Windmill
Ok. Technically it is a post mill. Medieval post mills were a remarkable feat of engineering and played a crucial role in the agricultural landscape […]
Read moreHerbert de Losinga
The Life and Legacy of Bishop Herbert de Losinga: Architect of Ecclesiastical Power in Norman England Herbert de Losinga: Introduction Herbert de Losinga (1050-1119), is […]
Read moreThe Perpetual Prison of Lynn’s White Martyrs
Some flee the world and shut themselves within walls, Enclose themselves in stone, and speak but little, To avoid those sins that human weakness is […]
Read moreCastle Rising Castle
Fortress and hotel for royalty near King’s Lynn Castle Rising Castle: The Beginning – Puffed Up And Looking Down Apparently William d’Aubigny II wasn’t popular […]
Read moreThree Women And A Castle
In 1138 William D’Aubigny II removed the wooden fort built by his father and started to construct the impressive Norman castle at Rising, the remains […]
Read moreThe Wars of the Roses: A Summary
A summary, and relevance to King’s Lynn A series of dynastic civil wars fought for the English throne (1455-1487) Why were they called The Wars […]
Read moreDistant Ideas In Lynn Part Two: Thomas Thoresby
Any therapist worth their salt will tell you that what we believe will largely influence what we do. If you want to understand actions, talk […]
Read moreDistant Ideas In Lynn Part One: William Sawtry
Any therapist worth their salt will tell you that what we believe will largely influence what we do. If you want to understand actions, talk […]
Read morePirates Threaten Lynn
People listening to the news in modern times about pirate raids on vessels may be shocked to learn that at various times in the past, […]
Read moreThe Wicked Farmer And Other Errors
A little knowledge can often be a dangerous thing. In telling stories historians can emphasise parts that seem important to them, or miss bits out […]
Read moreSaving the King: the Second Battle of Lincoln
The Battle of Lincoln Fair, 1217 King John’s Death When King John left Bishop’s Lynn (now King’s Lynn) on 11 October 1216, little did he […]
Read moreThe Alleged Witches Of Lynn
Are You A Witch? Let me ask you some personal questions. Do you live in East Anglia? Do you have any moles on your skin […]
Read moreDid the King’s Lynn Sailor Witness Cannibalism?
The Certainty By the time George Vancouver from King’s Lynn left Hawaii in 1779, he had experienced two things that were beyond doubt. First, the […]
Read moreKing’s Killers in King’s Lynn
Not many people know that for several years King’s Lynn produced two regicides (killers of a king). The Civil War: Promotion And Pain When the […]
Read moreJohn Capgrave
John Capgrave – the Lynn historian, hagiographer, theologian, and church leader who saw the princess with his own eyes. In 1406 the twelve year-old Princess […]
Read moreCastle Rising: National Figures
Castle Rising is a small village five miles to the northeast of King’s Lynn, and the Castle today is a ruin. Yet, despite the village’s […]
Read moreThe Jews of King’s Lynn
Prior to 1066, no Jews were recorded as living in the England. However, William the Conqueror wanted government dues to be paid in coin rather […]
Read moreLynn Lost A Chantry
The purification offset scheme that failed The Concept Of Offsetting We are familiar today with the concept of offsetting. The word appears usually in the […]
Read moreThrough Lynn to Walsingham
The second most popular place to visit in England between about 1200 and 1537 During the Middle Ages the shrine at Walsingham was the second […]
Read moreMargery Kempe’s Horses and Cries
”His death to me is as if he had died this same day …” Margery Kempe’s Business Failures In Lynn After the failure of one […]
Read moreHostage Taking in Lynn
The French Are Coming Ironically, although King John had proved himself very capable of hostage taking and demanding ransom, it was not King John who […]
Read moreLynn Priest Makes National History
One-time Lynn priest at St Margaret’s, William Sawtry, was the first person in England to be officially burned alive for heresy. He was executed at […]
Read moreThe Road to the 1688 Revolution: James, Duke of York
Summary of main events and background factors up to the death of Charles II in 1685 The 1688 Revolution marked an important milestone in the […]
Read moreLynn MP’s Netflix Conversation
Introduction Unfortunately, we are not able to be a fly on the wall when we might want to be. And there are many, many occasions […]
Read moreExecutions in King’s Lynn
Getting Your Message Across in Dramatic Ways In the days before radio, television, and social media, how did you get your messages across? You couldn’t […]
Read moreGeorge Vancouver: The Overshadowed Achiever
Innocent King’s Lynn hero attacked with a cane on a London street. Captain George Vancouver: The Caning in Conduit Street In September 1796 a 39 […]
Read moreSir Benjamin Keene
King’s Lynn man goes to Spain and helps save thousands of lives Sir Benjamin Keene 1697 – 1757 Introduction At various stages in his life […]
Read moreKing John Had At Least Three Very Cunning Plans
The leader, commemorated locally for giving Lynn a Charter in 1204, was infamous nationally for taxing certain mistresses – a trick he had adapted from […]
Read moreCastle Rising’s She-Wolf Revisited (1 of 2)
Queen Isabella – the woman who declared herself a widow while her husband still lived History isn’t always kind to people, especially if the writers […]
Read moreCastle Rising’s She-Wolf Revisited (2 of 2)
Queen Isabella – the only woman to successfully invade the country and depose an English king See Castle Rising’s She-Wolf Revisited (1 of 2) for […]
Read moreThe Riot when Bishop Henry Despenser came to Lynn
This wasn’t an afternoon for cucumber sandwiches and tea on the lawn. The bishop was running. His horse had bolted, and he was wounded. He […]
Read moreHanseatic League and King’s Lynn (2 of 3)
What was the Hanseatic League? The Hanseatic League was an organization founded by the Northern European Baltic and German trading towns and cities to protect […]
Read moreHanseatic League and King’s Lynn (1 of 3)
Why did trade disputes miles away at sea end up leaving such a mark on a Norfolk Market Town? The Bay Fleet Attacks In the […]
Read moreThe Siege of King’s Lynn 1643 (4) – Afterwards
(4 of 4) Local aristocrat convicted of spying and treachery. Execution date fixed for 2 January. “Sir, God hath taken away your son by cannonshot […]
Read moreThe Siege of King’s Lynn 1643 (3) – Ending
(3 of 4) Lynn’s complete legal establishment enter tough negotiations. “In our passage through the towne, not one man appeared, only women, who for the […]
Read moreThe Siege of King’s Lynn 1643 (2) – Grenadoes
(2 of 4) Lynn MP Escapes House Arrest Through Window Thomas Toll, one of the two Parliamentarian MPs for King’s Lynn, escaped house arrest through […]
Read moreThe Siege of King’s Lynn 1643 (1) – Which Side?
(1 of 4) He spent “£5. 5s when he travailed to avoyd the Troopers”. Alice Lestrange family accounts The Siege of Lynn: Which Side Are […]
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