In the summer of 1216, soldiers supporting a French claimant to the English throne descended on Bishop’s Lynn. They captured townspeople, carried prisoners away and […]
Read moreTag: Medieval Norfolk
The Merchants Who Busted Richard the Lionheart’s Sanctions in Bishop’s Lynn
Richard the Lionheart never needed to come to Bishop’s Lynn for his foreign policy to cause trouble there. By the later 1190s, Lynn was already […]
Read moreThe Hospital That Refused to Disappear: St Mary Magdalen at King’s Lynn
A small courtyard of brick almshouses stands on Gaywood Road on the east side of King’s Lynn. Their low roofs, Dutch gables, and enclosed court […]
Read moreThe Priest, the Son, and the Scribe: Who Helped Make Margery Kempe’s Book?
Margery Kempe’s Book did not simply appear. It was argued about, postponed, mistrusted, rewritten, and copied. Behind its survival stands a small cast of men […]
Read moreThe Friars in Sackcloth: King’s Lynn’s Lost Medieval Order
A short-lived friary King’s Lynn had several medieval friaries, but one of the least visible was the house of the Friars of the Sack. Their proper […]
Read moreThe Great Guild of Lynn: The Merchants Who Prayed, Traded, and Helped Rule the Town
The building in the market place The Trinity Guildhall stands in one of the most telling positions in King’s Lynn. It faces Saturday Market Place, […]
Read moreHalf of Lynn? The d’Aubigny Family and a Medieval Myth
For centuries, one of England’s most powerful aristocratic families is said to have owned half of Lynn. It is a memorable claim. The bishop of […]
Read moreCabbages, Corruption, and Commerce: Bishop’s Lynn in Edward I’s Hundred Rolls
A boat carrying grain arrives at Bishop’s Lynn from the Fenland waterways. Before its cargo can be sold, the merchant must hire an official measuring […]
Read moreMoney, Mayors, and Mistrust in Bishop’s Lynn
Who watched the Mayor? Who controlled Lynn’s money? And who had the right to check the men who governed it? The unrest that shook Lynn […]
Read moreThe King’s Lynn Cottages That Were Once Part of a Priory
A quiet row with a deeper history Priory Cottages in King’s Lynn are easy to underestimate. They stand in Priory Lane, close to the churchyard […]
Read more