King’s Lynn – A Brief History Of This Market Town

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.

Founded in 1095, where a settlement grew up around a Benedictine Abbey, this area was part of an estate owned by one Bishop De Losinga. Rights to hold markets were granted in 1101 and this charming Norfolk Town is still a market town today. Starting on Valentines Day a great fair is still held for two weeks.

In honor of the patron saint of sailors, Bishop Turbus erected the St. Nicholas’ church in the 12th century and the town steadily grew and had a population of around 5 500, which was considered to be large in those days. They exported grain, salt and wool to Europe, and imported pitch, wood, iron and fish from Scandanavia. Together with these goods, Britain’s most deadly import came in from Europe, the Black Death.

In 1331 a severe fire affected the town and perhaps this would have been fine had it happened after the Black Death which was brought in by Sailors in 1348. But unfortunately things never happen this way. The Black Death was already sweeping Europe and had it not been for trading ties, Britain’s may never have suffered this calamity. When it reached Kings Lynn it wiped out half the population. The last plague outbreak was in 1665 and thatched roofs were also banned in 1572.

Guild halls were built for trades people and religious followers and by the 13th century the town was protected by stone built walls. In 1406 the guildhall, St. Georges, was built and this still stands, it was renovated and made into a theatre in the 20th century.

While it was till Bishops Lynn this town was a magnet for religious orders and the first religious guild building built was Thoresby College. It took ten years to build and building commenced in 1500. In 1537, no religious order was safe any longer with Henry VIII on the throne. Henry took over this town also, renaming it Kings Lynn and closing abbeys, friaries and priories.

As you can imagine, there is a good deal of very interesting historical aspect to be found in this town even today, and perhaps the most significant historical landmark is Greyfriars Tower.

This tower is the only part left surviving of a medieval Franciscan priory, and is also known as the Leaning Tower. It was decaying at a very rapid rate due to weather and subsidence, but has been restored and stabilized. It also features in the BBC’s series of important restorations.

Look for hotels in King’s Lynn.

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