King’s Lynn Minster, Eastern England

The name changes in King’s Lynn can be difficult to follow.  Lynn, in Norfolk, probably took its name from the tidal pool that was nearby, Lynn is also the Celtic word for pool. Lynn became one of England’s most important ports in the 12th Century. What is today known as King’s Lynn Minster, started out in 1101, when Bishop Herbert de Losinga, who built Norwich Cathedral, also founded the Church of St. Margret and St. Mary Magdalene and all the Virgin Saints, at Lynn.  This foundation was to become a Benedictine Priory.  The St. Margaret referred to in the church’s name is St. Margaret of Antioch, who was a popular Saint during the Crusader period, with many churches dedicated to her. St. Margaret of Antioch’s story, is another legend where we need to let go of reality.  Her story tells us that she was swallowed by the Devil, who took the form of a dragon, but the cross she wore around her neck irritated the dragon so much that he spat her out. Either that, or the dragons stomach exploded, depending on the version in question.

For over 400 years there was a Benedictine priory in what was then known as Lynn, or Bishop’s Lynn, as it became in the 13th Century.  Much of the land around Lynn was then owned by the church, and as the monastery was created by the Bishop, the town became known as Bishop’s Lynn. By the 13th Century, most of the original church that Bishop Losinga built had been demolished, and replaced with a larger building.  Alterations continued through the 15th Century. The name of the town was changed again in the 16th Century, when King Henry VIII decided it would be better if the town were named after him instead of a Bishop, and so it became known as King’s Lynn.

The rose window at the east end of the church is rare, in that it contains perpendicular tracery, although its glass is 19th Century.  The glass may have been destroyed in 1643, when Cromwell’s troops had the town under siege, and had set up a cannon in the churchyard on the west bank of the river.  We know that they shot a cannonball through the west window of the church. 

The Chancel originally would have been part of the monk’s church, while the laity had the Nave as their parish church. The space was always divided. The concept of the church as one space, is a modern one and belongs to the Victorians, and has no precedent in earlier time periods.  

The choir stalls in the Chancel may be the church at King’s Lynn Minster’s most important feature.  The medieval stalls in the Chancel contain well preserved 14th Century misericords.  

One of the misericords is the depiction of Edward, the Black Prince, who did not live long enough to take the throne (1330-1376). He is identified by his shield of three ostrich feathers. The shield on the opposite side contains the arms of Brittany. His father, King Edward III, died only one year later in 1377, and his son, the child King Richard II ascended the throne instead, when he was just 10 years old.

The medieval Church of St Margaret in King’s Lynn, became a Minster church in 2011 by the Bishop of Norwich, with the full support of the Borough Council, in recognition of the civic ministry offered to West Norfolk. It is now commonly referred to as King’s Lynn Minster.