THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE 
 
 H I S T O K Y 
 
 OP 
 
 LYNN, 
 
 Civil, Ecclesiastical, Political, Commercial, Biographical, 
 Municipal, and Military , 
 
 FROM 
 THE EARLIEST ACCOUNTS TO THE PRESENT TIMEj 
 
 INTERSPERSED 
 
 With occasional remarks on such national occurrences as may serve t 
 
 elucidate the real state of the town, or the manners, charactei, 
 
 and condition of the inhabitants at different periods. 
 
 TO WHICH IS PREFIXED 
 
 A COPIOUS INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT 
 
 Situation, Harbour, Rivers, Inland Trade and Navigation^ 
 the Ancient and Modern State 
 
 i, ftHfebeacf), autu tl;e 
 
 AND 
 
 Whatever is most remarkable, memorable, or interesting, in otbep 
 parts of the adjacent country, 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES, 
 
 BY WILLIAM RICHARDS, M. A. 
 
 Honorary member of the Pennsylvania Society, for promoting the Abolition 
 <lf Slavery, and the relief qf free Xegroes unlawfully held in bondage. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LYNN : 
 
 FAINTED BT W. G. WHITT1NGHAM, 
 SOLO BY R. BALDWIN J l-ATERWOoItK ROWj LONDOM 
 
 1812.
 
 DA 
 
 PHEFACE, 4 
 
 Materials for a history of Lynri 1iave been 
 Collected as long ago as the reign of Charles II. 
 by Guybon Goddard, then recorder of this town, 
 and brother-in-law of Sir William Dugdale. At 
 bis death, which happened, if we are not mista- 
 ken, about 1677, those materials came into the 
 possession of his son Tho. Goddard Esq ; from 
 whom our corporation soon after endeavoured to 
 obtain them ; but we cannot learn that they then 
 succeeded ; nor does it appear that they ever 
 came into their hands. What became of them, 
 whether still in being or not, we have never' 
 been able to learn : and it is presumed that all th 
 present members of our body corporate are equal* 
 ly uninformed, see p. 821, 
 
 About forty years after the death of Guybon 
 Goddard, another attempt was made to produce 
 or compile a history of this town> by a nameless 
 person, but evidently a learned, ingenious, and 
 industrious man. Unfortunately his, attention 
 chiefly engaged about the churches, and e- 
 
 tZf\ 4 --v.'~* Oi 
 
 5>oJLbiR| .:- 
 
 ENGLISH LOCAL
 
 IV 
 
 pccially the monuments and monumental inscrip- 
 tions which they contained. These he took no 
 small pains with, and made fair drawings of most 
 of them. This work he carefully arranged, and 
 fairly wrote out. ;It forms a moderate folio volume, 
 and is now in the possession, or at least in the 
 hands, of Mr. Thomas King of this town, for 
 we are informed that Dr. Adams is the real own- 
 er of it. There are at the end of it some curious 
 documents relating to divers ancient customs and 
 occurrences, of which the compiler of the present 
 history has in some measure availed himself. The 
 volume was finished in 1724 1 , and the author, it' 
 seems, died soon after. 
 
 Within a few years after his death^the work 
 fell into the hands of Mr. B. Mackercll, who, 
 after making- a few paltry additions to it> actually 
 published the greatest part of it verbatim under 
 his own name, and it constitutes the bulk of that 
 volume which has ever since been called, Mack- 
 erell's History of Lynn. This act or achieve- 
 ment is disreputable to Mackerell's memory; but 
 the plagiarism has been scarcely known or notic- 
 ed till now. He makes, in his preface, some 
 slight obscure mention of the MS. but deigns not 
 to tell the author's name,, though it must have 
 been well known to him. He also boasts of his 
 having had free access to the town-records, and 
 having "diligently searched and perused them, for 
 a considerable time together." For aught we 
 know., this may be all very true ; but if it be so., he
 
 T 
 
 must have laboured to very small purpose, as all 
 the discoveries he has been able to make amount 
 to very little, and may be comprised within a very 
 narrow compass. 
 
 Parkin also, in his continuation of JBloornfield's 
 History of Norfolk, and in his Topography of 
 Freebridge Hundred and Half, has published a 
 history of Lynn, of above fifty large folio pages. 
 It is in few hands, and little known; and though it 
 contains much useful information, (very ill 
 arranged,) it has no pretension to the character 
 of a complete history of the town. The same may 
 be said of what has since appeared, in the octavo 
 history of -Norfolk published at Norwich, and, 
 more recently, in the Norfolk Tour, and the Beau- 
 ties of England; the former from the pen of Mr. 
 Beatnijfe, and the latter from that of Mr. Britton. 
 All these are mere Epitomes, and never fail to 
 excite in their readers a wish to see a more copious 
 and complete history of the place. Such a wish 
 has been often and very generally expressed; and 
 some years ago, a youngman, of the name of Z)e- 
 lamore, offered to gratify it, and supply this de- 
 ficiency and lack of service. He accordingly cir- 
 culated printed proposals for publishing, by sub- 
 scription , a larger account of the town than any 
 that had yet appeared. But not meeting with 
 sufficient encouragement, he dropt the design, 
 and soon after quitted this vicinity. What ma- 
 terials he possessed, or how competent he was, 
 for the undertaking, the present writer is notable
 
 to say. But it is very clear that the public 
 Were not disposed to favour his proposal. 
 
 For some years after the last mentioned occur- 
 rence, there was no talk or expectation of a nevr 
 history of Lynn. . But somewhat more than se- 
 ven years ago, a sudden and severe domestic af- 
 fliction (from the effects of which he has never re- 
 covered) obliged the present writer to seek in soli- 
 tude Rome alleviation of his soriow, which he des- 
 paired of finding in the way of social inteicourse, 
 and even found himself incapable of attempting it, 
 without offering unbearable violence to his feel- 
 ings. Thus shut up in retirement, and buried a- 
 mong books, he tried to beguile his melancholy, 
 by forming and pursuing ceitain literal y pro- 
 jects; among which was an ecclesiastical history 
 of Wales, which had often before employed his 
 thoughts; and likewise a general history oj Lynn* 
 which has been his place of residence now near 
 forty years, and whose history had also, not un- 
 frequently, engaged his attention. In both these 
 woiks he made some progress; which coming 
 to the knowledge of his friends, they urged him 
 to publish, but they were not agreed which should 
 be published first: some called for the former 
 work, of which some hundreds of copies were soon 
 subscribed for ; others advised him to complete 
 and publish the History of Lynn first, and these 
 prevailed it being more convenient for him just 
 then to attend to this than to the other. An agree- 
 ment was consequently made with one of the book*
 
 vii 
 
 tellers for its publication ; and the public mani- 
 fested a disposition to encourage the undertaking. 
 
 When the work was sent to the press, it was 
 fully intended that it should all be comprised in 
 one volume; and this intention was persisted irv, 
 till 7 or 800 pages had been printed off. By 
 that time the author had received a large and un- 
 expected quantity of new matter, much of it very 
 curious and interesting, which many of his sub- 
 scribers wished him to make use of and insert. 
 He was therefore induced and constrained to de- 
 part from his original design, and extend the work 
 to two volumes. But as it was then too late to 
 have the pages numbered accordingly, they were 
 of course continued in a regular series through 
 both volumes, so as to amount in all to above 
 J200. 
 
 The enlargement or extension of the work, be- 
 yond the original design, has occasioned some de- 
 rangement of. the author's first plan, so as to give 
 the latter part of the work somewhat of the ap- 
 pearance of disorder and confusion ; which the 
 author sincerely regrets, but it was perhaps un- 
 avoidable, as the case stood. Had he possessed at 
 first all the materials he has since obtained, he 
 flatters himself that the task he undertook had 
 been much better executed. Some of the latter 
 or lately received documents were found to cast 
 a new light on divers facts previously stated, so 
 as to Convince the author that he had been in se-
 
 veral instances mistaken. He therefore never 
 failed to seize the earliest opportunity to rectify 
 those mistakes ; for he was fully resolved to make 
 his history the vel icle of truth., as far as it Jay in 
 his power. Of this he thinks he has given fre- 
 quent proofs. Yet even this very practice, of rec- 
 tifying, without loss of time,, any mistakes which 
 he found he had previously fallen into,, will prob- 
 ably be classed, by some, among the defects of this 
 performance. Be it so. He is more desirous of 
 being classed among honest men, and lovers of 
 truth, than among polished writers, or metho- 
 dical and elegant historians. 
 
 As to the CRITICS, annual, and quarterly, as 
 well as monthly, he has but little to say to them. 
 He is very sensible of the defects of the work ; 
 many of which however were unavoidable, in 
 existing circumstances, or in a first attempt like 
 his, where many of the necessary materials were 
 not in his possession, or at his command, and seem- 
 ed for a long while unobtainable. Should the work 
 come before their high tribunal, he asks no fa- 
 vour. They will doubtless see in it many defects, 
 but not more perhaps than he is himself consci- 
 ous of. They are welcome however to be as se- 
 vere as they please, provided they deal fairly, or 
 with reason and justice. It may be less cruel to 
 exercise their severity here, than upon some young- 
 authors, who are in quest of, and panting for po- 
 pular applause, or literary fame; neither of which 
 Jias ever been sought for by the present writer.
 
 The Work being now finished, after many un- 
 foreseen delays, the author respectfully submits it 
 to the examination and judgment of the candid 
 and intelligent reader, by whom, he doubts not, 
 both its merits and demerits will be rightly esti- 
 mated. Whatever may be said or thought of the 
 Execution, he thinks it must be admitted, that 
 there is here brought together such a mass of in- 
 teresting information relating to this town, as few 
 people could have expected to see, when .the -de- 
 sign of this publication was first advertised. So 
 that there may now be obtained as much know- 
 ledge of the ancient and modern affairs of this 
 town, asof most towns in the county, or in theking- 
 dom. He regrets that so many typographical er- 
 rors escaped him in revising the sheets; the chief 
 of which he has now pointed out, in a table of errata, 
 (which will be found in each volume,) by the di- 
 rection of which he requests the subscribers 
 forthwith to correct the reading. 
 
 It may have been expected, that this work 
 would contain a list of our mayors-, but as no 
 such list was known of, that might be depended 
 upon for its correctness, it has been omitted : nor 
 did it seem to be at all material, unless it had al- 
 so been accompan ied with lists of the recorders, 
 and other functionaries, which appeared unob- 
 tainable. It was intended to add an alphabet- 
 ical Index ; but as it would take up some time, 
 and increase too much the size of the concluding 
 number, (already almost three times as large as 
 
 lit
 
 X 
 
 ny of the others,) the design was given up. Th6 
 Table of contents, it is hoped, will supply, in a 
 great measure, the want of an index. Be that as 
 it may, the work is now left to take its chance 
 and make its own way in the World the author 
 consoling himself with the consciousness of having 
 faithfully and honestly performed the task ho had 
 Undertaken. 
 
 Lynn, July, 1812.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 OF THE FIRST VOLUME^ 
 
 PART I. INTRODUCTION^ 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Site of Lynn-~account of its harbour, and that of Wisleach ancient 
 nd present state of its rivers inland navigation drainage projects of 
 improvement 'state of its shipping, commerce, and population, at diffe- 
 rent periods. 
 
 SECT. 1. Situation oF the town its distance from the sea* &c. its 
 harbour river Ouse and its tributary streams Page 1 
 
 SECT. 2. Further account of the river Ouse remarkable phenome- 
 nonthe poet Cowper supposed etymology of the name of Wisbeach 
 the Ouse diverted from its ancient course and outlet king John's 
 disastrous passage over that river, in his last progress from Lynn Ex- 
 tracts from Vancouver 8 
 
 SECT. 3. Effects of the desertion of the Ouse and Nene, on Wisbeach 
 and parts adjacent .....15 
 
 SECT. 4. Effects on Lynn and its harbour and navigation, of the great 
 accession of fresh waters in the reign of Henry III 22 
 
 SECT. 5. Eaubrink Cut and other projects of former times with slight 
 hints on the comparative state of the shipping, commercial consequence 
 
 and population of Lynn at different periods 27 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of Marshland and adjoining parts, or great Fen Country View of 
 their situation and revolutions in remote ages, or sketch of their ancient 
 history. 
 
 SECT. 1. Account of their state before and after the arrival of the Ro- 
 mans character of that people establishment of their power here 
 improvements made by them in these parts 3? 
 
 SECT. 2. Further strictures on the ancient state of this country, and 
 on the wonderful change it appears to have undergone at a very remote 
 and unknown period; from De Serra's account of a submarine forest on 
 the coast of Lincolnshire 37 
 
 SECT. 3 Further observations from same 1 paper- Epoch of the de- 
 struction of the said forest agency by which it was effected, &c. simi- 
 lar appearances eastward along thu Norfolk coast 42 
 
 SECT. 4. Some further geological observations relating to the fens, 
 extracted from Dugdale's Letter, to Sir Thomas Browne,. ...,...., .....49 
 
 b
 
 Xll 
 
 SECT. 5. Concise view of the ancient and modem history of the Fen 
 country , from Pennant's Preface to his 3rd. vol. of Arctic Zoology. ...52 
 
 SECT. 6. Further account of the Fens, from the Beauties of England. 58 
 
 SECT. 7. Of the Fens from the time of Henry V11I, or rather that 
 of Elizabeth, to the Revolution ; giving an accum t of the different pro- 
 jects of improvement proposed and carried on during that period 64 
 
 SECT. 8. Same subject continued to the present time 70 
 
 SECT. 9. Miscellaneous observations on the present appearance, pro- 
 duce, and state of the Fens. 74 
 
 SGCT. 10. Miscellaneous observations continued fen-reeds and their 
 uses starlings tame geese, and singular management of them insalu- 
 briousness of Marshland ancient celebrity of the smecth decoys... 7f 
 
 SFCT. 11. Brief remarks pn the parish churches of Marsh'and and Hol- 
 land ; with a short sketch of the history of the cast. e and town ofWis- 
 jbeach 87 
 
 SECT, 12. History of Wisbeach continued 99 
 
 SECT. I?. Additional account of Marshland Parkin bishop of Ely's 
 manor in Terrington queen Henrietta admiral Bentinck-r- cross keys 
 demohshers of banks prosecuted and suppressed high tides -iestruct- 
 ive inundations principal divisions of Marshland 112, 
 
 SECT. 14- Biographical sketches of some of the most distinguished per. 
 sonages of other times in Marshland and its vicinity 121 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the parts about Lynn, on the eastern side of the Oust. 
 SECT. 1. Aspect of the country its agriculture and rural economy 
 Wayland wood 'memoir of Shuckforth -parish churches and other edi- 
 fices, 'ancient and modern 135 
 
 SECT. 2. Further account of castles, edifices, and places of ancient note 
 in these parts Brancaster Rising Hunston Castle-acre Worme- 
 gay Middjeton Gay wood, &c? 14($ 
 
 SECT. 3. Account of modt rn palaces, and other notable mansions in 
 these parts Houghton Holkham Rainham Narford Narborough 
 Oxborough 162 
 
 SECT 4. Biographical sketches of some of the most celebrated or me- 
 morable personages who were of this part of the country Coke- 
 Sir Henry and Sir John Spelman L'Estrange Walpole Fountain- 
 Folkes Horace Walpole Nelson Bewley 174 
 
 SECT. 5. Of the animals, and particularly the birds, of this country 193 
 
 SECT 6. Brief account of places hereabout, before omitted Sechey 
 
 Runcton Downham Denver Helgay Southery Feltwell-^r 
 
 Methwold Stoke, &c. Feltwell new-fen-district Fincham Sw^ff-
 
 Xlll 
 
 flam -BabingleySharnborne great malthouse Hunston Light-house 
 &c... 20l 
 
 PART tl. OF THE ORIGIN AVD ANTIQUITY op LTNN,-WTTH A SKETCH or 
 
 ITS HIStORV FROM ITS FIRST RISE TO THE NORMAN CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of Lynn while Britain formed a part of the Raman empire. 
 
 SECT. 1. Present town or borough of Lynn of no great antiquityits 
 Site not the same with that of the original town the probable site of the 
 latter, and era of its origin ....213 
 
 SECT. 2. Digression relating to the first introduction of Christianity 
 into Britain Bardism 216 
 
 SECT 3- Ancient history of Lynn continuedtown supposed to have 
 been founded by a colony of foreigners introduced by the Romans ety- 
 mology of its name mistakes of Camden, Spelman, &c 220 
 
 SECT. 4. Lynn the mother-town of the fens further account of its 
 supposed founders and original inhabitants remarkable works executed 
 by them great improvers of the country account continued to the ex- 
 tinction of the Roman power 223 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Immediate consequence of the abdication of the country by the Ramans, 
 mnd probable fate of Lynn. 
 
 SECT. 1. Character of the Anglo-saxons, with general observations 
 en the invasion and conquest of this country by them, and their barba- 
 rous treatment of the inhabitants 228 
 
 SECT. 2. Of the ANGLES, from whom England and the English lan- 
 guage derive their names they seize on the parts about Lynn, and the 
 whole province of the ancient ICENI, which receives the denomination of 
 East Anglia, and forms one of the kingdoms of the heptarchy revival of 
 Lynn in the mean time with remarks on the adjacent country 235 
 
 SECT. 3. Of the Saltworks formerly at and about Lynn paucity of 
 appropriate materials to elucidate that subject apology 239 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the religious profession of the first Anglian inhabitants of Lynn-* 
 their renouncing heathenism, and assuming the Christian name account 
 of their conversion, and character of their Christianity. 
 
 SECT. 1. Heathenism the religion of this town at the commencement 
 of the heptarchy our townsmen and the rest of the East Angles, with, 
 tho other branches of the Heptarchy, become professors of Christianity 
 account of their conversion....,,,.,,.,,., , t ...,.f...-24I
 
 Xiv 
 
 SECT. 9. Effectsof the conversion of the East Angles, and the sister 
 kingdoms character of their Christianity ....244 
 
 SECT. 3. Christianity of the ancient iuhabitants of Lynn and of thia 
 country further characterized whether very materially improved during 
 the reign of ALFRED remarks on that reign papal instructions to the 
 first missionaries.. ., ......24S 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Miscellaneous observations, on the social distinctions and the genera! 
 state of the community among the Anglo-Saxons. 
 
 SECT. 1. State of' society at Lynn^and in this country, before the 
 conquest 253 
 
 SECT. 2. Of the Wittenagemote and other courts maxims of jurispru- 
 dence institution of tythings nuptial and funeral rites sacerdotal, 
 domestic, and other customs among the Anglo-Saxons 258 
 
 SECT. 3- State of learning, and of the medical profession, among the 
 .Anglo-Saxons 264 
 
 SECT. 4. Expressive and remarkable names of the months state of 
 the coinage or cur:ency general value of different commodities in this 
 country before the conquest slavery comparison with the present 
 course of things 266 
 
 SECT 5. Probability that Lynn was formerly concerned in the ex- 
 portation of slaves comparison between the ancient and modern Engl- 
 ish slave dealers./ore* and horses the chief exports of this country in 
 those days corn not then exported, though it had been formerly im. 
 portSj commerce, miscellaneous hints and observations 270 
 
 SECT. 6. Population of Lynn and the country in general, before the 
 conquest condition of the bulk of the inhabitants in the mean time- 
 Bufferings of the inhabitants of Lynn and the adjacent country from the 
 Dans intrepid and ferocious character of that people instruments of" 
 vengeance on the Anglo-saxons their despotism and character not 
 much changed by their conversion to Christianity, so called remarka- 
 ble instances of imposition, superstition, and credulity 27f 
 
 SECT. 7. Of the Heptarchy and its history remarks on Egbert, Al- 
 fred, and their most renowned successors character of Canute and Ed~ 
 ward the Confessor the latter the first of our monarchs that touched for 
 the Evil remarks on that circumstance, and the prevalence of that 
 complaint in these parts 284 
 
 SECT. 8. State of Lyrm in the confessor's time chief sway borne 
 here then by Stigand, Ailmer, and Harold great power of the latter, 
 and sketch of his character obtains the crown at the confessor's death- 
 is soon disturbed by two formidable invasions ; one from the Danish or 
 Norwegian shores under Halfagar, whom he vanquishes ; the other from . 
 France, under William the Nortnan bastard, in opposing whom he i$
 
 . 
 
 TfV 
 XV 
 
 himself vanquished and slain, which places the conqueror on the Eng. 
 lish throne without further struggle, through the defection and machi- 
 nations of our bishops and clergy.., 289 
 
 SECT 9 Sketch of the practice of the royal touch in England, or a 
 historical essay on the memorable empiricism of our English sovereigns, 
 from Edward the confessor to George the first credulity of Whiston and 
 Carte quackery, medical, political, and theological still prevalent a- 
 mong us, though that of the royal touch has ceased Richard Brothers^ 
 Joanna Southcote,3ind William Pitt memoir of the Dumb doctor.., .298 
 
 PART III. HISTORY OF LYNN FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT op THB FRENCH 
 OR NORMANS IN ENGLAND TO THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Observations on the Conquest account of the changes then introduced 
 their effects on the kingdom in general, and on Lynn' and its vicinity 
 in particular 32T 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Further remarks on the revolutionary effects of the Conquest, through- 
 out the whole kingdom as well as at Lynn Catalogue of bishops to 
 whose civil rule the town used to be subject, or who bore temporal sway 
 here till the Reformation 343 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 State of Lynn previously and subsequently to its becoming a corporate 
 town, or t'ree burgh; or general remarks on that event, and on the 
 progressive state of society in the cities and towns of this country, as well 
 as at Lynn, in those times John, Henry 111, and Henry VIII, great 
 benefactors to this town ; the latter of whom put an end to the temporal 
 domination of the bishops here, and ought to be held in giateful remem- 
 brance 374 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Further observations on the history of Lynn during the same period- 
 horrid treatment of the Jews here probable state of the town as to its 
 internal police and municipal economy previously to its being declared a 
 free burgh and receiving its first royal charter changes resulting from 
 that event statement of subsequent occurrences .390 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 State of society at Lynn during this period the subject elucidated 
 from documents relative to fie ancient gilds observations on the na- 
 ture of thos institutions very common in the country before the re- 
 formation names and number of those of Lynn.., .,,,...,.,,.,,, ,,...408
 
 xvi 
 
 SECT 1. Observations on the origin of the gilds ........411 
 
 SFOr. 2. Names and numberofthe Lynn gilds, with additional ob. 
 
 3ervations 413 
 
 SECT. 3 More particular account of some of our gilds 419 
 
 SFCT. 4 Accountofthe gilds continued 439 
 
 SECT. 5 Account of the Holy Trinity company, or great merchant'* 
 
 gihl 450 
 
 Sf^f. 6 Account of the remaining gilds, and particularly those of 
 ft. Francis auti St. W iuiam ....474: 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Account of the monasteries and religious houses formerly here. 
 SECT 1. Account of the house of Benedictines in priory lane, with a 
 
 ketch of that teligious order...... 489 
 
 SH CT. 2 Account of the convent of the Carmelites or White Friars, 
 
 with a sketch ofthatorder 49S 
 
 SSCT. 3. Account of the convent ot the Franciscans, Friars Minors, 
 6r Grey Friars, with a sketch ofthat ardsr 498 
 
 SEC r . 4. Account of t*ie convent of the Dominicans or Black Friars y 
 with a sketch ofthat order 50J 
 
 SECT 5 Account of the convent of the Augustinians, or Austin. 
 Friars, with a sketch of that older 513 
 
 SECT. 6. Of the Friars de Penitentia, or brothers of repentance, and 
 their convent here also the college of Priests, and the hospital and 
 church of St. John 519 
 
 SECT. 7. Account of St. Mary Magdalen's Hospital, Lazar Houses, 
 St. Lawrences Hospital &c -. 530 
 
 SECT. 8. Of the Red Mount and our Lady's chapel there also her 
 chapel by the Bridge, and the chapels of St. Ann, St. Catherine, and 
 St. Lawrence 554 
 
 SECT. 9. Account of St . James'* Chapel (now the Workhouse) from 
 its first erection, in the 12th. century, to the present time; including 
 an account <tf the management of the in- door pensioners there, as well as 
 the out-door ones, and our present enormous poor-rates.. 564 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Brief Biographical notices of the most remarkable and distinguished per- 
 sonages who appeared among the inhabitants of Lynn in the intervening- 
 period between the Conquest and Reformation. Nicholas, Sawtre "Alan 
 ~-Wallys Baret De Bittering Wentworth Petipas Miller. 58f 
 
 Postscript or supplement to the History of the Royal Touch ,
 
 HISTORY OF 1LYNN 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAP. 1. Site of Lynn Account of its harbour, and th at of Wis- 
 bcach Ancient and present state of its rivers Inland Navigation 
 Drainage Projects of improvement State of its shipping, commerce, 
 and population, at different periods. 
 
 SECTION I. Situation of the townits distance from 
 the sea, tyc. its harbour river Ouse and its tributary 
 streams. 
 
 LYNN is situated on the eastern side of Marshland, 
 and of the Great Level, or Fen Country, about 12 miles 
 from the Sea, 42 from Norwich, 46 from Cambridge, 
 and 98 from London. * It stands partly on each side of 
 the Ouse, but chiefly on its eastern banks; though it is 
 supposed to have stood originally all on tjie opposite 
 shore, and hence that part of it is still called Old Lynn. 
 
 A 
 
 * The exact situation of Lynn, ^s to its Latitude and Longitude, 
 has been ascertained with the utmost accuracy by Mr. Walker. He 
 informs the author, that the Latitude of St. Nicholas' Chapel, in this 
 town, deduced from observations with a mural circle made by Mr. 
 Troughton, is-52d. 45m. 2as. North; and its Longitude, by Chro, 
 nometers, 1m, 35s. in time, East of Greenwich.
 
 2 HISTORY OF LYNJJ. 
 
 The Haven or Harbour is capacious, but the entrance 
 to it is accounted somewhat difficult, and even dangerous, 
 owing to the mumerous sandbanks, and the frequent 
 shift ings of the channel, occasioned by the loose and 
 light nature of the sandy and silty soil at the bottom. 
 On which account it is not deemed safe for ships to go 
 in or out without pilots, who are, or ought always to be 
 well acquainted with the variations and actual state of 
 the channel. In the ages preceeding the 13th century 
 this harbour, compared with its present width, is said 
 to have been very narrow^ being only a few perches 
 over, though its depth of water was then, probably, no 
 less, if not greater than it is at present. 
 
 The Ouse over against the town, is reckoned about as 
 wide as the Thames above London Bridge. Its name 
 is evidently of British origin, * and corresponds with 
 those of several others of our rivers; such as the UsJc, 
 Esk, Ex, Isis, Sfc. The word signifies, a stream., or 
 the river, by way of eminence. It is called the great 
 Ouse, to distinguish it from that called the little or lesser 
 Ouse, which is now one of its tributary streams,, and 
 joins it some way below Ely, though it had formerly 
 no connection with it. It is also called the eastern Ouse. 
 to distinguish it from the northern, or Yorkshire river of 
 the same name. 
 
 As Lynn owes most of its consequence to this river, 
 which forms its communication with the sea, and gives 
 it so great an extent of inland navigation, and conse- 
 
 * The original, or British nam? may pretty safely be concluded to 
 have been ffyfg, or Guy<g.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 3 
 
 vjucntly such a vast commercial intercourse with the inte- 
 rior parts of the country, it will not be improper here to 
 give some account of it, together with its principal 
 brandies, or those tributary streams which render it so 
 considerable among the British navigable rivers. 
 
 Kinderky, many years ago, lias given the following 
 account of this river and its several branches: " The 
 Ouse (says he) formerly lisa or Isa, which is the most 
 famous of all the rivers that pass through this Level, 
 has its original head on a gentle rising ground full of 
 springs, under Sisam in Northamptonshire, 51 miles 
 from Erith bridge, at which place it first touches the 
 Isle of Ely. It falls by Brackley, Buckingham, New- 
 port Pagncl, Bedford, Huntingdon, and St. Ives, to 
 Erith, and soon till it comes to Lynn. It has 5 rivers 
 emptying themselves into it, beside many brooks and 
 rills; Grant, Mildenhall, Brandon, Stoke, and the 
 river Lewie, or Sandringhani Ea [otherwise A r rc,] 
 which rises under Lycham, and comes by Castleacre, 
 Narford, and Sechy . " [He omits the Ncne, which surely 
 lie ought to have mentioned. ] Afterward he adds, Thai 
 the Ouso by its situation, and having so many navigable 
 livers falling into it from eight several counties, does 
 therefore afford a great advantage to trade and commerce, 
 since hereby two cities, and several great towns are there- 
 in served : as Peterborough, Ely, Stamford, Bedford, 
 St. Ives, Huntingdon, St. Neots, Northampton, Cam- 
 bridge, Bury St. Edmunds, Thetford, &c. with all 
 sorts of heavy commodities from Lynn, as Coals, Salt, 
 Peals, Fir-timber, Iron, Pitch, Tar, and Wine, thi- 
 
 A 2
 
 4 HISTORY OP LYNX. 
 
 Ihcr imported ; and from these parts groat quantities of 
 Wheat, Rye, Coleseed, Barley, &c. are brought down 
 these rivers, whereby a great foreign and inland trade 
 is carried on, and the breed of seamen is increased. The 
 Port of Lynn supplies six counties wholly, and three in 
 part." 
 
 But of the Ouse and the other Lynn rivers, no one, 
 perhaps, has given so full and so good an account as Mr. 
 SItrine<) in his general account of the british rivers. "The 
 Ouse (he says,) traverses a very considerable part of the 
 Midland counties of England, rising in two branches, 
 not far from Brackley and Towcester on the borders of 
 Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, from whence its 
 course is eastward, a little inclined to the north, through 
 Buckinghamshire, joined at Newport Pagnel by a small 
 stream from Ivinghoe in the south ; to reach Bedford it 
 descends by many windings toward the south, and then 
 joined by the Hyce from Woburn, and the Ivd from 
 JJiggleswade, it pursues its original direction to Hun- 
 tingdon, where a combination of streams from the south- 
 west contributes to its increase. From thence H passes 
 nearly eastward through the centre of the Fens of Cam- 
 bridgeshire, where it receives the Cam near Ely from 
 the south-west, and afterwards the lesser Ouse from 
 Woolpit and Ixworth in the south-east, joined by the 
 7y err/re fcom Bury St. Edmunds; it then inclines more 
 and more to the north, till it falls into the great Gulph 
 of the sea between the projecting coasts of Norfolk and 
 Lincolnshire, beneath the walls of Lynn Regis." 
 
 The Ouse is generally a stagnant stream, neither giving
 
 HISTORY OP LYNX. 5 
 
 nor receiving much beauty in all the great tract through 
 which it passes. Its course is uniformly dull and unim- 
 
 * 
 
 portant to Buckingham ; nor is it at all an object from 
 the princely territory ofSto&e, which abounds in grand 
 scenes and buildings." 
 
 This river "does not improve much," (he further ob- 
 serves) "as it traverses the plain counties of Bedford 
 and Huntingdon, though it adds some consequence to 
 their capitals, being there navigable; at St. Ives it" 
 sinks into those great marshes which abound on this 
 part of the eastern coast, through Norfolk, Huntingdon- 
 shire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Lincoln- 
 shire." 
 
 The Hyce which meets it a little below Bedford, 
 passes near the Duke of Bedford's noble domain at 
 Woburn Abbey, and the /re/ flows northward to it 
 through a dull uninteresting tract of country. 
 
 The Cam is composed of two branches, one of which 
 rises on the borders of Bedfordshire, and unites with 
 the other, which bears the classic name of Granta, flow- 
 ing from the confines of Essex, through the highly or- 
 namented grounds of Audley End. They unite near 
 Cambridge, and then run nearly eastward till the Ouse 
 receives them, a little way from Ely. 
 
 The Cam receives no small portion of beauty from 
 the academical shades of Cambridge, being crossed by 
 bridges from most of the principal Colleges, whose gar- 
 dens join the public walks on its banks, which are finely 
 planted and laid out. The stream itself is but stagnant
 
 C HISTORY OF LYN'N. 
 
 and muddy, yet it adds something to the peculiar trails 
 of the landscape, -with the several stone bridges; nor do 
 the fronts of the colleges, as they appear in succession, 
 intermixed -with thick groves, any where shew them- 
 selves to such advantage. The Area in front of Clare 
 Hall, and the new building of King's College, with its 
 superb chapel, matchless in that species of Gothic Arch- 
 itecture which has been called "the improved," exhibit 
 one of the most striking displays in England. Soon af- 
 terward the Cam sinks into the Fens, where the proud 
 pile and towers of Ely Cathedral appear finely elevated 
 over the level, just above the junction, of the Cam and 
 the Ouse, 
 
 A dreary tract of Marsh accompanies these united 
 rivers to Downham in Norfolk ; nor does the country 
 much improve afterwards, but the channel becomes ve- 
 ry considerable, and the exit of these rivers is splendid, 
 where the flourishing port and great trade of Lynn pre- 
 ^entacroud of vessels," 
 
 To the above account by Skrine, which is but imper- 
 fect, other rivers might be added, which join the 
 Ousc in the latter part of its progress, and which ought 
 not to be left here unnoticed ; as the Nene, from Peter- 
 borough, Whittlesea, and March; the Wissey or Win- 
 ?on, from Stoke, and the Lcnne or Nare, from Nar- 
 borough and. Sechhithe. The former, a large bnmch 
 of which joins the Ouse at Salter's Lode, is a Northamp- 
 tonshire river, and rises near Catesby, under Anby 
 Hill, in that county, and making Northampton in its 
 way, passes from Alienee to Wellingborough, and along
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 7 
 
 by Higliam Ferrers, Thrapston, Oundle, Walmsford 
 or Wandesford, Castor, Peterborough, Whittlesea, 
 March, and on to Salter's Lode and Lynn. The Wis- 
 sey or Winson rises in the neighbourhood of Necton 
 and Bradenham, in Norfolk, and running by Pick- 
 ingham, Cressingham, Ikborough, Northwould, Stoke, 
 and Helgay, enters the Ouse some way above Down- 
 ham. The Lenne or Nare, otherwise Sandringham 
 Ea, is also a Norfolk river, which after running by 
 Litcham, Lexham, Castleacre, Westacre, Naribrd, 
 Narborough, Pentney, and Sechhitlie enters the Ouse 
 at the South or upper end of the town of Lynn. It is 
 a narrow, but in some places a deep and rapid river, 
 and navigable a good way into the country ; but has 
 no very beautiful or striking sceneries any where upon 
 or near its banks. + Like all the rivers of this low, flat, 
 and dull country, it presents nothing that can be called 
 striking or very remarkable, unless it be, a perpetual 
 succession, or uniformity of dullness. 
 
 1 Except, perhaps, about Castleacre*
 
 8 HISTORY OP tYNJSf 
 
 SECTION 2. Further account of the river Ottse re* 
 markable phenomenonthe poet Coppersupposed ety- 
 mology of the name of Wisbeaehthe Otise diverted 
 from its ancient course and outlet King John's disas* 
 trovs passage over that river ^ in his last progress from 
 f#wi? Extract from Vancouver. 
 
 In the respectable work called The Beauties of England, 
 this remarkable circumstance is quoted from Jf'alsing* 
 ham relating to the river Ouse That on the first of Ja- 
 nuary 1399 it suddenly ceased to flow between the vil- 
 lages of Snelson and Harrold near Bedford, leaving ita 
 channel so bare of water that the people walked at the 
 bottom for full three miles. j| So strange a phenomenon 
 seems not very easy to account for. It is said to have been 
 for a long time considered as ominous of those dire dis- 
 sentions and l ody wars which the opposite claims of 
 the rival Houses of York and Lancaster shortly after- 
 ward occasioned. Nor is it at all wonderful that such 
 an idea should gain credit in those dark and super- 
 stitious times : but to men of enlightened minds it must 
 appear a very idle and pitiful conceit. . A Dr. Childrey 
 endeavoured to account for the said phenomenon, by 
 supposing the stream above to have been congealed by 
 a sudden frost : but this also is very properly deemed 
 untenable by the writers of the work above mentioned ; 
 and they assign, as the most probable cause, in their 
 opinion, that the earth had suddenly sunk in some part 
 qf the channel, so as to form there a deep and capacious 
 cavity, into which the waters flowed till it was filled up, 
 
 || Something of the same kind is related of the rivers Thames and 
 Medway in the reign of Henry I. See Stow, 138.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 9 
 
 leaving the channel below in the mean time nearly dry, 
 so that people might then actually walk at the bottom, 
 as the story asserts. This appears reasonable enough, 
 and was probably the real case; but as it cannot be now 
 very interesting there seems no need to investigate it 
 any further. 
 
 Dull and uninspiring, and in no sense classical ground, 
 or a favourite haunt of the muses, as the banks of the 
 Ouse have been generally, and perhaps justly consi- 
 dered, ' it must not be forgotten that they are become of 
 late entitled to no small portion of celebrity, by the dis- 
 tinguished productions of the ingenious and excellent 
 COWPER, one of the best, if not the very best of all our 
 English poets of these latter days. He spent fa greatest 
 part of his time, and composed most 01 . "-works in the 
 vicinity of this river. Henceforth it may therefore be deem- 
 ed a classic stream : but it will be long, perhaps, before 
 its banks shall have again the honour of numbering 
 among its inhabitants a poet or a man of equal worth, 
 genius, or renown. 
 
 Here it may be proper further to observe, that the 
 Ouse did not always visit Lynn, or pass that way in its 
 progress to the Ocean. In ancient times its course is 
 said to have been by Wisbeach, to which that town 
 probably owes its name: Wis, or Wys, being apparently 
 
 ^ His last years were spent at East Dereham in Norfolk, where he 
 finished his course in 1800. In the north transept of that parish church, 
 where his remains have been deposited, is a neat Oloauraent of white 
 with the follo'.ving inscription :
 
 10 HISTORY OF LYNN* 
 
 but another name of the Ouse, and WisbeacJi the very 
 same thing with Ousebeach, and signifying the beach, 
 side, or bank of the Ouse; in other words, a place or town 
 on the Shore and near the mouth of that river. * 
 
 What diverted this river from its ancient and original 
 course is said to have been a great inland flood, which, 
 meeting with, obstruction, choked up the channel (al- 
 ready become bad and neglected) broke over the banks, 
 and deluged the fens to a vast extent; from the effects of 
 which they have never been fully recovered to this day. 
 
 This flood so deprived of a passage to the sea by the 
 usual channel, and consequently overflowing the adja- 
 cent country to a great depth, became a mosf grievous 
 and ruifHts annoyance to the Fen people. At last, in 
 order to re"m llj ^ so unbearable and terrible a nuisance, 
 instead of taking common sense for their guide, and fol- 
 lowing nature ; by opening the channel to the ancient 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 WILLIAM COVVPER, ESQUIRED 
 
 Born in Hertfordshire, 1 732 : 
 Buried in this Church, 1800. 
 
 Ye who with warmth the public triumph feel 
 
 Of talents dignified by sacred' zeal, 
 
 Here, to Devotion's Bard devoutly just, 
 
 Pay your fond Tribute due to COWPER's dust. 
 
 England, exulting in his spotless fame, 
 
 Ranks with her dearest sons' his fav'rite name. 
 
 Sense, fancy, wit, suffice not all to raise 
 
 So clear a title to affection's praise: 
 
 His highest honours to the heart belong : 
 
 His virtues fonn'cl the magic of his Song. 
 
 * The 'Cam and the Larkt also passed then atong with the Ouse by 
 Wisbeach.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. H 
 
 outfall at Wisbeach, they determined, seemingly, to 
 force nature, and set common-sense at defiance, by 
 opening a passage for the inundating waters, and con- 
 sequently for the future course of the great Ouse, the 
 Cam, and the Larke into the narrow bed of the lesser 
 Ouse, from Little-port Chair to Priests Houses, across 
 that ridge, or higher ground, by which nature seemed 
 to have forbidden the union of these rivers. * 
 
 In this illjudged and preposterous measure most of the 
 existing evils in regard to the bad state of the Lynn and 
 Wisbeach Harbours, the inland navigation and the 
 drainage of the Fens have probably originated. The 
 Ouse and the other rivers before mentioned have ever 
 since followed the same new and unnatural track : Nor 
 is it now very likely that they will ever again be permit- 
 ted to follow any other. This memorable event, ac- 
 cording to Dugdale^ happened in the reign of Henry the 
 third: so that in the reign of King Jo/2/z, the great pa- 
 tron of Lynn, the river or body of fresh water which 
 flowed that way was but very small and narrow; and it 
 was in crossing the Ouse, which did not then pass by 
 Lynn, that he lost his baggage and treasures, and prob- 
 ably many of his men. Ancient records say that it was 
 in crossing Wcllstream^ which was then the name of 
 
 * See Vancouver''! Map, and his Appendix, p. 10, where the original 
 track or course of these rivers appears to have been divided by i kind 
 of ridge or higher ground from that of the lesser Ouse and Wessey or the 
 river of Stoke, (sometimes also called Winson and Storke) which toge- 
 ther with tUel^enne or Nare seem to have been the only original Lyniv 
 rivers.
 
 .12 HISTORY OF LYNX 
 
 the Ousc in its approach to Wisbeacb and the Sea, that 
 the said King suffered those losses. 
 
 The following Extract from Vancouver's APPEXDIX 
 to his Agricultural Report will serve, it is thought, to 
 corroborate some of the foregoing observations. "From 
 the highlands in Suffolk (between the Mildenhall and 
 Brandon rivers) to the east of Welney, Outwel, Em-! 
 neth, and thence to the sea a positive dividing ground 
 exists, formed by the hand of nature, strongly marked, 
 and distinctly to be seen between the waters of the Lynn 
 and of theWisbeach Ouse. The hanging level, or 
 natural inclination of the Country on the north side of 
 this dividing ground draws the waters off -to the sea 
 Jhrough the lesser Ouse to the ouifall of Lynn; and pn 
 the south side of it draws them off to the sea through the 
 greater Ouse to the outfall of Wisbeach. To the 
 cutting through this dividing ground, in order to force 
 the water of the greater into the lesser Ouse, are all the 
 evils of the south and middle levels of the fens, and of 
 the country below originally and solely to be ascribed. 
 At this time the bed of the Ouse ^liere Denver Sluices 
 now stand, was at least 13 feet below the general sur- 
 face of the surrounding country; and then it was that, 
 by the free action and reaction of the tides the wa- 
 ters flowed five hours in the haven of Lynn, ascended 
 unto the Stoke and Brandon rivers, and into other 
 streams which nature lyid wisely appropriated to be dis- 
 
 J The haven and river of Wisbeach while the Ouse passed that way 
 went by the name of Wellstream and the Waf.r of Well, while those of 
 Lynn wept by the name of Il'igenhalc Ea, and the Water o 
 Vide MS. late Mr. Partridge's.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNV. 13 
 
 charged -through that outfall; forming the bed of the 
 Ouse to one gradually inclined plain from the junction 
 of the principal branches of that river into the low court* 
 try to the level of the Ocean, very near or in the har- 
 bour of Lynn. The Counteracting this disposition of 
 nature by forcing a greater quantity of water into the 
 river than it could discharge into the sea during the 
 time of ebb, necessarily occasioned the highland and 
 foreign waters to override all those, which during the 
 time of ebb, would naturally have drained into the Lynn 
 river, and gave the waters of Buckingham and Bedford 
 an exit into the sea in preference to those which lay in- 
 undating the country within a few miles, of their natural 
 outfall. In this condition at present are all the lower 
 parts of the country bordering upon the Lynn Ouse; 
 and the country above Denver Sluices, Downham, 
 Marshland, and Bardolph fens, exhibits the most impor- 
 tant of many other melancholy examples and evidences 
 of it. Jn the higher parts of the country the conse- 
 quences of this measure seem to have been severely expe- 
 rienced on the lands exposed to the imembanked waters 
 of the old Ouse, between Hermitage and Harrimere, 
 The Old Bedford river was then cut from Erith to Sal- 
 ter's Lode, as a slaker to the Ouse, to relieve the country 
 through which the Ouse flowed, from Erithto Ely. The 
 Ouse wafers thus divided a great part of them descended 
 through the Old Bedford river in a straight line of twen- 
 ty miles into the Lynn Ouse. But as that work w r as 
 judged insufficient and defective, the New Bedford, or 
 one hundred foot river was determined upon, and Sluices 
 "were erected at Hermitage to drive all the water of old
 
 14: HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Ouse from Erith (through the One hundred foot) into 
 the Lynn Ouse; but that river not having sufficient c&- 
 pacity to utter them to sea, they, reverted up the Ouse, 
 the Stoke and Brandon rivers, drowning the whole of that 
 country, and finally urging the necessity of erecting 
 Denver Sluices, as the only apparent cure for the evils 
 with which the country was then oppressed, and seem- 
 ed further threatened with. In the execution of this 
 business, with a view of bringing the bottom of the Ouse 
 on a level with that of the hundred foot river( which was 
 cut only five feet deep) it was judged expedient to raise 
 a Dam eight feet high across the bed of the Ouse, upon 
 the top of which the Sole or base of Denver Sluices was 
 laid. This measure has not only defeated the purpose 
 M was designed to promote, but has been the unfortu- 
 nate cause of a body of sand and sea sediment being de- 
 posited in the bed of the Lynn Ouse at least eight feet 
 deep at Denver Sluices, and only terminating in its in- 
 jurious consequences at the mquth of the Lynn Chan- 
 nel. This shews to every calm and candid mind the 
 necessity of duly considering the probable effects of coun- 
 teracting the laws of nature, in cases where nature ap- 
 pears experimentally to have had success on her 
 side. From a due consideration of the obstacles which 
 ^ appear at this time to exist in what has long been con- 
 sidered the principal outfalling drain to the Middle and 
 South levels of the fens, it is surely reasonable to direct 
 our attention to the general inclination of the country 
 with respect to the sea, and to what has all along been 
 pointed out by nature as the main outlet thither, for the 
 Caters of the middle and gputh levels, and sec if spme
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 hteans cannot yet be devised for recovering the general 
 course of the ancient and voluntary passage of the waters 
 through their natural channel of Wisbeach to the sea." 
 
 4 !?:- 
 
 The above passage merits serious and particular atten- 
 tion. The undisputed and indisputable fact, that the 
 course of the Ouse lay formerly by Wisbeach, seems a 
 clear and decisive proof that it -was its natural course,- 
 and so may be considered as corroborating a great part 
 at least of the above reasoning. Upon the whole, there- 
 fore, it seems highly probable that the evils now existing 
 and complained of, as to the bad state of the Wisbeach 
 and Lynn harbours, the inland navigation arid fen drain- 
 age, have mostly originated in the abovementioned de- 
 sertion of the Ouse from its ancient and natural outfall, 
 and the forcing of it to Lynn through the channel of thdl 
 lesser Ouse, in the 13th century, and reign of Henry 
 III. as was before observed, 
 
 3. Effects of the desertion of the Ouse and 
 Nene on Wisbeach and parts adjacent. 
 
 After the above mentioned disastrous aberration of the 
 Ouse some plans, it seems, were formed, and royal 
 Commissions issued to bring it back again into its old 
 deserted channel by Wisbeach, but all proved in the end 
 ineffectual and fruitless, so that the port of Wisbeach, 
 of course would be materially injured. "Of old time" 
 (says Badeslade that is, while the Ouse and the Nene
 
 16 HISTORY 01? LYN.V. 
 
 discharged themselves that way) "ships of great burden 
 resorted to Wisbeach" but after those rivers had de- 
 serted their^ ancient outlet, that town soo'n ceased to be 
 accessible to large vessels. The bed or channel below 
 the town being forsaken by the said rivers, (or at most 
 occupied cnly by an inconsiderable branch of the Nene, 
 which must have been insufficient to grind or scour it ta 
 its former or usual depth,) would gradually be filled up 
 in time with silt and sand; and which evidently has 
 been the case. This is confirmed by a remarkable cir- 
 cumstance 'related by Dugdale That in deepening the 
 Wisbeach river in 1635^ (about 300 years after the de- 
 sertion of the Ouse,) "the workmen, at eight feet be- 
 low the then bottom came to another bottom which was 
 tony, and there at several distances found seven boats 
 that had lain there overwhelmed with sand for many 
 ages/' * 
 
 Atkins, who wrote in 1608, and dedicated his pa- 
 per to Andrews bishop of Ely, speaks of the Wisbeach 
 channel as "anciently an arm of the sea;" t and says 
 that the time was when all the waters of the Ouse, even 
 those which then passed from Littleport Chair to Lynn 
 had their passage by'Welnty and Wdlio the North 
 Seas at Wisbeach, and from thence to the Washes 
 and he further observes that writers have said, that 
 King John^s people perished in the Waters of Well. 
 
 * Hist. Embank, chap. 37. 
 
 f By an arm of the sea he meant, probably, something similar to 
 what Lynn Haven is now. 
 
 J A Commmission is said to have been issued 21 Edward I. for send- 
 ing the Waters of Wed by Wisbeach, their ancient outfall; which fur- 
 ther rorroborates the idea that Welistieam or ff'attri t/ /Ft//, v,-as form- 
 erly a name of the Ouse abom Wisbeach.
 
 bp LYNy. 17 
 
 From Thorney Red Book he also shews, that Well 
 Stream was an ancient appellation of ttte Wisbeach riv- 
 er. He further add?, that this outfall, or artnof the sea, 
 had Holland and a part of the Isle on one side, and 
 Marshland on the other ; these were defended from it 
 by great saa-banks, which in the time of Henry VI were 
 ordained to be made and maintained fifty feet high. 
 Hither of old 1 resorted (he says) ships and vessels of 
 great burden. But the sea, still forsaking the Isle, 
 made the whole passage between Wisbeach and the 
 Washes high marshes and sands; and by the decay of 
 the river, the channel, or outfall, became so shallow and 
 weak, as to admit of people often going over on foot, bare 
 legged under the knees. He also imputes much blame to 
 the people about Wisbeach, in not scouring and dyking 
 the river, as by ancient laws and presentments they ought 
 to have done; and not preserving and maintaining the 
 petty sewers and drains. In consequence of these 
 omissions, not only the fens were drowned, but the 
 means were also lost of draining 13 or 14000 acres of 
 inland grounds, the support of three or four towns on 
 the North of Wisbeach. 
 
 That the bad effects of the desertion of the Ouse and 
 Nene from their ancient outfall at Wisbeach, soon be- 
 came very grievous to that town and the adjacent coun- 
 try, appears by the frequent complaints made, and laws 
 enacted for their relief. Some of those laws were made 
 in the reign of Henry VI, anfl measures were taken, it 
 seems, in consequence of them, for the relief and benefit 
 
 c
 
 18 HISTORY. OF. LYNN. 
 
 of the sufferers. The most important and beneficial oi' 
 alithose measures appears to be that adopted toward the 
 latter part of the 15th century under the direction of 
 bishop Morton.* "That prelate finding (says Atkins) 
 that beside its being a very chargeable course to his 
 people of the hundred of Wisbeach, once in four or five 
 years to dyke this river, and that notwithstanding this 
 dyking of the river, the outfall below to the seaward ne- 
 vertheless decayed; and finding that without a great head 
 of fresh waters, toscour both the river and the outfall, all 
 would be lost y took a part of Hercules' 1 labour upon him, 
 and strove to bring in great abundance of fresh waters, by 
 divers courses, out of the Fens, to maintain this channel: 
 viz. the rivers Nene and Welland from Southed, and the 
 river of the great cross, or Plantwater, from the united 
 branches of Nene and Ouse, descending by Benzuick. " 
 But the bishop's principal undertaking seems to have 
 been the cut of 14 miles, from Peterborough to Guyhorn, 
 by which a large portion of the Nene was brought dov,n 
 
 * Elstobb speaks of several efforts having been made to turn fhe 
 Nene down to its ancient outfall at Wisbeach ; and particularly that 
 about the year 1490 John Morton, bishop of Ely, and Lord Chan- 
 cellor of England, [afterward Archbishop of Canterbury and a Roman 
 Cardinal] for the better obtaining that end, and for the more effectual 
 recovery of the outfall at Wisbeach, cut a new river, or drain 14 mile? 
 in length, 14 feet wide, and about 4 feet .deep, beginning at the high 
 grounds, within a mile of Peterborough, and continuing it down to Guy- 
 born, an hamlet in Wisbeach parish; and setting down a sluice across ihe 
 old river Nene atStandground, turned the waters of that river down this 
 new cut. This (he adds) with some other work?, said to have b"een 
 done by him, did for a time make some improvement in the fens about 
 Wisbeach, so as to make them good sheep pasture, &c. But this (he 
 further adds) continued not long, being cut too shallew, and not suf- 
 ficiently embanked, or kept clear and free from impediments aud c!> 
 ." Elstobb's Observations, p. 25, 26.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 19 
 
 to Wisbeach, and proved of no small benefit to that 
 town and harbour, as well as to the drainage of the 
 country. This cut has transmitted the bishop's name 
 deservedly and honorably to posterity; it being ever since 
 known and distinguished under the denomination of 
 Morton's Learn. Happy had it been for the world, if 
 all those of his order had deserved so well of their neigh- 
 bours and of their country. | 
 
 "By this doing" (says Atkins, referring to the works 
 of bishop Morton) "Wisbeach Fens were made good 
 Sheep pastures, and the fall of the water at Wisbeach 
 became so great, that no man would adventure under the 
 bridge, with a boat, but by veering through, &c. But 
 succeeding ages (he further observes) neglecting these 
 
 c 2 
 
 t Bishop Morton was in his time one ofthe most distinguished cha- 
 racters in this ceuntry. He was a person of deep penetration, singular 
 address, and sound judgment ; and possessed, in the highest degree, 
 those rare talents that constitute the profound politician and consum- 
 mate statesman. He was a warm and determined partisan ofthe House 
 of Lancaster. Richard, III. rightly considering him as too dangerous 
 a person to be left at liberty, took care betimes to have him secured. 
 He was accordingly imprisoned in the castle of Brecknock) where he 
 was committed to the custody of the Duke of Buckingham, then the 
 said king's most powerful and confidential adherent. Somehow he ma- 
 naged to seduce the Duke from his allegiance to Richard, and engage 
 in his scheme in favour of the Earl of Richmond. The Duke's ruin 
 soon followed ; but Morton escaped to the continent, where he after- 
 ward joined Richmond, and with him returned to England. After 
 his victory at Eosworth, and elevation to the throne, Morton became 
 his most confidential servant and counsellor. He was preferred to be 
 Lord High Chancellor of England, archbishop of Canterbury, and at 
 last, a Cardinal He may be presumed to have been an adviser and pro- 
 moter of the most important measures of that reign ; of which the de- 
 pression ofthe cobles, and elevation of the commons, were not the least, 
 memorable or salutary. He died, before Empson and Dudley cam? 
 
 into employ ; so that be had no share in their malpractices.
 
 20 HISTORY OF 
 
 good provisions, have thereby lost the benefit. " The 
 blame of this neglect, both Atkins and Sir Clement Ed- 
 munds seem to lay entirely on the total want of public 
 spirit, or the selfish and sordid disposition of the peo- 
 ple of Wisbeach, who strove at all events to avoid the 
 expence, alledging that the benefit of cleansing and 
 dyking the outfall would altogether accrue to the behoof 
 of the upland country, and therefore that they [the in- 
 habitants of the said upland country] ought to put their 
 hands to the work, and contribute towards it in some rea- 
 sonable measure. The uplanders, on the other hand, pro- 
 duced divers presentments, some of them as high as Hen- 
 ry VI, shewing, that they ought not to be charged; at 
 the same time expressing a* willingness to yield a reason- 
 able aid, when the work was done, if it proved service- 
 able. But those of Wisbeach required a previous con- 
 tribution, to be expended as the work should proceed. 
 Their selfishness and perverseness, on these occasions, 
 carried them, it seems, to very extravagant and ridiculous 
 lengths, to elude the charge: ^one while say ing, they cared 
 not if Wisbeach were a dry town; another while by think- 
 ingto keep itasastanding pool; [and again] anotherwhile 
 enforcing [or urging] the making of a Sluice between the 
 town and the sea, that the tide should not silt up the river, 
 saying that otherwise tbe charge of dyking the river would 
 be but cast away. And to the charge of this Sluice they 
 would call in the high-country people, such as they knew 
 would not easily be brought to it, so that nothing might 
 be done. " This preposterous conduct of the Wisbeach- 
 ers appears to have effectually frustrated every reason- 
 able and salutary proposal. Atkins, however, gives it
 
 KISTORY OF LYNN. %l 
 
 as his firm opinion, that were there in the Isle of Ely a? 
 gain another bishop Morton the country might well be 
 regained by such means as might be easily set down." * 
 But it does not appear that another bishop Morton has 
 yet risen in the Isle, whatever maybe said of the rege- 
 neration, reformation, or amendment of the good peo- 
 ple of Wisbeach. 
 
 Nothing of any consequence appears to have been at- 
 tempted since, for the benefit of the port or navigation of 
 Wisbeach, except Kindcrley^s Cut, made in 1721 and 
 1722, by order of the Board of Adventurers, and not 
 without the consent of the town of Wisbeach likewise; 
 only the adventurers [it seems J ought to have had their 
 consent under their hands: at least so says iIr Kin- 
 derly. This cut, had it gone forward, would probably 
 have been of great advantage to the river. But by the 
 time that it was completed, and a dam was mpking a- 
 cross the old channel, to turn the river into the new one, 
 "the Wisbeach gentlemen, falsely, or by mistake, appre- 
 hending the advantage of a wide indraught over all those 
 spreading sands, and complaining that this new cut was 
 not wide enough, (though it was wider than the river 
 at Wisbeach by twenty feet) and that therefore their 
 river would immediately be choked up, and their 
 navigation lost. [So they now] -violently opposed 
 it, and raised the Country fqr demolishing the 
 works ; and after that obtained an injunction from 
 the Lord Chancellor to stop all further progress-." 
 ^ A long vexatious Law Suit ensued, but tlue 
 
 * K'.'.derley's Ancient and Present State, 2nd Edit. p. 68. 
 } Kinderley, p. 77.
 
 gg friSTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Adventurers could not recover the Money they had laid 
 out, amounting to nearly j2000, and the gentlemen 
 of Wisbeach gave ample proof that they still inherited, 
 in full measure, the genuine spirit of their ancestors, 
 before mentioned. Their Harbour has been for some 
 years in a most miserable state, and seems to stand in 
 need of the aid of a Morton or a Kinderly as much as ever. 
 
 SECTION IV. The Effects on Lynn, and on its Har- 
 bour and Navigation, of the great accession of Fresh 
 Waters in the reign of Henry III. 
 
 Let us now attend to the Ouse and its sister streams, in 
 their new or modern course, by Denver, Downham, St, 
 German's, and Lynn. By the addition of so many large 
 rivers to its former waters, Lynn might be expected to 
 have its Haven, by degrees, both widened and deepened, 
 so as to contribute materially to its future naval conse- 
 quence, and commercial importance. Previously to this 
 great accession of water, the bed or channel of the river, 
 about St German's, has been represented as so very narrow, 
 that in some places a man might throw himself over with 
 a pikestaff; and in Lynn Haven it is said to have been 
 but six poles, or about an hundred feet wide. But after- 
 ward, by the said accession of fresh waters, Lynn Ha 
 ven and channel were made in time so wide and deep as 
 to become famous for Navigation * 
 
 * BadesUde p. 98 Here it ought not to be forgotten that the said 
 
 large acc:ssion of fresh waters to the Lynn river, while it widened and
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 25 
 
 Things appear to have continued pretty much in this 
 favourable state, till sometime after the erection of the 
 Sluices at Denver; whidi by preventing the tides from 
 going further up into the country, as before, proved 
 very prejudicial to the harbour and Navigation of Lynn; 
 and the effects are felt, it seems, "and much complained 
 of to this day. The free admission of the tides, and 
 the natural course of the freshes are said to have kept 
 other rivers open and navigable ; and this appears to 
 have been the case with the Ouse itself, while it possessed 
 those advantages, or till the adventurers erected the 
 said sluices across its channel, \vhich are thought to 
 have proved so very prejudicial, not only to the navi. 
 gation of Lynn, Cambridge, &c. but even to the drain- 
 ing of the Fen districts and Marshland. 
 
 
 Before the erection of those sluices, the tide is said to 
 
 have gone up the rivers a very great- way. Into the 
 Ouse, and Grant, or Cam, it went, according to Bades- 
 tade, five miles above their junction, or 48 above Lynn; 
 into the Larke, or Mildenhall river, eight miles above 
 its mouth, or 42 above Lynn; into the lesser Ouse, or 
 Brandon river, ten miles above its mouth, or 36 above 
 Iynn; into the Wessey, or Stoke river, Six miles a- 
 bove its mouth, or 24 above Lynn; and into the Nene, 
 
 deepened the harbour, seems to have proved eventually fatal to a great 
 part of West or Old Lynn, which (including one of its churches and 
 church yard) was in time swallowed up by the waters This, it must 
 be allowed, was a disastrous event. It is, however, an ill wind (as tho 
 proverb says) that blows nobody good : though the church is gone , the 
 income remains, which the incumbent still duly receives, for nothing; 
 for it is a sine cure, and not a very poor one.
 
 24 HISTORY OF 
 
 seven miles above its mouth, or 23 above Lynn. | 
 These rivers are said to be then completely supplied 
 with water from the sea, in the driest seasons, to serve for 
 inland navigation. The Nene, to Well, March, and 
 Peterborough, &c. with vessels of 15 tuns in the driest 
 times: the Ousej with vessels of 40 tuns, 36 miles, at 
 least, from Lynn, in ordinary neap tides; arid to Hun- 
 tingdon, StNeots, Bedford, and even as far as 90 miles 
 from. Lynn, with vessels of 15 tuns. The tides then 
 raised the waters at Salters Lode 12 feet above low- water 
 mark. These waters in their return scoured the chan- 
 nel, and kept it clear and deep. This seems to have 
 been the case before the erection of the sluices; but whe- 
 ther it would have continued so to this time, may, perhaps , 
 be doubted. Badeslade and Kinderly seem to have en* 
 tertained different and opposite opinions on the subject; 
 as the reader may see by consulting their respective pub- 
 lications. 
 
 In a course of time, Lynn Haven is said to wear from 
 6 or 8 to 40 poles wide; which seems not improbable, 
 considering the situation of it, and the accession of so 
 many large rivers. In Badeslade's time, as he says, * 
 it was from 50 to 60 poles in the narrowest part; and 
 
 "K 
 
 J The Nene, of late years, has been gradually choking up, till it 
 is at length become, it seems, a mete shallow ditch, filled w\th mud," 
 and hardly navigable at any time. Its navigation is become, of course, 
 Inconsiderable and unproductive ; to the no small loss and injury of 
 those unfortunate people, who, in an evil hour, had entrusted their 
 property in that illfated concern. Most inexcusable mismanagement is 
 said to have occasioned this: and much of the blame has been confi- 
 dent^, if not truly imputed to the ab' muiable inattention and neglect 
 of certain Lynn Merchants. 
 
 In p. 4.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNX. 5 
 
 now it can be no less. The Lynn river, however, has 
 been thought to be still narrower than any other of equal 
 size so near its outfall. Before the erection of the said 
 Dams, or Sluices no complaints appear to have been 
 made of either the haven, er yet the rivers above wan- 
 ting a competent depth of water. Barges carrying 40 
 chalders could then go up the Ouse 36 miles, and those 
 that carried from 26 to 30 chalders passed with ease to 
 the very town of Cambridge. Whereas, in Badeslade's 
 time, flat bottom lighters, with eight or ten chalders, 
 could hardly pass. Nor does it appear that things have 
 gotten to a better state since. As to the haven, or har- : 
 bour of Lynn, it was at those times wide, deep, and 
 commodious. In 1645 its breadth is said to have been 
 about a furlong. Ships then, and for some years after, 
 rode at the south end of the town, and the west side in 
 two fathoms, at low water. So they also did at the 
 Crutch; and the largest ships could go to sea at neap 
 tides. Two parts of the harbour were then remarkably 
 deep; the one called Fields Road^ at the end of the west 
 channel; and the other Ferrier's Road, at the end of 
 the east channel; and both of them three and half fathoms 
 at low water. The tides too were then so strong as to 
 make it necessary to use stream cables to moor the 
 ships. Gui/bon Goddard, Esq. 3 former Recorder of 
 Lynn (and brother in law to Sir Wrn Dugdale) who 
 died about 1677, says, that at the World's End in the 
 Harbour of Lynn, there was not in any man's remem- 
 brance less than ten or eleven feet at low water; and at 
 a place called the Mai/oi*'s Fleet 8 or 9 feet. The chan- 
 
 P
 
 JJ6 HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 i 
 
 nel to seaward, below the haven, he says, near half a 
 mile wide atlow'water, was yet of a depth sufficient fora 
 Ship of 12 foot water to be brought up in any one tide 
 without wind. * Upon the whole, it appears that the 
 state of Lynn Harbour, and of the rivers which dis- 
 charge themselves that way, was before the erection of the 
 Sluices much superior to what it has been since. \ 
 
 As to the State of the Ouse and the other rivers up lit the 
 country above Lynn, it seems to have been much better 
 before the undertaking for a general drainage and erec- 
 tion of the Sluices than since that period, as appears 
 from the views of the Sewers taken June 25, 1605, by 
 Sir Robert Bevill, Sir John Peyton, &c. at Salters 
 Lode, where the Nene falls into the Ouse. The com- 
 missioners declared the fall from the soil of the Fens to 
 low water mark as no less than ten feet, beside the natural 
 descent of the grounds from the uplands of Huntingdon- 
 shire thither; which shews the bottom of the Ouse to be 
 there much deeper then than it was afterward . Dugdafe 
 also, in his History of Embanking, says, that at Salter's 
 
 Lode there was ten feet fall of the fens at low water mark. 
 
 * Badeslade p. 12. 
 
 J In 1645, five or six years before Denver Sluice was erected, Lynn 
 Haven was in a very good condition. It had two channels, one called 
 the East, the other the Wat Channel, in which the biggest ships, draw- 
 ing 13 or 14 feet water, sailed up and down on the neap as on the spring 
 tides. One John Attleson, aged 80, deposed that for CO years and 
 upwards, he had known the river Ouse, and all the rivers falling into 
 the same ; and that before the erection of the sluices near Salter's Lode, 
 all the rivers were free and open, and received such quantities of water 
 by the flood from sea, that large barges with from 26 to 30 chalders did 
 constantly pass with great ease up to Cambridge town. See Bades- 
 ladt : also Elstobb's Observations, p 23, 24.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 27 
 
 From these statements it must necessarily follow, that the 
 lands in the South Level, though unembankedj must in 
 general have been in a comparatively good condition 
 before the undertaking for a general drainage and erec- 
 tion of the Sluices; for, the fall being so great, no water 
 could lie long upon them; and if at any time, by the 
 descent of the upland waters, they became overflowed, 
 they would not long continue in that state. At present, 
 the case, it seems, is very different. 
 
 SECTION, V. Of the Eabrink Cut, and other projects 
 of former times with some slight hints on the compara- 
 tive state of the Shipping Commercial consequence and 
 population of Lynn at different periods. 
 
 It seems allowed on all hands that Lynn Harbour has 
 grown much worse in the memory of the present inhabi- 
 tants, and that it is daily getting more and more so. To 
 remedy this growing and alarming evil, as well as to pro- 
 mote and facilitate the inland navigation and drainage of 
 the Fen Districts, a project was formed some few years 
 ago to open a straight cut from Eabrink, about three 
 miles above the town, into the upper part of the said har- 
 bour, with the view of scouring, deepening, and im- 
 proving the same; and an Act of Parliament was obtained 
 for that purpose. The work however, has been hi- 
 therto postponed: it being, it seems, found difficult to 
 
 raise a fund adequate to the occasion. Vast benefits are 
 
 J> 2
 
 28 HISTOIIY OF LVNN. 
 
 said to be confidently expected by many from the ex- 
 ecution of this project; while others appear much less 
 sanguine in their expectations, and even consider it as 
 in no small degree dubious and problematical. 
 
 The opening a straight cut from Eabrink to Lynn 
 Haven. is not indeed, properly speaking, a new or a late 
 project. It was suggested and recommended many 
 years ago, as a part of a far more extensive undertaking, 
 by Mr Kinderley^ who wrote a large pamphlet on the 
 subject, the second and last edition of which was pub- 
 lished in 175 J. His favourite scheme was to con- 
 tinue the Cnt from Lynn, through the marshes below the 
 WottonS) Babingley and Wolverton, into what is called 
 . the Old Road ; and to bring the Wisbeach river from 
 the mouth of the Shiredam across Marshland into Lynn 
 Harbour. The Welland also or Spalding river, he 
 proposed to conduct by another cut to Boston, there to 
 join the Witharn, and pass along with it to the sea by 
 a new outlet, so that there might be bnt two outlets in- 
 stead of four, for allthe great Fen rivers. The accom- 
 plishment of this vast plan, as he imagined-, would not 
 fail of being productive of many and most important 
 benefits: The harbours of Lynn and Boston, ofcourse r 
 would become more accessible, and be otherwise great- 
 ly improved: The two washes would inevitably and 
 soon be filled up, by the abundance of silt and mud 
 which the tides would lodge there, and which would 
 shortly be converted into firm and fertile land. Also an 
 extensive district larger than all Marshland, and almost 
 as large as the whole county of Rutland, and of far
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. g9 
 
 greater value, would in no very long time be gained 
 from the sea, and brought into a condition to be eftec- 
 tually secured by embankments from any future annoy- 
 ance from the briny element. -Moreover, a good turn- 
 pike road, straight as an arrow, might and would be 
 made across this recovered country, all the way from 
 Lynn to Boston, to the no small convenience and comfort 
 of travellers, (as the obstructions and dangers of the 
 Washes would no longer exist)and to the facilitating and 
 perpetuating a safe and easy intercourse between the in- 
 habitants of Lincolnshire, as well as of all the north of 
 England and those of Norfolk, Suffolk and the whole 
 eastern coast of the Kingdom. The scheme or project, 
 however, was not adopted, nor perhaps ever sufficiently 
 attended to; and it may not now be worth while to in- 
 quire into the cause of its miscarriage or rejection. 
 Whether this same scheme shall hereafter be ever adop- 
 ted, executed, or realized, no mortal at present is capa- 
 ble of divining. 
 
 Between Mr Kinderley and Mr Badeslade there seems 
 to have existed a considerable difference of opinion on 
 some points. The former ascribed the increasing foul- 
 ness and decay of Lynn Harbour to the increasing width 
 of the channel below, the loose and light nature of the 
 sand there, subject to the powerful action of the tides, 
 continually driving up those sands and lodging them in 
 the harbour and river above: whereas .the latter seems to 
 ascribe it chiefly, if not solely to the Sluices, or the ob- 
 struction which they occasioned to the free iuflux and
 
 SO HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 efflux of the waters . * Each writer supports his own 
 opinion with great confidence; but the question remains" 
 undecided. Both of them, perhaps, might be right in 
 many or most of their ideas and reasonings. 
 
 Very unlike most other great Sea-port towns, whose 
 shipping and trade have vastly increased within the last 
 hundred years, Lynn appear* to have remained, in a 
 great measure, stationary. AS long ago as 1654 we 
 hear of fourscore vessels or more belonging to the port 
 of Lynn, (some of them drawing 13 or 14 feet water) 
 and that they used then to make from 15 to 18 Voyages 
 annually to Newcastle, for coals, Salt, &c. Also that 
 Ship-building was at that period very briskly carried 
 on in the town, to keep up the stock. Moreover the 
 number of seamen and watermen, then employed here, 
 is said to amount to, at least, fifteen hundred; and the 
 whole number of inhabitants was probably equal to that 
 of any subsquent period. It seems, indeed, to be now 
 the prevailing opinion, that the present population of 
 Lynn exceeds that of any former time; which yet may 
 be deemed somewhat doubtful, if not quite improbable; 
 especially as it is known to have been formerly a manu- 
 facturing town, ^ which is not its case at present. The 
 
 * Armstrong, it seems, ascribed the silting of Lynn Haven, and of 
 the riter above, to the huudredfoot drain. See Kinderley p. 29. 
 
 t Hence we hear of manufacturers of Bays, Dyers, Dyehouses, Ful- 
 ling-mills, Button-makers, and worsted- wearers at Lynn, with some 
 thousands employed in knitting stockings, &c In behalf of the latter, 
 a petition against the worsted-weavers was presented to parliament in 
 1689. See. Town Boo.k, No. 10. Mackerell, about 70 years ago, 
 makes the population of Lynn to amount to upwards of 20,000: it 
 his estimate was right, even within 5 or 6,000, (and he published
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 31 
 
 point, however, may not now be very easy to deter- 
 mine. But it seems very evident, that the trade of Lynn 
 has not increased to the drgree or extent that might have 
 been expected, from the great opulence of its merchants 
 and the vast extent of its inland navigation. The real 
 or probable cause of this will not become here the sub- 
 ject of enquiry ; but it may not be unworthy of inves- 
 tigation. 
 
 it under the auspices of the Corporation) the town must have 
 been far more populous than it is at present. See Mackerell, p. 93. 
 From the great, and increasing number of empty houses now in the 
 town, it may be concluded, that its population is at this time decreas- 
 ing. The rapid decay of trade, the prospect of an endless war, and 
 the daily increase of the public burdens, are doubtless among the causes 
 of this depopulation. Neither the faving, nor yet the new poor't rate 
 lanasy are likely to realize the vast benefits promised or held out by 
 the promoters of them, and fondly expected by many of the inhabitants. 
 On the contrary, those very Acts are said to be severely felt by a large 
 portion of the householders, many of whom, it seems, have already 
 broken up housekeeping, and many more are expected to take the 
 same course. Upon the whole, it does not seem to appear, either from 
 the Registers of Births and Burials, or from any other known circum- 
 stances or sources of information, that the population of Lynn, within 
 the last twenty or thirty years (as generally supposed) has exceeded 
 that of former periods. This subject, however, shall be reserved for 
 future con^ulcration.
 
 39 HISTORY OF LYNN, 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of Marshland and the adjoining parts, or Great Fen Country. 
 View of their situation and revolutions in remote ags, or Sketch of 
 their ancient history. 
 
 SECTION II. Account of their state before and after 
 the arrival of the Romans Character of that people 
 establishment of their power here-*-improvements made 
 ty them in these parts. 
 
 AS Lynn may be considered as the Capital or Metro- 
 polls of Marshland and the Fens, it will not be improper 
 to give here some account of those remarkable districts 
 from the earliest times. All this flat and level country is 
 thought to have been originally a vast forest, which 
 was afterwards in some measure cleared, and converted 
 into good cultivated land, fertile fields, rich pastures, 
 and numerous habitations of industrious men. After that 
 however, it was, it seems, for no short period, cover- 
 ed by the sea, occasioned, perhaps, by an earthquake, 
 or some such convulsive event, which might consider- 
 ably lower or sink the whole surface of the country, and 
 so make way for the violent influx of the ocean. The 
 overflowing waters in time gradually covering the ori- 
 ginal surface of the ground with silt and sand to a ver j
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. S3 
 
 great depth, or rather height, would at last recede. 
 The present face of the country, composed of silt to a 
 vast depth,(and which seems no other than marine sed- 
 iment) confirms this hypothesis. Still however the 
 parts next the sea, such as Marshland and the low-lands 
 on the eastern side of Lincolnshire would remain as % 
 great salt marsh, occasionally overflowed, especially 
 at spring-tides. This seems to have been the case when 
 Julius Ccesar invaded this country, and when Claudius 
 afterwards reduced it to the state of a Roman Province. 
 
 The Romans, with all their faults, were certainly a 
 wonderful people. Like all other invaders and conque 
 rors they were in general very hard masters, and in 
 
 some respects most vile oppressors and tyrants. In other 
 
 > 
 
 respects, however, they may be said to have been even- 
 tually real benefactors to many, if not to most of the 
 countries and nations which they subdued, as they were 
 the means of greatly improving those countries, and of 
 introducing among their inhabitants the rudiments of 
 useful knowledge, habits of industry, and the laws of 
 civilization. 
 
 Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain seems to have proved 
 upon the whole unsuccessful; for he withdrew to the con- 
 tinent, without being able to effect its subjugation, or to 
 retain the conquests which lie is supposed to have made; 
 which may be thought to furnish a pretty strong argu- 
 ment in favour of the independent spirit, and high mi- 
 litary character of the British nation at that time. Nor 
 does it appear that the Romans ever attempted to give 
 
 a
 
 34 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 our ancestors any further disturbance afterward, till 
 the reign of Claudius, whose general, Aulus Plauiius, 
 a person of senatorial dignity, was the first that established 
 the power of that people, or gave them a firm footing in 
 this island. This was near a hundred years after the 
 retreat or departure of Julius Caesar; and the success of 
 Plautius is said to have been chiefly or greatly owing to 
 the bitter dissentions which then raged among the Bri- 
 tish chieftains, some of whom had invited the Romans 
 hither, and afterward joined them against their own 
 country-men. Claudius himself came over sometime 
 after, and completed the conquest of a great part of South 
 Britain, including, it seems, the country of the Icem\ 
 which comprehended the present counties of Norfolk 
 and Suffolk, with most, if not the whole of those of Cam- 
 bridge and Huntingdon, and probably some part of 
 Lincolnshire. So that the parts adjoining the Fens be- 
 came subject to the Romans among their earliest acqui- 
 sitions in Britain. The inhabitants of these parts are 
 also said to have made the least resistance to them, at first, 
 of any of the British Slates, and therefore to have been 
 for sometime more highly favoured by them than any of 
 the rest. Claudius at his departure from this island, 
 which is said to have been in the year 43 of the Chris- 
 tian Era, left here a considerable force under Plautius, 
 Vespasian (afterwards emperor) and other experienced 
 and able Generals, who were succeeded by others, no 
 tvay their inferiors, in experience, ability, or military 
 fame; among whom were Ostorius Scapula, Suetonius 
 Paulinus, aud Julius Agricola. Besides Julius Ca?sar, 
 Claudius, and Vespasian, several others of the Roman
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 35 
 
 emperors are said to have spent some part of their time 
 in this island ; and particular Hadrian, Severus, Con- 
 stantius Chlorus, and his son Constantine the Great. 
 The latter is supposed to have been born here, and his 
 mother is said to have been a Briton. His father, as well 
 as his predecessor Severus, died at York, a place of 
 no small consequence and celebrity in those times. 
 
 After the country was reduced, and made a part or 
 province of the empire, the Romans soon began to view 
 it as a very important acquisition. Accordingly they 
 set in good earnest about improving it; and there are 
 still to be seen numerous proofs and monuments of their 
 laborious, ingenious, and successful exertions. Among 
 their important improvements here were included the 
 draining of the Fens, and the embanking of the Marshes, 
 to secure them against the violence and destructive in- 
 roads of the ocean. Marshland and the low lands of 
 Lincolnshire, as was before observed, they found in the 
 miserable condition of a salt marsh, occasionally and 
 frequently overflowed by the tides. This country they 
 secured by very strong and extensive embankments, 
 which bear their name to this day. * 
 
 These improvements in the Fens and Marshes are said 
 to have been the works of a colony of foreigners, 
 brought over, probably, from Belgium, a country of a 
 similar description, whose natives, from their previous 
 knowledge and habits, would be eminently fitted for 
 
 E 2 
 
 * They are still called, The Roman 'Bank:. 
 (.. \ See Badeslade, p. 15.
 
 Jti HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 such employments. Not that those works can be sup- 
 posed to have been effected without the powerful co- 
 operation of the native Britons, who would sometimes 
 loudly complain of the hardships they endured in la- 
 bours of this kind, imposed upon them by the Romans: a 
 plain proof that t hey bore their full share of them . Cains 
 Dccianus, it seems, was the name of the Roman officer 
 who had the chief direction or superintendence of the im- 
 provements then projected and carried on in the Fens. * 
 He was probably the first Roman Procurator of the pro- 
 vince of the Iceni, and continued to be so for many 
 years. Some things recorded of him, during his go- 
 vernment here exhibit him in a very unamiable and detest- 
 able light; and it may be presumed that he was an un- 
 feeling and severe task-master to the workmen whom he 
 employed in the fens and marshes, as well as elsewhere; 
 so that we need not wonder that they should sometimes 
 loudly complain of the hardships they underwent. The 
 public works of which lie had the direction and super- 
 intendence seem, however, to have been carried on by 
 him with no small energy and effect, and to have been 
 soon brought to a state of considerable forwardness and 
 perfection. 
 
 The Fens must have been in a very dismal state be- 
 fore the arrival of the Romans; and their exertions, un- 
 doubtedly, wrought a mighty and most happy change 
 in the face of the country. Houses, villages, and towns 
 would now appear in places that were before perfectly 
 desolate and dreary. At this period we may venture to 
 
 * See Carte's History of England, vol. 1, p. 115, 119, 128.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 37 
 
 date the origin of Lynn ; for it may be pretty safely con- 
 cluded that it owes its rise to the schemes formed by the 
 Romans for the recovery and improvement of these 
 fens and marshes. It is also very probable, not only 
 that, it was the first town built in these parts, on that 
 occasion, but also that it was built and inhabited by 
 those foreign colonists above mentioned, and derived 
 its name from them. This however is not the proper 
 place for the further elucidation of this point: our pre- 
 sent business being with the history of the Fens. 
 
 SECTION II. Further strictures on the ancient state 
 of tliis country, and on a wonderful change it appears 
 to have undergone, at a very remote and unknown peri- 
 od; from I)e Semi's account of a submarine forest on 
 the coast of Lincolnshire. 
 
 SOME very remote ages ago, the land, it seems 
 extended much further out on the Lincolnshire coas* 
 *han it does at present ; and it appears that whole forest 
 once existed in places now wholly occupied by thr 
 ocean ; ^ which must tend to corroborate what has beet, 
 already suggested, tha the whole face of the fens wa 
 originally a forest. A remarkable Paper, giving ai 
 account of a Submarine Forest on the said coast, ap- 
 peared in the Philosophical Transactions for 1799. Par* 
 I. written by Joseph Correa De Serra L. L. D. F. R. S. 
 and A. S. in Which the Author informs us of a report 
 in Lincolnshire, that a large extent of islets of moor..
 
 39 HISTORY OF LYNX; 
 
 situated along the coast, and visible only in the lowest 
 ebbs of the year, was chiefly composed of decayed trees. 
 That report induced him to take a journey thither for 
 the purpose of inspecting so singular a curiosity. Those 
 islets, he observes, are marked in Mitchelfs Chart of 
 that coast by the name of Clay huts', and the Village of 
 Iluttoft, opposite to which they principally lie, he sup^ 
 poses to have derived its name from them. ii In the 
 Month of September 1796, (says he) I went to Button, 
 on the coast of Lincolnshire, in the company of the right 
 honourable the President of the Royal Society, in order 
 to examine their nature and extent. The 19th of the 
 month being the day after the equinoctial full moon, 
 when the lowest ebbs were to be expected, we went in 
 a boat, about half past twelve at noon, and soon set foot 
 on one of the largest islands then appearing. Its exposed 
 surface was about 30 yards long, and 25 wide when the 
 
 , tide was at the lowest. A great number of smaller islets 
 were visible around us to the eastward and southward; 
 
 * and the fishermen whose authority in this point is very 
 competent, say that similar moors are to be found along 
 the whole coast from Skegness to Grimsby, particularly 
 ofi' Addlethorpc and Mablethorpe. The channels di- 
 viding the islets were, at the time we saw them, wide 
 and of various depths ; the islets themselves ranging ge- 
 nerally from east to west in their largest dimensions." 
 
 " We visited them again in the ebbs of the 20th and 
 21st. ; and though it did not generally ebb so far as we 
 expected, we could notwithstanding ascertain that they 
 consisted almost end rely of roots, trunks, branches, and
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 loaves of trees and shrubs, intermixed with- some leaves 
 of aquatie plants. The remains of some of these trees 
 were still stand ing on their roots, while the trunks of the 
 greater part lay scattered on the ground in every possi- 
 ble direction. The barks of trees and roots appeared 
 generally as fresh as when they were growing; in that 
 of the branches particularly, of which a great quantity 
 was found, even the thin silver membranes of outer 
 skin were discernible. The timber of all kinds on the 
 contrary, was decomposed, and soft in the greatest part 
 of the trees : in some, however, it was firm, especially 
 in the roots. The people of the country have often 
 found among them very sound pieces of timber, fit to be 
 employed for several economical purposes. The sorts 
 of wood which are still distinguishable are, Ijirch, fir, 
 and oak. Other woods evidently exist in these islets ? 
 of some of which we found the leaves in the soil ; but 
 our present knowledge of the comparative anatomy of 
 timber is not so far advanced as .to afford us the means 
 of pronouncing with confidence respecting their species. 
 In general the trunks, branches, and roots of the de-? 
 en yed trees were considerably flattened, which is a phe- 
 nomenon observed in the Surtarbrand, or fossil wood of 
 Iceland, and which Scheuchzer remarked also in the 
 fossil wood found in the neighbourhood of the lake Thua 
 in Switzerland." 
 
 " The soil to which the trees are fixed, and in which 
 they grew, is a soft greasy clay ; but for many inches 
 above the surface, the soil is composed of rotten leaves, 
 scarcely distinguishable to the eye, many of which may
 
 40 HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 be separated by putting the soil in water and dexterously 
 and patiently using the Spatula, or blunt knife. By 
 this method! obtained some imperfect leaves of the Ilex 
 aquifolium, which are now in the Herbarium of the right 
 honourable Sir Joseph Banks; and some other leaves, 
 though less perfect, seem to belong to some species of 
 willow. In this stratum of rotten leaves we could also 
 distinguish some roots of Ar undo Phragmitcs." 
 
 "These islets, according to the most accurate inform- 
 ation, extend at least twelve miles in length, and about 
 a mile in breadth, opposite to Sutton shore. The wa- 
 ter without them toward the sea, generally deepens sud- 
 denly, so as to form a steep bank. The channels be-< 
 tween the several islets, when the islets are dry, in the 
 lowest ebbs of the year, are from four to twelve feet deep: 
 their bottoms are clay or sand, and their direction is ge- 
 nerally from east to west." 
 
 A well, dug at Sutton by Joshua Searby, shews that 
 a moor of the same nature is found under ground in that 
 part of the country, at the depth of sixteen feet, conse-* 
 quently very nearly on the same level with that which 
 constitutes the islets. The disposition of the strata was 
 found to be nearly as follows : clay sixteen feet ; moor, 
 similar to that of the islets, three or- four ditto; soft 
 moor, like the scourings of a ditch bottom, mixed with 
 shells and silt, twenty feet ; marly clay, one foot ; 
 chalky r rock, from one to two feet; clay, thirty-one 
 yards; gravel and water; the water has a chalybeate 
 taste. In order to ascertain the course of this subterra-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNJT* 41 
 
 neous stratum of decayed vegetables, Sir Joseph Banks 
 directed a boring to be made in the fields belonging to 
 the royal Society in the parish of Mablethorpe. Moor 
 of a similar nature to that of Searby's well, and the islets, 
 was found very nearly on the same level, about four 
 feet thick, and under a soft clay." 
 
 (i The whole appearance of the rotten vegetables we 
 observed, perfectly resembles, according to the remark 
 of Sir Joseph Banks, the moor which, in Blakeney Fen, 
 and in other parts of the East Fen in Lincolnshire, is 
 thrown up in the making of banks ; barks like those of 
 the birch-tree being there also abundantly found. The 
 moor extends over all the Lincolnshire fens, and has 
 been traced as far as Peterborough, more than sixty 
 miles to the south of Sutton. On the north side, accord- 
 ing to the fishermen, the moory islets extend as far as 
 Grimsby, situated on the south side of the H umber : 
 and it is a remarkable circumstance, that in the large 
 tracts of low land which lie on the south banks of that 
 river, a little above its mouth, there is a subterraneous 
 stratum of decayed trees and shrubs, exactly iike those 
 we have observed at Sutton ; particularly at Axolme isle, 
 a tract of ten miles in length by five in breadth ; and at 
 Hatfield chace, which comprehends 180,000 acres. Dug- 
 dale had long ago made this observation in the first of 
 these places ; and Dela Prime in the second. The roots 
 are there likewise standing in the places where they grew: 
 the trunks lie prostrate. The woods are of the same 
 species as at Sutton. Roots of acquatic plants and reeds
 
 42 HISTORY OF LYNN* 
 
 are likewise mixed with them ; and they are covered by 
 
 / a stratum of some yards of soil, the thickness of which, 
 f 
 
 thouo-li not ascertained with exactness by the above- 
 
 O <r 
 
 mentioned observers, we may easily conceive to corres- 
 pond with what covers the stratum of decayed wood at 
 Sutton, by the circumstances of the roots being (accord- 
 ing to Mr. Richardson's observations) only vissible 
 when the water is low, where a channel was cut which 
 has left them uncovered." 
 
 "Little doubt can be entertained of the moory islets of 
 Sutton being a part of this extensive and subterraneous 
 stratum, which, by some inroad of the sea, has there 
 been stripped of its covering of soil. The identity of 
 the levels; that of the species of trees; the roots of these 
 affixed iii both to the soil where they grew; and above 
 all, the flattened shape of the trunks, branches, and 
 roots, fonnd in the islets (which can only v be accounted 
 for by the heavy pressure of a superinduced stratum) are 
 sufficient reasons for this opinion." 
 
 SECTION III. Further observations from the same 
 Paper Epoch of the destruction of the said Forest 
 Agency by which it was effected, Sfc. Similar appear- 
 ances eastward along the Norfolk coast. 
 
 "Such a wide-spread assemblage of vegetable ruins, 
 lying almost in the same level, and that level generally 
 under the common mark of low water, must naturally 
 strike the observer, and give birth to the following ques-
 
 HISTOttY OF LYNN. 43 
 
 tions : 1. What is the epoch of this destruction? 
 2. By what agency was it effected ? 
 
 In answer to these questions I will venture to submit 
 the following reflections: The fossil remains of vegeta- 
 bles hitherto dug up in so many parts of the globe, 
 are, on a close inspection, found to belong to two dif- 
 ferent stales of our planet. The parts of vegetables 
 and their impressions, found in mountains, of a colace- 
 ous and schistous, or even sometimes of a calcareous 
 nature, are chiefly of plants now existing between the 
 tropics, which would neither have grown in the lati- 
 tudes in which they are dug up, nor have been carried 
 and deposited there by any of the acting forces under 
 the present constitution of nature. The formation indeed 
 of the very mountains in which they are buried, and the 
 nature and position of the materials which compose 
 them, are such as we cannot account for by any actions 
 and re-actions which in the actual state of things take 
 place on the surface of the earth. We must necessarily 
 recur to that period in the history of our planet, when 
 the surface of the ocean was at least so much above its 
 present level as to cover even the summits of those secon- 
 dary mountains which contain the remains of tropical 
 plants. The changes which these vegetables have suf- 
 fered in their substance is almost total; they commonly 
 retain only the external configuration of what they were. 
 Such is the state in which they are found in England by 
 Lhwyd ; in France by Jussieu; and in the Netherlands 
 by Burtin; not to mention instances in more distant coun- 
 tjries. Some of the impressions or remains of plants
 
 44: HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 found in soils of this nature which were, by Hie more 
 ancient and enlightened oryctologists, supposed to be- 
 long to plants actually growing in temperate and cold 
 climates, seem, on accurate investigation, to have been 
 part of exotic vegetables. In fact, whether we sup- 
 pose them to have grown near the spot where they are 
 found, or to have been carried thither from different parts 
 by the force of an impelling flood, it is equally difficult 
 to conceive how organized beings, which, in order to 
 live, require such a vast difference in temperature and 
 seasons, could live on the same spot, or how their remains 
 could (from climates so widely distant) be brought to* 
 gether in the place by one common dislocating cause. 
 To this ancient order of fossil vegetables belong whatever 
 retains a vegetable shape found in or near coalmines, and 
 (to judge from the places where they have been found) 
 the greater part of the agatized woods. But from the 
 species and state of the trees which are the subject of this 
 memoir, and from the situation and nature of the soil 
 in which they are found, it seems very clear that they 
 do not belong to the primeval order of vegetable ruins." 
 
 " The second order of fossil vegetables comprehend 
 those which are found- in the strata of clay or sand; ma- 
 terials which are the result of slow depositions of the sea 
 and of rivers, agents still at work under the present con- 
 ftilution of our planet. These vegotable remains are 
 found in such flat countries as may be considered to be 
 a new formation, The vegetable organization still subsists, 
 at least in part; and their vegetable substance has suffered 
 a change only in colour, smell, or consistence; altera
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN, 45 
 
 tions which are produced by the development of their oily 
 and bituraenous parts, or by their natural progress to- 
 wards rottenness, Such are the fossil vegetables found 
 in Cornwall by Borlase; in Essex, by Derliara; in York- 
 shire by Dela Prime and Richardson; and in foreign 
 countries by other naturalists. These vegetables are 
 found at different depths; some of them much below the 
 present level of the sea, but in clayey and sandy strata 
 (evidently belonging to modern formation); and have, no 
 doubt, been carried from their original place and deposi- 
 ted there by the force of great rivers or currents, as it has 
 been observed with respect to the Mississippi. In many in- 
 stances, however, these trees and shrubs are found stand- 
 ing on their roots, and generally in low or marshy places 
 above, or very little below the level of the sea, " 
 
 "To this last description of fossil vegetables the de- 
 cayed trees here described certainly belong. They have 
 not been transported by currents or rivers; but though 
 standing in their native soil, we cannot suppose the level 
 in which they are found to be the same as that in which 
 they grew. It would be impossible for any of these 
 trees or shrubs to vegetate so near the sea, and below the 
 common level of its water. The waves would cover 
 such tracts of land, and hinder any vegetation. We 
 cannot conceive that the surface of the ocean has ever 
 been any lower than it is now; on the contrary we are 
 led, by numberless phenomena to believe that the level 
 of the water in our globe is now below what it was in 
 former periods. We must therefore conclude, that the 
 forest here described grew in a. level high enough to per*
 
 46 HISTORIC OF LYNN. 
 
 mil its vegetation; and that the force (whatever it was) 
 which destroyed it, lowered the level of the ground 
 where it stood." 
 
 There is a force of subsidence (particularly in soft 
 ground )which being a natural consequence of gravity, 
 slowly, though imperceptibly operating, has its action 
 sometimes quickened and rendered sudden by extraneous 
 causes; for instance, by earthquakes. The slow effects 
 
 of this force of subsidence have been accurately remark- 
 
 * 
 ed in many places: examples also of its sudden action 
 
 are recorded in almost every history of great earth- 
 quakes. In England, Borlase lias given in the Philo- 
 sophical Transactions a curious observation of a subsi- 
 dence of at least sixteen feet in the ground between Samp- 
 son and Trecaw islands in Scilly. The soft and low 
 grounds between the towns of Thome and Gowle in 
 Yorkshire, a space of many miles, has so much subsi- 
 ded in latter times, that some old men of Tllorne affirm- 
 ed, "that whereas they could before see little of the 
 Steeples (of Gowle) they now see the church yard wall." 
 The instances of similar subsidence which might be men- 
 tioned,, are innumerable. 
 
 ^ The force of subsidence., suddenly acting by means 
 of some earthquake, seems to me the most probable 
 cause to which the usual submarine situation of the fo- 
 rest we are speaking of may be ascribed. It affords a 
 simple easy explanation of the matter: its probability is 
 supported by numberless instances of similar events ; and 
 it is not liable to the strong objections which exist 
 against the hypothesis of the ultimate depression and ele-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 47 
 
 ration of the level of the ocean ; an opinion which, to 
 be credible, requires the support of a great number of 
 proofs less equivocal than those which have hitherto 
 been urged in its favour, even by the genius of Lavoi- 
 sier." 
 
 * { The stratum of soil sixteen feet thick, placed above 
 the decayed trees, seems to remove the epoch of their 
 sinking and destruction far beyond the reach of any his- 
 torical knowledge. In Ca?sar's time the level of the north 
 sea appears to have been the same as in our days. He 
 mentions the separation of the Wahal branch of the 
 Rhine, and its junction with the Meuse ; noticing the 
 then existing distance from that junction to the sea, 
 which agrees according to D'Anville's inquiries, with 
 the actual distance. Some of the Roman roads, con- 
 structed according to the order of Augustus, under 
 Agrippa's administration, leading to the maritime towns 
 of Belgium, still exist, and reach the present shore. 
 The description which Roman authors have given of the 
 coast, ports, and mouths of rivers, on both sides of the 
 North sea, agree in general with their present state ; ex- 
 cept in places ravaged by the inroads of this sea, more 
 apt from its force to destroy the surrounding countries 
 than to increase them." 
 
 "An exact resemblance exists between maritime Flan- 
 ders and the opposite coast of England, both in point of 
 elevation above the sea, and of the internal structure 
 and arrangement of the soils. On both sides strata Of 
 clay, silt, and sand, (often mixed with decayed vege- 
 tables) are found near the surface; and in both, these
 
 48 HISTORY OP 
 
 / 
 
 superior materials cover a very deep stratum of bhiei I 
 or dark coloured clay, unmixed with extraneous bodies. 
 On both sides they are the lowtermost part of the soil, 
 existing between two ridges of high lands, on their re- 
 spective sides of the same narrow sea. These two coun- 
 tries are certainly coeval; and whatever proves that ma- 
 ritime Flanders has been for many ages out of the sea, 
 must, in my opinion, prove also that the forest we are 
 speaking of was long before that time destroyed and bu- 
 ried under a stratum of soil. Now it seems proved from 
 historical records, carefully collected by several learned 
 members of the Brussels Academy, that no material 
 change has happened in the lowermost part of maritime 
 Flanders during the period of the last two thousand 
 years." 
 
 " I am therefore inclined to suppose the original ca* 
 tastrophe which buried this forest to be of very ancient 
 date; but 1 suspect the inroad of the sea which uncovered 
 the decayed trees of the islands of Button, to be com- 
 paratively recent/ The state of the leaves and of the 
 timber, and also the tradition of the neighbouring 
 
 people concur to strengthen this suspicion." The 
 
 reader, it is hoped, will excuse, and even approve the 
 length of this curious extract, as it seems so well calcu- 
 lated to account for and elucidate divers striking phe- 
 nomena in the natural history of the Fens. 
 
 Here it may not be improper further to observe, that 
 the forest above described seems to have extended from 
 the coast of Lincolnshire a considerable way along the 
 Norfolk coast; as there is on the shore, near Thornham
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 49 
 
 in that co'inty, at low water, the appearance of a large 
 forest having been, at some period, interred and swal- 
 lowed up by the waves. Stools of numerous large tim- 
 ber trees, and many trunks, are to be seen, but so rot- 
 ten, that they may be penetrated by a spade. These 
 lie in a black mass of vegetable fibres, consisting of de- 
 cayed branches, leaves, rushes, flags, &c. The extent of 
 this once sylvan tract [on the Norfolk coast] must have 
 been great, from what is discoverable; and at high wa- 
 ter, now covered by the tides, is in one spot from five to 
 six-hundred acres. No hint of the manner, or the time, 
 in which this sub- aersion happened, can be traced. No- 
 thing like a bog is near, and the whole beach besides is 
 composed of a h'ne ooze ; or marine clay. * 
 
 SECTION IV. Some further geological observations 
 relating to the Fens, extracted from Diigdalcs Letters 
 lo Sir Thomas Browne. 
 
 The fullest and most circumstantial account we have 
 of these Fens is contained in Sir William Dugdale's 
 History of Embanking, the substance of which will be 
 found in the following pages. He has also treated upon 
 the same subject in his correspondence with his friend 
 Sir Thomas Browne, published in the posthumous works 
 of the latter; some extracts from which, being much to 
 
 G 
 
 * Philosophical Transactions, No, 481 also Beauties of England, 
 volume XI, p. 94.
 
 50 HISTORY OF LYXN. 
 
 the purpose, shall be here submitted to the reader's pe- 
 rusal. 
 
 In Letter IV, he says to his friend, " I shall here 
 acquaint you with* my conceit touching the spacious 
 tract, in form of a sinus, or bay, which we call tlie 
 great level of the fens; extending from Lynn beyond 
 Waynfleetin Lincolnshire in length; and in breadth into 
 some parts of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, 
 Huntingdon, Northampton, and Lincoln: intreatingyour 
 opinion therein. That it was at first firm land I am 
 inducedjo believe, when I consider the multitude of trees 
 (fir, oak, and other kinds) found in those drains and dig- 
 gings which have of late years been made there. " After 
 mentioning some instances, he adds "Mr Goddard, 
 Recorder of Lynn, assures me that lately in Marshland, 
 about a mile from Magdalen Bridge, about seventeen feet 
 deep (upon occasion of letting down a sluice) were found 
 below the silt (for of that sort is all Marshland, and Hol- 
 land) in very firm earth, furze bushes, as they grew, 
 not rotted ; and nut trees, with nuts, not perished; nei- 
 ther of which kind of bushes or trees are now growing 
 upon that silfy soil of Marshland, though it be fruitful 
 and rich for other vegetables." Afterward he adds, 
 I shall tell you how I conclude it became a fen, by the 
 stagnation of the fresh waters; which is thus The sea 
 having its passage upon the ebbs-and flows thereof along 
 the coast of Norfolk to the coast of Lincolnshire, did 
 in time, by reason of its muddiness, leave a shelf of 
 silt betwixt those two points of land, viz: Rising in Nor- 
 folk, and the country about Spilsby in Lincolnshire,
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 51 
 
 which shelf increasing in height and length so much, 
 as that the ordinary tides did not overflow it ; was by 
 that check of those fluxes, in time, so mucli augmented 
 in breadth, that the Romans finding it considerable for 
 the fertility of the soil, made the first Sea-banks for its 
 preservation from the Spring-tides, which might other- 
 wise overflow it. And now, Sir, by this settling of the 
 silt, the soil of Marshland and Holland had its first 
 beginning. By the like excess of silt brought into the 
 mouths of these rivers, which had their outfalls at Lynn, 
 Wisbeach, and Boston, where the fresh water is so stop- 
 ped, as that the ordinary land floods, being not of force 
 enough to grind it out (as the term is) all the level be- 
 hind became overflowed; and as an ordinary pond 
 gathereth mud, so did this do more, which in time 
 hath increased to such thickness, that since the Po-dike 
 was made to keep up the fresh/ water from drowning 
 Marshland on the other side, and South Eau-Bank for 
 the preservation of Holland from the like inundation, the 
 level of the Fenn is become four feet higher than the 
 level of Marshland, as Mr Vermuiden assured me upon 
 a view and observation thereof." Afterwardhe observes, 
 That the time when the passage of Wisbeach was so silt- 
 ted up, as that the outfall of the great river Ouse, which 
 was there, became altered, and was diverted to Lynn, 
 was in Henry the third's reign, as my testimonies (says 
 he) from records manifest. " 
 
 In his 5th Letter he says to his friend "Since I 
 wrote to you for your opinion touching the various course 
 
 G 2
 
 52 HISTORY OF 
 
 of the sea, I met with some notable instances of that 
 kind in a late author, viz, Olivarius Uredius, in hi. 
 tory of Flanders; which he manifesteth to be occas 
 from Earthquakes." And this appears to have i 
 afterward pur author's own settled opinion, a? to the 
 ancient influx 1 of the sea over this great level country. 
 
 SECTION V. A concise view of the, ancient (M modern 
 history of the Fen Country, from Pennant's Preface to 
 his third volume of Arctic Zoology. 
 
 Among the modern authors who have treated of these 
 Fens, no one, perhaps, ranks higher than Pennant. 
 Of this singular tract of country he gives the following 
 account. 
 
 "The great Level, which, comprehends Holland in 
 this county, [Lincolnshire] with part of Northampton- 
 shire, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and 
 Norfolk, a tract of sixty computed miles in length, and 
 forty in breadth,, had been originally a wooded country. 
 Whole forests of firs and oaks have been found in dig- 
 ging, far beneath the moor or* the solid ground ; oaks 
 fifteen feet in girth, and ten yards long, mostly burnt at 
 the bottoms, the ancient method of falling them : multi- 
 tudes of others entirely rooted up, as appears, by the 
 force of the sea bursting in and overwhelming this whole 
 tract, and covering it with silt, or mud which it carried 
 with it from time to time.*'
 
 Hisionv or 1 LYNN. 53 
 
 In process of time, this tract underwent another revo- 
 lution. The silt or ifiud gained so considerably as to 
 leave vast spaces dry, and other parts so shallow, as to 
 encourage the Romans to gain these fertilized countries 
 from the sea. Those sensible and indefatigable people 
 first taught us the art of embanking, and recovered the 
 valuable lands we now possess. It was the complaint of 
 Galgacus, that they exhausted the strength of the Bri- 
 tons, in sylvis et paludibm cmunicndis, * in cleaving 
 woods and draining marshes." 
 
 "After the Romans deserted our island, another change 
 took place. Neglect of their labours succeeded: the 
 drains were no I6nger kept open, and the whole became 
 fen and shallow lake, resembling the present east fen ; 
 the haunt of myriads of water fowl, or the retreat of ban- 
 ditti. Ely and many little tracts, which had the advan- 
 tage of elevation, were at that period literally islands. 
 Several of these in early times, became the retreat of 
 the religous. Ely ? Thorney, Ramsey, Spiney and 
 others rose into celebrated Abbeys, and by the industry 
 of their inhabitants first began to restore the works of the 
 Romans. The country above Thorney, is represented 
 by an old historian [ William of Malmsbury'] as a para- 
 dice. Constant, visitations, founded on wholesome laws, 
 preserved this vast recovered country ; but on the rapid 
 and rapacious dissolution, the removal of several of the 
 inhabitants, and the neglect of the laws of severs, the 
 drains wpre filled, the cultivated lands overflowed, and 
 the country, again reduced to a useless morass." t 
 
 * "V ita Agricola. f 1 Compare Dug^ale's maps of this tract in 
 
 its morassy and improved state? p. 375, 416.
 
 51 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 In the 20th. of Elizabeth, the state of the country was 
 taken into consideration : % no great matters were done 
 till the time of Francis, and William his son, earls of 
 Bedford, who attempted this Herculean work, and re- 
 claimed this vast tract of more than 300,000 acres ; and 
 the last received, under the sanction of Parliament, the 
 just reward of 90,000 acres. J speak not of the reliques 
 of ancient banks, which I have seen in Holland in Lin- 
 colnshire, now remote from the sea, nor yet the Roman 
 timuli, the coins and -other evidences of the residence of 
 that nation in these parts : it is to be hoped that will be 
 undertaken by the pen of some native, who will perform 
 it from actual survey. 
 
 "The vast fenny tracts of these countries were in old 
 times the haunts of multitudes of water fowl, but the 
 happy change, by attention to draining, has substituted 
 in their place thousands of sheep; or, instead of reeds, 
 made those tracts laugh with corn. The Crane, which 
 once abounded in these parts, has even deserted our 
 island. The common wild duck still breeds in multi- 
 tudes in the unreclaimed parts; -and thousands are sent 
 annually to the London markets, from the numerous 
 Decoya. The Grey lag Goose, the origin of the tame, 
 breeds here, and is resident the whole year. A few 
 others of the duck kind breed here. Lap^ings^ Red- 
 breasted Godwitx, and Whimbrels are found here during 
 summer ; but with their young in autumn disperse about 
 the island. The Short-eared Owl migrates here with 
 
 CJ 
 
 the Woodcock^ and is a welcome guest to the farmer, by 
 
 | History of Embanking.
 
 HISTORY OF LYN3V. 55 
 
 clearing the fields of mice. Knots swarm on the coast 
 in winter : are taken in numbers in nets : yet none ure* 
 seen during summer. The most distant north is proba- 
 bly the retreat of the multitude of water-fowl of each 
 order which stock our shores, driven southward by the 
 extreme cold : most of them regularly, others whose 
 nature enables them to brave the usual winters of the 
 frigid zone, are with us only accidental guests, and in 
 seasons when the frost rages in their native land with un- 
 usual severity." 
 
 "In the latitude of Boston, or about latitude 53, the 
 following remark may be made on the vegetable crea- 
 tion: a line may be drawn to the opposite part of the 
 kingdom, which will comprehend the greatest part of 
 Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, the moor- 
 lands of Staffordshire, all Cheshire, Flintshire, Den- 
 bighshire, Caernarvonshire, and Anglesey. Beyond 
 this line, nature hath allotted to the northern parts of 
 these kingdoms certain plants which are rarely or never 
 found to transgress that line to the south." In another 
 place he says, ^ 
 
 "From Hulm, the northern promontory of Norfolk, 
 the sea advances deeply westward, and forms the great 
 bay called The Washes, filled with vast sand banks, 
 the. summits of which are dry at low wafer; but the in- 
 tervening channels are the means of prodigious commerce 
 to Lynn, seated "on the Ouse, which is circulated into 
 the very inland parts of our Island, through the various 
 rivers which falHnto its long course. Lynn is men- 
 tioned in the Domesday book, but became considera*
 
 56 HISTORY OF LV.VN. 
 
 ble for its commerce with Norway, as early as the year 
 
 "The opposite shore is that of Lincolnshire. Its great 
 commercial town Boston stands on Oie Witham, a few 
 miles from the head of the bay. Spring tides rke at 
 the Key fourteen-feet, and convey there vessels of above 
 a hundred tons; but greater ships lie at the scap, the 
 opening of the Estuary. -- -The sluggish rivers of these 
 tame tracts want force to form a depth of Water. 
 
 "Lincolnshire and part of six other counties are the 
 pats bos, the Low countries [or Netherlands] of Britain. 
 This very extensive tract, from the scap to the northern 
 headland, opposite to Hull, presents to the Sea a bow- 
 like and almost unindented front; and so low as to be 
 visible from sea only at a small distance, and churches 
 instead of hills are the only land-marks to seamen, a- 
 mong which the beautiful Steeple of Boston is particu- 
 larly distinguished. The whole Coast is pointed with. 
 Salt-marshes or sand hills, and secured by artificial 
 banks. Old Hollingshed gives a long list of ports on 
 this now inhospitable coast. Wai/nfleft) once a noted 
 haven, is at present a mere creek. Skegness, once a 
 large walled town with a good harbour, is now an in- 
 considerable place, a mile from the sea : and the port or 
 Grimsby^ which in the time of Edward 111. furnished 
 him with eleven ships, is now totally choked with 
 sand." 
 
 "All these coasts of Lincolnshire are flat, and have 
 been gained from the sea. Barton and Barrow have not
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 57 
 
 at present the least appearance of ports; and yet by Hol- 
 lingshed were styled good ones. Similar accidents have 
 befallen the low tract of Holderness, which faces the 
 congruent shores. Hedon., a few miles below Hullj 
 several hundred years ago a port of great commerce, is 
 now a mile and half from the water j and has long given 
 way to the fortune of the latter (a creation of Edward I 
 in 1296) 'on account of the excellency of its port. But 
 in return the sea has made ample reprisals on the lands 
 of this Hundred. The site, and even -the' Very names 
 of several places, once towns of note upon the If umber, 
 are now only recorded in history; and Ravens-pur was 
 at one time the rival of Hull, and a port so very con- 
 siderable in 1332, that Edward Baliol and the confede- 
 rated English barons sailed from hence with a great fleet 
 to invade Scotland: Henry IV, in 1399 made choice of 
 this port to land at, to effect the deposal of Richard II; 
 yet the whole of it has been long since devoured by the 
 merciless ocean; extensive sands, dry allow water, are 
 to be seen in their stead: except Sitnk Island, which 
 till about 1666 appeared among them like an elevated 
 shoal, at which period it was regained, by embankments 
 from the sea, and now forms a considerable estate, pro- 
 bably restored to its pristine condition." 
 
 V
 
 5S 
 
 SECtiON VI. Further account of the Fens, from the, 
 BEAUTIES OF ENGLAND, and other sources. 
 
 "That this vast level was at first a firm dry land, and 
 not annoyed with any extraordinary inundation by Hie 
 sea, or stagnation of fresh waters, is evident from the 
 quantity of trees that have been found buried in different 
 parts of the fens, and also from a variety of other cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 "Dugdale, in his History of Embanking, observes 
 that in making several channels for draining in the isle 
 of Axholm, great numbers of oak, fir, and other trees 
 were found in the moor. The fir trees lay at the depth 
 of between four and five feet, but the oaks were but lit- 
 tle more than three feet beneath the soil. They were 
 discovered lying near their roots, which " still stand as 
 they grew," that is, in firm earth below the moor, and 
 the bodies, for the most part, northwest from the roots, 
 not cut down with axes, but burnt asunder, somewhat 
 near the ground, as the ends of them, being coated, do 
 manifest. The oaks were lying in multitudes, and of 
 an extraordinary size, being five yards in compass, and 
 sixteen yards long; and some smaller of a greater length, 
 with agood quantity of acorns and small nuts near them." 
 Similar discoveries have been made in the fen near Tlior- 
 ney; in digging the channel north of Lynn, called Down- 
 ham Eau; and in many other places. 
 
 Mr Richard Atkins, a gentleman of considerable re- 
 search, and a commissioner of sewers in the reign of 
 James I. was of opinion that the Fens were formerly 
 meadow laud, fruitful, healthy 3 and lucrative to the i-
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN 59 
 
 habitants, from afford ing relief to the people of the high- 
 lands in times of drought. Peterborough, he observes, 
 was of old called Meadhamstead, on account of the mea- 
 dows there, though most of the present fens belong to 
 that district. Likewise Ely, or Peterborough Great Fen 
 was once a forest. 
 
 "In a Paper communicated to the Royal Society by 
 the reverend John Rastrick of Lynn, and published in 
 the Philosophical Transactions (No. 279, 1702) it is 
 mentioned, that on removing the foundation of the old 
 sluice at the end of Hammond's Bank, where it falls 
 into Boston Haven, the workmen discovered many roots 
 of trees issuing from their boles, or trunks, spread in 
 the ground; and in taking them up with the earth in 
 which they were embedded, they met with a solid gra- 
 velly and stony soil, of the high country kind, but black 
 and discoloured, from the length of years, and the 
 change which had befallen it. 
 
 'Mr. ELiobb, in his Historical Account of the Bed- 
 ford Level, affirms, that in his perambulations over the 
 levels of Button and Mepal, and others adjacent, in the 
 counties of Cambridge and Huntingdon, he observed, at 
 1he depth of about three feet under the present moorish 
 soil, multitudes of roots of large trees, standing as they 
 had grown, from which the bodies had manifestly been 
 sawn off. Some of them he saw lying at a small distance 
 from their roots, at the depth above-mentioned ; and he 
 was credibly informed that great numbers had been and 
 were still found severed and lying in the same manner. 
 
 H2
 
 60 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 "He also relates that in driving the piles for securing 
 the foundation of the great sluice at the mouth of the 
 new cut, a little above Boston, in 1764, roots of trees 
 \\ere found at the depthtjf eighteen feet below the pas- 
 turage surface, standing as the trees had grown. Some 
 of them were obliged to be chopt through to make a pas- 
 sage for the piles. In some other parts of the trench 
 dug for laying the same foundations, small shells were 
 discovered, disposed in the same manner as they are 
 ofter^ found at the bottom and sides of the marsh creeks. 
 
 "The preceding instances are sufficient proofs, that 
 the surface of this level was anciently much lower than 
 it is at present ; * and also that it must have remained 
 dry for a vast number of years, otherwise the trees would 
 never haye attained to the magnitude which they appear 
 to have done by the above statements. In what age, or 
 from what causes the waters overspread the country, and 
 converted this extensive district into fens, is uncertain ; 
 yet there are reasons to believe, that the great level 
 would have remained in a flourishing state fill the present 
 time, if the operations of nature had not been interrupted 
 by the works of art. 
 
 " fyugdale, in a quotation from the Life ofAgricola, 
 by Tacit u^, says that "the Britons complained- that 
 their hands and bodies- were worn out and consumed by 
 
 * *No, surely, not sufficient proofs that the surface was lower; but 
 rather, or only, that the country was once 'dry and woody, and long 
 remained so: for upon the reasonable- supposition of an Earthquake, i& 
 was before repeatedly suggested, the probability would be, that the 
 surfjce was anciently as high at lea^t, if not higher than at present, but 
 yras cons-klerably lowered by that convulsive event, which would mafce 
 way for the violent bursting in of the sea.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 61 
 
 the Romans, in clearing the woods, and embanking the 
 fens." This sentence, when considered conjointly with 
 the foregoing accounts of the state in which the trees 
 have been found, enables us to form an idea of the time 
 when the woods were destroyed, which appears to have 
 been before the Romans had secured the entire possession 
 of the island. Some of the trees, we find, were burnt, and 
 others sa<rn dow^n, and this evidently without any re- 
 gard either to profit or utility, since the trunks were left 
 to perish on the soil where they grew. It is probable 
 therefore, that they were felled to deprive the Britons ojf 
 shelter, and to enable the Roman soldiers to march in. 
 greater security, and obtain an easier conquest. 
 
 "The emperor Scverus is said to have been the first 
 who intersected the fens with causeways. Dugdalc has 
 mentioned one, supposed to have been made by him, 
 of twenty-four miles in length, extending from Denver 
 to Peterborough . This was composed of gravel, about 
 three feet in depth and sixty feet broad, and is covered 
 with moor from three to five feet in thickness. This fur- 
 nishes another proof of the great alterations which the 
 fens have undergone ; yet the changes which have taken 
 place may be illustrated still further. 
 
 "The celebrated Sir Robert Cotton) when making a - 
 pool, at the edge of Connington Downs, in Huntingdon- 
 shire, found the skeleton of a large sea-fish nearly twen- 
 ty feet long, about six feet below the superfices of the 
 ground, and as much below the general level of the fens. 
 Many of the bones, which from their long continuance 
 in the earth, were incrusted with stone, were preserved,
 
 6% HISTORY OF LYNJT 
 
 ''i ' ' 
 
 and. arc reported to be still in the possession of Sir Ko- 
 bert's descendants, 
 
 "At Whittlesea, in digging* through the moor, for 
 flic purpose of making a moat to secure a plantation of 
 fruit trees, at eight feet deep, a perfect soil was found, 
 with sAvaths of grass lying on it as they were at first 
 jnowed." This seems to indicate that the inundation 
 which overwhelmed the country, happened in summer, 
 or early in autumn, and had not been foreseen by the 
 inhabitants. The nuts and acorns before-mentioned, 
 will also corroborate this conjecture, as to the time of 
 the year when this catastrophe happened ; and so do the 
 swaths of grass, or mown hay, as to the suddenness of it, 
 
 "When the foundation was dug for Shirbeck .sluice, 
 near Boston, at the depth of sixteen feet a smith's 
 forge was discovered embedded in silt, with all the 
 fools belonging to it, several horse-shoes and some other 
 articles. Also in setting down a sluice a little below 
 Magdalene Fail, a stone eight feet long and a cart 
 wheel were found at a similar depth below the surface. 
 Likewise near the river Wellahd, at the depth of ten 
 feet, several boats were dug up; and at 1 the same depth, 
 on the opposite side of the river, the remains of ancient 
 tan-vats or pits, arid a great quantity of horns were 
 found." f 
 
 " flew?/ of Huntingdon , who lived in the reign of 
 king Stephen, describes this fenny country as very plea- 
 sant and agreeable to the eye, watered by many rivers 
 which run through it, diversified with many large and
 
 HISTORY ,OP LYNN. 63 
 
 small lakes, and adorned with many woods and islands. 
 William ofMalmsbury also, who lived till the first year 
 of Henry II, has painted the state of the land round Thor- 
 ney in the most glowing colours. He represents it as a 
 paradise; the very marshes abounding in trees, whose 
 length, without knots, emulated the stars. The plain 
 there (says he) is as level as the sea, which with the flou- 
 rishing of the grass allureth the eye; and so smooth that 
 there is nothing to hinder him that runs through it; nei- 
 ther is there any waste place in it; for in some parts there 
 are apple trees; in others vines, which either spread up- 
 on the grounds, or run along the poles. 
 
 Making every allowance for the florid colouring of the 
 above representations, it is manifest that the level in the 
 times of the above writers must have been in a very 
 flourishing and superior condition to what it was a few 
 centuries afterwards, when the fens were covered with 
 water, and the inhabitants of many islands in danger of 
 perishing for want of food." Whatever occasioned 
 the alteration, it clearly appears that attempts at drain- 
 ing were made as early as the reign of Edward I, and 
 have been continued with various success to the present 
 time. The famous John of Gaunt, and Margaret 
 countess of Richmond were among the first adventurers 
 who embarked in this undertaking. They were pretty 
 soon succeeded by bishop Morton, whose patriotic ef- 
 forts, as has been already observed, were attended AvitU 
 considerable success.
 
 64 HISTORY OF I/YXX. 
 
 SECTION VII. Of the Fens from the time of Henri) 
 Till, or rather that of Elizabeth, to the Revolution; 
 giving an account of the different projects of improve- 
 ment proposed and carried on during that period. 
 
 During the successive reigns of Henry VIII, Edward 
 VI, and Mary 1, little attention appears to have been 
 paid to the state or improvement of the fens. For 
 most of that time, and ever after the dissolusion of the 
 abbeys, to which a very great part of these fens belong- 
 ed, they were, it seems, almost entirely neglected, and 
 soon reduced to a very wretched condition: so little care 
 having been taken by the new possessors to keep the 
 drains open and the banks in repair, compared with ' 
 what had been done by their wiser predecessors, the ab- 
 bots and the monks. 
 
 In Elizabeth's time, however, things were gotten to 
 such a pass as not to admit of being any longer overlook- 
 ed or neglected. The reign of that queen (as Mr Gough 
 observes in his edition of Camderi) "may be properly 
 fixed on as tbe period when the Great Level began to 
 become immediately a public care." In her 20th. year 
 a commission was granted to Sir Thomas Cecil. Sir 
 William Fitz- Williams, and others, to drain the fens 
 about Cloitfs Cross! but the inutility of such a partial de- 
 sign appears to have been early foreseen, as there is no 
 account of the plan ever being acted upon. In her 43rd 
 year, an act of parliament was passed on a general plan, 
 which not only included the draining of the great level, 
 but likewise all the marshes and drowned lands in the 
 kingdom, T^kis scheme, for which resources equal to
 
 HISTORY OF r/rtfar. 65 
 
 the extent of* the undertaking are said to have beJen pro- 
 vided, was frustrated by the queen's death. 
 
 "In the beginning of the reign of James I, Sir John 
 Popham*, the Lord Chief Justice, procured an act for 
 draining the fens in the Isle of Ely, and the lands in the 
 adjacent counties. The work was commenced with 
 great spirit, but was soon retarded by the death of Pop- 
 ham, and afterwards entirely dropt, through the oppo- 
 sition of some land-owners, who conceived themselves 
 injured; 
 
 "The persons who next attempted to proceed with 
 this important undertaking, were the Earl of Arundel, 
 Sir William Ajjlojf, bari. and Anthony Thomas, Esq. 
 but their proposals not being agreeable to those who ac- 
 ted as commissioners on behalf of the proprietors, and 
 much time being lost by the meetings held to determine 
 the contested points, the ling himself resolved to become 
 an ad venturer j and actually undertook the herculean la* 
 hour of draining the fens, on condition of his receiving 
 120,000 acres, as a remuneration, when the work was 
 completed. This agreement was carried into a law, and 
 there the design terminated ; for the political embarrass- 
 ments, which attended the remainder of the reign ofthe 
 fickle James, prevented a single step being taken to car- 
 ry it into execution. 
 
 In t]ie 6th year of Charles I. Sir C. Veftmtidcn, a 
 Hollander, in a contract with the Commissioners of Sew- 
 ers, engaged to drain the fens, on condition, that 90,000
 
 66 HISTORY OF 
 
 acres of land, when drained, should be transferred 
 to htm. But when he had again surveyed the Level, 
 and made drawings of the works that were necessary, 
 he appears to have thought the reward insufficient, and 
 demanded an additional allotment of 5000 acres. This 
 proposal was rejected; more from the prejudices that 
 prevailed against him as a foreigner (and a disgust, pro- 
 bably, for not standing to his first bargain) than from 
 any supposition that his demands were extravagant: for 
 soon after, the commissioners with the consent of the 
 land-holders, engaged on the same terms of 95,000 acres 
 with Francis Earl of Bedford, who had large posses- 
 sions in the fens, through the grant to his ancestors of 
 Thorney Abbey and its appurtenances. * 
 
 * Of this undertaking Elstobb gives the following account That it 
 was entered into by the Earl, at the earnest request and importunities 
 of the country in general, who at a numerous sessions of sewers held at 
 Lynn, January 13, IG.'jft, became humble suitors to him to undertake 
 the business, which he condescended to comply with, and accordingly 
 contracted with the commissioners and the country, and engaged that 
 he would use his best endeavours to drain the said marsh, jenny, -acute 
 and surrounded grounds, in such a manner as that they should be fit for j 
 meadow, pasture, or arable; and the work to be completed within the 
 compass of six yean. To the end the Earl might the more confidently 
 undertake and effect the said work, and be assured of enjoying the 
 95,000 acres, as the fruit and recompence of his labours and charge; 
 and that the country might be more assured of obtaining a benefit pro- 
 portionable to the very great quantity of land they were to part with, it 
 was agreed that 12,000 acres, part of the 95,000, should be presented 
 to the king, in lieu of all and every benefit he might claim by a certain 
 law of sewers, made in the 19th year of king /aww, or by any other law 
 or decree of sewers, and for his royal approbation and confirmation of the 
 contract, &c." Having described the work in its commencement and 
 progress, he adds, that having expended about =100,000 these lands 
 were so benefited that, in about seven years time, from the first under- 
 taking, viz. in 1637, at a session of sewers held at Peterborough, Oc- 
 tober 12, the Level was adjudged to be drained, and the 95,000 acres 
 were, by six or more commissionors set out for the fearl, his heirs and
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 67 
 
 Before the commencement of the work, thirteen gen- 
 tlemen, of high rank and respectability offered to become 
 ioint adventurers with tho carl, and their proposals be- 
 ing accepted, the undertaking commenced. In the 
 year 1634, the king granted the adventurers a charter 
 of incorporation; and three years and a half from that 
 period, the Commissioners adjudged the Level drained, 
 and, accompanied by his Majesty's surveyor, attended 
 to set out the earl's allotment, 
 
 ft 
 
 From this time the favourable disposition of Charles 
 towartkihe adventurers began to change; and early in 
 the ensuing year, 1638, a meeting was held at Ilunting- 
 
 i 2 
 
 issig'is. But it being soon after discovered that these lands, though be- 
 nefited, were not perfectly recovered, but in winter were still subject to 
 inundations, the very next year, 1633, at a sessions of sewers held at 
 Huntingdon, April 12, the Earl's undertaking was adjudged defective. 
 The King then taking the business into his princely consideration, and 
 understanding by an estimate made by Sir C. Vermuiden, that if this 
 Level of near 400,000 acres were made winter-lands, it would be of extraor- 
 dinary advantage, viz of about ,600,000 to the common wealth, hisjMa- 
 jesty determined to become himself the undertake:} and accordingly on 
 July 18, the same year, he was actually declared undertaker; and was 
 to have, not only those 95,000 acres, which had been set out for the 
 Earl of Bedford, but also 57,000 acres more, from the country, it being 
 his Majestys design to make the land good winter-ground. The Earl, in 
 consideration of the costs he had been at, was to have 40,000 acres out 
 of the 93,000 before granted him. The King to manifest his real and 
 earnest purpose of speedily effecting the business, caused the following 
 works to be done: a bank on the south side of Morton's Learn, and 
 -mother begun on the north side : a navigable sass at Standground : a 
 new river cut between the stone sluice, at the Horse-Shoe, and the sea 
 below Wisbeach, sixty feet broad, and two miles long, with banks on 
 both sides : also a sluice in the marshes below Tydd, upon the outfall 
 of the Wire Drain. Bat the King being embroiled in a civil war, the 
 Level lay neglected ; and the country complaining that they had receiv- 
 ' ed no benefit by the draining, they entered upoa the 95,000 acres again, 
 which had been taken from them." Elstobb's Observations, p. 9 to 12,
 
 68 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 <lon, of people devoted to the will of the crown, who 
 were empowered to examine into the utility of the mea- 
 sures executed by the Earl. The new Commissioners 
 declared that the works were incomplete; and accepted 
 the king's proposals to drain the fens, for which he was 
 to receive not only 95,000 acres, but also 57,000 aditi- 
 onal! Every hope of advantage which Charles expected 
 to reap from this undertaking was entirely dissipated by 
 the ensuing troubles, which prevented every further 
 prosecution of the work till the year 1619, when Will- 
 iam earl of Bedford, Son and successor of Francis^ 
 was restored by the Parliament to all the rights of his 
 father. 
 
 The Act obtained at this period, settled the bounda- 
 ries of the Level, and gave fresh vigour to the under- 
 taking. The works which had fallen to decay, were 
 repaired, and new channels made, with so much pro- 
 priety in the opinion of the Commissioners, that on the 
 25th. of March, 1653, the Level was adjudged to bje 
 fully drained, and the 95,000 acres awarded to the Earl 
 and his participan-s; the latter of whom were nearly 
 ruined by the expence of draining, which amounted to 
 upwards of o 400,000. 
 
 In the 15th, of Charles II, the former act was con? 
 firmed in its most essential" clauses; and a corporation, 
 consisting of a governor, six bailiffs, and twelve conser- 
 vators and commonality, was established, under the 
 title of "Conservators of the Great Level of the Fens," 
 for its better government. These commissioners were em- 
 powered to levy taxes on the 95 ; 000 acres, to defray
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 69 
 
 whatever expenccs might arise in their preservation; but 
 pnly 83,000 acres were vested in the corporation, in trust 
 for the Earl of Bedford and his associates. The re- 
 maining 12,000 having been allotted to Charles 1, in 
 pursuance of the agreement made by the persons who 
 met at Huntingdon, were now assigned to the king, with 
 the exception of 2000 apres, which had been granted 
 to the Earl of Portland." * 
 
 Though the Corporation were invested with power 
 by the above act to levy taxes generally on the adven- 
 turers land, yet as the form and manner in which that 
 power was to be exercised was not prescribed, 'hey could 
 only levy a specific sum on every acre; a proceeding 
 manifestly unjust; as the lands varied so much in value, 
 that an equal tax nearly amounted to the k whole sum the 
 inferior lands were worth. Application was therefore 
 made to the Legislature for power to remedy this in- 
 convenience, by granting authority to substitute a gra- 
 dual acre tax; and commissioners were appointed by 
 the Parliament to survey and rate the land accprding 
 to its value. Under this commission it was sorted into 
 eleven degrees, arid that with so much impartiality, 
 that the proportional values as then ascertained, have 
 
 * E'stobb) speaking of the above act, says, that the Governor, Bai- 
 liffs, and Conservators were made Commissioner! of Severs, for preservation 
 of the Level, by convenient outfalls to the sea; and they or any five of 
 them, whereof the governor or any oi'the bailiffs be two, toact as com- 
 missioners of sewers within the said great level, and of the works made, 
 or to be made without the said level for conveying the waters by con- 
 venient outfalls to the sea. No other commissioners to meddle. A go- 
 verior or bailiff to have 400 acres out of the said 95,100; the cotiserva- 
 fer 200 ; and the commonalty elentiors }00 acres, to enable them ts* 
 ypti;. F.lstobb'sObservations, p. 14.
 
 70 HISTORY OF 
 
 ever since been regarded as a standard." i Nothing ve- 
 ry material, or remarkable, in regard to the fens, ap- 
 pears to have been done afterwards during the remainder 
 of Charles' reign, or that of his brother and successor 
 James. 
 
 SECTION VIII. The same subject continued, front 
 the revolution to the present lime. 
 
 In the year 1697 the Bedford Level was divided into 
 three districts, North, Middle, and South; having one 
 surveyor for each of the former, and two for the latter. 
 This distribution, which had been made for its better 
 government, was the source of considerable divisions. A, 
 
 O * 
 
 misconceived distinction of interest arose between the 
 different proprietors; and their dissatisfaction being in- 
 creased during a long minority in the Bedford family, 
 to whom, as proprietor of the North Level, the others 
 were greatly indebted. Application was made to the 
 Legislature in 1753, and an act obtained to settle the 
 account of the corporation, and separate the North 
 Level from the rest, except in those instances wherein 
 their alliance was necessary for the service of the coun- 
 try. On this occasion the Duke of Bedford remitted 
 the sum due to him from the South and Middle Levels; 
 and the Earl of Lincoln, to whom they were also in* 
 debtedj concurred in the generous example. 
 
 t See Beauties of England, vol. 3.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 71 
 
 Soon after passing the above act, which separated 
 the north from the middle and south levels, a treaty was 
 negotiated between the Bedford Level Corporation and 
 the principal persons interested in the trade carried on 
 through the river Nene, from the Port of Lynn to the 
 counties of Huntingdon and Northampton. That part 
 of the river which lay within the boundaries of the great 
 Levelj was so rilled up by the silt and other matter, 
 which the tides and upland waters had deposited, that 
 the navigation was much impeded, and the expenceof 
 ev.'ry voyage considerably increased. This caused an 
 application to the managers of the Bedford Level, for 
 their assistance in the necessary work of cleansing 1 
 ibe channel of the river, and making & deeper ; and 
 the parties, after several meetings, agreed in the outlines 
 of a plan intended to answer the ends both of draining 
 an:l navigation. The same year, the persons interested 
 applied k, Parliament, and the measures proposed for 
 their mutual benefit received the sanction of the legisla- 
 ture. By the act then -passed, the corporation of the Becl- 
 , ford Level renounce the general power possessed over 
 the river and its banks, and unite with a stated number 
 of land- proprietors, chosen from the south and middle 
 districts, in raising a fund, *to be appropriated to scour 
 out and deepen the bed of the Nene and its commu- 
 nicating brandies. 
 
 B 
 
 * This fund was at first usefully applied, and the channel and navi- 
 gation of the Nene considerably improved. The interest of the money 
 bor owed on the occasion, was also for some years regularly and punctu- 
 ally paid ; so that the river Nene securities, as they were called,, were 
 generally reckoned very good. Of late years, however, the state of
 
 7 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 The above acts form the basis of (he constitution ap- 
 pointed for the government of the Bedford Level; for 
 though many others have been procured within the* last 
 50 years, for draining separate districts -within its limits, 
 yet they all contain a clause, reserving the powers of the 
 Corporation as established in the 15th Charles II. 
 
 Of late years a measure has been frequently agitated, 
 and in 1795 passed into a law, for improving the outfall of 
 the river Ouse, and amending the drainage of the south 
 and middle Levels, by making a Cut across the marsh- 
 es from Eaubrink to Lynn . Great advantages are ex- 
 pected to be derived from this new channel, and the 
 commissioners appointed by the Act are now employed 
 in levying taxes to enable them to proceed with the work; 
 but it is not yet begun. 
 
 Notwithstanding the various projects that have been 
 executed and the vast expence incurred to complete the 
 drainage of the Fens, the work is yet imperfect; and in 
 many places the farmer is still liable to have all the pro- 
 duce of his grounds carried away by inundations. The 
 peculiar situation of the Level, which renders it the re- 
 ceiver of the collected waters of nine counties, and the 
 want of attention to those comprehensive measures which 
 alone could have equalled the evil, by providing a suf- 
 ficient outlet to the sea for the descending torrent, when 
 
 things has greatly altered for the worse : the river has been neglected, 
 and suffered to be filled up with silt and mud ; the navigation impeded; 
 the interest of the money borrowed bet%Teen fifteen and twenty years in 
 arrears, and the creditors gravely told, that theie is no money in hand 
 for them. Their case therefore seems to be without remedy and with- 
 out hope ; there being, it is to be feared, no prospect of another chance 
 to restore or improve the said river. What is become of the said fund ?
 
 HISTORY OF LY^.V 73 
 
 swelled by the numerous currents from the hills produ- 
 ced by a rainy season, are frequently the occasion of 
 high floods, by which many thousand acres of prime land 
 are overwhelmed and made useless for the whole year. 
 
 Among the great variety of expedients employed to 
 drain the marshes, where the regular and common means 
 have failed, is the erection of windmills, or rather en- 
 gines worked by the wind, which, from their number 
 and situation in some parts of the fens, present a very 
 singular and rather queer and grotesque appearance. 
 These raise the water to a sufficient height to admit of 
 its being conveyed into receptacles enough elevated to 
 carry it into its proper channel. 
 
 A great many thousand acres, within the extent of this 
 low country, are still in the condition of waste unimpro- 
 ved fen, the average value of which is said to be little 
 more than four shillings an acre. One writer states 
 that upwards of 150,000 acres are in that condition in 
 Cambridgeshire alone, *, which, however, has been 
 thought by others somewhat inaccurate, and beyond the 
 truth. Be that as it may, the quantity of such lands in 
 tlie fens is certainly very great, and must sufficiently 
 demonstrate that the immense labour bestowed, in drain- 
 ing the Level, has not been attended with the salutary 
 effects which the promoters of the various plans too fond- 
 ly imagined and promised; and it may still be question- 
 ed whether the remedies proposed, and partially execu- 
 ted, are adequate to effect the intended purpose, t 
 
 K 2 
 
 * See Agricultural Survey,of CambridgeshUc. 
 t Beauties of England, 2, 18.
 
 74 HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 SECTION IX. Miscellaneous Observations en the 
 present appearance, produce, and state of the Fens. 
 
 The elevated spots on which Hie (owns and villages, 
 are built in many parts of the fens, appear like islands 
 rising in the midst of low and level marshes; and the 
 churches being generally erected on the highest parts, 
 may be distinguished at the distance of several miles. 
 The cottages in many places are nothing more than mud 
 walls, covered with thatch or reed. The application 
 of the land is various. The crops of oats are particular- 
 ly exuberant, the produce being frequently from forty- 
 five to sixty bushels an apre : great quantities of wheat 
 and coleseed are also grown, and generally with a pro- 
 portional increase. Many thousand acres are also ap- 
 propriated to pasture. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Elm, I'pwell, Out well, &:c. 
 considerable quantities of hemp and flax are grown ; but 
 the culture of these articles, as a preparation for wheat, 
 does not receive that attention which their jmporiance 
 demands. Some very fine butler is made in the dairy 
 forms in this district ; and the vicinity of Cottenham is 
 famous for a peculiar kind of new cheese of a singularly 
 .delicious flavour; which is partly ascribed to the mode 
 observed in the management of the dairies, arid partly 
 to the nature of the herbage on thq commons. Many 
 parts are remarkably favourable for the growth of corn; 
 but the situation of some of them renders them so ex- 
 tremely liable to be overflowed, that their luxuriant pro- 
 fluce is too frequently destroyed by the floodb. t It is 
 
 f See Beauties of England, , 13, 19.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 75 
 
 generally said, however, that if the occupiers have one 
 good year in every two or three, they will make a very 
 tolerable shift to live. The sheep in some parts are said 
 to be very subject to the rot, which has been attributed 
 to the neglected state of the fens in those places, occa- 
 sioning the ground to produce rank and unwholesome 
 herbage. 
 
 The grounds are perhaps no where richer or more fer- 
 tile, in any part of this low country, than about Wis- 
 boach and 'Long Button. The pastures there are ex- 
 ceedingly iine and luxuriant. The crops of corn also 
 are in general abundant, but much more subject to 
 blights than in the hilly parts, and the grain is said to 
 be lighter, and much inferior in quality to that of the 
 high country. 
 
 Towards March and Chatleris, the land, though ap- 
 parently very good, is said to be apt to produce such an 
 increasing quantity of thick moss, as renders it in a few 
 years unfit for pasturage; to remedy which, the fanner 
 has the surfaep pared off and burnt, preparatory to its 
 bring ploughed up; by which means the moss is effec- 
 tually destroyed, and a good manure provided for the 
 t-nsujng crops, which are for the most part very plenti- 
 ful. After a while it is again converted into grass laud, 
 and sq continued till the mow gathers arid appears as 
 before, when the former process is again resorted to, us 
 fhe only remedy. 
 
 One very great inconvenience, which the inhabitants 
 of. this low country labour under, is the want of good
 
 76 HISTORY OF 
 
 .water, especially in dry-summers, owing to the scarcity 
 of springs. Rain-water is the only water they can have 
 for domestic uses, almost throughout the year : to pre- 
 serve which they have troughs and spouts constructed 
 and fixed 'under the eves of the houses, by which it is 
 conveyed into cisterns and reservoirs for the use of their 
 families. Even such pdpulous towns as Boston and ^Vis- 
 beach have no better means of supplying themselves with 
 good water ; which in most parts of Britain would be 
 deemed an intolerable grievance, To Lynn, however, 
 the above case does not apply, The country on its 
 eastern side abounds with good springs, from which the 
 town is plentifully supplied with excellent water, as not 
 to be exceeded in that respect, perhaps, by any place in 
 
 the kingdom, 
 
 
 
 In Marshland and other parts of the country, it is with 
 no small difficulty that water can be procured for the 
 cattle in very dry seasons. Instances not few, are said 
 to have been known at such times, of their being driven 
 daily some miles to water, as none could be procured at 
 a nearer distance. Such is the spongy quality of the 
 soil ia these parts, that pits dug to preserve the rain wa- 
 ter would not retain it unless they were previously bot- 
 tomed with clay, by which the water is prevented from 
 sinking into the earth. Such pits are dug almost in eve- 
 ry field ; and for all the care and expence bestowed upon 
 them, they are often found empty and useless long be- 
 fore the end of a very dry summer. Thus it appears, 
 ILatthis country, so fertile and desirable in some inspects, 
 has its advantages greatly counter-balanced by some ve-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 77 
 
 ry serious inconveniences, from which the more hilly 
 and sterile districts of the kingdom are happily exempt- 
 ed. On the whole, when the advantages and disad- 
 vantages of this low fertile country are fairly compared 
 with those of the more ban-en and mountainous regions, 
 it will probably be found that the favours of providence 
 are much more equally distributed than we are some- 
 times apt to imagine. 
 
 Here it may be further observed, that the system of 
 agriculture, and even the implements of husbandry arc 
 different in marshland and the fens from those of the higher 
 parts of Norfolk ; which is probably to be ascribed to 
 the soil, or quality of the land being very different in 
 the one from what it is in the other. In the former it is 
 for the most part strong and heavy, but weak and light- 
 in the latter, so as not to require more than two horses 
 to draw the plough, and which are uniformly managed 
 without a driver. 
 
 SECTION X. Miscellaneous observations continued 
 Fen reeds and their uses Starlings Tame Geese, and 
 singular management of them Insalubriousness of 
 Marshland Ancient celebrity of the Smeeth Decoys. 
 
 Many parts of the fens abound with a remarkable spe- 
 cies of reeds ) which appear in summer, at some distance, 
 like extensive fields of corn. In autumn, and at the 
 approach of winter, they are resorted to by innumerable
 
 78 HISTORY or LYNX. 
 
 flocks of Starlings, winch then subsist upon the seeds of 
 those plants, and lodge or roost among their branches 
 from whence, when scared, they ascend sometimes in 
 such vast numbers as to appear in the shy like a thick 
 cloud, exhibiting a very strange and striking spectacle 
 to those beholders who are unused to the curious phe- 
 nomena of this singular country. The fen-fowlers, in 
 their long boats, take these birds sometimes by surprizp, 
 when thickly assembled among those reeds, and with 
 their long; sruns make prb'di^ious havock dmcm^ them. 
 
 d J. ' o 
 
 Myriads of them are so destroyed, and become a consider- 
 able article of food in the latter ifionfhs of the year. 
 
 The reeds to which these birds resort, and from whose' 
 seed, for many months, they derive a great part of their 
 subsistence, are no less remarkable in anolher respect: 
 vast quantities of them are cut down, or reaped Hk 
 corn, in the latter part of summer; being afterward care- 
 fully dried and dressed, they are tied up in bundles or 
 sheaves, made up into stacks or ricks, and sold for co- 
 verings of houses, making perhaps the best thatch in the 
 world. Great numbers 6f ho'ns'es nnd barns, and even 
 some churches are covered with them about the Fens and 
 Marshland, and the adjoining pnrts of Norfolk. They 
 are laid on very thick, curiously, and judiciously, and 
 constitute a very durable, as well as neat, covering, 
 which is said to last sometimes thirty or forty years, wif h 
 a little shaving and trimming. It has been observed of 
 thatch coverings (those.made of these reeds must be par- 
 ticularly so) that they make the coolest houses in sum- 
 mer, and the warmest in winter of all coverings v,!:at-
 
 HIStOltY OF LYNX 70 
 
 ever; bdng more impervious both to heat and cold than 
 any other materials used forthesame purpose. Thatching 
 is executed in this country in. a style of superior neat- 
 ness, as well as firmness, and better calculated for dura- 
 bility, than the writer of this has known any where else 
 except, perhaps, in the Vale of Gthmorgan, where a. 
 similar method is used. The material there, indeedj is 
 wheat straw, and not reeds, which in that country can- 
 not be obtained in any large quantity; but the process of 
 dressing and preparing the materials, as well as the me- 
 thod of laying them on, seem to be there and here much 
 alike. It seems somewhat remarkable that districts so 
 widely separated, and which are in most other respects 
 so very dissimilar, should yet in this particular bear so 
 near and striking a resemblance to each other. 
 
 Some parts of the Fens, especially On the Lincolnshire 
 side , have been long famous for breeding vast flocks of 
 tame geese, of which great numbers are usually. sent 
 alive to the London markets. They have also a re- 
 markable custom of plucking the geese $ and stripping 
 them of their quills and feathers repeatedly every year. 
 * and so render each of them, conformable to Plato's 
 
 L 
 
 \ In consequence of the late improvements of the Smeeth and adja- 
 cent, parts, the reeds are said to have become much more scarce than 
 they used to be. 
 
 * The small feathers are plucked five times n year, (about Lady 
 lay, Midsummer, Lammas, Michaelmas, and Martinmas,) and tlie 
 !ari;iT feathers and quills twice. Goslings are not scared; for it i* 
 thought that eaily plucking tends to increase their succeeding feathers,. 
 Some proprietors are said to have had a stock of a thousand, and even 
 fifteen hundred, or more, beside the young ones.
 
 80 MIS16UY OF LYNN. 
 
 memorable definition of man," a two-legged, unfeath* 
 fcred animal: " in which view it might be called htima- 
 nizing the poor geese, dr converting them into so many 
 human beings. The practice however, has been by ma- 
 ny thought inhuman, andjjbarbarous, as it must put the 
 poor creatures into no small degree of pain; ^ but as it 
 is gainful to the owners, in yielding them a far greater 
 quantity of feathers than they would other wise produce, 
 there is no great prospect of its being very sooli, if ever, 
 discontinued* 
 
 The geesej during the breeding season, are lodged in 
 the same houses with the inhabitants, and even in their 
 very bedchambers. In every apartment arc three rows 
 of coarse wicker pens, placed one above another. Each 
 bird has a separate lodge, divided from the other, which 
 it keeps possession of during the time of sitting. A 
 gozzard, or gooseherd, attends the flock, and twice a, 
 day drives the whole to water, then brings them back 
 to their habitation, helping those that live in the upper 
 stories to their nests, without ever misplacing a single 
 bird, || 
 
 Another odd custom in some parts of this same coun- 
 try, is that of preparing cortWwwg-, and converting it 
 into fuel, by forming it, in a wet state, into the shape 
 
 | It has been said, indfeed, that mere plucking hurts the fowl but 
 little, as the owners are careful not to pull until the feathers are npe ; 
 that is, until they are just ready to fall; because if forced from the skin 
 before, which is known by blood appearmgi at the roots, they are of 
 very inferior value. Those plucked after the geese are dead, are also 
 said not to be so yood see Beauties of England, vol. IX. p. 5J3. 
 
 [) Cough's CamJen. also Beauties of England.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. SI 
 
 of turf, and afterward drying it in the sun, It yields a 
 strong disagreeable smell in burning, besides its depriv- 
 ing the farmer of a very large quantity of his b.est mauure. 
 Materials for fuel must, surely, have been very scarce 
 in the country when this strange expedient or substitute 
 was first adopted, 
 
 Marshland and the Fens are not deemed healthy, ex- 
 cept, perhaps, to consumptive persons, who are said 
 to be sometimes sent thither on account of the softness of 
 the air. To most others the country is unhealthy, and 
 subject to aguish disorders, which has always been the 
 ase, it seems, especially in Marshland;, hence an ague 
 is in Norfolk proverbially called the Marshland Bailiff, 
 and a person afflicted with that disorder is said to be ar- 
 rested by the Bailiff of Marshland. Instead of hedge** 
 rows the fields are here generally enclosed with deep dikes, 
 which for the most part of the year are filled with water, 
 to which, probably, we are chiefly to ascribe the un- 
 .healthiness of the country; pr rather to the putrid state 
 of these dikes and stagnant waters, in the latter part of 
 summer and the autumn , * 
 
 * All this tract (of Marshland.) nd adjoining fens bei-.ig little higher 
 than the level of the sea, or that of the rivers that pass through the 
 country, wjs once so exposed to inundations from floods and high 
 tides, that till dikes and drains were made, it was all one large morass; 
 and even now, after so much labour and expenqe, the country is still 
 liable to be overflowed by extraordinary high tides or floods, or other 
 casual events. By thevapratkm of thi.s water, and especially by that 
 of the water of the numerous ditches, in which various plants and in- 
 sects die and rot, the atmosphere during the latter part of summer and 
 autumn is filled with moisture, and with putrid and insalutary vapours. 
 r Another cause of the insalubrity of the atmosphere is an Imperfect 
 ventilation As there are no hills here to direct the winds in streams up-
 
 82 HISTORY OF LYNN 
 
 In passing along the road through this remarkable 
 country, a stranger, from the hilly parts, cannot help be-- 
 ing struck at first sight with the strange appearance of 
 gates and gate-posts erected all about, without any 
 hedges or visible enclosures to indicate either the neces- 
 sity, or yet the utility of them; for as the dikes are not 
 perceptabie at a distance, the land on every side appears 
 in many places like a great open field. A little time and 
 reflection, however, generally rectify the -wondering 
 traveller's judgment. 
 
 The soil of Marshland is for the most part very good 
 and rich; but no where more so than in that notable tract 
 called the Smeeth, which has been long celebrated for 
 its uncommon fertility. Till lately it was all a common 
 belonging to the seven towns of Marshland; and old Au- 
 thors used to relate that it constantly led 30,000 Sheep, 
 tvith abundance besides of the great cattle of the seven 
 towns. So famous was this tract for the richness and 
 luxuriance of its soil, at the accession of James I, that 
 a courtier is said to have mentioned it then to that mo- 
 
 on the lower grounds, the air is apt to stagnate and become' unwhole- 
 some. An additional cause of the unhealthiness of thi> fiat and marshy 
 country, may be the impurity of the water ia common use; for this be- 
 i,ig either collected from rair;s, and preserved in cisterns, or drawn 'from 
 shallow wells, is, in hot and dry seasons soon corrupted! This being 
 the case, the general tendency to putrefaction must be increased by the 
 use of such water, as weij as by the meats, \vhich in a close, hot, and 
 moist air, are quickly tainted. Several circumstances therefore ia thi 
 country concur in summer, not only to re'ax thesoiids, but to dispose 
 the humours to putrefaction; and as the combination of heat and im- 
 pure moisture is the great cause of the speedy corruption of animal sub- 
 stances, so it is observed in every place to produce remitting ai.d inter, 
 rn'.uing fevers Sse Pringle's Observations on Diseases of the army. 
 ?P- 2, 9, 4.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 83 
 
 narch, as one of the most fertile spots in all his English 
 dominions; adding "that if over night a wand or rod 
 were laid on the bare ground, it would, by the next mor- 
 ning, be covered with grass, of that nights growth, so 
 as not then to be discerned. " To which his majesty is 
 said jocosely to reply, "that some parts of Scotland far 
 exceeded that, for that he himself knew some grounds 
 there, where if an horse were put in over night it could 
 not be decerned the next morning; " alluding, it seems, 
 to some of the bogs in that country, The Smeeth has 
 been of late enclosed, drained, and considerably impro- 
 ved, A great part of it has been ploughed up, and the 
 crops produced are said to be in general very abundant, 
 and likely to continue so, It may therefore be presu- 
 med, that the enclosing of the Smeeth will prove no de- 
 triment, but rather an ad vantage to the public; and also 
 that its celebrity, as a most fertile spot, will not be dimi- 
 nished by its being no longer an open and unimproved 
 common. 
 
 These; parts have been long noted for great numbers 
 of Decof/f They are said to be now much less nume- 
 rous than formerly, owing, seemingly, to the various and 
 progressive improvements that have taking place of late 
 years, especially in Lincolnshire, and the consequent 
 decrease of the aquatic wikUfowl, There are still, how- 
 ever, a good many decoys to be found in different pla- 
 ces, of which the best is said to be that of Lakenheath; 
 on the borders of Suffolk, from which very considerable 
 numbers of aquatic wild-fowl of different kinds are us- 
 ually sent to the London Markets. An authentic ao
 
 $4 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 count of this singular and curious contrivance, it being 1 
 in general but ill understood, and but imperfectly de- 
 scribed in books, shall be here inserted, as it ispresumed 
 it will not prove unacceptable to the reader. 
 
 A decoy is generally made where there is a large pond 
 surrounded with wood, and beyond that a marshy un- 
 cultivated country. If the piece of water; is not thus sur- 
 rounded, it will be attended with the noise and other ac- 
 cidents, which may be expected to frighten the wild- 
 fowl from a quiet haunt where they mean to sleep during 
 the daytime in security. If such noises or disturbances 
 are wilful, an action will lie against the disturbers. As 
 soon as the evening sets in, the decoy mrs(as the term 
 is)and the wild iowl feeds during the night. If the e- 
 veningbe still, the noise of theirwings, during .their flight, 
 is heard at a very great distance, and is a pleasing, 
 though melancholy sound. The rising of the de- 
 coy in the evening is, in Somersetshire, called radding. 
 The decoy-ducks, are fed with hempseed, which is 
 thrown over the skreen in small quantities, to bring them 
 forward into the pipes or canals, and to allure the wild- 
 fowl to follow as this seed floats. There are several 
 pipes, as they are called, which lead up a narrow ditch 
 that closes at last with a funnel net. Over these pipes, 
 (which grow narrower from their first entrance)is a con- 
 tinued arch of netting, suspended on hoops. It is ne- 
 cessary to have a pipe, or ditch, for almost every wind 
 that can blow, as upon this circumstance it depends 
 which pipe the foul will take to; and the Decoy-man 
 always keeps on the xhidtcard side of the ducks, hoi-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN*. 85 
 
 ding near his mouth a lighted turf, to prevent his breath 
 orcfiluvia reaching their sagacions nostrils. All along 
 each pipe, at certain intervals are placed skreens, made 
 of reeds, so situated and contrived, that it is impossi- 
 ble the wild fowl should see the decoy-man before they 
 have passed on toward the end of the pipes where the 
 purse net is placed. The inducement of the wildfowl 
 to go up one of these pipes is, because the decoy-ducks, 
 trained lo this, lead the way, either after hearing the 
 Whistle of the decoy-man, or enticed by the hempseed: 
 the latter will dive underwater or swim quietly away, 
 while the wildfowl fly on and are taken in the purse net. 
 It often happens, however, that the wildfowl are in 
 such a state of sleepiness and dozing, that they will not 
 follow the decoy-ducks. Use is then generally made of 
 a dog, that has been taught his lesson: he passes back- 
 ward and forward, between the reed skreens, (in which 
 are little holes, both, for the decoy-man to see, and the 
 little dog to pass through) ; this attracts the eye of the 
 wild-fowl, who, not choosing to be interrupted, ad- 
 vance toward the small contemptible animal, that they 
 may drive him away. The dog all the time, by the di- 
 rections of the decoy-man, plays among the skreens of 
 reeds nearer and nearer to the purse net; till at last, per- 
 haps, the decoy-man appears behind a skreen, and the 
 wild-fowl not daring to pass by him in return, nor be- 
 ing able to escape upward, on account of the net co- 
 vering, rush on into the purse net. Sometimes the 
 dog will not attract their attention, unless a red hand- 
 kerchief, or something very singular be put about him.
 
 86 HISTORY OF LY\SN 
 
 The general season for catching fmvls in Decoys is from 
 the end of October till February; the taking of them 
 earlier is prohibited by an act of 10. Geo. II; c. 39. 
 which forbids it from June 1, to October I, under a pe- 
 nalty of 5s. for each bird destroyed within that time. 
 Most of the Decoys of this kingdom arc in the Counties 
 bordering on the great Itfvcl of the Fens. There arc some 
 also in Somersetshire. Lincolnshire used to be the most no-* 
 
 - 
 
 ted county for its decoys, and it is probably so still. Ama- 
 zing numbers of ducks, -widgeons and teals, used to be 
 taken there and sent to the London markets. Some years 
 ago, within one season, and from ten decoys in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Waynfleet, the number amounted to 31, 200 
 in which were included several other species of ducks'. 
 The decoys are said to be commonly let at a certain an- 
 nual rent, from 10 to a .afHOO. It was customary former- 
 ly to have in the fens an annual driving of the young 
 ducks before they took wing. Numbers of people as- 
 sembled on the occasion, who beat a vast tract, and 
 forced the birds into a net placed at the spot where the 
 sport was to terminate. 150 dozens have been ta"ken at 
 once; but the practice being thought detrimental, has 
 been abolished by act of Parliament . * 
 
 * A practice sa'ul to occur not unfrequently in this country, of frac*- 
 rir.g mutton chops from Roe stefp, and afterwards turning the focr antrr.cl cut 
 to gran, had better perhaps be here passed over, as sounding too much 
 like Bruce's famous Abyssinian beef-steak story. Bet whatever may 
 be thought of the latter, the former appears not to be unfounded -the 
 part from which the chop is taken, is the tail of the animal.
 
 HtSTOfcY OP LYXN. 87 
 
 XI. Brief remarks on the parish church' 
 ts of Marshland and Holland ; with a short sketch of 
 the history of the town and castle of Wisbeach. 
 
 By those who have visited Marshland, nothing, per- 
 haps, has been more admired than its parish churches, 
 some of which are very large and stately: that of Wai- 
 pole St. Peters is eminently so, and deemed one of the 
 riiost beautiful parish or country churches in the kingdom. 
 It is built of freestone, and consists of a nave, two aisles, 
 and a chancel, all covered with lead. The tower corre- 
 sponds with the other parts of the building, being a ve- 
 ry handsome stone structure embattled. This edifice 
 was founded near the close of the reign of Henry V. 
 and completed in the first or second year of that of his 
 successor. In one of the upper windows of the south 
 aisle of this church is said to be a most absurd and pro- 
 fane representation of the Supreme Being, habited in a 
 loose purple gbwrt, witli a long beard, resting his right 
 hand on a staff of gold, and crowned with glory' point- 
 ing out the forefinger of his left hand, as dictating to 
 the Virgin Mary, who is seated before him, with a pen 
 in her hand, and paper on a desk before her. The J)ei- 
 ty stands at the door or entrance of a castle, embattled, 
 and with turrets, surrounded by a wall embattled; with- 
 in this wall is the virgin; and many angels are looking 
 down from the tower. Here it may be observed, that 
 \vhen superstition has taken hold of the mind, there is 
 scarce any thing too absurd to be imagined, or too im- 
 pious to be received. Sad and shocking must be the 
 
 M
 
 88 HISTORY OP LYNX. 
 
 state of religion in a country where* men are employed in 
 making pictures or images .of the deity, or -where such 
 images, and pictures are preserved, or suffered to exist 
 in places of worship. It would not, surely, be to the dis- 
 credit of the minister and parishioners of NValpole to 
 have the above preposterous and profane representation 
 defaced, or removed. 
 
 Marshland indeed must not be thought singular, a- 
 mong the several districts of this fiat and stoneless coun- 
 try, for the largeness, stateliness, and elegance of its 
 churches. The case is much the same in the adjoining 
 district of Holland in Lincolnshire, and in most of the 
 northern parts of Cambridgeshire. In no part of Eng- 
 land are to be seen larger or handsomer country 
 churches. They are mostly built with good freestone, 
 and yet there is no freestone, or any other stones here to 
 be found, but what have been brought from a great dis- 
 tance. Where the stones used in building these churches 
 were procured, seems to be unknown to the men of this 
 generation. They must have been brought a very great 
 way, and conveyed by water carriage, as the expence 
 would otherwise have been enormous and unsupportable. 
 Some, indeed, will tell us, that the masons and carpenters 
 worked then for a penny a day, and that other labour 
 was in the same proportion; but they seem to forget that 
 their penny was worth a great deal more than ours. Mo- 
 ney, in this country, has greatly sunk in its value since 
 that time. A penny would then, probably, go as far as 
 2s. or half, a crown of our money; so that, at any rate, 
 the expence of the erection of these churches must have
 
 [HISTORY OP LYNN. 89 
 
 been very great, and 'such as the present inhabitants, 
 with all their boasted wealth and resource?, would hardly 
 (or rather, not iit, all) be equal to. 
 
 With sumptuous seats and magnificent palaces it does 
 not appear that this country did ever much abound. 
 Its strength might be too much exhausted in building 
 churches, to admit of undertaking any other very expen- 
 sive edifices. The Castle of Wisbeach seems to be al- 
 most the only exception; which, though situated a few 
 yards out of the limits of Marshland, it may not be al- 
 together improper to give here a short sketch of its his- 
 tory, as well as that of Wisbeach itself. 
 
 Of thattown littleis known before the conquest. Some- 
 time previous to that event, and in the early part of the 
 same century (the llth) it is said to have been given to 
 the Convent of EIy(along with other large and impor- 
 tant possessions in the different counties of Cambridge, 
 Norfolk and Suffolk) by Oswy i\nd Leqflede, the parents 
 of Alwyn, afterwards bishop of Elmliam, upon his ad- 
 mission into the said convent. As the property of a 
 convent, or monastery, it may be presumed to have been 
 of old a very religious town; which character it seems 
 .still in no small degree to retain, though in a different 
 way. 
 
 Of its Castle, however, no traces are knowrt to exist 
 before the arrival of the Norman, with his" conquering 
 army of Frenchmen. In 107 J, five years subsequent to 
 
 M 2 
 
 -
 
 tliat event, the conqueror, it is said, built here a stone 
 Castle, the governor of which was dignified with the ti- 
 tle of constable, arid the walls and moat were ordered to 
 be kept in repair by the proprietors of certain lands in 
 West Walton, who held their estates by a tenure to that 
 effect. This fortress is supposed to have been afterwards 
 dismantled in the reign of Henry II, but upon what oc- 
 casion we are not informed. Nor have we any account 
 of another such edifice at Wisbeach till the reign of 
 Henry VII, when a new Castle of brick appears to have 
 been built on the site of the former, between the years 
 1478 and 1483, by bishop Morton, already mentioned 
 as an eminent benefactor to the adjacent country. This 
 new edifice became the said bishop's palace, in which, 
 he and several of his successors afterwards resided. 
 
 In Mary's time the place seems tp Jiave undergone some 
 change, but whether so as to cease being an episcopal re- 
 sidence, or not, does not appear. But we find that some 
 part of it, at least, was then appropriated for the con- 
 finement of heretics, that is, of protestants. The names 
 of two of these, who were inhabitants of the town, are 
 still upon record. One of them was William Woolsej', 
 and the other Robert Pygot. They were for sometime 
 confined in this Castle, and afterwards removed (o Ely, 
 where they were both burnt, and along with them a great 
 heap of books, which seems to imply, that one of them 
 at least was a scholar, or considerable reader, and that, 
 probably, was Woolsey; for it appears that Pygot was by 
 trade a painter, and therefore not very likely to be pos- 
 sessed of many books. He is spoken of as remarkably
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN 91 
 
 meek and modest, -whereas Woolsey was a person of un- 
 common courage and boldness, viewing the impending 
 clanger without disma} r , and setting his unfeeling perse- 
 cutors, and even death itself at defiance. He was, it 
 seems, somewhat fearful lest the gentleness of his fel- 
 low-sufferer should give his enemies advantage over him 
 and occasion his^recanting; but it did not prove so: Py^ 
 got stood firm to his principles; and when the commis- 
 sioners presented a paper for him to sign, he said, "No, 
 that is your faith, and not mine." They suffered, 
 towards the latter part of the year 1555. J 
 
 In the reigp of Elizabeth, the then bishop, or bishops, 
 it seems, relinquished this castle for the use and accommo- 
 dation of the civil power; and it was then converted into 
 astate prison for the papists, whp were charged with con- 
 spiring against her inajesty's government. Great numbers 
 therefore of these people suffered here a long and rigo- 
 rous imprisonment, and not a few of them miserably pe- 
 rished in its dreary dungeons. That queen amply re- 
 taliated upon the papists what her sister Mary had be- 
 fore inflicted upon the protestants. It is hard to say 
 which of these crowned sisters was the most bloody. Fox 
 has largely described the cruelties and atrocities of Ma- 
 ry's government. Certain popish, as well as protestant 
 nonconformist historians have done the same in regard 
 fo that of Elizabeth: and if the intolerance, iniquity, and 
 cruelty of the latter reign did not exceed those of the 
 former, it seems pretty clear that they fell not short of 
 
 J; Brief riew of the Sufferings and living Testimonies of the Martyrs, p 392
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 (hem. As to the number of victims, or sufferers, the 
 preponderance is evidently on the side of Elizabeth. 
 There was a difference, indeed, in the process or mode 
 of immolation: Mary had her victims burnt at the stake; 
 whereas her protestant sister had hers hanged, cat down 
 alive, emboweled, and quartered. Which of the two 
 modes is the most humane and defensible or rather, 
 which of them is the most barbarous and brutal, the 
 present writer will not attempt to determine. Nor will 
 he pretend to say which of the two is attended with the 
 greatest degree of animal pain, as that may depend up- 
 on circumstances. But if burning be the most cruel 
 of all executions, as a very able living writer has ob- 
 served, it argues a defect in our laws, which appoints 
 this to be the punishment of petty treason, whilst the 
 Catholic sufferers underwent that annexed to high trea- 
 son. He also observes with respect to the greater part 
 of those victims, "that the sentence of the law was strict- 
 ly and literally executed upon them. After being hang- 
 ed up, they were cut down alive, dismembered, ripped 
 up, aucl their bowels literally burnt before their faces, 
 after which they were beheaded and quartered. The 
 time employed in this butchery was very considerable, 
 and, in one instance, lasted above half an hour. Great 
 numbers also of these suffercrs,(he adds)as well as other 
 catholics, who did not endure capital punishment, were 
 racked in the most severe and wanton manner, in order 
 to extort proofs against themselves or their brethren. 
 It appears, (he further observes)from the account of one 
 of these sufferers, that the following tortures were in use 
 against the Catholics in. the Tower: [and probably also
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN* 93 
 
 in (lie Castle of Wisbeach:] 1. The common rack, in 
 which the limbs were stretched by levers. 2. The sca- 
 venger's daughter, so called, being a hoop, in which 
 the body was bent until the head and feet met together. 
 3. The chamber, called Little-Ease, being a hole so 
 small that a person could neither stand, sit, or lie 
 straight in it. 4. .The Iron Gauntlets. In some instances 
 needles were thrust under the prisoners nails. Sir Owen 
 Hopton, lieutenant of the Tower, was commonly the 
 immediate instrument in these cruelties there; but some- 
 times Elmer [Aylmer] bishop of London directed them." 
 | How far the bishop of Ely was concerned with simi- 
 lar proceedings at the Castle of Wisbeach, we are not 
 informed; but whether he was concerned or not, we may 
 presume that similar measures were pursued there. The 
 Wisbeach prisoners were distinguished, not only for their 
 numbers, amounting to some scores, at least, but also 
 for their rank and eminence, being mostly priests and 
 scholars, who had been educated either at Oxford and 
 Cambridge, or at some of the foreign universities. Hence 
 when their more illiterate, or uneducated brethren, in 
 other prisons, were called to defend their tenets against 
 the attacks or arguments of the clergy, they would be 
 expressing their wishes that some of their more learned 
 friends, from Wisbeach Castle, would be allowed to 
 take their part: and when the judge, at the trial of 
 Barkworth, at the Old Baily, sneeringly proposed his 
 being tried by a. jury of priests, "That is right, "replied 
 the prisoner; "Your lordship knows that a complete ju- 
 
 
 
 J Milner's Letters to a Prebendary, No. 4.
 
 4 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 ry of them may be found at Wisbeactt Castle." * Jn 
 short, many of these catholic sufferers under Elizabeth, 
 appear to have been no less sincere and devout, and e- 
 ven, no less unjustly treated, than those protestants, 
 whose cruel sufferings have rendered Mary's reign sc* 
 deservedly detestable* 
 
 For a good -while after the accession of James I, 
 Wisbeach Castle was still used for the same purpose as 
 above described: but between the years 1609 and 1619, 
 it is said to have been repaired by bishop Andrews, - 
 who probably occupied it himself for some time after. On 
 the abolition of the hierarchy, after the death of Charles 
 Ij it was purchased by the memorable secretary Thurloe, 
 
 * Challoner's memoirs of missionary Priests, I. 392,436. 
 
 This bishop, whose Christian name, as it is called, was Lancelot, seems 
 to have been in his day one of the better sort of the men of that order, 
 as appears by the following anecdote, related of him after he had been 
 translated from Ely to Winchester. -Waller, the poet, being one day 
 at court, while James I, was dining, overheard the following convprsa- 
 ton between his sacred majesty and two of his bishops, of whom one 
 was Andrews of Winchester, and the other Neale of Durham. These 
 two prelates, standing behind the king's chair, were asked by him , '* If 
 he might not take his subjects' money when he wanted it, without all 
 the usual formality in parliament? " To which his lordship of Durham 
 readily answered, " God forbid, sir, but you should; you are the breath 
 of our nostrils. " The other being silent, James addressed himself to him, 
 " Well, my lord of Winchester, and what say you? " Andrews replied, 
 that he was " not competent to judge in parliamentary cases." Upon 
 which the king exclaimed, "No evasions, my lord, I expect an imme- 
 diate and direct answer to my question! " "Then, sir," said he, " I 
 think it lawful for you to take my brother Neale's money, for he offers 
 it." It is easy to see that there was some difference between these two 
 bishops, and that the latter was the better man of the two, being by 
 no means so lost to all shame and decency, or so abject a flatterer of 
 majesty as the other. Which of them the majority of their successors 
 havirrosemblcd most, may be a point not very easy to determine: nor 
 would it be, perhaps, of very material consequence.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 95 
 
 who rebuilt it in its present form, from a design of the ce- 
 lebrated Inigo Jones: but though still called The Castle, 
 it no longer retained any appearance of a fortress. At 
 the restoration it reverted to the see of Ely, but does not 
 appear to have been ever afterwards an episcopal resi- 
 dence. It was from that period usually granted on 
 lease to some one or other of the principal families of the 
 town: the Southwells, in particular had it a long while, 
 and resided there. Of late it has been sold, under an act 
 of parliament, by the late bishop, to Joseph Med worth, 
 Esq. The detached buildings have been since removed, 
 and some rows of elegant houses have been erected. The 
 plqn of a large Circus^has also been laid out, about one 
 half of which is already built: when the design is com* 
 pleted it will add greatly to the pleasantness and beauty 
 of the town. The Castle is still standing, and likely to 
 stand, with what may be called fair play, as long as any 
 ofthe new buildings, although it has been built now 
 above 150 years, and was, at the time of the sale, stated 
 (even by his lordship, it seems) to be in a decayed and 
 ruinous condition. 
 
 The parish church of Wisbeach, dedicated to St. Pe- 
 ter and St. Paul, is a spacious handsome fabric, though 
 of a very singular construction, being furnished with two 
 naves and two aisles. The naves are lofty and separated 
 from each other by a row of light slender pillars, with 
 pointed arches. The aisles are the most ancient, being 
 divided from their respective naves by low massy pillars, 
 semicircular saxon arches. The tower is deemed
 
 96 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 very beautiful, and has been thought ancient, but its 
 claim to antiquity is said to be fully refuted by existing 
 records, which prove its erection to have been posterior 
 to the 10th of March 1520. On the west side of the 
 north entrance is a small chapel or chantry dedicated to 
 St. Martin, and originally endowed with lands for the 
 maintenance of a priest, to say masses for the soul of the 
 founder. The church is a vicarage, said to be here? 
 tofore worth 500/. a year, but now, it seems, more than 
 double that sum, in consequence of a late litigation, 
 which terminated in favour of the vicar, and the com- 
 plete discomfiture of his opponents . This is said to have 
 occasioned not a little ill blood between the good pastor 
 and some of his flock; but however that may affect them, 
 so large an addition of income will probably prevent his 
 laying it very deeply to heart. It may, however, perhaps, 
 be somewhat doubtful, if the present extraordinary jum> 
 ture, and most eventful period, be altogether the most 
 safe or proper for the clergy to promote or engage in these 
 unconciliatory and offensive litigations. 
 
 Besides the parish church, there are at Wisbeach six 
 other different places of worship; one belonging to the 
 friends, commonly called Quakers^ one to the Indepen* 
 dents, or Cult/mites, one to the Wesley an Methodists^ 
 and three to those of the baptist denomination. Between 
 the latter, though they all go under the same name, 
 there yet exist some strong shades of Difference, so that 
 very little of any thing like gooci understanding or 
 Christian harmony is discoverable. Yet they all lie, 
 .more or less, under the imputation of heterdoxy, from
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 97 
 
 the great or main body of their brethren, who are 
 usually termed particular baptists, as well as from the 
 rest of the right orthodox clans. Of these three societies' 
 one belongs to a certain order or description of arminian 
 or general baptists, who are pretty numerous about 
 Leicestershire and the adjacent counties, and also in 
 some other parts. Except on the point of baptism, they 
 agree very much with the \Vesleyans, and may, per- 
 haps, without much impropriety, be called Weslcyan 
 baptist s.~- Another of these three societies belongs to a 
 small party of baptists, sometimes called Johnsonians, 
 from the late John Johnson of Liverpool, to whose pe- 
 culiar tenets and spirit they are very much attached ; 
 and they have, seemingly, but little charity or forbear- 
 ance towards any thing that does not come Up to, or ac- 
 cord with that standard; which may be said to be the 
 worst trait in their character. They are otherwise re- 
 spectable, and so are the members of the society before 
 mentioned. Less bigotry would make both more ami- 
 able and more respectable. The people who constitute 
 the other baptist society assume the name of Unitarians, 
 and belong to a notable class of that denomination which 
 is said to be now much on the increase in different parts 
 of the kingdom. The leaders of this new religious class 
 profess to have for their main object to restore Christi- 
 anity to its original purity : they adopt a popular strain 
 of preaching, and are by some people looked upon as 
 highly evangelical', so that, as we have had for some 
 time evangelical trinitarians, both in the church and. 
 
 out of it, we are now, it seems, to have likewise cvan- 
 
 '-'' 7** 
 
 N 2
 
 98 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 gelical Unitarians. Some zealots among the orthodox 
 will probably nibble at this, and even pronounce it ab- 
 solutely impossible; but the pastor of the said society, at 
 Wisbeach, is said to be ready to maintain, against the 
 very best man among his opponents, not only that those 
 of his connection are really no less evangelical, but even 
 much more so than any of those on whom it has been 
 the fashion of late years to bestow that honourable appel- 
 lation. Nothing further needs here be said on the 
 subject: the public will have an opportunity to judge for 
 themselves, if any one will enter the lists, or step for- 
 ward to discuss the point with the said pastor. 
 
 To have among its inhabitants so many different reli- 
 gious societies or sects, can be no real reproach to Wis* 
 beach. The exercise of free enquiry, and unrestrained 
 judgement and decision in matters of religion, must be 
 the undoubted and unalienablc birthright of every rati- 
 onal being, or moral agent : nor can a diversity of reli- 
 gious sentiments or persuasions be any way detrimental 
 to the welfare of the community, provided all parties 
 were earnestly to concur in promoting general harmony 
 and goodwill among their fellow citizens. It is, how- 
 ever, much to be regretted that this has been hitherto but 
 very imperfectly learnt and practised by most of our re- 
 ligious fraternities, both in the establishment and out of 
 it. It is too generally the case, that the leaders of the re-, 
 spective parties promote among their adherents a hostile, 
 and not unfrequently a most rancorous spirit towards 
 their differing neighbours : and the higher men are placed 
 
 on the scale of orthodoxy ajid evangelicalism ? the more
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN 99 
 
 apt are they in general to run into this enormity. It 
 would seem as if they had taken their ideas, not 
 from Jesus Christ, but rather from those over- zealous 
 and mistaken disciples who would fain have confined, 
 the name and profession, as well as the propagation of 
 Christianity to those, forsooth, who would follow them* 
 Wherever real liberty exists, a diversity of religious o- 
 pinions and denominations must be expected; but that 
 would furnish no just cause of complaint, were the above 
 evil sufficiently guarded against by all parties. Acts of 
 uniformity in religion, attended with national creeds, 
 tests, and articles of faith, may suit the piety of popes, 
 or the crooked policy of despotism, but they can never 
 accord with the rights of man, or the true principles of 
 freedom: they will never be admitted in a land of liberty, 
 and can belong only to those hateful regions inhabited 
 by slaves and governed by tyrants. 
 
 SECTION XII. History of Wisbeach continued. 
 
 Wisbeach was formerly a parliamentary borough, 
 and that as early as the reign of Edward I. * The ex- 
 act time when it ceased to be so, does not appear. That 
 privilege was afterward restored to it under the pro- 
 tectorate, but withdrawn again at the restoration, and 
 never restored since; while such insignificant places 
 as Castle-Rising and others of a similar description, 
 still continue (absurdly and ridiculously enough, it 
 
 * History of the Boroughs, volume 3,
 
 ibo 
 
 HISTORY OF LY.V.V* 
 
 must be said) to enjoy that privilege. Were such pal- 
 try places disfranchised, to ra^ke room for the admission 
 of such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Shef- 
 field, it would appear very reasonable; but as that is 
 not at present to be looked for, we will here dismiss 
 the subject. 
 
 Ever since the reign of Edward VI. Wisbeach 
 has been a corporate town, but of a sort most singular 
 and whimsical, and at the same time the most harmless 
 that can well be thought of. Had all our corporations 
 been like it, there would have been, it is presumed, 
 not much reason to complain of them. This corpora- 
 tion appears to have emanated from a religious frater- 
 nity, called the Guild "of the Holy Trinity, instituted in 
 1379, and possessed of estates for pious and charitable 
 purposes. This establishment shared the general fate 
 of ecclesiastical foundations in the reign of Henry VIII; 
 but Edward VI, on his accession to the throne, having 
 passed an act which provided for the security of those 
 institutions that had been originally founded, either as 
 grammar-schools, for relief of poor persons, or for the 
 maintenance of "piers, jetties, walls, or banks against 
 the rage of the sea, &c." the inhabitants of Wisbeach 
 availed themselves of the statute, and through the soli- 
 citations of Gooderich, bishop of Ely, were elevated 
 into a corporation, on the 1st of June, 1549, and invest- 
 ed with all the possessions of Trinity Guild, (lying in 
 eight different parishes, and occupied by thirty-nine te- 
 nants) the revenues of which were then estimated at 
 28J. 2$. 3|c?. but were, undoubtedly, mucli greater. * 
 
 * Hutchesson'.s Account also Beauties of England*
 
 HISTORY OF LYNW. 10J 
 
 By king Edward's charter the inhabitants were dit 
 rected to assemble annuaily, and elect ten men, who 
 were to have the direction of tlie Business of the body? 
 corporate; yet for the first thirty six years after the 
 charter was obtained, they seem to have done little else 
 than meet once a month in the town-hall, and, "out 
 of mutual love and amity," immediately adjourn to a 
 tavern, where having dined, they decided petty con- 
 troversies among the inhabitants. Afterwards they pro- 
 ceeded further than they were warranted by the charter: 
 they took cognizance of the accounts of the church- 
 wardens, and surveyors of the highways; they directed 
 the application of money over which they had no right; 
 assumed the privilege of levy ing an acre-tax; and more- 
 over, during the plague, which raged here in 1587 and 
 J58S, they summoned delinquents before them, and pu- 
 nished them at their own pleasure." 
 
 On the 28th of January 1G1CM1, the inhabitants ob- 
 tained a renewal of their charter, at the great expence 
 of 193/. i9s, 3d. They were then constituted a body- 
 corporate, by the style of "the Burgesses of the town of 
 Wisbeach ;" but the right of election of the ten men, 
 thenceforward named f f Capital Burgesses," was limited 
 to the possessors of freeholds of the value of 40s. a year. 
 From this period the said ten men, as we are informed, 
 became objects of veneration and confidence, and were 
 entrusted with the care of nearly all tUe donations for th 
 benefit of the poor. 
 
 f According to Hutchesson thy used to dine at a groat ahead: bul 
 ?. groat then was equal peihaps t t^o or three fhiltingiof our raorvey.
 
 102 HISTOIir OF LYNN. 
 
 On the 17th of February 1669 they obtained a second 
 renewal or confirmation of their charter ; on what occa- 
 sion we cannot discover. Their executive officer is the 
 Town-Bailiff^ j| who, though a person wholly unknown 
 to the charter, has the entire management of the estates 
 and affairs of the corporation. He is not at liberty, 
 however, <to expend more than 51. at one time, with- 
 out an express order of the body- corporate. These Ca- 
 pital Burgesses have no connection with the jurispru- 
 dence of the toAvn, 'nor have they any degree of civil 
 authority, as the civil government of the town is not 
 .distinct from the general magistracy of the Isle of Ely, 
 in which it stands : their principal business is to regulate 
 the management of the revenues of the estates bequeath- 
 ed, partly for charitable, but chiefly for public purpo- 
 ses The income, of which they direct the expendi- 
 ture, amounts to about 800/. annually ; and to the cre- 
 dit and honor of the parties concerned, we are told, that 
 it appears to be not only honestly, but even wisely ex- 
 pended. Part of the said sum arises from a grant made 
 io the corporation by th<j Trinity House, in 1710, of 
 one penny per ton upon all goods exported and imported, 
 for the purpose of maintaining buoys and beacons, and 
 keeping clear the channel of the river." 
 
 Among other improvements to which their attention 
 has been directed, was the building of an elegant stone 
 bridge, in the room of the old wooden one, over the 
 
 || In all the adjacent villages the title of Train- B*ili/"is given to th* 
 treasurer or manager of their respective charitable establishments. 
 
 Beauties of England.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 103 
 
 great river. This was done about 1767. at the expence 
 of nearly 2,300/. It consists of one elliptical arch, 
 very accurately proportioned. A new Custom-House 
 has been also erected; and the Streets are cleaned, 
 lighted, and watched, at their expence. Of late a new 
 Jail and Shire-hall have been likewise built ; and when 
 a few more improvements are made, and especially the 
 finishing of the circus, but few towns will be more hand- 
 some than Wisbeach. The Theatre is a commodious 
 building, in nearly a central situation. The Rose Inn, 
 where balls and monthly assemblies are held, is said to 
 have been a place of public reception from the year 1475, 
 at which period it was known by the sign of the Horn ; 
 and on one of the out-buildings, erected in 160 1 } the 
 figure of a horn is yet to be seen," 
 
 The trade of Wisbeach is said to have much increas- 
 ed of .late years, through the improved state of the drain- 
 age and navigation of the fens, and consequent augmen- 
 tation of the produce and consumption of the country: 
 and it would, no doubt, have increased much more, but 
 for the bad state of the harbour or river beldw. The aver- 
 age of the exports and imports amounts to 40,000 tons 
 annually, The principal articles of traffic are coals, 
 corn, timber, and wine. The neighbouring lands are 
 in high cultivation, chiefly on the grazing System. 
 The Sheep and oxen grow to a great size, and consi- 
 derable numbers of them are fattened, and sent twice 
 every week to the London market. The inhabitants 
 are employed in commerce, there being no manufac-~
 
 104: HISTORY OF LYNJ. 
 
 lure of any kind in the place, though the surrounding 
 country produces immense quantities of wool, hemp, 
 and flax. The market is abundantly supplied with 
 poultry, fish, and butchers meat; and the trade of the 
 town is further promoted by six small fairs, for hemp 
 and flax, horned cattle and horses. The canal, which 
 was completed a few years ago, extending from Wis- 
 beach river to the river JVene at Out well, and thence to 
 the river Ouse at Salters-Lode Sluice, opened a com- 
 munication with Norfolk, Suffolk, and other counties, 
 and has already benefited the town considerably." * 
 
 The Summer Assizes, and the January and Midsum- 
 mer quarter sessions for the Isle of Ely, are held at Wis- 
 beach; where the magistrates assemble also every Wed- 
 nesday and Saturday to settle the assize of bread, and for 
 other purposes. The chief Justice of the Isle, and all 
 other magistrates are appointed by the bishop, who is 
 here invested with temporal as well as spiritual jurisdic- 
 tion. The education of youth at Wisbeach is provi- 
 ded for by a free school, and two charity schools, sup- 
 ported by voluntary contributions. The appointment 
 of Master of the Free-School is vested in the Capital 
 JJurgesses, with the consent of any other ten inhabitants, 
 having voices in the election of those Burgesses. It 
 appears that the Trinity Guild used to allow the School- 
 master the annual salary of 10/. 6s. 8d. and that 
 they also distributed annually among the poor the sura 
 of 31. 15s. which last sum, as Mr. Hutchesson a&- 
 
 * Beauties of England, volume 2
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 105 
 
 sures us, has been continued invariably to this day. 
 But 31. 15s. is now a very paltry sum, indeed, com- 
 pared to what it was in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 
 value now is scarcely a tenth part of what it was then. * 
 
 An institution which has been justly deemed credit- 
 able to Wisbeach, is its Literary Society, formed in 
 1781, whose members sometime ago were about thirty, 
 and its collection of books, or library, consisted of up- 
 wards of a thousand volumes. Besides this institution, 
 and some reading societies, or book-clubs, Wisbeach. 
 can also boast of a Philosophical Society , the President 
 of which is Mr. Wm. Skrimshire Junr. a gentleman 
 much and deservedly respected among his fellow-towns? 
 men. He is allowed to be well qualified for the presi- 
 dentship of such an institution, from his extensive 
 knowledge of those subjects which it is the aim of the 
 Society chiefly to cultivate; and in some branches of 
 natural history he is said to be eminently conversant. 
 lie is a native of the town, as well as one of the most 
 ingenious, intelligent, and respectable of itp inhabitants, 
 
 ( 
 Many remarkable personages may be supposed, one 
 
 time and another, to have appeared among the natives 
 of Wisbeach; but we shall here mention but two of 
 them, and those of very unequal merit. One of them was 
 Dr. Henry Southwell, late rector of Asterby, and the 
 reputed author of a well known and popular Commen- 
 tary on the Old and New Testament, commonly called 
 o 2 
 
 * Hutchesson's Account of Wisbeach and Beaut, of Engl. as before. 
 

 
 106 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Dr. Southwell's Family Bible; not a page of which, 
 however, was written by him, being absolutely unequal 
 to such an undertaking, and but a few degrees, if any, 
 above an ideot. * But he sold his name to some Lon- 
 don booksellers for a certain pecuniary cansideration, 
 and they employed one Dr. Saundcrs^ a noted hack- 
 ney writer, to do the work. They also produced Let- 
 ters of approbation and recommendation, addressed 
 .to Dr. Southwell, from a great number of pretended 
 eminent clergymen, in different parts of the kingdom. 
 The trick succeeded, and the credulous public were 
 .taken in, as usual. It was, certainly, a most shameful 
 business, and must be contemplated by all honest men 
 
 ^ 
 
 with abhorrence and indignation : but the work brought 
 no small* gain to the publishers, for it had, it seems, a 
 great run; and that, with them, would sufficiently sanc- 
 tify the imposture. It is to be wished it could be said 
 to be the only instance of the kind that occurs in the 
 transactions of modern booksellers. But this is the age 
 of impbsition and humbugging, in which not only book- 
 sellers, but e.ven ministers of State have sometimes been 
 too fond of acting their parts. 
 
 The other person that shall be here named, as a nar 
 tive of Wisbeach, is Thomas Clarkson. He too is a 
 clergyman; but of a character so very different from the 
 former, that no two human beings could well be more 
 unlike each other. His unparalleled exertions in behalf 
 of the oppressed Africans, and for the abolition of the 
 detestable Slave-trade, so long the disgrace and curse of 
 his country, pmst place his name very high indeed.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 107 
 
 among the modern sons of Britain even far above our 
 Burkes, our Pitts, and our Nelsons, as the real friend 
 of his country and his species, and the benefactor of the 
 human race. Compared with such characters, he ap- 
 pears as an angel of light by the side of a group of de- 
 mons. The honor of giving birth to so estimable and dis- 
 tinguished a person, must justly entitle the town of Wis- 
 beach to no small degree of lasting celebrity. He should, 
 certainly, be placed at the head of those memorable and 
 venerable instruments, who contributed to the abolish- 
 ment and annihilation of our most shameful, detestable, 
 and horrid traffick in human flesh and blood. But for 
 his vigorous and unwearied efforts, the names even of a 
 jFoaranda Wilberforce had never perhaps been known, 
 as the promoters and champions of that honorable and 
 sacred cause. But the virtues he displayed, and the 
 service he performed, oa that never to be forgotten oc- 
 casion, are too well known, and too frequently acknow- 
 ledged, -to need any eulogy that this feeble pen is capa- 
 ble of attempting. Long may he live to enjoy his well- 
 earned fame, and to exhibit still more widely among 
 his'contemporaries, by his future writings, the truth and 
 importance of those exalted principles, for which he so 
 nobly and so succesfully contended. 
 
 The attention bestowed upon Wisbeach by William 
 I, in erecting there a stone castle, has been already no- 
 ticed. To some of our succeeding monarchs it also ap- 
 pears to have been an object of partiality: we are accor- 
 dingly informed that Richard I, March 28th, 1190j 
 ranted the tenants of Wisbeach -Barton Manor an ex-
 
 108 HISTORY OF LYJTN. 
 
 cmption or freedom from toll in all fairs and markets 
 throughout England. This grant was confirmed, in 
 1214, by king John^ who came to Wisbeach from 
 Lynn in October 1216, as Dr. Brady has proved from 
 original records preserved in the Tower. In the 12th 
 ef Henry IV. it was renewed, and again confirmed by 
 writ of privy seal of Henry VI. Afterwards the privi- 
 lege being forfeited, it was restored through the exer- 
 tions of Nicholas Sandford, who died in 1608, and 
 was buried in the church, where an inscription, on the 
 brass plate inserted in his tomb-stone, commemorates his 
 singular bounty and patriotism, as haying, at his own 
 charge, freed the town from toll. 
 
 After Oliver Cromwell had been appointed governor of 
 the Isle of Ely, for his activity in swaying it to the in- 
 terest of the Parliament, he caused fortifications to be 
 raised near the Horse-shoe on the north side of Wis- 
 beach, to secure the passes out of Lincolnshire, ^vhich 
 continued attached tp the king. The sokliers stationed 
 to defend them were commanded by Colonel Sir John 
 Palgrave, and Captain William Dodson; and the am- 
 munition, and other warlike stores, were supplied from 
 a Dutch ship, which the Queen had dispatched from 
 Holland for the use of the royalists, but which, very sea- 
 sonably and conveniently, fell into the hands of their 
 opponents. 
 
 In 1643 the burgesses lent 150/. to Captain Dodson, 
 who was then engaged in the siege of Croyland; and on 
 the 25th of March 1644, they delivered to Major John 
 Jreton four muskets, three bandeliers, and two swords,
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 109 
 
 for the service of the Parliament* They also furnished 
 the latter with a loan of 2501. towards raising a troop 
 of horse for the defence of the Isle. This troop seems 
 to have been supported even after the Revolution, as on 
 the 6th of June, 1690, 4/. were ordered to be paid to- 
 wards the expence of a horse to serve in "the Troop," 
 and the town-bailiff was directed to defray a moiety of 
 the charge for arms and furniture." 
 
 Between the restoration and the year 1672, cities, 
 towns, and even individuals, were allowed to coin cop- 
 per money for the convenience of trade : the Capital 
 Burgesses of Wisbeach, therefore, in February, 1670, 
 ordered the town-bailiff to expend 20/. in coining half- 
 pence, with the words "A Wisbeach Half-penny," on 
 one side ; and .on the other, the impression of the town- 
 seal. In 1722, the poor-house was erected, at the ex- 
 pence of 2000/. borrowed for that purpose by the Capi- 
 tal Burgesses, on their corporation seal : for being an 
 invisible body, (like other bodies-corporate) whose in- 
 tentions cannot be manifested or expressed by personal 
 acts, or oral discourse, they could act and speak only 
 by their common seal." * 
 
 "The frequent journeys made by George II. to Han- 
 over, (whither, it was supposed he transported a large 
 share of the national treasure,) and his attachment to 
 Lady Kilmarnock, afterwards Countess of Yarmouth, 
 excited the displeasure of some of the inhabitants of this 
 town ; and the Rev. Thomas Whiston, curate to Dr. 
 
 * See Blackjtone's Commentaries also Hutchesson's Account and 
 the Beauties of England, as before.
 
 110 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 Bell, preached a sermon full of asperity against the 
 King's conduct. His text was from Proverbs vii, 19 
 22. "The good man is not at home, he is gone a long 
 journey, he hath taken a bag of money with him, and 
 will come home at the day appointed. With her much 
 fair speech she caused him to yield. He goeth after her 
 straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a 
 fool to the correction of tjie stocks." Mr. Whiston 
 seems to have been endued with that talent which gives 
 its possessor a facility in adapting the language and cir- 
 cumstances of distant ages to the occurrences^ modern 
 times ; of which he gave further proof after the suppres- 
 sion of the rebellion in 1745, and the return of the Pre- 
 tender into France, when he zealously defended the 
 succession of the House of Brunswick, taking for his 
 text, 2 Kings, xix, 33. "By the way that he came, by^ 
 the same shall he return, and shall not come into this ci- 
 ty, saiththe Lord." * One would suppose this clergy- 
 man to have been in his day somewhat of an uncommon 
 and singular, though not apparently of a disreputable 
 character. He was evidently a patriot and anti-jacobite ; 
 and, unlike most of his order, he could discern the er- 
 rors and misdoings of the great, and even testify against 
 them in a very open and pointed manner. On the pru- 
 dence and propriety, or expediency of -this part of his 
 conduct, different persons, no doubt, would entertain 
 different opinions. What he would have thought, said, 
 or done, had he lived in the present reign, and to this 
 very time, it is impossible to know. Of royal journeys 
 
 * Beauties of England, as before.
 
 I 
 HISTORY OF LYJsN. Ill 
 
 to Hanover, and of female favourites, or mistresses of 
 the sovereign, one may presume he would have seen no 
 cause of complaint. But that the same would have been 
 the case, as to alt our state maxims, and public measures, 
 and especially our three last wars, is more, perhaps, 
 ihan we are warranted to conclude ; as it seems rather 
 probable, not to say more than probable, that Mr. 
 Whiston would have discovered in some, if not in all 
 of them, no slight cause of disgust and animadversion. 
 How he would have stood affected toward some of our 
 princes of the blood, or royal dukes^ and what texts, 
 or passages of scripture he Avould have applied to them, 
 or made the groundwork of sermons or addresses to his 
 parishioners concerning them, are questions that cannot 
 now be answered or resolved* 
 
 The river Nene, being navigable from VVisbeach to 
 Peterborough, and many other more distant inland parts, 
 contributes much to the commercial importance, of the 
 former. There are also passage-boats on this river, 
 which prove very convenient to travellers, in their pro- 
 gress to, or from the great north road. Before we quit 
 Wisbeach it may be here just hinted, that some of its 
 , inhabitants have often been heard loudly congratulating 
 themselves, on the very superior advantages of their town, 
 compared with Lynn and most other boroughs, where 
 the corporation spirit is too apt to encroach and bear 
 hard upon the unprivileged part of the community ; but 
 which, happily, never haunts, molests, or disturbs the 
 people of Wisbeach. If that be really the case, -they
 
 112 HISTOIIY OF LYNN 1 . 
 
 have, certainly, cause for boasting; and we can do no 
 less than hail them on the occasion. The population of 
 Wisbeach, as ascertained by the late act, amounts to 
 near five thousand : so that it is the most populous tows 
 in the county, except Cambridge. 
 
 SECTION XIII. Additional account of Ufarshtand 
 Parkin Bishop of Ely's manor, in Terrington 
 Queen Henrietta Admiral Bentinck Cross Keys 
 Demolishers of the banks prosecuted and suppressed 
 High Tides Destructive Inundations Principal di- 
 visions of Marshland. 
 
 Being here to quit Wisbeach, we shall now recross 
 the ditch, ^ and take another turn in Marshland. In this 
 remarkable District, as has been already intimated, scarce 
 any edifices are to be seen, either of ancient or modern 
 date, that are worthy of very particular attention, ex- 
 cept the parish churches; and of them it does not seem 
 necessary to give here any further description: but it 
 may be just hinted, that next to Walpole St-Peter's, 
 already described, the two Terringtons, one of the 
 Tilneys, West-Walton, and Walsoken, are deemed 
 the most considerable and remarkable. Some account 
 of them may be found in Parkin's History of Freebridge 
 Hundred and half. 
 
 In the same work may also be found a pretty distinct 
 and circumstantial account of the different manors in 
 
 J It is really a ditch or dyke that separates Wisbeach from Marshland,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 113 
 
 this district, one of which belonged formerly to the 
 Crown, as a royal desmesne, and was repeatedly set-? 
 tied on some of our queens consorts, as part of their 
 jointures. It lies in Terrington, and is called the 
 bishop of Ely's manor, having once belonged to his 
 great lordship of West- Walton, Wisbeach, &c. It 
 remained in the See of Ely till the death of bishop Cox, 
 in 1581, when it came to the Crown by an Act of Par- 
 liament passed in the 4th of Elizabeth, James I. 
 granted it with all its appurtenances to his eldest son 
 Henry, and after his decease, to his other son Charles 
 prince of Wales, on whose marriage it was settled on 
 his queen, as apart of her jointure 5 from which, how- 
 ever, it has been thought not very likely that she ever 
 derived much benefit. * In the reign of Charles II. it 
 was again settled on Catherine of Lisbon^ his consort^ 
 
 * Queen Henrietta, by her numerous indiscretions, contributed large- 
 ly to the alienation of the affections of his subjects from the king her 
 husband; and she suffered very severely in consequence of it. After 
 her retirement into France, that court, at the head of which was her 
 nephew Lewis XIV, is said to have been very remiss in administering 
 to her relief, so as to leave her often in want even of the necessaries of 
 life. It has been reported that she was in such distress at Paris, m 1643, 
 that she and her infant daughter were obliged to lie in bed, in their 
 room at the palace of the Louvre, for want of wood to make their fir? 
 with. One tiuie during the Protectorate, as Granger reports, she was 
 so reduced, that she actually applied to Cromwell for relief, as queen 
 dowager of England. In 1660, after an absence of many years, she re- 
 turned to London, where she seems not to have been treated with much 
 kindness by her son Charles. In 1665, at the breaking out of the 
 plague, she again retired to France. From Sir John Keresby's me- 
 moirs it appears, that she was secretly married (probably about that 
 time) to Henry Jermyn, earl of St. Albans, who had for many years 
 attended her as chamberlain of her household, or some such character, 
 and who afterward treated her in a most unkind ari<l brutal manner, 
 She died ia 1669, in her 60th year,
 
 114 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 as part of her dower or jointure, and was farmed by Sir 
 James Chapman Fuller^ bart. In 1696, "William Ben- 
 4inck, earl of Portland, had a grant of it from king Wil- 
 liam. Admiral Bentinck, a descendant pf that family ? 
 is the present possessor of it, and of the greatest part of 
 Terrington. Somewhere upon this estate of his, is said 
 to be one of the best spots in the whole country for 
 forming a Decoy. The Admiral, within these few years, 
 has added to his possessions here a large extent of salt 
 marshes, which he has rescued from tne sea, and secured 
 by strong and capita,lembanknients r No part of his valu- 
 able territory here exceeds^this newly recovered tract, in 
 point of fertility: nor is it exceeded, if equalled, by 
 any other part of Marshland: and yet it has been thought, 
 from the high terms on which he lets it, that he himself 
 has overrated its value. This point, however, must be 
 }eft for him and his tenants to settle as they can. 
 
 In Terrington is-tbat Wash, or passage into Lincoln- 
 shire, commonly called the Cross Keys. " Here (says 
 Parkin) is a guide always attending, to conduct pas- 
 sengers over, bearing a wand or rod in his hand, pro- 
 bably in imitation of Moses, who had a rod when he con- 
 ducted the Israelites through the Red Sea." * A guide 
 certainly does attend; and it seems he bears a wand ; 
 but that he does so in imitation of Moses, was, perhaps, 
 never supposed by any one before Mr. Parkin. These 
 guides might very probably use a wand, or long rod, ibr 
 the purpose of sounding the depth of the water, or to. 
 discover any uneyenness, dangerous holes, or sloughs, 
 at the bottom. 
 
 * History of Freebriclge/p. 258.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 115 
 
 The Banks erected by the Romans to secure this coun- 
 try, appear to have been well constructed (as was ge- 
 nerally the case with the great works of that people) 
 and they served probably for ages as effectual bulwarks 
 against the encroachment of the ocean. In a long course 
 of time, however, they w r ould naturally fall into decay; 
 and the Saxons, who succeeded the Romans, being ne- 
 ver very remarkable for their attention to such matters, 
 or their skill in the management of them, it is not to be 
 wondered that we often hear in aftertimes of breaches in 
 the banks, and of high tides, or great inland floods 
 deluging and desolating the country. 
 
 As long ago as the reign of Edward I. we read of cer- 
 tain lawless people making breaches in the banks, and 
 resisting those who would have stoptthem; upon which 
 the king is said to have, appointed cejtain- persons to in- 
 quire intp those misdemeanours, and punish the offenders. 
 Afterward, in the same reign, mischievous persons are 
 said to have thrown down the bank at Little-lode; when 
 a new commission was issued to search after the offenders 
 and bring them to justice. Another commission was is- 
 sued some few years after, when Robert Russel, bailiff 
 to the Abbot of Ramsey, John Mayner, Waller Halle- 
 man and others, were foimd out as offenders, having by 
 force of arms, broke down the Dam at Smalelode, and 
 Richard Curteys the other at Wadynstowe\ and the 
 Sheriff was ordered to apprehend them. All (his seems 
 very plainly to indicate, that, even in the reign of our 
 boasted Englis h Justinian, the state of things in this 
 country was very different frorn what it was in that of
 
 JIG HISTORY OF 
 
 the immortal Alfred. * In the 22, of Henry VIII. an 
 act passed, making it felony to demolish the sea banks, 
 which seems tq haye put an effectual stop to those flagi- 
 tious proceedings. 
 
 Among the shocking inundations, from which this 
 low country greatly suffered in former times, the fol- 
 lowing seem to be the most remarkable. In the year 
 1236, on the morrow after Martinmas-day, and the 
 eight following days, the sea, by the violence of the 
 wind, was raised to such a height, that the banks, yield- 
 ing to the force of the water, were broken so, that 
 "of small craft, cattle, and men," great multitudes were 
 destroyed., A similar calamity happened about nine- 
 teen years afterward. Also in 1437, by a breach in 
 the bank of Wisbeach Fen, 4,400 acres of land were 
 overflowed. Another of those disastrous events hap- 
 pened on monday and tuesday, the second and third of 
 October, 1570, by which all Marshland together with 
 the town of Wigenhale, were overflowed with salt 
 water; , so that from Old Lynn to Magdalen-bridge, 
 there were not left ten roods of the bank whole and firm, 
 to the very great damage of the whole country. How 
 or when that damage was repaired, or the banks restored 
 lo their fornici- state, does not appear; but in the 39th 
 of the same reign (that of Elizabeth) complaint was 
 made at a Session of Sewers, that through neglect 
 
 * A single jail, in Alfred's golden reign, 
 Could half the nation's criminals contain. 
 Fair Justice then, without constraint ador'd, 
 Held high the steady scale, but deep'd the Sword : 
 No spies were pawl, no special Juries known j 
 Blest age ! but ah '. how difFererst v from our own !
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN.' Ill 
 
 of keeping the water in at Rightforth Lode within the 
 crests of the same, the grounds on the north side of the 
 said Lode were, in time of great inundations, overflown, 
 which occasioned the tenants, for avoiding the water, 
 to cut the old Powdike, and issue the said water into 
 Marshland Fen, to the great loss of the inhabitants and 
 commoners there. It was therefore ordained and de- 
 creed, by the commissioners > that whoever should so 
 transgress in future, should be fined 201. for every sucji 
 default. 
 
 After this, on the 1st of April 1607(5. Jac.) there 
 happened a mighty tide, which broke Catt's bank, and 
 drowned Clenchwartori. About 1610, provision was 
 made for draining the waters of Oldfield, Outwell, &c. 
 without issuing them through Broken Dike into Marsh- 
 land, and also for a general repair of all the banks. 
 How far these measures were carried on, or effected, 
 cannot now be said; but they proved entirely ineffec- 
 tual to secure the country from that dreadful inunda- 
 tion of the sea, which happened on november 1, 1613 
 (11 Jac.) and which laid all Marshland and parts ad- 
 jacent under water^ and proved exceedingly calamitous 
 to the whole country. la commemoration of this most 
 disastrous event, the following rather quaint Inscription 
 was set up on the East Wall of the south aisle in Wis- 
 beach Church "To the immortal praise of God Al- 
 mighty, that saveth his people in all adversities, be it 
 kept in perpetual memory, That on the Feast-Day of 
 All saints, being the first of November in the year of our 
 Lord 1613, late in the night, the sea broke in through
 
 118 HISTORY OF 
 
 the violence of a North East wind, meeting with a Spring 
 Tide, and overflowed all Marshland, with the town of 
 Wisbeche, both on the north side and on the south; 
 and almost the whole Hundred round about; to the 
 great danger of men's lives, and the losse of some; be- 
 sides the exceeding great losse which these counties 
 sustained through th,e breach of the banks, and spoil 
 of corn, cattle, and housing, which could not be esti- 
 mated " 
 
 Dugdale in his History of Embanking has preserved 
 "An Abstract of the losses in general (sustained on the 
 above occasion) as they were presented by the Jurors of 
 several Hundreds at the Session of Sewers held at Lynn, 
 December 9, 1613 Within the Ring of Marshland 
 the statement of the said losses is as follows Terrington, 
 10,4i6/; Walpole, 3,0001-, West-Walton, 850/; Wai- 
 soken, 1,S28/; Emneth; 1501; Wigenhale and South 
 Lynn, 6,000/; Tilney and Islington, 4,3SO/; Clench- 
 warton, 6,000/; West and North Lynn, 4,000/-in all 
 35,834/. Without the Ring of Marshland, the damage 
 was far less considerable, and is given as follows, Gay- 
 tsood, 2051; South Wotton, 3131; North Wotton, 810/; 
 Watlington, 5001; Totncl cum Wormegay, 601; 
 Holm cum Thorpl-and, 401; Stow Bardolf, 1001: in 
 all 2,028/j which added to the former account will 
 amount to no less a sum than 37,862/. -A sum equal, 
 perhaps, to near half a million of our money. 
 
 The damages at or about Wisbeach, and out of Nor- 
 folk, are not included in the above abstract; though they 
 must, doubtless, have been very considerable, and pro-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNtf. 119 
 
 ably not much less than the former : the whole together 
 must, of course, have been enormous, and equal to ma- 
 ny hundred thousand pounds of our money. 
 
 In the months of January and February, and parti- 
 cularly on the 23rd of March in the ensuing year (1614,) 
 the country sustained much additional damage from 
 the snows that had Mien, and which had occasioned 
 vast floods from the upland countries upon their going 
 off. Great part of Marshland, from the bank called 
 the Edge, between the towns and Emneth, to the New 
 Podikf , was overflowed with fresh water, by divers 
 breaches between Salter's Lode and Downham Bridge* 
 The country to the south of Wisbeach also suffered 
 greatly on the occasion ; as did likewise the greater part 
 of the land within South Eaubrink in Holland, winch 
 was so overflowed and damaged, from Spalding to Tydd 
 St. Giles, as to be almost entirely lost for that year. 
 From these premises it evidently appears, that the boast- 
 ed fertility, and numerous advantages of Marshland and 
 the adjacent parts have often been woefully counterba- 
 lanced by disadvantages and evils of a mosl serious and 
 distressing nature ; so as to leave the inhabitants but ve- 
 ry little room to exult over their less wealthy country- 
 men, whose lot is fallen in the more sterile and rugged 
 parts of the kingdonu 
 
 Before we finish tins Section, it may be proper to say 
 something of the principal divisions of Marshland, and 
 its extent, which we often find differently represented. 
 In its fullest extent, or within its ring, as it is some* 
 
 Q
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 times expressed, Marshland comprehends the following 
 parishes, (with the exception of part of that of St. Ger- 
 man's, which lies on the eastern side of the river Ouse.) 
 1. Eraneth. 2. Walsoken. ,3. West Walton. 4. 
 Walpole St Andrew's. 5, Walpole St Peter's. 6. Ter- 
 rington St Clement's. 7. Terrington St John's. 8. 
 Clenchwarton. 9. North Lynn. 10. West Lynn. 11. 
 Tilney All Saints. 12. Tilney St. Lawrence. 13. Isling- 
 ton cum Tilney. 14. Wigenhale St. Mary's. 15. Wi- 
 genhale St. German's. 16. Wigenhale St. Mary Mag- 
 dalen. In another view, as a privileged district, and, 
 particularly, as interested in the Smeeth, MarsTlland 
 has been considered as much less extensive, compre- 
 hending only eleven parishes, or rather confined to 
 seven towns) or townships: and then N. andW- Lynn, 
 with the three Wigenhales are excluded. These town- 
 ships, or the seven towns of Marshlaud, as they arc 
 usually called, are thus enumerated 1. Emneth. 2. 
 Walsoken. 3. West Walton. 4. The two Walpoles, 
 both under one. 5. The two Terringtons, both under 
 one. 6. Clenchwarton. 7. The two Tilneys and Isling- 
 ton, all under one, or constituting one township. At 
 what time this division of the district into seven town- 
 ships took place, does not appear.- It was, probably, 
 at a remote period, and before the formation of the 
 eleven parishes, which these townships new contain. 
 It may, perhaps not unreasonably be presumed to have 
 originated under the East- Anglian government, at an 
 early period of the Heptarchy: if not, indeed, even 
 before either the heptarchy, or yet the East-Anglian 
 government had ever sprung into existence.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION XIV. Biographical Sketches of some 
 of the most distinguished personages of other times, in 
 Marshland and its vicinity. 
 
 Of celebrated characters, or men who attained to high 
 renown among their contemporaries, but a very moderate 
 number appears to belong to Marshland or its vicinity. 
 Some such, however, seem to have sprung up there, at 
 different periods, within the last thousand years: and 
 of them, whose names have been preserved, the first 
 place, at least in point of seniority, seems to belong tq 
 
 1. HICKIFKIC, vulgarly called Tom HickaJtrif, or 
 Hickathrift. He is supposed to have lived some time 
 before the conquest, and to have been in his day and 
 generation, 
 
 ' A Tillage Hampden, that with dauntless breast 
 *' The Uttle tyrants pi his fields withstood." 
 
 He has been represented as the proprietor of the 
 Smeethy though he might, perhaps, be only entitled 
 to the benefit of pasturage there, in common with the 
 rest of his neighbours. Be that as it might, it is agreed 
 on all hands that he was a person of uncommon strength, 
 gigantic stature, and unshaken fortitude. Very dif- 
 ferent from most other men of might, it does not appear 
 that he was ever accused of oppressing his weaker neighr 
 hours, insulting their persons, or committing depreda- 
 tions upon their property. His superior powers and 
 valour were called forth and employed only in defence 
 of his own just right and property, and those of his 
 oppressed fellow^citizens. Tradition informs us of a
 
 192 HISTOIIY OF LYNX. 
 
 
 
 certain unwarrantable and base attempt being once made, 
 by some lawless and powerful men, to encroach upon 
 the neighbouring inhabitants, and dispossess them of 
 their right to the Smeeth; or, at least, to deprive them of 
 some part of that fertile tract; and which was. to be efr 
 fected by force of arms, as the inhabitants seemed deter- 
 mined to make resistances and not tamely to part with, 
 or give up their rights. An engagement accordingly 
 ensued, which terminated in the total discomfiture of 
 the invaders, and the consequent reinstatement of the 
 inhabitants in the quiet possession of their wonted pri- 
 vileges. The victory was universally ascribed to the 
 singular prowess and irresistible exertions of Hickifric, 
 who fought that day, as the tradition says, with a cart- 
 wheel in one hand, instead of a buckler or shield, and 
 anaxletree in the other, instead of a spear or battle-ax. 
 In short he is said to have acquitted himself on that me- 
 morable occasion, so as to establish his character, and 
 hand it down to posterity, as, at once, the firm patriot, 
 and redoubtable champion. A stone coffin, in Tilney 
 churchyard, is shewn to this day as having once be- 
 longed to him. But this, perhaps, may be questioned, 
 as may also some of the circumstances of the above story, 
 though the substance of it may be true: the. affair of the 
 . wheel and qxlclree, for instance, like many other vulgar 
 traditions, may be only hyperbolically and not literally 
 true; and implying no more than, that he furnished 
 himself for the said conflict with certain rustic, ponde- 
 rous and unusual weapons; which bjiind tradition and 
 .stupid credulity afterwards -converted into a cartwheel 
 and an axlctree.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 2. Saint GODRIC. He is said to have been a native 
 of Wai-pole, and to have originally followed the humble 
 occupation or profession of a Pedler. He afterwards 
 went on pilgrimage to Rome, and even to Jerusalem; 
 but whether he relinquished his former profession beibr 
 he set off, or took his pedlery along with him, does 
 not appear. Some of the pilgrims of those times, it it 
 said, used to engage, clandestinely, in certain pedling, 
 mercantile, or commercial adventures, and to find 
 their account in so doing, as the garb, or profession of 
 pilgrims exempted them from the tolls or duties impo* 
 sed upon mere pedlers, or merchants. Whether that 
 was the case with our Godric, or not, he acquired the 
 character of a Saint, and was canonized ; which yet 
 with some people will make no very great deal in his 
 favour. In the latter part of his life he became a her* 
 mit, and lived sometime at Finchale near Durham, 
 where he is said to have worn out no less than three 
 successive suits of iron clothes, | which, with many, 
 would be x an indubitable proof that his samtity must 
 have been far superior to that of the wearers of flannel, 
 coarse woollen, or even haircloth , by which kind of 
 dresses numbers of his brethren chose to distinguish 
 themselves. Godric died in 1170. Many miracles, 
 of course, are rscribed to him; and his girdle that he 
 left," was said to have in it such uncommon and won- 
 derful virtue, as to make barren women fruitful. After 
 all, it seems not quite clear, or certain, that he was ft 
 better man, or worthier character than Hickifric. 
 
 J See Hughes's Letters; also Petit. Andr. History of England, t.233.
 
 124; HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 3. Sir FREDERIC TILNEY. He was one of the at- 
 tendants and Captains of Richard I, in his memorable 
 expedition to the Holy Land, and was knighted by that 
 monarch, in his third year, at Aeon or Acre, otherwise 
 Ptolemais [a place rendered very famous during the 
 Crusades ; especially by the heroic achievements of the 
 iion-hearted Richard and his followers ; and no less so 
 v of late years, by its obstinate and successful defence 
 Against the arms and repeated assaults of Bonaparte.] 
 Sir Frediric Tilney was distinguished for his great sta- 
 ture and vast bodily strength; being, perhaps, a descend-, 
 ant of Hickifric, He survived the expedition to Pales- 
 tine, and returned safe to his native country, where he 
 Jended his days in peace, and was buried with his ances- 
 tors at Terrington, by Tilney, that is, at St. John's, 
 as it is supposed ; where we are told his height was to 
 ,be seen as late as 1556. Sixteen knights of the same 
 name (and supposed to be his descendants) succeeded 
 him, most, if not all of whom lived at Boston. 
 
 4. RICHARD DE TYRINGTON. He is said to have 
 b,een one of the great favourites of King John, who 
 granted him, for his life, - an annuity of twenty marks. 
 Little more is known of him. But as a king's favou- 
 rite, he must have been a noted man in his day. That 
 king had many favourites, it seems, in and about Lynn. 
 No part of his kingdom seemed to be more, if so much 
 attached to ,him. His favourites and adherents, and 
 this Richard of Terrington among the rest, may be 
 presumed to be much of the same cast with their royal 
 patron, and therefore the less said about them is best.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 125 
 
 5. Sir FREDERICK CHERVILL, or Chervile, other- 
 wise Kertile. He lived in the reign of Henry III. and 
 had considerable possessions in Tilney, Islington, Wi- 
 genhale, and Clench warton.. He was iound, in the 
 thirty-fourth year of that king, to have a Gallows in Til- 
 ney, and the liberty or power of trying and hanging of- 
 fenders; by which it appears, that he was in his time 
 a person of no small consequence and dignity in this 
 country, He lived at the time when the Ouse deserted 
 its ancient course or channel by Wisbeach, and mixed 
 with the waters of Wigenhale and of Lynn. Of the 
 qualities of his heart, or his particular deeds, good or 
 bad, no memorial now remains. The seat of the Ker- 
 viles, for many successive generations, was the manor- 
 house of Wigenhale St. Mary's, of which only the gate- 
 house, now remains, and is visible from the Wisbeach 
 road. Its appearance seems to indicate that the mansion 
 formerly attached to it was in its day a sumptuous edi- 
 fice; and for no short period, perhaps, the first housfr 
 in all Marshland. 
 
 6. JOHN COLTON: a native of Terrington, chaplain 
 to W. Bateman, bishop of Norwich, and the first mas- 
 ter of Gon-cil-Hall in Cambridge. Afterward, on ac- 
 count of his great learning and piety, (as it is said) 
 Henryl V. advanced him to the archbishopric of Ar- 
 magh, and primacy of Ireland. While in that high 
 station he was sent to Rome, and employed in the af- 
 fair of the schism between Urban VI. and Clement VIL 
 which occasioned his writing a learned treatise (as Ful 
 Jersays) De causa Schismatis; and also another De re-
 
 J26 HISTORY OF LY.V.V. 
 
 media ejusd. He is supposed to have resigned his arch- 
 bishopric some time before his death, which happened, 
 it seems, in 1404. It does not appear that he was one 
 of the worst men of his order. 
 
 7. WALTER TIRRIXGTO^, LL. D. a celebrated 
 writer and author, is said to have been another native of 
 Terrington. At what tlm?. he flourished, is rather uncer- 
 tain ; though it seems not improbable, that he was con- 
 temporary with Cotton. Nor is it now known what 
 those writings' were which made him so celebrated as an 
 author. Whatever they were, and they might be high- 
 ly valuable in their time, they seem to have been long 
 ago swallowed up in the dark devouring abyss or gulph 
 of oblivion; and from which the very name of their au- 
 thor has hardly escaped. 
 
 8. JOHN AYLMER: born at^Aylmer-Hall in Tilney, 
 about 1521. When very young, Henry Grey, Mar- 
 quis of Dorset, afterward Duke of Suffolk, took a great 
 liking to him, entertained him as his scholar, and gave 
 him an exhibition at Cambridge, where his proficiency 
 was so considerable, that he was afterward deemed one 
 of the best scholars of his time. * From the University 
 his noble patron took him to his family, and made him 
 tutor to his children, among whom was the memorable 
 Lady Jane Grey. He early imbibed the opinion of the 
 reformers, and was very instrumental, under the patron- 
 age of the Duke of Suffolk, and the Earl of Huntingdon, 
 in diffusing the same about Leicestershire, (in which 
 
 * Particularly as an Hebrician, according to the learned Hugh 
 Broucrhton.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 county was the Duke's chief seat and residence,) 
 V<hero he seems to have had some preferment, and to 
 have been for sometime the only preacher of that de- 
 scription. In time he was promoted to the archdeaconry 
 of Stow, in the diocese of Lincoln, which qualified him 
 to sit in Convocation, the first year of the reign of Ma- 
 ry, where he defended protestantism with so much 
 zeal, learning, and acuteness, that he was soon after de-, 
 prived of his archdeaconry, and obliged to abscond 
 and quit the kingdom, to avoid the approaching storm. 
 After he had embarked he was in no small danger front 
 the searchers, who came onboard, in quest of fugitives; 
 but he happily escape^, partly through his own dimi- 
 nutive size, (being of small stature like ^accheus^) and 
 partly through the friendship of the Captain, who placed 
 him in the empty end of a wine butt, that had a par- 
 tition in the middle, where he sat very snugly, while 
 the searchers were drinking wine, which they saw drawn 
 out of the other end. He was sometime after landed on 
 the continent, and got safe to Strasburgh, whence he 
 shortly after removed toZurich, where he diligently pro- 
 secuted his studies, and attended the Lectures of Peter 
 Martyr. He afterwards visited most of the universities 
 of Italy and Germany, and at Jena, in Saxony, he had 
 the offer of the Hebrew Professorship, which he de- 
 clined., After the accession of Elizabeth he returned 
 home, aud was one of the divines appointed to dispute 
 at Westminster with an equal number of popish bishops. 
 He sometime after was made archdeacon of Lincoln; 
 but got no higher for a long while. At last, upon the 
 
 K
 
 128 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 translation ofSandys to York, he was appointed his sue- 
 cessor in the see of London. This elevation he is said 
 to have owed, in a great measure, to the interest and , 
 friendship of that prelate, but which he afterward very 
 ill requited. He now forgot his former affection to the 
 puritans, and became a bitter persecutor. On Sunday 
 afternoons he was fond of playing at bowls, ami would 
 use such language at this game as justly exposed him to 
 reproach. When he happened to preach, if he obser- 
 ved his audience inattentive, he would take a hcbrew 
 bible out of his Docket, and read them a few verses, 
 and then resume his discourse. * He was a man of great 
 courage, which he shewed on many occasions; one of 
 which was his having a tooth drawn, to encourage the 
 queen to submit to the like operation. Strypc says, he 
 'was a man of metal, and could use his hands and arms 
 well, ^ and would turn his back on no marju Fuller 
 says ; he was foully belibelled by the puritans; but 
 does not say how much provocation he had given them 
 
 * One Brook, now a dashing orator at or about Burnhatn, and who 
 also hokts forth sometimes at Lynn, is said to have used the same expe- 
 riment, and boasted of it, and also of having doomed and consigned 
 a certain neighbouring minister to eternal torment, for presuming, for- 
 sooth, fc> differ from his creed. Master B. is classed among the 
 evangelicals, and seems to be very much in their spirit. 
 
 t How well he used them upon the poor popish prisoners in the 
 Tower, whom he there most unmercifully flogged, or rather racked 
 and tortured, we have seen above (p. 93) from the testimony of Dr. 
 Milner. Some of the numerous puritan sufferers of that time might, 
 probably, share from him the same fate ; which may account for what 
 Fuller calls his being fcttl/y kelibelled by them, in return. After such 
 treatment it would be very natural for them to think that they had some 
 right as well as reason to complain: and it might also be natural for 
 him, as well as for Fuller, to give those complaints the name of libels.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 129 
 
 for so doing. He died at his Palace of Fulham, June 
 3. 1594. 
 
 D. Sir ROBERT AYLMER, elder brother of the pre- 
 ceding, appears to have been a person of some note 
 in his time, aad resided chiefly, as it it is supposed, at 
 Aylmer Hall, above-mentioned; but as the particulars 
 of his history have not been recorded, and seem to be now 
 entirely forgotten, no more can be here said of him. 
 
 10. THOMAS HERRING. He was the Son of the 
 reverend John Herring, rector of Walsoken, where he 
 was born in 1693. At a proper time he was sent to Cam- 
 bridge, and in 1722, became chaplain to Dr. Fleet wood, 
 bishop of Ely; In 1726 he was chosen preacher of Lin- 
 coln's Inn, and appointed king's chaplain; in 1737 he 
 was made bishop of Bangor, and in 1743 was translated 
 to York. When the rebellion broke out, and the king's 
 troops were defeated at Preston Pans, the archbishop 
 convened the nobility, gentry, and clergy of his 
 diocese, and by an excellent speech removed the ge- 
 neral panic, and excited such zeal among his auditors, 
 that a subscription to the amount of 40,000/. was rais- 
 ed; and the example was followed in most parts of the 
 kingdom. On the death of Dr. Potter, in 1747, he was 
 advanced to Canterbury, and so attained to the very 
 summit of ecclesiastical preferment and dignity; but 
 iis health very soon began to impair, and after lan- 
 guishing about four years, he died, in 1757, leaving 
 behind him a very amiable and excellent character, 
 in spite of the many disadvantages of his elevated si- 
 
 ji 2
 
 ISO HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 tualion, and his long course of worldly prosperity. He 
 appears to have been a real and warm friend to civil 
 and religious liberty, as well as one of the best and wor- 
 thiest men of the age in which he lived. 
 
 1L Dr. RICHARD BUSBY. He was not indeed 
 born in Marshland, but close by, atLutton in Lincoln- 
 shire, in 1606. He had his education at Westminster 
 school, and afterward at Christ- Church, iu Oxford. In 
 1640, he was appointed master of Westminster school, 
 and by his skill and diligence in that laborious and im- 
 portant office, for" the space of fifty five years, bred up 
 the greatest number of eminent men, in church and state, 
 that any teacher or tutor could boast of in this, or per- 
 haps in any other country. In his school discipline, 
 he was extremely and proverbially severe, though he 
 applauded Bnd rewarded wit in his scholars, even when 
 it reflected on himself. After a long life of unwearied 
 assiduity and temperance, he died, in 1695, at the age 
 of 89. 
 
 Here it may not be improper to add, that the noble fa* 
 miliesof the Howards and ihe Walpoles appear to have 
 originated in Marshland. The ancestors of the former, 
 sometimeafterthe conquest, bore the nameof Wigenhalc, 
 ovde Wigenhale, from that being their place of residence, 
 and where they had their most considerable possessions. 
 In the 12th century lived a notable person of this family, 
 whose name was Sir William de Wigenhale, and who, 
 it seems, went somtimes under the name of William 
 de Clench warton, from his having large possessions in that 
 parish . John, the Son of this William, in the 13th cen
 
 HISTORY OF LYNJT. 131 
 
 , took the surname of Howard, (on what account 
 does not appear,) anil his descendants have borne that 
 Iiame ever since. William, the Son of this John How- 
 ard, became one of the most eminent lawyers and dis- 
 tinguished characters of his time, being Lord Chief Jus- 
 tice of England, in the reign of Edward I. and one of 
 that King's privy Council. He owned the manor of 
 East Winch, and the manor-house there appears to 
 have been his principal seat, and where the family chief- 
 ly resided for some generations. In the chapel of St. Ma- 
 fy's, on the south side of East Winch church, suppo- 
 sed to have been built by him, he and many of his earli- 
 er descendants are said to have been buried . The How- 
 ^rd family continued to reside at East Winch till tow- 
 ards the close of the 14th Century, and perhaps longer. 
 Sir William's great grandson, Sir Robert Howard, lived 
 there, and there, it seems, he died and was buried, in 
 1588. Sir William Howard rendered much good ser- 
 vice, of some sort, to the corporation of Lynn, of which, 
 that body was not insensible, as appears by divers pre- 
 sents, which he and his lady received in return; such 
 as the carcase of an ox, one time, to lady Howard, 
 which, with the conveying of it to Winch, cost eleven 
 shillings, a sura equal, no doubt, to many pounds of 
 our money. Another time a present of wine, together 
 with two calves, and a collar, or shield of brawn, were 
 sent as a present to Sir William, and valued at thirteen 
 shillings. Another time, two salmons were sent to Sir 
 W r illiam, on the vigil of Easter, valued at eleven shillings', 
 * which, compared with the value of the other articles, 
 
 * Parkin, 308.
 
 132 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 seems to indicate, that salmon was a very great rarefy at 
 that period. Such was the origin of the far-famed 
 House of Howard, which has been long since divided 
 into so many noble branches, and makes so conspicuous 
 a figure in the British Annals, and whose chief is now, 
 and has long been the first peer of the realm, 
 
 As to the Walpole family, it appears to be no le?s an- 
 cient than that of the Howards, although it did not rise 
 so soon to very great eminence. Like the Howards, or 
 rather the Wigcnhules, it first appeared among the opu- 
 lent Marshland families, not long lifter the conquest; but 
 whether, either of these families is of Saxon, Danish, 
 or Norman descent, does not appear. The Walpole 
 family took its name from the town of Walpole in 
 Marshland, where the forefathers of the family resided, 
 and had large possessions. Reginald de Walpole, 
 who lived in the reign of Henry 1. is thought the lineal 
 ancestor of the present family. His son, Richard de 
 Walpole, married Emma the daughter of Walter de 
 Havelton (or de Houghton) of Houghton, in Norfolk. 
 From that time, the family, or the principal branch 
 of it, fixed its residence at Houghton, where it has con- 
 tinued almost ever since. Sir John Walpole, knight, 
 was a favourite of Henry HI. whom he accompanied in 
 his expedition to Britany. I^is son, Sir Henry de WaU 
 pole, was a Judge, about the 50th year of the same 
 king's reign. Another of the family, Ralph de Wal- 
 pole, was about the same time bishop of Ely, and after- 
 ward of Norwich, t Some of the family, at different 
 
 t See Parkin, and Nor'qlk Tour, 131.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 133 
 
 times, long after the removal of one branch to Hougliton, 
 appear to reside at Walpole; and in the reign of Henry 
 VII. we find the owner of Houghton residing at Lynn, 
 as appears by his Will, where he is called Thomas 
 Walpole, Esquire, of Lynne Bishop. In that Will, 
 among other things, he leaves certain lands and tene- 
 ments at Walpole, u io the brodirhode of the Holy 
 Trinity at Lynne Bishop, to the intent the Alderman and 
 Skyvens of the said Gylde shall find and pay yerly 
 eight marks to the wages of an abil prest to synge mess 
 perpetually for his sowl, and the sowl of Jone his wife, 
 in the chapel of our Lady, in the chapel of St. Nicholas 
 in Lynne." For many ages the Walpoles made no 
 mean figure among the Norfolk gentry; but none of 
 them appear to have been advanced to the peerage till 
 the eighteenth century; since which time, they have 
 ranked among the principal nobility of the kingdom. 
 But of the whole race, from first to last, the most dis- 
 tinguished and memorable character was the famous Sir 
 Robert Walpole, prime minister to our two first so- 
 vereigns, of the present dynasty , and afterward created 
 Earl of Orford; of whom some account will be given in 
 the next chapter, section. IV. 
 
 Here it may be added, that the family of the Coney* 
 has also, for some ages, figured among the principal 
 inhabitants of Marshland. They seem however, to 
 have been originally of Lynn, and to have ranked, at 
 a pretty distant period, among the principal people of 
 that town. Some of their modern descendants are said 
 to have prided themselves, not a little, on the score of
 
 134 HISTORY OF 
 
 their remote ancestry, but as the remarkable, or memo- 
 rable part of the history of those remote ancestors of the 
 family, or even the very names of more than one of 
 them, ^ have not yet come to the knowledge of the. 
 present writer, it cannot be expected that he should say 
 any more here about them. The pride of ancestry, or 
 the plea of being descended from renowned progenitors, 
 is often very idle and childish j especially when none of' 
 the eminent or estimable traits which distinguished and 
 char cterized those progenitors are discoverable in their 
 descendants. 
 
 Walter Coneyj Alderman, and four-times mayor of Lynn, in the 
 fifteenth century, who is supposed to have lived in the corner house at 
 the bottom of High Street, on the side, fronting the Church. Further 
 accounts of the above three families may be found in Blomefield and 
 Parkin's History of Norfolk. fc> To what was before said of Terrington 
 (Section XIII) it may be here added, that the impropriation of the 
 great tithes was given by James I . as an augmentation to Lady Marga- 
 ret's professorship of divinity at Cambridge; and that this revenue, or in- 
 come has so much increased of late years, as to render that chair the most 
 lucrative piece o ? preferment now in the gift of the University. Here it 
 may be also noted, in addition to what was before said of Wcdpale^ (Sec- 
 tion XI.) that in the year 1727, a person digging there in his garden found, 
 about three feet beneath the surface, numerous roman bricks, and an 
 aqneduct formed of earthen pipes, which were twenty inches long, three 1 
 inches and three quarters in the bore, and half an inch thick; the one 
 end diminishing, ss as to be inserted in the w.ider end of the other. 
 Twenty-six were taken up whole, and distributed among several anti- 
 quaries. See Beauties of England, v. 11, 288, 289.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN, ,135 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the parts about Lynn, on the eastern side of the Ouse. 
 
 SECTION I. Aspect of the country its agriculture 
 and rural economy Wai/land Wood Memoir of Shuck- 
 forth parish churches and other edifices, ancient and 
 modern. 
 
 After passing from Marshland to the eastern side of 
 the Ouse, the country presently begins to exhibit a 
 very different appearance. The surface now ceases to 
 be flat and even as before, and the very soil appears 
 considerably altered and diversified. A light sandy soil 
 soon presents itself, and the land becomes higher and 
 comparatively hilly, as well as in general much less 
 fertile and productive than in Marshland. The style, 
 or mode and process, of agriculture also differ conside- 
 rably, as do likewise even the very implements of hus- 
 bandry. There are certainly some slovenly farmers 
 on this eastern side, but there are many others who ma- 
 nage their farms in a manner greatly snperior to what 
 is generally done on the other side of the river. Indeed 
 the comparative poorness of the soil here may operate
 
 136 HtSTOllY OF LYXX. 
 
 iu no small degree as a spur to superior exertion and 
 improvement. Where the land is poor nature requires 
 the greater attention and assistance; and without skil- 
 ful, laborious, and expensive management the culti- 
 vator cannot expect to thrive. Those fanners who have 
 distinguished themselves, by a close attention to the pur- 
 suit of wise projects of agricultural improvement, have 
 found their account abundantly in so doing. They 
 liave generally attained to considerable opulence, so as 
 lo be able to exhibit the appearance of wealthy inde- 
 pendant country gentleman, instead of a servile, crin- 
 ging yeomanry or tenantry Not a few of them are 
 supposed to live as well as their landlords : but the con- 
 duct of some of them towards the poor has been thought 
 cruel and tyrannical. 
 
 Dairies are said to be here father neglected, and the 
 farmers' attention chiefly directed to tillage and the grow- 
 ing of corn. The cheese is for the most part very ordi- 
 nary arid poor, and the butter riot excellent. No part of 
 England exceeds Norfolk, or even equals it, in the 
 culture of turnips, for which its loose, light, and san- 
 dy soil is thought to be very favourable. Much de* 
 pendence is here placed on the turnip crop, for sub- 
 sisting the sheep and cattle during the winter season; 
 and if it fail, or is materially injured by early frosts, 
 or other means, the complaints become loud, and the 
 consequences often prove* serious and distressing. 
 
 The turnip was only cultivated in gardens, as a cu- 
 linary plant in this country till the reign of George I. 
 when Lord Townshend, an ancestor of the present mar- 
 quis, who had attended the king to Hanover, as secretary
 
 HISTORY OE LYNN. 137 
 
 of state, observing the profit and utility of the field cul- 
 fivation of turnips in that electorate, on his return 
 brought with him the seed and recommended it to his 
 tenants who occupied land of a similar quality to that 
 of Hanover. The experiment succeeded adequate to 
 expectation: the practice gradually spread over the 
 county, and made its way into other parts of the king" 
 dom. This important root, the great source of abun* 
 dance to the county, has been gradually rising to its 
 present state, for upwards of seventy years A good 
 acre of turnips in Norfolk will produce between thirty 
 and forty cart-loads, as heavy as three horses can draw; 
 and an acre will fat a Scotch bullock from forty to fifty 
 stone, or eight sheep. But the advantage of this crop 
 does not end here, for it generally leaves the land sp 
 clean and in such fine condition, that it almost insures 
 a good crop of barley, and a kind plant of clover; and 
 the clover is a most excellent preparative for wheat, sp 
 that in the subsequent advantages the value of the tur- 
 nip can hardly be estimated. It has however been ob- 
 served, that the cultivation of this root has reached its 
 acme; and that at present, from some latent causes, it is 
 on the decline: for recently more seed is become neces- 
 sary, and the crop is said to be more precarious. Some 
 have attributed it to the want of deeper ploughing, and 
 instances have been adduced of the extraordinary depth 
 to which turnips, and even wheat will radicate. This 
 however has been thought insufficient to affix the cause 
 ef failure to shallow ploughing. 
 
 1 ee Beauties of Englan4, Yol. XI, and Kent's View of Agriculture 
 f ^orfolk, p. 40, 41.
 
 138 HISTORY OF LZNX. 
 
 Among our enlightened agriculturists the first place is 
 generally allotted to those of Norfolk; and it has been 
 observed, that the first thing that attracts the eye of a 
 stranger here, is the fine tilth of the soil, and the succes- 
 sion of crops. The mode of cultivating the arable lands 
 is worthy, no doubt, of imitation, wherever it can be adopt 
 ted. The plough, which is of an admirable construc- 
 tion, is drawn by two horses harnessed abreast, which 
 with a pair of reins are guided by the person who holds 
 the plough. Instead of working the am'mals seven or 
 eight hours without drawing bit, as is the custom in some 
 counties, they are here worked eight hours in winter, 
 and ten in Summer, by two journeys, as they are termed, 
 which enables them to do considerably more than ihey 
 would by one journey. The ploughings are repeated 
 till the land is high in tilth, when it is completely pul- 
 vaized with wheeled drags and harrows, which are vio- 
 lently drawn by the horses being kept upon a trotting 
 pace. Owing to this rapid movement, the clods are 
 very effectually broken, and the land well prepared to 
 receive the seed. After this is sown or planted, the ut- 
 most attention is paid to keep the land free from weeds. 
 The ridiculous custom of letting the laud lie idle one year 
 
 * *5 
 
 in every three, for the advantage of what is termed fal- 
 lowing, is here properly exploded. The necessity of 
 it has been superseded, and the reasons of it done away 
 by a judicious course of cropping; so that one crop may 
 fertilize as the other exhausts; and in this manner are 
 the lands cultivated like gardens, yielding various crops 
 in perpetual succession; to the mutual benefit of the 
 landlord and tenant; and of general utility to the public.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 139 
 
 The mode of cropping in general practice is what 
 is termed a sixcourse shift the first year wheat; second, 
 barley, with or without clover; third, turnips; fourth, 
 barley or oates, with or without clover; fifth, clover 
 mown for hay; sixth, grazed and ploughed up for wheat 
 again. Some vary this mode by a five or a four course 
 shift. Wheat is a general crop over the whole county, 
 but thrives best on the stiff loamy lands. The lighter 
 soils are favourable to barley, vast quantities of which 
 are raised, malted, and in that state sent out of the coun- 
 ty. Both wheat and barley are principally either dril- 
 led, for which several kinds of ingeniously-contrived 
 barrow-drills are used, or else planted with the hand by 
 women and children, called dibbling. The latter is 
 among the agricultural improvements that have origi- 
 nated in this county: it is very generally practised, and 
 its superiority, in several respects, or circumstances, 
 over the other methods has been generally admitted. 
 The quantities produced, according to the seed sown, 
 are very unequal in different parts of the county. Lands, 
 in the hundred of Flegg and Marshland, usually bear 
 six quarters of wheat per acre, and ten of oats; but 
 in the very light soils, the farmer is glad to obtain two 
 quarters of oats, and three of barley. The average 
 crops of the whole county may be stated at three quar- 
 ters of wheat, and four of barley, and other articles iii 
 proportion, per acre." * Oats are mostly sown only as 
 o shifting crop, and seldom more is raided than what are 
 consumed within the county. Other crops are rye, 
 
 * Kent's General View-rand Beauties of England, as before.
 
 140 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 buck wheat, peas, beans, vetches or tares, coleseed, 
 clovers, rye and other artificial grasses; burner^ cocks- 
 foot, chickary, cabbages, mangel wurzel, luzerne, par- 
 rots, and potatoes. The latter, though so valuable a 
 root, and in other parts used as a preparatory crop for 
 wheat, has not lately been adopted as a field course in 
 Norfolk * Flax and hemp, and even mustard and saf- 
 fron are grown in some parts about Marshland and the 
 Fens. Improved implements and machines, to faci- 
 litate the operations of husbandry, are here in the grea- 
 test variety and perfection. Threshing machines are 
 become general throughout the county, as are also drills 
 of all kinds; but a drill-roller has been supposed to be 
 peculiar to Norfolk. It is a large cast-iron cylinder, 
 with projecting rings round it, at about ten inches dis- 
 tance from each other. This being drawn over the 
 ploughed land makes indentations, and the seed sown 
 broad-cast chiefly falls into tjie drills, and is thus re- 
 gularly and better deposited than in the common mode 
 of sowing. Among wheel-carriages the non descript 
 one called a wizzard, or hermaphrodite, is curious anxl 
 remarkable; it is the common cart, to which in har- 
 vest, or in pressing circumstances, a couple of tempo- 
 rary forewheels are placed under the sjiafls, and two 
 oblique ladders to the frame, by which it is mad.e to 
 answer the purpojse of a waggon: in little farms, it is 
 an object pf no small utility, and in large ones a great 
 help in a busy season. | . 
 
 * Kent's General ViewBeauties of England, as before. 
 Ibid.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN." 141 
 
 The fat cattle of these parts, except those sold at 
 home to the butchers, are commonly sent up to London, 
 inid sold in Smithfield Market, by the authorized and 
 sworn salesmen of that place, who regularly remit the 
 money afterwards to the respective owners, to their en- 
 tire satisfaction; for no murmurs against these salesmen, 
 or reflections unfavourable to their integrity are ever 
 heard. One man, commonly called a drover, gene- 
 rally takes charge of the disposable cattle of a whole 
 district, and among them sometimes very fierce beasts, 
 that would prove unmanageable to most other people, 
 but which he contrives to drive along with tolerable 
 ease, assisted only by a trusty and well-trained dog, 
 nis sagacious and constant companion. 
 
 The country eastward of Lynn, towards Westacre 
 and Swaifham, soon becomes more and more elevated 
 and hilly: the soil also, in many places, is of a very 
 inferior sort and so light, loose, and sandy, as to be 
 easily, in its ploughed state, drifted by the wind; for 
 which the marly that abounds about those parts, is the 
 vory best manure, and almost the only effectual remedy/ 
 'and it is generally nigh at hand; often but a few feet 
 beneath the surface, and under the very soil that wants it. 
 It is usually laid on very thick, and seldom disappoints 
 the fanner's wish or expectation, unless the soil be 
 so incurably sterile as not <o admit the marl's incorpo- 
 rating with it. Wonderful effects have often been pro- 
 duced by this marling, upon lands that many would have 
 deemed of invincible sterilitv.
 
 142 
 
 Not far from the last mentioned town of Swaffhaniy 
 between Watton and Merton, is a place called Way" 
 land Woody which gives name to the Hundred in which 
 it lies. It is commonly called Wailing Wood, and tra- 
 dition has marked it out as the scene of the pitiable, mi- 
 serable, and horrid catastrophe recorded and comme- 
 morated in the old and well-known ballad of "The 
 Children in the Wood; or the Norfolk Gentleman's 
 last will and testament." The origin of the tradition, or 
 the time when that shocking event happened, cannot 
 now, it seems, be ascertained. Even Blomefield, with 
 all his antiquarian sagacity, and extensive means of in- 
 formation, was not able to find it out. It was probably 
 the occurrence of a very distant period : but that it real- 
 ly did happen, the ballad and the tradition may be con- 
 sidered as very sufficient proofs ; and the latter renders 
 it very probable, or rather more than probable, that 
 Way land, or Wailing Wood was the very theatre of 
 its perpetration. Of the untimely and tragical ends of 
 helpless and friendless orphans, by the procurement of 
 unprincipled, unfeeling, and cruel relations, who were 
 heirs to their possessions, the history of rude and barba- 
 rous ages furnish but too many and very shocking ex- 
 amples ; and it is devoutly to be wished that nothing 
 of the kind, or nothing equally inhuman and shocking, 
 could be said of the history of what are usually called 
 civilized and enlightened times. 
 
 At Saham Tony, not far from Watton and Wayland 
 Wood, lived in the last century a remarkable person of 
 the name of Shuck forth. He was a gentleman of good
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 145 
 
 property, and resided there on his own estate. On some 
 occasion, unknown to the present writer, he retired from 
 the world many years before he died, and gave himself 
 up to reading arid meditation, and to the practice of 
 piety and charity. His religion appeared to be of that 
 cast that is usually and assumingly denominated ortho- 
 dox and evangelical, with no slight tincture of credulity, 
 superstition, and fanaticism. These, however, as his life 
 was otherwise so inoffensive and fruitful of good works, 
 lost in him a great part of their deformity. His oddities 
 and eccentricities induced many of his neighbours, of 
 the higher orders, to impute to him a strong twist of 
 insanity; while a great part of their own conduct would 
 have gone, perhaps, quite as far in supporting a similar 
 imputation against themselves. A course of life so sin- 
 gular, unfashionable, and unadmired, as that which he 
 chose and pursued, might excite in many no small de- 
 gree of surprize and disgust, but it ought not to be taken 
 as a proof of mental derangement. It was probably the 
 result of the sober exercise of his private judgement^ 
 and of a full conviction that there was no other course 
 in which he could so well serve God and his fellow 
 creatures, or promote his own present and future happi- 
 ness. He was seldom seen for many of his latter years, 
 except by a few domestics, one of whom was a constant 
 attendant, and employed to read to him, after his own 
 eyesight had failed. He is also supposed to have been 
 the chief agent to distribute his charities, in the mean 
 time, among the neighbouring poor and indigent. Close 
 to his house he had a lime-kiln erected, from an idea
 
 144 HISTORY 0* LYN&. 
 
 that the smell, or effluvia of burning lime Conduced to 
 Leakh and longevity. Thus he passed his time, in inno- 
 cent and useful retirement, during a great part of a very 
 long life. May his opulent survivors imitate his benevo- 
 lence and charitable actions, whatever they may think of 
 his peculiarities. He died in 1781, in his 91st. year, 
 and was buried in one of his own fields, in a spot which 
 he had fixed upon, and enclosed for that purpose, near 
 twenty years before; and where he had erected a tomb, 
 or a kind of mausoleum, with a long inscription on 
 each of its four sides, or on four different stbnes; The 
 inscriptions, as to the style and substance of them, have 
 ho great merit. They possess no elegance; and may 
 be very truly said to be far more fanciful than judicious. 
 But of the writer's good intention^ no doubt ought to be 
 entertained. As he had in his lifetime distinguished 
 
 O 
 
 himself by numerdus acts of benevolence, so at his death, 
 and by his will, he left divers charitable donations to the 
 poor of Saham and the neighbouring parishes. Thus 
 did he, in life and in death, remember the poor, and 
 maintain the character of 'the poor man's friend. The 
 blessing of tile poor, and of those who were ready to pe- 
 tish he doubtless obtained, and even the blessing and ap- 
 probation of Him who is the common parent, benefac- 
 tor, and righteous judge of the rich as well as the poor, 
 the creator, sustainer, and ruler of the universe. 
 
 The parish churches on this side the Ouse, for the most 
 part, make but a mean appearance, compared with those 
 of Marshland and Holland. Here are, however, and 
 always have been other edifices greatly superior to any
 
 HISTORY OF LYNJf. 145 
 
 thing of the kind found in those districts : that js, the 
 sumptuous mansions and palaces, for which this county 
 Ji us been Jong remarkable, and not inferior, perhaps, to. 
 any part of the kingdom. Of these, the most distin- 
 guished, in former times, were, Rising Castle^ once a 
 royal palace, and the residence, for many years, of queen 
 Isabel, the relict of Edward II ; Gaywode Castle , the 
 principal mansion, tor some ages, of the bishops pf Nor- 
 wich, and one of the best houses, in the meantime, if 
 not the very best, in the whole county; Middleton Cas- 
 (le, the seat of Lord Scales; Wormegay Castle^ the seat 
 of lord Baidolf; Castleacre, the seat of Earl "Warren; 
 and Ilunstanton ////, the seat of the Lestranges. 
 
 Among the modern mansions, or palaces, in these parts x 
 the most distinguished is that of Lord Cholmondeley, at 
 Iloughton, built by the famous Sir Robert Walpole; 
 lhat of Thomas William Coke Esq. at Holkham; and 
 tliat of Lord Townshend, at Rainham. Besides these, 
 there are many others worthy of notice; such as that of 
 Mr. Henley, at Sandringham; that of Mr. Styleman, 
 at Snettisham; lhat of Mr, Rolfe, at Hitcham; that 
 of Mr. Coldham, at Anmer ; that of Sir Martin 
 Browne Fojkcs, at HUlinglon ; that of Mr. Hamond, 
 at Wfs(acre; that of Mr. Fountaine, at Narford,- 
 that of Mr. fyssen, at Narfrorough; that of Sir 
 Richard Bedingficld, a,t Oxbprough; that of Mr. Pratt., 
 at Rustton; that of Mr. Hare, at Stowc-, that of -Mr. 
 Bell, at Wallington; and that of Mr. Plestow, at Wai- 
 lington; to which several others might be added/ but 
 most, if not all of them, are of inferior consideration.
 
 146 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION II. A further Account of the Castles ^ 
 cdificea, and places of ancient note, in these parts 
 
 JBrancaster Rising Gen/wood Middleton Wor- 
 
 megay Castle-acre, &>c. 
 
 RISING, or, as it is commonly called, Casth' Rising^ 
 is generally considered as the most ancient of all place? 
 in this vipinity, except Brancaster, ^ with which it 
 might originally have some connection. It is suppo- 
 sed to have existed in the time of the Romans, as one of 
 their military posts, or inferior stations, which Spel- 
 man thought not improbable, from its situation, and. 
 the coins there discovered. But it seems by no means 
 clear, or certain, that it is a place of so much greater 
 antiquity than Lynn, as is generally supposed. .As a 
 borough, it may, and seems to be the mast ancient of 
 the two;, but that its origin, as a town, was much, if at 
 all, anterior to that of Lynn, is not so very probable 
 or indubitable as most people have imagined. That 
 it is a place of great antiquity, must however be al- 
 
 t Brancaster was one of those forts erected by the Romans along the 
 Icenian coast, to guard the country against the incursions of the piratical 
 Saxons, who used to infest this cast long before they obtained any 
 footing in the country, and while it formed a part of the Roman Em- 
 pire. From their frequent hostile visits, this coast was called the 
 Saxon there. The forts along the coast (the chief of which was Brancaster, 
 to which Rising might be a kind of appendage,) were garrisoned by 
 a strong body of cavalry, called the Dalmatian forse, whose superior, or 
 commander in chief, was denominated the Count of the Saxon shore; 
 and sometimes Branoaunensi:, from Branodunum, the Roman or Latin 
 name of Brancaster. Brancaster is now an obscure village, exhibiting 
 no vestige of its ancient dignity, except some entrenchments, or earth- 
 works, the remains of a Roman Camp, including, as Camden says, 
 some eight acres; which the neighbours call Caster All whose dimen- 
 sions, according to his annotator, agree with tbr- Roman models, in. 
 Cesar's Commentaries. See Gibson's Camden, 391, 398.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNK. 147 
 
 lowed, as well as that it was formerly of far greater ex- 
 tent, population, and consequence, than it is at pre- 
 sent, and than it has been for several ages; otherwise 
 it could, surely, never have acquired the rank of a cor- 
 porate town, with distinct municipal laws, chartered 
 rights, and the privilege of sending members to parlia- 
 menteven as many as the county itself: which must 
 always h-.ve been absurd enough, but especially at this 
 time, A\hen it is actually one of the most inconsiderable 
 villages within the whole county. It is said to have 
 been formerly a noted sea-port; but the silt and sand, 
 choking up its harbour, have long deprived it of that 
 advantage. To that cause the decay of the town is, 
 probably, to be ascribed. Spelfnan says, that Rising 
 is a burgh of such high antiquity, that the royal archives 
 and records give no account of it. But may it not be 
 questioned, if his premises will really warrant his con- 
 clusion? or, if the silence of the archives and records 
 amounts to a proof of its high antiquity, as a burgh? 
 Might not that silence be owing to some other cause? 
 and may it not be concluded, that the origin of some 
 burghs, of which those archives and records give an 
 account, is yet more ancient than that of Rising ? 
 
 In its better times, Rising had two weekly markets > 
 rnondays and thiirsdays; and also a fair, or free mart, 
 for fifteen days, from the feast of St. Matthew. But 
 they have been long discontinued, and it is doubtful, 
 if any one now can tell when that happened. Rising 
 has now neither market nor fair, except a paltry, ped- 
 dling merrimake, on or about Mayday; the miserable
 
 148 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 remnant, probably, of the fifteen days mart. Former- 
 ly the town was governed by a mayor, recorder, twelve 
 aldermen, a speaker of the commons, and fifty (some 
 say seventy) jburgesses. At present the Corporation 
 consists of two aldermen, who alternately serve the of- 
 fice of mayor, and return two members to parliament, 
 the mayor being the returning officer. The burgage 
 tenures are the property of Mr Howard, and Lord Chol 
 mondeley; and though five pr six names generally ap- 
 pear upon the poll, at an election for members of parlia- 
 ment, it is said to be very doubtful, whether there is a 
 single legal voter belonging to the burgh, except the 
 rector. * The arms are a Castle triple toiccred. We 
 are told that this burgh first sent numbers to parliament 
 in 1558. 
 
 The Church of Rising is an ancient pile, dedicated to 
 St Lawrence, and built in the conventual form, with 
 a tower between the body of it and the chancel, which 
 last is now in ruins; the walls only of part of it being 
 standing; also a south cross aisle, joining to the tower, 
 which is entirely in ruins. The west end is adorned 
 with antique carying, and small arches; the roof of the 
 church is flat, covered with lead. Near the east end 
 of the churchyard stands an hospital, built by Ilenry 
 I toward, earl of Northampton, in the reign of James I. 
 It is a square building ? containing twelve apartments for 
 twelve poor women t and one good room for the gover- 
 ness, with, a spacious hall and kitchen, and a decent 
 chapel. It is endowed with 100/ a year, out of lands 
 in Kising, Itoydon, S, and N. Wootton, and Gay- 
 
 * See Norfolk Tour, and Parkin,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 149 
 
 wood; also with 51. every fifth year, toward keeping 
 it in repair, from an hospital in Greenwich, founded al- 
 so by the said earl of Northampton^ and commonly call- 
 ed Norfolk College, for a Warden and twenty pen- 
 sionersj of whom twelve must be parishioners of Green 
 wich, and eight of Rising and Shotisham in Norfolk, 
 whose allowance is eight shillings a week for commons, 
 besides cloth es^ lodging, and salaries, which are varied 
 at the discretion of the managers. The whale income 
 of the said college, or hospital, amounts to about 11001 
 yearly. : The allowance at Rising hospital is eight 
 shillings a month for each pensioner, and twelve shil- 
 lings for the Governess, with some addition on certain 
 saints days, or festivals; also one chaldron of coals year- 
 ly for each, and two for the governess^ Each has also 
 a new gown every year^ with a livery-gown, and hat, 
 every seventh year. The pensioners must be all single 
 women, of an unblemished character, and free from 
 all suspicion of heresy, blasphemy, and atheism. A 
 further account of this institution may be seen in the 
 different histories of the county. 
 
 The Castle of Rising is of much more modern origin 
 than the town itself. It is supposed to have been built 
 about the middle of the 12th fcentury, by William de 
 Albini, first Earl of Sussex, and Son of another Wil- 
 liam de Albini, who' was butler to William Rufus, and 
 to whom that king had made a grant of Rising, upon 
 the defection or rebellion of his uncle Odo, bishop of 
 
 J Beauties of England. 7, 505.
 
 HISTORY Ot 1 LYNJT. 
 
 Bayeux and Earl of Kent, to whom his brother, the 
 conqueror, had granted it, upon the forfeiture and sei- 
 zure of the vast temporalities of Stigand archbishop of 
 Canterbury, in whose possession it was before the con* 
 :;uest. The Earl of Sussex is said to have been one of 
 the most celebrated warriors of the age in which lie lived, 
 and to have married Adtliza the dowager queen of Hen- 
 ry I. from which last circumstance the Castle of Rising 
 appears to have been from the very first a royal palace. 
 This Castle and lordship continued in the Afbini fami- 
 ly till the death of Earl Hugh, in 1243, when they went, 
 together with the fourth part of the Tollbooth of Lynn, 
 to Roger de Montalto, lord of Montalt, (in Flintshire) 
 by his marriage to Cecily, fourth daughter and cohei- 
 ress of William Earl of Sussex, and one of the Sisters 
 of Earl Hugh, who made it his chief seat, and place 
 of residence. It continued afterward, with all its ap- 
 purtenances, in the Montalto family, till the death of 
 Robert Lord Montalt, in 1329, when Emma his widow 
 surrendered and conveyed Ihem, with all her other pos- 
 sessions and castles, agreeable to a former deed, ex- 
 ecuted in the life time of her husband, to. the dowager 
 queen Isabel, the mother of Edward III. In 1330, 
 soon after the trial and execution of her great favourite 
 Mortimer, the Castle of Rising became the chief place 
 of that queen's residence, and continued to be so ever 
 after to the time of her death, in 1358, when it descen- 
 ded to her grandson, Edward the black prince; but it 
 does not appear that he ever resided there, though it 
 seems very probable that he had been there often in the 
 time of his grandmother. In the second year of the
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN.' 151 
 
 ireign of his son, Richard II. it was granted by that 
 king to John Montfort, surnamed the valiant, Eirlof 
 Richmond, and Duke of Britany (the husband of his 
 half sister Joan) in exchange for the town and castle of 
 Brest. On the defection of Montfort, about tuelve 
 years after, the king gave it to his uncle Thomas 
 of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester; who being mur- 
 dered at Calais, in 1398, Edmund of Langley, Duke of 
 York, another of the king's uncles, obtained a grant of 
 it, with the manors of Beeston, Mileham, &c. in Nor- 
 folk; and at his death, in 1403, it came to his eldest 
 son Edward, Duke of York; who being slain in the 
 memorable battle of Agincourt, it came to his brother 
 Richard Earl of Cambridge; and he being beheaded the 
 same year, it fell to the Crown, where it remained till 
 the 36th of Hen. VIII. when it was granted, with its 
 manor and appurtenances, together with the manors of 
 Thorpe, Gaywood, South Walsham, &c. &c. to 
 Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, and Henry his Son, 
 Earl of Arundel and Surry, in exchange for the manors 
 of Walton, Trimley, Falkenham, &c. &c. On the 
 attainder of the Duke of Norfolk, in 15th Elizabeth, it 
 came again to the crown, and was granted to Edward, 
 Earl of Oxford; but this grant being soon revoked, it 
 was then granted to Henry Howard, Earl of Northamp- 
 ton, brother to the said Duke; and it seems to have con* 
 tinued in the Howard family ever since, together with 
 its appurtenances, with the exception of a small farm, 
 which was purchased by Sir Robert Walpole, and is 
 now in the possession of his descendant, the present Lord
 
 152 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Cholmondeley, which secures him a moiety of the in* 
 fluence, or command of the borough, in the election of 
 members of Parliament. Among the titles of the Duke 
 of Norfolk is that of baron, or lord Howard, of Cas- 
 tle Rising* 
 
 The Castle, as Parkin observes, Stands upon a hill, 
 on the south side of the town, from whence is a fine 
 prospect over land and an arm of the sea. Great part 
 of the walls of the keep, or inward tower, are still stand- 
 ing, being a gothic pile, much resembling that of 
 Norwich, and little inferior; the walls are about three 
 yards thick, consisting chiefly of freestone, with [some] 
 iron, or car stone; encompassed with a great circular 
 ditch, and bank of earth, on which stood also a strong 
 stone wall,as appears by a presentment, in 3 1st Elizabeth, 
 "when the wall on the said bank was said to be in part, 
 and the rest in danger of being, overthrown, by the war- 
 rener's conies. This ditch, now dry, was formerly, pro- 
 bably, filled with water. There is lout one entrance 
 to it, [which is] on the casfside, over a strong stone' 
 bridge, about thirty paces long, and eiti lit or nine broad, 
 supported by a single arch, over which stood a gate- 
 house. The inward part of the castle, or keep, is all 
 in ruins, except the room, where the court leet of that 
 lordship is held." The apartments were doubtless 
 grand and sumptuous when queen Isabel resided here, 
 and when her sort the great king Edward III. and his 
 queen and court were among her guests. A house re- 
 sorted to by the very first personages in the kingdom, or 
 in Europe, and which could furnish suitable aCcomoda-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN, 
 
 lion and entertainment for them, may well be supposed 
 to have been both capacious and commodious, as well 
 as fitted up in a style of superior elegance and magnifi- 
 cence, Some of our historians say, that the king used 
 to visit his mother here, once or twice annually, for ma- 
 ny years. 
 
 In 1340, the king and queen were here for 'some time, 
 as appears from the account rolls of Adam de Reff ham, 
 and John de Newland, of Lynn, who sent his majesty, 
 in the mean while, a present of wine. In the summer 
 of that year workmen were employed at the Castle in 
 making preparations, and the queen sent her precept 
 to the Mayor of Lynn, for eight carpenters to assist on 
 the occasion. Afterward, in 1344, the King and his 
 court were here for sometime, as appears from certain 
 Xettcrs which he sent from hence to the bishop of Nor- 
 wich, then at Avignon, to be there delivered by him to 
 the Pope. On the 22nd August, 1358, queen Isabel 
 died at this Castle; and in November following her re- 
 mains were taken to London, and buried there in the 
 Church of the Grey Friars, now called Christ Church, 
 where also (it seems) her favourite Mortimer had been 
 buried. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that few of our historians 
 seem to know where this queen resided during the last 
 28 years of her life, or to have the least idea of this 
 Castle being ever the place of her residence. Rapin, 
 and Hume, and also the author, or authors of the Par- 
 liamentary history, call the place of her habitation or 
 
 u 2
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 confinement, "Rising Castle, near London" (they should 
 have said, near Lynn,) and Petit Andrews calls it "the 
 caslle of Risings, in Swrry/" whereas it is a most un- 
 questionable fact, that it was no other than this very, 
 castle of Rising in Norfolk) which was formerly, as we 
 .iiave see n, a place of no small note and consequence. 
 But its best days are past, and its glory is departed. 
 
 Of HTJNSTON, or Hunslanton Hall, not much is 
 known theft is worth recording. It was long the chief 
 seat and residence of the ancient family of the Lestranges; 
 of which the most notable person, perhaps, was the fa- 
 mous Sir Roger Lestrunge, who wrote and published 
 more books than most of his contemporaries; of some 
 of which he was himself the author, of others the trans- 
 lator only. He was also among our earliest editors of 
 Newspapers, and always a flaming church-and-king- 
 man. Queen Mary the second is said to haveanagrammed 
 his name into Strange tying Roger. Hunston House, 
 or Hall, is now uninhabited, and in ruins; and is the 
 property of Mr Styleman of Snettisham, a descendant 
 of the Lestranges by the female line. 
 
 CASTLEACRE was formerly the principal seat and 
 residence of the great Earls Warren, who lived herein 
 all the rude pomp and feudal splendor which distin- 
 guished the great Norman barons, whom the conquer- 
 or introduced into this country, ami who largely shared 
 in the fortunes of their successful leader. The llth 
 12th and 13th centuries were the times when the Earls 
 Warren flourished most. King Edward I. was en- 
 tertained at this Castle in 1297, by the then Earl War-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 155 
 
 ren, who was one of the most powerful among'the Eng- 
 lish nobility of that time. The first English peer of 
 that name was nearly allied to the conqueror, and ac- 
 companied him hither. He died in 1089. He that 
 was the founder of Castleacre is said to have owned no 
 less than one hundred and forty lordships, or manors,. 
 in Norfolk alone; and yet, among them all, no spot 
 pleased him so well as Castleacre; and therefore he de- 
 termined to fix there his chief residence, and to erect 
 an edifice suitable to his high rank and vast possessions, 
 This Castle, or Palace, stood on a rising ground, in* 
 eluding, with all its outworks and fortifications, about 
 eighteen acres of ground, in a circular form. Through 
 this there is now a way, or street, called Baily Street, run- 
 ning directly north and south. At the entrance of this 
 street, on the north, stands a stone gate-house, wi h two 
 round bastions. The gate-house had an inward and 
 outward door, with a portcullis in the middle. A si- 
 milar gate-house is supposed to have stood at the oppo- 
 site, or south entrance. On the east side of the north gate 
 was a chapel for the Castle, the walls of which are still 
 standing; and on (he east side of the said street, near the 
 middle, was another stone gate-house, leading into the 
 outward court of the great Castle, which was circular, 
 enclosed with a strong and lofty wall, of freestone and 
 flint, &c. embattled, seven feet thick. Further in is 
 'a deep ditch, and a lofty embattled wall round it. 
 Within this is the keep; and across the ditch are three 
 lofty walls at proper distances, which join the Castle 
 wall, as buttresses &c. The other part of the fortifica- 
 tions, on the west side of Baily Street, is called the Bar-
 
 156 HJSTORY OF LYJfX. 
 
 bican, and contains above ten acres of land, and was 
 enclosed with deep ditches, entrenchments, and high 
 f ramparts. Several coins of Vespasian, Constantine &c. 
 have been found here, and the spot is supposed to have 
 been originally a Roman station. From the North 
 part of it there is said to run a way, by Castleacre Wic- 
 ken, and from thence across the country, leaving 
 Massingham and Houghton on the right, and Anmer 
 on the left; then tending in a direct course, leaving 
 , *Frlog a' little on the right, for Ringstead and Brancas- 
 ier, which latter is known to have been a considerable 
 Roman station. This way is said to be commonly call- 
 ed the Pedder's Way, and probably went much fur- 
 ther Chan Castleacre, even as far, at least, as Castor 
 by Norwich, the" Venta Icenorum of antiquity. From 
 the beauty of the situation of Castleacre, and the no- 
 jble ruins at present remaining, of which the semicircu- 
 lar wall of the Castle is a very grand and striking part, 
 * the late Earl of Leicester, at one time, as it is said, en- 
 tertained an idea of building .tticrc: a situation which 
 has been judged every way superior to that of Holkham, 
 which he afterward fixed upon. His Lordship has 
 been by some much blamed on this occasion; justly or 
 not, cannot be made here a subject of inquiry. A little 
 to the west of the Castle stood the ancient Priory of 
 Castleacre; which was a building of great note for ma- 
 ny ages. The priory church was a large venerable go- 
 thic pile, built in a cathedral or conventual form: the 
 principal entrance was through a great arch, over which 
 was a stately window; on each side of the great door 
 *vere other doors to enter into the north and south aisles
 
 HISTORY OF LYNfc. 157 
 
 under the tower, as the grand door served as an en- 
 trance into the nave or body; at the north and south 
 end of this front or west end, stood two towers, support- 
 ed by strong arches, or pillars; the nave, or body, had 
 twelve great pillars, making seven arches on each side, 
 the lowest joining to the towers; on the east end of thr 
 nave stood the grand tower supported by four great 
 pillars, through which was the entrance into the choir: 
 on the south and north side of this tower were two cross 
 aisles or transepts, and at the end of the north .transept 
 there seems to have been a chapel, or vestiary. * -The 
 choir was of an equal breadth with the nave and aisles, 
 but much shorter, and at the east end of it was in form 
 of a chapel, and here stood the high altar. The clois- 
 ter was on the south side, and had an entrance at the 
 west end, and another at the east end of the south aisle, 
 The chapter house joined to the east side, and the dor- 
 mitory was over the west part of the cloister, and ad- 
 joining, was the prior's apartment. 
 
 Castleacre was purchased, of his relations the Cecils, 
 by lord chief justice Coke, and is now the property of 
 his descendant, Thomas Win. Coke Esq. of Holkham. 
 
 Of WlRMEGAY, Or WoRMEGAY CASTLE but little 
 
 .seems to be known at present, save that it was long <Iie 
 seat or residence of the Lords Bardolf, who had great 
 possessions, aud bore no small sway for a long time in. 
 these parts, This Castle of theirs appears to have been 
 a place of considerable strength and consequence. King 1 
 fuhvard II. in his 18th year, is said to have sent his 
 precept to Lord Bardolf, to have great care and guard
 
 158 BISTORT OF LYXST. 
 
 of it, on account of the supposed approach of his queen 
 and his enemy Mortimer; as he also did to Lord Mon* 
 ialt in regard to his Castle of Rising: which seems to 
 imply, that they were two of the most important places 
 then in 1 these parts. 
 
 MIDDLETON CASTLE * was long the chief seat of the 
 Lords Scales, descended from Hardewin, or Harlewiri 
 
 , de Scalariis, lord of W addon in Cambridgeshire, pro* 
 foably one of the conqueror's favorite captains. The 
 
 first fooling which that family had at Middleton is sup- 
 posed to have been in the reign of Henry II. by the 
 marriage of Roger de Scales, with Muriel, daughter 
 and coheiress of Jeffrey de Lisewis. The family af*- 
 terward resided hereij and had great possessions and 
 power in these parts, for many generations. At what 
 time the Castle was built is not known; but it wa?, pro- 
 bably, in the time of the said Roger, or at an early 
 part of the residence of that family in this neighbour- 
 hood. It continued in the Scales family till the reign 
 of Edward IV. when it passed into that of the "Wode- 
 viles, by the marriage of the memorable Anthony Wode- 
 vile Earl Rivers, and Elizabeth the heiress of Thomas 
 the last Lord Scales. After the fall of the Wodeviles, 
 it is said to have been granted, by Richard III. to the 
 Duke of Norfolk. At the accession of Henry TIL be- 
 ing forfeited with the Duke's other possessions, it went 
 to the heiress of the Scales, in the person of the coun- 
 tess of Oxford. Afterward it passed by marriage to 
 the Lord Latimer, and thence, from, time to time, into 
 
 * Otherwise Tilheringttn Hatt,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 159 
 
 other hands; such as Sir Edward Williams, Sir Roger 
 Moslyn, &c. Of this ancient Castle nothing now re- 
 mains but the gate-house, or tower, whi.'h is sti,ll pret- 
 ty entire, and seems to have been the entrance into a 
 court, or quadrangle, which was moated in. This 
 tower is built of brick, about seventeen yards long, 
 nine broad, and eighteen high, with turrets, &c. Over 
 the arch is the shield of Scales; the inside of it is much 
 decayed; the area, or court within is about eighty four 
 paces long, and forty six broad. The situation. iSlpw 
 and swampy, and what would not now be deemed*very 
 eligible for the habitation or residence of a noble or gen- 
 teel family. The power and possessions of the Scales 
 were formerly very great in these parts. 
 
 GAYWOOD CASTLE stood where the farm house, call- 
 ed Gaywood Hall, now stands, as appears from the moat 
 which surrounds it, and which must once have encir- 
 cled a fortified edifice. That edifice could be sio other . 
 than the castle or palace of Gaywood, which was long 
 the favourite, or principal mansion and residence of the 
 bishops of Norwich, who were from an early period 
 the temporal as well as spiritual lords of Lynn; on 
 which account the town was then called Bishop's Lynn, 
 or Lynn Bishop. So high and mighty was the bishop's 
 lordly sway then at Lynn, that the very Mayor was 
 nominated and appointed by him, and was called the. 
 bishop's man, being in fact only his bailiff, or deputy. 
 Afterward, the Mayor's power becoming more exten- 
 sive and independent, would sometimes occasion no 
 
 w
 
 260 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 small disagreement and strife between him and his pre- 
 latical master: a very notable instance of which occur- 
 red in the reign of Richard II. and the time of the fa- 
 mous bishop Spencer, of persecuting, righting, and cru- 
 sading memory. This prelate, being one day in the 
 town, with his retinue, quarrelled with the Mayor (who 
 was supported by the townsmen) on a point of frivolous 
 etiquette. From words, the parties came to blows; 
 and a very serious battle ensued, which terminated in 
 the total defeat of the haughty prelate and his company, 
 who were all driven out of town, many of them much 
 bruised and wounded. This bishop Spencer was some- 
 time after appointed generalissimo of Pope Urban'* 
 forces, in the war he then waged against the antipope 
 Clement of Avignon; as is related by Fox. It was he 
 also who afterward prosecuted for heresy William <Saw- 
 tre, then minister of St Margaret's, and the first who suf- 
 fered under the Act De hceretico comburendo. Of these 
 matters a more particular account shall be given in re- 
 lating the history of the town, at that period. 
 
 The bishops having so much to do at Lynn, and de- 
 riving from it so much of their consequence, it was 
 natural for them to choose to reside in its vicinity: hence 
 the origin of the castle, or palace of Gaywood. At what 
 time it was first built cannot now perhaps be ascertained. 
 We are told that bishop John de Grey (about 1200, 
 or soon after) erected, or rebuilt, a sumptuous palace 
 here, for himself and successors, where he much re- 
 sided. Succeeding bishops continued to reside here, 
 and to pay attention to the improvement of the grounds,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 161 
 
 as well as of the palace. A deer park, and a warren, 
 appear to have been made here by bishop William de 
 Raleigh, about 1240; who also granted liberty of com- 
 mon pasture to the Earl of Arundel and Sussex, and his 
 men, from the park of Bawsey to the bridge of Gay- 
 wood, and the cawsey between the river of Bawsey and 
 the wood of the said Earl. In 1388, bishop Spencer, 
 abovementioned, had licence to embattle his palace 
 of Gay wood. This seems to have been after his return 
 from the crusade, or war, in which he had been engaged 
 for Pope Urban, against his competitor Pope Clement, 
 as he had been appointed commander in chief five 
 years before. From the high spirit and wealth of this 
 proud prelate, it may be presumed that Gaywood Cas- 
 tle made a very splendid and princely appearance in his 
 time; and it is likely that the same might be the case 
 long after, even till the reign of Henry VIII. when it 
 was surrendered, together with the bishop's rights and 
 immunities at Lynn, into the Kings hands. It wa 
 soon after, with its appurtenances, granted to the Duke 
 of Norfolk, and then probably pulled down. Its site, 
 and the adjoining estate passed afterward to the Thores- 
 bys of Havelesshall, in Mintling; and from them to the 
 Wyches, of Hockwold; and latterly to Philip Case 
 Esq. and now are the property of William Bagge 
 Esq. of Lynn. Of the castle, or palace of Gaywood, 
 no more needs now be said, but that it is fallen, never 
 more, in aU probability, to rise, or recover the least por- 
 tion of its ancient splendor and consequence, 

 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 Besides the castles, or palaces above mentioned, there 
 were formerly in this country many religious houses, 
 of different orders, and some of them of considerable 
 notej among which were Blackburgli priory, in Mid- 
 dleton; Castleacre priory; Westacre priory; Crab- 
 house nunnery, by Maudlin; West Dcreham Abbey; 
 Fliicham priory; -Massingham priory, and Pentney 
 priory. Of these some were extensive and noble edi- 
 fices, and had large possessions attached to them; bu 
 scarce any remains of most of them are now to be seen, 
 and their very memory seems to be approaching fast 
 towards oblivion. Such is the fate of the firmest fa- 
 brics: like those who constructed them, they yvere com- 
 posed of perishing materials. 
 
 SECTION III. Further Account of the modern pa- 
 iaces, and other notable mansions in this counlry. 
 Houghton HolkhamRainham Narford Narbo- 
 rottg/i Ojcborough . 
 
 Of all the fine houses that now exist in this vicinity, 
 #nd even throughout all the eastern parts of England, 
 tlie precedence, in point of size and magnificence at 
 lea.>', is allowed to be due to 
 
 HOUGIITON HALL, now the princely seat of the 
 EarlpfCholmondeley, but formerly of the Earls ofOr- 
 ford, of the Walpole family, from which the present 
 possessor is maternally descended. This Splendid
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 163 
 
 Mansion was built by the memorable Sir Robert Wal- 
 polej while he was prime minister, and between the 
 years 1722 and 1735. The whole extent of the buil- 
 ding, including the Colonadc and wings, which con- 
 tain the offices, is four hundred and fifty feet: the main 
 body of the house extends one hundred and sixty ;; : x 
 feet. The whole building is of stone, and crowned 
 with an entablature of the Ionic order, on which is a 
 balustrade, At each corner is a Cupola, surmounted 
 with a lanthorn. For a description of the inside of the 
 house, the reader is refered to the Norfolk Tour and 
 other printed accounts. It has been long distinguished 
 for its noble Collection of pictures, by the best masters; 
 but it is no longer there; it was sold in 1779 to the late 
 Empress of Russia, for 45,500/. Its removal out of 
 4he kingdom has been, much regretted, as a very hu- 
 miliating circumstance, and a national disgrace; and 
 it has been thought that the legislature ought to have 
 purchased it, rather than suffer it to be taken out of the 
 kingdom. But it is unavailing now to lament: that 
 celebrated collection is irrecoverably lost to Britain. 
 Sometime before the removal of those pictures Lord 
 Orford gave Mr Boydell permission to take drawings 
 of them, which he proposed having engraved by the 
 first artists, and published in fourteen numbers, at two 
 guineas each, which has been since done. 
 
 The duke of Lorrain, afterward Emperdr of Germany, 
 and husband to Maria Theresa, was once entertained 
 by Sir Robert Walpole, at Houghton, with more than 
 British magnificence, Relays of horses were, in the
 
 164 HISTORY OF I>YNN, 
 
 mean-time, provided on the roads, to bring rarities 
 thither from the remotest parts of the kingdom, with 
 all possible speed: and this extraordinary expedient, 
 it seems, was continued all the while that august guest 
 staid at lloughton. Sir Robert's expences, in buildings 
 and entertainments, must have been so very great, that 
 one is apt to wonder how he could manage to bear them; 
 but he was a prime minister, and prime ministers are 
 supposed capable of doing great things in the pecu- 
 niary way, without embarrassing themselves. One of 
 Sir Robert's successors, however, a late prime minis- 
 ter, seems to have been an exception to that idea: with 
 ample means, and without any great apparent outgoings, 
 (except what his private revels, or midnight orgies, might 
 cost him) he could by no means manage to live, or keep 
 out of debt, and actually died insolvent ! Circumstan- 
 ces so dissimilar in the history of two men who stood 1 
 in the same situation, must needs be deemed somewhat 
 odd and remarkable. 
 
 The woods, or plantations, about Houghton are ex^ 
 tensive, and thought very fine, " In the road from 
 Syderstone (says the Author of the Norfolk Tour) they 
 appear we think to the greatest advantage; they are 
 seen to a great extent, with openings left judiciously in 
 many places, to let in the view of more distant woods; 
 which changes the shade, and gives them that solemn 
 brownness which has always a great effect^ The flat- 
 ness of the country, however, is a circumstance which, 
 instead of setting them oft', and making them appear 
 larger than they really are, gives them a diminutive air.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNK. 165 
 
 in comparison to the number of acres really planted. 
 For were these vast plantations disposed upon ground 
 with great inequalities of surface, such as hills rising 
 one above another, or vast slopes stretching away to 
 the right and left, they would appear to be almost 
 boundless, and shew twenty times the extent they do 
 at present. The woods which are seen from the south 
 front of the house, are planted with great judgment, 
 to remedy the effect of the country's flatness; for they 
 are so disposed as to appear one beyond another, in 
 different shades, and to a great extent." Next to 
 Houghton (if that expression may be allowed) the 
 very best house in all this part of the kingdom is 
 
 HOLKHAM HOUSE, the splendid Seat and residence of 
 Thomas William Coke, Esq. the far-famed patron 
 of the Norfolk agriculturists, and one of the represen- 
 tatives of the county in this and several of the preced- 
 ing parliaments, Mr Coke is also a descendant of the 
 famous Lord chief justice of that name, who was him- 
 self a Norfolk man. Holkham is not of so Ions: sfan- 
 
 o 
 
 ding as Houghton: it was begun in 1734 by the Earl 
 of Leicester and completed by his dowager countess 
 in 1760. "The central part of this spacious mansion, 
 built of white brick, is accompanied by four wings, 
 or pavilions, which are connected wilh it by recti- 
 linear corridors, or galleries: each of the two fronts 
 therefore display a centre and two wings. The south 
 front presents an air of lightness and elegance, arising 
 from the justness of its proportions. In the centre is a 
 bold portico, with its entablature supported by six co-
 
 166 HISTORY OF LYNN'. 
 
 rinthian columns The north front is the grand or prin- 
 cipal entrance, and exhibits different, though hand- 
 some features. The wings which partake of similar 
 characteristics, have been thought to diminish from the 
 general magiiifience of the building, by the want of uni- 
 formity oi style with the south front, and being too much 
 detached to bs consistent with unity. The centre, 
 which extends 345 feet in length, by 180 in depth, 
 comprises the principal apartments: each wing has itsr 
 respective destination. One contains the kitchens, ser- 
 vants'-hall, and some sleeping rooms. In the chapel 
 wing is the dairy, laundry, with more sleeping rooms. 
 Another contains the suit of family apartments ; and 
 the fourth, called the strangers' wing, is appropriated to- 
 visitors. 
 
 This grand residence is rendered superior to most 
 other great houses in the kingdom, by its convenience 
 and appropriate arrangement. The entrance half, which 
 forms a cube, has a gallery round it, supported by 
 twenty four Tonic columns. Next is the saloon, on 
 each side of which is a drawing room; and connected 
 to this is the state dressing-room and bed chamber. An- 
 other drawing room communicates with the statue 
 gallery , which connects a number of apartments in 
 a most admirable manner; for one octagon opens in- 
 to the private wing, and the other into the strangers', 
 on one side, and into the dining-room on the other. 
 This dining-room is on one side of the hall; and on 
 the other is Mrs. Coke's bed-room, dressing-room, and 
 closets. From the recess, in the dining-room, of ens a
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 door on the stair case, which immediately leads to the 
 ollices; and in the centre of the wings, by the saloon 
 door, are invisible stair-cases, which lead to all the 
 rooms and respective offices. Thus here are four ge- 
 neral suits of apartments, all perfectly distinct from each 
 other, with no reciprocal thoroughfares; the state, Mrs 
 Coke's, the late earl's, and the strangers*. These seve- 
 rally open into what may be called common rooms, the 
 statue gallery, and saloon, all which communicate with 
 the dining room. There may be houses larger and more 
 magnificent, and in some more uniformity and justness 
 of proportion may be visible; but human genius could 
 not contrive any thing in which convenience could be 
 more apparent than in this. The fitting up of the in- 
 terior is in the most splendid style, and, in numerous 
 instances with the most elegant taste, The ceilings of 
 many of the rooms are of curious gilt, fret, and mosaic 
 work; the Venetian windows are ornamented with hand 
 some pillars, and also profusely gilded. The marble 
 chimney pieces are all handsome; but three are pecu- 
 liarly deserving attention, for their exquisite sculpture. 
 Two are in the dining-room, one ornamented with a 
 sow and pigs, and a wolfj the other has a bear and bee 
 hives, finely sculptured in white marble* A third, repre- 
 senting two pelicans, is exceedingly chaste and beau- 
 tiful. The marble side-boards, agate-tables, rich 
 tapestry, silk furniture, beds &c. are all in the same 
 /sumptuous style of elegance. " 
 
 "The Statue Gattcty consists of a central part and 
 two octagonal ends, The first is seventy feet long, by 
 
 x
 
 168 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 twenty (wo feet wide, and each octagon, of twenty 
 two feet in diameter, opens to the centre, by an hand* 
 some arch* One end is furnished with books, and the 
 other with si \tues, &c. Among the latter, the figure 
 of Diana is extremely fine. A Venus, clothed with 
 wet drapery, is considered exquisite. The Saloon is 
 forty feet long, twenty eight wide, and thirty two in 
 height. This room, appropriated for paintings, con- 
 tains many by the most eminent masters; but they are 
 not exclusively preserved in this; a vast collection be- 
 ing distributed over most of the apartments throughout 
 the house. In a brief statement it will be impossible to 
 give a just and adequate delineation of the pleasure 
 grounds and park, with the various objects which en- 
 viron and decorate this museum of taste and seat of 
 hospitality." * Nor would such a delineation be very 
 necessary for this work, as but few of its readers can 
 be supposed altogether unacquainted with the pre- 
 mises, After Holkham, the next place is due to 
 
 RAINHAM HALL, the venerable seat and residence 
 of the late marquis To~snshend. This house is of a 
 much longer standing than either of the former; being 
 built, as we are told, about 1650, by Sir Roger Town- 
 shend, bart. under the direction of that excellent and 
 celebrated architect Inigo Jones. Its situation has been 
 supposed the most delightful in the county. The house 
 itself, though it has been greatly improved by the late 
 marquis, is said to be in the style of an exceeding good 
 habitable mansion rather than a magnificent one. The 
 
 * See Beauties of England, volume XI.
 
 169 
 
 country around is rich, and charmingly cultivated. 
 The park and woods are beautiful, and the lake below 
 peculiarly striking. Extensive lawns, and opening 
 views into the country, enrich the enliven:' i ^ scene, and 
 display the beauties and bounties of nature in their most 
 enchanting and luxuriant pride, J Since the death of the 
 late marquis this house has ceased to be the residence 
 
 of the family. To the preceding Mansions may bp 
 
 added 
 
 OXBOROUGH, or OXBURGH-HALL, the seat of the 
 JBedingJietdS) \vhich is said to present features of a strik* 
 ing kind, and to be a peculiar and interesting remnant 
 of ancient domestic architecture. It was erected as long 
 ago as the la(ter end of the fifteenth century, by Sir Ed~ 
 mund Bedingfield) who obtained a grant, or patent of 
 Edward IV. in 1482, to build the manor house with 
 towers, battlements, 8fC. It js built of brick, and wag 
 originally of a square form, environing a court, or 
 quadrangle, one hundred and eighteen feet long, and 
 ninety two broad; round which the apartments were 
 ranged. The whole building resembles Queen's Col 
 lege, in Cambridge; a structure of about the same pe- 
 riod. The entrance is over a bridge, formerly a draw- 
 bridge, through an arched gate way, between two 
 majestic towers, which are eighty feet high. In the 
 western tower is a winding brick staircase beautifully 
 turned, and lighted by quatrefoil ilet-holes. The other 
 tower is divided into four stories; each consisting of 
 an octagonal room, with arched ceilings, stone window 
 
 x 2 
 
 | Norfolk Tour.
 
 170 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 frames, and stone fire places. Between the turrets 
 is an arched entrance gateway, the roof of which is 
 supported by numerous groins; and over this is a large 
 handsome loom, having one window to the north and 
 two bow windows to the south. These windows, and 
 the whole exterior of this part of the building appear 
 to be in their original state. The floor of the great 
 room is paved with small fine bricks, and the walls 
 covered with very curious tapestry. This appears to 
 be of the age of Henry VII. and is mentioned in several 
 wills of the family. The apartment is called "the King's 
 room," and is supposed to have been appropriated to 
 the monarch just mentioned, when he visited Oxburgh. 
 In the eastern turret is a curious small closet, called a 
 hiding place, which appears to have been an original 
 part of the structure: it is a cavity, or hollow in the 
 solid wall, measuring six feet by five feet, and seven 
 feet high, and is approached by a sepret passage through, 
 the floor. A similar hiding place is said to have been 
 destroyed in that part of the building which has been 
 taken down. The great hall, which had an oaken 
 roof, in the style of the justly admired one at Westmin- 
 ster Hall; and other rooms, which formed the south 
 side of the court, were taken down in 1778, and the 
 distribution of almost every apartment has been succes- 
 sively changed. The offices are now on the east side, 
 and the dining parlour, drawing room, and library, on 
 the west. The whole is surrounded by a moat, about 
 fifty two feet broad, and ten feet deep, which is sup- 
 plied with water from an adjacent rivulet. In the dif- 
 ferent apartments, which are both spacious and elegant 3
 
 HISTOIIV OF LYNN. 171 
 
 are preserved a few good pictures, by eminent painters, 
 and a collection of ancient armoury. * This venerable 
 seat is the property of Sir R ichard Bedingfield, but at 
 present the residence of Lord Mountjoy. 
 
 Of the other modern mansions in these parts, mentio- 
 ned at the close of the first section of this chapter, it 
 seems needless here to give any further account, except 
 those ot'NarfordandNarborough. These, it must be al- 
 lowed , deserve a more particular attention ; not on account 
 of th e structures themsel ves ? but of the curious and valuable 
 articles they contain or lately did contain/ for what did 
 once so much distinguish NAIIBOROUGH HALL, is no 
 longer there. It was a noble collection of ccins and we- 
 gals, ancient and modern; and the most valuable private 
 collection, perhaps, in Britain, if not in Europe. Its 
 possessor, the late Mr. Tyssen, assured this writer, that 
 it had cost him, from first lo last, above 20,0007. though 
 he had been fortunate enough to purchase many of the 
 most valuable articles much under the prices they usually 
 fetch. In this collection were coins of the Grecian states 
 and cities; a regular series of those of Philip and Alex- 
 ander, of Alexander's successors, of the Ptolemies, and 
 the Caesars all in gold, in the highest state of preser- 
 vation, and of most exquisite workmanship, (all but 
 those of the former part of Philip's reign, before he had 
 become master of Greece, and could command the ser- 
 vice of its artists,) and far exceeding the best of modern 
 productions, except, perhaps, those of Thomas Simon, 
 and Dossier, which cqme the nighest to the ancients, 
 other curiosities were to be found at Narborough, 
 * Beauties of -England as before.
 
 172 HISTORY OF LYNN, 
 
 and not the least among them was a MS. copy of the 
 Eikon Bazilike) one of the most perfect specimens of 
 fine penmanship extant, perhaps, on so large a scale. 
 The pages, the lines, and the letters, were uniform, and 
 exquisitely neat throughout. It was a quarto volume, 
 and said to be written, or transcribed by I, THOMASEN, 
 schoolmaster, at Tarvin, in the county palatine of Ches-f 
 ter. lie was said to have written three different copies., 
 all in nearly equal perfection: of the other two, one is 
 deposited in the King's library, and the other in the 
 British Museum; but this was said to be the best of 
 the three. To the best of this writer's recollection, 
 Mr. Tyssen said, that it cost him a hundred guineas, 
 nor did lie seem to repent, of his bargain. The price 
 it fetched at the sale, however, fell greatly short of 
 tfyat sum. An ancient shield, denoting and commemo- 
 rating the taking of Carthage, was another ot the late 
 curiosities of Narborough: it represented one of the 
 fair damsels of that devoted city, bearing the keys, and 
 delivering them to Scipio, followed by a long train of 
 the principal inhabitants, whose dejected and woeful 
 looks, bespoke the grief and anguish that had then 
 overwhelmed the Carthaginian nation. Close to Nar- 
 bqrough Hall is an old fortification, the remains of an 
 ancient encampment, called the burgh; from whence 
 to Oxburgh and Enstmore-fen, extends a large foss and 
 rampart, whose original designation seems not very 
 easy to discpver. In making a garden near the burgh, 
 in 1GOO, several human bones and pieces of armour 
 were found. This place is said to be peculiarly inte- 
 resting to the antiquary; and it is supposed that a small
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN* 175 
 
 X 
 
 ft oman station was once established here < John Brame, 
 a monkish writer^ in a manuscript history, quoted by 
 ipelman in his Icenia, says, that Narborongh was a 
 British city, governed by an earl Okenard, about the 
 year 500, when it stood a seven months siege against 
 a king Waldy. but little reliance, however, can be 
 placed on such authority. In the adjoining parish of 
 Narfordj numerous Roman bricks and other relics, are 
 said to have been found: also a large brass vase, or urn, 
 was dug up in the court yard of the manor house, 
 
 NARFordHALL, the seat of Andrew Fountaine Esq< 
 It was erected in the reign of George 1. by the late 
 Sir Andrew Fountaine, Knt. of whom some account 
 will be given in the next section. He was a great col* 
 lector of rarities, and made his house the repository of 
 works of art and learning. At present it is said to dis- 
 play a choice collection of pictures, ancient painted 
 earthenware, some bronzes, coins, and a fine library 
 of books, supposed to be the best in the whole county. 
 The room, in which these books are deposited, is forty 
 feet by twenty one; and contains, beside the books, se- 
 veral Roman and Egyptian Vases, and portraits of e- 
 minent men. This library seems not to have been col- 
 lected for mere ostentation. The original collector is 
 said to have been a man of letters, as well as a connoi- 
 seur and virtuoso, and one, at least, of his successors 
 has been reputed a literary character, and a proficient 
 in some brandies, especially Spanish literature; in 
 which language the said library contains many rare 
 and valuable articles, one of which he sometime ago
 
 174 HISTORY OF 
 
 translated into english, and it has since made its ap^ 
 pcarance from the Swaffharn Press. 
 
 Several springs of mineral water, of the chalybeatt 
 kind, arc to be found in the neighbourhood of Lynn, 
 on this eastern side; of which one is at Riffley, and 
 another on Gay wood common, botli within two miles 
 of the town. There is also another beyond Setchey, on 
 ihc Downham road. There are others in East Winch 
 parish, one of which is much more strongly impregna- 
 ted than any of the rest, and might, perhaps, be ranked, 
 in point of medicinal virtue, w ilh some of those springs 
 that have acquired so much celebrity as to become 
 places of considerable resort. This Spring is said to be 
 strongly impregnated with what chy mists and minera- 
 logists call sulphate of iron. 
 
 SECTION IV. Biographical Sketches of some of the 
 
 most celebrated, or memorable persons who icere na- 
 tives of this part of the country. 
 
 Of all the eminent men who sprung up in this part 
 of Norfolk, the precedence seems unquestionably due 
 to 
 
 Sir EDWARD COKE, the famous Lord chief Jus- 
 tice. He was the Son of Robert Coke, Esq. of Mile* 
 ham, where he was born in 1550, or as some say in 
 1549. At ten years of age he was sent to the free
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 175 
 
 S ' 
 
 school, at Norwich; and after having spent there a com- 
 petent time, he was removed to Trinity College in Cam- 
 bridge, where he continued about four years, and then 
 went to Clifford's Inn, and the next year was entered a 
 student of the Inner Temple. He was called to the bar 
 at six years standing, which in that age was held very 
 extraordinary. Lloyd telis us that " the first occasion 
 of his rise was his stating the Cook's case f the Temple j 
 that all the house, who were puzzled with i^ admired 
 him; and his pleading it so, that the whole Lench tot x. 
 notice of him. " His reputation increased very fai,t,.and 
 he soon came into great practice. When he had *ee> 
 at the bar about seven years, he married a lady qf one 
 of the best families in his native county, and with a v . 
 large fortune for that age. He now rose rumdly: the 
 cities of Coventry abd Norwich cho*e him their Recor- 
 der; and he was engaged iu all the great cau^s in 
 Westminster Hall. He was also in high credit, 
 Lord Burleigh and the other rulersj and often co.uuh- 
 ed in state affairs. He became moreover, one of the 
 representatives of his native county in parliament, 
 Speaker of the House of Commons, and sucee^v. '/ 
 Solicitor-general, Attorney-general, Lord Chief Justice 
 of the Common Pleas, and finally, Lord Chief J usti ;e 
 of England, or rather of the A7fcg-'$ Bench^ as king 
 James would have it called. Sir Edward was a !uy;u 
 spirited man., and oa many occasions discovered muc'i 
 firmness and integrity, even \vhenthe other judges gave 
 way, and the mandates of the Sovereign requited u dif- 
 ferent conduct. This kind of behaviour, iu time, ren- 
 
 Y
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 X 
 
 dered him obnoxious to the Court, and brought upon 
 him its heavy displeasure, which issued in his expul- 
 sion from the Council Table, and his removal from the 
 office of Lord Chief Justice; the king declaring, "That 
 he was for a tyrant the fittest instrument that ever was 
 in England." He afterward joined the country party, 
 and made a distinguished figure among the great par- 
 liamentary patriots, in the latter part of the reign of James 
 and the former part of that of Charles I. He died at 
 his house at Stoke Pogey, in Buckinghamshire, Sept. 3, 
 1634, in the 86 year of his age, and expired with these 
 words in his mouth, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be 
 done." He was one of the greatest Lawyers that Eng- 
 land ever produced. He had quick parts, a deep pene- 
 tration, a retentive memory, and a solid judgement. He 
 was greatly honoured and esteemed among his breth- 
 ren of the long robe; and when persecuted by the Court, 
 and a brief was given against him to Sir John Walter, 
 that gentleman, though Attorney-general to the prince, 
 laid aside the brief, with this remarkable sentence, "Let 
 my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, whenever 
 I open it against Sir Edward Coke." He was observed 
 to make a better figure in adversity than in prosperity; 
 and he was so good at making the best of a disgrace, that 
 king James said, "Let them throw him which way they 
 would, he always fell upon his legs." He valued him- 
 self, and not without reason, upon this, that he obtained 
 all his preferments without employing either prayers or 
 pence, and that he became Speaker of the House of 
 Commons, Solicitor-general, Attorney-general, Chief 
 Justice of both Benches, High Steward of Cambridge,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 and a member of the Privy Council, without either beg- 
 ging or bribing. Jn this he was very different from 
 many of his most eminent cotemporaries, and especially 
 from his great and celebrated rival Bacon, who was 
 remarkable for the meanness with which he used to 
 solicit preferment. He was in his person well propor- 
 tioned, and his features were regular. He was neat, but 
 not nice, in his dress; and would say, that "the clean- 
 ness of a man's clothes ought to put him in raincj of 
 keeping all clean within." He was twice married, but 
 his second marriage proved unhappy. He left behind 
 him a numerous issue, as well as a large fortune; and 
 may be ranked among the greatest men of his time.* 
 
 In the latter part of his life he appears to have been 
 among ,the reputed Jacobins of that day, [as is also said 
 to have been the case, in the estimation of some wise and 
 virtuous people, ^ with his present descendant of Hoik- 
 ham, during the late memorable reign and rage of our 
 furious alarmists.] While he lay upon his death-bed, 
 his house was, by an order of council, searched for se- 
 ditious and dangerous papers: and the searchers took 
 
 Y 2 
 
 * The following lines of his, quoted by Lord Teignmouth in his 
 Life of Sir William Jone?, is supposed to be expressive of the 
 planner in which he distributed, or employed his time. 
 "Six hours in sleep, in Law's -grave study Six, 
 Four spend in prayer, the rest on nature fix." 
 For which Sir William Jones is said to hive substituted the following, 
 " Six hours to law, to soothing slumber seven, 
 Ten to the world allot, and all to heaven." 
 
 ^ The worshipful kindred of Lfm Reevtt, and John Bo-wfti; alias the 
 pretended Antijacablni, who have been of lata years such monstrous bn- 
 fjctors to tills counti y, nd to the world.
 
 178 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 away his commentary upon Magna Charta; his com- 
 mentary up6n Lyttleton, with (he history of his Life 
 before it, written with his own hand; the Pleas of the 
 Crown; and the Jurisdiction of Courts; his llth. and 
 12th. Reports, in MS; with 51 other MSS; together 
 with his Last Will and Testament, which contained the 
 provision he had been making for his younger grand- 
 children. These papers were kept from the family for 
 several years, and the Will was never heard of more.* 
 
 2 Sir HENRY SPELMAN. He was born at Congham, 
 in 1561, or 1562. Before he was fifteen he was sent 
 to Trinity College, in Cambridge; but his father dy- 
 ing in about two years and half alter, he was taken home 
 by his mother to assist her in managing the affairs of 
 the family. About a year after, he was sent to Lincoln's 
 Inn to study the law, where having continued almost 
 three years f he retired into the country, and married 
 a Lady of good family and fortune. Beside his own 
 rural and domestic concerns, which now demanded and 
 employed the chief of his attention, he was also very 
 assiduous to improve himself in the knowledge of the 
 Constitution, Laws and Antiquities of his Country. He 
 was early admitted a member of the Society of Anti- 
 
 * A curious circumstance that attended Sir E. Coke's second mar- 
 r.age ought not to pass here unnoticed That marriage \vas solem- 
 nized in a private house, without banns or licence, in consequence 
 of which the married couple and the officiating clergyman, together 
 with Lord Burleigh, who was one of the com-pany, were prosecuted in 
 the archbishop's Court; but upon their submission, they escaped ex- 
 communication, and the consequent penalties, because, says the 
 record, "they had offended not out of contumacy, but through ignorance 
 
 of the Law it that faint. ^ So then the Lord Chief Justice of England, 
 
 evn Sir Edward Coke, transgressed the law tkrutgk ignvrcnce!
 
 HISTORY OP LYNX. 
 
 quaries, which brought him into an intimate acquain- 
 tance with Sir Robert Cotton, Camden, and others of 
 the most eminent men for that kind of literature. In 
 1604, he was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk, and 
 about th same time wrote a descriptionof that county, 
 which he communicated to Speed: but it was not the 
 first book he wrote: a book on Heraldry, and another 
 on the Coins of the kingdom, he had before written; 
 and perhaps more. In 1607, the king nominated him 
 one of the Commissioners for determining the unsettled 
 titles of lands and manors in Ireland; on which occasion 
 lie went thither several times, and discharged the trust 
 reposed in him with great reputation. He was also ap- 
 pointed one of the Commissioners to enquire into the 
 oppression of exacted fees in all courts and offices, as 
 well ecclesiastical as civil; which gaye rise to his trea- 
 tise De Sepultura, or of the Burial Fees, in which he 
 made it evident, that most part of the fees exacted by 
 the clergy and church officers, on account of funerals, 
 is no better than gross imposition. His close attention 
 io those public employments proved prejudicial to his 
 family and circumstances; in consideration of which 
 the government made him a present of SOO/, till some- 
 thing better could be done for him. His majesty also 
 confered on him the honour of knighthood, which j 
 however, did probably impoverish rather than enrich 
 him. His majesty did what was still worse, in pro- 
 hibiting the Meetings of the Antiquarian Society, lest, 
 forsooth, they might be led to treat of state affair s\ * 
 
 * Which must have been about as reasonable as the old woman's 
 advice to leave off thinking, far fear of thinking wrtag.
 
 180 HISTORY OF .LYNN. 
 
 His wise majesty seemed consiousthat those affairs Mere 
 two brittle to be handled, and to foul to be exposed to 
 open daylight. When about fifty he went to reside in 
 London, and gave himself up to archaiological studies. 
 He collected all such books and MSS. as he could find 
 of that description, whether foreign or domestic. In 
 1626, he published the first part of his well known Glos- 
 sary, which he never carried beyond the letter L, be- 
 cause, as some have suggested, lie had said tilings un- 
 der Magna Charta^ and Maximum Concilium, that 
 could not then have appeared without giving offence. 
 He wrote may things, most of which are still held in 
 considerable repute. He died in 1641: his posthumous 
 works were published in 1698, in folio, under the in- 
 spection of bishop Gibson. At his death his papers 
 came intp tlje hands of his eldest Son, 
 
 3. Sir JOHN SPELMAN, "the heir of his studies," 
 as he himself calls him, who was also a very learned 
 man, and had great encouragement and assurance of 
 favour from Charles I. That prince one tune sent for 
 Sir Henry Spelman, and offered him the mastership of 
 Sutton Hospital, witji some other advantages, in coiir 
 sideration of his good services both to church and state. 
 He returned his majesty thanks, and told him that he 
 was very old, and had now one foot in the grave, and 
 should therefore be more obliged if he would consider 
 his Son. Upon which the king sent for Mr. Spelman, 
 and conferred both the mastership of the Hospital and 
 the honour of knighthood upon him; and he afterwards 
 employed him to draw up several papers in vindication
 
 HISTORY" OP LYNN. , 181 
 
 of the proceedings of the court. He published the Sax- 
 on Psalter nndcr the title of Psalterium Daxidis Lati- 
 no- Saxonicum vetus, in 1640, in quarto, from a MS in 
 his father's Library, collated with three other copies. 
 He also wote "The Life of King Alfred the Great," 
 in English; which was translated into Latin, sometime 
 after the Restoration, by Mr. Christopher Wase, supe- 
 rior Beadle of the Civil Law at Oxford; which trans- 
 lation, with notes and cuts by Mr. Obadiah Walker 
 Master of University College, was published, from the 
 Theatre Press, in 1679, in folio. The original English 
 was also published from the same press, by Mr. Thomas 
 Hearne, in 1709. 8vo. Sir John Spelman died in 1643. 
 
 4. Sir ROGER L'ESTRANGE is another of the nota- 
 ble natives of this part of the county. He was the 
 youngest son of Sir Hamon L'Estrange, Bart, of Hun- 
 stanton Hall, where he was born Dec. 17, 1616. He 
 received a liberal education, which he is supposed to 
 have completed at Cambridge. His father being a 
 zealous royalist, took care to instil the same principles 
 in his son, which the latter eagerly embraced; and in 
 16S9, he attended the king, in his expedition into Scot- 
 land. His attachment to the royal cause became now 
 very strong; and sometime after nearly cost him his 
 life: for in 1644, soon after the Earl of Manchester had 
 reduced Lynn to the authority of the Parliament, 
 young L'Estrange, thinking he had some interest in 
 the place, as his father had been governor of it, form- 
 ed a scheme for surprising it; and received a commis- 
 sion from the king, constituting him i;s governor, in
 
 Ib2 HISTORY OF LYNN'i 
 
 case of success: but his design being betrayed by two 
 of his confederates, (named Lent an and flaggar,) 
 ihough both bound under an oath of secresy, he was 
 seized, tried, and, by a court-martial , condemned to diej 
 as a traitor. While he lay in prisoi , he was visited 
 by Mr. Arrowsmith, and Mr. TLorOwgood, two of the 
 assembly of divines, who very kindly offered him their 
 utmost interest^ if he would make some petitionary 
 acknowledgement, and submit to take the covenant^ but 
 he refused, After thirty months spent in vain endea- 
 vours, either to liave a hearing, or to be put into an ex- 
 changeable condition ; he printed a state of his case, by 
 way of appeal from the court martial (by which he had 
 been tried) to the Parliament. About the time of the Kent- 
 ish insurrection, in 1648, he escaped out of prison, 
 with the keeper's privity, as he himself says, and went 
 into Kent, and retiring to the house of Mr Hales, a 
 young gentleman, heir to a great estate in that county, 
 he spirited him up to head the insurrection; but that 
 design failed of success. After this miscarriage, he 
 escaped beyond sea,where he continued till the autumn 
 of 1653; when taking his opportunity, in the change 
 of government, upon Cromwell's dissolution of the long 
 parliament, he returned into England, and having an 
 opportunity to speak to Cromwell, and obtaining a fa- 
 vourable hearing , he escaped any further trouble, and 
 shortly after received his discharge, by an order dated 
 31. Oct. 1653. How he spent his time for the next 
 six or seven years does not appear; but it may be pre- 
 sumed that he remained pretty quiet, and avoided all 
 interference with political, or state affairs* He is said
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 183 
 
 to have sometimes played before the Protectoj on the bass 
 Viol, for which he was by some called Oliver's Jidlei\ 
 After the Restoration he was little noticed, either by 
 the king or his ministers, for sometime; which he very 
 much resented. Afterward, however, he was appoint- 
 ed to a profitable, but odious office, that of Licencer of 
 the Press; which he held till a little before the Revo- 
 lution. In 1663 he set up a newspaper^ called "The Pub- 
 lic Intelligencer and the Newsj" which was afterwards 
 put down by the London GAZETTE; for which, how- 
 ever, government allowed him a consideration. After 
 the popish plot, when the Tories began to gain th<* 
 ascendant over the Whigs, he, in a paper called the 
 Observatory became a zealous champion for the former, 
 and an advocate for some of the worst measures of tlfe 
 Court. He was afterward knighted, and served in the 
 parliament called by James II. in 1685. After the 
 Revolution he met with some trouble, as a disaffected 
 person. He is said to have been particularly disliked 
 by the queen, who very curiously anagrammed his 
 name, as was mentioned in the first section of this chap- 
 ter. He died on the 1 1th. of September 1704, in the 
 88th. year of his age, and was interred in the church of 
 St. Giles in the fields, where there is an inscription to 
 his memory. He wrote many political tracts, in a high 
 tory strain^ and often with little regard to truth : and 
 also published translations of Josephus's works, Cicero's 
 offices, Seneca's moraisj Erasmus's colloquies, Esop's 
 fables, Quevedo's visions, &c. His style has been 
 praised by some ; while others have represented it as in- 
 
 z k 1 * *
 
 184: HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 tolerably low and nauseous: and Granger represents him 
 as one of the great corrupters of our language. But 
 there was something in his character that was si ill worse 
 and more detestable than even his style. Having men- 
 tioned him as one of our early compilers of newspapers, 
 it may not be amiss here just to note, that he had been 
 long preceded in that occupation, by a couiitry-man 
 of his, Wm. WattSy M. A. who is supposed to have 
 been the very first compiler of a weekly, or stated Eng- 
 lish newspaper/ at least his employer, Butter, seems 
 to have been the first editor of such a paper, A\hich Mas 
 begun in August 1622, under the name of -'The cer- 
 tain news of this present week;" and Watts is thought 
 to have been the compiler of it from the first, and is 
 therefore deemed the Gallo-Belgicus of England: allud- 
 ing to the first newspaper, or periodical publica'ion 
 of the low Countries, about the beginning of the 17th 
 century y which went by that name. But as Watts is 
 said to have been a native of Lynn, a further account 
 of him shall be given in its proper place, iff^y 
 
 "- 
 
 5. Sir ROBERT WALPOLE, afterward Earl of Or- 
 ford. He was born at Houghton, in 1674. In 1700, 
 lie was chosen member of Parliament for Lynn, which 
 he also represented in many succeeding parliaments. 
 In 1705 he was made one of the council to Prince 
 George of Denmark, as lord high admiral. In 1707 
 he was made secretary at war; and in 1709 treasurer of 
 the navy. On the change of the ministry, the year fol- 
 lowing, he was removed from all his places, and in 
 -171.1 was voted by the house of commons guilty of no-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 185 
 
 torious corruption, in his office as secretary at war: it 
 was therefore resolved that he should be committed to 
 the tower, and expelled the house. But being const-, 
 dered by the whigs as a kind of martyr to their cause, 
 the borough of Lynn rechose him, and though the 
 house declared his election void, yet the electors per* 
 sifted in their choice, and he sat in the next parliament. 
 On the accession of George I. he was appointed pay. 
 master- genera I of the forces, and a privy counsellor; 
 but in a disagree nent, two years after, with Mr. Secretary 
 Stanhope, he resigned, turned patriot, of course, and 
 opposed the ministry. Early in 1720 he was Pgahi 
 made pay-master of the forces, and the complaisance 
 of the courtier began once more to appear: nor was it 
 long before he acquired full ministerial power, as first 
 lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer. 
 The measures of his administration, during the long 
 Course o> his premiership, have been often canvassed, 
 with ail the severity of critical inquiry, and variously 
 determined. Though he has been called the father of 
 corruption, and is said to have boasted, that he knew 
 every man's price, yet the opposition prevailed over 
 him in 1742, and obliged him to resign. He was 
 screened from any further resentment of the house of 
 commons, by a peerage, being created Earl of Orford, 
 and gratified with a pension of 4000/ a year. He is ge- 
 nerally allowed to have been a minister of considerable 
 talents, and a nota'-le manager of parliaments. What- 
 ever were his faults, and he doubtless had many, he 
 was evidently a man of peace^ and no war minister , 
 
 z 2
 
 186 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ought to endear his memory to posterity. Had 
 his successors, and particularly the late minister Pitt y 
 been more of his disposition in that respect, it had 
 probably, at this time, been a happy circumstance for 
 the British empire, if not also for some other nations. 
 
 6, Sir ANDHEW FOUNTAINE. He was born at Narford, 
 and educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he stu- 
 died the Anglo-Saxon language, of his skill in which 
 he afterward gave good proof, by a piece inserted in Dr 
 Hicks's Thesaurus, .entitled, "Numismata Anglo-Sax- 
 onica, et Anglo-danica, breviter illustrata ab Andrea 
 Fountaine eq. aur, et aed. Christi Oxon alumno, 
 1705." King William conferred on him the honour of 
 knighthood: and he was afterwards, it seems, in 1726,. 
 made knight of the Bath, by patent; at which time he 
 was Vice Chamberlain to the princess of Wales. He 
 travelled for a considerable time in various parts of 
 Europe, and is said to have made a noble collection 
 of antiques and curiosities; of his adventures in the mean- 
 time, not all over and above delicate or reputable, some 
 curious anecdotes are still remembered. In 1709 he 
 drew the designs for the Tale of a Tub, by Swift, with 
 whom he is said to liave been very intimate, as well as 
 with Pope, who complimented him for the elegance of 
 his taste. In 1727 he was appointed Warden of the 
 Mint, which office he held till his death, in 1753. He 
 was reputed an eminent connoisseur, virtuoso, and 
 antiquary; and Narford Hall owes to him most, if not 
 Ijje whole of its boasted curiosities.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 7, MATITIN FOLKES, Esq. much distinguished in 
 his time as a philosopher and antiquary, was the eldest 
 Son of a Barrister of the same name, by one of the two 
 daughters and coheiresses of Sir Wm. Hovell of Hik 
 lington Hall; which accounts for the estate of the Hov* 
 
 * o 7 
 
 ells descending to him. lie was born in 1690, at West- 
 minster^ where his father then resided. His education, 
 Avhich is supposed to have commenced at Westminster 
 school, was finished at Cambridge, where his pro* 
 flciency appears to have been very considerable. He 
 became a member of the Royal Society in his 23rd year. 
 About ten years after, he was appointed vice president 
 of the same Society, to which he had been nominated 
 by Sir Isaac Newton, the then President. He was also 
 a member of the Society of Antiquaries. On the resig- 
 nation of Sir Hans Sloane, in 1741, he was elected Pre- 
 sident of the R. S. and not long after he was nominated 
 one of the eight foreign members of the Academy of 
 Sciences at Paris. He died in 1754, and is said to 
 have been a person of very extensive knowledge and 
 great respectability; and in his private character po- 
 lite, generous, and friendly. His principal service to 
 science was his elucidation of the intricate subject of 
 coins, weights, and measures. Though he had 
 daughters of his own, he left the seat and estate of his 
 maternal ancestors, the Hovells, to his brother, whose 
 Son, Sir Martin Browne Folkes, bart. M. P. is thefr 
 present possessor. 
 
 8. The honourable HORACE W A T.POLE, afterward 
 of Orford. He was the youngest Son of the ce-
 
 188 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 / 
 
 lebrated Sir Robert Wai pole, and born about the year 
 1717. In 1739 he set out upon his travels, accompanied 
 by his friend GVory, the poet: but they afterward quar- 
 relled and separated. In the parliament of 1741 he was 
 a member for Collington; in that ot 1747, for Castle 
 Rising; and in those of 1754 arid 1761, for Lynn. At 
 the expiration of the latter parliament he retired from 
 business, and attached himself wholly to literary pur- 
 suits, residing chiefly, if not wholly, at Strawberry Hill, 
 in Surrey, where he had a private printing-office, for 
 the purpose of having his productions edited under his 
 own eye, His principal works are"The Catalogue of 
 Royal and Noble Authors, and The Historic Doubts 
 respecting the character, conduct, and person of Rich- 
 ard 111. He wrote also The Mysterious Mother, Cas- 
 tle of Otranlo, and other works, which are considered 
 as proofs of his being a person of very extensive reading, 
 and of eminent genius and talents. On the death of 
 his nephew he succeeded to the family title and estates/ 
 but did not long enjoy them. He died in 1797. 
 
 9. Admiral HORATIO NELSON, afterward Sir HO- 
 RATIO NELSON S and latterly, Lord Viscount Nelson, 
 and Duke of Bronte in the kingdom of Naples. He 
 was the 4th Son of the rev. Edward Nelson, rector of 
 Burnham Thorpe, where he was born September 29, 
 1758. He is said to have been maternally related to the 
 Walpoles and the Townshends, two of the first families 
 in his native county. He was sent early to sea, under 
 the care of a relation, who was a captain in the navy, 
 where he soon distinguished himself, and became in
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 189 
 
 fime one of the greatest naval commanders that this or 
 any other country ever produced. His most renowned 
 achievements were those at Aboukir^ Copenltagen, and 
 Trafalgar; the latter of \vhich he did not survive, be- 
 ing killed by a musket ball, near the close of the engage- 
 ment, whkh terminated in one of the most complete 
 and decisive victories ever recorded in the annals of na- 
 val warfare. He arrived at high pre-eminence, through 
 deeds of blood, and a vast destruction of his species, 
 which can have no place among the Christian virtues. 
 But his biography and character are too well known to 
 need being here further enlarged upon. * 
 
 10. WILLIAM BEWLEY was for many years a most 
 distinguished character among the inhabitants of this 
 part of Norfolk. He was not a' native of this country, 
 but came hither, it is thought, from the north of Eng- 
 land, about 1749, and settled at Great Massingham, 
 as a surgeon and apothecary, where he continued for 
 the remainder of his days, greatly respected as a pro- 
 fessional man, but more especially so as a philosopher, 
 in which character he was thought inferior to few, if 
 any, of his cotemporaries. With some of 1 he most 
 enlightened of them he was held in high and deserved 
 estimation. Dr. Burney and Dr. Priestley were of 
 that number; the latter of whom he very materially 
 assisted in his experimental pursuits, and was the first 
 who discovered and suggested to him the acidity of 
 mephitic or fixed air. Intimate as these two philoso- 
 phers appear to have been, they were in some respects, 
 
 * For the sympathies of his nature and qualities of his heart, see his 
 Letter tg Simon Taylor, in Flower's Pol. Rev. Mar. 1807, p. xxxvi.
 
 290 HISTORY Of LYNKi 
 
 it seems, of very different sentiments. Priestley tr as att 
 admirer of Hartley ^ and a decided materialist, white 
 Bewley, on the other hand, was a disciple of Berkeley 4 
 and a firm believer of Hie ideal system. Between thesis 
 two systems there is evidently a very striding contrast; 
 yet that occasioned no breach in their friendship, or any 
 coolness or abatement in their esteem for each other; 
 Among theologians, and minor philosophers, much 
 slighter differences might have occasioned (as they ge* 
 nerally do) endless jarrings, and an ii reconcilcable an* 
 tipathy; but Priestley and Bewley were men of another j 
 and a very different cast, and knew how to entertain 
 the purest friendship for each other, while they held, 
 on some important points, very dissimilar, and even, 
 opposite opinions. Their friendship commenced about 
 the time that Priestley published his History of Elec- 
 tricity. Bewley's critique upon that work, in the 
 Monthly Keview, was the means, as the Dr. says, of 
 opening a correspondence between them, which was 
 the source of much satisfaction to him, as long as Mr. 
 Bewley lived. The Dr. used instantly to communicate 
 to him an account of every new experiment that he 
 made, and in return was favoured with his remarks 
 upon them. All that Bewley published of his own (ex- 
 cept those articles which he furnished for the Monthly 
 Review) were papers inserted in the Dr's. volumes on 
 Air> all of which, says the doctor, are ingenious and va- 
 luable. Always publishing in that manner, he used 
 to call himself Dr. Priestley's Satellite. There was 
 a vein of pleasant wit and humour (as the Dr. informs 
 us) in all his correspondence, which added greatly to
 
 HISTORY Of LYNN. 191 
 
 the vr.lue of it. His Letters to the Dr. would have 
 made several volumes, and the Dr's to him, still more. 
 He was in his latter years a valetudinarian cf a very 
 sickly appearance. When he found himself dangerous- 
 ly ill, and his dissolution fast approaching, he made a 
 point of paying the Dr. a visit before he died. He ac- 
 cordingly made a journey from Massingham to Bir- 
 mingham, for that purpose, accompanied by Mrs. Bew- 
 ley: and after spending about a week there, he went 
 to pay another last or parting visit to his frietid Dr. 
 Burney, and there, at his house in St. Martin's Street, 
 London, he died, on the 5th. of Sept. 1783. He was for 
 many years one of the writers of the Monthly Review, 
 and the articles he furnished for that respectable publi- 
 cation were thought not inferior to the productions of 
 the very ablest of his associates. How many articles 
 he furnished for that work is not known, except, per- 
 haps, to the Editor. The review of PRIESTLEY'S 
 History of Electricity, (as was before observed,) of 
 WHITEHURST'S Inquiry into the original State and 
 formation of the Earth, and of Sir JOHN HAWKIN^ 
 History of Music, are understood to have been drawn, 
 up by Mr. Bewley. The last mentioned article is said 
 to have been much admired at the time by the late cele- 
 brated Dr. Samuel Johnson. Mr. Bewley was some- 
 times denominated The, Philosopher of J\fassingham 9 
 and with as much propriety, it Was supposed, asllobbes 
 was styled The Philosopher of Malmsbury. The 
 brandies of knowledge in which he was said chiefly to 
 excel were those of Anatomy, Electricity, and Chemis- 
 
 2 A
 
 192 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 try. He had naturally a fine ear, and was particular- 
 ly fond of music; and was not only an excellent judge 
 of compositions, butalsp a good performer on the violin. 
 He cu& vated the art and science of music as a relief 
 from severer pursuits, and applied to it in the hours of 
 relaxation, with that ardour which characterized all his 
 undertakings. A love for every liberal science and an 
 insatiable curiosity after whatever was connected with 
 them, were his predominant passions. So strongly and last- 
 ingly didthey operate, that he desired some books might 
 be brought to him on the very evening before he died, 
 when the excruciating pains of his disorder had a little 
 abated; and though unable to read himself, he listened 
 to what was read, and drank in knowledge with his 
 wonted eagerness, and, 
 
 < with his latest breath 
 Thus shewed his ruling passion strong in death." 
 
 He was a remarkably -warm friend, and an excellent 
 husband: and withal of so benevolent and peculiar a 
 turn of mind, that he would not willingly hurt a worm; 
 nor would he, it seems, cut a living twig fron a shrub or 
 tree, becaus$ he did not know, (as he would say) but 
 the operation might occasion pain. Many will proba- 
 bly affect to smile at this, upder an idea of their own 
 fancied superiority, whose characters, nevertheless, 
 would bear no comparison with that of William Bew- 
 ley, not to say as scholars, and philosophers, but even 
 as men, and members of society. In short, he appears to 
 have been a very good, as well as a very wise and great 
 man. i 
 
 $ See the Memoirs of Dr. Priestly, Vol. 1. and also the London 
 Magazine, for November, 1783>
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 193 
 
 SECTION V. Of the ANIMALS, and particularly the 
 BIRDS of this country. 
 
 Sir Thomas Browne seems to have placed th>SpER- 
 MACETI-WHALE among the animals of Norfolk.One of 
 them sixty two feet in length, was taken, as he says, 
 near Wells. Another of the same kind, (he adds) a- 
 bout twenty years after, was caught at Hunstanton; and 
 not far from thence, eight or nine were driven ashore, 
 two of which were said to have young ones, after they 
 had forsaken the water. 
 
 ThePonpESSE, the DoipniN,and the GRAMPUS, are 
 also, by the same writer, numbered among the Nor- 
 folk animals. The flesh of the two former, he repre- 
 sents as good food, especially that of the Dolphin, 
 which when well-cooked, he says, is generally allowed 
 to be a good dish. But it is very rarely that one meets 
 with any that have tasted of it, 
 
 As to the COMMON SEAL or Sea-Calf, being an am- 
 phibious creature, it is not so unnaturally classed among 
 land animals. Numbers of them are often found sleep- 
 ing on the shore and the sand-banks, below Lynn; while 
 one, as is said, is keeping watch in the meantime, lest 
 his companions be caught napping, and to apprise them 
 of the approach of danger; in which case, they all in- 
 stantly rush into the deep and disappear. 
 
 OTTERS also are not uncommon in this country. The 
 young ones, says Sir T Browne, are sometimes preyed 
 upon by buzzards, having occasionally been found in 
 2 A 2
 
 104: HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 the nests of these birds. By many persons they are ac- 
 counted no bad dish, as he says; and he adds, that 
 Otters may be rendered perfectly tame, and in some 
 houses nave been kmnvn to serve the office of turnspits, 
 
 To the foregoing animals may be adde4 Badgers, 
 flares, and -Rabbits. The latter are" here more nu- 
 merous than in most other parts of the kingdom, and 
 yet not so numerous it seems as they have been, owing 
 to modern agricultural improvements. Hares are also 
 in general pretty plentiful here in most places, and the 
 game-laws very strictly enforced, as many a poacher 
 knows to his cost. 
 
 The different Species of BIRDS found in this coun- 
 try, including the water-fowl, are very numerous v The 
 following List includes the chief of them, and is taken 
 mostly from Sir Thomas Browne's Paper inserted in the 
 20th volume of the Monthly Magazine. 1. The Sea 
 or Fen EAGLE. Some of this species are said to be so 
 large as to measure three yards and a 'quarter in the ex- 
 tent of their wings, and are capable of being perfectly 
 tamed, and will feed on fish, red herrings, flesh, or 
 any kind of offal. 2. The OSPREY, which hovers 
 about the fens, and will dip his claws into the water, 
 and often take up a fish, an'd likewise catch Coots. It 
 is sometime called the bald-buzzard. 3. The KITE. 
 This species is said not to be very numerous. 4 The 
 MERLIN, or Hobby -bird: said to be subject to the ver- 
 tigo, and sometimes caught in those fits. 5. The 
 WOODCHAT, or bird-catcher; a small bird of prey 
 about the size of a thrush. 6. The RAVEN, 7, The
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 195 
 
 ROOK. 8. The JACKDAW. 9. The RoLLer: a very 
 uncommon bird. 10. The CUCKOO. 11, 12, 13, 14. 
 The GREEN WOODPECKER; The GREATER SPOTTED 
 WOODPECKER^ The MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER; 
 and the NUTHATCH. 15. The KINGFISHER. 16. 
 The HOOPOE, or >Hoope-bird) so called from its note. 
 17, 18, 19. The SKYLARK, WOODLARK, and TIT- 
 LA-RK. These are very common; but another, called 
 the great crested lark, it eems, is not so. 20. The 
 STARES, or STARLINGS, are in vast, and almost in- 
 credible numbers about the fens, where they roost at 
 night, about the autumn on the reeds and alders, from 
 whence they take their flight in the morning like thick 
 clouds. The rooks, though very numerous in some 
 parts of the kingdom, are never any where seen in such 
 Blocks as these birds are about the fens. 21. The HAW- 
 FINCH. This bird is chiefly seen in summer, about 
 cherry time; and is said to feed on the kernels of cherries 
 and some pQicr kinds of stone fruit; and by means of 
 its amazingly strong bill it breaks the stone without 
 much difficulty. 22. The WAXEN CHATTERER; 
 which is said to be a very beautiful bird, but now a 
 more uncommon bird than formerly. 23. The CROSS- 
 BILL; is migratory, and arrives about the beginning 
 of Summer. 24. The GOLD-FINCH, otherwise Fools- 
 coat. 'or Draw-water. 25. The WHEATEAR. These 
 breed in rabbit burrows, and warrens are full of them 
 from April to September, They are caught with a hob- 
 by and a net, and are accounted excellent eating. 26. 
 The GOAT-SUCKER, or Dorha,wk y so called from the 
 pircumslance of its feeding on <Jors ? or beetles, It breeds
 
 196 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 here and lays a very handsome spotted egg. [It flies 
 about later than most other birds except the owl; and 
 while perching in the evening on a tree, it makes a, 
 noise somewhat like the croaking of frogs, or rather the 
 twirling of a spinning wheel, from which it has in some 
 parts been called, The Spinner. ~\ 27. The BUSTARD. 
 A writer whose signature is X. P. S. in the 20th volume 
 of the Monthly Magazine, says that "the bustards are 
 at this time all extirpated out of Norfolk ;" but he is 
 certainly mistaken : they are still to be found in the open 
 parts of the country, but not so frequently as formerly. 
 They become more and more rare; and they will, per- 
 haps, be soon extirpated ; but it is not the case yet. 
 The bustard is the largest of British birds, and is re- 
 markable (says Sir Thomas Browne) for the strength of 
 its breast-bone, and for its short heel. It lays two eggs 
 which are much bigger than those of a turkey, as the 
 bustard itself is also larger, as well as handsomer than, 
 that bird. It is accounted a dainty dish, and those who 
 have eaten it, speak much in its praise. This famous 
 bird seems incapable of being tamed or domesticated. * 
 28. and 29. BLACK and RED GAME, now unknown 
 here, Some of the latter, or grouse, were found, it 
 seems, about Lynn, in Sir Thomas Browne's time. 30. 
 
 31, PARTRIDGE m\A QUAIL are here in great numbers. 
 
 32. The CORNCRAKE, or RAYLE is also commonly 
 found here. 33. The SPOONBILL, now but seldom 
 
 * The late Mr. Carr, a merchant of Lynn, used to say, that his father 
 once killed six Bustards at one shot. They were probably much more 
 numerous then, than they are now. A respectable gentleman of Lynn, 
 however, assures this writer that not many years ago, he saw no less 
 than eight or ten of them together, in the neighbourhood of Sta.nh.oe.
 
 HISTKJRY OF I,YNX 197 
 
 found here, though formerly, it seems, pretty common. 
 34. The CRANE, was formerly common here, but now 
 scarcely deemed a british bird. 35. The WHITE 
 STORK, now rarely seen, though formerly not so un- 
 common a bird. 36. The HERON still abounds here. 
 37. The BITTERN, or Bitour, is also very common: 
 both this and the preceding are deemed good dishes. 38. 
 The GOD WIT or Yarwhelp, is very common in 
 Marshland, and deemed a dainty dish. It frequents the 
 sea shore and salt marshes in winter, and the fens and 
 interior parts in summer, 39. 40. The REDSHANK, 
 and CURLEW, are not unfrequent in the marshes and 
 about the sea coast. 41. The GNAT or KNOT. This 
 is a small bird, but is at time,s very fat, and in much 
 request for the table. They are caught with nets. 42. 
 The LAPWING is common here on all the heaths, and 
 in other parts. 43. The RUFF: so called from the fea- 
 thers of the neck projecting like a ruff. This is a marsh 
 bird, and varies greatly in its colours; no two of them 
 are found alike. The female is smaller than the male, 
 has no ruff about the neck, and is called a Reeve. It 
 is very seldom seen. The males when put together will 
 fight most bloodily and destroy each other. They lose 
 their ruffs towards the end of autumn, or beginning of 
 winler. They are very handsome birds. 44. The 
 DOTTEREL, is a bird of passage; comes in September 
 and March, and is accounted excellent eating. 45. 
 KING DOTTEREL, or Fen Dotterel: somewhat less, 
 but better coloured than the former. 46. The STONE 
 CURLEW, is a tall handsome bird, remarkably eyed. 
 Jt is said to be so common in this country, as to have
 
 J98 HISTORY OF 
 
 the name of the Norfolk plover. 47. The AVOSET$ 
 or skooping horn, is a tall> black anil white bird, with 
 a bill semicircularly bent upwards. It is a summer 
 bird, and not uAfrequent in Marshland* 48. The 
 OYSYER CATCHER or Sea-pie. 49. The Common 
 Coote. These birds are frequently observed in great 
 flocks on broad waters, said to be remarkable for their 
 dexterous defence of themselves and young, against kites 
 and buzzards. 50. 51. The MOOR, or WATER-HEN. 
 and AVATER-RAILE. 52. The WILD SWAN, or 
 ELKE. It is probable they come from great distances, 
 for all the northern travellers are said to have obser- 
 ved them in the remotest parts. Like other northern 
 birds, if the winter be mild they usually come no fur- 
 ther south, than Scotland, if very hard they proceed 
 onward till they arrive in a country sufficiently warm. 
 53. 54. 55. BARNACLE-GOOSE, BRENT-GOOSE, and 
 SHELDRAKE. The two former are common; and the 
 latter pretty much so, especially about Norrold, where 
 they are said to breed in rabbit-burrows. 56. 57. 58. 
 59. 60. The SHOVELER, PINTAIL, or Sea*pheasant, 
 GARGANEY, or Tea/, WILD-GOOSE, and GOSANDER^ or 
 Mirganser, are all found in this country. 61. The 
 DUN-DIVER, or Saw billed diner. It is bigger than a 
 duck; and distinguished from other divers by a re- 
 markable sawed bill to retain its slippery prey, which 
 consists principally of eels. 62. The SNEW, as well 
 as the WIDGEONS, and other species cf wild ducks, are 
 very common. * 63. The PUFFIN, has a remarkable 
 
 * The fen- fowlers, with their lone guns, make terrible liavock among 
 them, killing sometimes between 20 and 30 at one shot; and of C'^ti
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 bill, which differs from that of a duck in being formed 
 not horizontally but vertically, for the purpose of 
 feeding in clefts of rocks, on shellfish, &c. 64. The 
 SHEAR-WATER^ somewhat billed like a cormorant, but 
 much smaller, is a strong and fierce bird, that hovers 
 about ships when the sailors cleanse their fish, &c. 
 They will live some weeks without food. 65. The GAN* 
 NET, is a large, white, strong billed bird: Sir Thomas 
 Browne saw one of them in Marshland, which fought, 
 and would not be forced to take wing. Another he saw 
 taken alive, and for sometime kept and fed with her- 
 rings. 66. 67. The SHAG and CORMORANT, are gene-* 
 rally confounded by the country people. The former 
 builds upon trees, and the latter only in the rocks. 68. 
 The NORTHERN-DIVER. 69. The GREAT CRESTED 
 GREBE, appear about April, and breed on the broad 
 waters. Their nest is formed of weed &c. and float on the 
 water, so that their eggs are seldom dry while they are 
 set on. 70. The LITTLE GREBE, small diner or Dab- 
 chick) is found in the rivers and broad waters here. 71. 
 The SKUA GULLJ is sometimes found here in very hard 
 winters. 72. The HERRING GULL, is found here, but 
 more commonly about Yarmouth. 73. The BLACK- 
 HEADED GULL, is here very plentiful. The e^gs are 
 used by the country people in puddings, and otherwise* 
 The birds are sometimes brought to the markets in great 
 
 2 B 
 
 ; j oftiosjy.. '..:;; -l -xlc? i. ; ;.< r,s i ^tisM 
 
 twice tnat number; which Ijowever, is nothing Hke the number of 
 Starlings which they ha?e sometimes slaughtered : a person ofveraii- 
 ty, who has lived long in the fens, assuies this writer, that he knew an 
 instance, near Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, of 36 dozens of Stailinjs 
 fceing killed at a single shot, by one Thomas Hall.
 
 200 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 number, and even sent to London. 74. The GREATER 
 FERN, or Sea Swallow, is a neat white and fork-tailed 
 bird, but much larger than a swallow. 75, The MAY 
 CHITT, is a small dark-grey bird. It comes in great plen- 
 ty into Marshland in May, and stays about a month, 
 seldom beyond six weeks. It is fatter than most birds 
 Of its size, and accounted excellent eating. 76. The 
 CHURRE, another small bird, is frequently taken among 
 the preceeding. 77. The WHINNE BIRD, is marked 
 with five yellow spots, and is less than a wren. 78. 
 The CHIPPER. This somewhat resembles the former; 
 comes here in the spring, and feeds on the first buddings 
 of birches and other early trees. To all these may be 
 added, 79. The NIGHTINGALE, which is here a con- 
 stant visiter. 80. 81. 82 The SWALLOW, MARTIN, 
 and SWIFT. Also a variety of FINCHES, and likewise 
 of DIVING^FOWL, mustela fusca, and mustela yard- 
 gat a, so called from the resemblance they have to the 
 head of a weesel." Stockdoves, or wild pigeons, are here 
 found in great numbers; and so are Pheasants, Snipes, 
 and Woodcocks. * The Magpie likewise andtheOwlare 
 found among- the birds of this country. Not to men- 
 tion the Blackbird, the Thrush, the Yellow-hammer, 
 the Wagtail, the Titmouse, the Sparrow, the Wren, 
 the Redbreast, and others that are common to most parts 
 of this kingdom. 
 
 Many rare plants are said to be found in some parts 
 of this country; but as no good botanist is known to re- 
 
 * Just after their arrival in October, the Woodcocks are said to be ' 
 Sometimes exceedingly abundant here.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 901 
 
 side here, or to have drawn up a catalogue of them, 
 they cannot be now enumerated. The neighbourhood 
 of East Winch is thought to be one very good spot 
 for botanizing. 
 
 SECTION VI. Brief account, of places before 
 omitted, in the vicinity of Lynn, on this eastern side of 
 the Ouse Sechey -~~Runcton Downham Denver 
 Helgay Southery FeltwellMethwold Stoke, $c t 
 Feltwell New- Fen- District Fincham Swaffham 
 Babingley Sharnborne Great Malthouse Hunston 
 light-house) 8?c. 
 
 Before we conclude this chapter, and this first part 
 of the work, it may not be improper, or unacceptable 
 to the reader, to take some notice of a few of the most 
 remarkable places on this side, that have been omitted 
 in the preceding pages. We shall begin with. 
 
 SECHEY, * commonly called Sech, a small market 
 town, which lies about three miles from Lynn, to the 
 south, on the Downham and London road.' Anciently 
 it belonged to the Lords Bardolf, as a part of their ma- 
 nor of north Runcton. In 33, Hen. III. the then Lord 
 Bardolf had a charter of free warren here, with a weekly 
 2 B 2 
 
 * So called, probably, from the river on whose banks it stands, 
 and which, it seems, was formerly called. Ey: so that Sechey may 
 signify, Seen on the Ey, or on the banks of the river so called. See 
 
 Parkin.
 
 902 ' 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 market on Mondays, and two fairs annually. After- 
 wards it passed, with the rest of the said manor, to the 
 Earl of Warwick, who in the reign of James I. had a 
 grant of a market here every fortnight, on Tuesdays, 
 for fat cattle. It seems jathwr doubtful, if these mar- 
 kets were originally kept every other Tuesday through- 
 out the year: at least it is said not to have been the case 
 for many years past, but only for some of the latter 
 months of the year. They begin at the dawn of day, 
 and are generally over pretty early in the morning. They 
 are also said to be well attended by butchers and graziers 
 from different parts of the country, and sometimes from 
 a considerable distance, even as far as Norwich, or 
 further, and also from Lincolnshire. The river is na- 
 vigable, for lighters, a considerable way up into the 
 country beyond this place. Sechey is in the parish of 
 North Runcton,; some miles from which, in a southerly 
 direction lies th'e church of South F.uncton, now in a 
 dilapidated state. This ruin "presents a semicircular 
 east end. of what has been thought an ancient So^rou 
 church, and is believed to be the remains of one given 
 to St. Edmund, in the reign of Canute. Of the rea- 
 sonableness and tenability of this belief, some doubts, 
 perhaps, may be justly entertained. The said ruin has 
 certainly the appearance of considerable antiquity, but 
 that appearance, together with its uncommon and se- 
 micircular form, will not be quite sufficient to satisfy 
 every one, that it is altogether as old as the days of Ca- 
 nute, or that it has actually stood the brunt and braved 
 the blasts of near a thousand winters. A few miles fur* 
 ther on ; in the same direction 3 is
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 203 
 
 DOWXIIAM, or Market Down ham, as it is sometimes 
 called. * It is pleasantly situated on the side of a hill, 
 and upon the Ouse, over which it has a good bridge. 
 It had heretofore two weekly markets, Mondays and 
 Saturdays, but that is noionger.the case; the latter only 
 are now to be considered as its proper market days, on 
 which the town is said to be well supplied with fish and 
 wild fowl, from the adjacent fens, Downham was for- 
 merly celebrated for its great butter market, which 
 used to be kept near the bridge, every Monday , and which 
 it seems, has before now supplied London with the im- 
 mense quantity of ninety thousand firkins in a year. 
 From its being sent by way of Cambridge, it obtained 
 the panic of Cambridge butter. These markets have 
 been discontinued, and the butter is now taken "for sale 
 to Swaif nam, It is said that the privilege of a market 
 was granted to Downham by Edward the confessor, and 
 that its principal manor, with the whole hundred, were 
 given by king Edgar to Ramsey Abbey, whose abbot, 
 as we are further informed, was authorized by King 
 John to hold a fair here. By Henry III. he was invest- 
 ed with the additional authority to try and execute male- 
 factors at his "gallows of Downham." Some monas- 
 tic buildings, and particularly a priori/ of Benedictine 
 monks, stood formerly near the church There is in 
 this town a small dissenting congregation, the chapel be- 
 longing to which, was erected in the early part of the last 
 century. In 1801 the town and whole parish of Down- 
 ham contained 278 houses, and 1512 inhabitants. 
 
 * Anciently it was called Drainhaw-hithv, i. e. D<>w:>ham-porU 
 Gibson's Camdej).
 
 HISTROY OF LYNN. 
 
 Further on, in a low situation, is DENVER, a large 
 village, noted as the birth place of Dr. Robert Brady, 
 the English historian. The church is a mean structure, 
 built of Car, or rag-stone, earner ated with wooden pan- 
 nells, and covered with reed,' or thatch. Near to this 
 place is Derrcer Sluice, termed the grand erratum in our 
 fen improvements. Not far from Denver and Downham 
 lies the village of Helgay, said by some authors to 
 be regularly infested, every six or seven years, by an 
 incredible number of field mice, which, like locusts, 
 would infallibly devour all. the corn of every kind, but 
 for the friendly, seasonable, and effectual interposition of 
 a prodigious flight of owls from Norway, which never 
 fail to arrive that year, and stay till they have totally 
 destroyed those mischievous vermin : after which they 
 quietly depart, re-cross the seas, and return to their 
 native forests, attended by the veneration and benedic-* 
 tion of all the good people of Helgay, who had derived 
 from them, the most essential benefit, without the least 
 mixture of detriment; as they had, during their whole 
 stay, meddled with no one thing in the place, but the 
 mice. Such is the substance and purport of this curious 
 story, w hose questionable and improbable appearance 
 might be supposed more than sufficient to prevent its 
 being ever passed upon tlie public as a matter of fact. 
 That, however, has not been the case: it has been 
 therefore introduced here for the purpose of exhibiting 
 it in its true light, as a lying tale, that those credulous 
 
 \ See Norfolk. Tour, lasl Edition, p. 365, Also Description of 
 England and W^les, volume 6, p. 2ol.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 205 
 
 people who have been imposed upon, and misled by 
 others, may be undeceived. 
 
 Beyond Helgay are the villages of Southery, Felt- 
 well, Methwold, Northwold^ Stoke-ferry, Wer chanty 
 West Dereham, #c some of them of pretty large size 
 and population. West Dereham Abbey was formerly a 
 place of no small note, and founded as early as 1188. 
 At the dissolution it went into private hands, and about 
 the close of the 17th. century it was the seat of Sir 
 Thomas Dereham, a diplomatic character. More re- 
 cently it has successively been the seat of Sir Simeon 
 Stuart, and Lord Montrath. Wereham in former times 
 was possessed by the Clares, who then ranked high 
 among the English barons; and it was the head lordship 
 of what was, and still is called the honor of Clare , of 
 which several neighbouring manors were held. Those 
 great lords had here a prison, and of course a gallows 
 also; which indicate the great sway they once bore in 
 these parts. These places lie in and about a reniarkable 
 drainage tract, called the Feltwell new fen district^ 
 which, like the river Nene, has proved a very unfor- 
 tunate concern to many of those whose property had 
 been unhappily entrusted in the hands of its commis- 
 sioners. Suspicions of some disreputable doings are said 
 to have been entertained respecting both the above con- 
 cerns, which will probably deter many from affording 
 any pecuniary aid to the projected Eau-brink Cut, lest it 
 should turnout, or be managed as badly: if indeed the 
 present fonnidable opposition to it should finally fail 
 to effect its entire relinquishment; au event which many
 
 206 HIST6RY OF 
 
 seem to consider as not at all improbable. Northerly 
 from these parts is the village and parish of Fincham. 
 In that parish church is a square font, supposed to 
 have belonged to the old church, which is mentioned ia 
 Domesday-book. Further on, in the same direction y 
 and the most considerable place that way, is 
 
 SWAFFIIAM. This respectable town stands on high 
 ground, upon a dry gravelly soil, and in a situation 
 that seems greatly favourable to health and longevity. 
 Its streets are wide and airy, and the buildings distri- 
 buted over a considerable space of ground. The houses 
 are generally neat, and many of them large and hand- 
 some, inhabited by wealthy and genteel families. The 
 market-hill is pleasant and spacious, on which was 
 erected in 1783 an elegant cross, by the I^ord Orford of 
 that time. The market is on Saturday, and plentifully 
 supplied with good provisions. The great butter-mar- 
 ket, formerly kept at Downham, is now kept here. 
 The town stands so high, that some of the wells are said 
 to be fifty yards deep. A handsome assembly-room has 
 been erected on the west side'of the market-hill, in which 
 subscription assemblies are held every month. But the 
 chief public structure of the town is the Church, a large 
 and fine edifice, built at different times, in the reigns of 
 Henry VI. Edward IV. and Henry VII. It is in the 
 form of a cathedral, and consists of a nave and two ailesj 
 with two transepts on the south side, one to the north, 
 and a lofty well proportioned tower, which is surmount- 
 ed with enriched embrasures, and purfled pinnacles. The 
 nave is very lofty, having twenty-six cleristory win-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN* 07 
 
 dow's, and its inner roof ornamented with carved wood, 
 %u res of angels j bosses, &c. The north aile and stee- 
 ple, are said to have been built by one John Chapman^ 
 stated, but erroneously it seems, to have been a travel- 
 ling tinker; and who is also reported to have been 
 Church-warden in 1460. In 1800 the houses of Swaff- 
 ham amounted to 452, and the population to 2220. 
 Formerly there was here a rector and a vicar; the latter 
 presented by the former ; so that the rectory was a Sine- 
 cure, and probably a very rich one. The patronage 
 of the vicarage is in the bishop of Norwich. Near this 
 town is an extensive heath, which forms a convenient race- 
 ground. The races here are held about michaelmas. 
 Coursing matches are also frequent here, and the grey- 
 hounds are as regularly entered for the purpose, and 
 placed under the same restristions as running-horses. * 
 
 Further on, between Swaffham and the sea-coas^ 
 there are not many places that seem to demand very par- 
 ticular notice. Babingley and Sharnborne, which both 
 lie that way, are traditionally reported to contain the 
 sites ot the two first Christian places of worship among 
 the East-Angtians, and supposed to have been erected 
 in the seventh century. In the same way lies Snetlishfim t 
 a large village, said to have been formerly a town, with 
 a weekly market on Fridays. Here also have been dug 
 up several of those instruments, in the shape of hatchet- 
 heads, with handles to them, usually denominated celts, | 
 which, if taken to be British, as is most generally 
 
 2 c 
 
 * For a further account of Swaffham, sec Norfolk Tour: also Beau- 
 tics of England, volvjnae, xi. J Beauties of England as before.
 
 08 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 thought, or even Roman, as has been judged by others, 
 must denote that Snettisham is a place of no inconsider- 
 able antiquity. Brancaster has been already noticed, 
 as once a famous Roman station ; and it may be here 
 added, that it has of late years attracted no small atten-^ 
 tion on account of its great malt house, built with a 
 view to the export trade, and supposed to be the larg- 
 est edifice of that kind in the kingdom; being 312 
 feet in length, by 31 in breadth, and furnished with 
 all the necessary offices and conveniences for conduct- 
 ing the malting process on a large scale: 420 quarters 
 of barley, are said to have been there wetted weekly, 
 during the malting season. 
 
 To the west of Brancaster and the said great malt- 
 house, and not far off, is the village of Hunstanton, or 
 Hunston, as it is most commonly called : near to which, 
 on a cliff, overlooking Lynn Roads and the entrance into 
 Lynn Haven, and elevated ninety feet above high-water 
 mark, stands the If tension Light-house, which is up- 
 on a different construction from other English light- 
 houses, and supposed superior to any of them. It is 
 lighted by lamps and reflectors, instead of coals, on 
 a much improved and very judicious plan, the merit of 
 which is due to MB, WALKER of Lynn, by whom 
 it was invented, and under whose direction it was here 
 executed in 1778. This light is communicated by 18 
 concave reflectors, each of eighteen inches diameter. 
 They are fixed upon two shelves, one placed over the 
 other in such a manner that the strongest light may be 
 seen where it is most wanted. In the N by E direc-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 tion a strong light is necessary for ships to avoid the 
 dangerous sands and shoals on the Lincolnshire coast; 
 
 ^> 
 
 -here therefore are placed seven reflectors in the space 
 of two points of the compass, which will appear atsome 
 distance as one light. In other directions a weaker light 
 is sufficient. A single reflector, with a lamp of ten sin* 
 gle threads of cotton placed in tlie focus of the curve, 
 which is a parabola, willappear, at 15 miles distance, 
 larger than a star of the first magnitude:. -that is, if the 
 glass be kept clean, and the lamp trimmed; otherwise, 
 iastead of light, there will no doubt be found obscurity, 
 for which no blame can attach to the projector. * 
 
 2 c 2 
 
 ../! ,;V. '<' iZ-n '"d lj 
 
 * Ten single threads of cotton to each of those 18 lamps, make in 
 all 180: now a street lamp in London, is said to contain 28 single, 
 threads, and if we divide t80 by 28, we shall have 6 f -. -hence the oil 
 consumed in the Hunston Light-house, is less than that consumed by 
 7 London str3et lamps. The advantages derived from Mr. Wal- 
 ker's plan, are, 1. The strength of light may be proportioned to the dis- 
 tance at which it may be necessary to be seen. 2. It maybe main- 
 tained at a less expence than where the light is equally diffused all 
 round the compass. 3. It requires little attendance. 4. It always ap- 
 pears of the same magnitude -provided, as was above hinted, the 
 
 glas> be kept clean, and the lamps in a proper trim circumstances 
 
 that must be attended to, and not neglected.- Here it may be 
 
 further observed that the improvement of light-houses is not the only 
 subjectthat has undergone Mr. W.'s close and successful investigation. 
 Many papers written by hir&j have app'eared in Nicholson's Philoso- 
 phical Journal, c ;id Tilloch's Philosophical Magazine, giving an account 
 of divers useful inventions of his, and new discoveries is physics, chief- 
 ly under the following heads. 1. On a method of using candles, so 
 
 as to produce no smoke, nor require snuffing. 2. A method of obvia- 
 ting the effects of thick wires in transit telescopes. 3. On the Plumb 
 line and Spirit level. 4. On the vibrations of pendulums in vacuo. 5. 
 On a standard of light, by which we may compare the strength of any 
 otherlight. 6. Description of an apparatus for conducting sound, and 
 holding conversations at a distance. 7. Description of anew reflecting 
 quadrant. 8 On the best method of ascertaining the dip of the horizon 
 at sea. 9. On the methods of observing the longitude at sea. 10. O
 
 210 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 This house remained for many years the only one of 
 the kind in the united kingdom; but about the year 
 
 1787, several others, on the same plan, were erected on 
 the coast of Scotland, as appears by the following ex- 
 tracts from one of the provincial papers of that time. 
 
 "NORTHERN LIGHT-HOUSES. An Act of Par- 
 liament was obtained a few years ago, by some gen* 
 tlemen in Edinburgh, impowering them to erect four 
 Lighthouses on the Northern parts of Great Britain, 
 In consequence of which the Trustees made diligent 
 enquiry into the several modes of erecting lights for the 
 use of mariners, at sea. These enquiries were made 
 not only in this kingdom, but in foreign parts, that 
 their intended erection might be made on the best prin-? 
 ciples. In September, 1786, the then Lord Provost 
 of Edinburgh applied to Mr. Ezekiel Walker of Lynn 
 in Norfolk, for his opinion in the construction of them. 
 Mr. Walker's answer to his lordship's enquiry, and the 
 plan projected in it, gave such general satisfaction to 
 the Trustees, that they unanimously resolved on Qon- 
 structing and lighting them on his principle; and in 
 the spring of 1787, the work was begun accordingly. 
 The first of these lights stands on Kinnarffs Head, [in 
 the county of Aberdeen;] the second on north Randdr 
 
 the phenomenon of the horizontal moon. 11. Description of a ne\v 
 ometarium. 12. On transit instruments. 13. On vision. 14. De- 
 scription of a new optical instrument called a Phantasmascope. 15. Ob 7 
 servations on vision, when objects are seen through a mist. 16. On 
 the power of the eye, by which it is adjusted to see objects distinctly at 
 different distances. 17. On the apparent magnitudes of the same ob. 
 j(-'ct seen under different circumstances. 18. On deal pendulum rods. 
 19. -On the human eye: in which many errors- pf former writers ocj 
 vision are pointed out, and the true theory explained.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 211 
 
 the northernmost of the Orkney Islands; the 
 third on the point of Scalpa in the isle of Herris; 
 and the fourth .on the Mull of Kyniire^ which may 
 be seen in Ireland." : Cumberland Packet of Sept. 
 10. 1788. In the same paper, of Dec. 9. 1789, ap- 
 peared the following passage l( Light-ho2tses. The 
 excellent method of erecting light-houses prescribed by 
 Mr. E. Walker is now sufficiently proved. That it 
 produces a strong light is well known, but that this de- 
 sirable object is attained at a small expence of oil, can 
 ouly come under the inspection of a few; however one 
 argument, even in favour of this is now made public. 
 The Commissioners for erecting four light-bouses on the 
 northern parts of Great Britain obtained another Act the 
 last session of Parliament, authorizing them to erect a 
 Jifth:"For the light-house on the south west point of the 
 Mull of Kyntire is found to be of the greatest importance 
 lo the navigation of ships passing to and from the north 
 channel; but not to ships passing to and from the Firth 
 of Clyde through the south channel. It is for the secu- 
 rity of ships navigating this south channel that the com- 
 rnissionj?rs purpose erecting another light-house on the 
 island of ARRAN, or upon the little island of PLADA, 
 near the same; which is to be done without any in- 
 crease of the duties authorised to be levied by the for- 
 mer act." This act also authorizes the commissioners to 
 jerect other light-houses on the coast of Scotland, when- 
 ever the produce of the present duties on the tonage of 
 
 % It was not till after the erection of these, that the Corporation of 
 the Trinity House had some Light-houses constructed on similar prin- 
 ciples, which are now in use, and well approved.
 
 212 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ships will enable them so to do. This at once justifies 
 the decided opinion of the commissioners in favour of 
 Mr. Walker's projection, and pronounces the most 
 unequivocal encomium on his abilities." 
 
 Being now about to close our remarks on the coun- 
 try about Lynn, it may be here noted, in regard to 
 Marshland and the fenny parts in general, that so little 
 care appears to have been taken there to counteract, or 
 guard against the natural insalubrity of the country, and 
 promote the health of the inhabitants, that not a few of 
 the older dwelling-houses, and particularly those of the 
 Cottagers, and lower classes, have their floors actually 
 underground, or below the surface of the land on the 
 outside. This can be said to furnish but a very indif- 
 ferent sample or specimen of the boasted wisdom of our 
 ancestors. Those of the present generation, however, 
 cannot with much good grace blame them on this oc- 
 casion, while they are themselves at the expence and 
 pains of keeping up and repairing those same unhealth 
 ful dwellings. Our new houses indeed are generally, 
 if not always constructed upon a mucli better plan; and 
 that may be said to be one of the few things in which we 
 appear to exceed our forefathers. In other things 
 \ve certainly fall short of them, and act our parts much 
 worse than they would have done even so much worse, 
 that they would unquestionably have blushed for, and 
 despised us, and that very justly, had they foreseen some 
 of our recent proceedings. 
 
 End of Part I.
 
 HISTORY OF JLYNN. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 <4-<Hg^> 
 
 OF THE ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF LYNN, WITrf 
 A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY FROM ITS FIRST RISE 
 TO THE NoilMAN CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAP. I. Of Lynn while Britain fomed a part of the Roman Empire 
 
 SECTION I. The present town, or borough o 
 of no great antiquity its site not the same with that 
 of the original town the probable site of the latter y 
 and era of its origin. 
 
 What is now called Lynn, Lynn Regis, or the Bo- 
 rough of King's Lynn, is generally considered as a 
 place of no very high antiquity. It arose probably 
 during the Heptarchy, out of the ruins of the old town, 
 though not built on the same spot, and must soon have 
 become a place of no small consideration in the king- 
 dom of the East Angles, as may very reasonab'y be con- 
 cluded, from the convenience of its situation for trade 
 and commerce. We hear not much of it, however till 
 after the conquest, when it presently appears as a place 
 of growing importance,, under the direction and manage-
 
 .HISTORY OF LVNJf. 
 
 ment of its new French masters, the enterprising com* 
 panions and agents of the successful Norman ad venturer $, 
 the Bonaparte of the eleventh century. 
 
 But though no traces can be discovered of the exist- 
 ance of a town on the eastern side of the river, prior to 
 the time of the heptarchy, it is more than probable, that 
 there was a town on the opposite, or western side, long 
 anterior to that period. That town has not yet entirely 
 disappeared. It may still be recognized in the little vil- 
 lage called Old Lynn ; a name which plainly indicates, 
 that the original town must have stood there. It is 
 well known that the town on the eastern side was form- 
 erly called New Lynn, or rather Nets LEN, and that 
 the other was then distinguished from it by the name of 
 Old Len. No good reason can be assigned for this, but 
 that the latter was the original town, known by the name 
 of Len long before the other had any existence. The 
 attempt made by Spelman, Parkin, and others to elude 
 this conclusion 4s weak and frivolous. It does not ap- 
 pear that there ever has been any period, since the east- 
 ern, or modern town existed, when the inhabitants did 
 not apply the name of Old Len, or Old Lynn to the 
 other. There can therefore be no manner of doubt, 
 but that it is to this same old Lynn we are to look for the 
 site of the ancient and original town. It is probable, 
 indeed, that that town might extend much nigher to 
 the spot, now occupied by the present town, than what 
 the village of Old Lynn now does, as the bed of the 
 river was formerly very narrow, compared with what 
 it is at present; and the waters are allowed to have made
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 considerable encroachments on the western shore. W hen, 
 and by whom the original town was founded, as well 
 as, what may be the true etymology, or real meaning of 
 its name, are points that are involved in no small obscu- 
 rity, and cannot, therefore, be very easily and clearly 
 settled, of ascertained. It seems, however, highly 
 probable, if not certain, as shall be shewn by and by, 
 that it took its name from its marshy situation, and w~as 
 Founded by the Romans, at the time when they under- 
 took to drain the fen-country, and rescue Marshland, by 
 strong embankments, from the power and ravages of the 
 ocean. It may also pretty safely be concluded, that 
 this must have taken place within the first century of the 
 Christian era, and probably in the reign of Nero,, if 
 not in that of Claudius. * The foundation of Lynn may 
 therefore be considered as coeval with the first introduc- 
 tion of Christianity into this island 5 which was nearly 
 if not quite 1750 years ago : and though this fixes the 
 origin of Lynn at a pretty remote period, and much 
 beyond what has hitherto been supposed, yet it seemi 
 to be supported by no small degree of probability, 
 
 2 D 
 
 * Cafus Deciiinut, as \Vas observed before, Was the Roman Procura- 
 tor over the province of the Iceni in the reign of Claudius, and perhaps 
 in that of Nero ; and seems to have been, not only the chief cause of 
 Boadicea's revolt, by his brutal treatment of her and her daughters^ 
 but also the principal director of the canals, embankments and 
 other works and improvements then carried. OQ in 4Jid about the feus*-* 
 See above, Parti, Chap. 2, Section 1,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION II. A short digression relating to thejirst 
 Introduction of Christianity into Britain Bard ism, 
 
 
 Playing, at the close of (he preceding section, sug- 
 
 gested an opinion that the origin of Lynn was coeval 
 with the first Introduction of Christianity into this coun- 
 try, it will not, it is presumed, be any way improper, 
 or.unacceptable to the reader to offer here a few obser- 
 vations toward ascertaining the time when the last men- 
 tioned event took place, especially a all our English 
 writers and antiquaries have left the matter very much 
 in the dark. 
 
 S) a writer of the- sixth century, and the most 
 ancient of all our British historians, states that the Gos- 
 pel began to be published here about the time of the me- 
 morable revolt and overthrow of the Britons under Bo- 
 adicea," which happened in the year 60 or 61, and was 
 followed by a long interval of peace, which could not 
 fail of proving favourable to the introduction of the new 
 religion and the general success of its publishers. Speak- 
 ing of the said revolt, together with its disastrous ter- 
 mination and consequences^ Gildas adds, "In the mean 
 time, Christ, the true Sun, afforded his rays, that is, 
 the knowledge of h is precepts, to this Island, benumbed 
 with extreme cold, having been at a great distance from 
 
 the sun; not ihe sun in the firmament, but the eternal 
 
 t ., i ( H^jtf o?;J o(g(iMMJi&6 .-'owylltt fc.-Uf.i 
 
 sun in heaven. 
 
 This account, givep by Gildas, is remarkably corro- 
 borated by ihe Triads of the Isle of Britain, which are 
 ancient British documents of undoubted credit, though
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 217' 
 
 but little inown. * From them we learn that the .famous 
 Caradoc, or Caractacus^ having been overthrown in the 
 war, and afterwards basely betrayed and delivered up 
 to the Romans, by Aregwedd Foeddig (the Cartis- 
 mandua of Roman authors) was, together with his 
 father Bran, (or Brennus) and whole family, carried 
 captive to Rome, about the year 52, where they were 
 detained seven years, or more. At that time Rome en- 
 joyed the preaching of the gospel, and Bran with others 
 of the family became converts to the Christian religion. 
 After the expiration of their captivity, they returned 
 home, and were the means of introducing the know- 
 ledge of Christ among their countrymen: on which ac- 
 count, Bran is called, one of the three holy sovereigns, 
 and his family, one of the three holy lineages of Britain. 
 The Triads also have preserved the names of three of 
 the primitive Christians who accompanied Braji on his 
 return to this country, and who were probably the very 
 first Christian ministers that ever set foot on this island : 
 one was an Israelite of the name of Hid; of the other 
 two, one was called Ci/ndav, and the other Arwj/stli 
 Hen^ or Arwystli the aged, t This account is very cuf 
 rious, and, in all probability, authentic. 
 
 2 D 2 
 
 
 
 * "The Triads of thf. Lie of fritain, are some of the most curious and 
 yaluable fragments preserved in the Welsh language. They relate to 
 persons and events, from the earliest times to the beginning of the so- 
 veruh century." Owen's preface to the Works oiLly-warch Hen. 
 
 \ Supposed to be the Aristsbulus of the New Testament. 
 
 ^ See British Archwology, lately published: Also Owen's Cam- 
 brian Biography.
 
 518 , HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 When Bran returned to his native country, it has 
 been understood that some of his family staid behind 
 and settled at Rome. Of them Claudia, mentioned, 
 along with Pudens and Linus, in the second Epistle to 
 Timothy, is supposed to be one, and the very same 
 with Claudia the wife Pudens, mentioned by the poet 
 Martial, who lived in those times, and who celebrates 
 her, in his Epigrams, as a Briton of extraordinary 
 beauty, wit, and virtue. To this it has indeed been ob- 
 jected, that Martial, living in the reign of Trajan, can- 
 not be supposed to speak of Paul's Claudia, w ho flour- 
 ished in the reigns of Claudius and Nero-. But it might 
 be urged in reply, that though he lived in Trajan's 
 reign, he lived also, and resided at Rome, in the reign 
 of Vespasian, if not in that of Nero; and the Epigrams 
 in which he mentions Claudia might be written in hi* 
 younger years, when she was in the prime and bloom of 
 life. Some have made her to be the daughter of Ca-> 
 ractacus, which seems not at all unlikely. Pomponia 
 GrcBcina, the wife of Aulus Plautius, Claudius' Lieu- 
 tenant, and the first Roman Governor here, has also 
 been thought a Briton and a Christian, and one of the 
 earliest British Christians. Tacitus- speaks of her as an 
 illustrious lady, but accused for having embraced a 
 strange and foreign superstition', % and though he says 
 she was acquitted, as to any thing immoral, yet he re- 
 presents her as leading ever after a gloomy and melan- 
 choly kind of life: all which will strictly coincide with 
 the idea of her being a Christian. Tacitus could conceive 
 er express himself no otherwise of a person dissenting 
 
 ' \ "fytt-"-<&tl'.Fi,--*4i 
 
 J nnal. 1. 13. C. 22.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 from his own pagan tenets, or of a religion disallowed 
 by the Roman law, which was with him the standard of 
 truth, rectitude, and orthodoxy. The above accusation 
 and trial of Pomponia Graecina took place, it seems, 
 while Nero and Calphurnus Pisa were Consuls, and af- 
 ter Paul had come to Rome the first time, and therefore 
 she may not unreasonably be supposed one of his con" 
 verts. 
 
 Other authorities render it highly probable, that som 
 of those captives had embraced Christianity during their 
 residence at Rome; but ike Triads 3 above-mentioned, 
 may be said to settle the point, and reduce the matter to 
 a certainty. They were documents formed on purpose 
 to preserve and perpetuate the memory of remarkable 
 and interesting events; of which sort may justly be con- 
 sidered, the conversion of Bran and family, and their 
 introducing Christianity into this island. There is eve- 
 ry reason to conclude, that 'the religion of the first Brit- 
 ish Christians was venerably simple, pure, and perfect, 
 like what appears in the New Testament, and very 
 widely different from that of the men of the present 
 generation. But this subject we will now drop, and 
 resume the thread of the narrative. * 
 
 * Before the introduction of Christianity., the prevailing and estab- 
 lished religion of Britain and of Gaul, was Bardism, or Druidism, as it 
 is more commonly called, of which very different accounts have been 
 given, by different authors. According to our best informed antiquaries 
 and most competent judges, it was of very remote if not of patriarchal 
 origin, and exhibited for no short period a most strikingly rational and" 
 venerable appearance. It taught the existence, unity, spirituality, and 
 benevolence of the Supreme Being , also the doctrine of a future state, 
 of providence, and the immortality of the soul : but it taught withal 
 the transmigration of the soul, and even the final salvation of the whole 
 human race,with other tenets equally grating to an orthodox ear. Jts 
 fundamental object and principle were a diligent search after truth,
 
 220 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION III. The ancient history of Lynn continued 
 the town supposed to have been founded by a colony of 
 foreigners, introduced by the Romans etymology of 
 its name mistakes of Camden, Spelman, Sfc. pointed 
 
 out. 
 
 ~ 
 
 The great project formed by the Romans of embank- 
 ing, draining, and improving these fens and marshes , 
 is said to have been executed by a foreign colony, * 
 
 and a rigid adherence to justice and peace. The religious Function- 
 aries never bore arms, nor engaged in any party disputes. They 
 yvere employed as heralds in war, and so sacred were their per- 
 sons considered, in the office of mediators, that they passed uu - 
 molested through hostile countries, and even appeared in the 
 midst of battle, to arrest the arm of slaughter, while they extcuted 
 their missions. So far they appear singularly dignified and respectable ; 
 but this did not always continue like the priests of other professions, 
 they, in time, departed from their original principles, and introduced 
 various degrading changes, especially among the Gauls. In Britain the 
 system was preserved in greater purity : hence the first families of Gaul 
 sent their children hither for education, as Cesar testifies. 
 
 We have often heard Druidism represented as a monstrous and shock- 
 ing system : but if it was so, it must have been in its corrupt, and not 
 in its original state. Even Christianity itself, in a corrupt state, be- 
 . comes an object equally monstrous and shocking ; but that can furnish 
 no argument against genuine Christianity, or the religion of the New 
 Testament. As to the human victims which the Druids are said to have 
 offered, they were, it seems, chiefly malefactors : in that view we 
 may be said to have our human victims too, and that in far greater 
 numbers probably, than those of the Druids. Our executions are very 
 frequent, and the victims we thus offer up are more numerous than in 
 any other country we know of. These victims we offer up to law and 
 justice, but they are very few compared with the myriads upon myriads 
 we have offered on the altar of injustice, persecution, ambition, and folly. 
 
 * Badeslade, . 3. page 15 Colonizing was an essential branch of 
 
 the Roman policy in conquered countries, and it is likely that such an 
 important undertaking as that of recovering and improving these fer- 
 tile parts, would be by them committed to colonists, such as they might 
 introduce from Belgium, who must from their habits and employ- 
 ment at home, be peculiarly fitted for the tas.k Circumstances also 
 lead us to think, that the work was begun here, which being nighcst 
 the inhabited parts, seems to have been the rivcht end, where common 
 sense would dictate that it should commence.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 brought over and settled here for that purpose, but, 
 without doubt, powerfully assisted by the natives. 
 This colony is presumed to have been of Batavian or 
 Belgic origin; for where could the Romans -have found 
 a people so fit for their purpose as among- the inhabitants 
 of a country that so much resembles this, and who must 
 have been, while at home, habituated to the work in 
 which they were here to be employed ? The vicinity of 
 those countries to this, and their then subjection to the 
 Romans, may be considered as further corroborating this 
 opinion. From the exposed situation of Marshland, 
 and its lying next to the inhabited part of the country, 
 it may very reasonably be supposed, that these colonists 
 would begin their work there, and even on its eastern 
 side, about where Lynn now stands : and as they would 
 immediately want habitations, it is very natural to con- 
 clude, that the < own of Old Len, or Lynn, was built 
 for, or by them, and that they were the very people 
 that gave it its name. These conclusions appear re- 
 markably countenanced and supported by that very 
 name itself; for LEN, in the Celtic (or Belgio-celtic) 
 dialect, or language, is said to signify a /e, Morass, 
 or Marsh, t LEN, therefore, as they applied, or used 
 the word here, might mean a town by a morass, the 
 town in the marsh, or the chief town and mother town 
 of Marshland and the Fens. This seems to be, by far, 
 the most tenable and satisfactory explanation of the name 
 of this ancient town, that has ever yet been offered op 
 suggested. 
 
 t Salen. Village au bord d'un Marais. Sal, bord; Len, maraif, 
 Mv!Ut t Memohti S*r la iangut Cdtique, Tom. 1. p. 136.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNrf. 
 
 Camden derives the name of Lynn from the Bfitish 
 word Lf-t/n, which signifies a lake\ but circumstances 
 do not at all support that idea. There was anciently 
 at Lynn no very large collections of waters :- its very 
 river was inconsiderable, consisting only of the water 
 of the Little Ouse, and the Wisscy, together with that 
 of the Nar, or Setch river, formerly called Len, and 
 sometimes Sandringham Ea. $ The very harbour also, 
 for many ages, was remarkably narrow. As to the wa- 
 ters below, in the roads, it is very unlikely that the 1 
 Britons should call them Lli/n^ (i.e. Lake,) a name which 
 they never appear to have given to similar collections 
 of water: but if we were to admit, that they actually 
 gave that name to these waters, still it would seem ex- 
 ceedingly improbable, that this place should derive its 
 name from thence, any more than Rising, or other 
 towns that are situated near to the like estuaries, or 
 arms of the sea. Spclman's conjectures on this point 
 are weaker and more untenable still. He would have 
 the name to be derived from the Saxon Lcen, or Lean, 
 signifying, as he says, a farm, or tenure in fee; but 
 which sense, according to Hicks., is unusual : nor is it 
 likely, as Gough has observed, that this tenure should 
 be more particularized here than elsewhere. * Equally 
 futile is what he further advances, "that Len is Saxon 
 for church-land; whence Ter Lien, in Welsh, is 
 church-land:" which is most strangely confounding 
 those two languages, as if the one had sprung from the 
 other. Nor is it strictly true, that Ter lien in welsh 
 
 | Ey, is also said to have been another of its names. 
 * See Cough's Edition of Camden's Britannia,
 
 ftlSTOilY OF LYNfr. 223 
 
 means church-land, or even that there is such a welsh 
 word in being. Tit Han might, indeed, have such a 
 meaning} but it does not seem to be ever used Jn that 
 sense. Ll&i or Lleen, in that language 1 , means literature, 
 ahd not church ; and as ah adjective, it means literary, 
 scholastic, or clerical', whence g&i/r Hen, or Ween, sig- 
 nifies the clergy, as gwyr lleyg, or afeygtonoQes the 
 laity. But all this can make nothing for SpelmanY 
 point, arid it must, of course, fall to the ground. That 
 Lynn ever went by the name Maideriburg, from saint 
 Margaret the virgin, seems to be another of the idle 
 whimsies of dreaming antiquarians. Of all such 
 dreamers hone perhaps ever exceeded Parkin, the conti- 
 nuator of Blomefield the Norfolk historian- whenever 
 he is at a loss for the etymology of the pahie of any 
 town Or village, he generally refers to the British, and 
 pretends to explain it accordingly. Never is he more 
 ready or flippant than when speaking of the signification 
 of British words; of which, at the same time, he kne_w 
 ijothingatall. 
 
 
 SECTION IV. Lynn the mother-town of the Fens fur~ 
 ther account of its supposed founders and original inha- 
 bitants remarkable works executed by them great im- 
 provers of the country the account continued to the 
 extinction of the Roman powers 
 
 Lynn, as has been already suggested, was, in all 
 probability, the very first town built by the ab'>ve men- 
 tioned colonists, and so the mother town of that exteu-'
 
 HISTORY OF LYXX. 
 
 \ 
 
 sive country, which they were the means of recovering, 
 improving, and securing from the annoyance of the salt 
 and stagnant waters: Being their original dwelling 
 place, it may naturally be supposed, that it would con- 
 tinue afterward to be their principal habitation or settle- 
 ment, although in the progress of their work, and as 
 they advanced further on, other dwellings and villages 
 would of course be constructed and inhabited. Consi- 
 dering these people as originally from Belgium or Bata- 
 via, than which nothing is more likely, it may from 
 thence be inferred, that the intercourse between Lynn 
 and the, Low Pountries must have been of very early 
 origin. Some connection or traffick between these colo- 
 nists and their mother country may fairly be supposed 
 to have commenced from their very first settlement here: 
 so that the trade and intercourse between Lynn and the 
 Netherlands may be concluded to be now of above seven- 
 teen hundred years standing. 
 
 ' Q . ; . ' - . . ' . 
 
 '>;!))/; . t :J'>'ar '."> :,'="'.; if^ilhP'iO 
 Those industrious colonists seem not to have, in 
 
 the least, disappointed the hopes or expectations of their 
 employers. They appear to have carried on and exe- 
 cuted the work with great diligence, skill, and success. 
 It is probable, as before hinted, that they began on the 
 eastern side of Marshland, (that being nighcst the habi- 
 table or inhabited part of the country, and where also 
 their first town or settlement would naturally be erected.), 
 and from thence extended their labours to Wisbeach, 
 and so on to the Marshes of Holland, in Lincolnshire, 
 and other parts of the country which tht?y were to reco- 
 ter and improve. The Banks which they constructed 
 
 A3 TTTTW .ID r "'-"''
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 25 
 
 in their progress were large, high, and firm, and such 
 as effectually secured the country from the incursion 
 and depredation of the sea. They are still known, in 
 most places, and even on the eastern side of the Ouse 
 and in the vicinity of Lynn, by the name of the Roman 
 Banks. Nor does it appear that they were less judicious 
 or successful in their attempts to drain and improve the 
 parts which .they had so well and effectually rescued 
 from the Ocean's destructive power; for by accounts 
 handed dowu from ancient writers, it would seem that 
 the country whilhin their banks, at least a great part 
 of it, was soon brought to an admirable state of cultiva- 
 tion, improvement, and fertility, like another paradise, 
 nd remained so for many ages. * 
 
 Even roads, of considerable length and width, appear 
 to have been made by the same people in this new re- 
 covered and marshy country, constructed of gravel of 
 no small depth and breadth, and formed in a most mas- 
 terly manner: of which that leading from Denver to 
 Peterborough) or rather, perhaps, to Castor, or Cais- 
 ter in Northamptonshire, is a most remarkable, and 
 very striking instance. This road, according to Dug- 
 dale (as has been already observed in the Introduction) 
 was composed of gravel, three feet deep, and sixty 
 wide : at present, it is said to be covered with a moor- 
 ish soil, from three to five feet thick. The constructing 
 of such a road, and carrying it for so many miles, 
 tli rough a country almost totally destitute 'of gravely 
 stone, or any other materials proper for road-making, 
 2 E 2 
 
 * Henry of Huntingdon, William of Malmsbury, Dugdale, &c.
 
 226 HISTORY OF 
 
 which must therefore have been procured from a vast 
 distance, and with immense labour and difficulty, must 
 have been a very extraordinary and stupendous achieve- 
 ment. In comparison with which, how puny are the 
 efforts and performances of our modern adventurers, or 
 commissioners of roads, in this flat country ! A proof of 
 this we have in the great Turnpike Road that leads from 
 St. German's to Wisbeacti y where attempts have been 
 making now for some years to cover it with gravel, but 
 hitherto with no very great effect. At any rate, it must 
 appear, that those ancient Colonists, introduced by the 
 Romans, for the x purpose of recovering and improving 
 this great fen-country, were eminently qualified for the 
 work in which they were employed,, and ought to be still 
 held in grateful remembrance by the good people of Eng- 
 land, especially those of Marshland and the Fens, and 
 esteemed among their very best benefactors. The meri$ 
 of those works and improvements, however, should not 
 be all ascribed, tq them; the Romany who introduced, 
 employed, and maintained them, and who projected the 
 undertaking, should be allowed some share of it. Noj 
 are the natives 9 or Britons, whq laboriously, power- 
 fully, and effectually assisted in carrying on those works 
 and improvements, to be entirely overlooked or forgot- 
 ten on this occasion, The latter are said to have borne 
 so large a share in thosp laborious, undertakings, as to 
 occasion wry serious coniplaints.and remonstrances frorn. 
 some of their .country men to, and against the Romans, as 
 having cruejjy exhausted their strength., bj the exces- 
 sive hardships and fatigues they had been obliged to un- 
 dergo in that service, . Nor is4his at all -incredible^ for
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 the Romans are known to have been often very unfeel- 
 ing-, severe, and cruel task- masters to the nations they 
 had subdued. If the country was improved it was al-? 
 ways at the expense of the sweat and treasure, and not 
 unfrequently of the groans ami lives of its inhabitants. 
 
 The improvements begun in and about the fens, as 
 well as in other parts of the. country, were probably in. 
 some measure attended to during the whole continuance 
 pf the Roman power in this island. On the decline of 
 that power ; and especially after the departure of the 
 Roman legions, there is reason to believe that they were 
 neglected and relinquished, The grievous and cala- 
 mitous scenes which then ensued, would leave riq 
 room or opportunity for such pursuits as could be attend- 
 ed to only in, the happy seasons ot internal tranquil- 
 
 Although we have considered the original inhabitants 
 of Lynn, Marshland; and the Fens, as consisting for 
 the most part of colonists from the continent, we are 
 probably not warranted to conclude, that they were 
 in fact, a Roman Colony, or invested with the rights 
 and immunities of Roman citizens. It may, however', 
 t>e very reasonably supposed, that they were favoured 
 with some particular privileges, to which, indeed, they 
 appear to have been Very justly entitled. But whate- 
 ver they might be, it is not likely that they enjoyed them 
 for any great length of time after the dissolution of the 
 Roman government here; the country then soon fell a 
 prey to foreign and merciless invaders, and every thing 
 was involved in universal confusion and ruin.
 
 228 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 On the immediate consequences of the abdication of the country by 
 the Romans, and the probable fate of Lynn. 
 
 SECTION I. Character of the Anglo-Saxons, with 
 general observations on the invasion and conquest of this 
 country .by theni) and their barbarous treatmeni of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 jp , i 
 
 The Saxons, who soon succeeded the Romans in the 
 
 possession of this country, were never very remarkable 
 for forming and encouraging projects of improvement, 
 or for cultivating the arts of peace, They were, indeed 
 a very different sort of people from the others, and 
 possessed all their bad qualities without any of their 
 good ones. They had long been distinguished as a 
 fierce and lawless race, a nation of pirates, and free- 
 booters, like the modern Algicrines, whose chief de- 
 light consisted in predatory expeditions, and all man- 
 ner of acts of violence and brutality, which passed with 
 them for national virtue, patriotism, arid military glory, 
 
 ,* j{I:.KIi{> )VO. II. ' 
 
 Long before they had effected any settlement in Bri- 
 tain, they used to make frequent descents upon the
 
 HISTOflY OF LYNN. 229 
 
 coast, particularly that of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. 
 To guard against which, the Romans not only kept a 
 fleet cruising in these seas, but also built a chain of 
 forts in the most convenient places, which they had well 
 garrisoned. These forts were nine in number, and ex- 
 tended from Brancaster to Yarmouth, and thence down 
 a considerable way along the coast; and (as was before 
 observed) the troops here stationed, a good part of 
 which consisted of cavalry, were under the command of 
 an officer called, The Count of the Saxon shore. This 
 provision, or precaution, however, proved, too often, 
 but a very imperfect security against the sudden inroads 
 of those ancient and daring marauders. * 
 
 * The Saxons, as before hinted, were long distinguished from other 
 nations for their piratical propensities, and predatory adventures, as 
 well as for the success that generally attended their favourite operations. 
 It was no yonder, therefore, if their neighbours would by degrees be- 
 come attached to similar pursuits: and that it did so happen is unde- 
 niable. "In the ninth century (says a respectable historian) it was an 
 established custom in the North, that all the tins of kings except the 
 eldest, should be furnished with ships properly equipped, In order to 
 carry on the dangerous, but not dishonourable profession of piracy.', 
 So reputable was the pursuit, that parents were even anxious to compel 
 their children into that desperate and detestable occupation. By an 
 extraordinary enthusiasm for which, they would not suffer their chil- 
 dren to inherit the wealth which they had gained by it. It was their 
 practice to command their gold, silver, and other property to be buried 
 with them, [see Turner's History of the Anglo Saxons, and Edinburgh 
 Review No. 6. p. 3G8] Here it may not be improper to observe, that 
 what determined the Saxons to piratical enterprizes was a most daring, 
 singular, and memorable atchievement of a numerous body of their neigh- 
 bours and allies the Francs, whom the emperor Probus had transported 
 from their own country, on the borders of the Rhine, to the distant shores 
 of the Euxine, with a view of weakening the strength of that warlike 
 nation, which was so very formidable to the neighbouring Roman pro- 
 vinces. These exiles, though removed to a country not inferior to their 
 own, could not bear the idea of seeing their native land no more. There 
 is what may be called a law of nature, which attaches us to the region 
 where we first drew our breath, or spent our childish and youthful
 
 230 HlStORY O* 
 
 Of all the nations of the north, the Saxons appear id 
 have been the most barbarous and most sanguinary. The 1 
 Francs, who conquered Gaul, ^vgre a civilized people- 
 days, and which makes it often most painiui'to think of being for ever 
 separated from it. So it seerris to have been with those exiled Prunes. 
 Unable n bear the thought of a perpetual separation from their kin- 
 dretl and native country, they seized the earliest opportunity of aban- 
 doning Iheir appointed settlement, and regai'.ing what appeared to 
 them the sweetest blessings of hie. "They possessed themselves of 
 manyships, and formed the astonishing plan of sailing back to the Rhine. 
 Who were their pilots, or how they conceived, in their untutored 
 jniuds, i he possibility of a prefect so ii.tricate^aad, for such barbarians^ 
 so subnnfe, has not been revealed to us. .Its novelty and magnanimity 
 ensured >.t success They, ravaged Asia and Greece; not for safety 
 merely, but revenge and plunder \fere alsa thfcir objects. Landing in 
 Sicily, they attacked and rav.iged Syracuse, with great slaughter. They 
 carried their triumphant hostility to seve.al districts o! Africa, and sail- 
 ing adventurously to Europe, they concluded their insulting and prfcg- 
 perous voyage by reaching in safety their native shores. "-< This amaz- 
 ing enterprise discovered to them and their 'neighbours, that from the 
 Roman colonies a rich harvest of spoil might be gleaned by those who 
 would seek for it at sea. They Had de6lated every province almost 
 vith impunity; they had plunder to display, which must have fired the 
 avarice of every needy spectator; they had acquired skill, which they 
 who joined them might soon inherit; and perhaps the same adventurers, 
 embarking again with new followers, evinced By fresh booty the prac- 
 ticability of similar attempts." The Saxons, then inhabiting the 
 
 parts about the Elbe and Heligoland, are supposed to be among the 
 first to emulate the exploits of the returned exiles. Thus originated 
 that system of piracy by which the northern nations were so long dis- 
 tinguished, and for which the Saxons were for many ages deservedly 
 infamous. They became by degrees so powerful and formidible by sea, 
 like the modern English, that sofat of the competitors for the Roman 
 imperial dignity actually Formed alliances with them, in order to insure 
 theif own success. Like ourselves, arid perhaps with equal justice, they 
 eemedtoaim at the sovereignty of the ocean: hut among a.11 their 
 deeds of infamy, it is doubtful if any one fof theni ever exceeded in 
 baseness and atrocity our own late memorable expedition to Copenhagen* 
 though conducted by such as made pretension even to piety and evan- 
 gelism, which indeed but rendered it the more detestable. Iri 
 rain we look to Algiers and Tunis for more flagitious or fouler deeds. 
 [See Hellfr'itfi, Outline, of a Political survey of the English Attack on Den- 
 mark. .and for an account of the expedition of the Francs, and the 
 Saxon and northern piracies, see Turner, as before ]
 
 HISTORY OF LYNtf, 231 
 
 compared with them. Of the use of letters they were 
 totally ignorant. All knowledge that had not some affi- 
 nity with piracy, or tendency to improve their system 
 of rapine and devastation, was by them held in the ut- 
 most contempt and abhorence. Gildas, who was born 
 -but a few years after their arrival in this cotmtry, de- 
 scribes them as a most fierce and detestable people, a a 
 nation odious both to God and man." They were in- 
 vited here to assist the inhabitants in opposing the incur- 
 sions of the Picts and Scots; but they soon turned their 
 arms against their infatuated employers, and convert- 
 ed the war into a system of extermination] 
 w\ J-tii yrfl Y"tf / i * lw W hM; VHt>i.,e sr.vijj fc 
 Their, country men on the continent. long retained the 
 
 original character of their nation* During many age,s 
 they continued preeminent for their bloodthirsty dispo- 
 sition and savage manners, Charlemagne subdued, them, 
 after a thirty years war, and forced them to become. con- 
 verts to his Christianity, and submit to baptism ; bi|t 
 their ferocity h,e did not subdue, nor had their conver- 
 sion any effect towards humanizing them. They were, 
 however, called Christians: which was like calling evil, 
 good, or Satan, an angel of light. These Saxon chris- 
 tians, in the twelfth century, quarrelled with the Venedi, 
 a neighbouring nation, because they objected against 
 embracing their Christianity, and refused to renounce 
 
 >"Wl S 1 ' . V.VJV ,.'!. ^ 
 
 their own paganism, which they seemed to prefer, for 
 its cheapness. The former they found to be an institu- 
 tion attended with an expence which they coukl but ill 
 support. Bishoprics were to be erected, with large reve- 
 2 F 
 
 '. t Gildas Epistle. ixiii.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 nues, Monastaries to be endowed, and an annual tribute, 
 under the name of tithes, to be paid by the whole conn- 
 try. Against this the Venedi remonstrated, to Ber- 
 nard Duke of Saxony, the Christian champion. They 
 protested that they were very poor, and unable to bear 
 any heavy burden, such as. providing for the mainte- 
 nance of priests, and especially for the dignity and pa- 
 rade of mitred prelates ; that they were fully determined 
 to suffer any extremity, even to abandon their country 
 and state, rather than submit to so tyrannical an op- 
 pression. This firm opposition of theirs to the will of 
 the Christian potentate, or rather the Saxon tyrant, in- 
 volved them in a long and bloody war, the final issu 
 of which was, their utter extirpation, by Henry Duke 
 of Saxony, surnamed the Lion, the great champion of 
 the church on that occasion. The cruelty with which 
 he disgraced his victory, was horrible. Few revolu- 
 tions in history were attended with such circumstances of 
 barbarity, or proved so destructive to the ancient inha- 
 bitants. * Even Charlemagne, after he had subdued the 
 Saxons, by a long and bloody war, did not attempt to 
 destroy their whole race, but only transplanted a part, 
 and the remainder he endeavoured to reconcile to his 
 empire by the establishment of his Christianity. But the 
 
 * Henry the Lion, the prime actor in these brutal proceedings, was 
 another time affronted by the inhabitants of Bardf.wic, one of the largest 
 cities of Germany, for which he stormed it, and, except nine churches. 
 left not one stone on another. No wonder that he is said to hare been 
 universally dreaded. He afterward quarrelled with the emperor Frede- 
 rk Barbarossa, but there he was overmatched, and expelled from Ger- 
 many. He then took refuge with his wife Matilda, at the court of our 
 Henry 11, his fathcr-in-Jaw. He was afterward restored to his heredi- 
 tary domains only, Brunswick and Lunenburgh, to which august 
 and illustrious house he belonged. [Nugent Petit Andrews.]
 
 HISTORY OP LY\iV. 233 
 
 Saxons, by far more cruel than the Francs, were of all 
 conquerors the most destructive, extending the utmost 
 rigour of the sword against those who dared to contend 
 with them for 'liberty or empire. "In the same feroci- 
 ous manner, (says the historian) their ancestors some 
 centuries before had behaved in Britain, where they ei- 
 ther massacred or expelled the greatest part of the na- 
 tives, who had invited them over to their assistance. 
 jVone of the other najjoM -that overran the Roman Em- 
 pire behaved with such cruelty" to the conquered inha- 
 
 * r 
 
 bitarrts, or were inflamed witli such rancour and animo- 
 sity, as to attempt to convert those provinces into deserts. 
 The Goths, the Burgandians, the Lombards, instead 
 of massacring the Romans in cold blood, and endea- 
 vouring to extirpate their whole race, enacted very just 
 laws in favour of those people, in consequence of which 
 the Romans and those fierce barbarians, their conquer- 
 orS) were considered in the same light as fellow citizens. 
 Tkeodorick king of Italy, a Gothic prince, upon sending 
 an army into Gaul, makes use of these words to his ge- 
 neral, which deserve to be inscribed on pillars of brass, 
 "Let other kings delight in the plunder and devastation 
 of the towns they have subdued ; we are desirous to con- 
 quer in such a manner, that our new subjects shall la- 
 ment their having fallen too late under our government." 
 * How much happier had it been for the Britons to have- 
 been invaded by Theodorick than by the Saxons ! 
 
 From the above account of the character of the ancient 
 2 F 2 
 
 * See NugetU's Hist. ofVandalia: also Monthly Reyiew *3. 1T4.
 
 234; HisiORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Saxons, one may be enabled to form a pretty just, but 
 shocking idea of the miseries in which they involved the 
 wretched inhabitants of this country, and those of Lynn 
 and jis vicinity among the rest. The exterminating 
 war .wJuch they, here waged, and the horrid devas- 
 tation which attended thuir successful progress, have 
 been recorded by Gildas, who himself lived at that event- 
 ful period, and must have been an eye-witness to no 
 small portion -of'the direfulaQVlpts which he describes. 
 Nothing can exceed the tragical description he gives of 
 the diabolical and destructive opeisttions of those brutal, 
 invaders. He represents the whole country, and espe- 
 cially the western parts, near to which he chiefly resided, 
 as entirely laid waste with fire and sword, and the in- 
 habitants massacred whereever they could be found. 
 Of the wretched remnant, some fled to foreign countries, 
 others retired to the mountains, or hid themselves in de-. 
 serts and fastnesses, where, however, they could not 
 long remain: drawn forth by the pressing callsof hunger 
 and famine, multitudes were forced to sutrender to the 
 merciless foe, beggirig that their lives might be spared, 
 on the abject and miserable condition of submitting to 
 perpetual slavery. Even of these not a few appear to 
 have been instantly consigned to destruction. + Others, 
 however, were spared ; arid from them, in all probabi- 
 lity;, sprung the Sera, or slaves, with which the coun- 
 try abounded for many ages after* J Some of the wretch* 
 
 t Gildas, as before, xxtv, xxv. 
 
 t They are mentioned in Domesday, and by many of our topogra- 
 phical writers, without attempting to account for their origin. Their 
 condition seemed as abject as that of our modern West India NegroeY.
 
 ed inhabitants were so fortunate as to make their escape 
 to their countrymen, either in Wales, or in Devon and> 
 Cornwal, or else in Cumberland and the northern parts, 
 where they made a noble stand, and long maintained 
 their liberty and independence. 
 
 ,-vi--i !' >i ..otein !):*iT:*fbtti.i-.*i*i9'io iotli bus 
 
 i . - 
 
 v/u$- ' 
 
 ;-<JiX; '/:*;:; <Iu/."T'.t'.'i. .*.')**' Ml fisjii ! 
 
 SECTION II. Of the ANGLES, /row whom England, and 
 the English language derive their names they seize on 
 the 2*)arts about Lynn, and the whole province of the 
 ancient ICENI, which receives the denomination of East 
 Anglia, and forms one of the kingdoms of the heptarchy 
 revival of Lynn in the mean time with remarks ott ; 
 the adjacent country. 
 
 Those Saxon conquerors of our island consisted of dif- 
 ferent clans, of tribes, one of which went by. the name 
 of Angles; and though they are not generally supposed 
 to have composed the principal or most numerous part 
 of the invaders, yet it so happened, that the whole of 
 the conquered country and also the language of its* 
 new inhabitants took their names from them. They took' 
 
 possession of the ancient country, or province of thte' 
 
 .!-. 1 4 
 
 We seldom hear of them after the bloody contest between the rival 
 houses of York and Lancaster, -which proved to them, it seems, a most 
 beneficial contest, as it occasioned their emancipation,, in order the 
 more easily to recruit the contending armies. As the lustofHenr,/ 
 V11I. proved favourable to the success of the reformation, so the ambi- 
 tion of those rival houses, proved, it secras, no less so to the 
 tnisiion of these poor slaves.' ,n- -i fio *.>
 
 236 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 Iceni, and there founded the kingdom of East Anglia, 
 or of the East Angles, comprehending the present coun- 
 ties of Norfolk. Suffolk, Cambridge, and Huntingdon, 
 which made some figure among its sister kingdoms in 
 the time of the Heptarchy. The kingdom of Merc ia 
 and that of Northumberland also, it seems, were inha- 
 bited by the same people. 
 
 Of Lynn, during that dark and disastrous period, no 
 account has been preserved. It was probably destroyed 
 by those merciless invaders, during their long and bloody 
 contest with the ill fated natives, along with many other 
 towns, all over the country, which certainly met the 
 same fate. * At what time it revived, or rose again in* 
 to existence, is no where recorded. But from the con 
 venience and advantage of its situation it may be sup- 
 posed to have done so pretty soon after the government 
 of the East- Angles had assumed a settled form, and ac- 
 quired a competent or tolerable shave of stability. That 
 it existed under the East-Anglian kings, seems a very 
 natural and credible supposition; but whether it stood 
 then on the western side only, pr on both, sides of the 
 river, cannot now lie ascertained. Under the Saxon 
 princes tljat succeeded the dissolution of the Hcplarchy, 
 it is well knovn to have extended to the eastern shore 
 oi the river; and it is then, most probably, that we are 
 to date the origin of the present tpwn or borough of 
 
 * That this country, ip. the time of tUc Romans, contained many 
 populous, flourishing, and well-built towns, is allowed on all hands ; 
 and that they were mostly overthrown and destroyed by the invading 
 Saxons, is confirmed by the testimony of Gildas ; It may therefore tery 
 naturally b concluded, that the original Lynn was involyed in the conj 
 mon fete (/its neighbours. See Gilda?, No. xxiv.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNiY. 237 
 
 Lynn. In the time of Edward, called the confessor, 
 we find it a place of trade and considerable note; a plain 
 proof that it ntust have been in being, and growing into 
 consequence a good while before that period. It belong- 
 ed then to Ailmar, bishop of Elmham, and his brother 
 Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, when blind super- 
 stition and ecclesiastical servility may naturally be sup- 
 posed to have been among the principal or most distifi- 
 guished characteristics of its inhabitants. It continued 
 afterward under episcopal domination and ghostly dis- 
 cipline till the memorable reign of Henry VIII. who 
 thought proper to take into his own hands that power 
 or supremary which was before vested in the bishops* 
 In consequence of which, it has ever since been called 
 KING'S J'jftfti) instead of BISHOP'S Lynn> which was 
 its former appellation: an appellation, by the bye, which 
 will serve further to corroborate the idea, that it was 
 formerly the deleterious abode of priest-ridden credulity 
 and ecclesiastical thraldom. Indeed it may be said to 
 have been long distinguished for illiberality, intolerance, 
 and a persecuting spirit: and it must appear somewhat 
 remarkable, that the very first person taken up and 
 burnt, in England, under that diabolical law, De hce- 
 retico combt(rendo } was a Lynn man, as was also the 
 last, or one of the very last that underwent persecution 
 for nonconformity under the infamous conventicle Act: 
 The former was one of the preachers belonging to St. 
 Margarets Churcji, in the reign of Henry IF. and the 
 latter a licenced dissenting minister in that of William 
 III. Of each of them a more" particular account shall 
 be given in its proper place.
 
 $38 .HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Not only Lynn* but most, if not all, df the adjacent 
 towns and villages appear to have been in being long 
 Jaefore the conquest. They are noticed in the celebrated 
 -old record, .called Domesday, as places then in exis- 
 tence, and seemingly of long standing and remote origin. 
 They had, , in all .probability, been erected and inhabi- 
 ted many -ages before that period, though it. seems not 
 likely that many of their present names, or those given 
 them in the Domesday book, are to be traced to a Brit- 
 ish origin, as Parkin and others pretend. 
 
 <;!>r , HI/ v"H-?U io nail** "]<;.; - 
 
 That Lynn had become a place of considerable trade 
 
 in the- Saxon fimes, or before tjte Norman invasion,. is 
 
 f evidQnt from unquestionable existing documents., Jt 
 
 ^had tjien a toll-booth, and enjoyed certain duties and 
 
 .customs, payable on the arrival of any goods or merch- 
 
 audibe, of whjieh the bishop was in full possession of a 
 
 , moiety. This episcopal privilege is supposed to have 
 
 been as early as the conversion ,of the East Angles, 
 
 and establishment ..of Christianity ,a.mong them. The 
 
 town continued daily to flourish and acquire increasing 
 
 liraportance; and at an early period after the conquest, on<' 
 
 of , the writers of that time calls it, ,"A noble city," pn 
 
 .account of it,s trading and commercial magnificence.^* 
 
 This was at a. period when fiull did not^xist, and when 
 
 Liverpool, if it did exist, w.as but a very obscure auti 
 
 .Wgmfif?aat place. 
 
 V 'V X 'Frkirf:'' ' } '"64 ;! i Z ' 
 \ \j\\'^A -'Jo jfidl >ij Til-Miii-itr ^iiniV"ib h'f'XvyMl C T.- 
 
 * Wjlii^p jpfNp.ibvrgli. ? ..(^ifc(S9a's. Cadea. JParkip 415
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 239 
 
 SECTION III. Of the Saltworks formerly at and a- 
 bout Lynn-^-paudty of appropriate materials apology. 
 
 The vicinity of Lynn in the Saxon times, and long 
 after, appears to have been remarkable for its numerous 
 Saltworks.* At Gay wood alone, in the Confessor's time, 
 there were no less than thirty Salt pans, or pits. J The 
 Salt springs of Droitwich, Nantwich, Northwicb, &c. 
 were then, it seems, not so much attended to as to af- 
 ford a supply to the distant parts of the kingdom. The 
 people of these parts were therefore obliged to manu- 
 facture their own salt. To what extent the work was 
 carried on, or what quantity was generally, or annually 
 produced, cannot now be ascertained. Nor are we in- 
 formed of the particular mode, or process adopted 
 and pursued in carrying on this ancient manufactory. 
 It was, probably, pretty simple,and not very un- 
 like that used in latter times in the salt-works of 
 South-town, by Yarmouth, and at other places. By 
 the great number of Salt-works then at Lynn, or in its 
 neighbourhood, it seems prdbable, that a considerable 
 part of the adjacent country, and the interior districts, 
 were supplied from thence with that necessary article: 
 which might easily, even at that early period, be con* 
 veyed thither, by means of the inland navigation, which 
 always gave to Lynn the vast advantage of a free and 
 easy intercourse with all those places, however distant, 
 that are situated near the banks, or in the neighbour g 
 hood of its numerous rivers. The Salt manufactu., /! 
 here was made, it seems, from the sea water which the 
 
 2 c 
 
 * Parkin, 237. \ Ibid. G9.
 
 210 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 tides brought up to the town, and which must have been, 
 of course, much less salt, and less fit for the purpose 
 than the water found below in the roads, or at sea: it 
 appears therctore rather odd, that those salt-works should 
 be placed so far up flic country, or so distant from the 
 sea: and yet so it was; every village and hamlet, almost, 
 had then its Salt- work, or the moiety of one.* Here it 
 may be proper to observe, that, at the periods of which 
 we have been speaking, salt was not an article of reve- 
 nue, and must therefore have been a pretty cheap com- 
 modity compared to what it is now, when the duty 
 lard upon it by government is said to be above ten times 
 its prime, or original cost. 
 
 In attempting to give an account of the state of things 
 at Lynn during the period which we are now contem- 
 plating, almost all our light must be borrowed from the 
 general history of the kingdom in the mean while, as 
 the paucity of materials, relating particularly to this 
 town, leaves u*, for the most part, no other clew for our 
 guidance. The reader ntirst not therefore be displeased 
 with the method here generally pursued, in exhibiting 
 the state or history of Lynn under its East-Anglian and 
 Anglo-Saxon sovereigns. 
 
 * Of those Salt-works the present writer regrets his inability to give 
 the reader a more particular and satisfactory account; but as he has hi- 
 therto met with nothing that gives him any further light upon the sub- 
 </>ft, it must be here dismissed: but it shall be again resumed, in case 
 a^*> new discovery should be made before the work is completed. Our 
 topographical writers, as well as our old records, only alledge the ex- 
 istence of numerous salt-works in these parts, without attempting a 
 lestriptioo of them or of (he process therein pursued, or even so muclv 
 as giving any hints, or intimations, to assist and direct our inquiries.
 
 HISTORY Of LYNN. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the religious profession of the first Anglian inhabitants of Lynn-^ 
 their renouncing heathenism, and assuming the Christian name ac-* 
 count of their conversion, and character of their Christianity. 
 
 . 
 
 SECTION I. Heathenism the religion of the first in- 
 habitants of this town after its revival, or restoration, 
 under the East- Anglian government they, and the rest 
 of the East Angles, together with the other branches of 
 the Heptarchy, become professors of Christianity ac- 
 count of their conversion. 
 
 The inhabitants of Lynn, after it had been rebuilt and 
 repeopled by its .Anglian masters, appear to Lave been 
 blind heathens, and gross idolaters; for when the Angles, 
 or Anglo-saxons seized upon this country, and founded 
 the East- Anglian kingdom, they were a nation of pa- 
 gans, worshippers of Thor and Woden, and the rest of 
 the miserable objects of northern, or Scandinavian ado- 
 ration; and so continued till the seventh century. At 
 that period, one of their princes, named Sigebert, having 
 lived sometime in exile among the Francs,, was there 
 converted to Christianity. At his restoration to his king- 
 dom, he brought over with him one Felix, a Burgim- 
 2 c 2
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 dian priest, who was employed in recommending (o 
 the people the religion of their sovereign, in \vhich he 
 appears not to have been unsuccessful. He was conse- 
 quently appointed the first bishop of the East Angles, 
 and had his see fixed at So/iam, * in Cambridgeshire, 
 and afterwards at Domnoc, or Dunwich, in Suffolk. 
 He is said to have taken no small pains in promoting the 
 con version of the inhabitants; and the parts about Lynn 
 seem to have engaged a considerable share of his atten- 
 tion. In these very parts he is reported to have com- 
 menced his labours, which issued in the conversion of 
 the whole country. Tradition gives to Babinglcy, by 
 Lynn, the honour of being the place where he first 
 landed, and where was erected the very first Christian 
 chapel, or place of worship among the East Angles. 
 The second edifice of the same description is said to 
 have been erected at Sharnborn, in the same neighbour- 
 hood. At what time the first place of that sort was 
 built at Lynn, cannot now be determined; but it seems 
 very probable that it must have been as early, at least, 
 as the middle part of the seventh century. It cannot, 
 however be said, that the Christianity then introduced 
 was of any great value. The national character was 
 not much, if at all, mended by it; and the people still 
 rcma iried grossly ignorant , p rofi igate, and savage . W hat 
 they wanted in rational piety and real Christianity, they 
 made up in stupid credu.ity, blind zeal, and miserable 
 superstition; and it had been well if their descendants 
 had always carefully avoided the imitation of their 
 wretched and pernicious example. 
 
 * Beauties of England, 2. 149.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable that Christianity, as it was 
 called, was not received among the East-Angles till 
 it had made considerable progress in most of the other 
 kingdoms of the Heptarchy. In Kent it had been re- 
 ceived about the year 526, or soon after, by the minis- 
 try of Austin the monk: and even before that time, 
 several years, some of the Kentish people had been 
 brought to think favourably of that religion, by the 
 means of Ltridhart, a French bishop, who had accom- 
 panied the princess Birtka, daughter of Cherebert, king 
 of Paris, upon her marriage with Ethelbert thfe Kentish 
 kin<r. The conversion of the East Saxons took place 
 
 O A 
 
 about the beginning of the seventh Century under the 
 ministry of Mellitus, their fifl|t bishop: and soon after, 
 that of the Northumbrians, where Paulinus appeared 
 as a very active and successful labourer. 
 
 Felix did not begin his labours among the East Angles 
 till about the year 630, when that religion had made 
 some progress in all the other kingdoms, perhaps, ex- 
 cept (hat of Mercia, which seems to have been the last 
 of the seven to adhere to the profession of paganism. The 
 Mercians, however, were afterwards converted, and 
 their country, at one time, formed into an archiepisco* 
 pal province, whose seat or metropolis was Litchjield. 
 Thus the different branches of the hierarchy were all, 
 by degrees, nominally christianized. Of the nature, 
 character, and value of that Christianity, a just and 
 proper idea may be formed from the following repre- 
 sentations.
 
 244 HISTORY OF LYNV. 
 
 SECTION. II. Effects of the conversion of the East- 
 Angles^ and the other sister-kingdoms character of 
 their Christianity. 
 
 No sooner were the good people of this country con- 
 verted from paganism than monkery began to be in 
 great request among them. Many monasteries were ac- 
 cordingly founded in all parts of England, which were 
 quickly croudcd with inhabitants. A fondness for the 
 monastic life is said to have been here very much in- 
 creased by an impious doctrine which began to be 
 broached and believed toward the close of the seventh 
 century, "That as soon as any person put on the habit 
 of a monk, all the sins of Ms former life were forgiven." 
 This is said to have engaged many princes and great 
 men (who are sometimes as great sinners as their infe- 
 riors) to put on the monkish habit, and end their days 
 in monasteries; which, whatever it might be to them- 
 selves, was, probably, no mighty loss to their subjects 
 and vassals, or to the world. 
 
 Another remarkable feature in the character of the 
 English Christians of the seventh and following centu- 
 ries, was an extravagant veneration for retics; in which 
 theJtomish priests drove then a very gainful trade, as 
 few good Christians thought themselves safe from the 
 perils or disasters of lite, and the machinations of the 
 devil, unless they carried about them the relics of some* 
 saint : nor could any church be dedicated without a de- 
 cent or certain quantity of the same sacred and precious 
 ware. * 
 
 * Canute, one of the greatest and wisest of our king;, next to Alfred, 
 had a mighty veneration for relics, and even employed agents in foreigo
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN, x 245 
 
 Stories of dreams, visions, and miracles were also 
 propagated without a blush, by the clergy, and believed 
 without a doubt, by the laity. Extraordinary watchings, 
 fastings , and other arts of tormenting the body in order 
 to save the soul, became frequent and fashionable ; and 
 it began to be believed in the seventh century, tliat a 
 journey to Rome was a most meritorious undertaking, 
 and even, of all others, the most direct road to heaven. 
 Such was the Christianity of the good people of Lynn 
 and the rest of their countrymen in those days. 
 
 In the eighth century the humour of making pilgrim- 
 ages to Rome, and of retiring into monasteries, still in- 
 creasing, Coinred king of Mercia, as Henry informs 
 us, laid down his sceptre, and took up the pilgrim's 
 staff, in 709, and travelled to Rome, accompanied by 
 Offa, a young prince of the royal family of the JDast- 
 
 countries to purchase and collect them for him. One of these, an arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, called 4gelnftA t being at Rome, in 1021, purch- 
 ased, of the Pope, an arm of St. Austin, bishop of Hippo, for an hun- 
 dred talents, or 6000 pound weight of silver, and one talent, or sixty 
 pound weight of gold. A prodigious sum ! greater ^eays Granger) than 
 the finest statue of antiquity would then have sold for. It may enable 
 us, as another historian observes, to form some idea of the unconsion- 
 able knavery of the sellers, and the astonishing folly and superstition of 
 the purchasers of those commodities. Enormous sums were then ex- 
 pended in the purchase of relics, and the roads between England and 
 Rome were so crowded with pilgrims, that tho % very tolls which they 
 paid were objects of importance to the princes through whose territo- 
 ries they passed : few Englishmen, as Henry expresses it, imagined they 
 could get to heaven without paying this compliment to St. Peter, who 
 kept the keys of the celestial regions. Such was the wisdom, and such- 
 the piety and christianiry of the people of this country in former times, 
 and for many ages. Even Alfred, according to Kafin, was much at- 
 tached torches, and received, with no small satisfaction and gratitude, 
 those sent him as presents from the Pope, and from Abel Patriarch of 
 Jerusalem. His foibles, however, were greatly overbalanced bjt his 
 great qualities, good deeds, and shining virtues.
 
 246 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Saxons, where they both became monks. Not long 
 after, /a, the warlike and victorious king of the West 
 Saxons imitated their example, and ended his days in. 
 a cloister at Rome, where he founded a house for the 
 entertainment of English pilgrims, and the education 
 of English youth. 
 
 Great numbers of nuns also, and other English women, 
 were among those devout pilgrims who then travelled 
 to Rome: but we have the testimony of Win f red, alias 
 Boniface, archbishop of Mentz, who lived at that pe- 
 riod, that they were generally debauched before they 
 returned, and even that many of them became common 
 prostitutes in the cities of France and Italy: he there- 
 fore exhorts and charges his friend Cuthbert, then arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, to put a speedy stop to these 
 scandalous female pilgrimages. 
 
 The religious prayers and songs, which constituted 
 the church service, were then all in latin, and so not 
 understood by the common people, who* were therefore 
 directed by the 27th. canon of the first council of Clove" 
 shoos, or Cliff, in Kent, * held in 747, to affix any 
 meaning they pleased to the words in their own minds, 
 and to pray in their hearts for any or every thing they 
 wanted, no matter how foreign to the real sense of tbe 
 public prayers. A curious salvo, says Henry, for the 
 absurd practice of praying in an unknown tongue. The 
 same canon contains also the following short form of 
 prayer, for the dead; "Lord, according to the greatness 
 of thy mercy, grant rest to his soul, and for thy infinite 
 
 * Or rather Abinjdon, in Berks, according to bishop Gibson.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 pity, vouchsafe to him the joys of eternal light with 
 thy saints." 
 
 Some of the nobility, or great men of that time, not 
 very fond, it seems, of going themselves through all the 
 fastings and prayers enjoined them by their confessors, 
 would fain be allowed to have the service performed by 
 proxy: and it appears that they actually hired and em- 
 ployed poor people to fast and pray in their stead. It 
 was, certainty, a very notable as well as convenient de- 
 vice, and became, it seems, pretty fashionable, though 
 it is said not to have the good fortune of obtaining the 
 approbation of the said council of Cloveshoos. J 
 
 A late historian, * alluding to this period, observes, 
 that long fasting was then ordered frequently; but as 
 the wealthy might abstain by proxy, a seven years fast 
 might be performed in three days, if the principal could 
 prevail with 840 persons each to take his share. This 
 concise plan of atonement for crimes, (he adds) was con- 
 demned solemnly at the council of Cloveshoos; but the 
 decree was disregarded." The practice therefore seems 
 to have gojie on unchecked, notwithstanding the decree 
 of that council. It was not to be expected that so con- 
 venient a custom could be very easily abolished. It 
 may be worth while to inquire, whether it had in it, after 
 all, any greater absurdity, than there is in the present 
 2 H 
 
 J Even now-adays, many hf our gentry and wealthy people, are very 
 
 strict in requiring their domestics and dependents regularly to attend at 
 
 some place of worship, while they themselves live in the entire neglect 
 
 iff it! so that they too may be said to perform religious e*ercjies by proxy. 
 
 * Petit Andrews.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 7 . 
 
 practice of the infants at the font, making a confession 
 of their faiih'bj/ proxy. 
 
 Towards the latter part of the above period, a law 
 was enacted, enjoining every priest to learn some handy- 
 craft, or manual occupation: which might be very use- 
 ful; at least, it could do no harm. Another law en- 
 joined, that they should all be capable of repeating the 
 Creed, and the Lord's prayer: which also might be 
 very right and proper; but it indicates that learning 
 was then at a very low ebb among Ihe English clergy. 
 We learn, however, that in the reign of Ethelred, stylctl 
 the unready ^ a mission was sent from hence to Norway, 
 at the request of the king of that country, to convert the 
 Norwegians and Swedes to the Christian religion, and 
 that the archbishop of York, and other divines, actually 
 went over on that occasion, and met with great success; 
 though some of them afterwards are said to have suffered 
 martyrdom; which seems rather odd, if the king, as 
 above suggested, was their patron. Whatever their 
 learning might be, their zeal must have been highly 
 commendable and exemplary. 
 
 SECTION III. Christianity of the ancient inhabi- 
 tants of Z/yn/z, and of this country, further characterized 
 whether very materially improved during the reign 
 f Alfred remarks on that reign papal instructions 
 to the Jirst missionaries. 
 
 Ignorance and superstition, instead of diminishing, 
 appear to have increased in England, during the eighth 
 century. Pilgrimages to Home became far more fre-
 
 2.49 
 
 quent, and were attended with worse effects than former- 
 ly; the rage of retiring to raonastaries became more 
 violent in persons of all ranks, to the ruin of every use- 
 ful art; the clergy became more knavish and rapacious, 
 and the laity more abject and stupid, than at any former 
 period: of which the trade of relics, then at its height, 
 and which can never be carried on, but between knaves 
 and fools, is a sufficient evidence. 
 
 During the memorable reign of the celebrated Al- 
 fred, the state of religion has been supposed to have im- 
 proved; but how far we are warranted to admit, or carry 
 that idea, does not seem very clear, Alfred was, doubt- 
 less, a most excellent prince, as may fairly and justly 
 be inferred from that notable clause in his Will, "that 
 the English had an undoubted right to be free as their, 
 own thoughts," and particularly from his so greatly 
 magnifying, arid acting upon that never to be forgotten 
 precept of Christ, u to do unto others as we would haVe 
 others do unto us: " not to mention the many ether 
 notable and commendable deeds ascribed to him: * but 
 that he was instrumental in very materially reforming-, 
 or improving the religion of his country, appears ra- 
 ther doubtful, if not improbable. His altering the 
 Ten Commandments, leaving out the second, and ad- 
 ding another, to humour the worshippers of images, 
 make very considerably against the notion of his having 
 much advanced the work of religious reformation. The 
 commandment which he added, was expressed in these 
 words, " Make not thou gods of gold, or of silver," 
 2 H 2 
 
 * We regret thzft the abolition of slavery way not among them.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 n precept, as it has been observed, -which few of 
 his subjects could afford to transgress. * 
 
 Frcra Alfred's days to tbe conquest, the religion of 
 England experienced no amendment; nor ever after 
 till the Era of the reformation, or the 16ib. century, 
 except \vhat took place under the influence of Wick - 
 liff, and the Lollards; but they were soon crushed uu- 
 
 * The reign of Alfred, however, was certainly distinguished by nu- 
 merous and important national benefits: war and internal disorder were 
 tnade entirely to cease; learning, and the useful arts, revived and flourish- 
 ed^ wholesome and important regulations were adopted and introduced, 
 whose salutary effects are still felt; trade and commerce were much 
 Encouraged and extended: in all^vliich, and especially the latter, Lynn, 
 as may be presumed, must have been greatly interested. Alfred em- 
 ployed skilful and adventurous mariners, to explore ,the most distant 
 northern regions, and (by means of Of there, supposed to be a banished 
 Norwegian chief,) actually gained intelligence of the Dwina, on whose 
 banks Arckanget stands; a river not again spoken of in England, till 
 ])5d, when Richard Chant. eller found his way to the White Sea. What 
 follows is still more surprising: by mear.i of a correspondence which Al- 
 fred engaged in with Abel, patriarch of Jerusalem, he heard of a sect 
 of Christians who lived in penury on the south eastern coast of Asia, 
 the present Corcmandel; and he chose a spirited priest, named Sighelm, 
 to go and relieve those his oppressed brethren. By what track or rout 
 this gallant adventurer proceeded, any further than Rome, we know 
 not. It is certain that he reached the end of his journey, delivered 
 the royal presents, and brought back from India many curious jewels, 
 Some of which were to be seen in the days of William of Mahnsbury, 
 at Sherborne Cathedral, of which see Alfied had made the fortunate 
 and intrepid Sighelm bishop, after his return. Others of these jewels 
 are believed still to exist in an old crown, kept in the tower of Lon- 
 don. After such enterprizes, to celebrate this great prince as the 
 
 i-'veatorof liorn-lantliom:, may be deemed ridiculous; yet nothing can less 
 merit ridicule: there were then no Clocks in England; Alfred con- 
 trived wax tapers of a proper length, to last one, two, or more hours; and 
 to prevent the winds irom deranging his plans, he defended the taper, 
 wiihtlirn, clear, horn. Such were the improved English time keepers of 
 the 9th. century: the merit of which improvement, is due to Alfred;" 
 a merit not inferior, probably, to that of the Harrusns and ArnMi of m%- 
 dtrn times. -$e Petit Audrews JIat. Gr. Britain.
 
 HI3TOHY OF LYJf!f. 251 
 
 der the heavy and strong hand of priestly and royal 
 persecution: the very first victim, as was before observed, 
 was a Lynn man. 
 
 From the above representation of the original Chris- 
 tianity of the English nation, and of the Lynn people 
 among the rest, one cannot be very much biassed in its- 
 favour. But we shall cease to wonder at its being no 
 better, when we consider whence it proceeded, and un- 
 der what sort of rules or maxims it was introduced. 
 It A\ as first brought hither and promulgated by Austin, 
 a monk of the convent of St. Andrew's at Rome, accom- 
 panied by forty other Romish monks, all sent by the 
 then Pope, whose name was Gregory, commonly called 
 Gregory the first, and Saint Gregory, who was advanc- 
 ed to the papal chair in 590. Austin and his compani- 
 ons arrived here in 596. Among the instructions 
 which pope Gregory gave Austin for the regulation of 
 his conduct and ministry, the following are not the least 
 remarkable. "He was not to destroy the heathen tem- 
 ples of the English, but only to remove the images of 
 their gods, to wash the walls with holy water, to erect 
 altars, and deposit relics in them, and so convert them 
 into Christian churches; not only to save the expence of 
 building new ones, but that the people might more easi- 
 ly be prevailed upon to frequent those places of worship, 
 to which they had been accustomed. He directs him 
 further, to accommodate the ceremonies of the Christian 
 worship as much as possible to those of the heathen, that 
 the people might not be much startled at the change; 
 and in particular he advises him to allow the Christian 
 converts, on certain festivals, to kill and eat a great num.-
 
 252 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ber of oxen, to the glory of God, as they had done ibr- 
 raerly to the honour of the devil." * These admonitions, 
 (says Dr. Henry) which were but too well observed, 
 introduced the grossest corruption into the Christian wor- 
 ship, and shew how much the apostles of the sixth and 
 seventh centuries had departed from the simplicity and 
 sincerity of those of the first. 
 
 * It is curious and ludicrous enough to think of the difficulties that 
 puzzled our celebrated missionary, after his arrival here, and of which 
 he wrote to Rome for the solution. Of what sort they were, the reader 
 will be able to judge from the following queries and answers; the former 
 by the said missionory, saint Austin, and the latter by his infallible holy 
 master, saint Gregory: Query. 1. "Are cousin germans allowed to marry? 
 Ani-ntr. This indulgence was formerly granted by the Roman lawj but 
 experience having' shewn that no posterity can coifce from such mar- 
 riages, they are prohibited. Query. 2. Is it lawful to baptize a woman 
 Vrith child? Amiaer. No inconvenience can arise from the practice. 
 Query, 3. How soonafcer the birth may a child be baptized? Answer. Im- 
 mediately if necessary. Query. 4. How soon may the husband return 
 to the wife after her delivery? Antvier. Not till after the child is wean- 
 ed. Query. 5. How soon a^ter sexual intercourse, is it lawful for a 
 husband to enter the church? Answer. Not till he has purged himself 
 by prayer and ablution." These nice and delicate queries, with more 
 of the same sort, were accompanied by others concerning episcopal du- 
 ties. With the solution of these problems, the pope sent Austin the 
 foil, (a piece of white woollen cloth, to be thrown over the shoulders, 
 as. a badge of archiepiscopal dignity;) sundry other ecclesiastical vest- 
 ments and utensils, and instructions to erect twelve sees within his pro- 
 vince, and particularly to appoint one at Fcri, which, if the country 
 should become Christian, he was to convert into a province, with its 
 
 fuffragan bishops. Thus did Austin become the first archbishop of 
 
 Canterbury, and -thus originated our ecclesiastical establishment, the 
 renowned Church of England. [Alton's Biojr. vol. 1.] Among other 
 counsels which Austin received from the pontiff on the above occasion, 
 was an exhortation " not to be elated with vanity on account of the 
 miracles which he had been enabled to perform in confirmation of his 
 ministry, but to remember that this power was given, not for his own 
 sake, but for the sake of those whose salvation he was appointed to pro- 
 cure." Thus we have it from very high authority, that thejirit arck- 
 kiihop of Canterbury toas a -u/orktr of miracles.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 253 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Miscellaneous observations, on the social distinctions, and the ge- 
 neral state of the community among the Anglo-Saxons. 
 
 SECTION I. State of society at Lynn^ and in this 
 country, before the Conquest. 
 
 Of the state of Society in this country, as to f he dif- 
 ferent ranks among the inhabitants, the following is 
 thought to be a pretty fair and true representation The 
 next rank below that of the royal family was held by the 
 Thanes, which were, i,t seems, of different degrees, 
 and we are told that the highest order among them went 
 by the name of king's thanes. % These also are said to 
 have been of two different sorts, Eoldermen, and Eorlts- t 
 the former supposed to be supreme in the administration 
 of justice; the latter comprehended military as well as 
 civil authority, but was not hereditary till the close oi 
 
 J The other orders were the middle and inferior thanes: the former 
 arc said to be the lesser barons^, or lords oi manors; aud the latter inaiie 
 up the lowest degree of freeholders. Dyde Hist. Tewksbury. 141.- 
 All others in the Anglo-saxon community below these thanes, who 
 were the nobles of those times, are sometimes comprized under the 
 
 heads of untitled freemen, and slaves the latter, constituting- 
 
 the great mass of the inhabitants, were the property of their lords, like 
 the present Russian or Bohemian peasantry.
 
 254 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 the Saxon dynasty. The Ceorles (Churles, or Carles) 
 were next below the tfianes. They were free, descend- 
 ed from yeomen, and were chiefly engaged in husband- 
 ry. To them x the gate of nobility was open, and they 
 might become thanes by five different methods. An- 
 other order, or description of men, in those times, was 
 called ffuscarles; (i. e. house-carles:) they were re- 
 tainers, or domestic dependents of the thanes, and re- 
 puted freemen. All the rest of the community, it seems, 
 were slaves, of different descriptions. Of them however, 
 it would sometimes happen, though but very rarely, 
 that some obtained manumission, and they formed a 
 particular class, denominated Freed-mcn; but we are told 
 that they were few, and little rfc-garded. They could 
 oblain, it seems^ no rank in the state; and applying, 
 for the most part, to mechanical employments, seem 
 hardly to have been distinguished from the race which 
 they had quitted. Slaves were never suffered to carry 
 arms, and the very gift of a weapon conferred freedom. 
 Of the other orders no man went abroad without his 
 spear; and laws were enacted to guard against damages 
 occasioned by the careless bearer. In battle the ceorles 
 who formed the iiifantry, beside a broad sword, and 
 sometimes a club, bore only a round shield with an of- 
 fensive pointed weapon in the centre. The cavalry 
 being composed of thanes, huscarles, and the richer 
 ceorles, who could afford to keep horses, was better 
 provided with defensive armour. * 
 
 The enslaved part of the inhabitants, and which is 
 said to have constituted by far the most numerous class 
 
 ^ Petit Andrews, 1. 83. * Hemy, and Petit Andrerw*.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 255 
 
 of the community, went, like the priviledged orders, by 
 different names. Of them the chief and most remarkable 
 were the Villani and the Seroi. In regard to the for- 
 mer, we are told that Villenage was of two kinds: 1st 
 Pure Villenage, to which some were subject from their 
 birth, from whom uncertain and indeterminate service 
 was due to the lord. The successors of these are our 
 copy -holders', who, though time has dealt favourably 
 with them in other respects, still retain one mark of 
 their original vassalage, or servitude; for as of old the 
 former were not reckoned as members of the common- 
 wealth, but merely as part and parcel of the owner's 
 substance, no way entitled to the privileges of freemen, 
 so do their successors still continue without any right 
 to vote at elections by virtue of their copy-holds. 2nd 
 Villenage by Tenure, which bound the tenant to per- 
 form certain services agreed upon between him and his 
 lord; such as ploughing his ground, reaping his 
 corn, &c. 
 
 The lowest, as well as most numerous class of slaves 
 among the Anglo-saxons we*e the Scrvi, who, (as well 
 s all the rest of the unfreemen,) were probably the de- 
 scendants of the aboriginal inhabitants, who had escaped 
 the general massacre, or whose lives had b?en spared 
 at the reduction and conquest of the country. These 
 were protected by neither law nor religion, for a very 
 long period; and they consequently suffered the most 
 unfeeling and cruel treatment. Christianity is said to 
 Jiave ameliorated their condition. It certainly ought
 
 256 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 to have done so; but from such a Christianity no mate- 
 rial amelioration could well have been expected- Even 
 our own boasted protestantism, how feeble has gene- 
 rally been its influeuce in such cases! The long and 
 bloody contest between the rival and barbarous houses 
 of York and Lancaster did more, it seems, for the re. 
 lief and emancipation of those poor English slaves than 
 any thing else; for the contending parties, in order to 
 recruit and reinforce their armies, found it convenient 
 and necessary to liberate great numbers of them: at; 
 length they were all manumitted, and Britain now con- 
 tains no people of that description. It would be well 
 if the same could be said of every other part of the Brit-. 
 ish dominions, These Servi are often mentioned by 
 Bloomfield and Parkin, and appear to have been very 
 numerous in the parts about Lynn before the conquest, 
 and even long after that period. 
 
 Beside the Villani and Servi, we meet with other de-< 
 scriptions of bondmen, whose condition seem to have 
 been less abject; at least, less so than the latter. Of 
 those one sort was called Bordarii, Bordars, or Bor- 
 derers: they were such as held a cottage, or some small 
 parcel of land, on condition of supplying the lord with 
 poultry, eggs, and other small provisions for his board 
 and entertainment. Such small estates were formerly 
 called Bord-lcwds, now demesnes. Coliberti was the 
 name of another description of bondmen among the An- 
 glo-Saxons; and they were, it seems, a middle sort of 
 tenants, between servile and free; they had their patrons, 
 to whom they paid rent, and were manumised as serv-
 
 HISTORY Of LYNN* 
 
 ants used to be, but were not absolutely free. They were 
 such of the Servi as were enfranchised, or liberated in a 
 certain degree, but still paid some duties to the superior 
 lord. They appear to have been held in scarcely any 
 higher estimation than the class to which they had origi- 
 nally belonged. The Burgaris, Burgenses, or Bur- 
 gesses, was another order of bondmen among the Anglo- 
 Saxons. They were tradesmen in great towns, and had 
 their patrons, under whose protection they traded, and 
 to whom they paid an acknowledgement; but some of 
 them were in a more servile condition, and altogether 
 under the power of the king, or other lords, t Some of 
 the above descriptions of Anglo-Saxon bondmen, or 
 British slaves, and particularly the Villani, the Servi, 
 and the Bordarii, were very numerous in the parts about 
 Lynn, in the times of which we are now speaking, and 
 long after. * England did then so abound in slaves, 
 and was so much a land of slaves, as to be able to car- 
 ry on a trade in that commodity with other nations, and 
 especially the Irish, whom English merchants, for 
 long time, abundantly supplied with that favorite article, 
 out of their home stock, or native produce, with as little 
 shame or remorse as they have in modern times supplied 
 the AVest Indies and North America with the poor de- 
 fenceless natives of illfated Africa. J And yet the 
 2 i 2 
 
 t Dytle's History of Tewksbury, 139, 40, 41,. * See Parkin* 
 } Directly opposite the Irish coast, (says William of MalmsburyJ there 
 is a seaport town, called Bristol, the inhabitants of which frequently sail 
 into Ireland, to sell there people whom they had bought up throughout 
 all England. They expose to sale maidens in a s'tate of pregnancy, 
 with whom they had made a sort of mock-marriages. There you might 
 see with grief, fastened together by ropes, whole rows of wretched
 
 258 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 English was then, as well as now, a Christian nation, 
 priding herself in the fond idea of the purity and pre- 
 eminence of her goodness, faith, and piety. Alas, for poor 
 Christianity ! How often hath her venerable name been 
 profaned and postituted on the vilest occasions, and 
 for the basest of purposes ! 
 
 1o r x<.'> t;l' ;towi-)\-fhiw'iM:J-<fi t ( E fuq y^'* rhodrrtf 
 
 SECTION 11. Of the WITTENZGEMOTE and other 
 
 courts, maxims of jurisprudence) institution of ty things t 
 
 nuptial and funeral rites, sacerdotal, domestic, and 
 
 other customs, among the Anglo-saxons. 
 
 The Wittenagemote, or assembly of wise men, was 
 the highest court among the Anglo-saxons, and from 
 which our parliament seems to have originated, liish- 
 ops, judges, and thanes composed it, and it does not 
 appear that the lower orders, or bulk of the people were 
 there any how represented. The business of this as- 
 sembly was prepared and opened by the king. Another 
 high court, but inferior to the former, was the Shire* 
 gemote } in which much business was transacted, in the 
 way of a modern assize. The Eolderman, or the Eorle 
 was the president, and the domesmen, or judges, with 
 certain lawmen, as they were called, formed the bench. 
 
 beings, of both sexes, of elegant forms, and in the very bloom of youth, 
 (a sight sufficient to excite pity, even in barbarians,) daily offered for 
 sale to the first purchaser. Accursed deed ! Infamous disgrace ! that 
 men, acting in a manner which brutal instinct alone would have for- 
 bidden, should sell into slavery their relations, nay even their off- 
 spring! " Life of Wolsian, bishop of /Vgrceiterj B. iij c. 20. [see 
 
 Edinburgh Review, July, 1808.]
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 259 
 
 It was held only twice in the year. The Hundred 
 Court came next, over which the Hundredary presided. 
 Sales of estates, registering of Wills, manumission of 
 slaves, &c. were here transacted. It was also caHcd 
 Wapontake, from the custom of always attending well 
 armed. It was the repository of deeds and records, was 
 held monthly, and had the jurisdiction of ten tythings. 
 
 Compensation to the injured party or his family, 
 rather than the annoyance of the criminal, being the 
 principle of the Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, capital 
 punishments were unfrequent. The chastity of maidens 
 was protected by very severe laws; the ravisher of a 
 nun was fined as an assassin, and the violator of a child 
 incurred the penalty of a severe mutilation. Murder, 
 as well as manslaughter, might be atoned for, at a stated 
 price: every wound had its exact value; robbery was 
 venial, and when committed on a bordering country, 
 (although in peace) was almost deemed laudable. * 
 
 * Petit Andrews Hist, of Great Britain, 1. 84. Another historian 
 informs us, that the great lords and abbots, among the Anglo-saxons, 
 possessed a criminal jurisdiction within their territories, and could 
 punish or protect without appeal. This power, he says, was in some 
 measure restrained by the established administration of justice, by the 
 courts of decennary, the hundred, and the county. In the Anglo-saxon 
 courts, the accused was allowed to clear himself by his own oath, and 
 the concurring oaths of his friends. These were called compurgators, 
 and sometimes amounted to 300 . Ths practices also of single com- 
 bat, and the ordeal, were allowed in doubtful cases; and absurd as they 
 may appear, the result was deemed complete evidence, for or against 
 
 the accused, or suspected person. The punishment of crimes was 
 
 not less singular than the general proofs of guilt. A fine was the cus. 
 toraary mode of commuting the punishment of the blackest offences; 
 and as fines were a source of revenue, they were fixed with the nicest 
 care, oti a graduated scale, corresponding to the magnitude of the 
 crime. Thus a wound of an inch long, under the hair, was compound-
 
 260 HISTORY OP 
 
 It was in the institution of Tt/t kings, or neighbour* 
 ships, that the wisdom of the Anglo-Saxons appeared 
 most conspicuous and admirable. Every ten families 
 were connected together, as fellows in arms and in 
 civil society. Each answered for the others good be- 
 havior to the magistrate, and each joined in paying 
 the penalty which any one member might casually in- 
 cur. A man who was not inrolled in these ty things was 
 avoided by all, as a vagabond and person of bud cha- 
 racter; nor could he hope to be admitted to a tything un- 
 less his probity was generally acknowledged. To Alfred 
 this excellent institution is said to owe its perfection 5 
 and its effects on society must have been very great and 
 salutary. * 
 
 Of the customs of the ancient inhabitants of Lynn, 
 and of the Anglo-Saxons in general, relating to matri* 
 many, the following appear to have been some of the 
 most remarkable and striking. Every unmarried wo- 
 man was supposed to have a guardian, or owner: the 
 virgin belonged to her father, brother, uncle, or near- 
 est male relation; the widow claimed the same protection 
 from her husband's male relatives; the lover was obliged 
 to buy his mistress, of her guardian, by a gift, the a- 
 mount of which was settled by a law, that set a higher 
 price on the maid, by one half, than on the relict, If 
 unadvisedly the wooer wedded the lady without the 
 guardian's consent, her property and goods were still 
 the property of that guardian, and an injury offered 
 
 ed for with one shilling; a wound of the like size in the face, with two 
 shillings; and thirty shillings was the compensation for the loss of an 
 arj and so on in proportion. Mavor, 1. 77. * Se Andrews.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 to her was to be atoned for to him, and not to the spouse. 
 At the wedding, the guardian delivered up his ward to 
 the husband, a friend of whom had previously avowed 
 himself the guarantee of a proper provision for the bride 
 in case of his death. At the feast which followed, the 
 usual and large presents of gold, silver, arms, cloths, 
 houshold stuff, &c. made by the invited friends and 
 relations, formed the portion of the bride, who had be- 
 side, from custom immemorial, a right to ask of her 
 mate, on the next sun-rising after her nuptials, a gift, 
 to serve her as pin-money. As to what related to di- 
 forces, among these people, we meet with no particular 
 account. In the educations? their children, they only 
 pought to render them dauntless, and apt for the two 
 most important occupations of their future lives, war 
 and the chase. It was an usual trial of a child's courage 
 to place him on the sloping roof of a building, and if, 
 without screamiiig or apparent terror, he held fast, it 
 \vas deemed a favourable omen, and he was pronounc- 
 ed ii brave boy. 
 
 The burial ceremony is said to have been much more 
 joyous among them than that of marriage; which seems 
 to imply something very unnatural, as well as barbarous. 
 The house in which the body lay till its burial, was a 
 perpetual scene of feasting, singing, dancing, and every 
 species of riot. This, of course, was very expensive 
 to the family of the deceased; and it was in some places 
 carried so far, that the corpse was forcibly kept unburied 
 by the visiting friends, till they were certain that they 
 had consumed, in games and frantic festivity, all the
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 wealth the deceased had left behind him. Nothing can 
 well exceed the barbarism and brutishness of such a cus- 
 tom: and yet it seems to have long continued in some 
 parts of this island after the introduction of Christianity, 
 and even of protestantism. Nay, some remains of it are 
 known to have existed in some places within the memo- 
 ry of some of the present inhabitants. It is surprizing 
 how tenacious mankind often are of their ancient customs, 
 be they ever so vile, unseemly, or heathenish. Heathen- 
 ish, certainly, or of pagan origin, must this most 
 odious practice have been: but it is not the only Engl- 
 ish custom that comes under that description. The 
 Wattes , that usually go about before Christmas, may be 
 considered as of the self-same origin, and belonged, in 
 all likelihood, to a certain pagan, riotous, and lawless 
 feast, celebrated at that time of the year: the precursor and 
 prototype of our principal Christian festival. The ush- 
 ering in of May with the blowing of horns, a custom now 
 almost, if not altogether peculiar to Lynn, seems evident* 
 ly to be of the same class. It is still most tenaciously kept 
 up in this town, by the boys and children, though, no- 
 body pretends to know either its meaning or its origin. 
 But as May-Day is known to have been one of the high- 
 est and most notable days of the year among our heathen 
 ancestors, the said custom may very safely be concluded 
 to have originated with them; especially as that day 
 does not appear to have ever been very much thought 
 of by the papists. 
 
 A notable custom among the Anglo-Saxon Christians 
 of the eighth century, and from which Lynn cannot be
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 63 
 
 supposed exempted j -was that of the Clergy usually 
 celebrating Mass, or administering the Sacrament with- 
 out Shoes and Stockings, and with chalices made of 
 horn: which seems to shew, that they had not then ar- 
 rived at that sacerdotal pride and pomp, at least in re- 
 gard to their dress, which became so prevalent among 
 those of their order in latter times, when they thought 
 proper to assume a consequence so far above the other 
 orders of the community. 
 
 In private life the Anglo-Saxons are said to have been 
 devout to the extreme of credulity, and hospitable to 
 drunken extravagance. Their manners were rough, but 
 social; their tables were plainly, but plentifully served. 
 Large joints of roasted meat seem to have had the pre- 
 ference; salted victuals also were much in use. At ta- 
 ble, the rank of the guests was strictly observed; and, 
 by the laws of Canute, a person sitting above his proper 
 station was to be pelted out of his place with bones, at 
 the discretion of the company, without the privilege of 
 taking offence. The lady, (of, as the Saxons named 
 her, leaf'dien, the bread giver) sat, as now, at the 
 upper end of the table, and distributed the provisions 
 to her guests. The liquors used at genteel tables were 
 wine, ale, and spiced ale, pigment (a composition of 
 wine, spice, and honey,) morat, (honey diluted with 
 mulberry juice) and mead. * Such, as may reason- 
 ably be concluded, was the state of things with regard 
 to these matters, in the best of the families of Lynn at 
 
 those times. 
 
 2 K 
 
 * Dr. Henry, and Petit Andrews.
 
 264 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION III. State of learning, and of the medical 
 profession, among the Anglo-Saxons. 
 
 Learning during the time now alluded to was at a 
 very low ebb in (his Country "Among the various dis- 
 couragements, (says Andrews) which literature was 
 obliged to encounter in this ill-fated period may be reck- 
 oned the extreme scarcity of materials for writing." A 
 strong proof of which (lie adds) is that many of Ilie 
 MSS. of the 10th and llth centuries are written on, 
 parchment, from which older works (perhaps the De- 
 cades of Livy) have been erased." It was for want of 
 parchment to draw the deeds upon, (as he supposes,) 
 that estates were then frequently conveyed from one fa- 
 mily to another by the ceremony of a turf and a stone, 
 delivered before witnesses, without any written agree- 
 ment. However that was, England even in those dark 
 times, exhibited some rays of intellectual light, and pro- 
 duced some literary characters -that would have done 
 honour to more enlightened ages. Bede, in particular, 
 styled the Venerable, who flourished in the 8th centu- 
 ry, and has been called, the wise Saxon, is believed to 
 have comprised, in eight foiio volumes, the whole body 
 of knowledge that his age afforded. To him may be 
 added Egbert, arch-bishop of York, and his pupil Al- 
 cuin, both distinguished in their day for extraordinary 
 literary attainments, Alfred and his learned associates 
 appeared in the Slh century, and were the ornaments of 
 that dark age; but the light which they exhibited was 
 not lasting, and they left no successors that were any 
 way worthy of them. In the 10th (and most part of the 
 llth) century, scarce any man of literature appeared
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 265 
 
 among the English. Elfric is said to have been by 
 far the most remarkable and eminent. He was styled 
 the grammarian, from his, having written a latin gram- 
 mer. Two volumes of homilies, in MS. translated by 
 him from the latin into the Saxon language, are said to 
 be still extant. Very few beside have in any degree con- 
 tributed to illuminate the gloom of that dismal period. 
 Gerbert, however, who, from a low origin, was advanc- 
 ed to the papal chair in 999, under the name of Silves- 
 ter II* deserves to be respectfully noticed, as it is to his 
 experience, gained by travel, and a long residence a- 
 rnong foreign nations, that our arithmetic is said to owe 
 the use of the Saracen numerals, But as none of these 
 persons appear to have sprung from Lynn, or its vicini- 
 ty, no further notice can properly be taken of them in 
 this work; and what has been already said of them and 
 other extraneous matters, was chiefly intended for the 
 purpose of pointing out the probable state of things at 
 Lynn in the meantime, for want of more suitable and 
 appropriate materials. 
 
 PHYSIC and SURGERY, during those early ages, were 
 in a most wretched state in this country, and, of course, 
 among the inhabitants of Lynn. Old women were then 
 the chief professors of the medical art; and as they 
 mingled charms and spells with their prescriptions, tl-e 
 patient's fancy sometimes effected, or, at least, assisted 
 in effecting the cure. As Christianity gained ground, 
 the clergy, having much time on <heir hands, applied 
 themselves to the study of medicine, but made so little 
 progress, that for a long time, Holy Water seems to 
 
 2 K 2
 
 266 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 have been the prescription to which they chiefly trusted. 
 If holy water were still in use, as a popular, fashionable, 
 or favourite medical prescription, instead of the innu- 
 merable patent medicines, and other vile quackeries that 
 now disgrace this illfated country, it had been better, no 
 doubt, for the health and constitutions of myriads of our 
 unwary and credulous fellow- subjects. There seems, 
 however, but little prospect of an end to this great and 
 growing evil, while quackery continues to be so conve- 
 nient and gainful to the state, or to contribute so largely, 
 as it now does, to the revenue of the kingdom. But it 
 is not the only public evil, the prospect of whose extinc- 
 tion appears very distant and hopeless. 
 
 SECTION IV. Expressive and remarkable names of 
 the months state of the coinage, or currency gene- 
 ral value of different commodities in this country before 
 the conquest slavery comparison with the present 
 course of things. 
 
 The inhabitants of Lynn and the rest of their coun- 
 trymen, in the Anglo-saxon ages, could give more satis- 
 factory reasons, it seems, for the names of their months, 
 than we can for those of ours. December, which with 
 them stood first, was called Midwinter -monath, the 
 midwinter month. January, was denominated Aefter- 
 t/ula, that is, after Christmas, or rather, after the feast 
 called Yula, a pagan, riotous, lawless festival, observed
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 at that time of the year, and to which our Christmas 
 succeeded, with no small resemblance. February, they 
 c;i!Ied Sol-monath^ the sun month, from the returning of 
 tlie sun at that season. March, they named Rhede, or 
 Reth-monath, the rough, or rugged month. April's 
 name was Easter-mffnath, from a favourite Saxon god- 
 dess, whose feslival was kept at that time, and may be 
 said to be still kept by us, under the idea of the Christian 
 passover, which we seem to have dedicated to that same 
 pagan goddess, by our continuing to preserve her pre- 
 cious memory, and celebrating the feast still in her name. 
 May was called Trimilchi, from the cows being then 
 milked three times in the day. June's name was Sere- 
 monath, the dry month, July was called Mccd-monath, 
 the mead month, from the meads being then in their 
 bloom and beauty, or the people being there employed in 
 hay making. August had the name of Weod-monath, 
 the weed month, from the luxuriance, or abundance of 
 weeds at that time. September was named Hcerfest- 
 monathyor the harvest month. October bore the name 
 of W inter -fyllith, or winterfall, from winter approach- 
 ing with the full moon of that month. November, their 
 last month, they called Blot-monath^Wood month, from 
 the blood of the cattle then slain and stored for winter 
 provision. 
 
 The Anglo-saxons are said to have made use of coins 
 as early as the reign of Ethelbright, or Ethelbert, who 
 governed Kent from 561 to 616; as the fines ordered in 
 his laws are all estimated by shillings, which was even 
 then a denomination of money. The money-pound of
 
 268 HISTORY OF LYNW. 
 
 the Anglo-saxons, is thought to have been the same with 
 the Tower-pound long in use at the mint, and to have 
 weighed less than the Troy-pound by | of a Troy-ounce. 
 Its value was about 2/. 16*. 3d, of modern money. * The 
 Mark, like the Pound an imaginary coin, weighed eight 
 ounces, or two thirds of the Pound. The merchant reck- 
 oned 12 ounces to the mark. Its value was 11. 17s. 9d. 
 The Maneus, a real com, was valued at the 8th. of a 
 mark, or 4-y. and 8d. The Shilling, a real coin, Ava$ 
 worth about eleven pence farthing of our money. The 
 Anglo-saxon penny, (pening, or sceata,) was a silver 
 coin, and weighed near three-pence of our money. This 
 little piece would do more in those times for its owner, 
 than some shillings would do now. Ilalflings and 
 Feorthlings, were the half, and the fourth, or quarter of 
 the Anglo-saxon penny, and were of silver. To these 
 may be added a small brass coin called Slyca. Beside 
 these coins, it was usual with the Anglo-saxons to com* 
 plete the sum destined for any particular purpose, by 
 adding what they called line money ^ such as oxen, 
 sheep, horses, or slaves; \ which last species of traffick 
 was carried to an almost incredible height of brutality. 
 
 * .Dr. Henry Petit*Andrews.- Another modern historian informs us 
 that the Saxon pound, as likewise that which, was coined for some 
 centuries after the conquest, was near three times the weight of our 
 present money. There was (as he says) forty eight shillings in the 
 pound, and a Saxon shilling was nearly a fifth heavier than ours. Dr. 
 Mayor's Hist Engl 1. 78. 
 
 J The princess Githa daughter, or near relation to king Canute, and 
 wife of Earl Goodwin, is said to have made a vast fortune by dealing in 
 slaves; a ttaffic which then shockingly disgraced this country, as^ndeed 
 it lias done in our own time. B''utol was then, what Liverpool has ic- 
 cently been, the chief port to cherish and carry on this detestable com- 
 merce. This northerncoast also, from Scotland to the Humber, was 
 distinguished 011 the same account. We are told, by William of Malms-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. $69 
 
 The value or price of cattle, land, and other com- 
 modities, in the times of which we are now speaking, 
 amounted to but a very small portion of what they now 
 fetch. " By the laws of Athelstan, (says Dr. Mavor) 
 a sheep was valued at a shilling, or fifteen-pence of our 
 money: an ox was computed at six times the value of 
 a sheep, and a cow at four. A horse was valued at 
 thirty shillings of our money, and a mare at twenty- four. 
 Between the years 900 and 1000, a hide of land was 
 purchased for about one hundred and eighteen shillings, 
 which was little more than a shilling per acre. * On the 
 
 bury, that the Northumbrians used to sell their nearest relations for 
 their own advantage; and Dr. Henry says, that English Slaves were 
 then, like cattle, exposed to sale in all the markets of Europe. Many 
 of the Slave-merchants of [that period were Jew, who found a good 
 market for their englisk and Christian Slaves among the Saracens in Spa in 
 and Africa. At Rome also, we read of english slaves being exposed for 
 sale, as early as the 7th century. It is, moreover, highly probable that 
 Lynn and other ^ighbouring ports were long concerned in the same 
 odious employment. Even as late as the reign of king JWn, the Irish 
 used to import many slavet from Bristol. To add to the brutality of this 
 vile prooceeding, the Sellers always took care that the females should 
 be in' a condition which might enable them to demand a higher price 
 from the purchasers. What put an end, at last, to this horrid traf 
 nek, is said to have been, not the virtue of the English, but the com. 
 punction of the Irish, who were shocked at it, under the idea that cer- 
 tain national misfortunes which had befallen them were divine judg- 
 ments, for having been concerned in so iniquitous a business Our un- 
 feeling advocates for the slave trade, who have so long dishonoured 
 this nation, and are still in no small numbers among us, are little aware, 
 that time was, when their own ancestors were in a similar situation with 
 the present inhabitants of Africa; being liable, like them, to be 
 bought and sold into slavery; and that other nations actually 
 traded here for Slaves, as we have so long done in modern times 
 to the coast of Guinea. If they cannot put themselves in the place 
 of the poor negroes, and feel for them, they ought, at least, to do 
 so in regard to their own ancestors, and so lern some degree of j us- 
 tice and humanity, if nothing else can teach them. 
 
 He might have said, tomciuhat leu than a shilling an acre, if, as some 
 have asserted, the hide comprehended laO acres.
 
 270 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 whole, (he adds) when we combine the alteration in the 
 weight of the pound, and the modern value of the pre- 
 cious metals from their greater plenty, we may conceives 
 every sum of money mentioned by historians, during 
 the Anglo-Saxon, and even the Norman times, as if it 
 were multiplied more than a hundred-fold above a sura 
 of the same denomination at present* 
 
 .J .; ;:, .'. .-.^ts.itwcu^^ 
 
 SECTION V. Probability that Lynn was formerly 
 concerned in the exportation of slaves comparison be- 
 tween the ancient and modern English slave-dealers 
 slaves and horses the chief exports of this country in, 
 those days corn not then exported, though it had been 
 formerly import?, commerce miscellaneous hints and 
 observations. 
 
 Considering how very fruitful in slaves England ap- 
 pears to have been under the Anglo-saxons, and how 
 commonly they bought and sold their slaves, (and even 
 their own kindred,) and that they were actually a prin- 
 cipal article of their exports to other countries, ^ it is 
 more than probable that Lynn and other Norfolk ports 
 were then deeply concerned in that traffic Slaves are 
 known to have then abounded in the parts about this town; 
 and no other commodity, or produce of the country, 
 was more marketable, or saleable, both at home and 
 abroad; we may therefore be sure that the merchants and 
 
 ; Henry iv. 237, 8, 9.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 271 
 
 opulent people of Lynn were not inattentive to so fash- 
 ionable and profitable a branch of commerce. Some in- 
 deed, even then, disapproved of it, and a bishop, of the 
 name of Wolf stem, is said to have firmly set his face a- 
 gairist it at Bristol, and to have made the people some- 
 what ashamed of their proceedings; but it does not 
 appear that they relinquished it, for Bristol continued 
 to be the chief English mart for slaves, long after his 
 time. His conduct, however, was highly laudable, 
 memorable, and exemplary; but where among our 
 modern prelates, can we find one that has virtue or for- 
 titude enough to imitate the noble example of Wolfstan! 
 
 How vile and mercenary must the character of those 
 ancient English dealers in human flesh appear, when 
 we contemplate them as selling their own countrymen 
 and neighbours, and even their kindred! It reminds us of 
 what has often been said of the modern commercial, or 
 mercantile character: that a merchant would sell his own 
 father, if he could do it safely and gainfully. Between 
 our ancient and modern English slave dealers, there is 
 some dissimilarity, though they both acted from the same 
 principle, and the conduct of each appears thoroughly 
 unjustifiable and atrocious. The latter dealt only in 
 strangers, at a great distance, and of another colour; 
 but the former trafficked, as was before observed, in 
 their own countrymen, and near neighbours, brought 
 up among them, and, occasionally, even in their own 
 near relations. Of the two, therefore, the conduct of 
 tUe ancients appears, at first sight, as far the most un- 
 
 2 i,
 
 972 
 
 natural and shocking; but that "will cease to be the case, 
 upon further consideration, and when times and cir- 
 cumstances are duly attended to. Those ancients lived 
 in rude and barbarous ages, when the natural rights 
 of man were not understood, and when darkness visible 
 was every where predominant; which must, in some 
 measure, extenuate their misdeeds. But our modern 
 slave-dealers have carried on their operations in the open 
 day, and in the very face of the sun they have ad* 
 hered to this most barbarous and savage traffick in the 
 most enlightened age of the world they have persisted 
 in it, in spite of the frequent and solemn remonstrances, 
 of the most virtuous and enlightened of their country- 
 men, and in defiance of the clearest demonstrations of 
 the flagiciousness of their conduct. They have, there- 
 fore, no cloak for their sin, no excuse or palliating plea 
 for their atrocities. To them belongs the preeminence 
 of turpitude and infamy, and they may be said to stand 
 at the head of those monsters who have been a disgrace 
 
 O 
 
 to Christianity, to humanity, and to their country, 
 
 Slaves and horses appear to have been the principal, 
 if not the only articles exported from this country du- 
 ring the Anglo-Saxon ages. Corn constituted then no 
 article of our exports, though it had done so formerly, 
 in a considerable degree, while Britain formed a part 
 of the Roman Empire. Agriculture must therefore 
 have miserably declined he.rc since the arrival of the 
 Saxons, and the country had no reason to congratulate 
 itself on its change of masters. After the introduction 
 of Christianity the monks are said to have been, by much
 
 HISTORY* OF LYNN.' 273 
 
 the best husbandmen, and also the best, if not the only 
 gardeners in the country. They were certainly the 
 most enlightened class of the community, and the little 
 knowledge and learning which the country then possess- 
 ed were chiefly, if not entirely, confined within the 
 solemn precincts of the monasteries. 
 
 Of our imports in those days, books, relics, pictures, 
 and images of saints, clerical vestments, and church or* 
 naments, are said to have been the chief articles; which 
 gives but a very miserable idea of the state of the coun- 
 try, and its commerce, in the mean time. They were 
 however, not the only articles, for it appears that vines 
 also were imported from France and Spain, cloths from 
 Germany and Flanders, furs, deer-skins, (and proba- 
 bly, bear-skins,) ropes, whale oil, &c. from Scan- 
 dinavia: and even a portion of all the different com- 
 modities then known in any part of Europe is supposed 
 to have been at that period imported to this country. 
 Yet the balance of trade is said to have been much in 
 our favour that is, we got much more by the sale of 
 our Slaves and horses, in which our exports consisted, 
 than what we lost or laid out in the purchase of all the 
 various articles which we imported, many of which, 
 at the same time, must have been pretty expensive. This 
 seems to imply, that those Slaves and horses, with which 
 foreign markets were supplied from hence, must have 
 been very numerous, as well as very beneficial and lu- 
 crative to our English merchants. 
 
 DuVing some part of this period the shipping 
 2 L 2
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 land seems to have been pretty numerous; but whaf t 
 portion of it belonged to the port of Lynn does not ap- 
 pear. The royal navy too, was at times on a respecta- 
 ble footing, particularly in the reigns of Alfred and 
 Canute, as well as in those of Edgar, surnamed the 
 peaceable, and Ethelred: the latter is said to have pos- 
 sessed near 800 sail of men of war, ^ but they were all 
 what would now be called small vessels. The military 
 force of the kingdom consisted generally of about 50,000, 
 though on extraordinary occasions it considerably ex- 
 ceeded that number. 
 
 For a long time, markets were usually kept on Sun- 
 doyS) in or near some church , but that being found 
 somewhat inconvenient, as interfering with the religious- 
 service of the day, they were afterwards changed to 
 Saturdays. The fairs of those times were also generally 
 kept within the precincts of some great churches, or mo- 
 nastaries, on some notable day, generally the anniver- 
 sary of the patron saint, and it was customary to oblige 
 every comer to the fair, at the gate, before' he entered, 
 to swear that he would neither lie, steal, nor cheat: 
 which might be very useful, if the people had then a 
 proper sense of the sacredness of oaths, otherwise it would 
 be of but little avail, as it is to be feared it would also be 
 iiFthe present day, when, from the multiplicity or com- 
 monness of oaths, a disposition to trifle with, or make 
 light of them is notoriously prevalent. For holding 
 these fairs, bishops and abbots obtained charters from 
 the crown/ with a view to increase their own revenues 
 
 t Henry iv. 23 i.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 275 
 
 by the tolls which sucli charters would authorise them to 
 levy on sucli occasions. Thus every thing contributed 
 to the aggrandizement of the church. Belbre the end 
 of this period, the clergy had possession of more than 
 a third part of all the laud in the kingdom, with the 
 tithes of all the rest. 
 
 Much attention was {lien bestowed on the decoration 
 of churches and religious houses. Organs and bells 
 were introduced toward the latter part of this period. 
 The famous Saint Dunstari gave a fine organ, in the 
 reign of Edgar, to the abbey of Glastonbury. Bells 
 became very common about the 10th century, and were 
 hung in the towers of churches, which were then all of 
 wood: only the altars were, it seems, built of stone. 
 The first set of bells in this kingdom, that we hear of, 
 was at Croyland, in Lincolnshire, in the reign of Ath- 
 elstan, a gift of the abbot Turketul to that celebrated 
 monastery. * There had, however, been single bells in 
 England long before that period, and even as early as 
 the 7th century, as is attested by*Bede. In the time of 
 M. Paris, bells were not allowed to ring at funerals, as 
 inspiring too gay and unsuitable ideas. Clocks also 
 began to be introduced here toward the close of this 
 
 * As a proof ot the salubrity of Croyland, and the temperance of its 
 monks in those days, it has been remarked, that when Turketul, who 
 had been chancellor of England, and one of the greatest warriors and 
 ' statesmen of his ti-me, retired from the world, and became abbot of 
 Croyland, he found five aged monks there, to whom he paid particular 
 attention. The /eldest of them died- in 973, in his 169th. year: the 
 second died within the same year, at the age of 142: the third died the 
 next year, aged 1 15; the other twotire thought to have been about the 
 same age as the last. Their names were Clarenbald, S-warling, Turgar t 
 Brune, and A jo. Croyland is not now remarkable for its salubrity, or 
 the longevity of its inabitants.
 
 276 
 
 period. About the same time, the English begftn to be 
 expert and noted manufacturers of woollen cloth; the 
 Value of a sheep's fleece, of course, was then well under- 
 stood, and rated at two fifths of the animal's whole price. 
 Silkj though now beginning to be imported, was not 
 woven here until some centuries afterwards: linen, in the 
 mean time, was extremely scarce. It is very remark- 
 able, but seemingly an unquestionable fact, that highly 
 finished works in gold and silver, were the production 
 even of our darkest ages. The monks, in those 
 times, were the best artists, and the famous St. Dunstan 
 inferior to none of them. Yet the means of supplying 
 life with necessaries, appear to have been but imper- 
 fectly known and cultivated. The pagans of Sussex, 
 in the 7th. century, though starving for want of food, 
 knew not how to. catch any fish, except eels, until bish- 
 op Wilfred, who came thither in 678, instructed them 
 in the use of nets. He took 300 at a draught; and by 
 thus supplying their Iwdily wants, rendered their minds 
 tractable to his doctrines, and easily succeeded in their 
 conversion. *" Our modern missionaries to the south 
 sea isles, and other foreign parts, would do well to im- 
 itate his example, and not confine their attention or la- 
 bours solely to religious instruction. A goodly pattern 
 of the same kind has also been very lately set before them 
 among the North American Indians by the Quaker 
 missionaries. But it is to be feared that they and their 
 employers are too wise in their own eyes to profit by 
 such examples. 
 
 * Andrews Mayor Henry.
 
 HISTORY QF LYNN. 277 
 
 SECTION VI. Population of. Lynn, and the country 
 in general^ before the conquest condition of the bulk 
 of the inhabitants in the mean time sufferings of thz 
 inhabitants of Lynn and the adjacent country from the 
 Danes intrepid and, ferocious character of that peo- 
 ple instruments of vengeance on the Anglo-Saxons 
 their disposition and character not much changed by 
 their conversion to Christianity remarkable in.stance,s of 
 imposition) superstition^ and credulity. 
 
 Of the population of i/ynn, at anytime during that 
 long period, from the establishment of the Saxons to 
 that of the Normans, no estimate can now be formed; 
 but it is pretty certain that the major part of its inhabi- 
 tants, as well as those of the adjacent country, and of 
 all the rest of England, were Slaves, during the whole 
 of that time, and long after. Those unfortunate peo- 
 pie, for the most part at least, appear to have been tho 
 descendants of the original inhabitants, who were re- 
 duced ta that condition, at the subjugation, or conquest 
 of the country, and whose lives had been then spared, 
 on condition of their becoming the property, or goods 
 and chattels of the conquerors. So <Kd the Saxons 
 treat those of the natives whose lives they con- 
 descended to spare; all the rest they butchered with- 
 out mercy, except such of them as were fortunate enough 
 to escape to the unsubdued parts of the island. Of 
 these cruel and horrid deeds, they never appear to have 
 repented, even after they assumed the name of christ- 
 ians, for the bondage still continued; but, in time, a 
 severe retaliation took place, and the Saxons, in their 
 turn, were treated much after the same manner as they 
 had formerly treated the Britons. Long peace had
 
 278. HISTORY OF I/YNN. 
 
 detroyed their martial spirit: from a very warlike peo- 
 ple, they became gradually a most dastardly race, and so 
 fell an easy prey to the ferocious Danes. The difference 
 at that time between these two nations in point of mili- 
 tary prowess, is said tp be so great that the Saxons, alias 
 the English, frequently fled before inferior numbers of 
 the Danes, and could hardly be prevailed upon to meet 
 them in the field of battle on any terms. "Oh the misery 
 and worldly shame in which England is involved 
 through the wrath of Go! (said an English bishop in 
 the reign of Ethel; -~1 the unready) How often doth two 
 or three troops of Danes drive the whole English army 
 before them from sea to sea, to our eternal infamy, if 
 we were capable of feeling shame ! But, alas! so abject 
 are we become, that we worship those who trample up- 
 on us, and load us with indignities," Such was then 
 the abject submission of the English to the insolence of 
 the Danes, a that when an Englishman met a Dane on a 
 bridge, or in a narrow path, where he could not avoid 
 him, he was obliged to stand still, with his head un- 
 covered, and in a bowing posture, till he was out of 
 sight." Nay, we are assured that English submission 
 an<l Danish insolence and brutality were sometimes car- 
 ried still further, and even to degrees that are almost 
 incredible, as well as too -indelicate to relate. * These 
 Danes, who now became the instruments of retaliation 
 and vengeance upon the Anglo-Saxons, wore remarkable 
 for their extraordinary military skill and intrepidity; 
 and they were as unfeeling and ferocious as the latter 
 Appear to have been at the time when they invaded and 
 
 * Henry iv. 313.
 
 HISTORY <OF LYNN. 279 
 
 conquered this country: they were therefore probably 
 the fitter for the execution of Ihe work Jn which they 
 were employed'. Much has been said of the cruelties 
 committed by the Danes'in this country: they were cer- 
 tainly very enormous and shocking; but there is no rea- 
 son to conclude that they exceeded, or, perhaps, even 
 equalled those which the Saxons had before exercised 
 upon the former inhabitants. Of all the perpetrators of 
 Danish enormities, in this island, Guihrum seems to be 
 the foremost, or most conspicuous, in the pages of our 
 ancient historians. Of him one of them speaks thus 
 "The cruel Guthrum arrived in England A. D. 878, 
 at the head of an army of Pagan Danes, no less cruel 
 than himselfj who, like inhuman savages, destroyed 
 all before them with fife and sword, involving cities, 
 towns, and villages, with their inhabitants, in devour- 
 ing flames; and cutting those in pieces with their battle- 
 axes who attempted to escape from their burning houses. 
 The tears, cries, and lamentations of men, women, and 
 children, made no impressions upon their unrelenting 
 hearts; even the most tempting bribes, and the humblest 
 offers of becoming their slaves, had no effect. All the 
 towns through which they passed exhibited the most de- 
 plorable scenes of misery and desolation; as, venerable 
 old men lying with their throats cut before their own 
 doors; the streets covered with the bodies of young men 
 and children, without heads, legs, or arms; arid of ma- 
 trons and virgins, who had been first publicly dishon- 
 oured, and then put to death." * This is very'shock- 
 2 M 
 
 * I. Walingford, apud Gate, t 1. p.. 536: quoted by Henry 4. 3? 4
 
 280 UISTOJIV OF LVNN. 
 
 ing, and looks like providential retaliation. The an- 
 nals of history exhibit many instances of the same kind* 
 The Danish warriors were always prodigal of life, and 
 not only did not fear, but even Courted a violent death, 
 A natural death they dreaded, as a most ignoble and 
 disgraceful end, and which they always appeared very 
 anxious to avoid. No wonder that they became the 
 terror of every nation against which they happened to 
 wage war. No greater evil could well befall any peo- 
 ple than to have them for their enemies and invaders. 
 
 To no part of this island did the Danes prove a great- 
 er, or more terrible scourge than to the province of the 
 East Angles, which became one of their principal set- 
 tlements, and where they committed the most shocking 
 barbarities. Hence we may very safely conclude 
 that the sufferings which the inhabitants of Lynn expe- 
 cienced from them must have been exceedingly griev- 
 ous and deplorable. But as those sufferings have not 
 been recorde/i they cannot now be described or particu- 
 larized. 
 
 The Danes, as well as the Anglo-Saxons, when they 
 invaded this country were pagans. Both of them af- 
 terward took up the profession of Christianity; but it was 
 only its profession, or bare name that they did take up. 
 Their former ferocity still remained. They continued 
 grossly ignorant, superstitious, and heathenish, and 
 exhibited scarcely a spark of the real spirit of the re- 
 ligion of Christ, except perhaps in the latter part of the 
 reign of Alfred, Their ghostly, or religious instructors 
 were miserable and blind guides, or knavish and art-
 
 JIlSTORt* OP I/TKN. 281 
 
 ful impostors, who taught them that the most meritori- 
 ous actions consisted in erecting and endowing monas- 
 teries, performing pilgrimages, and reverencing the 
 priesthood. From such pretended or pseudo-christi- 
 anity, what good effect could be expected? Grapes 
 cannot be gathered of thorns, or figs of thistles. When 
 Earl Alwine, who was the greatest and richest man in 
 England, in the reign of Edgar the peaceable, consult- 
 ed St. Oswald, bishop of York, what lie should do to 
 obtain the pardon of his sins, the sainted prelate made 
 him the following eloquent harangue: "I beseech you* 
 excellency to believe that those holy men who have re- 
 tired from the world, and spend their days in poverty 
 and prayer, are the greatest favourites of heaven, and 
 the greatest blessings to the world. It is by their merits 
 that the divine judgements are averted and changed; 
 that plagues and famines are Removed; that healthful 
 seasons and plentiful harvests are procured; that states 
 and kingdoms are governed; that prisons are openefj, 
 captives delivered, shipwrecks prevented, the weak 
 strengthened, and the sick healed: that I may say all in 
 one word, it is by their merits that this world, so full 
 of wickedness, is preserved from immediate f uin and 
 destruction. I intreat you therefore, my dear son, if 
 you have any place in your estate fit for that purpose, 
 that you immediately build a monastery, and fill it with 
 holy monks, whose prayers will supply all your defects, 
 and expiate all your crimes." The Apostles, no doubt, 
 would have answered such an inquiry very differently. 
 The building of Ramsey abbey, however, as Dr. Henry 
 g M 2
 
 282 HISTORY OF 
 
 observes, was the consequence of this fine speech. * 
 Such acts were represented by the monks as contributing 
 greatly to the future repose of those who did them, and 
 of their friends; whence it was usual for all those who 
 had any sense of religion, or concern for their salvation, 
 to bequeath some part of their estates to their own souls, 
 as they called those bequests which they made to a 
 church or a monastery. 
 
 To promote and establish an unbounded veneration for 
 the priesthood, miraculous tales were industriously pro- 
 pagated, and as readily believed; for the credulity of 
 the people perfectly suited the knavery of the priests. 
 The following tale, or rather miracle, is related by 
 William of Malmsbury, in the very words, as he says, 
 of one of the persons on whom it was wrought: "1 Eth- 
 elbert, a sinner, will give a true relation of what hap- 
 pened to me on the day before Christmas, A. D. 101?, 
 in a certain village, where there was a church dedicated 
 to St Magnus the martyr, that all men may know the 
 danger of disobeying the commands of a priest. Fifteen 
 young women and eighteen young men, of which I was 
 one, were dancing and singing in the church-yard, when 
 one Robert, a priest, was performing mass in the church; 
 who sent us a civil message, intreating us to desist from 
 our diversion, because we disturbed his devotion by our 
 noise, But we impiously disregarded his request; up- 
 on which the holy man, inflamed with anger, prayed 
 to God and St. Magnus, that we might continue danc- 
 ing arid singing a whole year, without intermission. His 
 
 _ . . >\* t C ', . ; . Oil . il 1 
 
 * Henry, i*. 209.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNV, 283 
 
 prayers were heard. A ypung man, the son of a priest, 
 named John, took his sister, (who was singing with us) 
 by the hand, and her arm dropped from her body with- 
 out one drop of blood following. But notwithstanding 
 this disaster she continued to dance and sing with us a 
 whole year. During all that time we felt no inconve- 
 nience from rain, cold, heat, hunger, thirst, or wea- 
 riness; and neither our shoes, nor our clothes wore out. 
 Whenever it began to rain, a magnificent house was 
 erected over us, by the power of the Almighty. By our 
 continual dancing we wore the earth so much, that by 
 degrees we sunk into it up to the knees, and at length 
 up to the middle. When the year was ended, bishop 
 Hubert came to the place, dissolved the invisible ties 
 by which our hands had been so long united, absolved 
 us, and reconciled us to St. Magnus. The priest's 
 daughter, who had lost her arm, and other two of the 
 young women, died away immediately; but all the rest 
 fell into a profound sleep, in which they continued 
 three days and three nights; after which they arose and 
 went up and down the world, publishing this true and 
 glorious miracle, and carrying the evidence of its truth 
 along with them, in the continual shaking of their limbs." 
 A formal deed, attesting the truth of this ridiculous 
 story, was drawn up and subscribed by bishop Peregrine, 
 the successor of Hubert, A. D. 1013. J William of 
 Malmsbury also, the most sensible of our old historians, 
 appears to have given it full credit. In short, it seems 
 very certain that it was long, in common with abundance 
 of other similar tales, universally believed; which shews 
 
 J Henry, iv, 329.
 
 281 HISTORY- bF LVNlt. 
 
 how well established the authority of the priest hood, 
 and the popular reverence for that order, must then 
 have been in this cbuntry, and here at Lynn, as well 
 os in other places. 
 
 Next to the priests and monks, the magicians and 
 fortunetellers appear to have' then possessed the largest 
 share of the public confidence and veneration; and 
 very probably with equal worthiness. Strange tales 
 have been related by historians of the ascendancy which 
 
 ^ 
 
 these sorts of people long had over the infatuated inha- 
 bitants, and even over those of the highest orders among 
 them. These things give but an unfuvouable idea of our 
 national character in those times. Jt would but ill be- 
 come us, however, to think very contemptuously of those 
 foibles in our poor a ncestors, .\vhile we ourselves with all 
 our boasted advantages and wisdom, have not yet entire- 
 ly left off consulting fortunetellers and conjurers: to say 
 nothing of the multitude of other impostors, yf diflereiU 
 sorts, thatare daily countenanced and caressed aiuong us. 
 
 ffjitf ,hhovr nils awob f*oB^u mr 
 
 "'" 
 
 
 
 VII. Of the Heptarchy and its history 
 remarks on Egbert, Alfred^ ajid their most renowned 
 successors-^-chaructcr of Canute, and of Edtvard the 
 Confessor:, the fatter the first of our monarchs that touch- 
 ed for the Eii/ remarks on that circumstance^ and on 
 the prevalence of that complaint in the parts aleut 
 Lynn. 
 
 During a go6d part of thd period from the Saxon in- 
 vasion to the conquest, England was divided into seven,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNS, 
 
 petty slates, or kingdoms, usually denominated, the 
 Heptarchy, * the history of which is exceedingly un- 
 interesting: being, as Granger observes, a series of vi- 
 olence, wars, and massacres, among petty tyrants, 
 most of whom were a disgrace to the human species 
 Under the famous Egbert those states were consolidated, 
 and formed into one kingdom, under the name of Eng- 
 land, which it has borne ever since. The kings who 
 have ruled it, from Egbert to the Norman conqueror, 
 were, for the most part, like their predecessors in the 
 days of the heptarchy, very disreputable and worthless 
 characters. There were however, some exceptions, 
 among which Alfred was far the -most conspicuous, and 
 outshoue the rest, as the sun docs all the other lumi- 
 naries. 
 
 Among the most renowned and respectable of the 
 other English sovereigns of that period, beside Egbert, 
 already mentioned, were Edward the elder, Athelstan, 
 Edgar the peaceable, Edmund ironside, Canute the 
 great, ami Harold the second. Of Edgar we are told^ 
 that he styled himself King of Great Britain^ as Edred, 
 it seems, had done before him; but that title was afterward 
 discontinued, and not usedby any succeeding monarch, 
 till the reign of James the first. The most potent among 
 these crowned heads- was Canute, being* the sovereign 
 of Denmark and Norway as well as of England. That 
 he possessed great talents is allowed on all hands; and 
 though he was cruel here at first, he gradually became 
 mild, devout, and popular. Though an usurper and 
 
 * Seven, however, was not invariably their, numbef, they were some- 
 times more and sometimes Jess.
 
 28(T HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 a foreigner, he \vas, perhaps, next to Alfred, (he -wisest 
 of our ancient kings, if not also the most virtuous and 
 enlightened, especially towards the close of his reign: 
 of which his memorable adventure, or experiment with 
 the tide, and with the miserable sycophants of his court, 
 on the sea-shore, seems a pretty strong indication. That 
 he was also superstitious, and an admirer of relics, must 
 not be denied: but it was likewise the case with all the 
 most eminent of the princes of those days, the great 
 Alfred himself not exoepted. There is a remarkable 
 air of honest simplicity in the reason given by Canute 
 for undertaking a voyage, or jotfrney to Rome, which 
 lie did a few years before he died: "I had been told 
 (said he) that the apostle Peter had received great au- 
 thority from the Lord, and carried the keys of heaven: 
 therefore I thought it absolutely necessary to secure his 
 favour by a pilgrimage to Rome." How many of our 
 modern vissionaries and devotees would appear more 
 respectable than Canute, were they as honestly to avow 
 their motives, or give the reason of their proceedings? 
 
 In adverting to the princes, or sovereigns of this pe- 
 riod, to whom the town of Lynn was in subjection, Ed- 
 Avard, called the Confessor, must not be left unnoticed: 
 not so much for any shining qualities, or great respecta- 
 bility of character which he possessed, for there he ap- 
 pears to have been very deficient, as for certain incidents 
 or events which distinguished his reign, independent of 
 any personal worth or- merit of his own. With the monks 
 and eclesiastics he was certainly a great favourite, but 
 what made him so redounded not at all to his honouu,
 
 HISTORY OF LYKN. 
 
 but may lie said to be a disgrace, rather than any credit 
 to his memory. 
 
 .mf/sT ^jifew-iu '-'y'l'M ' ^ 
 
 TJie most important and laudable occurrence of his 
 
 reign was the reformation of the law of the land. Before 
 his time different parts of the kingdom were governed 
 by different laws: Wessex, by the West Saxon; Mer- 
 cia, by the Mercian; and Northumberland, by the 
 Danish laws. In his reign they were reduced into one 
 body, by the name of the laws of Edward the confessor, 
 which then became common to all England. This to- 
 gether with the abolition of that odious tax called Dane* 
 gelt, seem to have been his best and most commendable 
 deeds, though probably to be ascribed to his coun- 
 sellors, such as Goodwin, Leofric, and Siward, rather 
 than to himself. It is said, however, that he was hu- 
 mane, temperate, and charitable, and gave much alms: 
 and, moreover, that he had visions and revelations, 
 the gift of prophecy, and even that of working miracles, 
 his extensive fame for which continued long, and pro- 
 cured him, about two hundred years after his death, 
 from pope Alexander III. the high honour of canon- 
 ization, under the name of Saint Edward the Confessor, 
 an appellation that must have been very oddly and 
 unaccountably applied. 
 
 But of all his memorable achievements, or traits of 
 character, his touching for the Evil, or Scrofula, and 
 pretending to the gift or power of miraculously heal* 
 ing that complaint, are the most remarkable. . As this 
 pretended gift or power is supposed to have originated 
 
 2 N
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN; 
 
 with him, * and to have descended from him to 'all 
 his legitimate successors on the English throne, a. sketch 
 of the history of the practice, from first to last, it is 
 presumed, would not prove unacceptable or unenter- 
 taining to the reader. And as the disorder, for whose 
 cure this practice was introduced, is said to be nowhere 
 more common, or prevalent, thin at and about Lynn, J 
 which is supposed to have been als6 the case for many 
 generations, it may naturally and safely be concluded 
 that frequent applications to the throne for a cure would 
 be made, time after time, from these parts, while every 
 body believed that the sovereign's touch would infallibly 
 remove the malady. Myriads and myriads, labouring 
 under scrofulous complaints, have certainly applied to 
 the throne for relief during the long interval between 
 the time of the Confessor, when the said practice com* 
 menced, and the accession of George I. when it was 
 finally laid aside. Even in the single reign of that 
 most religious prince (as he has been called) Charles II. 
 the number, it is said, amounted to above ninety thou- 
 sand'., and it is morally certain that not a few of that 
 multitude, and of the rest, who resorted, before arid 
 since, to our different sovereigns, for relief in the same 
 case, were Norfolk and Lynn patients. The insertion 
 therefore, in this volume, of the proposed Sketch of 
 
 * Some, indeed, have seemed rather to doubt, if its origin here 
 was as early us the days of Edwaid, as Ingulphus, a contempo- 
 rary writer, makes no mention of it. Malmsbury, however, who 
 lived not long after, affirms it; and the Confessor seems as likely 
 as any to have taken the lead in such a business and become 
 our first practitioner. 
 
 1 Owing partly, as it is supposed, to the aguishness of the air, and 
 partly to other causes, not peculiar to these parts.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 289 
 
 this notable affair, or practice of the royal touch, can- 
 not, it is presumed, be deemed any material deviation 
 
 from propriety: so it shall appear in the last section 
 
 of this chapter, at the conclusion of this second part 
 of the work. 
 
 SECTION VIII. State of Lynn in the Confessor's 
 time'Stigand, Ailmer, and Harold, bore then the 
 chief swaygreat power of the latter sketch of his 
 character obtains the crown at the confessor's death 
 is soon disturbed by two formidable invasions the one 
 from the Danish, or Norwegian shores, under Hal 
 fagar, whom he vanquishes and slays in battle the 
 other from France, under his rival or competitor, Will- 
 iam of Normandy, in opposing whom he is himself 
 vanquished and slain in the decisive battle of Hastings, 
 wJdch places the conqueror on the throne, without fur- 
 ther struggle t through the defection and machinations 
 of the bishops and clergy. 
 
 In the time of the Confessor, as he lias been already 
 suggested, Lynn was a place of considerable, and grow- 
 ing consequence. The town then, and the adjacent 
 country belonged to three of the principal men of the 
 realm. Harold, who afterwards ascended the throne, 
 was then Earl, or Uuke of the East Angles, * which 
 must have placed Lynn under his jurisdiction. He had 
 2x2 
 
 * He was also Duke ofWessex, and Earl or Governor of Sussex, 
 Surrey, Kent, and Essex.
 
 290 HISTORY OF LTNN. 
 
 besides, great possessions here, being chief proprietor and 
 lord of South Lynn and other places. Great Massingham, 
 Westacre&c. did also belongto him. Stigand, archbish- 
 op of Canterbury, likewise bore then no small sway in 
 this town and neighbourhood, as lord of Rising, &c. 
 So also did his brother Ailmer, bishop of Elmham, to 
 which see, even at that early period, the government 
 of the borough of Lynn seems to have been a kind of 
 appendage. These two prelates were Anglo-saxons, 
 which was the case, it seems, with but three more. of 
 the order in the kingdom; * the rest being all foreigners, 
 and mostly French, or Normans. These being his coun- 
 trymen, and in a manner his subjects, we need not won- 
 der at the facility with which the Conqueror obtained 
 the English Crown; especially as the Pope also patron- 
 ized the undertaking. Though those bishops could 
 not prevent the accession of Harold, owing to his great 
 popularity and power, yet they kept themselves ready 
 to promote the cause and interest of his rival whenever 
 a fair opportunity should offer, and it was not long 
 before they had their wishes completely gratified. 
 
 Harold during the latter part of the Confessor's reign 
 was the most powerful subject in the kingdom . He pos- 
 sessed also great talents and courage, with no small 
 share of ambition, and had acquired vast and unrival- 
 led popularity. It was therefore no great wonder that 
 he should pretty easily make his way to the throne at 
 the very first vacancy. He had had for sometime the 
 chief management of public affairs, and his conduct in 
 
 ' ' * - 
 
 '* Carte 1. 416.
 
 H1STOIIY OF LYNN. 
 
 the mean -while appears to have given general satisfac- 
 tion. I^o one in the kingdom was better qualified, or 
 perhaps more deserving than he to wear the crown; arid 
 whatever the Norman, or monkish historians may have 
 said to the contrary, it seems pretty certain that he ascen- 
 ded the throne with the general assent and approbation 
 of (he people. 
 
 His reign however, was soon disturbed, first by a 
 Danish, or Norwegian invasion in the north, headed by 
 Harfager, or Helfager king of Norway, aided by Har- 
 old's own worthless brother Tosti; and shortly after by 
 a French invasion in the south, under William the bas- 
 tard, Duke of Normandy. The former Harold opposed 
 with success: the invaders were defeated with great 
 slaughter, and the two chiefs, Harfager and Tosti, fell 
 in the action. Great and rich booty is said to have 
 fallen info the hands of the victors, including a con- 
 siderable quantity of gold. Here Harold appears to 
 have committed a great error, and to have departed 
 most unwisely and unaccountably from his usual policy, 
 by retaining all the spoil for himself, instead of sharing 
 it with his soldiers, which excited great discontents 
 among them, and proved afterwards, Ln no small mea- 
 sure, detrimental to his cause. 
 
 No sooner had the English monarch triumphed over 
 the first invaders than he learnt that the Duke of Nor- 
 mandy with a great army had made good his landing 
 in Sussex. He immediately commenced his march a- 
 gainst that fierce and formidable adversary, with an 
 iirmy greatly reduced by the late bloody, though sue-
 
 292 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 cessful conflict, and rendered discontented by his own 
 impolitic and unwise conduct, already mentioned. Yet 
 notwithstanding those disadvantages, so rapid M as his 
 progress from Yorkshire to Sussex, that he actually ar- 
 rived within sight of his enemies before they had pro- 
 ceeded but a little way from the place of debarkation. 
 It had been better, no doubt, had he taken more time, 
 to refresh and recruit his army, or acted on the defen- 
 sive, for sometime at least, which could hardly have 
 failed of being very materially to his advantage, as he 
 was then circumstanced. But so impetuous was he, 
 and resolute to bring the contest to a speedy termination, 
 that he absolutely rejected the wholesome counsel given 
 him by one of his brothers, to adopt a different course. 
 To his opponent this must have been perfectly agree- 
 able, and the very thing he wanted, as nothing could 
 have been less his interest than a defensive war on the 
 part of the English, or to find in Harold another Fabius. 
 Both parties accordingly prepared for a speedy and 
 decisive engagement. The two armies are said to have 
 spent the preceding .night very differently: the Eng- 
 lish impiously passed it in riot and revelry; but the 
 Normans, good creatures! were all the time occupied 
 in the duties of religion; for which, to be sure, from 
 the nature of their errand, and the object of their visit, 
 they must have l^een preeminently qualified! This story, 
 we may presume, was fabricated afterwards by the monks 
 and priests and Norman historians, who were in the 
 interest of the Conqueror, and wished to pay their court 
 to the reigning family. Be that as it might, the battle 
 of Hastings forms a memorable era in the history of this
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 293 
 
 country. Both armies fought with desperate valour, 
 as if determined to conquer or die; but the invaders 
 proved victorious. Harold and his two brothers, with 
 the flower of the English army, fell in that bloody and 
 fatal field; and that single victory may be said to have 
 placed the conqueror on the throne of England, and ad- 
 vanced him to the first rank among the European po- 
 tentates of that age. In promptness, decision, military 
 and political talents, as well as good fortune, he may 
 be said strongly to resemble the present sovereign of 
 Normandy and the French Empire. But it is to be 
 hoped that the resemblance will not hold, in case the 
 latter should ever attempt to accomplish his long threat- 
 ened invasion of this kingdom. 
 
 From the disastrous and fatal field of Hastings, Ed- 
 win and Morcar, the principal surviving English com- 
 manders, with the shattered remains of Harold's army, 
 retreated in the night to London, where they convened: 
 the people, and such of the grandees of the realm as 
 were there to be found, to consult upon the best mode 
 of proceeding, at so critical and desperate a conjuncture. 
 They themselves were for placing Edgar Atheling, the 
 next heir, on the throne, and adopting vigorous meas- 
 ures for the discomfiture and expulsion of the invaders; 
 but their advice was not taken, their reasons were set 
 at nought, and every idea of any further resistance 
 was abandoned; so that William obtained the crown 
 without fighting another battle, or encountering any 
 further difficulty. Nothing could exceed the pusillan- 
 imity , or dastardly conduct of the English on that me-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 raorable occasion. Instead of the present prevailing 
 and flattering idea, that one Englishman can beat two 
 or three Frenchmen, they seemed to believe, on the con- 
 trary, that one Frenchman could beat, at least, two or 
 three Englishmen. In short, they appear to have er- 
 red as much on the one hand as we do on the other. But 
 it was not .the only time when our dear countrymen dis- 
 covered a diffidence of their own superiority. 
 
 ,- k ! 
 The blame of rejecting the counsel of the two chief* 
 
 tains above- mentioned has been imputed to the defec- 
 tion and machinations of the bishops and clergy, who, 
 as has been already suggested, were decidedly in the 
 iuterest of the Norman, and, of course, inimical to the 
 Anglo-saxon or English government, constitution, and 
 succession. The chief reasons for which, were pro- 
 bably the following 1. Many of them, and most of the. 
 bishops were foreigners, and William's countrymen 
 and subjects; so that it was natural for them to'favour 
 his enlerprize and pretensions. 2. Ecclesiastical power 
 and priestly domination were more likely to bs pro- 
 mpted, and the popular, pr opposite spirit depressed and 
 crushed under a Norman, than an Anglo-saxon, or 
 English government. 3. Even under the Confessor, 
 monk-ridden and priest-ridden as he was, the civil 
 power was so formidable, and superior to the ecclesias- 
 tical, that die parliament actually procured the depriv- 
 ation and banishment of Rofyert^ archbishpp of Canter- 
 bury, as an incendiary and fomenter of disputes between 
 the king and his subjects, and had Stigand appointed 
 in his room: a change therefore, or such a revolution
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 295 
 
 in the constitution and government as William was 
 likely to effect or promote, must have been a desirable 
 object with the whole clerical body. 4. The Pope had 
 openly appeared in favour of the invasion,, the success 
 of which he was understood to have much at heart: and 
 so careful had he been to let all see that William was 
 his man, and the church's favourite and champion, that 
 he first made him a present of a consecrated standard, 
 a golden Agnus Dei, and a ring, in which was pretend- 
 ed to be one of St. Peter's hairs; (of course a most pre- 
 cious relic;) and then he solemnly excommunicated all 
 that should oppose him. This conduct or example of 
 the pope would alone have been sufficient to influence 
 and determine the bishops, clergy, and monks, or the 
 whole body of the ecclesiastics, to betray .and sacrifice 
 the cause of the people, or of the nation, and promote 
 to the utmost that of the invader. They would have 
 done so without any other reason or inducement; but 
 being further stimulated by those before mentioned, we 
 may safely conclude that their zeal in the disgraceful 
 cause which they had sobasgly espoused, must have been 
 of no ordinary fervour. 
 
 This memorable co-operation of the clergy with tl.e 
 conqueror, so hostile to the liberty and independence 
 of the country, has been pronounced, in a recent publi- 
 cation, to be "the true origin of the alliance between 
 church and state, so much contended for by some of 
 our ecclesiastics; who have renounced the penances of 
 popery, but would fain retain both its pride and its povv- 
 2 o
 
 29(5 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 er." * But if it was reaUy its origin here, yet it seems 
 to have begun elsewhere at a much earlier period: for 
 the world does not appear to have existed a very long 
 while before statesmen and priests found it to be their in* 
 terest to play into each others hands, and enter into part- 
 nership, for the better management of their respective 
 concerns; or, in other words, for the sake of keeping 
 the multitude more easily and effectually in subjection. 
 
 The papal presents and interference in favour of the 
 Norman expedition, despicable as they appear, must 
 have largely contributed to recruit William's forces, 
 inspire them with confidence and enthusiasm ? and even- 
 tually promote and ensure his success. Nor was he 
 himself wanting on his part. Nothing that an intrepid 
 adventurer, and able leader could do to give effect to 
 his undertaking was by him omitted. He even went 
 so far as to make very liberal promises to divide the lands 
 of the English among his followers, in case he proved 
 yictorious; which promises he afterwards very pun<j- 
 tually and amply performed, so that the English gran- 
 dees were deprived of their possessions^- or if ttyey were 
 permitted to retain any part of them, they held the same 
 under the Normans, who then became every where the 
 great lords and proprietors of the country. 
 
 The whole English nation, in the meantime, was so 
 completely subdued and degraded, as to become, like 
 the ancient Gibeonites, mere hewers of wood and draw- 
 ers of water for their haughty conquerors, whom pro- 
 vidence seemed to employ, like the Danes before, as 
 
 * Flower's Political Review, vol. 1. 299.
 
 297 
 
 instruments of retaliation and vengeance, for the atro- 
 cities formerly committed on the original inhabitants. 
 The english language itself was now in a manner pro- 
 hibited and proscribed, and the French substituted for 
 it, or introduced in its room, especially in the courts of 
 law, and all legal transactions, which continued to be 
 the case for a long time. * French also became now 
 the sole language of gentlemen, or of all who moved in 
 the high and polite circles. None could be admitted 
 into such circles, or allowed the name of gentlemen, 
 without that language, which bore very hard, no doubt, 
 upon many an English buck of those days; hence that 
 well known old proverb," Jack would be a gentleman, 
 but that he can talk no French." 
 
 The changes which the Norman Conquest produced in 
 this country shall be further noticed in the next part or 
 division of this work, where it will be seen how Lynn 
 in particular, and its vicinity were affected by that me- 
 morable and humiliating revolution. 
 
 During the period of which we have been treating, 
 Lynn exhibited no appearance of a borough, orcorpo- 
 2 o 2 
 
 * We are apt to deem it a grievous hardship upon the good peo- 
 ple of England, under the Norraan princes, to be deprived of the ad- 
 ministration of justice in their own mother tongue, or to have their 
 legal proceedings all transacted in a strange language, without consi- 
 dering, that the Welsh, the Irish, and the Scotch highlanders, are to 
 this day used by our oWn government in the same manner; in which 
 nevertheless, w3 seem to perceive no great or very material harm, 
 hardship, or impropriety: -so loth do we often appear to place 
 
 ourselves in the situation of our neighbours, and to use them as we 
 would wish to be used by them. England must have made a 
 
 queerish appearance when law was administered in French^ and re/igieq 
 in Latin, and the people knew no language but English.
 
 298 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 rate town: that state, or order of things belonged to the 
 policy of a subsequent period, and resulted from the 
 revolution effected by the conquest, and the odious feud- 
 al system^ for their attachment to which the Normans 
 were so very remarkable. Of the population of Lynn 
 before the conquest, a great part probably consisted of 
 slaves of different descriptions, the vassals and property 
 of the bishop and other great men. The artificers, 
 tradesmen, and merchants of Lynn were then all, per- 
 haps, in that condition, and following their respective 
 employments or professions, by the permission, and under 
 the protection or patronage of their lordly superiors and 
 proprietors, and also for their, as well as their own be- 
 hoof or emolument. It is not very clear or probable 
 that the condition of these people and of the rest of their 
 unfreeor enslaved country men, did or could, by the con- 
 quest, suffer any very material deterioration. But with, 
 their superiors, the high and mighty, or great men of 
 the land, their lordly and unfeeling oppressors, the case 
 is known to have been far otherwise: that event, like 
 some modern conquests and revolutions, degraded and 
 humbled them with a vengeance. 
 
 SECTION IX. Sketch of the practice of the royal 
 touch in England, or a historical Essay on the memo- 
 rable empiricism of our English sovereigns, from Ed- 
 ward the Confessor to George the -First. 
 
 It is generally agreed that this notable practice, which 
 appears to have been long deemed as a branch of the
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 299 
 
 royal prerogative, began in- this kingdom with, or in the 
 person of Edward the Cotifessor. '* Some however seem 
 to think it to have existed in France at an earlier period: 
 if so, Edward,uwho had long lived in that country, 
 and appeared very partial to it, and fond of French 
 fashions, might take the hint from thence, and introduce 
 it here upon his accession to the throne, which he might 
 easily manage by the help of the monks, with whom he 
 was so great a favourite. 
 
 Clo vis, and Robert of sainted memory, are named 
 among the early French sovereigns who successfully 
 practised the royal touch, and were greatly admired 
 and venerated by their subjects on that account. In the 
 reign of Philip the first, the virtue is supposed to have 
 been somehow lost, but happily revived again with un- 
 diminished splendor in that of Lewis the fat, after which 
 it seems to have long and regularly continued. Francis I. 
 ^ and Henry IV. are represented as eminent practition- 
 ers; how it was with the succeeding-monarchs, descend- 
 ed from the latter, we are not informed. No particular 
 attention appears to have been paid to it yet by the 
 emperor Napoleon. What he may think proper to do 
 
 * AUred as well as Malmslury observe, that the Confessor cured a 
 young married woman, reduced by the Evil to a deplorable condition, 
 by stroking the place affected with his hand; upon which she grew 
 sensibly better, the humour dispersed, the scar wore off, and in a 
 week's time the cure was perfected!! " Cartel. 357. 
 
 \ That Francis touched for the evil is said to be averred by Servetus, 
 in his 1st. edition of Ptolemy's Geography. Of its success, indeed, 
 we are told that he appeared far from being a believer; but it was not 
 the only instance of his unbelief or incredulity. He often disbelieved 
 what others firmly credited; for which the bloody reformer Calvin 
 made him pay very dearly, at last, without the gates of Geneva.
 
 300 HISTORY OF 
 
 hereafter, no tongue can tell. Whether he possesses 
 this power or not, it is certain that he possesses some 
 other powers in as great a degree, at least, as any of his 
 royal or imperial predecessors* ^ , 
 
 But this miraculous gift of healing did not, it seems, 
 belong exclusively to the kings of France and England. 
 * The Earls, or princes of the house of Hapsburg alsa, 
 are reported to have had it in no scanty measure. They 
 cured the strumous, or scrofulous, it is said, by giving 
 them drink, and the stammerers, by kissing them. But 
 the Kings of Hungary seem to have exceeded all; for 
 \ye are told that they could cure, not only the king^s 
 evil, but all disorders occasioned by poison, the bite of 
 a viper, or any other venomous animal. " Mr. J3e/, 
 who tells us this, observes ( what is as remarkable as the 
 account itself) that he cannot find in history, that these 
 Hungarian kings ever exercised this wonderful power, t 
 More shame for them, the unfeeling wretches 1 if they 
 possessed it. 
 
 " The case -was otherwise with the royal doctors of 
 France and England, who have not been so shy of ex- 
 erting this.power, or rather, of practising this quackery. 
 
 * Nor does it appear that it belonged exclusively to certain Christian 
 potentates; for, long before there were any such, it had been ascribed 
 to the pagan emperors Vespasian and Hadrian, who are said, by their 
 touch, to have restored sight to the blind; and the fact seems as well es- 
 tablished as any of the accounts of cures effected by the touch of our 
 Christian and english monarchs. 
 
 f Set Occasional Thoughts on the Power of curing tTie King's Evil, ascribed 
 
 to the Kings of England superadded to Werenfel's Dissertation 
 
 upon superstition in natural things. Lond. 1748.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 301 
 
 Some French writers ( says Carte ) ascribe this gift of 
 healing to the king's devotion towards the relics of St. 
 Marculf, in the Church ofCorbigny, in Champagne, 
 to which the kings of France, immediately after their 
 coronation at Rheiins, used to go in solemn procession: 
 and it must be owned there was formerly a great vene- 
 ration paid to this saint in England. It was in memory 
 of him that a room in the palace of Westminster fre- 
 quently mentioned in tlie rolls of parliament, was called 
 the chamber of St. Marculf; being probably the place 
 where our kings touched for the Evil, it is now (our 
 historian adds) called the painted chamber: and though 
 the name of that saint hath been long forgot in this na- 
 tion, yet the sanative virtue of our kings still con- 
 tinues." * 
 
 Of the most noted amon<* our sovereigns, as practiti- 
 oners in this healing art, the following is thought a pret- 
 ty complete list. Nothing seems to be known in this 
 way of Harold II. or yet of the four succeeding princes; 
 but that Henry II. practised very successfully is said to 
 fre attested by Petrus Blesensis, who had been his chap- 
 lain. J It seems highly probable that Henry III. like- 
 wise was often applied to, and successfully practised in 
 the same way, as John of Geddesden, a physician, who 
 is said to live about that time, advises a scorfulous pa- 
 tient, after his remedies had proved ineffectual, to apply 
 
 * Carte, 1. 357. 
 
 J Carte adds, that a.i<Mz'p;Bra<{-wardme ) Lqrd Chancellor Fsrtescue, and 
 other grave authors, give the like testimony in behalf of the cure, as 
 ivell as the practice, by that prince's successors: [Richard I, John, 
 Henry HI, and the three Edwards^ we may suppose.] Cane, as 
 before.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 to the king for a cure: for which he has been much 
 blamed, and seemingly not without reason, as, in case 
 he deemed the royal touch a certain cure or remedy, he 
 ought to have sent the patient to the king at first, with- 
 out troubling him wi(h operation and medicine, t 
 
 Henry's great son, Edward I, also appears to have 
 been no mean master of this same art; and so, probably, 
 might be his son, Edward II, though otherwise no 
 great conjurer; but as to his son, Edward II I, few, if 
 any, seem to have gone beyond him in this sanative em- 
 ployment. Bradxardine, who attended him in his wars, 
 and whose counsel is said to have contributed to his suc- 
 cess, gives a pompous advertisement, in .his book De 
 Causa Dei, of the wonderful cures wrought by that 
 prince. I'\ le Brun, however, pays no regard to this. 
 He looks upon it as a crafty stratagem, and says, he 
 does not doubt but that Edward's pretensions to the 
 crown of France excited his *eal to touch those who 
 were diseased; *rtiich is -not unlijcely; princes often, 
 when nothing but politics lie at the bottom, chusing to 
 make religion to swim on the top. ^ Edward's grand- 
 son, Richard II, cannot be supposed to drop or lay a- 
 side a practice for which his grandfather and immediate 
 predecessor on the throne had been so celebrated. Nor 
 is it at all likely that his successors, of the rival house of 
 Lancaster, should discontinue this practice, as that might 
 have been construed to imply a consciousness of inferi- 
 ority to the princes of the other house, or something 
 like & defect in their own title to the crown. 
 
 t Occasional Thoughts, as before, 58. $ Ibid
 
 illSTOftY OF LYNN. 503 
 
 Least of all is it to be supposed that this practice; 
 should be dropt or neglected afterwards, on the restora* 
 tion of the York line, in the person of Edward IV, who 
 would naturally take care to exercise every -prerogative 
 or power supposed to have belonged to his ancestors, and 
 which had any way contributed to their popularity, 
 consequence, or celebrity. This monarch, though of a 
 far less religious or devout cast than his immediate pre- 
 decessor Henry VI. might not on that account be the 
 less qualified to work these miracles, any more than 
 Charles II. afterwards; who, though by his clerical 
 subjects denominated most religious, was yet certainly, 
 in fact, one of the most irreligious and profligate wretch- 
 es that ever wore a crown: nevertheless he unquestionably 
 practiced the royal touch, as extensively, effectually, 
 and successfully as any one whatever in the whole list 
 of our crowned, or kingly practitioners. And why 
 not? as the extraordinary gift, supernatural virtue, otf 
 miraculous power, belonged entirely, it seems, to his 
 regal quality or dignity; * and had nothing at all, 
 apparently, to do with Jhis personal or moral character. 
 
 Richard III. also, after he ascended the throne, may 
 be supposed to possess as much of this supernatural and 
 
 2 P 
 
 * Though sortie, perhaps, would choose to ascribe that gift, virtue, 
 or power, rather to the throne, as the infallibility tf the pope has, by one 
 of our old satirists, been ascribed to the pap*l chair, in some such lines 
 as the fallowing, 
 
 Jf the devil himself should get there, 
 
 Although he be full of all evil, 
 
 Yet such is the virtue in Peter's old chair, 
 
 He would be an infallible devil.
 
 304 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 sanative virtue (whatever may be said of the other vir- 
 tues) as any one of his predecessors or successors; and 
 as it was evidently his interest to omit no popular ob- 
 servance,and to avail hknself of whatever had a tendency 
 to excite or gain the admiration of the people, and re- 
 concile them to his government, we may be sure he would 
 not fail to follow, with spirit, the practice in question; 
 and so, by a copious display of its sanative virtue, com- 
 pensate, in some sort, or degree, for the absence of vir- 
 tues of another description. There is therefore abun- 
 dant reason for setting him down ampng our royal mi- 
 racle-workers, .vfo-, v , 
 
 None of all these princes appear to have made a greater 
 figure, or to have proceeded with more parade, solem- 
 nity, and success, in this royal business or occupation, 
 than Henry VII This politic prince, whatever right 
 he might have to the crown, had probably as good a 
 right as any one to try his hand at this notable and won- 
 der working operation, the effect or fame of which he 
 knew full well how to manage profitably and turn to the 
 best account. He accordingly set about it in good 
 earnest; and in order, as may be supposed, to give the 
 process the most striking, sacred, and solemn appear- 
 ance, and increase i(s effect, he had a new form, or 
 office, composed and introduced for the purpose. * 
 
 '* Occasional Thoughts, as before, p. 60 also New An. Reg. 13, 
 
 180 } It does not appear, who among Henry's bishops, or ecclesias- 
 tics drew up this new office for his use: but we find that it went in the 
 
 manner and form following -First, the king, kneeling^ shall say. "In the 
 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. 
 And as soon at he hath laid t/iat, he t hell say, Give the blessing. The ckaf- 
 lam Wheeling before the king, and haying <i it'Jt abgut his neck t (hall answer and
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 303 
 
 The project answered; and his success 'in this practice 
 
 is said to have been very considerable. This prince 
 
 would also sometimes take upon him to convert heretics; 
 
 2 p 2 
 
 jay, "The Lord be in your heart, and in ycur Jipi,'to confess all your 
 sins. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 -Ghost. Amen. Or eli e he shall say, "Christ hear us. , In the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Ajnen. Then hy 
 and by the king shail say, "I confess to God, to the blessed vitgin Mary, 
 to all the saints, and to you, that I have sinned in thought, word, and 
 deed, through my fault: I pray holy Mary and all (the saints of God to 
 pray for me. The chaplain tJtall answer and say, "Almighty God have 
 mercy on you, and pardon you all your sins, deliver you from all evil, 
 and confirm you in good, and bring you to everlasting life. Amen. 
 "The almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission 
 of all your sins, time for repentanpe and amendment of life, with the 
 grace and comfort of his holy spirit. Amen. This don f the ckapla.ntha.ll 
 say, The Lord te with you. The king shall answer, And with thy spirit. 
 The chaplain, Part of the Gospel according to St. Mark. The king shall 
 ans-vi.tr, Glory to thee O Lord . The chaplain reads the gsspel, ^'Last he 
 appeared to those eleven as they sat at the table: and he exprobated 
 their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe 
 them that had seen him {isen again. And he said to them: going into 
 the whole world, preach the Gospel to all creatures. Me that believeth 
 and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be con- 
 demned. And them that believe these signs shall folio*': iu my name 
 shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues. Serpents 
 shall they take up, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt 
 them; they shall impose hands upon the sick and they shall be whole. 
 JVhlchlast clause, (They shall impose &c.) the chaplain repeats as long as 
 the king is handling the sick person, ^.nd in the time of repealing the aforesaid 
 words (they shall impose &c.) the clerk of the closet shall kneelbefare the 
 J:i'ig, having the sick person on the right hand; and the sick pcnon shall also kneel 
 before the king: and the king shall lay his hand upun the sore of t'ne slr.k person. 
 This done the chaplain shall make an end of the Gospel. "And so our Lord 
 Jesus, after he spake unto them, was assumpted into heaven, and sate 
 on the right hand of God. But they going forth preached every where; 
 our Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs which 
 fallowed. Whilst this is reading, the chirurgeon shall lead avay the slckper- 
 sonftom the king. And after the Gospel the chaplain shall say, 'I he Lord be 
 with you. The king shall ans-wfr, And with thy spirit. The chaplain, 
 The beginning of the Gospel according to St. John. The ki-ig, Glory 
 to thee O Lord. The chaplain then shall say the Gospel following, [i. e. the 
 first -words of John's Go:fcl } ending at verse 9/fl.j It was the true light which
 
 H1STOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 and he would even give them money to facilitate their 
 conversion; * which was certainly no illadapted device, 
 or unpromising expedient: and it is the more remark-: 
 
 lightneth every man that cameth into this world.] Which last ciaute, 
 It was the true light, &c.) shall be repeated so long as the king shall be cross. 
 i>ig the sore of the sir.k person, -wit ft an angel of gold noble t and the sick person 
 to have the same angel hanged about his neck, and to wear it unlit /te be frit 
 vhole This done, the chirurgioii shall lead away the sick person as he did be- 
 fore, and then the chaplain shallmake an end cf the gospel i. e. read on from 
 verse the 9th, where he left off before, to the end of verse 14.] Then. 
 the r.haplain shall tay, The Lords name be praised. The King shall answer, 
 Now and for ever. Thc-n shall the chaplain say this collect following, praying 
 firthe sick person or persons: O Lord hear my prayer- The king shall amiaer. 
 Andlet my cry come unto thee. The chapLnn^ Let us pray. c( A!migHty 
 and everlasting God, the eternal health of them that believe; gracious- 
 ly hear us for thy servants for whom we imploVe the aid of thy -mer- 
 cy, that their health being restored to them, they may give 'thee 
 thanks in thy church, through Christ our Lord. Amen." 
 
 This prayer following is to be said secretly, after the //' persons be departed 
 from the king, at his pleasure. "Almighty God, Ruler and Lord, by 
 whose goodness the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak; the lame 
 walk, the lepers are cleansed, and all sick persons arehealed of their in 
 firmities: By whom also alone the gift of healing is given to mankind 
 and so great a grace, through thine unspeakable goodness toward this 
 realm, is granted unto the kings thereof, that by the sole imposition of 
 their hands, a most grievous and filthy disease shpuld be cured: Merci- 
 fully grant that we may give th.ee thanks therefore, and for this thy sin. 
 gular benefit conferred on us, not to ourselves, but to thy name let us 
 daily give glory; and let us always so exercise ourselves in piety, that 
 we may labour not only diligently to conserve, but every day more and 
 more to encrease thy grace bestowed upon us: And grant that on 
 whose bodies soever we have imposed hands in thy name, through 
 this thy virtue working in them, and through our nunistry, may be re 
 stored to their tonner health, and being confirmed therein, may per- 
 petually with us give thanks to thee the chief physician and healer of 
 all diseases; and that henceforth they may so lead their lives, as not 
 their bodies only from sickness, but their souls also from sin may be 
 perfectly purged and cured: through our Lord Jesus Christ thy son, 
 who liveth and reigneth with t,hee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, Gad 
 world without end. Amen." 
 
 The reader will readily perceive that the above office, or formulary 
 was entirely off^ist. manufacture; ^he king and whole nation being 
 
 * Se ward's Anecdotes, 1, 38.
 
 HISTORY OF LYKiJ SOT 
 
 able, as his majesty was himself so great a lover of mo- 
 ney, and appears to have been so exceedingly close- 
 fisted on other occasions. We may therefore be very 
 sure that the conversion of heretics was of the highest 
 importance in Henry's estimation, and what lay very 
 near to his royal heart. This monarch also, with his 
 queen and eldest son, visited the town of Lynn, where 
 he very probably exercised the royal touch, as scrofu- 
 lous patients may be supposed to have been then, as 
 they are now, very numerous here, all of whom, as 
 well as the rest of the inhabitants, would not fail to give 
 full credit to his majesty's ability to remove the malady 
 and restore the patients to perfect health; and, of course, 
 would be anxious to apply to him, which he would 
 not be likely to discourage. As to heretics, there might 
 be then none of them here for him to try his royal 
 hand at their conversion. 
 
 His son and high spirited successor, Henry VIII, 
 would doubtless be careful to continue the practice of all 
 the rites and ceremonies appertaining to the royal func- 
 tion, which had been handed down to him from his 
 father: and there is every reason to believe that the op- 
 eration in question would not be forgotten or omitted, 
 were it only to be even with his neighbour and rival, 
 Francis /, who certainly performed it, and would not 
 
 then paf>'uti\ but it probably differed not much, if at all, from those 
 used afterwards by our protestant princes, except in the article of iimzking 
 the Virgin Mary and the Saint:; in which also consists, seemingly, the 
 chief di-Jerence between the Rjm'ish. and English Liturgies: in other res- 
 pects the resemblance is great and striking; which is not much to be 
 wondered at, as the model of the latter is pretty well known to -have 
 been taken from the former.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 be likely to be suffered or allowed to go beyond him on 
 such an occasion. Henry therefore may be safely set 
 down among our said royal practitioners, and even 
 among the most able and powerful of them all. But fie 
 King's Etil was not the only Evil in whose cure or re- 
 moval he was particularly concerned: He was no less 
 concerned in the cure or removal of the Popes Evil, 
 another dreadful malady, which had long and griev- 
 ously afflicted most of the good people of <his country, 
 
 i* 
 
 nnd which was generally deemed incurable, till he took 
 it in hand. All the world know how powerfully and 
 effectually his royal touch operated on ihat occasion - 
 Jt seems he had also the reputation of being endowed 
 with extraordinary gifts for the cure or prevention of the 
 cramp:, and we find that he distinguished himself by the 
 consecration of cramp rings, which Stephen Gardiner 
 says were much esteemed every where, and often sought 
 for. * So very eminent was Henry among our royal 
 doctors, and miracle mongers, 
 
 Edward VI, Henry's amiable son and successor, 
 is not known to have been at all an adept at this prince- 
 ly practice, or even to have been in the least partial to 
 it. lie probably thought so very lightly of it as entire- 
 ly to omit and discard it, as he is also said to have done 
 with respect to the consecration of cramp rings, by 
 which his royal father so much distinguished himself. 
 Jt is likely that Edward, young as he was, Had imbibed 
 some sectarian notions which might unfit him .for the 
 performance of these sublime operations. Even the roy- 
 
 * Occasional Thoughts, as before, 61.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 al and episcopal work of burning heretics, so much 
 approved of and delighted in by his predecessors, and 
 afterwards by his immediate successor, and so much 
 called for and applauded by ecclesiastics, was to him 
 an object of utter aversion; and if he once suffered it to 
 be done, it was involuntary and against his own better 
 judgement, through the importunate intreaties and ur- 
 gent expostulations of his bishops, and particularly 
 Cranmer, to whom therefore the guilt and infamy of the 
 deed must properly or chiefly belong. * There is reason 
 to believe that no such doings would have sullied or dis- 
 graced his reign had he been left to judge and act for 
 himself. It is probable he was left so to judge and act 
 with respect to the royal touch ; so that we need not be 
 surprised at his declining the practice. 
 
 From Mary, his bloody sister and successor, a dif- 
 ferent conduct might be expected: and her conduct 
 oertainly was, almost in every thing, very different from 
 his. Superstitious as she was, and bigoted to the last 
 degree, it is not to be supposed that she should shrink 
 from the performance of any rite or ceremony, however 
 absurd, that had been in request with her popish pre- 
 decessors, or devoutly practiced by them. This of the 
 royal touch could never escape her attention: nay it is 
 
 * So little did thos;s reformers know of the spirit of Christianity: and 
 yet they are still held up, by a numerous and powerful religious party 
 amqng us, as patterns of orthodoxy and pure religion: as if those men 
 who knew the least of the spirit of Christ, and the principles of com- 
 mon justice, were most likely to know most of the doctrines and pie- 
 cepts of the gospel, and be of all men the fittest to follow; or as if that 
 religion should be the most orthodox, pure, and estimable, that shews 
 the least of the spirit of the New Testament, and even allows of intol- 
 erance, persecution, and murder.
 
 510 HISTOHV OF LYNX. 
 
 expressly said that the office was indeed fairly wri((ert 
 out for her use; [that very office probably, which has 
 been above inserted; ] so that there can be no question of 
 her touching for the Evil, as devoutly, and as success- 
 fully perhaps, as any of the rest, f 
 
 As to Elizabeth, heretic as she was, her legitimacy 
 questioned, and her title litigated, she touched for the 
 Evil with a success acknowledged even by the papists 
 themselves, who are said to ascribe it to the sign of the 
 cross.* A case is mentioned by Carte of a Roman Catho- 
 lic, who, being put into prison, perhaps for recusancy, 
 and terribly afflicted with the Evil, was, after he had 
 been there a tedious time, at a vast expence to physicians 
 without the least relief, touched by this queen, and per- 
 fectly cured: which gave him, occasion to say, he was 
 now convinced by undoubted experience, that the pope's 
 excommunication of her signified nothing, since she 
 still continued blessed with .so miraculous a quality. f 
 It was well for the poor fellow that he was not & puritan j 
 or he might have gone long enough without his cure, as 
 her majesty is known to have been inexorably pitiless 
 and spiteful against that class of her subjects. 
 
 J Her conduct, in torturing and burning those whom she deemed 
 heretics, cannot well be thought more diabolical or execrable than that 
 of her successors Elizabeth and Janet, toward those whom they view- 
 ed in a similar light: the latter burnt them, as Mary Aid, and no less 
 cruelly and unjustly, and the former imprisoned, tortured, hanged, em- 
 bowelled, and quartered them. This was the good queen Bess. Her 
 whole bench of bishops, all of the right reformed and evangelical stamp, 
 applauded her deeds. 
 
 * That part of the ceremony, however, appears to have been expung- 
 ed in the next reign, and discontinued afterwards till that of James II. 
 without any diminution oi'the effect. See Oc. Thoughts, as before, 62, 
 t Carte, 1, 3o7.
 
 ^_, *' ,^-i 
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 311 
 
 Of James I, witli his strong faith in ghosts and 
 witches, and lofty notions of indefeasible right, royal 
 prerogative and king-craft, It was not to be supposed 
 that lie, of all raeu^ would think meanly or lightly of 
 this royal and religious operation. It accordingly ap- 
 pears that he very readily and warmly engaged in it, 
 and actually became a most dexterous and eminent prac- 
 titionerto the no small satisfaction and comfort, as we 
 may suppose, of his liege subjects, as well as advance- 
 ment of his own fame, or at least) the gratification of 
 his vanity, of which it is well known he possessed no 
 common or scanty portion. Nothing could delight him 
 more than the idea that he could work miracles: his 
 courtiers called him Solomon; but that idea was calcu- 
 lated to make him think himself as still greater than even 
 Solomon. We arc not informed how many patients 
 underwent or felt his royal touch; but there is every rea- 
 son to suppose and believe that the number must have 
 been very considerable* 
 
 His unfortunate son and successor Charles I. was no 
 less distinguished in this same way than his royal father 
 had been* Great numbers are said to have been by him 
 both touched and cured; of whom not a few were little 
 children, which has been urged as a proof that it could 
 not be ascribed to the effect or strength of imagination. 
 Carte observes, that Dr. Heylyn, an eye witness of such 
 cures., says, "I have seen some children brought before 
 the King by the hanging sleeves, some hanging at their 
 mother's breasts, and others in the arms of their nurses, 
 2 U
 
 312 HISTORY OF LYfcN. 
 
 all cured without the help of a serviceable imagination*" 
 Both Heylyn and Carte were full of faith- in these mi- 
 racles. If they were right, the decapitation of Charles 
 must have been a great loss to the nation,, and especially 
 to those who were afflicted with the Evil. For twelve 
 years or more, after that event, not one of these miracles 
 
 appears to have been wrought in this country. 
 
 * . ^ 
 
 As to Oliver Cromwell, it does not appear that he 
 ever tried his hand at this wonder-working operation; 
 conscious, it may be supposed, that it did not belong to 
 his province, or to the protectoral office and dignity, with 
 which he was invested, What he would have done, 
 had Be accepted or assumed the regal title, cannot be 
 said or known with absolute certainty: though the pro- 
 bability seems to bear against his even then becoming a 
 prnctitioner, as it would hardly have met the approbation 
 of his best friends, or accorded with the ideas of his most 
 
 trusty and powerful coadjutors, or even with his own. 
 
 - ? 
 
 After a total cessation or suspension of this ancient 
 princely practice, during the whole time of the Common 
 w.ealth and Protectorate, it revived again at the memo- 
 rz$le restoration-, and Charles II. took it up vigour- 
 ously and solemnly, and on a very extensive scale. The 
 Register of the Royal Chapel is said to exhibit a list of 
 92,107 persons touched by him for the Evil in a certain 
 puraber of years; * not including, it seems, the whole of 
 his xeign ; so that, double that number, or more for 
 aught we know, way have passed under his hand during 
 the whole course of his government. Yet we find he 
 
 $ Carte, I, 658, note. ' * Athenaeum No. 4.
 
 IIIST6RY OP LYNN. 313 
 
 practised only at' some particular seasons of the year ; afc 
 least after the summer of 1662, -w lion a royal proclama* 
 tion was issued to inform the public tiiat such would be- 
 the case from thenceforth. His majesty had been then 
 a practitioner full two years, during which time there 
 is reason to believe that he had touched some thousands. 
 He began the work almost immediately after his restor- 
 ation , so that it may be considered among the first acts 
 of his reign. Of the state of the practice in his royal 
 hands, or under his wise management, a pretty accu* 
 rate idea may be formed from the following extracts- 
 put of some of the principal Public Papers of that era,. f | 
 
 '. !rt 
 The following passage appeared in the weekly Paper 
 
 called Mercurius Politicus, of June 28, 1660 < 'Satur- 
 day being appointed by his majesty to touch such as ,are 
 troubled by the Evil, a great number of poor afflicted 
 creatures were met together, many brought in chairs anil 
 flaskets ; and being appointed by his majesty to repair 
 to the Banqueting House, his majesty sat in a chair of 
 state, and stroked all that were brought to him, and 
 then put about each of their necks a white ribbon with 
 an angel of gold on it. In this manner his majesty strok- 
 ed above 600 ; and such was his princely patience and 
 tenderness to the poor afflicted creatures, that though it 
 took up a very long time, his majesty, never weary of 
 well doing, was pleased to make enquiry, whether there 
 were any more who had not been touched After pray- 
 ers were ended the duke of Buckingham brought a towel, 
 and the earl Pembroke a bason and ewer; who, after
 
 314 HISTORY OF LTNN. 
 
 they had made obeysance to his majesty, knedcd down 
 till his majesty had washed." This was within a month 
 after his majesty's arrival. 
 
 The next is from the Parliamentary Journal r , of Jur 
 ly 9, 1660; a fprtnight after the other ; and is thus cu- 
 riously worded "The kingdom having for a long time 
 been troubled with the Evil, by reason of his majesty's 
 absence, great numbers have flocked for cure. His 
 sacred majesty on Monday last touched 250 in the Ban- 
 queting-House; among whom, when his majesty was 
 delivering the gold, one shuffled himself in, out of a 
 hope of profit, which had not been stroked; but his 
 majesty presently discovered him, saying, this man Jias 
 not yet bieen touched, His majesty hath for the future 
 appointed every Friday for the cure, at which time 200 
 and no more are to be presented to him, who are first to 
 repair to Mr. Knight, the King's surgeon, living at the 
 Cross Guns, in Russel^ Street, Covent Garden, over against 
 the Rose Tavern, for their tickets. That none might 
 lose their labour he thought fit to make it known that 
 he will be at his house every Wednesday and Thursday, 
 from two till six of the Clock, to attend that service. 
 And if any person of quality shall send to him he will 
 wait upon them at their lodgings, upon notice given to 
 him." In the same paper of July 30. and August 6. 
 Notice was given, that no more would be touched till 
 about Michaelmas: and in the Mercurius Politicus, of 
 February 28, 1661, it is sai^, that many came twice 
 or thrice for the sake of the gold. 
 
 Another weekly paper, called Mercurius Publicus, .
 
 HISTORY OP LYNH. 
 
 of February 21. 1661, had the following passage 
 We cannot but give notice that certain persons (too 
 many one won id think) ^vlio having the Jfing's Evilly 
 and have been touched by his -SACRED MAJESTY, 
 have got the forehead to come twice or thrice, alleging 
 they were never there before, till divers witnesses prov-? 
 ed the contrary; which hath forced his MAJESTY to 
 give order that whosoever hereafter comes to be touched, 
 shall first bring to his MAJESTY'S Chirurgeonsa cer- 
 tificate from the Minister and Church -r Wardens (where 
 they live) that they never \*ere touched by his MAJES- 
 Y Y before: the next healing will begin six weeks hence." 
 
 In the same paper of May 9. 1661, appeared the 
 following notice or advertisement: "WHITEHALL. 
 We arc commanded to give notice, that his MAJESTY 
 finds the Season already so hot, that it will be neither 
 safe nor fit to continue his healing such as have the 
 king's Evil; and therefore that his MAJESTIES good 
 subjects therein concerned, would at present forbear to 
 come to court; Friday next (may 10,) and Wednesday 
 (May 15.) being the last days that his MAJESTY in- 
 tends to heal, till the heat of the weather be allayed, 
 and his MAJESTY'S further pleasure known, where- 
 of his good subjects shall hrfve timely notice." 
 
 The same paper of August 15. 1661, contained the 
 passage following: " We are commanded to give notice 
 That his Majesty finds the season such, that it will nei- 
 ther be safe nor fit to continue his Healing those that 
 have the King's Evil; and therefore that II is Majesties 
 good subjects therein concerned do forbear lo couie U
 
 316 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Court till All-Saints Day next, till which time His Ma- 
 jesty doth not intend to Heal." 
 
 In the very same Paper, of July 17. 1662, appeared 
 the following curious courtly advertisement: "Hampton 
 Court. His Majesty lately set forth a Proclamation for 
 the better ordering of those who repair to the Court for 
 cure of the disease called the King's Evil, wherein his 
 Majesty being as ready and Milling to relieve the neces- 
 sities and diseases of his good subjects by his Sacred 
 Touch, >\hich shall come for cure, as any of his Roy- 
 al Predecessors, in which, by the Grace and Blessing 
 of God, he hath in an extraordinary measure had good 
 success, and yet in his princely wisdom, foreseeing 
 that fit times are necessary to be appointed for the per- 
 forming of that great work of Charity, doth declare his 
 Royal pleasure to be, that from henceforth the usual 
 tjimes for presenting such persons, shall be from the 
 Feast of All-saints, commonly called Alhallowtide, to 
 
 a week before Cliristmas. and in the month before Eas- 
 
 ' 
 
 ter, being more convenient for the temperature of the 
 season, and in respect of any contagion that may hap- 
 pen in this near access to his Majesties Sacred Person. 
 His Majesty doth further command that none presume 
 to repair to Court for cure of (he said disease, but with- 
 in the limits appointed, and that such persons who come 
 for that purpose, bring certificates under the hands of 
 the Parson, Vicar, or Minister and Church- Wardens 
 of the Parishes where they dwell, testifying that they 
 have not at any time before been touched by the King; 
 farther charging all Justices of Peace, Constables,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNJf. 317 
 
 th.at they suffer not any to pass but such as have such- 
 Certificates, under pain of his Majestys displeasure: 
 And that his Majesties Subjects may have the better 
 
 knowledge of it, his Majesties will is, that this Procla- 
 
 
 
 mation be published and affixed in some open place in 
 every Market Town of this Realm." J 
 
 To the above Extracts, only one more shall be here 
 added, from another Public Paper, called The Newes, 
 of May 18. 1664. "His Sacred Majesty having de- 
 clared it to be his royal will and purpose to continue the 
 healing of his people for the Evil during the month of 
 May, and then give over till Michaelmas next, I am 
 commanded to give Notice thereof, that the people may 
 not come up to the town in the interim and loose their 
 
 1 T. ?> *. ' '' 
 
 labour.' 
 
 From these premises it plainly, appears that the king 
 really pretended to be endowed with the power or gift of 
 working miricles, and of healing or curing one of tha 
 most obstinate and incurable diseases incident to the hu- 
 man frame, even by his touch. Most curious and ludic- 
 rous it surely must 'be to see such a man as Charles 
 making such a pretension, and affecting to be hand and 
 glove with Heaven ; and no less so to see the whole na- 
 tion, or at least the whole body of the church folks, or 
 national religionists, (clergy and laity) which consti- 
 tuted the great bulk of the people, giving him full credit 
 for every thing, and deeming the least doubt or hesita- 
 
 ..iV-- T U '/''I' J"i C- *''' '*' 
 
 I This proclamation therefore must have been published and affix- 
 ed in some open place at Lynn. 
 
 * See the Athtntnan No. 4, p. 260.
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 tion about his miraculous claims as a sure indication 6f 
 disloyalty^ and scarcely short of high treason. Allow- 
 ing or supposing his majesty to have really possessed 
 thifr miraculous power, or supernatural healing gift, 
 still it must appear rather a queer case that it should be 
 affected by the temperature of the seasons, and actually 
 controlled, overpowered, and crippled , as it were, by 
 the hot weather-, and that the royal operator, in the 
 meantime, in case he persisted in his benevolent prac- 
 tice, or labour of love, during the dog-days, a"nd for 
 sometime before and after, should be exposed to the im- 
 minent danger of some alarming contagion-, at least he 
 and his courtiers seemed evidently to have had such 
 apprehension. In all this, however, his loyal and ad- 
 miring subjects could discover nothing, eithet marvel- 
 ous or suspiciousj of yet any way inconsistent. Their 
 sovereign's miraculous claims found in them the most 
 ready acquiescence. With some, indeed $ especially 
 among the poof persecuted nonconformists,- the casef 
 was otherwise. They disbelieved those royal preten^ 
 sions. But it only served to strengthen the public pfe* 
 judice against them; being generally looked upon as 
 an additional and sure proof of their disaffection, or 
 their moral and political depravity. So much for 
 Charles's supernatural powers and miraculous deeds. 
 
 His brother and successor, James II. another of 
 our religious monarch s, continued this practice with 
 unabated zeal, solemnity, and devotion. He appears 
 to have made some improvement in the process ; parti- 
 ticularly by restoring the sign of the cross, which had
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 519 
 
 been unaccountably omitted by his father, and grand- 
 father. It is probable that none of its ancient append- 
 ages were by him forgotten, or left unrestored, if he did 
 not also, in his princely wisdom, devise some others, equal- 
 ly suitable and edifying : and had the crown continued 
 in his family, the good subjects of these realms would 
 hardly have failed of having the institution or practice 
 still preserved amongst them, and observed in all things 
 according to the pattern exhibited by him. But his 
 unexpected abdication forced things into another chan- 
 nel, and deprived us of so fair and important. a chance. 
 James is supposed to have practised at Whitehall as 
 frequently, jn proportion to the length of his reign, as 
 his brother had done. But as his reign, compared with 
 lhat of Charles, was very short, (though, in some re- 
 spects, much too long) it. is not to be supposed that he, 
 like the other, could boast of his myriads of patients and 
 cures. It appears, however, that he was very assidu- 
 ous in this business, as well when his occasions called 
 him abroad, as when detained within the precincts of his 
 own court or palace : hence when he went to Oxford in 
 1687, about the affair of Magdalen-College and other 
 matters, part of his time there is known to have been em- 
 ployed in touching; which shews how very partial he was 
 to the practice, and how very ready he was to attend to 
 it on every occasion that might offer. * Dr. Sykef in a 
 letter to Dr. Charlctt, of September 4, 1787, expres- 
 ses himself thus, "This morning the king touches in 
 Christ Church Quire; hears one Father Hall this morn- 
 
 2 R 
 
 * See th Athtnavm for April and May 1809.
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 ing at the new Popish Chapel there; but -whether he 
 will be there in the afternoon, or at University College, 1 
 know not." And Creech in a letter to Dr. Chaflell, of 
 September 6, the same year, says, "On sundaj^ morning 
 the kingtouched. Warner and White officiating : all that 
 waited on his majesty kneeled at the prayers, beside the 
 Duke of Beaufort, who stood all the time." ^ All this 
 shews how partial and devoted James was to this prac- 
 tice, as well as how obsequiously the learned Oxonians 
 observed and contemplated this part of their sovereign's 
 conduct . Had he not gone beyond this royal touch, 
 neither the Magdalcnians nor any other Oxonian frater- 
 nity had ever resisted his mandates: his popularity, in 
 that case, might have been as unbounded as that of our 
 present sovereign, and his descendants might have reign- 
 ed here gloriously to this day, 
 
 At the Revolution this practice or operation was agaia 
 tuspended. William III. was a Presbyterian, and 
 Oliver Cromwell an Independent: the spirit and prin- 
 ciples of these sects seem not to be congenial with, or 
 favourable to the practice; nor does this gift or privilege 
 appear to extend to sectarian or heterodox princes, but 
 only to those of the Romish, or Church of England 
 faith. 
 
 At the accession of Anne, of course, this sanative 
 Tirtue and practice again revived, and numbers were 
 touched by the royal hand of that illustrious princess, 
 among whom was the late celebrated Dr. Samuel John- 
 son,j then in his childhood. At the death of Anne, the 
 
 Athenaeum as before.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN* 321 
 
 said virtue forsook the British throne: at least none of our 
 succeeding raonarchs have yet ventured to revive the prac- 
 tice. The two first princes of the present dynasty had, 
 doubtless, their reasons for refraining from it; but as it is 
 not known wliat they were, it is impossible to say whether 
 their majesties were governed therein by wise or unwise, 
 proper or improper motives. We know that actions 
 very right in themselves may yet be performed upon very 
 wrong and unjustifiable principles. There is, howev- 
 er, no room to suppose that these two potentates were 
 in any measure influenced in this instance by what their 
 enemies, the Jacobites, would be ready to insinuate: an 
 apprehension of their own title to the Crown being de- 
 fective. The voice of the Nation (than which there 
 can be no better title) had placed them on the throne of 
 these realms. 
 
 His present majesty has hitherto followed the example 
 of his two immediate predecessors, in not restoring or 
 resuming this dormant or neglected branch of the royal 
 prerogative. If he ever should hereafter, at any time, 
 think proper to restore or resume it, there can be no man- 
 ner of doubt of his meeting with ample success, as well as 
 abundant employment. In that case it may be presumed 
 that multitudes of patients would soon be flocking in from 
 all quarters, not excepting the County of Norfolk and 
 the parts about Lynn llegis. His resolving to resume 
 the practice would instantly occasion the revival of the 
 national faith in the efficacy of the operation; and so 
 far would such a resumption or experiment be from 
 2 a 2
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 endangering his majesty's fair fame and popularity, that 
 it would, in all probability, augment the same, and so 
 render him for the residue of his reign, within the Brit- 
 ish Isles at least, more popular and more celebrated 
 than ever. But as we are not warranted to expect that 
 his majesty will ever try the experiment, or put to the 
 test the faith of his subjects in the miraculous efficacy 
 of his touch, we shall here drop the subjcst as far as it 
 may concern him. 
 
 It appears that after the death of queen Anne it was 
 firmly believed by a great part of the nation, that the 
 sanative virtue, or miraculous power which she was al- 
 lowed to possess, still existed in the person of a certain 
 exiled prince of her family. In proof of which a story 
 was industriously propagated of one Christopher Lovel, 
 of Bristol, who being most sadly and grievously afflicted 
 with the Evil, after having recourse to the most eminent 
 of the faculty, and availed himself of the best medical 
 help in vain, went at last to the Continent, in quest of 
 the said prince. Having found his royal highness, and 
 being kindly received, he underwent the operation of the 
 touch, got perfectly cured, and returned home safe and 
 sound, in full health and high spirits, after an absence 
 of four months and some few days. Carte, the historian, 
 and many more, gentlemen of the faculty as well as 
 others, visited him, examined the case thoroughly, and 
 pronounced the cure complete. Some of them, of whom 
 one was Dr. Lane, an eminent physician, considered 
 it as one of the most extraordinary and wonderful events 
 that had ever happened. After this, who can doubt
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 (lie reality of the fact, that such a sanative virtue, 
 gift, or power, was actually possessed by the said 
 prince? It seems, however, that the miracle did not 
 effect a radical cure: poor Lovel relapsed again, some- 
 time after, and died of the Evil at last. Such, in all 
 probability, were all the other great cures performed by 
 the rest of our royal doctors, although many of them, 
 like this, were attested as perfect cures , by very re*- 
 spectable, but too credulous witnesses. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable that Whiston, as well as 
 Carte, believed iu the efficacy of the royal touch: the 
 former derives it from the prayer used at the time, while 
 the latter seems to consider it as a divine or miraculous 
 gift liestowed upon, or inherent to all the rightful heirs 
 to the English throne. Both of them were men of con- 
 siderable respectability, and very confident, it seems, 
 of the soundness of their respective opinions in this case. 
 Their opinions however appear equally untenable, and 
 may pretty safely be pronounced utterly unfounded. 
 The favourable effects, or apparent benefit which some 
 of those patients might experience after having under- 
 gone the operation of the touch , must donbtless be as- 
 cribed to their own operative faith and strength of im- 
 agination, rather than to any supernatural virtue pro- 
 ceeding from that princely performance, or any miracu- 
 lous gift possessed by the royal practitioners. To the 
 same cause must also be attributed the salutary effects 
 said to have sometimes resulted from the pretended ani- 
 mal magnetism, as well as such empirical charms and 
 nostrums as have acquired an uncommon share of
 
 324: HISTORY OF LYUN. 
 
 popular fame, or havestood very high in the good opinion 
 of the public. A patient's favourable opinion of a rem- 
 edy administered to him, and his very confident expec- 
 tation of deriving from it very essential benefit, are al- 
 lowed to have had a happy effect, and to have done 
 great things sometimes in very serious and dangerous 
 cases. 
 
 Now we may rest assured ,that on no other ground but 
 this can we reasonably account for benefits experienced 
 by many who underwent the royal touch; admitting that 
 to have been really the case; for it is too absurd to sup- 
 pose that those royal personages were actually endowed 
 with power to work miracles, or that the ceremony per- 
 formed, or yet the gold given to_the patients to wear 
 about their necks, had in them any supernatural or 
 healing virtae to render them capable of producing such 
 effects. 
 
 It must be rather mortifying to our national vanity 
 and pride, to think that our dear ancestors, for seven 
 hundred years, firmly believed in the miraculous efficacy 
 of the royal touch, in scrofulous coinplr.mtj. * But 
 
 * Would not the case have been the same with their descendants of 
 the present generation, had our thres last monarchs thought proper to 
 continue the practice, or the present sovereign chose to revive it? How 
 strikingly was the easy faith of the nation exemplified in the implicit 
 credit it gave to a late premier's possessing extraordinary and plenary 
 ability to heal all the national or political maladies of Britain, of Europe, 
 and of the world ? And had he pretended to a power to cure the scro. 
 fula, or any other bodily complaint,_with his touch, would it not have 
 been readily believed by all his numerous admirers, and by the greatest 
 part of our countrymen ? And would not numerous witnesses have 
 soon appeared, ready to attest the reality and completeness of his cures ? 
 Circumstances seem evidently to favour these conclusiofts : nor v?i
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 while we reprobate, or pity their stupid and miserable 
 credulity, in this and other instances, let us not forget 
 that we ourselves are not without our errors and failings, 
 and those no less inexcusable and degrading: witness 
 our general belief in witchcraft, conjuration, prodigies, 
 and newspapers, together with the unshaken faith of 
 multitudes in Richard Brothers^ Susanna Southcote, 
 
 the story of the Dum& Doctor, still fresh in every body's memory, (not to 
 mention other case?) allow of our making here an exception in favour of 
 the inhabitants of Lynn. 
 
 For the sake of those readers who live at a distance from Lynn, the affair 
 here last alluded to may require some explanation. Be it known there- 
 fore, that the empirical Adventurer, called the Dvmb Doctor, made hig 
 appearance at Lynn about four and twenty years ago; and for a good 
 while after spent most of his time between this town and Wisbeach. 
 It was given out that he had been deaf and dumb from his birth, and 
 that he was a native of New England, or some part of North America, 
 where he had, somehow, (miraculously, or at least in some very extra- 
 ordinary and wonderful manner no doubt) acquired very deep knowledge 
 and skill in the healing art; and after having performed great and aston- 
 ishing cures in his own country, had actually crossed the wide Atlantic 
 out of pure kindness and compassion to the sick and infirm folk of this 
 kingdom, most of whose complaints he might be expected capable of 
 removing. The tale very generally took with our good towns- 
 men, and nTimbers of ailing people, gentle and simple, well-bred and 
 ill-bred, from all quarters, nocked to the impostor for relief. Not a 
 few of them also declared that they had actually derived great benefit 
 from his prescriptions. Thus he went on very prosperously, till an 
 old acquaintance of his unluckily came to town, blew him up, anil 
 blasted all his hopes. He then suddenly decamped, and was never since 
 
 seen or heard of in these parts. It seems he had belonged so a 
 
 company of strolling players, from, which honourable fraternity he had 
 been on some occasion expelled: upon which he took up the rnedicil 
 profession, pretending to be deaf and <lumb, and a native of North 
 America, as was before stated. This may serve to shew that with all 
 our skepticism and infidelity, and our large stock of fancied lightand dis- 
 cernment, learning and refinement, we are by no means so far removed 
 from the easy faith and blind credulity of our ancestors, or become such 
 complete proofs against the wiles of imposture, or the specious arts of 
 daring deceivers, as might be supposed, from out confident, loud, and 
 boisterous boastings,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 and many other notorious impostors of different descrip- 
 tions : and it may be justly questioned, if there ever was 
 a period when the inhabitants of this country have been 
 more inexcusably credulous, more easily and egregious- 
 ly imposed upon, or more generally and universally 
 duped, than in this very age. -But we will here close this 
 long section; hoping that its contents will not fail to con- 
 tjribute, at least in some measure, to the amusement and 
 satisfaction of the inquisitive and candid reader; espe- 
 cially if he ever wished to learn the history of the royal 
 touch, of which he will find here, perhaps, a more par- 
 ticular and circumstantial account than in any other 
 publication. 
 
 End of Part II.
 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNNV 
 
 PART III. 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OP 
 THE NORMANS IN ENGLAND TO THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAP. I. Obserfations on the Conquest account of the changes 
 then introduced their effects on the kingdom at large, and on Lynn 
 and its vicinity in particular. 
 
 
 
 The conquest of England by the Normans appears 
 to have been no less complete than those which had been 
 before effected by the Romans, the Saxons, and the 
 Danes. The English grandees were generally slript of 
 their possessions, and their lands divided among the 
 conqueror's chief favourites and great captains, who 
 then became the nobles of the realm, and frohi whom 
 are descended most of our present great families. This 
 conquest was obtained much easier than any of those 
 that preceded it. A single battle now determined the 
 fate of the whole country, partly, as was before observ- 
 ed, through the defection, intrigues, and influence of 
 the clergy, most of whom were in the interest of the in- 
 2 s
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 vader, as he was supported by their holy father the 
 Pope, who had distinguished him by such special marks 
 of his favour as could not fail of attaching them to 
 his cause. 
 
 William's army consisted of 60,000 men; not all his 
 own subjects, (for his duchy could not furnish and 
 maintain such a force) but made up chiefly of adven- 
 turers, or soldiers of fortune, who had engaged in the 
 expedition, on the promise of forfeited lands, in propor- 
 tion to the numbers they brought with them. Accord- 
 ingly, some are said to have afterward bestowed on 
 them no less than 700 manors, others 5, 4, 3, 2, and 
 100, or less ; insomuch that all the land in England, <if 
 we except the royal demesnes, the church lands, and 
 those annexed to the cities and boroughs, were in no 
 more than about 700 hands, whose wide possessions 
 were again distributed among their numerous vassals, 
 according to the principles of the feudal system, which 
 was now completely introduced and established in Eng- 
 land. * 
 
 . -. f-tnr-ji't-j ---'I f "'*.fi3 <; fiT .?0f!f(: 
 
 In consequence of this change, it became a fundament* 
 al maxim, and necessary principle of our English 
 tenures, that the king is the universal lord and origin- 
 al proprietor of all the lands in his kingdom, and that 
 no man doth or can possess any part of it, but what 
 has, mediately or immediately, been derived from him, 
 to- be held upon feudal services. This engrafting of 
 the feudal tenure on almost all the land in the kingdom, 
 is said to have been the most important alteration which 
 
 * Sullivan's Lectureson the Feudal System, andLaws of England, p 180.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN, 329 
 
 our civil and military policy then underwent. * The 
 great lords held their lands of the king, by certain ser- 
 vices, as all their vassals held theirs also of them. Thus 
 the king had the whole power of the country closely 
 connected with, and dependent upon himself. This 
 state ot things was calculated, no doubt, to secure the 
 kingdom from external danger, and may be considered 
 as laying the foundation of that high military character 
 which England afterwards held among its neighbours. 
 
 A vast demesne was now set apart for the king, a- 
 mounting to 1422 manors, together with many other 
 lands which had never been erected or formed into 
 manors. Besides these he had the profits of all his feud- 
 al tenures, his worships, marriages, and reliefs; the 
 benefit of excheats, either upon failure of heirs, or for- 
 feiture; the goods of felons and traitors; the profits of 
 iiis courts of justice; besides many other casualties, 
 which amounted to an immense revenue; insomuch that 
 the Conqueror, as we are informed, had no less than 
 10601. 10s. a day, the annual amount of which, al- 
 lowing for the comparative value of money, &c. was 
 equal to several millions (perhaps twenty or more) of 
 ours. So large a revenue might probably justify the 
 saying of Fortescue, that originally the King of England 
 was the richest in Europe. 
 
 We are told, that William's military tenants were 
 obliged, on all occasions, to furnish 60,000 knights, 
 completely equipped, and ready to serve forty days at 
 2 s 2 
 
 * Blackstone,' ii. 51, and iv. 411. % See Carte, 1. 423.
 
 330 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 their own expence. Every seaport also, in proportion 
 (o its ability, was obliged to find, in time of danger, 
 one or more ships properly furnished with men and 
 arms; which, joined with such other ships as the king 
 hired were generally an overmatch for the invaders. * 
 Thus we see how powerful and formidable England be- 
 came after the conquest, in its means of defence and re- 
 sistance, under its Norman sovereigns. 
 
 "Whilst we are noticing the changes now introduced 
 into this country, jt may not be improper to observe, 
 that the feudal system was a favourite branch of the Nor- 
 man policy, and which they appear carefully to have 
 established wherever they could get a firm footing. 
 They did so, not only in Normandy and England, but 
 also in Sicily, which they appear to have subdued much 
 about the time of which we are now speaking, and which 
 has groaned under the oppression of that System ever 
 since, even to this day. Of the commencement of that 
 order of things in that island, and its present aspect and 
 bearings, a very recent writer gives the following ac- 
 count, which may serve to cast some light on the state 
 of our country at the period now under consideration. 
 
 "Roger the Norman, conqueror of Sicily, and con- 
 temporary with our William the First, on his accession 
 to the throne, divided the lands of the kingdom into 
 three portions-r-One third of these was called the de- 
 mesnes of the Crown, which are administered by the 
 corporation of the royal towns where they are situated; 
 ach town, according to the revenue of its demesnial 
 
 * Sullivan's Lectures, No. xvii, xviii, and zxviii.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 331 
 
 lands, pays to the king a certain income, besides main- 
 taining the police, roads, &c. &c. and the tribute 
 which each territory pay sis called the royal patrimony 
 The next third part of these lands was distributed by 
 King Roger among his nobles; some of these were fiefs 
 contained within the territory of the demesnial towns, 
 while others had a town of their own, of which the es- 
 tate or barony formed the territory. Sometimes the 
 townships of these baronial towns have estates belong- 
 ing to them, which are administered by their corpora- 
 tions, called giurati, The remaining third portion was 
 either distributed among the bishops and mitred abbpfs, 
 or served to endow the several Convents, which in an 
 age fertile in superstition were so generally established. 
 
 "This distribution of property has remained thus ever 
 since the Norman Qonquest; and all the noble fiefs, as 
 they are held by a grant in military tenure, are supposed 
 to belong to the crown, and given to a family and their 
 descendants, subject to military service. This circum- 
 stance supposes an absolutely strict entail, which pre- 
 vents the sale of fiefs without the king's sanction; (verbo 
 regio;) it supposes also the indivisibility of the fief 
 hence the rights of promogeniture, which has reduced 
 the younger branches of families to a most miserable 
 state. Thus the lands of the nobles are entailed in their 
 families. Those of the church are attached to it, and 
 the demesne lands are equally so to the corporations, as 
 above-mentioned. * 
 
 * Leckie's Historal Survey of the foreign affairs of Great Britain, 
 Part I, page 57, &c.
 
 332 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Of the orders of Society in Sicily, (he same writer 
 says "Those princes, dukes, marquisses, and barons, 
 who hold estates which have a town, or sufficient popu- 
 lation, are called parliamentary barons, and have a 
 right to sit in t!ie assembly of the nobles: all others are 
 called rustic fiefs, and give no right of this kind to their 
 landlords, though they be decorated with a title. The 
 next order of men are the clergy, who form a distinct 
 assembly or house of parliament, and consists of arch- 
 bishops, bishops, archimandrites, mitred abbots, &c. 
 The principal of these are younger brothers of the noble 
 families; so that, in fact, the ecclesiastical house of 
 parliament is tied to the lords. The next order of men 
 consists of a second rank of nobles, who hold fiefs with- 
 out burghs, or towns, and who, though they have the 
 same splendid titles,! have no seat in the parliament. 
 I'henext order are the burghers of the different towns; 
 these apply to agriculture, to the church, and to the 
 medical and legal professions: then come the artizans 
 and peasants. These are the peasants of the demesne, 
 and those who are the vassals of the parliamentary lords. 
 
 After noticing the multiplied miseries under which 
 the bulk of the people is involved by this wretched or- 
 der of things, which forms an insuperable obstacle in 
 the way of national happiness and prosperity, our au- 
 thor informs us, that, according to the original con- 
 stitution of Sicily, the three houses of parliament liave 
 the faculty of granting supplies to .the Crown; ; but the 
 majority of the t\vp houses (he says) are sufficient; by 
 which means the house of commons, or demesnial as-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN". 
 
 sembly becomes totally nugatory, and the lords and 
 ecclesiastics, after generously granting the supplies, 
 throw the whole burden of them on the commons , What- 
 ever remonstrances are made, the matter is left to the de- 
 cision of those who have done the evil, 'and the mischief 
 is thus perpehiatedt" | for it seems they never think of 
 yielding in the least to the remonstrances of the com- 
 mons, or complaints of the people. 
 
 In Sicily the feudal system exists without its original 
 energies; and it may be said to exist in its very worst 
 state, so as to spend all its force in oppressing beyond 
 measure the middle and lower orders of the commu- 
 nity, or great body of the nation, without 'Contributing 
 to the real benefit of any. The consequence is that the 
 people, for the most part, groan iH-melessly under their 
 burdens, and seem perfectly iriErtflerent about the issue 
 of the present contest with France. Yet some people 
 seem to wonder at their supineness, and their not rising 
 as one man in defence of their king and country. They 
 might probably have done so, had their rulers been 
 wise,' and left them what would have been worth con- 
 tending for, or defending. When rulers cease to feel 
 for the people, it is not unnatural or unusual for the peo- 
 ple also to cease to feel for them. This, perhaps, will 
 apply to many of the recent changes among 1.he Euro- 
 pean powers. 
 
 Beside the feudal system, our Norman conqueror in- 
 troduced into this country divers other innovations- 
 One of which was the separation of the Spiritual courts 
 
 J Leckie, as before, p. CC.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNtf* 
 
 from the Civil; which was effected (says Blackstorie) m 
 order to ingratiate the new king with the popish clergy* 
 who for sometime before had been endeavouring all over 
 Europe to exempt themselves from the secular power 5 
 and whose demands the conqueror, like a politic prince, 
 thought it prudent to comply with, by reason that their 
 reputed sanctity had a great influence over the minds 
 of the people; and because all the little learning of the 
 times was engrossed into their hands, which made them 
 necessary men, and by all means to be gained over to 
 his in(erests. And this was the more easily effected, 
 because the episcopal sees being then in the breast of 
 the king, he had taken care to fill them with Italian and 
 Norman prelates. This innovation produced very 
 grievous consequenc^ so that by degrees the rights 
 and privileges of thfr {jglish clergy were delivered up 
 into the hands of the Pope, who faxed them at 4ris plea- 
 sure, and in process of time drained the kingdom of 
 immense treasures: for besides all his other dues, aris- 
 ing from annatcs, first fruits, peter-pence, &c. he ex- 
 torted large sums of money from the clergy for their 
 preferments in the church. He advanced foreigners to 
 the richest bishopricks, who never resided in their dio- 
 ceses, nor so much as set foot upon English ground, 
 but sent for all their profits to a foreign country; nay 
 so covetous was his Holiness, that before livings became 
 void, lie sold them provisionally among his Italians, 
 insomuch that neither the king nor his clergy had any 
 tiling to dispose of, but every thing was bargained be- 
 fore hand at Rome. * 
 
 * Blackstorie iv. 408. Neal Hist. Pur. I. 1.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 335 
 
 Another grievous innovation, introduced at the same 
 period, consisted in the depopulation of whole countries 
 for the purposes of the king's royal diversion ; and sub- 
 jecting both them and all the ancient forests of the king- 
 dom to the unreasonable severities of forest laws import- 
 ed from the continent, whereby the slaughter of a beast 
 was made almost as penal as the death of a man. In 
 the Saxon times, though no man was allowed to kill or 
 chase the king's deer, yet he might start any game, pur- 
 sue, or kill it, upon his own estate. But the rigour of 
 these new censtitutions vested the sole property of all 
 the game in England in the king alone; and no man 
 was entitled to disturb any fowl of the air, or beast at 
 tire field, of such kinds as were specially reserved for the 
 royal amusement of the sovereign, without express li- 
 cence from the king, by a grant of a chase, or free 
 warren : and those franchises were granted as much with 
 a view to preserve the breed of animals as to indulge 
 the subject. From a similar principle to which, though 
 the forest laws are now mitigated, and by degrees grown 
 entirely obsolete, yet from this root has sprung a bas- 
 tard slip, known by the name of the game law, now 
 arrived to and wantoning in its highest vigour: both 
 founded upon the same unreasonable notions of perma- 
 nent property in wild creatures; and both productive 
 of the same tyranny to the commons; but with this dif- 
 ference, that the forest laws established only one mighty 
 hunter throughout the land, the game laws have raised 
 a little Nimrod in every manor. * 
 
 2 T 
 
 Blackstone iv. 409.-Our Game LAW ar not only exceedingly detesteJ,
 
 336 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Another innovation produced by the conquest was, 
 "narrowing the remedial influence of the country- courts, 
 the great seats of Saxon justice, and extending the ori- 
 
 by those of the middle as well as lower orders, throughout the country, 
 (which constitute the major part of the nation,) but seem also to be among 
 the most grievous and disgraceful of all our present laws. In no view can 
 they be deemed ( respectable or defensible. Nor is the conduct of our magis- 
 trates perhaps ever more unseemly or disreputable than in the un- 
 feeling, cruel, and relentless rigour with which they put these vile 
 laws in execution. In nothing probably more than in this does our pre- 
 sent state resemble that of France before the revolution. The Game 
 Laws there were then intolerably severe and grieous, and enforced "by 
 the magistrates with unrelenting and diabolical rigour ; so that they 
 used to fill even the very Gallies with their hapless victims: all which 
 recoiled w ith vengeance upon them and their abettors, the privileged 
 orders, in the dreadful change which ensued. Those laws no longer 
 exist in that country : but a recent traveller, (Pinkney,) informs us, 
 "that though there are now no game laws in France, there is a decen- 
 cy and moderation in the lowerorders, which answer the same purpose. 
 No one presumes to shoot game, except on land of which he is the pro- 
 prietor or tenant." No where in England are these laws supposed to be 
 ,more grievously felt than in Norfolk; of which a popular and respecta- 
 ble author of the present day speaks as follows "What is denomi- 
 nated Game is very plentiful is this county. The arable lands affording 
 both food and cover, and the gentry, being particularly attached to the 
 amusement of sporting, have recourse to the strong arm of the law for 
 its preservation. This tenacity on the part of the landholders, produ- 
 cing covetous desires'in the tenants, is a strong inducement to poaching, 
 and the source of numberless disagreements, which too frequently ter- 
 minate in suits at law. Hence they are oppressive to one party and 
 xlirwraceful to the other. The various statutes, called "the Game 
 Laws/' are justly deemed the opprobrium of the English code; and in 
 no county perhaps are these statutes acted upon with greater rigor than 
 they usually are in Norfolk. The endless litigations' upon this despica. 
 b|e point have lately become the subject of theatrical ridicule) and this 
 county has on the occasion been made the butt of dramatic satire. 
 "Searchum, get warrants immediately, ior seizing guns, nets, and 
 snares; let every dog in the parish be collected for hanging to-morrow 
 morning. Give them a taste for Norfolk discipline." Happy would it 
 be for the country, if ridicule, as reason has hitherto failed, should be 
 able to induce the legislature to abrogate laws, which, as they were 
 made to support an assumed claim, can only be continued in . force to 
 protect an usurped right." [BeautZts of England v. xi. p, 90, &c.]
 
 HISTORY 'OF LYNN. 337 
 
 ginal jurisdiction of the king's justiciaries to all kinds of 
 causes arising in all parts of the kingdom. To this end 
 the Aula-regisy with all its multifarious authority, was 
 erected; and a capital justiciary appointed, with pow- 
 ers so large and boundless, that he became at length a 
 a tyrant to the people, and formidable to the crown itself. 
 The constitution of this court, and the judges themselves 
 who presided there, were fetched from Normandy : and 
 the consequence naturally was, the ordaining that all 
 proceedings in the king's courts should be carried on in 
 the Norman [or French] instead of the English lan- 
 guage: a provision the more necessary, because none 
 of his Norman justiciaries understood English; but as 
 evident a badge of slavery as ever was imposed upon a 
 conquered people." And yet the nation was obliged to 
 2x2 
 
 It is moat disgusting to men of sound and liberal minds to hear with 
 what complacency, selfgratulation, as well as selfimportance, ths 
 magistrates, at the convivial meetings of the gentry, will be some- 
 times expatiating on the rigour of their proceedings against the trans- 
 gressors of the game laws, .and describing how effectually they curb and 
 keep in awe the farmers, and trounce to their utter undoing some of 
 the most active among the lower order of poachers. Such a con- 
 duct is nothing less than a publishing of their own shame, and a boast, 
 ing of their own misdoings; and had they expanded and reflecting 
 minds, or any minds at all, they would blush for such a conduct, and 
 carefully and studiously refrain from it, as well as from all manner of 
 excess in their proceedings against poachers, many of whom with their 
 luckless families have been utterly ruined by them. Some of those ill- 
 fated culprits have perished in prison, after long and rigorous confine- 
 ment: one of whom, named Sounders, died miserably in goal, after a 
 tixyean incarceration, who probably was as well bred as some of his re- 
 lentlessjudges; on"which occasion the following lines were composed : 
 f< Epitaph on Nathtuiitl Saunders, gentleman! 
 
 " Nat ! thou'st escap'd just in the nick of time! 
 
 " Thine was a barbarous and a bloody crime ! 
 
 " How long confin'd ? six years that's only fair; 
 
 " What was his crime ? the scoundrel kiU'tUhare !"
 
 338 HISTORY Op LYNN. 
 
 submit to it and bear it, for ages. The former plainness 
 and simplicity now gave way to the abstruseness, chic- 
 anery, and subtilty, which have ever since so unhappily 
 characterized our legal proceedings, t 
 
 Another of the hateful innovations of the same memor- 
 able period was, the introduction of the trial by combat, 
 for the decision of all civil and criminal questions pf fact 
 in the last resort. This was the immemorial practice of 
 all the northern nations , but first reduced to regular 
 and stated forms among the Burgundi, about the close 
 of the fifth century: and from them it passed to other 
 nations, particularly the Franks and the Normans; 
 which last had the honour <o establish it here, though 
 clearly an unchristian, as well as most uncertain method 
 of trial. But it was a sufficient recommendation of it 
 to the conqueror and his warlike countrymen, that it was 
 the usage of their native duchy of Normandy. % This 
 vile remain of ancient barbarism, and foul disgrace pf 
 the legal polity of our ancestors, has long ceased to, 
 exist in our island. 
 
 As the general changes introduced by the conqueror 
 must have affected the inhabitants of Lynn, in common 
 with the rest of their countrymen, the above sketch of 
 them became necessary, in order to give the reader some 
 idea of the state of things here at and subsequent to the 
 conquest. Before and at that period, as has been al- 
 ready observed, Lynn and its neighbourhood formed 
 part of the possessions of Harold, of Stigand archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and pf Ailmar bishop of Elmham. All 
 
 f Blackstone, iv, 410. J Ibid, 411. '
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. .359 
 
 the possessions of the former, of course were forfeited 
 by the conquest. Those of the two others soon follow- 
 ed; for being both Anglo-Saxons, (or Englishmen,) and 
 deemed inimical to the Norman succession, they were 
 both expelled, and their sees filled by foreigners. Ail- 
 mar's power and possessions here were in right of his 
 see, and of his lordship of Gay wode, -which had been 
 long attached to that see: those of Stigand were in his 
 own right, or that of his lordship of Rising, and that 
 of the hundred of Freebridge, which he held, (as well 
 
 as the lordship of the hundred of Smithdon, and many 
 
 c i'n ') . 
 
 other lordships,) as a lay fee. His possessions in these 
 
 parts were bestowed by the conqueror on his half bro- 
 ther Qdo, bishop of Bayeux, in Normandy, whom he 
 created Earl of Kent, On, his rebellion afterward a- 
 gainst William Rufus, he was deprived of them, and 
 they were bestowed on William de Albini, that king's 
 butler, whose son, of the same names, was created Earl 
 of Sussex, [of this more may be seen in the account 
 of Castle Rising. ] Ailmar's possessions here went to 
 his successor Arfast or Herfast, who removed the sec 
 from Elmham to Thctford, in whose successors they 
 continued for many generations. 
 
 Most, if not all the great gentry of England, in these 
 parts, and throughout the whole kingdom, at or with- 
 in a few years after the conquest, were deprived of 
 their power, stript of their possessions, and completely 
 humbled. Great numbers of them lost their lives un- 
 der the charge of treason, sedition, or other crimes. 
 Those who escaped with their lives were reduced to pov-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 erty, and obliged to occupy such humble stations as 
 they could not one day have thought of without dis- 
 dain. * This memorable revolution, (as such revolu- 
 tions mostly do,) chiefly affected the higher orders. It 
 affected them, indeed, with a vengeance. The middle 
 classes seem (o have felt but little of it, at least compared 
 with their superiors. The lower orders felt it still less, 
 or, perhaps, not at all. They were slaves before, and 
 so they continued for several ages after, seemingly with- 
 out any material change. Nor does their hard con- 
 dition appear to have been at all ameliorated till after 
 the civil wars broke out between the rival houses of 
 York and Lancaster. The fatal effects of those wars in 
 reducing the numbers of each party, obliged the lead- 
 ers (as has been before observed) to turn their attention 
 to the lower orders, that is to the real slaves, great num- 
 bers of whom were then emancipated, to fill up the thin- 
 ned and reduced ranks of their respective armies. And 
 this seems to have been, the only good that attended 
 those bloody and destructive wars. It certainly prov- 
 ed of great national benefit, although, like the reform- 
 ation of Harry VIII, it sprung from no virtuous or hon- 
 ourable motive , The proverb saj r s, It is an ill wind 
 that blows no good; and it may be very safely said, 
 (hat seldom, if ever, have any calamitous occurrences 
 been known, but what have been productive of some 
 real benefit. This, doubtless, in owing to the over- 
 ruling hand of providence, and ought to be acknow- 
 ledged as such. 
 
 * Not a few of the most high -spirited and warlike withdrew into fo. 
 reign parts; some sailed to the mediterranean, and found at Cons-tanti- 
 hople a ready protector in the emperor of the east, who united tne.ift
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 341 
 
 But though the manumission of great numbers of 
 English slaves took place during those bloody and fatal 
 wars, and also in consequence of the politic and wise 
 measures adopted by Henry VII. Yet it does not ap- 
 pear to hare been fully or universally effected, or that 
 slavery was then totally eradicated in England. We 
 find that there were here some slaves in the reign of 
 Henry VIII. and of Edward VI. and even of Elizabeth: 
 J and it may be doubtful, if they had entirely ceased 
 to exist here before the reign of Charles I, and the civil 
 war. They abounded in the parts about Lynn fora 
 very long period; but whether as late as in some other 
 parts of the kingdom is rather uncertain.* In talking and 
 boasting of our great charter, and of the unwearied and 
 undaunted exertions of our ancient barons and patriots 
 to obtain and enforce it, and how careful they were on 
 every occasion to maintain inviolate the rights and lib- 
 erties of the people of England, we are seldom aware 
 that a great part of the nation was all the while in actual 
 slavery, and not a soul among the whole host of contem- 
 porary patriots and redoubtable zealots for freedom, ever 
 once thinking of pleading their cause, or commiserating 
 their sufferings! So also in more recent times have we 
 been congratulating; ourselves on our national virtue and 
 
 O O f 
 
 ardent love of liberty and justice, while we. were every 
 year dragging thousands and tens of thousands of the 
 poor Africans into west-indian slavery!! 
 
 to the Barangi, or battle-ax guards, as some of their countrymen hafl 
 been long before, [see Andrews, vol. I/) 
 
 I Blackstone, vol. 1. Robinson's Sermon on Slavery, and ap- 
 pendix. Sullivan's Lectures, 258. 
 
 * It has been suggested that some vestiges of our ancient vassalage
 
 S42 HISTORY or LYN.V. 
 
 CHAP. IL 
 
 Further remarks on the revolutionary effects of the conquest through- 
 out the whole kingdom as well as at Lynn Catalogue of bishops who 
 formerly bore rule in this Town. 
 
 The mighty change effeded iri this country by the 
 conquest must have been felt at Lynn in common with all 
 other places of a similar description. The great and 
 opulent were doubtless the people who felt it most. * As 
 to the middle classes, (ff such there were that might 
 properly be so denominated,) it must have affected them 
 much less, and the lower orders very little, or perhaps^ 
 not at all. The latter were all slaves before, and most 
 unfeeelingly treated by their masters and proprietors; 
 
 is discoTerable still in the abject state of the bulk of those miscalled 
 frtemen, nine out of ten of whom, perhaps, have no will of their ovm 
 in the choice of representatives, but implicitly act under the direction 
 
 of the modern masters of the town. The author, however, does not 
 
 mean to give the name of slave-holders to the two families that now 
 nominate, appoint, return, or send our members to parliament. 
 
 * The author hopes the reader will excuse the repetition of this 
 topic: he wishes all the different orders of the community may be con- 
 vinced that they are brethren, and that those of the higher orders may 
 possess the proper feelings towards their inferiors, even of the very 
 lowest degrees, who though they have not so much at stake in these 
 perilouc times, are yet of the very same species with themselves, and 
 so nmstbe entitled to their tender and fraternal attentions.
 
 HISTORY .OF LYtftf. 
 
 an(J they could but b,e slaves sfill; nor is it likely j,hat 
 they met with worse treatment from jtheir new masters. 
 What mjght not be hoped from the yjr.tue or justice of 
 the Normaus, might ye,t be.expected from their policy; 
 for in that quality they seein not .to:have, been deficiient; 
 and it may be reasonably supposed that it would induce 
 tiem to use the numerous slaves they foumj here no 
 >vor^ethan tliey had been used by .their former .prpflrje- 
 tors. Thus a great part of the nation, and .perhaps the 
 greatest part of it, might not be so very materially af 
 fected, or injured, by the Norman conquest, .as some 
 would be apt to imagine if indeed it <Hd not prove, 
 on the whole, a benefit gather than detriment, to them, .t 
 2 u 
 
 * The same seems also to have been the case in the recent continental 
 conquests and changes : the lower orders and bulk of the people ap- 
 pear to be gainers rather than losers by those events: they were so bur- 
 dened and oppressed fey the old governments, without any hope of re- 
 dress, or the least prospect of melioration, that they became at last 
 quite regardless who should be their rulers, and rather hailed than de- 
 precated the French emperor's successes and triumphs; believing, it 
 seems, that, if he became their master, their condition, as it could 
 not well be worse, would or might probably be better than what it then 
 was become under their own native princes, who treated them^ not a* 
 men, or beings of*the same species with themselves, but rather as beasts 
 of burden, made only for their use and service ; and who were often- 
 times dispose 1 of by them and sold like other cattle. Such was the ab- 
 jeqt and degraded state of the lower classes and great body of the people 
 in most of the regular and old established governments of Europe, before 
 the French revolution. Had the rulers been wise enough afterwards 
 to conciliate the good will and esteem, and secure the attachment of 
 the people, by holding out and granting to them what wbuld be worth 
 contending for, the French had never been able to over- run every coun- 
 try and overturn every government as they have done. Emancipating 
 the people, and admitting them to the enjoyment of real freedom, 
 vould render them a different race of men, capable of effectually de- 
 fending their country; and repelling any hostile attack or invasion. But 
 the statesmen, directors, and managers of the old governments arc not, 
 it seems, to be convinced of these obvious, salutary, and important
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 We must not however imagine or suppose that thii 
 revolution bore any resemblance to that which took place 
 in this country above six hundred years afterwards, and 
 which has been justly the fond and proud boast of our 
 countrymen ever since. They were scarcely in any 
 tiling alike, except in the names of their respective au- 
 thors. But William of Normandy must not be com- 
 pared with William of Nassau; for they were two men 
 of very different and opposite characters: the former 
 came over to subdue and enslave the nation, the latter 
 came as the champion and guardian of its rights and its 
 freedom one came to rob and destroy, the other to suc- 
 cour and to k save one merited the detestation and ex- 
 ecration, the other the esteem, the gratitude, and the 
 benediction of mankind. ' 
 
 Of all the English grandees, who were ruined by the 
 conquest, none were more completely undone than the 
 three great proprietors and lords of Lynn. One of them 
 as has been already observed, was king Harold: of his 
 downfall we need say no more. The other two were 
 archbishop Stigand, and his brother, bishop Ailmar. 
 The former seems to have been the elder brother and 
 
 truths. Instead of adopting such a plan, they have too plainly manifest- 
 ed a disposition to augmeut rather than diminish the burdens and suf- 
 ferings of the people. The consequence was natural, and what might 
 have been expected. But the managers of the old institutions have 
 not yet begun to learn wisdom from observation and experience Even 
 the pretended patriots of Spain, who have made such fuss about their 
 national liberty aud independence, have shewn as much reluctance as 
 the rest, to ease the burdens of the people, or ameliorate the condition 
 of the great body of the nation: and as they seem bent upon perpetuat- 
 ing the old tyranny, and unwilling to avail themselves of the only step 
 that would gire their resistance any chance of success, their miscar- 
 riage and downfal ought to be viewed without regret.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNff, 345 
 
 head of the family, and was probably of noble birth, 
 and of Danish extraction, as the bulk of his vast pos- 
 sessions lay in East Anglia. Carte says, that it appears 
 from the Domesday book, that he had the best estate of 
 any man in England, except Harold and Edwin: there 
 can be little doubt therefore of his being the head of one 
 of the first families in the kingdom. He was lord of 
 Rising, and of the Hundreds of Ereebridge and Smith- 
 don, and also, of divers other extensive districts. He 
 is represented as a man of no great learning, but of emi- 
 nent natural parts, improved by reflection, exercise, 
 and experience, and directed by a clear head and solid 
 judgment. He had the reputation of being endowed 
 with uncommon capacity for business; and we also hear 
 that he was a person of very great -weight and power in 
 the country, of which no doujbt can be entertained when 
 his immense wealth is considered, and the vast influence 
 arising from both his temporal and spiritual dignities. 
 That such a man should be marked out as one of the vic- 
 tims of the Norman revolution, was naturally to be ex- 
 pected: his being an Englishman, and so very opu- 
 lent and powerful, were sufficient temptations to sacrifice 
 him. But he seems to have conducted himself so warily 
 at thatcritical juncture, that the Conqueror for sometime 
 appeared at a loss how to proceed against him. At last 
 some frivolous or pretended ecclesiastical misdemeanor 
 was found out, for which he was deprived of his spiritu- 
 al dignity, under the sanction of the papal authority, 
 by two popish legates, at a council held at Winches- 
 ter in 1070. This appeared a hard and severe measure; 
 2 u 2
 
 346 
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 'but William, as a politic prince, laid the whole blame 
 or responsibility of it on the then Pontiff, Alexander II: 
 Yet he immediately seized on Stigand's vast estates in 
 Bast Anglia and elsewhere, and confined him in prison 
 oh a very scanty allowance, where it is said he died, 
 of want, in the course of the same year, and so did not 
 long survive Ms disgrace, or rather his downfal. His 
 great possessions, in and about Lynn, the Conqueror be- 
 stowed on his half brother^Odo, bishop of Baieux, in Nor- 
 mandy', whom he created Earl of Kent, and who then 
 became one of the new masters and lords of Lynn. * 
 
 Stigand's brother, bishop Ailmar, who had still greater 
 power in this town, is supposed to have been deprived 
 at the same time, and by the same council. It is likely 
 that he too was then immured in a prison, and never re- 
 leased from it to his dying day. Such has often been 
 the fate of men who had attained the highest honours 
 and preferments among their country men, Ailmar was 
 succeeded in the see of Elmham, an din his jurisdiction 
 and possessions at Gaywood and Lynn, by Herfast, one 
 of the conqueror's chaplains, as Kapin says. Here it 
 may not be improper, or unacceptable to the reader, 
 to subjoin a List of the names of all the bishops that pre- 
 ceded and succeeded Aihnar, as masters and lords of 
 Lynn, from Felix the Burgundian, first bishop of the 
 East Angles, to Richard Nykke, or Nix, 31st. bishop 
 of Norwich, J who surrendered into the hands of Hen- 
 ry VII I, his authority or dominion over this town, when 
 
 ;'/?;* See Carte, and Parkin; also Beauties of England, vol. xi. 
 
 \ The business ^was at least acceded to by bishop Nykke, but the sur- 
 render seems to have been made by his successor bishop Rugg.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 347 
 
 the name of it \vas changed from Bishop 's LYNN to 
 King's LYNN, which it has retained ever since. 
 Those bishops were, 
 
 1. FELIX the Burgundian. He was the apostle of 
 the East Angles, among whom his ministry was attend- 
 ed with eminent success, and issued in the conver- 
 sion of the whole nation: schools were consequently 
 instituted, and numerous places of worship erected 
 throughout the whole country. He was consecrated 
 tbeir bishop in ,630, and fixed his scat first, it seems, at 
 Soham in Cambridgeshire, and then at Silthesto. af- 
 terwards called jD0w?w0c 3 and since Dunwich, in Suffolk. 
 He has been represented as very learned and pious. 
 The fume of his uncommon sanctity was so great, that 
 after his death, which happened in 647, he was canon- 
 ized as a saint, arid his festival stands on the 8th of 
 March, in the Romish calendar. (See more of him 
 above at p. 242.) His immediate successor was 
 THOMAS, who had been trained up under the famous 
 Paulinas archbishop of York, to whom he had been 
 appointed deacon. On the expulsion of that metro- 
 politan from his see, Thomas servedihe same office un- 
 der Felix, till his death. After presiding five years 
 he died, in 653, and was succeeded by BONIFACE, who 
 also sometimes goes by other names. He was a native 
 of Kent, a priest of Canterbury, whose archbishop con- 
 secrated him, in 653; and dying in 669, he was succeed- 
 ed by Bisus, or Bosa, who was consecrated by Theo- 
 dore, archbishop of Canterbury. In his time the diocese 
 was divided into two sees, one of which remained at
 
 348 HISTORY or 
 
 Dunwich, and the other was fixed at North Elmham^ 
 in .Norfolk, among whose possessions the demesne or 
 
 lordship of Lynn and Gay wood was included -The 
 
 bishops of Elmham, according to the best account w* 
 have met with, w r ere the following, 
 
 1. REDWINUS, or Baldzvinus. He has been spoken 
 highly, of as a man of profound learning and exemplary 
 virtue, and author of numerous works (now lost) which 
 confirmed many in the Christian faith. 2. NORTHBEII- 
 TUS, or Northbert, succeeded sometime after 679.- 
 (3) HEDU&ACUS, or Hadulac^ filled this see in 731; 
 when 3ede completed his ecclesiastical History. (4.) 
 EDELPRIDUS, or Ethelfnthj(5.) LAMFERTHUS, or 
 Lameferd. (6.) ATHELWALFUS, or Elhelzcolpk, oc- 
 cupied this see in 811. (7.) ULFERTUS;., or Albert h: 
 said to attend at the council of Cloveshoe, in Berks, 
 where King Offa proposed erecting a new bishopric at 
 Lichfield. (S.)SiBBA, or Sibban: he sat in 816. 
 (9.) HUNFERTH, or Hunfercl: was living in 824. 
 (10.) HUMBERT, or Humbrfa it was he who crowned 
 king Edmund, or ^t. Edmund, in 856, with whom he 
 perished in 870, or 871, in opposing the Danes. He 
 too was canonized (11.) WYBRED, Wyred^ or Wil- 
 bred: He Avas, set over the two sees of Dunwich and 
 Ehnham, which occasioned their being then reunited ; 
 the seat was fixed at Elmham. 
 
 Bishops of Elmham after i/ie ynion of the sees. (1.) 
 THEODRED I. He is reported to have heep an eye wit- 
 ness of St. Edmund's corpse being found uncorrupt, 70 
 or 80 years after his death. (2.) TiiEoaRfcj), II.
 
 HISTORY O* LYrfN. 340 
 
 named the Good: He was first bishop of London, and 
 then of Elinham; both of which he held till he died, 
 sometime after 962. (3.) ATHULF, orAdulf: succeed-* 
 
 edin 966; or, as some think, earlier (4.) ALFRIC 
 
 or Alfrid: was one of those who signed and confirmed 
 king Edgar's charter to the abbey of Croyland. He di- 
 ed in 975, at the close of Edgar's reign. (5.) ATH EL- 
 STAN, Edelstane, or E '1st erne: He was consecrated the 
 latter part of 975 (6) St. ALGA RE, or Algarc: he 
 had been Confessor to St. Dunstan archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, and promoted to this see in 1012. He after- 
 wards resigned, and retired among the monks of Ely, 
 where he died in 1021 -(7.) ALFWIN, ov Elf win, suc- 
 ceeded the same year. He had been keeper or guardian 
 of the body or remains of St. Edmund, and afterwards 
 removed the same from Bury to London. He was also 
 a violent stickler for the monks, or Regulars, in their 
 furious squabbles with the Seculars. He resigned in 1032. 
 (8.) ALFRIC II. succeeded, and died in 1038; and 
 was succeeded by (9.) ALFRIC III. surnamed the 
 Little, who is said to die ih 1139 * (10.) STJGAND; 
 (afterwards archbishop) he had been chaplain to king 
 Harold Harefoot; but having obtained this sec by simony, 
 which his vast wealth would enable him easily to do, he 
 was afterwards ejected by king Hardicanute, in 1040. 
 (ll.)GRiNKETEL: he held it in commendam with the 
 bishopric of the South-Saxons, during the rest of Har- 
 dicanute's reign. Under the Confessor, Stigand was res- 
 tored to favour, and promoted to Winchester, and last 
 
 * It must be a mistake, and should no doubt be 1039; so that be 
 filled the seejaul one year. See Beauties of England, as befbr*.
 
 350 HISTORY OF 
 
 to Canterbury. i2. EGELMAR, Ailmar, ur 4lwtin 
 of whom an account has been give n already, as well as 
 of his brother Stigand. (13. ) ARFAST, or 
 chaplain to the Conqueror, ii-e succeeded at 
 1070. In compliance with an order of a counci^l iield 
 by Lanfranc, that all qpiscopal sees should be removed 
 from villages to the most eminent cities or towns in the 
 respective dioceses., Ilerfast translated the see of J ,1m- 
 liam to Thetford. He w as by birth a Norman, in great 
 favour with the Conqueror, and chancellor of England. 
 He' died in 1084; and' in 1085 was succeeded by (14.;) 
 WILLIAM GALSAGU-S, de Bellafago, or Beaufo. He 
 also was one of the Conquqror's favourites, had been his 
 chaplain, and became chancellor ;of England. He was, 
 -like most of that monarch's great favourites, a person 
 of immense wealth; which at his death j in 1091, ,w*s, 
 by his will, divided between his family and see: and 
 -this must have contributed ,not a little to augment the 
 ilaxgeipossessions that were (formerly attached .to this bish- 
 .opric. In his. time the celebrated .survey, called Dromes- 
 day^ was made, in which, at ; folio 14o, is contained ^n 
 enumeration of the estates then belonging to the bishop- 
 -ric; and at folio 148, is an account of the lands of the 
 .said bishop, either in fee or inheritance. As many 
 , of the latter were bequeathed to the bishopric, the reve- 
 nues of the see at that period may nearly be ascer- 
 .tained. All these were alienated in. the exchange made 
 .by Henry VIII. * After this bishop's death the 
 see was removed from Tfyetford to Norwich. 
 
 * See Beauties of England, vol. xi, where a fuller account is given 
 of some of these bishops.
 
 HiSTOflY. OB-tYNN. S51 
 
 Bishops of Norwich. 1. HEUBEUT LOZINGA, who 
 having) through the favour , of Koger Bigod, Earl, pf 
 Norfolk, obtained, by grant arid purchase, certain 
 iands$ called Cowholm, commenced th6 execution of his 
 favourite plan of building a magnificent cathedral, the 
 first stone of which was laid bj him in 109(5. He erect- 
 ed a palace also for his residence, on the northside, and 
 a monastery on the south side j which he furnished with 
 60 monks j all which doings were sanctioned by Pope 
 Paschal II. Herbert was also abbot of Ramsey, and 
 lord Chancellor of England; and moreover a, most, no- 
 torious simoniac, for which the pope imposed upon him 
 some .heavy penances, in the doing of which he, very 
 notably acquitted himself, and gave good proof how 
 well he was cut out for that kind of business^ Besides 
 the large edifices he erected at Norwich, lie also built 
 the two great churches at Yarmouth and Lynn; the lat- 
 ter he dedicated to St. Margaret the Virgin, or^ a&some 
 feay, to St. Mary Magdalen, St. Margaret, and all 
 the maiden saints. A priory was also built by him on 
 the south side of this church. These he is said to have 
 Undertaken at the request of the people of Lynn; and 
 yet it seems as if those same people were not otherwise 
 Very forward in their encouragements to him; for he was 1 
 obliged to have recourse to a very ungraceful expedient 
 in order to induce them to hasten their contributions: 
 to all who wolild subscribe or contribute towards these 
 | erections he offered and granted an indulgence, for forty 
 days; t or, in other words, a Licence to commit with 
 
 2 w 
 
 f Armstrong's History of Norfolk, *oi. I', p. 206.
 
 352 HISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 impunity any species of wickedness, or all manner 01 
 fcin and villany, for the space of forty day si It is sup- 
 posed that this expedient fully answered the bishop's 
 purpose; for the buildings were soon finished, in a style 
 of superior magnificence. It reflects no credit on the 
 memory of our townsmen of that day, that in order to 
 do some good, or contribute liberally towards the erec- 
 tion of religious edifices in the town, they must be in- 
 dulged with a licence to commit all manner of crimes. 
 It shews that they were much more attached to evil than 
 good, and liked sin fat better th'an holiness. How much 
 the present population of Lynn excels them, is a ques- 
 tion that will not here be discussed. Bishop Herbert 
 died in 1119. and was buried before the high altar of 
 his new cathedral. 
 fct'-.yJjiod ft ibWm fr> i*j?v/^ 
 
 2. JEBORARD, or Everarct, succeeded Herbert, after a 
 vacancy: of almost three years. In his time the Jews, 
 as we aretold,crncified a boy, named William, who being 
 .considered a inartyr, avd canonized, brought no small 
 gains, to the ciiurcli, by the numerous pilgrimages and 
 .offerings mi^de- annually, on this occasion. Though the 
 'truth^f this, Chocking pracilixion story seems more than 
 doubtful, yet the monks managed to procure it general 
 
 lief ,, aird to get the poor ; boy (real or fictitious) canoa- 
 ,, uuder the name, .of Sflint William. Their main 
 0bjecl no doub^.was to, bring grist to the mill; and a^ 
 .JJiat end was amply ob, tanned, it may be said that they 
 received their reward, and did not labour (or rather in- 
 vent the tale) in vain. This bishop was the founder of the 
 hospital and church of St. Paul in Norwich; and a
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN,' 353 
 
 great benefactor to the monastery which had been en- 
 dowed by his predecessor. He was deposed, or resigned 
 about 1146, anddied at Fountian's Abbey in Yorkshire, 
 in 1119, and was succeeded by 
 
 3. WILLIAM TURBUS, or Turbemlle. He was a 
 great stickler for Becket, 'whose influence, even while 
 in disgrace and exile, drove him sometimes to unwar- 
 rantable and perilous lengths; especially when he ex- 
 communicated the bishop of London, the Earl of 
 Norfolk and some other nobles, who were disliked 
 by that proud prelate. He died in 1174, and was suc- 
 ceeded the next year, by 4. JOHN OP OXFORD, who 
 was very differently affected towards Becket, and took 
 part with the king against him, by Which- he greatly 
 ingratiated himself with his sovereign; who being de- 
 sirous of having the laws more strictly exeduted^ and a 
 more impartial administration of justice enforced, ap- 
 pointed him. together with the bishops of Ely and \V in- 
 chester, his three principal justices for the purpose. .Be 
 built Trinity Church at Ipswich, repaired the damages 
 his cathedral had sustained by fire, in the time of his 
 predecessor, and was a great benefactor to the episco- 
 pal convent at Norwich. He died yi June 1200, and 
 
 was succeeded by 
 
 . ! * *''.}? : * '>r,v.v''! .firrdf tjfiraf 
 
 5. JOHN DE GREY, who was promoted to the sew 
 by that great and memorable patron of Lynn, King 
 JOHN-, with whom he appears to have been in very 
 high favour, and from whom he procured the liberties 
 of Mngna Charta for his diocese; He also obtained 
 2 w 2 , -IMS ,U1
 
 354 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 from that monarch a charter to make his town of Lynn 
 a free borough, -which was dated at Lutgcrshall, Sept. 
 14: }204, the 6th year of that reign. This was the 
 first of the Lynn charters. These concessions the king 
 was induced to grant, as it is said, either to obtain 
 favours, or in return for some he had received. The 
 wealth of this prelate j$ reported to have been of great 
 service to the sovereign in his troubles; and for various 
 loans he had obtained, he pledged to the bishop his re- 
 galia, rh. his great crown, the surcoat, cloak, saa r 
 dais, gloves, spurs, &c, This bishop built the palace of 
 Gay wood, and so seems to have resided pretty much here, 
 and may be s^pppsed to have acquired among the-in- 
 habitants a good pprtion of popularity. We are also, 
 told that he confirmed to the monks of Norwich our 
 church Qf St. Margaret, and the chapels of St. James 
 and St, Nicholas ) and the church of Mintling, together 
 -with the tithes of Gay&ood, &c. This bishop died 
 at Poictou, in IS 14^ after which the see was vacant sev- 
 en years; when 
 
 tid Tw iiciu oitJ ui .grift 7;; ' 
 
 6. PANDULPHUS, an Italian, was consecrated \n 1222. 
 
 .He had been sent to .England as legate by the pope, on 
 account of the deposition pf archbishop Langton by 
 Jsing John. While at Rome, to have his election to thisj 
 see confirmed, on h is representing that it was greatly 
 in "debt, (whether true or false, we know not,) he ob- 
 tained a grant of the whole first fruits of the clergy in 
 Ms diocese, for himself and successors; which thence- 
 forth became attached to those prelates, till the. time of 
 Henry Vlllj and must have considerably augmented
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 *he episcopal revenues. He died in Italy, in 1226; but 
 his remains were brought to England for interment, and 
 buried m his cathedral. 7. THOMAS DE BLANDEVILL 
 succeeded him, and' died in 1236, when 8. RALFO 
 succeeded, and died the next year; of whom as well as 
 Jhe former, nothing remarkable is known to be record- 
 ed. His successor was 'Dii$y> 
 
 i\i .tilt'.'} .$& "io *f fttiqs^H r Ji Ixrtfol,; -j Jj'fc j.'^i /. ;u oil 
 
 9. WILLIAM DE RALLEIGH, who obtained the 
 
 bishopric after three years contesting his right. He 
 granted, we are told, an indulgence of twenty days par- 
 don, to all in his diocese who would contribute towards 
 the building of St. Paul's in London. Hence it appears, 
 as well as from the case of Herbert Lo?inga, above no- 
 ticed, that bishops , as well as popes, in those times, as- 
 sumed the power of giving a licence to sin with impunity. 
 They must have been rare teachers of morality, who 
 could pretend to promote good works by allowing the 
 people, for a limited time, to run into all possible excess- 
 es of riot and evil doing: and, on the other hand, 
 their intellects must have been in a most unenviable and 
 degraded state, who coufd accede to the preposterous 
 proposals of such instructors, or patiently listen to such 
 shameless representations. The doctrine of indulgences 
 was, afterwards made good use of by Luther and his 
 coadjutors, in their successful struggle against the papal 
 tyranny. Bishop Raleigh was translated to Winches- 
 ter, where he died, soon after his induction. He was 
 succeeded by 
 
 10. WALTER DE SUTHFIELD, or Siiffield, who 
 was consecrated in 1224. He obtained for the bishop-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNJT. 
 
 tic a charter of free warren to himself and successors. 
 So we may presume that he was himself a sportsman. 
 By the command of Pope Innocent, he drew up a gene- 
 ral and particular valuation of all the ecclesiastical 
 revenues in the kingdom; which, after receiving the 
 papal confirmation, was called the Norwich- Inquest', 
 and subsequently became the ratio of clerical taxation, 
 He erected and endowed the Hospital of St. Giles, in, 
 Norwich, for poor pilgrims, and died in 1257. He 
 was succeeded the next year by 11, SIMON DE WAL- 
 TONE, who died in 1265; and was succeeded the same 
 year by 12. ROGER DE SKERNING, in whose time 
 several dreadful affrays happened between the citizens 
 of Norwich an4 the monjts, in one of which the cathe- 
 dral was burnt. This bishop died in 1278; and was 
 succeeded the same year by 13. WILLIAM MIDDLE- 
 TON. The cathedral being partially repaired, he Mas 
 enthroned at Norwich; and' he rededicated the church, 
 in presence of the king and queen and principal no- 
 bility, who were assembled on the occasion. He died 
 tn 1288; whose successor was 
 
 14. RALPH DE WALPOLE, a Marshland man, it 
 seems, and ancestor of the present noble family of the 
 Walpoles. He was translated to Ely, in 1299, and his 
 successor at Norwich was 15. JOHN SALMON, or Sa- 
 lomon. Enlarging or rebuild ing 'the palace at Norwich^ 
 and founding the Charnel-house, now the free school, 
 are among the priucipal works ascribed to him. He 
 died in 1325, and his successor was 16. ROBERT DE 
 13 A LDOCK, who resigned shortly after, and wa succeeded
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 357 
 
 by 17. WILLIAM DE AYRMINNE, who employed 
 himself in enclosing his palace, cathedral, &c. with 
 stone walls, and fortifying them with embattled para- 
 pets. He died in 133(3; and had for his successor 
 18. THOMAS HEMENHALE, who soon resigned this see, 
 and accepted that of Worcester in lieu of it. Then suc- 
 ceeded 19. ANTHONY DE BECK, a man of the most 
 imperious and turbulent temper, who had terrible quar- 
 rels with the monks, by whose instigation, as it was 
 thought, he was poisoned by his own servants, at his 
 seat of Ilevinghanij in 1343. His successor was 
 
 20, WILLIAM BATEMAN, dean of Lincoln. He 
 was a great benefactor to the nunnery of Flixton in South 
 Elmham, and gave the nuns a body of statutes for their 
 regulation; and, in 1347 founded Trinity Halt in Cam- 
 bridge, for the express purpose of supplying his diocese 
 with persons properly qualified for the discharge of the 
 duties of parochial cures. He died in 1354, at Avignon, 
 while on an embassy to the pope. This prelate was 
 a native of Norwich, but spent much of his time abroad, 
 and chiefly at Rome, till the pope promoted him to this 
 bishopric. So great was his interest with his holiness, 
 that he also obtained for himself and successors, the first 
 fruits, as we are .told, of all vacant livings within his 
 diocese, which occasioned, it seems, frequent disputes 
 between him and his clergy. But the clergy were not 
 likely to gain much by disputing with him, for he is 
 represented as " a stout defender of his rights, and one 
 who would not suffer himself to be injured or imposed 
 upon, or his dignity insulted, by any one." lu proof of
 
 33$ .HISTORY OF lYJTfr. 
 
 which, the following anecdote has been related of him 
 by some of our historians: "Lord Morley, having killed 
 some of the bishop's deer, infringed upOn his manors^ 
 and abused his servants who opposed him, was obliged 
 to do penance by walking through the streets of the city 
 with a wax candle of six pounds weight in his hand, 
 and kneel down before the bishop, in the cathedral, and 
 ask his pardon, although the king had sent an express 
 order totbe contrary." From this anecdote weinay safe- 
 ly infer, that this prelate governed his slaves and vassals, 
 the inhabitants of Lynn, with despotic sway. It is 
 said that there was in his time such a dreadful plague 
 in England, and throughout Europe, as scarcely left a 
 tenth part of the inhabitants living; and that it appears 
 from the Chronicle of Norwich, that from the first of 
 January to the first of July 13489, 57374 persons, 
 besides ecclesiastics and beggars s died in Norfolk alone. 
 We cannot learn how many of them were of the town 
 of Lynn. A circumstance that seems to corroborate this 
 extraordinary mortality is^ that this bishop instituted 
 and collated 850 persons to benefices vacant at this 
 time. * His successor was 21. THOMAS PERCY , 
 youngest brother of the Earl of Northumberland, though 
 but twenty-two years of age. After erecting the steeple 
 of the cathedral, which had been blow r n down by a 
 violent wind, and repairing the choir, which had been 
 much damaged, he died, in 1369. The next year he 
 was succeeded by 
 
 VfO hill' .--!> U*'i telil V f.-fjli'?j'>b Jl.'Ofi !!' e,K L'jJilUtf'.-iq&l 
 
 22. HENRY. SPENCER, or JU Spencer,- a. prebendary 
 
 , jj 
 
 See Tour of Norfolk, p. l&0:^also Beauties of England as before.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 359 
 
 nt Stilisbury. He was consecrated in March 1370, by 
 the pope in person, which probably contributed not 
 a little to cherish that self importance and haughtiness 
 for which he was so remarkable. In an aid granted 
 through the kingdom to the king's use, this prelate cer- 
 tified for his diocese, that it contained, in Norfolk 806 
 parishes, and in Suffolk 515; and each county was ac- 
 cordingly rated. He took a most active part, at the 
 commencement of what is called the grand Schism, in- 
 the memorable warfare between pope Urban and his 
 competitor pope Clement: for there were then two popes; 
 two infallible heads of the catholic church ! and each 
 reviling and damning the other without mercy, and 
 most bloodily seeking his destruction!! Bishop Spencer 
 was on the side of pope Urban, with whom he was in 
 very high favour. In 1383 that pontiff published a bull, 
 in which he called upon all who had any regard for 
 religion, to exert themselves in its defence, by taking 
 up arms for him, against his rival Clement and his ad- 
 herents; promising at the same time, for the encourage- 
 ment of all who would volunteer in this meritorious sery 
 ice, the same pardotts a*id indulgences as had been usu- 
 ally granted to those who had engaged, or lost their 
 lives, in the great eastern crusades, or holy wars. * This 
 
 2 x 
 
 * Pope Urban promised the full remission of all their tins, not only to every 
 one who crossed the seas in that quarrel, and personally engaged ii\ 
 that bloody crusad against the other pope and his adherents, but aliO 
 t all who would engage to pay any number of able soldiers employed 
 on the occasion, and even to all such as would advance any part of 
 their substance to the general (bp. Spencer,) towards defraying the ex- 
 pencesofthe expedition. The pope's absolution, pronounced by the 
 aid episcopal commander in chief, was expressed as follows "By 
 theauiho.ity apostolical, to me in this behalf committed. We absolve
 
 360 HISTOHV or LYNN* 
 
 papal bull met with no small success in England, ow- 
 ing perhaps to France being on the side of pope Clem- 
 ent, and to Urban's choosing an English ecclesiastic for 
 his general. This was our bishop Spencer, "a young and 
 stout prelate (says Fox) much fitter for the camping cure 
 than for the peaceable church of Christ." A most 
 dashing and bouncing high priest he certainly was; of 
 which he gave repeated and abundant proofs, botli at 
 home and abroad. This right reverend warrior, and 
 ehampion of holy church, (at least, of Urban's por- 
 tion or moiety of it) having obtained an aid or subsidy, 
 of the English parliament, set out upon his continental 
 expedition against the Clementines at the head of 50,000 
 foot and 2,000 horse: but he did not bring back quite so 
 many. * Our general with his furious crusaders, after they 
 had landed at Calais, to shew their strict regard for propri- 
 ety and consistency, turned their arms against Flanders; 
 a country that was not favourable to Clement, but had 
 actually declared for Urban. After ravaging the coun- 
 try, taking divers towns, and defeating the Flemish 
 force which had attempted to oppose them, an effec- 
 tual stop was put to their career, by the French king, 
 Charles VI. at the head of a powerful army. In short 
 
 thee A. B. from all thy sins confessed with thy mouth, and being con- 
 trite with thy heart, and whereof thou wouldst be confessed, if they 
 came into thy memory: and we grant unto thee plenary remission of- 
 all manner of sins, and we promise unto thee thy part of the reward of 
 all just men, and of everlasting salvation. And as many privileges 
 as are granted unto them that go to fight for the Holy Land, we grant 
 onto thee; and of all the prayers and benefits of the church, the wni- 
 veral synod, as also of the holy catholic church we make thee partak- 
 er." {See Fox, Vol. 1.) 
 
 * There were doubtless many Lynn people in that army) the gene- 
 ral being lord of this town.
 
 HISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 the expedition ended disgracefully, as it deserved, 
 and not very unlike certain expeditions to Flanders and 
 Holland in modern times. The great general, bishop 
 Spencer, at his return, found himself somewhat in dis- 
 grace; in which he proved more ill-fated than our mod- 
 ern Yorks and Chathams. The king ordered the tem- 
 poralities of his see to be seized, and several of his of- 
 ficers to be imprisoned. In a year or two, however,, 
 his temporalities were restored, and he probably regain- 
 ed the royal favour. He lived in great splendor, and 
 had divers sumptuous palaces, among which was that 
 at Norwich, another at South Helingham, and another, 
 supposed to be one of the chief of them, at Gaywood 
 by Lynn, the inhabitants of which town had ample ex- 
 perience of his imperious and turbulent spirit. Being 
 one time in town with his retinue, he quarrelled in the 
 street with the mayor (who was supported by the towns- 
 men) on some point of frivolous etiquette. From words 
 the parties came to blows, and a very serious battle en- 
 sued, which terminated in the total defeat of the haugh- 
 ty prelate and his company, who were all furiously 
 driven out of town, many of them sorely bruised and 
 wounded. This turbulent high priest afterwards bent 
 his rage against the poor Lollards , and appeared among 
 the first to proceed against them upon the law De hce- 
 retico Comburendo. He prosecuted William Sawtre, 
 minister of St. Margaret's at Lynn, who at first recan- 
 ted, and afterwards became minister of St. Osith in 
 London, where he relapsed, and was the first that suf 
 jfered under the above law. This bishop also afterwards
 
 362 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 persecuted Sir Thomas Erpingham at Norwich, and as a 
 penance, for favouring Lollardism, enjoined hint t& 
 build the gate, at the entrance of (he college precinct, 
 which still goes by his name. Bishop Spencer died in 
 .1406, and was, it seems, the first prelate who quarteicd 
 the episcopal arms with his own. His successor was 
 
 it~- L. ./ ' 
 
 23. ALEXANDER BE TOTINGTON, who, though 
 
 immediately elected, was not admitted to his spirituali- 
 ties till the following year. Some of his manor-houses 
 and palaces having fallen into decay, through the neg- 
 ligence of his predecessors, he is said to have spent 
 large sums in repairing and beautifying them, which 
 constituted, apparently, his most meritorious and me- 
 taorable deeds. He died in 1413, and was succeeded 
 by 24. RICHARD DE COURTNEY, chancellor of Ox- 
 ford, who died suddenly, about two years after, at the 
 siege of Harfleur; from which it would seem that he 
 was a prelate that delighted in war, or another of our 
 fighiing bishops, who, at the best, are but unamiabl$ 
 characters. He was succeeded^ in 1416, by 
 
 25. JOHJK.DE. WAKERYNG, archdeacon of Canter- 
 bury, who was Confirmed by the archbishop; which 
 unusual circumstance was owing to the ecclesiastical 
 anarchy still existing^ occasioned by the continuance 
 of t,he grand schisnj, which was then at its height. Dur- 
 ing that period there always were two popes, but they 
 were now three, ant| each prefering a legal claini to the 
 papal chair, as ,the lineal descendant of St Peter ! Three 
 contemporary .popes exhibited an unusual and queer 
 spectacle, and would naturally suggest the idea of
 
 HIST011Y OF LYNN, 3G3 
 
 <h roc heads of the church: and a church, or any thing 
 .else, with three hcdds may pretty fairly be deemed a 
 monster, Even the proteslanl church of England, 
 however, lias had before now /ECO heads; one in Lon- 
 don, and the other at St. Germans; which ought to 
 deter ifs members from bearing too hard on the church 
 
 C5 
 
 of Home in the above case. Bishop Wakeryng is said 
 to have made considerable improvements in and about 
 his cathedral/ which seems.to have been among his most 
 praiseworthy performances. It appears (hat he diecj 
 in 1125, 
 
 Here it may be proper to observe, that in this bishop's 
 time, and that of some of his predecessors, as well as 
 of h'is immediate successor, the tranquillity of the town 
 of Lynn appears to have been exceedingly disturbed 
 by the violence qf two contending factions, which kept 
 the town in a continual state of discord and distraction, 
 it seems, for the space of about thirty years: as may be 
 gathered from existing documents, or copies of Letters, 
 of that period, still preserved in a MS. History of Lynn, 
 in the possession of Mr. Thomas King of this town. * 
 From which we discover that those two contending fac- 
 tions were headed by two of the Aldermen of that time; 
 one of whom was Bartholomy Pet ipas t who was t&ice 
 mayor, and the other John de JTentworth^ Aviso served 
 that office three limes. The cause and nature of the 
 
 * It is somewhat remarkable, that though both Mackrel and Parkin 
 appear to have made use of that MS Volume, and the former drew 
 most of his materials from it, for the most part verbatim, yet neither of 
 them take any notice of those letters, which yet form the mostcuriou| 
 part of the whole volume. 
 
 ( ' >.f ,:,. . l' O-
 
 HISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 difference that arose between these opposing parties is 
 not easy to develop. That their animosity was bit- 
 ter and violent is but too obvious, but its source or 
 ground is involved in no small obscurity. 
 
 This however is not the place to enter minutely upon 
 the subject, which shall be resumed in another part 
 of the work. This dire contention seems to have be- 
 gun in 1403, the 7th of Henry IV. and to have lasted 
 till 1434, the 13th of Henry VI. The first of those 
 years were the 3rd. of Wentworth's mayoralty, be- 
 tween whom and Pelipas there evidently existed some 
 serious competition; but whether it was merely a con- 
 test for power or euperiority in the management of the 
 town, or arose from certain political questions about a 
 jreform of abuses, on which the parties disagreed, does 
 not very plainly appear. It is however very well known 
 that questions of a political, as well as theological na- 
 ture, were then much agitated in* different parts of the 
 country, by the enlightened and patriotic disciples of 
 \Vickliff, who were anxious to promote every where 
 political as well as ecclesiastical reformation; but that 
 such was actually the case then at Lynn, and the ground 
 of the said disagreement cannot perhaps be positively 
 affirmed. There are indeed some intimations of in- 
 sufficient or suspicious persons having for sometime been 
 chosen or found among the 24 Jurats that were hre an- 
 nually elected, in a Letter or injunction from Henry VI, 
 addressed, seemingly, to the mayor and burgesses, and 
 dated November 23. in his 13th year, which may in- 
 dicate that politics had no small share in the said con-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 365 
 
 tention, and the persons alluded to might belong to 
 the advocates of reform, or democrats of that day. But 
 this subject we will now drop, * and proceed with our 
 episcopal catalogue. John de Wakeryng dying in 
 1425 was succeeded the following year by 
 
 * The documents or papers above referred to, consist of 1. a Letter 
 from John Wentworth mayor of Lynn to the king (Hen. iv.) dated 
 on St. Martin's day 1403, and complaining of the opposite party, as 
 outrageous persons who committed the most horri.'l crimes, and pro- 
 ceeded in the most riotous manner against their opponents, with the 
 intent to spoil and rob them of their goods, burn their houses, 
 slay and dismember their persons, &c. It is not the first letter he 
 wrote to his majesty, for he refers to others of anterior date. Those 
 however are lost, or we might possess a more correct knowledge of this 
 business. The second of those papers is a Letter from Petipas, then mayor, 
 to some of his friends, complaining of Wentworth and his adherent* 
 and asicnlauntt for troubling him in the discharge of his duty, and requir- 
 ing them "be bille or be mouthe" [by letter or by word of 
 mouth] to acquaint his reverend lord of Norwich [1. e. the bishop] 
 with the affair, and solicit his interference. &c. Its date is 1413, the 
 firs\ of Henry V. The third is from the same, and seemingly to the 
 $ame, and written, it is presumed, in 1414, the former part of which 
 was the latter part of his 2nd year, for he was then mayor two years 
 successively. Th& fourth, was from Thomas f/unt, who became mayor 
 in the autumn of 1415 to Jokan Sfencer, viscount de Norff. [i. e. the 
 High Sheriff of the county] and is dated " atte Lenn ye tede day of the 
 mone of Juylet, ye yere of ye regne of King Henry ye fyft ye ferth: " 
 which was A.. D. 1416. This curious paper complains of Thomas Pel-well, 
 goldsmith, who had been indicted for his misdeeds, as an instigator of 
 
 * r y" n S an d r y ot a ' so f Thomas HardeH, and Thomas Enemethe. "and 
 
 very many of the misdoers resorten and drawen again in counsailles to 
 Barth. Petipas in sustenance of his p. tie," &c. It also offers the said 
 Viscount, or high sheriff, a present of a young He-Bear , which seems A 
 queer circumstance. But w^at makes this paper of most importance 
 is its confirming, along with the other documents, the very distracted 
 state of the town at that period TheJtftA is addresred "to the lord 
 bishopp of Norwich" (the above John de Wakeryng it seems.) from his 
 owen humblest tenants and devout Bedesmen, the Mayre and good 
 men of hi? town of Lenne Bishopp, " Its date is the 9. of March, 
 the 3rd of Henry V. which seems to answer to A. D. 1415, cr 1415 
 16. and the mayor was probably the above Thomas Hunt.- The sixth and 
 last of those papers was a royal injunction or mandate froru "Henry
 
 HISTORY Of tVNtf. 
 
 26. WILLIAM ALNWIGK^ archdeacon of Salisbury j 
 who, having sat ten y ears, Mas translated <o Lincoln* 
 The principal entrance of the palace is said to have been 
 
 (VI.) by the Grace of God king of England and of France and lord 
 of Ireland unto the Mair of the town of Lenne Byshopp;' 1 and relates 
 chiefly, as was before hinted, to "some irregularity or neglect in the 
 choice of the 24 Jurats, directing and enjoining that they should be free- 
 men and lawful, and of the rriost discreet, sufficient, and least iuif>i'.ioui 
 persons of the said town; and each of them possessing property in lands 
 and tenements to the amount ot'C. S (i.e. one hundred shillings) a 
 year equal no doubt to more than 100/. a year now: also directing 
 that in case any of the 24 Jurats happened to die in the course 1 
 of the year, others equally unexce;. tionable should be immediately 
 chosen in their foom,&c. Asa sam, leof the style and orthography of 
 the magistrates of Lynn 400ycars ago, and a specimen of their mode 
 of address to their prelatical lord and master, we shall here subjoin the 
 mayor and aldermen's Letter to bishop J&aKiryilg. 
 
 "Worschipfall Lord and reverent fader in God, we commaund us un- 
 to vow, humble thankant yow wt alle oure hertes, of good & gra- 
 ciouse lordschip yt. yo han schewed to us before yis tyme prayand to 
 yow ofgood continunace Si revreut fader, for as ineche as we han 
 conteyned be John Thomham yor. servt. yt ye are & will be gra- 
 ciouse lord to us, therefor as unknowen men, we wryten to yow in 
 our symple manr. preying yow yt Barth. Petypas, Will Hallyate, 
 Thomas Middleton taylor, Thouias Harrington goldsrayth, Thomas 
 Monelhe, Thomas Beckham, John Raiders, Thomas Littleport, 
 Thomas Hardell, John Bioine, Rich. Baxter, Andrew Fourbe, abide 
 but of yor. towne of lenne unto the tyme of yor. stalling at Norwich, 
 the whiche schalle not be longe be the jjr.ice of God, atte which tyme 
 we shalle mete with yow Si fulliche declare to yow all inanr. of hevy. 
 nesse ye whiche yay han wroght to us, Si yt. to yor. worschipfull 
 person disclosed & fulliche in hye & in lowe, put it in govnance of 
 yow & of yor counsayll, & for truly sire sithen ye. tyme yl. yay 
 wenten out of ye town of Lenne, of whiche^ye shun sone be lord of, 
 be ye grace of God stode never in beter reste & pees than it hath done 
 sithen that tyms, * yet dothe atte this day, & be yor. good gov- 
 ernance, these persons above wretyn sett an syde, we tryste in God to 
 have reste & pees for ever more in yor. towne & in our persons 
 ye shal fynd u.-; as lowly tenants as any that longs to yow within yor. 
 lordshippes, & wt. our bodyes & our goodes, be as lowly to yow 
 worschipful and revrend f..der in God we preve, ye. holy trinitc: 
 keep yow body and soule, & fuilfiil your desire* as ye can yor. elf
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 367 
 
 erected at his expence, and by his arms being united 
 with those of the see, on the west end of the cathedral, 
 he is supposed to have contributed towards the erection 
 of that also. 27. THOMAS BROWN, or Breus, succeed- 
 ed him, being translated hither from Rochester, by 
 Pope Eugemus IV. by bull, dated September 19. 143G. 
 We are told that he left a sum towards the payment of 
 the. 'city tax, and exhibitions for poor scholars, pro- 
 secuting their studies in the universities, who might be 
 natives of the diocese: so that he seems one of the better, 
 sort of those of his order. He died at Hoxne, in 1445. 
 JoHN STANBJBRY, a carmelite friar, was chosen to 
 succeed him, but never consecrated, owing, to papal in- 
 terference, then at its height, The real successor there- 
 fore was 28. WALTER HART, or Lyhart^ master 
 of Oriel College Oxon, who was appointed by the pope, 
 2 Y 
 
 devise. Written at Lanne ye IX day of Marche under ye scall of the 
 office of May rally. 
 
 Your owen humblest tenants and devout Jfadesmen, 
 
 Mayre and good men of your towne of Lenne Bishopp. " . 
 In this lowly and abject manner did these humblest tenants and de- 
 tout beadesmen, the mayor and corporation of Lynn, of that day, ap 
 proach their high and mighty lord, bishop Wakeiyng. They were iu- 
 deed his subjects and vassals, as their predecessors had long been; and 
 they might think that such cringing conduct became them: but some 
 of them would occasionably shew a disposition to kick and lesist, as 
 had been the case in bishop Spencers time, and also now, it seems, 
 in the case of Petipat, as well as of Miller afterwards, who is said to 
 have gone to law with the bishop and cast him. But, in general, cor- 
 porations, while they are some of the most unfeeling, relentless, and 
 tyrannical towards their inferiors, are at the same time some of the 
 mo$t abject and obsequious of all men towards their superiors and 
 masters: hardly presuming at any time to have a will of their own. 
 They are as ready to erect statues to bad as to good kings; and the 
 premier, however corrupt or flagitious, is pretty sure of being always 
 their lord chancellor, or keeper of their conscience,
 
 568 JlliiTdRY OF LYNN. 
 
 and consecrated February 27 14-16. Paving the ca- 
 thedral; and erecting the elegant carved roof of the nave, 
 where a hart, of deer couchant, in sculpture, alluding 
 to his name, is seen in several places, are the works as- 
 cribed to him. He died in May 1472, and was suc- 
 ceeded by 
 '1 )tar." TjRtr r;fJ *[>'; v;f. I *:.' ' 
 
 29. JAMES GOLDWELI/, the Pope's Protlionotary, 
 who was made bishop by papal provision, and con- 
 secrated at Rome by pope Sixtus IV. October 4. 1472. 
 He appears to have been a thorough -paced ecclesiastic, 
 and legitimate son > of his Holy Father. Before he left 
 Rome, at tbe time of his consecration, he is said to 
 have obtained of the Pope a perpetual indulgence) to 
 repair and ornament the cathedral; by which he was 
 empowered to grant, to all persons who frequented it 
 annually, on Trinity Sunday and Lady-day, twelre, 
 years and forty days pardon, in lieu of offerings made 
 on the occasion: and having received the sum of 2200 
 marks, for dilapidation, he finished beautifying the tow- 
 er; made the elegant stone-fretted roof of the choir; and 
 ornamented the chapels on each side of it; especially 
 that dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in which he was 
 afterwards interred. We need not wonder that he coukl 
 do so much, when he was empowered to grant such long 
 indulgences, and such extensive and ample pardons. 
 Wealthy people, who could believe him really pos- 
 sessed of such a power, might be expected to furnish 
 him pretty readily with any sums of money he wanted 
 for his sumptuous buildings and architectural decora* 
 tions . To such pious frauds and cunning devices, many
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. S69 
 
 of our ecclesiastical structures, throughout the king- 
 dom, owe much, perhaps, of their boasted beauty and 
 magnificence. Sad however must have been the case 
 of th is country, when such vile tricks could take, or 
 succeed, even with the most enlightened part of its po- 
 pulation; and sadder still must be our case, if we are 
 not yet proof against equally vile and palpable impo- 
 sitions. Bishop Goldwell died in 1498, * and the 
 
 see, on the refusal of Christopher Urszvy/ce, was filled 
 by 30. THOMAS JANE, archdeacon of Essex, and 
 Canon of Windsor, who was consecrated in 1499 7 and 
 died the next year: whose successor was 
 
 V -'. V.'OtMC; i.-> ..;;) 
 
 31. RICHARD NYKKE, or A~r, archdeacon of Ex- 
 eter, who was elected in 1500. He must have been a 
 man of an uhamidble and hateful character. Writers 
 unanimously concur to brand his name with the great- 
 est obloquy. Of his vile persecuting spirit no further 
 evidence need be adduced than the fact, that by his 
 sanguinary judgments, Ayers^ Bingy^ Norrice^ and 
 the amiable Bilney were consigned to the flames, for 
 'only, in a peaceable manner, expressing those senti- 
 ments, which, as they were sanctioned by conscience, 
 they had a right to suppose were the dictates of truth. 
 He died January 14. 1535. In his time Chorcpiscopi 
 were first appointed by act of parliament; their office 
 answering to that of suffragan, which, prior -to thnt 
 2 Y 2 
 
 *' That year the king and queen, with the':! eldest son Arthur prince 
 of Wales^and Margaret countess of Richmond^ the king's mother, visit- 
 ed Lynn, and were lodged at the Austin monastery, on the site of whick 
 Mr. Risfiton's house now stgndg. The occas.ioa ofthi* royal visit vm. 
 know not.
 
 / 
 370 HISTORY OF LYNtf. 
 
 period, had been chosen at (lie discretion of the diocesan. 
 "While this bishop bore sway, as master and lord of 
 Lynn, there was among the aldermen here a very rev 
 markable person^ whose name was Thomas Miller, lie 
 was mayor of the town six or seven years, but not six 
 or seven times; for the first time he was iu the office for 
 four years successively, viz. 1520 and the three fol- 
 lowing years. He was may or again in 1529, and again 
 in 1546, the last of Henry VIII. That he was a man 
 of spirit and intrepidity appears by his contending with 
 his lord, the bishop, about the right of having the sword 
 carried before him, which' his lordship, it seems, ob- 
 jected to, and claimed as his own proper and exclusive 
 right and prerogative. Our mayor and the corporation, 
 not satisfied with this, went boldly to law with their 
 lordly master, on the occasion, and carried their cause; 
 which determined and established the point, and tlje 
 sword has been carried before their worships, the mayors 
 of Lynn j ever since, without any further demur or liti- 
 gation. It appears indeed that it would have so hap- 
 pened, in no long time after, had the said law-suit, or 
 legal decision not taken place; for the king, in the course 
 of a few years, thought proper to require of this same 
 bishop the relinquishment andsurrendor of his supremacy, 
 or-domin ion over Lynn, for such valuable consijleva- 
 tions as his majesty, in his princely Tvis4pm ? saw fit, to 
 grant or allow him-, by way of exchange or remunera- 
 tion. To this his lordship readily acceded;, for- he 
 must have known the king too well to suppose that it 
 \vould have been any wny sale . for him to have done 
 otherwise. But he died soon after, and before the af-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 371 
 
 'fair was ftilly concluded. The actual surrender, there- 
 fore, and probably under some new arrangements, was 
 left to be executed by his immediate successor, the no 
 less memorable 
 
 ' ir? '' '' ) ^f'^aofprfgwrw 
 
 32. WILLIAM HUGO, or Reppcs, fortieth abbot of 
 St. Bonnet* s in Holme, and native of North Repps, in 
 this county, where his father, of both his names, is said 
 to have resided. He had his education at Cambridge, 
 and was fellow of Gonvill Hall in that university.- After 
 being abbot of St. Bonnet's about six years, hje was 
 promoted to this see, by way of recOmpcncej as some 
 seem to think, for the part he had acted among the 
 Cambridge divines, in obtaining from that university 3 
 the judgment his majesty wished, respecting his mar- 
 riage with queen Catherine. They might also sup* 
 pose, that his ; being a warm and stanch stickler for the 
 king's ecclesiastical supremacy, and influencing those 
 of his convent to subscribe to the same, in 1534, were 
 additional recommendations that contributed to his pro- 
 motion. But -when we consider the hard terms, or hu- 
 miliating conditions, on which he was to obtain, or hold 
 his episcopal dignity, '(that is, by relinquishing the 
 greatest part of the revenue and possessions attached to 
 his see,) it will not be a very easy matter to prove that 
 any favour was intended by this preferment, and much 
 less a recompence or reward for former services: this 
 was certainly very different from Henry's wonted man- 
 ner of using his favourites, and rewarding his approved 
 servants. But this point is too uninteresting to merit 
 any further discussion. Abbot Rugg being promoted,
 
 372 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 .to the see of Norwich in 1536, he, by virtue of a prU 
 vate act of parliament, parted with all the lands of his 
 bishopric, except the site of his episcopal palace in 
 Norwich, to the king, by way of exchange for the rev- 
 enues belonging to the abbey of Holme and priory of 
 Hickling; which last being soon after aliened by him, 
 the whole income, since his time, appertaining to the 
 ee of Norwich, has been only the estate of Holme mo- 
 nastery, which his successors still enjoy, according to 
 the purport of the said act, which, continuing unre- 
 pealed, gave occasion to bishop Montague, in the time 
 of Charles I, to subscribe himself, in his leases, "Rich- 
 ard, by divine permission, lord bishop of Norwich, and 
 ' Head Abbot of St. Benedict's de Hulm. The exchange 
 of the lands of tlie bishopric, for those of the Abbey of 
 St. Benedict's and priory of Hickling, is said to have 
 been made by abbot Rugg some months before his elec- 
 .tion to the see of Norwich, * though not before his pro- 
 
 * motion thither had been predetermined*. We are fur- 
 
 - ther informed that this prelate alienated from his bishop - 
 -yic, not only the priory of Hickling, but many good 
 manors besides, belonging to the abbey, some by ab- 
 solute gift, others upon trifling exchanges, and gave 
 long leases, so that, at last, he was unable to maintain 
 the state of the bishopric^ and forced to resign, with an 
 annual pension of 200 marks. He seems to have been 
 a singularly improvident and thoughtless prelate, and 
 
 -Tery different from most of that order^ who seldom lose 
 sight of their terrestrial interests, or temporal concerns, 
 
 I;/ Se Tour of $Jorfolk S8f>, &c. al.ie Beaut. ofEngl. as More,.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 whatever they may do as to those that are of an eternal 
 nature. After having resigned the see for the paltry 
 pittance of 200 marks, or, as some say, 200/. per an- 
 num, he died in 1550. In allusion to the straits and 
 difficulties to which his manifest and manifold indiscre- 
 tions had reduced him, one of the members or officers of 
 his houshold is said to have made the following verses 
 on his resignation: 
 
 Poor Will, thou rugged art and ragged all: 
 
 Thy abbey cannot bless thee in such fame, 
 To keep a pallacc fair and stately hall, 
 
 When gone from thence what should maintalnc the same. 
 
 First pay thy debts, and hence return to cell, 
 
 And pray the blessed saint whom thou dost serve, 
 
 That others may maintains the pallart well; h> > J 
 For if THOU stayst, we all are like to starve. 
 
 The convent, or abbey of St. Benedict's, appears td 
 have been his chief pala.ce, or place of residence, dur- 
 ing the whole time of his sustaining the episcopal cha- 
 racter: after which it soon went into decay, and ceased 
 to be the residence of his successors; with whom how- 
 ever we have no farther concern, as they were no longer 
 the temporal lord s and masters of Lynn . H ere therefore 
 ends this episcopal catalogue ; which exhibits a pretty 
 long list of names, though but few among them, appear 
 to have merited the praise and benediction of their con- 
 temporaries, or the veneration and imitation of posterity.
 
 374 IIUTOHY OF LYNN-. 
 
 I>V* 
 
 -O^.T. 
 
 >iw f f .'jOOS . 
 fenK a)ist-!g ;I'.bi 
 
 . 
 
 - ^e*g->- ' ^ [ etpo/f ' 
 
 State of Lynn previously amf subsequently to its becorriing a corpo- 
 rat^tpwn, or tree borough, 'with general remarks on that event, and oti 
 the pregressive state of society in the towns and cities of this country, as 
 well as at Lynn, in those time*. . . ^ 
 
 It is difficult io ascertain the exact state of this town, 
 or the nature of its' police, and the social condition of 
 'its inhabitants, not only before and at the .Conquest, but 
 ako for a good while after^ any further than that its poj- 
 pulation appears to have then consisted chiefly, if not 
 entirely, of the bishop's slaves or vassals, governed by 
 Suh agents or oflieers as he thought proper to appoint, 
 whose administration, as may be reasonably presumed, 
 would not always be of the mildest, or most equitable 
 nnd unexceptionable description. Had, there been now 
 :in existence regular and authentic records, of the afl'airs 
 of the town, in those days, we should probably discover 
 that its police, at least the spirit of it, bore but too much 
 resemblance to our present West Indian jurisprudence. 
 Slaves, in those ages, seem to have constituted the bulk of 
 of our population ; and were, in all probability, the off- 
 spring of the lower orders of the original inhabitants, 
 those Uves had been spared, when the Anglo-So*ons
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 375 
 
 over-run and conquered the country, on condition of sub- 
 mitting to perpetual servitude. Such seems to have 
 been the origin of those slaves of different descriptions 
 which formerly abounded in this country for many 
 ages . These, in -country places, were the cultivator? 
 of the soil, or tillers of the ground ; and in the towns, 
 they were the tradesmen, mechanics, artificers, and la- 
 bourers. In short, both in the towns and in country 
 places all useful employments were occupied by them. 
 As to their masters, the nobility^ gentry, and every de- 
 scription of military men, who constituted the great or 
 main body of reputed freemen, they were all above en- 
 gaging in any such employments. War and the chace 
 were the only occupations that were deemed worthy 
 of them ; and there lay the whole stock or sum of their 
 knowledge and acquirements. _ Literature of every kind 
 they usually set at nought ; scorning to learn so much 
 as to write their own names, as an attainment that would 
 be be too degrading for an English gentleman. Under 
 such beings, how unenviable, miserable, and deplorable 
 must have been the condition of the enslaved or unfree 
 part of the community. 
 
 . , . . '^ ..< 
 
 Of the original, low, and servile state of the inhabitants 
 
 G> * ' i 
 
 of our English, and other European towns, and theis 
 progress from thraldom to freedom, no one has perhaps 
 given a juster account than Dr. Adam Smith t in the 
 .second volume of his celebrated Inquiry into the Nature 
 and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He there ob- 
 serves that the inhabitants of cities and towns, after the 
 
 2 z
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 fall of the Roman Empire-! were not more favoured than 
 those of the country. "They consisted, indeed, of 
 a very different order of people from the first .inhabitants 
 <if the ancient republicks of Greece and Italy. These last 
 Were composed chiefly of the proprietors of lands, among 
 whom the public territory was originally divided, and 
 who found it convenient to -build their houses in the 
 neighbourhood of one another, and to surround them 
 with a wall, for the sake of common defence. After 
 the falFo'f the Roman empire, on the contrary, the pro- 
 prietors of land seem generally to have lived in fortified 
 efastles on their own estates, and in the midst of their 
 own tenants and dependants. The towns were chiefly 
 inhabitad by tradesmen and mechanics, who seemed in 
 those days to have been servile, or very nearly of ser- 
 vile condition. The privileges which we find granted 
 by ancient charters to the inhabitants of some of the 
 principal towns in Europe, sufficiently shew what they 
 were before these grants. The people to whom it is 
 granted as a privilege, that they might give away their 
 owh daughters in marriage without the consent of their 
 lord, that upon their death, their own children, and not 
 
 their lord, should sticceed to their goods, and that 
 
 &- , 
 
 ey might dispose of their own effects by will, must, 
 
 before those grants, have been either altogether, or very 
 nearly in the same state of villanage with the occupiers 
 of land In the country, They seem, indeed, to have 
 been a very poor, mean set of people, who used to travel 
 abo'ut/ with their goods from place to place, and from 
 fair to fair, like the hawkers and pedlers of the present 
 times. In all the different countries of Europe then,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 377 
 
 in the same manner as in several of the Tartar govern- 
 ments of Asia at present, taxes used to be levied uppn 
 the persons and goods of travellers, when they passed 
 through certain manors, when they went over Certain 
 bridges, when they carried about their goods from place 
 to place in a fair, when they erected in it a booth pi- 
 stall to sell them in. These different taxes were known 
 . in England by the names of passage, pontage, lastage, 
 and stallage. Sometimes the king, sometimes a .great 
 lord, would grant to particular traders, to su^h par- 
 ticularly as lived in their own demesnes, a general ex- 
 emption from such taxes. Such traders, though in 
 other respects of servile condition, were upon this .ac- 
 count called Free-traders. They in return usually paid 
 to their protector a sort of annual poll tax. In those 
 days protection was seldom granted without a valuable 
 consideration, and this tax might, perhaps, be consid- 
 ered as compensation for what their patrons might <lose 
 by their exemption from other taxes. At ; fir6t, both 
 those poll-taxes and those exemptions seem to have been 
 altogether personal, and to have affected only particular 
 individuals, during either their lives, or the pleasure 
 of their protectors. In the very imperfect accounts 
 which have been published from Domesday-booky .of 
 several of the towns of England, mention is frequently 
 made, sometimes of. the tax which particular burghers 
 paid, each of them, either to the king, or to some other 
 great lord, for this sort of protection; and sometunes.of 
 the general amount only of all these taxes. " * 
 2 z 2 
 
 * See Smith's Inquriy, 2. 10i, He also observes that how sepjite so-
 
 378 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 "That part of the king's revenue which arose from 
 such poll-taxes in any particular town, used common- 
 ly to be lett in farm, during a term of years for a rent 
 certain, sometimes to the sheriff of the county, and some 
 times to other persons. The burghers themselves fre- 
 quently got credit enough to be admitted to farm the 
 revenues of this sort which arose from their own town, 
 they becoming jointly and severally answerable for the 
 whole rent. " In return, being allowed to collect it in 
 their own way, and to pay it into the king's exchequer 
 by the hands of their own bailiff, they would be altogether 
 freed from the insolence of the king's officers; a circum- 
 stance in those days of no small importance. 
 
 s in: N^J .'it - :: .<i^_ 1 '- ' '.i. .''.' i*. .. * W' > '.> 
 
 "At first, the farm of the town was lett to the burghers, 
 in the same manner as it had been to other farmers, for 
 a term of years only. In process of time, however, it 
 seems to have become the general practice to grant it to 
 them in fee, that is for ever, reserving a rent certain, 
 never afterwards to be augmented. The payment hav- 
 ing thus become perpetual, the exemptions, in return 
 for which it was made, naturally became perpetual too. 
 Those exemptions, therefore, ceased to be personal, 
 : aad could not afterwards be considered as belonging to 
 individuals as individuals, but as burgesses of a parti- 
 cular burgh, which, upon this account, was called a 
 Free-burgh, for the same reason that they had been call- 
 ed Free-burghers or Free-traders. Along with this 
 
 ever may have been originally the condition of the inhabitants of the 
 towns, they yet arrived at liberty and independence much earlier than 
 the occupiers of land in the country.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 370 
 
 grant, the important priviliges above mentioned, that 
 they might give away their own daughters in marriage, 
 that their children should succeed them, and that they 
 might dispose of their own effects by will, were gene- 
 nerally bestowed upon the burghers of the town to whom 
 it was given. The principal attributes of vilianage and 
 slavery being thus taken away from them, they now, 
 at least, became really free in our present sense of the 
 word Freedom. Nor was this all. They were gene- 
 rally at the same time erected into a commonality, or cor- 
 poration, with the privilege of having magistrates and 
 a town-council of their own, of making bye-laws for 
 their own government, of building walls for their own 
 defence, and of reducing all their inhabitants under a 
 sort of military discipline, by obliging them to watch 
 and ward; that is, as ant iently understood, to guard and 
 defend those walls against all attacks and surprises, by 
 night as well as by day. In England they were gene- 
 rally exempted from suit to (he hundred and country 
 courts; and all sucli pleas as should arise among them, 
 the pleas of the crown excepted, were left to the decis- 
 ion of their own magistrates. " * 
 
 "6* 
 
 For the origin of corporate towns, in this country, \veare 
 generally referred to the times of which we are now treat- 
 ing, that is, the ages subsequent to the Conquest; and yet 
 it seems to be very evident from the old book called TltG 
 Mirrour, that there existed here some towns of that de- 
 
 * Smith, as before, 104. Among the other principal works that re- 
 late to these matters are Madoa Firma Bur^i, and Bwdj-'s historical 
 Realise of cities and boroughs.
 
 530 .HISTORY OF LYjVN. 
 
 scription even as early as the days of Alfred: f but lliey 
 were probably few, and disregarded afterward, if not 
 entirely disannulled; till a good while after tlie accession 
 -and establishment of the Norman dynasty: nor can we 
 learn scarcely any tiling of the cause and object of their 
 formation, or the nature and principles of their consti- 
 tutions. The case is otherwise as to those corporations 
 formed since the Conquest; which seems to apply to all 
 those that now exist, in this country : it-is not so difficultto 
 findj or make out, how and why they were formed; and 
 it is with them only that we have here any concern. .Be- 
 fore they sprung up the feudal system was in its full and 
 utmost vigour; and the power of the country was divi- 
 ded between the sovereign and the barons, or great lords; 
 and the latter were sometimes an over match for the for- 
 mer. As a counter-balance or check to the formidable 
 and enormous power of the barons, the incorporation of 
 the great towns and cities seems chiefly to have been re- 
 sorted to, or adopted. At least this appears to have 
 been the case as far as any good policy, and not mere 
 caprice, had any share in the business: for justice and 
 humanity, or a desire to enlarge the liberty j and promote 
 the welfare of the people were totally out of the question. 
 These were motives too sublime and godlike to enter in- 
 to the contemplation of the English kings and courtiers 
 of those days. 
 
 But the said measure, whatever might be its cause 
 and object, or the motive for its adoption, appears to 
 have produced very salutary effects : for by forming 
 
 t See Political Review for December^ 1809-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN". 381 
 
 citirs and towns into corporations, and conferring on. 
 them the privileges of municipal jurisdiction, the first 
 check was given to the overwhelming evils of the feudal 
 system : and under their influence freedom and indepen- 
 dence Jbegan to peep forth, from the rigours of slavery j 
 and the miseries of oppression. To be free of any cor- 
 poration, however, was not then, as at present, merely . 
 to enjoy some privilege in trade, or to exercise the 
 right of voting on particular occasions, but it was to be 
 exempt from the intolerable hardships of feudal service ; 
 to have the right of disposing both of person and pro- 
 perty, and to be governed by laws intended to promote 
 thre general good, and not to gratify the ambition and 
 avarice of individuals. " These laws, however rude 
 and imperfect, tended to afford security to property, 
 and encourage men to habits of industry. Thus com- 
 merce, with every ornamental and useful art, began first 
 in corporate bodies to animate society. But in those 
 dark ages force was necessary to defend the claims of 
 industry ; and such a force the municipal societies 
 possessed; for their towns were not only defended by 
 walls and gates, vigilantly guarded by the citizens, but 
 oftimes at the head of their fellow freemen in arms, the 
 mayor, aldermen and other officers, marched forth in 
 firm array," to assert their rights, defend their proper- 
 ty, and teacfi the proudest and most powerful baron, 
 that the humblest freeman was not to be injured with 
 impunity. It was thus the commons learned and proved 
 they were not objects of contempt ; nay, that they were 
 beings of the same species as the greatest lords.* 
 
 * See Monthly Rev. for August 1805, p. 446.
 
 38.3 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 In this country the king is saul to be the fountain of 
 honour ; ami such he 'was to the incorporated towns and 
 cities. From him they derived their chartered and 
 municipal privileges, and to him they owed their eman- 
 cipation from their former bondage, or manumission 
 from feudal servitude. Though these royal acts ap- 
 pear-to have proceeded from no generous or noble mo- 
 tives, such as the love of justice, or a regard for liber- 
 ty, but rather from a selfish and sordid policy; yet, as 
 they proved of vast benefit to the inhabitants of those 
 towns and cities, they strongly attached them to the 
 throne, aatl greatly added to the power and resources of 
 the sovereign. The aversion -and contempt manifested 
 by the nobles towards this new body of freemen, tended 
 to promote still funher their attachment and subservien- 
 cy to the pourt. The lords despised the burghers, whom 
 they considered not only as of /a difle rent order, but 
 HB a parcel of emancipated slaves, almost of a different 
 ^pecies from themselves. "The wealth of the burghers 
 never failed to provoke their envy and indignation, and 
 they plundered them on every occasion without mercy 
 or remorse. The burghers naturally hated and feared 
 the lords. The king hated and feared them too ; but, 
 though perhaps, fte might despise, he lia J no reason either 
 to hate or fear the burghers, Mutual interest, therefore, 
 disposed them to support the king, and the king to 
 support them against the lords. They were the enemies 
 of his enemies, and it was his interest to render them as 
 secure and Independent of those enemies as he could. 
 By granting them magistrates of their own, the privi- 
 lege of making bye-laws for their own government,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 383 
 
 that of building walls for their own defence, and that 
 of reducing all their inhabitants under a sort of military 
 dicipline, he gave them all the means of security and 
 independency of the barons, which it was in his power 
 to bestow. Without the establishment of some regu- 
 lar government of this kind, without some authority to 
 to compel their inhabitants to act according to some 
 certain plan or system, no voluntary league of mutual 
 defence could either have afforded them any permanent 
 security, or have enabled them to give the king any 
 permanent support. By granting the farm of their 
 town in fee, he took away from those whom he wished 
 to have for his friends, and, if one may say so, for his 
 allies, all ground of jealousy and suspicion, that he was 
 ever afterwards to oppress them, either by raising the 
 farm rent of their town, or by granting it to some other 
 farmer.* 
 
 The armed force, with which the towns now furnish- 
 ed themselves, must have produced a very material 
 change in the state of the kingdom. This new order 
 ot warriors, or trained bands of the towns, seem not to 
 have been inferior to those of the country ; and as they 
 could be more readily assembled on any emergency, 
 they are said to have frequently had the advantage in 
 their disputes with the neighbouring lords. In some 
 parts of the continent they became so powerful and suc- 
 cessful as to subdue the nobles in their vicinity, and 
 enable the cities to which they belonged to form thera- 
 
 3 A 
 
 * Smith/as before, p. 106.
 
 SS4 
 
 selves into independent republicks. 13 tit in England, 
 the cities and burghs had no opport unity to become 
 entirety independent. They became, however, so con- 
 siderable, as Dr. Smith observes, that the sovereign 
 could impose no tax upon them, beside the staled 
 farm-rent of the town, without their own consent* 
 They were, therefore, called upon to send deputies to 
 the general assembly of the states of the kingdom, where 
 they might join with the clergy and the barons in grant- 
 ing, upon urgent occasions, some extraordinary aid to 
 the king. Being generally, too, more favourable to his 
 power, their deputies seem, some times, to have been 
 employed by him as a counterbalance, in those assem- 
 blies, to the authority of the great lords.* Hence, as 
 it seems, the origin of the representation of burghs in 
 
 our parliaments. 
 
 N '' "'I 
 
 However useless or objectionable our modern burghs 
 or corporate towns may be, it must be allowed (hat 
 they were originally productive of no inconsiderabte 
 national advantages. In them, as has been observed by 
 the writer last mentioned, order and good government 
 together with the liberty and security of individuals, 
 were established at a time when the occupiers of land 
 in the Country were exposed to every kind of violence, 
 That industry also, which aims at something more than 
 necessary subsistence was found in them before it was 
 commonly practised, or did exist among the country 
 farmers. " If in the hands of a poor cultivator, op- 
 pressed with the servitude of, villanage, some little 
 
 * Smith, as before, p. 108. 

 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 385 
 
 stock should accumulate, he would naturally conceal 
 k, with great care, from his master, to whom it would 
 otherwise have belonged, and take the first oppbrtuni-- 
 ty of running away to a town. The law was, at that 
 time, so indulgent to the inhabitants of towns, and so 
 desirous of diminishing the authority of the lords, over 
 those of the country, that if he could conceal himself 
 there, from the pursuit of the lord, for a year, he was 
 free for ever. Whatever stock therefore accumulated 
 in the hands of the industrious part of the inhabitants 
 of the country, naturally took refuge in cities, as the 
 only sanctuaries in which it could be secure to the 
 person that acquired it."* Thus it appears the cities 
 and towns were then replenished with inhabitants from 
 the industrious and most valuable part of the popula- 
 tion of the country, and not, as is too often the case in 
 our time, from the most idle, profligate, and worth- 
 Jess. 
 
 From what has been already said of the motive 
 or policy that seems to have given birth to our burgh- 
 system, it might naturally be expected that those 
 princes, who lived upon the worst terms with their ba- 
 rons, would be the most ready and active promoters 
 of it, and the most liberal in their grants of municipal 
 immunities. This, at least, appears to have" been the 
 case: and we find our king JOHN, for example, and 
 we may add, his son, and successor, HEN RY 111.: were 
 jnost munificent benefactors to those towns ; of which 
 3 A 2 
 
 Smith, 110.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Lynn, may be mentioned as one notable instance. This 
 town owes, to those two sovereigns, its political redemp- 
 tion, or elevation to the rank of a corporate town, or 
 free borough. The era of its arriving at this high, and 
 proud distinction, was the 13th century ; whereas it 
 was, before that period, the miserable abode of a horde 
 of slaves, the vassals of the lord bishops of the see in 
 which it is situated. 
 
 But though Lynn acquired then the rank and denq- 
 mination of a free burgh, it does not appear, that it 
 also became possessed of equal freedom from baronial 
 domination, and feudal vassalage, with all the rest of 
 our corporate towns ; or, that it actually arrived ajt that 
 state or degree of liberty, for a very long while after, 
 even till the reign of Henry VIII. about 300 years 
 after it had been first declared a free burgh by king 
 John and his successor. The time when it acquired 
 the name of King's Lynn, seems, therefore, to be the 
 true era of its actual, and entire liberation from its 
 former feudal incumbrances, Lynn then is a place 
 where the memory of the last Henry ought to be held 
 dear, and where he should be commemorated as one 
 of its best benefactors. These, however, are circum- 
 stances, not generally adverted to ; but they seem to 
 be real matters of fact, and may deserve here some 
 
 ' ' . :' i V t *KV-' '*. r - -* '-..< 
 
 elucidation. 
 
 King John, granting to Lynn its charter of incorpo- 
 ration at the instance of bishop Grey^ who had so much 
 interest with him, and to whom he had very great ob- 
 ligations, was not likely to attempt to deprive him of
 
 387 
 
 i 
 
 feis baronial rights, or supreme power and jurisdiction 
 in this town : nor do we know that the bishop was at 
 all disposed to relinquish the same. We accordingly 
 find an express clause in the royal charter, saving to 
 the said bishop and his successors, the liberties, Sfc. 
 which had previously belonged to the bishops of Nor- 
 fdck. That this was understood as securing to the 
 bishops their former rights and authority in this town, 
 may be inferred from the general conduct of the sue* 
 ceeding prelates for many generations, who seem to 
 have been uniformly striving to retain and perpetuate 
 the said rights and authority, and keep the inhabitants 
 in their original state of subjection to them. Nor did 
 the mayor and corporation appear, at all, disposed to 
 contest the point with their lordships, except in very 
 few instances ; as in the time of bishops Spencer , 
 Wakeryng, and Nix, already noticed. There seems, 
 also to have been some stir, of the same sort, made in 
 the time of bishop Hart, or Lyhart, in the year 1446, 
 and the corporation, probably, complained, or appealed 
 to the king, (Henry VI.) who then visited this town, 
 and seems to have favoured the cause of the corporation; 
 for he is said to have ordered the sword to be carried 
 before the mayor. But the bishop would not long sub- 
 mit to this royal order, for the very next year he had 
 the sword carried before himself, as formerly, the 
 mayor following, as one of his retinue or municipal 
 officers.* 
 
 On the whole, therefore, it seems pretty evident that 
 
 * See Mackrell, 223.
 
 OF LYNN. 
 
 though Lynn became a corporate town, and was de- 
 clared a free burgh as early as the beginning of the 13th 
 century, yet it was not entirely freed from the tempo- 
 ral jurisdiction of the bishop, and the hard yoke of 
 feudal domination, and so did not attain to equal liber- 
 ty and independence with the generality of our English 
 boroughs till a good part of the 16th century had 
 elapsed. We accordingly find that the mayor and cor- 
 poration, in the mean time, or during most part of it, 
 seemed perfectly ready to approve as well as profess 
 themselves the lordly prelate's humble tenants and de- 
 vout bedesmen; giving him the most explicit and solemn 
 assurance, " that he should find in them as lowly ten- 
 ants as any that longed to him within his lordships," and 
 that their bodies as well as goods were entirely at his ser- 
 vice, &c. agreeably to the tenour of the above memora- 
 ble letter to bishop Wakeryng. * \Ve may therefore 
 venture to affirm that this town was, at most, but par- 
 tially liberated from feudal vassalage, till the period 
 above specified; that is, within these 300 years; before 
 which the mayors of Lynn appeared, or might justly be 
 considered, as the bishops' head-men, chief bailiffs, or 
 slave drivers; and the aldermen as so many underlings, 
 pr petty officers, implicitly executing 1m lordshipjs para- 
 mount orders or commands. Though the Charters 
 might sometimes be thought to entitle his worship and 
 his brethren to greater independence and a higher cha- 
 racter, yet till then it does not seem that they were en- 
 abled to assume their prope r dignity and consequence. 
 
 't~ 
 
 * See above, page 366.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 389 
 
 The bishops being so powerful here, took care always 
 to manage so as to thwart and baffle all their attempts. 
 Nor did there seem to beany prospect of their succeed- 
 ing in obtaining their proper station while the bishop 
 continued to retain a paramount sway and uncontrolled 
 power in the town. This the king, probably saw : and 
 itmiglitbe one, if not the chief reason of his requiring 
 the bishops, Nix and Rugg^ to relinquish their oppres- 
 sive jurisdiction here. However that might be, it is cer- 
 tain that his majesty deserved well of this corporation : 
 and whatever their ideas or feeliugs may have been, or 
 may now be, on this point, it must be said, that they 
 ought to consider Henry .among the very chief of their 
 royal benefactors; with whom such princes as Charles and 
 James the second, can, surely, bear no comparison ; to 
 whom, nevertheless, statues have been here erected ! ! 
 
 J Of the spirit, or principle that dictated the erection of those statues 
 it may now be safely said, that it was thoroughly vile and disgraceful. 
 What better can be said of the spirit that was so predominant here 
 during Pitt's administration and execrable reign of terror, when all 
 honest men who saw, deprecated, and leprobated his madbrain sys- 
 tem were held up to the contempt and derision ot every political cox- 
 comb, and even to the fury of the populace, as Jacobins and traitors ? 
 Time has already done something towards justifying the views and 
 principles of these persecuted people; and futurity will do them still 
 ampler justice. The present generation is likely to be now soon con- 
 vinced that their politics, which have bee . .o bitterly and violently- 
 decried, were a thousand times more worthy of adoption than those of 
 their malicious opponents and revilers : and posterity will not fail to 
 exhibit in their proper colours the extreme folly and wrong headedness 
 of the measures that this illfatcd country has been pursuing for tke 
 last eighteen years and upwards.
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Further observations on the history of Lynn during the period under 
 
 consideration probable state of the town, as to its internal police 
 
 and municipal economy previously to its being declared a free burgh 
 and receirinj its first royal charter- changes resulting from that e- 
 Vent statement of subsequent occurrences. 
 
 It hns been already observed that Lynn was a place 
 of considerable trade, and of growing importance and 
 opulence^ at and before the Conquest. Afterward its 
 trade kept rapidly increasing; and in the reign of Rich" 
 ard I. it was become a place of distinguished eminence^, 
 insomuch that it was called by AVilliam of Newburgh, 
 who lived at that time, "a noble city, or a city of note 
 for its trade and commerce. " * Foreign merchants had 
 then a regular established connection and intercourse with 
 this town, and their ships and sailors frequented it in 
 great numbers. 'A considerable body of Jews also had 
 settled here, and must have been among the most active 
 and useful part of its population; which further cor- 
 roborates the report of its being in those days a place of 
 no small commercial note and consequencc } for those 
 
 * Parkin, ;iC.
 
 IIISTOJIY OP LYNN. 391 
 
 people were not likely to settle, in any great numbers, 
 except in places of that description. * Indeed it seems 
 pretty clear and certain that both in the reign of Rich- 
 
 3 * A ' 
 
 * The Jews were then very numerous in 'this country, as well as 
 very opulent, and continued so for no short period. They were ge- 
 nerally ill used, and sometimes underwent the most cruel aitfj base 
 treatment. Yet on some occasions they met with different and better 
 usage, and at least what may be called the appearance cf favour and 
 encouragement. The following instance is not a little remarkable and 
 striking "It will hardly be credited [says Andrews] that, in 1241, 
 Henry III issued writs to the sheriffs, ordering them to convene a 
 parliament of Jetus: six from some towns, and two from others. The 
 writs are now extant. The Jews were proud of this; but Henry only 
 meant to plunder them. " The last assertion is probably too tiue. 
 Henry was just that kind of man. It is however very little known that 
 he was beforehand with Bonaparte in convening a Jewish parliament 
 or Sanhedrim. But the characters of these two potentates are extreme- 
 ly dissimilar, and so probably were their motives for convening the Jewish, 
 delegates. In the above mentioned reign of Richard 1. the Jews were 
 most shamefully aud cruelly plundered and massacred here in different 
 places In the guilt arid infamy of those foul and horrid deeds Lyna 
 appears to have been deeply implicated. The tragical tale is related by 
 forfeit from William of Newburgh, and by Mackrel from Hollingshed 
 Jt states that one of the Lynn Jews being converted to Christianity, his 
 brethren were so enraged against him, that they resolved to kill him 
 whenever they had an opportunity. Having accordingly met him one 
 day in the Street, they instantly full upon him, fully intending to execute 
 their bloody purpose, but He escaped out of their hands, and fled int;> the 
 next church; they fo}lo>ved him thither, and breaking open the doors, 
 would have taken him out by fores. Crowds of the inhabitants, with a 
 great number of foreigners, consisting of mariners and others, who tradexf 
 here, now came upon them, rescued the man, and drove them into 
 their own houses. The townsmen refrained fiom any further acts of 
 violence, fearful of incurring the displeasure of their sovereign, who 
 had taken the Jefcs under his protection; but the manners and thepther 
 stranger, followed them to their own dwellings, massacred them there, 
 plundered their houses and set them on fire, and immediately taking 
 
 snipping, escaped with their spoil. Of the truth of some part of this 
 
 story some doubt may very reasonably be entertained. It is not very 
 likely that the Jews shoul.t act as is here represented toward their con- 
 certed brother, as they could not be insensible of the extreme risk of 
 such a conduct. Nor is it at ail probable that the iown rabble should
 
 392 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ard and that of his brother and successor John, Lynn 
 ranked very high among the trading towns of this king- 
 dom, in point of commercial importance : and it is re- 
 corded upon undoubted authority, that in the sixth year 
 of the last of those two reigns, (the date of our first 
 royal charter) the tax or tallage of the king at Lynn, 
 amounted to 65 II. whereas that of London at the same 
 time amounted only to 836/. 12s. 6d. if From which 
 we may infer that the revenue which the crown then 
 derived from the trade of this town, was more than two 
 thirds of what it derived from that of London ; and con- 
 sequently that the trade itself of this town did in the 
 mean time bear the same proportion to that of the me- 
 tropolis : which may be presumed to have been the case 
 of very few places, if any, besides in the kingdom. 
 Lynn being allowed to have a mint, or mints for the 
 coining of money, belonging (o the king and the bishop, 
 
 refrain from assisting the strangers in the massacre of the Jews, or de- 
 sist from joining them in plundering and burning those unhappy peo- 
 ple's houses. These may be presumed to be additions to what did then 
 really happen, and designed for the purpose of exaggerating the conduct 
 and blackening the character of the poor Jews, as well as throwing the 
 whole blame and infamy qf the most shocking part of the conduct of 
 .the opposite p.'rty on those foreign mariners and other strangers who 
 happened to be then in the town. It was always the manner of the 
 pretended Christians of thosa days, to impute some previous horrid a- 
 trocity to the Jews, in order to Wind people's eyes r and extenuate their 
 own barbarous ant) diabolical treatment of them. Upon the whole ihf. 
 plunder and massacre of the Jews seem to be that part of the above 
 story which is unquestionably authentic. But Lynn was not the only 
 place in England whire the Jews were, then so treated. The brutal 
 and horrid work began in 'London, whence it extended to Lynn and 
 other places, even as far as York, where it ended in a scene most shock- 
 ingly tragical; the effects of which proved fatal to the commeicial pros- 
 t periTy of that ancient city. See Andrews, 1. 192. 
 
 | Parkin, 120; whose authority is Msufox's Hist, of the Exchequer.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 393 
 
 has been deemed another proof of the flourishing state 
 of the town at that period. 
 
 Of the government of Lynn, or its municipal econo- 
 my in those times, very little is known, except that it 
 appears to have been under the management of an of* 
 ficer who bore the name of provost, who doubtless was 
 nominated by the bishop, and acted as his bailiff or 
 deputy ; but whether he was elected annually or held 
 his office for a longer or shorter term, or during the 
 pleasure of his master, seems rather uncertain. He was, 
 however, the chief magistrate of the town, and had, 
 of course, other officers assisting and acting under him, 
 like our chief magistrates of more modern times. It is 
 very probable that the order of things in this town was 
 not so materially changed by king JOHN as some may 
 imagine. The chief alteration apparently was, that the 
 town now ranked among those incorpgrated by royal 
 charter, was consequently declared a free burgh, had its 
 burgesses exempted from tolls, &c. in all parts of Eng- 
 land, b it London ; and finally, had its chief magistrate 
 denominated mayor ^ instead of provost,* a circumstance, 
 probably of no mighty consequence, or real benefit to 
 the community, though highly gratifying, perhaps, Jo 
 the pride and vanity of the corporation. The real dif 
 ference, Jioweyer, between a mayor and a jirovosf, seems 
 '3 B 2 
 
 J Parkin, as before. 
 
 * That Lynn was a mayor-town in the reign, or before the death of 
 JOHN, has been disputed by some; but the fact seems fully ascertained 
 from the Patent rolls that king's letters patents, dated at Devizes, 
 Wilts, June, 7. (1216 } in the 18th. year gf his reign, being addressed 
 to tlie MAYOR and g-jvd men tf Lena.
 
 394: HISTORY OF LYK38. 
 
 to be very little, it any thing, more than that between 
 Tweedledum and Tweedledce. The former indeed is 
 generally taken to be the highest and most honourable 
 appellation, and therefore our corporations naturally 
 prefer it to the other, as the title of their head man v or 
 chief magistrate. After all, the inferiority ofthejoro- 
 vost does not seem alvyays perceivable ; and nobody, 
 perhaps, \vould deem the lord MAYOR of York as su- 
 perior in dignity to the lord PROFOST of Edinburgh. 
 
 The smiles antf favours of royalty are always gratify- 
 ing to most people : those of king JOHN were so, no 
 doubt, to his Lynn subjects^ and may be supposed to 
 have confirmed them more than ever in their attachment 
 to him, which appears to have continued very strong 
 and steady afterwards during the remainder of his reign. 
 Of the worth and merit of that attachment, his majesty 
 seemed duly sensible: as a proof of which, they receiv- 
 ed from him in return, some very flattering and lasting 
 tokens, beside the immunities and privileges specified 
 in his charters; especially the silver cup which is still 
 in being, and shewn to strangers and others as a great 
 curiosily. It is an elegant, double-gilt, embossed^ and 
 enamelled cup and cover, weighing 73 ounces, and of 
 exquisite workmanship, and shews the uncommon skill 
 and ingenuity of some our silver-smiths of that period, 
 who were probably of the monkish order, as our best 
 artists, as well as most renowned scholars, were then 
 Chiefly to be found within the solemn precincts of our 
 monasteries. 
 
 The sword, which is usually earned before our mayors,
 
 HISTORY OF LYXN. 395 
 
 has been also considered as another mark or token 
 of king Jo//.v's favour to this town; but this appears a 
 very questionable matter. This weapon, which has a 
 silver mounting, the king is said to have taken from 
 his side, and given to the corporation, to be carried be- 
 fore the mayor: but it does not appear that there was a 
 s'word at all carried before pur mayors as early as the 
 reign of king John, or even for along time after. If 
 such a ceremony Avas really observed here before the 
 reign of Henry V. or of Henry VI. it must seemingly 
 have been appropriated solely to the great lords of the 
 place, the bishops of Norwich, who appear all along to 
 have claimed that honour as their own peculiar and exr 
 elusive prerogative : the mayors having no share in it, 
 but only as they followed their masters, the bishops, and 
 formed a part of 4heir retinue. Bishop Gibson, in his 
 additions to Camden, observes that the present sword, 
 though said to have been given by king John, was real- 
 ly the gift of Henry VI11. after the town came into his 
 possession, and he changed their burgesses in(o alder- 
 Men* John's charter does not mention the sword, but 
 that granted by Henry expressly says, (hat he granted 
 them a sword to be carried before their mayor. As to 
 the inscription on the blade of the present sword, pur- 
 porting its being the gift of king John, it proves nothing, 
 being apparently the unauthorized contrivance of two 
 forward fellows of the town, a sword cutler and a school- 
 master, as late as the reign of queen Elizabeth.* But 
 however improbable it may be that the said Su/wrf was ever 
 the properly of king John, and given by him as a present 
 
 * See Gibson's Camden I'^rkin Mackrc), and Tour of Norfolk.
 
 396 HISTOBY Of LYNN T , 
 
 and mark of bis royal and special favour to this corpo- 
 ration, yet there does not seem to be any just reason 
 for entertaining similar doubts respecting the cup before- 
 mentioned. The only circumstance relating to the cup 
 which one would be inclined to deem doubtful, or ra 
 ther incredible, is a certain sly insinuation, which has 
 been sometimes heard, that it was a part of a parcel of 
 iptolen goods, which his majesty, while on a visit at \Val- 
 singham, contrived to pilfer from that celebrated abbey, 
 and coming afterwards to Lynn, made a present of it to 
 the corporation,- 
 
 Lynn seems to have paid very dearly for the said 
 king's favours. Camden, in his account of this town 
 observes, that if enjoys very large immunities, which 
 its inhabitants " purchased of king John -with the 
 price of their own blood, spent in 1fie defence of his 
 cause:" alluding, probably, to the powerful assistance 
 they afforded him in reducing the disaffected barons of 
 this county, whose subjugation proved an arduous un- 
 dertaking, and whom he after wards severely chastised. 
 The assistance they rendered to this sovereign consisted 
 not only in recruits for his army, or a strong and reso- 
 lute body of landsmen, but also in sailors and ships for 
 bis naval operations : hence Lynn and Yarmoufli are 
 mentioned by Carte among the principal places that fur- 
 nished his majesty ^ ith ajtcct to oppose that of France 
 on a certain occasion.* In short, the good people of 
 this town appear to have assisted that memorable mo- 
 narch to the utmost of (heir ability, or in all the ways, 
 
 * Carte I. 840.
 
 'HISTORY Ol? LYNN. 397 
 
 x "^ - 
 
 and by all the tneans that were in 'their power. He, on 
 the other hand, is said to have been very partial to 
 them, and deemed them so trustworthy, and their town 
 so secure a place, that lie deposited there, for sometime 
 his .crown and regalia, and his most valuable treasures; 
 but took them away at his last visit, snd. lost them all, 
 soon after, in crossing the Wash, at an improper place, 
 or improper time ; whi h he laid so to heart that it 
 hastened his death, which look place at very short time 
 after at Newark. There is indeed no small disagree- 
 ment among our historians in their accounts of king 
 John after his last departure from Lynn* Some repre- 
 sent him as crossing the Wash) or rather the Ouse, then 
 called Wcllstream, at the Cross Keys ; others represent 
 him as crossing it at Jfisbeaen, and the latter seems to 
 be the truth. Some, again, ascribe the illness which 
 terminated his life, to poison, administered by a monk 
 of Swineshead ; others ascribe it to vexation for the loss 
 of his treasures ; while others assure us that it is to be 
 ascribed to neither of these causes, but that he was ill 
 before that disaster of losing his treasures befel him. 
 Nay, some have alleged, or suggested, that his last ill- 
 ness originated at Lynn, and was occasioned by his 
 intemperate liv ing during his stay here. In accounts so* 
 different and contradictory, it is no easy task to distin- 
 guish truth from fiction. It seems however to be pretty 
 well established that the said king left Lynn on the 11th 
 of October, 1216, was at Wisbeach on the 12th r at 
 Sleafordon the 15th, and at Newark on the 18th, where 
 he died the very next day : but the story of the poison 
 seems very doubtful and even improbable; nor does that
 
 398 HISTORY dp LYNN. 
 
 concerning the loss of his crowji and treasures seem 
 perfectly clear and indubitable.* 
 
 Even the fact that Lynn had been the depository of 
 {he king's treasures, with his crown and regalia, dur- 
 ing his absence from these parts, and till he removed 
 them at his last departure, becomes very doubtful, or 
 rather quite improbable, if we believe Rapin's assertion, 
 from M . Paris, that ihe king s great competitor, the 
 Dauphin, not long before, and within that, same year, 
 had actually reduced Lyrin, arid madtf the whole couri- 
 ty, as well as those of Suffolk and Essex tributary t6 
 him. In that case, those treasures, &c. if deposited 
 here, must inevitably have fallen into the Dauphin's 
 hands, and so be entirely lost to the king. We must 
 therefore either conclude that the alledged fact of Lynn 
 liaving been the depository of the said treasures, for any 
 length of time, is unfounded, or that the said assertion, 
 that Lynn had been that year taken by the Dauphin", 
 is so. But as these matters are not very interesting, we 
 will now drop them, and also our account of king Johfr 
 for the present. 
 
 After the death of John, and in the reigri of his son 
 and successor, Henry III. the people of Lynn, at one 
 time, seem to have sided with the malecontents of that 
 period, and so forfeited their chartered rights: but their 
 defection was of no long duration ; they returned to 
 their duty with every appearance of contrition, and soon 
 gave full proof of the ardour, as well as the unfeigned- 
 
 * Compare Parkin, Rapin, Carte, and Andrews.
 
 \ HISTORY OF 
 
 hess of Hidr loyalty. Camden says that they "pur- 
 chased their lost liberties of Henry III. not without 
 blood) when they sided with him against the outlawed 
 barons, and unluckily engaged them in the isle of Ely. 
 An account whereof we have in the book of Ely, and 
 in Matthew Paris."* The battle here alluded to, was 
 fought somewhere about Littleport, where the Lynn 
 volunteers of that day were very roughly handled by 
 their opponents, and W. a considerable number of their 
 people ; of which mention has been made by several 
 of our historians. In the 8th and 9th years of that 
 King's reign, licence was granted to foreign merchants 
 to tome with safety to the fair of Lenn ; and in the 1 1th 
 year a talliage was granted to the king by the bishop. 
 The oath of the burghers then was, u You shall faith- 
 fully pay your talliage made by thje lord (bp.) at his 
 will> of all your chattels of your own property, what- 
 ever they are, and of the chattels of your wife, and all 
 that is your due to pay.*' ^ Thus payment was made up- 
 on oath ; but the tax was granted to the king by the 
 bishop, without the concurrence of the burghers; and also 
 assessed and levied by him at his will, without check or 
 control. In such a case, and under such circumstances, it 
 might be reasonably supposed there would be some mis- 
 doings, and not a few causes of com plaint, and that mis- 
 understanding would arise between his lordship and his 
 Lynn vassals, which might lead to very serious results. 
 That it really did so happen appears from authentic docu- 
 ments. 
 
 3c 
 
 * See Gibson's Caraden. J Parkin, 122.
 
 400 HISTORY OF LYNN* 
 
 Sometime after the above taxation, the people or 
 gessesofLynn, dissatisfied, it seems, with the arbitary 
 and oppressive proceeding of their lord, the bishop, in 
 that instance, and questioning his right to tax them at 
 his will, or without their consent, took upon them to tax 
 themselves without consulting him, as well as to elect a 
 mayor also without his permission; This his lordship 
 greatly resented, as absolutely illegal and highly criminal*: 
 and he also, very sorely felt it, no doubt, as deeply affect- 
 ing his own baronial claims here, or endangering his feu- 
 dal dominion. He accordingly proceeded against them 
 in the ecclesiastical court, and had them all excommu- 
 nicated. In that grievous dilemma, and from so arbi- 
 tary and galling a sentence, they appealed to the king's 
 justices at Westminster, before whom the affair under- 
 went a legal investigation: of which, and its result, the 
 following account is given by Parkin. 
 
 " In the 8th. of this king ( Henry HI.) a fine was 
 levied at Westminster in Trinity term, before Robert 
 Lexington, William de York, Ralph de Norwich, 
 William de Lisle, Adam Filz- William, and Ralph de 
 Rokele, the king's justices, between the mayor and bur- 
 gesses, querents, and Thomas Blundevile, bishop of 
 Norwich, deforcient. The Mayor &c. complained, 
 that the bishop had impleadcd them in a court Christian 
 (ecclesiastical or spiritual court) and had excommuni- 
 cated them, because they had created a mayor among 
 themselves, and had taxed and talliaged themselves in 
 the said burgh without his assent; and it was-egrecd 
 between them in the said court, that the bishop should
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 401 
 
 grant for himself and successors, and his church of Nor- 
 wich, that the' said burgesses, for the future, may 
 chuse and create to themselves a mayor, whomsoever 
 they pleased of their own body, on this condi tion, That 
 immediately after his election, or creation, they should 
 present him to the bishop and his successors, wherever 
 they should be in the diocese of Norwich; who on the 
 presentation should be admitted by the bishop withput 
 any contradiction: and for this fine and concord, the 
 mayor and burgesses grant for themselves, their heirs 
 and successors, that whosoever shall be so created and 
 elected mayor by them, shall promise on his good 
 faith and fealty, by which he is engaged to the bishop, 
 and his successors, that he will observe all things that 
 belong to his office, as long as he shall continue therein, 
 and preserve, as much as is in his power, the liberties 
 of the church of Norwich, This agreement and fine 
 was made in the presence of the king, who consented to 
 it. This king, as appears from many instances^ sato 
 frequently in the court of king's bench at the head of 
 his justices, " * 
 
 |t does not appear from the above account how the 
 taxation or assessment business was then settled; but it 
 seems most probable that it was taken out of the hands 
 both of the bishop and the burgesses, and committed to 
 the management of certain officers appointed by the 
 crown. It is likely indeed that that point had been 
 Previously settled, and that the names of the first olfi,- 
 
 3 c 2 
 * Parkin, p. 122.
 
 402 HISTORY OF LYNJU 
 
 cers, or assessors, are still preserved: lor we are told that 
 -" in (lie 17th. of the said reign, (which wus the year 1 
 preceding that of the above trial) Thomas de Milton, 
 and Warin, son of Imbert, were named by the king, 
 to assess the talliage, and ail the demeans of the see of 
 Norwich. " | This point therefore might not come wn- 
 der discussion in the alcove trial at Westminster.; But 
 the case of creating, or choosing a mayor, seems 'to have 
 been there \:ery carefully investigated. The result was 
 (as above stated) that the right of the burgesses, to elect 
 a mayor from among themselves, was fully established; 
 on the express condition, however, that, immediately 
 after his election, they should present him to the bishop, 
 wherever he should be within the diocese; who on his 
 part was to receive him without any refusal, dis,- 
 approvalj or, contradiciipu. 
 
 From the preceding statement one would be apt to 
 conclude, that the right of the burgesses to choose a 
 mayor, independently of the bishop's will and pleasure, 
 was now fully settled, and that his lordship would no 
 longer presume to interfere, either directly or indirectly, 
 on that occasion. But it cannot be affirmed that the 
 event warrants that conclusion. The lust of power is 
 a strong passion, and not very soo,n or easily subdued. 
 The bishops having so long borne uncontrolled sway in 
 the direction! and management of every thing in this 
 town, it was not to be expected that they would be very 
 ready to resign or relinquish it. The mayors her.e 
 from the firsf, it seems, were called The bishop's 
 
 J Parkin, as before.
 
 HISTORF OF LYNN. 403 
 
 and their lordships appeared always desirous to pcrpe? 
 tuate the appelation, or, at least, to do all in their power 
 to prevent its becoming inapplicable. Though the 
 words of charters, the opinions of judges, and even the 
 declarations of kings, might appear against them, yet 
 they were scarcely ever at a loss for ways and 'means to 
 surmount or evade all such difficulties, and secure their 
 own lieloved power and preponderance. So the case 
 (seems to have been at Lynn for a very long period. 
 Neither the provision of charters, the verdictof judges, 
 nor the orders of princes, could effect any material or last- 
 ing diminution of the exorbitant power of the bishop 
 over this town, till the 16th. century. It appeared 
 like an inveterate evil, or incurable malady, unlilitfelt 
 the royal touch of Henry V1I1. when it gave way at 
 pnce, and underwent a radical and perfect cure. 
 
 As to the above agreement between the contending par* 
 ties at Westminster, it does not appear that the bishops 
 thought proper long, i'f at all, to act in compliance 
 with it, and so refrain from any further interference in 
 the election or appointment of a chief magistrate. This 
 must have sat uneasy on the minds of the corporation, 
 and they would naturally, and perhaps repeatedly com- 
 playi to their sovereign against so oppressive an infringe- 
 ment of their municipal rights. Even the king himself 
 also would feel it as an insult offered to him, as he was 
 personally present when the agreement was made, and, 
 had sanctioned it by his own express approbation. On 
 this ground we may account for that clause in the 
 charter which lie granted to our burgesses in the 52nd,.
 
 404; HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 year of his reign, in which he not only confirms their 
 former liberties, but also allows them t choose a 
 mayor of themselves, without presenting him to the 
 bishop. This last exemption from a former obliga- 
 tion and customary observance, seems 'plainly to in- 
 dicate that the bishop had taken some such undue 
 advantage of his power and influence as was before 
 suggested; of which his majesty now thought pro- 
 per to signify his entire disapprobation, by discharging 
 the burghers, from every obligation to pay his lordship 
 any further regard, in their future choice or appointment 
 of a chief magistrate. This the bishop must have felt 
 somewhat mortifying. But as his feudal jurisdiction 
 here still .continual unabolished, it was not likely he 
 would be long at a loss to find means to evade the 
 force or operation of that humiliating clause, and secure 
 or reestablish his wonted preeminence. That it actually 
 did so happen, appears but too evident by all that we 
 know of the subsequent history of the town. Every 
 attempt to reduce the bishop's predominance here, dur- 
 ing the period of which we are now treating, proved 
 linsuccessful. The burgesses never could effectually 
 shake off his yoke, or cease to be his vassals and sub- 
 jects; and even their elections of mayors, in general, if 
 not always, might be compared to the modern conge 
 d'elire elections of bishops, by our Deans and Chapters. 
 
 During the long reign of which we have been speak- 
 ing, this kingdom suffered extremely from civil discord 
 and intestine commotions; and the inhabitants of Lynn 
 bore their share in those sufferings. Great numbers pjf
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 their people perished in a bloody and unfortunate en- 
 gagement against the* barons, up in the country somewhere 
 towards Littleport, as has been before noticed; which, 
 must have proved a most distressing calamity to the 
 whole town, and especially to the wives and children 
 and other relatives of the vanquished and slaughtered 
 warriors, The enemy, being so strong and formidable 
 in and about the Isle of Ely, must also have cut off all 
 communication between Lynn and that districtj and even 
 interruptered its intercourse with all the interior parts of 
 the country, as he had the entire command of. the rivers 
 and channels of internal navigations This seems to have 
 continued a long while, and must have distressed this 
 town in a very great degree* It appears, however, to 
 have been quite over, and tranquillity fully restored in 
 the 4 1st. year of that reign, as we find the mayor and 
 burgesses were that year commanded by the king to per- 
 mit the men of Ely to come here to sell their beer, and 
 exercise merchandise, as they had been used to do before 
 the disturbance. * In the 50th year of the same reign, 
 as we are further informed, the king's purveyors bought 
 at Lynn 36 tuns of wine, which the sheriff of Norfolk 
 was ordered to have conveyed to his majesty, then at the 
 siege of Kenil worth, or Kennelworth Castle, in War- 
 wickshire. + This also shews that there were then no 
 
 * Parkin 123. 
 
 f See Parkin, as before; who further observes, that Lynn was famous 
 at that time for importing wine : and it seems that foreign wine was 
 then very cheap here, compared with what it is at present. Hence 
 Parkin mentions a pipe of wine as selling here then at I/. 15s. and a 
 tun of wine at 50s. These were probably red wine, for he afterwards 
 mentions a tun of white wine as having been sold for three marks and a 
 halfj i. e.2/. 6s. 8d. -The mark being 13s. 4d. Wiwe sell i here now at
 
 406 HISTORY Of 1 LYfrNi 
 
 very serious or dangerous commotions in the parts 
 the Fens, and westward of Lynn, otherwise it would 
 have been out of the -sheriff's power to have the said wine 
 conveyed across that country, and to his majesty's camp 
 before Kennelworth. It is however alledged by our his- 
 torians that the malecontents who seized upon the Isle 
 of Ely were the last that held out ^ and that they did not 
 surrender till after the reduction of Kennelworth Castle. 
 However that was, it is allowed that the rebellion was 
 now soon quelled, and that the country afterwards en-* 
 joyed peace and tranquillity, for along period. 
 
 It was in this king's reign, as was before observed, 
 Uiat the Ouse and other rivers deserted their ancient and 
 natural course by Wisbeach, and after inundating the 
 fen country to a very great extent, from the effect of 
 which it has never yet recovered, forced their passage 
 into the sea by Lynn. A neglecting of the old outfall, 
 which occasioned the choking up of the channel and 
 impeding the course of the waters, in the time of a great 
 flood, has been assigned as the cause of that memorable 
 event. But as the malecontents had for sometime occu- 
 pied the fens, and made their last stand thei*e, and as 
 the inundation might conduce materially to their defence, 
 it seems very natural to suspect that they also had some 
 hand in the business.. Yet as our historians are silent on 
 
 a price above 50 times higher than what it did at that period .Salmon 
 was an article fchat appears to have always fetched a high price in those 
 days; and Parkin, in the place frflta which these articles have been ex- 
 tracted, mentions 20s. as paid For 5 Salmons sent to the bishop of Nor. 
 wich at South Elmham, on monday before the feast of the purification. 
 Ten such Salmons were then, it seems, as valuable as a pipe of wine.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 407 
 
 this head, we cannot affirm it as a matter of fact. The 
 event proved, no doubt, detrimental to Wisbeach; and 
 yet not materially advantageous, at least, not imme- 
 diately so, to Lynn. Nor does it appear that even our 
 harbour was at all improved by so large an accession of 
 fresh water t on the contrary, for aught we know, the 
 approach from the sea to this town was quite as good 
 before as it has been since. It may be said however to 
 be an event that somewhat contributes to preserve the 
 memory of the third Henry, among the people of these 
 parts. The character of this monarch is well known, 
 and is no way worthy of respect or imitation. He was 
 great in nothing but the vileness of his government and 
 the length of his reign, which extended to the 57th year: 
 the longest of any English reign, for the last ten centuries. 
 For the evils of which, and of all the bad and unfortu- 
 nate reigns that have occurred ever since that period, 
 many, it is supposed, will deem the blessed prosperity 
 of the present wise and happy reign as more than a suf- 
 ficient counterbalance and compensation especially, if 
 it should also last as long, or still longer than that of 
 Henry III. which seems not at all improbable: and who 
 is it, within this favoured country, but does qonsider this 
 as a consummation most devoutly to be wished?
 
 408 HISTORY OF LYNN* 
 
 -.j<<-^->e>e-. 
 
 <.V'{v,-ov/c? i-i u'jotl anil ]J^^oVU 
 
 >,') ovr. 'iiM y) ^'mii'*^^') ^Bit.v'u r .'ji tnft trj'jY-j iiu 'j<i 
 
 State of society at Lynn during the period under consideration 
 the subject may be elucidated from documents relative to our. ancient 
 Gilds observations on the nature of those fraternities ; very com- 
 mon in this country before the reformation names and number of 
 
 those of Lynn. 
 
 f >' 
 
 It is sad enough to. think, that during so long an in- 
 terval as that between the conquest and the reformation, 
 the good people of Lynn should never be able entirely to 
 emancipate themselves from their feudal vassalage. But 
 as that desirable object always proved to them unattain- 
 able, they appear to have submitted to their hard fate 
 with exemplary patience and forbearance ; well know- 
 ing, it seems, to use the words of (he old adage, that 
 what cannot be cured must be endured. It is much to 
 be doubted if their descendants, or rather their succes- 
 sors of the present day, would have endured what they 
 did with equal propriety and long suffering. We are 
 indeed but imperfectly acquainted with the social com- 
 plexion, or characterestic features of the community 
 here in those times ; but from what we do know, there 
 is reason to think favourably of the prevailing disposi- 
 tion of the inhabitants. Except in the shocking affair
 
 OF LYNN". 409 
 
 of the poor Jews, and -what happened in the time of 
 Bishop Spencer and of bishop Wakeryng, and of the 
 two aldermen Wentworth and Petipas, already noticed, 
 we perceive no vestige here of tumultuous risings or fac- 
 tious combinations. Industry and harmony appear ge- 
 nerally to have prevailed at Lynn, and the community 
 seldom failed in the duty of submission to their superio^ 
 or of obeying the higher powers, 
 
 On the state of society in this town, during the peri- 
 od now under consideration, nothing perhaps throws so 
 much light as certain existing documents relating to our 
 ancient Gilds, which seem to have been more numerous 
 here than any where else in the kingdom. They wer& 
 friendly associat^is formed for the mutual benefit of 
 their respective members. Some of them were largo 
 trading companies, holding considerable possessions, in, 
 houses, lands, and mercantile pro'pcrty. Others werQ 
 of a humbler sort, suited to the convenience and wants 
 of those who moved in a lower sphere, and constructed 
 on principles, perhaps, somewhat similar to those of 
 our modern purse clubs, or benefit societies, All were 
 calculated to help the individuals who composed them, 
 to pass through life more comfortably, obtain a more 
 easy and plentiful subsistence, cherish love aud good- 
 will within their respective circles, and promote the 
 peace and welfare of the town or community in general. 
 
 The Gilds, certainly, form a most prominent feature 
 in the character of the ancient inhabitants of Lynn, 
 They were indeed very common in this country before 
 3 D 2
 
 410 HISTORY OF 
 
 the reformation, and during the period we are now eon 
 
 1 1 
 sidering ; but were more numerous in this town thai* 
 
 any where else we know of, which is a very remarkable 
 and, perhaps, unaccountable circumstance. It seems 
 very honourable to the memory of our forefathers* 
 more so, probably, than any thing else we can mention; 
 and therefore we shall dwell upon the subject with the 
 greater pleasure. It shews that there was then among 
 the inhabitant a prevailing or general disposition to as- 
 sist one another, and to^give to every honest individual 
 an opportunity to place himself in such a situation as 
 would not fail of bettering his condition, and procuring 
 him useful friends and reputable associates. 
 
 These useful institutions, in most other places, only 
 amounted to one or two, or a few, by which only a small 
 part of the population could be very materially benefit- 
 ed by them. But here they were formed on a large 
 scale, and multiplied to above ifiirty ; some of them vai 
 rying pretty much from others, to suit, as we may sup- 
 pose, the different conditions of the inhabitants, all, or 
 most of whpm might consequently accomodate them- 
 selves, or easily find a fraternity whose constitution ex- 
 exactly corresponded with their respective capacities, 
 wants, or wishes. Our Gilds had all of them a strong 
 tinctnre of religion, or rather of superstition, according 
 to the prevailing fashion of the times. In that view 
 tfie^ exhibited, no doubt, a large portion of weakness, 
 ignorance, and absurdity. But they appear to have 
 been very free from that jealousy, bigotry, and ill will 
 towards each other, which too often disgrace the reli-
 
 gious fraternities, of the present day ? who look upon, 
 one another with such an evil eye, that they may be 
 too justly said to hate one another. Trusting in them- 
 selves that they are righteous, they despise others, .and 
 are ready to say to their neighbours, and all who dijffpjr 
 from them, stand by yourselves, come not near to us*, 
 for we are holier than you. While they inveigh against 
 pharisces, and a pharisaical spirit, theygive impartial a;. 4 
 intelligent bystanders every reason to think, that tjiejr 
 are themselves, in fact, the pharisees of the present day, 
 and are led by the very spirit against which they de- 
 claim. But we will drop this subject for the present, 
 and resume that of the Gilds, which we shall here han* 
 die under diflere&t heads, or sections. 
 
 
 SECTION I. Observations on the origin (of our an- 
 fient Gilds.* 
 
 The author of a late publication, entitled Caledonia, 
 gives it as his opinion, that the monks^were the earliest 
 Gild brethren, and had exclusive privileges jff trade 
 and of fishery when boroughs had scarcely an existence. 
 To which the annual reviewer of 'that work objects, 
 and affims that the origin of Gilds lies hidden in ob- 
 scurity inaccessible: and against the idea of their being 
 
 * The word Gild, (says Chambers,) is formed from the Saxon Gil- 
 Jan, to pay, because every man was giUare, \. e. to pay something 
 towards the charge and support of the company.
 
 41* 
 
 HISTQIIY OF LYNX. 
 
 of monkish origin, he urges, their being constructed 
 so much on the principles of a purse club, that they can 
 hardly not have been founded by married men. * The 
 truth seems to be, that they originated among (he Anglo- 
 Saxons, long before the Conquest, if not also 'before 
 their conversion to Christianity, and the commencement 
 of English monkery. At first, they may be supposed 
 to assume a simple and homely appearance, among flic 
 civil institutions of the Anglo-Saxon community; but 
 afterwards to pass through different changes, -and es- 
 pecially after the conquest, when the general state of 
 society and the whole order of things experienced so con- 
 siderable a revolution . They were then, at first, per- 
 haps, put down or laid aside, and afterwards revived 
 and resumed: at least, we hear little or nothing of (hem 
 under the first Norman kings, or till about the 13th, 
 century. 
 
 The most common and prevailing opinion seems to 
 be, that the gilds sprung from the Anglo-Saxons tit/t- 
 ings: though it may, .perhaps, be questioned, if tlip 
 tithings themselves did not take their rise from them. 
 Jacob, from Camden, informs us, that the origin of gilds 
 and fraternities is said to be from the Saxon law, by 
 which Neighbours entered into an association, and became 
 bound for each other, to bring forth him who committed 
 any crime, or make satisfaction to the party injured; 
 for which purpose they raised a sum of money among 
 themselves, and put it into a common stock, w hereout 
 a pecuniary compensation was made according to the 
 
 * Annual Review for 1807, 4QQ.
 
 
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 413 
 
 quality of the offence committed. From hence came 
 our fraternities and gilds: and they were in use in this 
 kingdom long before any formal licences were granted, 
 -for them: though* at this clay [that is, in Caraddi's 
 time] they are a company combined together, with 
 orders and laws made by themselves, by the piince'* 
 licence. " * Chambers, in his Cyclopaedia, expresses 
 himself much to the same purppse* "The original of 
 Gilds, says he, is thus related: it being a law among 
 the saxons, that every freeman t of fourteen years old 
 should find sureties to keep the peace, or be committed 
 to prison; certain neighbours [therefore] entered into 
 -on association, [consisting of ten families,] and be- 
 came bound for each other, either to produce him who 
 committed an offence, or to make satisfaction to the 
 injured party. That they might the better do this, 
 tliey raised a sum of money among themselves, which 
 tlwy put into a common stock; and when one of their 
 pledges had committed an offence, ad was fled, then 
 the other nine made satisfaction out of this stock, by 
 payment of money according to the offence. Because 
 this association consisted of ten families, it was calletl 
 a decennury: hence came our fraternities. In obser- 
 vance of the above law, or custom, as the same writer 
 informs us, the sheriffs at every county court did from 
 time to tjme take the oaths of young persons, as they 
 arrived at the age of fourteen, and see that they belong- 
 ed to one decennary or another. \ Such is the ac- 
 
 * See Jacob's Law Dictionary, under the word GUILD. 
 t Religious persons, clerks, knights and their eldest sons, exceptetl.' 
 J Chambers' Cyclopedia, under G-H.B and FRANK fltty*.
 
 HISTOkY OF "LYNN. 
 
 . ? 2;iven by these writers of the ancient decennaries, 
 vPsln'gSj from which the gilds are supposed to have 
 ;' but it seems Uncertain, after all, whether the 
 
 "i * '*$\ ' *rs ' ' 1 n 1 "L i r- 1 1 J * J- * 
 
 Ids 'sprung- from the decennaries ^ or the decennaries 
 ^rorn tlrenij or which of the two is the most ancient. 
 They might be coeval, and grow up together : and .the 1 
 gilds having survived the decennaries might occasion 
 
 their being supposed to have sprung from them. 
 
 t^oou WFJ- BV ;,}.,<; i '::,:.!.'.!--|,-m1:d'-,viI r/Cf ^aUic) .. 
 
 Turner^ the ingenious historian of the Anglo-Saxons, 
 Seems also to ascribe to them the origination of Gilds: 
 and he observes^ that the gilds^ or social confederati- 
 ons, in which many of those people chose to arrange 
 themselves, deserve very particular attention; Among 
 other things, he says, that their gilds are sometimes" 
 alluded to in the laws. If a man without paternal rela- 
 tions shoiild fight and kill another, then his maternal 
 kinsmen were ordered to pay one third of the Were, his 
 gild a third, and for the other part his gild was to es- 
 fcape'. Jn London there appears to have been free gilds. 
 In a charter of Canterbury j the three companies of the 
 citizens within the walls^ and those without, are men- 
 tioned. Domesday also mentions a Gild of the Clergy 
 in that city. In short, Gilds appear to have been very 
 common, and in great request among the Anglo-Saxons. 
 They seem on the whole, as our author thinks, to be 
 friendly 'associations, made for mutual aid and contri- 
 IJtrtion, to meet the pecuniary exigencies wliidh were 
 perpetually arising, from burials, legal exactions, penal 
 mulcts, and other payments, or compensations. That 
 much- good fellowship was connected with them, cannot
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN* 413 
 
 be doubted. The fines of their own imposition imply 
 that the materials of Conviviality Were not forgotten. In 
 short, he thinks they may be called the Anglo-Saxon 
 clubs. ven the more uncommon species of those confe- 
 derations, called Gilda Mercatoria^ or Merchant's Gild, 
 seems to have existed among tlie same people. That 
 in mercantile and Sea ports, says the same author, there 
 were also gilds and fraternities of men constituted for 
 (he purpose of carrying on mord successful enterprizes 
 in commerce, even in the Anglo-Saxon times, appears 
 to be a fact. Domesday, (he adds,) mentions the G1-* 
 balla, or Guildhall of the burghers of Dover. * 
 
 The Gilds of Lyrfn, however, cannot be traced to 
 sd remote a period as that of the Anglo-Saxons. There 
 mayij indeed j have been gilds here at that period, and 
 the fact can hardly be doubted, as they were then so 
 much in vogue, but we have no traces of them now re^ 
 maining. All the .Lynn Gilds, whose names and re 
 mains have reached our time; seem to have sprung 
 up long after the conquest. Of them; we shall treat in 
 the ensuing pages. 
 
 SECTION II. Names and Number of our ancient 
 Gilds,- ioith some additional observations. 
 
 Of the Lynn Gilds our printed books give but avery 
 imperfect and wretched account. Their list of names is 
 exfreemly defective, and the idea which they give of 
 
 SB 
 
 * See Turner's Hist, of the Apglo- Saxons, 2nd.. Ed. *ol. 2- ? 103, *
 
 Y.l ^10 , 
 416 HISTORY OF LYNJf. 
 
 ', co.neoami nvo xioih : _ 
 those institutions is equally so. For a more correct and 
 
 ample information on this subject we are chieny indebt- 
 ed to Mr. King's MS Volume, before mentioned., 
 which was compiled about a hundred years ago, by 
 
 some unknown hand, or hands, from certain ancient 
 .< ( . v.nr.t ji 
 
 and authentic documents, which seem no longer to ex- 
 ist, Both Mackrel and Parkin appear to have seen 
 this volume, but they have not availed themselves of 
 it to the extent they might have done. Even its most 
 curious and interesting parts they have left unnoticed. 
 Jn the latter part of this volume is inserted the following 
 "Catalogue of the Gildes in the Towne of Lynn" 
 amounting in all to thirty one. They stand in the fol- 
 lowing order: 1. The Gild of St. George. 2. The 
 Gil* of St. Erasmus. 3. the Gild of St. John Bap- 
 tist. 4. The Gild of Sf. Gyles and St'. Julian: 5. The 
 Gild of St. Ethelerede: 6. The Gild of St. Mwga* 
 rett: 7. The Gild of St. Anne: 8. The Gild' of the 
 12 Apostles; 91 'The Gild of St. Christopher: 10, The 
 Gild of our Lady : 11. The Gild of St. Micheal the 
 Archangel: 12. The Gild of St. Nicholas: 13. The 
 Gild of St. Audreys: 14. The Gild of St. Michael 
 and King Henry: 15. The Gild of St. Cyprian. 16. 
 The Gild of St. .Fabian and St Sabestian: 17. The 
 Gild of St. Lawrence: 18. 'The Gilid of ty. Agnes: 
 19, The Gild of fyrpusChristi : .20, The Gild of the 
 Trinity: 21. 'The Gild of St. Andrew: 22. The Gild 
 of Holy Hood: 23. The'cild of St. 'Lovis: 24. The 
 Gild'of'&. Austin: 25. Tfce Gild of S>. Barbara: 
 26. The Gild of St. Antony: 27. The Gild of St. 
 Stephen: 28. The Gild of St. Francis: 29. the Gild
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 417 
 
 of the Shoemakers: 30. The Red Gild: 31. The Gild 
 
 of St. William, trading to North Bern. 
 v M'J moii * i: " '' ">T '?T?n'_* j -">i ) f T 7 r -, rr >.! p) otis 
 
 .L- or vitlfi' n (' '"d <iir v? t t v r(r *' - : . ! ft ; -v 
 
 Such a large niynber of these fraternities, in such a 
 
 place as Lynn, and at such a period, must appear not 
 a little extraordinary, and what seems very difficult, 
 if not impossible, to account for, but on the suppo- 
 sition 3 that there existed here, in the mean tune, a very 
 respectable degree of public and social virtue, or in 
 other words a prevailing disposition among the inha- 
 bitants to promote each other's interest and happiness. 
 Upon that idea they must be thought very highly of, 
 as nothing could well Ije more creditable or honourable 
 to their memory. A tribute of respect, which seems to 
 be so fairly and justly their due, ought not to be here 
 withheld from them. Nor should it here pass un- 
 noticed, that Lynn is still distinguished for a respec- 
 table number of similar institutions; that is to say, for 
 its purse-clubs, or benefit societies, tiie gilds of the 18th. 
 and 19th centuries. Thaiv number is about twenty; 
 and their members, altogether, may amount to 700, or 
 more; but, as most of them have families, the benefit 
 or advantage of these useful associations may be sup- 
 posed to extend, perhaps, to more than three times 
 that number. Of the real and important utility of these 
 'social institutions no doubt can be entertained. The fact 
 is universally admitted. They are certainly beneficiaf, 
 not only to the individuals more immediately concerned, 
 but even to the community at large, by keeping a great 
 many honest and industrious people from becoming bur- 
 3 E 2
 
 418 JHSTORY OF LYNW. 
 
 densome lo the parishes to which they belong. It ought 
 also to be remarked that the benefits resulting from these 
 estimable institutions are to be attributed neither to the 
 
 V ' r * **.'*<* i/ *(: 
 
 wisdom of government, nor yet to the fostering care of 
 the corporation, but merely to the very commendable 
 thoughtfulness and virtue of the individuals that com* 
 pose them. But here is not the place to enlarge upon 
 this topic: we shall therefore drop it for this time, anij 
 
 resume the former subiect. 
 
 ; :., '^l^^Kfimm^. 
 
 Of these thirty one Gilds, above named, several seem 
 
 to have been of the higher order of those associations, oy 
 
 of the mercantile sort, consisting pf trading or commer? 
 
 ,cial adyenturers, whq enjoyed certain privileges by 
 
 grants frorn the crown. This appears to. have been the 
 
 <jase with the 1st. the 4th. the 19th. the 2Qth. and 31st. 
 
 in the above catalogue : that is, the Gild oJF St. George y 
 
 {hat of St. Gyles an^ St. Julian, that of Corpus 
 
 Christi, that of the Trinity, and that of St. William^ 
 
 grading tp no.rth Bern. There might probably be some 
 
 few more of the same description. AH the rest, it is sup- 
 
 ppsed, were frjendly associations, formed for the bene- 
 
 fltqfthe lower orders of freemen, that is, of those who 
 
 were nqt in a state of villanage, for none pf the fatter 
 
 pppear to, have been admitted into thos,e fraternities. 
 
 Poor creatures ! they were, debarred from all such ad- 
 
 yantages anc} comforts! In further considering the 
 
 Lynn gilds, we sl^all take, then^ in the qrder in which 
 
 they stand in the catalogue, though it does not seem to 
 
 ty the most regular and natural order, that of seniority ^
 
 HISTORY OF LYNW. 
 
 SECTION III. A more particular account of some of 
 the Lf/nn Gilds. 
 
 1. St. George's Gild. Of this fraternity the following 
 account, is given by Parkin ^Henry I V. by his letters 
 patent, gave and granted license to John Brandon, Bar- 
 fholomew Sistern, and John Snailwell of Lenne Epis- 
 copij that they might make, found, and establish to 
 the honor of God, and the glorious martyr, St. George 
 a certain fraternity, brotherhood, and perpetual Guild 
 of themselves and others, who out of their devotion, 
 were willing to be of the said fraternity : and that bro- 
 thers and sisters of the fraternity and guild for the time 
 being might chuse, make, and ordain one alderman, 
 and four custodes of the said fraternity and guild, yearly, 
 for the good and profit of the same, and out of the breth- 
 ren of the ^aid fraternity and guild : and that the said 
 alderman and custodes and their successors, by the names 
 of the alderman and custodes of tl*e said guild, should 
 have power, and be able to take, receive, and hold, 
 any lands, tenements, rents, and possessions whatso- 
 ever, or should be by any ways or means granted to 
 them, ancf to do in all other respects, &c. and to act 
 as the rest of his liege subjects, or persons do, and 
 have power, and are enabled to act. And further the 
 said king, out of his abundant grace, granted and gave 
 licence, by his said letters patent, for himself and his 
 heirs, to the aforesaid aldermafi and custodes and their 
 successors, for the time being, that they might receive 
 and hold to themselves and their successors for ever, and 
 purchase of J. March the right that Richard Walerden.
 
 HISTORY OF LYKN. 
 
 had therein of all that tenement, with a kay adjoining, 
 with all its buildings and appertenances in Lenn afore- 
 said, which belonged to Kobert Baylly, which tenement 1 
 is in the street called Le Clicker, between the tenement 
 formerly qf John c|e Couteshale and the heirs of the late 
 
 . , ' 
 
 William Bytering, now of "Vyilliam Hundredpound, 
 and the heirs of the late John Wyntworth, on the south 
 part, the tenement formerly of Nicholas Swerdeston, 
 late of John Wyghtop, wherein Walter Tudenlmai 
 now dwells, and extends itself in length from the com- 
 mon way towards the west to the tenement formerly of 
 Dominick Baude, afterwards of Richard Denne, lately 
 of John Grene, qlerk, then of Thomas Botekcsham 
 to the east. And the aforesaid kay lies opposite to the 
 said tenement, in breadth, between the kay formerly of 
 the aforesaid John Couteshale. lately of the aforesaid 
 
 '"" ' ': 9CJ Ol 
 
 John Wyntworth, to the south, and the common lane, 
 (venellam) called cornlane, on the north, and extends 
 itself from the common way to the east, to the great 
 bank (ripam) of Lenne, to the west, as well as for the 
 maintenance of one or two chaplains, as to pray for the 
 good estate of the king and his* most beloved consort 
 .Joan, queen of England, as long as they lived, and for 
 ,their souls after their deaths, and for the souls of their 
 
 >"F . '.p ' 
 
 most beloved father and mother, deceased, as also for 
 the good state of all and singular the brothers and sisters 
 of the fraternity and guild aforesaid, according to the 
 will and ordinance of 4 the aforesaid alcbrmanj the. 
 and their successors," * 
 
 * Parkin, 134, &,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 1 This GiTd, it is said, received many other grants of 
 lands and tenements' from Henry V. which probably 
 might also be the case from some of the succeeding 
 princes. But at the reformation it was dissolved, as 
 were also (he rest, at least those that wer of a trading 
 nature * : all whose possessions, it is supposed, were 
 given to (he corporation by Edward VI. The premises 
 here described were in Checker Street, and comprehend- 
 ed the tfiid Hall of the fraternity, called St. George's 
 
 ilall, nbVihe'Piay-hbtise. f 
 \.-->? v.i..,c.i: JJ<: ;i(/l !(!, 
 From the above extract the reader may form some idea 
 
 of our .ancient gild of St. George. But]in order to have 
 a more accurate and perfect conception of it, and of 
 the others, all the following accounts must be compared 
 together. Of most of our gilds we have only the names. 
 Of others some further information is still obtainable, of 
 which the author will endeavour in these pages to make 
 the best use he can. It may be here just observed, 
 that the gilds of the higher order appear to have their 
 respective altars in the different churches of the towa, 
 which shews how much religion was blended with those 
 institutions, and what a high character for sanctity the 
 members assumed. They had also their respective! 
 
 * T,he Gilds of the common people, or those which had no large 
 possessions attached to them, were then probably .not meddled with, 
 but suffered to go on as before. Some of them, ss we have before S-JCM, 
 existed in C'amden's time, and perhaps a good while afterwards. ./ 
 f St. George's Hall, after it became the property of the corporation, 
 was long used as a court-house, to hold the quarter-sessions for the 
 county. Those sessions have since been r^Boved to the Trinity Gild- 
 hall, now the Town-hall: since which time St. George's hall hat 
 been converted into a Play-house, and is now duiing the mart time. 
 "and for sometime after, occupied annually by a company of coin m* 
 dians.
 
 492 HISTORY OF LYJT*. 
 
 chaplains, to act as their proper religious functionaries/ 
 and pray for the souls of their members and benefactors, 
 dead as well as living. 
 
 Of the second and third gild in the above catalogue , 
 that is, those of St. Erasmus and of St. John Baptist, 
 we have been able to obtain no further information. 
 They were probably of the lower description of these 
 fraternities, and having no large possessions attached to* 
 them, they left behind scarcely any trace or memorial 
 of their existence. They, might, for all that, be very 
 respectable in their day, and their members be as use- 
 ful and worthy members of the community as those! 
 
 who Composed the great trading or mercantile gilds^ 
 : /* \i {Ii; { 3TC<!j<) nift 
 
 Of the fourth gild in the catalogue, that of Sf. Gyles 
 and St, Julian, we know more than of the two last men- 
 tioned. This, in its day, must have been a notable gild. 
 It was founded in the 14th century, rid in the reign of 
 Richard II. as appears from the following very curious 
 dociimetit, preserved in Mr. King's book, and which is 
 here given in the otiginal orthography * a ln the ho 1 - 
 nour of oiir Lord Jesus Christ, and our Ladie Seynt 
 Marie, and of all the holy comjJany of heaven, and sp- 
 ciallith of the holy corsayntis Seynt Gyles and Seynt Ju- 
 lian, This Gild isordeynd and begonnenye year of the 
 Incarnation of our Lord 1384.-^And this Gild shall be 
 holden at Lenn the Sunday next after ye ffeast of the 
 apostelis Peter and Paulj that the alderman and gild 
 bretheren and sisters of this gild shal gone togeder to ye 
 shurch of Seynt James of Lenn orderly and manly two
 
 HISTORY Of* 
 
 and two togedir, and offer there at ilke messes each bro- 
 ther and sisters ob. Upon payn ot a pound of wax. r 
 Also ordeynd is that the alderman of the gild and also 
 the gild brothers and sisters shal dyen togedir every ge- 
 neral day. and each brother and sister shall pay to ye 
 subsidie and cosfages of this gild Sd on the morng. af- 
 ter the general day without any long abideing, as well 
 those that are absent as those that are present, except 
 the officers, that is to say, the alderman, 4 skyveyns, 
 clerk, and dean, which shall no subsidie pay for the 
 time they are in office. And also it is ordeynd that 
 what brother or sister of this gylde yt is in the towne of 
 Lynne or in 40 mile and in heela and will not come to 
 his general day and to his mornspech and does as is 
 aforesaid and make none attone for him he shall pay for 
 the amendment of the gild as oft sithes as may be P'nd on 
 him 6s. Sd. withoutany forgiveness. And also ordeynd 
 it is that what man that will bene a brother of this gilde 
 from this time aforesaid shall not be received but at the 
 genii, day, or at the mornspech, and that he have 2 
 bretheren to withness with him yt he is good man and 
 able and of good conversation before ye alderman & all ye 
 gild bretheren, & he shall pay to the profith of this 
 house 6d. that is to say, to ye wax 2e?. to the alderman 
 Sd. to the clerke Id. to the dean Id. And also each 
 man yt shll enter into this gild for to be a brother, he 
 shll pay for his entry to ye increase of ye chattels of ye 
 gild 13*. 4d. and find a sufficient * to pay it within 
 ye first year after his coming in upon pain of double or 
 
 3 P 
 
 * A word is here left out : Stcvr'ty y perhaps.
 
 424 HISTORY OF LYNtf. 
 
 his ^ for him. And also if any brother or sister of 
 -this gild be deed in ye towne of Lenn ye dean shall warn 
 all ye gild bretheren & sisters yt are in towne to go to 
 ye church with ye cots & offer each man a ffarthing, 
 & who comandett & is in towne & in hele on 4his maner 
 he shll not comg nor do as is aforesaid, he shll pay to 
 the amendment of this gild one pound of wax, and if 
 the dean fail of comanding ilke brother and sister yt is 
 ' in towne & none comand he shall payen Id. And what 
 brother or sister of this gild be deed in ye centre or in 
 any other place as soon as ye alderman may wit it he 
 shall see the dean warn all the gild bretheren & sisters 
 yt are in Lenn & in hele to go with him to ye church of 
 St. James aforesaid & so sing a messe for him or hir yt 
 is dede as if the body were there present & offer in ye 
 maner aforesaid upon ye paine aforesaid & whoso be not 
 in towne nor offer in ye manner aforesaid nor with the 
 corps where it is bufyed he shall pay at next mornspech 
 after a ffarthing, & yt shall be done for the soul of him 
 or hir yt is dede by ye ordeynance of ye alderman and 
 ye officers. And wh.?re yt any of ye bretheren dye in ye 
 countre &any of his bretheren be near him be 10 miles 
 he shll go to- ye place where as he is dede & ordeyne & 
 seeyt his goods be saved & kept & done for his soul as 
 best is after ye will of him yt is dede upon ye payn of, 
 6s. 8d. Also it is ordeynd yt no brother or sister of yis 
 gild shall amerse no emplead either in courte nor in con- 
 sistorie nor in non other place for no maner of cause till 
 he have revealed his greivance to ye alderman or his de- 
 puty & have leive of him upon payn of 2/. t if ye al- 
 
 J turcty, perhaps. f It probably should bs 2s.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 German nor his deputy may not accord hem he shll gife 
 hem leive for to persue ye same yt way they hope best 
 to spede. And also what brother of this gild yt bete 
 upon or my say other in contre or in any other place 
 and it may be proved on liym he shall pay to ye amend- 
 ment of this gild a stone of wax and "make amends to 
 bym that he trespass to. An if any brother or sister of 
 this gilde or other in strange place or in coledge in pow- 
 er or in mischief through theves or other sudeyne j| shall 
 releve him after yat his state is in And whose trespass 
 agst ye alderman or any of ye gilde bretheren in time 
 of mornspech or of drinke or of any other time un- 
 skilfullich he shall pay to ye amendment of this gild 
 Crf. and make his peace yt he trespasst. And while 
 the Gild plener drynkeih ye alderman shll have every 
 night gallon of ale, either sky vans a pottle, ye clerke 
 a pottle, & ye dean a pottle. And who is chosen in 
 office of alderman & he forsake his office he shll pay 
 to ye amendment of the gild 20s. each sky van 10s. & 
 ye Dean 3s, &d. and ye clerke 6d. And 'the clerke 
 shall have for his travail by ye year 3s, * And whosoe 
 discover the counseil of this gilde to any strange man 
 or woman shall pay to ye amendment of this gilde 10s. 
 without any forgiveness, ^-^-And whosoe enter in the 
 house where the ale lithe without leve of the officers he 
 shall pay to ye amendment ofyis gild 4</. Also or- 
 3 F 2 
 
 || Here is an illegible word : those that follow also are scarcely in- 
 
 telligible. 
 
 * Our modera clerks are better paid. 
 
 J They had secrets, it seems, which they deemed of much impor. 
 tancej but it does riot appear of what sort they were.
 
 426 IJISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 deynd it is by ye alderman and gild bretheren that 
 the Skyveyns yat shall have ye cattel of this Gild in 
 hand each of ym shall find 2 sureties to bring ye cattel 
 of ye gild every generall mornspech or their sureties 
 for ym & lay it down with the increase thereof 
 afore ye alderman & ye gild brotherg each of ym up- 
 on paineof the double yat he have received. Also it is 
 brdeynd yt ye bretheren of this gild shall be hooded 
 
 in * every year and have ye use of his hood 
 
 2 year, & whosoe refuse his hood or give it away 
 within 2 years shll pay to ye amendment of ye gild 3s. 
 4d. Also it is ordeynd yat no brother in time of morn- 
 spech shall gone oute of ye Hall t nor stand no roome 
 time of mornspeck no of drynke withouten leve of ye 
 alderman in lettyng of ye officers upon payne of lib. of 
 wax. And also ordeynd is that if any brother ofyis 
 gild use snarlings, false weights or measures, or any 
 other such thing that may be reputed as vilany to ye 
 company he shil pay to ye amendment of this gilde 20s. 
 as often sithes as it may be proved on him without any 
 forgiveness. Also ordeynd it is yt this company shll 
 have a Preist to sing for them, & each bro. & sister 
 shll pay each year to ye costage of ye Preist aforesaid 
 6d . -Also it is ordeynd yt after ye bretheren and sisters 
 have dyned togedir on ye generall day ther shall no mo 
 meles ben holden aiterwd but bread & cheese & drink 
 Also it is ordeynd yat whosoe will bene a brother of 
 
 * Some word or words seem here wanting. 
 
 t This shews that this Gild also had a Hall. 
 
 $ Supposing the number of members to be 50, his annual stipend, 
 or salary amounted to only 23s. a chaplain now wquld expect fifty 
 times that sum at Ieast<
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN, 427 
 
 this Gild be shall not be received by ye alderman & 
 all ye company at ye generall day, & yt he have 2 
 sufficient sureties of ye gild as well as of his entrance 
 as of his good beryng & honest. Also it is or- 
 deynd by ye alderman & all ye gild bretheren yt 
 ye alderman shall call up 4 men, which 4 men shll 
 call up 8 men to ym to gone on ye election to cho- 
 sen ye officers of } 7 e Gild, yt is to say, an alderman, 
 4 Skyveyns, 1 clerke, & 1 dean, but they shll no man 
 chuse to none of these offices of.yrn yt are of ye elec- 
 tion for yt year, & also what brother rebelleth or let- 
 teth ye alderman in ye first 4 calling he shll be fined to 
 ye use of ye company 20s. so often as he so doth. Also 
 ye election have ordeynd at ye genii mornspech in ye 
 yr of our Lord 1406 yt they yt come in as bretheren 
 shll there take his charge and find sufficient securities 
 for their enterance, yt is to say 13s. 4d. which shll 
 belong to Lenn holy company abatcing and also they 
 yt bene as bretheren but be lawful for ym with yt sub- 
 sidy to make ym merry there and if so think to ye 
 company as bene more proffit to ye Gild to send home 
 ye money of ye entres of ye bretheren yat come in 
 Also it is ordeind by ye election ye 1st. day of July 
 year of ye reign of Henry 5th. they have ordeynd that 
 ihis company shll none have [hoods *] but at every 
 2 yrs end. Also ordeynd yt no man shll have hooding 
 Jbut be paid therefore as cometh thereto. Also it is or- 
 deynd by ye same election yt wht bro. dye of this com- 
 pany he shll have sung for him 30 messes for his soul 
 go soon as it is known yt he is dead and yt shll be 4one 
 
 * Hindi must have be.en the word omitted.
 
 438 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 after ye old manner of ye alderman & ye officers yt 
 shll be for ye time. It is Ordeynd by ye alderman & 
 all ye bretheren yt what come into ye said Gild shall 
 pay 7s, Also it is ordeynd by ye election of (he com- 
 pany by ye alderman & all ye bretheren yt ye skyveynts 
 shall find all ye costs of ye house." [Then it is added 
 by way of conclusion, or memorandum,] "These be 
 ye names of ye ifounders and benefactors ofyc Gild of 
 St. Gyles and St. Julian holden in St, Jame's church 
 in Lenn." 
 
 Edmd. Bellyter, Mercht. Tho f Constantyn, Esq. 
 & Margaret his daughter, William Inot, Mercht. 
 Founders of ye Gild of St. Gyles and St. 'Julian hol- 
 den, &c." [i.e. in St. Jame's church in Lenne, as be- 
 fore. Then are added the names, of the principal sub- 
 sequent benefactors, as we may suppose.] Tho. 
 Hulyetf, Mercht. Robt. Braybrpke, Mercht. Walter 
 Coney, Mercht. William Wallis, Mercht. William 
 Nicholson, Mercht, Robt. Scryme, & Julian his wife, 
 John Soame, Richd. Evelyn, Mercht. Win. Amflcs, 
 Mercht. John Taylor, Mercer, Richd. Amfles, 
 Mercht. Special benefactors of ye said Gild, & for all 
 ye feretheren and sisters s,ouls of this said Gild, & for 
 all xn Souls." 
 
 From some notes, in the same volume, immediately 
 following the above long extract, it appears that there 
 was an Almshouse connected with the said Gild, or un-. 
 der its patronage, from the first: Also that there was a 
 charity company, dwelling in a Bede koyse adjoining 
 to that same Almshouse; Avhich likewise became after- 
 wards connected with the said gild. The Bedehouso
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 Was, probably, the present women's Hospital, still some- 
 times called the Bedehouse ; and the Almshouse might 
 stand where Mr. Bennett's dwelling and school now do. 
 From the same notes it also seems, that the date of the 
 foundation of the said Gild, as given above, must be 
 wrong, owing perhaps to the carelessness of the tran- 
 scriber, and that it had been founded earlier. The notes 
 alluded to are the following ; which are here inserted, 
 that the intelligent reader may have an opportunity to 
 judge for himself. 
 
 "1476. This day comond * of ye Almeshouse by St. 
 James's & it is agreed that Wm. Walter, Robt. Bray- 
 broke, Tho. Coristantine, John Bambage, Robt. Bas- 
 tard, & John Gillom shall have the oversight of the 
 Almeshouse between this and ye genii day to the use of 
 the Gild. 
 
 "Also Tho. Constantine on of ye bretheren of this 
 gild as executor to Margaretthis daughter, heir to Edmd. 
 Bellyete hath granted this same day to make a lawful 
 estate of ye said almeshouse in ffee simple to such per- 
 sons as shall be named by the gild. 
 
 "1477. As for ye rule and keeping of ye almeshouse 
 & vestments to be left to ye alderman & 4 of the bi etheren. 
 
 "1487. Given by ye gild to ye prior towards repairing 
 ye church 6s. 8d. the rest towards repairing ye chap- 
 pell of St. Julian and ye almeshouse. 
 
 "Wheras John Reed, Mercht. has been misguided 
 ugst ye alderman and officers, John Goodwin, Mayor, 
 
 * A strange word, whose meaning seem* not very easy to ascertaia.
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 # John Bunton, alderman, have ordered he slid pay 
 6s. 8d. for his broke, which was pd accordingly, but 
 Vf'ds returned on condition he shd. give to ye Almes- 
 house 2 new pair of sheets, 2s. 4d. the pair, - 
 
 "1473. Delivered to John Waller a Whystle wt. l 
 \ oz. the gift of Robt. Gring to ye fellowship. 
 
 "The sky vants to bear ye charge of ye light before 
 St. Julian. 
 
 "The Preist to pray every Sunday for ye bretheren & 
 sisters of ye gild. 
 
 "The Alderman to gather in ye debts of ye gild & to 
 have 20<f. to ye JP. which debt is for repairing ye chap- 
 pel of ye gild & ye almeshouse. 
 
 "Ordered yt ye bretheren shall go about in ye even 
 praying for ye old benefactors, & ye benefactors to be 
 written in ye Gild Book, &ye Bellman to have a list of 
 their names, & yt Thos. Toylet be remembered in ye 
 Bederoll when ye Bellman goeth about. 
 
 11 1482. Ordered yt ye sisters be received into ye gild 
 paying their dutys without delny & ye said sisters shall 
 go with ye bretheren on ye same daies. 
 
 "Such bretheren & sisters as be in poverty & not able 
 to bury youselves shall have the dean & wax at the cost 
 of the Gild so they be clear in the Gild. ^ 
 
 "The Alderman to lay out 2/. lls. Id .in his hands 
 towards repairing the Almeshouse & beding. 
 
 "John Soame, Alderman gave 31. to ye Gild. 
 
 "At one of the Generalls there was a vote in ye fellow- 
 
 J This shews that some of the members of this Gild were poor.
 
 UlSTORt OF LYtfff. 431 
 
 snip for hoods, 42 was for hoods, & only 8 f Tvhich wd. 
 have none, whereupon it was agreed they shd. have 
 hooding; 
 
 "In the 28th year of the reign of K. Hen. 6th. the 
 Generall mornspech waskeptat Corpus Christa[ChristiJ 
 Hall * Cyprian Pouleson have taken into ye same frater- 
 nity the charity company with the ornaments pertaining 
 to the same. 
 
 "These be ye implements pertaining to ye altar of 
 St. Lawrence J in St. James's Church belonging to 
 the charity company Anno 1533. 
 
 ffirst 3 altar clothes 3 pillows a vestment of cloth of 
 Bawdekyn with a cross of cloth of gold in ye midst, 
 a printed Mass Book, 2 latten candlesticks, one altar 
 cloth before ye altar stained, 2 stained curtains, 2Bulls 
 for pardons, 2 curtains of darnick, a Pall of black 
 wursted, with I. Hi S. of gold embroidered, and a 
 cross of white ffustin in ye midst, a crucifix of timber 
 with a foot, a blue say for the Herse, 2 great candle- 
 sticks of timber for ye Herse with scallops and 4 iron 
 bars at ye feet, a Horn harnessed with silver. 
 
 "N. B. The above Charity Company dwelt in ye 
 Bedehouse adjoining the above Almeshouse. " 
 
 "1488. The alderman to have for making his din- 
 3 G 
 
 t This Gild consisted then, it seems, of 50 members. 
 
 * By this it appears that the Corpus Christi Gild had a separate 
 hall, but where it stood does not appear. That Gild seems therefor* 
 to have been another of the superior order. 
 
 J It seems by this that the Gild of St. Lawrence also was one of 
 (hose of a superior order.
 
 HISTOEY OF LYNN. 
 
 ner on the gild even for the officers & minstrells $ 3s,. 4cL 
 a Botte of good Ale and 4d. in Bread." * [A Bill, as 
 it is called, and some memoranda are annexed to thia 
 last article in the MS. Volume. They were thought 
 curious, and well worth preserving. The reader will find 
 them in the note below, and will, of course, judge for 
 himself, as to the merit or value of them.] Then follows 
 
 t( An Inventory of the ornaments belonging to the 
 Altar of St. Gyles Sf St. Julian in St. James's Church^ 
 
 The minstrels, it may be supposed, were employed on their pub- 
 lic days, to add to the conviviality, or glee and hilarity of those meet- 
 ings ; which shews the members were not of an uncheerly cast. 
 Minstrels must have been then in no small request at Lynn. 
 
 * "A Bill " [of expences relating to the Alrashousej with memoranda.] 
 
 s. d. 
 
 The Alderman's ffee S. 4. 
 
 Mess [Mass] Pence.... ^. 6. 8. 
 
 For sowing [sewing] blankets & Sheets... 0. 8. 
 
 A Bucket for the Almeshouse -....O. 5, 
 
 Straw to the Beds ',. ..0. S. 
 
 To Wm. Lister Almes ...... 0. 4. 
 
 To Nicholas Almes 0. 8. 
 
 To ^gftlason for a dales work 0. 7. 
 
 His roan .......0. 4, 
 
 Shinks 0. I, 
 
 For 3 pair sheets .7. 6. 
 
 2 pair ditto , 4. & 
 
 3 Mattrisses .... .8. 0. 
 
 For Mass pence at Oferings 4. 0, 
 
 For the Hearth making in ye Kitchen "..I. -, %; * 
 
 For a Lanthorn in the middle of the house.... 0. 7. 
 
 For the Bed bottoms..,. ...,. 1. 1. 
 
 Paid for the souls of Nicholas Bardeny Prior of Lynn, Wm. \Vattlett, 
 John Dean, and many more, each of them 2s. 6d. 
 
 Robt. Soarne gave a Load of Oatstraw for repairing their Beds. 
 
 Ordered that the Keeper ring the Bell at 6 o'clock at night, & there 
 be prayers daily, & that the Aldermaa visit the Almeshouse once a 
 month to see that nothing be amiss.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNJT. 455 
 
 Imprimis. A cyprus hanging before the Altar. 
 
 Two Pillows, one of portray'd work with the Holy 
 Lamb, another of needlework with an Hart in the 
 midst, Two curtains of stained work with angels. 
 
 Two Irons for the Curtains. 
 
 An altar-cloth stained with our Lady & her child on 
 fcer knee. 
 
 A stained altar-cloth with the Salutation of our Lady 
 
 Three low candle-sticks lattin. 
 
 Two altar clothes of plain cloth with crosses of red 
 silk with 8 ... a Peice & C on the corners of the same 
 clothes & one of red silk in ye middle* 
 
 2 Chests of Cyprus wood. 
 
 Witnesses Sr. Wm. ffinne, Sr. Richd. Houghton, 
 
 Sr. Tho. Knights, Priests, with many others. 
 
 11 An Inventory of the Jewell belonging to the above 
 glide. 
 
 oz. dwt. 
 
 Imprimis. A Chalice of Silver and gilt ) ^ . 
 with gold Pottant of the same, wt. } 
 
 A great Maser with a print of St. George. 46. 0. 
 
 A Maser with St. Julian and a Hart in ) ,g Q 
 the bottom with a Scepter. ) 
 
 A Maser with I. H, S. in the bottom. 13- 0. 
 
 A Maser with Rich. Collyns name. 16. 0. 
 
 A Home harnissed with Silver and gilt ) . ^ 
 with three feet the same, 3 
 
 A Scepter silver part gilt with a Christall stone. 
 
 S Table clothes. 
 
 3 o 2
 
 434: HISTORY QF LYNN. 
 
 [Then follows an Inventory of furniture in the men's 
 and the women's Alm&house.'] 
 
 "These be the Parcells belonging to the Almesliouse 
 
 FOB THE MEN. 
 
 Imprimis. In thejirst Chamber ^ called the Schooler's 
 
 Chamber. A Mattriss stuiFed with .A Bolster, 
 
 one pair of Blanketts, one pair of Sheets & one Co- 
 verlid white & black. 
 
 In the second Chamber. A Mattriss 2 Pillows 1 pair 
 of Sheets 1 pair Blanketts & a Coverlett red & yellow. 
 
 In the third Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster one pair 
 Blanketts one pair Sheets a Coverlett blue & yellow. 
 
 In the fourth Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster*"one 
 pair Blanketts one pair Sheets & a Coverlett red & white. 
 
 In the Jifth Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster 1 pair 
 Sheets 1 pair Blanketts a Coverlett black & yellow. 
 
 In the sixth Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster a pair 
 Sheets a pair Blanketts & a Coverlett red and yellow. 
 
 In the seventh Chamber. A Mattriss a pair Sheets a 
 pair Blanketts a Coverlett red & yellow. 
 
 IN THE WOMEN'S HOUSE. 
 
 First Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster a pair Sheets & 
 a Coverlett 
 
 In the second Chamber. A Mattriss a pair Sheets a 
 Coverlett of red & yellow another Coverlett white & 
 black. 
 
 In the third Chamber. A Mattriss a Traunsome a 
 pair Sheets a pair Blanketts & a Coverlett red & yellow. 
 
 In the fourth Chamber. An old Mattriss a Dag^es- 
 waine & a Coverlett white & green.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 In the fifth Chamber. A Mattriss a Transome a pair 
 pt Blanketts a pair of Sheets a Coverfett red 
 anpther red & green, 
 
 In the sixth Chamber. A Mattriss a Bolster a 
 kelt Lincy wollcy a Coverlett red & black lined witk 
 svoodmill. 
 
 Implements. A fforme with 2 ffeet, a Rake of iron, 
 a Joiner's Table, a Lanthorn to hang in the middle of 
 the house. 
 
 To the Well A. Buckett hooped with Iron, a Boile 
 of Iron, a Chain of Iron with 9 lincks with a swivell 
 of Iron. 
 
 Implements belonging to the WOMEN'S House. 
 
 lb. oz. 
 
 Imprimis. A Brass Pottwt. 2. 10. 
 
 An old Brass Pott wt. 9. 0. 
 
 An old Brass Pott. I. 0. 
 
 An old Brass Pott. 1. 10. . 
 
 AlitilePott. 5. 10. 
 
 A Kettle without a Boile. 7. 0. 
 
 3 old Pans. 5. 0. 
 
 A Pewter dish. 1- 10. 
 
 3 old fformes, 2 old small Joiner's stools. 
 
 An old little Stoole, an old Table with 4 fleet, an old 
 Joiner's chair. 
 
 In the Kilchrn- Imprimis. A gridiron, IpairCobb- 
 irons, 1 hanging Brandlett, 2Spitts, a chopping knife, 
 A hanging Lanthorn with an Iron Chain & three fleet." 
 
 . a . p 
 
 [To the above is immediately added the following 
 Regulation relating to the said almshouse. ]
 
 45(5 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 t 
 
 "The keeper of the Almeshouse to Ring the Bell every 
 night from Hallowmass to Candlemass at 6 of Clock, 
 at night & lett in ye poor folks, & lock'd [lock] in 
 ye door all night: & likewise to Ring the Bell again 
 at 7 of Clock in ye morn, & then to let them out: & in 
 summer from Candlemass to Hallowmass to Ring & 
 shutt in ye doors at 8 of clock at night & open them at 
 
 5 of the morning." The account of St. Gyles & St. 
 Julian's Gild is closed with the following remarkable 
 
 6 curious 
 
 *' Memorandum. John, bishop of Ledence, have 
 granted to every brother & sister of the fraternity or 
 Gild of St. Gyles & St. Julian, holden at St. James's 
 Church in Lynn, that at the time or season that any 
 manner of person or persons do intend to drink in St. 
 Julian's Horn * with good devotion, are granted by the 
 said bishop, as often as they do, 40 days pardon, 
 which grant was confirmed by the same bishop in the 
 mansion place of John Baxter of Lynn, Grocer, in the 
 presence of Cyprian Pouleson, alderman, the said John 
 Baxter, Thomas Brampton, & other men the 5th day 
 of August in ye yr of our Lord 1532 in the 24th yr of 
 K. H. 8. John Powis, Mayor, & my Lord of Norwich 
 Richd. Pykk [N^kk] then bishop did visit the same 
 time. The said John bishop [of Ledence] was then 
 suffragan t to my Lord West bishop of Ely." 
 
 From these Extracts it is very evident that the above 
 
 * This is the only mention we have met with of Saint Julian 1 ! Horny 
 the history of which, no doubt, would be very amusing, if it could be 
 recovered. 
 
 t This shews that even our suffragan bishops assumed the power of
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 431 
 
 fraternity of St. Gyles and 'St. Julian must have 
 tood high among our ancient Gilds. It consisted, it 
 seems, of divers opulent members, who did honour 
 to their feelings by the attention which they paid to the 
 wants and sufferings of their indigent neighbours of both 
 sexes: for we find that there were two Almeshouses^'one 
 for poor men, and another for poor women ? under their 
 patronage, and supported by them, if not also founded 
 by them. On this account we ought to respect their 
 memory, papists as they were; for this part of their 
 conduct was, surely, very commendable and exemplary. 
 Such a conduct is worthy of respect and commendation 
 wherever it is seen: among papists as well as protes- 
 tants ; and even among mahometans or heathens as well 
 as Christians. There are Almeshouses still at Lynn, 
 but we know not that they owe much, if any thing, to 
 the bounty or liberallity of any of our present opulent 
 families, or to any of their immediate, or even remote 
 progenitors. They were endowed by wealthy families 
 or individuals of other times, whose descendants have 
 long disappeared. Our modern men of wealth are other* 
 wise disposed: and our Aliens, our Bagges, our Bow- 
 kers, and our Cases, have lived and died without ex- 
 hibijing any symptoms of feelings like those that appeared 
 in the charitable fraternity of St. Gyles and St. Julian. 
 If the latter were also in other matters weak and super- 
 stitious, that was perhaps unavoidable by people in their 
 circumstances . We have our weaknesses and super- 
 stitions too, and those, probably, much less excusable, 
 
 granting indulgences, or licences to tin with impunity, on guch con. 
 ditieus as they chose to prescribe.
 
 439 HISTORY or LYNN. 
 
 considering oiir superior advantages, than (hose of the 1 
 brethren and sisters of the said Gild. Instead, therefore,' 
 of decrying, or pitying their failings, we ought to bluslf 
 for our own. 
 
 "' 
 
 Furthermore, it is observable of the above brother- 
 hood, that they consisted of good men and able, and of 
 good conversation, (seep. 423. ) So careful were they 
 on, this head, that every member at his admission was 
 obliged to find two sureties) who were to answer for the 
 due performance of his engagement to the gild j and also 
 to testify of his good beryng and honest , or that he was 
 a person of irreproachable moral character, (see p* 426\ ) 
 We are not certain that our modern protestant Gilds^ 
 the benefit societies, &c. are equally careful that those 
 whom they receive among (hem be persons of good re- 
 port, or blameless conversation. It would certainly 
 be very creditable to them. The said gild also appeared 
 anxious to support a respectable religious character, and 
 promote, what they deemed, the practice of piety among 
 themselves: hence they had their proper chaplain or 
 religious functionary, as was before noticed. Indeed 
 they seemed as if desirous to be thought to excel in this 
 department, as is pretty plainly indicated, by their as- 
 suming the name of the Lenn holy company, which 
 may be thought to smell a little pharisaical. However 
 that was, as they possessed so many good qualities, and 
 deserved well of their neighbours and fellow citizens, 
 we can do no less than dismiss or take our leave of 
 them respectfully.
 
 OP LYNX. 439 
 
 SECTION; IV. Account of the Gilds continued. 
 
 After St. Gyles and St. Julian's Gild, the next, in the 
 Catalogue,, is that of & , Ethelered, oritiihelred. fof this 
 Gild we have met with no particular account; ana but 
 little more of the next to it, that of Si. Margaret: Par- 
 Sin just mentions (hat it was founded irt the 8th'.. of Henry 
 IV. a patent being granted by that monarcji for that 
 purpose. * Of St. ^wweYGild, the 7th. in the Cata- 
 logue, Parkin only says, that there was here such a Gild j 
 as appears by the inquisition taken in the 3rd. of Eliza-, 
 beth . He also queres, if there was not a chapel dedica- 
 ted to St. Anne$ somewhere near the Fort which still 
 bears her name ? i which seems very reasonable to sup- 
 pose. Of the next, the Gild of the 12 dpixttes, we 
 have met with no further account ; nor yet of that which 
 immediately succeeds it, the Gild of St. Christopher. 
 
 .'l ."iiV..;; J j .l/,-<i 7' ,7 i: '.;?;(.:: WH '. >'i<\H .V.-v;os 
 Of the 10th. Gild, that of our Lady, the following 
 
 mention is made by Parkin'These are the brethren 
 and sisters of the Guild Tigulat. founded to the honour 
 and purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 00. 3. 
 Edward III. Thomas de Langham, and Christian his 
 wife; Charles de Secheford, and Alice his wife ; Robert 
 de Derby, and Margery his wife; William, son of 
 the said Robert, &c. [The names of the rest are not 
 given.] Robert seems to be alderman of the Guild. 
 These are the four Morwespeches of the said Guild: 
 the first morwespeche is on the Sunday [Ic Dymeyngc 
 prochein'j after the purification of the blessed Virgin, 
 
 3 n 
 
 * Parkin, 130. t I bid - 141
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 
 
 the second on the day of the annunication of our Lady, 
 the third on the day of the assumption of our Lady, 
 the fourth on the conception of our Lady. It is ordain- 
 ed that if any of the brethren be summoned on any of 
 the four morwespeches, and are in the said town, and 
 make default, they shall pay Id. to the honour of our 
 
 ariol ij^Mffliom )cdl y; 1 i?d ifi3'fiq^ .Vl 
 
 This Gild, as the above writer hints, had its Alder- 
 man, t and likewise, probably, all the other kind of of- 
 ficers mentioned in the account of St Gyles and St. Ju- 
 lian's Gild j with laws also somewhat alike those of that 
 fraternity ; but its records relating to those matters 
 haying all perished, nothing more can be said on those 
 heads. -~T he chapel of our Lady, which belonged to this 
 Gildj or to which the gild belonged, was not that by 
 the Krddge^ to which it gave name, but that on the 
 mount) which was formerly a very noted place in this 
 town, both for its curious architecture and its reputed 
 sahctity the offerings there sometimes exceeding those 
 of all our Ottier holy places. Bat more of these matters 
 when tVe'come to treat of the religious housed' 
 
 Of the five Gilds, mentioned in the Catalogue next 
 after that of our Lady, namely those of St. Michael 
 the Archangel, St. Nicholas,, St. Audrey, St. Mi- 
 chael and. King Henry , and St. Cyprian, no particu- 
 lar information has been obtained. We therefore know 
 not how they were constituted, or. what were the par- 
 ticular objects of their respective confederations. That 
 
 * Parkin, 142. f Thftse of the Gilds seem to be ike only 
 
 aldermen of Lynn in those dfys. see page 395.^
 
 HISTORY OF X/TNff. 44) 
 
 the members of all or of any of them were as useful and 
 respectable in their generation as those of St. Gyles and 
 Julian can neither be affirmed nor denied. They might 
 be all very good sort of people, in their \vay, for aught 
 we know. But we may without any breach of charity 
 suppose they had their full share of childish credulity 
 and stupid superstition. These were the predominant 
 failings of their time, of which, however, even our own, 
 time, and with all its boasted advantages and improve- 
 ments, is not yet quite clear. We must therefore sup- 
 pose, that they readily and implicity believed all the 
 marvellous monkish tales which were then propagated^ 
 especially those that particularly related to their respec- 
 tive tutelar or patron saints. The members of St. Au- 
 drey's Gild, for instance, would all readily believe the 
 extraordinary and miraculous virtues ascribed to her 
 wonderful Smock at Thetford: and those of our Lady's 
 Gild would no less readily believe the wonderful accounts 
 of her appearances to divers persons in the very same 
 town. Thetford being so nigh to Lynn, and in the same 
 county, the miracles pretended to have been worked 
 there would soon be reported and credited here; and 
 those, especially, tha* were ascribed to St. Audrey, and 
 Our Lady t would be so among the members of those 
 Lynn Gilds which bore their names. * 
 3 H 2 
 
 * Of St. Audrey and her smock, and our Lady and her efpcamncetil 
 Thetford, some account may be found in Martin's History of that town. 
 Speaking of the church of St. Audrey, he says, it was of but small rc- 
 Tenue, but that a famous relique made ample amends to the priest for 
 the smallness of his stipend. He then introduces the following extract 
 from Bacoi's Rcliquet of Rome, fol. 181. ."In Thetford, a Mayor town 
 in Norfolk, there was a parish church, now destroyed, called St
 
 442 HISTORY" OF LYNW. 
 
 The sixteenth Gild in the above Catalogue is that of 
 St. Fabianand St. Sabestian, or Sebastian, of which 
 the following account is given by Parkin r-'^ At a col- 
 
 Inthis church among other reliques, was a tmockof St. Audrise, which 
 was there kept as a great Jewel and precious Reliqne. The virtue of 
 that smar.k was mighty and manifold^ but specially in putting away the 
 toothach and swelling of the throte : so that the paciente was first of 
 all shriven and hard masse, and did such oblations as the priest of the' 
 
 church enjoyned." The Vulgar supposed this je.lique to b,e so full 
 
 of sacred virtue, that they ordered, in their Wills, certain persons to go 
 in pilgrimage to it for the salvation of their souls. Margaret Whoop, of 
 East Hading, had the following clause in her Will, which was dated, 
 1501 : "I will that another man go in pilgrimage for me to Thetford, 
 and offer for me to St. Audrey's Smock." See Martin's Th<jtford, 
 p. 79.- -Nothing is more probable ^han that this same smock, in those 
 days, drew many a pilgrim from Lynn to Thetford. 
 " O.f the blessed Virgin's appearances to divers persons at Thetford, one 
 jyas to a woman who had lost the use of her tongue, but whqm she 
 cured the same time. The person who asserted and recorded this was a 
 monk. The same monk has prefaced his account of another of the Vir- 
 gin's miracles at Thetford in the following notable and, curious mapnert 
 "I have thought proper to relate a most remarkable miracle, because of 
 its tendency to exemplify the' mercy of God, and to exhibit the praise 
 of his ipotjier, ^nd. is most worthy of public attention ; for xvhkte.vex 
 tends to the Glory of God, and relates to his mother, is not to.be con- 
 cealed or denied, but to be received as matter of fact'."- [Then comes 
 the marvellous tale J "William H-eddrich, junt. canpenter, and Isa- 
 bell his wife, lived in a town pf Norfolk, called Hpckham. , They had 
 a child 3 years old, who in harvest time was carried with them into the 
 field, as was customary with peasants who went to their day labou/. 
 Qn" a certain day about sun setting, the child happened, to be sleepy, 
 and actually fell into a sound sleep on the^dge of the field where his 
 parents were reaping. In the dusk of the evening, a man driving hs 
 cart along that side of the field where the child, lay^ unfortunately th 
 wheel went over the child's head, unknown to the driver, and kitted 
 him on the spot. The father of the child was following the cart when 
 the accident happened. He took tjie child up in his. arms, and finding 
 him dead and besmeared with his own blood, he made bitter lament- 
 ations. He then ran to an eminent surgeon in the same town, who 
 had healed many who had labonred ynder various infirmities, by the 
 sovereign efficacy of his medicines. After the surgeon had minutely 
 examined the child, he found no symptoms of life ; but he advised the 
 fcither to carry it home, and the next day prepare ;for its funeral,
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 443 
 
 foquium, or general meeting (in the reign of Henry Til,) 
 of this Guild, held in St. George's Hall, on Sunday next 
 after the feast of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, Sep. 
 tember 0, John Nicholl was chosen alderman; John 
 Johnson, William Manning, Robert Bachelor, Will* 
 iam VVhithed, scabins; clerk of the guild, Thomas 
 Haw, dean, John Gyles, The chattels of the guild in 
 the scabins keeping It was then ordained, That the 
 skevinths shal bere all as they have done before tyme; 
 Also that the said skevens shall have of every brother, on 
 the general day, as many as dine there 3d. and the mor- 
 spect Id rAlso ordained, that Thomas Rudwell and 
 John Lowyn shall bere the ded money: and Thomas 
 Rudwell received 9s. the said John Lowyn received 9s. 
 Also that the said Thomas and Joh'h, shall give for 
 occupying of the ded money, by yerep Us. 8d. Also 
 
 When the father had heard the opinion of the "surgeon, and was con- 
 vinced that he was deprived of his child, with heart full of grief ha 
 took up the corpse and went |o his house, and delivered, it, to his wife, 
 that she might lay it on the bed. Then he assembled his friends and 
 neighbours together, in order to watch that night, as was customary 
 before a funeral. Being thus met they- devo.ted themselves to watch- 
 ing, and with the greatest ardour of devotion prayed to the blessed 
 mother of God, vowing that, if by her intercession the child should b* 
 restored to life, they would go on a pilgrimage naked to the image of 
 the blessed virgin, in the church of the monks jnThetforcl, and there 
 make the usual offering. When they had made an end of their pray- 
 ers and vows, about midnight, the child revived. Those that were 
 present,, when they beheld the happy effect of their prayers, praised and 
 blessed God. And, to perform their vows, they took the 'child, and car- 
 tied it before the image of the blesssd virgin, end fulfilled the obliga- 
 tion they had put themselves ur\der." see Appendix to Martin's Thet- 
 ford, p. 83 Such were some of the pious and popular tales of other 
 times, in the part$ about Lynn ; but before we affect to pity the credo- 
 Jous weuknes sand miserable stupidity of our ancestors, who could re- 
 ceive them, let us be careful that we gurselves are free from similar fail- 
 ings, or from other failings equally inexcusable and disgraceful., i .
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ordained the electioners * shall find to the encresse of 
 the company and in the worchep of God and theseynt, 
 the furst morspech ; the alderman shall find the second 
 with the help of the feloshep, that he may have to the 
 profits of the seynt.- Also, that the skevens shall here 
 the 3 morspechs, beside the general day, accordyng to 
 the beforeseid." The above seems to be taken from 
 pome old record relating to this gild; Parkin then adds 
 'I find at this time several men and women admitted 
 brethren and sisters, the men paying 2s. admission, 
 and the woman 1*. Among them Donips. Robs. Met- 
 ford, monachus, andpaidgs. and prior William Lobbis, 
 or Cobbis, 2s. It was a mean Guild. At one Col- 
 loquium I fiud expended in Jervis. 9d. in pane 3d. in 
 casu & earn. 3d. Colloq. tent, in aula Hen. Bre- 
 tenhani) 'Die Dominic, proa?, post fest. see. Gather. 
 
 Ao. Hen. VII. 3? Colloq. Gen. on the feast of 
 
 St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, Ao. 3 K Hen. VII. John 
 Nichol chose alderman, &c. ^hen it was ordered that 
 there should be kept 2 morspech in the yere, besides 
 the general, and that the skevens shall have of every 
 brother and sister of the general day, as many as dine 
 and sup, %d. and the morspech-pence. Colldq. Gen. 
 in St. George's Hall on Sunday next after the feast of 
 St. Fabian and St. Sebastian Henry. VII. 4? Robert 
 Johnson cjiose alderman: ordered that there be bert one 
 morspech in the year, besides the general day, this 
 morspech to be kept the Sunday before St. Margaret's 
 day ordered that the brethren and sisters dyne and sup 
 
 * The eleetiouers, this year, who chose the Alderman and Scabins, 
 were 8 persons deputed.
 
 x HISTORY OF LYNN. 445 
 
 together, and pay every brother and sister that dine and 
 sup Id. and the morspech Id. when it appeared that 
 they had goods and chattels belonging to them. Or- 
 dered that the clerk's, wages shall be 12d. and th 
 dean Wd. per annum, t and we will that John Sturmytl 
 shall bere the perk money for to find the perk lights. 
 Dna. Alice Belle, a recluse, entered and paid Is,^ 
 1492. Adam My Ike then alderman Henry Breten- 
 ham chose alderman, 1492, after M'ylke, when I find 
 children entered brothers and sisters, under age. Dotnpn. 
 Geor. . -. . prior of Lyn entered brother 1495. Mem. 
 that the alderman gave a drinking the first Sunday in 
 May, and 3s. 4c?. was gathered and delivered to the 
 alderman, to be delivered the next general day to the 
 brethren againj with his good devotion to God, and to 
 the good holy 'seynt, and in encressin of the Gyld. 
 At a drinking, on ! Sunday next after Allhallowsmass, at 
 John Bevies smith, gathered 2s. 4d. for the perk 
 money. -Dnus. Nicholas Berdeney, intrat. Ao. 4 
 Henry. VII. The Morspech held on Relick Sunday 1490. 
 Robert Johnson, alderman ; In the 7th of Henry VII. 
 Ad-. Mylke aklerman ; ordered that every brother, oh 
 the next morrow after the general, shall wait on the 
 alderman for the time being, at our Lady of the mount, * 
 at nine of the clock, and there every brother to offer 
 then, and what brother come not, without a lawful ex- 
 cuse, shall p?y at the next morspech following after the 
 general, half a pound of wax, without any grace, and 
 he that come not, to send his offering, and every bro* 
 ther having a wife, or sister, they to offer betwixt them 
 
 t What wages ! * There to play an'anterae of our Lady, "
 
 446 HISTORY OF 
 
 a halfpenny. This general held Sunday 22d of Janu- 
 ary. In 1492j Adam Mylke occurs alderman,- chose 
 on Sunday after St. Fab; and the feast in St. George's 
 Hall. Adam Mylke, alderman, 1493. In 1493, there 
 seems to be 38 of this guild j the morspech pence being 
 3s. %d.r- }n 1493 the second paid at their dinner and 
 supper, by every brother led. to the Gild and Irf. to 
 the scevyns, a brother and his wife 3dild. to the 
 gyld and &/. to the sehevens*'- t ln the 10th of Henry 
 VI [y II..] Henry Breteriham ehose alderman, on Sun- 
 day next after St. Fabian and St; Sebastian, and oc- 
 curs 1495. Ordered that the skyvens on the day of 
 St< Fabian and St. Sebastian, or one of them, come 
 4o Hie church, and do ring none, and see that the can- 
 dles about and afore the awter be light, at evening and 
 a.t , service, on the day, on pain of dim. lib. of wax, 
 each of thtjrn to the lightward; and I find 4 miristrells 
 belong to them and brethren, ~In the 13 of Henry VII. 
 JBrefcnham occurs alderman. -f-The altar light^ perk, 
 &c* kept by the guild, and that of the bason, and the 
 dead. In 1500 II; Bretenham, Mayor; and 1501, 
 jtL Bretenham, alderman; and 1502, and 1503. 4n 
 the 9d of Henry VIII. Thomas French, late alderman, 
 dicd.-r-in the 4th ; of Henry VIII. Robert Baker, 
 chose alderman 4 "- > Such is the account we have of 
 St. Fabian and St. Sebastian's Gild. As it had goods 
 and chattels belonging to it, it was probably dissolved 
 at the reformation, like all others so circumstanced. 
 Parkin calls it a mean gild: it might perhaps be so, 
 compared with some of the wealthier ones; but there is 
 reason to believe that it was superior to some of the
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 447 
 
 others. It had its company of minstrels, which may be 
 thought to answer to a modern band of music, and seems 
 to indicate that this society was not among our meanest 
 or lowest gilds. The number of its members in the reign 
 of Henry VIII. Parkin reckons to consist of 38, by the 
 amount of the morspech pence; but if the officers were* 
 exempted, from that payment, they might be no less 
 than 45. However that was, this gild in its day might 
 answer some very useful purposes. 
 
 Of the two Gilds named, in the catalogue, next after 
 that of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, namely, those of 
 St. Lawrence and St. Agnes, nothing is known but 
 the names: all the rest seems to have gone long ago into 
 irrecoverable oblivion. Of the next, the 19th Gild, 
 that of Corpus Christi, something more is known. Both 
 Parkin and Mackerell have made some mention of this 
 ancient fraternity. The former speaks of it as follows 
 "Licence was granted that John de Brunhara, and 
 John Waryn, of Lenn, might give one messuage, 75s . 
 Id. ob. rent, with the appurtenances in Lenn, and that 
 Richard Dun might give the rent of 12d. and the pro- 
 fit of one passage-boat beyond the port of the village of 
 Lenn, with the appurtenances, to Thomas de Coutes- 
 hale, master of the said guild, [as I take it] and the 
 aforesaid John and Richard might give to Thomas de 
 Couteshale, one Shop and one solar, with the^ appur- 
 tenances in the said Village, which Thomas de Coutes- 
 hale holds. John de Brunham, John de Pcrteneye, 
 and Adam Skcrt, burgess of Lynn, grant, &c. to Jef- 
 3 i
 
 448 HISTORY OP LYNN. . 
 
 frey Talboth, Thomas Botekysham, John de Dockyn, 
 &c. 2s. which they used to receive of the heirs of 
 John de Syssewell of West Lenne, for the liberty of a 
 ferry, of a passage-boat over the water Dated at Lenn 
 Bishop on Sunday after the feast of the purification of 
 the blessed virgin, in the 3d. of Richard II. Jeffrey 
 Talboth then mayor: .Witnesses John de Tyteleshale, 
 Roger Paxam, &c. "* Hence it appears that this Gild 
 had goods and chattels, was in possession of a ferry 
 boat, &c. And must have been a fraternity of some 
 consequence. From Mackerells account it seems to be 
 one of the commercial, or mercantile gilds ; what he says 
 of it is contained in the following passage "Of the 
 Company of Merchants of CORPUS CHRISTI, their 
 agreement, and for what. This Indenture made wit- 
 nesseth, that John Pygot, burgeis, merchant of Lynnc 
 Byshope, Master of the company of Corpus Christi in 
 Lynne aforeseid, hath delivered to William Marche, 
 Wex-Chandeler of Lynne C and vi Ib (i.e. 106 Ib.) in 
 clene wex v xx and xii Ib. (i.e. 112 Ib. for the hundred) 
 and in torches half an c and xxi Ib. of wex and in x 
 grete chaptercll xvii Ib. and half a Ib. of wex and Rosyn, 
 and in smale chapterell xi Ib. Wex and Rosyn: To 
 have the kepyng of the same weight of Wex duryng 
 the terme of x yeers. The seid William to fynde every 
 yeer duryng hys seid Terme, as welle all the lyghtes 
 about the Tabernacle of Corpus Christi, in the Chirche 
 of Seynt Margaret in Lynne, as the lyghtes of all the 
 torches which the seid Company spendeth or shal spende 
 every yeer duryinge the sei,d Terme. And the seid 
 
 * Parkin, 145.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 449 
 
 William to sette- up every yeer the Heerse of the said 
 Company in the chirch before-seid, and take it downe 
 upon his owne costs and expens, as it hath ben doon and 
 used aforne this (yme; and in the ende of the seid Terme 
 the seid William to deliver ageynthe seid Weyght 
 of Wex Torches and Chapterell to the Mayster of the 
 said Company for the tyme beeng, for the which Lyght- 
 making, and fyndyng eVery yeer, the seid W illiam shall 
 have of the Maister and Company V Marks and X 
 shillings of good money of Inglond to be paid to the 
 .seid William e*ery yeer in the utasse of the feste of 
 Corpus Christi. Into Witnesse hereof, the partyes afore- 
 said to these Indentures alternatly have sette their 
 scales. Written at Lynn foreseid on Wednysday the 
 fcste of Seynt Gregory the Pope, the yeer of the reigne 
 of King Henry the sixth after the Conquest xxvii. " * 
 From this last extract it is very evident that the Society 
 of Corpus Christi made no mean figure among the Lynn, 
 gilds. The Tabernacle of Corpus Chisti, t in the 
 church of St. Margaret, belonged to this Gild, and 
 must have been attended with considerable expense, both 
 in its formation, and the subsequent charges which 
 it occasioned, for the lights that were there kept, &c. 
 Indeed we are expressly told that they were -A company 
 of merchants, and therefore we need not wonder that 
 they were, and could afford to be at more expense than 
 most of the others. In short, we may pretty safely con- 
 3 i 2 
 
 * MackerelPs History of Lynn, 254. what the last expression, 
 after the conquest, means, seems difficult to make out. 
 
 f Of this Tabernacle the author regrets that he can give no particular 
 account. The above extract is the only record where h has met with 
 any mention of it It was probably a rich shrine euclosin;; an imago 
 of our Saviour.
 
 450 HISTORY OF 
 
 elude that this must have been one of Our most opulent 
 Gilds. Had we known more of its history we might 
 be able to record some of its good deeds, and prove that 
 it deserved an honourable remembrance j but as that is 
 not the case, our account of it must be here concluded. 
 
 SECTION V. Account of the holy Trinity Company , 
 or great merchants' Gild. 
 
 Of all the Lynn gilds, that which assumed the name 
 of Trinity, and is the 20th in the Catalogue, appears 
 to have been by far the most eminent and opulent. It 
 had very considerable possessions, in houses, lands, 
 and other sorts of property; and there is still preserved 
 a. more particular and full account qf this gild than of 
 most, or indeed of any of the rest: of which its large 
 landed property may be one principal reason, as that 
 could not well be conveyed into other hands without 
 some mention of its original or former possessors, and such 
 mention too as would be likely to be long remembered. 
 Most, if not all the property of this mercantile company, 
 and particularly what consisted in houses and lands, 
 was, at the reformation, when the company was dissol- 
 ved, vested in the corporation, and still constitutes a 
 great part, or most, of their property of that descrip- 
 tion. The best account of this gild, that we know of, 
 is contained in a MS. volume which once belonged to the
 
 HISTORY OP LYXJT. 451 
 
 lale Henry Partridge Esq. but is now in the possession 
 of our venerable townsman Thomas Day Esq. who 
 has very obligingly favoured the present writer with the 
 use of it. This\account extends much further than that 
 given in Parkin's printed History of Lynn, though it 
 seems to have been originally drawn up by the same 
 hand, and transcribed from the papers of that eminent 
 antiquary, with his consent, by the procurement of the 
 late Mr. Partridge, in 1749. We learn from the prin-? 
 ted account, as well as from that in manuscript, that 
 though this gild is said to have been founded by king 
 JOHN, at the request of his great favourite, bishop De 
 Grey, yet that, in fact, it existed long before that time, 
 as appears by an answer to a certain writ of enquiry in 
 the reign of Richard II. so that what is called foun- 
 ding it then, seems to mean no more than that monarch's 
 giving it his royal sanction, or taking it under his kingr 
 ]y patronage: and we know not how far that proved of 
 material benefit to the institution. The interference and 
 patronage of statesmen have not always proved favour? 
 able to commercial prosperity. But we will now pro* 
 ceed to lay before the reader the account which we have 
 obtained of this gild. 
 
 "John de Grey bishop of Norwich persuaded * king 
 
 * At p. 59. of the said MS volume, speaking ofthe people of Lynn, 
 the writer says, "John deGrey, bishop of Norwich, was their great 
 friend and benefactor: in 1207 he gave king John a palfrey, in order to 
 have Duplicates of the Charter which he had obtained for his town of 
 Lynn, it being-owing to this bishop that Lynn ever had a charter, as 
 the original one of king Jphn now in the custody of that corporation 
 testifies: the whole, or chief liberties of that town being before that 
 time in the bishop." [De Grey confirmed the royal charter against 
 his own successors ]
 
 458 
 
 John to found the guild of the holy Trinity at Lyan; 
 the brethren of which were bound, under the penalty of 
 a gallon of wine, to have Mass celebrated every Trinity 
 Sunday, in St. Margaret's Church, for .the souls of the 
 said king and bishop. It was called the great Guild of 
 the holy Trinity in Lynn, in respect to other less guilds 
 in the same town ; the head or chief person of this 
 guild, or fraternity, was stiled, the Alderman, orCustos, 
 and was chose by the commonalty of the said town, and 
 continued so on that choice for life, unless upon account 
 of any great infirmity or inability, or some other reason- 
 able cause, he was set aside and removed. 
 
 "This Guild was said to have its rise and begining be- 
 fore the reign of king John, as appears from the answer 
 of Thomas Botesham, alderman of it, and his brethren^ 
 in the time of Richard II. to a writ of enquiry of that 
 king relating to its foundation, authority, &c. that its 
 origin was not known., that king John, considering the 
 great concourse of merchants to this town, granted the 
 alderman that then was, and the commonalty and their 
 successors, by Letters patents, bearing date in his sixth 
 year, that they might have a guild of merchants in the 
 said town: and Henry III. son to the said king John, 
 by his Letters patents, granted one of their own body 
 and community to be mayor of the said town, which said 
 mayor and alderman for the time being, should always 
 have the rule and government of it, ; and which said al- 
 derman, in the vacancy of a mayor, or in the absence 
 of the mayor from the said town, should have the rule 
 and government of the said community,
 
 IIISTOHY OF LYNN. 453 
 
 and his predecessors, the aWermen of the said town, had 
 and enjoyed. 
 
 "As to their possessions , &c. they are thus returned to 
 the aforesaid enquiry, That they had a place called the 
 Common Staith with its appurtenances, valued at 42/. 
 6s. 8d. per annum clear, besides all reprises, That the 
 goods and chattels of the aforesaid Guild amount in the 
 whole to 260A 13s. viz. in ready money 601. 13s. 
 In divers merchandize 2001. and that in many books, 
 vestments, chalices, and other ornaments for the chap- 
 lains of the said Guild performing Divine service as well 
 in the parish church as in the chapels J annexed to 
 the said church, and that in wax for lights in the said 
 church and chapels, in the honour and laud of the holy 
 Trinity, yearly found, and for torches at the funerals of 
 poor brethren , &c . of th e said Guild , and that out of the 
 profits of the common Stathe, and out of the goods and 
 chattels aforesaid, together with diverse goods and chat- 
 tels bequeathed and left to the said Guild ; the alderman, 
 &c. sustain and find thirteen chaplains, daily and yearly 
 to pray, as well for the king, his ancestors, and for the 
 peace and welfare of his kingdom, as for the souls of 
 all the aldermen, brethren, and benefactors of the said 
 Gild> also for the souls of all the faithful deceased: six 
 of which officiated in the church of St. Margaret afore- 
 said, fourjn the chapel of St. Nicholas, and three in 
 Xhe chapel of St. James in Lenne, who all day, as they 
 are stated and appointed in the church and chapels 
 aforesaid, celebrate high mass, by note, and on Sundays 
 
 St. Nicholas and St, James.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNST. 
 
 and other festival days., celebrate mass at Martins, and at 
 Vespers, ,by note ; and if any of (he aforesaid cliaplains 
 neglects his duty and office, or is not of an honest life 
 and conversation, when he has been admonished by the 
 alderman, and does not amend, he is removed from 
 the service, and the said alderman appoints another able 
 and honest one in his place. And further, that out of 
 the profits of the said Common-Stath, goods and chat- 
 tels aforesaid, many almsdeeds and works of charity were 
 yearly given, which, one year with another, are compu- 
 ted at 301. viz. towards the support of the poor bre- 
 thren of the said guild, to the blind, lame, and other 
 distressed persons^ to poor clerks keeping school, and 
 poor religious houses, as well of men as women, to the 
 lepers in and about Lenne, and in the repairs &c. 
 of the parish church and chapels aforesaid, and in the 
 ornaments of the same, together witli the alms given to 
 the four orders of friers in Lenne, and to the maintain- 
 ing of several aqueducts for the use of the said town: 
 all the goods and chattels aforesaid are in the hands of 
 the said alderman, and of four men of the said guild, 
 called skivinsj * who yearly distribute the said goods 
 as aforesaid: and further, that the brethren of the said 
 guild never had nor used any one suit of livery, either 
 in their vestments or hoods." t The following were the 
 Rules and Ordinances of this Gild. 
 
 1. "If any stranger is willing to enter into the frater- 
 nity, he ought to pledge into the hands of the aldermafl 
 
 * Skivins, Skivini, or Scabini, were the custodes, guardians, go- 
 vernors, or stewards. 
 
 f Mr. Day's MS. volume, 48, and Taikis, 143.
 
 455 
 
 I OOs. et jus p\ diet, domus; sell, to the alderman 4.d. 
 to the clerk Sd. to the dean 3d. and afterwards out of 
 the 100s. pledged with the alderman and his brethren, 
 
 ad melius poterit, and shall immediately give 
 
 one sextarj * of wine, viz. lOd. t 
 
 2- If any brother has a son, or sons, legitimate, who are 
 willing to enter into the said fraternity, each one ought 
 to pay for his entrance 4** the aforesaid right being 
 cxcepted. 
 
 3. Whoever will enter into the said fraternity, ought 
 on the first day of his admission to wait and serve before 
 the alderman and the brethren, honourably, in neat 
 clothes, and .... of gold or silver. 
 
 4. The alderman to have, on the day of Pentecost, one 
 scxtary of wine, and the dean half a sextary, the clerk 
 half, and each of the skivens J the same day half a 
 sextary, and every day after as long as the drinking shall 
 continue, the alderman shall have half a sextary, the 
 dean, clerk, and each of the Skivins one gallon, and. 
 each of the attendants half a gallon, at evening, 
 
 5. If any of the brethren shall disclose to any stranger 
 the counsels of the said guild, to their detriment, without 
 
 q K 
 
 <? ML 
 
 * A sextary was an ancient measure, said to be a pint and half, but 
 
 it appears here, from the price &c. to be much more, and was four 
 
 gallons. f four Gallons of Wine sold then for 10</. 
 
 The word obliterated was probably serta, a coronet for chaplet.j 
 
 J The skivins were/aur in number, as appears from a deed of Thomas 
 
 bp. of Ely in the 25th of Henry VI. Simon Pigot, Richard Cosyn, 
 
 Thomas Benet, and William Pilton, then called therein, custodes 
 
 sive scabins, &c. They served, as I take it, in all, two years the 
 
 seniors going off yearly, when two others were chosen &c. they had 
 
 the charge&c. as appears, of the goods and effects of the guild. Parkin.
 
 456 HISTORY OF LYNtf. 
 
 the assent of the alderman and his brethren, he shall for- 
 feit the sum of 32 pence 
 
 6. If any of the brethren shall fall into poverty, or 
 misery, all the brethren are to assist him by common 
 consent out of the chattels of the house, or fraternity, or 
 of their proper own. 
 
 7. If any brother should be impleaded, either within 
 Lenne or without, the brethren there present ought to 
 assist him in their council, if they are called, to stand 
 with him and counsel him without any costs; and if 
 they do not, they are to forfeit 32 pence. 
 
 8. None of the brethren is to come into the guild be- 
 fore the alderman and his brethren with his cap or hood 
 on, or barefoot, or in any rustick manner, if he does 
 he is to be amerced 4 pence. 
 
 9. If any one should sleep at the guild, either at the 
 general meeting or at their feasts and drinking, he is 
 to forfeit 4 pence. 
 
 10. If any one turns him rudely to his brother, or 
 calls him by any rude name, [he is] to be amerced 
 4 pence. 
 
 1 1 . If any one is called and cited at a prime (or ge- 
 neral meeting) and does not come before the issue of the 
 first consult, he is to pay Id. by order of the dean ; 
 and if he refuses and sits down, he is to be amerced 
 4 pence. 
 
 12. If any one should be cited to the prime, and shall 
 be found in the town, or shall come late to the drinking, 
 and the dean shall say to him to be there at the next 
 prime, and he docs not come before they begin to take
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 457 
 
 of defaults, he shall either make some rea- 
 sonable excuse, or pay I2d. and if lie comes before the 
 defaults are adjudged, and shall depart without leave, 
 shall pay 12d. 
 
 13. If any one of this house shall buy any thing, 
 and a brother -shall come in unexpectedly before the 
 agreement, * or at it, he ought to be a partner with 
 him that buy, and if the buyer refuses it, he is to be 
 amerced half a mark. 
 
 14. If any servant of the brethren comes at the drink- 
 ing, or the prime, he is to lay down the cap and cloak, 
 and give it to the janitor to keep^ whilst he enters and 
 speaks to his master, and then he is to depart forthwith: 
 if it is at the drinking, let him drink once or twice, pro- 
 vided he does not sit, and then he is to depart, and if 
 he docs not, his master is to be amerced, 
 
 15. If any one refuse to obey the precept of the al- 
 derman, or dean, for the honour and profit of the house, 
 he is to be amerced 12s. 
 
 16. If any poor brother shall dye, the alderman and 
 brethren shall see that his body be honourably buried, 
 .of the goods, or chattels of the house, or out of alms, 
 if he has not wherewith to bury himself. 
 
 17- If the alderman shall dye, none belonging to h jm, 
 neither son, or any other can act in any thing as alder- 
 3 K 2 
 
 * Ante palmatam. Hence we may perceive the old custom of shak- 
 ing hands at an agreement or bargain. [Striking hands is still customary 
 in some places in making bargains; the buyer holds his hand open, and 
 the seller strikes it with open hand} whence they are said to have 
 ifrucjl a bargftin.~\
 
 458 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 man but the brethren may choose anew alderman whom 
 they please. 
 
 18. If any brother shall dye, the dean is to summons 
 all the brethren to make their offerings for the soul of the 
 deceased ; and if any one is absent, he is to give one 
 halfpenny at the next prime following, for the soul of the 
 defunct, and the dean is to have 4of. of the alms col- 
 lected for citing the brethren. 
 
 19. If any brother, or alderman shall act contrary to 
 the ordinances of this house, he is either to forfeit his 
 brotherhood, or pay half a mark for the good of the 
 house. 
 
 20. No one shall intrude himgelf while the drinking 
 continues. 
 
 21. If any brother shall offend another brother, in 
 word or deed, he shall make no complaint but to the al- 
 derman first, and the mayor; if he does not, he is to be 
 amerced half a mark. t 
 
 2. If the skivins shall merchanize with tke chattels 
 of the house, no brother shall have any part therein, 
 but the whole profit to go to the use of the guild. 
 
 23. The skivins are to swear, when they receive the 
 chattels of the house, that they will employ the same 
 faithfully to the good of the guild, and will fully ac- 
 count and answer for the profit. 
 
 The following additional articles are given, in the said 
 MS. volume, as Usages and Customs of the gild. 
 
 [1.] There are four meetings of the alderman and his 
 brethren (viz.) Thejirst on Friday in the first week of
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 459 
 
 Lent, to settle and order their alms and other works of 
 charity. The second on Friday next before the feast 
 of the holy Trinity, to choose the officers of the said 
 Guild, (viz.) the skivins, and to settle and take the ac- 
 counts of them that are then removed. The third on 
 the vigil and day of the holy and undivided Trinity, 
 to the laud and honor thereof at the vespers of the said 
 feast, to have placebo * and dirige t decently and ho- 
 nourably performed, for the souls of all the ancestors of 
 our lord the king, all the aldermen and brethren of the 
 said guild, all their benefactors and faithful deceased : 
 and on the feast of the said festival to have the solemn 
 masses, as well of the said festival, as the masses of requiem 
 for the souls aforesaid, and to make their offerings for the 
 same. The fourth on the Friday next after the feast of 
 the exaltation of the holy cross, J to look into the state 
 of the said guild, and to receive the arrears,if any were 
 left in the hands of the skivins of the foregoing years, 
 and to dispose and order the goods and chattels of the 
 said guild, 
 
 [2.] If any brother of the said guild shall dye in the 
 said town, another brother of the same, deputed by the 
 alderman shall appoint 12 torches to be at the funeral 
 of the said deceased ; and further every brother of the 
 guild in town, shall be warned to make his offering for 
 the deceased, at the mass that is celebrated on the day 
 of the burial. 
 
 [3.] If any of the aforesaid brethren shall dye in the 
 said town or elsewhere, as soon as knowledge thereof 
 
 * Psalm 1 16. f It probably should be Dirge. I Hth. of September.
 
 460 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 shall come to the alderman, the said alderman shall 
 order solemn Mass to be celebrated for him, at which 
 every brother of the said guild, that is in town, shall make 
 iheir offering; and further, the alderman shall make 
 every chaplain of the said guild, immediately en the 
 death of any brother, to say 30 Masses for the deceased. 
 
 [4.] The alderman and skivins of the said guild are 
 by duty obliged to visit, four times a year, all the in^ 
 firm) all that are in want, need, or poverty, and to mi- 
 nister to, and relieve all such, out of the alms of the 
 said guild, 
 
 [5.J If any brother shall become poor and needy, he 
 shall be supported in food and cloathing, according to 
 his exigency, out of the profits of the lands and tene- 
 ments, goods and chattels of the said guild. 
 
 [6.] If any one has a desire and is willing, for the 
 honour of the holy Trinity, to be received into the said 
 guild, that he may be partaker of the alms and bene- 
 factions thereof, he shall give to the said guild a cer- 
 tain sum of money to the maintenance of the said alms 
 and benefactions according to what shall be agreed up- 
 on by the alderman and brethren thereof. 
 
 [7.] If any brother has a son, or sons, after his en- 
 trance into the guild, law fully born and begotten, es- 
 pecially if such be of good and honest fame and conver- 
 sation, they are to be received every one of them into 
 the said guild, if Jie so thinks well, four shillings each. 
 
 [8.] No born slave, * or one of such like condition, 
 
 * Nativus servus [This seems to do little credit to the feelings, .or 
 to the memory of these rich gild brethren : Why should any sober,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 461 
 
 nor any apprentice can be received, and if any one of 
 suchlike condition should be received into the said guild, 
 the alderman and his brethren not knowing it, when it 
 is truly and lawfully proved, such a one shall lose the 
 benefit of the said guild. 
 
 [9.] No one until he arrive at the age of 21 years, 
 and is of honest fame and condition, can be received in- 
 to the said guild. 
 
 [10.] If any alderman shall happen to dye, or shall 
 be removed from his office on [for] any just and reason- 
 able cause, the community of the said town shall im- 
 mediately choose another into the said office, which 
 alderman so elected, in the presence of the said commu- 
 nity, shall promise, that he will faithfully perform and 
 observe all and singular those things which belong to 
 his office. 
 
 [11.] When any one shall be received into the said 
 guild, he shall promise in the hands of the said alderman 
 on his faith, that he will be obedient unto the said 
 alderman and his officers of the guild for the time being, 
 in all lawful and honest tilings touching their office, and 
 that he will faithfully observe, as far as he is able, all 
 the lawful ordinances which, for the good rule and go- 
 vernment of the said guild, and honourable support 
 of the said chaplains, and the alms and good works of 
 the said guild, are already made, or shall be made 
 hereafter. 
 
 industrious person, though of servile birth, or origin, be thus disdain- 
 fully precluded from partaking of the benefit of their institution, while 
 h could advance the admission, or entrance money?]
 
 462 HISTORY OF LYNIT* 
 
 [12.] It was ordained OH Wednesday in the week of 
 Pentecost in the 7. of Edward * that (he bretheren 
 should keep a general Morwespech t three times a year; 
 to wit, on Friday in "Whitsun week, on Friday after the 
 exaltation of the Holy Cross, and on Friday on the first 
 week of Lent. 
 
 [13.] Likewise it was ordained, by common consent, 
 that the alderman and his brethren should take care- 
 that a solemn mass should be celebrated for the soul of 
 John de Grey, formerly bishop of Norwich, who first 
 obtained the liberty of the said guild; viz. on the feast 
 of the holy Trinity, where every one of the brethren 
 was to make an offering of an halfpenny, and if any one 
 made default, he was to give one sextary 'of wine to the 
 alms of the said house and gild. 
 
 [14.] And on Friday on the week of Pentecost in the 
 44. Edward III. [1370] Thomas de Bockisham then 
 alderman of, &c. it was agreed unanimously that all the 
 brethren who were Avell in town should meet at Vespers 
 at St. Margaret's church, and should hear together Ves- 
 pers and Placebo for the soul of the aforesaid king John 
 and John [de] Grey bishop of Norwich, and on the 
 day following, on the feast of the holy Trinity, they 
 should all be there present, and hear the mass said of the 
 holy Trinity, and, immediately after that, the mass for 
 the dead, by note, for the souls aforesaid. ' 
 
 [15.] On Friday on the week of Pentecost, in the 23 
 
 * Same date. Quere if not Edward, 1. 1279. 
 
 t We have not these meetings any where explained : nor do we 
 well know in what they were distinguished from those called generals.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 463 
 
 J/1<, *-:o 
 
 Edward 3. it was provided by common assent, for ever, 
 that no brother ought to buy or sell any millstones, or 
 marble stones, brought to Lynn to be sold, as long as the 
 scabini of this house would buy them for the profit of 
 the guild and pay for them to the full, and if any one 
 brother should act contrary hereto, he should for ever 
 be deprived of the society. 
 
 [16.] On Friday the week of Pentecost the 24. Ed- 
 ward 3. it was provided and agreed that every one of 
 the skivins shall faithfully and separately give in his 
 account before the alderman and his brethren to shew to 
 them how many millstones he has bought or sold, to 
 whom he has sold, and for what price ; and what size 
 every millstone was which he either bought or sold: 
 and all the ready money (silver) he has he shall bring 
 with him ; and if he does not, as is here provided, he 
 fehall give six pound of silver to the use and profit of 
 the said house, or be discharged the society. 
 
 [ 17.] If any brother shall be elected to the office of a 
 skivin and he shall refuse it, he shall pay 40$ to the 
 good of the house, or be expelled. 
 
 [18.] On Friday in Pentecost week, 16. Edward III. 
 it was provided and ordained unanimously by the alder- 
 man and the fraternity that the skivins for the time being 
 may at any time of the year distrain and bring their dis- 
 tresses for rents and farms belonging to the guild, ac- 
 eording to the customs, &c. of the Burgh of Lynn, 
 
 3 L
 
 464 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 and that for the time to come the skivins should be re- 
 sponsible for the full payments of the said rents and 
 firmis till the time of their accounting shall rome, and 
 that the skivins for the time being, whether they are 
 elected this present year or have been elected the fore- 
 going year shall every year at the feast of St. John Bap- 
 tist account with their tenants, and the said tenants shall 
 hire again of the said skivins the houses which they shall 
 hold beyond the term of the said St. John as the said 
 skivins shall see to be most for the profit of the said 
 guild; and whatever accident shall happen, either by 
 the occupation of the said houses, the king's ministers, or 
 any other persons whatever, or by any other accident 
 whatever, the said tenants of the farms aforesaid shall 
 answer for the whole time to the said skivins, in full, 
 without any deductions at the terms aforesaid. * 
 
 * The remainder of the above article, being father long, and what 
 would take up too much room in the text, but too curious, perhaps, to 
 be omitted, is thrown into this note, and is as follows "And that 
 the said skivins are to take keyage of merchandizes lying on the key in 
 moaner and form following, viz. For every pipe (dolium) of wine ly- 
 ing on the kay beyond one day \d. and no more for a. week, and so for 
 every week. Also, for every pipe of Wad. * lying on the kay beyond 
 a day \d. and no more r or a week, and so for every week. Also, for 
 every fardwell called gybe \ of the weight of one pipe or above lying 
 on the kay beyond a day \d. and no more for a week, and so for every 
 week. And in the same manner for any other grjods or ware of the 
 weight of one pipe of wine or more lying, &c Of every ship bringing 
 in goods, or carrying out, Ad. or less, according to the discretion of the 
 skivins *Aho for three stones, called Slipstoaes, lying on the kay 
 beyond a day, a farthing, and not more for a week, and so (or every 
 week. Al>o, for two pieces of Lead \ lying on the kay above one day 
 a farthing, and not more fora week, and so for every week Aho t for 
 sand, chalk, clay, stone, tiles, and other things, of the weight of 
 one load, lying on the kay above a day, an halfpenny, &c. 4lsy, for 
 the load of one boat of sand, chalk, &c. lying, &c a farthing. Aim, 
 for any wares or goods not herein named, according to the custom the
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 465 
 
 [19.] On Friday on the week of Pentecost in the 27. 
 of Edward III. Jeffrey Drew then alderman, it is pro- 
 vided that if any brother was found guilty and convicted 
 of any notorious and scandalous falshood to tire loss or 
 disgrace f the guifcl, he should be deprived, and ne- 
 ver be reconciled, but looked upon as a convict and per- 
 jured person. 
 
 On Friday next after the feast of the exaltation 
 of the holy Cross, in the 31. of Edward 3. Jeffrey 
 Drew then alderman, it was unanimously agreed by the; 
 alderman and his brethren, that as by the grant of the 
 king in his charter the Burgh of Lynn Epi. had this 
 Liberty, that the burgesses of the same in all fairs 
 through the kingdom of England were free and enjoy- 
 ed that freedom ; when therefore any one of the said 
 burgesses or Brethren should go to the fair at Stirbridge, 
 or where any such like fair is held, and has taken hi s 
 place by the consent of any of the bailiffs of those places, 
 and marked it out by stakes or pins, by wood or stone, 
 if any other burgess of Lynn, or brother, either by pre- 
 3 L 2 
 
 skivins have used. Also, tor every millstone, lying above a day, an 
 halfpenny, &c.~ Also, for every last of Quernstones. |[ lying on the kay 
 above a day, one penny &c. Also, for every last of pitch and brim- 
 stone lying one day, \d. and so for every day. Also, for every hawser 
 tyed to the kay, one penny. Jlio, The sJ. [qu. saidj day itisordered 
 that no bad persons, nor any spiritual person, should work upon 
 the kay. 
 
 * Quere. f A grant, pack, or bale of goods ? gybe, from Gibbus. 
 
 f L)uob. peciis plumbi, probably what are now called piggs. 
 
 H De Quernstonis, small grinding stones for mustard, malt &c. as 
 I take it: Quern for corn by corruption. 
 
 Spiritual: it is likely that some of the monks or fryars used to do so. 
 
 [These notes are Parkin',*.]
 
 466 HISTORY OF LYJftf. 
 
 scnts or favour should deprive of or expel the aforesaid 
 burgess, or brother, from his place so taken as afore- 
 said, he is to be looked upon and esteemed as a trans- 
 gressor of the aforesaid Liberty, and to be fined 40s. 
 so that the person so deprived and expelled may have 
 20s. of it; and if the transgressor shall happen to be a 
 brother of the said gild, he shall be obliged by the alder- 
 man to pay 20s. for the benefit of the said guild; and if 
 the transgressor shall be a burgess, and not a brother of 
 the guild, he shall be obliged to pay 20s. by the mayor 
 of the town, for the benefit of the commonalty of the 
 said town. 
 
 [21.] It is provided that none of our brethren shall 
 pome into the guild before the alderman and his brethren 
 capped, or hooded, or barefooted, or in any other 
 rude or rustick manner, and if he does he shall pay 
 4d. lor alms. * 
 
 [22.] 16. Richard 2. 1393. Licence was granted that 
 John de Brunham and Thomas de Couteshale, of Lynn, 
 might give to Henry de Betdy, alderman, the rents 
 and profits of five messuages, one Kay, 111. 6s. Sd. 
 rent, and the profit of one passage boat beyond (he port 
 of Lynn Epi. with the appurtenances in Lynn. P. C. 
 P. &c. N. 54. pt. 2." t 
 
 * This article may be considered as a rule for preserving good man- 
 ' ners at the guild. The prohibition of coming there barefooleJ, is a plain 
 indication, that it was common then, even for those of the better sort,, 
 to go about ordinarily without shoes and stockings. The case is very 
 different now : and yet it may be questioned, if we live happier than 
 they did. The former article contains directions for the conduct of the 
 Brethren and burgesses at Stirbich and other such fairs. 
 f The remainder of the accouut of this guild, in the said MS. Volume, 
 consists -of brief notices, or rather the names of its aldermen at different 
 periods: [by Parkin."] Of which the following is the substance.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 467 
 
 It is very evident from the above extracts that the fra- 
 ternity of the holy Trinity stood very high among the 
 Lynn Gilds; and there is reason to believe that it far 
 surpassed any of the rest in power and opulence: of 
 which the number of its chaplains and the extent of its 
 possessions may be considered as very good and compe- 
 tent proofs. Of those possessions we can form but a very 
 imperfect idea from what has been above said upon that 
 subject. A much more correct and adequate idea may 
 be obtained from the charter of Edward VI . after the 
 dissolution of the gilds, in which the said possessions 
 are by him transferred or granted to the mayor and bur- 
 gesses. This Charter bears date 21. May 1548, the 
 2nd year of that reign. The substance of it, as it re- 
 lates to this gild, and serves to elucidate the present 
 subject, is as follows 
 
 ^Edward VI. by the grace of God, &c: Wliereds 
 certain lands and tenements, and other hereditaments 
 
 Richard Lambert occurs Alderm. 1272. 56. Henry 3. 
 Robert de London alderm. pccurs 15. Edward 1. and 18. Edward I. 
 Wm de Lyndesey was his deputy. Peter de Thrundeynchos. aid. on 
 Friday after the assumpt. of tlie Virg. M. 18. Ed. 1. and occurs aUo 
 in the 34. of the said king. 
 
 Simon Fitz Simon occ. aid. l, r >. Ed. 2. John de Morton then 
 Mayor 3rd. time. 
 
 Robt. de Derby, Q. if not aid. S. Ed. 3. seems to occ. 
 
 Jeff. Drew aid. occ. 27. and 31. Ed. 3. 
 
 Tho. Botteshamocc. aid. 44. Ed. 3. and in 1379. 
 
 Wm. Franceys aid. 14. Ed. 3. 
 
 Hen. Betel y occ. aid. tern. Rich.2. 
 
 Roger Galyon occ. Mayor and Aid. 13. Hen. 4. 25 July. 
 
 John Brunham occ. aid. 7. Hen. 4. 5. and in 3. 
 
 Tho. Hunt occ. aid. 20 June I Hen. 6. 
 
 Hen. Thoresby occ. aid. 25. Hen. 6. and 21 Hen. 6. , 
 
 Walter Cany aid. H64. above 14 years, dy'd29 Sept. 1479.
 
 468 HISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 lying in our burgh of Lynn .Regis, South Lynn, Hard- 
 wick, Gaywood, Sechehithe, Middleton, West winch, 
 Snetsham, Shernborn, Eaton, Ingoldesthorpe, in the 
 county of Norfolk, and certain lands and tenements ly- 
 ing in Brandon Ferry in Suffolk, which amount to the 
 yearly value of 321. 12s. lid. besides all reprises, were 
 formerly given and granted to the alderman, custodes, 
 or scabins, and the brethren of the Merchants' guild of 
 the Holy Trinity, in Lynn Regis aforesaid, and their 
 
 successors. and all and singular whereof come to us, 
 
 and are in our keeping, by virtue of an act of parlia- 
 ment made at Westminster 4. Nov. in the 1st year of 
 our reign; and whereas the rents and profits of the same 
 were formerly laid out in defending (he breaches of the 
 sea, repairing of banks, walls, fleets, and water courses, 
 in Lynn aforesaid, without which the said village could 
 not be kept and preserved against the violence of the sea. 
 We therefore considering and having regard to the good 
 state and defence of the said village, out of our good 
 
 will, and by the advice, &c have given and 
 
 granted to the Mayor and Burgesses of Lynn aforesaid, 
 out of the aforesaid lands and tenements, &c. two mes- 
 suages, one water-mill, 241 acres and 2 roods of arable 
 land, 6 acres and 1 'rood of meadow inclosed, and 46 
 acres of pasture inclosed, lying and being in the village 
 and fields of Snetsham, Jngoldesthorpe, Eaton, and 
 Shernborn, now or late in the tenure of William Over- 
 end; one messuage called the Chequer with 2 acres of 
 land thereto belonging, and another messuage called 
 Pepers, with 2 acres thereunto adjoining; 120 acres of 
 arable land, 3 acres of pasture, and the liberty of a fold
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 469 
 
 for 340 sheep , and the rent of 24rf. per annum, in 
 Brandon Ferry aforesaid, in the tenure of John Atmere. 
 Also one tenement now or late in the tenure of William 
 Bolton, two tenements in the tenure of John Salter, 
 one tenement now or lately in the tenure of Thomas 
 Wyer; one tenement now or lately in the tenure of Tho- 
 mas Wild, one tenement now or lately in the tenure of 
 John Standfast, one tenement, &c. in the tenure of John 
 Shoemaker, one tenement in the tenure of Jas. May- 
 ner, one pasture in the tenure of John Waters, one 
 messuage, or inn, called the White Hart, &c. in the 
 tenure of Thomas Mese, one tenement in the tenure of 
 Edward Baker, one tenement in the tenure of Richard 
 Norman, one tenement in the tenure of Richard New- 
 gate, one tenement in the tenure of Beatrice Isloppe, 
 one tenement in the tenure of Joan Wilson, diverse tene- 
 ments in the tenure of George Fellon, two tenements in 
 the tenure of James . . ... one tenement in the te- 
 nure of Robert Bleisby, one tenement ui the tenure of 
 Edw. Newton, one tenement in the tenure of Edw. 
 Irishman, one tenement in the tenure of the Mayor 
 and Burgesses, two tenements in the tenure of Wm. 
 Manderson, one tenement in the tenure of . -*~' J . 
 Jareth, one tenement in the tenure of Alan Newton, one 
 tenement in the tenure of .... Coke, one tenement in 
 the tenure of John Hart, one tenement in the tenure of 
 Nich. Feries, one > tenement in the tenure of Francis 
 Balden, one tenement in the tenure of John Cragge, one 
 garden in the tenure of John Wrenche, dne tenement 
 in the tenure of Cornelius Adrianson, one messuage, cal- 
 led Le Guild Hall, in the tenure the of Mayor and Bur-
 
 470 HISTORY OF LYNN, 
 
 gesses, one tenement in the tenure of ... Wilson j 
 seven houses, called warehouses, and six chambers over 
 them on the north side of the port called Common Stath; 
 nine houses, called warehouses, with chambers over 
 them, on the south side of the Common Stath; one tene- 
 ment in the tenure of Thomas Courte, one tenement in 
 the tenure of Robt. Smith, one tenement in the tenure 
 of Cuthbert Atkinson, one tenement in the tenure of 
 Rt. Rowes, two tenements in the tenure of Wm. 
 Clayborne, one Curtilage in the tenure of John Wilson, 
 one Curtilage in the tenure of Tho. Lockwood, one 
 Curtilage in .the tenure of Rt. Parke, one Curtilage 
 in the tenure of Sim. Newell, one tenement in the tenure 
 of John Curson, one tenement in the tenure of John 
 Eldred, one tenement in the tenure of John Sharpe, one 
 tenement in the tenure of Thomas Furnes, one tenement 
 in the tenure of Tho. Archers^ one tenement in the 
 tenure of Andrew Skite, one in the tenure of Tho. 
 Maitward, one in the tenure of Reginald Taylor, one 
 m the tenure of Robt. Wey man, one capital messuage, 
 late Brasum, now or lately in the tenure of the guild of 
 the holy Trinity, one Messuage, called New-hall, in 
 the tenure of the mayor and burgesses, one garden in the 
 tenure of Thomas Miller, and one passage over the port 
 of Lynn, late in the tenure of Oliver Braikelt; all and 
 every part of which are and lie in the Village of Lynn 
 aforesaid. And also 15 acres of land in Islington, in the 
 tenure of Robert Balding, 15 acres of land in Sechc- 
 hithe it* the tenure of John Barvell, 3 acres of land in 
 Westwinch, in the tenure of Malachy Cogley, 3 acres 
 of land in Seche, in the tenure of Thomas Baker, one
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 471 
 
 pasture in Gay wood, in the tenure of Barnard Water, 
 and one messuage, 46 acres of land, an 100 acres of 
 pasture, 45 acres of meadow and 50 acres of marsh 
 with the appurtenances lying in South Lynn in the te- 
 nure of Henry Bleisby. Also certain yearly rents is- 
 suing out of the tenements called Baretts, and out of the 
 tenements late Richard Humphreys, and out of the 
 tenements of William Pipers, and out of the tenements 
 late Wilsons, and out of the tenements of Thomas Daw- 
 son, and out of the tenements late 'John Alexander, and 
 out of the tenements of John Parmyter,, and out of the 
 tenements late Robert Amflet, lately belonging to the 
 mayor and burgessess, and out of a curtilage late John 
 Baxter's and William Hall, and out of the tenement of 
 Robert Gervys, and out of the tenements belonging to 
 the Warden of the chapel of St James in Lynn, and 
 out of a Pasture called Paradise in Lynn, and out of the 
 tenements late John Powers, and out of the tenements 
 of Henry Duplack, called the White Horse, in Lynn, 
 which were lately parcell of the lands, possessions and 
 revenues belonging to the Merchants' Guild of the Holy 
 Trinity in Lynn aforesaid; together with all the wood, 
 timber, trees, underwood, &c. liberties of foldage, 
 and all other lands, tenements, &c. lying in Lynn Re- 
 gis, Snetsham, Ingoldesthorpe, Eaton, Sherborne, 
 South Lynn, Hardwick, Gaywood, Sechehythe, Mid- 
 dleton, Seche, * and Westwinch in Norfolk, and Brandon 
 Ferry in Suffolk, belonging to the guild of the Holy 
 . Trinity ,'to be held of the king and his heirs, paying 13/. 
 16s. yearly, at the feast of St Michael and the annun- 
 3 M 
 
 Seche is here distinguished from Sechefiytht.
 
 472 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 ciation, by equal portions, at the court augmentat ions. 
 And we further grant to the said mayor and burgesses 
 all the stock of millstones, amounting to the value of 
 40/. late parcell of the goods and chattels of the Guild 
 ( of the Holy Trinity. And we further grant to the said 
 mayor and burgesses and their successors, that they may 
 purchase and acquire to themselves and successors lands: 
 and tenements to the value of 1001. per annum, or any 
 other sum than 100/. per annum, without any fine to 
 us or to our use, and that these Letters patents should 
 be granted them without any fee to be paid or given. 
 Dated at Wansted, 21. May Af 2? " * 
 
 This document makes it very clear, that our Trinity 
 Gild had acquired large possessions: nor is it to be con- 
 cluded that the above items, or specifications, consti- 
 tuted the whole of them ; their mercantile property and 
 revenue, at least, arc still to be added, 'which cannot be 
 supposed inconsiderable ; and there might be lands and 
 tenements beside, that belonged to them, which the king 
 might not choose to include in the above grant. How- 
 ever that was, it may be reasonably and safely presumed 
 that the possessions of this fraternity were much larger 
 tiian those of any of the rest, and that its weight and 
 influence in the town were also very considerable, not 
 only exceeding those of any of the others, but even, per- 
 haps, of the corporation itself. Its 13 chaplains may bo 
 considered as a proof of its great opulence, as well as 
 of its assuming a very high religious character, which 
 was looked upon, it seem.', in those times, as essential to 
 
 * Mr. Day's MS. Tolume, p. 59, &c.
 
 HISTORY OF LYN-Jf. 473 
 
 ihe reputation and prosperity of all social institutions, 
 those of a civil and commercial, as well as of an eccle- 
 siastical nature. The case A hot exactly so in the pre- 
 sent day. Between our present protestant corporation, 
 with only two chaplains, and this same gild with thirteen, 
 one may presume there must be what may be called a 
 pretty strong and striking contrast. We Avould fain 
 hope, however, that the advantage to the community 
 lies very, materially on the protestant side Be that as 
 it may, very different from what it is at present must 
 have been the state of things at the period of which we 
 are now treating, when the members of a fraternity which 
 comprehended the first families in the town, were pro- 
 hibited, as has been already remarked, to appear before 
 the alderman, or at the gild meetings, barefooted; which 
 clearly indicates that it was then customary, for even the 
 principal families, to go about, ordinarily, without shoes 
 and stockings. It was the case, no doubt, with those 
 of both sexes shoes and stockings constituting then 
 only a part of the sunday and holyday dress, or the 
 full dress, of even the people of the first fashion iu the 
 place, suchastheBaggcs, theEverards, and the Hoggs 
 of those days: Nor are we warranted to conclude, that 
 they were, therefore, less respectable or less happy than 
 their successors of the present generation. It was the. 
 fashion in those times, and it could affect neither their 
 respectability nor their happiness.
 
 474 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION VI. Account of the remaining Gilds, and 
 particularly those of St. Francis and St. William. 
 
 Next, in the Catalogue, after the gild of the Trinity, 
 are those of St. Andrew, Holy Rood, St. Lovis, St. 
 Austin, St. Barbara, St. Antony, and St. Stephen; 
 of none of which have we been able to obtain any further 
 information. They were, probably, fraternities of the 
 lower sort ; and having no large or permanent posses- 
 sions attached to them, such necessary records as might 
 exist among them would not be likety to remain to any 
 distant period. Whatever they were, they seem to have 
 long ago perished ; and so, in all likelihood, had also 
 their very names, but for the laudable care and indus- 
 try of the unknown compiler of Mr. King's valuable 
 MS. Volume, who, finding them in some old record 
 which fell in his way, thought proper to transcribe and 
 insert them among his curious collections and memoranda. 
 
 Of the next gild, the 28th, in the catalogue, that of 
 St. Francis, the said MS. volume contains a very par- 
 ticular, and what may also be called a very curious ac- 
 count. It has preserved a copy, as it seems, of the in- 
 corporating instrument, original agreement, or founda- 
 tion deed of this gild. This document is certainly un- 
 couth enough, both as to style and orthography: but 
 as it may on that account be no less valuable or inter- 
 esting, it shall be here inserted, for the entertainment and 
 information of the curious and intelligent reader. We 
 find that the Gild to which it relates was founded by a 
 priest, or friar, of the name of John Wells^ who is called 
 Sir John Wells, it being customary in those days to
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 475 
 
 prefix the terra, or title of Szr, mostly, if not always, 
 to the name of an ecclesiastic. He seems to have been 
 also its alderman in 1467, if he was not so from the time 
 of its foundation, 13 years earlier. The said Deed, or 
 Instrument, reads as follows. 
 
 "Be yt knowen to all chrysten evydently be yis present 
 
 wryghthyng, yat in ye yeer of onr Lord M, CCCC, 
 
 LIIIL a certen compan [company] of ye towne of Lenn 
 
 begonne a gilde in the honour and reverence of all 
 
 m yghty God, & of his blessyd confessour scynt Ffran- 
 
 sseis, for to be holde and kept perpetually in the convent 
 
 of the ffryers mynors of Lynn before seyde. Wherefore 
 
 the brethryn be comown assent of hem all ordeynd hir 
 
 statuys [statutys] wretyn in a forme to be pronownsyd 
 
 & redde two tymys in ye yeer among all ye brethryn 
 
 of ye gilde, & if it be not so yat be ye negligens of ye 
 
 aldyrman yeis statutys be not redde in all ye yeer ye al- 
 
 dyrman shall pay to ye mendyngof ye company lib. 
 
 wax. Be ytordeyndyt every yeer shall be schosyn an 
 
 aldyrman in yis foorme, first & foremost yc aldyrman 
 
 shli chose iiij men, and ye iiij men shll calle to hem 
 
 other iiij men, and ye viii sail chose an aldyrman, to 
 
 whose precepts & commandments ye hole ffruterny(c 
 
 sail abeygn, and be 'hym yei sail be governd in all 
 
 thynggs yat be loful & proffytabyl to ye gylde, & also 
 
 yei^ chose iiij skevents in whos ham'ys sail be ye catcl 
 
 of ye gylde, & yerof to geeve a trcwe a count It at dew 
 
 tyme asynd by ye aldyrman & yt be yc oths made l>e- 
 
 forne all yc brethryn, of ye which iiij ij sail be ffrers of 
 
 ye same place: Also yei shall chesc a clarke & a dene (q
 
 476 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 \\hosc ofiyce yt lougyth to somawne and warne yebre* 
 tliryn tocwm togedyr whan ye aldyrmanscnd for yem'for 
 to have her morHspicheoz or any other thyng ye which 
 sulld be to ye hononr & worshyp of ye gylde in peyne 
 of a Ib. of wax, & when ye fforseyd viii men have gevyn 
 ye verdyt of her electyon and ye aldyrraan which is cho- 
 syn at ye tynae refuse to execute ye office he shall payc 
 to ye encres of ye gylde jiiijs. iiijof. & on tlie same 
 \vysse every skeventh 2s. & ye clarke J2</. & ye dean 
 I2d. It is ordeynd ye clerke for his labour in ye yeer 
 sail have IQd. and ye dene 12d. 
 
 4 'Also yt [is] ordeynd yt every yere ye new officerys, 
 yt is to say, ye alderman sky ventys clarke and dene, 
 sulld make an othe or a promesse to ye olde aklyrman 
 aforne all ye brethyrn at yt time present to make a- pro- 
 mise yat yei sail honestly governe ye fraternyte in her 
 yer folowyng up her power with all her myght & her 
 understandyng & manfully ye aldyrman sail defendyn 
 all maner of hevynes & prejudicys fallyng to ye gykle. 
 
 "Also yts ordeynd yt ye generall da.y sail be holdcn 
 honestly on ye Sonday after ye feast of sent Francesse 
 in ye monyth of October, les yan sent Francesse day 
 fall on Sonday, yan sail yt be holden ye same day, lesse 
 yan any reasonabyi cawes why yt may be holdyn yan, 
 & yan yt sail befall to ye aldyrman to sett a day as hym 
 thynkkythbehovely to be sett on in thchonowr & reverens 
 of yat blyssyd, confiessour yat he may be good mediator 
 betwix God & u?, * for ye which solcmpnite non of ye 
 brethyrn sull absent yem in peyne of a Ib. wax, but he 
 
 * How happy it was for th&m to have betwixt them and God such 
 a powerful mediator as saint Francis \
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 477 
 
 have a resonabyl excusacyon : also yt ys ordeynd yt 
 every yer upon ye day beforne ye generall sail be seyd 
 a placebo for all our gyld brethyrn & systers, & on ycf 
 next day followyng a messe of requiem be noote at ye 
 awtc* of Sent Frawnces for ye sowiys of all ye brethyrn 
 & sisters yat be passyd outh of yis ward, at ye which 
 messe every one sail offer an ob . * 
 
 "Also yt ys ordende yat yis gyld sail Lave iij or iiij 
 morspytchys ye yer, ye fyrst to be holdyn on ye general 
 day, ye othyr morspytchys to be holdyn most behovely 
 at dy verse tymes in ye yer to ye most profiitt of ye gyld 
 be ye avyse & assent of ye aldyrman & his officcrys con- 
 venyently accordyng. 
 
 "Also yt ys ordeynd yt every brodyr shall kepe pes 
 love & charyte with othyr in as myche as he can or may; 
 harm nor hevynes wyllfutty he sail not do but what with 
 worde strenkyth & mygth as weel witli owthyn ye towue 
 as with inne, he sail socowr &keephym ytneed. 
 
 "Also yt ys ordeynd yt yf any dyscorde or heavynesse 
 ffall betwix ye brethyrn, thorow ye informatyon of any 
 othyr wickyd man, yat neydyr of hem sail vexen nor 
 sewyn othyr in temporal cowrthe nor spyrytual in to ye 
 fyme yt ye aldyrman and brethyrn competently & wysly 
 make thereof a ffynial ende in ye payne of 40rf. so yat 
 ye cawce be swyche yt lawfully it may be determynd 
 betwix ye brethyrn. 
 
 "Also yt ys ordeynd yat yf any of ye brethyrn or sys- 
 tyrs be somownd of ye dene in lefull + & lawful t v me & 
 
 * i. c. a halfpenny. All this is very good. 
 
 t The meaning of that word seems difficult to make out.
 
 478 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 will not obeygn nor aperyn in honest place as wyr asynjd 
 be ye alderman & ye skeventys at yer raorspychys or for 
 othyr thyngs whych sulld profyth to ye gylde, or yer 
 cum not a ye warnyng of ye dene, yei sail pay lib. 
 wax, but yf he have a reasonabyi excusacyon ye whych 
 excuse sail be examynd wysly a mong ye bretbyrn whe- 
 dyr yt be leful or nowth, & yf ye dene faile in yer so- 
 mewnys of any brodyr or systyr yat yan ben not warnyd 
 thorowhys defawthe ye dene sail pay for every brodyr & 
 sistyr not warnd thorow hys defawle Id. 
 
 "Also yt ys ordend yt y f any of ye brethyrn or systyrs 
 dey yt all ye breyeryn [bretheryn] suit cum to ye place 
 of ye dede berying ye body to chyrche & yer to offyr for 
 ye sowle & for to have messe of requiem & sythe to 
 be tcndannce in yat holy place tyl ye body be beryde & 
 browth to erde, lesse yay haveleve of the aldyrman forto- 
 go hoome, to ye which statute ye ffryerys ben exempte 
 save a cowpul or too [two] & ye dene for his labour & 
 lyghtys sail have of ye dede iiijd. 
 \ 
 
 "Also what brodyr or systyr sail be recey vyd into yis 
 gylde he sail paye fyrste hys fFees yt ys vd. to ye wax Id. 
 to ye aldyman ijc?. to ye clerke Id. lo ye dene Id. & more- 
 over to ye encres of ye gylde aft yt he sail pay xiid. 
 Wher yt was ordeynd syne be ye eleccyon of viii men 
 so yt yt sulld be consent of ye aldyrman and ye gylde 
 breyeryn, every brodyr & sysfyr yi sail be resey ves all pay 
 us. & thereto they sail make a promesse upon yer feyth 
 to be trew brodyr & systyr & to kepyn ye cowncellys of 
 ye gylde & not to bewray yem & to kepe ye statutys of
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 479 
 
 yegylde &yt ye clerke geff hem her charge fforth- 
 wyth on ye sam day \vhych yf any go undyschargyd 
 thorow ye negligens of ye clerke he sail for yche of yera 
 lib. wax, -Also ye aldyrman sail have to hys costys 
 on ye general day brede & ale & of sylvyr xitf." 
 
 [To the above in the said MS. volume are subjoined 
 the following particulars.] 
 
 "MEMORANDUM. Sr John Wells has gyffbn 
 to this ffraternite a Maser with a prynte of seynt John's 
 hede in ye bothorae, with a cover to ye same, wryten 
 with, soft words swageth ye sufFyr and have tlii desyre, 
 which raaser shall remayne with the Wardeyn for the 
 time beyng & alway to be present at every mornspecli 
 & general t Also a towelle with a dubbyl w of dyapyr 
 & a dozen sponys. 
 
 "N. B. The above Sr John Wells was ffounder of 
 this gild." 
 
 "Memorandum. There be xii sponys sylvyr gevyn 
 be Wiilm. Lyster ye which weyyth xiii vn. [oz] a 
 quartr. less. 
 
 "Item, A maserwith the bond & a prenteof sylvyr 
 gilte yt weyyth xiii vn: s. d. 
 
 The Charge of a General Day In brede iii- iiij. 
 In Ale ijj dosey iiij Galons - - v. 
 
 In xii Gees [3d. | apiece] * iij- JX 
 
 In Moton [ Mutton; but we know not how much] iiij ij. 
 In Conynys [Rabbits-, we know not how many] ij iiij 
 
 3 N 
 
 f This shews that the morntfecht and generals were different sorts of 
 meetings; but it seems not very clear wherein they were so-Quere, 
 if the former were not the religious, and the latter the convivial media**
 
 480 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 In Onyonys [Onions.] - - - . - o b* 
 In Mylk - . iiij. 
 
 InColysiiij b. [cabbages probably.] - vi. 
 
 In Garlek [Garlick'] .... o b* 
 
 In ye Cok [quere, Cooking) -, xii. 
 
 For ye tornors [queie, turnspits'] <, ij. 
 
 For ye lyth be forn seynt Ffrawseys xii. 
 
 ForSwyilers - . - , . i. 
 
 For half an hondryd woodeof belet vi, 
 
 For ye holdyrs of ye torchys * - - ij t 
 
 For Rich. \Vylgele - - - i, 
 
 for sponys t * * ij. 
 
 Sum. xxiis. viid. 
 
 KAIemr. The price of 3 sheep 8*. & 3 calves 8*. lOd. t 
 "At a generall day holden at ye ffryers mynors, als. 
 
 Grey fFryers, on St y Lucas day, in ye yere of our Lord 
 
 t 
 
 * Ob. seems to be here a contraction of tb^'n, and signifies a half-penny. 
 ^ HpV very different from the present was that time when thret 
 'fat shsef sold for eight shilling!, and three fatted cahts for only yghi thitiings 
 and ten pence*. The difference in a great measure may consist in the 
 comparative value of money, or of the precious metals. They were 
 then, perhaps, above 20 times more valuable, and less plentiful, than 
 now We are told, that the Jewish Solomon made silver to be in 
 Jerusalem as stone, and that it was nothing accounted of in his days : 
 our own Solomon see-ns to be in the way to bring things to the same 
 pass. But this is no sure indication of national prosperity Solomon's 
 subjects, for all the vast influx of wealth, were grievously oppressed 
 and unhappy, of which his unwise successor felt the sad and fatal effects. 
 The dissolution of monasteries, expulsion' of the monks, and intro- 
 duction of protestantism were long bewailed by many of our country- 
 men, as very serious evils, and the causes of the dearness of provisions, 
 ,&c. Their sentiments and feelings they woul'd ofttn tytpress iu verse 'ai 
 well as prose: whence one of our old. popular songs had in it these re 
 paarkable expressions. 
 
 "I remember the time, before the monks went hence. 
 
 That a bushel of wheat sold for fourteen pence, 
 
 Aiid forty eggs a penny
 
 48V 
 
 God M VC XI I [1512] it was ordaynd yt ye morespech 
 shal be kept on Sonday after St. ffraunces, & ye ffryers 
 of ye order of St. ftraunces to have \d. for ever dede 
 broder & systyr yt ys dede this yer followyng. 
 "Ordeynd yt John Judd shall finde contenuelly ye 
 wax lyght before St* fFraunces, & to haye for his wax 
 & labour m \iiid. & .ill overplus money to go towards 
 repairing the north yleof ye Grey ffryers chirch. 
 
 "The good wills of those yt have gyven toward ye 
 said Grey ffryers chirch as follows s* d. 
 
 Ffryer Thomas Peke warden iih iiij; 
 
 Ffryer Water Martyn Lycster * xx< 
 
 "Willm. Gerves thelder * * iii. iiij. 
 
 John Dowghty smyth * iii. iiij* 
 
 Willm* Barker painter iiij treys lyme 
 John Judd **- iiij treys lyme 
 Wilim. Hall tailor - xx. 
 
 Willm. Wiggoniijml. [3000] lath nayles 
 Willm. Hall draper iii bunches lath 
 Kobt. Smyth, a smyth ii ml. [2000] lath nayles 
 "1524 Ordeynd yt ther shall be kept every sonday 
 next before All Seynts yearly a solemn masse with dirge 
 lor ye sowles ye byfore tyme departyd & ye dene to 
 warne every broder to offer for ye dede upon ijrf. loss t 
 
 SL Ffraunces. 
 
 3 N 2 
 
 We are also told that about the time when those- changes took place, 
 beef sold at a Italf penny a pound, and mutton at thrtefarthingi, and that 
 butchers then Sold ferny pieces of beef to the poor, which weighed Stt. 
 4 half, and often Qlb. and moreover, that 14 such pieces were sold for a 
 shilling When the price advanced soon after, it is no wonder that 
 many would impute it to the late religious clungei , or previous ecclesi- 
 astical revolution.
 
 482 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 "The monastry of ye ffryars minorites als. white 
 ffryars [it should be alias Greyfriars'] of the order of 
 St. Ffraunces, in which was ye warden & 9 ffryars. 
 
 "1508. Ffrater Rich. Flete, Prior of ye ffryars Au- 
 gustins. 
 
 Ffrater John Wells, Prior of ye ffryars Carmelites. 
 
 Ffrater John Lobby, Prior of ye ffryars Preachers. 
 
 Ffrater Thomas Peke Gaurdian [ Warden] of ye 
 ffryars minos. 
 
 It does not appear that the above Gild had a separate 
 hall, like some of the others, but met, as we have seen, 
 in the abbey, or monastery, of the Grey friars. It 
 seems a very remarkable fraternity, being a mixture of 
 friars, or ecclesiastics, and laics. Its very founder, 
 and, seemingly, its first alderman, and perhaps all its 
 succeeding aldermen, were of the monkish order, and 
 therefore it may be supposed that that description of 
 members bore in it the principal sway, and had the chief 
 management in the direction of its affairs. However 
 that was, it might be in its time a very useful institution, 
 and productive of many valuable and important bene- 
 fits to its respective constituents. Like the other gilds 
 it appeared particularly attentive to what was then deem- 
 ed sound doctrine in regard to morality and religion ; 
 and, from the character of its leading members, it may 
 be supposed to have exceeded the others, rather than 
 fallen short of them, in the strictness of its attention to 
 those matters, as well as in the rigidness, or severity of its 
 general discipline. 
 
 The above extract, with all its uncouth ness of style
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 and orthography, will yet, it is presumed and hoped, 
 add to the value of this work, at least, in the estimation 
 of its most curious arid enlightened readers, who will be 
 able to draw from it many useful inferences, which are 
 here necessarily omitted, in order to avoid being too tire- 
 some to others whom the author would wish to gratify, 
 and who probably constitute by far, the most numerous 
 part of the encouragers of this undertaking. Dry and 
 insipid, as many, perhaps, will deem these old docu- 
 ments relating to our gilds, they seem nevertheless to 
 cast a greater light on the state of society in this town, du- 
 ring the period now under consideration, than any other 
 materials that have fallen in the way of the present writer, 
 or whose existence lie within the compass 6f his know- 
 ledge. 
 
 What now remains, before we dismiss this tedioug 
 subject, is to say a few words respecting the three re-, 
 maining gilds mentioned in the catalogue. The next,, 
 or 29th. in that list, is the gild of the Shoemakers^ 
 which consisted, probably, of persons of that occupa- 
 tion, or the brethren of the gentle craft, as it has been, 
 sometimes called. They might be pretty numerous then 
 at Lynn; and yet it would seem rather odd if they were 
 80, when most of the inhabitants, (hose oftiie bettor 
 sort as well as others, seem to have been pretty much 
 in the habit of going about barefooted; unless it might 
 be supposed that shoes were then made here for expor- : 
 tation, as is now the case in many places, where a great 
 many more hands are employed, of course, than fc 
 necessary for furnishing the population of those place*
 
 484 HISTORY OF .LYNN. 
 
 with that article. This point, however, must be left 
 undetermined: all we know is, thatj among the nume- 
 rous Lynn Gildsj one was called the gild of the Shoe, 
 makers, who, whether very numerous or otherwise, 
 seem to have been then a thoughtful, provident, and 
 brotherly set of people* 
 
 The 30th; Gild was called the Red Gifa The rea- 
 son for giving it that name we are utterly unable to dis- 
 cover$ or even to conjecture. Nor do we know whe- 
 ther it was rich or poor consisted of many j or of but few 
 members managed its affairs wisely or unwisely: We 
 just learn, that it was called the red gild', and there our 
 knowledge of it begins and ends. Some may, perhaps^ 
 be apt to suspect^ that both this and the preceding gild 
 were no better than they ought to be, in point of piety j 
 or what in those days was so denominated, as they did 
 not asstime the name of any saint, or angel, or sacted 
 object, like the other gilds, but went each of them, by 
 a plain, simple name, that had nothing in it sanctimo- 
 nious, venerable, or prepossessing. As the times went, 
 it cannot be thought that these two gilds could be in fa- 
 your with the friars and the other orders of religious 
 functionaries j nor are we sure that they were at all so- 
 licitous about it, or thought proper to employ a sin- 
 gle chaplain in their service. They might, howevor, 
 not be the worse for that, if they were duly attentive to 
 those moral obligations which they owed to one another, 
 and to the rest of their fellow-eitizeiis. 
 
 The 3 1st. Gild, and the last in the catalogue, had alsoj 
 like most of the others, a saint in its belly; and that
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 485 
 
 X 1 
 
 saint was the poor lad whom the Jews were said to have 
 crucified at Norwich in the 12th century, (as, was before 
 noted, at page 352,) and whom the pope sometime after 
 canonized, under the name of saint William.* His pa- 
 tronage, no doubt, was as effectual a guard to those 
 good folks who chose to put themselves under his pro- 
 tection as that of any otlier dead saint would have been. 
 This gild, as we are told, traded to North Bern, which 
 plainly implies, that it was another mercantile fraternity, 
 or gild of merchants. By North Bern is probably 
 incant North Bergen, or Bergen in Norway, with which 
 country Lynn appears to have carried on a considerable 
 trade from a very remote period, The connection be* 
 tween this town and those parts was then so great that 
 Lynn merchants usually resided there : and there is to 
 be seen in Mr, Day's MS. volume, p. 55, the copy of 
 a latin letter, of the date of 1305, from Bartholomew, the 
 
 - .' i .'...,'. ; 
 
 king of Norway's chancellor, to the mayor of Lynn, in 
 behalf of Thurkill and other merchants resident there. 
 Jt was also customary for our merchants tp have a con- 
 sul of their own, or aldecrnan, as they called him, ap- 
 pointed for Norway: for which purpose or appointment 
 it was necessary, it seems, to obtain a royal warrant. 
 There is in Mackerell the copy of such % warrant from 
 Henry V. which runs thus "HENRY, by the grace of 
 God, king of England and of France, and lord of Ire- 
 land ; to our trusty and well beloml the mayor, al- 
 (lermen, and other merchants inhabiting within our town 
 
 * Our Gilds were somewhat like the navies of our good allies the 
 Portuguese and Spaniards, where almost every ship bcars'the name of 
 some saint or other; but it does not seem that they are at all the beUtr 
 
 for ilu'..
 
 486 HISTORY or LYNW. 
 
 of Lynn, shewed unto us, that by the old privilege 
 among you, used in exercising the sale of your mer- 
 chandizes in the lands and countries of Denmark and 
 Norway, ye have an ancient custom to have an alder- 
 man chosen by election among you to be ruler and go- 
 vernor of your company in the said countries, and to see 
 good rule and order kept among you there, which we' 
 woll be content to help and see to be holden for the in- 
 creasing and augmentation of the common weal and 
 prosperity of you and all other our true subjects ; we 
 having the same in our good remembrance, be content 
 and woll, that ye gadre and assemble toguider, and 
 among you chuse such oon to be your said alderman, as 
 ye shall think convenient, good, honest, and sufficient 
 for the premisses ; and to use, have, enjoy, and occupy 
 the liberties and franchises in this cause heretofore accus- 
 tomed, Ycven under our Signet at our Manor of Green- 
 wich, the 18th, day of July, the fifth year of our reign." 
 
 As to our Gild of St. William, that seems to have con- 
 sisted of mercantile adventurers who traded only to 
 Bergen, which was probably at that time the capital of 
 Norway. It was perhaps an opulent gild, but as none 
 of its records are known now to remain, we must here 
 close our account of it, and so dismiss the subject. 
 
 * How many Gild Halls there were formerly at Lynn, besides those 
 of St. George and the Trinity , it is now impossible to say: but we may 
 pretty safely presume that there were several ; one of them was probably 
 that place jn Purfteet Street which was a dissenting meeting house 
 40 or 50 years ago, ami is now occupied as a school room : but wfr 
 pretend not togqess. tp what Gild it belonged.
 
 OF LYNN. 487 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Account of the Monasteries and Religious Houses that were form- 
 erly at Lynn. 
 
 From the fraternities called gilds th<>transition is pret- 
 ty short and natural to the monasteries and religious 
 houses. Of these there were here formerly a great many, 
 the account of some of which is so imperfect and con- 
 fused, that it is difficult to fix their exact number, or 
 point out the places where they all stood. The fol- 
 lowing were probably the chief of them 1. A Nun- 
 fiery, or- Convent of Nuns: the site unknown. 2. A 
 Prior j/ of Benedictins ; situated in Priory Lane. 3. 
 A monastery or Content of the Carmelites, or White 
 Friars; situated in South Lynn. 4. Another of the 
 Grey-friars, Friars minors, or Franciscans; situated 
 in Fuller's Row, now St. James's Street. 5. Another of 
 the Black Friars, preaching friars, or Dominicans; 
 situated in Clongh Lane, or rather between 4hat and 
 Spinner Lane. 6, Another of Austin Friars, or Her* 
 
 3 o
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 mits of the order of St Augustin; situated in Hog- 
 man's Lane, alias Hopmaii's Way, now St. Austin's 
 Street. 7. Another of Friars de Penitentia Jesu; its 
 site now unknown. 8. -A College; situated near the 
 Town Hall; now inhabited by Mr. Toosey. 9. St. 
 John's Hospital', the site not known. 10. St. Mary 
 Magdalen's Hospital) its sifc wh'ere the Gaywood Alms- 
 house now stands. 11. Four Lazar Houses; sites, if 
 seems, at West Lynn, Cowgate, Hardwick, and Gay- 
 wood. To these may be added divers other religious 
 houses and chapels, such as those of St. James's, our 
 Lady's on the Mount, our Lady's on the Bridge, St. 
 Anne's, St. Catherine's, &c. the sites of some of which.' 
 appear not very easy now to mark out. They seem, 
 all of them, to have been laid by at the reformation, when 
 the dissolution of the monasteries and gilds took place: 
 except the Nunnery first above-mentioned ; which had 
 long before been removed hence to Thetford. Concern- 
 ing which removal we are informed, that a certain priory 
 of monks at Thetford being, in 1176, reduced to two, 
 the Abbot of Bury persuaded them to resign ; upon 
 which he placed in their stead a convent of nuns who/ 
 Had previously resided at Lynn. * But it is not said how 
 long their residence here had been, or for what reason 
 they were removed hence. Of the other convents, &c. 
 we propose giving a further account, under the several" 
 following subdivisions or sections. 
 
 * Beauties of England, toj. xi, 2*5.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 489 
 
 SECTION I. Account of the House of the Bencdic- 
 tins in Priory lane, with a sketch of that religious 
 order. 
 
 This House, or Priory, was founded by Herbert Lozin* 
 ga, first bishop of Norwich, in the reign of William 
 Rufus. * We are told that this bouse and the church of 
 ;St. Margaret were both built by bishop Herbert at the 
 request of the men of the town of Lenn ; and that he, in 
 order to facilitate the undertaking, granted an indul- 
 gence of 40 days pardon to all who should contribute 
 towards it : also that he settled the tithes and ecclesiastic 
 cal dues of the whole town upon this church and priory, 
 and had the same confirmed by the pope. He is also 
 said to have given or settled upon them all lie had or 
 possessed, as far as the church of William the son of 
 Stanquin, t on the other side of Sewaldsfeld, in rents, 
 lands, and men, ^ except Seman and his land, and the 
 salt work which the mother of Seman held. He likewise 
 granted the Saturday mercate, and the Fair on St, 
 Margaret's day to this house, or rather to his great 
 house the priory of the Holy Trinity at Norwich, to 
 which this priory of Lynn was a cell. The said bishop 
 also gave them the new mill in Gaywodc marsh, with 
 that marsh, the churches of Gaywode and Mintling, 
 the priest at Mintling, the tithes of his demeans at Gay- 
 wode, with a villain called Ed \vard, and all his land ; 
 also his saltworks in the said town, except two, and 
 3 o 2 
 
 * See Parkin 126. f We cannot find what church thi wa>. 
 Men were then in England conveyed with the lanJ.
 
 49Q HJSTORV Of LYNN. 
 
 that which Leofric, son of Limburgh held, and the mo- 
 ther of Serhan: also the church of Sedgford with tlwj 
 tithes, arid all that Walter the archdeacon had, as he 
 held it; the church of Thornham, with the tithes and 
 all belonging to it; his land at Fringes, with 70 acres 
 of land in Sedgeford, free and quit of all service, with 
 the land of Owen of Lakesle." Thus were the dona- 
 tions or endowments specified. 
 
 This Lynn Priory being Accounted only ti cell to the 
 Priory of Norwich, that house appointed* a monk of 
 their body to be prior here at Lynn, who was responsi- 
 ble to the priory of Norwich for the rents and profits he 
 received, and seems to have been removable at pleasure. 
 Many other grants were afterwards by succeeding bish- 
 ops made to this priory, as may be seen at large in 
 Blomefield and Parkin. 
 
 t ' " f* - i : 
 
 \' 
 
 This house stood on the north side of Priory Lane, 
 which took its name from it; but it took up a considera- 
 ble part of the ground between that lane and the church, 
 and seems to have been a pretty extensive building. Its 
 prior, though subordinate to him of Norwich, and re- 
 movable by him and his monks at their pleasure, was 
 yet a person of no small consequence among the monks 
 .of Lynn, as well as in the estimation of the inhabitants. 
 He was, no doubt, looked up to, for many ages, and 
 esteemed among the principal personages of the place : 
 but he is no longer remembered ; and in a few years 
 the present heads of the town will be as little thought of, 
 
 & Paikin as before.
 
 HISTORY OF fcYNN. 491 
 
 the dissolution, the Lynn Priory was partly pulled 
 down, to enlarge the church yard. What was then 
 left was in time removed, and scarcely any remains of it 
 now exist, except what may be discovered in some of the 
 walls of the old dwellings on the north side of the lane. 
 The monks of this house, at pne time, according to 
 Parkin, were grown so rich, beyond the design of the 
 founder, as to endanger the bishop's preponderance in 
 the place ; which occasioned bishop D Grey, r who 
 then filled the see, to take measures for reducing their 
 power and securing his own, by making an exchange 
 with the priory of Norwich, p/ lands or possessions be- 
 longing to them here, for other lands belonging to his see 
 elsewhere. A copy of the bishop's deed for this pur- 
 pose has been preserved by Parkin, * as have been also 
 many particulars relating to this priory, which, though 
 not altogether uninteresting, must be here omitted. 
 
 The Benedictine order, to which the monks of this 
 house belonged, is of considerable antiquity. It was 
 instituted, according to Mosheim t A. D. 529, by 
 BENEDICT of Nursia^ a man of piety and reputation for 
 the age he lived in. From his rule of discipline, which - 
 is yet extant, we learn that it was not his intention to im-i 
 pose it upon all the monastic societies, but to form an 
 order whose discipline should be milder, their estab- 
 lishment more solid, and their manners more regular, 
 than those of the other monastic bodies; and whose mem- 
 bers during the course of a holy and peaceful iife, were 
 
 * Parkin, 129. t Efcl. History, 1. 447. Ed. J774.
 
 402 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 to divide their time between prayer, reading, Iheeducar 
 tion of youth, and other pious and learned labours. But 
 in process of time the followers of this celebrated ecclesi- 
 astic degenerated sadly from tlie piety of their founder, 
 and lost sight of the duties of their station and pie greajl 
 end of their establishment. 
 
 Having acquired immense riches from the devout li- 
 berality of the opulent, they sunk into luxury, intem- 
 perance, and sloth, abandoned themselves to all sorts of 
 vices, extended their zeal and attention to worldly af- 
 fairs, insinuated themselves into the cabinets of princes, 
 took part in political cabals and court factions, made a 
 vast augmentation of superstitious rites and ceremonies 
 in their order, to blind the multitude and supply 
 the place of their expiring virtue ; and, among other 
 meritorious enterprizes, laboured most ardently to swell 
 the arrogance, by enlarging the power and authority, of 
 the Rqman pontif. The good Benedict never dreamt 
 that the great purposes of his institution were to be thus 
 perverted, much less did he give any encouragement or 
 permission to such flagrant abuses. His rule of disci- 
 pline was neither favourable to luxury nor ambition ; 
 and it is still celebrated on account of its excellence^, 
 though it has not been observed for many years." 
 
 The same writer observes, that this order, made a most 
 rapid progress in these western parts, and in a short time 
 arrived at the most flourishing state. "In Gaul its inter- 
 ests were promoted by MAURTJS ; in Sicily and Sardinia 
 by PLACIDTJSJ in Ita.lt/) &c. by GREGORY the GREAT;
 
 493 
 
 and in England, by AUGUSTIN arid MELLITUS." Its 
 sudden and amazing progress was ascribed by the Bene- 
 dictins to the wisdom and sanctity of their discipline, 
 and to the miracles which were worked by their founder 
 and his followers. But a more attentive view of things 
 will convince the impartial observer, that the protection 
 of the Roman pontifs, to the advancement of whose 
 grandeur and authority the Benedictins were most servile- 
 ly devoted, contributed much more to the lustre and in- 
 fluence of their order, than any other circumstance, nay, 
 than all other considerations united together." In the 
 ninth century the credit and power of those of this order 
 became so great and predominant as actually to absorb 
 all the other religious societies, and hold unrivalled the 
 reins of monastic empire. But by that time, and there- 
 fore long before their settlement at Lynn, they had 
 departed from their original simplicity and were become 
 a degenerate and corrupt order. Consequently it is not 
 very likely that its establishment here could be of any 
 very substantial or important ad vantage to our ancestors. 
 
 SECTION II. Account of the convent of the 
 Carmelites, or White Friars, in South Lynn, with n 
 sketch of that religious order. 
 
 This House stood close to the river Lenn or Nar, ifl 
 the field now called the friars. All the remains of it 
 have long dissappeared, except the Gateway or Gate- 
 fcouse, which is supposed to Lave been the principal
 
 frisroR? OF 
 
 entrance into the place. It is said to be founded about 
 1269, by the lord Bardolph of that time; though others 
 say that the founder was Thomas de Feltsham, but that 
 the lord Bardolph, the lord Scales, and Sir John Wig- 
 enhale were also considerable benefactors to it. William 
 le Breton was also among Us benefactors in the reign of 
 Henry III. having endowed it with lands in South Lynn, 
 Burgh Green, DiUingham and oilier places, in Norfolk 
 and Cambridgeshire. William lord Tandolph, who 
 died in the 9th. of Richard II. was buried here. In 
 tlie 12th. of the same reign these monks had a patent 
 for the rent of ten quarters offrumentt, and ten quarters 
 of barley, to receive them annually of the manor of Stow 
 Bardolph, granted by John lord Bardolph. April 13th. 
 1379, Sir Hamon Felton, of Lkcham willed his body to 
 be buried in the church of the Cannes, at Lynn. The 
 noble family of Hastings also appear to have been great 
 benefactors to this house. From all these circumstances 
 it may be very plainly seen, that this convent was a 
 place of considerable note and reputation, and that, pro- 
 bably, for many ages. But nothing could save it from 
 that dissolution which all such places experienced* in' 
 the memorable reign of Henry VIII. The site of it was 
 then purchased by John Eyre Esq. who was one of 
 that king's auditors or receivers ; and he conveyed it to 
 ti priest, from whom the corporation purchased it, who 
 have been in possession of it ever since. How long af- 
 ter that it was suffered to stand does not appear. The 
 Steeple was probably that part of it which stood the lon- 
 gest, except the Gatehouse above-mentioned . The said 
 steeple appears to have stood near a 100 years after the
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX.' 495 
 
 dissolution: it fell, as we are told, for want of due re- 
 pair, on the 9th. of April 1631, after having stood up- 
 wards of 360 years. Where this lofty steeple and the 
 great church and convent of the Carmelites stood for so 
 jnany ages, not a stone is now left upon another. A 
 plain field or pasture is all that is .now to be seen; just 
 as if such an extensive edifice had never existed or stood 
 there. The case is much the same with the other Lynn 
 monasteries, except that of the Grey Friars, whose steeple 
 still remains, owing to more attention being paid to the 
 keeping of it in repair. 
 
 The Carmelites, together with the Franciscans, Domi- 
 nicans, and Augustinians, constituted the four famous 
 orders of Mendicants : and it is somewhat remarkable 
 that they all established themselves at Lynn, and had 
 the whole town, in a manner, divided among themselves, 
 which seems not to have been unusual with them.^* 
 
 3 p 
 
 * **As the pontiff, (says Mosheim) allowed these four Mendicant 
 orders the liberty of travelling wherever they thought proper, of con- 
 versing yith persons of all ranks, of instructing the youth and the mul- 
 titude wherever they went; and, as these monks exhibited, in their 
 outward appearance and manner of life, more striking marks of gravity 
 and holiness than were observable in the other monastic societies, they 
 arose all at once to the very summit of fame, and were regarded with 
 the utmost esteem and veneration' throughout all the countries of Eu- 
 rope. The enthusiastic attachment to these sanctimonious beggars 
 went so far, that, as we learn from the most authentic records, several 
 cities were divided, or cantoned out, into four parts, with a view to 
 these four orders; the first part was assigned to the Dominicans; the 
 second to the Franciscans; the third to the Carmelites; and the fourth 
 to the Augustinians. The people were unwilling to receive the sacra- 
 ments from any other hands than those of the Mendicants, to whose 
 churches they crowded to perform kheir devotion, while living, and 
 vrere extremely desirous to deposite there also their remains after dearh;
 
 480 HISTORY OF LYN. 
 
 Of the present order, that of the Carmes, or Carmelites', 
 the following account will give the reader, it is presumed 
 a sufficiently correct idea. "About the middle ofthte 
 century (the 12th. ) a certain Calabrian, whose name was 
 Bert hold, set out with a few companions for mount Car- 
 mel, and there, upon the very spot where the prophet 
 Elias is said to hare disappeared, built an humble cot- 
 tage with an adjoining chapel, in which he led a life 
 of solitude, austerity, and labour. This little -colony 
 subsisted, and the places of those that died were mor& 
 than filled by new comers ; so that it was at length erecf- 
 ed into a monastic community by Albert, patriarch of 
 Jerusalem. This austere prelate drew up a rule of dis- 
 cipline for the new monks, which was afterwards con- 
 firmed by the authority of the Roman pontiffs, who mo- 
 dified and altered it in several respects,, and among other 
 corrections mitigated its excessive rigour and severity. 
 Such was the origin ofthefamous Order of Carmelites, 
 or, as they are commonly called, of the Order of our 
 Lady of mount Carmcl, which was afterwards trans- 
 planted from Syria into Europe, and obtained the prin- 
 
 all which occasioned grievous complaints among the ordinary priests, 
 to whom the care of souls was committed, and who considered them- 
 selves as the spidtual guides of the multitude ." [These Medicants 
 were evidently the Methodists Mfcd Evangelical Clergy of those days, 
 and might, for aught we know, merit the popularity which they had 
 acquired as much to the full as their successors of the present day.} 
 "Nor did the influence and credit of the Mendicants end here; for we 
 find that they were employed, not only in spiritual matters, but also 
 in temporal and political affairs of the greatest consequence, in com- 
 posing the differences of princes, concluding, treaties of peace, conceit- 
 ing alliances, presiding in cabinet councils, governing courts, levy- 
 ing taxes, and other occupations, not only remote from, but absolute- 
 ly inconsistent with, the monastic character and profession,"' Mosh. 
 E. H. iii. 53.
 
 HLSTORY OF LYNN. 407 
 
 cipal rank among the medicant or begging orders. It 
 is true the Carmelites reject, with the highest indigna- 
 tion, an origin so recent and obscure, and affirm to this 
 very day, that the prophet Elias was the founder of 
 their ancient community. Very few, however, have 
 been engaged to adopt this fabulous and chimerical ac- 
 count of their establishment, except the members of the 
 order, and many Roman Catholic writers haye treated 
 their pretensions to such a remote antiquity with the ut 
 most contempt," 
 
 "Scarcely, indeed, (says Madame) can any thing be 
 more ridiculous than the circumstantial narrations of 
 the occasion, origin, founder, and revolutions of this 
 famous order, which we find in several ecclesiastical au- 
 thors. They tell us, that Elias was introduced into the 
 state of monachism by the ministry of angels; that his 
 first disciples were Jonah, Micah, and also Obadiah, 
 whose wife, in order to get rid of an importunate crowd 
 of lovers, who fluttered about her at the court of Achab 
 after the departure of her husband, bound herself by a 
 vow of chastity, received the veil by the hand of father 
 ELIAS, and thus became the first abbess of the Carme- 
 lite order. They enter into a vast detail of all the cir- 
 cumstances that relate to the rules of discipline, which 
 were drawn up for this community, the habit which 
 distinguished its members, and the various alterations 
 which were introduced into their rule of discipline in 
 process of time. They observe, that among other marks 
 which were used to distinguish the Carmelites from the 
 3 P 2
 
 IDS HISTORY OF LYNN, 
 
 seculars, the tonsure was one ; that this mark of dis- 
 tinction exposed them, indeed to the mockeries of a pro- 
 fane multitude; and that this furnishes the true explica- 
 tion of the term bald-head, which the children addres- 
 sed, by way of reproach, to Elishah, as he was on his 
 way to Carmel. (2 kings ii. 23.) They tell us, more- 
 over, that even Pythagoras was a member of this an- 
 cient order; that he drew all his wisdom from mount 
 Carmel, and had several conversations with the pro- 
 phet Daniel at Babylon, upon the subject of the Trini- 
 ty. Nay they go still further into tfie region of fable, 
 and assert, that the Virgin Mart/ and Jesus himself as- 
 sumed the habit and profession of Carmelites ; and they 
 load this fiction with a heap of absurd circumstances, 
 which it is impossible to read without the highest asto- 
 nishment. * The Carmelites came into England in 1240, 
 and appear to have obtained an establishment at Lynn 
 not a very long while after. What sort of men 
 were, the reader can now form some idea. 
 
 SECTION III. Account of the convent of the Grey 
 Friars, friars Minors, or Franciscans, in Fuller's 
 Row, now St. James's Street, with a sketch of that re- 
 ligious order. 
 
 This Convent is said to have been founded about 
 
 * See Mosheim E. H. ii. 412, &c. Let us not think of reproach- 
 ing thepafiilt for the absurdities of their Carmelites: Our own froleit- 
 ant order offree-masons can any day match them in the ridiculous ex. 
 travagance of their pieterisions to high antiquity, or empty and pom- 
 pous boasts of a very remote and dignified origin. Nor were the Carme- 
 lites perhaps in any view less respectable than the said protestant order.
 
 HISTORY OF LYtfJT. 499 
 
 * and the founder's name, according to Parkin, 
 was-Thomas Feitham, or de Folsham, t the very same 
 person, probably, he mentions as one of the reputed 
 founders of the Carmelite Convent, though the name is 
 somewhat differently spelt. Parkin says, that the Grey 
 Friars settled here about the 52d. of Henry III, (a date, 
 by the bye, somewhat later than that given above,) "and 
 bnih-this convent near Synolf's fleet, on which the mill 
 formerly called Swagg's mill, afterwards the common 
 mill, or town mill, stands." That mill, however, has 
 long ago ceased to stand there, though the memory of it 
 is still preserved in the name of the adjoining lane, 
 which is yet called mill lane. In 1287, (as the same 
 writer informs us) on Monday August 7, in the court at 
 laenn, Adamde St. Omer being then mayor, and Rich- 
 ard de Walsingham, steward, Richard Sefull gave by 
 deed I2d. rentier ann. which his ancestors used to re- 
 ceive out of a certain area by the church-yard of Saint 
 James's to the west, which the said Adam de St. Omcr 
 purchased of Adam Silvester, for the enlarging of the 
 . area, where the Friars Minors now inhabit." He also 
 says, that Bernard le Estree, within the same year, 
 purchased of William dcLiudescy, in St. James's Street, 
 a certain area, and gave it to enlarge the friars minors' 
 area. In the 7th. of Edward II, as we are further told, 
 these friars had a patent for bringing the water to their 
 house from a spring in North Runcton, called Buken- 
 well. In the 38th. of Edward III, they had a patent 
 For two messuages to enlarge their manse. From the 
 same writer we also learn, that Richard Pevcrel, Esq. 
 
 * B?aut. of Engl. vol. xi. t Parkin 151.
 
 500 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 of Tilney, by will, dated March 15, 1423, bequeaths 
 his body to be buried in the church of the friars minors 
 of Lynn Bishop, appoints Mr. John Spencer, vicar of 
 Tilney, his executor proved May 15, 1424. The 
 said testator also left a horse of 10/. value to the duke of 
 Exeter, to be supervisor of his will, of whom he held 
 lands. This is the chief of what Parkin relates of the 
 Lynn Grey Friars and their convent; except that the 
 house was surrendered by the Warden and nine brethren 
 Oct. 1, 1539, the 30th of Henry VIII. Jt is some, 
 what remarkable that the steeple or tower of this edifice, 
 or of thechurch of the Grey Friars, though apparently 
 but of slight construction, has sun ived all the rest, and 
 is still standing: and it may, possibly, with proper at- 
 tention, stand yet many years. The Dominicans, and 
 Augustinians had probably their towers also, as well as 
 the Carmelites, but they have all long ago disappeared. 
 
 Of this famous order of mendicants it will not be easy, 
 perhaps, to give the reader a better idea than by laying 
 before him the following outline of the history and cha- 
 racter of its founder, commonly called saint Francis. 
 This distinguished personage appeared a short time be- 
 fore his equally distinguished contemporary St. Dominic. 
 He was born in 1182, at Assisi, in Umbria. In his 
 youth he is said to have been of a debauched and dis- 
 solute character, but at 25, after his recovery from a 
 severe fit of illness, occasioned by his licentious course 
 pf life, he became so wholly religious, and so unfit for 
 any other business, that his father threatened to disinhe- 
 rit him; to which he was so far from having any objec*
 
 HISTORY OF LYNI*. 501 
 
 tion that, in presence of the bishop of A ssisi, lie solemn- 
 ly disclaimed all expectation from him, and declared 
 that from that time he would acknowledge only his fa- 
 ther in heaven. He is said to have then devoted himself 
 to works of charily of the most humiliating kind : and 
 being one day at church, hearing mass, he was so forci- 
 bly struck with those words, Matt. x. 9. Provide nei- 
 ther gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor 
 scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, 
 nor yet staves, for the workman is worthy of his meat; 
 that he cried out "This is what 1 seek !" and immediate* 
 ly threw away his shoes, staff, wallet, and all his mo- 
 ney, and kept only one coat. He also* laid aside his 
 girdle, which was of leather, and made use of a piece of 
 rope in its stead. From this time, in imitation of the 
 apostles, he began to exhort other persons to repent; 
 and he did it in a very forcible manner, and with won- 
 derful success, always beginning his discourse with say- 
 ing "God give you peace." When he had got three 
 disciples, they dispersed, to preach in different pla es. 
 Some received them with great humanity, looking with 
 astonishment on their extraordinary dress and great aus- 
 terities, while others made a mock of them and abused 
 them : this however they bore very patiently. 
 
 When he had seven disciples, he exhorted them to go 
 to different countries, preaching repentance,- without re- 
 garding any treatment they might meet with ; assuring 
 them, that in a short time many learned and noble would 
 jaiu them, and they would preach to kings and princes, 
 as well as to the common people. When he had eleven
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 disciples, one of whom was a prie.*>t, he wrote out a rule 
 for them, taken wholly out of the Gospels, and presented 
 it to pope Innocent III, who. after making some objec- 
 tion, approved of it, in 1210. Having obtained this con- 
 firmation of his institute, Francis went with 12 disci- 
 ples and established himself in a church which he had 
 repaired at Poptremoli, and this was the first house of 
 his order, which, byway of humility, he called that 
 oftheminor'brethren, frates minores, in French feres, 
 in English by corruption friars, as the Dominicans had 
 at the same time assumed the name of preaching bro- 
 thers, or friars. From this place they went forth preach- 
 ing in the neighbouring towns and villages, not with 
 studied harangues, (but like the mcthodists of our time) 
 in a manner that made uncommon impression upon the 
 liearersj as they had the appearance of men of another 
 world, having their. faces always turned towards those 
 regions whither they were continually directing their 
 audience. In 1211 they founded several convents, 
 the most considerable of which were those of Cottona, 
 Pisa, and Bologna; and Francis himself, having preach- 
 ed through all Tuscany, returned to Assisi, in lent, 1212. 
 
 In such veneration was he held at this time, that 
 when he went into any city, they rung the bells, and the 
 clergy and people went to meet him, bearing branches 
 of trees, and singing, thinking themselves happy, who 
 could kiss his hands or feet. That lent he preached at his 
 native place, where he had many converts, and among 
 them St. Claire, a young woman of a noble family, 
 who by his direction, though only at the age of eighteen,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 503 
 
 abandoned the -world, and notwithstanding the remon- 
 strances of her relations, fixed herself in a monastery, 
 first at St. Ange de Pansa, where she was joined by her 
 sister Agnes, and then at St. Damien of the order of the 
 Benedictines, which was the first church St. Francis 
 had repaired. Here she continued 42 years, many dis- 
 ciples joining her; and thus was formed the order of 
 poor women, or that of *St. Claire, being the second 
 order of Franciscans. 
 
 About 1216, he gate instructions for his dilsciples to 
 go in pairs, as the Apostles had done. Thus they went 
 into Spain, Provence, and Germany, into which coun- 
 try he sent no less than 60 brothers. So rapidly did the 
 order now increase, that at a chapter general held in 
 1219, when Dominic was present, there appeared to be 
 not les than 5000 in it; though they had not been esta- 
 blished more than 9 or 10 years. In June, ]219, pope 
 Honorious III issued a bull, addressed to all bishops, re- 
 commending tlte Franciscans as apostolical men. Many 
 women, now converted by his preachers, formed them- 
 selves into monasteries, but he refused to take charge of 
 any of them, except that of St. Claire. 
 
 After this he sent his chief disciples into distant coun- 
 tries with a number of companions, taking for himself 
 and 12 others the mission of Syria and Egypt. They 
 went forth in the spirit of confessors and martyrs ; for 
 when men expose themselves to almost certain death, 
 there cannot be a doubt of their being in earnest. Two 
 going to Africa endeavoured to go into a mosque ; and 
 
 .5 Q
 
 504 HISTORY OP LYNtf. 
 
 preaching in the streets, and putting themselves in the 
 way of the king, he first ordered them to be confined ; 
 but as they continued their importunity, he was so en- 
 raged, that he struck off their heads with his own hands, 
 while they suffered with great resignation. Francis 
 himself went to Egypt, during the siege of Damief a, and 
 getting access to the Sultan, he offered to go into the 
 fire in proof of the truth of his religion. But the Sultan, 
 who heard him with great patience, did not choose to 
 put him to the test, but admiring his courage, dismissed 
 him with much good humour, desiring him to pray to 
 God, that he would shew him what religion was most 
 agreeable to him. In 1221, seven went to Ceuta to 
 preach to the Moors ; but they were soon apprehended, 
 and not yielding to the command of the king to turn Ma- 
 hometans, they were all beheaded. * 
 
 In the Rule of the Franciscans, which was fully con- 
 firmed in 1213, by Pope Nicholas III, besides engag- 
 ing to live in obedience to their superior, in ^chastity, 
 and without property, they also vowed obedience to the 
 pope and his successors. These orders of mendicants, 
 particularly this and that of St. Dominic, were of much 
 greater use in support of the papal hierarchy, and com- 
 bating heretics flian all the orders of monks had ever 
 been. Such was the number of persons in this period 
 
 * The very extraordinary zeal and enthusiasm exhibited by these 
 missionary labourers, which amount to a proof of their sincerity, must 
 have eminently fitted them for such hazardous services, and desperate 
 undertakings as those above described . Between those adventures of 
 the Frandirans and some that occur in the early history of that truly re- 
 spectable protestant religious order, or party, commonly called Q.uaken t 
 there appears a very strong and striking resemblance.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 505 
 
 disaffected to the see of Rome, that it is very doubtful 
 whether without this seasonable assistance it could have 
 been supported at all. In this view we cannot contem- 
 plate their labours without regret; but even here they 
 may not have been more blameable than some of our 
 present religious orders, who, though seemingly well 
 meaning people^ are ever ready to defend, or at least to 
 make excuses for almost every species of corruption. 
 
 St. Francis pretended, or, at least, his adherents did 
 so, that the particulars of his rule had been dictated .to 
 him by God himself. It is also said of him that retiring 
 to Mount Alverne on the borders of Tuscany, in 1224, 
 to pass the Easter, he saw in a vision the appearance of 
 Christ on the cross, descending from heaven; and when 
 he awoke he found all the marks of crucifixion on his 
 own body. Such tales were doubtless invented to mag- 
 nify his name and promote the credit of the order. They 
 might answer then, and still in some places ; but they 
 are not here introduced as worthy of belief. The Fran- 
 ciscans came into England in the reign of Henry III, 
 and in that same reign established themselves hi this town: 
 but their first establishment in England is said to have 
 been at Canterbury. Of the probable effects of their 
 making Lynn one of their head quarters, or places of 
 residence, the reader must now form his own .opinion, # 
 3 9 2 
 
 * See Mosheim's EccL Hist. iii. 5G. Also Priestley's ii. 283, 
 whence the bave account is chiefly extracted.
 
 506 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION IV. Account of the convent of the Black 
 Friars, P-reaching Friars, or Dominicans, in Clough 
 JLane, with a Sketch of that famous order. 
 
 Of this convent, (once perhaps inferior to none of the 
 rest, if indeed it did not exceed them all, both in size and 
 magnificence,) nothing is now to be seen but some old 
 walls, -whose thickness and massy appearance seem to 
 indicate that they once sustained a large and sumptuous 
 fabric. Jt was founded, a$ Parkin says, by Thomas 
 (jfedney, who was then, no doubt, a great and leading 
 character in these parts. The above author <^oes not 
 seem to know the e^act time when this convent was 
 built, but it must have been sometime previous to 1272, 
 fqr he assures us that these friars were then here. Indee<J 
 he says also, that they settled here about the time the 
 Grey Friars did, as appears from a writ, Ad quod dean- 
 num, for a fountain or spring granted them in Middle- 
 ton, t>y William, lord Bardolph, called Brokewell, 
 and a certain aqueduct coming from that spring to their 
 convent at Lynn ; (for which he refers to Esch. in Tur- 
 riLond. A? 21, Edw. I. N? 71.) We may therefore 
 fairly conclude, that this convent was built almost, if not 
 Altogether as early as that of the Grey Friars. 
 
 The following is the chief of what that writer has fiyr- 
 ther said, relating to this convent. "Thomas Thorn- 
 don aliened to these friars preachers a piece of land 18 
 feet long and 2.1 broad, in Lenn Episcopi, in the-3d. of 
 Edw. III. In the same year these friars had a patent 
 to enlarge ^heir house here. Simon Parche> alias Tyler, 
 f Watlyngton, Norfolk, wills, iu U42, to be buried
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 507 
 
 in the chancel of the friars preachers, or black friars, of 
 Lyn, and gives to the fabrick, de la stalles in the said 
 chancel, to be now made, 16/. Iteg. Doke, Norw.-- 
 The chapel of St. Catherine, in the church of the friars 
 preachers, mentioned in 1497. Reg. Sayve. Norw. 
 The image of our Lady in the body of the church." * 
 Of this convent, as well as that of the Carmelites, we 
 are also told that an anchorage belonged to it : by which 
 we are probably to understand, a place in the harbour 
 for mooring ships, or a certain duty, payable by the 
 ships there moored to the said convents. The ground 
 in all ports and harbours being considered as the king's, 
 this anchorage may be supposed to have been a grant 
 from the crown to those two orders of friars at Lynn. 
 
 The same writer further informs, us that this convent 
 pf Dominicans was surrendered by the prior and eleven 
 Brethren on the 30th. of Sept. 1539, 30th of Henry 
 VIII. Its site, as we further learn, was granted, about 
 six years after, to John Eyre Esq. with land there in the 
 tenure of John Kempe. This John Ayre, (our author 
 adds) on the dissolution had 37 messuages, 9 gardens, 
 in the tenure of divers persons, given him by the said 
 fcing in his 36th. year, and messuages and tenements 
 called Bishops Stath, and an house called the Steward's 
 Hall, with other messuages and lands here, belonging to 
 the see of Norwich. The site of this convent the said 
 John Eyre conveyed to a priest, from whom it came to 
 
 \ 
 
 * There were then probably several images of the virgin in this town, 
 all much resorted to; but that in her chapel on the mount, and this, 
 
 " might be the chief of them.
 
 508 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Thomas Waters, of - - - , who had Edward Wafers, 
 and a daughter married to George Baker. The said 
 Edward's son in law, Sir Jo^in Bolls, of Scampton, in 
 Lincolnshire, Bt. sold it to one Killingtree, since which 
 time it seems to have passed through a great many hands, 
 The said site at present is thought to be partly the property 
 of the corporation, and partly that of the Carey family. 
 About the garden of the chief mansion of that family 
 are several scattered remains of this ancient edifice. We 
 shall next endeavour to acquaint the reader with the 
 character of that religious order, or fraternity for whose 
 use this convent was originally erected, and in whose 
 occupation it ever after continued. 
 
 The Dominicans, although their settlement at Lynn, 
 was not anterior to that of the Franciscans, yet they ap 
 pear to have found their way to England a good many 
 years before themf for we are told, that Dominic, just 
 before his death, sent Gilbert de Fresney^ with twelve of 
 fhe brethren into England, where they founded their 
 first monastery at Oxford in 1221, and soon after another 
 at London. In the latter place they became in time so 
 popular, and so much in favour with tlie corporation, 
 that, in 1276, the mayor and aldermen, as we are told, 
 gave them two whole streets by the river Thames, where 
 they erected a very commodious convent, whence that 
 place is still called Black-Friars^ for so they were called 
 in this country, * perhaps from the colour of the"habit. 
 
 ' la France they were called Jacobins, from having obtained the 
 liouse of St. Jama, at Paris, for their principal church, or convent ; the 
 jdenticalpiace, it is supposed, which gave the very same name in our 
 time to a certain order of politicians, who used to hold their meeting '
 
 HISTORY OP LYNtf. 600 
 
 They were also called Friars preachers, ot^preacking 
 friars, from preaching beingtheir chief object, employ- 
 ployment, or profession; and Dominicans, from the 
 name of their memorable founder ; an epitome, or out- 
 line of whose history and character we shall here sub- 
 join. It will enable the reader, it is hoped, or, at least^ 
 help him in some measure, to form a pretty correct es- 
 timate of the merits and demerits of these predicant 
 friars; as it may be very confidently and safely expected 
 that they resembled their leader, according to the old 
 adage "Like master like man." 
 
 DOMINIC, commonly called Saint Dominic,tlie father 
 of the Dominicans, was a Spaniard. He was surname^ 
 de Guzman, being descended from an ancient and 
 noble family of that name. Having finished his 
 studies atPalencia 3 he was made canon, and afterwards 
 archdeacon of Osma in Castille, and then professor of 
 Theology at Plac'entia. But this he quitted to go to 
 preach after the' manner of Francis, which he did in 
 several parts 'of Spain, giving proof ia the meaatiflie 
 of great charity towards the poor and afflicted. Coming 
 into France with 1 the bishop of Osma, he greatly dis- 
 tinguished himself by preaching against the Albigenses, 
 and there he formed the design of instituting an order of 
 preachers. Fulk bishop of Thoulouse brought him to 
 the c6uncil of Later cm, in 1215,-thaf he might be ex- 
 amined by the pope. His holiness approving 'of the scheme 
 
 there, ^nd who.seemjo have too raue,hreserabJed their fqrraer ^ 
 
 ed namesakes in the violence and ferociousness of their, tempers and 
 
 proceedings.
 
 510 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 of Dominicj the latter consulted with his followers, when 
 they agreed to adopt the rules of St. Austin, but with 
 several additions; They resolved to have no estate in lands, 
 but only revenues; They were then sixteen in number, 
 and the bishop of Thoulouse gave them their first church 5 
 that of St. Romanus in that city ; and near it he built 
 cloisters, with cells over them$ where they might study 
 and sleep. Pope Honorious III. confirmed the order 
 in 1216, exempting them from paying tithes of their 
 possessions, and ordering that they should depend up- 
 on the diocesan For episcopal functions ; and the prior 
 to be chosen by the free votes of the brethren : so that 
 the Dominicans, at their first institution, were not beg- 
 garS) nor exempt from episcopal jurisdiction, but can- 
 ons regular. 
 
 Next year Dominic sent out his followers in pairs, 
 after choosing a superior, to whom he gave the title of 
 abbot ; but all the succeeding ones were called masters , 
 and the superiors of particular houses priors. He sent 
 four to Spam, four to France, and two more to study 
 there. Hearing of the death of that ferocious and 
 bloody crusader, Simon de Montfort, at the siege of 
 Thoulouse, Dominic went thither to comfort the brethren. 
 Thence, in 1218, he went into Spain, and founded two 
 monasteries, one at Madrid) and the other at Segovia. 
 Thence he went to Paris, where he found thirty breth- 
 ren: thence he proceeded to Bologna, where Arnauld, 
 who joined him at Home, had been very successful, 
 and had formed a large society. Going to Parma, 
 lie there met St. Francis, of whom he seemed to enter-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNff, 511 
 
 tain a very high opinion) when, after conferring to- 
 gether, they agreed not to accept of church livings* 
 which might suggest to Dominic the idea of that pro- 
 fession of poverty which he afterwards imposed upon 
 
 those of his order. * 
 
 3 ft 
 
 * Dominic now proposed to un.te the two orders, but Francis thought 
 it would be better to keep separate, but in perfect harmony ; in which 
 he was probably right, as they would so be likely to act with the greater 
 ttnergy -For some ages these two orders are said to have governed , 
 with an almost absolute and universal sway, both state and church, 
 filled the most eminent posts ecclesiastical and civil, taught in the uni- 
 versities and churches with an authority, before which all opposition 
 wa^silentj and maintained the pretended majesty and prerogatives of 
 the Roman pontiffs against kings, princes, bishops, and heretics, with 
 incredible ardor and equal success. In short, they were before the 
 reformation what the Jesuits have been since, and what many, who 
 wear the mask of religion $ are at this very day, even in protestant states. 
 -Much as Francis and Dominic might wish their two orders to har- 
 monize, and powerfully cooperate, it seems they did not always do so. 
 There were occasionally some disagreements and disputes between them 
 thsm: one of which is said to have happened in 1243. The Dom- 
 inicans insisted "that they wore a more decent dress:' 1 to which the 
 Franciscans replied, "We have for the love of Cod embraced a more 
 austere and humble Hfej and are consequently more holy:" "Yes" 
 (rejoined the others) "it is true that you go barefooted, ill dressed, and 
 girded with a ropti ; but you are Hot forbidden, as we are, to eat flesh 
 
 meat, even in public, and to make good cheer" It is to be feared 
 
 that there have been before now, even between our own protestant 
 sects, in this enlightened country j disputes about points no less unim- 
 portant and frivolous. Another point, of equal moment with the 
 
 former, upon which these two rival orders disagreed, and which occa- 
 sioned the most bitter contention between them, was what is called 
 the immaculate conception of the blessed virgin, or whether she was, or was 
 not born in original sin. The Dominicans took the affirmative, and the 
 Franciscans the negative side in this curious controversy. It was car- 
 ried on with the utmost rancour, for ages, and the most scandalous 
 means were sometimes resorted to, by the respective combatant-?, in 
 order to obtain an advantage over their opponents The religious, or 
 rather the papal world was long divided between those two silly opin- 
 ions, and what is.worse, they were kept in a state of continual animosity, 
 each side looking upon the other with perfect hatred. So usefully au'l 
 commendably did these holy friars employ their time and their talent;, 
 and such benefactors were they to jn%pkir.d !
 
 HISTORY OP LYNW. 
 
 In 1220 he made some new and more rigorous regu- 
 lations respecting the nuns. In the same year he held 
 the first chapter general of his order at Bologna, \vhea 
 it was resolved that the preaching friars should profess 
 perfect poverty, and make that the fundamental prin- 
 ciple of their order. It was now agreed that these chap- 
 ters should be held every year, at Paris and Bologna 
 alternately. At the second chapter general at Bologna 
 eight provincials were chosen to superintend the preach- 
 ers in the eight provinces of Spain, France Lombardy, 
 Romagna, Provence, Germany, Hungary and England. 
 Presently after this, August. 26. 1221, Dominic died 
 in the 51st year of his age. * Lest his order should be 
 hurt by the maxima of worldly prudence, he forbad, 
 under the curse of God and his own, the introduction 
 of temporal possessions into the order. The second 
 year after his death he was canoni~ed y and so reached the 
 very summit of ecclesiastical dignity and fame. 
 
 These preaching friars, as "we are told, were so zealous 
 at the first, and considered preaching as so essential to> 
 their institution, that they were not satisfied if they did 
 not exhort some, at least one person, every day. 
 
 * It is even Said that he died -with great marks of piety : If so, it is to 
 be hoped that one of those marks was that of repentance, or deep con- 
 trition for his many unworthy deeds j for it is certain that he had been, 
 in no small degree, a violent man , and a man of blood. He was the 
 father even of the horrid inquisition, an exciter of murderous cru- 
 sades against pretended heretics, and a prime abettor of the shocking 
 barbarities excercised on the hapless Albigenses. If he really repent- 
 ed of these execrable misdeeds, hejnust have made a more hopeful exit 
 than the renowried reformer of Geneva, live premeditated murderer of 
 Servetus appears to hare done.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNtt. 
 
 Each of them carried with him a copy of the gospel 
 of Matthew, and of the seven canonical epistles, ac- 
 cording to the express order of Dominic : but that could 
 redound to the credit of neither him nor them, while 
 they lived in open violation of the most important pre- 
 cepts and the very spirit of those sacred writings. Had 
 they made them, indeed, the ground of their religion, 
 and the rule or guide of their lives, they would have 
 been a blessing to the world in their day, and their 
 memory would have heen revered by all good men, to 
 the latest posterity. But they preferred their own rule 
 to that of the New Testatment, and the persecuting and 
 murderous ferocity of Dominic to the forbearance and 
 meekness of Christ, and so became the oppressors in - 
 stead of the benefactors of their species. In short we 
 know not of any material benefit which the former in- 
 -habitants of this town derived from the Glough Lane con- 
 vent, * or the incessant labours of its preaching iriars. 
 .The reader however, on this point, as well as all others, 
 must judge for himself. 
 
 SECTION V. Account of the Convent of the Austin 
 Friars, or Hermits of the order of St. Augustin, in 
 flagman's Lane, or Ilopmari's Way^ now St. Austins 
 Street , with a sketch of that religious order. 
 
 This house must have been once a large, respectable, 
 
 .* There is still what may be called a convent in Clongh Lane, and 
 even a convent of preaching brethien, but of a very different sort from 
 the former, and whose labours, it is hoped, have been of very material 
 aud extensive benefit to a large portion of the community.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 and stately edifice, inferior to none, and in some respects 
 superior to most, and probably to all others in this town; 
 especially in point of fitness for the accomodation of il- 
 lustrious personages, or those of princely dignity, who 
 rhight happen to come this way, It accordingly became 
 the abode, or place of residence of the king and queen, 
 the prince of Wales, the king's mother, and the royal 
 retinue, during their visit or stay here iu 1498. Had 
 there been any other house then in the town better 
 Adapted for their reception, it would, no doubt, have 
 been chosen in preference, or instead of this, on so 
 unusual and important an occasion. But however 
 commodious, respectable, or stately a structure, this 
 Augustiniai} convent then was, it has long ago dis* 
 appeared, and not a stone of it has been left upon 
 another. A gateway, or the arch of a gateway, filled 
 up with brick, but once, perhaps, the principal en- 
 trance into the hallowed premises, is all that now re-* 
 mains, or is recognised as having ever belonged to it. 
 Thus our firmest fabrics, though they may endure for 
 ages, are doomed to perish like t tlie very mortals by 
 whose hands they were constructed. 
 
 Parkin says that the Augustin friars settled here in 
 the beginning of Edward the First's reign, as appears 
 by a writ Ad quod damnum, for a messuage in Lynn, 
 granted by Margaret de Southmere to them. Inquis, 
 22. Ed. I. in turn Lond. N. 112. He also adds, 
 that they had a patent granted them by Edward II. in 
 his 4th. year, for purchasing, of Thomas Lexham, one 
 jnessuage contiguous and adjoining, for the enlarge-
 
 HISTORY OF YHtf. 515 
 
 mcnt of their manse or house. Pat. 4th. Ed. II. pt. 
 ^. in. 14. He further says, that Licence was granted 
 by Ed. HI. to Thomas Drew, William Bitering, John 
 de Couteshale, and John Drew of Lenn Bishop, that 
 Ihey might give and assign five rnessuages in Lenne, ad- 
 joining to the manse of the prior and brethren of her- 
 mits of the order of St. Augnstin of Lenn, to the said 
 prior, &p. for the enlargement of their manse, on con- 
 dition that the reverend father, Thomas, bishop of 
 Norwich, of whom the said messuages are held, will 
 grant his licence to the said prior, &c. And the said 
 king gave licence to Robert da Cokesford, Agnes his 
 wife, and to Richard de Houton and Alice his wife, 
 that they may give one messuage in Lynn, (not held of 
 us, as appears by the inquisitiofi of Roger de Wolfre- 
 ton, escheator of Norfolk) to the bishop and his succeS- 
 sors, on the same condition of granting licence to the 
 prior, &c. of receiving the said five messuages of Tho- 
 mas Drew, &c.^ Teste Rege, dated at Westminster, 6. 
 May. 38. Edw. III. The bishop's licence was soon. 
 after obtained, dated 1. July following. 
 
 In the 6th. of Richard II. these friars had a patent 
 for a certain aqueduct, to be made by them from Gay- 
 wode. In the 7th. Henry IV. they had a patent to 
 enlarge their manse: and in the 1st. Henry V. a patent 
 for certain messuages granted to them. For each of 
 these particulars Parkin refers, to his authorities ; the 
 insertion of which here seems needless. He also asserts 
 on the authorities of Bale and Holinshed, that in the 
 last mentioned reign, William Wcllys, or Wallys, was
 
 516 HISTORY OF LYXV. 
 
 a monk here, a learned man, and general of the order, 
 who wrote many books, (which he does not name,) and 
 died in 1421. It seems therefore thai leaniino- was not 
 
 o 
 
 entirely neglected here among our Auslin friars, and 
 that they had at least one learned man in their fraternity. 
 
 Our author further informs us, that this house was 
 surrendered 30th. Sept. 1539, 30th. of Henry VIII. by 
 the prior and 4 brethren:" if so they must have been 
 then reduced below their wonted number. But i breth- 
 ren is probably a mistake for 14. which is the number 
 given by Burnet in his history of the reformation, and 
 other authorities. About 6 years after the above date, 
 this house was granted to John Ayre, who conveyed 
 it to a priest, who sold it to Shavington, a bastard, who 
 by will gave it to - - - Waters, who d^ ing without 
 issue it reverted to Shavington's heir ; John Dile- 
 field afterwards had it, and his son John gave it in mar- 
 riage to Thomasine his sisier, married to Christopher 
 Puckering, brother to the lord keeper of that name, and 
 they sold it to John Lease, who pulled it down, and sold 
 the stones and the ground to divers persons : so that it 
 seems to have stood a good while after the dissolution, 
 -and passed through a great many hands. Its site is at 
 present partly the property of Martin Folkes Rishton, 
 Esq. Joseph Lawrence Esq. and Mr. Thomas Mar- 
 shall. For the most part it is now garden ground. 
 *<* ; .; ;., .c , 
 
 It wastothis very order of mendicants, the Austin friars, 
 or monks, or Augustinian Eremites, as they are some- 
 times called, that the famous Martin Luther belqngcd
 
 HISTORY OF LYNNV 517. 
 
 before lie quitted the church of Rome, and when he 
 began to oppose the papal corruptions : and it is sup- 
 posed not to have been then quite so bad or depraved, as 
 some of the other mendicant orders, particularly thjs 
 Dominicans and Franciscans. However that was, it 
 was, no doubt, bad enough, even in the opinion of Lu- 
 ther himself, for he soon withdrew from it, as well as 
 from all mariner of connection with the Romish church. 
 It is to be wished it could also be said, that he and all 
 other descriptions of protestants took special care when 
 they renounced popery, to retain none of its enslaving 
 and persecuting spirit. Most of them, however, quite 
 forgot to do that, and so retained and cfierished in their 
 bosoms the very worst part of the religion they had 
 renounced. 
 
 As io the religious order now under 'consideration, 
 the Austin friars, or Hermits of St. Augustin,we are 
 told that they had for their founder, pope Alexander IV. 
 who, observing that the Hermits were divided into se- 
 veral societies, some of which followed the maxims of 
 the famous William, others the rule of Sf. Augustin, 
 while others again were distinguished by ditferent deno- 
 minations, formed the project of uniting them all into 
 one religious order, and subjecting them to the same rule 
 of discipline, even that Avhich bears the Dame of S<. 
 Augustin. This project, we are told, was put in ex- 
 ecution in 1526 : * so that this order is somewhat young- 
 er, or of later origin than any of the other orders of 
 mendicants ; though not much later than the two pre- 
 
 Mosheim as before, vol 3.
 
 518 HISTOUV OF 
 
 ceding ones, for all the three sprung up within the same 
 century. What good or benefit the former inhabitants 
 tyf Lynrt might derive from, the erection of this convent 
 in their town, or from the exertions of the Austin Friars 
 among them, is a question which the present writer is 
 not fully prepared to answer. The reader, as in the 
 former cases, is left to think and judge for himself, as 
 he has an undoubted right to do* But whatever good 
 or ill, advantage or disadvantage, benefit or detriment 
 might accrue to the inhabitants from the residence of the 
 said four orders of friars among 1 them, their convents, 
 unquestionably, must have contributed not a little to give 
 additional grandeur and respectability to the appearance 
 of the town. Four large and stately monasteries, with 
 their lofty towers, ranged along the whole town from 
 south to north, must have given Lynn an appearance, 
 especially from the country, very different, and far su* 
 perior to what it can boast of at present. In short, we 
 may safely say, that it must have appeared before the 
 reformation^ from the circumstances just alluded to, as 
 a place of at least double the size and double the con- 
 sequence that it has done since that period* After all, 
 it is not meant here to disparage the reformation, or to 
 suggest that it did not prove beneficial to Lynn, as well 
 as to the kingdom at large.-^-It is only meant to assert, 
 that this town, from the great size and number of its 
 monasteries and other religious houses^ must have made 
 a very different, and far more splendid appearance be- 
 fore the reformation, than it has done since. But we 
 will here drop the subject, and conclude the present 
 section*
 
 HISTORY OF LYJ^N. 519 
 
 SEOTJON.VI. Of the Friars de Penitentia, or bro* 
 thers of repentance^ and their Convent also the College 
 of Priests^with the Hospital and Church of St. John 
 in this town* 
 
 It seems remarkable that out o. 1148 monasteries and 
 religious houses, seized upon by the 'sovereign and sup- 
 pressed at the general dissolution, no less than 79 were 
 in Norfolk, and 10 of them in this town alone ; which 
 must be a large proportion of those of the county, and 
 still larger of those of the whole kingdom. Norfolk 
 was also distinguished, and is so still, for its number of 
 parishes, exceeding that of any other county, even of 
 Yorkshire, though four times its size. This supera- 
 bundance of parishes and convents, &c. seems to indi- 
 cate that its inhabitants were formerly of an uncommonly 
 devout and religious, or at least superstitious and sanc- 
 timonious cast : which character may be supposed to 
 have belonged to the people of Lynn as much as to any 
 of the rest. At present a very large proportion of the? 
 inhabitants of Norfolk, especially in country places, are 
 exceedingly ignorant, boorish and heathenish. Nor do 
 the generality of the established clergy appear to give 
 themselves the least concern about this, or express any 
 serious desire to promote the conversion and civilization 
 of their poor neighbours. The dissenters, and particu- 
 larly those of them called methodists, have done already 
 far more in this way than the whole body of the national 
 or parochial priesthood: and they are continually en- 
 larging their scale of operation, and extending their la- 
 bours, with great effect, to the most retired and obscure 
 3 a
 
 520 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 places, where the divine power of the Gospel and (lie 
 happy influence ot its*moral precepts were hardly ever 
 before -felt or experienced. 
 
 . Of the ten housds suppressed in this town at the ge- 
 neral dissolution, o/u r is said to belong to ilic friars de 
 Pemtcntia. This religious order appears to have sprung 
 up in lite same century with the proceeding ones ; for 
 we are told that it was instituted in 1221, by the famous 
 St. Anthony of Padua, who was born at Lisbon, in 
 1195", and whose original name was Ferrand. After 
 going through his studies with reputation, he entered into 
 a monastery of canons regular, of the order of St. Aus- 
 tin, where lie continued two years ; when, for the sake 
 of greater solitude, he retired with the leave of his su- 
 perior to Coimbra, where he distinguished himself by 
 his exposition of the scriptures. At this time St. Fran- 
 cis was liying, and some of his order having suffered 
 martyrdom, in consequence of undertaking to preach 
 to the Mahometans in Africa, they were so much cele- 
 brated on that account, that it excited in Ferrand, as 
 well as many others, an ardent desire to follow their ex- 
 ample, though they should share the same fate. With 
 the leave of his superior, he therefore joined this new 
 society ; and entering one of their monasteries, called 
 that of St. Anthony, he took their habit and assumed 
 their name.'' 
 
 -.iy . :-r 3?j 
 
 Presently after this, his zeal actually carried him to 
 \&loft; but he was obliged to return, in consequence of 
 a disease with which he was seized upon the coast ; but
 
 HISTORY OF LYtftf. 521 
 
 was driven by a tempest to Sicily, where bearing of a 
 general chapter of his order being to be held at Assist 
 in Italy, he repaired to it. Tho' he was then little 
 known, tire provincial of Jiis order was so much pleased 
 with his appearance, that he took him with him, and 
 placed him in a convent called the mount of St. Paul: 
 After some months, his superiors procured him holy 
 orders, and sent him, together with some other priests/ 
 to For!i, where he distinguished himself by his pr'eacH- 
 ing. Being greatly concerned at the progress of heresy 
 iheft in the northern parts of Italy, in order the better 
 ;to prepare himself for encountering the heretics, he 
 .went through a course of theology at Vercelli, under a 
 famous doctor there ; but he soon surpassed him in 
 knowledge, and was thought equal to any undertaking. 
 
 Being sent by his superiors to undertake the office af 
 guardian to Limiges in France, in order to the conver- 
 sion of the heretics in that place, it happened at one 
 time, that his business as a preacher required him to 
 be in one place, and his office of guardian in another,: 
 and this was the occasion of the first of the many mira- 
 cles that his historian ascribes to him, and it was o a 
 very singular kind: for.it is asserted that he was ac- 
 tually in both places at the same .time. After an earn- 
 est prayer for this purpose, he without leaving the pulpU 
 in which he was preaching on a good friday, appeared 
 in the choir, and sung the lesson which was his part of 
 the service there. At Montpcllier also, he once preach- 
 ed in the dome at the same- time' that he was singing 
 
 3R 
 e /> .
 
 532 HISTOfcYiOF LYNN. 
 
 faallclujah in the choir of the church. After this his 
 whole life seems to have consisted of little more than a 
 series of miracles, and many of them of quite an origu 
 nal and extraordinary kind ; so that it must have re- 
 quired much ingenuity to devise them. * Some of them 
 may be here inserted by way of sample, and to enable 
 the reader to judge of the probable effect or consequence 
 of the settlement of Anthony's disciples, the fi'iws de 
 Penitentia, in this town. 
 
 \Vhen Anthony was at one time preaching in a tem- 
 porary build.ing, constructed of wood, he apprized hU 
 audience that the devil was about to terrify and hurt 
 (hem, but that no harm would eventually happen to, 
 any of them. Accordingly while he was preaching, 
 the devil untied the ropes by which the boards were 
 held together, so that the whole erection came dowiu 
 But when it might have been expected that many of the 
 persons assembled would have been crushed to death, or 
 at least maimed, not one of them was found to have re- 
 ceived the smallest hurt! -Another time a pious wo- 
 man, much attached to Anthony, who had a son of a 
 reprobate character, when she was attending one of his 
 sermons the devil came in the form of a courier, and 
 delivering a letter informed her that her son was dead, 
 fhis news threw her, and the audience in general, into 
 such disorder, that the congregation was breaking up ; 
 when Anthony cried out that the news was not true, that 
 it was the devil that had brought it, and that the young 
 man was alive, as they would soon be convinced j ac\ 
 Priestley's Gen. Hist. Christian Church, vol. in
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 cordingly, while he was speaking he entered the place^ 
 and the devil absconded." 
 
 Something more extraordinary than any ofthepre- 
 ceding miracles, was exhibited at Rome. For being 
 required by the pope to preach to a congregatian, con 
 sisting of people of very different countries, assembled 
 for a crusade, they all heard him speak in their different 
 languages, though he spoke in Italian only. But the 
 astonishing miracle exhibited at Rimini, contributed 
 more to the fame of Anthony than all his other miracles. 
 Preaching in that city, which abounded with heretics, 
 and the people refusing to hear him, he went to the sea 
 side, followed by a great crowd j when, the sea being 
 remarkably calm, he addressed himself to the fishes; say- 
 ing, " Since men will not hear me, come you and heark- 
 en to what God will tell you by me." Immediately on 
 this the sea was covered with the heads of fishes, which 
 with open mouths fixed their eyes on him ; and notwith* 
 standing their hostility to each other, they mildly and 
 humbly (as it is said) without moving their fias, or 
 making the least motion in the water, attended to him. 
 After a discourse of some length, he exhorted them to 
 praise God 5 and since they could not do it in words 
 shew some visible signs of reverence. On this they all 
 Ijowed their heads, moving them very gently, and with 
 gestures expressive of humility and devotion, acknow- 
 ledged their obligation to. God, and signified their ap- 
 probation of what had been addressed to them. Tho 
 spectators greatly amazed (and wellthey might; for who 
 avoid it ?) looked sometimes ou the fi*hes, and
 
 52$ HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 sometimes on the preacher ; and being reproved by him 
 for their infidelity, thus upbraided hy the mute fishes, 
 they fell on their knees, asking his pardon, and pro- 
 raising to live and die in the catholic faith. He then 
 pronounced a blessing, both on the men and the fishes, 
 and, they departed with great joy. | 
 
 Such were some of the numerous miracles which An- 
 thony is said to have worked in his lifetime, exclusive 
 6f others said to have been wrought afterwards at his 
 grave, and which were perhaps no fewer. Of those 
 who have heard of these mighty and wonderful works of 
 Anthony, the far greater part in all ages, even to the 
 present day, have believed the report, and admitted 
 (he reality of the miracles: which, ho,wever, will not 
 establish the" fact, that they were actually performed, 
 any more than the faith of the mahometans in .the al- 
 ledged 'miracles of their pretended prophet will establish 
 that fact, or prove that the miracles ascribed to him 
 did really take place. In each case we have a sad 
 Specimen of that easy and miserable credulity by which, 
 poor human nature has often most wretchedly disgraced 
 herself, and unintentionally aided the cause and tri- 
 umphs of imposture. Nor will it follow from the 'abun- 
 dance of false miracles that have been heard of, or be- 
 
 j ... ' .j 
 cause the world has been so often imposed upon by them, 
 
 that there never have been any real ones: on the coi\ 
 trary, all counterfeits seem invariably to imply the ex- 
 istence of what is real and genuine ; and that, it is pre- 
 sumed,' may be proved to be the case here. But this is 
 hot a place to enter largely upon this subject. 
 
 tt J v See Priestley as before. - -'
 
 H I T O R Y OF LY S. ' 525 
 
 Anthony had bean 'some years among the Francis- 
 cans before he instituted the order de Penitantia, which 
 was in 1221, when he also fixed at Padua, where he 
 Sometimes preached in the open air to 30,000 persons, 
 who came to hear him from all the neighbouring towns. 
 His discourses, it is said, had a wonderful effect in 
 converting prostitutes, delivering prisoners, reconci- 
 ling enemies, procuring restitution of usury, remission 
 of debts, &c. He was indefatigable, and preached 
 everyday. Many persons expressing a desire to em- 
 brace the order, he was unwilling to dissolve so many 
 regular marriages, and dispeople the country: he there- 
 Core gave them a rule, according to which they might 
 serve God in a similar manner in their houses, living 
 in some measure like monks, but without austerity. 
 This is the substance of what we have learnt about this 
 order. He died in th'e year above mentioned at the age 
 of 36, and was canonized the next year. We are told 
 that he was ten years among the Franciscans, if indeed 
 it can be said that he afterwards properly quitted them 
 for the friars de Penitentia are accounted a 3rd. order 
 of Franciscans., * We are told that they settled at Lynn 
 before the 5th. of Edward I. and that their house 
 here was dissolved by Henry VIII. t but where it stood 
 cannot now be ascertained. Parkin seemed inclined to 
 indentify it with the well known convent of the Grey 
 Friars, but that idea or supposition seems not at ail ad- 
 missible, as our apparently most accurate accounts of 
 the religious Houses dissolved here represent that of the 
 friars of this order as quite distinct from the said con-vent. 
 
 ,.'. * Friestlqy, 2. and 1. f Beauties of England, vol. si.
 
 526 ttisTO&Y OF 
 
 and this seems corroborated by Parkin's own assertion, 
 that <{ in 1307, Roger Flegg was vitar general of the 
 order of friars de Penitentia in England at Lenne." 
 From the peculiar constitution of this order it seems ra- 
 ther probable that its houses or convents might be neither 
 so large nor yet so numerous as those of most of the other 
 orders. As that at Lynn might be but small, there may 
 not be much reason to wonder that its site is not now 
 discoverable ; that l)eing also the case with some others of 
 our smaller religious houses. \V ith all its profound and 
 extravagant reverence for its founder, St. Anthony, 
 and its unlimited credulity, or faith in his pretended 
 miracles, this does not appear to be the worst of the popish 
 orders, but rather one of the better sort of them, as 
 it seemed earnestly to set its face against many of the pre- 
 vailing vices of the times, which must have somewhat 
 checked the progress of immmorality and licentious- 
 ness These friars might therefore be of some use here: 
 but if they were so, and did some good, in partially 
 checking the progress of vice and immorality, is it not 
 tilso to be feared, on the other hand, that they did no 
 less, or rather much more harm, in checking likewise 
 the progress of virtue and true religion, and promoting 
 to the utmost of their power an intolerant, persecuting, 
 and antichristian spirit? * That such was really the fact 
 
 J Parkin, 152. 
 
 * Very few, perhaps, if any, could be named of our religious orders, 
 or Christian sects but what have done some good in the world, and at 
 few, probably, that have not also done harm. In estimating the cha- 
 racter of a religious order, sect, or party, we are apt, as it is very na- 
 tural, to set the one against the other : in doing which it too often 
 becomes a matter of doubt, which of the two, the good or the harm, 
 preponderates, or exceeds in quantity. When that happens, which
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 527 
 
 seems unquestionable; so that these friars had little 
 room to boast of their good doings. But we will now 
 quit them, and proceed to 
 
 The COLLEGE, This edifice stands near the Town 
 Hall, and is now inhabited by Mr. Toosey, a respec- 
 table merchant. Jt is by far the most entire, and best 
 preserved of all the religious houses that were here dis? 
 solved : and were popery again to become predominant 
 among us, this fabrick might be very easily converted 
 or restored to its original use. Parkin gives of it a very 
 odd and confused account, as if it had been a part of 
 the Priory, though somewhat detached from it <'The 
 Cell, or college of priests (says he) was near the Guild 
 
 is much less seldom than one could wish, it is a sad and painful case. 
 In our own country, at this time, the diversity of religious seels and 
 parties is very great. Some of them are vastly popular, and others 
 otherwise. Much do we daily hear of the exemplary zeal, and the 
 laudable, persevering, and successful exertions of those who assume 
 the name of orthodox and evangelical, both in the establishment and out 
 of it. These reports seem generally well founded. Much goo-f t no 
 doubt, has been done : and we may venture to add, much harm also, 
 The great error of these zealous religionists lies in their spirit, or ra- 
 ther in their not knowing what manner of spirit they are of, which U 
 evidently not the spirit of Christ. All who cannot pronounce their 
 Shibbolethy they teach their converts to view with an evil eye: and all who 
 go about to do good in the name of Christ, they are sure to forbid or 
 revile, and so render all their benevolent endeavours useless, as far as 
 lies in them, // they follow them not, or are not of their party. They 
 may perhaps plead apostolical example, but it is not countenanced, but 
 expressly condemned by Christ, who enjoins a very different sort of 
 conduct. Until they therefore think proper to comply with that in- 
 junction of his, they will have no reason to boast of the excellence, or 
 evangelicainess of their spirit, [see Mark 9. 39. Luke 9. 50 ] All religi- 
 ous sects and parties, would do well to consider, that the spirit they arc 
 of, is what always forms the most important and decisive part of their 
 character. More of this when we come to the present religious 
 of Lyno .
 
 JIISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 hall, and the prior's house was somewhat remote from it, 
 by St. Margaret's Church." It does not seem, however, 
 that it had in fact any connection with the said priory: 
 and it is certainly a place of much later erection ; pro- 
 bably by no less than 3 or 400 years. Mackerel! also 
 takes some slight notice of it, and Says, "Not far from 
 the church was a certain college, founded by Mr. 
 Thomas Thorisby, as by the inscription carved upon 
 the door still remain ..... Magistri Thome Tho- 
 risby, Tundatoris hujus loci." This Thomas Thorisby, 
 the munificent founder of this college, was one of the 
 great men of Lynn in the latter part of the 15th. cen- 
 tury, and for sometime after, as appears from our lists 
 of Mayors, among whom his name occurs three dif- 
 ferent times; 1st. in 1477, again in 1482, and lastly 
 in 1502. That he was a magistrate of a serious and 
 religious character, seems to admit of no doubt; but 
 how many of his successors, including those of the pre- 
 sent day, have thought the better of him for that, is a 
 question that appears involved in no small uncertainty. 
 The College is said to have been founded about the 
 year 1500, and it was dissolved about 30 years after, 
 so that it was not long appropriated to the use for which 
 it was designed by the founder. It does not appear to 
 whom it went at the dissolution, nor do we know 
 through how many hands, or how many different fa- 
 milies it has passed, from that to the present time. Lat- 
 terly, and for many years, it has been the residence 
 successively of some of our principal mercantile families, 
 without any material change in its external appearance. 
 Of its original constitution we have not obtained any
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 529 
 
 particular information, and the above being the sub- 
 stance of what we have learnt concerning it, our ac- 
 count of it must be here closed. 
 
 Another House, suppressed here at the general disso- 
 lution, was St. John's Hospital: of which the infor- 
 mation we have been able to obtain is very imperfect and 
 scanty. Its very site, like that of the friars de Peni- 
 tent ia, seems no longer discoverable; and yet it was evi- 
 dently, in its day, a place of some note and consequence 
 here, and Jiad -a chapel, or church, as it is usually 
 called, attached to it. Fox, the martyrologist, mentions 
 St. John's church, or the church of the Hospital of 
 St. John, in this town, as one of the places where the 
 memorable Sir William Sautrc, parish priest of St. 
 Margaret's, when taken up for heresy in the reign of 
 Henry IV. was obliged to read his recantation. Parkin 
 takes very little notice of it, except quoting what Fox 
 had said: and the same is the case with Mackerett, with 
 this slight difference, that he in one place hazards a 
 a conjecture, that the site of this church was the same 
 with that of the old grammar school, which was taken 
 down some years ago. But if the church stood there, 
 the hospital itself must also, in all probability, have 
 stood close by, if not contiguous; and that seems not 
 very likely, in so confined a situation. We know of 
 no existing record that any wav corroborates this con- 
 jecture, unless it be a hint in our tables of memorable 
 events, * 'That in the year 1506, St. Margaret's church 
 was suspended, and the christenings were performed 
 3 T 2
 
 530 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 in the charnel belonging to St. John's chapel:" but it 
 seems too vague and obscur6 to establish the point. It 
 is indeed very clear and certain that there did exist here 
 formerly the Hospital and church of St. John, and that 
 they were suppressed at the general dissolution, but as 
 we know no more about them^ we must here dismiss tha 
 subject. * 
 
 SECTION Til. Account of St. Mary Magdalen's 
 Hospital, the Lazaf Houses , St. Lawrence's Hos* 
 fie. 
 
 The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen was one of the 
 most ancient of those religious houses that were sup- 
 pressed here by Henry VIII. It is said to have been 
 founded by Petrus Capellanus, in the reign of King Ste- 
 phen, in honour of St. Mary Magdalen. It consisted 
 Of a prior and twelve brethren and sisters; of whom 
 ten, including the pi ior were sound, and three unsound, 
 or leprous ; some ecclesiastical^ and some secular ; who 
 were bound to perform rites and prayers for the souls 
 of certain men who had departed this life, viz. for the 
 soul of Petrus Capellanus their founder, the souls of 
 jiopes, bishops, abtSft's, priors, kings, queens^ and 
 others, their benefactors; as appears by their ancient 
 book of obiils and Orisons, and by the ancient instru- 
 ment of articles, which the brethren and sisters were 
 bound to observe: and all ; or most of the lands given to
 
 HISfOftY OF'lYNlf. 531 
 
 the said hospital were for the maintaining of prayers 
 for the dead, as appears by divers deeds and charters, 
 without date, of the first donations of those lands. * 
 
 In Mr. King's MS. volume there is a larger account 
 of this ancL-nt hospital than has been given by Macke- 
 rell and Parkin. We have there the ancient instrument 
 of articles, or the fundamental rules of the fraternity, 
 in latin, under XVIII heads: annexed to which is the 
 following account "This Instrument of Articles wa 
 made in the year that Petrus Capcllanus died [A. D. 
 1174. ; and himself consented, with the two archbishops, 
 for ordaining the same." Then follows what has been 
 given by Mackerell, that "this ancient hospital con- 
 tinued in a prosperous state from its first foundation 
 about 400 years. But after the statute of 1st* Edward 
 VI was made, for dissolving all colleges, chauntries 
 fraternities, &c. this, with the lands &c. came to, 
 and were invested in the crown, by the said statute. 
 The fraternity, however, was not then broke up or dis- 
 persed, and might, perhaps, have been still continued, 
 but for the breaking out of what is called Kett's rebellion. 
 A party of the rebels were encamped at Rising: and 
 they attacked Lynn, in hopes of surprising it, but be- 
 ing repulsed and disappointed, they, on their return, fell 
 upon this hospital, "which they violently entered, and 
 not only robbed the poor people there, and expelled 
 them out of the house, but took away all their common 
 stock, and rased their chapel and most part of the 
 buildings there down to the ground: by means of which 
 
 * See Mackerell> 194. -and Parkin, 146,
 
 532 HISTORY OF LYTSN. 
 
 barbarous usage, the said hospital was so impoverished, 
 wasted, and spoiled, that from thence forward it AY as 
 quite destitute of brethren and sisters, and utterly re- 
 linquished, saving that the mayor and burg-esses of 
 Lynn maintained some poor people there, and endea- 
 Toured to uphold the said ancient hospital, out of their 
 charitable disposition, for the purposes aforesaid." * 
 
 "Nevertheless (says the author of the MS. account) 
 some covetous persons, taking advantage of the depres- 
 sed state of the said hospital, procured divers letters 
 patents of concealment, from the crown ; some of the site 
 of the same, and some of other parcels of the lands and 
 possessions belonging to the said hospital, intending to 
 convert them to their own private lucre. But the said 
 mayor and burgesses, (still having a great care that 
 the said lands and possessions should be preserved for 
 charitable uses) did purchase of some of the concealers 
 the site of the said hospital, and a great part of the 
 lands thereunto belonging, and at their great costs and 
 charges supported and defended the same against all 
 other concealers and their agents, purposing always to 
 erect anew the said hospital, and employ the revenues 
 thereof for the sustentation of poor people. 
 
 "But finding both by the advice of the king's councill 
 [counsel] and their own, that all the said patents of con- 
 cealment were defective and utterly void in law, through 
 many imperfections therein, and that (notwithstanding 
 the said patents) the scite of the said hospital and the 
 
 * Mr. King's MS. also Mackerell, 195>
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 533 
 
 lands and possessions thereof still remained in the crown 
 therefore they made humble suit to the king's majesty 
 [James I.] fur a grant thereof, and, of his Highness' 
 gracious favour and pious inclination to works of cha- 
 rity, they obtained Letters Patents of grant unto the 
 mayor and aldermen, as well of the scite of the said 
 hospital, as also of the lands, &c. thereunto belonging, 
 who by the same are created governors thereof, and 
 made a body corporate for the defence and maintenance 
 of the said hospital new founded by his majestic." [An. 
 abridgement of those Letters Patents, transcribed from 
 the latin copy, is here subjoined, aud is as follows, -)fo 
 
 Till Irj^rj *"(! ^r?!f!> fmn 
 "JAMES by the grace of God king of England, &c. 
 
 to all to whom these Letters shall come, greeting, &c 
 
 Whereas a certain ancient Hospital or Almshouse was 
 founded and erected in Gay wood, called the House or 
 Hospital of St. Mary -Magdalen And whereas divers 
 lands, tenements, and hereditaments, were given and 
 granted for the maintenance and relief of divers poor and 
 needy men and women therein for ever And we being iin 
 formed, that certain evil minded men, covetously pursu- 
 ing their own private lucre, have endeavoured utterly la 
 demolish the state of the said Hospital, pretending some 
 defect in the foundation thereof, or that the same have 
 been dissolved We favouring the sustenlation of the 
 poor, and such like charitable deeds, do of our special 
 grace, for us, our heirs and successors, grant all that 
 right, title, &c. which we have or might have in the 
 premises, fully and graciously to be conferred and ex- 
 tended towards the establishment of the said Hospital,
 
 534 HISTORY OF LYNJf. 
 
 for poor and infirm men and women to dwell therein: 
 and for the causes aforesaid the same shall for ever here- 
 after be called by the name of The Hospital of St. Mary 
 Magdalen, of the foundation of king James, consis- 
 ting of a Master and Warden and 10, 0, 8, 7, 6, of 
 5 poor needy men and women, who shall likewise be 
 called, The Brethren and Sisters of the said Hospital, 
 from henceforth for ever. And for the more effectual 
 performance of this our grant on our part, We have 
 chosen nominated and appointed our well beloved Peter 
 Tudmanto be the first and present warden, or roaster of 
 the said hospital, and to continue in the said office for 
 aud during his natural life, unless for some default, 
 trespass, misdemeanor, &c. omitted or committed by 
 him, contrary to the constitutions or ordinances hereafter 
 to be made and ordained, he shall be from thence re- 
 moved, And moreover out of our own especial grace, 
 certain knowledge, and mere motion, We have also 
 chosen, nominated, &c. our well beloved John Tilney 
 and Avis his wife, Isabel wife of the said Peter Tudman, 
 John Pillow, Alice Briggs, and William Mason, to 
 be the first and present brethren and sisters of the said 
 hospital, there to be relieved and maintained during 
 their natural lives, unless for some fault or misdemeanor 
 they shall from thence be rpmoved. 
 
 that this our pious and charitable intention 
 may^take the better effect, and that the lands, tenements, 
 goods and chattels, and hereditaments, towards the main- 
 tenance of the said hospital and the warden or master, 
 and the poor brethren and sisters &c. may the more
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 535 
 
 effectually be given, granted, enjoyed, possessed and dis- 
 posed, "We will, and by these Letters Patents for us 
 our heirs and successors of our like special grace &c. 
 do grant ordain and constitute that the Mayor of our 
 Burgh of King's Lynn that now is, or hereafter shall 
 be, and all the aldermen that now are or hereafter shall 
 be, shall from henceforth forever be our Body corporate 
 and polilique,in deed, fact, and name, by the title of The 
 Governors of the lands, tenements, revenues, posses- 
 sions, and hereditaments of the Hospital of St. Mary 
 Magdalen upon the Cawsey between Lynn regis and 
 Gay wood, of the foundation of James king of England, 
 &c. -And by the said name of Governor.*, &c. to be 
 always hereafter so called, termed, and nominated, for 
 ever: and by the same to have perpetual succession, 
 and to be both able and capable in law to obtain, re- 
 ceive, have, and possess the manors, lands, tenements, 
 meadows, pastures, feedings, rents, reversions, re- 
 mainders, and all other heredit-iments whatsoever, to 
 them and their successors for ever, as well from us our 
 heirs, &c. as from any person or persons whatsoever; 
 as also ail goods and chattels for the maintenance and re- 
 lief ot the said hospital, the warden or master, and 
 Ihe poor brethren and sisters which shall, from time to 
 time, live and be sustained therein. And we do like- 
 wise by these presents for us and our heirs &c. grant 
 unto them and their successors to have a common seal 
 for all matters and businesses concerning the said hos- 
 pital &c And that they by the name aforesaid may 
 sue and be sued, answer and be answered iu any of his 
 
 3 v
 
 536 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 majesty's courts or elsewhere -within this kingdom of 
 England. 
 
 <c And we will thai whensoever it shall happen, that? 
 the said master or any of the said 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, or 5 
 of the brethren shall die or be removed, it shall and may 
 be lawful for the said governors (whereof the mayor to 
 be always one) within 20 days after, to choose another 
 in their room And we will and grant that the said War- 
 den or Master and his successors shall take his corporal 
 oath on the evangelists for the due performance of his 
 office, before the mayor for the time being, in the Guild- 
 hall of the said Burgh And we will and grant that the 
 said governors, or the greatest part of them (whereof 
 the mayor to be always one) and their successors with 
 the assent and consent of the bishop of Norwich for the 
 time being, may make and constitute such and so many 
 good and wholesome statutes, laws, &c. in writing, as 
 well concerning the celebration of divine service every 
 day in the said hospital to the honour of God, as for the 
 government, election, expulsion, punishment and di- 
 rection of the said master and poor there, and also con- 
 cerning their stipends, salaries, liveries, habits, and 
 all other necessaries whatsoever, as also concerning the 
 ordinary, preservation, and disposing of all the lands, 
 tenements c. And also may give and graat to the 
 master and poor there, such useful things as they shall 
 think fit: and may revoke, change, determine, aug- 
 ment, alter, and make new the same as they think most 
 convenient; which said statutes, laws, and ordinances, 
 lo be made and constituted as aforesaid we straitly charge
 
 HISTORY OP Z,VMT. 53? 
 
 and command to be kept 'inviolable, from time to time 
 forever, yet so as the same be not contrary 10 the laws 
 and statutes of this kingdom of England. 
 
 lit :-..T 
 
 And further for the continual relief and sustentation 
 of the said hospital we have given, and granted, and by 
 these presents (Jo-give and grant to the said governors 
 . all the lordships, manors, messuages, lands, meadows^ 
 pastures, feeding-grounds, liberties, franchises and heV 
 reditaments whatsoever, lying in Gaywood, East Lex- 
 ham, Dunham, JNarford, WestLexham, West-winch, 
 and Holkham, in our said county of Norfolk, or any 
 where elsewhere, which formerly were any part of the 
 possessions of the said hospital, .'however, before this 
 time called or reputed, and which had not indeed though 
 not-bjt the law alienated, bargained and sold by the prior, 
 brethren and sisters of the said hospital, and of which 
 his Highness from the beginning of his reign had not taken 
 any yearly profits, revenues, or rents. And further, we 
 do give and grant unto the said governors, &c. To have, 
 hold, and enjoy all the aforesaid premisses, together 
 with court-leet, frank-pledge, liberties, franchises, 
 goods and chattels waved of felons as well as felo de se, 
 as of all other felons, fugitives, out-lawrics, and taken 
 in exigent, or in any other lawful way, right or title, 
 they shall be convicted, condemned, extralmr deodands 
 and all rights, jurisdiction, franchises, liberties, pri- 
 vileges, commodities, advantages, possessions, emolu- 
 ments and hereditaments, whatsoever, as fully, freely, 
 iand absolutely as any prior, brethren and sisters, as well 
 3 u 2
 
 53S HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 sound as sick, ever had, held, or enjoyed heretofore, 
 &c.--To have, hold, and enjoy all the privileges afore- 
 said to the only use and behoof of them the said gov- 
 ernors, &c. in free, pure, and perpetual alms, for all 
 tents, services, claims, and demands whatsoever, to bo 
 rendered, paid, or done to. us our heirs &c. And we 
 do likewise give and grant unto them all and singular, 
 issues, fines, rents, reveuues, annual profits whatsoever, 
 of all and singular the premises aforesaid, whatsoever 
 due before the grant of these Letters Patent, or with- 
 in 60 yeats last past without giving any account of the 
 same. And further we, our heirs, &c. will for ever 
 acquit, exonerate, and keep indemnified to the said gov- 
 ernors, &c. all and singular the premises aforesaid, a- 
 gainst us our heirs &c. of arid from coridies, rents, 
 fees, annual pensions, portions and sums of money 
 whatsoever, &c. 
 
 And we will and straitly charge our Treasurer, Chan. 
 cellor, and Barons of our Exchequer, their heirs and suc- 
 cessors, and all other our Receivers, Auditors, Officers 
 and Ministers whatsoever, upon producing these our 
 Letters Patents, or the enrollment thereof without any 
 other Breve or Warrant from us, that they make or 
 cause to be made to the said governors &c. a full and 
 plenary discharge of all the corodies, fees &c. what- 
 soever, for which these our Letters Patents shall be to 
 them a sufficient warrant and discharge. And we will 
 and grant that these our Letters Patents and the enroll- 
 ment thereof shall be in all things as firm, strong and 
 good, sufficient and effectual in law against us, our
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 539 
 
 heirs &c. in all our courts and elsewhere -within our 
 kingdom of England, without any further confirmation, 
 licence, or toleration from us or our successors to be 
 procured or obtained. Notwithstanding the misnam- 
 ing, misreciting, or not reciting the aforesaid pr?mkses 
 by these Letters Patents, Or the not finding only the of- 
 fice or inquisition of the premisses or any parcel thereof 
 whereby our title ought to b-? found beiore the making 
 of these our Letters Patents, Or the misreciting or m's- 
 naming, or not reciting or not naming any demise or 
 grant of the premisses or any part thereof, on record 
 or not on record, or any way whatsoever before this 
 grant: Or the misnaming or not naming any village, 
 hamlet, parish, race, ' or county, in which the pre- 
 misses or any part thereof be: Or the full ? true ? and 
 certain mention of the names of the tenements, farmers, 
 occupiers of the premisses or any part thereof: Or any 
 defect in the certainty, account, or declaration of the 
 true yearly value of the same as aforesaid: or any other 
 defects in not naming aright any one tenement, farmer, 
 or occupier &c. or the statute made in parliament in the 
 first year of the late king Edward VI. our predeces- 
 sor, or the statute made in parliament in the 18th yea* 
 of the late king Henry V1I1. our progenitor. 
 
 "And further we will, straitly charge and command 
 the aforesaid governors &c. that they expend, convert, 
 and apply all and every the premisses aforesaid towards 
 the relief and maintenance of the master and poor of the 
 said hospital, and for the repairition and defence of all 
 and singular the premisses aforesaid, and to no other
 
 540 HISTORY OF LYNN'. 
 
 use and purpose whatsoever. Yet so thai express men- 
 tion be made of the true yearly value, or certainty of 
 the premisses or any part of them, or any gifts or grants 
 made before this time by us or any of our predecessors to 
 the governors aforesaid and their successors, or any 
 statutes, nets, ordinance, provision or restriction to the 
 contrary before this had made published or ordained in 
 any thing cause or matter whatsoever notwithstanding. 
 In Testimony whereof we have caused these our Letters 
 to be made Patents. Witness oursolf at Westminster 
 this 22d. day of April in the year of our reign of Eng- 
 land, France, and Ireland the 9th. and of Scotland 
 the44Ui. 
 
 Per Breve de privalo sigillo. 
 
 "After the grant aforesaid, the mayor and aldermen 
 (endeavoured by all fair means, to prevail with the con- 
 cealers and usurpers of the many lands, &c. to yield 
 and deliver up the quiet possession thereof to them, the 
 said governors, without suit in law; but not able to 
 succeed therein, they thereupon exhibited a bill of com. 
 plaints into [in] the High Court of Chancery, against 
 those who withheld the same) and had likewise gotten 
 into their hands sundry Deeds, Evidences, Writings, 
 Charters, Copies of Court Rolls, and Muniments, con- 
 cernjng the said Hospital, for about thirty years before 
 the king's majesty's Letters Patents: whose names are 
 as follow, viz. Sir Philip Woodhouse; Thomas Tho- 
 resbie Esq. Henry Bastard, Gent. Henry Baker, Gent. 
 Thomas Baxter; Robert Anderson ; Richard Cross j 
 Jefferie Pell; Robert Large; Robert Trollop; Will-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 541 
 
 Jam Simpson, clerk; Robert Say, junr; Robert Spence, 
 Gent. Robert Webster; William Collis, als Glover: 
 Who having given in their several answers to the said 
 bill, an order was made by the court, that the complain- 
 ants should set down in writing, the particular lands 
 and fold courses by them claimed, together with the 
 evidences for proof thereof, that the same belonged to 
 the said hospital, and how much the defendants have 
 of those lands in their several possessions, &c. which 
 they did as followeth" [The lands, &c. in question, 
 are then particularly specified and described, being 
 chiefly in East and West Lexham, and Dunham and 
 Gay wood. They are denominated "Lands of the Lc~ 
 persj or Spittle lands, pertaining to the brethren and 
 sisters of the House, called THE SPITTLE, upon the 
 cawsey between Lynn and Gay wood" the whole a- 
 mounting to 305 acres The complainants* having thus 
 specified their claims, the suit went on. J 
 
 "After divers hearings on both sides, in the high court 
 of Chancery, for about four years together, the plain- 
 tiffs being prepared to move the lord chancellor with all 
 speed for a decree, and for their costs and damages, Sir 
 Philip Woodhousc defendant, (who had most of the 
 lands, &c. in his hands,) solicited and intreated Sir II. 
 Hobart, knt and bart. Lord chief justice of the Com* 
 mon Pleas, to hear and determine the cause betwren 
 them, which being consented to by the plaintiffs, his 
 lordship gave bis opinion, that the plaintiffs had right 
 to all the lands and foldcourses, in the boundary before 
 mentioned in such manner as they have bcvn claimed
 
 542 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 by them, excepting the messuage Warm, and 5 acres 
 thereunto adjoining. And therefore to prevent fnrtlu-r 
 suit and expences on both sides, his lordship advised 
 Sir Ph. Woodhouse to suffer that which he could 
 not contradict, viz. that a decree should pass of all the 
 lands and foldcourses (except as before exceptcd) for 
 the plaintiffs, as in law and equity it ought to be : but 
 withal mediated and intreated the counsel of the plain- 
 tiffs, in behalf of the said Sir Ph. that in regard so 
 much of the lands and fold courses as were in the pos- 
 session of Sir Philip, did lye so intermixed with his 
 lands, it would be a great annoyance to him, and little 
 profit to the plaintiffs, if the same were severed, that 
 therefore it would please the plaintiff's counsel to con- 
 sent that the plaintiffs, after the decree passed, should 
 make a lease to him of the premises aforesaid for 99 
 years, at the yearly rent of 16/. viz. their foldcourses 
 at East Lexham, being in his possession for 101. per 
 annum, and all their grounds in West Lexham and 
 great Dunham, also in his possession at 2s. Gd. for 
 every acre per annum, and that the said Sir Philip 
 Woodhouse should ba discharged of all the reats, issues, 
 and profits of the said lands and fold courses, for the 
 time past; whereof the plantifFs counsel agreed, and 
 promised to procure the same, which conclusion ou 
 both sides being made known the next day to the lord 
 Chancellor, by the plantifl's counsel, his lordship upon, 
 their motion, ordered and decreed their possession of 
 the said lands and foldcourses, unto the plantiff's, not 
 having any relation to the said agreement made before 
 the Lord chief justice, as aforesaid, saving in the ex-
 
 IIISTORY OF LYNN. 543 
 
 ception before excepted, and in the omitting of damages 
 and costs, which was promised in the last order. 
 
 ^Afterwards, that is, upon the fenst day of the de- 
 collation Of St. John Baptist, next followingj Sir Philip 
 \Voodhbuse carne to Lynn, afld in the presence of John, 
 Spenee, then Mayor, Thomas Oxburgh Esq>. recorder, 
 the aldermen and the rest of the Society then assembled 
 in the common council house, the said Sir Philip did 
 bring the draught of a Lease, (perused by the Lord 
 Chief Justice Hobartj of the Spittle ibid course of East 
 Lexham, and of the lands which, by the mediation of 
 the said lofd chief justice, were to be demised by the 
 mayor and aldermen to the said Sir Philip, a copy of 
 which being formally delivered to the said mayor, &c. 
 they caused the same to be engrossed on a pair of Inden- 
 tures to that purpose, bearing date 17. May, 1615, then 
 last past, (upon which day the If st order for the decree 
 was made) which Indentures wcrq openly read, seal- 
 ed, and delivered interchangeably in the said council 
 house the said day of the decollation, being the elec- 
 tion day for the succeeding mayor. The said Sir 
 Ph. sent a fat buck, and gave his honourable promise, 
 that h<7 and his heirs should every year after, during 
 the time of his Lease, give a like fat buck to every 
 mayor for the time being towards their festival upon the 
 gaid day; which was, for sometime, faithfully per- 
 formed; About a year after a Lease was granted by 
 the mayor, &c . of all those their fold courses, fbldage, 
 and sheep pasture in the town of great Dunham for 250 
 
 3 w
 
 544; HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 'sheep, to be goeing, fed, and depastured in and upon 
 all the common, and common pasture fields and arable 
 grounds there, as well demesnes as otherwise, ancient- 
 ly accustomed, to Sir Thomas Hogan, Henry Bastard, 
 Henry Barker, Thomas Baxter, Thomas Burton, for 
 21 years, from Lady day 1616, for 101. per annum, 
 free and clear from all manner of quit rents and charges 
 whatsoever. Both which sheep walks, with the lands 
 thus demised, were anciently in Lease to the lords of the 
 manor of East Lexham, from the old hospital, under the 
 yearly rent of 20s. 4rf. as appears by two ancient rent- 
 als, [copies of which are preserved in Mr. King's MS. 
 and are here given in the note below. *J The flocks of 
 
 * FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. MAWDLYN, on the tawtcy between Lynn 
 and Gaytuood- /. d. 
 
 Imprimis, Of Mr. Thoresby, for Sayer's Marsh xx. 0. 
 
 Item, Of Nich. Newgate ot Holk.ham, for 5 acres of meadow 7 
 
 in the same town, for a year , 1 
 
 Item, Of Wm. Clarke of Wotten, for one acre of pasture 7 
 
 nigh Holme's dale in Caywood: pay by the year 5 
 
 Item, Of Winter and Good win, of Rouncton,for 1 1 acres of > 
 
 pasture in Sechie; who pay by :he year $ 
 
 Item, Of Robt. Jerviss, for a ffish bale, lying in the north J 
 
 marsh; who payeth by the year * J 
 
 . Item, Of Sir Nicholas I/estrange knt. for two sheep -j 
 
 courses and other lands, lying in West Lexham, East >xxiii, iiij. 
 
 Lexham, and Dunham; who payeth-by the year 3 
 
 Jtr.m, Of Thomas Brown of Lynn, for a meadow lying in j 
 
 , Gaywood; who payeth every half year, x; $ ' 
 
 Item, Of Philip Bailie, for 4 acres of meadow, lying on 
 
 the west side of Mawdlin, and pays by the half year> >xxiiij. 0. 
 
 xxx. [qu. xiw.J..... 3 
 
 Item, Of Robt. Hobbs, now in the tenure of Mr. Graves, ~> 
 
 fora meadow lying in Gaywood, paying quarterly, vf... 1 xx * 
 Item, Of Thomas Miller, of Lynn, for a meadow lying on 
 
 the side of the high way, who payeth quarterly ii/. vi</. J 
 Item, In the compass of Con^ham, -7 roods^of Hebbe -\ 
 
 land, lying in Congham: pay by the year one bushel (mod. brasil. 
 
 of malt... . 3
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 the lords of Dunham went and were depastured in and 
 
 upon the common of Dunham as- more appeareth by an 
 
 ancient survey upon oath, both of the freehold and copy 
 
 3 w 2 
 
 Item, Of Mr. Fr Bastard, for a close lying without Gn- 7 t. <t. 
 
 nock gate, payeth every half year xvif. v'ujd 3 xxxm. ihj. 
 
 Item, Of Robt. Jarvis of Lynn, for a meadow next the j 
 
 Lord's close in Gaywood, paying by the year xu. iiij. 
 
 The following statement from a paper published by Parkin, and writ- 
 ten, as he took it, in the reign of Elizabeth, may be here subjoined, as 
 it may cast some further light on the state of the possessions of this 
 Hospital at that period "Robert Wylson master of this house, mar- 
 ried Isabel, late wife of Thomas Hesket late master hath six acres 
 joining to the said house now in their hands, which is all that they 
 have in occupation in their own hands. Also Mr. Thorisbye occu- 
 pies one marsh lying in Gey w ode and Myntlyn) the old rent thereof 
 was 20r fer anium, at least, and he is to have of the house for rents be- 
 longing to the manor of Gey wode 42s. Qd. per annum. -Mr. Spence 
 
 occupies one close lying in Gannock, which is called 10 acres, but in 
 truth fe 14 acres at the least, and he pays but 33.. and 4</. per annum. 
 
 .Park of Holme holdeth 11 acres in Sechyth, and pays but 33s. 4</. 
 
 ferannnm, well worth 4/. 13; 4</. per annum. Also Mr. Strange hath 
 a fold course and lands in Lexham, which wont to pay to the said house 
 23s. per annum, and by the space of SO years hath ("remained] unpaid, 
 and by the report of them that know it, it is well worth 4/. fer annum. 
 -. Other lands in Congham and Creake Abbey, the value where- 
 of is not yet made iAlso Wrothes of Gay wode holdeth one pigthtle 
 
 worth 61. fer annum, and pays nothing. Item, one close or pigthle, 
 lying in Gey wode by South Wotton, hath been let for 8r. fer annum, 
 but now none will give above 3;. or 2r. 8*/. fer annum. Item, Ona 
 rede dole in Geywode containing 8 acres, the old rent is 8;. Item t 
 Mr. Pell occupieth 3 acres by the house ; the old rent was 10/. and 
 
 now20/. 'Item, Thomas Gybson of Lynne occupies one close of 3 
 
 acres by the house ; the old tent was 20s. now 40*. Item, He occu- 
 pies . . . acres lying by Maudelyn Bank, and pays 24/. fer aunum, and 
 
 it is worth . r 0*. Item, two acres by Dersingham Lane, worth HQt.fer 
 
 annum, the old rent 10/. Item, In Geywode fen 3 acres, the old rent 
 6t. now !&/. fer annum. 'Roger Lauson has an acie and a half, old 
 
 rentIO/. now 26*. %d. fer annum. Six acres lying by Sailers Load; 
 
 the old rent 10s. now 20s. fer annum. Item, A whole piece there, and 
 
 pays 4s. Gd. fer annum. Item, b acres in Narford, old rent 9rf. now 
 
 3s. .Item, 5 acres in Hockold, let for 2;. ftr annum, worth 5/. " 
 
 [See Parkin H8/J
 
 546 HISTORY OF 
 
 hold tenants, made in the 4th Edward 2. -which is in 
 the hands of Henry Bastard, Gent, now [i.e. about 
 1724. J Lord of the manor of djeat D.unbam: [a true 
 copy of which is subjoined: it is in latin, and too long 
 
 to .be inserted here, as it fills near four folio pages. 
 
 After some recapitulation, by way of summary, of the: 
 above account, the writer proceeds to treat of the then 
 present state of the hospital (i.e. now near a 100 years 
 3go) and he observes again, ''that the house was first 
 granted by the founder for the society of a prior and 19 
 m,en and women, called brethren and sist&s, by which 
 last style and title it was again newfounded by the afore 
 said Letters Patents of K. James I. as appears by the 
 6th paragraph thereof. But this mixture or medley 
 of sexes being not afterwards well and rightly approved 
 of, it have been since thought necessary to alter and 
 change the same * and instead thereof to establish a sis- 
 terhood only, consisting of a master and eleven poor 
 widows, i who have formerly lived well and creditably 
 in the world ; but are not usually admitted under the 
 age of sixty. "; The above account was probably ta- 
 ken from the MS. fellum book, which Parkin mentions, 
 <j and is supposed still to exist among the town archives. 
 It appears to have been written in 1617, under the sanc- 
 tion of the then mayor, recorder, and aldermen, and bears 
 dateqn St. John's day that year, when John Wallis wa 
 mayor, Richard Stonham, mayor elect, Thomas Oxburgh^ 
 
 * We panivot learn when this change took place, 
 f- A thterhood ovly t consisting of a matter. See. has soraeyhat of an hi- 
 bemian found. 
 
 t Mr. King's MS. volume. Parkin, lu
 
 OF LYNN. 
 
 recorder, and tlie following made up the remainder pf 
 the then magistrates, or aldermen, viz. Thomas Baker > 
 Thoinas Gibson, John Spence, Matthew Clerk, John 
 Atkyn, Thomas Soame, John Wormell, Thomas Leigh- 
 ton, William Doughty, William Atkyv,, and Thomas 
 Gurlyn. As these seem to be the persons who bad been 
 so active, a few years before, in recovering the lands be- 
 longing to onr Magdvtlen Hqspital, and in promoting 
 the reestablish ment and perpetuation of that charity, 
 their names are worthy of being kept in remembrance ; 
 for they certainly deserved well of their country, and 
 especially of the town of Lynn. Tlje above, law-suit, 
 which they so successfully carried on, appears to have 
 been one of the most justifiable and commendable of any 
 that this corporation has ever been engaged or cpncern* 
 ed in. Some of our corporation law-suits in more mod- 
 ern times were, it seems, of a different character. 
 
 For more than thirty years, after the date of king 
 Jamcfc' Letters Patents, and till sometime after the com- 
 mencement of the civil wars, things went on. well with 
 our Magdalen Hospital, or Gaywood Almshouse. Its 
 subsequent history, down to some part of the last cen* 
 tury, is given by Mackerell, as follows * "In the year 
 1643 this hospital suffered another dissolution, being 
 purposely burnt down, when the Earl of Manchester 
 came wilh tlie parliament forces to besiege the town of 
 Lynn, at that time fortified, and standing out for the 
 king,, wjiereby it was then become utterly dissolved for 
 
 * It is taken from Mr. King's MS. volume almost verbatim, thouglj 
 pot always in the exact order in, which it there stands.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 some time. But in the year 1649 the corporation being 
 obliged to build it anew, which is very commodiously 
 one,as it now appears, with two courts, * a chapel, and 
 convenient apartments for the master, brethren, and sis- 
 ters to dwell in, it was thought fit to put up the two 
 following Inscriptions in proper places, to denote the 
 occasion of this last disaster. The first is over the arch, 
 wpon a square free stone, as you enter into the second 
 court, [and reads thus.] 
 
 'THIS HOSPITAL WAS BURNT DOWST 
 
 AT LYNN SIEGE, AND REBUILT 
 16-f9, NATH. MAXEY MAYOR, AND 
 
 JEDW. ROBINSON Alderman and Treasurer. 
 
 [The other] inscription, with the arms of the corpo- 
 ration in a shield over it, is engraven on a marble stonej 
 which is affixed over the portal next the road, [and is 
 as follows.] 
 
 THOMAS RIVET, MAYOR, 
 ANNO 1650. E. R. 
 
 "Thus after divers revolutions we now see it again e- 
 rected, established, and committed to the care and man- 
 
 * There are not properly two courts: the space between the portal 
 and the proper court, consists of two rows of little gardens divided by 
 the walk, or entrance into the said court;.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 549 
 
 agement of two of the elder aldermen of the corpora* 
 tion, chosen and appointed annually from among the 
 rest of their brethren, the governors, for that purpose ; 
 who with their joint advice and consent, ordain rules 
 and orders for the better guidance and direction of the 
 society; as may be seen fairly written in a Table hang- 
 ing constantly up in the chapel, whereby every one 
 of the members is obliged to be present to hear divine 
 service daily read by the Master, after the tolling of the 
 bell, and not to neglect their duty in attending, (unless 
 upon just cause to be given to the master) under the pe- 
 nalty, or mulct prescribed in the said order. The im- 
 provement ot the lands and revenues of the hospital 
 have been so far advanced of late [1724] by the provi- 
 dent and prudent management of the two last worthy 
 gentlemen, the two deputed governors thereof, that the 
 poor have now an addition to their former salaries, of 
 twelve pence per week to the master, and sixpence to> 
 each of the women, or sisters ; and it is to be hoped 
 they may in a little time be yet further advanced* * 
 
 * At the time referred to above, that is, about 1720, or 1724, the al- 
 lowances to the pensioners residing in the said house, were as follow, 
 
 /. ,. J. 
 
 To the Master of the Hospital, per week.... 0. 4. 6. 
 
 To eleven poor widows per week, at 2s. 6d. each.........l. 7. (i. 
 
 To the Master yearly, one Chalder and half of coals. ..1. 10. 0. 
 To eleven widows yearly, one Chalder of coals each...! 1. 0. 0. 
 
 For 19 Sheaves of Sedges to the Master for kindling 0. 2. 6. 
 
 For 10 Sheaves to each of the Sisters (in all 110) 0. 18. 4. 
 
 Total. .96. 14. 10. 
 
 Besides repairs and other contingencies." See Mr. King's MS. and 
 Mackerell. 
 
 From the above period to the present time, the weekly allowance to 
 the master and sisters has been gradually advancing, but not in propor-
 
 530 HlSTOftV OF 
 
 The parish church which they arc appointed to resent 
 to on Sundays, is that of Gay wood, in which [parish] 
 this hospital is situated, where, they have a convenient 
 pew, purposely provided for them to sit in : but they 
 thay go to any other church or chapel at Lynn, 6r else- 
 where, when and as often as they please. So much shall 
 suffice to have been spoken of this ancient hospital, be- 
 ing- without the walls and limits of the borough of king's 
 Lynn, though wholly depending on the corporation 
 there, "t 
 
 tion to the advance tnthe price of the necessaries of life", at least not 
 so during the present reign, and especially this latter part of it. For 
 the last fifty years the weekly allowance of tlie sisters, has been from 
 St. &d. or 4;. to 5/. till the commencement of the present year [1810] 
 when it wa* advanced from 5/. to 7s and the master's allowance from 
 7/. to 10/ This pleasing change in the situation of these pension- 
 ers has been ascribed to the laudable and humane exertions of the pre- 
 sent acting governor and treasurer, Edmund Rolfe Elsaen E<q. who is 
 supposed to have acquitted himself, in this situation, more respectably 
 and commendably than any of his" predecessors, for the last fi.'ty years 
 at least. Besides advancing the weekly allowance of the pensioners, he 
 has also put the hospital itself and premises in a state of thorough re- 
 pair, at the expence of 4007 or more. All this he has been enabled to 
 accomplish by advancing the rent of the lands according to their pre- 
 sent value : and it is expected that he will be able soon to make an 
 additional augmentation to the weekly allowance and comforts of the 
 poor pensioners, whose concerns he so laudably superintends. Till 
 lie was appointed to this situation their condition was very miserable, 
 and every year getting worse and worse, with little or no hope of amend- 
 ment. In short, Alderman Elsden, in the character of acting govern- 
 or and treasurer of our Magdalen Hospital, has deserved well, not only 
 of the pensioners of that house, but also of the public at large. His 
 successors it is hoped will not fail to profit by his praiseworthy example: 
 and it is to be wished that the managers of all similar charities would 
 make a point of acting h*Jke manner. Very different, indeed, by all 
 accounts, has been the conduct of too many, if not of most of those 
 entrusted with the superintendence and management of our charitable 
 institutions throughout the kingdom, by which they have proved them, 
 selves utterly unworthy of the confidence reposed in them, and render- 
 ed their very names aiid memories detestable in the eyes of all honest 
 ma. t Mackerel!, 194, &c;
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 551 
 
 From the date of the above account (which seems to 
 be brought down to 1737, when Mackerell's work was 
 published) to the present time, our information, con- 
 cerning the said hospital is not so correct, particular, 
 or ample as we could wish. It appears however, that 
 divers changes have taken place from time to time since 
 king James's grant was obtained: first from a mixed 
 society of brethren and sisters to that of sisters only: at 
 fijst, it seems, these sisters were to be all widows, but 
 latterly there is said to have been a departure from that 
 plan,, and old maids have been admitted, in some instan- 
 ces, as well as widows; which seems not at all objection-* 
 able. Changes also, of course, there have been in 
 the weekly allowances of the respective pensioners ; but 
 not (at least during the present reign) in proportion to 
 the changes in the price of the necessaries of life. Halt 
 a Crown a- week, which was the allowance a hundred 
 years ago, was to the full as good as ten or twelve shil- 
 lings a week now: and yet the poor women during any 
 part, of this long jubilee reign (when the shilling has 
 sunk in value to three-pence, or a groat, at most) never 
 had above five shillings a week, till the commencement 
 of the present yqar: Nor had they been long in the re- 
 ceipt of even so much as five shillings, or more than four 
 and sixpence a week, which was their stated allowance 
 for sometime till within these very few years. They must 
 have been, therefore, till this present year, and during 
 most part of this long reign of boasted prosperity and; 
 glory, in a very unenviable, miserable, ragged, and 
 half starving condition, although the acting govern? 
 
 3
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 was generally a man of fortune: and a late one immense- 
 ly so; but they never fared worse than under his in- 
 spection, for his humanity or charity did not appear to 
 be commensurate with his wealth. In short it is well 
 for these poor pensioners that (he acting government of 
 their house is at present in the hands of a gentleman 
 that seems determined to do them justice, and promote 
 their comfort and happiness to the utmost of his power. 
 
 As to the four Lazar Houses, or Lepers Hospitals, 
 said to have been suppressed here at the general dis- 
 solution, it is likely that one of them was attached to, 
 or connected with our Magdalen Hospital, for it ap- 
 pears to have been partly founded for unsound or le 
 prous persons. This therefore may be supposed to have 
 been one of those four suppressed houses. Of the other 
 three, one was probably at West Lynn, one at Coio* 
 gate, and the other at Hardwick. The disease, for 
 the relief of those afflicted with which these houses were 
 founded, is said to have been introduced, or brought 
 from the East into this country, and to Europe, by the 
 rnadbrained crusaders, who became many ways a ter* 
 rible grievance and pest to their respective countries 
 and nations. It was a proof, certainly, of the humanity 
 of our countrymen, in those times, that houses were 
 erected and endowed for the reception and relief of per 
 sons afflicted with so grievous and incurable a disorder. 
 So little do we know about the order, or economy, or 
 laws of these Lazar Houses, that we must here neces- 
 sarily dismiss the subject,
 
 HISTORY OF 1YNN. 553 
 
 Of the Hospital of St. Lawrence very little is 
 known, except that it was one of the four Lazar houses 
 and stood at Hard wick, or Herdwyk Dam, as Par- 
 kin calls it. He says that in the llth. of Edward III. 
 Matthew Herlewine conveyed by fine and trust to 
 Thomas Duraunt, parson of Olenchwarton, William 
 Duraunt of South Lynn, and John Kervyle of "VVy gen- 
 hale (along with other possessions) the advowsdii of the 
 hospital of St* Lawrence at Herdwyk Dam, together 
 with the rentsj homages, services^ &c. of the master 
 of the said hospital, of the prior of Wirmegey, the prior 
 of Westacre, and of John de Lenn.'' He also says, that 
 John Duraunt Esq; granted to Robert Synkclere and 
 Agnes his wife the hospital, or house of lepars, with 
 the chapel of St. Lawrence situate on the cawsey 
 ofllardwyke, by Lenne, with the appertenances for 
 their lives, from the feast of St. Michael in 27. Henry 
 VI. paying to him^ his heirs and[assigns, for every bro- 
 ther and sister entering into the said hospital, and made 
 by the said Robert and Agnes, 20d. and it shall not be 
 lawful for the said John, his heirs &c* to put in or out, 
 any brother or sister during the lives of the aforesaid 
 Robert and Agnes." He further informs us^ that "in 
 17. Edward, IV. Edmund Bedingfeld, lord of the 
 manor of Hall Place, (in the hamlet of Seche Parva, 
 in South Lynn) and in a court held of the said manor, 
 grants to John Norris, * vicar of South Lynn, the 
 scite of the Hospital of St. Lawrence (which was tjieu 
 burnt) till it was rebuilt." 
 
 3x2 
 
 * The builder or founder, probably, of the old parsonage house there, 
 which has the name still over the door: in which case> that house 
 must have stood between Sand 400 years. 1 Parkin 164, 165.
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 SECTION VII J. Of the Red Mount, and our Ltidifs 
 Chapel there also her Chapel by the Bridge icJtich still 
 bears her name St. Ann's Chapel, with those of St. 
 Catherine, St. Lawrence, fyc. 
 
 From the particular situation of the Red Mount, (on 
 the out-side of the town- walls, and within the wet foss 
 which flanked those walls,) there can be little doubt of 
 its being once a small fortress, or fortified and castel- 
 lated place ; so that it might without much impropriety 
 be denominated a castle. What will further corrobo- 
 rate this opinion is a fact noticed among our remark- 
 able or memorable occurences, that in 1469 king Ed- 
 ward IV. came to Lynn with a great retinue, and was 
 lodged in this place; from which it may be very natu- 
 rally inferred and concluded, that it was then well for* 
 tified i for the king in his then siluatign, (retreating 
 before Warwick,) would hardly have been lodged with- 
 out the walls in an unfortified place. From the same pre- 
 mises it may be likewise fairly inferred, that it was also 
 a large and sumptuous structure Edward's numerous 
 retinue requiring it to be of the former description, and 
 his royal dignity of the latter : had it been small it 
 could not have accommodated so large a company, and 
 had it been mean, the king would not have been lodged 
 there ^ * But however strong, large, or sumptuous the 
 
 * The author of the Norfolk Tour, speaking of the Red Mount, gives 
 the following account of the said king's visit to this place " When 
 E'dw. IV. and his brother, the duke of Gloster, fled before the great 
 earl of Warwick, on passing the Washes in Lincolnshire, at an im- 
 proper time, they lost their baggage and money; and arriving at Lynn, 
 Octobers. 1470, [other accounts say 1460] lodged one night in this 
 Building, which the historian erroneously calls a castlt^ [But the his- 
 orian was, perhaps, more correct than his corrector.}
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 555 
 
 edifice on the Red Mount then was, most of it has long 
 ago disappeared, andtheJittle that now remains is chiefly 
 the chapel, which was once of considerable celebrity, 
 but is now in a dilapidated state. Of this curious piece 
 of antiquifyj one of the most remarkable that Lynn can 
 boast of, the following description has lately appeared 
 in a popular and respectable work, which we have of- 
 ten before referred to "At the eastern extremity of the 
 town is a curious ancient building, called THE LADY'S 
 CHAPEL, or The Red Mount. It has been erroneous- 
 ly named a castle ^ but is evidently ah ecclesiastical 
 structure* t It consists of an octagonal wall of red brick 
 and is constructed on a very singular plan, of which, 
 perhaps, not a similar example is to be found in the 
 kingdom. Within the exterior wall is a handsome 
 cruciform chapel, measuring from east to west seventeen 
 feet seven inches, by fourteen from north to south, and 
 thirteen in height. The roof is formed of stone, with 
 numerous groins, &c. and exactly resembles the much 
 admired ceiling of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. 
 This curious building is in a dilapidated state, and it 
 is much feared will soon fall a victim to neglect and wan- 
 tonness. Such a singular edifice should be carefully 
 preserved, and as the expence to eflect this would be 
 trivial, it is hoped the corporation, to whom it belongs, 
 will not neglect it, and thereby entail on themselves the 
 perpetual reproaches of history, and the lasting cen- 
 sures of antiquarian record. " 
 
 t But though the said chapel is confessedly ntn eeclesiatical structure, 
 e might be once about it erections, of a military, or castellated clu- 
 ", which would account for its obtaining the name of a castle. 
 | Beauties of England, n>J. xi ]> 224. .- /\
 
 556 ftlStORF Of LY \-_S-. 
 
 At what time this notable fabrick was erected, 
 not appear ; but we may pretty safely conclude that it 
 was at a period subsequent to the conquest, and per- 
 haps not before the 12lh or 13th century. It appears 
 to have been dissolved, or laid by} at (he reformation, 
 and it was defaced, as Parkin says, before the Srd. of 
 Elizabeth. As there has been little or no attention be- 
 stowed upon it ever since that time, it is no wonder that 
 it should be now in so ruinous a state. It has been of- 
 ten said that this place was, in its day, the receptable of 
 the pilgrims, in their way to, and from Walsingham. 
 If so, it amounts to a pretty good proof, that it was 
 very capacious, and well endowed, or furnished with 
 ample revenues; for the pilgrims to Walsingham, like 
 those to Lorettoj swarmed on all the roads that led 
 thither; but on no road more, or perhaps so much as 
 that through Lynn, as all the devout people from the 
 northern and north western parts of the kingdom must 
 have passed this way, perhaps by hundreds at a time. 
 That house must have been both large and wealthy, that 
 could lodge and entertain such hosts of travellers. > 
 Another reason for pilgrims frequenting our chapel on 
 the Mount might be, because there was there also an 
 image of the Virgin, which had attained to some ce- 
 lebrity; not indeed like that at Walsinghara, t butevi- 
 
 t What led to the great celebrity which this place obtained for cen- 
 turies, was the widow lady of Rlcoidie Faverrhei founding, about 1061, a 
 small chapel in honour of the virgin Mary * similar to the Sancta Casa, 
 at Nazareth. Her son confirmed the endowments, made on additional 
 foundation of a Priory for Augustine canons, and erected a conventual 
 cliurrjt. At the dissolution, the annual revenues of the monastery were 
 valued, according to Speed, at 446/. 14i. 4d. That its wealth should 
 have been immensely great, is not surprising, when the fame of the
 
 557 
 
 dently beyond any thing of the kind at Lynn. We 
 may therefore be very sure that the holy travellers to 
 Walsingham would pay a greater regard to the chapel 
 of our Lady on the Mount than to any other religious 
 place in this town. It has been observed before, that 
 the offerings to this image of the Virgin on the Mount 
 exceeded sometimes the offerings to all our other images 
 and in all our other religious houses here, numerous as 
 they were. In short, we may venture to affirm, that it 
 former days no one place in Lynn was of greater note 
 or celebrity than the Red Mount, and especially our 
 
 Lady's Chapel and Image there. 
 
 * 
 
 Of the Chapel of our Lady on the Bridge, we know 
 much less than of that on the Mount, though our know- 
 ledge of the latter also is but very imperfect. When 
 the former was erected, whether before or after the other, 
 or why there should be two chapels in this town dedi- 
 cated to the Virgin, are questions which we are unable 
 to resolve. They were both probably more ancient 
 than some of our other religious houses: but they were 
 dissolved, or laid by at the same time with most of the 
 rest. They were probably demolished not long after, 
 and this on the bridge much more entirely than the other. 
 
 image of our Lady of Walsingham is taken into the account; for it was 
 as much frequented, if not more, than the shrine of St. Thomas a 
 Becket, at Canterbury. Foreigners of all nations came thither on pil- 
 grimage ; many kinns and queens of England also paid their devoirs to 
 it; so that the number and quality' of her devotees appeared to equal 
 those of the Lady ofLoretto, in Italy. The celebrated Erasmus repre- 
 sents it as a place of such transcendent splendor as would lead one to 
 suppose it the seat cf the gods. The monks had contrived to persuade 
 many, that the galaxy in the heavens was a miraculous indication of 
 the -jjay to this place: : hence that was called tVnlunghwi Wey"-r- See 
 Beaut. Eugl. %\, 310. '
 
 558 HISTORY OF LYN.V. 
 
 Parkin says, that this chapel was defaced before (lift 
 reign of Elizabeth, as appears by an inquisition taken 
 in her third year. Our Lady's Gild in Lynn had 
 seemingly some connection with this chapel, as well as 
 with that on the Mount; but we know too little of the 
 Constitution and circumstances of that ancient fraternity 
 to pronounce any thing positively on this head. * Some 
 small remains qf tjiis chapel, converted into a little 
 dwelling, stood, till very lately, on the eastern side of 
 the bridge; but when the said b,ridge was widened, by 
 order of the paying-act commissioners, those remains, 
 were entirely removed, and there is no longer tnc stone 
 upon another of that consecrated arid venerated fabrick, 
 or the least sign or indication, except in the name of 
 (he bridge, that such an edifice ever stood there. The 
 modern substitutes for this and the other ancient chapels, 
 liere suppressed and demolished, are four very decent 
 and commodious dissenting meet ing houses; one in New 
 Conduit Street, one in Clough Lane, and two in Broad 
 Street; all, or most of them, at present pretty well at- 
 tended. Of each of which a particular account shall 
 be given in the course of this work. 
 
 * Having again touched on the subject of the Gilds, the author begs 
 leave here to correct an inaccuracy or error that escaped him in men- 
 tioning St. Etholred's Gild at page 439. It now appears to him tint 
 this fraternity took its name from a female personage, named St. EtkcL- 
 dreda; and he has, since the above page was printed off, observed the 
 following notice of it in Parkin (V34.) "John Alcock, bishop of Ely, 
 June 3, 1400, planted 40 days pardon, or indulgence, to ali the brethren 
 and sisters of the guild of St. Etheldreda, hi St. Nicholas's chapel of 
 Lynn, at the altar of St. Etheldreda the most holy virgin, there foun- 
 ded, and to all who should hear urns at the said altar, and to all who 
 said qvinqtues before the said altar, the Lord's prayer and the Salutation 
 
 qutnqnie:. Reg. Ale. Ef>. El" So great, in the said bishop's time, 
 
 1as the encouragement to enter into St. Etheldreda'sGild, and to hes.^ 
 
 mass at her altar, or say yuiriquies before i',l
 
 k HISTORY OF LYNN. 559 
 
 OfSh Ann's Chapel very little is at present known. 
 That it stood somewhere near St. Ann's Fort, and that 
 the latter took its name from it, can scarcely be doubted. 
 The stones that are still to be seen in some of the adja- 
 cent walls did once, in all probability, belong to this 
 ancient consecreated structure. * \Ve have, however, 
 no reason to supposeihat it w as a very large edifice, but 
 rather one of our smaller size chapels, like that of our 
 Lady on the Bridge, and some others. It probably- 
 stood contiguous to other houses, without any yard, of 
 burying-ground adjoining; which may be one, and, 
 perhaps, the chief reason, why its site has so entirely 
 disappeared, so as to baffle, or render fruitless every 
 attempt to discover the exact spot on which it stood. 
 Ail that can now be fairly concluded is, that it must 
 have been somewhere near the Fort. 
 
 The site of St. Catherine's Chapel seems to be in- 
 volved in still greater uncertainty than even that of St. 
 3 Y 
 
 * Some have thought that the bishop's town house stood by the Fdrt, 
 and that the said stones might belong to that edifice* which must be a 
 mistake, as it appears, from old records, that that house stood by Sf . 
 Nicholas's chapel toth* tueit, which must be about v. here Dr. Redfern* 
 or Mr. T. Allen's house now stands. That the bishop had a house 
 here in the time of Henry III. appears, according to Parkin, from 
 Plita Corona apd. Lean, 41 of that reign. This same house seems to 
 be alluded to afterwards, in Plita Astis. Nona. 4. Hen. IV. when it 
 was found, that John Wentworth, mayor of Lenne Episcopi, and the 
 comrafcnalty, had unjustly disseized Henry, bishop of Norwich, of his 
 free tenement here, TOO acres of land, and 20 acres of pasture, he be- 
 ing seized of it in right of his church," &c. From this it would ap- 
 pear, that Wentworth was not on good terms with the said bishop, 
 which may account for his competitor, Pettipas, advising his friends Co 
 seek his lordships interference; and it appears from his Letters, that 
 the bishop was favourable to him, and hostile to Wentworth. -Parkin 
 155. also Mr. K'sMS.
 
 560 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Ann. By something that the present writer has some- 
 where met with, he has been led to think, that this cha- 
 pel stood without the East Gates, and at no great dis- 
 tance; but as he cannot now recollect upon what be 
 founded that opinion, he will not take upon him here to 
 defend it, or assert that the chapel actually stood there. 
 Parkin owns that he did not know where it stood, but 
 says that it was defaced before the 3rd of Elizabeth, as 
 appears by an inquisition then taken. He also says that 
 it is "mentioned in 1497, and the charity Gyld of the 
 town of Lenn," which, as he supposes, may allude to 
 our houses of lepers. But those houses were probably 
 not under the direction of any one of the gilds, but ra- 
 ther of a particular religious order, called the order of 
 St. Lazarus of Jerusalem,- of which, however, we know 
 not enough to give here a particular account of it. But 
 as to the chapel in question^ Parkin further informs us 
 that a in 5 Richard II. Henry le Despencer, bishop 
 of Norwich, wrote a letter to Roger Paxman, mayor, 
 and to the burgesses of Lynn, wherein he desires that 
 they would, for the love they bore for the bishop, grant 
 part of the house of St. Catherine to one John Consolif, 
 late servant to his brother, the lord le Despencer, there 
 to live a solitary life, upon the alms of the good people; 
 the other part of the house belonging to the archdeacon 
 of Norwich, being before granted to the said John Con- 
 solyf. $ This shews that there was here formerly a 
 House or Hospital, as well as a Chapel, dedicated to St. 
 Catherine; to which house or hospital, in all probability, 
 the said chapel belonged : but whether they pertained 
 
 J Parkin 141.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 to our Lazarettos, or were founded for some other pur- 
 poses, it is very difficult now to determine. Beside this 
 chapel of St. Catherine, there was here another chapel 
 dedicaied to her, in the church of the friars preachers, 
 Dominicans : * but this was nothing very remarkable, 
 as vve had here also more than one chapel dedicated to 
 t eTrn'ty, as well as to the blessed virgin, if not like- 
 wise to some others. 
 
 The Chapel of St. Lawrence, (like those of St. Ca- 
 lUerine and St. John) appears to have belonged to the 
 jlospital of the same narae, and therefore must have 
 stood at Hardwick, contiguous, probably, or very near 
 to (he said hospital. That house being one of our 
 Lazarettos, its use, or designation is sufficiently obvi- 
 ous. We learn from Parkin, that John Duraunt Esq. 
 in the 27 Henry VI. granted to Robert Synkclere and 
 Agnes his wife the hospital, or house oflepars, with the 
 chapel of St. Lawrence situate on the cawsey of Hard- 
 wyke, by Lynn Also that William Walton, Esq. and 
 Catherine, his wife, daughter and heiress of the said 
 John Duraunt Esq. conveyed by fine, in Hillary term, 
 36th. year of the same reign, to Sir Thomas Tuden- 
 ham, knight, the advouson of the chapel of St. -Law- 
 rence, with the manor of Hall Place, and divers other 
 possessions. ^ This chapel seems therefore to have been 
 an endowed place, whose advouson was deemed an ob- 
 ject of no trivial consideration. The hospital to which 
 it belonged, as well as the rest of our Lazar houses, may 
 3 Y 2 
 
 * Parkin, 152. J Ib. 16*.
 
 562 IHSTORY or LYNW. 
 
 be supposed to have been in some sort of subjection to 
 the master of the order of St. Lazarus, whose chief resi- 
 dence, or station, appears to have been at Burton Lazars, 
 in Leicestershire. Parkin mentions a remarkable deed 
 which he had seen, whereby brother Richard de Sule- 
 grave, knight, master of the whole order of St. Laza* 
 rus of Jerusalem, and all the brethren of the said order, 
 dwelling at Burton, by common assent and council of 
 the whole chapter, grant to Alan de Kele, burgess of 
 Lenn, his heirs and assigns, a certain piece of land, 
 called Lazar Hill, lying by the common wall ol the said 
 village, containing 7 perches and? feet in breadth, on 
 the north side; and 10 perches and 14 feet, on the south 
 side; 5 perches and half broad, on the east side; 6 
 perches broad in the middle, and 7 on the west^ide, &c. 
 * This seems, by the names of the witnesses, to have 
 benas early as the reign of king John. "This jjece of 
 land," (our author adds) "I find afterwards in the 
 hands of Rd. Spany and John de Teryngton, in the 
 reign of Richard II." But the present writer is not 
 able to point out this remarkable spot, or yet to describe 
 the nature and extent of that jurisdiction which the 
 master and chapter of the order of St. Lazarus had over 
 the Lynn Lazarettos. 
 
 Most if not all the rest of the smaller chapels were at- 
 tached to, or connected with our different churches and 
 convents, of which several belonged to St. Margaret's 
 church : we will therefore give here no separate account 
 pf them. Such little chapels and chauntries were pretty 
 
 f Parkin^ 125>.'
 
 HISTORY 01- t i,YNN. 563 
 
 numerous here, and mark the character of the inhabi- 
 tants, and particularly the most devout part of them, in 
 those times. There was here also in former ages, at 
 least, one hermitage, or retreat of an anchoret, and 
 that was at the Crouch, or Crutch, as it is now commonly 
 called. Of this remarkable place, and its adjacent cross, 
 Parkin gives tiie following account "The mayor and 
 commonalty petition William (Bateraan) bishop of Nor- 
 wich, begging his favour towards John Puitock, to ad- 
 mit him as a hermit, who had, in the bishop's marsh by 
 jenn, on the sea shore, in a certain place, called Lena 
 Crouch, madea cave there, till he could build himself a 
 proper mansion; purposing, as he declares, to spend all 
 his time, by your permission and license, in the service 
 of God there : and the said John Puttock has there erect- 
 ed a certain remarkable cross, of great service for all 
 shipping coming that way, of the height of 110 feet, at 
 his own great cost and charge." * This occurred as 
 long ago as 1349. To our thinking (he Crutch must be 
 a most improper and strange place for a hermitage, 
 w here people are continually passing and repassing, and 
 those, at least many of them, some of the rudest and 
 most lawless of the whole population. How the her- 
 mits did there in popish times we know not, but we are 
 apt to think that they would not fare very comfortably 
 there in this protestant age. 
 
 J The anther is sometimes ready to suspect that the two anchoraget y 
 mentioned in some of the foregoing pagts, were in fact no other thai} 
 the lodges or retreats of s-ome anchorets, though he has there given 
 the wprii a tiiffereut explanation, (see p. 507-) * Parjda, 142. .
 
 564 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 SECTION JX. Account of St. James's Chapel (now 
 the Workhouse) from its Jirst erection) in the twelfth 
 century , to the present time. 
 
 The founder of this chapel, as well as that of St. 
 Nicholas, according to our best accounts, was WILL- 
 IAM TURB, or Turbus, alias De Turba Villa^ or Tur- 
 beville, the third bishop of Norwich, who was promoted 
 to that see in 1146, * in the reign of king Stephen. It 
 was probably built before the end of that reign, as Par- 
 kin refers to a certain charter of that bishop, which 
 proves that it was in being at the commencement of the 
 next reign, t Both this of St. James and that of St 
 Nicholas were chapels of ease to the church of St. Mar- 
 garet. These three churches had in those times abund- 
 ance of officiating priests, or chaplains. The great fra- 
 ternity, called Trinity Gild^ alone, maintained no less 
 than thirteen ; six for St. Margaret's, four for St. Ni- 
 cholas's, and three for St. James's. : How many they 
 had besides, does not appear ; but they had, no doubt, 
 several more. This chapel is said to contain in length 
 five score feet, and in breadth 24 feet ; exclusive of the 
 cross aisle, and a chapel attached to it, dedicated to the 
 Trinity. The altar of St. Lawrence stood somewhere 
 in this chapel, and, at the east end of it, an image of 
 our Saviour, to which devout folks were wont to bring 
 their offerings. A particular division of the town ap- 
 pears to have been at one time consigned or appropriated 
 to the officiating services of the chaplains or clergy of 
 this chapel, comprehending, probably, all on the sides 
 next toitofDamgate, Broadstreet, Blackboystreet and 
 
 * Beaut, of England, xi. 23. f Parkin, 140. J See p, 453.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNli. 565 
 
 Codlin lane. St Nicholas's clergy appear also to have 
 had appropriated to them another division of the town: 
 hence we find, that "on Friday before the feast of St. 
 Tiburtius and Valerian, in the 35th of Edward III. it 
 was ordered by the commonalty, assembled in the Guild 
 hall, that (he clerks of St. James's in Lynn, for the fu- 
 ture, shall carry the holy water from the East Gate of 
 Lynn, through all the south part of Damgate, and 
 through the whole street called Webster's row ; and that 
 the clergy or clerks of St. Nicholas' shall likewise carry 
 from the aforesaid gate through all the north part of the 
 aforesaid street of Damgate.'* * 
 
 At the general dissolution this chapel was, it seems, 
 laid by, and shut up, which appears an odd and unac- 
 countable circumstance, as it had not any connection 
 with the convents, being merely a parochial place of 
 worship. We are told that it was pulled down, all but 
 the v ross aisle, in 1549, (by order of the mayor and 
 corporation, it is supposed,) when it had four bells, 
 which were worlh, with the bell of the charn 1-house, 
 CC/. We are further toll, that there did also, in the 
 mean time, belong lo the said chapel and charnel-house, 
 stone, iron, and glass, to the value of one hundred 
 marks: also timber and lead to the value of 3001. also 
 plate, jewels, andsfock, to (he value of 200/. also cer- 
 tain lands and tenements in Lynn, to the yearly value 
 of 5/." t All this properly appears to have come into 
 the hands of the mayor and corporation ; not very fairly 
 and honourably, it seems ; for we find that it rather be- 
 
 * Parkin, 140. f Parkin, a? before.
 
 56t> JnSTOHY OF 
 
 longed to the Dean and Chapter of Norwich, wlitf, 
 about seventeen years after, on what occasion does not 
 appear, relinquished their right and claim to it, by a 
 formal ded to that pnrpose, a copy of which is given 
 below. * This was about the year 1566. t From that 
 period it lay, probably, in ruins till 1581, when it was, 
 at the expense of the corporation, prepared and made a 
 
 * "Be it known tlnto alt men by these presents, that we Jikn Satis. 
 titry, dean of the cathedral church of the holy undividable trinity of 
 Norwich, and chapter of the same church, have remised, released, and 
 clearly for ever, for us and our successors, quit claim, and do by these 
 presents reraise, release, and quitclaim to the mayor of the burgh of 
 Lynn Regis, and to the burgesses of the same; and also to Robert Ger- 
 o'uc and Jdhn Towers, all manner of quarrels, trespasses, variances, 
 controversies, debates, and demands, which we have, and ought to 
 have, for the Lead, Glass, Bell;, Iron, Brats, Laten, Timber and Stone.!, 
 ofthe CAape! nfSt. James in King's Lynn aforesaid, for all and every 
 other cause and causes whatsoever, concerning the same Chapel. In, 
 witness whereof to these presents, We the said Dean and Chapter have 
 set our chapter seal this 8th day of January, in the 8th. year of the 
 reign of Elizabeth, by the grace of God, Queen of England, France, 
 and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. 
 
 REGISTRATOR. 
 
 Sealed and delivered, to the use of the Mayor 
 and Burgesses of King's Lynn, and Robert 
 Jervis and John Towers, in the presence of 
 John Debney of Norwich, David Coytmor, 
 Alexander Au^er, and Richard Lasher." 
 [Mackerel!, 217.] 
 
 f In 1560, five or six years anterior to the date of the above 3eed, 
 as we I^arn f-om Mackerel!, "several gentlemen came to Lynn, and 
 would have taken the state of St. James's church, by order of the 
 Councils Letters, but wore opposed and resisted by the corporation." 
 But if they actually came by the authority of the prhry council, as the 
 aboye seems to imply, it must be rather odd that the corporation 
 should venture to oppose and resist them: but so it is said, see Mac- 
 kereJl 227. The same writer says, p. 177. that in 1567 the finnarle of 
 St. James's chapel, (by which we may suppose he meant the spire of 
 it,} "was taken down, and the steeple built flat." So that the tower 
 appears to have been left for some time in its original state, after the. 
 chief part of the chaptl had been pulled down.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 place for the manufacture of bays, &c. How long it 
 was occupied for that purpose is not said ; but we learn 
 that the undertaking did not succeed. About a century 
 after, in the year 1682, it was repaired and fitted up, by 
 the liberal benefactions of the corporation and principal 
 inhabitants, and converted into a fyospital, or work- 
 house for fitly decayed old men, women, and poor 
 children; a good endowment and provision being made 
 for their work, instructions, and maintenance, and for 
 putting the children out to trades. On that occasion 
 were made and adopted the following 
 
 " Rules, Ordinances and Statutes made and established 
 by the mayor and burgesses of the burgh of King's Lynn 
 in the county of Norfolk, for the good government of 
 the Hospital or Workhouse of St. James, there creeled 
 and founded, and of the children's being, and to be 
 placed therein. Imprimis, That the children be in- 
 structed in their duty towards God, and in good man- 
 ners. That the master for the time being shall cause 
 the children every Lord's day, both in the forenoon 
 and afternoon, constantly to repair to the parish church 
 of St. Margaret, diligently to attend divine service 
 and sermons (here. That some fit person, to be elected 
 by the mayor and burgesses, shall daily read the pray- 
 ers and collects appointed for that purpose in the chapel 
 of the said house, every morning by eight of the 
 clock , and every cvew^g by four of the clock precisely, 
 all the children there attending with becoming reve- 
 rence. That such person, after prayers so read at the 
 
 3 Z
 
 568 HISTORY OF LYJfN. 
 
 times aforesaid, shall teach the children to read for the 
 space of one hour and an halt, twice in the day, by 
 calling together four at a time, and no more, whilst 
 the rest are at work. That such person every sunday, 
 after divine service in the afternoon, calling all the said 
 children into the chapel, shall instruct them in the 
 church Catechism appointed for children, for the space 
 of one hour, concluding \vith the prayers and collects. 
 
 <C !TEM, For their Recreation and Correction. That 
 the children be kept at work between our Lady and 
 Michaelmas from Six of the clock in the morning till 
 Twelve at noon; and between Michaelmas and our La~ 
 dy from Eight till twelve, and in all afternoons from 
 One to Seven: the time for prayers, reading, and re- 
 freshment, excepted. That on festivals and holy-days 
 observed by the church, and every thursday after three 
 in the afternoon, they be allowed reasonable recreation. 
 That for offences committed, gentle and moderate chas- 
 tisemeut be given ; and such as will not thereby be re- 
 formed, be sent to the house of correction, to be there 
 punished. 
 
 "!TEM, For their Diet, Cloaths, Firing, and ne- 
 cessary Provisions. That three days in the week they 
 have once in the day competent allowance of flesh meat 
 hot, and three other days like allowance of other hot 
 provision, to be ready at twelve at noon / and on the 
 other day fit provision ; as also a reasonable breakfast 
 and supper every day of the week. That all sorts of 
 provision, bread, beer ; and meat ? and all other victuals,
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 569 
 
 be good, fresh, and wholesome. That once every year, 
 a month before Christmas, they be allowed new suits of 
 cloaths of the usual colours, and new shift ins:, shoes, 
 and stockings, SQ often as it shall be necessary and con- 
 venient, and washing allowed them. That out of six 
 chaldron of coals to be allowed to the master, a conve- 
 nient fire be kept in the working-room all the cold sea- 
 son of the year. That such children as shall appear to 
 be sick, be removed into a room for that purpose ; and 
 if any be infirm, or taken with contagious distempers 
 (such as are catching) that special care be taken to lodge 
 them apart from the others. 
 
 !TEM, For the Visitation, Overseeing, Defray ins: 
 necessary charges, and Regulation of Abuses. That on 
 the usual day of electing the corporation officers in every 
 year, the mayor, "aldermen, and common-council, or 
 the major part of them, shall elect and choose three 
 discreet and fitting persons to be governors of the same 
 Hospital, or Workhouse, for the year .from Michaelmas 
 thence next ensuing, whose care shall be to inspect and 
 oversee the same, and the children therein, from time 
 time; and to order arid direct allexpenccs, charges, 
 payments, and disbursements concerning the same ; and 
 to see and cause all the rules, ordinances, and statutes 
 thereof to be put in due execution. That all gifts, be- 
 nevolences, contributions, payments, and sums of mo- 
 ney whatsoever, now or hereafter to be made and given 
 to the same Hospital or Workhouse, or the poor chil- 
 dren therein, shall from time to time be paid into the 
 3 z 2
 
 570 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 hands of such governors; and a true account thereof, 
 and of all expences, charges, payments and disburse- 
 ments concerning the same, shall yearly be made and 
 audited on the usual day appointed for auditing the 
 accompts of the mayor and burgesses. That a book be 
 kept, wherein all gifts and benevolences, that have been 
 or shall hereafter be given to, or bestowed on the said 
 Hospital or Workhouse, or the poor children therein, 
 shall be fairly registered, to be kept in the said chapel . 
 That one other book be kept, wherein the names or times 
 of placing or removing of all masters and poor children 
 of the same Hospital or Workhouse shall be entered and 
 recorded. That a sufficient chest or box be provided, 
 with two locks, for the reposing and safe keeping therein 
 the Deeds of Foundation, Endowment, and other wri- 
 tings, that do or shall belong thereunto, as also the 
 common seal of the said Hospital, or Workhouse; one 
 key whereof to remain with the mayor of this burgh for 
 the time being, the other with the senior governor there- 
 of. That the mayor, aldermen, and common-council- 
 men, or so many as shall think fit, by appointment of 
 the mayor for the time being, shall four times in every 
 y-ear, or oftener if need require, visit the said hospital 
 or workhouse, for the belter encouragement thereof, 
 and discovering abuses that may be committed contrary 
 to these rules and ordinances." * 
 
 "The first Collection among the inhabitants towards 
 this charitable design, and preparing this chapel, amoun- 
 ted to, the sum of 406/. Is. Gd.The Corporation also 
 
 Mafterell, 222-
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 571 
 
 made an order among themselves, That every Aldejmaa 
 fiew elected should pay at his admittance 101. and every 
 comrnon-council-man 20 nobles, which, to the year 
 ending at Lady day 1724, amounted to 726/. 13s. 4ef. 
 The legacies of persons deceased (besides other benefac- 
 tions) given to the same" [up to the above specified time] 
 amounted to 90/- Os. Od.ln all 1222/. 14s. 10f/. 
 They also endowed it with 20/. per annum.'' * 
 
 For some reason, to us unknown, the above ordfr of 
 things did not long continue. In the course of a few 
 years another revolution took place: most, if not all 
 the above regulations were repealed, or laid aside, and 
 the house, by an act of parliament, was consigned to 
 the superintendence and management of the Guardians 
 of Ike Poor, t That act passed in 1701, the 12lh. of 
 William III. For erecting Hospitals and Workhouses 
 in King's Lynn. It contains, as Mackerell observes, 
 the following clause "The Workhouse founded by the 
 mayor and burgesses, called St. James's Workhouse, 
 and all lands, tenements, rents, revenues, goods, and 
 chattels, belonging to the same, are by this act vested 
 and settled in the guardians of the poor, and their suc- 
 cessors." We are further told, that by another clause 
 in this act, it was to continue in force only so long as the 
 rates did not exceed what had been paid towards the 
 
 * ib. 178. 
 
 f By the above Act, if we are not mistaken, or about the time when 
 it took placf, there was also appropriated, as a further addition to the 
 revenue and maintenance of the said house, fjur fence ff.r r.haldrv. on 
 all coals imported here by strangers; which is said to amount yearly, 
 one year with another, to 200/. and upwards. [Mackerel!, 179.] 
 + Mackerell, 178.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 maintenance of the poor, for any one of the then three 
 last years. That excess, no doubt, took place pretty 
 soon, though we have not learnt the exact year when it 
 so happened: and yet the guardians, it seems, long 
 after, and even till very lately, acted under that same 
 obsolete law; a conduct which may be thought not al- 
 together justifiable or defensible. But as the proverb 
 says, that "half a loaf is better than no bread," so they 
 might judge that an obsolete law was better than no law. 
 However that was, one would think that they must cease 
 to be guardians, when the law that constituted them such 
 lost its authority, or ceased to be in force. 
 
 From the period when the superintendence and ma- 
 nagement of St. James's Hospital were committed to the 
 guardians, it appears to have become the proper poor 
 Louse of St. Margaret's parish, and general workhouse 
 of the town. Of the exact state and regular variations 
 of the poor rates in Lynn during the first sixty years, 
 and more, after the above act had passed, AVC have but 
 little knowledge ; but for the last forty years our in- 
 formation is much more extensive and authentic. Du- 
 ring this period our poor-rates, or what we have raised 
 for the support of the poor, have increased tenfold, and 
 the number of paupers four or five fold. In 1770 these 
 rates amounted to only 9761. In 1796 they amounted 
 to 77131. and in 1809 to about, or near 9000/. and the 
 whole expenditure, up to the end of January in the pre- 
 sent year, (1810.) to the enormous sum of 10,243/. 10s. 
 3d. for, after the manner of our superiors, who sit above 
 
 J Grisenthwaite's Remarks, p 11.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 573 
 
 at the helm, we manage and contiive that our outgoings 
 should exceed our income. The following statements 
 of our out-door expenditure in two different years, (the 
 first and the last of the above period,) extracted from Mr. 
 Grisentlnvaite's Remarks, p. 19 and 20, may throw 
 some further light upon this subject. 
 
 Abstract of Out-door Expenditure in 1770, as pub- 
 
 . 
 
 lished by order of the Court of Guardians. 
 
 No. of fain 
 iiics in each 
 
 Wards. 
 
 No. of 
 persons. 
 
 Cash paid to eacb 
 ward weekly. 
 
 /. s. d. 
 
 ward. 
 
 30. 1. North End Ward . . 78 . . . 2. 14. 0. 
 
 6. 2. Keltlewell ditto .... 9 ... 0. 7. 6. 
 
 5. 3. Trinity II all ditto .. 16 ... 0. 9, 6. 
 
 5. 4. Jews' Lane ditto .. 10 ... 0. 11. 6. 
 
 13. 5. Paradise ditto . ... 34 ... 1. 6. 0. 
 
 26. 6. Sedgcford Lane ditto . 41 . . V 1. 18. 6. 
 
 19. 7. Stouegate ditto . . 34.. . . 1. 13. 0. 
 
 20. 8. Chequer ditto .... 41 ... 1. 6. 6, 
 8. 9. New Conduit ditto . 17 ... 0. II. 6. 
 
 In St. James's Workhouse .... 0. 2. C. 
 
 131. Total as establishmeat account. 280. 10. 19. 6.* 
 
 * The reader will perceive that this is not perfectly correct; but so 
 it stands in Mr. Grisenthwaite's Pamphlet. The incorrectness, how- 
 ever, is trivial, aud cannot affect the main subject. It may be supposed 
 to lie among the separate articles, rather than in the casting up j but 
 it canugt be rectified without a sight of the original account*
 
 574 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN*. 
 
 Abstract of Out-door Expenditure in 1&09, as publish- 
 ed by order of the Court (or corporation) of Guardians. 
 
 No. of fain - 
 iliesineacl: 
 Ward, 
 
 Wards. 
 
 No. of 
 persons. 
 
 Cash paid to each 
 ward weekly. 
 
 /. s. d. 
 
 S5. . . 
 
 North End Ward 
 
 . 172. . 
 
 . . 9. 19. 9. 
 
 44. . . 
 
 Ketllewell ditto . 
 
 . 78. . 
 
 . . 5. 16. 0. 
 
 58. . . 
 
 Paradise ditto . . 
 
 . 141. . 
 
 . . 8. 18. 6. 
 
 36. . . 
 
 Jews' Lane ditto . 
 
 . 99. . 
 
 . . 5. 10. 6. 
 
 44. . . 
 
 New Conduit ditto 
 
 . 91. . 
 
 . . 6. 12. 0. 
 
 58. . . 
 
 Chequer ditto . . 
 
 . 120. . 
 
 . . 9. 2. 6. 
 
 S3. . . 
 
 Trinity Hall ditto 
 
 . 64. . 
 
 . .5. 2. 6. 
 
 76. . . 
 
 Sedgeford Lane ditto 158. . 
 
 . 10. 9. 6. 
 
 80. . . 
 
 Stonegate ditto . 
 
 . 150. . 
 
 . 12. 0. 0. 
 
 5U. 
 
 Weekly Allowance 
 
 1050. . 
 
 . 75. 11. 3. 
 
 Sick poor .... 
 
 . 60. . 
 
 . . 8. 17. 0. 
 
 Illegitimate 39. . 
 
 . . 3. 13. 9. 
 
 
 Total. 
 
 1149. 
 
 88. 1. 9.* 
 
 The difference between the latter and the former of 
 the above Statements, in so short a period, comprehen- 
 ding only a part of the present prosperous reign, and 
 what some seem to deem the most blessed and glorious 
 part of it, must be exceedingly remarkable and wonder- 
 
 * This statement also is somewhat inaccurate, but not so as to affetft 
 the main subject. The sum total may be presumed to be strictly cor- 
 rect, whatever slight errors may have crept amoig the separate ar- 
 ticles, which might be easily rectified by a sight of the original docu. 
 
 BJt'Uti.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 575 
 
 fill. In 1770 the rates of the town were only 4s. in the 
 pound on the rent, raising an annual revenue of 9761-, 
 of which 5791. were appropiated for the use of the out 
 door poor, leaving only 397 f. for the maintenance of the 
 Workhouse and all other contingent expences. Thus 
 the total expenditure of the House was then only 3971; 
 now it is S496/. 3.. 5d. Then the total annual expen- 
 diture for both the in-door and out-door poor was only 
 976/; n w it is above 10,000/. * Of course, the charge 
 for the maintenance of the poor is now. become a very 
 serious matter, and even a heavy and grievous burden 
 to many of the inhabitants. 
 
 Our poor rates have arrived at their present unexam- 
 pled height under the new heaven-born poor-law, which 
 was to be the prolific parent of so many inestimable bless- 
 ings to the town; not one of which, alas! has yet been, 
 or is ever likely to be realized. This memorable law, 
 and its worthy twin-sister, the paping law, have been, 
 already productive of incalculable mischief. The vast 
 additional burden which they have brought upon the 
 inhabitants ha? lessened the value of houses 15 or 20 per 
 cent, and multiplied the number of untenanted duellings 
 to five or six score, at least. ^ Nor is it possible at 
 present to calculate how far tlie evil will or may extend. 
 
 4 A 
 
 * See Grisenthwaite's Remarks, p. 21, and the !a?t Account of 
 Receipts and Disbursements published by the Corporation of Guar- 
 dians, 
 
 JThey were between five and six score last year, and are supposed . 
 to be more now. This is said to have already occasioned to our Lynn 
 house-owners a loss of above 1000/. a year: of course, they have no 
 groat reason to exult in the goodness of the times, or to boast of thi 
 salutary or beneficial effects of the new poor and paving laws.
 
 576 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 For such a (own as this to contain a large and increas- 
 ing number of empty houses must certainly have a very 
 dark and unpropitious appearance, and is utterly re- 
 pugnant to every idea of our being at present in a flou- 
 rishing or prosperous condition. * 
 
 When it was made to appear that the poor rates of 
 Lynn amounted to nearly, if not quite, as much as those 
 of Hull and Exeter, places three times its population, 
 it was impossible to avoid suspecting the existence of 
 some sad mismanagement, if not also of most foul and 
 criminal misdoings. The same suspicion was not likely 
 to be lessened, but rather to issue in full conviction, 
 when it was discovered, that the maintenance of each 
 pauper in this workhouse, or hospital, costs even more 
 than that of each pensioner in Greenwich Hospital, J 
 
 * Lynn, unquestionably, owes much of its present declension to 
 the new poor and paving laws, which have so greatly added to those 
 burdens which were already become almost unbearable: they there- 
 fore ought not to have been brought forward at such a time j espe- 
 cially, as they were dissapproved by a large proportion of the inhabi- 
 tants. Though their bad effects are visible to the most superficial ob- 
 server, yet that avails nothing: we are too self-sufficient to be taught 
 by experience, or to let the remembrance of past errors correct our 
 future conduct. The present sudden advance, or augmentation of 
 the water -rent i at the rate of fifty per cent, may serve to illustrate this. 
 Under our present circumstances, this measure must appear exceed- 
 ingly inconsiderate, unfeeling, and illtimed. It would not have been 
 disreputable in the managers of this concern to pay the inhabitants the 
 compliment of explaining to them the reason of this measure : but, 
 perhaps, they might think that the inhabitants had no right to know 
 the reason, nor yet the reasonableness of their exactions. Private 
 householders are to be charged higher than shopkeepers: this also 
 seems to want explanation. Were we possessed of the whole secret, it 
 would probably appear that abuses exist in the management of outf 
 water-works not very dissimilar to those of our work-house. 
 J Gfisenthwaite's Remarks, page 40, ,
 
 H1STOJIY OF LYNN. 577 
 
 and twice or thrice as much as that of each pauper in 
 some, if not all, of the most noted and respectable work- 
 houses, or poorhouses in the kingdom- That the report 
 of these circumstances, with the increasing pressure of 
 the rales, should excite a spirit of mistrust, inquiry, 
 and investigation in the town, was no more than what 
 might naturally be expected. It accordingly did so 
 happen : and the result proved that the previous suspi- 
 cious were not groundless. 
 
 In the course of the investigation, Butcher's Meat 
 appeared to be here consumed in such unusual quanti- 
 ties t as are utterly irreconcilable with any and every 
 idea of economy and good management : and in the ar- 
 ticle of Cheese the consumption appeared to be slill 
 more palpably disproportionate, unexampled, and ex- 
 cessive; so as to set the wisdom and competency of our 
 managers in a very unfavourable and unseemly point of 
 view. This the reader will easily perceive, when lie is 
 told, that it costs in this house, for cheese alone, between 
 4 and 5/. a week, or that there is consumed here weekly 
 no less than 1 Cwt. of that article. That this is out of 
 all proportion to what is usual in other Poor-houses, will 
 appear from the following statement, extracted I'rom Mr. 
 Grisenthwaite late publication. * 
 
 At the Norwich Poor-houses, among 1343 persons, 
 during one of the late years of scarcity, the annual ex- 
 pence for cheese was 135/. 2s. 5tf. At Shrewsbury^ 
 4 A 2 
 
 f Sixty Stone a week, or more, as it is p'es lively reported.. 
 * Griseutliwaite's Remarks, p. 41,
 
 578 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 among 274 persons, (in 1801, if we are not mistaken,) 
 the annual expence for the same article was 561. 2s. 4</. 
 AiHull) in 1808^ (number of persons not mentioned, 
 but doubtless, not fewer than those in our Poor-house,) 
 the annual expence for the said article was 29/. 16s. 
 At Lynn^ the' same year, among 200 persons, for that 
 article, 226/. 8s. At the same town, among about the 
 same number of persons, for the last year, (1809,) the 
 annual expence for that very article amounted to the 
 
 still more enormous sum of 259/. 15s. lid. i If we go 
 on at this rate, we shall soon have 3 or 400/. a year to 
 pay for cheese only^ for the use of our Workhouse; a 
 sum equal to what the whole of that establishment cost 
 forty years ago. ^ 
 
 The statement here following will shew the respective 
 and total amount of the expence of the other articles 
 consumed in this house within the last year, with the 
 proportion they bore to the single article above specified. 
 The Butter used in this house for the whole year cost 
 301. 11s. Id.-The Milk 331. Us. 2d. -Potatoes 371. 
 2s. Oatmeal and Peas 561. 6s. [Total 157/. 13s. &/.] 
 That the sum total of the expence for the above four, 
 or rather Jive articles, should fall, short above 100/. of 
 what it cost for cheese only, must, surely be very strange: 
 and yet it appears not to be more strange than true. 
 The whole year's expence for Grocery was 158/. Is. 7d. 
 : And for Beer, 1571. 7s Here also it may be thought 
 not a little remarkable, that the Grocery and even the 
 
 j- Account of Receipts and Disbursements of 1809, published by 
 the Corporation of Guardians. 
 
 \ G.'s Remarks, p. 33.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 Beverage used here should so much fall sliort of the 
 Cheese as each of them not to amount to very much 
 above half the expence of that article. Of Uie two most 
 important articles, Flour and Meat, (the only two 
 which exceeded the expence of cheese!) the former, in- 
 cluding Bread, cost 1001/. 10s. 9d. * and the lat- 
 ter, (Meaty) cost 1110/. Coals cost 134/. os. 10. 
 Turf 91. 3s. -Oil SI. 4*. The total expenditure of the 
 house for the whole year, including sundry other ar- 
 ticles, -with repairs, &c. 349G/. 3s, 5d, t and with 
 the disbursements to the out-door pensioners, the entire 
 expenditure, up (o the end of last January, as was be- 
 fore observed, appeared to amount to 10,243/, 10s, 3d, t 
 an enormous sum, sureiy, for a town (hat does not con- 
 tain 1 1 ,000 inhabitants, or any manufacture, or even any 
 trade woa;, of much consequence, except the coal trade. 
 Under these circumstances, such a rapid and vast increase 
 of poor, and of the poor rates, must amount to an irre- 
 fragable proof, that we are now in a state of actual and 
 fast declension, whatever some people may insinuate, 
 or pretend to the contrary. But the more evident this 
 declension is, the more incumbent it must be on those 
 who have the management of our affairs to observe the 
 
 O 
 
 utmost economy, and spare as much as possible the in- 
 dustrious and lower orders of the community, who can 
 
 * One would hardly have expected that the cost of cheese alone, 
 in a poor-house, would have been more than one fourth of that of botli 
 bread and _flaur, 
 
 f Account of Receipts and Disbursements, as before. 
 
 If any thing has been mistated here, the writer will thank any 
 one that will apprize him of it; and he will ta'^c caiv to have it rec- 
 tified. "
 
 580 HISTORY OF- LYNN. 
 
 so ill hear the burden of additional charges. 
 they have hitherto ever thought of this, or not, it seems 
 to be now high lime that it should occupy its full share 
 of their attention. + 
 
 It has also been thought, or rather suspected, that 
 our distributers of parochial relief do not always dis- 
 tribute or administer that relief with judgment and dis- 
 crimination, or even with a scrupulous or due regard to 
 justice and impartiality ; and such statements as the fol- 
 lowing might be supposed to afford some colour or coun- 
 tenance to such suspicions "Weeky allowances To a 
 man and wife and 5 children, 2s. 6d: To a young 
 woman, aged 24, and one child 2s. To a man and wife 
 near 70 years of age, 1* : To a single woman, aged 19, 
 2s. 6d. To a widow, aged 76, 2s: To a single woman, 
 aged 31, 2s. 6d To a widow, aged 78, 2s. To a sin- 
 gle woman, aged 22, Is. Gd. To an aged woman, 
 102 years old, 2s. 6d: To a widow, aged 48, 3s. 6d. 
 To a widow, aged 38, with 3 children, 3s: To a single 
 woman, aged 36, 2s. 6(/."* Such a Statement, which may 
 be taken as a sample, or specimen of our out-door dis 
 
 J Let no one suppose, from what has been above said or suggested, 
 that the present writer would wish our poor to be neglected, or treated 
 unfeelingly, Nothing on earth can be further from his thoughts. Let 
 them, by all means, be sufficiently attended to, and duly provided 
 for: but he sees no reason why they should live better than the poor 
 in all other English work- houses, or even better than what many of 
 those that contribute towards their support can afford to do; which 
 yet seems to be actually the case at Lynn, of late years. Much ten- 
 der attention, undoubtedly, is due, pot only to those of the pour 
 who are entitled to parochial relief, but also to those of them, on 
 whom a contribution beyond their power is levied towards that relief. 
 Of these there is said to be now among us no small numbefc 
 * Grisenthwaite's Remarks p. 2-i,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 581 
 
 tributions, has something like } arliality, or inconside- 
 rateness, marked on its very forehead. "Kisses," ac- 
 cording to the old adage, "go by favour;" and so, it 
 is to be feared, do our out-door parochial allowances, 
 in too many instances. But upon this topic we will 
 not now enlarge, as we may have occasion hereafter to 
 resume the subject, in the latter part of the work, t 
 
 At this time (July 1810) a revolution, or new arrange- 
 ment is said to be actually taking place among our in- 
 door-pensioners, or in the management of St. James's 
 Hospital, from which very important benefits are ex- 
 pected soon to result : and it is much to be w ished that 
 the event may correspond with the present expectations. 
 The houshold expences have been already, it seems 
 much reduced, ^ without the least detriment to the 
 poor inmates : and we hear, that the plan is to be fol- 
 lowed, up with the strictest attention to sound and rigid 
 economy. The present state of the town certainly re- 
 quires it, and those who have come forward on this oc- 
 casion seem to be very much in earnest ; but it remains 
 to be seen how far our present hopes and expectations 
 will be realized, or whether, after all, we are not des- 
 tined to be, in this case, as we have been in many others, 
 the miserable victims of delusion and disappointment. * 
 
 f Its connect; MI with the history of St. James's Chapel and Hospi- 
 tal was the sole %son of its being adverted to, or brought forward 
 in this part of the work. 
 
 \ In the article of Meat, for instance, the reduction is said to he 
 from 60 stone, or more, to less than 30. 
 
 * The expectation of the adoption of a thorough economical system, 
 for our Workhouse, has considerably lowered, with some people, since 
 the recent appointment of a nw collector of poor rates j
 
 582 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 With vrry little propriety, especially of late years, 
 has our St. James's Hospital been called a TFork -house: 
 it might full as well, and even better, have been called 
 a pl(ti/-]io\isc ; for it is certain that there is more play 
 than work going on there. Among its 200 pensioners, 
 
 son was appointed with a salary of ISO/, a year, althonsrh another can- 
 didate, of equally unexceptionable character offered, as it is said, 
 to execute the office for 50/, less. This, indeed, does not seem to 
 be a good omen; yet we hope it does not augur, or absolutely indi- 
 cate that things will still go on after the old sort, so as to admit of 
 such vile and infamous procedings as those of the f.onr -merchants, 
 mentioned by Mr. Grisenthwaite, or that the expenditure of the 
 next and succeeding years will equal, or nearly equal, that of the 
 last and preceding ones.- No longer, it is to be hoped, are we to 
 bear of "every thing for the use of the House being procured of 
 whom and in such quantities a,s the governor and master think pro- 
 per, at the full current market prices or, that groceries are taken, in 
 small quantities, at the common retail rates or, that clothing provided 
 for the house costs upwards of 30 per Cent, more than it might fairly be 
 afforded at or, that our female paupers, on holidays, are to be seen as- 
 sociated, in the vilest ale-houses, with the very dregs of society, mani- 
 festing by their lewdness of depression, immodest demeanour, and 
 idepraved sentiment, an entire dereliction of every virtuous principle." 
 This last circumstance must have actually reduced our poor-house 
 to a wh -house ! a character which, snrely it ought no longer to re- 
 tain j otherwise a great part of our enormous poor rates will be most 
 infamously misapplied. It is presumed it v/ill also be veiy desirable 
 that our new collector should not tenaciously imitate every part of the 
 conduct of his predecessor; and especially that of harassing the poor- 
 er householders, for default of prompt or speedy payment, by indis- 
 criminately issuing summonses, at the rate of 2*. 4rf. a piece, and by 
 three and four score at a time. Such a process must bear very hard 
 upon those luckless people, whose poverty or inability constitutes per- 
 haps, the whole of their delinquency. To exact, therefore, an additi- 
 onal 2s. 4rf. from each of them, must have been,..ha say the least of 
 
 it, an unchristian and inhuman deed. N. B. The Collector above 
 
 mentioned, with a salary of ISO/, a year, is a neat officer, as is also the 
 Registrar, vfith a salary of 50/. a year. These twin-brothers are the 
 legitimate offspring of the new poor act. To the Registrar is sup- 
 posed to belong, to chronicle small beer, &c. and \rrite summonses: 
 if so, as the defaulters are charged 2s. 4rf, for each summons, are 
 they not, in fact, paid for twice over?
 
 HISTORY Of LYXJf ' 
 
 one half, at least, may be supposed capable of doingf 
 some, and even a great deal of work : and yet all their" 
 earnings during all the last year amounted to no more 
 than 170/. Is. 5d which was at the rate of little more 
 than a penny a day* The work, therefore, done by the 
 numerous residents in this house is scarcely worth men- 
 tioning, except for the purpose of exhibiting the pal- 
 pable neglect and mismanagement of the conductors, 
 and their utter incompetency for the charge which they 
 have undertaken* As things have stood hitherto, this 
 house has been little better than a nest of sloth, or aa 
 asylum for idleness ; where young and strong paupers 
 are so treated as if it were actually wished and intended 
 to unfit them, as much as possible, for any future use 
 or employment in society, or as if tbeir admission here 
 had been meant for their ruin, and not for their relief 
 and benefit Care, certainly, ought to be taken, that 
 the children, and youth, and hale people, in our poor- 
 houses, be inured to habits of industry, as well as pro- 
 vided with food and raiment ; otherwise, the succour 
 afforded will be most materially defective. 
 
 The foregoing narration, it is presumed, will enable 
 the reader to form a pretty accurate arid adequate idea, 
 of the history of this notable house, from its first erec- 
 tion, or foundation, in the reign of king Stephen, or 
 that of his successor, to the present time. At first, as 
 lias been shewn, it was a chapel, or place of worship, 
 of no small consideration in the town, being little infe- 
 rior to St. Nicholas' chapel, or even St. Margaret's 
 
 4 B
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN, i 
 
 church, and continued to be so till the reformation,- 
 when it M'as unaccountably desecrated, and most of it 
 pulled down. After \vhich, it was appropriated succes- 
 sively to different uses, .till it became the poor-house of 
 St. Margaret's parish, and the general work-house of 
 the town, witn the annexation, of late years, of exfen. 
 give new buildings. This is its state at present : but 
 how long it may so continue, it is impossible to say, a&- 
 \ve can see but little into futurity. How far the recent 
 change and expected reform will realize or dissappoint 
 pur hopes, must be left at present among the mysteries. 
 Time is the only revealer of such secrets. We will now 
 take our leave of St. James's Chapel and Hospital, and 
 pioceed to other matters, somewhat less connected 
 the affairs of the present generation %
 
 HISTORY t>F LYNN; 585 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Brief biographical notices of the most remarkable or distinguished 
 personages that appeared among the inhabitants of Lynn, in the in- . 
 terveniag period between the Conquest and the Reformation. 
 
 During the period now under consideration, it is not 
 known that many eminently distinguished, or very me- 
 morable characters appeared among the inhabitants of 
 this town, full as it was, in the mean time, of ecclesi- 
 astics or priests, and monks or friars of different orders, 
 among whom was usually confined all the lillle know- 
 ledge and learning that did then exist in the nation. Cut 
 though the population of Lynn, during the said period^ 
 did not abound in characters of the above description, 
 yet it does not appear to have been altogether destitute 
 of them. The names of several have been preserved, 
 who seem to have made in their day no mean figure 
 among their most enlightened contemporaries; of whonV' 
 the following were, perhaps, the most estimable and 
 worthy of remembrance. 
 
 4 B 2
 
 58<S HI8T01V OF 
 
 1. NICHOLAS DE LENNA, or Nicholas of Lj/tnt. He 
 was a native of this town, and flourished in the reign of 
 Edward III. He was educated at Oxford, where his 
 literary proficiency may be supposed to have been very 
 considerable, as he afterwards appeared to exceed most 
 of his fellows, especially in some rare studies and dis- 
 tinguishing departments. To him is supposed chiefly 
 to apply that observation of Voltaire, in his Essay on 
 Universal History, (vol. 3. pp. 182, 183.) "That 
 the first [in Europe] who certainly made use of the 
 compass were the English, in the reign of Edward 111." 
 * Hackluyt, in his Voyages, makes particular and 
 honorable mention of him, observing, that Nicholas de 
 tenna, an excellent musician, mathematician, and astro-, 
 loger, bred at Oxford, after having applied his studies 
 chiefly to astronomy, by the help of his Astrolabe, J 
 inade six voyages to the North seas, of which he pub- 
 lished an account, in a book entitled "Inventio Fortu- 
 
 * Were it, indeed, ascertainable, that it was Nicholas who taught 
 England and Europe the use of the Compass, Lynn would have great 
 reason to be proud of him. But the fact is doubtful, if not more 
 than doubtful, as the same honour has been confidently ascribed to 
 Fta-oiu Gioia, a celebrated mathematician of Amalfi, in Naples, wbj 
 flourished about 1500, which was somewhat earlier than the other, 
 and who marked the north-point in the Compass by a_/7otwr de Us, in 
 compliment to the then Neapolitan royal family, which was a branch 
 of that of France. Still our townsman might have a share, and that 
 perhaps not small, if not in the discovery itself, yet, at least, in its 
 improvement, or the application of it to the purposes of navigation. 
 The Chinese are said to have been acquainted with magnetism and 
 the use of the compass long before all other nations. 
 
 J The Astrolabe was an instrument formerly in much request, and 
 still very well spoken of. There were different sorts of instruments 
 that bore that name. The above was one of those called fa-astro- 
 labes, a description of which may be seen in the works of Chaucer t 
 and also in the Cyclopedias.
 
 HISTOHY OF LYNN. 587 
 
 Hotel (aliter Fortunce,) qui liber incipit a gradu 54 usq; 
 ad polum.* In the first (which seems to have taken place 
 as-early as 1330) he sailed from Lynn to Iceland, with 
 company, whom he left on the sea- coast, while he him* 
 self travelled up into the island in search of discoveries. 
 lie presented his charts of the northern seas, at his re- 
 turn, (from his last voyage, we may suppose) to Ed- 
 ward III, in J360 ; and they were afterwards made 
 use of in the reign of Henry VI, and probably much 
 later. He died in 1369, and was buried at Lynn. We 
 are told that he was much esteemed by his celebrated 
 contemporary Ch a ucer, who styled him 'Frere Nicho- 
 las Linn, a reverend clerke.' 
 
 Like the great Roger Bacon, who lived about half 
 a century before him, Nicholas belonged to the re- 
 ligious order of Grey Friars, or Franciscans, other- 
 wise called Cordeliers, and minor brethren, t One is 
 apt to forget or overlook, in some measure, the ex- 
 travagances of the order, in the contemplation of its 
 being capable of producing,and that it actually did pro- 
 duce such men as these. As Nicholas is supposed to 
 have spent most part of his time at Lynn, among the 
 brethren of his order, it may very naturally and rea- 
 sonably be concluded, or supposed, that the Grey 
 1 '/iars" 1 to<er, which is still standing, was often used 
 by him, as an observatory j in the course of his astro* 
 
 f Pale, however, classes him among the Carmelites ; but it seems to 
 he generally agreed that he was mista.en, and that Nicholas certain- 
 ly belonged to the Franciscans, as was said above. Mackerel! imputes - 
 Bale's placing him among the Carmelites to bis partiality to them, 
 liain<j himself been of that fraternity.
 
 ttlSf OftY .01 , LYJf JT. 
 
 fcdmical studies liere; which may suggest ho despicable 
 feason for preserving that ancient ruin from the ravages 
 fef lime, and keeping it up as long as possible. The re- 
 pair which it lately underwent must be creditable to the 
 feelings of those by whom it was promoted. It may 
 sem somewhat odd and remarkable that it has stood 
 SO long, and still exists, the last and only remain of 
 out numerous monasteries and conventual towers; 
 (though, perhaps, from the slightness of its structure, 
 the most unlikely of any of them to survive; ) as it time, 
 tfr providence had favoured its preservation^ by way 
 of approval of the useful purposes to which it had been 
 Once appropriated, or in honour of the memory of him 
 who so laudably occupied it, and was so eminent a be- 
 rtfefactor to his coutnry* Much stress, however, is riot 
 Ifleant to be laid ori these ideas i yet we cannot help 
 thinking that this supposed, or presumed and probable 
 Observatory of our ancient astronomer and navigator is 
 entitled to some teal and lasting respect from the en 
 lightened part of our population. 
 
 It has been already observed that out worthy and 
 fespectable townsman, the subject of this brief me* 
 fcaoir, died in 1369, and was buried here, [in the church, 
 or dormitory of the Grey Friars, in all probability ;J 
 but at w hat age, does not appear : yet it his first voy- 
 age took place in 1330, as it is said, he must have 
 lived to be pretty far advanced in years; it being not 
 probable that he was less than thirty when he set out 
 on that voyage* Between the first and sixth, or last 
 t&F his Voyages there seem to have been nearly if not
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 quite thirty years. They were all apparently voyages 
 of discovery and experiment, and for improvement in 
 the art and knowledge of navigation, and proved, no- 
 doubt, of no small advantage and benefit to his coun- 
 trymen. It is much to be wished that a particular ao 
 cotiiit of them had been preserved, which could not 
 fail of being very interesting; but as such an account 
 is not known to exist, our wishing for it must be all vain 
 and useless. Any records which our worthy voyager 
 might leave behind him have probably perished long 
 ago ; but we have from o<heF sources snfficient proofs 
 that he must have been in his day an extraordinary man, 
 greatly distinguished as a mathematician and astrono 
 mer, and especially as a navigator. He and the per* 
 son whose name next follows may pretty safely be 
 deemed the two most eminent characters that appeared 
 among our townsmen, during the long period of' which we 
 are now treating, or, perhaps, during any other period. 
 
 2. WILLIAM SAWTRE, or Salter, otherwise Sawtry, 
 ChawtreyAnd Chatris, and commonly called Sir William 
 Sawtre, &c. it being usu ;1 in those days, and long after, 
 to prefix that title to the names of a certain description 
 of ecclesiastics, Hz is rendered peculiarly memorable 
 as the English proto-martyr ; it being generally agreed 
 that he was the first Englishman that was burnt for his 
 religion. We have no authority to say of Sautre, *s 
 we did of Nicholas, that he was born here. The place 
 of his birth, as far as .we know, has been no where men. 
 tioned. It appears that he took up his residence and 
 settled here, as parish priest ofSt, Margaret's, in tfce
 
 590 HlSTOftY OF LYNN.. 
 
 time of bishop Spencer, of fighting, crusading, and 
 persecuting memory j and that he was afterwards sus- 
 pected and found to be a Lollard or Wickliffite, * 
 which meant pretty much the same with what we call 
 being a protcstant, but was then deemed, by the rulers, 
 in church and state, a very grievous offence, and even 
 a most shocking, pestilent, damnable, and insufferable 
 heresy. The defection of Sawtre, from the established 
 or national faith, roused his ecclesiastical superiors, 
 and he was cited to appear before his haughty and fu- 
 yious diocesan, at his palace of south Helinghatn; 
 which accordingly he did, on the last day of April, 
 and the first of May 1399. In the mean time he ap- 
 prars to have undergone a long and strict examination, 
 in (he chapel belonging to the said episcopal palace, 'be- 
 fore the bishop, the archdeacon of Norwich, and divers 
 others, consisting of doctors, divines, and notaries. It 
 also appears that he was then so far from being ashamed 
 of the opinions he had espoused, or intimidated by the 
 danger to which they might expose him, that he did 
 not at all scruple or hesitate to avow and defend them. 
 This we may be sure, did not please and conciliate his 
 
 * .Which may probably indicate, that, he had been educated at 
 Cjford, as that university was the great nest, or fountain-head of 
 Lollardism, which seems not to have been much, if at all countenanc- 
 ed at Cambridge. Abp. Arandel with his commissioners visited 
 Cambridge in 1401, not long, it soems, after the trial and burning of 
 Sautre...One, and perhaps the chief object of their visit was, to en- 
 quire, Whether there were among its members "any suspected of 
 Lollardism, or any other heretical pravity-" One solitary Lollard was 
 found out, whose name was Peter Harford , who was ordered to ab- 
 jure Wickliff's opinions in full congregation. (See Mo. Mag. for Oct 
 1803, p. 225.)
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 examiners, or promote and facilitate his acquittal and 
 liberation* 
 
 We are not particularly informed how he was dis- 
 posed ot immediately after this examination : but it seems 
 pretty certain, that he then became a close prisoner in 
 some place of confinement within the precincts of the 
 said episcopal palace. A prison, for reputed heretics 
 and other delinquents, was formerly considered among 
 the necessary appendages to a prelatical mansion or re- 
 sidence: and it cannot be supposed, considering the 
 character of bishop Spencer, but that a very complete 
 one \vas then to be found at South Helingharii. In a 
 complete episcopal prison there was usually, it seems, 
 a cell, called Little- Ease; which was a small hole, so 
 
 constructed, that the person there immured could nei- 
 
 t 
 
 ther stand upright, lie straight, sit comfortably, or en- 
 joy any degree of ease: in short, it was designed as a 
 place of torment, where the sufferer was to be continu- 
 ally tortured, and deprived, as much as possible, of 
 every thing that could render his situation in any de- 
 gree tolerable or supportable. This diabolically inge- 
 nious contrivance could scarcely fail of answering the 
 purpose of its inventors, as it seems to have been most 
 admirably adapted for taming, subduing, and breaking 
 the spirits of reputed heretics and religious free thinkers* 
 few of whom, it is presumed, could stand such an or- 
 deal, or terrible test, for any length of time. The ro- 
 mish hierarchy must have been tremendously formidable, 
 when its prelates had such prisons in their own houses, 
 
 4 c
 
 592 . HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 and were empowered to confine there any tint dissented 
 from the church, or objected to its tenets aiid observ- 
 ances. * 
 
 That there was such a place of incarceration and tor- 
 ture then attached to the episcopal palace of South 
 
 * Let it not be supposed that the vile prison holes, or places of 
 torment, above spoken of and described, we*e used only by the. vota- 
 ries of popery, or the roman catlio'.ics - Even the member of prelates 
 of the protcs^ant church of England appear also to h ve made use of 
 them before now; and that, too, at what some seem to deem the era of 
 the utmost evangelical purity of that churchthe reign of good queen 
 Bess, as she has been often called. As to our pretended orthodox and 
 evangvlical sectaries, if they have not followed the above example 
 litter dly, ytt have they made, and still make no scruple of doing it, as we 
 may say, mttaphoiricaUy or fgurat'v ly, at least. When any one is pro- 
 nounced by their petty popes, prelates, priests, exorcists, or consis- 
 tories, to be possessed with the demon of heterodoxy or heresy, he is 
 immediately reviled, defamed', proscribed, and outlawed, at it were, by 
 proclamation ; or pilloried and gibbetted, in their periodical and 
 other publications in other words, they do all they can to set every 
 body against him, and render him odious in the sight of all men, as- 
 one who has forfeited the esteem of his fellow citizens, and is no long- 
 er worthy of enjoying the common rights and comforts of society. 
 In short, they appear to use all their efforts and energies to have him 
 effectually secured in a LtltlvEate, of a most painful and dismal sort 
 If our protestant, orthodox, and evangelical sects and parties do 
 thus, who can wonder at the cruelties ascribed to the papists in form- 
 er times? Instead of inveighing against the intolerant, persecuting, 
 aiid antichristian spirit of popery, as these very people often do, 
 they ought, surely, to consider how little that spirit differs from their 
 own. While they inveigh or declaim against tbv injustice and cru- 
 elty of imprisoning, banishing, hanging, or burning people for their 
 religion, and yet, at the same time, are in the constant practice of 
 traducing, reviling, defaming, exhibiting as evil-doers, and treating in 
 the most unkind and injurious manner, those whom they are pleased to 
 brand with the name of heretics, or who difier from them, they discover 
 the self same spirit with the very worst of persecutors, and may be 
 compared to the ancient sect called Circonelliones, who would not use 
 the fxortf, because Christ had forbidden it to Peter, but armed them- 
 selves with Clubs, which they called (he dubs of Israel, with which 
 they could break all the boues in a man's skin. See Jones' Mem, 
 of bishop Home, 275.
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 593 
 
 Helingham, seems highly probable; and if fhere were, 
 there can be no doubt but thai Sawtre WPS there confined 
 from the first to the nineteenth day of the mo. th last me - 
 tioned. That he underwent some very severe treatmc , 
 in the meantime, seems morally certain, as the rema - 
 able chnnge in his conduct, at the close oft! at inierval, 
 canno< be reasonably or well accounted for on any other 
 ground or supposition. * On the first of May he reso- 
 lutely avowed and defended the obnoxious opinions im- 
 puted to him, but on the nineteenth of the same month, 
 the next lime he was brought before his judges, he ap- 
 peared ready to relinquish them all, and pronounce liis 
 recantation. There is no reason to think that his cpia- 
 ions had now undergone any change, or that he had 
 become really coavinced of their falsity or untenableness ; 
 for he appeared, almost immediately after, to be as fully 
 persuaded as 'ever of their truth and importance. It was 
 evidently the state of his mind that had experienced a 
 change: his fears had got the better of his firmness^ 
 and he no longer possessed that fortitude and boldness 
 which he had at first displayed. Torturing- severities 
 have often made people deny their principles, and de- 
 ny, or confess, any thing (hat their tormentors required. 
 On this ground (and on no other Hint we know of) can we 
 account for Sawtre' s change and subsequent recantation. 
 
 It was determined, by the bishop and his coadjutors, 
 that Sawtre should publicly pronounce his recantation at 
 
 * The act De Ili-retko Coinl'irendo, cH 1 not take place till some- 
 time after; so that its terrors cannot bf supposed to have fright eariX 
 him to iccantation We can think of notUui;; so likely to have pro- 
 duced that erft-ct as some intolerably severe private sufferings which 1 
 lie had undergone during tne above uiuutioued interval.
 
 594: HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 different places in order, perhaps, the more effectually 
 to expose and humble him, and so prevent, his ever 
 daring again to broach his recanted tenets in these parts, 
 They probably suspected his sincerity, and were resolved 
 io render their triumph over him as complete as pos- 
 sible. The obnoxious things, or enormities laid to his 
 charge were chiefly and substantially comprised under 
 the following heads That the Cross on which Christ 
 suffered was not a fit object of worship That it was 
 more reasonable to worship a temporal prince than that 
 wooden cross That the worship of angels is unlawful, 
 even more so than the worship of holy or truly good 
 men That going on pilgrimage is useless, and that 
 vows for that purpose are not binding, and tbat the 
 money so expended had better be bestowed in alms to 
 the poor That priests are more bound to preach the 
 word of God than to say their mattins, or observe the 
 canonical hours arid that, after the sacramental words 
 nrc pronounced, the bread remaineth the same as before, 
 and so does not cease to be bread, or undergo a transub- 
 stanfation. It was a sad time when people held these 
 opinions at the risk of their lives { 
 
 On the first two days, as has been already observed, 
 Sawtre openly avowed the said articles, and boldly de- 
 fended them ; but at bis next appearance, after eigh- 
 teen days of close confinement and severe sufferings, as 
 \ve may reasonably presume, he seemed quite an altered 
 man, ready to retract all he had before affirmed and 
 maintained : which may be easily accounted for on the 
 ground, before suggested, How many times, or at how
 
 HISTORY OP LYN-V. 595 
 
 many places the bishop now required and obliged him to 
 publish, or pronounce his recantation, it is not very easy 
 to discover. We find it to have beeu clone at Sjutk 
 Jlelingbam, and we are assured that it was also done 
 in the parish churches ci' Lynn and TUncy, and in other 
 pi ict\s. Fox has preserved a curious document relating 
 to this affair, being the bishop's account of the whole 
 process, drawn up by order ot archbishop Arundel, and 
 transmitted to him, \\hen Sawtre was taken up the last 
 time, and tried before him and his clergy, assembled in 
 convocation, at the Chapter House of St. Paul's, in 
 .February, 1400, as they reckoned, but 1401, accor- 
 ding to our reckoning. That account, or document is 
 as follows 
 
 " Memorandum , That upon the last day of Aprill, in 
 theyeereofourLord 1399, in the 7. indiction, and 10 
 yeere of the papacie of pope Boniface the 2. in a cer- 
 tain chamber within the manor-house of the said bishop 
 of Norwich at South Helingham (where the register of 
 the said bishop is kept) before the 9, houre, in a certain 
 chapell within the said manor situate, and the first day 
 of May then next and immediately insuing, in the fore- 
 said chamber Sir W. Chaw tr is, parish priest of tlic 
 church of S. Margaret in the towne of Lin, appeared 
 before the bishop of Norwich, in the presence of John 
 de Derlington, archdeacon of Norwich, doctor of the 
 decrees, frier Walter Disse, and John Kickinghall, 
 professors in divinity, W r illiam Carlton, doctor of both 
 lawes, and William Friseby, with Hugh Bridham, 
 jwblike notaries, and there publikely affirmed and held
 
 HISTORY OF LYNW. 
 
 *fee conclusions, as before is specified. All and singu- 
 lar the premisses the forsaid William affirmeth upon 
 nature deliberation. And afterwards, to wit, the 19. 
 day of May in iheyeerc, indietion, and papacio a ore- 
 taul, in t he ehappell within the manor-house of the said 
 Heii'jr bishop of N :rvvie:;, situate at South Helingharri, 
 t&eibtesaid Sir WilLam revoked and renounced all and 
 ftngular the foresaid his conclusions; abjuring and cor- 
 recting all such heresies and errors, taking his oath up- 
 cm a book before the said Henry, the bishop of No; vvich, 
 that from that time forward he would never preach, 
 afSrm, nor hold privily nor apertly, the foresaid con- 
 clusions; and that he would pronounce, according to 
 the appointmeat oi'lhe said bishop, the foresaid conclu- 
 sions to be erro ;eoi:s and h resies, in the parish churches 
 f. Lin and Tilnry, and in oilier pla es at the assign- 
 ment of tlie said bishop ^ and further sware, that he 
 wotild stand to the ordinance of the said bishop touch- 
 ing' the premises, in the presence of the discreet and 
 "WorshipfuU men afoie-recited, with divert other moe. 
 As concerning the first conclusion, that he said lie would 
 Jiot worship the cross &c. he confessed himself to have 
 rred r and thai the article was erroneous, and submitted 
 &iinsel(e. And as touching the second article, that he 
 said, he would rather worship a king, &c. he confessed 
 ftlmself to havs erred, and the article to be erroneous, 
 and submitted himselfe, and soforth of all the rest. 
 Tben next after this, upon the 25. day of May, in the 
 yeere of our Lord aforesaid, in the Church yard of the 
 ChcrppeH of St. James, within the towne of Lin, the 
 foresaid William, iu the presence of the foresaid bishop
 
 III8TOHY OF LYN. 597 
 
 and clergy, and the people of the said towne of Lia stan- 
 ding round about, publikely declared in tlte En^lisk 
 tongue, the foresnid conclusions to be erroneous and he- 
 resies, as as contained ia a certaia serole. * And after 
 this, the 20. day of M;iy, in the yeere above said ia 
 the Church of the Hospital of 8. John's, in thetowrceof 
 Lin, the said Sir William, before the said bishop it-; 
 tin; as judge, sware and took his oath upon (he lioty 
 Evangelists, that Jje would never after thai time preacta 
 
 * That srrolf related, it seems, tathe recnnt."tion, of which, areord* 
 ing to Fox, the following was the tenor or substance " Tmiirimisj, 
 touching the first and-Kcond, [articles] where 1 said that I would 
 adore rather a ttmpoia! prince, and the lively bodies of the saints, 
 than th" wooden crosse whereupon the Lord did hang, I do revoke and 
 recant the same, as being therein deceived. To this I ;vy, tkajfc 
 the article is false and erroneous, and by fal-e information 1 held itj 
 the which 1 renounce ami a -k forgiv ness thereof, and say, that isa 
 precious relique, and that I shall hold .it while I live, and that J 
 sweare here. I know ne;l that I erred wrongfully by false informa- 
 tion : for I wot well, that a di aeon or a pritst is more boun.i to say 
 his mattens and hoares then to preach; for there lie is bouudcn by 
 
 ri^ht : wherefore I submit m , &c. i ouchiug that article, I know 
 
 right well that I erred by false information Wherefore I ask for- 
 giveness. As concerning vowes, I say that opinion is false auJ-er- ' 
 roneous, and bv false information I held it j for a mail is holden ts 
 hold his vow, See To the 7 art! !*: I say, that I di.l it Jby author- 
 ity of priesthood, wh> -rethroauh I knowledge well that 1 have triritt 
 and tresj)assed : wherefore 1 sub;nit me to God aud to huly .church,, - 
 
 and to you father, swearing that I shall nevi-r hold it more To 
 
 the 8. (article) I say, that I held it by false and wrong iuformatioa. 
 But now :I know well that it is heresie, and that breaJ, ano i as the . 
 word of the .sacrament is sai.!, is no longer bread mat< ri dl, but that 
 it is turned into very Christ's bo'lyj and that I sweare here:'' Twe 
 more articles were then retracted by him, and pronounced Xo be false 
 and erroneous, &c. 'but it does not appear what they were, (see Fcx^ 
 1. 674.) This recantation, throughout, exhibits evident symptuns 
 of a man so overcome by his fears, or las sufferings as to be ready 
 to say or do any that his unfeeling persecutors should prescrj r 
 
 dictate to him. He appeared much more fearless and intrepid. 
 
 afterwards, when he was taken up the last time, tried bef>re the arch- 
 bishop aad convocation, condemned aud committed to tuu
 
 50S HISTORY OF LYNN* 
 
 o] en T y and publikely the foresaid conclusions, nrrr" 
 vould heare (he confessions of any of his subjects of his 
 dioresse of Norwich without (he speciall license of the 
 said bishop, &c. In the presence of frier John Srnermen, 
 Mr. John Rickin-'hall doctor of divinity, W. Carlton 
 doctor of both lawes, and Thomas Bulton officer of the 
 liberty of Lin aforesaid, wiih divers others." t 
 
 Such was the account, or statement of his former pro- 
 cess against Sawtre, which bishop Spencer delivered to 
 his metropolitan, Arundel. Not the least hint is here 
 given, how the reputed heretic had been treated, or 
 was disposed of, during the interval between his first 
 and last examination. Had his renunciation of his ob- 
 noxious tenets been brought about by mere argument, 
 or rational persuasion, it would, doubtless, have been 
 mentioned by way of triumph, or boasting: but having 
 been the effect of extreme severity or cruel treatment 
 (as was above suggested) it was very natural to pass it 
 over in silence, for it was not capable of yielding any 
 manner of credit to the parties concerned, or give them 
 a plausible pretence to make a merit of it. This silence 
 therefore evidently and strongly corroborates, if it do 
 not also satisfactorily establish, what was before advanc- 
 ed or suggested on this head. 
 
 After Sawtre had gone quite through this irksome and 
 humiliating process of recantation, it might be expected 
 that he would not think of tarrying much longer in these 
 parts : he, accordingly, appears to have quitted Lyna 
 
 f Fox A. and M. 1. 673.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN; 599 
 
 shortly after, and obtained the situation of parish-priest, 
 or minister of St. Osith, in London. * This would 
 seem <o indicate, that his character was still deemed 
 respectable, and had not suffered so much by the late 
 event as some might expect. He had also, probably, 
 some good and powerful friends, who now interested 
 themselves very warmly and effectually in his behalf. 
 However that was, he really did, as far as we can dis- 
 cover, obtain the said situation without opposition or 
 difficulty. But he soon appeared to be so far from 
 having abandoned his former principles, that he was 
 still, in fact, as much a Lollard and heretic as ever t 
 and his late miscarriage seems to have operated so as 
 both to confirm him in those principles and also to arm, 
 him with boldness and courage to maintain them against 
 all gainsayers, and in the face of every future danger 
 or opposition. 
 
 Like that of the rest of his party, (the Lollards,) 
 Sawtrc's heresy seems to have been of a twofold nature; 
 partly religious, and partly political ; which must have 
 rendered him doubly odious to the ruling powers: and 
 as he proved a relapsed, confirmed, and irreclaimable 
 heretic, we need not wonder that he should be made to 
 feel the whole and overwhelming weight of their indig- 
 nation and vengeance. The affairs of this country were 
 then, as at some subsequent periods, most wretchedly 
 
 4 D 
 
 * The Londoners were then distinguished for tluir pnrtia'ity to 
 the Lollardsj which may, m some measure, account for the facility 
 with which Sawtre appears to have ibtun d the tjtpointmeiit r 
 situtitiou of uiiuiittrof St. Osith. jee Fox, 670.
 
 COO HISTOHY OF LYNN. 
 
 situated. Every thing, both in church and state, might 
 be said to be lamentably in the wrong : and Sawtre ap- 
 pears to have been earnestly desirous of having them? 
 thoroughly reformed and rectified. He may therefore 
 be considered, if not as the Sir William Jones, * the 
 Sir Francis Burdett, or the Major Cartwright, yet, at 
 least, or rather, as the Christopher Wycttl of that time. 
 Men of that sort, though ever so honest, virtuous, en- 
 lightened, or respectable, are always viewed with an 
 evil eye, and deemed to be dangerous characters by the 
 interested and unprincipled agents and abettors of eccle- 
 siastical and political corruption. It is no wonder, 
 therefore, that a most horrible outcry was raised against 
 this man throughout the whole camp and borders of 
 those philistines. 
 
 Sawtre had formed an important plan for the benefit of 
 his oppressed country, and intended to lay it immedi- 
 ately before parliament. The design got wind, and the 
 high priests, in particular, with archbishop Arundel at 
 their head, were instantly alarmed, as the project, had 
 it succeeded, would have deeply affected them: and in 
 order effectually to frustrate the reformer's object, they 
 so managed, that the affair should not go before parlia- 
 ment, but be referred to the convocation, which was 
 then sitting. From that assembly no good could be ex- 
 pected to result Patriots and reformers were there ob- 
 jects of utter aversion ; and any one might see that poor 
 
 * The celebrated Sir William Jones is well known to have been 
 one of our most earnest and warm friends and advocates of reform. 
 The memorable Dr. Johnson used to call'liim, the most enlightened qf 
 the sons of men.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN.' 601 
 
 Sawtre had no longer any chance of bringing his project 
 to a successful issue, or even of escaping with his life. 
 He was accordingly brought before that ecclesiastical 
 tribunal, and the result will be seen by the sequel. 
 This was about the middle of February 1401, or 1400, 
 according to their reckoning ; for they placed that 
 month near the close of the year, which, with them, 
 ended on the 25th of March. 
 
 The story of Sawtre is thus introduced by Fox "The 
 next yeere after followed a parliament holden at West- 
 minster:" [i. e. in 1400; for he has also, like his pre- 
 decessors, assigned February to the preceding year:] 
 <{ in which parliament one William Sautre, a good man 
 and a fait hi till priest, inflamed with zeale of true religion, 
 required he might be heard for the commodity of the 
 whole realme. But the matter being smelt before by the 
 bishops, they obtained that the matter should be referred 
 to the convocation ; where the said W illiam Sautre be- 
 ing brought before the bishops and notaries thereunto 
 appointed, the convocation was deferred to the Saturday 
 next ensuing. When Saturday was come, that is to say, 
 the twelfth day of February, Thomas Arundell arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, in the presence of his councell 
 provinciall, being assembled in the said chapter- house 
 [i. e. that of St. Paul's] against one Sir William Sau- 
 tre, otherwise called Chatris chaplaine, personally then 
 and there appearing by the commandment of the afore- 
 said archbishop of Canterbury, objected ; that the said 
 Sir William before the bishop of Norwich had once rc-
 
 60S HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 nounced and allured divers and sundry conclusions he- 
 reticaH and erroneous ; and that after such abjuration 
 made, he publicly and privily held, taught, and preach- 
 ed th same conclusions, or else such like, disagreeing to 
 the catholic faith, and to the great peril! and pernicious 
 example of others. And alter this he caused such like 
 conclusions holden and preached, as is said, by the sard 
 Sir William without renunciation, then and thereto be 
 read unto the said archbishop, by master Robert Hall, 
 chancellor unto the said bishop, in a certain scrolc 
 \vritten, in tenor of words as followeth "Sir William 
 Chatris, otherwise called Sautre, parish priest of the 
 church of Saint Scithe [Osith] the virgin in London, 
 publikely and privily doth hold these conclusions un- 
 der written Imprimis, he saith, that he will not wor- 
 ship the crosse on which Christ suffered, but only 
 Christ that suffered upon the crosse 2. Item, That he 
 would sooner worship a temporall king, than the fore- 
 said woodden crosse 3. Item, That he would rather 
 worship the bodies of the saints than the very crosse of 
 Christ on which he hung, if it were before him. 4. 
 
 , That he would rather worship a man truly con- 
 trite, than the crosse of Christ, 5. Item, That he i* 
 bound rather to worship a man that is predestinate, than 
 an angell of God. 6. Ittm, That if any man would 
 visit the monuments of Peter and Paul, or go on pilgrim- 
 age (o the Tombe of Saint Thomas, or else any whither 
 else, for the obtaining of any temporall benefit ; he is 
 not bound to keep his vow, but he may distribute the 
 expences of his vow upon the ahnes of the poore. 7.-, 
 Jtem, That every priest arid deacon is more bound to
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 603 
 
 preach the word of God, than to say tho canon icall 
 houres. 8. Item^ That after the pronouncing of the 
 s;:cramentall words of the body of Christ, the bread re- 
 maincth of the same nature that it was beibre, neither 
 doth it cease to be bread." * 
 
 These articles or charges being publicly read and ex- 
 hibuVd, the archbishop then called upon Sawtre to an- 
 swer to them; but he desired that he might first have 
 a copy of them, and that sufficient time might be allow- 
 ed him to prepare h's answer and defence. A Copy 
 was accordingly delivered to him, and the uext Thurs- 
 day was then fixed upon for him again to appear before 
 his judges. But on that day, owing, it seems, to the 
 archbishop's being then necessarily engaged in the par- 
 liament-house, the business was adjourned till the next 
 morning at eight o'clock. The convocation, or rather 
 its upper house, being then assembled, Sawtre appeared 
 ngairi before them, and produced a written defence, and 
 answer to those articles, which were then publicly read 
 by Robert Hall, before mentioned . He no longer thought 
 of retracting, as he had done near two years before, at 
 Lynn and other places. On the contrary, he now openly 
 avowed his principles, and appeared neither afraid nor 
 ashamed to defend them. It is therefore, not to be 
 wondered that the writing, or answer, which he laid be- 
 fore them, and which was now publicly read in their 
 hearing, proved no way satifactory or conciliating. 
 
 After the said Robert Hall had read that paper, or an- 
 swer, aloud, in the audience of the Convocation, the 
 
 * Fox A. and M. 671, 672.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 archbishop, being dissatisfied with the contents, pro- 
 ceeded to question Sawlre on .what he deemed the most 
 material points, which .chiefly related to the doctrine 
 of transnbstantiation. Among his questions were the 
 following * "Whether in the Sacrament of the altar, 
 after the pronouncing of the Sacramentali words, re- 
 maineth very materiall bread, or not? Whether in the 
 sacrament after the sacramentali words, rightly pro- 
 nounced of the priest, the same bread remaineth, which 
 did before the words pronounced, or not? Whether 
 the same materiall bread before consecration, by the 
 sacramentali words of the priest rightly pronounced, 
 be transubstantiated from the nature of bread into the 
 very body of Christ, or not? " To none of these inter- 
 rogatories did the prisoner return an orthodox or sa- 
 tisfactory answer. His answers b>eing therefore deemed 
 insufficient, and the day, probably, too far gone to 
 
 * One circumstance, mentioned as having occurred in the course 
 of this examination, seems not a little difficult to account for- 'Fox 
 says, that Arundel enquired of Sawtre, "Whether he had abjured the 
 foresaid heresies and errors objected against him before the bishop of 
 Norwich, or not ; or else had rerokcd and renounced the said or such 
 like conclusions or articles, or not ? " and that the latter answered and 
 affirmed that he had not." p. 67-2.J Also four days after, when the 
 fore-cited process of the bishop of Norwich was read to him before the 
 convocation, and it was urged that he had then abjured, among other 
 errors, the heresy, that in the sacrament of the altar, after the conse- 
 cration made by the priest, there still remained material bread, 
 'Whereunto the said William, answered, smiling, or in mocking wise, 
 and denying that he knew of the premisses." [Ib. p. 674 J In all this 
 there is evidently some mystery, which one knows not how to unra- 
 vel, except on the supposition, that there was some material mistake, 
 or designed misrepresentation in the statement which bishop Spencer 
 sent to the convocation of his process against Sawtre, and of the 
 tenor of the latter's retractation, which might, in. hjs opinion, justify 
 'his said denial,
 
 HISTORY OF LYNtf. 605 
 
 finish the examination at that tun**, it was thought 
 proper to adjourn the business till the next clay. Of 
 what then occured Fox gives the following account. 
 
 e 'Then the said archbishop assigned unto the said Sir 
 William time to d -liberate, and more fully to make his 
 answer till the next day ; and continued this Convoca- 
 tion then and there till the morrow. Which morrow, 
 to wit, the 19th day of February, being come, the fore- 
 said archbishop of Canterbury, in the said chapter 
 house of St. Paul in London, before his couneell pro- 
 vinciall then and there assembled, specially asked and 
 examined the same Sir W. Sautre, there personally 
 present, upon the sacrament of the altar, as before. And 
 the same Sir William again, in like manner as before, 
 answered. After this amongst other things the said 
 bishop demanded of the same William, if the same ma- 
 teriall bread being upon the altar, after the sacramentall 
 words being of the priest rightly pronounced, is tran- 
 substantiated into the very body of Christ, or not? And 
 the said Sir William said, he under:,; cod not what he 
 meant. Then the said archbishop demanded, whether 
 that materiall bread being round and white, prepared 
 and disposed for the sacrament of the body of Christ 
 upon the altar, wanting nothing that is meet and requi- 
 site thereunto, by the virtue of (he sacramentall words 
 being of the priest rightly pronounced, be altered and 
 changed into the very body of Christ, and ceaseth any 
 more to be materiall and very bread, or not? Then the 
 said Sir William, deridingly t answering, said he could 
 not tell."
 
 COO HISTORY OF LYNX; 
 
 Then consequently the said archbishop demanded^ 
 whether he would stand to the determination of the holy 
 church, or not, -which alKrmeth that in (he sacrament 
 of (he altar, after the words of consecration being rightly 
 pronounced of the priest, the same bread, which Before 
 in nature was bread, ceaseth any more to be bread ? To 
 (his interrogation the said Sir \Yilliain said, that lie 
 ivould stand to the determination of the church, where 
 such determination was not contrary to the will of God. 
 This done, he demanded of him againe^ what his judge- 
 ment was concerning the sacrament of the altar: who 
 said and affirmed, that after the words of consecration, 
 by the priest duly pronounced^ there remained very 
 bread, and the same bread which was before the words 
 spoken/ 1 This examination commenced at eight 
 o'clock in the morning, and lasted about three hours: 
 and as the prisoner would not now retract, or recede 
 from his Lollardism, and receive what was called Culh- 
 die information, but chose to persist, at all events, in 
 Lis own way of thinking, the archbishop, as we are 
 told, " by the counsell and assent of his whole covent 
 then and there present, did promulgate and give sen- 
 tence by the mouth of Robert Hall, against the same Sir 
 William, being personally present, and refusing to re- 
 voke his heresies, but constantly defended the same." * 
 
 f He might well answer deridingly, for such interrogations were fit 
 only to excite contempt aud derision. 
 
 * See Fox 673, who gives the following as a copy of the said sen- 
 tence " In the Name of God, Amen. We Thomas by the grace of God 
 archbishop of Canterbury, primate of England, and Legate of the See 
 Apostolicall, by ttte authority of God almighty, and blessed Saint Peter 
 and Piiul, and of holy church, and by our own autiiorlty, sitting for tribu- 
 nall or chiefe judge, having God alone before our eyes, by the counsell
 
 HISTORY OP LYNN. 607 
 
 After pnssing the said sentence, an .adjournment took 
 place, (ill the week after, when the prisoner was again 
 brought before them, two or three different times. On 
 the Wednesday they read to him bishop Spencer's state- 
 ment of his process against him, near two years before. 
 The archbishop and divers others now reproached him, 
 for holding opinions which he had before abjured; as 
 if it were a mighty crime for a man, after having been 
 once so weak as to renounce or abjure the truth, after- 
 wards to repent and embrace it or, after having once 
 been so overseen as to resign the right of private judg- 
 ment, ever any more to think of resuming it ! As all the 
 stratagems and means they could use proved now too fee- 
 ble to shake him from his integrity, or induce him to 
 sacrifice his conscience to their unrighteous and infernal 
 pleasure, they resolved he should be forthwith degraded : 
 and a sentence of degradation t was accordingly passed 
 upon him that same day. The execution of this sen- 
 
 4 E 
 
 and consent of the whole clergie, our fellow bretheren and suff agans, 
 assistants to us in this present councell provinciall, by this our sen- 
 tence definitive do pronounce, decree, and declare by these presents, 
 thee William Sautre, otherwise colled Chawtrey, parish priest pre- 
 tensed, personally apppariug before us, in and upon the crime ofhe- 
 resie, judicially and lawfully convict, as an herctike, and as an here- 
 tike be punished." 
 
 j- See Fox, p. 674. where we find a copy of this second sentence, or 
 sentence of degradation, in the following words. .."/ the Name of God, 
 Amen, Wee Thomas by the ^race of God archbishop of Canterbury, 
 Legate of the See Apostolicall, and uiftropolitan of all Eng anil, doe 
 find and declare, that thou William Sautre, otherwise called Chautris, 
 priest, by u-> with the counsell and assent of all an I singular our icl- 
 low brethren and whole clergy, by this onr stnienc. definitive de 
 dared in writing, hast beene for htvesie convict and condemned; and 
 art (being againe fallen into iieresie) to bt deposed and degraded by 
 t:..bc presents.''
 
 608 nfsrouv OF LVNN. 
 
 tence was deferred till (he Friday following ; and as (Re' 
 archbishop could not then attend, owing to his deten'- 
 tion in parliament, it was further deferred till the mor- 
 row after. They (lien proceeded to business in good 
 earnest, and" a most curious process it certainly was 
 They first deprived him of Ins priest's order, next of 
 his deacons order, next of his subdeacoris order, then 
 of his acolyte's order, then of his exorcist, or fioly-ira- 
 ter-clerk's order, then of his reader's order, then of his 
 sexton's order, and finally, of his privilege of clergy : 
 in token of which his tonsure was erased, a layman's 
 cap put on his head, and himself sd entirely secularized", 
 o* reduced to tlie state of a lay person, as if he had ne- 
 ver been in orders. 
 
 All this was certainly absurd enough ; * but as i 
 also very curious, we shall here give it more circumstan- 
 
 * But its absurdity seems of an opposite cast to that of one our late 
 parliaments, which undertook to establish the popish doctrine of the 
 imdi-lib'dily of the priestly, or clerical character, than which neither the 
 above process, nor even transubstantiation itself, can b'e more absurd 
 or ridiculous. That such a doctrine should really be recognised, 
 adopted, and established by the British Senate, new in the 19th cen- 
 tury, might have occasioned no small astonishment, had not the same 
 august body, within the same period, done so many other things 
 equally strange, marvellous, and disreputable. Should we become in- 
 quisitive, and presume to aski, What is this invisible, mystetious, 
 indclibie something, called character; the episcopal, priestly, or' cle- 
 rical character? some will tell us, that it is a' spiritual power, others a 
 habit or disposition, others a fpiritva/ figure, others -A'sensible mutapfwrical 
 quality, others a real relation, others a. fabrir. of the mind: by all which, 
 little more, perhaps, can be made out, or comprehended, than that 
 the advocates or supporters of the doctrine are much at variance 
 about this character. But however they may differ in their ideas 
 and "definitions' of the character 'j4i-If," they are, it seems, iii perfect 
 agreement as to its indelibility; being all firmly 'persuaded, that 
 though a bishop, priest, or deacon, turn heretic or schismatic, deisfc
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 609 
 
 tially, in the words of the historian so often referred to in 
 3hcse pages "Upon Saturday, being (lie ,26th. of Fe- 
 bruary, the said archbishop of Canterbury sate in the 
 bishop's seat of the foresaid church of St. Paul, in Lon- 
 don, and solemnly apparelled in his pontificall attire, 
 siting with him as his assistauts these reverend fathers 
 and bishops, of London, Lincolne, Hereford, Exeter, 
 MencvensisfaRoffensisepiscopiy" [i. e. the bishops of 
 St. Davids and Rochester] u above mentioned, com- 
 manded and caused the said Sir William Sautre, ap- 
 parelled in priestly vestments, to be brought and ap- 
 peare before him. That done, lie declared and ex- 
 4 2 
 
 or atheist, he still retains the character; and though not a chrlstisnt 
 man, he is still a Christian bishop, priest, or deacon : though he be 
 degraded and excommunicated, he is in respect, to the character still 
 the !>ame. Though he he cut off from the church, he is still a minister 
 in the church. In such a situation, to perfoim any of the sacred futif- 
 tions would he in him a deadly sin, but these would be equally valid as 
 before. Thus he may not be within the pate of the cluuvh himself, 
 and yet be in the church as a minister of Jesus Christ. He may openly 
 and solemnly blaspheme God, and abjure the faith of Christ; he may 
 apostatize to Judaism, to Mahometism, to Paganism, he still retains 
 the character. He may even become a priest of Jupiter, or a priest 
 of Baal, and still continue a priest of Jesus Christ. The character 
 say the Schoolmen, is not cancelled even in the damned, ;bnt remains 
 with the wicked to their disgrace and greater confusion ; so that in 
 hell they are theminikttrrs of Jesus Christ, and messengers of the new 
 covenant!! [see the lare Dr. Campbell's Lectures on Ecclesiastical 
 History, for a more full and striking view of this subject.} That or 
 legislature, in sanctioning the said doctrine, did really mean to go the 
 whole length the Schoolmen did, or adopt all their ideas concerning it, 
 may, perhaps, admit of some doubt : but after agreeing n ith them in 
 f he main point, it might lit; thought hardly worth their while to he- 
 fitate about the smaller matters. Be this as it may, the convocation 
 <jver which archbishop Ai undel presided, in the process againt Sawtre, 
 seem to have been entirely of a different opinion, both from the 
 Schoolmen and -our said late parliament, on this uttable question pf 
 Clerical indelibility.
 
 610 
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX. 
 
 pounded in English to all the clergy and people, (here 
 in 9, great multitude assembled ; that all processe was 
 finished and ended against the said Sir W. Sautje. 
 Which thing finished, before the pronouncing oflhe 
 said sentence of the relapse against the said Sir William, 
 as is premised, he often then and there recited and read. 
 And for that he saw the said William in that behalf 
 nothing abashed ; he proceeded (o his degradation and 
 actual deposition in forme as followelh. " 
 
 ti jn the Name^ofthe Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost, t We Thomas by God's permissiou 
 archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England, and 
 Legate of the apostolike Sea, do denounce thee William 
 Sautre, otherwise called Chautris, chaplaine fained, 
 in the habhe and apparell of a pries', as an heretike, 
 and one refallen into heresie, by this our sentence defi- 
 nitive by councell, assent, and authority to be condemn- 
 ed, and by conclusion of all our fellow brethren, fellow 
 bishops, prelates councell provinciall, and ofthewholtf 
 clergy, do degrade and deprive thee of thy priestly or- 
 der. And in sign of degradation and actual deposition 
 from thy priestly dignity, for thine incorrigibilify tind 
 want of amendment, we take from thee the patent and 
 chalice, and doe deprive thee of all power and autho- 
 rity of celebrating the masse, and also we pull from thy 
 backe the casule, and take from thee the vestment, and 
 depiive thee of all manner of priestly honour." 
 
 "Also, We Thomas, the aforesaid archbishop, by 
 authority, counsell, and assent, which upon the foresaid 
 
 f The sente ice printed in italics is given in latin by Fox.
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. Gil 
 
 William we have, being dcac on pretensed, in the habit 
 and apparell oi a deacon, having the New Testament 
 in thy hands, being 1 au here! ike, and twice fallen, con- 
 demned by sentence as is aforesaid, do degrade and put 
 thce from the order of a deacon. And in token of Tim 
 thy degradation and actuall deposition, we take from 
 tliee the book of the New Testament, and the stole, and 
 'do deprive thee ? t all authority in reading of the gospell, 
 and of all and all manner of dignity of a deacon. " 
 
 "Also, we Thomas archbishop aforesaid, by autho- 
 rity counsel!, and assent, which over thee the foresaid 
 William We have, being a subdeacon pretensed, in the 
 habit and vestment of a subdeacon, an heretike, and 
 twice fallen, condemned by sentence, as is aforesaid, do 
 degrade and put thee from the order of subdeacon ; and 
 in token of this ihy degradation and actuall deposition, 
 we take from thee the albe and maniple, and do deprive 
 thee of all and all manner of subdiaconicall dignify." 
 
 "Also, We Thomas archbishop aforesaid, by coun- 
 sell, assent and authority which we have over thee the 
 foresaid William, an Acolyte pretensed, wearing the 
 habit of an acolyte, and heretike, twice fallen, by our 
 sentence, as is aforesaid, condemned, doe degrade and 
 put from thee all order of an acolyte; and in signe and 
 token of this thy degradation and actuall deposition, we 
 lake from thee the candlestick and taper, and also the 
 urceo/um, and do deprive thce of all and all manner of 
 dignity of an Acolyte. Also, We Thomas archbishop 
 aforesaid, by assent, co.inriH, and authority, which 
 upon thee the foresaid William we have, an Exorcist
 
 12 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 prctensed, in the habite of an exorcist or holy water 
 elerke, being an herelikc, twice fallen, and by our sen- 
 tence, as is aforesaid, condemned, do degrade and de- 
 pose thee from the order of an Exorcist ; and in token 
 of this thy degradation and actual deposition, we take 
 Irora thee (be book of conjurations^ and do deprive thee 
 of all and singular dignity of an exorcist," 
 
 "Also, We Thomas archbishop aforesaid, by assenf, 
 counsel!, and authority, as is abovesaid, do degrade and 
 depose thee the foresaid William, reader pretexted, 
 clothed in the habit of a reader, an heretick, twice fal. 
 IBH^ and by our sentence, as aforesaid, condemned, 
 from the order of a reader ; and, in token ol this thy 
 degradation and actual deposition, we take from thee 
 the book of the divine lections (that is, the book of the 
 church legend) and do deprive thee of all and singular 
 wanner of dignity of such a reader, Also, We Thomas 
 archbishop aforesaid, by authority, counsell, and as. 
 sent, the which we have, as is aforesaid, doe degrade, 
 and put thee the foresaid William Sawtre, Sexton pre- 
 tfnsed, in the habit of a sexton, and wearing a surplice, 
 feeing an heretike, twi< e fallen, by our sentence defini- 
 tive condemned , as aforesaid, from the order of a sexton: 
 and, in token of this thy degradation and actual depo- 
 sition, for the causes aforesaid, we take from thee the 
 'eyes of the church doore, and thy surplice, and do de- 
 prive thee of all and singular manner of commodities of 
 "a doore-keeper." 
 
 "Also, by the authority of omnipotent God, the Fa- 
 tter, Son, and Holy Ghost, and by our authority,
 
 illSTORY OF LYtftf. 
 Vt- -jb-~*"*,i A'** -' 
 
 counsel!, and assent of OUT whole councel provincial! 
 above written, we cfo degrade thee, and depose thee, 
 being hefe personally present before us:, from ofders, 
 benefices, priviledges , and habit in the church; and 
 for thy pertinacy incorrigible we doe degrade thee before 
 the secular court of the high constable and mar shall of 
 England, being personally present ; and do depose theft 
 from all and singular clerkely honours and dignities 
 zohatsoever, by tfiese writings. Afso in token of thy de- 
 gradation and deposition, here actually we have caused 
 thy crowne and ecclesiasticall tonsure in cur presence fo 
 be rased a& ay , and utterly to be abolished', like unto the 
 form of a secular layman ; and here we do put upon tfife 
 head of thee, the aforesaid William, the cap of a lay 
 secular person ; beseeching the court aforesaid that they 
 will receive faoouraoly * the said William unto them 
 thus recommitted. 
 
 Having thus performed their part of this diabolical 
 work, and delivered the prisoner into the hands of the 
 civil magistrate, "the bishops, not yet contented, cease 
 
 * tf there be any one thing more detestable than the rest among 
 the proceedings of Arundel and- his inquisitorial associates, against 
 Sawtre, it is their affecting to feel for him, or commiserate his case 
 and recommend him tb'the/ni-our of the secular power, 1 at the very 
 time when they were delivering him up as a sheep to the slaughter 
 (or to the butcher) or as a victim for immediate immolation. They 
 felt no pity for him, and knew that the magistrate would shew him 
 no favour The judges of the luquisition also are said always to express 
 much tenderness and good>vill towards those they condemn to the 
 flames. Our pro/cstant and pretended ei-nngei'Cal sects, likewise, are of- 
 (ten heard to use the language of kindness and pity towards those 
 Whom they have pronounced to be heretiis, at the same time they are 
 doing all they can to render them odious in the eyea of all men, and 
 tiepi'lve them uf . the kind offices and good opinion, of all their fellow* 
 citizens.
 
 614 HISTORY OF 
 
 not, (says our historian) <o call upon the lung to cerise 
 him to be brought forth to speedy execution. Where- 
 upon the king, ready enough, and too much, to grati- 
 fie the clergy, and to retaine their favours, directeth 
 out a terrible decree against the said William Sawtre, 
 and sent it to the maior and sheriffes of London to be 
 put in execution." This terrible decree, or royal war- 
 rant for (he prisoner's execution, was obtained, it seems, 
 On the very day ot his degradation, when the convoca- 
 tion passed their final sentence and gave him up to the 
 civil power : so that there was he.e no time lost ; and the 
 closing scene, no doubt, soon ensued. The royal de- 
 cree, or warrant was as follows : 
 
 "The decree of our sovereigne Lord the King and his 
 Councdl in parliament , against a certain new sprung 
 up heretic^:. To the maior and sherifs of London, &?c. 
 Whereas the reverend father, Thomas archbishop of 
 Canterbury, primate of all England and legat of the 
 apostolike sea, by the assenl, consent, and councill of 
 other bishops, and his brethren suffragans, and also of 
 all the whole clergy within his province or dioces, 
 gathered together in his provinciall councell, the due 
 order of the law being observed in all points in this be- 
 halfe, has pronounced and declared, by his definitive 
 sentence, William Sawtre sometime chaplaine, fallen- 
 again into his most damnable heresie, the which before 
 time the said William had abjured, thereupon to be 
 a most manifest heretick, and therefore hath decreed 
 that he should be degraded, and hath for the same cause 
 really degraded him from all prerogative and privilege
 
 tilSTORY OP LYNW. 617 
 
 of the clergy, decreeing to leave him unto the secular 
 power; and hath realty so left him, according to the 
 laws and canonicall sanctions set forth in his behalfe, 
 and also that our holy mother the church hath no further 
 to do in the premisses : We therefore being zealous in re- 
 ligion, and reverent lovers of the catholike faith, wil- 
 ling and minding to maintaine and defend the holy 
 church, and the lawes and liberties of the same, to root 
 all such errors and heresies out of our kingdome of Ehg* 
 land, and with condigne punishment to correct and pun* 
 ish all htfretikes, or such as be convict; provided al* 
 "ways that both according to the law of God and man, 
 and the canonicall institutions in this behalfe accus- 
 tomed, such heretikes convict and condemned in forme 
 aforesaid ought to be burned with fire : We command 
 you as straitly as we may, or can, firmefy enjoyning 
 you that you cause the said William, being in your 
 Custody, in some publike or open place within the lib* 
 erties of your city aforesaid ( the cause aforesaid being 
 published unto the people ) to be put into the fire, and 
 there in the same fire really to be burned, to the great 
 horrour of his offence, and the manifest example of other 
 Christians. Fail not in the execution hereof upon the 
 perill that will fall thereupon. " * 
 
 This memorable warrant (dated 26th. of February) 
 was, no doubt, speedily executed: perhaps the very 
 day on which it was issued. The death which it orders 
 or appoints for the alleged crime of heresy, or to which 
 it devotes the reputed offender, is supposed to distin* 
 guish it from all other warrants that had ever been issued 
 
 4 P 
 
 * Fox 675,
 
 HISTORV OF LYNN. 
 
 before by pur. English monarchs: at least, tlrere is nol 
 known to have been here, previously to this reign, any 
 law dooming adjudged heretics to the flames. Henry 
 IV. therefore, stands preeminent among our sovereigns 
 as a promoter of the burning of those whom the priests 
 pronounced or denominated heretics. It is remarkable 
 enough that the poor lollards found such an enemy in 
 him, who, as well as his father, had long affected to be 
 their great patron. But it; was all, probably, nothing 
 but policy : neither father nor son can be supposed 
 ever to have been real lovers of either liberty. or justice. 
 Henry's accession to the throne (to which he had no 
 right) disclosed his true character ; anil he has b< eu 
 known ever since, as one of the worst of our princes, 
 Arundel and his brethren helped him to obtain and usurp 
 the crown,- in hopes that he, in return, would help 
 them in such affairs 39 this ofSawtre: nor were they 
 disappointed. They favoured his baseness on that, and 
 .he favoured theirs, to the utmost extent of their wishes, 
 ; on this and ont all similar occasions.. 
 
 The execution of Sawtre was the first fruit of the new- 
 law for burning heretics ; and it was soon followed by 
 an abundant harvest. The number of those who were 
 burnt for their religion in England whilst this execrable 
 law was in force, which was near 300 years, was enor- 
 mously great. As Sawtre stands at the head of those 
 memorable confessors, it, was thought requisite to be 
 somewhat particular and circumstantial in our account 
 , of him. The sons of freedom will venerate his memory, 
 while they detest and execrate that of his crowned and 
 mitred persecutors. Of our crowned demons none could
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 exceed Henry 1 V. and of our mitred ones scarce 
 any ever did or could go beyond Arundel and Spencer. 
 For Sawtre to fall into such hands must truly have been 
 a most sad and pitiable case. It was like falling among 
 thieves, or into a den of hungry lions. :.^ 
 
 It is pretty remarkable that the prisoner's plan of re- 
 form, or intended application to parliament was not al- 
 lowed to come at all under the discussion of the con- 
 vocation ; although they had pretended to take it under 
 their serious consideration, instead of iis going before 
 parliament. But they knew better than to have done so, 
 and took a much shorter and surer course to gain their point 
 and effect the reformer's ruin, by proceeding simply on a 
 religious ground, and having him tried as a relapsed he- 
 retic. So well did they know their business, and how 
 to avail themselves of all the advantages belonging to 
 their exalted situation. AVe slrall now take our leave of 
 them, and also of William Sawtre, whose memory we 
 have here endeavoured to rescue from oblivion. His 
 being so distinguished a character among the then 
 inhabitants of Lynn, and, especially, his being the English 
 proto-maityr, will, it is presumed, sufficiently justify and 
 apologize for the unusual length of this article and as it 
 exhibits religious bigotry arid intolerance in their native 
 deformity andlmtefulnr ss, it may be of use to those indivi- 
 duals among us, of eyery denomination, who have not 
 yet made any, or much progress irrthe Christian virtues of 
 forbearance, candour, and liberality. 
 
 3. ALAN, Alei/ne, or Allen of Lynn^ was, it seems 
 a native of this town, and contemporary with Sawtre, 
 but a younger man, and long his survivor, and so re- 
 presented as flourishing about twenty years later.- lie
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 was evidently of a very different cast from him, and 
 never gave himself the least concern, as far as .we know,, 
 about the politics of the time, or the reform of civil t and 
 ecclesiastical abuses. Perfectly regardless of the op. 
 pressions of the rulers and the grievances of the people, 
 lie employed his time in poring over the huge volumes 
 of the Fathers and Schoolmen, and writing indexes tot 
 them. We are told he made indexes to no less than 33 
 of those authors, among which were Augustin, Anselm, 
 and Aquinas. Such an employment, though of no real 
 use or benefit to the community, procured him the hon- 
 our of being classed among the eminent men, or literati 
 of that age; and his name has been handed to posterity 
 as one of the distinguished characters which Lynn has 
 produced. His skill and industry in making those in- 
 dexes might, no doubt, deserve commendation, but can 
 hardly be said to entitle him to any degree of literary 
 celebrity. He may be said therefore to have acquire^ 
 more fame than was fairly his due. But so it has 
 often happened : while the merits of some have been 
 greatly underated, those of others, on the contra- 
 ry, have been magnified beyond all reason and justice. 
 Alan received his education at Cambridge, where he ob- 
 tained the degree of Doctor in Divinity. He was of the 
 order of Carmelites, or White Friars, and therefore 
 )iis residence here must have been at their great house, 
 or convent in South Lynn. How long he resided there 
 Cannot now be said. We are told that he died about the 
 year 1428, and was buried at Lynn. The place of his 
 burial, no doubt, was the dormitory of his own convent, 
 situated on that spotin South Lynn now called the Friars. 
 4. WILLIAM WALLYS. He was coleroppjary
 
 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 with the last, and like him one of our Lynn friars, but 
 of the augusti&ian order. He was not, like the former 
 a mere reader, and maker of indexes, but a real author, 
 and is said to have written many books; but their titles 
 and contents are no longer remembered or known. They 
 might be on interesting subjects, and those subjects 
 might there be handled in a judicious and masterly man- 
 ner; or th;'y might not. However that was, and what- 
 ever they were, it seems they have long ago perished, 
 like innumerable other works, no less valuable and wor- 
 thy of preservation; and, perhaps, much more so. But 
 his name, has been preserved, as one of the eminent 
 Lynn men of former times. How long he resided here, we 
 are not informed ; but we are told that he died in 1421; 
 and we may presume that he was buried in the convent 
 or dormitory of the Austin friars, which stood behind 
 th house now inhabited by Mr. Rishton, Hwmust have 
 been eminent in his day, especially among those of his 
 fraternity, for we are told that he became General of 
 that order. 
 
 5. JOHN BARET, or Barret. He too was a friar, 
 of the same order with Alan; thatoftheCame#tey. He 
 was a native of this town, and educated at Cambridge, 
 "when learning (as Fuller says) ran low and degrees high; 
 in that University ; so that a Scholar could scarcely be 
 seen for Doctors; till the university, sensible of the 
 mischief thereof, appointed Dr. Cranmer (afterwards 
 abp. of Canterbury) to be the examiner of all candi- 
 dates in Divinity. Amongst others, he stopt Baret, for 
 his insufficiency, who then went back to Lynn, and ap- 
 plied himself to learning with such success, that iu a 
 short time he became an admirable scholar j and com-
 
 620 HISTORY OF LYNN. 
 
 mencing doctor, -with due applause, lived many years 
 a painful preacher at Norwich; always making mention 
 of Cranmer as the means of his happiness. " But we 
 find that he had something of the Vicar of Bray about 
 liim; for it seems he -was at first a papist; afterwards, 
 in the latter part of Henry the eighth's reign, and that 
 of Edward, a protestant; again, in that of Mary, a 
 zealous papist; and lastly, in that of Elizabeth, a staunch 
 prolestant. It seems, however, that he died soon after 
 the commencement of the latter reign: and one would 
 hope that he died in the true faith. As to his veering 
 or changing with the times, where is the impropriety 
 of that? Ought not the ministers of a national or state 
 religion to be submissive to, or directed by the state ..from 
 Tvhich they derive their creed, their revenue, their 
 power, and their every thing ? 
 
 The subjects of the foregoing biographical articles 
 being all ecclesiastics, and all the ecclesiastics of any 
 note that distinguished Lynn, as far as we know, dur- 
 ing the long period of which we have been treating, it 
 might be expected that we should in the next place 
 give a list of the eminent laymen that sprung up here 
 in the course of the same period. But, alas! we look 
 ancl search for them in vain : hardly can one be found 
 whose name deserves to be recorded, or remembered 
 by posterity. William de Biltering, John de Went- 
 worth, Bartholomy Petipas, and Thomas Miller, four of 
 our ancient aldermen, were perhaps tire most memorable, 
 "or notable that can now be discovered. Of two of them 
 soffiewhat has been said already, and a sort of promise 
 was made to bring them again under review; but, upon
 
 HISTORY OF LYNX- 621 
 
 second thought, they did not appear to deserve so much 
 further notice as was then intended. As to 
 
 6. WILLIAM DE BITTERING, we learn that he 
 flourished in the reign of Edward III. and was chosen 
 mayor of the town four or five different times; so (hat 
 he* must have been here, in his day, a person of no small 
 note and influence. The first year of 1 his mayoralty, 
 it seems, was 1331. He was again chosen, and served 
 the office the ensuing year; so that he was then mayor 
 two years successively. He is said to have been again 
 chosen in 1355, but begged to be excused, on the plea 
 that it was wearisome to be so often in office, and, es- 
 pecially, that he was then under a vow, to go on pil- 
 grimage to a certain saint : from which it would seem 
 that he was, in his way, a very religious character. His 
 resignation was accepted, and John de Couttshall, who 
 had served the year before, was chosen again, and had 
 207, given him by the commonalty to take upon him, 
 the office for that year. Bittering was again chosen 
 and served the office in 1358, and again in 1365. 
 The time of his death does not appear. He was buried 
 in St. Nicholas' chapel, where his grave is known by 
 a flat stone of uncommon dimensions, being above teji 
 feet long and above six broad, and is supposed to be 
 the oldest sepulchral monument now existing ia this 
 town. (Mackerell, 134.) 
 
 7. 8. JOHNDE WENTWORTH and BARTHOLOMY P$- 
 TIPAS. They are not here coupled or joined together 
 because they were friends for no two men could well be 
 farther from that, but rather because they were foes, and 
 the heads of two hostile factions, by which the town was 
 kept in a state of constant distraction for a great length
 
 nisioftY or 
 
 of time. It seems impossible now to ascertain the groundj 
 or cause of that deadly animosity which those two fac- 
 tions, or these two men entertained against each other 
 Lollardism, we know, did them much agitate the king- 
 dom, but we cannot say that it was the occasion of this 
 discord at Lynn. Nor can we say that it was a mere 
 political broil, or contest between the partizans of the 
 episcopal feudal perogatives and their opponents, though 
 this may seem more probable, as it appears from pages 
 365 and 559 of this yolume, that Petipas was on good, 
 and Wentworlh on bad terms with the bishop. How- 
 ever this was, it is pretty evident that these two werer 
 mighty men and men of renown here in those days. 
 
 9. THOMAS MILLER, or Milner. He was the lead- 
 ing man among our ancestors in the reign of Henry 
 VIII. being governor of the town, and mayor also 
 one time for four successive years ; and he served that 
 office afterwards twice, if not more ; so that he was 
 mayor of Lynn six or seven times, which is not known 
 to have been the case with any other. But what made 
 him the most memorable -was his successful contest, ot 
 law-suit with the bishop, during the former part of hi 
 mayoralty, about their respective claims to have the 
 Sword carried before them. This legal decision estab* 
 lishe the mayor's independence upon the bishop. Hav- 
 ing now paid our tribute of respect to the memory of our 
 eminent men of those times, we shall here close this chap- 
 ter, which brings us down to the era of the reormation. 
 
 End of Part III.
 
 SUPPLEMENT 
 
 2O THE HISTORV OF THE ROVAL TOUCH* 
 
 See page 526* 
 
 Since the section on the royal touch has been print- 
 ed off, a paper has appeared in the Monthly Magazine^ 
 under the signature of /. Bannantine, which casts some 
 further light upon that subject, As it is presumed it 
 will not be unacceptable to the reader, we take the liber- 
 ty of inserting here the substance of it. "It do^s not 
 appear (says that writer) that any of the House of Bruns- 
 wick have asserted this royal function; at least, it has 
 not been publicly announced, as was formerly the prac- 
 tice: but were his present majesty to resume it, such 
 faith is yet put in the assertion of a king, that all the 
 courtiers and the great body of the ignorant multitude 
 would not hesitate to believe its infallibility. The last 
 sovereign who appears to have exercised this miraculous 
 gift was queen Anne. In the royal gazette of Mar. 12. 
 1712. appears the following public notice: "It being 
 her Majesiy's royal intention to touch publicly for the 
 Evil the 17th. of this instant March, and so to continue 
 for sometime, it is her Majesty's Command, that tick- 
 ets be delivered the day before at Whitehall, and that all 
 persons bring a certificate, signed by the minister and 
 church-wardens of their respective parishes, that they 
 never received the royal touch.' 1 ' 1 He further adds, that 
 Wiseman, Sergeant Surgeon to Chus. 2nd, in a treatise 
 on the Evil, speaks of the royal touch in the following 
 4 s *
 
 *** SUPPLEMENT* 
 
 terms: "I have myself been frequent eye witness of ma- 
 ny hundreds of cures performed by his majesty's touch 
 alone, without the assistance of chirurgery, and those 
 many of them such as had tired out the endeavours of 
 able chirurgeons before they c;ime thither. It were end- 
 less to relate what 1 myself have seen, and what I have 
 received acknowledgement of by Letters, not Only from 
 the several parts of the nation, but also from Ireland, 
 Scotland, Jersey, ami Germany ." It was the office of 
 Wisermn, as Sergeant Surgeon, to select such afflicted 
 objects as weie proper to be presented for the royal 
 touch. Is it possible (I. B mnantirie here exclaims) 
 to desire a more satisfactory testimony of these miracu- 
 lous cures, than that of a man of science and respecta- 
 bility, under whose immediate inspection they were per- 
 formed, and who had "himself been a frequent eye-wit- 
 ness of many hundreds of cores performed by his majes- 
 ty's touch alone!" The late judge Harrington (he fur- 
 th observes) relates what he heard from an old man, 
 a witness in a cause, with regard to this miraculous pow- 
 er of healing. "He had by his evidence fixed the time 
 of a fact, by queen Anne's having been at Oxford, and 
 touched him, whilst a child, for the Evil. When he 
 had finished his evidence, I had an opportunity of ask- 
 ing him, whether he really was cured? Upon which he 
 observed, with a vsignificant smile, that he believed him- 
 self never to have had a complaint that deserved to be 
 considered as the Evil; but that his parents were poor, 
 and had no objection to the bit of Gold. 1 ' It seems to me 
 (adds the judge) this piece of Gold, that was given to 
 fhose who were touched, accounts for the great resort
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 on this occasion, and the supposed afterwards miracu- 
 lous cures. Gimelli, the famous traveller, gives an ac- 
 count of 1600 persons offering themselves to be cured of 
 the Evil by Lewis xiv. on Easter Sunday, 1686. Gimelli 
 himself was present at the ceremony : every Frenchman 
 received 15 Souce, and every foreigner 30. This pow- 
 er of healing assumed by the kings of France occasioned 
 great resort to Francis I. while prisoner at Madrid, by 
 the Spaniards, who had not such faith in their own king's 
 touch? It appears by a proclamation of J as. I. Mar. 
 25. 1617. that the kings of England would not permit 
 any resort to them for these miraculous cures in the sum- 
 mer-time. By another proclamation of June 18. 1626. 
 it is ordered that no one shall apply for this purpose, 
 who does not bring a proper certificate, that he has ne- 
 ver been touched before : the same, it has been already 
 seen, were the terms on which queen Anne granted her 
 royal touch. In a prayer-book printed in 1703, is a 
 form of the Church-service for the occasion of the royal 
 touch. After the Lord's Prayer it is stated, "Then 
 shall the infirm persons, one by one, be presented to the 
 queen ; while the queen is laying her hands upon them 
 and is putting the Gold about their necks, the chaplain 
 that officiates turning himself to her majesty shall say 
 these words following : "God give a blessing to this work 
 and grant that these sick persons on whom the queen 
 lays her hands may recover through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord!" After some other prayers, thechiplain, s'and- 
 ing with his face tow^r^s those come to be healed, shall 
 say : "The Almighty God, who is a most strong tower 
 to all them that put their trust la hini > to whom al)
 
 **** iUPPLEME.NT. 
 
 things in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, do bow 
 anJibey, be evermore your defence; and mike you 
 know and feel that there is no other name under heaven 
 given to man, . and through whom you may receive 
 health and salvation, but only in the name of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ! Amen I" Mo. Mag. Mar. 1810* 
 
 END OF VOLUME 1. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 8, line 3, tot mumerous read numerous. p. 9, 1. 19, for its r, 
 their. p. 19. last Hue but two, dele comma after least. p. 31, 1. 3. 
 for drgree r. degree. p. 3'2, for Section if, r. Section I. p. 79, 1. 13 t 
 for ieperated r. separated p. 83, 1. 9, for decerned r. discerned p. 85 , 
 1. t, for sagacions r. c.gacious p. 106, 1. 5, for consideration r, con* 
 tideration p, 107. 1. 28, and 29, for acdingly r. accordingly p. 134, 
 Note, 1. 3, before side r. east p. 148, 1. 14, for numbers r. members* 
 p. 192, 1. 3, for compositions r. composition p.96, last line for heter. 
 doxy r. heterodoxy p. 200, 1. 17, for vareigata r. variegata p. 210. 
 \. 9, after Britain a periud instead of a comma p. 222, 1. 4, delete 9 
 in collections p ^37, 1. 10, fur supremary r. supremacy-*-p. 312, last 
 line but one. for way r. may p. 31t, 1. 14, for loose r. lose -Samep. 
 1. 18, for miricles r. miracles p, 325, 1. 7, for Susanna r. Joanna 
 p. 347. 1. 11, after Silthestow a comma-' and the next Hue, for since r. 
 jz'nce p. 353, 1. 3, for Fountian r. Fountain p. 374. 1. 3, for /> regres- 
 sive r progressive p. 395, 1. 6, from the bottom, after some r. of 
 p. 400, I. 2, and 14, for arbitary r. arbitrary p. 403, 1.26, for direc- 
 tion r. direction p. 403, 1. 2, for appelation r. appellation p. 50t t 
 1. 3, for note r. u; p. 511, note, dele them in 1. 16 same page 1. 35 
 of the note, for tKey were r. it was p. 515, 1. 12, for da r. c/e-*p. 
 517, 1. 3, fim bottom, for 1526, r. 1256 p. 592, note I. 3., mem. 
 ttr oft, members and, 
 
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