Place:


Kings Lynn  Norfolk

 

In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Kings Lynn like this:

Kings Lynn, Lynn Regis, or Lynn, parl. and mun. bor., seaport, and market town, Norfolk, on river Ouse, near the confluence of the river Nare, 2 miles from the Wash, 48½ miles NW. of Norwich, and 99 miles from London, 3321 ac., pop. 18,539; 3 Banks, 7 news-papers. Market-days, Tuesday and Saturday. ...


Kings Lynn was a port even before the Norman invasion. In early times it belonged to the Church, and was known as Bishops Lynn, or Lynn Episcopi, until the property passed to the Crown in the reign of Henry VIII. It was created a free borough by King John in 1205. During the Civil War the inhabitants declared for King Charles, and the town was then besieged for a month. Through its inland navigation, and proximity to the German Ocean, Kings Lynn has a very important shipping traffic, corn, timber, and coal being the chief articles of trade. (For shipping statistics, see Appendix.) The harbour is wide and deep. The industries are mostly shipbuilding, ironfounding, machine making, malting, and brewing, but there are likewise highly important fisheries, especially for shrimps, smelts, and shell fish. The borough returns 1 member to Parliament; it returned 2 members until 1885, when the parliamentary limits were extended.

Kings Lynn through time

Click here for graphs and data of how Kings Lynn and West Norfolk has changed over two centuries. For statistics for historical units named after Kings Lynn go to Units and Statistics.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Kings Lynn in Kings Lynn and West Norfolk | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/565

Date accessed: 29th March 2024


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