“Mr. Thos. Thorisby, alderman, and sometimes mayor, built a chapple adjoining to the south side of the church of St. Margarets, and gave to the master of the Charnell House, (now the Free School,) certain lands in Gaywood, to the value, of 8l. per annum, for teaching Grammar and Songs, and also for singing durges, (dirges,) dayly in the said chapple: which land became forfeited to the crowne, and invented in the Corporation by Charter of Edward VI.”
Thus is the origin of our grammar-school at last sufficiently cleared up, which seems to have been founded in the reign of Edward IV, or that of Henry VII, when Thorsby flourished and was thrice mayor of this town.—see more of him at p. 528.
TABLE OF EVENTS.
A TABLE of memorable, or somewhat remarkable events, relating to this town, from the Conquest to the present time; including what is most worthy of preservation in Mackerell, and divers private MSS. belonging to certain of our most curious townsmen: the whole chronologically arranged and brought down to the present year—1812.
A.D. 1066. This year the French conquered England, and their commander, the Norman Bastard, seated himself on the English throne, which was also possessed by his descendants for many generations: Lynn of course felt the effects of this revolution and readily acceded to the new order of things. Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, and his brother Ailmar, bishop of Elmham, were before the great men that bore sway here; but they were now ousted, and their power and possessions transferred by the Conqueror to two of his French adherents, Odo bishop of Baieux, in Normandy, his half brother, and Herfast, one of his own chaplains. Frenchmen then got possession of almost all the land in the kingdom, and they were the progenitors of most of our present noble families; so that our House of Lords is now in a great measure made up of their descendants.
1100. About this time St. Margaret’s church was built by bishop Herbert, who granted long indulgences to the people to commit all manner of sin, by way of encouragement or inducement to contribute towards the completion of the sacred edifice; as if he thought that to give people their full swing in all manner of iniquity, was the surest way to make them pious and liberal.
About the same time was also built the Benedictine Priory, on the south side of the church.
1144. A Priory at Gaywood was founded in honour of Mary Magdalen, whence it is still called St. Mary Magdalen’s Hospital. The priory has long disappeared, and has been succeeded by the present Hospital. The founder’s name was Petrus Capellanus, who died in 1174.—see p. 530, &c.
1190. A terrible riot and commotion here, and in many other parts of the kingdom, excited, it seems, for the purpose of plundering and massacring the poor Jews, who were then settled in great numbers here and in many of our great towns. Of what then occurred here see vol. I. page 391 of this work.
1204. This town was constituted a Borough by royal charter, and its chief magistrate was at the same time, or soon after, denominated Mayor, see page 393. These honours were the royal gifts of king John, who repeatedly visited this town. His last visit was in the autumn of 1216. He soon after died at Newark, and was interred at Worcester, where his remains were discovered in 1797 in a state of remarkable preservation, considering that they had lain in the ground near 600 years.