Ancestor hunting in Norfolk
We recently went to Norfolk for the weekend, for a family party. It was taking place in one of the villages near King’s Lynn, so we booked into a hotel on the outskirts of town for two nights.
The journey there was horrendous, partly because we were travelling on a Friday evening and the motorway was jam-packed. To avoid the queues, we decided to go cross-country, only to discover that several roads were blocked because of road works, but without the alternative routes being properly sign-posted. A journey that should have taken about four hours, actually took seven and a half. It was hardly surprising that we were exhausted by the time we arrived.
We spent Saturday morning wandering round King’s Lynn, which was founded early in the tenth century, when it was simply known as Lynn. In the fourteenth century the town was the most important port in England and it was one of the members of the Hanseatic League, which was a group of ports that dominated European trade. Two of these Hanseatic warehouses – the Hanse House and Marriott’s Warehouse still exist.
Part of old King's Lynn
George Vancouver was born in King’s Lynn on 22nd June 1757. His father, John, was Deputy Collector of Customs & Port Dues and with the help of friends, he arranged for George to sail on Captain Cook’s second and third voyages. Between 1791 and 1975, George Vancouver took the two ships the Discovery and the Chatham to the New World, charting the shores as he went. He regained possession of the island of Nootka from the Spanish, which is now known as Vancouver Island. A statue has been erected in the old harbour in his memory.
The harbour is situated on the banks of the River Ouse and a panel has been installed on the pathway which creates unusual, abstract views of the countryside.
Nearby is the old Whitefriars Gate, which was part of a local friary between 1200 and 1538.
Staying with the religious theme, but of more interest to me, was the nearby village of East Winch. I work in Arundel Castle, which is the home of the Dukes of Norfolk. Their surname is Fitzalan-Howard and the Howard side of the family originated in East Winch, with the first known ancestor, William Howard, buying land there in 1277. I had read on the internet that some of the early members of the family were buried in All Saints Church in East Winch and by sheer coincidence we were in King’s Lynn on a Saturday, which is the only day the church is open to the public.
The original building was Norman, but the existing church dates from the fifteenth century, with a late nineteenth century nave and organ chamber.
William Howard was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and he was knighted. His heir Sir John Howard became Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk and Governor of Norwich and his son, Sir John II became Knight Banneret and Admiral of the North Seas in 1335. He founded the mortuary chapel in the church, were the family were buried. Unfortunately for us, the mortuary chapel fell into disrepair and was later removed, to make way for the organ chamber.
A remaining connection with the Howard family is the font, which was given to the church either by the Sir John II or his son, Robert. In Victorian times, a painted wood cover was added. Various traces of the old church still exist, such as part of the old rood screen, two sets of medieval pews and a couple of fragments of the old stained glass windows.
Although it was disappointing that the Howard tombs have been removed, the visit to the church was still interesting and worth the effort in finding it.
