The Kings Lynn Benedictine Priory was founded in 1101 by Bishop Losinga of Norwich and is now a Grade I listed parish church. It was rebuilt during the C13th and has been altered continuously ever since, the exterior is mostly C15th and a central lantern and south-west spire collapsed in 1741. There was substantial internal rebuilding in 1745-46 by Matthew Brettingham of Holkham, then a restoration in 1875 by Scott. It is built of white limestone and has leaded roofs and consists of twin west towers, a nave, aisles, short north and south transepts with a crossing tower, and an aisled chancel. The west front has a central arched door under a crenellated surround. Above this is a Perpendicular 7-light window.
The three-stage south-west tower was complete to the ringing chamber by c1260 with bundled buttresses on a high plinth, Norman interlace to the lower stages gives way to trefoiled C13th arcading, then to two-light ringing chamber windows, terminating in bar tracery of the C14th belfry stage, capped with a crenellated parapet with pinnacles. The front of each buttress has eleven shafts of alternating thick and thin design, a typically East Anglian motif. It leans quite a lot as it was built on poor foundations, this can be seen best inside the church. Ther was a spire on this tower but it blew down in a storm in 1741 resulting in the rebuilding of 1742-6The north-west tower is also Norman in the lower courses but was rebuilt in 1453 with indeterminate stage divisions, clasping buttresses, small three-light Perpendicular windows and also capped by a crenellated parapet. This is the tower which currently holds the ring of ten bells hung to enable ringing in the English style. The bells were overhauled in 2005 by the Loughborough Bellfoundry.
The following is a table extracted from Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers showing the weights in kg, the sounding notes of the bells, the founder and the year of casting.
Bell Weight Note Dated Founder
1 313.89 E 1887 Mears and Stainbank
2 370.13 D 1887 Mears and Stainbank
3 416.40 C 1766 Lester & Pack
4 420.03 B 1766 Lester & Pack
5 452.69 A 1766 Lester & Pack
6 586.04 G 1766 Lester & Pack
7 695.81 F 1766 Lester & Pack
8 783.81 E 1893 Mears and Stainbank
9 1171.18 D 2005 John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd.
10 1436.98 C 1766 Lester & Pack
Sanctus 1657 Thomas Norris
In his book 'The Church Bells of Norfolk.....', 1874, John L'Estrange tells us that "Kings Lynn, St.Margaret — 8 [bells]. Tenor [Note]C. 30 cwt., diameter 55½in.
[Bells numbers] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. [cast by]Lester and Pack of London fecit 1766."
1. Peace and good neighbourhood.
2. Musick is medicine to the mind.
3. Our voices shall with joyful sound
Make hills and valleys echo round.
5. To honour both our God and King
Our voices shall in consort ring.
8. John Mather Leet Churchwarden.
6. Ye ringers all that prize
Your health and happiness
Be sober merry wise
And you'll the same possess.
7. Richard Marshall and Charles Crusoe Churchwardens.
Thomas Osborn Founder Downham Norfolk AD 1800.
Also that there were: "Five bells 6th Edward VI., 10, 14, 18, 22, and 28 cwt." 6th Edward VI is the 6th year of the reign of King Edward VI, so in 1553 there were five bells.
L'Estrange also quotes a book by Mackerell written towards the end of the C17th, thus,
Mackerell tells us that the great bell was called
" the Margaret, and was for her
" curious sound one of the finest of that kind, and might be heard (the wind
" favouring, as I have been assur'd) full ten miles distant. Others had
" likewise their distinct names as the Trinity, the St. Thomas, &c., so
" christened, I suppose as was usual before the Reformation. But the biggest
" and the least of these was purposely broken, and with some Addition cast
" into others, to make a Ring of Eight which was effected in the year 1663,
" as they remain to this Day."
He also tells us that the 4th bell was new
cast in 1627 by Draper of Thetford, yet in 1673 the two great bells were
called the Margaret and Thomas, as appears from the churchwardens' account
for that year.
" The said Churchwardens are Drs to ye p'tieuler amount of the Two Great Bells
" vizt. the Bell Margarett & Thomas as followeth : —
" Bell Margaret £7 12 0
" Bell Thomas £2 17 6."
As late as 1752 the 7th and 8th bells still went by those names. The following
entries are from the St. Margaret's account books.
1765 Feb. 1st By articles between the churchwardens and Lester & Pack
for the bells for church & chapel £1 1 0
1766 June 28th By expenses of Ringers upon opening of St
Margaret's Bells £9 6 8
1766 Sept. 20 By Norwich ringers & expenses on opening St
Nicholas' Bells £2 10 0
1767 Mar. 25 By Insurance of Bells £7 8 6
1767 Apl. 22 By do chapel Bells £6 5 6
1767 Apl. 22 By Cash to Messrs Lester & Pack towards St
Margaret's & St Nicholas' Bells £247 2 6
1768 May 24 By Cash to Mr Wm Bagge towards chapel Bells £14 8 10½
1768 May 24 By Cash to Messrs Lester & Pack in full for St
Margts & St Nichs Bells £285 7 2
So the cost of the two peals of bells in 1765/8, St.Margaret's and St.Nicholas', came to the grand sum of
£533 10 8
Six of the Lester and Pack bells are still part of the peal, viz. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10. The peal was augmented in 1887 by the addition of two trebles by Mears and Stainbank of London, the eighth was replaced in 1893 also by Mears and Stainbank, and when there was a major overhaul in 2005 the ninth was replaced by The Loughborough Foundry.
Words variously from British Listed Buildings, Pevsner's Norfolk Buildings, Harris's Guide to Churches and Cathedrals, Jenkins England's Thousand Best Churches, amended and added to with own on-site observations.
Co-ordinates are for the west porch.