Lynn, at the mouth of the Great Ouse, is the bishop of Norwich's town: Bishop Herbert de Losinga founded it in 1101 with St Margaret's church and a Saturday market, and it stays under the bishop's temporal and spiritual jurisdiction as Bishop's Lynn.
It is the outlet of the whole Ouse basin, shipping grain and wool and dealing in salt from its marshes, and a rising port of the North Sea trade.
Who holds it
- Name
- John of Oxford
- Title
- Bishop of Norwich
- Since
- Elected 26 November 1175, consecrated 14 December 1175
- Confidence
- high
Son of Henry of Oxford, a sheriff; Henry II's clerk and envoy, who represented the king at the diet of Würzburg in 1165 during the papal schism and was excommunicated by Becket on 12 June 1166 before being restored as dean of Salisbury. Bishop for some 25 years. He dies on 2 June 1200; John de Gray, King John's close servant, succeeds.
What it holds
- The town and port of Lynn under the bishop's lordship and courts
- St Margaret's church and the Saturday market, from the foundation of 1101
- The Newland and its Tuesday market, added by later bishops in the 12th century (thin)
- The bishop's manor of Gaywood beside the town
How it was acquired
Bishop Herbert de Losinga's foundation of 1101, on salt-making land.
How things stand that morning
Held by John of Oxford in his last months.
Wealth
Port and market tolls; salt from the marsh pans; the grain and wool of the Ouse basin.
Threats
- The burgesses' wish for a royal charter
- The vacancy that follows John of Oxford's death
Advocates and rivals
The burgesses, who want a royal charter (John grants one in 1204, making Lynn a free borough); the d'Aubigny earls of Arundel at Castle Rising nearby; foreign merchants.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 2 June 1200Bishop John of Oxford dies; John de Gray is chosen and consecrated later in 1200.Depends on: His natural death. Stopped by: Nothing likely.
Places of note
- St Margaret's, Lynn: Bishop Herbert's church and Saturday market of 1101
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The foundation and the bishop's lordship are well known; the town's trade in 1200 is reconstructed from 12th- and 13th-century evidence.
On the map: Drawn as the town district; the bishop also held manors across Norfolk, not shown.
Primary sources for England
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
- Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
- Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online
22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.