Record Details
| NHER Number: | 63493 |
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| Type of record: | Find Spot |
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| Name: | Cannon from St Peter's churchyard, West Lynn |
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Summary
A fragment of a large cannon was found in St Peter's churchyard, West Lynn. It is known that Oliver Cromwell had a battery somewhere in West Lynn during the siege of 1643, and it is possible that the churchyard was used for this purpose.
Images
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 6120 1973 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF61NW |
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| Parish: | KING’S LYNN, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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| WEST LYNN, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Previously recorded under NHER 5557.
Before 1967. Stray Find.
Discovery in churchyard.
Fragment of large cannon found in churchyard 1967.
2' 11" [88cm] long, apparent bore of 3" [7.6cm]. Possibly indicates church was used as platform to bombard Lynn. Colonel Oliver Cromwell is known to have used artillery at West Lynn (then known as Old Lynn) during the siege of Lynn in 1643. It is possible that St Peter's churchyard was the site of Cromwell's battery.
Information from (S1).
E. Rose (NAU), amended A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 5 July 2019.
June 2025. Finds Analysis.
The King's Lynn under Siege project [1] located an iron fragment in Lynn Museum. The fragment was stored underneath a table and could not be moved, so the following measurements are not certain.
The fragment is approximately 88.9cm long and 31.1cm wide at one end tapering to 22.86cm at the other. There is a bore of approximately 8.1cm running along the length. The fragment is not securely identified as a cannon however, the fragment is extremely heavy for the alternative suggestion of an iron pipe.
See King's Lynn under Siege report (S2) for further discussion on the identification of the fragment.
A. Henderson (HES), 08 July 2025.
Monument Types
- FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- BATTERY? (17th Century - 1643 AD to 1643 AD)
Associated Finds
- CANNON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| <S1> | Article in Serial: Hurst, D. G. 1968. Post-Medieval Britain in 1967. Post-Medieval Archaeology. Vol 2 (for 1968) pp 175-194. p 177. |
| <S2> | Unpublished Report: David Flintham, King's Lynn under Siege. 2025. The West Lynn 'Cannon'. Community Project. |
Related records
| 5557 | Part of: St Peter's Church, West Lynn (Building) |