Historical Events

Date

Margery Kempe

The Scribe

Robert Spryngolde

Alan of Lynn

John Brunham (probably MK's father)

John Kempe (probably MK's husband)

25 Jan. Accession of Edward III.

1327

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c. 1348

 

 

 

Birth of Alan of Lynn (n. 22/11-12). Unless Alan lives to be 90, he cannot be the second scribe.

 

 

 

1353

 

 

 

 

Entry into the liberty of Lynn (App. III, ii, 1)

 

 

1370

 

 

 

 

29 Sept.-29 Sept. 1371. Mayoralty of Lynn (App. III, ii, 1).

 

23 July. Death of Bridget of Sweden.

c. 1373

Margery born.

 

 

 

 

 

22 June. Accession of Richard II.

1377

 

 

 

 

29 Sept.-29 Sept. 1379. Mayoralty of Lynn (App. III, ii, 5).

 

Earlier attempt to secure privileges for the chapel of St. Nicolas, Lynn (App. III, vii).

1378-79

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1385

 

 

 

 

29 Sept.-29 Sept. 1386. Mayoralty of Lynn (App. III, i, 5).

 

7 Oct. Canonization of St. Bridget of Sweden.

1391

 

 

 

 

29 Sept.-29 Sept. 1392. Mayoralty of Lynn (App. III, ii, 5).

 

 

c. 1393

Marriage of Margery to John Kempe.

 

 

 

 

Admission into the liberty of Lynn (App. III, iii, 1).

 

1394

Sometime in 1393-94 Margery conceives her first child (6/27) and is ill for, presumably, the 9 months of her pregnancy (6/7). After the child was born c. 1394, Margery suffers for about 8 months from vexation from spirits (7/ 22). Christ makes his first appearance to her around this time (8/14), or perhaps sometime in 1395.

 

 

 

 

29 Sept.-29 Sept. 1395. Term as one of 4 chamberlains of Lynn (App. III, iii, 2).

 

c.1395-8 or 9

Margery takes up brewing for four years (9/33) and owns a mill for a brief time too (10/15)

 

 

 

 

 

30 Sept. Accession of Henry IV.

1399

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 March. Execution of William Sawtre, the first Lollard to be burned in England.

1401

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 May. Presentation of Richard of Caister to the Vicarage of St. Stephens in Norwich (n. 38/12).

1402

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1407

 

 

 

Lynn Convent, Norfolk, lector in theology (BRUC 381).

 

 

The first mention of Prior of Lynn, Thomas Hevyngham on 10 October 1412 (App. III, v, 1).

1412

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 March. Accession of Henry V.

1413

26 April. Margery's husband looses the power to “know” her carnally (n. 21/12-13) (chap. 9).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 June? A stone falls from the ceiling of St. Margaret’s church and strikes Margery on the back (n. 21/18) (chap. 9).

 

 

The first mention of Alan of Lynn by name (n. 22/11-12) (chap. 9).

 

 

 

 

23 June. Agreement of John and Margery Kempe to live chastely, made between York and Bridlington (n. 23/9) (chap. 11).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer. John and Margery’s interview with Philip Repyngdon, Bishop of Lincoln (n. 33/24-25)(chap. 15).

 

 

 

Before 16 Oct. Death of John Brunham (App. III, ii, 11).

 

19 Oct. Escape of John Oldcastle from the Tower after his conviction as a heretic.

 

Summer or Autumn. Margery’s interview with Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (n. 35/28-29) (chap. 16).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around this time a priest moves to town and begins to read to Margery (chap. 58). This must happen c. 1413, because at the end of chap. 60, which must take place c.1420, the priest is said to have been reading to Margery for about 7 years. Roger Ellis in “Margery Kempe’s Scribe and the Miraculous Books,” has this in 1414 after her return from the Holy Land. It is notable that the scribe describes a conversation that the young priest has with his only mother after Margery has left the room. The scribe also reports that the priest continues to read to Margery for seven or eight years. This priest also is reported to later obtained some sort of office, when he was “benefysyd & had a gret cur of sowle” (144/2).

At the beginning of chap. 59 after a mentioning all of these books, the scribe points out that it would be impossible to write all of the holy things that God has revealed to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn? Margery leaves Lynn for the Holy Land and Italy (n. 60/18-19) (chap. 26).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1414

1 August. Margery visits the chapel of the Portiuncula in Assisi (n. 79/25-26) (chap. 31).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 October. Margery visits the chapel of St. Bridget in Rome (n. 95/27-28) (chap. 39).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 November. Margery’s mystical marriage to the Godhead in the Apostles’ Church in Rome (n. 86/10) (chap. 35).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1415

After Easter. Margery departs from Rome (n. 99/31-32) (chap. 35).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 May or earlier. Margery arrives in Norwich (n. 103/34-104) (chap. 42).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1417

26 May. Arrival of Margery in Bristol on her Pilgrimage to Compostella in Spain (n. 106/21-25) (chop. 44).

 

 

 

 

 

30 July. Departure of Henry V and the main body of his army on his second expedition to France.

 

About 7 July. Margery embarks at Bristol for Compostella (n. 110/11-12) (chap. 46).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early August. Margery returns to Bristol from Compostella (n. 110/32-33) (chap. 46).

 

 

 

 

 

Late summer and early fall. The “Foul Raid” of Scots, who unsuccessfully besieged Berwick and Roxburgh (n. 119/23-24).

 

August-September. Margery’s trial and detention at Leicester (n. 119/14-15) (chaps. 46-9).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Sept. or 20 Nov. Arrival of Margery at York (n. 119/ 23-24) (chap. 50).

 

Margery meets with Alan of Lynn and Robert Springolde around this time because she tells them that she must get a letter from the archbishop of Canturbury (136/15) (chap. 55).

Margery meets with Alan of Lynn and Robert Springolde around this time because she tells them that she must get a letter from the archbishop of Canturbury (136/15) (chap. 55).

 

 

14 Dec. Execution of Sir John Oldcastle, the Lollard (n. 132/12-14).

 

Part of fall and perhaps part of 1418. Stay in London of Margery after receiving a requested letter from Henry Chichely, Archbishop of Canterbury (n. 136/28-29, 29-30) (chap. 55).

 

 

 

 

 

Hevyngham and Durham, both priors, briefly trade places. Hevyngham goes to Norwich and the Durham comes to Lynn. This arrangement does not last long, and they soon go back to their respective starting points and stay there for about 4 years (see Margery note for 1422 below).

c.1418

Return of Margery to Lynn (n. 137/19-22) (chap. 56).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1420

29 March. Richard of Caister, Vicar of St. Stephen’s, Norwich, dies (n. 142/29-31).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The priest who reads to Margery (mentioned earlier) becomes ill and Margery goes to Norwich to Caister’s tomb, “wech deyd but lityl befor that tyme” (147/12-13).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1421

23 January, 1420/1421. The great fire at Lynn (chap. 67) in which the Guild Hall of the Trinity is burnt. Margery saves St. Margaret by appealing to God for miraculous precipitation (n. 162/29-31).

Scribe 2 must be in Lynn at this time. He admits to turning his back to Margery at this along with a number of her detractors. He has a change of heart, however, when he reads some of the same books that the unnamed priest has been reading to her. His description of Maria of Oegines sounds almost as if he has access to the book at the time because he is able to name the chapters in which certain lines appear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A famous friar (presumably the Franciscan William Melton) comes to Lynn. He expels Margery from the chapel of St. James and preaches against her (1420-1421) (chaps. 61-62).

 

It would also seem that the burgess who is mentioned as defending her towards the end of chap. 61 was John Permonter (151/19-23). He was a burgess at in 1421 and would become Lynn's mayor in 1423 (see http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/mapp1_2c.html compared to http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/mapp1_2f.html).

 

 

 

 

Sept. 1. Accession of Henry VI.

 

25 October 1422, Dismissal of a sacrist (Richard Salisbury) and appointment of a successor (Walter (?)) (Owen, 145) by the mayor, John Spicer (http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/mapp1_2c.html).

1422

Chap. 71 (170/26) describes an unnamed priest coming to Margery to inquire whether the current prior, Thomas Hevyngham, will stay in Lynn. Hevyngham ends up returning to Norwich, and John Durham replaces him for a time. This switch seems to have happened in 1418, because the transposition only lasts for about 4 years (171/6).

 

Death of Thomas Heuyngham, Prior of Lynn, who was succeeded by John Derham (App. III, v, 2 and 3). Durham was going to go to France to be part of Henry V’s retinue, but the King dies 31 August 1422, so he is able to stay and fulfill another of Margery’s prophecies (Chap. 71, p. 171)

 

 

 

 

 

 

c. 1423

 

 

 

Dies at Lynn Convent. after 1423. He would be 75 years old in this year. (BRUC381).

 

 

Episcopate of William Alnwick at Norwich, during which there were attempts to again secure privileges for the Chapel of St. Nicolas (n. 59/23 and App. III, viii).

1426

 

The priest, "whech aftyrward wrot this boke" (59/31-2) went to Margery and asked her what she thought of this ordeal. He further mentions that he has gone to her before in time of "ple" (59/34). (Is this earlier time the problem with the manslaughterer and the fraudulent bookseller?)

 

 

 

 

 

1427

 

 

18 October. Robert Spryngolde and six others were appointed to prosecute the rights of their parish church, St. Margaret and its chapels St. James and St. Nicolas before the Bishop of Ely (Making of King's Lynn  p. 140) Goodman mentions this (84), but not in detail.

 

 

 

 

1428?

 

 

 

Hillen has Alan die here, but with no citation (n. 22/11-12). He would have been 80 years old.

 

 

30 May. The burning of Joan of Arc.

c. 1431

(Probably) Margery’s son and husband die (n. 229/11-12) (II, chap. 2).

 

 

 

 

(probably) John dies (n. 229/11-12) (II, chap. 2).

4 May 1432. Hiring by the mayor of a chaplain to serve the community (Owen, 146).

1431-32

Letter from the Mayor, Aldermen, Burgesses, and Commons of Lynn to the Prior of Norwich requesting a font for St. Nicolas. SOURCE???

The second scribe first encounters the first version of BMK, but puts off the project for about four years (4/25) before sending her to another man.

 

 

 

 

20 November 1432. Hiring by the mayor, John Brekerop (http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/mapp1_2c.html), of a new sacrist (Robert Wyntir) to replace Walter Howard (Owen, 146)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 November 1433. Election of two churchwardens for St. James’ (Owen, 146).

1433

2 April (probably). Embarkation of Margery at Ipswich (n. 229/11-12) (II, chap. 3).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10-13 April (probably). Margery in Norway (n. 230/25-26) (II, chap. 3).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end of April and the most of May. Margery’s stay in Danzig (n. 231/1-3) (II, chap. 4).

 

 

 

 

 

June-Sept. Invasion of Neumark and Pomerelia belonging to the Teutonic order by Polish forces and allies (n. 232/1-3).

 

10-24 July. Exhibition of the four holy relics at Aachen, where Margery was possibly present on 20 July (n. 237/34-37) (II, chap. 7).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1434

(Probably) 29 July. Margery arrives at Syon Abby, Middlesex (n. 245/31-32) (II, chap. 10).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1436

 

23 July. Priest begins to revise Margery’s Book I (n. 6/26) (Proem).

30 April. Robert Spryngolde appears in a deed (appx. IV, 1) and in 22 Nov.  Spryngolde appears as a proctor in the divorce preceedings of Thomas and Alice Toddenham in St. Margaret's church in Lynn (Virgoe 411-412).

 

 

 

 

1438

13 April. Admission of one Margery Kempe to the Guild of the Trinity at Lynn (App. III, i. Documents dated 13 April, 1438, and 22 May, 1439).

28 April. Priest begins to write Book II (n. 221/7-9) (II, chap. 1).