Monument record BLB 025 - Blythburgh (Med)

A market is mentioned at Blythburgh in 1066 (see Sax for details of earlier settlement). Licence for market & 3 annual fairs granted to William de Norwich in C12. Town and port said to be at height of prosperity in C15 (probably actually in C13/C14 pre black death, then rapid decline, S2). Decline said to be due to suppression of Priory and silting up of river. More than half of town destroyed by fire in 1667, and many more houses destroyed in further fire of 1679.
Area of Med town includes Priory (BLB 001), church (BLB 021), finds scatter & features (BLB 008?, 11 & 16), bridge, chapel & possibly a hospital/priory of the Black Friars (BLB Misc) and a Late Med/Post Med burial (BLB 070). Also see Misc for various other finds probably from area. Note Med finds N of river (BLB 004). Defined approximately on HER map to include bridge, riverside (port?) & built up area.
Also see (S3) & (S4) and various 'Blyth Valley History Notes' printed by The Blythbourgh Society.
Also Sax.

A damaged lead pilgrim's badge depicting Richard Caistor of Norwich standing in his pulpit; his tomb at St Stephen's, Norwich, was venerated from his death in 1429 until the later 15th century (S5). Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2011 (S6).