Is King’s Lynn changing its name for the jubilee?

Published:
6:15 AM April 1, 2022

A historic town is to be renamed for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, rewriting centuries of history.

King’s Lynn is to become Queen’s Lynn, in honour of Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, we can reveal today.

The idea was first mooted before the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee, in 2012.

But it was rejected after secret talks between Palace officials and West Norfolk Council, which feared the cost of changing road signs and the burden on the Royal Mail and businesses of adopting a different name would run into millions of pounds.

Now the idea has now been revived, with the change due to come into force at the start of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, on June 2.

The council itself is set to lead the way, changing its name to the Borough Council of Queen’s Lynn and West Norfolk.

The council will be renamed the Borough Council of Queen’s Lynn and West Norfolk
– Credit: Ian Burt

Spokesman Alf Riploo said the council would also be changing the name of its offices to Queen’s Court. 

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is understood to have agreed to make funding available to help smooth the change from the Treasury’s contribution towards the costs of staging the four-day celebration.

A proclamation will be read out in the Walks at the lighting of Lynn’s Jubilee beacon.

King’s Lynn Town FC will be changing their name to Queen’s Lynn Town for the 2022/23 season
– Credit: Ian Burt

“We’re sure the people of Lynn will rally round for this,” a Palace source said. “It is a change one might argue should have been made after the Coronation in 1953 and a fitting way for the town to pay tribute to Her Majesty.”

In a further effort to cement the town’s links to the monarch – whose Sandringham estate is less than 10 miles away – changes to its coat of arms are also being considered, with the addition of Corgis being proposed.

Prof April Thirst, an expert on the history of settlement names at Queen’s College Cambridge, said: “It makes sense for a town named after the monarchy, as in the institution as opposed to any individual, to reflect the gender of whoever is on the throne.”

The town’s name will revert to King’s Lynn at the end of the Queen’s Jubilee Year.

The King’s Morris will be renamed the Queen’s Morris for the Platinum Jubilee year
– Credit: Chris Bishop

Landmarks such as King Street and King’s Staithe Square will also be renamed for the year, while the King’s Morris will be renamed the Queen’s Morris when the dancing season begins on May 1.

King’s Lynn Town FC will also be changing its name to Queen’s Lynn Town for the 2022/23 football season. The team’s colours will remain the same, but fans will be encouraged to cheer for the Liz-ets.

Meanwhile, West Lynn Parish Council meets next week to discuss whether the village should change its name to West Liz.

The ferry to West Lynn, which will be renamed West Liz if the parish council agrees when it meets next week
– Credit: Ian Burt

What’s in a name?

The change will be the third time Lynn has been renamed during its 900-year history. 

The town was founded between two rivers, the Mill Fleet and the Purfleet by Bishop Herbert de Losinga of Thetford in the 12th century.

It was named Lenne Episcopi  Bishop’s Lynn – after being granted a charter by the Bishop of Norwich in 1204.

The town grew into a prosperous port, with a number of prominent monasteries.

But after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the early 16th century, it became King’s Lynn – a name it has held ever since.