King John (1167-1216) Granted Lynn a charter in 1204 at the request of the Bishop of Norwich who retained the lordship of the town. Lynn was raised to borough status with the rights of local jurisdiction and government including a merchant gild to oversee commerce and soon a mayor. The royal charter was a milestone in the history of Lynn, reflecting its rapid growth over the previous century to become the fourth port of the Kingdom by 1204. King John began his last fateful journey from Lynn in October 1216 when his baggage train was lost in the Wash as he travelled via Wisbech to Newark where he died. Though the 1204 charter gave the town a degree of political independence it was 'Bishops Lynn' until 1537 when another charter from Henry VIII created 'King's Lynn' ousting 'Our Lord of Norwich'.