The Founding Legend Of Grimsby

Havelok helped distribute and sell the fish, and by virtue of his huge strength , he was able to carry incredibly great heavy basket loads that would have been impossible for ordinary men to lift.
Then came a terrible time of drought and famine and Havelok sought service at the court of the king of Lindsey, at Lincoln. He found work as a porter and scullion in the royal kitchens and soon became a wonder in Lincoln for his amazing strength and good character. At a stone-throwing contest, Havelok managed to lift the great stone higher and hurl it a great deal further than anyone else. King Alsi of Lincoln had a ward, his niece, the fair Princess Goldburga, whose southern kingdom he held as well as his own, since she herself had been a child. Alsi had promised to marry her to the strongest and fairest man in the land. Hearing of Havelok's wondrous reputation, he decided to marry her off to his kitchen knave, in order to shame her and thereby keep overall control of her kingdom. Yet the princess was comforted by a vision she received in a dream which was read for her by a hermit. She was assured Havelok would become a king and she a queen. The hermit advised them to return to Grimsby and when they arrived, they found that Grim was dead. Grim's family then revealed the truth about Havelok's past and his true identity. They also revealed a fair amount of wealth that Grim had amassed and hidden until the time when it would be needed. Yet, Grim had also known that no amount of gold and silver alone would be enough to regain the Danish kingdom for the prince.
Havelok was duly advised to return to Denmark and find a certain lord who had been waiting and preparing for his return. Taking the princess and accompanied by his foster-brothers, Havelok sailed to Denmark, amassed an army and regained his crown.
Later, he returned to Lindsey with Goldburga and thousands of Danes and successfully regained her kingdom from King Alsi. Havelok and Goldburga then ruled at Lincoln in his place, justly and peacefully, beloved of the people, becoming united sovereigns over twin kingdoms in Denmark and England.

The Seal of Great Grimsby, was fashioned sometime in the thirteenth century, possibly soon after King John granted the town its first official charter in 1201 although the town had been officially referred to as a 'borough' long before that time. The Grimsby Seal is without doubt a rarity in the United Kingdom as a municipal seal in that it features the main characters of the legend with Grim featuring prominently and centrally, depicted as the founder of the town. It is the only founding legendary municipal seal to be found in the whole of Great Britain. The seal portrays Grim, 'larger than life,' with shield and drawn sword in a stance of readiness, protector and defender of the faith, ready to fight the good fight. Above him is a portrayal of the Hand of Providence, thought to have guided his actions and beneath him lies his helm, symbolising the fact namely, that he was the founder of Grimsby. On either side of Grim, are representations of Havelok and Goldburga with their crowns suspended above them, indicating their royal status with the prince seen offering a ring to the princess, betokening the fact that they were eventually wed. The seal may clearly be a piece of material evidence useful in indicating that there may be a little more to the legend than meets the eye. At the very least, it shows that the early inhabitants of the borough were convinced that the legend was founded on fact, and that the town was founded by Grim.

The legend of Grim and Havelok, became one of the most popular legends in England from the time of the Norman Conquest to that of Elizabeth I. From the eleventh to the thirteenth century it seems to have been regarded as a classic. As claimed, the story may have true actual root origins in the sixth century prior to the Viking invasions, probably surviving by courtesy of bards and minstrels, and ancient time-honoured oral traditions. Yet, although the story has survived and still retains much of its original charm and fascination, it undoubtedly has suffered many changes over the years.

The earliest surviving written version that we have comes to us in the form of a Norman-French poem, 'The Lai d' Haveloc' believed to have been composed in England during the early part of the twelfth century. However, the legend was without doubt a very old one long before the Norman poet used it for the framework for his rhyme. Indeed, the poet begins by stating quite clearly that his tale is derived from a British source. An abridged version based in part upon the French poem was also written by Geoffrei Gaimar in the twelfth century. Gaimar claimed that his source had been Gildas, the sixth century Christian monk and that the story may date back to 500 AD. Other summaries, abridgements and references to the story can also be found in the literature of the Middle Ages. The English versions of the lay had long been given up for lost. Fortunately however, an English version of the Lay of Havelok, written in rhyming couplets in the Lincolnshire dialect dated to 1280 AD was eventually found in the Bodleian Library at Oxford in the early part of the 19th Century.

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