The Grimsby Seal

PART ONE

The ancient seal of Grimsby is quite unique and relatively priceless and can indeed even be regarded as something of a national treasure without undue exaggeration. The Grimsby Seal appears to be the only municipal seal of its kind to be found within the whole of the United Kingdom that features four predominant characters from a famous British legend epitomising the story of the founding of Grimsby Town, which has been world renowned for its fishing industry. Within the last century Grimsby became the world's premier fishing port with the largest ice factory and the country's busiest railway crossing near the docks, allowing fresh fish deliveries by rail to pass through for widespread distribution. Although Grimsby's fishing industry has suffered great decline in recent years for a number of contributory factors and reasons, and can no longer claim to have the glorious title of being the world's premier fishing port, its reputation and prestige is still remembered and legendary. Go to the Epcott Center in Florida and you can find restaurants or cafes that sell London fish and chip style lunches yes, but you will also find that the dearest regarded and priced meal there on the menu may be : Grimsby fish. Yet it is a curious fact that people are still unaware of how it all began with Grim

The Great Grimsby Seal was first fashioned sometime in the 13th century soon after King John granted the town its first recorded official Charter in 1201, although the town had been referred to as a borough for a long time prior to that bestowal of civic liberties for its burgesses and citizens. The seal matrix itself was evidently designed and fashioned by a mediaeval master craftsman probably based at York or Lincoln at the time and was clearly comparatively influenced by the seals designed and crafted especially for royalty. There has been great debate about the exact year in which this seal was actually fashioned and by whom. There certainly are indications that the town of Grimsby was a principality and borough long before King John granted the town his charter and it may be that there was a time when it did enjoy special privileges beforehand. It may be that there was some form of official seal being used by the ruling class at some earlier point in time, which may have served as a precedent in some fashion to that later adopted one that we are focusing upon. Normally, it was the custom in the bestowal of a royal charter to a town or city that a clear request was made within the charter declaration that it would be necessary for a special official seal to be designed and cast if there had not been one; with Grimsby, no such written and formal declaration was in evidence, which makes one wonder indeed whether or not that there had been a prior form and informal request made for the purpose of sanctifying the royal charter.

The Seal of Grimsby depicts the four main characters from the famous ancient legend. Grim, the founder of Grimsby is centrally portrayed larger than life,' with his sword raised and shield held in front in a stance of readiness to fight the good fight and save the life of the young prince against all threat. The stylized depiction of his helm beneath his feet upon the ground that he stands upon is clearly a symbolic reference to the fact, namely, that he was definitely regarded as the founder of Grimsby. In heraldry, crests were a form of identity and were often displayed traditionally upon helms. On either side of Grim are depictions and portrayals of Havelok and Goldburga with their crowns suspended above them indicating their royal status and birthright, which latter matter was as the legend shows, precariously balanced at one time in the distant past. It is clear that in engraving the brass seal matrix itself that the original mediaeval master craftsmen focused his attention predominantly first with his pictorial depiction of Grim, since by an oversight and human error, he evidently left really little space for engraving out the figure of the prince. The young Prince of Denmark, Havelok, is seen to be offering a ring to the Princess Goldburga of England, betokening the fact that they were married. The fourth major character that lies enigmatically behind the whole legendary tale is depicted above Grim and has been known under the guise of: The Hand of Divine Providence; The Hand of Fortune; and The Hand of Fate. The Divine Hand of Providence was believed by ancestors to have actively played a part and had a hand in guiding Grim and the fate and destiny of the prince and princess along with that of their kingdoms.

As Dr. Carl Gustav Jung indicated in 'Man and his Symbols,' an image can be symbolic when it implies and signifies something that has deep and wider meaning to the unconscious mind rather than from any clear-cut rational and intellectual literal meaning or understanding taken from any superficial face value reading. Such things can never be exactly defined or completely explained when the mind lightly and objectively attempts to explore such symbols too rationally as their meaning appeals to a deeper knowledge of matters intuitively recognized that lie 'beyond the grasp of reason.' Jung shows us that for all our intellectual prowess or limitations, that when we call something 'divine,' we merely put a name to something numinous, inscrutable, and mysterious regardless of whatever creed or religious background from which the symbol is associated and has originated:

Because there are innumerable things beyond the range of human understanding, we constantly use symbolic terms to represent concepts that we cannot define or fully comprehend. This is why all religions employ symbolic language or images.

Today in Britain, we are familiar with this age-old mysterious symbol under a new form actively adapted and adopted for use by the Camelot Group, for the National Lottery; whether people see it now as a depiction of a divine hand of providence or as the fortuitous or fickle and cruel hand of fortune or fate is impossible to gauge. Certainly, members of the association and others, including a recent mayor of Grimsby, Councilor Jane Hyldon-King, have been aware of some rather remarkable synchronous factors and influences meaningfully actively deployed in the rebirth of this legend which cannot be explained by mere coincidence alone; we hope that you will see some signs of this for yourself in exploring the information on this site. There will be lots more information to add in future about the past but for the present let us just say: what is time itself but merely a word used in relation to a concept!

William Camden [1551-1623] was a rather illustrious and distinguished English antiquary and historian writing in the 16th century, famous for his Britannia, a Latin survey of Great Britain, and his Annales, which was a Latin history of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. However, Camden was evidently no great scholar as far as the legend was concerned and appears to have not bothered to explore or study any evidence for it at all. It may be that though the legend still held widespread popularity throughout Britain at this time, by way of that phenomena known as 'Chinese Whispers,' and the diversity and distortion of popular hybrid versions appearing, plus difficulty in finding reliable reference to source material, that these factors may have contributed to Camden's attitude. It may be that he had other major vested interests with other matters and saw little interest in pursuing the probable truth and heritage behind the ancient British legend. Be that as it may, for whatever reasons may have underpinned his stance and attitude, it has to be said that William Camden was particularly contemptuous of the legendary story as can be observed by brief remarks made in 1587:

Grimsby; which our Sabines, lovers of their own conceits, will have so call'd from one Grime a merchant, who brought up a little child of the Danish blood-royal named Havelock, that was exposed; for which he is much talk'd of, as is also Havelock his pupil, who was first a scullion in the king's kitching, but afterwards for his eminent valour had the honour to marry the king's daughter. He perform'd I know not what great exploits; which for certain are fitter for tattling gossips in a winter night, than a grave historian.

It is evident that William Camden did not indeed know or indeed care about the great exploits of these heroic characters from this popular ancient classic British legend: Grim and Havelock. It is evident he was clearly unaware like many before him and since of much of the evidence and of the existence of the Norman French Lay of Havelok the Dane. The legend was still evidently very popular however and had survived in the hearts and imagination of the people of Britain. Along with the legend of Robin Hood, it appealed to wide audiences, and although it has sometimes been described as a peasant romance appealing particularly to the commoners, it has to be remembered that it also certainly appealed to others too, including the nobles and clergy. As providence, fate, fortune, or chance would have it, a relative champion for the tradition did emerge and stepped forward in time to defend the decency and honour of the Grimsby Founding Legend after Camden's attacks. Furthermore, this champion was no less an illustrious and distinguished man of distinction and renown, a historian, a patriot, and a royalist to boot, capable of even supporting Charles I against Oliver Cromwell and his troops to some extent during the Civil war; his name was Gervase Holles.
Gervase Holles was born in Grimsby and was elected as a Grimsby Mayor twice, also subsequently being elected and becoming its Member of Parliament three times during his eventful life. A stone-carved effigy of his head today takes pride of place and can still be found gazing high above the Town Hall. Despite Cromwell's troops visiting Grimsby and ransacking Gervase Holles' home during the 17th century, some manuscripts that he had been compiling for a Lincolnshire history project survived or were re-written, including those that referred to Grimsby. The latter transcribed manuscript has been almost fully included here and will show that the Grimsby Seal features as an important piece of material evidence used in his defence of the founding legend.

Grimsby Magna

This is an auncient a corporation, as most are in England, & consists of a Mayor, twelve Aldermen, & thirty-six Burgesses. Out of ye Aldermen are yearely chosen ye Tuesday fourteene night [before ye feast of St Michael ye Archangell] ye mayor, & two justices, & two coroners, whereof ye old Mayor is always one. Out of ye 36 Burgesses are chosen two baylyffs, being elected out of ye twelve who onely [of ye Burgesses] have voyces in electing of two Aldermen, to goe upon ye Leete, out of which two by ye voyces of ye whole corporation ye Mayor is chosen: ye other Bayliffe is elected onely by, & out of ye foure & twenty, as ye head Bayliffe is by ye Aldermen, & ye twelve. These keepe their weekely courts upon Friday, as ye Mayor doeth his upon Tuesday. There be likewise two Chamberlaynes chosen yearly for gathering ye townes rents, & for discharging ye King's Fee-farme. Ye Mayor yearely keepes two Court Leetes, where alwayes ye Recorder is present to assist ye Mayor with his Counsell, when he sitts upon matters criminall, which in those Court Leetes, are determinable. There belongs to ye corporation three Maces, which by as many Serjeantes are borne before Mayor, & Bayliffes on their dayes of solemnity, ye cheife of which is Midsommer day, when also ye Mayor makes his cheife fealt.

They were incorporate by King John who by his charter granted them many immunityres, & privyledges, which were from tyme to tyme confirmed, & sometymes enlarged by ye succeeding princes; amongst others this that they should every parliament send forth two Burgesses to advise of ye great affayres of ye kingdome. Grimsby heretofore hath been fortifyed with two block-houses [though now not so much as ye ruines remayne to testify, that they were] and beautifyed with two churches, [of which ye church of St. Mary, a handsome piece, & a good sea marke, was sacrilegiously pulled downe, & quite demolisht within ye memory of some late living; ye other of St. James yet stands ill-repayred, being a church large & spacious, but nothing beautifyed] an Abbey, a Nunnery, two Frieryes, a Chauntrey, & a house of Hospitaliers of St. John's of Jerusalem. Ye haven hath bin heretofore commodious, now decayed; ye traffique good, now gone; ye place rich, & populous, ye houses now meane, & stragling by reason of depopulation, & ye towne very poore. In ye dayes of Edward III, Grimsby furnished out of ye seige of Calais [as appears by a record now in my hands] eleaven shipps, 170 marriners, where now she hath but one poore coaleship belonging to it, & scarce marriners in the towne to man it. So will we leave it venerable for antiquity, & write over ye Fuit Ilium.
And it will not be amisse to say something concerning ye common tradition of her first founder Grime, as ye inhabitants [with a catholique faith] name him. The tradition is thus. Grime [say they] a poore Fisherman [as he was launching into ye River for fish in his little boate upon Humber] espyed not far from him another little boate empty, [as he might conceave] which by ye favour of ye winde, & tyde still approached nearer, & nearer unto him. He betakes him to his oares & meetes itt, wherein he founde onely a Childe wrapt in swathing clothes, purposely exposed [as it should seeme] to ye pittylesse [rage] of ye wilde, & wide Ocean. He moved with pitty, takes itt home, & like a good foster-father carefully nourisht itt, & endeavoured to bring it up in his owne occupation: but ye childe contrarily was wholy devoted to exercises of activity, & when he began to write man to martiall sports, & at length by his signall valour obteyned such renowne, that he marryed ye King of Englands daughter, & last of all founde who was his true Father, & for ye comike close of all; that Haveloke [for such was his name] exceedingly advanced, and enriched his foster-father Grime, who thus enriched, builded a fayre Towne neare the place, where Havelocke was founde, & named it Grimsby. Thus say somme: others differ a little in ye circumstances, as namely that Grime, was not a Fisherman, but a Merchant, & that Havelocke should be preferred to ye King's kitchen, & there live a longe tyme as a scullion: but however ye circumstances differ, they all agree in ye consequences, as concerning ye Townes foundation, to which [sayth ye story] Havelocke ye Danish Prince afterward graunted many immunityres. This is ye famous Tradition concerning Grimsby, which learned Mr.Cambden gives so little credit to, that he thinkes it onely Illis dignissima, qui anilibus fabulis noctem solent protrudere. Yet under favour of so reverend an Antiquary, I do not thinke it deserves utterly to be exploded for false, & fabulous; my reasons are these.
First ye etemology of ye word [Grimsby] will carry a probability, ye termination [by] signifying in ye Danish tongue habitatio, a dwelling; so as I know noe reason, why Grimsby should not import ye dwelling of Grime, & receave this denomination from him, as well as Ormesby from Orme, & Ketelsby from Ketell, two Danish captaines under Canute in ye dayes of King Ethelred, which Captaine Henry Skipwith [a valiant gentleman, & judicious antiquary] affirmed unto me, & that he could prove itt, not onely out of ye Legend of Nun-Ormesby, but from other good & unquestionable records. Secondly, that there was such a Prince as Havelocke, take Robert of Gloucester for proofe, who speakes him ye sonne of Gunter, or Gurthrun, Gutron, or Gurmond, [for all those foure names I fynde given him] Kinge of Denmarke.

" Than Gunter, that fader was of Havelocke
King of Denmarke, was than of myckle myght
Arevyd so in Ingylond with his floke, &c. "

Thirdly, that Havelocke did sometymes reside in Grimsby, may be gathered from a great blew boundry-stone lying at ye east ende of Briggowgate, which retaines ye name of Havelocks - Stone to this day. Agayne ye great priviledges, & immunites, that this towne hath in Denmarke above any other in England [as freedome from toll, & the rest] may fairely induce a beliefe, that some preceding favour, or good turne called on this remuneration. But lastly [which proof I take to be instar omnium] the common seale of ye towne, & that a most auncient one [for ye circumscription is thus in old Saxon letters ……..The antiquity of which seale cannot be far remote from ye Saxon tymes, it being their seal before they were incorporate] takes away all objection, and gives us, as it were an epitome of ye whole story……

It is important here to note a number of important points before going any further. Firstly, we can be fairly certain from Holles' account that by this time there had developed quite a diversity of confusing local oral traditions that left even Holles bemused. Secondly, it appears that Holles was not aware of the existence of the 12th and 13th century Norman French early mediaeval manuscripts and metrical lays. Thirdly, it appears that he certainly was not aware that 'Havelock's Stone' was the boundary stone by Wellowgate that was the one made of pink granite. Although Holles went on to finish with his own theory that Grim had really been a Norwegian pirate named Grimus slain in battle by a Danish Prince Haldanus, with Haldanus and Havelocus being similar and likely enough that the Lincolnshire maritime town was built by a Norwegian pirate to his mind, the fact is, Holles did not really know. However, this brings us finally to the last point here: Gervase Holles did know that the Grimsby Seal was a vitally important piece of material evidence to show that there was more to the legend and romance than meets the eye, and that the seal itself maybe does indeed give us an epitome of the whole story.

Holles informs us in his Grimsby Magna, that the haven and town had seen better and more accommodating times in the past with more shipping, wealth, and population. There had been continuous problems throughout the mediaeval period and beyond, but the three major ones had been caused by the plague, silting of the haven, and a competitive threat for a while from a town that grew by Spurn Point at the mouth of the Humber called Ravenserod. The burgesses of Grimsby had complained to the king in the 13th century about mud and sand silting problems of the haven causing difficulty in accommodating ships. The burgesses had reason later to complain about de-population towards the end of the 15th century in their petition for fee-farm relief claiming that the town had become 'decayed and wasted.' In 1553, Sir Francis Ayscoughe wrote to Sir William Cecil saying the town was 'in great ruin and decay and nothing as populous as it hath been.' The major reason why St Mary's had eventually been recommended for demolition had been related to the fact that St James church could by that time easily accommodate the population from both parishes. Earlier in 1538, John Freeman had written to Thomas Cromwell saying that: 'the whole town beg to have half the parish church as a storehouse for cables and anchors.' These background problems give us an indication of how a developing, once populous, wealthy, and thriving community can be laid somewhat to waste by the time Gervase Holles arrived upon the scene, and may serve to provide more fully a review of Grimsby. In time, the Humber itself slowly took away the transient threat from the town of Ravenserod as well as much of the land, formerly of Spurn Point.

Eventually, the Grimsby Seal re-appeared on the scene in a way along with champions for dealing with the centuries old problem of the mud and silting of Grimsby's haven and shipping trade. In 1796, Grimsby's Haven Company newly appeared and took matters in hand. They adopted and re-adapted the ancient Grimsby legendary seal corporately themselves, bereft of the Hand of Providence. However, there was still a hidden vestige of Sacred Geometry incorporated and involved in outlining the new seal design. Two exceptionally beautiful and skilfully engraved brass company seal matrixes were created, one of which is still retained in the Grimsby Archives; the other is now in private hands of a local retired Grimsby businessman. It is somewhat thanks to the Grimsby Haven Company that there was a timely change in the fortunes of the town and the foundation of renewed prosperity to help take it through well into the 19th century. They had ensured that the provision of a new dock and lock entrance would make it possible by 1800 for accommodation of at least forty ships.

Almost in uncanny response to the renewal of the Grimsby Haven and shipping trade, which had always been vital to the port of Grimsby, in the 1820's, a series of unusual events began to occur. A Mediaeval 3001 lined surviving remnant English version of the metrical Lay of Havelock the Dane, subsequently dated to 1280-1300 AD, was finally re-discovered. It re-appeared in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, amid great excitement due to the fact that it had been thought that all English versions had been lost. Meanwhile, in Grimsby, another discovery around about this same time was made. The Grimsby Seal disappeared, presumed to be lost or stolen!

TO BE CONTINUED