A new sculpture will be unveiled of a town's most celebrated daughter at a special service to commemorate the 650th anniversary of her birth.

Margery Kempe (1373 - 1438) was an early 15th century Christian mystic, pilgrim, writer and congregation member at Lynn Minster.

At a service at the minster on Saturday, February 4, a new statue of her - created by the artist Rosemary Goodenough - will be unveiled by General the Lord Dannatt.

The Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich will be the preacher at the service.

Margery Kempe was a larger-than-life character and at times courted controversy.

She was tried for heresy multiple times but never convicted, after being arrested for offences such as preaching - which women were not allowed to do - or wearing white as a married woman, which was construed as impersonating a nun.

She wrote what is believed to be the first autobiography throughout much of her life, when she recorded her spiritual life, visions and pilgrimages to Spain and the Holy Land, as well as her day-to-day domestic tribulations.

She has become increasingly well-known after The Book of Margery Kempe was discovered in the library of a manor house in Derbyshire in the early 1930s.

She has since gained a large international reputation, especially in the academic field of medieval studies. 

In 2020 a sculpture of her was unveiled in the town of Oroso in northern Spain, in tribute to her accomplishments as a pilgrim.

Revd Canon Mark Dimond said: “I hope this new sculpture will provide a focal point for Margery Kempe in her home town.

"With some 1,200 visitors passing through the minster each week in the summer months, the sculpture will add to the visitor experience as well as provide an interesting stop-off for pilgrims.”