page_title: Grimsby
section_title: Medieval period
hierarchical_section_title: Grimsby / History / Medieval period
caption_attribution_description: Photograph of the Parish Church of St. James, Grimsby
context_page_description: Grimsby, also Great Grimsby, is a large coastal English seaport and administrative centre in North East Lincolnshire, on the South Bank of the Humber Estuary, close to where it reaches the North Sea. It was the home port for the world's largest fishing fleet by the mid-20th century, but fishing fell sharply after the Cod Wars denied the United Kingdom access to Icelandic fishing grounds, and the European Union parcelled out fishing quotas in waters within a 200-nautical-mile limit of the UK coast to other European countries, in line with its Common Fisheries Policy. Grimsby has since suffered post-industrial decline, although food production has spread since the 1990s. The Grimsby–Cleethorpes conurbation acts as a cultural and economic centre for much of north and east Lincolnshire. Grimsby people are called Grimbarians; the term codhead is also used jokingly, often for Grimsby football supporters. Great Grimsby Day is 22 January.
context_section_description: During the 12th century, Grimsby developed into a fishing and trading port, at one point ranking twelfth in importance to the Crown in terms of tax revenue. The town was granted its charter by King John in 1201. The first mayor was installed in 1202.
  Grimsby is noted in the Orkneyinga Saga in this Dróttkvætt stanza by Kali Kolsson:
  Grimsby does not have town walls. It was too small and was protected by the marshy land around it. However, the town did have a ditch.
  In medieval times, Grimsby had two parish churches, St Mary's and St James. Only St James, now known as Grimsby Minster, remains. St James is associated with a folk tale of an Imp who played tricks in the church and was turned into stone by an angel (a similar story is told for Lincoln Cathedral; see Lincoln Imp).
  In the mid-14th century, the town benefited from the generosity of Edmund de Grimsby, a local man who became a senior Crown official and judge in Ireland.
  In the 15th century, The Haven began to silt up, preventing ships in the Humber from docking. As a result, Grimsby entered a long period of decline which lasted until the late 18th century. By 1801, the population of Grimsby numbered 1,524, around the same size that it had been in the Middle Ages.
caption: St James' Church, now Grimsby Minster, before its extension
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