The Lion and the Unicorn fighting for the Crown

This was originally the house of the Abbot of St Mary’s Abbey. After the Abbey was closed down by Henry VIII it housed the Council of the North, which among other things was charged with weeding out Catholics and secret “popish” priests. In 1541 Henry himself stayed here, this inspired its new name, The King’s Manor. James VI Scotland visited on his way South to become James I England in 1603. You can see his initials by the front door, at the foot of each column. James I was Protestant but his wife was Catholic. His coronation brought hope of improved tolerance towards Catholics. His visit here only added insult to injury when those hopes were dashed! The shield above the entrance is a symbol of unity but what followed was almost 90 years of intermittent war underpinned by the Catholic v Protestant struggle. That struggle was remembered in folk memory by the rhyme “the lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn all about the town”!