“Grant me grace”: The Richard Caister Project 2020
A hidden story in the City of Stories
2020 was the 6th centenary of the death of Richard Caister who was the vicar of St Stephen’s Church from 1402-1420. Richard Caister, a contemporary of Julian of Norwich, was a priest and a poet renowned for his devotion to God and his parishioners. He wrote and preached in English, insisting on the immediacy of God’s grace in the turbulence of pre-Reformation Norwich. He was confessor to Margery Kempe whom he defended from charges of heresy before the formidable Henry le Despenser, the ‘fighting bishop’.
After his death, his resting place at the chancel of St Stephen’s Church became a shrine for pilgrims from around England. His legacy was fought over during the time of the Reformation.
He leaves behind him important artefacts from which we can begin to build a picture of who he was and tell his story.
The Richard Caister Project is a celebration and an exploration into this remarkable man and the late-medieval Norwich in which he lived.
Follow the links below to read more about the Richard Caister Project.