Part 1 (1/2)
A Concise History and Directory of the City of Norwich for 1811.
by C. Berry.
THE _Editor's Address to the Public_.
Nine years have expired since the publication of the last NORWICH DIRECTORY (which was out of print almost as soon as in); during which period, alterations have been constantly taking place in the residence of the inhabitants, independent of those which have been entirely removed by death or otherwise. It will be found of those which were inserted in the former, and are still to be found in this, not half of them remain in the same residence.-He was not aware of the difficulty of obtaining the address of so large a population, or he would have been deterred from the undertaking: he has used his utmost endeavors to render it as correct as possible, and hopes he has made no very flagrant errors or omissions.-The DIRECTORY contains several hundred names more than that before noticed-the historical part is entirely written and compiled for the present purpose-many charitable and public inst.i.tutions are noticed which cannot be found elsewhere-and the lists are much augmented, and corrected to the present time.-The alphabetical order of the DIRECTORY, is corrected to the first vowel.
He cannot let this opportunity escape, without returning his thanks to several gentlemen who have rendered him information he could not otherwise have obtained.-He writes not for fame, but throws himself on an indulgent public; and should his feeble efforts prove in any degree useful, or meet the approbation of his fellow-citizens, his end is gained.
_NORWICH_, _October_ 19, 1810.
A CONCISE _HISTORY OF NORWICH_.
In attempting a brief History of Norwich, it shall be endeavoured, so far as the limits of the design will admit, to consider its situation and extent, foundation and present state, former and present population, memorable events, antiquities, eminent or learned inhabitants, trade, manufactures, &c.
Norwich is situate in 1. 25. E. of London, and in 52. 40. N. lat.i.tude; it lies considerably eastward of the centre of the county of Norfolk, of which it is the capital, and indeed it may be considered as the princ.i.p.al city in the eastern district of the kingdom. It occupies the top and sides of a gentle hill, which runs parallel with the river Wensum on its western side; the river suddenly takes an almost western course, and runs through nearly the centre of the city. It is distinguished in the annals of Great Britain for its manufactures, the memorable events that have occurred, its antiquities, and for various other objects which shall be briefly touched upon.
Norwich, in its present state, is said to occupy more ground, comparatively with its population, than any city in the kingdom, being much interspersed with gardens, and it is frequently stiled, a city in an orchard; its shape is irregular, and may not unaptly be compared to a shoulder of mutton-it is full one mile and a half in length, and a mile and quarter broad. It contains thirty four churches and a number of chapels and meeting houses, besides the cathedral; it has five bridges over the river; it was formerly nearly surrounded with a wall, planted with forty two towers and had twelve gates, the former is dilapidated the latter, within a few years have been taken down.
The original foundation of Norwich is not easily asertained; however, it is certain, that the Romans, presently after their establishment in Britain, either erected fortresses near the British towns, or invited the natives to a.s.semble round the Roman military stations; and most of our cities and chief towns occupy the site of such stations, or are in their immediate vicinity, which makes it probable, that Norwich orginated in the decay of (_Venta Icenorum_) Castor, and which the following old distich commemorates.
”Castor was a city when Norwich was none, ”And Norwich was built of Castor stone.
Camden says, he had no where met with the name of Norwich previous to the Danish invasion; on the origin of the name, various opinions have been formed; however, there is very little doubt that it received its name from the Saxons, their word _Northwic_, signifying a northern station, castle, or town, and the word occurs on the Saxon coins of various reigns. Blomfield mentions several of these-one in the time of Alfred the Great, about the year 872; another in the early part of the reign of Athelstan about the year 925, and several others; besides three coins minted here of Ethelred, called the _Unready_, of which it seems, some are yet extant; and from which it appears, that Norwich was a place of note before the Danes were in possession of Britain.
The Saxons immediately took advantage of the Romans leaving Britain, to pour in their own troops, under pretence of protecting the natives; but they soon threw off the mask, and erecting fortresses to defend what they had seized, they shortly became possessed of the whole Island. At this period 'tis probable the former Castle of Norwich was first founded.
Vulgar chronology makes it as old as Julius Caesar; but its gothic structure belied such conjecture-the elevated spot on which this castle stood, commanding a prospect over a large s.p.a.ce of country, pointed it out as a proper place to fix an advanced post.
Uffa is considered the first Saxon monarch over this part of the kingdom, in the year 575; but it appears, notwithstanding, from undoubted authority, that Grecca, the father of Uffa, was the first sovereign of East Anglia.
The monarchy, therefore, was probably established between the years 530 and 540, and the castle erected about the same period. In the year 642 it is said to have been a fortified royal seat of Anna, the seventh king of the East Anglian line.
From this time till the reign of Alfred, we find little or no mention of the Castle: but during the incursions of the Danes, it was frequently possessed by them and the Saxons alternately; and it appears, that king Alfred in his time, finding the walls and ramparts of Norwich Castle insufficient to repel the attack of the Danes, caused others to be erected with the most durable materials.
Norwich Castle was evidently a military station in Alfred's time, as appears also by the coin struck here, about the year 872, before noticed; but in the reign of Etheldred the II. it is described to have been utterly destroyed by an army under Sweyne, king of Denmark, about the year 1004. In 1010 the Danes again settled in and fortified Norwich, and the Castle appears to have been rebuilt by Canute, about the year 1018; to have been first used as a prison in the early part of the 14th century, and from this period, its history merges into that of the city.
Mr. Wilkins says, Norwich castle is the best exterior of this kind of architecture extant. The area of the ancient castle, including its outer works, contained about 23 acres, the whole of which was surrounded by a wall; the princ.i.p.al entrance was by Bar, now Ber-street, through Golden-Ball-lane, by the Barbican Gate, which was flanked by two towers, and connected with the external vallum, by a wall; the extent of the outermost ditch reached on the west part to the edge of the present Market Pace, on the north to London-lane, which it included; and on the east almost to King-street; the southern part reached to the Golden-Ball-lane, where the grand gate stood.
According to Mr. Wilkins, the entrance into the Barbican was at the south end of Golden-Ball-Lane, and not at the north, as Blomfield has it; over each foss in this direction was a bridge, but only one of them remains; this extends across the inner ditch, and according to Mr. Wilkins, is formed of ”the largest and most perfect arch of Saxon workmans.h.i.+p in the kingdom.” This bridge is nearly 150 feet in extent, and the Castle stands just across it on the south west part of the hill; the extent of the Castle from east to west, including a small tower through which was the princ.i.p.al entrance, is 110 feet 3 inches, and from north to south, 92 feet 10 inches; and the height to the top of the battlements, 69 feet 6 inches; the height of the bas.e.m.e.nt story is about 24 feet, which is faced with rough flint; the upper part is ornamented with small arches and decorated so as to appear something like Mosaic work; the small tower before-mentioned on the east side, was of a richer kind of architecture, called, BiG.o.d's Tower, which is now chiefly inclosed, defaced or pulled down, as in the year 1793 the county thought it necessary to erect a new goal, and it was resolved to attach it to the eastern side of the old Castle. Mr. Wilkins expresses himself justly indignant at the addition, which he calls an heterogeneous and discordant ma.s.s.-This venerable pile has been a castle of defence to British, Saxon, and Norman kings; it has been the boast and pride of the province for ages past, yet by this recent change it is bereaved of its ancient beauty; but, surely, whatever alterations were necessary, they might have preserved the same character and apparent date of architecture with the mutilated parts of this stately pile. The interior is also now an unroofed area, although formerly covered and divided by floors. The entrance to the top of the Castle is on the west side, at the south corner by a flight of 99 steps.
The Castle precinct contains upwards of six acres, and the summit of the hill is in circ.u.mference 360 yards, the whole of which is enclosed with iron palisadoes, as is also the ditch around it; which, within the last 20 years, have been occupied for gardens, many of which are tastefully laid out; and the summit of the hill on all sides commands a most delightful view of the city and surrounding country. The Castle with the hill and ditch surrounding it, may be considered a _chef d'uvre_, and the prospect therefrom superior to any thing of the kind in England.
A panoramic view of the city and surrounding country has been lately published by Messrs. Stevenson, Matchett, and Stevenson, taken from several stations on the hill.
The s.h.i.+rehouse which joins the Castle, has lately undergone complete internal repair, and considerable alteration whereby the courts are enlarged and rendered much more commodious than heretofore; and here all county business is transacted, and the summer a.s.sizes held.
The town of _Nor_-_wic_ probably soon succeeded the building of the Castle, and became occupied by the Anglo-Romans, from Castor, at which time it appears to have been chiefly inhabited by fishermen and merchants. According to ancient ma.n.u.scripts, a large arm of the sea flowed up to Norwich, till about the time of William the Conqueror.
There exists positive evidence of Norwich being a fis.h.i.+ng town in the reign of Canute, about the year 1020. In the time of Edward the Confessor, about the year 1050, it appears to have had 25 churches, and 1320 Burgesses; during the peaceable reign of Edward, and his successor, Harold, it continued to increase in wealth and population. In the year 1075, it experienced a serious decrease by siege; in about the year 1085, according to Doomsday book, a great number of houses were uninhabited, yet the churches were increased to 54, and the houses to 738, which, allowing six persons to each house, makes the population 4428. In the reign of William II. the bishop's see was removed from Thetford hither, which together with a great influx of Jews at that time, made a considerable increase to the population. In the reign of Henry I. the government of the city was separated from the castle jurisdiction and in the following reign licence was granted for Norwich to have coroners and bailiffs. In the time of Richard I. 1193, the inhabitants were called citizens.