The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Comprehensive History of Norwich, by A. D. Bayne This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: A Comprehensive History of Norwich Author: A. D. Bayne Release Date: January 2, 2014 [eBook #44568] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF NORWICH***
Transcribed from the 1869 Jarrold and Sons edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
INCLUDING
A SURVEY OF THE CITY:
AND ITS PUBLIC BUILDINGS;
CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL HISTORY:
INCLUDING
COMPLETE LISTS OF MAYORS AND SHERIFFS,
AND NOTICES OF EMINENT
CITIZENS;
POLITICAL HISTORY:
INCLUDING
COMPLETE ELECTION RETURNS AND LISTS OF MEMBERS
OF PARLIAMENT;
RELIGIOUS HISTORY:
INCLUDING
MEMOIRS OF BISHOPS AND DEANS—RISE AND
PROGRESS OF NONCONFORMITY;
COMMERCIAL HISTORY:
INCLUDING
THE SUBSTANCE OF PRIZE ESSAYS ON THE MANUFACTURES
AND TRADE OF NORWICH.
By A. D. BAYNE.
JARROLD AND SONS, 12, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON;
AND LONDON
AND EXCHANGE STREETS, NORWICH.
MDCCCLXIX.
Some account of the sources of information should be given in the preface to a history, in order to assure the reader of the authenticity of the narrative. No one can have turned over a bookseller’s catalogue of local historical publications without observing how few they are in comparison with the extent and importance of the particular district in view. The fact is, that most of the productions of the early authors are either very scarce or are entirely out of print. No city or county can boast of so many industrious topographers and antiquarians as Norwich and Norfolk. If we arrange them in alphabetical order, we have:—Ames, Beatniffe, Blomefield, P. Browne, Brettingham, Sir Thomas Browne, Chambers, Cory, Cotman, Dixon, Eldridge, Sir Richard Elles, Forby, Sir John Fenn, Sir Andrew Fountaine, R. Fitch, Gibson, Gillingwater, Hudson Gurney, Green, Gunn, Gurdon, Harrod, Ives, Kent, J. Kirkpatrick, Le Neve, Lawrence, Mackerell, Manship (both father and son), Marshall, Tom Martin, Matchett, Neville, Nashe, Parkin, p. viPrideaux, Quarles, Richards, Sir H. Spelman, Sir John Spelman, Clement Spelman, Swinden, Dawson Turner, Wilkins, Watts, Wilkinson, and the Woodwards (father and son). Most of these, however, were antiquarians, and contributed more to archæology and topography than to history.
Mr. J. Kirkpatrick, in the early part of the eighteenth century, was the first who formed the plan of a regular historical narrative. He spent the greater part of his life in making researches and collecting materials for a history of Norwich; and he wrote an immense quantity of matter in thick folio volumes, the whole of which he left in MS. to the old corporation. They comprised—
No. 1. A thick folio volume of the Early History and Jurisdiction of the City; date 1720.
No. 2. A similar folio volume, being an account of the Military State of the City, its walls, towers, ponds, pits, wells, pumps, &c.; date 1722.
No. 3. A thick quarto.
No. 4. Several large bundles, foolscap folio; Annals of Norwich.
No. 5. A fasciculus, foolscap folio; Origin of Charities, and Wills relating thereto, in each parish.
No. 6. Memorandum books of Monuments.
No. 7. Ditto of Merchants’ Marks.
No. 8. Ditto of Plans of Churches.
No. 9. Paper containing Drawings of the City Gates, and a plan of Norwich.
No. 10. Drawings of all the Churches.
p. viiNo. 11. An immense number of pieces of paper containing notes of the tenure of each house in Norwich.
No. 12. A MS. quarto volume of 258 pages; the first sixty devoted to notes upon the Castle at Norwich, the remainder to an account of Religious Orders and Houses, and the Hospitals of the City.
After the new corporation was constituted, all Kirkpatrick’s MSS. were dispersed into different hands. The late Hudson Gurney, Esq., obtained possession of some of them, and published a very limited number of copies of those relating to the castle and to religious houses. Mr. Dawson Turner edited the last-named MS. (No. 12), and it was printed in 1845. He says that all the other MSS. had disappeared, but that they were safe in the custody of the old corporation, thirty years before (1815), when Mr. De Hague held the office of town clerk.
Fortunately, Mr. Kirkpatrick was the contemporary of the Rev. F. Blomefield, the historian of Norfolk, who appreciated his researches, and bore this testimony to his merits:—
“Mr. Kirkpatrick was a most laborious antiquary and made great collections for the city of Norwich, of which he published a large prospectus. In pursuing his studies, he worked with Peter Le Neve, Norroy; and as they were very intimate, they mutually exchanged their collections for this place, Mr. Kirkpatrick giving all his draughts to Mr. Le Neve, and Mr. Le Neve giving his to Mr. Kirkpatrick. To the labours of both these gentlemen I am exceedingly obliged, and did I not acknowledge my obligations in this public manner, I should inwardly condemn myself as guilty of the highest ingratitude.”
p. viiiMr. Blomefield was, indeed, indebted to his deceased friend for the most valuable parts of his History of Norwich, published in 1742. It is the only part of his work which can be properly called history, the rest consisting of topographical descriptions of different hundreds and parishes in Norfolk. Mr. Blomefield began to print his “History of Norfolk” at his own press in his own house at Fersfield, in 1739, by subscription, and intended to publish a list of his subscribers when the whole was finished. During his life the History came out in monthly folio numbers; but he died when he had proceeded as far as page 678 of the third volume. This volume was completed by the Rev. Charles Parkin, rector of Oxburgh, Suffolk; and after his death was printed in 1769 by Whittingham, bookseller at Lynn, by whom the “Continuation” was published in two more volumes in 1777, these two volumes being very inferior to the previous three. Blomefield’s work is of course the chief source of information respecting Norwich, and it has been republished in many abridged forms, the best edition being that printed by J. Crouse for M. Booth, bookseller, in 1781, in ten vols., the last relating to Norwich. Many smaller abridgements have also been published, carrying on the narrative to a later date.
The most reliable authority for the whole of the eighteenth century is the “Norfolk Remembrancer,” compiled with great care by Mr. Matchett. R. Fitch, Esq., published a very full and accurate account of the Old Walls and Gates from J. Kirkpatrick’s MSS., illustrated with views by the late p. ixJohn Ninham. B. B. Woodward, Esq., F.S.A., librarian of the royal library at Windsor Castle, has also been a contributor to the history of the old city, but as yet we have only brief reports of his lectures “On Norwich in the Olden Time,” as published in the local journals. He directed attention to the purely fictitious accounts of the origin of the city to be found in the early historians, who drew in all good faith on their fertile imaginations. He gave a much more probable account, and described the progress of the city at different periods, as quoted in the following pages. Mr. Harrod, too, has contributed a good deal to more accurate views of early periods, especially in relation to the earth-works of the castle, and to the monasteries.
The chapters on the “Rise and Progress of Nonconformists in Norwich” in this history, are the first given in any work of the kind, and supply information which will readily account for the political condition of the city. From a few hundreds in the seventeenth century, the Nonconformists have so greatly increased that now they number many thousands, and have at the same time attained to considerable wealth and influence.
The chapters on Trade and Commerce supply a new feature in Norwich history, and are very important to men of business. The information on this head, including the history of the Manufactures and of the Wholesale Trade of the city, is for the most part taken from Essays, by the compiler, to which the prizes were awarded at the Norwich Industrial Exhibition of 1867.
p. xThe great length of the secular narrative must suffice as an apology for the brevity of the ecclesiastical details, which occupy the greater portion of Blomefield’s work. A full history of the churches in Norwich would fill many volumes; indeed, Kirkpatrick’s account of the Old Religious Houses occupies as many as 300 pages. But the general reader would not be interested by such details.
A full history of Norwich, up to the latest date, has long been wanted, and the present compiler has availed himself of all sources of information, but he has been obliged to compress a great deal into a small compass. He has introduced many notices of eminent citizens of every period, including bishops and ministers of all denominations, who exercised much influence in their day and generation.
Accurate views of local history afford the clearest insight into the state of society at different periods. Thus the records of Norwich Castle prove that nearly all the land in the country was either assigned to bear, or was chargeable with, the castle guard of some castle or other in ancient times. The castles being fortresses were the centres around which large towns arose, and where people most congregated for protection in lawless ages. The whole island was one vast camp during the feudal period. Monasteries were the only places of refuge for travellers, or for the destitute poor, and when the religious houses were dissolved, an entire change took place in the state of society.
Local history, properly understood, is not a dry register of events, but leads from particular conclusions to higher p. xigeneralisations. The predominance of certain ideas at different times produced all the events of those periods. Norwich men took an active part in all the great movements of the day,—in the Reformation, the Civil Wars, the Commonwealth, and all the agitations of more modern times. Therefore, the story of the city is interesting and important in every period, and it is identified with the whole course of events in East Anglia. Indeed, it is difficult to separate the history of Norwich, the capital of East Anglia, from that of the whole district.
PART I. |
|
PAGES |
|
Survey of Norwich. Rise and Progress of the City—The Modern City—Public Buildings—Parishes and Parish Churches—Nonconformist Chapels. |
9–115 |
PART II. Chapter I. |
|
The Ancient City—Old Walls and Gates—Desecrated Churches and Chapels—Monastic Institutions—Monumental Brasses |
116–145 |
Chapter II. |
|
The Aborigines |
146–151 |
Chapter III. |
|
Norwich in the Roman Period—The Venta Icenorum |
152–157 |
Chapter IV. |
|
Norwich in the Anglo-Saxon Period |
151–161 |
Chapter V. |
|
Norwich under the Danes |
162–164 |
Chapter VI. |
|
Norwich in the Norman Period |
165–168 |
Norwich in the Twelfth Century |
169–172 |
Chapter VIII. |
|
Norwich in the Thirteenth Century |
173–176 |
Chapter IX. |
|
Norwich in the Fourteenth Century |
177–182 |
Chapter X. |
|
Norwich in the Fifteenth Century |
183–187 |
Chapter XI. |
|
Norwich in the Sixteenth Century—Bilney’s Martydom—Dissolution of the Monasteries—Kett’s Rebellion—Queen Mary—Queen Elizabeth—Eminent Citizens of the Period |
188–211 |
Chapter XII. |
|
Norwich in the Seventeenth Century—The Civil Wars—Eminent Citizens |
212–240 |
Chapter XIII. |
|
Nonconformity in Norwich—The Independents—The Baptists—The Methodists |
241–257 |
Chapter XIV. |
|
Social State of Norwich from Fourteenth to Eighteenth Centuries—Trade Regulations, &c. |
258–267 |
Chapter XV. |
|
Norwich in the Eighteenth Century—Social State—Nonconformity—Eminent Citizens—Norwich in the Nineteenth Century |
268–356 |
History of the Norwich Navigation |
357–365 |
Chapter XVII. |
|
Leading Events of the Nineteenth Century |
366–378 |
Chapter XVIII. |
|
The Reform Era—Commission of Enquiry respecting the Old Corporation—The Election of Stormont and Scarlett |
379–404 |
Chapter XIX. |
|
The Reign of Queen Victoria—Leading Events |
405–415 |
Chapter XX. |
|
The Murder of Isaac Jermy, Recorder of Norwich |
416–428 |
Chapter XXI. |
|
The Census of 1861—New Poor Law Act—Visit of Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Queen of Denmark—The New Drainage Scheme |
429–454 |
Chapter XXII. |
|
History of the Triennial Musical Festivals |
455–474 |
Chapter XXIII. |
|
Eminent Citizens of the Nineteenth Century |
475–540 |
Chapter XXIV. |
|
Norwich Artists in the Nineteenth Century |
541–551 |
PART III. Chapter I. |
|
Rise and Progress of the Manufacture of Textile Fabrics, and Present State of the Trade |
552–594 |
Trade and Commerce of the City—Banks and Banking—Wholesale Producers and Dealers—Cattle and Corn Trade—Traffic by Rail and Water, &c. |
595–633 |
PART IV. Chapter I. |
|
Political History—Elections for the City—List of Members of Parliament |
634–683 |
Chapter II. |
|
Political History continued—Lists of Mayors, Sheriffs, Stewards, and Recorders |
684–705 |
Chapter III. |
|
Ecclesiastical History—Origin of the See—Lists of Bishops, Deans, and Clergy—Dignitaries of the Diocese—Nonconformist Ministers |
706–721 |
Chapter IV. |
|
Religious, Educational, and Benevolent |
722–735 |
Appendix. |
|
City Authorities and Officials, &c. |
736–738 |
|
PAGE |
Aborigines of the District |
|
Act obtained for Paving and Lighting |
|
Agricultural Implement Makers |
|
Agricultural Society’s (Royal) Visit |
|
Agriculture, Chamber of |
|
Alexander Rev. John |
|
Alfred Prince, in Norwich |
|
Alfred the Great, Reign of |
|
Allen Thomas, M.A. |
|
Anchorages or Hermitages |
|
Ancient City, The |
|
Anderson William, Notice of |
|
Andrew’s, St. Hall—see St. Andrew’s Hall |
|
Angles, Arrival of |
|
Anglo-Saxon Coins |
|
Anglo-Saxon Dynasty, Restoration of |
|
Anglo-Saxon Period, Norwich in the |
|
Archæological Society, (British) Visit of |
|
Artists of Norwich |
|
Art, School of (in Free Library) |
|
Assize Courts, City and County |
|
Assizes removed to Norwich |
|
Asylum, New Lunatic, contemplated |
|
Austin Friars |
|
|
|
Bank, the Crown |
|
Banks and Banking |
|
Baptist Chapels |
|
Baptists in Norwich, History of the |
|
Barbauld, Anna Letitia |
|
Barlow, Peter |
|
Barracks, Cavalry |
|
Bathurst Bishop |
|
Bathurst Bishop, Memoir of |
|
Bathurst Bishop, Professor Taylor’s account of |
|
Beechey, Sir William |
|
Benedictine Priory |
|
Bethel Built |
|
Bignold, Sir Samuel |
|
Bigod, Hugh |
|
Bigod, Roger |
|
Bigod, William |
|
Bilney, the Martyr |
|
Bishop Bathurst, monument of |
|
,, ,, mentioned in Monthly Magazine |
|
,, ,, elected |
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,, ,, Professor Taylor’s account of |
|
,, ,, Memoir of |
|
,, Goldwell, tomb of |
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,, Hall, driven out |
|
,, ,, Memoir of |
|
,, Hall’s palace |
|
,, Herbert de Losinga (first bishop) |
|
,, ,, Norman statue of |
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,, Hinds, memoir of |
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,, Horne, monument of |
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,, Nykke, tomb of |
|
,, Parkhurst, tomb of |
|
,, Pelham, notice of |
|
,, Stanley, memoir of |
|
,, Wren and the “Book of Sports” |
|
Bishop’s Palace, History and description of |
|
Bishops of Norwich, list of |
|
Black Friars |
|
Blomefield, the Norfolk Historian |
|
Blind, Hospital for the |
|
Blythe, Hancock |
|
Board of Health |
|
Boleyn, Sir William, tomb of |
|
Bombazines, manufacture of introduced |
|
Book of Sports |
|
Boot and Shoe Trade, Wholesale |
|
Bourn, Samuel |
|
Bracondale Lodge (Miss Martineau) |
|
Brand, John, B.A. |
|
Brasses, Monumental |
|
Bread Riots |
|
Brethren of the Sac Friars |
|
Brewers’ Mark, &c., Mr. R. Fitch on |
|
Brewers, Wholesale |
|
Bridge, Carrow, first stone laid |
|
,, Duke’s Palace, erected |
|
,, Foundry, first stone laid |
|
Bridge W., M.A. |
|
British Archæological Society, Visit of |
|
,, Association for the Advancement of Science, Visit of |
|
Brown, Rev. Robert |
|
Browne, Sir Thomas, memoir of |
|
Brush and Paper Bag Makers |
|
Burial Ground—the Rosary |
|
Bury and Schneider unseated |
|
Buxton, Thomas Fowell |
|
|
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Caer Gwent or Guntum, Norwich called so by the Iceni |
|
Caister, a village on the bank of the Taas |
|
Caister and Norwich, Traditional Couplet |
|
Caister Camp |
|
Canons Honorary |
|
Canute assigned custody of Norwich Castle to Earl Turkel |
|
Cardinal Wolsey visited Norwich |
|
Carmelite Friars |
|
Caroline, Queen, Address to |
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Carriage Manufacturers |
|
Carrow Abbey |
|
Carrow Bridge, first stone laid |
|
Carrow Works (Messrs. J. and J. Colman’s) |
|
Carrying Trade |
|
Carter, Rev. John, memoir of |
|
Castle built |
|
,, burnt by Danes |
|
,, description and history of |
|
,, fortifications of |
|
,, ,, Mr. Woodward’s opinions |
|
,, ,, Kirkpatrick’s opinions |
|
,, ,, Mr. Harrod’s opinions |
|
,, made the public prison |
|
,, Corporation, the |
|
,, Hill, View from |
|
Cathedral, additions and repairs by Eborard, John de Oxford, Walter de Suffield, Ralph de Walpole, &c. |
|
,, Brasses destroyed during Commonwealth |
|
,, Chartists attended at |
|
,, Cloisters, description of |
|
,, Close, Upper and Lower |
|
,, Dignitaries of the |
|
,, Dimensions of |
|
,, Edward I. and Eleanor at |
|
,, Exterior, description of |
|
,, Gateways |
|
,, Injuries by fires, wind, and lightning |
|
,, Injuries by Reformers |
|
,, Interior description of |
|
,, Monument of Bishop Bathurst |
|
,, ,, Bishop Home |
|
,, Original Structure |
|
,, Prideaux, Dr., Inscription in Memory of |
|
,, Queen Elizabeth dined in Cloisters |
|
,, Tomb of Bishop Goldwell |
|
,, ,, ,, Herbert de Losinga |
|
,, ,, ,, Nykke |
|
,, ,, ,, Parkhurst |
|
,, ,, Miles Spencer |
|
,, Yarmouth people ask for stones for a workhouse |
|
Catherine, Queen, visited Norwich |
|
Catholic Apostolic Chapel |
|
Cattle and Corn Trade |
|
Cattle Food and Manure Trades |
|
Cattle Market, cost of improvements, &c. |
|
Cavalry Barracks |
|
Cemetery, Public (opened 1856) |
|
,, The Rosary |
|
Census of 1861 |
|
Chamber of Agriculture |
|
Chantrey’s, Sir Francis last work |
|
Chapel Field |
|
Chapels, Nonconformists’ |
|
,, ,, Ber Street (Wesleyans) |
|
,, ,, Calvert Street (Methodist Free Church) |
|
,, ,, Catherine’s Plain (Primitive Methodists) |
|
,, ,, Chapel-in-the-Field (Independents) |
|
,, ,, Cherry Lane (Baptists) |
|
,, ,, Clement Court (Catholic Apostolic—Irvingites) |
|
,, ,, Crook’s Place (Methodist Free Church) |
|
,, ,, Cowgate Street (Primitive Methodist) |
|
,, ,, Dereham Road (Primitive Methodist) |
|
,, ,, Dutch Church (Free Christian Church) |
|
,, ,, Ebenezer (Baptists) |
|
,, ,, French Church (Swedenborgians) |
|
,, ,, Gildencroft (Baptists) |
|
,, ,, Jireh—Dereham Road (Baptists) |
|
,, ,, Lady Lane (Wesleyans) |
|
,, ,, Octagon (Unitarians) |
|
,, ,, Old Meeting (Independents) |
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,, ,, Orford Hill (Baptists) |
|
,, ,, Pottergate Street (Baptists) |
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,, ,, Princes Street (Independents) |
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,, ,, Priory Yard (Baptists) |
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,, ,, Queen Street (Swedenborgians) |
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,, ,, St. Clement’s (Baptists) |
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,, ,, St. Faith’s Lane (Jews) |
|
,, ,, St. John’s Maddermarket (Roman Cath.) |
|
,, ,, St. Peter’s Hall (Presbyterians) |
|
,, ,, Tabernacle (Lady Huntingdon’s) |
|
,, ,, Upper Goat Lane (Friends) |
|
,, ,, Willow Lane (Roman Catholics) |
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Chapels, Desecrated |
|
Charing (Sherers’) Cross removed |
|
Charitable Institutions |
|
,, ,, Bethel |
|
,, ,, Blind Hospital |
|
,, ,, Doughty’s Hospital |
|
,, ,, Great Hospital (called also Old Men’s, St. Giles’, or St. Helen’s) |
|
,, ,, Jenny Lind Infirmary |
|
,, ,, Lying-in Charity |
|
,, ,, Norfolk and Norwich Hospital |
|
,, ,, Norwich Magdalen |
|
,, ,, Orphans’ Home |
|
,, ,, Public Dispensary |
|
Charles II. and Queen visited Norwich |
|
Chartist Movements |
|
Christ Church, New Catton |
|
Church Congress in Norwich |
|
Church of England Young Men’s Society |
|
Churches, All Saints |
|
,, Christ Church (New Catton) |
|
,, desecrated |
127–133 |
,, despoiled by Reformers |
|
,, Holy Trinity (Heigham) |
|
,, list of |
|
,, number of, in olden times |
|
,, St. Andrew |
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,, St. Andrew (Eaton) |
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,, St. Augustine |
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,, St. Bartholomew (Heigham) |
|
,, St. Benedict |
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,, St. Clement |
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,, St. Edmund |
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,, St. Etheldred |
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,, St. George Colegate |
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,, St. George Tombland |
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,, St. Giles |
|
,, St. Gregory |
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,, St. Helen |
|
,, St. James |
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,, St. John Maddermarket |
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,, St. John Timberhill |
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,, St. John Sepulchre |
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,, St. Lawrence |
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,, St. Margaret |
|
,, St. Martin at Oak |
|
,, St. Martin at Palace |
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,, St. Mark (Lakenham) |
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,, St. Mary at Coslany |
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,, St. Matthew (Thorpe) |
|
,, St. Michael Coslany |
|
,, St. Michael at Plea |
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,, St. Michael at Thorn |
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,, St. Paul |
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,, St. Peter Hungate |
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,, St. Peter of Mancroft |
|
,, St. Peter per Mountergate |
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,, St. Peter Southgate |
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,, St. Philip (Heigham) |
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,, St. Saviour |
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,, St. Simon and Jude |
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,, St. Stephen |
|
,, St. Swithin |
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,, Trinity, Holy (Heigham) |
|
Cigar and Tobacco Trade |
|
City and County of Norwich |
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City Jail |
|
City Library |
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City Officials, list of |
|
City separated from County of Norfolk |
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Civic Feasts |
|
Civil Wars, the |
|
Clabburn Thomas, monument of |
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Clarke, Dr. Adam, in Norwich |
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Clarke, Dr. Samuel, memoir of |
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Clergy, ignorance of, in fifteenth century |
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Clergy of City and Hamlets, list of |
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Close, Cathedral, Upper and Lower |
|
Clothiers, Wholesale |
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Clover Joseph, artist |
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Coaches, Mail, to London |
|
Coal Trade |
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Coins, Anglo-Saxon |
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Coins of Iceni |
|
Collinges Dr. |
|
Commercial History |
|
Commercial School |
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Compounding for Poor-rates abolished |
|
Cooper Henry |
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Corn Exchange (old) opened |
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,, description of |
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p. xxiiiCorn Exchange, portraits in (Earl Leicester & Jno. Culley, Esq.) |
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Corn, high price of |
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Corn Trade |
|
Corporation, Municipal |
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,, ,, First Mayor of New |
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,, ,, History of the |
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,, ,, Last Mayor of Old |
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,, ,, Members of, for 1869 |
|
,, ,, Present state of the |
|
,, ,, Presents to the, by Lord Howard, 223; Sir Robt. Walpole, 275; Sir Armine Wodehouse |
|
Corporation, Old, Commission of Inquiry |
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,, Evidence of Athow, John |
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,, ,, Bacon, R. M. |
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,, ,, Barnard, A. |
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,, ,, Bignold, S. (mayor) |
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,, ,, Bolingbroke, Alderman |
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,, ,, Francis, John |
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,, ,, Gurney, J. J. |
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,, ,, Newton, Alderman |
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,, ,, Palmer, George |
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,, ,, Robberds, J. W. |
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,, ,, Simpson, W. |
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,, ,, Stan, John Rising |
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,, ,, Wilde, William |
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,, ,, Willett, H. |
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,, ,, Wright Mr. |
|
Cosin, Dr. John, memoir of |
|
Costume of various periods |
|
Cotman, J. S., artist |
|
Council Chamber |
|
County Jail (the Castle) |
|
Crape Manufacture |
|
Crome, John, artist (“Old Crome”) Memorial of |
|
Crome, Miss, artist |
|
Crome, J. B., artist |
|
Cromwell and the Commonwealth |
|
Cromwell, John |
|
Crosse, John Greene, memoir of |
|
Crotch, Dr. William |
|
Crown Bank (Harveys and Hudson) |
|
Crucifixion of a boy by Jews, alleged |
|
|
|
Dalrymple, William, memoir of |
|
Danes, Incursions of |
|
Danes settled in Norwich |
|
Dean and Chapter |
|
Dean and Chapter’s Library |
|
Deave, Reuben |
|
Denmark, Queen of, visit to Norwich |
|
De Dominâ Friars |
|
De Pica or Pied Friars |
|
De Sacco Friars |
|
Desecrated Chapels |
|
Desecrated Churches |
127–133 |
Dignitaries of the Diocese |
|
Diocese, Dignitaries of |
|
Disfranchisement of Freemen |
|
Dispensary, Public |
|
Dissolution of the Monasteries |
|
Dixon, W. R., artist |
|
Domesday Book |
|
Dominican Friars |
|
Doughty’s Hospital |
|
Drainage, the New Scheme for |
|
Drapers, Wholesale |
|
Dress at different periods |
|
Drill Hall |
|
Duchess of Norfolk (died 1593), monument of |
|
Duke of Sussex visited Norwich |
|
Duke of Wellington, Statue of |
|
Duke’s Palace Bridge erected |
|
Dungeon Tower |
|
Dutch and Flemings, arrival of |
|
Dutch Church (Free Christian Church) |
|
|
|
Earlham Hall |
|
Earlham, Hamlet of |
|
Earthquakes felt in Norwich |
|
Eaton, Hamlet of |
|
Ecclesiastical History |
|
Edinburgh, Duke of, in Norwich |
|
Education in Norwich |
|
Edward I. and Eleanor at Cathedral |
|
Edward III. and Philippa visit Norwich |
|
Edward VI. Commercial School |
|
,, Grammar School |
|
Eighteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Eldon Club |
|
Election, First under the Reform Act of 1867 |
|
Election of Stormont and Scarlett (see Stormont and Scarlett) |
|
Elections since Reform Act of 1832 |
|
Elizabeth Fry |
|
Elizabeth, Queen, visits of, to Norwich |
|
Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of Edward IV., visits Norwich |
|
|
|
,, ,, Alexander, Rev. John |
|
,, ,, Anderson, William |
|
,, ,, Barbauld, Anna Letitia |
|
,, ,, Barlow, Peter |
|
,, ,, Bathurst, Bishop |
|
,, ,, Beechey, Sir William |
|
,, ,, Blomefield, Rev. F. |
|
,, ,, Blythe, Hancock |
|
,, ,, Brand, John, B.A. |
|
,, ,, Browne, Sir Thomas |
|
,, ,, Carter, Rev. John |
|
,, ,, Clarke, Dr. Samuel |
|
,, ,, Cooper, Henry |
|
,, ,, Cosin, Dr. John |
|
,, ,, Crosse, John Greene |
|
,, ,, Crotch, Dr. William |
|
,, ,, Dalrymple, William |
|
,, ,, Deave, Reuben |
|
,, ,, Enfield, Dr. |
|
,, ,, Fenn, Sir John |
|
,, ,, Fry, Elizabeth |
|
,, ,, Goslin, John |
|
,, ,, Gurney, John |
|
,, ,, Gurney, Joseph John |
|
,, ,, Hall, Bishop |
|
,, ,, Hall, Thomas |
|
,, ,, Hinds, Bishop |
|
,, ,, Hobart, John |
|
,, ,, Hooke, James |
|
,, ,, Hooker, Dr. |
|
,, ,, Kaye, John |
|
,, ,, Kinnebrook, David |
|
,, ,, Kirkpatrick, John |
|
,, ,, Legge, Dr. |
|
,, ,, Lens, John |
|
,, ,, Lubbock, Dr. |
|
,, ,, Mountain, Right Rev. J. |
|
,, ,, Opie, Mrs. |
|
,, ,, Parker, Archbishop |
|
,, ,, Parr, Dr. Samuel |
|
,, ,, Pearson, Dr. John |
|
,, ,, Rigby, Dr. |
|
,, ,, Robert, Viscount of Yarmouth |
|
,, ,, Saint, William |
|
,, ,, Sanby, George, D.D. |
|
,, ,, Say, William |
|
,, ,, Sayers, Frank, M.D. |
|
,, ,, Smith, Sir J. E., M.D. |
|
,, ,, Stevenson, William |
|
,, ,, Taylor, John, D.D. |
|
,, ,, Taylor, Professor Edward |
|
,, ,, Taylor, William |
|
,, ,, Thurlow, Edward, Baron |
|
,, ,, Wilkins, William |
|
,, ,, Wilkins, William, sen. |
|
,, ,, Wilks, Rev. Mark |
|
,, ,, Windham, William |
|
,, ,, Wrench, Sir Benjamin |
|
Enfield, Dr. |
|
Erpingham Gate |
|
Erpingham, Sir Thomas |
|
Ethelbert Gate |
|
Exhibitions, Great, (1851 & 1862) Norwich Contributors to |
|
Exhibition, Norwich Industrial |
|
Extent of Modern City |
|
|
|
Fastolf Sir John, House of |
|
Fenn, Sir John |
|
Fifteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Fires, serious injuries by |
|
Fish Market |
|
Fitch, R., Esq., on the Old Walls and Gates |
|
Flag of France taken by Nelson |
|
Flemings, Arrival or |
|
Flemish Refugees banished |
|
Flint Implements of Iceni |
|
Flint Structure, curious specimen of |
|
Floods, violent, in Norwich |
|
Flour Mills |
|
Fortifications of the Old City |
|
Foundry Bridge, first stone laid |
|
Fourteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Fourteenth to eighteenth Centuries, social state |
|
Franciscan Friars |
|
Fransham John |
|
Free Christian Church |
|
Free Library |
|
Freemasons, Dean Prideaux, first master here |
|
Freemen, disfranchisement of |
|
French Church (Swedenborgian) |
|
French Revolution commemorated |
|
Friaries |
|
Friars, Carmelites or White |
|
Friars de Dominâ |
|
Friars de Pica or Pied Friars |
|
Friars Franciscan or Grey |
|
Friars of St. Mary |
|
Friars, Preachers (Black Friars) |
|
Friends’ Meeting House |
|
Fry, Elizabeth |
|
Fynch, Martin |
|
|
|
Gates and Walls, old |
|
Gateways of Cathedral |
|
Gedge, Mr. G., promoted National Rate |
|
Goslin John, Memoir of |
|
Grammar School |
|
,, Brooke, Sir James, educated at |
|
,, Lord Nelson |
|
,, Valpy Dr., once head master |
|
Grantham Thomas |
|
Great Exhibitions (1851 and 1862), Norwich Contributions to |
|
Great Hospital (see Charitable Institutions) |
|
Grey Friars |
|
Grocers, wholesale |
|
Guardians, Corporation of |
|
Guild Feasts |
|
Guild Hall, description of |
|
,, memorials of Nelson in |
|
,, Bilney the martyr confined there |
|
Guilds and Pageants |
|
Guild, the Tanners’ |
|
Gurney Family |
|
,, Hudson, on Venta Icenorum |
|
,, John |
|
,, Joseph John |
|
,, ,, buried in Gildencroft |
|
|
|
Hall, Bishop, memoir of |
|
Hall’s Bishop, Palace |
|
Hall, Guild (see Guildhall) |
|
Hall, St. Andrew’s (see St. Andrew’s Hall) |
|
Hall, Thomas |
|
Hallett, Rev. J., on History of Old Meeting House |
|
Hamlets—Earlham |
|
,, Eaton |
|
,, Heigham |
|
,, Hellesdon |
|
,, Lakenham |
|
,, Pockthorpe |
|
,, Thorpe |
|
,, Trowse, Carrow, and Bracondale |
|
Harrod on Fortifications of Castle |
|
Harvey, Charles |
|
Harvey, John |
|
Harvey, Robert |
|
Harvey, Sir R. J. H., Bart., |
|
Heigham, Hamlet of |
|
Hellesdon, Hamlet of |
|
Henry I. visited Norwich |
|
Henry VI. visited Norwich |
|
Henry VII. visited Norwich |
|
Herbert de Losinga (first bishop) |
|
,, tomb of |
|
Hermitages or Anchorages |
|
Hinds, Bishop, memoir of |
|
Hobart, John |
|
Hodgson, Charles, artist |
|
Hodgson, David, artist |
|
Holy Trinity, Church of the |
|
Hooke, James |
|
Hooker, Dr., notice of |
|
Horticultural Implement Makers |
|
Hospitals (see Charitable Institutions) |
|
Huntingdon’s, Lady, Connexion |
|
|
|
Iceni, the |
|
,, Coins of |
|
,, Flint Implements of |
|
,, Woodward on |
|
,, Sepulchral Urns |
|
Independent Chapels |
|
Independents, History of the |
|
Indigent Blind Hospital |
|
Indulgences to those buried in “Pardon Cloister” |
|
Industrial Exhibition |
|
Innes, Rev. J. B. |
|
Iron Trade |
|
Irvingites’ Chapel |
|
|
|
Jail, the City |
|
Jail, the County |
|
Jenny Lind Infirmary |
|
Jermy, Isaac, Recorder, Murder of |
|
Jews accused of crucifying a boy |
|
Jews, first settled in Norwich |
|
Jews, large influx of |
|
‘Jews’ Synagogue |
|
John’s (King) visit to Norwich |
|
John of Gaunt visited Norwich |
|
|
|
Kett’s Castle |
|
Kett’s Rebellion |
|
King (see Royal Visits) |
|
King Edward VI. Commercial School |
|
King Edward VI. Grammar School |
|
Kinghorn, Rev. J., Tributary Lines by Mrs. Opie |
|
Kinnebrook, David |
|
Kirkpatrick, John, memoir of |
|
Kirkpatrick—buried in St. Helen’s Church |
|
,, on fortifications of Castle |
|
|
|
Ladbrooke, Robert |
|
Lady Huntingdon Chapels |
|
Lakenham, Hamlet of |
|
Law of Settlement and Removal |
|
Legge, Dr., memoir of |
|
Lens, John, M.A. |
|
Library, City (at Free Library) |
|
,, Dean and Chapter’s |
|
,, Free Library |
|
,, Literary Institution |
|
,, Norwich Public |
|
Literary Institution, Norfolk and Norwich |
|
Lollards’ Pit (see also Martyrs) |
|
Lord Abinger |
|
Lord Nelson |
|
Lubbock, Richard, M.D. |
|
Lunatic Asylum, new one contemplated |
|
Lying-in-Charity, Established |
|
|
|
Magdalen, or Female Home |
|
Mail Coaches, first started to London |
|
Maltby, Dr. Edward |
|
Manufacture of Bombazines introduced |
|
Manufacture of Worsted introduced |
|
Manufacturers of the last century |
|
Manufactures mentioned in “Paston Letters” |
|
Manufactures, Norwich, at Great Exhibitions |
|
Manufactures, Norwich, presented to Princess of Wales |
|
Manufactures—Textile Fabrics—History of |
|
,, ,, in Eighteenth Century |
|
,,, , in Nineteenth Century |
|
Manure Manufacturers |
|
Margaret of Anjou (Queen of Henry VI.) visited Norwich |
|
Market, Corn |
|
Market Cross, the |
|
Market, Cattle, cost of improvements, &c |
|
Market, Fish |
|
Market Place, formerly the Great Croft |
|
Martineau Family |
|
Martyr, the Boy William |
|
Martyr, Thomas Bilney |
|
Martyrs (see also Lollards’ Pit) |
|
Masons, Free, Dean Prideaux first master here |
|
Mayor and Sheriff, alternate nominations of |
|
Mayor, the first |
|
Mayors and Sheriffs, complete list of |
|
Mayor’s Feast, curious speech at a |
|
Mayors’ Feasts (see also Civic Feasts) |
|
Mayors’ Gold Chain |
|
Members of Parliament first elected for Norwich |
|
Members for Norwich, complete list of |
|
Methodists, Calvinistic |
|
Methodist Free Church Chapels |
|
Methodist, Primitive, Chapels |
|
Methodists, Wesleyan |
|
Miles Spencer, Tomb of |
|
Ministers, Nonconformist |
|
Modern City, situation and extent of |
|
Monasteries, dissolution of |
|
Monastic Institutions |
|
Monumental Brasses |
|
Moore William (last Mayor of Old Corporation) |
|
Mountain, Right Rev. Jacob |
|
Municipal Reform Act |
|
Murder of Isaac Jermy, Recorder |
|
Museum, Norfolk and Norwich |
|
Musical Festivals |
|
,, History of |
|
Mustard and Starch Manufactory (Messrs. J. and J. Colman’s) |
|
|
|
National Rate advocated by Mr. G. Gedge and others |
|
Navigation, Norwich, history of the |
|
Nelson, Lord, educated at Grammar School |
|
,, memorials of, in Guildhall |
|
,, portrait of, in St. Andrew’s Hall |
|
,, statue of, in Cathedral Close |
|
,, victory of, celebrated in Norwich |
|
New Catton (Christ Church) |
|
New Mills |
|
Newspaper, first in Norwich |
|
Nineteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Nonconformist Ministers, list of |
|
Nonconformists (see Chapels) |
|
,, Baptists |
|
,, Catholic Apostolic |
|
,, Free Christian Church |
|
,, Independents |
|
,, Irvingites |
|
,, Jews |
|
,, Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion |
|
,, Methodist Free Church |
|
,, ,, Primitive |
|
,, ,, Wesleyan |
|
,, Presbyterian |
|
,, Roman Catholics |
|
,, Swedenborgians |
|
,, Unitarians |
|
Nonconformity in Norwich, history of |
|
Norman Conquest |
|
Norman Architecture, specimens of |
|
Northwic, Norwich named so by the Angles |
|
Norwich—Aborigines |
|
,, and Caister, traditional couplet |
|
,, “a Port” |
|
,, Antiquities |
|
,, Assizes removed to |
|
,, became a Danish City |
|
,, Bishops, list of |
|
,, Clergy of City and Hamlets |
|
,, Corporation of (see Corporation) |
|
,, Crape Manufacture |
|
,, custody of, assigned by Canute to Earl Turkel |
|
,, Deans, list of |
|
,, during Civil Wars |
|
,, during Commonwealth |
|
,, extract from Domesday Book |
|
,, first represented in Parliament |
|
,, from fourteenth to eighteenth centuries |
|
,, in the Roman Period |
|
,, in the Anglo-Saxon Period |
|
,, in the Norman Period |
|
,, in the Twelfth Century |
|
,, in the Thirteenth Century |
|
,, in the Fourteenth Century |
|
,, in the Fifteenth Century |
|
,, in the Sixteenth Century |
|
,, in the Seventeenth Century |
|
,, in the Seventeenth Century, Sir Thos. Browne and Lord Macaulay on |
|
,, in the Eighteenth Century |
|
,, in the Nineteenth Century |
|
,, Jews first settled in |
|
,, Mayors and Sheriffs, complete list of |
|
,, Members of Parliament for, complete list of |
|
,, Navigation, history of the |
|
,, Nonconformity, history of |
|
,, Recorder of, Isaac Jermy, murdered |
|
,, Recorders, list of |
|
,, seriously injured by Fire |
|
,, Shawl Manufacture |
|
,, Site of, formerly under the sea |
|
,, Stewards, list of |
|
,, supplies against Spanish Armada |
|
,, under the Angles n |
|
,, under the Danes |
|
,, under the Reform Era |
|
,, Union (New Act) |
|
,, Venta Icenorum of the Romans |
|
|
|
Octagon Chapel (Unitarian) |
|
Old Bridewell, a curious flint structure (built about 1370) |
|
Old Corporation (see Corporation) |
|
“Old Crome,” artist |
|
Old Meeting House |
|
,, Rev. J. Hallett on the History of |
|
Old Men’s Hospital |
|
Old Norwich |
|
,, fortifications of |
|
Old Walls and Gates—Mr. R. Fitch on |
121–127 |
Opie, Mrs., buried in Gildencroft |
|
,, Notice of |
|
Orphan’s Home |
|
|
|
Paper Bag Makers |
|
Paper Manufacturers |
|
“Pardon Cloister” Indulgences |
|
Parker, Archbishop, memoir of |
|
Parishes and Parish Churches |
|
Parliament—Norwich first represented in |
|
Parliamentary Reform, Movements in favour of |
|
Parr, Dr. Samuel |
|
Parry, Capt. W. E., Freedom of City presented to |
|
“Paston Letters” on Norwich Manufactures |
|
Paving and Lighting, Act obtained for |
|
Paving of Norwich, worst in England |
|
Pearson, Dr. John, Memoir of |
|
Pelham, Dr., present Bishop, notice of |
|
Perpendicular Architecture, Specimens of |
|
Peter, the Wild Youth |
|
Plagues and Pestilences |
|
Pockthorpe, Hamlet of |
|
Police Introduced |
|
Political History |
|
Poor Law, New Act for Norwich |
|
Poor Law Reform |
|
Poor Law Removal Act |
|
Population, &c., by Domesday Book |
|
,, at various periods |
|
Portrait of J. H. Gurney, Esq., in Museum |
|
Portrait of Nelson by Beechey |
|
Portraits and Pictures in St. Andrew’s Hall |
|
Portraits in Corn Exchange (Earl of Leicester & J. Culley, Esq.) |
|
Portraits in Shirehall (Lord Wodehouse, Earl of Leicester, and H. Dover, Esq.) |
|
Post Office |
|
Precedence, Questions of |
|
Presbyterian (Scotch) Chapel |
|
Presbyterians (Unitarians) History of |
|
Prideaux, Dr., Inscription in memory of |
|
Primitive Methodist Chapels |
|
Prince Alfred in Norwich |
|
Prince and Princess of Wales in Norwich |
|
Prince’s Street Chapel |
|
Priories—Benedictine and St. Leonard’s |
|
Priory Yard Chapel |
|
Protestant Association Established |
|
Provisions, high price of |
|
Public Dispensary Established |
|
Public Library |
|
Publishers, Manufacturing |
|
Pull’s Ferry |
|
Puritans, their doings and sufferings |
|
|
|
Queen (see Royal Visits) |
|
Queen Caroline, Address to |
|
|
|
Railway Communications |
|
Rajah of Sarawak, Educated at Grammar School |
|
Read, Sir Peter, tomb of |
|
Rebellion, Kett’s |
|
Rebellion, Wat Tyler’s |
|
Recorder of Norwich (Isaac Jenny) murdered |
|
Recorders of Norwich, list of |
|
Reed, Rev. Andrew |
|
Reed, Rev. Andrew, on the Rise of Nonconformity in Norwich |
|
Reformation, the |
|
Reform in Parliament, movements in favour of |
|
Religious History of Norwich |
|
Rifle Volunteers |
|
Rigby, Edward, M.D. |
|
Rise and Progress of the City |
|
River Wensum, rise and course of |
|
River Yare |
|
Robert, Viscount of Yarmouth, memoir of |
|
Roger Bigod |
|
Roman Catholic Chapels |
|
Roman Invasion |
|
,, opinion of Rev. Scott Surtees |
|
Roman Roads |
|
Rosary Burial Ground |
|
Royal Agricultural Society’s Visit |
|
Royal Visits—Catherine |
|
,, Charles II. and Queen |
|
,, Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Alfred) |
|
,, Duke of Sussex |
|
,, Edward I. and Eleanor |
|
,, Edward III. and Philippa |
|
,, Elizabeth |
|
,, Elizabeth Woodville (Queen of Edward IV.) |
|
,, Henry I. |
|
,, Henry VI. |
|
,, Henry VII. |
|
,, John |
|
,, Margaret of Anjou (Queen of Henry VI.) |
|
,, Prince and Princess of Wales |
|
,, Prince Alfred (Duke of Edinburgh) |
|
,, Queen of Denmark |
|
Rush, James Blomfield, murderer of Isaac Jermy, Recorder |
|
|
|
Saint William |
|
Saints, All, parish of |
|
Sampson and Hercules’ Court |
|
Sandby, George, D.D. |
|
Sandringham Gates, the |
|
Savings Bank opened |
|
Say, William |
|
Sayers, Frank, M.D. |
|
Scarlett, Sir James, made Lord Abinger |
|
School, Commercial |
|
,, Grammar |
|
,, of Art |
|
Schools, Endowed and Charity |
|
See, Bishop’s, origin of |
|
,, removed to Norwich |
|
Separation of Norwich and Norfolk |
|
Settlement and Removal, Law of |
|
Seventeenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
,, ,, Sir T. Browne & Lord Macaulay on |
|
Shawls made in Norwich |
|
Sheriffs of Norwich, complete list of |
|
Shirehall, portraits in (Earl of Leicester, Lord Wodehouse, and H. Dover, Esq.) |
|
Shoe Trade, Wholesale |
|
Shops, Warehouses, Banks, &c |
|
Sixteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Slavery, Abolition of |
|
Smith, Sir James Edward |
|
Soap Manufacture |
|
Soc, Sac, and Custom |
|
Spanish Armada, supplies against |
|
Springfield, T. O. |
|
,, first Mayor of New Corporation |
|
St. Andrew, Parish of |
|
,, Andrew, Parish of (Eaton) |
|
,, Andrew’s Hall, description and history of |
|
,, ,, dimensions of |
|
,, ,, Flag of France taken by Nelson |
|
,, ,, Mayor’s Feasts in |
52 et passim |
,, ,, Musical Festivals |
|
,, ,, Portraits and Pictures in |
|
,, ,, Portrait of Nelson, by Beechey |
|
,, ,, restored |
|
,, ,, used as Corn Hall and Exchange |
|
,, Augustine, parish of |
|
,, Bartholomew, Heigham |
|
,, Benedict, parish of |
|
,, Clement, parish of |
|
,, Edmund, parish of |
|
,, Etheldred, parish of |
|
,, George Colegate, parish of |
|
,, George Tombland, parish of |
|
,, Giles, parish of |
|
,, Giles’ Hospital (see Charitable Institutions) |
|
,, Gregory, parish of |
|
,, Helen, parish of |
|
,, Helen’s Hospital (see Charitable Institutions) |
|
,, James, parish of |
|
,, John Maddermarket, parish of |
|
,, John Sepulchre, parish of |
|
,, John Timberhill, parish of |
|
,, Julian, parish of |
|
,, Lawrence, parish of |
|
,, Leonard’s Priory |
|
,, Mark (Lakenham) |
|
,, Martin at Oak, parish of |
|
,, Martin at Palace, parish of |
|
,, Mary, Friars of |
|
,, Mary Coslany, parish of |
|
,, Matthew (Thorpe) |
|
,, Michael at Coslany, parish of |
|
,, Michael at Plea, parish of |
|
,, Michael at Thorn, parish of |
|
,, Paul, parish of |
|
,, Peter Hungate, parish of |
|
,, Peter Mancroft, parish of |
|
,, Peter per Mountergate, parish of |
|
,, Peter Southgate, parish of |
|
,, Philip (Heigham) |
|
,, Saviour, parish of |
|
,, Simon and Jude, parish of |
|
,, Stephen, parish of |
|
,, Swithin, parish of |
|
Stanfield Hall, Murders at |
|
Stanley, Bishop, Memoir of |
|
Stannard, Alfred, artist |
|
Stannard, Joseph, artist |
|
Stannard, Mrs., artist |
|
Staple Town, Norwich made a |
|
Starch and Mustard manufactory (Messrs. J. and J. Colman’s) |
|
Stark, James, artist |
|
Stevenson, William, F.S.A. |
|
Stewards of Norwich, list of |
|
Stormont and Scarlett’s Election—Commission of Enquiry |
|
,, ,, Evidence of Bush, Henry |
|
,, ,, ,, Cooper, William |
|
,, ,, ,, Cozens, Mr. |
|
,, ,, ,, Francis, J. |
|
,, ,, ,, Hayes, John |
|
,, ,, ,, Rust, Thomas |
|
,, ,, ,, Turner, Alderman |
|
,, ,, ,, Wortley, Mr. |
|
Stracey, Sir H. J., Bart., M.P., unseated |
|
Street Improvements (London and Opie Streets) |
|
Streets named from Trades |
|
Streets, names of, first put up |
|
Surtees, Rev. Scott F., on Roman Invasion |
|
Survey of the City |
|
Sutton, Dr. Charles Manners |
|
Swedenborgians (French Church) |
|
Sweyn, landing of |
|
|
|
Tanners’ Guild |
|
Taylor, Dr. John |
|
Taylor, Professor Edward |
|
,, ,, Memoir of |
|
Taylor, William |
|
Telegraphic Communications |
|
Textile Manufactures, History of |
|
,, in Eighteenth Century |
|
,, in Nineteenth Century |
|
Theatre Royal |
|
Thelwall, the Republican Orator |
|
Thirteenth Century, Norwich in the |
|
Thorpe, Hamlet of |
|
Thurlow, Edward Baron |
|
Tillett, J. H., petitioned against Sir H. J. Stracey, Bart., M.P. |
|
Tobacco and Cigar Trade |
|
Tombland, St. George’s |
|
Towers of the Old City |
|
Trade Regulations in Seventeenth Century |
|
Trade Stations and Rows in Olden Times |
|
Trinity, Holy, Church of (Heigham) |
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Trowse Millgate |
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Turnpike Roads opened |
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Twelfth Century, Norwich in the |
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Tyler’s Wat, Rebellion |
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Unitarian Chapel (Octagon) |
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Unitarians, History of the |
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Upholsterers, Manufacturing |
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Urns, Sepulchral, of Iceni |
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Valpy, Dr., Head Master of Grammar School |
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Venta Icenorum |
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,, Gurney, Hudson, on the |
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,, Woodward, B. B., on the |
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Volunteer Infantry |
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Volunteer Rifle Corps |
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Wales, Prince and Princess of, in Norwich |
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Walloons settled here |
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Walls and Gates, old |
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Ward Elections, cost of contests |
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Water Gate to Cathedral Precincts |
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Water Works |
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Wat Tyler’s Rebellion |
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Weavers’ Co-operative Society |
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Weavers, disturbances by |
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Weavers, number of (in 1839–1840) |
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Wensum River, rise and course of |
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Wesley, Revs. John and Charles in Norwich |
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White Friars |
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Whitlingham (Sir R. J. H. Harvey’s) |
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Wilkins, William |
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Wilks, Rev. Mark |
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William, “The Boy Martyr” |
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Windham, Major General, “Hero of the Redan” |
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Windham, William |
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Wine, Spirits, and Beer Trade |
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Woodward, B. B., on Fortifications of Castle |
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,, on Venta Icenorum |
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Wool Weaving Introduced |
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Workhouse, first act for erecting a |
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Workhouse, New (built in 1859) |
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Workhouse, Old |
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Worship, Places of (see “Churches” and “Chapels”) |
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Worsted Manufacture introduced |
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Wren, Bishop, and the “Book of Sports” |
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Wrench, Sir Benjamin |
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Yarn Company, first stone of factory laid |
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Young Men’s Christian Association |
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In tracing the rise and progress of the city, it is necessary to inquire respecting the physical condition of the district around it at an early period. Before the dawn of authentic history, it is in vain to expect full information on this point; but the natural changes that have taken place may be traced with tolerable clearness. Geologists inform us that the whole area of Norfolk, including Norwich, was in remote ages under the sea; that by the slow accumulation of alluvial matter islands were formed in this estuary; and that the waters were divided into several channels.
We may speculate as to the causes of these changes of the level of land and water, but we cannot doubt the fact of such changes having taken place. When or why the great body of waters retired to its great reservoir in the bed of the ocean is unknown; but whatever the causes, it is certain that between the first p. 10and the eleventh century the waters did gradually recede till the river assumed a narrower appearance. The higher part of the city from Ber Street up to Lakenham was probably, 2000 years ago, like an island surrounded by water flowing up the valley of the Taas on that side, and over the valley of the Wensum on the other side.
The existence of Norwich as a city during the Roman period from B.C. 50 till A.D. 400 or 500 is very doubtful. Camden says that its name occurs nowhere till the Danish wars. If it did exist, it was only a fishing station, for then a broad arm of the sea flowed up the valley of the Yare, and covered a great part of the north side of the present city. Indeed, for centuries after the Christian era this arm of the sea may have flowed over the greater part of the ground on which the north side of the city now stands. In the course of time, however, the arm of the sea gradually silted up and left only the present narrow river Wensum flowing into the Yare.
Tradition has handed down this couplet:
“Caister was a city when Norwich was none,
And Norwich was built of Caister stone.”
There is, however, no evidence that Caister was ever more than a village on the banks of the Taas, where the Romans built a camp to overawe the neighbourhood; while all the old Roman roads have always radiated from Norwich, proving that it was a place of importance in the Roman period. The Iceni called it Caer Gwent, altered by the Romans into Venta, so p. 11that it was the Venta Icenorum of the Romans, who probably threw up the mound on which a castle was afterwards built, in the Anglo-Saxon period.
Norwich very likely took its rise after the departure of the Romans, about A.D. 418, on account of the distracted state of the empire. Then, the camp or station at Caister being almost deserted, the few remaining Romans joined with the natives, and they became one people; and the situation of Norwich being thought preferable to that of Caister, many retired hither for the facility of fishing and the easier communication with the country. Caister, however, though almost deserted, kept up some reputation, till the river becoming so shallow, cut off all intercourse with it by water and reduced it to a place of no importance.
After the departure of the Romans, the Angles from the opposite coast made themselves masters of this part of the island, and to them is chiefly owing the further progress of the city and its present name. “Northwic” signifies a northern station on a winding river, and may have been so called because of its being situated north of the ancient station at Caister.
Norwich Castle was probably built in the reign of Uffa, the first king of the East Angles, soon after the year 575. About 642 it became a royal castle, and one of the seats of Anna, king of the East Angles, whose daughter Ethelfred, on her marriage with Tombert, a nobleman or prince of the Girvii (a people inhabiting the fenny parts of Norfolk), had this Castle, with the lands belonging to it, given her by her father. p. 12About 677, this Tombert and his wife granted to the monastery of Ely, which they had founded, certain lands held of Norwich Castle, by Castle guard, to which service they must have been liable before the grant, for, by the laws of the Angles, lands granted to the church were not liable to secular service, unless they were at first subject thereto whilst in secular hands, which proves that this was a Royal Castle in the time of King Anna.
The Danes soon came over in such large numbers and so frequently, that they at last got possession of the whole of East Anglia, and became the parent-stock of the inhabitants of parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. In 1003, Sweyn or Swaine, King of Denmark, came over with his forces and, in revenge for the massacre of the Danes in the previous year, burnt Norwich and its Castle, as well as many other places. They afterwards rebuilt the city and castle, and came hither in such large numbers, that Norwich became a Danish city, with a Danish Castle, about 1011. After the restoration of the Anglo-Saxon dynasty, the city entered on a new career of prosperity, and according to the Domesday Book of Edward the Confessor, it contained 25 churches, and 1320 burgesses, besides the serfs or labourers. It was still the capital of East Anglia, with a few hundred houses, but the greater part of the area round the Castle presented only marshes and green fields. Two broad arms of the sea still flowed up the valleys on each side of the city. The whole district all around consisted of marsh, and moor, and woods, and yet uncultivated land.
p. 13In 1094, Herbert de Losinga, then Bishop of Thetford, removed the See hither, and began to build the Cathedral, from which time the city increased yearly in wealth and trade. Domesday Book (1086) contains an account of all the lands and estates in England, and also of all the towns. Norwich was then next in size to York, and contained 738 families. Thetford had at the same time 720 burgesses, and 224 houses empty. Thetford, therefore, was decaying and Norwich was rising. In 1377, a census was taken of several great towns in England, and Norwich was found to contain 5300 people, for a migration hither of Flemings and Walloons, who introduced the manufacture of woollen and worstead fabrics, had increased the population. In 1575, the muster roll of men delivered to the government capable of bearing arms contained 2120 names, which would be the proportion for 15,000 people. The population in 1693 amounted to 28,881 inhabitants. In 1752 it had increased to 36,241, and in 1786 to 40,051. In 1801 it had decreased to 36,832. In 1811 the number was 37,256, and during the next ten years so large was the increase that in 1821 the number was 50,288. In 1831, when the census was taken, Norwich contained 61,116; in 1841, 61,796; in 1851, 68,713; in 1861, 74,414.
Notwithstanding the continued succession of wars from the revolution in 1688 to the conclusion of the peace in 1763, the city continued to prosper, and its trade had become very great, extending all over Europe, and Norwich manufactures were in demand p. 14in every town on the continent. Indeed, the period of war, from 1743 to 1763, was the most prosperous era in Norwich history. The prosperity continued till the disputes arose between the government and the North American colonies, which commenced in 1765 and became serious in 1774, and were not terminated till 1783, when the independence of the United States was acknowledged. During this period, in fact, the trade of the place was so good, that great numbers of people came from the surrounding villages and obtained employment in the factories. After the passing of the paving act in 1806, the new paving of the city commenced, and proceeded very slowly. This necessary work was interrupted at intervals from the want of money, and the Commissioners got deep in debt. In forty years they spent £300,000, and left Norwich the worst paved town in England. The drainage was very defective, and the hamlets were not drained at all. The supply of water was altogether insufficient, and in the hamlets was obtained from wells. The Board of Health was established in 1851, under the powers of the Public Health Acts, and since then its provisions have been carried out. The sanitary condition of Norwich has subsequently greatly improved and the rate of mortality decreased, owing to the wise and judicious measures which have been adopted of late years. A fuller description of “the Ancient City” will be found under the head of “Norwich Antiquities.”
The modern city, with all its improvements and extensions, presents a very different aspect to what it did in former times, when it was enclosed by high walls and gates. It stands for the most part on the summit and sloping sides of a rising ground, running parallel with the river Wensum on the southern side, above its confluence with the Yare. Its greatest extent from St. Clement’s Hill (north) to Hartford Bridges (south) is four and a quarter miles; and following the zigzag line of boundary it is about seventeen miles in circumference, comprising 6630 acres of land. Within its jurisdiction, as a city and a county of itself, it includes the picturesque hamlets of Lakenham and Bracondale on the south, of Catton on the north, of Thorpe on the east, and of Heigham on the west, in which direction Norwich is rapidly extending.
The city is situated in the eastern division of Norfolk, of which county it is the capital. It is 20 miles distant from the sea at Yarmouth, 108 miles distant from London, 42 from Lynn, 22 from Cromer, 43 from Ipswich, 72 from Cambridge, and 99 from Lincoln; being in latitude 52° 42′ N., and in longitude 1° 20′ E of Greenwich. The Great Eastern Railway system places it in communication with all the towns before named, and all the large towns of England. There is a railway station at Thorpe for the Norfolk p. 16line from Yarmouth to Ely, and another station at St. Stephen’s Gates for the Suffolk line from Norwich to Ipswich. Telegraphic lines are established along both railways, and there is also another line from London, viâ Norwich, to Cromer, on the northern coast of the county. Navigation is carried on by river from Norwich to Yarmouth. The Wensum, which rises at Rudham, enters the city on the N.W., and leaves it on the S.E. It pursues a boldly serpentine course through the town, first traces for a short space the western limits, then describes a semi-circle round the left bank, then winds through a thinly-built part of the city, and next traverses a compact eastern side. An eminence, that may be called a hill, compared with the flatness of the surrounding country, extends along the right bank of the river and terminates near its last bend; and this eminence bears on its summit and its slopes all the more ancient parts of the city, with a large portion of its present streets and buildings. The outline of the area within the old walls somewhat resembles the form of a cornucopia, with the narrow end twisted round from the S. to the S.E., and has been aptly compared to the figure of a haunch of venison. A strong flint embattled wall, flanked with forty towers, pierced by twelve beautiful gates, and fortified by a broad ditch, formerly surrounded the city, except at two places, where the Wensum formed a natural defence; but having fallen into decay, and being considered a hindrance to the growth and improvement of the town, it was stripped of all its gates, its ditch was filled in, and the only portions p. 17of walls which were permitted to remain are a few strips, here and there, of crazy ruin. The city inside the walls is divided into thirty-five parishes, and has five more and parts of two others within the county of the city. Altogether it contains forty parish churches, exclusive of the Cathedral, the French and Dutch Churches, and Christ’s Church, New Catton; and upwards of twenty Nonconformist chapels. It formerly included about twenty other parishes, but they have been consolidated with some of the present parishes, and the churches either desecrated or taken down. Among the chapels which have altogether disappeared may be mentioned the Chapel of St. Mary in the Field, St. Catherine’s Chapel, Hildebrand’s Chapel, Magdalen Chapel, St. Michael’s Chapel, (Tombland), St. Nicholas’s Chapel, St. Olave’s Chapel, (near King Street gates), and others.
The older portion of the city in most of its street arrangements is very irregular; and its thoroughfares are narrow and winding, following in some instances the line of the ancient walls. Some of its houses, however, are handsome structures, and are often admired by strangers as beautiful specimens of squared flint facings. The old street architecture, however, is rapidly vanishing before the hand of improvement. Many of the half-timber, lath and plaster houses, remarkable for their grotesque gables and picturesque appearance, have given place to plainer, but more comfortable and convenient dwellings; some of which have handsome fronts, more especially round the Market Place, and in the principal streets. We may, p. 18especially, notice the warehouses and shops of Messrs. Chamberlin, Mr. G. L. Coleman, and others in the Market Place; of Mr. Caley, Mr. Fiske, Mr. Livock, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Sawyer, and Mr. Allen in London Street; the offices of the National Provincial Bank in London Street; and of the Crown Bank on the Castle Meadow.
The Market Place, which occupies the centre of the city, is one of the most spacious in England; and being overhung by the singularly massive square tower of St. Peter’s, and presenting several specimens of antique houses of the gable-front construction, is very picturesque in its appearance. It was formerly the great Croft, belonging to the Castle, on the outer ditch of which it is supposed to have abutted. The first parts built upon were the east and west sides and the north end. The other portions were built by virtue of royal licenses. As already indicated, it has been within the last few years greatly improved, by the erection of new houses and fronts; and upon the whole it may be said to be well paved—though as regards the paving of the city generally, there is still room for improvement. The approaches to the Market Place, it should here be mentioned, were formerly very narrow and difficult, and they are not even now all that could be wished; but many improvements have nevertheless been made at very great expense. Thus, London Street has within the p. 19last few years been widened, at a cost of £20,000; and Opie Street has been opened from London Street to the Castle Hill. Of course, the principal places of business are mostly clustered together, either in the Market Place or in the nearest streets; but in former times, every business in Norwich had its particular row or station. Thus, in ancient deeds, we read of the Glover’s Row, Mercers Row, Spicer’s Row, Needler’s Row, Tawer’s Row, Ironmonger’s Row; also of the Apothecary’s Market, the Herb Market, the Poultry Market, the Bread Market, the Flesh Market, the Wool and Sheep Market, the Fish Market, the Hay Market, the Wood Market, the Cheese Market, the Leather Market, the Cloth-cutter’s Market, the White-ware Market; all of which we find mentioned before the reign of Richard II.; for about the latter end of the reign of Edward III., trades began to be mingled in such a manner, that many of these names were lost.
High over the centre of the old city, over all its churches, and towers, and streets, rises the Norman Castle, frowning in feudal grandeur over the whole district. It stands on the summit of a mound or hill, steep on all sides, which appears to be chiefly the work of nature, with additions by human labour. The embattled quadrangular keep, in its restored state, retaining all the details of architectural decoration peculiar to the Norman style, presents a faithful image, though without the grey antiquity, of its original exterior, and is a noble striking object from whatsoever point it is seen. The common history is, that a fortress existed here during the Saxon period, and that Uffa, the first King of the East Angles, formed one of earth, according to the rude method of p. 21the times. In 642, Anna, another of the East Anglian kings, is said to have resided here; and during the Danish wars, this fortress was often taken and retaken. Alfred is believed to have repaired it, and to have erected the first stone structure, which was destroyed by the Danes in 1004. Canute probably erected another castle here about 1018, and after the conquest it was much injured during a siege, and was rebuilt by Roger Bigod. The plan of the fortifications has been a subject of some controversy. According to the account commonly given of the fortress, it consisted of a barbican or outwork to defend the entrance; three nearly concentric lines of defence, each consisting of a wall and ditch, and enclosing a ballium or court; and a great central keep, as the last resort in the event of a siege. The area comprised a space of twenty-three acres, and each ditch had a bridge over it similar to the one now remaining. The barbican, or outwork of the fortification, was situated beyond the outer ditch, if it ever existed. The wall commenced at the opening called Orford Street, and gradually extended to the end of Golden Ball Lane, the other extremity terminating in Buff Coat Lane. The widest part is stated to have been forty yards broad, and gradually decreasing at the extremities, the length being about 220 yards. Part of the original form of the wall was supposed to be traceable from the position of the buildings erected on its site in Buff Coat Lane. The road to the castle from Ber Street was supposed to pass through the barbican, exactly where Golden Ball Lane recently stood. The p. 22circuits of the outer vallum and the middle vallum are minutely described by most of the local historians; but unfortunately there is no sufficient evidence in support of this old theory of three ditches round the castle—nothing but a vague traditional story, filled up by imagination. The editors of the history published by Crouse in 1768, say:
“This castle was defended by a wall surrounding it, built on the brow of the hill on which it stands, and by three ditches; the outermost of which reached on the west to the edge of the present Market Place, on the north to London Lane, which it took in; on the east nearly to Conisford Street, and on the south to the Golden Ball Lane. The postern or back entrance into the works was on the north-east, by which a communication was had with the earl’s palace, then occupying the whole space between the outer ditch and Tombland. The grand entrance is on the south, from which you passed three bridges in going to the Castle. The first hath been immemorially destroyed; the ruins of the second remained till the ditches were filled up and levelled thirty years since; and the third still continues and consists of one whole arch, exceeded by very few in England.”
Mr. John Kirkpatrick, who wrote an account of the Castle in the last century, gives quite a different description of the earth works. He notices the present ditch, and a second entrenchment lying between the present ditch and the Shire house, which then stood near the old weighing house on the hill. He also refers to the Shire house ditch as a distinct p. 23entrenchment. He describes a bridge house on the inner side of the great southern ditch in the middle of the present Cattle Market, and the line of the houses forming the southern limit of the Cattle Market seems to show the limit of the outwork.
Mr. B. B. Woodward, F.S.A., in his lectures delivered here on “Norwich in the Olden Time,” adopted this view of the earth works, which he believed did not consist of three concentric lines of defence. He described the Saxon fortress as probably no more than a strong palisade carried along the inner edge of two great trenches and the top of the steep bank of the small stream called the “Cockey;” the buildings consisting of a great timber hall with offices and stabling. He believed that the Normans strengthened the outworks, cast up the great mound, dug the vast inner ditch, and reared the noble donjon, which, before the “restoration” of its exterior, was a fine feudal monument. After the Norman period the earth works, Mr. Woodward thought, underwent great changes. The horse-shoe trench on the east side disappeared and was built upon. This horse-shoe trench enclosed the Castle Meadow. Another smaller outwork was formed on the south side of the original great southern trench, both of the last named being crossed by bridges. In support of this view, Mr. Woodward referred to the account given by Kirkpatrick, who, as we have said, described the second ditch as lying between the great circular ditch and the Shire house, which then stood near the old weighing house. The p. 24old way from King Street had been disused because the growth of the city had so greatly altered the defensive character of the fortress. In addition to this, there were the names of two churches, one of which was St. Martin’s, (originally called “on the Hill,”) but afterwards “at Bailey” or “at the Castle gate;” and the other, St. John, now Timberhill, but then “at the Castle gate.” Unless a way existed through the outworks to the castle hill, these churches could not have been properly called “at the Castle gate;” and as the “Bailey,” was the space enclosed within the intrenchments of the Castle, the other name of St. Martin would be quite inappropriate. The Buckes, in their view of the Castle, represented a ruined building, like a bridge house, on the inner side of the great southern ditch. Before the end of the last century, the level of the south side of the hill was raised to form a Cattle Market.
Mr. Harrod, some years since, at a meeting of the Archæological Society held in the Museum, exploded the theory of three circular ditches by showing from the city records that houses had always stood on the sites of the supposed outer and middle ditches; the inner vallum was the only one, and extended round the base of the hill on which the keep is erected, and is plainly traceable at the present time. It is planted with trees and shrubs, having a gravelled walk in the centre, and is enclosed with an iron palisade. The area of the upper ballium is level and comparatively high, and forms an irregular circle on the summit of the hill, surrounded by an iron railing. The great p. 25Keep situated within this area is a massive quadrangular pile, 110 feet in length from east to west, 92 feet 10 inches in breadth from north to south, and 69½ feet high to the top of the merlons of the battlements, and the walls are from 10 to 13 feet in thickness. From the basement to the top are three stories, each strengthened by small projecting buttresses, between which the walls are ornamented with semi-circular arches resting on small three-quarter columns. In the upper story the backs of some of these arcades are decorated with a kind of reticulated work, formed by the stones being laid diagonally, so that the joints resemble the meshes of a net. To give it greater richness of effect, each stone had two deeply chased lines, crossing each other parallel with the joints, so as to present the appearance of Mosaic. On the exterior of the west side are two arches which appear to have been originally intended as a deception to the enemy, giving an idea of weakness externally, where in fact was the greatest strength; for the wall is not only 13 feet in thickness in this place, but, within, it was additionally barricaded by two oblique walls which were, long ago, taken down. On the east side of the keep there is a projecting tower called Bigod’s tower, which was most probably built by Hugh Bigod, third Earl of Norfolk, who succeeded his brother as High Constable of the Castle, early in the 12th century. This tower, which was an open portal to the grand entrance of the Castle, is of a richer kind of architecture, and in the genuine Norman style, and since 1824, has been entirely restored, so as now to p. 26exhibit its pristine aspect, which is certainly different from the rest of the keep. The interior of the keep has been so greatly altered in order to adapt it to prison purposes, that the original arrangement of apartments cannot be traced.
The style of architecture has been a matter of dispute, as to whether it is Saxon, Danish, or Norman. Mr. Boid, in his history and analysis of the principal styles of architecture, ventures to challenge any one to prove the existence of any monument in this country of real Saxon skill; nor has any specimen been discovered. Mr. Wilkins, of Norwich, who has described both the ancient and modern states of the fortress in Vol. xii. of the Archæologia, believed, however, that the part which yet remains might have been constructed chiefly in the reign of Canute, but that it is notwithstanding in the style of architecture practised by the Saxons, long before England became subject to the Danes, and is the best exterior specimen of the kind. Other and later writers, with much better evidence, believe the whole keep to be Norman, of the time of William Rufus; for it is similar in style to Castle Rising, built in the reign of that king, by Albini. The earth works and stone works are very similar. The whole of the exterior of the keep has been refaced, the original style being preserved. It is to be regretted that the work was not wholly refaced with small square stones, in the Norman manner, instead of commencing with the large massive freestone, which is coloured to represent smaller stones. This defect, however, on being discovered was remedied, for p. 27a great part of the exterior was finished after the Norman fashion. The county jail stands on the east side of the keep, and was built on the site of a previous prison in 1824–28 at a cost of £15,000. It comprises a governor’s house and three radiating wings, and has room for 224 male prisoners. Three bridges are, as we have said, thought by some authorities to have crossed three ditches, but for more than a century the present bridge has been the only one. This bridge consists of one large semicircular arch. Mr. Wilkins supposed that it was the original bridge built by the Saxons, but this is only conjectural like the rest of his theory about the earth works. At the termination of this bridge, upon the upper ballium, are the remains of two circular towers, 14 feet in diameter, which are supposed to have flanked the portal of the ballium wall. The history of the castle will be given at some length in subsequent pages. We shall now proceed to
This grand Norman pile is the great ornament to the city, but its situation is so low that its goodly proportions can be seen only from one point of view, namely from Mousehold Heath. From that elevation it presents the dignity of a great work of architecture, and the spire may be seen on a clear day, on the north, at a distance of twenty miles. The noble tower, with its gracefully tapering spire, second in height only to that of Salisbury, the flying p. 28buttresses, and the circular chapels at the east end, are objects of interest to the attentive antiquarian observer.
The cloisters on the south side, and the bishop’s palace and grounds on the north, and other premises, shut out from public view most of the exterior, except the west front. A fine view of the splendid effect, produced by a series of unbroken lines, may be obtained opposite the south transept, where the whole pile, comprising the transept, tower, and spire, blend themselves into one harmonious whole. The interior from the west front entrance presents a most imposing appearance, and when surveying the vast length of the nave, we feel that our forefathers
“Builded better than they knew,
Unconscious stones to beauty grew.”
We shall first give, in as complete a manner as our limited space will permit, a sketch of the foundation and progress of the edifice, the erection of which occupied a century, and then we shall describe its different parts, exterior and interior, including the nave, the screen, the choir, the transepts, and the cloisters.
The original structure was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the first bishop of the diocese. The portions he built comprise the choir, with the aisles surrounding it, the chapels of Jesus and St. Luke, and the central tower with the episcopal palace on the north side of the church, and a monastery on the south. Bishop Eborard, the successor of Herbert, p. 29added the nave and its two aisles, from the ante-choir or rood loft, to the west end. The building, as left by Eborard, remained till 1171, when it sustained some damage by fire, but was repaired by Bishop John de Oxford, about 1197, who also added some alms houses to the monastery. The Lady chapel at the east end, which has long since been destroyed, was the next addition to the building, and was erected by Walter de Suffield, the tenth bishop, who filled the See from 1244 to 1257.
In the year 1271, the tower was greatly injured by lightning during divine service, and in 1272 the whole church was damaged considerably, in the violent warfare which was at that time carried on between the monks and the citizens; but in 1278, having been repaired, the church was again consecrated by William de Middleton on the day he was enthroned Bishop of Norwich, in the presence of King Edward I. and Eleanor his queen, the Bishops of London, Hereford, and Waterford, and many lords and knights. We can now form no idea of the grandeur of such a ceremony in that age.
The tower having been much injured and weakened by fire, a new one, according to Blomefield, was begun and finished by Bishop Ralph de Walpole; but this, says Britton, more properly applies to the spire, the style of which, rather than of the tower, corresponds with that period. Bishop Walpole ruled the diocese from 1289 to 1299. Before his translation to Ely, which took place in the latter year, he commenced the cloister at the north-east angle, and built the p. 30chapter house. He only completed a small portion of the east aisles. The chapter house has since been destroyed. The rest of the cloister was built by Richarde de Uppenhall, Bishop Salmon, Henry de Will, John de Hancock, Bishop Wakering, Jeffery, Symonds, and others, and was completed A.D. 1430, in the 133rd year from the first commencement of the work.
In January, 1362, the spire was blown down, and the choir thereby much injured; but under the auspices of Bishop Percy, the present spire was erected and the choir repaired. In 1629, the upper part of the spire was again blown down, and in 1633, at a general chapter, it was ordered to be repaired. In 1843, seven feet were added to its elevation, with the present finial which formed a consistent termination to the crockets.
In 1463, the church was much injured by fire, the wood work in the interior of the tower having been ignited by lightning. Under Bishop Lyhart, however, it was again repaired and ornamented. The splendid stone roof of the nave was added, the cathedral was paved, and a tomb was erected over the founder, which was afterwards demolished during the great rebellion. About the year 1488, Bishop Goldwell built the roof of the choir of similar but inferior work to that of the nave, adding the upper windows and flying buttresses. He also fitted up the choir and the chapels around it, and covered the arched stone work with lead. In 1509 the transepts having been much injured by fire, Bishop Nykke repaired them, adding p. 31stone roofs to them in the same manner as the rest of the church.
At the dissolution of the monasteries, the cathedral suffered greatly from the zeal of the Reformers, much curious work being destroyed; and several obnoxious crucifixes, images, niches, tabernacles, and paintings, were removed. In 1643, the fanatics took possession of the church and the adjoining palace, and plundered them of all that was valuable. The Yarmouth people being in want of a workhouse, sent a petition to the Lord Protector, praying that “that great useless pile, the cathedral, might be pulled down, and the stones given them to build a workhouse.” Of course the petition was not granted. Soon after the restoration, the church was fitted up again. In 1740, the nave and aisles were newly paved, the tower was repaired, and the church cleaned. In 1763, the floor of the choir was again repaved, the stalls repaired and painted, and other improvements made, not always in harmony with the original structure.
The edifice was extended, embellished, altered, and repaired by many bishops and by wealthy families till it was completed about 1500. Alternate dilapidations and restorations followed. The dilapidations were sometimes sudden, sometimes gradual, and the restorations have continued at frequent intervals almost to the present day. The entire pile was repaired and beautified on an extensive scale in 1806–7. The decayed ornaments of the west front were restored, and many improvements in other parts were effected in 1818 and following years. The south front was p. 32renovated, and several houses which had stood against the walls were removed in 1831. The entire fabric was again restored, on the plan of Edward Blore, about 1840–3; and some portions were repaired, some embellishments were added, and some interesting ancient features were brought into view between the years 1843 and 1868.
The pile as it now stands, comprises a nave of fourteen bays with aisles, a transept of three bays in each wing, a central tower, a steeple, an apsidal sacristy on the north-east side, a choir of four bays with aisles, an apsidal end, and a procession path; also three chapels, in the south side, the north-east side, and south-east side; and a cloister with each alley of eleven panes to the south of the nave. The dimensions of the Cathedral as taken from actual measurement are as follows:—
|
Feet. |
Inches. |
Length of church |
407 |
0 |
,, nave to choir screen |
204 |
0 |
,, choir from screen |
183 |
0 |
,, roof of nave |
251 |
0 |
,, transept |
178 |
0 |
Breadth of nave and aisles |
72 |
0 |
,, choir from back of stalls |
27 |
1 |
,, aisles of choir |
15 |
0 |
Height of spire from ground |
315 |
0 |
,, tower |
140 |
5 |
,, spire from tower |
174 |
7 |
,, roof of nave from pavement |
69 |
6 |
,, roof of choir from pavement |
83 |
6 |
We shall now proceed with our description of the interior, which contains the finest specimens of Norman architecture in existence, and admired by all men of taste. Nothing can exceed the grandeur of the lofty nave, massive columns, and wide circular arches. The whole pile is chiefly of the early Norman style, wherein the semi-circular arches and massive short columns are the leading features. These are considerably varied in size, moulding, and ornament, in different parts of the edifice.
The Nave comprises fourteen semicircular arches, ornamented with billet and zigzag mouldings, and supported by massive piers. The arches of the triforium are of similar style to those below. The magnificent roof, the work of Bishop Lyhart, the rebus of whose name is of frequent occurrence upon the vault and corbels, is ornamented with 328 historical figures, curiously carved, in a kind of relievo peculiar to itself, being chiefly composed of little figures, most exactly put together, said to be the only work of the kind in existence, being a complete chain of sacred history, beginning at the tower with the Creation of the World; the different days of the creation being disposed of in the several figures in the intersections of the arched work of the roof. The Fall of Man, Noah’s Ark, and incidents in the lives of the patriarchs, are represented in the first seven arches; the rest to the west end represent events narrated in the New Testament. The interior of the p. 34nave looks much too long in proportion to the rest of the pile, and the triforium is out of keeping in consequence of its heavy circular arches being too high as compared with those of the tier below, but the piers of the nave, with the grand arches which they support, are splendid specimens of Norman work and decoration.
The south transept is Norman work modified by a few innovations, and is flanked by square turrets, arcaded at the top and terminating in pinnacles. The north transept is of similar character. The side aisles are low, and the roof of plain vaulting. The west window is of unusually large size, and is of the same design, as regards the tracery, with that in Westminster Hall. This window has been filled in with gorgeously coloured glass, being designed as a memorial of Bishop Stanley, who was buried in the middle of the nave.
In the seventh arch of the north side are the remains of a doorway, with a stone bench, formerly leading into the monks’ preaching yard, now part of the bishop’s garden. Even after the Reformation, and up to the time of the great rebellion, sermons were preached here before the Civic Authorities and the Members of the Cathedral. Between the sixth and seventh pillars is an unpretending inscription to the memory of the learned Dr. Prideaux, formerly Dean of Norwich, author of the “Connection of the Old and New Testaments,” who died November 1st, 1724. The tomb between the corresponding pillars on the opposite side is that of Miles Spencer, Chancellor of the p. 35Diocese in 1537. Between the seventh and eighth pillars is the low tomb of Bishop Nykke, who died in 1535. At the eighth pillar a pulpit formerly stood. Bishop Parkhurst’s tomb stands in the next space, between the eighth and ninth pillars.
The Screen was originally the division between the rood-loft and the chapel of our Lady of Pity. Bishop Lyhart erected the rood-loft, and upon it the principal rood or cross was placed with the representation of the Holy Trinity, to whom this church was dedicated; together with the images of the Blessed Virgin and St. John, and such other saints as were esteemed here. The rood or crucifix, of full proportions, was made of wood, and in most churches was placed in a loft constructed for the purpose over the entrance from the church into the chancel. The nave represented the Church Militant, and the chancel the Church Triumphant. Those, therefore, who would pass out of the former into the latter, must go under the loft; that is, must go under the cross and suffer affliction. But no rood was complete without the images of the Virgin and St. John on either side of the cross, in allusion to St. John xix. 26,—“Jesus saw His mother and the disciple standing by, whom He loved.”
The Choir contains sixty-two stalls according to the number of the old foundations, namely, a prior, sub-prior, and sixty monks. They are adorned with rich and quaint carvings and canopies, as far as the west pillars of the tower. The “misereres” (projecting brackets on the under side of the seats of p. 36stalls in churches), are richly carved and present a great variety of design. Among the stalls the Rev. R. Hart discovered upwards of sixty misereres, and he described them very minutely. In every example that he had seen the space under the ledge is carved in a bold relief, with an ornamented boss on each side to balance, as it were, the centre, whatever it might have been. As may be supposed scriptural or legendary designs are not often found in such a position. There are, however, a few examples.
The interior of the tower, which is raised on four massive arches, presents three arcades, the upper and lower forming galleries, and the former containing the lower windows of the lantern, which are filled with painted glass. The clerestory and roof of the chancel are the work of Bishop Goldwell. Here is an admirable specimen of engrafting a later style upon the Norman architecture, with as little violence to the eye as possible.
The tomb of Bishop Goldwell stands within the chapel, formerly dedicated to St. James, and with its canopy forms a rich specimen of ornamental sculpture and architecture. On the east side of the fifteenth north pillar is the monument to the memory of the learned Bishop Home, author of an excellent “Introduction to the Study of the Bible.” In the space between the seventeenth and eighteenth pillars was the chapel dedicated to St. Anne, and in the next space was the seat occupied by Queen Elizabeth, when she attended divine service during her visit to this city. The monument to the late Bishop Bathurst p. 37now occupies the spot, a sitting statue sculptured in white marble. Not only for its intrinsic merits is this statue of great value, but also because it is the last finished work of Sir Francis Chantrey, who visited Norwich for the purpose of fixing it only a few days before his death. Opposite to this monument is the altar tomb of Sir William Boleyn, now despoiled of its brasses. Sir Thomas Browne tells us in his “Repertorium,” that, during the Commonwealth, “more that a hundred” brasses were reeved in the Cathedral alone,—a greater number than the whole county of Norfolk could now supply. Hence our readers may easily understand what an immense number of these interesting memorials must have been lost, independently of the number that have been partially despoiled by the removal of their canopies.
At the foot of the altar steps, in the middle of the chancel, is the tomb of Bishop Herbert de Losinga, erected by the Dean and Chapter, in 1682, in the place of one destroyed during the civil wars. It has been levelled with the pavement and presents a long Latin inscription from the pen of Dean Prideaux. The east windows of the clerestory were the gift of the Bishop, the Misses Morse, and the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, and were erected between 1840 and 1847. The lower one in the triforium is an obituary window to the memory of the late Canon Thurlow, placed there by his friends. This space had before been occupied by a window with a pointed arch, representing the Transfiguration. The window was removed to the south transept, and the arches of both windows have been restored.
p. 38The bishop’s throne, ascended by three steps, was originally placed at the east end of the church, behind the altar, and raised so high that before the partition was made between the altar and the entrance to Our Lady’s chapel, the bishop had an uninterrupted view from his throne directly in a line through the whole church. The custos, or master of the high altar, annually accounted for the offerings made there, which produced a large sum; and at the annual processions of the city and country clergy, on the feasts of the Holy Trinity and St. Paul, something considerable was realized.
The stone roof of the south transept, as well as that of the north, was raised by Bishop Nykke, about 1501. At the same time, probably, the old Norman arch leading into the chancel aisle was filled with the rich and numerous mullions and tracery, which characterise the last period of pointed architecture. The adjoining aisle leads to the chapel of our Lady the Less, otherwise called Bawchyn’s Chapel, having been dedicated to the Virgin and all the Saints, by William de Bawchyn, about the middle of the fourteenth century. The founder is buried in an arched vault under the chapel. This chapel is now used as the Consistory Court. Adjoining is St. Luke’s Chapel, sometimes used as the parish church of St. Mary in the Marsh, that church having been demolished. Strictly speaking, the circular part only is the chapel dedicated to St. Luke, but the adjoining aisle, as far as the most eastward point, is now enclosed and fitted up for the use of the parish. It is part of Bishop p. 39Herbert’s original foundation. The font was brought from the parish church; it is richly carved with designs of the seven sacraments, &c. Passing round at the back of the altar we come to the Jesus Chapel.
The north transept is similar to the south. From the east wall of it there was a doorway leading to a chapel, said to be the ancient Vestiary. The arch has been filled up, and the entrance is from a small door on the outside. Over the exterior of the door leading to the Bishop’s palace is a niche, containing a figure, said to represent Bishop Herbert, one of the few specimens extant of a Norman statue.
The exterior of the Cathedral is not very imposing. The west front was the work of Bishop Alnwick, in the reign of Henry VI. It is divided into three compartments, forming the termination of the nave and the aisles. The central division presents the grand entrance doorway, and a large central window filled with coloured glass, which we have already described. It rises into a gable, formerly pierced with a small light, now a niche, flanked by two turrets with spirelets and round-headed single panels, and surmounted by a cross. The doorway is formed by a bold deep-pointed arch, and is much enriched in the spandrels and side fasciæ with mouldings, niches, pedestals, statues, and other decorations. The central window is divided, both horizontally and p. 40vertically, into three leading compartments, and subdivided by small mullions; and has good decorations of perpendicular character. Each of the two lateral divisions of the west front exhibits pure Norman work, and is of three stories; the first pierced with the doorway; the second pierced with four windows separated only by small columns; the third displaying three blank arches, and flanked with a small staircase turret. At each side of the great window, and at the extremities of the side divisions, are Norman turrets, lately restored and substituted for very debased cupolas. Engravings are extant representing this front with high and slender pinnacles where the Norman turrets now stand.
The north and south elevations of the nave show a three-storied aisle; and a clerestory and triforium, with an embattled parapet in each, exhibit a great height, and tiers of blank arches or arcades with some later perpendicular windows. On the exterior of the nave will be observed many traces of alterations in times long subsequent to the original building. The lowest tiers of windows are of comparatively modern insertion, and intersect the string course of a billet moulding, all round the exterior of the edifice. Next above is the arcade of blank arches, with semicircular mouldings, having regular bases and capitals, and continuing round the whole structure. Above these was the tier of original windows now closed up, but surmounted by windows of the sixteenth century. The exterior of the side aisles is here terminated by a plain embattled parapet of the same date as the p. 41windows before mentioned. The windows of the clerestory are, however, Norman, and have blank arches on each side, and continue the same all round the upper part of the nave and transept. They are surmounted by a parapet similar to that of the side aisles. The exterior of the south transept has been lately restored, and various old houses that blocked up the entrance have been cleared away.
The tower is grandly Norman in four stages, each adorned with arcades, columns, and tracery mouldings. It has, at the corners, square turrets with their angles cut off, and is surmounted by decorated battlements and crocketted pinnacles. The spire is decorated English octangular, elegantly proportioned, enriched with bands, and boldly crocketted in ribs running up its angles. It terminates in a handsome finial, and is the loftiest in England except that of Salisbury. The base of the spire is supported by projecting buttresses at each angle, terminating in a small pinnacle.
The Cloisters, which are entered by a tasteful modern door on the south side of the nave, form one of the most beautiful quadrangles in England. They comprise a square of about 174 feet, and are 12 feet wide. They were commenced by Bishop Walpole about 1297, but were not completed by succeeding prelates till 1430. The style of architecture is the decorated, with traces of the perpendicular. The p. 42eastern part is the most ancient, and a progressive change may be observed in the tracery of the windows, commencing at the north-east corner, continuing through the south and the west, and terminating with the north sides. The roof is much admired for its exquisitely beautiful groining, and its bold yet elegant bosses, with their sculptured subjects and tasteful foliage. The doorway leading from the eastern aisle of the cloisters to the nave is deserving especial notice, being a pointed arch with four columns on each side, having archwolt mouldings, in front of which are seven canopied niches, with richly-sculptured crockets containing figures. Above the door, at the south-west corner, are carved figures of “The Temptation of our First Parents.” In the first two arches on the west side of the door are two lavatories, where the monks used to wash their hands before going into the refectory or common eating hall. Over each of these are three niches, where images formerly stood. The cloisters are surpassed by none in beauty of architecture and solemnity of effect. They branch off from the south transept, and enclose a square court or area. There are eleven noble windows or arched openings on the western side, twelve on the east, eleven on the north, and eleven on the south. All these windows are divided into three lights by two columns, and are decorated with a variety of beautiful tracery. They are of decorated architecture, except eight on the north side, which have perpendicular tracery in decorated arches. The upper portion of the tracery of all the windows appears to have been once filled with stained glass.
p. 43The pavement of the north side of the cloisters was torn up in the great rebellion, and relaid by William Burleigh, Esq. In this alley Queen Elizabeth dined in public when she visited Norwich in 1578. In memory thereof, her Majesty’s arms and those of the nobility who attended her were painted on the wall of the church, and properly blazoned with supporters, etc., but they were entirely effaced a century ago.
The dormitory of the monks adjoined the cloisters on the south. At a short distance from the cloisters are the only remains of the Priory founded by Bishop Herbert, consisting of three massive clustered columns, the capitals of which are curiously carved.
The Bishop’s Palace stands on the north side of the Cathedral Church, to which there was in former times a passage from the door of the north transept, arched over with stone similar to the cloisters. The original palace was founded by Bishop Herbert, but has undergone so many repairs and alterations, that but little of the first building remains, and that part adjoins a new structure, in a similar style of architecture. In the garden there is a fine ruin, said to be remains of the grand entrance into the great hall, which reached to the site of the present episcopal chapel, and was 110 feet long, and 60 broad. This chapel was restored in 1662, and in it are monuments of Bishops Reynolds and Sparrow. The entrance to the episcopal residence is from St. Martin’s Plain, by the palace gate, built by p. 44Bishop Alnwyck about 1430. It has a large pointed arch of several mouldings, and the spandrels are filled with tracery; but it has suffered materially from injudicious repairs. Over the arch is a series of pannelled compartments with the letter M crowned. On the west side is a small door, on which, amongst other ornaments, are a heart and mitre, the supposed rebus of Bishop Lyhart.
The Cathedral Precincts include the Upper and Lower Close, and a large portion of garden ground, with good houses on the south side. The Upper Close was formerly used as a play ground to the Grammar School; it is now enclosed with palisades. At the south-east corner is the Audit Room, which contains the library of the Dean and Chapter. The Lower Close was enclosed by Dean Lloyd, in 1782, and converted into a garden. At the extremity of the Lower Close, near the edge of the river, still stands a double arch of black flint, which is considered the roughest bit of picturesque in Norwich, and has been frequently sketched. It was formerly the Water-gate to the precincts, and is now known as “Pull’s Ferry.”
The Free Grammar School, near the west end of the Cathedral, was founded by Bishop Salmon, in 1325, and annexed to a small Collegiate Chantry. At the dissolution of this college, the Corporation, by their Hospital Charter, were required to find a master and usher, and to remunerate them out of the ample revenues assigned to them by that charter. This trust was transferred, in 1836, from the Corporation to the Charity Trustees. There are generally a little more than a hundred pupils at the school. The celebrated Dr. Valpy was once the head-master; and in addition to many eminent scholars, the celebrated “Norfolk hero,” Lord Nelson; Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak; and other noted characters, were educated here. Opposite the school is a colossal marble statue of Nelson. It was executed by Mr. Milne, of London, and has been highly commended p. 46as a work of art. Of this school, and also of the Commercial School, which is under the same trust, we shall have more to say in subsequent pages.
The Gateways to the Cathedral on the west side are deserving of notice.
is situated directly before the west front of the Cathedral, and is in an excellent state of preservation. It was built in 1428 by Sir Thomas Erpingham, (who lies buried in the choir of the Cathedral) as a penance for having espoused the cause of Wickliffe. It consists of a lofty pointed arch, in the mouldings of which are a series of thirty-eight statues in canopied niches. The spandrels are highly decorated with tracery mouldings and shields, the whole being enclosed in a kind of square frame with semi-circular buttresses, each of which is divided into four compartments with statues, niches, pedestals, and shields. As a matter of some interest, it may here be mentioned that over against the front of this gate is a large block of buildings, enclosing what is commonly called Sampson and Hercules’ Court. The grotesque wood figures, designed to represent these personages, formerly supported the portico, but are now placed in the paved court. The one holds a club, and the other the jawbone of an ass. The house itself was formerly owned by Sir John Fastolf, and afterwards by the Countess of Lincoln; and in the time of Henry VII. by Elizabeth Duchess of Suffolk, who used it as a city p. 47house for herself and family. It is now in the occupation of Messrs. Pratt and Hancock, wholesale grocers and cheese factors, who have covered in the whole court.
leads to the south end of the Upper Close. It was built by the citizens as an atonement for the injuries done in a quarrel which they had with the monks in 1272. The chamber over the arch was formerly used as a chapel dedicated to St. Ethelbert, the church of that name having been destroyed during the riots. The west front has a modern pediment of stone tracery, inlaid with flint. Beneath is a series of blank niches with a statue in the centre. In the spandrels of the arch are figures, in basso relievo, of a man with a sword and round shield attacking a dragon. The east front consists of stone tracery and flint with painted windows.
We shall now return to the Castle-hill Walk, which is favourable for a view of the whole city, with all its churches and towers. If we take our position on the eastern side we shall see the broad vale of the Yare, where the Romans came up in their galleys and landed on that side of the river, then very wide. We shall see also where the first street (King Street,) extends southward the whole length of the city, with tall chimnies of great breweries sending forth volumes p. 48of smoke. Northward the same street extends to an open space called Tombland; beyond which, Wensum Street and Magdalen Street lead in a straight line to Catton and the village of Sprowston. The circle of vision includes the Cathedral, the Grammar School, St. Helen’s Church, Mousehold Heath, Kett’s Castle, Lollards’ Pit, the hamlet of Thorpe, the churches of St. Peter per Mountergate, St. Julian, and St. Peter Southgate, in King Street. Walking round to the west side, we have before us the spacious Market Place, and the noble church of St. Peter Mancroft, with a mass of buildings. From the Market Place we see several lines of streets running in a direction from east to west; Bethel Street, leading to St. Giles’ Church, and St. Giles’ Street, in a straight line to Heigham. Here in the foreground, the Guildhall is a conspicuous object. More on the right we have London Street, Prince’s Street, St. Andrew’s Street, Pottergate Street, and St. Benedict’s Street, running in lines from east to west. Here, the chief objects are the churches of St. John’s Maddermarket and St. Gregory; and in the distance, St. Lawrence, St. Margaret’s, and St. Michael’s at Coslany. From the north side of the Castle walk we see Exchange Street, Post Office Street leading into St. Andrew’s, and St. George’s Street, Pitt Street, and St. Augustine’s, and St. Martin’s at Oak, all the lower parts of the town, full of close narrow streets, yards, and courts. The principal objects in view are St. Andrew’s Hall, the churches of St. Martin at Oak, St. Mary, St. Augustine, St. George’s Colegate, St. Saviour, St. p. 49Clement, St. Peter Hungate, St. Michael at Plea, St. Paul, St. Simon and Jude, St. Edmund, and St. George Tombland.
The Cattle Market, on the south side of the hill, has been greatly extended, and presents the most extensive area for the purpose in England. On the east side whole blocks of old houses have been cleared away, and great additions made to the space for the display of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The improvements cost the city over £50,000. Every Saturday the hill presents a busy and highly interesting scene, and a vast amount of business is transacted here in the space of a few hours. The area has recently been further enlarged by the demolition of some old houses at the corner of Golden Ball Street. A line of new houses has been built on the east side, ending with the handsome show rooms of Messrs. Holmes and Sons, the well-known Agricultural Machine Makers, who have won many prizes for their implements.
The Shirehall, on the Castle Meadow, was erected from a plan by William Wilkins, Esq. It was commenced on September 9th, 1822, and opened September 27th, 1823, and is a poor imitation of the Tudor style of architecture. It stands on the north-east side of the Castle, and is a substantial brick edifice, p. 50possessing all the usual accommodations. It comprises Crown Court, Nisi Prius Court, and rooms for witnesses and others. The county assizes and sessions are held in these courts. Near the crown court there is a small room communicating, by a shaft, with the prison above, whence prisoners are brought down for trial. The grand Jury room is a large apartment, and the walls are adorned with fine portraits of the late Lord Wodehouse and the late Earl of Leicester, painted by Sir T. Lawrence. There is also a portrait of the late Henry Dover, Esq., for many years Chairman at Quarter Sessions.
The Guildhall is a large antique building, chiefly of flint, at the north end of the Market Place. It was completed in 1413, when the windows of the Council Chamber were glazed chiefly with stained glass; but all these ornaments have disappeared, except in three east windows. The furniture of this room is of the time of Henry VIII., and the wood work is ornamented with the linen pattern. The room has been much improved of late years. The principal court is on the ground floor, where the city assizes and sessions are held. The Police Court is in a room above, opposite the Council Chamber. The Town Clerk and City Treasurer have offices in the building. The Police Station is on the ground floor of the east side.
The interior of the hall is decorated with portraits, some interesting trophies of the battle of St. Vincent, p. 51presented by Nelson, the city regalia, and the buskins of a famous dancer, who danced from London to Norwich in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. When that Queen visited the city in 1578, there was a magnificent banquet given in the Council Chamber, and a pageant devised for her amusement was exhibited. In one of the cells at the bottom of the building, the martyr Thomas Bilney was confined, and there tested his powers of endurance by holding his finger in the lighted flame of a candle, to prove his willingness to suffer his approaching doom. In 1660, the lower court at the west end, now used as an assize court, was set apart as a cloth hall, and the room above as a place for the sale of yarn. During the present century the hall has been much improved on the south side. New windows should be inserted on the north side.
St. Andrew’s Hall stands in the centre of the city, in the parish of St. Andrew. It was originally the Church of the Convent of the Blackfriars, the building of which was begun about the year 1415, by Sir Thomas Erpingham, who died in 1428, before it was finished. It was completed by his son, Sir Robert Erpingham, who was rector of Bracon Ash, in Norfolk, a friar of the order of St. Dominic, and a member of this convent. This convent extended from St. Andrew’s Street to the river from south to north, and as far as Elm Hill on the east. The cloister was on the north side of the church, with a burial place in the middle. p. 52The convent kitchen was at the north-west corner. Between the nave and choir of the church there was a neat sexangular steeple, which had three large bells in it and a clock. It was built about 1462, and fell down on November 6th, 1712. A turret was afterwards erected in its place, in which a clock bell hung. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, the citizens applied to Henry VIII., through the interest of the Duke of Norfolk, for a grant of the convent for the use of the city, and requested that he would allow them to make the church into “a large hall, for the mayor and his brethren, with all the citizens to repair unto at common assemblies,” to make a chapel of the choir, and to appropriate the rest of the building to other purposes. This was complied with, and the petition is dated June 25th, 1540. After this, the guilds of the several companies in the city, twenty in number, used to hear mass in the choir, and make their offerings in that place; and most of them held their feasts in the hall.
In 1544, Henry Fuller, Esq., being then mayor, kept the first mayor’s feast in grand style in the new hall. In 1561, the Earls of Northumberland and Huntingdon, the Lord Thomas Howard, and Lord Willoughby, with many other lords and knights, came to Norwich to visit the Duke of Norfolk, and they lodged at the Duke’s palace. At that very time the mayor’s feast was held; and William Mingay, then mayor, invited the noble lords and their ladies to the banquet. They accepted the invitation, and were entertained in princely style; and they expressed great p. 53satisfaction with their reception. After dinner, Mr. John Martin, a wealthy citizen, delivered the following characteristic speech:—
“Maister Mayor of Norwich, and it please your Worship, you have feasted us like a King. God bless the Queen’s Grace. We have fed plentifully; and now, whilom I can speak plain English, I heartily thank you Maister Mayor; and so do we all. Answer, Boys, Answer. Your Beer is pleasant & potent, and will soon catch us by the caput, and stop our manners: And so Huzza for the Queen’s Majesty’s Grace, and all her bonny-brow’d Dames of Honour. Huzza for Maister Mayor and our good Dame Mayoress. His noble grace, there he is, [53] God bless him, and all this jolly company. To all our friends round county, who have a penny in their purse, and an English heart in their bodies, to keep out Spanish Dons, and Papists with their faggots to burn our whiskers. Shove it about, twirl your cap cases, handle your jugs, and Huzza for Maister Mayor, and his brethren, their Worships.”
On many subsequent occasions, the hall was the scene of grand civic festivities, to which we shall have to allude hereafter.
The Triennial Musical Festivals are held here. And, formerly, the assizes for the city; the nomination of candidates to represent the city in Parliament; and the mayor’s feasts, which were generally given on the day when he was sworn into office, were also all held in this spacious building; and on some festive occasions, nearly 1000 ladies and gentlemen have dined here, including most of the principal families of the p. 54city. Several times between 1650 and 1700 the hall was proclaimed “a public exchange for the despatch of business between merchants and tradesmen.” The last time was in 1725, when it was used only one year. It was opened in October, 1796, as a corn exchange and continued to be used as such every Saturday till 1828. Under the superintendance of Mr. Barry, the City Surveyor, a complete restoration of the hall was effected in 1863.
The exterior of the hall, as seen from the plain, presents an imposing appearance, chiefly owing to the fine effect of its long range of clerestory windows, of which there are fourteen on each side. The five westernmost windows on the south side are each of three lights, of decorated character, being of earlier date than any of the other windows. The sixth or easternmost window is of four lights, perpendicular in style. On the north side are six beautiful perpendicular windows of four lights, probably the most elegant in style in the eastern counties. The principal entrance is through the new porch on the south-west, which is similar in style to the original building. A large entrance door is provided in the centre of the west front, and above this there is a large and beautiful five-light window, producing a fine effect in the interior of the hall. The interior consists of a nave, 124 feet by 32 feet; and north and south aisles, 124 feet by 16 feet, each being divided from the nave by six lofty and handsomely-moulded stone columns, supporting seven elegant stone arches. Above these arches are the clerestory windows, fourteen on each p. 55side, perpendicular in style, and somewhat later in character than the other windows. The roof, which is of chestnut, is of hammer-beam construction, with moulded spandrel brackets and circular shafts. From the hammer-beams spring moulded arch ribs. The rafters, which were originally visible, are plastered on the underside, giving the effect of panelling; the ground-work being intense blue with gilded stars. The hollows in the whole of the timber are coloured vermillion, and gilded pateræ are inserted within these hollows at stated distances. The circular ribs are finished with a bead on the underside, which is decorated by spiral bands, alternately drab and oak colours. The intersection of the main timbers at the apex of the roof is distinguished by carved bosses, richly gilt. The aisle roofs are similarly decorated, but without the gilded pateræ. At the east end the orchestra is placed within a recess, under a fine deeply-moulded stone arch, of large size.
The nave and aisles are lighted at night by nine polished brass coronæ, of characteristic design, pendant from the centres of the arched ribs of the roof. When lighted up at night, during the Choral Society and Festival Concerts, the interior presents a very brilliant appearance. Amongst the principal attractions of the hall are the portraits of city worthies and some historical paintings. A fine work of art, Queen Eleonora sucking the poison from her husband’s wound; and another, the Death of Lady Jane Grey, by Martin, a native of this city; may be seen at the west end. Large sums have been offered for p. 56them. The two oldest portraits in the hall are Queen Anne and Prince George of Denmark. A fine portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson, painted by Sir William Beechey, was the last for which the illustrious “Norfolk Hero” sat after his return to England in 1801. It is allowed to be an admirable likeness. He is standing on the quarter deck of a man of war; the tri-coloured flag of France is lying at his feet; and the flag of Spain lies on a cannon; leaning against which is the sword of the Spanish Admiral, Don Xavier Winthysen, surrendered to him on February 14th, 1797. On the hero’s hat is the magnificent diamond Aigrette, or Plume of Triumph, and under it the rich pelisse of sable fur, both of which were presented to him by the Grand Seigneur. He is decorated with the red riband as Knight of the Bath, and with the blue riband and medal suspended therefrom, which are the Insignia of the Order of St. Ferdinand. On his breast are stars of the most honourable Order of the Bath, of the Grand Cross, of the Order of St. Ferdinand, and of the Imperial Order of the Crescent Suspended from his neck by a riband, hang two gold chains, and another is affixed to his button hole on the right side, all of which had been presented to him, at various times, for his unparalleled naval victories.
“Such honours England to her hero paid,
And peaceful sleeps the mighty Nelson’s shade.”
This superb painting may be seen at the west end of the hall on the north side. Gainsborough painted the portrait of Sir Harbord Harbord, afterwards Lord p. 57Suffield, considered one of the best in the hall. Amongst the other portraits in the building are some painted by Gainsborough, Beechey, Heins, Smith, Bardwell, Stoppelaer, Adolphe, Opie, Clover, Hoppner, Lawrence, and Thompson. The following is a list in chronological order, with names of the painters.
Name. |
|
Artist. |
Date of Picture. |
Queen Anne |
|
|
1705 |
Prince George |
|
|
1705 |
Benjamin Nuthall |
Mayor |
Heins |
1721 |
Robert Marsh |
Mayor |
Heins |
1731 |
Francis Arnam |
Mayor |
Heins |
1732 |
Timothy Balderstone |
Mayor |
Heins |
1736 |
Thomas Vere, M.P. |
Mayor |
Heins |
1736 |
Thomas Harwood |
Mayor |
Heins |
1737 |
Robert Harvey |
Mayor |
Smith |
1738 |
William Clarke |
Mayor |
Heins |
1740 |
Hon. Horace Walpole, M. P. |
|
Heins |
1741 |
William Wiggett |
Mayor |
Heins |
1743 |
Robert Earl of Orford |
|
Heins |
1743 |
John Lord Hobart |
|
Heins |
1743 |
Simeon Waller |
Mayor |
Heins |
1746 |
William Crowe |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1746 |
Thomas Harvey |
Mayor |
Heins |
1749 |
Thomas Hurnard |
Mayor |
Heins |
1752 |
John Press |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1753 |
John Gay |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1755 |
Peter Columbine |
Mayor |
Stoppelaer |
1755 |
Jeremiah Ives, Sen. |
Mayor |
Stoppelaer |
1756 |
Nockold Thompson |
Mayor |
Heins |
1756 |
John Goodman |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1757 |
Robert Rogers |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1758 |
John Spurrell |
Mayor |
Smith |
1758 |
Sir Thomas Churchman, Knt. |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1761 |
Jeremiah Harcourt |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1762 |
Benjamin Hancock |
Mayor |
Adolphe |
1764 |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1764 |
|
James Poole |
Mayor |
Bardwell |
1765 |
Thomas Starling |
Mayor |
Williams |
1767 |
Jeremiah Ives, Jun. |
Mayor |
Catton |
1781 |
Sir Harbord Harbord, Bt., M.P. |
|
Gainsborough |
1783 |
Robert Partridge |
Mayor |
Beechey |
1784 |
Edward and Eleonora |
|
Martin |
1787 |
Lady Jane Grey |
|
Martin |
1787 |
John Patteson |
Mayor |
Beechey |
1797 |
John Harvey |
Mayor |
Opie |
1797 |
John Herring |
Mayor |
Opie |
1799 |
Horatio Lord Nelson |
|
Beechey |
1801 |
Rt. Hon. Henry Hobart, M.P. |
|
Opie |
1802 |
Rt. Hon. W. Windham, M.P. |
|
Hoppner |
1803 |
Charles Harvey, M.P. |
Recorder |
Lawrence |
1804 |
Thomas Back |
Mayor |
Glover |
1809 |
Barnabas Leman |
Mayor |
Glover |
1813 |
William Smith, M.P. |
|
Thompson |
1814 |
Sir J. P. Yallop |
Mayor |
Clint |
1815 |
William Hankes |
Mayor |
Clint |
1816 |
Crisp Brown |
Mayor |
Glover |
1817 |
Robert Hawkes |
Mayor |
Haydon |
1822 |
J. S. Patteson, Jun. |
Mayor |
Beechey |
1823 |
Henry Francis |
Mayor |
Lane |
1824 |
William Simpson |
Town Clerk |
Phillips |
1826 |
Charles Turner |
Mayor |
Briggs |
1835 |
T. O. Springfield |
Mayor |
Westcott |
1852 |
Sir Samuel Bignold, Knt. |
Mayor |
J. P. Knight |
1853 |
Rt. Hon. Lord Stafford |
|
J. P. Knight |
1868 |
And over the west window is festooned the Flag of France taken by Lord Nelson from the ship Genereux in 1800.
The Corn Exchange is situated in Exchange Street, which commences at the north end of the Market Place. The original building, which was erected in p. 591828, at a cost of £6000, being found too small, was taken down in 1861, and the present spacious edifice was built by a company at a cost of £16,000, including the site. The exterior is massive in its effect. The key stone of the large window has a carved head of Ceres. The interior is well lighted from the roof, the superficial area of the glass being equal to the area of the hall. The inside measurement is 125 feet by 81 feet. The height from the floor is 66 feet. At the east end are portraits of John Culley, Esq., the originator of the Exchange, and of the late Earl of Leicester, who was justly regarded as the greatest farmer in Norfolk. A large amount of business is transacted here every Saturday afternoon.
The Norwich Public Library is located in a spacious room built for the purpose at the end of an avenue opposite the Guildhall. The first meeting of subscribers was held there on September 7th, 1837. The library contains about 30,000 volumes, including many old books of divinity and archæology. The yearly subscription is one guinea paid by shareholders, and 26s. paid by others; and subscribers are entitled to borrow two sets of books at a time. The library is open from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. Besides the large room which contains the books, there are smaller rooms for the convenience of readers. Mr. Langton is the librarian.
is a fine building, erected in 1839, in Broad Street, St. Andrew’s. It contains very valuable collections in geology, ethnology, and entomology, but chiefly in ornithology. The specimens in ornithology comprise nearly all the varieties of the raptores or birds of prey, mostly supplied by J. H. Gurney, Esq. A large new room in the adjoining building is filled with specimens of British birds, also contributed by J. H. Gurney, Esq., whose portrait adorns the room. The fossil remains of mammalia, for the most part discovered in Norfolk, are extremely interesting. Two other spacious rooms have just been added to the Museum, one of which is filled with Elephantine Remains, contributed by the Rev. Jno. Gunn; and the botanical department has been enriched by the late J. D. Salmon’s well-arranged specimens, bequeathed by him to this institution, which is open free on Mondays and Saturdays.
occupies the upper part of the same building as the Museum, and a large room in the adjoining one. It was established in 1822, and contains more than 20,000 well-selected volumes in the various departments of literature. It is supported by several hundred subscribers who pay two guineas yearly, and the shareholders pay a guinea and a half yearly. Every p. 61member has the privilege of borrowing two books, and a pamphlet and review at the same time. A greater number is allowed to country members, as well as a longer time for reading. The rooms are open from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. Mr. F. Quinton is the librarian.
This is a large building at the corner of St. Andrew’s Broad Street; erected in 1856, and opened in 1857, under the Free Libraries and Museum Act, by the Corporation, at a cost of £10,000. It includes large rooms for the Museum and the Free Library, the Literary Institution, and the School of Art. The Free Library, in the lower room, contains about 4,000 volumes, and the Old Collection called the City Library. The middle room above is fitted up as a lecture hall. The School of Art is located at the top of the building, where rooms are furnished for about 200 pupils, who receive instruction in drawing, designing, and decorative art. There is a committee of management for the Free Library, another for the Museum, and another for the School of Art. Mr. Harper is the librarian.
is situate at a short distance from the Market Place, in Theatre Street. It is a very plain building, erected in 1826, but the interior is quite commodious enough for the limited number of patrons which Norwich furnishes to the drama.
is a large, but by no means handsome building; situate in Post Office Street, near the Market Place. There are two deliveries from London daily, and mails daily to all parts of the kingdom.
Norwich appears to have taken the lead in the erection of religious edifices. At a very early period, before the reign of Edward the Confessor, the city contained 25 churches, and in the eleventh century, 55 existed in or near the town. After the conquest, 43 chapels were in the patronage of the burgesses, most of which were afterwards made parochial. In the reign of Edward III., 58 parish churches and chapels were within the walls, besides 19 monastic institutions and cells, anchorages, &c. Norwich still contains a greater number of churches and parishes than any other city in England except London. Many of the present churches are excellent specimens of ancient architecture. Several of them are built of squared flints. Besides the cathedral there are three undoubted specimens of the Norman style, and there are also many examples of the decorated or florid which succeeded the lancet style, of the transition style, and of the perpendicular. This later perpendicular style, which prevailed during the 15th and 16th centuries, is the chief characteristic of the city churches. The best examples of this style are the p. 63churches of St. Peter Mancroft, St. Andrew, St. Stephen, St. Giles, and St. John Maddermarket; also St. Andrew’s Hall. Of all these churches complete restorations have been lately effected. The original designs have been faithfully adhered to by the architects and contractors, which is the highest praise that can be awarded them. In this age we can only restore or rebuild; we cannot invent new orders of architecture. All our restorations take us back to the middle ages, and the spirit of those ages seems to be again revived in our parish churches.
We shall now proceed to describe the parishes and parish churches, in four districts, west, east, north, and south.
The western district is the most prominent, comprising the Market Place, the parishes of St. Peter at Mancroft, St. Giles, St. Gregory, St. John’s Maddermarket, St. Andrew, St. Margaret, St. Benedict, St. Swithin, and St. Lawrence. Nearly all the public buildings are situated in this part of the town—the Guildhall, the Corn Hall, the Post Office, the Museum, the Free Library and School of Art, the Public Library, and the Literary Institution. The Market Place is about 200 yards in length, and 110 in breadth, but part of that area is occupied by the Guildhall, and St. Peter’s church. A handsome bronze statue of the Duke of Wellington, 8 ft 6 in. high, was erected, at a cost of £1000, in the middle of p. 64the Market Place in 1854. This statue is placed on a granite pedestal, surrounded by a low railing with lamps at the corners. The new Fish Market is on the western side of the Market Place. It consists of two rows of shops with an open space between, and was built, a few years ago, at a cost of £6000. On Saturdays the Market Place presents a highly animated scene, and is well supplied with provisions of every kind. It is generally crowded from morning till night by the citizens, and by the vendors of the produce of the field, the garden, or the dairy. It is surrounded by handsome shops, warehouses, hotels, and taverns.
This parish was, at the beginning of the Confessor’s reign, an open field, that part of it which is now the Market Place, being the great croft of the Castle or Magna Crofta. Towards the end of the Confessor’s reign it began to be built over and inhabited; and at the survey of 1086, the whole field was owned and held by Ralf de Guader, Earl of Norfolk, in right of his castle, who granted it to the King in Common to make a new burgh between them, which burgh contained the entire parishes of St. Peter of Mancroft and St. Giles. The Earl Ralf founded the church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Mancroft, and gave it to his chaplains. On his forfeiture, Robert Blund, the Sheriff, received an ounce of gold, yearly, from the chaplains; and on Godric’s becoming sheriff, the Conqueror p. 65gave it to Wala his chaplain, at which time it was worth £3 per annum.
Sir Peter Read, though not certainly known to be a native of this city, yet deserves to be mentioned here, because he was buried in St. Peter’s Church, having this inscription on his monument:—
“Hereunder lieth the corps of Peter Read, Esq., who hath worthily served not only his prince and country, but also the Emperor Charles the Fifth, both at his Conquest of Barbary, and his siege of Tunis, as also in other places, who had given him, by the said Emperor, the Order of Barbary, who died on the 29th December, in the year of our Lord God 1566.”
If it be demanded why the title of “knight” was not put on his tomb, but only “esquire,” it may be answered that he was knighted by the Emperor Charles V., and Queen Elizabeth would suffer no foreign honour to be worn by her subjects in her dominions, saying, “Her sheep should be known by her mark only.” The knight lies buried in the east corner of the north aisle of this church. His effigy in complete armour is on a brass plate on the stone. He gave £4 4s. yearly from the rental of houses in St. Giles’, that the great bell of St. Peter’s Mancroft Church should ring at four o’clock every morning and eight in the evening for the benefit of travellers.
The following epitaph in this church is a specimen of good versification for the time in which it was written, 1616:—
“Here Richard Anguishe sleepes for whom alyve
Norwich and Cambridge lately seemed to strive;
p. 66Both called him son as seemed well they might;
Both challenged in his life an equal right:
Norwich gave birth and taught him well to speake
The mother English, Latin phrase, and Greeke;
Cambridge with arts adorned his ripening age
Degress and judgment in the sacred page;
Yet Norwich gains the vantage of the strife,
Whiles there he ended where began his life.September XXIII. Ao Dni. 1616.”
The church is a large handsome cruciform structure of freestone mixed with flint, begun in 1430 and finished in 1455. It is a good example of the perpendicular style, and is the finest parish church in the city. It is 212 feet in length, and 70 feet in breadth, with a noble tower 98 feet high, covered with paneling, and containing an excellent peal of 12 bells, a clock, and chimes. The bells weigh 183 cwt. 2 qrs. 14 lbs., and were exchanged for an old peal of ten in 1775, at a cost of £800 raised by public subscription.
The clustered pillars supporting the roof, with the arches surmounting them, are lofty and slender, and the windows are large and numerous, so that the whole interior has a light and airy appearance. The roof of the nave is of fine open timber work, with a sort of wooden vault over each window, like a stone roof. The Clerestory has seventeen fine windows on each side, with short transoms in the heads, and good tracery. The vaulting shafts are brought down to the bottom of the clerestory windows, and have niches under them. There is a chancel or small transept on each side of the nave. The font stands under a perpendicular canopy, supported by pillars, and forming p. 67a baptistry on a raised platform, with room to walk round the font. The east window is filled with beautiful stained glass, mostly ancient. There are some fine paintings in the vestry. The church was restored, the old pews were replaced by open oak benches, and a new pulpit, reading desk, and altar rail, handsomely carved, were purchased in 1851. During the alterations, a vault four or five feet deep was discovered under the stalls of the choir. The outer wall of this vault supported the screen dividing the choir from the nave and aisles, and contained a range of about a dozen earthen jars, placed on their sides with their mouths open to the vault. The use of these jars has never been ascertained. The benefice is a perpetual curacy certified at £10, and now valued at £87. It was augmented in 1746 with £200 given by the Rev. J. Francis, with £100 of royal bounty from 1742 to 1810, and with £400 subscribed by the minister and parishioners in 1818. The Rev. C. Turner, M.A., is incumbent.
St. Giles’ Street, west of the Market Place, is one of the best built in the city, and leads to the small parish of St. Giles. The church, near the top of the street, was founded in the reign of William I. by Elwyn the priest, who gave it to the monks of Norwich. Consequently it is now in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter. It is frequently called “St. Giles on the Hill” in ancient records. It is a fine structure in the p. 68perpendicular style, and is one of the handsomest old churches in the city. It was wholly rebuilt in the reign of Richard I., but after 1581 the old chancel was demolished. A new chancel has been recently built, and the church completely restored. The nave is of five bays, and has a good open timber roof, supported by angels bearing shields, emblazoned with the arms of England, France, and Castile. The clerestory windows have been modernised. The south porch has a fine groined vault with fan tracery, and is surmounted by a parvise, and a rich parapet and cornice. The nave and aisles are 81 feet long, divided by slender pillars, and are lighted by large and elegant windows. The tower is 120 feet high, and contains a clock and eight bells. The church estate consists of small tenements given by Thomas Parker in 1534. The perpetual curacy, valued at £70, was augmented from 1744 to 1791 with £1000 of Queen Anne’s bounty. The Rev. W. Nottidge Ripley, M.A., is the incumbent.
Passing from the Market Place to Pottergate Street we come to the parish of
The church is a fine structure of great antiquity, in the perpendicular style. The chancel was rebuilt in 1325, and the whole pile has received many modern repairs. The nave and aisles, with the two chapels at the east end, were new leaded in 1537. In 1597, a timber spire covered with lead was erected on the p. 69tower, and was the only spire in Norwich, except that of the Cathedral, but being unsafe, it was taken down. The tower contains a clock and six bells, the latter given by the parishioners in 1818. The tower arch is very lofty, and across it is the original stone gallery for the singers, with groined vaults above and beneath, the lower part forming a western porch opening into the north and south porches, which are also groined. There are four well moulded arches on each side of the nave, with clustered shafts having embattled caps. The rood stair turret remains on the north side of the edifice. The clerestory windows have decorated tracery, and the windows of the aisles are of a mixed character under arches recessed in the walls. In 1861, Mr. Wm. Smith, and the incumbent collected £800 for the purpose of restoring the church and reseating it in oak. The perpetual curacy was certified at £3, and is now valued at £120. It was augmented from 1747 to 1812 with £1400 of royal bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The present incumbent is the Rev. J. Wortley.
is a very populous parish near the Market Place, between Pottergate Street and Charing Cross. The church is a large handsome edifice in the perpendicular style, consisting of a nave, two aisles, two porches, and a fine tower, under which is an arched rood, and on the top are four figures at the angles. The fine decorated east window is of five lights with flowing p. 70tracery. The north porch has a richly-groined vault, and its outer doorway is deeply recessed. The roofs of the chapel of All Saints at the east end of the north aisle, and of St. Mary the Virgin in the south aisle, are boarded under and painted with angels holding books and scrolls, with sentences from the Te Deum, the Angelical Salutation, &c. The church has been completely restored recently at a cost of £1200. Lady Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk, (second wife of the Duke, who was beheaded in Elizabeth’s reign,) died at the Duke’s Palace, in this parish, in 1563, and was interred with great pomp on the north side of the choir, where a mural monument was erected to her memory in 1791 by Lord John Howard of Waldon. The benefice is a discharged rectory, valued in K. B. at £7 10s. 2d., and now at £110. It was augmented from 1714 to 1814 with £1800 of royal bounty. It is in the patronage of New College, Oxford, to which it was granted by Henry VI. The Rev. G. F. Price is the present incumbent.
The parish of St. Andrew is extensive, and populous, and improvements have been made in some of the streets, where large premises have been built. The church in Broad Street, to which it gives its name, is a fine large perpendicular structure, consisting of nave, chancel, aisles, clerestory, and tower. The latter, which has seven bells and a clock, was rebuilt in 1478, and the nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1606. The p. 71window at the east end is filled with stained glass. There are sedilia for three priests in the chancel, and several old stalls with “misereres.” The interior contains many ancient as well as modern monuments and inscriptions. The whole of the interior has been recently restored and renovated, and furnished with open benches instead of the old pews. The gallery, which obscured the noble tower arch, was removed in 1863, and the fine screen work, so long hidden, brought to light. There is no chancel arch, but the rood stair turret still remains on the south side; and under the east window, externally, are some good niches and panels. A beautiful carved stone reredos was erected in 1850 by subscription in memory of the late Rev. James Brown, B.D., who was the esteemed incumbent of this parish from 1807 to 1856. The benefice is a perpetual curacy valued in 1831 at £90, and augmented from 1756 to 1786 with £800 of Queen Anne’s bounty, and with a grant of £600 in 1815. The church estate is let in long leases, for £22 16s. yearly. The parishioners are the patrons. The Rev. A. C. Copeman, M.A., incumbent. In this parish, on St. Andrew’s Hill, stood one of the oldest churches in this city, dedicated to St. Christopher. It was destroyed by fire in the reign of Henry VIII. Remains of old vaults may be traced in a line of vaults and crypts under the City Arms Tavern, and on the premises of Mr. Harman, Wine and Spirit Merchant, higher up the street on the east side.
The Old Bridewell, in this parish, was built by Bartholomew Appleyard about the year 1370. The p. 72north wall is 79 feet in length and 27 feet in height, and is considered one of the greatest curiosities of the kind in England. The flints are squared to such a nicety, that the edge of a knife can scarcely be put between them. Most of them are about three inches square. The surface is very smooth, and no brickwork can appear more regular. The building was nearly destroyed by fire on October 22nd, 1751, and again much damaged by fire on July 28th, 1753, but this curious wall sustained little injury. Mr. Talman says, “That the Jews introduced the art of squaring flints;” and Dr. Cromwell Mortimer, Secretary to the Royal Society, states that the gate of the Austin Friars at Canterbury, that of St. John’s Abbey at Colchester, and the gate near the Whitehall, Westminster, are in the same taste, but the platform on the top of the Royal Observatory at Paris, built in 1667, which is paved with flint in this manner, is an instance in proof that the French had recovered this art exemplified in the Old Bridewell here. William Appleyard, son of the builder, the first mayor of Norwich, occupied this house in 1403. After passing through many hands, it became the property of the late Mr. Newbegin, who converted it into a tobacco factory. His son, Mr. J. Newbegin, now holds the property, and has lately built a handsome wholesale tobacco warehouse on the premises next to the alley.
In Broad Street, St. Andrews, stood the ancient church of St. Crucis. It was dedicated to the honour of the Holy Cross, and was erected before the year 1272. It was desecrated in 1551, and the parish united to St. John’s Maddermarket.
St. Lawrence Church stands upon the very spot to which the arm of the sea rose in former times, when Norwich was merely a fishing town, and this spot was the quay or landing place for all herrings brought into the city. After the water had receded, the church was founded on the same site in the reign of Edward the Confessor, in the 10th century. In 1460, the original building was taken down, and the present one was erected twelve years afterwards. It consists of a nave, chancel, aisles, north and south porches, clerestory, and a tower 112 feet high, with six bells. The roof of the church is supported by clustered columns, the inside is light and regular, and the windows are large and well filled with tracery. They were formerly decorated with stained glass, all of which was demolished by the Puritans in 1643. There is here an ancient octangular font, ornamented with shields, angels, &c. In the spandrels of an arched door, in the western side of the church, are two ancient carvings, one representing the martyrdom of St. Lawrence broiling on a gridiron, and the other a number of Danish soldiers shooting arrows into the body of King Edmund, whose head is seen lying in a thicket, as described in the old legend. The Rev. E. A. Hillyard is the present incumbent.
St. Swithin’s Church, situated between upper and lower Westwick Street, is a neat building, containing a nave, two aisles, and tower. One side of the nave p. 74is supported by pointed arches on columns, and the other by round arches and square piers. The Chapel of St. Mary, at the east end of the north aisle, had an altar, and the guild of the Holy Virgin, called the tanner’s guild, was kept there. The rectory was anciently in the donation of the See of Norwich, and in the year 1200 was annexed to the deanery of Norwich, as were the churches of St. Simon and Jude, and Corstweyt, and the deanery of Taverham, and so held till 1329, when the deaneries were separated from the churches which were then perpetually united. But notwithstanding this union, in 1546 Bishop Rugge separated the advowson from the bishopric, and granted it to William Farrar and others. In 1608, John Ward was patron, who suffering a lapse, was by the bishop collated to it; and entry being made that the bishop had collated him in full right, it has ever since been supposed to be in the bishop’s patronage, and held by sequestration or license at the bishop’s nomination. During the cleaning of this Church in 1834, an ancient portrait of Edward the Confessor, painted on a panel, was found beneath one of the seats, where it is supposed to have been placed during the civil wars. The altar piece contains portraits of Moses and Aaron, and the church has an ancient font. The rectory, valued in K. B. at £6 3s. 4d., has been augmented, and is still in the patronage of the bishop.
The New Mills, as to a principal part of them, are in this parish. Formerly all the city bakers were obliged to grind here, and the miller, as a public servant, p. 75had a livery and badge given him every year. The mills are still the property of the city, and in 1706 were let, with the baker’s grant thereto belonging, for the term of 87 years, at the yearly rent of £200, but reduced in 1708 to £180. The Mills are now let to Mr. Wells, and produce a large quantity of flour weekly. Steam mills are now also at work in this locality, in the occupation of Messrs. Barber and Sons, who are also proprietors of Hellesdon Mills.
St. Margaret’s Church, in Westwick Street, has a square tower with a spacious nave, chancel, and south aisle. It is a plain building of the perpendicular period. The rood stair turret remains on the north side of the church, and on the south side of the altar is a small pedestal on which the bell that was rung at mass stood in former times. The rectory is valued at £80. The bishop is the patron, and the Rev. J. W. Cobb is the rector. The church which has been for some time disused, being in a very ruinous condition, has just been restored.
St. Benedict’s Church, at the end of the street to which it gives its name, is a small building with nave, chancel, north aisle, and round tower. The tower contains three bells, and in the chancel is a piscina. The church was repaired and re-roofed a few years p. 76since, at a cost of £150. The living is a perpetual curacy valued at £95, and was augmented by royal bounty. The Rev. J. Dombrain is the incumbent.
This side of the city has been greatly improved by the formation of a new road called Prince of Wales’ Road, from Foundry Bridge to the Castle Hill. Handsome houses have been built on each side, and broad pavements laid down. Rose Lane has been widened and improved. The Castle Meadow has been adorned by the erection of a new bank called the Crown Bank, a very handsome building in the Corinthian style of architecture. This is the finest building of the kind in the eastern counties.
The Cavalry Barracks are situated in Barrack Street on the east side of the city, on the site of an old manor house. They were built by the government in 1791 at a cost of £20,000. The buildings are of brick, and form three sides of a square, the centre being for the accommodation of the officers. The wings accommodate the soldiers to the extent of 320 men, and 266 horses. The high wall which surrounds the entire barracks, including the parade ground, encloses an area of ten acres.
The Dungeon Tower is opposite the barracks, on land called “The Hospital Meadow.” It is a large round tower of brick, originally surrounded by a battlement. It was built as a prison for the cathedral p. 77precincts. The Norfolk Railway Station stands in the hamlet of Thorpe near the Foundry Bridge.
The Church of St. Michael at Plea is at the top of Queen Street. This church was so named from the Archdeacon holding his pleas or courts there. It is a cruciform church with a low flint tower, and a modern bell turret. Its transepts were formerly chapels dedicated to St. John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary. It contains several old paintings of the crucifixion, resurrection, &c., in the panels. About two years ago the tower was restored at a cost of £250. The rectory, valued in K. B. at £6 10s., and in 1831 at £85, was augmented with £600 of Queen Anne’s bounty from 1774 to 1791, and with a parliamentary grant of £1000 in 1816. The lords of the manors of Sprowston and Horsford are patrons alternately. The Rev. C. Morse, LL.B., is the incumbent.
The Church of St. George Tombland stands at the end of Prince’s Street, and is so named from the open space near it having formerly been used as a burying place. It has a handsome square tower which contains five bells, and was erected by the parishioners in 1445. The nave, aisles, and chancel are covered with lead, and have some spacious galleries and ornamental p. 78inscriptions of ancient and modern times. The building is chiefly of the perpendicular period, but some portions are of an older date. Three new memorial windows were recently inserted on the north side. Messrs. J. and J. King, Prince’s Street, put in the stained glass. The Rev. W. Bridge was ejected from the incumbency of this parish for refusing to read the Book of Sports. He afterwards became pastor of the Old Meeting House. The churchyard has been planted with shrubs, and if a neat iron railing were substituted for the present wall, it would greatly improve the appearance of Tombland. The Rev. K. Trimmer is the incumbent.
St. Peter Hungate Church is in the same street at the top of Elm Hill. The original church was demolished in 1458, when the present one was built. It was built by John Paston and Margaret his wife. It is of black flint in the form of a cross, having a nave, chancel, transepts, and square tower with two bells. The roof of the nave is ornamented with figures of angels. In 1861 the interior was much improved. The rectory of St. Peter Hungate, valued in K.B. at £3 1s. 5½d., and now at £63, was augmented from 1743 to 1810 with £600 of royal bounty. The Lord Chancellor is patron, and the Rev. S. Titlow, M.A., has been rector since 1839.
St. Simon and Jude’s Church in Wensum Street has a nave, a chancel, and a low flint and stone tower, with five bells. It is in the perpendicular style, and is of great antiquity. It contains a few old brasses, and several monuments of the Pettus family, in one of which lies, in complete armour, the figure of Sir J. Pettus, the first of the family who was knighted. The Rev. J. F. Osborne is the incumbent.
St. Martin at Palace Church stands opposite the entrance to the Bishop’s Palace. It has a nave with aisles, chancel with aisles, clerestory, and a tower with five bells. It is of the plain perpendicular style, and contains a good panelled octagon font. The east window of the chancel is filled with stained glass, representing the adoration of the magi, the annunciation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of our Saviour, &c. The living is a perpetual curacy valued at £70, and augmented from 1743 to 1813 with £1800 of royal bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. R. W. Barker is incumbent.
The parish of St. Helen is situated on the east side of the cathedral, and nearly the whole of the parish belongs to the Great Hospital, which is an extensive range of buildings, comprising the antique remains of p. 80the dissolved hospital of St. Giles, and several modern additions erected at various periods, for the accommodation of the alms people who have been increased in number progressively with the augmentation of the income. In 1850, ninety-two men, and eighty-two women were lodged, fed, and clothed at the expense of the charity, which also supports a master and ten nurses. The alms people must be of the age of 65 years or upwards before their admission. They are clothed in dark blue, and allowed sixpence per week each for pocket money.
St. Helen’s Church in Bishopgate Street belonged to the monks, who demolished it and consolidated the cure with the church of St. Giles’ Hospital, now called the Great Hospital, on the opposite side of the street, soon after the foundation of the latter by Bishop Suffield in 1250. The whole of this hospital church, which serves as the parish church of St. Helen, is still standing. It has a square perpendicular tower at the south-west corner, containing one bell. The greater part of the pile has been converted into lodgings for the alms people. The church is fitted up with gothic carved work and open seats. Kirkpatrick, the antiquary, is buried here. The perpetual curacy received by lot £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty in 1816, and was valued in 1831 at £16 exclusive of the glebe house, but is now worth £200 per annum. The City Charity Trustees are patrons. The Rev. W. F. Patteson, incumbent.
p. 81In King Street are the churches of St. Peter per Mountergate, St. Julian, St. Etheldred, and St. Peter Southgate, all ancient edifices.
St. Peter per Mountergate derives the latter part of its name from a gate formerly placed near the churchyard, at the foot of the Castle mount. The old church is in the perpendicular style, and has a nave, chancel, south porch with parvise, and a square embattled tower, with five bells and a clock. The building has been recently restored and fitted up with open benches, those in the nave being stained deal, and in the chancel oak. The famous Thomas Codd, who was Mayor of Norwich during Kett’s Rebellion, and who was a great benefactor to the city, was interred in the nave. The benefice is now a perpetual curacy, valued at £78, and augmented with £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty in 1766, and with a parliamentary grant of £800 in 1812. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. John Durst, incumbent.
St. Julian’s Church, in King Street, is a very small ancient structure, founded before the conquest, and comprises nave, chancel, north porch, and tower. It is principally of the Norman period, and most of the windows are decorated and perpendicular insertions. The tower, which is ruined, has a deeply recessed Norman arch, slightly pointed, and having shafts with p. 82caps and bases. It has also a small Norman loop window in the thickness of the wall splayed both inside and outside. The south doorway is a very fine specimen of Norman architecture, and was restored in 1845, when the chancel was rebuilt and the church thoroughly restored at a cost of £500. The east window was at the same time filled with stained glass, representing our Saviour seated and surrounded by the evangelists. The font is perpendicular in style, cup-shaped and panelled. There was a hermitage for a female recluse in the churchyard, but it was demolished at the dissolution. The rectory, certified at £19 3s. 1d., has been long consolidated with All Saints. The Rev. C. F. Sculthorpe, M.A., is patron.
St. Etheldred’s Church, in King Street, is supposed to be one of the oldest structures in the city, and had in its burial ground a very ancient anchorage, which continued till after the Reformation. It is a small building with a nave, chancel, and tower. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, certified at £2 14s., and valued at £77. It was augmented from 1745 to 1802 with £800 of Queen Anne’s bounty. The Trustees of the Great Hospital are patrons. The Rev. W. Bishop is the present incumbent.
The parish of St. Etheldred seems to have been one of the parishes of the Anglo Saxon period, and in it formerly were the houses of many families of distinction, including the residences of Sir Thomas de p. 83Helgheton, of Henry de Norwich, of the Abbot of Wymondham, of Sir James Hobart, and of Sir Robert de Sulle, who was killed by the rebels in the reign of Edward III. No remains of these houses now exist. All along the east side of King Street, next the river, there is a line of vaults, which seem to have formed the foundations of old churches now demolished. The Old Music House still stands in King Street, in the parish of St. Etheldred, and on its site formerly stood the house of one of the rich Jews, who settled here in the reign of William Rufus. It afterwards became the property of his grandson Isaac, at whose death it was escheated to the crown. Henry III. gave it to Sir William de Valeres, Knt., and in 1290 it was the residence of Alan de Frestons, Archdeacon of Norfolk, who had a public chapel there. In 1626, it belonged to John Paston, Esq., and in 1633 it was the city house of Chief Justice Coke. The present house is not older than the 17th century. Under it there are very extensive vaults of a more ancient date, now occupied by Messrs. Youngs, Crawshay, and Youngs, as ale stores.
St. Peter Southgate, near the south end of King Street, is an ancient church, with a nave, chancel, north chapel, south porch, and a square flint tower, in which are three bells. The windows are chiefly square headed, and the architecture is of the late perpendicular period. There is a good cross on the east p. 84gable. Part of an old screen remains in front of the north chapel. The Rev. W. Bishop is the incumbent.
Carrow Works, at the top of King Street, are the most extensive in England for the production of flour, starch, mustard, and blue. The works cover an area of five acres. They are conveniently situated on the banks of the Yare, and are permeated by trams from the Great Eastern Railway. Here are large flour mills, starch mills, and mustard mills, in which 1200 hands are employed. Steam engines to the enormous amount of 400 horse power are used to drive the machinery. About 100 tons of goods are produced here weekly, and sent away by rail to all parts of England, Europe, and America. A large number of hands are engaged in making the tins and wooden boxes in which most of the mustard is packed. We visited Carrow Works chiefly to see the mustard, starch, and blue factories; but we were tempted to take a peep at the great flour mill which has been erected by Messrs. J. and J. Colman, and which for magnitude and completeness has few equals. The machinery in this mill is driven by a magnificent pair of engines of 80 horse power. The Mayor for the present year, 1868, J. J. Colman, Esq., is the principal proprietor of these great works, and he has built many houses all around for his work-people, and also schools for their children at a cost of £2000.
A Nunnery formerly stood outside of King Street Gates, and was called Carrow Abbey, from “carr” a watering place, and “hoe” a hill. This abbey was p. 85dedicated to St. Michael and St. John. It was founded in the year 1146 by two ladies named Leftelina and Seyna. It was richly endowed by King Stephen, and consisted of a prioress and nine benedictine black nuns, afterwards increased to twelve. The site within the walls contained about ten acres of land, and the revenues and possessions were extensive. At the dissolution the abbey and lands became private property. J. H. Tillett, Esq., is the present occupier.
This district includes all the parishes from the north-west to the north-east side of the river Wensum; and comprises the parishes of St. Michael at Coslany, St. Martin at Oak, St. Augustine, St. Mary, St. George’s Colegate, St. Clement, St. Saviour, St. Paul, St. James, and St. Edmund. On the north side we enter the oldest part of the city, which seems to have been always chosen by the poorest portion of the population, near the great factories, which stand high above all the surrounding poverty-stricken dwellings.
St. Michael at Coslany, commonly called St. Miles’, is a spacious church, with a lofty square tower and eight musical bells. The nave was rebuilt by John and Stephen Stallon, who were sheriffs in 1511 and 1512. The south aisle was begun by Gregory Clark, and was finished by his son, who was Mayor in 1514. The p. 86interior is handsomely decorated. At the east end of the south aisle there is a chapel, founded by Robert Thorp in the reign of Henry VII., encrusted externally with black flints, like inlaid work. The altar piece, by Heins, represents the Resurrection and the Four Evangelists, and the floor is paved with black and white marble, brought from the domestic chapel at Oxnead. There are a few ancient brasses and modern mural monuments. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £13 6s. 8d. and now at £117, was augmented in 1738 with £200 bequeathed by the Rev. E. Brooke; in 1818, with £200 given by the late rector; and from 1738 to 1818 with £1000 of royal bounty. Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, had the patronage of the living, which was usually given to the oldest bachelor of that college. It has recently been purchased by the Rev. E. Hollond, Benhall Lodge, Suffolk. The Rev. R. H. Kidd is the incumbent.
The parish of St. Martin at Oak, in Coslany Street, and the whole neighbourhood, is a very old part of the city, full of very poor people. The church derived its name from a large oak which formerly stood in the churchyard. This was much visited during the reign of superstition, and many legacies were given towards painting, repairing, and dressing the image of St. Mary in the Oak. Another oak was planted on the same spot in 1656, but that now growing was planted p. 87eight years ago. The church is built of flint and stone in the perpendicular style, and contains some good piers. In 1852, the chancel was rebuilt and a new organ was placed in the church; and in 1862, plain open benches were substituted for the old pews in the chancel. There are a few monuments and brasses in the church, and in one of the former are effigies of Jeremiah Ravens and his wife in alabaster. She died in 1711, and he in 1727. The south porch is now used as a vestry, and the outer doorway is built up. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, certified at 20s., and now valued at £102. It was augmented with £200 given by William Nockells in 1722, and £1000 of royal bounty obtained from 1723 to 1824. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. Rev. C. Caldwell, B.A., the esteemed incumbent, is much respected for his kindness to the poor.
From St. Martin at Oak we pass onward into St. Augustine’s, where we find various factories and a very populous neighbourhood. The church, on the east side of the Gildencroft, is in the perpendicular style, and consists of a nave with aisles, chancel with aisles, south porch and tower. The tower contains a clock and three bells. The roof of the north aisle of the chancel is finely carved, and the clerestory is built of flint. In the south aisle of the nave is a marble monument in memory of Thomas Clabburn, manufacturer, who died in 1858. It was erected by p. 88the subscriptions of more than 600 weavers of Norwich as a tribute to his many virtues. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £6 7s. 8½d. and now at £150, was augmented in 1781 with £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty, and in 1810, 1811, and 1821, with £1400 in parliamentary grants. The Dean and Chapter are the patrons. The Rev. Matthew John Rackham is the incumbent.
From St. Augustine’s we pass down Pitt Street to the parish of St. Mary, inhabited chiefly by poor people. The church is a cruciform structure with a tall round tower of flint, containing six bells. There are no aisles. The south porch has a good groined vault and a richly moulded doorway, with a parvise or chamber above. The chancel has a panelled ceiling with rich perforated work. The pulpit is ancient and has tracery in the upper part of the panels, with the linen pattern below, and a perforated iron projection for the book rest. The font is octagonal, and has painted shields of arms in its upper panels. The rood-stair turret is at the intersection of the north transept and chancel. At the west end of the nave there is an old parish chest, and in the south transept there is a square-headed foliated piscina. Several ancient stalls are remaining, and in the north wall of the chancel there is a tombstone of the Elizabethan era, dated 1578, and having incised figures of Martin Vankermbeck, M.D., and his wife. The perpetual curacy was augmented, from 1733 to 1824, with £2200 p. 89of royal bounty, and is valued at £124. The Marquis of Townshend is patron. Rev. C. Morse, LL.B., is incumbent.
We pass on eastward to the parish of St. George’s Colegate, wherein are some of the best built streets on this side of the city. The church is a large structure rebuilt at different periods, viz., the tower and nave about 1459; the chancel in 1498; the north aisle with the chapel of St. Mary in 1504; and the south aisle with the chapel of St. Peter in 1513. The tower is lofty and has a clock and three bells. The rood-stair turret still remains on the south side. The east window is of three lights, and is filled with painted glass by Mr. Swan, with figures representing Faith, Hope, and Charity. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued at £98, and augmented from 1737 to 1792 with £1000 of Queen Anne’s bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. A. W. Durdin, incumbent. The memorial to John Crome, familiarly known to Norwich citizens, and to artists and connoisseurs in paintings as “Old Crome,” one of the most esteemed of our Norwich “worthies,” has just been placed in the church of St. George Colegate, in which parish he passed the latter years of his life, and in which he died soon after being chosen churchwarden, in the year 1821. The idea of erecting a monument to the memory of Crome originated in 1841, amongst some of his fellow-citizens who were p. 90lovers of the fine arts, but the subscriptions received up to 1844 appear only to have amounted to about twenty-six pounds. At the death of Mr. Lound, who had been receiving the subscriptions, in 1861, Mr. J. B. Morgan, determining to carry out the object of the subscribers, recommended the work of canvassing for subscriptions, which ultimately reached the sum of about £100. Funds having been raised, a committee of amateur artists was formed, who consulted Mr. Bell, an eminent sculptor, of London, and a native of this city, by whom a handsome mural tablet has been placed at the east end of the south aisle of St. George’s Church to the memory of Crome. This tablet, which is of white marble, is divided into three panels, the centre panel containing a bas-relief profile bust of John Crome. Judging from the portrait of Crome recently hung in the Council Chamber, this is an admirable likeness of the Norwich landscape painter. Beneath are the name “John Crome” in gold letters, and a palette and pencils; and above an elegantly carved laurel wreath. On one panel is the following: “Near this spot lie the remains of one of England’s greatest landscape painters, born in this city, December 21st, 1769, and died in this parish April 22nd, 1821;” and on the right-hand panel, “This memorial is erected forty-seven years after his death by admirers of his art, principally connected with Norfolk, his native county.”
p. 91St. Clement’s parish includes St. Clement Within and St. Clement Without. The population increased from 853 inhabitants in 1801 to nearly 4000 in 1861. This large increase occurred chiefly in the northern suburb of the city, called New Catton, which, in 1842, was constituted an ecclesiastical district, and assigned to Christ Church, a new edifice built there. Some centuries ago, several old churches, called St. Anne’s Chapel, All Saints, St. Botolph, and St. Margaret, existed in this parish, but no vestiges now remain.
St. Clement’s Church, in Colegate Street, is one of the oldest in the city, and belonged to the manor of Tokethorpe. It has a square tower with three bells, a nave without aisles, and a chancel, all in the perpendicular styles. The chancel contains four dedication crosses, and is separated from the nave by a fine arch. The tower arch is blocked by the organ and gallery. The communion plate weighs 88 ozs., including a silver gilt cup given by S. Sofyld in 1569. Three parish houses are let for £26 10s. yearly, which is applied with the church rates, except a reserved yearly rent of 3s. 4d. payable to the Great Hospital, pursuant to a lease granted in 1569 for 500 years. The rectory valued in K.B. at £7 9s. 2d., and now at £96, was augmented in 1738 with £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty, and £200 bequeathed by the Rev. Edward Brooke. It is in the patronage of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. R. Rigg.
Christ Church in New Catton was consecrated by Bishop Stanley amid a disturbance caused by the chartists. It is a chapel of ease in the improving parish of St. Clement. It is a neat structure of flint and brick in the early English style, comprising nave, chancel, transepts, and a bell turret at the west end. It was finished in 1841 at a cost of about £2500, and has sittings for 600 people. It was built by subscription, and by the same means £800 have been invested for its endowment, and £200 for its reparation. The rector of St. Clement’s is patron of the perpetual curacy, valued at £150, and it is now in the incumbency of the Rev. Robert Wade, B.A.
St. Saviour’s Church, in Magdalen Street, is a small structure, and has a square tower with two bells. It has some modern monuments. The south porch is now used as a baptistry. The font has an octagonal panelled basin, and is supported by four shafts resting on lions’ heads, and carried through ogee canopies with pinnacles between. The perpetual curacy was certified at £3, and is now valued at £103. It was augmented from 1729 to 1813 with £1800 of royal bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. W. Harris Cooke, M.A., incumbent.
St. Edmund’s Church, in Fishgate Street, was founded in the reign of William I. It comprises a nave, chancel, south aisle, and tower with one bell. The arches of the nave are nearly flat, and the sub-arches are carried on shafts with moulded caps. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £4 6s. 3d., and now at £165, was augmented in 1726 with £200 given by Rev. W. Stanley and Rev. R. Corey, and from 1726 to 1819 with £1000 of royal bounty. The Rev. T. Taylor is the incumbent.
St. James’ Church, in Cowgate, includes Pockthorpe in its parish, and was a well endowed rectory till 1201, when it was appropriated to the Cathedral Priory. It is now a peculiar of the Dean and Chapter. The Rev. A. D. Pringle, incumbent.
St. Paul’s Church, in the square called St. Paul’s Plain, is an old dilapidated building with a small round tower, the upper part of which was octagonal, but was rebuilt about 1819 of white brick with stone coping. It has some decorated windows, but is chiefly in the perpendicular style. There is a north aisle, and at the east end a parclose, the two screens of different patterns, but both in the same perpendicular style. The perpetual curacy was certified at only £2, but was augmented from 1745 to 1749 with £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty, and is now worth £150. p. 94The Dean and Chapter are patrons, and the Rev. Bell Cooke is incumbent.
The parish of St. Stephen’s, on the south side of the city, is extensive and populous. The streets present some good shops and places of business. The principal streets are Rampant Horse Street, St. Stephen’s Street, and Surrey Street. The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital is at the top of St. Stephen’s Street, and the far-famed Norwich Union Fire and Life Office is in Surrey Street.
The church, at the west end of Rampant Horse Street, is a handsome edifice of the late perpendicular style, of the 16th century, with a nave and clerestory, two aisles, a chancel, two small chapels, and a square tower. The nave is divided from the aisles by fluted columns with pointed arches. The windows are large and numerous, and that at the east end is filled with stained glass representing the life of the Virgin Mary, and dated 1610. This church was founded before the Norman Conquest, but has been all rebuilt at different periods, the chancel about 1520, and the nave in 1550. The roof is a fine specimen of open timber-work, and is richly carved. The tower stands on the north side of the church, and beneath it is the porch. In 1859, the interior was thoroughly restored at a cost of £1500, and a new carved pulpit and a reading desk were put p. 95up at the same time. Under the superintendence of Mr. Phipson, the county architect, ten new windows have been lately inserted in this church, five on each side. They are in the perpendicular style corresponding to the style of the building. They are glazed with cathedral glass and a ruby border. There is also a new window over the south door of the chancel. It is glazed with painted glass of a geometrical pattern, put in by the London firm that produced the work in the large western window, representing the death of St. Stephen. That window cost £300. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £9, and now at £212. It was augmented from 1715 to 1812 with £1000 of royal bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. C. Baldwin, vicar.
St. John Sepulchre is a large church at the top of Ber Street, dedicated to St. John the Baptist and the Holy Sepulchre, and founded in the reign of Edward the Confessor. It consists of a nave, chancel, a sort of transept chapel on each side, and a lofty tower with five bells and a clock. The font is octagonal and is ornamented with angels, lions, &c. The east window is of three lights filled with stained glass, the centre light presenting a figure of St. John the Baptist. The window is in memory of the Rev. Samuel Stone, M.A., incumbent of this parish, who was a great friend of the poor, and died in 1848. Here is a fine mural monument of the Watts family. The rood-stair turret p. 96still remains, and in the south side of the chancel is a fine consecration cross. The living is a perpetual curacy, certified at £9 1s., and now valued at £144. It was augmented from 1737 to 1812 with £1600 of royal bounty. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. W. T. Moore, incumbent.
This part of the city includes the parish of St. Michael at Thorn, so called from the “thorns” formerly growing in the neighbourhood, of which there is one now in the churchyard. The Rev. A. Davies is incumbent of the parish. The church is remarkable for its antiquity.
At the bottom of Ber Street we may turn to the left into the parish of All Saints, where the church stands in an open space called All Saints’ Green. The church is a small structure, having a nave, chancel, porch, and tower containing three bells. The chancel contains some decorated windows, but the other portions of the church are perpendicular. The east window is modern and filled with poor stained glass, but there are some fragments of ancient stained glass, containing heads of bishops, &c., in the windows of the aisles. The font is octagonal and in the perpendicular style. There are three monuments with merchant’s marks upon them. The rectory, valued in K.B. p. 97at £3 14s. 7d., is consolidated with St. Julian, valued in K.B. at £5. The joint benefices are now worth £300 per annum. They were augmented with £300 of Queen Anne’s bounty in 1769 and 1810, and with £200 given by John Drinkwater, Esq., and £500 given by S. Thornton, Esq., in 1800. The Rev. C. F. Sculthorpe, M.A., is patron, and the Rev. G. S. Outram is incumbent.
St. John’s Timberhill, at the north end of Ber Street, was founded soon after the priory of Norwich, to which it was appropriated, and it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It has a nave, chancel, south porch with parvise, and two aisles with chapels at their east ends. That on the north, a part of which is now used for the vestry, was called our Lady’s Chapel. There is a hagroscope or squint on the south side of the chancel, and near it is a small decorated piscina. The font is circular and Norman. The whole building needs restoration. The square tower fell down on August 20th, 1784, and damaged the west end of the church. Its foundations still remain, but the bells were sold to pay for the repairs. The perpetual curacy was augmented from 1738 to 1813 with £1000 of royal bounty, and valued in 1835 at £31. The Dean and Chapter are patrons. The Rev. S. Titlow, M.A., has been the incumbent since 1831.
There is yet left unnoticed a small district lying south of St. Giles’, and which is generally known as Chapel Field. Near this field once stood a college called St. Mary in the Fields, founded about the beginning of the 13th century by John Le Brun. Soon after its establishment its benefactors were so numerous that in a short time it became a very noble college, having a dean, chancellor, precentor, treasurer, seven prebendaries, and six chaplains. Miles Spencer, the last dean, persuaded the college to resign its revenues for small pensions, after he had obtained a grant of the whole for himself from Henry VIII. at the dissolution. The property afterwards passed through several hands, and the field is now the property of the corporation. It has recently been enclosed by a massive palisade, and much improved as a place of recreation; and a large Drill Hall has been built at the north-west corner for the use of the Volunteers. The Drill Hall was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1866.
The hamlets have, of late years, been greatly increased in extent and population, and are likely to leave the old city in the shade. Heigham, on the west side of the city, has become a town, with two p. 99churches, and another about to be built, three chapels, and several large schools. Since 1801, the population has increased from 544 to 15,000 souls. Many new streets have been laid out between the Dereham and Earlham Roads; long rows of new houses have been built, and are nearly all occupied. The National School-house, on Dereham road, was built in 1840 at a cost of £1000, and is attended by about 270 children.
The City Jail, an ugly building, stands in this hamlet at the corner of St. Giles’ Road. It was built in 1827 from a design by Mr. Philip Barnes, of Norwich, at a cost of £30,000. The front elevation is massive and is supported by Tuscan columns. The whole building encloses an area of 1 acre 2 roods 34 poles, and contains 114 cells. The house of the governor stands in the centre and commands a view of the entire prison, which is well ventilated and supplied with water pumped by the tread-wheel.
The New Water Works are in this hamlet, and supply the city with water from the river Wensum. After filtration the water is forced up by steam power to the distributing reservoir at Lakenham, at a height of 134 feet above the level of the river at Carrow Bridge, whence it flows by gravitation to all parts of the city and the suburbs. The present company has a capital of £60,000 in £10 shares, and was incorporated under an act of parliament passed in 1850, the powers of which have been enlarged by subsequent p. 100acts, so that wholesome and pure water is now constantly supplied at very low terms. Excellent provision has also been made for a plentiful supply for extinguishing fires, by fixing hydrants at every 100 yards.
The Old Palace, where the celebrated Bishop Hall resided, (now known as the Dolphin Inn,) is in this hamlet. Here he retired after his expulsion from the bishop’s palace by the republican party in 1644. The house, which is fast going to decay, displays the peculiarities of the domestic architecture of the time of James I. The front presents two projecting bays, one on each side of the door, which afford a light to the lower and upper rooms. The doorway deserves a passing notice, and some curiously carved heads will p. 101be found in the interior, as well as the remains of an ancient piscina in the wall at the entrance. There is a large parlour on the right hand, wainscotted all round from the floor to the ceiling.
The New Workhouse was erected in 1859 at an expense of £33,000 exclusive of £680 paid for about nine acres of land. It is an extensive range of brick buildings in the Tudor style of architecture, having room for about 1000 inmates, but it has never had so many as yet, though the number is increasing every year. The debt on the building was £22,000, and will be gradually paid off by instalments.
The New Cemetery. The greatest improvement effected in Norwich during the present century was the closing of all the churchyards for burials, and the opening of a new cemetery for the dead. It was opened in 1856 and is pleasantly situated on high ground next the Earlham Road; the whole area being divided into two parts, one side being consecrated and the other unconsecrated. The whole comprises 35 acres of land prettily laid out and planted. It was formed at a cost of £7000 by the Burial Board. There are entrances from the Earlham and Dereham Roads. The two principal chapels are of early English architecture with porches and apsidal terminations. There is also a small chapel for the use of the Jews.
The long contemplated division of this extensive hamlet into three parishes, has at length been carried p. 102into effect. The old church of St. Bartholomew is to be the parish church of the new parish of that name on the north side next the river. The estimated population is 5,600. The Rev. J. G. Dixon is rector. The central part of the hamlet, lying between the Dereham and Earlham Roads, with a population of 4,400, is to form the new parish of St. Philip; but a church has not been yet built. The third parish, the incumbency of which is retained by the Rev. C. T. Rust, includes all that part of Heigham which lies between Earlham Road and the boundary of St. Stephen’s. The population is about 6,400. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in Essex Street, is the parish church. The church of St. Bartholomew stands on an eminence above the Wensum, and is a small structure in the perpendicular style, with a nave, south aisle, north porch, chancel, and a square tower, in which are three bells. It has a mural monument to the pious Bishop Hall, who was buried here in 1656. The living is a rectory valued in K.B. at £6 13s. 4d., and now at a little over £200. Trinity Church, near Unthank’s Road, was built by subscription, and consecrated in August 1861, to supply the great want of church accommodation which had long been felt in this part of the hamlet. It is a large building in the decorated style, and consists of nave, transepts, and apsidal chancel, with a tower containing one bell, and surmounted by a slated spire 120 feet high. The total cost was £7000.
In 1861, an ancient lead coffin, containing the remains of a female skeleton, was discovered about p. 103four feet below the surface on a chalk pit at Stone Hills, Heigham. It was perfectly plain, and appeared to have been formerly enclosed in an outer case of wood, and was probably of the Roman period. Near it were found two bronze torque rings of a twisted pattern, encrusted with a fine green patina, and evidently of the Anglo-Saxon period.
Hellesdon, adjoining Heigham, is a small and pretty village on an eminence two miles north-west of the city, but the parish is partly in Taverham hundred. It adjoins the river, which is here crossed by a cast-iron bridge, built by the corporation of Norwich in 1819. The common was enclosed in 1811. The Bishop is lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the soil.
Earlham is a very pleasant village, situated at the end of the Earlham Road. The ivy-mantled church is a very ancient building of small size. The hall, situated in a park, is associated with the honoured name of Gurney, and will long be an object of deep interest. Amongst other members of that distinguished family who resided here was the deservedly esteemed Joseph John Gurney, who often entertained many of the celebrities of his day. It was here that Wilberforce, Chalmers, and a host of worthies, well known to fame, visited one of the happiest of the homes of England, p. 104where the sterling character of Thomas Fowell Buxton was formed and matured, and where he met with the partner of his future life. It was the birthplace of Elizabeth Fry the philanthropist, of whom there is yet no monument in this city.
The hamlet of Eaton, two miles south-west of Norwich, is in the vale of the Taas. The manor is about 1300 acres, and belongs to the Dean and Chapter, but the soil is let to a number of lessees, many of whom have handsome houses in the Newmarket Road, one of the finest approaches to the city. Indeed, this road may be called the “west end” of Norwich. Eaton church is dedicated to St. Andrew, and is a long ancient building covered with thatch, and having an embattled tower with three bells. It was originally a Norman structure, but it appears to have been rebuilt in the early English period, and to have been considerably altered in the 15th century. About two years ago the church was thoroughly restored at a cost of about £400, when a number of beautiful mural paintings were discovered, some of them well preserved. The living is a vicarage not in charge, valued at £87, and augmented in 1732 with £200 given by the Earl of Thanet, and £200 of Queen Anne’s bounty.
Lakenham is the next hamlet on the south side of the city, and the roads to it are favourite walks of the p. 105citizens. Caister is an adjoining village, where may be seen extensive remains of a Roman camp, built before Norwich existed. The configuration of the camp may still be traced as a parallelogram, enclosing an area of 32 acres, sufficient for a force of 6000 men. On the western side, which was washed by the Taas, formerly stood the water gate, with a round tower, where vessels used to unload. A very large number of Roman coins have been dug up here. Returning to the hamlet of Lakenham, we ascend a hill called Long John’s Hill. Lakenham church stands on high ground above the river Taas, and is a small structure dedicated to St. John the Baptist and All Saints. It has a tower with three bells. The benefice is a vicarage united to Trowse Newton, and with it valued at £261, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter, and incumbency of the Rev. Alfred Pownall, M.A.
St. Mark’s Church, in Lakenham, was consecrated September 24th, 1844, and is a neat structure in the perpendicular style, comprising a nave without aisles, and an embattled tower with turrets, pinnacles, and three bells. It was built by subscription at a cost of £4000, and contains 900 sittings, most of which are free. The interior has commodious galleries, and is neatly fitted up. Ladies presented the communion table, plate, books for divine service, font, &c. The population in this hamlet has increased from 428 in 1801 to 4866 in 1861. The perpetual curacy, valued at £150, is in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter. The Rev. N. T. Garry, M.A., is incumbent.
Trowse-Millgate, Carrow, and Bracondale, extend southward from King Street to the river Yare, opposite Trowse Newton. They form one hamlet, though each division had formerly a parochial chapel. Miss Martineau owns the greater part of the soil, and lives at Bracondale Lodge, a handsome mansion with delightful pleasure grounds. The late P. M. Martineau collected here many remnants of Gothic architecture in 1804, and used them in the erection of a lofty arch and an edifice, representing a small priory with windows filled by stained glass.
The hamlet of Thorpe, one of the most delightful suburbs of the city, lies on the south-east side, opposite Foundry Bridge, and extends to Mousehold Heath. It contains many handsome villas, which are mostly surrounded by gardens. Many of the city gentry reside in this pleasant hamlet, which now contains about 3000 inhabitants. The church, dedicated to St. Matthew, was built in 1852 at a cost of £2300, for an ecclesiastical district, comprising that part of Thorpe parish within the city liberties, containing about 2500 inhabitants. It is a neat structure in the Norman style of architecture, from a design by Mr. Kerr, formerly architect of this city. It consists of a nave, transepts, and apsidal chancel, and is a unique structure. The five windows of the chancel are filled with p. 107stained glass. The rector of Thorpe is patron of the perpetual curacy, valued at £130, which is now held by the Rev. George Harris Cooke, M.A., who has a handsome parsonage house, erected in 1863 at a cost of £1400, in the Tudor style.
The road from the Foundry Bridge to Thorpe village is a favourite walk of the citizens. Thorpe lodge (the entrance to which is guarded by couchant lions, and is a conspicuous object on the left,) was the residence of the late John Harvey, Esq., “a fine old English gentleman,” who was a great promoter of manufactures, and of aquatic sports. Its present proprietor and occupant is Donald Dalrymple, Esq. The old hall, the name by which the manor house is now known, stands at the entrance to the village. It was formerly the country seat of the bishops. Adjoining are the remains of a chapel, now used as a coach house and stable. On the south side of the river, which was once reached by the ferry boat, stands the village of Whitlingham, where the citizens formerly resorted by thousands in the summer months. The grounds in this locality present a pleasing variety of hill and dale, wood and water, and the view from the White House includes the windings of the “bonny Yare,” the opposite village of Thorpe, the spire of the Cathedral rising above the distant hills, and the frowning aspect of the old Norman Castle. The whole of the land here now belongs to R. J. H. Harvey, Esq., M.P., who has greatly improved an estate of 2000 acres next the river. He has often thrown the grounds open to the citizens.
p. 108The Rosary Burial Ground, in Thorpe hamlet, was established in 1819 by the late Rev. Thomas Drummond, for the use of Dissenters. Being aware that many of the burial grounds attached to their chapels are held on leases under the corporation, he urged the necessity of a general cemetery on freehold land, so securely vested in trust that it could not be converted to other uses at any future time. The Rosary occupies eight acres of land in a good situation. It is divided into sections separated by plantings of trees or shrubs, and contains a small chapel. It is not consecrated, and ministers of any denomination may officiate at funerals. In this beautiful resting-place for the dead are deposited the remains of many of the worthiest of the Norwich citizens.
Pockthorpe was originally part of Thorpe, but when severed in the time of the Conqueror, with the parishes of St. James and St. Paul, took the name of Paucus Thorpe or Little Thorpe, corrupted into Pockthorpe. The place is apparently wedded to poverty, with no Divorce Court to grant it relief. It is chiefly inhabited by poor weavers or spinners, who still adhere to an old pastime, the rearing of pigeons, as appears from many coops at the broken windows. The brewery here is an old well-established concern, and sends out about 100,000 barrels of beer yearly.
The Old Meeting House, Colegate Street, was erected in 1693 by the Independents, a congregation of which body had existed in Norwich since the Commonwealth. They had originally assembled in a brewery in St. Edmund’s, and afterwards in the “west granary” of St. Andrew’s Hall. Mr. Bridge, the first pastor, who was incumbent of St. George’s, Tombland, seceded from the church in the reign of James II., and sat in the Westminster Assembly of Divines. The building is a large structure of red brick, fronted with four Corinthian pilasters. It contains sittings for 700 persons, and has spacious schoolrooms adjacent. The Rev. John Hallett is the present minister.
Prince’s Street Chapel (Independent) was erected in 1819. It is a handsome building of white brick, and has been enlarged and almost rebuilt at a cost of £2000, under the superintendence of Mr. Boardman, architect, of this city. It will now accommodate 1000 persons. The new front presents an elevation in the modern Italian or composite style, with seven windows of ornamental design. The roof has been raised and new windows inserted, eight on each side. New galleries have been erected with cast-iron columns, and ornamental iron front. A new apse has been added, and a vestry or retiring room at the back. The whole interior has been reseated with plain open benches. The entrances, staircase, hall, and avenues, are laid with tessellated tiles. At a p. 110short distance from the chapel there is a spacious schoolroom, with class rooms on each side. The Rev. G. S. Barrett is the present minister.
The Chapel in the Field, (Independent) opened in 1858, is a handsome edifice with two imposing spiral turrets. Its arched interior has a fine effect, increased by the introduction of four painted windows in the apse. The building affords sittings for 900 persons. Adjoining are spacious schoolrooms in a similar style of architecture. The Rev. Philip Colborne is the present minister.
The Tabernacle (Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion) is situate near St. Martin’s at Palace. It was built by the Calvinistic Methodists, under Mr. Wheatley, in 1772, at a cost of £1752. In 1775, the Tabernacle was sold to the Countess of Huntingdon, who visited Norwich in the following year, and vested the building in trust with four clergymen and three laymen of the same connexion to appoint ministers whose preaching and sentiments are according to the articles and homilies of the church of England. It contains 1000 sittings. The Rev. Burford Hooke is the present minister. There is also another chapel of the same connexion on the Dereham Road, of which the Rev. John Joseph James Kempster is the minister.
St. Mary’s Chapel (Baptist) was originally erected in 1714, but was rebuilt in its present style in 1811 and enlarged in 1838. Rev. Joseph Kinghorn was p. 111pastor from May 20th, 1791, till his death, on September 1st, 1832. Rev. William Brock was pastor from 1833 to 1848, when he resigned his charge and went to London, where he preaches at Bloomsbury chapel. Since 1849, the Rev. G. Gould has been the pastor. Spacious schoolrooms adjoining the chapel are now in course of erection.
St. Clement’s (Baptist) was erected in 1814 and contains 900 sittings, and there is a spacious schoolroom adjacent. The celebrated Mark Wilks was once the pastor. The present minister is the Rev. T. Foston.
Ebenezer Chapel (Baptist), on Surrey Road, was built in 1854, the minister being the Rev. R. Govett, who some years since seceded from the established church.
The Gildencroft (Baptist), in St. Augustine’s, formerly occupied by the Society of Friends, was erected in 1680. There is a spacious burial ground attached, in which lie the remains of Joseph John Gurney, Mrs. Opie, and other eminent Friends. The Rev. C. H. Hosken is the minister.
Orford Hill Chapel (Baptist) was opened as a chapel in 1832. The Rev. J. Brunt is the present minister.
There are also Baptist Chapels in Cherry Lane, (Rev. W. Hawkins); this was formerly a Wesleyan p. 112Chapel in which the Rev. John Wesley preached; Priory Yard, (Rev. R. B. Clare); Pottergate Street, (Rev. H. Trevor); and Jireh Chapel, Dereham Road, (no regular pastor).
The Presbyterians recently purchased St. Peter’s Hall, in Theatre Street, as a place of worship. The hall contains about 700 sittings, which are generally all occupied. The Rev. W. A. Mc Allan was ordained minister in 1867, and he preaches with great success to large congregations.
Wesleyans. The Revs. John and Charles Wesley paid their first visit to this city in 1754, but their followers had no settled place of worship here till 1769, when they built a small chapel in Cherry Lane, where the late Dr. Adam Clarke was stationed in 1783, and began to display that vast genius which afterwards astonished the religious world. The Wesleyan Methodists have two chapels, one a very spacious edifice in Lady Lane, and the other, just finished, in Ber Street.
The United Methodist Free Church has two chapels. That in Calvert Street was erected by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1810, and is a large brick edifice with about 1200 sittings, and two houses for the ministers. The other is in Crook’s Place, Heigham, and was opened in 1839, and contains 800 sittings.
The Primitive Methodists have chapels on St. p. 113Catherine’s Plain, Cowgate Street, and Dereham Road. The first named, called Lakenham Chapel, was built in 1835, and contains 600 sittings. The second, in Cowgate Street, was built about 20 years since, and contains 300 sittings. The third, on Dereham Road, was built in 1864, on the site of a smaller one, at a cost of £1316, raised by subscription. Sunday schools are connected with all these chapels.
The Unitarians occupy the Octagon Chapel, St. George’s, a handsome building, of the shape implied by its name. It is surmounted by a dome, supported by eight Corinthian pillars. It was erected in 1756, on the site of the old Presbyterian Meeting-house. Dr. John Taylor, and Dr. Enfield (compiler of the Speaker) preached in this chapel. Rev. D. H. Smyth is the minister.
The Society of Friends have a meeting-house in Upper Goat Lane, a fine white-brick structure, with Doric portico, and lighted by a dome lantern.
The Roman Catholics have two chapels. In the last century there was a chapel connected with the palace of the Duke of Norfolk on the site of the present Museum, but it was lost when that property was sold by him. The Roman Catholics raised a subscription and built their present chapel in St. John’s Maddermarket in 1794. It is merely a plain building, but the altar is very handsome. It contains sittings for about 600 people. The services p. 114here are carried out with great solemnity, and with a strict adherence to the ritual of the Church of Rome. There is generally a large congregation at divine service. The Rev. Canon Dalton is the officiating priest. He resides near the chapel in a very ancient building that was occupied by the City Sheriff in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The chapel in Willow Lane, called the Chapel of the Apostles, is a handsome building, erected in 1828. The windows are of stained glass, and the interior decorations are very striking. This chapel is served by Fathers of the Society of Jesus, commonly called Jesuits. It is the custom of that order to change the officiating clergy every few years. The Rev. Mr. Lane of the order was a contemporary of the Rev. Mr. Beaumont, the first priest of St. John’s chapel, during the greater part, if not all, of that gentleman’s lengthened ministry of 62 years, and died about the same time. The congregation is generally larger than at St. John’s Chapel.
Free Christian Church. The Dutch Church, in St. Andrew’s Hall, originally the Conventual Church of the Black Friars, was granted to the Walloon congregation; but they now have service only once a year, when a sermon is preached in Dutch and afterwards in English. During the rest of the year the place is used by the Free Christian Church—Rev. J. Crompton, minister.
The French Church, Queen Street—originally p. 115the parochial church of St. Mary Parva, and afterwards a cloth exchange—was granted, in 1637, to the French Protestant refugees. It is now occupied by the receivers of the doctrines enunciated by Emanuel Swedenborg. Mr. E. D. Rogers, leader.
The Jews—who were formerly very numerous in this city—have a handsome synagogue in St. Faith’s Lane, erected in 1849, at a cost of £1600. Rev. S. Caro, minister.
The Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingites) occupy a building in Clement Court, Redwell Street. The present minister is the Rev. Arthur Inglis, B.A.
Since the 17th century Nonconformists have increased from a few hundreds to 10,000 in this city.
The Castle, Cathedral, and churches already described are the chief antiquities of the city, but other remains are worthy of notice, and have been described by Blomefield, Kirkpatrick, Taylor, Harrod, S. Woodward, B. B. Woodward, the Rev. R. Hart of Catton, R. Fitch, Esq., and other antiquaries, who have explored every part of the old city. They nearly all agree in their accounts of the rise and progress of Norwich, and of its condition at different periods.
B. B. Woodward, Esq., F.S.A., delivered two lectures on “Norwich in the Olden Time,” to the members of the Church of England Young Men’s Society, at the Assembly Rooms, some years since. He showed a thorough knowledge of all the previous authorities, with whom he sometimes differed. He exhibited four large maps, presenting views of the Old City at different periods, from A.D. 400 to A.D. 1400. He stated that he had derived the greater part of his materials for them from the series of maps of ancient Norwich made by his father, the late Mr. S. Woodward, but he had corrected and completed them from the publications of various Archæological Societies since they had been constructed, and he hoped that they would serve to illustrate the growth and progress of the ancient city with general fidelity to facts. Directing attention to the first map, which represented the condition of the Venta Icenorum, A.D. 400, Mr. Woodward pointed out the purely fictitious character of the earliest accounts of Norwich to be found in the older historians, who drew, in all good faith, on their fertile imaginations, and both persuaded themselves that they were writing history, and that they were believed to be doing so by others.
The old-established tradition, that the sea came up to Norwich, he stated, was undoubtedly to be accepted, but not as having occurred within the historic period. From various facts, and particularly from the occurrence of a Roman road at Wangford, near Bungay, p. 118near the edge of the present stream, he concluded that in the times of the Romans, the valleys of the Eastern Counties did not present a very different aspect from their present one, though of course where there was now meadow, marsh existed formerly, and many small streams have disappeared. Mr. Woodward, on this point, differed entirely from all the local historians and antiquarians, and his opinion is not supported by any evidence. The existence of a Roman road at Wangford, near Bungay, if such there be, has nothing to do with the river Yare. Mr. Woodward offered no proof that it is a Roman road. All the local historians state that a broad arm of the sea flowed up to Norwich till the 11th century, when Sweyn came up with a great fleet and landed an army here. Parochial records prove that the river came up to St. Lawrence Steps at a later period. We may therefore dismiss this singular opinion as untenable.
Mr. Woodward regarded Norwich as the Venta Icenorum of the Romans for several reasons, and particularly because it was plain from the occurrence of these Ventas in Britain, and none in any other part of the Roman world, that this was the name of a British town, which its being called the Venta of the Iceni strongly confirmed—even, in fact, a British stronghold, constructed according to the custom of that people in parts of the country without hills. In hilly countries the strongholds were entrenchments round the summits of the hills, but then there were small tracts of land surrounded by marshes. Such were the British strongholds on Bungay Common, and that at p. 119Horning, and such he believed was the Venta Icenorum. They were not intended for permanent occupation, but as places of safety for their wives and children, and for their cattle, in case of the attack of another tribe; and they could rarely be held against the enemy for any length of time. In this instance, the trench was drawn in a horse-shoe form, from the eastern slope of the ground on which the Castle now stands to the western side, the steep bank of the little stream, called the Cockey, being rendered more steep by art, whilst the Wensum and marshes protected the other sides. The position of the Roman camp, as the map showed, was determined by its being the fittest for keeping in check the Iceni of Venta, and preventing them from marching against the southern part of the island; and it might probably have been placed there after the disastrous experiment of what the Iceni could do under such a leader as their famous Queen Boadicea. In the latter part of the Roman period it would seem that the conquerors had less occasion for mere military force here, for the remains of a Roman villa had been found in the northern side of the camp at Caister.
Mr. Woodward said the Map of Norfolk still showed traces of Roman roads radiating from Norwich. The principal roads were—one entering the stronghold in the western side, now St. Stephen’s Street; another entering it on the east, now known as King Street. This last crossed the river by a ford at Fyebridge, and was the origin of Magdalen Street and St. Augustine’s Street; another road left the fortress on the western side, near the river, and was called St. Benedict’s p. 120Street; and the last crossed the river at Bishopbridge by another ford, and sent off branches to the north-east and east of Norfolk. He believed that nearly all the main lines of road originated with the Romans, but this is at least doubtful. Norwich must then have been a very large town to have required so many main lines of roads; but its very existence as a town is uncertain during the Roman period.
Mr. Woodward’s second map exhibited the entrenchments round the fortress as already described, at the time of the Conquest. Map the third exhibited the condition of the city in the time of the Domesday Survey, or about A.D. 1100, when 54 churches and chapels existed. Map the fourth showed the state of the city A.D. 1400, when Norwich was described as at the acme of its splendour and importance, and second only to Bristol, after London. This arose from its being the capital of East Anglia, and the residence of so many of the clergy and gentry. Mr. Woodward pointed out the sites of some of the old monasteries in this period. The Bishop’s palace was then within the precincts of the close. Besides the monastery there, and that of St. Leonard’s, there were then several others in Norwich. In King Street, to the south of St. Faith’s Lane, were the Austin Friars, and to the north of Rose Lane the Grey Friars. Both these monastic communities were said to have encroached on the adjacent streets, churchyards, &c., by extending their precincts; which accounted for the changes around them. The Carmelites occupied the whole angle of the city between the river, the walls, p. 121and Bargate Street. But few traces of these establishments now remain. The case of the Black Friars was very different. Their magnificent church is still almost entire; much of the convent is still standing in St. Andrew’s Hall, and the Dutch or Walloon Church, and the oldest parts of the former Workhouse. In addition to these, there had been several smaller monastic orders which were merged in the others before the 15th century. In this period, most of the streets on the north side of the town were in existence, and some on the south side.
Formerly, as already intimated, some of our streets were named from the trades of those who occupied them. Thus there were Saddlers’ Gate, now White Lion Street; Wastelgate, now Red Lion Street; Cordwainers’ Row, now part of the Walk; Goldsmiths’ Row, north side of the Market; Hosiers’ Row, in part of London Street; Cutlers’ Row, in part of London Street; Hatters’ Row, now St. Giles’ Street; Dyers’ Row, in St. Lawrence Street; and Pottergate Street, still so called. The Cloth Hall stood in the Haymarket; and on the west side were the Butchery, the Fishmarket, and various other rows, where articles of food were sold.
R. Fitch, Esq., is the very best authority respecting the old walls and gates, of which he made a study for many years; and in 1861 he published a very handsome illustrated volume entitled, “Views of the Gates p. 122of Norwich made in the years 1792–3, by the late John Ninham; with an Historical Introduction, Extracts from the Corporation Records, and Papers by the late John Kirkpatrick, contributed to the Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society, by Robert Fitch, F.S.A., F.G.S.” The author says:—
“The history of the walls of Norwich is a history of the gate houses, and in speaking of the origin of the first we include that of the second. In 1294, being the 23rd Edward I., the first mural tax was granted, and continued three years. A second tax succeeded this, and in 1304 a third tax was imposed, to continue in operation for five years. In the 11th of Edward II., a fourth tax of the like nature was allowed; and in two years after, namely in 1319, the walls of Norwich were completed.”
“When the thickness and extent of the fortifications of this city are considered, it cannot be thought surprising that a period of 25 years elapsed before these mural defences were finished, so far as to render no additional tax necessary. It must not, however, be considered that no other pecuniary assistance was required towards the work. The citizens themselves manifested the greatest interest in the subject; and the ancient books of account contain not only entries of money expended on the walls and gates, but also register the private contributions of persons towards the same object and for necessary reparation.”
“It has been previously observed, that in 1319 the walls of the city were said to have been completed; but something more was required to render them adequate to the purpose for which they were designed. Neither towers nor gates could be of use unless properly furnished with munitions of p. 123war and the implements then in use for their projection. This does not appear to have taken place until 23 years after completion, namely in 1342, in 16th Edward III., when a patriotic citizen, Richard Spynk, for the honour of the monarch and the safety of his fellow citizens, gave thirty espringolds to cast stones with, to be kept at divers gates and towers; 100 gogions, or balls of stone, locked up in a box; a box with ropes and accoutrements; four great arblasters, or crossbows, and 100 gogions for each arblaster; two pairs of grapples, to bring the bows to the requisite tension for discharge; also other gogions, and some armour.”
After stating other acts of this citizen, Mr. Fitch proceeds:—
“From this long recital of gifts, it must be concluded that Richard Spynk was virtually the fortifier of the city; for it is clear that until his munificence made the gates and walls complete, they were imperfect. Nor did he suffer his work to fall into decay; but by the adoption of rules and regulations, he preserved to the city the full benefit of what he had done.”
“Before proceeding further with an outline of the history of the Walls and Gates, it should be stated that Norwich had been previously surrounded by a ditch and bank for protection.” * * * * *
“One benefit produces another, and to Richard Spynk was the City not only indebted for its safety from aggression, but also for an extension of its liberties.
“It is recorded that Queen Isabella induced the king, her son, in consideration of the costs and charges for the Walls which had been raised without call on the Government, to p. 124grant a charter to the Citizens, that they, and their heirs and successors, dwelling in the said City, should for ever be free from jurisdiction of the Clerk of the Market and of the household of the King, and his heirs, so that the said Clerk or his officers should not enter the City, or fee or make assay of any measures or weights, or to exercise or do anything belonging to the said office of the Clerk of the Market.
“In this King’s reign, according to the Customs’ Book, there is an account of the battlements on the various gates, towers, and walls. These were numbered, in order that each parish might be made acquainted with its responsibilities of repairs in this respect. Beginning from the river to Coslany Gate, there were 112 battlements, and 10 on the gate itself. From that point to St. Augustine’s Gate, were 69 battlements, and on the gate, 12. Thence to Fibrigge Gate—on the walls and towers were 153 battlements, and on the gate, 13; thence to Pockthorpe Gate—on the walls and towers were 178, and on the gate, 10; and from this gate to the river were about 40. From this point to the tower of Conisford Gate, the river chiefly protects the city, but the tower bore 12 battlements; and from the tower on the city side of the water to Conisford Gate, were 26 battlements with 14 on the gate. Thence to Ber Street Gate, were 150; on the gate and its wicket were 27; and from thence to St. Stephen’s Gate were 307 (here were some strong towers); and on this gate and wicket were 28.
“From St. Stephen’s to St. Giles’ Gate were 229 (here again were several strong towers), and on the gate and wicket were 15; and from St. Giles’ to St. Benedict’s Gate were 100, and on the gate itself and wicket were 16; thence to Heigham Gate 79, and on the gate 4—and from this gate to the tower and wall on the river were 16 battlements; in all, 1630. At this period (1345, according to the Domesday p. 125Book of the City) there was a tax called ‘Fossage,’ to defray the great charges of the walls and ditches.” * *
“In 1385 a general survey was made, and all the walls and gates were placed in good repair, with a sufficient number of men appointed to guard them. It was also agreed that churchwards should be chosen annually, whose duty it should be to prevent any decay or permanent injury to the fortifications by timely repair or by reconstruction. In 1386, the expectancy of invasion caused general fear throughout the realm, and particularly in the eastern counties. The king sent nearly a thousand men to Yarmouth for the defence of the coast; and so imminent was the peril, that the king commanded the authorities of Norwich to place the walls, towers, and gates in full and able condition to repel all who might appear in opposition to the king’s authority, or crush a design to injure the city. The towers were therefore filled with engines of defence, the walls rendered perfect, and the ditches made as wide and as deep as the necessities of the case demanded.” * * * *
The author proceeds to show the anxious attention which was paid to the preservation of the walls and gates, by copious extracts from a roll, dated 1386. He then gives a full history of the fortifications, from which we shall make some extracts in our narrative of events at different periods. He thus concludes his historical sketch:—
“Not a fragment of the gates now exists, but the certain indications of where, in some instances, they once stood, are yet accidentally preserved.”
With a short notice of these, the account is concluded:—
p. 126“Conisford Gate. A fragment of the wall of the east side of this gate still exists, attached to the west of the ‘Cinder Ovens’ public house at the south end of King Street, and also on the opposite side of the street.
“Ber Street Gate. No portion of this gate remains; but where the structure stood is sufficiently evident by the high wall on the west side of the upper end of Ber Street.
“Brazen Doors. Not a fragment remains.
“St. Stephen’s Gate. No portion left.
“St. Giles’ Gate. The house against which the south side of this gate abutted still stands, and part of the lower walls of the building can be seen. [126]
“St. Benedict’s Gate. Here a corresponding house or abuttal of this gate stands perfect, with one of the strong iron staples, on which hung one of the doors, projecting from the wall.
“Heigham Gate. Very slight remains left.
“St. Martin’s Gate. A portion of the north side of this gate is left erect and firm, with small tenements abutting against it
“St. Augustine’s Gate. No fragment is left. A large portion of the ditch between this gate and St. Martin’s is clearly seen, very few buildings having been erected on its site.
“Magdalen Gate. No portion left, but the form and interior of the city wall is well seen at this point.
p. 127“Barre or Pockthorpe Gate. Indications are left of where the gate stood, with fragments of the wall on the right and left
“Bishop’s Gate. Nothing of the gate exists, but the exact site may be seen by the necessary increased width of the bridge.
“The precise spot where each gate stood may be found by tracing a line of the city wall, where it crossed a street; the gates being of course integral portions of the wall perforated for traffic and fortified with extra work for adequate defence.”
The Rev. Francis Blomefield, of Fersfield, who flourished in the first half of the last century, was the chief of Norfolk historians and antiquarians. He was great in genealogy and heraldry, and very elaborate on monuments and epitaphs, while he altogether passed over more important matters. We might almost wish that he had known less of heraldry and more of history; but his great work must ever be the foundation of local history in Norwich and Norfolk. A perfect copy of his work, being very scarce, is now worth at least £20. It contains most of the documentary antiquities of the city, such as charters, acts of parliaments, proceedings of public bodies, and other official sources of information, of which he has made a good use. He has given full details from the records of every parish, and of the old corporation. He p. 128states the great changes which took place in the city and county at the time of the Reformation, and the dissolution of the monasteries, when nineteen of those institutions existed in Norwich.
Blomefield notices several large conventual churches, which were desecrated at the Reformation, and many parish churches which have been demolished, their parishes being incorporated with those now existing.
All Saints’, situated in Fyebridge Street, was at the north corner of the street called Cowgate, at its entrance into Magdalen Street, and was built before the Conquest. At the foundation of the cathedral it was appropriated to the convent, and at the Reformation to the dean and chapter. It was said to have had a very fine font, erected in 1477. In 1550 the church was taken down, and the parish, with that of St. Margaret, was annexed to St. Paul’s.
St. Bartholomew’s, in Ber Street, was in the patronage of the prior of Wymondham, and at the Dissolution was consolidated with St. John’s Sepulchre, and the church taken down.
St. Bittulph’s stood in Magdalen Street, a little north of Stump Cross. It was founded before 1300 and was taken down in 1548, and the parish united to St. Saviour’s.
St. Christopher’s stood on the east side of St. Andrew’s Hill, and was one of the oldest churches in p. 129the city. It was burnt down in the reign of Henry III. The greater portion of the parish was united to St. Andrew’s and a smaller part to St. Michael’s at Plea.
St. Crucis, or St. Crowches, stood in Broad Street, St. Andrew’s. It was dedicated to the honour of the holy cross, and was erected before the year 1272. In 1551 it was desecrated, and the parish united to St. John’s Maddermarket.
St. Clement’s, in Conisford, situated in King Street, was a very ancient church, founded long before the Conquest. It was united with St. Julian’s in 1482.
St. Cuthbert’s was situated at the north end of King Street, near Tombland. About 1492 it was united to the church of St. Mary the Less at the monastery gates, and was demolished in 1530.
St. Edward’s stood on the west side of King Street, near St. Etheldred’s church. About the end of the 13th century it was united to St. Julian’s. All along King Street there are many vaults and crypts, which seem to have formed the foundations of old churches and monasteries.
St. Faith’s or St. Vedast’s was situated near the place where Cooke’s hospital now stands, in Rose Lane. It was founded before the Conquest and was taken down in 1540, the parish being united with that of p. 130St. Peter per Mountergate. The latter is a corruption of the old name “Parmenter Gate,” which should be restored by authority. It was the old Tailor Street.
St. Francis’ belonged to the Grey Friars, whose convent stood near the site of Cooke’s hospital. It was a noble church, 300 feet in length and 80 feet in breadth, with cloisters and a large chapter house. At the Dissolution it was, with the convent, granted to the Duke of Norfolk.
St. James’, Carrow, belonged to the nunnery there, and with it became private property at the Dissolution, the parish being united to Lakenham.
St. John’s in Southgate stood at the north corner of Rose Lane, and about 1300 was annexed to St. Peter Parmenter Gate. The Grey Friars pulled it down and annexed the site of it to their convent.
St. John the Baptist’s stood on the site of the present Octagon chapel. It was originally a parish church; but when the Dominicans, or Friars’ Preachers, settled here in 1226, it was given to them, and the parish was united to St. George’s at Colegate. They immediately built a convent in this place and the church was used by them as a chapel, till they removed to their new convent in St. Andrew’s, where they dedicated their church also to St. John the Baptist. The church is now St. Andrew’s Hall, and the chancel p. 131(formerly the Dutch church) is now the place of worship of the Free Christian Church.
St. Margaret’s, in Fyebridge, was a church of ancient foundation, situated on the west side of Magdalen Street, near the gate. There is no account how long it has been dissolved. The parish is now united with St. Paul’s.
St. Margaret’s at Newbridge, anciently called St. Margaret’s at Colegate, was situated near Blackfriars’ bridge, on the west side of the street. The parish was depopulated by the great pestilence, in 1349, when the church ceased to be parochial, and the parish was annexed to that of St. George’s Colegate. The church occupied the site of Weston’s brewery, now demolished.
St. Martin’s in Balliva was situated near the spot where, until lately, the Golden Ball tavern stood, on the south side of the Castle Hill. The church was on the right hand of the entrance into Golden Ball Lane. In 1562, this church was demolished and the parish united to St. Michael’s at Thorn. Formerly all persons dying in the castle, and all criminals executed, were buried in this churchyard, but this right, after the desecration of the church, was conferred upon St. Michael’s at Thorn.
St. Mary the Virgin’s was situated in Conisford, and belonged to the Augustine Friars, being also p. 132dedicated to St. Augustine. It was a noble structure, 450 feet long and 90 feet wide, with cloisters on the north and south sides. After the Dissolution it became private property in 1547, when the church and conventual buildings were demolished.
St. Mary Unbrent stood on the west side of Magdalen Street, near Golden Dog Lane. The church was demolished at the dissolution, and the parish united to St. Saviour’s. “Unbrent” means unburnt. The church was called St. Mary in combusto loco, or in that part of the city burnt in the great fire in the time of William I. Blomefield thinks that the church was then consumed, and afterwards rebuilt; and that it was erroneously written in ancient documents uncombusto, instead of in combusto.
St. Matthew’s, near the palace, was a small church. The parish has, since the great pestilence of 1349, been united with that of St. Martin’s at Palace.
St. Michael’s in Coslany was sold to the Austin Friars in 1360, and shortly afterwards the parish was united to that of St. Peter Parmenter Gate, when the church was demolished and a cloister erected on its site.
St. Olave’s, or St. Tooley’s, stood on the east side of Tooley Street, next to the corner of Cherry Lane. It was demolished in 1546, and the parish consolidated with St. George’s Colegate.
p. 133St. Catherine’s in Newgate was situated on St. Catherine’s Hill. In 1349 the whole parish was almost depopulated by the pestilence, after which the church was deserted and converted into a chapel, the parish being united with that of All Saints. At the Dissolution the chapel was granted to Sir John Milton, and in 1567 conveyed to the city for the use of St. Giles’ hospital. Thus a large amount of Church property was applied to secular purposes.
Blomefield gives an account of different chapels dedicated to various purposes, most of which were destroyed at the Dissolution.
St. Catherine’s Chapel stood upon Mousehold, about a mile north-east of the barracks, was founded about the time of the Conquest, and was deemed a parochial chapel while it was standing. At the Dissolution this chapel was demolished and the parish united with that of St. James.
The Chapel of St. Thomas a Becket, which was not parochial, stood near the same place. No traces of the building can now be discovered.
The College of St. Mary in the Fields, originally called the Chapel in the Fields (whence the present name of Chapel Field was derived), was a chapel dedicated to Mary the Virgin. It was founded p. 134about the year 1250, by John Le Brun, as an hospital, but its benefactors were so numerous and munificent that in a very short time it became a noble college, consisting of a dean, chancellor, precentor, treasurer, and seven other prebendaries. Six chaplains or chantry priests were afterwards added. The dean was collated by the bishop in right of the see, or by the king during a vacancy. The premises were very extensive, and were granted at the dissolution to Miles Spencer, LL.D., the last dean. After passing through many hands the property came into possession of shareholders, who built Assembly Rooms on the site of the college. Bond Cabbell, Esq. subsequently bought the whole building for a Freemasons’ Hall.
Guildhall Chapel adjoined the south side of the hall, and was dedicated to St. Barbara. It served as a chapel for the prisoners as well as for the Court to attend divine service when they assembled on public business. It was pulled down long since, and the present porch was erected on its site.
St. Michael’s Chapel, Tombland, stood on the site of the obelisk, and was one of the most ancient religious buildings in Norwich. It was founded by the Earl of the East Angles long before the Conquest and prior to the building of the Cathedral; served as a chapel for the use of their palace, which stood facing the south side of the chapel-yard; and occupied the south end of Tombland, from the monastery gate to the chapel ditch. Bishop Herbert demolished it, and p. 135the whole site was laid open for the improvement of the monastery, and a stone cross was erected on the spot. Instead of this, the Bishop built another chapel on the summit of the hill outside of Bishopgate, and dedicated it to St. Michael.
St. Nicholas’ Chapel, Bracondale, was situated at the corner of the road now leading to Carrow Bridge. It was much frequented by fishermen and watermen, who were then numerous, and who made offerings there to St. Nicholas, their patron saint. It was founded before the Conquest and was parochial; but in the time of Edward II. the parish was returned as belonging to Lakenham, with which it is now united.
St. Olave’s Chapel, near King Street Gates, was a parochial chapel long before the Conquest, and in the reign of Edward III. the parish was united to that of St. Peter Southgate. The chapel was demolished before 1345.
Mr. Taylor’s Index Monasticus contains the fullest account of the old monasteries which, at one period, were very numerous in the city. Many of them possessed large churches, great wealth, and considerable power. They comprised Priories, Friaries, and Nunneries, which were situated in or near King Street, p. 136or St. Faith’s Lane, or the Cowgate. Formerly all the west side of the river was called the Cow-holm, where cows fed on the meadows, and Cowgate consisted of open fields.
The Benedictine Priory at the cathedral was founded by Bishop Herbert as already noticed. The Priory of St. Leonard’s was founded by Bishop Herbert before he built the cathedral, and here he placed the monks while the priory was being built. It was situated on Mousehold Heath, opposite Bishop’s Bridge, and served as a cell to the cathedral priory till the Dissolution. At the Dissolution it was granted by Henry VIII. to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, whose son Henry, Earl of Surrey, erected on its site a splendid house, called Surrey house, which has long since fallen into decay. St. Michael’s Chapel, built by Bishop Herbert, was near the priory, and served by monks. It was demolished by the rebel Kett, who, with his followers, encamped near it, so that it has since been called Kett’s Castle. Near the remains of this chapel, in the valley beneath, was Lollard’s Pit, the spot where many of the early Reformers were burned.
This class of monastic institutions consisted of houses erected for the Friars, of orders grey, or white, or black. The monasteries were seldom endowed, p. 137because the Friars were, by profession, beggars, and lived on what they could get. They obtained a great deal of money in the ages of superstition. Many of their buildings were large and stately, and connected with noble churches in which great personages were frequently interred. Most of the monasteries were houses of refuge for the destitute poor in the middle ages.
The Grey or Franciscan Friars seem to have been the first who settled here near the site of Cooke’s Hospital about 1226. This convent was a place of great resort, and the church, as already stated in our notice of the Desecrated Churches, was a large building 300 feet in length, and 80 feet in breadth, with spacious cloisters and conventual buildings; not a stone of which now remains. One of the cloisters of this convent was called “Pardon Cloister,” on account of the pope granting indulgences to all who were buried there, a source of revenue to the monks. At the Dissolution the possessions were granted to the Duke of Norfolk.
The White Friars or Carmelites had a flourishing convent near White Friars’ Bridge, which was founded by Philip de Cowgate in 1256. He assumed the name from his estates, being the principal person in those parts of the city. The monks were called White Friars from their dress, and Carmelites from the monastery of Mount Carmel in Palestine, the place of their first residence, from which they were p. 138driven by the Saracens about the year 1238, after which they settled in different parts of Europe. The monastery has been long demolished, and the site built upon.
The Black Friars, sometimes called the Dominican Friars or Friars’ Preachers, settled here about 1226, in the church of St. John the Baptist, which formerly stood in Colegate Street, on the site of the Octagon Chapel. They afterwards removed into the parish of St. Andrew, where they built a large monastery. The name of the church is now St. Andrew’s Hall.
Austin Friary. The possessions of this convent were bounded on the north by St. Faith’s Lane, and extended as far as the river. At the Dissolution they were granted to Sir Thomas Heneage.
The Friars De Domina arose in 1288, and in 1290 were introduced here. They had a house on the south side of St. Julian’s Churchyard, where they continued till the reign of Edward III., when, all the brethren dying of the great pestilence of 1348, their convent became private property.
The Friars of St. Mary occupied a house situated in the yard of the desecrated church of St. Martin in Balliva, where the Golden Ball Tavern stood. They joined the order of White Friars.
The Friars De Pica or Pied Friars, so called p. 139from their black and white garments, lived in a college at the corner of the churchyard of St. Peter Parmentergate. They joined one of the other orders.
The Friars De Sacco, or Brethren of the Sac, settled here about 1250 in a house opposite to the church of St. Peter’s Hungate. The whole premises, bounded by Bridge Street on the west, by the river on the north, and by the street leading to Hungate on the south, were settled on them, where they built a church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the site of which St. Andrew’s Hall now stands. The Black Friars were united with them in 1307, when the convent was greatly enlarged, extending to the river on the north side, and to Elm Hill on the east side.
A nunnery formerly existed at Carrow Abbey, dedicated to St. Mary and St. John. It was founded in the year 1146 by two ladies named Leftelina and Seyna. It was richly endowed by King Stephen, and consisted of a Prioress and nine Benedictine Nuns, which number was afterwards increased to twelve. The site within the walls contained about ten acres of land, and the revenues and possessions were great. At the Dissolution the abbey and lands became private property.
Anchorages or Hermitages were connected with several of the monastic institutions in the city, and even inhabited by recluses. Anchorets were a sort of p. 140monks, so called from their shutting themselves up in anchorages or cells. Of these there were male and female, the eremite or hermit, who pretended to follow the example of John the Baptist, and the anchoress, who professed to imitate the conduct of Judith. All these anchorages were abolished at the Dissolution or at the Reformation.
To Archæologists, and particularly to those directing their attention to Monumental Brasses, the following list of Brasses in Norwich and the principal villages in the neighbourhood, may be considered useful. They are classified under their distinctive characters, namely—1st, Ecclesiastics; 2nd, knights; 3rd, civilians and ladies; 4th, miscellaneous. The list specifies those consisting of effigies generally perfect, with their inscriptions, unless otherwise mentioned.
An alphabetical list of the churches, with the various brasses in each, is also appended.
ECCLESIASTICS. |
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1389. |
Richardus Thaseburgh, rector of Hellesdon. |
Hellesdon. |
1437. |
Galfridus Langley, installed Prior of Saint Faith the Virgin, at Horsham, 1401. |
St. Lawrence. |
1450. |
John Alnwik, in academic costume. |
Surlingham. |
1487. |
Roger Clarke, priest. |
St. Peter at Southgate. |
1497. |
Walter Goos, priest. |
St. Swithin. |
John Smyth, priest—chalice. |
St. Giles. |
|
|
Henry Alikok—chalice. |
Colney. |
|
Thome Coke, rector of Bodham—chalice lost, inscription only remaining. |
St. Michael at Coslany. |
|
An individual unknown—chalice. |
Poringland Magna. |
|
Randulphus Pulvertoft—inscription only. |
The Cathedral (Jesus’ Chapel). |
1531. |
William Richies, vicar of Bawburgh. |
Bawburgh. |
1545. |
Thome Capp, vicar. |
St. Stephen. |
KNIGHTS. |
||
c1460. |
John Toddenham. A small figure, with scroll from the mouth. |
St. John in Maddermarket, Norwich. |
1499. |
Thome Heveningham, and Anne, his wife. This is a beautifully executed brass, and is placed under a canopy upon an altar tomb. He died 1499. The blank intended for the date of the death of his wife still remains. |
Ketteringham. |
1559. |
John Corbet, and Jane, his wife. He died 1470. The blank left for the date of her death still remains. |
Sprowston. |
1565. |
Sir Edward Warner. |
Plumstead Parva. |
1568. |
Sir Peter Rede. Discovered to be a Palimpsest, in 1851. |
St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich. |
CIVILIANS AND LADIES. |
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c1380. |
Richard de Heylesdone, and Beatrice, his wife. |
Hellesdon. |
1384. |
John de Heylesdone, and Johanna, his wife. An inscription only. |
Hellesdon. |
1412. |
Walter Moneslee, and Isabella, his wife. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
1432. |
Robert Baxter, and Christiana, his wife. |
St. Giles. |
1435. |
Robert Brasyer, and Christiana, his wife. A celebrated bell-founder. |
St. Stephen. |
|
Roberti Brasyer (mutilated). |
St. Stephen. |
1436. |
Richard Purdaunce, and Margaret, his wife. |
St. Giles. |
1436. |
John Asgar, the younger. |
St. Lawrence. |
c1445. |
Alice Thorndon. |
Frettenham. |
Thomas Bokenham, and wife. |
St. Stephen. |
|
c1460. |
A Lady (unknown). |
Frettenham. |
1470. |
Jane Corbet, in Brass, of John Corbet, and Jane, his wife—see “Knights.” |
Sprowston. |
1475. |
William Pepyr, and Joan, his wife. Inscription and four shields lost |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
1475. |
William Norwiche, and Alicia, his wife. A Bracket Brass. Canopy mutilated. |
St. George at Colegate. |
1495. |
John Horslee, and Agnes, his wife. |
St. Swithin. |
1499. |
Anne Heveningham, in Brass, of Thome Heveningham, and Anne, his wife—see “Knights.” |
Ketteringham. |
|
A Lady (unknown). There are two Inscriptions, with a figure of a Child, inserted with this Brass, in the wall of the church, which do not relate to it. |
Ketteringham. |
1591. |
Richard Ferrers, Mayor of Norwich, in the years 1473, 1478, 1483, 1493, 1498. Merchant’s mark and inscription only remaining. |
St. Michael at Coslany. |
1502. |
Thomas Cook. |
St. Gregory. |
1503. |
Edward Ward. |
Bixley. |
1505. |
William Dussing, and Katherine, his wife. In winding sheets. |
Kirby Bedon. |
1505. |
Thome Tyard. In winding sheets. |
Bawburgh. |
c1510. |
Juliane Anyell. |
Witton. |
1514. |
Margaret Pettwode. |
St. Clement. |
1515. |
Henrici Scolows, and Alicia, his wife. In winding sheets, with four evangelical emblems. |
St. Michael at Coslany. |
1524. |
John Terri, and Lettys, his wife. An elaborate Brass, with twenty lines of English verse. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
c1527. |
John Gilbert. Fragments of canopy and inscription only remaining. |
St. Andrew. |
1528. |
Edwardus Whyte, and Elizabeth, his wife. |
Shottisham St. Mary. |
c1538. |
William Layer, and wife. Inscription lost. |
St. Andrew. |
1540. |
Nicholas Suttherton. An inscription and shield. A palimpsest, now in the church chest, formerly at east end of nave. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
1546. |
Bel Buttry. |
St. Stephen. |
1558. |
Robarte Rugge, Mayor of Norwich, and Elizabeth, his wife. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
Helen Caus, wife of Thomas Caus, Mayor of Norwich. This is one of three effigies which represented Thomas Caus, Mayor in 1495 and 1503, and Johanna and Helen, his wives, and is a late example of the pedimental head dress. The other effigies are lost. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
|
|
A Mayor of Norwich, and his Wife. Name and date unknown. Inscription lost. |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
1577. |
Anne Rede, wife of Sir Peter Rede (whose Brass lies in St. Peter of Mancroft Church). |
St. Margaret. |
1600. |
Mary Bussie. Lost since 1850; formerly in the church of |
St. Peter of Mancroft. |
1605. |
Mis Anē Claxton; an inscription and shield. |
St. Mary at Coslany. |
1649. |
Clere Talbot, and his Wives. |
Dunston. |
1818. |
Mary Elizabeth, wife of Edward South Thurlow. A cross, brass, with a border inscription; laid down within the last few years. |
The Cathedral (north side of Choir). |
MISCELLANEOUS. |
||
1452. |
Thomas Childes. A skeleton figure, inscription lost. |
St. Lawrence, Norwich. |
|
An individual unknown. A heart with three scrolls. |
Kirby Bedon. |
|
A small figure in winding sheet; comparatively modern. |
Bawburgh. |
St. Andrew, Norwich. |
||
|
John Gilbert |
1527 |
|
William Layer, and wife |
1538 |
The Cathedral, Jesus’ Chapel, Norwich. |
||
|
Randulphus Pulvertoft |
1499 |
|
Mary Elizabeth, wife of Edward South Thurlow |
1818 |
St. Clement, Norwich. |
||
|
Margaret Pettwode |
1514 |
|
William Norwiche |
1475 |
St. Giles, Norwich. |
||
|
Robert Baxter, and Christiana, his wife |
1432 |
|
Richard Purdaunce, and Margaret, his wife |
1436 |
|
John Smyth, priest |
1499 |
St. Gregory, Norwich. |
||
|
Thomas Cok |
1502 |
St. John in Maddermarket. |
||
|
Walter Moneslee, and Isabella, his wife |
1412 |
|
John Toddenham |
c1460 |
|
William Pepyr, and Joan, his wife |
1476 |
|
A Mayor of Norwich, name unknown |
|
|
John Terri, and Lettys, his wife |
1524 |
|
Nicholas Suttherton |
1540 |
|
Robarte Rugge, and Elizabeth, his wife |
1558 |
|
Helen Caus |
1560 |
St. Lawrence, Norwich. |
||
|
John Asgar, the younger |
1436 |
|
Galfridus Langley |
1437 |
|
Thomas Childes |
1452 |
St. Margaret, Norwich. |
||
|
Anne Rede |
1577 |
St. Mary at Coslany, Norwich. |
||
|
Mis Anē Claxton |
1605 |
St. Michael at Coslany, Norwich. |
||
|
Richard Ferrers |
1501 |
|
Henrici Scolows, and Alicia, his wife |
1515 |
|
Thome Coke |
|
St. Peter of Mancroft, Norwich. |
||
|
Sir Peter Rede |
1568 |
|
The Brass of Mary Bussie, date 1600, has been lost since 1850 |
|
St. Peter at Southgate, Norwich. |
||
|
Roger Clarke |
1487 |
St. Stephen, Norwich. |
||
|
Robert Brasyer, and Christiana, his wife |
1435 |
|
Thomas Bokenham and wife |
1460 |
|
Roberti Brasyer |
|
|
Thome Capp, vicar |
1545 |
|
Bel Buttry |
1546 |
|
John Horslee, and Agnes, his wife |
1495 |
|
Walter Goos, priest |
1497 |
Bawburgh. |
||
|
Thome Tyard |
1505 |
|
William Richies—chalice |
1531 |
|
A small figure, in winding sheet |
|
Bixley. |
||
|
Edward Ward |
1503 |
Colney. |
||
|
Henry Alikok |
|
Dunston. |
||
|
Clare Talbot, and his wives |
1649 |
Frettenham. |
||
|
Alice Thorndon |
c1445 |
|
Lady (unknown) |
c1460 |
Hellesdon. |
||
|
Richard de Heylesdone, and Beatrice, his wife |
1380 |
|
John de Heylesdone, and Johanna, his wife |
1384 |
|
Richardus Thaseburgh |
1389 |
Ketteringham. |
||
|
Thome Heveningham, and Anne, his wife |
1499 |
|
Lady (unknown) |
|
Kirby Bedon. |
||
|
William Dussing, and Katherine, his wife |
1505 |
|
An individual unknown. A heart with three scrolls |
|
Plumstead Parva. |
||
|
Sir Edward Warner |
1565 |
Poringland Magna. |
||
|
An individual unknown—chalice |
|
Shottisham St. Mary. |
||
|
Edwardus Whyte, and Elizabeth, his wife |
1528 |
Surlingham. |
||
|
John Alnwick |
1450 |
Sprowston. |
||
|
John Corbet, and Jane, his wife |
1470 |
Witton. |
||
|
Juliana Anyell |
c1505 |
Norwich is very remarkable for its antiquities, its historical associations, its manufactures, and its trade; and also for the eminent men who have flourished at various periods in the city. It was the scene of many important events in the times of the Iceni, the Romans, the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, and Normans. It was the royal seat of Anglo-Saxon princes. It was the Hierapolis Monachopolis of the middle ages; famous for its churches and convents; and in later times, celebrated for its Norman castle and cathedral.
The first foundations of history are very often mere traditions, which are transmitted from parents to their children, from one generation to another. Probable only in their origin, they become less probable in every succeeding age. In process of time fable gains and truth loses ground. Hence it is almost impossible to ascertain the origin of any place claiming a high p. 147antiquity. The early writers could not divest their minds of the fascinating fables of Geoffrey of Monmouth. In former times, when the power of imagination prevailed, the distinction between legend and history was scarcely recognised. For centuries there are not even legendary accounts of East Anglia or of its capital. But instead of legends, there are permanent memorials of the past; great earthworks, fortifications, camps, strongholds, buildings, churches, ruins of monasteries and abbeys. The soil has yielded up relics of the dead—weapons, utensils, coins, ornaments, and sepulchral urns, showing the presence of the Iceni, the Romans, the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, and Normans, at different periods. All these energetic nations were concerned in events that took place in Norfolk and Norwich.
The Iceni appear to have been politically independent up to the period of the Roman invasion, B.C. 55. Their alarm in consequence of that invasion led them to negociate an alliance, but we have no reason to suppose that it was ever carried into effect. They took the lead in a rebellion which the Roman General Ostorius was barely able to quell; and Roman historians bear testimony to the valour with which they struggled to maintain their liberty. The superior discipline of the Roman soldiers enabled them, however, to triumph over a semi-barbarous people, unprotected by body armour and unused to military tactics; but it was no easy victory. For about 600 years after the defeat of the Iceni, no reliable information respecting that people is to be found in any history. p. 148Indeed they disappear from history altogether, and we can only infer what advances they made in civilization from the scattered remains that have been found in the eastern counties. These remains prove that the Iceni were not semi-savages, but that they had made some progress in useful arts, that they built houses, and wore woven garments.
There are no remains in the eastern counties of cairns, cromlechs, Druidical circles, or other memorials of ancient perseverance and mechanical skill, nature having interposed an absolute veto. But there are remains of earth works and tumuli, burrows or artificial mounds in which were deposited the urns or ashes of the dead. There are thousands of pits in many places, and these are supposed to have been the foundations of Icenian houses. Remarkable excavations are thickly clustered all over Weybourne Heath, varying from 8 to 20 feet in diameter, and from 2 to 6 feet in depth.
The Norwich Museum contains some remains of articles made by the Iceni, amongst which may be mentioned sepulchral urns, varying from the most primitive simplicity, up to forms and patterns worthy of any age. The chevron ornament, which is by far the most usual style of decoration, has been traced not merely in India, Egypt, Etruria, and Nineveh, as well as in Saxon and Norman work, but even among the works of ancient American settlers in Yucatan! The Museum also contains specimens of Icenic Celts or javelin heads, made of flints, which appear to have been originally fitted on a wooden shaft or handle, with a p. 149provision for drawing it back after the infliction of the wound, by means of a cord passing through the ring, as in the metal specimens. It is probable that these flint specimens were in use long anterior to the Roman invasion.
About 1844 or 1845, some discoveries were made in Norfolk of gold torques and coins of the Iceni. In March 1855, at Weston in Norfolk, 300 coins of the Iceni were found. The most ordinary type is the rude representation of a horse on each side; others have two crescents placed back to back; and on some (in about the proportion of one in twenty,) is a rude profile of a human head, while in a few instances there is a figure of a wild boar. Beneath the horse in some cases are the letters E C E or E C N, (supposed to be a contraction of Iceni,) also C E A, T, A T D, A T E D, or A N T D, which antiquarians are as yet unable to explain. Probably all the coins, like a single coin which has been found of Boadicea, the unfortunate Queen of the Iceni, were subsequent to the Roman invasion, for Cæsar expressly tells us that the Britons in his time used metal rings instead of money, the value being determined by their weight; and Camden, with great probability, supposes that most of the British coins must have been struck as a sort of poll tax or tribute money to the Romans.
Generally speaking, the antiquities of the British period are articles of the most urgent necessity, and of the rudest possible form; but a long interval of tranquillity brought even luxuries in its train, and it is a very remarkable fact that even the lapse of 1800 years p. 150has scarcely effected any change in some articles of general utility. The discoveries made at Herculaneum and Pompeii have led to a revival of the classical forms, both in porcelain and in plate, the greatest practical compliment that could be paid to the taste of the Roman artists.
Among the objects which have been found at different places may be mentioned sepulchral vases, varying, of course, in style and taste, but in some instances most beautifully formed; funeral lamps, lacrymatories, (or phials supposed to have contained the tears of the sorrowing relations,) fibulæ (or brooches), gold rings, gold seals, steelyards, weights, tweezers, a curiously formed brass lamp for three lights, a patera of Samian ware, and coins of the Roman emperors. All these may be seen in the Norwich Museum.
There is no evidence of the existence of Norwich as a city for 400 years after the Christian era. The whole island was a howling wilderness, and Norfolk was a vast common, like Roudham Heath. The natives lived by hunting or fishing, and sheltered themselves in the woods, or in caves, or huts. Water covered nearly all the area in which the city is now built, and filled all the valley of the Yare. The aborigines, called the Iceni, probably lived in huts near the banks of the river, as it afforded a good supply of fish; but there is no proof that they lived in any place that could be called a town or even a village. There is in fact, no reliable account whatever of the natives, how they lived, or where they p. 151lived in this district; for they have not even left any names of places, and very few traces of any progress in the useful arts, and certainly none of any buildings. On Mousehold Heath, near the city, and at various places in the county, there are hollows supposed to have been made by the Iceni as the foundation of huts, or of houses of wicker work, or some other perishable material, with a conical thatching at the top. Externally they must have looked like very low bastions, having doorways, but apparently neither chimneys nor windows.
When Julius Cæsar invaded the island, B.C. 55, he found seventeen tribes of the ancient Britons or Celts, and the Iceni, inhabiting this eastern district. They belonged to a very old family of mankind, of whose beginning there is no record, and their end is still more remote in the future. They first planted this island and gave to the seas, rivers, lakes, and mountains names which are poems, imitating the pure voices of nature. Julius Cæsar only made an inroad into the country through a part of Kent, and gained no permanent hold of the island. The Rev. Scott F. Surtees, in a recent work, maintains (and some persons think successfully) that Julius Cæsar effected his first landing on the coast of Norfolk.
The Romans, under Claudius, landed on the eastern coast; and established his power in this part of the country. He built strongholds at Gorleston and camps at Caister, near the present site of Yarmouth, and on the opposite shore at Burgh Castle, where extensive ruins yet remain. Advancing up the arm p. 153of the sea, the Romans built a camp at Reedham; and sailing yet higher up they built camps on the southern side of Norwich, at Caistor and Tasburgh. Historians for a long time believed that Caistor was the Venta Icenorum of the Romans, and preserved a very ancient tradition, that Norwich was built of Caistor stone out of the ruins of the Roman camp.
The late Hudson Gurney, Esq., collected ample materials for a full history of Norwich, but the only result of his researches seems to have been a letter to the late Dawson Turner, Esq., on the question of the Venta Icenorum mentioned by the Roman writers, whether it was Elmham, as Blomefield supposed, or Caistor, as later historians believed, or Norwich, as most antiquarians now think. The question is of some importance as regards the antiquity of the city; for supposing it to have been the Venta Icenorum of the Romans, with all the Roman roads radiating from it, the Venta must have been a large place. Main roads were of course made for traffic and for means of communication, which imply the existence of many people living in settled habitations.
Main roads prove a certain advance in civilization; but the question is, whether the Romans really made all the roads attributed to them, in Norfolk and Suffolk, during the four hundred years of their occupation. Main roads might have radiated from Caistor p. 154originally, and afterwards might have been diverted to Norwich.
Mr. Hudson Gurney adduced some proofs that Norwich and not Caistor was the Venta Icenorum. He says—
“The first question to examine, on the view of Norwich, Norwich Castle, and the Roman Camp at Caistor, may be, whether Norwich or Caistor be the ‘Venta Icenorum’ of the Romans; Norwich standing on the Wensum, and Caistor on the Taes, on the opposite side of what was the great estuary.”
“To begin, then, with Camden. In his accounts of Norwich and of Caistor he falls into the most extraordinary errors, confounding the courses of the three rivers, the Wensum, the Taes, and the Yare. He places Norwich upon the Yare instead of the Wensum, and gives the Wensum the course of the Taes as ‘flowing from the south;’ and still more strangely, as a king-at-arms, he attributes the erection of the present Castle of Norwich to Hugh Bygod, ‘from the lions salient carved in stone on it, which were the old arms of the Bygods on their seals, though one of them bore a cross for his seal.’”
Mr. Hudson Gurney remarks on this error—
“Now the lions were two lions passant regardant, very rudely carved, one on each side of the arch of the great entrance, and the Bygods, whose original arms were or, a cross gules, never bore the lion till assumed by Roger Bygod in the reign of Henry III., who took the arms of his mother, the heiress of William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, in whose light he became Earl Marshal of England.”
p. 155Thus Camden is disposed of, and other authorities are quoted in the letter in favour of Norwich being the Venta Icenorum.
“Horsley, in his Britannia Romani, states that Venta was the capital of the Iceni, situated on the Wentfar, and thence deriving its name; and misled by and quoting Camden, he places Venta at Caistor.”
“King, who, born in Norwich, might have been supposed to have been better informed, in his Munimenta Antiqua follows Camden, and turns the Taes into the Wensum; and in his paper in the fourth volume of the Archæologia, he pronounces the existing Castle of Norwich to be ‘the very tower which was erected about the time of King Canute.’”
Mr. Hudson Gurney, after setting aside Wilkins as an authority, proceeds—
“In 1834, I went over the Camp at Caistor and the country adjacent, with Colonel Leake, who may be considered the greatest living authority for the sites of ancient cities and fortified camps, and he at once said that he was convinced that Norwich was the Venta Icenorum, and capital of the Iceni, and Caistor the fortified camp planted by the Romans over against it, on the other side of the estuary, to bridle, as was their custom, a hostile population.”
After quoting a letter to the same effect, Mr. Hudson Gurney continues—
“In the Roman Itineraries you have three Ventas; Venta Bulgarum, Winchester; Venta Silurum, Caer Went, in Monmouthshire; and Venta Icenorum; and of these p. 156Ventas, the confusion between Winchester and the Venta Icenorum seems to have been begun very early, both with the chroniclers and romancers, probably from the one having retained the rudiments of the name, and the other becoming known as Northwic.”
“Sir Francis Palgrave, in the researches which he has made for his forthcoming history of ‘England under the Normans,’ being led to the examination of all contemporary authors, in order to clear up points which he found otherwise inexplicable, has referred me to the two following passages, which would seem to prove that Norwich was the Venta Icenorum almost beyond dispute.”
Here follow Latin quotations from the life of William the Conqueror by William of Poictiers and from Ordericus Vitalis under the year 1067.
William of Poictiers says:—
“Gwenta urbs est nobilis atque valens, cives ac finitimos habet divites, infidos, et audaces: Danos in auxilium ceteris recipere potest: a mari quod Anglos a Danis separat millia passuum quatuor-decim distat. Hujus quoque urbis intra mœnia, munitionem construxit, ibidem Gulielmum reliquit Osberni filium præcipuum in exercito suo, et in vice sua interim toti regno Aquilonem versus præesset.”
And Ordericus Vitalis states:—
“Intra mænia Gwentæ, opibus et munimine nobilis urbis, et mari contiguæ, validem arcem construxit, ibique Gulielmum Osberni filium in exercitu suo præcipuum reliquit, eumque vice sua toti Regno versus Aquilonem præesse constituit.”
p. 157And Mr. Gurney proceeds:—
“Taking, then, Norwich for the Venta Icenorum of the Romans—called Caer Guntum by the British, and Northwic by the Saxons and Danes—you find the Capital of the Iceni, founded on the shoulder of the promontory overlooking the Wensum, towards the great estuary, which formed a natural stronghold for successive races of inhabitants. Whilst the Romans, fixing their permanent camp at Caistor, on the Taes, where that river joined the estuary, into which the Wensum, the Taes, and the Yare, all discharged themselves, would command the passage into the interior of the country; and taking Caistor for the ‘Ad Taum,’ you will find the distances sufficiently to agree with the Roman Itineraries.”
“The Camp at Caistor contains an area of about thirty-five acres, and the Roman station at Taesborough, on another promontory higher up upon the stream, has an area of about twenty-four acres.”
Another strong point in favour of Norwich having been the Venta Icenorum is, that all the roads radiated from the city to all parts of East Anglia.
In tracing the rise and progress of the city we must remember that it was in the centre of a vast common, and that it was the nucleus of an agricultural community, at first without any trade or any kind of manufactures. It was merely a collection of huts or a fishing station, near the banks of a river or arm of the sea. The social state of the place should be considered with reference to the progress of agriculture at different periods in the surrounding district. Norwich was for ages only a small market town, with a very small number of inhabitants.
The destruction of all documents relating to East Anglia, during the irruptions of the Danes, has rendered this period the most obscure of any period of our history. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes having subjugated the fair territory of England, they divided it into seven kingdoms, called the Heptarchy, in which Norfolk formed a part of East Anglia. The Anglo-Saxon leader, Uffa, established himself in this part of the island, in 575; and assumed dominion over that portion of the eastern district now divided into Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire, giving it the name of East Anglia, of which Norwich was made the metropolis. Norwich was, therefore, a royal city, and the residence of the kings. Uffa, the first king, is supposed to have formed here a strong entrenchment of earth on the site of the present castle, encircled by broad ramparts and a ditch, as under the present Saxon arch. Uffa, who died A.D. 578, was succeeded by his son Titul; on whose demise, in 599, his son Redwald assumed the reins of government and embraced Christianity, but by the influence of his wife p. 159renounced it again. He was succeeded, A.D. 624, by his son Erpenwald, who was killed by a relation named Richbert, A.D. 633. His half brother Sigebert, who succeeded to the crown, established the bishopric of Dunwich, in Suffolk, and formed the first seminary for religious instruction, which led to the establishment of the university in Cambridge. Fatigued with the crown and its cares, he resigned it, A.D. 644, to his kinsman Egric, and retired into the famous monastery at Bury St. Edmund’s.
Norwich then became one of the chief seats of Anna, king of the East Angles, who gave the castle, with the lands belonging to it, to his daughter Ethelfrida on her marriage with Tombert, a prince of the Gyrvii or Fenmen, who inhabited the fens of Lincolnshire and the adjacent parts of Norfolk. At the same time Tombert granted to Ethelfrida, as a marriage settlement, the isle of Ely, which for greater security was to be held by castle guard service to the castle of Norwich.
From the time of Anna till the reign of Alfred the Great there are few events on record except the frequent incursions of the piratical Danes, who at last over-ran East Anglia, and had their head quarters at Thetford in 870. But the reign of the Great Alfred was distinguished by his decisive victories over those Northern marauders. One of his chief objects was to fortify the principal parts of his kingdom against hostile attacks. Finding the walls or ramparts of Norwich Castle too weak for repelling the attacks of the Danes, he caused others to be erected with the p. 160most durable materials. That it was a noted military station, and a royal castle in his time, is evident from a coin struck here in the year 872, having round the head AElfred Rex, and on the reverse Northwic. After making peace with the Danes in 878, he assigned to them, for their residence, the whole of East Anglia, and their leader Guthrum fixed his seat at Norwich; but, breaking his faith, the city and county were wrested from him, and reverted again to the Angles under six successive sovereigns.
Edward the Elder succeeded his father, the illustrious Alfred, in the year 901, and kept the Danes at bay. Ericke, one of their chiefs, held East Anglia under the king, till he rebelled in 913, when he was overthrown and slain. Athelstan, who succeeded Edward, totally expelled the Danes, and reduced the whole kingdom under his government. In his reign Norwich flourished, and it is probable that he was here in 925, for a coin still extant has on the obverse Ethalstan, and on the reverse “Barbe Mon Northwic,” that is “Barbe, mint master of Norwich.” Among the other East Anglian coins struck here, the following may be mentioned; one of Edmund, the successor of Athelstan, inscribed round the head Edmund Rex, and on the reverse Edgar Mon Northwic; several of Edred, coined about 946, and inscribed round the head Eadred Rex, and on the reverse Hanne Mo Northwic; two of Edward the Martyr, having on the obverse Edward Rex. Angl. and on the reverse Leofwine Mon Nor.; and three of Ethelred the Unready, having on the obverse Edelred Rex.
p. 161There is no account of the castle after the time of Anna till the Danish wars; and then it was often won and lost by the contending powers.
Blomefield, in his History of Norfolk, vol. II. p. 4, notices the coins of several Anglo-Saxon princes, Alfred, Athelstan, Edmund I., Edred, Edward the Martyr, and Ethelred II. The circumstance of Alfred coining money here is remarkable, as at the date of this coinage, (872) the government of East Anglia could only have just come into his hands, upon the extinction of the East Anglian dynasty in the person of St. Edmund, and the country either was or had just been in the military possession of the Danes.
During the reign of Athelstan the city appears to have been in a flourishing state. In the reign of Edward, 941, and his successor Edred, 945, it greatly increased in wealth and extent. The greater part of the city was then built on the north side of the river Wensum, with a small population. The city is certainly of Anglo-Saxon origin, but as an Anglo-Saxon city it was destroyed by the Danes, and no vestiges remain of its Anglo-Saxon buildings, excepting, perhaps, one or two round towers of churches.
The Danes became settled in the city, and fortified themselves against all enemies, about 1011; and the next year, Turkil or Turketel, a Danish earl, took possession of all Norfolk, having expelled the English Earl Ulfketel, and held it under Sweyn till his death, which happened in 1014. Then the Danish army chose Canute his son for their king: but upon Sweyn’s death the English took courage and sent for Ethelred out of Normandy, who returned and drove Canute out of the country. Turkel, however, continued governor of the East Angles, and he persuaded Canute to return; and he became king of England in 1017. That monarch assigned all Norfolk to Earl Turkel; and according to the old author of an Essay on the Antiquity of the Castle:—
“Committed to him the custody of Norwich, which his father Sweyn burnt and destroyed; and to keep the East Angles secure to him, he (Canute) was most like to be the builder of the present stone Castle of Norwich. For when by compact with the English nobles, the law called Engleshire was made by universal consent, for the safety of the Danes p. 163that were by agreement to remain in England, Canute sent home to Denmark his mercenary army of Danes, but in great caution built several strong forts and castles, garrisoning them with such Danes as had been settled in England before his time, intermixed with such English as he had confidence in.”
The author of this ingenious Essay produces sufficient arguments to show that there was a building in the fortifications in the reign of Canute, and that there had been one since the time of King Alfred, and that Canute might have repaired or even rebuilt it. Indeed, there must have been a castle before the Conquest, as in Domesday Book a number of tenements are stated to have belonged to the castle. The present building was probably reared after the Conquest, it being so like Rising Castle and others. Roger Bigot very likely built it, and Thomas Brotherton repaired it in the reign of Edward I., as proved by his arms still in the stone work. Certain it is, from the time of Sweyn’s settling in the city in 1010, and the Danes swarming hither in large numbers, it rose almost at once to great importance, as appears from the Survey in the reign of Edward the Confessor. This is highly probable if we believe the best authority on the subject, namely the Saxon Chronicle, which states that the city rose from desolation, in 50 years, to be a place of great magnitude, far exceeding its former size. The Danes came hither in such numbers that they became the parent stock of the people of Norwich and Norfolk; and this is proved by the names of many places in Norfolk.
p. 164Edward the Confessor began his reign in 1041, and the Earldom of Norfolk was given to Harold, son of Earl Godwin, who was afterwards king of England, and on his rebellion was seized by the king and given to Algar, son of Leofric, Earl of Chester, who resigned it again to Harold at his return; and in 1052, on the death of Earl Godwin, Harold, in recompense for his generosity, gave Algar his earldom again; but he being banished in 1055, it came to the king, who pardoned him at Harold’s request, so that he enjoyed it till his death, when it came again to the king.
The Norman Conquest of England caused many changes in Norfolk and Norwich. One of the immediate results of the invasion, in 1066, was a vast influx of foreigners into the county and city; and the pressure of the Norman yoke was felt as much in Norwich as in any part of the kingdom. It was about the same period that Jews began to settle here for the first time, enriched by the extortions incident to a conquest, and, as Fuller says, “buying such oppressed Englishmen’s goods as Christians did not care to meddle with.”
William the Conqueror caused a survey to be made of all the lands in the country, the register of which is called the Domesday Book, and was finished in 1081. It is written in Roman with a mixture of Saxon, and is still preserved in the chapter-house at Westminster, amongst the national archives. It was printed in the 40th of George III. for the use of the members of both houses of parliament, and the public libraries of the kingdom. It specifies the extent of the land in each district; the state it was in, whether p. 166meadow, pasture, wood, or arable; the name of the proprietor; the value, &c. Domesday Book, p. 13, states:—
“In Norwic, in the time of King Edward, were 1320 burgesses, of whom one was so much the king’s vassal, that he might not depart or do homage (to any other) without his licence. His name was Edstan; he possessed 18 acres of land and 12 of meadow, and two churches in the burgh and a sixth part of a third, and to one of these churches there belonged one mansion in the burgh and six acres of meadow: these six acres Roger Bigod holds by the king’s gift. And of 1238 (of the said burgesses) the king and the earl had soc, sac, and custom; and of 50 Stigand had the soc, sac, and patronage; and of 32 Harold had the soc, sac, and patronage,” &c., &c.
Soc, sac, and custom was the entire jurisdiction, for soc is the power that any man had to hold courts, wherein all that dwell on his land, or in his jurisdiction are answerable to do suit and service; sac is the right of having all the amerciaments and forfeitures of such suitors; and custom includes all other profits. At this time, also, there were no fewer than 136 burgesses who were Frenchmen, and only six who were English in the new burgh, which comprised the parishes of St. Giles’ and St. Peter’s Mancroft. The Dutch and the Flemings, about this time, came over the sea and located themselves in the city and county, and introduced the worsted and other manufactures.
William I. gave the Earldom of the city of Norwich to Ralph de Guader, who designed to wed the daughter of one William Fitz-Osbern, sister of p. 167Roger Earl of Hereford, and a relative of the king. This matrimonial scheme not pleasing the king, it was prohibited, but barons in those days would sometimes have a will of their own, and the fair affianced was made a bride within the castle walls, whose doorway in an angle marks the site of the act of disobedience to the sovereign. After the sumptuous feast, with its attendant libations, a rebellion was planned by Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland, Huntingdon, and Northampton, and Roger, Earl of Hereford. Having carried the forbidden marriage into effect, they became bold in their language and designs, until a chorus of excited voices joined them in oaths as conspirators against their lord the king. Treachery revealed the plot, and the church lent its aid to the crown to crush the rebels. Lanfranc, then the primate and archbishop, sent out troops, headed by bishops and justiciaries, the highest dignitaries of church and law, to oppose and besiege them. The bridegroom fled for succour to his native Brittany, leaving his bride for three months to defend the garrison with her retainers, at the end of which time the brave Emma was forced to capitulate, but upon mild terms, obtaining leave for herself and her followers to flee to Brittany. Her husband became an outlaw, her brother was slain, and scarcely one guest present at that ill-fated marriage feast escaped an untimely end.
Nor did the city go unscathed. The devastation carried into its midst was heavy; many houses were burnt, many were deserted by those who had joined the earl, and it is curious to read in the valuation of p. 168land and property, taken soon after this event, how many houses are recorded as void, both in the burgh or that part of the city under the jurisdiction of the king and earl, and in other portions, subject to other lords; for it would seem that the landlords of the soil on which the city stood were the king or earl of the castle, the bishop, and the Harold family. Clusters of huts were then built round the base of the hill, and constituted the feudal village; its inhabitants consisting of villains, of which there were two classes, the husbandmen or peasants annexed to the manor or land, and a lower rank described as villains in gross, or absolute slaves, transferable by deed from one owner to another, the lives of these slaves being a continual state of toil, degradation and suffering.
After the banishment of Earl Ralph, the king, having obtained possession of the castle, appointed Roger Bigod constable, with a limited power as bailiff, he having to collect the rents and revenues belonging to the crown. He retained these honours during the reign of the succeeding monarch, William Rufus, though he joined in the fruitless attempt to place that king’s elder brother, Robert Curthose, on the throne. These troubles were not ended till 1091, when the king made peace with his brother Robert, agreeing that the lands of those who had assisted him should be restored to them.
About the commencement of this century, a considerable addition was made to the population of the city by a vast influx of Jews, who originally came from Normandy, and were allowed to settle in England as chapmen for the sale of confiscated goods. They afterwards became numerous, and were so much in favour with William Rufus that he is said to have sworn, by St. Luke’s face, his usual oath, that “If the Jews should overcome the Christians, he himself would become of their sect.” In his reign the present castle is supposed to have been built.
Henry I., on his accession to the crown, met with great opposition from many of the nobles who were in the interest of his elder brother, Robert, Duke of Normandy; but Roger Bigod strongly espousing his cause, became a great favourite. In the first part of his reign, the king gave him Framlingham in Suffolk, and continued him Constable of the Castle till his death. He was succeeded by his son William Bigod, on whose decease Hugh Bigod, his brother, who inherited his estate, was appointed Governor of the Castle. In 1122, the king kept his Christmas in p. 170Norwich, when, being pleased with the reception he met with, he severed the government of the city from that of the castle, the constable of which had been heretofore the sole governor. Henry I. granted the city a charter containing the same franchises as the city of London then enjoyed, and the government of the city was then separated from that of the castle, the chief officer being styled Propositus or Provost. The liberties of the city from the time of Henry I. to Edward III., were often suspended and gradually enlarged. In 1403 the city was separated entirely from the county of Norfolk, under the name of the county and city of Norwich; and the first Mayor was then elected by the citizens. The old corporation generally comprised a dignified body of men, who maintained the hospitalities of the city. Under the ancient charter the corporation of Norwich consisted of a mayor, recorder, steward, two sheriffs, twenty-four aldermen, including the mayor, and sixty common councilmen. The Municipal Reform Act transferred its government into the hands of a mayor, a sheriff, and a town council consisting of forty-eight councillors, and sixteen aldermen elected by the council, who unitedly elect the mayor and sheriff. To these, and to a recorder, with an indefinite number of magistrates appointed by the crown, the government of the city is entrusted.
King Stephen, on his accession, granted the custody of the castle to his favourite, Hugh Bigod, who was a principal instrument in advancing him to the crown, by coming directly from Normandy where Henry I. p. 171died, and averring that he on his deathbed had disinherited his daughter Maud, the empress, and appointed Stephen, Earl of Bolyne, his heir. The citizens, therefore, taking this opportunity, used what interest they could with the king to obtain a new charter, vesting the government of the city in coroners and bailiffs instead of provosts; but the affair took a different turn to what they expected, for the king, upon a distrust of Bigod favouring the cause of the Empress Maud, seized the castle and all the liberties of the city into his own hands, and soon afterwards granted to his natural son William, for an appanage or increase of inheritance, the town and burgh of the city of Norwich, in which were 1238 burgesses who held of the king in burgage tenure; and also the castle and burgh thereof, in which were 123 burgesses that held of the king in burgage, and also the royal revenue of the whole county of Norfolk, excepting what belonged to the bishopric, &c. The whole rent of the city, including the fee farm, was then about £700 per annum. The king restored the city liberties for a fine in 1139.
During the reign of King Stephen more Flemings came over; and these successive immigrations were a real blessing to the land. England had not been a manufacturing country at all till the arrival of the Flemings, who introduced the preparation and weaving of wool, so that, in process of time, not only the home market was abundantly supplied with woollen cloth, but a large surplus was made for exportation. The Flemings were kinsmen of the Anglo-Saxon race, and p. 172were distinguished for that probity in their commercial dealings which afterwards became the characteristic of the English merchants at large.
Henry II., in the first year of his reign, 1155, took the city, castle, and liberties from William, the natural son of Stephen; but, as a recompense, restored to him all those lands which his father held in the reign of Henry I. He also prevailed upon Hugh Bigod to yield up all his castles, whereby the whole right became vested in the crown; the king governing the city by the sheriff, who paid the profits arising therefrom into the exchequer. About the year 1163 Hugh Bigod was restored to the title of the Earl of Norfolk, and at the same time appointed Constable of Norwich Castle, by which means he became sole governor of the city. In 1182, the citizens recovered the liberties of the city on paying a fine of 80 marks to the king.
Richard I. was crowned September 4th, 1189, and a riot happened on account of a Jew attempting to enter Westminster Hall contrary to the king’s express command. Many of the Jews were killed, and their houses plundered and burnt. A rumour was thereupon spread throughout the nation that the king did not favour them, on which the people of Bury, Lynn, and Norwich, took occasion to rise and rob great numbers of them. On November 27th following, Roger, son of Hugh Bigod, was created Earl of Norfolk, and steward of the king’s household. By his means the city regained as ample a charter as London then possessed, for in 1193, the king granted the city in fee farm to the citizens and their heirs, for a fee farm rent of £180 yearly.
King John ascended the throne in 1193, and in a few years afterwards the barons rebelled against him. In 1215, Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, joined the insurgent barons. The king seized the castle, expelled the earl, and appointed the Earl of Pembroke and John Fitz-Herbert Constables of the Castle. Lewis, the Dauphin of France, having obtained a grant of the kingdom from the pope, brought over a large force, ravaged the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, took the castle, and reduced the city. He made William de Bellomonte his marshal and constable, and placed him with a garrison within the castle walls.
King John granted two charters to the citizens, bestowing certain privileges; and he came to the city in 1256, as is evident from the Charter of Liberties granted to the port of Yarmouth, it being dated March 25, 1256, by the king at Norwich. On the same day he likewise granted his third Charter to the city, bestowing certain commercial privileges. In 1265 Simon Montfort and his adherents seized all the king’s castles and committed the custody of them to p. 174their own friends, and having also gotten the king’s person into their power, they obliged him to send letters to the sheriffs of counties, including Norfolk, commanding them to oppose all attempts in favour of the king. But the king having routed the barons at Eversham, removed all the constables which the confederates had appointed, and amongst the rest Roger Bigod; in whose stead, John de Vallibus, or Vaux, was made Constable of this Castle, and Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and soon afterwards, in consequence of great disturbances in the city, he was ordered to enter it, and did so, notwithstanding its liberties. In December, 1266, the displaced barons, headed by Sir John de Evile, entered the city and killed many persons, imprisoned more, plundered the town, and carried away the wealthiest of the inhabitants.
According to Blomefield, about this time, on a Good Friday, the Jews were accused of having crucified a boy, twelve years of age, named William; and the date of his alleged death, March 24th, was marked as a holiday. No evidence is adduced that the crime was committed, and no motive is assigned for it. The date of the year is not given, and the boy’s name besides William is not stated. The Jews denied the charge, but it was generally believed, and they were terribly persecuted. The people then seized upon every pretence for robbing and plundering the poor Jews. It is said that the crime was discovered by Erlward, a burgess, as they were going to bury the body in Thorpe Wood. On this the Jews applied to p. 175the sheriff, and promised him 100 marks if he would free them from this charge. The sheriff sending for Erlward obliged him to swear that so long as he lived he would never accuse the Jews nor discover the fact. About five years afterwards, Erlward, on his deathbed, made known the whole affair, and the body, it is said, having been found in the wood, was taken and buried in the churchyard of the monks. They alleged that many miracles were there wrought by it which occasioned its being removed into the church and enshrined in the year 1150.
Edward I. succeeded to the throne in 1272, and in the next year the king appointed Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, to be Constable of the Castle. The interdict, which was removed on Christmas eve, was renewed on the day after Epiphany, but was taken off till Easter, when it was renewed the third time. In 1274, the affair between the monks and citizens continuing unsettled, it was referred to the pope, who left it to the decision of the king, who adjudged the citizens to pay 500 marks yearly for six years, and to give the church a cup of the value of £100, and weighing 10 lbs. in gold. The monks were to repair their gates and to have access to all parts of the city, and some of the chief citizens were to go to Rome to beg the pope’s pardon. These conditions being agreed to, the king restored to the city all its ancient privileges on payment of a fine of 40s. yearly, besides the old fee farm. The interdict was also removed on November 1st, 1275. The king kept his Easter in the city in 1277, and he granted a new charter in 1285. p. 176In 1289 the liberties were seized, but were restored again at the end of the year. Soon afterwards the king, while on a pilgrimage to Walsingham, granted a new charter. In 1296, the city first sent representatives to parliament, originally four in number, who were paid for their services, but on account of the expense the number was reduced to two members.
In this century this city and other towns began to obtain political privileges. The kings of the middle ages found themselves obliged to summon burgesses to parliament in order to obtain supplies. The early parliaments appear to have been convened chiefly for this purpose, and were constantly dissolved as soon as the business for which they met was transacted. Formerly the burgesses returned were always citizens, who really were representatives of the city and its interests, and not merely supporters of the ministry of the day. There is no record of the early local elections, but lists will be given of the burgesses returned.
Edward II. began his reign on July 7th, 1307, and he reigned nineteen years. Walter de Norwich, son of Jeffry de Norwich, was so much in favour with the king as to be one of the Barons of the Exchequer in 1311, and in 1314 was summoned as a parliamentary baron, and afterwards made the Treasurer of the Exchequer, which office he held several years. He obtained liberty for free warren in all his demean lands, and a fair to the manor of Ling in Norfolk, on p. 178July 20th, and two days following. He continued in favour till his death.
In the reign of Edward III., A.D. 1328, the king, by a statute, made Norwich a staple town for the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, by which the trade of the city was much increased. In the “Paston Letters” we find the following reference to articles of Norfolk manufacture:
“I pray that you will send me hither two ells of worsted for doublets, to happen me this cold winter, and that ye enquire where William Paston bought his tippet of fine worsted which is almost like silk, and if that be much finer that ye sh’d buy me, after seven or eight shillings, then buy me a quarter and the nail thereof for collars, though it be dearer than the other, for I would make my doublet all worsted for the honour of Norfolk.”
In 1340, Norwich Castle was made the public prison for the county of Norfolk, and the custody thereof was committed to the sheriff. A great tournament was held in Norwich, at which the king, with his queen Phillippa, was present; and they kept their court at the bishop’s palace. In 1342 the king and queen honoured the city with another visit.
In 1344 a new charter was granted, by which the liberty of the castle was reduced to the outward limits of the present ditch, and so continues. By this charter, the citizens became proprietor’s of the ancient fee of the castle, that is, the castle ditches, and the great croft, now the market place.
In the reign of Richard II., A.D. 1381, Wat Tyler’s rebellion broke out in London. Insurrection became p. 179prevalent in many parts of the kingdom, manufactures declined, and discontent became general. Norwich and Norfolk shared in the general plunder at the hands of armed bands. Under John Lyster, Litister, or Linster, a dyer, 50,000 men attacked the city and committed great depredations. They were, however, pursued to North Walsham by the king’s troops under the command of Henry Le Spencer, Bishop of Norwich, and defeated. Their leader and many of his adherents were taken and executed for high treason. They were hung, drawn, and quartered, according to the barbarous usage of the times. In 1399, the bailiffs having put the city into a proper posture of defence, openly declared for Henry Duke of Lancaster, son and heir of John of Gaunt, the late deceased duke, their especial friend. On this declaration, Henry gave them strong assurances that, whenever it was in his power, the charter which they so earnestly desired for electing a mayor, &c., should be granted them, and he was afterwards as good as his word. The great connection there was between John of Gaunt and this city, arose through William Norwich, a knight, who was a friend of the Duke’s, and who frequently visited the town, for which he always expressed great regard. In 1389, the great John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, visited this city, and was honourably received.
In the first year of Henry IV., Sir Thomas Erpingham, knight, a Norfolk man, Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Lord Chamberlain, obtained the King’s Charter, dated at Westminster, February 6th, 1399, p. 180confirming all the former charters ever granted to the city. In 1409, through the interest of Sir Thomas, a grant was made to the city for a certain term of years of the alnage and survey of all manner of worsteds made in Norwich and Norfolk.
St. George’s Company took its rise in the second half of the fourteenth century, and consisted of a society of brethren and sisters associated in honour of the Martyr St. George, who by voluntary contributions supported a chaplain to celebrate service every day in the cathedral before the altar, for the welfare of the brethren and sisters of the Guild, whilst living, and of their souls when dead. In this state they continued till the fourth year of Henry V., when that prince granted them a charter dated at Reading, incorporating them by the name of the Aldermen, Masters, Brethren, and Sisters of the Fraternity and Guild of St. George in Norwich; and empowering them to choose yearly, one Alderman and two Masters, and to make all reasonable orders and constitutions for their own government; to have a common seal; to sue and be sued; and to maintain a chaplain to pray daily for the health of the king, the alderman, masters, and sisters whilst alive, and their souls when dead; and lastly to purchase £10 per annum in mortmain. The prior, mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen of the Guild, had power to expel or remove any member for bad behaviour. In consequence of this charter, ordinances were made for the well-governing of the society, and for yearly choosing one alderman, four masters, and p. 181twenty-four brethren, for the Assembly or Common Council. In 1451, by the mediation of Judge Yelverton, the disputes between the Guild and the city were settled; when it was agreed that the mayor for the time being should yearly, on the day after the Guild, be chosen Alderman of the Guild for the year following his mayoralty, that the Assembly of the Guild should consist of twenty persons, and that the common council of the city should be eligible for admission into the company, but be liable to the charge of the feast. Indeed, the chief object of the Guild was feasting. Every brother took an oath on admission. The Aldermen and Common Council of the Guild had power to choose such men and women, inhabitants of the city, to be brethren and sisters of the Guild, as they might think fit. But no man living out of the city could be chosen unless he was a knight, esquire, or gentleman of note. Many other orders were made in regard to their procession, which was always very grand. This Guild, with the other ancient crafts or companies of the city, made a very splendid appearance on all public occasions. The companies were then on the same footing as those of the city of London now are, and some of the trades long continued as a fraternity, and chose wardens among themselves. From the Friday after May day, to the Friday before the Guild day, the members of St. George’s Company used to meet every evening at the Guildhall in the Market Place, where they refreshed themselves with as much sack and sugar rolls as they pleased, besides two penny cakes from the baker’s. p. 182Being thus assembled they sent for the last chosen feast-makers, and asked them whether they intended to bear the charges of the feast, “which” (said they) “will cost you more than you think.” By this they so terrified timorous, wary people, that they were persuaded to buy it off, though, had they agreed to make the feast, it would not have cost them much more than £6 or £7, which sum they were glad to save. The Company continued till February 24th, 1731, when the committee appointed for the purpose reported to an assembly held that day, that they had treated with St. George’s Company, who had agreed to deliver up their charters, books, and records, into the hands of the corporation, provided the latter would pay their debts, amounting to £236 15s. 1d., which, being agreed to, they were accordingly delivered up and deposited with the city records in the Guildhall. Thus terminated this ancient feasting company by the surrender of all their goods to the corporation.
At the commencement of this century (in 1402) the grand affair of obtaining a new charter occupied the greater part of the time of the citizens, but as nothing could be done without the concurrence of Bishop Spencer, they at last found means to soften him, and to obtain his promise that he would not oppose them in this their favourite object. All obstacles being now removed, they offered to lend Henry 1000 marks, which so far obliged the king that he was willing to give them as full a charter as they could desire. This was accordingly done, and the new charter was granted on January 28th, 1403. By this charter the city obtained a full power of local self-government.
Henry V. began his reign on March 20th, 1412, in which year the city was in great disorder, occasioned by the disputes between the Mayor and the Commons, respecting the election of mayors, sheriffs, and other officers of the corporation, and the powers granted by the charter, concerning which they could not agree. These contentions exhausted the p. 184city treasury, and at length they were settled by the mediation of Sir Robert Berney, John Lancaster, William Paston, and others. The burgesses who served in Parliament in this reign were R. Brasier, R. Dunston, W. Sedman, J. Biskelee, H. Rufman, W. Eton, J. Alderfold, W. Appleyard, R. Baxter, and Henry Peking.
In 1422 the doctrines of the Reformation were introduced into the city, and several persons were executed as Wickliffites or Lollards. A large chalk pit, in Thorpe Hamlet, on the outskirts of the city, is to this day called “Lollards’ Pit.”
Henry VI., when only nine months old, was proclaimed king on August 31st, 1422, and in his reign a general persecution of the Lollards broke out in this diocese. The Lollards were men who earnestly desired the reformation of the church, and they were followers of that great and good man John Wickliffe, but they were called Lollards as a name of infamy. They were so zealous for the truth that they chose rather to suffer grievous torments and death than forsake their faith. On this account about 120 persons were persecuted for their profession of the pure gospel of Christ.
On June 6th, 1448, the king paid a royal visit to the city, and among other preparations the gates were decorated, and the King’s arms, and the arms of St. George, were painted and raised on six of the gates. In 1449, his Majesty paid another visit, after a sojourn with the Earl of Suffolk at Costessey. The king entered Norwich by St. Benedict’s Gate, which was p. 185especially ornamented for the occasion. These peaceable entries, with the picturesque pomp of a royal procession, always pleased the loyal citizens.
In 1452, it being rumoured that Edward earl of March, son to the duke of York, was advancing towards London, the queen, much terrified thereat, tried to make as many friends as she could, and for that purpose came to this city, when, in full assembly, the Commons resolved to advance 100 marks as a loan to the king; and the aldermen at the same time presented the queen with 60 marks, to which the Commons added 40 more, so that the king had now 200 marks of the city. The citizens then obtained a new charter, dated March 17th, and consented to in full parliament. It contained a restitution of all liberties, a general pardon of all past offences, and a confirmation of all former charters.
In 1460, during the contest between the houses of York and Lancaster, the mayor and aldermen raised forty armed men and the Commons eighty, and appointed Wm. Rookwood, Esq., their captain, with whom they agreed for six weeks’ pay, at six-pence a day for each soldier, and sent them to the assistance of the king, who wrote them a letter of thanks, with a request that they would maintain the soldiers for one month longer, which was readily complied with. In 1474, the king visited the city, and was presented with a sum of money by way of benevolence; but in the following year the city had to pay £80 6s. 11d. for the forces employed in France.
In July 1469, Elizabeth Woodville, the queen of p. 186Edward IV., visited Norwich and remained here several days. Her majesty, with a great retinue, entered the city through “Westwyk Gate,” which was decorated for the occasion. John Parnell was brought from Ipswich to exercise his skill in ornamentation; and under his superintendence, a stage covered with red-and-green worsted was erected, adorned with figures of angels, escutcheons, and banners of the royal lady and the king, with a profusion of crowns, roses, fleur-de-lys, &c. Gilbert Spurling exhibited a fragment of the salutation of Mary and Elizabeth, which required from him a speech in explanation.
In 1486, being the 1st Henry VII., on the rebellion of Lambert Simnel, who assumed the name of Edward Plantagenet, the king, expecting an invasion of the eastern parts of his kingdom, made a progress through Norfolk and Suffolk to confirm the inhabitants in their loyalty, and spent his Christmas at Norwich, when the city made him a handsome present. Hence he went a pilgrimage to Walsingham, so famous for its pretended miracles, where he made his vows; and after he returned victorious, he sent his banner to be offered there as an acknowledgment of his prayers having been heard.
The monastic institutions of this city might claim the honour of having some learned men connected with them in the 15th century. Thomas Brinton, or Brampton, a monk of Norwich, attained to such an eminence in the schools of England that his fame was spread abroad, and he was sent for by the pope to Rome. He often preached before the pope in Latin, p. 187and being first made his penitentiary was afterwards raised to the see of Rochester. His sermons preached before the pope were published, with some others. John Stow, who flourished in 1440, was a Benedictine monk of the monastery of St. Saviour, in Norwich, and doctor of divinity of Oxford. It appears, by his works, that he was at the council of Basil. His works were The Acts of the Council at Basil; various Collections; and Solemn Disputations, &c. John Mear, a monk of Norwich, and D.D. of Oxford, was a person of subtle art for explaining difficulties. He was divinity reader at several monasteries, and the author of several works, which have all been lost.
At the commencement of this century most of the houses in the city were built of wood with thatched roofs. This accounts for the number of fires which broke out at different times, and which, in 1507 and 1509, reduced a large portion of the city to ashes, no fewer than 718 houses being consumed in the latter year. These conflagrations induced the corporation, in 1509, to issue an order that no newly-erected buildings in the city should be covered with thatch, but this injunction not extending to those previously erected, some few still retain this dangerous covering.
In 1501, John Rightwise, then mayor, began building the cross in the Market Place, and finished it in 1503. It was a commodious and handsome pile, but falling into decay, it was sold by the Tonnage Committee in 1732 for £125, and soon afterwards it was taken down. About 1506, St. Andrew’s Church was built, near the site of the old church of St. Christopher.
Henry VIII. began his reign on April 22nd, 1509, when the city was in a state of great distraction, on p. 189account of the terrible fires which caused much destruction of property. In that year a great part of the cathedral, with its vestry, and all the ornaments and books were destroyed by a fire, which broke out on St. Thomas’ night. In 1515, the Lady Mary, sister to the king, and her consort the Duke of Suffolk, visited the city on their return from France, and were nobly entertained. Henry VIII., while he continued a papist, burned the reformers; and when in a fit of anger he disowned the pope and assumed the English tiara, he was no less zealous against both Papist and Puritan, who would not bind their consciences to his royal decrees. During the prelacy of Richard Nykke or Nix, the bigotted bishop of Norwich, several church reformers were burnt here and at other places.
In 1517, Cardinal Wolsey visited the city to mediate between the citizens and the monks, but their disputes were not finally settled till 1524, when the jurisdiction of the convent was ascertained and separated from that of the corporation until 1538, when they were converted into a dean and chapter.
On March 2nd, 1520, Queen Catherine and Cardinal Wolsey visited the city, and all the city companies went to meet the queen “in Puke and Dirke Tawney Liveries,” and the city presented her with 100 marks.
In 1522, in consequence of the many vexatious suits in the Sheriff’s Court for words and trifling debts, it was agreed that four aldermen be named, one out of each of the great wards, to sit in person, or by deputies, every Wednesday, from eight till nine in the morning, p. 190to adjust all debts under two shillings, and all actions on words, for the ease and peace of the city. This institution was of great benefit, and in some measure answered the purpose of the old Court of Conscience.
In 1524, on September 2nd, through the mediation of Cardinal Wolsey, a composition and final agreement was sealed between the prior and the city at the Guildhall, by which the city resigned all jurisdiction within the walls of the priory, the whole site thereof being hereby acknowledged to be part of the County of Norfolk and in the Hundred of Blofield; and the church gave up all right of jurisdiction in every place without their walls and within the walls of the city; so that now, Tombland, with the fairs kept thereon, and all things belonging to those fairs—and Holmstrete, Spytelond, and Ratten Row, with their letes—were adjudged to belong to the city, and to be part of the county thereof. The prior and convent and their successors were also exempted from all tolls, customs, and exactions whatever, by land or water in the whole city, or county of the city and its liberties, for goods or chattels bought or sold for the use of the prior and convent, their households, or families.
In 1525 the king granted the city another charter, confirmed likewise by parliament, in which the late composition and agreement between the city and prior was fully recited and established, and new privileges were granted.
In 1530 the king was declared supreme head of the church of England; and was acknowledged so by act of parliament in 1535. In the latter year an act was p. 191passed for recontinuing liberties in the crown, by which all cities, boroughs, and towns corporate, had their liberties and privileges fully confirmed.
A short account of the martyrdom of Thomas Bilney, in 1531, may serve to illustrate the persecuting spirit of the age. He had renounced the tenets of the Church of Rome, and was condemned on the following passages extracted from two sermons which he had preached in 1527, at Ipswich.
“Our Saviour Christ is our Mediator between us and the Father; what need have we therefore for any remedy from saints? It is a great injury to the blood of Christ to make such petitions, and blasphemeth our Saviour.”
“Man is so imperfect by himself, that he can in no wise merit by his own deeds.”
“The coming of Christ was long prophesied before, and desired by the prophets; but John Baptist, being more than a prophet, did not only prophesy, but with his finger shewed Him, saying, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.’ Then, if this was the very Lamb which John did demonstrate, that taketh away the sins of the world, what injury is it to our Saviour Christ, that to be buried in St. Francis’ cowl should remit four parts of penance? What is then left to our Saviour Christ, which taketh away the sins of the world? This I will justify to be a great blasphemy to the blood of Christ.”
“It is great folly to go on pilgrimages; and preachers in times past have been antichrists; and now it hath pleased God somewhat to shew forth their falsehoods and errors.”
p. 192“The miracles done at Walsingham, Canterbury, and Ipswich, were done by the devil through the sufferance of God, to blind the poor people; and the Pope hath not the keys that St. Peter had, except he followeth Peter in his living.”
“Christian people should set up no lights before images of saints, for saints in heaven need no lights, and images have no eyes to see; and, therefore, as Ezechias destroyed the brazen serpent that Moses made by the commandment of God, even so should the kings and princes of these times destroy and burn the images of saints set up in churches.”
It was further deposed against Bilney, that he was notoriously suspected to be a heretic, and that in his sermons he had exhorted the people to put away their gods of silver and gold, and to desist from offering to them either candle, wax, money, or any other thing; and that in rehearsing the litany he said, “pray you only to God and no saints;” and when he came to that part, Sancta Maria, &c., or, O Saint Mary pray for us, he called out, “stop there.”
These and many other articles of the like nature being proved, he was exhorted to recant and abjure them; and upon his refusing to do so, the Bishop of London, having pulled off his cap, and made the sign of the cross on his forehead and breast, pronounced the following sentence:—
“I, by the counsel and consent of my brethren here present, do pronounce thee, Thomas Bilney, who has been accused of divers articles, to be convicted of heresy; and for the rest of the sentence we will deliberate till to-morrow.”
p. 193The next day Bilney was again asked whether he would recant and return to the unity of the church; when he desired a day or two for consideration and to consult his friends. In fear of a dreadful death at the expiration of the time, he subscribed his abjuration; and being absolved, he had the following penance enjoined him; to bear a faggot at the procession at St. Paul’s, bareheaded, and to stand before the preacher during the sermon there, and to remain in prison till he should be released by Cardinal Wolsey. When in prison, the reflection on what he had done drove Bilney almost to despair, and he suffered all the agonies of remorse for more than twelve months.
At length he resolved to seal that truth which he had so shamefully abjured, with his blood. For this purpose he travelled to Norwich, and on his way to the city he openly preached those doctrines for which he had been condemned; and being apprehended, was confined in one of the cells under the Guildhall. On August 19th, he was taken to Lollards’ pit, outside of Bishopsgate, and burnt there in the presence of a crowd of horrified spectators.
This and many other instances may serve to show the persecuting spirit of a church which had arrogated to itself a dominion over the consciences of men, and dared to propagate a religion of fear as the religion of Christ. After the Reformation, which had now begun, the same persecuting spirit was manifested by the Church of England; and many suffered here for their nonconformity to the Establishment. Several other martyrs were burnt in Norwich during the same reign, p. 194and in 1539, one William Leyton, a monk of Eye, in Suffolk, was burnt here, for speaking against a certain idol which used to be carried about in procession at Eye; and for asserting that the sacrament ought to be administered in both kinds.
In the same year peace and amity were settled between the church and the city on a much more stable foundation than had been previously effected, by an arrangement as to jurisdictions of the authorities.
In 1534 an act was passed for rebuilding those parts of the city which were laid waste by the late fires; by which it was enacted that if the owners of such void grounds should, by the space of two years after proclamation made by the mayor for all persons to rebuild or enclose their grounds, neglect to rebuild on such ground, or sufficiently enclose the same with mortar and stone, then it should be lawful for the mayor, etc., to enter on such vacant grounds, and hold and retain them to their own use and their successors’ use for ever, discharged of all rents and outgoings whatsoever, provided that, within two years after such entry made, they either rebuild or enclose them as aforesaid.
If, in giving an account of the state of society in the middle ages, we were to omit from our enumeration of causes the vast influence of the clergy of the church of Rome, we should present a very imperfect view of the subject. The priests dominated over the p. 195minds of men for many centuries, and their influence either for good or evil pervaded all classes of society. This influence caused the erection of monasteries, nunneries, priories, and friaries, nineteen in number, in Norwich before the 16th century. Monastic institutions were originally beneficial to society. In the dark ages, they preserved learning to some extent, and were houses of refuge for the destitute. No doubt there were many good self-denying men and women amongst the monks and nuns, who did some service to the poor who then abounded in the land. But in time the monasteries sunk for the most part into dissolute confraternities; stupid and sleepy, where not vicious; and banded together against the liberties of the nation; and there were constant broils between the monks and the citizens in Norwich.
The king having entirely renounced the authority of the church of Rome, and assumed the title of Head of the Church of England, caused a very strict inquiry to be instituted into the state of all monastic institutions. This inquiry resulted in their suppression, more for the gratification of the monarch’s avarice than from his desire to benefit his subjects; and most of the monks in Norwich and Norfolk, as well as in other parts of England, were sent adrift with small pensions. The king, indeed—in revenge for being excommunicated by the pope—suppressed 1148 monasteries in England, whose revenues amounted to £183,707 yearly. He either seized the property for himself or divided it amongst his favourites, and the Duke of Norfolk obtained a great part of it in Norwich. The dissolution p. 196of those ancient institutions caused a great deal of poverty; the priests were driven out homeless over the land, and the poor had no houses of refuge and no means of relief.
In 1538, Thomas Cromwell, lord privy seal, the king’s vicegerent, sent injunctions to all bishops and curates, charging them to take care that an English bible of the largest size be placed open in each parish church, for every one to have recourse to. The open bible was generally read in this city and elsewhere, and this, no doubt, promoted the reformation of religion. In spite of the tyranny of kings, the domination of priests, and the superstition of the people, the Reformation still advanced, and the national mind was emancipated by degrees from ancient thraldom.
In 1545, one Rogers, of Norfolk, was condemned and suffered martyrdom, for opposing the six articles of an act passed for abolishing diversity of opinions in religion. This act inflicted the penalty of death upon those—1st, who by word or writing denied transubstantiation; 2nd, who maintained that communion in both kinds was necessary; 3rd, or asserted that it was lawful for priests to marry; 4th, or that vows of chastity might be broken; 5th, or that private masses are profitable; 6th, or that auricular confession is not necessary to salvation.
The king died on the 28th January, 1546; and his exequies were celebrated here with great pomp, as appears from the chamberlain’s account; though what good he ever did for the city it would be hard to say. p. 197He was a king who spared no man in his anger and no woman in his lust. In his reign, 72,000 persons were hung for political offences or for the crime of poverty as a warning to others. The “Merry England” of those days was in fact a terrible country to live in. Men were beaten, scourged, branded with hot irons, and killed without mercy or limit.
Edward VI. was proclaimed king on January 28th, 1546; and on February 25th, his coronation was celebrated with much pomp in Norwich, where great rejoicings took place. Six large guns were fired on Tombland; the populace were treated with plenty of beer; and bonfires were lighted in several of the streets. There was a grand procession with a pageant, in which the king was represented by an effigy of king Solomon.
On March 8th, 1546, Edward VI., and the executors of his deceased father, granted to the mayor, sheriffs, citizens, and commonalty, the hospital of St. Giles’ in this city, now called the Old Men’s hospital, with all the revenues belonging thereto for the maintenance of poor people dwelling therein, all which the late king had promised to give them at the request of the citizens, a short time before his death.
Norwich has always been noted for its civic feasts and good cheer; and Bale, writing at this time (1549), in his “Continuation of Leland’s Antiquities,” says:—
“Oh, cytie of England, whose glory standeth more in belly chere than in the searche of wisdome godlye, how cometh it that neither you nor yet your ydell masmongers have regarded this most worthy commodytie of your countrye? I mean the conservacyon of your antiquyties, p. 198and of the worthy labours of your learned men. I thynke the renowne of such a notable act would have much longer endured than of all your belly banquettes and table triumphes, either yet of your newly purchased hawles, to keep St. George’s feast in.”
And again he says:—
“I have been also at Norwyche, our second cytie of name, and there all the library monuments are turned to the use of their grossers, candelmakers, sope sellers, &c.”
Small credit is here given to the city for the patronage and promotion of intellectual pursuits.
In 1549 the city was the scene of an insurrection resembling that of the Jacquerie in France, and the War of the Peasants in Germany. The facts of this local rebellion were simple enough. The poor people objected to the enclosure of waste lands, in the neighbourhood of Attleborough and Wymondham, by the nobility and gentry, who had been put in possession of the abbey lands, which had been previously appropriated for the use of the poor, who still considered that they had a right of commonage on the waste lands and open pastures. The rebellion commenced at Eccles, Wilby, Attleborough, and the neighbouring villages, the inhabitants of which were enraged at Mr. John Green, lord of the manor of Wilby, who had enclosed that part of the common belonging to his manor, which had from time immemorial been open to the adjoining commons of Hargham and Attleborough, p. 199and in which the people had enjoyed all rights of intercommoning with each other. The people continued quiet till Wymondham fair, on July 7th, when they collected in large numbers. The leaders of the movement, accompanied by a large number of others, went to Morley, about a mile from Wymondham, and laid open the new enclosures; and on returning to Wymondham, they destroyed all the fences by which the commons and wastes were enclosed. John Flowerdew, of Hethersett, incensed at the destruction of his fences, gave forty pence to a number of the country people to throw down the fences of Robert Kett, alias Knight, whose pasture lay near Wymondham Fairstead. They carried out his wishes to the full, and on the following morning returned to Hethersett, where, at Kett’s instigation, they laid open other enclosures of Flowerdew’s. After this, the rioters appointed Robert Kett and his brother William, a butcher, to be their captains, and the movement soon assumed the form of an organized rebellion. The numbers of the rebels quickly increased, and marching on Mousehold Heath, they took possession of the mansion of the Earl of Surrey; and thence proceeded to lay siege to the city. They held courts of justice under a large tree, called the “Oak of Reformation:” and having augmented their numbers to 16,000 from the citizens, and strongly fortified their camp, they summoned the city to surrender. For months they maintained hostilities, and the country round was pillaged and laid waste, until at length they gained an entrance to the city, and took the p. 200mayor and several councillors prisoners to their camp. A strong force was thereupon sent down for the defence of the city, under the Marquis of Northampton, and a regular battle was fought at the base of the hill on St. Martin’s Palace Plain. In this engagement Lord Sheffield was slain; and the rebels, having forced the Marquis to retreat, plundered the city, and set fire to it in many parts. In short, all attempts to quell this violent insurrection were ineffectual, till a large army, which had been raised to proceed against the Scots, was ordered to march to the relief of Norwich, under the command of the Earl of Warwick, who arrived under the city walls on the 23rd of August. On the following day, after making an ineffectual offer of pardon to the insurgents, on the condition that they should lay down their arms, the king’s troops commenced their attack; and having made several breaches in the walls, and forced open some of the gates, they soon entered the city, and took possession of the Market Place. In the midst of this scene of blood, the king’s ammunition carriages, having entered apart from the main body of the army, were captured by the enemy, but were soon retaken by a detachment from the Market Place. A large body of the rebels still remaining in the city now made a lodgement on Tombland, and through their superior local knowledge, greatly annoyed the soldiers by posting small parties at the angles of the different streets leading to the Market. The Earl of Warwick, however, brought out his whole force to scour the city, and the rebels, after setting fire to their camp, were p. 201obliged to quit their post on the hill and retreat to Dussyn’s Dale, on Mousehold, resolving to finish the business by a general engagement in the valley.
On August 27th, being re-enforced by a newly-arrived detachment of troops, the Earl marched out of the city to attack the rebels, to whom he again offered pardon, provided they would quietly lay down their arms; but, confident in their numbers, they refused to capitulate. A bloody conflict ensued, but the rebels, being unaccustomed to the discharge of artillery, were soon in confusion. Of this the Light Horse took advantage, and advancing to the charge, drove the rebels from the field and pursued them with great slaughter. Over 3000 were killed, and about 300 of the ringleaders were afterwards executed. The gates of the city suffered much damage during this insurrection. The rebels set Bishop’s gate on fire, with some of the houses in the street, and those belonging to the Great Hospital. Pockthorpe, Magdalen, St. Augustine, Coslany, and Ber Street gates, shared the same fate. When the disturbances ceased, the repair of the city generally was commenced, and especially of the gates. Outside Magdalen Gates a gallows was erected, at which place and at the cross in the Market Place 300 rebels were executed. Two, styled prophets, were hanged, drawn, and quartered, their heads being placed on the towers, and their quarters on the gates.
Robert and William Kett were tried in London for high treason and rebellion, and convicted. On November 29th, they were delivered to Sir Edmund Windham, High Sheriff of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, to p. 202receive punishment. Robert was conveyed to Norwich, and being brought to the foot of the castle, was drawn up to a gibbet erected at the top, and there left hanging alive till he died by famine; and his body, being entirely wasted, at length fell down. A similar sentence was executed upon William, who was suspended alive upon the top of Wymondham steeple. This fearful rebellion having been thus brought to an end, the citizens, after the departure of the kings troops, began to repair the damages to the walls and gates. Unhappily, however, their trials were not yet over, for the late disastrous occurrences were followed by such a scarcity and dearness of provisions, that the corporation issued an edict, requiring all the wealthier inhabitants to find corn for their own households elsewhere, so that their poorer neighbours might have the exclusive benefit of the city markets.
The Princess Mary was proclaimed here on July 18th, 1553, and was the first English Queen in her own right, and the people of Norwich and Norfolk rushed to her standard, impelled by the memory of Kett’s rebellion. The queen was a bigoted Roman Catholic, and in her reign popery was revived in its worst form, associated with all the atrocities of the most sanguinary persecution. Protestants were gathered like fuel for burning; and as for the Puritans, no fate could be too severe for them.
In March, 1556, William Carman, of Hingham, was p. 203burnt in Lollards’ pit, outside of Bishop’s Gate. He was charged with being an obstinate heretic, and actually having in his possession a bible, a testament, and three psalters in the English tongue.
On July 13th, of the same year, Simon Miller, merchant of Lynn, and Elizabeth Cooper, a pewterer’s wife, of the parish of St. Andrew, were burnt together in Lollards’ pit. On August 5th, Richard Crashfield, of Wymondham, Thomas Carman, William Seaman, and Thomas Hudson, were burnt for heresy in the same place.
On July 10th, 1557, Richard Yolman, a devout old minister, seventy years of age, was burnt for heresy. He had been curate to that learned and pious martyr, Mr. Taylor, of Hadleigh.
As if a judgment had come on the country for such atrocities, the quartan ague and a new sickness soon afterwards raged so violently, that it was said that “fire, sword, and pestilence,” had swept away a third part of the men of England; and it is recorded that ten of the Norwich aldermen fell victims to the latter scourge.
During this short reign, the city was afflicted by the presence of those merciless persecutors, Bishop Hopton and Chancellor Dunnings, at whose instigation several martyrs to the reformed religion were burnt here in 1557 and 1558. Happily the career of this bigoted, blood-thirsty, priest-ridden queen, was cut short, and a new and brighter era dawned upon the nation.
This queen ascended the throne on Nov. 7th, 1558, and was proclaimed here on the 17th of the same month. She was a zealous promoter of the Reformation. The form of worship used in the churches was similar to that in the time of Edward VI.; but the protestants were almost as intolerant in this reign as the Romanists had been before, though they claimed the right of private judgment; and the principle of toleration was not recognised for centuries by any church, or sect, or party.
In 1561, on the Guild day, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Earls of Northumberland and Huntingdon, with many other nobility and gentry, dined with the Mayor, William Mingay, Esq., in St. Andrew’s Hall, which could scarcely contain the company and their retinue. The entertainment is said to have been very magnificent, and the expense of the feast amounted to 32s. 9d.
In 1565, the prosperity of the city, which had begun to decline, was again revived by the settling here of 330 Flemings and Walloons, who had fled from the Netherlands, from the rigid persecution under the sanguinary Duke of Alva. In 1570, by the fostering encouragement of Queen Elizabeth, the number of these foreign settlers had increased to 3925, and by the introduction of bombazine, and other manufactures, they contributed much to the wealth and prosperity of Norwich.
p. 205During the long reign of Elizabeth, numerous conspiracies were formed for the re-establishment of Popery, and in 1570, John Throgmorton, Thomas Brooke, and G. Redman, were hanged and quartered here for having joined in these traitorous enterprises. In 1572, the Duke of Norfolk and several other noblemen were attainted and beheaded for similar offences, at London, York, and other places. The Duke not only espoused the cause of Mary, Queen of Scots, but even offered to marry that Roman Catholic Princess.
In 1574, a rumour was spread of invasion by the so-called invincible Armada. Norwich, towards the general defence, exhibited on its muster roll 2120 able men, of whom 400 were armed; the total number enrolled in the whole county of Norfolk, being at the same time, 6120 able men, of whom 3630 were armed. Happily there was no occasion for their services, the Armada being destroyed by a storm at sea.
Queen Elizabeth made a progress through Suffolk and Norfolk, from the 16th to the 22nd August, 1578. She came on horseback from Ipswich to Norwich, though she had several coaches in her train; and she lodged in the Bishop’s Palace. For several days she was entertained by splendid pageantries, principally allusive to the trade and manufactures of the city. Whilst here she dined publicly in the North Alley of the Cathedral Cloister, and often went a hunting on horseback, and to witness wrestling and shooting on Mousehold heath. The city records contain full details of the pageantries on the occasion of the royal visit. In no other city was the Queen received with greater p. 206cordiality and pageantry than in Norwich. The corporation, the inhabitants, the clergy, with the nobility and gentry of the county, contributed largely to afford the royal lady as pleasant and costly a reception as should be pleasing to her as a spectacle, and demonstrative of exuberant loyalty. This joy was soon turned into mourning; for, says a record known as the Norwich Roll, “The trains of Her Majesty’s carriage being many of them infected, left the plague behind them, which afterwards increased and contynued, as it raged about a year and three quarters.” Nearly 5000 fell victims to this dreadful malady.
In 1578, Matthew Hamond, of Hethersett, wheelwright, a heretic and blasphemer, being convicted of reviling the queen and of denying the authority of the Scriptures, the Godhead, the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the existence of the Holy Ghost, was set in the pillory on May 13th, and both his ears were nailed. Afterwards, on May 20th, he was burnt in the castle ditch. In 1587 and 1588 Francis Knight and Peter Cole, of Ipswich, were burnt in the same place for their deistical sentiments.
The Reformation was not only stayed, but thrown backward by this arbitrary, despotic queen. Though she was well disposed to reformation in the abstract, yet the fear of popish influence and a jealousy for her ecclesiastical authority over the church, made her act in the spirit of the worst excesses of popery. She persecuted all who disputed her authority in religious matters. In vain did the exiles return, hoping for peace and “freedom to worship God.” The expulsion p. 207of a multitude of clergy, who refused to conform to many impositions, and the many hardships suffered by the puritans, especially in Norfolk and Suffolk, evinced that no concession was to be expected from her. Her great idol was perfect uniformity. To enforce it, she passed many laws, which made nonconformity worse than felony, and she treated the Puritan as a rebel against all authority, both human and divine. A beautiful “Memorial” of the ministers of Norfolk is still preserved in vindication of their loyalty, and in advocacy of greater liberty of conscience. The result of it, however, was that seven or eight of them were suspended in Norwich. But instead of this being the means of stopping the progress of Puritanism, the sincere inquirers after truth were incited by such harsh measures to fresh investigations, and more emboldened to declare their views.
In 1582, on a second return made of the strangers settled here, they were found to be 1128 men; 1358 women; 815 children, strangers born; 1378 children, English born; in all 4679. The whole population was about 15,000, and the citizens continued to return burgesses to parliament from time to time, but not so frequently as in former reigns. During this reign William Kemp, a comic actor of high reputation, and greatly applauded for his buffoonery, danced a morris dance all the way from London to Norwich in nine days, and was accompanied by crowds of people as he passed on from town to town. When he arrived in Norwich he was very kindly treated by the citizens, who turned out to meet him in large numbers.
p. 208Norwich Pageants were celebrated during the middle ages, and occupy a large space in the records of the corporation. Books of the several companies relating to the pageants have been lost except that of St. George, but some additional information has come to light on the subject. A series of extracts were made early in the last century from the Grocers’ book, showing the proceedings and expenditure of that company in regard to their pageants from 1534 to 1570, and also the versions of the plays in 1533 and in 1563. All the plays of that period were called mysteries or miracle plays, and were founded on bible history. The play was performed in a carriage called a “House of Waynscott, painted and builded on a cart with fowre whelys.” Painted cloths were hung about it, and it was drawn by four horses, “having head stalls of brode inkle with knoppes and tassels.” The vehicle had a square top with a large vane in the midst, and one for the end, and a large number of smaller ones. The company was evidently unable to afford the cost of four horses in 1534; only one was hired, and four men attended on the pageant with “Lewers.” One of the plays was called “Paradyse,” and was performed by the Grocers and Raffmen. It begins much in the same manner as the Coventry play, with God the Father relating the planting of the garden of Eden, the creation of man and placing him there, and God’s intention to create woman. The other characters are Lucifer, Adam, and Eve, who exhibit the incidents related in Genesis. Of the good taste or propriety of these entertainments any p. 209observation is needless. They formed a remarkable feature in the life of the middle ages, and show the childishness of the people. The dialogues in all these plays are puerile doggerel.
Few of the citizens of Norwich could make any pretensions as to birth, whatever they might say about their birth-place. Among the natives of this city of obscure parentage may be mentioned Thomas Legge, LL.D., who was educated in Trinity College, where he was fellow, as also at Jesus College, till he was chosen by Dr. Kaye as second master of Kaye’s College. He was Dean of the Arches, one of the Masters of Chancery, twice Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and thirty-four years Master of Kaye’s College. Justus Lipsius eulogised him as a very excellent antiquary, and as an oracle of learning. He was a great benefactor to this college, bequeathing £600 for the building of the east part thereof, besides several lesser liberalities. Thomas Bacon, the fifteenth Master of Gonville Hall, had done great damage to it, and left it in debt; but Dr. Legge and his two successors repaired all losses, acting not so much like the masters as the stewards of the house. Dr. Legge was the author of two tragedies, namely, “The Destruction of Jerusalem,” and “The Life of King Richard III.,” which last was performed before Queen p. 210Elizabeth, with great applause, in St. John’s College Hall. The doctor died July 12th, 1607, leaving the college his heir, and he was buried in it, so that he left his native city only the barren honour of his name.
John Kaye, or as he is sometimes called, Caius, was born at Norwich in 1510, and studied in Gonville Hall, Cambridge, from which he removed to travel abroad. He took his degree of M.D. in the University of Padua. In the reign of Edward VI. he was appointed principal physician at court, a place which he enjoyed under both the Queens Mary and Elizabeth. The College of Physicians of London elected him one of their Fellows, and he presided over that body several years. Being very rich and desirous to promote learning, he procured a charter from Queen Elizabeth dated 1565, to turn Gonville Hall into a College; and he endowed it with the greater part of his estate. He lived as an ornament to his profession till July, 1573, when he died, aged 63, at Cambridge. He wrote the “Antiquities of Cambridge,” an excellent book; and he presented it to James I. as he passed through his college. The King said, “Give me rather Caius de Canibus,” a work of his as much admired, but hard to be got. He was master of his college for some time, but in his old age he resigned that office to Dr. Legge, a fellow commoner in his college, and a native of Norwich.
Archbishop Parker, a native of Norwich, flourished in this reign, and was a great benefactor to the city. He was born August 6th, 1504, being the son of William Parker, a wealthy citizen. He was educated at the Grammar School here, and in 1520 he was sent to Corpus Christi College, where he took his degrees of B.A., M.A., and D.D., before 1538. The Queen afterwards appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was very active in persecuting the Puritans here. He was the author of many works which showed much learning. He died on May 17th, 1575, and was buried in Lambeth Chapel.
This was a very eventful period in the annals of the city. The century opened with storms and inundations in the physical world, heralding commotions in the political world. On April 9th, 1601, a sudden storm of hail and rain passed over the city, whereby the upper part of the Cathedral spire, which had been lately repaired, was beaten down. It fell on the roof of the church, which it broke through, doing great damage to it as well as to the walls of the choir. The spire was split on the south-east side from top to bottom.
James I. was proclaimed king on March 24th, 1602; and soon after he was seated on the throne he granted a general pardon to the mayor, sheriffs, and commons of this city, for all past offences. The local occurrences were not very important during this reign of 23 years. There were, however, great disturbances between the citizens and Dutch strangers respecting trade rights and privileges.
p. 213In 1602, the plague raged with unusual fury in this country. As many as 30,578 persons died in London, and 3076 in Norwich. This visitation was attended with so great a scarcity of food, that wheat sold for ten, rye for six, and barley for five shillings per bushel. In the summer of 1609, the city was again visited by the plague, though but few died of it.
At the assizes held August, 1617, a dispute arose between Sir Henry Montague, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, and John Mingay, Esq., then Mayor, concerning precedence. This was occasioned by the indiscretion of Sir Augustine Palgrave, Sheriff of Norfolk, who had imprudently informed the Chief Justice that it was his right to sit in the chair at the preaching place in the Green yard, with the Mayor on his left hand. This the Mayor opposed, resolutely asserting his right to the chair; and the Chief Justice as resolutely insisted, being misled by the information of the sheriff. But this matter was afterwards set right, and the sheriff was obliged to acknowledge his error, after having been severely reprimanded by the Judge for misleading him. On the next day, a contest of the same kind happened between the High Sheriff and the Sheriffs of Norwich; when, to prevent any disputes of the like nature in future, it was determined that only the High Sheriff should attend the Judges when they are upon the county business, and only the Sheriffs of Norwich when they are on the city business.
Charles I. was proclaimed king, on March 1st, 1625. The mayor of Norwich, stewards, justices, sheriffs, and aldermen, were present at the ceremony.
p. 214On March 31st, 1625, Charles I. was proclaimed in Norwich, and on May 13th following, Thomas, Earl of Arundel and Surrey, Earl-Marshal of England, was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Norfolk, and of the city of Norwich, and county of the same.
On October 19th, 1625, the citizens petitioned the king to be released of taxes, on account of their poverty and the ravages of the plague; and in 1641, the citizens petitioned Parliament, to be discharged from paying £2500 assessed upon them, on account of their great poverty and the impossibility of raising the money.
In 1626, writs of quo warranto were brought against the mayor, &c., for refusing to furnish two ships of war demanded of them; and the corporation, on the trial, which took place in 1629, obtained a verdict in their favor, having proved that they neither used nor usurped any privileges but what their charters warranted. During this contest the city raised a sum of money, and presented to the king by way of loan, as settled by the lord keeper, lord treasurer, comptroller, and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, who came hither for that purpose.
In 1627, an order arrived for levying 250 foot soldiers in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk, of which number the citizens were ordered to furnish 25; but they would raise no more than 17, that being their full proportion.
During this reign the plague raged with great violence in the city and county. On July 12th, 1625, the king issued a commission to the mayor, &c., to p. 215scour the city ditches, to remove all nuisances in and about the city, to repair the walls and turrets, and to tax all residing in the several wards, according to their ability, toward the work; it being thought very necessary, in order to stop the plague which had been brought from Yarmouth, and begun to spread here. The mayor had previously requested the bailiffs at Yarmouth to order all the wherrymen to carry no infected persons dwelling in their town to the city. Constables of every ward gave notice that no person coming from London should be entertained without notice given to the aldermen of their ward; and watch was set at every gate, day and night, to hinder all persons coming from infected places entering the city, and the carriers were commanded to bring no such persons, nor any wool whatever. Notwithstanding all this caution, the plague began to spread, so that on July 23rd, the aldermen of every ward appointed “Searchers” in each ward, to be keepers of such persons as were suspected of being infected. The bellman warned all the citizens to take their dogs and swine outside of the walls, on pain of being killed. On July 30th, the watch of the gates ceased, it being known that the plague raged within the city. Twenty-six persons died of it in that week; and before August 11th, it had so much increased, that it was resolved that every alderman should have power to send his warrants to the city treasurers to relieve the infected persons; and the plague abated that very week. Orders were issued that the doors of all persons who died of the disease should be nailed up and watched. p. 216Every one who begged about the streets was whipped, because all the poor were then relieved, so that no one had any excuse for begging for food.
In 1634, under date of March 23rd, a letter signed by the king, was directed to the mayor, sheriff, and aldermen, requiring their constant attendance at the sermon preached every Sunday morning, either in the Cathedral or Green yard, and that they would be there at the beginning of the service, after the manner observed in the city of London; and that none be absent without the consent of the bishop. On this point a court was held, and it was ordered that the mayor and court should constantly meet at the Free School, and thence proceed to church agreeably to his majesty’s instructions; the king having great regard for their spiritual welfare.
The first parliament of the reign of Charles I., in 1625, has been severely censured on account of the penurious supply which it doled out for the exigencies of a war in which its predecessors had involved the king. Nor is the reproach wholly unfounded. A more liberal proceeding, if it did not obtain a reciprocal concession from the king, would have put him more in the wrong. But the Puritans in parliament formed a majority, and were determined not to vote money without a redress of what they deemed to be grievances. The king finding he could not obtain the supplies he required from the House of Commons, determined to p. 217rule without a parliament, and to raise money by some other means. Hence the contests between the king and the parliaments, which were often called and soon dissolved. This served only to aggravate the embarrassments of the crown. Every successive House of Commons inherited the feelings of its predecessor, otherwise it would not have represented the people. The same men, for the most part, came again to parliament more irritated and difficult of reconciliation with the sovereign than before. Even the politic measure, as it was fancied to be, of excluding some of the most active members from seats, by nominating them sheriffs for the year, failed of the expected success because all ranks partook of a common enthusiasm.
In 1642, July 12th, the parliament voted and declared the necessity of recourse to arms, and on the 29th of the same month, Moses Treswell was apprehended for attempting to enlist men into the king’s service, after having been forbidden to do so by the corporation. The citizens supposing that this act would be deemed a declaration against their sovereign, ordered a double watch to be set in every ward, and a provision of all military stores to be made. They received a letter from the parliament thanking them for their great services in sending up Captain Treswell, and exhorting them to raise the militia, and to prevent anyone from levying troops within their jurisdiction without consent of parliament. Soon afterwards, the king issued proclamations requiring the assistance of his subjects against the rebels, but no regard was p. 218paid to them in Norwich. On the other hand, the magistrates ordered a general muster of the trained bands and volunteers, and put the city into the best state of defence, fearing an attack from the gentlemen of Norfolk and Suffolk who had declared for the king. As a further proof of their zeal they sent fifty Dragoons for Colonel Cromwell’s regiment, which composed part of the troops under Lord Grey of Wark, raised for the preservation of the peace in the associated counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, and Huntingdonshire. As soon as these had marched, the magistrates raised a hundred more dragoons, and to mount them, gave orders for seizing the horses of those citizens who favoured the cause of the king, and who were called malignants. On March 13th, the city raised fifty more Dragoons, and on March 26th, 1643, a hundred men were ordered to be raised and sent to Cambridge to re-enforce the associated army. The weekly contribution levied by parliament on the county was £1250 in the following proportions: Norfolk £1129, Norwich £53, Lynn £27, Yarmouth £34 16s. 5d., Thetford £5 11s. 9d. On April 2nd, being Easter day, Captain Sherwood marched to Lynn with a hundred volunteers to secure that town from any sudden surprise by the king’s forces. On August 12th, a meeting of the associated counties was appointed on account of the danger with which the city was threatened by the approach of the enemy, and the castle was ordered to be fortified. Lincolnshire was also admitted amongst the associated counties. Lynn was garrisoned by the p. 219forces of the parliament, and fortified at the expense of the Association. On November 18th, four of the Court, representing the Association, were fined £10 each for want of expedition in collecting the proposition money, and the Earl of Manchester ordered the immediate assessing and levying of such sums of money as should have been raised by any edict of parliament. This stringent commission was carried out by force of arms.
In 1643, it having been agreed between the English and Scotch commissioners that £100,000 should be immediately advanced to the Scots, to enable them to put their army in march for England, an order was sent down to Norwich for levying £6000, part of the said sum in the following proportions; in Norwich, £265; in Yarmouth, £174; in Lynn, £132; in Thetford, £27 18s. 9d., and the remainder in the county of Norfolk.
By order of the Court, on March 9th, 1644, seven pictures, taken from St. Swithin’s Church, the Angel and Four Evangelists from St. Peter’s, Moses and Aaron and the Four Evangelists from the Cathedral, and other paintings, were publicly burnt in the Market Place. A committee was appointed to “view the churches for pictures and crucifixes,” in consequence of which, these over-zealous Reformers committed all kinds of outrages and excesses by destroying monuments in the churches, and burning valuable paintings, as stated by Bishop Hall in his “Hard Measure,” a pamphlet on the proceedings of the Puritans. On Christmas eve, 1645, the mayor issued p. 220orders to all the city clergy commanding them neither to preach, nor to administer the sacrament, in their respective churches on the day following, and to the inhabitants, charging them to open their shops as on other days; so little did the Puritans in that age understand the principles of toleration.
In 1648, a petition was presented to the mayor, &c., signed by 150 persons, praying for a more speedy and effectual reformation, and complaining that their faithful ministers were discouraged and slighted; the ejected ministers countenanced and preferred; old ceremonies, and the service book constantly used, and the directory for worship almost totally neglected; and further praying, that the ordinances against superstition and idolatry might be put in strict execution; “so, shall the crucifix on the cathedral gate be defaced, and another on the roof of the cathedral neere the west door in the inside, and one upon the free school, and the image of Christ on the parish house of St. George at Tombland be taken down, and many parish churches more decently made for the congregations to meet in.” The mayor, John Utting, paying little regard to this petition, was sent for to London, and Mr. Alderman Baret put in his place. After he was gone, the common people, having a great affection for the mayor, went to the committee house, then on the site of the present Bethel, where the gunpowder was kept, and set fire to ninety-five barrels, which killed and wounded about one hundred persons and greatly damaged the adjacent buildings. For this p. 221outrage six of the perpetrators were hanged in the Market Place.
On January 30th, 1649, King Charles was beheaded at Whitehall. Soon after the death of the king the House of Commons published a decree to forbid the proclaiming of Charles Stuart, eldest son of the late king, or of any person whatsoever, on pain of high treason; and afterwards enacted that the kingly office should be abolished as unnecessary, burdensome, and dangerous; and that the state should be governed by the representatives of the people without king or lords, and under the form of a Commonwealth.
In 1650, on discovery of an intended insurrection in Norfolk in favour of King Charles, which was to have broken out on October 7th, several of the conspirators were apprehended and tried at the new hall, in Norwich, before three judges, commissioned by the parliament for that purpose. Their sitting continued from December 20th to December 30th, and they condemned twenty-five persons, who were all executed, some of them at Norwich and others in different parts of Norfolk.
On June 24th, 1654, an ordinance was published for the six months’ assessment for the maintenance of the armies and fleets of the Commonwealth, at the rate of £120,000 per month for the first three months, and £90,000 per month for the rest. Towards each monthly payment of the last sum, Norwich raised £240 and Norfolk £4660. On August 29th, an ordinance was issued for ejecting scandalous and insufficient ministers and schoolmasters; whose qualifications p. 222were to be tried by commissioners appointed for that purpose in every county. In consequence of this ordinance many able divines in the kingdom were ejected from their livings, and their places filled by such as best suited the views of the ruling party. During the Commonwealth, the city was put in defence against the royalists, the castle was fortified for the service of Cromwell, the goods of the bishops and clergy were sequestrated, the bishops palace was sacked, the cathedral and churches were plundered and defaced, and Bishop Hall was turned out and driven into retirement at his palace in Heigham, which is still in existence, being used as a tavern called the Dolphin. He died there and was buried in the old church in Heigham. We shall speak more at length of this distinguished prelate in our notice of “The Eminent Citizens” of the 17th century.
On the death of Oliver Cromwell, which happened on September 3rd, 1658, the mayor of Norwich, like the mayors of other towns, received letters from the privy council, notifying that event and the election of his son Richard Cromwell to the dignity of Protector, and commanding him to proclaim the said Richard protector of the three kingdoms, which was done accordingly on the seventh of that month. The new protector’s honours were, however, but of short continuance; for in the month of April, 1659, the army obliged him to dissolve the parliament which he had convoked, and soon afterwards deposed him from his high office. During the fatal contentions respecting the prerogatives of the crown and the privileges of p. 223parliament, the city suffered less than might have been expected, and Norfolk less than many other counties.
The citizens, tired of strife and commotion, were among the first to hail the return of monarchy in the person of Charles II., who was proclaimed here on May 10th, 1660, and the sum of £1000 was presented to His Majesty, on behalf of the city, by the mayor, who received the honour of knighthood. In 1663 the king granted to the city the charter by which, with little interruption, it was governed till 1835, when the municipal act came into force. In 1670, Lord Howard presented the corporation with a noble mace of silver gilt, and a gown of crimson velvet for the mayor. In 1671, the king and queen and many nobles visited the city, and were entertained in grand style at the palaces of the bishop and the Duke of Norfolk.
In 1682, a majority of the corporation surrendered to the king the charter which he had granted them nine years before, and in lieu of it a new one was substituted not so favourable to the city; the king having reserved the right of removing magistrates of whom he did not approve.
In 1687, by the mandate of James II., ten aldermen and nineteen councillors were displaced; but the arbitrary conduct of that monarch soon brought about his ruin, and when Henry, Duke of Norfolk, rode into the Market Place at the head of 300 knights and gentlemen and declared for a free parliament, the corporation and citizens responded with loud acclamations. After the glorious revolution of 1688, the first p. 224charter of Charles II. was restored to the city, and the aldermen who had been removed were reinstated in their offices.
William and Mary, king and queen of England, began their reign on February 13th, 1688, and during their reign the city flourished exceedingly, and the country in general was prosperous.
In 1697 the coin was regulated afresh, the old money being called in and recoined, for which purpose, mints were established in various places, among others one in this city, which coined £259,371. The quantity of coin and plate brought in here to be coined was 17,709 ounces.
We may here give the statements of two eminent writers respecting Norwich and Norfolk in this century. Sir Thomas Browne, jun., in 1662, wrote as follows about the city and county:—
“Let any stranger find me out so pleasant a county, such good ways, large heaths, three such places as Norwich, Yarmouth, and Lynn, in any county of England, and I’ll be once again a vagabond and visit to them.”
And he wrote so with good reason. Few, if any, of the cities of England then contained more handsome buildings, or presented so good an appearance as did the old city of Norwich, while only London and Bristol surpassed her in the extent and importance of their commerce. Lord Macaulay, in his graphic History of England thus describes the state of the city in the 17th century:—
p. 225“Norwich was the capital of a large and fruitful province. It was the residence of a bishop and of a chapter. It was the seat of the manufacture of the realm. Some even distinguished by learning and science had recently dwelt there, and no place in the kingdom, except the capital and the universities, had more attractions to the curious. The library, the museum, the aviary, and the botanical gardens of Sir Thomas Browne were thought by the Fellows of the Royal Society well worthy of a long pilgrimage. Norwich had also a court in miniature. In the heart of the city stood an old palace of the Duke of Norfolk, said to be the largest town house in the kingdom out of London. In this mansion, to which were annexed a tennis court, a bowling green, and a wilderness extending along the banks of the Wensum, the noble family of Howard frequently resided. Drink was served to the guests in goblets of pure gold; the very tongs and shovels were of silver; pictures of Italian masters adorned the walls; the cabinets were filled with a fine collection of gems purchased by the Earl of Arundel, whose marbles are now among the ornaments of Oxford. Here, in the year 1671, Charles and his court were sumptuously entertained; here, too, all comers were annually welcomed from Christmas to Twelfthnight; ale flowed in oceans for the populace. Three coaches, one of which had been built at a cost of £500 to contain fourteen persons, were sent every afternoon round the city to bring ladies to the festivities, and the dances were always followed by a luxurious banquet. When the Duke of Norfolk came to Norwich he was greeted like a king returning to his capital; the bells of St. Peter’s Mancroft were rung, the guns of the castle were fired, and the mayor and aldermen waited on their illustrious citizen with complimentary addresses.”
Dr. Hall, Bishop of Norwich, the first English Satirist, was a noted character in this century. He was born July 1st, 1574, in Bristow Park, within the parish of Ashby de la Zouch, in Leicestershire. He was educated by a private tutor till he was fifteen years of age, when he removed to Cambridge, and was admitted to Emmanuel College, of which he was a chosen scholar, and took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His satires were published in 1597, 1598, and 1599, and added greatly to his reputation by their pungency and classical style. They equal the satires of Juvenal and Persius on similar themes, and in lashing the vices of the age.
Dr. Hall, in 1624, refused the bishopric of Gloucester, but in 1627 he accepted that of Exeter, holding with it in commendam the rectory of St. Breock in Cornwall. At this time he seems to have been suspected of a leaning to the Puritans, and it must be allowed that his religious views were more consonant with theirs than with the lax Arminianism of Laud. But at the same time, Dr. Hall was a zealous supporter of the church.
On November 15th, 1641, he was translated, by the little power left to the king, to be Bishop of Norwich, but having joined with the Archbishop of York and eleven other prelates, in a protest against the validity of such laws as should be made during their compulsory p. 227absence from parliament, he was ordered to be sent to the tower, with his brethren, on the 30th of January following. Shortly afterwards they were impeached by the Commons for high treason, and on their appearance in parliament were treated with the utmost rudeness and contempt. The Commons, however, did not think fit to prosecute the charge of high treason, having gained their purpose by driving them from the House of Lords, and Hall and his brethren were ordered to be dismissed; but upon another pretext they were again sent to the tower. In June following, Hall was finally released on giving bail for £5000! He returned to Norwich, and being received with rather more respect than he hoped for, in the then state of public opinion, he resumed his duties, frequently preaching to large congregations, and enjoying the forbearance of the predominant Puritan party till April, 1643, when the destruction of the church was contemplated. About this time, the ordinance for sequestrating notorious delinquents having passed, and our prelate being included by name, all his rents were stopped, his palace was entered, and all his property was seized. A friend, however, gave bond for the whole amount of the valuation, and the bishop was allowed to remain a short time in his palace. While he remained there, he was continually exposed to the insolence of the soldiery and mob, who demolished the windows and monuments of the cathedral. At length he was ordered to leave his palace, and would have been exposed to the utmost extremity, if a neighbour had not p. 228offered him the shelter of his humble roof. Some time afterwards, but by what interest we are not told, the sequestration was taken off a small estate which he rented at Heigham, to which he retired. The house in which he lived, now called the Dolphin Inn, is still standing, and should be carefully preserved as a memorial of a great and good man.
Bishop Hall, in his tract Hard Measure, has given a most touching account of the treatment he experienced. He says in his tract “The Shaking of the Olive Tree:”—
“It is no other than tragical to relate the carnage of that furious sacrilege whereof our eyes and ears were the sad witnesses, under the authority and presence of Linsey, Tofts the sheriff, and Greenwood. Lord, what work was here; what clattering of glasses, what beating down of walls, what tearing up of monuments, what pulling down of seates, what wresting out of irons and brass from the windows and graves, what defacing of armes, what demolishing of curious stone work which had not any representation in the world, but only of the cast of the founder, and skill of the mason; what toting and piping upon the destroyed organ pipes, and what a hideous triumph on the market day, before all the country, when, in a sacrilegious and profane procession, all the organ pipes, vestments, both copes and surplices, together with the leaden crosse which had been newly sawn down from over the green yard pulpit, and the service book and singing books that could be had, were carried to a fire in the public Market-place; a lewd wretch walking before the train in his cope trailing in the dirt, with a service book in his hand, imitating in an impious scorne the tune and usurping the words of the litany formerly used in the church. Neer the p. 229publick crosse all these monuments of idolatry must be sacrificed to the fire, not without much ostentation of a zealous joy in discharging ordinance to the cost of some who professed how much they longed to see that day.”
The good bishop’s sufferings did not damp his courage, for in 1644, we find him preaching in Norwich whenever he could obtain the use of a pulpit; and with yet more boldness, in the same year he sent A modest offer of some meet considerations in favour of Episcopacy addressed to the Assembly of Divines. During the rest of his life he appears to have remained at Heigham, unmolested, performing the duties of a faithful pastor, and exercising such hospitality and charity as his scanty means permitted. He died, September 8th, 1656, in the 82nd year of his age, and was buried in the church of St. Bartholomew, in Heigham. In his will, he says:—
“I leave my body to be buried without any funeral pomp, at the discretion of my executors, with the only monition that I do not hold God’s house a meet repository for the dead bodies of the greatest saints.”
He left a family behind, according to Lloyd, of whom Robert, the eldest son, was afterwards a clergyman, and D.D. His wife died in 1647. His prose works were published at various periods in folio, quarto, and duodecimo. They were collected in a handsome edition of 10 vols., octavo, by the Rev. Josiah Pratt, and are his best memorials. The “Meditations” have been often reprinted. As a moralist, he has been called the British Seneca.
Sir Thomas Browne flourished in this century in Norwich, as a Physician. Dr. Johnson wrote a memoir of him, from which we learn the following particulars. He was born in London, in the parish of St. Michael, in Cheapside, on October 19th, 1605. Of his childhood or youth there is little known, except that he lost his father very early; that he was, according to the common fate of orphans, defrauded by one of his guardians; and that he was placed for his education at the School of Winchester. He was removed in 1623 from Winchester to Oxford, and entered a gentleman commoner of Broadgate Hall, which was soon afterwards endowed and took the name of Pembroke College, from the Earl of Pembroke, the Chancellor of the University. He was admitted to the degree of B.A., January 31st, 1626–7, being the first man of eminence who graduated from the new college, to which the zeal or gratitude of those that love it most can wish little better than that it may long proceed as it began. Having afterwards taken his degree of M.A., he turned his attention to physic. He practised it for some time in Oxfordshire, but soon afterwards, either induced by curiosity or invited by promises, he quitted his settlement and accompanied his father-in-law, who had some employment in Ireland in the visitation of the forts and castles, which the state of Ireland then made necessary. He left Ireland and travelled on the Continent, and was created an M.D. at Leyden. About the year 1634 he is supposed to have returned to p. 231London; and the next year to have written his celebrated treatise, called Religio Medici, or, “The Religion of a Physician,” which excited the attention of the public by the novelty of paradoxes, the dignity of sentiment, the quick succession of images, the multitude of abstruse allusions, the subtlety of disquisition, and the strength of language. At the time when this book was published the author resided at Norwich, where he had settled in 1636, by the persuasion of Dr. Lushington, his tutor, who was then rector of Burnham Westgate, in West Norfolk. His practice became very extensive, and in 1637 he was incorporated Doctor of Physic, in Oxford. He married in 1641, Mrs. Mileham, of a good family in Norfolk. He had ten children by her, of whom one son and three daughters survived their parents. In 1646, Sir Thomas Browne published his “Enquiries into Vulgar and Common Errors,” which passed through many editions. In 1658, the discovery of some ancient urns in Norfolk, gave him occasion to write “Hydriotaphia, Urn-burial, or, a Discourse of Sepulchral Urns;” in which he treats with his usual learning on the funeral rites of ancient nations, exhibits their various treatment of the dead, and examines the substances found in the Norfolcian urns. To this treatise on Urn-burial was added the “Garden of Cyrus; or, the Quincuxial Lozenge, or Network Plantation of the Ancients, Artificially, Naturally, Mystically Considered.” He doubted the Copernican hypothesis, on the same ground as some divines distrust the Cuvierian system of Geology, as opposed to Genesis. These were all p. 232the tracts which he published, but many papers were found in his closet. Of these, two collections were published in 1722, and all his works were issued in a cheap form by G. H. Bohn, and are in the Norwich Free Library. To the life of this learned man there remains little to be added, but that in 1665 he was chosen Honorary Fellow of the College of Physicians, as a man “Virtute et literis ornatissimus,” eminently embellished with literature and virtue. In 1671, he received at Norwich, the honour of Knighthood from Charles II., a prince, who, with many frailties and vices, had yet skill to discover excellence and virtue, to reward it with such honorary distinctions, at least, as cost him nothing.
Sir Thomas Browne, in 1680, wrote a Repertorium, or Account of the Tombs and Monuments in the Cathedral Church of Norwich. The basis of the work was a sketch hastily drawn up twenty years previously on the information of “an understanding singing man,” ninety-one years old, in order to preserve the remembrance of some of the monumental antiquities which barbarous zeal had destroyed. The reckless character of these ravages has thus been exhibited in a description made on the spot and at the moment, by one who suffered in his person, property, and health.
Thus the knight lived in high reputation, till he was seized with a colic, which, after having tortured him for about a week, put an end to his life at Norwich, on his birthday, October 19th, 1682, having completed his 77th year. Some of his last words were expressions p. 233of submission to the will of God, and fearlessness of death. He lies buried in the Church of St. Peter Mancroft, within the rails at the east end of the chancel, with this inscription on a mural monument, placed in the south pillar of the altar:—
M. S.
HIC SITUS EST
THOMAS BROWNE, M.D.
ET MILES.
Ao 1605. LONDONI NATUS
GENEROSA FAMILIA APUD UPTON IN AGRO CESTRIENSI ORIUNDUS.
SCHOLA PRIMUM WINTONIENSI, POSTEA
IN COLL. PEMBR.
APUN OXONIENSES BONIS LITERIS
HAUD LEVITER IMBUTUS.
IN URBE HAC NORDOVICENSI MEDICINAM
ARTE EGREGIA, ET FŒLICI SUCCESSU PROFESSUS,
SCRIPTIS, QUIBUS TITULI, RELIGIO MEDICI
ET PSEUDODOXIA EPIDEMICA ALIISQUE
PER ORBEM NOTISSIMUS
VIR PIENTISSIMUS, INTEGERRIMUS, DOCTISSIMUS;
OBIIT OCTOBR. 19, 1682.
PIE POSUIT MŒSTISSIMA CONJUX
Da DOROTH. BR.
Mr. Simon Wilkin, F.L.S., in a supplementary memoir, states that Dr. Browne steadily adhered to the royal cause in perilous times. He was one of the 432 principal citizens, who, in 1643, refused to subscribe towards a fund for regaining the town of Newcastle. Charles II. was not likely to have been ignorant of this, and he had, no doubt, the good feeling to express his sense of it by a distinction which was, no doubt, gratifying to Sir Thomas Browne. Sir Thomas is supposed to have lived in the last house p. 234at the south end of the Gentleman’s Walk, where the Savings’ Bank now stands. Blomefield asserts that he lived where Dr. Howman then lived, (1760) and that he succeeded Alderman Anguish in that house; and Mr. Simon Wilkin says that he ascertained by reference to title deeds, that the last house at the southern extremity of the Gentleman’s Walk, Haymarket, belonged, in Blomefield’s time, to Dr. Howman. This house was for many years a china and glass warehouse, and tradition has always asserted it to be Dr. Browne’s residence. The last occupier was Mr. Swan, and the house was pulled down to make room for the Savings’ Bank. It contained some spacious rooms. In the drawing room there was, over the mantel-piece and occupying the entire space of the ceiling, a most elaborate and richly ornamented carving of the royal arms of Charles II., no doubt placed there by Sir Thomas to express his loyalty, and to commemorate his knighthood. In Matthew Stevenson’s poems, 12mo, 1673, there is a long poem on the progress of Charles II. into Norfolk, in which the honour conferred on Browne is thus noticed:—
“There the king knighted the so famous Browne,
Whose worth and learning to the world are known.”
Early in October, 1673, Evelyn went down to the Earl of Arlington’s, at Euston, in company with Sir Thomas Clifford, to join the royal party. Lord Henry Howard arrived soon afterward, and prevailed on Mr. Evelyn to accompany him to Norwich, promising to convey him back after a day or two. “This,” he says, p. 235“as I could not refuse I was not hard to be persuaded to, having a desire to see that famous scholar and physician, Dr. T. Browne, author of the Religio Medici, and Vulgar Errors, &c., now lately knighted.” After arriving in Norwich, Evelyn says:—
“Next morning I went to see Sir Thomas Browne, with whom I had some time corresponded by letter, though I had never seen him before. His whole house and garden being a paradise and cabinet of rarities, and that of the best collections, especially medails, books, plants, and natural things. Amongst other curiosities, Sir Thomas had a collection of the eggs of all the foule and birds he could procure, that country (especially the promontory of Norfolk) being frequented, as he said, by severall kinds, which seldome or never go further into the land, as cranes, storkes, eagles, and a variety of water foule. He led me to see all the remarkable places in this ancient city, being one of the largest, and certainly, after London, one of the noblest in England for its venerable Cathedralle, number of stately churches, cleanesse of the streets, and buildings of flints so exquistely headed and squared, as I was much astonished at; but he told me they had lost the art of squaring the flints in which they once so much excelled, and of which the churches, best houses, and walls are built. The Castle is an antique extent of ground which now they call Marsfield, and would have been a fitting area to have placed the ducal palace in. The suburbs are large, the prospects are sweete, with other amenities, not omitting the flower gardens, in which all the inhabitants excel.”
At that time the hamlets of Thorpe, Lakenham, and Heigham, were all fields or cultivated grounds and gardens, and the city was interspersed with gardens.
Samuel Clarke, D.D., was the son of Edward Clarke, one of the Aldermen of Norwich, where he was born in 1675, and where he was educated at the Grammar School, his father being at that time one of the representatives of the city in parliament. In 1691, he was entered as a student in Caius College, Cambridge, where his great capacity for learning was soon developed, and where he became distinguished as a metaphysician, mathematician, and divine. He was the author of many works, the chief of which was a “Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God.” Upon his entering into holy orders, he became Chaplain to the learned Dr. Moore, Bishop of Norwich, with whom he lived in great esteem, having the advantage of the fine library of that prelate. In 1704, he was called to an office worthy of all his learning, namely, that of lecturer on Mr. Boyle’s foundation. He preached sermons concerning the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, which will always be highly esteemed. Soon afterwards, he was presented to the living of St. Bennet’s, near Paul’s Wharf, London, and where he constantly preached without notes. In the same year he translated the Optics of Sir Isaac Newton into elegant Latin, which was so acceptable to that great philosopher, that he presented £500 to the divine, being £100 for each of his children. He was soon after made one of the Chaplains in Ordinary, and in 1709, Queen Anne presented him to the Rectory of St. James’, Westminster, when he went to Cambridge p. 237and took his degree of Doctor of Divinity. He died on May 17th, 1729, aged 54 years.
In 1683 died the Rt. Hon. Robert, Viscount of Yarmouth, Baron of Paston, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk and Norwich. He was buried at Oxnead. His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. John Hildeyard, LL.D., then rector of Cawston, and it was afterwards published. At page 27 there is the following passage, referring to the deceased viscount:
“Great was his love to the ancient, loyal, and honourable corporation of Norwich, because the members of that body, generally speaking, loved the king; they found him their friend and, maugre the blast of calumny, the new charter shall remain a token of it. He spared no cost nor pains, as themselves can witness, to make the world believe that he loved them. Most of the tables of his house were spread together for their entertainment, and all his friends employed to bid them welcome; nay, his very sleep was ofttimes broken to find out ways how best to serve them, and he commended the care of the city with his last breath, to all his best friends, and the blessing of God.”
Happy corporation, that had such a friend; but Blomefield says,
“Whatever the Dr. (Hildeyard) might think of it, the effects of the new charter now began to be too visible, for Mr. Nic Helwys was chosen mayor, and eleven common council in room of those eleven of the sixty common council appointed by the charter, which were not qualified; but such p. 238choice was of no force till confirmed by the king, who sent a letter under the privy seal, dated at Windsor, May 17th, signifying by the Earl of Arundel that he approved of them, and the names of the two elected sheriffs were signified to the Lord Lieutenant, and that they were persons of loyalty, and therefore they desired his lordship to give his gracious Majesty information thereof in order to his approbation.”
John Cosin, D.D., was born in this city in 1594, and finished his studies in Caius College, Cambridge, where he took his last degrees. When he entered into holy orders he was presented to a Prebendary in the Cathedral Church of Durham, and appointed Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire. But the civil wars breaking out, and he being an active Papist, he was obliged to seek refuge abroad till the Restoration in 1660, when he returned, and was promoted first to the Deanery of Peterborough, and then to the Bishopric of Durham. He died at Durham, aged 78, in 1672.
John Pearson, D.D., was the son of a Clergyman in Norwich, where he was born in 1613. He received the first rudiments of learning at Eton, whence he was removed to King’s College, Cambridge, where he finished his studies, and took his degrees. His first ecclesiastical preferment was a Prebendary of Salisbury; and soon afterwards he was chosen Rector of p. 239St. Clements, East Cheap, where he remained till 1660, and where he wrote his learned explanation of the Creed. At the Restoration, he was appointed Archdeacon of Surrey, and afterwards he was promoted to the See of Chester, where he continued till his death, in 1686.
John Goslin, a native of Norwich, flourished in the 17th century. He was first Fellow and then Master of Caius College, in Cambridge, Proctor of that University, and thrice Vice Chancellor thereof, a general scholar, eloquent Latinist, and a rare physician, in which faculty he was Regius Professor. He was a great benefactor to Catherine’s Hall, but left his native city only the honour of his name. He died in 1625.
The Rev. John Carter was an eccentric character in the city during this century. He was born at Bramford, in Suffolk, in 1594, and became upper minister of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, which position he held from 1638 to 1653. He preached three extraordinary sermons before the corporation, preparatory to the guild day festival in 1644, 1647, and 1650. The title of the first is “The Nail Hit on the Head, and Driven into the City and Cathedral Wall of Norwich;” of the second, “The Wheel Turned by a Voice from the Throne of Glory;” and the third, “A Rare Sight; or, p. 240the Lyon Sent from a Far Country, and Presented to the City of Norwich in a Sermon upon the Solemne Guild Day, June 18th, 1650.” The third sermon fills 150 pages, is the length of several modern sermons, and must have occupied two hours and a half in the delivery; a terrible long grace to a guild day dinner. It is ornamented with many wood cuts, among which is the lion in various attitudes, couchant, guardant, rampant, passant, &c., giving the preacher opportunities of displaying his knowledge of, at least, the terms of heraldry, and sarcastically to apply them to the magistracy. He says:—
“In one respect, your city arms do very well befit you. It is a lion with a castle over it. Many of you can be like lions, very courageous, so long as you have a castle over you for protection and countenance; but take away the castle, and who will expose himself to danger? What a sordid thing is this! There is a lion couchant, but never did I hear of a lion crouchant, or current, a fearful and dastardly lion. Who among you will strike down a disorderly ale-house, if the brewer that serves it be an alderman, a rich man, or a friend?”
The rest of the discourse is replete with coarse expressions, biting sarcasms, and party prejudices, not likely to have edified, and much less to have pleased the congregation.
The Church of Rome reigned supreme over all Europe for a thousand years, but in the 15th century, reason revolted against her authority. Lutheranism and Calvinism were the first forms of the revolt on the Continent, and they assumed the names of Presbyterianism and Puritanism in England and Scotland. Norwich, in common with Norfolk and Suffolk, eventually took up the cause of the Reformation with a zeal and vehemence which make them stand alone in the annals of history.
Norwich Nonconformists, in times of the fiercest persecution, held many prohibited meetings, which were sometimes discovered in different parts of the city. Norfolk, situated as it is in the eastern coast, was the refuge of many protestants, who fled from the Netherlands to escape from the severe persecutions of the infamous Duke of Alva. Even before this time, there were many in the county and city who objected to the new service book, or English liturgy, published by the authority of Edward VI.
p. 242The Reformation made much progress here in the reign of this young and pious king; but even then a disposition lingered to retain and enforce some of the Romanist rites and ceremonies. The excellent Bishop Hooper, who after all became a martyr, would probably have lost his life simply for refusing to wear the priestly vestments, through the rigour of Bishop Ridley (who himself afterwards suffered martyrdom) had he not at length consented to wear them at his consecration. The Baptists, the Unitarians, and all who went beyond the new state model were consigned to the flames.
Bishop Hooper was born in the year 1495, and was burnt in the reign of Queen Mary. The sixty years of his life formed the most important period of English history. When he was born, the Reformation had just begun; when he died it had struck such deep roots amongst the people, especially of Norwich and Norfolk, that neither force, nor persecution, nor argument could stop its progress. In Bishop Hooper’s time, and in his diocese of Gloucester, the ignorance of the clergy was amazing. Out of 311 of his clergy he found 168 unable to repeat the ten commandments; 31 out of the 168 could not tell in what part of the Bible the ten commandments were to be found; 40 could not tell where the Lord’s prayer was given, and 31 did not know who was the author of it. In Norfolk and Norwich the clergy were quite as ignorant of Scripture. They practised all kinds of impositions on the people who were debased by superstition, immorality, and vice. There was over all the land a p. 243darkness which might be felt. The people had no bibles nor testaments, and the prayers of the church were all in Latin, and of course the people could not understand them. There was scarcely any preaching at all, but instead thereof profane miracle plays were performed in the cathedral, and were paid for like any other dramatic performance.
In 1574, so notorious was the city for the nonconformity of many of the ministers, that when orders were given to Archbishop Parker “to punish the Puritan ministers, and put down the prophecyings, and readings, and commenting on the Scriptures, which had been introduced into the church,” the queen gave him private orders to begin with Norwich. Accordingly, in 1576, many of the Norwich ministers were suspended and treated so severely, that even the Norfolk justices presented a petition to Her Majesty, praying for lenity towards them.
Robert Brown, a clergyman of Norwich, originated the sect of the Brownists, afterwards called the Independents. He was at one time a zealous promoter of that system, but English societies existed before him, holding similar views. According to Sir Walter Raleigh, 20,000 persons at least held independent principles of ecclesiastical polity. Amongst these were many men of great learning and distinction, all of whom were commanded to quit the realm. Wherever found, they were imprisoned, with or without law, for life. Elias Thacker and John Copping suffered death at Bury St. Edmund’s. John Lewis was burnt at Norwich. Francis Kett, M.A., for holding “detestable p. 244opinions,” was also burnt alive in Norwich. William Dennys was a martyr in the same cause, at Thetford. Greenwood, Barrow, and Penry fell as martyrs of conscience. Johnson, Smith, Answorth, Canne, Robinson, and Jacob, only escaped by flight to Holland, and found liberty there to form several churches, and to compose an elaborate account of their doctrines and principles, a fact which testifies to their enlightened piety and superior learning.
In the reign of James I. no favour was shown to the Puritans, but on the contrary, severities were continued. The king amply fulfilled his threat to the Puritans at the Hampton Court conference;—“If this be all your party has to say, I will make them conform or harrie them out of the land, or else do worse.” By these proceedings the country was rendered almost destitute of preachers, and scandalous men undertook the care of souls in place of the zealous refugees. This King James published the “Book of Sports,” in vindication of the encouragement of various games on the sabbath day. Bishop Kennett styles it “A trap to catch tender consciences,” and a means of promoting the ease, wealth, and grandeur of the bishops. This book was, in the next reign, (Charles I.) republished by the bigotted Archbishop Laud; and it was ordered to be read in every church throughout the kingdom. The bishop of Norwich, then Bishop Wren, was very peremptory on this and other points. He is said to have driven upwards of 3000 persons to seek bread in a foreign land. The woollen trade of Norwich, which had been created by the Flemish refugees, was p. 245mostly in the hands of the Puritans, and the rigorous measures of this prelate nearly destroyed it by banishing them.
Mr. W. Bridge, M.A., was the lecturer of St. George Tombland, Norwich, up to the year 1637. He was a pious and learned man, who held other livings and performed his duties well. To him, on a certain day, came Bishop Wren’s order to read the “Book of Sports” on the next Sunday in church. He sat in dejection, with the odious volume before him, abhorring the profaneness of its contents and its daring contradiction of Scripture. He resolved not to read it. He took counsel of his brethren, and several of them together refused compliance, fled to Yarmouth, and thence with sad hearts embarked for Holland, where they spent many anxious years, hoping to be allowed to return. Laud informed King Charles I. that Bridge had left two livings and a lectureship and had fled to Holland; and the king wrote against his name this bitter sentence: “We are well rid of him.” It was an expression worthy of a bigoted and worldly mind. Thus it appears that the reformation was not the work of kings or bishops, or the great and learned. The history of those times is the history of persecuting power in opposition to the progress of the Gospel—an opposition the more dreadful inasmuch as it was carried on under the pretence of doing service to religion.
The Reformed Church of England acknowledged the right of private judgment in theory, but ignored it in practice. The Puritans, on the other hand, carried p. 246it out to its legitimate consequences; and Milton, their great champion, advocated absolute freedom of thought and speech as the birthright of every man. No doubt Puritanism ran into some excesses of bigotry and intolerance, but it was an intolerant age. Puritanism, however, preserved civil and religious liberty and the right of private judgment, and perpetuated that right to all sects and classes of the nation. Puritanism has been charged with the sin of schism, but the early reformers were forced into it by persecution for conscientious scruples respecting points of doctrine and discipline. William Bridge, Asty, Allen, Cromwell, and Fynch, all were thrown out of their livings by the Act of Uniformity, and became Nonconformist ministers in Norwich. Without any conference the question put to them was, “Will you upon oath conform?” The answer was, “We cannot.” Immediate expulsion followed. Where, then, was the sin of schism? Their sin would have been in conformity. They would have proved to the world that they were mere hirelings, like the “Vicar of Bray,” who changed his religion to please the reigning sovereign of the day. Bridge, returning with some others to his native county, founded the first Independent church at Yarmouth about 1642. A year later the church at Norwich was formed into a distinct body. They met at first in a brew-house in St. Edmund’s, afterwards in the refectory over the cloisters in the convent formerly belonging to the Black Friars.
We shall now briefly advert to the rise of the Nonconformist religious denominations in this city, and quote a passage from a discourse by the Rev. A. Reed, delivered at the Old Meeting House, Norwich, on February 27th, 1842, on the occasion of the second centenary. He said,—
“There is no doubt that in or about 1641 many refugees returned to their homes in Norwich, Yarmouth, and other places. Those who returned to the two former localities had been united together in fellowship with the church at Rotterdam. They earnestly desired that, as they had been companions in suffering, they might not cease to form one church. The difficulty was where to fix the joint society. Norwich offered liberty and opportunity. But the proximity of Yarmouth to the sea was desirable for safety. Early in 1642 they met, probably in Norwich, to discuss the point; and agreed to send to Rotterdam for leave to gather in fellowship here. The assent reached them in the autumn, authorizing them to form a church at Norwich or other place. On November 23rd, 1642, they met to form a church. Most of the members’ names, twelve in all, we find afterwards attached to the Norwich covenant. They did not settle the question of place at this meeting. The Yarmouth church book records a resolution to fix the church at Norwich for the present. They met again for this purpose, and the brethren at Norwich, out of an earnest desire to finish the work of incorporating a church, yielded that the church meetings (i.e. ordinances and meetings for admission of members) should be for the p. 248present at Yarmouth. The church was to settle with all convenient speed where most liberty and opportunity appeared, and wherever the increase of the church was greatest; but none of them were required to remove their habitations at present. Soon after this agreement, however, the Norwich brethren find these concessions too inconvenient; they beg that the church may be settled at Norwich, and that the Yarmouth people would remove to the city. At length they consent reluctantly to part company, and a separate church is formed at Norwich. But the materials for the society already existed, and owing to these facts, the early date of 1642 appears to me to belong as much to us as to our sister society at Yarmouth.”
The records of the congregational church at Beccles contain information of much historic value to all the congregational churches in Norwich, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and from those records the following particulars are derived. On June 10th, 1644, the Church at Norwich in the Old Meeting House was regularly formed. Mr. Oxenbridge, assistant pastor at Yarmouth, and several of the Yarmouth brethren were present, when the covenant was adopted and signed afresh. On July 26th, 1647, Mr. Timothy Armitage was unanimously chosen pastor. The members were 32 in number.
After the death of Mr. Armitage, in 1655, Mr. Thomas Allen, M.A., gave up the station he held of “Preacher to the City” in January, 1656, to become pastor of the Old Meeting. During his long ministry of 17 years, the cause continued to flourish, the congregation being large. He died September 21, 1673.
p. 249On October 9th, 1675, Mr. John Cromwell was ordained pastor, and Mr. Robert Asty an assistant pastor. Mr. Asty was an ejected minister of Suffolk, an author, and a useful, devout preacher. Still the church grew, and was the centre of much good to the city and county, for many congregations were established in Norfolk and Suffolk, at Wymondham, North Walsham, Guestwick, Tunstead, Stalham, Edgefield, and other places.
Then followed, about 1685, Mr. Martin Fynch, who was an ejected clergyman of Totney, in Lincolnshire. An elaborate inscription yet remains on his tombstone, to record his worth and usefulness. He was carried to his grave on the shoulders of his deacons, amidst great lamentations of the whole church and congregation. About two or three years before his death, a handsome and spacious brick edifice was erected, which is the present Old Meeting House. In 1688, the Revolution promoted the cause of religious liberty. Many distinguished residents in the city now joined the nonconformists, and the resources of the society were increased by endowments left for the benefit of the poor, and other purposes.
Mr. John Stackhouse succeeded Mr. Fynch in 1690, and continued pastor for 17 years. Towards the close of his pastorate, the church began to suffer from its altered circumstances. It had become far too worldly for its spiritual welfare. The bonds of unity, so long preserved by Christian charity, grew weak. The members divided in reference to the choice of a co-pastor, and the dispute ran so high, that the minister p. 250and most of the congregation were actually driven out of their place of worship, and were obliged to fit up a meeting house in the ruins of the Black Friars’ convent. Mr. Stackhouse died without witnessing a reconciliation between the mutually offended parties.
Mr. Thomas Scott left the pastorate of the church of Hitchin, in Herts, and settled in Norwich in 1709. The two parties were reconciled under his ministry, and he returned to the Old Meeting House about 1717, under very favorable auspices. His son, Mr. Nichol Scott, became his assistant, and a most unhappy difference on a point of doctrine once more kindled the flame of discord. The son was dismissed in 1737, and numbers of his hearers left with him. For a time he lectured in the French Church, but finding little encouragement, he became a doctor of physic, and practised in the city. The father’s mind was so shattered by the dispute, that he became almost unfit for ministerial work. He died in 1746.
Mr. Scott was, in his latter years, assisted by Mr. Abraham Tozer, who now succeeded to the charge at Norwich. Dr. Doddridge assisted at his ordination, and Mr. Samuel Wood was chosen co-pastor with Mr. Tozer. On the removal of the latter to Exeter, Mr. Wood, afterwards Dr. Wood, held the pastoral office for twenty years. The church enjoyed, under his care, a season of prosperity and peace, and the meeting house was densely crowded. He died, November 2nd, 1767, much lamented.
Mr. Samuel Newton, who had been assistant preacher, was ordained pastor February 16th, 1768, p. 251and continued in the office fifty-six years. He gave the second list of the whole number of members, which had increased to 108. He had five assistants in succession. Mr. Hull was the last assistant, and on the death of Mr. Newton, June 29th, 1809, succeeded him in the pastoral office. The number of members increased to 112 in 1811, and to 156 in 1820. Mr. Hull officiated fourteen years, and then resigned in consequence of a disagreement with the deacons. He became a church clergyman and perpetual curate of St. Gregory’s in this city.
The Rev. Stephen Morell removed from Exeter and was chosen pastor in June 17th, 1824, and he died in October of the same year. The church next invited the services of the Rev. J. B. Innes, of Weymouth, in 1825, and being chosen pastor, he continued in the office twelve years. He died in April, 1837. He was greatly beloved by his personal friends, and his character and talents were held in general esteem.
The vacant office was next filled by the Rev. J. H. Godwin, who was ordained to it on December 6th, 1837. After fulfilling the pastoral duties for two years, he became resident tutor of Highbury College. The Rev. A. Reed was then invited to fill the office, and became pastor over a church of 190 members. He continued till 1855, and then removed to a wider sphere of labour. The Rev. John Hallett was invited in the following year, and is now the esteemed minister of the church. Mr. Hallett, in a recent contribution to the pages of the Evangelical Magazine on the history of the Old Meeting House, says:—
p. 252“The Rev. A. Reed, B.A., now of St. Leonard’s, was Mr. Godwin’s successor till 1855. Under his superintendence, bicentenary services, commemorating the foundation of the church, were held, which, judging from published and oral reports, must have been of a stirring and deeply interesting character. Spacious school-rooms were erected, and large day-schools established. Many still live in our midst who gratefully attest the faithfulness and success of Mr. Reed’s pastorate.
“In April, 1856, the writer was, he believes, divinely led to occupy the vacant post. For obvious reasons, the history of the last twelve years must remain untold. It may, however, be stated that the present pastor, like his predecessor, has had the privilege of celebrating a bicentenary. For reasons before assigned, it will probably be conceded that nowhere was it more proper that a bicentenary commemoration of the ejectment of 1662 should be held than in this Old Meeting House, and that a more fitting way of commemorating it could not be devised than that of enfranchising the building in which some of them laboured, and the ‘yard’ in which they sleep. This was accordingly done. The premises, which were leasehold, and the lease of which was nearly expired, were purchased and repaired at a large outlay, and then put in trust for the denomination. ‘Thus, for nearly two centuries, has the Lord preserved to Himself a worshipping people in this place. Thousands have found this ancient sanctuary the very ‘House of God,’ and, literally, ‘the gate of Heaven,’ and are now enjoying the full glory they anticipated here. And,’ adds my predecessor, with a thankfulness and faith in which I fully share, ‘still the waters flow strong and deep, and the banks are green with promise, and through future ages the brook shall not be dried up, but with purer, wider, stronger, and more p. 253fertilizing current, shall form one of those millennial streams wherewith the whole earth shall be watered as a fruitful garden of the Lord.’”
Mr. Martin Hood Wilkin, in his life of Joseph Kinghorn, gives the following account of the origin of the Baptist denomination. A General (Arminian) Baptist Church was formed in Norwich in 1686 by the learned and zealous Thomas Grantham. They purchased a part of the White Friars’ Priory in St. James’s, on the site of which they built the Meeting House now known as the Priory Yard Chapel. From this Church several members separated at a very early period and formed the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptist Church, over which Mr. Kinghorn afterwards presided. Of its history he has left a somewhat elaborate sketch in the notes of the last sermon he preached in the Meeting House, in St. Mary’s, before it was taken down in 1811. He says,
“Of the origin of this Church I find no record. The first date in our old Church book is 1691. In 1693, we find an account of admonition given to a brother who had, ‘for several years past,’ withdrawn himself from the Communion of the Church. * * * I find a statement of the sentiments of the Church in that time, entitled, ‘The several articles of our faith, in which with one accord we agree.’ Of the state of the Church I can say but little. A list of 55 members follows, which appears to have been the number at that time. Of their minister I can say still less, except p. 254that the second and third articles in the book are drawn up with that precision which marks the junction of talent and education, especially at a time when few had any claim to the advantages of a classical education. One of these is signed ‘Edward Williams, pastor.’ * * * * At this time our ancestors met for the worship of God in the ‘Granary,’ in St. Michael’s Coslany. Their baptisms were performed in the river. At one period, a friend had premises convenient, and in the memory of some now alive, they were used for that purpose; but such is the effect of habit, that the prejudice in favour of a mode so primitive continued some time after better conveniences were obtained. From this period nothing of importance is to be discovered till 1745. Then the premises which stood on this spot were purchased and the Meeting (house) was erected, which was nearly two-thirds the size of the present building. When it was finished I do not find, but from a private record I am informed, that Mr. Lindoe, who for many years was an honourable and valued deacon, was the first person baptised in this house, and this was on March 15th, 1746. From this period, for some time, the Church seems to have worn a flourishing appearance on the whole. They had a minister, Mr. John Stearne, who was evidently a superior man. He died in July, 1755. Rev. George Simson, M.A., from Cambridge, accepted a call from Mr. Stearne’s Church, went to Norwich, in 1758, continued there two or three years, and then removed to Warwick, where he had formerly been pastor, and where, weighed down by age and infirmities, he died suddenly in 1763. After this period there was an evident decline for some years, though to what extent I am not able to say. Afterwards there was an appearance of prosperity. In 1766 I find a list of members again, amounting to 59, the largest number hitherto met with, but alas! after that period, there p. 255was much to be lamented. There was the evil conduct of some, and a spirit of division in others, which all tended to mischief. * * * * But we are now approaching a period within the remembrance of many of you, in which it will be useless to attempt to trace the history of events which you know. Suffice it then, to say that causes already mentioned brought the Church and congregation down to a very low ebb, when Mr. David, whose name I have heard so many of you repeat with esteem and affection, first came here. On his ordination, the list of members that appeared in the Church book, and which included all the members as they stood at that time, was only 31; and now events took a turn. The short period of his life was distinguished by its utility. The Meeting House became too small for the congregation, and in 1783, it was enlarged to its present size.”
Such is Mr. Kinghorn’s account (condensed) of the early Baptist Churches. After a visit to the North, he returned to Norwich in July, 1789, and then commenced the long career of his ministry at St. Mary’s Chapel, though the invitation to the pastoral office was not received till some months afterwards. He rigidly adhered to what is called “strict communion” in his Church, admitting only those who had been immersed to the Lord’s supper; and on this point he maintained a long controversy with Mr. Robert Hall, of Bristol, who advocated “free communion” with all believers in a Work published in 1815. The Rev. J. Kinghorn was much esteemed by his numerous friends, including Mrs. Opie, J. J. Gurney, Esq., Rev. J. Alexander, Bishop Bathurst, Mr. W. Wilkin, Mr. W. Taylor, and others, of Norwich, and many more men of learning p. 256all over the country. He took rank among the Nonconformists with Mr. R. Hall of Bristol, Mr. Foster, the author of Essays on Decision of Character, Mr. Innes, and Mr. James A. Haldane, of Edinburgh.
The following Tributary Lines are by Mrs. Opie, on hearing it said that J. Kinghorn “was fit to die.”
“Hail! words of truth, that Christian comfort give!
But then the ‘fit to die,’ how fit to live!
To live a bright example to mankind,
‘Feet to the lame and eyesight to the blind!’
To lift the lamp, the word of God, on high;
To point to Calvary’s mount the sinner’s eye;
To tread the path the first Apostles trod,
And earn that precious name, ‘a man of God.’
He lived whom Christian hearts deplore,
And hence the grief—he lives for us no more.
But faith exulting joins the general cry,
He, fit to live, was greatly fit to die!”
Mr. Kinghorn was succeeded by the Rev. W. Brock, who was the esteemed pastor for many years, and is now the minister of Bloomsbury Chapel, London. He was followed by the present minister, the Rev. G. Gould.
The Calvinistic Methodists in Norwich seem to have been originated by Mr. James Wheatley, who came to the city about 1750, and preached at first in the open-air, on Tombland and the Castle Hill. Great excitement was produced, and a temporary building was soon erected, and called the Tabernacle. The site has been changed, but the name is still retained. The present Tabernacle was built in 1784.
p. 257The Wesleyan Methodists first appeared in Norwich in 1754, when the Revs. John and Charles Wesley visited the city, and the Rev. J. Wesley preached here for some time, and on leaving, appointed Mr. T. Oliver in his room. One of his successors was the Rev. R. Robinson, afterwards at Cambridge, who also preached for some time at the Tabernacle; and another was Dr. Adam Clarke, the learned Commentator, who was appointed in 1783, but left in 1785. Their first chapel was built in 1769, in Cherry Lane.
Before we proceed to chronicle the leading local events of the 18th century, it may not be altogether unprofitable to review briefly the social state of the city during some 300 or 400 years preceding. In doing this we may now and then have to advert to matters to which we have alluded already; but at the risk even of an occasional repetition, it will be worth while—in order to help our readers to appreciate subsequent improvements at their proper worth—to consider a little more minutely than we have yet done, the physical circumstances under which the citizens have lived in former centuries, and the various influences to which they have been subject.
A “Chapter of Horrors” might be written, descriptive of the plagues, pestilences, famines, floods, and fires, which devastated the city and county for 300 p. 259years. It would seem as if the darkness and gloom of the physical world corresponded at times with the superstitions and vices of the people. The dark ages were ages of terrible calamities, and England was then a terrible country to live in. Plagues and pestilences now and again desolated the whole land, and Norfolk and Norwich did not escape the ravages of diseases emphatically named the “Black Death.” Exaggerated accounts must have been given of the desolations caused by these various scourges, or else both city and county must have more than once lost the great part of their inhabitants.
Blomefield is responsible for very dark pictures indeed; but his statements, right or wrong, have been endorsed by later compilers of local history. We are told, by one writer, for instance, that:—
“In 1348, the plague, which had lately ravaged the greatest part of the known world, broke out in this city; wherein there died, according to the most credible accounts, within the space of twelve months, upwards of 57,000 persons, besides religious and beggars; and this will not appear very surprising, when we consider that in some places not one-fifth part of the people were left alive, and that Norwich was more populous at that time than it has ever been since. It then contained sixty churches, besides conventual ones, within the walls; and the large parishes of Heigham and Pockthorpe, and the large chapel of St. Mary Magdalene without them.”
Such is the astounding statement in a local history printed by John Crouse, in 1768. Where he got his p. 260“credible accounts” he does not say, and he moreover gives the statement of the Domesday Book, that in 1086, the city contained only 1565 burgesses; so that the population must have increased in 250 years to a most fabulous extent, for 57,000 persons to have died of the plague in 1348. In 1377, a census was taken of some large towns, and Norwich was then found to contain 5300 people. But in truth the number, 57,000, very probably applied to the whole diocese, for the same local history states:—
“This severe visitation was not confined to the city alone, but cruelly extended itself all over the diocese; so that in many monasteries and religious houses, there were scarce two out of twenty left alive. From the register book it appears that in the course of the year there were 863 institutions. The clergy dying so fast, that they were obliged to induct into livings numbers of youths who had but just received the tonsure.”
The register in question was, no doubt, one of the whole diocese.
In 1361 there happened a great dearth, attended by the plague; this was called the second pestilence. And on January 15th, in the same year, there arose so furious a storm of wind from the south west, as to throw down the tower of the cathedral, which falling on the choir demolished a great part of it. The storm raged violently for six or seven days, and was succeeded by a prodigious fall of rain, which occasioned incredible damage by inundations. Where the inundations occurred is not stated in the local history, p. 261but if in the city the damage must have been great indeed.
In 1369, the plague broke out afresh and carried off great numbers of people very suddenly. Yet in 1371, the citizens were commanded to furnish the king with a good barge, sufficiently equipped for war to serve against his enemies, the French and Spaniards. This does not indicate that the city had been almost depopulated only a few years before. Indeed, during all this time the citizens had been doing their best by legal contests to hinder Yarmouth being made a staple town, though they did not succeed.
About 1390 a great mortality broke out in the city, occasioned by the people eating unwholesome food; and this not so much from a scarcity of corn as of money to purchase it. The plague raged greatly in Norfolk and in many other counties, and was nearly equal in severity to the first great pestilence. So states the local narrative which we have just quoted; and yet, according to the census of 1377, as already stated, the population was only 5300! What reliance then can be placed on such accounts? The calamities recorded were, no doubt, sufficiently awful without the aid of exaggeration.
In 1578, the plague again broke out, and continued to rage nearly two years; destroying 2335 natives and 2482 strangers. During the infection, it was ordered that every person coming from an infected house, should carry in his hand a small wand two feet in length; and that no such person should appear at any court or public place, or be present at any p. 262sermon; and that the inscription, “Lord have mercy on us,” should be placed over the door of every infected house, and there remain until the house had been clear of the infection for one month at least.
In 1583, the plague broke out once more, and 800 or 900 persons died of it, chiefly “strangers;” and in 1588, the same disease again raged in the city, but not very violently. Notwithstanding all these awful visitations, no proper sanitary measures appear to have been adopted.
In 1593, there happened so great a drought, that many cattle perished for want of water; but it is stated that in the year following it scarcely ceased raining, day or night, from June 21st to the end of July.
In 1602, the plague again raged with almost unprecedented fury, there dying thereof 30,578 in London, and 3076 in Norwich. This visitation, moreover, was attended with so great a scarcity, that wheat sold for ten, rye for six, and barley for five shillings a bushel—a very high price in those days; and the poor in the city must then have been in a dreadful state of destitution. Again, in the summer of 1609, the city was visited by its former scourge, though but few died of it. The mayor received a letter from the privy council to keep up the ancient strictness and severity of lent, as if the poor had not fasted long enough!
In 1625, we find that something like sanitary measures were begun. On July 12th of that year, the mayor received a commission authorising the body p. 263corporate to levy a tax on all the inhabitants, to be applied towards scouring the ditches, and the removal of all nuisances in and about the city, the better to prevent the spreading of the plague which had lately broken out in Yarmouth, having been occasioned by the arrival there of some infected persons. These precautions not having the desired effect, the Black Tower, then on Butter Hills, was fitted up for the reception of the afflicted poor. In September, about 40 died in a week, and the plague raged till May, 1626, when it began to abate. As many as 1431 persons died while the disease continued.
In 1646, the plague again made its appearance in Norwich, but its effects were not very fatal. In 1665, however, it broke out once more, and made dreadful ravages; carrying off 2251 persons. During its continuance, at the instance of the County Magistrates, the Market was held in the Town Close, and the City was not quite cleared of the disease till the end of 1667. The Bishop then ordered September 19th to be observed as a day of general thanksgiving to God for His great mercy in putting a stop to the pestilence. All quite right and proper, but had there been more cleansing as well as praying, the city might not have suffered so severely. The Corporation had utterly and entirely ignored its chief duty in regard to all sanitary rules and regulations. There was scarcely an apology for a system of drainage, and never a sufficient supply of water. The poor people were cooped up in narrow yards, courts, and streets, and, on account of high prices, could seldom obtain wholesome food. They p. 264had a terrible revenge in these direful plagues, which destroyed the rich in their fine houses, as well as the poor in their hovels.
Some idea of the social state of the city during this period may be formed from a few gleanings from the City Records, from which it will appear, that from the 14th till the 18th century, though the authorities neglected to improve the sanitary condition of the city, they took great care to protect the people from frauds of brewers, traders, and manufacturers, who were at least strongly suspected of being addicted to dishonest practices. Mr. R. Fitch, of this city, has published some interesting notices of “Brewers’ Marks and Trade Regulations.” These are of great historical interest, and we therefore make no apology to our readers for reproducing the following extracts:—
“Scarcely a trade was exempt from these regulations, some of which were attended with espionage so peculiar and strict as to lead us to wonder why public opinion, although in those days admittedly weak, was not so far aroused as, by its own voice, to free the community from some of the petty, if not the heavier restrictions.
“Brewers, we discover, had especial symbols of their own, which they registered when licensed to follow their occupations, and it was also found that these marks were borne by successive followers of the same trade, until the business of succeeding firms became extinguished by the death or retirement of the last of a long line of brewers, and then only did the particular symbol fall into disuse.
“From the year 1606 to 1725, no less than fifty separate marks have been found in the City of Norwich, some of p. 265them being borne as symbolical of a particular brew-house, by eight or nine persons, who followed each other in one and the same occupation. These marks were noted in a variety of documents, belonging to the Corporation, one preserved in their muniment room. They appeared, for instance, in a ‘Brewer’s book,’ or the book of the ‘Clarke of the Market,’ and in books recording the proceeding of city courts and assemblies. The following extracts taken from the ‘Brewers’ Book’ relate to the government of all brewers’ houses and tippling houses, fully bearing out the opinion previously expressed as regards the strictness of the laws by which such places were regulated.
“‘The enquirie for Brewers to ye Booke of ye Clarke of ye Market, and is taken out of his booke:—
“‘Items, to be enquired of Ale brewers; whether they brewe their ale of anie maner of fustie, dustie, or wealved maulte, mixed or mingled with any hoppes, roson, chalke, or any other noisome or unwholesome corn or liquor.
“‘And yt they make noe rawe ale or long roping ale, keeping their Ale fixed, yt is to say, twelve pence highning and twelve pence lowning in a quarter of maulte. For when ye mace buy a quart of maulte for two shillings, then ye may sell a gallon of ye best ale for an halfe penny; three shillings, three farthings; foure shillings, foure farthings; five shillings, five farthings; six shillings, six farthings; seven shillings, seven farthings; eight shillings, eight farthings; nine shillings, nine farthings; and so forth and no further.
“‘And to sell a quarte of the best ale for a halfe penny, with measures true sized, and sealed according to the King’s standard, and doing the contrarie to be punished.
“Thus it appears that brewing was a very ancient business in this city in the 16th century, and the best ale was sold for a half penny per quart before the iniquitous malt-tax was imposed.
p. 266“The following are extracts from the statutes, &c.
“‘Statute 23, Henry 8. That no Brewer shall hence forth occupie ye misterie or craft of coupers, no make any barrells, &c., wherein they shall put their beer or ale. Penalty 3d. 4d. for every vessell.
“‘Every vessell to be made of seasonable wood, and marked with ye coupers’ mark, ye contents of every vessell for Beer, as above said or more.
“‘Coupers not to inhance ye prices of vessells, but keepe this rate, on forfeit of 3d. 4d. for every vessell, defective or enhanced, viz. Barrell for beer, ixd.; Kynderkyn, vd.; Ferkyn, iijd.; Ale Barrell, xvjd.; Kynderkyn, ixd.; Ferkyn, vd. Brewers not to put Beer or Ale to sale but in Barrells, &c., conteyning as above said. And to sell at such prices as affixed by ye Justices of ye Peace of ye County, or Maior, Sheriff, or other head officers of City, Borough, and Town Corporate, under forfeiture as above, under Beere brewers out of Clarke of Markets book, half to ye king, and half to him who will sue.’”
“No doubt other traders, as well as brewers and keepers of tippling houses, were regulated by corresponding laws. Indeed this appears from the records and orders in the books of the corporate assembly. In the 8th year of Edward IV., the mayor issued an order in the name of the king, that brewers were not to sell yeast, but to give it away to whoever wanted it, as it had been freely given away time out of mind. By the 4th and 5th of Philip and Mary, it was enacted that:—”
“No bere bruer to brewe nor sell to any typpler, or other person, any bere called doble doble bere, but only two sorts of bere, viz., best bere and small bere, upon forfeit of ye beer and cask.”
“According to the Brewers’ Assembly book, 30th July, 1657, the brewers agreed, by reason of 2/6 excise per barrel, that they would not sell any strong beer to any ale-house p. 267keeper, under 12/- per barrel of beer, and excise. It was also agreed in August, 1657, that ale-house keepers might sell one wine quart of strong beer for a penny. There were three sorts of beer of different prices, viz., 4/-, 6/-, and 10/- per barrel, beside excise. The brewers of beer petitioned strongly against the tax of 2/6 per barrel, as a great hardship and injustice. The names of 40 brewers are recorded in this city, from 1600 to 1725.”
“Brewers’ marks are entered as early as 1606, and as late as 1725. The mark, No. 1, John Boyce, was first borne by Henry Woodes, in 1606, and after him by five successive brewers, ending with this John Boyce, in 1725. As yet, the regulations relating to trade marks generally are very imperfectly known, leaving a wide field of research to those who desire further information. The same marks passed from one brewer to his successors, and they were held in all their integrity, till within a century and a half of our own time. It would be an important contribution to local history, if all the rules relating to trade could be collected and elucidated.”
The Reformation had now become an established fact in the Churches of England and Scotland; the glorious Revolution of 1688 had been accomplished; the civil wars were over, and the country enjoyed a long period of repose. Local events had, it is true, become of less importance, because less connected with general history; but the narrative will not be the less interesting to local readers. Walls and gates still surrounded the old city, and confined it within narrow limits. All the principal streets within the walls were now built. The population had increased to 28,000, the working classes being chiefly employed in textile manufactures, which were in great demand all over Europe. The operatives were well employed and well paid during the greater part of this century. It was, in short, a flourishing period in the history of Norwich, as regards its manufactures and its trade.
Queen Anne was proclaimed here on March 12th, 1701, and was crowned on April 3rd, 1702, with extraordinary exhibitions of joy. In this year, too, p. 269the art of printing, which had been for some time discontinued here, was revived, and Francis Burgess soon afterwards opened a printing office near the Red Well. In 1701, the first newspaper, called the Norwich Gazette, was published by Henry Cosgrove, he being assisted in the undertaking by the celebrated Edward Cave, the original planner and founder of the Gentleman’s Magazine, which was first published in 1731. The Gazette was subsequently enlarged, and called the Norfolk Chronicle and Norwich Gazette, published by Messrs. Stevenson and Matchett. The former gentleman was a learned antiquarian, and published “The Antiquities of Ely.”
In 1705, the Weavers’ Hall was broken open, and the books were destroyed, since which time the custom of sealing stuffs has been disused. What was the cause of the tumult does not appear.
In 1706, a great part of the city was laid under water by two violent floods, both of which happened in the month of November.
In 1711, the first act was passed for erecting workhouses, &c., in this city; by which it was provided—
“That from and after the first day of May, 1712, there shall be a corporation to continue for ever, within the said city of Norwich and county of the same, and liberties thereof, consisting of mayor, recorder, and steward, justices of the peace, sheriffs, and aldermen of the said city for the time being, and of thirty-two other persons of the most honest, discreet, and charitable inhabitants of the said city and county, in the four great wards of the said city, and the towns, and out parishes in the county of the said city, in p. 270such manner as is hereinafter expressed, and the said thirty-two persons shall be elected on the third day of May next ensuing, or within three days after, at an assembly of the said city, for that purpose to be held, by the votes of the mayor, sheriffs, citizens, and commonalty, in common council assembled, or of the major part of them present.”
Then follow the provisions of the act by which all the parishes in the city were incorporated for the relief of the poor. The Court of Guardians was constituted, and empowered to assess to the poor rates all lands, houses, tenements, tithes, stock, and personal estates. The assessment of stock and personal estate, as may be easily imagined, caused great dissatisfaction amongst the rate-payers possessed of property, and was abolished in 1827, when a new act was obtained which considerably altered the constitution of the court. This act was further amended by another passed in 1831, and that was superseded in 1863, by the act at this time in force.
In 1712, the steeple of the new Hall, now St. Andrew’s Hall, fell down and was never rebuilt.
In 1713, the Duke of Ormond was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk and Norwich, in the room of Lord Townshend.
George I. was proclaimed here on the 3rd of August, 1714, two days after Queen Anne died.
In 1714 a Bethel was built for the reception of poor lunatics by Mrs. Mary Chapman—one of the first charitable foundations in this country for those unhappy persons. In 1717 she endowed the same by her will, in which is the following pious clause:—
p. 271“Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to visit and afflict some of my nearest relations with lunacy, but has blessed me with the use of my reason and understanding; as a monument of my thankfulnesss for this invaluable mercy, I settle Bethel, &c., for this purpose.”
She was the widow of the Rev. Mr. Chapman, minister of St. Lawrence.
In 1715, in consequence of the rebellion in the north, an artillery company of 100 men was first raised in Norwich. William Hall, Esq., was their captain.
On January 8th of the same year, Sir Peter Seaman, an Alderman, died and left provision for binding out two poor city boys yearly. On December 17th of the same year, Thomas Hall, Esq., merchant, died. He founded a monthly sacramental lecture; bequeathed several legacies to charities, and left £100 for a gold chain to be worn by the Mayor of Norwich, and which is the same as is now worn by the deputy mayor. It weighs 23 ozs. 6 dwts. Mr. Hall was interred with great funeral pomp at St. George’s Colegate. His portrait was presented by John and Edward Taylor, Esqs., to the corporation, and was placed in the common council chamber, May, 1821.
An act was passed in 1722 for the better qualifying of the manufacturers of stuffs and yarns to act as magistrates, and for regulating the elections of such officers.
About this time another act was passed for clearing, deepening, extending, maintaining, and improving the p. 272haven and piers of Great Yarmouth, and for deepening the rivers flowing into the harbour; and also for preserving ships wintering in the haven from accidents by fire. For these purposes certain duties were to be paid for 21 years after Lady day, 1723, on all goods unladen in the haven of Yarmouth, or in the sea called Yarmouth roads. This act was very important to the navigation between Yarmouth and Norwich.
In 1724 the Sheriff’s Office was rebuilt, and the statue of Justice placed on the Guildhall. Alderman Norman died the same year, and left an estate in Norwich for charitable purposes.
About this time the society of “Free and Accepted Masons” appeared publicly in this city. Mr. Prideaux, son of the Rev. Dr. Prideaux, Dean of Norwich, author of “The Connection between the Old and New Testaments,” was the first Master here. Their lodge was at the Maid’s Head Inn. B. Bond Cabbell, Esq., has within the last few years bought the old Assembly Rooms in Theatre Street for the Order.
On September 28th, 1725, a petition was presented to the mayor and corporation, signed by the principal traders in Norwich, requesting the use of the New Hall in St. Andrew’s for an Exchange, which was immediately granted. On October 4th of the same year, the court, attended by nearly 200 gentlemen and principal tradesmen, came to the New Hall in St. Andrew’s, which was then opened and solemnly proclaimed to be an exchange, on which occasion the Recorder (Stephen Gardiner, Esq.) delivered the following address:—
p. 273“Gentlemen,—This place is now opened with an intent to promote traffic and commerce. Here, formerly, God was worshipped, though in a corrupt manner; and may the consideration of the sacred use this building has been put to so far influence all that shall resort hither, that nothing in the course of business may be here transacted but with great justice and honesty. I wish success to this undertaking, and the prosperity of the city in every respect.”
The hall continued open as an exchange only one year, and it was open every day in the week except Saturdays and Sundays, which proves that a considerable mercantile trade must have been carried on in the city at that time. Soon afterwards was begun the impolitic system of local taxation in trade, which has almost ruined Lynn and Yarmouth, and which greatly retarded the prosperity of Norwich. In 1725 the corporation obtained an act, which came into operation on May 1st, 1726, for levying tolls upon all goods or merchandise brought up the river higher than Thorpe Hall. The dues were to be applied towards rebuilding the walls and bridges, &c., but this was done to a very small extent.
On February 24th, 1726, in consequence of the proceedings of the Pretender, Charles Stuart, who endeavoured to secure the crown of England, a loyal address of the corporation was presented to King George I. by the city members. That monarch died at the palace of the Bishop of Osnaburgh, on his way to Hanover, on June 11th, 1727.
George II. and his Queen Caroline were crowned on October 11th, 1727, and there was a grand illumination and bonfire here in honour of the event.
p. 274In 1729 an act was passed for the better regulating the city elections, and for preserving the peace, good order, and government of the city; and at an assembly on the Guild eve, the mayor and aldermen of Norwich first sat in the council chamber, and the common council in their own room; for by that act a majority of each body was required to a corporate order, whilst, before it passed, the two bodies sat, debated, and voted together. In 1730, under this act, three nominees for each of the four great wards were first elected, who returned the remaining number of common councilmen, sixty in the whole.
In 1730, the Norwich Mercury was first issued by William Chase. It was afterwards published for many years by the late Mr. Richard Mackenzie Bacon and Mr. Kinnebrook. Mr. R. M. Bacon was the editor, and one of the most talented men who ever appeared in this city as a political writer and critic. He was the author of “The Elements of Vocal Science,” and other works.
At the quarterly assembly held in 1730, on St. Matthias’ day, 161 freemen were admitted and sworn, and afterwards it was reported by the committee, appointed for that purpose, that they had treated with St. George’s Company, who had agreed to resign their books, charters, and records, into the hands of the corporation, which was done accordingly, and the power of the company ceased. In consequence of this, the form of a procession was arranged for the Guild day instead of that formerly exhibited, by the St. George’s Company. It was further ordered that, for p. 275the future, every mayor shall be excused making a Guild breakfast, or holding any mayor’s feasts in May or August, as heretofore, and that, in lieu thereof, the new mayor shall make a feast, on the day on which he is sworn, at the New Hall, and there entertain the recorder, steward, sheriffs, justices, aldermen, and their ladles, and the common councilmen; and every mayor who makes such a feast shall be entitled to the sum of £100, to be paid by the chamberlain immediately after the said feast.
In 1732, Sherers’ Cross, commonly called Charing Cross, a neat ancient stone pillar, was taken down. The cross was so called from the sheermen or cloth cutters, who principally dwelt in this part of the city. The corner house, in the reign of Edward II., belonged to Christopher Shere-hill, or at Sherers’ hill. In the same year the old Market Cross was demolished, being sadly out of repair.
In 1733, July 11th, the Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Walpole, of Houghton in Norfolk, was, in person, sworn a freeman of the corporation, and presented by the mayor with a copy of his freedom in a gold box.
In 1734, Sir Robert Walpole presented the city with a gilt mace, beautifully enchased, weighing 168 ounces. On the cup part are the arms of Sir Robert and of the city. A new damask gown was also bought by the corporation, to be worn by the Speaker on all public occasions.
On October 30th, 1739, being the king’s birthday, war was proclaimed here against Spain. The mayor and aldermen attended on horseback in their scarlet p. 276gowns, with the two sheriffs, who appeared for the first time in the gold chains given by Thomas Emerson, Esq., of London, a native of this city, to be worn by the sheriffs of Norwich for the time being. A portrait of him was placed in St. Andrew’s Hall at the expense of the corporation, and the honorary freedom of the city was afterwards presented to him.
In 1740, the cathedral was cleaned and repaired. It was again repaired and beautified in 1763, in Bishop Younge’s time; and in 1777 and 1780, two painted windows, representing the Transfiguration and the twelve Apostles (finely executed by the Lady of the late Dean Lloyd), were placed in the east end of the choir. Subsequently, these windows were removed to another part of the cathedral.
In 1741, April 4th, it was ordered by the corporation of Norwich, that no stranger should exercise any trade in the city more than six months without taking up his freedom.
In 1744, May 3rd, war was proclaimed here against France, by the mayor and corporation, on horseback.
In September, 1745, the magistrates and principal inhabitants associated in support of the government and in defence of the liberties of the land, in consequence of the rebellion in Scotland. An artillery company, of about 100 men, was raised in Norwich, and Lord Hobart appointed commander.
In 1746, October 9th, there was a general thanksgiving on the suppression of the Rebellion in Scotland. A magnificent arch was erected in Norwich Market Place, which, with the whole city, was illuminated.
p. 277In 1747, an act was passed for holding the county summer assizes and sessions in the city, till a new Shirehall could be built.
On February 7th, 1748, peace with France and Spain was proclaimed here, the mayor and corporation attending on horseback, preceded by a party of dragoons and the artillery company.
On October 22nd, 1751, a fire broke out, which destroyed the bridewell and several adjoining houses. That extraordinary man, “Peter, the Wild Youth,” was confined there at the time. When a child, he was lost in a wood in Germany, and was found, at the age of 12, naked and wild. This bridewell house was built about the year 1370, by Bartholomew Appleyard, whose son William was, in 1403, the first Mayor of Norwich. There are some fine arched vaults under the premises, and the wall next St. Andrew’s church, built with flint, is well worthy the observation of the curious.
An act was passed this year (1751) to open the Port of Yarmouth for the importation of wool and woollen yarn from Ireland, which was very beneficial to the city.
The number of houses and inhabitants, in the city precincts and hamlets, in 1752, was as follows:—7139 houses, 36,169 souls, being an increase of 7288 inhabitants since 1693, when the population was only 28,881.
In 1755, a table was drawn up settling the habits to be worn by the mayor and corporation at public meetings.
p. 278A slight shock of an earthquake was felt here on January 10th, 1756. On May 3rd of the same year, the freedom of the city was voted to the Right Hon. Wm. Pitt, and Henry B. Legge (the former being late secretary of state, and the latter, chancellor of the exchequer), for their conduct during their honourable but short administration. The freedom of the city, and thanks of the corporation, were also voted to Matthew Goss, Esq., for his present of the gold chain which has ever since been worn by the mayors. A public subscription was made for the poor, in consequence of the high price of wheat, and scarcity of work, and 12,000 persons in Norwich were supplied with household bread at half-price for some time.
On July 12th, 1756, the Earl of Orford put the act for the better regulating the Militia in execution. This act fixed the number of men to be raised for Norfolk and Norwich at 960, of which the city furnished 151.
On June 21st, 1759, there was a most violent storm here, some of the hailstones being two inches long, and weighing three-quarters of an ounce. On July 4th and 5th, the Norfolk Militia, commanded by Lord Orford, marched from Norwich to Portsmouth, and passed in review before His Majesty George II., at Kensington.
In digging under the rampart of the Castle Hill in 1760, two very curious bones were discovered, supposed by some to be amulets, which the Druids wore at their sacrifices.
p. 279In 1760, King George II. died at Kensington, on October 25th, and his grandson, George III. was proclaimed king, in Norwich, on the 29th, by the mayor and corporation, preceded by the four Norwich companies of militia, with flags, banners, and music. On September 22nd, 1761, the coronation of their Majesties was celebrated with great splendour in Norfolk, and in Norwich there was a general illumination, and a grand display of fireworks from a triumphal arch erected in the Market Place.
On October 27th, 1762, there was a sudden flood in the city, which laid near 300 houses and 8 parish churches under water. It rose 12 feet perpendicular in 24 hours, being 15 inches higher than St. Faith’s flood in 1696.
In 1763, January 3rd, John Spurrell, Esq., died, leaving £1355 to the corporation, the interest to be applied for the benefit of the poor in the Great Hospital, and for other charitable purposes. The Earl of Buckinghamshire, alderman Thomas Harvey, and Mr. Robert Page, gave £100 each to Doughty’s Hospital.
In the same year Sir Armine Wodehouse, Bart., gave a valuable volume to the corporation containing some old statutes, in which the prescriptive right of the corporation to its present legal name is supported. It had been the property of the Wodehouse family for 200 years. A vote of thanks was passed to Sir Armine Wodehouse for his present. He was a member of parliament for Norfolk from 1736 to 1768 (32 years), and died in 1777. His p. 280death was occasioned by a herring-bone sticking in his throat.
On January 7th, 1769, the church belonging to the Dutch congregation was opened for the poor of the workhouses. The poor continued to attend till the New Workhouse was built in Heigham, after which they attended divine service in the chapel there.
On November 19th, 1770, there was a great flood in Norwich, four inches higher than that of 1762. The sufferers were relieved, by a subscription, with money, coals, and bread. On December 19th, of the same year, there was a violent storm of wind and rain, such as had not been remembered since 1741. Happisburgh, Postwick, and Strumpshaw windmills were blown down, and much damage was done in the city and county; many ships with their crews were lost on the Norfolk coast. In the same year the following turnpike roads were made and opened, from St. Stephen’s Gates to Trowse, from St. Stephen’s Gates to Watton, from St. Benedict’s Gates to Swaffham, from Bishop Bridge to Caister near Yarmouth, and from Norwich to Dereham, Swaffham, and Mattishall.
On March 1st, 1771, the names of the streets and highways in the city were ordered to be fixed up for the first time; but this order appears to have been very imperfectly carried out. In the same year the foundation stone of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital was laid by Wm. Fellowes, Esq., who was a great promoter of that benevolent institution. It was erected by a public subscription in the city and county; and it was opened on July 11th, 1772, for out-patients; and on p. 281November 7th, in that year, for in-patients. It has been of great benefit to the poor, who have always been attended by the principal physicians and surgeons in the city.
In 1774, St. Andrew’s Hall underwent a complete alteration. The old gateway and wall next Bridge Street were taken down, part of the green yard was taken in, and the old city library room was rebuilt over the gateway, thus defacing all that part of the hall. At the last restoration the old city library room was pulled down, and a new porch was erected, with many other improvements.
In 1779, the new year was ushered in with a most terrible storm of wind and rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning. The lead on St. Andrew’s Church was rolled up, and great damage was done in several parts of the city. In October of this year, the navigation from Coltishall to Aylsham was completed for boats of thirteen tons burthen, at a cost of £6000. About this time smuggling was carried to a great height, even in broad day.
On January 20th, 1780, at a numerous meeting of citizens and county gentlemen, a petition was agreed to and signed, praying the house of commons to guard against all unnecessary expenditure, to abolish sinecure places and pensions, and to resist the increasing influence of the crown. A strong protest was afterwards signed against the proceedings of this meeting. Mr. Coke presented the petition. Armed associations were formed against the government at Yarmouth, Lynn, Holt, and other places.
p. 282On March 24th, 1783, manufactures of textile fabrics in the city being very prosperous, the pageant of the Golden Fleece, or what is called Bishop Blaize, was exhibited by the wool combers, in a style far surpassing all former processions of the kind in Norwich. The procession began to move at 10 a.m. from St. Martin’s at Oak, and thence passed through the principal streets of the city. On December 3rd, of the same year, the Black Friars’ Bridge was opened.
In January, 1784, the Amicable Society of Attorneys, in Norwich, was instituted. On May 1st, at an assembly of the corporation, the freedom of the city was voted to be presented to Mr. S. Harvey, Mr. Windham, and Mr. Pitt. On December 13th, the Norwich Public Library was first opened and located in the old library room, formerly over the entrance to St. Andrew’s Hall.
On March 25th, 1785, mail coaches, between Norwich and London, were established, performing a journey of 108 miles in fifteen hours, by which alteration in the post, letters arrived from London a day sooner. This was considered a great improvement. Subsequently, half a dozen stage coaches ran between Norwich and London daily. In July, after various ascents by several persons, Major (afterwards General) Money, at 4.25 p.m., ascended with a balloon from Quantrell’s gardens, and at 6 p.m. the car touched the surface of the sea. During five hours the major remained in this perilous situation, and at 11.30 p.m. was taken up by the Argus revenue cutter, eighteen miles p. 283off Southwold, bearing west by north, and he landed at Lowestoft on the following morning. On October 18th, of the same year, the “Friars’ Society for the Participation of Useful Knowledge” was instituted. This society first suggested the scheme of the association for the relief of decayed tradesmen, their widows, and orphans. With them also originated the Soup Charity in this city, and it was long supported and conducted by them, but of late years it has been a separate charity.
On April 26th, 1786, the Norwich and Norfolk Benevolent Medical Society was instituted. In May, an exact account of the inhabitants of Norwich was taken from house to house, and the population was ascertained to be 40,051 souls, exclusive of those living in the precincts of the Cathedral, being an increase of nearly 4000 since 1752. This entirely contradicts the statement of Mr. Arthur Young, in his Tour of England, published in 1770, to the effect that 72,000 persons were then employed in manufactures in this city.
On November 5th, 1788, the centenary of the glorious Revolution of 1688 was celebrated in this city and county by illuminations, bonfires, public dinners, &c., but more particularly at Holkham, where Mr. Coke, the late Earl of Leicester, gave a grand fête, ball, and supper, and a display of fireworks, &c. The citizens appear to have been more sensible then than they are now of the immense benefits they derived from that great change in the British constitution and government.
p. 284Next year (1789) a revolution broke out in France and astounded all Europe. It caused a mighty commotion and a general war, which lasted many years, and destroyed millions of men. Norwich, like every other city in England, was affected by it, and lost nearly all its foreign trade during the terrible conflict. On July 14th, the Revolution was commemorated by republicans at the Maid’s Head Inn, in this city. Among the toasts of the day after a dinner were “The Revolutionary Societies in England,” “The Rights of Man,” and “The Philosophers of France.” The Revolution, however, had not advanced very far in its atrocities when most people regarded it in a very different light, and associations were formed here against “Levellers” and “Revolutionists.”
On December 5th, 1792, the mayor, sheriffs, and seventeen aldermen of Norwich, pledged themselves to support the constitution of Kings, Lords, and Commons, as established in 1688. Meetings of the inhabitants were also held in this city, and in Yarmouth, Lynn, &c., and declarations of loyalty and attachment to the constitution were unanimously agreed to and signed; for men had begun to be alarmed by the “Reign of Terror” in France.
In 1793 a petition for parliamentary reform, signed by 3741 inhabitants of Norwich, was presented to the House of Commons by the Hon. H. Hobart, but was not received, it having been printed previous to presentation. This indicated a great advance in liberal opinions towards the end of the last century, chiefly amongst the Nonconformists, who had greatly increased p. 285in numbers, whilst the church was asleep. The vast expenditure in the long war against France caused a great increase in taxation.
On April 12th, 1794, a great county meeting was held at the Shirehall, to consider the exertions which should be made at that crisis for the internal defence and security of the kingdom. The High Sheriff, T. R. Dashwood, Esq., presided. The Honble. C. Townshend moved resolutions, supported by the Marquis Townshend, Lord Walsingham, Mr. Buxton, Mr. Windham, and Mr. Joddrell, for forming volunteer corps of cavalry, and for entering into subscriptions to maintain the same. Mr. Coke condemned the war in toto, and insisted that it might have been avoided, or at the least brought to a conclusion, by a negociation for peace, and he moved as an amendment:
“That it is our duty to refuse any private subscriptions for public purposes and unconstitutional benevolences.”
So much altercation and confusion ensued, that when the High Sheriff put the question, it was impossible to tell which party had the majority; and a division being deemed impracticable, the chairman proposed that such gentlemen as chose to subscribe would retire with him to the Grand Jury Room, which was agreed to. Nearly £6,000 was subscribed, and the amount was afterwards increased to £11,000!
On October 21st, 1795, a memorial was transmitted from the court of mayoralty of Norwich to the representatives of the city on the high prices of every necessary of life, requesting them to support such p. 286measures as might have a tendency to reduce them, and to facilitate the restoration of peace. Prices of corn and provisions had risen to an alarming height; wheat to 100s., barley to 30s., and oats to 30s. per quarter, and symptoms of rioting had in consequence appeared in Norwich market.
At a county meeting held on July 20th, 1796, in the Angel Inn (now the Royal Hotel) it was resolved to petition parliament for the removal of the Lent assizes from Thetford to Norwich, and a petition was presented accordingly. The bill brought for this object into the House of Commons was strongly opposed, and finally rejected; but afterwards the assizes were removed to the city, and have been held there ever since. This year the sum of £24,000 was collected for the maintenance of the poor in Norwich, while the population was under 40,000, or half the present number.
In 1797, February 14th, the Norwich Light Horse Volunteers were organized, of which John Harvey, Esq., was afterwards appointed captain and major. On February 22nd, the Norwich Loyal Military Association was formed, of which John Patteson, Esq., was appointed captain, and afterwards major; and R. J. Browne, C. Harvey, and A. Sieley, Esqs., were appointed captains. Military matters then occupied a great deal of the attention of the citizens.
On March 4th, intelligence was received here of the defeat of the Spanish fleet by Admiral Jervis, and served in some measure to dissipate the general gloom which at this time pervaded the public mind.
p. 287On April 25th, a great county meeting was held in the open air on the Castle Hill, and a petition was almost unanimously adopted, praying His Majesty to dismiss his ministers, as the most effectual means of reviving the national credit and restoring peace. This was moved by Mr. Fellowes, seconded by Mr. Rolfe, supported by Lord Albemarle, Mr. Coke, Mr. Mingay, Mr. Plumptre, Mr. Trafford, and others. On April 28th a counter county meeting was held, and an address to the king was adopted, expressing confidence in the ministry of the day.
On May 16th the citizens followed suit. At a numerously attended common hall a petition to His Majesty, praying him to dismiss his administration, was carried unanimously, with the exception of one spirited Tory, who had nearly fallen a victim to popular vengeance on the spot. A counter address of the citizens was afterwards signed and presented to the King, who must have been a good deal bothered at the time by such evidences of the violent agitation of his subjects.
On May 26th, attempts were made here to seduce the military from their allegiance; and on the following day the republican orator, Thelwall, arrived in this city, which caused a great commotion. On the 29th, a party of the Inniskilling Dragoons proceeded to his lecture room, opposite Gurney’s bank, drove out the persons assembled, destroyed the tribune and benches, and then attacked the Shakespear Tavern adjoining, in which a disturbance had taken place. After destroying the furniture and partly demolishing p. 288the house, and also breaking the windows and destroying the furniture of the Rose Tavern, in which they supposed the lecturer had concealed himself, the dragoons, on the appearance of their officers and the magistrates, retired to their barracks. Thelwall, in this affray, fortunately for him, escaped and fled to London. Davey, the landlord of the Shakespear Tavern, on being pursued by the soldiers, threw himself from the garret into the street, and was much injured. At the subsequent assizes, Luke Rice, a tailor of this city, was indicted capitally for aiding and abetting the soldiers in this outrage; but as the offence charged in the indictment did not come within the meaning of the statute, he was acquitted. He had, however, a very narrow escape. On June 1st of the same year, (1797) a mutiny broke out on board the fleet at Yarmouth, and several sail of the line hoisted the red flag of defiance.
In January, 1798, the sword of the Spanish Admiral Don Francisco Winthuysen, presented by Admiral Nelson to the corporation of Norwich, was placed in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall, with an appropriate device and inscription.
On February 28th, at a general meeting of the inhabitants of this city, more than £2,200 were immediately subscribed as voluntary contributions towards the defence of the kingdom. In a few weeks afterwards, the whole subscription amounted to more than £8000, a proof of the loyalty as well as liberality of the well-to-do citizens. In May, the following Loyal Volunteer Corps were formed for the purpose p. 289of preserving internal tranquillity, and supporting the police of this city, viz., the Mancroft Volunteers, Capt. John Browne; St. Stephen’s Volunteers, Capt. Hardy; St. Peter per Mountergate, &c., Capt. Herring; St. Saviour’s and St. Clement’s, Capt. Fiske; St. Andrew’s, Capt. T. A. Murray.
On June 19th, the Norwich Light Horse Volunteers and Loyal Military Association attended J. Browne, Esq., to the cathedral, previous to his being sworn into the office of mayor; afterwards the Association fired a feu de joie in the Market Place.
On October 11th, at a meeting of the wealthy inhabitants of the city, a subscription was entered into for the relief of the orphans of those brave seamen who fell on August 1st in the ever memorable battle of the Nile; and on the 24th of the same month, at a special assembly of the corporation, an address of congratulation was adopted to his Majesty on the late victory; and it was agreed that a request should be made to Lord Nelson to sit for his portrait, to be placed in St. Andrew’s Hall. His Lordship assented and the portrait was painted by Beechey and placed in the hall, where it may still be seen.
November 29th was appointed as a day of a public thanksgiving for the late naval victories, and was celebrated as such in Norwich with the greatest festivity. In the morning the mayor and corporation, accompanied by the Light Horse Volunteers and the Parochial Associations, attended divine service at the cathedral, where an excellent sermon was preached by the Rev. T. F. Middleton, afterwards Bishop of p. 290Calcutta. The sword, taken by Lord Nelson was borne in the procession. On their return to the Market Place there was a feast, and in the evening an illumination.
In 1799, October 28th, the Guards and several other regiments, to the number of 25,000 cavalry and infantry, landed at Yarmouth from Holland. Next night the Grenadier Brigade of Guards, commanded by Col. Wynward, marched into Norwich by torchlight, and were soon afterwards followed by upwards of 20,000 more troops. Through the exertions of John Herring, Esq., mayor, and the attention of the citizens in general, these brave men received every accommodation that their situation demanded. The mayor soon afterwards received a letter from the Duke of Portland expressive of the high appreciation by the government of the mayor’s loyalty and activity on this occasion, and of the humanity of the citizens who supplied the wants of the soldiers. The mayor was afterwards presented to his Majesty at St. James’, and offered the honour of knighthood, which he declined. The Duke of York, Prince William of Gloucester, and several other officers employed in this unsuccessful expedition, also passed through the city on their way to London. The sum of £18,000 was raised this year for the maintenance of the poor of the city.
On January 23rd, 1800, John Herring, Esq., then mayor, summoned a general meeting of the inhabitants at the Guildhall, to consider the propriety of applying to parliament for an act for the better paving, lighting, and watching of the city, for removing and preventing p. 291annoyances and obstructions, and for regulating hackney coaches. At this meeting a committee was appointed to consider the plan proposed, and to report to a future general meeting. This committee held several meetings, and at length made a report, which was laid before a general meeting of the citizens on March 3rd. The estimated cost of lighting, watching, paving, &c., was only £2770. The produce of the tolls was estimated at £1715, and of a rate of 6d. in the pound at £3000; making the total receipts £4715, and leaving a balance of £1945 for the commencement of the work, which sum would have been increased by some annual payments. The general meeting adopted the report, and a petition was signed by most of the inhabitants of the city in favour of a bill to carry out the improvements. Unfortunately, however, the petition could not, from some unforeseen circumstances, be presented that session. The project was, for a time, postponed; but an act was obtained in 1806 to carry out the object, and commissioners were appointed for the purpose. This body consisted of the dean and prebend, the recorder, 28 members of the corporation, and 24 parochial commissioners, annually elected, in all 136. This heterogeneous body continued for about forty years, and after spending over £300,000, left Norwich the worst paved town in England, and also left a debt of £17,000, which still remains as a legacy to the city!
Before the end of the 18th century, various improvements were made, among which may be mentioned, the demolition of the old gates, the widening and opening of several streets, and the erection of a new flour mill, worked by steam power, near Black Friars Bridge, for better supplying the people with flour. Still, large numbers of the poor appear to have been for a long time in a very destitute condition. Famines were of frequent occurrence, and riots often took place on account of the high prices of every kind of food. In 1720, on September 20th, a dangerous riot broke out, and rose to such a height, as to oblige the sheriffs to call in the aid of the Artillery Company, at whose approach the rioters instantly dispersed. Again, in 1740, riots occurred in several parts of the country, and in most of the towns in Norfolk. The magistrates of this city called the military to their aid, and six or seven lives were lost before the rioters could be quelled. Again, in 1766, in consequence of the great scarcity and advanced price of provisions of every sort, some dangerous riots broke out in several places. In this city the poor people collected on September 27th, about noon, and in the course of that day and the next, committed many outrages by attacking the houses of bakers, pulling down part of the New Mills, destroying large quantities of flour, and burning to the ground a large malthouse outside of Conisford gate. Every lenient p. 293measure was tried by the city magistrates to pacify the poor starving people, but to no effect. The magistrates therefore were compelled to repel force by force. On Sunday afternoon they, with the principal inhabitants, attacked the rioters with such vigour, while they were demolishing a house on Tombland, that they were dispersed. About thirty of the ringleaders were taken and tried, and eight of them were sentenced to death, but only two were executed. They suffered the extreme penalty on January 10th, 1767.
Strange as it may seem, Norwich was, at this time, in a more flourishing state as regards trade than it has ever since been known. Wages were not high, but employment was universal. On April 25th, 1796, fine flour having risen to 70s. a sack, a mob attacked several bakers’ shops in the city. The magistrates and inhabitants assembled and proceeded to the places against which the attacks of the populace were directed, but the mob did not disperse till after the riot act had been read and three persons apprehended. On May 17th, a dreadful affray took place near Bishop Bridge, between the soldiers of the Northumberland and Warwickshire regiments of Militia. Several were terribly bruised and others wounded with bayonets before their officers could part them. Education was, at this time, at a very low ebb, and the clergy neglected the poor. Few schools were yet opened for their children, who grew up in ignorance and vice. Working-men spent their hard-earned money in drunkenness, or indulged in the most brutal p. 294sports, such as prize-fighting or cock-fighting. They were also demoralised by bribery and treating at contested elections. In fact, ward elections were so frequent that the city was kept in a perpetual state of agitation and turmoil. We can now form no notion of the misery, poverty, and vice, which these local elections inflicted on the city. It was often said that a single ward election did more harm than all the sermons in all the churches and chapels did good. These local contests at length prevented capital being employed in manufacturers, and made politics the first object of all the influential citizens, who, if they were not, strove to become, members of the old corporation, not from any consideration of public duty, not to promote the welfare of the citizens, but to serve their own political or personal interests. There is abundant evidence that the prosperity of the city, and private friendships, were alike poisoned by the party spirit, engendered by frequent ward elections; at the same time the moral character of the whole working population was greatly deteriorated, and the working classes themselves greatly depraved.
During this 18th century the Nonconformists became very numerous and powerful in the city and county. Methodism imparted a healthful stimulus to the revival of religion. It aroused the church and all denominations. Besides the very flourishing bodies of Wesleyans and Baptists, the Independents made p. 295great progress. Within two centuries, in place of one, several chapels arose; and throughout all England, few towns exhibited a greater increase of Nonconformists than Norwich. We have already given an account of their rise and progress in the 17th century, but we have not yet noticed the Unitarians. A history of the Octagon chapel in Norwich, by Mr. John Taylor, formerly of this city, and continued by his son, Mr. Edward Taylor, contains a full account of the rise and progress of the Unitarians here. They were at first called Presbyterians, but that name was inappropriate, as they never had the Presbyterian polity nor doctrine. Mr. John Taylor says, the first Presbyterian chapel was built in 1687, on a piece of ground, formerly part of the great garden or orchard, “sometime belonging to the prior and convent of the late friars’ preachers,” of whose deserted walls the Dissenters took possession. The building was so constructed that it might be converted into dwelling houses in case their preachers were compelled to abandon it.
Blomefield, in his History of the City, says:—
“In 1687, the Presbyterians built a meeting house from the ground, over against the Black Boys; and at the same time the Independents repaired a house in St. Edmund’s formerly a brew house.”
After the passing of the Toleration Act, in 1689, this meeting house, which, had not been long finished, was duly licensed. Dr. Collinges, a learned Presbyterian minister, was the first pastor appointed to preach p. 296by the congregation. He had a considerable hand in the “Annotations to the Bible,” which were begun and carried on by Mr. Matthew Poole, and which go under his name.
Dr. Collinges died in January, 1690, and was probably succeeded soon after by Mr. Josiah Chorley, who was not a native of Norwich, but came from Lancashire. He officiated about thirty years, and was succeeded by the Rev. Peter Finch, a highly esteemed preacher for many years. After he died his funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Taylor, who said:—
“Surely the character of Mr. Finch, drawn out so even and clear without any remarkable spot or flaw, through the long course of sixty-three years in this city, must be deserving of remembrance and imitation, since it must be the result of a steady integrity and solid wisdom.”
The Rev. Mr. Finch was one of the first pupils who entered into the first dissenting academy, erected after the Reformation, by the Rev. Mr. Frankland; and he survived almost all the 300 gentlemen who, in the space of thirty years, were educated in that academy. He died October 6th, 1754, on his 93rd birthday, and was buried in St. Peter’s Church, in this city. His descendents were residents here till 1847. His son was many years clerk of the peace for the county of Norfolk.
Mr. John Brooke was invited to take his place towards the end of the year 1718. This minister was born in or near Yarmouth, where some of his descendants have generally resided. He resigned in p. 2971733, and removed to York, where he died. Dr. John Taylor was elected to the vacant office in 1733, and continued till 1757, when he resigned. He was the author of many works of a religious character. In 1753 the old chapel was pulled down, and a subscription was raised of nearly £4000 for a new one. The first stone of the new building was laid on February 25th, 1754, by Dr. Taylor; and within three years the present elegant chapel was completed at a cost of £5174.
Mr. Samuel Bourn, son of Mr. Bourn of Birmingham, was ordained co-pastor with Dr. John Taylor, and he published volumes of sermons which established his reputation in that kind of composition. He resigned in 1775, and retired to a village near Norwich. Several gentlemen, who afterwards attained considerable eminence in science, were brought up under Mr. Bourn’s ministry, viz., Sir James Edward Smith, so long president of the Linnean Society; Mr. Robert Woodhouse, the eminent mathematician and professor of astronomy at Cambridge; and Dr. Edward Maltby, afterwards bishop of Durham. Mr. Bourn removed to Norwich not many months before his death, and died in the 83rd year of his age; he was interred in the burying ground of the Octagon Chapel. Mr. Bourn was succeeded by the Rev. John Hoyle, who was minister for seventeen years. He died in the 51st year of his age, on November 29th, 1775, and was interred in the Octagon burying ground.
On December 15th, 1776, Mr. Alderson was chosen minister, and soon afterwards Mr. George Cadogan p. 298Morgan became co-pastor. He had been educated under the inspection of his uncle, the celebrated Dr. Richard Price, so that great expectations were formed of his abilities, and the congregation were not disappointed. He soon, however, resigned and went to Yarmouth; and in 1755, Dr. William Enfield was invited to become co-pastor with Mr. Alderson, and he accepted the office. In 1786, Mr. Alderson resigned; and in 1787 was succeeded by Mr. P. Houghton.
In 1784, Mr. P. M. Martineau projected the establishment of the Public Library at Norwich, in which he was cordially seconded by Dr. Enfield, who was one of the earliest presidents of an institution, which for the extent and variety of its catalogue surpasses most provincial libraries. In the early periods of the first French Revolution, a periodical work was established by the liberal party in Norwich, entitled “The Cabinet;” to which the principal contributors were Mr. John Pitchford, Mr. Wm. Youngman, Mr. Norgate, Mr. C. Marsh (afterwards M.P. for Retford), Mrs. Opie (then Miss Alderson), Mr. John Taylor, and Dr. Enfield. After publishing many learned works, Dr. Enfield died in the 57th year of his age, on November 3rd, 1797. After his death, three volumes of his sermons were published by subscription; and among the subscribers were persons of almost every sect in Norwich, from the cathedral prebendary to the independent minister. More than twenty beneficed clergymen’s names appear in the list, and it is very well known that Dr. Enfield’s sermons have been heard from many pulpits of the established church. Professor Taylor, late of Gresham college, thus wrote in a supplementary memoir:—
p. 299“With his dissenting brethren Dr. Enfield was always on the best terms, especially with Mr. Newton and Mr. Kinghorn, the ministers of the Independent and Baptist congregations. The Presbyterian congregation, comprising many individuals of station and influence in the city, took the lead in every movement of the dissenting body, who never appeared in a more united and honourable position than when Dr. Enfield was their acknowledged head. The state of society during his residence in Norwich, was eminently suited to his habits and tastes. Parr, Peel, Walker, Howes, and Smyth were his contemporaries. Parr was the head master of the grammar school, Potter was a prebendary of the Cathedral, and Porson was occasional resident at the house of his brother-in-law, Mr. Hawes of Coltishall, a village a few miles from Norwich. Dr. Enfield was a welcome visitor at the bishop’s palace; for though Dr. Bagot had no political or religious sympathy with the minister of the Presbyterian congregation, he knew how to estimate his talents, his manners, and his admirable conversational powers. Among the residents in Norwich at this time, with whom Dr. Enfield associated, were Dr. Sayers, Mr. William Taylor, Mr. Hudson Gurney (afterwards M.P. for Newport and a vice-president of the Society of Antiquaries), Dr. Rigby, Dr. Lubbock, Sir James Edward Smith, the Rev. John Walker (an accomplished scholar and one of the minor canons of the Cathedral), Mrs. Opie (then Miss Alderson), Mr. Bruckner, the minister of the Dutch and French protestant congregations at Norwich, and others, who though unknown to the world as authors, were yet worthy associates in such a society.”
Dr. Enfield’s estimate of the character of society at Norwich, is thus expressed in a letter from Liverpool to Professor Taylor’s father:—
p. 300“You will easily imagine the pleasure I feel in enjoying the society of my old friends here, especially that of Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Currie; but with these and a few other exceptions, I find more congenial associates at Norwich. For a man of literary tastes and pursuits, I can truly say that I know of no town which offers so eligible a residence.”
Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Currie, referred to above, were then in high reputation in Liverpool.
The altered state of society in Norwich, about the end of the 18th century is thus depicted in a paper in the Monthly Magazine for March, 1808, under the title of “Fanaticism—a Vision,” which was generally attributed to the pen of Sir James Edward Smith:—
“You know the flourishing and happy state of this ancient city in the early part of your life, and particularly how peaceably and even harmoniously its inhabitants lived together on the score of religion. Christians of various denominations had each their churches, their chapels, or their meeting houses, and in the common intercourse of life all conducted themselves as brethren. The interests of humanity would even frequently bring them together on particular occasions to pay their devotions in the same temple. The bishop (Bathurst) treated as his children all who, though they disowned his spiritual authority, obeyed his Divine Master; while the Presbyterian, the Independent, the Catholic, and the Quaker, partook of his hospitality and repaid his benevolence with gratitude and respect. This state of society, worthy of real Christians, was broken up by those who wore that character only as a mask. A set of men, interested in promoting dissensions, by which villany and rapacity might profit, and in decrying those genuine p. 301fruits of religion, that salutary faith and pure morals, which by comparison shamed their own characters, after long in vain attempting to exalt blind belief in general, and their particular dogmas, in preference to a useful and virtuous life, but too successfully obtained their end. On all the great truths of revealed religion, honest men could never be long at variance. On disputable points they had learned a salutary forbearance, which enabled them, while they thought for themselves, to let others do the same. The only resources of those who wish to stir up religious animosity, is to bring forward something that no one can determine. The less mankind understand a subject, the more warmly do they debate and strive to enforce the belief of it.”
Among the eminent citizens of this century may be first mentioned the chief merchants and manufacturers, who were very intelligent, wealthy, and enterprising. They were also benevolent, and the founders of various charitable institutions. Many of them were Nonconformists, and active supporters of their chapels, while they carried on a great foreign trade. The correspondence which they had begun on the continent they extended in every direction. By sending their sons to be educated in Germany, Italy, and Spain, they cultivated a more familiar connection with those countries. Their travellers also were acquainted with various languages, and went all over Europe, exhibiting their pattern cards in every town on the continent. p. 302Norwich could then boast of rich, energetic, enterprising, and intelligent men, who made the city what it was in their day. Lest their very names should be forgotten, we shall place them in this record. Amongst the manufacturers were
Messrs. Robert and John Harvey,
Messrs. Starling Day and Son,
Messrs. Watson, Firth, and Co.,
Messrs. John Barnard and Angier,
Messrs. Thomas Paul and Flindt,
Messrs. J. Tuthill and Sons,
Messrs. William Barnard and Sons,
Messrs. Edward Marsh and Son,
Messrs. Bream and King,
Messrs. Martin and Williment,
Messrs. Peter Colombine and Son,
Messrs. James Buttivant and William White,
Messrs. W. and W. Taylor,
Messrs. J. Scott and Sons,
Messrs. E. Gurney and Ellington,
Messrs. Patteson and Iselin,
Messrs. Booth and Theobald,
Messrs. George Maltby and Son,
Messrs. William and Robert Herring,
Messrs. Worth and Carter,
Messrs. Bacon and Marshall,
Messrs. Ives and Robberds,
Messrs. J. and J. Ives, Son, and Baseley,
Mr. Robert Partridge,
Mr. Bartholomew Sewell,
Mr. Robert Wright,
Mr. John Wright,
Mr. Robert Tillyard,
Mr. Daniel Fromantiel,
Mr. J. C. Hampp,
Mr. John Herring,
Mr. Joseph Cliver, Jun.,
Mr. Oxley,
and others, all of whom have passed away.
Mr. John Kirkpatrick, a linen merchant, who lived in St. Andrew’s, was a learned antiquarian of this period, to whom the city is greatly indebted for his researches and documents respecting the antiquities of Norwich, but only fragments have been published. The late Mr. Hudson Gurney obtained possession of most of his manuscripts, and published his account of the “Religious Orders in Norwich,” in 1845. This work was compiled from a manuscript quarto volume of 258 pages, in the handwriting of the author. Mr. Dawson Turner, the editor, says, in the preface:—
“Mr. Kirkpatrick’s father was a native of the village of Closeburn, in Dumfriesshire, a fact recorded by his son in his will, and further proved by the arms on his tomb (in St. Helen’s church) which are those of the baronet’s family of Kirkpatrick, of Closeburn. From Scotland he removed to Norwich, where he resided in the parish of St. Stephen. p. 304His son John was apprenticed in that of St. Clement, and subsequently established himself in business as a linen merchant, in St. Andrew’s, in premises opposite Bridewell Alley. He was there in partnership with Mr. John Custance, who was mayor in 1726, and was the founder of the family of that name at Weston. In the year of his partner’s mayoralty, Mr. Kirkpatrick was appointed treasurer to the Great Hospital, in St. Helen’s, an office which his premature decease allowed him to occupy only for two years. He married the youngest daughter of Mr. John Harvey, great-grandfather of the late Lieut.-Colonel Harvey, of Thorpe Lodge, where his portrait was preserved during the lifetime of that gentleman. It has since been engraved in the very interesting series of portraits of the more eminent inhabitants of Norfolk, of whom no likenesses have yet appeared, a work now in course of publication, under the superintendence of Mr. Ewing. With such, Kirkpatrick is deservedly associated. He died childless. Of his family, nothing more is known than that he had a brother of the name of Thomas, who is mentioned by Blomefield as being chamberlain of Norwich at the time he wrote. The account books of the corporation contain several entries in reference to both the one and the other, but not of sufficient interest to warrant the quoting of them at length. Of the latter, they shew that he was elected chamberlain with a salary of thirty pounds per annum, in the room of Matthew King, in 1732; that in the same year, the freedom of the city was conferred upon him; and that twelve years subsequently he was removed from his office, by reason of irregularity of his accounts. To the antiquary, their testimony is invariably honourable; the most frequent notices being, votes of money for the service he had rendered in adjusting the different accounts of the city.”
p. 305Mr. Dawson Turner further states:—
“Mr. Kirkpatrick was one of the most able, laborious, learned, and useful antiquaries whom the county has produced. He was especially an indefatigable searcher into local antiquities, and had his life been spared to the term allotted by the holy Psalmist to man, it were impossible to say how much of what is now irretrievably lost to us might have been rescued from oblivion. He had accumulated copious materials, but his early death prevented him from digesting and publishing them. Better far had he contented himself with amassing less, and turning what he had got to account; a lesson hard to learn, but most important to be borne in mind and acted upon. As it was, he was obliged to leave the fulfilment of his task to others; taking all possible care for the safety of his collections, and not doubting that those who came after him, seeing what was prepared for their hands, would cheerfully undertake the office, perhaps with a praiseworthy zeal for communicating information, perhaps with the not less natural desire of building their own fame upon the labours of their predecessors. But in his expectations he was sadly mistaken, and has but furnished an additional proof how difficult it is for any one to enter completely into the objects and ideas of another, and consequently how imperative it is upon all, ourselves to finish the web we have begun, if we wish to see it come perfect and uniform from the loom.”
Blomefield, who was a contemporary, acknowledges his great obligations to the learned Norwich antiquary, and recorded the death of his friend and his being buried in St. Helen’s Church, Norwich. The tomb, a black marble monument, by the steps of the altar, bears the following arms and inscription:—
p. 306“Argent, a saltier and on a chief,
Azure, three woolpacks of the field,
Crest, a hand holding a dagger proper,
Motto—I make sure.“Here resteth in hope of a joyful resurrection, the body of John Kirkpatrick of this city, Merchant, and Treasurer to this Hospital. He was a man of sound judgment, good understanding and extensive knowledge; industrious in his business, and indefatigable in that of the Corporation in which he was constantly employed. He died, very much lamented by all that knew him, on the 20th day of August, in the year of our Lord, 1728, aged 42.”
The Rev. Francis Blomefield, rector of Fersfield, lived some time in this city, compiling his history of Norwich, which he brought down to the year 1742. He was born at Fersfield, July 23rd, 1705. He was installed rector of that parish in 1729, when he almost immediately commenced collecting materials for a history of his native county, but his work is more a topographical survey than a history. He did not live to complete it, having caught the small-pox when in London, of which he died, in the 46th year of his age, on January 15th, 1751. He began printing his great work in 1736. In 1769 it was continued (but not completed) in five folio volumes by the Rev. Charles Parker, M.A., rector of Oxburgh.
p. 307William Anderson, F.R.S., came to Norwich as an excise officer, and his great talents introduced him to the most scientific characters of this city. He obtained the situation of clerk to the New Mills, in Heigham, and was a considerable contributor to Mr. Baker’s works on the Microscope. Many of his papers on Natural History are published in the transactions of the Royal Society. He died in 1767, and was buried in Heigham churchyard.
Anna Letitia Barbauld, sister of Dr. Aikin, of Yarmouth, resided at Norwich. She was the authoress of “Evenings at Home,” and other valuable works for children, and died in 1825.
Peter Barlow, the celebrated mathematician, and author of many of the articles in Rees’ Encyclopædia, and the Encyclopædia Metropolitana, was the son of a warper of this city. He was born October, 1766, in the parish of St. Simon and Jude.
Sir William Beechey, the eminent painter, resided in this city in the early part of his life, and executed several of the paintings in St. Andrew’s Hall, particularly the celebrated portrait of Lord Nelson. He was knighted by George III., and appointed portrait painter to his majesty.
Hancock Blythe, schoolmaster, mathematician, and teacher of languages, resided in Timberhill, and was the author of several small works on astronomy. He died in 1795, aged 73 years.
John Brand, B.A., was a native of this city. His father was a saddler in London Lane. Young Brand, having a turn for study, went for some years to the p. 308continent, where he acquired the languages and customs of the people so strongly, that on his return to England he received the soubriquêt of Abbè Brand. In 1744 he was reader at St. Peter’s Mancroft. He was the author of several articles in the British Critic. He was rector of St. George’s, Southwark, and of Wickham Skeith, in Suffolk. He died in February, 1809.
Henry Cooper, barrister at law, was born in the parish of St. Peter’s Mancroft. He was sent to sea in the early part of his life, but was afterwards called to the bar, and was made attorney general of the Bermudas. After a brilliant career, in which he rapidly became one of the leaders of the Norfolk circuit, he died, after being twelve years at the bar, in 1825.
Mr. Reuben Deave was a large manufacturer in this city, who, in December, 1769, became the fortunate possessor of a prize in a lottery worth £20,000. The number was 42,903. It came into his possession in the following singular manner. His foreman, who was in a confidential position, had bought two tickets in a lottery, and after some time thought he had speculated too far, and told his employer that he feared he had done a very foolish thing. Mr. Deave, being informed of the circumstance, thought so too, but offered to buy one of the tickets. His foreman took them out of his pocket and gave Mr. Deave his choice. Mr. Deave, however, said he would make no choice, and bought the one offered to him. Shortly afterwards the lottery was drawn, and this ticket proved to be a fortunate number for £20,000, while p. 309the other was a blank. Mr. Deave, who had paid for the ticket, gave his foreman a cheque for £500, but the poor man was so vexed at losing the prize that he hung himself on the next day. Mr. Deave was much grieved at this, and often said afterwards that the prize never did him any good, for he gave a power of attorney to a man to draw the money in London, and that man bolted with it, and was never heard of afterwards.
William Enfield, LL.D. an eminent literary character, was for many years the minister at the Octagon Chapel here. He was much beloved by his congregation, and died November 2nd, 1797, aged 57, and was buried in the chapel, where there is a monument to his memory.
Sir John Fenn, the editor of the “Paston Letters,” was born here in 1739; on presenting the first two volumes of these letters to George III. in 1787, he was knighted. He died October 14th, 1796.
John Fransham, the Norwich Polytheist, a very eccentric character, was born in St. George’s Colegate. He was an excellent mathematician, and was a great admirer of the ancient writers on this science. He frequently took rapid solitary walks, with a broad brimmed hat slouched over his eyes, and a plaid on his shoulders, and was supposed to sleep often on Mousehold Heath. He died on February 1st, 1810. His biography was written by his pupil, Mr. Saint.
Thomas Hall, Esq., a merchant, lived in the early part of this period. He founded a monthly sacramental lecture, left several legacies to the charities, and p. 310£100 for a gold chain to be worn by the Mayor of Norwich, and which is now worn by the Deputy Mayor. He died on December 17th, 1715, and was buried with great funeral pomp at St. George’s Colegate. A portrait of this pious and liberal benefactor was presented by John and Edward Taylor, Esqs., to the corporation, and placed in the council chamber, May, 1821.
John Hobart, Earl of Buckinghamshire, sat as member of parliament for this city from 1747 to 1756, when he succeeded to the peerage. He was a liberal benefactor to the city. He was born August 17th, 1723, and died September 3rd, 1793.
James Hooke, a celebrated musician, author of more than 2400 songs, 140 complete works or operas, one oratorio, and many odes, anthems, &c., was born in this city. At the early age of four years he was capable of playing many pieces, and at six he performed in public. He died in 1813, leaving two sons by his first wife. One of them was Dr. James Hooke, Dean of Worcester, who died in 1828. The other was the celebrated author of “Sayings and Doings.”
David Kinnebrook, an eminent mathematician, was born here. He was master of one of the charity schools for forty years, and never absented himself a single day until his last illness. He died March 23rd, 1810, aged 72.
John Lens, Esq., M.A., ancient sergeant at law, is believed to have been born in the parish of St. Andrew’s, and was educated here. In 1781, he was called to the bar. He first practised in the Courts of p. 311King’s Bench, but being made a sergeant, confined himself chiefly to the common pleas. He was afterwards made King’s and next King’s Ancient Sergeant. On more than one occasion he declined the offer of the bench. He died August 6th, 1825, in his 69th year.
Richard Lubbock, M.D., was born here in 1759, and was educated at the Free Grammar School. He obtained his degree at Edinburgh in 1784. On his return to Norwich he practised with great success. He died September 1st, 1808, and was buried at Earlham church.
The Right Rev. Jacob Mountain, D.D., was the first protestant bishop in the Canadas. He was born in the parish of St. Andrew. He presided over the church in the two Canadas for thirty-two years, and died June 16th, 1825, in the seventy-fifth year of his age.
Samuel Parr, LL.D., was master of the Free Grammar School from 1778 to 1792, when he resigned on being presented to the rectory of Buckden, in Lincolnshire.
Edward Rigby, M.D., was born at Chawbent, in Lancashire, December 9th, 1749. He was under the tuition of Dr. Priestley until he was fourteen, when he was apprenticed to Mr. David Martineau of this city. In 1805 he was elected mayor, and died Oct. 27th, 1822. In August, 1818, the corporation voted him and his lady a piece of plate of the value of twenty-five guineas, as a memento of the memorable birth of their four children at one time, and the event p. 312was recorded in the city books. Two of the children lived to be nearly twelve weeks old, and the other two not quite seven weeks.
William Saint, one of the mathematical masters of the Royal Military Academy, at Woolwich, was a native of St. Mary’s Coslany. He wrote the “Life of Fransham,” and was a contributor to the “Lady’s Diary.” He died July 9th, 1819.
George Sandby, D.D., chancellor of the diocese of Norwich, personally presided in the consistorial court of the Lord Bishop of Norwich for nearly thirty years, during the whole of which time no decree of his was reversed by a superior court. He died March 17th, 1807, aged ninety-one.
William Say, an eminent mezzotinto engraver, was born at Lakenham in 1768.
Frank Sayers, M.D., an eminent physician and literary character, who for many years resided in this city, was born in London, March 3rd, 1763. He was the author of “Dramatic Sketches of the Ancient Northern Mythology,” “Poems,” “Disquisitious, Metaphysical and Literary,” “Nugæ Poeticæ,” and “Miscellanies, Antiquarian and Historical.” He died August 16th, 1817, and a mural monument is erected to his memory in the Cathedral, with a Latin inscription by the Rev. F. Howes. His works were collected and edited by the late William Taylor of this city.
Sir James Edward Smith, M.D., F.R.S., president of the Linnæan Society, London, and of the Norwich Museum, and member of several foreign academies, p. 313was born in St. Peter’s Mancroft, December 2nd, 1759. He received his education here, and graduated as a physician at Leyden, in 1786. He assisted materially in the establishment of the Linnæan Society, in 1788, of which he was the first president, and he continued to preside over the society until his death, March 15th, 1828. He was the author of several admirable botanical works.
William Stevenson, F.S.A., who was for many years proprietor of the “Norfolk Chronicle,” and who edited a new edition of “Bentham’s History of Ely Cathedral,” was born at East Retford, in 1750, and died at his house in Surrey Street in this city, May 13th, 1821, aged seventy-one. He was, in the early part of his life, an artist of no mean pretension; and was esteemed an antiquarian and numismatist of considerable knowledge and research.
John Taylor, D.D., was a native of Lancaster. He came to Norwich in 1733, and was a minister to the Presbyterian dissenters in 1757. He was the author of several theological works, and died at Warrington, March 5th, 1761, aged sixty-six.
William Taylor, a celebrated German scholar, and a very eccentric character, author of an “Historical Survey of German Poetry,” and a translator of several German works, was born in this city, and resided for many years in Upper King Street. He died in 1836, aged sixty-nine.
Edward Baron Thurlow was born at Bracon Ash, in this county. He received the rudiments of his education at the Free Grammar School here. He rose p. 314successively to be appointed solicitor general, attorney general, master of the rolls, and lord high chancellor of Great Britain, and was created Lord Thurlow in 1778. In 1793 he resigned the seals. He died at Brighton, September 12th, 1806.
William Wilkins, sen., architect, was born in the parish of St. Benedict, about the year 1744 or 1747. He received but a limited education, but possessed an admirable taste for design, and his plans and drawings were very beautiful. He was the author of a clever essay in Vol. xii. of the “Archæologia,” on the Venta Icenorum.
William Wilkins, M.A., son of the above, was born in St. Giles’ parish. He was educated at the Free Grammar School here. He was employed in the erection of several public buildings in London, and numerous private mansions. His literary labours were confined to the subject of architecture, and his “Magna Græcia” is considered to be an excellent work.
William Windham. This eminent statesman represented the city in several parliaments. He was born in London in 1750, and first sat for Norwich in 1780. In 1783 he was appointed secretary to the lord lieutenant of Ireland, and made his first speech in parliament in 1785. He died in 1806.
Sir Benjamin Wrench, an eminent physician, who practised here for sixty years, lived in St. Andrew’s. His house occupied the site of the present Corn Exchange. He was lord of the manor of Little Melton in Blomefield’s time.
We have now arrived at the present age of political progress, and material prosperity; the age of inventions, railways, newspapers, and telegraphs; the age of expansion and general intelligence. George III., George IV., and William IV., have reigned in this century, and have been succeeded by our beloved Queen Victoria. Under her benign sway the old semi-barbarous state of society has passed away like a dream, and we live in a new social era, the result of the progress of education, of the march of improvement, and of the spread of true religion.
As it has been often stated by local historians that Norwich formerly contained a very large population, and as this statement is very generally believed, we may here correct the mistake by giving the returns, which show a very gradual, and very slow increase from the earliest period to the present time. The parochial returns show that in 1693 the population was only 28,881; in 1752 it had increased to 36,169; and in 1786 to 40,051. This was the greatest number up to the end of the last century. In 1801 it was 36,832, not including 6,000 recruits for the army, navy, and militia; making the total number 42,832. This indicates a very slow increase of population. The following are the returns for the present century: 1801, 36,832; 1811, 37,256; 1821, 50,288; 1831, 61,116; 1841, 62,294; 1851, 68,713; 1861, 74,414, being an increase of about 500 yearly. Norwich in p. 3161752 contained only 7131 houses, and in 1801 8763, of which 1747 were returned as empty. In 1831 the number was 14,201, of which 13,132 were inhabited. Now the number is over 21,000, and the rateable value is £178,882.
We must now leave the stately march of history for a more broken and interrupted step. There is some difficulty in detailing the events of this period, for every reader is more or less acquainted with it, and has viewed it in relation to his own interests and prejudices. The records of facts are so voluminous, that every reader may think that there is something omitted, or misrepresented, or exaggerated. It is impossible, however, to mention every local occurrence which some one may think important, every accident, or fire, or crime, or every grand concert or entertainment. We have to deal with events more connected with general history; and we shall first state the more remarkable occurrences of a civil or municipal character, reserving political matters for a subsequent chapter. But in order to render our narrative of local events, and especially local elections, more intelligible, it will be necessary to give a brief account of the old corporation, whose proceedings occupy so large a part of our records.
This body claims a prescriptive origin. Certain privileges were granted to the city by the charters of different sovereigns, the first being that of Henry I., p. 317which was annulled and again renewed by Stephen. The particular privileges conceded by it cannot now be ascertained. The next charter is that of the 5th Henry II., but this is only confirmatory of former grants, and the original is still preserved in the Guildhall. One granted by Richard I. contains some estimable clauses. The most prominent are, that no citizen shall be forced to answer any plea or action in any but the city courts, except for those concerning possessions out of the city; that the citizens should have acquittance of murder, which is equivalent to granting them a coroner; that they should not be forced to duel, that is, should be exempt from the general law which was then in force, of deciding causes by single combat; that they should be free from toll throughout all England; and that they should have other liberties, all highly important, and no doubt justly appreciated by the citizens of that period. King John’s charter is similar to the preceding, and that of Henry II., with the addition that all persons living in the city, and participating in the liberties of the citizens, shall be talliated or taxed, and pay as the aforesaid citizens of Norwich do, when tollages and aid shall be laid upon them. It is probable that the principal authority was invested in bailiffs, instead of a provost, in 1223, as there is no evidence of the existence of such officers before that time.
Two deeds of Henry III., and several of succeeding kings, all either confirmed or enlarged the privileges granted to the city; but our attention is most attracted by the concessions of Henry IV., which established p. 318the constitution of a mayor, sheriffs, &c. The original charter is lost, but those of his son and more modern princes have sufficiently preserved the spirit of it. The charter of Henry V. made the extensive territory within the corporation limits a county of itself, excepting only the castle, which belonged to Norfolk. This territory was, by the boundary act, included for the purposes of representation. Twenty-five charters, the latest by James II., are known to have been granted, and probably others existed and have been lost. When the innovations, made in old establishments during the Commonwealth, were gradually reformed, the citizens petitioned for a renewal of their rights. The charter of 15th Charles II. was obtained, and under it the city was governed till the passing of the Municipal Reform Act. Most of the old charters were granted in consideration for sums of money given or lent to kings to enable them to carry on wars. Many of the charters were more injurious than beneficial to the city, as they created monopolies of one kind or other, or gave powers to the old corporation which were frequently abused. Those who wish to study those old documents more minutely may find them in Blomefield’s history.
The old corporation was more ornamental than useful to the city for 400 years. Under it the sanitary state of the city was so bad, the drainage of the city so defective, and the supply of water so insufficient, that plagues and pestilences, which carried off thousands of the citizens, were of frequent occurrence. Ward elections were so often contested, that p. 319bribery, treating, and intimidation, were quite common, and the corruption of the freemen and lower classes was universal. Physically and morally the city was for centuries in the worst possible condition. The ward elections were carried on with a spirit which was surpassed in no other place. They were considered as trials of strength between different parties; and if they happened at a period when a general election was anticipated, an enormous sum of money was spent in treating and bribery. Indeed, it has been asserted on good authority that no less a sum than £16,000 was wasted in the contest for a single ward in 1818! The city was divided into four great wards, each of which was subdivided into three small wards. The mayor was elected by the freemen on May 1st, and sworn into his office on the Guild day, which was always the Tuesday before Midsummer day. He was chosen from the aldermen, and afterwards he was a magistrate for life. One of the sheriffs was chosen by the court of aldermen, the other by the freemen on the last Tuesday in August. The twenty-four aldermen were chosen for the twelve smaller wards, two for each ward, whose office was to keep the peace in their several divisions. When anyone of them died, the freemen of that great ward in which the lesser ward was included, for which he was to serve, elected another in his place within five days. The common councilmen were elected by the freemen dwelling in each of the four great wards separately; for Conisford great ward on the Monday; Mancroft on the Tuesday; Wymer on the Wednesday; and the Northern ward on p. 320the Thursday in Passion week, thence called “cleansing” week. They chose a speaker yearly, who was called speaker of the commons. The old freemen therefore formed the whole of the local constituency for municipal purposes.
Memoirs are often the best sources of information respecting public matters, as they let us behind the scenes and show us what the actors really thought and did. A good memoir of the late Professor Taylor, which appeared in the Norfolk News, of March 28th and April 4th, 1863, contained the following, “So far back as 1808 we find Mr. Taylor recording that he was ‘elected a common councilman for the fourth time.’” He also states that the contest for nominees in the Long ward was “the severest ever remembered.” Few people now-a-days could realize the import of those few words. Few understand how much was implied by the once common phrase “a battle for the Long ward.” The combatants would have scorned such mealy-mouthed appellations, as “conservative” and “liberal,” or indeed any name but that of the colors under which they fought. They were “blue-and-whites,” or “orange-and-purples;” the former being what would now be called the “liberal,” and the latter the “conservative,” party. To be a blue-and-white or an orange-and-purple, was to be an angel or a devil, as the case might be; the angels being of course those of your own side, to whichever you belonged. Great was the potency of colors: though not supposed to be worn at municipal elections, they were a rallying cry, and they were always at hand to be flouted, like p. 321a red rag at a turkey, in the face of the enemy. Even housemaids and children concealed them about their persons, in readiness to show them slyly from some window, both to encourage their friends and exasperate their enemies, whenever a procession passed. Great were the preparations for the contest. A sort of civic press-gang prowled the streets by night for the purpose of “cooping chickens,” which, being done into English, means carrying men off by force, and keeping them drunk and in confinement, so that if they could not be got to vote “for” it would be impossible for them to vote “against.” If they could not be safely secured in the city, they were “cribbed, cabined, and confined” in wherries on the river, or the broads, or even taken to Yarmouth and carried out to sea. When the day of battle came, great was the shouting, the drinking, the betting, the bribing, and the fighting, till the longest purse contrived to win the day. Of course, the dirty work was done by dirty men. But leading men on both sides were so used to see this sort of thing, that they considered it only as a necessary part and parcel of an election. It was regarded rather as a limb which could not be safely severed from the body, than as a shabby coat which disgraced the wearer. Besides, palliating rhetoric was not absent. Better do a little evil than surrender a cause essential to the welfare of the state! “What we did,” we honest orange-and-purples, or we pure blue-and-whites, “was done in mere self-defence.”
1801. January 1st, 1801, being the first day of the nineteenth century, and the day on which the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took place, the 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons dismounted, and the Militia fired a feu de joie in the Market Place.
January 3rd. The old Theatre (built in 1757) was re-opened after extensive improvements. The alterations were executed after the designs of William Wilkins, Esq., the patentee. This theatre was formerly a good school for young actors, and many promising performers have first appeared on these boards. Of late, operatic performances appear to be most in favour with the gentry.
February 24th. Charles Harvey, Esq., the steward, was unanimously elected Recorder of Norwich, vice Henry Partridge, Esq., resigned.
April 4th. Mrs. Lloyd, widow of the Rev. Dean Lloyd, died at Cambridge, aged 79. This lady painted the Transfiguration, and other figures in the eastern windows of the Cathedral.
In April, the ward elections were the causes of great contention. In consequence of objections being made to the elections of two nominees of the Wymer ward, and three of the Northern ward, on the ground of their being ineligible under the corporation act, having omitted to receive the sacrament within a year previous to the election of the common council, the mayor did not make the returns till several days after the usual p. 323time. At a court held April 4th, after the objections had been fully heard by counsel, the recorder (Mr. Harvey) declared that the persons objected to who had the majority of votes, having omitted to come into court according to summons, were not duly elected, but as no regular notice had been given previous to the election, the candidates in the minority could not be returned. A new election for the above wards accordingly took place on May 25th and 26th.
June 16th. Jeremiah Ives, Esq., of Catton, was elected mayor a second time. There was no guild feast this year at St. Andrew’s Hall.
June 25th. An awful fire, which lasted two hours, broke out on the roof of the Cathedral, and in less than an hour, 45 feet of the leaded roof, towards the western end of the nave, were consumed. Some plumbers had been at work repairing the roof, and set fire to it either accidentally or intentionally. The damage was about £500. The Lord Bishop (Dr. Sutton) was present, and distributed refreshment to the soldiers and people who assisted in arresting the progress of the conflagration.
1802. Peace was proclaimed throughout the city on May the 4th, in due form; and the mayor and corporation went in procession from the hall through the principal streets. There was a general illumination at night. At a quarterly assembly of the council, a congratulatory address to his majesty on the restoration of peace, was voted unanimously.
On May 21st, the city address was presented to the king, at the levee at St. James’ Palace, by p. 324Jeremiah Ives, Esq., Junr., the mayor, and Sir Roger Kerrison.
On May 29th, a county meeting was held, when a similar address was adopted.
October 4th to 7th. A grand musical festival was held in Norwich, under the direction of Messrs. Beckwith and Sharp of this city, and Mr. Ashley of London. Mrs. Billington, Mr. Bartleman, and Mr. Braham, were the principal performers.
October 21st. There was a severe contest for the election of an alderman in the great northern ward, in the room of Francis Colombine, Esq., resigned. The numbers were—for E. Rigby, Esq., 261; Jonathan Davey, Esq., 259.
1803. February 8th. At a full meeting held at the Guildhall, a committee was appointed to prepare a bill to be laid before a future meeting, for better paving, lighting, watching, and cleansing the city. A petition to the house of commons for leave to bring in a bill, was afterwards presented, but it was strongly opposed as not being then expedient. An act was, however, ultimately carried.
March 7th. At a special assembly of the corporation, an address of congratulation was adopted, to be presented to his majesty, on the providential discovery of the late traitorous conspiracy against his royal person and government, entered into by Colonel Despard and six other persons, who were executed on the top of the New Surrey prison, in Horsemonger Lane. The high sheriff and grand jury of Norfolk, at p. 325Thetford, also voted an address of congratulation to the king, and a similar address was adopted at a county meeting held at the Shirehall.
March 21st. The portrait of Captain John Harvey, of the Norwich Light Horse volunteers, painted by Mr. Opie, at the request of the troop, was placed in St. Andrew’s Hall.
April 27th. A public dispensary was established in Norwich, and has been a great benefit to the poor people of the city.
August 16th. France having again threatened to invade this kingdom, a meeting of the inhabitants of the city was held at the Guildhall, for the purpose of forming a regiment of volunteer infantry under the regulations of the Acts for the defence of the realm, when resolutions to that effect were adopted, and upwards of £6400 subscribed, and 1400 citizens enrolled themselves under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Harvey. A rifle corps was also formed, of which R. M. Bacon, Esq., then editor of the Mercury, was appointed Captain. Both parties manifested the greatest enthusiasm, but fortunately the services of the local warriors were not required. On September 29th, a new telegraph was erected on the top of Norwich Castle, to communicate with Strumpshaw Mill, Filby Church, and Yarmouth, so as to give notice of any danger. In October, the Norfolk and Norwich volunteer regiments agreed to perform permanent duty at Yarmouth in case of invasion, and many of them were stationed in the port during the succeeding two months. The victory of the Norfolk hero, Lord Nelson, at p. 326Trafalgar in 1805, discouraged Napoleon I., and he relinquished his intention to invade this land of freedom. In July 1806, the local militia act was passed, and many of the volunteers transferred their services to that body. The volunteer corps of Norwich and Norfolk were disbanded on March 24th, 1813. The West Norfolk militia returned to Norwich from Ireland, on May 11th, 1816, and were disembodied on June 17th in that year. A long peace of 40 years ensued, but the old trade of Norwich destroyed by the war, never revived. In January, 1817, upwards of £3000 were contributed to relieve the poor, many of whom were employed in making a new road to Carrow, and in other public works, the trade of the city being in a state of stagnation.
1804. January 18th. The city of Norwich Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, 600 strong, commanded by Lieut. Col. Harvey, received their colours. The banners, given by the mayor and corporation, were first consecrated in the Market Place, by the Rev. E. S. Thurlow, prebendary of Norwich, with a suitable address and prayer, and were afterwards presented by the mayor, John Morse, Esq., to the colonel in due form. The king’s and regimental standards were then delivered to the ensigns. The Artillery, under Capt. Fyers, stationed on the Castle Hill, fired salutes; the Regiment fired three vollies; and St. Peter’s bells rang merry peals.
June 1st. The city of Norwich (or 7th) Regiment of Norfolk Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Lieut. p. 327Colonel Harvey, entered on one month’s permanent duty in Norwich. The Regiment mustered 500 strong, exclusive of officers.
June 4th. The anniversary of His Majesty’s birthday was celebrated in Norwich by the grandest military spectacle ever witnessed here. Upwards of 1700 men of the Royal Artillery, 24th Regiment of Foot, and the Norwich Volunteer Corps, assembled on the Castle Hill and fired a feu de joie with fine effect. During this year the citizens were often entertained with military displays. June 18th, Major General Money was appointed to the staff of the eastern district; in which a force of 32,000 men was now fully completed for the reception of any invading enemy.
June 18th. The corporation granted the site of the Blackfriars, in St. Andrew’s, to the court of guardians, for 200 years at their old rent for the purpose of improving the same, and repairing the Old Workhouse for the poor, the plan of erecting a New Workhouse having been abandoned. Subsequently, large sums of money were wasted in repairing the old house, sufficient to build a new one, and ultimately it was found to be absolutely necessary to build a new house, which was done at a cost of £30,000.
1805. January 17th. At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, it was resolved to establish an hospital and school for the indigent blind, in Norwich and Norfolk. Towards the foundation of this admirable institution, Thomas Tawell, Esq., contributed a house and three and-a-half acres of land in Magdalen Street, p. 328valued at £1050. Mr. Tawell, who was unfortunately blind, introduced his humane proposal in an able speech, appealing for subscriptions. A large sum was at once subscribed. The hospital was opened on the 14th October following.
February 2nd. Dr. Charles Manners Sutton, bishop of Norwich, was nominated by the king, and chosen, February 12th, archbishop of Canterbury. On the 13th, His Grace arrived at the palace, Norwich, from London. On the 15th, the mayor and court of aldermen proceeded in state from the Guildhall to the Bishop’s Palace, where the recorder, Mr. Harvey, delivered an address of congratulation to the archbishop on his translation, to which His Grace returned a dignified answer. Next day, the clergy of Norwich waited on His Grace, when the Rev. Dr. Pretyman, prebendary, addressed the archbishop in an appropriate speech, to which His Grace made an impressive reply. On the 17th His Grace preached his farewell sermon in the Cathedral.
February 24th. The clergy of Norwich having intimated an intention of applying to Parliament for an increase of their incomes, then very small, by assessment, the council, at a quarterly assembly, resolved to oppose the application; the citizens, in vestry meetings, being unanimous against the measure, which was never carried out.
March 18th. Dr. Henry Bathurst (one of the prebendaries of Durham) was elected bishop of Norwich by the dean and chapter. He soon made himself universally beloved by the clergy and the p. 329citizens. Professor Taylor gave the following account of the late and also of the newly appointed bishop:—
“In 1805, Dr. Bathurst succeeded Dr. Sutton as bishop of Norwich. The latter, who had been translated to the See of Canterbury, was a man of polished manners, extravagant habits, and courtier-like address. He was too polite to quarrel with anybody and too prudent to provoke controversy. He neither felt nor affected to feel any horror of Unitarians. He invited them to his table, and at the request of the mayor, he preached a charity sermon at St. George’s Colegate, knowing that my father had been asked and had consented to write the hymns.”
“Dr. Bathurst removed from Durham to Norwich, and as he was a stranger in his new residence, never having taken any prominent part as a public man, little expectation was excited as to his future conduct. He was known to owe his elevation to his relation, Lord Bathurst; and it was generally taken for granted that his views on public affairs were similar to those of the administration of which that noble lord was a member. Curiosity led me to the Cathedral to hear the new bishop’s primary charge, and I soon found the spirit it breathed to resemble the benevolence that beamed from his countenance.”
“What the bishop preached he also practised. He never shrunk from appearing to be what he really was, nor while he received a dissenter in his study with politeness would he pass him unnoticed in the street. He was to be seen walking arm-in-arm with persons, of all persuasions, whom he respected, in the streets of Norwich. He was not afraid of shaking ‘brother Madge,’ as he called him, by the hand, nor of welcoming Unitarians to his table. What he was as a member of the house of peers, on all occasions in which the p. 330great principles of religious liberty were concerned, is well known. I have only here to speak of his conduct as a resident in Norwich.”
Sept 3rd. The committee of the court of guardians appointed to examine the poor rates of the city and hamlets, for the purpose of obtaining a more equal assessment, made their report, in which they stated that an increase of £16,000 stock and £1800 rent, calculating on the half rental only, might be made, and recommended a general survey and new valuation to be taken, in consequence of the great alteration which had taken place in property since 1786, when the previous survey was taken.
December 17th. There was a grand entertainment at the Assembly Rooms, in honour of Lord Nelson’s glorious victory off Cape Trafalgar; more than 450 ladies and gentlemen of the city and county were present. The rooms were decorated with transparencies and brilliantly illuminated for a grand ball and supper. The victory so celebrated, and which had been won on October 21st, was dearly purchased by the death of Viscount Nelson. The last order given before the action began, was by the newly-invented telegraph:—“England expects every man to do his duty.”
1806. January 9th. This day the great bells of the several churches in the city were tolled from twelve till two o’clock, it being the day on which the remains of the immortal Lord Nelson were interred under the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The body, after lying in state in the hall of Greenwich Hospital, was brought p. 331thence on January 8th by water to Whitehall stairs, and carried on a bier to the Admiralty Office, and deposited in the Captain’s room for the night. Next day the corpse was removed on a funeral car, drawn by six horses, to St. Paul’s. The Duke of York headed the procession, the grandest ever witnessed; 500 persons of distinction attended at the funeral.
February 24th. At a quarterly assembly of the corporation, a loyal address was unanimously adopted, to be presented to His Majesty, “expressive of their gratitude for the paternal affection which he has shown to his subjects, by waiving every consideration, but the public good, in the appointment of men of the first abilities in the country to the high offices of state!”
1807. March 4th. A committee of the House of Commons declared Mr. Windham and Mr. Coke not duly elected, and another election took place for two members for the county. Sir J. H. Astley, Bart., and Edward Coke, Esq., (of Derby) were returned without opposition. Mr. Windham afterwards took his seat for New Romney, and Mr. Coke was returned for Derby vice his brother, who had previously accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
May 14th. The anniversary of the birthday of that illustrious statesman, the Right Hon. Wm. Windham, was celebrated at the Angel Inn (now Royal Hotel) by a large party of his numerous friends. William Smith, Esq., M.P., presided.
June 16th. Robert Herring, Esq., was sworn into p. 332the office of mayor of Norwich; and he afterwards gave a dinner to 150 gentlemen at Chapel-field house.
October 6th. The first meeting was held of the revived Norfolk Club at the Angel Inn, Norwich. Sir John Lombe, Bart., was in the chair. The Hon. Colonel Fitzroy, Mr. W. Smith, and Mr. Windham were also present.
1808. January. By the telegraph, orders from the Admiralty Office were received at Yarmouth, in 17 minutes. The chain of communication was by Strumpshaw, Thorpe Hills, Honingham, Carlton, and Harling, and from thence proceeded between Thetford and Bury, over Newmarket Heath to London.
Captain Manby’s invention for rescuing persons stranded on a lee shore, was approved by the Lords of the Admiralty. Parliament rewarded Captain Manby at different times with grants amounting to £6000, and adopted his apparatus at many parts of the coast.
July 29th. At a special assembly of the corporation of Norwich, an address to his majesty was agreed to unanimously, on the subject of the noble struggle of the patriots of Spain and Portugal against the Ruler of France, and of the generous aid given to their endeavours by the government.
1809. January. In consequence of Colonel Robert Harvey not being joined by a sufficient number of the Volunteers under his command to become a local Militia Battalion, he resigned the command of the p. 333Norwich Volunteer Regiment, and was succeeded by Colonel De Hague.
May 9th. The six Regiments of Norfolk Local Militia first assembled to perform 28 days’ exercise. They were stationed at Norwich, Yarmouth, Swaffham, and Lynn.
October 15th. The Norwich corn merchants demanded of the farmers a month’s credit, instead of paying ready money for their corn as heretofore, but it was resisted by the growers, and ultimately abandoned by the merchants.
November 2nd. After an interval of seven years, there was a grand musical festival here, combining oratorios at St. Peter’s Church, and concerts at the Theatre, under the direction of Mr. Beckwith, eldest son of the late Dr. Beckwith. Professor Hague, of Cambridge, led the band.
1810. January 20th. The disputes between the corn growers and buyers in the city and county, having been amicably adjusted, a reconciliation dinner took place at the Maid’s Head Inn. Amongst the toasts was, “Fair Play—ready money on both sides, or ready money on neither.”
February 4th. Died at Gunton, in his 77th year, the Rt. Hon. Harbord Lord Suffield. He represented Norwich from 1756 to 1786. He was much respected by his constituents.
April 26th. The first stone of the new bridge at Carrow was laid by the mayor, T. Back, Esq., in due form.
p. 334August 6th. The first stone of the Norwich Foundry Bridge was laid by Alderman Jonathan Davey, the projector of the undertaking.
September 27th. A contest took place for the office of alderman of the great Northern ward, in the room of John Herring, Esq., who died on the 23rd, aged 61. The poll closed as follows—for William Hankes, Esq., 258; N. Bolingbroke, Esq., 229. The former was declared duly elected.
December 8th. The Rev. Edward Valpy, B.D., was elected by the aldermen, master of the Free Grammar School, Norwich, in the room of the Rev. Dr. S. Forster, resigned. Under Mr. Valpy, the school attained great celebrity, and here Rajah Brooke and other eminent men were educated.
1811. January 15th. Mr. Thomas Roope was convicted at the sessions of having sent a challenge to Mr. Robert Alderson, Steward of the Corporation, to provoke him to fight a duel; and was sentenced to pay a fine of 40/- to the king, and to be imprisoned for one month.
June 29th. Mr. Thomas Roope was sentenced in the Court of King’s Bench, to be committed to the custody of the marshal for three months, and to find sureties afterwards, for a libel on Thomas Back, Esq., late mayor of Norwich.
August 6th. A portrait of Thomas Back, Esq., was placed in St. Andrew’s Hall. It was painted by Mr. Clover, a native of the city.
September 11th. A numerous meeting was held in p. 335St. Andrew’s Hall, with the mayor, J. H. Cole, Esq., in the chair, when the Norfolk and Norwich Auxiliary Bible Society was instituted. The Bishop of Norwich (who was present) was appointed president, and the three secretaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society also attended. Annual meetings have been held ever since.
1812. June 16th. Starling Day, Esq., was sworn in Mayor of Norwich for the second time; but in consequence of his advanced age and infirmities, there was no dinner in St. Andrew’s Hall, on the guild-day. Mr. Alderman Davey (who was one of the unsuccessful candidates for the office of mayor on May 1st and 2nd) gave a dinner under the trees adjoining his house at Eaton, to about 500 freemen of the liberal interest. Strange as it may seem now, contests often took place for the office of mayor, during the old corporation.
July 17th. At a meeting of noblemen, gentry, and clergy, held at the Shirehall, (Lord Viscount Primrose in the chair,) the Norfolk and Norwich Society for the education of the poor in the principles of the Church of England, was established. Upwards of £3000 was subscribed for the object. The Lord Bishop of Norwich was elected patron, and Lord Suffield, president.
1813. May 1st. A contested election for the office of Mayor of Norwich came on, and was not finished till next morning, when Alderman Davey and J. Harvey were returned as the two highest; but on May 3rd, an objection was made to Alderman J. Harvey, p. 336as being ineligible, from his not being a resident inhabitant of the city, as required by charter. Counsel’s opinion was obtained in favour of that objection, and another election took place on June 7th, when another contest ensued, and after a spirited poll the numbers were—for Alderman Leman, 797; Alderman Davey, 801. The Court of Aldermen elected the former gentleman.
July 4th. Great rejoicings took place here on the arrival of the news of the great victory obtained by the British army commanded by the Marquis of Wellington, over the French army, under Joseph Buonaparte, at Vittoria in Spain, on June 21st, when the enemy lost 151 pieces of cannon, 415 waggons, all his baggage, and many prisoners. The Marquis of Wellington was promoted to be a Field-Marshal. A form of prayer and thanksgiving for this victory was used in all the churches on August 1st.
1814. May 1st. An election took place for the office of Mayor of Norwich, and the contest lasted two days. Aldermen Back and Robberds being the highest on the poll, a scrutiny was demanded on behalf of Alderman Davey. The scrutiny commenced on the 12th, and continued till the 19th, when Alderman Davey declined proceeding further. Aldermen Robberds and Back were then returned to the Court of Aldermen, who elected J. W. Robberds, Esq., to serve the office of Mayor.
June 3rd. The Expedition coach being the first to arrive in Norwich with the news of the definitive p. 337treaty of peace, (signed at Paris on the 30th ult.,) was drawn by the people four times round the Market Place, and through the principal streets.
June 8th. The Newmarket mail arrived in Norwich with news of the Corn Importation Bill having been thrown out of the House of Commons by a majority of 10, and was dragged by the excited people for hours through the streets. At night a great bonfire was made.
June 27th. Peace with France was proclaimed. The mayor and corporation went in a procession of carriages from the Guildhall through the principal streets, preceded by trumpets, and accompanied by thousands of people.
July 7th. The thanksgiving day for the happy restoration of peace. The mayor and corporation attended divine service at the Cathedral. About 700 children from the church schools went in procession to St. Andrew’s Hall, where a plentiful dinner of roast beef and plum pudding was provided for them by the treasurers of the charity schools. The poor in their several parishes participated in the general joy, and were regaled with plentiful dinners, paid for by subscriptions.
1815. March 4th. The late Professor Taylor stood a contest, for the third time, for nominee of St. Peter’s Mancroft ward. Of course he was beaten, this being an orange-and-purple ward, but he polled 107 votes. However, he was soon afterwards elected a common councilman, without difficulty, in the Northern ward, p. 338where the blue-and-whites had always a large majority. This was on March 16th, and on May 3rd he was elected a member of the court of guardians. He took a very active part in local politics, and was the first man who ever reported and published the proceedings of the common council.
June 23rd. The glorious news was received in Norwich, with triumphant rejoicings, of the ever memorable victory obtained by the Duke of Wellington over the French army, commanded by Buonaparte in person, at Waterloo, near Brussels, on the 18th. Buonaparte fled to Paris, leaving upwards of 200 pieces of cannon in the hands of the allied armies.
June 27th. Rejoicings were renewed here on the news being received of the second abdication of Buonaparte, the immediate consequence of the grand victory of La Belle Alliance.
1816. January 18th. This day was appointed a thanksgiving day for the restoration of peace, and it was solemnly observed. The mayor and corporation of Norwich attended divine service at the Cathedral. Sermons were preached at the different places of worship, and collections were made for the poor.
January 25th. At the 51st anniversary of the Castle corporation, Thomas Back, Esq., alderman, presented two medals to be worn by the recorder and steward of the society. Each medal bore a good likeness of Mr. Pitt, on a beautiful cameo; the motto round which was Non Sibi sed Patriæ Vixit. On the reverse were the words, “Presented by Thomas Back, p. 339Junior, Esq., to the Castle Corporation, Norwich, in commemoration of the great victory of Waterloo, obtained on the 18th June, 1815, by the Allied Armies under the command of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington;” and around this was the motto, “In memory of the Right Hon. William Pitt; died the 23rd January, 1806, aged 47.”
January 29th. Died, aged 86, Robert Harvey, Esq., called the Father of the City of Norwich, for his great benevolence and liberality and promotion of trade.
February 20th. A numerous meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, with the mayor, J. H. Yallop, Esq., in the chair, when resolutions against the property tax, and a petition founded thereon, were passed unanimously. Similar petitions were sent from Lynn, Yarmouth, and other towns. County meetings were also held to petition against the tax.
March 29th. At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, with the mayor in the chair, it was resolved to establish a bank for savings, where servants and others might deposit a portion of their earnings. It was opened on April 29th, and has continued to be very prosperous.
April 3rd. A meeting of merchants, manufacturers, and others, was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, John Harvey, Esq., presiding, when resolutions were passed to instruct the city members to watch and oppose the intended measure for allowing the exportation of wool free of all restrictions. This measure was for the time relinquished.
April 4th. At a public meeting held under the p. 340presidency of the mayor, a petition to parliament was adopted for the repeal of the Insolvent Debtors’ act as being injurious to trade and commerce. It was not repealed for a long time.
May 11th. The West Norfolk militia returned to Norwich from Ireland, and were disembodied on the 17th of June.
May 16th. A number of riotous persons, chiefly youths, broke into the New Mills, in Norwich, threw some of the flour into the mill pool, and committed several outrages on persons and dwellings before they dispersed. The pretext for the disturbance was the want of employment. They assembled again on the next evening, but were dispersed by the magistrates and military, and several of the rioters were taken into custody. Similar proceedings took place at Downham and other places in Norfolk.
June 17th. At a quarterly assembly of the corporation, an address of congratulation to the Prince Regent was voted, to be presented to his Royal Highness, on the occasion of the marriage of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg. The address was presented by the city members. The marriage took place on May 2nd.
June 18th. This day being the anniversary of the glorious victory of Waterloo, the non-commissioned officers and privates of the First Royal Dragoons, and other soldiers quartered in Norwich, were treated with a handsome dinner in the cavalry riding school, several gentlemen having entered into a subscription for that purpose, the corporation adding the sum of £10. p. 341Robert Hawkes, Esq., first suggested the entertainment.
July 10th. An address of congratulation was voted by the court of mayoralty of Norwich, to be presented to the Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold on their marriage.
October 14th. A public meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall (Mr. Sheriff Bolingbroke in the chair), when certain resolutions, and a petition to parliament founded thereon, were agreed to. The petition was for the greatest possible retrenchment of the public expenditure, and for a Reform of the House of Commons. Thus early began the Reform movement, and it continued to extend all over the country. It became stronger and stronger, till at last it overcame all opposition.
1817. January 1st. At a public meeting in the Guildhall, with the mayor, William Hankes, Esq., presiding, a subscription was commenced to relieve the labouring poor, which amounted to £3050. The poor people were employed on works of public improvement, and were supplied with soup, &c. Upwards of £1000 was also raised at Yarmouth for the same laudable purpose, and 460 men were employed in forming roads to the Bath House, Jetty, &c. The committee in Norwich granted £270 to be expended for labour on cutting a road through Butter Hills to Carrow Bridge, which was effected in the course of the summer.
March 26th. The severest contest took place ever p. 342known for nominees of Wymer, or the Long ward, very few votes remaining unpolled. Some of the freemen came in post-chaises from Thetford to poll. The numbers were, Messrs. S. Mitchell, 306; J. Reynolds, 305; A. Thwaites, 292; Messrs. W. Foster, 297; R. Purland, 288; C. Higgen, 283. Mr. Foster was successful, having five votes above Mr. Thwaites, one of the old nominees.
April 4th. On Good Friday morning, Wright’s Norwich and Yarmouth steam packet had just started from the Foundry Bridge, when the boiler of the engine burst with a tremendous explosion, by which the vessel was blown to atoms, and of 22 persons on board, five men three women, and one child were instantly killed. Six women with fractured arms and legs were conveyed to the hospital, where one died. The remaining seven escaped without much injury. A subscription amounting to £350 was raised for the sufferers. Soon afterwards, a packet was introduced on the river, worked by four horses, as in a thrashing machine; the animals walking in a path 18 feet in diameter. The vessel was propelled from six to seven miles an hour, as wind and tide favoured. This packet did not long run, and steam packets were again introduced, which went from Norwich to Yarmouth daily.
September 26th. A meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, when an auxiliary association to the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews was established. The Lord Bishop of Norwich was appointed president. Annual meetings p. 343have been held ever since to promote the objects of the society.
December 3rd. At a special meeting of the corporation, two addresses of condolence, one to the Prince Regent, and the other to Prince Leopold, of Saxe Coburg, were voted, expressive of the grief of the citizens on the death of the Princess Charlotte.
1818. January 5th. The court of guardians having determined to proceed in the valuation of the property in the city and hamlets, Messrs. Rook, Athow, and Stannard were appointed to make such valuation. They were to be paid £850 for their trouble.
A repository was established in Norwich for the sale of articles of ingenuity, to increase the funds of the society for relieving the sick poor in Norwich. The first exhibition took place on Tombland fair day, at Mr. Noverre’s room.
March 11th. This year, the several wards in Norwich (except the Northern ward) were strongly contested, particularly the Wymer ward. After a spirited poll for nominees of the common council, the numbers were for Mr. Foster, 361; Mr. Higgen, 357; Mr. Purland, 355; Mr. Mitchell, 345; Mr. Culley, 340; Mr. Beckwith, 322. The liberal party at last obtained the ascendancy, but had to pay for it. The expenditure at this local contest was estimated at some thousands. From £15 to £40 were given for votes, and the freemen were brought in carriages from the country.
May 16th. This being Guild-day, Barnabas Leman, p. 344Esq., was sworn in mayor of Norwich for the second time. The corporation went in procession to the Cathedral, preceded by the Blue and White Clubs, the freemen wearing those colours in their hats, which was considered improper and ill-timed. Mr. William Smith, before the procession started, after recommending his friends to abstain from this display of party feeling on such a day, pulled his colours from his hat and put them in his pocket. It being quite a matter of taste, his example was not followed.
1819. This year some important meetings were held, and a good deal of political excitement prevailed in the city. Mr. E. Taylor was elected sheriff after a contest with Mr. T. S. Day. The former was evidently the popular candidate, the numbers being for Taylor 807, for Day 530. In acknowledging the honour which had been conferred upon him he said,—
“There are times, gentlemen, when the post of honour is the post of duty—times when it is the duty of every man to stand forward to maintain and uphold the laws of his country, and prevent them from being outraged. Such, gentlemen, are the present. Scenes have recently been exhibited in a distant part of this country which I blush to mention. The laws have there been outraged and trodden under foot, not by the people, but by the magistrates, whose duty it was to protect them. At Manchester we have seen a merciless soldiery, or rather, I should say, persons wearing red coats, and pretending to be soldiers, let loose to butcher men, women, and children in cold blood who were peaceably and legally met to discharge a duty which they owed to their p. 345country. The right of petitioning is a right which, till lately, we have enjoyed uninterruptedly, none daring to make us afraid; and where is the man who will tell me that these people did not legally and constitutionally meet? But, gentlemen, they have been treated in a manner so brutal and inhuman, that our history furnishes no parallel.”
He alluded to the “Peterloo Massacre” as it was then called, and which excited universal indignation throughout the country.
January 25th. The birthday of Mr. Fox was commemorated, by nearly 250 gentlemen, at the Assembly rooms. The earl of Albemarle presided, supported by Mr. Coke and Viscount Bury. The high sheriff was at the head of the right hand table, and Mr. Wm. Smith of the left. After dinner, speeches were delivered, setting forth the views of the Liberal party.
April 15th. A public meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, when a petition to the House of Commons against the duty on coals (6s. 6d. per chaldron) was adopted by acclamation. R. H. Gurney, Esq., M.P., assured the meeting that he should support the prayer of the petition, and do everything in his power towards alleviating the burdens of his fellow-citizens. The tax was ultimately abolished.
April 22nd. The duke of Sussex arrived in Norwich and lodged at the house of William Foster, Esq., in Queen Street, where his royal highness was waited upon by the mayor and corporation. Mr. Steward Alderson, in an address of congratulation on his arrival, informed his royal highness that the whole body corporate had voted to him the freedom of the p. 346city, which the royal duke was pleased to accept, at the same time returning a dignified answer. On the next day a grand meeting of the Masonic brethren, 320 in number, was held in Chapel-field house. The large Assembly room was decorated in the most splendid style. At 10.30 a.m., the duke of Sussex (as grand master of England) installed Thomas Wm. Coke, Esq., M.P., as provincial grand master, with the accustomed Masonic ceremonies. His royal highness delivered an impressive charge, on investing Mr. Coke with the jewel, apron, and gloves. After this ceremony a procession was formed, every officer and member of the assembled lodges wearing his full masonic costume and jewels, and the banners were carried in the procession to the Cathedral. In the evening, there was a sumptuous banquet in St. Andrew’s Hall, at which the royal duke presided, supported by Mr. Coke and I. Ives, Esq., the deputy provincial grand master. About 254 persons dined, and many ladies were present to witness the festive scene. Toasts were proposed in right royal style, and duly responded to. Next day His Royal Highness was admitted to the honorary freedom of the city at the Guildhall, where he took the customary oaths. After visiting the exhibition of the Artists’ Society, the royal duke left Norwich about noon and proceeded to Holkham, paying a visit to Sir George Jerningham, at Cossey Hall, on his way thither.
May 28th. The anniversary of the birthday of the Rt. Hon. Wm. Pitt was commemorated at the Assembly rooms, Norwich, by a very numerous company of noblemen, gentlemen, and citizens.
p. 347June 4th. The anniversary of the birthday of the long afflicted sovereign, George III., who had entered on the eighty-second year of his age, was celebrated for the last time in Norwich, Yarmouth, Lynn, and other towns, with the accustomed demonstration of loyalty and attachment.
July 15th. Meetings were held in Norwich, and resolutions were passed, and petitions to parliament adopted, against the proposed additional duties on malt and on foreign wool. Petitions were also presented to parliament praying for an alteration in the corn laws, in consequence of the depressed state of agriculture.
September 16th. A public meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, in order to take into consideration the late disastrous transactions at Manchester, on August 16th. The mayor, R. Bolingbroke, Esq., presided, when resolutions were adopted asserting the right of the subject to petition the king, and the legality of the late meeting at Manchester, censuring the conduct of the magistrates and yeomanry, and recommending a subscription for the relief of the sufferers. An address to the prince regent was agreed to for the removal of ministers from his presence and councils for ever. The address was afterwards presented by the city members.
October 18th. A public meeting was held by adjournment at the Guildhall to take into consideration the propriety of erecting a bridge over the river, near the Duke’s Palace, to connect Pitt Street with the Market Place. A proposition to that effect was p. 348negatived, but a bill for erecting the bridge was introduced into parliament and ultimately passed. Nearly £9,000 were proposed to be raised, by shares of £25 each, to complete the same. The bridge was built in course of time, and toll had to be paid for many years. By the exertions and influence of the late T. O. Springfield, Esq., the bridge was made a free thoroughfare, greatly to the convenience of the citizens.
1820. January 5th. At a special meeting of the Diocesan Committee of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, held in Norwich, (the Lord Bishop presiding) resolutions were adopted to counteract the evil effects of infidel and blasphemous publications, by issuing tracts of the Parent Society at very reduced prices, and a subscription was entered into for that purpose.
January 24th. The anniversary of the birthday of the Right Hon. C. J. Fox was commemorated by a grand public dinner in St. Andrew’s Hall by 460 noblemen and gentlemen, amongst whom were the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Albemarle (who presided), Viscount Bury, Lord Molyneux, and many other leading gentlemen of the liberal party. The hall was handsomely decorated, and the names of Fox and Albemarle appeared in variegated lamps, and in a semi-circular transparency was that of Sussex, in letters of gold upon a ground of purple silk.
January 30th. A messenger from London brought to Lord and Lady Castlereagh (who were at Gunton p. 349Hall) the melancholy tidings of the death of King George III., which became known in Norwich on the following morning, when nearly all the shops were closed, and the bells of the churches were tolled for three hours. The king died on January 29th, in the 82nd year of his age, and the 60th of his troubled reign, during which long wars desolated Europe, doubled our national debt, and impoverished the country. His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, (who was appointed regent on February 6th, 1811,) immediately ascended the throne. King George IV. was soon afterwards seriously indisposed with inflammation in the lungs, but happily recovered from the attack in the course of a week.
February 1st. King George IV. was proclaimed on the Castle Hill by the High Sheriff, Sir William Windham Dalling, Bart., amid the cheers of those assembled. On the same day His Majesty was proclaimed in the city in full form and with great rejoicings.
March 6th. A spirited contest took place for the gown, vacant by the death of Starling Day, Esq., alderman of Wymer ward. At the close of the poll the numbers were for Henry Francis, Esq., 413; John Lovick, Esq., 372; majority for Mr. Francis 41, who was declared duly elected. In this month Messrs. Mitchell, Beckwith, and Culley were elected nominees for the long ward without opposition. The other three wards were contested. After the elections for Wymer and the Northern wards, processions took place at night to celebrate the triumph of the two contending parties.
p. 350August 2nd. A common hall was held for the purpose of getting up an address to be presented to Queen Caroline. Mr. Alderman Leman presided, and Mr. Sheriff Taylor introduced the subject, declaring that their duty was not merely to vote an address to Her Majesty on her accession, but to protest against the proceedings adopted by His Majesty’s ministers, against her “whom we ought to honour as our Queen, and esteem as a woman.” He denied the imputation that this meeting was held for factious and seditious purposes. He reviewed the various charges which had been brought against Her Majesty, and mentioned several instances of noble conduct on her part. He regarded the erasure of her name from the liturgy as a gross insult, and spoke of the firmness, and sagacity, and judgment which characterised her determination to return to England. He reminded his hearers of the enthusiasm which attended her entry into London. But no sooner was she arrived than a large green bag was laid on the table. Now he had an instinctive horror of a green bag, as he had once the honour of occupying a small corner of one. He then challenged the ministers, through Mr. Coke, to prove any one of the charges brought against him in the green bag; and he received an answer that it was all a mistake, and that Norwich should not have been inserted. The resolutions were carried by acclamation, and he afterwards presented an address to the Queen at Brandenburgh house.
There was but one opinion here as to the character of George IV., and with respect to the Queen, all the p. 351world agreed that she was much to be pitied. Men’s passions were so strongly excited, that whichever side they took, whether for her or against her, her conduct was viewed through a false medium. Nothing showed this more strongly than the behaviour of the two parties upon her death. The blue-and-whites, many of whom had never put on black for a royal personage before, were to be seen dressed in black and white, while on the other hand the orange-and-purples, not content with appearing in their ordinary attire, flaunted about in the gayest colours.
December 12th. In consequence of the numerous robberies committed in the city and county, public meetings were held, and resolutions passed to grant high rewards to watchmen who might apprehend offenders. More burglaries had been committed in that year than in the preceding twenty years. Increased poverty had produced crime, and the “Old Charlies” were of little use.
1821. March 7th. E. T. Booth, Esq., (sheriff) was elected an alderman of Great Wymer ward in the room of the late William Foster, Esq., who had died on March 3rd. There was an opposition; at the close of the poll the numbers were, for Mr. Booth 444, Mr. R. Shaw 433.
March 31st. The freedom of the city having been voted at the quarterly assembly of the corporation on the 24th ult., to be presented to Captain William Edward Parry of the Royal Navy; that gallant officer attended in full uniform, and was sworn in at p. 352a full court of mayoralty. The parchment containing the freedom of the city was presented to him in a box formed of a piece of oak, part of the ship Hecla, with an appropriate inscription.
April 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th. Cleansing Week ward elections took place. Conisford ward no opposition, Messrs. J. Kitton, J. Angel, and J. P. Cocksedge (nominees); Mancroft ward no opposition, Messrs. P. Chamberlin, J. Bennett, and J. Goodwin, (nominees); Wymer ward, Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith 432, Mr. J. Culley, 432, Mr. J. Reynolds 423 (nominees), Mr. J. Parkinson 254, Mr. Newin 249, Mr. R. Purland 236, Mr. S. Mitchell 45; Northern ward, Mr. T. Barnard 418, Mr. T. O. Springfield 416, Mr. S. S. Beare 416, (nominees), Mr. G. Morse 231, Mr. Troughton 230, Mr. T. Grimmer 231.
May 1st. The election for mayor came on. At the close of the poll the numbers were for Alderman Rackham 986, Alderman Hawkes 950, Alderman Marsh 630, Alderman Yallop 631. The former two were returned to the court of aldermen, who elected William Rackham, Esq., to serve the office of chief magistrate.
June 18th. This being Guild day, William Rackham, Esq., was sworn in mayor, on which occasion he gave a sumptuous dinner to about 650 ladies and gentlemen in St. Andrews Hall, the hall having previously undergone various alterations and improvements.
July 27th. The coronation of George IV. was celebrated here in a very splendid manner, and p. 353gave occasion for a display of the exuberant loyalty of the citizens. This king, called “the finest gentleman in Europe,” had governed the realm for nearly ten years, and visited the city in 1812. His reign was peaceful and prosperous, and he was a great promoter of the arts and sciences. The most important event of his reign was the passing of the act for Roman Catholic emancipation, by which Roman Catholics became entitled to all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the rest of the community, a measure strongly supported here by the liberal party. During this reign the citizens of Norwich took a very active part in all the great movements of the age—the Roman Catholic Emancipation movement, the Anti-Slavery movement, and the Reform agitation. Strong contests at elections took place on all these questions. Bribery, corruption, treating, cooping, and intimidation, were resorted to by both parties on every occasion, as will appear in a subsequent chapter, on our political history. Party spirit never ran higher in any town than in Norwich.
1822. January 24th. The anniversary of the birthday of the Rt. Hon. C. J. Fox was commemorated by a public dinner of the liberal party at the Assembly Rooms.
February 24th. At a quarterly meeting of the corporation it was unanimously resolved, that a piece of plate, of the value of 150 guineas, be presented to Charles Harvey, Esq., the recorder of Norwich, as a testimony of the high appreciation entertained by p. 354that assembly of his upright and impartial conduct in the performance of the duties of his office, and of his zeal on all occasions for the interests of the city.
March. When the elections came on in Cleansing Week, there was no opposition for the Conisford and Mancroft wards, and the orange-and-purple party maintained their ascendancy. Wymer ward, Mr. J. Reynolds 401, Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith 401, Mr. J. Culley 401, (nominees); P. Greenwood 56, W. Simmons 56, R. Widdows 54. Northern ward, Mr. A. Shaw 379, Mr. S. S. Beare 368, Mr. E. Taylor 200, (nominees); W. G. Edwards 189, A. Beloe 193, T. Grimmer 190, St. Quintin 190.
May 1st. The election of mayor came on. At the close of the poll the numbers were for Alderman Hawkes 957, Alderman J. S. Patteson 908, Alderman Thurtell 364, Alderman Yallop 318; the former two were returned to the court of aldermen, who elected Robert Hawkes, Esq., to serve the office of chief magistrate.
June 18th. This being Guild day, Robert Hawkes, Esq., was sworn in as mayor, and he gave a grand dinner to the citizens in St. Andrew’s Hall.
September 27th. The weavers, 2,361 in number, subscribed for, and presented a piece of plate to John Harvey, Esq., as a testimony of the high esteem in which they held him; and he deserved it, for he was a great promoter of the manufactures of the city, and a friend of the operatives. They were then in a prosperous state, and well employed by many large firms who executed orders for the East p. 355India Company to the extent of 20,000 pieces of camlets yearly. This trade continued till 1832.
1823. January 23rd. At a meeting held in the Old Library Room, St. Andrew’s Hall, a society was formed for supplying the poor with blankets at a reduced price; and upwards of 1100 were distributed during the winter.
February 24th. At a quarterly assembly of the corporation a lease was granted to the magistrates of the city, for 500 years, of the piece of land outside of St. Giles’ Gates, on which it had been decided to build the new jail, at the annual rent of £50.
March 4th. At a meeting held at the Guildhall, petitions to parliament were adopted against the Insolvent Debtors Act.
March. Cleansing Week for the ward elections passed off without any opposition; the orange-and-purple party kept the Conisford, Mancroft, and Wymer wards, and the blue-and-white the Northern ward.
April 14th. At a special assembly of the corporation, a petition to His Majesty was adopted, praying for two jail deliveries in the course of the year.
April 25th. At a meeting held at the Guildhall, to take into consideration the state of the West India Colonies, with a view to promote the abolition of slavery, resolutions in favour of the object were carried.
May 1st. The election of mayor took place, and at the close of the poll the numbers were, Alderman J. S. Patteson 835, Alderman Francis 774, Alderman Leman 101, Alderman Yallop 94. The two former p. 356were returned to the court of aldermen, who elected J. S. Patteson, Esq., to serve the office of chief magistrate.
May 3rd. At a quarterly assembly of the corporation, the freedom of the city was voted to the Hon. John Wodehouse, lieutenant of the city and county.
June 17th. This being Guild day, J. S. Patteson, Esq., was sworn in mayor; and he gave a splendid dinner to a large party in St. Andrew’s Hall.
1824. In September of this year the first Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, and the concerts given were well attended by the nobility and gentry of the county. This Festival was very much promoted by Mr. Edward Taylor, Mr. R. M. Bacon, then editor of the Mercury, and other amateurs in the city, and proved eminently successful, the hospital receiving the sum of £2,399 out of the profits. In 1825, King George IV. presented the hospital with a copy of Arnold’s edition of Handel’s Works. It was determined that a triennial festival should be held in aid of the funds of the institution, and that the Norwich Choral Society should be maintained in an efficient state for that purpose.
About this time a very important movement took place in the city, with the view to make “Norwich a port,” and many meetings were held to promote that object. Here, therefore, will be a proper place to review the proceedings in reference to our navigation to Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The history will show the grasping selfishness of the old corporation at Yarmouth, which always tried to tax the trade of the city, and opposed every improvement, even when it was for the benefit of both towns.
Norwich, no doubt, derived its mercantile and carrying trade from its original situation as a sea-port. In ancient times the Gariensis Ostium, or mouth of the Yare, extended in breadth from Burgh Castle to Caister, the two Roman camps being opposite each other. The spot on which Yarmouth now stands was then covered by water, and a broad arm of the sea extended all over the present marshes to the city, which was then a sea-port, before Yarmouth had any existence. This appears from the legal contests that p. 358took place in later times between the burgesses of Yarmouth and the citizens of Norwich.
Norwich had long been a mercantile and trading town, and one of the royal cities of England, and ships came up by an arm of the sea to an open market, which was held every day in the week. Public marts or fairs were held twice a year, with all manner of merchandise for sale to citizens, strangers, or foreigners. The traders for centuries used this right of buying and selling, loading and unloading all their goods and merchandise, free of all tolls and dues. Foreign merchants paid at Norwich 4d. on every ship of bulk, 2d. for every boat, and all other customs for their merchandise.
At the commencement of the 14th century Yarmouth began to be a rival port to Norwich, and some legal contests took place between the two towns respecting their rights and privileges. In 1327, a suit was commenced, and in 1331 it was renewed, between the citizens of Norwich and the burgesses of Yarmouth, relating to certain tolls which the latter imposed on goods, claiming the right to do so under the charter of Edward I., which made Yarmouth a port. Indeed, they appear to have been so incensed at the city becoming a staple that they proceeded so far as to stop all vessels coming through from their port to Norwich. A very remarkable contest consequently arose, and terminated in favour of the city. The result of the suit was, that the bailiffs of Yarmouth were commanded to make proclamation in their town, “That if any hindered or in any way molested the p. 359merchant vessels of what kind soever from passing and re-passing through the port of Yarmouth, to and from the city of Norwich, they should forfeit all their goods and chattels, forfeitable, for so doing.” Yarmouth was, therefore, prevented for a time from levying duties, but subsequently regained the power of doing so to a great extent.
If Norwich in former ages was an important seaport, the question naturally arises how it ceased to be so. There is sufficient evidence that after the year 500, the arm of the sea became narrower, though at that period the water came up close to the Castle Hill. After 1050, the river was much reduced in breadth, and a new town arose round the fortress. Centuries elapsed and the river became still narrower, and streets were extended on each side. At length the stream became so shallow that it was no longer navigable for sea-borne vessels, and the ancient trade of the city began to decline. The citizens, occupied by political contests, did not keep up the navigation for sea-borne vessels, as they might easily have done. Attempts were made in this (19th) century to retrieve the long neglect of former ages by some schemes of improvement, but these attempts almost entirely failed. Still the city owed many trading advantages to its river, which is navigable for wherries and packets to the sea.
The navigation between Norwich and Yarmouth has not been, for centuries, suited for sea-borne vessels, owing, chiefly, to the shallowness of the channel over Breydon. The embouchure of the river into the sea p. 360has been frequently blocked up by shifting sands, and vessels have been detained fourteen days before they could get into the river. Indeed, at the present time there is great danger of the mouth of the harbour being blocked up at Yarmouth altogether.
Prior to the year 1762, the quantity of coals brought from Yarmouth to Norwich, annually, was 26,000 chaldrons. Of these, nearly 5000 chaldrons were carried out of Norwich into the surrounding district, so that 21,000 chaldrons were consumed in the city. At that time, the king’s dues and the Yarmouth dues amounted to 8s. 1d. per chaldron, which was felt by the consumers to be a grievous tax. A cheap and plentiful supply of coal has always been of the utmost importance to the citizens, not only for domestic purposes, but also as fuel for manufacturers, dyers, hot pressers, lime burners, brewers, and maltsters. Yet, at the period referred to, this necessary commodity was heavily taxed, to the extent of £1200 yearly, more than was paid on an equal consumption in London. This tax was rendered more grievous by the illegal measurement at Yarmouth. The legal chaldron consisted of thirty-six bushels; but, at Yarmouth the chaldron was estimated not by bushels, but by a measure called a mett, sixteen of which were computed to contain a chaldron, but did not. As may be supposed, the injustice naturally caused considerable dissatisfaction among the Norwich coal merchants and other citizens, and frequent complaints were made of the grievance which was ultimately abolished. This was important, for formerly, from p. 361the north of England, immense quantities of coal and heavy goods were brought by sea, viâ Yarmouth to Norwich, for distribution over the eastern side of Norfolk and Suffolk. The importation of coal, by this route, has, however, been greatly diminished; not only by the opening of railways in every direction, but also by the working of the central coal fields of England.
By the act of the 12th George I., c. 15, commonly called the Tonnage Act, the corporation obtained the power to levy tolls on all goods brought into the city by any boat, keel wherry, lighter, buoy, or other vessel as follows:—4d. for every chaldron of coals, for every last of wheat, rye, barley, malt, or other grain, for every weight of salt, for every hogshead of sugar, tobacco, molasses, or hogshead packed with other goods, for every three puncheons of liquor, for every two pipes of wine, spirits, &c., for every eight barrels of soap, raisins, oil, pitch, tar, &c. For five years prior to May, 1836, the average amount of revenue derived from the tonnage dues was £970, showing that a very large quantity of goods was brought by river to the city. After June 24th, 1836, the tolls were let by auction for £1375; in 1838, for £1210; in 1840, for £1220; in 1847, for £1000; in 1850, for £1050 yearly. This shows that after the opening of railways the dues were reduced, but not so much as might have been expected; the wherries continued to bring in a large proportion of the heavy goods.
The project of opening a communication between Norwich and the sea, for sea-borne vessels, originated p. 362with Alderman Crisp Brown, who in 1814, submitted to the corporation a plan for making Norwich a port by way of Yarmouth. After this, surveys were made, and a report was published in 1818, by Mr. Cubitt, who recommended avoiding Breydon by a new cut on the south side. In the same year he made another survey, to ascertain the practicability of opening a communication with the sea at Lowestoft, and in 1821 this report was laid before the public. As the Yarmouth corporation had signified their determination to oppose either of these plans, it was at length determined to carry out the communication to Lowestoft, although the expense was double that of the Yarmouth plan. This turned out to be a very unfortunate undertaking. Subscriptions were raised and fresh surveys were made; and in 1826, a company having been formed, an application was made to Parliament for an Act; but being opposed by the Yarmouth corporation and timid owners of the marsh lands, who were fearful of an inundation, it was lost by a majority of five. This act, however, was finally passed in 1827, after £8000 had been spent by the corporation of Yarmouth in opposing it. Of course, the object of that body was to retain the monopoly of the Norwich trade, which was then very great.
On May 23rd, 1827, the bill for making Norwich a port having been passed through both houses of Parliament, the navigation committee, with the mayor (their chairman), were met at Hartford Hill, on their return from London, by thousands of their fellow-citizens who were assembled to welcome them; and p. 363a grand procession having been formed, they marched through the city, while guns were fired in all directions. The celebration concluded with a bonfire at night.
In effecting the great undertaking of a communication with Lowestoft, the river Yare was deepened near Norwich and the navigation was continued by that river as far as Reedham, whence it was carried across the marshes by a new cut, two miles and a-half long, to the river Waveney, along which it passed to Oulton Dyke, which was widened and deepened to Oulton Broad, whence by a short cut the canal entered Lake Lothing, through which it passed to the shore at Lowestoft, where, by cutting through the bank, the tides were freely admitted into the lake. Here a large harbour was formed, covering 160 acres, nearly three miles in length, and averaging from fifteen to seventeen feet in depth at high water. In this work the company spent their whole capital of £150,000.
On September 30th, 1833, the Norwich and Lowestoft navigation was opened, when two vessels came from the latter place and arrived at the wharfs without once touching ground. This caused great rejoicing, and the advantages of the undertaking were soon apparent. But the company wanted money, and were obliged to borrow it from the Exchequer Loan Commissioners, into whose hands the port fell in 1842. Norwich traders might afterwards have recovered possession of the port for a small sum by a combined effort, but they lost the opportunity. The commissioners disposed of the port and navigation to a new company at Lowestoft, and that company, after expending p. 364large sums in repairs, sold the harbour and navigation to Mr. Peto for almost a nominal price. He, with other gentlemen, organised another company, raised a capital of £200,000 (afterwards doubled), and obtained an act of parliament for the formation of a new harbour, and a railway to Reedham in connection with the line to Norwich. The new harbour was made, and the railway was opened in 1847, from which year the carrying trade of the port gradually increased. Before 1850 the importation of coal and the harbour dues increased five-fold, and the importations of corn increased 10,000 quarters yearly. The number of vessels was doubled, and of course employment increased in proportion. The harbour and railway contributed a large traffic to the Eastern Counties lines. Norwich traders made great use of the port, and through it brought quantities of coal and heavy goods to the city. There is every mechanical facility afforded for the loading and unloading of vessels; and port dues are lower than at Yarmouth. In 1851, the number of vessels that entered the harbour was 1,636, or 131,767 tons, showing an increase of 23,000 tons. In the same year there was an increase of 6,997 tons in the coal imported. Of course, as the shipping trade of the port increased, the railway traffic increased also. One of the chief sources from which the additional revenue was derived was from the fish traffic; for in 1851 the packages were 78,000 in number, and produced a freight of £3,739. The traffic also in coal and goods has greatly improved.
Between 1840 and 1850 the corporation of Norwich, p. 365aided by the city merchants, made a most determined effort to improve the navigation to Yarmouth. A large subscription was raised for this purpose, and Mr. Cockburn Curtiss, the engineer, was engaged to make a survey of the river Yare, and to prepare plans. He did so, and his plans were approved by the citizens generally; but the corporation of Yarmouth gave notice of a strong opposition. Application was made to parliament for a bill giving the corporation here jurisdiction over the river down to the mouth of the Haven. The bill was opposed and lost, and the Norwich corporation were defeated after an expenditure of some thousands of pounds.
We resume our chronological list of the leading events of the century:—
1825. January 5th. At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, a Mechanics’ Institution was established, and it was continued for some years in the rooms above the Bazaar, St. Andrew’s.
March. Cleansing week passed off without opposition for the second time.
April 7th. The clergy of the archdeaconry of Norwich agreed to petition in favour of the claims of the Catholics to have the same political rights and privileges as other people.
April 18th. At a public meeting, held in St. Andrew’s Hall, a petition for a revision of the Corn Laws was adopted unanimously. The petition afterwards received 14,385 signatures, and was forwarded on the 26th to be presented to parliament. As yet it was not proposed to repeal the Corn Laws, which were then a monstrous injustice.
p. 367May 1st. The election for mayor took place, and the numbers were for Alderman Day, 679; Alderman Booth, 597; Alderman Leman, 152; Alderman Burt, 150. Thomas Starling Day, Esq., was elected.
May 3rd. The corporation adopted a petition against the Catholic claims, the members going quite out of their way to perpetuate a great wrong.
May 31st. The anniversary of the birthday of the Rt. Hon. William Pitt was celebrated by the members of the castle corporation.
June 11th. The first stone of the new theatre was laid, and it was erected on the present site. The building is only a piece of patch-work, and has no pretensions to architectural design. It is no credit to the city in any respect. It was opened on March 27th, in the following year.
June 21st. The mayor (T. S. Day, Esq.,) was sworn into office; he afterwards gave a dinner to upwards of 460 gentlemen in St. Andrew’s Hall.
August 30th. A contest took place for freemen’s sheriff; at the close of the poll the numbers were for Mr. Brookes, 865; Alderman Springfield, 501. The former was returned.
September 1st. The corporation presented a piece of plate, of the value of 100 guineas, to William Simpson, Esq., chamberlain, in testimony of their high esteem for the ability and integrity displayed in the discharge of his official duties; and of their unanimous approbation of his long and faithful services.
November 2nd. Sir Thomas P. Hankin, Lieut. Colonel of His Majesty regiment of Royal North p. 368British Dragoons, was interred in the Cathedral with military honours.
November 21st. At a public meeting, held in St. Andrews Hall, a Society was formed for promoting the Abolition of Colonial Slavery. The late J. J. Gurney and all his family were great advocates of negro emancipation, but the diabolical injustice of slavery continued for many years to be the disgrace of England. At many meetings held in this city, the late J. J. Gurney denounced the atrocities of the slave trade, and advocated its abolition. This object was at last accomplished after a violent agitation throughout the country, at a cost of twenty millions sterling!
1826. January. This year, in consequence of the iniquitous corn laws, bread was dear, work was scarce, and the poor were destitute. Nearly £5000 was subscribed for their relief.
March. Cleansing Week ward elections passed off without opposition, except in the Wymer ward, where it was merely nominal.
May 1st. The election of mayor took place. Messrs. Booth and Patteson were returned to the court of aldermen without opposition, and Mr. E. T. Booth was elected.
May 30th. The anniversary of Mr. William Pitt’s birthday was again celebrated by the members of the castle corporation. The dinners of this and other clubs served to keep alive party spirit.
June 20th. This being Guild day, E. T. Booth, Esq., was sworn into the office of chief magistrate; after p. 369which, the Rt. Hon. Robert Peel, secretary of state for the Home department, and Jonathan Peel, Esq., the new member of parliament for the city, were admitted to the freedom of the city.
August 29th. A contest took place for the office of freemen’s sheriff. At the close of the poll the numbers were for Mr. James Bennett, 1164; Mr. Alderman Springfield, 1079. The former was returned.
November. Parish meetings were held in many parts of the city, and votes of thanks were passed to Crisp Brown, Esq., for his strenuous exertions in preventing impositions in paying public money for the new jail, then considered a job.
November 21st. William Simpson, Esq., was elected town clerk and clerk of the peace for this city, in the room of the late Elisha De Hague, Esq., who died on the 11th inst., at the age of 72.
December 6th. Robert Alderson, Esq., was unanimously elected recorder of the city, on the resignation of Charles Savill Onley, Esq., and on the 12th, Isaac Preston, Esq., was elected steward of the corporation, vacant by the resignation of Mr. Alderson.
1827. January 7th. On the intelligence being received here of the death of his late Royal Highness, Duke of York and Albany, the bells of the different churches were tolled for some time, and the shops were partially closed on the following days.
January 20th. This being the day appointed for the funeral of his late Royal Highness the Duke of York, the melancholy occasion was observed by a p. 370general suspension of business; the corporation attended divine service at the Cathedral, and the bells of the parish churches were tolled.
January 26th. At a meeting of the clergy, a petition was adopted in favour of the Catholic claims.
April. Cleansing Week ward elections came on with several severe contests. Conisford ward, J. Marshall, 213; T. Edwards, 212; J. Kitton, 205 (nominees); J. Angell, 204; A. B. Beevor, 203; J. P. Cocksedge, 202. Mancroft ward, no opposition, J. Goodwin, T. Eaton, C. Hardy (nominees). Wymer ward, W. Foster, 435; J. S. Parkinson, 434; G. Kitton, 429 (nominees). Northern ward, S. S. Beare, 424; R. Shaw, 415; H. Martineau, 420 (nominees); G. Coleby, 237; T. Grimmer, 244.
May 1st. The election of mayor took place; at the close of the poll the numbers were, Alderman Finch, 918; Alderman Yallop, 867; Alderman Patteson, 566; Alderman Browne, 565. Peter Finch, Esq., was elected. He lived for many years in a large house built of flint in St. Mary’s.
June 19th. This being Guild day, Peter Finch, Esq., was sworn into the office of chief magistrate.
August 28th. The election for freemen’s sheriff came on; at the close of the poll the numbers were for Mr. Alderman Springfield, 1210; Mr. F. White, 474. The former was returned.
September 12th. There was a severe contest for the office of alderman of Conisford ward in the room of the late William Herring, Esq., who died on the 8th, aged 74. At the close of the poll the numbers p. 371were for J. Angell, 218; J. Marshall, 196; and the former was returned. A scrutiny was demanded by Mr. Marshall’s friends, but was afterwards abandoned.
This month Mr. Myher Levi, a Jew, and his wife Hannah Levi, a Jewess, having been converted, were baptised in the parish church of St. Stephen’s, and received the name of Herbert.
1828. January 10th. The members of the castle corporation celebrated their sixty-third anniversary.
March. Cleansing Week elections. Conisford ward, J. Marshall, 240; T. Edwards, 240; A. B. Beevor, 239, (nominees); J. Skipper, 225; S. W. Mealing, 226; R. Merry, 225. No opposition in the other wards, but for Mancroft ward, J. Bennett, A. Beloe, and C. Hardy (nominees); and for the Northern ward, S. S. Beare, R. Shaw, and H. Martineau (nominees).
May 1st. A contest for mayor, which lasted two days; at the close of the poll the numbers were for Alderman Yallop, 1212; Alderman Thurtell, 1210; Alderman Angell, 1097; Alderman Patteson, 1020. The two former were returned to the court of aldermen, who elected T. Thurtell, Esq.
May 5th. At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, resolutions were passed and a petition to parliament was adopted for the immediate alleviation and ultimate extinction of slavery in the West India colonies. The petition afterwards received the signatures of 10,125 persons, and was 150 feet in length.
June 12th. The anniversary of the birthday of the late Rt. Hon. William Pitt was commemorated by a p. 372dinner of the Tories at the Assembly Rooms. About 160 gentlemen were present.
In August, the new Exchange Street was opened, and on October 11th, a new Corn Hall was opened to the public.
1829. January and February. Petitions were adopted against the claims of the Roman Catholics by the Brunswick Constitutional Club, and other inhabitants of this city; but counter declarations from the clergy of the diocese of Norwich, and from a “Society of the friends of civil and religious liberty,” were agreed to. The agitation on this vexed question had now reached its height in the country.
February 17th. Even the common council now agreed to present an address to the king for the removal of Roman Catholic disabilities.
March. Cleansing Week ward elections came on. Conisford ward, J. Marshall, 258; T. Edwards, 259; J. Youngs, 253, (nominees); J. Skipper, 83; S. W. Mealing, 84; R. Merry, 82. Mancroft ward, no opposition, J. Bennett, A. Beloe, and C. Hardy (nominees). Wymer ward, W. Foster, 466; G. Kitton, 464; A. Barnard, 464 (nominees); J. Culley, 397; J. Brookes, 396; E. Newton, 394. Northern ward, S. S. Beare, 342; R. Shaw, 343; H. Martineau, 341 (nominees); T. Grimmer, 63; E. Hinde, 64; W. Fromow, 64.
May 1st. T. O. Springfield, Esq., and John Angell, Esq., were returned to the court of aldermen for the office of mayor without opposition, and the former was chosen mayor.
p. 373June 16th. This being Guild day, T. O. Springfield, Esq., was sworn into the office of chief magistrate; after which he gave a grand dinner to upwards of 800 ladies and gentlemen in St. Andrew’s Hall.
July 15th. A public dinner was given to Thomas Thurtell, Esq., at the Norfolk Hotel, attended by 80 gentlemen, in testimony of their approval of his honourable, impartial, and upright conduct in the performance of his duties as mayor during the previous year.
1830. January. Great disturbances took place in the city in consequence of differences between the manufacturers and weavers concerning wages. On the 12th, between 3000 and 4000 weavers collected in the avenues to the workhouse, where they greatly interrupted the business of the court of guardians, but they were dispersed by the magistrates and patroles. Munificent donations of £200 from Hudson Gurney, Esq., and £400 from London were distributed amongst the distressed weavers in bread and coal, under the direction of a committee. A general subscription was afterwards raised in the city, amounting to £2300, for the relief of the poor.
March. Cleansing Week ward elections. Conisford ward, T. Edwards, 251; J. Youngs, 251; W. G. Edwards, 249 (nominees); J. Skipper, 233; S. W. Mealing, 232; R. Merry, 228. Mancroft ward, J. Bennett, 195; H. Newton, 196; B. Boardman, 196 (nominees); W. Burt, jun., 50; W. J. Robberds, 50; P. Nicholls, 50. Wymer ward, J. Culley, 521; p. 374J. Winter, 520; J. Bexfield, 516 (nominees); W. Foster, 376; G. Kitton, 374; A. Barnard, 374. Northern ward, T. Grimmer, 292; E. Browne, 290; W. Fromow, 289 (nominees); H. Martineau, 278; R. Shaw, 276; W. Newson, 276.
March 29th. On the evening of the Conisford ward election, the gates leading to the workhouse were pulled down and destroyed, and considerable injury was done to the offices adjoining, by a great concourse of persons riotously assembled, and who were returning from a procession formed by the defeated party.
May 1st. John Angell, Esq., was elected to serve the office of mayor.
May 3rd. The common council adopted a petition to the lord chancellor for two general jail deliveries in the year. This was subsequently granted.
December 23rd. At a special meeting of the council, Isaac Preston, Esq., (afterwards Jermy) was elected recorder of the city in place of R. Alderson, Esq., who had resigned.
1831. January 12th. At a meeting held in the Old Library Room, St. Andrews Hall, a petition to parliament was adopted, praying for the entire abolition of slavery in the British colonies.
February 1st. At a special assembly of the corporation, Fitzroy Kelly, Esq., was unanimously elected steward of that body, and he held that office till the passing of the Municipal Reform Act.
March 22nd. A petition was sent from the city against the disfranchisement of the freemen by the p. 375proposed Reform Bill. The signatures were limited to freemen, denizens, and apprentices.
March. Cleansing Week ward elections. Conisford ward, J. Skipper, 270; R. Merry, 265; B. Bunting, 237, (nominees); T. Edwards, 169; J. Youngs, 167; W. G. Edwards, 167. Mancroft ward, no opposition, J. Bennett, H. Newton, and B. Boardman (nominees). Wymer ward, no opposition, J. Culley, J. Winter, W. J. U. Browne (nominees). Northern ward, S. S. Beare, 344; R. Shaw, 337; W. Enfield, 347 (nominees); T. Grimmer, 222; E. Browne, 220; W. Fromow, 220.
This year the Lent assizes were held in Norwich by adjournment from Thetford.
May 1st. J. H. Yallop, Esq., was elected mayor for the second time, and he gave a grand dinner in St. Andrew’s Hall.
In this month a census of the population was taken, showing 27,910 males, 33,437 females; total 61,347. Inhabited houses, 13,283; uninhabited houses, 1,082; total 14,365.
June 20th. Samuel Bignold, Esq., was elected an alderman without opposition in the room of John Patteson, Esq., who had resigned.
August 22nd. The new act of the court of guardians received the royal assent, and came into operation. This act has since been superseded by another.
September 12th. The election of guardians took place under the new act.
p. 3761832. January 11th. At a court of mayoralty it was resolved to present a memorial to the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor, praying that Norwich might be included in the ensuing circuit of the judges. A committee was appointed to prepare the memorial. A special court was convened on the 14th to receive the report, and a memorial was adopted which was presented by the members for the city. The petition was granted, and the council passed a vote of thanks to the Lord Chancellor.
April. Cleansing Week for ward elections. Conisford ward, J. Skipper, 266; R. Merry, 264; B. Bunting, 266 (nominees); T. Edwards, 157; J. Youngs, 159; R. Mills, 157. Mancroft ward, no opposition, J. Bennett, B. Boardman, and H. Newton (nominees). Wymer ward, J. Culley, 489; J. Winter, 484; W. J. U. Browne, 485 (nominees); W. Foster, 388; A. Barnard, 383; T. Edwards, 382. Northern ward, S. S. Beare, 380; R. Shaw, 371; W. Enfield, 381 (nominees); T. Grimmer, 101; E. Browne, 109; H. Steel, 107.
May 1st. The election of mayor took place without opposition. Mr. Alderman Stevenson, and Mr. Alderman Bignold were nominated, and they were duly returned; the aldermen chose S. W. Stevenson, Esq., then proprietor and editor of the Norfolk Chronicle. After being sworn in on the Guild day he gave a grand dinner to about 900 ladies and gentlemen in St. Andrew’s Hall.
August 28th. The election for freemen’s sheriff was severely contested. At the close of the poll the p. 377numbers were for William Foster, Esq., 1282; Mr. Alderman Steward, 1275; and after a scrutiny the former was declared duly elected. This was a triumph for the blue-and-white party.
September 3rd. An election took place for an alderman of Mancroft ward in the place of J. S. Patteson, Esq., deceased. Charles Turner, Esq., was elected; F. Morse, Esq., being the other candidate.
November 11th. This day, at all the churches in the city, thanksgiving services were performed for the cessation of the cholera, and for the mild manner in which the inhabitants had been afflicted as compared with other places. The Norwich Lying-in Charity for delivering poor married women at their own homes was established, and it has been of great benefit to the poor.
1833. January. The town clerk of this city received a circular from the secretary of state, requesting to be informed of the mode of electing members of the corporation. The town clerk forwarded his answer on the 21st.
March. Cleansing Week for ward elections. Conisford ward, no contest, J. Skipper, R. Merry, and B. Bunting (nominees). Mancroft ward, no opposition, J. Bennett, B. Boardman, H. Newton (nominees). Wymer ward, J. Culley, 486; J. Winter, 484; W. J. U. Browne, 486 (nominees); G. Kitton, 122; R. Miller, 122; C. W. Unthank, 121. Northern ward, S. S. Beare, 300; R. Shaw, 298; W. Enfield, 300 (nominees); T. Grimmer, 206; H. Steel, 204; J. Sinclair, 203.
p. 378May 1st. At the election for mayor, Aldermen Bignold and Turner were returned to the court without opposition, and S. Bignold, Esq., was chosen to serve the office. On the Guild day he was sworn in, and on this occasion he gave a magnificent banquet to about 1100 ladies and gentlemen in St. Andrew’s Hall. The same place was the scene of great festivity on June 20th and 21st, when dinners were given to the electors in the orange-and-purple interest, those in the Conisford and Northern wards to the number of 750 on the first day, and those of the Wymer and Mancroft wards 912 on the following day. Great was the rejoicing, but it was of short duration. The days of the old corporation were numbered.
William IV. ascended the throne in 1830, in a period of great political excitement. During his short reign of seven years, there was the greatest political agitation ever known in this country about a Reform of Parliament, a measure which the people had long and earnestly desired. Many meetings were held in this city, and petitions were adopted in favour of reform, long called for and long deferred. In fact, the king, during the early part of his reign, had other and more pressing causes of anxiety. His accession to the throne brought him an inheritance of the jealousy, to which the country had been gradually roused, on the subject of the extravagance and corruption of the old systems of government. In the effort to reduce a vast expenditure, the House of Commons was in no mood to be so liberal to the new sovereign as he thought he had a right to expect. The ministry were withheld, by the very forcible opposition of one of its members, from asking the house to grant the expenses of the queen’s outfit, and the king himself had to submit to the mortification of p. 380finding the pensions charged on the public by former monarchs sharply criticised, and even his own household expenses commented on with severity.
On September 8th, 1831, the grand ceremony of the coronation of the king took place in Westminster Abbey. The auspicious event was celebrated in Norwich in a most loyal and joyous manner. The festivities of the day commenced with the merry chime of St. Peter’s bells, and the waving of banners from all the public buildings. The mayor and members of the corporation went in procession from the Guildhall to the Cathedral. After their return to the hall, the regiment of the First Royals marched into the Market Place and fired three vollies. The electors who had supported Gurney and Grant received £1 each, and a dinner was given to 600 of the freemen, who voted for Wetherell and Sadler, at Laccohee’s gardens. The citizens, in fact, have never lost an opportunity of displaying their loyalty, but they always expected something in return. Several petitions were sent from Norwich in favour of the Reform Bill; and the passing of the bill was celebrated here with great rejoicings, festivities, and a public procession on July 5th, 1832. This brief reign was remarkable, moreover, for the abolition of the slave trade after a violent agitation which convulsed the whole country, and ended in the passing of an act of emancipation of the slaves in the West Indies, at a cost of twenty millions; and it is also noted for the suppression of the rebellion in Canada, and the restoration of tranquillity to that colony.
p. 381An Act of Parliament received the royal assent on June 23rd, 1832, removing the assizes from Thetford to Norwich; and the corporation passed a vote of thanks to John Stracey, Esq., for his exertions in obtaining that measure, and also a vote of thanks to the lord chancellor for having granted two jail deliveries in the year. Since then the city assizes have been held at the Guildhall, and the Norfolk assizes at the Shirehall. The city sessions are held every quarter at the Guildhall, and the petty sessions daily at the same place.
The reformed House of Commons having presented an address to His Majesty, praying for the appointment of a commission to inquire as to the existing state of municipal corporations in England and Wales; the king, on July 18th, 1833, complied with the address, by issuing a commission; and notice was subsequently given to the mayor of this city, S. Bignold, Esq. (now Sir Samuel Bignold), of the intention of the commissioners appointed to investigate the affairs of the Norwich corporation, in compliance with a request from a meeting of 300 citizens, held on the 13th of May preceding. A special meeting of the corporation was at once convened to consider the course to be pursued, and the assembly determined on a reluctant submission to the inquiry, so far as regarded the production, by the corporate officers, of all “charters, books, deeds, accounts, papers, and muniments of title,” but at the same time protested against the commission as illegal and unconstitutional, and against the right of the commissioners to make any inquiry whatsoever. As may be supposed, the p. 382dominant party in the city did not like it, and the sheriffs especially protested against it. They declined to attend at the proposed enquiry, or to recognize the authority of the commissioners by any act, and addressed a letter to that effect to the commissioners, signing their names, W. J. Utten Browne, and Edward Steward, sheriffs of Norwich. Of course the commissioners were not very pleased at this ostentatious opposition to their authority, and in the course of their enquiry showed an evident hostility to the predominant party. Witnesses were allowed to make statements reflecting on the characters of the living and the dead, and every facility was afforded for the gratification of political, perhaps of private, revenge. This will appear in the following summary of the evidence, taken from the Digest, published soon afterwards.
This inquiry was conducted by George Long and John Buckle, Esqs., and commenced on November 25th, 1833, at the Guildhall. Nearly all the officials of the corporation were examined, and many influential gentlemen. Some strange statements were made as to the effects of party spirit, and the enemies of the old corporation alleged, amongst their favourite charges, that the magistrates were biassed by party spirit, and that the funds of the corporation had been devoted to electioneering purposes. Evidence, however, was given to the contrary.
p. 383J. J. Gurney, Esq., said, “I believe that there are many most laborious and useful magistrates in the city, and no persons would be so fit as many of those who have already been accustomed to the business. I do not find the slightest fault with the application of the magisterial power. It is my most decided opinion that the magisterial authority has been impartially exercised.”
W. Simpson, Esq., said, “Whatever money may have been spent, it certainly has not been the money of the corporation.”
Alderman Bolingbroke said, “I have been an alderman near twenty years; I do not know of any corrupt application of the corporate funds to elections or any other purposes. I do not think any misapplication of the corporate funds could have taken place without my knowing it.”
As the inquiry proceeded, however, evidence was given of the influence of party spirit in the distribution of patronage, appointments, and employments, and also in admissions to freedom. It was proved that the police were very inefficient, and often refused to act in cases of riot, and when the mob were pulling down polling booths. As to the expenditure of money at local elections,
The Mayor, S. Bignold, Esq., said, “I am quite sure that if respectable persons were to offer themselves at local elections, it would repress the excesses which sometimes take place. The local elections are attended with considerable expense. I am not aware that the aldermen interfere in these elections. I am not aware of anything which would prevent the aldermen interfering in the promotion of sheriffs. They consider the oath as debarring in the one case and not p. 384in the other. Committees are formed on the occasion of elections in the different wards. I cannot say whether the aldermen are frequently members of those committees. I have not had any opportunity of witnessing unfair exertions. I cannot say whether any subscriptions are made on those occasions. I have never subscribed a shilling. I cannot say whether notes are given by the aldermen or others. I never saw such a note as the one produced before. I have heard of notes purporting to get certain persons into the hospitals, being given by aldermen on the occasions of municipal elections. I have never seen any such notes. My knowledge of them has arisen in this way. I have been asked myself and told that A and B have given them, but never fulfilled their promise.”
“Question. Do you think that the mode in which the local elections are carried on tends to keep out respectable and intelligent persons from filling the various offices?
Answer. I am sorry to say that those respectable and intelligent persons have contributed to the system.
Q. Has that been the case generally?
A. I should say, generally, with the leading persons in this city on both sides, connected and unconnected with the corporation.
Q. Have the members of the court of aldermen contributed to your knowledge?
A. Not to my knowledge.
Q. Is it your belief that they have or have not?
A. I think they would not in the election of an alderman, but they might for sheriff or common councilmen.
Q. On what ground is that distinction made?
A. The aldermen consider that they are not to interfere in the election of their brethren, in consequence of the oath they have taken.
p. 385Q. The oath makes no distinction?
A. There is an impression to the contrary.
Q. If there had been an extraordinary excitement at elections, can you say that in no case that excitement was enlarged by the aldermen?
A. I should say in no case.
Q. What do you consider the intention of the aldermen in subscribing to the funds?
A. I can only answer that question in general terms, that the excitement has never been increased by any act of the aldermen.
Q. Are you acquainted with the case of Hornigolds with reference to the elections?
A. In no other way than by your drawing my attention to it. I know of no other note to that effect. No improper persons have been admitted into the hospitals on account of their votes.
Q. Have they in all cases been fit and proper persons?
A. Certainly they have.
Q. Do you think the same persons would have been introduced if they had not been political supporters?
A. Not identically the same persons.
Q. Are there instances where persons have been put in by the aldermen, who have not been political supporters?
A. Yes. I have put an individual in myself who was not a political supporter in any way.
Q. Are such instances rare or frequent?
A. I am only able to answer from information I have derived from my seniors; I should say they are frequent.
Q. Are the great majority of persons admitted freemen?
A. Yes. I think they are.
Q. Are the exceptions few?
A. I do not know.
p. 386Q. You said all the freemen introduced to the hospitals were fit and proper persons: have they been introduced as the political friends of the aldermen?
A. Yes. I should certainly introduce my political friends in preference.
Q. Do you consider the power of the aldermen to have been exercised bonâ fide, or for influence at the elections?
A. Certainly, bonâ fide.
Q. Do you think this privilege is frequently exercised in favor of political opponents?
A. No. There are twenty-four aldermen, and the patronage is about 15–24ths on the Tory side to 9–24ths on the Whig side.
Q. Is it your opinion that more urgent cases have been passed by, and others taken on account of political services?
A. I think not; I think very pressing cases have had the preference over political supporters.
Q. Is it, in your opinion, a justification if a person is put into the hospital under such a promise, or a more pressing case; and would the alderman exercising the power, do it under an impression that he was not guilty of any breach of duty, or of violating his moral feelings?
A. I think where an alderman had made such a promise, he would be perfectly justified in performing it, provided the person was a fit and proper object.
Q. The alderman, so promising, in the event of a more pressing case, would he change his turn?
A. It is done frequently for the express purpose in pressing cases; and those changes are made with political opponents.”
Alderman Newton examined, said, “I have no doubt there have been large sums of money expended at local elections. It has been a common thing to make subscriptions p. 387for local elections. Sometimes the subscriptions have far exceeded the necessary expenses. In some cases, but not generally, the subscriptions have been under the management of a committee. An individual mostly takes the management. He has the whole of the funds under his care, and is not accountable to anyone. The committee never interfere. It is left to one individual to manage the funds. The mode of distributing the money is known to members of the committees, who are generally members of the corporation. I do not know of aldermen being members of the committees. Aldermen have subscribed, but very rarely, at contested elections. A good deal of money has been expended on those occasions. The general supporters of the parties have been subscribers, including the common council, but not the aldermen. The scenes at elections have been very disgraceful sometimes. I recollect the election of Alderman Marshall. I have heard that the scene on that occasion was very disgraceful. I have heard that much money was spent, but I think £1000 would be the outside. I recollect the election of Alderman Steward. Money was spent on that occasion, but nothing like £1000. I remember the election of Mr. Steward for sheriff. I have heard that money was then spent. I heard that the Whig party gave a large sum for the last six votes that they polled, and I believe it to a certain extent. No doubt there was money spent by the Tory party to a large extent. I have heard that from £10 to £15 were given for a vote. There was a large subscription by members of the council, but not by the aldermen. I think Mr. Steward subscribed, but I do not know to what amount. On other occasions subscriptions have been made for the same office. Money was given to the freemen, but the far greater amount was spent in giving them beer and tobacco on either side. It has been carried p. 388to a greater extent by the Gurneys than by any other persons. I have no doubt that the money was given for bribery.”
J. J. Gurney, Esq.; stated that the assertion as to bribery by the Gurneys was utterly false as to him; that he had never given a farthing for the purpose of bribery; nor had the firm done so; nor had they any loans; nor had their clerks been employed for such a purpose; had the deepest impression of the sin, guilt, and misery, involved in our local elections; and he would rather have his arm cut off than promote them directly, or in any way whatsoever. Not only had there been bribery, but a system of demoralization to a fearful extent; but treating was the root of the mischief here. He believed the root of the evil was the election of the magistrates and corporate officers by popular means.
The commissioners asked, What mode of election do you consider would be preferable? and Mr. J. J. Gurney replied:—
“I think that the magistrates, being the representatives of the king, ought to be appointed by the executive government; I mean those officers connected with the government of the town. The parties here are evenly balanced, and it therefore becomes a close contest. Nothing gives us rest but the predominance of one party. We are at rest now solely owing to the predominance of the Tory party.”
A good deal of evidence was given of the great extent to which the system of cooping was carried on at elections. Voters had been frequently taken away by force a dozen miles, locked up in public houses and half-starved in them, and otherwise ill-treated. This system was carried on by both parties. The worst p. 389proceedings of this sort seem to have occurred at the elections of Alderman Angell and Alderman Springfield, when there was a vast amount of bribery, treating, and cooping.
Mr. William Wilde, afterwards coroner, gave evidence as to the election of Alderman Springfield, in November, 1821. He was one of the committee for conducting that election. Mr. Ives, a retired clergyman of the Church of England, was the other candidate. The Northern ward was then two to one in favour of Springfield. About 440 to 240 would have been a fair poll if no money had been given. When the vacancy occurred, Mr. Springfield was not in Norwich. Mr. Wilde continued, “I sent for him express, and when he returned we heard from good authority that great sums had been offered by Ives’s party first. We generally sent out freemen to see how markets were going. Springfield was returned, though it was generally reported that Ives’s party meant to buy the ward. But Springfield said he would not be bought out. We went then into a regular system of buying, they buying all the men of ours they could, and we buying all of theirs we could. About £10 was a regular price. We spent £600 or £700 in buying votes. On the morning of the election, Mr. Ives’s party commenced by giving two sovereigns each at the polling place. Mr. Springfield paid his men the same. In consequence more than 300 out of 430 who voted for Springfield took two sovereigns at the booths. Persons draw a distinction between money paid at the booths, and a bribe at any other place. Many who take money at the booths will not accept bribes in any other shape. Springfield’s election cost £1530. The money at the booths is openly given, and it is not considered a crime to take it. I think about 60 or p. 39070 persons sold their votes at £10 apiece. Small shopkeepers are not a bit better than freemen. I have stood openly in the market to buy votes with money in my hand. This system is generally acted upon at all contested elections where the money can be found. Nothing but poverty of purse makes purity of election in Norwich. At Alderman Angell’s election the same system was followed. It is the same at ward elections. I have given £30 for a vote at an election for common council only for a year, but there are few instances of such a high price. I once gave the father of a nominee £20 for his vote. That sum is frequently given. I have known promissory notes given for votes. I do not recollect an instance of notes given by aldermen, but 1 have no doubt of the fact. The usual plan is for a person to say ‘My family wall not vote unless you give a turn at the hospital,’ and application is then made to an alderman. I think the effects of what I have been stating are most debasing and demoralising. I have known poor men who have for years withstood the temptations offered them at elections; and when once they have fallen into the snare, I have observed their conduct to alter, and they have been much changed. I am perfectly satisfied of the evil tendency of the course pursued hitherto, and in very few instances has the money given been any benefit to the freemen, but quite the contrary. The effect has been the same with both the giver and receiver of bribes. I should be sorry to bring up any of my children in the course which I have pursued.”
Commissioner Buckle then thanked Mr. Wilde for the very open and candid manner in which he had given his evidence.
Mr. John Rising Staff said that on Alderman Angell’s election, for two days and two nights previous the town was in a state of great disorder, occasioned by large p. 391parties of men employed by each party going about the streets molesting any persons whom they met of the opposite party, attacking freemen personally, and by improper intrusions into their dwelling houses or other places where they were supposed to be concealed. In some instances where they were in search for a voter, and could not find him at his own residence, they went into the residence of other persons, not in the ward where the election was to take place, to search for individuals. Witness gave several instances of cooping.
Alderman Bolingbroke also stated instances of cooping that came under his notice as a magistrate.
Mr. John Francis said, “I have been a manufacturer in Norwich many years, and I consider the acts of the corporation to have engendered every species of bribery and strife. Its patronage is invariably exercised in favour of political adherents. During the last ten years our commercial interests have materially suffered from it. It creates disunion between those gentlemen where friendship would otherwise exist. The local elections are pregnant with evil; they take men from their work, those who are not free as well as those who are free; and in case of a contest it is impossible to get any work done for six weeks after; and this in the spring time of the year when work is brisk and calls for close attendance. The consequence is that the masters suffer materially. I never engaged in bribery at elections, except at the late election for sheriff, when I bought a bunch of four in the market for £8; I also offered another man £5, but he wanted £10, which I thought too much. The numbers, however, were running close, and I went to buy him at that price, but I found that he had been settled for and voted. Therefore I saved £10.”
Mr. A. Barnard said, “At the election of Mr. Foster as p. 392sheriff, I bought about forty votes at from 30s. to £4 apiece. I know personally of no instances of bribery by an alderman. I have known instances of an alderman saying, ‘You may make use of my turn in the hospital to get a vote.’ I have known this five or six times. These promises were given by three aldermen. I decline to give their names. I have no objection to say they were Whigs. I have acted frequently as paymaster at elections. Aldermen have often subscribed for ward elections. Both parties are pretty much alike.”
George Palmer was examined very closely, and he stated that he had always voted in the Whig interest, and that he had received a note from Alderman Springfield for four shillings weekly till his brother’s child could be got into the hospital. The note was written and signed by a Mr. Batson in Mr. Springfield’s presence, and by his order. It was given to witness for his vote in favour of Mr. Foster at the election of sheriff in 1832. Witness had never been offered the hospital by any alderman on the other side.
A great deal more evidence was adduced as to notes of admission to the hospital given by both parties. The last part of the inquiry was the most important, relating as it did to the effect of local elections on the trade of the city.
J. J. Gurney, Esq., said, “I can assure the commissioners that they have no notion of the sin, guilt, wickedness, and poverty, which our local elections inflict upon this city. I wish to add an expression of my conviction, that if the election of magistrates and other officers was altered, the whole city would be benefitted, and no persons more so than the poor freemen. I was lately informed by a principal manufacturer, who has large dealings with the poor, that it p. 393was his firm conviction that one single ward election does more harm than all the preaching in all the churches and all the meeting houses in all the year does good; and I believe it to be true. I would observe that I make no distinction of parties; both, to my knowledge, are equally guilty; and whenever the managers find a purse, they fly to it as an eagle does to a carcase.”
Mr. H. Willett was of opinion that the local elections were an injury to the lower orders, notwithstanding the money they received. There was less work done on account of these elections. Party had a very injurious effect on the trade of the city. He thought Norwich suffered from carrying on trade in a different manner to that pursued in other towns. The trade had not paid in previous years, and capital was not employed because it did not pay. The trade was carried on upon such a system that there was no inducement to employ capital. An open rate of wages would cause capital to be more beneficially employed. A great deal of capital had been lost to the city. At that time there was less capital employed in this city than in any manufacturing town of its size in the kingdom. He thought the city had been brought into this state by a fixed rate of wages, and the trade had been gradually leaving the city for years. The fixed rate operated against the workmen, because it prevented their being employed regularly. In consequence of this small capitals were employed. The men thought they would be injured by a fluctuating scale, but he believed the contrary. While the country generally was never more flourishing, the city was never in a worse state. Manufacturers feared so much annoyance, that they would not risk altering the present system. Many influential men were of his opinion as to the fixed rate of wages, but dared not avow it, lest they should lose their p. 394political influence. He dared not adopt the varied rate. He did not choose to subject himself to the consequences. The weavers were the only operatives who had a fixed rate. He believed that a fixed rate was kept up by municipal elections, because the leading men were afraid of losing their influence. Most of the influential men were unconnected with manufactures. He believed politics to be the first consideration with all of them. He believed that the apprehension of violence deterred all the manufacturers from attempting to alter the fixed rate of wages; but wages were reduced, or else the whole trade would have left the city. This caused such a disturbance that he dared not go home. The civil power was not sufficiently strong at the time, and the Dragoons were called out to enable him to go home. His warehouse was attacked, and his windows were broken. The magistrates rendered all the assistance in their power, and measures were adopted to prevent any further injury. His premises were guarded by special constables for two or three weeks.
Mr. Wright, one of the largest manufacturers of the city, said he was attacked in consequence of his reducing wages. Vitriol was thrown on his face, by which he lost the sight of one of his eyes. A majority of the manufacturers considered a reduction of wages to be necessary, but some of them became alarmed and did not acknowledge it. The reduction prevented a further decrease of a declining trade. But for the reduction there would have been a greater decline of the trade. Formerly the trade was very flourishing when there was a fixed rate of wages, but that was when there was a great demand for Norwich crapes, then very much worn for mourning.
Mr. John Francis, a manufacturer, said he did not quite agree with Mr. Willett. He did not think a fixed p. 395scale of wages advisable; but they were not in a condition to alter it. He thought the alteration would create more strife between masters and men. He considered a fixed scale to be a disadvantage to the men, but it was not too high. He believed that the local elections prevented capital being employed, and disunited the people. But for these local elections there would have been more trade. Both parties had united in promoting one establishment, but six such mills would not supply all the yarns wanted for Norwich manufactures.
Mr. John Athow regarded the local elections as the cause of the ruin of the city, as far as such ruin had taken place; as ruinous both to property and morals. The mode in which the elections were then conducted had contributed to the poverty and depravity of the city. He believed that the streets were in a more disgraceful state than in any other town, from what he had seen, and from what he had heard from commercial men visiting Norwich.
Mr. R. M. Bacon, then editor of the Norwich Mercury, believed that the prosperity of the city and private intercourse were all poisoned by the party spirit engendered by frequent municipal elections.
Mr. J. W. Robberds, a manufacturer, connected with the corporation from 1807 till 1827, said that during that period he had seen the working of the municipal system, and witnessed the strife of parties. He believed that by the contests in the different wards the character of the whole population of the city had been greatly deteriorated; that a great depravity among the lower classes had been produced; and that the character of the whole corporation had been affected. He knew that individuals had entered the corporation, not from any consideration of public duty, but to serve their own private interests.
During the inquiry of the commissioners, evidence was taken as to the general election of the previous year.
Thomas Rust stated, “Mr. Grimmer, in order to induce me to vote for Stormont and Scarlett, offered to pay me £50 down, and to procure me £50 of the city money after Christmas. He promised distinctly to procure the city money. I have taken an active part at general elections. I believe there was great bribery at the last election for members of parliament. I do not think there was any bribery previous to the last election. I do not know any instance of it. I saw some bribery at the last general election. I was up two nights working for the party. I never had money offered to me at local elections, but I was offered £100 at the last general election to go out and buy votes. The proposition was made by two leading partizans of Stormont and Scarlett. One of the parties produced a large quantity of promissory notes. I told him that he was playing a dangerous game. The partizan said ‘Can’t I lend money to whom I like?’ I replied, ‘I think not; it depends on the conditions.’ The gentleman who made the proposition said, “This is the way we do business.” The proposers were not members of the corporation. They went away and called again. One of them pulled out a large bag of sovereigns, and said he would not only lend me £100, but give it to me to join the party, and to do what I could in the Northern ward. They declared more than once that they were determined to buy it. They were guardians of the poor. There was no distinction as to the voters to be bought; freemen as well as others.”
p. 397Henry Bush said, “Alderman Turner authorized me to give £6 to a voter, to vote for Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett, and said that was the most money they were then giving. I would not take the money as I said it was not enough.”
Mr. Alderman Turner declared on oath that the statement was false.
Mr. John Hayes said, “On the second day of the last general election, Mr. George Liddell gave me three sovereigns for my vote, but never told me in which interest I was to vote. Mr. Wortley, one of the common council, also gave me three sovereigns to vote in the interest of Stormont and Scarlett. I took the sovereigns but voted in the Whig interest, and carried the money to the committee and gave it to Mr. Beare and Mr. Springfield. It was returned to me in four months afterwards.”
Mr. Wortley denied the statement, but several persons were named who were present when Mr. Wortley paid the money.
Mr. Cozens was examined as to the evidence which had been given before the House of Commons’ committee by Mr. W. J. U. Browne, then sheriff, who when asked whether there was any committee for conducting the election of Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett, replied, “Certainly not;” and the manuscript was produced of a letter which appeared in the Mercury, in answer to one sent out by Mr. Robberds, in which Mr. Browne spoke of “the committee for conducting the election,” and signed himself as chairman.
Mr. J. Francis mentioned circumstances to prove that there was a committee, and produced a note.
Mr. William Cooper, deposed, “There was no formal committee. If anybody had asked him for a committee man, he could not have stated one. He should say the p. 398whole party formed the committee. He was active during the election, but he was not aware that he belonged to any committee.”
Commissioner Buckle:—“We have a letter in Mr. Browne’s own handwriting, in which he states that the committee was not dissolved, and he signs himself chairman.”
Mr. Cooper observed, “Mr. Browne has given his own explanation of that. I am not prepared to give any other interpretation to the circumstance. I have given my opinion and my belief as to the existence of the committee.”
Commissioner Long said, “I have no doubt, Mr. Cooper, you have spoken perfectly correct. At some elections there are committees, and at others it is thought better to avoid them.”
After the prolonged inquiry, a special meeting of the corporate body was held on January 9th, 1834, to determine what should be done in consequence of the course pursued by the commissioners. A great deal of virtuous indignation was expressed, and it was resolved—
“That it is the confirmed opinion of this assembly, that this corporation would have been perfectly justified in refusing their sanction to the attendance of their members and officers, and in declining to allow the production of their charters and muniments before the commissioners, considering themselves well advised in regarding the commission as an assumption of power contrary to law, and as an exercise of prerogative, totally at variance with those constitutional principles which, in defining the limits of regal authority, guarantee alike the public rights and the private of the subject.”
p. 399“That on these grounds, and influenced solely by a strong sense of duty, the assembly of the 15th November last, recorded their protest against a commission so dangerous in precedent, so menacing to the privileges of chartered institutions, and so hostile to the cause of civil liberty. Yet, at the same time, animated with reverential attachment to the king, unwilling to be deficient in proper respect towards functionaries acting in the sovereign’s name, and above all being unconscious of having, either in a corporate or magisterial capacity, done any act calculated to prejudice the interests of the city, or to bring discredit on themselves as a body, the assembly of the 15th November last, ordered that the town clerk and other officers should give the fullest documentary information for which the commissioners might think fit to call.”
“That this corporation not only by such order, but also by subsequently permitting oral evidence to be given by their members and officers, now feel themselves the more imperatively called upon to express their mingled sentiments of regret and disapproval at the course of examination pursued, an examination governed by no rules of evidence recognised in any English courts of law, but carried on in a manner irregular, vague, and arbitrary, precluding the slightest hope of arrival at such a conclusion as can possibly conduce to the ends of truth and justice, still less such as can prove congenial to the good feelings of any well-regulated, candid, and impartial mind.”
“That this assembly, considering that the great mass of information received by the commissioners, emanated from the most decided and unscrupulous partizans; that many of them were intimately connected with, and implicated in the transactions to which allusions were made; that those allusions involved charges against highly respected and p. 400honourable individuals, since deceased, whose representatives had no means of refuting the aspersions cast upon their memories; that many also of those who came forward as the most material witnesses to impugn the conduct and character of the corporate body, stand self-convicted as the active unblushing agents of gross corruption, and by their own admissions have proved themselves unworthy of credit—considering all these things, and looking moreover to the incontrovertible fact, that not one farthing of the corporate funds has been either appropriated to electioneering purposes or diverted from its originally destined and legitimate, object”—
“Do PROTEST against any report being made by the municipal commissioners respecting the corporation of Norwich, based on statements so utterly unfit to justify parliament in legislating on so important a subject, and do most respectfully towards the crown, but with firmness and fidelity to the obligation of their oaths as corporators, deem it their duty to resist every attempt to exact from them a surrender of the charters of the city and, therewith, of the rights and privileges of the freemen of Norwich.”
“That this assembly invite the various corporations throughout the kingdom to make common cause with them in endeavouring by every lawful and constitutional means of resistance to defeat any design that may be in contemplation for wresting from them their ancient charters, franchises, and liberties.”
A committee was appointed for this purpose, and to devise means for protecting the charters, rights, and privileges of the corporation. But all this opposition proved to be of no avail, and the Municipal Reform Act came into operation in 1835.
p. 4011835. In January, 1835, the number of registered voters was 4018. At the election in this month, the bribery oath was administered to every voter. Sir James Scarlett, who had represented the city in parliament from 1832 to 1834, on being made Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Abinger of Abinger, in the county of Surrey, and of the city of Norwich. He took for his motto, “Stat viribis suis,” and on application to the corporation, was permitted to use the two angels, supporters to the city arms, as supporters to his own.
On January 28th, the first conversazione of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum was held, and was well attended. On the 27th and 28th, a dinner was given to the electors who voted for the defeated candidates, Messrs. Harbord and Martin, at the late election. About 1000 dined on the first day.
March 23rd. A meeting of the hand-loom weavers was held in the Cellar House, at St. Martin’s at Oak, to petition the legislature to establish local boards of trade.
In April an alteration was made in the conveyance of letters to and from London, being transmitted by the Ipswich instead of the Newmarket Mail, by which means the citizens got their letters earlier. On the third of this month the mayor and corporation waited on Lord Abinger, at the lodgings of the judges, with an address of congratulation on his first visit to the city in his judicial capacity.
June 16th. William Moore, Esq., was sworn into office as mayor of the city. This was the last Guild p. 402day under the old corporation. It was celebrated with all the customary civic splendour. The Latin speech was delivered at the porch of the Free School by Master Chambers, son of John Chambers, Esq., of the Close, and he was presented with books to the value of £5 5s., as was also Master Norgate, the orator of the preceding year. At the dinner in St. Andrew’s Hall about 800 ladies and gentlemen sat down to a sumptuous repast.
July 14th. A meeting of the freemen was held in St. Andrew’s Hall to petition parliament to preserve to them and their children the privileges they had so long enjoyed, but they soon lost their exclusive privilege of voting for members of the corporation. The Municipal Reform Bill passed on September 8th, and received the royal assent on the following day. On Sunday, September 27th, the mayor and corporation attended divine service in the Cathedral for the last time under the old charters. The Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean (Dr. Pellew) preached the funeral sermon of the old corporation.
Michaelmas day this year passed over without the customary ceremony, owing to the new Municipal Act coming into force. From 1403 it had been customary to swear the sheriffs into office on that day, and for many years they had given inauguration dinners. Mr. Winter, the last speaker of the old corporation, was presented with a handsome piece of plate by that body on October 21st; and at a special assembly held on December 17th, a vote of thanks was passed to the mayor, William Moore, Esq. This p. 403was the very last meeting of the old corporation under the ancient charters of the city.
On December 26th, the day fixed by the Municipal Act, the first election of councillors took place under the new law.
1836. January 1st. T. O. Springfield, Esq., was chosen the first mayor of the new corporation. He had been a very active partizan in the Liberal interest. He was a member of the council nearly all his long life; his influence was very great in promoting the return of candidates of his own party. On the occasion of his going out of office, a dinner was given to him in St. Andrew’s Hall. About 600 sat down to a sumptuous banquet.
March 1st. The new police, eighteen in number, made their first appearance under Chief Constable Yarington.
On September 20th, 21st, and 22nd, the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, when the concerts were well attended, and realised a large sum for the charities.
December 1st. S. Bignold, Esq., was the chief promoter of the Norwich Yarn Company, which had a large capital, the whole of which was lost to the shareholders. On the occasion of laying the first stone of the yarn factory, the pageant in honour of “Bishop Blaize” was revived, on December 1st, 1836. The whole affair was cleverly got up, and admirably conducted. The procession having completed a tour of the city, returned to St. Edmund’s, p. 404whence they proceeded to the site of the new building, where S. Bignold, Esq., laid the first stone. This being done, the procession set out to St. Andrew’s Hall, where 900 persons, men, women, and children, sat down to an excellent dinner.
Queen Victoria was proclaimed here in the usual manner, on June 23rd, 1837, amid great rejoicing. On Thursday, August 17th, Dr. Stanley was enthroned in the Cathedral; he was the sixty-sixth bishop of the diocese, and the thirty-third since the reformation. After the installation about a hundred of the gentry, clergy, and laity dined at the Norfolk Hotel. This bishop was a great promoter of the education of the poor. An episcopal chapel was opened in Heigham on August 10th, and afterwards consecrated by the bishop under the name of “Trinity Chapel.” His lordship also consecrated the new church at Catton.
1838. January 3rd. A meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall to petition parliament to abolish the apprenticeship of negroes in the colonies. On the 5th the new district schools were opened in St. Augustine’s.
p. 406On July 11th, a very numerous meeting of the camlet weavers was held, for the purpose of resisting the proposed reduction of wages. About this time some differences existed between the men and their employers respecting wages. Col. Harvey was requested to mediate between them, and he did so, but without any good result. The city was much disturbed in consequence of these disagreements.
1839. On May 18th, a meeting was held at the Norfolk Hotel to consider a bill about to be presented to parliament for the improvement of the city, and to give the citizens an opportunity of objecting to any of its clauses. On June 19th this bill passed, but very little was done under it in the way of improvement. A great part of the city remained undrained, and the pavements continued in a bad state.
On August 16th, the Norfolk and Norwich Art Union opened their exhibition of pictures at the Bazaar in St. Andrew’s. About 400 pictures were exhibited, some of them of great merit.
About this time much excitement prevailed in the city respecting the designs of the Chartists, who, although they were not numerous, were considered dangerous, as they were known to possess arms, many guns and pikes having been taken from them by the police. On Sunday, August 18th, the Chartists attended divine service at the Cathedral, when the bishop made a spirited appeal to them. Many meetings of the Chartists were held, and exciting harangues were delivered, advocating the five points of the p. 407charter, including universal suffrage, and vote by ballot, which, some of their opponents said, meant “Universal suffering, and vote by bullet.”
1840. On February 10th, Queen Victoria’s wedding day was kept as a holiday, and addresses were adopted, to be presented to Her Majesty and Prince Albert. The poor of the various parishes were substantially regaled, and the citizens were admitted free to the pit and gallery of the theatre. On many subsequent occasions, on the birth of a prince or princess, the citizens have shown their loyalty by presenting addresses of congratulation.
On February 25th, a meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall to consider the necessity of a bill then before parliament, for “repealing and altering the existing paving acts,” and to oppose the same, if necessary: when a petition was adopted to be presented to the House of Commons, praying that the bill might not pass. The Marquis of Douro presented the petition.
On June 15th, at a meeting in the Guildhall, addresses of congratulation were agreed on, to be presented to the Queen and Prince Albert, on their happy escape from an attempt at assassination.
The first annual meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich Protestant Association was held on October 15th in St. Andrew’s Hall, when 2000 persons were present. Addresses were delivered advocating the Protestant cause. Subsequently many similar meetings were held in this city. The speakers always raised the cry p. 408of “no popery,” explaining that they meant, “No withholding of the bible from the people; no worshipping of God in a dead language; no bowing down before images as helps to devotion; no divine homage offered to a human being, though the mother of our Lord; no prayers to saints; no priests pretending to offer the sacrifice of Christ continually in the mass; no polluting confessional; no persecuting inquisition; no Jesuits with their hidden works of darkness; no licenses for doing evil that good may come; no absolution for the worst of crimes; no power of a priesthood over courts of law; no canon law to overrule the statutes of the realm; no cursing with bell, book, and candle; no enforced celibacy; no nunneries where women are buried alive; no convents for lazy, vicious monks; no masses for the dead; no fictitious purgatory; no power of priests to forgive sins,” &c., &c
1841. In June this year the census of the united kingdom was taken, and the result, as regarded this city, showed but a small increase of the population, the total number being 62,294, while in 1831 the number was 61,304. The number of hand-loom weavers had been greatly diminished by the competition of steam power. Many of them left the city, and others went into the boot and shoe trade, which had now become of some importance.
This year many political meetings were held in the city, of Tories, Whigs, Radicals, and Chartists. The prospect of a general election kept the city in a state of great excitement. The leaders of the two former p. 409parties tried to prevent a repetition of such scenes as had taken place, by a compromise, which was a most hateful thing to the freemen, and working men generally. When the election came on in June, Mr. Dover, a Chartist, nominated Mr. Eagle, a Chartist, of Suffolk, and afterwards, it was said, received a bribe of £50 to withdraw the nomination. In consequence of this, a riotous mob assembled in the Market Place, and Dover had to be protected by the police from their violence, for if they had got hold of him, they seemed as though they would have torn him in pieces. On the following day the mob having learned that Dover was at a public house in St. George’s Colegate, went there and dragged him thence, threatening to throw him into the river. He was much injured, and would probably have lost his life but for the timely arrival of the police.
1843. On August 9th, a dreadful storm of hail, rain, wind, and thunder, passed over the city and county, and did immense damage to property, especially to the growing crops. Parochial subscriptions were raised to the amount of £5,622, and private subscriptions £4,391, towards compensating the sufferers for their losses. An immense number of windows were broken by the hail in the city, and many places were flooded.
1844. This year the railway was opened between Yarmouth and Norwich, and in the next year the line was opened from Norwich to Brandon, simultaneously p. 410with the Eastern Counties line from London to Ely. This caused an entire change in the mode of travelling, and in the carrying trade of the district. All the old stage coaches were of course discontinued.
1846. About the year 1846, the high rates in Norwich became the subject of complaint and discussion. A good deal of alarm was excited in the city in consequence of a proposal of Sir Robert Peel, then prime minister, to alter the law of settlement, so that all persons who had resided five years in any place should have a permanent settlement there. As many families belonging to the county parishes were then resident in Norwich, it was feared that they would become chargeable to the city and be a permanent burden on the rate-payers. This apprehension proved to be well founded, for after the passing of the Poor Removal Act, hundreds of county families did become chargeable to the city, and have been so ever since.
Mr. G. Gedge, of Catton, instituted inquiries on the subject; and being a member of the court of guardians, often called attention to it. He was, in fact, the first in this city to advocate a general or national rate as the most effectual remedy for the evils of the then existing system of rating. He spared neither time, trouble, nor expense in promoting his views, which were generally approved by the more influential citizens. He employed Mr. Hutchinson, an eminent statist in London, on the recommendation of Mr. p. 411Wakley, to collect information respecting the gross inequalities of the system of rating all over England, and this information was published and circulated in a valuable work, from which nearly all the statistics on the subject have been derived and quoted by members of Parliament.
Mr. Gedge introduced the question of a national rate at many meetings of the court of guardians in 1846. He showed that the poor rates then collected annually amounted to about five millions. Nearly the same sum was raised by the property and income tax; and it followed that if only those were rated who paid the latter tax, the charge throughout England and Wales for the support of the poor would not amount to more than sevenpence in the pound. But including all the parties not then chargeable to the property and income tax, and who would be fairly liable to the poor rates, the annual rate would not amount to more than half that sum. This would be a most important difference to the great mass of the rate-payers, whose payments to the relief of the poor would be greatly diminished, whilst they would have the pleasure of knowing that the poor would be better cared for, and that those comforts which they had a right to expect, as producers of wealth, would be placed more immediately within their reach.
Mr. Gedge explained that, as all the parishes in the city were incorporated in regard to the relief of the poor, a general rate being raised from all those parishes for that purpose, his proposition was that this general mode of rating should be extended over the p. 412whole country, and that a general rate should be raised to be applied for the relief of the poor wherever they were located. He showed that if each parish in this city supported its own poor, the rating would be very unequal, and some of the richest parishes would pay least, while the poorest and more populous would pay most. To prevent this inequality, all the parishes had been incorporated. This had been found to be a great improvement, and it should be further extended. Many persons, fund-holders and others, living in lodgings, were exempted from poor rates. Many large establishments in Cheapside and the middle of London paid no poor rates, because the poor did not live in those localities. Many persons living in fashionable towns also escaped poor rates, for the same reason, while the industrious and the middle classes had to bear the burden. He therefore maintained that there should be a national rate.
Most of the members of the court of guardians concurred with these views, and ultimately a petition to Parliament was adopted in favour of a national rate. The petition was duly presented in the House of Commons.
On Wednesday, June 10th, 1846, an important meeting of the rate-payers of the city was held in the sessions court, at the Guildhall, to petition Parliament against the Poor Law Removal Act, which had been lately introduced into the House of Commons. The mayor, J. Betts, Esq., presided and opened the proceedings. Mr. S. Bignold, Mr. T. Brightwell, p. 413Mr. J. G. Johnson, Mr. E. Willett, Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith, Mr. Banks, Mr. Newbegin, Mr. Hardy, & Mr. G. Gedge, addressed the meeting in support of resolutions, and a petition was adopted against the proposed alteration in the Law of Settlement and the Poor Law Removal Bill. Mr. G. Gedge moved a resolution,—
“That this meeting is decidedly of opinion that the only effectual alteration of the law of settlement, by which free scope would be given to the labour of the people, would be to abolish the present law of settlement and rating, and to substitute a general national tax on real and personal property, and that a petition founded on this resolution be presented to the House of Commons.”
He showed the very injurious operation of the law then existing, and expressed his belief that a national rate, if obtained, would prove a great benefit to the city. Mr. Sheriff Colman seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously.
After this meeting, two petitions were presented to Parliament, from this city, in favour of a national rate; one from the court of guardians, and one from the citizens at large. These petitions, however, had no effect, and the Poor Law Removal Bill was passed into a law. The consequence was, that about 1500 families belonging to county parishes, who had lived five years in the city, obtained a settlement in it, and most of them soon applied for relief. This greatly increased the expenditure for the relief of the poor.
At the monthly meeting of the court of guardians, held on December 1st, 1846, Mr. G. Gedge moved a p. 414resolution of which he had given notice at the previous court, in respect to a national rate, and he urged the usual arguments in favour of that measure. He wished the support of the court to a petition to be presented to Parliament during the following session, for the total repeal of the mode of rating to the relief of the poor, then in operation, and the substitution of a national rate. He believed that public opinion was now fixed on this question, and that a national rate must come. A petition was adopted, nem con.
1847. A meeting of the city operatives was held on Wednesday, March 23rd, in St. Andrew’s Hall, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament to abolish the law of settlement then in operation, and to establish a national poor rate. The meeting was numerously attended by working men, who manifested a great interest in the question. Several of them delivered speeches against the law of settlement and in favour of a national rate, and a petition to Parliament was adopted. Mr. Gedge spoke at some length in favour of the measure, which he believed would be carried.
A public meeting of the citizens was held on December the 2nd, 1847, to consider the evils arising from the alteration of the law of settlement. The mayor (G. L. Coleman, Esq.) presided, and many influential gentlemen addressed the meeting in support of resolutions deprecating the alteration in the law, and in favour of a more equitable system than p. 415that in operation. Sir S. M. Peto, M.P. for the city expressed his concurrence, and the resolution was carried unanimously. Subsequently, several meetings were held in Norwich in favour of a national rate. During the same year, also, an association was formed in London, having the same object in view; and, eventually, the movement resulted in the passing of an Act of Parliament, by which a union poor rate was established in every county in England. This has proved to be a vast improvement of the old system, and a great advance in the direction of a national rate, but still the poor rate is levied on real property only. The most equitable system would be for every man to pay according to his ability, whether he be a landowner, a shipowner, a houseowner, a fund-holder, or an artisan.
Before the Removal Act passed, the Norwich guardians were quite aware of the effect it would have on the city. In order to prove that their apprehensions were well founded, they caused a census to be taken in the city and county of those paying a yearly rental of £6 and under, and an inquiry to be instituted as to the settlement of the tenants of those houses. They found, after a full investigation, that more than a third of the houses were occupied by persons not having a settlement in Norwich, but in other districts. The operation of the act was to throw the expense of the maintenance of such persons on the city, at an estimated cost of £5000 yearly. This was represented to the government, who paid no attention to it, and the Act passed nevertheless.
In the autumn of 1848, the Royal Agricultural Society of England held a meeting in this city. The exhibition of stock and implements took place in a large field near the Newmarket Road, and attracted thousands of visitors. The trials of implements took place on land near the city. Lectures were delivered by the Rev. E. Sidney and others at the Shirehall. The members of the Society and their friends dined together on two occasions, in St. Andrew’s Hall. Addresses were delivered by Professor Sedgwick and other eminent men on various subjects. S. Bignold, Esq., was mayor during this year.
Late on the night of November 28th, 1848, the city was startled by the intelligence of the murder of Isaac Jermy, Esq., the Recorder of Norwich, and his son. His son’s wife (Mrs. Jermy Jermy), and her servant, Eliza Chastney, were also fired at and wounded by the same murderous hand. The first p. 417news of these murders and attempted murders excited universal horror. They appeared to be so inhuman and atrocious, that public feeling was wrought up to the highest pitch; and all the reports published in the local and metropolitan journals were read with the greatest avidity. James Blomfield Rush, a farmer, well known in Norfolk, and a tenant under Mr. Jermy, was at once suspected and apprehended. He was examined before the magistrates, committed, tried, found guilty, and executed. We give a short account of this terrible tragedy.
Mr. Jermy, with his wife and family, lived at a mansion called Stanfield Hall, about two miles distant from Wymondham, and Rush lived at a neighbouring farm house, known as Potash Farm. The Preston family, of which the recorder was a descendant, originally came from the village of Preston, in the hundred of Babergh, Suffolk, and settled at Beeston St. Lawrence, in the hundred of Tunstead, in Norfolk. In 1837, the Rev. G. Preston died, leaving his son, the recorder, heir to Stanfield and his other entailed property. The recorder, previous to his father’s death, was called Mr. Preston; but soon after that event, he took the necessary steps for complying with the stipulation in the will of Mr. Wm. Jermy, from whom the property had descended, that the possessor of the estate should assume his name and arms, and accordingly he took the name and arms of Jermy by license from the crown. He was a county magistrate and one of the chairmen at quarter sessions, recorder for Norwich, and a director of the Norwich Union p. 418Insurance Office. Indeed, he had been all his life closely connected with the city.
There had been some disputes relative to the Stanfield property. It was said that one of the male relatives of William Jermy had disposed of his reversionary interest in these estates for the trifling consideration of £20. This occurred in the year 1754. In June 1838, when the Rev. George Pearson’s furniture and library at Stanfield Hall were advertised for sale, a person named Thomas Jermy, a grandson of John Jermy, with a cousin of his, named John Larner, put in a claim to the estate, and served notices both upon Mr. Jermy and the auctioneer to stop the sale. Larner then attempted to obtain possession of the hall, but was shortly afterwards ejected by Rush, (who was then acting as bailiff for Mr. Jermy,) with a party of labourers. Larner then cut down some timber and carted it away; and he and his party were apprehended for the offence, but he himself was acquitted, though his accomplices were convicted in penalties. Shortly afterwards placards were posted in the neighbourhood, stating their intention to obtain forcible possession. This they attempted to do, but they were apprehended and committed to the assizes. They pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to various periods of imprisonment.
Rush, being aware of all these circumstances, may have thought that he could perpetrate the murder in disguise, and that suspicion would rest on those who claimed the estate. It was stated and believed that he was a near relation to the recorder, who, when he p. 419came into possession of his estates, employed Rush as his steward, but rescinded his leases, having found that they were illegal. This created the first ill feeling between the parties. The recorder granted new leases to Rush, but, as the latter alleged, at higher rent. Rush soon afterwards took the Potash Farm in Hethel, under Mr. Calver; this farm adjoining the Stanfield estate, and being very convenient for his occupation. It being for sale, Mr. Jermy wished to become the purchaser, and he authorised Rush, who fixed the value at £3,500, to buy it for him. Rush attended the sale, and having bid £3,500 for Mr. Jermy, bade £3,750 for himself. The recorder, though much annoyed by this transaction at first, was induced to lend Rush the money, on mortgage, to complete the purchase. The equity of redemption, or the ownership, therefore belonged to him. A number of mortgage deeds were executed, the last of which was dated September 28th, 1844, and it recited several prior mortgages.
The effect of it was, that a sum of £5000 in all was charged upon the estate, by way of mortgage, in favour of the recorder, and it contained a provision that the money was to remain on the security of that estate until the 30th November, 1848. The interest on the £5000 was 4 per cent. or £200 per annum, and Rush became tenant so as to enable the recorder to distrain for rent. Rush now held three farms, and in October, 1847, he was in arrear of rent for the Stanfield farm, and the recorder put in some distresses. Rush being ejected went to live at Potash farm house. p. 420Mr. Jermy also brought an action against Rush for breach of covenants. This action was tried at the March assizes, 1848, and it, as well as the previous distresses, seemed to have occasioned rancourous feelings in Rush’s mind towards Mr. Jermy. He published a pamphlet which professed to be a report of the trial, calling Mr. Jermy a villain, and stating that he had no right to Stanfield Hall. This showed that Rush cherished malignant feelings towards his victim.
Rush appears to have for some time premeditated the murder of Mr. Jermy and his whole family; and he ultimately resolved to carry out a deep-laid scheme, both of murder and robbery. He got a young woman named Emily Sandford into his service as governess, and seduced her. He then employed her to draw up some quasi legal documents, as she could write like a lawyer’s clerk. According to one of these documents, signed “Isaac Jermy,” that gentleman gave up all claim on Rush, if the latter gave up all papers and documents relating to the Stanfield estate. The signature was of course forged. After the murder these documents were found concealed under the floor of a bed-room in Rush’s house, ready to be produced had he escaped suspicion.
Rush’s conduct before the murders had been observed. He had taken every precaution to throw off suspicion. During the latter part of November, he had been in the habit of going out at night, pretending to be on the look-out for poachers. He ordered a quantity of straw to be littered down from his homestead to the fields towards Stanfield Hall. p. 421A portion of the path which had never before been littered with straw, was then littered by his direction, and the straw ceased where the green sward began, so that he could walk from his house towards the recorder’s mansion, without any danger of his footsteps being traced. Before November 28th, he had caused everybody to leave his house except Emily Sandford and a lad named Savory. On that day he returned home about 5 p.m., and asked when the dinner would be ready. Emily Sandford said it would be ready soon, upon which he remarked, “There is just time for me to go into the garden and fire off my gun;” and he went into the garden and discharged his gun accordingly. This was intended to account for his gun having been recently used. He had bought a double-barrelled gun in London the last time he was there. After tea he appeared to be extremely agitated. He went up-stairs to his bedroom and put on a disguise; one part of which was for the whole person, being in fact a widow’s dress, which was quite new. Another part was a black crape bonnet with a double frill hanging by it; and the frill rendered it difficult for any one to discern the wearer’s features. He enveloped himself with a large cloak, armed himself with his double-barrelled gun, and went out to do his work of murder between seven and eight o’clock. Nobody saw him leave the house. The night was dark and windy and well suited for the deeds of an assassin.
Soon after eight o’clock, the recorder’s dinner being over, he was sitting alone in the dining-room, little p. 422dreaming of the doom that awaited him and his son. His son and his son’s wife, who had retired to the drawing-room, were about to partake of tea and to amuse themselves with a game of picquet, the cards being on the table. Mr. Jermy was in the habit of going outside the hall after dinner, and on this evening he left the dining-room and walked to a porch in front of the mansion. Rush, who knew the recorder’s habits and expected him to come out, was standing near the porch in disguise holding his loaded gun in his hand. As soon as Mr. Jermy reached the porch, Rush presented his gun, fired, and shot him through the heart. He fell backwards, groaned, and instantly expired. Rush immediately ran to the side door, entered, and proceeded along the passages leading to the staircase hall. He passed close to the butler, who, affrighted at the appearance of an armed man in disguise, retired to his pantry. Rush passed on to the door opening into the staircase hall. Mr. Jermy, jun., who had heard the report of a gun, opened the door at that very moment. They met; Rush drew back, presented the gun, and fired; and young Mr. Jermy fell dead in the hall. The assassin then passed on into the dining-room, no doubt with the intention of exterminating the whole family. Mrs. Jermy, still in the drawing-room, on hearing the second report, immediately went into the hall, and passed over the dead body of her husband. Eliza Chastney, one of the female servants, on hearing her mistress screaming for help, ran up to her, and holding her by the waist cried out, “My dear mistress, what is the matter?” p. 423At this moment, Rush came out of the dining-room, and seeing the two women opposite to him, levelled his weapon and fired twice, wounding Mrs. Jermy in the arm and her servant in the leg. The murderer then made his escape by the side door, leaving death, misery, and woe behind him. He did not escape, however, before some of the servants had made their observations of him. Eliza Chastney had marked the man, and she afterwards identified him at the trial. Strange to say, several persons were standing at the gate close to the bridge, heard the reports of a gun, and heard the alarm bell ringing, but did not imagine that anything serious had happened. Some people are so stolid that an earthquake would scarcely arouse them. A man who had been employed in the stables, hearing the reports, thought that the hall was attacked by a band of ruffians, went to the back, swam over the moat which surrounds the hall, and ran to the house of a neighbouring farmer (Mr. Colman), and having obtained a horse rode to Wymondham, spreading the alarm as he went.
In the meantime, the scene at Stanfield Hall was one of utter dismay. The cook had fled to the coach house with little Miss Jermy, the daughter of Mr. Jermy, jun. The cowardly butler, who might have seized the assassin in the passage, rushed to Mr. Gower’s, another farmer, for assistance. The maid servants conveyed their wounded mistress upstairs to bed. Eliza Chastney was lying wounded on the ground; Mr. Jermy, sen., was lying dead in the porch, everybody being then uncertain as to his p. 424fate; and Mr. Jermy, jun., was lying dead in the hall. Mr. Colman, Mr. Gower, and Mr. Gower’s two sons, having received some vague information, had hurried to the hall, and were the first who discovered what had happened. The servants were all panic-stricken.
What was the conduct of the assassin after the murders? Emily Sandford, whom he had seduced, though at first she told a false story, revealed it all in the course of the inquest and the examinations before the magistrates. Between nine and ten o’clock on that same night, Rush’s knock was heard at his own door. Emily Sandford went to the door to open it, but without a light, and she did not see him come in. He went upstairs to his own room, put off his disguise which was found there by the police, and in a short time came down again without his boots and coat. He told Emily Sandford to make haste and put out her fire and go to bed; and before he left her he said, “If any inquiry is made about me, say I was not out more than ten minutes.” She followed, after she had put out the fire, and asked him where she should sleep. He told her that she was to sleep in her own room; that being the first night she had done so for a long time. She went to bed, and between two and three o’clock in the morning Rush, who had heard voices outside, rapped at the door of her room and desired her to let him in; and she did so. He came trembling to her bedside and said, “Now you be firm, and remember that I was out only ten minutes.” She was extremely agitated and inquired what was the matter; but he would only tell her that p. 425she might hear of something in the morning. Taking hold of his hand she observed that he trembled violently. Next morning the police, who had watched the house all night, apprehended him, and on the same day he was examined before the magistrates. Emily Sandford also underwent a lengthened examination, and persisted in stating that Rush was out only a quarter of an hour on the previous night; but at the inquest subsequently held by Mr. Press at Wymondham, she confessed that her first statement was false, admitting that Rush did not return home till after nine o’clock, and that he told her to say he had been out only ten minutes. She also gave evidence as to all that passed between her and Rush that night, as already related.
On the morning after the murder the police searched Potash farm house, and found two double-barrelled guns in the closet in Rush’s bed-room, but these were not the weapons he used. The gun he had used was afterwards found under a manure heap. In the house the police found a black dress, a grey and black frontlet, female wig, and a long black veil, as for a female head-dress. These were hidden in a closet in Rush’s bed-room. Concealed under the floor of a closet a number of documents were also found, which turned out to be the forged deeds before alluded to. These formed an extraordinary link in the case, and after repeated examinations the prisoner was committed to the assizes for trial. The bodies of his victims were consigned to their last resting place at Wymondham on December 5th, in the presence of a vast concourse of spectators.
p. 426The trial of Rush excited universal interest all over England, Scotland, and Ireland. It commenced at the Shirehall, Norwich, on Thursday, March 29th, 1849, before Baron Rolfe. It continued six days, and each day the court was crowded to excess. He was not defended by counsel. Mr. Sergeant Byles stated the case for the prosecution, and then called a number of witnesses who clearly proved the facts. Having in the preceding part of this narrative stated all the particulars, it is unnecessary to give the evidence. The documents which were found in a secret place under the floor of the bed-room closet in the prisoner’s house were produced, and several of them were proved to be forgeries, which, if carried into effect after the recorder’s death, would have placed the prisoner in a very good position with respect to the farms which he occupied, and would have rid him of all his liabilities. A powerful motive for the commission of the murders was therefore apparent. The servants at the hall, who had seen the disguised armed man there, all deposed that they believed the prisoner to be the man, as they had known him before, and as they had recognised him by his height, form, walk, and gait. Eliza Chastney, who had been severely wounded by the assassin, was brought into court on a couch, attended by medical men. When asked if she saw the assassin in court, she pointed to Rush and said, “That is the man.” She had seen him several times at the hall. When he fired at her, she saw the whole form of his head and shoulders, and she knew no one else having a similar appearance. Emily Sandford p. 427entered the box apparently in a weak state. She was examined at great length, and she stated with much clearness all that had passed between her and Rush and other parties in reference to the documents produced. She also gave a full account of the prisoner’s conduct on the night of the 28th, as already narrated.
When the prisoner commenced his cross-examination of this witness there was a profound silence in the court, all present being anxious to know how he would treat the unfortunate female whom he had seduced, and who had given evidence against him. He appeared to be under the influence of strong emotion, so much so as at times, as to stifle his utterance; and he was frequently on the verge of bursting into tears, yet he mastered his feelings, and put his questions mildly in an assumed endearing manner, trying to rouse any affection that she might have left for him. She gave her answers in a low tone, and sometimes weeping, which excited the pity of the spectators. Nearly all the questions put by the prisoner were irrelevant to her evidence in chief, but not all the blandishments and frequent adjurations of the questioner could elicit answers to suit his purpose. At length he put questions which roused her indignation, and she reproached him for his perfidy in not marrying her as he promised. If he had done so, she could not have given evidence against him. Four days were occupied with the case for the prosecution. On the fifth day the prisoner commenced his defence, and he spoke on that and the following day fourteen hours without making any impression whatever in his p. 428favour. He began by admitting a guilty knowledge that something was about to take place in the hall on that night. He said parties had consulted him as to the expediency of taking forcible possession of the hall, as had been done some years before. He advised them not to do so, but still he apprehended that something serious would happen. He left his house at eight or half-past eight o’clock on the night of the murders, and he went to the boundary of his own land. When he got to the fence leading to the hall, he waited a few minutes and thought he would go back as he felt ill, but at that moment he heard the report of a gun or pistol in a direct line from the hall. He then heard two more, and was struck with amazement, as the parties to whom he alluded had always said, if they took firearms it would only be to intimidate, not to use them. He then heard the bell rung violently, and he hastened back to his house as quickly as he could, and he went through the garden into the house. Having given this account of himself on that night, he proceeded to comment on the evidence with a view to show contradictions.
Mr. Sergeant Byles replied, showing that the prisoner had only strengthened the case against him.
The learned judge summed up in a lucid manner, the jury soon returned a verdict of guilty of wilful murder, the prisoner was sentenced to be hung, and the dread sentence was executed on the bridge in front of Norwich Castle on the morning of Saturday, April 21st, in the presence of many thousands of spectators. The unhappy man remained impenitent to the last.
About this time the two parties in the council became nearly equal in numbers, and the Liberals found a difficulty in selecting a mayor and sheriff every year from their own party. They accordingly proposed that each party should nominate a mayor and sheriff alternately. In 1848 S. Bignold, Esq., was nominated a second time, and elected unanimously to serve the office of mayor. From that time to the present the chief magistrate and the sheriff have been selected from each party alternately. This has also led to the members of the various committees being selected so as to represent all parties fairly, and the former exclusive system has been discontinued.
1850. In 1850, in consequence of a memorial to the General Board of Health, established under the (1848) Public Health Act, Mr. Lee, a civil engineer and government inspector, came to Norwich and commenced an inquiry respecting the sanitary state of the city. The inquiry lasted a fortnight, and Mr. Lee p. 430heard evidence given by all the officials and other parties. He afterwards prepared a very elaborate report, showing that the supply of water was insufficient, that the drainage was defective, and that many causes of preventible disease existed. He advised the application of the Public Health Act, which was ultimately done. A company had been previously formed with a large capital, and had constructed works for the supply of water from the river Wensum to all parts of the city. The abundant supply of pure water proved very beneficial to the health of the inhabitants, and entirely relieved the Local Board of Health from all trouble on that point, and they had only to contract for the supply of water to water the roads and streets during the summer months.
In January of this year Jenny Lind gave two concerts in St. Andrew’s Hall, which was quite filled, at high prices, by fashionable audiences, more than 2000 being present at each concert. The proceeds, amounting to £1253, were generously given by the celebrated songstress for the foundation of the Jenny Lind Infirmary for Children in Pottergate Street. It was established in 1853, and visited by the Queen of Song in 1856, when she was so much pleased with the management that she added £50 to her former gifts.
1851. The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was opened in May, attracted thousands of the citizens to London, where many of them spent weeks in viewing the wonders at the Crystal Palace. Norwich manufacturers sent many specimens of their shawls and p. 431textile fabrics. Amongst the exhibitors were Messrs C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones; Messrs. Middleton and Answorth; Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen; Messrs. Willett and Nephew; Messrs. Clabburn, Sons, and Crisp; and Messrs. Grout and Co.; all of whose productions were much admired and commended. A very large number of our operatives were conveyed by special train free to London to see the Exhibition, where they had an opportunity of inspecting the best productions of art of the whole world. This wonderful exhibition was supposed to be the harbinger of universal peace, but it was soon followed by the Russian war, which greatly depressed the trade of the city and of the whole country. It cost about a hundred millions of money, destroyed thousands of brave soldiers, and spread a general gloom over the minds of men. It ended in the fall of Sebastopol, and the triumph of the allied armies. Russian aggression was stopped for a time; but was the rotten Turkish empire worth the waste of men and money?
The census, which was taken in this year, showed that the population of Norwich had increased to 68,713 persons who were in a comparatively prosperous condition, for trade was good and provisions were cheap.
1853. On November 1st, S. Bignold, Esq., was elected mayor of Norwich for the third time, and he filled the office with great approbation throughout the year. He lent the money required in the first instance for the new building erected for the Free Library and p. 432the School of Art, and which afforded additional accommodation for the Museum and Literary Institution.
1854. At a meeting of the corporation held on May 4th, the mayor, S. Bignold, Esq., in the chair, he announced that Her Majesty had been graciously pleased on the previous day to confer the honour of knighthood upon him, on the occasion of his presenting the addresses, voted by the council on the 20th of April last, pledging their loyalty to the Queen when Her Majesty declared war against Russia. It was thereupon resolved unanimously, on the motion of A. A. H. Beckwith, Esq.
“That this council beg to offer their hearty congratulations to Sir S. Bignold, the mayor of Norwich, on his accession to the dignity which Her Majesty has graciously bestowed upon him, and wish him many years to enjoy the honour so worthily conferred.”
1856. The New Cemetery was opened by the Board of Health, and the east side of it was consecrated by the bishop. The other side was assigned to the Nonconformists. Since then about 20,000 bodies have been interred in the spacious area of thirty-five acres next the Earlham Road. The grounds have been well laid out and planted with trees and shrubs.
1857. The Yare Preservation and Anglers’ Society was founded, for the improvement of the angling in the rivers Wensum and Yare. This society has done p. 433good service for the lovers of angling on the two rivers, which formerly abounded with fish near Norwich. But on account of the pollution of the stream, anglers are obliged to go down as far as Coldham Hall or Cantley to fish with any prospect of success.
The Russian war having been brought to a close, peace was celebrated here with great rejoicings and illuminations. Major General Windham, “the hero of the Redan,” visited the city, and a grand banquet was given to him in St. Andrew’s Hall, where he delivered an eloquent address on the events of the war and its successful termination.
In August the annual congress of the British Archæological Association met in Norwich. Meetings were held in the Guildhall, St. Andrew’s Hall, the Public Library, and other buildings. Addresses were delivered by Professor Willis, Mr. Britton, and many other gentlemen. The members and friends visited the Cathedral, where Professor Willis gave a description of the edifice. They also made excursions to Ely, Dereham, Binham, Walsingham, and other places of interest. On their return to Norwich they dined together at the Swan Inn.
1858. The Local Government Act came into operation, and gave the corporation full power to carry out all necessary improvements.
1859. On November 19th, the Norwich Battalion of Volunteers was formally enrolled, 300 strong, in p. 434three companies, under the command of Colonel Brett, a highly-esteemed officer. The other officers were, Capt. Middleton of the first company, Capt. H. S. Patteson of the second company, and Captain Hay Gurney of the third company. The force gradually increased in number till the battalion became 530 strong, in six companies. Colonel Brett resigned on account of ill health, and Colonel Black was appointed to the chief command; next to him Major Patteson; Capt. Henry Morgan first company, Capt. John Steward second, Capt. Peter Hansell third, Capt. Charles Foster fourth, Capt. J. B. Morgan fifth, Capt. E. Field sixth; Lieut. H. Pulley, Quarter Master; John Friar Clarke, Quarter Master Sergeant; T. W. Crosse, Surgeon; Rev. F. Meyrick, Chaplain. The corporation subsequently granted a piece of land at the north-west corner of Chapel Field, and a company of shareholders built the Drill Hall for the use of the members of the corps, which has the reputation of being very efficient.
1861. A meeting was held on January 10th to consider the best means of relieving the distress which had for some time prevailed, owing to the depression of trade; and within a month, more than £4,000 were raised for the relief of the poor. Since then the weavers have gradually found employment in some other branches of industry, especially the boot and shoe manufacture, which has greatly increased. Hundreds of operatives are also employed in iron manufactures, and in making machines for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
p. 435This year a census of the population was taken, showing a great increase, the total number being 74,891 persons, viz., males, 33,863; females, 41,028. Inhabited houses, 17,112; uninhabited houses, 739; building, 103.
The parishes within the city, together with their respective population in 1861 and their real property in 1860, were as follows:—
All Saints |
667 |
£2,280 |
St. Andrew |
978 |
7,828 |
St. Augustine |
1,890 |
4,281 |
St. Benedict |
1,381 |
1,869 |
St. Clement |
3,961 |
7,554 |
Earlham |
195 |
1,845 |
Eaton St. Andrew |
930 |
8,759 |
St. Edmund |
753 |
1,706 |
St. Etheldred |
614 |
1,559 |
St. George Colegate |
1,607 |
4,983 |
St. George Tombland |
687 |
4,865 |
St. Giles |
1,586 |
6,391 |
St. Gregory |
934 |
4,936 |
Heigham |
13,894 |
36,799 |
St. Helen |
507 |
901 |
St. James |
3,408 |
5,384 |
St. John’s Maddermarket |
537 |
4,959 |
St. John Sepulchre |
2,219 |
4,452 |
St. John Timberhill |
1,302 |
2,496 |
St. Julian |
1,361 |
3,142 |
Lakenham |
4,866 |
15,745 |
St. Lawrence |
877 |
2,421 |
St. Margaret |
664 |
1,608 |
St. Martin at Oak |
2,546 |
3,789 |
1,085 |
3,267 |
|
St. Mary Coslany |
1,498 |
3,081 |
St. Mary in the Marsh |
451 |
4,289 |
St. Michael Coslany |
1,365 |
3,052 |
St. Michael at Plea |
379 |
3,504 |
St. Michael at Thorn |
2,121 |
4,617 |
St. Paul |
2,907 |
4,391 |
St. Peter Hungate |
399 |
1,105 |
St. Peter Mancroft |
2,575 |
22,615 |
St. Peter Mountergate |
2,868 |
7,567 |
St. Peter Southgate |
457 |
3,337 |
St. Saviour |
1,532 |
3,805 |
St. Simon and St. Jude |
283 |
1,221 |
St. Stephen |
4,191 |
15,321 |
St. Swithin |
699 |
2,174 |
There are also within the city jurisdiction the hamlet of Hellesdon, population 393, belonging to Hellesdon parish; Thorpe hamlet, population 2,388, belonging to the parish of Thorpe St. Andrew; Trowse Millgate, Carrow, and Bracondale, population 687, belonging to Trowse parish; population 249, extra parochial. The population in 1861 and the real property in 1860 of all Hellesdon were 496, £3,376; of all Thorpe St. Andrew 3,841, £9,003; of all Trowse, 1,404, £3,534.
1862. In 1862 the Great Exhibition in London afforded some of our city manufacturers another opportunity of exhibiting their productions, and making known the skill of our artisans. Messrs. Clabburn, Son, and Crisp won the gold medal for their superfine fillover shawls, which are made by a patented process, so as to display a perfect design on each side. Messrs. C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones gained a medal for p. 437their poplins and poplinettes. The shawls of Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen obtained honourable mention. So much for what are usually regarded as the staple products of Norwich. But Norwich won for itself the admiration of the world in some other matters. Messrs. Barnard and Bishop, for instance, were spoken of far and wide for their splendid park gates in ornamental wrought iron, which were subsequently purchased and presented to the Prince of Wales, and now adorn one of the entrances to His Royal Highness’s park at Sandringham. Of course also Messrs. Colman took high prizes for their world-renowned mustard and starch—the medal given them for mustard being the only medal granted in the United Kingdom for this article of commerce. As publishers, Messrs. Jarrold and Sons received honourable mention for their educational works, and publications of high moral excellence.
1863. H. S. Patteson, Esq., was mayor in 1863, when on March 10th the citizens again displayed their enthusiastic loyalty by processions, illuminations, balls, &c., on the occasion of the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses have made themselves very popular in this county, by living part of the year at Sandringham, and participating in all the festivities and amusements of the gentry and inhabitants. On the occasion of the marriage of their Royal Highnesses, seven of the principal manufacturing firms presented, through the corporation to the Princess Alexandra, specimens of p. 438the elegant fabrics for which Norwich has so long been famous.
In this year the Court of Guardians of this city obtained a new act of parliament for an improved management of the poor, and repealing all former acts. Under the new act the present Board of Guardians is constituted with a reduced number of guardians, and the whole management is more in accordance with the New Poor Law system. Norwich is now a union of parishes, divided into districts, each having medical attendants. By this new act all former acts, including the Norwich Small Tenements Act of 1847, were repealed, and the city was brought under the operation of the General Poor Law, and all other statute and laws from time to time in force with respect to the poor in England. The union is now divided into sixteen districts, viz.:—
1. St. Peter Mountergate, St. George of Tombland.
2. St. Mary in the Marsh, St. Martin at Palace, St. Helen, St. Michael at Plea.
3. St. Peter Hungate, St. Simon and Jude, St. Andrew.
4. St. John Maddermarket, St. Gregory, St. Lawrence.
5. St. Margaret, St. Swithin, St. Benedict, St. Giles.
6. South Heigham. 7. North Heigham.
8. St. Peter Mancroft.
9. St. Stephen and the Town Close.
p. 43910. Eaton, Earlham, and Hellesdon.
11. St. John Sepulchre, St. Michael at Thorn, St. John Timberhill, and All Saints.
12. Trowse, Carrow, Bracondale, St. Peter Southgate, St. Julian, and St. Etheldred.
13. Lakenham.
14. Thorpe, Pockthorpe, St. Paul, and St. James.
15. St. Saviour, St. Clement, St. Edmund, St. George.
16. St. Michael at Coslany, St. Mary at Coslany, St. Martin at Oak, St. Augustine.
The board consists of forty-two guardians, elected for the sixteen districts as follows:—
For each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, eleventh, and twelfth districts, two guardians; for each of the sixth, seventh, ninth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and sixteenth districts, three guardians; for the eighth district five guardians. For the purpose of this act with respect to the limits of the palace of the bishop of Norwich, the same are deemed to be locally situated within the parish of St. Mary in the Marsh.
The following are the qualifications for voting in the election of guardians:—
A. Occupiers of rateable property who respectively are rated in respect thereof on a gross assessment of ten pounds and upwards.
B. Owners of rateable property, who respectively are rated in respect thereof on a net assessment of ten pounds or upwards. Provided, that where two or more persons are jointly rated, one only of them shall be entitled to vote, and p. 440in every case the rating shall have been in the last two rates, each made at least two months before the day of election, and in respect of property in the district in which the person votes, and the rates shall have been paid at least fourteen days before the day of election.
At every election of guardians the rate-payers voting have votes in accordance with the following scale:—
A. If rated at £10 and under £25, one vote.
B. If rated at £25 and under £50, two votes.
C. If rated at £50 and under £75, three votes.
D. If rated at £75 and under £100, four votes.
E. If rated at £100 and under £150, five votes.
F. If rated at £150 or upwards, six votes.
And no rate-payer at any election of guardians for any one and the same district have more than six votes.
All the compounding provisions of the act were abolished by the Reform Act of 1867.
The old court of guardians had the management of lunatic paupers, who were maintained in an asylum in St. Augustine’s. Great care appears to have been taken of them, and many of them were cured, more in proportion than in any other town. Nevertheless, the lunacy commissioners who visited the asylum reported that the place was unhealthy and unfit for lunatics, and recommended, or rather demanded that a new asylum should be built in a more healthy situation. This the old court of guardians considered to be quite unnecessary, and the whole matter was transferred to the council under the Lunatic Asylums p. 441Act of 1853, that body having the option of taking the matter in hand. The council, already over-loaded with municipal business, Board of Health business, drainage, paving, lighting, watering the roads, &c., actually undertook the management of the lunatic paupers, in 1863. After many discussions a majority of the members decided that a new asylum was unnecessary, and refused to build one. The Lunacy Commissioners, however, made a strong report to the Secretary of State on the subject, who sent down an order to the council to build an asylum. Since then land has been purchased for its site, which is likely to cost from £30,000 to £40,000!
1864. In 1864 the operatives made a very laudable effort to improve their depressed condition by establishing an “Industrial Weavers’ Co-operative Society,” and held many meetings to promote that object. The Rev. C. Caldwell, and other gentlemen, advocated their cause. The society was supported by donations, and J. H. Gurney, Esq., advanced a sum which had been left by his father for the benefit of the weavers, the principal with interest amounting to £1100.
1865. The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture was instituted, and frequent meetings of the members have been held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich. The objects of the chamber are to watch over all measures affecting agriculture both in and out of parliament, to co-operate with the General Chamber thereon, and to p. 442take such action as may be for the benefit of agriculturists. At the meetings of the members interesting questions have been discussed, and C. S. Read, Esq., M.P. for East Norfolk, has generally presided, and given much valuable information.
The most important event in this diocese of late years was the holding of a Church Congress in Norwich. A preliminary meeting to consider the proposal was held in the Clerical Rooms on Saturday, December 10th, 1864. When this was announced there was no little apprehension in Low Church circles, but the proposal was approved by most of the clergy, and they requested the Lord Bishop to preside over the Congress, which was held in October, 1865. After some delay his lordship reluctantly consented, and never before was there such a gathering of clergy in the city. St. Andrew’s Hall was filled every day for a week in October, 1865. High churchmen throughout the country made it a point of duty to attend the congress; and the proceedings at the daily meetings were of a very interesting character to churchmen generally. Addresses were delivered every day on very important subjects; and the bible history was ably vindicated against the objections of geologists and freethinkers. The church as an establishment was well defended by her champions. Three local newspapers were published daily, containing full reports of the proceedings. Dr. Pusey read a discourse of great interest in defence of the Old Testament narratives.
In November the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled from their seat at Sandringham to Cossey on a visit to Lord and Lady Stafford, who entertained their Royal Highnesses in a princely style. Their Royal Highnesses, during their sojourn at Cossey, visited this city, entering by way of the Dereham Road and St. Giles’ Road, and passing under triumphal arches amid the acclamations of thousands of the citizens, it being a general holiday. They stopped at the Guildhall and received an address from the corporation. Then they proceeded to St. Andrew’s Hall and attended a morning concert of the musical festival. Their Royal Highnesses, on leaving the hall, rode along the principal streets, through the Market Place, and up St. Stephen’s to the Chapel Field, where they were joyously received by the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, and where they planted two trees in memory of their visit. Their Royal Highnesses thence proceeded to the new Drill Hall, which the Prince of Wales formally opened. After this ceremony their Royal Highnesses returned to Cossey Hall. They were accompanied by the Queen of Denmark (mother of the Princess of Wales), and by Prince Alfred (the Duke of Edinburgh). In the evening the city was brilliantly illuminated.
1867. The Norwich Industrial Exhibition was held for six weeks, from August 15th till October 20th, p. 4441867, in St. Andrew’s Hall. About 1000 exhibitors sent specimens of works of art and useful articles, which quite filled the hall. Hundreds of splendid paintings were lent for the occasion, and the show attracted many thousands of visitors. The industrial part of the exhibition was most creditable to the working men of Norwich, many of whom gained medals and money prizes for the best specimens of useful and ornamental articles. The mayor, F. E. Watson, Esq., distributed the prizes on November 5th.
1868. The great event of the year 1868 was the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in the city. It commenced on August 19th and continued till the 26th. The old city was filled with distinguished visitors from all parts of Europe; and the hotels, inns, and lodging houses were crowded with strangers. Norwich gave a hospitable welcome to the Society. Dr. Hooker, who by association and descent is a Norfolk man, delivered the inaugural address. The various scientific sections held daily meetings at different public places. The proceedings were reported in daily issues of the Norfolk News and the Norfolk Chronicle, and also in the regular issues of the Norwich Mercury.
On November the 9th, J. J. Colman, Esq., retired from the office of mayor, and E. K. Harvey, Esq., was elected as his successor; John Robison, Esq., was at the same time chosen as sheriff, as successor to Robert Fitch, Esq. As this is the last act of the council which we shall have to chronicle, we take p. 445the opportunity of adding a few words on the present state of the corporation. By the Municipal Reform Act all previous charters remain in force, except so far as they are rendered inconsistent with the provisions of that act, and the city is now divided into eight wards, and incorporated under the style or title of the “Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the city and borough of Norwich.” The corporate body consists of sixteen aldermen and forty-eight councillors. The mayor is chosen annually on the 9th of November from the members of the council, who also on the same day choose the sheriff from the same body, or from persons qualified to vote for councillors, and who are eligible to the office of councillor. The members of the council are chosen annually on November 1st by the inhabitant householders of three years’ successive occupation, the freemen having been disfranchised for municipal purposes. The aldermen are elected by the council, and go out of office every three years. Committees of the council are appointed for conducting the business of the corporate body. The corporation is possessed of various estates, tolls, and dues, the profits and proceeds of which are placed to the Borough Fund, under the act, and are applied towards the reduction of the rates levied on the citizens. Several large estates which were in the hands of the corporation for charitable purposes are now vested in charity trustees. The corporation still pay fee farm rents to the crown, over £100 yearly. There is in trust of the corporation an estate of 112 acres, situated outside of St. p. 446Stephen’s Gate, called the “Town Close,” on which the burgesses had the right of commonage formerly, but in lieu of which right the freemen receive a few shillings yearly. The meetings of the corporation are held in the Council Chamber in the Guildhall almost every fortnight for the despatch of business, and meetings of the committees are held almost daily. The body corporate, as a Council and Board of Health, levies rates as we have already said to the amount of £45,000 yearly. The Board of Guardians sits in the same room, and raises by poor rates about £30,000 yearly, making the local taxation amount to £75,000 per annum. The City Police and Fire Brigade, under direction of Mr. R. Hitchman, the chief constable, occupy the basement of the Guildhall. The force, comprising nearly a hundred men, is considered to be very efficient.
This year an extensive scheme was begun for an effective drainage of the city. We subjoin a brief history of the proceedings which led to this movement, and take the opportunity at the same time of giving some details as to the general operations of the Local Board of Health.
So long ago as 1862, complaints were made of the impurity of the river in consequence of all the sewage of the city and of all the water closets being poured into the stream. In 1863, many inhabitants of Thorpe became urgent in their demands that some immediate p. 447steps should be taken to divert the sewage from the river, but this was more easily asked than done. The Board of Health, however, requested their then surveyor (Mr. Barry) to report on the subject; and subsequently Mr. Bazalgette visited Norwich and surveyed the stream.
In the autumn of 1865 Mr. Bazalgette’s report was received. It recommended a plan of conveying the sewage through main drains to Crown Point to irrigate the land there. The board discussed the report and appointed a sewerage committee, who entered into negotiations with R. J. H. Harvey, Esq., M.P., for irrigating part of his estate at Crown Point. Mr. Harvey was to pay the cost of preparing the land for irrigation, and the annual cost of pumping; but after a preliminary notice had been given of the intention of the board to apply for an act of parliament, the board determined not to proceed at that time with the application for the act.
The board subsequently entered into contract with Mr. Hope, of London, to sell him the sewage for thirty years; and the necessary works were ordered to be commenced on March 20th, 1866. The board, however, being pressed by a strong opposition to the scheme, in a few days afterwards rescinded the contract. In consequence of this, proceedings in chancery were commenced, and an injunction was ultimately obtained.
On May 31st, 1866, the board resolved, “That it is absolutely needful at once to take measures to divert the sewage from the river.” Negotiations were p. 448entered into for the hire of part of the Crown Point estate, the agreement for which was confirmed by the board on July 10th, 1866. By this agreement the board took on lease 1290 acres of land at Crown Point, at £3 5s. per acre, for thirty years—the whole sewage of the city to be conveyed to Trowse and pumped over the land. Many objections were made to this measure, that the rent was too high, and that the experiment would prove a failure. Pursuant, however, to a resolution of the board, passed on October 9th, in the same year, the committee took the necessary steps to obtain an act of parliament, and did obtain it in June, 1867.
After the act was obtained, Mr. Morant, the city engineer, by direction of the committee, proceeded with the preparation of the necessary drawings and specifications for the drainage works, and by order of the board the following contracts were entered into, namely:—
|
|
£ |
1. |
For the steam engines (with Mr. John Clayton of Preston) |
6435 |
2. |
For iron pipes (the Staveley Coal and Iron Company) |
3500 |
3. |
For laying such pipes (Mr. John Downing of Norwich) |
549 |
4. |
For the erection of engine houses (Mr. Daniel Balls of Norwich) |
6988 |
5. |
For the construction of the main intercepting sewers (Mr. Thomas Wainwright of London) |
28,830 |
6. |
The ground for the pumping works was purchased for |
2000 |
|
|
£48,302 |
p. 449Other sums are required for constructing drains, sewers, penstock chamber, and other subsidiary works, and the entire scheme is proposed to be carried out under the sanction of the act of Parliament, at the estimated cost of £60,000.
A very powerful opposition was raised against the scheme. A memorial, very numerously signed, was presented to the board of health against it. Public meetings were held at which the whole thing was condemned as unnecessary, expensive, and likely to be a failure. Eventually, after much discussion, with a large minority against it, and in opposition to the opinions of the citizens expressed in common hall, the board resolved to carry out the scheme, and the works are now in progress. The general plan is to construct two main drains, one on each side of the river Wensum, to intercept the sewage and to carry it to Trowse, where a pumping station has been erected, and engines will be set to work to pump all the sewage over the land hired at Crown Point estate.
The drainage expenditure, though so enormous, has been only a part of the expenditure of the board, upon which the duty falls of repairing all the streets and roads, lighting, watering, &c. In the first half year of 1867, the estimated expenditure was as follows:—
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
Repairs to streets and roads |
2008 |
7 |
0 |
Lighting the same |
1776 |
11 |
9 |
Salaries |
442 |
1 |
5 |
Sundries |
475 |
5 |
6 |
Interest on loans |
1336 |
16 |
0 |
Interest on bonds |
372 |
0 |
0 |
|
£6411 |
1 |
8 |
p. 450Twice that sum would be £12,822 3s. 4d. for the year, quite irrespective of the drainage works.
The annual abstract of the accounts of the board issued in 1867, shows the receipts and payments from September 1st, 1866, to September 1st, 1867. The receipts amounted to £15,873 3s. 6d., the payments to £15,323 18s. 2d., which sum included £1204 16s. 7d. sewage expenses, (chiefly law charges). Of course the receipts were derived almost entirely from the half-yearly rates. The expenditure included £3314 9s. 8d. for interest, the rest being for repairs to streets and roads, paving, lighting, sewerage works, salaries, &c.
Mr. Morant, the present able engineer to the Board of Health, made his first annual report in May, 1867, and showed the expenditure in his department for the year preceding April 5th, 1867, to be as follows:—
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
Repairs to roads |
2192 |
4 |
11 |
Paving |
870 |
0 |
0 |
Sewers |
576 |
2 |
2 |
Urinals |
86 |
13 |
0 |
|
£3725 |
0 |
1 |
The engineer’s next report was for the year ending April 5th, 1868, and was divided into three heads. Repairs to roads; repairs to paving; and repairs to sewers. First with respect to roads. The cost of the macadamised roads had been £2329 12s. 7d., being an p. 451increase of £137 7s. 8d. Some new roads had been taken by the board, and were repaired and cleansed, and all the roads were stated to be in good order. Second, with respect to paving. The expenditure had been £1088 8s. 10d., being an increase of £218 13s., but a part of the Market Place had been newly paved with granite at a cost of £216. Third, with respect to the sewers. The cost of repairs, &c., had been £546 5s. 5d., being a decrease of £29 16s. 9d.
Since 1850 the annals of the city consist chiefly of proceedings of the corporation as a council or Board of Health. Meetings have been held almost every fortnight for the transaction of public business, which has been largely increased. The proceedings of one single year, even if summarised, would fill a volume. The corporation has levied rates to the amount of £45,000 yearly! and the expenditure has been of equal amount. This has been caused by many public improvements, by widening old streets and opening new ones, and by the extension of the area of the Cattle Market.
Mr. Morant gives the following account of the drainage works:
“The drainage of the city of Norwich flows into the river at numerous places, as is commonly the case; it is the object of the new works now in progress to intercept all the old sewers, to prevent the sewage flowing into the river, and to convey it to one point. For this purpose several deep sewers are being constructed, varying in size from 18 inches in diameter to 6 feet high by 4 feet wide, of oval shape.
“The point selected for the pumping station is between p. 452the railway at Trowse Station and the river Yare; and a large piece of garden ground has been purchased, and engine and boilerhouses, workshops, &c., have been erected. Adjoining the engine-well are the grating tank and penstock chamber, and with these the principal main sewer communicates. This sewer, which is 6 ft by 4 ft., is intended to be carried under the bottom of Bracondale, Carrow Hill, and along King Street to near Messrs. Morgan’s brewery, where it will receive the high-level sewer. This sewer will be from 30 ft. to 80 ft. below the surface of the ground. From this point it will be 5 ft. 3 in. by 3 ft. 6 in., and will be continued along King Street to the top of Rose Lane; here one branch will turn off to the right under Rose Lane, beneath the bottom of the river near Foundry Bridge, under the towing path, to beyond Bishopgate Bridge, where it will unite with the present outfall sewer, and receive the whole of the drainage of the northern portion of the city. From Rose Lane the main will continue to Tombland, where a branch will extend to Bishopgate Bridge, with subsidiary branches to Quay Side, &c.; it will then turn to the left under Prince’s Street, St. Andrews Broad Street, Charing Cross, and Lower Westwick Street, and will unite with the present sewer emptying itself at the New Mills.
“From the end of the principal main near Messrs. Morgan’s in King Street the high-level sewer will commence with a flight of granite steps, about 30 feet in height, and continue 4 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft., gradually reducing, and carried under King Street to Rose Lane, across the Bull Ring, where it will be about 44 feet below the surface, under Opie Street, Bedford Street, Pottergate Street, West Pottergate Street, Mill Hill, Rose Valley, Mount Pleasant, Town Close Road to Ipswich Road, and will provide for the sewage of a very large district hitherto entirely undrained.
p. 453“Self-acting Storm Overflows are provided at several convenient points, and also numerous shafts for access to, and ventilation of, the sewers. At the pumping station at Trowse the sewage, after passing through gratings to prevent sticks and other substances from choking the pump valves, will pass into the engine-well, from whence it will be pumped through cast-iron pipes 20 inches in diameter, laid under the Kirby Road to near the cross road leading to the Bungay Road, and then be led in a main conduit across the centre of the land hired by the Board, and by means of small feeders to every part of the farm.
“The steam engines will be three in number, and of the kind known as condensing rotative beam engines, with steam cylinders of 35 in. diameter and 6 ft. stroke. Each engine will be provided with a high lift pump connected with the pumping main, and also with a low lift pump; the object of the low lift pumps is to enable the rain water to be pumped into the overflow sewer in time of heavy storms, when the sewage is so greatly diluted as to be little more than soiled water; the first scouring of the sewers will be pumped by the high lift pumps on to the land.
“Four boilers, each 27 ft. 6 in. long and 7 ft. diameter, with two flues, are provided to produce the steam necessary for working the engines, and the chimney shaft to remove the smoke is 140 feet in height.
“The foundation of the engine had to be carried down 29 feet below the surface, and much difficulty was found in getting in the walls on account of the force of the springs, the bottom being 22 feet below the water level in the adjoining river, and from the same cause considerable difficulty is met with in driving the tunnels for the sewers. In Trowse for example, the soil proved to be running sand and mud, which was very troublesome to overcome; the same soil p. 454exists under Rose Lane, Foundry Bridge, and Bishopgate Street, but nearly everywhere else the tunnels will be in the chalk.
“Irrigation by sewage is no doubt quite in its infancy, but from the very satisfactory results arrived at at Barking, Croydon, Norwood, Edinburgh, Banbury, Rugby, and other places, there is good reason to hope that eventually the Board’s Sewage Farm at Crown Point will prove a success.”
Since the year 1824, musical festivals have been held in this city triennially, for the benefit, originally, of the hospitals, and lately of various other charities also, and for the promotion of musical science. These celebrations have been so successful on the whole that the total surplus receipts over the expenditure have amounted to more than £10,000. Works of the greatest composers have been well performed by the most eminent instrumentalists and vocalists of the day, and thereby a taste for music has been diffused throughout the city and county.
The patrons of the festivals have included the Queen, the late Prince Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Mary of Cambridge, the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Lothian, the Earl of Roseberry, the Earl of Gosford, the Earl of Orford, Lord W. Powlett, Lord Stanley, Lord Walsingham, Lord Wodehouse, and many others of the nobility. The committee of p. 456management have included the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Earl of Albemarle, Lord Ranelagh, Lord Sondes, Lord Hastings, Lord Stafford, Lord Suffield, Lord Bayning, Hon. W. C. W. Coke, Hon. H. Walpole, Hon. W. Jerningham, Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., Sir W. Foster, Bart., Sir S. Bignold, and others.
The first musical performance for charitable purposes is said to have been on the anniversary of the Sons of the Clergy, in 1709; some fifteen years after which period, the meeting of the three choirs of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester, was instituted, those cathedral cities sending their choristers to each place in alternate years. These early music meetings, however, were held in the evening, and seem to have been limited to the performance of Anthems and the Te Deum. The first occasion of an Oratorio having been performed in the morning appears to have been at Hereford in 1759, when the Messiah was given.
The Birmingham Triennial Festival was instituted about the year 1778, and that of Norwich, as now held in St. Andrew’s Hall, in 1824, previously to which the Norwich festival consisted of the yearly performance of an Oratorio in the cathedral for the benefit of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The performances of later years have been on a much grander scale. The festivals at Birmingham and Norwich now stand pre-eminent among provincial musical meetings, both for the excellence of the performances, and for the special interest given to the programmes by the first production of new or little-known works. Among other claims to honourable p. 457distinction in this respect, it is the chief and will be the lasting honour to Norwich that Dr. Spohr’s sacred Oratorios were first performed here, his earliest production being conducted by himself in person before a large audience.
The selection of works and music to be performed has always occupied a great deal of the time and attention of the committees, who have made it an object to bring out some new work at every festival. Most of Handel’s best Oratorios have also been performed, including, of course, the “Messiah,” which is never omitted from the programme. Haydn’s “Creation” and “Seasons” have also been frequently given, while Dr. Spohr’s “Calvary,” “Fall of Babylon,” and “The Last Judgment.” Dr. Bexfield’s “Israel Restored,” Pierson’s “Jerusalem,” and Molique’s “Abraham” were first performed in this city. The programmes have also included Sterndale Bennett’s “May Queen,” which won all hearts; Benedict’s brilliant “Undine,” and many other approved compositions.
The committees, acting on the principle of securing the highest talent, have generally engaged the best vocal performers whose services were available. In proof of this we need only mention the names of the following female vocalists:—Madame Viardot Garcia, Madame Caradori Allan, Madame Clara Novello, Madame Sainton-Dolby, Madame Alboni, Madame Malibran, Madlle. Tietjens, Madame Patti, Madame Lemmens-Sherrington, Madame Rudersdorf, Miss Louisa Pyne, Madame Grisi; and among the male p. 458vocal performers may be mentioned Signor Lablache, Herr Formes, Mr. Weiss, Signor Rubini, Signor Belletti, Signor Morini, Mr. Santley, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Cummings, Signor Gassier, Signor Giuglini, Signor Mario, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Lockey, &c. &c.
The Norwich Choral Society, comprising 300 members having good voices, altos, tenors, and basses, has contributed greatly to the success of the festivals by the excellence of the choral performances, especially in grand Oratorios. The Choral Society was established in 1824, and had its origin in the establishment of the musical festivals, Professor Taylor being its chief promoter. In 1825 the Professor removed to London, and the direction of the society was confided to the Rev. R. F. Elwin. The management of affairs was entrusted to a committee of twelve, who were annually elected by ballot at a general meeting. The practice was held in the Old Library Room or in St. Andrew’s Hall. The society has undergone many changes, but has always maintained its high reputation for choral performances. A memoir of the late Professor Taylor, which appeared in the Norfolk News, contained some information as to the part he took in promoting the festivals. We give the following extracts:—
“We learn from the Quarterly Musical Review, which was edited by the late Mr. R. M. Bacon, that at the Festival of 1824, ‘Mr. Bacon, Mr. Taylor (late Professor Taylor), and Mr. Athow, were nominated as a committee for the entire conduct of the musical department.’ Vol. VI. p. 434. The same authority says a little further on, ‘Mr. Taylor undertook p. 459the formation of a Choral Society, which he accomplished with a degree of knowledge, skill, and perseverance, that cannot be too highly praised.’ Again ‘The musical committee then decided on the following vocalists and instrumentalists, &c.’ From all which it seems that the triumvirate managed the musical department.
“Mr. Fitch once wrote to Mr. E. Taylor requesting him to state what share he had in the management of the first festival. The following was Mr. Taylor’s reply, dated March 25th, 1847. ‘When the Norwich Festival was resolved on in 1823, I made the entire selection (morning and evening). I engaged every performer; I selected the entire band, and I formed and trained the Choral Society. I have done the same for every subsequent festival (until the last, 1845,) with the exception of having nothing to do with the Choral Society, or any of the country performers. Every Oratorio brought out (and a new one was always brought out) was translated and prepared for performance by me.’ These were the following performed for the first time here. ‘The Last Judgment,’ Spohr; ‘The Crucifixion,’ Spohr; ‘The Fall of Babylon,’ Spohr; ‘The Deluge,’ Schneider; ‘Redemption,’ Mozart; ‘The Death of Christ,’ Graun; ‘The Christian’s Prayer,’ Spohr.
“It will be seen by the above how little Mr. E. Taylor left for anybody else to do. Mr. Taylor’s two associates, like the wings on a stage sylph, were more for ornament than use. His statement is confirmed by the Musical Review, which says, ‘The Hospital Board presented to Mr. Taylor a piece of plate, of fifty guineas value, for his services in raising and instructing the Choral Society, and for his general assistance.’”
The memoir before mentioned further states:—
p. 460“At the Norwich Festival of 1830, Mr. Taylor introduced Spohr’s Oratorio of ‘The Last Judgment’ for the first time into this country, the words being translated and adapted to the music by Mr. Taylor himself. This was followed at subsequent festivals by other oratorios of the same composer, which for originality, richness, and beauty, are unrivalled in their way. After the performance of ‘The Last Judgment,’ Mr. Taylor became personally acquainted with Spohr, and one day, getting an invitation from Mendelssohn to visit him and his family at Dusseldorf on the Rhine, where Spohr then was, the invitation was accepted, and thus Mr. Taylor first became known to the illustrious composer, with whom he formed a friendship which lasted as long as they both lived.
“At the Norwich Festival of 1836, the expenses exceeded the receipts by £231 5s. 10d. We give an extract from a letter, written in the following year by Mr. Taylor to Mr. Henry Browne, which will be read with pain, because it shows that Mr. Taylor received far other treatment than he deserved at the hands of the committee of management. Mr. Taylor said, ‘I hear of the discord engendered by the winding up of the Festival with much concern, and which seems to threaten the existence of future ones. How it happened that the last terminated so unprofitably has always been a mystery to me. I think it ought not.’”
And Mr. Taylor goes on to state the amount of work which he himself did for nothing.
All the festivals had been hitherto successful. The first, in 1824, produced a surplus of £2399 to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The second, in 1827, afforded that institution £1672; the third, in 1830, yielded £535 to the hospital; the fourth, in 1833, was p. 461also successful; but in 1836 the expenses of the Festival, as has been shown, exceeded the receipts by £231, and a general board of the hospital resolved that no part of the funds belonging to the institution should be used for any purpose connected with the Festival.
At the Sixth Musical Festival, held on the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th September, 1839, Dr. Spohr conducted his own new Oratorio of “Calvary,” before a very large audience, in St. Andrew’s Hall. The performance was very grand, and produced a thrilling effect on the audience. The selection of such a subject as the Crucifixion for an Oratorio drew forth a good deal of criticism, but there could be no doubt of the musical merits of the composition.
After the performance of “The Crucifixion,” Spohr and Mr. Taylor were travelling outside the coach to London, when the former expressed a wish to write another oratorio for Norwich, but said that he was at a loss for a subject. Mr. Taylor then suggested The Fall of Babylon. This led to a chat about the effects which might be introduced in the way of contrast, &c., and ultimately Spohr promised to write the oratorio if Taylor on his part would write the words. The bargain was struck, and the result was a work which will live to the end of time.
The Festival of 1842 was by far the most brilliant that had been held. Of course Dr. Spohr’s “Fall of Babylon” was the chief attraction. It was performed in the presence of the largest and most fashionable audience ever seen in St. Andrew’s Hall. Numbers p. 462of the gentry could not obtain admission. People stood under the long galleries, and along the passages, and in every corner of the building. The performance was a splendid success, and greatly added to the fame of the composer. Professor Taylor translated the Libretto, and was the conductor of the Oratorio. On the following day he conducted the performance of Handel’s Oratorio of “Samson,” to which he added selections from Handel’s works. This caused a good deal of adverse criticism, but it was not without precedent. On Friday morning the Professor conducted a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”
The Festival of 1845 commenced on Tuesday evening, September 16th, and continued on the 17th, 18th, and 19th. The programme included miscellaneous concerts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings; a selection of sacred music, and Haydn’s Oratorio “The Seasons,” on Wednesday morning; another selection of sacred music, and Spohr’s Oratorio “Calvary,” on Thursday morning; and Handel’s sacred Oratorio “Messiah,” with additional accompaniments by Mozart, on Friday morning. All the concerts were well attended. The principal vocalists were Madame Grisi, Miss Dolby, Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Poole, Signor Mario, Signor F. Lablache, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Machin, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Bradbury, and Herr Staudigl. Mr. Benedict was conductor; Mr. J. Hill, chorus master; Mr. F. Cooke, leader of the band; Mr. Turle, organist. The chorus comprised the usual number of voices. The band included the best instrumentalists in England, and the festival was very successful.
p. 463The Festival of 1848 commenced on Tuesday, September 12th, with a miscellaneous concert, followed by similar concerts on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. On Wednesday morning the programme comprised a sacred Cantata, by L. Spohr, “The Christian’s Prayer,” and Haydn’s Oratorio “Creation.” On Thursday morning Mendelssohn’s Oratorio of “Elijah” was performed. On Friday morning “David Penitent,” a sacred Cantata by Mozart, was given, followed by Handel’s “Israel in Egypt,” one of the best of his numerous productions. The principal vocalists were Madame Castellan, Madame Alboni, Madame Viardot Garcia, Miss A. Williams, Miss M. Williams; Signor Lablache, basso; Mr. Sims Reeves, tenor; Mr. H. Phillips, basso; Mr. Whitworth, tenor; Mr. Lockey, tenor. Mr. Benedict was conductor; Mr. H. Blagrove, leader of the band; Mr. Harcourt, organist. Professor Taylor translated “The Christian’s Prayer” for this occasion. Mr. J. F. Hill was chorus master.
In September, 1852, the Festival again comprised grand miscellaneous concerts on the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, which concerts were well attended. On the first evening, Mrs. Fanny Kemble read the “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” but the reading was a failure, as she could only be heard a short distance from the orchestra. On the Wednesday morning a new Oratorio, “Israel Restored,” by Dr. Bexfield, was performed for the first time at a festival. On Thursday morning Mr. H. H. Pierson’s Oratorio, “Jerusalem,” was performed for the first time, and p. 464occupied nearly four hours. On Friday morning the “Messiah” was performed as usual. The principal vocalists were Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Alleyne, Miss Dolby, Madame Viardot Garcia, Madame Fiorentini, Signor Gardoni, Signor Belletti, Mr. Weiss, Mr. Lockey, Herr Formes, Mr. Sims Reeves. Mr. Benedict was conductor; Mr. H. Blagrove, leader of the band in the morning performances, and Mons. Sainton in the evening performances; Mr. J. F. Hill, chorus master. At the close of the performance on the Wednesday morning (September 22nd), a short selection from Handel’s Oratorio of “Samson” was given as a tribute of respect to the memory of the late Duke of Wellington. Madame V. Garcia sung the solo—
“Ye sons of Israel, now lament,
Your spear is broke, your bow unbent,
Your glory’s fled.
Among the dead,
Our hero lies,
For ever closed his eyes.”
The “Dead March” was played and the chorus sung—
“Glorious hero, may thy grave
Peace and honour ever have;
After all thy pains and woes,
Rest eternal, sweet repose.”
The Festival in September, 1854, again comprised miscellaneous concerts in the evenings, and Oratorios in the mornings. On Tuesday morning, September 12th, the programme included Rossini’s “Stabat Mater,” Meyerbeer’s “91st Psalm,” and a selection of sacred music. On Wednesday morning Beethoven’s p. 465Service in C, and Haydn’s “Creation” were brilliantly performed. On Thursday morning Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” attracted a very large audience. On Friday morning the “Messiah” was given, with the additional accompaniments by Mozart. The principal vocalists were Madame Clara Novello, Madame Angelina Bosio, Madame Castellan, Madame Weiss, Miss Dolby, Mr. Sims Reeves, Signor Gardoni, Herr Reichardt, Signor Lablache, Signor Belletti, and Mr. Weiss. Mr. Benedict was conductor; Mons. Sainton and Mr. H. Blagrove, instrumental solo performers; Herr Hausman, violoncello; Mr. J. F. Hill, chorus master. On Tuesday evening the concert included a descriptive and characteristic Cantata, called “Tam o’ Shanter,” the words by Burns and the music by Macfarren. It consisted of a solo and chorus, which were sung with great applause. Indeed, nothing so comic and lively had ever been heard before at any festival.
Notwithstanding all the attractions of this festival it proved a failure in a financial point of view, and it was feared that these triennial musical meetings would no longer answer, but their promoters determined not to give them up. A committee was appointed; efforts were made to secure by all proper means success in future; and several of the county nobility joined as members of the committee. That this determination was made on good grounds, was fully proved by the success of the three subsequent festivals of 1857, 1860, and 1863, the surplus from which was, in round numbers, severally, £425, £916, and £1221. From these sums no less than £2000 were distributed amongst the charities.
p. 466The Festival of 1857 commenced on Tuesday evening, September 15th, with a miscellaneous concert, and similar concerts were given on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. On Wednesday morning the programme comprised a sacred Cantata by Louis Spohr, “God Thou art Great,” a Hymn of Praise (Lobgesang) by Mendelssohn, and the “Requiem” of Mozart, his latest work. On Thursday morning Beethoven’s Sacred Cantata, “The Mount of Olives,” and Haydn’s Oratorio, “The Seasons” were performed. The “Messiah” was given on Friday morning, and concluded the festival. The principal vocalists were Madame Clara Novello, Madlle. Leonhardi, Madame Weiss, Mrs. Lockey, Madlle. Piccolomini, Signor Gardoni, Signor Giuglini, Signor Belletti, Mr. Lockey, Mr. Miranda, and Mr. Weiss. Mr. Benedict was conductor; Mons. Sainton, H. Blagrove, and Herr Hausman, were instrumental solo performers; Mr. J. F. Hill was chorus master.
The Festival of 1860 was under very distinguished patronage and eminently successful. The programme included Haydn’s “Creation,” Handel’s “Messiah,” Dr. Spohr’s “Last Judgment,” Herr Molique’s “Abraham,” and Handel’s “Dettingen Te Deum,” all sacred music of the highest class, assigned to the morning performances. The evening concerts comprised Glück’s “Armida,” Professor Sterndale Bennett’s Pastoral, “The May Queen,” Benedict’s Cantata, “Undine,” besides selections from the most popular operas, part songs, madrigals, symphonies, and overtures, all of which were admirably rendered and highly applauded.
p. 467The choice of so large a work as Hadyn’s “Creation,” one of the finest of his productions, on the first evening, was considered desirable, as it gave full employment at once for the principal vocalists, the chorus, and the band. As many persons could not attend in the morning, an oratorio in the evening gave them an opportunity of hearing a great work well performed, and the lovers of sacred music readily seized the opportunity presented to them of attending the performance, which was never more perfect. No band could have possibly played it more exquisitely, no chorus could have sung it more honestly or earnestly, and the solos were beyond all praise.
Wednesday morning was assigned to performances of a sacred and very solemn character; Handel’s “Dettingen Te Deum,” and Spohr’s “Last Judgment.” Handel composed five Te Deums, but the finest is that written in 1743, in celebration of the victory at Dettingen, then thought a great event. The victory was rather unexpected, and as George II. commanded in person, the rejoicings in England were very general. Horace Walpole wrote, “We are all mad; drums, trumpets, bumpers, bonfires! The mob are wild, and cry ‘Long live King George and the Duke of Cumberland!’” After the “Te Deum,” there was a short interval preceding the performance of Dr. Spohr’s great work “Die Letzten Dinge” (The Last Things), the earliest of the composer’s three oratorios. In 1825 it was brought over from Germany by Professor Taylor, and it was first performed before an English audience at the Norwich Festival on September 24th, p. 4681830, under the title of “The Last Judgment,” which does not convey a very correct idea of the work. It was received with the greatest possible favour, like all other works of the same master, in this city. The grand theme is set forth in a series of paraphrases of scripture texts referring to the final consummation of all things.
The novelties at this festival were Professor Sterndale Bennett’s Pastoral “The May Queen,” and Benedict’s brilliant Cantata, “Undine,” both of which were performed with great success. The Pastoral was produced with complete success at the Leeds Musical Festival, in September, 1858. Mr. Chorley composed the poem, and he deserves some credit for the verses, as well as for the dramatic character of the piece. The overture is a beautiful composition, and the whole work displays a marvellous combination of simplicity and ingenuity. Herr Molique’s new Oratorio, “Abraham,” was performed here for the first time, and conducted by the composer, who at the close was greatly applauded. The words are taken from the Old Testament, and the characters personated are Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, Angel, and Messenger, who in turn depict the different scenes in the life of the patriarch. He is exhibited as a saint, as a warrior, and as a great sufferer. Full scope is given for the display of human passion in almost every phase, from triumphant joy to a sorrow that borders on despair. The incidents are picturesque, striking, and varied, calling all the powers of the orchestra into play. The principal vocalists were Madame Clara Novello, (her p. 469last appearance in Norwich,) Madame Weiss, Miss Palmer, Madame Borghi Mamo, Madlle. Tietjens, Signor Giuglini, Signor Belletti, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Wilbye Cooper, Mr. Santley, Mr. Weiss. Instrumental solo performers, Miss Arabella Goddard, piano; Mr. Sainton, Mr. H. Blagrove, Signor Piatti, violoncello; Mr. Benedict, conductor; Mr. J. F. Hill, chorus master.
The Festival of 1863 commenced on Monday evening, September 14th, with a performance of Handel’s grand Oratorio, “Judas Maccabæus,” which was eminently successful. The large audience seemed to be carried away by the martial music. On the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, miscellaneous concerts were given. On Wednesday morning Mr. Silas conducted a performance of his own sacred drama, “Joash,” with success. This was followed by a “Scene at the Gates of Nain,” from the Oratorio “Immanuel,” by Henry Leslie; also selections from the Stabat Maters of Haydn, Pergolesi, and Rossini, and a selection of sacred music. “Elijah” was performed on Thursday morning, and the “Messiah” on Friday morning. Another novelty at this festival was a Cantata, entitled “Richard Cœur De Leon,” composed expressly for the occasion, and performed on Thursday evening with immense applause. This Cantata embodied the romantic story of the warrior king in captivity, being discovered by the minstrel Blondel, who at last caused the liberation of the monarch. The principal vocalists were Madlle. Tietjens, Madame Lemmens Sherrington, Madame Weiss, Miss p. 470Wilkinson, Miss Palmer, Madlle. Trebelli, (her first appearance in Norwich,) Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Montem Smith, Mr. Santley, Mr. Weiss, Signor Bettini, (his first appearance here,) Signor Bossi, (his first appearance here). Mr. Benedict was conductor. Instrumental soloists, M. Paque, violoncello; Mr. H. Blagrove and Mr. Sainton, violins. Mr. J. F. Hill, chorus master.
The Festival of 1866 was deferred till November, very unwisely, in anticipation of a visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales on the occasion. This caused a larger attendance on the day their Royal Highnesses were expected, and a smaller on all the other days. The arrangements for the visit were also injudicious, to say the least. Their Royal Highnesses should at once have proceeded to the Wednesday morning’s performance, but they were detained at the Guildhall to hear an address from the corporation, and then they were allowed to go to St. Andrew’s Hall in the middle of a performance, which was greatly interrupted. Their Royal Highnesses, therefore, could not possibly have appreciated Costa’s Oratorio from hearing only half of it. The festivals have been always patronized by royalty, and by the nobility, gentry, and clergy, and have never failed to attract the county families; but this year (1866) was the first in which members of the royal family were actually present.
The general programme for 1866 when issued, presented some points of peculiar attraction, including “Israel in Egypt,” by Handel, on Monday evening; an Anthem by Dr. Spohr, and the Oratorio of p. 471“Naaman,” by Costa, on Wednesday morning; “St. Cecilia,” a new Cantata by Benedict, selections from the Passion Music of Handel, and first and second parts of the “Creation,” by Haydn, on Thursday morning; and the “Messiah” on Friday morning. Most lovers of sacred music would have preferred Haydn’s entire Oratorio to the sombre Passion Music. The committee, acting on the principle of securing the highest talent, made engagements with Madlle. Tietjens, Madame Rudersdorff, Miss Edith Wynne, Madame De Meric Lablache, Madlle. Anna Drasdil, three of them appearing for the first time in this city; also with Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Cummings, Signor Morini, Mr. Santley, Mr. Weiss, and Signor Gassier, all well-known vocalists. The instrumentalists were all first-class performers. The choral body was much improved and strengthened, and included 62 of the best trebles ever selected, 24 contraltos, 35 altos, 59 tenors, and 67 basses.
Handel’s Oratorio, “Israel in Egypt,” was splendidly performed on the Monday evening; the solos were in the hands of first-class vocalists, but the absence of Mr. Sims Reeves was a disappointment. Mr. George Macfarren had improved the instrumentation by the addition of parts to the original score. He had no occasion to apologize for doing for “Israel,” what many musicians have done for other productions. It is not presumptuous to have recourse to the resources of more modern instrumentation, so long as the character of the work is not altered.
On Wednesday morning, as we have said, the p. 472Prince and Princess of Wales were present. The performances commenced with Dr. Spohr’s Anthem “O blessed, for ever blessed, are they,” the first time of performance, and it was admirably rendered. Mr. Costa then conducted a splendid performance of his own Oratorio of “Naaman,” founded on a part of Old Testament history, relating to the restoration from death of the son of the Shunamite by the prophet Elisha; a subject not very well adapted for musical purposes. All Oratorios are cast more or less in the Handelian mould, but Mr. Costa has introduced more of the secular clement than usual.
On Thursday morning the hall was well filled by a large audience desirous of hearing a performance of Handel’s Passion Music, and Mr. Benedict’s new work, “St. Cecilia.” As to the former, we may state that there are two works of Handel entitled “Passion Music,” one produced, it is believed, in 1704, the other in 1716. Dr. Chrysander caused the publication of both these works by the Leipzig Handel Society in 1860 and 1863. It is strange that these two productions should have slumbered so long unheard and unknown till the selection was performed in Norwich. Interesting as the Passion Music might be, the all-important event of this morning’s concert was, the production of Mr. Benedict’s new Cantata. “St. Cecilia” has long been a favourite subject with both poets and composers. Among the former, Fletcher, Dryden, Pope, Addison, Congreve, and a host of versifiers, have contributed Odes in honour of the patroness of music. Many of these Odes are still in existence, p. 473with their accompanying music, of various degrees of merit; the principal being those by Purcell and Handel. These are great names, but the construction of the older works is entirely different from the Cantata now performed for the first time with great applause. After a short interval the concert was continued with the “Creation,” which could not have been better performed or with a stronger cast.
Friday morning has been always assigned to the performance of the “Messiah,” and to hear it every seat in the hall was this time occupied, and numbers could not obtain admission. We have heard this sublime Oratorio scores of times, in London and in many large towns, and here at every festival since 1840, but we never heard it rendered with greater effect than the last time (in 1866).
Norwich has in many ways obtained credit and advantage from the Musical Festivals. Their high character has placed the city in a very eminent position in the musical world, and many of the citizens cherish a just pride in endeavouring to qualify themselves for the maintenance of that degree of excellence which the festivals enable them to exhibit in the choral performances, which the best judges have pronounced second to none in the kingdom. On the whole the festivals have contributed largely to the funds of important charities, and will no doubt continue to do so if conducted with judgment and economy. They have always attracted large numbers of visitors to the old city, for the same facilities which make it easy for us to go elsewhere to hear good music, enable p. 474others to come hither for the same purpose. Many persons will always come from distant places to hear a well-trained Norwich chorus. And besides all this, not the least of the benefits derived from these triennial meetings, is that they encourage an interchange of good feeling and hospitality between the city and county, and afford to those who enjoy music such an amount of pleasure as must contribute, at least for a time, to cheerfulness and happiness in their social intercourse with their fellow creatures.
Professor Taylor claims the first place in our notices of the eminent citizens of this period, as a politician, a musician, and a public man. After his death a memoir of him appeared in the Norfolk News of March 28th, and April 4th, 1863, and from it we derive the following details:—
“Mr. Edward Taylor was the great grandson of the celebrated Dr. John Taylor, a man not less beloved for the kindliness of his disposition, than he was venerated for his vast learning. Dr. Taylor was born at Lancaster in the year 1694, and came to Norwich (according to Mr. Edward Taylor’s account) in 1733. Here he remained till 1757, and here it was that he produced many of his works, amongst others his famous Hebrew Concordance, which was published in two large volumes, folio, and was the labour of fourteen years. Many copies of the frontispiece (a fine portrait engraved by Houbraken) are still extant in this city. Dr. Taylor must have been fond of music, and must also have made it a personal study. This we infer, less from his p. 476having published ‘A Collection of Tunes in Various Airs’ for the use of his Norwich congregation, than from his having been able to Prefix thereto ‘Instructions in the Art of Psalmody.’ The airs themselves have no other accompaniment added than an unfigured bass, but the collection contains many of the finest melodies which are now in use. The instructions were intended to enable a student to sing at sight.
“When Dr. Taylor quitted Norwich, his only surviving son, Richard, remained, and carried on the business of a manufacturer in St. George Colegate. Mr. John Taylor, father of the subject of this memoir, was born the 30th July, 1750. In 1773, he entered into the business of a yarn maker, in partnership with his brother, in the parish where their father had lived. If not a musical composer, John had the reputation of being at least a tolerable poet, and he was peculiarly happy in writing words for music.
“In April, 1777, Mr. John Taylor married Susannah, the youngest daughter of Mr. John Cook of Norwich. Mr. Edward Taylor was born on the 22nd of January, 1784, in the parish of St. George Colegate.
“In his boyish days, Edward Taylor was made to imbibe the usual quantity of Greek and Latin, and the cask ever after retained the flavour of the wine. But music even then was his chief delight. When arrived at manhood he was tall and well formed; he had a fair, though by no means a pallid complexion, a penetrating eye, and a majestic voice, which sounded in conversation like the roll of a bass drum. In whatever part of the world he had been met, it would have been said at a glance, ‘That’s an Englishman.’ He had that unmistakeable stamp of bluntness and sturdy independence which seems to be an Englishman’s birthright. He was proud, not altogether without reason, of his p. 477ancestors, whose religious and political opinions he inherited. Hence, he was a Dissenter of the Unitarian School, and what was then called a Radical Reformer. Deeming himself to be in the right, he of course considered all those who differed from him to be in the wrong. But being himself consistent, he knew how to respect consistency in others. His hostility was confined to men’s doctrines and measures; it was never extended to their persons. In a word, he was generous, manly, and sincere, and he therefore enjoyed the friendship of good and true men, whatever might be their party or creed. Mr. Taylor married, in 1808, Deborah, daughter of Mr. William Newson, of Stump Cross, in this city, a man of upright and honourable character, and a successful tradesman.”
The memoir contains a sketch of Mr. Taylor’s political doings, which we shall give in another part of this work, and it then proceeds:—
“On the 19th January, 1824, he had the honour of dining with the Duke of Sussex, at Kensington Palace. The next year, 1825, terminated Mr. Taylor’s residence in his native city, though to the end of his life he continued to take a warm interest in whatever concerned its welfare. On the 21st of May, having already made arrangements for giving up his business in Norwich, he went up to London to prepare for making it his future abode. On the 5th of August, he served on the Norwich grand jury for the last time, and the next day took his final departure. On the 15th, he joined his brother Philip and his cousin John Martineau in their business, as civil engineers, having hired a house for that purpose in York Place, City Road.
“On the 3rd of January, 1826, the year after Mr. Taylor finally left the city for London, he came down to a dinner p. 478which was given at the Rampant Horse Hotel in his honour. The original intention had been to place his portrait in St. Andrew’s Hall, and Sir James Smith had actually written some lines to be placed under it, beginning—
‘Avaunt, ye base, approach ye wise and good,
Thus in this hall once Edward Taylor stood.’But that idea was abandoned, and a presentation of a service of plate was determined upon by his fellow-citizens. The proposition originated with the strongest of his political antagonists in the Corporation. The plate was given at this dinner at the Rampant Horse, the chairman being Henry Francis, Esq., against whom Mr. Taylor had entered the lists in the severest contest ever known in the Mancroft Ward. This rendered the compliment greater.
“Mr. Edward Taylor’s first music master was the Rev. Charles Smyth, a man who was equally remarkable for his eccentricity and musical learning. Mr. Taylor always spoke with great respect of Mr. Smyth’s musical knowledge. How long the lessons continued we have no means of ascertaining, but we afterwards find Taylor gaining instruction with the Cathedral boys under Dr. Beckwith at the music room in the Cathedral. He also had lessons in the vestry room of the Octagon Chapel; and he acquired some skill upon the flute and oboe from Mr. Fish. But we believe that his musical education was throughout gratuitously bestowed, out of respect to himself and his family. Doubtless he was greatly indebted for his extensive knowledge of the art, as well as of the German and Italian languages, to his own perseverance in solitary study.”
The author of the memoir, after giving a sketch of the “Hall Concert”, notices Mr. Taylor’s labours on behalf p. 479of the Musical Festivals in this city, as already related in our brief account of those celebrations. Mr. Taylor was one of their chief promoters, and he worked hard to make them successful. In reference to Mr. Taylor’s career in London, the author of the memoir says,—
“It has been before stated that on the 15th August, 1825, Mr. Taylor entered upon a new course of life, in London, in connection with his brother Philip and Mr. John Martineau, who were civil engineers. Had the business proved lucrative, there is no reason to suppose that Mr. Taylor would have left it. It is certain that when he went to live in London, nothing was further from his thoughts than that he would ever embrace music as a profession.
“Mr. Taylor began anew the battle of life by taking private pupils. From the first moment of his entering the musical profession, his classical attainments, his skill as a translator, his superior mental powers, and his extensive musical research, were honestly and fully recognized. On the 29th March, 1827, Mr. Taylor made his first appearance before a London audience as a public singer. His debût was at Covent Garden, at the Oratorios under the management of Sir H. R. Bishop. The song he chose was ‘The Battle of Hohenlinden,’ composed by C. Smith, and the reception he received from a very crowded audience was exceedingly favourable.”
After quoting some very eulogistic notices of Mr. Taylor’s subsequent performances, the writer of the memoir continues:—
“In this year (1828) was published ‘Airs of the Rhine,’ accompaniments by William Horsley, Mus. Bac., Oxon, the poetry translated by Edward Taylor. Of Mr. Taylor’s brief p. 480sketch of German music prefixed to this collection, the Quarterly Musical Review (conducted by Mr. R. M. Bacon) says, ‘It is so agreeably written, and contains so many authentic and interesting particulars, that we must do him the justice to give it a place at length. It will speak more for the publication than anything we can say to interest the reader.’
“In 1837, Mr. Taylor was elected Gresham Professor of Music. The place had been for 200 years a mere sinecure, generally held by persons totally ignorant of music, but he did much to render it useful to the art. In 1838 he published his ‘Three Inaugural Lectures,’ which he dedicated to the Trustees of Gresham College. He was not content with reading his lectures, however good. He illustrated them by having some compositions of the master who might be under discussion, well sung in parts by a competent choir. Amateurs of distinction and professional men lent their aid, and this attracted large audiences to the theatre.
“In 1843, Professor Taylor, who had been musical critic for the Spectator for fourteen years, retired from that department, and he received a very complimentary letter from Mr. Rintoul the editor, who said, ‘I can bear my willing testimony to the high aims, the great ability, the persevering zeal, and undeviating punctuality with which you have upheld the cause of good music in my journal for the long period of fourteen years. I believe that a selection from your writings in the Spectator would comprise a body of the soundest and best musical criticism in the language; and when you retire, I know not that any second man in England is qualified to sustain the elevated standard that you have raised, &c.’ High praise indeed, but well deserved.
“In the year 1845, Professor Taylor published, in the British and Foreign Review, an article headed ‘The English p. 481Cathedral Service; its Glory, its Decline, and its Designed Extinction.’ This was subsequently published by permission of the proprietor in the form of a thin octavo volume. It was a masterly defence of the musical services of our Cathedrals, and of the choirs, against the spoliation of the deans and chapters, which had been silently and surely going on ever since the time of Queen Elizabeth. It made a strong sensation at the time, and even now, whoever would strike a blow for the cause of Cathedral music, (which in Professor Taylor’s opinion is the salt which can alone save the musical taste of the people from corruption) will find the best weapons ready to his hand contained in this little volume.
“Professor Taylor, who had been long a widower, died (March 12th, 1863,) with the utmost tranquillity, at his house at Brentwood. He had three children, all of whom survive him; a son, Mr. John Edward Taylor, who was with him in his last moments, and two daughters, one of whom is married and lives in Germany, her sister living with her.
“We believe that Mr. Taylor left injunctions that his manuscripts should not be published, which is surely to be regretted. If his rare and valuable musical library, the acquisition of which was the labour of a life, should be sold, we trust that it will not go piecemeal to the hoards of individual collectors, but be bought for the use of Gresham College and its future musical professors.”
The compiler of this history had some long interviews with Professor Taylor when he last visited Norwich in 1857, and he then stated that he had large collections of music, and a large number of lectures on the music of every period. He delivered a very splendid lecture on the music of the Elizabethan p. 482age, in aid of the funds of the Free Library, before a large audience, in the Lecture Hall, St. Andrew’s.
The Rev. Mark Wilks, who lived in the last, and in the early part of the present century, was a very remarkable character as a politician and a preacher. From his biography, written by his daughter and published in 1821, we derive the following particulars. He was the son of a subordinate officer in the army, and was born at Gibraltar on February 5th, 1748. When his father and family returned to England they lived at Birmingham, where young Mark was brought up to a trade, and where he became an itinerant Baptist preacher, without any chapel. The Countess of Huntingdon heard of his exertions, and invited him to her college at Trevecca, to which he removed in 1775, and studied there for a year. In 1776 the Countess appointed him to be minister of the Tabernacle in Norwich, which became the scene of his most continued and concentrated exertions. The first sermon he preached here was on a Sunday evening to a crowded congregation, and he made a great impression. He preached in the same pulpit that Whitfield once occupied, and the simplicity of the new minister’s appearance, and the negligence of his exterior, surpassed that of the apostle of Calvinism. His long hair fell carelessly over his shoulders; his meagre person and ruddy countenance gave him at mature age the aspect of youth. The whole of his p. 483demeanour was illuminated by the fire of affectionate zeal, and by an earnestness of manner, evincing that he was honest in the sacred cause of truth. From this time he continued his ministry till 1778, when in the spring of that year he married Susannah Jackson of Norwich. This was an event which he ever justly estimated as the happiest of his life, but it severed his connexion with the patroness of the Tabernacle. Her rule was to dismiss the students of her college on their marriage. The Countess of Huntingdon regretted the separation and recommended him to several destitute congregations, none of which, however, were then suited to his views.
After travelling about for some time in Wiltshire, where he preached in several chapels, he returned to Norwich, and on January 1st, 1780, his new meeting place was opened, and he became a pastor under the denomination of Calvinistic Methodist, without the customary form of ordination. During the interval which elapsed between his return to Norwich and his establishment as a Baptist minister, his congregation rapidly increased, and continued to increase from 1780 till 1788. He lived in retirement, and performed with satisfaction and marked punctuality the duties of his ministry. His congregation was formed into a regular Baptist church in May, 1788, and it remained so all his life. On this change many of his former supporters left him, so that his income was reduced. He therefore took a farm in the neighbourhood of Norwich, and commenced farming on an extensive scale. Employment or poverty was his only alternative, p. 484and he followed the example of the apostle Paul by supporting himself.
We now approach a period in his life in which he distinguished himself not only as a pastor, but also as a citizen and patriot; for in the year 1790 commenced those great events in France which laid the foundation of the long war between this country and that unfortunate empire, a war disastrous to both. On July 14th, 1791, Mr. Wilks preached two eloquent discourses to commemorate the leading features of the first French Revolution, before crowded congregations, composed of the most influential persons in the city and its neighbourhood. The propriety of such discourses from the pulpit may be doubted, but they caused great excitement, as the preacher defended the revolution, which was then viewed with terror by many people. We shall notice this, however, more at length in the political part of our narrative, in which we shall have to speak of the very active part which Mr. Wilks took in political affairs both in the city and county. That Mr. Wilks was a rather violent partisan, and more of a Radical than a Whig, will appear by an extract from his biography, respecting a county election.
“When the Honourable William Wyndham first offered himself as a candidate for the county of Norfolk, he came in the character of a Whig, and a professed friend of civil and religious liberty. Mr. Wilks then warmly supported him, and to his exertions Mr. Wyndham attributed his success. But the revolution in France effected a strange change in the principles of Mr. Wyndham; and on his second appearance p. 485as candidate for Norfolk, he presented himself in the character of a ‘war minister,’ and the enthusiastic abettor of the most disgraceful and perilous measures ever pursued by weak and wicked men. Instead, therefore, of receiving support, he met with the most determined opposition from those who had been before his active friends. As Mr. Wilks on his former election had supported him by the most vigorous exertions, he now appeared foremost in the ranks of his opponents; and Mr. Wyndham regarded him with fear and jealousy. The following anecdote will show with what gratitude he returned the former services of him whom he had called his friend. One morning, as a very intimate friend of Mr. Wilks was passing by the house of a poor man, he was unexpectedly invited in, and was informed by the man that his wife had just found an open letter, the contents of which were of the greatest importance to Mr. Wilks. It indeed proved so. It was a letter from Mr. Wyndham to one of his friends at Norwich, desiring him to be most vigilant in watching the movements and expressions of Mr. Wilks; and if at any time he uttered anything which might be made to appear treasonable, to make him acquainted with it, assuring him that he would take the most prompt and severe means for his conviction. No sooner had Mr. Wilks read this letter than he hastened with it to the printer’s, and in a few hours the perfidy of Mr. Wyndham was publicly known in every part of the city, and the original letter returned to its proprietor, to his inexpressible dismay and confusion. The family and friends of Mr. Wilks regarded this circumstance as an interposition of a watchful Providence. But for this circumstance a few days might have seen him the inmate of a dungeon, and his life devoted, through the incautiousness of a sentence, to the treachery of an enemy. This supposition may appear less improbable p. 486when it is known, that at that time some who had been less active and less violent than himself, had been snatched from their families during the stillness of the midnight hour, and had been conveyed to prison without any form or reason assigned to them. This attempt upon the liberty, and perhaps the life, of Mr. Wilks had the beneficial effect of making him more vigilant over his words, and more cautious, although not less bold and decisive in all his proceedings. Yet his wife and friends entertained so great an anxiety for his safety, that they strongly importuned him to seek an asylum under the calmer skies of America, but he resisted their importunities.
“It must be mentioned, as an instance of the generosity of Mr. Wilks’ disposition, as well as a proof that his political conduct originated in genuine principles of patriotism, that when Mr. Wyndham again returned as a candidate for Norfolk as conjoint supporter of the Whig interest in union with Mr. Coke, Mr. Wilks never suffered the recollection of his private wrongs to interfere with the principles that Mr. Wyndham had come forward to maintain, but supported him with the same firmness and ardour as he had ever done.
“But it is necessary to return to those incidents of his life, the order of which has been neglected in pursuing the chain of his political character, and which he considered of far greater importance than any other. In the year 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was established by Carey, Fuller, Pearce, and Ryland. Those incomparable men, in a small room at Kettering, planted the germ of that tree which has since spread its branches into the remotest corners of the earth. The Indian Banyan is famed for its fertility; it is planted, it grows, and its branches descending, strike root, and reproduce another tree; its branches again descend, and produce another tree; trees succeed in endless multiplication, till a p. 487far and wide-spreading beauteous forest is formed from the vast trunk of what was once a single plant. In India flourishes a moral Banyan; it has been planted by the hand of a Carey, a Fuller, a Pearce, a Ryland, and a Wilks; watered and cultivated by their labours and their prayers, its roots have taken a deeper and deeper root, and the day is approaching when the sultry clime of India shall be covered by its shadows, cheered by its verdant foliage, and refreshed by its heavenly fruits.
“It is well known that Mr. Wilks’ devotion to the missionary cause was early and invincible. Whether he was present at its establishment is rather doubtful; but from its commencement he regarded it as the dawn of happiness to the world, and put into action all his powers and his influence in promoting so benevolent an end. But it was not in the mission alone that he evinced his benevolence and his disinterestedness. Nine years had elapsed since he first commenced farming, and during that time and the succeeding year he preached regularly, and fulfilled all the duties incumbent on his station, without receiving for his services the smallest remuneration. Whether in this instance he acted in all respects with prudence has frequently been doubted by himself as well as his friends. His conduct originated in feelings of the purest benevolence, although perhaps it lost its excellence in losing its justice.”
In the year 1797 Mr. Wilks was obliged to quit his farm, the lease of which had expired. He immediately engaged another at Aldborough, a village near Harleston in Suffolk, and went there to reside with his family in March, 1797. The distance of that place was seventeen miles from Norwich; yet although he was necessarily obliged to omit the week-day p. 488preaching, he never once neglected the regular performance of his pastoral duties on Sunday. In every kind of weather he constantly travelled thirty-four miles every Sunday to preach to a congregation from whom he received no remuneration. This course of exertion, however, could not be long continued. With the engagements of his farm, which were at this time very considerable, and the care attendant on a large family of twelve children, he found it was necessary either to give up his church or to leave his farm. Though his farm was a very profitable one, he did not hesitate which course to pursue; and he took another farm at Cossey, near Norwich, where he continued for some time, and where he often preached to the people in the village.
In March, 1802, he purchased a farm at the village of Sprowston, only two miles from Norwich. Here he enjoyed the society of his friends in the city, and in every respect his own comfort and that of his family were improved by this removal. His congregation increased, and the chapel in which he preached became too small for all who wished to attend his ministry. His friends were therefore desirous of erecting a more commodious one, and purchased a piece of ground for its erection. In September, 1812, he laid the first stone, and Mr. Andrew Fuller preached on the occasion.
In 1814, he went on a begging tour for his meeting house, and travelled through the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire, and thence to London. In six weeks he collected about £400, but his exertions brought on a serious illness. After his p. 489return his family scarcely hoped for his recovery. On May 4th, 1814, the new meeting house, in St. Clement’s, Norwich, was opened by Mr. M. Wilks of London, and Mr. A. Fuller. The pastor was present, but in a very feeble state of health. He recovered slowly in a few weeks, and when his health was sufficiently restored, he made another effort to diminish the debt on the new chapel. Though he frequently considered himself to be in a dying state, yet at every interval of ease he pursued his work with unremitting ardour. It is unnecessary to relate all the details of the few latter years of his life; the long journeys he took in the years 1815 and 1816, were a proof of the generosity of his heart. His last two years he spent in retirement, yet in the performance of his ministerial duties; and ever ready to advance the interests of his church, of his family, and of mankind.
He was ill only four days previous to his death, which took place on February 5th, 1819. When it was publicly known in the city that he was no more, hundreds of people went to his house to take a last look of him whom living they had so much loved and respected. And the bitter tears of his surviving relatives, the deep affliction of his friends, and the sorrow of mourning multitudes, bore a sad testimony to his worth as a husband, a father, a friend, a minister, a neighbour, and a christian.
He died on his birthday, when he had attained the age of seventy-one. His much valued friend, the Rev. W. Hull of Norwich, spoke at his interment to a large assembly of sincere mourners, and to a great p. 490concourse of spectators. The Rev. Mark Wilks of London, his nephew, preached a funeral sermon on Sunday, February 14th, before a large congregation. The deceased was buried under the pulpit where he had preached the gospel for forty years. Of his family of twelve children, including his four sons, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, none of them and none of their descendants now live in Norwich.
The Rev. John Alexander was the pastor of the Independent Congregation in Prince’s Street for a period of fifty years. He was much beloved by all who knew him for his kindly disposition and genuine piety. Bishop Stanley often spoke of him in terms of the highest commendation as a christian minister. He took an active interest in all the philanthropic and educational movements of the district, and was for some time the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. After his death, on July 31st, 1868, a short memoir of him appeared in the Norfolk News; and this memoir contained nearly the whole history of Prince’s Street Chapel in this city. We give the following extracts:—
“Mr. Alexander was born at Lancaster in 1792. Of his father, the Rev. William Alexander, our deceased friend published an interesting Memoir; and, as showing his own appreciation of the excellencies of his parents, he placed on the title page these lines of Cowper’s:—
p. 491‘My boast is, not that I deduce my birth
From loins enthroned, and rulers of the earth;
But higher far my proud pretensions rise,
The son of parents passed into the skies.’In the same volume we find him thus writing in reference to his early days:—‘The reader will, I trust, perceive that our domestic discipline, union, and affection, together with the sweet influences of religion, rendered us a happy family. The recollections and the love of home, too, and our reverence for holy parents, became a shield of protection to us, and “a way of escape” in the day of evil.’ With an atmosphere like this surrounding his childhood, we wonder not that he became in early life the subject of deep religious convictions. In 1807 he entered a large commercial establishment connected with a household in which ‘the most beautiful domestic order was combined with everything that was pure and lovely in religion.’ This privilege was greatly prized by him, and he ever cherished a grateful sense of the goodness of God in placing him there. During this period he attended the ministry of the Rev. P. S. Charrier of Liverpool, and joined the church under his care. For some time he had cherished a desire, and entertained a hope, in reference to the christian ministry, which was now soon to be realised.
“The celebrated Dr. Edward Williams, one of the tutors at Rotherham College, happened just then to visit Liverpool, and unexpectedly spoke to him on the subject, offering him the advantages of the institution over which he presided. This incident naturally made a deep impression on his mind, and led him very seriously and prayerfully to consider the matter. Of course, he lost no time in communicating his thoughts to his father, who urged on him the greatest caution, saying, ‘God forbid you should take it up, except in compliance p. 492with the will of God.’ Nothing daunted, however, by the somewhat discouraging aspect of the ministry set before him in his father’s letters, he intimated to him, in reply to his inquiries, that he retained an unalterable ‘determination to give himself to the work, believing he had been called of God to it;’ and in 1814 he was admitted as a student into Hoxton College. Here the amiable qualities which distinguished him all through life soon endeared him to every fellow-student, and one still surviving speaks of hours spent with him as ‘the happiest, holiest, and most profitable spent under the college roof.’
“In his Thirty Years’ History of the Church and Congregation in Prince’s Street Chapel, he gives us an account of his first visit to and subsequent residence in this city. From that source we learn that early in the year 1817 he received an invitation to preach for a few Sabbaths in the Tabernacle, and that on Friday, April 4th, 1817, (the day on which a fatal steam-packet catastrophe occurred by which many lives were lost), he entered Norwich. On the following Sunday evening he preached from the text, ‘Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.’ The place was crowded; and, says he, ‘The Lord stood by me and strengthened me.’ At the expiration of three Sabbaths he returned to London, promising to visit Norwich again and preach during the whole of the Midsummer vacation. He resumed his labours with very great encouragement at the Tabernacle on July 6th; and some legal difficulty occurring as to the power of appointing the minister, he consented, with the approbation of his tutors, to continue them till the disputed point was settled, which was not till the following December. The legal decision was such as necessitated him to give notice the very day it arrived, that in the evening he should preach his last p. 493sermon in the Tabernacle. On that occasion he chose as his text, words which the people believed to have been divinely suggested to his mind, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ That text, it was often afterwards remarked, built the new chapel. The prospect, however, of the toil connected with the establishment of a new church and congregation, and the building of a chapel, was such that he shrank from it, and took his place in the coach to return to London on his way to Kidderminster, where he had been requested to supply, with a view to settlement.
“But so deep was the impression his services had produced, and so warm the interest and affection created, that the people would not part from him. On the day of his departure, a deputation waited on him and pressed on him an invitation to become their minister with such affectionate earnestness, that, says he ‘I felt the appeal to be irresistible, and I promised to lay the whole matter before my tutor and friends, and to make it the subject of serious and prayerful re-consideration.’ The result was that he returned, and for some time preached in the Lancasterian School-room. At length the site on which Prince’s Street Chapel now stands was purchased, and the foundation stone laid on the 16th of March, 1819. It was opened on December 1st in the same year, and thenceforward, for the space of about five and forty years, it continued to be the scene of the living and life-quickening ministry of one whose ‘praise is in all the churches.’ Of the characteristics of Mr. Alexander’s preaching this is not the place to speak beyond saying it was truly evangelical and eminently successful. But he was not the preacher only. He was the faithful pastor, the unswerving friend, and the cheerful companion as well. Hence in times of sorrow or of joy he was a welcome guest, either in the p. 494family meeting or at more social gatherings. He carried summer and sunshine with him into every circle, and never left any without leaving a longing in every heart, young and old, for the next visit. When he crossed the threshold, the young loved to caress and to be caressed by him, whilst to the others the cares of life seemed lessened, and the burden lightened, as he spoke to them a few words of loving sympathy or wise counsel, and left them with his soft tones of benediction treasured in their hearts and vibrating on their ears.
“Time rolled on, ever finding him at his work, till thirty years had gone, when his friends gathered round him in St. Andrew’s Hall to testify their high appreciation of his excellencies, and their deep and strong affection for him as their pastor and their friend. On that occasion it was the desire of the people to present a purse to him as a substantial token of their esteem, but there being at that time a debt of £400 remaining on the chapel, he, with that characteristic unselfishness which ever marked him, urgently requested that they would abandon the purse, but remove the debt. But it must not be supposed that Mr. Alexander’s energies were confined to the cause of Christ at Prince’s Street Chapel, or that the members of his church and congregation were allowed to claim him as exclusively belonging to them. This was seen when ten years more of active service had passed, and troops of admirers, from far and near, flocked again to St. Andrew’s Hall to do him honour. On that occasion the Mayor (J. G. Johnson, Esq.,) represented the city, and the Rev. S. Titlow the Church of England, in most eulogistic speeches. The Baptist Churches of the county presented him with an address, whilst brethren of his own denomination, and others, lay and ministerial, seemed to vie with one another in magnifying ‘the grace of God’ in him. p. 495The desire entertained ten years before was now carried into effect, and a purse, with an elegant skeleton timepiece, and a memorial engrossed on vellum and framed, were presented to him, and a gold watch and chain to Mrs. Alexander. The timepiece bore the following inscription:—
Presented to the Rev. John Alexander, together with a purse of 500 sovereigns, on his commencing the fortieth year of his ministry in Norwich, by the members of his congregation and numerous other friends, as a memorial of Christian esteem and love.—Norwich, June 3rd, 1856.
From that time the infirmities of age, and the claims of a large congregation, led him to desire help, which was secured for him in the person of an assistant minister. With that help he happily and zealously worked on in his Master’s service through another decade of years, when once more the old Gothic hall resounded with his praises and witnessed another outburst of affectionate congratulation. Having lived to see the jubilee of his ministry, he now resigned the pastoral office, and was presented with an annuity of £200 and a magnificent epergne, on which a suitable inscription was engraved. With trembling emotion the venerable man read his reply and acknowledgment, in which, after recording the goodness of God and the kindness of his friends through the long period of fifty years, he stated that during his pastorate more than a thousand members had been added to the church, two chapels had been added to the one in Prince’s Street, four Sunday Schools had been raised and supplied with a hundred teachers and with nearly a thousand children, and eight members of the church had become ministers of the Gospel.
“Seldom is it the lot of the most favoured ministers thus to be blessed and made a blessing. We shall not attempt p. 496to describe what Mr. Alexander was in the pulpit, on the platform, in the committee room, or from the press, nor how he discharged his duties as chairman of ‘The Congregational Union of England and Wales,’ and secretary of ‘The Association for the Spread of the Gospel in the County.’ Much less shall we venture a word on his private or domestic life. We hope another and abler pen will pourtray his character more fully, and hence we content ourselves by adding words written by a friend, ‘His life is his eulogy.’ It was a holy life, a useful life, an honourable life, a happy life.
“The last sermon Mr. Alexander preached was delivered in Prince’s Street Chapel on April 22nd, 1866, from 2 Cor. ii. 14–17. The last time that he spoke in St. Andrew’s Hall was a few months before his death, on the occasion of the mayor’s invitation to the Sunday school teachers, and the last public religious service he attended was in the Old Meeting House on Sunday evening, July 19th, 1868, where his presence was ever as welcome as in his own chapel.
“Of his history since his retirement into private life, little only can be said. At first the ease and seeming uselessness imposed on him by the infirmities of age had a depressing influence on his mind, but latterly this gave place to his wonted calm confidence in God, and his usual joyousness of heart. Occasionally, to the grief of his friends, the decline of his mental powers was painfully visible, but this was often relieved by his still sparkling and felicitous utterances, and his fervent devotional exercises.
“Some lines written in our album so recently as last November will, perhaps, best indicate the state of his mind, and the theme on which it delighted to dwell:—
p. 497Amidst the fragrance richly shed,
And beauty blooming in the bowers,
The willow bends its mournful head,
And seems to weep among the flowers.And so in human life we find,
How bright soever it appears,
That grief is rooted in the mind,
And smiles are mingled with its tears.But there’s a garden in the sky
Where mourning willows cannot grow,
Where tears are wiped from every eye,
And streams of joy unmingled flow.“And now the time drew nigh that he must die. For only a few days he was withdrawn from the outer world. During that time it was very evident that constant intercourse was being carried on with heaven. On asking him, two days prior to his death, if the Saviour he had so long and faithfully preached to others was now near and precious to himself, he replied, ‘Oh, what should I do without Him!’ The day before his departure he was much in prayer. His family were all remembered before God, as were also the servants of the household. And very touching were the words in which he sought a blessing on the ministers of the city, and on their work, with whom he had lived in closest and loving fellowship. And so he passed away, spending his last hours, as he had spent his life, in blessing others.
“On Tuesday, the 4th of August, he was carried to his grave amid the lamentations of a vast concourse of his fellow-citizens, and friends from the country, who had known him and esteemed him very highly in love for his works’ sake. The funeral service at the grave was conducted by the Revs. G. Gould, J. Hallett, P. Colborne, and G. S. Barrett, B.A.; but gathered there were clergymen and p. 498ministers of every denomination, as well as laymen of all classes, from the mayor to the humblest artisan.
“And so has passed away from our midst, full of days and honours, one, whom it was a privilege to have known, and an impossibility not to have loved. His Christian catholicity, his large-hearted charity, his generous liberality, his untarnished reputation, and his fidelity to Christian truth, together with other virtues that adorned his long life, constrain us to thank God for having given him to Norwich, and, now that He has taken him to Himself, constrain us to say ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!’”
The funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. John Stoughton, of London, before a large congregation in St. Andrew’s Hall.
The members of the Gurney family, from an early period, have been distinguished by their station, wealth, and intelligence, both in Norfolk and Norwich. Memoirs of Joseph John Gurney, with selections from his journal and correspondence, were edited by Joseph Bevan Braithwaite, and published by Mr. Fletcher of this city. From these memoirs we derive the following interesting details respecting the family, and the Society of Friends in Norwich.
“The family of Gurney or Gournay is said to have sprung from a house of Norman barons, who followed William the Conqueror into England and obtained a large estate in this country, chiefly in the county of Norfolk. From them p. 499descended a long line of country gentlemen, who maintained themselves at Harpley, and West Barsham, in this county, for many generations, and from a very early period had one of their residences in this city. The last of these dying without male issue, about the commencement of the reign of Charles II., the old family estates at that period became dispersed amongst females. The name of Gurney was, however, honourably continued through a descendant of one of the younger sons of an earlier generation, John Gurney, the ancestor of the present family. He was born in the year 1655, and notwithstanding his family connections, commenced life in Norwich in somewhat straitened circumstances. Devoting himself in his youth to the cause of religion, we find him in the year 1678, at the age of twenty-three, already connected with the oppressed, persecuted Quakers.
“The family of John Gurney appear previously to have had some connexion with the Puritans. Henry Gurney, indeed, of West Barsham, the representative of the family in the early part of the 17th century, had a distaste for Puritanism, if, at least, we are to judge from the insertion in his will (proved in 1623) of a special charge to his younger son, ‘That none hould any fantisticall or erroneous opinions, so adjudged by our bishop or civill lawes.’ But Edmund Gurney, rector of Harpley, one of these younger sons, who was a person of influence, became known as a zealous Puritan; he declined wearing the surplice, and was probably among those who took the covenant in 1643. After him John Gurney successively named two of his children. Others of his connexions were also inclined to Puritanism, and some of them, like himself, joined the Society of Friends. In the case of the early Friends generally, their ultimate settlement in those gospel principles by which they became distinguished from others, was preceded by a state of much religious p. 500awakening and earnest seeking after God, in which they ‘searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.’
“Through what course of experience John Gurney arrived at his conviction, the scanty materials of his history do not inform us. Let it suffice us to know that what he became convinced of, was precious to him as the truth, and that for it he was prepared to suffer. On the 29th of the ninth month (O. S.), 1682, (so the records of the Friends in Norwich inform us,) ‘Friends being kept out of their meeting house, met together in the street to wait upon the Lord,’ and, being there, John Gurney and another Friend, were violently pulled out from among the rest, as if they had been malefactors, and carried before a justice of the peace, by whom, as they declined giving, on such an account, the required bail, they were committed until the next quarter sessions. In the following year, 1683, he was again imprisoned, for refusing to take an oath, and continued in prison, under successive recommitments, nearly three years. He died in the year 1721, having greatly prospered in his temporal concerns; and, what is far more important, having, according to the testimony of those who knew him, taken particular care in the religious education of all his children, and continued faithful to the end.
“His two elder sons, John and Joseph, were both men of marked character. John was gifted with much natural eloquence, and obtained considerable reputation by the spirit and ability with which he successfully defended the Norwich trade, before a committee of the House of Lords, against some apprehended encroachments. He subsequently received from Sir Robert Walpole the offer of a seat in parliament, which, however, he declined as inconsistent with his religious principles in the then state of the law. Religion had early taken possession of his heart, and about the 22nd p. 501year of his age, in obedience to the call of apprehended duty, he had yielded himself to the work of the public ministry of the gospel, in which service he laboured diligently for many years; neither the temptation of prosperity nor the kindness and esteem of great men of this world, being, in the simple and forcible language of the memorial respecting him, ‘permitted to separate him from that truth which the Lord had eminently convinced him of.’
“Besides numerous other descendants, he was the grandfather of Martha Birkbeck, whose daughter Jane became the first wife of Joseph John Gurney. Joseph Gurney, his younger brother, who, towards the close of his life, fixed his residence at Keswick, near Norwich, also became a valued minister of the gospel among Friends. His christian profession was eminently adorned by a life of humility, benevolence, and moderation. He died in the year 1750, after a suffering illness which he bore with exemplary resignation, giving a final evidence of the truth of what he then expressed that it had been ‘the business of his whole life to be prepared for such a time!’
“His eldest son, John Gurney, was a man of great activity and energy, and notwithstanding his extensive engagements in business, devoted much of his time to the interests of his own religious society, to the principles of which he was warmly attached. In the midst of a course of remarkable temporal prosperity, it is instructive to observe the fears which he expresses in one of his private memoranda, lest his increasing opulence should lead away his children from those religious habits and associations in which they had been educated. He left three sons, all of whom married and settled near Norwich. Richard Gurney the eldest, on his father’s decease, in 1770, became the occupant of the family residence at Keswick. John Gurney, the father of p. 502J. J. Gurney, had previously to the birth of the latter settled at Earlham. Joseph Gurney, the youngest, resided at Lakenham Grove. The three families were naturally much associated, and exercised an important influence upon each other. At a later period especially, the consistency with which Joseph Gurney, of The Grove, was enabled to maintain his position as a Friend, and as a christian minister, rendered his influence peculiarly valuable.”
John Gurney, of Earlham, is eulogised highly by the editor of these memoirs as generous, ardent, and warm-hearted, abounding in kindness to all, uniting very remarkable activity, both in public and private business, with an acute intellect and extensive information. His wife was Catherine Bell, a daughter of Daniel Bell of Stamford Hill, near London, her mother being a granddaughter of Robert Barclay, the well-known author of the “Apology.” She is described as a woman of very superior mind as well as personal charms, and as a serious christian and decided Friend. She died in the autumn of 1792, leaving her sorrowing husband the widowed parent of eleven children. The following list of the names may be found useful:—
Catherine died unmarried, 1850.
Rachel died unmarried, 1827.
Elizabeth, married in 1800 to Joseph Fry, of London, became the celebrated Mrs. Fry, who died in 1845.
John died in 1814.
Richenda married in 1816 to Francis Cunningham, who died in 1855.
Hannah married in 1807 to Thomas Fowell Buxton.
Louisa, married in 1806 to Samuel Hoare, died in 1836.
p. 503Priscilla died unmarried, 1821.
Samuel, who died in 1856.
Joseph John, who died in 1847.
Daniel, still living.
Among the eminent citizens of this century, none will take a higher place than the late J. J. Gurney, Esq., the well-known philanthropist. He was born at Earlham Hall on August 8th, 1788. That hall was one of the happiest homes in England. It was also the birth-place of Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, sister of J. J. Gurney, and almost as celebrated as her brother. Here they were both trained with religious care, and passed their days of childhood and youth in happiness and peace. In after life they were associated together in works of benevolence, and the brother often aided his sister in many of her schemes for improving prison discipline.
In 1803, soon after he had completed his 15th year, Joseph John was sent to Oxford with his cousin Gurney Barclay to pursue his studies under the care of John Rogers, a private tutor. Young J. J. Gurney continued at Oxford two years, with the exception of the vacations, which he spent mostly at home. His tutor, though resident at Oxford, was not in that character connected with the university or with any of the colleges. The student became an excellent classical and oriental scholar, and ultimately the author of several valuable religious works, such as “Essays on Christianity,” “Thoughts on Habit and Discipline.” p. 504He was scarcely seventeen when, in August, 1805, he was removed from the care of John Rogers. He had become attached to his tutor and to his studies, and he quitted the place with regret, but there was brightness in the thought of settling at home. The bank in which his father was a partner had been established in Norwich in the year 1770. After that time the concern was considerably extended with branch banks at Lynn, Fakenham, Yarmouth, and other places. His elder brother, John, had been placed in the establishment at Lynn, and his brother Samuel had been sent up to London, where he had become the head of a district concern; so that circumstances had prepared the way for that which J. J. Gurney himself had desired—a place in the bank at Norwich. Here in the enjoyment of daily communication with his father, and a home at Earlham with his sisters, the ensuing three years of his life passed in peace and joy. In the year 1806, he accompanied his father and a large family party in a tour to the English lakes and through Scotland. On their return, J. J. Gurney was regular in his attendance at the bank, but he found time for study at home, and he carefully read ancient historians in the original languages. Gradually, however, his attention became unceasingly directed to biblical literature, which continued for some years to absorb much of his leisure. His habits of study were eminently methodical, exemplifying his favourite maxim, which he was afterwards accustomed strongly to inculcate upon his young friends, “Be a whole man to one thing at a p. 505time.” His position and tastes introduced him to the highly-cultivated society, for which Norwich was at the time remarkable, at the house of his cousin Hudson Gurney, where he was accustomed to meet many persons who were eminent for their parts and learning. He had early become a favourite with Dr. Bathurst, then Bishop of Norwich, and their intercourse gradually ripened into a warm friendship, which was maintained unbroken till that prelate’s decease, in 1837, at the very advanced age of ninety-three. Young J. J. Gurney was but just twenty-one when, as one of his father’s executors and representative at Earlham, and as a partner in the bank, very grave responsibilities devolved upon him. However, he continued to pursue his studies with ardour, and he made his first essay as an author in an article published in the Classical Journal on September 9th, 1810, under the title of “A Critical Notice of Sir William Drummond’s Dissertations on the Herculanesia.” After this effort his mind became increasingly drawn towards the principles of the Society of Friends, and many of his allusions to his feelings, in his autobiography, are peculiarly interesting and instructive, indicating the spiritual phase of his mind. The example of his sister, Elizabeth Fry, as well as of his sister Priscilla, who like her, had become a decided Friend and a preacher of the gospel, strengthened his convictions; but the influence of other members of the family who resided at Earlham, as well as of many other estimable persons, tended in an opposite direction. The editor of the Memoirs, already referred to, says:—
p. 506“Whilst Joseph John Gurney’s religious convictions were thus gradually drawing him into a narrower path in connection with the Society of Friends, his heart was becoming increasingly enlarged in Christian concern for the welfare of others. He had already warmly interested himself in the formation of a Lancasterian School in Norwich, an institution which long continued to have his effective support. The establishment of an auxiliary Bible Society in this city, was an object into which he now entered with youthful ardour. The general meeting for its formation was held on the 11th of the 9th month, 1811.”
The philanthropist was married to Jane Birkbeck on October 10th, 1817, in his 29th year, and it appears to have been a very happy marriage. The event took place at Wells Meeting, and, after a short sojourn at Hunstanton, the newly-married couple travelled to their home at Earlham, where they received the visits of many friends, who were most hospitably entertained. After his marriage, J. J. Gurney continued at Earlham; and the hall, where his father had resided, and in which he himself lived from his birth, was his settled residence.
“To this place (with its lovely lawn nested among large trees) he was strongly attached all his life. And they who knew him there can still picture him in his study among his books, or in his drawing-room among his friends, his countenance beaming with love and intelligence, the life of the whole circle; or in his garden amongst his flowers, with his Greek Testament in his hand, still drawing from the books ‘of nature and of grace’ that lay open before him, new motives to raise the heart to the Author of all his blessings.
p. 507“Placed by circumstances, though not the elder brother, in the position which his father had occupied in Norfolk as Master of Earlham, and a partner in the bank, it was his delight, as far as possible, to continue Earlham as the family house. Even after his marriage, his sisters, Catherine, Rachel, and Priscilla, continued to live with him, occupying their own apartments, and it was the custom of the other members of the family frequently to meet there as under a common roof. * * * Up to the period of his brother John’s decease, and for some time afterwards, it was the habit of his brothers and himself, with their brothers-in-law, Thomas Fowell Buxton and Samuel Hoare, to improve these occasions by a mutual impartial examination of their conduct, in which each with brotherly openness stated what he conceived to be the brother’s faults. Happy indeed was such an intercourse between such minds. * * * Besides this, to him, delightful band of brothers and sisters, his house was, as must have been already apparent to the reader, freely opened to a large circle.
“Whilst every year strengthened his conviction of the soundness and importance of the christian principles which he professed, he rejoiced in that liberty wherewith Christ had made him free to embrace as brethren all those in whom he thought he could discern traces of his heavenly image.
“Towards the close of the year (1817) in company with his wife, his brother Samuel Gurney, his brother and sister Buxton, and Francis and Richenda Cunningham, he took a short tour upon the continent of Europe, their principal objects being to establish a branch Bible Society in Paris, and to procure information as to the systems of prison discipline adopted in the jails of Antwerp and Ghent. Having accomplished their objects, they returned home after an absence of about a month.”
p. 508Soon afterwards J. J. Gurney began to preach at meetings of the Friends in Norwich and elsewhere.
“Early in the year 1818, private business called him to London. His sister, Elizabeth Fry, had previously entered upon her important labours for the benefit of the prisoners in Newgate, and for the improvement of prison discipline generally. Joseph John Gurney warmly entered into his sister’s views, and accompanied her to the committee of the House of Commons on the occasion of giving her evidence, and afterwards to Lord Sidmouth, then Secretary of State for the Home Department.
“His visit to London and the pamphlet on Prison Discipline, soon afterward published by his brother-in-law, Thomas Fowell Buxton, tended to deepen in his own mind a sense of the importance of that subject, and an opportunity soon occurred for endeavouring to influence the authorities at Norwich to some exertion respecting it. The mayor and corporation, attended by the sheriffs and other citizens, whilst perambulating the boundaries of the county of the city, were by his desire invited to partake of refreshment in passing by the hall at Earlham. Besides those immediately connected with the magistracy many others assembled, the whole company consisting of about 800 persons. On this occasion, Joseph John Gurney, in an address to the mayor and corporation, urged the erection of a new jail, and its establishment on better principles, with a view to the employment of the prisoners, and the improvement of their morals; enforcing his appeal by a reference to the extraordinary change that had then recently taken place in Newgate, through the exertions of a committee of ladies, and concluding by offering a donation of £100 towards the object. The effort was not without fruit, though the result was not immediately apparent.”
p. 509The editor of his Memoirs proceeds:—
“In the 8th and 9th month of this year (1818), in company with his wife, his sister Elizabeth Fry, and one of her daughters, he took a journey into Scotland, visiting many of the prisons both there and in the north of England, besides attending many of the meetings of Friends. On this occasion, in conformity with the christian order established in the Society of Friends, he was furnished with a minute or testimonial expressing the concurrence of his Friends of his own ‘Monthly Meeting’ in his prospects of religious service.”
We have now to view the philanthropist not only in the varied relations of private life, but also in the very important character of a christian minister. He gradually became the most distinguished member of the Society of Friends in all England, and he often delivered exceedingly impressive discourses in Norwich and other large towns, preaching the gospel with a peculiar grace of manner which fascinated every audience. We have often heard him preach before large congregations of educated people in the Meeting House at Liverpool, and always with great effect. His journal is full of details of his labours in all parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. He became a Home Missionary, working hard at his own expense; but we must confine this brief sketch to his doings here in Norwich. The death of his beloved wife at Earlham on October 6th, 1822, put his religious principle to the severest test, and in his letters he expresses deep sorrow, but he was of too active a disposition to be long subdued by grief. During the few months succeeding his loss, he continued mostly p. 510at home in the enjoyment of the society of his sisters, Catherine and Rachel; his children becoming increasingly the objects of his tender solicitude. In the mean time, besides attending to the necessary claims of business, and to the various public objects that had long shared his interest, he devoted his leisure to study, finding relief, as he intimates, “Not in the indulgence of sorrow, but in a diligent attention to the calls of duty.”
After giving many extracts from his journal, Mr. Braithwaite continues in reference to the anti-slavery agitation:—
“Retiring for a few days to Cromer Hall, he found a large and interesting circle. Amongst others, the late William Wilberforce and Zachary Macaulay were there, deliberating with his brother-in-law Thomas Fowell Buxton on the position and prospects of the Anti-Slavery question. It was the occasion on which the latter appears to have arrived at his final decision, to accept the responsible post of advocate of the cause as successor to Wilberforce. In this important undertaking, and throughout the succeeding struggle, Joseph John Gurney gave him his warm and efficient encouragement and support.”
Mr. J. J. Gurney, Mr. Clarkson, Mr. T. F. Buxton, Mr. Wilberforce, and others, were earnest advocates for the total abolition of the slave trade and of slavery; and they attended many public meetings at which they denounced and exposed the horrid traffic. Ultimately, as we all know, their efforts were rewarded, by rousing public indignation to such a pitch as to p. 511result in the passing of an act of parliament emancipating the slaves in the West Indies, at a cost of twenty millions.
The panic in the monetary and commercial world, and the sudden run upon the banks in London and the country, have rendered the winter of 1825–1826 memorable. As a banker, J. J. Gurney did not escape his share of anxiety, as appears from his journal, but his firm weathered the storm. Another circumstance was at this time deeply interesting to his feelings, namely, his attachment to Mary Fowler, daughter of Rachel Fowler, a cousin of his late wife. After some correspondence he made Mary Fowler an offer of marriage, which she accepted. On July 18th, 1827, they were married at Elm Grove. On this interesting occasion, he remarks in his journal,—
“Bright, hopeful, and happy was our wedding day. We dined on the lawn, a large united company, and rejoiced together, I trust in the Lord. Mary and I left the party at Elm Grove, in the afternoon, for North Devon.”
They arrived at Linton, and thence proceeded to Ilfracombe. There they spent the honeymoon, and then the happy husband brought his second wife home to Earlham, where they were received with joy. After this he was visited by many eminent characters at Earlham, including Dr. Chalmers, who stayed with him several days.
“None can have attentively perused the foregoing pages” (says the editor of the memoirs) “without perceiving that one leading feature of Joseph John Gurneys character was p. 512an unweared active benevolence. Like his sister, Elizabeth Fry, he seemed continually to live under a deep sense of his responsibility towards others. A cheerful and bountiful giver, it was not merely by large pecuniary assistance that he proved his interest in objects connected with the welfare of his fellow-men: to these objects he was exemplary in devoting no common share of his time and personal attention. The steady devotion to the Anti-slavery and Bible Societies is already before the reader. In addition to these great and often absorbing interests, his exertions for the distressed labouring population of Norwich were unremitting. Year after year, during the winter, or on any occasion when their distress was aggravated by want of employment, he was at his post, stirring up his fellow-citizens to the necessary measures for the alleviation of their wants. The District Visiting Society, which was mainly instrumental in originating the Soup Society and the Coal Society, found in him a steady and effective supporter. Often would he say that the painful consciousness of the poverty and suffering of many thousands around him, almost prevented his enjoyment of the abundant blessings with which he was himself so richly favoured. On one occasion he expended a considerable sum in providing the capital for an attempt to supply the poor weavers and mechanics with employment during a scarcity of work. But, though like many similar attempts, it failed to answer the expectation of the promoter, and was abandoned, it served at least to furnish another proof of the sincerity and earnestness with which he laboured for their welfare.
“The depressions in trade occasioned by the panic of 1825 will be long remembered. Norwich did not escape its influence. As a banker, Joseph John Gurney was more than usually absorbed in his own immediate cares, but his p. 513heart at once turned towards his suffering fellow-citizens. ‘The dreadful distress,’ he writes to a friend, ‘which prevails in the great mass of our once labouring, now, alas! idle population, has been such as to call forth my strenuous efforts on their behalf. In this, success has been mercifully vouchsafed. We have raised £3300 in five days.’
“One more illustration deserves notice. In the winter of 1829–30, the manufactures of Norwich were again greatly depressed. The weavers became unsettled, holding riotous meetings, and using threatening language against their employers. The state of things was alarming. J. J. Gurney felt it to be his duty to use his influence in checking the spirit of discontent that was rapidly spreading. He attended one of the very large and tumultuous meetings of the operatives, and endeavoured to persuade them to desist from their disorderly proceedings, and quietly to resume their work. With a view of still further winning them by kindness, he invited a deputation from those assembled to breakfast at Earlham on the following morning. Between forty and fifty of them came, with Dover, a notorious Chartist leader, at their head. After the usual family reading of the Scriptures, they sat down to a plentiful repast which had been provided for them in the large dining room, of which they partook heartily; and their host afterwards addressed them in a kind, conciliatory manner upon the subject of wages, and their duty to their employers. The men conducted themselves in an orderly manner and appeared grateful for the attention shown them. The scene was not soon to be forgotten.”
The editor gives some illustrations of the philanthropist’s benevolent character, by narrating instances of his visits to prisoners in the Jail, and to afflicted inmates of the Bethel and the Norfolk and Norwich p. 514Hospital. A volume might be filled by an account of his acts of private benevolence, but we must pass on to more public matters. He seldom took an active part in contested elections, but at the election in 1833, after the passing of the Reform Act, the Whig candidates, one of whom was his near relative, were defeated, chiefly, as was generally believed, through the influence of bribery. On this subject J. J. Gurney wrote,—
“As usual, I took little or no interest in the election, but when a petition was presented to Parliament against the returned members on the score of bribery, I imagined it to be my place to subscribe to the object, and wrote a letter in the Norwich newspapers stating the grounds of my so doing. Those grounds were in no degree personal, but simply moral and Christian. But the appearance of evil was not avoided. The measure was construed into an act of political partizanship; and I entirely lost ground by it in my own true calling, that of promoting simple Christianity among all classes.”
He had thought of becoming a candidate for the representation of this city, or some other place, in Parliament. After some long conferences with his friends he abandoned the idea and devoted himself to his higher calling. Mr. J. J. Gurney was a well-known Liberal in politics, but he did not often speak at political meetings in this city. His speeches were always short and generally pertinent; and showed good sense accompanied with the seriousness of conviction. On whatever side of any question he spoke he was listened to very attentively, and all parties believed that he delivered the unbiassed opinion of an honest man. p. 515His conduct on every occasion gained him the esteem of all friends of civil and religious liberty.
In 1835, he was once more plunged into deep affliction by the long illness and death of his wife. Her health had of late years been much improved, and she had been unremitting in her attentions to his daughter during her illness from typhus fever, without apparently suffering in consequence. The disease was, however, lurking in her constitution, and after some time made its appearance. The fever gradually gained ground, and she sank under it on Nov. 9th of that year. She died happily, amid her mourning friends; and her husband knelt down at her bedside and returned thanks for her deliverance from every trouble!
His journal contains many details of his visits to Manchester and Liverpool, of his journeys in Derbyshire and North Wales, of his journeys in Scotland and the north of England, of his voyage to America, of his journey to Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina, of his journey from Richmond to Washington, of interviews with eminent statesmen, of labours at New York, of a voyage to the West Indies and proceedings there, of a tour on the continent, and of his return home. But we cannot follow him in all his wanderings in many lands, where he went about doing good, promoting benevolent objects and preaching the gospel, his heart being too large to be confined to his native country, much less to his native city. On his return from the continent in 1841, he attended a meeting of the Bible Society, and delivered his last p. 516great speech, which occupied two hours, on the state of religion in Europe. A shorthand writer took notes of that address, which was so full of information that it was afterwards published in the Journal of the Bible Society.
Soon after his return home he married Eliza P. Kirkbridge. The event took place at Darlington, on October 10th, 1841, as noted in his journal. After the marriage he delivered an address on the “Victory which is of faith.” The dinner party was cheerful, and concluded with a short religious service. He and his bride parted from their friends, made a short tour, and returned to Earlham, which they “reached in health and great peace, the place comfortable and homeish, and the reception from his dearest children glowing.”
J. J. Gurney signed the total-abstinence pledge at the house of his friend, Richard Dykes Alexander, at Ipswich, on April 8th, 1843. He and his wife attended a great “Teetotal Meeting” held at Norwich, on the arrival of Father Mathew, on September 9th, that year. The lord bishop, Dr. Stanley, was present and requested J. J. Gurney to preside. He did so, and declared himself to be a pledged teetotaller. He spoke fully and carefully on the subject, and the lord bishop afterwards expressed his admiration of the apostle of temperance as the instrument of effecting so much moral good.
As a man of business, Mr. J. J. Gurney was ready, punctual, and attentive. He was very modest, but of a candid and social disposition. Though in large or p. 517mixed companies he seldom appeared forward, yet in the society of his friends he was exceedingly agreeable. In private life no man was more estimable as a husband, a father, a neighbour, and a friend. In Norwich and in the surrounding district he was universally honoured and beloved. He was a great reader of the bible, and he was regular and exact in family worship, but he was a stranger to bigotry, no stickler for forms, and no friend to mysticism in matters of religion.
The autumn of 1846 was spent by the philanthropist quietly at home, with the exception of engagements connected with the attendance of meetings of Friends, and with what proved to be a farewell visit to his beloved daughter at Darlington, and to his friends in several places on his way home. He attended a committee of the Norwich District Visiting Society on December 28th in that year, and on his return to Earlham he complained of great exhaustion, feverishness, &c. A few simple remedies were administered, but the uncomfortable symptoms remaining his medical man was summoned on the following morning. He pronounced it a slight bilious attack, and seemed to have no anxiety about the recovery. The philanthropist, however, gradually sank, apparently from exhaustion, and he died on January 4th, 1847, in the 59th year of his age. The news of his death spread a gloom over the city, and the universal lamentations of the citizens proved that they regarded him as a father and a friend, as indeed he had been to thousands of them. The sensation in Norwich and its neighbourhood p. 518cannot easily be described, and is probably without precedent in the case of a mere private individual. During the entire interval of seven days between his decease and the funeral, the half-closed shops and the darkened windows of the houses gave ample proof of the feelings of the inhabitants. It furnished the principal topic of conversation in every family, in every private circle, in every group by the wayside. People of all ranks vied with each other in their eulogies of their departed friend. Everyone had his own story to tell of some public benefit, or of some private kindness which had been shown to others or to himself.
The funeral, as might have been expected from this unusual public emotion, was an extraordinary scene. All the shops were closed and all business was suspended in the city. A number of gentlemen, including the mayor, the ex-mayor, and the sheriff, went out in carriages as far as Earlham Hall. The citizens generally formed the funeral procession, and followed the hearse and plain carriages from the hall to the burial place at the Gildencroft. There was no pomp or parade, no mockery of woe. A simplicity in harmony with the character of the departed marked all the arrangements. As the procession moved on towards the city it was joined by an increasing number of the inhabitants, who issued forth in a continuous stream to pay their last tribute to the memory of departed worth. Silently and sadly many stood while the hearse passed slowly by, and many a tearful countenance among the crowd bore testimony to their p. 519love for the dead. The procession gradually increased in numbers all the way to the Gildencroft, and after the thousands of people had gathered round the grave a profound silence ensued, which was at length broken by a Friend repeating the verses, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” &c. Another pause then took place, followed by another address, and then the body was lowered into its last resting place. The circle of mourning relatives, including J. H. Gurney and his wife, the surrounding crowd of spectators—persons of all ranks, of all ages, of all communions—magistrates and artizans, clergymen and Nonconformists—representatives, in short, of the whole people of Norwich, now took their last farewell of Joseph John Gurney, and slowly turned towards the meeting house, where a meeting for worship was to be held. The service was deeply impressive, and formed an appropriate conclusion to the solemn occasion. At the Cathedral, on the following Sunday, the good Bishop Stanley preached a funeral sermon before a large congregation. His text was “Watchman, what of the night?” and after enlarging on it, he alluded in a most pathetic and impressive manner to the virtues of the deceased, and we never before saw so many people so deeply moved. The death of the beloved citizen was also publicly adverted to in most of the places of worship in Norwich.
Mr. J. J. Gurney was the author of various works, the most popular being one on the Evidences of Christianity. It is a production more calculated to p. 520confirm the faith of a believer than to convert a free thinker who may not admit the possibility of anything supernatural. He also published a work on “The Vows and Practices of Friends;” “Essays on Christianity;” “Essays on the Moral Character of Christ,” and “Love to God;” “The Papal and Hierarchical System compared with the Religion of the New Testament, &c.” His last and best work is entitled, “Thoughts on Habit and Discipline,” an excellent moral treatise.
Henry Bathurst, LL.D., canon of Christchurch, rector of Cirencester, and prebend of Durham, was installed bishop of Norwich in 1805. He was a prelate much esteemed and respected. His christian deportment, conciliatory manners, and general benevolence, endeared him to this city and diocese. He was eminently distinguished for his liberal sentiments, and for his attachment to the great principles of civil and religious liberty. He was often seen walking arm in arm with Dissenters in our streets. He voted in the House of Peers for the Repeal of the Catholic Disabilities Bill, and also in favour of the Reform Bill. This disinterested and noble advocacy of liberal principles is thought to have stood in the way of his promotion to an archbishopric. He died April 7th, 1837, in the 93rd year of his age, and much lamented. A statue to his memory was placed in the choir of the p. 521Cathedral. This beautiful work of art was the last work of Sir Francis Chantrey, and is executed in his masterly style from a block of the purest Carrara marble. It is placed on a plain pedestal of white marble, and fixed in the recess at the foot of the altar steps, on the north side of the choir, commonly called Queen Elizabeth’s seat, because she sat there when she visited Norwich. The bishop is represented in a sitting posture, clothed in full ecclesiastical costume, and the artist has admirably succeeded in giving to his face that expression of benevolence for which he was so well known.
The following is a translation of the Latin inscription on the pedestal:—
To the Memory of
The Right Reverend Father in Christ,
HENRY BATHURST, Doctor in Civil Law,
Who,
While for more than 30 years he presided over
This Diocese,
By his frankness and purity of heart,
Gentleness of manners, and pleasantness of conversation, attached to himself the good will of all:
His friends,
In testimony of their regret for one so much beloved,
Have caused this effigy to be erected.
He died 5 Ap. A.D. 1837, in the 93rd year
Of his age.
Dr. Stanley was born January 1st, 1779, and became rector of Alderley, in Cheshire. After twice declining the office, he was installed bishop of Norwich, August 17th, 1837. He ruled the diocese for twelve years, and was highly esteemed by all sects for his unceasing efforts to promote the spiritual interests of every class of society, and his readiness on every occasion to co-operate with Dissenters in every good work. He often attended their meetings to promote religious and benevolent objects. In one of his sermons he quoted the injunction “The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;” &c. His subsequent conduct furnished ample evidence of the sincerity with which he obeyed this injunction; and although some of his clergy were somewhat estranged from him by his frequent expressions of unbounded charity, yet all were obliged to esteem him for his noble zeal and consistency of character. He was distinguished for his extensive liberality to the poor and his interest in their education. He was often seen going about from school to school, and the kindliness of his heart was so well known to the children that they sometimes pulled his coat behind to obtain his benignant smile, which to them was like sunshine after rain. On all occasions he was earnest in his advocacy of civil and religious liberty, and active in his exertions on behalf of all benevolent associations, both of the Church and of Dissenters. He was also a promoter p. 523of all literary institutions in the city and elsewhere, and often attended their anniversaries at which he delivered animated addresses. He did not lay claim to the character of a man of science; but astronomy, geology, botany, and natural history were his favourite studies. He was the author of two interesting volumes on “The History of Birds,” which were published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. He was elected president of the Linnæan Society, and he accepted an appointment as one of the commissioners chosen to inquire into the state of the British Museum.
Bishop Stanley was so little of a bigot that he appeared once on the same platform with Father Mathew, a Roman Catholic, at a temperance meeting in St. Andrew’s Hall. He then and there eulogised the apostle of temperance, and advocated the cause with great eloquence. On another occasion he invited Jenny Lind, now Madame Goldscmidt, to the palace, when she visited this city. At the palace one evening, she sang before a large company. When it became known that the lord bishop of the diocese had actually entertained an operatic singer, great was the indignation of some of the clergy. This however did not at all distress the good bishop, who held on the even tenor of his way, doing good whenever he had an opportunity. By his frequent earnest discourses in many churches in this diocese, he caused quite a revival of religion among the clergy and church-going people. He died, much lamented, on September 6th, 1849, in the 70th year of his age, and he was buried p. 524in the middle of the nave of the Cathedral, in the presence of thousands who had known and loved him. A short time after his decease, a slab to his memory was laid over his grave, bearing the following inscription:—
In the love of Christ
Here rests from his labours
EDWARD STANLEY,
Thirty-two years Rector of Alderley,
Twelve years Bishop of Norwich,
Buried amidst the mourning
Of the Diocese which he had animated,
The City which he had served,
The Poor whom he had visited,
The Schools which he had fostered,
The Family which he had loved,
Of all Christian people
With whom, howsoever divided, he had joined
In whatsoever things were true and honest,
And just, and pure, and lovely,
And of good report.
Born January 1st, 1779.
Installed August 17th, 1837.
Died September 6th, 1849, Aged 70.
Buried September 21st, 1849.
Samuel Hinds, D.D., succeeded Bishop Stanley. He was the sixty-seventh bishop of the diocese, and was installed on January 24th, 1850. He was the son of Abel and Elizabeth Thornhill Hinds, born Dec. p. 52523rd, 1793, in Barbadoes; and at the age of twelve he was sent to England, to the school of Mr. Phillips, at Frenchay, near Bristol. He entered at Baliol College, Oxford, but for want of rooms removed to Queen’s, graduated in honours 1815 (second in classics), and in the year following he obtained the Latin essay. He returned to Barbadoes as a missionary and remained there five years, the three latter as vice-principal of Codrington College. After he returned to England he became vice-principal of Alban Hall, Oxford; and he accompanied Archbishop Whately to Ireland, as his private chaplain. He was subsequently presented with the living of Yardley, in Herts., by Dr. Coplestone, bishop of Llandaff. Dr. Hinds again returned to Ireland, having been preferred to the living of Castlenock by Archbishop Whateley, and was chosen private chaplain to Lord Clarendon, lord lieutenant of Ireland. Hence he removed to the deanery of Carlisle, but was scarcely settled there when he was appointed to the bishopric of Norwich. He had previously refused the bishoprics of New Zealand and Cork. He laboured in this diocese for seven years, often preaching in the churches, attending religious meetings, and delivering addresses of a high character. He generally preached at the anniversaries of the Church Associations in this city. He resigned the see of Norwich in April, 1857, and retired into private life. His health is said to have been impaired by his arduous labours in conducting the Oxford commissions which the government had entrusted to him, and which, added to his p. 526duties in the diocese and the office of chaplain to the house of lords, proved too much for his constitution. Dr. Hinds is perhaps the most learned of modern bishops. His literary talents are considerable. He is the author of the “Rise and Progress of Christianity,” first published in the “Enclyclopædia Metropolitana,” and considered a standard work, highly esteemed for its comprehensive views of religious truth. The “Three Temples of the One God;” “Catechists’ Manual;” and “Inspirations of the Scriptures,” are works from his pen, which testify to his deep learning and great research. He is the author of many beautiful poems and hymns, some of which are familiar to the congregation at Norwich Cathedral, from being repeated in the service as arranged to music. The confirmation hymn is simple and appropriate.
In a brief history of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, published by Dr. Copeman, we find the following memoir of the subject of this notice:—
“Mr. Dalrymple was a native of Norwich, his father having removed thither from Scotland. He was born in 1772, and at an early age was sent to the Grammar School at Aylsham, in Norfolk, from whence he was removed to the Free School at Norwich, where he became a favourite pupil of its then head master, the celebrated Dr. Parr. Here he had for a schoolfellow Dr. Maltby, and with both, Dr. Parr kept up a friendly intercourse of visits to the latest period of p. 527his life. It affords a strong proof of Mr. Dalrymple’s early talents and his industry in cultivating them, that, although in accordance with the then custom of requiring medical apprenticeship to extend to seven years, he was obliged to leave school at the age of fourteen, he had yet attained such a proficiency in classical reading, and so correct an appreciation of its beauties, that, amidst all the urgent and various occupations and anxieties of his succeeding life, he found the greatest relief to his toils in a recurrence to his favourite authors. His taste was scholarlike as well as scientific; his conversation embued with classical allusion, and his felicity in quotation remarkable. [527]
“Mr. Dalrymple was apprenticed in London, and studied at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals under Cline and Sir Astley Cooper. He returned to Norwich in 1793, and opened a surgery in his father’s house; and although for several years his progress in establishing a practice was slow, he at last attained the highest reputation as a surgeon in his native city, and for many years enjoyed the confidence, friendship, and patronage of a very large number of patients of every grade of society and in every district of the county.
“In 1812 Mr. Dalrymple was elected assistant surgeon to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and two years afterwards succeeded to the full surgeoncy, a post which he occupied with great credit to himself and benefit to his profession until 1839, a period of twenty-five years. He was then in the 67th year of his age, his powers were less vigorous, and finding himself no longer equal to his hospital practice, he resigned his position there, receiving a cordial acknowledgment from the governors, of ‘the able, humane, and successful exercise of his official duties,’ and being honoured by a request to accept the appointment of honorary consulting p. 528surgeon. In 1844 Mr. Dalrymple finally retired from professional life, and died in London on the 5th of December, 1848, aged 75 years.
“From the year 1831 to 1835, I had ample opportunities, as house surgeon of the hospital, of observing, and profiting by, the mode in which the late Mr. Dalrymple performed his public professional duties in that institution; and remember with pleasure and satisfaction, that I was sometimes able to render assistance, and save trouble, to one so deserving of the gratitude and goodwill of those with whom he had to do. At the period referred to, Mr. Dalrymple was beginning to feel the burden of heavy surgical responsibilities more weighty than his somewhat feeble frame would bear; his naturally acute sensibility was increased by a measure of debility resulting from overmuch professional occupation. The sudden call to perform a serious and difficult operation was accompanied sometimes with a degree of shock to his nerves, which told upon him injuriously; and the desire he had to save the life of the sufferer submitted to his charge (always a predominant feeling in his mind,) would well-nigh overpower him with emotion. I have often heard him say that he was not able to sleep the night before he had to perform the operation of lithotomy, although in such cases his success was great; but he possessed so much sympathy for his patient, and felt his own responsibility so strongly, that he failed to secure to his mind that rest which alone could have enabled him to meet the contingencies of his profession with composure. This nervous sensibility was due in part to original constitution, and increased by professional toil. Sometimes it arises from defective knowledge, or from want of success; but so far from either being the case with Mr. Dalrymple, his knowledge was ample, the result of many years’ industrious application of a mind capable of vast p. 529acquirements—sufficient to have given him confidence in the treatment of any case submitted to his care; his success was beyond that of many placed in similar circumstances; such, indeed, as might fairly have been expected from one who had so much sympathy for suffering humanity, and who devoted the whole energy of his mind to devise means to relieve it. For a long period no one but himself, perhaps, was aware of the stress upon his feelings which his professional duties, so well performed, were wont to occasion; and when it did become apparent to others, it was delightful to witness how pleased, how grateful, how kind in expression he was for any attention, encouragement, or assistance offered him; and how highly he estimated the friendship of those who watched an opportunity to perform those little offices of kindness and consideration, which, although difficult to be defined, can always be appreciated by a sensitive mind and a feeling heart.
“The experience of a long and active professional life endued Mr. Dalrymple with the valuable qualification of forming a right judgment in cases of a complex and difficult nature, which was fully appreciated and acknowledged. The firmness and decision of his opinion upon a difficult case, when once formed, could not fail to impress the practitioner by whom he was consulted with confidence, and his patient with the assurance that dependence might be placed upon the result of his deliberations.
“No one who had the privilege of Mr. Dalrymple’s acquaintance can think of him otherwise than as a kind friend, a highly intelligent and well-informed man, an amusing and instructive companion, and a profoundly gifted practitioner of the art and science it was the business and happiness of his life to pursue.”
We make the following extracts from a memoir of Mr. Crosse published in Dr. Copeman’s History of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
“John Greene Crosse was the second son of Mr. William Crosse, of Finborough, in Suffolk, and was born on the 6th of September, 1790. In order to make known some particulars of his early life and education, I cannot do better than quote his own journal, which contains many remarks upon the subject evidently intended to have formed part of a history of his life. In April, 1819, he penned the following observations.
“‘I never went to boarding school, which contributed, with many other occurrences of my subsequent life, to fix me in the unsocial habits that hitherto never did and never will forsake me. In my early years, no classical learning, not a line of Latin, was taught at the proximate market town to which I resorted as a daily pupil; and my first lessons of reading, arithmetic, and writing were received from a master of whom I entertained the greatest horror, for the ferocity of his conduct, the severe discipline by which he drove into us the simplest rudimental knowledge. His stern brow, raucous voice, and long cane, are now livelily depicted to my mind: how much I owe to him, I am even now, with a long life in retrospect, unable to tell; but I was glad when circumstances arose that released me from his tutorage.’
“‘Very small matters, and such as we have no control over, and call accidental because unable to trace the chain of causes giving rise to them, influence our mortal destinies. I had attained my 12th (?) year, under such tremendous p. 531instruction as is related, when a Welsh gentleman making some mistake at college (not implicating his good character, an informality I should call it) found it well to rusticate; and taking with him his premature wife, sought a living by opening a classical school in Stowmarket. I became one of his early pupils; and but for this good, easy man’s settling in the town, should never have launched into such studies as Latin and Greek; of which, it is true, I did not learn much, nor very accurately. But he was, nevertheless, a plodding, working man; an increasing family made him exert his abilities to the utmost; and I got out of him all the instruction I ever received as a school-boy in the learned languages. When about fifteen years of age, returning from my daily school, in a feat in jumping, I had the accident, I ought not perhaps to say the misfortune, to break my leg. The respectable village surgeon attended me: he was one of the old school; of fine, soft, soothing manners, clean dressed, with powdered head; rode slowly a very well-looking horse; in short, he was a gentleman, and commanded the respect of every one when he entered the house; he was also a skilful and kind surgeon. What wonder that the idea should be awakened in my mind to be of the medical profession! to be as great a man as he—the Village Doctor! to whom every one bowed, and who could relieve pain and cure injuries so quickly and skilfully. I had conceived an object of ambition, and the idea never deserted me. I was in a month upon my crutches, and soon recovered; a surgical case fixed my future destinies.’
“‘I persevered a few years longer at Latin, Greek, French, and Euclid. My father was successful and able now to place me out well; wished me to be a lawyer, and I was for a time under the instruction of a gentleman of that profession—attending bankruptcy meetings, and feasting at p. 532midnight at the expense of the already distracted creditors. Those were good times for lawyers. A learned chancellor, whom I met on one such occasion, I well remember complimenting me on my quickness in counting money; but all would not do, my mind was prepossessed—I quitted the law to follow my inclination; I made my own choice; it was a pledge to success. The surgeon who cured my leg agreed to take me as his first and only pupil, and I was accordingly articled in due form for five years.’
“On the 27th of September, 1811, Mr. Crosse went to London for the purpose of studying his profession in that Metropolis, and was the following day introduced to Mr., afterwards Sir Charles Bell, whose pupil he became, with whom he contracted a close intimacy, and of whose merits as a teacher and man of science he always spoke in the highest terms of respect and gratitude. In the following January, he entered to Abernethy’s Lectures; and in April, 1812, became a student at St. George’s Hospital, where his industrious habits and intelligence attracted the particular attention and marked notice of the medical officers of that noble institution. In the following month, he entered as a pupil at the Lock Hospital; and in the course of the year, officiated as House Surgeon during the temporary absence of the gentleman who occupied that situation. In the following winter session, commencing October, 1812, he studied under Brodie, Bell, Brande, Clarke, Home, and others; and remarks in his journal, ‘very industrious all this winter, sitting up constantly till past two a.m.’ In March, 1813, he became a dresser to Sir Everard Home at St. George’s Hospital; attended Midwifery under Dr. Clarke; and on the 16th of April, passed the College of Surgeons in London. After a short holiday, he returned to London p. 533on the 13th of May, and attended the Eye Infirmary at Charter-house Square. In June, he resigned his dressership under Sir E. Home; became acquainted with the late Mr. Travers, Abernethy, Sir W. Blizard, and Dr. Macartney, whom he agreed to accompany to Dublin; and much of his spare time during this summer was devoted to the study of German, a language he ever after cultivated that he might enjoy the profundity and research of the professional literature of that country.
“Mr. Crosse left England for Dublin on the 2nd of October, 1813, arriving there the following day. In December he became Demonstrator of Anatomy under Dr. Macartney, and remained there until October, 1814, when he returned to London, having received a very handsome testimonial from the numerous students of the school in which he taught, as to his ability and energy in the capacity of their instructor in anatomy.
“On quitting Dublin, Mr. Crosse returned to Suffolk, and was afterwards introduced to the late Dr. Rigby of Norwich. In December he went to Paris, where he remained until the end of February, 1815, during which period he took French Lessons, wrote his Diary in the French language, and availed himself of every possible opportunity of increasing his professional knowledge.
“On the 29th of March, 1815, Mr. Crosse came to Norwich; and after remaining one year in lodgings, took a house in St. Giles’, in which he resided for many years. He soon after published his “Sketches of the Medical Schools of Paris,” and showed, both by his writings and the industrious pursuit of his professional avocation, that he was destined to arrive at considerable eminence in the locality he had chosen for the arena of his future life. On the 19th of July, 1823, he was the successful candidate for the appointment p. 534of Assistant Surgeon to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. So great was his desire to become connected with the Hospital, and so strong the competition in which he was engaged to obtain this object, that his health gave way under the exertions he made to succeed; and he was obliged to absent himself for a time, on which occasion he took a trip to Holland, visiting Brighton on his return. The result was favourable, and he returned to Norwich in good health. On the death of Mr. Bond, in 1826, he was elected full Surgeon to the Hospital, and thus attained one of the greatest objects of his ambition.
“The rapid rise and progress of Mr. Crosse’s reputation as a professional man, and the large extent of his private practice, are too well known to require further notice; but notwithstanding the unremitting exertions required to fulfil his private engagements, he never allowed them to interfere with his public duties; and the devotedness of his service to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital was remarkable. It may be truly said that no private patient received more kindness, skill, and attention at his hands, than did those who were placed under his care in the wards of the Hospital.
“As an operating surgeon, Mr. Crosse had but few superiors, and not many equals. He was possessed of considerable manual tact and dexterity, which, coupled with a sound judgment as to the necessity for the performance of an operation, stamped him as a surgeon of first-rate attainments. In his early professional life he studied anatomy with great assiduity, and his subsequent occupation as Demonstrator of Anatomy at Dublin so impressed the subject upon his memory, that the constitution and form of the human body were always in his mind’s eye; and thus he was rendered equal, at all times and upon all occasions, to the serious emergencies of surgery. In short, he obtained p. 535and held for a long period the foremost rank in his profession in this district; and such was the quality of his mind, that he would probably have been pre-eminent in whatever locality it might have fallen to his lot to be placed.
“In 1819, Mr. Crosse published A History of the Variolous Epidemic of Norwich, which has been, and is even now, quoted as an excellent standard work. In 1822 he published Memoirs of the Life of the late Dr. Rigby, prefixed to the valuable Essay which the Doctor had published some years before On Uterine Hæmorrhage.
“In 1835, the Jacksonian Prize was awarded him for his Essay on the Formation, Constituents, and Extraction of the Urinary Calculus; and in the same year he received, in consequence of this Essay, the Diploma of M.D. from the University of Heidelberg.
“From 1822 to the close of his life, Mr. Crosse contributed many valuable Papers to different medical periodicals, which are of deep interest to professional men.
“In 1836, Mr. Crosse was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society—a distinction which marked him for eminence throughout the whole civilized world. In 1845, the College of St. Andrew conferred the Degree of M.D. upon him, and there is scarcely a medical or surgical society in Europe of which he was not a member, as well as being an honorary member of the most eminent societies in Asia and America.
“During the last year of Mr. Crosse’s life (1850), it became painfully evident to his friends that he was gradually losing that vigour of mind and body which had so long characterized him; and at the urgent solicitation of his medical advisers, he was induced to leave home for a few weeks, when he took the opportunity of consulting Sir B. Brodie and Dr. Watson in London, and spent a short time with the late Dr. Mackness at Hastings, of whose p. 536kindness he afterwards spoke in the highest terms of gratitude. On his return home, he endeavoured to resume his professional and even his literary avocations; but although in a degree benefited by his holiday, he gradually lost power, and it was clear that his race was almost run.”
He died in his 60th year, having been a resident in Norwich 35 years.
Norwich and Norfolk have produced an array of distinguished botanists, such as Smith, Turner, Lindley, and the elder Hooker. The president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr. Joseph D. Hooker, F.R.S., is the son of Sir William J. Hooker, formerly Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, and he succeeded his father in that very important post on November 12th, 1865. The present director of Kew sprung from a race of botanists. His paternal grandfather, a citizen of Norwich, devoted his leisure to the cultivation of curious plants. This circumstance, doubtless, helped to create that taste for botany which, in the career of his illustrious father, has borne such ripe fruits. On the maternal side, the grandfather of Dr. Hooker was Mr. Dawson Turner, of Yarmouth. The eldest daughter of this gentleman became the wife of Sir William J. Hooker in 1814. Mr. Turner’s is a well-known name in the annals of British botany; he is the author of various botanical publications, and it was at his suggestion that a narrative of a visit made to Iceland in 1809 by his p. 537future son-in-law was given to the world, a work which brought the name of Sir William J. Hooker prominently before the scientific world. So descended Dr. Joseph D. Hooker was born at Halesworth, in Suffolk, on June 30th, 1817. Although thus by birth a native of Suffolk, he is by descent a Norwich man. He has been a great botanical traveller in many parts of the world, and he has added greatly to our knowledge of the plants of Asia and India. On August 19th, 1868, as President of the British Association, when the meeting took place in Norwich, he delivered the Inaugural Address in the Drill Hall before a large audience.
Amelia Opie was the daughter of Dr. Alderson, a physician in Norwich, and was born here in 1769. The varied circumstances of her early life gave the bent to her after career. In her girlhood she beguiled the solitude of her father’s summer house by composing songs and tragedies; on her visits to London, the superior society into which the graces of her person and the accomplishments of her mind introduced her, served to stimulate her aspirations; and after her marriage, in 1798, to the painter, Mr. John Opie, she was encouraged by her husband to become a candidate for literary fame. Accordingly, in 1801, she published a novel, entitled Father and Daughter. Although this tale showed no artistic ability in dealing either with incidents or with characters, yet it was the p. 538production of a lively fancy and a feeling heart, and speedily brought its author into notice. She was encouraged to publish a volume of sweet and graceful poems in 1802, and to persist in the kind of novel writing which she had commenced so successfully. Adelaide Mowbray followed in 1804, and Simple Tales in 1806. The death of her husband in 1807, and her return to Norwich, did not slacken her industry. She published Temper in 1812, Tales of Real Life in 1813, Valentine’s Eve in 1816, Tales of the Heart in 1818, and Madeline in 1822. At length, in 1825, her assumption of the tenets and garb of the Society of Friends checked her literary ardour, and changed her mode of life. Nothing afterwards proceeded from her pen except a volume entitled Detraction Displayed, and some contributions in prose and verse to various periodicals. A good deal of her life was spent in travelling and in the exercise of Christian benevolence. When in this city she was often seen in the assize court, sitting near the judge. She seemed to take a great deal of interest in criminal cases. She died here in 1853. A life of Mrs. Opie, by Miss C. L. Brightwell, was published in 1854.
The celebrated musician, William Crotch, was born in the parish of St. George at Colegate in this city, July 5th, 1775. His genius for music may be supposed to have commenced with his existence, as his parents did not remember any period in which he did p. 539not shew a great predilection for an organ, to which instrument he seemed to have a special attachment. Indeed he had a penchant for every musical instrument at an early age. As soon as he could walk alone, which was at the beginning of his second year, he would frequently quit his mother’s breast to hear a tune on the organ, and when he wanted any particular tune, he would put his finger upon that key on which the tune began; and as it sometimes happened that more than one tune began on the same key, he would strike two or three of the first or leading notes of the tune he chose to have played. Before he was two years and a quarter old, he played “God save the King” with both hands. At two years and a half he had played to several ladies and gentlemen, and was soon afterwards noticed in the public journals. At two and three quarters he could distinguish any note, and call it by its proper name, though he did not see it struck. His memory was so retentive, that a gentleman only playing to him the Minuet in Rodelinda two or three times in the evening, was astonished to hear him perform it next morning, as soon as he went to the organ. Before he was three years old, he played at Beccles, Ipswich, and other places. Afterwards he was taken to Lynn, Bury, &c., and in October, 1778, to Cambridge. In November, he was nominated to a degree of Bachelor of Arts, with a small annuity annexed to it. In December he went to London, and after performing before the foreign ambassadors, maids of honour, &c., in 1779, he was introduced to the sovereign, to whom he gave the greatest satisfaction, p. 540as he had done to the nobility and gentry in general, but more particularly to the greatest musicians. At the early age of 22 he was appointed professor of music in the University of Oxford, and there, in 1799, took his degree of doctor in that art. In 1800 and the four following years, he read lectures on music at Oxford. Next he was appointed lecturer on music at the Royal Institution; and subsequently, in 1823, principal of the Royal Academy of Music. He published a number of vocal and instrumental compositions, of which the best is his oratorio of “Palestine.” In 1831 appeared an octavo volume, containing the substance of his lectures on music, delivered at Oxford and in London. He also published “Elements of Musical Composition and Thorough Bass.” He arranged for the piano-forte a number of Handel’s oratorios and operas, besides symphonies and quartetts of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He performed all his public duties laboriously, zealously, and honourably, and in private life he was much beloved. He died on December 29th, 1847, in the house of his son, at Taunton.
Norwich artists must have flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries, as proved by their portraits of city worthies in the Guildhall and St. Andrew’s Hall, but we have few notices of early painters or engravers. About the commencement of the present century, a gentleman named Thomas Harvey lived at Catton, and was recognised as a very clever amateur artist. He painted in oil, admirably, and he induced several of the leading artists of the day to visit Norfolk, such as Opie, Gainsborough, Sir William Beechey, Collins, and many others, who produced beautiful works of art.
About the year 1802, a few professional and amateur artists, drawn together by a similarity of taste and inclination, for the advancement of the arts of painting and design in their native city, began to associate to form a regular academy. Each member in his turn furnished matter of discussion according with his particular view; and by eliciting the opinions of his brother artists, mutually communicated and received p. 542information. The first exhibition of this society was in 1805, in Wrench’s Court, and contained 223 pictures. The following is a list of the members and exhibitors of the Norwich Society of Artists from the first catalogue of 1805:—Arthur Browne, J. Blake, E. Bell, (engraver) Mrs. Coppin, H. M. M. Crotch, M. B. Crotch, J. Crome, R. Dixon, J. Freeman, W. Freeman, Rev. Wm. Gordon of Saxlingham, C. Hodgson, W. Harwin, R. Ladbrooke, W. C Leeds, J. Percy, J. Thirtle, F. Stone, architect. This Society of Artists, after their establishment, within twenty years exhibited about 4000 pictures, the productions of 323 painters, very few of which were sold here, but which were readily purchased in London and other places. In fact, the local artists were very little patronized in the city; and old Crome, one of the very best landscape painters in England, was a very poor man all his life, though, since his death, his pictures have been sold for thousands of pounds in London.
John Crome, sen., was born December 21st, 1769, in the parish of St. Peter per Mountergate. He was apprenticed to Mr. Francis Whisler, coach, house, and sign painter, who, in 1783, lived in Bethel Street; but he felt the true impulse of genius, and his industry surmounted all obstacles. By almost unaided exertions he cultivated drawing and painting in oil with such ardour and success, that during the latter years of his life he had attained an eminence highly creditable, and was incessantly employed as a master in the one branch by families of distinction, and by p. 543the principal schools of Norfolk and Norwich. He possessed the rare faculty of communicating the ardour he himself felt to his pupils, both professional and amateur. His mind was too acute to exact from them a servile imitation of his own style; on the contrary he contented himself with instilling the more useful principles of art, and with giving freedom and spirit to their pencils. He then invited them to let loose the reins of fancy and taste, and to follow unfettered the promptings of imagination. The fruits of this wise discrimination were seen in the reputation of his son, and his companions in excellence, whose works for some time attracted much attention in the metropolis to the growing talents and promise of the Norwich school of artists. In the other department he was seldom without commissions. He principally cultivated landscape painting, and he was exceedingly happy in seizing small picturesque local scenes, which he elevated to a degree of interest which they could hardly bear in their natural state. He was in painting the counterpart of Burns in poetry, both delighting in homely scenes. His pictures were beginning to be known and appreciated in London, the great mart of talent, and those he last exhibited in the British Gallery gained him a lasting fame. He was a man of heart, of impulse and feeling, quick, lively, and enthusiastic, and in his conversation animated to a high degree, especially when speaking on subjects connected with his art, the fond, the incessant, the earliest and latest object of his thoughts. A wide field of enterprise and exertion had just opened upon p. 544his view, the last stage of his ardent ambition had unfolded itself, when he was suddenly seized with an acute disease, which terminated his life in the short space of seven days, on April 22nd, 1821, aged fifty years. He was buried in a vault in St. George’s Colegate Church, where the last sad offices of respect were paid to his memory by a numerous attendance of artists and other friends. Of late years a subscription was raised here for a monument to his memory, and after some delay a suitable memorial was placed in the church. (See page 89.)
The following list of Mr. Crome’s principal pictures, with their former possessors, was extracted from the published catalogue of his works:—
“Lane Scene near Hingham,” 1812; “Lane Scene at Blofield,” 1813; and “Grove Scene near Marlingford,” 1815—Samuel Paget, Esq., of Yarmouth.
“View at the back of the New Mills,” 1817—William Hawkes, Esq., Norwich.
“Wood and Water Scene near Bawburgh,” 1821—Miss Burrows, Burfield Hall.
“View in Postwick Grove,” 1816—Lord Stafford.
“Hautbois Common, Norfolk,” 1810—Mr. F. Stone, Norwich.
“Lane Scene near Whitlingham,” 1820—Mr. Charles Turner.
“Scene near Hardingham, Norfolk,” 1816—Mr. J. B. Crome.
“Lane Scene,” 1817—John Bracy, Esq.
“Carrow Abbey,” 1805—P. M. Martineau, Esq.
“Cottage and Wood Scene,” 1820—Michael Bland, Esq., London.
p. 545“Landscape—Evening”—Mr. Crome.
“Grove Scene,” 1820—Mr. F. Geldart, jun.
“View of the Italian Boulevards at Paris,” 1815; and “Fish Market at Boulogne,” 1820—R. H. Gurney, Esq.
A “Wood Scene” was the last picture painted by Old Crome, in April, 1821. He painted many others, and etched a number of plates of Norfolk scenery, some of which have been printed. His pictures have been lent for various exhibitions and always much admired.
J. B. Crome, son of the father of the Norwich School of Landscape Painting, was a landscape painter of moonlights, &c. The editor of the Examiner for March, 1828, speaking of this artist’s pictures, says:—
“Mr. Crome’s moonlight is good, and has the grey and brown hues of Vanderneer, whose moonlight scenes have been considered the best as to natural effects; but except the parts under the immediate light of the moon, no specific colour should be seen. The browns and yellows here mingle well into the black shades of night, and have nothing of that flat grey blue which justly made coloured moonlights to be compared to a shilling on a slate.”
Mr. J. B. Crome’s pictures were “Rouen,” in the possession of Mrs. Southwell, Wroxham; “Yarmouth Quay”—T. Cobbold, Esq., Catton; “Yarmouth Beach, Moonlight”—R. J. Turner, Esq., Catton; “View near Amsterdam, Moonlight”—J. Geldart, Esq., Norwich; “Norwich by Moonlight”—Hon. General Walpole; “Moonlight”—C. Turner, Esq., Norwich. Several p. 546others of this artist’s pictures were exhibited at the Norwich Industrial Exhibition in 1867, and were much admired.
Miss Crome, daughter of Old Crome, was a painter of fruit and flowers from nature, and painted successfully.
Joseph Clover was a native of this city, but he resided some time in London. His first efforts in art were directed to engraving, and by the advice of a gentleman named Stocks, he took an impression of one of his plates to the late Alderman Boydell, in Cheapside, whose remarks on this performance discouraged him from following the profession of an engraver, and he remained for some time undetermined as to his further pursuit in art, until the following autumn, when being introduced by his uncle to the late Mr. Opie, whilst painting a portrait of that relation, he was so astonished at the facility with which the artist painted, and so delighted with his conversation, that he resolved from that moment to be a painter. He took Mr. Opie’s advice and followed him to town, from which period, namely, April, 1807, being nearly four years, he enjoyed that artist’s friendship. In the year 1806, Mr. Clover was accidentally introduced to the late Richard Cumberland, the dramatic poet, who perceiving that the artist’s health was much impaired by a too close application to study, invited him to his house at Ramsgate, and by his introduction he painted several portraits, and to p. 547the hospitable residence of this gentleman he repeated his visits during the summer months for fourteen years. In Norwich, he painted three full-length portraits for St. Andrew’s Hall, besides a number of others, and a picture called “Divided Attention,” for his friend Mr. Turner, of Norwich. This first-rate picture excited much interest in London. Some of the early pictures of this artist were at Beau Port, the house of the late Sir James Bland Burgess, and at Battle Abbey in Sussex. Subsequently Mr. Clover had the honour of being patronised by the Marquis of Stafford and other noblemen.
William Robert Dixon was a native of this city. His etchings of views in Norfolk were in the possession of many persons in Norwich. Mr. Charles Turner had an interesting collection of his drawings. As a scene painter he was much admired. He had many tempting offers from the London and other managers of theatres; but being fondly and firmly attached to his native city and a choice circle of friends, no allurements could induce him to leave them. He was very popular as a teacher of drawing. He died October 1st, 1815.
Charles Hodgson, a native of this city, was a painter of interior architecture, particularly of the early English style, and of considerable reputation for his excellent drawing and correct perspective in water colours, which subjects he was afterwards induced to paint in oil, in which he excelled. He p. 548was a constant exhibitor in the London exhibitions. His pictures were in the possession of several gentlemen in the city and county.
David Hodgson, son of the above, a native also of this city, was a painter of exterior architecture, landscape, &c. Some of his pictures of interiors of churches were in the possession of William Herring, Esq., Norwich; Pair of Landscapes, W. Roberts, Esq., of Birmingham; Large Landscape, Rev. J. Hollingworth, Newcastle; Small Landscape, Wm. Gate, Esq., Carlisle; Market Scenes, T. Bignold, Esq., Norwich; Landscape, Mr. S. Coleman; Pair of Small Landscapes, Mr. Stone, Norwich; Tombland, Mr. Stone; Landscape, Mr. G. Cooke, engraver; Pair of Street Scenes, Mr. Yarington, Norwich; Market Scenes, sold at the Liverpool exhibition.
Robert Ladbrooke, landscape painter, for many years enjoyed considerable celebrity as a drawing master, and in 1821 commenced the publication of “A Series of Views of the Churches in Norfolk,” printed in lithography, of which ninety numbers were completed.
Joseph Stannard was a marine painter, in which walk of art he established a high reputation. His subjects were generally finely chosen, and painted with all the truth and transparency of nature. The grouping of his vessels displayed an admirable taste, and they were embellished with the most correctly-drawn p. 549figures, highly characteristic of the stations they occupied.
Mrs. Stannard, wife of the above, was a painter of fruit, flowers, fish, still life, &c. Her maiden name was Coppin, and her mother was rewarded by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, for several copies of painting. The daughter’s productions were highly esteemed by the lovers of art.
Alfred Stannard. The talents of this artist, at an early period of his life, gained him the approbation of the critics of the London Journals—which noticed works of fine arts as exhibited in the National Gallery. The Literary Gazette of March, 1828, contained this notice,—
“No. 152, Trowse Hall, Norwich, painted on the spot by A. Stannard. We think that this work partakes more of the Flemish style of art than legitimately belongs to a picture painted on the spot; its elaborate finish must necessarily have required considerable time in the execution; and the character of our climate is much too variable, day after day, to paint from the same hue of atmosphere, and the same effect of Chiaroscuro. Be that as it may, the excellence of the performance, however it may have been achieved, is an abundantly sufficient passport to regard of this artist’s picture. No. 431, Sluice Gate, on the river Wensum, shews the close resemblance of character and execution between the works of some of our artists and the best pictures of the Flemish school.”
The critic might have added that most of the people of Norwich are of Flemish or Danish extraction, and p. 550that the Norwich school of painting seems to have been derived from the Flemish school. The subjects painted, and the style of treatment are very similar.
James Stark was articled to the senior Crome for three years, from 1810 or 1811, at the expiration of which time he went to London and drew at the Royal Academy, which place he was obliged to leave from ill health. The first picture which he exhibited at the British Gallery, represented “Boys Bathing,” purchased by the Bishop of Oxford. His other pictures were “Flounder Fishing,” in the possession of Sir J. Grey Egleton, Bart.; “Penning the Flock,” the Marquis of Stafford; “Lambeth,” the Countess de Grey; “Grove Scene,” Thomas Phillips, Esq.; “Grove Scene,” Francis Chantrey, Sculptor; besides many others in the possession of George Watson Taylor, Esq., M.P.; Mr. Davenport, M.P.; Charles Savill Onley, Esq., M.P.; Onley Savill Onley, Esq.; &c., &c. In 1827, this artist circulated proposals for printing “Scenery of the Rivers Yare and Waveney,” with engravings from his own paintings, and the work was beautifully carried out.
J. S. Cotman became one of the most celebrated artists in the Water Colour Society, and attained a very high position in London, where he was appointed Drawing Master at King’s College; he published Views in Normandy, and also a work on the Sepulchral Brasses of this locality. His pictures have always commanded high prices. His two sons also became eminent artists.
p. 551About the year 1830, there was something like a School of Art commenced in Norwich, where artists and amateurs could study art in a proper manner, from the best casts of the finest statues. Before then, artists had to study as they best could, and their education was very imperfect. They are much indebted to John Barwell, Esq., for promoting their interests in this respect, and rendering them great assistance by his knowledge of art. Amongst the members of the new society were the Barwells, father and son, the Cotmans, the Freemans, T. Geldart, A. Sandys, S. Miers, and many others who studied art either from the cast or the life.
The Norfolk and Norwich Art Union opened their exhibition of pictures on August 16th, 1839, at the Bazaar, in St. Andrew’s Broad Street. About 400 pictures were exhibited, many of them being of a high order of merit. At subsequent exhibitions, many pictures of local artists were exhibited, including some of the Cromes, the Ladbrookes, the Stannards, the Cotmans, Hodgson, Stark, Vincent, Downes, Sandys, Capt. Roberts, and others much admired. A Fine Art Association has also been recently established. It held its first exhibition in August, 1868. A large number of the pictures were disposed of on the principle of an Art Union.
What has been the trade of the city, from the earliest period up to the present time, is an interesting subject of inquiry to the inhabitants. The sources of information are very scanty, for local historians of former days did not trouble themselves much about trade, but were content with simply recording passing events and the proceedings of public bodies. From old charters and acts of parliament, and details of local taxation, we may, however, learn something about the industry and trade of by gone ages. We may discover how people lived, how they were employed, and what sort of clothes they wore; and we shall find a remarkable sameness from age to age. The trade of any country, or county, or town, arises from productive industry in agriculture p. 553or manufactures, or in mercantile business, or in carrying goods from one place to another, or in all three combined. All three have existed in this city and county; and it is important to inquire into the past and present state of our trade, and the causes which have promoted or retarded its progress or decline.
In tracing the rise and progress of manufactures in this city, it will be necessary to refer to many sources of information respecting the garments worn by the people of every period. The Roman writers supply some information relating to the Iceni and other aborigines of this island; the Anglo-Saxon illuminations represent the costumes of a later period; monumental effigies exhibit the clothing of the middle ages; and many acts of parliament allude to the manufactures of modern times. The arts of spinning, weaving, dyeing, and dressing wool, linen, and silk, were known to all ancient civilized nations. The Gauls taught those arts to the ancient Britons in this island. Of the kinds of cloth made in Gaul, according to Pliny, one was made of fine wool dyed in several colours. This wool, being spun into yarn, was woven in stripes or checquers, of which the Gauls made their summer garments. Here we have the origin of the Scotch plaid or tartan, which is called the garb of old Gaul to this day.
The dress of the ancient British females may be ascertained from the account by Dion Cassius of the p. 554appearance of Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, who inhabited this eastern district. Her light hair fell upon her shoulders. She wore a torque of gold, a tunic of several colours all in folds, and over it a robe of coarse stuff, fastened by a brooch. The commonalty and the less civilized tribes, inhabiting the interior of the island, went about simply clad in skins. The Druids wore white dresses, and the Bards a robe of sky blue, emblematic of peace. The Ovates, professing to know medicine, wore green, the symbol of learning. Julius Agricola being appointed to the command in Britain, A.D. 78, soon succeeded in establishing the Roman sway, and introducing the Roman costume, manners, and language; and before the close of the first century the British habit was regarded as a badge of barbarism. Tacitus says, “The sons of the British chiefs began to affect our dress.” The southern and eastern Britons disused the Broccoe, and wore the Roman tunic reaching to the knee, with the cloak or mantle. The female garb was similar to that of the Roman women, who wore two tunics.
The Anglo Saxons, Jutes, and Danes, when located in different parts of England, spun and wove most of the materials now used for dress. The woollen, linen, and silk yarns were all home-spun, and the textile fabrics were home-made. The civil costume consisted of a linen shirt, a tunic of linen or woollen, worn according to the season, descending to the knee, and having long loose sleeves. It was made like the shirt, and open at the neck, and put on in the same manner. p. 555It was sometimes open at the sides and confined by a belt or girdle at the waist. Over this a short cloak was worn fastened with brooches, sometimes at the breast, sometimes on both shoulders.
Mr. Strutt remarks that the silence of the Anglo-Saxon writers on the subject of Danish dress, while they are profuse in the description of the dress of their countrymen, proves a similarity of costume. According to Danish ballads, black was the colour of the ancient Danish dress. Saxon chronicles allude to the Danes by the name of the “Black Army.” Black amongst them had no funeral associations. This sombre hue may have been their national colour, their standard being a raven. After becoming settled in Norwich and Norfolk, they doffed the black colour, and became effeminately gay in their dress, and often changed their attire.
The Normans and Flemings who came over with the Conqueror into England, and those who followed him in great numbers, were remarkable for their love of finery, according to our early historians. The dresses of the common people of course continued to be much the same from age to age, but the habits of the nobility were more influenced by fashion; and the reign of William Rufus is stigmatised by many writers of the period for shameful abuses. The king himself set the example, and the clergy and laity were alike infected with the love of costly clothing. After the Norman Conquest, a sort of cloth was introduced which, though not a new discovery, had not been formerly known in England. This was quite a p. 556different article to what had been previously called cloth, the preparation being by a combing instead of a carding process. By the former the wool was drawn out to a very long staple, by the latter to a very short staple, the fibres of the fleece being extended the whole length in one instance, and broken and intersected in the other. For 1000 years after the christian era there were no textile manufactures as we now understand the terms. All the yarns were homespun, and all the garments were home-made.
The female costume in Norwich and other towns, from 1087 to 1154, presents us with but one striking novelty, and that by no means an improvement. The rage for lengthening every portion of the dress was not confined to the male sex. The sleeves of the ladies’ tunics, and their veils or kerchiefs, appear to have been so long in the reigns of William Rufus and Henry I. as to be tied up in knots, to avoid treading on them, and the trains or skirts of the garments lay in immense rolls at the feet. Over the long robe or tunic a shorter garment was occasionally seen in the illuminations of the period.
The twelfth century is a period in which Norwich began to be particularly mentioned for its trade arising from manufactures. It is also a period when a very valuable source of information is opened by the monumental effigies of the dead, sculptured in their habits as they lived. The effigies on brass are numerous in Norwich and Norfolk churches, and indicate progress in useful arts. Mr. Stothard is a great authority on the monumental effigies of Great Britain, p. 557and he presents the coronation robes of the kings, and the costumes of the nobles with splendid decorations.
The Dutch and the Flemings soon came over the sea, located themselves in the city and in different parts of the eastern counties, and introduced various manufactures. William of Malmesbury states that in the reign of the Conqueror’s youngest son, Henry I., a great inundation in the low countries drove many more of the Flemings to seek refuge in England; and Blomefield, in his History of Norfolk, says that several of them settled at Worstead in Norfolk, and thus early introduced the art of stuff weaving there; which, as is natural to suppose, soon began to be extensively adopted in Norwich. Gervase, of Tilbury, writing of the Flemings says,—
“The art of weaving seemed to be a peculiar gift bestowed upon them by nature; yet the new comers were not always well received by the native population, and had to be protected by laws made in their favour. Indeed, the natives of Norwich, in every period, have been hostile to foreigners, or to any sort of interference with their peculiar branch of industry.”
In the next reign, that of Henry II., “Guilds” of weavers were multiplied, and had their charters of privilege in London, York, Winchester, and Norwich; and a system of protection, originating with manufacturers, prevailed all over the country. During the next reign, that of Stephen, more Flemish weavers came over; and these successive emigrations were a real blessing to the land. England had hitherto not been a manufacturing country till the arrival of the p. 558Flemings, who introduced the preparation and weaving of wool, so that, in process of time, not only the home market was abundantly supplied with woollen cloth, but a large surplus was made for exportation. The Flemings were kinsmen of the Danes, and all of them were of the Anglo-Saxon race, and were distinguished for that probity in their dealings which afterwards became the characteristic of British merchants.
During the reign of Richard Cœur de Lion, it is supposed that though the trade of the kingdom did not increase, yet some of the artisan soldiers who returned from the crusades brought back a knowledge of the eastern method of weaving. At that time the useful arts flourished in the east. The improvements introduced here were, however, of little worth, owing to the troubles of the reign of King John, and the equally disturbed reign of his son Henry III. Even the wise and resolute king, Edward I., did not fully succeed in restoring English trade to its former prosperity. Yet it is clear that this city had been all along prospering, for in the reign of Edward II., repeated mention is made of its thrift. That monarch granted a patent to John Peacock for measuring every piece of worsted made in the city or county; but this, being found to check the trade, was soon recalled. In the reign of Edward I. the people of Norwich, and of England generally, began to adopt the whimsical fashions of their neighbours on the continent. Horned head-dresses of frightful appearance were worn by the ladies, and tight-laced stays. Gauze, which is thought to have derived its name from Gaza, where p. 559it was first made, and brunetta or burnetta, with several other fine and delicate stuffs, are mentioned in this period. Gauzes were afterwards produced in large quantities in Norwich. Tartan was a fine woollen cloth, which was also much used for ladies’ robes, and was generally of a scarlet dye.
In the thirteenth century the materials for dress became more numerous, and this period is more remarkable for the splendour of costume than for change of form. Matthew Paris, monk of St. Albany, a contemporary historian, describes the pageantry of the day, and expresses disgust rather than pleasure at the excessive foppery of the times. He states that the nobility who attended at the marriage of the daughter of Henry III. to Alexander king of Scotland, were attired in vestments of silk, commonly called comtises, on the day when the ceremony was performed, but on the following day they were laid aside.
In the reign of Edward III. other foreign clothiers came to England, and many of them settled in the eastern parts of Essex. In 1353, this monarch prohibited his subjects from wearing any cloth but such as was made in this kingdom; and he also forbade the exportation of wool. Both in this reign and in that of Richard II., repeated mention occurs in the oath book and court rolls of wool-combers, card makers, clothiers, weavers, fullers, &c. During the reign of Elizabeth a new impulse was given to the trade by the emigration of Protestants and others from the low countries, and from France, who introduced important branches of industry. Mr. James, in p. 560his History of the Worsted Manufacture in England, says, that king Edward III. so far extended and improved that trade, that from his reign may be dated a new era in its history. This monarch could not, with all his sagacity, and the earnest desire he ever evinced for the welfare and prosperity of his subjects, remain long unmindful of the great profit and advantage of working up the English wool for domestic consumption or export, instead of exporting the material in a raw state. When, therefore, he espoused Phillippa, the daughter of the Earl of Hainault, whose subjects were excellent cloth makers, the close connection which the marriage occasioned between the two countries, and probably in part some suggestions of the queen, induced the king, in 1331, to invite hither a large number of his countrymen, skilful in the art of weaving woollen and worsted. These Flemish weavers settled, by the directions of the king, and under his special protection, in various parts of the country, where the wool grown in the district was suitable for the particular kind of cloth made by these artizans. The worsted weavers were located in Norfolk and Suffolk, having Norwich for their chief seat or mart. Blomefield, in his history, says,—
“Under the reign of Edward III., Norwich became the most flourishing city of all England by means of its great trade in worsted, fustian, friezes, and other woollen manufactures, for now the English wool, being manufactured by English hands, incredible profit accrued to the people by its passing through and employing so many, every one having a fleece, sorters, combers, card spinners, &c.”
p. 561Alluding to the condition of this trade at the same period, old Fuller, in his Church History, says,—
“The intercourse being large betwixt the English and the Netherlands, (which having increased since King Edward married the daughter) unsuspected emissaries were employed by our king with those countries, who brought them into familiarity with such Dutchmen as were absolute masters of their trade, (but not masters themselves) as either journeymen or apprentices. These bemoaned the slavishness of their poor servants, whom their masters used rather like heathen than christians; yea, rather, like horses than men; early up and late to bed, and all day hard work, and harder fare, (a few herrings and mouldy cheese,) and all to enrich the churls their masters, without any profit unto themselves. But, oh, how happy should they be if they would but come over to England! bringing their mystery with them, which would provide their welcome in all places. Here they should feed on fat beef and mutton till nothing but their fulness should stint their stomach; yea, they should feed on the labour of their own hands, enjoying a proportionable portion of their gains for themselves. Persuaded with the promises, many Dutch servants leave their masters and come over to England.”
According to Blomefield, the trade continued to increase during the succeeding reign, that of Richard II., when laws were passed for regulating the sale of worsted. Our ancestors were then a plain homely sort of people, and like their forefathers, were content with coarse woollen cloths for their plain clothes. In this and succeeding reigns important changes took place in the system of society, especially in the formation p. 562of a middle class, which gradually increased in numbers and influence, and became the great support of trade. Norman despotism was relaxed, and political liberty was advanced, and the darkness of the middle ages was dispelled.
In A.D. 1403, Henry IV. separated the city of Norwich from the county of Norfolk, and made it a county of itself, which it has been ever since. This, of course, has been a great advantage to the city as regards its self-government. In this reign it was deemed necessary to appoint officers, whose business it should be to inspect the goods; and in the reigns of Henry V., Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III., complaints were renewed in acts of parliament and other documents of the great “crafte and deceite” used in the making of worsteds, says, serges, fustians, motleys, &c., at Norwich.
During the short reign of Edward VI., the making of “felt and thrummed hats, dornecks, and coverlets,” had sprung up in consequence of the decline of the old stuff manufacture; and in the reign of Mary the manufacture of “light stuffs” was introduced. These were of the same fabric as “the fustians of Naples,” and seem to have been so similar to the bombazines of succeeding years, that they may be considered as the commencement of the great staple of Norwich. During the subsequent reigns the city does not seem to have advanced in prosperity. Henry VII. succeeded in reviving the trade a little, but in the reign of his son, Henry VIII., it again declined. We find by an p. 563act passed in that reign “that the making of worsteds, says, and stammins, which had greatly increased in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk, was now practised more diligently than in times past at Yarmouth and Lynn.” If so, the trade soon died out in those towns, as we have no record of any manufactures there.
Philip and Mary passed an act to encourage the making “of russels, satins, satins-reverses, and fustians of Naples.” From this time it appears that the stuffs made in the city were exported into foreign countries, most probably into Holland and Flanders, and at length partial restrictions were laid on the export trades, but still a great amount of business was done. As yet no one had promulgated the modern doctrines of free trade.
From Cotman’s valuable work, “The Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk,” we may gather some information respecting the costumes of people in the middle ages. With reference to the dresses of the ladies, we may be surprised at the tardy progress of “fashion” in mediæval times, but a little consideration will enable us to solve the difficulty. In the fifteenth century money was very scarce, and all the articles of female apparel were about twelve times more costly than they are at present. Husbands and fathers were doubtless “intractable” in proportion. Hence our fair but thrifty ancestresses continued to wear the very same dresses on all festive occasions for many years. Now, however, the facilities of foreign travel, the introduction of cheaper materials, the results of modern p. 564ingenuity, and the spirit of the age in which we live, all tend to rapid, frequent, and capricious changes of costume; but it was not so then, and a lady was frequently attired as her grandmother had been before her! Our ancestors were slow coaches. Centuries elapsed before they achieved the ruff, before they discovered the bonnet, before they perpetrated the wig! They never dreamt of crinoline. Thus, for example, we observe the very same form of kirtle or gown—close fitting, low waisted, but wide and pleated at the bottom, during a period of more than 300 years, there being only a slight variation in the shape of its sleeves. The fall, the flounce, and cuffs of fur or some other material, must have been also a very long-lived fashion, being observable on many brasses from the dates of 1466 to 1537. But the designers of brasses may have adhered for a long time to merely conventional forms. The Rev. R. Hart, in his Letters to a local magazine, says:—
“The wife of Sir Miles Stapleton, in 1365, wears a close-fitting tunic over the kirtle, (the sleeves of which, with a row of small buttons extending from the wrist to the elbow, are seen underneath;) the sleeves of the tunic itself are short, but there are oblong narrow pendants almost reaching from them to the ground. It is buttoned at the breast, there are two pockets in the front, and the lower part is full and gathered into puckers or folds. (Cotman pl. 4). During the reigns of Henry IV. and V. the ladies wore a sort of bag sleeve, tight at the wrist (like that of a modern bishop). About 1481, the sleeve became wide and open like that of a surplice. About 1528, the sleeves of the kirtle, or under p. 565dress, were, in some instances, cut or pinked, so as to exhibit a rich inner lining. In 1559, there was a tight sleeve ruffled at the wrist, and with an epaulet upon the shoulder, pinked; and at the same period we observe the earliest specimen of the ruff, and the rudiments of the habit shirt. By far the most remarkable varieties are observed in head dresses, which frequently supply valuable indications as to the date. On the cup presented by King John to the borough of Lynn, and in the small figures upon Branch’s monument, some of the females wear a close-fitting cap like a child’s nightcap, and others a sort of hood with a long tail to it, which is sometimes stiff and sometimes loose like drapery. The wives of Walsoken and Branch (1349 and 1364) exhibit the wimple, covering the throat, chin, and sides of the face, and the couverchef (kerchief) thrown over the head and falling upon the shoulders. The next important variety was the forked or mitre head dress, which first came into fashion about 1438, and held its ground for about twenty-six years, though there is one specimen as late as 1492. This was followed by the pedimental style of head dress, which began about 1415, and continued till late into the following century. The butterfly head dress, which was a cylindrical cap with a light veil over it, stiffened and squared at the top, prevailed from 1466 to 1483. In 1538 we observe a graceful form of head dress, like what is termed the Mary Queen of Scots’ cap. The mantle, which was something like a cope, the jaquette, which may be compared to the “flanches of heraldry,” and excellent specimens of ancient embroidery, may all be studied in the brass of Adam de Walsoken. About the year 1460 we observe the aumoniere (like a reticule) hanging from a lady’s girdle, and also the rosary, terminating, not with a cross, but with a tassel.”
p. 566In reference to the dresses of the male sex, the Rev. R. Hart gives the following details as to municipal costumes.
“On the Lynn cup, already referred to, we observe the jerkin, or short coat; also a sort of cape, or short cloak; a larger cloak, and three or four sorts of head coverings, viz., a low flat-topped cap; another something like a helmet; a hat sloping upwards from the rim, and flat at the top; a hood with a tail to it; and another exactly resembling what is now termed a ‘wide-awake.’ On the monuments of Walsoken and Branch we notice the jerkin, the mantle, cloaks, long and short, (in one instance festooned over the right shoulder like the plaid of a Highlander,) and another long cloak, curiously buttoned all down the front; also several kinds of head-covering, some exactly similar to those which have been recently described, others with a broad rim turned up, the top being round-pointed or flat; and in one instance we observe a hat and feather. In their monumental effigies the laity are usually attired in a long gown, which has sometimes bag sleeves, but resembles an albe in all other respects. It is usually girdled with a leathern strap with a rosary of much larger beads than we observe on female brasses, and without any decads. Generally speaking, these rosaries have a tassel underneath, but on the brass of Sir William Calthorp, 1495, a signet ring is attached to the end of the rosary, while a beautiful shaped aumoniere also hangs from the girdle. About the year 1532 we observe gowns with hanging sleeves, like those which are still worn by masters of arts at our universities; and in other instances, of about the same date, we observe a pudding sleeve reaching a little below the elbow of the under dress. The brass of Edmund Green, in Hunstanton church, A.D. 1490, is p. 567chiefly remarkable from the resemblance that his upper garment bears to a pelisse or furred surtout. The short cloak—trunk hose (something like the ‘nickerbockers’ of our own time), and also the ruff, are observable upon Norfolk brasses between 1610 and 1630. During the first half of the fifteenth century, we observe a frightfully ugly mode of shaving of the hair all round, to some height above the ears. It looks like a skull cap, and is an exact inversion of the tonsure. Burgesses of Lynn appear to have worn, in the fourteenth century, long gowns, the lower part of which is open in the front about as high as the knees, and with wide sleeves reaching to the elbow. There is a richly bordered and hooded cape over the upper part of this gown. It is not unlike an amess. Aldermen of Norwich wore a mantle open at the right shoulder, falling straight behind, but gathered into a slope at front, so as to cover a great part of the left arm, while the other was exposed. It had a standing collar, and there were buttons upon the right shoulder. A Judge of the Common Pleas, in 1507, wore his hair long and flowing, and was habited in a long wide-sleeved gown, open in the front; apparently it was lined, caped, and bordered with fur, and there is a purse hanging from the girdle. On his feet he wore clogs of a very remarkable form. A Judge of the King’s Bench, in 1545, wore a wide-sleeved long gown, a mantle open at the right shoulder, as in the municipal examples, his head being covered with a coif or closely-fitting skull-cap.”
In the earlier years of the reign of Elizabeth, the Flemings, who fled from the persecutions of the Duke of Alva, settled at Norwich to the number of 4000, and much increased the prosperity of the city by p. 568introducing the manufacture of bombazines, which were long in great demand all over the country. Black bombazines were universally worn by ladies when in mourning, up to a recent period. These bombazines were mixed fabrics of silk and worsted, and were dyed in all colours. They did not wear so long as the more modern paramattas.
Elizabeth gave every encouragement to manufactures; and when more Flemings sought refuge in England, the city of Norwich gained an accession of knowledge in the art of weaving with a warp of silk or linen, and a weft of worsted, as well as in dyeing and other processes. And now the articles manufactured began to be classed as “bays, arras, says, tapestries, mockadoes, stamens, russels, lace, fringes, camlets, perpetuanas, caffas and kerseys.” Nothing contributed more to advance the prosperity of the city than the arrival of the industrious Dutch people, who brought with them arts before unknown in this land.
For centuries the action of government in reference to trade was simply in the way of protection, creating monopolies under charters, and sometimes for subsidies. This was especially the case in Norwich, which was made one of the royal cities of England, and had a market every day in the week, as well as annual marts for all sorts of merchandise. The manufacturers first sought and obtained protection for their trade under charters. Hence arose a system which answered very well in the infancy of society, but which became obsolete in the course of national development, and the extension of commerce.
p. 569Under the miserable rule of Charles I., the persecuting Laud succeeded in driving back the industrious Dutch weavers to Holland, and causing others to emigrate to America in order that they might enjoy religious liberty. Thus the best workers were driven out of England, and a stimulus was given to the Dutch worsted manufacture. The Commonwealth government restored prosperity to trade, and established a corporation of fifty-four persons in Norwich for the regulation of trade, which then flourished exceedingly.
In the reign of Charles II., we find that “Weavers’ Hall” is mentioned; and though the king taxed the manufacturers, the Norwich workers flourished: for Sir John Child, in 1681, declared that, “Such a trade there is, and hath been, for the woollen manufactures, as England never knew in any age.” Soon afterwards, Louis XIV. revoked the Edict of Nantes, and tens of thousands of French Protestant weavers took refuge in England, giving birth to the silk manufactures of Spitalfields, and stimulating the trade of Norwich. These refugees introduced the manufacture of crapes, which soon came into very general use for mourning.
Most of the manufacturers of this century were very intelligent men, who had gone through the whole routine of their trade, and could do the work in every process with their own hands. The worsted goods manufactured at this time were calimancoes, p. 570plain, flowered, and brocaded; camlets and camletees; satins and satinettes; brocaded satins, rosetts, brilliants, batavias, Mecklenburghs, hairbines, damasks, duroys, poplins, prunells, bombazines, serges, florentines, brilliantines, grandines, cameltines, tabourtines, blondines, callimandres, and other fabrics, all in brilliant colours. The greatest demand for these goods was from 1743 to 1763, a period of twenty years.
In or about 1776 Joseph and John Banfather made a few camlets, which were woven grey, and after that, dyed of various colours, for a captain of an East India vessel, who took them out at his own risk. About 1782, broad bombazines were introduced by Ives, Son, and Baseley. About 1783, Irish poplins or lustres were made by that firm. About 1785, spotted camletees were introduced by William Martin. About 1788, single warp callimancoes were made and continued for six years.
Mr. James assures us that Norwich attained its highest prosperity during the middle of the eighteenth century, so great was the energy and fertility of resource displayed by its merchants. The worsted dyers of the city were pre-eminent for skill, and their profits were great. The city merchants sent travellers throughout Europe, and their pattern books were shown in every principal town as far as Moscow. Norwich goods were introduced into France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Poland, and there was also a large trade with Russia. The great fairs of Frankfort, Leipsic, and of Salerno, were thronged with purchasers of Norwich fabrics. An English Gazetter p. 571published before 1726, contains an article on Norwich, in which the writer says:—
“The worsted manufacture, for which this city has long been famous, and in which even children earn their bread, was first brought over by the Flemings in the reign of Edward III., and afterwards very much improved by the Dutch who fled from the Duke of Alva’s persecution, and being settled here by queen Elizabeth, taught the inhabitants to make says, baize, serges, shalloons, &c., in which they carry on a vast trade both at home and abroad, and weave camblets, druggets, crapes, and other stuffs, of which it is said this city vends to the value of £200,000 a year.
“The weavers here employ spinsters all the country round, and also use many thousand packs of yarn spun in other counties, even as far as Yorkshire and Westmoreland. By a late calculation from the number of looms at work in this city only, it appeared that there were no less than one hundred and twenty thousand people employed in these manufactures of wool, silk, &c., in and about the town, including those employed in spinning the yarn, used for such goods as are made in the city.”
The writer of course means to include all the females who spun the yarns in Yorkshire and Westmoreland, as well as in Norfolk and Norwich. Even then, 120,000 people is an incredible number, for he states the value of all the goods sold to be only £200,000 yearly, so that the people would not earn £2 each per annum.
So flourishing was the woollen trade in this city during the second half of the eighteenth century, that on February 2nd, 1759, the wool-combers testified p. 572their joy by exhibiting the pageant of bishop Blaise, who lived under Dioclesian, A.D. 282, and was a great patron of woollen manufactures. This prosperity was interrupted by a war; but on March 24th, 1783, the citizens were again entertained by the wool-combers’ jubilee, on the return of peace, which had a beneficial effect on trade. The most prosperous period appears to have been from 1750 to 1780.
Mr. Arthur Young, in 1771, published his “Tour of England” in the form of Letters, some of which relate to the eastern counties, and Letter XII. to Norwich. It contains a curious statement, derived from some manufacturers, respecting their trade. At that time, the population of the city was about 40,000, mostly employed in manufactures, and the merchants were rich and numerous. Mr. Arthur Young says:—
“The staple manufactures are crapes and camlets, besides which they make in great abundance damasks, satins, alopeens, &c., &c. They work up the Leicestershire and Lincolnshire wool chiefly, which is brought here for combing and spinning, whilst the Norfolk wool goes to Yorkshire for carding and cloths. And what is a remarkable circumstance, not discovered many years, is, that the Norfolk sheep yield a wool about their necks equal to the best from Spain; and is in price to the rest as twenty to seven.”
Mr. Arthur Young further states that men, women, and boys earned about five shillings per week, but that they could earn more if industrious, so that wages were not higher a century ago than at present. In reference to the exportation of goods, he observes:—
p. 573“They now do not send anything to North America, but much to the West Indies. Their foreign export is to Rotterdam, Ostend, Middleburgh, all Flanders, Leghorn, Trieste, Naples, Genoa, Cadiz, Lisbon, Barcelona, Hamburgh, all the Baltic except Sweden, and the East Indies.
“The general amount of Norwich manufactures may be calculated thus—
A regular export to Rotterdam, by shipping every six weeks, of goods to the amount of yearly |
£480,000 |
Twenty-six tons of goods sent by broad-wheeled waggons weekly to London at £500 a ton, on an average, 13,000 tons per annum, value |
676,000 |
By occasional ships and waggons to various places calculated at |
200,000 |
|
£1,356,000 |
Therefore the trade had increased in fifty years from £200,000, according to the “English Gazetteer,” up to £1,356,000!
Mr. Young further observes in reference to the estimates he had given:—
“Upon a reconsideration of the table, it was thought that the £676,000 by waggons was rather too high. Suppose, therefore, only 10,000 tons, it is then £520,000, and the total £1,200,000!
“Another method taken to calculate the amount was by adding up the total sum supposed to be returned annually by every house in Norwich, and this method made it £1,150,000. This sum coming so near the other, is a strong confirmation of it.
“A third method taken was to calculate the number of p. 574looms (in county and city); these were made 12,000; and it is a common idea in Norwich to suppose such, with all its attendants, works £100 per annum. This also makes the total £1,200,000, which sum upon the whole appears to be very near the real truth.
“Respecting the proportion between the original material and the labour employed upon it, they have a sure and very easy method of discovering it. The average value of a piece of stuff is 5s.; so the material is a tenth of the total manufacture. Deduct the £120,000 from £1,200,000, leaves £1,080,000 for labour, in which is included the profit of the manufacturer.
“The material point remaining is to discover how many people are employed to earn the public one million per annum, and for this calculation I have one datum which is to the purpose. They generally imagine in Norwich that one loom employs six persons on the whole; and as the number is 12,000 (in city and county), there are consequently 72,000 people employed in the manufacture. And this is a fresh confirmation of the preceding accounts; for I was in general told that more hands worked out of Norwich, for many miles around, than in it; and £1,200,000 divided by 72,000, gives £16 each for the earnings of every person.”
This, Mr. Young confesses, appears to be a large sum for men, women, and boys to earn. The population of Norwich being then under 40,000, the number of looms at the time Mr. A. Young wrote could not be 12,000, nor the persons employed 72,000 in the city and county. Six persons to a loom never were required at one time. The proportion was more likely only half, or three persons to a loom. Consequently, the number employed would be only 36,000 p. 575in both city and county. Divide £1,200,000 by 36,000, and it gives £33 for each adult yearly, including the profits of the manufacturer. Deduct £200,000 for their profits, and it leaves £1,000,000 for labour; divide that by 36,000 persons, and it leaves only £28 each, yearly, which is nearer the mark.
Mr. R. Beatniffe, a bookseller in Norwich, copied the statement of Mr. A. Young, and published it in his “Tour of Norfolk.” He said some gentlemen of intelligence had doubted it, as well they might, but he believed it was true. However, in his last edition of the “Tour,” published in 1807, he gave a very different account. He said that the merchant was shut out of the home market by fashion and out of the foreign market by war, so that the annual value of the goods was estimated at £800,000, and the cost of labour at £685,000, leaving only £115,000 for the raw material
Messrs. John Scott and Sons, were manufacturers of woollen and worsted goods, in St. Saviour’s, from 1766 to 1800, and produced great quantities of taborets, floretts, clouded camlets, for Italy; perukeens, self-coloured camlets, for Germany; and other sorts for Spain. Some of these camlets were eighteen inches wide, and the pieces twenty-seven or thirty yards in length; some super camlets were twenty-four inches wide, and thirty yards in length, according to the pattern books yet in existence. These camlets were charged from 50s. to 100s. per piece, or an average of 80s., as we have seen in old ledgers of the firm, still preserved and in the possession of a manufacturer.
p. 576Originally, all the yarns used in Norwich were spun by hand in Norfolk and Suffolk, thus employing a large number of women, young and old. About 1720, almost the whole female population of Norfolk and Suffolk was fully employed at the spinning wheel, and this branch of industry continued till the end of the century, and though 50,000 tons of wool were produced, it was found necessary to draw supplies from other districts. Before the end of the eighteenth century, mills were at work spinning yarns, and in 1812, yarns from the mills in Lancashire were brought here and spun in bombazines, which were dyed in various colours.
The establishment of mills in Yorkshire, where coal, provisions, and labour were cheaper than in Norfolk, gave a heavy blow to the trade of the city, which would have been more severely felt, but for the fluctuations of fashion having created a great demand for bombazines, for which Norwich was famous. The Yorkshire workmen and the substitution of machinery for female hands, reduced the manufacture of the old kinds of goods to a low point, and the trade was chiefly maintained by the orders of the East India Company for large quantities of camlets for the Chinese market.
Messrs. Willett and Nephew have old pattern books full of specimens of shawl borders of very elegant designs; in fashion at the beginning of this century. These patterns are an imitation of genuine Indian designs, the pine-apple being prominent; but great improvements in the designs were made by different p. 577manufacturers. Norwich shawls had formerly a high reputation, and were in great demand in London and all large towns; but ultimately French shawls were preferred, owing to the superiority of the designs.
At two general meetings of the manufacturers, held at the Guildhall on December 14th and 21st, 1790, the prices for weaving were fixed and printed in a list, comprising serges, prunelles, satins, satinettes, camlets, camletines, florentines, brilliantines, grenadines, blondines, tabourtines, callandres, &c. At a general meeting of the manufacturers, held on June 13th, 1793, at the Guildhall, it was resolved unanimously that they would supply the journeyman weavers they employed with havels and slaies, free of charge, and without deduction from the prices established in the table of rates fixed in the year 1790. The list continued in force for some time, even into the next century. The camlets made, excepting those for China, were thirty yards in length, and about twenty-eight inches wide, with warp and wift dyed in the hank. Millions of pieces of camlets were made for exportation, in which nearly all the manufacturers were engaged. The orders of the East India Company amounted to a very large sum yearly. Operatives earned 40s. for each piece of camlet for the East India Company, or about £1000 weekly on that single article. Those were the palmy days for the weavers; days that will never more return.
Towards the close of the century, the prosperity of Norwich really declined. The towns of the West Riding of Yorkshire, as already stated, became her p. 578successful rivals in worsted fabrics. The increase of cottons and their general wear in England left Norwich dependent on the foreign trade, which was partly ruined by the American war, and entirely so by the war after the first French Revolution, which spread desolation over all Europe.
At the commencement of the present century, bombazines, camlets, and mixed fabrics were the chief manufactures of Norwich. Soon afterwards crapes were produced in large quantities. Paramattas were next introduced, and in the course of time superseded bombazines for mourning. “Poplins” then came into fashion, and the manufacture has so much improved that the demand for this kind of goods has increased every year. Poplins were followed by a long succession of mixed fabrics, barèges, balzarines, gauzes, mousseline de laines, cotton de laines, llamas, thibets, merinoes, lunettas, organdies, stuffs, cloths, velvets, lustres, silks, satins, &c. The manufacture of shawls was also carried on extensively, and for a long time Norwich shawls, for excellence of fabric and elegance of design, were not surpassed by any made in England. A great trade was done in shawls in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and other large towns. The trade, however, gradually declined when French shawls came into fashion. French goods of other kinds also grew in favour, and affected the city trade in many textile fabrics.
p. 579In 1829, on December 29th, a meeting of weavers was held on Mousehold Heath to adopt means for keeping up the rate of payment, the operatives asserting their right to combine to increase wages, as well as their employers to combine to reduce them. The weavers were not paid by time, but at a certain rate for piece-work of different kinds. The rate was according to a certain printed scale, to which the operatives wished to adhere, while it sometimes occurred that the manufacturers desired to alter it.
During the early part of the present century Messrs. Ives and Robberds, of St. Saviour’s, carried on a large trade in worsted goods, chiefly for exportation to India and China, and to different parts of Europe. The goods made were all stout worsted fabrics, plain, checked, striped, or figured, in vivid colours. They were camlets, camletees, satins, satinettes, ladines, tabaretts, calimancoes, swan skins, broad bays, red kerseys, diamantines, spotted tobines, batavias, hairbines, toys, Rochdale bays, checked paolis, lustrins, dentellos, damasks, dorsettines, poplins, serges, mazarines, and grenadines. The same firm received large orders from the East India Company for camlets, in pieces 55 yards in length, 30 inches in width, and weighing 20 lbs. each. Orders were executed by various houses as follows:—
Year |
Pieces |
1812 |
22,000 |
1813 |
22,000 |
1814 |
12,000 |
1815 |
10,400 |
16,600 |
|
1817 |
15,200 |
1818 |
15,200 |
1819 |
15,640 |
1820 |
16,000 |
1821 |
11,000 |
1822 |
14,300 |
1824 |
10,000 |
1825 |
11,012 |
1826 |
13,000 |
1827 |
none |
1828 |
12,000 |
1829 |
10,000 |
1830 |
9,300 |
1831 |
none |
1832 |
5,000 |
In 1832 the East India Company suspended their orders, but Mr. Robberds continued to export camlets from Norwich and Yorkshire to China in exchange for tea, as follows:—
Year |
Norwich |
Yorkshire |
1841 |
420 pieces |
215 pieces |
1842 |
2,760 ,, |
200 ,, |
1843 |
6,610 ,, |
5,181 ,, |
1844 |
13,170 ,, |
7,928 ,, |
He also continued to make camlets for wholesale merchants in London till 1848, when he failed in consequence of losses, but afterwards joined a partner in Halifax, and continued to produce large quantities of camlets; but Norwich lost all the trade.
Besides the camlets supplied to the East India Company, goods of the same kind were made for private orders by all the manufacturers. During the years 1830, 1831, and 1832, according to ledgers yet remaining, one firm made about 7,000 pieces for private orders, and from 1833 to 1837 inclusive, nearly 9,000 pieces. In 1833 and 1834, mohair camlets were made by the same house to the extent of 6,000 pieces, being 22,000 pieces in four years. Supposing a dozen other houses to have produced a like quantity, the total p. 581would have been 66,000 pieces yearly. Messrs. Booth and Theobald, in Muspole Street, were large manufacturers of worsted goods, and at one time employed about 1,000 hands, men, women, and children, in the production of worsted goods, including camlets, for the East India Company. Mr. John Francis, of St. George’s, also made a variety of worsted goods and other fabrics, employing a large number of hands at one time. Messrs. Worth and Carter, in St. George’s Middle Street, and Joseph Oxley and Sons, in St. Augustine’s, produced large quantities of broad bombazines, which were gradually superseded by paramattas, to which the ladies gave the preference. Both fabrics were made of worsted and silk; the only difference was that they were differently dressed, the paramattas being dressed flat by hot pressing, which gave a greater flexibility to the cloth. Messrs. Wright and Son, formerly on Elm Hill, at one time employed about 1500 hand-loom weavers in the manufacture of plain and fancy fabrics, mostly mixed.
Messrs. Grout and Co. began the manufacture of crapes in a small way in Patteson’s Yard, in Magdalen Street. John Grout was then the principal partner, but after the mills were built in Lower Westwick Street, having realized a fortune, he retired from business. George Grout also retired before 1840. Messrs. Martin and Company became the proprietors of the mills, and after Mr. Martin died, the firm comprised Messrs. Brown, Robison, and Hall, who now carry on a large trade in crapes, areophanes, and gauzes. The machinery in use is of the most improved construction; p. 582and in these very extensive works may be seen most of the processes connected with the manufacture of silk goods. The silk is imported chiefly from China and some from India, but a portion is also obtained from Italy. The demand for crapes used in mourning has, however, a good deal diminished.
The Albion Mills, in King Street, were erected in 1836 and 1837, for the spinning of worsted yarns, in consequence of the great demand in Norwich and the difficulty found by manufacturers in obtaining the yarns which they required for their trade. Mr. George Jay, owner of the mills, erected new machinery. And after the trade in worsted yarns declined, he imported mohair from Asia Minor, and commenced the spinning of mohair yarns. He continued this business for some years, while mohair goods were in demand. He added a new wing to the factory and put in another steam engine, both the engines being of seventy-horse power.
During the present century, large Mills have been built in this city for the spinning of silk, woollen, and mohair yarns, and also for weaving those yarns into all kinds of fabrics. In the year 1833, a company was organised for those manufactures. A large capital of £40,000 was raised, and ultimately two factories were built, one in St. Edmund’s and one in St. James’. The former became a factory for spinning yarns, and the latter for weaving goods. In St. James’ factory two coupled engines of 100-horse power were put up to drive the machinery. There the city manufacturers hired the large rooms and power, and put in the machinery, for the production of fabrics.
p. 583The site of the factory comprises 1a. 2r. 18p., with a frontage of 460 feet to the river. Above the basement are six long floors. There have been sixty-five frames in the mills for spinning yarns, and 500 looms for weaving fabrics; but the number of looms has been reduced to 300, and they are not always at work. After the erection of the mills, weaving sheds were built adjoining. The floors are now occupied as follows;—No. 1. Messrs. Skelton and Co; No. 2. Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen, who also hire two of the weaving sheds; No. 3. Messrs. Willett, Nephew, and Co.; No. 4. Messrs. Skelton and Co.: Nos. 5 and 6. Mr. Park, for spinning woollen yarns. Women and girls are chiefly employed in this factory. About 1000 have been at work at a time, when trade has been good; but of late, not half the number have been engaged. The average earnings have been about 7s. weekly.
In 1838, trade was in a very dull declining state, and some differences arose between masters and men, in consequence of a proposed reduction in the rate of payment. This was resisted by the men, who appealed to Colonel Harvey to mediate between them, which he consented to do. A meeting was held, and the delegates who had been sent on the part of the weavers to the north to inquire into the state of the camlet trade, reported that they had seen no camlets at all to compare with those in Norwich. The north had, however, got the trade. The question remained unsettled; but on August 27th, that year, several camlet weavers applied to the magistrates for protection from p. 584the violence of those on strike. Mr. Robberds was willing to give out work, but would not do so unless his men were protected. The application was granted, and a strong body of police was sent to the premises of Mr. Robberds, where the weavers received their work, and they were protected in conveying it to their homes. On the Tuesday following, the house of a man named Wells was broken open and his work cut out of the loom. The city was much disturbed by these differences, which ultimately produced great injury to its trade.
According to Mr. Mitchell’s report in 1839, there were in the city and its vicinity 5,075 looms, of which 1,021 were unemployed; and of the 4,054 looms then at work, there were 3,398 in the houses of the weavers, and 650 in shops and factories. Indeed, by far the greater part of the looms belonged to families having only one or two. The operatives at these looms comprised 2,211 men, and 1,648 women, with 195 children. In that year two silk mills employed 731 hands; three worsted mills, 385 hands; two woollen mills, 39 hands; and one cotton mill, 39 hands, making eight mills, employing 1,285 persons.
An abstract of a census of the Norwich weavers, furnished by a report of the commissioners on handloom weavers, published in 1840, will best show the nature and the relative amount of the fabrics then made by hand. Bombazines employed 1,205 workers, of whom 803 were men; challis, Yorkshire stuffs, fringes, &c., 1,247, of whom 510 were men; gauzes, 500, chiefly women; princettas, 242, nearly all men; p. 585silk shawls, 166, of whom 74 were men; bandana, 158, of whom 86 were men; silk, 38, including 16 men; jacquard, 30; worsted shawls, 26; woollen and couch lace, 22 each; camletees, 20; horsehair cloth, 17; lustres, 3; sacking, 45. Total of weavers 4,054, including 2,211 men, 1,648 women, 108 boys, 77 girls, and 10 apprentices. Their gross wages, when fully employed, have ranged from 8s. to 25s. weekly; those engaged on fillovers, challis, and fine bombazines, earning from 15s. to 25s. weekly; but deducting “play time” and expenses, the net wages did not amount to 8s. weekly. Mr. Mitchell reported that the industry and morals of the operatives had suffered much from party spirit, riots, and strikes. Of late years the workers at their looms have been very industrious and quiet, while they have endured great privations. Since 1840 a large number of the operatives have gone into the boot and shoe trade, which offered better prospect of at least a decent livelihood.
Most of the old worsted fabrics formerly made in such large quantities have become obsolete, and lighter mixed fabrics are now produced in great variety, in silk, wool, mohair or cotton, or composed of three or four kinds of yarns. The goods are known under the names of cloths, kerseys, linseys, winseys, coburgs, crapes, gauzes, nets, paramattas, camlets, bareges, balzarines, grenadines, challis, llamas, poplins, poplinettes, tamataves, optimes, crinolines, cloakings, and p. 586shawls in great variety. Wool, mohair, and cotton yarns are chiefly used in most of the fabrics, except crapes and gauzes. The larger proportion of the woollen yarns are made here from English wool. Poplins are made of silk and worsted; poplinettes, of silk and cotton; bareges, of silk and worsted; tamataves, of worsted and cotton; grenadines, of twisted worsted and silk; coburgs, of cotton and worsted; paramattas and bombazines, of worsted and silk; llamas, of an inferior kind of wool with cotton warp; thibet cloths, of worsted warp and weft; winseys and linseys, of worsted with cotton warp; balzarines, with cotton warps and worsted shoot; malabars, of cotton warp and woollen shoot, thirty-two inches wide. All the fabrics, however, may be included under the three classes of tammies, tamataves, and nets. The tammies are woven fabrics, in which the warp and the weft simply cross, but in the nets there is a twist in the warp. The tamataves are partly the tammy woven and partly the net. In former times the trade was comparatively steady, because plain fabrics in single colours were more in demand than any other; but of late years, this branch of business has been very fluctuating, owing to the changes of fashion and the desire for novelty, both in the fabric and in the pattern of every article. New patterns are now, therefore, constantly being produced. All preparations and processes are only for the coming season, and it is found necessary to alter the pattern, the colouring, the finishing, and even the names of the goods, to suit the markets.
p. 587Mr. G. Jay is the largest manufacturer of mohair yarns in this city; and in the years 1867 and 1868 he could not execute all the orders he received. This arose from the great care bestowed on the preparation of the material at the Albion Mills, in King Street, and from the softness of the water which imparts a glossy, silky appearance to the yarns. Mohair fabrics came suddenly into use, and for some years prior to 1860, elegant tissues were produced here. These, however, soon went out of fashion. All the yarns spun here are now sent to France and Germany, where they are woven, with silk, into velvets, and then imported into this country. The velvet jackets which are now in fashion have caused a great demand for these yarns, and sixty-five frames at the Albion Mills are constantly at work. We are only surprised that the yarns are not used in the city in the manufacture of velvets, large quantities of which are imported every year.
Norwich was the first place in all England where the manufacture of fillover shawls was carried on to any great extent. For a long time the weaving of these shawls was a tedious, slow process. A great improvement in the mode of weaving was, however, discovered by a straw-hat maker of Lyons, named Jacquard, in the year 1802, by which means the drawboys were entirely dispensed with and the tackle simplified. The new invention was received as a boon in England, and at length was introduced into this city, where it has been applied to the production of splendid fillover shawls, by Clabburn, Sons, and Crisp. p. 588We regret, however, that these elegant articles of ladies attire have recently gone almost entirely out of fashion.
The Late Mr. T. O. Springfield carried on the wholesale silk business to a very large extent, having almost a monopoly of the market, and he supplied with dressed silk almost all the manufacturers in this city. This silk was very largely used by Grout and Co., in the manufacture of crape, gauzes, aerophanes, &c., and by others in the working up of mixed fabrics, especially bareges, grenadines, and various light tissues. The same wholesale business is now continued by Mr. O. Springfield, in Norwich and London. It is estimated that the annual value of dressed silk used in this city is over £100,000.
Messrs. Middleton, Answorth, and Co., have a large factory in Calvert Street, another in Bradford, and a wholesale warehouse in London. They formerly made all kinds of mixed fabrics in this city, and now they produce large quantities of paramattas, grenadines, opera cloakings, and fancy cloakings, hair cloth for crinolines, and curled hair for stuffing sofas. Crinolines have been made in great quantities by this firm, the warp being cotton and the weft horsehair. The demand for them has, however, somewhat abated. This firm has largely increased their trade in hair-cloth, which is used for general stiffening purposes. In the southern states of America, the gentlemen wear large trousers, which require to be expanded like ladies’ dresses; and, therefore, the larger portion of these goods are sent to the southern states of p. 589America. The same firm has also introduced haircloth in many patterns and colours for covering furniture, in sofas, chairs, &c. There is an enormous importation of horse-hair into England from Russia, and from the continent of South America, where horses run wild in the great plains called “Pampas.” The horses are caught and divested of their tails, which are brought into this country in a very rough state; the hair is dressed and woven into a variety of fabrics which are in great demand. The trade in horse-hair cloth is almost a new trade in the city and might be greatly extended. Some fabrics are made all horse-hair, and some mixed with spun silk, in stripes, and colours, and very pleasing patterns.
Mr. J. Burrell has built a small mill near the Dereham Road, where he carries on the manufacture of horse-hair cloth by means of peculiar looms and machinery. He imports horse hair, and prepares it for stuffing seats of chairs, sofas, &c. He also weaves horse hair into cloth for various purposes. Mr. Gunton also carries on the same kind of manufacture in St. Miles’; but the trade is yet on a small scale in this city.
Messrs. Clabburn, Sons, and Crisp, in Pitt Street, manufacture shawls in every variety, and also paramattas, bareges, tamataves, balzarines, poplins, fancy robes, ophines, grenadines, and mixed fabrics generally. The fillover long shawls produced by this firm, on a Jacquard loom, gained the gold medal at the first Paris Exhibition, and also at the London Exhibition in 1862. No description could convey an adequate p. 590idea of these splendid fillover shawls, which are made by a patented process, so as to display a self colour and a perfect design on each side. They were on view at the Paris Exhibition, in 1867, but not for a prize, Mr. W. Clabburn being selected as one of the judges, so that his firm could not compete.
Messrs. Willett and Nephew, of Pottergate Street, are manufacturers on a large scale. The factory itself is not very extensive, for most of the weavers work for the firm at their own houses; and there, in humble dwellings, produce the beautiful fancy fabrics, which are destined to adorn the daintiest ladies in the land. The extent of the operations of this firm enables them to introduce a great variety of novelties in every season, and thus to compete successfully with the manufacturers of France. They were the first to introduce the manufacture of paramattas, which superseded the bombazines, at one time in such great demand. They produce superior poplins, (plain, figured, and watered) bareges, balzarines, tamataves, coburgs, camlets, challis, crinoline, crêpe de Lyons, grenadines, shawls, scarfs, robes, and also a great variety of plain fabrics. They exhibited a large assortment of goods at the London Exhibition of 1851, and received a certificate of “honourable mention” for their paramattas, being the only award made for that article. Messrs. Willett and Co. also received a silver medal at the last Exhibition in Paris. In 1867, the same firm supplied some rich poplins, which were selected for the queen and royal family, from the stock of Mr. Caley, in London Street. Mr. Caley has always p. 591on hand a large stock of Norwich goods, including shawls and fancy fabrics of the newest designs. Visitors to Norwich should not fail to call at his establishment, if they wish to carry away any idea of the productions of the old city.
Messrs. C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones, manufacturers of all kinds of textile fabrics, carry on a large business in a building which was formerly the city residence of the priors of Ixworth. On an old door, which formerly opened into the prior’s hall, is the following inscription in black letter on the transoms which divide the panels:—
Maria plena, mater mic
Remembyr Wyllyá Lowth, Prior 18.
William Louth was the 18th Prior of Walsingham, from 1505 to 1515. This door has been noticed by Blomefield and others, but not correctly; Mr. H. Harrod gave an engraving with description in his “Gleanings Among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk,” (1857). John Aldrich, a grocer, resided here prior to 1549. He was elected an alderman in 1544, sheriff in 1551, mayor in 1558 and 1570, and member of parliament for Norwich in 1555, 1558, and 1572. He was buried inside of St. Clement’s church, on the north side of the chancel, June 12th, 1582. His wife, Elizabeth Aldrich, was buried there April 3rd, 1587. Messrs. C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones have almost rebuilt the house. They produce large quantities of textile fabrics, including poplins (plain, figured, and watered) paramattas, bareges, winseys, linseys, grenadines, p. 592and a variety of fancy goods for dresses, which are in great demand. At the first Great Exhibition of 1851 a medal was awarded to this firm for poplins, and at the Great Exhibition of 1862 for poplins and poplinettes. In addition to the old extensive premises, the firm, some time since, purchased the steam-power mills in Calvert Street, and they also occupy a steam-power shed at St. James’ factory.
Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen, of Elm Hill, occupy large rooms in the new buildings adjoining St. James’ factory, where they produce large quantities of plain and fancy goods, which have been in great demand. They make also large quantities of plain fabrics, for wholesale houses only. At the London Exhibition of 1862, honourable mention was made of the shawls of this firm.
Mr. J. L Barber has a large establishment in St. Martin’s Lane, where he carries on business, making reels and winding cotton on them. He supplies great quantities of cotton-thread to wholesale and retail houses.
Messrs. Sultzer and Co. carry on the manufacture of crapes to a considerable extent in premises built for the purpose in St. Augustine’s.
Messrs. F. Hindes and Sons, who have a warehouse in Botolph Street, manufacture paramattas, bareges, tamataves, grenadines, poplins, shawls, and cloakings. They hire a floor also in the steam-power factory.
Messrs. French and Co. formed a Limited Liability Company, and built a new factory in the Mill Yard Lane, where they manufacture crapes, which are in great demand.
p. 593Messrs. Grout and Co., manufacturers of gauzes, crapes, aerophanes, &c., in addition to their mills in Norwich, have other mills at Yarmouth and Ditchingham, and at Ponder’s End near London. Theirs is, in fact, the greatest concern in the world in the production of crapes and other silk goods. In their several mills they employ about 2000 hands.
Mr. George Allen erected a large factory in 1857 in St. Stephen’s Back Street, for the manufacture of elastic cloths for table covers, gloves, shawls, and other clothing purposes, and for the production also of silk and lisle webs. The elastic cloths, which are made upon warp frames, are considered to be a great improvement on “Hooper’s Elastics,” made in the west of England, and for wear they are believed to be unsurpassed. The manufacture gives employment to a considerable number of hands.
About 500 power looms are at work in the city, when trade is good, weaving a great variety of mixed fabrics, and no doubt each loom does double the work of the old hand-loom. Supposing each loom to produce one piece of goods weekly, there would be 500 pieces weekly, or 26,000 pieces yearly. The prices vary in value from £1 to £10 per piece, and may be averaged at £5, so that the annual value would be about £130,000. But at least 500 hand-looms are also at work, and supposing that they produce half the quantity of goods, the total annual value would be £195,000, or in round numbers £200,000. We are sorry to state, however, as already intimated, that the manufacture of textile fabrics in Norwich has for some time past p. 594been declining, and cannot compare with former years. The depression has arisen from various causes, among which may be mentioned war, which has deprived the city of its best markets. The introduction of cotton and silk goods too has nearly superseded the old stuff fabrics of the city. Machinery in Norwich is also behind that in the north. The wool grown in Norfolk and Suffolk has, moreover, been sent to Yorkshire to be spun, and has been repurchased as yarn for Norwich goods; and lastly, Norwich weavers have not the energy of those in Bradford. Fashion also has been one of the causes of the loss of trade, for the fashions are continually changing, and Norwich firms have to compete with all England, Scotland, and France; and it is not to be expected that a few houses in this city will produce as many novelties as all the rest of the world. A School of Art has been established, but it has not yet produced many practical designers.
Having given an account of the textile manufactures in this city, we proceed to furnish some particulars of the more important of other classes of business, which go to make up the sum total of the trade and commerce of the city.
Banking, as now understood, was not carried on till the eighteenth century. Before the American war of Independence very few country banks were established. Norwich manufactures were in their most prosperous state in the middle of last century, and then it was that some banks were established in this city. On January 31st, 1756, a bank was opened in the Upper Market by Charles Weston, who carried on business till the end of the century. In 1768, Mr. Thomas Allday’s bank was opened; afterwards Sir R. Kerrison and Son were proprietors, and in 1808 the bank failed. The debts amounted to £460,000, and the dividends paid amounted to 16s. 4d. in the pound. This was the p. 596first bank failure in Norwich of any importance, and it shook public confidence in banks.
Messrs. Gurney’s bank was established in Norwich in 1775 as a bank of deposit and issue. This was at a period the most flourishing in the commercial annals of Norwich. The annual value of textile fabrics produced in the city was over a million sterling, a trade which was of course a great source of business to the bank. Henry Gurney, and his son Bartlett Gurney, were the first proprietors. On the death of the father, the son associated himself with his three brothers, Richard, Joseph, and John Gurney; so the firm continued till the deaths of the different parties. About 1825, Mr. H. Birkbeck, of Lynn, and Mr. Simon Martin were taken in as partners. The firm then comprised R. H. Gurney, J. J. Gurney, D. Gurney, Simon Martin, and H. Birkbeck. After J. J. Gurney and S. Martin died, the firm comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, F. H. Gurney, and C. H. Gurney; and W. Birkbeck came in after the death of his father. The bank at Norwich has in its connection branches at North Walsham, Aylsham, Holt, Dereham, Fakenham, and Attleborough. At Yarmouth the firm, until lately, comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, T. Brightwen, and J. H. Orde. This branch has in its connection other branches at Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth, Saxmundham, Eye, and Stowmarket. At Lynn the firm, until lately, comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, S. Gurney, and F. G. Cresswell, and this bank extends to Downham and Swaffham.
p. 597The members of the several firms are now as follow:
Norwich and Norfolk Bank. |
|
Henry Birkbeck. |
Francis Hay Gurney. |
William Birkbeck. |
Henry Ford Barclay. |
Samuel Gurney Buxton. |
John Gurney. |
Yarmouth and Suffolk Bank. |
|
Henry Birkbeck. |
Henry F. Barclay. |
S. G. Buxton. |
John Gurney. |
Thomas Brightwen. |
James Henry Orde. |
Lynn and Lincolnshire Bank. |
|
Daniel Gurney. |
Henry Birkbeck. |
Somerville Arthur Gurney. |
H. F. Barclay. |
S. G. Buxton. |
Francis Joseph Cresswell. |
The Crown Bank, in King Street, Norwich, was opened on January 2nd, 1792, as a bank of deposit, discount, and issue. The original proprietors were Messrs. Hudson and Hatfield, and the first bank was in the Haymarket. About forty years since the proprietors were Charles Saville Onley, Sir Robert John Harvey, Anthony Hudson, and Thomas Hudson. They then employed only seven clerks, and now thirty clerks are employed at the new bank. On January 13th, 1820, a circular was issued by A. and T. Hudson, stating that it was with great regret that they announced the death of their friend and partner, Mr. Robert Harvey. Owing to his death, his brother, Mr. Charles Harvey, and Sir Robert John Harvey, his nephew, were added to the firm. Before 1820, Mr. Onley withdrew. Mr. T. Hudson and Mr. A. Hudson died, and before the p. 598end of the Russian war, Sir Robert John Harvey died. The present proprietors are Sir Robert John Harvey Harvey, Bart., Crown Point, and Roger Allday Kerrison, Esq., who lives at Ipswich. They have lately built a very handsome bank in the Corinthian style of architecture, on the Castle Meadow, and it was opened in January, 1866. At first the Crown Bank had only three agents in the eastern counties, but the number has gradually increased to thirty. The firm purchased the large business of Messrs. Taylor and Dyson at Diss. This was an important addition, the Diss bank having extensive connections in Norfolk and Suffolk.
In 1806, Messrs. Starling Day and Sons were bankers, in Pottergate Street, afterwards in the Market Place, in the court adjoining the Chronicle Office; and on December 16th, 1825, the bank stopped. In 1806, T. Bignold, Son, and Co. were bankers in Briggs’ Street, but did not long continue in business. The Norfolk and Norwich Joint Stock Bank was established in 1820, in Surrey Street. This bank consisted of a small proprietary, and the business, after the loss of the whole share capital, was disposed of to the East of England Joint Stock Company, in 1836. That company carried on business in the Haymarket till 1864, when the bank failed. The sad event was the cause of much misery in the city and county; and many persons who had been in comfortable circumstances were entirely ruined and left destitute. The proprietors lost all their capital, and were called upon to liquidate heavy liabilities besides. p. 599There has not been much over trading in the eastern counties, and the failure of the East of England Bank should be a warning to other joint stock banks, which ought to be the safest if well managed. The business of the East of England Bank and the premises were purchased by the Provincial Banking Corporation, limited, and that company now carries on business in the Haymarket.
About 1838, Mr. Balls opened a bank for deposits, in the Upper Market. He carried on his business through the house of Sanderson in London. Sanderson failed for £365,000, but afterwards paid 20s. in the pound, and had £20,000 to spare. Mr. Balls gave up his bank in Norwich, in 1847.
The Consolidated Bank arose from a union of the banks of Hankey and Co., and Hayward, Kennard, and Co., London, and the bank of Manchester. They were amalgamated in 1863, under the name of the Consolidated Bank, with a branch in London Street, Norwich. The Company gave up this branch, and the handsome new premises in London Street were taken by the National Provincial Bank, which has been established since 1833.
Country banks are all of them banks of deposit and discount; they act as agents for the remittance of money to and from London, and for effecting payments between different parts of the kingdom. Nearly all of them are also banks of issue, and their notes are, in most cases, made payable to some bank in London, as well as at the place where they are issued. A moderate rate of interest, from 2 to 2½ per cent, is p. 600allowed by country bankers on deposits which remain with them for any period beyond six months. Some make this allowance for shorter periods. Where a depositor has also a drawing account, the balance is struck every six months, and the interest due on the average is placed to his credit. On drawing accounts, a commission, usually an eighth per cent, is charged on all payments. The country banker on his part pays his London agent for the trouble which he occasions, either by keeping a certain sum of money in his hands without interest, or by allowing a commission on the payments made for his account, or by a fixed annual payment in lieu of the same. The portion of funds in their hands arising from deposits and issues, which is not required for discounting bills and making advances in the country, is invested in government or mercantile securities in London, which in the event of a contraction of deposits, can be made immediately available.
The agriculture of the eastern counties, the most productive in England, is the foundation of their industrial prosperity, and the chief source of business to the banks in the market towns. It is well known that since the commencement of this century, by means of an improved system of husbandry, the agricultural resources of the district have greatly increased, as has also the annual value of the produce in cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, and corn. The various branches of industry and manufactures carried on in Norwich and the county are also, of course, to be reckoned amongst the sources of the banking business.
Mr. Dyer, in White Lion Street; Messrs. Riches and Skoyles, Davey Place; Mr. Womack, Dove Street and Lobster Lane; and Messrs. Steward and Son, Tombland; occupy extensive premises, where garments are made for men and boys by the use of machines, and are disposed of wholesale to retail clothiers all over the district. The introduction of sewing machines has given a great impulse to this trade, and garments of all kinds and sizes are produced here as good in quality and as low in price as they can be obtained in any part of the kingdom.
A minute’s walk from the Market Place, in Bethel Street, are the steam clothing works and warehouses of Messrs. F. W. Harmer and Co. Between 200 and 300 persons are employed by this firm in the manufacture of boys’ and men’s clothing; their goods are sold wholesale only, and are made for what is technically called the “home trade.” In this establishment the different processes of cutting, sewing, making button holes, &c., which a few years since were performed by hand labour, are now principally done by machinery worked by steam power, to the advantage both of the hands employed and the consumers of the goods.
This trade dates from the commencement of the present century; and for some time it was confined to goods for the home market. In 1800, Mr. James p. 602Smith began the trade, which was afterwards enlarged by the late Mr. Charles Winter, who carried on a great business, both for the home market and for exportation to the colonies. On the death of that gentleman the concern passed into the hands of Messrs. Willis and Southall, under whose able management the reputation of the old house is fully sustained, and whose goods command a ready sale both at home and abroad. The quality of the goods is now much improved, and large quantities are exported to the colonies.
Formerly, all boots and shoes were made by hand only, and consequently there was a great difference in the quality of the work. The operatives used to take their work to their homes. They received so many dozen uppers from the warehouses and returned them finished, and were paid according to quality and quantity. The late Mr. C. Winter first made use of sewing machines, for the uppers of boots and shoes, about 1856. Afterwards American machines were introduced, to sew the soles to the uppers.
About eighteen years since, the manufacturers began to make goods for exportation to Canada, to the Cape of Good Hope, to India, and Australia. This export trade was carried on to a large extent, from 1856 till 1866. Mr. C. Winter sent large quantities of goods to Canada and India, and the other manufacturers to Australia. A number of emigrants, however, went into the trade in Australia, and the local parliament imposed a duty of 25 per cent. on English-made goods, which stopped the trade, so that p. 603of late, very few Australian orders have been received in this city. Notwithstanding this drawback, the boot and shoe trade has become a very extensive and important branch of industry in Norwich, and about 3000 hands are employed in the manufacture. Hitherto it has been confined chiefly to women and children’s goods, but men’s boots have been made to some extent, and there is no reason why the trade should not be greatly increased. Machines, as we have said, have been introduced in the various processes of manufacture, and steam power has been applied to the machines in two large factories, where vast quantities of goods are produced. The result has been not to diminish but to extend the number of hands, and to increase the rate of payment.
The hand machines now in use are chiefly those of Thomas, Singer, or Howes. About 400 machines are at work daily in the warehouses, and 200 in private houses. In two factories, large American machines are used for attaching the soles to the uppers at the rate of a pair per minute. By means of these machines, a pair of boots may be cut out, and the uppers, after fitting, sewn together and finished in an hour; and the work, moreover, is better done by the use of machines than it usually is by hand. Three operatives are required for each machine, two fitters and one machinist.
When trade is good, about 3000 men, women, and children, are employed in the manufacture, either in the warehouses or in their own homes. The operatives may be divided into one-third men, one-third women, p. 604and one-third children. They will produce, with the aid of machines, about 1000 dozen pairs of boots and shoes daily. The quantity will therefore be 6000 dozen weekly, and taking the average price at 40s. per dozen, the value would be £12,000 weekly. Supposing the trade to continue brisk for fifty weeks in the year, the annual value would be £600,000.
During the year, 1868, trade was very prosperous, and manufacturers received more orders than they could execute. The quantities before stated may be doubled for that year; and at least 6000 men, women, and children, were employed. Their production, with the aid of machines, has been about 2000 dozen pairs of boots and shoes daily, or 12,000 dozen pairs weekly, so that the weekly value has been £24,000, or £1,200,000 yearly. Norwich does not transact a hundredth part of this branch of trade in England, and, therefore, it may be increased to an indefinite extent.
The principal firms in the trade in 1868, were Messrs. Tillyard and Howlett, on St. George’s Plain; Mr. Kemp, in Pitt Street; Messrs. Willis and Southall, who occupy very extensive premises in the Upper Market; Mr. Hotblack, St. Faith’s Lane; Mr. Lulham, Fishgate Street; Mr. Ford, St. George Colegate; Mr. Homan, Theatre Street; Mr. Bostock, Swan Lane; Mr. Steadman, Bethel Street; Messrs. Barker and Gostling, Wensum Street; Mr. Haldenstein, Queen Street; Messrs. Gamble and Davis, Calvert Street; Mr. Smith, Calvert Street; Mr. D. Soman, Calvert Street; Mr. Base, in Prince’s Street; Mr. Copeman, p. 605St. Stephen’s; Mr. Horne, Charing Cross; Mr. Worledge, Magdalen Street.
The Carrow Works have been greatly extended since the brief notice in the first part of this history was written, and we are now enabled to give a fuller description. Messrs. J. and J. Colman employ about 1200 men and boys in the production of mustard, starch, blue, paper, and flour. By the use of machinery of the most improved construction, and by selecting seed of the finest quality, the firm produces mustard which cannot be surpassed in purity and flavour. This mustard obtained the only prize medals awarded for the article at the Great Exhibition in London, 1862, and Dublin, 1865, and the only silver medal at Paris, 1868. The firm also obtained medals for starch at the Great Exhibitions in London, 1851 and 1862; Dublin, 1865; York, 1866; and Paris, 1868.
Carrow Works are situated just outside of the King Street Gates of the city, on the banks of the river Wensum, which is navigable for vessels of about 120 tons. Lines of railway are laid down in various directions through the premises connecting all the principal warehouses with the Great Eastern Railway at Trowse. Thus Messrs. Colman have every facility for receiving the raw material, and for disposing of the manufactured goods by land or water conveyance. The machinery used is very extensive, and sixteen engines are now employed, amounting altogether to 1000-horse power.
p. 606On entering the works we pass the timekeeper’s office, and observe on the right hand a large range of brick buildings. Here is the mustard mill, and amid all the noise within we are shewn the process by which the well-known condiment, mustard, is produced in such immense quantities, and in the greatest perfection. The mustard seed, which is grown extensively in some parts of this country, is crushed between iron rollers, and is then pounded in large mortars, a long row of which stand on one side of the mill. The pestles consist of long wooden rods with heavy balls of iron. They are set in rapid motion by means of steam power, and the mustard seed is speedily reduced to the condition of flour and bran. These are readily separated, and the flour is brought to the requisite quality by means of silk sieves, which vary in fineness according to the quality of the mustard to be produced. These sieves are loosely arranged in frames, and set in motion by means of revolving shafts. Two kinds of seed, the brown and the white, are thus crushed, pounded, and sifted. The brown is far more pungent than the white; but in order to produce a flavour relished by consumers, it is necessary to mix these two kinds, and it is the judicious mixture which gives the fine aromatic flavour of the mustard for which the firm is celebrated.
Adjoining the mustard mill is the packing floor, where a great number of men and boys are employed in putting the mustard into tins of various shapes and sizes, and adorning them with the handsome labels which are so generally exhibited in grocers’ windows p. 607everywhere, for the demand for this mustard is universal.
Leaving the mustard mill we enter the starch works, which seem to be still more extensive. The process of making starch is carefully explained to us. After the grain has been moistened with a solution of caustic soda, it is passed into the mill, where it is mixed with water and ground in its wet state between mill stones; from each pair of which continually runs a stream of pure white liquid, resembling thin paste. This liquid is placed in large iron tanks called “separators,” a considerable quantity of water is added, and the whole is well stirred for some time. It is then allowed to settle, and the various particles of husk, gluten, &c., sink slowly and form a thick deposit at the bottom. The water with the starch in solution is then drawn off and pumped up into immense shallow vats, several sets of which, placed over one another, occupy the whole of the upper part of the building. In the course of two or three days the liquid in the shallow vats gradually deposits the starch held in solution, when the water is drawn off, and the starch is taken out and placed in long narrow boxes filled with holes and lined with cloth. It remains in these boxes for some time in order that the moisture may gradually drain out and the starch consolidate. As soon as it is sufficiently hardened, the starch is taken out and divided into blocks, each about six inches square, and put into stoves and exposed to a temperature of about 140 degrees; after which it is cleaned, papered, and again placed in stoves, where it remains till it is p. 608gradually crystallized, when the process of manufacture is complete, and the starch is ready for sale.
We now walk across to the other side of the premises and enter a long row of workshops, where a great number of men and boys are employed in making tin-packages for the mustard. Passing by long ranges of coopers and carpenters’ shops, we soon come to a large square block of buildings called the “blue factory.” Here the indigo is mixed with the finest starch, water is added, and the whole is ground in a moist state by large heavy mill stones, till it resembles a very thick, dark blue paste. It is transferred by means of a steam hoist to the upper part of the building, where it is received and quickly manipulated by a number of girls, who divide it into small cakes and stamp it with wooden stamps of various devices, from which it is called “Stamp Title,” “Lion,” &c.; or they work it into balls, on which they leave the impressions of their finger and thumb, when it is called “Thumb Blue.” We learn from the workers that the great art of blue making consists in drying it carefully, so that the lumps or cakes may harden without cracking. We walk through many rooms, almost in the dark, for the window shutters, which are closed, are so constructed as to regulate the temperature, and we have just room to pass between large tiers of racks filled with wooden trays, on which the lumps and cakes of blue are placed in order that they may dry gradually.
We next take a peep at the paper mill, and admire the beautiful machinery which rapidly transforms any p. 609quantity of dirty rags into a thin milk-like pulp, and then into solid quires and reams of paper, all cut and ready for use. As we pass we look into the engineers’ shop and wonder at the variety of the machinery there, capable of operating on the hardest steel, and of planing, cutting, punching, or drilling it with the greatest apparent ease; and we learn that most of the machinery is made and repaired on the premises.
We are at last taken to the luncheon kitchen, in which a good lunch or dinner is provided, consisting of as much hot meat and potatoes as any man can eat, for threepence. Many of the men and boys gladly avail themselves of this kitchen, and obtain a good meal without leaving the works.
On leaving the yard we ascend the hill and observe a handsome school-house, built in the Gothic style, and we learn that it was built by Messrs. J. and J. Colman for the children of the working-people in their service. The school comprises several class-rooms, and is fitted up with every convenience.
Coal and iron form the basis of our industrial system in this island, but neither of them are produced in the eastern counties, which are, for the most part, purely agricultural. Iron manufactures have, however, arisen since the commencement of the present century, chiefly for agricultural purposes. Norwich cannot boast of concerns so extensive as Messrs. Ransome and Sims, of Ipswich; or Messrs. p. 610Garrett, of Leiston, in Suffolk; but several firms here employ large numbers of mechanics in the construction of engines, machines, and implements of every sort.
Dr. William Fairbairn, in his “History of Iron,” mentions five distinct epochs: the first dating from the employment of an artificial blast, to accelerate combustion; the second marked by the use of coke in the reduction, about the year 1750; the third dating from the introduction of the steam engine, on account of the facilities which that invention has given for raising the ores, pumping the mines, supplying the furnace with a copious and regular blast, and moving the powerful forge, and rolling machinery; while the fourth is indicated by the introduction of the system of puddling and rolling; and the fifth and last—though not the least important epoch in the history of iron, is marked by the application of the hot blast, an invention which has increased the production of iron four-fold, and has enabled the iron-master to smelt otherwise useless and unreducible ores. It has abolished the processes of coking and roasting, and has afforded facilities for a large and rapid production, far beyond the most sanguine anticipations of its inventors. Some manufacturers, taking advantage of so powerful an agent, have used improper materials, such as cinder heaps and impure ores, and by unduly hastening the process, have produced an inferior kind of iron.
Nearly all the iron manufacturers in Norwich, Norfolk, and Suffolk, are founders, and make their own p. 611castings for engines, girders, and machines of every kind. The principal firms in this district are Messrs. Ransome and Sims, before named; Messrs. Garrett, of Leiston; Mr. Turner, Ipswich; Messrs. Woods, Cocksedge, and Warner, Stowmarket; Mr. C. Burrell, of Thetford; and Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, & Barnard, Mr. W. S. Boulton, Mr. Smithdale, and Messrs. Holmes and Sons, of Norwich. These great firms send their productions all over the civilised world.
The important works of Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnard, of Norwich, are situate in St. Michael’s Coslany, and cover an area of one acre, next the river Wensum. Entering from Coslany Street, the new counting house is joined on the right by a suite of offices, and on the left by the smith’s shop, which is backed by fire-proof workshops, seventy-five feet in length, and five stories in height. The large foundry is at the east end of the works. A tramway runs from Coslany Street into the interior, permeating the premises. About 400 men and boys are employed in the production of wire-netting, fencing, garden chairs, stands, machines, lawn mowers, gates, and every kind of horticultural implements. A glance at the operations of the firm will, doubtless, be interesting to our readers. One of the most important is the production daily of many miles of wire-netting, made by curious machinery. The strained wire fencing is made on the best principle, the bases of both the straining pillars and standards being entirely of iron; and after a test of more than thirty years, it has been found very superior, both as regards durability and appearance. Messrs. Barnard, p. 612Bishop, and Barnard are also makers, on a large scale, of bedsteads, mangles, cooking ranges, kitcheners, &c., &c., &c.
This firm, the founder of which was Mr. Charles Barnard, a man of modest demeanour, but possessed of considerable inventive genius, will live in history as the manufacturers of the celebrated “Norwich Gates,” exhibited in 1862. These were designed by Mr. Thomas Jekyll of this city, and by a county subscription were, in November, 1864, placed at the entrance to the park at Sandringham, the residence of the Prince of Wales. During the Exhibition of 1862, these marvellous productions attracted great attention. The Times, of April 7th, after alluding to works of a similar character, said:—
“In our judgment, however, the design of these latter is scarcely equal to that of the beautiful wrought-iron park gates, which are being erected, as a principal nave trophy, by Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnard.”
These were adjudged to be the best in the Exhibition. The same firm also produced very elegant gates, which were exhibited at the Paris Exhibition, in 1867, and greatly admired for the beauty of the design and perfect workmanship. These gates were only thirteen feet wide, and seven feet in height, but they occupied forty of the best workmen from morning till night for three months, at a cost of £750 in wages. These gates were quite unique in design and workmanship. There was not a touch of the chisel. The hammer did all the work in the most perfect manner.
p. 613In conclusion, we may state, that after a minute examination of the productions at these works, we feel convinced that articles can now be executed in metal, which surpass the doings of past ages; and that the labour, combined with the intelligence of this 19th century, when skilfully directed, is quite equal to that of the mediæval period.
Mr. W. S. Boulton, who occupies extensive premises in Rose Lane, is a manufacturer of agricultural and horticultural implements; also of strained wire fencing, iron hurdles, park gates, garden chairs, iron bedsteads, kitchen ranges, hot-water appuratus, &c. He produces every kind of railing and palisading in great variety, and he put up the iron palisading round Chapel Field, which is a great ornament as well as protection to the ground. He also supplies a great variety of useful machines, such as mincing and sausage machines, and almost all articles made of iron.
Messrs. Riches and Watts are engineers and machine makers, at Duke’s Palace Iron Works. They are builders of condensing engines, vertical cylinder engines, and steam thrashing machines; and are also makers of American grist mills, corn mills, mills for grinding linseed, &c., cultivators, pumping machinery, iron field rollers, and all kinds of implements.
Messrs. Holmes and Sons, engineers, on the Castle Hill, are makers of a great variety of machines and implements which have gained many prizes at different Agricultural Exhibitions. The firm have also been very extensively engaged for thirty-five years in the manufacture of drills. During this period, every p. 614practical improvement has been introduced, adapting them to every description of soil, simplifying the different parts, and decreasing the working expenses for the renewal of wearing parts. These drills stand unequalled for simplicity, durability, and efficiency, and are of lighter draft than others, owing to the position of the coulters and levers. More than 4000 of these drills have been sent out. The premises of this firm are well situated close to the cattle market, and have been considerably enlarged. The new show rooms in the Market are nearly opposite to the entrance to the Castle. Entering the works from the high road, we may first inspect the foundry, containing an enormous crane and three cupolas. Adjoining the foundry are the stoves for small castings, and above it the pattern-makers’ shop. Returning to the yard, we may enter the erecting and fitting shop. The drill-fitting shop and the thrashing-machine shops are admirably adapted for their intended purposes. About a hundred hands are employed in the works.
Mr. Thomas Smithdale has a very large establishment at St. Ann’s Staithe, King Street, on the site of an ancient monastery, remains of which still exist next the river. In the large foundry, castings of iron are made, up to ten tons; and the workshops contain the heaviest machinery in Norwich. Mr. Smithdale builds engines from three to a hundred horse power; and he makes also hydraulic presses, cranes, crabs, mill works, planing, shaping, and drilling machines, and boilers of all sizes.
Mr. Reeve, in Pitt Street, is a manufacturer of improved p. 615kitchen ranges of various sizes, which have been in great demand.
Messrs. Jarrold and Sons have, for the last twenty years, been engaged in the production of first-class educational books, in science, history, and penmanship, which are used in schools in Great Britain and her Colonies. They also produced the well-known Household Tracts and other works, bearing on social, moral, and sanitary subjects. All are printed and bound in their recently-erected workshops in Little London Street. They have also a publishing house at No. 12, Paternoster Row, London.
Norwich merchants carry on a great wholesale business in wines and spirits. The principal firms are Messrs. Barwell and Sons, London Street and St. Stephen’s; Messrs. Norgate and Son, St. Stephen’s; Messrs. Geldart, in Wensum Street; the Wine Company, in St. Giles’ Street; Mr. P. Back, Market Place; Mr. R. J. Morley, Post Office Street; and Mr. J. Chamberlin, Post Office Street; all of whom keep large stocks of wines and spirits.
The brewing business is greatly extending in Norwich. Norwich brewers produce pale ales, which claim to be equal to the Burton, and dispose of 100,000 barrels of London porter yearly. Messrs. Seaman and Grimmer, though not producers, do an enormous trade, and bring in, through Yarmouth, p. 616about 14,000 barrels of London porter yearly, and send them all over the city and county.
Messrs. Patteson and Co. produce 100,000 barrels of ale and beer yearly; Messrs. Bullard, 60,000 barrels; Messrs. Morgan, 30,000; Messrs. Young and Co., and other brewers, about 40,000. The annual value of their productions is at least £500,000.
This trade is largely carried on by Messrs. Chamberlin & Sons, Mr. G. L. Coleman, Mr. Rackham, Mr. Henry Snowdon, and a branch house of Messrs. Copestake and Moore, of London. Their trade is in cotton, linen, woollen, and silk goods, plain and fancy fabrics, which are supplied to shopkeepers all over the eastern counties. They bring goods from all the manufacturing districts, and supply them on terms quite as advantageous as the London houses. These goods are chiefly of Scotch, Yorkshire, or Lancashire manufactures, and not produced in Norwich.
Messrs. Chamberlin and Sons, a few years since, rebuilt their premises in the Market Place, which are an ornament to the city. This is the largest establishment for drapery in the eastern counties. On entering the premises from the Market Place, the retail department presents, in all its arrangements, a thoroughly complete place of business. The wholesale and other departments above are very extensive. In the basement of the premises is the wholesale Manchester room, 180 feet in length, for linen goods, blankets, and p. 617flannels. There is a separate entrance, in Dove Street, to the extensive woollen cloth department. The carpet room is 44 feet long and 40 feet wide.
The wholesale grocery trade is carried on to a large extent by Messrs. Bream and Bennett, Mr. W. Belding, Messrs. Butcher and Nephew, Messrs. Copeman and Sons, Mr. H. Freeman, Mr. R. Fisher, Messrs. Newson and Co., and Messrs. Pratt and Hancock. This trade disposes of the bulk of the heavy goods brought to the city and sent away from it. The following is the return of the goods, inwards and outwards, for the year ending June, 1867:—
Goods inwards by river |
60,000 tons |
,, Thorpe Station |
30,000 ,, |
,, Victoria ,, |
22,661 ,, |
,, Trowse ,, |
17,616 ,, |
|
130,277 tons |
Goods outwards by river |
100,000 tons |
,, at Thorpe |
53,000 ,, |
,, at Trowse |
20,434 ,, |
,, at Victoria |
7,534 ,, |
The manufacture of tobacco was introduced into Norwich in 1815 by Mr. Curr, formerly of St. Andrew’s. p. 618Since then the trade has gradually increased, and the various kinds of shag, twist, and cavendish, are now produced to the extent of between 100,000 and 200,000 lbs. yearly, by Mr. Newbegin of Bridewell Alley, and Mr. Kitton on the Dereham Road.
The only cigar manufacturers are Messrs. Adcock and Denham, of Post Office Street, and Mr. Stevens, Back of the Inns. Messrs. Adcock and Denham, are the largest makers in the Eastern Counties, and employ a considerable number of hands. At their establishment may be seen tobacco from various countries, and the curious enquirer will learn, no doubt with surprise, how many distant spots of the earth are laid under contribution to supply the demand which exists for the fragrant weed in the form of cigars—the importations being, amongst other places, from Columbia, Cuba, Havanna (in Cuba), Japan, Latakia, Manilla, Mexico, Paraguay, Porto Rico, &c. The operations, too, are interesting, though not easily described. From the case or bale in which the tobacco arrives, it passes into the hands of the person whose duty it is to soften it—a process which requires great skill and care; for the leaf is generally dry and brittle, and has to be shaken and well separated before the softening can be properly effected. The leaf, having been rendered sufficiently pliable, is next passed over to the “strippers,” whose work is to draw out the thick stem which traverses it from end to end. Then it has to be sorted—the light from the dark, the coarse from the fine—and laid in proper order for the “makers,” who with almost magical rapidity, and p. 619by the exercise of great nicety of judgment and manipulation, convert it into cigars of any required size, shape, and weight.
There are several large workshops in this city, for the manufacture of every kind of furniture and cabinet work; and in these, some hundreds of skilled artisans are employed. Among the principal establishments may be mentioned those of Messrs. Trevor & Page, Post Office Street; Mr. C. J. Freeman, in London Street; Messrs. John Crowe and Sons, in St. Stephen’s Street; Messrs. Robertson and Sons, Queen Street; and Messrs. Drew and Corrick, in St. George’s Middle Street. All these establishments supply the best articles for furnishing a house or mansion. The historian who might wish to describe the familiar habits and usages of the present times, could not do better than spend a few hours in our large upholstery warehouses, where may be seen every kind of furniture, from articles which contribute to our homeliest comforts, to others which please the eye by their beauty and good taste. These may be found grouped together in profusion, making the impression on the mind that this must be a wealthy district to require the vast stores of goods kept in Norwich warehouses; but so it is, as every one knows who has visited the dwellings of many of our rich citizens. Luxuries are enjoyed by the well-to-do classes of to-day, which could not be found in baronial halls a few centuries ago.
There are several large builders of carriages, gigs, carts, phaetons, &c., in this city, including Messrs. Jolly and Son, St. Stephen’s Street; Mr. Thorn, St. Giles’ Gates; Messrs. Howes, Chapel Field; Mr. Harcourt, Chapel-Field Road; Messrs. J. and J. Howes, Red Lion Street; Mr. W. H. Howes, Prince of Wales’ Road; Mr. Rudling, St. Martin’s at Palace. Mr. Thorn’s “Norwich Car” and “Norfolk Shooting Cart” are well known all over England. Messrs. Jolly build every sort of useful and fancy vehicle in the best possible style. We cannot here pretend to tell how much the construction of carriages has been improved in the present century, as compared with the old lumbering vehicles formerly in use. Suffice it to say, that by the application of science, English carriages have become the best in all the world.
Messrs. S. D. Page and Sons have built a large warehouse in the Haymarket, where they employ upwards of 100 hands in the manufacture of brushes for wholesale trade. They are also extensively engaged in the paper trade and in the manufacture of paper bags by very interesting and curious machinery worked by steam power, and by which each bag is pasted, folded, cut, and completed in the machine with astonishing rapidity. Three such machines, and several hands, are employed. The bags are made of various sizes and qualities of paper, adapted for the general use of grocers, drapers, confectioners, &c.
Besides the steam flour mills at Carrow works, which produce about 1500 sacks of flour weekly, there are mills in St. Swithin’s and Hellesdon, which also produce enormous quantities. Messrs. Barber and Sons are the owners of the water mills at Hellesdon, and the steam flour mills in St. Swithin’s. The old water mills in St. Swithin’s, the property of the corporation, are in the occupation of Mr. Wells, and are in active operation. There are also many wind mills in the neighbourhood, and water mills abound.
This business is carried on, as before stated, at Carrow works, but the largest mills are at Taverham, a few miles from Norwich. At these mills, vast quantities of paper are produced yearly, of various kinds and qualities, including broad sheets for several influential newspapers. The trade has been greatly increased since the repeal of the duty on paper; but the increase here is nothing to what it has been elsewhere, since the daily newspapers have reached a circulation of hundreds of thousands per day.
Another branch of business, arising from productive industry, is that in soap, of which Mr. Andrews, of Fishgate Street, is a large manufacturer. Within the Norwich Excise Collection, there are several soap makers, who produce immense quantities of an article p. 622which is used in the silk, woollen, linen, and cotton manufactures, as well as for domestic purposes. About 300,000,000 lbs. are produced yearly in the Norwich Excise district. The repeal of the duty upon this useful article must have greatly increased the consumption.
About a dozen Norwich merchants carry on a considerable trade in coal. They receive coal inward by river 70,000 tons, by railway 62,000 tons; in all, 132,000 tons annually. The conveyance, at 6s. 8d. per ton, will be £44,000; and the total value, at 20s. per ton, will be £132,000. The principal merchants are Messrs. J. and H. Girling, Mr. Dawbarn, Mr. Pointer, Mr. Coller, Mr. Jewson, and others, who now bring coal by railway from the central coal fields.
A very extensive business in artificial food for cattle has sprung up of late years, but as yet there are only two or three firms engaged in the trade in Norwich. Mr. John Ketton has mills near Foundry Bridge, where he produces about 200 tons of cake weekly, for fattening cattle. The linseed or other seed is crushed by immense circular stones, turned by ingenious machinery. The oil, thus squeezed out, is of great value, and the refuse is made into cake for fattening cattle, and sold at £8 per ton. The oil is of equal value. Messrs. Gayford, Kitton, and Co., have mills at St. Ann’s p. 623Staithe, King Street, and produce 100 tons of cake weekly. These two firms, therefore, produce about 300 tons of cake weekly, or 15,600 tons yearly, the whole value being £124,800. The oil being of equal value, the total trade amounts to £250,000 a year. Other city merchants, not producers, send away about 100 tons a-week.
The late Mr. William Stark, of this city, was an eminent chemist, and the first who produced bone manures. His son, Mr. M. I. Stark, continues the same manufacture of manures, made from steamed bones under a process by which all their gelatinous and fertilizing properties are converted into the most suitable form for application to the land. He also produces large quantities of cake, made from linseed and beans. This new article of artificial food has given great satisfaction. The mills are at Duke’s Palace Bridge, Norwich, and Rockland St. Mary. Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Parker also produce other kinds of artificial manure in large quantities.
These trades properly belong to the county, but the transactions in the city are on a large scale. The cattle trade is the great trade in the eastern counties, and more especially of Norfolk. A vast amount of it is transacted on the Castle Hill, greatly to the benefit of the city, as it gives employment to a large number of poor people, and brings custom to many inns, taverns, and business establishments. Norwich Cattle Market is now one of the largest in England, taking p. 624the whole year round, and it is rapidly increasing. The following returns show the extent of the trade in the city and county. The traffic at Trowse Station, from June 1866 to June 1867, was as follows:—
Cattle inwards |
57,058 |
|
Sheep ,, |
76,154 |
|
Pigs ,, |
9,855 |
Total 143,067 |
Cattle outwards |
35,083 |
|
Sheep ,, |
59,063 |
|
Pigs ,, |
12,493 |
Total 106,639 |
Most of these animals are brought to or sent away from Norwich Market.
There are twenty acres of layers belonging to the railway company round Trowse Station, and about one hundred acres of layers close by belonging to private parties. These layers are generally covered with cattle and sheep during the season, from August till November. The valleys of the Yare, the Bure, and the Waveney, afford almost unlimited pastures for any number of cattle and sheep, and the greater part of the lean stock sold on Norwich Hill are brought to be fattened on those pastures. In short, the cattle trade on the Great Eastern lines has been greatly increasing, and is now the largest on any system of railways in England.
Norfolk ranks the fourth in extent, as compared with other counties in England, and eighth as regards population; and it is well known, that since the commencement of this century, the resources of the county, in regard to the production of corn, have p. 625been greatly increased by an improved system of husbandry. Over a million acres are under cultivation, including 200,000 acres of commons and sandy heaths, which have been inclosed of late years. In 1831, the average yield of wheat was three quarters per acre; but there has been an increase of thirty per cent, since that period.
According to the inspector’s returns of sales of corn in the Norwich Exchange, the quantities and prices have varied greatly in different years, since 1845. In the year ending October 11th, 1845, the quantity of wheat sold was 150,226 qrs., but after the repeal of the corn laws, the quantity was gradually reduced to the year ending October 3rd, 1868, when it was 65,903 qrs. Since 1855, the quantity of barley sold yearly has varied from 120,000 to 177,000 qrs.; and in the year ending October 3rd, 1868, it was 166,796 qrs. Average prices per qr. for 1868. Wheat, 66/9½. Barley, 42/8¼.
The river Wensum flows for a distance of 30 miles from Rudham to Norwich, and winding round the city, flows into the Yare at Trowse. The Yare winds through the eastern division of the county for 36 miles to Yarmouth. The Waveney flows into the Yare at Reedham, and the Bure at Yarmouth. The three rivers, Yare, Bure, and Waveney, are 200 miles in length, and afford means of water conveyance from the city and all parts of East Norfolk to Yarmouth p. 626haven. The inhabitants of that town have made no fewer than seven havens, one after the other, at a cost of millions of money,—enough to have formed the piers and quays of solid granite.
We have already given an account of the proceedings of the corporation of Norwich respecting the improvement of the navigation from this city to Yarmouth and Lowestoft, between 1820 and 1840, and, therefore, will not go over the same ground again. We need only add that the improvement has been continued both by the authorities of Yarmouth and Lowestoft, that the channel over Breydon has been deepened to seven feet at low water, and that a handsome bridge has been built at Yarmouth, allowing of the free ebb and flow of the tidal waters. The harbour at Lowestoft has also been kept open, and the navigation from that port to the city is still carried on by means of wherries and other vessels. These wherries are peculiar to the rivers of Norfolk and Suffolk, and those used on the Yare carry from fifteen to forty tons, drawing from three to four feet of water. The mast is balanced by means of lead, so that one man can raise and lower it, and on this the sail is hoisted, being extended by a gaff. These vessels are well adapted for the windings of the stream, and are generally navigated by two hands, one of them being often a boy, or the wife of a waterman. The corporation has jurisdiction on the river from Hellesdon Bridge to Hardley Cross, a distance of twenty-four miles. This, however, does not interfere with the rights of landowners on the banks, all of whom have p. 627their respective free fisheries, &c. Ten bridges cross the river in its passage through the city and its suburbs.
Norwich and Yarmouth must ever be united in the carrying trade by water, as the river Yare flows into the sea. From the statements already made, it will be seen that for centuries past Yarmouth has been the chief port of the city and county; that from the city, and various towns in East Norfolk, vast quantities of goods have been annually conveyed along the Yare, Bure, and Waveney, to that port, to be thence shipped to all parts of England; and that Norwich merchants have brought in the larger proportion of their goods viâ Yarmouth.
In 1866, an act, the 29 and 30 Victoria, c 242, was passed for “the conservanity and improvement of the port and haven of Great Yarmouth, and the rivers connected therewith, also for the levying and abolishing of tolls and duties, and for other purposes.” This was the last Yarmouth Port and Haven Act, and under it, the tolls have been increased on all vessels coming to Norwich. By clause 144, it was enacted that, “From and after the 25th day of March, 1867, all monies received from time to time by the Norwich corporation in respect of the Norwich tolls, shall be applied by that corporation as follows:—First, in payment of interest on the £4000 secured on the Norwich tolls, or so much thereof as from time to time remains secured thereon; and after and subject to that payment. Secondly, in payment of a compensation to the Norwich corporation for the abandonment and cesser of the Norwich tolls, during the term of seven years, p. 628commencing on the 25th day of March, 1867, in sums decreasing £100 yearly, from £700 to £100. Thirdly, on payment of the principal of the mortgage debts of £4000, or of so much thereof as from time to time remains secured on the Norwich tolls.”
Thus, the Norwich tolls will be extinguished in seven years from March, 1867; in 1874.
Roads and railways are as necessary as rivers for the carrying trade, and even more so. Formerly, roads were the chief means of transit, and the great roads in the eastern counties were among the best in England. The Romans made all the great roads from Norwich to Ipswich, Colchester, and London; also from Norwich to Newmarket and London; and many others.
After the commencement of the railway system, the merchants of Norwich and other towns felt that they must be placed on an equality with other parts of the kingdom. Various lines of railways were therefore projected; acts of parliament were obtained; and the Eastern Counties from London to Colchester, the Eastern Union from Colchester to Ipswich and thence to Norwich; the Norfolk from Yarmouth; Norwich to Brandon and thence to London; and the East Anglian lines, were made and opened. Afterwards the East Suffolk line was opened from Yarmouth to Beccles, Bungay, and Ipswich. The Norfolk line was opened in 1845, and caused an entire change in the carrying trade of the district. The quantity of goods p. 629sent along the line to London was soon 100,000 tons yearly, and great quantities were sent by way of Ely and Peterborough to the large towns in the north of England, from which also goods are brought to Norwich. It is evident, therefore, that a vast amount of traffic, by sea or land, was transferred to the railway. Goods which, prior to the opening of the line were forwarded by road from Norwich into the interior of the county, were sent by railway as far as Thetford, and thus escaped the tonnage dues; and when the branch lines were opened from Lowestoft to Beccles and Reedham, and from Wymondham to Dereham, Fakenham and Wells, there was a still greater diversion of the traffic. Large quantities of coal were sent by railway direct to Dereham, which soon became a depôt for central Norfolk. From all the towns along its course, the new line took the greater part of the carrying trade. It was soon a prosperous line, and proved to be of great commercial advantage to the city.
The opening of all the new lines immediately caused coaches to be discontinued, and threw a deal of shipping out of employment at Yarmouth, Lynn, and Wells. By railways large quantities of corn and malt were sent to various towns that used to be sent by sea. Goods, too, from all parts of the north of England were brought by railway into Norfolk and Norwich. For a long time the chief part of the salt of England was produced in Cheshire and sent down the river Weaver, which flows into the Mersey at Liverpool, whence it was transhipped to Yarmouth, p. 630where the consumption is immense, not less than 10,000 tons yearly being used for curing fish. The greater part of the salt then used in the eastern district was sent from Yarmouth through Norfolk and Suffolk by river conveyance; but since the opening of the line from Ely to Peterborough, large quantities have been sent by railway from Stoke Works, in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, to any station along the lines at the rate of a penny per ton per mile. Thus large supplies of salt have been brought to the city and county. What has taken place in regard to the trade in salt is only one example of what has occurred in reference to the trade in any other kind of heavy goods. The Norfolk main line was not laid out so much with a view to the through traffic from any town to London, as to catch the traffic from the city and county to the Midland and Northern Counties, by way of Ely and Peterborough; and this object was completely attained, greatly to the advantage of the city and county.
We subjoin a summary of the carrying trade for 1866–7.
Goods carried by river inward |
60,000 tons |
Coal ,, ,, |
70,000 ,, |
Goods ,, Thorpe Station |
30,000 ,, |
Coal ,, ,, |
17,000 ,, |
Goods ,, Victoria Station |
22,661 ,, |
Coal ,, ,, |
25,349 ,, |
Goods ,, Trowse Station |
17,616 ,, |
Coal ,, ,, |
16,706 ,, |
|
259,322 ,, |
|
|
100,000 tons |
|
,, at Thorpe |
53,000 ,, |
,, at Trowse |
20,434 ,, |
,, at Victoria |
7,534 ,, |
|
180,968 ,, |
|
|
Cattle inward at Trowse |
57,058 |
Sheep ,, ,, |
76,154 |
Pigs ,, ,, |
9,855 |
|
143,067 |
|
|
Cattle outward at Trowse |
35,083 |
Sheep ,, ,, |
59,063 |
Pigs ,, ,, |
12,493 |
|
106,639 |
Tonnage return of goods, coal, and fish, received at and forwarded from Southtown Station, East Suffolk railway, from July 1866, to July 1867.
|
Tons |
Goods outwards |
8,965 |
,, inwards |
10,306 |
Fish outwards |
15,207 |
Coal ,, |
122 |
Total outwards |
24,294 |
Total inwards |
10,306 |
|
34,600 |
The return for Vauxhall Station at Yarmouth, Norfolk railway, for the corresponding period, gives the following results.
Tons |
|
Goods outwards |
23,116 |
,, inwards |
14,817 |
Fish outwards |
8,014 |
,, inwards |
148 |
Coal outwards |
8,423 |
,, inwards |
910 |
|
32,328 |
Tonnage return for Lowestoft, for the year ending June 30th, 1867.
|
Tons |
Goods inwards |
11,513 |
,, outwards |
9,069 |
|
20,582 |
Fish inwards |
42 |
,, outwards |
9,561 |
|
9,603 |
Coal inwards |
2,179 |
,, outwards |
13,979 |
|
16,158 |
Total received |
13,736 |
Total forwarded |
39,036 |
Total traffic |
52,772 |
Thus, it appears that a large proportion of the carrying trade of Norfolk and Suffolk is through the ports of Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
p. 633The goods sent away from Norwich by river, roads, and railways, consist of yarns, which are produced here in large quantities, textile fabrics of every description, boots and shoes to the extent of 12,000 dozen pairs weekly, brushes, manufactured goods of every sort, corn, malt, beer, oil cake, cotton cake, linseed oil, mustard, starch, flour, paper, general drapery, grocery, and printed books. About 15,000 tons of cake for fattening cattle are sent away yearly, and distributed over the eastern counties. The goods brought into Norwich consist of raw materials of every kind, stone, timber, iron, coal, corn, vast quantities of grocery and drapery, wines, spirits, ales, porter, fruits, fish, game, &c., &c.
We have already recorded the chief political events of the last century, and we shall now proceed to connect it with the present period by a brief review of political meetings and elections. An account of all the contested elections, in full detail, would be highly interesting if it could be written, but unfortunately the local records are very imperfect and unreliable. The public journals have been, of course, biassed by party considerations, and from them it is impossible to derive an impartial account.
The English parliament has now attained the patriarchal age of 600 years. The latest researches confirm the conclusions of the earlier historians, that p. 635the year 1265 is the date of the first regal summons convoking the great council of the nation, at least in its complete form, on a muster of lords, spiritual and temporal, knights of the shire, and representatives of cities and boroughs; and throughout the whole sexcentenary period which has elapsed, the estates of the realm have been convened at frequent intervals to advise the sovereign on national affairs. Parliament gradually effected great advances in the cause of liberty; for, at the time of granting taxes and aids, they generally coupled such concessions with important provisions for the good of their fellow-citizens and the community at large.
Henry IV. directed a writ to the bailiffs by which four citizens of Norwich were ordered to be returned to Parliament; but, the attendance of members being then paid for by their constituents, the expense was an object, and they therefore made interest to get the members reduced to two only. Under the old charters of the city the freemen were entitled to vote for members of parliament and members of the corporation; and householders were not included in the list of voters till the Reform Act of 1832. The old freemen, therefore, formed the greater part of the constituency, and in the course of time became a very corrupt body here, as well as in all other corporate towns. By the act of 1729, it was provided “that at every election for burgesses in parliament, every one that votes must swear that he hath been admitted to his freedom twelve calendar months before that election, and that he hath not been polled at that p. 636election before, or in case of an election of two members, but for one person.” The Reform Act of 1832, however, extended the franchise to £10 householders in towns, and gave them a preponderating power in parliament.
For many centuries the House of Commons represented only the landed interest, and nearly all laws were in favour of the land-owners, who, under pretence of protecting native industry, enacted laws to prevent or to limit the importation of foreign corn. The great land-owners in the House of Lords had their nominees, too, in the House of Commons, and ruled the entire country.
The first Revolution in France produced a wonderful effect on the political and religious worlds. In the year 1790 commenced those great and important events in France, which laid the foundation of the long war that afterwards raged between that unfortunate empire and this country, and which almost ruined Norwich. Party spirit here began to rage with increased violence. The Tories were vehemently against the Revolution, and the Whigs were equally earnest in its favour. It is well known, indeed, that the unparalleled convulsions on the continent extended their influence to England and Scotland, and raised a storm, although not so disastrous, yet scarcely less permanent. The jealousies of government had been excited to an unreasonable height, and the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act furnished the ministers with an opportunity of gratifying all their revenge on political opponents. England, in short, by the base, p. 637suspicious, and mean conduct of her rulers, became for a short time the land of persecution and oppression. Many of the most respectable men were imprisoned on frivolous charges, while others were accused of high treason; and though acquitted by juries, yet imprisonment injured their health, distressed their families, and exhausted their property. These disgraceful transactions continued for some time, and roused a strong feeling of indignation against the government of the day.
Mr. Mark Wilks, a Baptist preacher in this city, of whose history we have already given some extensive details (see p. 482), made himself very prominent as an advocate of the Revolution, and of radical principles. On July 14th, 1791, he preached two political discourses, before crowded congregations, in defence of the Revolution in France, and these discourses had a marked effect in the city; and he became a very active political partizan, both in the city and county. He took a great interest in Hardy and his associates, who had become involved in debt by the great expenses of their trial. He instituted a subscription in all parts of the kingdom to assist the sufferers; and on April 19th, 1795, he preached two sermons in Norwich, in which he exposed with great severity the injustice of the measures adopted against them, and vindicated their characters and conduct. The collections, after the sermons, amounted to a large sum. In one of his sermons, he said:—
“In favour of Mr. Windham’s acquitted felons, (Thomas Hardy, John Horne Tooke, Bonney, Kidd, Joyce, Holcroft, p. 638Richton, and Baxter, and all their supposed associates in guilt), we may adduce their peaceable and orderly demeanour in all their public and private transactions. By whatever names men are called, whether loyalists or republicans, whether Reevites or Jacobins, I will venture to say that friends of anarchy are foes of society, and ought to be considered as wolves scattering the shepherd’s flock, and dealt with accordingly. But have we seen one atom of licentious wantonness, one spark of civil discord in these friends of reform? No! the peaceable and orderly deportment of these societies has been sufficient to convince every unprejudiced mind how much they have acted under the influence of that wisdom which cometh from above, which is in its nature peaceable, and productive of good fruits.
“The Jacobins in this city—and except at Paris there can have been none greater—have given repeated demonstrations of their love of peace. At a time when the starving poor felt an iniquitous disposition to riot; when the friends of freedom were represented as having formed a design of regulating markets, dividing farms, and equalising property; and when the imbecile farmer credulously imbibed the representation, the affiliated societies in this city published this resolve, ‘That if any member should break the peace by the violation of existing laws, he should not only be excluded, but delivered up into the hands of justice.’ No exclusion, however, has taken place in consequence of this resolution; and the reason has been obvious—there has been no offence. The traitorous conspirators (so called) in this city can call upon the Right Hon. W. Windham to bear testimony to their love of peace. The opposition he experienced last July, he very well knows arose from no personal disrespect, nor from any view of incompetency on his part in point of talents, but from a love of peace and an inveterate hatred of p. 639this accursed war. Mr. Windham very well knows, that when he appeared in the character of a true patriot, when it was his creed that ‘The influence of the crown had increased, was increasing, and ought to be diminished;’ when he avowedly acted as a spy on the executive government; when he was found to be the vigilant guardian of the life, liberty, and property of his constituents; when no horrid imprecation from his all-erring lips had blasted our commercial interests; when he had not learned to calumniate his constituents and to impute the blackest crimes to the friends of his country; when he had not apostatized from the sacred path marked out by a Hampden’s and a Sydney’s blood; when he had not frowned on freedom and preached the doctrine of extermination, he was respected—yes, loved; at least by one, who has offended his best friends, sacrificed his interest, and endangered his life to procure his present elevation. Mr. Windham knows that he was never despised by the Whig interest in the city, till he appeared in the character of a war minister, and the enthusiastic abettor of the most disgraceful and perilous measures ever pursued by weak and wicked men. Perhaps Mr. Windham may boast that his friends in Norwich are not diminished, that he found as many last July as he was wont to find. True, but where did he find them? Where public money had paved his way! At the Back of the Inns, among flannel-waistcoat manufacturers, in the precincts of the Cathedral, and in many places and connexions where, on former occasions, he would have been ashamed to have sought them. Here are those who by the possession of places, contracts, promises, expectations, and anticipations, are influenced to vote for all the measures of government, right or wrong; and those who, connected with the above description, are pleased with their prosperity and rejoice to see them fatten, though on the public spoil.
p. 640“Those, too, are to be met with here, who under the influence of superstition and prejudice tremble for the safety of Church and King. Nor are we without those brainless Gallios, by whom men and measures are never weighed; who, devoid of sense and negligent of the means which might make them wise, always see with the eyes of others, and bow obsequious to their lordly wills. To the credit of the nation, however, at the late election, a fifth class of citizens was found, a class of freemen who, though called Jacobin levellers, could not countenance a man of blood. These, averse to coercive measures, averse to violence, averse to war, averse to the annihilation of commerce, and alike averse to a nation’s ruin, turned their eyes to a friend of peace; and in the person of Mr. Mingay found an unsullied blank, on which 770 freemen wrote their protest against the measures of the administration, the commencement and continuance of a dreadful war. Let me ask Mr. Windham, let me ask the world, who are the best men, the advocates of negociation, who wish to overcome evil with good, or those who destroy the world by casting about firebrands, arrows, and death? If the former, I will then assert that the reputed conspirators are of that description, and deserve the character of the best of men.
“When the friends of freedom met to celebrate the deliverance of the acquitted felons, had the duke of Portland known their character, our present worthy mayor would have received no orders from his grace’s office to parade the streets with constables to preserve the peace. Had no curry-favour sycophant, no worthless candidate for the receiver generalship, endeavoured to excite the jealousy of his grace, the mayor would not have been necessitated to do what to him was unpleasant, or of vindicating in his letter to the duke, which to his honour he did, the injured character of his fellow-citizens.
p. 641“Thank God! the traitorous conspirators need no militia, no barracks, no standing army, no royal proclamations, no suspension of the Habeas Corpus, to keep them quiet. Men of principle detest tumult; and in their love of order and of peace, they find a restraint more powerful than any government can impose. From their peaceful habitations the savage whoop has not been heard; they have not assailed their quiet neighbours, nor burnt the dwellings of God or man. But can this be fairly said of their accusers? Have no anarchists, rioters, and levellers been found among them? (alluding to events at Birmingham). Ah! had that been happily the case, thy streets, O Birmingham, had never been lighted by the rioter’s torch! nor Thy temples, blessed God, reduced to ruins! Bigotry and persecution had not deprived us of the most splendid talents, nor had philosophy been forced to seek an asylum under calmer skies! Had the vain, the greedy, the ambitious candidates for honour and emoluments in the army, the navy, and the church been under the same influence that has governed the hearts and directed the conduct of the friends of freedom, the destroying sword had been lodged in its peaceful scabbard, there to have slept an eternal sleep.”
The preacher proceeded in the same eloquent manner to denounce the war and its advocates, and to defend the friends of freedom and peace, who it appears were numerous in this city, and who formed various associations of, what was deemed, a radical character. The Tories also had their political clubs under various names, and held weekly or monthly meetings at different hotels or taverns. The Eldon Club, formed and named in honour of Lord Eldon, is the only one that now remains, and the members have long held p. 642their meeting at the Bell Inn, on the Castle Hill. For some years the growing feeling here in favor of various pluses of reform, manifested itself chiefly in contests for the representation of the city; but gradually, public meetings and petitions to parliament became more and more frequent, and during the few years which preceded the great Reform Bill, were very numerous and often very excited. Amongst the first subjects which called forth the indignant protests of the citizens was that of the corn-laws. On Jan. 12th, 1815, a county meeting was held at the Shirehall, when it was unanimously resolved to petition parliament to take the corn-laws into consideration, on account of the depressed prices of agricultural produce. The bill, fixing the protecting price of wheat imported at 80s. per qr. and barley at 20s. per coomb, was this session enacted. On February 8th, at a numerous meeting held at the Guildhall, the mayor, (J. W. Robberds,) presiding, it was resolved to petition the House of Lords against the bill, which had then passed the House of Commons. The petition was signed by 13,000 citizens, but it passed the House of Lords, and received the royal assent. Great excitement prevailed, and on March 17th, Thomas William Coke, Esq. and Lord Albemarle, both Liberals, were attacked by the populace, at the cattle show, and pelted with stones, in consequence of the support which they had given to the corn-laws. Fortunately, they escaped to the Angel Inn (now the Royal Hotel), and afterwards from the city, but the tumult raged so highly, that the riot act was read, and the Brunswick Hussars were called out to quell the disturbance.
p. 643In the following year (1816) the attention of the citizens was turned to the question of Parliamentary Reform, and on the 14th October, a common hall was held for the adoption of a petition in its favour. Mr. Edward Taylor moved the adoption of the petition, and after congratulating the meeting on having a representative, in the person of Mr. Smith, who was an able and constant friend of the liberties of the people and of Parliamentary Reform, he reminded the audience that it was in vain for members of parliament to attempt to stem the torrent of corruption, unless the people supported them. The people had been long inactive, but he hoped to see the spirit of zeal and energy on behalf of this great cause revived, and extend itself to the verge of the island; and that petitions on the same principle as that about to be adopted by the present meeting would be sent to the legislature from every part of the kingdom. Mr. Firth had objected to the time as inappropriate. This he (Mr. Taylor) regarded as the old Pitt cant, according to which it always appeared that there were two seasons when any attempt to reform parliament was improper; the former of these was a state of war, when it was said that the ministers had something else to do besides redressing public grievances; the other was a state of peace, when the objection was that, all things being quiet, it was best not to disturb them. He (Mr. Taylor), however, affirmed that it was no less the duty than the right of the people of this country to call loudly for reform, especially at a time when their burdens and distresses p. 644were so great. Surely they were justified in asking for retrenchment in the public expenditure, when Lord Bathurst alone took more of the nation’s money, than was sufficient to maintain the poor of Norwich for a year. There was a long black list exhibiting many more such; while, at the same time, our trade was stagnant, and our poor rates increasing; and, therefore, he asked boldly whether such persons as these, who were taking the public money, ought not to be called on to disgorge some of the plunder. The petition was adopted by acclamation, and then Mr. William Smith, M.P., for Norwich, addressed the audience, approving of its prayer.
Mr. E. Taylor attended many meetings elsewhere in favor of Reform in Parliament. He took a very active part in local politics and was the life and soul of his party at contested elections, whether for the city or the council. He never connived at bribery or any improper practices. On one occasion, during the excitement of a parliamentary election, a man named Bradfield, a working brazier, was offered £30 to vote “orange and purple.” Though sadly in want of money, he steadily refused the tempting offer, which was repeatedly pressed upon him, and he voted “blue-and-white!” The result was that he lost his employment, and fell into great distress. Mr. Taylor having heard of the circumstance, interested himself on behalf of the honest voter, and promoted a subscription, by means of which he was furnished with tools, and enabled to begin successfully on his own account. Many years afterwards, Mr. Taylor, meeting him in p. 645the street, offered him the usual greeting of a friend; but Bradfield, fresh from his work, excused himself on the ground that his hands were “dirty.” His generous benefactor, however, would not allow the force of the apology, declaring that the man’s hands could not be very “dirty,” his conduct had shown that his heart and conscience were so pure. Mr. Taylor, in short, was so much respected for his rectitude, both political and religious, that it was no matter of surprise when he was seen walking arm in arm with a political opponent. Mr. Taylor’s electioneering labors were chiefly confined to serving on committees, visiting clubs, canvassing voters, and haranguing the people. He was a good speaker and always popular. On the platform, his strong good sense and nervous eloquence rendered his speeches effective, and they derived great weight from the known integrity of his character. If elections could have been gained by arguments alone, his addresses would have been more formidable to his opponents than they were. But there was often a majority, which could be won to either side by “golden” arguments.
So matters went on till 1822, when many political meetings were held, at which Mr. Edward Taylor took an active part. On January 12th, he moved and carried a resolution for Parliamentary Reform at a county meeting, convened for the avowed object of considering “agricultural distress.” On March 5th, he attended a Reform meeting at Bungay. On April 24th, he attended another “agricultural distress” meeting, and carried a resolution in favor of Parliamentary p. 646Reform. On May 11th, a county meeting was held with the express object of petitioning for reform, and resolutions were carried in favor of it. On Nov. 5th, Mr. Taylor presided at the annual dinner of the Norwich Reform Club.
The agitation for the repeal of the corn laws was continued in 1825, and on April 18th a public meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, where a petition was adopted for a revision of the corn laws, which afterwards received 14,385 signatures, and was forwarded on the 26th to be presented to the House of Commons. Meetings were also held in the same year to promote the abolition of slavery, a question which excited a good deal of interest in this city; while the years from 1826 to 1829 were devoted chiefly to agitations for the abolition of slavery and Roman Catholic emancipation, counter petitions being sent to parliament in regard to the latter by the Whig and Tory sections of the clergy.
On June 29th, 1830, King William IV. was proclaimed, on the Castle Hill, by the High Sheriff, the bells ringing in honour of the event. Next day the king was proclaimed in the city, amid the cheers of the citizens; and the mayor presided at a dinner, in celebration of His Majesty’s accession, at the Norfolk Hotel. This king was believed to be in favour of Reform and Retrenchment, and the liberal party always made him appear to be so. But the correspondence of the late Earl Grey with his Majesty, recently published, proves that the king entertained the question of Reform with great reluctance, which was p. 647shared even by some of the Whig ministers. Lord Grey himself wrote, January 16th, 1831,—
“It has often been my wish to find the means of postponing it, but the result of all my consideration has been that an attempt to do so would be fatal to the character of the government, and would lead to its dissolution under circumstances still more disastrous than those which would follow such a result, if his Majesty were unfortunately compelled, by a sense of duty, to withhold his assent from the measure which may be submitted to him by his ministers. And other members of the government itself interposed difficulties. Even Lord Brougham objected, after the measure was drawn up, to the abolition of the close boroughs, urging the argument that there would be no means for getting seats for persons in the government,” &c.
And Lord Grey seriously feared that on this point his lord chancellor might “throw us over with the king!” The king would not hear of the ballot, and he strongly objected to shortening the duration of parliament to five years as proposed. At last all obstacles were removed, and on March 4th, 1831, the bill was introduced by Lord John Russell into the House of Commons. After a prolonged debate it was read a second time by only a majority of one. It was defeated in committee on an amendment against diminishing the number of English representatives. Then the cabinet, by a minute, called on the king for a distinct answer to the request for a dissolution. He yielded, avowing that the perils to follow at home and abroad from a change of ministry were greater than could arise from a dissolution. But he took occasion p. 648to recur to some of his old objections, and to urge that the bill should be remodelled before being re-introduced; and he pressed the condition, above all, of resistance to extreme change.
In consequence of the dissolution on the defeat of ministers on the Reform Bill, an election took place in this city on April 29th, 1831. The polling commenced next morning, Saturday, and was continued on the following Monday and Tuesday. The numbers were for R. H. Gurney, Esq., (L.) 2158; the Right Hon. Robert Grant, (L.) 2163; Sir Charles Wetherell, (C.) 977; and Mr. M. T. Sadler, (C.) 964. The two former gentlemen were declared duly elected. On the Monday evening the Tory polling booths were pulled down and afterwards burned.
On February 29th, 1832, Lord Viscount Sidmouth presented an address to the king, signed by 2300 of the gentry, clergy, freemen, freeholders, and other inhabitants of the city, praying his Majesty to “withhold his royal sanction from any measure which might compromise the independence of either branch of the legislature, and expressing their fullest confidence in his paternal regard for his faithful people to preserve the fundamental principles of the British constitution.” This petition was in reference to a threatened creation of new peers in the House of Lords. On May 14th, ministers having been again defeated on the Reform Bill, (by a majority of thirty-five in the House of Lords,) a requisition was presented to the mayor, Sir J. H. Yallop, to call a public meeting in support of the bill. The mayor complied, and the meeting p. 649was called. A procession was formed on the Castle Meadow, and being joined by a very large body from Wymondham, carrying many banners and accompanied by bands of music, proceeded to St. Andrew’s Hall, which was quite filled. The mayor presided, and a petition was adopted praying the House of Commons to stop all supplies till the bill was passed. The cry was for “the bill—the whole bill, and nothing but the bill.” On June 5th, the “Telegraph” coach arrived in the city with the news of the passing of the Reform Bill, by a majority of eighty-four. A large number of people were in waiting, and the moment the coach entered the top of St. Stephen’s Street, the people on hearing the news loudly cheered, and the cheering was continued along the whole line of the street into the Market Place. A large party perambulated the city with a band playing lively airs, all the evening, and on the following night a bonfire was kindled on the Castle Ditches. During the month several public dinners were held to celebrate the passing of the Reform Bill; and the 5th of the following month was devoted to a special demonstration. The morning was ushered in by the firing of cannon and the ringing of bells, and a procession having been previously arranged, about 11 a.m. a large body of horsemen took up their position on the Castle Ditches whence, headed by three mounted trumpeters, and followed by the Norwich Political Union and electors of the different wards, and accompanied by an immense concourse of spectators, they passed through the principal streets of the city. The electors afterwards p. 650proceeded to the Old Cricket Ground, where they were regaled with roast beef, plum-pudding, and ale, and spent the rest of the day in rural sports.
The first election for the city, after the passing of the Reform Bill, took place on December 10th, 11th, and 12th, 1832, with the following result.
Lord Viscount Stormont (C.) |
2016 |
Sir James Scarlett (C.) |
1962 |
R. H. Gurney, Esq. (L.) |
1809 |
H. B. Ker, Esq. (L.) |
1765 |
The contest was a severe one, and the total number polled was 3807, including 2283 freemen, 834 freeholders, and 690 occupiers. Gross bribery prevailed, and a committee of investigation was at once appointed, meetings were held, and subscriptions were collected from house to house throughout the several parishes, in support of a petition to parliament against the return of the sitting members. The petition was presented by Mr. Grote on the 18th of Feb., 1833, and on the 4th of April, intelligence reached the city by mail that a committee of the House had declared the members duly elected, but that they had decided that the petition was neither frivolous nor vexatious. At page 396 we have already given some of the evidence afterwards taken in Norwich on the subject, by the commissioners appointed to enquire into the state of the municipal corporation. The decision of the parliamentary committee was received with great p. 651surprise. On June 19th of the same year, the Conservative ladies of Norwich, having previously subscribed for two banners to be presented to Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett, the presentation took place in the Council Chamber, in the presence of 150 ladies, with several members of the corporation. Lord Viscount Stormont attended, and Mr. Robert Scarlett was present on behalf of his father, Sir James Scarlett. Mrs. Bignold, the mayoress, and Mrs. Preston presented the banners amid great applause.
The first Reformed Parliament assembled January 29th, 1833. It lasted barely two years, for the dismissal of the Whig ministry by the king, and the placing of Sir Robert Peel at the head of a Conservative government, caused its dissolution on December 10th, 1834.
Election of January 6th and 7th, 1835.
Lord Viscount Stormont (C.) |
1892 |
Hon. Robert C. Scarlett (C.) |
1878 |
Hon. Edward V. Harbord (L.) |
1592 |
Frank Offley Martin, Esq. (L.) |
1585 |
The second Reformed Parliament assembled, Feb. 19th, 1835, and on the 26th an amendment on the address led to a division with the following result:—for the amendment 309; against 302; majority against ministers, 7. This led to the resignation of the Peel administration; and Lord Melbourne was recalled to the head of the government. The death of the king led to a dissolution, on July 17th, 1837, and then followed the most severe and costly contest that p. 652ever took place for the representation of Norwich; bribery, intimidation, and treating, being carried on to a most shameful extent; £40,000 is said to have been spent in the demoralization of the electors.
The Election of July 25th, 1837.
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
1863 |
Honorable R. C. Scarlett (C.) |
1865 |
Benjamin Smith (L.) |
1843 |
W. Mountford Nurse (L.) |
1831 |
A petition was presented against the return of Lord Douro and Mr. Scarlett, and the result was, that by arrangement the poll was reduced—Douro, 1842; Smith, 1841; Scarlett, 1840; Nurse, 1829. Consequently, Lord Douro and Mr. Smith were declared duly elected.
The third Reformed Parliament assembled on Nov. 15th, 1837, and continued till June 23rd, 1841. Another election took place on June 28th, 1841, when the former members were again candidates. No polling took place at this election, but it was rendered remarkable in consequence of the Chartists and other electors being much opposed to the compromise, which the exhausting contest of 1837 had induced the leaders of the Liberal and Conservative parties to enter into, and an opposition of some kind was resolved upon. Accordingly, after Lord Douro and Mr. Smith had been nominated at the Guildhall, John Dover, a stalwart Chartist freeman, proposed as a candidate, Mr. William Eagle, a barrister of Lakenheath, in Suffolk. John Whiting, a £10-occupier, p. 653seconded the nomination, and a show of hands was taken, which the sheriff declared to be in favor of Lord Douro and Mr. Smith. Then Dover demanded a poll for Mr. Eagle, who was not present. The under-sheriff thereupon required a guarantee for the expenses, and some delay occurred. Many persons were applied to in the emergency, but declined to give the guarantee required. Dover ultimately withdrew the nomination on receiving £50 from certain parties, as he alleged, for expenses which had been incurred. This soon became known to the crowd of Chartists outside of the Guildhall, and a riot ensued. When Dover came out they surrounded him, took his money from him, and tore the clothes off his back. He escaped for the time, but on the following day the mob found him again, and threatened to throw him into the river, but he was rescued by the police. A petition was subsequently presented, by Mr. Duncombe, to the House of Commons, signed by 6000 inhabitants of Norwich, complaining of the return of Lord Douro and Mr. Smith, but it led to no result, and they sat in the house till the next election.
The fourth Reformed Parliament assembled Aug. 19th, 1841, and was dissolved July 23rd, 1847. Another election took place on July 29th, 1847. A very great effort was made at this election, by a large body of voters, to break down the compromise which had been entered into in 1841; and though not successful, it proved the difficulty of maintaining such an arrangement in a large constituency. Mr. Parry, a Barrister of the Home Circuit, was nominated by p. 654the extreme Liberal party. The result of the poll was as follows:—
The Election of July 29th, 1847.
Samuel Morton Peto (L.) |
2448 |
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
1727 |
John Humfreys Parry (L.) |
1572 |
The fifth Reformed Parliament assembled on Sept. 21st, 1847, and its dissolution took place in consequence of the accession to office of Lord Derby’s ministry, on July 1st, 1852. A severe contest took place between the Liberals and Conservatives, on July 8th, 1852, with the following result.
The Election of July 8th, 1852.
Samuel Morton Peto (L.) |
2190 |
Edward Warner (L.) |
2145 |
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
1592 |
Col. Lothian S. Dickson (C.) |
1465 |
The sixth Reformed Parliament assembled on Nov. 4th, 1852, and an election took place here in Dec., 1854. The vacancy in the representation which caused this election, arose in consequence of Mr. Peto having, in conjunction with his partners, undertaken to construct a railway from Balaclava to Sebastopol, to assist the British army in bringing the siege of that place to a successful conclusion. Though no contract had been entered into by Mr. Peto with the government, he had to resign his seat. Sir S. Bignold became a candidate in the Conservative interest, and Anthony Hamond, Esq., for the Liberals. The contest ended as follows:—
p. 655The Election of Dec., 1854.
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1901 |
Anthony Hamond (L.) |
1635 |
The sixth Reformed Parliament was dissolved on March 21st, 1857, in consequence of a resolution having been proposed by Mr. Cobden, in condemnation of the proceedings of the ministry with regard to the Chinese war. A division took place at an early hour, on March 4th—For Mr. Cobden’s motion, 263; against, 247; majority against the government, 16. This caused an election here on March 28th, 1857.
The Election of March, 1857.
Lord Viscount Bury (L.) |
2238 |
Henry Wm. Schneider (L.) |
2247 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1636 |
The seventh Reformed Parliament assembled April 30th, 1857. On Feb. 19th, 1858, Lord Palmerston, who commenced the session with a large majority in his favour, was defeated on the Conspiracy to Murder Bill, by 234 to 215 votes. Lord Palmerston accordingly resigned, and was succeeded by Lord Derby. An election took place on April 30th, 1859, and another severe contest ensued between the Liberals and Conservatives, with the following result:—
The Election of April, 1859.
Lord Viscount Bury (L.) |
2154 |
Henry Wm. Schneider (L.) |
2138 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1966 |
C. M. Lushington (C.) |
1900 |
p. 656The eighth Reformed Parliament assembled May 31st, 1859; and Lord Derby, being defeated on an amendment to the address, resigned. Lord Palmerston again came into power, and Lord Bury was appointed Treasurer of the Household. This occasioned a vacancy in the representation, and the election took place on June 29th, 1859.
The Election of June, 1859.
Lord Viscount Bury (L.) |
1922 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1561 |
Colonel Boldero (C.) |
39 |
The election of Lord Bury and Mr. Schneider, on April 30th, 1859, having been declared void on the ground of bribery (which had been shamefully resorted to on both sides) by a committee of the House of Commons, on July 30th, 1859, and the subsequent election of Lord Bury, on June 29th, having been also declared void, writs were ordered, on March 23rd, 1860, to be issued for the election of two members. This led to a grand trial of the strength of the two parties here on March 29th, 1860, with the following result:—
The Election of March, 1860.
Edward Warner (L.) |
2083 |
Col. Sir Wm. Russell (L.) |
2045 |
Wm. David Lewis (C.) |
1631 |
Wm. Forlonge (C.) |
1636 |
The eighth Reformed Parliament, during the existence of which Lord Palmerston continued premier, p. 657was dissolved on Thursday, July 6th, 1865. The nomination for this city was appointed to take place on Tuesday, July 11th.
The Election of July, 1865.
Mr. Warner and Sir William Russell offered themselves for re-election. The Conservatives, however, undismayed by past defeats, determined again to contest the representation. At a large meeting of the party, held at the Norfolk Hotel on Saturday evening, July 1st, Sir S. Bignold, who presided, after opening the proceedings, introduced Robert Edmond Chester Waters, Esq., of Upton Park, Dorsetshire, to the electors present, who resolved unanimously to support him as one of the Conservative candidates. At a meeting subsequently held in the third ward, Augustus Goldsmid, Esq., was introduced and accepted as the second candidate. The electors knew very little about the antecedents of either gentlemen, and never supposed that Mr. Waters had been a candidate in the Liberal interest, and a member of the Reform Club. He was a young man and a good speaker, and by his eloquence and address greatly pleased his numerous supporters. On the Friday following, however, in the two local Liberal newspapers, the Norfolk News and the Norwich Mercury, and at a large meeting of Liberal electors in St. Andrew’s Hall, certain serious charges were made affecting the character of Mr. Waters, which charges, it was alleged, had led to his “retirement” from the Reform Club, of which he had once been a member; and the Conservatives p. 658were challenged to investigate the truth of the charges. Mr. Waters himself indignantly denied them, and issued a circular stating that he had ordered legal proceedings to be instituted against the authors of the slanders. He also addressed a great meeting in St. Andrew’s Hall in his own defence, and vehemently denounced his calumniators. The challenge of the Liberals was accordingly accepted, and Mr. H. S. Patteson and Mr. E. Field were appointed on behalf of the Conservative committee to accompany Dr. Dalrymple and Mr. J. H. Tillett to London, to examine the books of the Reform Club, and make other investigations. In the meantime the Conservative committee issued an appeal to the electors, expressing themselves satisfied with the proofs Mr. Waters had submitted to them of his position in society, and asking them to suspend their judgment until the return of the deputation from London. On the Monday, the gentlemen forming the deputation proceeded to London, and in the course of the day, a telegram, unfavourable to Mr. Waters, was received by the committee in the city, which resulted in the following notice being issued:—
“Fellow Citizens; in consequence of a telegram just received, we feel it our duty to withdraw our support from Mr. Waters, as one of the candidates for the city. The other gentlemen who signed the previous paper are absent from Norwich. Signed, Fred. Brown, J. B. Morgan, F. E. Watson, Henry Ling. Norwich, 10th July, 1865.”
As may be supposed, this telegram caused great consternation among the Conservatives, many of whom p. 659resolved to support Mr. Waters notwithstanding. Indignation meetings of a large section of the party were held at various taverns in the city, and Mr. Waters was received with greater enthusiasm than ever. At a meeting held in the evening, Mr. Waters addressed his friends, and the Hon. Major Augustus Jocelyn also spoke, bearing testimony to the high personal character of Mr. Waters. This only confirmed the gentlemen of his committee in their previous decision, whereupon Mr. Waters declared his determination to stand independently, and he continued his candidature.
The nomination took place on Tuesday, July 11th, in the Guildhall, which was crowded by partisans. The sheriff (C. Jecks, Esq.) presided as returning officer. Sir William Foster, Bart., nominated Edward Warner, Esq., of Higham Hall, Woodford, Essex, as a fit and proper person to represent the city of Norwich in parliament. Mr. E. Willett seconded and Mr. J. J. Colman supported the nomination, amid much applause. Dr. Dalrymple nominated Sir William Russell, Bart., C.B., of Charlton Park, Gloucestershire; Mr. J. H. Tillett seconded and Mr. Donald Steward supported the nomination. Mr. J. G. Johnson nominated Augustus Goldsmid, Esq., Barrister-at-law; Mr. Patteson seconded and Mr. J. B. Morgan supported the nomination. Mr. R. P. Wiseman nominated Robert Edmond Chester Waters, Esq., of Upton Park, Dorsetshire; Mr. J. Allen (surgeon) seconded and Mr. John Hardy supported the nomination. The sheriff then called for a show of hands, and declared it to be in favour of Mr. Warner and Sir William p. 660Russell. Mr. J. G. Johnson demanded a poll on behalf of Mr. Goldsmid, and Mr. Wiseman for Mr. Waters. The polling took place on Wednesday and was kept up with great spirit; at the close the numbers were:—
Sir William Russell (L.) |
1845 |
Edward Warner (L.) |
1838 |
Augustus Goldsmid (C.) |
1466 |
R. E. Chester Waters (C.) |
1363 |
The House of Commons, as organised in 1832, performed, during the thirty-five years of its existence, a work of the first magnitude, the repealing of the old and bad corn laws. It also swept away the navigation laws, the paper and newspaper taxes, the window duties, and every restriction which impeded the progress of industry. But a new House of Commons was needed, a House that should represent not only the middle but also the working classes, not only capital but labour. For this purpose, a new Reform Bill became necessary, to lower and extend the franchise to all householders, to give at least every rate-payer a vote, to enable working-men to help in returning members to Parliament. After Lord Palmerston’s death a new government was formed; and in 1866, Mr. Gladstone brought in another Reform Bill, which was not accepted, and on an adverse division, respecting a rating clause, the ministry resigned. Lord Derby came into office, and Mr. Disraeli introduced a Bill for Household Suffrage, on terms based on rate-paying by the occupiers. This Bill, which swept away all “compounding” for rates, p. 661was passed in 1867, and under it the number of voters in Norwich was increased from five to twelve thousand. In 1868, ministers were defeated by a majority of more than sixty, on a motion by Mr. Gladstone for the dis-establishment and dis-endowment of the Irish church, and the government determined to appeal to the new constituency.
In consequence of the passing of the New Reform Bill in 1867, this election had been long anticipated, and preparations for it had been for some months in progress by the re-organisation of the three parties—the Conservatives, the Whigs, and the Radicals, the last of which was now numerically the strongest of the three. At the commencement of the year, a general committee of forty delegates, five from each of the eight wards, was formed in the Tory interest, in order to be prepared for the coming struggle. This general committee, consisting of middle-class and working-men, was intended to supersede a junta of the more influential men of the party, who were accused of having mis-managed every election for the last twenty years; and they set to work at once to form a general Conservative Association, and to some extent, succeeded, while the old leaders kept aloof from all the proceedings, Mr. G. Johnson, Mr. E. Field, Mr. F. E. Watson, Mr. J. S. Skipper, p. 663Mr. F. Brown, Mr. J. B. Morgan, Mr. H. Morgan, and others, who had been active partisans, seldom putting in an appearance at any political meetings. After re-organising their party, the new committee of forty cast about for a popular candidate, and fixed upon Sir R. J. H. Harvey, Bart., the late member for Thetford, which had just been disfranchised, but after a long consideration of the matter he politely declined, and though again and again solicited, he still refused to come forward. After various fruitless negociations with other parties, the new committee however at last requested Sir Henry Stracey, Bart., of Rackheath, to contest the representation of the city; and though he hesitated for some time, at last he consented to do so, and issued a short address. He attended many ward meetings of his party at different places, and one great meeting in St. Andrew’s Hall. Sir S. Bignold presided and spoke strongly in favour of the hon. baronet, who declared himself to be a Protestant churchman; a friend of church and state, and of all the time-honoured institutions of the country; a supporter of Disraeli’s ministry; and an opponent of all radical changes. Sir Henry also, by request, attended a meeting of the Licensed Victuallers, at the Hop-Pole Gardens, and having promised to oppose the Permissive Bill and to vote for a redress of their grievances, the meeting passed a resolution to support him at the coming election.
During the autumn, the Whigs held several meetings at the Royal Hotel, and after much discussion resolved to support the old members, Sir William p. 664Russell and Mr. Edward Warner. Those gentlemen accordingly came to Norwich by the invitation of the Whigs and addressed the electors, but were not favourably received by the meeting, most of those present being advanced Liberals. In consequence of this, they retired till the Liberals should be more united. The working-men, in fact, had also held many previous meetings, and were resolved to have their own candidate, and they nominated Jacob Henry Tillett, who had laboured for them for so many years. To achieve their end, they formed a very extensive Organization, embracing all the wards in the city; canvassed the electors, and registered every one in every parish who promised to vote for their candidate; and in a short time they registered 4000 voters for Mr. Tillett, and were very confident of success. The consequence was that when Sir Henry Stracey came forward, the Whigs, in view of a strong contest, agreed to combine with the advanced section of the Liberals, and a meeting was held of both sections, who resolved to support Sir William Russell and Mr. Tillett—Sir William Foster, presiding. Those two gentlemen accordingly issued a joint address, promising to support the same Liberal principles and measures. The Conservatives too, in view of the coming contest, forgot their past differences, and worked together most energetically.
The nomination took place on November 16th. As soon as the sheriff (J. Robison, Esq.) had taken his seat, the Guildhall was filled with a roaring, shouting, and groaning crowd, who exercised their p. 665lungs most vigorously, to express their approval or disapprobation of the views of the different prominent members of either party, as they made their appearance by twos and threes at the magistrates’ entrance to the court. For aught that could be said to the contrary by those a few feet distant, the reading of the writ and the administering of the oath to the sheriff seemed to be but dumb show.
After the sheriff had opened the proceedings, Mr. H. Birkbeck nominated Colonel Sir William Russell, Baronet.
Mr. John Youngs seconded and Mr. S. Daynes supported the nomination.
Sir S. Bignold said he begged to nominate Sir Henry Josias Stracey, Baronet, of Rackheath, their opulent neighbour and brother elector.
Mr. W. J. U. Browne seconded and Mr. J. G. Johnson supported the nomination.
Mr. J. J. Colman said he had great pleasure in nominating Jacob Henry Tillett, Esq., of the city of Norwich.
Mr. A. M. F. Morgan seconded and Mr. C. J. Bunting supported the nomination.
The sheriff, having read aloud the names of the candidates, put them in the order of their nomination, and after taking the show of hands on each, declared that it was in favor of Sir William Russell and Jacob Henry Tillett, Esq.
Sir S. Bignold then demanded a poll on behalf of Sir H. J. Stracey, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the sheriff for presiding, p. 666moved by Mr. J. G. Johnson, and seconded by Mr. J. J. Colman.
The departure of the candidates from the Hall was witnessed by some two thousand persons, who warmly greeted their respective favorites. A very large crowd followed Mr. J. J. Colman and Mr. Donald Steward to the Liberal head-quarters—the Royal Hotel—cheering most enthusiastically for the Liberal candidates.
The polling took place on the next day, and the following shows the state of the poll as issued at intervals by the Conservatives, from which it will be seen that, though Mr. Tillett was at the bottom at four o’clock, they themselves show him to have had a majority of forty-seven votes, even so late as half-past three, and that the Tory poll was increased in the last half-hour by no fewer than 561!
9 O’CLOCK. |
9.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey (C.) |
804 |
Stracey |
1249 |
|
Russell (L.) |
775 |
Russell |
1233 |
|
Tillett (L.) |
797 |
Tillett |
1225 |
|
10 O’CLOCK. |
10.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey |
1624 |
Stracey |
1981 |
|
Russell |
1686 |
Russell |
2125 |
|
Tillett |
1656 |
Tillett |
2071 |
|
11 O’CLOCK. |
11.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey |
2364 |
Stracey |
2601 |
|
Russell |
2628 |
Russell |
2892 |
|
Tillett |
2569 |
Tillett |
2816 |
|
12.30 O’CLOCK. |
||||
Stracey |
2787 |
Stracey |
2965 |
|
Russell |
3057 |
Russell |
3165 |
|
Tillett |
2974 |
Tillett |
3084 |
|
1 O’CLOCK. |
1.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey |
3116 |
Stracey |
3239 |
|
Russell |
3326 |
Russell |
3430 |
|
Tillett |
3217 |
Tillett |
3327 |
|
2 O’CLOCK. |
2.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey |
3383 |
Stracey |
3578 |
|
Russell |
3550 |
Russell |
3744 |
|
Tillett |
3443 |
Tillett |
3637 |
|
3 O’CLOCK. |
3.30 O’CLOCK. |
|||
Stracey |
3760 |
Stracey |
3960 |
|
Russell |
3930 |
Russell |
4203 |
|
Tillett |
3812 |
Tillett |
4007 |
|
4 O’CLOCK. |
||||
Stracey |
4521 |
|||
Russell |
4509 |
|||
Tillett |
4364 |
|||
The following are the numbers polled in each ward:
|
Russell. |
Tillett. |
Stracey. |
First Ward |
273 |
260 |
507 |
Second Ward |
284 |
242 |
281 |
Third Ward |
1269 |
1249 |
1163 |
Fourth Ward |
140 |
118 |
207 |
Fifth Ward |
314 |
281 |
450 |
Sixth Ward |
855 |
883 |
665 |
Seventh Ward |
886 |
864 |
879 |
Eighth Ward |
488 |
467 |
369 |
|
4509 |
4364 |
4521 |
p. 668The result of the polling was of course a terrible disappointment to the Liberal candidates, and especially to Mr. Tillett’s friends, who had reckoned upon his return as certain. They had not, however, anticipated the corrupt means which were adopted to secure the return of Sir Henry Stracey. As soon, however, as the contest was at an end, Mr. Tillett resolved to petition against the hon. baronet’s return, and the trial took place in the Shirehall, before Mr. Baron Martin, on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, the 15th, 16th, and 18th of January, and ended in Sir Henry Stracey’s election being declared void on the ground of bribery by his agents.
The appeal to the country was made, it will be remembered, on Mr. Gladstone’s declared policy of dis-establishing the Irish church, and the result of the general election showed so decided a majority in Mr. Gladstone’s favor, that before the new House of Commons assembled, Mr. Disraeli resigned, and Mr. Gladstone assumed the reins of government. The House met for the swearing in of members on the 10th of December; and adjourned to February 16th, 1869, for the despatch of business.
The following is a list of the burgesses who served in parliament for this city, according to the earliest accounts. The figures set before the names denote the year of each king or queen’s reign.
Edward I. 1272. |
||
26. |
Adam de Toftes |
John le Graunt |
27. |
Robert de Holveston |
Roger de Tudenham |
28. |
Robert de Holveston |
Roger de Tudenham |
30. |
Roger de Tudenham |
Robert de Weston |
31. |
John le Graunt |
John de Morle |
32. |
John le Graunt |
John de Morle |
33. |
Jeff. de Norwich |
Ralph de Burewode |
34. |
William de Wichingham |
Henry Gare |
Edward II. 1307. |
||
1. |
John de Morle |
John Sparrowe |
1. |
Tho. Butt |
Thomas de Hakeford |
2. |
John de Morle |
John Benediscite |
4. |
John de Morle |
John Sparowe |
5. |
John de Morle |
John Sparowe |
6. |
John de Corpesty |
Thomas Butt |
6. |
William de Wichingham |
John de Ellingham |
7. |
William de Wichingham |
John de Ellingham |
8. |
Roger de St. Austin |
John de la Salle |
8. |
John Sparrowe |
Roger Fitz Hugh |
12. |
John de Morle |
Peter de Scothow |
15. |
John Flynt |
Thomas de Byntree |
16. |
John de Morle, jun. |
Robert de Hakeford |
19. |
Wm. de Strumpsawe |
William de Wichingham |
20. |
William Bateman |
William Butt |
p. 670In the next reign the members for the city were paid £7 6s. 8d. for their attendance in parliament.
Edward III. 1327. |
||
1. |
John de Morle |
Thos. Butt |
2. |
Thos. Butt |
Reginald de Gurmuncestre |
2. |
Richard Arundel |
John de Morle |
4. |
Thos. Butt |
John Ymme |
4. |
Thos. Butt |
William de Horsford |
5. |
Thos. Butt |
John de Snyterton |
6. |
Thos. Butt |
Peter de Hakeford |
7. |
Thos. Butt |
Peter de Hakeford |
8. |
John de Morle |
Peter de Hakeford |
8. |
Thos. Butt |
Peter de Hakeford |
9. |
John de Berney |
Peter de Hakeford |
9. |
William Butt |
Thomas Butt |
11. |
Thomas de la Rokele |
John le Grey |
12. |
Robert Bendish |
William de Wichingham |
12. |
Thomas de la Rokele |
Edmund Cosyn |
14. |
Robert de Wyleby |
John Fitz John |
15. |
Richard de Bytering |
Robert de Bumpstede |
17. |
John Ymme |
Peter de Hakeford |
17. |
John Ymme |
John de Morle |
20. |
Robert de Poleye |
John de Plumstede |
21. |
Edmund Cosyn |
John de Hakeford |
22. |
Robert de Poleye |
Peter de Hakeford |
24. |
Richard de Bytering |
Robert de Bumpstede |
26. |
Roger Hardegray |
|
27. |
Richard de Bytering |
Robert de Bumpstede |
28. |
Robert de Bumpstede |
Edmund Sturmere |
29. |
Roger Hardegray |
Robert de Bumpstede |
31. |
Roger Hardegray |
William Sky |
John de Morle |
John le Grant |
|
34. |
Roger Hardegray |
Richard de Bytering |
36. |
Robert de Bumpstede |
Walter de Bixton |
42. |
John de Knateshall |
William de Blickling |
45. |
John Latymer |
|
46. |
Richard Fishe |
Jeffery Seawale |
47. |
John de Stoke |
William Gerrard |
49. |
Bartho. de Appelyard |
William de Blickling |
50. |
Robert Popingeay |
Thomas Spynk. |
Many of the foregoing list are evidently Norman names. The members, returned almost every year and paid for their services, had little to do except to vote supplies to the reigning sovereign.
Richard II. 1377.
1. |
William de Bixton |
Peter de Alderford |
2. |
Walter de Bixton |
Henry Lomynour |
3. |
Walter de Bixton |
Thomas Spynk |
4. |
John Latymer |
Robert de Bernham |
5. |
John de Well |
Walter de Bixton |
5. |
John de Well |
William Gerrard |
6. |
William Blickling |
Walter de Bixton |
7. |
Walter de Bixton |
William Appleyard, jun. |
7. |
William Gerrard |
John Parlet |
8. |
William Appleyard |
Thomas Gerrard |
9. |
Clement Hereward |
William Appleyard |
10. |
Walter Niche |
Walter de Bixton |
10. |
Walter de Bixton |
Thomas Spynk |
11. |
William Appleyard |
Walter de Bixton |
12. |
Walter de Bixton |
John de Multon |
13. |
Henry Lomynour |
Walter de Bixton |
14. |
Walter de Bixton |
William Everard |
William Appleyard |
Thomas Gerrard |
|
15. |
Walter de Bixton |
Thomas Gerrard |
16. |
William Everard |
John de Multon |
17. |
Henry Lomynour |
William Everard |
18. |
William Appleyard |
Henry Lomynour |
19. |
William Appleyard |
Thomas Gerrard |
20. |
William Appleyard |
Henry Lomynour |
21. |
Walter de Bixton |
Richard White |
22. |
Henry Lomynour |
Roger de Blickling |
Henry IV. 1399.
1. |
Henry Lomynour |
William de Blickling |
2. |
Edmund Warner |
William de Crakeford |
2. |
Edmund Warner |
Walter de Eton |
3. |
William Appleyard |
William de Crakeford |
5. |
William Everard |
Walter de Eton |
7. |
Walter de Eton |
Robert Dunston |
10. |
Robert Dunston |
William Ampulford |
13. |
Thomas Gerrard |
Bartholomew Appleyard |
14. |
Bartholomew Appleyard |
John Alderford |
14. |
William Sedeman |
John Biskelee |
Henry V. 1413.
1. |
Robert Brasier |
Robert Dunston |
2. |
Robert Brasier |
John Alderford |
2. |
William Sedeman |
Richard Spurdance |
3. |
John Biskelee |
Robert Dunston |
3. |
Henry Rafman |
William Sedeman |
4. |
John Biskelee |
William Appleyard [672] |
5. |
John Brasier |
Robert Dunston |
7. |
Walter Eton |
John Alderford |
7. |
William Appleyard |
John Biskelee |
Robert Baxter |
John Dunston |
|
9. |
Robert Dunston |
Henry Pekyng |
Henry VI. 1422.
1. |
Robert Dunston |
Richard Moneslee |
2. |
John Gerrard |
Richard Moneslee |
3. |
Walter Eton |
John Gerrard |
4. |
Simon Cocke |
Richard Diverose |
6. |
Thomas Ingham |
John Alderford |
7. + 8. |
Thomas Wetherby |
Thomas Ingham |
9. |
Richard Moneslee |
Robert Chappeleyn |
10. |
John Gerrard |
Richard Moneslee |
11. |
Richard Moneslee |
William Ashwell |
12. |
Richard Moneslee |
William Ashwell |
13. + 14. |
John Gerrard |
William Ashwell |
15. |
Thomas Wetherby |
John Toppys |
20. |
John Gerrard |
Gregory Draper |
23. |
Thomas Ingham |
Robert Toppys |
25. |
John Gerrard |
Gregory Draper |
27. |
Robert Toppys |
Ralph Segryme |
28. |
William Ashwell |
William Hempstede |
29. |
William Ashwell |
John Damme |
31. |
William Barley |
John Jenny |
33. |
William Ashwell |
John Drolle |
38. |
Richard Browne |
John Chyttock |
38. |
Edward Cutler |
John Burton |
Edward IV. 1461.
1. |
Robert Toppys |
Edward Cutler |
2. |
Thomas Elys |
William Skippewith |
7. |
Henry Spelman |
Richard Hoste |
John Aubrey |
Thomas Bokenham |
|
17. |
John Jenny |
Henry Wilton |
Richard III. 1483.
1. |
Robert Thorp |
John Marleburgh |
Henry VII. 1485.
1. |
John Paston |
Philip Curzon |
4. |
Robert Thorp |
Thomas Caus |
4. |
Thomas Jenny |
Robert Thorp |
7. |
John Pyncheamore |
Philip Curzon |
11. |
Stephen Bryan |
Robert Thorp |
12. |
James Hobart |
Thomas Caus |
12. |
Robert Thorp |
Robert Burgh |
19. |
Robert Burgh |
John Rightwise |
Henry VIII. 1509.
2. |
John Clerk |
Robert Harrydance |
6. |
John Pyncheamore |
Philip Curzon |
33. |
William Rogers |
Augustine Steward |
Edward VI. 1547.
6. |
Thomas Marsham |
Alexander Mather |
6. |
Thomas Marsham |
Alexander Mather |
Mary. 1553.
1. |
Thomas Gawdy |
Richard Catlyn |
1. |
Henry Ward |
John Ball |
2. |
John Corbet |
Alexander Mather |
3. |
John Aldrich |
Thomas Grey |
4. |
Thomas Gawdy |
Thomas Sotherton |
Elizabeth. 1558.
1. |
Edward Flowerdew |
John Aldrich |
5. |
Robert Mitchels |
Thomas Parker |
John Blenerhasset |
Robert Suckling |
|
14. |
John Aldrich |
Thomas Beaumont |
27. |
Christopher Layer |
Simon Bowde |
28. |
Robert Suckling |
Thomas Layer |
31. |
Francis Rugge |
Thomas Gleane |
35. |
Robert Houghton |
Robert Yarrum |
39. |
Thomas Sotherton |
Christopher Layer |
43. |
Alexander Thurston |
John Pettus |
James I. 1603.
1. |
Sir Henry Hobart, Knt. |
John Pettus |
12. |
Sir Thomas Hyrne, Knt. |
Rice Gwynne |
18. |
Sir Richard Rosse, Knt. |
William Denny |
21. |
Sir Thomas Hyrne, Knt. |
William Denny |
Charles I. 1625.
1. |
Sir Thomas Hyrne, Knt. |
William Denny |
1. |
John Suckling, Knt. |
Thomas Hyrne, Knt. |
3. |
Peter Gleane, Knt. |
Robert Debney |
15. |
Richard Harman |
Richard Catlyn |
The Commonwealth. 1649.
1. |
Richard Harman |
Richard Catlyn |
8. |
Bernard Church |
John Hobart |
10. |
John Hobart |
William Barnham |
Charles II. 1660.
1. |
William Barnham |
Thomas Rant |
2. |
Christopher Jay |
Francis Corey |
18. |
William Paston |
Augustine Briggs |
19. |
William Paston |
Augustine Briggs |
20. |
William Paston |
Augustine Briggs |
22. |
William Paston |
Augustine Briggs |
1. |
Robert Paston |
Sir Nevil Catlyn, Knt. |
4. |
Sir Nevil Catlyn, Knt. |
Robert Davy |
The following is a list of the members of parliament from the Revolution in 1688 to the passing of the Reform Bill, and the state of the poll at each contested election in all cases where a record of the figures could be found.
James II.
January 7th, 1688. |
|
Sir Nevil Catlyn, Knt. |
Robert Davy, Esq., Recorder |
December 11th, 1688. Convention Parliament |
|
Sir Nevil Catlyn, Knt. |
Thomas Blofield, Esq., Alder. |
William and Mary.
February, 1689. |
|
Thomas Blofield, Esq. |
Hugh Bokenham, Esq. |
December 3rd, 1694. |
|
John Ward, Esq., in the room of Hugh Bokenham, deceased. |
|
William III.
1695. |
|||
T. Blofield, Esq. |
Francis Gardiner, Esq. |
||
July, 1698. |
|||
Robert Davy, Esq., Recorder |
Thomas Blofield, Esq. |
||
1700. |
|||
Robert Davy, Esq. |
Thos. Blofield, Esq. |
||
Nov. 19th, 1701. |
|||
Edward Clarke, Esq. |
1142 |
Peter Thacker, Esq. |
1041 |
Robert Davy, Esq. |
1042 |
Thomas Blofield, Esq. |
759 |
p. 677Mr. Sheriff Nall alone returned Mr. Clarke and Mr. Davy (the other sheriff dissenting), and after a scrutiny the House of Commons declared them duly elected, by deciding that the choice of the electors of any candidate, not being a freeman, renders him a free citizen or burgess to all intents and purposes.
Queen Anne.
1702. |
|||
Robert Davy, Esq. |
1318 |
Edward Clarke, Esq. |
955 |
Thos. Blofield, Esq. |
1260 |
Charles Lord Paston |
933 |
1703. |
|||
Captain Thomas Palgrave vice Mr. Davy, deceased. |
|||
1704. |
|||
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1281 |
Thomas Blofield, Esq. |
1136 |
John Chambers, Esq. |
1267 |
Capt. Thos. Palgrave |
1074 |
May 19th, 1708. |
|||
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1521 |
Thos. Blofield, Esq. |
1189 |
John Chambers, Esq. |
1412 |
James Brogden, Esq. |
289 |
Oct. 18th, 1710. |
|||
Robt. Bene, Esq., mayor |
1315 |
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1107 |
R. Berney, Esq., steward |
1298 |
S. Gardner, Esq., recor. |
1078 |
George I.
Aug. or Sept. 1713. |
|||
Robert Bene, Esq. |
1282 |
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1141 |
Richard Berney, Esq. |
1272 |
Robert Britiffe, Esq. |
1170 |
Feb. 2nd, 1715. |
|||
Walter Bacon, Esq. |
1662 |
Robert Bene, Esq. |
1326 |
Robert Britiffe, Esq. |
1652 |
Richard Berney, Esq. |
1319 |
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
Robert Britiffe, Esq. |
||
George II.
Aug. 30th, 1727. |
|||
Robert Britiffe, Esq. |
1628 |
Miles Branthwayt, Esq. |
1265 |
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1542 |
Richard Berney, Esq. |
1188 |
May 19th, 1734. |
|||
Horatio Walpole, Esq. |
1785 |
Sir Ewd. Ward, Bart. |
1621 |
Waller Bacon, Esq. |
1749 |
Miles Branthwayt, Esq. |
1567 |
February 19th, 1735. |
|||
In the room of W. Bacon, deceased, Thomas Vere, Esq. |
1820 |
Miles Branthwayt, Esq. |
1486 |
May 6th, 1741. |
|||
Horatio Walpole, Esq. |
1771 |
William Clarke, Esq. |
829 |
Thomas Vere, Esq. |
1621 |
|
|
1747. |
|||
Rt. Hon. Horatio Walpole |
Rt. Hon. John Lord Hobart |
||
April 15th, 1754. |
|||
Rt. Hon. Horatio Walpole |
Rt. Hon. John Lord Hobart |
||
Dec. 29th, 1755. |
|||
Lord Hobart having accepted the office of Comptroller of His Majesty’s Household, was re-elected. |
|||
June 25th, 1756. |
|||
Edward Bacon, Esq. vice H. Walpole, created Lord Walpole. |
|||
Dec. 8th, 1756. |
|||
Harbord Harbord, Esq. vice Lord Hobart, who succeeded his father as Earl of Buckinghamshire, September 22nd. |
|||
Edward Bacon, Esq., having accepted the office of one of the Commissioners of Trade, was re-elected. |
|||
George III.
March 27th, 1761. |
|||
Harbord Harbord, Esq. |
1729 |
Nockold Tompson, Esq. |
718 |
Edward Bacon, Esq. |
1507 |
Robert Harvey, Esq. |
499 |
March 18th, 1768. |
|||
Harbord Harbord, Esq. |
1812 |
Thomas Beevor, Esq. |
1136 |
Edward Bacon, Esq. |
1596 |
|
|
October, 1774. |
|||
Sir Harbord Harbord, Bart. |
Edward Bacon, Esq. |
|
|
September 11th, 1780. |
|||
Sir Harbord Harbord |
1382 |
William Windham, Esq. |
1069 |
Edward Bacon, Esq. |
1199 |
John Thurlow, Esq. |
1103 |
April 5th, 1784. |
|||
Sir Harbord Harbord |
2305 |
Hon. Henry Hobart |
1233 |
William Windham, Esq. |
1297 |
|
|
September 15th and 16th, 1786. |
|||
Sir Harbord Harbord, Bart., called up to the House of Peers, being created Lord Suffield. |
|||
Hon. Henry Hobart |
1450 |
Robert John Buxton, Esq. |
10 |
Sir Thos. Beevor, Bart. |
1383 |
|
|
A select committee of the House of Commons determined this to be a void election, March 9th, 1787. |
|||
March 15th, 1787. |
|||
Hon. Henry Hobart |
1393 |
Sir Thos. Beevor Bart. |
1313 |
Hon. Henry Hobart |
1492 |
Sir Thos. Beevor, Bart. |
656 |
William Windham, Esq. |
1361 |
|
|
July 12th, 1794. |
|||
Mr. Windham having vacated his seat by accepting the office of Secretary at War. |
|||
Rt. Hon. W. Windham |
1236 |
James Mingay, Esq. |
770 |
May 25th, 1796. |
|||
Hon. Henry Hobart |
1622 |
Bartlett Gurney, Esq. |
1076 |
Rt. Hon. W. Windham |
1159 |
|
|
May 27th, 1799. |
|||
In the room of Mr. Hobart deceased, John Frere, Esq. |
1345 |
Robert Fellowes, Esq. |
1186 |
July 5th, 1802. |
|||
Robert Fellowes, Esq. |
1532 |
Rt. Hon. W. Windham |
1356 |
William Smith, Esq. |
1439 |
John Frere, Esq. |
1328 |
November 3rd and 4th, 1806. |
|||
John Patteson, Esq. |
1733 |
William Smith, Esq. |
1333 |
Robert Fellowes, Esq. |
1370 |
|
|
May 4th, 1807. |
|||
John Patteson, Esq. |
1474 |
Robert Fellowes, Esq. |
546 |
William Smith, Esq. |
1156 |
|
|
October 7th, 1812. |
|||
William Smith, Esq. |
1544 |
John Patteson, Esq. |
1221 |
Charles Harvey, Esq. |
1349 |
|
|
June 17th and 18th, 1818. |
|||
William Smith, Esq. |
2089 |
Hon. Edward Harbord |
1475 |
R. H. Gurney, Esq. |
2032 |
|
|
March 7th, 1820. |
|
William Smith, Esq. |
R. H. Gurney, Esq. |
June 9th, 1826. |
|
William Smith, Esq. |
Jonathan Peel, Esq. |
William IV.
July 29th and 30th, 1830. |
|||
R. H. Gurney, Esq. |
2363 |
Jonathan Peel, Esq. |
1912 |
Robert Grant, Esq. |
2279 |
Sir Charles Ogle, Bart. |
1762 |
November 30th, 1830. |
|||
The Rt. Hon. Robert Grant having accepted the office of Judge Advocate General, was re-elected. |
|||
April 29th and 30th, May 2nd and 3rd, 1831. |
|||
R. H. Gurney, Esq. |
2158 |
Sir Charles Wetherell |
977 |
Rt. Hon. Robt. Grant |
2163 |
M. T. Sadler, Esq. |
964 |
This was the last election under the old law, before the passing of the Reform Bill.
Population 1831—61,110; 1861—74,891.
Electors 1832—4,238; 1864—5,506.
Polls.
December, 1832. |
|||
Viscount Stormont (C.) |
2016 |
R H. Gurney (L.) |
1809 |
Sir James Scarlett (C.) |
1962 |
C. H. B. Ker (L.) |
1765 |
January, 1835. |
|||
Viscount Stormont (C.) |
1892 |
Hon. E. V. Harbord (L.) |
1592 |
Hon. R. C. Scarlett (C.) |
1878 |
F. O. Martin (L.) |
1585 |
Hon. R. C. Scarlett (C.) |
1865 |
Benjamin Smith (L.) |
1843 |
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
1863 |
Montford Nurse (L.) |
1831 |
Mr. Scarlett, having been petitioned against, retired, and there was another election.
1838. |
Benjamin Smith (L.) |
||
June, 1841. |
|||
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
Benjamin Smith (L.) |
||
August, 1847. |
|||
Saml. Morton Peto (L.) |
2448 |
John H. Parry (L.) |
1572 |
Marquis of Douro (L.C.) |
1727 |
|
|
July, 1852. |
|||
Samuel M. Peto (L.) |
2190 |
Marquis of Douro (C.) |
1592 |
Edward Warner (L.) |
2145 |
Lieut. Col. Dickson (C.) |
1465 |
On Sir M. Peto accepting the Chiltern Hundreds, there was another election.
December, 1854. |
|||
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1901 |
Anthony Hamond (L.) |
1635 |
Sir S. Bignold continued to sit as member till the next election. |
|||
March, 1857. |
|||
H. W. Schneider (L.) |
2247 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1636 |
Viscount Bury (L.) |
2238 |
|
|
April, 1859. |
|||
Viscount Bury (L.) |
2154 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1966 |
H. W. Schneider (L.) |
2138 |
C. M. Lushington (C.) |
1900 |
p. 683On Lord Bury being appointed Treasurer of the Household, an election took place.
June, 1859. |
|||
Viscount Bury (L.) |
1922 |
Sir S. Bignold (C.) |
1561 |
|
Col. H. G. Boldero (C.) |
39 |
|
On petition, this election and the election of April, 1859, were declared void, and another took place in
March, 1860. |
|||
Edward Warner (L.) |
2083 |
W. Forlonge (C.) |
1636 |
Sir Wm. Russell (L.) |
2045 |
W. D. Lewis (C.) |
1631 |
In 1865, Sir Wm. Russell and E. Warner were again returned. The poll closed as follows:—
Sir Wm. Russell (L.) |
1845 |
Mr. Goldsmid (C.) |
1466 |
Edward Warner (L.) |
1838 |
Mr. Waters (C.) |
1393 |
First election under the New Reform Act Nov., 1868.
Sir H. J. Stracey (C.) |
4521 |
J. H. Tillett (L.) |
4364 |
Sir Wm. Russell (L.) |
4509 |
|
|
On petition, Sir H. J. Stracey was, in January, 1869, unseated for bribery.
A LARGE parchment book in the Guildhall contains the names of all the mayors and sheriffs since 1403 when the first mayor was elected. The subjoined list has been verified by that official document, and is the most complete record ever published. We give also a few particulars as to the residences of some of the most distinguished of these civic dignitaries.
William Appleyard was the first mayor of Norwich, in 1403. He resided in an old flint building in Bridewell Alley, St. Andrew’s, which came afterwards into the hands of Thomas Cambridge, who, in 1454, conveyed it to John Paston, from whom it passed to the Hobarts, the Cursons, the Brownes, the Codds, and the Sothertons. It was afterwards used as a prison, and is now occupied by Mr. James Newbegin.
John Cambridge was elected to the office of mayor four times, in 1430, 1437, 1438, 1439. He resided in one of the old-fashioned houses on St. Andrew’s hill.
p. 685Roger Best, grocer, was elected mayor in 1467 and 1472. He occupied a house in King Street, near St. Ethelred’s church. Afterwards, in the same house, lived Sir Robert de Salle, who was killed by the rebels in Kett’s rebellion.
John Rightwise was elected mayor in 1501, and in 1504 was chosen to represent the city in parliament. In 1513 he was again elected mayor. He lived in the house in London Street now occupied by Mr. Boulton, the ironmonger. During his mayoralty he rebuilt the Market Cross, which formerly stood in the Market Place. The cross contained an oratory inside. At the time of the Commonwealth it was assigned to dealers in leather, but was entirely demolished in 1732.
William Ramsey was sheriff in 1498, and mayor in 1502, and again in 1508. He built a portion of St. Michael at Coslany Church, and his tomb is on the north side with a merchant’s mark, and the initials “W. R.” on it.
John Clarke, mayor in 1515 and 1520, resided in a house on St. Andrew’s hill, occupied in 1561 by Mr. Suckling, merchant, and sheriff of Norwich. The Suckling arms and many curious carvings are still to be seen on the gateway.
Robert Jannys, whose portrait is in the Guildhall, was mayor in 1517 and 1524.
Robert Browne, mayor in 1522, had his coat of arms painted on the window of the Guildhall.
Augustine Steward was elected mayor in 1534, and represented the city in parliament in 1541. He also p. 686served as mayor in 1546 and 1556. He lived in a house on Tombland. His portrait was placed in the Guildhall.
William Layer, mayor in 1537, occupied one of the large houses on the north side of St. Andrew’s Street.
Heny Bacon, grocer, was mayor in 1557 and 1566, and lived in a flint house at the east end of the church of St. George’s Colegate; his mark and initials are over the door. Fifty years ago, a large room on the first floor was lined with fine oak panelling, and the chimney piece was elaborately carved. These curiosities were removed to the mansion of G. Kett Tompson, Esq., of Witchingham. The building is now a boot and shoe warehouse.
Mr. Codd was mayor of Norwich in the year of Kett’s rebellion. He took an active part in suppressing the rebellion, and at his death bequeathed a large sum of money to the hospital in St. Helen’s, where so many old men have found an asylum. He was buried in the nave of the church of St. Peter’s per Mountergate, and the heads of his will are read in the church annually on the Sunday before St. Thomas’ Day.
William Mingay, mayor in 1561, entertained the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, and the Earls of Huntingdon and Northumberland, with many of the nobility and gentry, at a grand banquet in St. Andrew’s Hall, which, in subsequent years, was the scene of many mayors’ feasts.
Alexander Thurston was mayor in 1600, and M.P. for Norwich in 1601. He lived in a large old-fashioned house in St. Clement’s churchyard, formerly occupied p. 687by the priors of Ixworth. Some carved work in the house exhibits the initials “A. T.” and the arms of Hester Aldrich, his wife. In the adjoining house lived John Aldrich, grocer, who took an active part in suppressing Kett’s rebellion.
John Pettus, mayor in 1608, was afterwards knighted. The house at the north-west corner of St. Simon’s churchyard was long the residence of the Pettus family. The date 1608 is on the door with the arms of Pettus in one spandrel and his wife’s on the other. His monument is in St. Simon’s church.
Thomas Anguish, mayor in 1611, lived in a house at the north end of Tombland. In a court there, on an old door, is the date 1594 with the initials of himself and his wife, T. E. A. He founded the Boys’ Hospital School in St. Edmund’s. He bequeathed a house and estate in Fishgate Street to the corporation for the use and endowment of a hospital, or a convenient place for keeping, bringing up, and teaching very poor children born in the city.
Mr. John Harvey, manufacturer in 1709, was sheriff in 1720, alderman in 1722, and mayor in 1727. He died on September 28th, 1742, and was buried in the family vault, which now contains about forty leaden coffins, in the church of St. Clement’s. The family held an estate in that parish for more than a century. Some of their portraits adorn the walls of St. Andrew’s Hall.
John Patteson, mayor in 1788 and M.P. in 1806–7, resided in a house on the right-hand side of a court adjoining the Crown and Angel in St. Stephen’s Street; afterwards he resided in Surrey Street.
|
MAYORS. |
SHERIFFS. |
1403. |
Wm. Appleyard |
Robert Brasier, John Daniel |
1404. |
Wm. Appleyard |
Sampson Baxter, John Skye |
1405. |
Wm. Appleyard |
Jhn. Harleston, Rich. Spurdaunce |
1406. |
Walter Daniel |
Edmund Warner, Richard Drue |
1407. |
John Daniel |
Tho. Garrard, John Warlich |
1408. |
Edmund Warner |
Thomas Parlet, John Bixley |
1409. |
Walter Daniel |
Walter Monslee, John Mannyng |
1410. |
Robert Brasier |
John Shotesham, Jeffrey Audley |
1411. |
Wm. Appleyard |
Richard White, Jhn. Crownthorpe |
1412. |
Wm. Appleyard |
John Leverich, John Wake |
1413. |
Richard Drue |
Wm. Sedeman, Robert Suffield |
1414. |
John Bixley |
Thos. Cock, Henry Raffman |
1415. |
John Mannyng |
Richard Moneslee, Thos. Ocle |
1416. |
Henry Raffman |
John Asgar, John Mitchel |
1417. |
John Daniel |
Wm. Roose, Henry Jakys |
1418. |
Wm. Appleyard |
Robert Baxter, John Cambridge |
1419. |
Walter Daniel |
Henry Pykynge, John Shotesham |
1420. |
Rich. Spurdaunce |
Thos. Ingham, Robert Asgar |
1421. |
William Sedeman |
Wm. Nyche, Simon Cooke |
1422. |
John Mannyng |
John Gerrard, Tho. Daniel |
1423. |
Walter Daniel |
John Wright, John Hodgekins |
1424. |
Robert Baxter |
William Grey, Peter Brasier |
1425. |
Thomas Ingham |
Tho. Wetherby, Robert Chapelyn |
1426. |
John Asgar |
John Copping, John Gleder |
1427. |
Tho. Wetherby |
John Welby, Richard Steynes |
1428. |
Richard Mozeley |
John Alderford, Gregory Draper |
1429. |
Robert Baxter |
William Isleham, John Sipater |
1430. |
John Cambridge |
Robert Toppys, John Penning |
Thomas Ingham |
William Ashwell, Tho. Grafton |
|
1432. |
Thos. Wetherby |
John Dunnyng, Augustine Bang |
1433. |
Rich. Spurdaunce |
R. Londesdale, Wm. Hempstede |
1434. |
John Gerard |
Roger Booton, Thomas Ball |
1435. |
Robert Toppys |
Edmund Bretton, Peter Roper |
1436. |
Robert Chapelyn |
Richard Braser, Chr. Crumpe, to March 1st. Walter Eaton, John Lynford, by the king’s writ. |
1437. |
John Cambridge |
Simon Walsoken, Clement Rayshe |
The Liberties Seized. |
||
John Welles, Warden, acted single to March the 1st, and then appointed the mayor to act under him. |
||
1438. |
J. Welles, Warden J. Cambridge, Mayor |
|
1439. |
J. Welles, Warden J. Cambridge, Mayor |
Walter Eaton, John Lynford, to July 17th. Simon Walsoken, Clement Rayshe the rest of the year. |
The Liberties Restored. |
||
1440. |
Robert Toppys |
John Brosyerd, John Spicer |
1441. |
Wm. Ashwell |
John Gosleyn, Henry Sturmyn |
1442. |
Wm. Hempstede |
Thos. Alleyn, Ralph Segryme, to March 18th. |
The Liberties Seized. |
||
|
Sir J. Clifton, Gov. |
|
1443. |
Sir J. Clifton, Gov. |
John Intwood, Robert Alleyn |
Sir J. Clifton, Gov. |
John Intwood, Robert Alleyn |
|
1445. |
Sir J. Clifton, Gov. |
John Intwood, Robert Alleyn |
1446. |
Sir J. Clifton, Gov. to April 20th. T. Catworth, War. |
John Intwood, Robert Alleyn |
1447. |
T. Catworth, Warden to Dec. 1st. |
John Intwood, Robert Alleyn, to December 1st. |
The Liberties Restored. |
||
1448. |
Wm. Hempstede |
Thos. Alleyn, Ralph Segryme |
1448. |
Wm. Ashwell |
Robert Furbusher, John Wighton |
1449. |
Gregory Draper |
Richard Brown, John Drolle |
1450. |
Thomas Alleyn |
John Chittock, Robert Machone |
1451. |
Ralph Segryme |
William Barley, John Gilbert |
1452. |
Robert Toppys |
Thomas Ellis, Robert Syrede |
1453. |
John Drolle |
Edward Cutler, John Clarke |
1454. |
Richard Brown |
Richard Bear, Jeffery Quinch |
1455. |
Gregory Draper |
William Norwich, John Albone |
1456. |
Richard Brasier |
Thomas Bokenham, John Butt |
1457. |
John Chittock |
Jeffery Joye, John Hunworth |
1458. |
Robert Toppys |
Thos. Owdolfe, William Reyner |
1459. |
John Gilbert |
Walter Godfrey, Edm. Coleman |
1460. |
Thomas Ellis |
Roger Best, John Aubery |
1461. |
William Norwich |
John Northal, John Cook |
1462. |
John Butte |
John Burton, Richard Hoste |
1463. |
Richard Brasier |
Henry Spencer, William Willis |
1464. |
John Gilbert |
William Swaine, Robert Portland |
1465. |
Thomas Ellis |
Walter Thornfield, Rich. Daniel |
1466. |
John Chittock |
John Rose, John Beccles |
1467. |
Roger Best |
John Laws, Robert Hickling |
1468. |
Walter Thornfield |
Richard Ferrour, Thomas Veyle |
1469. |
John Aubery |
Thos. Bokenham, Wm. Pepper |
Edward Cutler |
John Harvey, Henry Owdolfe |
|
1471. |
John Butt |
John Wellys, Robert Aylmer |
1472. |
Roger Best |
Edmund Staley, Thomas Storme |
1473. |
Richard Ferrour |
John Cocke, William London |
1474. |
Thomas Ellis |
James Goldbeater, John Burghe |
1475. |
William Swaine |
Thos. Cambridge, Robt. Lounde |
1476. |
John Wellys |
Hammond Claxton, Robt. Cooke |
1477. |
Robert Portland |
Gregory Clarke, Phillip Curson |
1478. |
Rich. Ferrour |
Robert Osborne, Thos. Bewfield |
1479. |
Thos. Bokenham |
Robert Wellys, Thos. Phillips |
1480. |
John Aubery |
Robert Gardiner, Thos. Woorts |
1481. |
Robert Aylmer |
Robert Belton, John Denton |
1482. |
William London |
Richard Ballys, Ralph Est |
1483. |
Rich. Ferrour |
William Rose, William Ferrour |
1484. |
John Cook |
John Ebbs, William Curtis |
1485. |
Ham. Claxton |
John Tills, John Swaine |
1486. |
J. Aubery, died T. Bokenham |
Thomas Wilkins, John Jowelle |
1487. |
John Wellys |
John Pyncheamore, John Caster |
1488. |
Thomas Bewfield |
John Rede, Richard Howard |
1489. |
Richard Ballys |
Thomas Caus, Nicholas Davie |
1490. |
Robert Gardiner |
Nicholas Cowlitch, Wm. Gogeoa |
1491. |
William London |
Stephen Bryan, John Cooke |
1492. |
Robert Aylmer |
John Warnes, John Rightwise |
1493. |
Richard Ferrour |
Robert Long, Bartholomew King |
1494. |
Stephen Bryan |
John Horsley, Robert Burghe |
1495. |
J. Wellys, died T. Caus |
Richard Brasier, Robert Best |
1496. |
John Rede |
John Francis, John Pethood |
1497. |
Nicholas Cowlitch |
Gregory Clarke, Thomas Aldrich |
1498. |
Richard Ferrour |
William Ramsey, Thos. Henning |
1499. |
Robt. Gardiner |
J. Randolph, R. Pyncheamore |
John Warnes |
Jefferey Steward, John Crome |
|
1501. |
John Rightwise |
Richard Aylmer, William Drake |
1502. |
William Ramsey |
Simon Rede, John Smith |
1503. |
Thomas Caus |
Thomas Warnes, Thomas Gaunt |
1504. |
Robert Burghe |
W. Hart, J. Hendry d., J. Walters |
1505. |
Gregory Clarke |
Thomas Large, William Godfrey |
1506. |
Robt. Gardiner |
Thomas Clarke, John Swaine |
1507. |
Thomas Aldrich |
John Clarke, William Ferrour |
1508. |
Wm. Ramsey |
Edward Rede, Robert Brown |
1509. |
Robert Long |
Henry Attemere, Robert Jannys |
1510. |
Richard Brasier |
John Marsham, Ralph Wilkins |
1511. |
Richard Aylmer |
Robert Pell, John Stalone |
1512. |
William Hart |
Stephen Stalone, Rich. Corpesty |
1513. |
John Rightwise |
John Busting, Thomas Pickerel |
1514. |
Gregory Clarke |
Henry Scholehouse, John Terry |
1515. |
John Clarke |
R. Barker, died, R. Ferrour, died, Wm. Boone, Thos. Wilkins |
1516. |
Thos. Aldrich |
Thomas Bauberg, Gregory Caus |
1517. |
Robert Jannys |
Robert Green, Thomas Cory |
1518. |
John Marsham |
Robt. Hemming, Ham. Linstead |
1519. |
William Hart |
John Brown, Barth. Springal |
1520. |
John Clarke |
Nicholas Sywhat, John Westgate |
1521. |
Edward Rede |
Thomas Moore, Robert Hall |
1522. |
Robert Brown |
William Russel, John Watts |
1523. |
John Terry |
Reg. Littleprow, Wm. Norfolk |
1524. |
Robert Jannys |
S. Raynbow, W. Crane, died., H. Salter |
1525. |
Thomas Pickerel |
Robert Leech, John Swaine |
1526. |
Robert Ferrour |
Augustine Steward, W. Layer |
1527. |
Ralph Wilkins |
Thomas Grewe, John Clarke |
1528. |
William Boone |
Thomas Crank, Henry Fuller |
1529. |
Robert Green |
John Curat, John Corbet |
Thomas Bauburgh |
Thos. Necton, Nicholas Sotherton |
|
1531. |
Edward Rede |
Richard Catlyn, Wm. Rogers |
1532. |
Reg. Littleprow |
John Groote, William Haste |
1533. |
Thos. Pickerel |
Adam Lawes, Roger Cooper |
1534. |
Augustine Steward |
William Lynn, Thos. Greenwood |
1535. |
Nicholas Sywhat |
Robert Brown, Henry Crook |
1536. |
Robt. Ferrour |
Edmund Wood, Thos. Thetford |
1537. |
William Layer |
Robert Rugge, Robert Palmer |
1538. |
Thos. Pickerel |
Nich. Osborn, John Humberston |
1539. |
Nich. Sotherton |
J. Marsham, T. Walter, J. Trace |
1540. |
Thomas Grewe |
Thomas Codd, John Spencer |
1541. |
Robert Leech |
John Quash, Felix Puttock |
1542. |
William Rogers |
Thomas Cocke, Richard Davy |
1543. |
Edward Rede |
R. Lee, W. Morant, T. Marsham |
1544. |
Henry Fuller |
Edmund Warren, Robt. Marlyng |
1545. |
Robert Rugge |
Richard Suckling, Robert Lyng |
1546. |
August Steward |
Robert Mitchell, Bernard Utber |
1547. |
Robert Leech |
Thomas Dowsing, William Hede |
1548. |
Edm. Wood, died William Rogers |
Henry Bacon, John Atkins |
1549. |
Thomas Codde |
Richard Fletcher, Wm. Ferrour |
1550. |
Robert Rugge |
Thomas Morley, John Walters |
1551. |
Richard Davy |
John Aldrich, Thomas Grey |
1552. |
Thomas Cocke |
Robert Norman, John Bungay |
1553. |
Henry Crooke |
Nicholas Norgate, John Howes |
1554. |
Thomas Marsham |
Thomas Malbye, Wm. Mingay |
1555. |
Felix Puttock, died Thomas Codd |
Thomas Greene, John Bloome |
1556. |
August. Steward |
Thos. Sotherton, Leon. Sotherton |
1557. |
Henry Bacon |
E. Woolsey, T. Lynn, J. Benjamin |
1558. |
John Aldrich |
Thomas Parker, Andrew Quash |
1559. |
Richard Fletcher |
Thos. Cully, Thos. Tesmond |
Robert Mychell |
Thomas Whale, Richard Hede |
|
1561. |
William Mingay |
Robert Wood, Thomas Pecke |
1562. |
William Farrour |
Thos. Farrour, Thos. Beamond |
1563 |
Richard Davy |
Christopher Some, Ellis Bate |
1564. |
Nicholas Norgate |
Robert Suckling, John Gibbs |
1565. |
Thomas Sotherton |
John Sotherton, Thomas Winter |
1566. |
Henry Bacon |
Thomas Pettus, John Suckling |
1567. |
Thomas Whall |
John Worsley, Thomas Layer |
1568. |
Thomas Parker |
John Rede, Simon Bowde |
1569. |
Robert Wood |
Christopher Layer, Richard Bate |
1570. |
John Aldrich |
Thos. Gleane, Robert Gostling |
1571. |
Thomas Green |
Henry Greenwood, Edward Pye |
1572. |
Robert Suckling |
Nich. Sotherton, Francis Rugge |
1573. |
Thomas Pecke |
George Bowgeon, Thos. Stokes |
1574. |
Christopher Some |
Nicholas Baker, Thomas Gooch |
1575. |
William Farrour |
Richard Baker, Clement Hyrne |
1576. |
Thomas Layer |
Cut. Brereton, Francis Morley |
1577. |
Thomas Cully |
Rich. Howes, Rich. Bange |
1578. |
Sir R. Wood, Kt. |
John Elwin, Thomas Secker |
1579. |
Simon Bowde |
Robert Davy, John Pye |
1580. |
Chris. Some |
Laur. Wood, Nich. Bradford |
1581. |
Christopher Layer |
Rich. Ferrour, Thomas Pye |
1582. |
Robert Suckling |
Robt. Yarham, John Wilkinson |
1583. |
Thomas Gleane |
Henry Pye, Ed. Johnson |
1584. |
John Suckling |
Laur. Watts, Titus Norris |
1585. |
Thomas Layer |
Roger Weld, John Tesmond |
1586. |
Thomas Pecke |
Henry Davy, Joshua Cully |
1587. |
Francis Rugge |
Alex. Thurston, Greg. Houlton |
1588. |
Simon Bowde |
Robt. Rooke, Wm. Ramsey |
1589. |
Chris. Layer |
Randolph Smith, John Sylver |
1590. |
Thomas Pettus |
Robert Hall, Wm. Peters |
1591. |
Robert Yarham |
Nich. Layer, Thos. Lane |
Thomas Gleane |
Thos. Sotherton, Roger Ramsey |
|
1593. |
Clement Hyrne |
Robt. Blackburne, Aug. Whall |
1594. |
Chris. Some |
Rich. Tolye, Wm. Johnson |
1595. |
Thomas Layer |
E. Browne, died, R. Sadler, R. Gaywood |
1596. |
Richard Farrour |
Thos. Anguish, Robt. Gybson |
1597. |
Thomas Pye |
Thos. Hyrne, Peter Barker |
1598. |
Francis Rugge |
J. Pettus, George Downing |
1599. |
Roger Weld |
Robt. Garshead, Henry Galliard |
1600 |
Alex. Thurstone |
Thos. Pettus, Robt. Debney |
1601. |
John Tesmond |
J. Chapman, Spencer Peterson |
1602. |
T. Gleane, died Francis Rugge |
John Mingay, William Drake |
1603. |
Thomas Lane |
Edward Nutting, John Symonds |
1604. |
Thomas Hyrne |
George Birch, George Cocke |
1605. |
Thomas Sotherton |
Michael Aldrich, Fras. Smallpiece |
1605. |
Joshua Culley |
Thomas Blosse, John Shovell |
1607. |
George Downing |
Robert Craske, James Allen |
1608. |
Sir Jn. Pettus, Knt. |
Robert Hornsey, Henry Fawcett |
1609. |
Sir T. Hyrne, Knt. |
Bassingbourn Throckmorton, Thomas Doughty |
1610. |
Roger Ramsey |
Peter Gleane, Richard Goldman |
1611. |
Thomas Anguish |
Richard Rosse, Simon Davy |
1612. |
Thomas Blosse |
William Bussey, John Norris |
1613. |
George Cocke |
Lionel Claxton, Michael Parker |
1614. |
Thomas Pettus |
Thos. Spendlove, Matt. Peckover |
1615. |
Peter Gleane |
Christopher Baret, Francis Cocke |
1616. |
Sir T. Hyrne, Knt. |
William Brown, Thomas Cory |
1617. |
John Mingay |
Alex. Anguish, Edmund Cocke |
1618. |
Richard Rosse |
John Anguish, John Ward |
1619. |
Roger Gaywood |
Nat. Remington, Lucian Laws |
1620. |
Richard Tooley |
Thomas Shipdam, Thomas Baker |
George Birch |
John Ramsey, John Lyng |
|
1622. |
Francis Smallpiece |
Nicholas Emms, Robert Sumpter |
1623. |
Robert Craske |
William Green, Robert Sedgewick |
1624. |
Robert Debney |
John Loveland, Robert Powle |
1625. |
Michael Parker |
Niclas. Osborn, Step. Leverington |
1626. |
Bassingbourn Throckmorton |
Augustine Scottow, Rich. Harman |
1627. |
Francis Cocke |
Henry Lane, Thomas Atkins |
1628. |
Thomas Cory |
William Symonds, John Daniel |
1629. |
Alexander Anguish |
John Thacker, William Gostlin |
1630. |
William Browne |
John Tooley, Robert Palgrave |
1631. |
Thomas Shipdam |
Robert Tompson, Thos. Carver |
1632. |
Robert Hornsey |
Edm. Burman, Adrian Parmenter |
1633. |
William Bussey |
Richard Ward, Richard Keepis |
1634. |
Christopher Baret |
Samuel Puckle, Matt. Peckover |
1635. |
John Anguish |
Thomas Barber, John Croshold |
1636. |
Thomas Baker |
John Freeman, John Utting |
1637. |
Robert Sumpter |
John Lombe, Matthew Sotherton |
1638. |
John Tooley |
Livewell Sherwood, John Gray |
1639. |
Richard Harman |
Henry Watts, John Salter |
1640. |
Henry Lane |
John Osborne, John Dethick |
1641. |
Thomas Carver, d. Adrian Parmenter |
Matthew Lindsey, Robert Baron |
1642. |
W. Gostlin, impris. A. Parmenter, deputy |
John Greenwood, John Rayley |
1643. |
John Thacker |
Thomas Toft, Richard Bateman |
1644. |
John Tooley |
Thomas Baret, Bernard Church |
1645. |
Matthew Peckover |
John Cory, William Rye |
1646. |
Henry Watts |
Richard Wenman, Robt. Holmes |
1647. |
J. Utting, impris. Christ. Baret, deputy |
Thomas Ashwell, William Davy |
1648 |
Edmund Burman |
William Barnham, Robert Allen |
Robert Baron died, John Rayley |
A. Peckover died, S. Brewster, John Mann |
|
1650. |
Matt. Lindsey died, Thomas Baret |
William Tuck, Nehemiah Bond |
1651. |
Bernard Church |
Thomas Johnson, John Knights |
1652. |
William Barnham |
Clement Parnell, Roger Whistler |
1653. |
John Mann |
Christopher Jay, Roger Mingay |
1654. |
Thomas Toft |
John Andrews, Joseph Paine |
1655. |
John Salter |
Henry Wood, Richard Coldham |
1656. |
Samuel Puckle |
Robert Powle, James Long |
1657. |
Christopher Jay |
Robert Gooch, William Heyward |
1658. |
Roger Mingay |
Roger Hawes, Matthew Marcon |
1659. |
William Davy |
Thomas Wisse, John Lawrence |
1660. |
Sir Jos. Paine, Knt. |
E. Browne died, Aug. Briggs, George Steward |
1661. |
John Osborne |
Henry Sidnor, Henry Herne |
1662. |
Richard Wenman |
John Manser, George Mirris |
1663. |
John Croshold |
Robert Bendish, Thomas Thacker |
1664. |
William Heyward |
Hy. Watts, jun., Thos. Chickering |
1665. |
Matthew Marcon |
James Denew, F. Norris died, John Richer |
1666. |
Henry Wood |
Henry Crowe, John Wigget |
1667. |
Thomas Wisse |
Rich. Wenman, Jehosaphat Davy |
1668. |
Roger Hawes |
Isaac Decele, Rowland Cockey |
1669. |
John Lawrence |
John Wrench, Mark Cockey |
1670. |
Augustine Briggs |
William Crowe, Adrian Paine |
1671. |
Thomas Thacker |
Daniel Palmer died, John Lowe, John Toll died, Peter Wigget |
1672. |
Robert Bendish |
John Leverington, R. Clayton died, R. Freeman |
1673. |
Henry Herne |
John Dersley, Hugh Bokenham |
1674. |
Henry Watts, jun. |
Robert Cooke, Thomas Cooke |
John Manser |
William Drake, John Todd |
|
1676. |
Thomas Chickering |
William Helwys, Wm. Permenter |
1677. |
John Richer |
Jeremiah Vynne, Nich. Helwys |
1678. |
Jehosaphat Davy |
Henry Brady, Simon Wissiter |
1679. |
Henry Crowe |
James Brogden, Thomas Seaman |
1680. |
Robert Freeman |
Leonard Osborn, Fras. Gardiner |
1681. |
Hugh Bokenham |
John Westhorp, William Salter |
1682. |
John Lowe |
Philip Stebbing, Laur. Goodwin |
1683. |
William Helwys |
John Lowe, Samuel Warkehouse |
1684. |
Nicholas Helwys |
Nicholas Morley, Mic. Beverley |
1685. |
Francis Gardiner |
Thomas Blofeld, Augustine Briggs |
1686. |
William Salter |
William Guybon, Rich. Brogden |
1687. |
Philip Stebbing |
Nic. Bickerdyde, disp., Tim. Wenn, John Ward |
1688. |
John Wrench |
Thomas Postle, John Atkinson |
1689. |
Thomas Cook |
John Yallop, John Drake |
1690. |
Jeremiah Vynne |
John Albrew, Thomas Turner |
1691. |
Thomas Blofeld |
John Freeman, Roger Salter |
1692. |
Michael Beverley |
Gamaliel Sugden, Peter Thacker |
1693. |
Robert Cook |
Edward Clark, John Hall |
1694. |
John Ward |
Christopher Stallon, Robert Bene |
1695. |
Augustine Briggs |
Samuel Moulton, Richard Pitcher |
1696. |
Nich. Bickerdyke |
William Blithe, Christopher Gibbs |
1697. |
Laurence Goodwin |
John Cook, Augustine Metcalfe |
1698. |
Saml. Warkehouse |
George Gynn, William Cook |
1699. |
Thomas Turner |
Peter Seaman, Thomas Palgrave |
1700. |
Edward Clarke |
John Covel, Thomas Dunch |
1701. |
John Hall |
Matthew Nall, Thomas Havers |
1702. |
John Atkinson |
Nicholas Helwys, John Goose |
1703. |
John Freeman |
Edward Bayspool, Wm. Cockman |
1704. |
William Blithe |
John Riseborough, Ben. Austin |
1705. |
Peter Thacker |
William Brereton, John Norman |
William Cooke |
Peter Attlesey, Anthy. Parmenter |
|
1707. |
Peter Seaman |
Robert Chickering, James Daniel |
1708. |
Thomas Havers |
Thomas Monsey, William Rogers |
1709. |
Matthew Nall |
George Vertue, Thomas Bubbin |
1710. |
Robert Bene |
Henry Shardelow, George Gobbet |
1711. |
William Cockman |
Anthony Ransom, Rich. Manby |
1712. |
John Goose |
Joseph Wasey, Jehosaphat Postle |
1713. |
Nicholas Helwys |
Thomas Vere, Thomas Harwood |
1714. |
John Norman |
Joseph Burton, Richard Lubbock |
1715. |
Peter Attlesey |
Jacob Robins, Samuel Freemoult |
1716. |
Augustine Metcalfe |
Thomas Newton, Richard Mott |
1717. |
Rich. Lubbock d., Thos Bubbin died, Anthony Parmenter |
Edmund Hunton, Edw. Colebourn |
1718. |
Richard Mott |
Benjamin Nuthall, J. Osborn died, D. Meadows |
1719. |
John Hall |
Daniel Fromanteel, Robert Marsh |
1720. |
Edward Coleburn |
John Croshold, John Harvey |
1721. |
Benjamin Nuthall |
Thos. Harmer, Tim. Balderstone |
1722. |
Thomas Newton |
John Pell, Nathaniel Paul |
1723. |
Edmund Hunton |
Francis Arnam, T. Tawell died, J. Custance |
1724. |
John Croshold |
John Black, Philip Meadows |
1725. |
Daniel Fromanteel |
William Clarke, John Langley |
1726. |
John Custance |
Jeremiah Ives, Abraham Yestis |
1727. |
John Harvey |
S. Morgan died, W. Pearce, Robert Harvey |
1728. |
Thomas Harwood |
John Press, John Spurrell |
1729. |
John Black |
Thomas Maltby, Edward King |
1730. |
John Pell |
S. Eakins died, J. Nuthall, Samuel Lillington |
1731. |
Robert Marsh |
Robert Blyford, Joseph Brittan |
Francis Arnam |
Jn. Brown, Barthmw. Balderstone |
|
1733. |
Jeremiah Ives |
John Fromow, John Simpson |
1734. |
Philip Meadows |
Robert Stileman, James Nasmith |
1735. |
Thomas Vere |
Richard Humphry, Wm. Wigget |
1736. |
Tim. Balderstone |
Thomas Johnson, Simeon Waller |
1737. |
John Spurrell |
Charles Maltby, Nathaniel Roe |
1738. |
Robert Harvey |
James Barnham, John Black |
1739. |
William Clarke |
Abraham Larwood, H. S. Patteson |
1740. |
John Nuthall |
Charles Lay died, Thos. Harvey John Wood |
1741. |
Edward King |
John Calver, William Crowe |
1742. |
William Wiggett |
William Greenaway, Thos. Wigg |
1743. |
James Nasmith |
Thomas Ward, Robert Rogers |
1744. |
John Black |
Benjamin Lewis, Edmund Hooke |
1745. |
Simeon Waller |
Joseph Hammont, James Smith |
1746. |
John Wood |
Jos. Hammont, jun., John Gay |
1747. |
William Crowe |
Charles Wace, Philip Stannard |
1748. |
Thomas Harvey |
John Dyball, Jeremiah Ives |
1749. |
Benjamin Nuthall |
Wm. Woolbright, Thos. Hurnard |
1750. |
John Custance |
John Smith, John Cooper |
1751. |
Tim. Balderstone |
John Goodman, Peter Colombine |
1752. |
Thomas Hurnard |
John Tompson, Samuel Harvey |
1753. |
John Press |
Nockold Tompson, J. Fromow died, P. Fromow |
1754. |
John Gay |
Charles Weston, Isaac Lillington |
1755. |
Peter Colombine |
Isaac Houghton, John Simpson |
1756. |
Jeremiah Ives |
Ralph Smith, John Scott |
1757. |
John Goodman |
Wm. Lovick, Thos. Churchman |
1758. |
Robert Rogers |
Barth. Harwood, Daniel Ganning |
1759. |
Nockold Tompson |
Mark Addey, John Dersley |
1760. |
Barth. Harwood |
Chas. Fearman, Jermy Harcourt |
1761. |
Sir T. Churchman, Kt. |
John Patteson, Ben. Hancock |
Jermy Harcourt |
William Cady, John Day |
|
1763. |
Ben. Hancock |
J. Adcock died, J. Ives, jun., James Poole |
1764. |
John Dersley |
Robert Brettingham, John Aldred |
1765. |
James Poole |
Robert Barrett, Thomas Starling |
1766. |
John Patteson |
Robert Harvey, jun., John Addey |
1767. |
Thomas Starling |
Nathaniel Roe, John Ives |
1768. |
John Day |
Charles Codd, Knipe Gobbett |
1769. |
Jeremiah Ives, jun. |
Hewett Rand, Francis Colombine |
1770. |
Rob. Harvey, jun. |
Thomas Ives, James Fisher |
1771. |
Knipe Gobbett |
John L. Watts, James Crowe |
1772. |
Charles Weston |
Richard Peete, David Colombine |
1773. |
John Addey |
R. Matthews died, B. Day, Timothy Matthews |
1774. |
John L. Watts, d. James Crow |
John Thurlow, Roger Kerrison |
1775. |
Richard Peete |
Andrew Chamber, Starling Day |
1776. |
Francis Colombine |
Thos. Troughton, John Bringloe |
1777. |
Nathaniel Roe |
Richard Rust, Thomas Nasmith |
1778. |
Roger Kerrison |
Thos. Primrose, Richard Clarke |
1779. |
John Thurlow |
John Morse, J. Ives Harvey |
1780. |
Benjamin Day |
Andrew Sieley, Robert Partridge |
1781. |
John Morse |
Elias Norgate, Thomas Colman |
1782. |
Starling Day |
Thomas Day, Jeremiah Ives, jun. |
1783. |
J. Ives Harvey |
Gilbert Brownsmith, John Day |
1784. |
Robert Partridge |
Robt. Harvey, jun., John Harvey |
1785. |
Elias Norgate |
T. Emerson, d. C. Weston, jun., John Patteson |
1786. |
Jeremiah Ives, jun. |
William Herring, John Herring |
1787. |
Robt Harvey, jun. |
John Buckle, Thomas Watson |
1788. |
John Patteson |
John Woodrow, James Hudson |
1789. |
Chas. Weston, jun. |
Star. Day, jun., John G. Baseley |
Thomas Watson |
William Cutting, John Tuthill |
|
1791. |
John G. Baseley |
Robert Herring, W. Wilcocks |
1792. |
John Harvey |
John Robinson, James Chase |
1793. |
John Buckle |
John Wells, Charles Reynolds |
1794. |
James Hudson |
John Browne, John Ives |
1795. |
Jeremiah Ives |
Ed. Colman, Peter Chamberlin |
1796. |
William Herring |
John Reynolds, Edmund Reeve |
1797. |
James Crowe |
Hewett Rand, John Stoddart |
1798. |
John Browne |
Thos. Tawell, Thos. A. Kerrison |
1799. |
John Herring |
William Stevenson, John H. Cole |
1800. |
Robert Harvey |
James Hardy, Jonathan Davey |
1801. |
Jeremiah Ives, jun. |
Thos. Back, jun., Robert Ward |
1802. |
Sir R. Kerrison, Kt. |
William Black, James Marsh |
1803. |
John Morse |
Edward Rigby, Joseph Clarke |
1804. |
James Marsh |
John Wright, Barnabas Leman |
1805. |
Edward Rigby |
John Oxley, John H. Yallop |
1806. |
Thos. A. Kerrison |
William Matthews, John Ansell |
1807. |
Robert Herring |
John W. Robberds, Joseph Scott |
1808. |
Starling Day, jun. |
John Steward, Joseph Fitch |
1809. |
Thomas Back, jun. |
James Wade, Phillip Jas. Knights |
1810. |
John Steward |
Francis Morse, Thos. Troughton |
1811. |
John H. Cole |
John S. Patteson, William Hankes |
1812. |
Starling Day |
John Ownsworth, Mar. Fountain |
1813. |
Barnabas Leman |
John Aldis, Christopher Higgin |
1814. |
John W. Robberds |
Crisp Brown, William Burt |
1815. |
John H. Yallop |
Thomas Thurtell, William Foster |
1816. |
William Hankes |
Nath. Bolingbroke, W. Willement |
1817. |
Crisp Brown |
William Burrows, John Lovick |
1818. |
Barnabas Leman |
William Rackham, Richard Shaw |
1819. |
Nath. Bolingbroke |
Robert Hawkes, Edward Taylor |
1820. |
William Burt |
Henry Francis, Edward T. Booth |
1821. |
Wm. Rackham |
Jerem. Graves, Jos. Gibson, jun. |
Robert Hawkes |
Thos. Star. Day, Arthur Beloe |
|
1823. |
John S. Patteson |
Hammond Fisk, William Moore |
1824. |
Henry Francis |
John Angell, Charles Turner |
1825. |
Thos. Star. Day |
Peter Finch, James Brooks |
1826. |
Edw. Tem. Booth |
John Herring, James Bennett |
1827. |
Peter Finch |
J. P. Cocksedge, T. O. Springfield |
1828. |
Thomas Thurtell |
Seth. Wm. Stevenson, Geo. Grout |
1829. |
T. O. Springfield |
Wm. Rye, Sam. Shalders Beare |
1830. |
John Angell |
Samuel Bignold, Isaac Wiseman |
1831. |
John H. Yallop |
William Herring, John Cozens |
1832. |
S. W. Stevenson |
John P. Oxley, William Foster |
1833. |
Samuel Bignold |
W. J. U. Browne, Edw. Steward |
1834. |
Charles Turner |
Wm. Chambers, John Marshall |
1835. |
William Moore |
Ditto to December 31st, 1835 |
Alderman Moore was the last mayor, under the old corporation, by the charter of which the chief magistrate was chosen out of the twenty-four aldermen, by the freemen, on the first of May; and sworn into office, on the Tuesday before the eve of New Midsummer-day.
There were two sheriffs, one chosen by the court of aldermen—the other by the freemen, on the last Tuesday in August, and both sworn into office on New Michaelmas-day.
Under the Municipal Corporation Reform Act, the mayor and sheriff are chosen by the sixteen aldermen and forty-eight councillors, the former from amongst themselves, on the ninth of November, and they enter upon their office on that day.
1836. |
T. O. Springfield (Jan.) |
Horatio Bolingbroke |
1836. |
Thos. Brightwell (Nov.) |
John Bateman |
1837. |
Samuel Shalders Beare |
John Francis |
1838. |
John Marshall |
Henry Woodcock |
1839. |
Philip J. Money |
John Barwell |
1840. |
Edward Willett |
Richard Coaks |
1841. |
John Marshall |
William Storey |
1842. |
Samuel Mitchell |
William Freeman |
William Freeman |
George L. Coleman |
|
1844. |
Sir Wm. Foster, Bart. |
John Betts |
1845. |
John Betts |
Jeremiah Colman |
1846. |
Jeremiah Colman |
Charles Winter |
1847. |
George L. Coleman |
James Watson |
1848. |
Samuel Bignold |
Robert Chamberlin |
1849. |
Henry Woodcock |
James Colman |
1850. |
Henry Woodcock |
Edward Blakely |
1851. |
Charles Winter |
Robert Wiffen Blake |
1852. |
Richard Coaks |
George Womack |
1853. |
Sir Samuel Bignold, Kt. |
Henry Birkbeck |
1854. |
Robert Chamberlin |
Robert John Harvey Harvey |
1855. |
John G. Johnson |
Timothy Steward |
1856. |
Robert Chamberlin |
Robert Seaman |
1857. |
Edward Field |
Charles Crawshay |
1858. |
George Middleton |
Henry Staniforth Patteson |
1859. |
Jacob Henry Tillett |
J. Underwood |
1860. |
W. J. Utten Browne |
Donald Dalrymple |
1861. |
John Oddin Taylor |
Arthur J. Cresswell |
1862. |
Henry Stan. Patteson |
Jeremiah James Colman |
1863. |
Osborn Springfield |
Frederick Brown |
1864. |
Charles Edw. Tuck |
Charles Jecks |
1865. |
Wm. Peter Nichols |
William J. Cubitt |
1866. |
Frederick E. Watson |
W. H. Clabburn |
1867. |
Jeremiah Jas. Colman |
Robert Fitch |
1868. |
Edward K. Harvey |
John Robison |
Recorders of Norwich
1521. |
William Elys |
1522. |
John Spelman |
1563. |
Thomas Gawdy, sen. |
1576. |
Francis Windham |
1582. |
Edward Coke |
1595. |
Robert Houghton |
1603. |
John Silver (Deputy) |
1612. |
Richard Gwynne |
1648. |
Samuel Smith |
1649. |
Erasmus Earl |
Francis Cory |
|
1677. |
Francis Bacon |
1680. |
John Norris |
1683. |
William Earl of Yarmouth |
1684. |
John Warkehouse, (Deputy) |
1688. |
Robert Davy |
1703. |
Stephen Gardiner |
1727. |
Richard Berney |
1737. |
Robert Britiffe |
1743. |
William Brooke |
1752. |
Edward Bacon |
1783. |
John Chambers |
1788. |
Henry Partridge |
1801. |
Charles Harvey |
1826. |
Robert Alderson |
1831. |
Isaac Preston Jermy |
1848. |
Michael Prendergast |
1859. |
Peter F. O’Malley |
The Recorder, whose office is held for life, must be a Barrister; he formerly assisted as Chief Judge in the Mayor’s Court, and was one of the council for the city.
By the Corporation Reform Act the Recorder is sole judge at the Quarter Sessions for the borough and city, and is no longer a member of the corporate body.
Stewards of Norwich.
1521. |
Francis Moundford |
1691. |
Arthur Branthwayt |
1536. |
Edmund Grey |
1703. |
Richard Berney |
1555. |
Richard Catlyn |
1727. |
William Brooke |
1563. |
John Bleverhasset |
1743. |
Francis Larwood |
1585. |
Robert Houghton |
1750. |
Edward Bacon |
1595. |
Henry Hobart |
1752. |
Charles Buckle |
1618. |
William Denny |
1781. |
John Chambers |
1648. |
Erasmus Earl |
1783. |
Charles Harvey |
1650. |
Charles Geo. Cocke |
1803. |
William Firth |
1663. |
William Watts |
1807. |
Robert Alderson |
1677. |
John Norris |
1826. |
Isaac Preston |
1680. |
John Mingay |
1831. |
Fitzroy R. Kelly |
1688. |
Robert Ward |
|
|
The Steward, who must have been a barrister, was appointed for life; he assisted as Chief Judge in the Sheriffs’ Court, and was one of the council for the city. By the Corporation Reform Act the office of Steward was abolished in 1835.
The origin of the See of Norwich is attached to Sigebert, king of the East Angles, who, being in France about the year 630, brought over Felix, a priest of Burgundy, and constituted him bishop, fixing his seat at Dunwich, in Suffolk. About forty years afterwards the diocese was divided, Dunwich and North Elmham having each a bishop, and this continued till the year 870, when the two sees were again united under Wybred at Elmham. Owing to the devastations of the piratical Danes the see remained vacant nearly one hundred years, but was restored by Theodored, in 995 according to the common account; but there is evidence which tends to prove that he was bishop in 945, if not before. During the reign of William I. the see was removed to Thetford, and in the year 1094 it was finally settled in Norwich. This added greatly to the importance of the city, and made it the capital of East Anglia.
The diocese, as to its seat, has continued unchanged since 1094, and as to its extent and government has been but slightly modified. The most prominent p. 707bishops have been Losinga, who established the see at Norwich and founded the cathedral, and John Grey or Gray, who governed Ireland, divided it into counties, placed it under English laws, fought in France, and captured fortresses there,—for bishops were fighting men in those days; Pandulph, who excommunicated King John Lackland; W. Middleton, who acted as Guardian of the Kingdom; John Salmon and William de Ermine, who were Lord Chancellors; and Bateman, who founded Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Others less noted were Henry le Spencer, who fought as a soldier for the pope on shore, and as an English admiral at sea; Richard Courtenay, who died at the siege of Harfleur; John de Wakering, who was Lord Privy Seal; Nykke, known as the blind bishop, who conducted a traitorous correspondence with the pope; William Rugge, who deprived the see of its barony; Parkhurst, who was famous for entertaining Oxford scholars; Scambler, called “the scandalous;” John Jeggon, called “the wag;” Montague, called “the excellent;” Corbet, called the “merry wit;” Hall, “the saintly;” Overall and Sparrow, “the learned;” and Bathurst, “the good,” who pleaded for Catholic emancipation. Three of the dignitaries, J. Harpsfield, H. Prideaux, and T. Sherlock, became cardinals; one, John, became archbishop of Smyrna; and one, Montgomery, became bishop of Meath.
The cathedral establishment includes the bishop, the dean, three archdeacons, four canons, twenty-four hon. canons, four minor canons, and a chancellor. The income of the bishop is £4,500; that of each of p. 708the archdeacons is £200; and that of the other archdeacon is £184. The diocese comprises all Norfolk except the parishes of Emneth and Brandon, and all Suffolk except the deaneries of Thedwaster and Thingoe, and parts of the deaneries of Clare, Fordham, and Sudbury; and it is divided into the archdeaconries of Norwich, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Population, 743,000; acres, 1,994,535; deaneries, 41; benefices, 908; curates, 253; church sittings, 294,177. A few more particulars may be stated respecting some of the earlier prelates.
After the Reformation the following were the bishops of Norwich in the 16th century:—
Richard Cox |
A.D. 1558. |
Translated to Ely. |
|
John Parkhurst, D.D. |
1560. |
A friend of Oxford scholars. |
|
Edmund Freke, D.D. |
1575. |
Translated from Rochester and afterwards removed to Worcester. |
|
Edmund Scambler, D.D. |
A.D. 1584. |
Translated from Peterborough. |
|
William Redman, D.D. |
1594. |
p. 712The following were bishops of Norwich in the 17th century:—
John Jeggon, D.D. |
A.D. 1602. |
In his time a fire broke out in the palace at Ludham and consumed the whole of the library, and many valuable documents respecting the diocese. |
|
John Overall, D.D. |
A.D. 1618. |
Translated from Lichfield and Coventry. |
|
Samuel Harsnett, D.D. |
1619. |
Translated from Chichester, and afterwards became archbishop of York. |
|
Francis White, D.D. |
A.D. 1628. |
Translated from Carlisle, afterwards removed to Ely. |
|
Richard Corbet, D.D. |
A.D. 1631. |
Matthew Wren, D.D. |
1635. |
Translated from Hereford and afterwards removed to Ely. He was father of the celebrated architect, Sir Christopher Wren. |
|
Richard Montague, D.D. |
A.D. 1636. |
A distinguished scholar, translated from Chichester. |
|
Joseph Hall, D.D. |
A.D. 1641. |
Translated from Exeter. During the civil wars he was sent to the tower for asserting his right to vote in the house of peers; and parliament deprived him of his temporalities, and prohibited him from exercising any spiritual jurisdiction. The See was vacant four years. |
|
Edward Reynolds, D.D. |
A.D. 1660. |
Was a liberal benefactor to the city of Norwich, and paid much attention to the comforts of the parochial clergy. |
|
A.D. 1676. |
|
Translated from Exeter. |
|
William Lloyd, D.D. |
1686. |
Translated from Peterborough. On the accession of William III., refusing to take the oath of abjuration against James II., he was deprived of his bishopric. |
|
John Moore, D.D. |
A.D. 1691. |
Translated to Ely. He collected a large library of rare books, which, at his death, was purchased by George I. and presented to the University of Cambridge. |
|
The following were the bishops of Norwich in the 18th century:—
Charles Trimnell, D.D. |
A.D. 1707. |
Translated to Winchester. He was a native of Norwich, and greatly assisted the Protestant emigrants who fled to his diocese from the Palatinate on the Rhine, through the irruptions and exactions of the French. Many of these emigrants were artisans, and greatly increased the general welfare of the city and county. |
|
Thomas Green, D.D. |
A.D. 1721. |
Translated to Ely. |
|
John Leng, D.D. |
1723. |
William Baker, D.D. |
1727. |
Translated from Bangor. |
|
Robert Butts, D.D. |
1732. |
Translated to Ely. |
|
Sir Thomas Gooch, Bart., D.D. |
1738. |
Translated from Bristol and afterwards removed to Ely. |
|
A.D. 1748. |
|
Translated from St. Asaph. |
|
Thomas Hayter, D.D. |
1749. |
Translated to London. |
|
Philip Yonge, D.D. |
1761. |
Lewis Bagot, LL.D. |
1783. |
Translated from Bristol and afterwards removed to St. Asaph. |
|
George Horne, D.D. |
A.D. 1790. |
Author of a “Commentary on the Psalms,” and other works of considerable merit, more especially an “Introduction to the Study of the Bible.” |
|
During the present century the following eminent divines have been bishops of Norwich:—
|
A.D. |
William Castleton, the last Prior, was made the first dean of the Cathedral |
1538. |
John Salisbury, suffragan bishop of Thetford, was made dean on the resignation of William Castleton, and deprived about 1553 |
1539. |
John Christopherson; afterwards bishop of Chichester |
1554. |
John Boxall. Resigned |
1557. |
John Harpsfield (Archdeacon of London.) Deprived 1560 |
1558. |
John Salisbury, restored. Buried in the Cathedral |
1560. |
George Gardiner. Buried in the Cathedral |
1573. |
Thomas Dove: afterwards bishop of Peterborough |
1589. |
1601. |
|
George Montgomery (bishop of Meath). Resigned |
1603. |
Edmund Suckling. Buried in the Cathedral |
1614. |
John Hassall. Died 1654: buried at North Creake |
1628. |
Void till after the Restoration. |
|
John Crofts. Buried in the Cathedral |
1660. |
Herbert Astley. Buried in the Cathedral |
1670. |
John Sharp. Removed to Canterbury |
1681. |
Henry Fairfax. Buried in the Cathedral |
1689. |
Humphrey Prideaux. Author of a learned work entitled “Connection of the Old and New Testament.” Buried in the Cathedral |
1702. |
Thomas Cole. Buried in the chancel of East Raynham church |
1724. |
Robert Butts: afterwards bishop |
1731. |
John Baron (Archdeacon of Norfolk). Buried at Saxlingham |
1733. |
Thomas Bullock. Died May, 1760. Buried in the Cathedral, at the extreme east end |
1739. |
Edward Townshend |
1761. |
Philip Lloyd. Buried in the choir of the Cathedral |
1765. |
Joseph Turner. Buried in the choir of the Cathedral |
1790. |
The Honourable George Pellew. Buried at Great Chart |
1828. |
Edward Meyrick Goulburn, D.D., Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen |
1866. |
Bishop.
The Hon. and Rt. Rev. JOHN THOMAS PELHAM, D.D. 1857.
Chancellor of the Diocese.
Worshipful E. Howes, Esq., M.A., M.P., 1868.
Archdeacons.
Norwich, Ven. A. M. Hopper, M.A. |
1868 |
Norfolk, Ven. W. Arundell Bouverie, B.D. |
1850 |
Suffolk, Right Rev. Bishop Ryan, D.D. |
1868 |
Examining Chaplains.
Rev. J. J. S. Perowne, B.D., and Rev. T. T. Perowne, B.D.
Registrars: Rev. E. S. Bathurst and John Kitson, Esq.
Deputy Registrar: W. T. Bensly, Esq.
Secretaries to the Bishop.
J. Kitson, Esq., Norwich; J. B. Lee, Esq., Dean’s Yard, Westminster.
Assistant Secretary; W. T. Bensly, Esq., Norwich.
Registrars of the Archdeaconries.
Norwich, Edward Steward, Esq., Norwich.
Norfolk, Henry Hansell, Esq., Norwich.
Suffolk, C. R Steward, Esq., Ipswich.
Proctor for the Chapter, Rev. Canon Heaviside, M.A.
Proctor for the Archdeaconries of Norfolk & Norwich, Rev. H. Howell, M.A.
Proctor for the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, Rev. W. Potter, M.A.
DEAN.
The Very Rev. EDWARD MEYRICK GOULBURN, D.D., 1866.
Canons.
A. Sedgwick, LL.D. |
1834 |
C. K. Robinson, D.D. |
1861 |
J. W. L. Heaviside, M.A. |
1860 |
J. M. Nisbet, M.A. |
1867 |
High Steward of the Cathedral.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley 1866.
Honorary Canons.
Hon. E. S. Keppel, M.A. |
1844 |
Hon. K. H. Digby, M.A. |
1858 |
Archdn. Bouverie, B.D. |
1847 |
R. H. Groome, M.A. |
1858 |
Bishop of Columbia, D.D. |
1850 |
Thomas Mills, M.A. |
1859 |
Edw. J. Moor, B.A. |
1850 |
W. F. Patteson, M.A. |
1860 |
W. H. Parker, M.A. |
1852 |
H. R. Nevill, M.A. |
1861 |
Robert Eden, M.A. |
1852 |
W. Howorth, M.A. |
1863 |
Wm. Potter, M.A. |
1853 |
S. Everard, M.A. |
1863 |
Wm. Jackman, M.A. |
1853 |
J. Lee-Warner, M.A. |
1863 |
Archdn. Hopper, M.A. |
1854 |
E. F. E. Hankinson, M.A. |
1863 |
W. R. Colbeck, B.D. |
1856 |
R. Blakelock, M.A. |
1864 |
R. Collyer, M.A. |
1856 |
W. Blyth, M.A. |
1868 |
Hinds Howell, M.A. |
1856 |
G. King, M.A. |
1868 |
Minor Canons.
J. C. Matchett, M.A., Sacrist |
1824 |
E. Bulmer, M.A. |
1865 |
H. Symonds, M.A., Precentor |
1844 |
J. S. Müller, M.A. |
1865 |
Chapter Clerk, John Kitson, Esq.
Organist, Dr. Z. Buck.
The following is a list of the clergy of Norwich, revised to the time of our going to press.
Rural Dean—Rev. W. F. Patteson, Vicar of St. Helen.
Benefice. |
Pop. |
Incumbent. |
Wh. Inst. |
Curate. |
Ch. Acc. |
All Saints St. Julian, R. |
667 |
Kant W. |
1868 |
|
150 |
St. Andrew, V. |
978 |
Copeman A. C. |
1857 |
|
700 |
St. Augustine, R. |
1890 |
Rackham M. J. |
1848 |
|
240 |
St. Benedict, V. |
1381 |
Dombrain J. |
1865 |
|
300 |
St. Clement, R. |
3961 |
Rigg R. |
1842 |
|
350 |
Christ Church, V. |
|
Wade R. |
1852 |
|
629 |
St. Edmund, R. |
753 |
Taylor T. |
1864 |
|
425 |
St. Etheldred, V. |
614 |
Bishop W. |
1865 |
|
100 |
St. George Colegate, V. |
1607 |
Durdin A. W. |
1852 |
|
380 |
St. George Tombland, V. |
687 |
Trimmer K. |
1842 |
|
400 |
St. Giles, V. |
1586 |
Ripley W. N. |
1859 |
Brownjohn J. |
600 |
St. Gregory, V. |
934 |
Wortley J. |
1864 |
|
500 |
St. Helen, V. |
507 |
Patteson W. F. |
1824 |
|
289 |
St. James, V. Pockthorpe and Barracks |
3408 |
Pringle A. D. |
1865 |
|
340 |
St. John Maddermkt, R. |
537 |
Price G. F. |
1863 |
|
461 |
St. John Sepulchre, V. |
2219 |
Moore W. T. |
1865 |
|
300 |
St. John Timberhill, V. |
1302 |
Titlow S. |
1831 |
|
400 |
St. Julian, R. |
1361 |
See All Saints |
|
|
150 |
St. Lawrence, R. |
877 |
Hillyard E. A. |
1861 |
|
600 |
St. Margaret, R. |
664 |
Cobb J. W. |
1848 |
|
500 |
St. Martin at Palace, V. |
1085 |
Barker R. W. |
1866 |
|
360 |
St. Martin at Oak, V. |
2546 |
Caldwell C. |
1858 |
|
300 |
St. Mary Coslany, V. |
1498 |
Morse C. |
1851 |
|
250 |
St. Mary in the Marsh, V. (Bishop’s Chapel) |
451 |
Matchett J. C. |
1824 |
|
120 |
St. Michael Coslany, R. |
1365 |
Kidd R. H. |
1867 |
|
600 |
St. Michael at Plea, R. |
379 |
Morse C. |
1839 |
|
200 |
St. Michael at Thorn. |
2121 |
Davies A. |
1865 |
|
379 |
St. Paul, R. |
2907 |
|
1826 |
|
430 |
St. Peter Hungate, R. |
399 |
Titlow S. |
1839 |
|
200 |
St. Peter Mancroft, V. |
2575 |
Turner C. |
1848 |
Ram E. |
1000 |
St. Peter per Mountergate, V. |
2868 |
Durst J. |
1862 |
Hull B. |
400 |
St. Peter Southgate, R. |
457 |
Bishop W. |
1865 |
|
120 |
St. Saviour, V. |
1532 |
Cooke W. H. |
1856 |
|
400 |
St. Simon & St. Jude, R. |
283 |
|
|
Osborne J. F. |
450 |
St. Stephen, V. |
4191 |
Baldwin C. |
1863 |
|
700 |
St. Swithin, R. |
699 |
Slipper W. A. |
1865 |
|
350 |
p. 720The following are the clergy of the Hamlets not included in the Deanery of Norwich.
Benefice. |
Pop. |
Incumbent. |
Wh. Inst. |
Curate. |
Ch. Acc. |
Earlham, V. with Bowthorpe (no church) |
195 |
Payne J. H. |
1849 |
|
120 |
Eaton, V. |
930 |
Weston F. |
1865 |
|
200 |
Heigham, R. |
13894 |
Dixon J. G. |
1868 |
Rust J. C. Sharley G. |
250 |
,, Holy Trinity, R. |
|
Rust C. T. |
1865 |
|
1100 |
,, St. Philip, V. |
|
Nash T. A. |
1868 |
|
|
Hellesdon, R. |
496 |
Howell H. |
1855 |
Cornford J. |
100 |
Lakenham St. Mark, V. |
3808 |
Garry N. T. |
1861 |
Morse A. S. Leach J. |
840 |
Thorpe St. Matthew, V. |
2388 |
Owen J. S. |
1869 |
|
518 |
Trowse, V. |
1404 |
Pownall A. |
1860 |
|
300 |
with Lakenham, V. |
2079 |
|
|
|
200 |
|
Baptist. |
Acc. |
Rev. Geo. Gould |
St. Mary’s Chapel |
900 |
Rev. Thos. Foston |
St. Clement’s Chapel |
900 |
Rev. R. B. Clare |
Priory Yard Chapel |
400 |
Rev. C. H. Hosken |
Gildencroft Chapel |
500 |
Rev. W. Hawkins |
Cherry Lane Chapel |
250 |
Rev. J. Brunt |
Orford Hill Chapel |
500 |
Rev. R. Govett |
Surrey Road Chapel |
1100 |
Rev. H. Trevor |
Pottergate Street Chapel |
100 |
Independent. |
||
Rev. J. Hallett |
Old Meeting Chapel |
700 |
Rev. Philip Colborne |
Chapel in the Field |
900 |
Rev. G. S. Barrett |
Prince’s Street Chapel |
1000 |
Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion. |
||
Rev. Burford Hooke |
The Tabernacle Chapel |
1000 |
Rev. J. J. J. Kempster |
Dereham Road Chapel |
100 |
Wesleyan Methodist. |
||
Rev. Hugh Jones Rev. Wesley Butters Rev. George Boggis |
Lady’s Lane Chapel |
1000 |
Rev. J. Schofield |
Calvert Street and New City Chapel |
1200 |
Rev. R. Abercrombie, M.A. |
|
900 |
Primitive Methodist. |
||
Rev. J. Scott |
St. Catherine’s Plain Chapel |
600 |
Rev. R. Betts |
Cowgate Street Chapel |
300 |
Rev. B. Bell |
Dereham Road Chapel |
700 |
Free Church. |
||
Rev. J. Crompton |
Dutch Church |
600 |
Unitarian. |
||
Rev. J. D. H. Smyth |
Octagon Chapel |
750 |
Presbyterian. |
||
Rev. W. A. Mc Allan |
St. Peter’s Hall |
800 |
Catholic Apostolic Church. |
||
Rev. A. Inglis, B.A. |
Clement Court, Redwell Street |
200 |
Roman Catholics. |
||
Rev. P. Costello / Rev. R. Sumner |
Willow Lane Chapel |
400 |
Rev. Canon Dalton |
St. John’s Chapel |
600 |
Jews. |
||
Rev. S. Caro |
The Synagogue, St. Faith’s Lane |
150 |
Nearly all of the Religious Institutions in Norwich have arisen during the present century, and annual meetings are held on their behalf. But the Bible Society, the most important of them all, has been supported by both Churchmen and Dissenters. It was founded in 1811, since which year it has distributed 323,000 bibles in the city and county, and remitted to the Parent Society more than £120,000. The late J. J. Gurney was an ardent supporter of this society, and delivered his last great speech on its behalf at an annual meeting in St. Andrew’s Hall.
Of the other societies the Church Missionary Society has taken the lead, and the Lord Bishop of the diocese has generally presided. This society was instituted here in 1813, and it has raised more than £70,000. The Rev. Edward Bickersteth, one of its founders and its first secretary, was partner with Thomas Bignold, Esq., solicitor of this city (brother to Sir Samuel Bignold), whose sister he married. At the first meeting in St. Andrew’s Hall, upwards of £700 was collected. Mr. Bickersteth was ordained in 1815 by Bishop Bathurst, and after visiting Africa on p. 723behalf of the mission, became secretary of the Parent Society.
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts is, however, the oldest missionary society of the Church of England, and annual meetings on its behalf have been held here all through the present century. It has two objects in view—first, by carrying the gospel to our colonists to prevent christians from becoming heathens in faith and practice; second, to make heathens christians. The work of the society has been chiefly in our colonies. In following the direction of its original charter, the society has been vindicated by the practice of other more recent missionary societies of the Church of England.
The Church Pastoral Aid Society was instituted in the year 1835, for the purpose of supplying assistance to the incumbents of large and populous parishes, to enable them to obtain the help of additional curates and lay agents. Aid is now afforded to 548 incumbents, and the grants of the society, when all occupied, are for 502 curates and 181 lay assistants. Meetings are held here every year in support of the parent institution. The total receipts for the year ending March 31st, 1868, were £57,019 16s. 7d., and the expenditure £64,065 16s. 3d.
The Norwich Diocesan Church Association was established in 1862. Its object was to combine, as far as possible, Churchmen of every shade of political and religious opinion in the support of the established church, particularly as regards all questions affecting its welfare, likely to become the subject of legislation, p. 724and generally in the promotion of measures calculated to increase its stability and usefulness; but points of doctrine are never brought under discussion. Annual meetings are held every year on the second Thursday after Easter, when reports are read, and the officers and committee elected. This society comprises 800 members, one half of whom are laymen.
The Norwich Diocesan Church Building Association was established on October 20th, 1836. It is in union with the Incorporated Society for promoting the enlargement, building, and repairing of churches and chapels in England and Wales. The patron is the Earl of Leicester, and the president the Lord Bishop of the diocese. Grants have been made to many parishes in this county.
The Norfolk Book Hawking Association was established in December, 1855, for the sale, throughout the county of Norfolk, by the agency of licensed hawkers, of bibles, prayer books, tracts, and prints of a religious and instructive character. In the year ending August 31st, 1868, the number of bibles, testaments, prayer books, church services, tracts, and prints sold, amounted to 11,449, the receipts being £523 1s. 11½d. The receipts for the year (including a balance of £56 2s. 5d.,) were £759 18s. 4d., and the expenditure amounted to £722 9s. 1½d., leaving a balance in hand of £37 9s. 2½d. President, the Lord Bishop of the diocese.
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge was founded in the year 1698. The Norwich Auxiliary is of later date. During the year 1868 the committee p. 725forwarded to the Parent Society contributions amounting to £154, in addition to donations of £30 from the local fund; and the sale of books at the depository realised £350, viz., for bibles and testaments, 1,489; prayer books, 3,731; other books, 16,993; total, 22,213. By the rules of this society all its members must be of the established church. Its principal object is the distribution of the Holy Scriptures at home and abroad, and other religious books which are calculated to diffuse christian knowledge.
The Norwich Churchman’s Club was instituted in the early part of the year 1868, mainly through the exertions of the Rev. F. Meyrick, for the moral and mental improvement of young men in the city. For these purposes a reading room has been established, supplied with books, periodicals, and newspapers. Lectures are delivered and classes have been formed for secular and religious instruction. About 100 honorary, and 200 reading-room members have been enrolled.
Annual meetings have also been held here on behalf of the London Missionary Society, which is chiefly supported by Independents; on behalf of the Baptist Missions, the Wesleyan Missions, and other missions to the heathen; the Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews; and also on behalf of the Norwich City Mission, a society which has been of great benefit in improving the spiritual condition of the poor. A full account of the operations of this mission would exhibit the social state of the city far better than any elaborate description.
p. 726Turning our attention now to the question of Education, it will not be too much to say that Norwich has always been the head quarters of education in the eastern counties, on account both of the number and the character of the schools, some of which have produced very eminent men. The Grammar School is a far-famed ancient institution. It was originally founded and endowed by the bishops of the See who collated the masters, and the archdeacon of Norwich inducted them. The Singing and Grammar Schools belonging to the Convent were kept in the Almonry, the masters of which were frequently collated by the bishop on the Convent’s nomination, and as soon as inducted they generally published the bishop’s inhibition, prohibiting all other persons from teaching grammar or singing in the city. At the Reformation they were dissolved; and the present Free Grammar School was appointed, and took the name of Edward VI. It is divided into the upper and lower schools, has considerable endowments, and an interest in fifteen scholarships at Cambridge. It has afforded instruction to many distinguished scholars, including Archbishop Parker, Bishops Cousin, T. Green, Maltby, and Monk, Dr. Caius, the founder of Caius College at Cambridge, Wild, the learned tailor, Admiral Lord Nelson, Coke, Rajah Brooke, and many others. The Commercial School, in Bridge Street, shares the same endowments, and affords instruction to more than 200 boys.
The report of the Schools Inquiry Commission, which was issued in March, 1868, and is the most comprehensive on the subject of the education of the p. 727upper and middle classes that has yet appeared, is very favourable as regards the Norwich Grammar and Commercial Schools, but quite the reverse respecting the schools in the county. Norwich Grammar School is stated to have been established in 1547. The gross income of the charity is £1558. The endowment of the school is £662. The course of instruction is classical, under a head master and competent teachers. This is no doubt the best school for the classics, but the Commercial School is the most useful to the citizens.
Mr. Hammond, the assistant commissioner, in the report upon endowed schools says, that no education, preparatory to the University, is supplied in Norfolk, except at the Grammar Schools of Norwich, Holt, and King’s Lynn, in none of which does it, except in Norwich, “engross very much of the teacher’s time and attention, nor is it anywhere carried out to the same perfection as at such schools as Marlborough College and the City of London School. In Norfolk, Latin, so far as it went, was in the endowed schools generally satisfactory. But hardly any boy could have been set to write five consecutive lines of Latin, not taken from the exercise book. It is fair to add that Norwich sacrifices nothing to it. In mathematics, modern languages, and general literature, the school has few equals; and certainly none superior in the county. French is in Norfolk a recognised study in classical schools, as well as in most of the semi-classical schools; is very good, and in all but one satisfactory. In the non-classical schools, French, p. 728when attempted, is worthless. Arithmetic is in the great majority of Norfolk schools practically, and perhaps educationally, the most important subject taught, and a large portion of time and attention is assigned to it.”
Only at a few schools is any useful knowledge of Algebra given, and only at Norwich Grammar School does it extend beyond the solution of quadratic equations. Euclid is not learnt in a very satisfactory manner; it is taught too exclusively by papers in Norfolk. Of natural science no real or substantial knowledge is imparted. Of English subjects, history is the least taught and the worst learnt. English literature is hardly taught at all, yet it is the noblest literature in the world.
Mr. Hammond says that in Norfolk it is simply impossible to establish a classical day school without boarders. At Norwich, Yarmouth, and possibly Kings Lynn, semi-classical day schools might, under very favourable circumstances, remunerate an able certificated teacher, but no private day school in these towns is any better than a national school; a fortiori, this is true of smaller towns and villages.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Hospital Schools were founded, in 1618, by Thomas Anguish; admit on the foundation sixty-nine boys and fifty girls; allow to each boy £10 yearly for board with parents or friends; the girls are boarded and lodged at the new School Rooms in Lakenham. The schools have an endowed income of £2,097 in the boys’ department, and £1,012 in the girls’ department. Baron’s School has an endowed income p. 729of £536. Scott’s School has £137; Balderstone’s School has also £137; Norman’s School has £650, and maintains thirty boys; and several other schools have endowments. The Lancasterian School, in College Court, has room for 300 children, and is supported by Nonconformists. The School for the Blind, in Magdalen Street, was founded in 1805 at a cost of £1,000, and has an income of £1,300 yearly, and is open to the blind from every part of the kingdom.
The Norwich Diocesan National School Society, established in 1812, has contributed £250 per annum towards the support of schools in the city and county, and has supported an institution for training mistresses for the charge of schools. These trained teachers have been in great demand all over the diocese. The Norwich charity schools are church schools, nine in number, and they have afforded instruction to a large number of boys and girls. But the education of the poor in this city has not been left entirely to the church, as there are many British schools supported by all classes of Nonconformists.
In early times the monks or the clergy were the schoolmasters. Their schools, when not carried on within the walls of a monastery, were, and have been called, Grammar Schools, up to the present time. Other similar schools have also been established from time to time in various parts of the district, some for educating the sons of the poor, and others for the middle classes. The population of the country, however, increased so rapidly, and the people were so p. 730ignorant, that no comparison can be made with the present state of society. Dr. Bell introduced the monitorial system, in 1796, and warmly advocated its adoption as the most effectual means of rapidly extending popular instruction. It was as warmly received, and he was chiefly instrumental in establishing the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the principles of the Established Church. This society was started in 1811, and has been very successful. The British and Foreign Society was established shortly before upon the principles advocated by Lancaster, of allowing the bible to be read in the schools without note or comment.
A great change has taken place as regards the intelligence and morals of the people, and this may be attributed to the vast increase in the number of day and Sunday schools. Popular education is almost the creation of the present century, although the day-school epoch may be dated from the year 1796, when the youthful quaker, Joseph Lancaster, began to teach children in his father’s house at Southwark. Lancaster was an enthusiast in his calling, and acted as much in the character of a guardian to his scholars as a master, and whilst often charging nothing for his instruction, he fed his pupils as well. No wonder that he had at one time 1000 scholars.
According to the census of 1851, the city contained then 45 public day schools, with 5,207 scholars; 10 private day schools, with 2,553 scholars; and 55 Sunday schools, with 6,859 scholars, which number p. 731has since been very greatly increased. About twenty-nine of the Sunday schools, with 2,650 scholars, belonged to the Church of England; and twenty-six Sunday schools with more scholars belonged to the Dissenters. Five schools with 534 scholars were endowed schools; thirteen with 1,915 scholars were church schools; ten with 712 scholars were national schools; five with 546 scholars were dissenting British schools. All the rest belonged to the Non-conformists.
According to the census of 1861, the Norwich Parochial Charity Schools afforded instruction, on the national system, to more than 700 boys and 400 girls. The Model School for boys numbered 400, and that for girls 300 scholars. New schoolrooms had been built in Heigham, Lakenham, Thorpe, and various parts of the city; and the bishops, the clergy, and ministers of all denominations zealously promoted the educational movement. A great change has, as might consequently have been expected, taken place for the better as regards the morals and intelligence of the mass of the citizens, and this may be attributed in a great measure to the number of day and Sunday schools. Crimes are not now of so frequent occurrence as formerly. The magistrates and police have less to do; and churches and chapels are more numerous, and better filled and supported.
While the population has been increasing and schools becoming more numerous in this city, some means of continuing the education of young men seemed to be required, and this want has been in a measure p. 732supplied by the establishment of popular literary institutions. Of these there have been several at various periods, including the Mechanics’ Institution, the Athenæum, the People’s College, and the Young Men’s Institute, all of which are now defunct, and in their places we have a Young Men’s Christian Association, and a Church of England Young Men’s Association; the former having about 400 and the latter 200 members. Of both of these the object is to promote the religious, moral, social, and intellectual well-being of young men, and we are happy to be able to say that their work is most energetically and efficiently accomplished. There are also a School of Art and a Free Library, both of which we have already noticed at pages 431 and 432.
As might also be expected, the growth of education and the spread of religion have led to that which always, sooner or later, comes out of the improved intellectual and moral condition of society—the establishment of a large number of benevolent institutions with various noble purposes. Perhaps it would be quite within the bounds of the strictest truth to say that there is hardly a city or town in the kingdom, of the same population and extent as Norwich, in which a greater amount of genuine charity exists, and where institutions for the relief and comfort of the sick and the poor are more abundant. In fact these are so numerous in Norwich that we cannot even mention them. We may say, however, that amongst them are the Norwich District Visiting Society for relieving the sick poor at their own houses, established at a p. 733public meeting held on January 16th, 1815; the Norwich Public Dispensary, instituted in the year 1804, for the purpose of giving advice, medicine, and attendance free of expense to indigent persons unable to pay for the same; the Jenny Lind Infirmary for sick children, established on May 30th, 1853, by the proceeds of a concert, when the Swedish Nightingale was the principal vocalist; the Benevolent Association for the relief of decayed tradesmen, their widows and orphans, established here on November 16th, 1790; the Norwich Magdalen or Female Home, established in 1826, for the reclamation of females who have deviated from the paths of virtue; the Orphans’ Home, established in 1849, for training orphan girls for domestic service; the Soup Charity, established in 1840, for supplying the poor with a nutritious soup at a low price in winter; the Bethel Hospital, erected in 1713, for the support and treatment of poor lunatics at a very moderate charge; the Blind Hospital, founded in 1805 by Thomas Tawell, a blind gentleman, for teaching the blind to read and work; the Old Man’s or St. Giles’ Hospital in Bishopgate Street, founded by Edward VI. as an almshouse; Doughty’s Hospital in Calvert Street, founded by William Doughty, gentleman, in 1687, for twenty-four poor men and eight poor women; and, most valuable of all, the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital for the relief of sick and lame poor. This last, in fact, is an institution of such importance, and is accomplishing so important a use, that we deem it deserving of a more extended notice. This noble institution is an extensive brick p. 734building situated on St. Stephens Road. It was erected in 1771 at a cost of more than £21,000, including about £8,000 expended on subsequent additions and improvements. It has been considerably enlarged at different times, and it is fitted up with all the latest improvements. It was commenced by the voluntary contributions of the benevolent, and has received many donations and legacies. It has been well supported by a long list of annual subscribers. In 1867 the annual subscriptions amounted to £2038 14s. 0d.; benefactions, £422 3s. 4d.; collections, £313 1s. 7d.; legacies, £124 4s. 10d.; dividends and interest, £745 15s. 1d.; sundries, £62 0s. 4d.; total, £3785 19s. 2d. The expenditure in that year amounted to £4935 9s. 3d. The stock purchased since 1770 amounts to £23,976 12s. 7d. The stock sold since 1770, £4890 4s. 4d. Present stock, £22,091 9s. 5d.—3 per cents. Bank stock, £166 13s. 4d. From 1824 to 1864 the institution received £6018 1s. 9d. from the profits of the Triennial Festivals in St. Andrew’s Hall. From the opening of the hospital in 1772 to January 1st, 1868, in-door patients 56,828, out-door 52,387. Daily average number of in-patients, 133; average number of days of each, 43. The physicians and surgeons attend in turn to take in-patients every Saturday at 11 a.m., and every Wednesday at the same hour to prescribe for the out-patients, gratuitously.
The affairs of the institution are superintended by a board of management, selected annually from the governors, who consist of persons who have contributed thirty guineas or upwards at one time; and that the p. 735institution is managed well is sufficiently attested by the vast amount of good which, through a long series of years, it has successfully effected, and the cordial support which it has uniformly received from the nobility, gentry, and trading community of both city and county. Doubtless it is a noble exemplification of true Christian Charity, and it is earnestly to be hoped that as years pass on its means of usefulness will be more and more extended by the increasing sympathy and support of an appreciative public.
JUSTICES.
Nath. Palmer (Barrister-at-Law) |
Edward Copeman, M.D. |
Horatio Bolingbroke, Esq. |
Sir Robert. J. H. Harvey |
Edward Willett, Esq. |
C. E. Bignold, Esq. |
Sir Samuel Bignold |
William J. Utten Browne, Esq. |
John Godwin Johnson, Esq. |
Frederick Brown, Esq. |
Osborn Springfield, Esq. |
W. H. Clabburn, Esq. |
Abel Towler, Esq. |
Colonel Cockburn |
John Betts Esq. |
E. K. Harvey, Esq. |
Robert W. Blake, Esq. |
J. M. Venning, Esq. |
John Sultzer, Esq. |
Robert Fitch, Esq. |
Robert Chamberlin, Esq. |
Henry Willett, Esq. |
Henry Woodcock, Esq. |
|
The following Gentlemen hold the Commission but do not act—
H. Browne, Esq. |
J. H. Gurney, Esq. |
The following Gentlemen hold the Commission bat do not reside within the city—
William Freeman, Esq. |
Robert Seaman, Esq. |
G. Middleton, Esq. |
Elected under the Municipal Act of 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76, passed September 9th, 1835, and the Acts amending the same.
Mayor—E. K. Harvey, Esq.
Deputy Mayor—Jeremiah James Colman, Esq.
Sheriff—John Robison, Esq.
Recorder—Peter Frederick O’Malley, Esq., Q.C.
William Boswell |
John Ferra Watson |
John M. Croker |
Robert Fitch |
J. G. J. Bateman |
John Pymar |
Henry S. Patteson |
Philip Back |
Charles Edw. Tuck |
John Oddin Taylor |
E. Copeman, M.D. |
Francis G. Foster |
Jacob Henry Tillett |
James Dawbarn |
|
John Underwood |
William Hall |
|
First Ward—The parishes of Sts. Helen, Martin at Palace, Simon and Jude, Michael at Plea, Peter at Hungate, George of Tombland, and Peter per Mountergate, and the Precincts of the Cathedral, and the Liberty of the Bishop’s Palace.
John B. Morgan |
John Hotblack |
Joseph H. Allen |
E. K. Harvey (May.) |
Robt. P. Wiseman |
James Steward |
Second Ward—The parishes of Sts. Andrew, John of Maddermarket, Gregory, Lawrence, Margaret, and Swithin.
Simms Reeve |
John Boyce |
John Copeman |
Robert Thorns |
Harry Bullard |
A. M. F. Morgan |
Third Ward—The parishes of Sts. Benedict and Giles, and the hamlets of Heigham and Earlham.
George Gedge |
Samuel Grimmer |
Joseph Stanley |
Charles S. Gilman |
Charles Thorn |
Robert Daws |
Fourth Ward—The parish of Sts. Peter Mancroft.
Isaac Bugg Coaks |
Sir Wm. Foster, Bt. |
John Youngs |
Carlos Cooper |
J. J. Colman (Deputy Mayor) |
Edward Wild |
Fifth Ward—The parishes of Sts. Stephen, John’s Timberhill, and All Saints, the Town Close, and the hamlet of Eaton.
G. C. Stevens |
Edward Field |
Sir S. Bignold, Kt. |
Thomas Priest |
Fred. E. Watson |
Henry Thompson |
Sixth Ward—The parishes of Sts. Julian, Etheldred, Michael at Thorn, Peter Southgate, and John Sepulchre, and the hamlets of Lakenham, Trowse, Carrow, and Bracondale, and the Precincts of the Castle and Storehouse.
Henry Hindes |
Thomas W. Crosse |
John G. Johnson |
Henry Lovett |
James S. Skipper |
John Ballard Pitt |
Seventh Ward—The parishes of Sts. Clement, Edmund, Saviour, Paul, and James, and the hamlets of Pockthorpe, Thorpe, and that part of Sprowston which is within the boundary of the City of Norwich and County of the same.
A. F. C. Bolingbroke |
Thomas Hancock |
Charlie Bullard |
W. P. Nichols |
William Sadd, jun. |
Charles Havers |
p. 738Eighth Ward—The parishes of Sts. Michael at Coslany, Mary, Martin at Oak, George of Colegate, and Augustine, and the hamlet of Hellesdon.
George Chaplin |
George Claxton |
William Hunter |
John Hewitt |
William Wilde |
Edward Bugden |
Town Clerk—Mr. W. L. Mendham; Clerk to Board of Health—Mr. H. B. Miller; Under Sheriff—Mr. F. G. Foster; Clerk of the Peace—Mr. E. C. Bailey; City Surveyor—Mr. Morant; Coroner—Mr. E. S. Bignold.
Lieut. Colonel—GEORGE
WILSON BOILEAU.
(Late Bengal Staff Corps.)
Major—Henry Staniforth Patteson.
Captains. |
|
Charles Foster. |
John B. Morgan. |
Edward Field. |
Donald Steward. |
Henry Morgan. |
Peter Edward Hansell. |
Lieutenants. |
|
John Barwell. |
Clement P. Hart. |
Henry Pulley. |
Frederick S. Brown. |
Samuel Asker. |
Philip Back. |
A. F. C. Bolingbroke. |
|
Ensigns. |
|
Beaumont W. Jolly. |
Edward A. Field. |
John B. Bridgman. |
Alfred Mottram. |
Robert Blake. |
Haynes S. Robinson. |
Adjutant—George N. Micklethwait, Captain.
Hon. Assistant Quarter Master—William Norgate.
Surgeon—Thomas W. Crosse.
Assist. Surgeon—Edward R. Gibson.
Hon. Chaplain—Rev. Frederick Meyrick.
Finis.
I. W. CALEY,
By Special Appointment
Silk Mercer and Shawlman
To Her Majesty
the Queen, H.R.H. the Princess
of
Wales, and
H.R.H. the Princess Christian,
NORWICH,
Desires most respectfully to invite attention to the beautiful Manufactures of this ancient City, well-known as the earliest, and long the most important, seat of Textile industries in this country.
Especial excellence of Design, Colouring, and Quality have been attained in the production of
SHAWLS, POPLINS, CAMLETS,
AND FANCY MATERIALS FOR WALKING AND EVENING DRESSES,
In the Manufacture of which
Fabrics, Norwich continues to sustain
its long-established pre-eminence.
THE CHOICEST DESIGNS IN
NORWICH SHAWLS
Are always on view, including those Specially Designed and Manufactured for this Establishment, and those supplied by command to Her Majesty the Queen.
NORWICH PARAMATTAS
And other Materials for Deep Mourning are confidently recommended as being better in quality and dye than are produced in any other place.
PATTERNS FREE BY POST.
On receipt of an Order,
with reference, a selection of Shawls or other
Goods
will be forwarded for choice, carriage free.
The Orwell Works, Ipswich, where from 1000 to 1100 men and boys are constantly employed, are situated on the edge of the Wet Dock, to which they have a frontage of 935 feet, the largest dock frontage in the possession of any private trading company in the United Kingdom. The Great Eastern Railway runs into the yards, and goods may be packed in the Orwell Works yard and delivered at any place having railway communication with London without unloading.
The works occupy twelve acres of ground, of which about two-thirds is roofed over, and the demand for covered space continually increases. From 5,000 to 6,000 tons of complete machinery, chiefly for agricultural uses, annually leave the works. These, if placed side by side and close together, would cover at least ten acres. These machines go to all parts of the world. Orders have been executed for almost every country in Europe, for North and South America, for Persia, India, the Spice Islands, Australia, Africa, and other countries. The catalogues and price currents of the firm have been printed in many languages of the Old and the New World.
The factory is divided into two parts by a road leading direct into the Quay. On the southern side are situated the Foundry, Smith Shops, Plough Shops, and Stores. Whilst on the northern side are the Engine-Erecting Shop, Thrashing Machine Shop, and other shops for the construction of Mills and smaller agricultural machines, such as Screens, Grinding Mills, Chaff-Cutters, Turnip-Cutters, &c.
The foundry is large and well furnished with cranes and the other appliances of the moulders’ art—especially with patent machinery for moulding, by which an extraordinary rate of production and of accuracy is secured. The smithy contains 73 forges, and nearly in the centre there is fixed one of Nasmyth’s large steam hammers.
Ploughs, for which this firm have so long been famous, are fitted up in a large shop, after the forgings and castings have been prepared in the smithy and foundry. Every plough turned out, and which are numbered by thousands in the course of one year, come under the eye of the foreman or inspector, and are thoroughly examined, to see that every part is correct. Here also are made Horse Rakes, Haymakers, and other field implements.
In the northern block are fixed the valuable engineers’ tools, lathes, stoking machines, &c., necessary for the turning, shaping, and fashioning all the component parts of a steam-engine or other complex machine. Here also the patterns are made, and here the produced machine receives its final perfection. At the extreme p. 741northern end of the factory are the shops where are made the steam thrashing and other agricultural machines, of which wood is a principal component, the wood-work being conveniently introduced into this shop from a detached timber yard, where is fixed all the wood-working machinery by which the frameworks of the steam thrashers and other machines are completely fashioned.
In between the northern and southern parts of the Works the Offices are situated, and it will give some idea of the magnitude of the business when we say that last year upwards of 34,000 letters were received and answered. The Commercial Office is 100 feet long, and the manufacturing office 40 feet long.
Our remaining space must be devoted to the productions of the firm.
Everyone knows that the name of Ransome has been associated with the plough from the earliest period of its improvement until its present highly perfected condition, and that in many a well-contested struggle in England and abroad, before all kinds of tribunals, the Ransome plough has been eminently successful, and is manufactured in annually increasing numbers.
The first great improvement in the plough, viz., the Patent Chilled Plough Share was the invention of Robert Ransome, the founder of the firm, and was patented in 1803. Now these patent shares are in universal use. Indeed to the improvement of the plough and the unwearied energy of the founder and his two sons, James and Robert Ransome, the firm may be said to owe its origin and subsequent success.
Messrs. Ransomes were also one of the earliest makers of the portable steam engine, and are at the present time amongst the largest producers of this very important machine in the kingdom. Within the last ten years, engines of this class, to the aggregate power of 10,000 horses nominal, have left the Orwell Works.
The steam thrashing machines made by the firm, which possess peculiar advantages of construction, are also produced in very large numbers, and have carried off a large number of prizes.
To the merits of these and other inventions developed and manufactured by the firm, the long line of prize diplomas in the commercial office, the large box of medals, gold, silver, and bronze, the decorations bestowed on partners of the firm by the Sultan of Turkey and the King of Portugal, and, recently, the gold medal of the Paris Exhibition, bear abundant testimony and need no confirmation of ours.
We may just add that the manufacture of railway material, which has formed part of the business hitherto conducted at the Orwell Works, will shortly be transferred to a branch of the old firm, who are building a new factory on the banks of the Orwell. This will give Messrs. Ransomes, Sims, and Head, increased space, and facilities for the manufacture of agricultural machinery, to which they will henceforth give their exclusive attention.
LONDON STREET, NORWICH.
JARROLD & SONS
Have recently added to the Printing Department of their business
Lithographic Steam Power Machinery
of the newest and most approved
construction,
adapted to the rapid completion of the usual business
requirements, as
Bills,
Invoice, Note & Memorandum
Headings,
Cards, Circulars, etc.,
etc.,
and also to the production of
First-Class and
Elaborate Designs in Prospectuses and Ornamental
Show-Cards.
THREE MILLIONS of these Popular Tracts are now in circulation in Great Britain and the Colonies, and the demand is increasing. They are adapted for gifts or loan; are eagerly listened to at Public Readings at Lecture Halls and School-Rooms; and are worthy the attention of all who seek to promote the moral, sanitary, and religious improvement of the people. Price Twopence each.
By Mrs. Sewell. |
FOR GIRLS. |
Mother’s Last Words. |
The Happy Life. |
Our Father’s Care. |
Daughters from Home. |
The Lost Child. |
The Dangerous Way. |
Children at Home. |
FOR BOYS. |
Children at School. |
The Starting in Life. |
Happy Schoolfellows. |
How to “Get On” in Life. |
Sister’s Love. |
A Mother’s Legacy. |
FOR MOTHERS. |
Beware! or the Effects of Gambling. |
Cottage Homes. |
FOR CHILDREN. |
The Mother’s Trials and Triumphs. |
Household Rhymes. |
Sick Child’s Cry: Household Verses. |
Work and Play: Household Verses. |
The Good Mother. |
Dear Children. |
FOR PARENTS. |
FOR SERVANTS. |
How to Manage the Young Ones. |
My First Place. |
How to Make the Most of Things. |
Kind Words for the Kitchen. |
Peace in the Household. |
FOR EVERYBODY. |
Household Management. |
Straightforwardness. |
Whose Fault is it? |
Scandal, Gossip, Tittle-Tattle, &c. |
Never Despair: Household Verses. |
Temptation. |
Something Homely. |
The Gain of a Well-trained Mind. |
Household Troubles. |
A Tale of the Irish Famine. |
Household Happiness. |
A Picture from the World’s History. |
FOR WORKING MEN. |
Perils in the Mine. |
When to Say “No.” |
A Tale of a Dark Alley. |
Working-Men’s Hindrances. |
Sunday Excursions. |
The Day of Rest. |
What shall I do with my Money? |
“Paddle your own Canoe!” |
Kind Turns. |
A True Briton. |
Margery, the Martyr. |
FOR SAILORS. |
Home! Sweet Home! |
A Short Yarn. |
Lost Days. |
FOR YOUNG MEN. |
Two Ways of Going to Market. |
Sons from Home. |
What can be done with Ten Shillings. |
How to Take Care of Number One. |
“God Always Hears.” |
How to Rise in the World. |
ON HEALTH. |
Life’s Battles. |
The Worth of Fresh Air. |
Men who have Fallen. |
The Use of Pure Water. |
Company. |
The Value of Good Food. |
The Odds Against Betting. |
The Influence of Wholesome Drink. |
FOR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN. |
The Advantage of Warm Clothing. |
Are You Thinking of Getting Married? |
How do People Hasten Death? |
Going a-Courting, Sweethearting, Love, and Such Like. |
The Secret of a Healthy Home. |
Marriage Bells. |
How to Nurse the Sick. |
|
The Black Ditch. |
LONDON: JARROLD & SONS, 12, Paternoster Row.
FAMILY STATIONERY.
Note Papers.
Five-Quire Packet Cream Laid Note, 6d.
Five-Quire Packet Useful Thick ditto, 9d.
Five-Quire Packet Extra Satin ditto, 1s.
Extra Superfine Highly-finished Note Paper, 1s. 6d., 1s. 9d., 2s. the 5-quire Packet.
Envelopes.
Common Cream Laid for Circulars, &c., 4d. per 100.
Useful Thick Cream Laid, 6d. per 100.
Extra Thick, 7d. and 9d. per 100.
Extra Satin Double Thick, 1s. per 100.
Jarrolds’ Celebrated Steel Pens,
For every Class of Writers, Professional, Students, and Ladies, 1s. 6d. per gross, or in neat Sixpenny Boxes.
Jarrolds’ Jet Black Registration Ink,
In Bottles, 6d., 1s., and 1s. 6d. Smaller Bottles, 1d., 2d. & 4d.
MERCANTILE STATIONERY.
Papers.
Large Commercial Note Paper, Blue Wove or Laid, or Cream Laid, in 5-quire Packets, 1s.
Extra Quality ditto, 1s. 6d. per Packet; a Reduction made for Quantities.
Straw Foolscap, 4d. per quire, 5s. 6d. per ream.
Ruled Foolscap Bill Paper, 3 widths, from 6d. per quire.
Blotting Paper, Red, White, Blue, or Buff.
Account Books.
Jarrold and Sons’ Finest Make, Unmatched for Durability, reasonable in price.
A Good Variety always in Stock, and every size made to order with despatch and punctuality.
A Second Quality is kept where Cheapness is desired, which will be found Useful for Ordinary Purposes.
Ledgers.
Jarrold and Sons’ Patent, in Foril, Grained Basil, Rough Calf, Vellum, Vellum-Laced Russia Bands, Single or Double Ruled. A Good Variety of Seasoned Books constantly kept in Stock, or Ruled and Bound to any Pattern with accuracy and despatch.
JARROLD & SONS, NORWICH.
The best variety of the newest and
choicest patterns and at the lowest
possible prices at
S. NEWMAN’S
GENERAL JEWELLERY ESTABLISHMENT,
Near the Norfolk Hotel,
ST. GILES’ STREET, NORWICH.
Gold and
Silver Watches from the best
makers. Gold Alberts
and Long Chains, Lockets, Rings,
Brooches, and
JEWELLERY OF EVERY DESCRIPTION.
Vases,
Toilet Bottles, and Centre Ornaments, in the richest
Bohemian and other glass. Clocks
and Drawing-Room Timepieces.
Silver, Electro-Plated Forks, Spoons, &c., from the best makers.
FINEST GOLD WEDDING RINGS. JEWELLERY REPAIRED.
ETHERIDGE & ELLIS,
Goldsmiths, Jewellers, and
Watchmakers,
ELECTRO PLATERS & GILDERS, &c.,
Have the Largest Stock of Watches, Plate,
Jewellery, &c., in
the Eastern Counties, and sell at Prices of the London
Houses.
Repairs in every Branch by Skilful Workmen on the Premises.
A LIBERAL PRICE ALLOWED FOR OLD ARTICLES IN EXCHANGE.
10, MARKET PLACE, NORWICH.
Head Office—48, Gracechurch Street, London, E.C.
THE NATIONAL PROVIDENT INSTITUTION was established in 1835, on the principle of Mutual Assurance, to enable its members to assure their lives at the lowest rate of charge consistent with the security of the Society.
The Number of Members
of the Institution on the 20th of November, 1867, was 15,338, and the number of Policies then existing 18,965, assuring the sum of £9,223,907, and producing a Gross Annual Income from Premiums of £301,238 0s. 10d.
The Accumulated Fund
of the Institution amounted then to £2,789,648, invested in mortgage of real property, in Government and other first-class securities, the annual interest on which is £114,807 7s. 9d.
The Total Gross Annual Income £416,035 8s. 7d.
The Entire Profits
of the Institution are divided amongst the members, who are expressly exempted from personal liability.
The Profits are Divided every Five Years,
and are appropriated, at the option of the members, either in the shape of a reduction of the future premiums paid, or of a Bonus added to the sum assured.
The Success of the Society
during the whole period of its existence may be best exhibited by recapitulating the declared Surpluses at the Six Investigations made up to this time:
For the 7 years ending 1842 the surplus was |
£32,074 |
11 |
5 |
5 years ,, 1847 ,, |
86,122 |
8 |
3 |
5 years ,, 1852 ,, |
232,081 |
18 |
4 |
5 years ,, 1857 ,, |
345,034 |
3 |
11 |
5 years ,, 1862 ,, |
531,965 |
3 |
4 |
5 years ,, 1867 ,, |
559,229 |
17 |
9 |
Total profits realised, divided amongst members |
£1,786,488 |
3 |
0 |
AGENT FOR NORWICH—
MR. HENRY LUDLOW,
The National Provincial Bank of England.
COALS. NORWICH DEPOT: Staveley Coal Wharf, Thorpe Station. HEAD
OFFICE: |
WOOD GOODS. TIMBER YARDS; ST. CLEMENT’S, NORWICH; SOUTHTOWN, YARMOUTH. A well-assorted Stock from St. Petersburgh, Wyburgh, Riga, Memel Gothenburg, & other Swedish ports, consisting of Timber Culters—4 by 11, 4 by 9, 3 by 11, 3 by 9, 3 by 8, 3 by 7, 2½ by 7, 2½ by 6¼, 1½ by 7, 1¼ by 7, 1 by 7. Prepared Floor Boards, Scantling, Lath, &c., &c. Also a stock of dry-seasoned cut Deals, from ½ by 11 to 1½ by 11. 5000 BUNDLES OF GOOD LATH, AT ONE SHILLING PER BUNDLE. Prices, which will be found very low, and every information may be obtained on application at the Yards. |
|
BEST WALLSEND—A choice description of Coal from Durham coal fields; quality cannot be surpassed. |
22/- |
|
WALLSEND—A very excellent Housekeepers’ Coal, of the usual seaborne quality, but larger and freer from dust. |
21/- |
|
COALS FROM DERBYSHIRE AND SOUTH YORKSHIRE—The finest quality of inland Coals, remarkable for cheerful burning; these Coals are generally approved. |
20/- |
|
GOOD HOUSE COAL |
17/- |
|
NUTS |
15/- |
|
Coal delivered Free to any part
of the City for Cash. One
Shilling per Ton extra for Booking.
SPECIAL PRICES FOR CONTRACTS ON APPLICATION.
Coals, suitable for Bakers, Smiths,
Engineers, and Manufacturers, from
12s. 6d. per Ton at wharves, or 11s. in truck loads.
Every description of Coal supplied to any Station by the truck at wholesale prices
TIMBER TRADE.
A large and increasing business is done in Timber and Deals, imported to Norwich via Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
PRINCIPAL IMPORTERS.
JNO. ORFEUR, ESQ., St. Edmund’s; MESSRS. JECKS AND RANSON, St. Faith’s Lane; WM. BLYTH, St. Faith’s Lane; and J. W. JEWSON, St. Clement’s.
Plumber, Glazier, General and Decorative Painter. Wholesale and Retail Glass, Lead (in sheets and pipe); Zinc, Oil, Color, and Varnish Warehouse. English and Belgian Glass; Rough, Sheet, and Cast Glass (Plain and Ornamental), in cases, boxes, and crates, or cut to size. Pumps, Water-Closets, Brass-work, &c., kept in Stock.
HOUSES COMPLETELY DECORATED. ESTIMATES GIVEN.
Note the Address! Prince of Wales’ Road.
Accounts Kept and
Adjusted. Loans, Mortgages, and other
General
Financial Business Negotiated. Rents and Debts
Collected.
AGENT TO THE GENERAL ACCIDENT & GUARANTEE COMPANY, Limited.
OFFICES:—1, DOVE STREET, NORWICH.
In returning thanks to his Friends, the Agriculturists of Norfolk and Suffolk, for their patronage since the introduction of his AMMONIACAL AND PHOSPHATE MANURE, begs to inform them that he has a large quantity of Manure of a superior quality, adapted for Mangold and Turnips.
Gentlemen,—I take this opportunity of thanking you for the increased patronage bestowed upon me for past years by the extended use of my Ammoniacal and Phosphate Fish Manure. In soliciting your orders I do so with confidence, being assured, from the success which has attended its use, that it is a good Manure, as testified by numerous Testimonials, which are a satisfactory proof of its usefulness.
PRICE PER TON, £5—Delivered Free to the Nearest Railway Station.
Has on hand a Large Stock of
Chandeliers, Pendants, Pillars,
Brackets, Gas Globes, &c., &c.
RE-BRONZING AND LACKERING. REPAIRS NEATLY EXECUTED.
In consequence of the early termination of the lease of the above premises,
C. J. FREEMAN, JUNR.
has determined to discontinue the trade, and has commenced to sell off the whole of his valuable and extensive stock of
CABINET FURNITURE,
Chimney Glasses, Brussels and other Carpets, Druggetts, Hearthrugs, Mattings, Damasks, Table Covers, Velvets, Wool and other Mats, Bedding, Chintzes, Floor Cloths, Paper Hangings, Pictures, Wood Stuff, Brass Work Materials, Trimmings of every kind, etc., which are offered at a very large Reduction in order to ensure an immediate Sale.
The Prices are marked in plain figures for Cash.
Established 1829. CAPITAL, £250,000, in 50,000 Shares of £5 each.
Incorporated under Deed of Settlement and by special Statute, 17 Vic. c. 7.
CHIEF OFFICES:—15, LONDON
STREET, NORWICH.
BRANCH OFFICES IN LONDON, LIVERPOOL,
AND GLASGOW.
Trustees.
The Right Hon. Lord SONDES. |
HENRY NEGUS BURROUGHES, Esq. |
Sir HANSON BERNEY, Bart. |
JOHN GARNHAM, Esq., R.N. |
Directors.
PETER DAY, Esq. |
JOHN BETTS, Esq. |
JOSEPH DAVEY, Esq. |
R. CHAMBERLIN, Esq. |
CUBITT STANNARD, Esq. |
A. M. F. MORGAN, Esq. |
ROBERT FITCH, Esq., F.S.A, F.G.S. |
Rev. JOSEPH CROMPTON. |
Registrar and Secretary.—WILLIAM SKIPPER, Esq.
Manager.—JAMES S. SKIPPER, Esq.
This Society has been 39 years in active business—a fact in itself affording some claim to public confidence, and some assurance that the practice of the Company has been Liberal in Terms as regards the Insurer, and Prompt in Settlement as regards the sufferer from Fire.
The Company is in alliance with
the Tariff System. Damage from
Gas or Lightning covered.
AGENT:
Mr. BENJAMIN BATEMAN,
HEIGHAM GROVE TERRACE,
Norwich.
STARCH.
Medals awarded at the following Exhibitions:—
LONDON, |
1851. |
,, |
1862. |
DUBLIN, |
1865. |
PARIS, |
1867. |
JURORS’ REPORTS.
1867. |
SILVER MEDAL FOR RICE STARCH. |
1865. |
“Finest Starch was exhibited by J. & J. Colman.” |
1862. |
“Superior quality, with large production.” |
1851. |
“The samples exhibited by Messrs. Colman are excellent.” |
J. & J. COLMAN, LONDON.
First-Class Photography in all branches.
Specialité—Burgess’ Eburneum Process, of which the Photographic News says, “The most charmingly delicate pictures we have ever seen produced;” and the Norfolk News, “In point of artistic beauty, they are incomparably superior to any hitherto produced.”
Begs respectfully to inform the Nobility and Gentry, that having made an arrangement with a first-class London House, he is prepared to execute all orders entrusted to his care in the best manner possible.
Moire-Antique Re-dyed and Watered as New.
Silk, Satin, Cashmere, China Crape, and Lace of every description Dyed, Cleaned, and Dressed.
Brocatelle, Tapestry, Merino, and Silk Damask Curtains Cleaned and Dressed.
French Patent Metallic Printing, by which process a Plain Silk or Moire may have the appearance of a costly and richly embroidered Robe, removing all the objections to Dyed Silks.
British and Foreign Shawls of every description Cleaned.
Patronized by their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales.
EXTENSIVE ALTERATION IN PREMISES.
An inspection is invited of more than 200 first-class
PIANOFORTES AND HARMONIUMS
FOR SALE OR HIRE,
For the purchase of which special arrangements can be made by Quarterly Instalments, on the Two or Three Years Purchase System, the most Economic and Judicious mode of purchasing a Pianoforte. Terms and Prices on application.
Full Compass Pianofortes Let from One Guinea per Quarter.
All the Newest Publications
Half-price. Instruments of all kinds Tuned
and Repaired by skilful Mechanics. Music Copied.
HOWLETTS’ ROYAL QUADRILLE BAND, FOR BALLS & ASSEMBLIES.
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONCERTS, ETC.
AGENTS FOR THE NEW MUSICAL GAME.
Drums, Harps, Triangles, Violins, Accordions, Bugles, Metronomes, Saxhorns, Musical Boxes, Tambourines, Violoncellos, Flageolets, Harmoniums by Alexandre, Banjoes, Guitars, Trumpets, Concertinas, First-Class Finger and Barrel Organs, Church Organs, Harps, Trombones, Violin Strings, Tuning Forks.
MUSIC HALL, 2, MARKET PLACE, NORWICH.
Gold and Silversmith, Watchmaker,
Electroplater, and Optician, &c.,
invites attention to his superior
GOLD AND SILVER WARRANTED WATCHES,
And offered at very moderate prices,
W. R. also wishes to refer to a new and most tasteful variety of articles adapted for presents in Jewellery of all kinds, Silver and Electro Silver articles perfect in design and quality. Clocks of all kinds, best movements, warranted. Experienced workmen in all departments.
Clocks Regulated and Wound by the Year.
9, LONDON STREET, NORWICH.
DEALER IN PLATE, OLD CHINA, ANTIQUE FURNITURE,
ARTICLES OF VERTU & BIJOUTERIE,
PICTURES, ETC.,
2, TIMBERHILL, NORWICH;
AND
73, TOP OF EAST HILL, COLCHESTER.
ST. JOHN’S MADDERMARKET, NORWICH.
Agent for Sewing Machines.
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL,
POST OFFICE STREET, NORWICH.
JAMES CHAMBERLIN,
PROPRIETOR.
CREAM AND FRUIT ICES in every variety packed for the Country, with Printed Directions for turning them out of the Moulds, and keeping them in a frozen state.
CRYSTALLINE BLOCK ICE of the utmost purity for cooling Wine and general culinary purposes.
WEDDING CAKES WITH ALMOND ICEING.
A large supply of Wedding Cakes of all sizes always on hand, and ornamented to order in the most elegant designs of the same superior quality which has obtained for them such an extended and well deserved celebrity.
Wedding Breakfasts,
Pic-nic Supper, and ether Parties supplied with
every
requisite in Ornamental Confectionery.
GEO. WILSON, QUEEN STREET, NORWICH.
DIRECTORS.
Sir R.
J. H. Harvey, Bart., President.
Edward Steward, Esq., Vice-President.
George Durrant, Esq. |
D. Dalrymple, Esq., M.P. |
H. S. Patteson, Esq. |
W. R. Clarke, Esq. |
Henry Browne, Esq. |
George E. Simpson, Esq. |
W. C. Hotson, Esq. |
Col. James Cockburn. |
Charles E. Tuck, Esq. |
Thomas Beevor, Esq. |
Secretary, Sir Samuel Bignold.
The Rates of this Society are the same as other offices, whilst Periodical Returns have been made to the parties insured amounting to £392,430.
This Office is distinguished by its liberality and promptness in the settlement of claims, £2,379,334 having been paid to Insurers for losses by Fire.
In proof of the public confidence in the principles and conduct of this Establishment, it will suffice to state that the total business now exceeds £80,000,000. No charge is made for Policies.
A Bonus of nearly 50 per cent. on Current Premiums will be paid to Insurers (whether losses have been incurred on their Policies or not) at Michaelmas and Christmas, 1868, and Lady-day and Midsummer, 1869.
A MUTUAL INSTITUTION, INSTITUTED 1808.
With which has been Amalgamated the
Amicable Society, Established
by Royal Charter in the reign of Queen Anne.
The Aggregate Capital amounts to upwards of £2,300,000.
DIRECTORS.
Thomas Beevor, Esq., President.
C. M. Gibson, Esq., F.R.C.S. Hon. F. Walpole, M.P., Vice President.
W. R. Clarke, Esq. |
W. H. Clabburn, Esq. |
Robt. Fitch, Esq., F.S.A., F.G.S. |
George Forrester, Esq. |
Arthur Preston, Esq. |
I. B. Coaks, Esq. |
Secretary—Sir Samuel Bignold.
THE ENTIRE PROFITS ARE DIVISIBLE
AMONG THE ASSURED.
Amount of Assurances Accepted, and Bonuses Declared Thereon,
Exceed
£18,110,000.
Amount Paid to the Representatives
of 8,719 Deceased Members,
£7,313,000.
AMOUNT ASSIGNED BY WAY OF BONUS,
£1,620,000.
NUMBER OF POLICIES ASSUED, 37,400.
Have a large and well-selected Stock of the Finest Teas imported, and respectfully solicit the patronage of the Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy, and all large consumers, feeling assured that in price and quality they offer every advantage which can be obtained at the best London Houses.
Teas packed in 4, 6, and 12-lb. Canisters, convenient for sending any distance. Chests of about 80 lbs., and Half-chests of 50 lbs., at a Reduction in Price. Carriage paid on all Teas sold to the amount of £2 and upwards.
An Allowance made to Clergymen purchasing for Charitable Purposes.
LADYMAN & Co.,
6, THE WALK, NORWICH.
Queen Street, Norwich.
R. and S. call special attention to their Bedroom Furniture in light woods, for which they are unequalled both as regards price and quality.
Established 20 years,
Respectfully informs his Friends and the Clergy and Gentry in general, that he continues to manufacture Carriages of every description, and of the lightest and best construction, on the lowest terms.
A NECESSITY THIS SEASON.
The Gold Medal Horse Gear is the Strongest, Lightest, and Cheapest, with smallest amount of Friction. Awarded Gold Medal this year at Toulouse, and Silver Medal by the Royal Agricultural Society last season, and upwards of Fifty First Prizes and Silver Medals. Sold, complete, with intermediate motion, £11 11s. Made solely by
WOODS, COCKSEDGE, & WARNER,
STOWMARKET.
New Improved Steam Engines for small Factories and Farms, One-horse, £40; Two-horse, &c., complete with Boiler. First Prize Grinding Mills and Crushing Mills, by Royal Agricultural Society, 1867. The “New Prix de Perfection” Root Pulper. £3 5s., £4 10s. A lad will cut into fine mince 4 to 7 cwt. per hour. Awarded Six Silver Medals and First Prizes this year on the Continent, and the New High Prize at Brussels. The “Prix de Perfection.”
Agent for Norwich—G. C. STEVENS, ORFORD HILL.
(ADJOINING
THE FREE LIBRARY),
NORWICH.
Great difficulty is often experienced by the Public in obtaining
GENERAL & USEFUL ARTICLES,
Which may be obviated by reading
the undermentioned
Lists and purchasing
AT Z. W. WARMAN’S,
BEDFORD STREET, ST. ANDREW’S,
NEAR THE NEW CORN HALL.
Crinolines |
Machine Needles |
Braces |
Ditto Steel |
Sack ditto |
Belts |
Hair Nets |
Packing ditto |
Men’s Collars |
Stay Clasps |
Glover’s ditto |
Ladies’ ditto |
Combs, various |
London Straws |
Whalebone |
Hair Brushes |
Ground downs |
Falls |
Tooth ditto |
Betweens, &c. |
Goloshes & Cork Soles |
Nail ditto |
Purse Twists |
Antimacassars |
Dress Holders |
Tailors’ ditto |
D’Oyleys |
Dress and Bonnet Preservers |
Shoemakers’ ditto, every shade |
Side and Back Pads |
Quilled Braid Ruches |
Russian Braids in Silks and Mohair |
Fancy Wool Work |
Plain and Stamped Velvets |
Dress Braids |
Coventry Frillings |
Stocking Laces |
Rifle ditto |
Head Dresses |
Stay and Boot ditto |
Silk ditto |
Cloth Slippers for Braiding |
Elastics |
Ditto Cords |
Stamped and Traced Embroidery |
Berlin Wools |
Ditto Tassels of every kind |
Buttons |
Scotch Wools |
Toilet Fringes |
Wave Braids |
Norwich Yarns |
Ditto Cloths |
Book Markers |
Fleecys |
Brooches |
Pins |
Wheel Spun |
Bracelets |
Tape |
Carpet ditto |
Eardrops |
Cottons |
Netting Threads |
Scented Lockets |
Angolas |
Bleach ditto |
Belt Clasps |
Scissors |
Carpet ditto |
Scent Bottles |
Worked Collars |
Machine ditto |
Fans |
Steel Chains |
Ditto Cottons |
Purses |
Hooks and Eyes |
Ditto Silks |
|
Beads |
Machine Twists |
|
|
And 1,000 other Useful Articles in Stock.
Near the Silk Mills,
Heigham Street, Norwich,
Respectfully informs the trade that he continues to supply goods in his line of business to wholesale houses.
For fifty years and upwards the most experienced shots have patronized Marrison’s Guns. The shooting powers, building up, and finish of these guns, are well known to be first class.
Forgers, barrel-borers, machinists, stockers, engravers, and finishers being constantly employed on the premises. The best workmanship can be guaranteed.
Accessories of Breech-loader supplied.
Braided in a Superior Style from Original Designs.
A large assortment of Children’s Dresses, Jackets, Capes, Babies’ Robes, Ladies’ Skirts, Drawlets, Garibaldi, Camisoles, Toilet Sets, Bed Bags, Antimacassars, &c., for Braiding or Working, to select from; any Article required to Special Design or Size can be Manufactured to Order at a few hours’ notice.
J. GANLY,
Designer and Manufacturer of Embroidery and Braiding Patterns,
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALER IN
TOYS, BERLIN WOOLS,
HABERDASHERY, FANCY GOODS, ETC.,
29, London Street,
Norwich.
J. G. has just received a large stock of FANCY GOODS and other articles connected with his trade, and respectfully informs his Friends, Visitors to the City, and the Public, that, for variety, quality, and economical charges, they will find no establishment competent to offer them the same advantages.
ST. GREGORY’S, NORWICH,
PAWNBROKER.
Money Lent on Plate.
Advances made of £10
and upwards upon Plate
and Valuable Goods on
reasonable terms.
16, BETHEL STREET,
NORWICH,
Respectfully informs the Nobility, Clergy, and Gentry of the Eastern Counties, and Citizens of Norwich, that he continues to execute any orders entrusted to his care with promptitude and accuracy, and he has been patronized by the following Ladies and Gentlemen:—
Dowager Lady Suffield |
G. E. Beauchamp, Esq. |
Lady Affleck |
G. S. Kett, Esq. |
Lady Banbury |
Rev. J. Holmes |
Lady Henriette Harvey |
J. T. Mott, Esq. |
The Hon. Mr. Burroughes |
E. Beare, Esq. |
The Hon. Mr. A. Wodehouse |
C. Crawshay, Esq. |
H. N. Burroughes, Esq. |
J. Cann, Esq. |
Hay Gurney, Esq. |
G. Durrant, Esq. |
AND |
|
Patentee of
LAWN MOWING MACHINES,
And Manufacturer of all kinds of
WIRE NETTING FOR GAME, SHEEP, AVIARIES, &C.
STRAINED WIRE FENCING,
IRON HURDLES, ENTRANCE GATES,
AGRICULTURAL & HORTICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS,
CONSERVATORIES AND GREENHOUSES
IN WOOD OR IRON,
GARDEN CHAIRS, WATER BARROWS, WATER AND
LIQUID MANURE CARTS, GARDEN ENGINES,
KITCHEN RANGES, HOT WATER APPARATUS, &c., &c.
ROSE LANE IRON & WIRE WORKS,
NORWICH.
To be Published in Four Quarterly Parts. Royal Folio.
Part
I. Now Ready, Price 6/-. Separate Sheets 1/6 each.
POST FREE, TWO STAMPS EXTRA.
WINTER’S
FOLIO OF DROLLERY,
Containing Comical,
Curious, and Quaint Subjects.
Drawn and Lithographed in a superior Style, from
Designs by
C. J. W. WINTER, and the early humorous
artists.
To be had wholesale and retail of the Artist and Publisher, 22, Bethel Street, Norwich.
As there will be but a limited number of Copies printed, an early application is respectfully solicited from the trade, &c.
Coloured Copies to Order Only.
Portraits painted from Life; also faithfully copied and enlarged to any size, and in any style, from small or faded Photographs.
Portraits of Animals correctly painted in a style not to be equalled by any Artist in the County.
Artistic and Antiquarian Subjects of every kind for book and other Illustrations accurately drawn and lithographed, in the best way only.
Old Paintings cleaned and altogether restored.
March, 1669.
OBSERVE: 22, BETHEL STREET, NORWICH.
SILK MERCERS,
LINEN AND WOOLLEN DRAPERS,
HABERDASHERS, CARPET FACTORS,
AND
Wholesale Manchester Warehousemen,
IMPORTERS OF
FRENCH AND OTHER CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURES.
FAMILY MOURNING.
NORWICH.
(LATE WOMACK)
10, 11, & 12, WHITE LION STREET, NORWICH,
MERCHANT TAILOR,
Wholesale & Retail Clothier, Hatter, & General
Outfitter
TO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD.
THE ORDER DEPARTMENT,
The largest and most attractive out of London, is presided over by a careful foreman of extensive experience and first-class talent, assisted by four eminent practical cutters; a perfect and graceful fit can be fully relied upon.
THE READY-MADE DEPARTMENT.
Spacious Show and Fitting Rooms are here provided, comprising stock of upwards of 30,000 Garments to select from, suited for every class of society.
Ladies’ Riding Habits, Gipsy Cloaks, Jackets, &c.
Clerical and Professional
Attire. Clergymen’s Surplices and Gowns to
order.
SERVANTS’ LIVERIES.
The advantages possessed by this Machine over all others are,—perfect silence when in use, great ease in working, extreme durability, certainly of action, simplicity of construction, cheapness.
Width of Cutter. |
Prices. |
|
||
8-inch Machine |
£2 |
10 |
0 |
Easily worked by a Child |
10 ,, ditto |
3 |
5 |
0 |
Easily worked by a Lady |
12 ,, ditto |
4 |
10 |
0 |
|
14 ,, ditto |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Easily worked by a Man |
16 ,, ditto |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
18 ,, ditto |
6 |
10 |
0 |
Easily worked by Man & Boy |
20 ,, ditto |
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
22 ,, ditto |
7 |
10 |
0 |
Easily worked by Two Men |
FOR DONKEY OR PONY.
To cut 22 inches |
£8 |
0 |
0 |
To cut 27 inches |
£10 |
10 |
0 |
,, 24 ,, |
9 |
0 |
0 |
,, 30 ,, |
12 |
0 |
0 |
Improved Extra Strong Lawn Mower, with Gear Wheels for a Horse.
To cut 30 inches £16 | To cut 36 inches £19 | To cut 42 inches £22
Packed and Delivered Carriage Free to the principal Railway Stations in England.
Guaranteed to give satisfaction, and if not approved can be returned.
MANUFACTURERS OF
MACHINE-MADE GALVANIZED WIRE NETTING,
FOR GAME, AVIARIES, PHEASANTRIES,
SHEEP, &c.
Of Every Description, from ½-inch to 6-inch Mesh.
ALL NETTINGS GALVANIZED AFTER MADE.
Strained Wire Fencing, Iron Hurdles and Gates, Iron Chairs, for Garden or Camp, Patent and Cottage Mangles, Garden Rollers, with Single and Double Cylinders, Universal Kitchen Ranges, Stable Fittings, &c.
Illustrated Lists Forwarded on Application.
BARNARD, BISHOP, AND BARNARDS,
Wire Drawers, Galvanisers, and Malleable Iron Founders,
NORFOLK IRON WORKS, NORWICH.
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JOLLY AND SON
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Miniature Landulet Broughams, with circular fronts, just invented and perfected (after much trouble and expence) by Jolly & Son. The most unique Open and Close Carriages for a Cob—light, low, easy of access—the metallic parts of steel, and hickory wheels; the weight reduced to the minimum. The roof and glasses fall quite flat, as the Sefton Landaus. From 6½ Cwt.
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Parker’s Mangold Manure |
£7 |
0 |
0 |
per Ton |
Parker’s Turnip ditto |
6 |
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0 |
,, |
Mineral Superphosphate |
5 |
0 |
0 |
,, |
WORKS.—THORPE, NEAR NORWICH.
Orders received at his Stands at the Corn Halls, Norwich, Bury, Ipswich, Eye, Lynn, Diss, Fakenham, Dereham, Halesworth, Bungay, Beccles, Harleston, or of his Agents.
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(Successor to Mr. J. W. Crisp,)
WOOLLEN DRAPER, TAILOR,
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Ornamental and General
Engraver, Designer, Draughtsman, & Printer,
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GENERAL MACHINE AND DRILL
MANUFACTURERS,
Have received at the
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW at Bury St. Edmund’s,
The FIRST PRIZE of £20
For the Best Finishing Thrashing Machine;
The PRIZE of £5
(All the amount offered) for Barley Hummeller;
SILVER MEDAL for Traction Engine; and
The FARMERS’ CUP, value £10 10s., at Fakenham;
They have also been awarded by the Royal Agricultural Society,
at Worcester; The PRIZE
For their Eight-Horse Power Portable Engine; and
SILVER MEDAL
For Patent Combined Thrashing
Machine, to Complete for Market,
and Cleanse and Bag the Chaff.
At the Great
International Exhibition, 1862, they had the honour
of receiving The PRIZE MEDAL
For Thrashing Machines and Sowing
Machines, the highest award that was
given; and at the Great Exhibition,
1851,
The FIRST PRIZE MEDAL
For Thrashing Machine; and by the
Royal Agricultural Society,
at Leeds and Salisbury, the highest
PRIZE of £10,
For the best Seed and Manure Drill, Flat or Ridge;
The FIRST PRIZE for Corn and Seed Drill;
PRIZES for their Improved Manure Distributor, making
NINE PRIZES PRIZE
to this Machine; also To their Small Seed Drill.
H. & SONS have had thirty-seven years’ practical experience in the Manufacture of Drills, and in Steam Engines and Thrashing Machinery they have neither spared trouble nor expense in working out on correct principles the best and most economical arrangement. The success obtained over all others at the recent severe trials at Bury St. Edmund’s, satisfactorily proves it to have been no idle boast that Holmes & Sons’ Steam Thrashing Machinery is the best before the public. Careful selection of Materials, and strict attention to Mechanical principles, have enabled them in so short a time to attain to that very eminent position they now occupy, having now received upwards of
ONE HUNDRED AWARDS
For Superiority in their Portable Steam Engines, Combined Portable Thrashing Machines, Seed Shellers, with Dressing Apparatus, Corn & Seed Drills, Seed and Manure Drills, Manure Distributors and Saw Tables.
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[53] Duke of Norfolk.
[126] Since the above was written, the house at St. Giles’ Gates has been demolished.
[527] Gentleman’s Magazine.
[672] First Mayor of Norwich.
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