NORWICH, a city of England, the capital of the county of Norfolk. No historical notices of the place are to be found during the period of the Roman government in this island. Its origin was during the Saxon heptarchy, when, in 446, a castle was first erected, on an elevation surrounded by water and marshes, which having become drained by natural, aided by some artificial means, gradually served as the site of the present city; its progress was slow, till Uffa, one of the kings of the East Angles, built a more solid castle in 575; and, the habitations having increased, it became the capital of the kingdom of the East Angles, which then comprehended the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridge.

It was captured by the Danes about an hundred years afterwards, and during the two succeeding centuries was often lost and won by that people, till Alfred the Great, in 872, had subdued those erratic conquerors, when he greatly improved the fortifications of the castle, which, having been originally of earth, he rebuilt with brick. In the reign of Ethelred, the Danes, under their king Swayne, again seized upon Norwich in 1003; but being expelled by Ethelred the next year, the city was left in a most desolate condition till 1011, when Swayne again returned, captured the castle, rebuilt the fortifications of the town, and conferred the government of it on one of his commanders, named Turkel or Turketel, who seems to have maintained himself in that post many years, and, notwithstanding occasional hostilities between the Danes and the Angles, to have contributed greatly to the advancement of the place, which was then constituted a borough. After the final expulsion of the Danes, in the latter part of the tenth century, the town increased with rapidity; much of the marshy ground was drained and built upon; and the first churches of stone were erected, some of which exist at the present time. Norwich had been created an earldom by Edward the Confessor in 1049; and in the reign of William Rufus the episcopal see was removed from Thetford, in 1094, when it became a city, but only received a charter of incorporation in the reign of Henry I., in the year 1100. The chief officer was then denominated praepositus or provost; but in 1152, by another charter, extended still further in 1189, the title of mayor was given, and the right of the citizens to elect that officer was conferred upon them.

This city was the residence of several of our monarchs at some periods during the reigns of John, of Henry III., and of Edward I.; and the cathedral having been finished in the year 1278, the latter sovereign assisted at the solemn ceremony of its consecration.

In the year 1336 the foundation of manufactures was laid in Norwich by a colony of Dutch and Flemish weavers, who had been driven from their own country by a great inundation. The goods they made were from woollen yarn, the best spinning of which was executed first at the town of Worsted in this county, and by the name of which thread made of wool has ever since been distinguished. By this manufacture the city rapidly attained a degree of opulence before unknown, and the traces of which have continued to the present day.

King Henry III., with his Queen, Philippa, visited the city, when a grand tournament was exhibited; and they repeated their visit two years afterwards, when a new charter was granted, which extended the powers and privileges of the citizens. In 1348 the city was afflicted with that dreadful visitation known as the plague, from which, it is said, more than 57,000 persons were carried off in seven months. Before that calamity the city is said to have contained 70,000 inhabitants, having sixty-nine parish churches, and eight religious houses. But it must soon have recovered from this visitation, as it is related that, two years afterwards, a grand tournament was held, at which Edward the Black Prince was present, for whose entertainment the citizens provided a magnificent banquet, at the expense of thirty-seven pounds four shillings and sixpence.

In the year 1422 the doctrines of the reformation made their appearance in Norwich, and several persons were [7:16:275]executed as Wickliffites, or, as they were then called, Lollards; and during the early part of the reign of Henry VII., between 1422 and 1448, many suffered severe whipping and other punishments, upon suspicion of entertaining the new opinions. These persecutions were continued at intervals till the reign of Edward VI., when, in the year 1538, the Protestant system being established by law, all the images in the cathedral and the parish churches were destroyed, and the different orders of friars and nuns in the religious houses were suppressed. On Trinity Sunday in that year the prior and monks in the cathedral changed their dresses for the habits of deans, prebends, and canons, and the Protestant worship was celebrated in it, and in all the parish churches within the city.

In 1549 this city was the theatre of a tumultuous insurrection, resembling that of the Jacquerie in France, and the peasants’ war in Germany. It was at first an insurrection of the rural population, on complaints respecting the enclosure of common fields. As soon as numbers had been collected, they chose as their leaders two brothers of the name of Kett, one a tanner, the other a butcher; and on the 7th of July their numbers amounted to 16,000 men. They surrounded the city, and from thence increased their numbers to more than 20,000. Having established themselves near the city, the Ketts proclaimed themselves the king’s deputies, and established a pretended court of judicature under a spreading tree, which they called the Oak of Reformation. Many gentlemen and clergymen were made prisoners by this rabble, and treated with the most barbarous cruelty. They made several attempts to force their way into the city, and succeeded in making some progress towards its reduction; but being repulsed, they, on their retreat, set fire to the houses in several places, so that some streets were consumed, and the whole city would probably have been rendered a heap of ruins, if an unusually heavy fall of rain had not checked the farther extension of the conflagration.

Whilst the insurgents still continued the siege, they were quarrelling amongst themselves, and committing the most atrocious acts of violence on the surrounding country, as well as on the persons of the gentry who were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands. They at length became masters of the city, though a small body of forces under the Marquis of Northampton had been sent to defend it. At length a more powerful body, commanded by the Earl of Warwick, made its appearance before Norwich. The first efforts of the royal troops were unsuccessful, and the rebels obtained possession of the artillery and ammunition of the Earl of Warwick, but were too ignorant of their use to improve the advantage they had gained, New troops were brought to the royal army, when a bloody attack, in which 3500 of the rebels were killed, decided the contest. A general pardon was proclaimed to all but the leaders, who were soon seized, and tried for rebellion; some were executed on the spot, but the Ketts were conveyed to London, and there convicted, but at length sent back to the place where their guilt had been incurred, and executed with great cruelty.

From the extinction of this rebellion, which, as before stated, commenced on the 7th of July, and was terminated on the 29th of August, the history of this city has nothing so peculiar as to make it an object of attention distinct from the general history of England.

Norwich is partly built upon a plain on the banks of the Wensum, a branch of the river Yare, which has been from time immemorial navigable for barges to its entrance into the sea at Yarmouth. Of late years a project has been executed for rendering this city accessible to vessels of considerable burden direct from the sea. This has been done by forming a canal ending in the lake, or, as it is provincially called, the Broad of Loathing, whence, by some excellently-constructed flood-gates, an opening into the sea at Lowestoft’ has been completed.

The city, built on the very gentle acclivity of a hill, is distinguished by one peculiarly striking feature; a large sugar-loaf hill of considerable elevation, which (whether formed by nature or by art, has been frequently a subject of dispute) stands in its centre. On the summit of that bill, towards the south-west, stood the ancient castle, of very remote but doubtful origin, though tradition, as before stated, has ascribed it to a king of the East Angles, who reigned about the year 575. It long continued strongly fortified, and, till more peaceful times have made such objects of less importance, served as the means of either protecting or overawing the city. Great alterations have been made on the level at the top of the castle hill at various periods; and, finally,since the year 1793, it is occupied with a pile of buildings as nearly resembling the architecture of the old castle as could be adapted to the purposes for which it is now used. Though the outside has a heavy and indeed gloomy appearance, the interior is appropriated with great judgment and taste as a county jail, a county hall, and an apartment for holding general county meetings.

As this castle hill covers a large space, and as the streets either converge from or wind round it, those in the vicinity, which are the scenes of the greatest activity, are both narrow and crooked, and have rather a gloomy appearance. This is indeed in some measure relieved by an extensive market-place, a large open oblong square, said to be the finest in England. This market is most abundantly supplied with provisions of all kinds, and of the best description, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The spots for the different articles are kept separated into those for meat, for fish, for vegetables, and for poultry, butter, eggs, &c. The houses which surround the market-place are lofty and elegant, many of them have been recently new-fronted, and some rebuilt, and most of them are occupied by well-embellished shops. In the front of these shops, what is called the Gentleman’s Walk was the first part of the city paved with flag-stones, and was long the chief promenade in the city.

At the northern corner of the market stands the guildhall, an ancient and large building constructed of black flint, with cornices, window-frames, and battlements of Portland stone. The assizes for the city and the county of the city are held in an appropriate apartment of this edifice, as well as the elections of members of parliament and other elective functionaries. The upper part of the building is a room supported by fluted pillars of the Corinthian order, designed for the justices of the peace of the city, having the mayor’s council-chamber within it, with a large and two small windows of beautiful stained glass. It is adorned with portraits of former distinguished members of the corporation, and more especially by a naval trophy presented by Lord Nelson, containing, in a glass case, the sword of the Spanish admiral, delivered up to that hero at the great victory gained near Cape St Vincent on the 14th of February 1797.

St Andrew’s Hall, a public building, chiefly used for the social meetings of the corporation, or other public bodies, is an ancient foundation; but in its present state it is a regular and beautiful structure, consisting of a nave and two side aisles, more than fifty yards in length and thirty in breadth. It is adorned with some portraits of former magistrates by eminent artists, set in elegant frames, carved with great labour, and highly gilded. Under the gallery, at the west end, is suspended the ensign of the French ship Genereux, presented by Sir Edward Berry, the brave captain of the Foudroyant, in the year 1800. Amongst the paintings in the' edifice is a fine full-length of Lord Nelson, and two historical pictures by Martin, anative of the city; [7:16:276]one representing the story of Edward and Elenora, the other the execution of Lady Jane Grey. The Dutch congregation have the right of assembling here on Sunday for public worship.

The most prominent public edifices in this city are those for ecclesiastical purposes. The first of them is the cathedral, a venerable pile, one of the finest remains of Saxon architecture in this country. This building was originally erected under a Bishop Herbert, in the year 1069; and it has undergone various alterations and improvements atsubsequent periods up to the present time. It is 400 feet in length, from the entrance door at the west to the east end. The west front is handsome and uniform; and the upper part is ornamented with four turrets of stone-work, and one large and two small doors. Over the centre door is a large Gothic window, extending the whole breadth and depth of the nave. The two transepts extend in length about 180 feet from north to south. The north front is ornamented with two pinnacles of stone, and over the middle door is a carved figure of Bishop Herbert, the founder. The south front has likewise two pinnacles of stone, between which, in the pediment of the roof, is a handsome dial. The interior, on entering the west front, exhibits a very pleasing appearance, arising from the uniformity and the neatness of the building, having a space of 204 feet to the entrance of the choir, which is fifty-four feet wide and seventy in height. The roof is of stone, supported by two rows of massive pillars, and is curiously arched, and carved full of small figures representing many passages of history from the Old and the New Testament. These figures are in a state of good preservation, although they have existed ever since the year 1463. The roofs of the north and south transepts also exhibit the same kind of curious workmanship. The whole of the roofs are highly esteemed by the curious, and it is said they are the only carvings of this kind that have existed so long, and been so perfectly preserved. The roof of the chancel is eighty-four feet high, and the arch'. ’ s and carved figures in it are very curious. The choir is spacious and beautiful; the stalls of the dean, of the vicedean, archdeacons, prebendaries, and canons, as well as the bishop’s throne and the chancellor’s seat, are of Gothic carved work; and near them a temporary pulpit is placed for the weekly preacher. At the east end of the choir are four painted windows, the lowest representing the transfiguration, and the other some of the apostles, evangelists, and prophets. In the body of the cathedral are a number of monuments to the memory of distinguished ecclesiastics who have filled the different offices connected with this church. The tower rises in the centre of the building, at the meeting of the four roofs. The ceiling is there 100 feet in height, and the tower rises 140 feet above that. The outside is adorned with curious Gothic carved work, and is crowned with a battlement and four small spires. From the battlement a spire rises sixty-four feet, thus making the cross and weathercock at the apex 306 feet from the ground. From the low spot upon which it stands, it is not, however, a conspicuous object at a distance.

The cloisters adjoining to the cathedral excite much attention. It consists of the largest and most beautiful quadrangle in England, and was built in the year 1279. It is about 174 feet square, each of the four sides being twelve feet wide; the arches are Gothic, and the windows were once furnished with painted glass. The roof is full of historical figures, the subjects being taken from the gospel, the Revelations, and ecclesiastical history; and it is upwards of fifteen feet in height. At the south-west corner are two lavatories, ornamented with curiously carved work, representing the inveterate antipathy borne by the monks towards the secular clergy. The roofs contain no less than 418 historical figures.

The bishop’s palace is a vast pile of building, very antique, but modernised in some degree at subsequent, and in the greatest degree in comparatively modern times. The principal entrance is through a large and ancient gateway, with an ornamented Gothic arch. The only object within deserving of notice is the chapel, a neat an ’ spacious edifice of white stone, most neatly fitted up. Th√ whole precinct of the cathedral is surrounded with a lofty stone wall, except on the eastern side, where it is bounded by the river.

The parish churches are more numerous here than in any other place in England, excepting the metropolis. Few of them deserve notice; some of them are small, and several of them but a few years ago were covered with thatch. The whole number is thirty-eight. One of the oldest, and by far the largest, is that of St Peter’s Mancroft. It is a fine building, 180 feet in length and sixty feet in height, with north and south aisles each 120 feet long. The inside is much admired for the lightness of its construction, the slenderness of its pillars, and the number and size of its windows. It contains many, and some remarkably fine, monuments. In the tower is a ring of twelve musical bells put up by a voluntary subscription of the parishioners in 1775. They vary regularly in weight from six hundredweights three quarters five pounds, to forty-one hundredweights one quarter four pounds, weighing together nine tons four hundredweights twenty-four pounds. They are highly harmonious, and are commonly rung on festivals and holidays.

Besides these numerous churches, there are places of worship for two foreign congregations of Protestants, two Roman Catholic chapels, two Quakers’ meeting-houses, and chapels for each grade of dissenters from the Socinians to the Huntingtonians.

The city is well supplied with benevolent institutions for the relief of distress. Bethel Hospital, for lunatics, is endowed; St Giles Hospital, an ancient establishment, provides for a hundred poor, equally divided between males and females; Doughty’s Hospital, from the name of the founder, supports twenty-four aged men and eight women; the Girls’ Hospital, united with the Boys’ Hospital, and with an altered establishment, providesfora large number of both sexes, both in clothing and in maintenance; the Infirmary is supported chiefly by parochial assessments; the Asylum for Indigent Blind was opened in 1805, by the beneficence of an individual, and the aid of voluntary contributions; Cook’s Hospital provides for ten aged females; and the Norwich Dispensary, founded in 1804, provides the poor with medicine and medical advice gratis. The voluntary associations for purposes of beneficence are the following, besides some of a private nature, viz. the Humane Society, for recovering persons apparently drowned; the Friendly Society, for the benefit of women in old age or sickness, administered by ladies, who distribute a large sum annually; the Friars’ Society, which dispenses to the industrious poor the charity for clergymen’s widows; the Benevolent Asso ciation, which has for its object the relief of decayed tradesmen; the Norfolk Benevolent Medical Society, and the Amicable Society of Attorneys, which relieve the distressed members and families of their respective professions; and the Society of Good-Will, which aids those who are not entitled to any parochial relief.

Amongst charities for educating the poor, theStGeorge’s Company, an old institution of the year 1700, must be noticed. It is chiefly supported by voluntary contributions, and educates some hundred boys and girls, who attend public worship in six parish churches. Almost every one of the various dissenting congregations has either Sunday or daily schools attached to their respective places of divine service.

One establishment, although supported by and extende to thewhole county of Norfolk, is the County Hospital, witl [7:16:277]out St Stephen’s gate, erected in 1772, but enlarged at a subsequent period. A great number of patients are continually admitted and relieved by this excellent institution. The most eminent medical men attend daily, and the hospital is at all times open for accidental cases.

For objects of amusement, Norwich has an assemblyroom, a neat building, erected in 1756; and a theatre, considered as one of the most complete in the kingdom out of London, in which a company perform a few months in every year.

The population of Norwich in 1801 amounted to 35,252, in 1811 to 35,338, in 1821 to 50,190, and in 1831 to 61,110. But there are portions of some of the parishes be-yondthe boundaries of the city, though forming part of the suburbs. Thus, in 1831, the parish of Hellesdon contained sixty-one inhabitants beyond the city boundaries, St James’ had 1669, and Thorpe had 940; thus making the population at that period amount to 63,770. As the increase up to the present time has been as great as in the preceding ten years, the population at the present time, 1837, must exceed 70,000 persons.

Norwich has been the seat of manufacturing industry from a very early period, the commencement of which has been remarked in the historical notices of this article. The long disturbances in the Netherlands, and the persecutions under the Duke of Alva in particular, produced immigrations from thence in greater number, and much more important, than those which had preceded that period; and the immigrants received the greatest protection from the government of Queen Elizabeth. The goods fabricated by these people were chiefly of wool; but some were made from flax and from hemp. The woollens received appropriate names, the exact significations of which are now nearly lost. Soon afterwards a peculiar fabric was nro-duced, from a mixture of silk or of mohair with the wool. This gave a great impulse to the trade, and produced a considerable demand for the great markets of Frankfort, Leipzig, and others in the north, and for Spain, Portugal, and Italy in the south. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, about the year 1720, this trade was at its zenith. Almost the whole female population of Norfolk and Suffolk was employed at the spinning wheel; and though 50,000 tons of wool were used, it was found necessary to draw supplies of yarn from other districts. The establishment of manufactures in Yorkshire, where coals, 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 greater demand for bombazines, an article which had been early made there, but had at first languished. The Yorkshire workmen, and the substitution of machinery for female hands, reduced the making of the ancient kinds of goods to a low point; and that was chiefly maintained by the East India Company purchasing annually a very large quantity of camblcts for the China market. During the period from 1700 to 1800, the population of Norw ich declined till towards the end of the century, when some new manufactures, and a great revival in the bombazine trade, gave an impulse, the effect of which has continued with increased force to the present day. The introduction of the shawl manufactory, one of the chief causes of the present prosperity, took place about the end of the last century; and the fabric has gradually improved till it has almost supplied the whole trade of the kingdom, besides furnishing much for foreign markets. Besides this trade, and the making of bombazines, there are some of silk goods produced, and smaller manufactures of cotton and hempen linen. The malting is a considerable trade; and the corn market, from the easy connection with London through Yarmouth or Lowestoff, is one of the most extensive in the kingdom. It appears by the official returns of 1831, that there were in the city 3752 males above twenty years of age employed in manufactures. According to the returns of the same year, the whole number of the families within the city was 15,572, of whom 9174 were chiefly employed in trade, manufactures, and handicraft; 509 in agriculture; and 4889 not comprised in either of the two preceding classes.

The relative extent of trade in different towns may be in some measure determined by the amount of the postage of letters collected in them. In this view, Norfolk stands the ninth in the list of English towns, being next after London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Hull, and Sheffield; and the sum collected having amounted in the year 1836 to L.9557. 10s. 3d.

The corporation of Norwich, before the municipal reform law was enacted, consisted of a mayor, a recorder, two sheriffs, twenty-four aidermen, and sixty common-council men; but by that Jaw, instead of four wards, as formerly, it is now divided into eight, and has sixteen aldermen and forty-eight common-council men, chosen by the inhabitants, and justices of the peace and a recorder nominated by the crown. This city, as before, returns two members to the House of Commons, chosen by a very numerous body of resident electors, comprising, besides the ten-pounds householders, many hundreds of freemen. The title of Earl of Norwich was conferred upon the Scotch Duke of Gordon; but that title, as well as the dukedom, is now extinct.