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.
In 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 in 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.
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 line 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 of 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, especially, 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.
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 last 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.