Transcribed from the c1858 Jarrold and Sons edition, using scans from the
British Library, by David Price.
ROGERS’
DIRECTORY OF NORWICH
AND
NEIGHBOURHOOD.
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(ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL.)
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PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETOR, BY
JARROLD AND SONS, LONDON STREET, NORWICH.
PREFACE.
IT is never pleasant to have to make apologies; and yet there are some
circumstances under which an apology is a duty, and therefore, whether
pleasant or not, should be tendered cheerfully. The present is a case in
point. The work should have been published earlier, and would have been
had it been possible. The truth is that the “Guide to Streets, &c.,” was
a novel experiment, and the compiler—having nobody’s experience to guide
him—thought the task an easier one than it turned out to be. It was at
first imagined that the matter for this “Guide” could be obtained
simultaneously with the information for the Directory itself. The
attempt proved the mistake. It was found that to do both well they must
be done distinctly and independently. Hence chiefly came the delay, to
say nothing of the fact that for many “local habitations” it was very
difficult to find the “name.” In yards and courts not a few, and in some
out-of-the-way streets even, not one of the inhabitants could give his
whereabouts a designation! The task, however, has been achieved at last;
and it is trusted that upon the whole the public will think that it has
been achieved well. A few errors have crept in, doubtless; but no labor
and no care have been spared to avoid them. The hope is confidently
cherished that the faults of the work will be forgiven for the sake of
its excellencies, especially as the compiler promises to “do better next
time.”
HISTORY OF NORWICH.
NORWICH, a city and county, situate in the centre of the Eastern Division
of Norfolk, consists of 35 parishes and 10 hamlets, covers 6,638 acres,
is nearly 14 miles in circumference, and contained, in 1851, 15,000
houses and 68,195 inhabitants. The undisputed metropolis of the Eastern
Counties, it has communication both by water and rail with the seaports
of Yarmouth and Lowestoft, while it is doubly connected with London by
the Ipswich and Cambridge lines; and has access to the midland and
northern counties, by way of Peterborough. Having thus indicated the
_locale_ and dimensions of the “old city,” it is but right that before
proceeding further we should give a brief sketch of its history. And
this we the more readily do, inasmuch as Norwich has borne a by no means
undistinguished part in those great political and social movements which
have made England what she is.
We should, however, only trifle with our readers were we to express any
opinion upon the origin and paternity of the East Anglian capital, for it
would ill become us to pretend to pierce through the obscurity which
surrounds the early history of this, as indeed of all other cities. It
is certainly but natural to suppose that Norwich gradually rose round a
military fortress erected on the site which the present Castle partly
occupies; but whether that fortress was raised by some British potentate
whose very name is mythical, or was the work of Uffa, the first Saxon
king of the eastern counties, and whether, it being destroyed by Sweyn,
the present structure was founded by Canute, it would profit us little to
discuss. Declining, therefore, these bootless speculations, we find that
in the reign of Edward the Confessor, “Northwic” contained 1300
burgesses, boasted of 25 churches, and was already of sufficient
importance as to constitute a “hundred;” while in 1085, as appears by the
Doomsday Survey, its burgesses had increased in number to over 1500, and
its churches to 45. Shortly before this, William the Conqueror had
appointed its first Norman governor, Ralph de Guader, or Waher, who,
however, marrying the monarch’s niece, Judith, without his consent, and
afterwards conspiring against his sovereign, was obliged to flee to
Brittany; his bride, after a three-months’ siege in the castle, during
which the city suffered much damage, was compelled to capitulate. The
office, which included the earldom of Norfolk and some considerable
estates, was then conferred on Roger Bigod, the founder of a baronial
house illustrious in English history. {2} In the following reign the
city rose in importance by the translation, in 1094, of the Bishop’s See
from Thetford—where indeed it had barely been fixed a quarter of a
century; having, up to 1070, been located at North Elmham, then a place
of note, and subsequently a favorite residence of the diocesans. The
then bishop, Herbert de Lozinga, for having _purchased_ his preferment of
William Rufus, and for other simoniacal practices, was required, after
the fashion of the times, to prove his contrition by a substantial
atonement. He accordingly purchased a meadow, called Cow Holme,
extending from the castle ditches to the river; and in 1096 laid the
foundation of a cathedral church, proceeding with such expedition, that
in five years he was able to place 60 Benedictine monks in the new
priory. About this period many Jews from Normandy settled in the city;
popular prejudice, however, was strong against them, and in 1137, on a
charge of crucifying a boy in Thorpe wood, large numbers of them were
ruthlessly slaughtered. Carrow Abbey, we may here mention, dates its
origin from the middle of the 12th century, the site being granted by
Stephen for a nunnery, where the daughters of the noble and the affluent
were wont to be educated.
A century later, and we find the lay and clerical elements in rancorous
hostility. Perpetual animosities between the citizens and the monks rose
at last to such a height, that the priory was, in 1234, entirely
destroyed; while 38 years subsequently, the cathedral itself was well
nigh demolished—an offence for which the city was visited with the
terrors of an interdict. The injury, however, was not irreparable, for
with a fine of 3000 marks imposed on the principal inhabitants, and with
some liberal donations, the edifice was sufficiently restored as in 1278
to be consecrated by Bishop Middleton, in the presence of Edward the
First and his queen, Eleanor—the first royal visit of which we have any
reliable evidence. A wall was, moreover, raised round the Cathedral
precincts—St. Ethelbert’s Gate being erected by the citizens; and this
seems for a time to have prevented further dissension. Between the two
epochs of contention above-named, arose the first recorded charitable
institution in Norwich—Bishop Walter de Suffield founding St. Giles’
(commonly called the Old Man’s) Hospital, for the triple purpose of
ensuring masses for his soul’s repose, providing an asylum for
superannuated and infirm priests, and furnishing a refuge for 13 aged
persons; to the last object only, it is hardly necessary to say, is the
building now devoted; and enriched by subsequent benefactions, the
hospital accommodates 50 of each sex, who, on admission, must have
reached 65 years of age.
Another noticeable feature which must by no means be overlooked while
dwelling on this period, is the enclosure of the city, from Conisford or
King street to Pockthorpe, by a wall. This important work, a testimony
to the increasing prosperity of the city, as well as to the turbulence of
the times, was commenced in 1294 and completed in 1320; but it was not
till two and twenty years afterwards that, through the munificence of one
Richard Spynk, the wall was flanked with 40 towers, furnished with 12
gates, and fortified by a broad ditch. The gates remained up to 1792,
and the wall, though now built upon on every side, may yet be traced for
almost its entire length, being especially prominent as the southern
boundary of Chapel Field, and offers many a study to the antiquarian and
the historian.
In 1340 and 1342 Edward the Third held grand tournaments in the city, and
in 1348 the heir apparent, the Black Prince, with his mother Philippa,
also visited Norwich, and were entertained at a cost of £37 4s. 6d. A
more unwelcome visitor quickly followed; for in seven months 37,000
persons are said to have perished by the plague, by which the city was
alarmingly depopulated. It was about this time that the Castle began to
be used as a county prison, which was authorized by an Act of 14 Edward
III., though a military governor continued still to be appointed. In
1381, cotemporaneously with the Wat Tyler rebellion in the south, John de
Litester, a dyer, at the head of a large body of the disaffected,
pillaged the houses of the wealthy, but was speedily overthrown by the
forces of Bishop Spencer. This very warlike ecclesiastic was a fierce
enemy of the Lollards, who had acquired a strong hold in the city, and he
imprisoned Sir Thomas Erpingham, who had shown a warm sympathy for the
reformed doctrines; but in the parliament of 1400 the king directed them
to “shake hands and kiss each other in token of friendship.” The
reconciliation was apparently sincere, for the baronet became a
munificent benefactor to the church. He erected the Erpingham gateway,
and rebuilt the monastery of the Black friars, now known as St. Andrew’s
Hall. This noble building was not, however, completed until the time of
his son Sir Robert, himself a member of the fraternity. On the
dissolution of the monasteries by our royal Bluebeard, the property was
obtained by the Corporation for the sum of £81, and became devoted to the
guilds and other secular purposes.
In 1403, in consideration, as it appears, of a gift of 4000 marks, (for
most of our ancient liberties were purchased) Henry IV. conferred
municipal institutions on the city, and would also have increased its
representatives—for Norwich had returned two members since 1296—to four,
had not the citizens represented their inability to meet the increased
expense which their services would have occasioned. William Appleyard
was the first mayor, and he celebrated his year of office in the fine
flint building then just erected, lately used as a Bridewell, and now as
a tobacco manufactory. In 1407 the Guildhall was commenced, on the site
of a small thatched erection, called a toll-booth, used for collecting
the market tolls. Henry V., in 1415, visited the city, and, we are told,
left his coronet in pawn for 1000 marks, which he doubtless required for
his French wars; but 25 years afterwards Norwich was in sad disgrace at
court, for as a rebuke for suing Henry VI. for £100 which they had lent,
the charters were suspended. A few years after, however, the city was
visited by that unfortunate monarch, and in 1469 by Edward IV., who,
writes John Paston, “hath been worshipfully received into Norwich, and
had right good cheer and great gifts”—with which he was so well pleased
that he speedily paid another visit, when some grand pageants were
performed, though interrupted by “heavy and continuous rain.”
But we now come to a catalogue of disasters: the Cathedral was seriously
injured by fire, 1463; the fatal plague ravaged the city, 1479; and in
1505 and 1507 there were great fires, in the latter year 718 houses being
consumed, which obliged the corporate authorities to prohibit the
erection of thatched buildings. In 1517, disputes between the citizens
and the monks being again rife, Wolsey came over on a mission of
mediation, but it was not till several years afterwards that peace was
restored by the settlement of the civil and ecclesiastical boundaries and
jurisdictions. We must not forget to notice the burning of the martyr
Bilney, after an imprisonment in a dungeon of the Guildhall; and scarcely
were the lurid fires of persecution extinguished before a memorable
political outbreak exposed the city to the ravages of contending armies,
and excited the anxious consideration of the youthful Edward’s ministers.
The details of Kett’s rebellion are too well known to require
recapitulation; suffice it to say that after obtaining possession of the
city and defeating the Marquis of Northampton in an encounter on Palace
Plain, the insurgents were dispersed by the Earl of Warwick—Robert Kett
being executed at the Castle, and William at Wymondham. To close a
paragraph of casualties, persecutions, and tumults, we must record the
visitation of the sweating sickness, striking down near 1000 victims in
1551, and of the quartan ague six years later; the conviction of several
citizens in 1570, for participation in a plot for assassinating the
queen, re-establishing Popery, and expelling the strangers “out of the
citye and realme,” of whom four suffered death, and others confinement
for life; and the imprisonment in the Castle of certain persons
apprehended in Suffolk for “refusing to come to the church in time of
sermons and common prayer.”
Turning from these saddening scenes, we note the foundation, in 1557, of
Caius College, Cambridge, by a Norwich citizen of that name, (but
sometimes spelled Keyes, whence, we suppose, the pronunciation of the
word,) physician to three sovereigns of the house of Tudor, and a man of
learning. He was one of the first of a long line of distinguished men
educated at our Grammar School—an institution of ancient date, but which
did not become located in the present venerable structure until the reign
of Elizabeth. And this mention of “Good Queen Bess” reminds us of her
visit to the old city in 1578, spending a week in all sorts of
festivities, pageantries, and amusements, to the unutterable delight of
her loyal subjects. Nearly a century was destined to elapse ere Norwich
was honored with another sight of royalty; and as there is a back-ground
to every picture, so all this rejoicing was followed by the dread
calamity of the plague—introduced, indeed, it was supposed, by some of
the Queen’s attendants—and which slew five thousand victims.
The succeeding half century is chiefly characterised by ecclesiastical
commotions, of which the fact that within little more than 60 years the
diocese had _twelve_ bishops, may be taken as one indication. Of these,
the first, John Parkhurst, who died about 1575, was favorably disposed
towards the church polity of Calvin, and opposed, as far as he could, a
passive resistance to the harsh injunctions of his Primate (Parker, a
native of Norwich) against the Puritans; Edmund Freke, his successor,
deprived many nonconforming ministers of their livings, and imprisoned
Robert Brown, the first separatist from the Establishment, and whose
ideas of church government are mainly identical with those of the present
Congregationalists; a third—Matthew Wren, father of the famous architect,
was censured and imprisoned by the Parliament, on a complaint by the
people of Ipswich, that he had, in two years, suspended or deprived fifty
ministers, and driven 3000 persons, with their manufactures, to Holland,
to the prejudice of the trade of the kingdom; Joseph Hall, the last of
the twelve, was a man much esteemed for his mild disposition, and for the
purity of his style was termed the English Seneca. Though at one time
harshly treated by the Roundhead soldiers, he was ultimately restored by
the Commons to the full possession of his revenues, and spent the latter
part of his life in a quiet retreat at Heigham, (now the Dolphin Inn,) in
the church of which parish he was interred, though a passage in his will
runs thus—“I do not hold God’s _house_ a meet repository for the bodies
of the greatest saints.”—(_Neale’s History of the Puritans_.) Of the
Civil War, the period in which this worthy bishop lived, there is but
little to record. Norwich seems from the first to have given an
unhesitating support to the Parliament, and was assessed at £53 yearly
towards the maintenance of the Earl of Manchester’s forces. That there
was, however, a party in the city who leaned to the King’s side, is shown
by a tragical occurrence in 1648. John Utting, the mayor, had been
complained of for not carrying out the ordinances against images; but
upon a _poursuivant_ being sent to require his attendance at the bar of
the House to answer the charge, a violent tumult arose; the rioters
obtained possession of the military depôt, (whose site the Bethel now
occupies,) and 98 barrels of gunpowder being accidentally fired, 200
persons were killed or wounded by the explosion.
Coming down to 1671, we must chronicle the visit of the “Merry Monarch,”
with his Queen and brother, who were sumptuously entertained by the Duke
of Norfolk, as well as by the civic grandees: an animated description of
the city at this period—with its ducal palace, its prosperous
manufactures, and the priceless cabinet and botanical gardens of the
famous Sir Thomas Browne (whose monument may be seen in St. Peter’s
church)—is given by Macaulay. Ten years later, James, Duke of York, paid
a second visit; but in 1687 he had, as king, forfeited all popularity by
his arbitrary interference with the corporation; and the representative
of the house of Howard, riding into the market at the head of 300 knights
and gentlemen, amid the acclamations of the citizens, declared for a free
parliament. It was the son of this duke, who, taking umbrage at the
mayor’s forbidding his comedians entering the city with trumpets,
demolished the whole of his ancestral palace, said to be the largest town
house in the kingdom out of London, and which, from Christmas to
Twelfth-night, was wont to be open to all comers.
Henceforth politics almost disappear, and the remainder of the narrative
must be confined to matters of purely local interest, which may be very
briefly chronicled. From 1696 to 1698, a mint was established here, and
coined about a quarter of a million of money. In 1732 the Market and
Charing crosses were taken down; in 1731 the St. George’s
Company—incorporated 1416, and the principal of the city guilds—resigned
their charters to the corporation. In 1761 a coach was started between
Norwich and London, to run the distance in twenty hours, it having
hitherto taken two days in summer and three in winter. An inundation in
the following year, flooded nearly 300 houses. In 1771 the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital was founded, William Fellowes, Esq., of Shotesham,
laying the first stone. In 1776 an act was obtained for making a
turnpike to Thetford. In 1785 the first balloon ascent seen in the city
took place, Major Money being the adventurous aeronaut. In 1791 the
barracks were erected, at a cost of £20,000. In 1824 the first Musical
Festival was held, and was conducted by Sir George Smart; its chief
promoter was Mr. Edward Taylor, now Gresham Professor. The same year the
City Gaol was built, in lieu of an old building on the site of the Public
Library—the Shirehall is of about the same date; the Museum was founded
in 1825, and in 1828 the Corn Exchange was erected. In 1835, June 16,
the last guild-day celebration took place, 800 ladies and gentlemen
dining in St. Andrew’s Hall; the late Mr. T. O. Springfield was, in the
following January, elected the first mayor under the Municipal Reform
Act. In 1837 Dr. Stanley was appointed bishop; this beloved prelate
expired in 1849, about two years after the death of the equally beloved
and philanthropic Joseph John Gurney. In 1844 the Yarmouth railway was
opened, in the following year the Norfolk, and in 1846 the Ipswich and
Colchester line. In 1854, the mayor, (then Mr. Samuel Bignold) was
knighted by her Majesty, on presenting an address from the Corporation,
on the war with Russia. In 1857 the Free Library was opened, and the
first stone was also laid of the New Workhouse.
Having thus brought down the political history of the city to the present
time, we propose to offer a review of the origin and progress of the
manufactures of Norwich, on which its prosperity has so materially
depended, and indeed still depends.
As a manufacturing city, Norwich first comes into notice in the reign of
Henry I. In 1108 an inundation in Flanders induced many of the sufferers
to try their fortunes in England; some of them settled at Worstead,
(whence the name “worsted”) and afterwards at Norwich. In the following
reign more Flemish emigrants came over; and they introduced the weaving
of wool. The weavers, in Henry the Second’s reign, formed themselves
into guilds, and obtained charters; but it was not till the time of the
third Edward that the next great advance was made. This wise king
invited into the kingdom a large number of the countrymen of his consort,
Philippa of Hainault, who were skilled in weaving woollen and worsted.
They were principally located in the eastern counties; Norwich was fixed
as the staple for Norfolk and Suffolk; and an act was passed prohibiting
the wearing of any but English cloth—a piece of protectionist policy at
which we may smile, but which was no doubt then very commendable. In
several following reigns great complaint was made of the “craft and
deceit” practised in the making of serges, says, fustians, &c., and
wardens were appointed to supervise the “true making thereof.” Trade in
these articles seems to have declined about the period of the
Reformation, and attention began to be paid to dornecks and coverlets;
and in the reign of Mary, the manufacture of “light stuffs”—the same
fabric as the Naples fustians, and resembling the bombazines of later
years—was introduced. In 1565, however, there was much distress in the
city through the decay of the worsted trade, and the corporate body
obtained permission to “import” 300 Dutch, but too glad to avoid the
persecution of the merciless Alva, who brought with them the art of
weaving with a warp of silk or linen, as well as of dyeing and other
processes. In five years their numbers increased to 3000, (in London
there were nearly 4000) and in 1575 their elders exhibited to the
authorities a mixed fabric of silk and worsted, termed bombazine.
Religious persecution, however, drove many back to their fatherland, now
liberated from the intolerant Spaniard; but Cromwell’s policy of liberty
of conscience and unfettered trade, remedied the mischief thus
occasioned. In Charles the Second’s reign, the lower west room of the
Guildhall (the Criminal Court) was the Cloth Hall, and the chamber over
(now Sword-room) was devoted to the sale of wool and yarn. Wool-combing
was now a source of great employment, (it was carried on here until
1808,) and the anniversary of its patron saint, Bishop Blaize, was
celebrated with much pomp; while the manufacture was so extensive as to
be described as “such as England never knew in any age.” Shortly
afterwards an additional branch of industry was opened, the French
refugees introducing the making of crape, which soon became very popular,
and under Sir Robert Walpole’s administration, a public mourning was
ordered to be in Norwich crape. About the middle of last century the
trade of the city is generally supposed to be at its zenith, its
productions being exported to all the continental markets; after this
period the increasing use of cotton goods inflicted a heavy blow on the
manufacture of woollen fabrics, while even in the latter, Norwich became
exposed to the competition of Yorkshire mills, which occupied vantage
ground from their proximity to iron and coal mines. In 1776 there were
alarming riots on the part of the weavers, owing to lack of employment
and the dearness of provisions. The American and French wars supervened
in rapid succession—the latter closed most of the foreign markets, and
thus inflicted incalculable injury on the city. Broad bombazines,
poplins, camlets, fillover and other shawls, have been introduced at
different periods since 1780; the bombazines are nearly superseded by
paramattas, &c., and bareges, balzarines, &c., in every variety of
design, are now manufactured. Of the yarns chiefly used, the wool is
mostly from Australia, the silk from China, (though some from India and
Italy) and the mohair from Angora; an inferior description is, however,
obtained from Asia Minor.
We must not forget to notice the opening of the shoe manufacture in the
city, which gives employment to a considerable number of persons of both
sexes: nor must we overlook the starch and mustard works of Messrs.
Colman.
Appended is a brief statement of the particular branches to which the
principal factories are devoted:—Messrs. Middleton and Answorth, and
Messrs. Bolingbroke, are famed for their poplins, and for the production
of crinoline—the material being horsehair from South America. Messrs.
Clabburn, for fillover long shawls, by a patented process, which gained
the Paris Exhibition medal. Messrs. Willett and Nephew—paramattas, and
many plain and fancy fabrics. Messrs. Grout and Co. (also of Yarmouth
and Bungay)—silk crape. Mr. Geary and Mr. Sultzer, cotton fabrics—the
latter establishment also carries on the winding of cotton on reels.
Messrs. Blake and Mr. Jay—spinning of woollen and mohair yarns. Messrs.
Towler and Co., and Messrs. Rowling and Allen—plain and fancy fabrics.
Mr. G. Allen—woven silk for gloves. Messrs. Hinde—bareges and
paramattas.
Other important departments of trade, too numerous to be enumerated, are
also carried on; such as sacking, tobacco, brushes, egg-flour, artificial
manures, &c., &c.
PLACES OF WORSHIP.
CHURCHES.
We have already alluded to the fact, that in the reign of William the
Conqueror there were 45 city churches; and it appears from an inventory
of the ornaments in the churches of the Norwich archdeaconry—commenced by
William de Swyneflete in 1368, and continued to about 1419—that at that
period there were 55 churches in use, exclusive of the Cathedral and
conventual churches, besides the following which had then been desecrated
or annexed to other parishes: St. Wyndwall, or Catherine in Newgate,
(consolidated with All Saints, the parish being nearly depopulated by the
plague in 1349), St. Olave’s Chapel, St. Michael Conisford, St. John the
Evangelist, St. Cuthbert, St. Matthew, St. Christopher (united with St.
Andrew), and St. Anne. Of the 55 then in use, the following, however,
have long ceased to exist as parish churches; St. Botolph, St. Margaret
Newbridge, St. Mary Combust, St. Margaret Colegate, St. Olave, (the two
last named were taken down and consolidated with St. George at Colegate),
St. Cross, St. Bartholomew (united with St. John at Sepulchre), St.
Michael, (Ber Street,) St. Edward, St. Clement Conisford, St. Vedast, and
St. Mary Parva (now the French Church). St. Mary in the Marsh was
desecrated in 1653, and the parishioners have since used St. Luke’s
Chapel, in the Cathedral.
We append a statement of all the edifices now standing, in connection
with the Established Church, commencing of course with
THE CATHEDRAL.
The present structure is considered by some to be mainly the work of
Bishop Alnwyck, temp. 1430, and this prelate is generally supposed to
have completed the cloisters—one of the finest quadrangles in the
kingdom, commenced by Ralph de Walpole in 1297. The edifice is
principally in the Norman style. The nave is divided into fourteen
semi-circular arches; its roof is attributed to Walter Lyhart, the second
bishop after Alnwyck. The large west window has recently been filled in
with stained glass, as a memorial to Bishop Stanley. The nave itself
contains the tombs or monuments of Chancellor Spencer, Bishop Nix, Bishop
Parkhurst, Dean Gardiner, Sir James Hobart, (Attorney-General to Henry
VIII.) and Bishop Stanley; while in the church are the monuments of
Bishops Goldwell (1472) and Bathurst. Attached to the Cathedral were
several chapels, but these have mostly been demolished. The interior
generally suffered much defacement at the hands of the iconoclasts of the
16th and 17th centuries; in 1740 the nave and aisles were repaired, and
in 1806 the whole fabric was restored and beautified.
The present bishop—appointed in 1857—is the Right Rev. J. T. Pelham, D.D.
Dean—the Hon. and Very Rev. G. Pellew, D.D. Archdeacons—Norwich, Ven. R.
E. Hankinson; Norfolk, Ven. W. A. Bouverie; Suffolk, Ven. T. J. Ormerod.
Canons—Revs. M. Wodehouse, A. Sedgwick, G. Archdall, and H. Philpott;
besides 23 honorary and 4 minor canons.
ALL SAINTS, a small structure, with a square tower and three bells,
contains an antique font with curiously carved figures of St. Paul and
other apostles. The living is consolidated with St. Julian, and the
joint benefices were returned in 1831 at £246 per annum. The Rev. T.
Gurney is rector.
ST. ANDREW, next to St. Peter Mancroft, the finest church in the city—was
rebuilt in 1506. The font is massive. In the north aisle is a costly
monument, with effigies of Sir John and Lady Suckling, of whom there is
an annual commemoration. The curacy is in the gift of the parishioners;
the Rev. A. C. Copeman was elected in 1857. Out of the proceeds of the
sale of the church ornaments at the Reformation, the parish paid £17
towards the repair of the gates and walls, and £20 to that of the Great
Hospital—both injured in Kett’s rebellion.
ST. AUGUSTINE, an unpretending edifice, with a tower and three bells.
Rev. M. J. Rackham, rector.
ST. BENEDICT, a small building with a round tower. The parishioners are
the patrons; perpetual curate—Rev. W. Goodwin.
ST. CLEMENT, one of the most ancient fabrics in the city. In the
churchyard is the tomb of the parents of Archbishop Parker, rebuilt over
the original, in 1823, by Caius College; and also the “Leper’s tomb.”
Rev. R. Rigg, rector.
ST. EDMUND, a small structure, founded in the time of the Conqueror, has
a tower and one bell. Among the relics formerly preserved here, was a
piece of the shirt of St. Edward the King and Martyr, kept in a box of
crystal, and visited with great reverence. The Rev. G. B. Everett,
rector.
ST. ETHELDRED is a small fabric, with a short tower and one bell. In the
burial-ground was formerly an anchorage, which continued till after the
Reformation. Rev. J. Deacon incumbent.
ST. GEORGE AT COLEGATE is a large, handsome, gothic structure, rebuilt at
different periods, and has a lofty tower. In the chancel is a fine altar
tomb to Robert Jannis, a great benefactor to this church; and near it a
beautiful mural monument to John Herring, Esq. The window over the
communion table is of stained glass. In a vault is buried the elder
Crome, the distinguished painter, who died in 1821. The Rev. A. W.
Durdin, incumbent.
ST. GEORGE AT TOMBLAND consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, and
has a handsome square tower; it was erected by the parishioners in 1445.
In the interior are spacious galleries, and many monumental inscriptions.
Rev. K. Trimmer, incumbent.
ST. GILES, founded in the reign of William the Conqueror, by Elwyn the
priest, who gave it to the monks of Norwich, was rebuilt in the reign of
Richard II., and is now one of the handsomest churches in the city. The
tower, 120 feet high, contains a clock and eight bells, and is surrounded
by a cupola and battlement. The chancel has been demolished since 1581,
when the dean and chapter, to quit themselves of the expense of repairing
it, gave all the materials to the parish, for “a stock to be put out for
the encouragement of poor trades.” There are many curious old brasses,
and several neat mural monuments. Rev. R. Sedgwick incumbent.
ST. GREGORY is a lofty gothic structure, consisting of nave, side aisles,
and chancel, the latter built in 1395; since which, the whole pile has
received many reparations. The font is very large, having an octagonal
top, and on its eight sides the four evangelists, and figures emblematic
of the four quarters of the globe. In the nave is a fine brass
reading-desk, in the shape of an eagle with expanded wings. Among the
monuments is one to Sir Francis Bacon, a Judge of the Court of King’s
Bench, in the time of Charles II. Here are also some ancient brass
inscriptions. Rev. W. R. Sharpe, incumbent.
ST. HELEN—or the Great Hospital, previously mentioned as founded by
Bishop Suffield, was originally built like a cathedral, in the form of a
cross, with nave, tower, aisles, and transept; the tower is all that
remains entire, but the cloisters are still almost perfect. The men’s
apartments occupy the refectory and part of the nave and aisles, while
the choir is appropriated to the women’s. Rev. W. F. Patteson,
incumbent.
ST. JAMES’ (with Pockthorpe), is a small building, rebuilt in 1743. The
font has some fine panel carvings. Rev. J. Ross, incumbent.
ST. JOHN MADDERMARKET, a handsome church, consisting of nave, side
aisles, and a fine tower, was founded before the survey made in Edward
the Confessor’s time. The lead was removed, and the roof covered with
slate in 1835. It contains many ancient sepulchral inscriptions, with a
few brasses and several neat mural tablets. Lady Margaret, Duchess of
Norfolk (second wife of the duke beheaded in Elizabeth’s reign), died at
the Duke’s Palace in 1563, and was interred with great pomp on the north
side of the choir, where a mural monument was raised to her memory in
1791. Rev. J. Perowne, rector.
ST. JOHN SEPULCHRE was founded before the Norman conquest. Rev. T.
Calvert, incumbent.
ST. JOHN AT TIMBERHILL, so called from the timber market formerly held on
the plain adjacent, has a small wooden steeple, in place of the tower
which fell down in 1784. Rev. S. Titlow, incumbent.
ST. JULIAN, the smallest church in the city, and one of the oldest, was
founded before the Conquest, and had an anchorage or hermitage in the
churchyard.
ST. LAWRENCE is an ancient Gothic fabric, with a fine tower; was rebuilt
in 1472. Over the west door are two ancient carvings, one representing
the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Rev. P. U. Brown, rector.
ST. MARGARET has a square tower, in which were five bells till 1830, when
four of them were sold to assist in defraying the expense of covering the
structure with blue slate. Rev. J. W. Cobb, rector.
ST. MARY AT COSLANY was built in 1477, and contains six antique stalls.
Rev. C. Morse, incumbent.
ST. MARTIN AT OAK derived the latter part of its name from a large oak,
formerly standing in the churchyard, with the image of St. Mary in it.
This was much visited in superstitious times, and several legacies were
given towards repairing and _painting_ it. The oak now standing on the
site was planted about 60 years ago. On an alabaster tomb are effigies
of Jeremiah Ravens and his wife. Rev. C. Caldwell, incumbent.
ST. MARTIN AT PALACE is an ancient structure, where, in early times, a
boys’ singing school was kept. Rev. A. Braddell, incumbent.
ST. MICHAEL AT COSLANY is a handsome structure, with a lofty embattled
tower, containing a clock and eight musical bells. The interior of the
church is handsomely decorated. The altar-piece represents the
Ascension, and the four evangelists; and the floor in front is paved with
black and white marble, from the domestic chapel of the Earl of Yarmouth,
at Oxnead. On the south side is Thorp chapel, erected in 1508, of flint
and freestone, and one of the finest specimens of flint-work in the
county. The church contains a very old font, several mural monuments,
and some ancient brasses. Rev. R. Rigg, rector.
ST. MICHAEL AT PLEA, so named from the Archdeacon of Norwich holding in
it his Pleas or Courts, is built in the form of a cross, and has a square
embattled tower. There are some ancient paintings near the pulpit, well
worthy of inspection. Rev. C. Morse, rector.
ST. MICHAEL AT THORN—a large thorn tree still grows in the graveyard—is a
small structure, with a tower, built in 1436. Criminals executed at the
castle were formerly buried in the churchyard. Rev. C. T. Rust,
incumbent.
ST. PAUL is a small structure with a round tower, and is in a dilapidated
state. Rev. B. Cook, rector.
ST. PETER HUNGATE, so called from the bishop’s hounds being formerly kept
in the parish, is built of flint and stone. Rev. S. Titlow, rector.
ST. PETER OF MANCROFT, the finest church in the city, was rebuilt of
white stone in 1455. It has a noble tower, 98 ft. high, with a splendid
peal of twelve bells, exchanged for the old peal of ten in 1775, at a
cost of £800. The font stands under a canopy supported by pillars,
forming a baptistry on a raised platform, which there is room enough to
walk round. The church was greatly beautified about twenty years ago, by
the putting in stained glass windows, with figures of the apostles.
Among the church plate is a beautiful large cup cover, on which is
represented Abigail bringing presents to David, presented by Sir Peter
Gleane, 1633. In the vestry is a portrait of Sir Thomas Browne, who was
buried here, and whose coffin was accidentally broken open in 1840, when
the skeleton was found in a good state of preservation. Several old
books are also preserved in the vestry, including a manuscript bible of
1340, and a beautifully illuminated copy of St. Paul’s Epistles, much
more ancient. In the church are many monuments and inscriptions. The
parishioners are patrons, and the Rev. C. Turner is incumbent.
ST. PETER PER MOUNTERGATE—so named from a gate formerly adjacent—was
erected in 1486. In the chancel are twenty-four stalls, which belonged
to a college of secular priests that stood in the churchyard. South of
the altar are the tomb and effigies of R. Berney, Esq., and his wife; and
in the nave is interred Thomas Codd, mayor during Kett’s rebellion.
ST. PETER OF SOUTHGATE is an ancient building, with a square tower. Rev.
J. Deacon, rector.
ST. SAVIOUR, a small fabric, dedicated to the Transfiguration, has a
square embattled tower, and contains several neat mural monuments. In
Bishop Oxford’s time it was appropriated to the almoner of the cathedral
convent. Rev. W. H. Cooke, incumbent.
ST. SIMON AND JUDE contains some ancient brasses, and several monuments
and effigies of the Pettus’ family, upon one of which is a recumbent
figure, in complete armour, of Sir J. Pettus, the first of the family who
was knighted. The church is of great antiquity, and was held by the
bishops before the removal of the see to Norwich. Rev. C. Holloway,
rector.
ST. STEPHEN is a commodious gothic structure, with two side chapels, and
a square tower at the west end. The nave is divided from the aisles by
fluted columns with pointed arches, and the east window is richly
beautified with stained glass. There are several old brasses and many
mural tablets. In the vestry is a manuscript description of the church,
written by Benjamin Mackerell, author of a history of Lynn; also a
curious old alabaster carving. The church has lately undergone repairing
and restoration. Rev. E. Evans, vicar.
ST. SWITHIN is a neat structure, with a square tower and three bells.
During the cleansing of the church in 1834, an ancient portrait of Edward
the Confessor was found nailed under one of the seats, where it is
supposed to have been placed for security during the civil wars. The
altar-piece is a painting of Moses and Aaron. On the font are carved
emblems of the Trinity, Eucharist, and the Passion, with the arms of East
Anglia. Here are also three stalls. Rev. R. C. Cavell, rector.
The following are the churches in the hamlets of the city:—
CHRISTCHURCH (New Catton), which is in the parish of St. Clement, was
erected in 1841. It is built of brick and flint, and cost £2500. Rev.
R. Wade, incumbent.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (Old Lakenham), situate on a declivity commanding a
fine prospect; has a handsome font. The vicarage is united to Trowse
Newton. Rev. G. Carter, incumbent.
ST. MARK (New Lakenham) was erected in 1844, and has 1000 sittings. It
cost upwards of £4000; and has a nave, tower, and three bells. Rev. G.
I. Pellew, incumbent.
ST. MATTHEW (Thorpe Hamlet) was built in 1851, of Kentish rag-stone.
Rev. G. W. Grogan, incumbent.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW (Heigham), a small edifice, contains a mural monument to
Bishop Hall, who was buried here. Rev. G. C. Hoste, rector.
TRINITY (or the Episcopal) CHAPEL, situate in Union place, Heigham, was
originally a Baptist place of worship, but was consecrated in 1839. The
rector of Heigham is the officiating minister.
ST. ANDREW (Eaton) is an ancient edifice, having a thatched roof. It
lies near the river Yare, which separates the county of Norwich from the
county of Norfolk. The father of Henry Kirk White was buried here. Rev.
G. Day, incumbent.
ST. MARY (Earlham), also on the Yare, is a picturesque structure,
bedecked with ivy. Rev. J. H. Payne, rector.
ST. MARY (Hellesdon) stands just within the city boundary, part of the
burial ground being in the county. The rectory is consolidated with
Drayton. Rev. H. Howell, rector.
CHAPELS.
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. The
Old Meeting is built of red brick, fronted with four Corinthian
pilasters. The Rev. John Hallett is the minister.
PRINCE’S STREET CHAPEL, another Independent place of worship, was erected
of white brick, with boldly-displayed cornice and pediment, and a Doric
portico of four columns. The cost was upwards of £4500. The Rev. John
Alexander has been the minister ever since its erection.
A third CONGREGATIONAL CHAPEL, a very handsome building erected in the
vicinity of Chapel Field, was opened in 1858. Rev. Philip Colborne,
minister.
The TABERNACLE, St. Martin’s at Palace—originally built by the
Calvinistic Methodists—was, in 1775, purchased by the Countess of
Huntingdon. Rev. J. J. J. Kempster, minister.
ST. MARY’S (Baptist) was rebuilt in 1811 and enlarged in 1839. Its chief
feature is a beautiful vaulted roof. The Rev. Joseph Kinghorn was for
many years the pastor. Rev. George Gould, minister.
ST. CLEMENT’S, another Particular Baptist place of worship, was built in
1814, at a cost of £5000. Rev. T. A. Wheeler, minister.
ORFORD HILL CHAPEL, also Baptist, was opened as a chapel in 1832. Rev.
T. Corbet, minister.
EBENEZER CHAPEL, Surrey Road, was built in 1854; a gallery was
subsequently added. The congregation had previously assembled in the
Bazaar, St. Andrew’s; the minister being the Rev. R. Govett, who, some
years since, seceded from the Established Church.
There are several smaller structures in connexion with this denomination.
The GENERAL BAPTISTS, established in the city since 1686, have a chapel
in St. James’, erected in 1812 on part of the site of the White Friary.
Rev. Thomas Scott, minister.
The OCTAGON (Unitarian) CHAPEL, St. George’s, is 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. J. H. Hutton, minister.
The SOCIETY OF FRIENDS have two meeting-houses in Norwich; one of which,
in Upper Goat Lane, is a fine white-brick structure, with Doric portico,
and lighted by a dome lantern. It was rebuilt in 1826. The other is the
GILDENCROFT MEETING HOUSE, St. Augustine’s, erected in 1680. There is a
spacious burial-ground attached, in which are deposited the remains of
Joseph John Gurney, Mrs. Opie, and other eminent Friends. This building
is supported by two lofty oak pillars, cut out of single trees.
The ROMAN CATHOLICS have also two chapels. That in St. John’s
Maddermarket is an ancient but plain structure, rebuilt in 1794; that 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.
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. The building is used as a chapel to the
Workhouse, but it is expected that it will be occupied by the Free
Christian Church when the New Workhouse, now being erected near the
Cemetery, has been completed.
CALVERT STREET CHAPEL, built by the Wesleyans in 1811. Since the recent
disruption in that body, it has been held by the Reformers, or United
Methodist Free Church; as is also the case with NEW CITY CHAPEL, in
Crook’s Place.
ST. PETER’S CHAPEL (Lady’s Lane), held by the Conference Wesleyans, was
built in 1824.
The PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have chapels in Heigham (St. Benedict’s Road),
Lakenham (St. Catherine’s Plain), Cowgate Street, and New Catton.
The FRENCH CHURCH, Queen Street—originally the parochial church of St.
Mary Parva, and afterwards a cloth exchange—was granted, in 1637, to the
French Protestant refugees. It is now leased to the receivers of the
doctrines enunciated by Emanuel Swedenborg, and the minister is the Rev.
David Goyder.
The FREE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, St. Michael at Plea, which is unconnected with
any particular denomination, was opened in 1852, upon its pastor, the
Rev. Joseph Crompton, quitting the Unitarians, of which denomination he
had been minister.
The JEWS—who were formerly very numerous in this city—have a handsome
synagogue in St. Faith’s Lane. Rev. S. Caro, minister.
THE MONUMENTAL BRASSES OF NORWICH
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD.
To Archæologists visiting this ancient city, 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.
1389. Richardus Thaseburgh, rector of _Hellesdon_.
Hellesdon.
1437. Galfridus Langley, installed Prior _St. Lawrence_.
of Saint Faith the Virgin, at
Horsham, 1401.
1450. John Alnwik, in academic costume. _Surlingham_.
1487. Roger Clarke, priest. _St. Peter at
Southgate_.
1497. Walter Goos, priest. _St. Swithin_.
1499. John Smyth, priest—chalice. _St. Giles_’.
1499. Henry Alikok—chalice. _Colney_.
Thome Coke, rector of _St. Michael at
Bodham.—Chalice lost, inscription Coslany_.
only remaining.
An individual unknown.—Chalice. _Poringland Magna_.
Randulphus Pulvertoft; inscription _The Cathedral_,
only (_Jesus’ Chapel_),
1531. William Richies, vicar of _Bawburgh_.
Bawburgh.
1545. Thome Capp, vicar. _St. Stephen_.
KNIGHTS.
c1460. John Toddenham. A small figure, _St. John in
with scroll from the mouth. Maddermarket_,
_Norwich_.
1499. Thome Heveningham, and Anne, his _Ketteringham_.
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.
1559. John Corbet, and Jane, his wife. _Sprowston_.
He died 1470. The blank left for
the date of her death still
remains.
1565. Sir Edward Warner. _Plumstead Parva_.
1568. Sir Peter Rede.—Discovered to be _St. Peter Mancroft_,
a Palimpsest, in 1851. _Norwich_.
CIVILIANS AND LADIES.