Norwich under the Danes.
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 that 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.
Edward 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.