Norwic.
("Doomsday Book.")
When this city first came into being it is puzzling to say. The
difficulty is as to where the site was originally fixed. Three miles to
the south of Norwich is the village of Caistor (St. Edmunds). Owing to
its position on the river Wentsum, or Wensum, it was called Caer Gwent by
the Britons, and for the like reason it was named by the Romans Venta
Icenorum. It formed their principal station, as it before had served as
the residence of the kings of the Iceni. From the ruins of Venta
Icenorum gradually arose Norwich. As to when it was firmly established
on its present eminence under the name of Nordewic, or North Town, there
seems to be no reliable evidence. It first appears by that name in the
Saxon Chronicle of the year 1004. It may possibly mean the town north of
the old settlement. For one thing it is certain, in proportion as
Nordewic rose Caistor sank from an important town to a mere village in
ruins. According to an authority, an earlier date is arrived at than the
entry in the Saxon Chronicle. He conjectures that the keep, the only
remnant of the castle built on the summit of the steep mound by William
Rufus, was the Saxon "burh," erected in 767. This, if correct, would
clearly indicate that Norwich had already attained considerable
importance. According to Spelman, it was the residence of the kings of
East Anglia. They established a mint, where it is supposed coins of
Alfred and several succeeding monarchs were struck. From its
geographical position Norwich was frequently exposed to the attacks of
the Norsemen, who could easily land on the Norfolk coast and cover the
few intervening miles in a short time. The city was alternately in the
possession of the Saxons and the Danes. Against the latter Alfred the
Great repaired and fortified the citadel, to whom, however, he
eventually handed it over after a treaty of peace. The Saxons afterwards
regained it and held it till 1004, when it had to surrender to the Danes
under their leader Sweyn. The terrible weak reign of Ethelred II. had
earned him the epithet of Unready. His indolence caused his territories
to be terrorised, the towns to be racked, and their inhabitants to be
massacred by the Danes under Sweyn, who, under pretext of avenging the
murder of his sister, took the opportunity of ravaging and laying waste
the land. On the accession of Canute, however, though a Dane, the cities
began to prosper again. Thus it came about that Norwich, which had
remained in a state of desolation till 1018, came again into Danish
possession, but under Canute. With this fresh beginning it rapidly rose
to great importance. By the time of the Norman Conquest, Norwich was
classed as second only to York in extent and prosperity, being described
in the "Doomsday Book" as having 1320 burgesses with their families, 25
parish churches, and covering an area of not far short of 1000 acres. It
was bestowed by the Conqueror on Ralph de Guaer, or Guader, in 1075, who
rewarded his master's kindness by joining a conspiracy formed by the
Earls of Hereford and Northumberland against the Crown. After having
unsuccessfully defended the Castle, he retired into Brittany, leaving
his wife to sustain the siege. The city was very much damaged, and the
number of burgesses woefully reduced in numbers, some 560 only being
left on the capitulation to the Conqueror. In view of the gallant
defence by Guader's wife and garrison of Britons, William granted them
all the honours of war and permission to leave the kingdom in perfect
security. This siege was a great check to the advancement of the city.
At the same time the value of the property must have been considerably
lessened. This depreciation after the drawing up of the "Doomsday Book"
in 1086 could hardly have suited the views of the Conqueror. To obviate
the difficulty it would be necessary to introduce some new element, some
attraction that would bring added interest and fresh residents willing
to ply their industries in the town. The commencement of a new period of
prosperity was soon realised after the establishment of a see at
Norwich, though not until the time of William Rufus. One of his
followers from Normandy was Herbert de Lozinga, or Lorraine, who having
been made Bishop of East Anglia, decided to remove the See from Thetford
to Norwich. In addition to the Cathedral, he established an episcopal
palace and a monastery to maintain sixty monks, all in the year 1094. It
had the desired effect; the city rapidly improved, the number of
inhabitants greatly increased, and trade extended. In the reign of
Stephen it was rebuilt. In 1122 Henry I. granted Norwich the same
franchise as that enjoyed in London, incorporated in a charter. The
government of the city was at the same time separated from that of
the Castle, and entrusted to the chief magistrate, or Praepositus
(provost), as he was styled. Another factor in the city's welfare was
the colony of Flemish weavers who settled at Worstead, about thirteen
miles from Norwich. They introduced the manufacture of woollen stuffs. A
second colony, however, came in Edward III.'s time and settled right in
Norwich, when it was made a staple town for the counties of Norfolk and
Suffolk.
[Illustration: NORWICH