The citizens, in the reign of John, suffered considerable loss from the
depredations of the Dauphin, who had been invited from France to assist
the barons. In 1272 a riot between the monks and the citizens caused the
burning of the priory. The terrible plague, called the black death, that
occurred between 1348 and 1349, destroyed two-thirds of the population.
The city no sooner was beginning to recover from this terrible
visitation than one of its residents, John Listher, a dyer by
profession, incited an insurrection called the Norfolk Levellers. They
managed in 1381 to do much damage before the rebellion was quelled by
the Bishop of Norwich, who defeated Listher and had him executed. From
Henry IV. the citizens received permission to be governed by a mayor and
sheriffs in 1403, and Norwich was made a county of itself. But in spite
of it all the city severely suffered: what with the continued dissension
between the monks and the citizens, when the monastic buildings were
burnt down, and the tumults by tradesmen all too ready to lay aside
their tools and follow some hare-brained leader with a grievance, and
later on, after the peaceful period of Elizabeth, the Civil War. The
most notable insurrection was that conducted under the reign of Edward
VI. by a tanner, Robert Kett, and his brother William. Under the
pretence of resisting the "enclosure of waste lands," they contrived to
excite a most formidable rising. They seized upon the palace of the Earl
of Surrey, and, converting it into a prison, confined many of the
aristocracy. They then encamped upon Mouse-hold Heath, where eventually
they were routed by the army under the Earl of Warwick in 1549. The two
brothers were taken prisoners, Robert being hanged on Norwich Castle,
and William suffering a like penalty on the steeple of Wymondham church,
the parish from which they had both come. During the reign of Elizabeth
a large body of Dutch and Walloons settled in Norwich, and introduced
among many other articles the manufacture of bombazine, for which the
city soon became noted. These refugees were Protestants, who had sought
an asylum in England to escape the persecution of the Duke of Alva, and
though many Roman Catholics and even some of the Protestants were
unwilling martyrs to the stake at Norwich during this same reign of
Elizabeth, the city no doubt appeared to these exiles to offer a better
chance of life than that in the Netherlands. By the year 1582 their
numbers had increased to five thousand. The Queen, who had encouraged
and protected these emigrants, thus laid the foundation of the
commercial and manufacturing prosperity of the town, as she had done
elsewhere, and on her visit to Norwich was sumptuously feted. But the
Civil War in Charles I.'s reign did much to upset trade in Norwich. It
was held by the Parliamentarians, who seem to have got out of control.
The Cathedral was barbarously defaced, all its plate and ornaments
looted, and the Bishop's Palace greatly damaged. The Castle, on the
other hand, was strongly fortified for Cromwell. After the Restoration,
Norwich was one of the first to swear allegiance to Charles II., who
with his consort paid it a visit. He went away richer than he came, the
city having assigned its fee-farm to him, with the presentation of L1000
sterling besides. Since then the citizens have been content to lead a
quiet life, and carry on such manufactures as ironworks, mustard,
starch, and brewing of ale, though the textile manufacture, once
important, has now declined. Printing, which was introduced here in
1570, but discontinued for several years, was revived in 1701, when
newspapers began to be printed and circulated. Though, as we have seen,
the monks and citizens often did not agree, yet we must not forget that
it was mainly owing to the establishment of the See that prosperity came
to Norwich. The presence of the Cathedral immediately rescued the city
from oblivion, and, more, it raised it above the commonplace. All credit
must be awarded to Herbert de Lozinga. For some reason or other he was
dissatisfied with Thetford, which was then the seat of the Diocese, and
determined to transfer it elsewhere. For this purpose in 1094 he
purchased a large plot of ground near the Castle and soon commenced the
building of a magnificent cathedral. It was purely Norman. Though it has
undergone many alterations, additions, and restorations, Lozinga's plan
is still in great evidence, much more so than many other examples of
Norman work in England. With the establishment of a Benedictine
monastery, Lozinga brought his work to a close, and dedicated it to Holy
Trinity in 1101. As presented to us now, it is a spacious cruciform
structure, with a highly finished and ornamental Norman tower rising
from the centre. This again is surmounted by an elegant octagonal spire
of the Later Decorated style, and crocketed at the angles. The spire is
315 feet, and its height is exceeded in England only by that at
Salisbury. The west front is of Norman character, with a central
entrance, over which was placed a large window in the Later English
style. The nave, remarkable for its elaborate 328 bosses, was
stone-vaulted in the fifteenth century. The vaulting of the transepts
and the chantry of Bishop Nix dates from the sixteenth century. The
choir is richly ornamented with excellent design in tracery work of the
Later English style, whilst the east end has several circular chapels.
The Lady Chapel, which was early English, was unfortunately demolished
about 1580. The cloisters are very fine. They are 12 feet wide, and
cover an area of 175 square feet, with 45 windows inserted. They were
commenced in 1297 and completed in 1430. Though mainly composed of the
Decorated period, they range in character from the early years of that
style down to the Later English style. The Cathedral, in common with the
city, suffered severely. At one time it was very much destroyed by fire.
The dome was repaired soon after by John of Oxford, who was the fourth
bishop.
[Illustration: NORWICH