16 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF NORWICH AND DISTRICT 
flat region consists of grazing marshes drained by a network of dykes, 
slow flowing tidal rivers with an average fall of 2 in. to the mile, and a 
number of reed-bordered sheets of water called Broads. The latter may 
be divided into three types: (1) those occupying the deeper hollows of 
the original estuary being separated from the rivers by reedy covered 
washlands, called ronds. Access between these broads and the rivers is 
only possible by digging connecting channels across the ronds. Among 
this class are included Wroxham and Ranworth near the Bure, and 
Surlingham and Rockland near the Yare ; (2) a number directly connected 
with the rivers may be considered as ‘ broadenings —e.g. the broads of 
the rivers Ant, Thurne and Much Fleet. It is interesting to note that 
H. B. Woodward" thought that Barton Broad was formed by the cutting 
of turf, and is therefore to a certain degree artificial ; (3) Breydon Water, 
now almost silted up, is the last remains of the old estuarine channel. 
The changing phases of Broadland from sea to grazing marsh have left 
their mark on the culture and development of the inhabitants of the sur- 
rounding regions, due in the main to the difficulties of communication 
by land and the ease of access by water. Large stretches of water pro- 
vided an entrance for Danish pirates, and later the rivers played an 
important part as navigable highways, as indicated by a large number of 
staithes—wherries carried goods between North Walsham and Yarmouth, . 
also between Aylsham and Yarmouth on the Bure, and its water con- 
nections ; and between Norwich and Yarmouth on the Yare. The 
traffic on the Bure declined with the advent of railways and motor road 
transport, but small steamers and other craft still carry on an increasing 
trade of sea-borne goods, such as timber and coal, from Yarmouth to 
Norwich. The Broadland of to-day is best known as a pleasure resort, 
famous for its unique scenery and its wonderful skies—the source of 
inspiration of many famous paintings—its sport and yachting; while 
its reeds are used for thatching not only locally, but in many parts of 
the country over 150 miles away. During the past 200 years the isolation 
of Broadland has been considerably modified by the construction of 
railways and roads, nevertheless the region itself is but sparsely populated, 
although it is flanked by the two largest centres of population in Norfolk. 
The Flegg Hundreds —This sub-region cut off by sea and marsh, formerly 
an island, is remarkable for its Norse and Danish settlements. The very 
name Flegg is Norse, meaning ‘ flat,’ 1° and Mr. W. Rye has made some 
interesting notes on the place-names and their possible significance on 
the history of the succession of Danish settlements. There seems to be 
little doubt that this island was the home of many Norwegians and Danes, 
ancestors of many of the present inhabitants. W. A. Dutt,! after remark- 
ing on the large number of village names ending in ‘ by’ adds, ‘ that in 
these parishes tall, light-haired, blue-eyed men, closely resembling the 
Norwegians, are frequently met with.’ Domesday records a large number 
of salt-pans along the inland fringe—e.g. at ‘Filby ; and indicates a large 
number of small holdings in these hundreds worked by freemen—a fact 
which may be interpreted as an outcome of the settlement of these inde- 
14H. B. Woodward, The Geology of the County avound Norwich. 
15 W. A. Dutt, ‘ Norfolk,’ Cambridge County Geographies. 
