SUFFOLK. 



215 



of the harbour. For its prosperity Lowestoft is almo;êt exclusively dependent 

 upon seaside visitors and its herring fishery, which employs 350 boats. Its 

 harbour is formed by two vast piers, and a canal connects it with Lake Lothing, 

 which thus constitutes an inner harbour. Beccks and Bungay are towns pleasantly 

 seated upon the navigable "Waveney. They both carry on a brisk trade in corn, 

 and Bungay engages, moreover, in the silk trade and in book-printing. 



Bury St. Edmunds, the capital of Western Sufiblk, occupies a pleasant position 

 near the head of the river Lark, and is famed for its salubrity. It acquired fame 

 and wealth as the resting-place of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia, who was slain 

 by the Danes about the year 870. Its abbey became one of the wealthiest and 

 most powerful in England, and its remains, including a great Norman tower built in 

 1090, are even now of great interest. But though Bury has ceased to be the great 

 religious centre of Eastern England, and wealth is no longer poured in its lap by 



Fig. 106. — NoKMAX TowEK AND AiiBEY : BuRY St. Edmcnds. 



crowds of pilgrims, it is still a prosperous place, carrying on a large trade in corn, 

 brewing an excellent ale, and manufacturing agricultural machinery. Iclncorth, 

 in its neighbourhood, is a residence of the Marquis of Bristol, and, standing on high 

 ground, it forms a conspicuous landmark. 



Thetford, on the Little Ouse, to the north of Bury, is one of the most ancient 

 settlements in the eastern counties, and was a chief residence of the East- Anglian 

 kings. In the reign of Edward III. it is said to have contained twenty churches 

 and eight monasteries, and the colossal earthworks which cover the " Mount," or 

 " Castle Hill," bear witness to its former importance. It has settled down now 

 into a quiet market-place, depending upon the neighbouring farmers for its existence. 



Neuinavket, on the western border of the county, and partly in Cambridgeshire, 

 is famous as the "metropolis of the turf," and the virtual head-quarters of the 

 Jockey Club. Newmarket Heath, the site of the racecourse, lids to the west of 



