144 
NORFOLK. 
Of the via mill fares, or great Roman roads, made for 
the convenience of carriages, and facilitating the march¬ 
ing of the army, few perfect veftiges remain in Norfolk. 
But, as feveral important ftations were formed within the 
county, do doubt can be- entertained that fuch roads 
once exifted, though the traces of molt of them are now 
obliterated. It was the cuftom of the Romans to open 
this kind of communication between all their ftations; 
and many appearances of fuch are ftill to be feen in thofe 
parts of the adjoining county of Cambridge which abut 
upon this, and in a direction as if they had come from 
the eaftern part. But .of the cldmini minores, or vicinal 
roads, fome traces are ftill vifible. What is called Pedders- 
way, pafting from Thetford by Ichborough, Swaffham, 
Caftle-Acre, Fring, Ringfhead, to the fea near Brancafter, 
appears one of this fort. The road leading by Long- 
Stratton to Tafburg was probably another; whilft a third 
branched off from this to the north-weft, going through 
Marfhland, Upwell, and Elm, to Wifbeach. What is 
called the Milky Way has been confidered Roman ; but 
it is more probably of later date, and was poflibly made 
for the convenience of the devotees who went on a pil¬ 
grimage to the chapel of Our Lady of Walfingham. It is 
traceable in feveral places, and is pretty perfeCt in the 
vicinity of Grimes-Graves. 
Several barrows or tumuli are to be found in different 
parts of the county, particularly in the neighbourhood 
of Creek, Amnor, Rudham, Sedgeford, Stifkey, Long- 
Stratton, Weeting, Norwick, and Walfingham. In fome, 
which have been opened, different relics have been dif- 
covered, as human bones, wood-afhes, and urns made of 
baked clay. Thefe were lometimes encompafled with 
large ftones, forming a fort of cell or kiftvaen ; and in 
fome of the barrows have been difcovered miftile inftru- 
ments, with implements which are confidered by fome 
antiquaries to have been originally employed in facrifice. 
The diocefe ofNorwich comprifes the counties of Nor¬ 
folk and Suffolk, except four peculiars in the latter county ; 
three of which belong to the fee of Canterbury, viz.Had- 
leigh, Monk’s Ulich, and Moulton ; and Frekenham to 
the fee of Rochefter. It includes alfo fifteen or fixteen 
parifhes in Cambridgefhire. Spelman fays, the diocefe 
contain mi parifhes; andBeatfon, in hisPolitical Index, 
repeats the. fame enumeration. But this, if meant of un- 
confolidated livings, mud be very erroneous, as, A. D. 
3371, bifhop Henry Spencer certified to the king, that 
there were in his diocefe 1321 parifhes ; and, if meant to 
include pluralities as parifhes, it will then be far from 
accurate. Various changes have, however, taken place 
in this refpeCt; and the number is occafionally fluctuating 
from different caufes. The number of eftabliftied clergy 
refident in the diocefe, according to a calculation made 
in the year 1772, was beneficed clergy 550, curates 150; 
from which it is evident there muft be a number of plu¬ 
ralities. Mr. Young remarks, that not half the clergymen 
refide at their livings. The diocefe is in the province of 
Canterbury, and the bifhop is a fuffragan to that metro¬ 
politan. The jurifdiftion of the fee, as refpeCts its internal 
regulations, is vefted in the bifhop, who appoints the four 
archdeacons as his afliftants, (no fuffragans having been 
chofen fince the time of bifhop Nix,) a chancellor, a 
regiftrar, and other officers of his confiftorial court. 
At an early period this fee enjoyed extenfive privileges 
as well as great revenues. To enumerate them would 
fill feveral pages. The bifhop poffeffed all the ufual 
powers granted to lay-baronies: the liberty of coinage, ex¬ 
emption from all taxes, tallage, and cuftoms, except thofe 
of the city of London ; jura regalia within his manors, 
a coroner and a prifon for his liberty, and all mul&s, 
.amerciaments from his tenants;' the right of choofing a 
juftice for the precinCt of his palace, and of adding himlelf 
as one of the king’s juftices of the peace for the city, 
county, and liberty. All thefe were confirmed by a 
charter of infpexiinus, granted by king Henry VIII. 
March 29, A.D. 1512. But, through many ancient fta- 
tutes becoming obfolete, the abolition of feudal cuftoms* 
and various fubfequent parliamentary regulations, many 
of thefe privileges are abridged, if not difannulled. There 
is, however, one which the bifhops of Norwich have 
exercifed time immemorial ; and, as it is peculiar to this 
diocefe, ought not to be omitted. It is the power of 
uniting any two cures within the diocefe, at the time of 
inftitution, without regard to their value, and that either 
by perfonal or perpetual union. The perfonal union 
lafts only during the life of an incumbent, and anfwers 
to an archiepifcopal difpenfation, requiring in this diocefe 
only the bilhop’s confent. The perpetual union is made 
with the joint confent of patron, incumbent, and biftiop ; 
and is equal to a confolidation. The biftiop is a peer of 
the realm, and fits in the upper houfe, not only in right 
of his barony, but as titular abbot of St. Bennet’s, in 
Holme; and is the only abbot at prefent in England. 
Norfolk teemed with religious lioufes; out of 114.8 mo- 
nafteries feized by Henry VIII. after his denial of the 
papal fupremacy, feventy-nine religious or charitable 
foundations were fupprefted in this county. Norfolk 
contained alfo feveral alien priories, which were diflolved 
before the general fuppreftion; and a few decayed hof- 
pitals, whole revenues had been fequeftered and appro¬ 
priated to other ufes. 
From the various circumftances already mentioned, it 
may with great probability be inferred, that Norfolk con¬ 
tains various and numerous fpecimens of eccleliaftical 
architecture; and, from the many military tranfaftions 
which occurred within this diftrict, the antiquary may 
expeCt to meet with feveral caftellated remains. 
Of the large and magnificent Norman churches, a few 
fine examples are to be found in this country, the prin¬ 
cipal of which is the cathedral church ofNorwich. This 
noble edifice difplays feveral interefting fpecimens of maffy 
columns and femicircular arches, with numerous appro¬ 
priate mouldings, capitals, .bales, &c. In the ruined 
churches of Wymondham, Attlebury, Binham, Caftle- 
Acre, and St. Margaret’s at Lynn, are feveral examples 
of nearly the fame ftyle and age; and all difplay con- 
liderable grandeur of defign with liability of conftruCtion. 
Examples of a later and more elegant ftyle of architecture 
are feen in St. Nicholas chapel at Lynn, and the Lady 
Mount chapel at the fame place; in the fragment of 
Walfingham priory church ; in the churches of St. Peter 
Mancroft and St. George’s, See. at Norwich ; in thofe of 
Hingham, Aylelham, Cromer, Fakenham, Eaft Deerham, 
Swaffham, See. Several of thefe buildings are ornamented 
with fereens, pifeinas, monuments, fonts, Sec. Of the 
latter, particularly fine fpecimens are to be found in the 
churches of Binham, Norwich, Walfingham, and Wy¬ 
mondham. 
The round towers, of which feveral ftill remain in Nor¬ 
folk and Suffolk, have been called Danijh by fir James Bur- 
rough and by fome other antiquaries; and their being- 
found principally in this part of the ifland ftrengthens 
that opinion. Though of a circular form, they are dif- 
fimilar in fize and height to the pillar-towers of Ireland, 
and are ftill more unlike the circular churches. The 
architefture, if their conftruCtion be entitled to this term, 
is very Ample or rude ; they confift of a plain wall of flint, 
rubbifh, ftone, and mortar, with very finall openings or 
windows in them. The latter are towards the-top; and 
have femicircular heads divided into two apertures, with 
a column between. The parifti-church of Bexwell near 
Downham, and that of Bychamwell near Swaffham, have 
round towers. Befides the acknowledged high antiquity 
of that form, there is in each a circumftance certainly not 
common: both have been furntounted by oCtagon tops 
about the age of Henry VII. In that of Bexwell are 
ten finall windows with femicircular heads furrounding 
the upper part, but they are now bricked up. In that'at 
Bychamwell are four pointed apertures, nearly in the 
fame fituation as the windows in the other tower: the 
arched parts of thefe and the iides are formed by plain 
1 lquared 
