NORWICH. 
23G 
carrying the hay from the fame meadow, (hall tofs it once, 
and every one working thereat (hall have, from the lord, 
bread to the value of an halfpenny; and the lord (hall 
difpofe of the reft; and every tenant holding an entire 
bovate of land, dial], with his companions, reap, &c. the 
lord’s corn, from the beginning to the end of autumn, 
with two men, receiving from the lord, each day, for 
every one at work, bread to the value of one penny, and 
three herrings ; likewife every tenant (hall carry two cart¬ 
loads of corn from the fields of Norwell to the manfe of 
the prebend, and (hall not therefore receive from the lord 
anything; and, at the end of autumn, the lord (hall 
give, to all his tenants fo mowing, four-pence to drink, 
and one pair of white pigeons.” Dickinfon’s Antiquities 
in Nottinghamfhire, &c. 
NOR'WICH, a city of England, the metropolis of the 
county of Norfolk. It chiefly occupies the top and fides 
of a gentle hill, which runs parallel with the river Wen- 
fum on its weftern fide, and terminates at a fudden bend 
of it. At this turn, and near that termination, a caftle, 
or military liation, appears to have been eftablilhed at an 
early period; and, as the people congregated round it for 
per(bnal fecurity, or private advantage, they gradually 
formed and augmented the town. Of Norwich, in its 
prefent ftate, it has been faid, thatjt (lands upon more 
ground, comparatively with its population, than any city 
in the kingdom, the buildings being generally inter- 
fperfed with gardens, which latter circumftance has given 
rife to its appellation of a “ city in an orchard.” The 
fhape, or plan, is irregular, approaching that of a cornu¬ 
copia, or bent cone, and has not unaptly been compared 
to the figure of a (houlder of venifon. It is rather more 
than one mile and a half in length, from Conisford-gate 
in King-ftreet on the fouth, to Magdalen-gate on the 
north ; and one mile and a quarter broad, from Bifhop’s- 
gate on the eaft, to St. Benedi6l’s-gate in the weft. It 
lias five bridges over the river; one of iron, and four of 
ltone. The whole city was formerly furrounded, except 
on the fide towards the river, by an embattled wall, 
flanked with forty towers, and had- twelve gates : the 
former is dilapidated, and the latter have been taken down. 
The original foundation of Norwich is eafiiy to be af- 
certained. Soon after the Romans eftablilhed themfelves 
in Britain, they either ere£ted fortreffes near the Britifti 
towns, or invited the fubdued natives to aflemble round 
the Roman military ftation. Hence it is that many of 
our chief cities and towns occupy the fcites of fuch forti¬ 
fied polls, or are in the immediate vicinity of them. Thus 
it is probable that Norwich originated in the decay of 
Venta Icenorum, or Caftor, as Salifbury arofe out of Sor- 
biodunum, or Old Sarum. An old diftich commemorates 
the former event: 
Caftor was a city, when Norwich was none; 
Ai>d Norwich was built with Caftor (lone. 
I 
There can be no doubt that this place received its ap¬ 
pellation from the Saxons ; the word Northwic , in their 
language, fignifying “ a northern ftation, caftle, or town;” 
and, on the Saxon coins of various reigns, the w'ord oc¬ 
curs in their exergue, with the- mint-mafter’s name. 
Blomefield, in his Hillary of Norwich, has enumerated 
feveral of tliefe. Thus it appears, from the molt authentic 
documents, that Norwich was a place of note previous to 
the Danifli dynafty. 
On the dereliction of Britain by the Romans, the 
Saxons fent their own troops to this part of the coaft, 
under a pretence of aflifting the Britons againft their 
northern enemies. But, quickly changing the character 
of auxiliaries into that of invaders, they began to ereCt 
fortreffes to defend the poffeffions they had feized, and 
enable them to execute their plan of finally occupying 
the whole ifland. At this period the caftle of Norwich, 
or the fortification on the Wenfum, was probably con- 
itruCted. The elevated fpot on which this caftle (lands, 
(a promontory at the north-weftern extremity of a ridge 
4 
of land which extends from the fcite of the ancient Caftor 
to the Wenfum, and commands a profpeCt over a large 
fpace of country,) pointed it out as an eligible place to 
fix an advanced poll. The Eaft-Anglian monarchy was 
probably eftablilhed between the years 530 and 540, and 
the caftle ereCted about the fame period. In the year 642 
it is faid to have been a fortified royal feat of Anna, the 
feventh king of the Eaft-Anglian line. During the nu¬ 
merous incurfions of the Danes, it was frequently poffelfed 
by them and by the Saxons alternately. Its fituation ren¬ 
dered it an objeCt of importance to the former; audit 
appears to have been occupied by Ingwar, a Danifli 
chief, in the year 870, when king Edmund was afiailed in 
-his palace at Hoxne, and killed by his enemies. That it 
was a military ftation of note, and a royal caftle, in Al¬ 
fred’s time, is evident from the coin (truck here about 
the year 872. In the reign of Ethelred, the caftle is de- 
fcribed to have been utterly deftroyed by the army under 
Sweyne king of Denmark, in the year 1004. This mo¬ 
narch was afterwards defeated by the Saxon earl Ulfket- 
tle, and obliged to fly to Denmark. In 1010 the Danes 
again returned, and (ettled at Norwich, which they forti¬ 
fied. The caftle appears to have been rebuilt by Canute, 
on his acceflion to the throne of England, about the year 
1018, at which time its cuftody waS entrulled to Turkil. 
The government was afterwards bellowed on Harold, 
who, fucceeding to the Englilh throne, conferred this 
caftle on a Saxon thane, named Leofric. Soon after the 
Norman conqueft, king William appointed Ralph de 
Waher to the earldom of Norfolk, and gave him this 
caftle for his refidence. That nobleman joined in rebel¬ 
lion with Waltheof, the powerful earl of Northumberland; 
but, having been defeated, he retreated to his caftle of 
Norwich, which being inverted by the royal army, he 
withdrew to Normandy, leaving to his countefs the charge 
and defence of the fortrefs. The garrifon, chiefly con¬ 
fiding of Armorican Britons, made an obllinate refiftance, 
not yielding to the befiegers till compelled by the impe¬ 
rious neceffity of famine ; and then it obtained an ho¬ 
nourable capitulation. The earldom and caftle, thuscon- 
fifcated, were conferred, A. D. 1077, on Roger Bigod, 
another of his Norman followers. After he was poffeffed 
of this important fortrefs, being in the intereft of Robert 
Curthofe duke of Normandy, he retained it againft Wil¬ 
liam Rufus. Peace being figned between the two royal 
brothers, earl Bigod was guaranteed, by a prior llipula- 
tion, in his landed poffeflions, and the government of 
the caftle. In the reign of Stephen it was feized by the- 
crown, but again conferred upon the family of Bigod. 
In the reign of Henry II. it is dated by fome writers, 
that Roger Bigod, who then poffeffed this fortrefs, 
rebuilt, or materially altered, the caftle, and that the 
prefent keep-tower is part of the work then erefted. 
The fame authors obferve, that the caftle was now ren¬ 
dered impregnable; but this is evidently a mis-ftatement, 
for in the reign of king John, Hugh Bigod was expelled, 
and William Marfliall earl of Pembroke, with John Fitz- 
lierbert, affociated in the (hrievalty of Norfolk and Suf¬ 
folk, were appointed, by patent, conftables of the cat¬ 
tles of Norwich and Orford. Of thefe fortreffes, Hugh 
de Burgh, afterwards earl of Kent, was made governor. 
In the year 1240, the cuftody was committed to Hamon 
Paffelow, to hold during the king’s pleafure. In the 
reign of Henry III. Louis of France fent troops into Eng¬ 
land, to affift the barons, when Norwich caftle was be- 
(ieged,and forced to capitulate. Thomasde Brotherton, 
fecond Ion of Edward I. obtained the honour and cuftody 
of it from the Bigods. In the time of Edward II. the 
honour confided of one hundred and twenty knights-fees; 
which were equal to eighty-five thoufand acres of land. 
The power of the earls appears foon after this to have 
been abridged; for the (heriff of the county was autho- 
rifed by the king to ufe the caftle for a prifon, to keep 
perlbns charged with crimes in fafe cuftody till the itine¬ 
rant i uftices Ihould hold their courts of oyer and terminer. 
This 
