N O R W I C H. 237 
This authority of the fheriffs was repeatedly refilled by 
the earls, which occafioned an aft to be palled in the 14th 
year of Edward III. empowering the former to have 
the privilege of the fame gaols and prifons as they for¬ 
merly ufed. 
Some antiquaries contend that the chief part of the 
prefent fabric was conllrufted by king Canute; and Mr. 
Wilkin, in the Archaeologia, remarks, that “although 
the building is of Daiii/h workmanlhip, it is, notwith- 
ltanding, in the talle of architefture praftifed by the 
Saxons long before England became fubjeft to the Danes; 
and is the belt exterior of this kind of architefture ex¬ 
tant.” Blomefield conceives that the prefent ftrufture 
was erefted by Roger Bigod, in the time of William Ru¬ 
fus, and that it occupies the fcite of a brick building 
which was railed by Canute. He alfo thinks it was confi- 
derably repaired and beautified by Thomas de Brotherton, 
in the timeof Edward II. Gurden,in his Eflay towards a 
Hillory, See. of this caltle, contends for its Danilh origin, 
and fays that Canute’s arms were lions paflant guardant; 
and that the impoft-ftones of the great portal in the eaft- 
ern front, have two Hons carved on them in baffo-relievo. 
From the fame circumftance, Camden aferibes the build¬ 
ing to Bigod. Mr. King, while he contends for the ar¬ 
chitefture being Saxon, fuppofes the keep-tower to have 
been built in the time of Canute. The promontory on 
which the keep is built appears to be a natural elevation, 
excepting fome little addition which may have been made 
by art, by throwingout theearth from the inner fofs ; for it 
is obfervable, that the ground from the callle a mile fouth- 
ward is nearly on a level with the upper ballium, although 
it declines to the well, and is rapidly declivous towards 
the river on the eall. The area of the ancient callle, in¬ 
cluding its outer works, contained about twenty-three 
acres, the whole of which was furrounded by a wall. This 
fpace comprehended three ballia, each defended by a lofty 
vallum and deep fofs. The principal entrance was by 
Bar, now Bere-ftreet, through Golden lane, by the Bar¬ 
bican-gate, which was flanked by two towers, and con¬ 
nected with the external vallum by a wall. On the eaft- 
ern fide, towards the river, was a pollern, which led to a 
circular advanced redoubt, where the river form's a double 
or horfe-lhoe bend. On the infide verge of the outer val¬ 
lum was afirong wall, the fpace included between which 
and the middle fofs conflituted the firll ballium. The fe- 
cond ballium comprifed the fpace between the middle and 
inner fofs, and was defended by a firniiar wall. The up¬ 
per ballium, as it w'as termed, becaufe its altitude far ex¬ 
ceeded the other two, circumfcribed the citadel. The 
walls, according to Grofe, “ were commonly flanked with 
towers, and had a parapet embattled, crenellated, or gar- 
retted : for the mounting of it there w'ere flights of Heps 
at convenient dillances ; and the parapet often had the 
merlons pierced with long chinks, ending in round holes, 
called ceilets.” 
The walls of the city, built in the year 1194, were thus 
formed; but it does not follow that thofe of the callle, 
erefted at a more remote period, were fo conllrufted. 
They have long been down, the outer and inner valla 
levelled, and the folia filled up for building, and other 
purpofes. Near the fouth-well angle of the inner ballium 
is the fquare keep-tower, the antiquity and architefture 
of which have afforded a very fertile theme for deputa¬ 
tion. “ Its extent from eall to well, including a fmall 
tower, through which was the principal entrance, is 
no feet 3 inches; and from north to fouth, 92 feet jo 
inches ; and the height to the top of the merlons of the 
battlements, 69 feet 6 inches. The height of the bafe- 
ment-ftory is about 24 feet, the outllde of which is faced 
with rough flint, and has no external ornament, except 
two arches on the well fide.” From the bafement-llory 
upwards, the whole building confills of three Itories, each 
ilrengthened by fmall projefting buttrefles, between 
■which the walls are ornamented with l'emicircular arches, 
refting upon fmall three-quarter columns. The backs of 
Vot. XVII. No. 1174. 
fome of thefe arcades are decorated with a kind of reti¬ 
culated work, formed by the Hones being laid diagonally; 
fo that the joints refemble the mellies of a net. To give 
it a greater richnefs of effeft, each Hone had two deeply- 
chafed lines, crofling each other parallel with the joints, 
fo as to exhibit a mofaic appearance. On the eaH fide of 
the keep is a projefting tower, of a richer kind of archi¬ 
tefture, called Bigod’s Tower; and, as it is evidently of 
the Norman Ityle, it was probably an addition to the ori¬ 
ginal building, made by Roger Bigod in the time of 
William Rufus. The interior of the keep is an unroofed 
area; but was formerly divided by floors covered-in at top, 
and feparated by feveral fpacious apartments. The baie- 
ment-floor appears to have been vaulted over with Hone, 
fome vefliges of which are Hill to be traced. It is con- 
jeftured that the well was fituated nearly in the middle 
of the keep. Within this fortrefs there was formerly a 
royal chapel, exempt from all epifcopal jurifdiftion. The 
caHle precinft now contains fix acres one rood and thir¬ 
teen perches, and the fummit of the hill is in circumfer¬ 
ence 360 yards : the whole of the latter is inclofed with 
iron paliladoes and gates. Under an aft of parliament 
parted in 1806, the cartle and its limits are vefled in the 
jurtices of the peace for the county, in trurt; by which 
they are empowered to build, repair, or alter, any part 
belonging to it, as they may think proper. 
The town of Norwich probably foon fucceeded the 
building and ertabliflnnent of the cartle, and was origi¬ 
nally occupied by the Romanized Britons from Venta 
Icenorum, and the Saxons who came firrt to afiirt, and 
afterwards to fubdue, them. During the Danilh incur- 
lions, it is faid to have been burnt by Sweyne, who failed 
with his fleet up the Wenfum. According to fome wri¬ 
ters, it was chiefly occupied, at this time, by merchants 
and fifhermen : but, if fo, confiderable alterations mull 
have taken place in the courfe and extent of the river; 
for it mull appear Hrange, that fuch perfons would forma 
fettlement at a place between thirty and forty miles from 
the fea. It is evident, that very material alterations have 
been effefted in the tide-rivers on the Englilh coart, lince 
the Romans left the country; and thefe changes have 
occafioned much embarraflment to topographers, and pro¬ 
duced apparent contradiftions in their writings. If the 
town was rebuilt by Canute the younger, in the year 
1018, it mult have had a rapid increafe ; for, in the time 
of the Confeflor, it appears to have had 25 churches, and 
1320 burgefl'es; a greater number than either Lincoln, 
Ipfwich, Cambridge, or Canterbury. It was then deemed 
a hundred of itfelf, containing 833 acres of land and 
meadow, having alfo a Iheep-walk within its jurifdiftion ; 
fo that it murt have extended nearly a mile beyond the 
limits marked out by the prefent foundationsof its walls. 
During the peaceable reign of Edward, and that of his 
fucceflor Harold, it continued rapidly to increafe both in 
wealth and population ; but, in the year 1075, by the 
fiege it endured in the rebellion of Ralph de Waher, it 
fuffered prodigioufly, and experienced a ferious decreafe. 
Many of the citizens who had efpoufed the earl’s caufe 
fled; others were banilhed by the king’s general, Waleram, 
as aiders and abettors ; and fome were forced to quit the 
place from circumrtantial neceflity, it having been partially 
burnt during the fiege, by which they were deprived of 
the means of refidence. Between the years 1083 and 
1086, in which the general furvey of the whole kingdom, 
contained in Domefday-book, was made, it appears that 
there were fcarcely 500 burgefles left ; numerous houfes 
were vacant, though the number of churches had in- 
creafed; there being, by the firrt part of the furvey, 25, 
and, by the fecond part, 54. 
The number of burgefles, at this time, began again to 
increafe, and the houfes amounted to 738 ; which, allow¬ 
ing fix perfons for each houfe, makes the number of in¬ 
habitants at that time 4428. Though Norwich then con¬ 
tained this comparatively fmall population, yet it was in 
fize fecond only to York, excluding the metropolis, as 
3 P appears 
