NORWICH. 
trade, the letters were foon afterwards recalled. What 
tended to increafe, and raife to an enviable height, this 
fpecies of manufacture, \vas the number of Flemilh arti- 
fans who came over in the year 1336. The difcovery of 
fuller’s-earth, about this period, a fubltance fo ufeful in 
the trade, and with which England abounds, contributed 
greatly to further their exertions in the art of weaving. 
Various ftaples were appointed for the fale of wool; and 
its exportation was prohibited under heavy penalties. On 
this occafion, the city of Norwich wars fixed for the ftaple 
of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. In the time of 
Richard II. and fucceeding reigns, various ftatutes were 
enaCted for the encouragement and regulation of the 
trade, by further prohibitions againft fending unmanu¬ 
factured wool out of the kingdom, and for the meafuring 
the manufactured articles, as well as for the fale of cloth. 
In the 23d of Henry VI. an aCt paffed, ordering four 
wardens to be chofen for the city of Norwich, and four 
others for the county of Norfolk, “ to do right, and make 
due fearch of worfteads in Norwich and Norfolk, and 
which fhall fet down orders for the true making • thereof." 
It having been difcovered in the following reign, “ that 
divers perfons in Norwich and Norfolk make untrue wares, 
by which means they lofe their ancient eftimation beyond 
lea, &c.” the number of wardens was increafed. From 
this aCt, it feems the trade had arrived at fuch a degree of 
excellence as to rival other nations in the foreign mar¬ 
ket ; and Englilh goods probably then obtained an ex- 
tenfive fale in thofe very countries whence the art had 
firft been imported. In the time of Henry VIII. accor¬ 
ding to Blomelield, the fale of fluffs made in the city of 
Norwich only, amounted to the annual fum of aoo,oool. 
exclufive of ftockings, which was computed at 6o,oool. 
more. Not only did the trade thus flourifh at Norwich 
and Worltead, but it had now fpread over the county; 
for, by an aCl palled in the fourteenth year of this reign, 
it appears “ that the making of worfleds, faies, and llam- 
mins, which had greatly increafed in the city of Nor¬ 
wich and county of Norfolk, was now praCtifed more 
bufily and diligently than in times pafl at Yarmouth and 
Lynn.” The wardens of thefe towns, therefore, were 
put under the controul of the jurifdiCtion of Norwich. 
During the reigns of Edward VI. and queen Mary, new 
articles of manufacture continued to be introduced, and 
new regulations palled for the making of ruffels, fatins, 
fatins-reverfes, and Naples-fuflians, as had been done 
before for the making of hats, dornicks, and coverlets; 
and the manufacturers of fuch new articles were formed 
into a corporation, endowed with exclufive privileges. 
Subfequent to this, the trade fell into decay, and a new 
era of its revival commenced. By the advice of the duke 
of Norfolk, queen Elizabeth was induced to offer an afy- 
lum in her dominions to the inhabitants of the Low 
Countries who had fled from the perfecution of the duke 
of Alva. Thefe people brought with them their arts and 
induftry; they were allowed to fettle in Norfolk, and 
each mafter to bring with him ten fervants at the duke’s 
charge. New fabrications were introduced by the inter¬ 
mixture of filk, mohair, and wool; and feveral new ar¬ 
ticles were manufactured, as various in their qualities as 
their names; fuch as bayes, fayes, arras, and mochades. 
In 1575, the Dutch elders prefented in court a lpeci- 
raen of a novel work, called bombazines, for the manu¬ 
facturing of which elegant fluff this city has ever fince 
been famed. In the reign of George I. an aCl was pafled 
to compel the makers of any kind of fluff to become 
freemen of Norwich, as the manufacturers of ruffels and 
fuftians had formerly been. The preamble flates, that it 
was made to furnifh the city with a proper fupply of able 
magiftrates; but the policy of the meafure lay deeper 
than the flatement. In the twenty-fifth year of George 
II. a flatute was enaCted to open the port of Great Yar¬ 
mouth for the importation of wool and woollen yarn ; 
a circumftance which proved highly beneficial to the ge¬ 
neral trade of this city and county. From a flatement 
239 
furnifhed by a mafler-manufaClurer in the year 1724, it 
appears that 120,000 perfons were then employed in the 
woollen, worlled, and filk, manufactures. Not that the 
whole of thefe perfons redded in the city, but they were 
employed in fome branch of the trade, and them labours 
were conducive to the productions of Norwich. The 
ftaple articles of this manufacture, at prefent, are bomba¬ 
zines, worded damafks, flowered fatins, and fine camblets; 
for the latter, the Eaft-India Company have given annu¬ 
ally large orders, which has afforded fome relief during 
the torpor of the trade to Italy and Spain. To thefe ar¬ 
ticles has been recently added the manufacturing of cot¬ 
tons, fhawls, and other fancy-goods, adapted both for 
furniture and drefs, which for elegance, at prefent, fur- 
pafs any thing of the kind made in England. The making 
of cotton thread-lace has alfo been introduced ; and the 
trade in linen called Suffolk hempen, is in a flourifhing 
flate. The ftaple manufacture of Norwich furnifhes about 
fifty diftinCt occupations, reckoning from the fhearer 
who procures the fleece, to the mariner who fhips the 
bale-goods; and, when trade is very brifk, it employs 
about 100,000 perfons. The Lincolnfhire and Leicefter- 
fhire wools are chiefly ufed, while thofe of Norfolk are 
rnoftly fent for the ufe of the Yorkfhire clothiers. The 
earnings of the manufacturers are various. Dyers and 
hot-preffers earn about 1 js. a-week, combers about 12s. 
fome of the belt weavers from 14s. to a guinea ; weavers 
in general, on an average, not more than 6s. but then 
many women can earn as much ; and children, by fpin- 
ning, pipe-filling, and tyre-drawing, earn from 9d. to 
2S. 6d. per week. The inhabitants of this city are gene¬ 
rally fo employed in their manufactures within doors, 
that the city has the appearance of being deferted, ex¬ 
cept on Sundays and holidays, when the ftreets fwarm 
with people. 
Norwich had formerly no fewer than fifty-eight 
churches ; it has now thirty-fix, which is a great num¬ 
ber. Herbert de Lofinga eltablilhed the fee of Norwich 
in the year 1094, and laid the foundation-ftone of the ca¬ 
thedral in the year 109,6. How much was completed by 
Herbert is not clearly defined; though it is dated, that 
the choir, with its aides, alfo the tranfept and tower, 
were ereCted by him. To this Eborard, his fucceffor in 
the fee, added the nave, with its two ailles, extending 
from the anti-choir, or rood-loft, to the well end. Thus 
it Hood, though not fitted-up, till 1171, when it was da¬ 
maged by fire. John of Oxford, the fourth bilhop, re¬ 
paired this injury, fupplied the church with proper velt- 
ments, and decorated it with ornaments, about the year 
1197. Walter de Suftield, the tenth bifhop, made another 
addition, by ereCting the Virgin-chapel at the ealt end, 
which has fince been demolilhed. In the year 1272, the 
cathedral was again injured by lire, but was repaired 
A. D. 1278. Soon after, the tower, or the lleeple, appear¬ 
ing to have been materially injured by the lire, it was 
taken down, and another ereCted at the foie expenfe of 
bilhop Ralph de Walpole. The old chapter-houle was 
built by the fame bounteous prelate; who alfo ereCted 
that part of the cloifter which extends from the entrance 
of the chapter-houle to the grand door-w'ay into the 
church : three more arches, on the fame fide, were exe¬ 
cuted by the clerk of the works, Richard de Uppehall: 
the remaining five arches, and the fouth fide of the cloifter 
to the arch, where the efpoufals wa» carved, were ereCted 
by bilhop Salmon, with the afliltance of the monks; who 
on this occafion, fupprefled the office of pittance)-, and 
expended on the work the pittances of the convent. 
The north fide, towards the church, was built by Henry 
de Well, who gave 210 marks himfelf, and obtained fe¬ 
veral donations to carry on the work : he was alfo allowed 
a portion of the pittance-money. The weft fide, from the 
carving of the efpoufals, the highly-ornamented entrance 
towards the refeCtory, the lavatories, and the door-way 
into the pilgrims’-hall, were built by Jeffery Simonds 
tlvc then reCtor of St. Mary-in-the-Marlh. The part ex¬ 
tending 
