1294, and finished in 1320.

Previous to the plague in 1348, according to Blomfield, the population amounted to 70,000; but, surely, this account as applied to the city, must appear incredible from the extent of the walls, and from the increase of population since

1085, a term of 263 years, the population must have increased sixteen fold—a circumstance, I believe, unparalleled in the annals of History.

In 1336, a great influx of Flemings in consequence of religious persecution, settled in Norwich, and introduced the worsted manufactory.

Henry IV. in the year 1403, granted the city a charter, which made Norwich a county of itself; and from this time it was governed by a mayor instead of bailiffs; and in 1406, another charter was obtained for regulating the mode of choosing the mayor, sheriffs, &c.

This city has suffered greatly at various times by the plague and scarcity, and few places have sustained more damage by fire, which may be attributed, in some measure, to the custom of covering the houses with thatch.—Two desolating fires which happened in the latter part of Henry VII’s reign, induced the corporation to make a law, that no new building should afterwards be covered with thatch.

Norwich was beginning to decline, but again revived in 1566, by the settling here of about 300 Dutch and Walloons, who had fled from the persecution of the Duke of Alva; and their number kept increasing very rapidly for several years.  About this time, bombasines and some other valuable articles were invented here, and contributed much to the population of the city.  In 1574, Norwich exhibited on its muster roll 2120 able men, towards the general defence against the invincible Armada.  In 1578, queen Elizabeth took up her abode for several days in the city.  In 1688, the charter was confirmed

to its full extent, by virtue of which, the government is vested in a mayor, recorder, steward, two sheriffs, twenty-four aldermen, of which the mayor is one, sixty common councilmen, a town clerk, chamberlain, sword bearer and other officers.

In 1556, the extent of Norwich was ascertained, by which it appears to be 14 miles in circumference.  Norwich first sent members to parliament in 1264.  In 1403, four citizens were summoned to parliament, but as they were paid by the citizens £3 for their attendance, they petitioned sending only two to save expence.  The city at present sends two who are chosen by the freeholders and freemen, some of whom are so by inheritance, some by servitude, and others by purchase—the sheriffs for the time being, are the returning officers.

Till within a few years, the population of Norwich had been increasing, viz. from the year 1693 to 1786, as will appear by the annexed parochial list; but this is owing principally to strangers resorting to Norwich as a manufacturing place, for by comparing, the births with the deaths within that period, the latter have considerably exceeded the former.  The decrease in the population observable in the table since 1786, is 3197; but 1786 was a year of peace; and in 1801, those serving in the army, navy, and militia, were not included; out of the number of houses in 1801, there were 747 unoccupied, and of the total number of persons, 21,044 were females, and 15,810 males, being nearly in proportion of 4 to 3.

At what period the art of manufacturing cloth from wool was first introduced in this Island, is not certain; but it may be supposed it was early practised in Norfolk, from the circumstance of spinning with the distaff, being still retained here.  Before William the Conqueror woollen cloths were made in Norwich; but what tended most to increase the Norwich worsted manufactory, was the number of Flemish artizans who came over here in 1336; and in the time of Richard the II. and succedings reigns, various statutes were enacted for the encouragement and regulation of the trade.  In 1445 the trade had arrived to such a degree of excellence, as to rival all other nations in the foreign Markets.  In Henry VIII’s time, according to Blomfield, the sale of stuffs made in Norwich only amounted annually to £200,000 besides hose which were computed at £60,000 more.  During the reigns of Edward VI. and Queen Mary, new articles of Manufactory continued to be introduced, and new regulations made.  In the time of Queen Elizabeth, encouragement was given to the inhabitants of the low Countries, under the persecution of the Duke of Alva, to settle here; and they introduced a variety of new fabrications, by the intermixture of silk and mohair and several new articles were manufactured as various in their qualities as their names.  In 1575 Bombasines were first introduced, for the manufactory of which elegant article, Norwich has ever since been famed, but still the trade seemed confined principally to home consumption; and the act of 1721, which prohibited

the general wearing of cottons, and the order for the Court Mourning to consist of Norwich crapes, serve as proof that the trade did not depend so much on foreign demand as home consumption.  From about, 1740 to 1760, the stuff trade gradually declined, and through the prevalence of the India and Manchester cotton goods the destruction of the home trade was almost completed.  The Manufacturers were obliged to extend their continental connections, their travellers were seen in every kingdom in Europe, and the great continental fairs were crouded with purchasers for goods of Norwich manufactory.  They also sent their sons to be educated on the continent that by learning the languages they might strengthen their connections; the taste and habits of every country and clime were consulted.  Hence Norwich and the Country for many miles round, became crowded with looms, and though Norfolk and Suffolk, were incessantly employed, yet the produce was unequal to the demand.  It became necessary to import yarn, as well as wool, and the consumption of bay yarn from Ireland was very great.  The neighbouring Counties and Scotland also contributed something considerable.  At this meridian of prosperity, the trade, from the capriciousness of fashion, began again to decay, and the disastrous war breaking out, dissolved its continental connections, depressed the spirit of enterprise, and paralized the hand of industry.

The author of the Tour through the Island of Great Britain, in 1724, gives a statement which was furnished by a manufacturer, whereby

it appears 120,000 persons were employed in the various branches of the Norwich manufactory.  Arthur Young considers the interval from the year 1743, till the unfortunate dispute with the American colonies, to have been a flourishing era; the number of looms were then found to be 12,000, and it was calculated that each loom, with its attendant preparation, produced work to the value of £100 per annum; and that every loom employed five hands besides the weaver, in the various processes before and after the weaving, so that the whole number of persons employed, many of which were old women and children, amounted to 72,000, and the money earned by them to £1,200,000.

At present, the merchants being shut out of foreign markets by war, and from our own by fashion, the number of hands employed must be considerably reduced.  The principal articles of this manufactory, are bombazines and broad camblets, for the latter, of which the East India Company, have annually given large orders, and it is much to be lamented that the benefits, which formerly accrued from this manufacture, should within the last few years have been in a great measure dissipated by a narrow