A Concise History and Directory of the City of Norwich for 1811 Part 3

The Union office for insurance against loss by fire, corner of Briggs's lane, near the market, established in March 1797;-and at the same place The Union office, for the insurance of lives, and granting Annuities and Endowments for children.

The General Equitable a.s.surance office, for insuring property from fire, in Bank street, established Michaelmas, 1807. The Anchor fire office, Back of the inns, established in June 1808; besides various agencies, viz.-

Sun fire office agent, Mr. John Taylor, _St. Andrew's_;-Royal Exchange, Mr. J. Woodrow, _St. George's Colegate_;-Phnix, Mr. H. Francis, _Surry street_;-Suffolk, Mr. Marsh, _Bank street_;-British, Mr. L. F. Boyce, _St. John's Maddermarket_;-Imperial, Mr. Charles Norton, _King street_.

A gentleman desirous of spending a few days in Norwich, cannot help being gratified by seeing the various employments of its extensive manufactories in Stuffs, Cottons, Shawls &c.-the first and last of which are here carried to a perfection no where else to be met with in England.

Norwich adds greatly to the trade of Yarmouth, by the importation of about 40,000 chaldrons of coals yearly; wine, fish, oil, Irish yarn, and all heavy goods which come from thence by the river Yare: and in Peace the exportation of its manufactures to Russia, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Italy, &c. The keels and wherries which navigate between Norwich and Yarmouth are acknowledged to be superior to any other small craft in England, for carrying a larger burthen, and being worked at a smaller expence;-their burthen is from fifteen to fifty tons; they have but one mast, which lets down, and carry only one large square sail, are covered close by hatches, and have a cabin superior to many coasting vessels, in which oftentimes the keelman and his family live; they require only two persons to navigate them, and sometimes perform their pa.s.sage (thirty-two miles) in five hours.

Norwich has experienced of late years, a number of improvements; the lighting is much more brilliant, and better regulated than formerly; the paving also, which is in great forwardness, and the alterations consequent thereon, have already much improved many parts, and will when finished, add greatly to the beauty of the city, and to the convenience and comfort of the inhabitants and occasional visitors. The act for paving the streets, &c. was obtained in June 1808, and empowers the commissioners to levy on all houses laid to the poor-rate, four s.h.i.+llings in the pound on the half-rental, and one s.h.i.+lling and four pence in the pounds on such houses &c. as do not pay to the poor-rate, computed on half their annual value; also by a frontage of two-pence per running foot. The commissioners under the paving act are one hundred and thirty-six in number; sixty-three permanent, besides the Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, Recorder, Steward, the Speaker of the Commons, the Rev. the Dean and Prebendary, in all thirty-one, and forty-two Parochial Commissioners, chosen annually. Clerk's office on Elm-hill, there are also a surveyor and four collectors of the rates.

Among the modern inst.i.tutions of the city is one which serves to shew that the fine arts are encouraged even at this distance from the metropolis; this is a "_Society of Artists_," the members of which have made an annual public exhibition of their pictures, for the last few years, during the a.s.size and following week, at their room in Sir Benjamin Wrenche's court, St. John's Maddermarket, where they also hold a meeting once a fortnight. If societies of this kind were more encouraged, instead of that deformity, which disgraces many modern alterations, beauty, consistency, and propriety would be introduced.

Two mail coaches run daily between London and Norwich; a double bodied coach, called the Expedition, by Newmarket daily, and a post coach by Bury three times a week;-they all leave Norwich in the afternoon, and arrive in London the following morning. A Lynn and Norwich Expedition by Dereham and Swaffham, leave Norwich on Tuesday, Thursday and Sat.u.r.day morning at seven o'clock, and arrive at Lynn the same evening, returning to Norwich on Wednesday, Friday and Monday, in winter time it runs only twice a week, viz. on Tuesdays and Sat.u.r.days.

A Machine to Yarmouth twice every day, from the Black horse, Tombland, at eight o'clock in the morning and four in the afternoon, in the summer, and nine o'clock in the morning and three in the afternoon in winter, Sat.u.r.day mornings excepted; and in the worst part of the winter it sometimes runs only once each day.

Two London waggons leave Norwich every Tuesday and Friday evening, and return to Norwich every Wednesday and Sat.u.r.day sen'-night following. By these waggons through Cambridge, there is a regular conveyance to Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, York, and all the manufacturing towns in Yorks.h.i.+re:-here are also York, Manchester, Lynn, Bury waggons, &c.-also a Barge to Yarmouth every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

The Diocese of Norwich consists of a Bishop, Chancellor, Archdeacon, Commissaries, and other officers of the Ecclesiastical Court, a Dean, Prebendaries, Minor-Canons, and other officers of the cathedral. The Bishop's office is in the upper close-the Consistory court is held in the cathedral, about once in three weeks-the Dean and Chapter's office is in the cloyster-Archdeacon's office at Mr. Steward's, Bank street.

[Picture: Decorative image]

_List of the Bishops and Deans of Norwich_, _during the last century_.

BISHOPS.

1691 John Moore, translated to _Ely_, the forty-ninth Bishop.

1707 Charles Trimmel, to _Sarum_.

1721 Thomas Green, to _Ely_.

1723 John Lang.

1727 William Baker.

1732 Robert b.u.t.ts, translated to _Ely_.

1738 Thomas Gooch, ditto.

1743 Samuel Lisle.

1749 Thomas Hayter, to _London_.

1761 Phillip Yonge.

1783 Lewis Bagot, to _St. Asaph_.

1790 George Horne.

1792 Charles Manners Sutton, to _Canterbury_.

1805 Henry Bathurst.

DEANS.

1689 Henry Fairfax, the fifteenth Dean.

1702 Humphry Prideaux.

1724 John Cole.

1730 Robert b.u.t.ts, afterwards Bishop.

1733 John Baron.

1739 Thomas Bullock.

1761 Edward Townshend.

1765 Phillip Lloyd.

1790 Joseph Turner.

_Also eleven Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons_;-viz.-

No. 16 White Sawn, St. Peter's Mancroft, the first Wednesday in the Month,-const.i.tuted May 11th, 1724.

No. 80 Bull, Magdalen-street, first Tuesday,-1749.

No. 99 Moon and Stars, St. Michael, at Coslany, third Tuesday,-Nov. 20th, 1753,-_Faithful Lodge_.

No. 105 Castle, Castle-ditches, second Thursday,-March 13th, 1757,-[Picture: Symbol of hand with finger pointing right] _Do not meet_.

No. 120 Wounded Hart, St. Peter's Mancroft, fourth Tuesday,-Sept. 16th, 1766.

No. 153 Norwich Volunteer, St. Stephen's, second Wednesday.-_Lodge of Friends.h.i.+p_.