HERITAGE GROUP 25th March 2021

BE INSPIRED by A BIT OF KNOWLEDGE: (or some seventeenth-century lessons on handling contagion...)

In the background work to our upcoming feature based on a family history mystery based in the late seventeenth century, Norwich emerges as a place of interest and will be mentioned frequently. Then, as now, rural parishes and big cities alike were ravaged by contagion, with outbreaks of the plague occurring intermittently over a period of years. We are used to hearing the statistics about the plague in London (some are mentioned in our ‘Turbulent Times’ quiz to which there is a link at the end of this aticle), but what about Norwich?

Numerous antiquarian volumes on the history of Norfolk were published in the eighteenth century, most notably, and dating from 1739, ‘An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk’ by The Rev. of Fersfield, who died in 1752. In 1781, frequently acknowledging Blomefield, the surveyor and cartographer Mostyn John Armstrong is attributed as the editor (with others) of ‘History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk’, published in ten volumes, enhanced by woodcut engravings. He tackles the county alphabetically by Hundred, the old administrative unit. Volume 1 begins with a general description of the County, then Blofield, Brothercross and Clackclose, and the series continues through the alphabet. Attleborough was in Shropham Hundred and comes at the end of Volume 8. Finally, Volume 10 is dedicated entirely to ‘The City and County of Norwich’ and is an eye-opener when it comes to handling the plague.

According to Armstrong, Norwich had attacks of the plague in the summer of 1609 (with few deaths), but took prompt action when another outbreak occurred in 1630, and when it struck again in the years following. The extracts below are taken verbatim from Volume 10 of his ‘History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk’:

“In 1630, on the breaking out of the plague, the gate called Brazen-door was appointed as a dwelling for the persons employed in burying those who died of it, and a prison for such infected poor as would not properly confine themselves; six houses were also erected on Butter hills, near the great Black Tower, for pest houses, and an acre of ground inclosed about them with high boards: these precautions had the desired effect, so that in July following, the city being entirely clear of the distemper, the pest houses were ordered to be taken down.

In 1631, information being received that the plague had broken out in London, and that even five people had died of it in this city [Norwich], such wise precautions were immediately taken as put an effectual stop to the spreading of the contagion, not more than twenty or thirty persons dying of it.

In 1634, the plague broke out again in St Augustine’s parish but never arrived to any considerable height.

In 1646, the plague made its appearance in Norwich and , but its effects were very inconsiderable.

In 1665, the plague broke out here and made dreadful ravages: the burials in the space of twelve months amounted to three thousand and twelve, of whom two thousand two hundred and fifty-one were taken off by that fatal distemper. During its continuance, at the instance of the justices for the county of Norfolk, the market was appointed to be held in the town close. The city was not quite cleared of the infection till toward the latter end of 1667, when, on its entirely ceasing, the nineteenth day of September was ordered by the bishop to be observed as a day of general thanksgiving to Almighty God, for his great mercy in putting a stop to its further progress.”

To bring this summary to life, the image on the next page is an extract from the fold-out map of Norwich in Volume 10. Much of the protection Armstrong describes was sited in the area south of this, not covered by the map, and well away from the central market, which is clearly visible, despite the (unavoidable) folds in the fragile map. The numbers on the map refer to a key to the names of churches and other buildings, several of which will be brought to life in future online features. First, to help put the area in context, and clearly showing ‘Town Close’, this image was copied from page 64 of ‘A History of Norwich’ by Frank Meeres (1998).

Above: from Armstrong’s map of the City of Norwich, drawn in 1779. The ‘Brazen Doors’, at the bottom of the map, were part of the city wall. Frank Meere’s map on the previous page shows the extent of the walled city clearly - and its distance from Town Close.

Finally, as a prelude to our next online feature (which we anticipate will be on the website early in April), here is a link to our ‘Turbulent Times Quiz’.