It is indifferently well-built. The Church, which is fituate near a Mile on the Weft fide of the Town, is a good Building; but, for the Eafe of its Inhabitants, there is a Chapel in the Town, wherein divine Service is fometimes celebrated. The Nefs below the Northend of the Town is the most Eastern Point of Land in Britain. Its principal Trade is Fishing for Herrings and Mackrel. It has a noted Market weekly on Wednefdays; and two small Fairs yearly, the one on the it Day of May, and the other on the 29th of September. Befides the prefent Chapel, here was formerly, at the South end of the Town, a Chapel called Goodcrofs Chapel, which hath been long fince deftroyed by the Sea, This Town, having been Part of the antient Demefnes of the Crown, hath a Charter, and a Townfeal; but the greatest Privilege it now enjoys from its Charter, is, that of its Inhabitants not ferving on Juries, either at the Seffions or Affizes.

I faw a beautiful Monument of that excellent Judge Sir John Holt, at Redgrave, the Family-feat, with the following Infcription upon it:

M. S.

D. Johannis Holt, Equitis Aur.
Totius Angliæ in Banco Regis
per 21 Annos continuos

Capitalis Juftitiarii ;

Gulielmo Regi, Annæque Regina,
Confiliarii perpetui;

Libertatis ac Legum Anglicarum
Affertoris, Vindicis, Cuftodis,
Vigilis, Acris, & Intrepidi,
Rolandus Frater Unicus & Hæres
Optime de fe Merito
Pofuit.

Die Martii Vto. 1709. fublatus eft
ex Oculis noftris.

Natus 30. Decembris, Anno 1640.
Ꭰ 3

In

In English thus:

Sacred to the Memory of Sir John Holt, Knight, Lord Chief Juftice of the King's-Bench for the Space of 21 Years fucceffively, and of the Privy-Council to King William and Queen Anne; a vigilant, penetrating, and intrepid Affertor, Vindicator, and Guardian of the Liberty and Laws of England.

Rowland, his only Brother and Heir, erected this Monument as a Teftimony of the ftrongest Obligations. He departed this Life the 5th of March, in the Year 1709. The Day of his Birth was the 30th of December, in the Year 1640.

I believe, Sir, you will allow, that I have written enough for one Letter. I will therefore only further add, that I am,

Your humble Servant.

LETTER

II.

Containing a Defcription of the Counties of NORFOLK and CAMBRIDGE, and that Part of EssEx not touched on in the former.

SIR,

F

ROM High-Suffolk, I paffed the Waveney, near Schole Inn; and fo came into Norfolk and here we fee a Face of Diligence fpread over the whole Country: the vaft Manufactures carried on chiefly by the Norwich Weavers employ all the Country round in fpinning Yarn for them; and also use many thousand Packs

Packs of Yarn, which they receive from other Countries, even from as far as Yorkshire and Westmoreland.

This Side of Norfolk is very populous, and filled with a great Number of confiderable Market-towns; infomuch that between the Borders of Suffolk and the City of Norwich on this Side, which is not above 22 Miles in Breadth, are the following Market-towns ;

Most of these Towns are very populous and large; but that which is moft remarkable is, that the whole Country round them is interfperfed with Villages fo large, and fo full of People, that they are equal to Market-towns in other Counties.

An eminent Weaver of Norwich gave me a Scheme of their Trade on this Occafion, by which, calculating from the Number of Looms at that time employed in the City of Norwich only, he made it appear, that there were 120,000 People bufied in the Woolen and Silk Manufactures of that City only: not that the People all lived in the City, though Norwich is very large and populous; but they were employed for fpining the Yarn used for such Goods as were all made in that City.

This fhews the wonderful Extent of the Norwich Manufacture, or Stuff-weaving Trade, by which fo many Families are maintained.

This Throng of Villages continues thro' all the East Part of the County, which is of the greatest Extent, and where the Manufacture is chiefly carried on. If any Part of it be thin of Inhabitants, it is the Weft Part, drawing a Line from about Brandon, South, to Walfingbam, North. This Part of the County, indeed, is full of open Plains, and fomewhat fandy and barren, but yet feeds great Flocks of Sheep.

D 4

NOR

NORWICH is the Capital of the County, and the Centre of all the Trade and Manufactures which I have juft mentioned; an antient, large, rich, and populous City. If a Stranger were only to ride thro' or view the City of Norwich on ordinary Days, he would be induced to think it a Town without Inhabitants; but, on the contrary, if he was to view the City, either on a Sabbath day, or on any public Occafion, he would wonder where all the People could dwell, the Multitude is fo great but the Cafe is this; the Inhabitants, being all bufy at their Manufactures, dwell in their Garrets at their Looms, and in their Combing-fhops, as they call them, Twifting mills, and other Workhouses; almoft all the Works they are employed in being done within Doors.

:

There are in this City 32 Parishes, befides the Cathedral, and a great many Meeting-houfes for Diffenters of all Denominations. The Caftle is antient and decayed, and now for many Years paft made ufe of as a Gaol.

This City, it is faid, was built by the Saxons out of the Ruins of Venta Icehorum, now called Cafter, where fome Years fince were found feveral Roman Urns. In the time of the Saxons it was the principal Seat of the Eaft Angles, and was reduced to Afhes by Sueno the Dane. It was re-edified, and Famine only compelled it to yield to William the Norman.

The famous Rebellion of Kett, the Tanner of Windham, in the Reign of Edward VI. reduced it again to a ruinous State; but it was happily restored by Queen Elizabeth, who sent hither Part of the Flemings that came over from the cruel Perfecution of the Duke of Alva; to whofe Industry and Example is owing the rich Manufacture of Stuffs for which this City is fo famous.

The Walls of this City are reckoned three Miles in Circumference, taking in more Ground than the City of London, within the Walls; but much of that Ground

lies open in Pafture-fields and Gardens; nor does it feem to be, like fome antient Places, a decayed declining Town, the Walls only marking out its antient Dimenfions; for we have not Caufe to fuppofe, that it was ever larger or more populous than it is now. But the Walls feem to be placed, as if it were expected that the City would in time increase sufficiently to fill them up with Buildings. There are 12 large Gates, which give Entrance to the City.

Norwich is governed by a Mayor, Recorder, two Sheriffs, Steward, 24 Aldermen, 60 Common-council, with a Town-clerk, Sword-bearer, &c. and fends two Members to Parliament.

There are annually chofe eight Wardens of the Worsted-weavers, four out of the City, and four out of the adjacent Country, who are fworn to take Care that there be no Fraud in the fpinning, weaving, or dying the Stuffs. They have a Seat in the Townhall, with this Infcription over it, Worsted Reformed; and there is alfo a Company of Manufacturers of Woolen, called the Ruffia Company, who have another Seat in it, with this Infcription, Fidelitas Artis.

The Stocking Manufacture in this Town was computed, several Years ago, at 60,000l. per Ann.

The Cathedral is a fine Fabric, and the SpireSteeple beautiful, and, next to Salisbury, and the Cupola of St. Paul's, the higheft in England. It is not antient, the Bishop's See having been first at Thetford, from whence it was not tranflated hither till the 12th Century; yet the Church has fo many Antiquities in it, that our late great Scholar and Phyfician, Sir Thomas Brown, thought it worth his while to write a whole Book to collect the Monuments and Infcriptions in this Church, to which I refer the Reader. It had an Hofpital in it, for 100 poor Men and Women, and a fine Market-crofs. That called Bridewell, is a large and most beautiful Building of square Flint.

D5

Here