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| Site contents © Copyright Michael Crouch, 2009. This web site was launched on 7 June 1998 |
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Church and State For as long as we have had local and national government, politics and religion have been enmeshed in conflict in city life. Norwich is no exception and has seen its fair share of religious and political battles. The period leading up to the English Civil War saw much in the way of such strife. The magistrates and councilmen of Norwich controlled the lectureships at St. Andrew's and always supported the Puritans. The plain in front of St. Andrew's Hall which had once been used as a preaching space by the friars of the hall was now used for the same purpose by the city itself. It directly challenged the religious authority based at the Cathedral; the area in front of St. Andrew's was called the green-yard after the green-yard in the Cathedral grounds. In an attempt to undermine the challenge of the city in 1622, Bishop Harsnett forbade Sunday morning sermons and lectures within the city apart from those within the Cathedral's jurisdiction. Lectures continued in St. Andrew's however, and a dozen influential Norfolk men established a corporation to financially back the admission of Puritan ministers into the city's churches. By 1644, the struggles between Parliament and the Crown were reaching their height. In Norwich, support for Parliament was strongest in the Wymer and Over-the-Water Wards and weakest in the Mancroft and Conesford Ward (these last two were the city's richest wards). In that same year, two dozen people were tried in St. Andrew's Hall for planning an insurrection against Charles I. Some were hanged in Norwich, others across the county. One of the insurrectionists, Major Roberts, was hanged outside the door of his own home in the Market Place. The Dutch influence in the city was very strong over this period. It was an influx of some 5,000 Dutch religious refugees who became famously known in the city as "Strangers" (some were reputed to have lived in Strangers' Hall giving it its name - there is no evidence for this however). They were fleeing from the strict regime being imposed on the Netherlands by Spain's vicious general, the Duke of Alba. It was these immigrants who brought with them the weaving and cloth-making skills which were to be of such benefit to Norwich's fortunes (see also Trade and Industry). Around 1580, four silver beakers designed as communion cups were made for the Dutch Church (held in Blackfriar's Hall) by a Dutch goldsmith in Norwich called Peter Peterson. One of these cups now resides in the Norwich Castle Museum, the other in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Peterson's will was proved in the city in 1603. In it, he requested that his body be buried "in the chapel where I usually do sit in the Parish of St. Andrew where I was born in the city of Norwich". This makes him a second generation immigrant and proves that the Dutch influence went back further. Also further back in time was a famous rebellion that made famous a man that even today, some regard as hero, others a villain. In August 1549, Robert Kett's Rebellion came to town. The rebellion grew from the frustration of local farmers over the issue of enclosure and land ownership. Small-time land owners were being forced off their land by richer ones who used enclosure (the containment of their land) to seize larger areas for their own enrichment. Robert Kett, a farmer from Wymondham near Norwich gave the rebellion the leadership it needed and before long, a growing rebel army moved on Norwich. The Earl of Warwick had forced his way into the city on the 24th August. His troops soon become lost and confused in the narrow maze of city streets. Guns and ammunition they transported into the city were misdirected as they missed a turning at Charing Cross and ended up in Bishopgate. It was there that the munitions fell into rebel hands. The rebels had split into three groups earlier on and no doubt used their local knowledge to their advantage. One of these groups held its position at St. Andrew's Hall. In his attempts to regain control of the situation, Warwick moved his men right into St. Andrew's where they immediately came under a hail of arrows fired by the rebels. Luckily for him, a company of musketeers arrived and fired into the rear of the rebel gathering. A fierce battle erupted leaving 300 men dead. Soon after, the rebels were driven back out of the city towards Mousehold. Punishment was swift and merciless. Over 800 rebels were executed. Robert Kett was eventually caught hiding in a barn in Swannington. He was taken to London with his brother William and kept in the Tower of London. Robert was hanged at Norwich Castle and William on the steeple of Wymondham church: their chained bodies remained hanging there for many months as a grim warning. The city came under Warwick's control again and St. Andrew's Hall became a stable for his army's horses. It remained so until 7 September, 1549 when the rebellion over, the Royal army left the city. |