History of Norwich

ounds. William acquired the status of martyr and was subsequently canonised. Offerings to a shrine at the Cathedral (the Cathedral was largely finished by 1140) by pilgrims were made up to the 16th century but the records suggest there were few pilgrims. In 1174 Norwich was sacked by the Flemings. 1190, In February all the Jews of Norwich were massacred except for a few who found refuge in the castle. At the site of a medieval well, the bones of 17 individuals, including 11 children, were found in 2004 by workers preparing the ground for construction of a Norwich shopping centre. The remains were determined by forensic scientists to most probably be the remains of Jews murdered, and a DNA expert determined that the victims were all related, most probably coming from one Ashkenazi Jewish family. The study of these remains was featured in an episode of the BBC television documentary series History Cold Case.

In 1216 the castle fell to Louis, Dauphin of France and Hildebrand's Hospital was founded. Ten years later the Fransiscan Friary and Dominican Friary were founded. In 1249 the Great Hospital was founded and the following year, the College of St Mary in the Field established. In 1256 Whitefriars founded and in 1266 the 'Disinherited' sacked Norwich. The city has the distinction of being the only English city ever to be excommunicated, following a riot between citizens and monks in 1274. St Ethelbert's Gate, one of the entrances to the cathedral priory, was constructed as penance by Norwich citizens. In 1278 the Cathedral received final consecration. In 1290 the city flooded, whilst Austin Friary founded.

The engine of trade was wool from Norfolk's sheepwalks. Wool made England rich, and the staple port of Norwich "in her state doth stand With towns of high'st regard the fourth of all the land", as Michael Drayton noted in