CHAPTER III.
OF THE CITY UNDER THE DANES AND DANISH MONARCHS.
Thus the Danes settled here, and fortified themselves against all
enemies, about 1011; and the next year, Turkil, or Turketel, a Danish
Earl, took possession of all Norfolk, having expelled the English Earl
Ulfketel, and held it under Swain to his death, which happened in
1014, upon which the Danish army chose Cnute or Canute, his son,
for their king; but upon Swain's death, the English took courage,
sent for Etheldred out of Normandy, who returned and drove Canute
out, and forced him to go to Denmark for recruits; notwithstanding
this, Turkil continued still governour of the East-Angles, by Ethelred's consent, and being trusted by the King, with his fleet of 40
ships, he sailed with 9 of them into Denmark, and persuaded Cnute
to return, who with the assistance of his brother Harold, then King
of Denmark, brought a navy of 160 ships, and landed at Sandwich in
1016, and immediately sent Turkil against the English, which he
soon conquered, their King being then sick of his last illness, for he
died on St. George's day in this year, and the Londoners crowned
Edmund, sirnamed Ironside, for their King, between whom and
Cnute were fought many battles; but at last the affair was decided
between them by a single combat, both the Kings by agreement
entered a small island in the Severne, called Alney, and there they
fought, first on horseback and then on foot, with great courage on
both sides, till Canute received a wound, upon which he called for a
compromise, and Edmund agreeing thereto, they divided the kingdom between them; but little while did Edmund enjoy his part, for
being murdered by the traitorous Earl Edric, he died about St. Andrew in this very year, having reigned seven months only, and
consequently
Canute became sole monarch of all England; and in 1017, assigned all Norfolk to Earl Turkil, who had enjoyed it ever since the
expulsion of Earl Ulfketel, "and committed to him the custody of
Cnute, which his father Swain burnt and destroyed; and to
keep the East-Angles secure to him, he (Canute) was most like to
be the builder of the present stone castle of Norwich; for when, by
compact with the English nobles, the law called Engleshire was
made with universal consent, for the safety of the Danes that were
by agreement to remain in England, Canute sent home to Denmark
his mercenary army of Danes; but in great caution built several
strong forts and castles, garrisoning them with such Danes as had
been settled in England before his time, intermixed with some such
English as he had a confidence in," as the author of that ingenious
Essay of the Antiquity of the Castle of Norwich has it, at page 18;
and indeed I cannot say but that he produces arguments sufficient to
show, that here was a building in the fortifications in Canute's time,
and as I take it, had been, ever since King Alfred's time, though
Canute might repair if not rebuild it; but as to the present building,
I cannot imagine it older than Henry I. it being so like Rising castle
and others, none of which exceed, if any comes near, the time of the
Conquest, and therefore I suppose it was built by Roger Bigot, and
much repaired by Thomas de Brotherton, in Edward the Second's
time, as his arms, still on the stonework, plainly prove; and I doubt
not but it was at this time, that it took the name of Blanchflower, as
Sir Edw. Coke affirms it was called, (fn. 1) and that from the whiteness of
the stones, then new mended and rubbed over.
From this time to 1021, Earl Turkil was governour here, but when
he and Iric Earl of Northumberland began to be too powerful, the
King banished them both, and took this county into his own hands,
and gave it to
Harold, who was King at Cnute's death in 1036, and dying in
1059,
Hardicnute succeeded, who died at Lambhithe in June, 1041,
being the last prince of the Danish blood that ever sat on the English
throne.
Certain it is, that from the time of Swain's settling here in 1010,
this city, by the Danes swarming hither, rose almost at once to great
maturity, as will appear from the Confessor's survey in the following
chapter, it having about 50 years only to grow to this magnitude in,
which Mr. Kirkpatrick imagines to be an argument showing Norwich
to be much ancienter than we think, it being unlikely, or, as he says,
almost incredible, to raise so large a city in few more than 50 years,
for it could not exceed 60 from its Danish destruction: but this is
not only possible but highly probable, and if we will credit the best
of authorities, (I mean the Saxon Chronicle,) it is certainly true, that
it did rise from its ruins to this magnitude, in so little time: the
Danes settling here, without doubt they immediately repaired the
burnt city, for I agree with him that it was a considerable place in
the Saxon times, (fn. 2) but as to its being a place of remark under the
Romans, (as he insinuates, from a few coins found here,) I have no
reason to think it so; perhaps Castor being so near, there might settle
some few, before its total desertion, here; and that may account for
such coins as are rarely found in this place: but why do we wonder
at a city repaired and increased so much, in so few years, when we
have so late an example as the great city of Petersburgh in Russia,
first founded by Peter the great Czar, in 1703, who had 30,000
houses erected in one year's time, as I find in the life of that hero, at
page 89, which is become in much less time than this did, one of the
largest cities of Europe.