CHAPTER VII.
OF THE CITY IN HENRY THE FIRST'S TIME.
This King at his coming to the crown, met with opposition from
several of the great men of the kingdom, who favoured Robert Duke
of Normandy, his elder brother, who was then engaged in the Holy
War; upon this, Roger Bigot stood true to the King, and so became
a great favourite, for he was one of his witnesses to his laws, (fn. 1) and in
the first year of his reign, had Framlingham in Suffolk of the King's
gift, and was constable of the castle to his death: in 1104, or some
say in 1103, at the request of the King and Queen, the Bishop, and
his own wife, he founded the priory or abbey at Thetford, and at his
death was buried in the cathedral, (fn. 2) being succeeded by
William Bygod, his son, who was also constable of this castle,
and as such, sole governour of the city, steward of the King's household, and a great favourite: he was drowned in going to Normandy
with the King's children, in the twentieth year of this King's reign,
and was succeded in honour and estate by
Hugh Bigot, his brother, who was also steward of the household
to King Henry I. constable of the castle, and sole governour of the
city, and so continued till 1122, in which year the King came to
Norwich, and kept his Christmas there; (fn. 3) and it is plain he much liked
the accommodation and treatment of the citizens, for he then granted
them by charter the same franchises and liberties as the city of London then had. And from this time they were governed by a Præpositus, Provost, or Portreve, chosen by the King, who was to
collect all the King's duties, and govern the city; and this was the
first grant or charter the city had, by which the government of it was
severed from the castle, the constable of which till now, was always
sole governour, and answered the King his two parts of the profits,
and kept the third to himself; and the sheriff, who was then under
him, was the officer that collected it; but now the third part of the
profits remained to the castle, and was the King's liberty belonging to
the castle, which belonged to the constable thereof, who governed it
by the sheriff,
And the king's two parts became the citizens, who by this charter
exercised all jurisdictions that the King did, in reference to those
parts, and returned their fee-farm or annual profits, by the hands of
their Provost, who accounted yearly for them to the King: whether this officer was recommended by the citizens to the King, which
is most likely, it being annual, or whether the King named without
any such recommendation, I cannot find; neither have I met with
any copy of this charter, though the truth of it is confirmed not
only from many evidences, but by the charter of Henry II. which
mentions it.
Daniel, fo. 56, tells us that this King, "had an especial regard to
the due administration of justice, that no corruption or oppression
might disease his people, whereby things were carried to that
eveness, between the great men and commons, as gave all satisfaction; he made divers progresses into remote parts of the land, to
see how the state was ordered, and for that purpose, whensoever he
was in England, he kept no certain residence, but solemnized the
great festivals in several and far distant places of the kingdom, that
all might partake of him." A laudable and good example, worthy
the learning of this King, who deservedly had the name of Beauclerk,
or the fine scholar; for Fuller says, "he was one that crossed the
common proverb, the greatest clerks are not the wisest men, being
one of the most profound scholars, and most politick princes in his
generation." (fn. 4)
It appears from the record called Testa de Nevil, that at this time
felons were imprisoned in the castle, for it is said that the lands of
Bunde son of Harvy Gamel, a resident in North Erpingham hundred,
who was imprisoned at Norwich on account of his wife's death, and
was acquitted by Harvy Belet, were in the King's hands, but were to
be restored.
To say exactly what were the liberties granted, and exercised by,
the city in this King's reign, for want of copies of the records, no
one can; but whatever they were, they enjoyed them peaceably to
his death, in 1135.