Photos of Underground Norwich and the Old Prison

Here is a plan based on a 1923 map by George Skipper of the underground streets/passages in the Earlham Road area.  You may recall a bus disappeared into a sink hole in this area a few years ago - now you know why:  

 Here is a photo of the old prison:

Mannington Hall

Here is an article that I have previously sent out some years ago,  Manningtion Hall is a lovely 15th century moated house built in iron stained flint.  William Lumnor built it in 1460 but where did the oaks come from (clue: from a very influential Norfolk family of the time)?  It is the current home of the Walpole family but when did it become a Walpole home?  How many varieties of roses are in its gardens?  What scandal was the 4th Earl of Orford involved in?  To answer these questions and find out more please select the following articles:  

https://lady.co.uk/mannington-hall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannington_Hall

Could Jews Lend Money in Medieval England?

Following on from Sophie Cabot's talk on Tuesday.  One of the fundamental questions from the talk was about money lending.  The answer is that yes, Jewish people in medieval Europe could and did lend money, becoming a primary source of credit during the 12th–13th centuries because the Catholic Church forbade Christians from charging interest (usury) to other Christians. Jews were excluded from many trades and guilds, forcing them into this financial role, which was protected by rulers for tax income, though it caused high resentment.

Key Aspects of Medieval Jewish Moneylending:

Legal Monopoly: Because of the Church’s prohibition on Christians charging interest, Jews had a functional monopoly on lending money at interest, especially in Western Europe.

The Law: Jewish law allowed charging interest to non-Jews (strangers), while forbidding it among fellow Jews.

Royal Protection and Risk: Kings protected Jewish moneylenders to tax their profits, but this meant lenders faced intense resentment from borrowers, leading to persecutions, pogroms, and expulsions.

Not All Jews Were Lenders: Contrary to popular myth, only a minority of Jews were professional financiers, with most involved in other trades like medicine, trade, and craft.

This role lasted until the 15th century, when Christian banking houses (such as the Italians) began providing credit, ending the Jewish monopoly. 

Norwich Vinegar History

Somebody recently mentioned to me that there was a vinegar factory where the Compleat Angler is on Prince of Wales Road.  This was a big surprise to me so I thought I would seek out a related article, and here it is:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/211937906243123/posts/2165665737536987/

Norfolk Church Crawling

 Another selection from my Norfolk church photos.

Aylsham, St Michael
One of the largest churches in the county in a bright, open churchyard off the market square with a fine historic lychgate to the north-east. Dated to the 13th/14th century, Pevsner says the interior is older than the exterior. The clerestory windows above the aisles make the nave open & airy.
There is a fine 15th C screen with 16 dado panels and interesting carvings. Depending on who you believe the font is either 15th c. “retooled” in the 19th c. or a completely new 19th c. one from scratch!
The reredos (the screen behind the altar) has incorporated into it some of the upper parts of the rood screen dado and some misericords!
There are a number of interesting brasses and some fine 19th c. stained glass.
The leading 18th c. landscape gardener Humphrey Repton is buried outside the church against the south wall of the chancel.

More detail can be found on Simon Knott's 'Norfolk Churches' website.

George Skipper

We have discussed George many times on our Heritage Walks.  It is well known he designed the Royal Arcade but did you realise that he designed the Norfolk and Norwich Savings Bank (now Barclays Bank) in Red Lion St, the Norwich and London Accident Assurance Association (now the St Giles House Hotel in St Giles’ St) and his most expensive and sumptuous project, Surrey House for Norwich Union Life Insurance Society.  His trademarks were turrets and cupolas.  One of his great admirers was Poet Laureate John Betjeman.  Please select the following link to learn more:

https://colonelunthanksnorwich.com/2017/02/15/the-flamboyant-mr-skipper/

Who Were The Greyfriars?

I was on a walk with Colin last Monday and it appears that there was a Greyfriars monastry on St Faiths Lane, which runs parallel to Prince of Wales Road.  But who were the Greyfriars?  

The Greyfriars were Franciscan friars, a Roman Catholic order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, named for the grey clothing they wore. Arriving in England in 1224, they were known for taking vows of poverty, living simply in towns, preaching, and relying on charity. They were highly influential until Henry VIII's Dissolution.

Key facts about the Grey Friars:

Order Name: They were officially known as the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans).

Arrival & Lifestyle: The first nine friars landed in Dover in 1224, quickly establishing themselves in cities like Canterbury, London, and Oxford. They focused on serving the poor and living in poverty, often settling in crowded, urban areas.

Appearance: They were nicknamed "Grey Friars" because of the grey habits (cloaks) they wore, which were often tied with a knotted rope.

Role in Society: Unlike monks who lived in secluded monasteries, friars were mendicants who lived in the community. They were preachers and often educated, with some becoming influential scholars.  Mendicant friars are members of Catholic religious orders founded in the 13th century (e.g., Franciscans, Dominicans) who vowed poverty, lived in cities, and survived by begging or donations rather than owning land.

Famous Connections: King Henry III was a patron to them in the 1230s/40s. Notably, the Greyfriars in Leicester is where King Richard III was buried after the Battle of Bosworth.

Dissolution: Their houses were suppressed and confiscated by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s.

They established numerous friaries throughout England, with many locations today still holding the name "Greyfriars" or "Grayfriars”.

This article goes into a little more detail regarding the Greyfriars monastry at existed in the area of St Faiths Lane:

https://eaareports.org.uk/publication/report120/