Francis Blomefield

“ Sitomagus, Deodford, Deodford, Tedford, Tetford, Tefford, Theford, and Thetford, as it is now called, was a place formerly of great renown, and now to be taken notice of for its great antiquity; who were the first wise people that made choice of its commodious situation, whether a colony of the Senones, an ancient people of Gaul, or the Sitones, an ancient people of Germany, I cannot certainly learn; but am apt to conclude that it was a place of note before the coming of the Romans into this isle, and doubt not but the name Sitomagus was given it long before they ever set foot in the place ”

“ CHAPTER III Of The City Under The Saxons.
The Britons being ruined of all their strength, by the Romans continual carrying off their youth, and now abandoned by their garrisons, which alone could have supported the declining state, fell into miserable confusions, and terrible calamities, occasioned by the barbarians invasions on one hand, and the tumultuous factions of her own great men on the other, striving for the supreme government, every one being for usurping it to himself; and thus (as Ninius tells us) they lived forty years in fear and affliction. ”

“ Arfast was in great favour with the Conqueror, being his Chancellor for some time, as well as chaplain; he spared no cost nor pains to augment his see in wealth and buildings; Weaver tells us, he was chaplain to the Conqueror, when he was only Duke of Normandy, and was first a monk of Bec abbey in Normandy, being well esteemed among them for his learning, because before Lanfrank (who was after Archbishop of Canterbury) was made abbot of that house, the monks were illiterate, and mere drones, and there Arfast, who had a smattering of learning, made a great shew among them ”

“ Pits, in his history of English writers, gives him a great character: he sat in this see till April 9, 1094, and then translated it from Thetford to Norwich, to the great detriment of this city, which hath been decaying by degrees ever since. But that he might make some amends to it, he persuaded Roger Bygod to build a monastery for Cluniac monks, and place them in the church of St. Mary, lately the episcopal see of Thetford, which he did, though he designed to remove them (as his son Hugh Bygod afterwards did) to a more convenient place without the city. ”

“ At this time there was a man in Lewes monastery, named Stephen, who was very remarkable, both for his learning and morals; he was born of noble parentage in Provence, and became a monk under Abbot Hugh, in the monastery of Cluni in Burgundy, by whom he was sent to the monastery at Lewes, to be sub-prior, and assistant to the venerable Lanzo, where he behaved himself in such an agreeable manner, that, in case of Lanzo's death, they had determined unanimously to choose him their abbot ”

“ From this fortress the intrenchment, in all probability, went up to that field in which a windmill lately stood, but is now removed, and enclosing that field, crossed the London road, and so met that large intrenchment or ditch which runs directly down to the second castle, aforementioned, now called Red-Castle, or more probably, as sometimes spelled RedeCastle. Here is a plain fortress, its rampart and ditch being still perfect. ”

“ In 1359, the advowson was settled by fine, to pass with the dominion of Thetford. In 1370, they had purchased all the houses between their convent and the street, and had license from the King to enlarge their house, and pull down those they had purchased, and now their monastery became spacious and open, there being nothing but a court between the street and cloister, for the old hospital-house of Domus Dei, which stood at the very corner, by the river, did not hinder their view, and could the monks have done this, it is to be presumed they would never have removed hence. ”

“ And though afterwards the land was more known to the Romans, yet they had no settled habitations here, and no one had attempted to invade Britain, since Julius Cœsar, till that runagate Briton, the ambitious Bericus, persuaded Claudius to invade it, so that without doubt till this time the Romans were not in the least acquainted or concerned at Sitomagus, or Thetford; but in the 46th year after Christ, according to the Saxon Chronicle, and in the 4th year of his reign, Claudius Cœsar entered this land, and subdued it to the Roman empire ”

“ Thus, Sitomagus, I take it, is no more than the city or habitation of the Senones or Sitones, upon the Ford, which induced the Saxons to keep its old name, only varied in their language into Deodford or Deodford Now Deod signifies Deod gens, populus, or provincia, and so the signification is much the same as the old name of Sitomagus, viz. the Ford of the People, that is, the most frequented ford by which people used to enter into Norfolk, and not the ford over the river Thet, Sit, or Deor, as many great men have imagined, there being no such river in these parts ”

“ The Jutes had only Kent and the Isle of Wight; the Saxons had three kingdoms, the East, West, and South Saxons, which were but of narrow bounds, if compared with the large dominions of the Angles, who were the most numerous of the three nations that came over, as well as the most valiant, for they erected three of the largest kingdoms, viz. Northumberland, Mercia, and the East-Angles, which last contained the tract afterwards divided into the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and some say Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, as Speed, Cambden, &c. ”

“ In this miserable condition the King, being too weak to attempt any thing by force, invented a desperate stratagem, which in the end proved the destruction of the Saxon royal blood, and conquest of the land to another nation, and for this purpose he sent secret commissions to every place in his realm, commanding that at an appointed time they should murder all the Danes that were among them ”

“ Soon after Sir Richard's death, his heirs built a school-house upon one corner of the Black-Friars-Yard, with a chamber for the schoolmaster, but none for the usher, and made no foundation, or assurance of the land, according to the will, nor yet repaired the houses for the poor people, upon which, the Mayor and Commonalty, in the eighth year of King James I, petitioned that King for relief, setting forth, that for the first twenty years after building the school, the master received yearly 20 marks a year and no more, the usher 5l. per annum, the preacher 40s. and the poor, 12d. ”

“ In 1249, it appears that none of the King's bailiffs could enter the town, to distrain any one, or serve any writ, the inhabitants in general being only subject to the bailiffs of the town and hundred, and the capital burgesses or freemen, to the bailiff of the town only, by their mayor, to whom all processes were sent by the bailiff to be served on them. The privileges of the corporation increased by degrees, for at first the mayor got leave of the lord to have a sword carried with him in publick places, as an ensign of authority, which was granted ”

“ Another is of a woman in Thetford, who became dumb by a disease in her throat, upon which account, many gave her money to enable her to go and make her offering to the image of the Holy Virgin at Wulpit in Suffolk, and pray for her recovery, but the woman made signs that she would go to the image in the new chapel of the monks, which being consented to, she was restored, the woman affirming the Blessed Virgin appeared to her, and pulled her tongue up from her throat, which cured her, wherefore she vowed to keep a candle burning before the image during her life. ”

“ In 1278, the Earl had free-warren allowed him in all his lands that he possessed, or that be or his heirs should ever purchase, in regard of his sirname De Warrena. In 1286, the jurors for the half hundred of Teford present, that John de Warren Earl of Surrey holds the lordship of Theford, in chief of the King, and hath belonging to that lordship, thol, them, sok, sac, infangeuethef, view of frankpledge, assize of bread and ale, a pillory, ducking-stool, weyf, separate coroner for the lordship, and a market on Wednesday and Saturday in every week, besides toll and custom every day in the week. ”

“ Hugh Bigod, his brother and heir, to succeed him in his estate and office; he was created Earl of the East-Angles, or Norfolk, by King Stephen, and because he confirmed all the gifts and donations of his predecessors, is called by some, the Founder, though he was only patron and benefactor; he was advanced again to the title of Earl of Norfolk by Henry II. and had a grant of the office of steward, to enjoy it in as ample a manner as Roger Bigod his father did in Henry the First's time. ”

“ In 1499, John Fishere, burgess of Thetford, who was mayor in 1487, was buried in this churchyard, by his wife, and gave a new cope to the church. In 1506, Edmund Schilde of Thetforde was buried here, by Sir Robert Sweyn, then parish priest. In 1511, the church was new paved, and Robert Love, burgess of Thetford, gave 40s. towards it; at the Dissolution it went with the priory to the Duke of Norfolk, was afterwards forfeited to the Crown, and was granted to Sir Richard Fulmerston, by Edward VI. in 1546, by virtue of which, he became seized of all the tithes, revenues, &c. ”

“ Mary Magdalen's Which stood out of the town, on that piece of land lying at the division of the road, leading from the Fleece to Norwich, where the Kilverstone road strikes off to the right hand, it being some distance beyond the present lime-kilns; it is still called in evidences, MawdlinAcre; right before it, at the conjunction of the three roads, stood Magdalen-Cross, at which Shropham hundred court was sometimes kept, after it was granted from the Crown: there are no remains of the hospital to be seen, only one piece of old foundation, which the plough hath not yet conquered. ”

“ In 1691, the Honourable Henry Howard, brother and heir apparent of Thomas Duke of Norfolk held his first court.
In 1701, Thomas Duke of Norfolk held his first court, and some time after, conveyed it to
The honourable Philip Howard, his youngest brother, who is now [1738] lord.
The Customs of all the manors in Thetford are, that the eldest son is heir, the free tenants pay a year's free rent at every death, by way of relief; there is but very little copyhold. There is no leet belonging to these manors, neither do they pay any leet fee. ”

“ With him was martyred Humbert Bishop of Elmham, and almost all the nobility of his kingdom, for which the Danes much rejoiced, the inhabitants being totally subdued, and obliged to submit to them for want of leaders; after this they wintered at Thetford, ravaging all the adjacent country, Gutrum, Gytro, or Guthram, coming hither and wintering with them; and it seems as if he staid here, notwithstanding it is said that this spring all the Danes withdrew out of East-England. ”

“ In 1331, there was a dispute between the Prior of Bromehill, and the mayor, burgesses, tenants, merchants, and inhabitants of Thetford, who had the toll of the fair, by grant from the lord of the dominion, concerning the jurisdiction of the mayor there, and the toll, picage, and stallage of the fair, who recovered against the Prior, by shewing that they held it of the dominion of Thetford, as belonging to the dutchy of Lancaster, by grant of a former lord thereof, and that Henry Earl of Lancaster was in possession of it in 1327. ”

“ The land, on the Suffolk side, besides what the city stood on, was above a mile long, and as much broad, of which the King and Earl's parts contained about four carucates: there were no less than 943 burgesses, of all which the King had the superiour jurisdiction, with their customs, rents and services, but thirty-six of them were so far the King's tenants, that they could hold nothing of any other lord, without his special license, but all the rest might hold lands, and do homage and fealty to any other lord, on condition they still paid all their old customs, except heriots. ”

“ Benedict, and All-Saints, and got the Bishop to appropriate them to the monastery, with all other lands, immunities, and privileges, that the Abbots of Bury ever had in the burgh of Thetford, by means whereof this monastery, with all its lands and revenues, were totally exempt from all jurisdiction of the burgh, and enjoyed the liberties and privileges of St. Edmund their patron, even to its dissolution. ”

“ The Abbot of Bury's revenues were not altered, the Abbot of Ely had his house and 3 churches and 2 mansions void, which paid rent to the King, one of the houses being standing; the Bishop of Thetford had 20 free-houses, one mill, and half the advowson of a church, and Roger Bigot had, besides his other revenues here, a free-house for his own residence, one monastery and 2 bordars belonging to it. ”

“ Kent, EastSaxon, or Essex, and East-Angles, viz. Norfolk and Suffolk, of all which when Hengist was entirely possessed, he let the King have his liberty. Then began Hengist's reign over Kent, in the year 476, who gave the other provinces to his generals that had assisted him in his enterprises. And thus this city came into the Saxons hands, of whose first landing and progress it will not be amiss to take some observations from divers authors, who, though they often disagree as to time, yet agree well as to matters of fact. ”

“ In 1400, the jury, on a writ of ad quod damnum, returned answer, that it would be no prejudice to the King, if Nicholas Wichingham settled on the convent one messuage, 110 acres of land, two of meadow, four of pasture, a free foldcourse, and two free fisheries, in the waters and fields in Bernham in Suffolk, opon which, it was settled by the King's license. In 1416, John Austin, rector of Wangford, who was buried in the college, gave them a legacy. ”

“ In 1261, the Prior had in fee-farm, of the Prior and Convent of Bermondeseye in Surrey, their tithes in Ditton in Cambridgeshire, which Robert, son of Humphry, gave to that monastery in 1177, at 10 marks per annum. In 1271, John de Scales confirmed the land and advowson of Dullingham. In 1274, it was returned, that the Prior was to find 10 men with bows and arrows, for 40 days, at his expense, whenever the King went against the Welsh in person, for the field called Favertonfield, and for his warren in Westwick in Thetford. ”