Market Cross North Walsham North Norfolk
The appearance of ‘Walsham’ in the Domesday Book survey of 1080 tells us that it was a small settlement belonging to the Danish ‘Waelsing’ or ‘Waels’ family.
There was a flourishing weaving industry in this area.
The famous ‘Peasants Revolt’ of 1381 saw a battle in North Walsham when John Litester, assisted by amongst others a man called Cubitt of North Walsham, led a rebellion of many thousands who seized the city of Norwich.
The forces of Bishop Henry De Spenser, forced the rebels from the city, and they retreated to a camp at Bryant’s Heath near North Walsham. They were confronted by the bishop’s forces, and it is said that thousands were slain as the peasants fled to the town where they barricaded themselves inside the unfinished church. Litester was captured, and the church witnessed a massacre of hundreds of peasants. Litester was publicly executed and three stone crosses were erected to mark the site of the battlefield.
On the 25th June 1600, North Walsham was razed to the ground by a fire,
The Market Place is where people from the town and surrounding villages sold their produce, livestock, wool and cloths. Shops in the Market Place still occupy their narrow ancient plots, built tightly against the churchyard. In the fourteenth century, the charter to hold a weekly market was granted by Henry III.
Destroyed during the Great Fire of 1600 the cross was rebuilt by Bishop Redman in 1602 to an unusual Palladian design.. In 1899 it was provided with a chiming clock and since then has often been referred to as the ‘Town Clock’.
Posted by Colin-47 on 2014-02-03 15:57:07
Tagged: , North Walsham , town , Norfolk , town cross and clock , Colin-47 , Samsung NX300 , 18 – 55mm OIS , February , 2014 , cross , market cross , East Anglia , market town
