Norfolk History
Norfolk was initially established in pre-Roman times, starting with Neolithic camps that were set up on the higher land in the west where flints
were gouged out. A Brythonic tribe, the Iceni, populated the county from the first century BC, to the end of the first century (AD). The Iceni fought
against the Roman invasion twice, first in 47 AD, and then in 60 AD, under the leadership of Boudicca. The devastating suppression of the second
uprising opened up the county to the incoming Romans. In the course of the Roman occupation, roads and ports were created all through the county
and greater amount of agriculture took place.
Positioned on the east coast, Norfolk has traditionally been susceptible to forays from Scandinavia and northern Europe, and to counter that weakness,
forts were erected to shield against the Angles and Saxons. By the Fifth century the Angles, which East Anglia & England are both named for, had seized
control of the county. This later became divided into the "north folk" and the "south folk", which in turn became "Norfolk" and "Suffolk".
Norfolk, along with a number of neighbouring areas, formed the kingdom of East Anglia. This kingdom later amalgamation with Mercia and then Wessex. The impact of the Early English settlers and their language, can be seen in the preponderance of "thorpes", "tons" and "hams" of Norfolk’s place names. In the 9th century, the area came under renewed attack, from Vikings who killed the king, Edmund the Martyr. In the years between the Viking invasion and the Norman Conquest, the marshlands began to be converted for arable use, and agriculturally-inclined populations grew in these areas. It is assumed that movement into East Anglia must have been great since, at the time of the Conquest and the Domesday Book census, it was one of the most populous portions of the British Isles
During the Middle Ages, the region advanced arable farming and woollen trades. The economy was weakening already when the Black Death hit. The reduction in 1349 was so great, that the current populace has yet to equal it. By the 16th century Norwich was second only to London in size, but in 1665 the Great Plague of London again killed around one third of the population. The economy and farming in the region deteriorated, and during the industrial revolution Norfolk developed little industry and only became part of the railway network after many other regions.
In the 20th century the county became involved in aviation. The first progress in airfields came during World War 1. There was another growth during World War 2 with the growing Royal Air Force and the arrival of the American Air Force which operated from many Norfolk Airfields. During the World War 2 farming increased, and has remained that way with the establishment of large fields for cereal and oil seed rape developing.
