On October 19th, 1625, the citizens petitioned the king to be released of taxes, on account of their poverty and the ravages of the plague; and in 1641, the citizens petitioned Parliament, to be discharged from paying £2500 assessed upon them, on account of their great poverty and the impossibility of raising the money.
In 1626, writs of quo warranto were brought against the mayor, &c., for refusing to furnish two ships of war demanded of them; and the corporation, on the trial, which took place in 1629, obtained a verdict in their favor, having proved that they neither used nor usurped any privileges but what their charters warranted. During this contest the city raised a sum of money, and presented to the king by way of loan, as settled by the lord keeper, lord treasurer, comptroller, and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, who came hither for that purpose.
In 1627, an order arrived for levying 250 foot soldiers in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk, of which number the citizens were ordered to furnish 25; but they would raise no more than 17, that being their full proportion.
During this reign the plague raged with great violence in the city and county. On July 12th, 1625, the king issued a commission to the mayor, &c., to scour the city ditches, to remove all nuisances in and about the city, to repair the walls and turrets, and to tax all residing in the several wards, according to their ability, toward the work; it being thought very necessary, in order to stop the plague which had been brought from Yarmouth, and begun to spread here. The mayor had previously requested the bailiffs at Yarmouth to order all the wherrymen to carry no infected persons dwelling in their town to the city. Constables of every ward gave notice that no person coming from London should be entertained without notice given to the aldermen of their ward; and watch was set at every gate, day and night, to hinder all persons coming from infected places entering the city, and the carriers were commanded to bring no such persons, nor any wool whatever. Notwithstanding all this caution, the plague began to spread, so that on July 23rd, the aldermen of every ward appointed “Searchers” in each ward, to be keepers of such persons as were suspected of being infected. The bellman warned all the citizens to take their dogs and swine outside of the walls, on pain of being killed. On July 30th, the watch of the gates ceased, it being known that the plague raged within the city. Twenty-six persons died of it in that week; and before August 11th, it had so much increased, that it was resolved that every alderman should have power to send his warrants to the city treasurers to relieve the infected persons; and the plague abated that very week. Orders were issued that the doors of all persons who died of the disease should be nailed up and watched. Every one who begged about the streets was whipped, because all the poor were then relieved, so that no one had any excuse for begging for food.