Alice Bridge of Norwich

# Alice Bridge of Norwich

This August 1881 issue of the Seaside Library contains Alice Bridge of Norwich: A Tale of the Time of Charles the First, by Rev. Andrew Reed, B.A. The historical novel is set in Norwich during May 1627, depicting Puritan England under Stuart rule. The narrative opens at a clerk-ale festival on Tombland, an open space near Norwich Cathedral, where the parish of St. George gathers for celebration. The story introduces Alice Bridge through an illustration showing her standing by her father in the pillory—indicating her father's public punishment and her involvement in events tied to the city's resistance to despotism. The work reconstructs Norwich's history as a center of manufacturing wealth and constitutional liberty, examining the serious piety and public virtue of Puritan ancestors. Reed dedicated the work to his family and Norwich friends, drawing on his residence there and historical research into the period's religious and political tensions.