We shall now briefly advert to the rise of the Nonconformist religious denominations in this city, and quote a passage from a discourse by the Rev. A. Reed, delivered at the Old Meeting House, Norwich, on February 27th, 1842, on the occasion of the second centenary. He said,— “There is no doubt that in or about 1641 many refugees returned to their homes in Norwich, Yarmouth, and other places. Those who returned to the two former localities had been united together in fellowship with the church at Rotterdam. They earnestly desired that, as they had been companions in suffering, they might not cease to form one church. The difficulty was where to fix the joint society. Norwich offered liberty and opportunity. But the proximity of Yarmouth to the sea was desirable for safety. Early in 1642 they met, probably in Norwich, to discuss the point; and agreed to send to Rotterdam for leave to gather in fellowship here. The assent reached them in the autumn, authorizing them to form a church at Norwich or other place. On November 23rd, 1642, they met to form a church. Most of the members’ names, twelve in all, we find afterwards attached to the Norwich covenant. They did not settle the question of place at this meeting. The Yarmouth church book records a resolution to fix the church at Norwich for the present. They met again for this purpose, and the brethren at Norwich, out of an earnest desire to finish the work of incorporating a church, yielded that the church meetings (i.e. ordinances and meetings for admission of members) should be for the present at Yarmouth. The church was to settle with all convenient speed where most liberty and opportunity appeared, and wherever the increase of the church was greatest; but none of them were required to remove their habitations at present. Soon after this agreement, however, the Norwich brethren find these concessions too inconvenient; they beg that the church may be settled at Norwich, and that the Yarmouth people would remove to the city. At length they consent reluctantly to part company, and a separate church is formed at Norwich. But the materials for the society already existed, and owing to these facts, the early date of 1642 appears to me to belong as much to us as to our sister society at Yarmouth.” The records of the congregational church at Beccles contain information of much historic value to all the congregational churches in Norwich, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and from those records the following particulars are derived. On June 10th, 1644, the Church at Norwich in the Old Meeting House was regularly formed. Mr. Oxenbridge, assistant pastor at Yarmouth, and several of the Yarmouth brethren were present, when the covenant was adopted and signed afresh. On July 26th, 1647, Mr. Timothy Armitage was unanimously chosen pastor. The members were 32 in number.