There are many circumstances connected with Blickling which render it exceedingly interesting. The manor was held by Harold, the unfortunate competitor of the crown with the Norman William. The Conqueror settled the whole manor and advowson on the see of Thetford; afterwards, on the foundation of Norwich Cathedral, the Bishops of Norwich held the demesne in their own hands, and had here a palace with a fine park adjoining. In 1431, Blickling became the property of Sir Thomas Erpingham, and having passed though several hands it came into the possession of Sir Thomas Boleyn, the father of the beautiful and unfortunate Anne Boleyn, who was married from this place, Henry VIII. having come to Blickling personally to wed her. Nor was this the only royal visit paid to it; Charles II. and his amiable consort having visited it in his progress through the county, in 1671. Blickling passed from the Boleyns to the Hobarts, ancestors of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, when the old mansion was pulled down, and the present rebuilt by Sir John Hobart, which was completed in 1628. The second Earl rebuilt the west front in 1769, when his countess, as appears by an inscription over the door of this part, bequeathed her jewels towards defraying the expenses. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, stands on an eminence near the Hall, and contains many inscriptions to the former lords of the manor, with a few small effigies and brasses; one of these is for Anne Boleyn, the aunt of the unhappy queen, which exhibits the first example of a necklace. A mile and a half from Blickling, is the neat and well built market-town of Aylsham, which for beauty of situation is not exceeded by any in the county. It has a very flourishing appearance, and several excellent houses are built in or near it. The Bure, which runs at the foot of the town, is navigable to Yarmouth, for boats of forty tons burthen. During the reigns of Edward II. and III., it was celebrated for a manufacture of linen, then called “Aylsham webs,”—“Cloth of Aylsham.” This was superseded by the woollen manufacture, and in the time of James I., the inhabitants were chiefly employed in knitting worsted stockings, waistcoats, &c.; the introduction of frame-work knitting has destroyed this branch of trade likewise. The court of the Duchy of Lancaster was formerly held here. It was once noted for its Spa, the water of which was esteemed efficacious in cases of asthma, and other chronic diseases. The spring is about half a mile south of the town.