Two hundred years had passed since the termination of the Parliamentary contest about the grant of Edward the III’s. Charter. Lowestoft had not only established her right to exist, but was becoming an old town, and the events of the old contest had become matters of ancient history. The Yarmouth bailiffs were still exercising their right to take tolls from ships loading or unloading in “Kirkley Road;” but the amount received from these tolls during a whole year, as entered in the Town Ledger, was very small, varying from a few pounds in one year to a few shillings in another. It seems that this demand had been confined to vessels trading in general merchandise, apart altogether from the claim to take tolls from fishing boats anchored off Lowestoft. During these two hundred years Yarmouth had retained and even increased her trade, and had recovered her population, though her progress had been much retarded by the persistent action of the sea in blocking up her harbour. The very existence of Yarmouth depended on her harbour. Her anomalous privilege of taking tolls from ships anchored in the North Sea could be no substitute for a harbour. This she knew well, and within two years of her obtaining her Charter, on the ground that her harbour was blocked up, she commenced opening another mouth. Between 1393 and 1565 she had five times strained her resources to meet the expense of making new mouths, all of which had been blocked up; some almost immediately; one had been kept open for several years, but not without a constant expenditure of money and labour. At length in 1565 she undertook for the seventh time the work of making a new mouth. On this occasion, the assistance of a Dutch engineer was obtained, who knew how these things were done in Holland. Under his advice and superintendance a mouth was constructed, fortified by piles and stonework, and involving a much larger outlay than any of the previous works. The relief from taxes, and the reduction of her fee farm rent, which every King had granted from Richard II. to Elizabeth, was supplemented by special grants to assist the town in this undertaking. After some years of persevering effort, the work was completed and the existing Gorleston harbour was made. Ships could now freely enter her harbour and bring their cargos to the “Crane Key.” A revival of her trade followed, and the wealth of her merchants rapidly increased. It was now that those houses were built along the Quay, the remains of many of which still survive to shew the grandeur of their original structure. One of the finest of these old houses is the venerable Star Hotel in which the room, called Nelson’s room, retains its original character:—its richly carved oak pannelling, embossed ceiling, and large stone fireplace. But while her trade in general merchandise and in fish curing had increased, there had been no proportionate revival of her old fishing fleet.