[Note.—Marginal dates
distinguished by an asterisk are dates of publication, not
of occurrence.]
1.—This day (Thursday) was observed as the first day of
the Nineteenth Century. It was also the day upon which the
legislative Union of Great Britain and Ireland was
effected. At Norwich, the 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons
and the East Essex Militia fired a feu de joie in the
Market Place, and the Union flag was displayed upon the tower of
St. Peter Mancroft. At Yarmouth, there was a ceremonial
parade of the Durham Militia, and the vessels in the Roads fired
a royal salute and hoisted their new colours in honour of the
Union. Rain fell heavily throughout the day.
3.—The Norwich Theatre was opened with the performance
of “the last new comedy, ‘Life,’ and the farce,
‘Curiosity.’” The manager, Mr. Hindes,
delivered an address to a crowded and fashionable audience.
The alterations in the house were executed after designs by Mr.
William Wilkins, the patentee, and it was said to be one of the
handsomest theatres in the provinces.
5.*—“The Duke of Grafton’s hounds unkenneled
a fox at Fakenham Wood, near Euston, and after a chase of upwards
of 50 miles in 4 hours 5 minutes, killed him at New
Buckenham.”
27.*—“A match for ten guineas (two miles) was
trotted on the turnpike road between Setch and Lynn, between Mr.
Robson’s pony Filch and Mr. Scarfe’s pony Fidler,
which was won with great ease by the former, he having trotted
over the ground at the rate of 18 miles an hour.”
Great scarcity prevailed throughout this month. About
£1,500 was subscribed for supplying the poor of Norwich
with soup, and upwards of 247,000 quarts were
distributed. At Norwich market wheat was quoted at the
beginning of the month at 146s. per quarter, and rose at the end
to 180s.; barley, 84s.; and oats, 50s. Various expedients
were adopted to lessen the consumption of bread. “The
officers of the West Norfolk Militia” it was stated,
“have entirely left off the use of bread at their mess, and
have forbid the use of puddings and pies, except the crust is
made of rice or potatoes, which they eat in a variety of shapes
as a substitute for bread.” Nurses were advised to
use linseed meal and water instead of bread and milk in making
poultices.
9.—Died at Postwick, aged 21, Edward West, who had
served as midshipman under Lord Nelson at the battle of the Nile,
and accompanied Capt. Sir Edward Berry in the Foudroyant.
In the action with the Guillaume Tell “he received a most
severe wound, which occasioned a decline.”
11.—A General Fast was observed in Norwich.
14.*—“It is much to be regretted that although
many large manufactures of hempen cloth are established in
Norwich, all the spinning of the hemp is done in Suffolk, and a
sufficient quantity is with difficulty obtained from
thence. It is suggested to establish a spinning school for
children, under the patronage of benevolent ladies.”
17.—A company was formed at Norwich for the erection of
a “public mill to be worked by steam for supplying the
bakers and inhabitants with flour.” A capital of
£12,500 was raised in transferable shares of £25, and
the mill was erected upon a site near Blackfriars’
Bridge.
24.—Mr. Charles Harvey, Steward of Norwich, elected
Recorder, in place of Mr. Henry Partridge, resigned.
28.—The price of wheat at Norwich Market was 168s. per
quarter.
6.—The Anacreontic Society, “which for many years
has been established in Norwich, and to which the cause of music
owes so much,” closed its winter session. The Hon.
Mr. Wodehouse, Sir William Jerningham, Sir Richard Bedingfeld,
and Capt. Sir Edward Berry were present. The Society gave
monthly concerts in the Assembly Room from October to
March. In the advertisement announcing the commencement of
the next session, it was stated that the first concert would
“begin precisely at 6; supper-rooms open at 9, and the
President to quit the chair at 12 o’clock.”
7.—Arrived in Yarmouth Roads, the St. George, of 98
guns, bearing the flag of Lord Nelson. The grand fleet of
47 ships of war (with 3,000 marines), sailed on the 12th, under
the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in the London, of 98
guns, with Nelson as his Vice-Admiral. The fleet first
“rendezvoused” in Leith Roods, where it was joined by
seven sail of the line, and afterwards proceeded to
Copenhagen.
10.—A mob assembled at Lynn and grossly assaulted
several millers and farmers by throwing at them stones and
dirt. In the evening they broke the windows in the
dining-room of the Duke’s Head Inn. “One of the
ringleaders was taken to gaol, and by the active exertions of the
Rutland Militia tranquillity was restored without
bloodshed.”
11.*—“Mr. Kett, butcher, of Norwich, undertook to
ride his horse 50 miles in four hours. He started from St.
Stephen’s Gates at 12 o’clock, reached the 25th
milestone on the Thetford road in about 2½ hours, and
returned to the place whence he had set out one and a half
minutes before the time allowed. Six to four was laid that
the horse did not perform the journey.”
14.*—[Advt.] “The Yarmouth and Norwich mail
coach will set out from the King’s Head, Market Place,
Norwich, and the Star Tavern, Quay, Yarmouth, every day, at 12
o’clock.”
16.—The Invincible, of 74 guns (built in 1766),
Rear-Admiral Totty, on her way to join the grand fleet, got on
the Ridge, near Happisburgh Sand, and remained there till
daybreak next morning, when she floated off. On entering
deep water she went down immediately, with several officers and
300 men. Daniel Grigson, master of the Nancy cod-smack,
saved seven officers and about 190 of the crew. At a Court
Martial held at Sheerness, on March 31st, on Admiral Totty and
the surviving officers and crew, it was proved that the disaster
occurred through the ignorance of the pilot, and a verdict of
honourable acquittal was returned.
19.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Mr.
Justice Grose, the action, the King v. Augustus Beevor,
clerk, was tried. The information was filed against the
defendant by leave of the Court of King’s Bench, for
sending a challenge to Major Edward Payne, in consequence of a
dispute that had taken place between the Major and the
defendant’s father. Defendant, referring to this
dispute, wrote to Major Payne, demanding an apology, “or he
should be under the necessity of compelling it by a mode
generally used among gentlemen.” No notice was taken
of the letter, and the defendant meeting Major Payne in the
Market Place at Norwich told him publicly that “the
contempt he had for his character protected his
person.” The defendant was found guilty, and at the
next term of the Court of King’s Bench (May 7) was
sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment in the King’s
Bench Prison, and ordered to enter into his own recognisances of
£500, to find two sureties of £250 each, and to be of
good behaviour for three years.
20.*—“The remains of Miss Sophia Goddard, of the
Theatre Royal, Norwich, were interred at St. Peter
Mancroft. Mr. Hindes, the manager, and the principal actors
attended on the melancholy occasion. This young lady had
obtained considerable reputation on the Norwich boards, and was
making rapid advance to eminence in her profession when death
prematurely deprived the theatrical world of an actress whose
talents would have ensured her success on any stage. She
supported with great fortitude and resignation a long and painful
illness, brought on by exertions that her constitution was
unequal to, and died on Sunday last (March 15), in her 26th year,
sincerely beloved and lamented by her family and
friends.”
Wheat this month rose to 180s. per quarter.
3.—Died at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, Lieut. Robert
Scully, 13th Light Dragoons. His remains were interred on
Sunday, April 4th, with military honours, at St. Peter
Mancroft.
4.—Died at Cambridge, Mrs. Lloyd, widow of Dean Lloyd,
aged 79. “Her performances in needlework were so
exquisitely wrought that they may justly be compared with the
paintings of the most celebrated artists. The
Transfiguration and other figures represented in the eastern
windows of Norwich Cathedral have displayed the superior skill of
her personal attainments.”
—Mousehold Heath, Norwich, was enclosed and
cultivated. Plots of land were afterwards let at 25s. per
acre.
—John Allen (23) and John Day (26), for burglary at the
house of the Rev. Isaac Horsley, at North Walsham; Richard
Grafton, for stealing a cow and three heifers; and James
Chettleburgh (36), for stealing six sheep at Saxlingham, were
executed at Thetford. “Day confessed to having
committed four burglaries previous to that for which he suffered,
and to having deserted thirteen times from different
regiments.”
—In consequence of objections being made to the
elections of Messrs. Staff and Proctor in the Wymer Ward, and of
Messrs. Brittan and Scott in the Northern Ward, Norwich, on the
ground of their being ineligible under the Corporation Act,
having omitted to receive the Sacrament within a year previous to
the election of Common Council, the Mayor did not make the
returns till several days after the usual time. At a Court
held on this day, the Recorder (Mr. Harvey), after the objections
had been fully argued by counsel, declared that the persons
objected to, who had the majority of votes, having omitted to
come into Court according to summons, were not duly elected; but,
as no regular notice had been given previous to the election, the
candidates in the minority could not be returned. On May
2nd a rule was moved for in the Court of King’s Bench, to
show cause why a mandamus should not be directed to the Mayor of
Norwich to admit Mr. George Wymer into the office of Common
Councilman of the city. Similar motions were made on behalf
of Messrs. Bacon, Cooke, Fiske, and Webster, the other defeated
candidates. “Lord Kenyon desired counsel to take rule
to show cause, and to serve the rule not only on the Mayor, but
also on those persons who were elected in fact, but not de
jure.” On May 13th, Lord Kenyon confirmed the
decision of the Recorder that “neither the candidates who
had the majority of votes, from their not having taken the
Sacrament, nor those in the minority were duly
elected.” Another election for the wards took place
on May 25th and 26th.
11.*—(Advt.) “To be seen alive in a genteel
room at Mr. Peck’s Coffee-house, Church Stile,
Market-place, Norwich, the largest Rattlesnake ever seen in
England, 42 years old, near nine feet long, in full health and
vigour. He is well secured, so that Ladies and Gentlemen
may view him without the least danger. He has not taken any
sustenance for the last 11 months. Admittance, Ladies and
Gentlemen, 1s.; working people and children, 6d.”
14.—Intelligence received at Yarmouth of the destruction
of the Danish fleet in Copenhagen Bay, by the British fleet,
under the immediate command of Lord Nelson, on
April 2nd, after a battle of four hours. Seventeen sail of
the Danish navy were taken or destroyed. The news was
conveyed to Norwich by the coach, which entered the city with
colours flying; the Volunteer corps paraded in the Market Place
and fired a feu de joie, and the bells of St. Peter
Mancroft and of other churches were rung.
18.*—“By the latest returns of the Secret
Committee the County of Norfolk is reported amongst the most
loyal counties in the kingdom.”
20.—A performance took place at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich, “towards raising a fund for the benefit of those
who through age or infirmity are obliged to retire from the
Stage.”
23.—Died at Norwich, Mr. John Bonsell, aged 75 years,
“an eminent leather cutter, who for upwards of 20 years
lived an abstemious life, refraining from animal food and
fermented liquors. He rendered himself very conspicuous in
the religious world, as he professed opinions, in a great measure
peculiar to himself, which bordered upon fanaticism. He
wrote several religious controversial pamphlets, as ‘The
Ram’s Horn,’ &c.”
25.—Comparative returns of the population of Norwich,
“as taken in 1801, 1786, 1752, and 1693,” were
published. In 1801, the population was 36,832; in 1786,
40,051; in 1752, 36,169; in 1693, 28,881. “The
decrease of the population of this city since 1786 is 3,219, but
it is to be observed that 1786 was a year of peace, and that in
the returns of 1801 those serving in the Navy, Army, and Militia
are not included. Norwich, during the present war, has
furnished at least 4,000 recruits for the Army and Navy, and
these will account for the decrease, and also for the great
excess of females, which appears by the returns to be above
one-fourth. Of the present population, 408 are chiefly
employed in agriculture, and 12,267 in trade, manufactures, and
handicrafts.”
1.—“There being again this year no alderman below
the chair who had served the office of Sheriff, the following
aldermen were put in nomination for the office of
Mayor:—James Crowe, Sir Roger Kerrison, John Morse, and
Jeremiah Ives, jun. At the close the numbers were Ives,
668; Crowe, 638; Kerrison, 375; Morse, 37.” At a
court of Mayoralty, held on Sunday, May 3rd, it was ruled that
Mr. Crowe was ineligible, in consequence of having served the
office three years previously to the date of the election.
Sir Roger Kerrison, who stood next on the poll, retired in favour
of Mr. Ives, who was thereupon declared elected, and was duly
sworn on June 16th.
9.—Died, at Easton House, Sir Lambert Blackwell, Bart.,
aged 69. The title (conferred on his grandfather in 1718)
became extinct. He bequeathed all his estates, with his
valuable paintings, books, coins, &c., to Mr. William Foster,
jun., of Norwich, subject to certain annuities.
16.—A reduction of from 15s. to 20s. per quarter in the
price of bread corn was announced. There was also a
decrease in the price of live cattle of all kinds.
“A sixpenny standard wheaten loaf, which about six weeks
ago weighed only 1 lb. 4 ozs. 6 drs., now weighs 2 lbs. 10 ozs. 6
drs.”
23.*—“Another capital prize in the lottery has
come down to Norwich. The whole ticket, number 24,350, a
prize of £15,000 in the July Irish Lottery, is the sole
property of Charles Weston, Esq., banker and brewer of this
city. The ticket was purchased twelve months ago, and not
being registered, the fortunate holder remained unconscious of
his wealth until last week, when, on examining the public lists,
he discovered that his ticket was a prize of the amount above
stated.”
2.—Mr. Henry Harmer elected Speaker of the Common
Council of Norwich, in place of his father, Mr. Samuel Harmer,
who held the office upwards of 20 years.
4.—The King’s Birthday was celebrated at Norwich
with great demonstrations of joy. The Corporation attended
service at the Cathedral, the Loyal Military Association and the
several parochial associations paraded in the Market Place and
fired a feu de joie, and the members of the Norwich Light
Horse, after a like ceremony, dined at the Maid’s
Head. Major Patteson’s corps adjourned to
Neeche’s Gardens, Capt. Blake’s corps to the Rose
Inn, St Augustine’s, and the other corps to different
taverns. The Mayor gave a dinner to the Aldermen.
8.*—“A quartermaster of the 13th Light Dragoons
rode a certain distance up Thorpe Road in a given time, with his
face to the horse’s tail, and afterwards up the sand hill
near Kett’s Castle in the same position, and won both
wagers.”
18.—The body of William Suffolk, who was executed in
March, 1797, for the murder of Mary Beck, of North Walsham, was
taken down by authority of the magistrates and interred on the
spot where the gibbet was erected. “About ten days
back a starling’s nest, with young ones, was taken out of
the breast of Watson, who hangs on a gibbet on Bradenham Common,
near Swaffham, for the murder of his wife, which was witnessed by
hundreds of people as something very singular and
extraordinary.”
20.—The ensign of the Généreux having been
presented to the city by Capt. Sir Edward Berry, the Corporation
caused it to be displayed in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
with a suitable inscription.
22.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced and lasted until
the 26th. Among those present were the Duke of Bedford, the
Duke of Manchester, and other distinguished visitors. The
new implements exhibited included a machine for drilling turnips,
invented by the Rev. T. C. Munnings. It was described as
“nothing more than a perforated tin box, affixed to and
vertical with the axis of a wheelbarrow.” A thrashing
machine “was much approved of.” At this meeting
Mr. Coke announced his intention to give premiums for promoting
the improvement of live stock and for encouraging experimental
husbandry.
25.—A fire broke out on the roof of Norwich
Cathedral, and occasioned damage to the amount of
£500. Bishop Manners Sutton personally distributed
refreshments to the soldiers and others who assisted in
extinguishing the flames. About 45 feet of the roof were
destroyed. The fire originated from the carelessness of
plumbers at work upon the building.
27.*—“At the ordinary visitation of the clergy and
general confirmation held during this month, Bishop Manners
Sutton confirmed at Newmarket 1,150 persons of both sexes; at
Bury St. Edmund’s, 4,500; at Stowmarket, 1,150; at Ipswich,
1,300; at Woodbridge, 1,150; at Framlingham, 960; at Beccles,
660; and at Norwich, 1,100.”
29.—Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson arrived at Yarmouth in the
Kite sloop, Capt. Domett, from Copenhagen. He immediately
proceeded on foot from the jetty to the Hospital, and visited the
sick and wounded seamen. After a stay of about three hours,
his lordship left Yarmouth for London, under escort of a troop of
Yeomanry Cavalry.
The price of wheat at the end of this month fell to 120s. per
quarter.
11.*—“The duty on port wine expected at Lynn alone
will, it is said, amount to £80,000.”
—*“The Postmasters General have permitted the mail
coach to be established from Lynn to unite with that from Norwich
and Yarmouth at Barton Mills.”
17.—Wroxham Regatta took place. “The novelty
of a sailing match attracted a great deal of
company.” It was won by the Union, the property of
the Rev. Mr. Preston.
18.—The population of Norfolk was returned as 274,221,
of whom 130,249 were males and 143,972 females.
28.—At a general meeting of the Deputy-Lieutenants and
magistrates, presided over by the Lord Lieutenant (the Marquis
Townshend), it was resolved to adopt measures for the effectual
defence of the county and the preservation of property.
1.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Lord
Chief Baron Macdonald, was tried the action, Stracey v.
Davy. The plaintiff was lord of the Manor of Rackheath, and
the defendant a tenant of Mr. John Morse, jun. The action,
which was for trespass, was brought for the purpose of
ascertaining certain rights set up by the defendant. Davy
sought to establish the privilege of sheep walk over that part of
Mousehold Heath then belonging to the parish of Rackheath.
He claimed severally the right of feeding 500, 400, and 300
sheep, and also the right of depasturing his sheep levant and
couchant, and in various other modes. The special jury
found a verdict for the defendant, and confirmed his right of
feeding 500 sheep at six score to the hundred.
3.—The annual Venison Feast was held at the Red Lion,
Fakenham, to celebrate Lord Nelson’s victory of the
Nile.
4.—The Norwich parochial Volunteer Associations
assembled at St. Andrew’s Hall, and afterwards marched to
the Market Place, where Capt. William Herring, the commanding
officer for the day, read a letter from the Lord Lieutenant,
requesting the men to be prepared in case of invasion.
—“This day, from five in the morning till ten at
night, heavy cannonading was distinctly heard by the Rev. Mr.
Burton and several of his parishioners at Horsford, which was at
the time supposed to be the cannonading from Lord Nelson’s
fleet before Boulogne.”
15.—Henry Lawn, aged 41, executed on the Castle Hill,
Norwich, for horse stealing. “He denied to the last
that he was guilty. He left a wife and six children.
He would have enjoyed a considerable property, which the present
possessor has entailed upon his children.”
24.—The Supplementary Militia was re-embodied.
During this month meetings were held in different parishes in
city and county to discuss the means to be adopted in case of
invasion. The clergy in country parishes took account of
the live and dead stock that could be removed, and of the number
of waggons and carts to be made use of. The drilling of
Yeomanry and Volunteer corps became general.
20.—Died at Brompton, Sir John Gresham, Bart., the last
male heir of the family.
26.*—“A person residing in this city has within
the last week been convicted in penalties amounting to £166
10s., for having laid a leaden pipe from his dwelling-house to
communicate with the pipes belonging to the proprietors of the
waterworks, without having obtained their consent or paid the
accustomed water rent. The amount was paid to the
company’s solicitor, who immediately returned the money,
except 30 guineas, which he has paid to the Norfolk and Norwich
Hospital for the benefit of that institution.”
The portraits of Lord Nelson, by Sir William Beechey, and of
Mr. John Herring, Mayor of Norwich in 1799, by Opie, were this
month placed in St. Andrew’s Hall.
1.—Intelligence was received at Yarmouth, from
Constantinople, of the surrender of Alexandria to the British and
Turkish armies under General Hutchinson and the Grand Vizier.
3.—The intelligence reached Norwich that the
Preliminaries of Peace had been signed in Paris. There were
great rejoicings on the 10th on the ratification of the
news. The horses of the mail coach, by which the
intelligence was brought to the city, were so terrified by the
demonstration that they became unmanageable, the coach was overturned, and the coachman, the guard, and some of the
passengers injured.
5.—At Yarmouth, during the Peace illuminations, a mob
broke the windows of several houses occupied by Quakers.
The ringleaders were committed for trial at the Sessions.
7.—At the Norfolk County Sessions, Elizabeth Manship, of
Ormesby, was indicted for committing an outrage upon the Rev. Eli
Morgan Price, when in the act of officiating at Divine service at
the parish church. It appeared that while Mr. Price was
reading a new form of thanksgiving “for the late plentiful
season” the defendant rushed out of her pew and snatched
the paper out of his hands, to the very great disturbance and
alarm of the congregation. The jury found the defendant
guilty, and she was sentenced to pay a fine of £20.
21.—A general illumination took place in Norwich in
celebration of the Peace. There was a grand display of
transparencies, and a huge bonfire was lighted in the Market
Place, around which the Mayor and Corporation paraded. The
celebration was general throughout the county.
24.*—“In the spring of this year the Palace
Workhouse, Norwich, contained 1,017 paupers. They are now
reduced to 425, a smaller number than has been known for the past
20 years. The reduction in the other workhouse has been
nearly proportionate.”
2.—The Prince of Orange arrived at Yarmouth from London,
and on the 6th sailed in the Diana packet for Cuxhaven.
13.—Peter Donahue, a sergeant in the 30th Regiment of
Foot, was executed at Lynn, for uttering counterfeit Bank of
England notes. “We are sorry to add that he appeared
sensible for many minutes after he was turned off, and a large
effusion of blood gushed from his mouth and nose, which rendered
the scene most awful, terrible, and distressing.”
20.—Prince William Frederick of Gloucester arrived at
the house of Mr. J. Patteson, at Norwich, and in the afternoon
stood sponsor for Mr. Patteson’s youngest son, who was
christened at St. Stephen’s Church by the name of William
Frederick. The Prince afterwards went to Houghton, where
Lord Cholmondeley gave a grand fête in honour of the
Peace. On his return to Norwich, on November 25th, his
Royal Highness attended a ball and supper, given by Mrs. Charles
Manners Sutton at the Bishop’s Palace.
21.*—“The coursing meeting at Swaffham last week
was numerously and respectably attended. The silver cup was
won by Mr. Denton’s bitch Nettle, which beat Mr.
Tyssen’s bitch. The assembly was brilliantly and
numerously attended”
5.—It was announced that the Duke of Norfolk intended to
“pull down the old Palace, now used as a workhouse, and
employ the premises for some beneficial and ornamental
purpose.”
16.—The old Hall at Stratton Strawless, belonging
to Mr. Robert Marsham, was destroyed by fire. The family
had removed a few weeks before into the new hall.
26.—A serious affray occurred at Horsford between two
Excise officers, assisted by two privates of the 3rd Dragoon
Guards, and 30 smugglers. The officers had seized a large
quantity of smuggled goods at Cawston, and the smugglers
succeeded in retaking only a small part. One of the
soldiers was shot; several of the smugglers were desperately
wounded, and two died of their wounds.
—*(Advt.) “The Lord Nelson new Light Coach,
from London to Lynn in 14 hours, through Cambridge and Ely.
Agreeable to the wishes of the Vice-Chancellor and several
members of the University, the proprietors mean to relinquish
travelling on the Sunday. The coach will leave the Golden
Cross, Charing Cross, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings
at half-past five, arrive at Cambridge at one, and Lynn at eight
in the evening. The coach will return from the Globe Inn,
Lynn, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. The
coach carries four insides.”
—*(Advt.) “The Lord Nelson Coach, from
London to Fakenham. The coach leaves the Crown, Fakenham,
on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; sups at Cambridge,
and arrives in London about seven in the morning. From the
Golden Cross, same days, at six in the evening.”
Prices of corn at the end of the year: Wheat, 70s. to
76s. Rye, 36s. Barley, 40s. to 42s. per
quarter. Oats, 20s. to 24s. Malt, 32s. per
coomb. Best flour, £3 1s. 8¼d per sack.
Coals, 40s. 4d. per chaldron.
2.*—“Mr. W. E. Bulwer, of Heydon, has resolved to
divide all his farms into 200 acres, as they come out of
lease. They are worthy the attention of industrious men
wanting situations.”
4.—The Duke of Bedford, Lord Paget, and Lord John
Thynne, with four other gentlemen, on a visit to Lord
Cholmondeley at Houghton, “had the greatest day’s
sport ever known in Norfolk. They killed altogether 165
hares, 42 pheasants, 5 rabbits, 2 woodcock, and 2 partridges, and
this notwithstanding that the woods had been beat five times this
season.”
9.—A reduction of 3s. 6d. in the pound poor-rates
announced. The mulct was fixed at 7s. in the pound.
“For the last 30 years there have not been so few paupers
in the two workhouses, principally owing to the manufacturers of
Norwich having such large orders to execute that hands are
actually wanted.”
—The non-commissioned officers and privates of the
Blofield and South Walsham troop of Yeomanry Cavalry offered to
continue their services to the Government, and
“thanked the officers for the unremitting and polite
attention paid to them since the establishment in
1794.” Other troops of Yeomanry in the county made
similar offers.
13.*—“Died lately at Bristol Hot Wells, where she
had gone for the recovery of her health, the Countess of
Leicester.”
—*“Died last week Mr. William Websdale. This
venerable man lived in three centuries, and expired at the
advanced age of 102 years.”
—*The following Coach advertisements were published on
this date:—
“Royal Lynn Mail Coach sets out daily from the
Duke’s Head Inn, Lynn, by way of Brandon, Barton Mills,
Newmarket, Bournbridge, and Epping, to the White Horse, in Fetter
Lane, whence it returns every day at three
o’clock.”
“The Fakenham and Swaffham Light Post Coach sets out
daily from the Red Lion, in Fakenham, at two o’clock, and
returns from London as above.”
“The Lord Nelson Coach, from Lynn to Norwich in seven
hours. From the Globe, Lynn, to the King’s Head,
Norwich, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, returning Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday at seven o’clock each
morning.”
“The Lynn and Norwich Machine, from the Crown Tavern,
Lynn, to the White Swan, Norwich. Runs three times a
week. Insides, 12s.; outsides, 7s.”
14.—Mr. William Earle Bulwer installed Provincial Grand
Master of Freemasons at the White Swan, St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich.
15.—The thermometer “very near to 0 (32 degrees
below freezing point).”
16.—A fine grey eagle was taken alive in a trap upon the
estate of Lord Montrath, at Weeting. It measured from the
extremity of each wing 7 feet 8 inches, and from the beak to the
tail nearly four feet.
15.—The Norwich Court of Guardians considered the
question of the erection of a new workhouse. The average
number of poor maintained in the two workhouses during the
previous 18 years had been 1,282. It was recommended that
one building be erected to accommodate 1,300, the money to be
borrowed on shares of £100 each, bearing interest, and to
be paid off by lot, so that the whole debt, with interest
thereon, would be discharged in 20 years. A Bill was
brought before Parliament and received the Royal assent on May
24th, and a site for the building was purchased near “the
opening to Chapel Field.” On December 7th, in
consequence of observations made by Mr. Alderman Rigby on the
subject of outdoor relief, the question was deferred until the
committee had informed the Court whether “these allowances
may not be so extended without any diminution of the comforts of
the poor as to render unnecessary the building
of such a workhouse as has hitherto been proposed.”
The scheme for the erection of the workhouse was ultimately
abandoned.
21.—Died, Mr. Henry Skipper, dyer, St. Peter Hungate,
Norwich. “He was in his time a famous pugilist, and
fought several pitched battles with Algar, Henry, and
others.”
16.—Died, at his house in Greville Street, Hatton
Garden, London, in the 28th year of his age, Thomas Archibald
Murray, M.D., one of the physicians of the public dispensary in
Carey Street, and of the House of Recovery for Infectious
Diseases, an institution which, in a great measure, owed its
establishment to Dr. Murray’s exertions. He was the
youngest son of Dr. John Murray, founder of the Scots Society in
Norwich, who died September 26th, 1792.
20.*—“Died, lately, at Strawberry Hill, near
Collumpton, Devonshire, aged 78, the Earl of Montrath, of Weeting
Hall. The Earldom is extinct. His lordship left a
legacy of £2,000 to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
His invariable dread of small-pox occasioned his lordship to lead
absolutely the life of a recluse. His terror was so great
that he had five houses between his seat at Weeting and his house
in Devonshire, to prevent the chance of infection, and at these
houses small establishments were kept up, as he dared not sleep
in an inn.”
24.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, the Grand
Jury made a presentment, to the effect that, as hay and corn were
considerably reduced in price, publicans and posting-masters
might, without injury to themselves, decrease their
charges. It was resolved “That those publicans and
posting-masters who have already reduced their charges are
deserving approbation and encouragement.” In an
advertisement published on April 24th the post-masters stated
that from the heavy duties imposed upon carriages, the first
expense of chaises and their repair, the increased price of
horses and of smith’s work, they could not, without great
injury to themselves and their families, make any abatement in
the charge of fifteen pence (which included the payment of a duty
of 3d.) per mile, they having been considerable losers during the
previous two years.
27.—Died, at Melton Constable, Sir Edward Astley, Bart.,
who represented Norfolk in four successive Parliaments. He
was succeeded in the title and estates by Sir J. H. Astley, his
only surviving son by his first wife, the eldest sister of John
Lord Delaval, of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland.
30.—News was received of the Definite Treaty of Peace
having been signed at Amiens, on March 27th, by the Marquis
Cornwallis and Buonaparte. The Norwich Loyal Military
Associations assembled at St. Andrew’s Hall.
“Instead of field-pieces and ammunition waggons the martial
divisions were preceded in their march from the Hall to the
Market Place by two brewers’ drays, laden with six barrels
of Norwich porter, which were drunk with much joy.”
10.*—(Advt.) “To Seafaring Men. A
Double Caule to be sold. For price and particulars enquire
of the Printers.”
—*“Within the last three months nearly 300 paupers
have been discharged from the two workhouses, which at the
present time do not contain more than 550 persons, the smallest
number ever remembered. The next poor-rate, in consequence,
will not exceed 4s. 3d. in the pound in Norwich.”
—*“It appears from the returns of assessment of
income that Norfolk and Norwich last year contributed
£111,513 17s. 1d., of which sum £18,801 0s.
3¼d. was paid by persons possessing incomes under
£200 a year, and £92,712 16s. 9¾d. by persons
of superior income.”
17.*—(Advt.) “Bear Baiting. Henry
Gerrard respectfully informs the public that there will be a Bear
Baiting in a meadow belonging to the Ferry Farm House, Great
Yarmouth, on Monday next, the 19th inst., in the afternoon.
Admission 1s.; 6d. to be returned in liquor.” (The
baiting was prevented by the action of the county justices.)
—William Dunnett, for horse stealing, and John Saunders,
for stealing a cow, were executed at Thetford.
24.—The East and West Regiments of Norfolk Militia
disembodied at Yarmouth and Dereham. The several corps of
Yeomanry Cavalry and Volunteer Infantry, on being disbanded, were
thanked by the Government for their services.
—*“The whole of the French and Dutch prisoners
confined in Yaxley Barracks were last week put on board different
vessels in Lynn harbour, from whence they proceeded to their
respective countries.”
26.—Died, at Bath, aged 78, the Rev. Edmund Nelson,
father of Lord Nelson. He was rector of Burnham Thorpe, to
which he was presented in 1755 by Lord Walpole.
27.—To commemorate the opening of the new organ,
“built by the celebrated Mr. England, of London,” the
oratorio, “The Messiah,” was performed at St. George
Colegate Church, Norwich, which was “lighted up and matted
for the occasion.” The organ was opened by Mr.
Beckwith, who also conducted the band. Three shillings was
charged for admission to the church.
3.—The Corporation of Norwich voted an address to his
Majesty the King on the acquisition of Peace. The address
was presented to his Majesty at a Levée at St.
James’s Palace, on May 21st, by Mr. Jeremiah Ives, jun.,
Mayor; Sir Roger Kerrison, Mayor-Elect; and Mr. William Foster,
jun.
4.—Peace was proclaimed by the Mayor and Corporation,
who went in procession through the streets of Norwich.
Major Patteson’s corps of Volunteers and the several
parochial military associations, after firing volleys in the
Market Place, marched to the residence of the Mayor-Elect,
where they deposited their muskets and regimental colours.
Officers and men afterwards repaired to Neeche’s Gardens,
where they dined. In the evening there was a general
illumination. The day was similarly observed at
Yarmouth.
10.—A fête was held in Reffley Wood, near
Lynn. A “fine Norfolk sheep” was roasted for
the feast, presided over by Sir Martin ffolkes.
13.—Died, aged 85, Mrs. Beaton, of St. John
Maddermarket, Norwich. “She was a native of Wales,
and commonly called here ‘The Freemason,’ from the
circumstance of her having contrived to conceal herself one
evening in the wainscoting of the lodge-room, where she learnt
that secret, the knowledge of which thousands of her sex in vain
attempted to arrive at. She was a very singular old woman,
and, as a proof of it, the secret died with her.”
14.—A heavy fall of snow, which in many places lay more
than an inch thick upon the ground. On the 15th there was a
severe frost, and snow fell for two hours. At Langley and
other places it was between three and four inches in depth.
22.—Between one and two o’clock in the morning the
dwelling-house of the Rev. Mr. Sykes, of Guestwick, was
burglariously entered by two men. “They presented
themselves at Mr. and Mrs. Sykes’ bedside. Their
faces were blackened, and one of them had on a slip of linen, and
the other a woman’s checked bed-gown. They each had a
cudgel and a candle in their hands. They said, ‘We
have pistols; your money or your lives.’ One of them
remained by the bedside, while the other plundered the
drawers. Then they departed, carrying away some money and a
watch.”
24.—The Duke of Cambridge sailed from Yarmouth in the
Amphion frigate for Hanover, of which kingdom he was appointed
Regent.
24.—Died, aged 90, Mrs. Ann Fuller, of
Raveningham. “Her remains were interred at the parish
of Toft Monks. The pall was supported by six grandchildren,
and the funeral attended by children, grandchildren, and great
grandchildren in her own lineal descent to the number of
47.”
29.—At a county meeting an address to his Majesty on the
Peace was moved by the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, seconded by the Hon.
Col. Harbord, and unanimously adopted. The address was
presented to the King by Mr. Robert Wilson, High Sheriff.
31.—A fire occurred at Swanton paper mill, a great part
of which was destroyed, with all the paper. The damage was
estimated at £4,000.
1.—This day was ordered to be observed as one of general
thanksgiving for the Restoration of Peace. The Mayor and
Corporation of Norwich attended the Cathedral, and the appointed
service was performed at all parish churches. At Lynn, the
inhabitants, instead of having an illumination, collected
£300, which was distributed amongst the poor.
21.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. A new
thrashing machine was exhibited. An improved drill for
turnip sowing was also shown. “From the same barrel
seed and oilcake manure are delivered into one tube, through
which it is deposited in the earth by the same
coulters.”
22.—Guild Day at Norwich. The Mayor, Sir Roger
Kerrison, went to the Cathedral “in a most elegant new
chariot, the colour of royal blue; the coachman and the three
footmen behind had handsome new liveries, with gold-laced cocked
hats and gold-headed canes.” His worship “wore
a full dress coat and embroidered waistcoat.” At the
Guild feast, in St. Andrew’s Hall, 800 guests were present;
and at the ball given in the evening, at Chapel Field House, Mr.
T. A. Kerrison and Miss Chad opened the dancing for the 450
guests.
26.*—(Advt.) “On Wednesday, the 30th inst.,
a main of cocks will be fought at Aylsham, between the gentlemen
of Suffolk and the gentlemen of Norfolk, for ten guineas a battle
and twenty the odd. Feeder for Suffolk, Nath. Rowen; ditto
for Norfolk, Henry Seaman.”
2.—Dibden gave his entertainment, “Sans
Souci,” at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. The
performance was repeated on the succeeding evening.
5.—Parliament having been dissolved on June 29th, the
election of members for the city of Norwich took place on this
day. The candidates were the Right Hon. Wm. Windham, of
Felbrigg, and Mr. John Frere, of Roydon; Mr. Robert Fellowes, of
Shottesham, and Mr. William Smith. At the close of the poll
the numbers were:—Fellowes, 1,532; Smith, 1,439; Windham,
1,356; Frere, 1,328. There was great rioting. The
chairing took place on the day following the declaration of the
poll.
12.—After the lapse of 34 years, a contested election
took place for the county of Norfolk. The poll opened on
the 12th, and continued for eight days. The result was
declared as follows:—Mr. Thomas Wm. Coke, 4,317; Sir Jacob
Henry Astley, 3,612; the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, 3,517. A
scrutiny was demanded by the friends of the latter and
granted. It commenced on July 30th, and continued till
August 28th, when Col. Wodehouse’s counsel retired from the
case, and Sir J. H. Astley and Mr. Coke were declared duly
elected. The expenses of the contest were estimated at
£35,000, and the amount spent by the successful candidates
to bring distant voters to the poll was enormous.
Mr. John Hookham Frere, of Roydon, was this month appointed
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of
Madrid.
12.—This year’s anniversary service at the
Cathedral, in aid of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, realised
£165 3s. 4¾d. With the proceeds of
the dinner at the Maid’s Head Inn, the total amount handed
to the institution was £204 17s. 8¾d.
14.*—“We hear from Brussels that a party of
gentlemen from Lynn have reached that city in the Hebe pleasure
yacht. This being the first vessel that ever displayed the
British flag in Brussels the quay of the port has been crowded
with spectators looking at her.”
17.—A duel was fought on Mousehold Heath, Norwich, by
Mr. Robert Alderson, a well-known barrister, and Mr.
Grigby. The latter conceived that he had been unfairly
treated in cross-examination by Mr. Alderson at the Suffolk
Assizes, and, refusing to accept his explanation, sent him a
challenge. “Mr. Alderson was attended to the field by
Mr. Mackintosh, and Mr. Grigby by Mr. Turner. Two shots
were exchanged, with no effect than that of Mr. Grigby’s
first ball passing through the skirts of Mr. Alderson’s
coat. A cordial reconciliation was afterwards
effected.”
28.—William Rix was executed on Castle Hill, Norwich,
for sheep stealing.
5.—The organ of the Octagon Chapel, Norwich, was opened
by Mr. Beckwith. The instrument was built by Crotch.
4.—A grand Musical Festival was held in Norwich, under
the direction of Messrs. Beckwith and Sharp, and Mr. Ashley, of
London, Mrs. Billington, Mr. Bartleman, and Mr. Braham were the
principal artistes. The last performance was given
on the 7th.
8.—The Princess of Wales concluded a visit to the
Marquis and Marchioness Townshend at Rainham, and returned to
Blackheath.
13.—Mr. Alderman Francis Columbine resigned his
seat. Owing to his pecuniary distress, the Corporation of
Norwich granted to him and his daughter an annuity of
£100.
14.—Races were held at Blickling Park. Lady
Caroline Harbord gave a ball and supper, attended by upwards of
100 guests from Aylsham and the neighbourhood.
18.—Three gentlemen, for a considerable wager, undertook
to walk blindfolded from Post Office Court to the great doors of
St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich, in 15 minutes.
“Two of them performed it in less than the given time, much
to the satisfaction of the spectators, but the other unfortunate
gentleman bent his course rapidly for the Upper Market, and found
himself at the expiration of the time at the great doors of St.
Andrew’s Hall.”
21.—Mr. Edward Rigby was elected Alderman of the Great
Northern Ward, in room of Mr. Francis Columbine, after a severe
contest lasting two days. His opponent was Mr. Jonathan
Davey.
23.—Died, at Vienna, aged 80, General Jerningham, nephew
of Sir George Jerningham, Bart., of Costessey. He was
upwards of 50 years in the Imperial service, and was
Chamberlin to the Empress Maria Theresa and to the Emperors
Joseph, Leopold, and Francis.
8.—Swaffham coursing meeting commenced.
25.—Mr. Welby, of Blickling, undertook, for a bet of 50
guineas, to ride his mare 90 miles on the Aylsham road in ten
hours, all paces. “She performed the first 80 miles
in 8 hours 25 minutes, and had an hour and thirty-five minutes to
run the last ten miles, but was unable to accomplish it, to the
great disappointment of those who bet three and four to one that
the mare performed the journey.”
8.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, a
committee was appointed to prepare a Bill to be laid before a
future meeting for the better paving, lighting, watching, and
cleansing of the city. A meeting was held on the 15th, at
which resolutions were passed in opposition to the proposal; and
in the month of March it was announced that the Paving Committee
deemed it advisable in the then state of public affairs to defer
going to Parliament with their Bill until the next Session.
—Died, after having lived in three centuries, Mary
Helsdon, of East Ruston, widow. “Her age was 105
years 11 months; she retained her faculties till about a year
before her death, and she left a progeny of near 80 persons,
including children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and
great-great grandchildren.”
12.*—“Mr. Coke, of Holkham, let out his Southdown
tups last season for £1,500.”
—Nearly 100 pairs of shoes, the property of 20 different
persons who had been fined for making them contrary to Act of
Parliament, were publicly burnt in Norwich Market Place.
One shoemaker, for refusing to allow the searchers to perform
their duty, was fined the full penalty of £5. The
tradespeople, after obtaining counsel’s opinion, gave
notice that actions for trespass would be taken against searchers
and sealers of leather if they entered their premises. On
March 7th two shoemakers were fined for offering resistence.
23.—Died, Mr. Wignell, manager of the Philadelphia
Theatre. He married, a short time before his death, Mrs.
Merry, formerly Miss Brunton, of Norwich Theatre.
24.—Died, at Coltishall, Mr. Bartlett Gurney, banker, of
Norwich, aged 46. He left £500 to the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital.
5.*—“Mr. Stephen Martin, an old gentleman who
lately died at Brentwood, bequeathed to the minister and
churchwardens of St. Giles’, Norwich, the sum of
£1,000 Stock in the three per cent. Consols, to be laid out
for the use and benefit of the poor of that parish, of which he
was a native. He was born in 1717, and when an infant was
taken to Jamaica, where he amassed a fortune.”
7.—At an assembly of the Corporation of Norwich an
address of congratulation was ordered to be presented to his
Majesty “on the providential discovery of the late
traitorous conspiracy against his Royal person and Government,
entered into by Col. Despard and six other persons, who were
executed on the top of the new Surrey prison, in Horsemonger
Lane, on February 21st.” The address was presented to
the King by the Mayor (Sir Roger Kerrison), accompanied by Mr.
Robert Fellowes, M.P., and Alderman John Harvey. Similar
addresses were voted by the Corporations of Yarmouth, Thetford,
and Lynn; and by the High Sheriff and Grand Jury of Norfolk at
the Assizes at Thetford. The latter address was presented
by Sir J. H. Astley, M.P., and Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., on March
30th.
11.—Died, aged 73, Mr. Thomas Twiddy, “who had
been many years trumpet herald to the Norwich Company of
Comedians.”
14.—Died, Mrs. Parfrey, aged 80, wife of Mr. R. Parfrey,
of Holme Hale, near Swaffham. “The public will best
recollect her, as a doctress, by her former name of Fyson, and
for the many cures she made in dropsy and other
complaints.”
15.—At a meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall the
late members of the Norwich Loyal Military Association, in
consequence of the aspect of public affairs, offered their
services to the Government.
19.*—“Two pairs of eagles were lately shot near
Yarmouth. One pair measured and weighed as
follows:—Female, length, 3 feet 4 inches; extent of wings,
8 feet; weight, 9¾ lbs. Male, length, 2 feet 9
inches; extent of wings, 7 feet 1 inch; weight, 9¼
lbs. Seventeen wild swans have also been shot by one man in
the week.”
21.—The Militia Regiments in the county this day
assembled at Yarmouth, East Dereham, and Swaffham.
22.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Mr.
Justice Grose and a special jury, the case, Astley v.
Harwood, was tried. This was an action for
defamation. It was alleged that the defendant, at a ball
held on July 6th, 1802, the day after the Norwich election,
mounted a table, and, addressing the company, called the
plaintiff a liar, a coward, an assassin, a scoundrel, and a
murderer, “for he had murdered his father.” The
jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, and assessed the damages
at £2,000. On June 11th the Court of King’s
Bench granted a new trial, on the ground that the impression the
words made on the hearers was matter for aggravation or
mitigation of damages. The new trial took place at Norwich
Assizes in August, 1803, when a special jury confirmed the former
verdict, and awarded Sir Jacob Astley £2,000 damages.
On December 3rd, it was announced that the case had been removed
to the Court of Exchequer on writ of error. In June, 1804,
the judges in the Exchequer Chamber unanimously confirmed the
former verdict, and gave judgment, with costs, against
Col. Harwood. Finally, on July 19th, 1804, the case was
taken to the House of Lords, when the Lord Chancellor delivered
his opinion in favour of Sir Jacob Astley, which was confirmed by
the Lords, who ordered Col. Harwood to pay Sir Jacob £100
costs, occasioned by the writ of error.
The portrait of Capt. John Harvey, of the Norwich Light Horse
Volunteers, painted by Opie at the request of the corps, was this
month placed in St. Andrew’s Hall.
9.—Henry Ford was executed at Thetford, for stealing a
silver watch, coat, and jacket from the person of Thomas Aylmer,
of Pentney.
16.—A county meeting held at the Shirehall, Norwich,
when an address of congratulation to his Majesty, on has escape
“from the late traitorous conspiracy,” was moved by
the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, seconded by Sir Roger Kerrison, and
unanimously adopted.
26.—A rowing match took place between two crews, manning
respectively two well-known Norwich boats, the Lion and the
Dove. It was the only contest of the kind that had been
witnessed in Norwich for nearly a quarter of a century. The
course was from Carrow Abbey “to a signal post standing in
Whitlingham reach, and return to Carrow, a distance of four
miles.” In consequence of the narrowness of the
stream, “the boats started about 300 yards distant from
each other, the first having to go to the place whence the last
set off.” The Lion won by about 80 yards in 38
minutes 40 seconds. (The number of oars not mentioned.)
27.—A public dispensary was established in
Norwich. “The committee propose to recommend to the
general meeting an extension of the original plan, and to connect
with it inoculation for the cow-pox.”
3.—Mr. William Firth was elected Steward of the
Corporation of Norwich.
—The Norwich Loyal Military Association was
re-established, and 300 men entered to serve therein.
5.—An impressment took place at Yarmouth.
7.*—“Lately, was married at Ranworth, Wm. Brown,
aged 80, to Elizabeth Gunton, aged 63. The bridegroom had
had three wives, the bride three husbands, and the
bridegroom’s daughter, who attended this wedding, had also
had three husbands.”
14.—The friends of the Right Hon. Wm. Windham celebrated
his birthday by dining at the White Swan, St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich.
15.—Found dead in his bed, Edward Baldwin, of Wereham,
near Stoke Ferry. He was a glover, aged 89, “commonly
reputed ‘the Almanack’ of that neighbourhood, as he
was remarkable for many years past for being a true
prognosticator of the weather.”
16.—An embargo was laid on all the shipping in Yarmouth
Roads.
18.—The Mayor of Norwich, attended by the two
Sheriffs, the city officers, and citizens, proceeded on
horseback, at nine o’clock, with band playing and colours
flying, from the Guildhall, to visit the boundaries of the city
and county of the city of Norwich. The cavalcade went from
Conesford Gate to Trowse “Eye,” thence to Trowse,
Lakenham, Hartford Bridge, Eaton, Earlham, Hellesdon, Mile Cross,
Catton Field (“including Sir Edward Berry’s
house”), across Mousehold Heath to Thorpe, Trowse Newton
Hall, and Bishop’s Bridge. The company then returned
to the Market Place, where three cheers were given and the band
played “God Save the King.” In the evening, the
Mayor dined with a large party at the King’s Head. (A
similar perambulation took place in 1793.)
30.—Died, at Hardingham, aged 64, Sir Archibald Dickson,
Admiral of the Blue.
31.—Thomas H. Case, of Great Fransham, formerly a
private in the East Dereham or Second Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry,
was charged before the Rev. Dixon Hoste with “obstinately
refusing to deliver up his arms, accoutrements, and
clothing,” for which he was fined £10.
—A two days’ race meeting commenced at
Tivetshall. “The poney races afforded excellent
sport, and there was some good running between the
hunters.”
4.*—“This week the West Norfolk Militia marched
from Thetford and Dereham to Colchester Barracks, to which place
the East Norfolk have received orders to march next
week.”
13.—The Duke of Cambridge and suite arrived in Norwich
from Yarmouth. After changing horses and taking refreshment
at the Maid’s Head, they proceeded on their way to London,
by Attleborough. His Royal Highness had come to Yarmouth in
the Amethyst frigate, with Prince William of Gloucester, from
Cuxhaven, where they narrowly escaped being made prisoners by the
advance guard of the French army. The French general in
Holland put an immense number of fishing boats in requisition for
the avowed purpose of invading England.
—The Aldermen requested the concurrence of the Common
Council of Norwich to a dutiful and loyal address to his Majesty
“on the present important crisis,” and a motion was
made for the appointment of a committee to draw up such
address. It was opposed by several members of the Common
Council, and on a division rejected by 29 votes to 19.
21.—Mr. John Patteson was appointed to be
lieutenant-colonel, Mr. Charles Harvey, major, and Messrs. Andrew
Sieley, J. H. Cole, R. Partridge, and Hammond Fiske, captains in
the battalion of Norwich Volunteers.
This month a ballot took place for the Supplementary
Militia. Under the Army of Reserve Act, Norfolk (including
Norwich) raised 927 men.
9.—At a meeting of the deputy-lieutenants and
magistrates of the county, presided over by the Marquis
Townshend, the plan recommended by the Government, for
establishing a system of communication throughout the county and
for rendering the body of the people instrumental in the general
defence and preservation of property in case of invasion, was
approved and adopted. The county was formed into 13
divisions, consisting of a certain number of hundreds; each
division was placed under the charge of lieutenants of divisions,
nominated by the Lord Lieutenant; each hundred was under a
magistrate, known as an Inspector of the Hundred; and each parish
under some gentleman, clergyman, or principal farmer, termed
Superintendent of the Parish.
13.—On this day and on the 14th, William Green,
bricklayer, undertook at Yarmouth, for a bet of five guineas, to
lay 3,800 bricks in a workmanlike manner in 24 hours, and
completed his task in 20 hours, on a new building at the Bowling
Green House.
23.—Two men, named Denny and Allen, were placed in the
pillory at Norwich, in accordance with sentence passed upon them
at the Quarter Sessions on July 15th, for conspiracy against Mr.
F. Latham. “Over their heads was the inscription,
‘False Conspirators.’ Allen wept bitterly when
he was put in, but Denny, with great effrontery, continued to nod
and smile at the numerous spectators, until the people, by a
shower of rotten eggs, and, at last, potatoes, convinced him of
their detestation and abhorrence of his character and
crime. This continued for about half-an-hour, when Denny,
against whom all their violence was directed, appeared to faint,
and by the advice of a medical man was taken out of the pillory
and conducted to the gaol, where, being examined by several
medical men, he was deemed to be in a fit state to be replaced on
the pillory, and was carried back for that purpose, but all
efforts to reinstate him there proved ineffectual, and he lay
thereon till the hour was expired, amidst the execrations of the
enraged multitude. When Denny was taken out the populace
clamorously demanded that Allen, whose appearance excited their
commiseration rather than their indignation, should be taken
down. Mr. Sheriff Back immediately ascended the scaffold,
and with the greatest firmness and severity expressed his
determination to enforce obedience to the laws and to carry the
sentence fully into execution. When the hour was expired
they were taken down and removed to the Bridewell to undergo two
years’ imprisonment.”
23.*—“All persons arrived from France and Holland
and witnessed the immense preparations which are now making for
the invasion of this country, express astonishment at the apathy
and indifference which prevail here.”
24.—This day (Sunday) the Norfolk Rangers (Yeomanry
Cavalry) had a field day at Rainham Park, and subscribed
£100 towards the fund instituted by the merchants of London
for the relief of persons “who may suffer in the general
defence of the country.”
30.*—“At a Court of the Commissioners of Sewers,
concerning the repairing of sea breaches between Happisburgh and
Yarmouth, the jury, after hearing read three several verdicts of
former juries given in 1702, 1715, and 1742, and also,
hearing several witnesses, delivered a verdict agreeable to the
above, by all of which it was determined that no particular
persons were bound to sustain or repair the sea walls adjoining
their lands.”
—*“The male part of the Norwich Company
(theatrical) have agreed to enroll themselves to learn the use of
arms.”
—*“Messrs. Marsh and Sons, Norwich and Cambridge
carriers, have within the last few days offered, for the service
of the Government in case of invasion, 100 horses, 12 broad-wheel
waggons, 24 men as drivers and assistants, 24 boats, amounting
altogether to 200 tons burden, 6 watermen, and 9 boys, with
blacksmiths, with their apparatus, tools, &c., and 2
wheelwrights, and 2 harness makers, with all necessary
tools.”
—Major-General Money published an address on the
necessity of immediately associating, subscribing, and arming for
the defence of the county in case of invasion. It resulted
in the formation of Volunteer corps in all the seaports and
market towns in Norfolk.
Capt. John Harvey was this month promoted to be major of the
squadron of Norwich Light Horse Volunteers.
During this month the number of poor in the Norwich Workhouse
did not exceed 400, “a circumstance almost
unprecedented.”
6.*—“The Rev. Mr. Beloe, formerly of this city,
has been appointed librarian to the British Museum.”
9.—A brig was launched from Cattermoul’s yard at
Thorpe, near Norwich, in the presence of many hundreds of
spectators. “She went off the stocks in very fine
style, but when she was towing ashore for the company on board to
get off her, everyone endeavouring to get ashore first, the
weight of such a body of people, added to those on the rigging,
overset her. Nearly one hundred men, women, and children
were plunged into the water, and messengers were at once sent to
Norwich for medical assistance.” It is somewhat
remarkable that no lives were lost.
20.—The case of Mr. Cony, a ward in Chancery, came
before the Court of Chancery. He was only 17 years of age,
and had married Elizabeth Franklin, the daughter of an innkeeper
at Downham Market, in which district he possessed a large
property. The marriage took place by licence in
London. The Chancellor annulled the marriage, ordering the
cessation of all further intercourse between the parties, at the
same time intimating that, if his orders were not strictly
complied with, “he should take such steps as would prevent
the possibility of their meeting.”
25.—Mr. George Wyer, of Downham Market, “carried a
20 stone sack of flour one mile, leading through the town of
Watton, for a wager of 230 guineas, which he performed with great
ease in 18 minutes, to the astonishment of a vast number of
spectators.”
Active preparations commenced for the defence of the county in
view of possible invasion. On the 8th several officers and
non-commissioned officers of the 47th Regiment of Foot arrived in
Norwich to receive the balloted men and
substitutes of the Army of Reserve, the training of whom
commenced next day in Chapel Field. A county meeting was
held at the Shirehall, Norwich, on the 10th, when resolutions
were passed, assuring his Majesty of the readiness of the county
to take defensive measures. A meeting of the inhabitants of
Norwich was held at the Guildhall on the 16th, at which a
subscription was opened for raising a regiment of Volunteer
Infantry. Clerks attended in the porch of the Guildhall to
enroll the names of the Volunteers, and the city flag was
displayed from the window of the Town Clerk’s office.
On the following day 702 men had offered themselves, and by
Saturday, the 20th, the number had increased to 1,085, and the
public subscription exceeded £3,000, of which £500
was given by the Corporation. On the 26th the regiment was
formed, 800 strong, under Lieut.-Col. Harvey (commanding),
Lieut.-Col. Plumptre, and Major Sigismund Trafford. The
public subscription then amounted to £6,400. A Rifle
Corps was also formed, with Mr. R. M. Bacon as captain. At
Yarmouth, 500 persons enrolled themselves, under the command of
Lieut.-Col. Wm. Gould. On the 27th, it was announced that
the number of Volunteers in the county enabled the Lord
Lieutenant to suspend the compulsory clauses of the Defence
Act. The total number was about 7,300. The Government
purchased some properties in Norwich to be converted into
temporary barracks for the reception of 800 infantry.
1.—The first parade of the Norwich Regiment of Volunteer
Infantry took place. Eight battalion companies, a light
infantry company, and a grenadier company were formed, and
“from five barrels of British brown stout they drank the
King’s health and prosperity to their country and city, and
success to the corps.”
7.—The brass ordnance belonging to the city were tested
by some of the regular artillery stationed in Norwich. Four
of the guns burst, and appended to the account delivered to the
Corporation was the intimation:—“It is customary for
the corporal to have the old metal when any of the pieces
burst.” The official reply was to the effect that the
Corporation were of opinion that the corporal “did not want
brass.” The iron nine-pounders stood the test.
The brass gun used by Kett in 1549 was preserved as a relic.
22.—The Norwich Volunteers, commanded by Lieut.-Col.
Patteson, entered the Market Place, and after marching round the
Hall and saluting the Corporation, had their colours presented to
them by the Mayor. The men were afterwards regaled at
Neeche’s Gardens, and the officers dined at the
King’s Head.
24*—“Telegraphs, signal flags, or tar barrels are
being stationed on all the churches and lofty edifices on the
coast, in order to give in a chain of communication the earliest
intelligence, either by night or day, of the event of the
enemy’s landing.”
29.—A trial was made on the Castle ditches, Norwich, of
carriages constructed for the conveyance of troops. A
wooden frame, serving as a seat, was affixed to the skeleton of a
four-wheel cart. A board for the feet
was attached to it by ropes. The vehicle was capable of
conveying 17 men.
6.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions various resolutions
were adopted and transmitted to the Government regarding the
defence of the county. The principal resolution was as
follows:—“An object of most essential concern, which
this meeting think it incumbent upon them to point out, is the
town and port of Yarmouth, the infinite importance of which as
the principal and almost only naval station in the North Sea, and
the circumstances of which they do not wish to detail, but which,
they conceive, require the immediate attention of the Government,
in order that they may be rendered as secure against attack
likely to be made upon it by land as by the presence of a fleet,
it is, they presume, against any attempt by sea.”
15.—At a parade of the Norwich Volunteers this day
(Sunday) a letter was read from the Lord Lieutenant, asking if
they would undertake to perform permanent duty at Yarmouth.
A unanimous reply was given in the affirmative, and “the
officers and gentlemen of the Light Horse Volunteers laid their
hands on their breasts, as an appeal to their honour to undertake
the duty whenever they should be required.” Shortly
afterwards the commanding officers received instructions to have
their corps in a perfect state of military equipment, and be
prepared to march at a moment’s notice.
18.—The Artillery, Shropshire Militia, and the Volunteer
Corps (horse and foot) took part in a sham fight on Bramerton
Common. General Milner, the inspecting officer, commended
all arms for their steadiness on parade.
19.—A general fast was observed. The Bishop of
Norwich preached at the Cathedral, and the military attended
service in the evening.
22.—Died, at Norwich, Mr. Elias Norgate, aged 76.
He served the office of Sheriff in 1781, and of Mayor in 1785,
and was a surgeon of great local eminence.
26.—The Lord Lieutenant transmitted to the justices of
the peace his Majesty’s proclamation for establishing
certain regulations under the Act, respecting aliens arriving in
the kingdom or resident therein.
The monument to the memory of the Poet Cowper and of his
friend, Mrs. Unwin, in the church of St. Nicholas, East Dereham,
was erected this month.
5.—Bonfires were prohibited in city and county,
“as they might cause a false alarm.”
8.—The battalion of Norwich Volunteers, commanded by
Lieut.-Col. Patteson, paraded in the Market Place at seven a.m.,
and, amid the ringing of St. Peter Mancroft bells, started on
their march to Yarmouth for the performance of garrison
duty. The battalion halted at
Acle, and, on resuming their march, reached Yarmouth at four
o’clock. The rank and file numbered 280, out of an
establishment of 312, and two officers only were absent. On
the same day two troops of the Norfolk Rangers, headed by the
Marquis Townshend and commanded by Capt. Sir M. B. ffolkes,
Bart., and Capt. Beauchamp, entered Norwich on their way to
Yarmouth. There were seven officers, two quartermasters,
seven sergeants, two trumpeters, and 94 privates. The
officers dined in the evening with Sir Roger Kerrison, and on the
following morning the squadron resumed its march.
9.—The Fakenham Volunteers, Capt. P. M. Case, marched
into Norwich from Aylsham. There were four officers, seven
sergeants, four drummers, and 80 privates. This was the
first Volunteer corps in Norfolk to volunteer for garrison duty
at Yarmouth.
16.—The Norfolk Rangers arrived at Norwich on the
termination of their duty at Yarmouth, and on the next day
proceeded to their homes.
22.—The Norwich Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, under
Lieut.-Col. Harvey, paraded on Tombland and marched to Yarmouth
for garrison duly. On the same day Col. Patteson’s
battalion marched in. They were preceded by the Fakenham
corps, whose headquarters were at the White Swan.
30.—The troops stationed at Yarmouth were reviewed upon
the Denes by General Milner.
—At the annual meeting of the Society of Universal Good
Will, Norwich (formerly the Scots Society), it was reported that
since its establishment in 1775 it had relieved 1,813
persons.
—The Lord Lieutenant received a circular letter from the
Government, relative to the appointment of such householders to
act as special constables who were not enrolled in any Volunteer
corps.
—Mr. Thomas Wm. Coke was gazetted captain of the Holkham
Yeomanry Cavalry.
—Alderman John Herring, of Norwich, received from the
Duke of York a letter, in which his Royal Highness expressed
approbation of the readiness with which the Norwich Volunteers
had undertaken to do garrison duty at Yarmouth.
1.—Died, in Norwich, aged 43, Mr. James Burkin
Burroughes, captain of the Blofield and South Walsham troop of
Yeomanry Cavalry. His remains were interred, with military
honours, at Burlingham on December 6th.
—The squadron of Norwich Light Horse, Major John Harvey,
marched to Yarmouth, to relieve the Tunstead and Happing
troop.
6.—Col. Harvey’s battalion returned to Norwich
from Yarmouth. In the Regimental Orders, Col. Harvey
referred to the steady and orderly march on the road, to the
loyal discharge of duty at Yarmouth, and to the kindness with
which the people of that town treated the men while in
quarters.
15.—The Lynn and Freebridge Yeomanry Cavalry, with
the artillery and rifle corps, commanded by Major Taylor, marched
through Norwich for Yarmouth, to relieve the South Erpingham
troop in garrison duty.
20.—The North Walsham Volunteers marched from that town
at four o’clock in the morning, and arrived at Yarmouth at
one o’clock, “without leaving a single man behind,
although the roads were extremely bad, and the distance 26
miles.”
22.—The Dereham and Swaffham troops of Yeomanry Cavalry
(Capts. Crisp and Johnson) marched through Norwich to Yarmouth,
to relieve the Lynn and Freebridge troops. The Diss (Capt.
Woodward), Wells (Capt. Bloom), and Old Buckenham (Capt. Powell)
companies of infantry marched into Yarmouth for a
fortnight’s garrison duty.
25.—This day (Sunday) the Norwich Rifle Corps paraded at
St. Andrew’s Hall, took the oath of allegiance, and
attended service at the church of St. Peter Mancroft. (The
uniform and appointments of this corps consisted of a dark green
jacket, with lace of the same colour, pantaloons, and short black
gaiters; hussar cap, with green feather and trimmings; a
rifle-carbine, sword bayonet attached to the side by a black
waist belt, and a ball pouch and powder horn slung from the left
shoulder.)
—At a church parade of the Lynn Sea Fencibles, Capt.
Bentinck, the commanding officer, presented to the corps “a
most elegant banner,” worked by Viscountess Andover,
daughter of Mr. Coke, M.P.
30.—The Hingham troop (Capt. Alpe) and the Wymondham
troop (Capt. the Hon. Wm. Wodehouse) marched to Yarmouth, to
relieve the Dereham and Swaffham troops.
31.—The Dereham troop, which left Yarmouth on the 30th,
arrived at Dereham, and was welcomed by a great concourse of the
inhabitants. The church bells were rung, and the officers
and many members of the troop dined in the evening at the
King’s Arms Inn.
The twenty-two troops of Yeomanry Cavalry in the county were
this month formed into three regiments. The Marquis
Townshend was appointed colonel of the Western Regiment;
Major-General Money, colonel of the Eastern Regiment; and Col.
(afterwards Brigadier-General) Bulwer, colonel of the Midland (or
Mid Norfolk) Regiment.
31.—Polito’s wild beasts were exhibited in the
yard at the Duke’s Palace, Norwich.
3.—The Old Buckenham Volunteers marched into Norwich
from Yarmouth, and next day proceeded to their homes. The
corps numbered 5 officers and 125 non-commissioned officers and
privates.
—Capt. Dickens, of the Shropshire Militia,
“undertook for a considerable wager to walk from the Angel
at Yarmouth to the Angel at Norwich and back again (47 miles) in
twelve hours, which he performed with apparent ease in eleven
hours and a half.”
7.—Died, at Colchester, aged 65, Sir William Gordon,
Bart., captain in the West Norfolk Militia, and for many years a
resident in Norwich.
12.—A meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, as to
the depressed state of the corn trade. It was resolved to
petition Parliament on the subject. (The prices quoted at
this date were:—Wheat, 14s. to 26s.; barley, 9s. 6d. to
10s.; oats, 9s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. per coomb.)
13.—The Wymondham troop of Yeomanry Cavalry, commanded
by Capt. the Hon. Wm. Wodehouse, attended at Kimberley and
“thanked Lady Wodehouse for the colours lately presented by
her ladyship, when they had the honour of dining with the
family.”
14.—The colours of the Norwich Juvenile Regiment of
Infantry were presented to them by “a young lady of the
city.” (This was a cadet corps, armed with dummy
muskets and tin bayonets.)
14.*—(Advt.) “The Norwich and Yarmouth
Volunteer Coach leaves the Bell Inn, Hog Hill, every morning at
eight o’clock, to the Wrestlers Inn, Great Yarmouth, and
returns at four o’clock.”
18.—The City of Norwich Regiment of Volunteer Infantry,
Lieut.-Col. Harvey, were presented with colours by the Mayor and
Corporation. The colours were consecrated by the Rev. E. S.
Thurlow, Prebendary of Norwich, and handed to the colonel by the
Mayor (Mr. John Morse); and the King’s and regimental
standards were delivered to the ensigns. The artillery, on
Castle Hill, fired salutes, and the regiment discharged three
volleys in the Market Place in the presence of an immense
crowd.
22.—This day (Sunday) John Baker, a private in the
Loddon Volunteers, was dismissed, “with every mark of
ignominy at the head of the company, for refusing to take the
oath of allegiance to his Majesty. His arms and
accoutrements, together with the Volunteer clothing, were
stripped off on parade, much to the satisfaction of the whole
corps.”
31.—A baker of Norwich, named Winter, undertook, for a
wager of £40, to carry 6s. worth of bread in a basket from
Norwich to Yarmouth within six hours. He accomplished his
task in 5 hours 35 minutes.
Mr. T. W. Coke was this month promoted to be
lieutenant-colonel of the Western Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry;
Mr. Hammond Alpe to be lieutenant-colonel of the Eastern
Regiment; and Mr. John Smyth to be lieutenant-colonel of the
Midland Regiment.
The several companies of Norfolk Volunteer Infantry were this
month formed into battalions as follow:—1st (Lynn),
Lieut.-Col. E. Everard; 2nd (Wells, &c.), Lieut.-Col. Francis
Bedingfeld; 3rd (not then appointed); 4th (Cromer, &c.),
Lieut.-Col. the Right Hon. Wm. Windham; 5th (Aylsham, &c.),
Lieut.-Col. Thomas Hutton (afterwards Sir Thomas Preston, Bart.);
6th (Yarmouth), Lieut.-Col. Wm Gould; 7th (Norwich), Lieut.-Col.
Harvey; 8th (Loddon, &c.), Lieut.-Col. John Kerrich;
9th (Diss, &c.), Lieut.-Col. T. J. Woodward; 10th (Swaffham,
&c.), Lieut.-Col. R. W. Ottley; 11th (Freebridge Lynn,
&c.), Lieut.-Col. A. Hamond.
300 pikes were sent to Norwich for the use of the special
constables, who were called out to receive instruction in the
pike exercise.
Flag staffs were placed at Rainham Hall, Holkham Hall, and
Houghton Hall. The red flag was only to be hoisted in case
of actual invasion or on the appearance of an enemy on the
coast.
The ladies of Lynn inaugurated a movement for making flannel
underclothing for the use of the men of the Lynn Volunteers.
4.—The Cromer Sea Fencibles were practising with
canister and grape shot upon the beach, when a ball struck Capt.
Tremlett, R.N., on the foot, and shattered the leg of Mr. John
Smith, so as to render immediate amputation necessary. A
public subscription, amounting to £500, was made for Mr.
Smith.
21.—Died, at Long Stratton, Mrs. Everitt, a Quaker, who
had attained her one hundredth year. Lineally descended
from her and living at the time were 77 children, grandchildren,
and great grandchildren.
27.—Colours were presented to the East Dereham troop of
Yeomanry Cavalry by Mrs. Smyth, on behalf of the ladies of the
town and neighbourhood. The troop, accompanied by Capt.
Leeder’s corps of infantry, attended service at the parish
church, where the colours were “consecrated by
prayer,” and the sermon was preached by the Rev. Geo.
Preston, curate. A dinner followed at the King’s Arms
Inn.
The Corporation of Norwich this month ordered an iron bridge
to be erected at St. Michael’s Coslany. It was opened
on November 15th.
1.—The birthday of the Marquis Townshend was celebrated
at Fakenham by a dinner to the Norfolk Rangers.
27.—Lieut.-General Sir James Craig inspected the
batteries and works from Holt to Cromer. Next day he
reviewed, near Norwich, the 24th Regiment of Foot (Col.
Macdonald); the detachment of Royal Artillery under Capt. Fyers;
and two troops of the 1st Dragoons (Capt. Craven).
4.—Arrived at Yarmouth, the Antelope, cruiser brig,
Commodore Sir Sidney Smith, and the Prince of Wales cutter, from
the Flushing station. Some boats sent out by Sir Sidney
made an unsuccessful attempt to cut out an armed brig near the
Scaw. The boats were attacked by
an armed schooner, and obliged to abandon their enterprise, with
the loss of five killed and ten wounded.
10.—Died, aged 12, Lord Viscount Bury, eldest son of the
Earl of Albemarle.
11.—Commodore Sir Sidney Smith arrived at Norwich from
Yarmouth, proceeded next day on a tour of the county, and
returned to Yarmouth on the 13th.
21.—James Airton was publicly whipped in Norwich Market
Place for stealing a box coat from the coach-house of Mr. Wm.
Harvey.
25.—The Scipio of North Shields, Capt. Robinson, coal
laden, was attacked by a sloop-rigged privateer four miles from
Cromer. A sharp action, lasting three quarters of an hour,
ensued, when the privateer sheered off. Capt. Robinson was
wounded in the foot by a musket ball, and the vessel, whose sails
and rigging were very much cut, was taken by the crew to Yarmouth
Roads, where medical assistance was rendered to Capt. Robinson on
board the Irresistible.
The portrait, painted by Hoppner, of the Right Hon. William
Windham was this month placed in St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich. It was afterwards engraved in mezzotinto by
Reynolds.
2.—The gibbet on which the body of Payne (the pirate)
was hung in chains, about 23 years previously, upon Yarmouth
North Denes, was taken down by order of the Corporation.
“A ludicrous circumstance happened the night it was
erected. The different tackling being all adjusted previous
to putting down the gibbet the day before Payne was hanged, some
daring licencious bloods hoisted up a young ass by the hind legs,
to the amusement of the spectators next morning, who could not
but be surprised to find the gibbet so unexpectedly
occupied. In consequence, however, the tackling became so
entangled that until a young sailor undertook to climb the gibbet
the prisoner could not be suspended.”
3.—The 2nd Battalion Norfolk Volunteer Infantry marched
into Yarmouth for a fortnight’s permanent duty.
—A party of the Shropshire Militia marched into Norwich
from Yarmouth with 84 French and Dutch prisoners, including five
officers. The next day they proceeded on their route for
Yaxley Barracks, under an escort provided by the 24th Regiment of
Foot.
—An assembly of the Corporation of Norwich unanimously
requested Mr. Charles Harvey, Recorder of the city, to sit for
his portrait.
5.*—(Advt.) “There will be a regular main of
cocks fought between the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen
of Norfolk, to show 21 mains for ten guineas the battle, and 50
the odd. The three turn outs for ten guineas a battle; to
fight on the 23rd and 24th days of May at Mrs. Back’s, at
the Bowling Green, Chapel Field. A pair of cocks to be
pitted at six o’clock precisely. Feeders, Lamb for
Norwich; Cox for Norfolk.”
7.—Col. Patteson’s Battalion of Volunteers (with
the Riffle Corps attached), commanded by Capt. Cole; and the City
of Norwich Regiment of Volunteer Infantry were
brigaded under the command of Lieut.-Col. Harvey, and, with the
Royal Artillery under Capt. Fyers, were manœuvred at
Hellesdon.
13.—Died, aged 76, the Rev. John Bruckner. He was
invited to Norwich in 1750 as minister of the Walloon
congregation, and during many years gave public and private
lessons in French.
—The 10th Battalion Norfolk Volunteer Infantry marched
into Lynn for ten days’ permanent duty.
14.—The birthday of the Right Hon. Wm Windham was
celebrated by a numerous party of his friends at the Angel Inn,
Norwich.
—The 1st Battalion of Norfolk Volunteer Infantry marched
to Yarmouth for 14 days’ permanent duty.
21.—The 3rd Regiment of Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry marched
into Norwich for five days’ drill, and on the 24th were
inspected by Major-General Milner at Hellesdon.
22.—The Blickling and Gunton Riflemen, commanded by the
Hon. Lieut.-Col. Harbord, marched into Norwich, and next day
proceeded to Yarmouth for 14 days’ permanent duty.
24.—A tight rope performer, named Richer, appeared at
Norwich Theatre, where his performances were “the theme of
general admiration.”
25.—A general fast was observed. At Yarmouth, the
Shropshire Militia and Volunteers on permanent duty, to the
number of nearly 2,500, attended Divine service.
26.—The Helena war sloop, of 20 guns, Capt. Losack, was
launched from Mr. John Preston’s dockyard at Yarmouth.
—The North Walsham Light Infantry marched into Yarmouth
for 14 days’ permanent duty.
—The 7th Battalion of the Army of Reserve, to which 500
Norfolk and Suffolk men belonged, volunteered to extend their
services and become a regiment of the line.
1.—The City of Norwich Battalion of Volunteer Infantry,
under the command of Lieut.-Col. Harvey, began one month’s
permanent duty in Norwich. The battalion mustered 500,
exclusive of officers.
4.—The King’s birthday was celebrated in
Norwich. The detachment of Royal Artillery, the 24th
Regiment of Foot, and the Norwich and Catton Volunteers, to the
total number of 1,700, paraded on the Castle Hill, and fired a
feu de joie. At Cromer, the Sea Fencibles, under
Capt. Tremlett, R.N., three companies of the 4th Battalion
Norfolk Volunteers, commanded by Lieut.-Col. George Windham, and
the Volunteers of the Cromer battery had a sham fight at that
place. Other Volunteer corps in the county held ceremonial
parades.
7.—The water mills of Mr. Wm. Partridge, of North
Walsham, were destroyed by fire.
11.—A sham fight, in which all the regular and auxiliary
troops stationed in Norwich were engaged, took place at
Bramerton. A pontoon bridge, formed of wherries,
was made use of in the course of the operations.
18.—The Corporation of Norwich granted the
Blackfriars’ site in St. Andrew’s to the Court of
Guardians for 200 years, the latter body having considered plans
for improving the workhouse there for the accommodation of 800
persons.
—A motion by the Common Council of Norwich, to confer
the freedom of the city upon Mr. R. Fellowes, M.P., and Mr. W.
Smith, M.P., was, on a division, rejected by the aldermen by ten
votes to eight.
—A motion was made in the Common Council to augment the
sum of £100, allowed to the Mayor towards defraying the
expenses of the Guild-day festival, but, as the revenue of
Norwich did not justify the increase, it was not acceded to by
the aldermen. The allowance of £100 was fixed 80
years previously.
25.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. “Mr.
Coke won the sweepstakes, having estimated with more exactness
than any of his competitors the weight both of wool and of
carcase of the Southdown ewe slain on the occasion.”
A drill for “scattering at the same time turnip seed and
the dust of pounded oil cakes, believed to be the best adapted
manure,” was exhibited.
30.—Several “battles” were fought on
Yarmouth Denes by the soldiers of the Shropshire Regiment.
In an encounter between a private and an officer’s servant,
the former received injuries from which he died three hours
after, and at the inquest a verdict of manslaughter was returned
against his assailant.
Major-General Money was appointed to the staff of the Eastern
District. The command consisted of 32,000 fully equipped
and efficient men.
Under Mr. Pitt’s Defence Bill the quota for Norfolk was
1,813 men.
1.—The City of Norwich Battalion of Volunteer Infantry
terminated its permanent duty of 30 days. All ranks
received the highest commendation of Major-General Milner and
Lieut.-Col. Metzner.
3.—The malt kiln, with a granary and dwelling-house, at
the new brewery of Messrs. Prentice and Co., King Street,
Norwich, was destroyed by fire. The loss amounted to nearly
£1,000.
5.—The East Harling magistrates fined a farmer 20s., for
refusing to send his waggon to assist in taking the baggage of
the East Suffolk Militia from Thetford to Downham, after having
been summoned for that purpose.
6.—Mrs. Bennett, wife of an actor in the Norwich
company, gave birth to triplets.
—A foot race was run by Lord Frederick Bentinck and the
Hon. Edward Harbord for the sum of 100 guineas, between the
second and third milestone on the Edgeware Road, London.
Mr. Harbord won easily.
12.—Died, aged 82, at Walsingham Abbey, Mr. Henry
Lee Warner, “in whom the gentleman and scholar were happily
blended.” His fine estate at Walsingham was
devastated by lawless persons, whom, from mistaken leniency, he
would not molest. He rose late in the evening, breakfasted
at midnight, and dined at four or five o’clock in the
morning. He wore a gold-laced hat, and waistcoat, with deep
slashworked sleeves and richly-embossed buttons, a deep
chitterling of rich yellow lace, and curved-toed shoes, with
oblong buckles. Mr. Lee Warner served the office of High
Sheriff in 1782, and was lineally descended from John Warner,
Bishop of Rochester, whose estates he possessed, as well as those
of Sir James Howe, Bart., of Berwick, Wilts., and of Mr. Henry
Lee, in Kent.
14.—Messrs. Fisher and Scragg’s Company of
Comedians concluded a theatrical season at East Dereham.
Fisher ultimately assumed the sole management of the company,
which for many years performed in its own theatres on the Norfolk
and Suffolk Circuit.
—At the Norwich Court of Mayoralty, Mr. Edward Manning,
citizen and brazier, was elected Sheriff, but was discharged from
office on paying the statutory fine of £80. The
letter was afterwards sent to Mr. James Pastons, citizen and
grocer, and to Mr. John Howard, citizen and baker, who were also
excused from serving on both paying the same fine. The
letter was then sent to Mr. James Watts, citizen and butcher, who
received his discharge on payment of the fine. It was next
sent to Mr. Cotton Wright, citizen and coomber, who verbally
replied that “he had neither ate nor drank at the expense
of the Corporation, and he should neither pay the fine nor serve
the office.” Mr. Wright paid the fine, but denied
that he had sent the message above quoted. Eventually Mr.
John Wright, citizen and linen draper, accepted office.
16.—The Yarmouth Volunteer Infantry terminated a
fortnight’s garrison duty there.
21.*—“The Norwich and Yarmouth water frolics last
week offered the utmost gratification to lovers of aquatic
exercises. Nearly twenty boats proceeded from
Sandling’s Ferry to Postwick Grove and the Wood’s
End, and, if the day proved unfavourable, mirth and good humour
prevailed.” The Mayor of Yarmouth and several members
of the Corporation proceeded in a wherry, “purposely fitted
up and plentifully stored,” over Breydon. Several
boats started for a silver cup, which was won by Mr.
Lovell’s craft.
—A “farewell dejeune” was given at Cromer by
Brigadier-General Sherbrooke, on his removal from the Holt
district. Breakfast was served at the New Inn, and was
attended, amongst others, by Col. and Mrs. Macdonald, Sir Jacob
and Lady Astley, and Sir Edward and Lady Berry. Then the
company adjourned to a barn, where dancing was kept up till five
o’clock in the afternoon.
23.—A silver vase, which cost upwards of £700, was
presented by Mr. Dusgate, in the name of the farmers of Norfolk,
to Mr. T. W. Coke, “as a token of their esteem, for the
liberality of his conduct as a landlord, and of their gratitude
for the benefit of his example as a practical farmer and most
valuable member of society.”
24.—The Mayor and magistrates of Norwich resolved to
present a petition against the Corn Regulation Bill, which,
however, was passed and received the Royal assent.
The Act was framed to govern the export and import of England and
Scotland by one general average of each country, taking the
aggregate average of the twelve maritime districts of England and
four of Scotland as the rule. Exportation was prohibited
when wheat was above 54s. and barley 31s. per quarter. When
wheat was at or under 48s. a five shilling bounty was to be given
per quarter on exportation, and when barley was at or under 28s.,
a bounty of 2s. 6d. a quarter. A duty of from 6d. to 2s.
6d. was to be imposed on foreign corn imported if the price was
as high as 66s. or 63s.
25.—The East and West Regiments of Norfolk Militia
marched from Colchester Barracks to Coxheath Camp, in Kent, which
was reached on the 27th.
28.—A general meeting of Lieutenancy was held at the
Shirehall, Norwich, to carry into execution an Act “for
establishing and maintaining a permanent additional force for the
defence of the realm, and to provide for augmenting his
Majesty’s regular forces, and for the gradual reduction of
the Militia of England.”
30.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich, before Lord
Chief Justice Mansfield, a prisoner, named John Heath, was
charged with an offence committed at Great Melton, “but it
being proved that the prisoner was both deaf and dumb by the
visitation of God, the prosecution was stopped, but he was
ordered to remain till the next Assizes.” (There is
no further record of the case.)
Col. Bulwer, of Heydon, was this month appointed
Brigadier-General in the Eastern District. On August 8th,
he fixed his headquarters in Norwich, and reviewed the several
corps of Volunteers in the city, and on September 1st it was
announced that the general had been ordered to Liverpool, to take
command of the Volunteers in that district.
3.—A violent thunderstorm occurred. Several horses
were killed by lightning in different parts of the county; mills
and barns were damaged, and trees torn up by the roots.
4.—At the Norfolk and Norwich Assizes, the action,
Palmer v. James and William Bloomfield, was tried.
It was an action for trespass, and the plaintiff, a miller at
Elsing, claimed £2,000 damages because the defendants,
occupiers of land at Bylaugh, had cut away a large part of the
bank of the river Wensum, whereby a great quantity of water
escaped from the stream into an old river or drain, and he was
deprived of its service for the working of his mill. The
hearing lasted ten hours, and Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, who
left the court at eleven p.m., received the jury at his lodgings,
when they returned a verdict for the defendants. In the
Court of Common Pleas, on November 12th, rule nisi was
taken for a new trial, but there is no further record of the
case.
9.—Died, aged 83, the Rev. Robert Potter, M.A.,
Prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, vicar of Lowestoft, and a
translator of Æschylus and other writers of Greek
tragedy.
13.—The troops in the Eastern district received
orders to hold themselves in readiness to take the field at the
shortest notice.
18.—The death was recorded, at Bungay, of Mr. Thomas
Miller, who was born at Norwich on August 14th, 1731. He
was an extensive collector of books and antiquities, and in 1795
issued the “Miller half-penny,” of which only
twenty-three pieces were struck off.
22.—A threshing machine on an entirely new principle,
invented by a Devonshire engineer, named Ball, was tested at
Norwich. At Hethersett, on December 6th, in competition
with another machine, built by John Brown, a Norwich mechanic, it
thrashed in 50 minutes 40 seconds about 29½ coombs of
barley, Brown’s machine breaking down. Mutual
recriminations and threats of legal proceedings followed, but
without result.
Night signals were established along the coast, and special
constables sworn in at Yarmouth, Lynn, and elsewhere.
At the suggestion of Major-General Money, two companies of
Sharpshooters were raised, and, with a company of Cavalry
Pioneers, were attached to the East Norfolk Regiment of Yeomanry
Cavalry.
1.—What was considered to be a big bag of partridges was
killed at Stiffkey by Lord James Townshend and Major Loftus,
namely, 43 brace. At Cromer, Major Windham killed 25
brace.
4.—The Musquito brig, of 18 guns, was launched from Mr.
John Preston’s yard at Yarmouth.
6.—The Cygnet sloop of war, of 18 guns, was launched
from Mr. Nathaniel Palmer’s yard at Yarmouth.
13.—Excessive heat prevailed. On this day 80
degrees Fahr. was recorded.
15.*—“The Ipswich Mail now goes every day from the
King’s Head Inn, Market Place, Norwich, to the Swan with
two Necks, Lad Lane; and the Newmarket Mail to the Golden Cross,
Charing Cross, daily. The mails arrive in London every
morning at seven o’clock.”
24.—The East Norfolk Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry, with
Capt. C. Brown’s Company of Cavalry Pioneers, and Capt.
Pillan’s Company of Sharpshooters, encamped on Hellesdon
Field, under the command of Major-General Money. A sham
fight, in which were engaged the Norwich Volunteer Infantry,
under Col. Harvey, the Norwich Rifles, and the Artillery
detachment, under Capt. Fyers, followed.
Major-General Milner was appointed to the charge of the
Volunteer Infantry of Norfolk, which were inspected by him during
the month.
6.—Died, aged 60, Sir Wm. Kemp, Bart., of Briston.
“He was riding on a hobby, from which he fell and expired
immediately.”
13.—A report was published by Messrs. Kent and Crease,
suggesting improvements to Wells harbour at the estimated cost of
£30,000.
17.—Died, in St. Augustine’s, Norwich, Mr.
John Thompson, aged 70. “He established himself the
heir-at-law of the late John Tilyard, whose property had long
been the subject of litigation, by obtaining a verdict in his
favour at the summer Assizes for this county in 1792, whereby he
became entitled to a valuable estate at Oby.”
20.—A musical farce, entitled “Dash, or who but
he?” written by Mr. F. Lathom, of Norwich, was produced at
Drury Lane. It was first performed at Norwich Theatre under
the title of “Holiday Time, or the School Boy’s
Frolic.”
26.—Died, aged 83, the Rev. John Peele, 38 years Upper
Minister of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich. He was succeeded
by the Rev. C J. Chapman.
—Races were held at Blickling Park. Events: A
subscription purse for horses bred in Norfolk, the best of three
one mile, heats; a subscription purse of £50, for the best
of three two mile heats. Silver cup for the best of three
two mile heats. A purse of five guineas for ponies, for the
best of three two mile heats.
27.*—(Advt.) “The public are respectfully
informed that the first number of a new weekly newspaper,
entitled the ‘Yarmouth Herald, or Norfolk, Suffolk, and
Essex Advertiser,’ will be published on Saturday, November
10th, 1804, and sold by James Black, bookseller, Great
Yarmouth.”
—*“Mrs. Tuthill, wife of Mr. John Tuthill, of
Heigham, is the fortunate holder of a 16th of the £10,000
prize.”
28.—Died, at Ipswich, Lord Viscount Chedworth. His
estate was valued at £500,000, of which sum he bequeathed
£180,000 in legacies to various persons, some of whom were
unknown to him personally. Mr. Thomas Penrice, of Yarmouth,
received £20,000 legacy, and was also residuary legatee, by
which he came into a property of at least £300,000.
His lordship left £40,000 to his solicitor, and large
amounts to actors and actresses in Norwich and London. A
caveat was entered by the next of kin, and on July 5th, 1805, an
action to contest the validity of the will was tried before Lord
Ellenborough in the Court of King’s Bench. The jury
confirmed the will, and gave a verdict accordingly. An
application for a new trial was refused.
31.—At a public meeting at Cromer it was resolved to
establish a lifeboat, and upwards of £500 was subscribed
for the purpose.
10.—A one hundred yards race took place in Gunton Park
between the Hon. Edward Harbord and a well-known runner, named
Wade, of Aylsham. Mr. Harbord won by about four yards.
11.*—“In pulling down the old workhouse in the
Lower Close, Norwich, to improve the entrance to the Deanery,
some very curious remains of an ancient Saxon Gothic building
were discovered. The arches and capitals had been richly
gilt and ornamented. The style of architecture appeared to
be that in use about the reign of King Stephen.”
14.—Died, at Norton, near Lincoln, aged 74, the Right
Hon. George, Earl of Buckinghamshire, Baron Hobart, of Blickling,
in Norfolk. He was succeeded in his title and
estates by the Right Hon. Lord Hobart, formerly his
Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Department
of War and the Colonies.
16.—The Rev. J. Bowman was elected Under Minister at St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich, in succession to the Rev. C. J.
Chapman.
22.—The Romney, of 50 guns, which sailed from Yarmouth
Roads on the 18th, with bullocks and vegetables for the
blockading fleet off the Texel, was lost in a gale on the South
Haak Sand. All the officers and crew saved themselves on
rafts, but were made prisoners by the Dutch. The officers
were liberated on their parole by the Dutch Admiral Kikkert.
24.—The night coach from Norwich to Yarmouth was left
near the King’s Arms, Burgh, in charge of a lad, when the
horses broke away and galloped in the direction of
Yarmouth. A Norwich tradesman, who was an inside passenger,
climbed upon the box, succeeded in reaching the reins, which had
become entangled upon the splinter bar, and stopped the
animals.
26.—Ninety-eight French prisoners, the crew of a large
French privateer, of 18 guns, commanded by the noted Blackman,
and captured by Capt. Hancock, of the Cruiser sloop, marched into
Norwich, and next morning proceeded, under a guard of Fifeshire
Militia, for Norman Cross Barracks. The Corporation of
Yarmouth and the merchants of the port voted their thanks to
Capt. Hancock and his officers for their exertions in capturing
Blackman, who had committed great depredations. Blackman
himself was shipped to Chatham in the Monmouth. His vessel,
La Contre-Amiral Magon, had sustained but trifling damage, and
while she was lying at Mr. Palmer’s dock at Yarmouth,
£2,500 was offered for her for privateering purposes.
27.—David Graham was convicted, before the Rev. J.
Oldershaw, for driving cattle on Sunday at Harleston, and under
the Act of Charles I. paid a penalty of 20s.
30.—It was reported at the annual meeting of the Society
of Universal Good Will, at Norwich, that the number of persons
relieved by it since its establishment was 1,940. An appeal
was made for public support.
3.*—“The inhabitants of Loddon have entered into a
subscription for the purpose of defraying the expense of lighting
the town.”
4.—Signor Belzoni from Sadler’s Wells, by
permission of the Mayor, gave a performance in the assembly room
at the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich. It was described as
“a grand hydraulic exhibition, called Fire and Water, along
with his phantasmagoria and wonderful feats of strength performed
by the Patagonian Samson, who will carry on his head, arms, and
body from five to ten men with the greatest ease.”
This was the famous Belzoni, the traveller and discoverer of
Egyptian antiquities, whose book entitled, “Narrative of
the Operations and recent Discoveries in the Pyramids, Temples,
Tombs, and Cities of Egypt and Nubia,” obtained a wide
circulation.
10.—Thetford coursing meeting commenced. It lasted
four days.
10.—The Supervisor and officers of Excise belonging to
the East Dereham district seized at Melton a horse and cart, with
80 gallons of Geneva and four gallons of brandy.
11.—A murderous poaching affray occurred in Thorpe Wood,
near Aylsham, when several game watchers, in the service of Lord
Suffield, were severely wounded. At the Norfolk Assizes at
Thetford, in March, six of the poachers, indicted under the Black
Act, were found guilty and sentenced to death. Lord
Suffield and the Hon. Edward Harbord pleaded that their lives
might be spared, and the sentence was ultimately commuted to
transportation. When the gang were being conveyed by the
Expedition night mail coach from Norwich, on their way to
Portsmouth, the convicts got free from the chain and made a
desperate attempt to escape, but were too heavily ironed.
They attacked the coachman, and one of the guards presented a
pistol, which missed fire; Johnson, the gaoler, rushed amongst
them with a cutlass, and subdued them. One prisoner
escaped, and the others were lodged in the Surrey New Gaol on the
following morning.
17.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
it was resolved to establish a Hospital and School for the
Indigent Blind in Norfolk and Norwich; towards the foundation of
which Mr. Thomas Tawell contributed a house and 3½ acres
of land in Magdalen Street, valued at £1,050. Mr.
Tawell, who was himself blind, made an eloquent and successful
appeal, and the institution was opened on October 14th.
28.—The pantomime, “Don Juan,” was produced
at Norwich Theatre “in a style which, for the display of
beautiful scenery and of appropriate decorations and costumes, is
very rarely to be witnessed on provincial boards.”
29.—Died, aged 57, Mr. Thomas Wodehouse, of Sennowe
Lodge. He was one of the gentlemen of his Majesty’s
Privy Chamber, in which office he was succeeded by Mr. J. W.
Thomlinson, of Cley.
2.—Bishop Manners Sutton, of Norwich, was nominated by
the King and chosen, February 12th, Archbishop of
Canterbury. On the 13th, his Grace arrived at the Palace,
Norwich, from London; and on the 15th, the Mayor and Court of
Aldermen proceeded in state from the Guildhall to the Palace,
where the Recorder (Mr. Harvey) read an address of congratulation
to the Archbishop. The clergy of Norwich, on the 16th,
waited on his Grace, when the Rev. Prebendary Pretyman addressed
the Archbishop in an appropriate speech. On the 17th, his
Grace preached his farewell sermon at the Cathedral, and on the
18th departed for Lambeth.
9.—A woman, who had eloped from her home in Kent
with a horse dealer, was found by her husband in a house in St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich. She refused to return to
him. The dealer offered to buy the woman for £5, and
her husband, agreeing, placed a halter round her neck, and
surrendered all right and title to her for the sum named.
19.—Died, at his house, the Town Close, Norwich, Mr.
Jeremiah Ives, senior alderman of Norwich. He was 78 years
of age, and had served the office of Mayor in 1769-1795.
20.—A solemn fast was observed at Norwich.
21.—Mr. Robert Herring, of Bracondale, elected an
alderman, in place of Mr. Jeremiah Ives, deceased.
23.—Experiments were made at Norwich to test the
practicability of firing a field-piece from a common waggon
without injury to the vehicle. The idea, which originated
with Major-General Money, “succeeded perfectly, and the
horses stood steady during the discharge of the
field-piece.”
24.—The clergy of Norwich, having intimated that it was
their intention to apply to Parliament for an increase of their
incomes by assessment, considerable feeling was manifested in
opposition. The Corporation at a quarterly assembly
resolved to oppose the application. Vestry meetings were
held throughout the city, and the inhabitants unanimously
expressed an opinion adverse to the clergy’s proposal.
—The freedom of the city was conferred on Mr. John
Frere, the former, and Mr. Robert Fellowes and Mr. William Smith,
the then Parliamentary representatives of Norwich.
—A lease of the Dutch Church was granted to the
Corporation for 200 years, for the use of the poor in the
workhouse; the Dutch congregation reserving the right to bury
their dead in the church, and to hold Divine service therein
every forenoon of the first Sunday in the month.
4.—Died, aged 60, Elizabeth Clayton, of
Wells-next-the-Sea. “This woman, from an early
propensity for masculine employments, had worked as a
ship’s carpenter at the dockyard of the above port upwards
of 40 years, and always in man’s apparel. She used to
drink, chew tobacco, and keep company only with workmen, yet
would never enter into the matrimonial state. She was a
strong robust woman, and never permitted anyone to insult her
with impunity.”
18.—The Rev. Henry Bathurst, D.D., “elected Bishop
of this Diocese by the Dean and Chapter.” His
lordship was installed on May 10th.
23.—At a meeting at the Guildhall, Norwich, resolutions
were agreed to “condemning the proposed alterations of the
course of the mail coach from London to Norwich by way of Bury,
from the consequent later delivery of the letters to the
post-office here, and from the earlier despatch from thence, to
the great inconvenience of the mercantile and trading houses of
the city.” Representations to this effect
were made to the Postmaster-General, but without result.
The coach started from the King’s Head, Norwich, at four
o’clock, and passed through Thetford, Bury, and
Newmarket. It ran every day and stopped at the Golden
Cross, Charing Cross, London. Another coach, by Ipswich and
Colchester, set up at the Swan with two Necks, Lad Lane.
28.—Miss Aickin, “an actress of superior talents
and personal attractions,” made her first appearance at
Norwich Theatre in the character of Widow Cheerly in the comedy
of “The Soldier’s Daughter,” and as Aura in the
farce of “The Farm House.” She played the part
of Hamlet on May 4th.
30.*—“The Rev. William L. Gebbart has been elected
minister of the Dutch congregation, and also appointed minister
of the French church in Norwich.”
—*“It is in contemplation to establish telegraphic
communication between Norwich and Yarmouth for mercantile
purposes.” In October the Norwich Corporation agreed
to pay £10 annually for its support.
—*“An earthen pot, containing 500 pieces of
antient English silver coin, was ploughed up in a field near
Aylsham. The pieces consisted chiefly of groats of Henry
VII. and pennies of the Edwards. There were two gold angels
of Henry VI.”
6.*—“A person in the country has lately been
convicted, before Mr. Crowe, Mr. Astley and Mr. Norris, in the
legal penalty for working and digging in his garden and openly
profaning the Sabbath. It is to be hoped that his example
will operate towards the discontinuance of the practice, which,
perhaps, is nowhere so prevalent as in this county.”
—Leeds Mays, for horse stealing, was executed on the
“new drop” on the Castle Hill, Norwich.
—Charles Pegg was publicly whipped in Norwich Market
Place, for purchasing soldiers’ necessaries.
13.*—(Advt.) “A main of cocks will be fought
on Easter Tuesday and Wednesday, 21 in the main for ten guineas
the battle, and 30 guineas the odd; and likewise two turn outs
for £20 the battle, and also two byes. April 16th and
17th, at Hindringham Duke of York. The first pair of cocks
to be pitted at eleven o’clock in the forenoon.
Accommodation for man and horse. Feeders, Fox for
Walsingham; Whisker for Wighton.”
22.—At Swaffham, a man, named Angel, undertook for a
trifling wager to run 20 miles in three hours. He ran it
with ease in 2 hours 50 minutes.
27.—Two gun brigs, of 14 guns each, were launched from
Mr. John Preston’s dockyard at Yarmouth.
28.—The oil mill at Hellesdon, belonging to Mr. Wm.
Parkinson, was destroyed by fire. The loss amounted to
between £2,000 and £3,000.
2.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, when resolutions, expressive of obligations to Earl St.
Vincent, for promoting an enquiry into naval abuses, with thanks
to Mr. Whitbread for introducing the tenth report of the
Commissioners of Naval Enquiry to the notice of the House of
Commons; and thanks to Mr. Robert Fellowes, M.P., and Mr. W.
Smith, M.P., for supporting Mr. Whitbread’s motion, were
unanimously agreed to.
3.—The Common Council of Norwich proposed a vote of
thanks to Earl St. Vincent, to the Commissioners of Naval
Enquiry, to Mr. Whitbread, and to the members of Parliament for
the city. This was negatived by the aldermen by 12 votes to
4.
6.—An impressment took place at Yarmouth.
“Ships’ parties stopped every person they met without
discrimination or respect for appearances. No less than 300
persons were impressed. Some were confined in the
rendezvous of the town gang, others were marched to the barracks
or conveyed to the boats lying in readiness at the jetty, and the
whole body were carried during the night on to the
Monmouth. Next morning a regulation took place, and 50 only
were detained.”
14.—At a county meeting, held at the Norwich Shirehall,
several resolutions, thanking Earl St. Vincent and the
Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, and Mr. Whitbread, Sir J. H.
Astley, and Mr. T. W. Coke for their patriotic and independent
conduct in Parliament, were unanimously agreed to.
18.—An officer of the Shropshire Militia decided in his
favour a wager of ten guineas, “to pick up 100 stones laid
in Chapel Field, Norwich, at a distance of a yard from each
other, and to deposit them in two baskets placed at the
extremities of the line, in the space of one hour.”
Another person, a few weeks afterwards, performed the same feat
in 44 minutes.
25.—Married, by special licence by the Bishop of
Norwich, at his lordship’s house in Manchester-square,
London, Mr. Benjamin Bathurst, secretary of legation to the Court
of Stockholm, to Miss Call, daughter of Sir John Call,
Bart. (In November, 1809, when travelling to England with
important despatches as envoy to the Court of Vienna, Bathurst
mysteriously disappeared in the town of Perleberg, and was never
more seen or heard of.)
—*“A street, 26 feet wide, is about to be opened,
forming an entrance, which has long been most desirable, from
Chapel Field directly into Bethel Street, Norwich.”
The several battalions of Volunteer Infantry in the county
performed a month’s garrison duty in Yarmouth. The
Norwich Volunteers were on duty in the city.
1.—Lord Frederick Beauclerk and the Hon. Edward Harbord
ran a hundred yards race on Lord’s Cricket Ground,
London. Mr. Harbord was beaten by
two yards. He afterwards ran the same distance against Mr.
Lambert, and won easily.
4.—The King’s birthday was celebrated in Norwich
by the garrison and Volunteers, who paraded to the number of
1,800 and fired a feu de joie on the Castle Meadow.
The weather was very cold, and at nine o’clock at night the
thermometer registered 36 degrees, only four degrees above
freezing point.
8.—William Carter, a private in the City of Norwich
Battalion of Infantry Volunteers, convicted, before a regimental
court martial, of absenting himself from parade on four
successive days, was publicly disgraced and dismissed the
battalion.
22.*—“Gabriel Swallow, aged 13, son of a
gamekeeper to the Hon. Col. Harbord at Hunworth, shot 21 bullets
at a target 80 yards distant for a bet of two guineas. With
the exception of three shots, they were all placed within
5½ inches of the centre; three bullets were one inch from
the centre; five ditto, two inches; six ditto, three inches; one
ditto, four inches; two ditto, five inches; one ditto, 5½
inches.”
24.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. Mr.
Ball’s threshing machine was shown at work. An
ingenious model of a dibbling machine, made by a young man in the
neighbourhood; a mowing machine, invented by Mr. Burrell, of
Thetford; a scuffler, by Mr. Clarke; the model of a threshing
machine, by Mr. Cook, of Aylsham; and an improved drill, by
Messrs. Wilson and Standish, of Lynn, were also exhibited.
The sweepstake, to estimate the weight of Mr. Coke’s
three-shear Leicester wether, was won by Lord Winchilsea, who
guessed within half a pound of the actual weight.
6.—Mr. Edward Rigby, Mayor of Norwich, in a letter to
the Norfolk Chronicle, advocated
vaccine inoculation. He wrote: “I inoculated my twin
children when they were eight months old with smallpox ichor, and
they resisted the infection. Since then I have exposed them
to patients under smallpox and at that period of the disease when
most likely to communicate infection, which, as before, they were
insusceptible to.”
9.—Mdlle. Eloise Adelaide de Bourbon, daughter of the
Prince of Condé, took the veil at Bodney Hall, the retreat
of the nuns of Montargis.
—A “bugle man” of the Norwich Rifle Corps,
named Hardingham, was killed by the accidental discharge of a
rifle at target practice. His remains were interred, with
military honours, in St. Giles’ churchyard on the 11th.
16.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, presided over by
the Mayor of Norwich, resolutions were adopted for taking the
best means of stopping the progress of the contagion of smallpox,
and of extending vaccine inoculation. A committee
afterwards presented a memorial in favour of vaccination.
On September 14th it was announced that nearly 400 of the poor
had been vaccinated.
24.—A gift of silver plate was presented to Sir
Thomas Beevor, Bart., at Hethel, by the Chairman and Committees
of Chief Constables in Humbleyard and adjacent Hundreds, as
“a testimonial of esteem and respect and approbation of the
able and upright manner in which he had discharged the duties of
a magistrate for more than half a century.”
27.*—“At Diss, a number of labourers in husbandry
refused to work for the customary wages, and being out of
employment applied to the magistrates, who advised the parish
officers to put them to work, which they accordingly did.
Their business was to carry bricks in a hod from Palgrave to
Diss, a distance of two miles. This medicine had the
desired effect, for after two days they returned to their former
employment.”
3.*—(Advt.) “A main of cocks will be fought
at the Sun Inn, Wells, on Tuesday, August 13th, between the
gentlemen of Foulsham and the gentlemen of Wells, five guineas
the battle and twenty guineas the odd. There will be two
pits. Feeders, Whisker for Foulsham; Souther for
Wells.”
6.—The Norwich Society of Artists opened an exhibition
of paintings and drawings in their room in Sir Benjamin
Wrenche’s Court.
8.—In consequence of official intelligence of
preparations along the enemy’s coast, Major-General Money
addressed a letter to the commandants of Yeomanry and Volunteer
Cavalry in Norfolk and Suffolk, requesting them to have their
corps ready for inspection, and in marching order. A
similar letter was sent by Major-General Milner to the
commandants of Norfolk Volunteer Infantry, adding that the
requisite number of waggons was ordered for their conveyance in
case of necessity.
12.—A cricket match was played at Reepham between the
gentlemen of Foulsham and the gentlemen of Reepham, Hackford,
Whitwell, and Corpusty “for a considerable
sum.” It was won by the former, “with eight
notches to spare.” The return match, on October 21st,
was also won by Foulsham.
26.—A cricket match was played in Blickling Park between
elevens of the Blickling and Norwich clubs, and was won by the
former. It was followed by a single wicket match between
the same teams, when Blickling again won, with nine wickets to go
down.
3.—The committee of the Court of Guardians, appointed to
examine the poor-rates of the city and hamlets of Norwich, and to
obtain a more equal assessment, reported that an increase of
£16,000 stock and £1,800 rent, calculating on the
half-rental only, might be made; and recommended a general survey
and new valuation to be taken, in consequence of the great
alteration which had taken place in property,
and in the value of land in particular since 1786, when the last
survey was made.
7.—A remarkable whirlwind occurred at Rockland St.
Mary. A rowing boat, lying on the bank of the broad, was
lifted into the air and blown a distance of 70 yards; and another
large boat was raised out of the water and hurled a considerable
distance. A young man was lifted three or four yards in the
air and blown several yards. Much damage was done to the
roofs of cottages and to wheat sheafs in the fields.
13.—Mr. Incledon, the famous vocalist, appeared at
Norwich Theatre in his entertainment, “The Wandering
Melodist.”
21.—At a meeting of the Norwich Corporation the
committee appointed to take into consideration the propriety of
applying to Parliament for an Act for the better lighting,
watching, and paving of the city, reported in favour of the
proposal, and a gentleman present offered to subscribe £500
towards the undertaking. On October 26th, it was reported
that the aldermen had adopted the recommendation, but the Commons
threw it out by 20 votes against 16. At a meeting held on
October 30th, at which the Bishop, the Mayor, and many of the
principal owners and occupiers of estates were present, the
petition was unanimously agreed to and signed.
28.*—“A finely preserved Saxon font has been
discovered in the church of Great Hautbois, near Coltishall, by
Mr. J. A. Repton. Many curious remains of antient sculpture
are obscured by repeated coats of dirt and whitewash in our
churches.”
—*“Died, lately, Sir James Tylney Longe, Bart., in
the eleventh year of his age. By his death the Tylney
property, amounting to £25,000 per annum and nearly
£300,000 in the Funds, devolves on the distant branches of
the Longe family.”
During this month Mr. James Neild, of Chelsea, a well-known
philanthropist, visited the county gaol, the city gaol and
bridewell, the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and the Duke’s
Palace Workhouse. In his report on the Hospital he wrote:
“It does honour to the county, and is one of the best I
have seen.”
7.—A mysterious outrage was committed at Fakenham.
A man entered the bed-room of two maiden ladies, named Bale,
brutally thrashed one, and attempted to cut the throat of the
other, after which he decamped. The Home Office offered his
Majesty’s pardon to any accomplice who gave evidence that
would lead to a conviction, and Mr. Edward Bale, of Toftrees,
offered a reward of £100 for the discovery of the guilty
person. No clue was forthcoming.
12.*—“A few days since the Russian Countess
Mengdon arrived at her newly-purchased seat, called New Place,
Thetford, late the residence of Mr. James Mingay.”
18.—One of a pair of eagles was shot at Cantley.
The extended wings measured 7 feet 4½ inches, and the bird
was 2½ feet in height.
22.—A two days’ race meeting commenced in
Blickling Park. A ball and supper were given by Lord
Suffield.
—The Norwich Battalion of Volunteers, commanded by
Lieut.-Col. Patteson, and the City of Norwich Battalion of
Volunteer Infantry (Lieut.-Col. Harvey) were inspected by
Major-General Milner. “A portion of the latter corps
proceeded from the Castle ditches to Mile End in waggons, fitted
up with seats, and provided throughout the county pursuant to
general orders.”
Under the Additional Force Act, Norfolk raised this month 248
men to supply vacancies occasioned by those who had enlisted out
of the Militia into the regular Army.
2.*—“The Sheriff of Norwich, Mr. J. H. Yallop, is
the fortunate holder of a sixteenth share of the ticket drawn for
a prize of £3,000. In the lottery of 1803, Mr. Yallop
also shared a prize of £2,000, and in 1804, part of the
£20,000 prize.”
7.—Intelligence was received of the battle of Trafalgar,
which was fought on October 21st, and of the death of
Nelson. “The bells were rung and fired throughout the
day, but all the joy that would have arisen from the victory was
wholly absorbed in sorrow and regret for the death of the Hero of
the Nile and Trafalgar.” Great rejoicings afterwards
took place, and addresses of congratulation to his Majesty were
unanimously voted by the Corporations of Norwich, Yarmouth, Lynn,
&c.
30.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich,
when an address to his Majesty on the victory of Trafalgar was
agreed to. It was also resolved to open a subscription for
erecting a memorial to perpetuate the memory of Lord
Nelson’s victories.
3.—The Duke of Norfolk arrived at Norwich, and visited
the Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Hall, and other public
buildings.
—Thanksgiving day. Collections were made in the
churches for the relief of the families of those who fell, and
for those who were wounded. At Aylsham, there was a
“grand naval procession,” barrels of beer were drunk
in the Market Place, and a display of fireworks took place at
night.
17.—A grand fête was held at the Norwich
Assembly Rooms, in honour of Nelson’s victory.
Upwards of 450 ladies and gentlemen of the county and city were
present at the ball and supper, and the rooms were decorated with
transparencies and brilliantly illuminated. The
arrangements were carried out by the Norfolk Society, established
in 1770.
Among the Acts of Parliament passed this year was one to
enable Mr. Daniel Henry Woodward, his sons, and their descendants
to use the surname and family arms of Mr. Henry Lee Warner, late
of Walsingham.
4.*—(Advt.) “To be sold, a
Proprietor’s Share in the Norwich Theatre, with or without
transferable ticket, which will admit the holder to the Yarmouth,
Ipswich, and Colchester Theatres.”
—*“A man of the name of Baxter, formerly a
respectable farmer at Buckenham, who took a rash resolution of
refusing any kind of sustenance but water, which he continued to
do for 38 days at the White Horse at Kenninghall, was induced to
give up the same on Monday last by the offer of a noble lady to
settle an allowance upon him. He some time ago persisted in
the same mode of existence for 19 days.”
9.—The church bells in city and county were tolled from
twelve o’clock to two o’clock, on the occasion of the
funeral of Lord Nelson at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
12.—A subscription was made for the relief of the poor
in Germany, who were suffering under the combined miseries of war
and famine. About £300 was collected.
14.—A meeting was held at the Guildhall for the purpose
of opposing the Norwich Paving Bill, and a petition against the
measure was signed by 1,600 owners and occupiers. On
February 8th, the Mayor (Mr. Rigby) announced that “the
respectability of the signatures to the petition in favour of the
Bill, and the large sum raised to defray the expenses of the
application to Parliament, could not but determine its supporters
to persevere firmly in promoting it.” On February
24th, the aldermen, by ten votes to eight, ordered the city seal
to be affixed to the Bill. Leave was given on March 7th for
the insertion of fresh notices in the Bill, in order that it
might be carried before Parliament that Session. The Bill
was read a first time on April 21st, and was in due course
transmitted to a committee of the House of Commons. The
taking of evidence for and against the Bill concluded on May
21st, and on June 13th it passed both Houses of Parliament and
received the Royal assent. The first election of
Commissioners under the Norwich Paving Act took place in July,
and the first meeting of Commissioners was held on July 15th,
when the Deputy-Mayor (Mr. Rigby) was appointed chairman; Mr.
Elisha De Hague, clerk; Messrs. Harvey and Hudson, treasurers;
and Mr. John Roots, surveyor.
15.—The vane and spindle of the “antient and
beautiful spire” of St. Gregory’s Church, Norwich,
were blown off during a severe gale.
3.—On opening a vault at the church of St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich, a live bat was found therein, of a greyish
colour, where it had probably lain in a torpid state
more than 32 years, the distance of time since the vault was
before opened.”
8.*—(Advt.) “A main of cocks will be fought
on Wednesday, February 19th, at the Red Lion Inn, Fakenham,
between the gentlemen of Fakenham and the gentlemen of
Foulsham. Eleven mains, two byes, and one turn out for five
guineas the battle, and ten guineas the odd. Feeders,
George Syder for Fakenham; David Lamb for Foulsham.”
9.—James Coleman, bricklayer, of Swardeston, was tolling
the bell at the parish church, “when the crown and cannons
broke from the bell, and she came down through both floors,
killing him on the spot.”
13.—Married, at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, Henry
Robert Bowles, acting-manager at the Theatre Royal, to Miss
Aickin, of the same theatre.
16.—Died, at St. George Colegate, Norwich, Thomas
Troughton, aged 88. “He was a member of the corps of
Artillery raised for the internal defence during the Revolution
of 1745, and is believed to be the last survivor of that loyal
corps.”
22.*—“The interior of the Cathedral is about to
undergo a thorough cleaning and repair. It is sixty years
since a similar repair was done.” It was re-opened
November 22nd.
24.—At a quarterly assembly of the Corporation of
Norwich an address was ordered to be presented to his Majesty,
“expressive of their gratitude for the paternal affection
he has shown to his subjects by waiving every consideration for
the public good in the appointment of men of the first abilities
in the country to the high offices of State.” A
county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, on March 28th,
when a similar resolution was adopted, congratulating his Majesty
on the appointment of an administration “in whom the nation
feels a well-grounded confidence.” Like addresses
were presented by the Corporations of Yarmouth and King’s
Lynn.
27.—Landed at Yarmouth, on their return from the
Continent, the 4th, 23rd, and 28th Regiments of Foot, and 300
riflemen, comprising the brigade commanded by General Paget.
1.*—“Lately, died, at the age of 113, Mrs. Roope,
of Tharston, near Long Stratton. She lived to see her fifth
generation.”
5.—A troop of the King’s German Legion (heavy
cavalry) arrived at Norwich from Yarmouth, and on the following
day proceeded on their march to Scotland.
7.—A public concert was given at Chapel Field House,
Norwich. Vocalists: Mr. Vaughan and Mrs. Vaughan (formerly
Miss Tennant); leader of the band, Mr. Parnell; at the
pianoforte, Mr. Beckwith.
11.—The Board of Agriculture voted their gold medal to
Mr. Thomas William Coke, “for his extensive and successful
mode of irrigation, by which he has converted a track of
unprofitable boggy land in Norfolk into sound and excellent water
meadows.”
—The Marquis Townshend’s 85th birthday was
celebrated by a dinner at the Crown Inn, and by a ball and supper
at the Red Lion Inn, Fakenham.
15.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Mr.
Justice Grose, was tried the case, the King v.
Anthony. This was an information filed against the
defendant by the Attorney-General for assaulting John Stevenson,
an officer of Excise, while in the execution of his duty.
Stevenson called at the White Horse Inn, Edgefield, on December
2nd, 1805, and found smuggled liquor in panniers belonging to the
defendant, whose ostensible trade was that of a vendor of
oysters. The officer seized the panniers, but defendant, in
regaining them, committed an assault. He was found guilty,
and the case was remitted to the King’s Bench for
judgment. (No further record appears.)
—*(Advt.) “A main of cocks will be fought at
the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich, on Tuesday, the 25th inst.,
and two following days between the gentlemen of Norwich and the
gentlemen of Yarmouth. To show 31 mains, and ten bye-cocks,
to fight for ten guineas a battle, and 50 guineas the odd
battle. There will be five pits. Feeders, David Lamb
for Norwich; Thomas Cox for Yarmouth.”
16.—Died, at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, John
Manning, M.D., upwards of 30 years physician at the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital.
17.—Died, at Snettisham Lodge, Mr. Thomas Daniell,
Attorney-General of Dominica.
24.—Intelligence was received at Norwich of Vice-Admiral
Duckworth’s victory over the French squadron in St. Domingo
Bay. Col. Patteson’s Volunteers fired a feu de
joie in the Market Place, and the bells of St. Peter Mancroft
rang until midnight.
27.—Mr. Heath caught in Panxworth Broad a pike weighing
31 lbs., and measuring 45 inches in length, and 25 inches in
girth.
28.—Died, at Bodney Hall, aged 49, Madame Elizabeth de
Mirepoix. “Descended from one of the most
distinguished families in France, she forsook the allurements of
the Court for the retirement and austerity of monastic
life. From the storms of the French Revolution the
Benedictine Monastery (of which she had been a member 31 years
and superior 22 years) sought shelter in England, and found an
asylum in this county, where for the last 15 years the nuns have
been occupied in the education of Catholic young
ladies.”
This month upwards of £800 was subscribed to defray the
cost of the erection in Norwich of a monument to the memory of
Lord Nelson. Mr. Browne and Mr. Percy submitted designs and
models to the committee, but insufficient support was given to
the movement.
5.*—“The King has granted the dignity of Earl to
the Right Hon. Horatio Baron Walpole, to be known as the Earl of
Orford.” Mr. Thomas Wm. Coke was offered, but
declined a peerage.
12.—At a meeting of farmers and others at
Thetford, it was decided to hold a sheep and lamb fair in that
town annually on September 1st.
19.—The Boreas frigate, 28 guns, was launched from the
dockyard of Messrs. Stone and Custance, at Yarmouth. On the
same day the Ariel sloop, of 18 guns, was launched from Mr. N.
Palmer’s yard.
27.—General Milner inspected the Norwich Rifle Corps
this day (Sunday); the Norwich Volunteer Regiment on the 28th;
and Col. Patteson’s Battalion on the 29th.
6.—Died, in his 82nd year, the Rev. George Thomas, vicar
of East Dereham and brother of Dr. Thomas, Bishop of
Rochester. He was succeeded by the Rev. Charles Hyde
Wollaston.
14.—The annual meeting of the Dissenters Benevolent
Society, presided over by Mr. Geo. Watson, was held at the Angel
Inn, Norwich.
16.—A hundred yards foot race took place on Lord’s
Cricket Ground between Lord E. Somerset and the Hon. Edward
Harbord. “Lord Edward had the start of Mr. Harbord,
and maintained the lead about 60 yards, when Mr. Harbord gained
upon and crossed him. There was a foul, and Lord Edward
fell. Lord Frederick Beauclerk, who was umpire, gave his
decision as follows:—That on account of the accident the
race was deemed void, but Mr. Harbord is allowed the power of
calling upon Lord Edward to run the race over again any time
within the next six months upon giving his lordship six
weeks’ notice.”
17.—The sword of the Spanish Admiral, Don Xavier
Francisco Winthuysen, who died of his wounds at the battle off
Cape St. Vincent, February 14th, 1797, presented to the city of
Norwich by Lord Nelson, was placed in the mural monument at the
Guildhall.
29.—General Milner, in a letter addressed to the
commanding officers of Volunteers in Norwich and Norfolk,
expressed “the high sense he entertained of the merit of
the Volunteer corps in coming forward in such force, when the
country, and this district in particular, was threatened with
invasion by a powerful enemy.”
30.—Died, at Calabar, East Indies, in his 32nd year,
Capt. Smyth, 56th Regiment, son of Mr. James Smyth,
attorney-at-law, of Norwich. He served in all the campaigns
in Flanders and Holland under General Coote, in Ireland at the
battle of Vinegar Hill, at Gibraltar during the mutiny, and under
Sir Ralph Abercromby in Egypt.
9.—Vice-Admiral Russell, accompanied by several officers
of the North Sea Fleet, stationed at Yarmouth, visited
Norwich.
10.—A rowing match took place between the Lion and the
Dove. The course, five miles, was between Carrow and
Whitlingham, and the Lion won by 100 yards in 34 minutes.
18.—Wrestling matches were contested on Panxworth
Green in the presence of a large number of spectators.
“Green, of Beighton, was champion of the green, and came
off victorious from all his engagements.” He was
eighteen years old.
19.—Norwich Guild day. In consequence of the
Cathedral undergoing reparation, the Mayor and Corporation
attended service at the church of St. Peter Mancroft. The
Mayor, Mr. Thomas Allday Kerrison, entertained 500 guests at
dinner at St. Andrew’s Hall; the ball was held at Chapel
Field House.
23.—At Holkham Sheep Shearing, Mr. John Herring, jun.,
of Norwich, exhibited three shawls, manufactured by Messrs. John
Herring and Sons entirely from the fleece of Mr. Coke’s
Southdowns.
24.—Lord Waldegrave, in command of a detachment of the
7th Light Dragoons, stationed at Norwich, commenced a series of
three cricket matches, “with a select number of the men
under his command against a party of gentlemen of this city and
neighbourhood.” The soldiers won two out of the three
games. In the following month Lord Waldegrave came of age,
and succeeded to a property amounting to £30,000 a
year.
28.—Mr. Incledon appeared at Norwich Theatre in his
entertainment, consisting of songs and recitations,
“Hospitality, or the Harvest Home.” He
reappeared on the 30th.
5.—Died, at his house in George Street, Portman Square,
London, Arthur Richard Dillon, Archbishop and Duke of Narbonne,
Primate of the Gauls, President of the States of Languedoc, and
Commander of the Order of the Holy Ghost. “This
venerable prelate was uncle to Lady Jerningham, of
Costessey.”
—The Primary Visitation of the Bishop of Norwich (which
commenced at Thetford on May 22nd) terminated at St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich. “Six hundred and ninety-nine young
persons from the adjacent parishes, and on the following day
nearly 600 persons from the several parishes and hamlets of the
city were confirmed. The total number of persons who had
been confirmed throughout the diocese in the course of this
visitation is computed at nearly 17,000.”
10.—This day “the thermometer stood at 82, exposed
to the north.” On the 19th of the previous month the
heat was so great that many post horses died.
12.—The Royal assent was given to an Act to enable his
Majesty “to grant the Castle of Norwich, with the county
gaol, Castle Hill, and certain land adjacent thereto, in Norfolk,
and for vesting the same in the justices of the peace for the
said county, with the use thereof.”
13.—A remarkable suicide took place at Yarmouth.
“Two servant women tied themselves together with ribbon,
walked into the sea, and were drowned.” They were the
wives of privates in the Shropshire Militia. “Their
husbands had come to see them the previous day, and, refusing to
permit them to return with them, they committed the rash
act.”
14.—A large concourse assembled to witness a
camping match on Crostwick Common between the Hundreds of
Taverham and of Blofield. Conditions:—“Play 40
minutes; candidates to be young men under 25 and unmarried.
Prize, a hat of the value of 10s. 6d. for each of the successful
combatants.” The affair ended in a walk over, owing
to the absence of the Blofield men. “It is now 20
years since a regular camp was played at Crostwick, and that one
was patronised by one of his Majesty’s present ministers,
who is not more celebrated for his political talents, and the
accomplishments of a liberal and enlightened mind, than for his
attachment to the ancient sports and amusements of his
country.” (Reference is here made to William
Windham.)
17.—The annual water frolic and aquatic procession took
place at Norwich, “led by Admiral Clarke in full uniform in
the Apollo.”
21.—The Corporation of Norwich again granted the use of
St. Andrew’s Hall to the corn merchants, as a place of
exchange, at the annual rent of 50 guineas. “A letter
from Mr. Opie was read, in which that celebrated artist stated
that, if due care was taken to prevent persons from touching the
paintings in the hall, they would sustain no injury if the hall
was opened ten times a week.”
26.—Arrived, at Yarmouth, the Blanche frigate, Capt.
Lavie, with La Guerriere, French frigate of 50 guns, Capt.
Hubert, captured on the 18th, after a desperate action of 45
minutes. La Guerriere had taken eight Greenlandmen and one
Yarmouth vessel, all of which she had destroyed.
28.—The Volunteer corps agreed to continue their
services under new regulations and at reduced pay. The
regulations were made in accordance with a new Act of Parliament,
which provided for the military training of the population by the
calling out of 200,000 men in each year.
31.—The Duke’s Palace estate in Norwich, belonging
to the Duke of Norfolk, was sold in lots for £5,055,
exclusive of the Public Library and house adjoining.
9.*—(Advt.) “To be seen alive (from Mr.
Kendrick’s menagerie, 42, Piccadilly), in a commodious room
at Mr. Peck’s, the Church Stile, in the Market Place,
Norwich, a most surprising crocodile from the Nile ever seen in
this kingdom. He is so remarkably tame that any lady or
gentleman may touch him with safety.”
13.—The Norwich Society of Artists opened an exhibition
in their room in Sir Benjamin Wrenche’s Court. The
exhibitors included A. Brown, W. Browne, and Stone, architectural
subjects; Crome, Dixon, Gordon, C. Hodgson, Ladbrooke, Leeds, and
Thirtle, landscapes; Cooper, horses and cattle; Mrs. Coppin,
Freeman, and Thirtle, portraits; and Sillett, flowers and still
life. “The exhibition is such as to authorise our
predicting that the seeds of genius, which have evidently taken
deep root in some of the artists, will secure them most
respectable places in the roll of fame.”
14.—The anniversary sermon for the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital was preached by the Bishop of Norwich at St.
Peter Mancroft. The sum collected was £185 16s. 6d.,
and the proceeds of the dinner at the Swan Inn amounted to
£41 9s. 6d.
28.—The Comus frigate, 22 guns, was launched from the
dockyard of Messrs. Custance and Co., at Yarmouth.
30.—The Norwich Paving Commissioners advertised that
they were “ready to contract with any person or persons for
watch boxes, to be made of good and well-seasoned yellow deal,
and painted on the outsides of a lead colour three times in
oil. Also to receive proposals for and contract with any
person or persons for 36 strong and well-made watchmen’s
coats of a dark drab coloured cloth, large double collar, with
belt of the same sewed to the coat, and white and strong metal
buttons.”
11.—Died, at the age of 100 years, Mrs. Crisp, of
Loddon.
12.—Died, at Brighton, aged 76, the Right Hon. Edward
Lord Thurlow, Lord Chancellor 1778 to 1793, except for a few
months during the Coalition Administration in 1783, when the
seals were put in Commission. He was the son of the Rev.
Mr. Thurlow, rector of Ashfield, Suffolk, and was born at
Braconash, Norfolk, December 9th, 1730. He was succeeded in
his title and estates by his nephew, only son of the Bishop of
Durham.
—Died, at Breccles, near Watton, aged 107 years and 8
months, John Stubings, husbandman. “He never occupied
more than five acres of land nor received any parochial
relief.”
13.*—(Advt.) “Docking Snettisham, Lynn, and
Norwich Telegraph, from Docking to Lynn and Lynn to
Norwich. Leaves Docking at seven o’clock on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays, through Snettisham and Castle Rising, to
Star Inn, Lynn. Leaves Lynn at eleven o’clock, to the
Woolpack, St. Giles, Norwich, through Gayton, Litcham, Mileham,
Brisley, Elmham, Bawdeswell, Lenwade Bridge, Attlebridge, and
Drayton, and returns the following morning at seven
o’clock.”
25.—A shark, measuring nine feet in length and weighing
three cwts., was caught off Yarmouth.
3.—The bells of several parish churches in Norwich were
tolled at noon, the hour appointed for the interment, in
Westminster Abbey, of the remains of the Right Hon. Charles James
Fox, who died September 13th.
4.*—(Advt.) “The Norwich and Yarmouth
Machine runs every day from the Black Horse, Tombland, and White
Hart, near the Wrestlers, Yarmouth.”
15.—Died suddenly, aged 58, Henry Bowles, the elder,
formerly of the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
21.—Blickling races commenced, and afforded
“the greatest sport ever known at this place.”
The principal event, a sweepstake for 50 guineas for horses bred
in Norfolk, was won by Col. Harbord’s bay filly
Czarina.
—Launched from the dockyard of Mr. J. S. Douglas,
Yarmouth, the Lord Nelson packet, 91 tons, intended for the
Harwich station.
29.—A trotting match for 50 guineas took place on the
turnpike road from Norwich to Watton, between Mr. King’s
chestnut hone Doubtful and Mr. Jeary’s brown mare
Velocity. “The horse won by about two lengths.
Owing to a dispute respecting the horse galloping within the last
hundred yards the match still remains undetermined. Fifteen
and a half miles were covered in one hour.”
Capt. Sir Edward Berry, R.N., was this month created a
baronet, in consideration of his eminent services to the
country.
3.—A Parliamentary election took place at Norwich,
resulting in the return of Mr. John Patteson, 1,733 votes, and
Mr. Robert Fellowes, 1,370 votes. Mr. Wm. Smith, who polled
1,333 votes, was the unsuccessful candidate. On the 10th
“the Norwich Battalion of Volunteers received Col.
Patteson, M.P., with a general salute, and fired three vollies
and gave three cheers in token of their satisfaction at his being
elected one of the representatives of the city.”
—King’s Lynn election. Lord Walpole and Sir
M. B. ffolkes returned unopposed.
4.—Thetford election. Lord William Fitzroy, 28
votes; Mr. James Mingay, 17 votes. Mr. Thomas Creevey, the
unsuccessful candidate, polled 14 votes.
—Yarmouth election. The Hon. Edward Harbord and
Mr. S. Lushington returned unopposed. A petition was lodged
against the return, but the committee of the House of Commons
declared it to be frivolous and vexatious, and the members
retained their seats.
6.—Miss Elizabeth Bidwell, niece of Mr. Bidwell, of
Thetford, arrived at Harwich from Berlin. “She was
tutoress to the King of Prussia’s children, and had a
narrow escape of falling into the hands of the French, and when
she landed was destitute of money and change of
raiment.” Miss Bidwell afterwards had an audience of
the Queen at Windsor, to whom she related the details of her
escape.
12.—The Sapphire sloop of war, 18 guns, launched from
Messrs. Brindley’s yard at King’s Lynn.
13.—County election. The poll was open for six
days. Mr. T. W. Coke, 4,118 votes; the Right Hon. William
Windham, 3,722 votes. The unsuccessful candidate, the Hon.
John Wodehouse, received 3,365 votes. “On the
chairing day, as well as every day during the election, there
were excellent dinners provided at the White Swan and Angel,
where Mr. Coke and Mr. Windham met large parties of their
friends, whose convivial enjoyments were much heightened by the
eloquent orations of Mr. Plumptre and the exertions of Mr.
Mingay, whose good-humoured sallies and witticisms never failed
to set the tables in a roar.” A
petition against the return of the members was presented by Mr.
T. T. Berney and others, and on February 12th, 1807, the
committee of the House of Commons declared the election
void. On February 26th, Mr. Coke was returned unopposed for
Derby, in place of his brother, Mr. E. Coke, who had accepted the
Chiltern Hundreds. On March 5th, Mr. E. Coke and Sir Jacob
Astley, Bart., were returned unopposed for Norfolk, and Mr.
Windham took his seat, without opposition, as member for New
Romney.
24.—Died, in St. Lawrence’, Norwich, Mrs. Galey,
aged 101.
30.—At the meeting of the Society of Universal Good
Will, at Norwich, it was reported that 187 persons, besides
weekly pensioners, had been relieved during the year, making in
all 2,218 since the establishment of the institution.
4.—Mr. J. W. Robberds was elected an alderman for the
Ward beyond the Water, Norwich, in place of Mr. J. G. Baseley,
who died December 1st.
6.—Died, in the 63rd year of his age, Thomas Osborn,
bell founder, Downham Market.
13.*—“Died, lately, in the parish of St. Mary,
Norwich, Sarah Pickwood, aged 49 years. This was one of the
most enormous cases of dropsy on record. In the course of
about 50 months she was tapped 38 times, and discharged 350
gallons of the fluid, weighing 4,656 lbs. troy. The
greatest quantity discharged at one operation measured 11½
gallons, and weighed 153½ lbs.”
18.—In the course of alterations at Ketteringham Hall, a
fire occurred, which destroyed the centre of the building, with
all the new work.
20.*—“Whenever a fire occurs in the neighbourhood
the large travelling engine, belonging to the Norwich Fire
Office, may be obtained by sending a man and two horses and
applying to the sexton of St. Peter Mancroft Church, in which
place the engine is deposited.”
The following Acts were passed this year:—
An Act to enable his Majesty to grant an annuity to Lady
Viscountess Nelson, in consideration of the eminent services
performed by the late Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson to his Majesty and
the public.
An Act for settling and securing a certain annuity on Earl
Nelson and the heirs male of his body and such persons to whom
the title of Earl Nelson may descend, and for granting the sum of
£100,000 to purchase an estate to accompany the said title;
and for granting £10,000 to each of the sisters of the late
Lord Nelson (Mrs. Matchem and Mrs. Bolton), in consideration of
the eminent and signal services performed by the said Lord Nelson
to his Majesty and the public.
An Act for amending, altering, and enlarging the powers of an
Act, passed in the 42nd year of his Majesty, for paving and
otherwise improving the borough of King’s Lynn.
An Act for repairing the parish Church of Great Yarmouth and
rebuilding the tower thereof.
10.—J. S. Cotman advertised that he had taken a house in
Wymer Street, St. Andrew’s, Norwich, “for the
accommodation of those ladies and gentlemen who may favour him by
becoming pupils.” Terms: In the Academy, £2 2s.
quarterly. Four private lessons, £1 1s.
16.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, William Chapman, a coal
hawker, appealed against his conviction, under the Hawkers and
Pedlars Act, 29th Geo. III. c. 26, for “carrying
coals about the streets of Norwich to sell by
retail.” Mr. Steward Firth ordered the conviction to
be quashed, with costs. This case was considered of great
importance to the citizens, and especially to the poor.
17.*—“Orders have been received in Norwich from
the East India Company for 16,000 pieces of fine
camblets.”
18.—A length of about 40 yards of the city wall at
Norwich fell in Ber Street with a tremendous crash. At the
Quarter Sessions on the 16th, the Grand Jury made a presentment,
in which attention was called to the dangerous state of the
wall.
26.—Died, at Lakenham, Mr. James Crowe, alderman of
Norwich, aged 58. He twice served the office of Mayor, in
1774 and 1797. Mr. John Steward was elected in his
place.
Little Dunham Lodge, near Swaffham, was this month purchased
by Mr. St. George Knudson, for £20,000.
7.*—“A sixteenth share of No. 23,815, which has
drawn a prize of £10,000, was sold to J. Turner, servant to
Mr. M. F. Rishton, of Lynn.”
—*“The Paving Commissioners have decided to lay
the first stone according to the new system of paving in Norwich,
in St. Stephen’s Street.”
10.—At Harper’s Pantheon, Norwich, was exhibited a
moving panorama, representing the funeral of Lord Nelson.
11.—A heavy fall of snow rendered the roads
impassable. The Ipswich mail arrived at Norwich two hours
after its usual time; and the Bury coach reached the city at
about the same time, after having been once overturned. The
Newmarket mail and the Expedition coach were unable to get
through. The guard of the mail procured horses, rode across
country with the mail bags, and on reaching Bury took a post
chaise, arriving in Norwich at four o’clock on the
12th. The Expedition coach reached the city about eight
o’clock the same night, drawn by eight horses. The
Newmarket mail arrived on the 13th at 1.30 p.m.
11.—Several ships were wrecked during a severe
gale on the Norfolk coast. His Majesty’s gun brig
Snipe came ashore on the South Ham, with 30 French prisoners on
board, many of whom, with part of the crew and some women,
perished. In all 60 lives were lost in this ship.
Twelve vessels were wrecked between Cromer and Yarmouth.
14.*—“The number of men liable to serve for this
county under the Training Act is 18,152.” On April
6th, 607 persons, between the ages of 18 and 45, were drawn by
ballot at Norwich to be trained and exercised for 24 days.
Among those drawn were “several magistrates and other
distinguished personages.”
17.—Died, at Windsor, in his 67th year, the Rev. Dr.
Lancaster Adkin, rector of Belaugh and minister of St. Andrew,
Norwich. “He was the first founder in Norwich of
Sunday Schools, which he constantly attended and instructed for
more than 21 years.”
—Orders were given for the enlargement of the courts in
the Norwich Shire-house, for the repair of the bridge leading to
the Castle, for providing a palisade, and for bringing a supply
of river water from the main pipes in Golden Ball Lane to the
county gaol.
7.—Sergt. John Parker, 3rd Dragoons, stationed at
Norwich on recruiting service, was apprehended on suspicion of
having committed a murder at Brighton in 1796. The
extraordinary statement upon which the accused was apprehended
was concocted by a man named William Cobb, of St. Martin-at-Oak,
who informed the Mayor that Parker, when a private in the
Somerset Fencible Cavalry, met him (Cobb), then a private in Col.
Villier’s Fencible Light Dragoons, while halting at
Dorking, and told him that he had murdered a woman at Brighton
and had thrown her body into a well. An affidavit sent from
Collumpton, in Devonshire, to the effect that Parker was there
ill at the time of the alleged murder, was sufficient to procure
him his discharge from custody.
9.—Died, in his 85th year, Henry Keymer, of East
Dereham, “many years a respectable auctioneer and land
surveyor, and late sole proprietor of Herring’s valuable
antidote for the cure of the bite of a mad dog.”
11.—A bull, the property of Edward Kett, butcher, of
Norwich, was baited near “Bishop Gates.” The
baiting “offered very great sport; the bull was a game one,
and the dogs equally so.”
24.—Died, in the Close, Norwich, aged 90, the Rev.
George Sandby, D.D., 39 years Chancellor of the Diocese. He
was Vice-Chancellor of Merton College, Oxford, in 1760.
28.*—“His Majesty has been pleased to appoint Wm.
Firth, Esq., Steward of Norwich, to be attorney-general in the
province of Upper Canada.” On his resignation of the
Stewardship on May 3rd, Mr. Firth received the thanks of the
Corporation, and Mr. Robert Alderson was appointed in his
place. At about this date, Mr. Thomas Amyot was appointed
secretary and registrar of Lower Canada.
4.—William Carter, aged 35, was executed on the
“new drop,” Castle Hill, Norwich, for horse
stealing.
5.—The Norwich Court of Guardians resolved to petition
the House of Commons against Mr. Whitbread’s Bill for
amending the Poor Laws.
9.—Died, at his house in Berners Street, London, in his
46th year, John Opie, R.A. His remains were interred in St.
Paul’s Cathedral on April 20th.
13.—The Rev. James Brown was elected minister of St.
Andrew, Norwich, in place of the Rev. Dr. Adkin, deceased.
There were three other candidates. None but resident
parishioners were allowed to vote.
16.—Died, at his house in King Street, Norwich, aged 60,
Mr. James Hudson, banker. He served the office of Sheriff
in 1788, was elected alderman for the Mancroft Ward in 1791, and
was Mayor in 1794. Mr. Starling Day, jun., was elected
alderman in his place.
4.—An election took place at Norwich on the dissolution
of Parliament. Mr. J. Patteson, who polled 1,474 votes, and
Mr. W. Smith, 1,156 votes, were returned. The unsuccessful
candidate, Mr. Robert Fellowes, polled 546 votes.
—Lynn election: Lord Walpole and Sir M. B. ffolkes
returned unopposed.
8.—Thetford election: Lord Wm. Fitzroy and Mr. T.
Creevey returned unopposed.
—Yarmouth election: Mr. S. Lushington, 604 votes; Mr. W.
Jacob, 341; Mr. A. Upcher (unsuccessful), 21.
12.—County election: Mr. T. W. Coke and Sir Jacob
Astley, Bart., elected unopposed.
—At a county meeting a committee was appointed for the
purpose of forming a club for the independent freeholders of
Norfolk. It was a revival of the Norfolk Club, and met
three times a year in Norwich, namely, in the Summer Assize week,
in the Michaelmas Sessions week, and in the Easter Sessions
week. The first meeting was held at the Angel Inn, on
October 6th, when Sir John Lombe, Bart., presided.
14.—The birthday of the Right Hon. Wm. Windham was
celebrated by a dinner at the Angel Inn, Norwich, under the
presidency of Mr. Wm. Smith, M.P.
25.—A rowing match took place, from Carrow Abbey to
Whitlingham, between the Victory, four oars, and the Britannia,
six oars. The course was 4½ miles, and the time of
the winning boat, the Britannia, 33 mins. 50 secs.
1.—Died, at Worstead, Mrs. Ann Miller, formerly of
Yarmouth, aged 102 years.
4.—His Majesty the King entered upon the 70th year of
his age. There were great rejoicings in Norwich. The
Mayor and Corporation attended service at the Cathedral, the
troops—Regular, Militia, and Volunteer—paraded in the
Market Place, fired a feu de joie, and marched past.
The Mayor gave a dinner, and the several corps dined at their
respective inns.
16.—Mr. Robert Herring was sworn into office as Mayor of
Norwich, and gave a dinner to 150 guests at Chapel Field
House. “The Mayor’s wine being of the first
flavour and quality, the festivity of the day was kept up till
past one o’clock the next morning.”
22.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. The
implements exhibited included an improved Norfolk plough,
invented by Mr. Balls, of Saxlingham. Mr. Herring, jun., of
Norwich, produced goods of his manufacture, and stated that 117
shawls had that year been made by his firm from 224 lbs. of Mr.
Coke’s Southdown wool. Mr. Paul, of Norwich, showed
some beautiful specimens of shawls manufactured by himself,
“including a flowered shawl, a very close imitation of
India, made wholly of Mr. Coke’s marino wool.”
The best implement shown this year was an ingenious device by Mr.
Paul, of Starston, for catching turnip fly.
29.—Mr. Bannister appeared at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich, in “Bannister’s Budget, or an Actor’s
Ways and Means.” The entertainment was repeated on
July 4th.
3.—Died, at Ferney Hill, Gloucester, Mrs. Cooper, widow
of the Rev. Dr. Cooper, of Yarmouth, and daughter of Mr. James
Bransby, of Shotesham. She was the author of several
well-known works, namely, “Fanny Meadows,” “The
Daughter,” “The School for Wives,” and
“The Exemplary Mother.”
7.—Died, at Heydon House, aged 53, William Earle Bulwer,
Colonel in the Army and Brigadier-General of Volunteers.
9.—An action for crim. con. was heard in the
Court of King’s Bench, in which Sir G. B. Brograve, of
Worstead Hall, Lieut.-Col. of the East Norfolk Militia, was
plaintiff, and Capt. Elwin, of the same regiment,
defendant. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff,
damages, £2,000. At Doctor’s Commons, on
November 21st, 1808, the court granted a divorce a mansâ
et thoro, prayed for on the part of Sir Geo. Brograve against
Lady Brograve.
8.—Capt. Manby, barrack-master at Yarmouth, made several
experiments with his life-saving apparatus in the presence of
Admiral Douglas and other officers of the Navy, who expressed
satisfaction with the invention.
—A single wicket cricket match was played at Thetford
between two gentlemen of that town and two of Newmarket.
The former won, with 37 runs to spare.
11.—Died, at Lady Fenn’s, East Dereham, aged
67, Mr. John Frere, of Roydon, Norfolk, and of Finningham,
Suffolk. He was member for Norwich from 1799 to 1802.
15.—Mr. Paul, of Starston, exhibited a machine for
removing lice from peas. Two men, in four hours, caught 24
pecks of lice, and in the afternoon took 16 pecks in 2½
hours.
16.—Died, aged 81, Mr. Peter Finch, who for many years
held the office of Clerk of the Peace for the county.
23.—A fleet of 24 sail of the line assembled in Yarmouth
Roads, under the command of Admiral Gambier, who, with
Vice-Admiral Stanhope, sailed on the 26th with 16 sail of the
line, 10 frigates, 10 sloops, 9 gun brigs, &c., for the
Baltic. Sir Sidney Smith sailed in the Prince of Wales, of
98 guns, Admiral Gambier’s flagship. A strict embargo
commenced on the 24th. The remainder of the fleet
afterwards sailed. An expedition, under Lieut.-General Sir
David Baird, sailed from Harwich about the same time. On
September 16th, intelligence was received of the surrender on the
7th of Copenhagen, with the arsenal and the whole of the Danish
Navy, to the British forces, under the command of Lieut.-General
Lord Cathcart and Admiral Gambier. The British fleet, which
sailed from Yarmouth, sustained but comparatively trifling
loss.
27.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich, before Mr.
Justice Grose, Martha Alden was tried for the murder of her
husband, Samuel Alden, at Attleborough, on July 18th. While
the man was asleep in bed his wife, with a bill-hook, inflicted
terrible wounds on his head, face, and throat. With the
assistance of a girl, named Mary Orvice, the prisoner on the 19th
deposited the body in a dry ditch in the garden; on the 20th,
they carried it in a corn sack to the common and
“shot” it into a pond, where it was subsequently
discovered. His lordship, in summing up, said that Orvice
might have been charged with being accessory to an attempted
concealment of murder. The jury found the prisoner guilty,
and the judge “doomed her to death, to be drawn on a hurdle
to the place of execution, there to be hanged by the neck, and
her body to be dissected.” The execution took place
at Norwich on July 31st. The populace at Attleborough
showed their detestation of the crime by destroying the former
dwelling-house of the prisoner. It was reported that the
ghost of Alden “walked” on the Castle Hill, and in
the month of December a party of drunken men, who went there to
“lay” the spirit, were seized by the jailer and
detained in prison for two days, pending an inquiry into their
conduct.
—At the same Assizes, before Lord Ellenborough, an
action was tried, in which Lord Albemarle claimed for the
recovery of penalties, amounting to £700, under the game
laws. The defendant, one Brooke, a poulterer and wholesale
dealer in game, at Thetford, was connected with the poachers and
gamekeepers in Norfolk, and with the dealers in Leadenhall
market. “The interruption of his commerce,”
said counsel, “had created as much alarm in Leadenhall
market as the stagnation of trade between this country and the
North of Germany had occasioned amongst the merchants at the
Royal Exchange.” A verdict was given for the
plaintiff, damages £40, “at the rate of £5 for
each head of game which had fallen out of a basket sent by the
defendant to the London waggon office at Thetford for transit to
the metropolis.”
29.—At the public breakfasting at Harper’s
Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, nearly 1,100 persons assembled, and
3,500 were present at the evening performance.
30.—The sum of £180 3s. was collected at the
anniversary service held at the Cathedral on behalf of the
Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and £50 16s. resulted from
the dinner at the White Swan.
5.—In the House of Commons a petition was presented on
behalf of Messrs. Blackburne and Bonner, brewers, of Lynn, and of
the inhabitants of the town, who complained of the undue
influence and the arbitrary proceedings of the magistrates of
that borough in withholding publicans’ licences.
8.—The Norwich Paving Commissioners advertised for
tenders for lighting the city. The number of lamps, it was
stated, would not be fewer than 1,200 nor more than 1,400.
10.—Mr. Edmund Reader, of Sisland, near Loddon,
undertook, for a bet of five guineas, to cut and tie one acre of
wheat in 16 hours in a field belonging to Mr. Burton, at
Barford. In 14 hours he had cut one acre seven roods, and
had tied 430 sheaves.
31.—A match at bowls was played at Cley, between three
gentlemen of that parish and three of Holt, for 50 guineas a
side. The latter won five games out of seven.
7.—The City of Norwich Regiment of Volunteers assembled
on Tombland at five am., and marched to Yarmouth for garrison
duty. There were on parade 26 officers, 30 sergeants, 25
corporals, and 500 rank and file.
12.—Mr. Philipsthal’s Phantasmagoria was exhibited
at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
14.—Died, at Rainham, in his 84th year, George Marquis
Townshend, a Field Marshal, Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of
Dragoon Guards, and Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk. His
lordship represented Norfolk from 1747 to 1764, and from 1768 to
1772 was Viceroy of Ireland. He acted as Brigadier-General,
and gained much honour at the taking of Quebec in 1759, when the
command of the troops devolved upon him, in consequence of the
death of General Wolfe and of the wounding of General Monkton,
second in command. His Majesty granted a pension of
£1,000 a year out of the privy purse to the Marchioness
Townshend.
19.*—“One day last week a child, playing in the
churchyard of St. Michael-at-Plea, Norwich, found concealed
behind a gravestone, covered with a tile, a parcel, containing
more than £90 in forged Bank of England notes and £14
in counterfeit shillings.”
21.—At a quarterly assembly of the Norwich Corporation
the city gates still remaining were ordered to be taken down.
13.—The Duke of Clarence, accompanied by the Earl and
Countess Cholmondeley, visited Lynn. The Corporation
presented an address to his Royal Highness, who was afterwards
admitted a free burgess.
19.—Blickling races were this year supplemented by
wrestling matches.
22.—Died, aged 40, at Brickhill, Buckinghamshire, on his
way from Liverpool, where he had arrived from America, Robert
Murray, merchant, of New York, fifth son of Dr. John Murray, of
Norwich. He had been absent more than 16 years, and had
revisited England, in the hope of alleviating the symptoms of a
pulmonary complaint.
24.—Died, in Dublin, aged 72, Mr. James Bradfield, of
Stoke Ferry, who by his will endowed a school in that village for
25 poor children.
28.—Lord Cathcart, Commander-in-Chief of the Army
employed against Copenhagen, arrived in Norwich from Yarmouth,
and next day proceeded to London.
29.—Louis XVIII., travelling as Count de Lille, arrived
off Yarmouth in a Swedish frigate, and landed on November
2nd. He was accompanied by the Duke
D’Angoulême, the Duke de Berri, and by other
representatives of the French nobility.
—A severe storm occurred off the Norfolk coast, and
several transports were lost at Yarmouth, where Admiral Gambier
arrived with 32 sail of the line, several Dutch prizes, and a
great number of frigates.
31.*—“The Militia ballot has commenced. The
quota for Norfolk and Norwich is 907.”
—At the Old Bailey, J. Hopgrave was indicted for an
assault, with intent to murder his Majesty’s officers of
Excise in a smuggling affray at Cawston. The ringleader,
one Jeremiah Abel, was convicted at the Old Bailey some months
previously. Hopgrave succeeded in proving an alibi,
and was acquitted. On December 8th, Richard Wiseman, of the
Three Pigs, at Edgefield, was charged at the Old Bailey with
obstructing the Excise officers at the same time. He also
was acquitted on proving an alibi.
At the end of this month a shooting party at Holkham killed in
three days 1,457 head of game. The party included Mr. Coke,
the Marquis of Tavistock, Lords Albemarle, Spencer, Althorpe,
Anson, and Bradford, Generals Walpole and Keppel, Sir J. Shelly,
Col. Keppel, Messrs. W. Smith, Churchill, Collet, Wilbraham, W.
Fitzroy, and Smith. Mr. Coke killed 60 the first day, 66
the second, and 70 the third.
4.—A large barn full of barley in the straw, and a stack
of barley, the property of General Money, of Trowse, were
destroyed by fire, caused by an incendiary, named Thomas
Sutton. At the Assizes, held at Thetford, on March 21st,
1808, before Mr. Justice Grose, he was found guilty and sentenced
to death. He had eight years previously
been sentenced to seven years’ transportation for stealing
a pony belonging to the general, and his father had suffered
death for horse stealing. “At the trial he behaved in
a most audacious manner to the judge, and when sentenced
requested the Sheriff to let him be taken to Norwich that he
might be hanged amongst his friends.” He was executed
on the Castle Hill, Norwich, April 9th, 1808.
—An entertainment was given by Lord and Lady
Cholmondeley to upwards of 300 persons at Houghton Hall.
The great hall was converted into a theatre for the performance
of an opera written by Mr. Panton. The performers included
the author, Miss Wood, Lord Malpas, and the Messrs. Lanyas.
Between the acts Lady Charlotte Cholmondeley and Miss
Cholmondeley played a pianoforte duet. The opera was
preceded by an address, spoken by Lord Malpas, and was followed
by a dance and supper.
7.*—“Nathaniel Easthaugh, bellman in Norwich, in
gratitude for having had possession of the city bell for 27 years
(one year only excepted), has liberally subscribed the sum of ten
guineas towards the new pavement, he being at times unable,
through infirmity, to walk over the old one.”
10.—Died, aged 52, the Rev. John Walker, one of the
minor canons of Norwich Cathedral. His widow afterwards
published a volume of his poems.
11.—Seven fishermen were drowned within 50 yards of the
shore at Sheringham, through the upsetting of their boats in a
sudden gale.
14.—The privateer La Décidé was brought
into Yarmouth by L’Amiable frigate, Capt. G. Stuart.
The privateer had long evaded the cruisers and committed great
depredations upon commerce. She was supposed to have
captured 30 prizes within three years.
27.—Died, aged 77, John Clarke Snell, of Norwich.
“He was formerly of Bury St. Edmund’s, and remarkable
for his eccentricities and for his study of astrology, which
rendered him a well-known character.”
28.—John Gulley and Tom Cribb, the famous pugilists,
gave an exhibition of sparring in the great room at the
King’s Head Inn, Norwich. Upwards of 200 persons were
present, including the Right Hon. William Windham and the Hon.
Edward Harbord.
30.—At the annual meeting of the Society of Universal
Good Will at Norwich, it was reported that 2,420 persons had been
relieved since its establishment.
12.—Married, at his lordship’s house, Charles
Street, Berkeley Square, London, the Right Hon. the Earl of
Craven to Miss Louisa Brunton, of Covent Garden Theatre, and
daughter of John Brunton, Esq., formerly of Norwich, who gave the
bride away. “The Earl is in his 37th and the fair
bride in her 25th year.” Mr. Brunton was for many
years manager of the Norwich Theatre, and Miss Louisa Brunton was
a favourite performer there.
13.—Died, in St. Simon’s, Norwich, aged 86,
Mrs. Mary Mack. “She lived several years in the
service of the late Mr. W. Tilyard, of Poringland, during which
time she constantly travelled the number of 2,920 miles annually,
which in ten years amounted to 29,220, the house being fully four
miles from Norwich, and her master, who was a very eccentric
character, never failed sending her every day (Sunday not
excepted) for such things as his whimsical and capricious fancy
suggested he stood in need of.”
—Died, at Claxton, Mrs. Eliza Norton, in her 101st
year.
19.*—“A telegraph or signal station is on the
point of being erected upon the hills leading from Norwich to
Thorpe. It is to be commanded by a naval officer, and the
object of it is to open and maintain a prompt communication with
Yarmouth on the one side, and with the telegraphs between Norwich
and London on the other.” Messages were afterwards
sent from the Admiralty to Yarmouth in 17 minutes. The
chain of communication was by Strumpshaw, Thorpe Hills,
Honingham, Carlton, and Harling, and thence by way of Thetford
and Bury St. Edmund’s, across Newmarket Heath, to
London.
21.—Experiments were made at Norwich, with the view of
testing the practicability of General Money’s proposal to
Government for mounting cannon on waggons for the protection of
vessels on the coast. The Artillery officers at Woolwich
gave General Money credit for his invention, and many ship owners
and masters of vessels approved the plan.
An Act was passed this year for enabling Rear-Admiral
Bentinck, tenant for life under the will of his late father, Mr.
John Albert Bentinck, to charge his estates in the county of
Norfolk with the sums therein mentioned, for embanking,
improving, and increasing the same estates by the means therein
mentioned.
9.*—“Capt. Manby’s invention for rescuing
persons from vessels stranded on a lee shore has received the
approbation of the Lords of the Admiralty.” On
February 12th the apparatus was successfully employed in saving
the crew of a vessel named the Elizabeth of Plymouth. In
May, the Society of Arts awarded their gold medal to Capt. Manby
for his invention; and Parliament at different times rewarded him
with grants amounting to £6,000, and adopted his apparatus
at various stations on dangerous parts of the coast.
10.—Lord Hutchinson and Lord L. Gower arrived at Norwich
from Yarmouth, where they had landed from the Belette sloop of
war, on their return from St. Petersburgh.
14.—During a heavy gale several vessels were
stranded between Blakeney and Sheringham. Much damage was
done by an inundation at Cley-next-the-Sea.
17.—Died, of typhus fever, in his 20th year, Viscount
Trafalgar, only son of Earl Nelson.
23.*—“In consequence of the anniversary of King
Charles’s martyrdom, the nights of performance at the
Theatre Royal, Norwich, next week, will be Monday, the 25th,
Wednesday, the 27th, Thursday, 28th, and Friday, 29th.”
11.—A great snow storm. The coaches which should
have arrived on Friday did not reach Norwich until the following
Tuesday and Wednesday. “The mail guards were obliged
to traverse the country with the bags on their shoulders,
sometimes on foot, up to their breasts in snow, and sometimes on
horseback, across the open fields and heaths. From the
Friday till the following Tuesday the bags for London by
Newmarket were dispatched hence in post chaises. Labourers
were employed in clearing the highways, and in some places they
cut three miles through the snow.” So complete an
obstruction to communication had not occurred since 1797, when
the coaches were four days performing the journey from
London.
14.—Died, in London, in his 60th year, “that
eccentric and truly worthy character,” the Rev. Joshua
Larwood, rector of Swanton Morley, and many years chaplain on
board the Britannia. He was the author of
“Erratics,” and of several other works.
15.—The constables of Norwich destroyed many dogs which
had been found without muzzles in the public streets.
Several cases of rabies and of deaths from hydrophobia were
reported at this date.
17.—Died, at the age of 83, at Norwich, Mr. Francis
Columbine. He served the office of Sheriff in 1769, and of
Mayor in 1776.
Meetings were held in Norwich and throughout Norfolk this
month, at which Mr. Joseph Lancaster lectured on his improved
method of education. Lancasterian schools were established
in Norwich, Lynn, and Downham in May, 1809.
2.—The Hon. William Asheton Harbord appointed Lord
Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the county of Norfolk, in
place of the Marquis Townshend, deceased. The Corporation
of Norwich, on May 3rd, conferred upon Mr. Harbord the honorary
freedom of the city.
5.*—“The Dean of Norwich has appointed Dr.
Beckwith to be organist of the Cathedral, in the room of Mr. T.
Garland, resigned.” (Mr. Garland died on February
21st, aged 77, having been organist 59 years.)
8.—Died, at Norwich, aged 77, William Love,
musician. “He was formerly leader of the band at the
Theatre, a person of great genius in his
profession, of great suavity of manners, and of great
improvidence in conduct.”
11.—At a meeting held at the Angel Inn, Norwich, at
which Mr. T. W. Coke presided, Mr. Nathaniel Kent, of Ripon Hall,
was presented by the agriculturists of the county with a massive
silver goblet, in recognition of “his integrity and
impartiality between landlord and tenant, in his profession as a
surveyor of land, and for his liberal and upright attachment to
the interests of agriculture.”
30.—The Racoon sloop of war, 20 guns, was launched from
Mr. J. Preston’s dockyard at Yarmouth.
31.—Died, at Wells-next-the-Sea, aged 82, Mr. Charles
Boyles, brother of Mrs. Murray, widow of Dr. John Murray, of
Norwich.
—Died, at Melton House, aged 18, Miss Astley, eldest
daughter of Sir Jacob Astley, Bart. She was in the act of
placing coals upon the fire, when her dress became ignited, and
she succumbed to her injuries within twenty-four hours.
2.*—“We understand that, in consequence of many
burdens lately brought on the city by the birth of illegitimate
children, the Corporation of the Guardians have offered a reward
of 2s. 6d. to any person who shall give information of the
pregnancy or delivery of any unmarried woman in
Norwich.”
4.—The week commencing this date, during which the ward
elections were held at Norwich, was for the first time referred
to as “cleansing week.” “Many voters, who
had been cooped up at farm houses in the country at great
expense, were brought in post chaises to the polling
places. For the last four days we have had as much ringing
and firing of bells as if we had received a confirmation of the
reports of the naval victory in the Mediterranean.”
9.—The performance for the benefit of Mr. Hindes,
manager of the Theatre Royal, Norwich, produced the largest
receipt ever known at the house on a like occasion, namely,
£163.
16.—John Chapman, 34, and William Fuller, 26, for
shooting at and wounding a gamekeeper in the service of Lord
Cholmondeley, were executed on Castle Hill, Norwich.
28.—A county meeting was held at the Shire-house,
Norwich, to take into consideration the measure pending in
Parliament for prohibiting the use of grain in distilleries, and
for the substitution of sugar. It was resolved to petition
against such prohibition as likely to prove injurious to the
owners and occupiers of land in Norfolk. (Parliament
determined, however, in favour of using Colonial produce instead
of English barley.)
30.*—(Advt.) “There will be a match of cocks
fought between the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of
Norfolk, to show 25 mains and 8 byes, to fight for two guineas a
battle, and 20 guineas the odd. One turn out for ten
guineas; to be fought on the 2nd and 3rd day of May, at the
King’s Head, in Magdalen Street, Norwich. A pair of cocks to be pitted at twelve o’clock
precisely. Feeders, Lamb for Norwich; Carter for
Norfolk.”
Died, this month, aged 100, Mr. John Myhill, of Catfield.
2.—A new peal of ten bells was opened at St. Nicholas,
Great Yarmouth.
3.—Mr. Robert Alderson was elected Governor of the
Norwich Court of Guardians, in the place of Mr. Robert Partridge,
resigned.
6.—Mrs. and Miss Robertson, of the Close, Norwich, and
the Misses Doune were returning to the city from Hockering, when
they were stopped by a highwayman near Cossey Wood. He was
armed with pistols, and, after taking all their valuable articles
of jewellery, rode off.
10.—An Expedition, consisting of 150 transports, sailed
from Yarmouth for the Baltic, for the protection of Sweden.
The Mars, Admiral Keats, the Audacious, Capt. Lukin, and other
warships formed the convoy; and Sir John Moore, with
Major-Generals Paget and Murray, had command of the troops.
21.—The coach house, brew house, and offices at
Blickling Hall, with 180 stand of arms, were destroyed by
fire.
4.—The Society for the Encouragement of Arts and
Manufactures awarded their silver medal to Mrs. Coppin, of St.
Stephen’s Street, Norwich, for her oil painting, “The
Gamesters.”
—An annual ploughing match was inaugurated at Ellingham
by the Rev. Wm. Johnson, to encourage the use of oxen in
husbandry.
6.—The Norwich Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, Col.
Harvey, 500 strong, proceeded to Yarmouth for garrison duly, and
returned to Norwich on the 18th.
13.—A cricket match, for 50 guineas a side, was played
at Swaffham, between the gentlemen of Swaffham and the gentlemen
of Shipdham, and was won by the latter.
16.—Died, at Norwich, in this 68th year, Sir Roger
Kerrison, banker, and for many years Receiver-General for
Norfolk. He was an alderman of the Mancroft Ward, served
the office of High Sheriff in 1800, and was twice Mayor of
Norwich, 1778-1802.
20.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. The
sweepstakes of 28 subscribers, at 10s. 6d. each, for naming the
weight of Mr. Coke’s three-shear half-bred merino wether,
was won by Mr. Thomas More, of Watham, who guessed the exact
weight, 132 lbs. A patent dibbling iron, which deposited
the seed at the time the holes were struck, exhibited by the Rev.
Mr. Barker, of Woodbridge, was the winning implement. Mr.
F. Smith, of Norwich, exhibited specimens of ladies’ merino
dresses, scarves, shawls, stockings, coating, and cassimers, most
of which were made from the wool of Mr. Coke’s sheep. “A pair of worstead stockings were of
so delicate a fabric that the two stockings passed at the same
time through a lady’s ring. A manufacturer had
ordered a dozen pair at 18 guineas.”
21.—The Guild feast given at St. Andrew’s Hall by
the Mayor of Norwich, Mr. Starling Day, jun., was attended by 580
guests.
12.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions, the Norwich Flour
Company appealed against the assessment of their premises in St.
Andrew’s. The company was described as an
unprofitable concern. The assessment was reduced.
—A member of the Swaffham Cricket Club played and beat,
with great ease in one innings, “six players of
professional celebrity in that town.”
13.—The thermometer registered 97 degrees in the shade
at Catton. Many horses died from the excessive heat.
14.—Sergt.-Major Marshall, of the Thetford Volunteer
Corps, and his son were killed by an accidental explosion while
sorting damaged cartridges.
18.—A prize fight, for £40 a side, took place on
Kirstead Green, between Wm. Underwood, of Seething, and John
Chase, of Brooke. Eighty-five rounds were fought in two
hours. Underwood won.
21.—Thorpe Water Frolic took place. “The
Admiral of the flotilla was placed in a small boat and carried
round Thorpe Gardens several times, with guns firing, flags
flying, and music playing. The company sang ‘God Save
the King’ and ‘Rule Britannia.’ A young
gentleman favoured the company with an excellent hornpipe on the
top of the Apollo barge.”
23.—The bankruptcy of Sir R. Kerrison and Sons created
much sensation in Norwich. “The crowd was so great in
the King’s Head Inn yard of persons who came to prove their
debts that many had to return without proving them.”
The amount proved was considerably over £580,000. On
January 16th, 1809, the creditors agreed to pay the sum of
£5,500 to Lady Kerrison, in lieu of dower and of other
claims and demands she might have on the estate. On May
13th, a dividend of 6s. 8d. in the pound was ordered to be paid
on the 17th to the 3,600 creditors who had proved their
debts. Dividends amounting to 16s. 4d. in the pound were
afterwards paid.
29.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Corporation, an
address to his Majesty was unanimously agreed to, “on the
subject of the noble struggle of the patriots of Spain and
Portugal against the Ruler of France, and of the generous aid
given to their endeavours by our Government.”
1.—Mr. Stephen Springall, farmer, of Wroxham Hall, and
his nephew, aged 12, were drowned at Wroxham Water Frolic,
through the capsizing of their boat.
8.—A remarkable storm occurred at Norwich.
Streets were inundated and cellars flooded. “The
roaring of the waters in falling from the roof to the lower leads
of the Cathedral was so tremendous as literally to drown the
noise of the thunder that accompanied it.”
15.—The Norwich Society of Artists opened their fourth
exhibition.
20.*—“At the Hospital anniversary at Norwich, the
sum collected at the Cathedral was £161 1s., and at the
dinner, £53 7s. Of the church collection, £1
6s. 6d. was base coin.”
—*“Among the many performers who have contributed
in the course of the Assize week to the entertainment of the
city, may be reckoned the wonderful John Howes, from Eyke, near
Woodbridge. Though bereft of sight and moving in a humble
sphere of life, his arrival in Norwich was announced by the
ringing of bells, for he carries a complete peal of twelve about
with him, which, when he performs, he suspends upon a pole placed
horizontally across the backs of two chairs. A variety of
peals, as well as song tunes, country dances, &c., he plays
with a degree of accuracy and precision that charm all those who
witness his performance.”
28.—Braconash Church was reopened for service by the
Bishop of Norwich, after its complete restoration. Mr. T.
T. Berney, of Bracon Hall, entertained many of the neighbouring
clergy at dinner.
30.—Died, at the age of 101, Mrs. Mary Moneyment, of St.
Faith’s.
Many of the Volunteers transferred their services to the Local
Militia, established this month under the Act passed in July.
2.—Died, in his 49th year, Dr. Richard Lubbock, of
Norwich. He was educated at the Grammar School, under the
Rev. G. W. Lemon, author of the “English Derivative
Dictionary,” was a pupil of Mr. Rigby, and studied for
several years at Edinburgh University.
5.—A cricket match was played at Thetford, between the
Thetford and Newmarket clubs. The former won by 50
“notches.”
17.*—“At the late meeting of the county
magistrates, it was agreed that the passage way from the top of
the Castle Hill, Norwich, to the north-east side should be filled
up, and the iron railing continued from the bridge quite
round. The descent from that part of the hill towards
Gurney’s bank will be by a flight of stone
steps.”
19.—Great festivities took place at Rainham Hall to
celebrate the arrival of the Marquis Townshend. “A
bullock was roasted and four sheep boiled, and a large quantity
of that old beverage made from malt and hops contributed to make
all heads and hearts glow with gratitude to the noble
donor.”
21.—At a quarterly meeting of the Norwich Corporation,
the Commons proposed that the representatives of the city be
instructed to oppose the Bill for erecting a bridge over the
river at Carrow Abbey. The motion was not agreed to by the
aldermen. On December 15th, a numerous meeting was held at
the Guildhall to oppose the erection of the bridge, on the ground
that it was unnecessary. On February 20th, 1809, Mr.
Patteson presented a petition to the House of Commons,
praying for leave to bring in a Bill for carrying out the
proposal. On April 21st, Mr. Patteson moved the second
reading of the Carrow Bridge Bill, which was opposed by Mr. W.
Smith. Fourteen voted for the motion, and nine
against. These numbers not constituting a House, the
further consideration of the Bill was deferred to a future
sitting, when the second reading was carried by 48 votes to
26. Ultimately, the Bill received the Royal assent.
On July 26th, the Commissioners selected Mr. A. Brown’s
plan for an iron bridge, and on July 31st, contracts were entered
into with Mr. J. G. Aggs for casting the ironwork; with Messrs.
Athow and De Carle for the stonework; and with Mr. N. Wyeth for
the brickwork and abutments. On December 18th, a
proposition was submitted to the Commissioners in favour of
abandoning the Carrow Bridge scheme, in view of the projected
erection, near the Foundry, of a bridge over the Wensum. It
was decided, however, to push on with the work as speedily as
possible; and the first stone was laid on April 26th, 1810, by
the Mayor, Mr. Thomas Back.
25.—Died, the celebrated Greek scholar, Richard
Porson. He was a native of Ruston, in Norfolk. He
left a sister, the wife of Mr. S. Hawes, of Coltishall. His
brother Thomas, who kept a boarding school at Fakenham, died in
1792.
27.—A rowing match, for ten guineas a side, took place
at Norwich, between the six-oared boats, the Britannia and the
Crown Point. The latter won. Distance, 4½
miles; time, 30 minutes 30 seconds.
5.—Mr. Shelford Bidwell was elected Mayor of
Thetford. “The usual entertainment was given to the
Corporation. The source from whence it was, as usual,
derived is worthy of record. The roast beef is provided by
the Town Clerk; the boiled beef by the tenant of the tolls of the
navigation; the geese by the tenant of the bridge tolls; the game
and wine by the Mayor-Elect; and the keeper of the tavern
adjacent to the Guildhall finds the plumb puddings. Is this
immemorial custom in the above very ancient borough not the
origin of the present fashionable Pic Nics?”
10.—About two-thirds of Col. Patteson’s Volunteer
Infantry were enrolled as Local Militia.
15.—The Norwich corn merchants demanded of the farmers a
month’s credit, instead of paying ready money for their
corn as hitherto, but it was resisted by the growers, and
ultimately abandoned by the merchants. In the Court of
King’s Bench, on November 25th, Lord Ellenborough, who was
applied to for a rule, held that individuals might buy and sell
upon terms agreed to, but combining to impose terms upon the
growers was calculated to enhance the price of grain in the
market, and to lessen the supply in the market, which was another
cause for an increased price.
16.—Fundenhall Church was opened, after extensive
repair. The chancel was almost rebuilt by Mr. T. T. Berney,
the impropriator.
18.—A rowing match, for five guineas a side, took place
between the Revenge, six oars, and the Lion, four oars. The
course was from Carrow to Whitlingham and back. The Revenge
won.
25.—At Blickling Races a silver cup was for the
first time offered for competition by horses ridden in a regiment
or troop of Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry.
28.—The organ erected at St. Andrew’s Church,
Norwich, was opened by Dr. Beckwith. A grand selection from
the works of Handel was played upon the instrument, and upwards
of £120 was collected.
31.—At Holkham, from October 31st to November 17th, Mr.
Coke and seven other guns killed 1,131 hares, 214 pheasants, 366
partridges, 983 rabbits, 30 woodcock, 12 wood pigeons, and 5
snipe.
9.—A woman, named Mary Hudson, aged 35, escaped from
Norwich City Gaol under extraordinary circumstances. She
made a hole through the wall of the room in which she was
confined, and crept through it into the street, taking her six
months old infant with her. The wall was two feet in
thickness, and she must have been employed some nights in making
the aperture. The bricks were concealed beneath her bed,
and the loose rubbish put into the pillowcase. Another bed
served to conceal the hole in the wall. In the hue and cry
advertisement, offering a reward of ten guineas for her
recapture, it was stated that a Yarmouth hawker and pedlar, named
Thomas Cocks, “who frequently feeds cocks for fighting in
Norfolk and Suffolk,” was suspected of having assisted the
woman to escape. There is no record of her recapture.
15.—Swaffham Coursing Meeting took place. It was
described as “the most successful meeting since the renewal
of coursing here.” Two hundred persons attended the
ball.
24.—The Wymondham troop of Yeomanry Cavalry presented a
valuable sword to the commanding officer, Capt. John Darell.
10.*—“The lay clerks of Norwich Cathedral have
lately had their salaries augmented £12 each, being only
the second advance since the time of Henry VIII.”
17.—From Saturday, the 17th, to Saturday, the 24th, the
Newmarket mail coach, owing to the heavy fall of snow, did not
arrive in Norwich with the letters until after the departure of
the coaches for London. Great inconvenience was occasioned
thereby in commercial circles.
21.—Died, aged 18, Miss Fisher, only daughter of Mr.
Fisher, of the Newmarket Theatre, and formerly of Norwich.
24.*—(Advt.) “A main of cocks will be fought
at the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich, on Tuesday and Wednesday,
the 3rd and 4th of January, 1809; to show 31 mains, to fight for
ten guineas a battle, and 100 the odd battle. Likewise to
show ten bye cocks for five guineas a battle, and two turn
outs. Feeders, Lamb, Norfolk; Cock, Norwich.”
31.—John Gulley, Tom Crib, and Tom Belcher gave a
boxing exhibition at Norwich before an audience of 800
persons.
Col. Robert Harvey, not being joined by a sufficient number of
the Volunteers under his command to permit of its becoming a
battalion of Local Militia, he resigned his commission, and was
succeeded by Lieut.-Col. De Hague.
14.*—“The orders lately come down to Norwich,
besides affording constant employment to most of the
manufacturing poor for nearly twelve months, will in the
different branches of labour diffuse upwards of £40,000 in
earnings, exclusive of the amount circulated for combing and
spinning.”
15.—The Norwich Volunteer Infantry, commanded by
Lieut.-Col. De Hague, was formed into a battalion of five
companies of 60 men each.
25.—A “grand operatical romance,” entitled
“The Forty Thieves,” was produced for the first time
at Norwich Theatre, with scenery specially painted by Dixon.
28.*—(Advt.) “A card. Mr. Lambert,
from Leicester, respectfully informs the ladies and gentlemen of
Norwich and its vicinity that he arrived on Sunday at Mr.
Leeche’s, at the King’s Head, where he will see
company from 11 to 2, from 3 till 6, and from 7 till 9 each
day. Admission one shilling each.” Lambert died
on Wednesday, June 21st, 1809, at Stamford. He was in his
40th year, and weighed 52 stones 11 lbs.
28.—In consequence of a rapid thaw, the low lying parts
of Norwich were flooded. “Some of the houses were six
or seven feet under water,” and boats were rowed in the
street at St. Martin-at-Oak. The marshes below Norwich were
so inundated that the course of the river could not be traced,
and the barge proceeding to Yarmouth had to return, in
consequence of the men being unable to find the channel.
30.—During a violent gale a stack of chimneys fell on
the roof of an old house in Cockey Lane, Norwich. Mr. and
Mrs. Graham were buried in the ruins and killed. On the
same night a large tree in Sprowston Park was blown down.
It was planted the day King Charles was beheaded, January 30th,
1649.
3.—Mr. S. Mitchell (as nominee for the Wymer Ward,
Norwich) obtained judgment in the Court of King’s Bench, by
which it was ruled that Militiamen out on duty, but having
dwellings in the city in which their families lived, had a right
to vote at ward elections.
7.—A stage coach, owned by Mr. Wm. Funnell, and
known as the Lynn and Norwich Telegraph, commenced running.
It left the Star Inn, Lynn, on Tuesdays and Fridays at eight
a.m., and arrived at the Woolpack Inn, Norwich, at eight
p.m. It ran by way of Grimston, Great Massingham, Rougham,
Litcham, Mileham, Stanfield, Brisley, Elmham, Billingford,
Bawdeswell, Lenwade Bridge, Attlebridge, and Drayton. The
return journey was on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
24.—Died, at his house in Bruton Street, London, aged
85, the Right Hon. the Earl of Orford. His lordship was the
nephew of the famous Sir Robert Walpole, afterwards Earl of
Orford. For many years he sat in the House of Lords as
Baron Walpole of Wolterton. On the death of Horace, Earl of
Orford, he succeeded to the Barony of Houghton, the Earldom
becoming extinct, but he was afterwards created Earl of
Orford. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Lord Walpole,
who was for many years member for Lynn. General Walpole,
who concluded the treaty with the Maroons in Jamaica, who
seconded Mr. Tierney in his duel with Mr. Pitt, and who was one
of Mr. Fox’s secretaries, was a younger son of the deceased
Earl. The remains were brought from London for interment in
the family vault at Wolterton. The funeral procession
passed through Norwich on March 10th in the following
order:—“Four horsemen preceding the Earl’s
coronet, borne on a cushion of crimson velvet by a person on
horseback, bare headed; then the body in a hearse, surmounted
with plumes and drawn by six horses, followed by a mourning coach
and six; his lordship’s coach and six, with blinds up, and
servants on horseback closed the procession.” The
great bell of St. Peter Mancroft, and the bells of other churches
tolled as the procession passed through the city.
28.—The Norwich Squadron of Light Horse Volunteers had
just concluded their drill on Mulbarton Common, when Capt.
Darell’s hounds drove a stag across the parade
ground. The Volunteers at once joined in the chase,
“to which it will readily be conceived their numbers and
appearance gave a great éclat.” The
stag was taken alive in a shed at Mangreen, after a run of 3
hours 10 minutes.
Died, this month, Mr. John Wagstaffe, of Bawburgh. He
was the author of a poem, entitled “Stonehenge,”
dedicated to his friend and neighbour, Mr. Edward Jerningham.
3.—A trotting match took place between Young Adonis, a
colt belonging to Mr. James Neeve, of Terrington St. Clement, and
an eight year old horse, Hue and Cry, owned by Mr. James Mathew,
of the same place. The stakes were £20 a side, and
the distance five miles. The colt, which carried 13 stones,
covered the distance in 19 minutes, and won.
10.—A meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, at which resolutions were passed, thanking Col. Wardle
and his supporters for their conduct in Parliament, respecting
the charges preferred against the Duke of York.
21.—A new peal of bells was opened at Wiveton. The
tenor, weighing upwards of 11 cwts., was cast and hung by Mr. Wm.
Dobson, of Downham Market.
22.—The postmasters announced that “from the
wonderfully high prices of horses, hay, corn, &c.,”
they were “under the disagreeable necessity of charging
eighteen pence per mile from this date.”
27.—Died, aged 32, in Arras prison, John Rising, sixth
son of Mr. Robert Rising, of Somerton Hall. He commanded
the Vanguard letter of marque, which was captured, on her return
from Trinidad, off Beachy Head, by the Ambuscade, after a
desperate resistance. The remains of the deceased were
followed to the grave by upwards of 200 Englishmen.
9.—The six regiments of Norfolk Local Militia assembled
for 28 days’ training at Norwich, Yarmouth, Lynn, and
Swaffham.
11.—Notice was issued of an intended application to
Parliament for an Act for erecting a bridge over the river
Wensum, at or near the Foundry, in the parish of St. Peter per
Mountergate, Norwich, for making roads for connecting the bridge
with the Thorpe turnpike road and the Castle Hill, and for
raising money to carry the Act into execution. A petition
for leave to bring in a Bill was presented in the House of
Commons in February, 1810, and on March 13th the Bill was read a
second time, and committed. It was announced on April 14th
that the measure had passed the House of Commons, and been read a
first time in the House of Lords. On April 18th, the Bill
received the Royal assent. The first stone of the bridge
was laid on August 6th by Alderman Jonathan Davey, the projector
of the undertaking. The contractor was Mr. Mendham, of
Holt.
12.—On this day the thermometer stood at 80 degrees in
Norwich.
13.—The Rev. Charles Millard appointed Chancellor of the
Diocese of Norwich, on the resignation of the Rev. Henry
Bathurst.
19.—The officers of the Lynn Freebridge Legion presented
a sword to their commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. Taylor.
3.—Died, aged 49, John Christmas Beckwith, Mus. Doc.,
organist of Norwich Cathedral and St. Peter Mancroft. On
the 7th, “the remains of this eminent musician were
interred in St. Peter’s Church under the organ, agreeable
to his own desire.” His son, Mr. John Beckwith,
succeeded him in both appointments.
7.—Died, in his 68th year, at his house in St. Saviour,
Norwich, Mr. Thomas Watson, who served the office of Sheriff in
1789, and of Mayor in 1790.
17.—Mr. Bannister appeared at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich, in his entertainment, “Bannister’s Second
Budget for 1809.”
18.—Miss Booth, a well-known Norwich musician, elected
organist at the Octagon Chapel, in the place of Mr. John
Beckwith.
19.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. An improved
turnip drill, made by Mr. Coke’s blacksmith (Mann), was
exhibited. “By this drill
the oilcake dust and turnip seed are kept separate till they come
into the funnels, from which they combine and fall into the
drills.” A manure drill cart, invented by Blyth, of
Norwich, was also shown. “This implement first
ploughs the soil, deposits the manure, and sows the seed after
it, and both are instantly buried up.” It was worked
by two horses and three men. Mr. Lester, of Paddington,
exhibited a working model of a newly-invented machine for
separating the corn and seeds from the straw and chaff.
20.—Guild Day at Norwich. Mr. Thomas Back was
sworn in as Mayor, and entertained 640 guests at the Guild feast
in St. Andrew’s Hall. At the ball at Chapel Field
House the dancing was opened by the Mayor and Mrs. William
Jerningham. The prisoners in the city gaol thanked the
Mayor “for one guinea on the Guild Day, and for a plentiful
basket of meat from the hall, which was equally divided amongst
them.”
26.—The Bishop of Norwich confirmed 800 persons at the
Cathedral.
27.—Swaffham Races re-established with great
success. Four plates were run for on this and the next day,
and several of the horses were from Newmarket.
“Public ordinaries were provided at the different inns;
that at the Crown was attended by a select party of 68 ladies and
gentlemen. At seven the former retired to their toilettes,
and at about nine o’clock proceeded to the assembly-room,
where the company numbered 200 persons. The ball was opened
by Mr. P. Hamond and Miss Upcher.”
Brooke House (with 170 acres of land), formerly the residence
of Sir Roger Kerrison, was this month purchased by Mr. Thomas
Kett, of Seething, for £16,010.
5.—Arrived, at Yarmouth, part of the 40 sail of
transports, for the purpose of receiving on board the 2nd
Battalions of the 11th and 59th Regiments of Foot, the 1st
Battalion of the 79th, and other regiments for the
Expedition.
11.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, George Hubbard was
indicted for stealing a pair of velveteen breeches.
“The offence being for a grand larceny the prisoner was
allowed to plead the benefit of clergy.” He was
sentenced to six months’ solitary confinement and to be
publicly whipped.
12.—A curious case was tried at the Norfolk Quarter
Sessions. In the course of the inquiry into the conduct of
the Duke of York in September, 1808, it was stated that a Mrs.
Sinclair Sutherland had written to his Royal Highness to induce
him, “for certain reasons,” not to permit Major
Turner, 3rd Dragoon Guards, to sell out in favour of Lieut.
Sitwell until the following March. In consequence of this
communication, Major Turner’s resignation was not accepted
until some months after it had been sent in. Major Turner
went to reside at Buckenham, in this county. Owing to the
annoyance to which he was subjected by Mrs. Sutherland, who, it
was alleged, had been under his protection, he appeared in court
and moved to exhibit articles of the peace against her. The
court ordered the defendant to enter into her own
recognisances of £100 and to keep the peace for one
year. At the Quarter Sessions on October 4th, Major Turner
exhibited fresh articles against Mrs. Sutherland, and stated that
seven days after entering into her recognisances she again
appeared at his house and committed a breach of the peace.
The court thereupon ordered Mrs. Sutherland to find two sureties
of £100 each, and to keep the peace for twelve
months. Not being prepared with her bond, she was committed
to Norwich Castle, but was afterwards released upon two Norwich
gentlemen agreeing to be bound for her.
15.—Mr. Incledon appeared at the Theatre Royal, Norwich,
in his entertainment, in three parts, entitled, “A Voyage
to India.” A recitation was given by Mr. Powell,
formerly of Norwich Theatre, and of Drury Lane Theatre.
22.—A duel was fought, “in a grove near Norwich,
between Mr. B . . . n and Mr. L . . b . . t, both of Norwich, in
consequence, we understand, of their paying their addresses to
the same young lady. The parties fired, but neither
received any injury, after which a reconciliation took place, and
Mr. L. resigned his pretensions to the fair lady.”
24.—A letter was received by the Commandant of the
Norwich Volunteer Infantry, from the Lord Lieutenant of the
County, “signifying his Majesty’s intention not to
make any further allowance for clothing to Volunteer corps, and
desiring to know whether the Norwich Volunteers would consider
themselves a corps, or transfer their services to the Local
Militia?” The Colonel replied “that they would
continue their services as long as his Majesty would be pleased
to accept them and their present clothing held out.”
29.—It was announced that Mr. Henry Aston Barker,
“who painted the pictures of London, Paris, Constantinople,
Edinburgh, Dublin, Cairo, &c.,” exhibited in Leicester
Square, London, had drawn “a panoramic view of Norwich and
the surrounding country, as seen from the Castle Hill,
accompanied by a perspective view of the Castle, engraved in
stroke by Mr. Williams.”
31.—The annual exhibition of the Norwich Society of
Artists was opened in Sir Benjamin Wrenche’s Court.
—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich, the case of
the King v. Larke, Mileham, and others was tried.
This was a prosecution for rioting in a Dissenting meeting-house
at Aylsham, and for an assault upon a preacher, named Joseph
King, on Sunday evening, March 13th, 1808. The defendants
behaved in a very disorderly manner in the chapel, and carried
off the minister by force to the Dog Inn. The case was
settled by the defendants apologising to the prosecutor in open
court, and by paying the costs of the prosecution.
—At the same Assizes, Lord Chief Justice Mansfield had
before him the action, Leathes, clerk, v. Baker. It
was brought by the Rector of Reedham, under a statute of Edward
VI., to recover treble the value of the tithes of corn grown on
the defendant’s farm there, in 1808, and involved in
dispute a sum of between £300 and £400. The two
main points which the plaintiff endeavoured to substantiate were,
first, that the tenant had not set out the tithes according to
law; and, secondly, if set out, it was done fraudulently and
unfairly. It was proved that in one field defendant cut the
whole crop, tithed and carried a part on one day, and the
remainder on the following day. The Judge ruled that this
mode of tithing was contrary to law, and said he was sorry to be
obliged to direct the special jury to find for the
plaintiff. The jury, after requesting his lordship to
inform them what was the lowest sum they could award, so as not
to subject the defendant to costs, assessed the amount at
£8. A similar action was brought by the same
plaintiff at the Lent Assizes at Thetford, on March 19th, 1810,
against a farmer, named Maddison, when the jury found for the
defendant. At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich, on
August 13th, 1810, before the Lord Chief Justice, Baker brought
an action against Mr. Leathes, to recover damages for
inconvenience and loss sustained by him in 1808, by reason of the
defendant allowing his tithes to remain and rot on the
plaintiff’s land. A verdict was given for Baker,
damages, £150. At the same Assizes, Mr. Leathes
brought an action against a farmer, named Long, for not setting
out his tithes according to law. Verdict for the plaintiff,
damages, £12.
31.—The Grand Jury for the County held a meeting, at
which renewed efforts were commenced to procure the removal of
the Lent Assizes from Thetford to Norwich. It was decided
to petition Parliament with that object. At Norwich Quarter
Sessions, on October 3rd, the Grand Jury made a presentment,
asking the city magistrates to co-operate with the county
justices. On October 11th, the Norwich Corporation resolved
to aid the county in the application to Parliament, and in
February, 1810, a petition in favour of the removal was presented
in the House of Commons by Mr. Patteson.
6.—A wedding “of an unusual kind was celebrated at
Swaffham. The bride and bridegroom, young persons, were
both quite blind.”
10.—Races took place at Mattishall. A purse,
“given by the town,” was won by a horse, named Lord
Paget, owned by Mr. Carter, a well-known leader of sport in the
district.
14.—Died, at his seat at Costessey, aged 74, Sir William
Jerningham, Bart., (“subject to the decision now pending in
the House of Lords”) Baron Stafford, of Stafford
Castle. He was succeeded in his title and estate by his
eldest son, Mr. George Jerningham, Haughley Park.
15.—News was received at Norwich of the victory of the
British Army in Spain, under Sir Arthur Wellesley.
16.—The first division of the West Norfolk Militia
marched into Norwich from Colchester, under the command of
Lieut.-Col. Nelthorpe. The second division, commanded by
Capt. Barnham, arrived next day. The regiment, which had
not been stationed in Norwich for nearly 30 years, had the Earl
of Orford as its colonel-in-chief.
4.—One hundred prisoners of war, from Flushing, arrived
at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, from Yarmouth, and next day
proceeded on their route to Norman Cross.
Among them were several officers, and their wives and families,
who were sent to Northampton and Chesterford. They
expressed their gratitude to the Mayor, magistrates, and
citizens, for the humane treatment they had received in
Norwich.
13.—Overstrand Hall was purchased by Lord Suffield for
£16,510.
16.*—“Mr. Laverock Love, a young officer of the
Aboukir, only 18 years of age (son of Mr. Love, surgeon, of East
Dereham, in this county), had the command of a launch at the
bombardment of Flushing, and was the first who fired a
shot. Letters have been received from several of his
brother officers, speaking in the highest terms of his intrepid
gallantry.”
21.—A plan for the regulation of the Cattle Market was
adopted by the Corporation of Norwich.
3.—H.R.H. the Duke of York left Buckenham Lodge, the
seat of General Sir J. Pulteney, to whom he had been on a visit
for the shooting.
7.*—(Advt.) “This day the ‘Norwich and
Yarmouth Courier’ will be published and ready for delivery
on the arrival of the mail, at the ‘Courier’ Office,
late Post Office, Market Place, Norwich, containing the same news
as the London papers delivered on Saturday in Norwich, and, of
course, such as cannot appear in any country paper till the
following week. A newspaper, gratis, sent post free to
every advertiser.”
11.—The Corporation of Norwich voted a loyal address of
congratulation to his Majesty, on his entering, on October 25th,
upon the 50th year of his reign. It was decided by nine
votes to eight not to celebrate the Jubilee “by roasting a
bullock in the Market Place and giving away 10 barrels of
beer”; and the aldermen negatived a proposal to appropriate
a sum out of the Corporation revenues to secure the discharge of
certain debtors, as a means of commemorating the event.
17.—Three newly-erected paper mills at Elsing
“were set to work on an entirely new principle.”
19.—Died, in an obscure apartment in the White Hart
Yard, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, Mr. Robert Fenn.
“In the early part of his life his company was sought after
and welcomed by persons of high rank in the sporting line.
He possessed great skill as a marksman, and had the best method
of training dogs. As a tavern companion he was jocular,
facetious, and replete with anecdote, entertaining the company,
and inspiring mirth with his oddities and
eccentricities.” He was in his 75th year.
20.—The worsted and silk and worsted manufacturers of
Norwich granted the weavers an increase of wages, involving an
additional expenditure of £5,000 per annum.
22.—A new altar-piece, of Gothic design, the work of Mr.
Copping, of St. Stephen’s, Norwich, was erected in
Braconash Church.
25.—Celebration of the Jubilee of George
III. The Mayor (Mr. Thos. Back) and the Corporation of
Norwich attended service at the Cathedral. At the
conclusion of the service the civic procession returned to the
Guildhall, and the garrison and Volunteers fired a feu de
joie on the Castle Ditches. The Mayor entertained 340
guests at dinner at St. Andrew’s Hall. A baron of
beef, weighing 172 lbs., surmounted by the Union flag, was
brought in by four grenadiers, who bore it twice round the hall
to the air of “The Roast Beef of Old England,” and
then placed it upon the head table. Before the company
separated it was resolved “that, as a testimony of respect
for the Mayor and particularly for his conduct on this day, he be
requested to have his portrait painted.” Numerous
benevolent movements were instituted in celebration of the
Jubilee. One was the relief of about thirty poor citizens,
with large families, who were liable to have their persons and
effects seized under an execution of the Court of Requests, for
various small debts, ranging from 5s. to 40s., and the whole
amounting to between £26 and £27. The day was
celebrated at Yarmouth, Lynn, and other towns in the county.
28.*—“A lover of improvements requests us to hint
that what has been improperly termed Cockey Lane (Norwich) for a
long time, should, in consequence of the recent alterations,
assume a new appellation, by terming it Market Street or some
other appropriate name.” (The thoroughfare here
referred to is now known as London Street.)
—*“The harriers belonging to Mr. T. Thompson, of
Bergh Apton, had last week one of the severest and longest chases
they have yet experienced. Mr. Dyke’s famous horse
died in the field long before the death of the hare, and three
other capital horses were very badly knocked up at the same
time. Only a few of the most dashing sportsmen could keep
within sight of the hounds.”
29.—Died, at Earlham Hall, in his 60th year, Mr. John
Gurney. His remains were interred on November 3rd at the
Gildencroft burial ground, Norwich, in the presence of an immense
concourse of citizens.
2.—After the interval of seven years, a Musical Festival
was held at Norwich. The opening performance on Thursday,
2nd, consisted of the production of the “Messiah” at
the church of St. Peter Mancroft; and in the evening a grand
miscellaneous concert was given at the Theatre. On Friday,
3rd, “Sampson” was performed at the church, where
also in the evening were rendered selections from various
oratorios. The Festival concluded on Saturday evening, the
4th, with a miscellaneous concert at the Theatre. The
principal vocal performers were Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan, Miss Booth,
Mr. Gross, and Mr. Elliott. Professor Hague, of Cambridge,
led the band, and Mr. Beckwith was conductor. The admission
to the church was:—Middle aisle, 5s.; side aisles, 3s. 6d.,
but no money was taken at the door.
11.*—“The pleasant town of Diss has lately
undergone so much improvement as is scarcely to be conceived, the
streets having been entirely new paved, the roads much
improved, and all obstructions by the projection of houses and
shops removed. It will also be shortly lighted in such a
manner as to render it as complete a town as any in the
county.”
18.*—“Died, lately, at Warham, in his 73rd year,
Capt. Isaac Eglis Warren. He was a volunteer in the siege
of Quebec, and it was his solemn task to support on the rock and
witness the last moments of the immortal Wolfe.”
20.—Died, Sir Philip Stephens, Bart., of Horsford, in
his 80th year. He was 52 years secretary to the Admiralty
Office, and was afterwards one of the Lords of the
Admiralty. He possessed large estates in Norfolk, Suffolk,
Essex, and Middlesex.
25.*—“Some idea of the extent of Norfolk farms may
be formed when it is known that one occupier in the western
district last year expended more than £1,100 for only one
sort of manure (brought many miles), notwithstanding the immense
quantity made at home, and the great number of sheep annually
folded on the grounds. On another farm, 25 acres are
consumed in roads crossing the lands.”
2.—At the King’s Head Inn, Norwich, an estate near
Harleston, consisting of 120 acres of moderate land, was sold by
auction for 5,990 guineas. The purchaser had also to pay a
considerable sum for timber growing upon the estate. A
short time previously 22 acres of “unmixed and widely lying
land” near Aylsham, and by no means of the best quality,
fetched nearly 2,000 guineas; the timber was taken by
valuation.
12.—Died, in his 80th year, Mr. John Dalrymple, formerly
a merchant in Norwich. “He was a native of Scotland,
and descended of an honourable family, set immediately at
Thornhill, in Dumfries. His manly body was inhabited by a
noble soul, for he was a model of probity, constancy, fortitude,
and disinterestedness. To his fellow-citizens he presented,
during a long and difficult career, an example of zealous and
unshaken adherence to the cause of liberality.” Mr.
Dalrymple was a steward of the Scots Society, founded in Norwich
by Dr. John Murray.
19.—Mr. Saunder’s Equestrian Company opened their
season’s engagement at the Pantheon, Ranelagh Gardens,
Norwich, “with a stud of horses, all cream coloured, late
the property of his Majesty.”
23.—Accounts were received at Yarmouth of the evacuation
of the island of Walcheren by the British troops, 5,000 of whom
died of fever after the capture of Flushing.
—Intelligence was received of the successful attack on
the enemy’s forts at Cortelasso, between Venice and
Trieste, by Capt. Hoste, of the Amphion frigate, who on August
24th captured ten Venetian gun boats and other prizes.
—News reached Norwich of the loss of the Glory, outward
bound East Indiaman, Capt. Horatio Beevor, with all the officers,
crew, and passengers.
30.*—“The quantity of turkies sent up to
town from Norwich within the last ten days amounted to no less
than 30 tons weight, which, averaging each bird at 12 lbs., the
number would amount to 6,000.”
6.—The estate of Sir R. Kerrison, deceased, at Thorpe,
was sold for £38,219. Carrow Abbey House, with
32½ acres of land, was purchased by Mr. P. M. Martineau
for £2,020.
8.—A prize fight took place at Thorpe, between Chapman
and Pegg, “noted bruisers.” It ended in the
defeat of Pegg, who sustained a broken jaw.
9.—His Majesty’s ship Nemesis struck on
Happisburgh Sand. On the following day her guns were thrown
overboard, and she was floated off.
18.—Died, in his 76th year, Mr. John Mitchell, of New
Houghton. “His favourite mule, over 34 years old, at
the request of the deceased, went in procession to the grave, and
was to have been shot immediately after his return, but through
the humane intercession of his granddaughter, Miss Young, the
life of this excellent animal was saved, with the promise never
to suffer it to be again used.” By a singular
coincidence, Mr. Reynolds, surgeon, of Massingham, while in the
act of attending on Mr. Mitchell, died suddenly of the same
complaint to which the patient succumbed.
20.—A reconciliation dinner was held by the corn growers
and buyers at the King’s Head Inn, Norwich. Mr. Crisp
Brown presided. Among the toasts were “May the Buyers
and Sellers in future meet together in friendship,” and
“May the enemies of reconciliation keep a cold water club
by themselves.” A second dinner was held at the
King’s Head on March 3rd, under the presidency of Mr.
Fellowes.
—*(Advt.) “To be seen at the Angel Inn,
Market Place, Norwich, where he will arrive this day, that most
wonderful and surprising Yorkshire youth, 17 years of age, 7 ft.
6 ins. high, and who weighs upwards of 24 stones, who has had the
honour to be introduced to their Majesties and the Royal Family
at Windsor, where he was most graciously received and
entertained.”
25.—At a meeting of corn and coal merchants, held at the
King’s Head Inn, Norwich, it was resolved, in consequence
of the numerous depreciations committed on the river between
Norwich and Yarmouth, not to employ any vessel after March 1st,
the hatches of which were not secured by locks and iron
bars. It was further resolved that every lock be sealed by
the merchant before the vessel started upon its voyage.
1.—Died, the eccentric John Fransham, of Norwich.
He was well versed in Latin, Greek, and mathematics, of which for
many years he was a teacher.
—Died, in her 59th year, Mrs. Martineau, wife of Mr.
Philip Meadows Martineau. (Mr. Martineau was re-married on
February 18th, 1811, at St. Peter Permountergate Church, Norwich,
by the Rev. C. Elwin, to Mrs. Somers Clarke, of Tasburgh.)
3.—Bagshaw’s menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Ditches, Norwich.
4.—Died, at Gunton, in his 77th year, the Right Hon.
Lord Suffield, who represented Norwich from 1756 to 1786.
10.—Mr. and Mrs. Bowles terminated their theatrical
career at Norwich Theatre, and took their farewell benefit.
There was a crowded audience, and the receipt of the house
amounted to £160 15s. 6d. “Equally respectable
in private as in public life,” said the newspaper notice,
“their success in the scholastic line will, we trust, be as
flattering and substantial as that of the drama.” On
March 10th, Mr. Bowles advertised the academy conducted by
himself in Queen Street, Great Yarmouth. On July 27th,
1811, it was announced: “Mr. Bowles, of Yarmouth and late
of the Theatre Royal, Norwich, qualified as a dissenting minister
at the last Quarter Sessions.”
14.—The East Dereham Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry presented
to Capt. John Crisp a silver cup, “as a mark of respect for
his conduct during the twelve years he had commanded
them.”
20.—At a general meeting of the Norfolk Agricultural
Society, it was resolved to petition Parliament against the Bill
for prohibiting distillation from grain.
22.—Died, at his house on Castle Meadow, Norwich, aged
74, Mr. William Foster, attorney. “He was a promoter
of most of the public charities in the city, and the founder of
many of them.”
24.*—“A farm near Norwich, belonging to the
Corporation, and containing not more than 77 acres of profitable
land, was lately hired at the astonishing sum of £263 per
annum; and the tithes, being all arable land, have long been 7s.
6d. per acre.”
28.—This day was observed as one of solemn fast and
humiliation. At Norwich, “nearly all the shops were
shut up, and Divine service performed at all the churches.
The market was held on Tuesday, instead of Wednesday.”
3.*—“There is now living at Oxburgh, in this
county, William Durrant, a gardener, who yearly eats 1,095 red
herrings, chews 18 lbs. of tobacco, and, to give his nose
pleasure, takes 365 ozs. of snuff. The total sum of
tobacco, snuff, and red herrings is £13 18s.
10d.”
—*(Advt.) “A main will be fought at
the Fleece Inn, Wells, on Monday and Tuesday, the 19th and 20th
inst., between the gentlemen of Norfolk and Wells. To show
31 cocks and 10 byes, and to fight for 10 gs. the battle and 100
the odd; to make four in goes. Feeders: Fisher for Norfolk,
Lamb for Wells.”
10.*—“During the last eleven months, the period of
Miss Harriett Howell’s visits to this city, three schools
have been established in Norwich, in which no fewer than 294
children are now educated on the plan advocated by Mr. J.
Lancaster.”
—*“A drover, near Norwich, has attended the market
at Smithfield for 25 years, in which time he has ridden on those
journeys alone 126,000 miles.”
—A court martial was held on his Majesty’s ship
Utile on a seaman belonging to the Désirée,
“at his own request,” for striking an officer and
using mutinous language. He was sentenced to death.
19.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, Thomas
William Middleton, for embezzling money the property of Messrs.
Gurney and Co., by whom he was employed as clerk, at Fakenham,
was sentenced to 14 years’ transportation.
—The panorama, by Serries, of the town and port of
Boulogne “with the flotilla, designed to invade this
country, at anchor in the outer road,” was exhibited at
Harper’s Pantheon, Norwich.
22.—Died in St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, aged 57,
Nathaniel Eastaugh, the common crier, and one of the
Mayor’s beadles, “who except one year held the bell
from 1780 up to the time of his death.” He was
succeeded by Anthony Bailey.
23.—Mr. Joseph Lancaster visited Norwich, and at the
Theatre gave lectures on his system of education. At a
meeting at the Guildhall on April 17, a free school for boys, on
Mr. Lancaster’s plan, was established by public
subscription.
—Died in St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, aged 72, David
Kinnebrook, for 40 years master of one of the charity schools,
“who never till his last illness absented himself from the
school for a single day.”
24.—A large meeting of landowners, occupiers, and
Scottish drovers was held at the Rampant Horse Inn, to discuss
the right of the Corporation of Norwich to levy tolls upon cattle
sold or exhibited for sale at the weekly mart on the Castle
Hill. A deputation waited upon the Mayor and the Market
Committee, and on April 11th a further meeting, presided over by
Sir James Beevor, was held for the purpose of defending any
action that might be brought by the Corporation to recover
tolls.
3.—For the benefit of the Norwich Theatrical Fund, a
performance of “The English Fleet in the year 1342,”
and of “the grand seriocomic pantomime, called ‘Don
Juan, or the Libertine destroyed,’” was given at the
Theatre Royal.
12.—Died, aged 60, Mr. Thomas Barber, attorney, 27 years
secretary of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
19.—Tombland Fair took place. It was stated
to be customary on the occasion of this annual event for military
bands to play in the Upper Close, which was used as a fashionable
promenade. The bands of the 5th Dragoon Guards and the
Wiltshire Militia were present on this occasion.
23.—The Norwich, Aylsham, and Cromer coach commenced
running from 21, Lobster Lane, Norwich, to the Red Lion Inn,
Cromer. It left Norwich on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays, and returned on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
Saturdays. The proprietor was Mr. W. Spanton.
28.*—(Advt.) “Cocking. A main will be
fought at the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich, on the 14th and
15th days of May next, between the gentlemen of Norfolk and the
gentlemen of Ipswich, to show 27 mains for six guineas a battle
and 100 guineas the odd; likewise six byes and two turn-outs for
five guineas a battle, to make four in goes. A pair of
cocks in the pit precisely at 12 o’clock. Feeders:
Lamb for Norfolk, Smith for Ipswich.”
30.—A rare fish called the Opah or King-fish
(Chætodes of Linnæus) was found on Mundesley
beach.
—Mr. Patteson presented in the House of Commons a
petition from the Mayor, Alderman, and Justices of Norwich,
against the Bill to alter, explain, and amend the laws in force
respecting bread, and for better regulating the mode of setting
the price thereof out of London. The petition stated that
the proposed Bill would add 4s. to the then allowance of 12s. for
every quarter of wheat, and the baker for his labour, salt,
&c., which would tend to raise the price of bread. The
magistrates had consulted the master and wardens of the Norwich
Bakers’ Company, who declared that the bakers were
perfectly satisfied with the mode of regulating the assize and
with the allowance of 12s. per quarter.
2.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, a man named
Stebbing, of Wymondham, was indicted for using seditious language
in the presence of several persons, some of whom were Militia
men. The prisoner was alleged to have asserted that
“if Buonaparte would come he would be the first man to join
him” and that “Buonaparte was a better man to his
country than King George was to this.” The jury,
“to the surprise of the whole court,” returned a
verdict of not guilty, “and several gentlemen on the bench
expressed their strongest reprobation.” Sergt. Money,
of the Militia, one of the principal witnesses for the
prosecution, was afterwards appointed to an ensigncy in the 4th
Garrison Battalion.
10.—The Victory, 100 guns, Vice-Admiral Sir J. Saumarez,
and seven other sail of the line, sailed from Yarmouth for the
Baltic.
16.—The First Eastern Regiment of the Local Militia,
commanded by Lord Suffield, assembled at Aylsham and marched
thence to Yarmouth for 20 days’ training. The dates
and places of assembly of the other regiments were as
follow:—2nd Eastern Regiment, Col. Patteson, Norwich, May
22nd; 1st Western Regiment, Col. Petre, Norwich, May 17th; 2nd
Western Regiment, Col. Edmund Wodehouse, Lynn, May 21st; 3rd
Western Regiment, Col. Chad, Swaffham, May 10th, whence they marched to Norwich. In consequence of
insufficiency of accommodation at Norwich, three companies of the
3rd Western Regiment marched to Dereham, where the course of
training was completed.
19.*—“One day last week, a young woman, of
Dereham, being strongly attached to a soldier in the 24th
Regiment of Foot, resolved to follow him to the wars, and
habiting herself in man’s attire enlisted by mistake into
the 54th Regiment of Foot recruiting in Norwich. Her sex
was discovered and her intentions frustrated.”
20.—Died in London, aged 81, the Right Hon. Charles Lord
Bayning, of Honingham Hall, a Privy Councillor, and High Steward
of Great Yarmouth. He was succeeded by his son, the Hon.
Charles Frederick Pawlett Townshend.
28.—The birthday of William Pitt was celebrated by the
members of the Castle Corporation, Norwich, and other gentlemen
to the number of 130, in Mr. Bailey’s great room.
2.*—(Advt. ) “A stage waggon sets out from
the warehouse, Tombland, Norwich, every Friday evening, and
arrives at Bury every Saturday, returning from Bury every
Wednesday, and arrives at Norwich early on Friday morning.
The London waggons through Cambridge every Tuesday and
Friday. The Yorkshire waggons come regularly twice a
week.” (Messrs. Marsh were the proprietors of the
Norwich waggons. A similar service of waggons was also run
at about this date by Mack, of Norwich. )
4.—The King’s birthday was observed as
usual. “The prisoners of the city gaol return thanks
to the Mayor and Corporation for the excellent dinner of roast
beef and plum puddings, with plenty of strong ale. Likewise
to numerous unknown passengers for their gifts to the box which
is carried about every Saturday afternoon by a man appointed by
the court to attend on them. And they humbly request the
charitably disposed to put their contributions into the box
themselves, which is locked up by the governor, and its contents
equally distributed by him. They have also another box
outside the gaol which is opened every quarter.”
—Died at his house in Pall Mall, aged 60, the Right Hon.
William Windham, of Felbrigg. Three days before the event
he predicted that he would expire on the King’s
birthday. He represented Norwich in three successive
Parliaments—from 1784 to 1802. The remains of the
deceased statesman arrived in Norwich on their way to Felbrigg on
the 10th. The body lay in state at the Maid’s Head
Inn until the morning of the 11th, when the journey to Felbrigg
was resumed, and the funeral took place there in the
afternoon. In the funeral procession at the church was
“a man bearing a false coffin.”
5.—A cricket match was played between the Norwich Club
and the officers of the Wiltshire Regiment, on the Town Close
ground, Norwich. Norwich, 134; Wiltshire Regiment,
49-43. The return match was played on the same ground on
the 14th. Norwich, 71-150; Wiltshire Regiment, 57-53.
10.—At the burial of a woman, named Bumpstead, at
Thurlton, “it was not a little singular that the husband
and an ass walked to church next the corpse, and also back again
to the house, as chief mourners.”
11.—A prize fight took place at Limpenhoe between John
Green, of Beighton, and David William Rushmer, of Thurlton.
“In the first seven rounds the latter received seven
knock-down blows; but in the eighth he gave the other such a
violent blow that he knocked him out of time and won.”
16.*—“Mr. Alderman Yallop, of Norwich, is the
fortunate holder of an eighth of the ticket, 1,537, which drew a
prize of £1,000 on Friday last. This is the fourth
capital prize Mr. Yallop has had a share of in the different
lotteries.”
19.—Guild-day at Norwich. The Mayor, Mr. John
Steward, entertained 750 guests at dinner at St. Andrew’s
Hall, and 400 attended the ball at Chapel Field House, where
dancing was kept up until two o’clock next morning.
“Several friends of conviviality kept the jovial spirit
alive at the hall till after that late or rather early
hour.”
25.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. One of the
implements exhibited was “a fumigating machine on two
wheels which, in turning, worked a pair of bellows that blew into
an iron cylinder filled with burning sulphur, and shavings or
sawdust, and perforated at the bottom, which, when pushed over
the land, suffocated the turnip flies, cankers, &c., or
caught them on a tarred cover fixed over the head of the
cylinder.” This remarkable contrivance was exhibited
by a Mr. Plenty, of London.
16.—A cricket match was played on the Town Close ground,
Norwich, between eight of the Norwich Club and thirteen of the
Wiltshire Regiment. Wiltshire Regiment, 72-78; Norwich,
32-69.
20.—A cricket match, for 50 guineas a side, was played
at Swaffham, between the Norwich and Swaffham clubs.
Norwich, 42-26; Swaffham, 67. The return match took place
on the Town Close ground, Norwich, on August 20th. Norwich,
35-51; Swaffham, 55-30.
25.—Mr. Alderson, the City Steward, entertained the
Common Council of Norwich at dinner at his house in St.
Helen’s. The Commons returned the compliment by
entertaining the Steward at the Maid’s Head Inn the
following week.
26.—Died, aged 70, the Rev. William Sheepshanks, rector
of Ovington, and Prebendary of Carlisle. He had been tutor
to Lord Ellenborough, Sir S. Lawrence, the Bishop of Lincoln,
&c., and was the intimate friend of Dr. Paley.
29.—Died in his 73rd year, Mr. John Crisp, of East
Dereham, attorney, clerk to the magistrates, the commissioners,
the deputy lieutenants, &c. He was captain of the
Dereham Yeomanry Cavalry, and his remains were interred with
military honours, at Shipdham, his native place.
2.—Earl Moira and the Countess of Loudon arrived at
Cromer for the bathing season, and on the following day witnessed
a demonstration of the capabilities of Capt. Manby’s
life-saving apparatus.
3.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Corporation it
was resolved “that, having taken into consideration a paper
called ‘Roope’s Weekly Letters,’ No. 9, and
being of opinion that it contains gross libellous matter against
Thomas Back, Esq., late Chief Magistrate, this assembly direct a
prosecution.” On August 18th a meeting of freemen was
held to take such measures “as will best ensure the
election of Mr. Roope as Sheriff for the ensuing
year.” It was announced on August 25th that Mr.
Mills, of Thetford, had been “persuaded” to
discontinue printing the “Weekly Letters.” At
the election of Sheriff on August 28th, Roope was put in
nomination in opposition to Mr. Troughton. The latter was
returned with 625 votes to the former’s 313. Roope
afterwards challenged the City Steward, Mr. Alderson, to fight a
duel, in consequence of his having called him a rascal as he was
leaving the court after the election. An information was
laid against Roope for endeavouring to incite Alderson to commit
a breach of the peace; and at the Quarter Sessions on October
2nd, application was made that his recognisances of £100 in
respect of the libel case be estreated on the ground of his
having committed a fresh breach of the peace by public comments
on Mr. Alderson’s conduct. He was ordered to enter
into fresh recognisances, himself in £200 and to find two
sureties of £100 each, and to keep the peace towards Mr.
Alderson and the public generally. At the Quarter Sessions
on January 15th, 1811, the defendant, for inciting Mr. Alderson
to fight a duel, was fined 40s. and sentenced to one
month’s imprisonment. On June 29th Roope appeared
before the Court of King’s Bench for the libel on Mr. Back,
and was committed to the custody of the Marshal for three months,
and ordered to find sureties for his good behaviour. Roope
died, in his 37th year, on July 4th, 1812. “He
sustained a lingering illness of nearly four months with a
resignation and fortitude highly exemplary, and met the approach
of his last moments with the utmost composure, leaving a widow
and five young children.”
—A trotting match took place between the celebrated
horse Shales, the property of Mr. John Chamberlain, of Magdalene,
and Driver, owned by Mr. Reuben West, of Gaywood. They
started from the South Gates, Lynn, at six o’clock, and
trotted to the ninth milestone on the Swaffham road and
back. At the expiration of an hour Shales had trotted 17
miles, beating the other by about 1½ miles, “with
the greatest of ease, notwithstanding that he was the smaller
horse and carried two stone more weight than the
other.” The stakes amounted to £200.
6.—At Wroxham Water Frolic about one hundred sail of
boats were present.
22.—Mr. Chalmers, a comedian of considerable merit, and
formerly a member of the Norwich Company, was found speechless
upon the doorstep of a house in Worcester. He was removed
to the infirmary, where he died.
27.—A cricket match was played on Hardingham Common
between the gentlemen of Norwich and
Swaffham. Norwich, 32-72; Swaffham, 143.
29.—Died at Lynn, aged 85, Mrs. Middleton, “who
resided 83 years in the house in which she died.”
30.—The Norwich Cricket Club played a match against the
Wiltshire Regiment. Norwich, 88-93; Wiltshire Regiment,
73-92.
7.—Died at Cambridge, Mr. James Bunn, miniature painter,
formerly of the Pantheon and Gardens, Norwich, and for many years
a performer in the Norwich Company of Comedians.
15.*—(Advt.) “Cocking.—To be fought on
Thursday and Friday, the 20th and 21st inst., a main of cocks,
Yarmouth against Beccles. Feeders: Danes for Yarmouth,
Caisey for Beccles. Seven battles each night; five guineas
a battle and ten guineas the odd. All cocks to be pitted at
seven o’clock precisely each night at Cooper’s
bowling-green, North Quay, Yarmouth.”
21.—Died, at Earsham Park, aged 71, Mr. Joseph Windham,
distinguished as a scholar and antiquary.
23.—Died, aged 71, Mr. John Herring, of Norwich.
He served the office of Sheriff in 1786, was elected alderman
October 20, 1798, and Mayor in the following year. He
introduced a scheme for the employment of workhouse children in
spinning wool, by which many hundreds of pounds were annually
raised by them. It was during Mr. Herring’s mayoralty
that the British troops returned from the disastrous expedition
to Holland, and for his humane treatment of them he received the
thanks of Government.
29.—Mr. Francis Morse and Mr. Thomas Troughton were
sworn into office as Sheriffs of Norwich. “Mr. Morse
appeared in his shooting dress, namely a short coat, leather
breeches, &c., and on the Steward proceeding, as usual, to
invest him with the gold chain he refused to put on what he
termed ‘a bauble’; nor would he wear the gown, he
said, unless it was absolutely necessary. Mr. Steward
Alderson observed that his refusal seemed to convey some little
disrespect to the court. Mr. Morse disavowed any individual
disrespect, and said he would perform his office irrespective of
outward forms. He denied having assumed the office.
It was forced upon him in the expectation of obtaining a fine of
£80, as he was convinced there was not a gentleman on the
Bench who believed when the precept was sent to him that he would
serve the office.”
5.—Grand musical performances were given at St.
Andrew’s Church, Norwich, on this and the following
day. The principal vocal performers were Mr. Phillips, of
the Lyceum, Mr. Clouting, and Miss Booth. Mr. Fish was
leader of the band, and Mr. Beckwith was at the organ. The
first part of the programme consisted of selections from
“Judas Maccabeus,” part two of the
“Messiah,” and part three of a
miscellaneous selection. On Saturday evening, the 6th, a
miscellaneous concert was given at the Theatre.
11.—Died at Fulham, aged 73, Mr. Nathaniel Kent, land
agent, and compiler of “The Agricultural Report of
Norfolk.”
17.—The first division of the West Norfolk Militia,
commanded by Capt. Barnham, and on the following day the second
division, commanded by Major Custance, passed through Norwich on
their route to Yarmouth after nearly seven months’ duty
over the French prisoners at Norman Cross.
18.—Died at Southbergh, near Hingham, Mrs. Ann Smyth,
“one of the nominees in the Irish Tontine established by
Act of Parliament in 1773.”
25.—The 51st anniversary of his Majesty’s
accession was celebrated in Norwich by the ringing of bells and
by a military demonstration.
2.—During a severe gale many vessels were lost on the
Norfolk coast. “The beach from Wells to Yarmouth,
covered with wrecks and strewed with the bodies of unfortunates
washed ashore, presented a scene of calamity not easy to
describe.” Another gale and high tide occurred on the
10th. Capt. Manby’s life-saving apparatus was
instrumental in rescuing 18 seamen.
12.—Gustavus Adolphus, ex-King of Sweden, travelling
under the title of Count Gottorp, arrived at Yarmouth from the
Baltic on board the Tartarus sloop, Capt. Mainwaring. He
landed under a Royal salute, and at once set out for London with
Capt. Mainwaring. The ex-King sailed from Yarmouth on his
return to the Continent on March 28, 1811.
13.—The bells of the Norwich churches were tolled from
seven p.m. to nine p.m. on the occasion of the burial of the
Princess Amelia at Windsor.
17.*—“In the parish of Pulham Market are now
living five men whose united ages amount to 436 years, and what
is extraordinary is the five men now go to daily
labour.”
—Died, aged 58, Edward Castleton. “He was
the lineal descendant of Sir William Castleton, of Hingham,
created a baronet in 1641. He died a bachelor and never
assumed the title. For many years he followed the very
humble employment of breeches maker in Lynn, and latterly lived
on a small patrimonial allowance.”
21.—A cause of divorce and separation promoted by Mrs.
Beevor against her husband, came on for further hearing in the
Court of Arches, Doctors’ Commons, when, Mrs. Beevor having
declared that she should proceed no further, the court dismissed
the suit.
8.—At the Norwich Court of Mayoralty the Rev. Edward
Valpy, B.D., second master of Reading School, and rector of
Stanford Dingley, in Berkshire, was elected by the
casting vote of the Mayor, headmaster of the Free Grammar School,
Norwich. The other candidate was the Rev. John Clarke,
M.A., Ingham.
15.—Died, aged 79, at Mortlake, Mrs. Coke, of Hanover
Square, London, mother of Mr. T. W. Coke, of Holkham.
22.—Norwich Market was “glutted” with
turkeys. “The same fowls for which in the morning
14d. per pound was asked, in the afternoon when the last coaches
were going away 9d. per pound would have gladly been taken.
At one coach office 800 hampers were received. Twelve
carriages were laden with poultry and game, and each carriage was
drawn by six horses, and having 10 stages 60 horses were employed
by every coach, which will amount to the astonishing number of
720 horses to draw poultry, sausages, and game sent within three
days from this city to the Metropolis.”
25.—The Mayor and Corporation of Norwich attended
service at the Cathedral on “the feast of the Nativity,
commonly called Christmas Day.” In the afternoon
“most of the churches and chapels were lighted up and
decorated with holly and evergreens, according to antient
custom.”
This year was passed an Act for the better paving, lighting,
cleansing, and watching of Great Yarmouth, for removing nuisances
and annoyances therein, and for making other improvements in the
town.
19.*—“Greatly to the credit of the numerous
population of Norwich the Bridewell doors were thrown open
several days during the present week, there not being a single
person confined for any misdemeanour, a circumstance that has not
before happened for a great number of years.”
A piece of plate, value 100 guineas, was this month presented
by the principal inhabitants of East and West Flegg Hundreds to
the Rev. B. U. Salmon, for his public services as a magistrate,
and as a mark of their individual esteem.
2.—A county meeting, presided over by the High Sheriff,
was held at the Shirehouse, Norwich, when resolutions, stating
the injury that would be sustained by a continuation of the
prohibition of the use of grain in the distilleries, were agreed
to. A committee of landowners and corn growers was
appointed to adopt measures for the protection of the interests
of agriculture. (The Distillery Bill was thrown out by the
House of Lords.)
7.—Died, at Norton Place, near Lincoln, in his 78th
year, Mr. John Harrison, twice member of Parliament for
Thetford.
10.—Died, at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in
his 79th year, the Rev. Neville Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, and
rector of North Runcton.
12.—Died, the Rev. Philip Wodehouse, brother of Lord
Wodehouse, and a Prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, aged 66.
In digging the grave for the interment of the deceased, beneath
the organ loft at the Cathedral, the workmen found, two feet
beneath the surface, a stone coffin enclosing a wooden shell
containing the body of Dean Croft, who died in 1670.
“His remains were found apparently in a perfect state,
excepting the tip of the nose, and the shroud was a little
discoloured.”
16.—Robert Waller and John Kerrison, who were in the
permanent employment of Mr. Lindley, of Catton, were committed to
Aylsham Bridewell for one month’s hard labour, for
“illegally combining to alter and lessen the usual time of
his labourers going and being at work.”
17.—Died, aged 62, John Thompson, lamp lighter of
Norwich. “His lamp of life being out, and all his oil
consumed, he was by his own request buried at St.
Martin-at-Palace at night, all his brethren of the ladder and
torch attending in the funeral procession with their flambeaux to
light him to his long home, in the presence of thousands
assembled on the plain.”
14.—Died, at his seat at Euston, in his 76th year, the
Duke of Grafton. His Grace had been Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge, and Recorder of Thetford and
Coventry.
16.—A complaint was published that the posting masters
in Norfolk charged at the rate of 1s. 9d. per mile, when nowhere
else was the charge more than 1s. 6d.
17.—A disastrous fire occurred at the warehouse of
Messrs. R. and S. Culley, grocers, the Upper Market,
Norwich. The fire engines were inefficient, and the
appliances out of repair. Notwithstanding the exertions of
a detachment of the Royal Artillery, under Capt. Cockburn and
Lieut. Day, the fire communicated with the adjoining premises of
Mr. Freeman, and the two upper storeys of his house were
destroyed. “The Pope’s Head had a wonderful
escape, almost surrounded as it was by fire.” The
damage was estimated at upwards of £5,000.
20.—A general fast was observed. Business was
suspended in Norwich, where the churches and chapels were
numerously attended, and collections made for the relief of
British prisoners in France.
23.—The county magistrates examined plans for the
erection of a lunatic asylum, and accepted those of Mr. William
Brown, architect, of Ipswich.
25.—At the Norfolk Assizes, which commenced at Thetford,
before Mr. Justice Grose, William Charles Fortescue, Lord
Viscount Clermont, was charged with an assault on Sarah Lumley, a
widow, residing at Saham Toney. His lordship was ordered to
pay a fine of 50 marks to the King.
—At the same Assizes the tithe case, Royle, clerk,
v. Parsley, was heard. The plaintiff, who was rector
of Hilgay and proprietor of the tithes, sought to recover treble
the value of the tithes on eight acres of wheat grown on the
defendant’s farm. The defendant was the only occupier
in the parish who paid the tithes in kind, and it was alleged
that he had not fairly set them out. The jury returned a
verdict for the defendant.
28.—Died, aged 43, Lady Elizabeth, wife of
Lieut.-General Loftus, and daughter of the Marquis Townshend.
30.*—“This week a main of 41 battles (of which 31
came in fray) was fought at the King’s Head Inn, Norwich
(Norwich against Cambridgeshire) for 10 guineas the battle, and
100 the odd. Neither, however, were winners, each having
won 15 battles, and the odd battle being a draw.”
2.—Miss Greenfield, an actress, made her first
appearance at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
2.—A Lancasterian free school was opened in College
Court, St. Martin-at-Palace, Norwich, for 420 boys.
6.—The receipts at Norwich Theatre on the occasion of
the benefit of the manager, Mr. Hindes, amounted to £177
15s.
9.—Mr. J. Moreton, formerly of the Norwich Theatre, died
at Woolwich, in his 62nd year.
11.—Miss Biffin, born deficient of arms and legs, was
exhibited in a booth at Tombland Fair, Norwich. She had
previously displayed her powers in miniature painting and
needlework at the Angel Inn.
15.—Died in St. Simon’s, Norwich, aged 86, James
Fuller, who was for 51 years clerk of that parish. His
funeral was attended by all the parish clerks in the city.
21.—Interred at St. Saviour’s Church, Norwich, the
remains of William Andrews, aged 85, many years sexton of the
parish. The funeral was attended by 22 sextons of the
city.
26.—Died, at Buckenham, General Sir James Pulteney,
Bart., from the effects of an accidental explosion of a flask of
gunpowder six days previously. He was colonel of the 18th
Regiment of Foot, and had distinguished himself in the American
War. He served on the Continent under the Duke of York, and
was Commander-in-Chief of the unsuccessful expedition against
Ferrol. He was afterwards appointed Secretary of War.
The interest of the money left him by his wife, the Countess of
Bath, amounting to £50,000 per annum, devolved at his death
upon the four children of Mrs. Monkham, who had been divorced
from her husband, a son of the Archbishop of York.
30.—Died in St. Peter Permountergate, Norwich, aged 63,
William Harwin, nearly 40 years superintendent of the Unitarian
Free Schools. “He had published a remarkably concise
system of Stenography.”
4.*—“Lieut. Richard Brunton, of the 43rd Regiment,
son of J. Brunton, Esq., late manager of our
Theatre, is appointed Captain in the 6th Regiment of Portuguese
Cacadores.”
21.—Intelligence received of a brilliant achievement in
the Adriatic by Capt. William Hoste in the Amphion, who with two
frigates and a sloop defeated the combined French and Italian
squadrons of five frigates, a corvette, &c. He captured
and destroyed four of the enemy’s frigates. The
action took place on March 13th.
25.—A Royal license was granted to Elizabeth Barber
Bulwer, widow of Brigadier-General Bulwer, of Wood Dalling and
Heydon, and only child of Richard Warburton Lytton, late of
Knebworth Place, Herts., to take and use the surname and arms of
Lytton in addition to and with those of Bulwer.
—*“This week the churchwardens and officers, and
many of the inhabitants of St. John Maddermarket, St.
Stephen’s, St. Augustine’s, and St. John Timberhill,
went the bounds of their respective parishes, when the usual
ceremonies of bumping and ducking (inside and out) took place
amid the ringing of bells, &c.”
A census was taken in Norwich during this month. The
population was returned as 37,256, an increase since 1801 of
424.
8.—A thunderstorm of great severity occurred in
Norwich.
15.*—“General Money has made an offer to the
Commander-in-Chief to raise 400 rough hussars mounted on Welsh
horses, by men below the army standard, to be embarked in four
months. The object of this corps is to relieve the fine
regiments of Cavalry in the Peninsula from all the harassing
duties of the camp.”
18.—A new Methodist Chapel was opened in Calvert Street,
St. George’s Colegate, Norwich, by the Rev. T. Cooke,
LL.D., successor to the Rev. John Wesley.
—Guild Day at Norwich. “St. Giles’
Broad Street was decorated with streamers, garlands, and
evergreens, whilst old Snap displayed his glittering wings and
gilt tail, and cleared the way for the civic procession to the
Cathedral.” After the service Robert Burrage, senior
pupil at the Free Grammar School, and a “plebeian,”
delivered the customary Latin oration at the school porch, and
Mr. John Hamond Cole, having been sworn in at the Guildhall as
Mayor of the city, entertained a company of 650 at the Guild
feast at St. Andrew’s Hall.
20.—Died, at Athlone, Ireland, aged 38, James Wheeler,
formerly of the Norwich Company of Comedians.
24.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced.
29.—A cricket match was played on Mulbarton Common
between the Ashwelthorpe and Mulbarton teams, “for 22
bottles of cyder and 22 lbs. of cherries.” The
Ashwelthorpe players won.
The East Norfolk Militia, commanded by Col. Wodehouse,
volunteered to serve in Ireland. The Government accepted
their services, and the regiment arrived in Cork in the following
November.
15.—Died, in his 69th year, at his house at Keswick, Mr.
Richard Gurney. The interment took place at the Gildencroft
burial-ground, Norwich.
18.—A cricket match was played on Swaffham race-course
between the gentlemen of Swaffham and the gentlemen of Terrington
for 50 guineas a aids. The match lasted two days.
Swaffham, 122-110; Terrington, 100-69. The return match was
played at Terrington on July 22nd. Swaffham, 44;
Terrington, 22-20. “Even betting on the
match.”
22.—A cricket match was played on the Town Close ground,
Norwich, between the 2nd and 3rd Norwich clubs. 3rd club,
47; 2nd club, 19-42.
—An inquest was held in St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, on
the body of Ann Hammont, aged 28. “She destroyed
herself in a manner very uncommon. She wound a piece of
tape three times tight round her neck, and, finding it
insufficient to effect her purpose, she resolutely put her head
into a tub of water and so completed her suffocation.”
26.—The anniversary meeting of the Norfolk Agricultural
Society was held at East Dereham. In consequence of the
increase of the members (nearly 200) new regulations were made
for conducting the society.
27.—Died at Richmond, Surrey, the Marquis Townshend,
Earl of Leicester, &c., of Rainham. He was President of
the Society of Antiquaries.
3.—Polito’s menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Hill, Norwich.
6.—The portrait of Mr. Thomas Back, ex-Mayor of Norwich,
was placed in St. Andrew’s Hall. It was painted by
Clover, a native of the city.
8.—After the lapse of half a century Heigham Water
Frolic was revived in Norwich.
10.—A prize fight took place at Fakenham between
“the noted” Christopher Cox, of Sculthorpe, and J.
Withers, “the blind boy,” servant to Mr. E. Holman,
of the former place. “After two rounds in which Cox
was confronted by his adversary, the conceit was pretty well
taken out of him. Some little sparring then took place,
when Cox was knocked down by a right hand facer, and after
several other rounds, which were all in favour of Withers, Cox
was completely beat off his legs.”
12.—Between six a.m. and five p.m. two persons caught by
angling near Buckenham Ferry 132 lbs. of perch, bream, and
roach.
13.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Heath,
William Charles Walker, aged 26, was sentenced to death for a
burglary at the shop of Messrs. Dunham and Yallop, silversmiths,
the Market Place.
19.—A cricket match was played on the Town Close
ground between the Norwich club and “the two new ones
united.” Norwich club, 128; united clubs, 84-65.
Molineux, Richmond, and Belcher, “the noted
pugilists,” visited Norwich this month, and “gave
lessons in the science of self-defence.”
3.—Married at North Elmham, Mr. Frost to Miss
Copsey. “The marriage ceremony suffered a delay of
two hours in consequence of the bride not having fully made up
her mind, which occasioned a large assembly of the inhabitants at
the church, before whom at last the knot was tied.”
5.—A comet appeared and remained visible until October
24th.
11th.—The Norfolk and Norwich Auxiliary Bible Society
was instituted at a numerous meeting held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich. The Mayor (Mr. J. H. Cole) presided.
The Bishop of Norwich was appointed president of the Society.
16.—At a meeting held, under the presidency of Lord
Suffield, at the King’s Arms Inn, North Walsham, it was
resolved that the county members be requested to petition
Parliament for a Bill for making a canal from Wayford Bridge to
Lingate Common, North Walsham.
23.—Yarmouth Races commenced, and were attended by
20,000 people.
8.—A grand Musical Festival commenced in Norwich, when a
miscellaneous concert was given at St. Andrew’s Hall.
On the 9th a selection of sacred music was performed in the
church of St. Peter Mancroft. The “Messiah” was
produced on the 10th, selections were given from various
composers on the 11th, and on both evenings concerts took place
in St. Andrew’s Hall. The principal vocalists were
Madame Catalani, Miss Booth, Mrs. Branchi, Mr. Braham, Mr. Goss,
and Mr. Bellamy. The prices of admission were: Single
tickets for the church from the orchestra to the altar, 10s. 6d.;
side aisles, 7s. Single tickets for the hall, for the
division west of the orchestra, 10s. 6d.; other parts, 7s.
The receipts amounted to £1,800.
Died, this month, Mr. Thomas Cooke, of Pentonville, a native
of Norfolk. He bequeathed £6,600 three per cent.
Consols to Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich, expressly to
augment the weekly allowance to the inmates; £1,750 to
Cook’s Hospital; £1,000 to the Norfolk and Norwich
Hospital; and a like sum to the Blind School. He also gave
£2,100 three per cents. to Framlingham Hospital; £700
to Valinger’s Hospital; and £2,300 to St.
James’s Hospital at Lynn, where the testator resided some
years previously. Mr. Cooke was an eccentric character, and
was known as the “Pentonville Miser.”
9.*—“Died, lately, at Scarborough, Mr. Bramwell,
formerly of the Theatre Royal, Norwich.”
16.*—“The Master of the Rolls has appointed Mr.
Charles Knight Murray, eldest son of Mr. Charles Murray, and
grandson of Dr. John Murray, of Norwich, to be second secretary
to his Honour.”
18.—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich
it was resolved, in consequence of the increased prices of grain,
to petition the Prince Regent to cause the distillation of
spirits from corn to be suspended until the sense of Parliament
could be taken thereon. Wheat at that time was quoted at
45s. to 63s.; barley at 20s. to 26s.; oats, 13s. to 17s. per
coomb; malt, 44s. per coomb; and flour, 95s. per sack.
Prices declined soon afterwards.
27.—In the Court of King’s Bench, before Lord
Ellenborough, a rule against Mr. Thomas Hoseason, a magistrate
for the county of Norfolk, for having acted in his own cause in
committing to the house of correction his servant, General
Batterby, there to be kept to hard labour, and publicly whipped,
was discharged on payment of costs.
30.*—“Mr. Angerstein has completely wound up his
extensive mercantile concerns, and retired from business with an
immense fortune, most honourably acquired. One of the last
purchases which he made was a Government annuity of £3,000
on his own life. Weeting Hall, formerly Lord
Montrath’s, was also a recent purchase.”
H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester this month visited Holkham, as
the guest of Mr. T. W. Coke.
10.—At a meeting of the Trafalgar Lodge of Oddfellows,
held at the Three Tuns, St. Andrew’s, Norwich, the floor of
the upper room gave way and precipitated the members into a lower
apartment. “One of the members on finding himself
sinking laid hold of the bars of the fire grate, but he soon
relinquished his hold and dropped on his companions.”
No one was injured. The meeting, at the time of the
accident, had under discussion the question of the desirability
of removing the lodge to other quarters.
28.—An equestrian troupe, under the management of Mr.
Moritz, opened for the season at Harper’s Pantheon,
Norwich.
—Bullock’s Museum of Natural History and
productions of the fine arts was exhibited in the large room at
the Angel Inn, Norwich.
Prices were very high this month. Wheat was quoted at
100s. to 110s.; rye, 46s. to 48s.; barley, 36s. to 47s.; and
oats, 28s. to 32s. per quarter. The average price of wheat
was 53s. 4d. per coomb, and the average price of flour £4
11s. 6d. per sack. Coals were 46s. 4d. per chaldron.
2.—A silver vase, of the value of 200 guineas, was
presented to Sir Edmund Bacon, premier baronet, of Raveningham,
at the Swan Inn, Loddon, by the inhabitants of the Loddon and
Clavering Hundred, as a token of their respect for him as a
magistrate, and in recognition of his valuable services in the
improvement of the roads in the district.
11.*—“The East India Company, on a representation
from the manufacturers of camblets in Norwich, have raised their
order from 16,000 to 22,000 pieces this season, and the
manufacturers have lately advanced the wages of the journeyman
weavers.”
20.—A two days’ cocking match commenced between
the gentlemen of Yarmouth and the gentlemen of Blofield, for
£5 a battle, £20 the odd, and two byes for £10
each. On the first day Blofield won four battles, and
Yarmouth three battles and a bye. On the second day
Yarmouth won four battles, and Blofield three battles and a
bye. “The pit was filled each night, and there was
much betting between the parties.”
30.—A deputation of the citizens waited upon the
Lighting and Watching Committee of the Norwich Corporation to
complain of the inadequate provisions for the public
safety. The committee gave an assurance that the watchmen
should be periodically inspected and an inquiry made whether the
funds of the committee would enable them to give an increased
allowance to watchmen whereby more able men might be appointed,
and the time of watching extended to a later hour.
4.—Died, at the age of 104, John Brown, carpenter, of
Wymondham. “He retained his faculties to the last,
and till within a week or two of his death frequently walked
twenty miles a day.”
5.—A general fast was observed in Norwich.
13.—A Lancastrian school was established on the Denes at
Yarmouth.
27.—Died at Worstead, Mr. Thomas Deeker, “and on
the same day in Pall Mall, London, his brother, who in 1785 twice
ascended in his balloon from Norwich.”
28.*—“The partnership between Messrs. Fisher and
Scraggs having expired the theatre at Thetford was opened for the
season commencing with the Assize week, under the
direction of Mr. Fisher only, with that success which diligence
and long-established integrity merit.”
This month the public lighting of Thetford by voluntary
subscription was inaugurated.
6.—The first annual meeting of the Norwich Association
against Felonies was held at the Guildhall.
7.—Died from the effects of a wound received in the
storming of Badajoz, in his 25th year, Lieut. W. S. Unthank, of
the 44th Regiment, eldest son of Mr. William Unthank, of
Norwich.
15.—Died at Scoulton, Lieut.-General James Hethersett,
in his 77th year. “He was the last surviving officer
who fought by the side of the immortal Wolfe on the day that he
fell.” General Hethersett possessed property of the
value of £80,000.
18.*—“A few days since at Corpusty, aged 102,
Samuel Mog, one of the last survivors of that British Army which
fought under the celebrated General Wolfe at the battle of
Quebec.”
1.—Election of Mayor at Norwich. Mr. Starling Day
was nominated for the office, but asked to be relieved on account
of his advanced age (78). A poll resulted, and on the 2nd
the numbers were declared as follow:—Mr. Day, 761; Mr. R.
Harvey, jun., 757; Mr. Alderman Davey, 566; Mr. Alderman Leman,
507. “Mr. Day sent a message to St. Peter’s
ringers ordering them to cease their triumphant peal, on the
ground that he had declared his intention not to
serve.” Guild Day was fixed for June 16, and the
usual quarterly assembly of the Corporation on the day preceding
it had to be abandoned because the attendance was insufficient to
form a quorum. Mr. Day was sworn into office on the 16th,
but “there was no church, no dinner.” Mr.
Alderman Davey invited the freemen of the Blue and White interest
to dine with him beneath the trees at Eaton Hall. The
guests, 500 in number, “were refreshed on their dusty march
by Mr. Alderman Yallop, at his cottage, with a pint of beer each,
600 of which were swallowed in twenty minutes.”
11.—Died, Mr. Johnson, the venerable parish clerk of St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich, after about 35 years’
service. He was succeeded by James Twiddy, a hairdresser,
who possessed considerable literary ability, and was the author
of many poetical productions and pamphlets on various
subjects.
22.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. Mr. Mann, of
Thornage, was awarded the prize for the best implement of
husbandry, namely, an improved drilling machine.
27.—In the Court of Exchequer, before the Lord
Chief Baron, a prosecution was instituted by the Board of Taxes
against Daniel Morling, of Yarmouth, for having obstructed Mr.
Hunter, the inspector for that district, when surveying the
windows of his house. A penalty of £50 was asked for,
and a verdict was given for the Crown for that amount.
2.—A wrestling match took place at Blofield Globe
between William Benstead, of that parish, and Charles Layton,
“the famed wrestler, who, for his invincible skill in that
science, had been declared the ‘Reedham Game Chicken’
at the late wrestling match at Lingwood, and who has since
challenged all England.” Benstead succeeded in
beating the champion.
9.—Died, at Ashfield, Suffolk, Mr. James Mingay, for
many years eminently distinguished as a King’s Counsel,
Recorder of Aldborough, and one of the capital burgesses of the
borough of Thetford.
14.—Died, aged 71, Simon Watling, “many years
master of the Eight Ringers public-house, St. Michael-at-Coslany,
Norwich, and one of St. Peter’s ringers. He was one
of the company that rang at St. Peter’s in York in
1772.”
17.—At a meeting held at the Shirehouse, Norwich, at
which Lord Viscount Primrose presided, the Norfolk and Norwich
Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the
Church of England was established. Upwards of £3,000
was subscribed; and the Bishop of Norwich became Patron, and Lord
Suffield, President.
20.—Died, at the age of 101, Mrs. Jane Fair, of St.
Mary’s, Norwich.
23.—Died, Mrs. Coppin, wife of Mr. Daniel Coppin, of St.
Stephen’s, Norwich. “She possessed a refined
taste for the polite arts, and great skill in imitating the works
of the old masters.”
25.—Mr. Scraggs and his company of comedians concluded a
theatrical season at Holt. “There is ground to hope
that the patronage which was so liberally conferred by the county
on the late Mr. Scraggs, will be continued to his son and
family.” The company was advertised as “The
Original Norfolk and Suffolk Company.”
27.—General Viscount Cathcart, Ambassador Extraordinary
to the Court of Russia, passed through Norwich and embarked on
board the Aquilon frigate at Yarmouth. Lord Walpole, one of
the Lords of the Admiralty, sailed in the Calypso, on his
appointment as Secretary of Legation to Lord Cathcart, who
proceeded to the headquarters of the Russian Army.
15.—It was reported that small-pox had broken out in
Norwich. Many children were vaccinated, and by the end of
the year the operation had been performed on 1,400 persons.
17.—The mail coaches arrived at Norwich, with colours
flying, bringing intelligence of Lord Wellington’s
brilliant victory near Salamanca.
19.—William Flaxman, of Gorleston, was placed in a
pillory erected in Yarmouth Market Place, and after standing the
usual time was removed to the gaol to complete a term of three
months’ imprisonment.
20.—The old custom of a country excursion was revived by
the foreman of the Headborough Inquest at Yarmouth.
“A wherry was fitted out for the purpose, and several
officers of the Royal South Lincoln Regiment, with other
gentlemen, were invited to accompany the inquest. The
wherry was attended by several boats, and went as far as the
Beccles river, where a convivial meeting was held, and the party
returned at nine o’clock at night.”
5.*—(Advt.) “Windham Petty Sessions will be
held at the King’s Head Inn on Monday, 28th September,
1812, for hiring and retaining servants. There will be
another Sessions, as usual, on Monday, October 12th. John
Syder, John Cullyer, chief constables.”
6.—Intelligence received of the capture of Madrid by the
Marquis Wellington. The bells of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich, were rung all day, and at East Dereham on the 22nd a
ball was held in celebration of the event.
—Died, at Upper Fitzroy Street, London, aged 68,
Major-General Robert Bowles, an officer on the Bombay
Establishment. He served in the East India Company 35
years, and was a native of Norwich.
14.—The first stone of the new chapel in the Black Boys
Yard, St. Clement, Norwich, laid by the Rev. Mr. Wilkes and Mr.
Alderman Davey. The chapel was opened for public worship on
May 5th, 1814.
21.—Yarmouth Races commenced. There was an
attendance of about 18,000. Most of the county families
were present at the assembly, where the dancing was opened by Sir
George Jerningham and Lady Hoste.
22.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 73, Mr. Robert
Warmington. He served the office of Mayor in 1790 and 1808,
and was Prussian, Swedish, Danish, Hamburgh, and American
Vice-Consul, and Naval Store Keeper at that port.
25.—At the Norwich Court of Trials a motion was made by
Mr. Cooper that the attornies, who then held briefs on behalf of
clients, be not allowed the privilege of pleading. It was
urged that the actual right of pleading existed in favour of
barristers to the exclusion of attornies. The City Steward
(Mr. Alderson) thought that the exclusive right of counsel rested
more upon courtesy than upon any positive right, and as no
authority had been cited he declined to give any decision upon
the point.
3.—A correspondent in a letter to the Norfolk Chronicle expressed the hope
“that now Parliament is dissolving, the ancient custom of
nominating the members in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
previously to the day of election, may be revived. This
used to be done formerly in order to
give the old members an opportunity of explaining and justifying
their past conduct as representatives, and of each candidate
stating his pretensions to popular support.” The
Mayor refused to grant the use of the hall for the purpose.
6.—Yarmouth Election: Capt. Lacon, 607; General Loftus,
387; Mr. Giffen Willson, 329. The two first-named were
returned.
7.—Norwich Election commenced on this date and concluded
on the 8th: Mr. W. Smith, 1,544; Mr. Charles Harvey, 1,349; Mr.
John Patteson, 1,221.
—Thetford Election: Lord John Fitzroy and Mr. Creevey
returned unopposed.
14.—Norfolk Election: Sir J. H. Astley and Mr. T. W.
Coke were re-elected unopposed.
17.—St. Faith’s Fair commenced. “John
Dunn, the clerk of St. John Maddermarket, Norwich, and who for
the last 46 years acted as the leader of the men who chaired the
Whig members at their election, attended St. Faith’s Fair
for the 76th time, without intermission, having been carried to
St. Faith’s when he was two years old.” Dunn
died January 20, 1813.
24.*—(Advt.) “Norwich and Ipswich New Post
Coach through Scole, Eye, Debenham, and Helmingham, by W.
Norbrook, sets off from the Greyhound, in Norwich, on Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday mornings at eight o’clock, arrives
at the Old White Hart Inn, Ipswich, the same evening, whence it
sets off every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at eight
o’clock, and arrives at Norwich the same
evening.”
29.—A branch of the Norfolk and Norwich Auxiliary Bible
Society was formed at Yarmouth; branches were established at
about this date at Wymondham, Downham Market, and other
towns.
31.*—“A few days since the Norwich Expedition
Coach was robbed of bank notes to the amount of
£500.” A man, named Silvester, who presented
£140 worth of the notes at a London bank, was arrested on
suspicion.
1.—James Parsons, a farrier, in the employment of Mr.
Richard Watson, veterinary surgeon, Norwich, was buried with
“veterinary and masonic” ceremonies at St.
Gregory’s Church, in the presence of 2,000 persons.
The procession was headed by two farriers with white aprons, and
their implements bound with white ribbons and reversed.
“The corpse was carried by six brethren of a lodge called
the Stags Lodge, in their regalia, the sword, middle apron, and
collar laid on the pall. His favourite horse which he rode
for many years, covered with black velvet, the boots and spurs
across, was led behind. The head stall and bridle were
adorned with white roses and facings, he dying a
bachelor.” At the conclusion of the service “a
solemn dirge was sung which much gratified many hundreds of
persons.”
5.—Died, Thomas Gill, aged 86, fifty-two years sexton of
St. Margaret’s, Norwich. “He had been five
times married, never had any children, and buried all his
wives.”
13.—Whilst the bells of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich, were ringing on the occasion of the receipt of the
intelligence of the defeat of the French by the Russians, and of
the recapture of Moscow, the Prince Regent passed through the
city from Houghton on his way to Saxmundham. His Royal
Highness changed horses at the Angel Inn, but did not
alight. On the 14th the Duke of Clarence, accompanied by
the Earl of Yarmouth, arrived at Norwich, and after dining at the
Angel Inn, proceeded to join the Prince Regent at Saxmundham.
15.—The Duke of Cambridge passed through Fakenham, from
Houghton, on his way to join a shooting party at Blickling, the
seat of Lord Suffield.
17.—Died, at Green Street, Grosvenor Square, London, in
his 75th year, Mr. Edward Jerningham. “Although all
his family were of the Roman Catholic religion he very early
conformed to the Protestant faith, and remained in it till his
death, having received the sacrament according to the rites of
the Church of England. He was a good scholar and an elegant
poet.”
21.—A fully-rigged vessel, built for Mr. John Bloom, was
launched from the ship-yard of Mr. Parker at
Wells-next-the-Sea. “Seven ships in the harbour
belonging to Mr. Bloom, dressed in their colours, fired a royal
salute as the ship went off.”
23.—Died at his house, Tombland, Norwich, Mr. Edward
Colman, one of the surgeons of the Norfolk and Norwich
Hospital. He served the office of Sheriff in 1795.
“Having been for twenty-four years a member of the
Friars’ Society the brethren held a special conclave, when
appropriate compositions in prose and verse were delivered, and
his obituary medal was deposited in the sepulchral
urn.”
28.—Died at Cheltenham, in his 74th year, the Rev.
George William Lukin, LL.D., Dean of Wells, forty-nine years
rector of Felbrigg and Aylmerton, and half-brother to the Right
Hon. William Windham.
—Equestrian entertainments commenced at Harper’s
Pantheon, Norwich, under the management of Mr. R. Key.
3.—Intelligence received at Yarmouth of the defeat of
the French Army in Russia. On the arrival at Norwich of the
coaches conveying the news, the bells of St. Peter Mancroft were
rung.
17.—Further celebrations took place at Norwich on the
receipt of the intelligence of the victories obtained by the
Russians over the two divisions of the French Army, commanded by
Marshals Daoust and Ney.
20.—Died, aged 101, Thomas Armstrong, of West Dereham,
upwards of 40 years clerk of the parish.
25.—On Christmas Day “the Corporation of Thetford
assembled, according to custom, at the house of the Mayor (Mr. L.
S. Bidwell), and after partaking of an elegant cold collation,
attended divine service at St. Peter’s Church.”
26.*—“In the Court of King’s Bench last week
an action was brought by Mr. Bignold, banker of Norwich, against
Mr. Waterhouse, one of the coach proprietors, at Lad
Lane, for the loss of a parcel containing bills and notes to a
considerable amount. The Solicitor-General, for the
defendant, produced a notice in which he stated that he would not
hold himself responsible for parcels above the value of
£5. The judge held this to be a good defence, and
non-suited the plaintiff.”
In the course of this year upwards of 1,400 persons were
vaccinated in Norwich.
2.—Polito’s menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Ditches, Norwich.
—*“A smuggling cutter, with 600 casks of Geneva on
board, was last week captured off Salthouse by the Sheringham
Revenue boat. The vessel was taken to Blakeney harbour, and
her cargo deposited in the King’s warehouse, at
Cley.”
13.—A Methodist Chapel, erected in Tower Street,
King’s Lynn, and estimated to hold 3,000 persons, was
opened.
17.—Upwards of 1,000 persons attended evening service at
St. Andrew’s Church, Norwich, when the sermon was preached
by the Rev. Robert Walpole. This was one of a series of
services arranged under a scheme of “evening
lectures” by clergymen who had “volunteered to
officiate alternately at the churches of St. Stephen, St. Andrew,
and St. Lawrence.” The churches were
“excellently lighted with lamps,” and the
“accommodation of strangers particularly attended to by
parish officers and other gentlemen.”
19.—Mr. Steward Alderson, at the Norwich Quarter
Sessions, called attention to “a species of nuisance
existing in various parts of the town which not only endangered
the public peace but also the public health and morals. He
referred to the species of houses commonly called gin
shops. If the magistrates had signed the licenses of such
houses, it was wholly through ignorance of the sort of houses to
which they were giving their sanction.”
—At the Duke’s Head Inn, Lynn, a committee of
barley growers of the county presented to Mr. Wm. Becher, of
Docking, a valuable piece of plate in recognition of his
exertions in promoting the success of agriculture, and in
opposing injurious restrictions on the corn trade.
25.—Died, aged 45, Mr. William Money Hill, of Waterden,
an agriculturist of great repute in the breeding and selection of
stock, and the winner of many prizes at the Holkham Sheep
Shearings.
—The third great main of cocks between the gentlemen of
Norwich and the gentlemen of Cambridge commenced at the White
Swan Inn, Norwich, and was continued on the 26th and 27th.
The conditions were: to show 41 mains for 10 guineas a battle,
and 100 guineas the odd, and ten byes for
five guineas a battle. The feeders were Dean for Norwich,
Flemon for Cambridgeshire. Cambridge won by five
battles.
30.*—“A small farmer, who a few years since
resided in the neighbourhood of Norwich, has written from Botany
Bay to his former landlord, stating that Cabel, who about 25
years since was sent from Norwich Castle, is now become a very
great merchant and the owner of twenty-five ships.”
(In the year 1786 Cabel and a female prisoner were in Norwich
Castle under sentence of transportation. During the two
years that elapsed between the trial and the departure of the
first batch of convicts, the woman gave birth to a child.
Cabel, the father, was passionately fond of the infant, and
appealed to the authorities to allow him to marry the
mother. This was refused. The female and her infant
were sent with the first contingent of convicts, and after a
wearisome journey by coach in the depth of winter arrived at
Plymouth in charge of Simpson, the turnkey of the prison.
When Simpson handed over his prisoners to the captain of the
transport that officer refused to take the child on board,
alleging that he had no authority to do so. The mother was
distracted by the separation. Simpson acted with great
humanity. Taking with him the six weeks old child he
proceeded to London by coach, and with much difficulty obtained
an interview with the Secretary of State, to whom he related the
story. The result was that not only was an order issued for
the restoration of the child to its mother, but Cabel was
permitted to sail by the same transport to the land of their
exile.)
2.—Mr. Charles Harvey presented to the House of Commons
a petition against the claims of the Roman Catholics, which was
extensively signed by the clergy of the archdeaconries of Norwich
and Norfolk.
—Mr. James Webb, known as the “Benevolent
Stranger,” distributed considerable sums of money among the
public institutions and the necessitous poor of Norwich.
“For three days the Angel Inn yard was thronged with
applicants who seemed unwilling to quit the spot even till some
time after the philanthropist had taken his
departure.” Mr. Webb made similar distributions at
Yarmouth, Bungay, and other places.
—Died, Major John Bland, aged 77, many years in the 46th
Regiment. “He had been in 42 engagements, among which
was the memorable battle of Quebec.” He gave various
bequests to the Norwich charities.
6.—It was reported that small-pox had appeared in St.
Stephen’s, Norwich. Six unvaccinated children died
from the effects of the disease. The Court of Guardians
offered a reward of 2s. 6d. to parents for each child
vaccinated. During the month unvaccinated children
continued to suffer. On March 27th it was stated that
Letton, Cranworth, West and East Bradenham, and Shipdham, were
among the parishes of the county “who had set a most
laudable example in vaccination.”
20.*—“The second cousins of Mr. Henry Kett,
late of Norwich, have generously presented the sum of £500
towards the establishment of a Lancasterian school at
Dickleburgh, the native place of the deceased.”
26.—A trotting match took place between a mare, the
property of Mr. Crisp, of Stow, Downham Market, and a mare
belonging to Mr. Brett, of Fordham, on the turnpike road from the
Chequers at Downham Market to the toll-bar at Fincham. The
stakes, £20 a side, “were won by the former by a
furlong, the latter having broke eleven times during the
journey.” The winner was ridden by Mr. Abraham
Spinks, of Magdalen.
27.—“Died, few days since in his 105th year, Mr.
Ling, of Woodbastwick.”
4.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, it was
resolved to open a subscription for the relief of the inhabitants
of the Russian provinces suffering from the invasion of their
country by the French.
5.—Died in London, William Noble, formerly a member of
the Norwich Company.
6.*—“We hear the Society of the Antient Order of
Stagorians is now reviving in this city, and is likely to become
a very respectable one.”
7.—Downham Church was re-opened for service after being
closed some months for restoration.
10.—A general fast observed at Norwich. The shops
were closed, and services held at the churches and chapels, at
which collections were made for the relief of the poor.
12.—Died, aged 69, Mr. Edward Sharpe, for upwards of 22
years keeper of the Norwich city gaol.
24.—In consequence of the establishment of the Local
Militia, the Volunteer corps of Infantry in Norwich and Norfolk
were disbanded and deposited their arms. Each corps
received the thanks of the Prince Regent for their patriotic
services.
27.*—“The Amelia frigate, the Hon. Captain F. P.
Irby, has arrived at Portsmouth after a night action with
L’Arethuse, French frigate, one of the most desperate that
has been fought during the present war. This excellent
officer, who has been severely wounded, has been so actively
employed during the last five years that he has not been resident
at his seat, Boyland Hall, more than five days during that
period.”
31.—Died at Weasenham, aged 74, Mr. Thomas
Sanctuary. “For many years he was an extensive and
opulent farmer. He left his property among his relatives,
with a legacy of £2,000 to Miss Coke out of respect and
gratitude to his worthy landlord, Mr. T. W. Coke, under whom he
acquired his handsome fortune.”
5.—The West Norfolk Militia marched in three divisions
from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Edinburgh
Castle, where they entered permanent quarters.
10.—Charles Harper, 26, and Edmond Impeon, 21, were
executed on Castle Hill, Norwich, for a burglary at the
dwelling-house of Mr. John Butler, of Barney. “After
hanging the usual time their bodies were delivered to their
afflicted relatives, and by them conveyed home for
interment.”
17.—Mary Turrell, apprehended on suspicion of being the
mother of a newly-born child, whose dead body was found in
Vipond’s pond at Harleston, committed suicide by
poisoning. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of
felo de se, “and on the same evening about seven
o’clock she was buried in the high road with a stake driven
through her body in the presence of a vast concourse of
people.”
25.—Died, in his 67th year, Mr. James Bullard, many
years master of the Bethel Hospital, Norwich. His death
resulted from a wound in the stomach, inflicted with a scythe by
a patient named Jonathan Morley, who was engaged in mowing the
lawn in the inner court. The coroner’s jury returned
a verdict of wilful murder, and Morley was committed for trial at
the Assizes, when he was ordered to be kept in custody,
“being insane at the time he committed the
act.” In December, 1816, an order was received from
the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the removal of
the prisoner from Norwich gaol to the new Criminal Lunatic Asylum
in St. George’s Fields, London.
27.—The “light machine” commenced running
between Wells and Norwich. It set out from Wells on
Tuesdays and Fridays at nine o’clock in the morning, and
travelled through Fakenham and Bawdeswell to the Bell Inn, Orford
Hill, Norwich. The coach returned by the same road on
Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mr. J. Sizeland was the
proprietor.
29.—The Duke of Cumberland arrived at Yarmouth, and
embarked on board the Nymphen frigate for the Continent.
1.*—“The commanding officers of the Norfolk
Regiments of Local Militia and the Norfolk and Norwich Volunteers
have received orders to send the accoutrements of their
respective regiments to the nearest ports for the use of the
German levies against the common enemy. The arms have this
week been sent to Yarmouth.”
1.—A contested election took place for the mayoralty of
Norwich. The candidates were Alderman R. Harvey, jun.,
Alderman J. Harvey, and Alderman Davey. The freemen
demanded a poll for Mr. R. Harvey, sen., and Mr. J. Ives
Harvey. Mr. Harvey, the elder, strongly opposed his
nomination in consequence of his infirm state of health.
The polling commenced at once, and continued till six p.m.
The contest was resumed on the 2nd (Sunday) at ten o’clock,
and at the close the voting was declared as follows:—Davey,
764; J. Harvey, 730; R. Harvey, jun., 717; R. Harvey sen.,
9. The two first-named were returned to the Court of
Aldermen. At a Court of Mayoralty held on the 3rd, Mr. John
Harvey was objected to on the ground that he was not an
inhabitant of the city as required by the Charter. This
objection was upheld by Mr. Serjeant Lens, to whom the
case was submitted, and on May 20 it was resolved at a Special
Assembly to apply to the Court of King’s Bench for a
mandamus to elect a Mayor. A writ was granted, and the
election took place on June 7, when the candidates were Mr.
Davey, who polled 801 votes; Mr. Barnabas Leman, 797; and Mr. J.
Harvey, 749. The two first-named were returned to the Court
of Aldermen, who elected Mr. Leman, and he was sworn into office
on June 22.
6.—A rowing match took place between four 4-oared boats
from Carrow Bridge to Whitlingham and back, for a silver
cup. The Zephyr (Mr. Yarrington) won. Distance, four
miles; time, 36 minutes.
15.—A historical drama, entitled “The Siege of
Sarragossa, or Spanish Patriots of 1808,” by Mr. Bennett, a
member of the company, was produced at Norwich Theatre.
17.—The birthday of the Princess of Wales was observed
in Norwich for the first time by the ringing of the church
bells.
23.—Died at Bangalore, in his 26th year, Capt. Robert
Beauchamp, of the Hon. East India Company’s Horse
Artillery, Madras Establishment, third son of Sir Thomas
Beauchamp Proctor, Bart., Langley Park.
24.—The Bishop of Norwich commenced his ordinary
visitation of the diocese, at Thetford, and on the following day
at St. Peter’s Church, confirmed upwards of 700
persons. At St. James’s Church, Bury St.
Edmund’s, his lordship confirmed 2,700 young persons; at
Ipswich, 1,300; Woodbridge, 600; Framlingham, 700; Downham
Market, 1,000; St. Nicholas’ Chapel, Lynn, 1,000;
Redenhall, 662; at Norwich Cathedral, 800; and in the city and
hamlets, 1,000. The Bishop expressed the opinion
“that the number confirmed in the diocese, which was much
increased since the last confirmation, was decisive of the
laudable exertions of the clergy.”
—The bounds of the parish of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich, were perambulated, “the officiating individuals
being saluted at every part of the parochial confines by
sprinklings as memorials of the occasion. The water ordeal
being gone through, the gentleman repaired to a good dinner and
the cheerful glass.” On the 26th “the bounds of
St. Andrew’s were in like manner ascertained.”
30.—Three African youths taken out of a Portuguese slave
ship by Capt. the Hon. P. F. Irby, of the Amelia frigate, and
sent by him to Norwich for education, were baptised at St. Peter
Mancroft Church.
4.*—“At Gretna Green, Mr. Thomas Bunn, corn
merchant, to Miss Sarah Cobb, second daughter of Mr. John Cobb,
of Yarmouth.” The parties were re-married at
Gorleston by the Rev. Mr. Forster, on June 4.
7.—Mr. J. Youngs, of St. Peter Hungate, Norwich, was
carried in a sedan chair to record his vote at the Mayor’s
election. On his return home he immediately expired.
He was 85 years old.
8.—Died, at the Grotto, Thetford, Mr. John Ellis,
“long known as an industrious collector of antiquities,
fossils, foreign birds, &c., of which he had a large and very
curious cabinet.”
17.—The first recorded “speech day”
at Norwich Grammar School. It was described as “the
first speech day of the kind ever held at Norwich or at this
school,” and its inception was due to the fact that
“the Latin oration which in former times used to be
delivered at the school porch on Guild Day,” had been
“for the last two years superseded by the non-observance of
that annual festival.”
19.*—“Died, last week in St. Clement’s, the
Widow Herring, in her 106th year.”
—The officers of the Norwich Court Leet seized the
defective measures of Edward Phillipps, a retail corn dealer, in
King Street. The offender was fined by the court, who
ordered the forfeiture of two of the measures.
20.—Mr. Bowles, “formerly a respectable performer
in the Norwich Company of Comedians,” preached at the
Octagon Chapel to a numerous congregation.
21.—Opening day of Holkham Sheep Shearing. It was
stated in the course of the proceedings, that “a very large
quantity of bones is collected in Norfolk and exported from
Yarmouth to distant counties, where, after being ground or
crushed, they are used as manure by farmers.”
“Why,” it was asked, “should not Norfolk and
Suffolk farmers lay their bones in their own counties?”
1.—A rowing match for pair-oared boats took place at
Whitlingham. Distance, one and a half miles; the best two
heats out of three. The winner of the silver cup was the
Achilles, owned by Mr. Homer.
4.—The Expedition coach entered Norwich, with colours
flying, and with the intelligence of the great victory of the
Allied Army at Vittoria under Lord Wellington on June 21.
“Mr. Coldwell, the proprietor of the coach, himself brought
down from London a copy of the ‘Gazette
Extraordinary,’ and read its glorious contents from the
coach box to his fellow citizens assembled in the Market
Place.”
7.—The Mayor of Lynn (Mr. John Hemington) laid the
foundation stone of the new Theatre in that town.
10.*—“Among the officers promoted to be
lieutenant-colonels in the army in consequence of the victory at
Vittoria is Major Robert John Harvey, assistant
Quarter-Master-General of the Portuguese Army, son of Mr. John
Harvey, Thorpe Lodge, Norwich. This gallant young officer
had two horses severely wounded under him in the
battle.”
13.—Died, in this 70th year, Mr. Edward Barrow, of St.
Saviour, Norwich. “A native of Manchester, and a yarn
factor, Mr. Barrow was the first person who undertook the
manufacture of cotton in this city; but what in a peculiar manner
consecrates his memory is the merit of his having also been the
first manufacturer of the shawl in this city, or perhaps in the
kingdom. This brought in a new history in the era of the
loom.”
14.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions the Rev. Augustus
Beevor appeared to try his traverse for an assault on Daniel
Turner on June 4th, 1812. The Rev. James Carlos had, in
consequence of the absence of the
rector (the defendant), gone to officiate at Berghapton, by
virtue of the license of the Bishop of Norwich. Mr. Carlos
also farmed the glebe lands, and Turner was one of his
tenants. Turner received a message from the defendant that
he was about to clear the premises of stock belonging to Mr.
Carlos, and on his going to the parsonage he was met by Mr.
Beevor, who “scientifically fibbed him” about the
head and face that plaintiff shrieked aloud for assistance, and
two men rescued him from the clutches of his assailant. The
defence was that it was “a square stand-up
fight.” The jury returned a verdict of guilty, upon
which an arrangement was made between the parties before the
court pronounced judgment. Defendant was then fined one
shilling, and discharged.
17.*—“We are happy to hear that the good effects
of the victory of Vittoria were immediately felt in Norwich, as
several manufacturers received large orders for broad bombazines
which are made for the Spanish market, and which were ordered
upon the idea of the whole of the Peninsula being now open to our
trade.”
—*“Died, lately, in his 59th year, that ingenious
artist, Mr. Henry Neale. He was the inventor of a model of
machinery to represent a cotton manufactory.”
19.—A trotting match, attended with much cruelty, took
place between two ponies belonging to Mr. Howlett, of Fakenham,
and Mr. Burgess, of the same town. They were matched to
trot twice to and from Norwich, a distance of 100 miles, in the
least time. “They both performed the first 50 miles
in five and a quarter hours. Howlett’s pony, however,
became quite exhausted when it reached the sixth mile-stone
coming to Norwich on the second time and gave in. Burgess
pursued his journey to Norwich, and returned as far as Morton,
where the poor beast died almost immediately.
Howlett’s reached Fakenham much injured.”
21.—The annual meeting of the Unitarian Society was held
at Norwich. The Rev. Robert Aspland, of Hackney, preached
at the Octagon Chapel, and the members dined at the Swan Inn,
under the presidency of Mr. John Taylor.
24.*—“Mr. Powell, of Weeting (familiarly called
‘Pogey Powell’), who shot the late Lord Falkland in a
duel, was killed a few days ago by a fall from his horse, near
Worwell, Hampshire.”
27.—Died at her house in Pall Mall, in her 79th year,
the Hon. Mrs. Keppel, widow of the late Hon. Dr. Keppel, Bishop
of Exeter, aunt of his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and
mother of Mr. Frederick Keppel, of Lexham Hall.
31.*—“Died, lately, Susanna, the wife of Thomas
Bolton, of Bradenham, eldest daughter of the late Rev. Edmund
Nelson, of Burnham Thorpe, and sister of our immortal Nelson,
still more happy in her virtues than in her lineage.”
2.—This day was played “a grand cricket match in a
field opposite the Prussia Gardens, Norwich, for 100 guineas,
between eleven gentlemen of Norwich and eleven gentlemen of
Bungay.” Norwich, 37-46; Bungay, 74-10, and eight
wickets to go down. “Bungay refused to allow Messrs. Bredwell, Clabburn, and Pooley, three
expert cricketers, to play in this match.” The return
match took place, at Bungay on August 23. Norwich, 36-30;
Bungay, 116.
4.—A piece of plate was presented by the officers of the
late City of Norwich Regiment of Volunteers to Mr. Elisha De
Hague, their former Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant.
5.—A six-oared rowing match took place from Carrow
Bridge to Whitlingham Point and back, distance upwards of four
miles, between the Sylph (Mr. J. Harvey, jun.), and the Aurora
(Mr. Lowe). The Sylph won by 50 yards in 34 minutes 8
seconds.
7.—At this date was published the statement
“Norfolk grows the finest barley, and makes the worst ale
of any county in the kingdom.”
—An official notice was published announcing that it was
in contemplation to demolish “the public-house called St.
Andrew’s Steps, and the tenements adjoining in London Lane,
Norwich, to lay a small part of the site into the street for the
better convenience of the public, and to erect new houses
thereon.”
9.—A steam packet, intended for traffic between Yarmouth
and Norwich, had her trial trip to Breydon. On her return
“the boat went through the bridge amidst the acclamations
of thousands of spectators.” This vessel, which was
built near Leeds, plied regularly upon the Yare, leaving
Turner’s bowling-green, Yarmouth, at seven o’clock in
the morning, and returning from Norwich at three in the
afternoon.
17.—News was received at Norwich of the defeat of
Marshal Soult by the Marquis of Wellington.
—The High Sheriff, Mr. Thomas Trench Berney, arrived at
Norwich from Bracon Hall, “preceded by a numerous
cavalcade, his carriage drawn by four beautiful bays richly
caparisoned, the attendant pages, one on each side, mounted on
grey ponies and decorated with silk scarves and favours in the
ancient style. The High Sheriff, in full court dress,
proceeded to the Rampant Horse Inn, where he entertained a large
company at dinner.”
18.—At the Norfolk Assizes at Norwich, before Lord Chief
Justice Mansfield and a special jury, an indictment was preferred
against the keeper of the county gaol for suffering a prisoner to
escape. The indictment had been moved by certiorari
from the Court of King’s Bench, and was tried at nisi
prius. The main question was whether or not the
magistrates of the borough of Castle Rising had legally the power
of commitment to the county gaol. They had in this case
exercised such power, and the gaoler had accepted the delinquent
into his custody and given a receipt for him, but afterwards, on
the advice of one of the visiting justices, had suffered him to
go at large. The Lord Chief Justice thought it a question
for decision in Westminster Hall rather than for an Assize of
oyer and terminer. Prosecuting counsel
disclaimed all intention of enforcing the punishment of the
gaoler, and the facts were all admitted on the part of the
county, whereupon the special jury, pro forma, found the
defendant guilty.
Lord Wodehouse, this month, presented to the parish church of
Hingham a stained glass window, in which were represented the
subjects of the Crucifixion, the Descent from the Cross, the
Resurrection, and the Ascension.
1.—Killed at the siege of San Sebastian, in his 21st
year, whilst gallantly fighting with his regiment, Lieut. George
Norris, of the 47th Regiment, eldest son of the Rev. George
Norris, of Foulsham.
2.—Died, at the house of her nephew, Mr. C. P. Herbert,
at Setch Bridge, near Lynn, in her 85th year, Mrs. Stevens,
“widow of Mr. George Alex. Stevens, of facetious memory,
well known as the author and performer of the celebrated
‘Lectures upon Heads,’ and other pieces.”
3.—At Yarmouth General Sessions and gaol delivery,
before the Mayor and Sub-Steward (Mr. W. Adair), John Boult
Hannah, aged 70, was indicted for the wilful murder of his wife
by strangling her on April 14th. “After the murder he
washed the woman’s face, laid the corpse out, and was found
sitting by the fire smoking his pipe with the body
near.” He was hanged at Yarmouth on the Monday
following the trial.
18.*—“The Earl of Kingston one day this week, at
Heydon, bagged 56 brace of birds for a wager with the Earl of
Yarmouth for a large sum.”
28.—Died, aged 80, Edward Whetstone, 44 years clerk of
the parish of Trowse Newton. He was originally a journeyman
weaver, and had acquired some property. He purchased and
presented an organ which was placed in the church in 1803, and
his remains were interred beneath the instrument.
29.—A meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, for the purpose of forming an association in aid of the
Church Missionary Society. The Rev. H. J. Hare, of Docking,
presided, and it was resolved that such association be formed,
and “that it be known as the Norfolk and Norwich Church
Missionary Society for Africa and the East.” Upwards
of £800 was subscribed.
2.—Died at Yarmouth, Mrs. Martha Biggs, widow, aged
103.
—Bannister’s Equestrian Company, from
Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre, commenced a season at the
Pantheon, Norwich.
5.—A grand Musical Festival commenced at Norwich, under
the direction of Mr. Pettet, with a miscellaneous concert in St.
Andrew’s Hall. On the morning of the 6th, 7th, and
8th, the “Messiah,” the “Creation,” and
the “Redemption,” were rendered in St. Peter Mancroft
Church, and concerts were given in St. Andrew’s Hall on the
evenings of the 7th and 8th. The principal performers were
Mrs. Dickons, Mrs. Bianchi Lacy, Miss Booth, Master Hobbes, Mr.
Braham, Mr. Goes, Mr. Hawes, and Mr. Bellamy; leader of the band,
Professor Hague; organ and pianoforte, Mr. Pettet.
11.—Seventy of the supporters of Mr. William Smith dined
at the Swan Inn, Norwich, to celebrate his return as member for
the city.
16.*—“Mrs. Faucit and Mr. Vining, both late of the
Norwich Company, have made their appearance on the boards of
Covent Garden Theatre, and have been very favourably
received.”
17.—The Duke of York, accompanied by the Earl of
Yarmouth, passed through Dereham on his way from Heydon, where
has Royal Highness had been shooting with the Earl of
Kingston.
23.*—“In consequence of the numerous robberies
which have lately been committed in the vicinity of Norwich, it
is in contemplation to establish a horse patrol to act in various
directions for the protection of property and persons.”
25.—The festival of St. Crispin and Crispianus was
revived by the journeymen shoemakers of Norwich, “who
paraded the streets with music, and celebrated the day, through
the liberality of their masters, at various houses.”
28.—Died, aged 65, Mr. Edward Billingsley, of
Hockwold-cum-Wilton. He served the office of High Sheriff
in 1787.
31.—Died at New Buckenham, in her 101st year, Mrs. Mary
Gibbs. “She was born the 5th day of May, 1713, being
the day peace was proclaimed with France in the reign of Queen
Anne.”
1.—Died, at East Dereham, Dame Eleanor Fenn, widow of
Sir John Fenn, knight. “Under the names of Mrs.
Teachwell and Mrs. Lovechild, she wrote several books for the
benefit of the rising generation.” Her remains were
interred at Finningham, Suffolk.
4.—News was received at Norwich of the defeat of
Buonaparte near Leipsic. St. Peter Mancroft bells were
rung, and a bonfire lighted in the Market Place. There were
further celebrations on the 10th on receipt of the news of the
successes in Germany, and of the surrender of the fortress of
Pamplona.
14.—A new organ was opened at Holt Church.
15.—This day was fixed for the celebration of the
victories gained over France in Spain and Germany. At
Norwich a bullock was roasted whole in the Market Place.
The roasting commenced at nine o’clock the previous evening
(Sunday, 14th). At noon a grand procession started from the
Castle Meadow, and, passing through the principal streets,
entered the Market Place. “At one o’clock Mr.
Lowden, the butcher, commenced to carve the bullock, but the
crowd broke over the barriers, and there was a disgusting waste
of good provision.” Six hundred 2d. loaves and ten
barrels of stout were given away. A public dinner took
place at the Angel Inn, and in the evening a huge bonfire was
lighted in the Market Place. Great depredations were
committed in obtaining materials for the fire, and several
offenders were committed to Bridewell. There was also a
procession of stage coaches, and an effigy of Buonaparte was
burned. A general illumination followed. Celebrations
also took place in nearly every town and village in the
county.
16.—Died at Worlingworth, Suffolk, aged 81, Lewis
Johnson, 35 years parish clerk of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich. He resigned the office in 1812.
23.—Intelligence received in Norwich of a counter
Revolution in Holland.
29.—Capt. Cockburn, commanding Royal Artillery in
Norwich, sent to Yarmouth 500,000 ball cartridges for the use of
the Orange Patriots in Holland.
30.—A wrestling match took place at Barford between
“the noted Game Chicken” and “the East
Tuddenham champion. There was a vast concourse of
spectators, and the odds were seven to one on the Game Chicken,
who won with the greatest ease, and was offered to be backed for
100 guineas against any 11 stone man in England.”
4.*—“Among the officers severely wounded in the
late action in Bayonne were Lieut. James Day, of the Royal Horse
Artillery, son of Mr. M. S. Day, jun., of Norwich, and Lieut.
Charles Eaton, second battalion, 95th Regiment, son of the Rev.
Eaton Browne, of Elsing.”
18.—Eight French officers, taken prisoners at Cuxhaven,
arrived at Norwich by steam barge from Yarmouth, on parole, and
on the 20th left for Chesterfield. In a letter to the Mayor
they acknowledged, in warm terms, the kindness they had received
from the citizens of Norwich.
19.—The Expedition coach arrived at Norwich with the
intelligence of the defeat of Marshal Soult by the Marquis
Wellington.
1.—A remarkable funeral took place at Shelfanger.
The body of Mr. Smith, a farmer, was conveyed from Fersfield in a
waggon drawn by his own team. The coffin was covered with a
waggon tilt, and sacks of straw served as seats for his children
and grandchildren. Behind the waggon walked his riding
horse as chief mourner, and the singers of the congregation
chanted a funeral dirge. “He was a person who in
habits, manners, and opinions exhibited a singularity that was
not easily paralleled.”
4.—Died at St. Gregory’s, Norwich, aged 61, Mrs.
Chesnutt, wife of Mr. John Chesnutt. For many years she was
a favourite dancer on the Norwich stage.
—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich, it
was decided to present to the Prince Regent an address,
congratulating him upon “the late glorious victories with
which the Almighty had been pleased to crown the arms of his
Majesty and his Allies.”
5.—Died, of wounds received at Bayonne, Ensign Hardy,
31st Regiment of Foot, son of Mr. James Hardy, of
Hethersettt.
6.—Died, at his house at Catton, Mr. Jeremiah
Ives Harvey, Alderman of Conisford Ward, Norwich. He served
the office of Sheriff in 1779, and was Mayor in 1783. He
was in his 69th year.
7.—A curious incident occurred at the funeral of
Benjamin Edwards, for 20 years coachman to Lord Suffield at
Blickling. “The corpse was conveyed from the house to
the church for interment, followed by thirty servants in their
liveries. After the Rev. Mr. Churchill had retired from the
grave an old acquaintance came forward and performed a promise
which had been made by each party, which was done as
follows:—He enquired his age, and was informed it was
64. He then took a bottle of rum from his pocket and threw
it upon the head of the coffin. From the fall the bottle
broke and the rum was distributed upon the lid of the
coffin. He said ‘God bless him. I have
performed my promise as I am sure he would have done had I gone
first.’”
8.*—“A few days since the harriers of Mr. J. Gooch
unexpectedly found an outlying deer in Hempnall Wood, which they
immediately drove from covert, and it afforded a most capital
chase without a break for an hour and forty minutes, through
sixteen parishes and a hard run of 28 miles.”
—*“Lieut. Robert Blake, of the 3rd Regiment of
Foot, was so severely wounded in the action near Bayonne that he
had his leg amputated.”
9.—Very severe weather was experienced this month.
On the 9th at nine p.m. the thermometer fell 20 degrees below
freezing point, and the severity of the frost rendered the river
impassable between Norwich and Yarmouth. On the 19th
occurred a heavy fall of snow, which blocked the roads and
prevented traffic. The mail bags were brought to Norwich on
horseback; the London waggons which should have arrived on the
19th came in on the evening of the 20th, drawn by teams of twelve
or fourteen horses. Carriers who had arrived in the city
were unable to return; the Yarmouth coach was preceded by an
empty waggon which, drawn by six horses, made a road for
it. A second sharp frost occurred on February 15th, and
continued to the 25th, when the thermometer registered 17 degrees
below freezing point.
10.—Mr. Crisp Brown was elected an Alderman for Coslany
Ward, Norwich, in place of Mr. Jeremiah Ives Harvey,
deceased.
13.—A general thanksgiving took place for the late
victories. The Mayor and Corporation of Norwich attended
service at the Cathedral, and at the various churches and chapels
in the city collections were made for the poor.
—The portrait of Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., painted by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, was presented to the county magistrates by the
subscribers, and placed in the Grand Jury chamber at the
Shirehouse, Norwich.
26.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
presided over by Mr. Steward Alderson, it was decided to
establish a similar society to the Norwich Benevolent Society,
but upon a more extensive and permanent plan. Visitors were
appointed for each parish, and £2,400 was raised.
—News was received at Norwich of the conclusion of Peace
between this country and Denmark, and St. Peter Mancroft bells
were rung in celebration.
29.—A main of cocks was fought at the Swan Inn,
Norwich, between the gentlemen of Cambridgeshire and the
gentlemen of Norwich, for 10 guineas a battle and 100 guineas the
odd. Cambridgeshire won with five battles to the good.
5.—Died at Scratby Hall, the Countess Dowager Home, aged
68.
—*“At the last General Quarter Sessions of the
peace for the borough of Lynn, before Mr. Robert Bevill,
Recorder, Mrs. Ann Clarke received the awful sentence of death
for wilfully and maliciously attempting to stab her husband, Mr.
W. Clarke, a ship master, with intention to murder
him.” The prisoner was afterwards reprieved, and the
sentence commuted to transportation for life.
—Arrived at Yarmouth, Capt. Spencer, of that port, who
had escaped from France, where he had for four years been a
prisoner of war in the fortress of Bitche.
18.—Died, at Hethel Hall, in his 89th year, Sir Thomas
Beevor, Bart. An active magistrate for more than half a
century, he was created baronet during the Whig administration of
the Duke of Portland in 1783.
—Died, at Walsham, Suffolk, aged 69, the Very Rev.
Coombe Miller, Dean of Chichester and rector of Winfarthing and
Snetterton. He was buried at Eccles, near Attleborough.
22.—The Corporation of Norwich subscribed £100 to
the fund for relieving the distresses of the unfortunate
sufferers in Germany.
26.—In the Arches Court, Doctors’ Commons, was
heard a cause for the restitution of conjugal rights promoted by
Mr. (afterwards Sir) Thomas Beevor, of Mangreen Hall, against Ann
Beevor. The parties were married at the parish church,
Hargham, on August 24th, 1795, and cohabited together until June
30th, 1802, when Mrs. Beevor left her husband’s house, and
some time after promoted a suit of divorce or separation by
reason of his cruelty. In that suit Mr. Beevor was
dismissed from the cause. In this case the court admonished
Mrs. Beevor to return again to the society of her husband.
28.—Died at Cardiff, Lieut. W. H. Clifford, husband of
Mrs. Clifford, of the Norwich Theatre.
1.—On the information of Joseph Stannard, a Norwich
printer, named Stewardson, was fined “for omitting to affix
his name to a song printed by him.” (See July 12th,
1814.)
11.—Died, at his house in Welbeck Street, London, Mr.
Henry Jodrell, of Bayfield Hall, who was for many years Recorder
and Member of Parliament for Yarmouth, and one of the chairmen of
Norfolk Quarter Sessions.
12.*—“Died, last week, at Woodbridge, Mrs. Fisher,
wife of Mr. Fisher, manager of the Norfolk and Suffolk Theatrical
Company.”
15.—Died, at Bath, aged 34, Mr. R. Harley
Cushing, comedian, a native of Norwich.
18.—The Newmarket mail arrived at Norwich, with the
horses decorated with laurel, bringing confirmation of the
intelligence in the “Hague Gazette,” of Marshal
Blucher’s victory over the French on March 9th. The
bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung.
21.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Mr.
Justice Heath, the action Mann v. Carroll and others was
tried. The plaintiff was master of the Red Lion Inn,
Thetford, and the defendants executors of the late Mr. James
Mingay, Member of Parliament for the borough. The claim was
for £338 15s. 5d., the amount of certain expenses incurred
at plaintiff’s house at the General Election of 1806,
including a dinner on the polling day, and a ball and supper on
the following evening. Mr. Mingay and Lord William Fitzroy
were returned, but the former had been unseated, and several
questions arose as to his personal liability: first, whether or
not any assumpsit could be fixed upon him at all; second, whether
or not he was liable for the whole; third, whether he was or not
jointly liable with his colleague; and fourth, whether or not
upon the event of his death such liability vested in the
survivor, absolving the personal representatives of the
deceased. The defendants endeavoured to show that the
expense of the entertainments was incurred by the Corporation of
Thetford, and that Mr. Mingay took part as a guest and not as
lord of the feast. The Judge held that Mr. Mingay
“was personally liable from having partaken of the
entertainments, it having been decided in many cases that in all
public feasts the individuals present were jointly and severally
liable for the whole expense incurred.” A verdict was
given for the plaintiff for the full amount, subject to a
reference as to the items of the bill.
—At the same Assizes Robert Trundle and Rosetta Trundle
were criminally indicted for forging a writing purporting to be
the will of Mary Inalls, of Great Dunham, and for suborning
witnesses to prove the due execution of such writing to affect
the disposition of the property of the deceased with intent
thereby to defraud the next of kin. The document had been
proved as a will in the Archdeaconry Court of Norwich on July
17th, 1812, and was drawn in favour of the prisoners. The
Judge thought there was not sufficient evidence of forgery, and
under his direction the jury acquitted the accused.
24.—The Dutch Regiment, about 600 strong, which had been
formed at Yarmouth, embarked in three transports from that port
for Holland.
25.—Died, at Barnbougle Castle, his lordship’s
seat in Linlithgow, in his 86th year, the Right Hon. Neil Earl of
Rosebery, K.T. He married first, in 1764, Susan, only
sister and heiress of Sir Randal Ward, Bart., of Bixley, who died
in 1771, without issue, and secondly, in 1775, Mary, daughter of
Sir Francis Vincent, Bart., by whom he had two sons and three
daughters.
26.*—“Lieut.-Col. Harvey, acting
Quarter-Master-General of the column of Lord Wellington’s
army which fought in the battle of St. Boes, and had the brunt of
the late actions, escaped unhurt. Lieut.-Col. Kerrison, of
the 7th Hussars, greatly distinguished himself in the late
actions. He seized the opportunity of charging the French
infantry in disorder and flight, taking a great many of
them. This regiment took about 600
prisoners. The whole army was witness of this affair with
whom it is a subject of admiration.”
2.*—“Mr. William George Daniel, of Folly House,
Kent, and of Foulden Hall, in this county, a captain in the Army,
and lord of the manor of Hackney, in the county of Middlesex,
takes the surname and arms of Tyssen.”
6.—With colours flying and the passengers decorated with
the white cockade, the Newmarket mail brought to Norwich news of
the entry of the Allied Army into Paris on March 31st. The
church bells were rung, and a bonfire lighted in the Market
Place. The rejoicings were renewed on the 9th, 10th, and
11th, upon the receipt of the intelligence of the counter
Revolution, Buonaparte’s abdication, and the restoration of
the Bourbons. On the last mentioned day the horses were
removed from the mail coach, and the people dragged it thrice
round the Market Place. The Chevalier De Bardelin, a French
emigrant gentleman, formerly in the service of the King of
France, left Norwich, where he had resided 15 years, to accompany
Louis XVIII. to Paris.
9.—The Rev. T. C. Munnings, of Gorgate Hall, East
Dereham, exhibited at Norwich Market specimens of his
“preserved turnips.” He introduced the plan of
earthing up the roots in November and December for consumption in
March and April.
11.—Miss Binfield, of the Norwich Theatre, was elected
organist of St. Mary-le-Tower Church, Ipswich.
16.*—“Mr. G. G. Lowne, a native of Norwich, who
was taken prisoner on board his Majesty’s ship Shannon,
when that frigate was wrecked on the rocks of La Hogue in
December, 1803, lately arrived here, having made his escape from
close confinement at Cambay on the approach of the Allies to that
part of the French frontiers.”
19.—A grand fête was held at Yarmouth in
honour of the victories. It commenced with a pageant called
“The Triumph of Neptune.” The “sea
god” landed upon the beach and headed a procession round
the town. In the procession was an effigy of Buonaparte in
fetters. “Afterwards 58 tables were laid on the Quay
from north to south, each accommodating from 120 to 150 persons,
to whom roast beef and plum pudding were served.”
After dinner there was a naval procession to the Denes, where
donkey races and other sports took place; a bonfire concluded the
day’s rejoicings. The public subscription to defray
the cost of the celebration exceeded £1,000.
23.*—“The Earl of Home takes the surname of Ramey
in addition to that of Home, in compliance with a condition
contained in the will of his maternal grandfather, Mr. John
Ramey, of Yarmouth.”
—*“Died last week, aged 83, Mr. William Cutting,
formerly a manufacturer, of Norwich, who served the office of
Sheriff in 1790.”
—*“Died last week, at Oakingham, Berks., aged 63,
John Waddy, late of Covent Garden, and formerly of Norwich
Theatre.”
29.—An organ erected in St. Stephen’s Church,
Norwich, by Mr. England, was opened by Mr.
Pettet. Mrs. Solomon and Mr. C. Smith were the vocalists,
who also took part in a concert held in the evening at
Noverre’s Room, St. Michael-at-Plea.
1.—This day (Sunday), being May Day, “came on
agreeably to charter,” the election of Mayor of
Norwich. The polling continued throughout Sunday and
Monday. At seven o’clock on Sunday evening the votes
recorded were: Alderman Robberds, 762; Alderman Davey, 616;
Alderman Back, 508; Alderman Patteson, 170. “The
majority for Alderman Davey over Alderman Back being 108, the
friends of the latter demanded that the books should be opened
again next morning.” The second day’s poll was
closed by agreement at 12 o’clock, when the result was
declared as follows: Davey, 757; Robberds, 919; Patteson, 180;
Back, 763. A scrutiny was demanded on behalf of Mr.
Davey. It commenced on the 12th and continued till the
19th, when Mr. Davey withdrew. Mr. Robberds and Mr. Back
were then returned to the Court of Aldermen, by whom the former
was elected to the office of Mayor.
5.—Mr. Fitzgerald, a favourite actor in the Norwich
Company, appeared as Shylock, and delivered a farewell address,
on leaving the circuit for the Theatre Royal at Hull and York, of
which he was appointed patentee.
7.*—(Advt.) “Stoke Mills near Norwich.
Jeremiah Colman having taken the stock and trade lately carried
on by Mr. Edward Ames, respectfully informs his customers and the
public in general that he will continue the manufacturing of
mustard, and he takes leave to assure those who may be pleased to
favour him with their orders that they shall be supplied in such
a manner as cannot fail to secure their approbation.”
17.—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich
it was resolved to petition Parliament against the proposed
alteration in the Corn Laws.
18.—Thorpe Asylum was opened for the reception of forty
male pauper lunatics.
19.—The minister, churchwardens, and principal
inhabitants of St. Giles’, Norwich, went the bounds of the
parish, and afterwards dined at the Woolpack Inn.
“Ale, buns, and bumps were distributed among the
attendants, one of whom swam across the basin in Chapel Field to
observe the line of demarkation between St. Peter’s parish
for which he received half a crown.”
21.*—“The long depending wrestling match between
Lock and the Game Chicken was lately decided in favour of the
former after a severe contest of a quarter of an hour.”
24.—A fête in celebration of the victories
commenced at Thetford. A procession escorting an effigy of
Buonaparte “loaded with irons” went round the town,
and a ball took place in the evening. On the 26th 1,500
persons were entertained at dinner in a paddock. The Mayor
presided, and the Bishop of Norwich witnessed the
proceedings. Sports were held, and at night a
bonfire was lighted, and the effigy of Buonaparte consumed in the
flames.
The death took place at Oulton, this month, of Mrs. Margaret
Dent, at the age of 100.
1.—Died in London, aged 53, Mr. Robert Herring, of
Bracondale, Norwich. He was alderman for South Conisford
Ward, served the office of Sheriff in 1791, and was Mayor in
1807. Mr. Thomas Thurtell, of Lakenham, was elected to the
vacant aldermanship on June 6th.
—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
when resolutions were moved by Mr. E. Taylor in opposition to the
Corn Bill. The resolutions, which were unanimously adopted,
represented that the citizens had for twenty years suffered great
privations and hardships from the advance in price of all
necessaries of life, and particularly of “bread
corn,” that they viewed with alarm the measure introduced
in Parliament as calculated to raise the price of grain; and that
the proposed alterations in the Corn Laws were ill-timed, unwise,
and oppressive.—The “Bill for Regulating the
Importation Duties” was defeated in the House of Commons by
a majority of ten on June 6th, and on the arrival of the
intelligence by the Newmarket mail on the 8th, the horses were
removed from the coach, which was drawn for three hours through
the streets. Persons with large loaves of bread on their
heads were on the box seat, bells were rung, and pistols fired,
and at midnight a bonfire was lighted in the Market Place, and
many depredations were committed by those who obtained the
materials with which to feed the flames.
3.—The Expedition coach arrived at Norwich with news of
the definite Treaty of Peace, which was signed in Paris on the
30th ult. Amid great rejoicings the people dragged the
coach four times round the Market Place, and through the
principal streets. On the 15th 500 freemen of the Long Ward
were entertained by Mr. S. Mitchell to a dinner of roast beef at
Harper’s Gardens; on the 16th the Mayor entertained the
parochial poor, and there was a grand illumination in the
evening. Peace was formally proclaimed on the 27th by the
Mayor and Corporation walking in procession to various parts of
the city. Before being admitted to the Close the Mayor
knocked thrice at the gate, and informed Mr. J. Kitson, the
Bishop’s registrar, that admittance was asked by virtue of
his Majesty’s writ. The proclamation was then made in
the Cathedral precincts, and on returning to the Guildhall the
Corporation partook of refreshments. Mr. Sheriff Higgins
entertained the company to dinner at his house in Pitt Street,
and also feasted the poor. Thanksgiving services were held
on July 7th, and 723 charity children were entertained in St.
Andrew’s Hall. On the 20th at a quarterly assembly of
the Corporation an address was voted to the Prince Regent
congratulating him on “the highly honourable and auspicious
Peace concluded with France.”
20.—Mr. Robert Partridge, alderman, presented to the
Corporation of Norwich “an elegant tripod in the Grecian
style, to support a silver candelabrum of three lights,
surmounted with the figures of St. George and the Dragon,”
given by him in 1786.
21.—Guild Day was held in the “old
style” at Norwich by Mr. J. W. Robberds on his being sworn
in as Mayor. The feast at St. Andrew’s Hall was
attended by upwards of 500 guests, and a ball took place in the
evening at Chapel Field House.
22.—A Musical Festival, “in celebration of the
Peace,” commenced at the church of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich, with a performance of “Judas
Maccabaeus.” The “Messiah” was given on
the 23rd, and a selection of sacred music on the 24th. On
each evening a miscellaneous concert took place in St.
Andrew’s Hall. The principal performers were Madame
Catalani, Miss Stephens, Miss Booth, Mr. Braham, Mr. Garbett, Mr.
Turner, and Mr. Welsh; leader of the band, Dr. Hague; organ and
pianoforte, Mr. Beckwith.
1.—A meeting, presided over by the Mayor, was held at
St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, when resolutions were passed in
favour of the abolition of the African slave trade, and it was
decided to petition the House of Commons to the same
effect. The opponents of the resolutions moved, as an
amendment, that the Prince Regent was the only person to be
addressed pending the negociations with France upon the
subject. The resolutions were adopted by large
majorities.
2.*—“Capt. Matthias, of Stanhoe Hall, has returned
to his family in perfect health after being a prisoner in France
ten and a half years.”
4.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced on this date, a
fortnight later than usual owing to the Peace celebrations in
Norwich and the county. “None of the implements
possessed sufficient merit to entitle the inventor to the
handsome premium offered by Mr. Coke.”
6.—Peace was proclaimed at Yarmouth by the Mayor and
Corporation going in procession through the town. At night
there was a general illumination.
7.—Peace was proclaimed at King’s Lynn.
12.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions the case of the King
v. Griggs was tried. This was a prosecution at the
suit of Mr. Joseph Stannard, a pork butcher, against the
defendant, a dealer, for the publication of a libel in the form
of a song, entitled “Soup Meagre Joe.” The song
reflected on the quality of the soup made by Mr. Stannard, at the
request of a Mr. Mitchell, for distribution among the poor of the
city during the severe weather in February, 1814. It was
stated that the prosecutor neither received nor expected
remuneration. His beneficence was rewarded by gross insults
from the mob, by assaults, by placards in the streets, by
anonymous letters, and by songs which were sung by “Blind
Peter” and another ballad singer. One of these songs
was printed by Mr. Stewardson from MS. furnished by the
defendant. The jury, after four hours’ deliberation,
returned a verdict of guilty, and the defendant was fined
£10.
13.—The first division of West Norfolk Militia, under
the command of Col. Nelthorpe, marched into Norwich, from
Yarmouth, where they had landed the previous morning from the
Tickler cutter, and four Berwick traders from Leith. St.
Peter’s bells were rung, and the men
received the hearty congratulations of the citizens. The
second division arrived on the 16th, commanded by Major
Barnham. On the 18th the Earl of Orford, colonel of the
regiment, entertained the officers and their friends at the
Maid’s Head Inn. The regiment on the 19th received
the thanks of the House of Commons for their services.
19.—Died at Long Stratton, aged 60, the Rev. William
D’Oyly, for more than 20 years curate of Stratton St.
Michael and Flordon with Hapton. He raised a fund of nearly
£500 by small subscriptions for widening and improving
Briggs’ Lane, Norwich.
23.—Capt. William Hoste, R.N., was created a
Baronet.
28.—Dr. James Edward Smith, of Norwich, founder and
President of the Linnean Society, presented to the Prince Regent
a set of the Transactions of the Society, and received, on the
recommendation of Lord Sidmouth, the honour of knighthood.
30.*—“The four sons of Mr. C. E. Bagge, M.P., late
of Quebec House, Dereham, are authorised to take the name and
arms of Lee Warner instead of Bagge.”
8.—The Mayor and Court of Aldermen visited the annual
exhibition of the Norwich Society of Artists.
11.—The Hon. John Wodehouse, as foreman of the Grand
Jury at the Norfolk Assizes, proposed, and Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P.,
seconded, resolutions recommending that a subscription be opened
for the erection of a monument to the memory of Lord
Nelson. At a meeting of the Norwich Corporation on October
22nd it was resolved that the city subscribe £200, and the
Speaker was requested to attend the county meeting, and urge that
the monument be erected on the Castle Hill “or some other
commanding situation in or near the city.” At the
county meeting, held the same week, it was announced that the
subscriptions amounted to £5,138. At a meeting held
at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, on January 14th, 1815, it was
resolved that the monument be erected at Yarmouth. The
committee, at a meeting held during the Norfolk Assizes at
Thetford on March 29th, 1815, after inspecting 44 plans and
designs, “selected an Athenian Doric column sent by Mr.
William Wilkins, architect, of London, a native of Norwich, and
author of ‘Magna Græcia.’” Nearly
£7,000 was subscribed.
14.—Died, in Parliament Place, London, aged 85, Mr. E.
H. Delaval, of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, and of Hoddington,
Lincolnshire. “By his death the mansion house of
Seaton Delaval, and the family estate of the late Lord Delaval,
has devolved upon Sir Jacob Henry Astley, Bart., M.P., for
Norfolk, whose mother was his lordship’s eldest
sister.”
20.*—“The officers of the 7th Hussars have
presented Col. Kerrison with a piece of plate, of the value of
200 guineas, in testimony of their admiration of his gallantry at
the battle of Orthes.”
22.—Races were held at Cromer, which at the time was
very full of company, and the “new subscription room”
and dances a great attraction to many distinguished
visitors. “From the course being in the immediate
neighbourhood of Gunton and Blickling,” it was expected
that Cromer races would “soon vie with those of Yarmouth,
&c.”
30.—Mr. William Burt and Mr. R. Hawkes were candidates
for the office of freemen’s Sheriff at Norwich. The
former was returned with 810 votes as against 726 polled by his
opponent. It was stated that “so severe a contest at
the election of Sheriff had not taken place since
1781.”
11.—Died, at Hoveton House, aged 85, Mr. Anthony
Aufrere, for fifty years an active magistrate in the county.
13.—The portrait of Mr. William Smith, M.P. (painted by
Thompson), was placed in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.
17.—Capt. Robert D. Patteson, 6th Regiment of Foot,
second son of Mr. John Patteson, of Norwich, was killed during
the sortie made by the American troops from Fort Erie.
—*“Last week a single wicket match was played at
Downham Market for a considerable sum between Mr. William Griggs,
of Stow Bardolph, and Mr. James Hall, of Downham. Griggs,
8-37; Hall, 11-9.”
26.—Died at Hadleigh, aged 34, Henry Reeve, M.D., one of
the physicians of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and of the
Bethel Hospital, Norwich.
28.—A peal of six bells, purchased by public
subscription in celebration of the Peace, was opened at New
Buckenham. The bells were cast by Dobson, of Downham
Market, and the tenor weighed 12 cwt. “A prize of six
hats, value 10s. each, was given to the company who gave proof of
their skill in ringing the best peal.” The Hopton
company were declared winners, a distinction which was warmly
contested by the Norwich men.
29.—Died, in St. Giles’, Norwich, aged 85, the
Rev. Thomas Howes, rector of Morningthorpe, and of Thorndon,
Suffolk. “He was a profound scholar, and a formidable
antagonist with Bishop Horsley of Dr. Priestley in the Tractarian
controversy in 1781. He was also the author of several
theological works.”
17.—Mr. Thomas Coldwell, coach proprietor of Norwich,
was presented by the Corporation with the freedom of the city in
recognition of his services in forwarding the mails to and from
Norwich during the severe weather of the previous winter.
19.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, “the justices
having regard of the present high price of hay and oats,”
ordered the following additional rates of allowance to be made in
the county to persons who provided carriages for the conveyance
of his Majesty’s forces in their marches, or for their
arms, clothing, or accoutrements: 1s. for every mile
any waggon with four or more horses, or any wain with six oxen,
or with four oxen and two horses and their driver; 9d. for every
mile any cart with four horses, or carrying not less than 15
cwt.; and 6d. for every mile any cart or carriage with less than
four horses, and not carrying 15 cwt.
20.—Mr. Samuel Wesley, the eminent organist, gave a
recital at the church of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
21.—The Castle Corporation at Norwich celebrated its
jubilee. The first meeting was held at the Bell Inn, Orford
Hill, in 1764, under the name of the Bell Corporation, and
“was governed by a Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen, and the
usual officers attached to a Corporation.” In 1793
the members were “much divided on the politics of the day,
and particularly upon the French Revolution.” The
society then separated into two political parties, “when
those who viewed with horror the proceedings of the French
Convention, and the attempts made by the correspondents to bring
about a revolution in this country,” removed to the Castle
Inn, assumed the name of the Castle Corporation, and espoused the
principles of Pitt. At this dinner Mr. Charles Harvey,
M.P., presented to and invested the “Mayor” (Mr.
Crisp Brown) with a medallion containing a cameo likeness of
Pitt.
22.—Four troops of the 5th Dragoon Guards marched into
Norwich and occupied the Cavalry Barracks, whence the detachment
of Royal Artillery was removed to the Infantry Barracks in St.
Michael at Coslany.
29.—For an attempted felony, Charles Pegg stood in the
city pillory in Norwich Market Place for one hour.
“The hoary-headed culprit was taken back to the City
Gaol.”
20.—Died, aged 74, James Church, sexton of St. Peter
Permountergate, Norwich. “He had held the situation
near fifty years, and buried upwards of 3,000 persons.”
22.—Died, at Eaton Hall, in his 55th year, Mr. Jonathan
Davey, alderman of Norwich. Mr. Nathaniel Bolingbroke was
elected in his place alderman of Colegate Ward.
23.—Died, at Costessey (at the seat of his nephew, Sir
George Jerningham), General Jerningham, who was born in 1742,
entered the service of France, and became colonel commandant of
several of the Irish regiments. At the Revolution he
returned home, where he remained until the Peace of Amiens in
1802, when he again proceeded to France. Unable to recover
his property there, he was, on the renewal of hostilities in
1803, by order of Bonaparte, detained a prisoner with the rest of
his countrymen, and it was only on the King’s restoration
that he was released.
26.*—“Tower half-pence being refused to be taken
in exchange, Mr. Smith, M.P., has written to the Mint, who have
agreed to accept them under certain conditions.”
28.—Four troops of the 5th Dragoon Guards marched from
Norwich for Ipswich. A troop of the Duke of
Brunswick’s Oels marched in on December 2.
9.—A riot was occasioned at King’s Lynn by sailors
who, with a number of other persons, forcibly took a portion of
the crew from a vessel about to sail, and demanded a general rise
of wages. The Brunswick Hussars from Norwich and the
Freebridge and Lynn Legion speedily put an end to the tumult, and
three of the rioters were taken to Norwich Castle under cavalry
escort. At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich in July,
1815, the offenders were sentenced to two months’
imprisonment.
12.—The Duke of Gloucester left Holkham Hall after a
week’s visit to Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P.
13.—The new tenor bell for St. Peter Mancroft church,
Norwich, was deposited in the tower preparatory to its being hung
in place of the old one, which had been taken down and broken
up. The new bell was inscribed, “To the King, Queen,
and Royal Family, this harmonious peal of 12 bells is
dedicated. Thomas Mears, London, fecit, 1814.”
The weight was 42 cwt., 2 qrs., or about 28 lbs. heavier than its
predecessor.
21.—Gas light was introduced at the shop of Mr.
Harrison, the Market Place, Norwich. “Sixteen
brilliant lights were kept burning for five hours at the trifling
expense of 9d. in coals. The gas is conveyed from a small
fireplace in the kitchen through tubes into branches.”
31.*—“The Prince Regent has been pleased to grant
the dignity of a baronet to Mr. Thomas Preston, of Beeston St.
Lawrence.”
6.—At Brighton Pavilion the Prince Regent conferred the
honour of knighthood on Colonel Kerrison, 7th Hussars.
12.—Mr. Crisp Brown, as “Mayor” of the
Castle Corporation, Norwich, presented to Mr. Thomas Back a
silver vase in recognition of his “zealous and liberal
support of the loyal and constitutional principles of the
society.”
13.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
presided over by the Mayor, it was unanimously resolved to
petition Parliament against the continuance of the Property Tax
under any modification whatever. Both Members for the city
supported the resolutions. A meeting of the owners of
estates, and other contributors to the Property Tax, in Norfolk,
took place at the Shirehouse under the presidency of the High
Sheriff. Similar resolutions were adopted on the ground
that the tax was “unjust, unequal, and
inquisitorial.” At Yarmouth, Lynn, and other towns in
the county like protests were made.
14.—Equestrian performances were given at Norwich
Theatre for a short season, commencing on this date. The
“beautiful and surprising troop of horses” appeared
in the dramatic spectacles of “Timour, the Tartar,”
“Blue Beard,” “The Tiger Horde,” and
“Lodorska.”
—*“All those who have witnessed the performance of
Mons. du Pain, at the Angel Inn, Norwich, particularly his
emersing his hands and feet in boiling lead, express their
astonishment at his feats, and the room is crowded every
day.”
—*“Died, lately at Lynn, aged 70, Mr. William
Munsen, who pursued the employment of a shoeblack. He was
reported to be the illegitimate son of a nobleman, and would
never accept offers of pecuniary assistance which were secretly
made to him by his unknown parents. He supported himself
for 50 years by his humble employment, and was generally known as
“Billy Boots.” (A detailed account of this
individual was compiled by Hone from the notice in the Norfolk Chronicle.)
16.—The fifth great main of cocks between the gentlemen
of Norwich and the gentlemen of Cambridgeshire commenced at the
White Swan Inn, Norwich, and after a sharp contest, which lasted
the two following days, was won by the home representatives by a
single battle. Betting was in favour of Cambridgeshire.
21.*—“The game bull which has been frequently
baited near Carrow Abbey is a very gentle animal, but no dog has
yet been found that can pin him down.”
24.—A prize fight took place between Pegg, “the
noted bruiser,” and Fox, a horse dealer, of
Costessey. “It lasted an hour, when the former
received such a ‘pegging’ that he was carried off in
a state of insensibility.”
—A sea eagle, measuring seven feet six inches from tip
to tip of its expanded wings, and three feet from the crown of
its head to the end of its tail, was killed at Rollesby.
4.*—“Messrs. Mackie, of Norwich, in a very
handsome and public-spirited manner, have presented the trustees
of Carrow Bridge with nearly 500 plants of the Cœrulean
willow, and have also been at the whole expense of planting them
on each side of the road leading towards Thorpe.”
7.—The new Theatre at Lynn was opened under the
management of Mr. John Brunton with “Lovers’
Vows” and “Raising the Wind.” In addition
to the manager, the company included Mr. Foote, of the Theatre
Royal, Dublin; Mr. and Mrs. Hall, from the Theatre Royal, York;
Mr. Tokeby, Mr. Renaud, Mr. Gomery, and Mrs. Grove, of the
Theatre Royal, Haymarket. On the 9th Mr. C. Kemble appeared
as Macbeth; on the 11th, Miss Eliza Brunton made “her first
appearance on any stage” as Desdemona to Mr. Kemble’s
Othello; and on March 25th Mrs. Jordan appeared as Widow Cheerley
in “The Soldier’s Daughter,” and on succeeding
evenings as Miss Hoyden in “The Trip to Scarborough,”
as Widow Belmour, and as Nell in “The Devil to
Pay.” A brilliant season terminated on April
18th. It was said that “in
beauty, simplicity, and correctness of style” this house
could “hold competition with any theatre out of the
Metropolis.”
9.—Fifty thousand persons assembled to witness a balloon
ascent by a Mr. Steward from the Prussia Gardens, Norwich.
The balloon rose a short distance and fell in Messrs.
Mackie’s nursery grounds, went up again and descended in a
garden. The mob rushed in, tore the balloon to pieces, and
would have roughly handled the aeronaut but for General Money
taking him into his carriage and conveying him to a place of
safety. A public subscription had been opened for some
weeks previously to defray the cost of the ascent; and another
list was started to recoup Mr. Steward his loss.
27.—A cocking match took place at the Lobster Inn, St.
John Maddermarket, Norwich, between North Walsham and
Norwich. Feeders: Lamb, for North Walsham; Stafford, for
Norwich.
1.—The poor freemen of Great Wymer Ward, Norwich,
presented a silver cup, of the value of 50 guineas, to Mr. Samuel
Mitchell, one of the nominees of the ward.
—A match was decided at Blickling Park between three
horses belonging respectively to Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Roper, of
Coleby, and Mr. Wright, of Aylsham. The best of three one
mile heats was won by Mr. Sheppard’s horse. A second
race between two horses, the property of Mr. Gay, of Oulton, and
Mr. Smith, of Aylsham, was won by the former.
4.—Died, at Drayton, Sarah Codenham, aged 105.
“This poor woman had been so long in poverty and affliction
that, according to the overseer’s calculation, she had cost
them £500.”
8.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, and presided over
by the Mayor, it was resolved to petition the House of Lords
against the Corn Bill, which had been passed by the House of
Commons by a majority of 119. (The Bill was passed by the
Lords and received the Royal Assent on the 23rd.)
15.—The Expedition coach arrived in Norwich “with
the gratifying account displayed in large letters on its
panels” of the ratification of the Treaty of Peace with
America. The bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung, and a
bonfire was lighted in the Market Place.
17.—Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., Lord Albemarle, and other
gentlemen, while attending a cattle show held on the Castle
Ditches, Norwich, by the Norfolk Agricultural Association, were
attacked by a mob in consequence of their supposed support of the
Corn Bill before the House of Commons. The mob drove them
into the Angel yard, and it was not until the Brunswick Hussars
had been called out, and the Riot Act read, that the disturbance
was quelled. By strategy Mr. Coke and his friends escaped
through the back gate of the Angel Inn and drove to Quidenham
Hall. Some of the rioters were apprehended, and one of the
Brunswickers was wounded by a stone. The Mayor and
magistrates of Norwich received the commendations of Government
for their activity and exertions in suppressing the
disturbance. The Grand Jury at the Norfolk Assizes, held at
Thetford on March 29th, resolved “to
enter into a subscription to bring to justice the instigators of
the late premeditated attack on Mr. Coke and other
gentlemen.” On May 2nd the Corporation of Norwich
accorded their thanks to Col. Von Tempsky and the officers and
privates of the Brunswick Hussars for their prompt assistance in
quelling the riot.
—A curious race took place in Chapel Field,
Norwich. The competitors were Thomas Jenner and William
Palmer, “two men with two wooden legs each.”
The wager of £1 was won by the former.
25.—In the official year, ending this date, Norfolk
(including Norwich) raised the sum of £219,238 10s. 1d. for
the poor, church rate, highway rates, &c.
27.—At the Norfolk Assizes, which commenced at Thetford
on this date, before Mr. Justice Heath, a curious case, the King
v. Garratt, was heard. This was a criminal
indictment which had been moved by certiorari into the
Court of King’s Bench, and was tried at nisi
prius. “It was for a nuisance complained of by
the exposition of a stallion in the public market of East
Dereham.” The Judge was of opinion that the mere fact
of leading a stallion to market was not an offence indictable at
law, and the defendant was acquitted.
A number of human bones and upwards of 20 urns, containing
bones in a calcined state, were this month dug up at a farm at
Markshall, adjoining the Roman camp at Caister, near Norwich.
6.—A new farce (“written by an eminent artist
resident in the city”), founded upon the story of
“John Gilpin,” and interspersed with music, was
produced at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. On the 17th another
new production was staged, “an historical operatic drama in
two acts, called ‘The Rebellion, or Norwich in
1549,’” by Mr. George P. Bromley, a member of the
Norwich Company.
22.—Died, at his son’s house in Weymouth Street,
London, aged 67, Mr. William Wilkins, of Newnham, near Cambridge,
patentee of the Norwich Theatre Royal.
—The staff of the West Norfolk Militia, stationed in
Norwich, received orders to raise men by beat of drum instead of
by ballot. Recruiting parties were sent out for that
purpose. It was announced on May 13th that these parties,
under the direction of Capt. Borrow, had been very successful in
obtaining men.
24.—A smuggling lugger was captured off Hunstanton by
the Tiger revenue cutter with 840 tubs of Geneva on board.
26.—Died, at Norwich, aged 89, Dr. John Beevor, an
eminent physician.
2.—The Norwich Court of Guardians having employed
surveyors at a great expense to make new assessments of property
in the several parishes within the walls of the city for the
purpose of equalising the poor-rates, St. Saviour’s Vestry
meeting passed a resolution protesting against it
on the ground that it would have the effect of increasing both
general and local taxes. The vestries of other parishes
passed similar resolutions. At this time the Norwich
Guardians raised about £20,000 annually for the relief of
the poor.
11.—Early in the morning a boat’s crew from his
Majesty’s ship Cadmus, at Yarmouth, when passing down the
river to the harbour’s mouth with impressed seamen, were
attacked by a mob on both banks, and several of the sailors were
severely wounded with stones. The mob seized the gig
belonging to the Cadmus and destroyed her. The Admiralty
offered a reward of £20 for the conviction of the
offenders. At the Norfolk Assizes held at Norwich on August
14th, 1816, before Lord Chief Justice Gibbs, seven persons were
indicted for riotously assembling and rescuing from the press
gang, legally authorised, a person who had been impressed.
The defendants, with one exception, were found guilty. In
the following December they were sentenced in the Court of
King’s Bench to nine months’ imprisonment each.
13.—Died, in St. Giles’ Street, Norwich, aged 20,
Mr. H. Fisher, son of Mr. David Fisher, manager of the Norfolk
and Suffolk Company of Comedians.
18.—At this date a series of disturbances occurred at
Norwich Theatre. Mr. F. A. Vining, a member of the company,
in a letter dated May 18th, and addressed to the patrons of the
Theatre, referred to the “injustice and cruelty which had
been heaped upon him within its walls.” He had left
Norwich to accept an engagement at Covent Garden Theatre and
appeared there with success for 90 or 100 nights. At the
end of the London season he accepted a further engagement at
Norwich, when, it was alleged, that Mr. Vining, “being
found unworthy of a situation in another theatre,” Mr.
Jones, a member of the Norwich Company, was “discharged to
make room for him.” Mr. Vining denied any personal
knowledge of the matter. On May 29th several friends of Mr.
Jones were committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions for
creating disturbances at the Theatre. At the Quarter
Sessions on July 11th the recognisances of the sureties who had
been bound over for the accused were discharged, “it being
the intention of the prosecution to prefer an indictment at the
ensuing Assizes.” At the Assizes held on July 25th
the Grand Jury found true bills against the defendants, when the
indictments were traversed and the accused discharged till the
next Assizes. On that occasion the defendants entered into
recognisances to appear at the next ensuing Assizes, and no
further record is given.
20.*—“The diversion of hawking, a sport antiently
much used, has been revived in this country on a considerable
scale by Lord Rivers, Major Wilson, of Didlington, and Mr.
Downes, of Gunton. Their subscription hawks, under the
management of German falconers, have afforded much amusement to
numerous spectators. Last week they were exhibited at
Newmarket after the races, and flown off at some rooks in the
Flat, which they speedily brought down.”
25.—A Methodist Missionary Society for the Norwich
District was formed at a meeting held at Calvert Street,
Norwich.
29.—The prisoners in the City Gaol, Norwich, returned
thanks to the Mayor and Corporation “for 10s. worth of beer
given them on the anniversary of King Charles
Restoration.”
4.—King George III. attained his 78th year on this day
(Sunday). The Corporation of Norwich attended service at
the Cathedral, the Brunswick Hussars fired a feu de joie
in the barrack square, and the Light Horse Volunteers, commanded
by Major J. Harvey, marched into the Market Place, and after
thrice discharging their pistols gave three cheers for the
King. “The children belonging to the Sunday School of
the Independent Chapel at Lynn, about 800 in number, were regaled
with cake and wine.” On the 5th a society at Norwich,
known as “The Loyal Heroes,” celebrated the Royal
birthday by dining at the Pigeons, Charing Cross.
6.—Married at St. Peter Mancroft church, Norwich,
Lieut.-Col. Robert John Harvey to Charlotte Mary, only daughter
of Mr. Robert Harvey, of Watton. After the service
“the wedding party returned to their carriages, a wedding
peal was rung, and the Norwich Light Horse, forming a guard of
honour, acted as escort to the bride and bridegroom, and fired a
feu de joie in front of their house.”
12.—A grand camping match took place at Ranworth.
“They played 24 a side, but neither party goaled the ball,
and it was decided by a bye.” Between 2,000 and 3,000
persons were present.
—A wrestling match for a subscription purse of £5
took place at the Bird-in-Hand, Kirby. The prize was won by
a Reedham man. “A grand milling afterwards took place
between Chapman and Ellis, the Newmarket Lad. It was
strength and ferocity against science and steady courage, and was
won by the latter, who blinded his opponant in 25
minutes.”
17.—The Brunswick Hussars, commanded by Col. von
Tempsky, left Norwich on their route to Harwich to embark for the
Continent.
23.—News was received at Norwich of the battle of
Waterloo, fought on June 18th. Cannon were fired, and bells
rung in celebration of the victory. The rejoicings were
renewed on the 27th, when the Expedition and other coaches
brought intelligence of the second abdication of
Buonaparte. The Expedition coach, decorated with laurel and
flags, was dragged through the streets to the singing of
“God save the King” and “Rule Britannia,”
and a bonfire, fed with the stalls from the fish-market, and with
other stolen material, was lighted at night.
24.*—“That long and justly complained-of nuisance,
St. Stephen’s pit, is about to be removed. The
Corporation of Norwich have ordered a lease of it to be granted
to Mr. Edward Bacon, builder, and four houses are to be erected
on its scite agreeable to a plan delivered by him for that
purpose.”
3.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. Among the
implements exhibited was a machine for spreading hay.
“It was drawn by one horse, and by means of strong iron
rakes affixed to an axle or centre completely spread a number of
swathes (three or four according to the length of the rakes) as
fast as the horse could walk.”
6.—A “long and scientific battle” took place
between Chapman and Ellis on a meadow on the Suffolk side of the
Waveney, near St. Olaves Bridge. “From the first to the 17th round
the superior size and strength of Chapman carried him through,
and betting was two and three to one in his favour; but, in the
18th, Ellis went in and gave his opponent three desperate facers,
which brought the betting even till the 31st round, when Chapman
beginning to show evident marks of severe punishment, had his
right eye closed; betting, two to one on Ellis. In the 54th
round the left eye was closed, and his head became truly
terrific, and had from its swollen state a giant-like
appearance.” Ellis was the winner after a contest of
one hour, 12 minutes, for a subscription purse of £7!
8.—Died at Swaffham, aged 88, Thomas Chesney,
gardener. “What is very remarkable he never was more
than four miles from Swaffham.”
—The following names were published as those of local
officers present at the battle of Waterloo:—Lieut.-Col.
Charles West, 3rd Regiment of Guards; Lieut. the Hon. Horace G.
Townshend, 1st Regiment of Guards; Lieut. Sigismund Trafford, 1st
Royal Dragoons, eldest son of Mr. S. Trafford Southwell; Ensign
Alfred Cooper, 14th Regiment, youngest son of Mr. C. Cooper,
Norwich; Col. Sir Edward Kerrison, 7th Dragoons (? Hussars);
Lieut.-Col. Archibald Money, 11th Light Dragoons; and Major Sir
George Hoste, Royal Engineers.
11.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, John Watson was
indicted for conspiring with two other persons unknown to
fraudulently obtain a bank note for £10 from Thomas
Starling. The prisoner and two persons, apparently
strangers, were boasting at a public-house how much money they
possessed, when the accused taking prosecutor aside told him that
if he could lend him a £10 note it would enable him to win
a wager. The prosecutor went out, borrowed the money, and
placed it in the hands of the prisoner, who with the other
conspirators went away, taking the money with them. The
prisoner was sentenced to seven years’ transportation.
13.—Arrived at Yarmouth two transports from Ostend with
300 sick and wounded soldiers of the Duke of Wellington’s
army. They were removed in keels from the ships to the
hospital on the Denes.
15.*—“The Postmasters-General have established a
penny post six days a week to Stalham, with open letter boxes for
the receiving of letters at that place, Neatishead, and Hoveton,
near Wroxham Bridge.”
28.—The High Sheriff, in compliance with a requisition
signed by the county justices in Quarter Sessions, convened a
meeting at the Shirehall, Norwich, when, on the motion of Mr.
Robert Fellowes, seconded by the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, a
subscription was opened for the relief of the wounded survivors,
and the widows and children of the soldiers who fell at
Waterloo. This subscription amounted to £7,000.
Collections were also made in the city and county churches.
29.—A balloon ascent was made from the Ranelagh Gardens,
Norwich, by Mr. Sadler. “All night long hundreds
continued to flock into town, and at daybreak the roads were
literally thronged with people. Some hours before noon the
principal avenues to the Market Place were blocked up with
vehicles for which accommodation could not be found in the inn
yards, and horses were picketed in the streets. Lodging and
accommodation at the inns were very difficult to obtain, and in
many instances a guinea was given for a bed.” Miss
Bathurst, daughter of the Bishop of Norwich, presented the
aeronaut with a banner previous to
the ascent. The balloon rose at 3.35 and descended at 4.30
p.m., in a field near Sprowston Hall. “Among the
company present in the Ranelagh Gardens was General Money, who 30
years previously, namely on Saturday, July 23rd, 1785, made a
similar ascent, and was blown out to sea, where he was rescued by
the Argus Revenue cutter.”
31.—A baker was fined before the Mayor of Norwich for
“exposing bread to sell on the Lord’s day before the
hour of ten o’clock in the morning.” Shortly
afterwards 15 persons were summoned for like offences, and the
Master and Wardens of the Bakers’ Company applied that the
fines might be strictly enforced.
1.—A cricket match was played on Hempton Green between
the united parishes of Litcham, Dunham, and Brisley, and of
Walsingham and Fakenham. “The latter team, although
unparalleled in the annals of cricketeering, did not get a single
notch.”
5.*—“Mr. Bellamy, the favourite comedian of the
Norwich Company, is engaged by the managers of Covent Garden
Theatre at a liberal salary.” The London Press
criticised his “provincial twang,” and described his
performance of the part of Polonius as “somewhat
outlandish.”
8.—Died, at Downham Market, Mr. Zachary Clark,
“one of the people called Quakers.” He founded
a Lancasterian school in the town, and in 1811 published an
account of the different charities belonging to the poor in
Norfolk.
13.—A serious fire occurred near the church of St.
Lawrence, Norwich. Six houses were destroyed. The
fire originated at the house of a cabinet maker named
Hubbard.
15.—The first division of the West Norfolk Militia
marched from Norwich for Ipswich under command of Major Barnham;
the second division, under Lieut.-Col. Nelthorpe, marched on the
16th, and the remainder on the 17th. The strength of the
regiment was upwards of 500 rank and file, chiefly raised in
three months by beat of drum. The corps embarked at
Harwich, and sailed for Ireland on August 28th.
—A division of the King’s German Legion, under
command of Capt. Meyer, marched into Norwich from Harwich, where
they had landed from Cuxhaven.
19.*—“Last week a well-contested battle was fought
at Cley between John Bell and the noted Matthew Randall, well
known for his skill in gymnastic exercises. Betting was two
and three to one in favour of Randall. After 20
minutes’ hard fighting Bell won. The known bottom of
Bell and the tried science of Randall drew a considerable
concourse of people, among whom were noticed many distinguished
characters of the neighbourhood. A handsome subscription
was made for the conqueror, who was taken from the ground in a
gentleman’s carriage.”
—The Norfolk, Suffolk, and London Accommodation Coach,
owned by John Noller, was advertised to leave the Norfolk Hotel,
Norwich, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at
eight o’clock, and to travel through Scole, Eye, and
Debenham. Fares: Insides, 18s.; outsides, 12s.
19.*—“Died, last week, aged 94, John Minns,
worstead weaver, of St. Paul’s, Norwich. He had
anticipated the event 16 years ago, and had then his coffin made,
which he had ever since kept in an adjoining room, and actually
used as a cupboard.”
22.—The Corporation of Yarmouth elected Mr. Robert
Alderson, Steward of Norwich, Recorder of that borough.
3.—A lad, named Henry Thirkettle, when nutting in
Hempnall Wood, touched the wire of a spring gun, and the charge
entering his body inflicted terrible injuries. William
Ebbage, in the service of Mr. Henry Usborne, of Heydon Hall, was
on October 28th similarly injured. Mr. Gurney, barrister,
was consulted as to the legality of the use of spring guns.
His opinion was that their use was not lawful, and that in case
of death a verdict of murder might be returned against the master
who authorised the use of, and the servant who set a spring
gun. A contrary opinion was expressed by another
barrister.
6.—Died at Ber Street, Norwich, aged 68, Martin Drummee,
a noted bird fancier, “by which business he had accumulated
considerable property.”
9.*—“According to the Charter of the borough of
Yarmouth, the Aldermen and Common Councilmen are annually to
assemble and choose before they separate ‘the most
discrete’ alderman to be Mayor. The election of Mr.
Cory did not take place until after a strong trial of patience
and abstinence on both sides. The electors assembled on the
Tuesday noon, and remained shut up (with only such
provisions as they carried in their pockets) until ten
o’clock on the Thursday night, when the six whose
supplies were first exhausted found themselves obliged to agree
with the other six who were better provided, and to surrender
their votes to avoid starvation, and a third night’s
confinement in the Church Hall.”
16.—Equestrian performances commenced at the Pantheon,
Harper’s Gardens, Norwich, under the management of R.
Usher, “late clown at Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre,
and J. Clarke, the celebrated equestrian of the Royal Circus,
London.”
19.—At the Yarmouth Race Assembly on this date “it
was the general remark that there was too much display in the
ball-room, attributed by some to the ladies in the hurry of
setting off having left, what ought to be considered a necessary
article of dress, behind them.”
25.—Married, Mr. D. Fisher, manager of the Norfolk and
Suffolk Company of Comedians, to Miss F. B. Bane, niece to Mr.
Aldrich, of Pulham.
—Died at Burnham Westgate, Sir Mordaunt Martin, Bart.,
aged 75. He passed the last 50 years of his life in
retirement at Burnham Thorpe, devoting his time principally to
the study and practice of agriculture.
26.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 50, Mrs.
Holland. “Her death was occasioned by her being
frightened by the stories of a Mrs. Spaul, who pretended to tell
fortunes.” Mrs. Spaul was committed to gaol by the
Mayor.
29.—Mr. Thomas Thurtell, alderman, and Mr. William
Foster were sworn into office as Sheriffs of Norwich, and
entertained a large company to dinner at Chapel Field House.
1.—Died at his house on Tombland, Norwich, Robert Dixon,
aged 35. He studied at the Royal Academy, settled in
Norwich as an artist in 1800, and gave lessons in drawing.
“As a scene painter Mr. Dixon stood proudly pre-eminent,
and Norwich Theatre may boast of monuments of his
greatness.” A public exhibition of his works was held
in the room of the Norwich Society of Artists, and on January
22nd, 1816, a performance was given at the Theatre, for the
benefit of his widow and children.
17.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions the Grand Jury made
a presentment on the defective state of the pavements, and
expressed the opinion that, the streets were inadequately
cleansed and lighted.
19.—A grand musical performance was given at St.
Stephen’s Church, Norwich, in aid of the Blind
School. The principal performers were Miss King, Mr.
Barrow, and Mr. French; leader of the band, Mr. Fish; at the
organ, Mr. Pettet.
21.—The Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, and London Post
Coach was advertised to start from the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, at
eight o’clock every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
morning.
4.*—“Died lately, aged 101, Mrs. Stockings, of
East Harling.”
11.—The Day Norwich and London New Post Coach was
advertised to perform the journey between Norwich and the
Metropolis in 14 hours. It started from the Rampant Horse
Inn every morning at six o’clock, and arrived the same
evening at the Black Bull Inn and Spread Eagle Inn, Gracechurch
Street. It left London at six o’clock on the
following morning. The proprietors were Richard Gurney, Ann
Nelson and Sons, T. and J. Boyce, Samuel Bright, and William
Jones.
14.—The Duke of York arrived at Quidenham Hall on a
visit to the Earl of Albemarle for a week’s pheasant
shooting.
16.—In the Court of King’s Bench, Benjamin
Branford, Joshua Forby, James Jessup, and William Quant,
convicted at the Norfolk Assizes of conspiring to falsely accuse
Mr. Henry Goggs, of Whissonsett, of a serious offence, were
sentenced, Branford to twelve months’, Forby to six
months’, and Jessup and Quant to three months’
imprisonment in Norwich Castle.
24.—Died, at Thursford, Sir George Chad, Bart., aged
84.
27.—The Marquis Cornwallis, Earl and Lady
Chatham, and other notabilities, passed through Norwich on their
way from Blickling Hall to Henham Park.
30.—The Duke of Gloucester, the Lord Bishop of Norwich,
and the Earl and Countess of Albemarle, visited Mr. T. W. Coke at
Holkham.
1.—Lord Sydney visited Yarmouth and was presented with
the patent of the office of High Steward of the borough.
His lordship invited the Corporation to dinner at the Nelson
Hotel, and General Loftus, M.P., by whom he was accompanied, gave
a ball at the Town Hall.
7.—A sixteenth share of the lottery prize of
£50,000 three per cent. consols was drawn by Mr. C. Davy,
farmer, Great Plumstead.
16.—Died at his house in St. James’s Square,
London, in his 70th year, Charles Howard, Duke of Norfolk, Earl
Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. He was succeeded
in his titles, hereditary honours, and principal estates, by Mr.
Barnard Edward Howard, of Fornham, near Bury St.
Edmund’s.
18.—Colombier’s French Company of Equestrians
commenced an engagement at the Pantheon, Norwich.
24.—Died, Mrs. Mary Dye, of Elsing, aged 101.
—Lord and Lady Castlereagh arrived in Norwich, and after
dining at the Norfolk Hotel, proceeded on a visit to Lord
Suffield, at Blickling Park.
30.*—“A fire engine completed by Mr. Jordan, an
ingenious mechanic, of this city (Norwich), and requiring only 18
men to work it, was tried against one of Hadley and Co.’s
patent engines in the Market Place yesterday, and proved equal,
if not superior, to it in power. Messrs. Hartley’s
engine cost £180 and Mr. Jordan’s only
£80.”
5.—At a Provincial Grand Lodge of Freemasons held at
Norwich, Sir Jacob Henry Astley, M.P., was elected Grand
Master.
6.—Mr. Thomas Coldwell was appointed postmaster at
Norwich, in place of G. Litchfield.
—*“One day this week a salmon trout measuring one
yard four inches, and weighing twenty-one pounds, was caught in
Trowse River, near Norwich.”
18.—Thanksgiving day for the restoration of Peace.
The Mayor and Corporation of Norwich attended the Cathedral in
state, and services were held at most of the city churches.
20.—Died, aged 83, Mr. James Clabburn, many years
keeper of the Close Jail, at Norwich.
—*“An order has been received at Norwich for
upwards of 10,000 pieces of broad whites from the East India
Company, and distributed among the different manufacturers much
in the same proportions as last year.”
—*“There is now living in Forncett St. Mary a Mrs.
Knights, who is 106 years old.”
24.—Mr. Betty, originally known as the Young Roscius,
commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre. He appeared as
Douglas, Sir Edward Mortimer (“The Iron Chest”), and
Rolla (“Pizarro”).
25.—At the 51st anniversary meeting of the Castle
Corporation, at Norwich, Mr. Thomas Back presented to the society
two medals to be worn respectively by the “Recorder”
and “Steward.” They were intended to
commemorate the battle of Waterloo.
25.—A memorial was sent to the Postmaster-General by the
inhabitants of Norwich, setting forth the great inconvenience
occasioned by the late delivery of letters by the mail.
Afterwards the coach arrived at twelve o’clock instead of
at one o’clock.
27.*—“Died, at Exeter, aged 63, Mr. John Bennett,
formerly of the Norwich Theatre.”
29.—Died, in his 87th year, Mr. Robert Harvey, of
Norwich. He twice served the office of Mayor (1770 and
1800), and at his death was “Father of the
City.” “He enjoyed the gratification of seeing
his three surviving sons holding high municipal positions, one of
whom received the additional honour of being its representative
in Parliament.”
3.—Mr. Dowton commenced an engagement of four nights at
Norwich Theatre. He appeared as Sir Anthony Absolute,
Abednego (“The Jew and the Doctor”), Sir Francis
Gripe (“The Busybody”), Scout (“The Village
Lawyer”), and Old Dorley (“Who’s the
Dupe?”).
4.—Died at Hamilton Place, London, Robert, Earl of
Buckinghamshire, Baron Hobart, President of the India
Board. He was half brother to John, Earl of
Buckinghamshire, who resided at Blickling, and who was father of
Lady Suffield and Lady Castlereagh.
5.—Died in St. Stephen’s, Norwich, aged 69, Sir
John Odingsells Leake, Bart., formerly of Quebec House, East
Dereham.
12.—Mr. Elliston appeared at Lynn Theatre as Duke Aranza
(“The Honeymoon”) and Rover (“Wild
Oats”).
16.—A high tide at Yarmouth. The Denes and the
west side of the haven were inundated. A similar occurrence
had not been recorded since 1791. A flood also took place
at Lynn.
17.—Mrs. Davison, of Drury Lane, appeared at Norwich
Theatre as Letitia Hardy (“Belle’s Stratagem”),
and on succeeding evenings as Maria (“Of Age
To-morrow”), Peggy (“The Country Girl”),
&c.
20.—A meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, when
resolutions against the continuance of the Property Tax, and a
petition to the House of Commons, were
adopted. On the 9th a county meeting was held at the
Shirehouse, Norwich, at which a petition to both Houses of
Parliament for repealing some of the taxes affecting agriculture,
was unanimously agreed to. The meeting was held in
consequence of a requisition signed by farmers only who confined
their objection to the clause in the Property Tax which related
to the tenants’ duty, and to the Agricultural Horse
Tax. On the 23rd a second county meeting was held, when
resolutions congratulating the county on the rejection of the
Property Tax and the relinquishment of the War Duty on malt were
passed. A petition to Parliament was also unanimously
agreed to, recommending a reduction of the military
establishment, and the adoption of such a system of economy as
might render a further continuance of War Taxes unnecessary.
25.—Died at Ranworth, William Browne, in his 104th
year.
26.—Mrs. Bartley, of Drury Lane, appeared as Isabella
(“The Fatal Marriage”), at Norwich Theatre.
4.—Mr. Incledon, accompanied by Mr. Collyer and Master
Taylor, commenced a four nights’ engagement at Norwich
Theatre. He appeared as Capt. Macheath
(“Beggars’ Opera”), Hawthorne, Tom Tug, and
Steady (“The Quaker”).
9.*—“One day this week some men were opening in
St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich, a vault which had been closed
nine years, when they found three bats entirely covered with
mould and dust. They were in a state of complete torpidity,
but one of them immediately took flight.”
13.—A severe thunderstorm, accompanied by rain and hail,
occurred at Yarmouth and other places in the neighbourhood.
18.—Miss L. Kelly, of Drury Lane, appeared at Norwich
Theatre as Juliet. She was joined on the 21st by her
sister, Miss F. Kelly.
—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, before Mr.
Baron Wood, Robert Lord, alias Davies, and William Hardy
were indicted for having forged notes in their possession.
A curious circumstance led to the detection of the first-named
prisoner. A parcel was sent from London by the Fakenham
coach addressed to “Isaac Davies, Tivetshall Ram,
Norfolk.” The address was so badly written as to be
mistaken for “Swetshall Ram,” and, as no such place
could be found, the proprietor of the coach opened the parcel and
discovered the forged notes. Lord was found guilty, and
sentenced to 14 years’ transportation. Hardy was
acquitted.
19.—Died, Nehemiah Haylett, of Kenninghall, aged
101.
21.—Died, at Lynn, Mr. Thomas Day, in his 87th
year. He was the oldest burgess in that town, and the last
of the officers of the West Norfolk Militia, who, in 1759,
volunteered their services to the Government. In 1779, when
the Lynn Volunteers were formed, Mr. Day was selected Colonel
Commandant.
23.*—“Died lately at Dunham, in his 85th year,
Thomas Grounds, and about an hour after, Jane, his wife, in her
83rd year. They were both buried in one coffin.”
29.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall,
Norwich, it was resolved on the motion of Mr. Robert Fellowes,
seconded by the Rev. J. Ives, to establish a Savings Bank.
The bank was opened, with offices in St. Andrew’s Hall, on
April 29th, and on the first day £86 3s. 6d. was received
from depositors in sums of 1s. and upwards.
30.*—(Advt.) “By desire of Thomas Thurtell,
Esq., and William Foster, Esq., Sheriffs of the City of Norwich,
at the Theatre Royal, on Saturday, April 6th, the Comedy of
‘The Road to Ruin,’ the Farce called ‘The
Lyar,’ and the Burlesque Opera ‘Bombastes
Furioso.’”
31.—Died very suddenly at an advanced age, in the pulpit
of Hales Church, the Rev. Valentine Lumley Barnard, rector of
Stockton, Norfolk.
3.—A meeting of merchants, manufacturers, &c., was
held at the Guildhall, Norwich, when resolutions were passed to
instruct the members of Parliament for the city to watch and
oppose the intended measure for allowing the exportation of wool
free of all restrictions. The measure was for the time
relinquished.
4.—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
at which it was unanimously resolved to petition Parliament for
the repeal of the Insolvent Debtors Act, as being in its
operation injurious to trade and commerce.
6.*—“A troop of the 1st Royal Dragoons arrived at
Norwich from Ipswich last week. The officers and soldiers
were wearing their Waterloo medals.”
—Edward Lea was executed on the Castle Hill, Norwich,
for uttering forged Bank of England notes.
15.—Sir Simon le Blanc, one of the judges of the Court
of King’s Bench, and many years leading counsel on the
Norfolk Circuit, died in London, in his 68th year.
—Mr. and Mrs. Bartley, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced
playing a round of characters at Norwich Theatre.
16.—The Rev. St. John Priest was instituted to the
rectory of Billingford, on the presentation of Mr. T. W. Coke,
M.P., who “acknowledged, in a very handsome manner, the
obligation he felt to that gentleman for his exertions in the
cause of agriculture, and particularly as secretary to the
Norfolk Agricultural Association, which office he had held for 13
years without emolument.”
19.—A main of cocks of 21 battles was fought at the
Feathers Inn, Yarmouth, between the gentlemen of Norfolk and the
gentlemen of Suffolk, at five guineas the battle and ten guineas
the odd. Feeders: Layton for Norfolk, Kersey for
Suffolk. The match was continued on the 20th.
23.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions John William Smith was
charged with stealing a silver spoon from the Waggon and Horses
public-house, the property of William Smith, and a coat, the
property of Michael Callow, from the Crown Inn, St.
Stephen’s. The prisoner, a farmer, had occupied 300
acres of land, and resided on his own estate at Great
Ellingham. He was sentenced to seven years’
transportation.
24.—By the alteration introduced by Government in
the Local Militia establishment the pay of the permanent staff
ceased, the accoutrements were sent into store, and the
non-commissioned officers and drummers discharged. The only
officer retained was the adjutant, who was placed on the reduced
pay of 4s. per diem.
27.—Died, aged 85, Mr. Henry Thompson, one of the chief
burgesses of Thetford. He had been a member of the
Corporation more than half a century, five times served the
office of chief magistrate, and in 1806 was appointed one of the
assistant justices of the borough.
3.—At a quarterly meeting of the Norwich Corporation it
was ordered that the Hospital and City Committees be empowered to
recommend to the next assembly to make such abatements in the
rents of the Corporation farms as they might think necessary in
consequence of the reduced price of grain, wheat being from 36s.
to 37s.; barley, 11s. 6d. to 13s.; and oats, 9s. 6d. to 10s. 6d.
per coomb.
11.—The first division of the West Norfolk Militia,
under command of Col. Nelthorpe, marched into Norwich on their
return from Ireland; the second division, under Major Barnham,
arrived on the 13th. The regiment was disembodied on June
17th.
—*“Died in September last at Allahabad, in his
32nd year, Richard Turner, jun., Judge of the Provisional Court
at Agra, and eldest son of the Rev. Richard Turner, Great
Yarmouth.”
16.—A serious riot occurred at Norwich. A crowd
assembled in the Market Place, threw fire balls and broke the
windows at the Guildhall. They then broke into the New
Mills, threw a quantity of flour into the river, and carried some
away in sacks. On their return from the Mills they smashed
many windows in St. Andrew’s, Bank Street, Tombland,
Magdalen Street, and other localities. Dr. Alderson came
out of his house to remonstrate with them and was knocked
down. The Mayor and magistrates assembled at the Guildhall,
special constables were sworn in, and the mob dispersed. A
picket of the West Norfolk Militia was stationed all night at the
Guildhall, and a party of the 1st Royal Dragoons patrolled the
streets. The disturbances were renewed on the 18th, when
the Riot Act was read, and the mob dispersed by the military.
18.—The proprietors of the Norwich Expedition coach to
London by Thetford and Newmarket announced a reduction of fares
to £1 15s. for inside, and £1 for outside
passengers. From this date the Expedition started at three
o’clock in the afternoon and reached London at nine
o’clock next morning.
20.—A riot took place at Downham Market. The
magistrates assembled at the Crown Inn were publicly insulted,
and so much disorder ensued that the Upwell Yeomanry Cavalry were
called out, and the Riot Act read, after which the crowd
gradually dispersed. A demand had been made for wages of
2s. per day to be paid every Monday and Thursday. In
consequence of the farmers having refused to comply, another
disturbance took place on the 24th, when two women and several
men were apprehended and committed to Norwich Castle. The
prisoners were charged at the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich in August, before Lord Chief Justice Gibbs,
when sixteen were found guilty and sentenced to death, but only
two, Daniel Harwood and Thomas Thody, were left for execution,
which took place on the Castle Hill on August 31st.
“The recollection of his wife and children and the horror
of immediate death overcame Thody’s fortitude. He was
nearly sinking down under the agony of grief and terror, which he
expressed by convulsive shrieks, and was obliged to be supported
by several men.”
22.—At a meeting of owners and occupiers of land, at
Diss, a series of resolutions was proposed by the Rev. Mr.
Manning, rector, in favour of the commutation of the
tithes. It was decided to petition the House of Commons on
the subject. Similar meetings were held in other parishes
in the district.
27.—Mrs. Mardyn, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced an
engagement at Norwich Theatre as Albina Mandeville in the comedy
of “The Will.” On succeeding evenings she
appeared as Amelia Wildenham (“Lovers’ Vows”),
Widow Brady (“The Irish Widow”), Miss Peggy
(“The Country Girl”), and Miranda (“The
Busybody”).
28.—At a “grand wrestling,” which took place
at Kirby, twenty-four “professors” entered the ring,
and “a finer display of science was never
exhibited.” A man named Starling was the
winner. “A smart milling took place between Broughton
and Ives, the former a regular descendant of the great pugilist
of that name. Ives proved entirely destitute of science and
was badly beaten.”
31.—Under the sanction of the Norwich magistrates and
the Court of Guardians the defective silver of the labouring poor
of the city was exchanged for current coin.
8.*—“Died last week at Reedham, in his 104th year,
John Andrews, a labouring brickmaker. He married in the
early part of his life, and had six children, who are now old
people. He was left a widower at 55, and at 64 married his
present widow, who was but 22. Notwithstanding the
disparity of years she proved the greatest blessing to him in his
old age, for she treated him with the greatest kindness and
attention.”
10.—A new theatre was opened at East Dereham by the
Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians. “It is
fitted up in a style of neatness and elegance scarcely to be met
with in any country town. The painting and decorations of
the interior were executed by Mr. D. Fisher, to whose known taste
they do ample credit. Mr. Fisher has brought with him a
most respectable company.”
15.—Died, Mrs. Cross, of Swaffham, aged 100.
17.—At a quarterly assembly of the Corporation of
Norwich a congratulatory address was ordered to be presented to
the Prince Regent on the marriage of the Princess Charlotte of
Wales and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. A similar address
was voted by the Court of Mayoralty on July 10th.
—A three days cocking match between the gentlemen of
Norwich and the gentlemen of Norfolk commenced at the White Swan,
St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, for 10
guineas a battle and 100 guineas the odd. Norwich won by
six battles.
17.—The old people in the Great Hospital, St.
Helen’s, Norwich, having been deprived of the dinner of
roast goose on Michaelmas Day in consequence of the death of the
benefactor who provided it, Mr. Robert Partridge on this date
“signified to the Norwich Corporation his intention to give
£100 as a benefaction that the Michaelmas dinner of goose
may be revived and continued in future.”
18.—Guild Day at Norwich. The Mayor (Mr. W.
Hankes) entertained the members of the Corporation at luncheon at
the Guildhall; and on the 19th “gave plenty of beer and
plumb cake” to the poor of his own and of other
parishes.
—The first anniversary of the battle of Waterloo was
celebrated at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, by a dinner to the
non-commissioned officers and privates of the 1st Royal Dragoons,
to other soldiers quartered in Norwich, and to pensioners.
The wives and children of the soldiers were also
entertained. The cost was defrayed by public subscription,
of which £10 was given by the Corporation.
29.*—“At Whaplode Drove feast last week Mr. John
Goodger, aged 104 years, danced a hornpipe, sang a song, and
played at four-corners, the latter being his favourite amusement,
to the great gratification of the company present.”
1.—At Holkham Sheep Shearing, which commenced on this
date, improved horse hoes were shown by Mr. Blaikie, Mr.
Coke’s farm manager.
10.—George Wilson, the pedestrian, undertook to walk 50
miles in 12 hours at the Prussia Gardens, Norwich. He
commenced at eight o’clock and finished the first mile in
11 minutes 35 seconds. His pace was afterwards a mile in
from 12½ to 13 minutes. He completed the distance at
7.45 p.m. with 15 minutes to spare. On the 22nd a man named
Skipper, an ostler at the Barley Mow public-house, Norwich,
backed himself to walk over the same course in the same time, and
completed his task in 11 hours 10 minutes. On August 27th
Wilson commenced a walk of 50 miles per day of 13 hours for five
successive days on the bowling-green of the Crown public-house at
South Lynn, and accomplished the task. “What is very
remarkable he never perspired. On the third day he lost his
great toe nail off the left foot, which he pulled out by the
roots in the presence of numerous spectators.”
17.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions four labourers were
indicted for having riotously assembled with 100 other persons at
Hockham, on May 19th, and destroyed a thrashing machine, the
property of Mr. William Burlingham. Two of the prisoners
were sentenced to twelve months’, and two to three
months’ imprisonment, and all were required to find
sureties for their future behaviour. (This was the first
machine breaking case recorded in the county.)
18.—After a week’s continuous rain, which greatly
impeded the hay harvest, a severe thunderstorm occurred. On
the 31st the crops were beaten down by heavy rains, acres of
turnips were washed away, and in
several villages the lanes were full of water. On August
12th there was another heavy rain, and on August 31st a hurricane
blew, wrecking many colliers between Blakeney and
Mundesley. The rains continued to the month of October,
when, in consequence of the low lying lands being under water,
all hopes were abandoned for the favourable termination of the
harvest. Such wet weather had not been experienced since
1799, in which year there were only 166 fair days.
20.—A public announcement on this date stated that the
following coaches started from the Angel Inn, Norwich:—The
London Royal Mail, by way of Newmarket, every afternoon at 3.45;
the London Royal Mail, viâ Ipswich and Colchester,
ditto; the Wells Prince of Orange Post coach (William Sizeland
and T. S. Coldwell), Wednesday and Friday at 12.45 p.m., Sunday
at 8.15 a.m.; Holt Duke of Wellington Post coach (T. Coldwell and
J. Love), viâ Aylsham, every afternoon at
3.45. From the Rampant Horse Inn: The London Day coach (in
14 hours) every morning at six. From the Norfolk Hotel: The
Telegraph London coach (in 13 hours) every morning at seven
o’clock, viâ Newmarket. The last two
were opposition coaches. The proprietors of the Day coach
announced that, although the Telegraph had been started in
opposition, they would “not risk the lives of their
passengers by racing against time,” but would continue to
perform the journey “with steadiness and
regularity.”
29.—One of the new steam packets plying between Norwich
and Yarmouth got aground on Breydon. Mrs. Clifford and
other members of the Norwich Company of Comedians were on
board. “By their detention the performance at the
theatre could not take place, and the expectant audience had
their money returned.”
30.—A two days cocking match commenced at Yarmouth,
“in the large room adjoining the Feathers Inn,”
between the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of
Yarmouth.
10.—The annual exhibition of “The Norfolk and
Norwich Society of Artists” was advertised to open on this
date at the “New Room,” Theatre Plain, Norwich.
It was announced that “this Society consists of the
principal part of the original artists.” On the same
day was advertised “The 12th annual exhibition of the
Norwich Original Society of Artists, established
1803.” The exhibition was to take place during the
Assize week, “in their great room, Sir Benjamin
Wrenche’s Court, Cockey Lane.” The Norfolk Chronicle makes this
comment:—“The schism which has taken place among the
exhibiting artists appears to have been productive of increased
exertions on the part of the respective members of both
societies. Our sincere wish to promote their fame and
prosperity, and to heal rather than to ferment their differences,
induces us earnestly to recommend their performances to the
attention and patronage of the public which they highly
deserve.”
12.—Mr. Kemble appeared in the part of Cato at Norwich
Theatre. On succeeding evenings he took the characters of
Penruddock (“Wheel of Fortune”), King Lear, Shylock,
Sir Giles Overreach (“A New Way to Pay Old Debts”),
and Macbeth.
18.—The Judges of Assize on leaving Norwich
passed through Attleborough, and attended service at the parish
church. The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Vicary Gibbs, in
walking through the nave, discovered a stone on which were his
own crest and arms; the inscription thereon was to the memory of
Capt. John Gibbs, who died October 22, 1695. “Mr. Le
Neve,” says Blomfield, “calls him the famous Capt
Gibbs. He was a celebrated man on the turf in King Charles
the Second’s time. He laid a wager of 500 guineas
that he drove his light chaise and four horses up and down the
deepest place of the Devil’s Ditch on Newmarket Heath,
which he performed by making a very light chaise with a jointed
perch, and without any pole, to the surprise of the
spectators.”
24.*—“Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte has
graciously expressed her determination not only to wear but to
introduce and recommend the coloured bombazins, manufactured in
Norwich.” Mr. William Williment was appointed
manufacturer to her Royal Highness.
25.—A woman named Fox, 100 years old, walked from
Norwich to Plumstead, a distance of nearly five miles.
“She commenced her journey at eight o’clock in the
morning, rested three hours at her friend’s house, and
walking home arrived at Norwich at seven o’clock in the
evening.”
31.*—“The stupendous undertaking of the tunnel of
Tavistock canal, communicating the Tavy and the Tamar, was
engineered by Mr. John Taylor, jun., of Norwich.”
—Thomas Moy was executed on the Castle Hill, Norwich,
for sheep stealing. “He was 33 years of age, farmed
100 acres of land at Binham, and has left a wife and seven young
children.”
7.—Cromer Theatre was described as a place of
entertainment “fashionably attended.”
“The house, or rather, barn, which is neatly fitted up, is
under the management of Mr. Eldred.”
11.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
“the situation of children employed in sweeping
chimnies” was discussed, “and the means of
superseding the necessity for such employment by mechanical
means” were taken into consideration. A committee was
appointed to promote the use of the sweeping apparatus, which,
however, was but partially adopted.
16.—Intelligence was received at Norwich of the
successful attack on Algiers by the British fleet, under the
command of Admiral Lord Exmouth, on August 27th. The bells
of St. Peter Mancroft were rung in celebration of the event.
23.—A silver cup and two drinking horns were rowed for
by four-oared boats, the best two heats out of three, from Carrow
Bridge to Thorpe and back, distance two and a quarter
miles. Five boats competed. The cup was won by the
Cytherea (Mr. Joseph Stannard), and the horns by the Friends (Mr.
Garland).
4.—The third or “grand victory match” was
played on Hempton Green, Fakenham, between the Holt
and Aylsham cricket clubs. Aylsham won with seven wickets
to spare.
14.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich, at which it was agreed to petition the Legislature
to effect a retrenchment of the public expenditure, and a reform
of the House of Commons.
17.—The new Concert Room in St. George’s Bridge
Street, Norwich, purchased of the proprietors of the Steam Flour
Mill, and fitted up by the members of the Hall Concert (a musical
society which had existed 30 years) was opened. The room
was capable of seating 300 persons.
23.—A pigeon shooting match took place on a field near
the Town Close, Norwich, between Mr. Nicholas Bacon, and the Rev.
Mr. Pitman, of Oulton. “They fired 21 shots each, but
it proved a drawn bet, for they each killed 14 birds. Mr.
Pitman brought down his 15th bird, but as it fell two inches
beyond the distance allowed, 100 yards, it could not be
reckoned. There were many bets depending, which, of course,
remained undecided.” (This is the first recorded
pigeon match in Norfolk.)
24.—Wheat was standing uncut in several parts of
Norfolk, on the same farm where corn was sown for next
year’s crop.
28.—A salmon trout, 57 inches in length and weighing
16½ pounds, was caught at the New Mills, Norwich. On
the 31st another of 26 pounds weight was taken at the same
place.
29.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Corporation an
address was ordered to be presented to the Prince Regent, praying
for “the utmost retrenchment of the public expenditure
consistent with the welfare of the State.”
2.—Died at Narford Hall, the seat of Mr. Andrew
Fountaine, his son-in-law, Mr. Thomas Penrice, of Great Yarmouth,
to whom the eccentric Lord Chedworth left the bulk of his large
property.
9.*—“The wealth of Mr. Watson Taylor, the
purchaser of Houghton Hall, is immense. For that mansion,
and a large track of land around, he gave the Marquis
Cholmondeley £350,000. Mr. Taylor, by the will of an
ancestor, is bound to spend £700,000 in landed estates, and
besides the income which may arise from them he has £95,000
a year.”
10.—Buxoo, a Bengalese, a native of Calcutta, was
publicly baptised at Burnham Market church by the Rev. John
Glasse, by the names of John Henry Martin. He was brought
over to this country in a ship commanded by Capt. Glasse.
14.—The Courier steam packet made its passage from
Foundry Bridge, Norwich, to Yarmouth in three hours twenty-five
minutes.
28.—The Duke of Gloucester made his annual visit to Mr.
T. W. Coke, M.P., at Holkham Hall. During the week’s
shooting Mr. Coke killed at Warham a female Falco Lagopus,
or rough legged falcon, measuring nearly five feet across the
wings, and two feet one inch in length. The male bird was
afterwards caught in a trap at Wighton. Two of these birds
were taken the following week at Wighton.
Died this month, Mrs. Tabitha Starling, of Brooke, aged
103.
7.—The Duke of Gloucester concluded his visit to
Holkham. On the last day his Royal Highness proposed the
toast, “Prosperity to those Whig principles which placed
the House of Hanover on the Throne of Britain.”
14.*—“Died lately, regretted by all who knew him,
in the 65th year of his age, Charles Boyles, Esq., Vice-Admiral
of the Blue, and a few years since Colonel of the Royal
Marines. This distinguished officer commanded the Windsor
Castle man-of-war in the action off Ferrol, between the English
fleet, under Sir Richard Calder, and the combined fleets of
France and Spain. During this engagement it fell to the lot
of but few ships to be advantageously opposed to the enemy.
The return to Portsmouth of the crippled Windsor Castle with two
Spanish 74’s was a triumph exultingly spoken of by Nelson
as being principally the achievement of a Norfolk man.
Admiral Boyles was a native of Wells in this county, and eldest
son of Charles Boyles, Esq., many years collector of the customs
at that port. He commenced his naval career with Lord
Nelson in the Raisonnable, when commanded by Capt.
Suckling.”
21.—Wombwell’s “Royal Menagerie of foreign
beasts and birds” was exhibited on the Castle Ditches,
Norwich.
31.—A prize fight took place at Wickhampton between
Samuel Smith and James Rushmer. One hundred and eleven
rounds were fought in two hours five minutes, when the ring was
broken into, and owing to the confusion it was impossible to
renew the fight, which was declared drawn.
1.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, a
subscription was opened for the relief of the labouring and
manufacturing poor. Upwards of £3,050 was
contributed, and several works were commenced for the improvement
of the city. At Yarmouth over £1,000 was subscribed,
and 460 men were employed in forming roads to the bath-house,
jetty, &c.
4.—Several coach advertisements were published this
month. On the 4th it was announced that the Norwich,
Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford, and London Accommodation coach
(J. Noller and Co.) set out every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
from the Coach and Horses, Bethel Street, Norwich. The
proprietors of the Expedition coach announced that a
“single body coach upon a now construction” would
start from the White Swan, St. Peter’s, Norwich, every
afternoon at three o’clock, and travel by Thetford and
Newmarket, to London, where it arrived on the following morning
at eight o’clock. “For
the better accommodation of outside passengers the coach has a
car attached to it with an awning and sliding curtain.”
4.*—“Died lately, at an advanced age, Mr.
Christopher Jarvis, many years a miller at Wendling, and was
wounded at the memorable battle of Minden.”
20.—Mr. Mathews, of Covent Garden Theatre, appeared at
Norwich Theatre as Goldfinch (“The Road to Ruin”),
Somno (“The Sleep Walker”), and in his sketch
entitled “The Humours of the Playhouse.”
—On the bells of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, were rung
5,016 changes of Norwich Court Bob Maximus in four hours two
minutes, the first length of that intricate peal ever rung in
England on twelve bells. It was conducted by Mr. R.
Chesnut.
25.*—“Messrs. Squire, Son, and Hills, of St.
Faith’s Lane, Norwich, in addition to the rectifying and
vinegar departments have erected extensive works for the purpose
of making flour of mustard.”
26.—Died at Grosvenor Place, London, Caroline, Dowager
Countess of Buckinghamshire, widow of John, Earl of Buckingham,
of Blickling, and mother of Viscountess Castlereagh.
“She requested in her will that none of her family should
wear mourning for her.” The funeral was at
Blickling.
—The church of St. Michael Coslany, Norwich, was opened
for Sunday evening lectures, in addition to those of St. Andrew
and St. Stephen.
27.—Miss Kelly appeared at Norwich Theatre as Peggy
(“The Country Girl”), and Annette (“The Maid
and the Magpie”).
1.*—“Died lately, aged 87 years, John Hoy, of
Hackford, near Reepham. He was a soldier in the 48th
Regiment of Foot under General Wolfe, and saw him fall on the
plains of Abram, in North America. When on saying his noble
commander was slain he was knocked down by a Lieut. Clarke with
the butt end of a musket. Hoy was a soldier 18 years, 17 of
which he passed without once reposing on a bed.”
4.—A loyal address was voted by the Corporation of Great
Yarmouth congratulating the Prince Regent upon his escape from
the attack made upon him on his return from the opening of
Parliament on January 28th. The Corporation of Norwich
adopted a similar address on the 24th.
6.—The complete peal of 5,040 changes of Grandsire
Triples was rung by the ringers of Wells-next-the-Sea on eight
bells in three hours seven minutes.
13.—The new silver coinage of crowns, half-crowns,
shillings, and sixpences was exchanged for the old at the
Guildhall, Norwich, and at the Town Hall, Yarmouth. The
bankers to whom the new coins were sent were:—Gurneys and
Co., Norwich, Halesworth, Fakenham, Holt, Harleston, Lynn, Wells,
and Yarmouth; Bagge and Bacon, Lynn; Day and Co., Swaffham;
Willett and Son, Thetford; Payne, Tuffnell, and Co.,
Wells; Kett and Back, Norwich; Harvey and Co., Norwich; and Day
and Sons, Norwich.
14.—Died, aged 70, at his house in the Close, Norwich,
Mr. Robert Partridge, alderman for the Conisford Ward. He
was Sheriff in 1780 and Mayor in 1781.
15.—Mrs. C. Kemble appeared at King’s Lynn Theatre
in the character of Mrs. Oakley (“The Jealous
Wife”). The proceeds of the performance were in aid
of a fund for the relief of the poor.
—*“On the secession of Mr. Hindes at the close of
the Norwich theatrical season, he will be succeeded by Mr. Smith,
and the acting management will devolve upon Mr.
Bellamy.”
—Great distress still prevailing among the poor of
Norwich, the Relief Committee granted the further sum of
£200 to be expended in labour. It was decided to cut
a road through Butter Hills to Carrow Bridge.
—*(Advt.) “The public are respectfully
informed that on February the 18th only Irish, French, and
plain silver will be taken at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich.”
21.—The Right Hon. George Horatio Cholmondeley, Earl of
Rocksavage (eldest son of the Marquis Cholmondeley), was elected
Member of Parliament for Castle Rising, in place of the Hon.
Cavendish Bradshaw.
22.*—“A Yarmouth correspondent is anxious to know
(1) by what authority the communication between the body and
aisles of St. George’s Chapel has been cut off; and (2) why
the Mayor or Lord Bishop is not applied to to remove the nuisance
to the congregation?”
25.—An inquest was held at Norwich on the body of
Elizabeth Pope, aged 83, “who on Sunday evening, being
alone in her apartment over the portico of St.
Lawrence’s church, accidentally set herself on fire,
and was burnt in a terrible manner.”
26.—Died, aged 75, at Swaffham, Mr. Francis Blomfield,
“the last male branch of the family of Blomfield, the
county historian.”
27.—Mrs. C. Kemble appeared at Norwich Theatre as Mrs.
Oakley (“The Jealous Wife”). On subsequent
evenings she took the parts of Letitia Hardy (“The
Belle’s Stratagem”), Caroline (“The
Prize”), Lady Teazle, and Myrtelle (“The Broken
Sword”).
The Prince Regent this month conferred the honour of
knighthood on Lieut.-Col. Robert John Harvey, K.T.S., in
recognition of his distinguished services in the Peninsular
War.
3.—A single wicket cricket match was played in Chapel
Field, Norwich, between “a noted player from Sussex,”
named Michan, an ex-officer, and a Hertford man, named
Pratt. The latter won by six wickets, and decided
“considerable bets.”
8.*—(Advt.) “Cocking. A match for
cocks will be fought at Holkham New Inn on the 10th and 11th of
March, between the gentlemen of Wells and the gentlemen of
Holt. To fight for £10 a battle and
£50 the odd; and two turn outs for £20 a
battle. To fight in silver spurs. Feeders: Lamb for
Wells, Nash for Holt.”
10.—Miss Davison, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced an
engagement at Norwich Theatre, during which she appeared as
Rosalind, Juliana (“The Honeymoon”), Margaretta
(“No Song, no Supper”), Lady Townley (“The
Provoked Husband”), Miss Tomboy (“The
Romp”).
14.—A charge of blasphemy was exhibited before the
magistrates at East Dereham against one Henry Balls, for
publishing a handbill entitled “The Great
Assize.” (There is no further record of the
case.)
19.—The Revenue cutter Ranger, Capt. Sayers, of
Yarmouth, captured a large lugger with an armed crew of 36
men. In the action the Ranger lost three killed and seven
wounded. The cargo consisted of 507 ankers and 945 halves
of spirits, 27 bales of tobacco, and 47 bales of Bandannas, the
whole worth £8,000.
24.—At the Norfolk Assizes, which commenced at Thetford
on this date before Sir Robert Graham, one of the Barons of the
Exchequer, the crim. con. action, Laton v.
Beauchamp, clerk, was tried. The special jury, without
leaving the box, gave a verdict for the defendant.
—Mr. Bartley appeared at Norwich Theatre as Dr. Cantwell
(“The Hypocrite”) and the Mock Doctor. Mrs.
Bartley on the 29th played Lady Constance to Mr. Bartley’s
King John. On subsequent evenings he impersonated Capt.
Allclack (“The Invisible Girl”), and Sir Adam Contest
(“The Wedding Day”).
—Mr. Blanchard, at Lynn Theatre, appeared as Ollapod
(“The Poor Gentleman”), and Crack (“The
Turnpike Gate”).
26.—Died at Trowse Old Hall, aged 77, General John
Money, Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Norfolk Yeomanry
Cavalry. He entered the Army as a volunteer in
Elliott’s Light Horse in the Seven Years’ German War,
and was with them at the battle of Tillinghausen. He was
afterwards a captain in the 9th (or Norfolk) Regiment of Foot,
and in the American War was Deputy-Assistant Quarter-Master
General to the army commanded by General Burgoyne. He was
the author of several pamphlets on military and other
subjects. About 40 years before his death he built the
mansion known as Crown Point, where for more than 30 years he
gave an annual ball.
3.—A grand performance of sacred music was given at St.
Andrew’s Church, Norwich. Mrs. Card, a native of the
city, was the principal vocalist, and the choruses were sustained
by local amateurs.
—Norwich Infantry Barracks (disused) were sold by
auction, without reserve, by Mr. R. Cana, auctioneer.
4.—A terrible explosion occurred on Wright’s
Norwich and Yarmouth steam packet at Foundry Bridge,
Norwich. Of the 22 persons on board, five men, three women,
and a child were killed; six women with fractured legs and arms
were conveyed to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where one
died; and the remaining seven escaped without sustaining material
injury. The sum of £350 was raised for the relief of the sufferers. A boat worked by
horse power was subsequently placed upon the river.
“The four horses walked as in a thrashing machine or
mill. Each in his path which was 18 feet in diameter.
The horses by walking a distance of two miles propelled the
vessel six or seven miles.”
5.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich,
pursuant to requisition and presided over by the High Sheriff
(Mr. H. N. Burroughes), “for the purpose of congratulating
the Prince Regent on his escape from the late atrocious attack
upon his person, and of praying his Royal Highness to dismiss
from his presence and councils those advisers who, by their
conduct, had proved themselves to be alike enemies to the Throne
and the people.” The resolutions were moved by the
Earl of Albemarle, seconded by Mr. S. T. Southwell, and supported
by Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., and the Rev. George Glover. They
were opposed by the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, Mr. Edmond Wodehouse,
Mr. Serjeant Firth, and Mr. J. Harvey. The High Sheriff
declared the resolutions to be carried “by a most decided
majority.” An address founded on the resolutions was
also adopted, and was presented to the Prince Regent by Mr. Coke
at the Levée on April 21st.—In consequence of these
proceedings a document, known as the “Norfolk
Declaration,” was signed by upwards of 900 noblemen,
gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders of the county, who considered
the Ministers “eminently entitled to the gratitude of their
Sovereign and the country.” The Declaration was
presented to the Prince Regent at the Levée at Carlton
House on July 1st, by the Lord Lieutenant of the county,
accompanied by the Earl of Orford, the Earl of Ancram, Lord C.
Townshend, the Hon. Col. Wodehouse, the Hon. Edward Harbord, Mr.
Edmund Bacon, Mr. Edmond Wodehouse, M.P., Mr. Charles Harvey,
M.P., &c.
7.—Mr. Incledon commenced a five nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre previous to his departure to
America. He appeared as Hawthorn (“Love in a
Village”), and Harry Blunt (“The Turnpike
Gate”).
14.—A “three double days’ play of
cocks” commenced at the White Swan Inn, Norwich, between
the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of Cambridgeshire, for
10 guineas a battle and 200 guineas the odd. Feeders:
Fisher for Norwich, Thompson for Cambridgeshire. The match
was won by Cambridgeshire.
—A peal of eight bells, including a new tenor cast by
Mears, of London, was opened at North Elmham by the St. Peter
Mancroft company of ringers, who rang 5,040 changes of Norwich
Court Bob in three hours nineteen minutes.
16.—A new tragedy, entitled “Edwin, Heir of
Cressingham,” founded on Mrs. Porter’s historical
romance, “The Scottish Chiefs,” and written by Mr.
Edward Ball, of Norwich, was produced at Norwich Theatre for the
first time, and received with much applause.
21.—Mr. A. T. Fayerman, “surgeon professor”
to the “Royal Medical Institution,” Red Lion Street,
Norwich, presented to the Prince Regent, at the Levée at
Carlton House, the first annual report of the proceedings of the
institution, with an address from “the Brunswick Knights of
Norwich, and the two lodges of the Ancient and Royal Order of
Stagorians,” congratulating his Royal Highness on his
“escape from the late attack.” The Knights and
Stagorians, with a band of music and
colours, set out from the Rampant Horse Inn to meet their
President on his return to Norwich on the 22nd, “but the
harmony and conviviality of the meeting were completely outraged
by the assembled mob, who broke the windows of Mr. Simmon’s
house at Prussia Gardens, tore up the shrubs, threw vollies of
stones at the processionists who were on horseback, and broke the
windows of Mr. Fayerman’s house in Red Lion
Street.” (The Stagorians were a society founded in
1728.)
28.—Died, at his house in Berners Street, London, aged
61, Sir Jacob Henry Astley, Bart., M.P. He was succeeded in
his title by his eldest son.
—Died in St. Giles’, Norwich, Mrs. E. Layton, aged
100 years.
1.—Mr. Crisp Brown and Mr. Thomas Thurtell, the two
senior aldermen below the chair, were returned to the Norwich
Court of Aldermen without opposition, and on the 3rd Mr. Brown
was unanimously elected Mayor.
5.—Mr. A. Guggle, of Wells-next-the-Sea, introduced an
“improved double bathing machine, so constructed as to
render it perfectly safe at all times, and regulated in a few
seconds to any depth of water preferred by the bather.”
8.—The Norwich Court of Guardians ordered a new
valuation of property in the city and hamlets.
19.—The election to fill the vacancy caused in the
representation of the county by the death of Sir H. J. Astley,
commenced at Norwich. The candidates were Mr. E. R. Pratt,
of Ryston, and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse, of Sennowe Lodge. The
polling continued for five days and closed on the 23rd, when the
result was declared as follows:—Wodehouse, 3,896; Pratt,
3,321.
27.—Died at his seat, Great Melton Hall, aged 86, Sir
John Lombe, Bart. He was succeeded in his title by his
great nephew, Mr. Richard Paul Jodrell. The deceased
baronet bequeathed his large estates to Mr. Edward Beevor, of the
Middle Temple, barrister-at-law, who by special Act of
Parliament, which received the Royal Assent on July 7th, was
authorised to assume the surname and bear the arms of Lombe
instead of those of Beevor, in compliance with a condition in the
will of the deceased.
28.—The birthday of Mr. Pitt was celebrated by a dinner
at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, at which Mr. Charles Harvey,
M.P., presided.
—Died at St. George’s Tombland, Norwich, Mrs.
Phœbe Crow, aged 77, “who in 40 years’ practice
as a midwife brought into the world 9,730 children.”
31.—Mr. Betty appeared as Hamlet at Norwich Theatre on
the closing night of the season, when Mr. Smith, the new manager,
delivered an address at the conclusion of the performance.
—The Brampton Indianman was launched from Mr.
Bottomley’s yard, and the Wodehouse brig from Messrs.
Lauker and Spong’s yard, King’s Lynn.
4.—King George III. entered upon his 80th year.
The event was celebrated in Norwich by the ringing of bells and
by a parade of the Light Horse Volunteers and Yeomanry
Cavalry.
9.—Two thousand spectators were present at “the
10th annual grand wrestling match for prizes given by a society
of amateurs for the encouragement of gymnastic exercises,”
held at Kirby Cane. There were 24 competitors, and the
winner was Martin Hingle.
17.—Guild Day at Norwich. Mr. Crisp Brown, the
Mayor elect, observed all the ancient customs, and entertained
300 guests at the guild feast.
18.—A meeting of resident gentry, clergy, yeomanry, and
principal householders of North Greenhoe and Brothercross
Hundreds, was held at Wells-next-the-Sea, under the presidency of
Sir William Bolton, when resolutions were passed expressive of
their deep concern at the insults offered to Mr. T. W. Coke,
M.P., at a meeting held at Norwich on the previous Saturday and
during the county election, and an address was ordered to be
presented in accordance with the terms of the resolutions.
19.—Mr. Mathews gave his entertainment, “Mail
Coach Adventures,” at Norwich Theatre.
22.—Moses Levi, aged 62, “of the Jewish
persuasion,” was baptised by the Rev. George Baldero at the
parish church of Rainham St. Martin.
25.—A severe hailstorm occurred in West Norfolk.
Some of the hailstones measured six inches in
circumference. Much damage was done. Many rooks were
afterwards found dead.
5.—Haddock’s exhibition of automata was opened in
the Great Room, Davey Place, Norwich.
7.—At the Holkham Sheep Shearing, which commenced on
this date, the address voted at Wells-next-the-Sea on June 18th
was presented to Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., who, in reply, said he did
not attribute blame to the poorer classes who had been deluded
into the belief that he was their enemy, but he did blame the
Mayor of Norwich, who, in his official capacity, should have
prevented what had taken place. These remarks led to a very
long and acrimonious newspaper correspondence.
9.—The Rev. Charles Nourse Wodehouse was installed a
prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, in place of the Rev. John
Pretyman, D.D., who died at Lincoln on June 5th.
15.—The salt marshes near Wells-next-the-Sea were
inundated by a high tide during a northerly gale, and nearly 300
sheep, the property of Messrs. Tuthill, Moore, and John
Blomfield, of Warham, were drowned.
—A meeting of the gentry, clergy, and yeomen of the
Hundreds of Guiltcross and Shropham was held at East Harling,
under the presidency of the Earl of Albemarle,
when an address was voted to Mr. Coke, M.P., and presented to him
at Thetford Wool Fair on July 26th.
19.—Thomas Carter was publicly whipped in Norwich Market
Place for stealing a cow.
—At the Norwich Court of Mayoralty, the Mayor stated
that complaints had been made to him of offences committed in the
city by bakers, foggers, and others, exercising their trades on
Sunday. The Court gave notice that it was not lawful
“to make or bake any bread, rolls, or cakes of any sort or
kind on the Lord’s Day, commonly called Sunday,” nor
to deliver them “at any time after half past one of the
clock in the afternoon of that day.”
24.—Skipper, the pedestrian, undertook for a wager of 25
guineas to walk from Norwich to Thetford and back, a distance of
55 miles, in 12 hours. “He walked 54 miles, but
having only four minutes to perform the last mile, gave
in.”
6.—Died at his house in the Lower Close, Norwich, aged
55, Mr. Frank Sayers, M.D., author of “Poems, including
Sketches of the Northern Mythology,” and
“Disquisitions, Metaphysical and Literary, Antiquarian and
Historical.” A monument, with a Latin inscription by
the Rev. F. Howes, was erected in the Cathedral to the memory of
the deceased.
7.—Died at Hoveton St. John, Mr. Thomas Blofeld, D.L.,
for many years one of the chairmen of the Norfolk Quarter
Sessions.
11.—Sports were held at Reedham under the patronage of
Mr. Layton, of Reedham Hall. The principal event was a
wrestling match, taken part in “by twenty-four as fine
athletic young fellows as England can produce.”
12.—A cocking match, “fought in silver,”
between the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of Yarmouth,
commenced at the Feathers Inn, Yarmouth, and concluded on the
14th. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich, Nash for Yarmouth.
15.—The first stone of the Nelson Monument on the South
Denes, Yarmouth, was laid by the Hon. Col. Wodehouse (chairman of
the sub-committee), in the presence of the Mayors and
Corporations of Yarmouth and Norwich. A civic dinner was
given, and in the evening a ball, attended by 350 persons, took
place at the Town Hall.
—Mrs. Rigby, wife of Dr. Rigby, gave birth, at
Framingham, to three boys and a girl. One lived 18 days,
and the other three from eight to ten weeks. At a quarterly
meeting of the Norwich Corporation on September 12th, the Court
of Aldermen resolved that a piece of plate be presented to
Alderman and Mrs. Rigby in commemoration of the birth, to which
the Commons “cordially acquiesced on the understanding that
if the same event should happen in their own body they should put
in a claim for a similar complimentary memento.” A
violent personal dispute ensued between two members of the Common
Council, “which so alarmed eight of the members for the
Ward beyond the Water that they left the room without leave of
the Speaker, the consequence being that the whole
proceedings proved abortive.” Another meeting was
held on the 27th, when the presentation was amicably agreed to,
and on December 24th Dr. and Mrs. Rigby were given a silver bread
basket, “with the names of the children and the arms of the
family richly emblazoned thereon.”
16.—The thirteenth annual exhibition of the Norwich
Society of Artists was opened in Sir Benjamin Wrenche’s
Court. Mr. W. M. Sharp was president, Mr. J. Freeman
vice-president, and Mr. P. Barnes, secretary. The Norfolk
and Norwich Original Society of Artists advertised their
thirteenth exhibition to be held at the New Room, Theatre
Plain—Mr. R. Ladbrook, president; Mr. J. Sillett,
vice-president; Mr. J. Thirtle, secretary. Both exhibitions
were honoured by the presence of the Mayor and Corporation.
—Died at his house, Chapel Field, Norwich, Mr. John
Ninham, aged 63, artist and engraver.
23.—Mr. Keen performed at Norwich Theatre in the
character of Richard III. On succeeding nights he appeared
as Othello, Bertram, Sir Giles Overreach, Sir Edward Mortimer,
Selim (“Barbarossa”), Shylock, Octavian (“The
Mountaineers”), and Paul (“Paul and
Virginia”). He afterwards fulfilled an engagement at
Yarmouth Theatre.
26.—A contested election took place at Norwich for the
office of freemens’ Sheriff. Mr. John Lovick was
returned with 807 votes as against 718 polled by his opponent,
Mr. George Harvey.
6.*—“Last week two troops of the 5th Dragoon
Guards, under the command of Major Irwin, marched into Norwich
Barracks, and relieved the two troops of the Royal Dragoons,
ordered to Scotland.”
10.—The Bishop of Norwich confirmed 800 persons of both
sexes at a special service held at Norwich Cathedral.
13.*—“Died lately, at Madrid, at the house of her
sister, Lady Whitlingham, Barbara, wife of Mr. Bartholomew Frere,
his Majesty’s secretary to the Embassy at the Ottoman
Porte. The marriage had been solemnized by proxy according
to the usual forms, but Mr. Frere having been detained at
Constantinople, neither had the happiness of seeing each other
since their union.”
26.—Skipper, the pedestrian, undertook to walk 60 miles
in 12 successive hours on the bowling-green at the King’s
Head Inn, East Dereham. “He was so exhausted in the
last two miles that he could not accomplish his task.”
—A meeting was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
when an auxiliary association to the London Society for Promoting
Christianity among the Jews was established, with the Lord Bishop
as president.
27.—Died at Kirby Cane parsonage, from injuries received
by the accidental discharge of a gun, the Hon. C. J. Keppel,
fifth son of the Earl of Albemarle.
—A party of Indian jugglers gave a performance at Mr.
Noverre’s ball-room, “near Messrs. Gurney’s
bank,” Norwich.
1.*—(Advt.) “Christopher Woods has been a
prisoner in Norwich Castle during four and a half years, and
there must remain for life, unless assisted with £20 to
enable him to put in an answer to a bill in Chancery. The
attention of the truly Charitable is earnestly requested in
behalf of this unhappy man, his distressed wife, and four
children.”
11.—Mr. Robert Baker, glover and breeches maker, of
Wells-next-the-Sea, was found murdered in Market Lane, about 200
yards from the town. His skull was beaten in and his throat
cut. The county magistrates, assembled for other business
at the Shirehall, Norwich, ordered the printing of 3,000
handbills giving notice of the murder. These were taken by
the constables to every coach, fish cart, and other conveyance
leaving Norwich. A man named James Johnson, 29 years of
age, was apprehended on suspicion at the King’s Head Inn,
Hethersett, on October 15th. The prisoner was tried at the
Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford on March 19, 1818, when, after
a trial lasting seven and a half hours, the jury returned a
verdict of guilty, and he was sentenced to death by Mr. Justice
Dallas, “his body to be delivered to the surgeons to be
anatomised” on the Saturday following. On the
prisoner asking for “a longer period than two days in which
to prepare for eternity,” the judge ordered death to be
postponed until the following Monday, on which day the execution
took place on the Castle Hill, Norwich, in the presence of 5,000
spectators. “Mr. Wilson, a gentleman from London, and
Mr. Austen, a pupil of Mr. Dalrymple’s, performed the
dissection and prepared the subject for the lectures which have
been daily delivered by Mr. Crosse.” At the trial an
indictment was preferred against an accomplice of the prisoner,
one William Hardiment, not in custody. A third man,
Benjamin Neal, was in custody charged with being an accessory
before the fact, but the bill was thrown out by the Grand
Jury. (See March 28th, 1822.)
14.—Under the direction of Messrs. Beckwith and Pettet a
grand Musical Festival began at Norwich, and was continued until
October 19th. Miscellaneous concerts were given in St.
Andrew’s Hall, and selections from oratorios in St.
Peter’s church. The principal performers were Mrs.
Salmon, Miss Frith, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Hawes, and Mr. Bellamy.
22.—A single wicket match was played at Holt by Frost, a
member of the Holt Cricket Club, and Pilch, of the Litcham Club,
for £10 a side. Pilch was the winner.
28.—Mr. W. Finch announced that he had acquired
Harper’s Gardens, “near St. Stephen’s Gates,
Norwich.” Mr. Harper, the former proprietor, removed
to the Falcon Inn, Ditchingham.
30.—Died, in his 85th year, James Vines, for upwards of
60 years a member of the St. Peter Mancroft company of ringers,
at Norwich.
5.—A salmon trout, measuring 40 inches in length and
weighing 21 pounds, was killed at the New Mills, Norwich.
7.—An express arrived at Norwich bearing tidings
of the death of Princess Charlotte. “Three post
chaises and four followed a few hours after with gentlemen from
some of the first London houses, to buy up all the black
bombazines that the manufacturers had on hand, some of whom,
however, had earlier intelligence of the melancholy event by
letter brought by the express messenger, who arrived here on
horseback.” It was subsequently stated:
“Notwithstanding the immediate and necessary exertions of
all persons employed in the manufacture of bombazines and other
articles of sable hue, they have not yet been able to satisfy the
demand for goods of this description, whilst the dressmakers,
&c., have found it difficult to execute all the orders they
have received. During the last week all the coaches have
departed heavily laden with manufactured goods.” On
November 19th, the day of the funeral, black was worn generally,
St. Peter’s bell was tolled, and the Mayor and Corporation
attended service at the Cathedral. “The Mayor
substituted for the official cloak of justice one of black crape,
and he also wore weepers.”
10.—Messrs. Adams’ troupe of equestrians commenced
a season at the Pantheon, Norwich.
14.—Died, whilst on a visit to Holkham Hall, Elizabeth,
Countess of Albemarle.
15.*—“There have recently been cast at the bell
foundry at Downham five clock bells for the new General Post
Office, Dublin. A large bell is now preparing at the same
place for erection in the Wabash, Indiana State, North America,
by a religious society of Germans who have settled
there.”
20.—Several persons “who had long resisted the
threats and entreaties of the inhabitants of Old Buckenham”
were convicted before a magistrate at Larlingford, and fined for
playing cricket on Sunday, October 2nd, on Old Buckenham
green.
5.—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich
addresses of condolence were voted to the Prince Regent and to
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, expressive of the deep grief felt
by the citizens on the death of the Princess Charlotte.
Similar addresses were presented by the Corporations of Yarmouth,
Lynn, and Thetford.
—Died in St. Stephen’s, Norwich, in his 74th year,
Mr. James Hardy, of Hethersett. He served the office of
Sheriff of Norwich in 1800.
6.—Messrs. Caldwell, Waterhouses, and Co., advertised
the establishment of a service of “new light caravans upon
springs.” The conveyances left Norwich every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday morning at eight o’clock, and arrived
at the Swan-with-two-Necks, Lad Lane, London, on the following
morning at six o’clock. They were despatched from
London every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening at five
o’clock, and arrived in Norwich the next afternoon at three
o’clock. The rate of carriage from London to Norwich
was 9s. per cwt., and from Norwich to London 11s. per cwt.
15.—A three days’ cocking match commenced
at the White Swan, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, between the
gentlemen of Norfolk and the gentlemen of Suffolk. A main
of 31 cocks was won by Norfolk six battles ahead, and a match of
11 chickens by Norfolk one battle ahead. The byes, of which
14 were fought, were even. Stakes: £10 a battle and
£200 the odd; chickens, £5 a battle and £50 the
odd; byes £10 per battle. Feeders: Lamb for Norfolk,
Nash for Suffolk.
16.—A prize fight took place on Bungay Common between
Sutton, the Black, and Ned Painter, who was accompanied from
Norwich by a large number of his supporters. Fifteen rounds
were fought in one hour forty-two minutes for a purse of
£100, £80 for the winner and £20 for the
loser. Painter, “the best man of the day with Norfolk
training,” won. “Several well-dressed women
were present at the fight.”
20.—The Fakenham and London post coach, the Patriot, was
advertised to run from Fakenham on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday. The proprietors were Robert Leamon, Fakenham; T. W.
Woer, Swaffham; Thos. Golding, Newmarket; George Barton,
Cambridge; and John Eames, London.
—Joseph Penny, of Yarmouth, who impersonated Neptune at
the Peace festival at Yarmouth on April 21, 1814, was drowned
with his son whilst sailing a small boat in stormy weather.
27.*—“The commissions executed and presents sent
from this land of turkies greatly exceeded any former year.
It is calculated that upwards of 4,000 have been despatched by
different conveyances from Norwich during the past week, which,
averaged at nine pounds each, at 10d. per pound, amounted to
£1,500.”
3.—Shore’s menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Ditches, Norwich.
5.—The Norwich Court of Guardians determined to proceed
with the valuation of property in the city and hamlets.
Messrs. Rooks, Athow, and Stannard were appointed to make the
valuation at the remuneration of £850.
6.—Twelfth Day was observed in Norwich, “when the
confectioners made a grand display of their frosted and
ornamented cakes. Mr. Turner, of the Gentleman’s
Walk, had one weighing 220 pounds and measuring three yards in
circumference. It was sawn to pieces next day.”
Mr. and Mrs. Patteson gave a Twelfth Night ball and supper at
their residence in Surrey Street, at which 140 guests were
present.
8.—At a meeting, presided over by Mr. T. O. Springfield,
at the Swan Inn, Norwich, resolutions were moved by Mr. Edward
Taylor, and a subscription raised to testify “the
estimation in which they hold the extraordinary and intrepid
exertions of Mr. Hone, in defence of the
liberty of the Press, and to assist to defray the expenses of his
repeated prosecutions.”
—Died, aged 100 years, Ashton Goodyer, formerly keeper
of the workhouse at Tilney.
13.—At a county meeting held at the Shirehall, under the
presidency of the High Sheriff (Mr. H. N. Burroughes), addresses
of condolence with the Prince Regent and Prince Leopold on the
death of the Princess Charlotte, were moved by Lord Walpole and
seconded by the Hon. Col. Wodehouse. The Ven. Archdeacon
Bathurst opposed the addresses on account of the omission of the
name of the Princess of Wales, and moved as an amendment
“That any addresses to the Prince Regent and Prince
Leopold, unaccompanied by an address to the Princess of Wales,
would operate as an insulting neglect to one of the first
characters in the Royal Family, and as a disrespect to the memory
of her who was the pride and hope of the British
people.” The amendment was seconded by Mr. N. Palmer,
of Yarmouth. The High Sheriff objected to put the
amendment, as the name of the Princess of Wales had not been
included in the requisition. The addresses were then
adopted. Archdeacon Bathurst alone dissenting.
15.—Lord and Lady Castlereagh and Prince Esterhazy, the
Austrian ambassador, passed through Norwich on their return to
London after a visit to Lord Suffield at Blickling.
16.—Died at Old Windsor, aged 71, the Right Hon. Lord
Walsingham, of Merton Hall. He was the only son of Sir
William de Grey, several years Lord Chief Justice of Common
Pleas. In 1787 he was appointed joint Postmaster-General,
and to within two years of his death had been chairman of the
Committees of Privileges, &c., in the House of Lords.
19.—At a meeting of the inhabitants of Yarmouth, held at
the New Hall, upwards of £6,000 was subscribed for aiding a
plan to extend the navigation of the river Waveney from Bungay to
Diss. The sum of £5,000 was raised in the latter
town. At a meeting held at Bungay on February 5th the
scheme was opposed by the landowners through whose property the
projected canal was to pass. On February 13th the
inhabitants of Thetford met to oppose the undertaking, as it was
likely to be injurious to the tolls of the Lesser Ouse. It
was announced on February 28th that £20,000 had been
subscribed, and that the expense of carrying the scheme into
execution would be £36,931. A meeting was held at
Yarmouth on March 10th, at which it was decided “out of
respect to Mr. Adair and the rest of the proprietors to defer
application to Parliament until the ensuing Session.”
Ultimately the scheme was abandoned. In the course of the
discussions on the project, “it was thrown out in a highly
respectable quarter that the end in view might be answered and
all objections obviated by the substitution of an iron railway
for a canal.” (This is the first instance in which a
“railway” is mentioned in the Norfolk Chronicle.)
—Mr. Sinclair, from Covent Garden Theatre, appeared at
the Theatre Royal, Norwich, as Orlando (“The
Cabinet”), Apollo (in the burletta of “Midas”),
and Henry Bertram (“Guy Mannering”).
26.—The stacks of Mr. John Balls, farmer, Lessingham,
were destroyed by fire, his calves suspended by their necks from
a beam in an outhouse, and other outrages
committed. At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford in the
month of March, James Thompson was indicted for firing the
stacks, and, after a trial lasting five hours, was acquitted.
31.—Miss Davison, of Drury Lane, commenced an engagement
at Norwich Theatre, during which she appeared as Lady Teazle,
Priscilla Tomboy (“The Romp”), Lady Bell (“Know
your own Mind”), Roxalana (“The Sultan”), and
Lady Racket (“Three Weeks after Marriage”).
4.—Died, at Hethersett, aged 70, Mr. John Buckle, one of
the aldermen of the Great Ward of Mancroft, Norwich. He
served the office of Sheriff in 1787, and of Mayor in 1793.
16.—Mr. Emery, of Covent Garden, made his first
appearance at Norwich Theatre, as Tyke (“The School of
Reform”). His other characters included Robin
Roughead (“Fortune’s Frolic”), Zekiel Homespun
(“Heir at Law”), and Sheepface (“The Village
Lawyer”).
21.—Died, aged 88, Mr. William Utten, of the Lower
Close, Norwich, formerly chapter clerk to the Dean and Chapter,
and secretary to the Lord Bishop of Norwich.
28.*—“Mr. D. Fisher, whose performance of the
arduous characters of Hamlet, Macbeth, and Richard III. at Drury
Lane were so excellent as to induce the managers to engage him at
a liberal salary from the commencement of next season, has been
engaged to perform those characters at Norwich, and will make his
first appearance this evening in the part of Hamlet.”
Mr. Fisher was a son of the manager of the Norfolk and Suffolk
Company of Comedians.
2.—The Carrow Bridge toll bar, at Norwich, was let for
three years at the annual rent of £224.
4.—During a severe gale from the south-east great damage
was done to shipping on the Norfolk coast, and several vessels
were driven ashore. At the church of Pulham St. Mary the
Virgin the chancel window, 20 feet by 11 feet, was almost
demolished, and another window on the south side was entirely
blown out with the stone work. Four large sheets of lead
were blown off the roof of East Bilney Church.
—It having been represented to the Norwich Court of
Mayoralty that “the annual Fair on Tombland hath for
several years past been continued to an unreasonable time of the
night, not only to the disturbance and inconvenience of the
inhabitants, but so as to prevent the decent observance of next
day, being Good Friday,” it was ordered “that the
ensuing Fair on Maunday Thursday shall end at eleven
o’clock in the evening of that day, when all persons
resorting to the same are to repair to their respective houses,
and all those who shall have goods, stalls, and shows are
directed to cease their several trades and occupations at the
said hour of eleven, and immediately to remove and carry their
goods and effects from the said fairstead.” The Fair
was held on March 19, when “there were few
exhibitions on Tombland, the show caravans, which were more
numerous than usual, being judiciously arranged on the Castle
Meadow.”
9.—The election of Common Councilmen for the four wards
of Norwich, commenced on this date. “The ascendency
of the Purple and Orange or of the Blue and White party in the
Corporation is supposed to have some influence at a General
Election, and as that event is considered to be at no great
distance, neither money nor exertions were spared to obtain a
majority in the Long Ward.” The expenses were
estimated at some thousands of pounds, from £15 to
£40 was paid for votes, and the freemen were brought in
carriages from the country to vote as at a Parliamentary
Election.
10.—Married at Benacre, by the Rev. Richard Gooch, Capt.
G. W. Manby, barrack master, Yarmouth, to Sophia, daughter of Sir
Thomas Gooch, Bart., of Benacre Hall, and sister of Mr. Sherlock
Gooch, M.P., for Suffolk.
16.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford, the
crim. con. action, Muskett v. Gurney, in which the
damages were laid at £10,000, was tried before a special
jury. Verdict for the defendant.
19.—The first Norwich Sick Poor Repository was held at
Mr. Noverre’s room, St. Michael-at-Plea, on Tombland Fair
day. “The room was crowded by the beauty and fashion
of our town and its vicinity, and the counters were completely
cleared at three o’clock, when the receipts amounted to
£115.”
24.—Died at Hare Street, Romford, Mr. Humphrey Repton,
the celebrated landscape gardener. He was buried at
Aylsham.
26.—The organ at Swaffham church was opened by Mr.
Beckwith, of Norwich. Selections of sacred music were
rendered at the church, and in the evening a miscellaneous
concert was given in the Assembly-room. The principal
vocalists were Mrs. Card, Miss Williams, Mr. C. Fisher (tenor),
and the choristers from Norwich Cathedral.
31.—Married, at Redenhall Church, by the Ven. Archdeacon
Oldershaw, Mr. Gurney Barclay, of Tavistock Square, London, to
Miss Freshfield, of Harleston. “On the bride’s
return the horses were taken from her carriage, and, amid the
cheering of the delighted people, she was drawn, attended by a
band of music, through the town.”
5.—The London mail by way of Bury and Newmarket was
discontinued, and two light four-inside coaches, called the
Mercury, substituted, starting from the Angel Inn, Norwich, at
4.45 p.m., and from the Golden Cross, Charing Cross, London, at
six p.m., Sundays excepted. The proprietors of the
Expedition post coach substituted two light post coaches which
ran from the Swan Inn, Norwich, every afternoon at four
o’clock, and from the White Horse, Fetter Lane, London, at
4.30. The mail by Bury and Newmarket had been established
33 years, and was discontinued from lack of public support.
The Norwich and London mail by Ipswich and Colchester continued
to run as before.
8.—The Eau Brink Drainage Bill was read a third time in
the House of Commons, and the Act was subsequently passed for
increasing the fund for carrying into execution
the several previous Acts for improving the drainage of the fens,
and the navigation of the several Norfolk rivers communicating
with the river Ouse.
11.—Six prisoners escaped from the Norwich City Gaol by
breaking through an 18-inch brick wall, whence they entered the
snuff manufactory of Messrs. Waite and Cozens, and with their
irons on made their way to the Market Place. With one
exception they were speedily recaptured.
—*“According to the returns of the Tax Office to
March 25, 1817, the Norfolk Land-tax amounted to £63,471
10s. 7d.; redeemed, £18,526 16s. 2d.”
14.—The Norwich Paving Commissioners, in consequence of
complaints regarding the imperfect lighting and watching of the
streets, appointed a committee of fourteen of their members, and
co-opted other persons, to superintend the placing of the
watchmen. The committee were requested to
“occasionally perambulate the city, and to observe the
state of the lamps and the conduct of the watchmen.”
18.*—(Advt.) “To be fought at the White Swan
Inn, Norwich, on Monday, April 20th, 1818, and two following
days, three double days play of cocks for 10 guineas a battle,
and 200 guineas the odd, between the gentlemen of Norwich and the
gentlemen of Cambridge. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich, Thompson
for Cambridge.”
—*(Advt.) “The London and Norwich mail coach
by Colchester and Ipswich. The Postmaster-General having
thought proper to discontinue the mail coach by Newmarket, which
had been established 33 years, from the public not having
latterly given it that support which its usefulness demanded, the
contractors for the remaining mail by Ipswich and Colchester,
which will in future be the conveyance of the Norwich letters,
hope that so useful a carriage in this commercial city and county
will have such success as to promote its future encouragement and
continuance.”
23.—St. George’s Day was observed in Norwich as
the festival of the tutelar saint of England and as the appointed
date for the celebration of the birthday of the Prince
Regent. St. Peter’s bells were rung, and at night a
ball was given at Chapel Field House.
24.—A meeting, presided over by Mr. J. J. Gurney, was
held at the Lancasterian School, Norwich, to encourage the
establishment of Sunday schools.
26.—Died at Norwich, aged 47, the Rev. Augustus Beevor,
M.A. “He was educated at Bennet College, Cambridge,
where he early distinguished himself, and as a reward of his
literary merits, received many college prizes. He was
rector of Berghapton, Norfolk, and of Otley, Suffolk.”
27.—After the interval of 15 years the boundaries of the
county of the city of Norwich were perambulated by the Mayor (Mr.
Crisp Brown), attended by the Sheriffs, several of the aldermen,
city officers, and others on horseback, and by a great number of
persons on foot. Much beer was drunk en route, and
at Earlham the chief personages were entertained by Mr. J. J.
Gurney, and 400 men and boys received each a pint of beer and a
piece of cake. A man swam the river at Earlham, another
crossed it at Hellesdon. “When proceeding in the
direction of Sprowston they were met on the road, leading from
Norwich to Crostwick, by Mr. James Cozens, who formally
declared his intention to protest against the establishment of
the line of boundary which they were taking, and pointed out a
boundary mark nearer Norwich, which on inspection proved to be
that of St. Clement’s parish.”
1.—A two days’ poll commenced for the election of
Mayor at Norwich. The poll was declared on the 2nd as
follows:—Ald. Marsh, 821; Ald. Leman, 820; Ald. Thurtell,
474; Ald. Back, 412. Mr. Leman was on the 3rd elected, by
the Court of Aldermen, Mayor for the second time.
3.—At a meeting of the Norwich Corporation it was agreed
to present congratulatory addresses to the Prince Regent and to
the Princess Elizabeth on her marriage with the Hereditary Prince
of Hesse Homburgh. On a ballot in the common council-room
there were 24 for and 24 against the addresses. The Speaker
(Mr. Samuel Stone) gave his casting vote in favour of the
addresses, which accordingly became acts of assembly.
6.—The birthday of Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., was celebrated
at Harleston, Wells, Wymondham, and other places by public
dinners.
12.—A prize fight took place on a field near Thorpe
Asylum between William Cox, blacksmith, and John Camplin, a
Norwich weaver. “Among the spectators were a great
number of females.” Camplin was seconded by Ned
Painter, and Cox by Wharton. Twenty-nine rounds were fought
in 42 minutes for £5 a side. Cox won. Another
fight between Pegg and Short, “who milled each other for
more than an hour,” resulted in the victory of the
latter.
13.—A new gallery erected in North Walsham church was
opened with a grand selection of sacred music from the works of
Handel, under the direction of Messrs. Fish and Card, of
Norwich. The principal vocal performers were Mrs. Card, Mr.
Frewer, and Mr. Barron, and the choruses were supported by
performers from the Norwich concerts, and by the Cathedral
choristers.
16.—Died at Lynn, Ann Crawforth, aged 104, supposed to
be the oldest member of the Methodist Society.
18.—Miss Brunton, granddaughter of Mr. John Brunton, the
former manager, appeared at Norwich Theatre as Letitia Hardy
(“The Belle’s Stratagem”). Her other
characters during the engagement were Miss Hardcastle, Rosalind,
and Lady Elizabeth (“The Day after the Wedding”).
19.—A new peal of six bells, cast and hung by William
Dobson, of Downham Market, was opened at Northwold. Prizes
of ten guineas and five guineas were offered to competing
companies who performed the best and next best peals of 720
complete changes. The New Buckenham and Hopton ringers were
adjudged equal.
—At the Norwich Consistory Court, sentence of suspension
for two years was passed by the Rev. William Young, Chancellor,
on the Rev. Edward Leathes, rector of Reedham with Freethorpe,
for neglecting to perform his ministerial duties in those
churches for about eight months in the course of the years 1816
and 1817.
20.—Bull-baiting took place on Carrow Hills,
Norwich. “The game old bull resisted every effort of
the well-seasoned dogs, and remained master of the ring. A
young bull was afterwards brought in, who is to be trained up to
exercise the rising generation of the canine species, and for the
amusement of the lovers of this fine art.”
—A rowing match between two four-oared boats, the Swift
and the Adriadne, took place from Carrow to Whitlingham.
The Swift, “rowed by four brothers of the name of Lanham,
well known on the stream,” won. “The match was
for each other’s boat, valued complete at £14 or
£15.” (This is the first instance in which the
names of the rowers are given.)
28.—The annual dinner in commemoration of Pitt’s
birthday was held at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, under the
presidency of the Hon. Col. Wodehouse.
—Tenders were invited for taking down the existing and
building the new bridge, at Hellesdon, either of timber or
iron. The Corporation on June 30 accepted the tender of Mr.
Frost to build an iron bridge for £1,140.
30.—Miss Byrne began a short engagement at Norwich
Theatre, during which she appeared in favourite comic operas and
musical entertainments. Her impersonations included Adela
(“The Haunted Tower”) and Rosina.
—*(Advt.) “A match of cocks will be fought
at the Angel Inn, St. Stephen’s, Norwich, on June 15th and
16th, between the gentlemen of Norfolk and the gentlemen of
Norwich, to show fifteen mains and five byes. To fight for
£5 a battle and £20 the odd. Feeders: Stafford
for Norfolk, Lamb for Norwich.”
31.—Died at Wakefield, Mr. Fitzgerald, manager of the
Leeds, Lincoln, Sheffield, and Hull Theatres, and many years a
favourite performer in the Norwich Company.
1.—Mr. Charles Harvey, M.P., issued an address to the
electors of Norwich, in which he announced his intention of
declining to offer himself for re-election.
2.—Died at Coltishall, Mr. William Warrant, aged 100
years.
4.—The 81st birthday of George III. was celebrated in
Norwich. The Mayor and Corporation, preceded by a band of
music, went in state to the Cathedral.
8.—A camping match, Norfolk against Suffolk, took place
at Kirby Cane for £10 a side, and, after a spirited
contest, Norfolk won. “This is the first thorough
boxing camping match which has taken place for these last 35
years, and considering that not five out of the twenty
individuals who played had ever before been engaged in any
pugilistic contest, it was astonishing to observe the spirit of
gallantry which animated both parties. The spectators
amounted to some thousands, among whom were many gentlemen of
rank and fortune.”
9.—Parliament having been dissolved and the writ for the
election received, Mr. W. Smith and Mr. R. H. Gurney, the
“Blue and White” candidates, made their public entry
into Norwich. The Hon. Edward Harbord, the “Orange
and Purple” candidate, was met at Mile End on
the 11th. His barouche was drawn into the city by the
crowd, and a large cavalcade of freeholders and freemen was in
attendance. Thence until the day of election there was an
active canvass in the city, and party feeling ran high.
15.—Seaman’s Museum of Natural History was
exhibited on Orford Hill, Norwich.
16.—Guild Day at Norwich. Many members of the
freemen’s clubs, with blue and white favours in their hats,
and with party flags flying, marched into the Market Place in
order to attend the new Mayor to the Cathedral. Alderman
Herring protested against such a display of party feeling on this
day. Mr. Smith, the Parliamentary candidate, addressed the
people from a window in the Market Place, saying that anything
like party appeared to be indecorous on such an occasion, and he
for one should put his colours into his pocket. His
example, however, was not generally followed. After service
at the Cathedral Mr. Barnabas Leman was sworn in as Mayor, and
the guild feast, given in St. Andrew’s Hall, was attended
by 300 guests.
17.—Norwich Election began on this day, and the poll
closed on the day following at 1.30 p.m., with the following
result:—W. Smith, 2,089; R. H. Gurney, 2,032; the Hon.
Edward Harbord, 1,475. The two first-named were
returned.
—Thetford Election: Lord C. Fitzroy and Mr. N. R.
Colbourne were returned without a contest, on the withdrawal of
Mr. Webster.
—Castle Rising Election: Lord Rocksavage and the Hon. F.
Greville Howard were returned unopposed.
18.—Lynn Election: Lord Walpole and Sir M. B. ffolkes
were returned unopposed.
19.—Yarmouth Election: The Hon. George Anson, 780; C. E.
Rumbold, 760; E. K. Lacon, 651; General Loftus, 612. The
two first-named were elected.
23.—Norfolk Election: Mr. T. W. Coke and Mr. E.
Wodehouse were returned unopposed. Mr. Philip Hamond, of
Westacre, opened a canvass in opposition to Mr. Wodehouse, but
relinquished it on the eve of the election. After the
chairing Mr. Coke and his friends dined at the Swan Inn, Norwich,
and Mr. Wodehouse and his supporters at the Angel Inn. At
night the members attended the ball at Chapel Field House, where
the dancing was opened by Mr. Coke and Mrs. Micklethwaite and by
Mr. Wodehouse and Mrs. N. Bacon.
Dr. C. Brown, of Margaretta Farm, and Mr. T. B. Plestow, of
Watlington Hall, received, this month, the honour of
knighthood.
4.—Spring, Scroggins, Purcell, and other celebrated
pugilists, gave a boxing display at the Swan Inn, Norwich.
6.—Died, aged 78, Mr. Richard Beatniffe, many years a
well-known bookseller in Norwich.
—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. The only new
implements exhibited were a manure drill, by Mr. Frost, of Saham,
and a self-sowing dibbling machine, by Mr. Woodward, of
Norwich.
12.—A severe drought of nine weeks’
duration was ended on this day by a “joyful
rain.”
—A new light post coach, called “The Day,”
carrying four insides and ten outsides, commenced running from
the Angel Inn, Market Place, Norwich, to the Crown and Anchor
Tavern, the Quay, Yarmouth. The journey occupied three
hours each way, and the coach was owned by T. S. Coldwell and
Co.
13.—Races for hackneys, hunters, and ponies, took place
at Wells-next-the-Sea, upon “a fine level width of firm
beach sand.” An immense concourse of spectators
attended.
15.—Died at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, aged 72, Capt.
James Murray, adjutant of the 2nd Regiment of Norfolk Yeomanry
Cavalry, and formerly captain in the 9th Regiment of Foot.
He served with distinction during the whole of the American
War.
16.—The first stone of a new bridge at Letheringsett was
laid by Mrs. Best, of Bayfield Hall. The company, after
being entertained to breakfast by Mr. William Hardy, proceeded
through his gardens to a deep excavation in the bed of the river,
where the stone was placed in position amid the cheers of the
spectators and the firing of guns.
20.—The performances of Mr. David Fisher’s company
in “the elegant little theatre” at East Dereham,
terminated on this date, “when the performers assembled on
the stage and drank a parting glass and bade farewell of the
crowded audience amid shouts of applause.”
22.—A grand cricket match played on Newmarket Heath for
330 guineas a side, between the Holt and Newmarket clubs.
It concluded on the 23rd, when the score was as
follows:—Newmarket, 84-101; Holt, 114-74.
23.—A silver cup was rowed for by three boats at
Norwich, and won by the Apollo (Bacon). Distance, five
miles; time, 38½ minutes.
—A troop of the 15th Light Dragoons (King’s
Hussars), commanded by Major Cochrane, marched into Norwich to
relieve the 5th Dragoon Guards, who the same day set out for
York.
25.*—“Mr. Case, a respectable farmer, at Stratton
Strawless, lately sustained a loss of 30 young turkies and 11
goslings, all which a voracious fat sow devoured after a hearty
breakfast.”
27.—Mr. Blanchard, of Covent Garden Theatre, appeared at
Norwich Theatre as General Heartall (“The Soldier’s
Daughter”). Among the other characters impersonated
by him during his engagement were Crack (“The Turnpike
Gate”), Lazarillo (“Two Strings to your Bow”),
Abednego (“Jew and Doctor”), Caleb Quotem (“The
Wags of Windsor”), and Dr. Ollapod (“The Poor
Gentleman”).
—At a meeting of the merchants of the city, held at the
Angel Inn, Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. Crisp Brown, it
was agreed to open up a trade from Gainsborough to Yarmouth, and
to employ four vessels to sail alternately from both places.
31.—Died at his house in St. James’s Square,
London, Viscount Anson. He married in 1794 Ann Margaret,
second daughter of Mr. T. W. Coke, of Holkham, and was succeeded
in his title and estates by the Hon. Thomas William Anson, M.P.
for Yarmouth.
12.—Two gentlemen “angling on that beautiful river
at Buckenham, belonging to Sir Thomas Beauchamp Proctor,”
caught 210 pounds of fish, the greater part of which were
bream. This was described as “a circumstance
unprecedented in this or any other part of the
country.”
15.—The whaler Enterprize from Greenland, Capt.
Sanderson, arrived at her berth at South Lynn, with eleven
“fish” on board, “which it is supposed will
produce about 160 tons of oil, estimated to be worth
£6,000, exclusive of whalebone, &c.”
28.—A cricket match was played at Bungay between the
Holt and Bungay clubs, for stakes amounting to £132.
Scores: Holt, 89-130; Bungay, 54-28. The return match was
fixed for September 7th, but Bungay paid forfeit. In the
first match, owing to men being objected to on both sides,
“it was played with only ten batsmen, but with the usual
numbers in the field.”
1.—Robert Skipper, the Norwich pedestrian, began a walk
of 1,000 miles in 20 successive days. He started from St.
Stephen’s Gates at five o’clock a.m. and returned
from the twenty-fifth milestone on the Thetford road at nine
p.m. He relinquished the task on the ninth day in
consequence of lameness.
8.—Miss O’Neil commenced a five nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre. She appeared in the
characters of Belvidera (“Venice Preserved”), Juliet,
Mrs. Haller (“The Stranger”), Mrs. Beverley
(“The Gamester”), and Mrs. Oakley (“The Jealous
Wife”). “The box office was literally besieged
every morning, and the spirit of politeness and gallantry
maintained only a very feeble influence over the conduct of the
assembled multitude. No law prevailed but that of the
strongest; nothing was to be heard but shrieks, reproaches, and
lamentations—nothing to be seen but bonnets cramped up,
hats squeezed flat, torn gowns and coat flaps, and a motley mob
in the highest state of exasperation, fermentation, and
desperation. On the nights of the performance the house was
crowded in every part. Families of the highest
respectability, both of the town and from the country, were to be
seen contenting themselves, many of them with inconvenient
situations. Even the orchestra was occupied by the
audience.” The receipts averaged £200 a night,
and Miss O’Neil, including her benefit, received
£700.
—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, at
which it was decided to apply to Parliament for leave to bring in
a Bill for widening and deepening the Norwich river so as to
render it navigable by vessels of burden from Norwich to the
sea. The Mayor presided, and the project, which afterwards
gave rise to the famous agitation “Norwich, a Port,”
was introduced by Mr. Crisp Brown.
—Buonaparte’s military coach was exhibited by Mr.
Bullock, of the London Museum, at Mr. Smith’s coach
manufactory, Swan Yard, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
26.—The Phenomena day coach was advertised to run
from the Angel Inn, Norwich, and the One Bull Inn, Bury, to the
Bull Inn, Aldgate, London, in fourteen hours. It set out
from Norwich at a quarter to six. The proprietors, William
Pawson, T. Bridgeman, George Archer, and Ann Nelson, Son, and
Co., prohibited racing on the part of their coachman. The
rival coach, the Norwich and London Original day coach, started
from the Norfolk Hotel every morning at a quarter to seven and
ran to the Spread Eagle, Gracechurch Street, and the Swan with
Two Necks, Lad Lane, through Bury, Sudbury, Chelmsford, and
Romford. Racing was prohibited by the proprietors, namely,
R. Gurney, T. Boyce, Chapman, S. Bright, J. Boldero, J.
Tomlinson, Elizabeth Boyce and Son, and W. Waterhouse.
28.—Died, the Rev. St. John Priest, A.M., master of
Scarning Free School, rector of Reepham with Kerdiston and of
Billingford, and vicar of Parham with Hacheston, Suffolk.
He was secretary of the Norfolk Agricultural Society from its
institution in 1800.
1.—Married, at York, Upper Canada, Mr. Samuel Peters
Jarvis, barrister, and son of the late secretary of that
province, to Mary Boyles, youngest daughter of the Hon. W. D.
Powell, Chief Justice of Upper Canada, and granddaughter of Dr.
John Murray, of Norwich.
3.—Sir Edmund Lacon, Kt., of Great Yarmouth, Mr. Thomas
Hare, of Stow Hall, and Mr. Edward Stracey, of Rackheath Hall,
were created baronets.
12.—Died at St. George’s Colegate, Norwich, aged
50, Mr. Thomas Allday Kerrison, who was Sheriff in 1798, Alderman
in 1803, and Mayor in 1806.
13.—A sailing match, which took place at Thorpe for a
silver cup, was won by the Dreadnought (Stone), which beat the
Albion (Ganning), and the Argo (Harvey).
—A trial took place at midnight of a gasometer with
complete apparatus erected by Messrs. John and Philip Taylor, of
London, at the factory of Messrs. Joseph Oxley and Sons, of
Norwich. They were the first to introduce gaslight into a
Norwich factory.
21.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, Mark Woodcock
appealed against a conviction for taking toll at a turnpike gate
off soldiers when on duty. The 15th Light Dragoons,
stationed at Lynn, were being “taken out for an
airing” and on passing through Gaywood gate the appellant
demanded toll of them, to the amount of 4s. 4½d. He
alleged that the soldiers were not on duty, and that they passed
through the gate wantonly and unnecessarily, and in order to give
him trouble. The court confirmed the conviction.
24.—Messrs. T. S. Coldwell and William Horne,
proprietors of the Mercury coach, from the Maid’s Head,
Norwich, through Wymondham, Attleborough, and Thetford, to the
Golden Cross, Charing Cross, London, advertised “reduced
fares at what you please.” The coach ran every
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
—Adams’ Equestrian Troupe commenced a season at
the Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, where a stage was provided for the
production of pantomime and burletta.
25.—The premises and stock of Mr. Griffiths,
plane and tool maker, near St. Gregory’s Church, Norwich,
were destroyed by fire.
31.—Died of apoplexy, at Holt, Mr. William Stokes, Clerk
of the Peace for Norfolk. He was 66 years of age, and had
held the office 19 years. His eldest son died at Fakenham
on the following day. Mr. Robert Copeman, of Aylsham, was
appointed to the vacant clerkship.
—Four boys were whipped in Norwich Market Place,
pursuant to sentence passed upon them at the Quarter
Sessions.
1.—The Expedition coach from Norwich to London, carrying
only four insides, with car added to carry six insides, started
running on this date from the White Swan, Norwich. Fares,
four insides, 18s. each; the car, six insides, 14s. each;
outsides, 10s. 6d. each. The proprietors were Thomas Bryant
and John Eames and Co.
2.—Thiodon’s “mechanical and picturesque
theatre of arts” (automata) was opened at Norwich
Theatre.
4.—Married at Gissing, W. Newby, of Burston, to Susanna
Fleet, of the former place, widow. “Their united ages
amounted to upwards of 140 years. Nearly 40 years ago she
married John Fleet, her first husband, who, after living with her
several years, set out on his travels and visited the most
distant parts of the world. The only report that ever
reached her was the news of his death, when, having given what
she considered a decent time to his memory and his loss, she
again entered into the state of matrimony. After living
several years with her second husband the first returned and
claimed her, and his death which lately happened gave her the
second opportunity of being legally united to the man of her
heart, which actually took place, and she was a second time
married to the same person.”
5.—At a meeting of the Navigation Committee, held at the
Guildhall, Norwich, a letter was received from the Mayor of
Yarmouth, in which he expressed the fear that the projected
scheme for widening and deepening the Norwich river would prove
injurious to Yarmouth harbour. It was pointed out that
there was an alternative plan of making a cut about a mile lone:
across Thurlton marshes to join the Waveney about a mile below
St. Olave’s Bridge, and thence proceeding to Oulton and
Lothing Broads and entering the sea at Lowestoft. The
meeting considered the alternative scheme the more eligible one,
and Mr. Cubitt, engineer, was ordered to make a survey and
prepare an estimate of the expense.
9.—At Holkham eight guns killed 516 head of game in one
day, namely, eight partridges, 40 pheasants, 237 hares, 216
rabbits, 14 woodcock, and one snipe. In seven days 2,574
head were killed.
18.—On the official account being received of the death
of the Queen at Kew Palace, the great bell of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich, and the bells of the other churches in the city were
tolled for two hours. On Sunday, the 22nd, the pulpits in
the churches were draped with black, and on December 2nd, the day
of interment, the shops were closed, and the bells tolled from
six to eight o’clock in the evening. The Corporation attended service at the
Cathedral. At Yarmouth and Lynn the day was observed in a
similar manner. Addresses of condolence were afterwards
passed by each Corporation.
20.—Mr. William Bell, of Norwich, while shooting with a
party at Sprowston, “killed at one shot five and a half
brace of that rare bird called the golden plover, a shot not to
be paralleled in the annals of sporting notoriety.”
3.—Mr. Edward K. Lacon, who had canvassed Yarmouth as a
candidate for the Parliamentary election consequent upon the
elevation to the peerage of the Hon. T. W. Anson, announced in an
address to the electors his intention to retire from the
candidature on the ground that “the prejudices so unjustly
excited against him were not yet fully allayed.” The
Hon. George Anson was returned without opposition on February
11th, 1819.
5.—Landed at Cromer from the Earl of Leicester packet,
from Holland, Mr. Horsley, of Islington, and his little
son. The boy had been kidnapped by Charles Rennett, a
cousin of Mrs. Horsley, who had entered into litigation
respecting some property to which the child was entitled.
Rennett carried him to France, whence he was traced to Braker,
near Bremen. The boy was recovered unharmed and handed over
to his father, and Rennett, on his arrest, was tried in London on
May 28th, 1819, and sentenced to seven years’
transportation.
12.—Wombwell’s Menagerie was exhibited on Castle
Hill, Norwich.
24.—A tradesman at Beeston next Mileham made a wager
that he would carry twelve stone of flour a distance of ten miles
in six hours, “which Herculean task he performed in five
hours and a quarter. The odds at the start were three to
one against him.”
26.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehouse,
Norwich, to consider the propriety of presenting an address of
condolence to the Prince Regent on the death of the Queen.
Col. Wodehouse was about to move an address, when Mr. Nathaniel
Palmer, jun., of Yarmouth, anticipated him by moving one of his
own framing, the last paragraph of which contained an allusion to
the criminal code. It was seconded by Mr. Clarke, of
Berghapton, and supported by Archdeacon Bathurst. Col.
Wodehouse then moved his address, which was seconded by Mr. T.
Cubitt, and supported by Mr. M. Elwin and Mr. C. Harvey.
Much altercation and confusion ensued, and the High Sheriff (Mr.
Edward Lombe), who presided, adjourned the meeting sine
die. Those who approved the address proposed by Col.
Wodehouse adjourned to the grand jury room and signed it.
It was subsequently presented to the Prince Regent.
—Died in Little Charlotte Street, London, aged 29, Mrs.
Fisher, wife of Mr. David Fisher, of Drury Lane Theatre.
She left a family of three children.
Remarkably mild weather was experienced during this
month. The cuckoo was heard at the beginning, and
vegetation advanced till the middle of the month.
12.—A new peal of six bells hung in St. Gregory’s
Church by Mr. Hurry, of Norwich, was opened by the St. Peter
Mancroft ringers, and a dinner in commemoration of the event took
place at the Old Goat, Goat Lane.
13.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions was tried the appeal
Burrows v. J. Stracey. The appellant was the keeper
of the Norfolk and Norwich Arms public-house at Sprowston, and
was convicted by the respondent under 26th George III., for
selling beer without a licence, when in reality he then had a
licence authorising him to do so from the Supervisor of Excise
for Norwich under certificate from the magistrates of that
city. He appealed against the conviction on the ground that
the county magistrates had not the power to grant him such
licence, his house being situated in the county of the city of
Norwich, and not within the county of Norfolk as contended by the
respondent. Counsel for the appellant produced the Charter
made in the reign of Philip and Mary, whereby various lands lying
in the county were granted to the Corporation of Norwich, amongst
which was that part of Sprowston where the appellant’s
house stood. The Town Clerk of Norwich was called for the
respondent, and said he never remembered the magistrates of the
city having exercised acts of jurisdiction over the locality in
question, nor had it ever paid rates to the city. The court
confirmed the conviction.
14.—Died at his apartments in Drury Lane, London, Mr. E.
H. Seymour, formerly of Norwich Theatre. He was author of a
work dedicated to Sheridan—“Remarks Critical,
Conjectural, and Explanatory on the Works of
Shakespeare.”
23.—Madame Tussaud’s collection of
“composition figures representing ninety public
characters” was exhibited at the Angel Inn, Norwich.
25.—The Fox birthday dinner, held at the Norwich
Assembly Rooms, was presided over by the Earl of Albemarle, who
was supported by Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., Viscount Bury, the High
Sheriff, and Mr. W. Smith, M.P.
29.—The Rev. Levi Walton was elected headmaster of the
Free School, Scarning, in place of the Rev. St. John Priest,
whose predecessor was the Rev. Robert Potter, Prebendary of
Norwich Cathedral.
It was announced this month that Mr. Thomas Clabburn, of All
Saints, Norwich, had left the following bequests: To the parishes
of St. John Timberhill, St. Michael-at-Thorn, St.
Michael-at-Coslany, and St. John Sepulchre, £200 each; and
to All Saints’ and St. Paul’s, £400 each; the
interest to be given in bread and coals the first Monday in
February each year. To the parish of Tasburgh, £400;
and to Tharston, Flordon, and Newton Flotman, £200 each;
the interest to be applied in like
manner. To the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, £800; to
the Treasurer of Cook’s Hospital, £800; and the like
sum to the Hospital, on trust, “that the poor women therein
might receive one shilling each every Monday for ever”; to
the Bethel, £200; and a like sum to seven of the benevolent
institutions in Norwich.
2.—The petition of the Norwich Grand Jury at the last
Summer Assizes, praying for two general gaol deliveries in the
year, was presented to the House of Commons by Mr. W.
Smith. Mr. Colborne, member for Thetford, presented another
petition from the Mayor and Corporation of that borough, praying
that there should be no change in the existing
arrangements. On the 24th the Corporation of Norwich
petitioned Parliament in favour of Assizes being held twice a
year in the city.
—At a general Court of Guardians held at Norwich, Dr.
Rigby reported that small-pox had made its appearance in several
parishes in the city, and an order was made that the city
surgeons vaccinate all poor persons desirous of availing
themselves of their assistance.
3.—Mr. J. W. H. Payne, a native of Norwich, where he was
formerly a printer and bookseller, “being reduced in
circumstances was allowed to appear at the Theatre in the
character of Hamlet. He succeeded in exciting the
risibility of the other performers, and the loud laughter of the
audience.”
Impromptu on Mr. Payne’s Performance as
Hamlet.
“Let mortal man his grief and care give o’er,
Nor crave the aid of potion or of pill;
For Payne now makes our sides with laughter sore,
And, tho’ he threatens, yet—neglects to
kill.”
8.—Mr. Mathews appeared at Norwich Theatre as Solomon
Gundy (“Who Wants a Guinea?”). His
impersonations on succeeding evenings included Scrub (“The
Beaux’ Stratagem”) and Goldfinch (“The Road to
Ruin”). He also gave his entertainments, “A
Trip to Paris,” “At Home,” and “The Actor
of All Work.”
9.—At a general meeting of the Norwich Paving Act
Commissioners a plan submitted by Mr. Gostling, of Birmingham,
for lighting the city with gas was taken into consideration, and
on the motion of Mr. P. M. Martineau it was agreed, by 26 votes
to 17, that “it is expedient to light such parts of the
city with gas on the plan suggested and that the necessary steps
be taken to carry the plan into effect.” A committee
was also appointed to further the project. On September
30th a meeting was held at the Guildhall for the purpose of
receiving information relative to the proposed introduction of
oil gas. The meeting was adjourned until the 25th, when the
Mayor was invited to call a public meeting. The Paving
Commissioners met on October 12th, when permission was given to
break up the streets to lay down pipes, provided that such
breaches were repaired to the satisfaction of the City Surveyor
at the expense of the promoters. A public meeting was held
on October 26th, at which it was recommended that a company be
formed for the purpose of lighting the city with oil gas, and
that not less than £2,500 be raised
in shares of £25 each for carrying the resolution into
effect. Two separate bodies appear to have come into
existence, the one known as the Oil Gas Company, and the other as
the Oil Gas Community. These bodies adjusted their
differences, and on December 1st Mr. Charles Harvey obtained
leave in the House of Commons to bring in a Bill for lighting
with gas the city and county of the city of Norwich. The
Bill was read a second time on December 21st, and in due course
became law. On January 31st, 1820, the first of the iron
gas pipes were laid in the Market Place; and on May 10th, 1820,
the street lamps and burners in several shops were lighted with
gas for the first time. “In the Market Place it
produced a strong and steady light as far as it extended, and
before Messrs. Bignold’s house and office in Surrey Street,
where there were three lamps, the effect was
brilliant.”
12.—A salmon measuring 48 inches in length, 23 inches in
girth, and weighing 33 lbs., was caught at the New Mills,
Norwich. “These fish, which are frequently taken in
the same place, are mistaken by some for trouts or salmon
trouts.”
15.—Miss Booth, of Covent Garden Theatre, appeared at
Norwich Theatre as Letitia Hardy (“The Belle’s
Stratagem”). Her other impersonations included Little
Pickle (“The Spoiled Child”), Helen Worret
(“Man and Wife”), Priscilla Tomboy (“The
Romp”), Angela (“The Castle Spectre”), Amanthus
(“Child of Nature”), and Mary (“The
Innkeeper’s Daughter”).
16.—Miss Fanny Brunton made her début at
Lynn Theatre as Una (“The Wood Demon”). Mr.
Brunton spoke an introductory address. At the close of the
Lynn season, Mr. Brunton and his company proceeded to Birmingham,
where he had engaged the Theatre on his own account.
18.—Died in London, Sir Thomas Berners Plestow, Kt., of
Watlington Hall, aged 70.
20.—Elizabeth Wells, wife of Robert Wells, of
Gressenhall, gave birth to four living children—three boys
and a girl.
24.—The honorary freedom of the city was conferred upon
Mr. R. H. Gurney, M.P., for Norwich.
—The portrait, by Clover, of Mr. B. Leman, Alderman of
Norwich, was ordered to be placed in St. Andrew’s Hall.
—The Corporation of Norwich petitioned Parliament
praying that the punishment of death for the crime of forgery be
commuted for one less severe, and for a general revision of the
penal laws.
27.—One John Larkin was apprehended at Norwich “on
a strong suspicion of being the person who stole a bag containing
£4,739 in notes belonging to the Fakenham bank, on August
13th, 1817, from the messenger’s gig, which was conveying
it from Messrs. Gurney’s bank in Norwich.”
(There is no further reference to this case.)
Died, this month, aged 100, Thomas Goodings, carpenter, of
Lammas.
7.—Died, in her 89th year, Mrs. Mary Murray, widow of
Dr. John Murray, of Norwich. “Possessing a
disposition congenial with that of her late
excellent husband, her long life was distinguished by the
practice of benevolence and of every Christian virtue.”
8.—A new tragedy, entitled “Bertha,” written
by Mr. Edward Ball, of Norwich, was produced for the first time
at Norwich Theatre.
—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, at
which a subscription was raised for the relief of the distressed
inhabitants of the Scilly Islands. It amounted to
£315.
9.—The Hon. Edward Harbord, the unsuccessful candidate
for Norwich at the previous General Election, arrived in the city
and dined with the King and Constitution Club at the Maid’s
Head Inn. He was elected a member of the club.
—At a meeting of merchants, manufacturers, and
tradesmen, held at the Guildhall, Norwich, it was resolved to
petition Parliament to amend and alter the Acts for the Relief of
Insolvent Debtors in England.
15.—Capt. Manby exhibited before the Mayor and
Corporation of Yarmouth “a light fire cart, provided with
the necessary apparatus ready on the alarm of fire, to be applied
by one man.”
—Mrs. Faucett, formerly a permanent member of the
Norwich Company, and afterwards of Covent Garden Theatre,
appeared at Norwich Theatre as Widow Cheerly (“The
Soldier’s Daughter”). During her engagement she
also impersonated Clara (“Matrimony”), Florinda
(“The Apostate”), Mrs. Haller (“The
Stranger”), Lady Contest (“The Wedding Day”),
and Ellen Rosenberg.
16.—The foundation stone of Prince’s Street
Chapel, Norwich, was laid by the Rev. John Alexander. A
brass plate was placed in the stone with the following
inscription:—“This plate was deposited on the 16th
day of March, 1819, and in the 59th year of the reign of George
III., in the foundation stone of the Protestant Dissenting
Chapel, erected on a piece of freehold ground in the city of
Norwich, and in the parishes of St. Michael-at-Plea and St. Peter
Hungate, by the congregation attending the ministry of the Rev.
John Alexander.” The building was opened for service
as the Independent Chapel on December 1st, 1819, when sermons
were preached by the Rev. Thomas Raffles, A.M., Liverpool, and
the Rev. John Leifchild, of Kensington.
20.*—“We understand that the cooping of freemen
preparatory to election of nominees for the Long Ward, Norwich,
on the 31st inst., commenced more than a fortnight ago.
This practice has hitherto been treated with much indifference,
but as it is likely to be annually resorted to, every sincere
friend of the purity of election and of the real interests of the
poor men who are thereby taken from their families and from their
ordinary occupations, must view it in a very serious
light.” The election of common councilmen commenced
in the week beginning March 28th. “The consequence of
this year’s struggle has been to continue the ascendancy of
the ‘Blue and White’ interest in the Common
Council. Both parties succeeded in creating a
superabundance of noise and confusion and in putting themselves
to a vast deal of trouble, vexation, and expense. In length
of purse the ‘Blues and Whites’ appear to possess a
decided advantage over their ‘Purple and Orange’
opponents, and cooping, bribing, and corrupting were freely and
openly practised.”
29.—Mr. Richard Mingay, a well-known member of
the orchestra at Norwich Theatre, appeared upon the stage as
Crack in the farce of “The Turnpike Gate.”
1.—A prize fight for a subscription purse of £50,
given by the amateurs of Norwich, took place on Rumburgh Green,
near Bungay, between Purcell and Warkley, of Norwich, a pupil of
Oliver. The former was seconded by Ned Painter and Fuller,
and the latter by Oliver and Scroggins. Forty-five rounds
were fought in two hours three minutes, and the battle ended in
favour of Purcell.
3.—A grand boxing entertainment took place at the White
Swan, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, at which Oliver, Fuller,
Turner, and Scroggins appeared.
5.—Died at St. George’s Colegate, Norwich, aged
67, Mr. John Aldis, who served the office of Sheriff in 1813.
10.—Died, aged 101, Charles Grimmer, of Norwich.
—Died, Mr. George Cobb, of Diss, aged 100.
—James Belcham was executed on Castle Hill, Norwich, for
committing a burglary in an outhouse at Castleacre. He was
34 years old, and “left an aged mother, a wife in her last
stage of pregnancy, and two children.” The execution
was witnessed by many well-dressed women. The culprit was
buried in Castleacre churchyard, and on the Sunday following the
execution “a funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr.
Gibbs to a congregation amounting to 1,000 persons.”
15.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich, at which it was decided to petition Parliament
against the duty of 6s. 6d. per chaldron on coals.
17.*—“We are informed that three cargoes of
foreign barley have arrived this week at Yarmouth, which
were purchased in London, and that the greater part is already
brought to this city (Norwich), where it will be malted. It
is a novel circumstance to have barley in the London markets at
such low prices as to induce the Norfolk maltsters to bring it
into this great barley county to be manufactured into
malt.”
—*“Several of those machines denominated
Pedestrian Hobby Horses have been exhibited here this week.
The principle of this invention is taken from the art of skating,
and consists in the simple idea of a seat upon two wheels
propelled by the feet acting upon the ground. The riding
seat or saddle is fixed on a perch upon two double shod wheels,
running after each other, so that they can go upon the
footways. To preserve a balance a small board covered and
stuffed is placed before on which the arms are laid, and in front
of which is a little guiding pole, which is held in the hand to
direct the route. The swiftness with which a person can
travel is almost beyond belief—eight, nine, or even ten
miles an hour may be done on good level ground.”
18.—In response to a circular letter issued by the
Bishop of Norwich to the clergy of the diocese, sermons were
preached at the Cathedral, and at most of the churches in the
city and county in aid of the funds of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
The effort was made chiefly with the view of assisting the Bishop
of Calcutta (the Right Rev. Dr. Middleton, formerly of St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich), in his benevolent plans to establish
Christianity in the East Indies. The collections,
subscriptions, and benefactions exceeded £1,800.
19.—A three “double day play of cocks”
commenced at the White Swan Inn, Norwich, between the gentlemen
of Norwich and the gentlemen of Cambridge, for 10 guineas a
battle and 200 guineas the odd. Norwich won by a single
battle. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich, Thompson for
Cambridge.
24.—Master Sewell, the Lincolnshire gigantic youth, 13
years of age, and weighing 18 stone, and Miss Elenor Fitzjohn,
Queen of the Dwarfs, 19 years old, 30 inches high, and weighing
27 lbs., were exhibited at the Two-Necked Swan, Market Place,
Norwich.
—Died at St. Stephen’s, Norwich, aged 60, Mr.
James Wade, butcher. He served the office of Sheriff in
1810.
26.—James Bigmore, aged 20, left Sudbury at 12.30 noon
with the Phenomenon coach by the side of which he ran the whole
way thence to Norwich, where he arrived at five minutes to seven
o’clock. “To keep up with the coach he was
obliged to run eleven miles in the first hour. On arriving
at places where the coach stopped he did not take refreshment or
repose, but assisted in putting the horses to at every
change. He was not at all distressed on reaching
Norwich.”
1.—At a meeting held at the Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich,
it was determined to call a general meeting of the farmers to
consider the propriety of establishing an agricultural
association to co-operate with the London General Association for
the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Agriculture.
At the meeting which took place on the 15th the Norfolk
Association of Agriculturists was duly formed, and on the 29th
Mr. Utting, of Ashwellthorpe, was appointed president.
3.—George Bidder, only 12½ years of age,
demonstrated in the Old Library Room, St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, his extraordinary powers of mental calculation. He
made a return visit in August.
6.—The Grand Jury at the City Sessions made a
presentment to the effect that the Norwich gaol was not capable
of being converted into an efficient prison for the purpose of
the classification of prisoners.
13.—Died, aged 100, Mrs. Hannah Scott, of Holt.
21.—A meeting was held at the Assembly Room, East
Dereham, to take into consideration the best means of obtaining
navigation between that town and Norwich. A subscription
was opened.
22.—Thomas Jennings, pedestrian, ran 18 miles on the
turnpike road between Downham Market and Denver in two hours
three minutes.
24.—The 24th Regiment of Light Dragoons, commanded by
General Loftus, and chiefly composed of Norfolk men enlisted in
Norwich, was disbanded at Chatham. The regiment left
England in 1796, and was actively employed in India, under Lord
Lake, during the Marhatta campaigns, for which service, among
other distinctions, it received an honorary
standard. In general orders issued on the departure of the
regiment from India on October 8th, 1818, its services were very
highly spoken of.
26.—A silver candelabrum, valued 200 guineas, was
presented to Mr. John Patteson, at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, by
members of the Norwich Fire and Life Societies, in recognition of
the services rendered by him to the institutions. Mr.
Patteson’s collection of pictures by English, Italian, and
Flemish artists was this month sold by auction by Mr. Christie,
and realised the sum of £2,349.
28.—Pitt’s birthday was celebrated by a dinner at
the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. Mr. J. Patteson presided.
1.—Died suddenly at Yarmouth, Mr. Thomas Sutton, aged
66. He was surveyor to the Corporation of that borough, and
was also surveyor of the works in connection with the erection of
the Nelson monument. Mr. Sutton was on the summit of the
pillar when he complained of dizziness, and instantly
expired.
—Mr. John Watson, of Chapel Field, Norwich, proprietor
of the Royal Ipswich Mail coach, issued the following
notice:—“As I have been unexpectedly turned
out of my coach office in the Angel yard, and have been the
proprietor of the Ipswich mail 35 years, I trust you will
continue to give that long established City Coach your
accustomed protection, and I hope my residence amongst you for
seventy-four years will plead so much in my favour, that you will
be induced to desire your parcels for the city to be sent to the
Maid’s Head, St. Simon’s, or to Mr. J. M.
Murry’s, No. 9½, Davey Place.”
4.—The birthday of George III. was celebrated for the
last time in Norwich, Yarmouth, Lynn, East Dereham, and other
towns in the county.
5.—“Flying Actæons” were exhibited at
the Prussia Gardens, Norwich, by Messrs. Brously and
Stratford. “The machine consists of a chair fixed on
to a four-wheeled carriage, in which the rider sits and guides
the fore wheels, turning corners in a similar manner to the
velocipedes. One hand only, however, is necessary, the
other being at liberty to hold an umbrella. The hind
wheels, which force the machine along, are put in motion with the
feet of the rider by means of two foot-boards moved up and down
alternately. With the assistance of the hand bars in going
up steep hills this carriage will travel at the rate of eight
miles an hour, and may easily be made for two persons to sit
abreast. It is equally convenient for both males and
females.”
9.—Mr. Kean commenced a short engagement at Norwich
Theatre, during which he appeared as Brutus, Sir Giles Overreach,
Rolla, and Hamlet.
13.—Died at Cheltenham, aged 63, Thomas Holl, formerly
of Norwich, and many years proprietor of the “Worcester
Herald.”
17.—A grave was opened under peculiar circumstances in
St. Julian’s churchyard, Norwich. A woman had died of
small-pox, and was buried within 48 hours of her death. It
was suspected that she had been buried
alive, and the rumour was circulated that groans had been heard
proceeding from the grave. On the body being exhumed a
medical man pronounced life to be extinct.
18.—Died at his house on Castle Meadow, Norwich, aged
53, Mr. William Stevenson, veterinary surgeon. “He
was an excellent operator, and stood alone and unrivalled in
comparative anatomy and pathology.”
—A piece of plate, valued at 100 guineas, was presented
at the Half Moon Tavern, Yarmouth, to Mr. N. B. Palmer, in
recognition of his services in securing the return to Parliament
of the Hon. George Anson and Mr. Rumbold.
19.—The Norwich and London caravans were advertised to
perform the journey in 24 hours. They set out from the
Angel Inn at six a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from
the Swan-with-Two-Necks, Lad Lane, London, on Tuesday, Friday,
and Saturday evening. Goods were conveyed from London to
Norwich at 7s. per cwt., and from Norwich to London at 9s. per
cwt.
22.—Mr. Nathaniel Bolingbroke was sworn into office as
Mayor of Norwich. There was no guild feast, but 80 of the
Mayor’s friends dined at the Assembly Rooms in honour of
the day.
4.—A severe thunderstorm occurred, accompanied by a
tremendous hailstorm and a heavy rain. Hundreds of acres of
turnips were washed away in various parts of the county.
Upwards of £600 worth of damage was done to the wheat and
barley crops of Mr. William Ungless, of Whitwell, near
Reepham.
5.—Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. In a speech
at the dinner Sir John Sinclair confessed that he came to Holkham
prejudiced in favour of the broad-cast system of agriculture, but
after what he had seen and heard during his visit he was now
convinced that the drill system was superior.
8.—Many deaths having occurred from small-pox in Norwich
the Mayor, in accordance with a requisition, called a public
meeting at the Guildhall, and resolutions were passed in favour
of general vaccination. From January 6th to the September
ensuing 519 deaths were recorded. “There has not been
a single death from small-pox in those parishes where vaccination
has most prevailed.”
9.—Work was completed at the Nelson Monument, Yarmouth,
and the scaffolding on the top removed.
12.—The Duke of Gloucester and Princess Mary, with other
distinguished personages, paid a visit to Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P.,
at Holkham.
14.—Died at his house in Union Place, Norwich, aged 39,
Mr. William Saint, “whose extraordinary mathematical
talents advanced him to the honourable situation of professor of
that science in the Royal Institution at Woolwich.”
In the latter part of his life he was employed in teaching
mathematics in Norwich. His widow was appointed matron of
the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
20.—A cricket match for £500 was played at
Newmarket, between the Holt and Cambridge clubs. Holt,
93-56; Cambridge, 65-34.
27.—A meeting, presided over by the Mayor, was held at
the Guildhall, Norwich, for the purpose of “taking into
consideration the state of mendicity in the city.”
The meeting was adjourned until October 22nd, when, on the motion
of the Hon. Edward Harbord, it was unanimously resolved to
establish a Society for the Suppression of Mendicity in
Norwich. At the first annual meeting, held on October 9th,
1820, it was reported that 437 vagrants had been dealt with by
the society, and had been relieved with food and lodgings at
small expense, and others had been handled over to the
magistrates as notorious impostors.
28.—The first anniversary of the King and Constitution
Club was celebrated by a dinner at the Maid’s Head Inn,
Norwich. Mr. Thomas Starling Day was president, and Mr.
Skipper, vice-president.
1.—Mr. Thomas Amyot, formerly private secretary to the
Right Hon. William Windham, deceased, and a resident in Norwich,
was appointed Registrar under the Act for establishing a Registry
of Colonial Slaves in Great Britain.
3.—Two troops of the 9th Lancers, commanded by Capt.
Daly, arrived in Norwich to replace the 15th Light Dragoons
ordered to Manchester.
4.—A prize fight took place in Kirby Park between Cox,
the Norwich blacksmith, and Christopher Barlee, the Berghapton
Groom. Seventy-two rounds were fought, and Cox won.
Upwards of 5,000 persona were present.
10.—At the reception of his Majesty’s Judges of
Assize at Norwich the coach of the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Sir
W. W. Dalling) was drawn by a team of six piebald horses,
“preceded by a full retinue”; and the City Sheriffs
rode in a coach drawn by four greys, and attended by their
servants.
—Married, at Quidenham Church, by the Lord Bishop of the
Diocese, Mr. James Macdonald, M.P., only son of Sir Archibald
Macdonald, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, to the Right Hon.
Lady Sophia Keppel, eldest daughter of the Earl of
Albemarle. A grand entertainment was given to the gentry,
yeomanry, and poor of the neighbourhood in tents erected in the
park; sports were held, and among the banners displayed were
those taken at the Havanna by the late earl.
11.—At the Norfolk Assizes, which commenced at Norwich
on this date, John Pycraft, of Westwick, was charged before Mr.
Justice Burrough, with administering arsenic to his infant child,
in consequence of which it died. The prisoner, who made no
defence, was, after a trial of six hours, found guilty and
sentenced to death, “his body to be delivered to the
surgeons to be anatomised.” The execution took place
on the Castle Hill on the 16th. “The culprit had a
diminutive form and decrepid figure; when the platform fell his
chest expanded at intervals during the space of seven or eight
minutes, although every precaution was taken
to shorten his sufferings by the addition of some heavy
appendages. After dissection had been performed the body
was exposed to public view at the Shirehouse for one
hour.”
12.—Married at Holkham, by the Rev. Charles Anson,
Archdeacon of Carlisle, the Earl of Rosebery to the Hon. Anne
Margaret Anson, eldest daughter of Viscount Anson, deceased.
14.—Messrs. R. Goose, Goldings, and Co., advertised that
the “Real Telegraph” coach which ran from the Rampant
Horse Inn, Norwich, at seven in the morning and arrived in London
at eight in the evening, had “no concern whatever with the
coach starting from the Angel, and called ‘The
Telegraph.’” The fares were:—Inside,
£1 4s.; outside, 14s.
—The Norwich Society of Artists announced its 15th
annual exhibition of pictures at its room in Sir Benjamin
Wrenche’s Court. This year there was no rival
exhibition.
23.—The Duke of Sussex, as Grand Master of England,
installed Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., as Provincial Grand Master at a
Masonic gathering which took place in Norwich.
—The proprietors of the Expedition coach commenced
running the Defence day coach, from the White Swan Yard, St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich, to the Angel Inn at the back of St.
Clement’s Church, Strand. The up journey was
performed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the down on
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Fares.—inside, 21s.;
outside, 12s. The Expedition night coach ran as usual.
28.—Edward Fisher, convicted at the previous Norfolk
Assizes of stabbing William Harrison, was executed on the Castle
Hill, Norwich. “After receiving the sacrament he long
held the cup and bread with the wildest expression of agony in
his eyes and features. He left a wife and seven children to
lament the unhappy end of a husband and father. He was of a
reserved, sullen, and gloomy temper, in his religious profession
a Methodist, and to a certain degree of unsound mind.”
2.—A cricket match between Holt and Bungay was played on
Bungay Common. “The Bungay players, although allowed
Fennex, had smuggled into their side two more professed
Marylebone players.” Much wrangling took place on the
3rd, when Bungay refused to go on with the game, and the match
was claimed by Holt. The return match was played at Holt on
the 13th; Bungay had Fennex, Sparks, and Razell on their
side. Scores: Holt, 120-73; Bungay, 73-104.
“Mr. Pilch, of the Holt club, made 57.” The
following notice was appended to the report of the
match:—“The Holt club take this opportunity of
publicly declaring their determination to decline any further
contest or connection whatever with the Bungay club.”
11.—Mr. Young, who had previously appeared at Yarmouth,
commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre. His characters
included Hamlet, Macbeth, Penruddock (“The Wheel of
Fortune”), King Lear, and Zanga (“The
Revenge”).
13.—The corner-stone of the new pump-room and
baths at the Thetford chalybeate spring was laid with appropriate
ceremony by the Duke of Grafton. His Grace and the Duchess
drank of the water of the spring, dinner was served at the
Guildhall, and a ball took place in the evening.
15.—A prize fight took place on Tasburgh Common, between
Barlee, the Berghapton Groom, and Belasco. Between 8,000
and 10,000 persons were present. Hundreds of women
attended, “some of very dashing and many more of
respectable appearance to be spectatresses of bloody noses and
cross buttocks.” Forty-one rounds were fought, and
the contest ended in favour of Belasco.
16.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich, “in order to take into consideration the
late disastrous transactions at Manchester on August 16th.
The Mayor presided, and resolutions were passed asserting the
right of the subject to petition the King. The legality of
the Manchester meeting was affirmed, the conduct of the
magistrates and Yeomanry Cavalry censured, and a subscription was
opened for the relief of the sufferers. An address was also
proposed for presentation to the Prince Regent, in which his
Royal Highness was asked to remove certain ministers from his
presence and councils. The address was afterwards presented
to the Prince at Carleton House by the members for the
city. A counter declaration was also circulated in Norwich,
and received 1,608 signatures. In due course it was
presented to the Prince Regent.
20.—A meeting, presided over by the Mayor, was held at
the Guildhall, Norwich, to take into consideration the best means
to be adopted to carry into effect a plan for making a new
street, and for erecting a bridge over the river Wensum at
Duke’s Palace. The meeting was adjourned till October
18th, when a resolution in favour of the plan was rejected by a
considerable majority. A meeting of the supporters of the
undertaking was held on November 29th, under the presidency of
Mr. George Morse, when it was reported that £7,000 of the
£9,000 proposed to be raised by shares of £25 each
had been subscribed. A Bill was afterwards introduced into
Parliament, and was read a second time on December 17th. On
February 26th it was announced that the Bill had not been passed
in Committee of the House of Commons owing to the interference of
the petitioners, and that the promoters would have to commence
fresh proceedings in the new Parliament. On July 8th, 1820,
it was stated that the Bill had passed both Houses. The
foundation-stone of the bridge was laid on August 28th, 1821, by
Mr. Alderman T. S. Day.
24.—The Mayor and Corporation of Yarmouth voted a loyal
address to the Prince Regent, expressive of their
“detestation of the wicked and atrocious attempts of
seditious and disaffected subjects in various parts of the
kingdom, now openly and avowedly meditating the subversion of the
laws and Government, the annihilation at once of all distinctions
of rank, and the sacred rights of property.”
1.—A squadron of the 14th Light Dragoons, under the
command of Capt. Anderson, arrived at Norwich to replace the 9th
Lancers. Detachments were sent to Yarmouth and Holt.
5.—Died, aged 32, Mr. John Charles Beckwith,
organist of the Cathedral and of St. Peter Mancroft church,
Norwich. His remains were interred on the 11th in a grave
beside that of his late father beneath the organ loft of St.
Peter’s church. Mr. Z. A. Buck was, on the 9th,
appointed Cathedral organist and master of the choristers, and on
the 13th Mr. Alfred Pettet was elected organist by the
parishioners of St. Peter Mancroft.
16.—The East Dereham and London Telegraph coach was
advertised by John Leverett and Co. It started from the
Cherry Tree Inn every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6.30 a.m.,
and travelled by Shipdham and Watton to the King’s Head,
Thetford, to meet the Norwich Telegraph. The Dereham
Telegraph then proceeded to the Woolpack Inn and the Angel Inn at
Bury St. Edmund’s, whence it returned to Thetford on the
following day and met the Norwich Telegraph on its return from
London, and arrived at Dereham the same evening at nine
o’clock. On Saturday the Dereham Telegraph ran to
Norwich and back.
25.—The Duke of Wellington passed through Norwich on his
way to Blickling Hall. On changing horses at the Angel Inn
he was warmly cheered by the crowd.
29.—Pursuant to requisition a county meeting was held at
St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, on adjournment from the
Shirehouse in consequence of the excessive crowd, to “take
into consideration the transactions which unfortunately took
place at Manchester on August 16th.” The High Sheriff
(Sir William Windham Dalling) presided, and resolutions were
passed asserting the right of Englishmen to meet for the purpose
of petitioning, and demanding a Parliamentary inquiry into the
transactions. It was also decided to present an address to
the Prince Regent. A declaration, previously published, was
signed by the Lord Lieutenant and upwards of 1,000 other
noblemen, gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders, expressing their
reasons for dissenting from the meeting as tending to prejudice
the public mind against the magistrates and military.
1.—A peal of five bells, cast at the Whitechapel
foundry, and hung by Hurry, of Norwich, was opened at Wroxham
church. Five hats were offered as a prize to the company
who rang the best of three peals. The South Walsham ringers
won.
—Sir Edward James Smith, of Norwich, President of the
Linnæan Society, was elected Honorary Professor of Botany
at the Royal Institution, London.
6.—The Norwich and Yarmouth Telegraph post coach was
announced to run daily from the Angel Inn, Norwich, to the
King’s Head Inn, Yarmouth, in two and a half hours.
Fares: Inside, 5s.; outside, 3s.
13.*—“Capt. Borrow has retired from the adjutancy
of the First or West Norfolk Regiment of Militia after 42
years’ service.”
24.—A meeting of the inhabitants interested in the
woollen manufactures of Norwich was held at the Guildhall, for
the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of
applying to Parliament for a repeal of the duty imposed upon the
importation of foreign wool.
7.—Died at St. Giles’, Norwich, at a very advanced
age, Mrs. Mary Fisher, mother of Mr. David Fisher, comedian.
1.*—(Advt.) “Ned Painter begs to inform his
friends and the public that he has taken the Sun and Anchor
Tavern, Lobster Lane, Norwich, where he will have for their
accommodation the best ales, London porter, spirits, wine,
&c., and he hopes by strict attention to merit patronage and
support. N. P. begs to inform the Amateurs of Norwich and
Norfolk that he intends to give private lessons in sparring in
the most scientific style and at reasonable terms at all hours of
the day.”
13.—Died at Catton, aged 68, Mr. Robert Harvey, an
Alderman of Norwich, and a magistrate for the county. He
served the office of Sheriff in 1784, and of Mayor in 1787.
15.—Very severe weather set in. The thermometer
fell to seven degrees. A rapid thaw took place on the 18th,
and a flood ensued.
17.—Lord and Lady Castlereagh, accompanied by the
Marquis of Ancram, arrived in Norwich on their way to visit Lord
Suffield at Gunton. Whilst the horses were being changed at
the Angel, a mob hooted and hissed the visitors, and one of the
ringleaders was seized by Mr. Crisp Brown.
18.—Died in London, aged 92, Mrs. Linley, widow of Mr.
Linley, formerly proprietor of Drury Lane Theatre, who was father
of the first Mrs. Sheridan, and of the Rev. O. T. Linley, of
Norwich.
20.—The Duke of Wellington passed through Norwich on his
way to Gunton. His grace returned to the city on the 27th
on his journey back to town.
21.—Died, John Nash, of Hempnall. He was clerk of
the parish 56 years, keeper of the Swan Inn 35 years, and at the
age of 40 weighed 24 stone.
23.—Died at Ludham, aged 79, Thomas Smith,
shoemaker. “By his particular request he was carried
to the grave by six men of his own trade, each with his leather
apron tied round him, and stirrups with hand leathers attached
slung across their shoulders.”
24.—Fox’s birthday was commemorated by a dinner at
St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, at which 460 noblemen and
gentlemen were present. The company included H.R.H. the
Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Albemarle (who
presided), Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., &c.
25.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the death of
H.R.H. the Duke of Kent.
27.—The Castle Corporation at Norwich celebrated
their 55th anniversary.
29.—Mr. Harley, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced an
engagement at Norwich Theatre. The performances were
interrupted by the intelligence of the death of George III., and
were resumed on February 17th. His characters included
Marplot (“The Busybody”), Tristran Fickle (“The
Weathercock”), Popolino (“The Sleeping
Draught”), Risk (“Love Laughs at Locksmiths”),
Caleb Quotem (“The Wags of Windsor”), Peter Fidget
(“The Boarding House”), Phantom (“Frightened to
Death”), and Somno (“The Sleep Walker”).
30.—A messenger from London brought to Lord and Lady
Castlereagh, who were staying at Gunton Hall, intelligence of the
death of George III., which was announced in Norwich on the
morning of the 31st. Most of the shops were immediately
closed, and the bells of the parish churches were tolled for
three hours.
2.—The accession of George IV. was proclaimed on the
Castle Hill, Norwich, by Sir William Windham Dalling, Bart., High
Sheriff of the county of Norfolk, who was accompanied by Mr.
Edmond Wodehouse, M.P., and other gentlemen, who gave three
cheers for his Majesty. In accordance with a writ addressed
to the Mayor and Sheriffs of Norwich on the 1st inst., the
proclamation was made in the city with due formality on the
2nd. The Corporation assembled at the Guildhall, and the
14th Light Dragoons paraded in the Market Place. From the
leads of the Guildhall, after a flourish of trumpets, the Town
Clerk (Mr. Elisha de Hague) read the proclamation amid loud
cheers. A procession was afterwards formed and passed
through the city, the proclamation being read at various
points. “At the upper gate of the Close the Under
Chamberlain advanced and demanded the gates to be opened in
pursuance of the King’s writ. Mr. J. Kitson, the
Chapter clerk, then answered from within, ‘In obedience to
his Majesty’s commands the gates shall be
opened.’” After the proclamation had been made
in the Close the procession returned to the Guildhall, where
refreshments were served. The proclamation was made in
similar form at Yarmouth, Lynn, and Thetford.
16.—This being the day of the funeral of the late King,
all the shops in Norwich were closed, and almost every person
appeared in deep mourning. The Mayor, members, and
officials of the Corporation, wearing black scarfs over their
robes, went in solemn procession to the Cathedral, where a sermon
was preached by the Rev. Prebendary Thurlow. At the
different churches and chapels throughout the city proper Psalms
and lessons were read, and in the evening muffled peals were
rung.
21.—Died in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall,
Norwich, Mr. Thomas Back, aged 52. He served the office of
Sheriff in 1802, was elected alderman of the Great Ward of
Mancroft in 1808, and Mayor in 1809; and shortly before his death
was appointed a deputy lieutenant for the county of Norfolk.
24.—Mr. Young appeared at Norwich Theatre as
Othello. On subsequent evenings he sustained the characters
of Brutus, The Stranger, Sir Edward Mortimer
(“The Iron Chest”), King John, Petruchio, and
Coriolanus.
1.—A severe storm and high flood occurred in the Lynn
district. A large number of vessels were stranded on the
Norfolk coast.
2.—Died at Norwich, aged 85, Mr. Starling Day, who
served the office of Sheriff in 1775, was elected alderman in
1777, and Mayor in 1782-1812.
6.—Miss Brunton appeared at Norwich Theatre as
Rosalind. She also played the parts of Lady Contest
(“The Wedding Day”), and Lady Teazle (to the Charles
Surface of Mr. Brunton). In a piece, entitled “An
Actress of all Work,” she sustained seven different
characters.
7.—Parliament having been dissolved by proclamation on
February 28th, consequent upon the death of the late King, the
Norwich election was fixed for this date. The sitting
representatives, Mr. William Smith and Mr. R. H. Gurney, were
returned without opposition. The circumstance of a Norwich
election passing off without a contest had not occurred since
1774, when Sir Harbord Harbord, Bart., and Mr. Edward Bacon were
elected.
10.—Yarmouth election, which began on the 7th, concluded
on this date. The result was declared as follows:—The
Hon. George Anson, 753; Mr. E. E. Rumbold, 750; Lieut.-General
Michel, 612; Mr. Josias H. Stracey, 612. The two
first-named were elected.
13.—Mr. T. W. Coke and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse were
re-elected without opposition to represent Norfolk. Among
the other local elections which took place were the
following:—Thetford, Lord C. Fitzroy and Mr. N. W. R.
Colbourne, returned unopposed; Castle Rising, the Earl of
Rocksavage and Col. F. G. Howard, unopposed.
15.—Died in St. Andrew’s, Norwich, aged 64, Mr.
John Lovick, common councilman for the Great Ward of Wymer.
He served the office of Sheriff in 1817.
16.—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich
an address of condolence on the death of his late Majesty and of
the Duke of Kent was unanimously passed, and afterwards presented
to the King by the members for the city.
20.—At the Lent Assizes held at Thetford, the Grand Jury
made a presentment to the effect that Norwich Castle was
inefficient, as then constructed, for the purposes of a county
prison.
24.—Died at Catton, aged 66, Mr. Jeremiah Ives, an
acting magistrate for the county, and alderman for the Great
Wymer Ward. He was Sheriff in 1782, and Mayor in
1786-1801.
25.*—“Cleansing week, at Norwich, has resulted in
the restoration of the ascendancy of the ‘Purple and
Orange’ party in the Corporation of the city.”
3.—A prize fight took place in a field at West
Burlingham between Rushmore, a blacksmith, of
Limpenhoe, and Layden, the Cantley carpenter. The match was
for £100, subscribed by the fathers of the
combatants. Rushmore was attended by Ned Painter, and
Layden by Potter, of Yarmouth. “There were 44 rounds
of hard milling without science or skill, and Rushmore
won.”
—Mr. Kean appeared at Lynn Theatre for a short season as
King Richard III., Othello, Shylock, &c.
6.—A prize fight took place at St. Faith’s between
Cox, the blacksmith, of Norwich, and Teasdale, “the noted
prize fighter from London, who had been brought to Norwich and
passed off as a countryman under the feigned name of
Johnson.” More than 5,000 persons were present.
Ned Painter and Purcell attended on Teasdale, and Warkley and
Hurry on Cox. The battle lasted one hour thirteen minutes,
and 65 desperate rounds were fought. “Cox faced his
man and fought with great resolution, and drove his adversary
over the ropes eleven times. In the end, however, superior
science prevailed, and in the 65th round Cox received several
violent blows on the left eye, which had been cut on one of the
stakes in a fall in the second round, and victory was declared in
favour of Teasdale. After the battle the imposition was
discovered, and a hand bill circulated, declaring all bets
void. The friends of Teasdale denied any deception, and
said his name was really Johnson.”—Another battle
took place for a subscription purse of £5 on the same
ground, between Dan, a stonemason, of Norwich, and Sparks, a
blacksmith, of Norton. Dan won after 25 rounds had been
fought.
13.—Mr. Edward Ball’s new melodrama,
“Giraldi” (founded on Mrs. Opie’s popular tale,
“The Russian Boy”), was performed for the first time
at Norwich Theatre, and received with great applause.
15.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehouse,
Norwich, the High Sheriff (Mr. G. S. Kett) presiding, at which an
address of condolence on the death of the late King was adopted,
and afterwards presented to his Majesty by the High Sheriff.
24.—This day was appointed for the celebration of his
Majesty’s birthday. At Norwich the Union flag was
hoisted on the steeple of St. Peter Mancroft, and the bells were
rung. The 14th Light Dragoons fired a feu de joie in
the barrack square, and the Norwich Light Horse Volunteers a
salute on the Castle Meadow. The several troops of Norfolk
Yeomanry Cavalry paraded in review order.
28.—A grand fête was given in Heydon Park
in celebration of the majority of Mr. William Earle Lytton
Bulwer. The inhabitants of Heydon and of the neighbouring
villages went in procession to the park, where dinner was served
at 155 tables. A performance was given by a troupe of
equestrians, and “28 barrels of strong ale were placed in
different positions in the park.”
1.—A contested election for the office of Mayor of
Norwich commenced this day and ended on the 2nd, when the result
was declared as follows:—Alderman Burt, 1,173; Alderman
Marsh, 1,077; Alderman Thurtell, 1,018. Mr. Burt was
afterwards chosen Mayor by the aldermen.
2.—Died, in his 89th year, Mr. William Calthorpe,
the oldest inhabitant of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
“He generally commenced his morning walk about four
o’clock during the summer season, and gradually later as
the days became shorter. He almost constantly attended
daily prayers at St. Peter’s Church.”
3.—At a quarterly assembly of the Norwich Corporation,
Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith was elected Speaker of the Common
Council.
5.—Four prisoners made their escape from the city gaol
at Norwich. Each prisoner was wearing his leg irons, and
their escape was observed. One was apprehended immediately,
another was captured at Wymondham, a third at St.
Augustine’s gates, and the fourth surrendered.
10.—Died at Cheltenham, aged 57, Major-General Sir
Haylett Framingham, K.C.B., colonel of the Royal Horse Artillery
and commanding officer of Royal Artillery in Ireland. He
was the eldest son of Mr. C. Framingham, of Swaffham, and served
under Wellington in the Peninsula.
14.—The Bishop of Norwich commenced his Ordinary
Visitation at Thetford, where he confirmed 1,500 persons.
The numbers confirmed in other centres in the diocese
were:—At Newmarket, 2,900; Sudbury, 2,400; Bury St.
Edmund’s, 4,320; Stowmarket, 2,200; Ipswich, 2,300;
Woodbridge, 1,400; Framlingham, 1,900; Halesworth, 1,300;
Lowestoft, 600; Beccles, 700; North Walsham, 1,370; Holt, 1,200;
Fakenham, 2,000; Lynn, 2,000; Downham, 1,300; Swaffham, 1,600;
and Dereham, 1,230. The Visitation concluded on July 1st,
and was said to have “redounded highly to the honour of the
clergy of this extensive diocese, as the number of persons
confirmed greatly exceeded all former visitations.”
—Died at King Street, Norwich, in her 104th year, Mrs.
Laney, widow of the Rev. Benjamin Laney, formerly rector of
Mulbarton.
20.*—“The depredations on the river Yare during
the last five years have amounted to £25,000.”
24.—At a meeting of the clergy of the county of Norfolk
and of the diocese of Norwich, held at the Swan Inn, St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich, under the presidency of Archdeacon Bathurst,
it was decided to petition Parliament against the claims of
“the Roman Catholic persuasion.”
29.—Pitt’s birthday was celebrated by a public
dinner at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, at which 350 noblemen
and gentlemen were present. Lord Bayning presided.
1.—A detachment of the 10th Light Dragoons, commanded by
Major Stapleton, arrived at Norwich to relieve the 14th Light
Dragoons, who on the same day left on their route to
Canterbury.
4.—Died at his house in the Close, Norwich, Mr. Thomas
Tawell, aged 57, “who, having been deprived of his sight
for some years, founded the Hospital and School for the Indigent
Blind in Norwich, in 1806.”
13.—Died, aged 84, at her house in Surrey Street,
Norwich, Mrs. Holland, “formerly and for many years a
respectable actress in the Norwich company.”
14.—Died at the Great Hospital, Bishopgate Street,
Norwich, aged 70, John Dale, “who for many years travelled
the circuit with the Norwich company as dresser to the actresses,
and whose skill and ingenuity in that capacity stood unrivalled,
for the taste and excellence which he manifested in his
profession. By his industry he was enabled to support his
father and mother in their extreme old age.”
19.—Mr. Booth appeared on the Norwich stage as Richard
III. His other characters were King Lear, Octavian, Sir
Giles Overreach, and Jerry Sneak (“The Mayor of
Garrat”).
20.—Guild Day at Norwich. The Corporation attended
service at the Cathedral, and Mr. William Burt was sworn in as
Mayor at the Guildhall. He afterwards entertained 600
guests at the guild feast at St. Andrew’s Hall, and in the
evening gave a ball at Chapel Field House.
22.—A fire engine, constructed by Mr. Jordan for the
Norwich Union Fire Office, “was tried on the
society’s house in Surrey Street. It discharged three
barrels of water a minute, and its price is
£78—cheaper by £50 than the more cumbrous
engines.”
26.—The First or West Norfolk Militia, commanded by the
Earl of Orford, assembled on the Castle Hill, Norwich, for 28
days’ training. “The next morning the men
paraded in their new scarlet coats and blue
pantaloons.” The regiment was paid off on July 23rd,
when “the Earl of Orford made each of the non-commissioned
officers a handsome present for their exertions.”
28.—A dinner was given at the Feathers Hotel, Holt, in
honour of Mr. W. E. L. Bulwer, on his accession to the Heydon
estate. Mr. R. Brereton presided over 320 guests.
30.—A meeting of the owners and occupiers of lands and
tenements in the hamlets of the city was held at the Guildhall,
Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. J. Harvey, when resolutions
were moved against the new and increased assessment of the
hamlets to the poor rates, according to the valuation of property
made by order of the Court of Guardians, and a subscription was
started for defraying the expenses of appealing against the mulct
and of any other legal proceedings.
3.—Holkham Sheep Shearing, which commenced on this date,
was attended by a very large company. “Perhaps we
cannot give our readers a better idea of the utility of the
system of agriculture practised at Holkham, than to inform them
that it and the adjoining country for many miles around were
fifty years ago a barren waste where scarcely a rabbit could find
subsistence, and that it is now the garden of England, covered
with most luxuriant crops of every description.”
H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, and the Russian Princes Potemkin and
Trabetzkoy, were present this year. Mr. Morton, of Leith,
showed a small cast-iron plough, performing five different
operations; a revolving harrow, and a weed extirpator.
3.—A prize fight took place on Tharston Common
between Dan, the stonemason, and Gales, the butcher. The
stakes amounted to £20, and 120 rounds were fought in one
hour twenty-one minutes. Gales was the winner.
8.*—“We congratulate the county on the election of
a Norfolk man, Dr. Hyde Wollaston, to the president’s chair
of the Royal Society. It is a curious circumstance that the
presidents of three very distinguished and scientific bodies, and
two of the principal officers of two others are natives of this
county, namely, Dr. Wollaston, president of the Royal Society;
Sir James Edward Smith, president of the Linnæan Society;
Dr. Astley Cooper, president of the Medical Chirurgical Society;
Mr. Richard Taylor, secretary of the Linnæan Society; and
Mr. John Taylor, treasurer of the Geological Society.”
17.—The great prize fight between Painter and Oliver,
commemorated by Borrow in “Lavengro,” took place near
North Walsham. The stakes were £100 a side, and the
amateurs of Norwich gave £20 towards the training expenses
of Oliver, on condition that he fought within reasonable distance
of Norwich. The battle was contested upon a platform.
A staging about 100 yards in length was erected for the
accommodation of spectators, for whom, also, sixty waggons were
formed in a circle round the outer ring; £50 was collected
at the gate, and the sums charged for admission to the seats on
the staging produced £80. The greatest order
prevailed among the 20,000 persons present, the ring being kept
by Shelton, Randall, Turner, Scroggins, Eales, Josh Hudson,
Harmer, Purcell, and other noted pugilists. Oliver was
seconded by Cribb and Belcher, and Painter by Spring (his former
opponent) and Paul. The odds were five and a half to four
on Painter. Twelve rounds were fought, and Painter
won. His colours (yellow) were hoisted upon a waggon, and
he was everywhere greeted with loud cheering. Many of the
London contingent lost heavily over the fight.—A second
battle took place between Sampson, the Birmingham youth, and
Martin, the baker (the Master of the Rolls). The former was
seconded by Turner and Paul, and the latter by Cribb and
Spring. The odds were six to four on Martin, who won after
29 rounds, fought in 38 minutes. It was during this fight
that the thunderstorm, so vividly described by Borrow,
occurred. At a dinner given at North Walsham the same
evening Painter announced that this was his last appearance in
the prize ring. Other “festivities” took place
the same week. On the 19th there was a “turn
up” between Josh Hudson and Belasco on Gurney’s
bowling-green, Norwich, the former of whom was seconded by Spring
and a Norwich amateur, and his opponent by Martin.
Thirty-three rounds were fought, in the course of which Hudson
dislocated his shoulder and lost. The sum of £10 was
collected round the ring. On Saturday, 22nd, a benefit was
given for Painter in the large room at the Swan Inn, at which
most of the above-named pugilists appeared. “The
amateurs could not separate without giving a chance to West
Country Dick, who was matched against George
Redgrave.” The fight was decided in the room.
Dick won after a contest of eleven rounds occupying sixteen
minutes.
—The great main of cocks annually fought between the
gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of Cambridgeshire this
year fell through. A match was accordingly arranged with
the gentlemen of London. It commenced on this date at the
Swan Inn, Norwich, for £10 a
battle and £100 the odd, and ended on the 19th, when the
local sportsmen won by four battles. Feeders: Nash, sen.,
for London, Lamb for Norwich.
19.—Married at St. Luke’s Chapel, Norwich
Cathedral, by the Lord Bishop, the Rev. Heaton C. de Crespigny,
second son of Sir W. de Crespigny, Bart., M.P., to Miss Caroline
Bathurst, third daughter of his lordship.
1.—Died in St. John Maddermarket, Norwich, the Rev.
Edward Beaumont, “who for 62 years had exercised the
functions of a Catholic priest in this city.” He took
up his residence in Norwich on August 1st, 1758. His
remains were interred on August 8th in St. Giles’ church
after the funeral service had been performed in his own chapel
according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church.
2.—A meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, for the purpose of passing resolutions expressive of
sympathy with her Majesty Queen Caroline. The Mayor (Mr. W.
Burt) declined to preside and left the Hall, and Mr. Alderman
Leman then took the chair. The resolutions were
adopted. The only person who expressed disapproval was Mr.
Kerrison Harvey, who narrowly escaped rough handling. An
address of congratulation was also adopted, and was presented to
the Queen by Mr. N. Bolingbroke and Mr. Edward Taylor.
11.—Died in St. Margaret’s, Norwich, aged 46,
Capt. Robert Tinkler, R.N. “He signalised himself by
his intrepid bravery in several engagements, in which he had
received twenty-one wounds. Capt. Tinkler was cabin boy on
board his Majesty’s ship Bounty (Capt. Blyth) at the time
the crew of that ship mutinied in the South Seas in 1789, and was
one of the twelve persons who with the captain were turned adrift
in a boat by the mutineers. Capt. Blyth and his companions,
after a voyage of 1,200 leagues, during which the only sustenance
they had was one ounce of bread and a quarter of a pint of water
each per day, had the good fortune to arrive at the Dutch
settlement of Cupan, in the island of Timor.”
14.—Jennings, the pedestrian, undertook to walk 100
miles in twenty-two hours at the Prussia Gardens, Norwich.
He covered 90 miles in twenty hours eight minutes, “and
would have finished with ease, but a misunderstanding having
taken place between the timekeepers he thought proper to give
up.”
19.—A detachment of the 9th Lancers marched into Norwich
from Nottingham, under the command of Capt. D’Este.
—The Norfolk Society celebrated the 50th year of its
establishment by a dinner at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich.
Mr. T. Cubitt, Father of the Society, presided, and Major Payne
was vice-chairman. (This was a non-political society.)
—A county meeting was held at the Shirehouse, Norwich,
when resolutions protesting against the mood of proceeding by
Bill of Pains and Penalties against her Majesty, Queen Caroline,
were adopted. A petition for presentation to the House of
Commons against the Bill was also agreed to. The
resolutions were moved by the Hon. George Walpole, seconded by
the Ven. Archdeacon Bathurst, and supported by Mr. T.
W. Coke, M.P. The High Sheriff (Mr. S. Kett) declined to
preside, and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse, M.P., dissented from the
proceedings as impolitic and unnecessary.
29.—This being the anniversary of the Decollation of St.
John an assembly was held at the Church Hall, Yarmouth, at which
the Mayor and Corporation were present, for the purpose of
electing a Mayor, chamberlain, churchwardens, and other officers
of the borough for the year ensuing. “The inquest was
balloted for and locked up on Tuesday afternoon, and kept without
fire, candle, meat, or drink till ten o’clock on Thursday
morning, when they returned the following gentlemen as being
elected to fill the respective offices:—Mr. John Goat
Fisher, Mayor; Mr. William Barth, chamberlain; Mr. T. Bateman and
Mr. John Preston, churchwardens.”
—A contest for freemen’s Sheriff took place at
Norwich. Mr. E. T. Booth was elected with 929 votes,
against 478 recorded for Mr. Peter Finch.
1.—Mr. Robert Hamond, shooting in West Norfolk, killed
to one brace of pointers, and “without cleaning his
gun,” 53 brace of partridges, a hare, and a landrail.
He missed eight shots, lost only one brace of birds, and had only
one double shot. The gun was by Scarlett, of Swaffham.
5.—A prize fight took place on Ashby Common, near
Thurton, between Cox, the Norwich blacksmith, and Barlee, the
Berghapton Groom, for a purse of £25. Walkley and
Payne seconded Cox, and Ned Painter and Teasdale waited upon
Barlee. “The odds were greatly in favour of Cox till
the 30th round, when Barlee planted some severe blows, and in the
47th round floored his opponent. In the 53rd round Cox made
a desperate effort and beat, or rather ran down, his opponent in
every round till the 80th. The betting was now seven to
four in favour of Cox. Barlee again exerted himself, and in
the next six rounds planted several desperate hits on his
adversary’s face, and in the 88th round brought Cox to the
ground by a tremendous blow under the jaw, and won the fight in
one hour twenty-three minutes. Cox’s head and face
presented a frightful spectacle, and not a feature of his
countenance could be distinguished.”
—Died at the house of Mr. Robert Marsham, at Stratton,
Sir Edmund Bacon, premier baronet, of Raveningham. He was
in his 71st year, and his death was occasioned by a fall from his
carriage on August 30th. “Sir Edmund was director of
the Loddon and Clavering Incorporation, and chairman of the
committee of the Norfolk Lunatic Asylum. He had made
unremitting exertions to improve the public roads. It was
one of his fixed opinions that the roads might be kept in a good
state of repair by the fair performance of the Statute duty
without the imposition of tolls, and he practically evinced the
truth of the opinion which he had formed. In the attainment
of this important object he had to encounter the prejudices of
the ignorant and the complaints of the interested, but he
steadily pursued his course regardless of the unpopularity which
he thus caused, and at length had the gratification of making
converts of his most decided opponents.”
12.—Miss Macauley, from the King’s Concert
Room, London, gave her literary and musical entertainment, La
Petit Souper, at Norwich Theatre. On the 14th she gave
a dramatic reading at the New Concert Room, St.
George’s.
18.—A fire broke out on the premises of Mr. Neale, coach
maker, St. Giles’ Gates. The whole range of workshops
was consumed, and damage done to the amount of £2,000.
24.—Died at his seat at Nackington, Kent, Mr. Richard
Milles, of North Elmham, aged 85.
25.—Cossey bells, rehung by Messrs. T. and J. Hurry, of
Norwich, were re-opened. “Five good hats” were
offered for competition.
29.—Mr. Henry Francis and Mr. E. T. Booth, Sheriffs of
Norwich, gave a dinner to 130 guests at Chapel Field House.
“A turtle, weighing 130 lbs., was dressed by Mr. Snow, and
so highly relished that not a fragment remained.”
Rear-Admiral Philip Wilkinson assumed this month the surname
and the arms of Stephens, in compliance with the request
contained in the will of his maternal great uncle, Sir Philip
Stephens, Bart., for many years Secretary to the Admiralty.
1.—Died, aged 47, at Dunkirk, Mr. Charles William
Jerningham, second son of Sir William Jerningham, of
Costessey. “Mr. Jerningham had served eight camps in
the Austrian Army with distinguished valour, being engaged in the
great battles of Jemappe and Fleurus, and was several times
wounded.” His remains were interred at Costessey on
October 23rd.
7.*—“It is with mingled feelings of shame and
disgust that we state no less than four pugilistic battles were
fought on Sunday morning last on Mousehold Heath, near Norwich,
and that many hundreds of persons were present to witness the
unchristianlike scene.”
16.—At a dinner held at the King’s Arms Inn, North
Walsham, under the presidency of Capt. Simpson, Capt. Cooper was
presented with a piece of plate by the inhabitants of the town
and neighbourhood as a testimony of their high esteem for his
public conduct and private worth.
19.—At the opening concert of the Harmonic Society, Mr.
and Miss Mori made their first appearance in Norwich. Mr.
Mori is stated to have been “well known as one of the first
violin performers of the present day.”
21.—The Rev. Edward Bankes, LL.B., was installed a
Prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, in place of the Rev. George
Anguish, A.M., resigned.
—*“Died at her father’s house in Gun Lane,
in this city, aged 19, Miss Smith, daughter of Mr. Smith, of
Norwich Theatre.”
3.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 70, Sir Edmund Lacon, Bart.,
senior alderman of the borough. He
four times served the office of Mayor. He was succeeded by
Mr. Edmund Knowles Lacon, of Ormsby.
11.—Soon after the arrival at Norwich of the coaches
with the intelligence of the abandonment of the Bill of Pains and
Penalties after its third reading in the House of Lords, the
bells of “one or two of the minor parishes” were
rung, a few houses illuminated, and parties paraded the streets
with flambeaux, crying “Light up for the
Queen.” An attempt to make a bonfire on the Castle
ditches was prevented by the magistrates, many of the torches
were put out, and eight of the torch bearers taken to the
watch-house. In view of a disturbance 1,000 special
constables were sworn in on the 13th, on which evening a
procession was formed on Tombland. In passing through the
city the mob groaned outside houses which were not illuminated,
and an iron ball was hurled through the window of Dr.
Reeve’s house in St. Giles’. On the 23rd a
public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, presided over
by the Mayor, when congratulatory resolutions and an address to
the Queen were adopted. (The address was subsequently
presented to her Majesty at Bradenburgh House by Mr. N.
Bolingbroke, who was accompanied by Mr. W. Smith, M.P., and Mr.
Edward Taylor.) After the meeting a bonfire was lighted in
the Market Place. “We understand that an impression
of the Norfolk Chronicle (surely not
dishonoured by being obnoxious to such a crew) was committed to
the flames.” Demonstrations took place at Yarmouth,
Lynn, and other towns.
13.—The Olympic Circus was opened by Mr. T. Cooke at the
Pantheon, Norwich.
19.—Died in St. Andrew’s, Norwich, aged 81, an
eccentric person named Charles Archer. “It was his
constant practice to be at his post every morning at four
o’clock with his kettle of hot cocoa and saloop. His
station was near the Two-Necked-Swan, and he was allowed half a
pint of porter each morning for calling up the landlord at six,
which custom continuing 14 years he drank at that house 2,556
half pints, or something more than 319 gallons. He had
formerly been in the 12th Regiment of Foot, and lost a leg in the
memorable siege of Gibraltar, for which he was granted a pension
which he received 39 years. But what most affected his mind
next to the misfortune of having his leg shot away was to see a
hog, a circumstance related by himself, snatch it up in his mouth
and run away with it without his being able to prevent
it.”
28.—Died, in his 82nd year, at the Great Hospital,
Bishopgate Street, Norwich, Robert Davey, “who for several
years was leader of the nocturnal band of musicians vulgarly
called ‘mumpers,’ though their performances justly
entitled them to a more respectable appellation. He
personated Orpheus in the grand procession which took place in
Norwich in honour of Bishop Blaize on March 24th,
1783.”
29.—H.R.H. the Duke of York passed through Norwich on
his way to Gunton Hall, the seat of Lord Suffield. On the
duke’s approach to St. Stephen’s Gates the horses
were taken from his carriage, and it was dragged through St.
Stephen’s Street and Rampant Horse Street to the Market
Place. After changing horses at the Angel Inn, his Royal
Highness proceeded on his journey. On the following day
the Duke of Wellington passed through the city on his
way to Gunton.
30.—Died, aged 102, Mr. John Walden, of
Wells-next-the-Sea.
1.—A special assembly of the Norwich Corporation was
held at which a loyal address to his Majesty was adopted.
Similar addresses were passed by the Corporations of Yarmouth and
Lynn.
2.—At a special assembly of the Corporation it was
resolved to grant the honorary freedom of Norwich to the Duke of
York and the Duke of Wellington. These illustrious
personages arrived unexpectedly in the city on their return from
Gunton on the following day (Sunday, 3rd). After attending
service at the Cathedral they proceeded to the Angel Inn, where
the Mayor (Mr. William Burt), the Sheriffs, and other civic
officials waited upon them. The Steward (Mr. Robert
Alderson) read the address passed on the previous day, and the
admission to the freedom of the city was completed in due
form. His Royal Highness and the Duke of Wellington
returned thanks, and afterwards invited the company to
luncheon. On their departure from Norwich the same
afternoon they were enthusiastically cheered.
9.—The Duke of Gloucester visited Col. Dixon at Rainham,
and afterwards proceeded to Holkham as the guest of Mr. T. W.
Coke, M.P.
10.—Died at Hethel, aged 68, Sir Thomas Beevor, Bart.,
D.L., one of the chairmen of Norfolk Quarter Sessions.
13.—A meeting of the owners, occupiers, and inhabitants
of the hamlets was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, to take into
consideration the expediency of establishing an effective police
for the district. Resolutions were passed asking the
assistance of the city magistrates. In consequence of the
numerous highway robberies and burglaries, and other depredations
committed in city and county, public meetings were held and
resolutions passed granting a reward of £5 to watchmen who
apprehended offenders. It was stated that more burglaries
had been committed within the three preceding months than in the
former twenty years.
25.—The Hon. George John Watson, of North Elmham, second
son of the Right Hon. Baron Sondes, deceased, assumed the surname
and arms of Milles, in compliance with the will of his maternal
grandfather, Mr. Richard Milles, of North Elmham, and of
Nackington, Kent.
27.—A meeting, presided over by Mr. John Morse, Father
of the City, was held at the Angel Inn, Norwich, at which
resolutions expressive of attachment to his Majesty’s
person and Government, and to the established constitution in
Church and State were passed, and a loyal address to the King
adopted. The address, which received 1,634 signatures, was
presented to his Majesty in the following January by Mr. Charles
Harvey, M.P., Mr. John Harvey, alderman, and Sir Robert John
Harvey. Similar addresses were adopted by the Corporations
of Yarmouth and Lynn.
2.—A meeting of the dyers, dressers, and manufacturers
was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, under the presidency of Mr.
John Harvey, chairman of the manufacturing interest, to consider
“the most effectual means of checking the violation of the
Sabbath, which has of late arisen to a most shameful height, in
consequence of the recent increase in the trade of the
city”; and the notice “on the part of the dyers and
dressers of bombazines announcing to the manufacturers the
conditions on which alone they had agreed to conduct their
business, namely that of holding goods which they may have in
hand at the time of any bankruptcy or failure as a lien for any
balance due to them on their accounts.” The meeting
was adjourned sine die.
6.*—“The Rev. Alfred Inigo Fox, of Woodton Hall,
has assumed the surname of Suckling only, with the arms of
Suckling, quarterly, with his own, pursuant to the will of the
late Robert Suckling, of Woodton Hall.”
9.—Mr. Mathews appeared at Norwich Theatre in his
entertainments, “At Home,” “A Trip to
Paris,” and “Country Cousins.”
—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, Sarah Powell, keeper of a
boarding school, was sentenced to three months’
imprisonment for cruelly ill-treating and wounding Mary Ann
Phillips, aged 6½ years.
13.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, the case of the
King on the prosecution of Robert Leamon, the younger, against
Edmund Heagren Gibbs for assault, was tried. The defendant,
an opulent farmer living at Quarles, pleaded guilty to the
charge. The offence was committed in Fakenham Market Place,
and it was alleged that the defendant several times struck the
plaintiff with a jockey whip. He was fined £300.
22.—Mr. Dowton appeared at Norwich Theatre as Sir Peter
Teazle and Restive (“Turn Out”). On succeeding
evenings he took the parts of Job Thornberry, Sir Anthony
Absolute, Barnaby Brittle, Old Drugget (“Three Weeks after
Marriage”), Sheva (“The Jew”), &c.
27.*—(Advt.) “£100 Reward.
Whereas at about nine o’clock on the evening of the 22nd
inst., Mr. John Thurtell was attacked in Chapel Field, Norwich,
by three men, knocked down, and robbed of a pocket book
containing £1,508 in notes, thirteen of which were of the
Bank of England, value £100 each, and the name of John
Thurtell is endorsed on them. Notice is hereby given that
whoever will give information which might lead to the
apprehension and conviction of the persons concerned in this
robbery, shall be paid the above reward on applying to Mr.
Thurtell; and any person concerned in the robbery who will give
information of his accomplices will receive the reward and a free
pardon. Norwich, January 23rd, 1821.” (In the
following week it was announced that a commission of bankruptcy
had issued against John Thurtell and John Giddens, bombazine
manufacturers, dealers, and chapmen. Soon afterwards
Thurtell absconded.)
29.—The first anniversary of the King’s
Accession to the Throne was celebrated in Norwich by peals on the
bells of St. Peter Mancroft, and of several of the minor parishes
of the city. At Methwold a lad named T. Coates, aged 11,
rang second in a peal of single bob major, and “the company
challenged England for his equal.”
3.—At a meeting held at the Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich,
the Norfolk Agricultural Association adopted a form of petition
to be presented to the House of Commons upon “the present
deplorable condition of Agriculture.”
10.*—“The remains of two bodies (no doubt those of
Roman soldiers) were lately dug up in a field opposite the west
front of the Roman camp at Caister, near Norwich. Nothing
was entire of them except several teeth and a metal brooch in
excellent preservation, although they cannot have been interred
less than 1,400 years. Eleven or twelve human skeletons,
supposed to have been buried after some battle, were also
discovered on a farm at Longham, near Mileham, close at the foot
of an antient ditch, which Parkin supposes gives name to the
Hundred of Launditch. Eight or ten years ago, in removing a
tumulus in the same parish, some urns were discovered.”
10.—Bloggs’ London caravan was advertised to run
from the Rampant Horse coach office, Norwich, to London in 24
hours. It started on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings
at four o’clock, and returned on Tuesday, Thursday, and
Saturday. The Norwich and London Fly vans ran from the Star
Inn, Norwich, to the Bull Inn, Aldgate.
—Dr. Lewis Evans was elected physician to the Norfolk
and Norwich Hospital on the resignation of Dr. Alderson, to whom
a vote of thanks was accorded by the governors for his
professional services of 50 years.
12.—Miss Macaulay commenced at Norwich Theatre an
engagement of four nights, during which she appeared as Lady
Randolph (“Douglas”), Violante (“The
Wonder”), Jane Shore, Rosabello (“Rugantino”),
Lady Townley (“The Provoked Husband”), and
Phœbe (“Rosina”).
15.—By the careless driving of the coachman the Morning
Star, Yarmouth coach, was overturned at Scole Inn, and of the
three inside and nine outside passengers, one, Mr. Butterfield,
of Leeds, was seriously injured, and died on April 14th. At
the Norfolk Assizes in March, 1822, an action was brought by
Butterfield’s employers against the owners of the coach for
the recovery of damages sustained by them by the loss of their
servant. The jury found for the plaintiffs, damages,
£100; expenses, £258; and costs, 40s.
17.—The perfectly new house of Mr. John Cator, at
Woodbastwick, was destroyed by fire. “The interior of
the building was consumed, the walls alone left
standing.”
24.—Mr. J. M. Murry, of Davey Place, Norwich, advertised
himself as “sole agent for the sale of Bridgman’s
patent iron coffins as security to the deceased
persons.”
26.—Mrs. Davison appeared at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich, in the character of Letitia Hardy. On subsequent
evenings she performed Priscilla Tomboy, Hypolita (“She
Wou’d and She Wou’d Not”), and Kathleen
(“The Poor Soldier”).
28.—An unusually large supply of white herring was
received from Yarmouth at Norwich. The fish were sold at a
penny a dozen at Fye Bridge staith, and afforded great relief to
the poor.
3.*—“Died lately at Reepham Moor, St. John Hunt,
who was buried by his desire in his best suit of clothes, great
coat, hat, &c. A tobacco box, short pipe, and walking
stick were also deposited by his side in the coffin.”
—Mr. Richard Taylor, of Norwich, published his
well-known work, the “Index Monasticus.”
—Died at his house in Queen Street, Norwich, Mr. William
Foster, an alderman of the Wymer Ward.
5.—Died, at Versailles, in her 70th year, Miss Hannah
Brand, formerly of Norwich.
7.—Three prisoners confined in the city gaol, Norwich,
and charged with capital offences, effected their escape by
making a hole through the wall of their cell. They were
recaptured.
—Mr. Edward Temple Booth, Sheriff of Norwich, was
elected an alderman of the Great Ward of Wymer, in place of Mr.
Foster, deceased. The other candidate was Mr. Richard Shaw,
who served the office in 1818.
8.—A new tragedy, entitled “Antigone,”
written by Mr. Edward Ball, of Duke’s Palace House,
Norwich, was produced at Norwich Theatre for the first time.
13.—Mr. E. Wodehouse presented to the House of Commons
petitions from the owners and occupiers of land in the vicinity
of Norwich, Yarmouth, and North Walsham, on the depressed state
of agriculture, praying for a repeal of the last duty on malt,
and for the substitution of a modified tax on property. At
this date wheat was making 25s. to 31s.; barley, 9s. to 12s. 6d.;
oats, 9s. to 10s.; and malt, 34s. per coomb.
22.—A performance took place for the benefit of the
Theatrical Fund, established for the relief of aged and decayed
actors of the Norwich company. The Freemasons gave their
patronage, and, in full regalia, attended the Theatre, where the
pieces produced were the comedy “Secrets worth
Knowing,” and the musical farce “The
Padlock.” The proceeds amounted to £117 2s.
6d.
26.—Mrs. Bartley commenced at Norwich Theatre an
engagement, during which she appeared in the characters of Bianca
(“Fazio”), Jane Shaw, Madame Chermont (“Adrian
and Orrila”), Mary Stuart, and Catherine (“The Taming
of the Shrew”).
31.—The freedom of the city of Norwich was presented to
Capt. William Edward Parry, R.N., prior to his departure for the
Arctic Seas to ascertain the existence of a north-west
passage. He was a nephew of Dr.
Rigby, of Norwich. The parchment was presented in an oak
box, made of a piece of the wood of the Hecla, the ship commanded
by him in his voyage of discovery towards the North Pole in
1819–20.
2.—A new peal of bells, hung by Messrs. Hurry, of
Norwich, was opened at Ditchingham.
3.—Died, aged 92, Thomas Burton, “father of the
St. Peter’s company of ringers, Norwich.”
—Died in St. George Colegate, Norwich, aged 88, Mrs.
Goulty, widow of Mr. John Goulty, and aunt to Admiral Lord
Nelson.
—Mr. R. Morlege, many years confidential clerk to
Messrs. W. and S. Bircham, of Reepham, “left that place
with his family, a wife, and seven children, one an infant, in a
covered van for Liverpool, there to embark for Baltimore, and
from thence to proceed in his van, which he takes on board with
him, about 400 miles up the country, and to settle on the banks
of the Ohio.”
5.—Died in St. Swithin’s, Norwich, aged 84, the
Rev. James Lane, for 32 years Roman Catholic priest in the
city.
7.—A “new and elegant” light post coach,
“The Times,” was announced to set out from the Angel
Inn, Norwich, to the Swan-with-Two-Necks, Lad Lane, London, on
Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at six o’clock, by
way of Scole, Bury, Sudbury, and Halstead. It returned on
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The proprietors, W. Start,
J. Thorogood and Co., regretted “the circumstance which
rendered the dissolution of partnership between them and Mrs.
Nelson indispensable, in consequence of which they had no
connection with the Phenomena coach.” Thorogood
himself drove the coach both to and from London.
9.—Mr. J. Brunton, the former manager, and his daughter,
Miss Fanny Brunton, performed at Norwich Theatre. They
appeared respectively as Othello and Desdemona on the opening
night, and on subsequent evenings as Horatius and Horatia
(“The Roman Father”), and Wildlove and Zephyrina
(“The Lady and the Devil”). “Miss
Brunton, though not 19 years of age, has made great progress
towards histrionic excellence.”
10.—At a public meeting held at the Town Hall, Yarmouth,
under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. Fisher), a committee was
appointed and a subscription opened for the formation of a fund
from which to reward boatmen for rescuing persons from
shipwreck.
14.—The Wellington coach ran from Norwich on Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday to Stamford, where it effected a
connection with coaches to the Midlands and the North.
15.—Wombwell’s Menagerie was exhibited on the
Castle Meadow, Norwich.
17.—The erection of a new jetty was commenced at
Cromer. It was finished in the summer of 1822.
“Erected on massy iron frames by Mr. Hase, of Saxthorpe, it
exhibits a magnificent proof of the skill of the engineer, and of
his honourable attention to his contract.”
22.—Died in St. George’s Colegate, Norwich,
after a few days’ illness, John Crome, the elder. He
was president of the Norwich Society of Artists, and an artist of
considerable repute. His remains were interred on the 27th
in a vault in St. George’s church.
23.—St. George’s Day being the day appointed for
the celebration of his Majesty’s birthday, the Corporation
of Norwich attended service at the Cathedral, and the 9th Lancers
and the Norwich Light Horse Volunteers fired three volleys with
their pistols in the Market Place. The Mayor gave a dinner
at his house, Major Harvey and the officers and men of the Light
Horse dined at the White Lion Inn, St. Benedict’s, and
several members of the Common Council met for dinner at the
Castle Inn. The Loyal Heroes or Sons of Pitt, and several
other societies dined at their respective club houses.
—Miss Rosalie Corri appeared at Norwich Theatre as Polly
(“The Beggars’ Opera”). Her other
characters included Louison (“Henri Quatre”), Zerlina
(“The Libertine”), &c.
25.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, for the
promotion of vaccination amongst the poor, it was stated that in
1819, when about 500 persons died of small-pox, “the
figures of persons liable to take the disease was on an average
of five years not less than 1,000 annually.” Since
that year vaccination had again languished, and in 1820 not 100
of the poor were vaccinated. The meeting directed that a
census be immediately taken for the purpose of ascertaining how
many persons remained unvaccinated, and what would be the extent
of the danger attending the introduction of small-pox.
26.—A smuggling boat was captured at Yarmouth between
the Nelson monument and the old jetty, by boats of the Revenue
cutter Ranger, Capt. Sayer. The smuggler had on board about
400 tubs of Geneva, and a quantity of dry goods, and her crew
escaped by jumping overboard and swimming ashore.
28.*—“Died last week at Swaffham, the widow
Turner, aged 96, formerly a midwife. Mrs. Turner had a
perfect remembrance of the girl who was burnt at Lynn on April
1st, 1731, for aiding and assisting in the murder of her
mistress, and was taken by her friends to visit her in prison a
few days before the execution of that dreadful
sentence.”
—Gurney’s Original day coach was advertised to
leave the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, for the Spread Eagle,
Gracechurch Street, and the Black Bear, Piccadilly. The
proprietor referred to the liberal patronage he had received
“amidst the powerful ruinous competition among other
parties concerned in the Norwich and London coaches.”
30.—At the White Swan Inn, Norwich, commenced a three
double days’ play of cocks, for 10 guineas a battle and 200
guineas the odd, between the gentlemen of Norwich and the
gentlemen of Cambridgeshire. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich,
Burn for Cambridge. Norwich won by seven battles ahead in
the mains, and two in the byes.
1.—There was a contest this year for the Mayoralty of
Norwich. At the close of the poll the numbers were declared
as follow:—Alderman Rackham, 986; Alderman Hawkes, 950;
Alderman Marsh, 630; Alderman Yallop, 631. The two
first-named were returned to the Court of Aldermen, who elected
Mr. Rackham to serve the office.
2.—Died at his ancestral seat at Great Ormesby, aged 68,
Mr. James Symonds, who was descended from one of the oldest
families in Norfolk.
8.—At a meeting of the merchants, manufacturers, dyers,
&c., held at the Guildhall, Norwich, presided over by Mr.
John Harvey, it was resolved to petition Parliament for a repeal
of the tax on imported foreign wool.
12.—A foot race of 30 miles was run at New Buckenham,
between two men named Tuttle and Beales. The former won
easily in five hours nine minutes.
13.—Died at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, aged
72, Mr. William Stevenson, upwards of 35 years proprietor of the
Norfolk Chronicle. He served the
office of Sheriff in 1799.
—Died at Lyng, Christopher Allcock, aged 91.
“He served in the first draft of the Norfolk Militia when
called out in the glorious year, 1759, and such was his
attachment to the military service that he made a reserve of his
coat that it might serve him for a shroud.”
18.—Died at Norwich, aged 53, Robert Chesnut, leader of
the St. Peter’s ringers.
19.—The “safety” coach from the Rampant
Horse Inn, Norwich, commenced running to London on Sunday,
Tuesday, and Thursday evenings by way of Thetford, Bury, and
Newmarket.
23.—At a special court of the Norwich Guardians it was
agreed to petition the House of Commons against the Bill
introduced into Parliament by Mr. Scarlett, for amending the laws
relating to the relief of the poor in England.
28.—The principal inhabitants, with many other
parishioners, perambulated the parish of St. Clement’s,
Norwich, and afterwards dined at the Bull Inn, Magdalen
Street.
30.—A glass bottle was thrown from the gallery on to the
stage of Norwich Theatre by a youth named Wheeler, son of a
former member of the Norwich company. He was apprehended by
Mr. Smith, the manager, taken before the Mayor, and sentenced to
one month’s imprisonment in the Bridewell.
12.—Costessey Guild was held, and the
“Mayor” sworn in with great formality. Several
“splendid equipages” appeared in the subsequent
procession.
—The festivities connected with Necton Guild were
carried out on a scale of much splendour in a field adjoining the
residence of Major Mason, of Necton Hall, the patron of this
annual gathering.
—The Census was completed on this day at Norwich.
The city, with its hamlets and the Close, contained 10,833 houses
and 50,173 souls, namely, 22,732 males and 27,441 females.
In comparison with the returns at the previous Census these
figures showed an increase of 2,300 houses and of 12,917
persons.
18.—Guild Day at Norwich. Mr. William
Rackham was sworn in Mayor, and entertained 650 guests at the
guild feast at St. Andrew’s Hall.
—Died, aged 52, Charles Hague, Mus. Doc., professor of
music at the University of Cambridge.
—At an assembly of the Norwich Corporation, the Tonnage
Committee was ordered to obtain plans and estimates for the
improvement of the south side of St. Andrew’s Hall, and of
the plain and gardens. The proposed work included the
taking down of the old Library Room and the Court of Conscience,
which formed part of the entrance to the Hall, and completely
obscured and disgraced the structure; the erection of a Gothic
porch on part of their site to correspond with the architecture
of the original building, and the laying open of the whole south
side of the Hall, “by taking down the present garden walls,
so as to form a square in front of the hall.” It was
also proposed that the building be no longer used as a corn
exchange.
—About twenty of the Waterloo men resident in Norwich
were entertained to dinner at the Coach and Horses, Red Lion
Lane, in celebration of the anniversary of the battle.
23.*—“The curious antique pump in St. Lawrence, in
this city (Norwich), erected by Robert Gybson in 1576, has been
lately put into repair, and the singular inscription and
ornaments thereon repainted by the present proprietor,
Quarter-Master Betts, of the West Norfolk Regiment.”
28.—The Marshland free bridge, built by Messrs. Jolliffe
and Bank, under the direction of the engineer, Mr. Rennie, and
forming a direct means of communication between the eastern and
northern districts, was opened on this date. A procession
of carriages, preceded by a band of music and banners, with 7,000
pedestrians, passed over the bridge at one o’clock.
The carriage of Mr. Thomas Hoseason led the van. Among the
vehicles was the Lynn and London coach, drawn by four bays
decorated with ribbands and flowers.
2.—Twelve smacks were despatched from Wells to a newly
discovered oyster bed at Happisburgh, whence they returned on the
following day with from 100 to 121 tubs each.
—*“Notwithstanding the clouds which lower on the
landed interest, the sun of Holkham’s prosperity has shone
forth with undiminished splendour,” was the comment which
prefaced this year’s report of the Holkham Sheep
Shearing. The business of the meeting commenced with an
inspection in front of the hall “of the various processes
in the manufacture (by the labourers’ children and the
parish poor) of part of the crop of flax and hemp grown upon
Holkham Park Farm in the last year. The several operations
of breaking, heckling, and spinning were gone through by females
of various ages with ease and facility.” Some of the
sacks and sheeting manufactured from the materials were also
shown. The gathering was attended by H.R.H. the Duke of
Sussex, the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Albemarle, Lord Erskine,
Lord Crewe, Sir F. Burdett, Mr. Hume, &c. “The
magnificent hospitality of these meetings congregated
men from all parts of the civilized world. None but
agricultural subjects were discussed. On these the most
conflicting opinions were freely given and as freely canvassed,
but anything political was excluded. And thus, although the
political opinions of Mr. Coke and most of his personal friends
were not only very decided, but for a great period, and that the
most brilliant era of the Holkham meetings, unpopular with the
great majority of those connected with the landed interest, yet
men of every shade of political opinion were heartily welcome . .
. and although they might hear some favourite theory of farming
ridiculed they never would find anything hurtful to their
political feelings advanced. The Sheep Shearing of 1821,
indeed, was an exception. Political topics were then
introduced. It was a bad omen. This Sheep Shearing
was the last.”—“Journal of the Royal
Agricultural Society,” Vol. XIV., part 1.
7.—Miss Biffin paid a return visit to Norwich, and was
exhibited at St. Peter’s Steps, the Market Place.
19.—Norwich, in common with the cities and towns of the
kingdom generally, celebrated the Coronation day of King George
IV. The Mayor and Corporation went in procession to the
Cathedral, preceded by a troop of the 9th Lancers, commanded by
Capt. Campbell, sixty-four Waterloo men wearing their medals, and
by the loyal and constitutional clubs with their flags. The
procession was closed in by the Norwich Light Horse
Volunteers. After service a roasted bullock, weighing 60
stones, was distributed in the Market Place, with 2,880 penny
loaves, and several barrels of beer. There was a similar
distribution in Ber Street. A dinner took place at St.
Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of the Mayor, and at
night a display of fireworks was given on a staging erected on
the south side of the Market Place. A very elaborate
triumphal arch, erected near the Guildhall, was brilliantly
illuminated. There were like demonstrations at Yarmouth,
Lynn, and other towns in the county.
29.—Died at St. John Timberhill, Norwich, John Smith,
schoolmaster, aged 54, “the author of several scholastic
works and an English grammar.”
30.—A grand cricket match between the Holt and
Nottingham clubs commenced at Holt, and was continued on the two
following days. It terminated in favour of Nottingham, with
ten wickets to spare—Nottingham, 150-154; Holt,
80-73. The Holt team included R. J. Brereton, Garwood, N.
Pilch, William Pilch, F. Pilch, W. Englebright, R. Englebright,
Frost, Brunton, Carmichael, and Goggs.
31.—The new river or Cut from King’s Lynn to Eau
Brink was opened. At 8.30 a steam barge passed beneath the
new bridge into the Cut, followed by a great number of
boats. After the commissioners had viewed the work the
steamboat returned to Lynn, where dinner was served at the Town
Hall, under the presidency of Lord William Bentinck.
1.—Died at his house in Charles Street, Berkeley Square,
the Right Hon. Lord Suffield, his Majesty’s Lieutenant of
Norfolk. His lordship, who was in
his 54th year, dying without issue, he was succeeded in his title
and estates by his brother, the Hon. Edward Harbord, M.P. for
Shaftesbury. The remains of his lordship arrived at
Aylsham, and lay in state at the Black Boys Inn on August 12th,
and the funeral took place at Gunton on the 13th.
4.*—“In the recent creation of baronets are
Major-General Sir Edward Kerrison and Mr. Astley Paston Cooper,
surgeon to his Majesty’s person.”
6.—The Norwich Assurance Company and the Norwich Union
Society combined their establishments under the style of the
Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, with a capital of
£550,000.
9.—Official intelligence was received in Norwich of the
death of Queen Caroline. Her Majesty died at Bradenburgh
House, Hammersmith, on the 7th.
10.—The organ in Loddon church, the gift of Mr. Thomas
Reynolds, of Chedgrave, was opened with a performance of sacred
music by Messrs. Pettet and Woolman. The principal
vocalists were Miss Gaskill, of Norwich Theatre, Mrs. Card, and
Mr. French; and the instrumental band was composed of Norwich and
Yarmouth amateurs. “Tickets: middle aisle, 3s.; side
aisle, 2s.”
11.*—“A troop of the 4th Dragoons arrived here
last week to replace the troop of 9th Lancers, who have gone to
Canterbury.”
—*“Died, last week, at Surlingham, Mrs. Elizabeth
Utting, in her 104th year.”
14.—Mr. Justice Richardson, in charging the Grand Jury
at the Norwich Summer Assizes, made reference to the large number
of street robberies and burglaries that had taken place in the
city. “Several persons had their pockets picked in
court; one man was detected in the act, and was committed to
Bridewell.”
17.—Among the civil actions tried at the Norwich
Assizes, before Sir Robert Dallas, Chief Justice of the Court of
Common Pleas, was that of Crawcour v. Smith. It was
for the recovery of the cost of a suit of clothes, &c.,
bought by the plaintiff in consequence of having received from
the defendant a fictitious card of invitation to dine at the
Guild feast in 1820. The defendant, who admitted the
sending of the card, was heard to remark that “he would
rather undergo transportation than not see the plaintiff (a Jew
dentist) at the door of the Guildhall in his pomps and opera
hat.” Counsel for the defendant endeavoured to show
that the order for the apparel was given subsequent to the
plaintiff receiving notice of the fictitiousness of the card; and
he argued that even if he had gone to the feast he could not have
partaken of it without incurring the censure of the higher orders
of his religion. Mr. Sergeant Blossett, for the plaintiff,
replied that “of the 600 covers placed on the tables on
Guild Day there were several of which Mr. Crawcour might partake
without injury either of his soul or his stomach.”
The jury found for the plaintiff—damages 1s. (Mr.
Crawcour on September 23rd met with a terrible accident on
Tombland. The horse, which he was driving, ran away, and he
was thrown from the vehicle. His leg was fractured in so
shocking a manner that immediate amputation was rendered
necessary.)
18.—Col. the Hon. John Wodehouse, M.P., was appointed
his Majesty’s Lieutenant,
Vice-Admiral of the county, and Custos Rotulorum, in place of the
late Lord Suffield.
20.—A fire took place on the premises of Mr. Cross,
Lower Earlham, by which his barns and outhouses, hay, corn, and
straw stacks were destroyed. The damage was estimated at
£1,000.
21.—Belzoni, the celebrated traveller and discoverer of
Egyptian antiquities, visited Norwich, and stayed with Mr.
Jeremiah Ives, at his residence, St. Catherine’s Hill,
where several gentlemen of the city were invited to meet him.
22.—Died, aged 72, Mrs. Mary Mountain, of Norwich.
“On the first establishment of the Institution for the
Indigent Blind in this city she tendered her gratuitous services
as matron, and for 16 years filled that situation.”
28.—A contest for freemen’s Sheriff took place at
Norwich. Mr. Joseph Gibson, 680; Mr. T. O. Springfield,
442. A scrutiny was afterwards demanded and granted, but
was abandoned.
1.*—“The Easton Lodge estate, the property of the
late Mr. W. Foster, has been purchased by Mr. Thomas Trench
Berney, of Morton Hall, for 30,000 guineas.”
—*“The tower of the antient church of St. John of
Maddermarket, Norwich, which has long been in a state of
dilapidation, is now taking down to be reduced by 14 feet, so as
just to leave room for the bells.”
—A panorama of Waterloo was exhibited at Ranelagh
Gardens, Norwich.
6.—The freemen of the “Blue and White”
interest presented to Mr. Alderman James Marsh a silver vase,
weighing upwards of 100 ozs. The presentation was made at
the Angel Inn, Norwich, by Mr. Edward Taylor.
—Workmen digging at the bottom of Bethel Street,
Norwich, discovered a human skeleton “laid exactly in the
crossway of the roads; it was thought to be the body of a
criminal who died in prison and was buried there.”
8.*—“That highly esteemed performer, Mr. Vining,
has formed a very advantageous engagement with the proprietor of
the Bath Theatre, and will leave the Norwich company at the
termination of Bury Fair.” (He was succeeded by his
brother, Mr. J. Vining, who ultimately became a great favourite
on the Norwich stage.)
10.—Miss Dance, of Covent Garden Theatre, appeared at
Norwich Theatre in the character of Belvedera (“Venice
Preserved”). Her other impersonations included Lady
Teazle, Juliet, Widow Cheerly (“The Soldier’s
Daughter”), Mrs. Haller, Maria (“The Citizen”),
&c.
16.—Died at Downham Market, at a very advanced age,
William Howlett. “He was for many years employed as a
labourer on the premises of Mr. E. R. Pratt, at Ryston.
About 30 years ago he sold his wife, and delivered her to the
fortunate purchaser in a halter in the Market Place at Downham,
with whom she has ever since lived, and it is supposed they will
now marry.”
21.—At a quarterly meeting of the Corporation of
Norwich, a committee was appointed to take into consideration Mr.
Cubitt’s plan for connecting the city with the sea by way
of Lowestoft.
26.—The foundation-stone of the Unitarian Chapel in Park
Field, Diss, was laid by Mr. Meadows Taylor and Mr. Thomas
Dyson.
28.—Experiments with a life-saving rocket on
Tregrouse’s principle were made on Yarmouth beach by
Rear-Admiral Spranger. The rocket carried a line from the
ship to the shore, and running rigging was then brought into
use.
4.—Died in London, aged 64, the celebrated engineer, Mr.
John Rennie, who a few weeks previously had attended the opening
of the Eau Brink cut.
6.*—(Advt.) “Distressing case of long
imprisonment. Christopher Wood, formerly of Lynn,
bricklayer, committed in 1813 to Norwich Castle for contempt of
the Court of Chancery, incurred by his inability through poverty
to put in an answer to a bill filed against him to foreclose a
mortgage on an estate of which, unfortunately for him, he became
owner. He has been in prison eight years, and has hitherto
been supported by his labour beyond the prison allowance of
bread, but having lately nearly lost his sight he must in future
depend entirely on the latter. The expense of putting in
his answer will amount to £18, and being totally unable to
raise that sum must end his days in prison unless the benevolent
shall extend their bounty towards him by putting in his answer to
obtain his discharge, the Act for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors
not extending to persons in custody for contempts.”
10.—Robert Skipper, the Norwich pedestrian, commenced
the task of walking 1,000 miles in twenty successive days at the
Prussia Gardens, Norwich. He had completed 100 miles on the
evening of the 11th, and at the 390th mile was compelled to give
up in consequence of magisterial interference.
27.*—“Lady Beevor, widow of the late Sir Thomas
Beevor, has taken the surname of Hare out of respect to the
memory of her late father.”
—Died, aged 74, Mr. Edward Rigby, M.D., of
Norwich. He received his medical education under Mr.
Martineau, and first began practice in 1769, when he
distinguished himself as an accoucheur, and was the author of a
treatise on subjects connected with that branch of his
profession. In 1814 he took his degree in physic. Dr.
Rigby in 1786 established the Benevolent Medical Society for the
relief of the widows and orphans of medical men; and in 1789
became a member of the Corporation of Surgeons and of the Medical
Society in London. He was assistant surgeon of the Norfolk
and Norwich Hospital on its establishment in 1771, surgeon in
1790, and physician in 1814. For many years he kept a
private lunatic asylum; and made constant and unremitted
exertions in the cause of vaccination. He wrote several
treatises on agricultural subjects, and was in 1820 elected an
hon. member of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting
Agriculture. He was also a member of the Linnæan
Society. Dr. Rigby was elected
an alderman in 1802, Sheriff in 1803, and Mayor in 1805.
His remains were interred at Framingham, near Norwich, on
November 5th.
28.—The county magistrates adopted a plan prepared by
Mr. Wilkins for the erection of a new county gaol on the Castle
Hill, Norwich, “so far as the sum of £26,000 would
carry it into effect.” This plan included the removal
of the then Shirehouse and inconvenient courts of justice.
In order that the whole of the expense of the work should not
fall upon occupiers it was arranged that half only be paid by
them, and the other half by the owners of estates.—On
December 1st a meeting of the county magistrates was held at the
Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, to remonstrate against the selection of
the Castle Hill as the site for the new gaol. At the
Norfolk Quarter Sessions in January, 1822, the subject was
reconsidered, and it was finally decided by 30 to 24 votes to
adhere to the Castle Hill site.—On July 29th the workmen
began to prepare the ground for the foundations of the Shirehall,
and on September 9th the foundation-stone was laid with
“Masonic ceremony.” Current coins were
deposited in the cavity, and upon the stone was a Latin
inscription composed by the Rev. F. Howes.—The demolition
of the old debtors’ court commenced on May 7th, 1823,
previous to which the prisoners committed on criminal charges
were removed to the different bridewells and houses of correction
in the county, the debtors only remaining in the Castle
keep.—On July 11th some workmen employed on the building
were raising a large stone, which fell and injured four of them,
and one, Nicholas Mase, died next day in hospital. The new
Shirehall was completed in time to admit of the Quarter Sessions
being held therein on October 15th, 1823, which was the first
occasion on which the building was used. “As to the
prison buildings the ancient Saxon castle with Bigod’s
tower is left entire in its pristine state. The hill is now
surrounded with a castellated wall of Aberdeen granite 20 feet
high, leaving, however, in general a space of nearly 20 feet for
a public promenade on the summit of the hill.” The
Castle ditches and meadow had previously been improved at
considerable expense by the city. These works completed the
first part of the extensive scheme undertaken by the county.
—Lord Suffield was elected one of the chairmen of
Norfolk Quarter Sessions, in the room of the late Sir Thomas
Beevor, Bart.
31.—There were two candidates for the vacancy occasioned
upon the Norwich aldermanic bench by the death of Dr.
Rigby—namely, Mr. Jeremiah Ives and Mr. Thomas Osborne
Springfield. Both political parties paraded the streets
with bands of music, flags, &c. The poll was declared
as follows:—Springfield, 430; Ives, 268. “The
major part of the electors of the Great Northern Ward received a
couple of guineas each for their free and independent
votes.”
3.—An accelerated mail service was introduced between
London and Norwich by the Postmaster-General. By this
arrangement the Norwich and Ipswich mail coach performed the
journey in one hour less time than previously. On December
8th, however, it was announced that in consequence of the Ipswich
mail not having kept to the prescribed rate of
travelling the Post Office authorities had been obliged to return
to the former times of departure and arrival in respect to the
London mail. On the 17th a new contract was entered into,
by which the London mail to Norwich was conveyed viâ
Newmarket. The coach reached the city at ten o’clock
am. and departed at five p.m.
4.—A great gale occurred on the Norfolk coast, many
vessels were driven ashore between Yarmouth and Wells, and
several foundered at sea.
10.*—“Mr. Charles Thurtell, son of Mr. Thomas
Thurtell, of Lakenham, has obtained a lieutenancy on board the
Rochefort, now in the Mediterranean.”
13.—Died at Biddeford, Devonshire, aged 63, Major
Charles Berkeley Money, Royal Marines. “He had
retired from the service some years on account of a severe wound
received when captain on board the Royal Sovereign on the
glorious 1st of June. He was a native and freeman of
Norwich.”
16.—A severe storm took place. The roads were in
many parts of the county rendered impassable by the heavy rains,
and the marshes and low grounds were flooded.
18.—Died at the house of his son-in-law, Mr. William
Mason, of Necton, the Rev. Paul Colombine, D.D., rector of Little
Plumstead with Witton and Brundall, perpetual curate of Hardley,
and rector of Chilton, Suffolk. He was presented to the
living of Thurlton by the Mayor and Corporation of Norwich in
1757. He was in his 92nd year.
23.—Died, aged 62, Mr. William Burrows, alderman of the
Great Northern Ward, and Sheriff of Norwich in 1817.
24.—Dr. Yelloly was elected physician to the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital, in place of Dr. Rigby, deceased.
26.—Mr. Peter Finch was elected an alderman of the Great
Northern Ward, Norwich, in place of Mr. William Burrows,
deceased.
1.—A troop of the 4th Light Dragoons, under the command
of Capt. Pratt, left Norwich for Romford.
3.—A coursing party at Horsford “started a fine
stout fox which was instantly pursued by a brace of fleet
greyhounds. He kept before them for more than half a mile
when the dogs turned him. After beating them off for more
than an hour he was taken alive. Soon after Sir George
Brograve’s huntsman and hounds came up, when the coursing
party, who had joined in the chase, offered to unbag the fox for
another run, but he was found too exhausted and injured for the
purpose, and it became necessary to give him the coup de
grace, and his head and brush were carried off in
triumph.”
7.—Mr. R. Hamond turned off a deer at Swaffham which led
the field a chase of nearly 30 miles. “It crossed the
river twice, and what is most extraordinary Mr. A. Hamond, who is
in his 81st year, partook of the whole chase, and was at the spot
when the deer was taken near Lynn.”
8.*—“Died last week at Ramsgate, at an
advanced age, the Rev. Samuel Vince, M.A., F.R.S., Plumian
Professor of Astronomy in the University of Cambridge, and
Archdeacon of Bedford. He was also rector of Kirby Bedon
and vicar of South Creake.”
11.—Died at his house in Mansfield Street, Sir Martin
Browne ffolkes, Bart, of Hillington Hall, M.P., F.R.S. He
was created baronet in 1774, served the office of High Sheriff in
1783, and in 1790 was elected member of Parliament for
King’s Lynn, and continued to represent the borough without
intermission until the time of his death.
—An inquest was held at Lynn by Mr. Samuel Hadley, one
of the coroners of the borough, on the body of Robert Roberson,
who was shot by Mr. Henry Pond, a linen draper in High Street,
whilst in the act of breaking into his shop. The jury
returned a verdict of justifiable homicide.
15.*—“Robberies and depredations upon the public
having been made to an extent hitherto unknown, it is the
determination of the justices in certain Hundreds to form an
establishment that will give vigour and effect to the exertions
of the magistrates in preventing robberies, burglaries,
larcenies, poaching, and felonies of various
descriptions.”
17.—Cooke’s Company of Equestrians commenced a
season’s engagement at the Norwich Pantheon.
18.—A deputation waited upon Mr. Alderman Crisp Brown,
of Norwich, to acquaint him that 300 citizens had subscribed for
his full-length portrait, as a mark of “the respect and
esteem entertained towards him for his manly and loyal conduct
upon all occasions, and for the strenuous exertions which he made
during his mayoralty to promote the better observance of the
Lord’s day.” The portrait, by Clover, was hung
in St. Andrew’s Hall in October, 1822.
22.*—“Mr. Alexander Baring has purchased the
mansion and domains of the Hon. Mr. Petre in Norfolk, it is said
for £300,000. The estate is situate near Thetford,
and there are 26,000 acres of land.”
—*“An experiment has been tried for the bettering
of the condition of the labourers in agriculture, and for
reducing the poor rates in the parish of Terrington by the
apportionment of parcels of land from one to five roods, which
has been found, after three years’ trial, to be productive
of the happiest effects.”
23.—During a violent gale from the N.N.W. a new East
Indiaman, the Indian, of 400 tons, from Hull to London, was
wrecked off Yarmouth. The crew of 20 hands and a small part
of her stores were saved. The value of the ship and cargo
was estimated at £10,000.
25.—Service was held at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich,
when “the lighting of the church was strikingly beautiful,
and had a very imposing effect by the admission of some
additional lamps, which were very judiciously arranged, giving to
the altar and the communion plate upon the table a very brilliant
and splendid appearance.”
28.—A prize fight took place at Testerton Park, the
residence of Major Case, between Barlee, the Berghapton Groom,
and Gales, the Norwich butcher. The former was attended by
Ned Painter and Hervey, and the latter by Josh Hudson and
Cullington. Seventy-eight rounds were fought in one hour
three minutes, and the battle was won by Barlee.
“Barlee, on being declared victor, immediately planted an oak in the ring in the presence of about
5,000 spectators in front of Testerton Hall. The two young
pugilists were, by order of Major Case, taken under his
hospitable roof and put to bed, where everything needful was
generously offered them. A large party of the Fancy had the
honour of dining with the major.”
2.—A party of thieves, known as the “Cossey
gang,” committed great depredations in the neighbourhood of
Norwich. On the night of the 2nd they broke into the Half
Moon public-house, Stone Hills, and stole sixteen gallons of
spirits and other property. “Tired of committing
depredations on foot, about ten o’clock at night, as soon
as they find those who keep horses are gone to bed, they resort
to the stables and take out what horses they want, ride to the
spot of depredation, whether for game, poultry, sheep, &c.,
and when done return the horses almost jaded and harassed to
death.” (See August 2nd, 1822.)
9.—The Marquis of Titchfield was elected without
opposition as member of Parliament for King’s Lynn, in
place of Sir Martin Browne ffolkes, deceased.
12.—The poor of Norwich and its neighbourhood were
informed by advertisement that medical and surgical advice was
given free at the Infirmary for Diseases of the Eye, St
Benedict’s, Norwich (late Messrs. Day’s bank), by Mr.
L. Evans, M.D., physician, and Messrs. Robert Hull and T.
Martineau, jun., surgeons. At a public meeting held on July
11th, under the presidency of Sir Robert J. Harvey, it was
resolved that “the Norfolk and Norwich Infirmary for
Diseases of the Eye, instituted and supported by Dr. Evans, Mr.
Hull, and Mr. T. Martineau, has already been productive of great
advantage, and is deserving of public support.”
—A meeting of the proprietors and occupiers of land was
held at the Shirehouse, Norwich, “for the purpose of taking
into consideration the present most truly alarming state of
agriculture.” The High Sheriff (Sir Jacob Astley)
presided. Resolutions were adopted urging the diminution of
taxation by means of rigid economy, the repeal of one half of the
Malt Tax, and the removal of the heavy imposts upon candles,
salt, leather, &c. A petition embodying these views was
ordered to be presented to the House of Commons. After this
date many similar meetings were held in the principal towns and
villages in the Hundreds of the county, ostensibly for the
purpose of suggesting remedies for agricultural distress and of
promoting Parliamentary reform. It was alleged that many of
these gatherings were of a party character, and on May 18th, the
Norfolk Chronicle observed: “The
discussion of agricultural distress was last week suspended, and
the mask of Parliamentary Reform entirely thrown off by those
who for the last four months have displayed so much
violence against the Government in pursuing the one, and casting
so much obloquy upon Parliament in assuming the other.”
24.—The annual dinner held at Norwich in celebration of
the birthday of Fox was attended by H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex,
the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Albemarle (who presided), Mr. T.
W. Coke, and many other representatives of the Whig nobility and
gentry of the county.
28.—Two Corsican stags, presented by Lord Maynard to Mr.
Robert Hamond, gave the Westacre Hunt good sport this
season. “The first was turned off at Rougham on the
28th, and gave them a severe chase of nearly three hours, from
the effects of which two horses died. They are very
superior to the red deer of this country from their capability to
endure extreme fatigue and to take the most extraordinary
leaps.”
31.—Norwich Theatre was opened for the season with the
grand spectacle of “The Coronation.”
1.—Lord Henry Cholmondeley was elected Member of
Parliament for the borough of Castle Rising, in the room of the
Earl of Rocksavage, created a peer by the title of Baron
Newburgh.
11.—The Papyruseum, an exhibition of models formed of
paper by Mrs. Aberdein, was opened at the White Swan Inn,
Norwich.
14.—A smuggling boat landed 80 tubs of gin and brandy on
Snettisham beach. The crew of the preventive boat seized
the cargo, a portion of which with their boat was rescued by the
smugglers, who had the assistance of about 100 persons, some of
whom were armed with bludgeons and fowling pieces. Twenty
or thirty horses and carts were in waiting to remove the
contraband goods. Two of the smugglers were wounded in the
affray.
18.—Lynn Theatre was opened under the management of Mr.
T. Marsters.
19.—Skipper, the Norwich pedestrian, walked 50 miles in
a few minutes under eleven hours at Lynn.
23.*—“We understand that the manufactory of
bombazines and crapes in Norwich is likely to be affected from
the circumstance of those articles being now made in considerable
quantities in various parts of Lancashire at a much lower rate of
wages for the weaving than that which is paid here.”
26.—Married, by special licence, at the house of the
Earl of Albemarle, St. James’s Square, London, by the Lord
Bishop of Norwich, Mr. Thomas William Coke, M.P., of Holkham, to
Lady Anne Keppel, second daughter of the earl.
27.—The machine breaking riots commenced in
Norfolk. Upwards of a hundred labourers assembled at
Kenninghall, and seized the threshing machine of Mr. Bailey, a
farmer. The Rev. J. Surtees, of Banham, a county justice,
at once proceeded to a neighbouring farm where an auction was
being held, and, in the King’s name, requested the
auctioneer and the farmers present to assist him in quelling the
disturbance. The whole party rode over to Kenninghall, and
after the Riot Act had been read the mob
dispersed. On March 4th there were further riotous
assemblies at Attleborough, Shropham, Buckenham, Banham,
&c. The Eye troop of Yeomanry Cavalry were called out,
and of the 30 rioters secured eight who were regarded as
ringleaders, and they were sent to Norwich Castle under cavalry
escort. The Yeomanry after lodging the prisoners in gaol
were assailed by a Norwich mob, who stoned them in the streets,
and attacked the Trowel and Hammer public-house, St.
Stephen’s, where they had halted to bait their
horses. The troopers returned to headquarters at East
Harling after a march of eighty miles in twenty hours. Many
prisoners were also committed to the Castle from other districts,
and several cases of incendiarism were reported. At the
adjourned Quarter Sessions for the county, held at Norwich on the
6th, the rioters were tried and sentenced to various terms of
imprisonment in the Bridewells and houses of correction in the
county. A guard of the West Norfolk Militia was stationed
at the Castle, and a squadron of the Norwich Light Horse
Volunteers did duty at the Cavalry Barracks until relieved by the
16th Lancers. The Lancers and Light Horse afterwards acted
as escorts to the vans by which the prisoners were conveyed to
the different prisons. On the march the military were
repeatedly stoned by the mobs. Detachments of the 7th
Dragoon Guards were stationed at Hingham and Attleborough, and
remained at those places until the lawless disposition manifested
by the rural population had subsided.
9.—Wombwell exhibited his menagerie on the Castle
Meadow, Norwich.
16.—Mr. Blanchard appeared at Norwich Theatre as Toby
Allspice (“The Way to Get Married”) and Crack
(“The Turnpike Gate”). Among the other
characters impersonated during his engagement were Dr. Ollapod,
Sir Abel Handy, Mungo, Job Thornberry (“John Bull”),
Capt. Meadows (“The Deaf Lover”), &c.
28.—At the Norfolk Assizes held at Thetford, before Mr.
Justice Richards, William Hardiment and Benjamin Neal, who were
concerned with James Johnson in the murder of Mr. Baker at
Wells-next-the-Sea on October 11th, 1817, were put upon their
trial. Hardiment had evaded apprehension, and at the Spring
Assizes in 1818 the bill charging Neal as an accessory was thrown
out by the Grand Jury. Several witnesses now deposed to
having seen Johnson and Hardiment in company at about the time of
the murder, and two persons confined in Aylsham bridewell at the
same time that Hardiment and Neal were prisoners there gave
evidence as to hearing conversations between the two when
planning the murder. One of these witnesses (Thomas
Robinson), on December 24th, 1821, met Hardiment at Beverley, in
Yorkshire, and gave information which led to his arrest.
The jury found Hardiment guilty, and acquitted Neal.
Hardiment was executed on the Castle Hill, Norwich, at noon on
April 1st in the presence of an immense crowd of
spectators. “Not more than three yards from the
gallows a boy was knocked down by a gentleman who detected him
picking his pockets.”
—At the same Assizes, before Mr. Justice Richards, the
cause Lock, D.D., v. the Bishop of Norwich was
tried. In consequence of simony
alleged to have been committed by the Rev. Dr. Lock, the patron
of the advowson of Hilgay, the Crown had seized the living and
presented the Rev. Dr. Hewlett thereto on April 6th, 1819.
This action of quare impedit was instituted by the
plaintiff to try the right of the Crown to such
presentation. The defendant raised three pleas: (1) that
the Rev. John Royle being seized of the living of Hilgay it was
corruptly agreed that Lock should resign the living of Compton
Martin, in Somersetshire, and cause him (Royle) to be presented
to it, and also that Lock should pay Royle the sum of
£12,900 for the advowson of Hilgay, and that in
consideration of the promises Royle should resign the living and
cause Lock to be presented to it. (2) That Lock being
seized of the living of Hilgay did corruptly agree with one James
Craddock, that in consideration of the said Craddock paying to
him the sum of £25,000 he (Lock) should convey to Craddock
the advowson of Hilgay, and also resign the living and cause him
(Craddock) to be presented to it. (3) That Lock, being
seized of Hilgay, having presented Craddock, did corruptly agree
that, in consideration of Lock abandoning certain proceedings in
an action for debt against Craddock, he should forego proceedings
upon a bill of indictment for perjury preferred by Lock against
Craddock, but Lock corruptly prevailed upon Craddock to resign
the living in order that he (Lock) might present himself to
it. The jury gave a verdict for the Crown generally upon
all pleas. The Judge: A very proper verdict. It is
very disgraceful dealing, gentlemen.
30.*—(Advt.) “To be fought at the White Swan
Inn, Norwich, on Monday, April 15th, 1822, and two following
days, three double-days’ play of cocks for ten guineas a
battle and 200 guineas the odd, between the gentlemen of Norwich
and the gentlemen of Northampton. Feeders: Stafford for
Norwich, Nash for Northampton.”
6.*—“A fish of the whale species was killed in
shallow water on Cromer beach last week. Its dimensions
were 57 feet long, breadth of tail, 13 feet; pectoral fin, six
feet; from the eye to the end of the jaw, 13 feet; length of jaw
bones, 14 feet; length of tongue, nine feet; breadth, four
feet. It answers the description of the under-jawed
whale.”
13.—Noah Peak and George Fortis were executed on the
Castle Hill, Norwich, for setting fire to three stacks on
February 25th. Both men had been soldiers. Peak was
present at Busaco, Albuera, and Waterloo; and Fortis was also in
the last-named battle. “It is not three years since
Peak came to Norwich and conveyed home for burial the body of
Edward Fisher, his fellow parishioner, who was executed on the
Hill in August, 1819, for stabbing William Harrison.”
20.—Among the passengers who perished in the ship
Albion, wrecked upon the coast of Ireland, was Miss Powell,
eldest daughter of the Hon. W. D. Powell, Chief Justice of Upper
Canada, and granddaughter of Dr. John Murray, of Norwich.
1.—Four candidates were nominated for the Mayoralty of
Norwich, and the poll was declared as
follows:—Alderman Hawkes, 957; Alderman Patteson, 908;
Alderman Thurtell, 364; Alderman Yallop, 318. The Court of
Aldermen unanimously returned Mr. Robert Hawkes as Mayor.
4.*—“Last week two gentlemen on searching the
burial ground belonging to the Roman camp at Caister discovered
the remains of a kiln with several urns upon it as they were
placed for burning. Antiquaries having doubted whether urns
found at Caister were burnt in a fire or only dried in the sun,
the discovery of this kiln may be decisive of the
question.”
11.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehouse,
Norwich, “for the purpose of taking into consideration the
propriety of presenting a petition to Parliament for a reform in
the representation of the people.” There was a
crowded gathering, and much confusion prevailed until the High
Sheriff (Sir R. P. Jodrell) adjourned the meeting to the Castle
Hill, where the speeches were delivered from waggons. Sir
Thomas Beevor moved a series of resolutions, the sixth of which
stated “that a petition be presented to the House of
Commons praying that the House will forthwith give to the people
a real representation in place of that corrupt and defective one
which now exists.” Mr. S. T. Southwell seconded the
resolutions, which were put seriatim and carried nem.
con. Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse,
M.P., spoke from their respective waggons, and each surrounded by
his partisans, left the Hill amid much cheering.
20.—A meeting was held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, to
decide upon the rules of a society for enabling traders to oppose
the discharge of fraudulent debtors under the Insolvent Acts.
25.—An immense number of persons assembled at the Eau
Brink Cut at Lynn to witness the performance of “Zachariah
Witmore, of Philadelphia” upon a “water
velocipede.” It was a hoax.
30.—A meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, the
Mayor (Mr. W. Rackham) presiding, at which a fund was inaugurated
for the relief of the distress in Ireland. Sermons were
also preached in the churches and chapels in city and county in
aid of the same object. The amount raised in Norwich and
Norfolk was upwards of £3,000.
3.—The Leicester and Yarmouth Royal Mail coach commenced
running. It started from Yarmouth at 1.45 p.m. and
travelled by way of Norwich, Dereham, Swaffham, Lynn, Wisbech,
Peterborough, Stamford, and Melton Mowbray. At Stamford and
Leicester it was in connection with coaches to the north and
west.
5.—Died at his house in Bolton Row, London, Mr. Edward
Jerningham, youngest son of Sir William Jerningham, Bart.
The remains were removed from London to Costessey, where they
were interred beneath the altar in the private chapel. Mrs.
Edward Jerningham died on June 24th.
10.—A camping match took place at Ranworth between ten
men of that parish, and a like number from neighbouring
parishes. “After half an hour’s excellent
sport, which produced some good set-tos and a few bloody noses,
victory was declared in favour of Ranworth.”
14.—Died at his house in Cavendish Square,
London, the Right Hon. Horatio Walpole, Earl of Orford, Baron
Walpole of Wolverton, and Baron Walpole of Walpole, High Steward
of the Borough of King’s Lynn, and colonel of the West
Norfolk Regiment of Militia. The deceased nobleman, who was
in his 70th year and was buried on the 25th at Wickmere, was
succeeded in his title and estates by the Right Hon. Horatio Lord
Walpole, Member of Parliament for Lynn.
18.—The Guild Day festivities at Norwich were carried
out with great splendour by the Mayor-elect, Mr. Robert
Hawkes. After returning from service at the Cathedral, the
Corporation listened to the Latin oration delivered at the Free
School porch by the head boy, Peter Hansell, and after the
customary ceremonies at the Guildhall, 700 guests assembled at
the feast at St. Andrew’s Hall. In Bethel Street,
where the Mayor resided, were two triumphal arches, and on the
summit of one a band played selections of music.
23.—The tower of Happisburgh church was considerably
damaged by lightning during a severe thunderstorm, which
occasioned much loss throughout the county.
27.—The election to fill the vacancy in the
representation of Lynn caused by the elevation to the peerage of
Lord Walpole commenced. The candidates were Col. the Hon.
John Walpole, brother of the late member, and Sir William Browne
ffolkes. Considerable disturbance prevailed throughout the
contest. About 40 voters had polled for each candidate,
when the mob demolished Col. Walpole’s polling booth, set
fire to the materials, and stoned the poll clerks. They
then proceeded to the Duke’s Head Inn, smashed the windows,
tore the Corporation flag to pieces, and committed other acts of
violence. The polling was adjourned until the 28th, when
the disturbances were renewed, and a further postponement was
rendered necessary, the numbers then standing: Walpole, 137;
ffolkes, 72. About three o’clock in the afternoon a
detachment of the 7th Dragoon Guards arrived from Norwich, under
the command of Lieut. Everard. One of the ringleaders of
the mob was captured and sent under escort to Swaffham
Bridewell. The polling was resumed on the 29th, and at
noon, when every vote appeared to have been recorded, the Town
Clerk announced the numbers as follow: Walpole, 156; ffolkes,
92. The former was then declared duly elected. At the
Norfolk Assizes held at Norwich on July 31st, before Mr. Justice
Best, William Chandler was indicted for taking part in the riot
at Lynn, and was ordered to enter into his recognisances to come
up for judgment when called upon. Thomas Johnson and other
persons were at the Lent Assizes at Thetford in March, 1823,
sentenced by Mr. Justice Garrow to various terms of imprisonment
for participating in the disturbances.
4.—Died, at the age of 101, Mrs. Aldborough, of
Trowse.
5.—A meeting of the manufacturers was held at the
Guildhall, Norwich, “to consider the present prices paid
for weaving.” It was agreed to adopt a reduced scale
of payment. Meetings of the men were called, and the
employers were requested to reconsider the question.
Another meeting was accordingly held on the 9th, when Mr. Beloe urged that the proposals of the employers
were ill-advised. On the other hand it was stated that
goods were being manufactured in Yorkshire in large quantities at
much lower rates than in Norwich. It was contended by the
weavers that greatly increased demands had been made upon them
for house rent and coals, and that it was impossible for them to
live on reduced wages. A further statement was made to the
effect that the lowering of prices would tend to inferior
workmanship. A mob assembled outside the Guildhall and
cheered or hooted the different manufacturers whom they deemed
friendly or adverse to their claims. One gentleman, Mr.
William Bosley, was very roughly handled, and his hat, coat, and
shoes were taken from him and torn to pieces. It was
considered necessary to summon the assistance of the 7th Dragoon
Guards, but the mob dispersed after the announcement had been
made from the leads of the Guildhall that the manufacturers had
consented to return to the old prices. The weavers spent
the 10th in festivity and rejoicing.
6.—Died, William Coward, aged 85, for 54 years parish
clerk at St. Margaret’s, Lynn. “He was borne to
the grave by six grave-diggers, and the pall was supported by six
parish clerks.”
8.—Died at Calcutta, the Right Rev. Thomas Fanshaw
Middleton, D.D., Bishop of Calcutta, and formerly vicar of St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
—A camping match took place at Ranworth, in the presence
of 6,000 spectators, between men of the Blofield and of the
Tunstead and Happing Hundreds. “So closely were the
men (ten a side) matched for strength, courage, skill, and
activity that the ball was nearly in the centre of the ground
when time was called and play stopped. At the conclusion of
the camp, Turner, of Witton, and Riches, of Upton, had a
pugilistic trial of manhood. A well-fought battle of
thirty-two rounds of hard milling, with little or no science,
ended in favour of Riches.”
19.—Mr. T. Filby, of Elsing, fell down dead in the
Sessions Court at the Shirehouse, Norwich, when in the act of
entering the jury box.
20.—Puxley and Nelson’s “New Fly Vans”
were advertised to run between the Star Inn, Norwich, and the
Bull Inn, Aldgate, every day. The journey was accomplished
in twenty-four hours.
—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, Giuliano Mantova, an
Italian boy, who travelled the country with pictures for one
Dominico Crostea, of Norwich, was indicted for maliciously and
fraudulently taking by force from William Hill, employed by
Messrs. Copeman and Petworth, solicitors, Aylsham, a child named
Susan Hoffrath. The prisoner denied that he had enticed the
child away, and his master gave him a good character; but the
jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to two years’
imprisonment in Norwich Castle.
21.—Died at his house, Tombland, Norwich, aged 76, Mr.
Charles Kitson, one of the Chapter Registrars of the diocese of
Norwich.
29.—Norwich Theatre was opened for the Assize
week. “Since the period of its leaving Norwich the
company has been subject to almost an entire change, and it is
now equal to any provincial establishment of the histrionic kind
in the kingdom.” The new members included Miss
Wensley, Mrs. Dowton, Mr. Osbaldiston, and Mr. Ford White.
Mrs. Dowton was a favourite actress in the Norfolk and Suffolk
Company of Comedians, under the management of Mr.
Fisher, and afterwards married Mr. Sloman, the low comedian of
the Norwich Company.
2.—At Norwich Theatre a new tragedy, entitled “The
Persian Heroine,” written by Mr. Richard Paul Jodrell, was
performed under the patronage of the High Sheriff and Lady
Jodrell.
—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich, before Mr.
Justice Best, James Smith was indicted for breaking into the
house of William Balls, the Half Moon, Stone Hills, near Norwich,
and stealing on January 2nd 16 gallons of liquors in bottles, a
purse containing £8 in notes and cash, a quantity of copper
coin, &c. He was found guilty and sentenced to
death. (Although it was not stated at the trial, the
prisoner was evidently one of the “Cossey gang”
referred to under date January 2nd, 1822.) At the Norwich
Assizes, Henry Carter was sentenced to death for entering the
dwelling-house of John Clarke, of St. Paul’s, and stealing
therein several articles. The execution of these men was
carried out under revolting circumstances on August 24th.
From an early hour in the morning they were incessantly appealed
to by the chaplain of the gaol and a Wesleyan minister to
acknowledge the justice of their sentence. The procession
from the gaol in St Giles’ Street to the scaffold was
headed by the Under Sheriffs on horseback; the Sheriffs
accompanied by the chaplain and the minister came next in a
mourning coach, “followed by a cart covered with black
cloth on which sat the two malefactors each with arms pinioned,
neck bare, and head uncovered, each sitting on the coffin
destined to receive his lifeless body.” Smith was
well behaved, but Carter acted with great levity during the
progress of the procession through the Market Place to the
scaffold erected near the weighing machine on the Castle Meadow,
and on the very drop itself “he seemed to evince perfect
indifference to the fate which awaited him.” After
hanging for an hour “the bodies were carried by twelve
bearers to the house of Carter’s parents in St.
Margaret’s, and were buried on the 26th in the churchyard
of that parish.”
3.*—“Mr. Yarrington, of this city, plumber and
glazier, has presented the Dean and Chapter of Norwich with a
valuable piece of stained glass, a portrait of the Virgin, which
has been placed in the west window of the Cathedral.”
6.—A great cocking match lasting two days commenced at
Yarmouth, between the gentlemen of that town and of
Norwich. Yarmouth won eleven mains and five byes, and
Norwich nine mains and seven byes. “The feeder for
Norwich (Nash) proved the excellence of his management. On
Wednesday evening the Norwich cock was pounded and taken by Nash,
and from the superiority of his condition afterwards won the
battle. In the second pit the same evening one of the
Norwich cocks had his thigh broken in the first part of the
battle, and afterwards fought two hours, and at one time brought
the odds from ten to one against him to the same odds in his
favour. He, however, eventually lost. This battle
would have been withdrawn, but as the money depended upon it they
were induced to continue it.”
7.—Mr. Heber, “the very eminent book
collector and M.P. for the University of Oxford,” dined
with the Bishop of Norwich at the Palace, and on the following
morning proceeded to Blickling to inspect the library at the
hall.
8.—A cricket match between eleven members of the Holt
club and the first eleven of the Nottingham club, commenced at
Nottingham, and owing to unfavourable weather was protracted to
the 11th. Scores: Nottingham, 109-91; Holt, 52-43.
“Bets to the amount of several thousand pounds were
dependent upon the match.”
11.—His Majesty the King passed off Yarmouth on his
voyage to Scotland. “About half past five
o’clock two steam tugs were seen with the Royal yacht in
tow, and thousands of persons crowded to the jetty and
beach.” The vessels steered a course outside the
Roads; but the Perseverance yawl put off with thirty persons on
board, “and had the good fortune to fall in with the yacht
as it was weathering the Newarp floating light. The company
in the boat gave four cheers for the King, who came on board and
returned the salutation.” On his return voyage on
Saturday, August 31st, his Majesty passed through the Roads, and
the yacht came close in shore. “His Majesty was
greatly disappointed in not receiving a supply of fresh
provisions which had been previously ordered to be ready for him
on his arrival off the town. The letter arrived two hours
after the King had passed.”
12.—Marshland free bridge and causeway were opened for
the use of the public. A procession, led by the carriage of
Mr. Thomas Hoseason, and followed by those of Sir Thomas Hare,
Mr. Anthony Hamond, and others started from the South Gates,
Lynn, preceded by a band of music. On the arrival of the
procession at the foot of the bridge the horses were taken out of
Mr. Hoseason’s carriage and men who had been employed on
the works dragged it over the bridge and causeway. After a
congratulatory speech by Mr. Hoseason, luncheon was provided for
200 guests at the expense of the directors. In the evening
a dinner was given at the Freemasons’ Tavern, and on the
marshes belonging to Mr. W. Goddard, at West Lynn, a fair for
stock was held for the first time, a sheep roasted, and several
barrels of beer given away.
17.*—“Thorogood, one of the proprietors of the
Times coach from Norwich to London, has actually driven the whole
distance, 116 miles, and been in both those cities every
day for more than a twelvemonth, an instance of laborious
perseverance altogether unparalleled.”
19.—Lee Sugg, the ventriloquist, who had been before the
public for half a century as a performer, gave his entertainment
at the Prussia Gardens, Norwich.
29.—This being the anniversary of the Decollation of St.
John the usual formalities were observed at the election of the
Mayor, chamberlain, and churchwardens of Yarmouth. The
inquest was locked up at twelve noon, and did not come to a
decision until next morning at 7.30, when the following officers
were returned: Mayor, Mr. Isaac Preston; churchwardens, Messrs.
Robert Cory and Danby Palmer; chamberlain, Mr. James Lawes.
9.—At Thorpe Water Frolic a match was sailed by nine
boats for a silver cup, gave by Mr.
Harvey. Rowing matches followed, and “the banks of
the Yare were thronged beyond all precedency with genteel
company.”
12.—A meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, for
the purpose of furthering the scheme for making Norwich a port,
in accordance with the plans prepared by Mr. William Cubitt,
C.E. On the motion of Mr. Crisp Brown, seconded by Mr.
Joseph Geldart, it was agreed to open a subscription for carrying
the plans into effect, and formal notice was given of the
introduction of the Bill into Parliament. (See December
21st, 1822.)
14.*—“Died last week in Norwich, well stricken in
years, Mr. James Paston, a comedian of considerable talent, many
years a performer in the Norfolk and Suffolk Company, and was
much admired in that circuit as an actor.”
25.—A camping match took place at Worstead between ten
men of the Blofield Hundred and ten of the Tunstead and Happing
Hundred. It terminated in favour of the former.
“A poor old man, who had repaired thither to see the sport,
fell down and expired on the spot.”
27.—A deputation of journeyman weavers presented Mr.
John Harvey with a silver vase, subscribed for by 2,300 persons,
“in testimony of the high esteem in which they regarded him
as a liberal patron and spirited promoter of the manufactures of
his native city of Norwich, and as a small tribute of gratitude
for the many acts of kindness he had manifested towards them on
various occasions.”
30.—Mr. David Fisher’s season terminated at
Swaffham Theatre. “With the close of the season has
ended the use of the present Theatre, which is to be pulled down
and a new one on a more extended and improved scale
erected.”
—A dinner was given at the Town Hall, Lynn, by the
Mayor-elect, Mr. Edward Everard. The company present
included, among others, Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., the Marquis of
Tichfield, M.P., Col. Walpole, M.P., &c. “Some
pointed remarks fell from both parties, and Mr. Coke made some
remarks which called forth some observations from Mr.
Wodehouse.” Alderman Blencowe proposed “the
health of Lady Anne,” and Mr. Coke, in reply, said
“it was extremely natural that he should wish for a son and
heir to the Holkham estate, but declared that rather than his son
should prove a Tory he should wish not to have a son at
all.”
—A serious accident occurred at Yarmouth on the occasion
of the dinner given by the Mayor-elect. As the company were
entering the Town Hall a salute was fired from some
“swivels” laid on the Quay, one of which burst and
severely wounded seven or eight lads. From the effects of
the terrible injuries he received, one of the lads died next
day.
1.—H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex arrived at Lynn on his way
to Holkham Hall. A meeting of the Corporation was held, at
which his Royal Highness was enrolled a free burgess of the
borough. Luncheon was served at the Town Hall, and
“the Mayor presented that exquisite relic of antiquity,
King John’s cup, filled with wine, of which his Royal
Highness partook.”
1.—Died, in his 81st year, at Westacre High
House, Mr. Anthony Hamond. “He lived a life of
extraordinary activity, and rode the foremost in the coursing as
well as in the hunting field on the most spirited horses, even to
a few weeks of his death. He was born at South Woodton,
near Lynn, and succeeded his uncle, Mr. Richard Hamond, in
possession of his extensive landed property. By the female
line he was related to the Duke and Princess Sophia of
Gloucester, the late Earl of Orford, and the present Marquis
Cholmondeley, his grandmother being sister of Sir Robert
Walpole. He was the only surviving original member of the
Swaffham Coursing Society, established in 1779. He served
the office of Sheriff of Norfolk in 1792, and leaves surviving
three sons and two daughters.”
2.—M. Chalon, the famous French conjurer, performed at
the Norwich Theatre.
8.—The Norfolk and Norwich Literary Institution was
founded at a meeting held at the Guildhall. The rooms of
the institution were at a house in the Haymarket.
12.*—“A short time since as two gentlemen of
Norwich were fishing at Halvergate, they caught a pike which
weighed twenty-two ounces and measured twenty-three inches in
length; in the body of which they found a weasel in a perfect
state, which weighed six ounces and measured twelve inches in
length.”
13.—During a terrible gale the Revenue cutter Ranger,
Capt. John Sayers, was lost off Happisburgh with 30 of her
crew. Capt. Sayer was appointed to the command of the
Lapwing cutter in 1807, and of the Ranger in 1809. The
latter vessel was wrecked within 50 yards of the spot where
another Revenue cutter, the Hunter, was lost some years
previously. Allegations, the truth of which was denied,
were made that the inhabitants of Happisburgh shamefully
neglected the signals of distress made by the Ranger.
“The shrieks of the crew,” it was said, “were
heard distinctly on the shore, yet no attempt was made to
rescue.”
15.—A “grand music meeting” commenced in
Norwich, and concluded on the 18th. Evening concerts were
given at the Theatre, and morning performances in the Hall
Concert Room, St. George’s. The managers were Messrs.
A. and E. Pettet, and the principal vocal performers M. Sapio,
Mr. Beale, and Madame Camporese.
18.—Died, aged 51, Daniel Coppin, of St.
Catherine’s Plain, Norwich. He was a member of the
Norwich Society of Artists, and was principally known for his
highly creditable studies from Opie.
28.—Two men named Grint, a dyer, and Purdy, a weaver,
“neither of whom had any pretensions to pugilistic
science,” fought for an hour near Bishop Bridge, Norwich,
until Purdy became insensible, and three days afterwards
died. Grint was committed for trial, and at the Norwich
Summer Assizes, in 1823, was found guilty, and sentenced by Mr.
Justice Blossett to three months’ imprisonment.
31.—The chandling office of Messrs. Staff and
Chamberlin, St. Martin-at-Palace, Norwich, was destroyed by
fire. “Several hogsheads of tallow and a large
quantity of candles were melted and ran down the streets in a
stream into the river, from the surface of which more than ten
cwt. was skimmed off by persons in boats.”
4.—Mr. Harvey was presented by the Corporation with a
massive silver candelabrum in recognition of his impartial and
honourable conduct as Steward and Recorder of Norwich during the
period of 40 years, and of his zeal on all occasions for the
interests of the city.
5.—Mutton of the best quality was sold in Lynn Market at
3d. per pound. On the 6th Mr. Martin, butcher, sold mutton
at 2½d. per pound.
9.*—“Lately was launched from Mr.
Bottomley’s yard in South Lynn a ship of 600 tons burden
with figure-head and quarter galleries, built for the Jamaica
trade. She was called the Marlborough.”
—The Phœnix new night coach from the Star Inn,
Market Place, Norwich, left on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, at
four o’clock and arrived at the Bull Inn, Aldgate, at eight
in the morning. It was advertised on this date as the
property of Ann Nelson and Sons and Thomas Ridley and Co.
—Died at Coltishall, aged 77, Mr. William Palgrave, an
alderman of Yarmouth, who served the office of Mayor of that
borough in 1782 and 1805.
26.—A grand moving panorama of the battle of Genappe,
St. Helena, &c., was opened in Mr. Noverre’s room, St.
Michael-at-Plea, Norwich.
28.—Died at Doughty’s Hospital, in his 63rd year,
John Swan, for many years an inhabitant of St. Peter
Mancroft. “In the former part of his life he acted as
watchman and parish constable. Being of athletic make, of a
stern countenance, and possessing a sonorous, rough voice he
excited terror and commanded obedience to his authority. He
was several years one of the appointed trumpeters for sounding
before the judges in the Assize week, and also for attending at
Thetford on the same occasion.”
29.—An inquest was held at Loddon by Mr. Pilgrim,
coroner, on the body of James Dale, who was killed the preceding
day by a patient in the private lunatic asylum kept by Mr.
Jollye, surgeon. The deceased, a keeper, incautiously laid
down the carving knife which he was using at the dinner table,
when the patient snatched it up and stabbed him in the left
breast, killing him instantly.
30.—Lloyd’s Equestrian Troupe commenced a
season’s engagement at the Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich.
1.—H.R.H. the Duke of York passed through Norwich on
returning from a visit to Houghton Hall.
—Died at Downham Market, Mrs. Pidgeon. “This
venerable person was 89 years of age, and what is remarkable she
never had any other place of residence than the one she died in,
and expired upon the same bed on which she was born.”
6.—Sir Jacob Astley’s hounds drew at Ringstead and
chased a fox to within a mile of Fakenham, a distance of 16
miles, when the hounds became at
fault. “Reynard was spied upon the tiles of a
cottage, when a general cry was raised to spare him. The
huntsman dismounted and caught him as he slipped off the tiles by
the cottage door, and drove him in, when he was secured and saved
and taken home in a sack for another day’s
sport.”
7.—A panorama illustrating Lord Exmouth’s victory
over the Algerines was exhibited in a wooden building specially
erected on the Castle ditches, Norwich. It was described as
“the peristrephic or moving panorama,” and was
invented by the exhibitors, Messrs. Marshall.
12.—Died at Hampstead Park, Berkshire, the seat of the
Earl of Craven, Mr. John Brunton, aged 82. “He was
father of the late Mrs. Merry, of the present Lady Craven, and of
Mr. John Brunton, manager of the West London Theatre. He
was a native of Norwich, and for many years patentee and manager
of the Norwich Theatre, in which situation he was highly esteemed
for his judicious and liberal conduct. He was a superior
actor, and in the characters of Lear, Iago, Evander, and The
Stranger but few excelled him.”
21.*—“We understand that Mr. Telford, successor to
the late Mr. Rennie, has delivered a report on the proposed plan
for making Norwich a port, in which he bears ample testimony to
the satisfactory nature of Mr. Cubitt’s professional
investigations and remarks.” Mr. John Harvey,
chairman of the committee for carrying the project into
execution, forwarded to the Mayor of Yarmouth a copy of Mr.
Telford’s report, and received in reply an assurance that
the Corporation of Yarmouth would do everything in its power to
oppose an undertaking “which was pregnant with the most
ruinous consequences to the navigation of that port and to the
trading interests of the town and neighbourhood.”
(See January 21st, 1823.)
26.—Lady Anne Coke gave birth to a son and heir at
Holkham. The infant was christened at the town house of Mr.
T. W. Coke, M.P., Hanover Square, on June 21st, 1823, when their
Royal Highnesses the Dukes of Sussex and Gloucester stood
sponsors, and Lady Andover godmother. The ceremony was
performed by the Lord Bishop of Norwich.
1.—At the Norwich Adjourned Quarter Sessions, the
magistrates decided to build a new gaol on a piece of ground
outside St. Giles’ Gates. On February 23rd the
Corporation granted to the justices a lease of the site, five
acres in extent, for 500 years, at the annual rent of
£50. At a full assembly of the magistrates on August
26th the tenders of Messrs. Mears and Blyth for building the new
gaol in accordance with plans prepared by Mr. Barnes, for the sum
of £17,395, were accepted.
2.—The coming of age of Mr. Henry Jerningham,
eldest son of Sir George and Lady Jerningham, was celebrated at
Costessey Park with great rejoicings.
3.—Pursuant to requisition signed by 540 occupiers of
land, &c., in the county the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Sir R.
P. Jodrell), convened a meeting at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, “for the purpose of taking into consideration the
severe and unprecedented distresses of agriculture and the best
means of relieving them.” The High Sheriff presided,
supported by the county members, Mr. T. W. Coke and Mr. Edmond
Wodehouse. Mr. Cobbett was in the body of the Hall, and
great confusion prevailed at intervals. Mr. Alderman
Thurtell moved a string of resolutions in favour of the reduction
of taxation and the abolition of needless and, therefore, useless
places, pensions, and sinecures, such a reduction of the National
Debt as was required; and the total repeal of the Malt and Beer
taxes, which would relieve heavy burdens and encourage the growth
of barley. Mr. George Watson seconded the
resolutions. Mr. Cobbett, amid great uproar, then moved, as
an amendment to Mr. Thurtell’s resolutions, that a petition
be presented to Parliament containing among other suggestions the
following: the appropriation of part of the public property,
commonly called Church property, to be applied to the liquidation
of the National Debt; the abolition of the standing army; the
total abolition of sinecure pensions, grants, and emoluments; the
sale of numerous public estates commonly called Crown lands, and
the application of the money towards the liquidation of the
public debt; to suspend by law for one year all distraints for
rents; to suspend all processes for tithes for the same period,
and all processes arising out of mortgages effected on houses or
land; and to repeal the taxes on malt, hops, leather, soap, and
candles. Not three-fourths of the audience were able to
hear the reading of the petition, but it was adopted, and the
resolutions moved by Mr. Thurtell negatived by at least twenty to
one. Mr. Cobbett, at the close of the meeting, stood
forward and said this was the greatest triumph he had ever had;
it was their triumph also—the triumph of truth and sound
principles. Subsequently meetings were held in the various
Hundreds of the county “to disavow the Norwich proceedings
of the 3rd,” and “to express abhorrence and
detestation of the revolutionary doctrines promulgated, and the
measures of fraud and spoliation recommended for legislative
adoption.” On March 8th the Norfolk Chronicle published the following
paragraph: “Norfolk Petition. Serious loss. We
understand the county has been so unfortunate as to be deprived
of its Petition by some daring depredator who had the audacity to
steal it from the coach by which it was sent to London about a
fortnight ago. The most diligent search has been made for
this important document, but without success.”
4.*—“We have been called upon by several gentlemen
who were witnesses of the circumstance to notice the very
reprehensible conduct of the persons who drove the Day and Times
coaches into this city on Tuesday evening. These coaches
had been racing on the road, and proceeded at such a rapid rate
that they reached Norwich at a quarter before five o’clock,
having performed the journey from London, 112 miles, in less than
eleven hours.”
11.—Master Hubbard, “the scissor artist,”
exhibited his proficiency in cutting out profiles in paper at
Norwich.
11.—At a fire which occurred at Blackthorn Farm,
Diss, in the occupation of Mr. John Elsey, a chimney fell and
killed John Gardiner and William Tipple. Two other persons
were severely injured.
16.—Married at Lakenham church, by the Rev. George
Carter, Mr. George Thurtell, son of Mr. Alderman Thurtell, to
Miss Edwards.
—Married at North Walsham, by the Rev. W. F. Wilkinson,
Mr. George Fisher, of the Norfolk and Suffolk Company of
Comedians, to Miss Marianne Nickless, niece of Mrs. Saul, of that
place.
20.—A coach commenced running from the Crown Tavern,
Lynn, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning by Swaffham and
Dereham to Norwich. It returned from Norwich
viâ Hingham, Watton, and Swaffham. Another
coach set out from the White Swan, Norwich, every Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday morning at eleven o’clock, and
travelled by Dereham and Swaffham to meet the Stamford coach at
Lynn. It returned after the arrival of the Stamford coach,
by Swaffham, Watton, and Hingham.
21.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
presided over by the Mayor (Mr. Robert Hawkes), it was resolved,
on the motion of Mr. John Harvey seconded by Mr. Crisp Brown, and
unanimously agreed, that direct and improved communication with
the sea was an object of the first importance to the future
prosperity of the city; that the plan for an open harbour at
Lowestoft be approved; that application be made to Parliament for
carrying the undertaking into execution; and that a subscription
for the purpose based on shares of £100 each be immediately
opened. On February 8th a letter from the fishing masters,
boatmen, and pilots to Mr. Harvey, expressing the hope that the
proposed plan would be of the greatest benefit to the city of
Norwich as well as to the town of Lowestoft, was published.
24.—Capt. Hayes, “the Father of the British
Army,” was entertained at the Star Inn, Norwich, on the
anniversary of his entrance into the service. He had served
62 years.
25.—It was announced that Messrs. W. and M. Stark,
manufacturers, of Norwich, had completed an establishment for
carrying into operation the patent of Mr. J. F. Smith, of Dunston
Hall, Chesterfield, in the method of finishing bombazines and
other silk and worstead goods.
1.—Died, Mrs. Browne, formerly of the Theatre Royal,
Norwich, and mother of Mrs. J. Brunton.
—A new drama, entitled “The Fortunes of Nigel, or
King James the First and his Times,” founded upon Mr.
Scott’s novel, and written by Mr. Edward Ball, formerly of
Norwich, was produced at Norwich Theatre for the first time.
—An action “of an entirely novel description to
Norfolk” was tried in the Sheriffs’ court at Norwich,
“Jonathan Wrench v. the men inhabiting the Hundred
of Holt in Norfolk.” It was brought for the purpose
of ascertaining the amount of damage the plaintiff had sustained
by having a stack of corn destroyed by fire through the act of an
incendiary. It was enacted by 9th George I. c 22, that the
owner of property so injured was entitled to recover an amount
not exceeding £200 from the
inhabitants of the Hundred in which the property was situate on
complying with the requirements of the Act, namely by giving
notice within two days after the commission of the offence
“to some of the inhabitants near unto the place where any
such act shall be committed, and within four days after such
notice that statement be made before a justice of the
peace.” It was admitted that the requirements of the
Act had been complied with, and a verdict was given for the
plaintiff—damages £143 15s.
2.—A congregation of about 120 persons, “of the
sect commonly called Ranters,” were assembled for worship
in a room adjoining the City of Norwich public-house, St.
Stephen’s, Norwich, when the floor gave way and the whole
were precipitated into a cellar nine feet deep. Twenty-five
received material injury and were conveyed to the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital. Four were suffering from fractured limbs,
and one person had his leg amputated.
10.—A trotting match took place between a brown mare,
the property of Mr. William Day, of St. Stephen’s, and a
mare owned by Mr. J. Harper, auctioneer,—stakes £10,
distance two miles. Ned Painter rode Mr. Harper’s
mare and the brown had her owner up. “They started
from Earlham toll-gate, and within a short distance of the
starting post Mr. Day’s mare broke into a gallop, and she
had to turn back. By this circumstance she was dead
beat.”
15.—Owing to the frequency with which a number of
trunks, measuring 28 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 12 inches
deep, had been sent from the Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich, by the
Telegraph coach to London, suspicion was aroused at the coach
office, and directions were given that the porter bringing the
next be detained and the parcel examined. This was done on
the 15th, when it was found that the package contained the dead
and naked body of an old man. The Rev. George Carter, vicar
of Lakenham, identified the body as that of a man named Brundall
whom he had buried a few days previously. Brundall’s
grave was examined and it was found that only the coffin and the
shroud remained. From information given by the porter, two
men named Collins and Crowe were apprehended and committed for
trial at the Quarter Sessions. On July 15th they were
tried, found guilty, and sentenced to three months’
imprisonment, and to pay a fine of £50.
8.—Messrs. Marshall’s panorama of the battle of
Trafalgar and the death of Nelson was exhibited at Norwich.
31.—“A serio-comic Mill-Dramatic Farcical, Moral
Burletta, called ‘The Tread Mill, or Tom and Jerry at
Brixton,’” was produced at Norwich Theatre.
“An exact representation of a tread mill with culprits at
work made a goodly show in the lower circle, crowded the gallery,
and filled the pit to the excess of squeezing.”
2.*—(Advt.) “It having been represented that
there are well-founded grounds of apprehension that some mad dogs
have made their appearance in different parts
of the city and neighbourhood of Norwich by whom several other
dogs have been bitten, the Mayor hereby recommends all of the
inhabitants who have dogs immediately to cause them to be tied up
or otherwise confined, as in case of their continuing to suffer
them to be in the streets, an order will be issued for their
being killed” (sic).
5.—The Rev. Chancellor Yonge, as one of the Visiting
Justices of Swaffham Bridewell, reported to the Home Secretary,
in reply to inquiries made respecting the use of the tread-wheel,
“it has been in use here about four months, and during that
time no injurious effects whatever have been experienced to the
health of the prisoners. There have been in general a large
number of prisoners and they have been very healthy, which may in
some measure be owing to the regular exercise on the
tread-wheel. The exercise of the tread-wheel is very
salutary.”
—*(Advt.) “The annual great main of cocks
between the gentlemen of Norwich and Northamptonshire for
£5 a battle and £200 the odd, will be fought at the
White Swan Inn, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, on Tuesday, April
22nd, and two following days. A silver tankard will be
fought for by 16 subscribers. No cock to exceed four pounds
ten ounces. The above to be fought in fair silver spurs,
and to commence fighting each day at twelve o’clock.
Feeders: Nash for Northampton, Skipper for Norwich.”
—At noon William Bray, aged 20, was executed at the foot
of the bridge, Castle Hill, Norwich, for a burglary at
Shouldham. “Almost continually night and day he was
crying out to God for mercy in so lamentable a manner as to leave
little room for religious impressions. His parents were too
poor to send for his remains, which were interred the same day in
St. Michael-at-Thorn churchyard.”
11.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, the county justices
appointed a committee to consider the best means of procuring the
holding of the Lent Assizes at Norwich instead of at
Thetford. On April 14th the Norwich Corporation petitioned
his Majesty in favour of two gaol deliveries each year.
(The Norfolk Chronicle contained the
following editorial note: “The holding of the Lent Assizes
for Norfolk at Thetford has been long and justly complained of as
a serious grievance. It is high time to put an end to the
disgraceful scene annually exhibited of a body of criminals being
exposed in open waggons from Norwich to Thetford, and there
congregated for a week without regard to age or
crime.”)
16.—Died at Great Malvern, Mrs. Bathurst, wife of the
Lord Bishop of Norwich.
23.—On the occasion of the celebration of the
King’s birthday, the members of the Norwich Light Horse
Volunteers presented to Lieut.-Col. Harvey “a valuable
scymetar, in recognition of his services during the 26 years that
he had commanded the corps.”
25.—Pursuant to requisition a meeting was held at the
Guildhall, Norwich, presided over by the Mayor, “to take
into consideration the state of the British West Indian Colonies
with the view to the gradual and complete abolition of
slavery.” Resolutions were passed in favour of the
movement.
30.—A man who sold sand about the streets of
Norwich drove his cart and pair of horses up the flight of ten
steps, leading from Davey Place to the Castle ditches.
“The horses did it with much ease and without receiving any
injury, to the astonishment of the spectators.”
—A singular case came before the Mayor of Norwich.
A man named Stebbings had sold his wife to a person named Turner
for £6 10s., who, having paid down £4 on account,
took home his “bargain” and brutally turned his
lawful wife out of doors. On Mrs. Turner applying to the
court for relief, the parties were summoned before the Mayor, who
obliged Turner to relinquish his bargain and Stebbings to support
his own wife.
1.—Four candidates were nominated for the Mayoralty of
Norwich, and the polling resulted as follows: Alderman Patteson,
835; Alderman Francis, 774; Alderman Leman, 101; Alderman Yallop,
94. Mr. Patteson was returned by the Court of Aldermen on
May 3rd.
3.—At a quarterly assembly of the Norwich Corporation,
it was resolved that a former order for taking toll for cattle
standing for sale on the Castle Meadow be rescinded.
5.—A great main of cocks was fought at the White Swan
Inn, Norwich, on this and the three following days between the
gentlemen of Norfolk and the gentlemen of Herefordshire.
The stakes were five guineas a battle and 200 guineas the odd
battle. The feeders were Burn for Herefordshire, Lamb for
Norfolk. Herefordshire won by ten in the main and three in
the byes.
12.—Messrs. Stannard, Athow, De Carle, Wright, and
Coleman, of Norwich, became the purchasers of Wanstead House,
Essex, which was sold by auction on this date. The amount
given was £10,000, and one of the conditions of sale was
that the purchaser or purchasers should clear everything away
even to the foundation by Lady Day, 1825. The purchasers
“absolutely sold a pair of marble chimney pieces for 300
guineas before they left the room. Thus is sacrificed on
the shrine of extravagance and gambling, a mansion which cost in
its erection more than £360,000, and which has no equal in
the county of Essex.”
13.—The first annual dinner of the Norfolk Society in
London was held at the City of London Tavern. The objects
of the society were: to afford means of social intercourse
between persons connected with the county residing in London; to
promote by mutual co-operation the general interests of its
members; and to form a fund for the relief, education, or
apprenticeship of such objects of charity as the society
considered suitable.
22.—Died, aged 55, Mr. Thomas Coldwell, postmaster of
Norwich, and a common councilman of the Great Mancroft Ward.
23.—A cricket match was played at Hockwold-cum-Wilton
between 11 married and 11 single females for eleven pairs of
gloves. The match terminated in favour of the former.
“The parties were dressed in jackets and trousers
tastefully decorated with blue ribbands.”
27.—Married at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, by the Rev.
John Bowman, Mr. James Vining, of Norwich
Theatre, to Miss Caroline Holmes, daughter of Mr. George Holmes,
of Burstall Hall, Suffolk.
29.—In celebration of the Restoration of Charles II. the
Mayor and Corporation of Yarmouth attended service at St
Nicholas’ Church, the ships in the harbour were
“dressed,” and a salute was fired from the fort at
noon.
2.—A curious incident occurred at the Fighting Cocks
Inn, Winfarthing. “A large cock, of the true fighting
breed, attacked a beautiful child, of a year and a half old,
belonging to the family of the landlord, and wounded him in
several places in the head and face, and if timely assistance had
not been at hand there is little doubt that he would have
repeated his attacks till he had deprived him of his sight, if
not his life. The cock was killed immediately.”
4.—A new melo-drama, entitled “Eugenio, or the
Secrets of the Abbey,” written by Mr. J. Bambridge, a
native of the city, was performed at Norwich Theatre for the
first time.
5.—Mr. Marker Graze was appointed Postmaster of Norwich,
in place of Mr. Thomas Coldwell, deceased.
11.—The theatrical season ended at Norwich. The
benefit receipts were as follow: Mr. Smith (manager), £146;
Mr. Thorne, £54; Mr. Vining, £118; Mr. Clifford,
£87; Mr. G. Smith, £72; Mrs. Jones, £105;
Messrs. Wharton and Hamerton, £35; Miss Brunton, £70;
Miss Wensley, £72; Mr. Beacham, £79; Mr. and Mrs.
Sloman, £130; Mr. Harrison, £62; Mr. Henderson,
£53; Mr. Bennett, £111; Miss Glover, £45; Mr.
Benson £56; Mr. and Mrs. Osbaldiston, £134; Mr. Hunt,
£86; Miss Tubby, £111; Messrs. Wharton and Hamerton
(second benefit in consequence of wet weather on the previous
occasion), £75; Mr. Simpson and Miss Adcock,
£35. Total, £1,738; average, £82 15s.
16.—A prize fight took place near Wymondham for £5
a side between Gales and Dann. “After a hard milling
contest of more than an hour, during which 70 rounds were fought
without the least display of skill or science, Dann was obliged
to give in.”
17.—Guild Day at Norwich. The Recorder, Aldermen,
and Sheriffs went in their carriages to the mansion of the
Mayor-elect (Mr. J. S. Patteson) in Magdalen Street, and partook
of “an elegant dejeune”; they next proceeded to the
house of the Mayor (Mr. R. Hawkes), “with whom they took
some refreshment,” and then to the Cathedral, where the
Mayor’s Chaplain, the Rev. William Frederick Patteson,
preached. George Steward, second son of Mr. Alderman
Steward, delivered the Latin oration at the Free School
porch. After the ceremony at the Guildhall Mr. Patteson
entertained 650 guests at the Guild feast, and 500 at the ball at
Chapel Field House.
20.—The House of Commons in Committee of Supply granted
£2,000 to Capt. Manby for his services in saving the lives
of shipwrecked seamen.
24.—Died at Thetford, aged 70, Mr. Shelford Bidwell, who
had served many times as Mayor of the borough, and was a great
benefactor of the poor.
29.—Died at Acle, aged 59, Samuel Morris.
“He was generally known as ‘Old Sam.’ For
many years he delivered letters from the post office there, and
he must have travelled some thousands of miles on foot. On
various occasions when he might have made the delivery on
horseback he invariably walked, and being furnished with a red
guard’s coat he was frequently dignified with the
appellation of the ‘Scarlet Runner.’”
30.—Died in St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, aged 60,
Matthew Joy. “This poor man was known by the
appellation of ‘The Walking Baker,’ and for the last
eleven years of his life used to carry a large basket of bread,
about eight stones weight, upon his shoulders to several
villages, walking no less than 20 miles per day. He walked
in all about 68,440 miles.”
1.—At a meeting held at the Swan Inn, Norwich, at which
Mr. Dalrymple presided, resolutions were passed condemning the
French invasion of Spain. A subscription was opened
“in aid of the suffering and heroic people of that
country.”
11.—Died at Stiffkey, Col. Henry Loftus, of the
Coldstream Guards, eldest son of General Loftus. His
remains were interred in the chancel of Rainham Church.
12.*—“The antient pastime of heron hawking is
still carried on in this county. Ten cast of hawks and four
falconers, natives of Germany, to which country they repair
annually in the autumn to catch a supply of hawks for the ensuing
season, are kept at Didlington Hall, the seat of Major Wilson,
near to which place is an extensive heronry.”
16.—Died at North Walsham, where he had some time
resided for the benefit of his health, the Rev. Marmaduke Revell,
aged 56. “He was 23 years minister in the Methodist
connexion, among whom he was a useful and zealous preacher of the
Gospel, which he adorned by strict conformity to its
precepts.”
19.—Mr. John Cross was elected assistant surgeon of the
Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
22.—The Norfolk Rangers, under the command of Major Lord
James Townshend, were inspected at Fakenham by Col. the Hon. John
Wodehouse, his Majesty’s Lieutenant for the county.
24.—A troop of the 15th Hussars arrived at Norwich to
relieve the troop of the 1st Royal Dragoons, who marched for
York.
26.—A machine exemplifying perpetual motion was
advertised to be exhibited at Mrs. Chesnut’s, St.
Giles’, Norwich. “This grand machine,” it
was stated, “has been going ever since it was invented, now
upwards of seven years, and will continue to go without any
assistance whatever by power of its own balance and pivots, or,
in other words, if the materials it is made of would last for
ever.” The Mayor made inquiries which proved the
exhibition to be a deception, and prohibited its further stay in
the city.
28.—Died, at the age of 110, Mr. John Lock, of
Larling. “He left behind him 130 children and
grandchildren.”
1.—The Norwich weavers held a demonstration in
celebration of the success of their Spitalfields brethren in
obtaining the decision of both Houses of Parliament upon the
Spitalfields Act. The clubs met in Chapel Field, and
afterwards went in procession through the streets.
2.*—“Mr. Mueller, from the Haymarket Theatre, has
succeeded Mr. Phillips as leader of the orchestra at the Theatre
Royal, Norwich.”
—Died at Winchester, the Right Hon. Charles Frederick
Powlett Townshend, Lord Bayning, of Honingham, aged 38. His
remains were conveyed to the King’s Head Inn, Wymondham, on
the 12th, and were interred at Honingham on the 13th. His
lordship was succeeded by his only brother, the Hon. and Rev.
Henry Townshend, Baron Bayning.
6.—Married, by special licence, by the Lord Bishop of
Norwich, at the parish church, Costessey, Thomas Alexander
Fraser, of Lovat and Strichen, to Charlotte Georgina, eldest
daughter of Sir George Jerningham, Bart., Costessey Hall.
The marriage ceremony was previously performed in the chapel at
the Hall, according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, by
the Rev. Frederick Husenbeth, domestic chaplain to Sir
George. Soon after the service the bride and bridegroom
left Costessey in their travelling barouche and four for Beaufort
Castle, Inverness.
—In the presence of Lord Suffield, Col. Wodehouse, Mr.
T. W. Coke, M.P., Mr. Wodehouse, M.P., and other gentlemen,
experiments were made on Mundesley beach with a new life-saving
apparatus invented by Capt. Manby. It consisted of
“an airtight tin case encompassing the body beneath the
armpits.”
12.—Mr. R. C. Harvey, an eminent agriculturist at
Alburgh, near Harleston, held his first annual show and sale of
stock. Mr. Spelman, of Norwich, was the auctioneer, and the
company, numbering 2,000, included the Marquis of Blandford, Lord
Huntingfield, and some of the most distinguished agriculturists
of the county.
—The Corporation of Norwich conferred the honorary
freedom of the city on Col. the Hon. John Wodehouse, Lieutenant
of the county.
16.*—“Died, lately, at Sheerness, Mr. Edward Quin,
many years connected with the public press of the Metropolis, and
formerly a member of the Common Council. He was previously
a respectable performer in the Norwich Company, under the
theatrical name of Stanley. He was the author of a tragedy
called “Elmira,” which he published at Norwich, with
some other works. He was a native of Ireland. The
cause of his death was a stroke of apoplexy. His body was
found resting upon the wall from Sheerness to Queensborough long
after he had ceased to breathe.”
23.—Mons. Alexandre appeared at Norwich Theatre in his
ventriloquial entertainment, “The Rogueries of
Nicholas.”
—*“Died, last week in London, Mr. Robert
Mildenhall, comedian and freeman of Norwich, formerly of the
Norwich Theatre. He pursued his profession nearly to the
end of his life, was happy in a great variety of characters, and
a strictly honest man.”
25.—Thorpe Water Frolic, “instituted two
years ago by Lieut.-Col. Harvey,” took place. Ten
thousand persons were present.
—Died at Hardingham, Mr. Hamond Alpe, aged 80. He
was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Norfolk Yeomanry
Cavalry.
10.—The Yarmouth Court of Gaol Delivery was proclaimed
to be held for the trial of two persons charged with robbery from
a vessel upon the high seas within the Admiralty jurisdiction of
that borough. On such occasions the Mayor, Recorder, and
Steward of Norwich were associated with the borough magistrates
in forming the court. The Mayor of Norwich and the Mayor of
Yarmouth, with Mr. Robert Alderson, who was both Recorder of
Yarmouth and Steward of Norwich, “in full legal
dress,” with the magistrates and members of the
Corporation, attended service, and afterwards proceeded to the
Toll House, where the trial was conducted in due form.
“A similar instance of holding an Admiralty court for the
trial of pirates and robbers has not occurred here since the
reign of Charles I.”
13.*—“The Norwich Company of Comedians is about to
lose one of its oldest and most efficient members. Mr.
Bennett quits the theatrical profession. Having become
proprietor of the Star Inn, Yarmouth, this able performer and
respectable individual will doubtless on the stage of real life
exercise that happy zeal, and we hope with equal success that
happy art of pleasing which rendered him in the mimic scene so
truly and deservedly a public favourite.”
20.—A mineral spring was reported to have been
discovered on the estate of Mr. F. Wheatley at Mundesley.
The spring was situate about 600 yards from the edge of the
cliff.
23.—A prize fight took place on Yarmouth Denes between
two young men named Tennant and Pile. The contest lasted
about 45 minutes, when Pile received a blow which rendered him
unconscious, and from the effects of which he died two days
after. At the Quarter Sessions in April, 1824, Tennant was
sentenced to five months’, and the seconds, Christopher
Parker and Bennet Paul, to one month’s imprisonment.
29.—The foundation-stone of the Rehobeth chapel, Union
Place, Norwich, was laid by the Rev. R. G. Lemare. The
chapel was opened for divine service on December 25th.
4.—A shooting match between Mr. William Coke and Lord
Kennedy for 200 sovereigns a side, play or pay, “who shoots
and bags the greatest number of partridges in two days’
sport on September 26th and October 4th,” was
decided. Mr. Coke shot over his uncle’s manors in
Norfolk, and Lord Kennedy over Sir William Maxwell’s lands
at Monteith. Mr. Coke on the first day bagged 80½
brace, and on the second day 90 brace. Lord Kennedy on the
first day killed 50 brace, and on the second day 82 brace.
11.—William Burton Peeling, a prisoner in
Swaffham gaol, was endeavouring to hold a conversation with
another prisoner in the adjoining division of the tread-mill,
when he accidentally placed his head in the wheel, which drew him
in and crushed him to death.
17.—The 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, commanded
by Lieut.-Col. Westenra, were inspected at Norwich by Lord Edward
Somerset, Inspector-General of Cavalry.
18.*—“Mr. Bellamy, well known as a favourite actor
on the Norwich boards and late manager of the Theatre, is about
to resume his professional career at Bath after a short
retirement from the stage.”
22.—The first annual meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich
Literary Institution was held in the society’s rooms in the
Haymarket, Norwich, Lieut.-Col. Harvey, the president, in the
chair.
25.*—“In consequence of directions given at the
end of last year by the Hon. Fulke Greville Howard, one of the
members for the most antient borough of Castle Rising, and who is
also lord of the manor, the rubbish which had accumulated for
ages in the great hall, where the court leet is held in the
inward part of the castle or keep, having been cleared away, the
bases of two pillars, which apparently supported an arch, were
discovered, and likewise a well between these columns, 63 feet
deep, in a very perfect state. Many hundred cart loads of
the ruins which had fallen in from above were removed before
these interesting remains were laid open to view.”
26.—Died, Dr. W. B. Carter, assistant surgeon in the 8th
King’s Royal Irish Hussars, whose remains were buried with
military honours at St. Peter Mancroft church, Norwich, on the
30th. The grave was dug at the lower extremity of the
middle aisle, and the customary volleys were fired by a party of
hussars stationed in the roadway between the great west door of
the church and the entrance to the Swan Inn.
27.—The Norwich Pantheon was opened under the management
of Mr. Kinloch, with his company from the Royal Amphitheatre,
London. “A real fox chase, with dogs, horses, fox,
and hounds,” was the principal attraction.
31.—By virtue of a writ of mandamus granted by the Court
of King’s Bench, the Norwich Court of Quarter Sessions was
compelled to hear the appeal “the Churchwardens and
Overseers of the Poor of the Hamlet of Lakenham, appellants,
v. the Governor, Deputy-Governor, and others of the Court
of Guardians of the City of Norwich, respondents.”
The appellants contended that the assessment made upon stock was
not in accordance with the Act of Parliament, by virtue whereof
the rate for the maintenance of the poor of Norwich was raised,
and was unfair and inequitable. It was stated in the course
of the trial that the real estate of the city was valued at
£54,041, that of the hamlets at £15,028; the personal
property in the former was estimated at £99,800, and in the
latter at £5,700. The court confirmed the
certificate, and dismissed the appeal.
—One of the most violent storms ever remembered occurred
on this date, and resulted in many disasters on sea and
land. The whole of the coast of Norfolk was strewn with
wrecks, many lives were lost, and much misery prevailed. At
Cromer the brig, Duchess of Cumberland, came ashore near the
lighthouse, and notwithstanding the brave
exertions of Mr. Buxton, Mr. Samuel Hoare, Mr. William Lukin, Mr.
Windham, and other gentlemen, to effect their rescue the crew of
sixteen perished. Among the most remarkable of the
incidents on land was the subsidence of a cottage at
Corpusty. The occupier, Robert Faircloth, and two women
felt the house in motion, rushed out, and a few seconds
afterwards “saw it sink out of sight into the bowels of the
earth, leaving a vacuum of several feet deep above it which
presently filled with water.”
1.*—“Died very recently in London, aged 62, Mr.
William Perowne, formerly an actor in the Phœnix
Company. He was a truly honest and industrious
man.”
8.—Died at Yarmouth, Mr. Luke Waller, in the 105th year
of his age.
22.—A meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, under
the presidency of the Hon. John Wodehouse, Vice-Admiral of the
county, at which it was decided to form a society for saving the
lives of shipwrecked mariners on the coast of Norfolk. At
an adjourned meeting on December 13th it was agreed to place
lifeboats immediately at Yarmouth, Winterton, Blakeney,
&c.
30.—Married, at Walcot church, Bath, Mr. Frederick Henry
Yates, of Charlotte Street, London, to Miss Brunton, daughter of
Mr. John Brunton, of Norwich.
1.—The “extravaganzic burletta” entitled
“Tom and Jerry” was produced at the Pantheon,
Norwich. It was described as “an animated picture
deprived through the filtering stone of the proprietor’s
character and career, of all that might offend even the most
fastidious imagination.”
6.—Messrs. J. and W. Wiggens advertised their Phenomena
coach to run from the Angel Inn, Norwich, every morning at a
quarter to six and to arrive at the Bull Inn, Aldgate, at seven
o’clock the same evening.
9.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, presided
over by the Mayor (Mr. J. S. Patteson), it was resolved to
petition the House of Commons for the repeal of the duty on coals
carried coastwise.
20.*—“The portrait of Mr. William Hankes, Mayor of
Norwich in 1817, painted by Mr. Clint, has lately been placed in
St. Andrew’s Hall.”
—Drake, a showman, advertised the exhibition “in a
commodious theatre upon the Castle ditches, Norwich,” of a
performing elephant, a boa constrictor, and a sea serpent alive,
“which was discovered when they were in search of the great
one, and is supposed by the most moderate calculation to measure
more than 300 feet in length. It is asserted by the Linnean
Society that this is of the same breed as the large
one.”
30.—Some remarkable vaults—the disused
workings of ancient chalk pits—were discovered on the
property of Mr. Sendall, near St. Giles’ Gates,
Norwich. They were 35 feet beneath the surface, and
extended in various directions. The vaults were thrown open
for public inspection and illuminated with coloured lamps.
1.—At a public meeting, held at Calvert Street chapel,
it was decided to erect a second Wesleyan Methodist chapel in
Norwich. A subscription was opened, and £600
contributed. The foundation-stone of the new (Lady Lane)
chapel was laid on April 14th by the Rev. William Gilpin,
superintendent of the Norwich circuit; and the building was
opened for worship on October 21st by the Rev. R. Newton,
president of the Methodist Conference, the Rev. John Anderson, of
London, and the Rev. Mr. Farrar, of Leeds.
2.—Persistent efforts were made this year to obtain the
removal of the Lent Assizes from Thetford to Norwich. At a
meeting of the county magistrates on January 2nd, it was decided
to present an address to the Lord Chancellor and Mr. Secretary
Peel, representing the inconvenience and ill consequences
resulting from the then existing arrangement. At a
quarterly assembly of the Corporation of Norwich on February
24th, a committee was appointed to co-operate with the county
justices, and a petition to the House of Commons and a memorial
to the Lord Chancellor were prepared. On June 5th the city
petition received the seal of the Mayor, and on June 11th Lord
Suffield, in the House of Lords, presented the petition from the
Norfolk magistrates. It stated that the prisoners were
carried in open carts through the towns and villages, guarded by
soldiers, and “it was not long since that they were
exhibited as sights, one shilling being charged to see convicts
of the second and third degree, and two shillings or more for
condemned felons.” There was a dungeon at Thetford,
thirteen feet below the surface of the ground, measuring eighteen
feet by nine feet, and eight and a half feet in height, and in
this cell upon one occasion no less than seventeen persons were
placed to sleep. The Lord Chancellor intimated that the
subject was under consideration, and the petition was ordered to
be printed. On August 7th the announcement was made that
the Lieutenant of the county had received a letter from the Lord
Chancellor, stating that the twelve Judges had unanimously
decided against the removal of the Lent Assizes from
Thetford. At the Summer Assizes on August 11th, the Grand
Jury for the county presented an address to the Judges expressing
regret at their decision, and pointing out that the chief
benefits contemplated by the recent Act of Parliament for the
regulation of gaols must be in a great degree frustrated by a
continuance of the then state of things in Norfolk.
“The late city calendar,” said the
Norfolk Chronicle, “furnishes no
less than three cases of exceptional long confinement before
trial; namely, one person for more than twelve months, who has
been acquitted, and two others in custody upwards of eleven
months against whom no true bills were found.”
16.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions at Norwich, the
magistrates agreed that the whole of Mr. Wilkin’s plan for
erecting a new gaol at Norwich Castle be carried into
execution. It was understood that the entire cost of the
Shirehall and prison would not exceed £46,000.
24.—Great sensation was caused in Norwich by the trial
and execution at Hertford of John Thurtell for the murder of Mr.
Wear on October 24th, 1823. The execution took place on
January 9th, and on the 24th was published in the Norfolk Chronicle a letter received by Mr.
Alderman Thomas Thurtell, of Norwich, the father of the culprit,
from Mr. Robert Sutton, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, in which
the writer commiserated with him in his great affliction.
In the same paper was another letter addressed by Mr. N.
Bolingbroke, of Norwich, to the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, in
which he wrote: “It may appear to some that he (the father)
has not acted with sufficient kindness of feeling towards his
unhappy son; but you may be assured, Sir, that there was no part
of his conduct which could not be satisfactorily explained.
He has generally acted under the advice of Mr. Unthank, a
respectable solicitor in this city, my own, and others.
There are many actions in a man’s life of which no correct
opinion can be formed without a knowledge of the motives by which
such have been influenced.”
29.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, under
the presidency of Lieut.-Col. Harvey, supported by Mr. E.
Wodehouse, M.P., and Mr. T. F. Buxton, M.P., it was agreed to
petition Parliament to carry into effect the resolutions passed
in the previous Session of the House of Commons on the subject of
colonial slavery.
2.—A fine ship called the Colville, built for the India
trade, was launched from the shipyard of Mr. William Bottomley,
at Lynn.
4.—Thirty-two half ankers of Geneva, sixteen casks of
tobacco, and six casks of tea were discovered in a vault in a
plantation belonging to Lord Suffield by the coastguard stationed
at Mundesley.
7.*—“In Norfolk the number of miles of turnpike
road is 271. The income per mile is £38; the
expenditure per mile, £26; excess of income over
expenditure, £12.”
—*“The following notice appeared in a Norwich
paper about 60 years ago and affords a curious instance of the
then stage coach celerity: ‘A wain will set off on Thursday
from Norwich early in the morning and be in London on Saturday
evening.’ Our coaches now perform the journey in 14
hours, and our fly waggons in 24 hours!”
19.—The eight bells of St. Margaret’s church,
Lynn, hung by Messrs. T. and J. Hurry, of Norwich, were
opened.
24.—To effect improvements in Willow Lane, Norwich, and
to lay open to view the churchyard of St. Giles’, a lease
was granted by the Corporation to Mr. Edward
Browne, Messrs. Fountain and Cattermoul, Mr. William De Carle,
and Mr. J. Wright, of certain premises in that lane, for a term
of 99 years at the yearly rental of £42, they covenanting
to lay out from £3,000 to £4,000 on the erection of
suitable buildings under the direction of the Corporation
Surveyor.
28.*—“Died, lately, in St. Giles’, Norwich,
aged 78, Mr. Benjamin Guyton, who for many years followed what
may justly be called the first of occupations—a gardener
and horticulturist. His skill in the knowledge and
properties of plants and vegetables could only be equalled by his
ingenuity in delineating with his pencil the curious productions
of nature, particularly those of the insect tribe. Some few
specimens of his art, in the various species of papilio, are in
the possession of some gentlemen in this city, who knew how to
appreciate merit though found in an obscure individual moving in
a humble sphere of life.”
—Died, “greatly and justly esteemed by all his old
comrades and friends,” Capt. John Borrow, many years
adjutant of the First or West Norfolk Regiment of Militia.
3.—At a meeting of manufacturers and others at the
Guildhall, Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. John Harvey,
resolutions were adopted expressing satisfaction with the
proposal of the Government to reduce the duties on raw and thrown
silks as well as on foreign wools; but they viewed with surprise
and alarm the proposal to allow the free exportation of British
wool, “as a consequence of supplying foreigners with the
raw material must be to throw out of employment many thousands of
the labouring poor.”
6.—Intelligence was received at Lynn of the death, which
occurred on the 5th, of the Marquis of Titchfield, M.P. A
writ for the election of a new member was moved for in the House
of Commons on the 9th, and two candidates, Lord John C. Bentinck,
eldest brother of the deceased marquis, and successor to the
title, and Sir William Browne ffolkes, Bart., immediately issued
addresses. The election took place on March 19th.
“Sir William ffolkes, after leaving the hustings, was
carried in a chair round the Market Place and down High Street,
he addressed the crowd from the window of his committee-room, and
threw amongst them a large quantity of silver coin, which was
eagerly scrambled for.” The result of the polling was
declared as follows: Marquis of Titchfield; 177; Sir William
ffolkes, 89.
11.—A meeting of the manufacturers, merchants, and
others interested in the silk trade was held at the Guildhall,
Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. Alderman Roberts, to take
into consideration the resolutions passed by the House of Commons
relative to alterations in the silk duties. A resolution
was moved to the effect that the meeting viewed with satisfaction
the measures proposed for the extension of the silk manufactory,
“but the object could not fully be attained by the proposed
immediate remission of so great a proportion of the duties on raw
and thrown silks.” It was advocated that endeavours
be made to obtain compensation for the loss sustained upon stocks
of manufactured goods, and a petition to Parliament embodying that view was adopted. On April 5th
“an unusual scene was witnessed in Norwich, that being the
last day on which manufacturers of the city warehoused their raw
and foreign silk in order to obtain the drawback according to the
late decision of Parliament. The number of pieces of
bombazines and crapes bonded was about 40,000, which may be
averaged at 7s. 6d. each, and the total amount of the drawback
will be £30,000. Such of the goods as are for
exportation are already returned to the owners, and an order is
expected in a few days for the delivery of those intended for the
home trade. By this arrangement, which was recommended to
Government by a gentleman deputed from Norwich, little time will
be lost, and the manufacturer will obtain the relief which, but
for its adoption, would, under the late alteration of the law,
have proved highly injurious to many of our fellow
citizens.” On June 23rd a dinner was given at the
Rampant Horse Inn by the merchants and manufacturers to Mr. John
Harvey, Mr. E. T. Booth, and Mr. T. O. Springfield, “for
the zeal and ability with which they promoted the interests of
the trade, and for their successful exertions in obtaining the
drawback.”
11.—Died at his house in Chapel Field, Norwich, in his
71st year, Mr. John Clayton Hindes, many years manager of the
Norwich Theatre. “His loss is sincerely deplored by
his relatives and friends and many others whose necessities have
been relieved by his benevolent hand.”
—Died at Uxbridge, Mrs. F. E. Horne, widow of the Right
Rev. George Horne, D.D., formerly Bishop of Norwich.
17.—The Norwich Penny Library “having after 12
months’ experience proved its worth,” it was resolved
at a general meeting of subscribers, presided over by Mr. William
Youngman, that it be placed on a permanent footing by public
subscription. The library room was at Mr. Daines’s,
St. Michael-at-Coslany.
2.—At a public meeting held at Lynn, the Mayor
presiding, it was resolved that a gas company be formed.
The shares were fixed at £20 each, and Mr. John James
Coulton appointed secretary and agent.
3.—Died at the house of his son-in-law (Mr. H. Dowson,
of Geldeston), aged 65, the Rev. Pendlebury Houghton.
“He received his education at Warrington at the time Dr.
Atkin was the classical teacher there, and after the completion
of his studies continued there one year as assistant classical
tutor. He first settled as minister at Dob Lane, near
Manchester, whence he removed to Shrewsbury, and in 1787 was
chosen a pastor, with Dr. Enfield, of the Unitarian congregation
in Norwich. On the death of Dr. Enfield in 1797 he became
sole minister. In 1808 he succeeded Mr. Jervis at
Prince’s Street, Westminster, and in 1811 returned to
Norwich. In 1812 his was invited to become joint pastor
with Mr. Yates, of the congregation in Paradise Street,
Liverpool, where he continued till 1823, when he retired from his
ministerial labours.”
7.—At a meeting held at Norwich, it was agreed
“that the Rosary burial-ground having been duly entered at
the office of the Bishop of the Diocese, and therein designated a
general burial-ground for the use of persons of all sects and
denominations, shall be invested in trustees
on behalf of those who may become the holders of shares, to be
limited to 500.”
8.—A performance was given at Norwich Theatre by the
Stagorians. “The stage exhibited the appearance of
the interior of a Stagorian lodge, and presented a spectacle at
once novel and striking. In accordance with the principles
of the assembled brethren the ceremony opened with ‘God
save the King,’ and closed with the last verse of that same
loyal strain. The whole was conducted and well supported by
Mr. Hudson, treasurer of the lodge No. 2, Independent, who sang a
song in so good a style that the audience testified their
approbation by loud and repeated cheerings.”
9.—Died, suddenly, in the Fleet Prison, the Rev. John
Cross Morphew, rector of Cley and of Walpole St. Peter.
10.*—(Advt.) “Mr. Edward Painter informs his
friends and the public that his horse, the celebrated Tam
o’ Shanter, will be shown upon Norwich Hill this day, and
every Saturday during the season, at 12 o’clock. His
trotting and other paces the proprietor leaves for the public at
large to be their own judges, as puffing is quite out of the
question. N.B.—Tam o’ Shanter will be found at
the White Hart, St. Peter’s, Norwich.”
—*“Miss Bathurst, daughter of the late Mr.
Benjamin Bathurst, and granddaughter of the Lord Bishop of the
Diocese, was riding in Rome on horseback, accompanied by Lord and
Lady Aylmer and the Duc de Montmorency, when her horse slipped
down the steep bank into the Tiber, and with its rider was washed
away, and never seen again.” The body of Miss
Bathurst was recovered on September 26th.
—The proprietors of the Expedition coach started new
coaches, called the Magnet, which ran from the Swan Inn and
Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich, each afternoon at four o’clock
and arrived in London at seven in the morning. The return
coach left the Golden Cross, Charing Cross, at six p.m., called
at the White Horse, Fetter Lane, at 6.20, the Cross Keys, Wood
Street, at 6.30, “cleared” from the Flower Pot and
Bull Inns at seven o’clock, and arrived at Norwich at nine
the next morning.
—The following malefactors were executed at Thetford:
James Reeve for rape; Miles Wiseman for shooting at and wounding
William Everett, gamekeeper, at Rackheath; and Robert Gibson for
sheep stealing. “The body of Wiseman was buried at
Hardingham churchyard, whence it was stolen by resurrection men,
who had been observed lurking about the chief part of the
previous day.”
15.—Wombwell’s National Menagerie was exhibited at
Tombland Fair, Norwich. It was described as “the
greatest variety of living animals ever collected together since
the days of Noah.”
16.—Died at Caister, near Norwich, Francis Neale, in the
100th year of his age.
21.—Died at Harley Street, Cavendish Square, aged 71,
Mr. John Dixon, of Rainham Hall, Norwich, and of Gledhow,
Yorkshire, Colonel of the West York Militia.
25.—The organ at North Walsham church was opened with a
recital given by Mr. E. Pettet, of Norwich.
29.—The members of the three Church of England
Societies, namely for the Education of the Poor, for
Promoting Christian Knowledge, and for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts, had their “first united
anniversary” dinner at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich.
The Deputy Mayor, Mr. Robert Hawkes, presided.
1.—Mr. Henry Francis was elected Mayor of Norwich.
5.—Died at an advanced age, Mrs. Windham, widow of the
Right Hon. William Windham, of Felbrigg.
6.—The second anniversary dinner of the Swaffham Rat
Society was held at the George Inn, in that town. The
report stated: “From the time the ferrets re-commenced
their operations in October, 1823, assisted by the terriers, the
total number of rats killed up to May 6th was 1,140, which added
to last year’s return makes 2,947 rats exterminated in the
course of twelve months.”
8.*—“The King has granted William Lukin, Esq.,
Rear-Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty’s Fleet,
to take, use, and bear the arms of Windham, in memory of his
uncle, the Right Hon. William Windham, of Felbrigg
Hall.” (By the death of Mrs. Windham Admiral Windham
came into possession of the estates of his late uncle.)
—*“We understand that there are at this time
persons stationed upon the road between Norwich and London for
the purpose of giving information against the proprietors of
coaches carrying more than the number of passengers allowed by
Act of Parliament, or any waggon or van carrying passengers
without being duly licensed.”
10.—A prize fight took place near Arminghall between
Nicholls and Thompson, of Norwich. “The battle lasted
upwards of two hours, and both men displayed better bottom than
science.”
—For the benefit of the manager of Norwich Theatre (Mr.
Smith), his younger son, Mr. J. Smith, appeared as Selico in
“The Africans.”
15.*—“A gentleman from Lynn for a wager shot 20
dozen rooks with an air gun, which he loaded himself, in the
course of a day. He commenced shooting at half-past six in
the morning, and finished his task in a masterly manner at four
o’clock in the afternoon, in the rookery belonging to Mr.
John Lloyd, of Pentney.”
—*(Advt.) “Cocking. To be fought at
the White Swan Inn, Norwich, on May 31st and two following days,
three double days’ play of cocks for £5 a battle and
£100 the odd, between the gentlemen of Norwich and the
gentlemen of Yarmouth. Feeders: Stafford for Norwich, Anson
for Yarmouth.”
—The Magnet coach from London to Norwich had just
crossed the bridge at Chesterford, Essex, when, owing to the
swollen state of the river, the arch burst with a tremendous
crash. Another coach was approaching, and received a
lantern warning from the guard of the Magnet. The up Magnet
coach from Norwich crossed the bridge shortly before its
demolition but got off the road into a swamp. The
passengers had to climb out upon the roof and remained there
while the water flowed through the windows. The coach was
dragged out by a strong team of cart horses. A public
subscription was started in Norwich to reward the guard of the
Magnet.
22.—Townshend, the pedestrian, commenced a walk
of 64 miles per day of sixteen hours for six successive
days. He started from Swaffham at 4.30 a.m., passed through
Watton at 6.30, through Dereham at 8.30, and arrived at Swaffham
at noon, and completed the same journey in the afternoon.
(No further record.)
27.—Died, Mrs. M. Jones, of the Theatre Royal, Norwich,
in her 61st year, “after long and patient suffering under
one of the most tormenting of human disorders.” She
was a daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel Gerard, rector of Waxham and
vicar of Palling, and of Whepstead Rectory, Suffolk.
28.—Six officers of the 8th Hussars rowed in Capt.
Cartwright’s six-oared boat from Norwich to Yarmouth in
four hours against the tide, and returned in four and a half
hours with a strong stream against them.
29.—The Ottawa, 320 tons, intended as a passage vessel
from London to Quebec, was launched from the yard of Messrs. John
and Thomas Douglas, at Yarmouth.
31.—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. J. S. Patteson), with the
Sheriffs, magistrates, and aldermen went in procession from the
Guildhall to the site of the new gaol outside St. Giles’
Gates, and laid the foundation-stone. Several gold, silver,
and copper coins were deposited in the stone, “and the
whole was cemented with mortar and fastened with lead poured in
boiling hot.” The proceedings were witnessed by
hundreds of spectators, one of whom, “a person of
respectability, had his pocket picked of a gold watch, chain, and
seals.”
3.—Died, on his return from Madeira, aged 29, Dr. Thomas
Martineau.
4.—The 3rd Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry was inspected at
Sprowston at the conclusion of permanent duty at Norwich.
7.—The Yarmouth Yeomanry Cavalry, commanded by Sir E. K.
Lacon, Bart., were inspected by Major Deare, 8th Hussars, after
permanent duty.
—Townshend, the pedestrian, “undertook to pick up
with his mouth, on Monday last, from the ground in Finches’
Gardens, 300 stones placed one yard apart and to deposit the same
in a basket in eleven successive hours, being a distance of 51
miles 540 yards.” The feat was performed sixteen
minutes within the time. On June 14th he undertook to walk
40 miles backwards in ten hours at the same Gardens, but failed
owing to the unfavourable state of the weather.
8.—The commissioners appointed under the Norwich Paving
Act determined to apply to Parliament for leave to bring in a
Bill for amending the Act and for raising additional funds.
—A prize fight took place at Poringland between Fenn and
Camplin, of Norwich. Three thousand persons were present,
and 76 rounds fought. The contest terminated in favour of
Fenn.
9.—McMullon, a youth of sixteen, at the Prussia Gardens,
Norwich, walked 12½ miles in two hours; and on the 14th
walked forty miles in eight hours.
16.—Died at Gissing, aged 86, Mr. J. Hunt,
surgeon, and founder of the Ebenezer Chapel in Ber Street,
Norwich. “He was a man of extraordinary piety and
extensive benevolence, who was singularly infatuated by a
diversity of religious opinions as to render his character in the
highest degree eccentric. Having successively embraced the
profession of Presbyterian, Independent, Anabaptist,
Swedenborgian, Unitarian, and Methodist, he recently founded and
endowed a chapel at Gissing to a profession made up of a
heterogeneous mixture of doctrines. That nothing might be
wanting to complete his religious character he was a constant
attendant on the worship of the parish church, keeping his
meeting closed on those occasions, and a regular communicant with
the minister of the parish till a short time before his death,
when his advanced age and increasing infirmities precluded the
possibility of his attendance.”
17.—A trotting match took place on St. Stephen’s
Road, Norwich, the best two of three one mile heats, between a
pony belonging to Mr. Durrant, of the Norfolk Hotel, and a pony
the property of Mr. Davey, horse dealer. The former won
easily.
—The 8th Hussars marched from Norwich Barracks for
Ipswich.
19.*—“One day last week Messrs. James Stannard, T.
Turner, Samuel Poll, and Alfred Stannard, four oars, rowed from
Norwich to Yarmouth and back in eight hours, notwithstanding wind
and tide were full against them in crossing Breydon.”
—The season’s benefits at Norwich Theatre were
announced to have been as follow: Mr. Smith, £125; Mr.
Chippendale, £39; Mr. Vining, £114; Mr. Beacham,
£89; Miss Pindar, £40; Mr. G. Smith, £70; Mr.
Harrison, £46; Mr. Clifford, £67; Mr. and Mrs.
Sloman, £156; Mr. Benson, £69; the Misses Glover,
£91; Mr. Crook, £63; Miss Wensley, £72; Miss
Mason, £74; Mr. and Mrs. Hamerton, £51; Mr. Brundall,
£45; Mr. Wharton, £41; Mr. Mueller, £62; Mr.
Thorne, £28; Miss Tubby, £99; Mr. Hunt, £78;
Mr. Chippendale (second benefit), £57. The total
amount was £1,556; average, £70 14s. 9¾d.
22.—Guild Day at Norwich. The Mayor-elect, Mr.
Henry Francis, entertained 806 guests at the guild feast, and the
ball at Chapel Field House was fully attended. The streets
in the parish of St. Stephen’s, where the Mayor resided,
were decorated.
29.—Great rejoicings took place at Costessey in
celebration of the elevation to the peerage of Sir George
Jerningham, Bart., by the title of Baron Stafford, of Stafford
Castle, in Staffordshire, of Shiffnall in Shropshire, and of
Costessey in Norfolk. A large cavalcade attended by a band
of music proceeded to Easton, where Lord and Lady Stafford and
their daughters were received with enthusiastic cheering and
escorted to Costessey Hall. Sheep were roasted, 500 loaves
of bread distributed, and many barrels of beer consumed.
7.—At a meeting, presided over by Dr. Yelloly, at the
Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich, the medical men of the city decided
“to form a union between the two previously existing
societies in order to render more efficient the circulation of
medical books, and the establishment of a medical library in
Norwich.”
12.—Meetings of Loyal Orange Societies, No. 50,
held at the Waggon and Horses, Tombland, and No. 213 at the
Waterloo Tavern, St. Stephen’s, Norwich, celebrated the
anniversary of the battle of the Boyne.
14.—A severe thunderstorm occurred at Norwich after a
period of very sultry weather. “Almost immediately
after the tempest a cloud of immense magnitude and extreme
density, having the appearance of a mass of snow, passed over the
city. Drifting with a strong westerly wind it was so low as
to envelope a considerable portion of the Cathedral spire.
Its passage was attended with a very curious phenomenon.
The current of the river, which had previously been sluggish,
suddenly became very rapid, as if propelled by the irruption of
some mighty flood. This acceleration lasted about ten
minutes, the cloud having once passed over, the stream gradually
resumed its former rate of progression.”
15.—Died at his residence, Catton Place, aged 58, Mr.
Joseph Fitch, who served the office of Sheriff of Norwich in
1808.
16.—A troop of the 2nd Queen’s Dragoon Guards,
commanded by Capt. Kearney, marched into Norwich Barracks, and
were followed by three other troops. “This fine
regiment, whose uniform is free from modern finery, and has a
truly British appearance, is commanded by Lieut.-Col.
Kearney. They were the first regiment who occupied the
Norwich Barracks after their erection in the year
1793.”
22.—The new Union steamboat intended for passenger
traffic between Lynn and Cambridge made her first voyage.
“She is 72 feet long, 12 wide, carries 100 passengers, and
is propelled by two engines. Her paddles are in the stern;
they communicate with the boiler and engine by means of long rods
through more than half the length of the vessel.”
30.—Died at her house in the Close, Norwich, aged 65,
Mrs. Dickens, wife of Mr. W. H. Dickens. “She was the
widow of the late Mr. William Crowe, of Lakenham, who on his
death bed enjoined her to marry Capt. Dickens immediately after
his (Mr. Crowe’s) decease.”
31.*—(Advt.) “To the corn growers of the
county of Norfolk. Gentlemen, the merchants of Norwich
having honoured me by accepting the Pantheon, in which to hold
their corn market, permit me to acquaint you the same will be
held at the Pantheon, Ranelagh Gardens, during their
pleasure.—W. Finch.” The removal of the corn
market to the Pantheon was rendered necessary by the alterations
in progress at the Hall in preparation for the first Triennial
Musical Festival. On August 14th a meeting of millers,
merchants, and corn growers was held at the Norfolk Hotel,
“for the purpose of taking into consideration the best
means of erecting a Corn Exchange.” Mr. J. Culley
presided, and resolutions were adopted in favour of the proposal,
the required amount to be raised in £100 shares. A
committee was appointed to ask the county magistrates to grant a
site “within the iron railing on the north side of the
Castle Hill, in the intermediate space between the road leading
from Messrs. Gurney’s Bank on the right to the opening from
Davey Steps on the left.” A further meeting was held
on October 23rd, at which it was reported that the magistrates
declined to accede to the request, but that the
Corporation of Norwich had agreed “that a piece of ground
on the Castle Meadow, in length 130 feet and in breadth 70 feet,
be granted to the corn merchants for a term of 99 years at the
yearly rent of £10, for the purpose of building thereon a
corn exchange.” A meeting was held on November 1st,
at which it was decided to accept the offer, and to issue shares
of £50 each to the amount of £2,000.
(See February 24th, 1825.)
4.—In consequence of a requisition the Mayor of Norwich
convened a meeting at the Guildhall to consider the subject of
establishing a botanical garden in the neighbourhood of
Norwich. Resolutions were adopted in favour of the scheme,
which was introduced by Dr. Yelloly.
—Died at Norwich, aged 72, Mr. John Funnell Goldsmith
Atkinson, solicitor. “He was devotedly attached to
the constitution in Church and State, and was in reality the
character which has often been drawn of Honest John
Bull.”
11.—At the Norfolk Assizes at Norwich, before Sir
William Alexander, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, came on the
action Howard v. Howes. The plaintiff sought to
substantiate his right to the exclusive enjoyment of a pew in the
parish church of Fundenhall. He and his father had occupied
it since 1787 until disturbed in such occupation by the defendant
on November 2nd, 1823. Verdict for the plaintiff, damages
1s.—At the same Assizes, a similar action, Reader v.
Bloom, was tried, and damages claimed for assault. The
declaration set forth that the defendant on August 31st, 1823, at
Wells, “did grievously with his hands and feet assault the
plaintiff,” a maiden lady, in the same town, to whom had
been bequeathed a house, which, it was supposed, entitled her to
the use of a certain pew in the parish church. Defendant
contested the right, locked the pew, and nailed over the door a
piece of wood to prevent entry thereto. When plaintiff
endeavoured to effect an entrance Mr. Bloom kicked her legs and
nipped her arm. The defence was that the plaintiff first
“clapperclawed” the defendant. The jury
returned a verdict for plaintiff, damages 1s.
31.—An election took place at Norwich for the office of
freemen’s Sheriff. Mr. Charles Turner was nominated
in the “Purple and Orange,” and Mr. T. O. Springfield
in the “Blue and White” interest. “About
an hour after the poll had commenced it was announced to Mr.
Turner’s committee that the ‘Blue and Whites’
were giving 5s. for each vote. This information caused the
‘Purple and Orange’ party also to unloose their purse
strings, and the cash was paid down on both sides to all who
would receive it.” Result of the poll: Turner, 1,165;
Springfield, 929.
5.—Died, aged 73, Mrs. Death, widow of Mr. Thomas Death,
of the Theatre Royal, Norwich, and of Covent Garden, London.
11.—St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, was for the first
time lighted with gas in preparation for the Musical
Festival. “The pure bright flame that issued
from the numerous gas burners communicated a lustre to every part
of the edifice more evident, perhaps, than what it receives from
the light of day.”
17.—Married at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, London,
Mr. William Henry Brundall to Miss Priscilla Mason, both formerly
of the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
19.—Died at Chelsea, Mr. Henry Cooper, barrister, aged
39. The son of an eminent Norwich barrister, he went to sea
with Nelson, and as a boy was present at the battle of the
Nile. He early quitted the naval profession for that of the
law, and was afterwards appointed Attorney-General of the
Bermudas. On the appointment of Mr. Sergeant Blosset to the
Chief Justiceship of Bengal, Mr. Cooper, who was then rapidly
rising on the Norfolk circuit, became one of the leaders.
21.—The first Triennial Musical Festival, “for the
benefit of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital,” commenced on
this date. On the evenings of the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd a
miscellaneous concert was given at St. Andrew’s Hall; on
the mornings of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th oratorios were performed
in the same building; and on the evening of the 24th a ball took
place. The principal vocal performers were Mrs. Salmon,
Miss Stephens, Miss Carew, Madame Renzi De Begnes, Mr. Vaughan,
M. Sapio, Mr. Bellamy, Mr. Edward Taylor, of Norwich (in place of
Mr. F. Novello, absent through family bereavement), Mr. Terrail,
Master Kempton, and Signor De Begnes. Sir George Smart was
the conductor. The Festival was attended by H.R.H. the Duke
of Sussex, who was the guest of the Bishop of Norwich. The
receipts amounted to £6,695, and the amount given to the
Hospital was £2,411 4s. 2d. At a quarterly assembly
of the Corporation on September 27th, the freedom of the city was
voted to Sir George Smart, “for the eminent services
rendered by him to the city and county as conductor of the late
Musical Festival”; and the Corporation further agreed to
purchase the organ erected for the occasion in St. Andrew’s
Hall by Mr. Grey, for the sum of 280 guineas.
29.—Races were held at East Dereham, and were well
attended by “beauty and fashion.”
14.—The premises of Mr. Ling, upholsterer and cabinet
maker, Bridewell Alley, Norwich, were destroyed by fire.
The terrified prisoners were removed from their cells in the
Bridewell adjoining and conveyed to the City Gaol, and all the
property that could be saved from the burning premises was taken
into St. Andrew’s church. The 2nd Dragoon Guards were
called out to preserve order, and the staff of the West Norfolk
Militia assembled under arms. “Owing to the goods
being stored in St. Andrew’s church it was impossible to
hold service there on Sunday.”
15.—Died, in his 88th year, Mr. Robert Priest, of St.
James’ Street, Norwich. He was for many years
treasurer to the Charity Schools, and in 1786 paid the fine on
declining the office of Sheriff.
21.—Died of consumption, in his 24th year, at Little
Baddow, Essex, the Rev. Stephen Morell,
“pastor of the Christian Society at the Old Meeting House,
Norwich.”
26.—Mrs. Sloman, formerly of the Norwich Company, made
her first appearance at Covent Garden as Belvedera in
“Venice Preserved.” The “Times”
described the performance as “more than
respectable—in many parts excellent”; and the
“Morning Herald” stated that “it was the most
promising tragic début since the days of Miss
O’Neil, and the applause at the dropping of the curtain was
long, loud, and universal.” Mrs. Sloman was
subsequently engaged by the managers of Covent Garden for three
years at a high salary.
7.—William Brownsell, many years in the service of Mr.
William Mason, of Necton, was accidentally shot in his
master’s plantation by a spring gun. He lay in
dreadful agony all night and died soon after being found next
morning.
15.—A private watch instituted and maintained by the
inhabitants of St. Stephen’s, Norwich, commenced its
duties.
—A prize fight took place near Mattishall between Mike
Fenn and John Short, of Norwich. “After 14 rounds
Fenn was so dreadfully beaten that he was carried off the ground
in a state of insensibility.” Two thousand persons
were present.
20.*—“Died at East Dereham last week a poor woman
of the name of Rumble, aged 103 years. She retained her
faculties till within a month of her decease.”
3.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, under
the presidency of the Mayor, it was resolved to establish a law
library in the city.
11.—The prospectus of a plan for establishing a
“Museum of Natural History, Antiquity, &c.”
in Norwich was issued in accordance with a resolution passed at a
meeting held a short time previously under the chairmanship of
Mr. John Harvey.
14.—The London, Yarmouth, and Norwich Steampacket
Company announced the completion of a new vessel, called the City
of Norwich, for the London and Yarmouth trade. A
considerable portion of the stock of this company was raised in
Norwich and Yarmouth.
15.—Married at East Dereham, by the Rev. C. H.
Wollaston, Mr. Fisher, jun., of the Norfolk and Suffolk Company
of Comedians, to Sarah, third daughter of Mr. William Howard.
—A meeting was held at the King’s Arms Inn, North
Walsham, at which it was resolved to carry into immediate
execution the Act of Parliament for the construction of the North
Walsham and Dilham Canal.
17.—Concerts were given on the 17th and 18th at Norwich
Theatre under the management of Messrs. Pettet. The
performers included Signor and Madame Renzi De Begnes and Miss
Paton.
20.—Signor Antonio, “generally called Il
Diavolo Antonio,” commenced an engagement at the Norwich
Assembly Room in an entertainment consisting of gymnastic
exercises, feats of strength, juggling, and fantoccini.
—Died at his house in St. Giles’, Norwich, the
Rev. Thomas Deeker, M.A., 66 years vicar of Bawdsey, Suffolk,
rector of St. Simon and Jude, Norwich, perpetual curate of St.
Margaret and St. Swithin, and chaplain of the county gaol.
23.—Married at Norwich, by the Rev. George Carter, M.A.,
Mr. James Archibald Murray, solicitor, under secretary to the
Master of the Rolls, and second son of Mr. Charles Murray, of
John Street, Bedford Row, London, to Elizabeth Powell, youngest
daughter of Capt. R Browne, of the Precincts, Norwich
Cathedral.
29.—A new Masonic Hall was “dedicated” at
Yarmouth by Deputy Provincial Grand Master Ives and the officers
of the Grand Lodge of the Province.
1.—The “Norfolk and Suffolk Railway Company”
advertised its prospectus. It was proposed to raise a
capital of one million sterling in 10,000 shares of £100
each. The prospectus stated: “The trade from London
to Norwich in bombazeen and crape is at once extensive and
permanent, yet the conveyance of goods is dilatory, expensive,
and troublesome. The mode of conveyance of fish is
insufficient on the one hand, and extravagant on the
other.” It was proposed to construct the railway from
London to Norwich through Chelmsford and Colchester, with a
branch to Harwich; to Ipswich with a branch to Bury St.
Edmund’s; and to Norwich with branches to Lynn and
Yarmouth. The cost of the undertaking was estimated at
£980,000, and there were to be twelve country and twelve
London directors. Among the former were Messrs. E. T.
Booth, W. Foster, Joseph Geldart, R. Hawkes, and J. Ives, of
Norwich; and Sir E. K. Lacon, of Yarmouth.
5.—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
under the presidency of the Mayor, it was decided to establish a
Mechanics’ Institution, “similar to those already
formed in London.” Nearly 100 members joined at the
conclusion of the meeting.
12.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, the justices
ordered that the houses of correction at Aylsham and Wymondham be
abolished on the completion of the county gaol.
22.—A new roadway made through the city wall at the west
end of Pottergate Street, Norwich, was completed on this date,
and opened for vehicular traffic on the 24th. “This
great improvement was effected by Mr. Alderman T. S. Day, aided
by the exertions of Mr. Blyth, who, in company with Mrs. Blyth,
was the first who rode through the new way.”
24.—Died at Lynn, aged 78, William Hall,
auctioneer and bookseller. “He was generally known by
the appellation Antiquarian Hall, having for many years been in
the habit of dealing in works of black letter lore, of which, at
one time, he had a good collection. He was a man quite
uneducated, but of strong natural abilities, and had read a great
deal on subjects of antiquity. Though a man of very
eccentric habits, he was universally respected for his industry
and integrity.”
—The exhibition commenced at the Ranelagh Gardens,
Norwich, of a “grand model of the Holy Sepulchre at
Jerusalem.”
25.—The Castle Corporation at Norwich celebrated its
60th anniversary.
29.*—“Died last week, at Holt, Mary Ann Edge, at
the advanced age of 103.”
31.—Norwich Theatre re-opened for the season. The
new members of the company included Mr. Balls, comedian; Mr.
Baker, comedian; Mr. Warren, “walking gentleman”;
Miss Scruton, Mrs. Sheppard (formerly Miss Diddear), Mrs. Balls,
and Mrs. Watkinson.
2.—The body of an old man, buried in Hethersett
churchyard, was stolen by resurrection men. A similar
outrage took place in Thorpe churchyard on the same date.
5.*—“Sir Edmund Bacon (one of the three gentlemen
nominated to serve the office of Sheriff of this county) is gone
to London to prefer some antient claim of exemption from it on
account of his being the premier baronet of England. Such
claim had been successfully made on a similar occasion by his
late father.” Exemption was granted; but on November
11th, in the Court of Exchequer, the Lord Chief Justice of the
Court of King’s Bench stated that the authorities, after
duly investigating the claim, had decided to disallow it.
—*“The governors of the Norfolk and Norwich
Hospital have presented a silver waiter, of the value of 50
guineas, to Mr. Edward Taylor for his eminent services in
promoting, arranging, and assisting at the grand Musical
Festival.”
10.—An exceptionally high tide occurred at
Yarmouth. The river overflowed and flooded cellars,
stables, granaries, and other buildings on the Quay; and the
Southtown Road from the Bear Inn, near the bridge, to Gorleston
was completely under water, in places to the depth of three
feet. At Cromer great damage was done to the cliffs.
11.—A petition for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
Norwich Paving Act was presented in the House of Commons by Mr.
William Smith.—At a meeting held at the Duke’s Palace
Inn, Norwich, on March 1st, it was decided to oppose the Bill
because the Paving Commissioners by clause 8 sought to obtain
authority to levy an additional due of 8d. per ton on all goods
brought by vessels up the river higher than Thorpe Old
Hall.—The Bill was read a first time on March 4th, but in
consequence of the opposition to clause 8 Mr. Smith withdrew the
measure and suffered the second reading to pass as a dropped
order.—On March 28th Mr. Smith moved the second
reading on the understanding that the objectionable clause would
be withdrawn in Committee. The Bill was then read a second
time.—It passed its third reading on May 3rd; received the
Royal Assent in the House of Lords on May 20th; and the first
meeting of the Commissioners under the new Act was held at
Norwich on June 14th.
15.—The prospectus of the Norwich and Lowestoft
Navigation Company was adopted at a meeting held at Gray’s
Inn Coffee House, London, presided over by Col. Harvey, High
Sheriff of Norfolk. The principal object for which the
company was formed was that of making Norwich a port for seaborne
vessels not exceeding ten feet draught, by opening the best and
most direct line of communication between that city and the
sea. In addition to the old list of shares, amounting to
£27,000, it was decided to raise £120,000 in shares
of £50 each, and to apply to Parliament in the ensuing
Session for leave to bring in a Bill.—The first general
meeting of the shareholders was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
on June 1st, and on July 2nd a meeting of proprietors of land
adjoining the proposed canal between the Yare and the Waveney
resolved to oppose the Bill on account of threatened danger to
their property.—The proprietors of the North Walsham and
Dilham Canal, and of the Coltishall and Aylsham Canal also
decided to oppose the measure because it would divert the traffic
from Yarmouth to Lowestoft, would lead to the neglect of Breydon,
and consequently to the injury of the navigation of the Bure and
Ant.
19.*—“Died last week in Bishopgate Hospital,
Norwich, Mr. John Green, aged 101.”
24.—In the House of Commons Col. Wodehouse moved that
petitions from the magistrates of Norfolk and from the Mayor and
Corporation of Thetford in reference to the removal of the Lent
Assizes from Thetford to Norwich be referred to a Select
Committee. The motion was defeated by 72 votes against
21.
—The Corporation of Norwich rescinded the resolution by
which they had offered the corn merchants a site for a Corn
Exchange, and appointed a committee to report on the propriety of
the Corporation erecting a building of their own for the sale of
corn and other agricultural produce. The committee, on
March 15th, reported in favour of the proposal, the
Under-Chamberlain was directed to mark out a site 150 feet by 70
feet on the Castle Meadow, and on May 3rd it was resolved to
advertise for plans and estimates.—The corn merchants held
a meeting at the Norfolk Hotel on July 25th, and finally agreed
to erect an exchange “on part of the present site of Sir
Benjamin Wrenche’s Court.” It was announced
“a new street is to be made to communicate with the Market
Place from St. Andrew’s Street, to enter it at the upper
end of Cockey Lane.” A proposal was made to erect in
the Exchange galleries for the accommodation of the Norwich
Society of Artists, who would be deprived of their rooms in the
Court.—At a special meeting of the Corporation on August
10th “the further consideration of the erection of a Corn
Exchange” was indefinitely deferred.
28.—A peal of six bells, cast by William Dobson, of
Downham Market, was opened at Marham by the Aylsham company of
ringers.
28.—Mr. David Fisher, “a flower of our own
garden, a native of our own county,” made his first
appearance at Lynn Theatre in the character of Richard III.
He afterwards appeared as Macbeth.
2.—Died at Bolton Row, London, Lady Jerningham, widow of
Sir William Jerningham. Her ladyship was a daughter of the
11th Viscount Dillon. Her remains were interred at
Costessey on March 11th.
—Died at Holkham Hall, aged 45, the Rev. Richard Odell,
B.A., Fellow of Christ’s College, Oxford, curate of Burnham
Overy and of Holkham, and chaplain to his Royal Highness the Duke
of Sussex.
3.—Died at his house in St. Giles’, Norwich, aged
75, Mr. John Christopher Hampp, a native of Germany, many years
an eminent merchant in the city, and a liberal benefactor of the
poor.
6.—Died at Tenby, aged 43, Col. Francis Manners Sutton,
second son of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
—Died at Hatton, Warwickshire, aged 80, the Rev. Samuel
Parr, LL.D., Prebendary of St. Paul’s, and rector of
Graffham, Huntingdonshire, and formerly head-master of Norwich
Free Grammar School.
7.—Died, aged 69, Mr. John Banks, proprietor and manager
of the Theatres Royal at Liverpool and Manchester, and formerly
of Norwich.
8.—Mr. Denny, of Egmere, was presented with a silver cup
by the members of the Walsingham Coursing Club, “as a mark
of their esteem and gratitude to him for the handsome, liberal,
and friendly manner with which he has at all times come forward
in support of the meeting.”
25.—The contract was completed for the purchase of the
works of the Norwich Gas Company by the British Gas Light
Company. “The latter company have bought a piece of
land in the World’s End Lane, near St. Martin-at-Palace, on
which they intend to erect a building and construct works for
supplying the city with coal gas.”—The Paving
Commissioners on September 13th consented to an application being
made to Parliament for a Bill to enlarge and amend the Act for
lighting with gas the city of Norwich, “and of the
extension of the capital of the British Gas Company and of the
monies appropriated to their own use provided it meet all such
capital to the extent of 12½ per cent. per
annum.”
26.*—“Died lately, at Shelfanger, James Catchpole,
labourer, in his 105th year. Within the last year of his
life he was willing and able to do a day’s work in
husbandry.”
—*(Advt.) “Miss Phillis Glover, being
obliged by the early opening of the Haymarket Theatre, where she
is engaged, to leave the Norwich Company before the close of the
season, begs permission to take this, her only opportunity, of
returning thanks to the inhabitants of Norwich for the kind
indulgence afforded to her professional exertions, and of bidding
them most respectfully farewell.” (Miss Glover, whose
place in the Norwich Company was filled by the
engagement of Miss Goward, was married on November 19th, 1827, at
the church of St Clement Danes, London, to Mr. J. C. Evans,
solicitor, of Liverpool.)
29.—Mr. Dewing’s hounds met at West Bradenham,
where a fine buck was turned off, and ran through Bradenham and
Saham, skirted Ashill to Holme Hale, crossed Necton Common, ran
through Necton by Fransham to Dunham, Palgrave, and Sporle, and
thence to Castleacre, where he was taken after a severe run of 21
miles over the stiffest country in Norfolk.
2.—Shore’s menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Ditches, Norwich.
—*“Died at Yarmouth, Mrs. Elizabeth Campling, in
her 101st year.”
3.—Died at North Walsham, Mary Cook, aged 101.
5.—One hundred “bankers” from Bedfordshire
arrived at North Walsham and commenced digging the North Walsham
and Dilham Canal. “The first spade of earth was taken
out by Mr. William Youard, the band striking up ‘God save
the King.’”
—A prize fight took place between Camplin and Murrell,
of Norwich, on a meadow near Thorpe, for £10 aside.
Murrell was the winner.
7.—The Archdeacon of Norwich convened a meeting of
clergy at the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich, at which a petition
to the House of Commons was adopted stating that the signatories
were not in agreement with their brethren who had petitioned
Parliament in opposition to Roman Catholic claims. Seventy
signatures were appended. The other petition against the
Bill for conceding the claims of the Roman Catholics was signed
by the Bishop of Norwich and 200 clergy. A similar petition
was adopted by the Corporation on May 3rd by thirty-three votes
against six.—The intelligence that the Emancipation Bill
had been rejected by the House of Lords was received in Norwich
on May 19th with the ringing of the bells of St. Peter Mancroft
and of the other churches in the city.
16.—Died at Ryslip, near Uxbridge, the Right Hon. Lady
Wodehouse, aged 77. She was the only surviving daughter of
the Hon. Charles Berkeley, of Bruton Abbey, Somersetshire, niece
of Lord Berkeley of Stratton, and the last of that branch of the
Berkeley family. Her ladyship’s remains were interred
at Kimberley on May 27th, when the funeral procession was headed
by fifty mounted tenants on the estate.
18.—A meeting of the citizens was held at St
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, by requisition, at which
resolutions were adopted asking the legislature “to
undertake at the earliest opportunity such a revision of the Corn
Laws as may secure cultivators of the soil from a recurrence of
those ruinous fluctuations in price which the present system has
occasioned, and at the same time complete that liberal commercial
policy in which progress has already been made.” A
petition based on the resolution was prepared and presented to
Parliament. It received 14,385 signatures.
21.—Married at St. Giles’ Church, Norwich,
by the Rev. C. J. Chapman, Lieut. Charles Thurtell, R.N., third
son of Mr. Thomas Thurtell, alderman of Norwich, to Mrs. Dunham,
of Chapel Field.
23.*—“Died at Lynn, the Widow Oldershaw, aged
107.”
1.—Four candidates were nominated at the Mayoral
Election at Norwich. A poll was demanded, and the result
was declared on the same day (Sunday) as follows:—Alderman
Day, 679; Alderman Booth, 579; Alderman Leman, 152; Alderman
Burt, 150. “It is somewhat singular that the father
of the Mayor-elect was also chosen on a Sunday, May Day so
falling in 1808.”
9.—The Norwich Museum was opened at a house in the Upper
Haymarket.
14.*—“The work of constructing the new Theatre was
commenced, at Norwich, last week. Mr. Wilkins is the
architect and patentee, and the site is nearly adjoining to the
ground on which the present Theatre stands, and at the back of
the green rooms.”
29.—At Yarmouth Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder
(Mr. Robert Alderson), Mary Neal, aged 42, Susan Neal (21), her
daughter, and William Neal (18), son, were charged with
attempting to murder the family of Mr. Hales, cordwainer, of
Howard Street, Yarmouth, by poisoning them. It was alleged
that the female prisoners persuaded William Neal, an apprentice
of the prosecutor, to place arsenic in the food of his
master’s family to avenge some fancied grievance. Mr.
and Mrs. Hales and their children narrowly escaped death.
Sentence of death, afterwards commuted to transportation, was
recorded.
30.—The members of a newly established club, called the
Norwich Loyal Society, held their first anniversary dinner at the
Wheat Sheaf Inn, Bethel Street, in commemoration of the birthday
of Pitt.
6.—The 2nd Dragoon Guards marched from Norwich for
Hampton Court Barracks.
15.—A cricket match was played at Litcham “with
the six Alexanders, of Hingham, and the five Cushions, of
Shipdham, on the one side, against the town of Litcham on the
other.” The stakes, 22 sovereigns a-side, were won by
the “families” by one wicket. The families,
55-88; Litcham, 82-60.
18.—The last performances took place at the old Norwich
Theatre. The pieces were “The Provoked Husband”
and the farce “A Roland for an Oliver.” The
concluding season had proved very productive to the patentee and
the performers. The total amount accruing from the twenty
benefits was £1,732, an average of £86 12s. exclusive
of “ticket nights.”
20.—A special meeting of the Yarmouth Corporation was
held for the purpose of promoting the erection of a new church in
the town. The sum of £1,500 was voted in
aid of the fund, and a piece of land given as an eligible
site.
21.—Guild Day at Norwich. The aldermen, Sheriffs,
and Town Clerk had breakfast with the Mayor-elect, Mr. T. S. Day,
and afterwards went to the house of the Mayor (Mr. H. Francis),
“their carriages passing through the newly-made opening in
the city wall at the end of Pottergate Street, where an arch had
been formed with boughs.” The subsequent procession
to the Cathedral was headed by two bands of musicians and
“Snap.” The guests at the Guild feast at St.
Andrew’s Hall numbered 450, and “the proceedings,
from the excellence of the wines, were protracted till about
eleven o’clock, when the worthy donor of the feast retired
from the chair.”
30.—Died at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, Mr.
William Manning, of Ormesby, in his 94th year. “This
gentleman was the Father of the Magistracy of Norfolk, and had
been 65 years on the commission.”
2.—The steam packet Lowther started from Yarmouth on a
pleasure excursion to Rotterdam, and arrived at its destination
at six o’clock on the evening of the 3rd. The vessel
returned to Yarmouth on the 10th after a passage of 27 hours.
4.—Madame Tussaud’s exhibition opened at the
Assembly Rooms, Norwich.
—The company of ringers at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich,
presented to Mr. Samuel Thurston “an elegant silver gilt
jewel for his eminent services in composing the peal of 5,016 of
Norwich Court, 12 in, and ringing the tenor in a superior
style.”
11.—Four troops of the Scots Greys (2nd North British
Dragoons) marched into Norwich. “Their veteran
colonel, Sir Thomas Pate Hankin, rode at the head of this very
fine body of men and horses. Their excellent regimental
band, including keyed bugles and kettledrums, played before them
from their entrance at St Stephen’s Gates to the Cavalry
Barracks.”
12.—Mr. Thorogood, coachman and part proprietor,
“completed his fourth year of driving the Times coach to
London and back again to Norwich the next day without missing one
single day. The total number of miles in four years, up and
down—163,520.”
23.—Direct conveyance from Norwich to Boston by the
Independence new coach was announced.
28.—Eleven hundred persons were confirmed at Norwich
Cathedral by the Bishop of the Diocese.
—The peal of bells at St. Andrew’s Church,
Norwich, increased from eight to ten, and re-hung by T. Hurry,
was re-opened by ten of St. Peter Mancroft ringers.
30.*—(Advt.) “The annual main between the
gentlemen of Norwich and Yarmouth will be fought at the
Two-Necked Swan, Market Place, Yarmouth, on the race days, for
£5 a battle and £25 the odd; to show 25 mains and six
byes. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich; Steward for
Yarmouth. The first pit will begin fighting at ten
o’clock each morning before the racing.”
30.—Died at Cowes, the Right Hon. the Earl of Craven,
Lord Lieutenant of the county of Berks., Recorder of Coventry,
and a lieutenant-general in the Army. His lordship, who was
in his 55th year, married on December 12th, 1807, Miss Brunton,
of Covent Garden Theatre, and formerly of the Norwich Company,
and left issue Viscount Uffington, another son, and a
daughter.
1.—Lord Chief Justice Abbott and Lord Chief Baron
Alexander, Judges of Assize, were received at Harford Bridge,
Norwich, by the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Col. Harvey).
“Being a member of the Corporation, the Mayor and his
brethren determined to accompany him with the city Sheriffs, and
a procession was formed in the following order:—Two blue
coats on horseback; justices and aldermen of Norwich in their
carriages; city Sheriffs’ officers on horseback; the Under
Sheriff’s ditto; the Sheriffs in a carriage and four; two
blue coats, with the castles, on horseback; two mace bearers,
ditto; the Under-Chamberlain with small mace, ditto; the Mayor in
his carriage with the Town Clerk and sword bearer; the High
Sheriff’s trumpeters on horseback; his marshalmen, ditto;
24 javelin men, ditto, in dark blue liveries with orange
cockades; the Under-Sheriff of Norfolk; the High Sheriff in his
elegant carriage drawn by six fine brown horses, the coachman,
postillions, and footmen in livery, with his chaplain, the Rev.
Edward Bellman; servants on horseback; Sir Robert John Harvey and
Mr. George Harvey, the High Sheriff’s sons, in a
chariot. It is said that a similar procession has not taken
place here for the last 100 years.”
2.—At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Norwich before Lord
Chief Justice Abbott, the action Fellowes v. Steward,
clerk, was tried, with the object of deciding whether the
plaintiff had set out his tithe in a manner warranted by
law. The plaintiff’s men cut the tithe wheat on seven
acres of land, each man taking a strip or rig of land, and after
cutting each strip returned and put his sheaves into shocks of
ten each. The plaintiff’s bailiff set out the tithe
by taking every tenth sheaf from the shock and placing it a yard
or two from the rest. He then put a bough on every sheaf so
laid apart, and replaced it in the shock whence he had taken
it. The next day the sheaves, except those marked as tithe,
were carted. Mr. Alderman Steward, of Norwich, who was
acting as agent for his son, the rector of Saxlingham, stated
that the corn should be tithed in sheaves before it was
shocked. Mr. Fellowes endeavoured to prove that the corn
had been set out according to the custom of the place. The
Judge censured the plaintiff for adopting the method of
separating the tithe corn from the other corn and mixing it with
the shock again, as it opened the door to the practice of all
kinds of fraud. The plaintiff was non-suited.
5.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice
Abbott, the qui tam action Woodewis v. J. S.
Patteson came on for trial. It was brought to recover a
penalty of £100 under 3rd George IV., chap. 77, by
which persons trading in excisable liquors were precluded from
taking part, as magistrates, in licensing proceedings. It
was alleged that Mr. Patteson interfered, on the application of
the plaintiff, to have a house licensed for the sale of
home-brewed beer and London porter in Fishgate Street, Norwich,
nearly opposite one belonging to himself. The answer was
that this was an attempt to fix a stigma on the character of Mr.
Patteson. The Judge said the jury could find a verdict for
the plaintiff without impeaching the character of the
defendant. The jury returned the following verdict:
“We give the plaintiff £100 damages; at the same time
we entertain a very high opinion of the high honour and good
faith of Alderman Patteson and the other gentlemen of the
Corporation.”
6.—Died at Ryde, Isle of Wight, Mr. John Lens,
“his Majesty’s ancient Sergeant at Law,” aged
69. He was a native of Norwich, and was educated at the
Free Grammar School.
—Mr. Graham made a balloon ascent from Richmond Hill
Gardens, Norwich, at 6.5 and descended at Beighton at 6.30
p.m. He made a second ascent on August 30th and descended
at Earlham. He was advertised to ascend on September 6th in
company with the High Sheriff, but the balloon was inadequate in
lifting power. A second attempt was made on the 7th.
Mr. Graham had to resign his place to Mrs. Graham, who
successfully made the ascent with Col. Harvey, and descended in
safety at Bradeston, near Brundall.
13.—The governors of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
received from his Majesty the King a copy of Arnold’s
edition of Handel’s works in 49 volumes “for the use
of those engaged at the Musical Festival connected with the
charity.”
22.—At a rent audit dinner held at Woodbastwick the
tenants presented to Mr. John Cator a silver vase, of the value
of £120, as “a token of regard and respect for his
liberal abatement of rent during four years of unprecedented
depreciation of agricultural produce, by which means they were
able to continue in the occupation of their farms during the
wreck and ruin of thousands, and now times are altered for the
better, hope to be enabled to pay their rents and meet their
landlord as before with money in their pockets, cheerful
countenances, and grateful hearts.”
30.—Election of freemen’s Sheriff at
Norwich. The candidates were—Mr. James Brooks, jun.,
865 votes; Mr. Alderman Springfield, 501; Mr. William Scott
(“nominated with the view of dividing Mr. Brooks’s
interest”), 0.
1.—Mr. William Simpson, Chamberlain of the city of
Norwich, was presented by the Corporation with a piece of plate,
of the value of 100 guineas, in recognition of the able discharge
of his official duties.
3*—“Died at Yarmouth, Mary, the wife of Mr.
Clifford, of the Norwich Theatre, in her 55th year.”
10.—The Swaffham and London new post coach was
advertised to run from the Crown Inn, Swaffham, on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday mornings at seven
o’clock, and to return from the Three Nuns Inn, Aldgate, on
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at the same hour.
It performed the journey in twelve hours.
14.—A piece of plate, of the value of £120, was
presented to Mr. William Palgrave, of Yarmouth, by the
manufacturers and merchants of Norwich, “to express their
sense of his official conduct in regulating the drawback granted
to them by the Government on the repeal of the duties on
silk.”
23.—The Duke and Duchess of Clarence passed through
Norwich. Their Royal Highnesses had luncheon at the Rampant
Horse Inn, and afterwards proceeded on their way to Newmarket and
London.
2.—Died, Mrs. Hannah Want, of Ditchingham, aged
106. “She was born August 20th, 1720. Till the
day of her death she was not confined to her bed, and on the
anniversary of her 105th birthday entertained a party of her
relatives, who visited her to celebrate it. She lived to
see a numerous progeny of the fifth generation, and at her death
there were living children, grandchildren, great grandchildren,
and great great grandchildren to the number of 121.”
4.—Mr. Daniel Woods, surgeon to the Gressenhall House of
Industry, and to sixteen of the surrounding parishes, was
presented with a piece of plate by the Guardians of the Mitford
and Launditch Hundred in recognition of his efficient services
during the period of 36 years.
8.—The Defiance Swaffham and London day coach was
advertised to run to the Flower Pot Inn, Bishopsgate Street,
every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in twelve hours.
11.—A shooting match for 200 sovereigns commenced at
Holkham between Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., and Capt. Ross.
Conditions: to shoot partridges; to toss for choice of ground on
first day and exchange grounds on the second day; to load own
guns and bag own game; and to have no other beaters than the
dogs. On the first day Mr. Coke killed 54 and Capt. Ross 40
brace. The second day’s shooting took place on the
14th, when Capt. Ross had men to mark, beat, and pick up
game. At the first day’s shooting, it was alleged,
Mr. Coke inadvertently broke the rules of the match.
Explanations followed, and bets were declared off.
17.—The Rev. T. D. Atkinson, St. Mary’s, Thetford,
was presented with a piece of plate by the parishioners,
churchwardens, and others in recognition of his unwearied zeal as
“a most exemplary parish priest.”
20.—Messrs. Pettet’s Session Week Concerts at
Norwich Theatre and the Hall Concert Room, St. George’s,
commenced on this date. The principal vocalists were Mr.
Phillips and Madame Caradori; leader of the band, Mr. Mori.
—Died at his house, St. Clement’s, Norwich, aged
83, Dr. James Alderson. The funeral took place on October
27 in the Gildencroft burial-ground belonging to the Society of
Friends.
20.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehall,
Norwich, under the presidency of the High Sheriff, at which it
was decided to petition Parliament “for the immediate
mitigation of slavery throughout the British Colonies, and for
its extinction at the earliest safe and practicable period in
compliance with the resolutions of the House of Commons in May,
1823.”—The petition, which was presented in the House
of Commons by Mr. Edmond Wodehouse on March 1st, 1826, received
17,125 signatures, and was 82 yards in length.
22.—Mr. James Vining, formerly of the Norwich Company,
appeared at the Haymarket Theatre in the character of Octavian
(“The Mountaineers”), and was favourably
received.
23.—The Baron Von Bülan gave an address at the Old
Meeting House, Norwich, as agent for a Continental society
“for the distribution of Bibles and Christian instruction
where Popery and infidelity prevail.”
25.—The Magnet coach from London to Norwich was
accidentally overturned in passing through the Eldon gate at
Thetford, and one of the passengers, a widow from Hargham, was
crushed to death by the vehicle falling upon her.
26.—Died at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, aged 59,
Lieut.-Col. Sir Thomas Pate Hankin, commanding the Scots
Greys. He joined the regiment as cornet, July 21st, 1795;
was promoted lieutenant, August 13th, 1796; captain, October
18th, 1798; major, April 4th, 1808; lieutenant-colonel in the
Army, June 4th, 1814; and lieutenant-colonel commanding the
regiment, October 11th, 1821. He was with that
distinguished corps at the battle of Waterloo, when he received a
severe wound in the knee. Previous to entering the Army he
was a surgeon at Upwell in this county, and afterwards captain of
the grenadier company of the Middlesex Militia. Sir Thomas
was buried with military honours in the north transept of Norwich
Cathedral on November 2nd.
3.—Thorogood, the driver of “The Times”
coach, gave up the reins on this date, having held them since
July 14th, 1822, “during which time he drove the coach
every day to and from the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, and the Swan
with Two Necks, Lad Lane, London, a distance of 116 miles without
any accident of consequence, a task which we believe was never
before performed by any man. In the above space of time he
travelled 182,352 miles, independent of the distance he regularly
walked, which could not have been less than a mile each day, as
he always slept at the Blue Boar, Aldgate, when in London, and at
the Bell, Orford Hill, when in Norwich.” Thorogood
married on November 8th Miss M. Westall, of London.
4.—H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, who was staying with
Admiral Windham at Felbrigg, visited Cromer, when the inhabitants
removed the horses from his carriage and dragged it through the
town.
7.—According to annual custom, a grand battue
took place at Holkham, when upwards of 700 head of game were
shot. “Game has not
been found so plentiful as in former seasons. The
deficiency was in hares, of which not more than 220 have been
shot in one day. In previous years upwards of 500 hares
have been killed in the park in one day.”
12.—The Norwich Society “for promoting the
immediate mitigation and final abolition of slavery” was
established at a meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall, under
the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. T. S. Day).
14.—Married at Minto, Roxburghshire, Mr. J. P. Boileau,
jun., eldest son of Mr. J. P. Boileau, of Mortlake, and of
Tacolneston Hall, to Lady Catherine Elliott, daughter of the Earl
of Minto.
—Swaffham Coursing Meeting commenced with a very small
attendance. “We have to regret the retirement of Lord
Rivers, whose advanced age and infirm state of health have
obliged him to relinquish his favourite pursuits. The
superior greyhounds his lordship used to bring secured him the
victory in almost every match he made—indeed, he was
allowed to possess the best breed of greyhounds in the
kingdom. The noble lord, during has coursing career, has
been the winner of fourteen cups, and is the only member since
the establishment of the Swaffham Coursing Meeting in 1779 who
has won five cups at Swaffham, and this during the last eleven
years, his lordship first entering in 1813. His greyhounds
sold at Tattersall’s in May last for 1,029 guineas; with
seven horses and two dog carts the amount was brought up to
1,339½ guineas, which sum his lordship generously
presented to his servants. One dog, Rex, who has never been
beaten, and also a bitch, as companion to this nonpariel, are
retained by Lord Rivers as a memento of his celebrated
kennel.”
21.—A meeting of the Norwich and Norfolk Law Library was
held at the Guildhall, Norwich, at which were adopted the rules
and regulations drawn up by a committee appointed on December
3rd, 1824. The books were ordered to be deposited in a room
in Institution Court, Upper Haymarket.
23.—The Norwich Association for Assisting in the
Detection and Prosecution of Criminal Offenders was instituted at
a meeting held at the Guildhall.
26.—A meeting was held at the Angel Inn, Norwich, at
which an association was formed for the protection of
agriculture. It was known as the East Norfolk Agricultural
Society, and Mr. Jehosaphat Postle was elected president.
—A corn market was re-established at
Wells-next-the-Sea.
28.—The first annual meeting of subscribers to the
Norfolk and Norwich Museum was held at the Guildhall, under the
presidency of Sir James E. Smith. Rules for the management
of the institution were adopted.
30.—St. Andrew’s Day was celebrated by the Scots
Greys at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich. A soldier dressed
as St. Andrew was escorted from the city boundary to the barracks
by a party of forty troopers in Highland dress, who called at the
house of the Mayor, in Pottergate Street, and danced a
reel. The festival was afterwards kept in a convivial
manner at the barracks.
9.—Mr. De Hague’s portrait, painted by Sir William
Beechey, was hung in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.
12.—Died, aged 83, Mr. Burks, one of the proprietors of
the “Norwich Mercury.”
16.—Messrs. T. H. and W. Day, of the Norwich and
Swaffham Bank, announced that they were compelled to suspend
their payments. On the 17th it was made known that a docket
had been struck preparatory to a commission of bankruptcy being
issued against the firm.—Messrs. Fincham’s Bank at
Diss stopped payment at about the same date owing to the sudden
death of Mr. Benjamin Fincham on November 19th, but was re-opened
on January 9th, 1826.
20.—The Rev. Robert Forby, rector of Fincham, was found
drowned in his bath. It was supposed that he was seized
with sudden faintness while bathing.
27.—Died at Tittleshall parsonage, the Rev. Dixon Hoste,
aged 76, for many years an acting magistrate in the Hundred of
Launditch.
28.—A public meeting at Lynn approved a plan for
constructing a bridge and embankment over the Cross Keys Wash, in
order to establish direct communication between the whole of
Norfolk and part of Suffolk with Lincolnshire and the north of
England.
31.—Wombwell exhibited his menagerie on the Castle Hill,
Norwich, and advertised as an attraction “the two
unequalled lions, Nero and Wallace, the same who fought and
conquered the dogs at Warwick.”
7.—In consequence of continued applications for relief
by the unemployed weavers, &c., the Norwich Court of
Guardians increased the mulct for the ensuing quarter
£3,000—an addition to the rates of 2s. in the
pound.—On January 12th a Crape Ball, at which the lady
patronesses wore white Norwich crape, other ladies scarlet
geranium-coloured Norwich crapes, and gentlemen waistcoats of
plain white shawl with shawl pattern border as part of their
evening dress, was held at the Assembly Room for the purpose of
promoting a fund for the relief of the poor, and produced a clear
profit of £79. The fund was formally inaugurated at a
public meeting held at the Guildhall on January 16th, and upwards
of £5,000 was afterwards subscribed.—The Paving Act
Commissioners on January 24th decided to macadamise Ber Street in
order to afford relief work, and in March the manufacturers, with
the same object, commenced making bombazetts and twilled stuffs,
articles that were entirely new to Norwich. On March 10th
the governors of the Bank of England granted to the manufacturers
the loan of £80,000 for four months at the rate of five per cent. per annum; and on May 15th application
was made to the committee in London for the relief of distressed
manufactures, who granted £600 to the unemployed weavers,
still numbering several thousands.—The Court of Guardians
on July 4th increased the mulct for the ensuing quarter to
£15,000; and in August offered to obtain employment for a
considerable number of distressed weavers if they would consent
to a slight reduction of wages. The men declined the offer
because the manufacturers refused to guarantee that they would
not send work into the country. During the remaining
portion of the year employment continued to be scarce.
14.*—“Mr. W. E. L. Bulwer, of Heydon Hall, has
lately been presented by his tenants with a piece of plate, of
the value of 500 guineas, as a testimony of their respect and
esteem for his general good conduct, and especially as a mark of
gratitude for his disinterested generosity during the late
agricultural distresses.”
18.—Died at Yarmouth, John Joy, for 30 years guard of
the mail coach to London. “He has left three sons,
two of whom, since the death of Serres, are said to be the first
marine painters in the kingdom.”
26.—A great skating match at Wisbech, in which all the
principal fen skaters took part, was won by Farrow, of
Nordelph.
31.—A large number of weavers caused a riot in Norwich,
and destroyed a carrier’s cart which was conveying into the
country materials for manufacturing purposes. On February
1st the mob stopped all country carts and seized what
manufacturing articles were found upon them, broke the windows of
several factories, and became so aggressive that the Scots Greys
were called out to quell the disturbance. The rioting was
resumed on February 13th, when many citizens were sworn in as
special constables, and after the Riot Act had been read the
cavalry cleared the streets.
4.*—“Died at a rustic and old habitation on
Kettlestone Common, at the age of 99, Robert Pamell, an honest
husbandman, who, until he was 93, never took relief from the
parish. He had frequently said he never recollected having
taken physic in his life.”
9.—The Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Bill was
introduced into the House of Commons and read a first time; it
passed its second reading on February 17th, and on February 27th
petitions were presented against the measure from the Corporation
of Yarmouth and the owners of estates, and in its favour from the
inhabitants of Lowestoft and the Port Reeve and inhabitants of
Beccles. On April 10th a Committee of the House proceeded
to take evidence, and after a sitting of 18 days 20 votes were
given for the Bill and 25 against. The result of the
Parliamentary proceedings gave rise to great rejoicings at
Yarmouth, where, on May 18th, a dinner was held to celebrate the
defeat of the Bill.—On August 8th the Haven and Pier
Commissioners received a deputation from the Norwich and
Lowestoft Navigation Committee, and a conference was held.
Further discussion was deferred until September 5th.—On
August 26th the county magistrates
held a meeting at the Norwich Shirehall, and resolved that it was
desirable that Norwich be made a port through Yarmouth, and
requested the Haven and Pier Commissioners to continue
negociations with the Norwich Joint Stock Company.—At the
adjourned meeting on September 5th the negociations fell through
owing to the strong opposition manifested by the traders and
merchants of Yarmouth. The Navigation Company, on September
29th, decided to revive the Lowestoft scheme, to execute the work
for a sum not exceeding £100,000, and to apply for a Bill
in the next Session of Parliament. On November 22nd a
petition was presented in the House of Commons for leave to bring
in the Bill, and was referred to Committee. At a public
meeting at Yarmouth on November 28th, it was resolved to exercise
every influence to bring about the defeat of the
measure.—The Bill was read a first time in the House of
Commons on November 29th.
12.—Died at his house in St. Giles’, the Rev.
Charles John Chapman, B.D., upper minister of St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich. He was educated at the Norwich Free Grammar
School, under the Rev. Dr. Parr, and at the University of
Cambridge, and was some time fellow of Corpus Christi
College.
13.—Capt. Parry, R.N., was presented with the freedom of
Lynn “in testimony of his meritorious and enterprising
conduct in his several voyages of discovery.” On the
15th the Corporation gave a dinner in his honour at the Town
Hall.
14.—Died, Mrs. Mary Seaman, of Norwich, aged 100.
23.—The Scots Greys marched from Norwich for
Liverpool.
3.—The 1st Dragoon Guards marched into Norwich.
9.—At a meeting of the county magistrates, held at the
Shirehall, Norwich, a letter from the Secretary of State was read
on the subject of the removal of the Lent Assizes from Thetford
to Norwich. It was agreed to answer the various objections
it contained, and to strongly urge the removal of the
Assizes.—The Grand Jury at Norwich Assizes on July 22nd
made a presentment of the grievance from which the city suffered
in the absence of a second gaol delivery in the course of the
year.
18.*—“Died lately in London, aged 62, Mr. Henry
Smith, of Ellingham Hall, who for 29 years held the situation of
solicitor to the East India Dock Company, and clerk of the
Drapers’ Company. Mr. Smith some time ago represented
the borough of Colne in Parliament.”
25.—Between 60 and 70 friends of Mr. Cobbett dined at
the Bowling Green Inn, Norwich, under the presidency of Sir
Thomas Beevor. Mr. Cobbett was present, and replied to the
toast of “Our Guest,” proposed by Sir Thomas.
27.—The new Theatre at Norwich was opened with the
performance of “The School for Scandal” and of the
farce “Youth, Love, and Folly.” The proceedings
commenced with the singing of the National Anthem by the whole of
the company, after which the leading actor, Mr.
Osbaldiston, delivered an address, “written by a young lady
of this city for the occasion.” On the previous
Saturday evening (March 25th) the patentee, Mr. Wilkins,
entertained a party of 150 ladies and gentlemen in the green room
of the Theatre. The High Sheriff (Col. Harvey) proposed
“Success to the new Theatre,” “which the guests
readily pledged in glasses of sparkling champagne,” and the
evening concluded with a dance upon the stage.
11.—Died at her house, Rue Neuve du Luxembourg, Paris,
Madame De Bardelin, wife of Monsieur le Chevalier Laget De
Bardelin, Officier Supérieur, Lieutenant des Gardes du
Corps du Roy. “Madame De Bardelin was well known and
highly respected by many distinguished families in Norwich and
Norfolk, where, when she was Miss Sutton, she resided for a
considerable time.”
14.—A squadron of 1st King’s Dragoon Guards left
Norwich for Leeds, and on the same day the depot of the 40th (2nd
Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot arrived in the city and occupied
the Cavalry Barracks.
20.—Mr. Osbaldiston took leave of the Norwich stage in
the part of Virginius, and proceeded to the Haymarket Theatre,
London.
30.—The large east window of Norwich Cathedral was
exposed to view after restoration. “The central light
formerly comprised the Transfiguration, after Raphael, painted by
the lady of the late Dean Lloyd, with varnished colours, but
these not having been burnt in were after a time entirely
dissipated. The same subject has now been re-executed in
vitrified colours from the picture by Julio Romano, in the
possession of Mr. W. Wilkins. To that ingenious artist, Mr.
Zobel (in the employment of Mr. Yarrington, of Norwich), we offer
our congratulations on the success of his undertaking.”
1.—Mr. Barton, from the Bristol Theatre, who succeeded
Mr. Osbaldiston as the tragedian of the Norwich Company, made his
first appearance in the part of Hamlet. “The thanks
of the pure lovers of the stage are due to Mr. Chippendale for
not playing the grave-digger in the traditionary number of
waistcoats.”
4.—Major Jonathan Peel, son of Sir Robert Peel, and
brother of the Right Hon. Robert Peel, Secretary of State for the
Home Department, issued his address as candidate for Norwich in
the “Purple and Orange” interest.
17.—Mr. William Smith issued his address as candidate
for Norwich in the “Blue and White” interest.
“I regret,” he wrote, “that practices exist
against which I have frequently and earnestly remonstrated; not
only in private, but before thousands of you assembled I have
openly protested against the right of any man to call for a
reform in Parliament who accepted any reward for his own
vote.”
18.—Died at his lodging at Yarmouth, aged 86, Mr. Roger
Hays, of Norwich, formerly captain in the 11th Light Dragoons,
and many years adjutant of the 3rd or East
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry. He entered the Army in 1760, and
was on duty with the Household troops at the coronation of George
III.
19.—The several troops of the 3rd Norfolk Yeomanry
Cavalry, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Harvey, completed 28
days’ permanent duty at Norwich, and were inspected at Mile
End by Major Rutledge, 6th Carabineers.
9.—Mr. William Smith, the former member, and Major Peel
were returned unopposed for Norwich. A Mr. Morrison had
been invited to contest the seat as a third candidate, but
excused himself on the ground that he was already nominated for
Great Marlow. It was by the extreme section of the
“Blue and White” party that Mr. Morrison’s
services were sought. Failing in this they nominated Mr. R.
H. Gurney, but it being represented to the Sheriff that he would
not consent, the nomination was withdrawn.
—Yarmouth Election: the Hon. George Anson, 645; Mr. C.
E. Rumbold, 649; Sir E. K. Lacon, 250.
10.—Lynn Election: The Hon. John Walpole, 199; Lord
William Bentinck, 174; Sir W. B. ffolkes, 104.
—*“Died a few days since at Hampstead, in
Berkshire, Mrs. Brunton, widow of the late Mr. John Brunton, of
Norwich.”
12.—Lord Charles Fitz Roy and Mr. William Bingham Baring
were returned unopposed for Thetford.
—Lord H. Cholmondeley and Col. the Hon. F. G. Howard
were returned unopposed for Castle Rising.
—The portrait of Mr. J. S. Patteson, by Beechey, and of
Mr. William Simpson, Chamberlain of the city and Treasurer of the
county, by Phillips, R.A., were hung in St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich.
14.—The Wesleyan Methodists of Norwich presented to the
Rev. William Gilpin, superintendent of the Norwich circuit, a
pair of silver cups as a token of gratitude and esteem. The
inscriptions were surmounted by engraved representations of
Calvert Street and St. Peter’s Chapels, both of which were
erected under Mr. Gilpin’s superintendence, the former in
1819 and the latter in 1824.
—The first laden wherries proceeded along the North
Walsham and Dilham Canal from Wayford Bridge to Mr.
Cubitt’s mill at North Walsham, with music playing and
flags flying. “Thousands of spectators assembled to
witness this interesting scene, and the day finished with a
plentiful treat to the workmen of Mr. Sharpe’s strong ale
and Barclay’s brown stout.”
19.—Mr. T. W. Coke and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse were
returned unopposed for Norfolk. “At Mr.
Walter’s house on the Gentleman’s Walk, Lady Anne
Coke, with her two lovely children, presented herself at the
windows, and was greeted with loud acclaims by Mr. Coke’s
friends. When the hon. member himself passed the spot our
venerable Lord Bishop was holding the young heir of Holkham in
his arms, and each time that his father was triumphantly thrown
up in his chair the plaudits were renewed with an enthusiasm
which must have been truly grateful to his parental
feelings.”
20.—Guild Day at Norwich was observed with the
customary formalities. Mr. Ed. Temple Booth having
been sworn in as Mayor, the Right Hon. Robert Peel, Secretary of
State for the Home Department, and his brother, Major Peel, M.P.,
took the oath as freemen of the city. The Guild feast,
given at St. Andrew’s Hall, was attended by 650 guests, and
the ball at Chapel Field House by 300.
21.—Messrs. Charles and George Green ascended in their
balloon from the gasworks at Lynn in the presence of 15,000
spectators, and descended at Southery, near Downham Market.
4.—A meeting of the “Blue and White” freemen
was held at the Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, under the presidency
of Mr. William Smith, M.P., at which was formed the Norwich Union
Independent Society. Its object was “to promote the
purity of election.”
8.—Died at Dublin, aged 24, Lieut. Henry Francis Bell,
58th Regiment of Foot, grandson of Mr. Henry Bell, of
Wallington. He was accidentally shot by a recruit while at
practice with ball cartridge.
10.—Great rejoicings took place at Cromer on the coming
of age of the heir of Felbrigg. The horses were removed
from Mr. Windham’s carriage, which was dragged through the
streets of the town. “Fourteen barrels of strong ale
and porter having been placed on a pleasant eminence on the road
to Felbrigg, thirteen were broached and distributed among the
company, and the remaining barrel was given to the poor of
Cromer. A ball was held at Felbrigg Hall in the
evening.”
13.—In the Rolls Court Lord Gifford delivered judgment
in the tithe case Bayley v. Sewell. The plaintiff
was the lessee of the impropriate rectory of Wymondham, and the
defendant the occupier of certain farms called the Great Park
Farm and the Little Park Farm, which had been purchased upwards
of 200 years previously by Sir Henry Hobart, the then Lord Chief
Justice of Common Pleas, as tithe free, subject only to the
demand of a modus of £1 6s. 8d. in respect of the
Great Park and of 13s. 4d. in respect of the Little Park.
This suit was instituted for the purpose of compelling payment of
tithes in respect of both farms; and at the Norfolk Summer
Assizes in 1825 the jury found for the plaintiff. Lord
Gifford, in his judgment, established the two ancient
moduses which exempted the properties from the payment of
tithes.
15.—The discontinuance of Magdalen Fair, Norwich, was
announced in the following official
notice:—“Sprowston, July 15th, 1826. Whereas it
has been represented to the executors and trustees of the estate
of the late Thomas Woodruffe Smith, Esq., lord of the manor of
Sprowston and lord of the fair called Mary Magdalene Fair, yearly
held at Sprowston in the Hundred of Taverham in the county of
Norfolk, that divers tumults and riotous proceedings have taken
place at the above fair to the terror and fear of the lives of
the peaceable inhabitants of the said parish, and great nuisances
and depredations have been committed on their property, notice is
hereby given to all dealers and chapmen and all persons whatever
who have usually resorted thereto, that no fair will
be held this year on the 2nd day of August or any subsequent day
at Sprowston aforesaid, nor again in future, and any person or
persons who may, after this notice, be found trespassing on the
lands where the fair has been usually held, or on any other lands
adjoining, or obstructing the public roads in Sprowston
aforesaid, will be dealt with according to law. By order of
the said Trustees, Lords of the Manor of Sprowston.—Thomas
Sayer, Bailiff.”
15.—A fine vessel called the Rapid, upwards of 160 tons,
was launched from Mr. Preston’s yard at Yarmouth.
22.—A historical play entitled “Viriatus, the
Lusitanian Hero,” written by Mr. Thwaites, jun., of
Norwich, a member of the Norwich Company, was produced at the
Theatre for the first time, and “was received with great
approbation.”
30.—A singular phenomenon was witnessed at Cromer.
“The lighthouse hill and adjacent heights were literally
covered with myriads of the insect called Lady Bird of an
unusually large sort.”
7.—The prisoners at the old City Gaol at Norwich were
removed to the new Gaol at St. Giles’ Gates.
28.—Ten thousand persons were attracted to the
neighbourhood of St. James’s Hill, Norwich, to witness the
performances of “Signor Carlo Cram Villecrop, the
celebrated Swiss Mountain Flyer from Geneva and Mont
Blanc,” who was to exhibit “with the Tyrolese pole,
50 feet long, the most astonishing gymnastic flights never before
witnessed in this country.” It was a hoax.
29.—The election of the freemen’s Sheriff at
Norwich was attended with great excitement. The candidates
were Mr. J. Bennett and Mr. T. O. Springfield.
“Complimentary half-crowns were paid to the ‘friends
of independence,’” and it was mentioned as a
circumstance highly creditable to the poor freemen of the
“Purple and Orange” interest, that “they
contented themselves with a fee of 5s. each from their own
party.” The poll was declared as follows: Bennett,
1,164; Springfield, 1,079.
—The North Walsham and Dilham Canal was formally opened
by a grand procession of vessels which started from Wayford
Bridge accompanied by a band of music and filled with company,
among whom were Lord Suffield and many of the principal residents
in the district. At Antingham the company landed, formed in
procession, and marched to North Walsham, where a dinner was held
at the King’s Arms Inn, under the presidency of Col. the
Hon. John Wodehouse.
4.—The Ven. Archdeacon Oldershaw preached at Pulham
Market church on the occasion of the opening of the newly-erected
organ, built by Mr. Bullen, “an ingenious mechanic of that
place.”
9.*—“The aged inhabitants residing in the
alms-houses in St. Gregory’s, bequeathed by Alderman Thomas
Pye to the poor people belonging to St. Giles’, were
removed this week into their newly-erected and comfortable
dwellings in West Pottergate Street.”
13.—A man named Gibson, for a wager of £50,
undertook to walk from Norwich to Yarmouth in seven and a half
hours carrying £4 worth of copper coins, weighing four
stones four pounds. He started from Bishop Bridge at five
o’clock in the morning, accomplished the first twelve miles
in three hours, and arrived at Yarmouth half an hour within the
stipulated time.
18.—A prize fight, “one of those revolting scenes,
which are equally an outrage on every feeling of humanity as well
as a scandal to civilised society,” took place at
Bramerton. The combatants were prevented by a magistrate
from bringing off the affair at Surlingham; and the parish
constable at Bramerton on attempting to stop the fight was almost
killed in the execution of his duty.
5.—Joseph Wiggins, driver of the Norwich Phenomena
coach, was fined at Ixworth in the mitigated penalty of £90
for having 36 head of partridges in his possession, contrary to
the statute 5 Anne c. 14, s. 2.
11.—Died in Goat Lane, Norwich, aged 75, Mr. John
Reynolds, who served the office of Sheriff in 1796.
17.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions a committee of justices
reported that the Bridewell was “insufficient,
inconvenient, and inadequate to give effect to the rules and
regulations enforced in recent legislation, and it was necessary
from the increased number of commitments to such Bridewell that
some other and more commodious building should be erected or
substituted.”
19.—A meeting was held at the Angel Inn, Norwich, under
the presidency of Mr. Unthank, at which was passed a resolution
to the effect “that by the present mode of electing
Guardians the great body of the payers of the poor-rates are
entirely unrepresented, that the extraordinary increase in the
poor-rates of the city within the last six months has caused the
greatest alarm and demands the strictest scrutiny, and that it is
desirable a Bill should be brought in to amend the present Court
of Guardians Act so far as to the choosing members of the
Court.” A petition embodying the principle of this
resolution was ordered to be presented to the House of
Commons.
21.—Died, Mr. John Ansell, plumber and glazier, St. John
Maddermarket, who served the offer of Sheriff of Norwich in
1806.
—At about this date large numbers of people assembled
nightly on Orford Hill, Norwich, to watch for a
“ghost” which was said to haunt the premises of a Mr.
Hart. Martin, a police officer, examined some unoccupied
premises adjoining, and discovered a hiding-place which had
evidently been used by the person who had annoyed Mr.
Hart’s family.
—Mr. Stone, the County Surveyor, was reported to have
“discovered rooms and passages within the walls of the Keep
of Norwich Castle which have been unknown since
it has become a county gaol, a period of nearly 500
years.”
22.—The Friends’ Meeting House in Goat Lane,
Norwich, erected on the site of the old Meeting House demolished
in 1825, was opened for public worship. The architect was
Mr. Patience, and the builder, Mr. John Bensley.
28.—At the adjourned Quarter Sessions at Norwich, Mr.
Alderman Crisp Brown made serious allegations as to the way in
which the contractors for the new Gaol had done their work.
The court appointed Mr. Nicholls, of London, to survey the
work. Vestry meetings were held in St. Giles’, St.
Peter Mancroft, St. Andrew’s, and St. Julian’s, at
which resolutions were adopted expressing approval of Mr.
Brown’s action. On May 12th, 1827, it was announced
that Mr. Nicholls had awarded the sum of £1,552 to the
contractors over and above the balance previously due to
them.
5.—A great part of the premises erected on the site of
the old alms-houses, adjoining the Friends’ Meeting House,
Goat Lane, Norwich, fell with a tremendous crash.
11.*—“Mr. W. Wilkins has received another
testimony to his ability as an architect in the preference given
to his design for the London University.”
—Died at Brundall, aged 72, Mr. Elisha De Hague, Town
Clerk of Norwich, to which office he was elected on August 8th,
1792, on the death of his father.
18.*—“An intelligent mercantile gentleman from
Russia, who landed at Yarmouth, with whom we had some
conversation on the subject of the free admission of foreign corn
into this country, gave it as his opinion that the fears
entertained here by the landed interest of excessive
importations, at least for some time to come, are quite
groundless. He admitted, however, that in eight or ten
years, from the encouragement we shall have given to the foreign
grower by our free trade system, if it should be extended to
corn, abundant supplies may be expected. What will
then be the state of the agriculture of this
country by no means too flourishing now may be easily
imagined.”
21.—At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich,
Mr. William Simpson, for 34 years Chamberlain, was elected Town
Clerk and Clerk of the Peace, and steward of the several manors
belonging to the Corporation, in the room of Mr. Elisha De Hague,
deceased.
25.—A county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich,
for the twofold purpose of opposing the Bill presented to
Parliament for the appointment of district surveyors of highways,
and of expressing dissent from the practice which prevailed at
the Shirehall of conducting county business with closed
doors. With regard to the first subject a resolution was
passed stating that the county-rate had increased from
£7,200 to £20,400 in twenty years, and that it was
undesirable to increase it by making the proposed
appointments. It was decided to take counsel’s
opinion upon the other matter. (See January 12th,
1827.)
27.—The Rev. William Whitear, rector of Starston,
met with his death under singular circumstances. He had
gone out with a party to apprehend poachers; the party divided
themselves into two bodies, and on proceeding to the place where
it had been agreed upon to reassemble, Mr. Whitear was mistaken
for a poacher and shot in the right side by another of the party,
a young man named Thomas Pallant. He died from the effects
of the wound on December 10th, and Pallant was committed for
trial on the charge of manslaughter. The case was tried at
the Norfolk Assizes at Thetford before Mr. Justice Gaselee, on
March 26th, 1827, when the accused was acquitted. “He
was so seriously affected during the trial that before its
conclusion he became quite insensible, and was taken home in that
state.”
2.*—[Advt.] “Whereas a report was very
generally circulated last week, and in a great measure obtained
credit, that the body of William Tounshend, which was buried at
Lakenham, on Sunday, November 19th, had been disinterred and
taken away, we, the undersigned, have investigated the matter and
certify the following statement to be correct:—The
relatives of the deceased being much affected at such a report
and naturally anxious to ascertain the truth of it, made
application to have the grave examined. After due
deliberation upon the subject permission was granted for that
purpose. The grave was opened on Saturday last in the
presence of them, together with us, when it was discovered that
the body reposed in its peaceful abode undisturbed. We
consider it to be our duty to give this public contradiction to
so groundless and scandalous a report, in order thereby to
satisfy the minds of the parishioners and the public at
large.—George Carter, vicar; Hunton Jackson, William
Norman, churchwardens; Lakenham Vestry, November 26th.”
6.—At a meeting of the Norwich Corporation, Mr. Robert
Alderson was elected Recorder in place of Mr. C. S. Onley,
resigned. “Mr. Alderson, though only what is
technically termed an ‘utter barrister,’ is now the
Recorder of three Corporations, namely, Norwich, Yarmouth, and
Ipswich. An ‘utter barrister’ (according to
Bailey) is a young lawyer admitted to plead at the Bar, or a
person well schooled in the common law who is called from
contemplation to practice.”
8.—At a special court of the Corporation of Guardians,
Norwich, Mr. Roger Kerrison, solicitor, was elected clerk in the
room of Mr. William Simpson, resigned.
—Died at Holkham, aged 90, William Jones, for upwards of
50 years huntsman and principal stable servant in the Coke
family. “On his death-bed he was seen by Mr. Coke,
who took with him the young heir of Holkham, to shake his
faithful old servant by the hand. Lady Anne Coke, Lady
Anson, and all the family at Holkham showed every possible
kindness and attention to the venerable and much-respected old
man.”
11.—A serious poaching affray took place in Heydon Woods
between a band of 25 poachers and about 20 keepers and
watchers. The Hon. George Edwards (a son of Lord
Kensington), who accompanied the keepers,
was knocked down by a stone, and shot while upon the
ground. At the Norfolk Assizes, held at Thetford on March
26th, 1827, before Mr. Justice Gaselee, 13 persons were indicted
in connection with the affair. Sentences of death passed
upon them were commuted to terms of transportation.
12.—Mr. Isaac Preston was elected Steward of Norwich in
room of Mr. Robert Alderson, appointed Recorder.
14.—A meeting of the Hundred of Eynsford was held at the
Swan Inn, Reepham, at which it was decided to petition Parliament
against any alteration in the Corn Laws. Similar petitions
were adopted by almost every Hundred in the county.
17.—The depôt of the 40th Regiment of Foot marched
from Norwich for Bradford.
6.—Mons. Louis, a native of Lorraine, 26 years of age,
seven feet six inches in height, was exhibited at the Angel Inn,
Norwich.
7.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the death of
H.R.H. the Duke of York, and the great bell of St. Peter
Mancroft, and the bells of other churches in the city, were
tolled for two hours. On Saturday, the 13th, the day of the
funeral, “all the shops in Norwich were kept as closely
shut as on the Sabbath”; the Mayor and Corporation attended
service at the Cathedral; and funeral sermons were preached at
many of the parish churches and city chapels.
11.—A meeting of the Norfolk Cricket Club was held at
Norwich, when rules were adopted. It was agreed to play
four matches during the year, one on each of the four grounds to
be established by the club in the neighbourhood of Norwich,
Yarmouth, Swaffham, and Gunton. Rule 20 provided that
members, clergymen excepted, should wear at the annual meetings
the uniform dress—“a dark blue coat with buttons
lettered ‘N.C.C.,’ with white waistcoat,
&c.” Mr. Philip Gurdon, of Letton, was elected
treasurer.
12.—A bull driven along St. Martin’s Street,
Norwich, entered the Bess of Bedlam public-house, and rushing
upstairs made its way into a room where a musical party was
held. The animal was dislodged with great difficulty.
—At a meeting of the county magistrates the question of
the conduct of business was discussed. Several magistrates
resisted the idea that the public had a right to claim admission,
and it was agreed that the proceedings be read in the lower court
at the close of each meeting, and “such of them as appeared
advisable be advertised in the newspapers.”
13.—Very severe weather was experienced in
Norfolk. The thermometer on this date registered 14 degrees
below freezing point. A heavy
fall of snow on the 15th impeded coach traffic in the
neighbourhood of Swaffham. “Many hundreds of rabbits
perished in the Thetford and Brandon districts through being out
in search of food and unable to find their burrows
again.”
26.—A severe storm occurred on the Norfolk coast.
Four vessels drove from their anchors and stranded on Yarmouth
beach; and a brig was wrecked on Happisburgh sands. The
whole of her crew perished.
29.—On November 28th, 1826, three candidates were
nominated for the office of City Chamberlain at Norwich, of whom
Mr. James Goodwin had the majority in the Court of Aldermen and
Mr. Beckwith in the Common Council. The assembly broke up
without electing the Chamberlain. On January 29th a special
meeting of the Corporation was held in consequence of the Mayor
having received notice that a rule of the Court of King’s
Bench would be applied for requiring them to shew cause why a
writ of mandamus should not issue commanding them to admit
and swear Mr. Goodwin into the office of Chamberlain and other
offices. It was ordered that cause be shown. On
February 10th the Court of King’s Bench discharged the rule
nisi. At a special meeting of the Corporation on
March 9th, the Town Clerk reported on the result of the motion,
and Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith was then unanimously elected
Chamberlain, and Mr. John Skipper Speaker of the Common Council,
in place of Mr. Beckwith. A new Council was elected in
April, and at a special assembly on May 16th, Mr. Beckwith was
requested to leave the room. The Speaker, Mr. J. S.
Parkinson (who had been elected in place of Mr. Skipper),
declined to recognise Mr. Beckwith as Chamberlain. Mr.
Goodwin was then proposed, and elected to the office. At a
Council meeting on June 7th, Mr. Beckwith took his seat as
Chamberlain, and was asked to retire; he refused, and the beadle
was called in. Mr. Beckwith, addressing that officer, said,
“I give you notice, if you lay your hands on me you do so
at your peril.” One of the members remarked that if
the beadle did not turn him out they would. Mr. Beckwith
was then led out by the beadle, and the incident terminated.
2.—A fine specimen of the sea eagle (falco
ossifragus) was shot near Fritton Decoy. It measured
from tip to tip of its wings seven feet nine inches, and was
presented to the Norwich Museum.
5.—Four thousand weavers met at Ranelagh Gardens,
Norwich, and passed resolutions protesting against the action of
certain manufacturers in reducing the rate of wages without
consulting other employers, and requesting the Mayor to summon a
meeting of the masters to shew cause why the reduction had been
made. On the 12th a procession of 600 operatives, headed by
a man carrying a loaf of bread draped in black crape, passed
through the streets of the city. A petition to Parliament
was prepared, in favour of an Act to regulate the price of
labour. The petition was presented in the House of Commons
on May 30th, by Mr. William Smith.
12.—The last stage of the agitation for making Norwich a
port was commenced on this date, when Major Peel presented a
petition in the House of Commons from the Mayor,
Aldermen, and inhabitants of Norwich in favour of the Norwich and
Lowestoft Navigation Bill. The Bill having been read a
second time, entered the Committee stage on February 21st, when
Mr. Alderson opened the case on behalf of the promoters; the
examination of their witnesses concluded on Feb. 27th. The
case for the opposition was commenced on the same day, and the
evidence concluded on March 7th. In the division on the
question “that the preamble of this Bill is proved,”
there were 25 ayes and 5 noes. Peals were rung on the
church bells at Norwich when intelligence was received, on March
8th, that the Bill had passed through Committee, and Mr. Crisp
Brown, on his return from London, on the 9th, was met at St.
Stephen’s Gates by a large number of citizens, who, headed
by a band of music, drew his carriage to his residence in King
Street. On March 11th the Bill was reported to the House,
and on the 22nd it was read a third time and passed. On the
same evening it was read a first time in the House of Lords; it
passed its second reading on March 26th, and was referred to
Committee, who took evidence on May 7th, and on the 22nd it was
read a third time and carried without opposition. The news
of the final success of the measure was received in Norwich with
great rejoicing. On the 23rd a procession was organized to
meet the promoters on their arrival from town. The Times
coach, by which they travelled, was met at Harford Bridges, and
at St. Stephen’s Gates the horses were removed from the
vehicle, which was dragged in triumph through the city, preceded
by bands of music and by men carrying models of ships and naval
emblems. At night a bonfire was lighted in the centre of
the Market Place, and was fed with wooden spouts, palings, and
watch-boxes. Some of the ringleaders were lodged in clink,
but their comrades rescued them and threw the clink doors upon
the bonfire. Sheep were roasted in Ber Street and Bishop
Street. The Bill received the Royal assent on May
28th. The first meeting of the proprietors of the Norwich
and Lowestoft Navigation Company was held at the Guildhall, on
July 3rd, when Col. Harvey presided. Mr. Edmund Newton was
appointed clerk, Mr. Cubitt engineer, and Messrs. Harvey and
Hudson treasurers. The work of excavation was begun in the
Lowestoft section on September 4th, when Mr. Crisp Brown dug the
first spadeful of earth, and a dinner and aquatic sports were
held to celebrate the event.
17.—Died at Wymondham, aged 69, Mr. Thomas Troughton,
who was Sheriff of Norwich in 1810.
19.—Mr. William Smith, in the House of Commons,
presented a petition from the inhabitants praying leave to bring
in a Bill to regulate the state of the poor in Norwich. The
Norwich Court of Guardians Amendment Bill was brought in and read
a first time on March 1st. On March 24th it was stated that
the promoters of the measure had effected a compromise with the
Court of Guardians as to the proportion of representation;
persons assessed £10 and upwards were to have two votes,
and those above £5 one vote; the Recorder, Steward, and
Aldermen not to be Guardians; the hamlets not to be assessed on
stock, but the proportion of assessment between them and the city
to be five-sixths—i.e., when the city was assessed
1s. the hamlets were to be assessed 10d. The Bill went
through Committee of the House on the 26th, and was reported on
the 28th. It was read a first and second time in the House
of Lords in April, finally passed on May 4th, and
received the Royal assent on May 28th. The first election
under the new Act took place on June 11th, and the first meeting
of the new Court was held on June 20th, when Mr. Anthony Hudson
was elected Governor, and Mr. Joseph Geldart Deputy-Governor.
19.—The Crim. Con. case, Sir Jacob Astley, Bart.,
v. Capt. Garth, was tried in the Court of Common Pleas,
when a verdict was given for the plaintiff, damages one
shilling.
20.—A cricket match was played on the ice at Diss
Mere. It commenced at 10 a.m., and was well contested until
dusk, in the presence of about 1,500 spectators.
24.*—“Died last week, at Kenninghall, aged 105,
Mrs. Sarah Barham.”
—“Died at Yarmouth Mr. Nathan Fenn, in his 101st
year.”
—A detachment of the 12th (Prince of Wales’) Royal
Lancers marched into Norwich Barracks from Hounslow, under the
command of Capt. Cunnyngham.
25.—Died at Norwich, aged 101, Thomas Greenfield,
gardener.
26.—Major Peel presented in the House of Commons a
petition from the Chancellor and Prebendaries of Norwich
Cathedral, and from the Archdeacon and clergy of Norfolk, against
further concessions to the claims of Roman Catholics.
3.—Died at Costessey Hall, the Rev. Lawrence
Strongitharm, aged 31, formerly of the Roman Catholic church, St.
John Maddermarket, Norwich. “To great learning and a
highly gifted mind, to the most elegant and refined manners, and
to the most powerful and commanding eloquence he added a most
fervent and unaffected piety and undying zeal for the furtherance
of religion.” His remains were interred on the 9th,
before the altar in the chapel of St. John Maddermarket.
8.—“Two celebrated amateurs of fashion,” the
Hon. W. Berkeley and the other “a military man,”
appeared in the parts of Othello and Roderigo at Norwich
Theatre. They afterwards appeared as Romeo and Mercutio,
and in other characters.
9.—Died Adam Burrell, many years carrier between
Flitcham and Lynn. “The deceased was rather an
eccentric character, and often designated as ‘Adam
Slow,’ as he usually occupied six or seven hours going from
Flitcham to Lynn, a distance of about 10 miles. He was,
however, a very honest and inoffensive man.”
10.—Particulars were published on this date of the
Norfolk and Norwich Joint Stock Banking Company, of which Mr.
Samuel Bignold was managing director. The capital was
advertised as £200,000, and the bank had branches at Lynn,
Swaffham, Dereham, Foulsham, and Harling.
17.*—[Advt.] “Marshland Shales. The
well-known trotting stallion, Marshland Shales, will be sold by
auction on Tombland Fair-day, unless previously disposed of by
private contract. This is the horse which on August 3rd,
1810, trotted 17 miles in 56 minutes, carrying 12 st. 2 lb., and
was then sold by auction for 305 gs. For particulars apply, if by letter post-paid, to Mr. Moneyment,
veterinary surgeon, Norwich.”
19.—A large portion of the city wall at Richmond Hill
Gardens, Norwich, fell into the Bracondale Road, from the effects
of a violent gale on the 17th.
—Died, aged 59, Mr. Edward Dewing, of Guist. He
was out hunting with his hounds when he was seized with a fit of
apoplexy and dropped from his horse. During a second attack
he expired.
22.—Sixty-five prisoners for trial at the Lent Assizes
at Thetford were escorted from Norwich Castle to that place by
men of the Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry.
31.*—“Lately died at Wicklewood, Mrs. Mary
Spraggs, aged 100.”
—*“Died lately, Mrs. Catherine Mann, aged
102.”
1.—A newly-erected malthouse, belonging to Mr. W. Hardy,
at Letheringsett, was destroyed by fire. The building was
150 feet by 40 feet, and contained 90 last of malt, a
considerable quantity of wool, barley, and empty casks.
“The engine from Holt did not arrive until after the roof
fell in, the people supposing the alarm of fire to be only an
April hoax.”
2.—The annual election of Common Councilmen commenced at
Norwich. “For several years ‘cleansing
week’ has passed off without any serious contests, and the
‘Purple and Orange’ party has held uninterrupted
ascendency in three of the great wards since 1820. All at
once, however, the ‘Blue and Whites’ have roused
themselves from their inaction, and again entering the field of
party warfare, have succeeded in displacing their
opponents. It is useless to deny that the week’s
proceedings have been marked by undisguised bribery and
corruption, and that the object of the triumphant party has
mainly been achieved by superior weight of metal—by dint of
money.”
10.—Died at his residence in London, aged 78, the
Marquis of Cholmondeley, of Houghton Hall, Lord Steward of his
Majesty’s Household, &c.
13.—Died, aged 82, Mr. Daniel Clark, of Norwich.
“He was in the commercial establishment of Messrs. Ives for
nearly 70 years and was justly esteemed in nautical and musical
communities. To the last his song was cheerful and his
convivial good humour unabated, and many a head must lie as low
as his before the name of ‘Admiral’ Clark will be
forgotten, or his memory ceased to be cherished with
respect.”
14.—The Norwich Cricket Club announced that a lease had
been taken of a field at Lakenham, “without Ber Street
Gates, and nearly opposite Lakenham Terrace,” and that the
ground had been “laid down with fine turf by Mr. Bentley,
of Lords.” The secretary of the club was Mr. Henry
Hobart, solicitor, of Bethel Street.
22.—Died at Harleston, aged 66, Mr. Robert Paul,
formerly of Starston, “well known to agriculturists for
several ingenious inventions and for his inquiries into the
nature, history, and habitudes of the turnip fly and
wireworm.”
1.—Four candidates were nominated for the Mayoralty of
Norwich, namely, Alderman Peter Finch, who received 918 votes;
Alderman Yallop, 867; Alderman J. S. Patteson, 566; and Alderman
C. Brown, 565. At the Court of Aldermen on the 3rd Mr.
Finch was elected Mayor.
3.—Newspaper reporters were for the first time admitted
to the assembly of the Norwich Corporation.
9.—Died at Margaretta Farm, Clenchwarton, aged 83, Dr.
Charles Browne, for many years physician to the King of
Prussia. On his return to England his Majesty conferred
upon him the Order of the Red Eagle as a mark of his
esteem. Dr. Browne was a man of high literary
attainments.
24.—The bounds of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, were
perambulated. “It gave rise to those scenes of vulgar
mirth for which occasions of this kind are used as an excuse for
indulging in with impunity. We never remember the ducking
system carried to such lengths. The Rev. J. Bowman, in the
early stage of the proceedings, was on Hay Hill drenched from
head to foot. The pail which a fellow had in his hand (and
which had been filled with water from an adjoining pump) being
dropped at his feet, he accidentally fell over, but fortunately
escaped without any serious injury. The company afterwards
met for dinner at the Angel Inn.”
29.—The Bishop of Chichester, acting on behalf of the
Bishop of Norwich, held a visitation at Lynn and confirmed 1,400
persons at St. Margaret’s church, and 620 at St.
Nicholas’ chapel. The number confirmed at Holt was
1,120; at Fakenham, 1,800; at East Dereham, 1,100; and at
Hingham, 803.
4.—Mr. Bolton, formerly coach proprietor and landlord of
the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, was driving between Melton Mowbray
and Stamford when his horse ran away and overturned the
vehicle. Mr. Bolton received severe injuries, from which he
died on the 10th.
12.—A serious riot occurred at Norwich. A party of
Wymondham weavers, who had damaged looms and destroyed silk to
the value of £1,000, at Ashwellthorpe, had been conveyed to
Norwich Castle for examination. The witnesses were brought
to the city in hackney coaches, escorted by a detachment of the
12th Lancers. The Norwich weavers, who had barricaded the
Golden Ball Lane entrance to Castle Meadow with a waggon, and
placed a similar obstruction near the Castle Bridge, received the
military with a volley of stones. The witnesses were then
conveyed by way of Timberhill to Orford Hill, and while a large
body of special constables displaced the waggon at the bridge, a
second detachment of Lancers came from the Barracks, charged the
mob at full gallop, and dispersed them in all directions.
An attempted rally was frustrated by a second charge. The
Militia staff were under arms on the Castle Hill, and the streets
were patrolled by the Norwich light Horse Volunteers. At
the Norwich Assizes, on August 11th, several of the rioters were
indicted before Mr. Baron Garrow for
assaults, and were discharged on entering into their
recognisances. David Seeker, Henry Rix, and William
Thurston were charged with the capital offence of riotously
assembling together to the disturbance of the public peace.
Mr. Cooper, for the defence, objected to the wording of the
indictment. The words of the King’s proclamation read
at the time of the disturbance were “chargeth and
commandeth all persons,” &c.; the indictment said
“chargeth and command”; and instead of directing the
people to “depart to their lawful habitations or to
their lawful homes,” the indictment said “and
to their lawful homes.” The learned Judge pronounced
the objection to be valid, and expressed the hope that the
prisoners “would go home sensible of the blessings of
Providence in having shielded them that day, and saved them from
an ignominious death.” The Ashwellthorpe rioters were
bound over in the sum of £50 each.
19.—Breakfast à la fourchette with the
Mayor-elect (Mr. Peter Finch) and luncheon with the Mayor (Mr. E.
T. Booth), prepared the Sheriffs, Aldermen, &c., for the
Guild Day proceedings at Norwich. The customary ceremonies
were observed at the Guildhall, service was attended at the
Cathedral, and 600 guests dined at St Andrew’s Hall.
23.—The Surrey Gardens, Thorpe Road, Norwich, were
advertised as a resort “for the reception of respectable
families and invalids,” where “pure air, unbounded
prospects of land and water, refreshing fruits and odoriferous
flowers” could be obtained. A military band played on
Sunday evenings, from five to seven o’clock.
27.—The Bishop of Norwich confirmed at North Walsham
church 1,280 persons. On one day in the previous week his
lordship confirmed in Norwich Cathedral 1,100 persons.
30.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 87, Mr. Jacob Preston, senior
magistrate of the borough. He was Mayor in 1793, 1801, and
1813.
—Mr. Yates gave his entertainment, “Portraits and
Sketches,” at Norwich Theatre. On subsequent evenings
he was assisted by Mr. Brunton and Mrs. Yates (formerly Miss
Brunton).
25.—A well-contested prize fight took place at
Bessingham, between Rix and Sharpens, for £5 aside.
The former beat his opponent, after fighting 78 rounds in 45
minutes.
5.—A duel took place on Yarmouth Denes “between
J--- B---, Esq., and W. M---, Esq., in consequence of a dispute
the previous day at the Bath Rooms. Both were to fire at
the same time, but on the signal being given Mr. M.’s ball
did not take effect, and Mr. B.’s pistol missed fire.
The seconds then interfered, and the affair was adjusted without
much difficulty.”
6.—Norwich Theatre was re-opened for the Assize
week. “The return of Mr. Osbaldiston gave rise to
scenes of disturbance which interrupted
the progress of the performance for several evenings. A
kind of set appears to have been made against him, but he has
been warmly applauded by the respectable part of the
audience.”
6.—The Norfolk Cricket Club played the first of a series
of matches which took place during the Norwich Assize week.
The annual dinner was held at the Rampant Horse Inn on the 10th,
under the presidency of Lord Suffield, and in the evening a ball
was given at Chapel Field Rooms. The patronesses were the
Countess of Albemarle, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Stafford, Lady
Suffield, the Hon. Mrs. Wodehouse, Lady Lacon, and Mrs.
Gurdon. “The waltz was introduced for the first time
in the course of the evening, but a very select few appeared
inclined to join in that rotatory movement.”
28.—The election of freemen’s Sheriff took place
at Norwich; the candidates were Alderman T. O. Springfield and
Lieut. Fred White, R.N. “As soon as the polling
commenced, a ticket was given by the ‘Blue and White’
party, entitling the voter who chose to accept it to
half-a-crown. Nothing was given on the side of the
‘Purple and Orange,’ Lieut. White having merely come
forward in consequence of a requisition sent to him by the poor
freemen and signed by upwards of 300 names.” The poll
was thus declared: Springfield, 1,210; White, 474. Lieut.
White, in his subsequent address, wrote: “I consider my
failure more honourable than to have gained the day by bribery
and corruption. The 474 votes I obtained will at least
rescue the character of a considerable portion of our
fellow-citizens from the reproach of selling themselves to the
highest bidder.”
5.—The first stone of the new Roman Catholic chapel in
St. Giles’ parish, Norwich, was laid by the Hon. and Rev.
Edward Clifford.
8.—Died, aged 74, at his house in St. Faith’s
Lane, Norwich, Mr. William Herring, 32 years an alderman of the
city. He was the second son of the Very Rev. William
Herring, D.D., Dean of St. Asaph.
12.—The election of an alderman to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Mr. Herring took place at Norwich.
The candidates were Mr. Angell, “Purple and Orange,”
and Mr. Marshall, “Blue and White.” Great
excitement prevailed throughout the contest. “The
‘Purple and Orange’ party were informed in the course
of the day that some of their friends had been carried off and
were detained in a warehouse in St. Clement’s. A
magistrates’ warrant was applied for and the captives set
at liberty.” At the close of the day the voting stood
as follows: Angell, 215; Marshall, 195. The friends of the
latter demanded that the poll be continued on the 13th,
“because seven of Mr. Marshall’s friends were
detained at Ranworth against their will.” The other
side retaliated that eleven of their voters had been forcibly
carried away by the “Blue and Whites.” The
Mayor deprecated the system that had been put in force, and
adjourned the poll till 10 o’clock the following
morning. The poll was finally declared as follows: Angell,
218; Marshall, 196. (See September 24th.)
18.—A Musical Festival for the benefit of the Norfolk
and Norwich Hospital commenced at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, and concluded with a ball in
the same building on the 21st. The principals engaged for
the oratorios and concerts were Madame Pasta, Miss Stephens, Miss
Bacon, Miss Farrar, Madame Caradori Allan, Mr. Braham, Mr.
Vaughan, Mr. Terrail, Mr. Edward Taylor, and Signor
Zuchelli. Sir George Smart conducted. The total
receipts amounted to about £6,400, of which £1,672
12s. 1d. was handed to the Hospital.
24.—An inquest was held by Mr. Bell, the Norwich
Coroner, on the body of James Bailey, one of the persons who was
forcibly carried away to prevent his voting at the
Alderman’s election on the 12th. “On the 10th
he was taken away by the ‘Blues and Whites’ to
Wroxham Castle public-house, the next morning removed to Horning
Swan, afterwards taken to Smallburgh, and on the same night
removed to Ridlington Plough. They wanted nothing for
eating and drinking, but Bailey being very ill, suffered very
much from being moved about.” On his return to
Norwich he was engaged to sell programmes at the Musical
Festival, where he was in attendance from the 18th to the
20th. On the 22nd he broke a blood vessel and died.
“His attendance at the Festival took the onus off his
captors, and the jury returned a verdict of ‘Died from the
visitation of God.’”
28.—Mr. Samuel Stone was elected Speaker of the Common
Council of Norwich, in the room of Mr. J. S. Parkinson,
deceased.
29.*—[Advt.] “£100 Reward, and his
Majesty’s Pardon. Eight horses belonging to Mr.
William Slack, of Norwich, died between the 25th August last and
the 10th September, six soon after their return from Attleborough
(one of the depôts for horses drawing the London vans) to
Norwich, one at Attleborough, and the other at Newmarket, and
upon being opened it has been ascertained that they died by
mineral poisoning, supposed to have been administered in water or
in some liquid form. The Government offer the above
reward.”
—*“The week before last Mr. Meyer Levi, gold and
silver smith, a converted Jew, together with Mrs. Hannah Levi, a
converted Jewess, received the rite of Christian baptism at the
hands of the vicar in the parish church of St. Stephen’s,
Norwich, when the Christian names of John and Hannah were given
to the above parties, and at the same time they adopted the
surname of Herbert.”
6.—A number of silver coins, some of them bearing date
1577, were dug up by a gardener at Thorpe, who sold them for
£30.
13.—The portrait of Mr. Henry Francis, Mayor of Norwich
in 1824, was hung in St. Andrew’s Hall. The artist
was Mr. Lane, of Greek Street, Soho.
18.—Died at Costessey, Mrs. Anne Maria Teresa Vere, aged
100, sister of Mr. Charles Gosnold, formerly of Norwich.
20.—Killed at the battle of Navarino, aged 24, Lieut.
George William Howe FitzRoy, R.N., of H.M.S. Dartmouth, second
son of Lieut.-General the Hon. William FitzRoy, of Kempston
Lodge.
3.*—“At the auction mart last week Mr. Hoggart
sold the well-known estate called St. Andrew’s Hall, Old
Buckenham, a fine mansion house, and 532 acres of land, at
£29,300.”
10.—It was announced that Mr. Smith, manager of Norwich
Theatre, had taken of the patentee, Mr. Wilkins, a seven
years’ lease of that and the other houses in the
circuit.
—Mr. Mathews commenced a three nights’ engagement
at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich.
17.*—“The expense of erecting the house of
industry at Wicklewood in 1777 was defrayed by a tontine called
the ‘Forehoe Tontine,’ consisting of 110 shares at
£100 each, bearing an interest of £5 per cent.
Fifty years have now elapsed, and in 1827 there are still 50
survivors out of the original number.”
25.—Died at Prospect Place, Gorleston, aged 65, Mr. F.
F. Hope, for 30 years paymaster of the East Norfolk
Militia. “Previously he was an officer of the line,
saw much service during the great American War, was at the siege
of Yorktown in Virginia in 1781, and there taken prisoner by the
combined Armies of France and America, with the whole of the
British Army under Lord Cornwallis.”
16.—The small organ in East Dereham church, mentioned by
Dr. Burney in his “History of Music” as a curiosity,
which was built by the famous Schmidt, in 1666, for the Hon.
Roger North, of Rougham Hall, and purchased for the parish in
1786 for the small sum of £30, was, after enlargement under
the direction of the Rev. R. F. Elwin, of Norwich, opened before
a congregation of 1,600 persons, by Mr. Last, of Orford.
The builder, Mr. Joseph Hart, of Redgrave, found that
Schmidt’s pipes were as sound as on the day they were
finished.
—A boy of 13, named William Moore, was brutally murdered
in a field at Brisley, by John Kenney, a lunatic, aged 24.
The body was horribly mutilated. The prisoner was committed
for trial on the Coroner’s warrant, on the charge of wilful
murder, and at the Lent Assizes, held at Thetford on March 21st,
before Mr. Baron Garrow, the jury returned a verdict of not
guilty, on the ground of the insanity of the accused.
22.*—[Advt.] “A main of cocks will be fought
at the White Hart Inn, Swaffham, on Thursday, the 27th of
December, 1827, for 50 guineas, between Mr. J. Farrer, of Necton,
and Mr. G. Gould, of Swaffham. A very superior day’s
play is expected, as there are several other matches
besides.”
—*“Died lately, at Northrepps, Hannah Storey, in
her 101st year.”
—Lieut.-Col. Harvey, commanding the 3rd Regiment of
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, addressed a letter to the Marquis of
Lansdowne, Secretary of State for War, detailing the services
rendered by the regiment in quelling disturbances, &c., and
expressing the hope that the
Government would not order the disbandment of the corps.
His lordship replied that he had not lost sight of the valuable
services of the Yeomanry, but that the Barracks at Norwich were
then, and were likely to continue, a station for regular cavalry,
and consequently he was unable to accede to the request to
continue the pay and allowance to the regiment.
24.—Died at Lynn, Samuel Pearson, a journeyman
cabinetmaker, “who, in the intervals of his labour,
acquired a deep knowledge of mathematics, and possessed the
faculty of communicating his knowledge to others. He
established a mathematical academy, which had every prospect of
success.”
29.—Miss C. Morgan’s Menagerie was exhibited on
the Castle Hill, Norwich.
—Great excitement was caused in Yarmouth by the
discovery that upwards of twenty recently interred bodies had
been removed from the churchyard by resurrection men.
“The churchyard was quickly crowded by the
population. Wives were searching for the remains of their
deceased husbands, husbands for those of their wives, and parents
for their children.” Three men, Thomas Smith,
alias Vaughan, William Barber, and Robert Barber, were
apprehended, and committed for trial at Yarmouth Quarter
Sessions, whence, on April 1st, 1828, the indictment was removed
by writ of certiorari to the Court of King’s
Bench. The case was tried at Norwich Assizes, before Lord
Chief Baron Alexander, on August 11th, 1828, when only Vaughan
(or Smith) was proceeded against. Robert Barker turned
King’s evidence, and described the method by which the
graves were robbed, and how the bodies were sent to London by the
wain. A verdict of guilty was returned, and on November
14th, 1828, the prisoner was brought up for sentence in the Court
of King’s Bench. He urged that he was driven by
poverty to the commission of the offence, and was sentenced by
Mr. Justice Bayley to six months’ imprisonment in the house
of correction at Norwich.
31.—Miss Clark, a native of the city, commenced an
engagement with her equestrian company at the Pantheon, Ranelagh
Gardens, Norwich.
4.—A grand concert, given at Wells Theatre, was attended
by Earl Rosebery, Lord and Lady Bury, Lord Dalmeney, Viscountess
Andover, Admiral Digby, Lady H. Primrose, the Hon. Misses Anson,
the Hon. B. Primrose, &c. The programme opened with
Haydn’s “Surprise Sinfonia,” and the
artistes engaged included M. Venna, Master Sporle, Madame
Baur, and Mr. Barron. “Gentlemen amateurs” sang
glees, and at the close of the concert a ball took place, at
which 200 were present.
18.—A resurrection-man was shot in Bacton
churchyard by a party of grave watchers. He was in the act
of disinterring the body of one James Howlett, who was
accidentally killed a few days previously. The
resurrectionist, although badly wounded, effected his escape in
the darkness.
23.—Norwich Theatre opened for the season with Mr. Smith
as manager and lessee.
24.—Died, Mr. Martin Fountain, who was Sheriff of
Norwich in 1812.
26.—Atkins’ Menagerie was exhibited on the Castle
Hill, Norwich.
31.—Lord William Bentinck addressed a circular letter to
his constituents at Lynn, announcing his resignation as one of
the members for the borough, in consequence of his appointment as
Governor-General of India.
4.—Lord George Bentinck was elected without opposition a
member for King’s Lynn. “No colours were worn,
agreeable to the regulations of Lord John Russell’s most
sapient Act, and for which the ribbon-makers must feel highly
indebted to him in depriving them of a source of consumption for
an important branch of British manufacture of no inconsiderable
extent.”
5.—At a meeting of the Norwich Court of Guardians, a
report was adopted in favour of altering the mulcts of the
assessable property in each of the parishes and hamlets of the
city. In the parishes the old valuation was £61,302;
the new, £89,080; increase, £27,778—45 per
cent. In the hamlets the old valuation was £19,722;
the new, £21,487; increase, £1,765—about 9 per
cent. At the vestry meetings in several parishes the new
assessment was rejected—(1) on the ground of increased
local and public burdens to which the citizens would be exposed
by increased rent on such valuation; and (2) because of the
disproportion of the assessment of the hamlets as compared with
the assessment of the city at large. At a meeting of the
Guardians on April 1st, a resolution was adopted declaring the
mulct to be unequal, and advising that steps be taken to place it
upon a fair and equitable basis.
8.—A “trial of speed” took place between the
Westacre and Melton Constable hounds. “A noble stag
stood before the hounds an hour and ten minutes, but from the
numerous field, amounting at least to 400, the greater part of
whom were shamefully riding the roads and heading the stag at
every point, the sport was not brilliant. Through the
greater part of the day the Westacre hounds took the lead,
carried the best head, and did all the work; but from the
jockeyship of Sir Jacob Astley’s huntsman in continually
lifting his hounds, and numerous horsemen pressing on them in the
lanes and woods, so completely frightened the Westacre hounds,
which are more timid and less accustomed to such crowds than the
Melton, that most of them were thrown out and could not again
recover their ground.” The match took place in the
neighbourhood of East Dereham.
12.—In the Court of King’s Bench, Sir James
Scarlett moved for a rule to show cause why a quo warranto
information should not be filed against Mr.
Angell, of Norwich, for exercising the office of alderman without
being properly elected thereto. “A very ancient
custom,” he said, “prevailed at Norwich on the
election of aldermen, which he was sure would not, from its
antiquity, receive their lordships’ sanction. It was
called the cooping of voters, and consisted of taking the voters
by force in a body, bribing them, giving them drink, and keeping
them locked up until they consented to vote for the party on
whose side they had been taken.” It was alleged that
several of the supporters of Mr. Angell’s opponent (Mr.
Marshall) were waylaid, carried away by force in a coach, put on
board a boat on the broads, and had persons placed over them as
guards. If these persons had had their liberty, Mr.
Marshall, it was contended, would have been elected. Lord
Tenterden granted a rule to show cause. It was abandoned,
however, on April 28th, and “the bells of St. Peter rang a
triumphant peal on the result being known.”
13.—A squadron of the 6th Dragoons arrived at Norwich
Barracks, to replace the depôt of the 12th Lancers.
23.—A man named Bailey did penance in the chancel of
Yarmouth parish church for applying an opprobrious epithet to a
Mrs. Jenner. “It being a very great novelty, there
was a large assemblage of persons to witness the performance of
the ceremony and to hear Bailey repeat his recantations, which
continued for some time, but he did not, as generally
supposed, stand in a white sheet.”
5.—The election of a County Coroner took place at
Norwich, consequent upon the resignation of Mr. C.
Bringloe. Mr. E. Press, of Hingham, the successful
candidate, polled 1,073 votes, as against 766 obtained by his
opponent, Mr. Henry Hobart, Norwich.
17.—Died at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, aged
68, Sir James Edward Smith, M.D., F.R.S., President of the
Linnæan Society. He was born in Norwich December 2nd,
1759, proceeded to Edinburgh University in 1780, and completed
his medical studies in London. In 1792 he had the honour of
instructing her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Princesses in
botany at Windsor. He married, in 1796, a daughter of Mr.
Robert Reeve, of Lowestoft, and in 1810 received the distinction
of knighthood. He was the author of “English
Botany,” and other works.
18.—Mr. Macready appeared at Norwich Theatre in the part
of Virginius. On subsequent evenings he performed the
characters of Macbeth and William Tell.
22.*—“Died at Canton, in China, by falling
overboard, Henry, son of Mr. Alderman Thurtell, of Norwich,
master-at-arms of the Atlas Indiaman.”
—*“Died at Yarmouth, Mr. David Service, aged 52,
the well-known author of the ‘Caledonian Herd-boy’
and many other poetical productions of considerable
merit.”
24.—The ward elections commenced at Norwich on this
date. “Five shillings a man had been given on each
side from the commencement; but about eleven o’clock a
placard was put out from the window of the ‘Blue
and White’ (the Reformers’) room, bearing the words,
‘The Blues pay gold.’ This alteration in the
market was followed, about an hour afterwards, by a similar
declaration from the ‘Orange and Purples.’ From
this moment stock looked up; the price for the freemen altered
from five shillings to half a sovereign, and a whole sovereign,
and so on to sums of which we are not prepared to limit the
extent. A whole club, consisting of 20 members, calling
themselves ‘the Independent Club,’ was purchased in
the lump by one of the ‘Blue and White’
candidates. The price first demanded was 5 guineas a man,
but others allow they were knocked down at the price of 50
gs.”
2.—Died, aged 106, Thomas Scrape. “He was
the father of Mrs. Lovell, of the Lobster Inn, St. John
Maddermerket, Norwich, and was born at Stalham in 1722, in the
9th year of the reign of George I. He had been often heard
to speak of remembering as a child the illuminations on the
occasion of the accession of George II. At the age of 105
this extraordinary old man presided at a large convivial party at
his residence. His pipe was his constant companion, and he
was often to be seen smoking and enjoying it at his
daughter’s house, where his latter days were rendered
comfortable.”
3.—Tombland Fair, Norwich, was ushered in by a severe
snowstorm. “The Banisters, the Samwells, the
Chipperfields, the Adamses, and a host of other ornaments of the
vagrant stage for daylight gauds and the practical wit of
buffoons displayed themselves in imposing array.” The
only “rational” exhibition at the fair was
Atkins’ Menagerie.
5.—A vessel, named the Lord William Bentinck, was
launched from the shipyard of Mr. Frederick Preston, at
Yarmouth. She was nearly 500 tons burden, and the largest
ship, with one exception, ever built at the port.
7.—Ching Lau Lauro, “the celebrated posture master
and buffo from Drury Lane,” appeared at Norwich
Theatre. On the 10th he performed in a harlequinade,
entitled, “The Man in the Moon.” “No
viler tissue of nonsensical stuff could be foisted on the
patience of an insulted audience. It had more revolting
coarseness, and infinitely less ingenuity than ever characterised
the worst puppet shows’ clumsiest performers.
‘Harlequin in the Shades’ descended to the lowest
vault of the Capulets, amidst universal hisses which such
execrable trash deservedly called forth, in spite of Ching Lau
Lauro swallowing his own head.”
19.—The Norfolk County Cricket Club announced the
completion of a new cricket ground at East Dereham, described as
one of the best in the provinces.
25.—A remarkable whirlwind occurred at Gresham.
“It came suddenly as in a moment from the south-west,
accompanied by a roar like thunder, and taking a north-easterly
direction towards Cromer, spent itself at sea. The extreme
force of the whirlwind lasted scarcely three minutes, but in that
time it completely ruined one William Watts, by rending the sails
and stocks from his mill, lifting the whole fabric from off the
post, and crushing the beams and inside works to pieces, together
with the roof and walls of the round-house.”
27.—Died at his house, Vauxhall, Lambeth, Mr.
Thomas H. Hull, aged 74, “a gentleman well-known in Norwich
and Norfolk for a great number of years, and where many of his
beautifully-executed pictures remain as specimens of his superior
talent in the miniature department of portrait
painting.”
1.—Mr. Angell and Mr. Patteson were nominated for the
Mayoralty of Norwich. Mr. W. Wilde nominated Mr. Alderman
Thurtell, the senior alderman below the chair; and Mr. Alderman
Yallop was also proposed. A poll was demanded, and the
result was declared as follows: Thurtell, 1,144; Yallop, 1,148;
Angell, 1,042; Patteson, 979. Application was made by
Messrs. Angell and Patteson for the reopening of the books on the
following morning, when the voting was: Thurtell, 1,210; Yallop,
1,212; Angell, 1,097; Patteson, 1,020. The Court of
Aldermen subsequently elected Mr. Thurtell.
5.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. Finch), at which
resolutions were passed affirming that it was objectionable to
continue bounties on the export of sugar and prohibitory duties
on the produce of Colonial free labour, by which slavery was
supported at the expense of the British public. It was also
decided to petition Parliament to repeal such bounties and
duties, and to take measures to ensure the immediate alleviation
and the ultimate extinction of British Colonial slavery.
The petition, which was signed by 10,125 persons, measured 150
feet in length, and was presented in the House of Commons by Mr.
William Smith.
6.—A new theatre was opened at North Walsham by Mr.
Fisher, with the performance of the comic opera,
“Sweethearts and Wives,” and the musical farce of
“The Turnpike Gate.”
8.—Died at Tittleshall, Mr. Thomas Riches, farmer, aged
69. “In his early life he for many years, by being
pressed from Lynn, served his country at sea, and was in many
distinguished actions. He was at Gibraltar, at the
Chesapeak with Hood, in the same ship with our present Lord High
Admiral, then a boy; and was in the Formidable (flagship) with
Sir George, afterwards Lord Rodney, in the memorable battle of
1782, when M. De Grasse was taken. On his discharge and his
return to his native county, he embraced farming for a
livelihood, and always retained many of the peculiarities and
superstitions of a sailor’s life.”
27.—The first seaborne vessel from London to Norwich
port direct, the Thames steam packet, Capt. John Morley, arrived
at Carrow Bridge. She was of 120 tons burden, 82 feet in
length, and handsomely fitted up for the accommodation of
passengers. The duration of her voyage was 28 hours.
—The Norwich Corporation decided to rebuild Fye Bridge
of iron, in accordance with the plans of Mr. Stone. The
foundation-stone of the new bridge was laid by the Mayor (Mr.
Thurtell) on June 2nd, 1829.
9.—Mr. Kean, jun., made his first appearance at Norwich
Theatre in the character of Romeo. During his engagement he
appeared also as Jaffier (“Venice Preserved”) and
Felix (“Hunter of the Alps”). “It is
difficult, indeed, to imagine,” says the critic,
“what besides an irresistible penchant for the stage
and an hereditary attachment for the most elevated dramatic work,
could have induced this gentleman to choose the profession of a
tragedian. Of a stature rather below the middle size, and
with a countenance that forms no index of the heroic mind, the
younger Kean seems studious of displaying all those peculiarities
of attitude, action, and intonation which we have been accustomed
to regard rather as defects than as excellencies in his justly
celebrated father. The genius of the elder Kean does not
shine forth in his son.”
—A prize-fight took place between Warren and Cocks,
light weights, for £50 a side. The gathering, which
was at Mattishall, was attended by many of the principal gentry
in the county, and by several members of the London ring,
including Phil Sampson (conqueror of Big Brown), Dick Curtis, Tom
Oliver, Frank Redmond, Ned Stockman, and Frosty-Faced Fogo,
“the Poet Laureate of the Ring.” The combatants
met in a meadow belonging to Mr. Petchell, but a magistrate
interfered, and a move was made to Elsing Common, where the fight
was brought off. Cocks was attended by Ned Painter and Ben
Gale, and Warren by Curtis and Redmond. Forty-one rounds
were fought in 56 minutes. Cocks, who won, threw his man 23
times in the first 25 rounds.
17.—Guild Day was celebrated in Norwich. Mr.
Alderman Thurtell, on being sworn in as Mayor, stated that he
stood in rotation for the office in 1818, and to his utter
astonishment the late Mr. Back was put in nomination and
elected. “I thank God,” he added, “I have
had nerve enough to break all connection with a set of men who
have acted with so much duplicity and injustice towards
me.” The Guild feast at St. Andrew’s Hall was
attended by 460 guests.
24.—Died, Captain John Murray Browne, of the 75th
Regiment, aged 36, only son of the Rev. M. Browne, Minor Canon of
Norwich Cathedral, and grandson of Dr. John Murray. Capt.
Browne, who was drowned while fishing on a Lake near Mullingar,
had been in the Army from his youth, and served throughout the
Peninsular War. He was the author of a work entitled,
“The State of Portugal, by an eyewitness.”
26.—Died at Hingham, suddenly, Charles Alexander, aged
23, “an excellent cricketer, and the fastest length bowler
in the county.”
4.—A severe storm occurred in the Dereham, Fakenham, and
Cromer districts. Unsettled weather prevailed until the
13th, when the lower parts of Norwich and the meadows and marshes
above and below the city were flooded. Much meadow hay was
swept away, and the grain crops beaten down.
8.—Twenty-three mackerel luggers contested for a
subscription purse of £100, at Yarmouth. The race,
which took place in the Roads, was won by the Brothers (Capt.
John Ayres), owned by Messrs. R. and B. Fenn.
9.—An inter-county cricket match, Norfolk v.
Lincolnshire, was commenced at East Dereham. Scores:
Lincoln, 110; Norfolk, 74-30. At the conclusion of the
first day’s play, a dinner, presided over by Lord Suffield,
and attended by eighty-six ladies and gentlemen, was given at the
Assembly Rooms; and on the 10th a grand ball took place in the
evening.
12.—The following statement was published of the number
of benefits, with the gross receipts, at Norwich Theatre during
the period of 22 years, ending 1828:—
|
Number of benefits.
|
Gross receipts.
|
1807
|
15
|
£1090
|
1808
|
17
|
1870
|
1809
|
18
|
1540
|
1810
|
20
|
1610
|
1811
|
21
|
1890
|
1812
|
23
|
2140
|
1813
|
23
|
1970
|
1814
|
25
|
1940
|
1815
|
23
|
1890
|
1816
|
19
|
1250
|
1817
|
15
|
1050
|
1818
|
14
|
1360
|
1819
|
14
|
1320
|
1820
|
17
|
1410
|
1821
|
20
|
1670
|
1822
|
21
|
1620
|
1823
|
22
|
1720
|
1824
|
23
|
1690
|
1825
|
22
|
1900
|
1826
|
25
|
1760
|
1827
|
21
|
1450
|
1828
|
23
|
1430
|
|
441
|
£85070
|
16.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, Mr. T. W. Coke,
M.P., gave notice that at the ensuing October Sessions he would
move “that reporters for the newspapers be admitted into
the Grand Jury Chamber when the magistrates assemble there at
Quarter Sessions for the despatch of the business of the
county.” The motion was discussed on October 17th,
when, after three hours’ debate, the Court divided, with
the following result: For the motion, 46; against, 45.
22.—Died at Stalham, aged 103, Isabella Perowne.
25.—A Jews’ Synagogue was opened in the parish of
St. George, Tombland, Norwich.
26.—The announcement was made that the Norwich Cricket
Club had “engrafted an archery branch” on their own
“excellent establishment.” The members of the
Archery Club were permitted the use of the Norwich Cricket Ground
on certain days.
4.—Died at the Deanery, in his 83rd year, the Very Rev.
James Turner, D.D., F.S.A., Dean of Norwich, Master of Pembroke
Hall, Cambridge, and rector of Sudbourne and Orford,
Suffolk. He was installed Dean of Norwich on June 24th,
1790. His remains were interred in the Cathedral on August
12th. Dean Turner was succeeded by the Hon. and Rev. George
Pellew, Prebendary of Canterbury and of York, and third son of
Lord Viscount Exmouth. Dean Pellew was installed on
December 13th.
11.—A libel action, Maitland v.
Kinnebrook, was tried at the Norwich Assizes, before Lord Chief
Baron Alexander. The plaintiff was an attorney living at
North Walsham, and the defendant one of the proprietors of the
“Norwich Mercury.” The libel, which the
defendant admitted, was contained in a letter published in the
“Mercury.” The plaintiff had provoked and
carried on a newspaper correspondence, and because the defendant
published the replies of adversaries of the plaintiff’s own
creation, the plaintiff sued him for damages, which the jury
assessed at one farthing.
—Exchange Street, Norwich, was first opened to the
public. There was no communication, however, with St.
Andrew’s Street, and it was not until April, 1829, that
operations were commenced for the removal of the old buildings at
the north end of the new thoroughfare. That portion of the
street was opened to the public on May 21st, 1832; and public
business was for the first time transacted in the Post Office
erected there, on June 25th, 1832.
—The members of the Norfolk and Suffolk Institution, the
new title by which the Norwich Society of Artists established in
1805 was known, celebrated the opening of their new gallery in
Exchange Street by dining at the Norfolk Hotel, under the
presidency of Mr. J. B. Crome, with Mr. Stark in the
vice-chair. The first exhibition in the new gallery was
opened on the 13th, and was visited in state by the Mayor,
Sheriffs, and Aldermen.
26.—Mr. George Grout was elected freemen’s Sheriff
at Norwich.
1.—Mr. William Martin, a native of Norwich, and the
painter of the two large pictures in St. Andrew’s
Hall—“The death of Lady Jane Grey” and
“Queen Eleanor, Consort to Edward I.,” was lodging in
indigent circumstances at the Trowel and Hammer public-house, St.
Stephen’s, whence he issued a circular on this date, asking
for subscriptions for two engravings—“Interior of an
English Cottage Home” and “Children going to
bed.” The Corporation, on February 24th, 1829, voted
him a grant of 100 guineas.
12.—Died at his seat at Terrington, near Lynn, in his
91st year, Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, Bart., a post-captain in the
Royal Navy, formerly Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Nova
Scotia, and subsequently Commodore and Commander-in-Chief in the
River Medway. He was many years Comptroller of the Navy,
twice member of Parliament for Ipswich, and one of the Brethren
of the Trinity House.
29.—The ceremony of swearing in the Sheriffs of Norwich
was performed at the Guildhall, amid a scene of great
disorder. The windows of the lower court had been screwed
down, to prevent persons entering by that way before the arrival
of the magistrates. The court was crowded, the heat
intolerable, and the Mayor (Mr. Thurtell) ordered the windows to
be broken. Upon the Sheriffs-elect, Mr. Stevenson and Mr.
Grout, presenting themselves, the latter was objected to, on the
ground that he was not a freeman; and Mr. Stevenson declined to
serve unless he received legal indemnity from his
colleague. The Recorder (Mr. Alderson) disposed of the
legal difficulty in Mr. Stevenson’s case, but
the uproar was so great that an adjournment had to be made to the
Aldermen’s Chamber, where the Town Clerk administered the
oath to Mr. Grout, notwithstanding a protest by Col.
Harvey. At a meeting of the Common Council, on October 2nd,
a notice signed by eight of the “Purple and Orange”
Aldermen was read, intimating that any act done by the Council
would not be valid, as one of the Sheriffs was improperly
elected. They therefore declined to attend the
meeting. The Mayor complained that he was being set at
defiance, and threatened to appeal to a higher power. On
November 8th a motion was made in the Court of King’s
Bench, to show cause why an information in the nature of a quo
warranto should not be filed against Mr. Grout, to show by
what authority he exercised the office of Sheriff; the Court
granted a rule nisi. On February 24th the
Corporation unanimously conferred on Mr. Grout the freedom of the
city. The case, after being several times before the Court,
was finally disposed of on June 28th, 1830, when Mr. Justice
Bailey delivered judgment, and said that the Court were of
opinion that it was essential to the validity of election to the
office of Sheriff that the individual chosen should be a
freeman. Judgment of ouster was therefore entered.
Retaliatory proceedings were taken in the Court of King’s
Bench by the other political party against Mr. Alderman Patteson
for holding the office of Treasurer of the city, and against Mr.
Alderman T. S. Day, for acting as Corn Inspector. A rule
nisi was obtained against Mr. Patteson on May 30th, 1829,
and was made absolute on July 4th, after that gentleman had
resigned the treasurership.
29.—The 6th Inniskilling Dragoons marched from Norwich
for Chesterfield and Manchester.
6.—A troop of the 12th Lancers arrived at Norwich, from
Canterbury.
7.—Died, aged 72, at New York, Mr. John B. Murray,
eldest son of Dr. John Murray.
9.—Died, aged 74, at his residence, in Carlow, Major
John Beevor, formerly of the 9th Dragoons, and for 30 years
inspecting-officer of Yeomanry Cavalry in the districts of
Waterford and Wexford. He was second son of Sir Thomas
Beevor, of Hethel.
11.—The Norwich Corn Exchange, “one of the finest
edifices of its kind in Europe,” was opened to the
public. “Mr. Riches, merchant, of Norwich, bought of
Mr. Riches, of Thorpe, the first sample of corn (barley) in the
new building, for which he gave 18s. 6d. per coomb.”
A commemorative dinner was held in the Exchange on November 28th,
at which Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., presided, supported by the High
Sheriff (Sir W. B. ffolkes), Lord Lyndock, Lord Neville, Lord
Suffield, Mr. Edmond Wodehouse, M.P., and other prominent
personages.
18.*—“The proprietors of the Norwich Cloth
Establishment have taken a contract for supplying the two
battalions of Portuguese troops lately formed at Plymouth out of
the refugees from that distracted country with jackets and
trousers. These troops are intended to accompany the young
Queen of Portugal, whither she will shortly proceed to claim the
Crown.”
25.*—“The portrait of Mr. Alderman Francis,
painted by Lane, was hung in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
this week.”
—*“Died lately at Wimbotsham, near Downham Market,
aged 52, Mr. William Henry Ware, many years composer of music,
and director of the orchestra at Covent Garden Theatre, and one
of the masters of the Royal Academy, Woolwich.”
29.—Died, at his son’s house, in Southampton
Street, Bloomsbury, aged 79, Mr. Luke Hansard, many years printer
of the Journals, private Bills, &c., of the House of
Commons. “He was born at Watton, served his
apprenticeship with Mr. White, printer, of Norwich, was
afterwards an assistant of the late Mr. John Crouse, who
originally established the Norfolk
Chronicle in the year 1761, and had ever since been a much
attached and valued friend of all his successors.”
3.—The following curious incident was recorded as having
taken place at Tunstead on this date. A Chelsea pensioner
was about to be married to a widow, and “early in the
morning the parties, accompanied by three witnesses, repaired to
the cross-ways in the road a short distance from the village,
where the intended bride crossed the road in puris
naturalibus, and was received on the opposite side by the
bridegroom, who entertains the idea that by the due performance
of this ceremony he is discharged from all liability of paying
the debts of the former husband.”
4.—Lord Neville, rector of Berghapton, sent a letter to
the Norfolk Chronicle, denying a
statement made by Mr. Cobbett, at a dinner at Maidstone, that he
(Lord Neville) was “rector of a parish in Norfolk and at
the same time enjoyed half-pay as a captain of
Dragoons.” His lordship wrote: “I admit being
rector of a parish in Norfolk, but I assure you upon my word that
a considerable time before I took orders I resigned my
commission, and consequently ceased from that time to enjoy
either half or full pay.”
9.—The King’s letter, “authorising
collections to be made for the building and enlarging of churches
and chapels (instead of by briefs, as formerly),” was read
in the churches in the city and county.
15.—A hamper conveyed by Messrs. Marsh and Swan’s
London van from King’s Lynn, was found to contain the dead
body of a young woman, supposed to have been taken from a grave
at Lynn.
—*“Mr. Suckling’s beautiful yacht, the
Marmion, has lately arrived at Buckenham Ferry, to be laid up for
the winter. In December last she was laid down and built
upon his estate at Woodton, under his immediate plans and
directions, and in May last dragged from thence upon a sledge to
the water’s edge at Carrow Bridge, to the surprise of the
natives, who assembled in great number. She dropped down
the river and boldly cleared out to sea, on her passage to
London, which voyage, though blowing very fresh, she performed
much to the satisfaction of those on board. She afterwards
went to Calais, made two journeys to Holland, and sailed many
times up the canals.”
29.—Mr. B. H. Norgate was elected
assistant-surgeon of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, in the
room of Mr. Henry Carter, previously elected surgeon, on the
resignation of Mr. Martineau.
—Died at his house in St. Giles’ Street, Norwich,
aged 72, Mr. John Hammond Cole, an Alderman of the Great Ward of
Mancroft. He was Sheriff in 1797; Mayor in 1811; Receiver
of Stamp Duties, Treasurer of the Boys’ and Girls’
Hospital, and of the Norwich Dispensary, and Treasurer and
Secretary of the Norfolk and Norwich Savings Bank.
1.—Died at New York, aged 64, Mr. James Valentine
Murray, third son of Dr. John Murray, of Norwich.
4.—The Norwich Brunswick Constitutional Club, “for
preserving the integrity of the Protestant Constitution, and
upholding the principles which placed the House of Brunswick upon
the Throne of these realms,” was formed at a meeting held
at the Norfolk Hotel.
6.—Died, aged 48 years, Capt. Sir William Hoste, Bart,
R.N., K.C.B., eldest son of the Rev. Dixon Hoste, of Godwick
Hall. “He was among the many brave youths from this
county on board the Admiral’s flagship, the Vanguard, at
the memorable battle of the Nile.”
8.—Master W. R. Grossmith, “the celebrated young
Roscius, 9½ years old,” gave, in the Concert Room,
St. George’s, Norwich, his entertainment, “consisting
of rapid transitions of dress and characters.”
19.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 79, Mr. John Watson, Mayor of
that borough in 1785. In 1799 he was elected Town Clerk,
and resigned the office in 1822.
20.*—“Died, last week, at Lakenham, aged 45, Mr.
Roger Jean, an eminent miniature painter, leaving a wife and
seven children to lament his loss. Although Mr. Jean
possessed very superior abilities as a miniature painter, owing
to his long-continued illness his latter days were embittered by
most distressing privations, and his wife, a well-educated woman,
is left in very destitute circumstances.”
24.—The weather on Christmas Eve was described as
“very close and warm.” The whole month was
remarkable for its unusual mildness.
26.—Mons. Batty opened his Circus at the Pantheon,
Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich.
30.—A “grand match of cocks” was fought at
the New Inn, Aylsham, between gentlemen of that town and of North
Walsham. The sport was continued on the 31st. North
Walsham won 9 battles out of 12. The winning cocks were
“fed” by Stafford, of Norwich.
1.—Died, aged 76, Mr. Philip Meadows Martineau, one of
the surgeons of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital from its
foundation in 1772. “Pre-eminently
successful as an operator, and most intimately acquainted with
the theory of his profession, Mr. Martineau was celebrated in
every part of England and throughout Europe. He directed
his attention to cases of lithotomy with distinguished
success.” He was buried at Thorpe, on January
9th.
10.—Cockey Lane, Norwich, was for the first time
accorded its new designation, “London Street.”
14.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, it was ordered that
the east end of Norwich Castle, including the south end buttress,
be put into proper repair, at an expense not exceeding the sum of
£600.
17.*—“The sales at Garraway’s and the
Auction Mart of landed estates in Norfolk last year exceed
£110,000. The principal Norfolk estates sold in
London during the last 12 months were as follow:—Wellington
Hall, 1,724 acres, with house, gardens, &c., £41,000;
Clippesby Hall 1,100 acres, with house, &c., £48,110;
Mr. Watson’s estate at Saxlingham, 137 acres, with house,
&c., £7,000.”
21.—A meeting of the medical practitioners of the city
and county was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, “to petition
the Legislature upon the increasing difficulties of pursuing
anatomical studies in the public schools.”
31.—Mr. Alexander Thurtell, nephew of the Mayor of
Norwich, was returned fourth wrangler at Cambridge. He was
of Caius College, and was educated by Mr. Bowles (formerly of
Norwich Theatre), at the Academy, Yarmouth.
—Norwich Theatre was opened for the season. Mons.
Decour, a “strong man,” exhibited feats of strength
and juggling.
—A disastrous fire occurred on the premises of Messrs.
Trivett and Cozens, ironmongers, Exchange Street, Norwich.
The 12th Lancers rendered efficient service in saving adjoining
property. The Norfolk Chronicle
Office narrowly escaped destruction.
7.*—“So great is the panic in Lynn in the minds of
the credulous with reference to the resurrectionists, that an
individual who was consigned to the grave had round his coffin 13
iron hoops, and in the lid 50 screws.”
9.—A brig of 100 tons burden was “raised” at
Mr. T. Batley’s staith at Carrow, Norwich. Upon the
stem of the vessel was the inscription: “This is the first
seaborne vessel that was ever built in Norwich. Began
January, 1829, by Thomas Batley, and the first bolt was driven by
C. Brown, Esq., Alderman of this city.” The vessel,
which was named the Spring (Capt. Brook), was launched on May
28th. She had two masts, brig-rigged fore and
schooner-rigged aft, and was intended for the general trade.
11.—Downham Theatre was opened by Mr. Smedley, in
consequence of Mr. Fisher declining that portion of the
circuit. “The painting of the ceiling, together with
the panelling and ornaments in front of the boxes and gallery,
have a very lively effect, and give it the appearance of a neat
and modern theatre.”
14.—Heigham House, Norwich, was opened under the
management of Mr. Jollye, formerly of Loddon, as a retreat for
insane persons.
—An extraordinary marriage took place at Yarmouth.
A boy, 15 years of age, the son of a respectable tradesman,
absconded from his home and married a Mrs. Bull, a widow, aged
43, the mother of five children. “The fact was
ascertained by application to the Rev. Thomas Browne, D.D., at
Gorleston.”
15.—Lieut.-Col. Harvey conveyed to London a petition
signed by 8,920 of the inhabitants of Norwich against the claims
of the Roman Catholics. It was presented in due course in
the House of Commons. On the 17th the Mayor and Aldermen,
and the members of the Common Council of Norwich, adopted
petitions in favour of the Roman Catholic claims.
21.—The “African Roscius” (known also by the
name of Keene) appeared at Norwich Theatre as Othello. On
subsequent evenings he performed the parts of Mungo (“The
Padlock”), Oroonoko, Bajazet (“Tamerlane”),
Rolla (“Pizzaro”), Alambra (“Paul and
Virginia”), and Sambo (“Live when you
can”).
28.*—“In the Court of Exchequer, last week, an
information was filed against Robert Hudson, a paper
manufacturer, of Norwich, for arrears of duty on a quantity of
paper removed from a mill at Lyng without bearing the Excise
mark. A verdict was returned for the Crown—damages,
£300. The defendant is now in prison on a former
conviction for penalties to the amount of
£1,000.”
5.—The Westacre Staghounds had a remarkable run.
The meet was at Watton, where the stag was turned off, and led a
field of between 60 and 70 to Ovington, Shipdham, Whinbergh, over
Reymerston Common, touching Southbergh, to Carbrooke, crossing
Griston Common, to Thompson Heath. Here there was a short
check, which was hit off in good style, and away they went for
Tottington, on to Wretham, leaving the decoy on the left, thence
to Kilverstone and Brettenham Heaths, to the left of Croxton, and
to the River Ouze, which was crossed between Santon Downham and
Thetford. Only nine horsemen forded the river; they dashed
away across the open in the direction of Barton Mills, where
another check occurred. They then passed over Wangford
Warren to Lakenheath Common, straight for Bramber Hall, and the
stag was killed in the plantations of Mr. Edward Bliss, after a
run of three hours and three-quarters. (The hounds were
advertised to be sold at the first Newmarket meeting, April
22nd.)
22.—Died at Diss, aged 105 years 6 months, Mrs. Philip
Bacon.
23.—A prize-fight took place at Thurton, between
Garratt, the Suffolk champion, and Mendham, the Norfolk Youth,
for £10 a side. They were also backed for
£25. Mendham was seconded by Ned Painter, and Garratt
by Wigg. Thirty-five rounds were fought in 1 hour 25
mins. Garratt was the winner. “The crowd to
view the fight was very large, and consisted of a due mixture of
the sexes.”
8.—Died at Shotesham, Mr. Robert Fellowes, aged
87. He was for many years an active magistrate of the
county, and represented Norwich in Parliament from 1802 to
1806.
13.—Two troops of the 7th Dragoon Guards, under the
command of Capt. Nugent, arrived at Norwich, to replace the 12th
Lancers, ordered to York.
18.—The execution took place on Castle Hill, Norwich, of
John Wood (41) and Thomas Butler (29), for sheep stealing, and of
Richard Everett (28), for horse stealing. “The number
of women present amounted to at least two to one man, and, what
was yet more remarkable, crowds of women brought young children
with them.”
20.—Miss Foote, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced an
engagement at the Theatre Royal, Norwich, where she appeared as
Letitia Hardy (“The Belle’s Stratagem”),
Variella (“The Weathercock”), Rosalind, Zephyrina
(“The Lady and the Devil”), Violante (“The
Wonder”), Arinette (“The Little Jockey”),
Beatrice, and Maria Darlington (“A Roland for an
Oliver”).
21.—A vessel of 313 tons was launched from the yard of
Messrs. H. Fellows and Co., Yarmouth.
23.—A new suspension bridge, erected over the Bure at
Yarmouth, by Mr. Robert Cory, jun., was opened with much
ceremony. The contractor was Mr. Godfrey Goddard.
(See May 2nd, 1845.)
1.—Mr. T. O. Springfield was elected Mayor of
Norwich.
3.—The freedom of Norwich was conferred upon Mr. Edward
Hall Alderson, barrister-at-law, eldest son of Mr. Robert
Alderson, Recorder of the city.
—The Norwich Corporation voted a grant of £100 to
the Norfolk and Suffolk Artists’ Society, “to assist
in enabling them to enlarge their premises and to purchase casts
and models, with the view to the further promotion of the fine
arts in this part of the country.”
—An illuminated clock was ordered to be placed “on
the top of the Guildhall, next the Market Place.”
14.—The body of a woman named Gooderham was found
murdered in Broome Lane, Diss. After an inquiry lasting six
days, during which 41 witnesses were examined, the
Coroner’s jury returned a verdict of “Wilful murder
against some person or persons unknown.”
20.—Died, aged 71, Mr. John Dawson Downes, of Lowestoft
(formerly of Yarmouth), “a gentleman well known to the
sporting world, and in this county as the only constant follower
of that noble diversion, hawking.”
23.*—[Advt.] “Cocking: A double-day’s
play of cocking will be fought between the gentlemen of Swaffham
and Wisbech, on Wednesday, May 27th, at the Coffee Pot Inn,
Downham, for £10 a battle and £50 the odd.
Feeders: Leech for Swaffham; Foster for Wisbech.”
28.—The bounds were beaten at Lynn by the
clergyman, churchwardens, and officers of the parish, accompanied
by 236 boys from the Free School. “The place of
rendezvous was St. Margaret’s church, where, on entering,
each boy was supplied with a long white-wand. At ten
o’clock the procession set out for the shore of the
harbour, and at the expiration of two hours returned again to the
same place, having performed the usual evolutions of ducking,
tubbing, and other ceremonies peculiar to such occasions.
The boundaries of this place appear to terminate in some very
singular points, as the parties had to enter several houses by
the door and make their exit through the window. At the
close of the circuit, the boys were all seated in the Crown Yard
and regaled with a large plum bun and half a pint of beer each,
and the elders dined at the Crown Tavern.”
31.—At Norwich Theatre was performed, for the first
time, a tragedy written by Mr. J. Smith, entitled, “Ralph
de Bigod, Earl of Norwich.”
JUNE.
3.—The old City Gaol, situate opposite the Guildhall,
with a frontage of 70 feet and a depth of 156 feet, was sold by
auction to Messrs. De Caux, Son, and Pratt, for £1,570; and
the old Bridewell, in St. Andrew’s, with a frontage of 64
feet and a depth of 100 feet, was purchased on the same date by
Mr. J. Curr, for £1,140.
9.—Miss Paton appeared at Norwich Theatre as Rosetta
(“Love in a Village”). Her other impersonations
during her engagement included Rosina (“The Barber of
Seville”), Susanna (“The Marriage of Figaro”),
Mary Copp (“Charles the Second”), Roxalana
(“The Sultan”). Miss Paton cleared £140
at her benefit performance.
15.—At an assembly of the Norwich Corporation, the
retiring Mayor (Mr. Thurtell), in replying to the customary vote
of thanks, complained that he had been repeatedly insulted during
his year of office. “I have been attacked by a
bulldog,” he said, “and the yap has been continually
barking at my heels, and language has been applied to me that
would disgrace Billingsgate itself.”
16.—Guild Day at Norwich. Mr. T. O. Springfield
was sworn in as Mayor. Great confusion was caused by an
altercation between Mr. Thurtell and Mr. Crisp Brown. The
Guild feast was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, and a ball took
place at the Assembly Rooms.
18.—The Rev. H. R. Bowles (formerly of Norwich Theatre),
master of the Yarmouth Academy, was entertained at luncheon at
the Black Lion Tavern in that town, and presented by his former
pupils with a silver salver weighing 84 ozs. In his reply,
he said that far different pursuits had occupied his earlier
years, but for twenty years he had never been absent a day from
his school-room for pleasure.
29.—The annual cattle fair held at Shipdham, on St.
Peter’s-day, in accordance with the terms of a charter
granted by Henry III., was this year revived.
1.—Died at his house in Surrey Street, Mr. Hammond Fisk,
aged 70, Sheriff of Norwich in 1823.
11.*—“Died lately, at Keel Hall,
Staffordshire, aged 78, Mr. Walter Sneyd, formerly M.P. for the
borough of Castle Rising, and many years Colonel of the Stafford
Militia.”
—Died at Hanworth, Mr. J. Hicks, formerly of his
Majesty’s Navy, and Provost-Marshal-General of England,
aged 69.
13.—A two days’ cricket match commenced on the
Norwich ground, between Norfolk and Suffolk, for £50
aside. Fuller Pilch played for Suffolk, and William and
Nathaniel Pilch for Norfolk. Norfolk, 53—82.
Suffolk, 59—59. The return match commenced at Bury on
July 23rd. Suffolk, 102—16. Norfolk,
91—26.
15.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, Mr. William Day was
elected Treasurer of the city, on the resignation of Mr. J.
Patteson.
—A public dinner was given to Mr. Alderman Thurtell, by
his political friends, “in testimony of their appreciation
of his honourable, impartial, and upright conduct in the
discharge of the duties of the office of Mayor during the past
year.”
18.—Madame Vestris appeared at Norwich Theatre for the
first time, in the part of Madame Germance (“Home, sweet
Home”), and Justine (“The Rencontre”).
She afterwards assumed the characters of Elizabeth
(“Sublime and Beautiful”), Victoire (“The
Invincibles”), Lady Bell (“Know your own
Mind”), Apollo (burletta of “Midas”), Laura
(“Sweethearts and Wives”), Phœbe (“Paul
Pry”), Letitia Hardy (“The Belle’s
Stratagem”), and Don Giovanni.
27.—Great discontent was manifested by the Norwich
weavers. At a meeting held at the Ranelagh Gardens on this
date, the operatives petitioned the Mayor to use his influence to
prevent manufacturers giving out work at reduced prices to
persons in the country. On September 1st the weavers
stopped the carriers’ carts and searched for country-made
goods. Men in disguise entered houses and took work from
the looms, under pretence that it had been done below the scale
prices. At a meeting at Ranelagh Gardens on October 5th,
the manufacturers and operatives drew up a form of agreement, in
which the prices were scheduled. At the end of the month
many unemployed weavers paraded the streets, headed by a muffled
drum and a shuttle bound in crope. The Court of Guardians
on December 1st appointed a committee to advise as to the best
means of alleviating the wants of the people. During the
week commencing December 14th there were numerous meetings of
operatives, and an attack was made on Mr. Athow’s
house. Detachments of the 7th Dragoon Guards patrolled the
streets. On December 17th a number of Norwich weavers
visited Saxlingham and destroyed a great quantity of silk and
materials; and in the following week several disguised men broke
into the house of William Springhall, Boatswain’s Call
Yard, St. Augustine’s, cut work from his looms, and shot at
him with a pistol. He received severe wounds in the body,
and a reward of £100 was offered by the Corporation for the
apprehension of his assailants.
6.—A cricket match, between the Marylebone and the
Norfolk Clubs, commenced on the Dereham ground. “Lord
Suffield, president of the county
club, with Lady Suffield, was present, and 20 or 30
gentlemen’s carriages were on the ground, whilst hundreds
of spectators were gathered around.” Scores:
Marylebone, 64-78; Norfolk, 95-48.
10.—Miss Paton re-appeared at Norwich Theatre for one
night, as Agnes (“Der Freischutz”) and Diana Vernon
(“Rob Roy”).
11.—Died, Mr. Richard Gurney, of the Bowling Green Inn,
Norwich, aged 48. (The “retired coachman, with one
leg,” in “Lavengro.”)
13.—At the Norfolk Assizes, at Norwich, before Mr. Baron
Garrow, Ireland Watts and Robert Watts were charged on an
information filed by the Attorney-General, with obstructing
Custom-house officers in the discharge of their duty. Capt.
De Lafosse, the officer at Mundesley, traced contraband goods to
the house of the defendants at Antingham. Having obtained a
writ of assistance, he proceeded to the house with Lieut. Lee,
several of the coastguard, and a peace officer. Admittance
was demanded, and the defendants offered resistance. The
captain then drew his pistol and threatened to fire, when Robert
Watts bared his breast, exclaiming, “Fire, and be
d---d.” Capt. De Lafosse, fearing he could not enter
the house without bloodshed, withdrew his men. Mr. Kelly,
for the defence, submitted that the captain’s authority did
not permit him to search the house, but the special jury returned
a verdict of guilty. In the Court of King’s Bench, in
November, Mr. Kelly moved for a rule to show why there should not
be a new trial, on the ground of the invalidity of the
officer’s writ. Lord Tenterden held that this might
be a question of great importance on public grounds, although in
the individual case it was of little consequence. Rule
granted. (There is no further record of this case.)
14.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Parke,
John Stratford (42) was found guilty of the murder of John
Burgess, an inmate of Norwich Workhouse, by poisoning him with
arsenic, on March 2nd. The execution took place on the roof
of the new Gaol, on August 17th. After hanging an hour, the
body was removed to the lower court at the Guildhall, where it
was publicly exposed for two hours. Thence it was conveyed
to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where Mazzotti, the
modeller, took a cast of the head; and on the 18th Mr. Crosse
commenced a series of anatomical lectures at the dissection of
the body. A public subscription was started for the widow
and family of the culprit.
25.—Mr. Charles Middleton and Mr. Samuel Shalders Beare
were nominated for the office of freemen’s Sheriff.
At the poll “the partizans of Mr. Beare announced upon
their cards that they gave one shilling, but as soon as they
found that their opponents were giving 2s. 6d., they outbid the
‘Purples’ by offering 2s. 6d. and a pot of
beer. At three o’clock the ‘Purple and
Orange’ party headed their opponents by 64. The
‘Blues’ went to work in purse and person, and placed
themselves in a majority. The ‘Purples,’
finding they could not regain the advantage, at 5.30 informed the
Mayor they did not wish to put their opponents to any further
expense. Beare, 1,200; Middleton, 1,023.”
—A singular wedding took place at Fakenham. The
bridegroom was Thomas Hudson, aged 79, and the bride Martha
Frary, aged 21. They were followed to church by an
unfortunate cripple, driving his curricle of dogs.
Immediately after the hymeneal knot was tied, the bridegroom was torn from his fainting partner, thrown
into an open cart, decorated with ram’s horns, and drawn
through the principal streets of the town, amidst the firing of
guns and the shouts and ridicule of the people.
29.—The Corporation of Lynn, according to custom,
assembled at the Guildhall on St. John’s-day, and went to
St. Margaret’s Church. “Groups of persons
assembled at an early hour to witness the bearing of the branch
to the house of the Mayor-elect, Mr. William Bagge.”
2.—The new Roman Catholic church of All Saints, Norwich,
was opened by the Right Rev. Dr. Weld, Bishop of
Amyclœ. “The ringing of the bells of St.
Giles’ church on the occasion has been made the subject of
a great deal more exultation on the one hand, and more
lamentation and indignation on the other, than it really
merits. The truth is that the bells were set out by the
ringers upon speculation, and they were afterwards handsomely
rewarded by the Catholics for their liberalism, the venality of
which is disgusting enough.”
4.—The body of a woman, named Ann Coe, buried two days
previously, in Fincham churchyard, was disinterred and
stolen. “The churchyard is very near the turnpike
road. The coffin, containing the shroud, was found in
the churchyard, superficially covered with mold.”
8.—The Corporation of Yarmouth voted £1,000
towards the building of a church in that borough.
11.—An auxiliary of the “British Society for
Promoting the Principles of the Reformation” was formed in
Norwich. Under its auspices a great meeting was held at St.
Andrew’s Hall, on October 21st, at which some disturbance
took place.
21.—The Rev. Edward Valpy, D.D., resigned the
appointment of headmaster of the Norwich Free Grammar School,
which he had held since 1811.
23.—Mary McMullen, aged 61, walked 76 miles in 24 hours,
on a measured half-mile of the Gaywood Road near Lynn. She
performed the like feat at the Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, on
October 12th, and at North Walsham on March 8th, 1830. At
the Ranelagh Gardens, on April 26th, 1830, she walked 100 miles
in 24 successive hours.
8.—At Swaffham Races, Mr. Shearman “made a match
to trot his noted bull a mile in 4½ minutes the day before
the fair, and Mr. Gould is in treaty to purchase him to run over
a short stage in the Stamford coach from Swaffham to
Narborough. Mr. Farrer made a match with Mr. Cooke that he
will produce a pair of working oxen that will beat any pair of
horses he can produce to plough an acre of land, to take place
the day before Swaffham fair.”
11.—Died in Union Place, Norwich, aged 102, Mr. Charles
Kingaby. He left a widow, aged 98, and a daughter in her
70th year.
14.—The election of an Alderman to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Alderman Steward, on October
11th, resulted in the return of Mr. Marshall, who received 246
votes, against 207 recorded for Mr. Turner. “Both
sides bought votes as fast as possible. From 30s. to
£10 and £15 was given.”
—A severe gale occurred on the Norfolk coast, and
several lives were lost. At Brancaster the preventive
service picked up 291 casks of brandy and Geneva.
20.—A new vessel, the Indian Maid, was launched from the
South Gates Dockyard, Lynn, and christened by Miss Ayre, daughter
of one of the owners.
22.—The Norfolk and Norwich Horticultural Society was
formed at a meeting held in the old Library Room, Norwich, under
the presidency of Mr. Edward Lombe, of Great Melton. Mr.
Lombe was elected president, Mr. R. Crawshay vice-president, Mr.
John Kitson treasurer, and Mr. Elias Norgate secretary. The
first show took place at the Swan Inn, on November 25th.
30.—A fire which occurred at Messrs. Squire, Hills, and
Sons’ distillery, Norwich, did damage to the amount of
£2,000.
31.—Mr. Thomas Cubitt, of Honing Hall, was presented by
the yeomanry of the Tunstead and Happing Hundred with a silver
vase, in recognition of his 45 years’ active service as a
magistrate.
9.—Died at Aldborough, aged 95, Mrs. E. Dyball, a
remarkable woman, “who practised as midwife at Thurgarton
near 50 years, and left 148 children, grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, besides 42
who have died” (sic).
17.—A 400-ton vessel, called the Duke of Cumberland, was
launched from the dockyard of Mr. F. Preston, at Yarmouth.
18.—A gang of convicts, when travelling by coach from
Lynn to London, made a desperate effort to escape. During
the greater part of the journey the keepers stood over them with
cocked pistols. On the coach arriving in town a London mob
endeavoured to rescue the prisoners, “but the keepers
presented so formidable an appearance that they were able to
lodge the convicts in Newgate previous to their removal to the
hulks.”
20.—Mr. Silvers, tide surveyor at Yarmouth, after a
chase of five miles, captured on Breydon a 39 ft. smuggling
galley, manned by a crew of nine hands. The smugglers
effected their escape, but left behind them 283 half ankers of
proof brandy, and about 6,000 lbs. of tobacco.
23.—The centre and south wing of Cromer Hall, the seat
of Mr. Geo. Windham, was destroyed by fire. The damage was
estimated at £12,000.
24.—During a severe gale off Yarmouth, a vessel
foundered, and eight hands perished.
28.—The Rev. Thomas Kidd, M.A., Trinity College,
Cambridge, was elected by the Court of Aldermen head master of
the Free Grammar School, Norwich.
13.—Died at East Dereham, aged 85, Mr. James Philo, who
had filled the office of parish clerk for fifty years.
(“The dignified High Church clerk” in
“Lavengro.”)
21.—The Crim. Con. action, Muskett v.
Gurney, tried at the Thetford Assizes in 1818, was re-opened in
the Court of King’s Bench, when further evidence was
adduced on behalf of the plaintiff, to whom the jury awarded
£2,000 damages. (May 17th, 1830: “Married, at
St. Mary’s, Marylebone, Richard Hanbury Gurney, to Mary,
only daughter of Mr. William Jary, of Burlingham.”)
—A meeting of 200 insurers in the Norwich Equitable
Insurance Office was held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich,
“for the purpose of taking into consideration the conduct
and management of the funds of the society, and of dissolving the
institution, with the view of the just redistribution of the
funds, the formation of a new society under a more protective
management and control.” Mr. Skipper was elected
registrar and secretary of the new society.
26.—The pantomime, “Punch’s Festival, or
Harlequin Christmas-box,” was produced at Norwich Theatre,
under the superintendence of Mr. T. Hill, of Drury Lane
Theatre. Mr. Thorne painted “a grand moving panorama,
commencing with a view of the intended Port of Norwich (ships
lying in the basin), leading through the valley of Thorpe,
embracing Col. Harvey’s house (Thorpe Hall), Hinsby’s
Gardens, and intermediate scenery to Lake Lothing, and concluded
with the grand junction lock at Lowestoft in its present
state.” The last scene, “Norwich a Port,”
concluded with “a grand display of fireworks by Chevalier
Southby, of the Royal Gardens, Vauxhall, and the London
theatres.”
28.—Died at Lynn, Mr. Benjamin Smith, aged 93.
“He was a man of rather eccentric habits. His
gravestone had been placed in the churchyard of St.
Margaret’s nearly ten years before his death, having only a
blank for his age and day of decease. In his personal
habits he was frugal almost to parsimony, but his benevolence was
only bound by his means. He entirely rebuilt St.
James’s almshouses for 12 widows, and an abode for the
Reader; and erected and partly endowed another almshouse (called
the Wesleyan almshouse) for six poor women.”
1.—Died at Yarmouth, the Rev. H. R. Bowles, one of the
ministers of the Unitarian chapel in that town. He was
master of the Yarmouth Academy, and formerly an actor on the
Norwich stage.
5.—Died at his house in St, Stephen’s, aged 86,
Mr. James Keymer, city surgeon, and for upwards of fifty years
surgeon and apothecary to the Norwich Bethel. He was known
as “the father” of the Norfolk and Norwich
Benevolent Medical Society (established in 1786), and “in
his capacity of accoucheur introduced no less than 8,000 children
into the world, and repeatedly attended three and four
generations in succession.”
5.—At the Norwich Consistory Court, the suit, Meachen
v. Carter, was tried. The parties lived at East
Dereham, and the dispute arose about the use of a pew in the
church. The defendant was proceeded against for
“quarrelling, chiding, and brawling in church,” and
the court, in giving judgment, declared him excommunicate,
directed him to be imprisoned for three days, and condemned him
in costs.
10.—During a severe storm from the N.N.E., the streets
of Cley-next-the-Sea were inundated in places to the depth of six
or eight feet, and several families were rescued from the upper
windows of the houses. Many vessels were wrecked along the
coast.
11.—The Relief Committee of the Norwich Court of
Guardians determined to erect two looms in the Workhouse for the
employment of persons who might apply for relief on the ground of
not being able to obtain work. From these looms, at a
subsequent date, work was deliberately cut and destroyed.
On the 12th the riotous conduct of the weavers necessitated the
calling out of the 7th Dragoon Guards; and on the 13th Mr. John
Wright, one of the principal master manufacturers, had vitriol
thrown into his face in St. Faith’s Lane. Mr. Wright,
who was dreadfully injured, discharged a pistol at his assailant,
who escaped. The Corporation offered a reward for the
apprehension and conviction of the miscreant. Richard
Nockolds, who was executed for arson on April 9th, 1831,
confessed to the perpetration of the outrage. The distress
continued throughout the winter, and on February 6th a meeting
was held at the Guildhall, at which a relief fund was started,
and nearly £3,000 raised. At the Norfolk Quarter
Sessions, on March 10th, Lord Suffield, in his charge to the
Grand Jury, suggested means for the alleviation of public
distress. Mr. Cobbett came down to Norwich and lectured at
Ranelagh Gardens on March 12th and 13th, on “The State of
the Country.” Half-a-crown admission was charged, and
“he pocketed about £50, which, all things considered,
was about as much as he could well expect.” A common
hall was held on March 17th, “to consider the unprecedently
distressed situation of the country,” and Parliament was
petitioned on the subject. Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, in the
course of the proceedings, described Mr. Cobbett as “one
whose name it was pollution to pronounce, and who had crawled up
from the very dregs of the people to a slimy
popularity.” In the report of this meeting the term
“Liberal,” as used in a political sense, appeared for
the first time. On May 15th the welcome announcement was
made that some of the principal houses in Norwich had brought
gros de Naples and other silks to such a state of perfection that
they had a decided preference in the market, and that so numerous
were the orders that scarcely a loom in this important branch of
the weaving trade was unemployed.
16.—A great meeting of freeholders of the county was
held at the Shirehall, Norwich, presided over by the High Sheriff
(Mr. Andrew Fountaine), at which a petition was adopted for
presentation to Parliament, praying for the repeal of the malt
duties. (Meetings for the same end were held in all parts
of the county.)
19.—A prize-fight took place at Thurton, between T.
Riches, 11 st., and John Clarke, 15 st., for a purse of
£10. The former was seconded by Ned
Painter and Loveday, and the latter by Gale and Mike Fenn.
Seventy-two rounds were fought in 1 hour 26 minutes. Riches
won. “Hundreds of persons from Norwich padded it
through the snow to witness this exhibition of
science.”
19.—Mr. Marsham Elwin resigned the chairmanship of the
Norfolk Quarter Sessions, and was thanked by the magistrates for
the important services he had long rendered to the county.
At the April Sessions Mr. John Weyland was elected in his
place.
22.—A great fall of snow occurred in the Lynn
district. The London coach ran into a drift at
Tottenhill. The snow was almost up to the lamp-irons, and
the vehicle was hauled out by teams of agricultural horses.
25.—Miss S. Booth appeared at Norwich Theatre as Widow
Cheerley (“The Soldier’s Daughter”). Her
other impersonations included Little Pickle (“The Spoilt
Child”), Sally Scraggs (“The Englishman in
India”); Mary (“The Innkeeper’s
Daughter”), Aurelia Fairlove (“The Young
Widow”); Lady Elizabeth (“The Day after the
Wedding”), Priscilla Tomboy (“The Romp”), and
Carline (“The Noyades, or the Maid of Venice”).
8.—The roads in various parts of the county were
rendered impassable by deep snow. The Fakenham coach was
three days on its journey from London.
16.—Died, Dr. Robert Gooch, of Berners Street, London,
librarian to the King. Dr. Gooch, who was in his 45th year,
was born at Yarmouth, and married the eldest daughter of Mr. N.
Bolingbroke, of Norwich.
26.—At three o’clock in the morning, John Brooks
and William Brooks, awaiting trial in Norwich Castle for a
highway robbery at Middleton, attempted to escape. They
were confined in Bigod’s Tower, from the summit of which
William Brooks endeavoured to lower himself by means of his
blanket and rug. The improvised rope gave way, and Brooks
fell a distance of 70 feet. His thigh, pelvis, left arm,
and the whole of the ribs on his left side were broken, and a
large tumour subsequently formed at the back of his head.
Notwithstanding his terrible injuries, Brooks recovered, and at
the Summer Assizes at Norwich was borne into court on the back of
a warder to take his trial. It was stated that he was
permanently crippled and quite disabled, but Mr. Justice Parke
sentenced him to transportation for life.
27.*—“Private Flood, 7th Dragoon Guard’s,
who was tried by court-martial for sleeping at his post at
Norwich, was sentenced to receive 300 lashes, but his Majesty was
graciously pleased, in consideration of the long imprisonment he
had undergone, to remit the infliction of the
punishment.”
20.*—[Advt.] “Dr. Johnson’s Hotel and
Tavern, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. Anthony Beck, late of
West Lexham, has taken the above house, and begs leave to inform
his Norfolk friends and the public in general
that he has used every exertion to render it worthy their support
and patronage, and to assure them that he has paid due attention
to that grand desideratum of Norfolk gentlemen, wines and spirits
of the best quality, and good and well-aired beds.
N.B.—Within 10 minutes’ walk of Smithfield Market and
the Theatres.”
20.*—“We are informed that it is in contemplation
to establish a pack of foxhounds in the western part of Norfolk,
and that the kennel is to be at Litcham. In consequence
thereof, the largest of the Kempstone hounds will be disposed of,
but the Kempstone pack will not be given up. They will
return to their original standard of small beagles, which are
better adapted for elderly sportsmen, and will not hunt the same
day as the foxhounds do.”
22.—A public meeting was held at Yarmouth, to protest
against the determination of his Majesty’s Commissioners
for Building Churches to erect a church there in opposition to
the desire of the inhabitants. The imposition already in
force of 2s. in the pound on houses and grounds, and a duty of
2s. a chaldron on coals consumed in the town, for the support of
the church and chapel, was considered oppressive.
29.—The Common Council elections, which commenced at
Norwich on this date, gave the ‘Orange and Purple’
party the ascendancy. “The trade in votes was
unblushingly pursued on both sides, and the prices that were
given towards the close of each day’s polling were of a
heavy amount.”
30.—A steeplechase took place for a silver cup valued at
30 gs., from Fritton Church to Gorleston Church, a distance of
four miles. Horses were run by Mr. Hector Munro, Mr. J.
Fowler, Mr. S. Palmer, and Mr. Moore. The race was won by
Mr. Munro’s entry. In the evening “the
gentlemen of Mr. Munro’s hunt dined at the Bear Inn, and
the company were much gratified with an excellent local and
appropriate song, the production of Mr. Burton, of the Norwich
Theatre Royal, and repeated by that gentleman in the course of
the evening with increased effect.”
3.—At a meeting held at the King’s Arms Inn, East
Dereham, it was decided to establish a pack of foxhounds in that
part of the county, and to solicit landowners to preserve
foxes.
—*“Last month a number of persons left North and
South Lopham in waggons, on their way to embark at Liverpool for
the United States of America. Between 100 and 200 persons
are emigrating from these parishes, a considerable sum of money
having been borrowed on security of the rates to defray the
expenses of their passage (about £6 10s. per head), and to
furnish each family with the clear sum of £5 on their
landing at New York.”—[Advt.] “Emigrants
to North America. The Preston, A.I., Thomas Woodthorp
master, burden 300 tons, being well fitted with berths between
decks, and having excellent accommodation for cabin and steerage
passengers, will sail from Yarmouth, on the 15th inst., for
Quebec. For passage or freight apply at the Counting-house
of Isaac Preston, Esq.”
5.—At the Sheriffs’ Guildhall Court, Norwich, the
only jury available were so long engaged in considering a verdict
that nine solicitors in court
volunteered to form a jury to try the next cause. Those
sworn were Messrs. J. B. Daveney, H. Miller, G. Dye, R. Fickling,
C. S. Gilman, Colman, Lawter, and Marston. Three laymen
made up the requisite number. “The swearing of the
jury of legal gentlemen caused much laughter, and what appeared
most singular, after hearing evidence on both sides, they could
not agree to a verdict, but recommended the withdrawal of a
juror, which was done accordingly. Such a jury was never
heard of before in Norwich.”
10.—John Simmons, aged 31, and William Lovet, 20,
convicted at Thetford Assizes of burglaries at Thorpe, were
executed on the Castle Hill, Norwich. Calcraft was the
executioner. “After the execution the bodies were
laid out in the mill-yard, and the different classes of prisoners
were marched past.”
—*“A few weeks since a pike was caught in the
North River, near St. Benet’s Abbey, which weighed 35 lbs.,
the extreme length of which was 49 inches. It measured 25
inches in girth. This astonishing fish, the largest ever
caught in this county, was presented to his Majesty by Mr. H. N.
Burroughes, of Burlingham.”
12.—Mr. Power, of Covent Garden Theatre, commenced a
short engagement at Norwich Theatre, in the part of Dennis
Brulgruddery. His other impersonations were Teddy the
Tiler, Larry (“More Blunders than One”), Dr.
O’Toole, Alessandro Massaroni (“The Brigand”),
and Teague (“Honest Thieves”).
13.—At a meeting of the Norwich Paving Act
Commissioners, a report was received from the Lighting and
Watching Committee on the proposals of the agents of the Norwich
Gas-Light Company for extending their works through the principal
streets of the city. There were then four miles of main and
service pipes supplied with oil gas; it was proposed to extend
the pipes to twelve miles, and to supply “purified coal
gas.” It was explained that the adoption of the
proposal would result in the abolition of 900 old oil lamps and
the substitution of gas lamps, at an increased annual charge of
£500. At an adjourned meeting on April 30th, the
scheme was adopted, and tenders were invited for carrying it into
effect. In May the Norwich Gas Company purchased five acres
of land near Bishop Bridge, on which to erect works for supplying
the whole city with coal gas.
19.—Three troops of the 1st Royal Dragoons, under the
command of Major Martin, arrived in Norwich, to replace the 7th
Dragoon Guards. The headquarters of the regiment marched in
on May 15th, from Manchester.
21.—Mrs. W. West, of Drury Lane, appeared at Norwich
Theatre, as Portia. Her other parts included Edmond
(“The Blind Boy”), Juliana (“The
Honeymoon”), Mrs. Beverley, Ellen Enfield (“Falls of
Clyde”), and Therese.
23.—The Norfolk Quarter Sessions petitioned the Lord
Chancellor to order the removal of the Lent Assizes from Thetford
to Norwich. On May 3rd the Corporation of Norwich adopted a
similar petition.
—The birthday of King George IV. was celebrated for the
last time.
1.—Mr. John Angell was elected Mayor of Norwich.
3.—The Corporation of Norwich petitioned the
House of Commons to introduce legislation for remitting the
punishment of death “in all cases except murder, arson,
burglary, highway robbery, and offences attended with
violence.”
13.—The foundation-stone of the new Market House at Lynn
was laid by the Mayor (Mr. William Bagge).
15.—William King was publicly whipped in Norwich Market
Place for stealing a pewter pot.
—Died at his house, in Chapel Field, Norwich, aged 48,
Mr. Joseph Gibson, jun., who served the office of Sheriff in
1821.
17.—A portion of the roof over the pit of the old
Theatre Royal, Norwich, fell in with a tremendous crash.
The workmen who had been employed there during the day had just
left the building.
22.—The Rev. William Yonge, Vicar of Swaffham and
Chancellor of the Diocese of Norwich, was presented by his
parishioners with a piece of plate, of the value of £100,
in recognition of his services as their resident minister during
the period of 50 years.
2.—Mr. Burton, comedian at the Theatre Royal, Norwich,
on the occasion of his benefit, “delivered Liston’s
celebrated address, riding on the back of a real
donkey.”
—Died, Mr. Jeremiah Lorkin, aged 77, “well known
some years since to the then antiquaries of Norwich, an excellent
classical scholar, and conversant with the science of
numismatics.”
12.—A writ of mandamus was issued by the Court of
King’s Bench, directing the Mayor and Corporation of
Norwich, in compliance with the Act of Parliament, to elect
twenty persons to be Guardians of the Poor. The Mayor (Mr.
T. O. Springfield) had absented himself from the quarterly
assembly of the Corporation on May 3rd. The transaction of
public business was, in consequence, prevented, and at a special
assembly a strong vote of censure was passed upon his worship for
his conduct.
—A grey eagle was shot in Holkham Park. It weighed
9¾ lbs., measured 2½ inches round the smallest part
of the leg, 3 ft from the point of the beak to the tip of the
tail, and 7 ft. 2 in. from the tip of one wing to the tip of the
other.
22.—Guild Day was observed in Norwich. It was
stated that at the Cathedral the civic procession “passed
along the rush-strewed pavement into the choir.” In
consequence of the serious illness of the King, it was doubtful
whether the Guild feast would be held. Mr. Angell, the
Mayor-elect, issued 600 invitations, and until the guests
actually assembled there was every probability of the abandonment
of the feast.
27.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the death of
George IV. The news came six hours in advance of the mails,
by an express despatched from the “Sun” newspaper
office in London to the proprietors of the Norfolk Chronicle. The great bell of
St. Peter Mancroft Church was tolled. On the 29th the High
Sheriff (the Hon. George Milles) proceeded on
horseback from the Norfolk Hotel, accompanied by a marshal and
javelin-men, and other officials, to the Shirehall, where the
accession of King William IV. to the Crown of these realms was
proclaimed, and three cheers given. The King was proclaimed
by the city authorities on the 30th, from the leads of the
Guildhall. The procession round the city was headed by the
band and kettledrums of the 1st Royal Dragoons, and five troops
of the regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel
Somerset. “The Colonel politely declined the
Mayor’s invitation to himself and his officers to take
refreshments at the Guildhall after the ceremony, and the offer
on the part of the Corporation to present the non-commissioned
officers and men of the Royals with 10 guineas with which to
drink his Majesty’s health was also declined, on the ground
that the troops, in attending the civil authorities, had only
performed a duty.” There were similar observances at
Yarmouth and Lynn.
5.—Mr. William Smith, M.P. for Norwich, in an address on
this date, intimated to the electors that, in consequence of
advancing years, he would not offer himself for
re-election. He had represented the city twenty-eight
years.
—A grand main of cocks (three double-days’ play)
commenced at the Maid’s Head Inn, Norwich, between the
gentlemen of Norfolk (Stafford, feeder) and the gentlemen of
Suffolk (Nash, feeder), for £10 a battle and £100 the
odd. Norfolk won by two battles a head on the main.
6.—A cricket match was played at Lord’s, between
the Marylebone and the Norfolk clubs. The latter won by 24
runs. Marylebone, 43-78; Norfolk, 87-58. The return
match was played on the Dereham ground, on August 19th and 20th,
when Norfolk won by eight wickets. Marylebone, 62-44;
Norfolk, 85-22.
15.—The funeral of the late King took place on this
date. The day was observed in Norwich “with the
complete features of the Sabbath.” The Corporation
attended service at the Cathedral, services were held in other
places of worship, and the great bell of St. Peter Mancroft
tolled from eight o’clock till midnight.
24.—At the General Election which took place consequent
upon the death of the King, Mr. Richard Hanbury Gurney, acceding
to the urgent appeals of the “Blue and White” party
in Norwich, consented to contest the city, in conjunction with
Mr. Robert Grant. On this date he and his colleague made
their public entry. Col. Peel, who sought re-election, and
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, Bart., the other “Orange and
Purple” candidate, arrived on the 26th. The
nomination took place on the 29th, and the polling commenced
immediately afterwards. Throughout the election great
excitement prevailed, and there was much rioting. The poll
was declared on the 30th, as follows: Gurney, 2,363; Grant,
2,279; Peel, 1,912; Ogle, 1,762.
30.—The election at Yarmouth commenced, and, after a
sharp contest, the poll was declared, on the 31st, as follows:
The Hon. George Anson, 944; Rumbold, 944; Preston, 751; Campbell,
754.
31.—Lynn election took place, and resulted in the return
of Lord George Bentinck and Col. Walpole,
with 78 and 73 votes respectively. The unsuccessful
candidate, Sir W. B. ffolkes, polled 8 votes.
3.—Mr. T. W. Coke and Mr. Edmond Wodehouse, the outgoing
members, offered themselves for re-election by the county.
Mr. Coke issued an address on this date, asking the electors to
support Sir William ffolkes, who stood as a third
candidate. Mr. Wodehouse withdrew his candidature rather
than involve himself and his supporters in a protracted contest,
and the two first-named gentlemen were returned unopposed on the
6th.
7.—An inquest upon the body of a man accidentally killed
was held in the porch of Earlham church by Mr. William
Bell, Coroner.
9.—Mr. Samuel Bignold was elected one of the Sheriffs of
Norwich.
—At an inquest held at Norwich on the body of John
Morse, aged 38, who, during the city election was violently
struck by a stone, and received such injuries that he died on
August 6th, a verdict of wilful murder against some person or
persons unknown, was returned, and the Court of Mayoralty offered
a reward of £50 for a conviction.
—Mr. Kean appeared at Norwich Theatre in the character
of Richard III., previous to leaving England for America, and to
his final retirement from the stage. His other
impersonations included Shylock, Othello, Sir Edward Mortimer,
Sir Giles Overreach, and King Lear.
20.—Died at sea, on board the Lyra Government packet, in
his 63rd year, Mr. Crisp Brown, Alderman of Norwich, who served
as Sheriff in 1814, and Mayor in 1817. He had taken a
voyage across the Atlantic for the benefit of his health,
“but unhappily sank under the weight of affliction which
oppressed his mind.”
21.—The King’s birthday was celebrated in
Norwich.
25.—Died at his house on Tombland, Norwich, Mr. Henry
Carter, aged 40, one of the surgeons of the Norfolk and Norwich
Hospital.
31.—The election of freemen’s Sheriff at Norwich
resulted in the return of Mr. Isaac Wiseman, with 1,124 votes,
against 794 polled by Mr. Charles Middleton.
13.—The foundation-stone of a new episcopal chapel at
Yarmouth, erected by voluntary subscriptions, from designs by Mr.
Scoles, was laid by Mr. Barth, acting for the Bishop of
Norwich.
21.—The Norwich Musical Festival opened with a grand
concert, given at St. Andrew’s Hall. On the morning
of the 22nd, sacred selections were given, and in the evening Mr.
Mori conducted a concert. The “Messiah” was
performed on the morning of the 23rd, and a concert took place in
the evening. On Friday, 24th, selections of sacred music
were given in the morning, and a fancy dress ball was held in the
evening. The principal performers at the Festival were
Madame Malibran, Madame Stockhausen, Master Phillips, Mrs.
William Knyvett, Mr. Braham, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Terrail,
Mr. E. Taylor, and Signor De Begnes. Sir George Smart was
conductor.
24.—A dinner was held at the Corn Exchange, Norwich, to
celebrate the return of Mr. T. W. Coke, M.P., and Sir William,
ffolkes, M.P.
25.—Mr. Braham appeared at Norwich Theatre as Henry
Bartram (“Guy Mannering”).
2.—Malibran appeared at Norwich Theatre, in the
character of Susanna (“The Marriage of Figaro”).
4.—A twin packet was launched from the shipyard of Mr.
John Lubbock, at Wells-next-the-Sea. “She may justly
be called a twin steamer, having two stems and two stern posts,
with a tunnel passing through the middle ingeniously constructed
so as to make her very stiff and of an easy draught of
water. The vessel was built for the Aire and Calder
Navigation Company.”
9.—A specimen of the Ossifragus, or small eagle,
was shot at Barton Turf.
11.—The new Beer Bill came into operation. At Lynn
“the day was kept as a jubilee by all the devotees of Sir
John Barleycorn. Nearly 50 new houses were opened for the
sale of beer, and drunkenness, rioting, and fighting were
prevalent in many of the streets.”
23.—Mr. J. G. Johnson was elected assistant-surgeon at
the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, in place of Mr. B. H. Norgate,
appointed one of the surgeons.
—A county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, at
which it was decided to petition Parliament for the repeal of the
duty on malt. Great disorder was occasioned by an operative
in the gallery exhibiting a placard bearing the words,
“Englishmen, remember the expensive and bloody reign of
George III.”
2.—A common hall was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, for
the purpose of petitioning the Legislature for the repeal of the
duty on coals. The requisition had been signed wholly by
persons of the “Purple and Orange” party, much
opposition resulted, and the meeting dissolved in confusion.
10.—Mr. Edward Hall Alderson, son of the Recorder of
Norwich, and Mr. John Patteson, son of the Rev. Henry Patteson,
of Drinkstone, Suffolk, and nephew of Mr. Alderman Patteson, of
Norwich, were appointed Judges of the High Court.
—On this date began the machine-breaking riots and stack
firing, which gradually extended over the greater part of the
county. The first fire occurred on the farm of Mr. J. Hill,
of Briston, and a reward of £1,000 was offered by Sir Jacob
Astley for the discovery of the offenders. On the 16th a
mob destroyed the agricultural machinery belonging to Mr. John
Girling, of Paston. The outrages became so numerous that
the principal agriculturists got rid of their threshing-machines,
and Col. Wodehouse, the Lieutenant of the County,
issued a circular to the magistrates, requesting them to swear in
special constables in every parish. At Melton Constable, on
the 22nd, it was feared that an attack would be made upon the
Hall, but the gentlemen in the neighbourhood went to the
assistance of Sir Jacob Astley, and, meeting the rioters at
Hindolvestone, seized the ringleaders and conveyed them to
Walsingham Bridewell. Another mob assembled on the 23rd,
and further arrests were made. The High Sheriff (the Hon.
G. J. Milles), anticipating a further attack, despatched a
messenger to Elmham Park, requesting the assistance of the
gentlemen of the Norfolk Hunt, who had a meet there that
day. The summons was immediately obeyed, and the horsemen,
on arriving at Melton Constable, dispersed the rioters and made
several arrests. The same day detachments of the 1st Royal
Dragoons were sent from Norwich to do duty in the disturbed
districts. At Norwich, on the 29th, the mob destroyed the
sawmills of Mr. Calver, at New Catton, and the looms at Messrs.
Willett’s factory in St. Martin’s, and broke the
windows of the silk factory. The Sheriffs and the
magistrates were in daily and nightly attendance at the
Guildhall, and the Chelsea pensioners in the city, to the number
of 200, were called out to assist in preserving the peace.
On December 4th the county of Norfolk was included in his
Majesty’s proclamation, offering a reward of £50 in
respect of every person convicted of any outrage upon
property. At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, held on December
18th, two Committees were appointed, one for East and the other
for West Norfolk, “to arrange and put the constabulary
force on the most efficient footing to preserve the peace and
protect the persons and property of the inhabitants of the
county.” The thanks of the Court were given to the
1st Royals for their services, and to the Mayor and magistrates
of Norwich for their cordial co-operation with the county
authorities in the suppression of the disturbances.
20.—A whale, which had stranded upon a sandbank four
miles below the harbour, was landed on the common staith at
King’s Lynn. “It was placed on two trucks,
dragged by six horses, and measured 21 ft. 3 in. in length, and
13 ft. 6 in. in circumference.”
25.—Mr. Robert Grant, one of the members for Norwich,
having accepted the office of Judge Advocate under the new
Administration, a fresh election was rendered necessary, and the
writ was received on this date. The right hon. gentleman
was returned unopposed on November 30th. He was afterwards
appointed a Government Commissioner for the affairs of India.
6.—Died at his house, St. Giles’ Terrace, Norwich,
Joseph Stannard, artist.
11*.—“On Sunday, November 7th, were deposited in
Lakenham churchyard the remains of Elizabeth Watts, aged 24
years; and on the 28th of the same month a brother of the
deceased died. He expressed the wish to be buried in the
same grave with his sister. It was found that the grave had
been opened and the body of the sister taken away. The
shroud remained.”
11.—Died, in consequence of a fall from his
horse, the Very Rev. Edward Mellish, M.A., formerly of Trinity
College, Cambridge, rector of East Tuddenham, vicar of Honingham,
and Dean of Hereford.
16.—Died at Costessey, Captain William Bolton, R.N.,
eldest son of the Rev. William Bolton, “and one of the few
surviving Norfolk heroes who accompanied Nelson in his deeds of
fame.”
18.—It was announced that Mr. Robert Alderson had
resigned the Recordership of Norwich. Mr. Isaac Preston,
Steward of the city, was, on the 23rd, appointed to fill the
vacancy. Mr. Fitzroy Kelly was appointed Steward on
February 3rd, and presented with the freedom of the city on April
29th, 1831.
—Official notification was given of the completion of
the Gas Works at Bishop Bridge, Norwich, and of the extended
service of gas in the city.
24.—A frost commenced on Christmas-eve, and became so
intense that in the course of forty-eight hours the mill-streams
and rivers were frozen over, and navigation between Norwich and
Yarmouth was obstructed by ice. On the night of the 26th
the thermometer fell to zero, “a degree of cold never
before observed in this country.” On the 27th there
was a sudden change, and on the 31st the thermometer stood at 48
degrees.
25.—Died at Lakenham Grove, aged 74, Mr. Joseph Gurney,
banker, of Norwich. At the funeral in the Gildencroft
burial-ground, “Mr. J. J. Gurney and Mrs. Fry offered up
impressive prayers.”
1.—The non-commissioned officers and privates of the 1st
Royal Dragoons were entertained by public subscription at dinner
at the Assembly Rooms, East Dereham, in recognition of their
services during the recent disturbances.
5.—Died at Hilborough Hall, aged 54, Mr. Ralph
Caldwell. “He was among the first promoters of the
Norfolk Foxhunting Society.”
—The calendar of the Norfolk Quarter Sessions contained
the names of 205 prisoners, of whom 108 were indicted for taking
part in the machine-breaking riots during November and December,
1830. The trials, which took place before Mr. Serjeant
Frere, Lord Suffield, and other magistrates, concluded on the
12th. Sixty-seven of the rioters were found guilty of
machine-breaking, and 41 were acquitted or otherwise
discharged. One was sentenced to 14 years’
transportation; 8 to seven years; 1 to two years’
imprisonment; 1 to fifteen months; 4 to one year; 5 to nine
months; 10 to six months; 6 to four months; 14 to three months; 8
to two months; 4 to one month, and 1 to fourteen days.
Fifty were charged with rioting and other outrages. Of
these, 18 were discharged on their own recognisances; 9
were acquitted, and 23 convicted. One was sentenced to
imprisonment for two and a half years; 2 for two years; 3 for
eighteen months; 4 for one year; 2 for six months; 3 for four
months; 4 for three months; 2 for one month; 1 for three weeks;
and 1 for one week. There were reserved for a higher
tribunal three capital offences of machine-breaking, and five or
six cases of arson.
17.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions, an indictment was
preferred against one William Lamb, for receiving a bribe at the
election of Mr. Alderman Steward. The Grand Jury made a
presentment that the bill of indictment should have included Mr.
Charles Turner and Mr. Samuel Woodcock Mealing, as there was
conclusive evidence that they had bribed the defendant. The
Recorder (Mr. Preston) adjourned the case until January
31st. A further adjournment was made till February 1st,
when the Recorder, after a long legal argument with counsel,
decided that the case could not proceed. A rule absolute
was obtained in the Court of King’s Bench against Mr.
Mealing, and the case came on for trial before Lord Lyndhurst at
the Norwich Assizes on July 29th, when the jury found the
defendant guilty, and recommended him to mercy. In the
Court of King’s Bench, on November 8th, an unsuccessful
motion was made for arrest of judgment. Finally the
defendant appeared before that Court on November 23rd, and was
sentenced by Mr. Justice Parke to pay a fine of £100.
19.—The honorary freedom of the city was conferred upon
the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Sidmouth, on the occasion of a visit
to his son-in-law, the Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean of
Norwich.
—The agitation for Parliamentary Reform began at
Norwich, this year, with a meeting held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, when resolutions were passed in favour of the
measure. On March 19th the Right Hon. Robert Grant, member
for Norwich, presented in the House of Commons a petition signed
by 7,000 citizens in support of the Bill, and Sir William ffolkes
presented similar petitions from the inhabitants of the several
Hundreds in the county. A great meeting took place at St
Andrew’s Hall on September 29th, at which it was decided to
petition the House of Lords on behalf of the Bill, on the ground
“that the tranquillity and happiness of this kingdom depend
on the complete passing of this great national
measure.” The Bill having been thrown out by the
Peers, a requisition was presented to the Mayor of Norwich for a
Common Hall, which was held at St. Andrew’s Hall on October
18th. A procession, headed by bands of music, started from
the Castle Ditches at ten o’clock, and, after parading the
streets of the city, arrived at the Hall at noon. About
5,000 persons were present, and the Mayor presided. Mr.
Thomas Bignold, jun., one of the principal speakers, moved a
series of resolutions expressive of the “ardent hope that
such constitutional measures as may be completely effectual for
the attainment of this most important object will be forthwith
adopted by his Majesty, under the advice and with the assistance
of his Ministers.” An address founded on the
resolutions was ordered to be presented to the King. A
county meeting took place at the Shirehall on November 19th,
under the presidency of Mr. Anthony Hamond, “for the
purpose of expressing confidence in his Majesty’s
Ministers, and of adopting such proceedings as may be deemed
expedient to forward the great measure of Reform.” On
the 26th was issued for signature “the Norfolk
Declaration” which expressed “alarm at the extensive innovations proposed by the late Reform
Bill,” and gratitude to the House of Lords for
“generously exercising the prerogative power vested in them
for the good of the people, and for refusing to concur in so
dangerous an experiment.” The year’s agitation
closed with the issue, on December 3rd, of another Declaration,
“founded on a constitutional basis and manifesting a
conciliatory spirit.” This movement was known as
“the Conservative Reform.” (The word
“Conservative,” in the political sense, was, on this
occasion, used locally for the first time.)
21.—At the county magistrates’ meeting, Mr. John
Stracey reintroduced the subject of the removal of the Lent
Assizes from Thetford to Norwich, and announced that Lord
Chancellor Brougham had addressed to the Lieutenant of the County
a letter, in which he promised to advise the Secretary of State
to cause the Assizes to be held in future at Norwich. On
February 1st the Corporation of Norwich petitioned the Lord
Chancellor in favour of the removal. On March 9th the Home
Office intimated that the Judges of Assize for the Norfolk
Circuit proposed to hold an adjourned Assizes for the trial of
eight prisoners at Norwich on March 24th. The Assizes were
held accordingly on that date by adjournment from Thetford.
26.—Died at his house in Portland Place, London, aged
86, Mr. Richard Paul Jodrell, F.R.S., F.A.S., D.C.L., formerly
member of Parliament for the borough of Seaford. “It
may be regarded as an almost unprecedented instance, that Mr.
Jodrell had lived to be in possession of his paternal estates 80
years, his father having died at an early age in
1751.” He was distinguished as a scholar, and as
author of “The Illustrations of Euripides” and other
literary works. Mr. Jodrell was the last surviving member
of Dr. Johnson’s Club.
12.—Died at St. George Colegate, Norwich, James Horth,
aged 42. “He was a journeyman dyer, but devoted his
leisure hours to the highest branches of mathematical science;
his knowledge of astronomy was profound; he was deeply read in
the modern analysis of the French, and possessed the esteem of
some of the most celebrated mathematicians of this
country.”
13.—Died at Bath, Sir Edward Berry, Bart., K.C.B.,
Rear-Admiral of the Red. He was born in 1768, and was
fourth son of a London merchant. On December 12th, 1797, he
married Louisa, eldest daughter of the Rev. Samuel Forster, D.D.,
then head-master of the Norwich Free Grammar School. At the
restoration of peace, in 1814, Sir Edward returned to Norfolk,
and took up his residence at Catton, where he remained some
years. Thence he proceeded to Bath, for the benefit of his
health. He was buried at Walcot Church, Bath, on February
22nd.
14.—Died, aged 74, Mr. William Betts, Lieutenant and
Quartermaster in the West Norfolk Militia. He entered the
service as a private on April 29th, 1778; was appointed Corporal,
July 18th, 1780; Sergeant, June 10th, 1790; Quarter-master, April
23rd, 1803, and held the appointment till June 24th, 1829, after
a total service of 51 years 57 days.
19.*—[Advt.] “The annual grand main
of cocks, between the gentlemen of Norfolk and the gentlemen of
Suffolk, will be fought at the Maid’s Head Inn, St.
Simon’s, Norwich, on Tuesday, March 8th, and two following
days (three double-days’ play), for £10 a battle and
£100 the main. To commence fighting each day in the
morning at 12 o’clock, in the evening at seven.
Feeders: Stafford for Norfolk; Nash for Suffolk.”
23.—Died at his house, at Thorpe, Mr. Michael Stark,
aged 83. “Mr. Stark was a native of Scotland, and
descended from an ancient and honourable family in the county of
Fife. He was apprenticed to a dyer, and, having been
engaged in London, was induced to come to Norwich. To Mr.
Stark Norwich was indebted for the introduction of many valuable
discoveries and improvements which tended considerably to the
success of its manufactures.”
27.—Died at the Royal Military College, Bagshot, Captain
Charles Stone, paymaster at that institution, aged 84. He
was a native of Norwich, and served in the 16th Light Dragoons,
which he accompanied to America in 1775, and was personally
concerned in the taking of General Lee. On his passage home
from America, in 1781, he was captured in the British Channel by
a French privateer, and carried to France, where he was detained
a prisoner 12 months. In 1784 he was appointed Adjutant of
the 16th, and in due time attained the rank of Captain. He
was appointed paymaster of the College in 1802, and resigned in
1827.
2.—The freedom of the city was presented to the Hon. and
Very Rev. G. Pellew, D.D., Dean of Norwich.
6.—Died at Dulwich College, aged 66, the Rev. Ozias
Thurston Linley, A.B., a junior fellow of that institution, and
formerly a Minor Canon of Norwich Cathedral. He was the
eldest son of Mr. Thomas Linley, patentee of Drury Lane Theatre,
and brother of Mrs. Sheridan, the first wife of Richard Brinsley
Sheridan.
21.—The elections for the Common Council commenced at
Norwich. “They were conducted upon correct
principles, the voters were left free from the temptation of
corruption, and the result was the renewed ascendancy of the
‘Orange and Purple’ party, who won the representation
of three wards out of four.”
24.—The grave was discovered, in the south aisle of St.
Stephen’s Church, of Robert Browne, a former Mayor of
Norwich. Nothing remained but some pieces of bones.
Upon a stone was the inscription: “Of your charitie praye
for the soule of Robert Browne, Esquire, some time Mayor of this
city, who died 1534.”
—The Norfolk Lent Assizes (adjourned from Thetford) were
held at Norwich for the first time. Mr. Justice Alderson,
an honorary freeman of the city, was one of the judges.
25.—At the Norfolk Lent Assizes, at Norwich, before Mr.
Justice Alderson, Richard Nockolds was indicted for setting fire
to stacks, the property of William Blake, at Swanton Abbott, and
Robert Hunt, Josiah Davidson, and David Davidson were charged as
accessaries. The jury found the prisoners not
guilty. On the 26th they were indicted for setting fire to
a stack the property of Richard Ducker, of the same place.
Nockolds was found guilty, and sentenced to death; Josiah
Davidson was convicted of being an accessary before the fact,
recommended to mercy, and afterwards respited; Hunt and David
Davidson were acquitted. Nockolds was executed on the
Castle Hill, Norwich, on April 9th. His body was
subsequently exhibited at his cottage opposite the Barrack gates,
Pockthorpe, “and a considerable sum of money was in this
way raised for the widow.”
26.—A Bill “for the better management of the Poor
in the several parishes and hamlets of the city of
Norwich,” had, it was announced on this date, been
presented in the House of Commons. The principal object of
the measure was to abolish the right of the Corporation to elect
Guardians. It was read a first time in April, passed
through its remaining stages during the first Session of the new
Parliament, and the first meeting of the Court of Guardians
elected under the new Act was held at the Guildhall on October
4th.
5.—Lynn Market Cross was sold by auction for
£160. It had long been dilapidated. “The
Market Place in its present state, covered with vegetation
sufficient to graze sheep, presents a most melancholy
appearance.”
8.—Mr. Henry Dover was elected a chairman of Norfolk
Quarter Sessions, in the room of Sir E. H. Alderson, appointed
one of his Majesty’s Judges.
11.—Miss Smithson appeared at Norwich Theatre in the
character of Juliet; and on three subsequent evenings as Mrs.
Simpson (“Simpson and Co.”), Belvidera, Mrs. Oakley
(“The Jealous Wife”), and Theresa (“The Orphan
of Geneva”).
13.—The new road from Acle to Yarmouth, saving a
distance of three miles five furlongs, was opened for public
inspection, and was shortly afterwards used for traffic.
14.—A ballot for filling up the peace establishment of
the East Norfolk Militia was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
before Mr. Isaac Preston, D.L. “Substitutes were
easily obtained from £2 to £3 per man.”
29.—The nomination of Parliamentary candidates for
Norwich took place. Mr. R. H. Gurney and the Right Hon.
Robert Grant were proposed by the “Blue and White”
party, and Sir Charles Wetherell and Mr. Michael Thomas Sadler by
the “Purple and Orange” party. A poll was
demanded, and opened on April 30th. The polling-booths
closed on May 3rd, when the result was declared as
follows:—Gurney, 2,158; Grant, 2,163; Wetherell, 977;
Sadler, 964.
—Yarmouth election commenced on this date, and the poll
closed on the 30th. Result:—Col. Anson, 904; Mr.
Rumbold, 903; Mr. Colville, 549; Mr. Bliss, 543.
30.—Lord H. Cholmondeley and the Hon. F. G. Howard were
re-elected members of Parliament for Castle Rising.
1.—This day (Sunday) Mr. Alderman Leman and Mr. Alderman
Yallop were elected to be returned to the Court of Aldermen for
appointment to the office of Mayor of Norwich. Mr. Yallop
was chosen Mayor on the 3rd.
2.—Lord George Bentinck and Lord William Lennox were
elected without opposition members of Parliament for King’s
Lynn.
3.—The use of the ballot box at meetings of the Norwich
Corporation was discontinued, on the motion of Mr. W. J. Utten
Browne, who characterised it as “a sneaking mode of
proceeding.”
4.—Died in Harley Street, London, aged 69, the
Viscountess Nelson and Duchess of Bronte, “widow of the
immortal hero of Trafalgar.” The funeral took place
at Littleham, near Exmouth.
6.—Mr. T. W. Coke and Sir W. B. ffolkes were returned
unopposed members of Parliament for the county of Norfolk.
Mr. Coke announced that he would not again seek re-election.
28.*—“Last week a lobster was taken out alive from
one of the branches of the river Waveney, at Frenze, in this
county. The river is intersected by several locks, and the
place where it was taken is nearly 40 miles from the
sea.”
1.—Died at Thorpe, aged 47, Mr. Marsham Elwin, of
Thurning, formerly one of the chairmen of Norfolk Quarter
Sessions.
6.—A vessel named the Carrow, of 80 tons burden, was
launched from the timber-yard of Mr. Batley, at Carrow.
—A two days’ cricket match commenced on
Lord’s ground, between Norwich and Marylebone.
Norwich, 115-142. Marylebone, 145-67. Betting at the
start was 6 to 4 on Marylebone, and at the end of the first
day’s play the odds were 7 and 8 to 1 in favour of
Norwich.
11.*—“The census which has just been taken shows
that the inhabitants of Norwich number 60,998, an increase in ten
years of 10,700. The population of the county, exclusive of
Norwich, but including other boroughs, is 331,014, an increase of
36,934.”
20.—Mr. Alderman Patteson resigned his seat after fifty
years’ membership of the Norwich Corporation. Mr.
Samuel Bignold was elected to fill the vacancy thus created in
the Great Mancroft Ward.
—A meeting, presided over by Mr. J. J. Gurney, was held
at the Guildhall, Norwich, for the purpose of promoting a
subscription for the relief of sufferers from the Irish
famine.
21.—Guild Day at Norwich. Mr. J. H. Yallop was,
for the second time, sworn in as Mayor, and afterwards
entertained 800 guests at the Guild feast.
22.—Mr. Charles Green made a balloon ascent from
Richmond Hill Gardens, Norwich, in company with Mr. Richard
Crawshay, and in 1 hour 10 minutes descended upon a
marsh at Oby near Acle. He made a second ascent from the
same gardens on July 2nd, accompanied by Mr. Alderman Marshall,
and descended at Blofield. Mr. Crawshay accompanied the
aeronaut in the ascent at the opening of London Bridge by the
King on August 1st. Owing to a strong wind, the ascent was
made with great difficulty; the aeronauts barely escaped with
their lives, and on descending at Charlwood were severely bruised
and shaken.
7.—The first stone of a new church at Yarmouth,
dedicated to St. Peter, and erected on a site granted by the
Corporation, was laid by the Mayor (Mr. Edmund Preston).
Mr. Scoles was the architect. The church was consecrated on
August 16th, 1833, by the Bishop of Winchester, on behalf of the
Bishop of Norwich.
23.—The interment took place at Rainham church of the
remains of General Loftus. He entered the Army in 1770, and
in 1775 embarked with the 17th Light Dragoons for America.
He was in the action of Bunker’s Hill, at the battle of
Bedford, at the taking of New York, at the battles of Pelham
Manor and the White Plains, and led the Hessian Grenadiers across
the river Brunx, where he was wounded. He was wounded again
in the attack on the lines at King’s Bridge. In 1794
he raised the 24th Light Dragoons, largely composed of Norfolk
men; in 1796 was made Major-General and appointed to the English
staff, and in 1797 was transferred to the Irish staff, and
commanded a brigade at the battle of Vinegar Hill. He
commanded the Eastern District in 1809, and at the time of his
death was Lieutenant of the Tower and Colonel of the 2nd Dragoon
Guards. General Loftus for several Sessions represented in
Parliament the borough of Great Yarmouth.
25.—At the Norfolk Assizes held at Norwich, before Lord
Lyndhurst, an indictment was preferred against several farmers
and labourers living at Edingthorpe, for having conspired to
compel the rector, the Rev. Richard Adams, to take less in tithe
than he was entitled to by law. The great and small tithes
together averaged 6s. per acre; under intimidation Mr. Adams
signed a document by which he agreed to accept 4s. per acre
during his life. At the suggestion of his lordship, a
settlement was arrived at. He intimated, however, that a
clergyman had a right to his tithes, and the parishioners had no
authority to dictate to him.
26.—At the same Assizes, an action was brought against
the Rev. Dean Wood, vicar of Middleton, by Mr. Howes, a farmer in
the same parish, for a libel contained in a pamphlet published by
the defendant, entitled, “A Defence of the Clergy, founded
upon facts.” The jury returned a verdict for the
plaintiff, damages £100.
28.—Paganini performed at a concert given under the
management of Mr. Pettet, at the Corn Exchange, Norwich. He
appeared again on the 29th, and on the 30th was engaged at the
Theatre. He was described as “the fascinating, but by
no means fair-dealing, foreigner.”
1.—Mr. Wallack, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced a short
engagement at the Theatre Royal, Norwich, in the character of
Rolla (“Pizarro”). His other impersonations
included Don Felix (“The Wonder”), Sir Edward
Mortimer, Alessandro Massaroni (“The Brigand”), and
Dashall (“My Aunt”).
8.—A cricket match, lasting two days, between Marylebone
and Norwich, commenced on the Norwich ground. Marylebone,
96-109. Norwich, 69-94. Lillywhite and Sir St.
Vincent Cotton played for the former, and Fuller Pilch, W. Pilch,
and N. Pilch for the latter club.
10.—The 1st Royal Dragoons were inspected on Mousehold
Heath, Norwich, by General Sir Charles Dalbiac. “This
fine regiment, several of whose officers are sons of Norfolk
families, has been lately augmented by the enlistment of a large
number of Norfolk men.”
18.—A two-days’ cricket match commenced on the
Dereham ground, between Marylebone and Norfolk. Marylebone,
44-67. Norfolk, 11-38. “Both at Norwich and at
Dereham the Norfolk men were evidently beaten by the system of
bowling.”
30.—At the election of freemen’s Sheriff, at
Norwich, the candidates were Mr. John Cozens (1,086 votes) and
Mr. W. J. Utten Browne (506 votes).
31.—A camping match took place on Norwich Cricket
Ground, between Norwich and Blofield. The latter gave
up. “Neither the camping nor the subsequent wrestling
were either of them well contested.”
5.—Died at Heigham, Norwich, aged 75, Mr. J. Watson, one
of the original contractors of the Norwich mail coaches
established in 1785.
8.—The Coronation of William IV. and Queen Adelaide was
celebrated in Norwich. The Corporation attended service at
the Cathedral, and the 1st Royal Dragoons fired a feu de
joie in the Market Place. “This day was fixed
upon to pay the freemen who voted for Messrs. Gurney and Grant
their sovereigns, which they received at different public-houses,
pursuant to notice circulated by handbills.” A
dinner, attended principally by the “Blue and White”
party, took place at St. Andrew’s Hall; and the
“Purple and Orange” freemen were entertained at the
York Gardens, Pockthorpe. Celebrations were held in
different parts of the county.
10.—Mr. Richard Forby, a well-known farmer at
Tittleshall, was gored to death by a bull.
19.—Died, James Twiddy, parish clerk of St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich. “He had a taste for poetry, and
occasionally wrote in verse. His prose compositions
displayed considerable talent, and his leisure hours were chiefly
employed in reading and improving his mind.”
—Three troops of Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, raised in the
western part of the county, consisting of the 1st or Melton
troop, Capt. Sir Jacob Astley; the 2nd, or West Raynham troop,
Capt. Lord Townshend, and the 3rd or Elmham troop, Major the Hon.
George John Milles, assembled at Lenwade Bridge
and marched to Norwich, on their way to Yarmouth for six
days’ training. The band of the 1st Royals played
them into the city, where they were billeted for the night.
The uniform of the regiment consisted of a scarlet jacket, dark
trousers, and black helmet.
27.—Died at Harold’s Cross, near Dublin, aged 85,
the Rev. Philip Taylor, upwards of 60 years minister of the
Unitarian congregation in Eustace Street in that city. Mr.
Taylor was a native of Norwich, and grandson of Dr. John Taylor,
formerly minister at the Octagon chapel.
1.—At this date there were four coaches running daily on
the road between Lynn and Norwich.
12.—The Cross Keys Bridge and embankment, opened on this
date, afforded direct communication between Norfolk and
Lincolnshire and the North of England. By these works
nearly 18,000 acres of land were recovered from the sea.
The opening ceremony commenced with a procession of carriages
over the bridge and embankment, and concluded with a dinner in a
marquee erected near the works. Three hundred guests were
present, and Sir William ffolkes, M.P., presided.
12.—In accordance with regulations passed by the Court
of Mayoralty, the Aldermen of the small wards in Norwich,
accompanied by the parochial officials, perambulated their
respective wards, for the purpose of reporting upon their
sanitary condition. In view of the cholera outbreak in
other parts of the country, the medical men of Norwich divided
the city into four districts, and apportioned a certain number of
their body to each.
20.—Services were resumed in Norwich Cathedral, after
extensive repairs to the fabric.
3.—At a general meeting of the county magistrates, a
committee was appointed to receive communications from the
justices in the different divisions and Hundreds, and to give
their aid and assistance for the detection and apprehension of
incendiaries. Committees were formed in every Hundred in
the county.
24.*—“The trade for turkeys was dull this
Christmas, owing, no doubt, to the depressed state of trade, but
principally to the operation of the late Act, which, by throwing
a large quantity of game into the market, has proved a losing
game to our excellent farmers’ wives, and prevented them
obtaining anything like remunerative prices.”
25.—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. J. H. Yallop), who had
sent from the city a swan specially fattened for the Royal table,
received from his Majesty, through the Duke of Sussex, a letter
thanking him for his “dutiful attention.”
6.—The Norfolk Court of Quarter Sessions made renewed
efforts to procure the removal of the Lent Assizes from Thetford
to Norwich. The Norwich Court of Mayoralty, on the 14th,
addressed a memorial to the Lord Chancellor on the same subject;
and it was officially announced on March 3rd that the Assizes
would be adjourned from Thetford to Norwich, as in the previous
year. On March 8th the Corporation conferred the honorary
freedom of the city upon Mr. John Stracey, of Sprowston,
“in testimony of the sense they entertain of that
gentleman’s most valuable services in bringing under the
notice of the Lord Chancellor the question of the removal of the
Lent Assizes to this city.” In the House of Commons,
on the 15th, Mr. Grant gave notice of his intention to bring in
the Norwich Assize Bill, and on April 3rd the Bill was read a
first time. The second reading was carried by 44 to 13 on
May 23rd; and on June 4th, in the face of strong opposition, it
was read a third time and passed. The Bill was read a first
time in the House of Lords on the 5th, a second time on the 14th,
and a third time on the 18th. The Royal assent was given to
the measure on the 22nd, and on the 23rd the intelligence was
received in Norwich with the ringing of St. Peter’s
bells. “It is worthy of remark that the Lent Assizes
for this county, jointly with those of Suffolk, were held at
Thetford so early as the reign of Henry II., and that the first
application for their removal to Norwich was made as far back as
the year 1649. Applications have been frequently and
unsuccessfully repeated at intervals until the present
year.”
17.—A Bill for extending the time for completing the
works undertaken by the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company
was read a second time in the House of Commons. It
afterwards passed through all its stages in both Houses. On
June 4th juries were empanelled for the purpose of hearing and
determining claims in the purchase of some of the land required
by the company in making the cut for connecting the rivers Yare
and Waveney. The directors, on July 7th, accepted the
tender of Mr. Thomas Townshend, of Birmingham, to make the cut
and to complete it by December 1st.
18.—Died at the age of 102, Mrs. Twiddy, of Snailwell,
near Newmarket, mother of Mr. James Twiddy, formerly parish clerk
of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich. She was a native of
Attleborough. Within a short time of her death she
frequently walked six miles a day.
23.—Norwich Theatre was re-opened for the season.
Mr. Power commenced a short engagement, during which he appeared
in a round of Irish characters.
28.*—[Advt.] “A great main of cocks will be
fought at the Black Boys Inn, Aylsham, on February 14th and 15th,
between the gentlemen of Norwich and Norfolk, for £5 a
battle and £100 the odd. On Tuesday evening a
turn-out for £10; and on Thursday a grand Welch main by 16
subscribers for a silver tankard. All to be fought in
silver spurs. Feeders: Steward for Norwich; Overton for
Norfolk.”
31.—Mr. Dowton, of Drury Lane Theatre, commenced
a four nights’ engagement at Norwich Theatre, as Sir John
Falstaff. His other characters included Dr. Cantwell
(“The Hypocrite”), Adam Brock (“Charles the
Twelfth”), Sir Anthony Absolute, and Abednego (“The
Jew and the Doctor”). He afterwards performed at Lynn
Theatre.
4.—The Norwich Court of Mayoralty memorialised the
Committee of Buying of the East India Company not to suspend
their “usual and constant order for camlets for the China
market,” as a numerous class of the manufacturing
population of the city derived their chief subsistence from this
source. On March 21st the East India Company invited
tenders for the manufacture of 5,000 pieces.
18.—Mr. Thomas Foyson, aged 53, was accidentally drowned
at Norwich by falling into a vat of vinegar which he was in the
act of gauging.
22.—At a Levée held at St. James’s Palace,
the King conferred the honour of knighthood upon Mr. John
Harrison Yallop, Mayor of Norwich, on his presenting to his
Majesty the address adopted at a Common Hall held in Norwich in
the previous October, on the subject of the Reform Bill.
2.—The funeral took place at Scole of Ann Chapman, aged
92. “Her head was placed contrary to the usual way,
agreeably to her desire, which she had made known to the
sexton. She was 47 years old when she married, and her
husband only 17. She had 18 children, 13 sons and five
daughters, all of whom arrived to the age of maturity. Five
of the sons served in the Army. This remarkable woman
seldom took more than two or three hours’ sleep of the
twenty-four. She could see to thread the finest needle, and
she retained her faculties to the latest period of her
existence.”
6.—At a ploughing match at Roughton, John Colman, aged
92, beat all competitors, and was awarded the prize.
13.—Married, at St. Cuthbert’s, Thetford, Mr.
Bussey, schoolmaster, aged 29, to Mrs. Judith Millen, aged
78. “A party of heroines attended the happy couple,
and performed their melodious chorus upon saucepans and kettles,
and to complete the band a watchman’s rattle was
added.”
14.—Beard, the guard of the Red Rover coach, “made
an attempt” to play Crack (“The Turnpike
Gate”), at Lynn Theatre. “The best advice we
can give him is to stick to his own stage in future. His
comic singing, however, was good.”
20.—Three troops of the 7th Hussars, commanded by
Lieut.-Colonel Keane, marched into Norwich from Birmingham.
21.—This day being appointed by Royal proclamation for
fasting and humiliation, the Mayor and Corporation of Norwich
attended service at the Cathedral, and collections were made at
the doors for charitable uses. Services were
held at the parish churches, and alms were given for the
poor. The day was similarly observed at Yarmouth.
23.—At the Lent Assizes at Thetford (held there for the
last time), before Mr. Baron Vaughan, the libel action, Hunter
v. Platten, was tried by a special jury. Defendant
was steward to Sir Thomas Hare, and sent to the Norfolk Chronicle and “Norwich
Mercury,” for publication, a paragraph in which he
described the plaintiff as “a person who has been for many
years a notorious game buyer and a disgrace to the name of
gentleman.” The Chronicle
modified the expressions contained in the paragraph; the
“Mercury” published it as sent. Witnesses for
the defence proved that they had seen 15 or 20 head of game on
the plaintiff’s premises at one time, and that he had
stated “he would buy game as long as money would purchase
it, as the gentry round that part of the country were mean
humbugs.” The jury returned a verdict for plaintiff,
damages one farthing, and costs.
24.—The 1st Royal Dragoons marched from Norwich for
Canterbury.
—*“Died lately at Loddon, aged 86, Thomas
Reynolds. He presented to the inhabitants and caused to be
erected, at his sole expense, in 1821, a finely-toned organ by
which the church of Loddon is ornamented.”
26.—Mr. T. P. Cooke made his first appearance at Norwich
Theatre, in the character of Martin Heywood (“The Rent
Day”). His other impersonations included William
(“Black-eyed Susan”), Long Tom Coffin (“The
Pilot”), the Demon (“The Fate of
Frankinstein”), Sir Roderick Dhu (“Lady of the
Lake”), and poses plastique.
30.—A jury empanelled to try a civil action at the Lent
Assizes at Thetford had a remarkable experience. The trial
commenced at four o’clock in the afternoon of the 30th, and
terminated at eight o’clock on the evening of the 31st,
when the jury retired to consider their verdict. They were
locked up all night, and did not find a verdict until 11
o’clock on the morning of April 1st. The case came
before the Court of King’s Bench on April 19th, when
application was made for a new trial, on the ground that
refreshments had been given to one of the jurors!
31.—The thanks of the Norwich Court of Mayoralty were
unanimously voted to Lieut.-Col. Somerset and officers of the 1st
Royal Dragoons, “for the highly satisfactory manner in
which they had conducted themselves whale stationed in the city,
and for aiding in the suppression of riotous and tumultuous
assemblies,” and to the non-commissioned officers and
privates “for the way in which they had discharged their
duty as connected with the peace of the city.”
2.—A steeplechase took place from a field near Wheatacre
White House to Thurlton Church (distance between four and five
miles), between a bay mare, the property of Mr. Charles Duppa, of
Kent (owner up), and a chestnut horse belonging to Mr. John Carr,
of Beales (ridden by his whipper-in, R. Warner). The mare
won easily. Protest entered. On the same day another
steeplechase was ridden from Gissing Church to Thurlton Church,
between “the celebrated little grey horse,” the
property of Mr. Charles Ellis, of Shelfanger Hall, and a
“grey mare of hunting celebrity,” belonging to Mr.
Williams, of Diss. The horse won.
5.—The first outbreak of cholera in Norfolk occurred at
Stow Bridge, and in two months 33 cases were reported, of which
13 terminated fatally. The disease made its appearance at
Cawston on May 25th; and in Crown Court, St. Peter Hungate,
Norwich, on August 15th. The Board of Health directed the
bodies of all persons who had died of cholera to be interred
within twenty-four hours, the clothes and bedding of the deceased
to be destroyed, and surviving friends to be indemnified by the
Corporation of Guardians. The medical men of the city
gratuitously superintended the parishes allotted to each.
On September 12th several cases were reported at the Bethel, and
eight inmates died. The last official return was made on
October 18th, when it was stated that the total number of cases
in Norwich was 320, and the deaths 128. Thanksgiving
services were held at the Cathedral and parish churches on
November 11th, on the termination of the outbreak.
9.—A sloop of 60 tons burden, intended for the coasting
trade, was launched from Mr. Thomas Bailey’s yard, at
Carrow.
12.—A new building, known as the Royal Norfolk and
Norwich Bazaar, in St. Andrew’s Street, Norwich, was
opened. It was erected for the encouragement of
“female and domestic industry.” Counters were
let at small rents to “respectable females recommended by
the lady patronesses.”
14.—Died at Earl’s Terrace, Kensington, aged 25,
the Lady Henrietta Ann, wife of Mr. Charles Knight Murray, and
sister of the Earl of Rothes.
15.—Died at his house, at Southtown, Yarmouth, aged 69,
the Rev. Edward Valpy, B.D., for many years head master of the
Norwich Free Grammar School. He was rector of Thwaite All
Saints and vicar of South Walsham St. Mary the Virgin.
16.—Married at the Hotel of the British Ambassador,
Paris, by the Rev. Thomas Sayers, Mr. Isaac Preston, Recorder of
Norwich, to Frances, daughter of the Rev. J. Jephson, Prebendary
of Armagh, and brother of Sir Richard Jephson, Bart.
23.—Mr. and Mrs. Wood (formerly Miss Paton) appeared at
Norwich Theatre as Hawthorn and Rosetta (“Love in a
Village”). On subsequent evenings they played the
parts of Tom Tug and Wilelmina (“The Waterman”),
Malcolm and Zelinda (“The Slave”), Steady and Gillian
(“The Quaker”), Henry Bertram and Julia Mannering
(“Guy Mannering”), and Masaniello and Princess Elvira
(“Masaniello”).
1.—Mr. S. W. Stevenson, one of the proprietors of the
Norfolk Chronicle, was elected Mayor
of Norwich.
3.—At a meeting of the Common Council at Norwich, Mr. W.
J. Utten Browne moved that a petition be presented to the House
of Lords against the Reform Bill, which he described as “a
tissue of fraud, folly, and injustice, hideous in its anomalies,
and displaying more profound ignorance of sound constitutional
law than any other production he had ever
witnessed.” The motion was adopted by 40 votes
against 9. An address to the King was circulated in Norwich
on May 12th, acknowledging “the patriotic course adopted by
his Majesty in rejecting the pernicious and unconstitutional
counsel of Ministers completely to overwhelm the free
deliberations of the House of Peers by creating a large addition
to that body pledged to carry through the measure, in opposition
to the recorded sentiments of the large majority of that right
honourable House.” The address and signatures were
inscribed in three closely-written columns on thirteen yards of
parchment. On the 14th a public meeting was held at St.
Andrew’s Hall, “for the purpose of adopting such
measures as may be deemed expedient at the present momentous
crisis for securing to all classes of the people the benefit of
the Reform Bill brought before Parliament by Earl Grey and
members of the late Administration.” A “Norfolk
Address” to the King was circulated, acknowledging
“the recent proofs of his Majesty’s desire to
maintain the rights and privileges of the House of
Lords.” The intelligence of the passing of the Bill
by the House of Lords was received at Lynn and other places on
June 5th with great rejoicing. The celebration at Norwich
was deferred to July 5th, when a procession of about 2,400
persons, decorated with blue and white favours, marched from the
Castle Ditches to the Cricket Ground. A cavalcade of 95
horsemen was headed by Mr. R. H. Gurney, M.P., accompanied by Mr.
W. W. Windham, Mr. Anthony Hudson, Mr. W. Foster, and Mr. Peter
Finch. Dinner was served for 2,000 in a marquee which
extended the length of the field. The greatest order and
regularity were observed throughout the day.
5.—His Majesty issued a writ, upon the report and
recommendations of the Committee of Privileges of the House of
Lords, certifying that Col. Wilson, of Didlington Hall, had made
out his claim as the oldest co-heir to the Barony of Berners.
12.—The Norwich and Newark Union Coach commenced to run
daily (Sundays excepted), from the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich,
through Dereham, Swaffham, Lynn, Boston, and Sleaford, to Newark,
where connection was effected with the northern coaches.
27.—One of the large buildings comprised in Messrs.
Grout, Baylis, and Co.’s factory in Barrack Yard, Yarmouth,
was destroyed by fire. The building was five storeys high,
105 ft. long, and 55 ft. wide, and its erection, in 1818, cost
about £7,000. Between 400 and 500 girls employed by
the firm were thrown out of work, and the loss sustained was
estimated at from £12,000 to £15,000.
28.—The Rev. Arthur Iveson, of South Lynn, was murdered
by a pistol shot fired by his son, the Rev. Thomas Iveson, a
person of unsound mind. The deceased was rector of East
Bradenham and perpetual curate of Shouldham and Shouldham Thorpe,
and Tottenhill. At Lynn Quarter Sessions, on July 9th,
Thomas Iveson was placed on his trial for the murder of his
father. The jury found that he was insane at the time the
crime was committed, and he was ordered to be detained in
custody. He remained in Lynn Gaol until September 3rd, when
he was removed to “the lunatic asylum, in St.
Lawrence,” Norwich.
16.—Dr. Yelloly resigned his office as a physician of
the Norfolk and Norwich. Hospital.
Dr. Edward Lubbock was elected to fill the vacancy on July
7th.
16.—The case of the King v. the Mayor and
Recorder of Thetford came before the Court of King’s
Bench. The defendants were required to show why they should
not hold a weekly Court of Pleas at the Guildhall, according to
the charter of Queen Elizabeth, which directed that the Court
should proceed according to the rules and customs of a similar
Court at Norwich. It was objected that the affidavits did
not show the existence of the Norwich Court at the date of the
Thetford charter, but only that a certain Court of Pleas was
granted to that city by a charter of Charles II. On the
other side it was alleged that the Thetford Court had actually
been held within fifty years. Lord Tenterden: The charter
of Charles II. may have confirmed a previous grant. We
think the objection has been answered. The rule must be
absolute.
18.—Robert Woodrow, gamekeeper to Col. Peel, was
summoned before the magistrates at Thetford for seizing the rods
of two persons fishing in the river of that town. It was
contended that Col. Peel merely hired the manor of Mr. A. Baring,
and that he could not show a right to the fishing, the river
being navigable, and, as such, prima facie public to the
inhabitants, who had immemorially enjoyed the right. The
magistrates decided to the contrary on both points, and dismissed
the complaint.
19.—Guild Day was observed at Norwich as usual.
The Mayor-elect (Mr. S. W. Stevenson) entertained 830 guests at
the Guild feast, and gave a ball at the Assembly Rooms in the
evening.
26.—An address, congratulating the King “on his
happy escape from the late atrocious attack on his Royal person
at Ascot,” was presented to his Majesty at a Levée
at St. James’s Palace by the Mayor (Mr. S. W. Stevenson),
the Deputy-Mayor (Sir J. H. Yallop), and Lieut.-Col. Harvey, on
behalf of the Corporation of Norwich.
30.—The electors of the division of East Norfolk,
constituted under the provisions of the new Reform Act, met at
Norwich for the purpose of adopting candidates. The friends
of Mr. Peach, M.P., and Lord Henry Cholmondeley, M.P., the Tory
candidates, met at the Rampant Horse Inn, and the supporters of
Mr. William W. Windham and Major Keppel, the Whig candidates, at
the Angel Inn.
7.—Intelligence was received at Norwich that the Right
Hon. Robert Grant, M.P., “at about the time his
constituents were remembering him in their flowing cups at the
Reform dinner,” had issued an address to the electors of
Finsbury. On the 13th Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett
were adopted Conservative candidates, and on the 14th it was
announced that Mr. R. H. Gurney would have as his colleague Mr.
H. Bellenden Ker. A third candidate, Mr. William Eagle,
entered the field, but his principles were doubtful. At a
meeting held at the Bowling Green Inn, on August 7th, he stated
that he belonged to neither party, for “he looked upon the
Tory as a highwayman and the Whig as a pickpocket.”
Mr. Eagle retired before the nomination took place. The
Conservative candidates made their first public appearance at a dinner held at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the
presidency of Mr. J. S. Patteson, on July 17th, and from that
date onwards prosecuted a vigorous canvass. (See
December 10th.)
16.—Died at Binham, aged 98, Mrs. Elizabeth Leake, who
“for upwards of fifty years travelled as daily post from
Binham to Wells, from which employment she had retired about 14
years.”
23.—Died at Hardingham Rectory, aged 74, the Rev. Walter
Whiter, M.A., formerly Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge. He
was instituted to the rectory in 1797, and was the author of some
ingenious works on literature and criticism, and more
particularly of the ‘Etymologicon Universale,’ a work
of the greatest labour and research, and replete with new and
ingenious views of the origin and affinity of
languages.”
28.*—“Died in London, of cholera, last week, Mr.
William Willement, manufacturer, of Colchester. The
deceased went to London on the Saturday previous, was taken ill
on the Sunday, and died and was buried on Monday. He served
the office of Sheriff of Norwich in 1816.”
30.—Norwich Theatre re-opened for the Assize week.
Mr. Gill, a comic actor, who afterwards became a great favourite
on the Norwich stage, made his first appearance here. Mr.
Braham on this date commenced a five nights’ engagement,
and appeared in a round of his principal characters.
6.—George Borrow, writing to the Norfolk Chronicle on this date, suggested
the derivation of the word “Tory.”
“Tory,” he wrote, “is composed of three Irish
words, and doubtless originated amongst the Irish adherents of
Charles II. at the time they were suffering under the sway of
Cromwell and were sighing for the Restoration. The words
are Tar a Ri, and their pronunciation is the same as that of
‘Tory,’ or if there be any difference, it consists in
a scarcely distinguishable drawl. Their meaning is,
‘Come, O King.’”
—Died at East Dereham, aged 73, Mr. Fisher, many years
manager of the Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians.
“Mr. Fisher made his first appearance as an amateur at
Norwich Theatre, in the character of Lubin (‘The
Quaker’). Mr. Barrett, who was then manager, was so
much gratified with the performance that he persuaded him to make
the stage his profession, and offered him a liberal engagement,
which he accepted, and remained with the company some
years. As manager of the Norfolk and Suffolk Company, he
raised it to a degree of respectability equal to any provincial
theatre in the kingdom. As a manager he was esteemed, and
by his indefatigable industry he has been enabled to leave his
sons eleven theatres, many of which have been recently built and
elegantly decorated. As an actor he displayed much
talent. He was an affectionate parent and warm friend, and
in the strictest sense an honest, just, and upright
man.”
14.—Messrs. Bell and Deane, divers, engaged in exploring
the Guernsey Lily transport, lost off Yarmouth in the year 1799,
recovered one of the brass guns, which they fired in token of
success. The Guernsey Lily was returning from Holland with
a large and valuable freight of military stores, when she got
upon the Cross Sand and foundered in Yarmouth Roads, as nearly as
possible three miles due east of the
jetty. Many of her stores were recovered, little the worse
for an immersion of 33 years.
28.—A sharp contest took place at Norwich on the
election of the freemen’s Sheriff. Mr. William Foster
was the “Blue and White,” and Mr. Alderman Steward
the “Purple and Orange” candidate.
“Bribery to a vast amount was resorted to, and the last few
votes cost a heavy sum.” Result: Foster, 1,282;
Steward, 1,275. A scrutiny was demanded by both sides, and
was commenced by the Mayor on September 8th. After an
enquiry lasting twelve days, Mr. Foster was declared elected.
30.—Died at Cringleford, aged 50, Mr. John Staniforth
Patteson. He was eldest son of Mr. John Patteson, of St.
Helen’s, served the office of Sheriff of Norwich in 1811,
was elected Alderman for the Great Ward of Mancroft in 1830, and
was Mayor in 1823–4. He was also a magistrate, and a
deputy-lieutenant for the county of Norfolk, and held the
Lieut.-Colonelcy of the East Norfolk Militia. His remains
were buried at St. Peter Mancroft church, on September 4th.
1.*—“At a meeting of the inhabitants of Diss, held
last week, it was resolved that the present peal of eight bells
should be recast, with an additional weight of metal. A
subscription was opened which, in three days, amounted to all the
money needful, without any charge upon the church rate of the
parish.” The work was done at the Downham Market
Foundry. The bells were met on their way to Diss by a large
concourse of the inhabitants, who assembled at Roydon White Hart,
and, forming in procession with the Diss band and the handbell
ringers at their head, escorted the trucks to the town. The
treble, sixth, seventh, and tenor were “maiden”; the
others needed but slight alteration. The tenor weighed 23
cwt., and the total weight of the peal was 98 cwt. 2 qrs. 10
lbs.—more than 40 cwt. heavier than the former peal.
The bells were “opened” on January 7th, 1833, by the
St. Peter Mancroft Company, Norwich, and by other companies;
public dinners were held at the different inns, in celebration of
the event, and a silver-mounted snuff-box, made out of the
polished oak of the old frame, was presented to the rector, the
Rev. William Manning.
2.—Died at Norwich, aged 67, the Rev. Joseph Kinghorn,
44 years minister of the Baptist congregation at St.
Mary’s. “His literary qualities were unwearied
diligence and deep and erudite enquiry, especially into all
subjects connected with theology and moral philosophy.”
4.—Mr. Charles Turner was elected an Alderman for the
Great Ward of Mancroft, Norwich, in place of Mr. J. S. Patteson,
deceased.
11.—A curious incident was witnessed at the marriage, at
Guestwick, by the Rev. J. Blake, of Mr. Samuel Goldsmith, miller,
of Corpusty, to Miss Mary Goldsmith, of the former place.
“The ceremony being over and the clergyman about to retire,
the gentleman who gave away the bride, Mr. George Barton, of Wood
Dalling, unexpectedly took another licence from his pocket and
called out, ‘Stay, sir, and marry me.’ The
ceremony was again repeated, and Mr. Barton was united to
the bridesmaid, Miss Hannah Goldsmith, the sister of the other
bride, Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith performing in their turn the
necessary offices for this couple. The village bells rang
gaily, and a great deal of merry-making followed these
nuptials.”
6.—Died at his house, St. Giles’, Norwich, aged
73, Mr. William Burt. He served the office of Sheriff in
1814, was elected Alderman of the Great Ward of Mancroft in 1815,
and was Mayor in 1820. Mr. Edmund Newton was elected
Alderman in his place.
8.—The Norwich Eldon Club held its first anniversary
dinner at the Waggon and Horses Inn, Tombland.
11.—Died at Hindolvestone, Mr. Thomas Gardner, groom of
the Great Chamber to the King. “He had the honour to
serve in that capacity during the whole of the late reign, and
also in the reign of George III., having held the appointment
upwards of thirty-three years.”
17.—The first revision of voters’ lists, under the
Act of 2 William IV., c. 45, commenced in the Eastern division of
the county at Long Stratton; the revising barristers for the
Western division commenced their circuit at Thetford on the
25th. The revision of the Norwich lists commenced on the
22nd. It was described “as the vexatious and
irritating process introduced by the Reform Bill”; and it
resulted in the removal from the city lists of the names of
between 300 and 400 persons who had hitherto been accustomed to
vote.
23.—Mr. Cozens, of London, while shooting on the estate
of Mr. Hardy, at Letheringsett, was killed by a gunshot wound
accidentally inflicted by one of the party.
—A general court-martial, of which General Sir Robert
Macfarlane, K.C.B., G.C.H., was president, commenced an inquiry
at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, into charges preferred against
certain privates for disobeying the lawful commands of the
Colonel of the 7th Hussars. At a parade of the regiment for
ball practice on September 27th, Col. Keane gave the word
“Attention,” when, to his surprise, not a man obeyed
the command. Seizing one of the men, Private Philip Pitman,
he marched him to the officers’ quarters, and had him tried
by court-martial for insubordination. He was sentenced to
receive 200 lashes, which were administered immediately, in the
presence of the whole regiment. All the men were armed with
their weapons, and carried ball cartridge. This action on
the part of the Colonel restored discipline and obedience to
orders. Each prisoner made a long written defence.
Their principal complaint was that the regiment was
overworked. Colonel Keane replied that what had been
ordered was by direction of the War Office; and the men had been
kept constantly employed in consequence of the prevalence of
cholera in Norwich. The court concluded its sittings on
November 10th. The sentences, approved by his Majesty, were
as follow:—Private John Martin, transportation for life;
Thomas Almond, seven years’ transportation; Henry Bone,
seven years; Charles Edwards, 12 months’ imprisonment; and
John Clayson, 14 years’ transportation. Five
non-commissioned officers were reduced to the ranks, and the
regimental sergt.-major suspended. During the progress of
the court-martial, a troop of the 1st Dragoon Guards was
stationed at Dereham, and a detachment of the 12th Regiment of
Foot at Wymondham.
31.—A mysterious individual, known as “The
Wandering Piper,” made his appearance at Norwich. It
was stated that he had been an officer in the Army, and had
served under Sir John Moore and the Duke of Wellington, and was
piping through the country to win a wager, one of the conditions
of which was that he must subsist upon unsolicited alms given by
the public. The piper gave a performance at the Bell Inn,
Orford Hill, in aid of the newly-established Lying-in
Charity. He returned to Norwich on December 1st, and gave
another entertainment at the Norfolk Hotel for the same
charity. He re-appeared in Norwich in 1838, having, in the
interval, travelled the British Isles and the United
States. It was then announced that his name was Graham
Stuart. His death occurred in March, 1839, at
Mercers’ Hospital, Dublin, to which institution he
bequeathed all his property.
17.—The officers of the preventive service stationed at
Brancaster seized a large tub-boat, containing 5,565 lbs. of
tobacco and about 650 gallons of brandy and Geneva, the whole of
which was lodged in the Customs-house at Wells-next-the-Sea.
2.—The body of Sarah Watling, buried in the churchyard
of Swanton Abbot, was found to have been stolen from its
grave. At the Norfolk Adjourned Quarter Sessions, held at
Norwich on March 6th, 1833, George Ives and Nathaniel Canham were
indicted for stealing the body. The prisoners were
acquitted.
10.—The nomination of candidates at the first election
in Norwich under the Reform Act took place at the
Guildhall. The nominees of the “Purple and
Orange” party were Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett,
and of the “Blue and White” party Mr. Richard Hanbury
Gurney, the former member, and Mr. Charles Henry Bellenden
Ker. A poll was demanded, and the election was immediately
proceeded with. In the afternoon a riot occurred in the
Market Place; the “Purple and Orange” booth was
pulled down, and a bonfire made of the
débris. The “Blue and White”
band, stationed near the fire, played their favourite tunes, and
men carrying the banners of the party danced round the
pile. Stones were thrown and bludgeons used, and a man had
his arm broken. Many other persons sustained less serious
injuries. The 7th Hussars, who had been removed from
Norwich to Wymondham before the election commenced, were recalled
to suppress the disturbance, and many citizens were sworn in as
special constables. An officers’ guard of the Hussars
was posted near the Guildhall throughout the night, and another
polling-booth was erected. Voting recommenced at eight
o’clock on the morning of the 11th, and continued all day;
the books were again opened on the 13th, and at noon the poll
finally closed, when the result was declared as
follows:—Stormont, 2,016; Scarlett, 1,962; Gurney, 1,810;
Ker, 1,766. The chairing of the new members took place on
the 14th; on the same day their friends and
supporters dined at the Norfolk Hotel, and in the evening the
election ball was held at Chapel Field House.
10.—Lord George Bentinck and Lord William Lennox were
returned unopposed for Lynn.
—Lord James FitzRoy and Mr. Francis Baring were returned
without opposition for the borough of Thetford.
13.—Mr. Shaw’s granaries on the Boal at
King’s Lynn were destroyed by fire. The loss was
estimated at upwards of £2,000.
15.—Sir Jacob Astley and Sir William ffolkes were
nominated at Swaffham as candidates for the representation of the
Western Division of Norfolk, and returned unopposed. Mr. T.
W. Coke formally took leave of the electors, on his retirement
from Parliamentary life. He had represented the county
since the year 1785.
17.—The nomination of candidates for the Eastern
Division of the county took place at the Shirehall,
Norwich. Lord Henry Cholmondeley and Mr. Peach were
nominated by the “Pink and Purple,” and Mr. W. W.
Windham and Major Keppel by the “Blue and White”
party. The poll was opened on the 20th, at Norwich,
Yarmouth, North Walsham, and Long Stratton, and closed on the
21st. The result, which was not officially declared until
the 24th, was as follows:—Windham, 3,304; Keppel, 3,261;
Peach, 2,960; Cholmondeley, 2,852. The election dinner was
held at the Assembly Room, Norwich, under the presidency of the
Hon. Edward Harbord.
22.—Atkins’ Menagerie was exhibited at
Norwich. This was the first occasion on which a “lion
tamer” appeared with a travelling menagerie in the
city. In the centre of the show was introduced a large iron
cage, into which the keeper entered and put the animals through
their performances.
4.—Lord Suffield resigned his chairmanship of the
Norfolk Court of Quarter Sessions.
11.—In the Court of King’s Bench, the Sheriff of
Norwich obtained a rule nisi for a criminal information
against Mr. John Teasel, carpenter and builder, a Common
Councilman of Norwich, for having taken away one of the
poll-books at the last election at Norwich, and for attempting to
tear and mutilate it. The rule was discharged on the 31st,
on the defendant undertaking to answer an indictment at the
ensuing Assizes. At the Norwich Assizes on March 23rd,
before Mr. Justice Bolland, application was made on behalf of the
defendant to have the case tried by a county jury, upon which it
was ordered to stand over till the next Assizes. At the
Norfolk Assizes on August 10th, before Mr. Justice Littledale,
the defendant was placed upon his trial, and the jury returned a
verdict of not guilty.
16.—Died at Bracondale, Norwich, aged 80, Mrs.
White, mother of Henry Kirke White.
22.—A meeting was held at the Baptist chapel, Orford
Hill, Norwich, presided over by Mr. John Cozens, at which a
report was made by a committee appointed “to investigate
the return of Lord Stormont and Sir James Scarlett,” to the
effect that sufficient evidence had been obtained to warrant the
presentation of a petition to the House of Commons on account of
the “undue election” of the members. The
Norwich Election Petition was opened before a Committee of the
House of Commons on March 20th. The examination of
witnesses commenced on March 21st, and concluded on April
2nd. Counsel addressed the Committee on April 3rd, and on
the same day the Chairman (Mr. Charles Shaw Lefevre) announced
that the Committee had resolved—(1) That Lord Stormont and
Sir James Scarlett were duly elected members for the city of
Norwich. (2) That the petition of John Cozens and others
was not frivolous nor vexatious. (3) That the opposition to
such petition was not frivolous nor vexatious.
1.—The portrait of Mr. T. W. Coke, painted by S. Lane,
was hung in the Corn Exchange, Norwich. In celebration of
the event, a dinner was held at the Norfolk Hotel, presided over
by Major Case, who said his family had been tenants on the
Holkham estate for 63 years, and his grandfather, who owed much
to Mr. Coke, died worth £150,000.
2.*—[Advt.] “A grand main of cocks will be
fought at the Black Boys Inn, Aylsham, on February 12th, and two
following days, between the gentlemen of Norwich and Aylsham, for
5 sovereigns a battle and 50 sovereigns the odd. Feeders:
Stafford for Norwich; Overton for Aylsham.”
5.—A barque of 220 tons burden, designed for the West
India trade, was launched from the yard of Mr. Preston, at
Yarmouth.
22.—Died at Winfarthing, Sarah Jessup, aged 101 years,
“the last 30 of which, till a year and a half ago, she was
employed as walking post from the Post Office at Diss to
Winfarthing, a distance of four miles, which she constantly
performed in all weathers, and is computed to have travelled more
than 13,400 miles. She was married in the reign of George
II. She had 16 children, who multiplied to the fourth
generation, so that her children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren at the time of her decease amounted to
444. Besides these, great-great-grandchildren, some of
every degree and age, to the number of 200 and upwards, followed
her to the grave, to which she was carried by her four
sons.”
26.—A desperate affray took place between the
coastguard, under Lieut. George Howes, R.N., and a large party of
armed smugglers, at Cley-next-the-Sea. The coastguard were
obliged to fire several times in self-defence. The
contraband goods seized consisted of 127 half-ankers of brandy
and between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds of manufactured tobacco.
—At a public meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
under the presidency of the Mayor, it was decided to petition the
House of Commons to protect children employed
in factories from severe and injurious labour, by limiting the
hours of their employment.
26.—The Lynn and Newmarket mail was proceeding through
Methwold when the coach was upset in a deep drain, and one of the
horses falling upon Booty, the coachman, he was suffocated.
19.—The barque Crawford Davison (George Sandford,
master), from Hamburg to London, with 40 horses, of the value of
£2,000, on board, struck upon Happisburgh Sand and was
lost. The captain and crew were saved. All the horses
were drowned, and their carcases sold for £12.
—At a special general meeting of the subscribers to the
Norfolk and Norwich Museum, plans and specifications prepared by
Mr. J. Brown, architect, were adopted for the erection of a
building “on an eligible site in Exchange Street, near the
new Post Office,” at the cost of £1,500, raised in
shares of £50 each, to bear interest of 4 per cent.
“The front of the intended building will be similar to that
of the Temple of Jupiter Ammon.” The first stone was
laid on May 27th.
—The commissions for the holding of the first Lent
Assizes at Norwich were opened by Mr. Baron Bolland.
21.—Selections from the oratorios of “The
Creation” and “Samson” were performed at the
Corn Exchange, Norwich, under the direction of Mr. Mueller.
“The most remarkable feature of the evening’s
performance was a violin concerto by Master David Fisher.
With the exception of Paganini, Kieswelter, and Mori, no such
violin-playing has been heard within our walls.”
22.—At the Norfolk Assizes, at Norwich, before Mr.
Justice Bolland, Mary Wright, aged 28, was found guilty of the
murder of her husband and of Richard Darby, by poisoning them at
Wighton, and was sentenced to be hanged on March 25th.
Pregnancy was pleaded, and a jury of matrons were empanelled, who
returned a verdict adverse to the prisoner. By direction of
the Court, she was examined by Messrs. Crosse, Scott, and
Johnson, surgeons, upon whose certificate she was respited
generally. The prisoner on July 11th gave birth to a female
child, and sentence was afterwards commuted to transportation for
life. The unfortunate woman died in Norwich Castle on
November 1st.
28.—The 7th Hussars commenced their march from Norwich
to Glasgow. The Court of Mayoralty on the 16th passed a
vote of thanks to the regiment for the ready aid they had given
to preserve the public peace, and expressed their approbation of
the conduct of the non-commissioned officers and privates towards
the inhabitants. The Hussars were replaced by the 3rd Light
Dragoons.
1.—The Right Hon. Horatio, Earl of Orford, was elected
High Steward of Great Yarmouth, in place of Viscount Exmouth,
deceased.
6.—A private still was discovered in a house in
St. Faith’s Lane, Norwich. Fifteen gallons of spirits
recently worked off were seized. The owners of the still
were fined £30 each, and in default of payment were
sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
9.—A new steam carriage of 2-horse power was exhibited
on Foundry Bridge Road, Norwich. It is said to have
answered the expectations of the inventor, Mr. Watts, of Rose
Lane.
12.—Between 400 and 500 of the noblemen, gentlemen, and
yeomanry of Norfolk dined at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, in
honour of Mr. Coke, upon his retirement from the representation
of the county. H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex presided.
18.—A trotting match for £50 took place between
Mr. Brunning’s Queen of Diamonds and Mr. Mendham’s
Jack of Clubs, from Yarmouth Bridge, via Beccles to
Halesworth. “The mare was driven in harness by her
owner, who weighs 16 st., and the horse was ridden by Mr. Mendham
(11 st.). Two miles beyond Beccles the mare gave up.
The 15 miles from Yarmouth to Beccles was done in 45 minutes, and
the whole 25 miles in 1 hour 33 minutes, by Jack.”
24.—Died at his house at Greenwich, aged 76, Mr. P. J.
Knights, for many years a well-known shawl manufacturer at
Norwich. He served the office of Sheriff in 1809.
27.—Fuller Pilch advertised himself as the proprietor of
a public-house and pleasure gardens on Bracondale Hill, Norwich,
and as the lessee of the Norwich Cricket Ground, in the
management of which he was assisted by his brother, William
Pilch.
—It was announced that the county justices had hired the
house of Mr. Hawkes, Bethel Street, Norwich, as lodgings for his
Majesty’s Judges of Assize.
—Mdlle. Celeste commenced a six nights’ engagement
at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. “For our latitude this
lady exerts herself too much in the pirouette, considering the
approximation of spectators in a provincial theatre to the
stage.”
1.—Mr. Alderman Samuel Bignold was elected Mayor of
Norwich.
6.—Mr. and Mrs. Wood commenced a four nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre, prior to their departure to
America. They appeared in “The Barber of
Seville” and the musical farce of “The
Quaker.”
7.—The horses of the Regulator coach, from Holt to
London, started off at full speed from Guist Post Office, during
the temporary absence of the coachman. A girl had the
presence of mind to close the tollgate, which the horses
attempted to leap, smashed it to atoms, and fell. The
animals were severely injured, and the coach greatly damaged.
16.—Mr. Yates and Mrs. Waylett appeared at Norwich
Theatre as Flutter and Letitia Hardy (“The Belle’s
Stratagem”). They afterwards acted in
“Clari” (opera), “Don Giovanni,”
“The Four Sisters,” and “Midas’”
(burletta). Mr. Yates also gave his entertainments,
“Portraits and Sketches” and “Views of
Life.”
1.—On this date was published the first of the series of
remarkable accounts describing the ghostly visitations at
Syderstone Parsonage, the residence of the Rev. Mr. Stewart,
curate, and rector of Thwaite.
3.—Died, aged 101, Richard Smith, of Swanton Morley.
18.—The Guild Day festivities at Norwich, on the
occasion of the swearing in as Mayor of Mr. Samuel Bignold, were
attended by Viscount Stormont, M.P., and Sir James Scarlett,
M.P., the latter of whom took his oath as an honorary freeman of
the city. The Mayor entertained 1,100 guests at the Guild
feast at St. Andrew’s Hall, and upwards of 500 attended the
ball at the Assembly Rooms, where the dancing was opened by the
Mayor and Miss Wodehouse, daughter of the Lord Lieutenant.
19.—Two orange and purple banners, designed by a member
of the College of Arms, were presented by the Conservative ladies
of Norwich to Viscount Stormont, M.P., and Sir James Scarlett,
M.P. The ceremony took place at the Guildhall, where a
large company was entertained by the Mayor.
20.—Upwards of 750 electors in the “Orange and
Purple” interest were entertained at dinner at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. A second contingent,
numbering 1,000, dined there on the 21st. Mr. W. J. Utten
Browne presided on both occasions, and Lord Stormont, M.P., was
also present. The dinners were provided by public
subscription.
7.—During a severe thunderstorm “a fire-ball,
apparently about the size of a man’s head,” fell upon
the thatched roof of the Black Tower, Butter Hills,
Norwich. The middle and lower rooms, occupied by a person
named Brooks, and the upper storey, where a society of artisans
assembled for astronomical observations, were entirely
consumed. The society’s valuable apparatus were
destroyed.
15.—The resuscitated race meeting at Holkham was
attended by 10,000 spectators. The races were held on the
sands. “By the time the hunters’ stakes had
been decided the tide was fast approaching, and the leading
people retired to a booth, where dinner was served, under the
presidency of Mr. Brown, of Pudding Norton. The tide
retiring, the company again occupied the sands.”
17.—The Bishop of Lincoln, officiating for the Bishop of
Norwich, confirmed 2,000 persons at East Dereham church. On
the following day his lordship administered the rite to 2,068
persons at Norwich Cathedral; and on the 19th to 1,100 at
Redenhall.
18.—A single wicket match between Fuller Pilch and T.
Marsdon took place on the Norwich Cricket Ground. Pilch
won, by 70 runs. The return match was played on Hyde Park
Ground, Sheffield, on August 5th, when Pilch won by 128 runs.
20.—The Norwich Court of Mayoralty elected Mr. W. J.
Utten Browne to the office of Sheriff.
—A duel was fought on the North Denes, Yarmouth.
“The combatants were Mr. H. B--- and Mr. C. W---, the
former seconded by Mr. J. B--- and the latter by Mr.
W. C---, of the medical profession in N---. At the first
shot Mr. W.’s pistol missed, and his antagonist fired in
the air; at the second Mr. B. again fired in the air, and Mr. W.
missed his aim. Another try took place, Mr. W. again
missing and his antagonist firing as before. At the fourth
and last Mr. W.’s ball just grazed Mr. B.’s thumb,
when the parties appeared to have been satisfied, for they
shortly after left the ground. The cause of the meeting
arose at Maxim’s Marine Hotel on the beach.”
27.—Mr. Alderman Steward was elected freemen’s
Sheriff at Norwich.
29.—The Norwich Court of Guardians held a meeting to
take into consideration the suggestions contained in a letter
received from the Mayor (Mr. S. Bignold), for the establishment
of a joint stock company for spinning yarn on a scale calculated
to give extensive employment to the poor. The subject was
further considered at a meeting convened by the Mayor at the
Guildhall, on September 5th, when the Norwich Yarn Company was
formed, and by October 1st a capital of £26,000 had been
subscribed in shares of £100 each. (See
February 27th, 1834.)
31.—A severe gale, which caused great damage to
shipping, and resulted in the loss of many lives, occurred on the
Norfolk coast. The Leith smack Earl of Wemyss went ashore
at Brancaster; a heavy sea broke into the passengers’
cabin, and six ladies, a gentleman, and four children were
drowned. Among the deceased were Miss Susan Roche, a young
lady of great musical ability, and sister of Mr. A. D. Roche, the
composer. (See October 16th.)
17.—The Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival (held on
this occasion for the benefit of the Hospital, the Blind
Institution, the Eye Infirmary, and the Dispensary) commenced at
St. Andrew’s Hall. The principal vocal performers
were Madame Malibran, Miss H. Cawse, Miss Bruce, Master Howe,
Madame De Meric, Signer Douzelli, Mr. Horncastle, Mr. Hobbs, Mr.
E. Taylor, and Mr. H. Phillips; conductor, Sir George
Smart. Selections were given from “The
Creation,” “The Last Judgment,” “The
Deluge,” and “Israel in Egypt.” The
Festival concluded on the 20th with a fancy dress ball. The
total receipts were nearly £5,000, and the expenses about
£4,200.
20.—Died at Yaxham Rectory, the Rev. Dr. Johnson, rector
of that parish, with Welbourne annexed. “He was the
friend of Cowper, and editor of his letters and posthumous
works.”
30.—Died at Gorgate, near East Dereham, aged 77, the
Rev. Thomas Crowe Munnings, M.A., rector of Beetley-cum-East
Bilney. He was a well-known and prominent
agriculturist.
—The arrival of the City of Norwich trader and the
Squire (London trader) “rendered this date ever memorable
in the history of the city by its being the day on which Norwich
became a port.” These vessels, the first that had
entered the Norwich river direct from the sea by
way of the New Cut, were towed to the city from Surlingham Reach
by a steam tug, with a band playing and colours flying. The
river banks from Carrow “balance bridge” to the
Foundry were thronged by thousands of citizens, and at
Rudrum’s Wharf the City of Norwich was boarded by the Mayor
(Mr. S. Bignold) and several members of the Corporation.
The bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung, and the directors of
the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation entertained a large company
at dinner at the Rampant Horse Inn. The success of the
day’s proceedings was marred by the drowning, in Surlingham
Reach, of a lad named Allerton, son of the master of the City of
Norwich.
4.—The first general meeting was held of the Harleston
Agricultural Society, established by the owners and occupiers of
land, for the encouragement of skill and for promoting and
rewarding industry and good conduct among cottagers, servants,
and labourers.
5.—The head-mastership of Norwich Free Grammar School
was rendered vacant by the resignation of the Rev. T. Kidd.
13.—Died at Hethersett, aged 36, Mr. Elias Norgate,
first secretary of the Norfolk and Norwich Horticultural Society,
the plan of which was suggested by his father, Mr. Thomas
Starling Norgate.
16.—An inquiry was opened by the magistrates at Docking,
under authority of the Secretary of State, “to ascertain
for his own and the public satisfaction whether there had been
any loss of life by culpable negligence or loss of property by
dishonesty,” on the occasion of the wreck of the Earl of
Wemyss smack on Brancaster beach, on August 30th. As a
result of the inquiry, Mr. William Newman Reeve was committed for
trial on the charge of removing from the wreck certain property
which he alleged he was protecting on behalf of his
father-in-law, who was lord of the manor. At the Norfolk
Lent Assizes, held at Norwich before Mr. Baron Vaughan on March
26th, 1834, the defendant was placed upon his trial, and was
defended by Sir James Scarlett, M.P. His lordship, in
directing an acquittal, said the evidence had utterly failed; it
was unnecessary for Mr. Reeve to say anything in support of his
character, for nothing had been made out against him. Amid
applause in court the Judge added there was not the slightest
stain upon the accused. Another case arising out of the
same wreck was tried at the Norfolk Summer Assizes, on July 30th,
1834, before Mr. Justice Bosanquet. The accused, Robert
Allen, Charles Oakes, and James Ward were charged with
feloniously taking certain articles from the wreck. The
jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
21.—The West Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry commenced a
week’s training at King’s Lynn.
30.—Du Crow’s Circus Company commenced a
season’s performances in a wooden building on the Castle
Meadow, Norwich. It was known as “The National Arena
and Equestrian Studio,” and was the first of the temporary
buildings periodically erected in this locality for
entertainments of the kind.
6.—Mr. William Dalrymple was presented with a valuable
silver salver by the Mayor, Sheriffs, citizens, and commonalty of
Norwich, in acknowledgment of the care and skill he had displayed
in the performance of his duties as surgeon to the Great Hospital
and Doughty’s Hospital during the period of 28 years.
9.—Died at St. Michael at Coslany, Norwich, Ann, widow
of Leonard Atkinson. “She was born in this parish
December 24th, 1728, and had scarcely quitted it more than a week
during the space of nearly 105 years. Free from wrinkles
and decrepitude, she possessed her faculties unclouded till
within a few months of her decease.”
13.—The 50th anniversary of the Norwich Public Library
was celebrated by a dinner at the White Swan, presided over by
Dr. England, president of the institution.
15.—A special assembly of the Norwich Corporation was
held, to take into consideration the application of Mr. George
Long and Mr. John Buckle, two of the Commissioners named in the
Municipal Commission, for the production of charters and other
muniments of the Corporation. A resolution was passed
stating that the Corporation had no wish to withhold the
information required, “but they protested against the
Commission as illegal and unconstitutional, and denied the right
of the Commissioners to make any inquiries.” At the
opening of the Commission, on November 25th, the Sheriffs (Mr. W.
J. Utten Browne and Mr. Edward Steward) declined to attend or to
allow any of their officers to give evidence relative to the
constitution of the Sheriffs Court, on the ground that “a
Commission issued by virtue of the Royal prerogative alone was a
process unknown to the law of England, and eminently hostile to
public liberty.” The inquiry lasted twenty-two days,
and concluded on December 19th.
18.—Ducrow advertised the representation of a Spanish
bull-fight at his Norwich circus. “To prevent any
misconception on the part of visitors to the arena, and at the
same time to add to the surprising nature of the performance,
ladies and others are informed that the bull is impersonated by
one of Mr. Ducrow’s horses, tutored by him for the purpose,
enveloped in an elastic skin, and so managed as to deceive even
the keenest eye.”
22.—Died at Guanajuato, Mexico, Lieutenant John Thomas
Borrow, of the West Norfolk Militia, eldest son of Captain
Borrow, of Norwich.
28.—Mr. George Long, Municipal Commissioner, held an
inquiry into the affairs of the Corporation of Castle
Rising. Mr. F. Lane, of Lynn, the Recorder, stated that he
had no charter nor papers of any kind to produce. The
Corporation consisted of a Recorder, Mayor, one alderman, and a
serjeant-at-mace. The Mayor and alderman served in turn the
office of Chief Magistrate. There were about 50 burgage
tenants, and the Corporation property was about £20 a year,
arising from land, and with the money the Mayor gave each year
two dinners to the leet. The Corporation had no debts, no
prison, and but one offence had been committed in the borough for
a number of years.
23.—Two leaden cases were dug up from a piece of ground
at the east end of Wymondham church. One measured 6 ft 2
in. in length, and contained the mummified remains of an adult
female; the other, 16¼ inches in length, a foetus of about
the fourth month. The examination of the remains was
conducted in the church on December 27th, by Mr. John Dalrymple,
of Norwich, in the presence of sixty scientific and medical
men. “As the mummies were taken from the site of the
original choir, the female was most probably nearly allied to the
founder of the abbey, William De Abbay or Daubeny, who died in
the year 1156.”
24.—An altar piece, copied from Rubens’
“Descent from the Cross,” and about one-fourth the
size of the original picture, presented to St Peter’s
church, Yarmouth, by Col. Mason, was on this day placed in
position under the personal superintendence of the donor.
3.—The question of the restoration of the south and west
faces of the keep of Norwich Castle was discussed at the Norfolk
Quarter Sessions, and referred to the visiting justices, who
recommended that it be undertaken; and on May 17th the tender of
Mr. Watson was accepted and the work ordered to be proceeded with
at once. On July 28th a public meeting was held at the
Guildhall, “to take into consideration the expediency of
instituting an inquiry into the necessity for covering up the
face of such an antient relic with new building,” and a
resolution moved by Mr. Samuel Bignold, and seconded by Mr.
Stevenson, expressing regret at the “demolition,” and
suggesting that an antiquary and architect be consulted before it
was further proceeded with, was unanimously adopted. A
deputation was also appointed to wait upon the Gaol
Committee. At a meeting of the county magistrates, on
October 17th, it was decided to employ Mr. Blore, a well-known
architect and antiquary, “to survey and report upon the
present state of the Castle, and the best mode of proceeding with
the repairs.” Mr. Blore reported on November 10th
that the masonry was in a very bad state; that the then face of
the building was not altogether original, but that the repairs
and restorations it had undergone at various periods had been
closely assimilated with the original work. He recommended
that what was needed to be done should be judiciously
incorporated with the ancient work. It was finally decided,
on January 9th, 1835, that the visiting justices be authorised to
continue the work as originally intended, and that they be
empowered to consult Mr. Blore or any other architect they might
think proper to employ.
9.—At a meeting of the Norwich Corporation, a resolution
was passed protesting against any report that might be made by
the Municipal Commissioners respecting the Corporation,
“based on statements so utterly
unfit to justify Parliament in legislating on so important a
subject,” and inviting the various Corporations throughout
the kingdom “to make common cause with them in endeavouring
to defeat any design that might be in contemplation for wresting
from them their antient charters, franchises, and
liberties.”
12.—The organ of Norwich Cathedral was re-opened by Mr.
Buck, after its thorough reparation by Bishop, of Lisson Grove,
London. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the
Right Hon. and Rev. Lord Bayning. The instrument was the
original work of Father Schmidt.
21.—The first of the Choral Concerts inaugurated
“for the purpose of obtaining a reserve fund for the
support of the choral band at the Musical Festival and for
maintaining and keeping together the great body of musical talent
existing in the locality,” was held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich.
25.—During a performance by a company of comedians at
Cley-next-the-Sea, a pistol was fired, and the ramrod, which had
been left in the barrel, entered the side of an actor named
Leary, who was badly injured.
27.—Mr. Frederick Vining, of Covent Garden and the
Haymarket Theatres, commenced a short engagement at Norwich
Theatre, where he was formerly a favourite actor. His
impersonations included Young Rapid (“A Cure for the
Heartache”), Martin Heywood (“The Rent-day”),
Sidney Maynard (“The Housekeeper”), Templeton
(“Deaf as a Post”), Frank Bramble (“The Poor
Gentleman”), and Harry Villars (“Open
House”).
6.—Mr. Thomas Jefferson Hogg and Mr. John Buckle,
Municipal Commissioners, opened an inquiry at the Tolhouse Hall
into the corporate affairs of Yarmouth. After sitting for
20 days the Commissioners adjourned sine die.
14.—A fête was given at Yarmouth Barracks
by Captain Manby, “to mark the close of the labours that
had so long engaged his attention for saving life.”
This was the twenty-seventh anniversary of “the saving of
the first crew by the projection of a rope from the shore by the
force of gunpowder, and thus effecting communication with a
vessel on a lee shore. By this expedient upwards of 600
British sailors have been saved.”
26.—Died at Lynn, Mr. Ezekiel Walker, aged 94. He
was for many years a regular contributor to Nicholson and
Tillock’s “Philosophical Magazine,” and
published a collection of his essays, chiefly on electrochemical
subjects.
27.—The ceremony of laying the first stone of the new
Yarn Factory at Norwich was performed by the Mayor (Mr.
Bignold). A procession, in which were characters
representing Bishop Blaize, shepherds and shepherdesses, together
with 80 wool combers, and many women and children, marched from
Lakenham to the site of the new building in St.
Edmund’s. The directors and shareholders afterwards
dined at the Norfolk Hotel.
11.—The lake at Scottow was drawn by Sir Henry Durrant,
when five pike of large size were captured. The finest
measured 4 ft. in length, 2 ft 3 in. in girth, and weighed 37
lbs.; the smallest was 3 ft 4 in. long, 20½ inches in
girth, and weighed 18½ lbs. They were all taken at
one haul.
—Resolutions in favour of the repeal of the Malt Tax
were passed at a large meeting of the owners and occupiers of
land in the Hundred of South Erpingham, held at the Black Boys
Inn, Aylsham, under the presidency of Mr. Robert Marsham.
Similar meetings were held throughout the county, and petitions
were numerously signed in every Hundred.
22.—Miss Kelly appeared at Norwich Theatre in her
entertainments, “Dramatic Recollections,” “A
Study of Character,” and “Mrs. Parthian at
Home.”
12.—William Thirkettle, 27; William Pye, 32; and Gilpin
Reynolds, 24, were executed on Castle Hill, Norwich, the
first-named for the attempted murder of his wife, and the others
for arson.
14.—The two troops of the King’s Own Light
Dragoons marched from Norwich for Hampton Court and Kensington
Barracks.
25.—The Yarmouth Port and Haven Bill was considered by
the House of Commons’ Committee, presided over by Mr.
William Windham. On the 28th the petitioners announced the
abandonment of the Bill.
30.—The Bishop of Rochester, officiating for the Bishop
of Norwich (who was then in his 90th year), confirmed 1,700
persons at North Walsham. On subsequent days 1,000 were
confirmed at Holt, and 1,050 at Diss.
—Fifty-four convicts, sentenced at the County Assizes
and Sessions to transportation, were taken on board the Sarah
(Capt. Moore), lying in Norwich river. “The hatchways
were closed at twenty minutes after two in the morning, and this
London trader sailed immediately for Lowestoft, which harbour was
reached about eleven o’clock; in three hours the vessel was
out of sight and on her way to Portsmouth. Their being sent
off by sea (through the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation) instead
of by land conveyance will be a very considerable saving of
expense to the county of Norfolk.”
1.—Mr. Charles Turner and Mr. William Moore were
returned to the Court of Aldermen, who elected the former as
Mayor of Norwich for the year ensuing.
—May Day was celebrated at Lynn with the usual display
of garlands and devices emblematical of the season, by persons
arrayed in fancy costumes.
5.—Two troops of the 2nd Queen’s Dragoon
Guards, under the command of Major Kearney, marched into Norwich
Barracks from Nottingham, to relieve the 3rd Dragoons, who, on
the same day, marched for Ipswich.
8.—The leading postmasters of Norwich announced that
they had reduced the rate of posting to 1s. 4d. per mile.
13.—A petition to Parliament against the proposed
measure for separating religious instruction from the system of
education hitherto prevailing at the Universities was unanimously
adopted at a meeting summoned by requisition and held at the
Guildhall, Norwich, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr.
Bignold).
16.—The dwelling-house, outbuildings, and corn stacks of
Mr. Helsden Larner, at North Walsham, were destroyed by
fire. A labourer named Jeremiah Cutting was buried beneath
the falling roof of the stable and burned to death.
21.—The West Norfolk Agricultural Association held its
first annual meeting at Downham Market. A second division
of the society was formed at Fakenham on June 19th.
26.—A new drama, entitled, “Sir Roger de Coverley,
or the Old English Gentleman,” written by Mr. G. Smith,
second son of the manager, was produced for the first time at
Norwich Theatre. It was described as “a composition
which exhibited talent of no common order.”
28.—The King’s birthday was observed in Norwich
with great festivity. The first business at the special
Assembly of the Corporation was to pass an address of
congratulation to his Majesty, “praying him not to sanction
the proposed measure for admitting Dissenters to graduate in the
Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.” The Mayor and
Corporation then went to service at the Cathedral, and at noon
the Queen’s Bays fired a feu de joie in the Market
Place. The officers were entertained at the Guildhall, the
sum of £5 was distributed among the privates, and in the
evening the Mayor (Mr. Bignold) gave a dinner at Chapel Field
House.
29.—Died at Hingham, aged 93, the Right Hon. Lord
Wodehouse. He was elevated from a baronetcy to a seat in
the House of Lords in 1797, after having represented the county
for many years. His lordship was succeeded in his title and
estates by Col. Wodehouse, Lord Lieutenant of the county.
The remains of the deceased nobleman were buried at Kimberley
with great pomp on June 9th.
31.—At the close of the Norwich theatrical season, Mr.
George Smith delivered an address, in which he lamented that
“theatrical taste had of late years declined in the city,
either from commercial depression or from the still more fatal
growth of indifference.”
13.—Died at Southampton, aged 65, Rear-Admiral Manby, of
Northwold. He was one of the companions of Captain
Vancouver, in his voyage round the world; was actively employed
in conveying troops to Ireland at the time of the Rebellion; and
during the war with France commanded the Bourdelais,
Thalia, and Africaine frigates on various important
services. Admiral Manby was a native of Norfolk.
17.—Guild Day was observed in Norwich. “When
the civic procession arrived at the west door of the Cathedral,
the nine knocks were given according to immemorial usage, and the
Corporation passed in regular order through the rush-strewn
nave.” The Latin oration at the porch of the Free
Grammar School was delivered by Fred Norgate, youngest son of Mr.
T. S. Norgate, of Hethersett; Mr. Charles Turner was sworn in as
Mayor at the Guildhall, and entertained 800 guests at the Guild
feast held at St. Andrew’s Hall. The festivities
concluded with a ball at the Assembly Rooms.
18.—The great cricket match, Yorkshire v.
Norfolk, for 100 gs. a side, commenced on the Norwich ground, and
was continued on the 19th. Among the players were Marsden,
Dearman, and the three Pilches. Norfolk: 1st innings, 216
(Fuller Pilch 87); 2nd innings, 91. Yorkshire: 1st innings,
37; 2nd innings, 97. The return match was commenced on Hyde
Park Ground, Sheffield, on July 21st, when Yorkshire won by 123
runs. Yorkshire: 1st innings, 191; 2nd innings, 296.
Norfolk: 1st innings, 75; 2nd innings, 289. Norfolk
abandoned the match in consequence of the rain. “Many
thought that with three bats to go in and Fuller Pilch still
standing, the game might have been won had there been the means
of playing it out.”
21.—A severe thunderstorm occurred. Many cattle
were killed by lightning, and the tower of Redenhall church
sustained considerable damage.
27.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 92, Mrs. Hannah Diboll,
“the celebrated twisterer, who had been accustomed from
childhood to rise every morning at four o’clock, and
persevered in the practice till within two or three years of her
death.”
12.—The public gaslamps in Norwich at this date numbered
423, and the lighting of the city cost upwards of £2,000
per annum.
18.—Mr. Richard Hanbury Gurney, formerly one of the
Parliamentary representatives of Norwich, was presented with a
massive silver candelabrum, purchased with the subscriptions of
1,250 citizens, chiefly of the working classes, “in
testimony of their regard for his universal benevolence and
sincerity in upholding the just rights of mankind, and of their
admiration of his inflexible advocacy in the Senate to obtain for
his country a salutary reform in the House of Commons.”
19.*—“Died, a few days since, in his 62nd year,
Mr. Philip Mallet Case, of Testerton House. On Sunday, July
13th, his remains were deposited in the family vault at
Dunton. The procession from Testerton to the place of
interment was respectably and numerously attended, and it is
computed that there were no less than 3,000 persons
present.”
26.—Died in Clarges Street, London, aged 30, Lord James
Henry FitzRoy, youngest son of the Duke of Grafton. His
lordship was a captain in the 10th Hussars, and had represented
Thetford since 1831.
—*“One of the attractions at Norwich Theatre
during the Assize week was the unique and wonderful invention
patented and exhibited by Mr. H. Childe, called Dissolvent
Views.”
26.*—“Died, last week, in the 105th year of
her age, Mary Wratham, widow, Downham Market.”
27.—Died at Litcham, Captain Thomas Edward Hoste, R.N.,
aged 40. He was fifth son of the Rev. Dixon Hoste, rector
of Tittleshall and Godwick, and commenced his career at the age
of 13, on the Amphion, commanded by his distinguished brother,
Sir William Hoste. In 1809 he joined the Spartan frigate,
served in the Mediterranean, Ireland, and South America, was
promoted Commander in 1825, and was for a short time employed in
coastguard service.
31.—The great doors at the west entrance to Norwich
Cathedral were taken down for restoration and repair.
“They had maintained their honourable station upwards of
400 years, and had received nine times that number of knocks on
the Guild Day for the admission of the Corporation to Divine
service.”
1.—The termination of slavery in the British possessions
on this day was celebrated by a “Negro Jubilee”
fête, given at Sheringham by Mrs. Upcher and her
family, and by special services at the churches and chapels in
Norwich.
8.—The Earl of Euston was elected, unopposed,
representative of the borough of Thetford, in succession to Lord
James FitzRoy, deceased.
—A case of great importance was tried by a special jury
in the Sheriff’s Court at Norwich. John Burrows, a
butcher, had refused to pay the stallage charged by the
Corporation for his meat stall in the Market Place, on the ground
that the patent of his freedom exempted him from such
charges. The Corporation, in an action against him,
recovered the charges, which amounted to 16s. 4d., and defendant
had suffered judgment to go by default. The special jury
now found for the full amount claimed. Defendant resisted
payment, and in the second week of September was arrested by
virtue of a special writ, taken to London, and by Mr. Baron
Alderson was committed to the Fleet Prison. At a quarterly
assembly of the Corporation, on Sept. 22nd, Mr. William Wilde
moved that it be an instruction to the Market Committee not to
collect stallage in future from freemen selling provisions.
Burrows had acted on the advice of the Municipal Commissioners in
this matter, and these proceedings would probably be his
ruin. The motion was negatived by 19 votes to 9.
9.*—“Workmen excavating at the lower part of the
west side of Exchange Street have found a number of human skulls
and bones. This was the site of the church of St. Crowche
or St. Cross, and the public-house by the name of the
Hole-in-the-Wall was built upon it. The church was
demolished on October 14th, 1551, and the parish consolidated
with St. John Maddermarket.”
18.—A meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, at
which Mr. Gibbs, C.E., explained the facilities and advantages of
a projected railroad from London to Dunmow, and thence to
Norwich, with a branch to Cambridge, and an ultimate extension to
the North of England. The length of line from Whitechapel
to Norwich would be 97 miles; the cost of construction and
compensation for land £1,000,000, and of machinery, depots,
&c., £600,000. On the motion of Mr. Samuel Bignold, a provisional committee was formed for the
purpose of promoting the object. On August 30th notice was
given that application would be made in the next Session of
Parliament for the construction of “the grand Eastern
Counties Railway” from London to Norwich and Yarmouth,
via Romford, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, and Eye, at
the estimated cost of £1,500,000, to be raised in 30,000
shares of £50 each. A meeting was held at the
Guildhall on Sept. 13th, for the purpose of considering the
expediency of forming a railway from London to Norwich via
Bishop’s Stortford, Cambridge, and Bury, to join the trunk
of the Grand Northern Railway from London to York, Leeds, and
Hull. Mr. William Cundy, C.E., described the plans, stating
that in less than 18 months the railway from London to Norwich
would be completed; and said that the estimated cost was
£1,600,000. A local committee was appointed to
enquire into the merits of the respective schemes. A public
meeting of the county gentry and representatives of the
agricultural and commercial interests was held at the Guildhall
on October 16th, at which the committee reported that the line
proposed by Mr. Gibbs was best entitled to the support of the
city and county.
26.—Mr. John Marshall was elected freemen’s
Sheriff at Norwich by 817 votes, as against 585 recorded for Mr.
John Culley.
31.—A terrible panic took place at St. Margaret’s
church, Lynn, owing to the failure of the gas. A rush was
made for the doors, and a lad who fell from the organ loft
received dreadful injuries.
6.—Died, aged 85, Mrs. Bray, wife of Mr. Thomas Bray,
“proprietor of the Diss and Norwich waggons to Ipswich,
which have regularly travelled from the Star in the Market Place,
Diss, to the Star in the Market Place, Norwich, under the name of
Bray, for more than a century and a half.”
10.—Died, aged 77, Mr. Edmund Reeve, of St.
Augustine’s, Norwich. He served the office of Sheriff
in 1796.
15.—On the Abbey Farm, Thetford, Sir Richard Sutton,
Bart., in the presence of a large gathering of sportsmen, killed
in seven hours 222 head of partridges, in 246 shots.
6.—At the Guildhall, Norwich, John Cozens, merchant, and
Joseph Colman, solicitor, were summoned by George Arthur Dye for
endeavouring, by threatening to prosecute an action in the Court
of King’s Bench, for supposed acts of bribery alleged to
have been committed by the complainant, to extort from him a
large sum of money, viz., the sum which he (Cozens) had expended
in petitioning the House of Commons against the return of Lord
Viscount Stormont and Sir James Scarlett, as members of
Parliament for Norwich. The defendants were committed for
trial, and at the adjourned Quarter Sessions for the city, on
October 28th, a true bill was found against them. They
entered into recognisances to appear at the Lent Assizes, which
were held in March, 1835, before Mr. Baron
Vaughan, when the case was settled without proceeding to
trial.
9.—The Hall Concert Room, St. George’s Bridge
Street, Norwich, was sold by auction. It was afterwards
converted into a carpenter’s workshop. “The
Hall Concert Society, after existing for upwards of half a
century, has been dissolved. Without the assistance of this
amateur musical society, the Norwich Musical Festival, and its
most prominent feature, the chorus, would never have been called
into existence.”
11.*—“Died, lately, at Swainsthorpe, aged 75,
Robert Utting, commonly called ‘Blind Bob.’ He
could find any place to which he was sent in Norwich, and was for
more than 50 years postman from that city to
Swainsthorpe.”
27.—The Pilot coach was on its journey from Norwich to
Lowestoft, with eight outside and two inside passengers, when the
leader of the unicorn team became restive, on Bracondale Hill,
and turning sharply into Martineau’s Lane, overturned the
vehicle. Mr. Benson Rathbone, of Geldeston, one of the
passengers, sustained a fracture of the skull, from which he died
an hour afterwards, at the Pine Apple public-house, at
Trowse. Several other passengers were injured.
4.—The members of the Orange and Purple Club (president,
Mr. W. J. Utten Browne), at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, presented
a piece of silver plate to Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith, in recognition
of his important services to the Conservative cause.
19.—At the Guildhall, Norwich, Mr. Samuel Bignold was
presented with a silver candelabrum, valued at £200,
“to perpetuate the remembrance of his ability and
independence as a magistrate, his munificent hospitality, and his
important public services.”
—The Hon. W. H. Beresford and Mr. W. M. Praed were
adopted Conservative candidates at Yarmouth. Mr. Beresford
afterwards withdrew in favour of Mr. Thomas Baring.
26.—The annual meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum
was held for the first time “in the new building in
Exchange Street,” which was informally opened on that
occasion.
29.—The Rev. A. Sedgwick, M.A., F.R.S., Woodwardian
Professor in the University of Cambridge, was installed a
Prebendary of Norwich Cathedral.
2.—A meeting of Nonconformists was held at
Edwards’ Room, Orford Hill, Norwich, in defence of their
civil and religious liberty. Alarm was expressed at the
dismissal of Lord Melbourne and his colleagues from office, and
at the management of the affairs of State “being consigned
to individuals who had proved themselves the enemies of Reform
and of the claims of Protestant Dissenters.” The Hon.
Edward Vernon Harbord was requested to become a candidate for the
representation of Norwich.
5.—Died at his house in St. Giles’, Mr.
William Simpson, Town Clerk of Norwich and Treasurer of the
County.
8.—Died at Carlton Hall, Mr. Thomas Marsham.
“He commenced farming with slender means, and
notwithstanding his liberality to the labourers on his estate,
and his hospitality to his brother farmers, he accumulated a
property of near £30,000.”
13.*—“Died, last week, Mr. Richard Mingay, well
known in Norwich as a violin player. He was a man of many
and very versatile talents, which, among other modes, have been
displayed upon the stage in the character of Crack, in ‘The
Turnpike Gate,’ which he performed with great
humour.”
15.—At a special assembly of the Common Council, Mr.
Beckwith, City Chamberlain, was elected Town Clerk of Norwich;
Mr. Skipper, Speaker of the Common Council, was appointed City
Chamberlain; and Mr. James Winter was elected Speaker.
17.—The Orange and Purple Club entertained 768
Conservative voters at dinner at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich. It was announced by the Mayor that Sir James
Scarlett, M.P., had been appointed Lord Chief Baron of the
Exchequer. Lord Stormont and Mr. Robert Campbell Scarlett,
the prospective candidates for the city, were received with great
enthusiasm. On the 18th dinner was served to 1,004
Conservative electors. Mr. W. J. Utten Browne presided on
both occasions.
20.—Mr. Richard Hanbury Gurney and Mr. W. Windham were
announced to be the “Blue and White” candidates for
East Norfolk. The former gentleman addressed the merchants
at the Norwich Corn Exchange. Lord Stormont and Mr.
Scarlett also spoke, and were attacked by a disorderly
crowd. Mr. Gurney went to the assistance of his
lordship. On the 22nd Mr. Edward Butcher was ordered by the
magistrates to find sureties for having taken part in the
disturbance. At a subsequent meeting of the Orange and
Purple Club, Lord Stormont acknowledged the “honourable
conduct” of Mr. Gurney.
24.—Died at Cork, Major-General Sir Robert Travers,
elder brother of Sir Eaton Travers, of Ditchingham Lodge, and of
Major Travers, of Hedenham Hall. He was riding in Patrick
Street, Cork, when his horse was frightened by the band of
Wombwell’s Menagerie. The general was thrown, and
received fatal injuries.
27.—The Hon. E. V. Harbord and Mr. Frank Offley Martin
were adopted Liberal candidates for the representation of
Norwich.
5.—Yarmouth Election—T. Baring (C), 777; W. M.
Praed (C), 768 (elected). Hon. Col. Anson (L), 680; C. E.
Rumbold (L), 675.
6.—Norwich Election—Lord Viscount Stormont
and the Hon. Robert Campbell Scarlett, Conservatives; the Hon. E.
Vernon Harbord and Mr. Francis Offley Martin, Liberals, were
nominated, and polling commenced on the same date. The
books remained open until 5.30 p.m. on the 7th, when the result
was declared as follows:—Stormont, 1,892; Scarlett, 1,878
(elected). Harbord, 1,592; Martin, 1,585.
7.—Lynn Election—The polling commenced on this
date, and concluded on the 8th. Lord George Bentinck, 531;
Sir Stratford Canning, 416 (elected); Sir John S. Lillie,
238.
12.—The nomination of candidates for the representation
of West Norfolk took place at Swaffham. Mr. William Bagge,
the Conservative candidate, was escorted to the town by a
procession, headed by the hunting establishment of Mr. Henry
Villebois. Sir William ffolkes and Sir Jacob Astley were
accompanied by Mr. T. W. Coke and numerous supporters. A
dispute arose between Lord Charles Townshend and Sir Jacob
Astley, who were ordered by the justices to enter into their
recognisances to keep the peace towards each other. The
polling commenced on January 15th, at Swaffham, Downham,
Fakenham, Lynn, Thetford, and East Dereham, and closed on the
16th. The poll was declared on the 19th.—ffolkes,
2,299; Astley, 2,134; Bagge, 1,880. The two first-named
were elected.
17.—The nomination of candidates for the East Norfolk
Division took place at Norwich. Lord Walpole and Mr.
Wodehouse, Conservatives, entered the city by St. Giles’
Gates, escorted by between three hundred and four hundred
horsemen; Mr. W. Windham and Mr. R. H. Gurney (Liberals) rode at
the head of 196 mounted supporters. The polling commenced
on the 20th, at Norwich, Yarmouth, Long Stratton, and Reepham,
and concluded on the 21st. The poll was declared on the
23rd, as follows:—Walpole, 3,188; Wodehouse, 3,474;
Windham, 3,089; Gurney, 2,879. The two first-named were
elected.
—At the Norwich Court of Mayoralty, Mr. Alderman Bignold
read a letter from the Right Hon. Lord Abinger, Baron of Abinger
in the county of Surrey and of the city of Norwich, intimating
his lordship’s desire that the Mayor and Corporation would
permit him to take as the supporters of his arms the supporters
of the arms of the city. The Court unanimously granted the
request. It was also announced that his lordship had
appointed as his chaplain the Rev. Charles Turner, son of the
Mayor.
27.—The supporters of Messrs. Harbord and Martin, to the
number of 900, were entertained at dinner at St. Andrew’s
Hall by leading persons of the Liberal party. On the 28th
1,000 were similarly entertained. Mr. W. Foster presided on
both occasions, and on the second day Mr. Martin delivered a
speech of two hours’ duration.
7.—A “moveable panorama” of the Liverpool
and Manchester Railway, painted by Mr. Thorne, was exhibited at
the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
19.—Married, Mr. J. V. Jermay, of Wroxham, to Mrs. Sarah
Landimore, of the same place. “The above-named female
has been twice married, having entered the
matrimonial state at the age of 14. She became a widow at
15, and is now a wife again at 17.”
23.—Died, at New Lakenham, aged 66, Mr. William Cole,
the author of “Rural Months,” and other poems.
24.—The Corporation of Norwich voted the honorary
freedom of the city to the Hon. Robert Campbell Scarlett,
M.P.
—A committee was appointed by the Corporation of Norwich
to prepare a memorial to the Postmaster-General, for an
acceleration of the mail coach service. A letter was
received from Lord Stormont, M.P., on March 27th, stating that
the Postmaster-General had made the following arrangements: the
Norwich and Yarmouth letters to go by the Ipswich mail instead of
by the Newmarket coach, the Ipswich mail to arrive at Norwich at
7.30 a.m., and to leave Norwich at 7 p.m.
28.—Died at his residence in Portman Square, London,
aged 78, the Right Hon. and Rev. Earl Nelson, Duke of Bronte,
“brother of the hero of Trafalgar.” The title
and estates descended to Mr. Thomas Bolton, jun., son of Susannah
Nelson, sister of the first two Earls, and of Thomas Bolton, who
was born in 1786, and married, in 1821, Elizabeth, daughter and
sole heir of John Maurice.
14.*—“At Didlington Hall, the only place in
England at which the antient amusement of flying hawks at herons
is practised, it has been customary to turn off the birds taken
alive, with a ring attached to one leg, showing the time and
place at which they were captured. In a late Bristol paper
there is an account of a heron having been shot near Carmarthen
with a ring round one leg having the inscription: ‘Major
Wilson, Didlington Hall, Norfolk, 1822.’”
3.—Lord Chief Baron Abinger, one of the Judges of Assize
at Norwich, was waited upon at the Judges’ lodgings, in
Bethel Street, by the Mayor and Corporation, and presented with
an address, on this his first visit to the city in a judicial
capacity.
4.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Vaughan,
Johnstone Wardell, aged 23, a bank clerk, was charged with
embezzling the sum of £1,431 18s. 7d. belonging to the
Governor and Company of the Bank of England. Mr. Kelly was
retained for the defence at the fee of 100 gs., and, after a
trial lasting ten hours, the jury acquitted the prisoner.
The defence was that the accused had been knocked down and robbed
of the money on the Castle Ditches. A few months afterwards
he confessed his guilt and refunded the full amount.
7.—Three hundred emigrants left Yarmouth Quay by the
Baltic (Captain Newson), Venus (Captain Simmons), and Wellington
(Captain Gilham), for Quebec. The Shannon sailed from Lynn
for Quebec on April 16th, with 90 emigrants.
18.—James Clarke, aged 20, was executed on Castle Hill,
Norwich, for setting fire to a wheat stack at Buxton.
“The most singular feature attending the execution was that
an old man named Wyer, a person well
known for his eccentricities, declared on the Hill that he would
take the sufferer’s place for five shillings. The man
made good his word, went home and hanged himself.”
20.—Mr. Macready commenced a four nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre in the part of Macbeth. His
other impersonations included Hamlet, Virginius, Werner, and Puff
(“The Critic”). On the 23rd an outrage was
committed by a person who “threw a chemical substance
capable of ignition, in different parts of the
building.” A reward of 20 gs. was offered for the
apprehension of the offender.
25.—The West Norfolk and Lynn Hospital, designed by Mr.
Angel and built by Mr. Sugars, was opened for the reception of
patients.
—A troop of the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons arrived at
Norwich Barracks, and were followed by two other troops of the
same regiment, from Sheffield and Nottingham.
1.—Mr. Moore and Mr. Steward were returned to the
Norwich Court of Aldermen for election as Mayor. The
first-named was chosen.
4.—The 2nd Dragoon Guards marched from Norwich Barracks,
on their way to Liverpool, for embarcation for Dublin. The
Mayor and Corporation testified to the excellent conduct of the
regiment, and expressed regret at their departure.
—The Norwich Corporation agreed not to dispose of the
old City Gaol without reserving a portion of the site for the
purposes of the Norwich Public Library. On September 21st a
lease was granted of part of the site (70 ft. by 70 ft.) to the
trustees of the Library for the term of 99 years, at the annual
rent of £1, “for the erection of a library room or
other building connected therewith.” At a special
meeting of the subscribers, on October 29th, the contract of
Messrs. Darkins and Blake for the erection of the new building,
at the total cost of £1,820, was confirmed, and it was
decided to raise the amount in shares of £5 each.
—The honorary freedom of the city was voted by the
Corporation of Norwich to Lord Walpole, M.P., and Mr. Edmond
Wodehouse, M.P. Both gentlemen were sworn in on May
8th.
5.—Died of dysentery at Calcutta, aged 70, Mr. Thomas
Hoseason, formerly of Banklands, near Lynn.
6.—Died, aged 69, at Furnival’s Inn, Mr. Linley,
“son of the writer of the music in ‘The
Duenna,’ and brother of the first Mrs. Sheridan and of the
Rev. O. T. Linley, formerly of Norwich Cathedral. He was a
good composer and excellent judge of music.”
8.—A dinner, attended by 650 guests, was given at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, to celebrate the establishment at
the Rampant Horse Inn of the East Norfolk Conservative
Association. The Earl of Orford presided. Prior to
the dinner the members of the association proceeded to the
Guildhall, to witness the swearing in of Lord Walpole and Mr.
Wodehouse as hon. freemen of Norwich.
9.—Died, aged 66, Mr. William Blanchard, “the
celebrated comedian, formerly of the Norwich Company.”
11.—Mr. Butler, of Covent Garden, appeared at
Norwich Theatre in the part of Hamlet. He performed on
subsequent evenings the parts of Coriolanus and David Duvigne
(“The Hazard of the Die”).
18.—The Bill for renewing the Yarmouth Port and Haven
Act, which would otherwise have expired in 1836, went into
Committee in the House of Commons, and was finally agreed to by
all parties.
25.—Died in Norwich, aged 67, Mr. George Lindley, author
of the “Guide to the Orchard and Kitchen Garden, “
&c., and father of Dr. Lindley, Professor of Botany at the
Royal Institution and the University of London.
26.—Died at his house in Magdalen Street, Norwich, aged
91, Mr. Barnabas Leman, who was elected Alderman in 1797, Sheriff
in 1804, and twice served the office of Mayor, 1813-1818.
27.—Captain Sir Edward Parry, R.N., the celebrated
navigator, made an official visit to Norwich, on his appointment
as an Assistant Commissioner under the new Poor Laws Amendment
Act.
29.—At the Guildhall, Norwich, John Pilgrim, described
as an attorney, was charged before Mr. Samuel Bignold and Mr. E.
T. Booth with embezzling the sum of £6 13s. belonging to
his employers, Messrs. Sewell, Blake, Keith, and Blake,
solicitors. The case was adjourned till Saturday, the 30th,
and the hearing lasted till midnight. On Sunday, the 31st,
the magistrates again sat, and remanded the defendant in
custody. On June 1st it was stated that Mr. Parraman,
Governor of the City Gaol, had handed the prisoner over to the
custody of the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, on a
warrant from the Speaker. The Bench then adjourned the
hearing sine die. In order to explain these
proceedings, it is necessary to state the following
facts:—A petition had been presented against the return of
Mr. Dundas and Mr. Kelly as members for Ipswich, and the
Committee of the House of Commons, in reporting the election
void, passed a series of special resolutions to the effect that
John Pilgrim and others were guilty of bribery and of absconding
to avoid the Speaker’s warrant; that Pilgrim, having at
length been served, was prevented attending the Committee by
being arrested on a charge of embezzlement, and that the conduct
of the magistrates before whom he was charged appeared to the
Committee to be a breach of the privileges of the House. On
June 29th it was moved that the committing magistrates be sent to
Newgate, but instead they were ordered to attend before the House
on July 3rd. That order was discharged, and the inquiry was
referred to the same Select Committee that was to investigate the
charges against Pilgrim’s employers. At the Norwich
Assizes on August 8th, before Mr. Baron Bolland, the bill in the
case of embezzlement was respited to the next court. A
meeting of the Norwich Corporation was held on September 21st, at
which a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Bignold and Mr. Booth
“for the performance of their duty as magistrates, which
led to their being summoned before the Committee of the House of
Commons on the charge of alleged breach of privileges of the
House,” and it was ordered that their expenses in London be
defrayed by the city. (See March 29th, 1836. )
31.—Died at his house in Bedford Square, London, Mr.
William Smith, formerly one of the representatives of Norwich in
Parliament. Mr. Smith was first elected member for the city
in 1802, and retired in 1830.
3.—Mr. Beacham, a favourite actor at Norwich Theatre,
took his final leave of the stage after a service of more than
half a century.
6.—The erection of gas works at East Dereham
commenced.
10.—A new drama, entitled, “The Puritan’s
Sister,” written by Mr. George Smith, was produced for the
first time at Norwich Theatre.
14.—Died at Brighton, aged 72, Sir John Harrison Yallop,
an alderman of Norwich. He served the office of Sheriff in
1805, and of Mayor in 1815 and 1831.
15.—Sir Edward Parry, R.N., attended a meeting of the
Norwich Court of Guardians, and laid before them the views and
intentions of the Poor-law Commissioners. Sir Edward also
visited other unions in the district.
16.—Guild Day was celebrated in Norwich for the last
time. The civic procession to the Cathedral was headed by
the regalia borne by the respective officers on horseback.
“Snap,” too, made his final appearance.
Chambers, the senior boy at the Free Grammar School, under the
Rev. Henry Banfather, delivered the Latin oration, and was
presented with five guineas’ worth of books by the
Mayor-elect (Mr. Moore), who made a similar present to Norgate,
the orator on the preceding Guild Day. In the course of the
proceedings at the Guildhall, it was decided to petition the
House of Lords against the Bill to provide for the regulation of
Municipal Corporations in England and Wales. Eight hundred
guests attended the Guild feast at St. Andrew’s Hall, and a
ball was given at the Assembly Rooms in the evening.
19.—Mr. Richard Shaw was elected an alderman of the
Northern Ward, Norwich, in succession to Sir J. H. Yallop,
deceased. He polled 345 votes, as against 109 recorded for
his opponent, Mr. J. Winter.
26.—Petitions were presented from Yarmouth, complaining
that bribery had been practised at the election of members for
that borough. They were not election petitions; they did
not complain of the return; and did not impute bribery to the
members or their agents. But it was alleged that two
guineas had been paid to many of the voters at the house of a
person who had been an active partisan of the sitting
members. The petitions were referred to a Committee of the
House. On July 30th the Chairman of the Committee reported
that Mr. Prentice, one of the witnesses, refused to answer
certain questions, on the ground that the answers would
incriminate himself. He was sent to Newgate on August
6th. On the same day the Chairman reported that three other
witnesses, Messrs. Preston, Lacon, and Green, had refused to
answer any questions at all. Mr. Preston was brought to the
bar and informed by the Speaker that the House had decided he was
bound to submit to be examined by the Committee without prejudice
to his right to object to any questions, the answers to which
might tend to criminate himself. Mr. Preston and Messrs.
Lacon and Green attended the Committee. They objected to
the very first question which at all tended to bear on the
matter, because, they said, the answers might criminate
them. The Committee agreed that the answers would have that
tendency, and discharged the witnesses from further
attendance. On August 11th Mr. Prentice was likewise
discharged from Newgate, and on his arrival at Yarmouth, on
August 14th, was welcomed by a large
crowd, who escorted his carriage through the town, with a band
playing. At the Norfolk Assizes, on March 31st, 1836,
before Mr. Justice Parke, Messrs. Preston, Green, and Lacon were
charged with the alleged acts of bribery, but each case was
disposed of without one of the persons against whom the charges
were preferred being required to enter upon any defence
whatever.
29.—In consequence of the general recommendation of the
Poor-law Commissioners that the allowances to the “surplus
poor” be made in kind, instead of in money, the labourers
at Great Bircham and Bircham Tofts struck work, and caused a
riot, upon the ground that labourers had been imported from
neighbouring villages. The houses of Mr. Ketton and Mr.
Hebgin were attacked, and the Melton and Rainham troops of
Yeomanry Cavalry were called out to quell the disturbance.
The preventive men from the coast and the 6th Inniskillings from
Norwich were also summoned. At Walsingham Quarter Sessions,
on July 10th, several persons were sentenced to terms of
imprisonment for participating in the riot.
6.—The Royal Mail coach from Yarmouth (through Norwich)
to Birmingham commenced running. “In equipment and
management this coach is not excelled by any in the
kingdom.”
—Died at Vernon House, London, from the effects of
injuries received by a fall from his horse in St. James’s
Park, on June 30th, the Right Hon. Lord Suffield, aged 54.
The intelligence arrived at North Walsham at the time fixed for
the celebration of his lordship’s birthday by a dinner at
the King’s Arms Inn. The body of the deceased
nobleman reached Norwich on July 15th, and remained at the
Rampant Horse Inn that night. On the following day it was
conveyed to Gunton, and buried in the chapel in the park.
14.—A handbill was circulated in Norwich announcing that
“the Dutch Hercules, Mynheer Kousewinkeler van
Raachboomstadt, professor of gymnastics and Maître des
Armes to the 5th Regiment of Royal Jaagers,” would give his
“celebrated series of gymnastic exercises” in Chapel
Field. Some thousands of persons were hoaxed.
1.—Mr. Charles Kemble made his first appearance at
Norwich Theatre in the character of Julian St. Pierre (“The
Wife”). During the remaining nights of his engagement
he performed the parts of Benedict, Mercutio, Colonel Freelove
(“The Day after the Wedding”), Octavian (“The
Mountaineers”), Petruchio, and Charles Surface. He
afterwards visited Yarmouth.
6.—Evidence was given before the House of Lords in
opposition to the Municipal Reform Bill by Mr. E. T. Booth, Col.
Harvey, Mr. Isaac Preston (Recorder), and Mr. E. Newton, of
Norwich. A petition, adopted at a meeting of the freemen on
July 11th, and signed by 1,600 persons of both parties, had
already been presented, praying their lordships “to
preserve to Norwich the privileges granted by the charters of 700 years ago.” The Bill was passed on
September 9th, and on October 3rd the Norfolk
Chronicle stated: “St. Michael ‘shone no
festive holiday’ either at Norwich, Lynn, or
Yarmouth. For many centuries until this annus
mirabilis of Liberalism the Sheriffs of Norwich (from
1403), the Mayors of Lynn (from 1268) and of Yarmouth (from
1684), were sworn into office on new Michaelmas day. . . .
Under the new Act the present Mayors and Sheriffs are to continue
to hold their respective offices until January 1st next, and
their immediate successors—one Sheriff until the
first, and the Mayors until the 9th of November, on which days
the elections of Sheriffs and Mayors of boroughs will in future
take place.”
7.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Bolland,
Frances Billing, aged 46, and Catherine Frarey, aged 40, were
found guilty of the murder of Mary Taylor, of Burnham Westgate,
by administering arsenic to her. They were also convicted
of the murder of Robert Frarey, husband of the last-named
prisoner. The execution took place on the Castle Hill,
Norwich, on August 10th. Frarey was dressed in deep
mourning for her husband, and wore a widow’s cap.
They held each other by the hand when upon the scaffold.
“The silence which had hitherto pervaded the immense
concourse who stood intently gazing on this dreadful exhibition
was broken by a piercing shriek when the drop fell; then all was
still again.” Mrs. Billing had had eleven children,
eight of whom were living at the time of the execution.
Both women had been in the habit of consulting reputed witches at
Burnham and Sall (See April 1st, 1836.)
14.—Died, aged 79, Mr. William Mason, of Necton.
“He was accomplished in literature, and was one of the
favourite scholars of the late Dr. Parr.”
22.—Died, aged 78, the Hon. George Walpole, second son
of Horatio, first Earl of Orford and fourth Lord Walpole of
Walpole. He commanded the troops employed in suppressing
the rebellion of the Maroons in Jamaica. On his retirement
from the Army he went into Parliament, and was Under-Secretary of
State during the Fox Administration in 1806.
23.—Died, aged 65, Mr. Francis Stone, architect,
Norwich, and for nearly 30 years Surveyor of the County of
Norfolk.
25.—The last election for the office of freemen’s
Sheriff took place at Norwich. Mr. Paul Squire was
returned, with 829 votes. Mr. Edward Willett, his opponent,
polled 437.
18.—At nine o’clock in the morning, Mr. Green, the
aeronaut, who had ascended in his balloon from Vauxhall Gardens,
London, at six o’clock in the evening of the 17th,
descended between North Runcton and Hardwick, about a mile from
Lynn South Gates.
22.—The Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria, on their
way from Burleigh House, Stamford, to Holkham Park, on a visit to
Mr. Coke, passed through Lynn, and were received with great
enthusiasm. The horses were removed from the Royal
carriage, which was dragged through the town to the Duke’s
Head Inn. The relay of horses having been sent
towards Gaywood, the populace drew the carriage, amid most loyal
demonstrations, to the eastern boundary of the town, where the
horses were put to and the journey resumed. At Holkham the
preventive service formed a guard of honour, and the whole of the
tenantry were in attendance. On the 23rd their Royal
Highnesses were presented by the inhabitants of Wells with a
loyal address, to which the Duchess of Kent graciously
replied. Their Royal Highnesses left Holkham on the 24th
for the seat of the Duke of Grafton at Euston, and passed through
Swaffham, where the race meeting was delayed in order to give the
large concourse the opportunity of greeting their future
Sovereign.
6.—The Young Company’s yawl Increase was launched
from Yarmouth beach at one p.m., with a crew of eight hands,
Budds (a pilot), and a Mr. Layton. It went to the
assistance of a brig flying a signal of distress. Layton
and one of the men remained on board the brig. The yawl,
when returning to shore, was capsized in a squall, and seven of
the crew drowned. Two, named Brock and Emmerson, swam for
their lives. Emmerson sank, but Brock continued swimming
until he reached Corton Bay, where he was picked up by a vessel
after he had been seven hours in the water and had swum fourteen
miles.
10.—The Revising Barristers (Mr. S. Gazelee and Mr. W.
A. Collins) commenced an inquiry at Norwich as to the settlement
of the new municipal boundaries. On the 13th they announced
that they had decided to arrange the city in eight wards, based
upon the relative proportions of property and population.
13.—At a convivial meeting at the Three Turks
public-house, Charing Cross, Norwich, William Cork, an artisan,
was singing “the well-known song written on the death of
General Wolfe,” and after repeating the words, “And I
to death must yield,” fell down and, to the consternation
of the company, instantly expired.
23.—At a meeting held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich,
under the presidency of Sir Jacob Astley, Bart., M.P., it was
agreed that the line of railway most advantageous to Norfolk and
Norwich was that proposed by Mr. James Walker, engineer, from
Yarmouth to Norwich and thence to Cambridge and London. A
similar opinion was expressed at meetings held at Yarmouth on
October 30th and at Thetford on November 3rd.
28.—The libraries, works of art, curiosities, &c.,
of Captain Marryat, C.B., were sold by auction at his residence,
Langham, near Holt. “Captain Marryat has broken up
his establishment in Norfolk as his devotion to literature will
oblige him to reside constantly in London.”
1.—Died at his house, Buckworth, near Romsey, the Right
Hon. Earl Nelson, aged 50. He was born at St.
Michael-at-Plea, Norwich, and married, in 1821, Frances
Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Mr. John
Maurice, and was succeeded in his titles and estates by his
eldest son, Horatio Bolton Nelson, Viscount Trafalgar, aged 12
years.
9.—The schooner Harriet, on her passage from St.
Petersburg to Liverpool, was lost, with her crew of eight hands,
off Hunstanton. “The wreckage washed ashore was
immediately broken up, and part of it converted to private
purposes. It is shocking to contemplate the lawless
scrambling of the wreckers of this coast to obtain possession of
their prey, in which they appear to be encouraged by the conduct
of persons whose especial duty it is to prevent rather than to
encourage the abominable plunder here carried on.”
14.—Extensive flour mills at Hardingham, occupied by
Messrs. Taylor and Tingay, were destroyed by fire.
27.—Mr. Charles Turner, Deputy-Mayor of Norwich, was
presented with a piece of plate by the subscribers who had placed
his portrait in St. Andrew’s Hall. The portrait was
painted by H. P. Briggs, R.A.
1.—Messrs. Collins and Gazelee, revising barristers,
commenced at Norwich the first revision of the municipal
voters’ lists.
7.—A fine male specimen of the sea eagle was shot at
Hunstanton Hall. The crop and stomach contained 15 herring;
the wings from tip to tip measured 7 ft. 3 in.
9.—Professor Sedgwick commenced his course of lectures
on geology at the Norfolk and Norwich Museum. Upwards of
200 new subscribers added their names, in order to have the
privilege of attending.
15.—Died at his uncle’s house, Lancaster Place,
London, Mr. James Smith, surgeon, son of the manager of Norwich
Theatre.
22.—The first general meeting of the proprietors of the
East of England Bank was held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, the
Mayor (Mr. W. Moore) presiding.
—Forty amateurs de bonne chère presented
Mr. William Snow, “the Ude of Norwich,” with a silver
gridiron, on the occasion of his 64th birthday.
24.—The new Octagon chapel at Diss was opened.
Sermons were preached by the Revs. J. Alexander and J. B.
Innes, of Norwich.
26.—The first elections under the new Municipal Reform
Act took place at Norwich. The polling commenced at eight
polling-places at nine o’clock, and closed at four
o’clock, “when the Mayor went round to the different
departments and received the boxes from his
deputies.” The method of voting was thus described:
“The voters delivered to the deputies their signed lists
containing the names of the candidates for whom they gave their
suffrages. A clerk entered the name of the voter and the
candidates in a book, and the list was then deposited in a box by
the deputy.” The election resulted in the return of
the Whig-Radicals by a majority of eight.
1.—The first quarterly meeting of the new City Council
was held at the Guildhall, Norwich. Mr. T. O. Springfield
was elected Mayor.
4.—The first act of the Yarmouth reformed Town Council
was to remove from office the Earl of Orford, Lord High Steward
of the borough, and to elect the Earl of Lichfield in his
place. The Earl, writing from Wolterton on January 26th,
informed the Mayor that the only intimation he had received of
his dismissal was through the newspaper paragraph in which it was
announced, and added: “The honour which your late
Corporation conferred upon me was received with pride and
gratitude. My dismissal by the present Corporation confers
almost equal honour, upon, Sir, your obedient servant, Orford.”
13.—The Norwich Corporation voted an address to his
Majesty, expressing gratitude to him for effecting the moral
alterations in the state of his Empire called for by the progress
of knowledge, and confidence in his Majesty’s advisers, and
promising to make effectual for the general happiness, comfort,
and prosperity of the citizens the new Corporation Act, under
authority of which they were met together.
22.—Italian opera was produced at Norwich Theatre, under
the management of Miss Leslie. The works included “Il
Barbiere di Siviligia,” “La Ceverentola,” and
“Il Don Giovanni.” The principal artistes were
Madame Carri Paltoni, Miss M. A. Leslie, Signor De Val, Signor
Paltoni, Signor Giubelli, Signora Cellini, and Signor
Tryano. Mr. Schipins was conductor, and Mr. T. Jackson
leader.
26.—A meeting was held at the Town Hall, Lynn, to
petition Parliament to grant a Committee to enquire into the
distresses of agriculture. The High Sheriff (Mr. Hudson
Gurney) presided. It was represented that the price of corn
and wheat was barely equal to what it was in 1793, while the
taxation of the country was three times greater than at that
period. The meeting agreed that the prices of agricultural
produce be raised to meet existing burdens, or such burdens be
lowered to meet existing prices.
1.—Mr. Sheridan Knowles and Miss Elphinstone made their
first appearance in a four nights’ engagement at Norwich
Theatre, as Master Walter and Julia, in his play “The
Hunchback.” They also appeared on ensuing evenings as
St. Pierre and Mariana (“The Wife”), Pierre and
Velerdera (“Venice Preserved”), William Tell and Emma
(“William Tell”), and as Petruchio and Catherine.
7.—Died, aged 71, Mr. Richard Langton, many years
librarian at the Public Library, Norwich.
17.—The north segment of North Walsham steeple was blown
down. The bells fell in a mass of ruins.
17.—During a heavy gale at Yarmouth the tide
overflowed many parts of the Quay, and inundated the
houses. The foundations of several buildings fronting the
beach were undermined by the water, and the sands presented a
scene of devastation and ruin.
20.—A facing of brickwork by which the south side of the
Guildhall had been disfigured for more than a century was removed
and replaced by a beautiful specimen of flint work and masonry,
from designs by Mr. J. Stannard, architect.
21.—Died at Ipswich, aged 64, Mrs. Cockle, daughter of
Mr. Charles Roope, of Pulham Market. “She was
well-known as the author of some valuable works on female
education, and of literary and poetical productions.”
25.—The Northern and Eastern Railway Bill, for making a
line from London to Cambridge, and thence to Norwich and
Yarmouth, as planned by Mr. James Walker, was read a first time
in the House of Commons. It passed the remaining stages,
and was read a third time in the House of Lords on July
27th. On February 25th also the Commons Committee on the
Eastern Counties Railway Bill determined that the standing orders
had been complied with. This Bill was read a first time on
March 10th. During that month a deputation from the London
directors met the friends and supporters of the line at Norwich,
Lynn, and Yarmouth; and on April 14th petitions in favour of the
railway were presented in the House of Commons from Norwich by
Lord Stormont, and from Yarmouth by Mr. Praed. The second
reading was carried by a majority of 74. Mr. Gladstone
remarked, in the course of the debate, that the petition from
Norwich “had been got up by the foulest means—by
means of eating and drinking. Every person who went in and
put his name to the petition got a good lunch.” On
May 2nd and 3rd Norwich and Norfolk witnesses gave evidence in
favour of the Bill, which was read a third time on June
1st. It was announced on July 2nd that the Bill had passed
through all stages in both Houses of Parliament.
1.—The new police went on duty for the first time at
Norwich. “The 18 new policemen under the
superintendence of Mr. Wright appeared for the first time on
Tuesday last in an uniform dark blue dress with waterproof capes
similar to those worn by the police in London.”
5.—Died at his house in King Street, aged 69, Mr.
William Taylor, “a gentleman whose intellectual endowments
and extraordinary range of varied acquirements had gained for his
name a celebrity which, far from being confined within the walls
of his native city, extended itself widely through the world of
British, European, and Trans-Atlantic literature. The
friend and biographer of Dr. Sayers, the associate of Dr. Southey
and other distinguished characters, Mr. Taylor stood pre-eminent
for his scholastic and critical knowledge of the great writers of
Germany.”
12.*—“The Gas Company of this city (Norwich) have
determined to reduce the price to those who consume by meter from
13s. per 1,000 cubic feet to 10s. This reduction will place
Norwich in a much better situation than almost any town in the
kingdom.”
22.—Five hundred children under seven years of
age assembled at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, and underwent
the system of examination introduced by Mr. Wilderspin, the
originator of infant schools. On April 7th a public meeting
was held at the Guildhall, at which it was decided to establish a
society to promote the extension of the infant school system in
the county and city.
—Died, suddenly, of apoplexy, while hunting with Sir
James Flowers’ hounds at Tibenham, Mr. William Chambers, of
Norwich, who served the office of Sheriff from Michaelmas, 1834,
to January 1st of this year, and was the last Sheriff elected
under the old system. Mr. Chambers was in his 45th
year.
24.—Died at his house in Bethel Street, Norwich, aged
62, Mr. Robert Hawkes, who was elected Alderman of the Mancroft
Ward in 1818, served the office of Sheriff in 1819, and that of
Mayor in 1822. In consequence of Mr. Hawkes’ death,
the Judges of Assize, whose official lodgings were at his house,
were invited by the Very Rev. Dr. Pellew to stay at the
Deanery. At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, on April 8th, the
thanks of the county were accorded to Dr. Pellew.
29.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Gaselee,
the case of John Pilgrim was further respited, in consequence of
the illness of one of the prosecutors. (There is no further
record of this case.)
1.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Gaselee,
Peter Taylor was found guilty, as an accessary before the fact,
of the murder of Mary Taylor, his wife, at Burnham Westgate, on
March 12th, 1835. The prosecution arose out of the trial of
the women Frarey and Billing, who were executed as principals in
the murder. Taylor, who to the last protested his
innocence, was hanged on the Castle Hill, Norwich, on April
23rd.
—At the same Assizes, before Mr. Justice Gaselee, John
Sucker (23), Thomas Bassett (40), Joseph Bruce (21), Thomas Dawes
(25), and James Staines (37) were indicted, Sucker and Bassett
for the murder of William Case, on November 30th, 1835, and the
other prisoners for aiding and assisting in the commission of the
crime while poaching on the lands of Mr. W. L. Jones, at
Methwold. They were found guilty and sentenced to
death. The jury subsequently delivered to his lordship at
the Deanery the following declaration: “Our opinion is that
the prisoners were guilty of manslaughter, not murder, and it was
our intention so to find had we not been called upon to give our
opinion as to the facts.” The execution was deferred
for the opinion of the Judges assembled in the Court of
Exchequer. On April 23rd Lord Denman stated that the
Judges, after hearing counsel on both sides, were of opinion it
would not be proper to execute the prisoners for the crime of
murder.
2.—A vessel of 500 tons burden, intended for the trade
between England and the Mauritius, was launched from the
ship-yard of Mr. Richardson, Friars’ Fleet, Lynn.
4.—On the occasion of the presentation of a piece of
plate to the Rev. A. Goode, of Terrington St. Clement, 800
villagers accompanied the deputation, with flags and
banners, and “86 young females attending the Sunday School
bore branches of laurel.” The plate was borne upon a
tray by “two respectable parishioners,” supported by
“some emblematical characters, one of whom personated the
renowned Tom Hickathrift, the Marshland giant of the olden time,
and the bold defender of the ancient rights of Marshland
Smeeth. The representative of Hickathrift delivered an
appropriate speech.”
8.—At the Norfolk county magistrates’ meeting, Mr.
J. Brown was elected Surveyor of the county, and Mr. James Watson
surveyor of bridges.
—The Lord Lieutenant of the county, accompanied by Mr.
Samuel Bignold, visited the factory of the Norwich Yarn
Company. “There are now 300 workmen, upwards of 60
reelers, and about 200 children constantly at work in the
establishment, and the labour bill exceeds £200 a
week.”
—Francis Widdows, “who was upwards of 50 years
leader of the company of singers in St. Mary’s
chapel,” died at Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich, in his
80th year.
13.—One hundred and ninety-five emigrants from villages
in the neighbourhood embarked at Friars’ Fleet, Lynn, on
board the ship Anne, bound for Quebec. Mr. Daniel Gurney
distributed among them Bibles, Prayer-books, &c. Large
numbers of emigrants left the county during the spring. By
May 17th 1,625 had sailed from Yarmouth. From the same
port, on May 25th, sailed the Morning Star, with 212 emigrants,
chiefly labourers, from Suffolk, and the Brunswick, with 447
agriculturists from East Norfolk. By July 2nd the total
number embarked at Yarmouth for Quebec and Port St. Francis on
the St. Lawrence was 3,200.
22.—Died, aged 72, at St. John Timberhill, Norwich, Mr.
J. P. Cocksedge, who served the office of Sheriff in 1827.
27.—Died, aged 37, “the eccentric and whimsical
John Gudgeon, the celebrated shuttle-maker, of
Norwich.”
28.—In consequence of the Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich
having declined to extend the customary patronage to the Theatre,
the performance on this night was under “the immediate
patronage of the Conservatives of Norwich.” The
pieces produced were “The Rivals” and “The
Mayor of Garrat.”
—The three troops of the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
stationed at Norwich Cavalry Barracks, marched on their route to
Canterbury and Brighton, and were replaced by three troops of the
17th Lancers from Manchester.
30.*—“The King has been pleased to confer the
honour of knighthood on a native of Norwich, Dr. W. J. Hooker,
Professor of Botany at Glasgow, and a Companion of the Third
Class of the Royal Guelphio Hanoverian Order.”
1.—The celebration of May Day, which, from time
immemorial, has been observed at Lynn by children parading the
streets with garlands of flowers and the sounding of horns, was
this year prohibited by the authorities of the borough.
25.—Miss Read, a native of the city, appeared at
Norwich Theatre as Belvedera (“Venice
Preserved”). “Her performance was marked by
talent and feeling very creditable in so young an
actress.”
26.—A specimen of the common plant valerian rubra
was exhibited at the show of the Norfolk and Norwich
Horticultural Society with the following inscription upon the
label attached: “This plant was raised from seed found in a
cement coffin discovered beneath the ruins of Wymondham Priory
church. The period of interment is proved antecedent to
1300.”
31.—Married at Kensington, by the Rev. T. B. Murray, the
Rev. George William Murray, of Merton College, Oxford, assistant
minister of St. Peter’s, Pimlico, fifth son of Charles
Murray, formerly of Norwich, to Marianne, second daughter of
Major-General Sir William Douglas, K.C.B., of Timperdean,
Roxburghshire.
4.*—“Died lately, aged 68, William Brett, an
ingenious and eccentric individual, generally known as
‘Duke Brett,’ of Swaffham, by trade a shoemaker, but
a perfect factotum in all manner of handicraft, and a celebrated
opium-eater, having for many years consumed large quantities of
this drug daily.”
8.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, Capt. Money
moved a resolution in favour of the admission of the public to
the discussions of that body, “because it would make the
members more measured in their language, more careful, and more
honest.” Mr. Burt moved a negative resolution, and
stated that “if they could not restrain their language in
the company of gentlemen of education and respectability, they
would not do so in the presence of a school of persons casually
admitted.” Capt Money’s motion was
negatived.
28.—A meeting of the directors and proprietors of the
Norwich Yarn Company was held at the Guildhall, at which it was
stated that the factory was incapable of supplying even one-third
of the quantity of yarn required for manufacturing purposes in
the city and neighbourhood. It was decided that the capital
be increased by the creation of 700 additional shares of
£100 each. (See December 1st, 1836.)
4.—A novel feat of pedestrianism was performed on the
Norwich Cricket Ground, in the presence of a great number of
spectators. “Sixty yards of cord were wound round a
pole one foot in circumference. The pedestrian took the end
of the cord and ran round the pole until the whole was off, which
was to be completed in the space of four hours, the distance
being computed to be 20 miles. The pedestrian, John
Baldwin, a native of Norwich, performed the arduous task in less
than three and a half hours.”
7.—The Yarmouth Town Council ordered the removal of the
Market Cross, upon the petition of certain inhabitants of the
borough.
9.*—“Died, lately, Mr. William Read,
farmer, of Dumpling Green, East Dereham. His remains were
conveyed to the grave by his express desire in one of his
waggons, drawn by four of his best horses, of which he prided
himself in having the first in the county, and attended by an
immense concourse of persons, drawn together by the novelty of
the scene.”
—Mr. J. Gotobed, one of the proprietors of the Lynn
coach, was fined £50 “for having driven away the
coach after it had been seized by his Majesty’s officers of
Excise for conveying contraband spirits.”
16.*—“Many hundred tons of oysters have been
caught off Cley, where there are very extensive beds, during the
last season, and sold to the Kent dealers at less than sixpence a
bushel.”
19.—The Sandringham Hall Estate was sold by Mr. W. W.
Simpson, at the Auction Mart, London, after a spirited
competition, for £76,000. It was the property of Mr.
Henry Hoste Henly.
29.—Died at Longford, Derbyshire, Mr. Edward Coke,
brother of Mr. T. W. Coke, of Holkham. Mr. Coke for several
Sessions represented Derby in Parliament, and was returned for
Norfolk in 1807.
1.—Norwich Theatre was re-opened after thorough
renovation. Gas light was used for the first time.
Mrs. Yates appeared as Rachael (“The Jewess”), and in
the petite comedy, “An Actress of All Work,” in which
she sustained six distinct characters. On the 6th Mr. Yates
appeared in conjunction with his wife. Norwich Theatre was
described as “one of the handsomest, most comfortable, and
best lighted of the minor theatres in this kingdom.”
4.—A two-days’ cricket match, between Yorkshire
and Norfolk, commenced on the Norwich Ground. Yorkshire
won, by 25 runs.
5.—Died, at his residence on the Castle Ditches,
Norwich, in his 89th year, Mr. Robert Ward, who served the office
of Sheriff in 1800, and was for upwards of 45 years a member of
the Court of Guardians.
13.—A petition by Mr. Samuel Bignold and Mr. William
Rackham on the one part, and Mr. T. O. Springfield on the other
part, having been presented to the Lord Chancellor relative to
the composition of the trustees of the Norwich charities, the
matter was argued on this date before the Master in Chancery, who
ruled that in composing the list of trustees he would not admit
more than four Dissenters out of the 21; further, that in the
execution of their official duties, the trustees should be
divided into two classes, and that none but those who were
members of the Church of England should have a voice in the
presentation to any Church living. On December 23rd the
Master presented a draft report, stating the composition of the
“Church list” and of the “general
list.” The former contained eleven selected from the
twenty-one names submitted by Messrs. Springfield, Finch, and
Willett, and ten from the twenty-one names submitted by Messrs.
Bignold and Rackham. The “general
list” contained twelve names submitted by the former and
eight by the latter. (See March 18th, 1837.)
20.—The Norwich Musical Festival, “for the benefit
of the Norfolk and Norwich and West Norfolk Hospitals, the School
for the Indigent Blind, the Eye Infirmary, and the
Dispensary,” commenced. The principals were Madame
Caradori Allan, Miss Bruce, Miss Rainforth, Mrs. A. Shaw, Miss
Tipping, Signora Assandri, Signer Ivanoff, Mr. Hobbs, Mr.
Hawking, Mr. H. Phillips, Mr. E. Taylor, and Signor
Lablach. Messrs. Cramer and Blagrove were leaders of the
band, and Sir George Smart conductor. Miscellaneous
concerts were given on the evenings of the 20th, 21st, and 22nd;
on the morning of the 21st a selection of sacred music and
“The Redemption”; on the 22nd “The
Creation” and “The Seventh Day”; and on the
23rd “The Christian’s Prayer” and “Israel
in Egypt.” The Festival concluded on the night of the
23rd with a fancy dress ball, at which “masks and
dominoes” were prohibited.
—The Wendling Estate, near East Dereham, was sold at
Garraway’s, by Mr. Spelman, of Norwich, for
£14,000.
29.—A new fire escape, invented by the Rev. Mr. Arthy,
of Caistor near Norwich, was exhibited in front of the Union
Office, Surrey Street. “It consists of a jointed
ladder, the first length 10 ft. and seven others 6 ft. 7 in.
long, with a pulley inserted in the head of the first length,
over which a chain passes, to one end of which a large basket is
attached, and two rollers are affixed to the under side of the
top length, to enable the ladder to pass freely over the
brickwork, and two ropes are attached to the outer sides of the
top, to guide the ladder in raising it, to bring it forward where
projections occur, and to keep it from slipping either way.
After the ladder is raised to the proper height, the ropes pass
under the basket to keep it steady in going up or down. The
machine is constructed on a small platform, mounted on wheels,
and can be conveyed with great rapidity to any given
point.”
24.—Ole B. Bull, the Norwegian violinist, appeared at a
morning concert held at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. The
vocalists were Mdlle. De Angiole, Signor Curioni, and Mr.
Bochisa.
1.—Municipal elections were held for the first time on
this date, under the Municipal Reform Act. At Norwich the
contests in the eight wards resulted in the return of eight
Conservatives and eight Whig-Radicals.
—Died at King’s Lynn, Mr. Joseph Waters, for many
years a prominent merchant in that town. “This
melancholy event took place owing to a violent fright which he
received in the Theatre on that day.”
4.—In the Court of King’s Bench commenced a long
course of litigation in which the Corporation of Norwich was
concerned. Sir W. Follett applied for a rule to shew cause
why a quo warranto should not be filed
calling upon Mr. Thomas Brightwell to show by what authority he
claimed to exercise the office of Alderman. It was
explained that after the passing of the Municipal Reform Act a
certain number of Aldermen were elected for the city.
Instead of each being nominated separately, they were all
proposed and elected in a batch, which, it was contended, was
clearly illegal. The court granted the application. A
similar rule was applied for against the Mayor, Mr. Springfield,
for, it was argued, if the Aldermen had not themselves been
properly elected, they could not elect a Mayor. A rule was
also granted in this case. On November 24th the rule was
made absolute in the case of Mr. Brightwell, and enlarged in the
case of Mr. Springfield. In the Bail Court on the same date
Mr. Kelly obtained rules nisi calling upon fourteen
persons to show by what authority they took upon themselves to
act as Aldermen. On December 19th the Attorney-General
applied in the Rolls Court for an injunction to restrain the
Mayor and Corporation from defraying out of the municipal funds
the expenses incurred in defending the quo warrantos in
the Court of King’s Bench, calling upon Messrs. Springfield
and Brightwell to show cause by what authority they held the
offices, the former of Mayor and the latter of Alderman, as well
as the expenses attending the presentation of a petition to the
Lord Chancellor to appoint new trustees of the funds of the
public charities, the management of which was vested in the
Corporation. The bill charged the defendants with applying
the Corporation funds wrongfully, in a manner inconsistent with
the duties of a Mayor and Corporation, and in direct violation of
the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act, by applying them
for the aforesaid purposes, in consequence of certain resolutions
to which the corporate body had come. The effect of these
resolutions was that the City Treasurer should from time to time
pay out of the city funds such sums of money as the committee of
the Corporation should deem necessary towards defraying the
expenses of the quo warrantos and petition
above-named. The defendants put in two demurrers to the
bill, and Lord Langdale said he would consider the case before
pronouncing judgment. (See January 13th, 1837.)
5.*—“We wish to direct the attention of landowners
and farmers in Norfolk to the extraordinary success which has
attended the attempt of Mr. R. Crawshay, of Honingham Hall, to
cultivate hops in Norfolk. A sample of them may now be seen
at Norgate and Co.’s, which competent judges have declared
to surpass the growth of any other county in the kingdom.
Our agriculturists will be deeply indebted to this gentleman for
proving to them that a valuable plant indigenous to the soil may
be cultivated with profitable success in Norfolk.”
9.—Mr. Thomas Brightwell was elected Mayor, and Mr. John
Bateman appointed Sheriff, of Norwich.
23.—A musical festival took place at Fakenham parish
church. “The Messiah” was rendered in the
morning, and “Judas Maccabeus” in the evening.
The soloists were supplied by the choir of Norwich
Cathedral. “Admission, middle aisle, 3s.; other
parts, 2s.”
26.*—“The allotment system has been tried on a
tolerably large scale in the parish of Attleborough, by Sir John
Smyth, Bart., of Woodmarston Hall, Surrey, lord of the manor of
Attleborough. The allotments are let at moderate rents, not
exceeding the rent of similar lands in
farm, with the addition of the tithes and other charges which are
paid by the landlord.”
28.—Sir James Flower’s hounds met at Stow, where
the stag was turned off and was taken at Garboldisham Lings,
after a run of five hours. The distance from point to point
was about eleven miles, but the stag ran at least 40 miles, and
the only horsemen up at the finish were the huntsman and first
whip.
29.—A severe gale occurred. A large wooden
building erected at the Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, for circus
performances, was blown down by the tremendous violence of the
wind. “The great oak at Necton, for which the late
Mr. William Mason was offered by a shipwright at Lynn, in 1812,
120 guineas, had two arms blown off it, each the size of ordinary
timber trees.” Barns and wheat stacks were blown down
at Necton, Ashill, West Bradenham, and Beeston. At
Carbrooke a windmill, the property of Mr. Robert Homes, was
wrecked, and his son killed.
—The Freebridge Lynn Hundred Association for the
encouragement of agricultural labourers and servants was formed
at a meeting held at the Duke’s Head Inn, Lynn. Sir
W. B. ffolkes was elected president; the Rev. C. D. Brereton, of
Little Massingham, secretary; and Mr. B. Aldham, treasurer.
1.—The directors of the Norwich Yarn Company having
obtained the minimum sum necessary for commencing their new works
on the ground purchased of Mr. Youngman, the first stone of the
new factory was laid on this day. The event was celebrated
by a procession in honour of Bishop Blaize, to illustrate the
pagan story of Jason’s argonautic expedition to Colchis in
search of the Golden Fleece. The last celebration of the
kind took place in 1783. The character of Bishop Blaize was
impersonated “most appropriately, both as to age and
gravity, by Richard Dickerson, comber, who had taken part in the
former procession.” Starting from the premises of the
company, the procession paraded the principal streets of the
city, and halted opposite Mr. Bignold’s house in Surrey
Street, where an “oratorical address” was delivered
by the senior orator, Edward Warman. At noon the procession
arrived at St. Edmund’s, where Mr. Bignold laid the
foundation stone, and, in addressing the company, stated that the
building about to be erected would be 163 ft. in length, by 42
feet in width, and four storeys high. As the works already
in operation afforded employment to 800 people, this mill, which
would be one-third larger, would yield employment to 1,200.
Upwards of £15,000 had been raised for defraying the cost
of the works. The procession afterwards moved by a
circuitous route to St. Andrew’s Hall, where the directors
entertained 900 persons who had taken part in the
proceedings. John Sell Cotman, who had sketched the
pageant, announced the issue and sale of folio prints
illustrating the event. He stated: “In pure regard of
the children of the industrious poor of my native city, I give my
labour, with the entire profits of the work.”
10.—The skeleton of a gigantic whale, taken at Plymouth
in October, 1831, was exhibited on the Castle Hill,
Norwich. It measured 85 feet in length, and was advertised
as “The Prince of Whales at Home.”
25.—Christmas Day was ushered in with snowstorms
and hailstorms, thunder, and lightning. On the 26th the
roads were rendered almost impassable by the drifting snow,
which, in some localities, was from ten to twelve feet
deep. Soon all vehicular traffic was stopped. The
Ipswich mail coach, which should have arrived at Norwich on
Christmas Day, did not reach the city until eleven o’clock
on the night of the 29th. It was detained at Thwaite
Duke’s Head, whence the letter bags were despatched in the
charge of mounted messengers. One of the passengers, Capt.
Petre, undertook to walk to Norwich, a distance of twenty-eight
miles; he arrived in the city on the 28th, and thence proceeded
on his journey to Westwick House. The Newmarket mail could
get no further than Bury St. Edmund’s, and all other public
vehicles were delayed. On the Dereham, Fakenham, and other
turnpikes gangs of labourers were employed to remove the
snowdrifts. There were many shipping casualties on the
Norfolk coast. Such severe weather had not been experienced
since 1799. The thaw commenced in the middle of January,
1837, and high floods occurred in the neighbourhood of Norwich
and in other localities.
26.—Ryan’s Royal Circus was opened for the season
in a large wooden building erected at the Ranelagh Gardens,
Norwich, by Mr. Bunn.
3.—Hannah Manfield (or Saddler), aged 50, a woman of
eccentric habits, residing on Denver Common, was found dead in
her cottage, with her throat cut. A considerable quantity
of plate had been taken from a cupboard, and a sum of money,
supposed to be nearly £20, was also stolen. On the
14th Mr. Wright, a police-officer of Lynn, apprehended at
Doncaster John Smith, aged 25, John Varnhem, 23, and George
Timms, 22, who were committed for trial on the capital
charge. (See April 6th, 1837.)
5.—In consequence of a resolution passed at a special
meeting of the Town Council, the Mayor of Norwich convened a
meeting at the Guildhall on this date, “to take into
consideration the sufferings of the poor in this inclement
season, and to adopt measures for relieving the
same.” A public subscription was opened. At a
general meeting of the subscribers, on March 21st, Mr. W. G.
Edwards, one of the secretaries, reported that the amount
subscribed was £2,008 7s. 3d., out of which a grant of
£300 was made to the Sick Poor Society; 20,093 coal
tickets, and 37,831 bread tickets were distributed, and
£423 3s. 5d. was placed in the treasurer’s hands to
meet future emergencies.
7.—Wombwell’s Menagerie was exhibited on the
Castle Meadow, Norwich. The proprietor presented to the
Museum fine specimens of a lioness, boa constrictor, racoon, and
kangaroo.
13.—In the Rolls Court, Lord Langdale gave
judgment in the action the Attorney-General v. the
Corporation of Norwich. He said that, as far as regarded
the quo warrantos, if a Corporation was not allowed to
defend an election duly made, the interests of corporations would
be hazarded in every case where a Mayor or other officer did not
chose to be at the expense of defending his own election against
a rule nisi. It was not a reasonable construction of
the new statute that corporations had no interests whatever in
the charitable trusts of boroughs. It was true that the
administration of charitable estates was distinct from the
administration of borough funds, and that neither a corporation
as a body nor any member thereof in his corporate capacity ought
to be trustees of such estates; still, a corporation, in
attending to the public benefits of the inhabitants of a borough,
had a due interest in the appointment of those trustees.
Under all the circumstances of the case, therefore, he was of
opinion that the demurrers must be allowed. At Norwich
Assizes on April 6th, before Mr. Justice Parke, the case Rex
v. Brightwell was tried by a special jury. This was
an information in the nature of a quo warranto, calling
upon the defendant to show by what authority he exercised the
office of Alderman. Mr. Andrews, for the defendant,
contended that if he was not a good Alderman he was not a good
Mayor; and if he had not been legally elected Alderman, then all
the other Aldermen who had been elected in the same way were
elected equally contrary to the law, and all the proceedings
which had taken place respecting the police and borough rates
would be bad, and the Corporation of the city entirely dissolved,
and nothing could cure the defect but a fresh Act of
Parliament. Mr. Kelly, for the Crown, urged that the law of
England had fixed from time immemorial that corporate officers
should not be elected in one batch, but that they must be
proposed and voted for separately, and that all elections
conducted in any other way were null and void. The jury
returned a verdict for the Crown. In the Court of
King’s Bench, on April 19th, application was made to move a
rule to show cause why the verdict for the Crown could not be set
aside, on the ground that the election was perfectly fair, and
there was no pretence for saying that the wishes and intentions
of the electors had not been carried into effect. A rule
was granted. In the Court of Chancery, on May 6th, the case
assumed another phase. An information was filed against the
Corporation by Mr. Samuel Bignold, alleging that they intended to
divert their funds from corporate purposes by paying the expenses
incurred by the Town Clerk and other persons who had proceeded to
London to support a petition presented to the Lord Chancellor, in
order to secure the return of certain persons as trustees of the
charities hitherto vested in the old Corporation; and by paying
the expenses arising out of the proceedings by quo
warranto in the cases of Mr. Springfield and Mr.
Brightwell. The further hearing was adjourned till next
term. On May 22nd it was reported to the Court of
King’s Bench that at a meeting of the Town Council on the
19th, an order was passed “that £1,000 be paid to the
Town Clerk on account of disbursements by him relative to law
proceedings,” such law proceedings being the matter in
which the injunction had been applied for. The Lord
Chancellor, on the 24th, granted an order to restrain the payment
of the amount. The appeal from the decision of the Master
of the Rolls, allowing a demurrer on the information filed by Mr.
Bignold, came before the Court of Chancery on May 27th. The
Lord Chancellor, after adjournment, gave judgment on the demurrer
against the injunction, and confirmed the decision of the Master of the Rolls, with costs. At a meeting of
the Town Council on June 2nd, Mr. Bignold expressed his intention
to carry the case to the House of Lords.
13.—Died at St. Gregory’s, Norwich, aged 81, Mr.
William Lorkin. “He was for 65 years a member of the
Wesleyan Methodist body, having joined them soon after Mr. Wesley
first visited Norwich.” In 1825 he published a work
entitled “A concise history of the establishment of
Wesleyan Methodism in Norwich.”
28.—The influenza epidemic at this date prevailed in
city and county, and cases occurred in almost every family.
—An omnibus “upon the London plan” commenced
running between Norwich and North Walsham.
—The Magnet coach, from the Swan and Rampant Horse Inns,
was advertised to do the journey from Norwich to London, through
Thetford and Newmarket, every night, in twelve hours.
“The proprietors, in returning thanks for the very liberal
patronage bestowed on them, beg most respectfully to inform their
friends and the public that they have, at an additional expense,
fixed a light inside this coach, which, having given such
universal satisfaction, will be continued.”
31.—At a meeting of the Conservative party at the
Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, held under the presidency of Col. Harvey,
the Marquis of Douro was asked to become a candidate for the
representation of the city, in place of Lord Viscount Stormont,
M.P., who had acceded to the request of the electors of his own
county, Perthshire, to offer himself as their candidate on the
dissolution of Parliament. The requisition to the Marquis
was signed by 1,600 of the electors of Norwich; his lordship
complied with the request and issued his address on February
13th. Lord Douro and the sitting member, the Hon. Robert
Campbell Scarlett, commenced a personal canvass of the city on
June 16th, and in the evening attended a meeting of the Orange
and Purple Club, at the Maid’s Head Hotel, at which they
were unanimously adopted Conservative candidates.
24.—During a severe gale from the N.N.W., accompanied by
heavy snow squalls, the Raby Castle, of 60 tons burden
(Greensides, master), went ashore at Salthouse, and became a
total wreck. She was bound from London to Stockton, with a
valuable cargo. The crew and passengers were saved.
“When she broke up the beach was strewed with spirits,
wine, oranges, nuts, teas, toys, hampers, boxes, &c.
The scene beggared description. The most outrageous and
beastly conduct was exhibited. Here might be observed a
group broaching a spirit cask, and letting it run into their
oil-skin hats, shoes, &c. There another stood filling
their pockets and handkerchiefs. Plunder, wholesale
plunder, appeared to be the order of the day, in spite of
contingents of coastguard men. Many who were charged to
watch the property became themselves intoxicated. Many were
conveyed from the beach literally dead drunk, and it is with
disgust we add that many women were in the same
state.” The cargo of the Raby Castle was worth
£5,000; about £800 worth was recovered. The
vessel was sold by auction for £41.
3.—A fine specimen of the sea eagle was shot at
Blickling. It measured from tip to tip of the extended
wings 7 ft. 3½ inches, and from the head to the tail 3
ft. Dowager Lady Suffield presented it to the Norfolk and
Norwich Museum.
13.—The tolls arising from the Norwich provision and
cattle markets, and from Tombland Fair, were, for the first time,
put up to public auction and let for the term of two years.
The dues and stallage accruing from the provision and vegetable
markets were let to Mr. Eccleston, jun., for £985; of the
cattle market on the Castle Ditches to Mr. Liddelow, for
£480; and of Tombland Fair, &c., to Mr. Cooke for
£250.
16.—Died at his residence, Chapel Field, Norwich, aged
48, Mr. Alfred Pettet, organist of St. Peter Mancroft and St.
Stephen’s. Mr. S. Critchfield was elected his
successor at St. Peter’s, and Mr. Harcourt was appointed
organist at St. Stephen’s. A performance of
“The Messiah” was given at St. Andrew’s Hall on
May 26th for the benefit of the widow and family of the deceased,
by the choir of the Cathedral and the members of the Choral
Society, under the direction of Mr. Buck.
18.*—“From an idea that when the new Registration
Act comes into operation the fees will be increased, numbers of
persons have thronged Yarmouth parish church for several Sundays
past, to have their children baptised, in order to avoid
additional expense.”
—Matters were brought before the Lord Chancellor in
relation to affairs of the Norwich charities arising from the
Master’s report assigning the several charities to certain
lists of trustees, and naming the parties to execute the
respective trusts. The only new point noticed was the
exception taken by a cross petition on the part of Mr. Bignold
and Mr. Rackham to the Master’s report, first as to his
rejecting en masse every individual who was at its close,
or ever had been, a member of the old Corporation; and, secondly,
in not assigning to the Church list the Boys’ and
Girls’ Hospital trusts. The Chancellor decided
against the cross petition. (The leading charity of the
city, the Bishopgate Street Hospital, whose revenues formed
two-thirds of the whole of the trusts, was secured to a body of
trustees composed exclusively of members of the Church of
England.) In the House of Lords on April 24th Mr. Samuel
Bignold and Mr. William Rackham appealed from the order of the
Lord Chancellor referring it to the Master to approve of the
trustees of the charity estates of the Corporation. Their
lordships decided that they had jurisdiction to hear the appeal,
and time was given for the respondents to prepare their case.
20.—Mr. Villebois’ staghounds had a remarkable
run. The stag was uncarted on Bradenham Green, and ran to
Shipdham. It was then headed back to Saham, after which it
went to Ovingon, and thence to Watton, Scoulton, Ellingham,
Caston, and Rocklands. Bearing away for Attleborough and
Besthorpe, it crossed the stream and went through Snetterton,
Eccles, and Larlingford, to Roudham, where it was taken after a
run of 35 miles. “James Lynn, the huntsman, rode his
favourite horse, Cockfighter, which carried him at least eighty
miles that day. What makes the run more remarkable is that
the deer did not run more than 200 yards upon any
roads during the whole distance.”
22.—A fire occurred at Rollesby Workhouse, which
completely destroyed one half of the building. “The
clause of the Poor Law Bill, by which men are separated from
their wives, being carried into effect, caused a great
disturbance,” and it was supposed that the fire resulted
from motives of revenge.
27.—Mr. G. V. Brooke appeared at Lynn Theatre in the
character of Romeo.
30.—At a meeting held at the King’s Head Inn,
Diss, the Rev. William Manning, rector of the parish, made a
voluntary commutation of the tithes.
5.—Died at his house in Hereford Street, London, the
Right Rev. Henry Bathurst, Lord Bishop of Norwich. His
lordship was in the 94th year of his age, and had been Bishop of
the diocese for 32 years. He was appointed in 1805 when
Bishop Manners Sutton was translated to the Archbishopric of
Canterbury. The funeral took place on the 14th at Malvern
Church, Worcestershire, and a memorial service was held on the
same day at Norwich Cathedral. A funeral sermon was
preached on the 16th by the Dean of Norwich. The sale of
the late Bishop’s effects, by Mr. William Spelman,
commenced at the Palace on June 26th, and concluded on July
5th. The stock of wine consisted of 2,650 bottles, and the
library of 2,000 volumes.
6.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Coltman,
John Smith, George Timms, and John Varnham, were indicted for the
murder of Hannah Manfield (or Saddler), on the night of the 2nd,
or morning of the 3rd of January. The trial commenced at
10.20 in the morning, and concluded at fifteen minutes past
midnight, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and the
prisoners were sentenced to death. The sentence on Varnham
was commuted on an ample confession by the other prisoners.
Large numbers of persons arrived at Norwich on April 22nd, to
witness the execution, which, however, had been ordered for the
29th. A full descriptive account of the supposed execution,
and of the behaviour of the men on the gallows, with a copy of
their confessions and their “last dying words,” was
hawked about the streets of the city. The capital sentence
was duly carried out on the 29th. The procession issued
from the castle doors at noon, headed by a number of javelin men
of the High Sheriff’s posse. Smith, who was in the
last stage of a rapid decline, was assisted to the
scaffold. “After the bolt was drawn and the bodies
swung round, a piercing cry of horror rose from the dense mass of
people of both sexes. After hanging the usual space of time
the bodies were taken down and carried into the interior of the
gaol, when all the prisoners were brought forward to view them in
the place where they lay.”
7.—North Walsham Steeplechases took place over a four
mile course on the estate of Mr. Bidwell, at Swafield. The
heavy weight race was won by Lord Suffield’s Metternich
(Capt. Lawrenson, 17th Lancers), second Mr. Thompson’s
Mungo (owner); and the light weight race by Mr.
Sandiford’s Gulnoire (Mr. Brown); Mr. Hornor’s
O’Connell (owner) second. Lord Suffield presided at
the race dinner, afterwards held at the King’s Arms Inn,
and presented the silver tankard, given and won by himself in the
heavy weight race, to Capt. Lawrenson. A large coloured
plate, illustrating the start of the eleven horses for the heavy
weight race, “with a distant view of the country, from
sketches made on the spot by George Fenn, animal portrait
painter, Beccles,” was subsequently advertised.
11.—James Greenacre, who on this day was found guilty,
at the Central Criminal Court, of the murder of Hannah Brown, in
the Edgeware Road, was a Norfolk man, and was born in 1785, at
North Runcton, near Lynn. His victim, whose maiden name was
Gay, was a Norfolk woman, and was in the service of Lord
Wodehouse, at Kimberley Hall, where she remained four
years. Greenacre (who was executed on May 2nd) was
concerned in the Cato Street Conspiracy.
14.—Sir James Flower closed his hunting season by
entertaining his sporting friend’s at the Swan Inn, East
Harling. The dinner was of the most sumptuous character,
and “a band of fourteen men in scarlet played numerous airs
and concerted pieces.”
19.—Mr. G. V. Brooke (then under twenty years of age)
made his first appearance at Norwich Theatre as Romeo.
“His performance was of that superior kind, exhibiting all
the fervour and enthusiasm of youth attempered by that
discriminating judgment and illumined by those nice and acute
perceptions which belong to the faculties of much maturer
years.” He afterwards appeared as Ion, Othello,
Rolla, Richard the Third, William Tell, Hamlet, Rosenberg
(“Ella Rosenberg”), Macbeth, and Teddy (“Teddy
the Tiler”), and concluded his engagement on May
20th. Brooke was re-engaged for two nights’
performances, commencing on August 1st, when he played the part
of Walter Tyrrel, in a new drama of that title, and of Frederick
Bury (“The Youthful Queen”).
20.—A meeting, presided over by Col. Harvey, was held at
the Guildhall, Norwich, when, on the motion of Mr. J. J. Gurney,
it was decided to form a District Provident Society, for the
promotion of frugal and provident habits among the industrial
poor.
—The ship Anne, of 400 tons burden (Captain John Long),
sailed from Lynn with 171 emigrants, for Quebec.
22.—The announcement was made on this date: “The
Eastern Counties Railway has been commenced in good
earnest.”
24.—A curious wager was decided at the Angel Gardens,
New Catton, Norwich. “Joseph Turtle, aged 60, engaged
to pick up 100 eggs laid at a yard distance from each other, in a
shorter time than David Lambert, aged 20, should pick up 100
stones at the same distance, which was won by Lambert only by
half a minute.”
29.—Announcement was made of the appointment of the Rev.
Edward Stanley, rector of Alderley, Cheshire, to the Bishopric of
Norwich. Agreeable to the conge
d’élire, the Dean and Chapter elected him Bishop
on April 29th; by Royal command the degree of Doctor of Divinity
was conferred upon him on May 10th, and on May 11th he arrived at
Norwich, accompanied by Mrs. Stanley and his daughters. On
June 29th his lordship was consecrated by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, and on the same day did homage to Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace. The enthronement
took place at Norwich Cathedral on August 17th, when all the
usual ceremonies were observed, and the sermon was preached by
his lordship. “The interior of the Cathedral
presented a most magnificent coup d’œil.
A gallery had been erected from the foot of the railing before
the altar up to the centre of the east window, and occupied the
entire breadth of the east end. It afforded accommodation
for 1,150 children of the city. All the side galleries and
closets were filled with ladies elegantly dressed, and even the
walks above were crowded with spectators.” At five
o’clock the Bishop attended a dinner, presided over by the
High Sheriff (Mr. J. Petre) at the Norfolk Hotel. On the
18th the Mayor, Sheriff, and several members of the Corporation
waited upon his lordship at the Palace, and presented him with a
congratulatory address.
3.—At the Norwich Theatre was produced for the first
time “an entirely new comedy, written by a gentleman of the
city, called ‘Come of Age, or the Happy
Return.’” The critic of the Norfolk Chronicle described it as “a
play without a plot, and a comedy without comicality.”
4.—Mr. Clifford, who had been for thirty-six years a
member of the Norwich Company, took his farewell benefit at the
Theatre. Mr. G. V. Brooke appeared in the character of
Virginius. Clifford died on June 8th, aged 68.
“During the 36 years that he filled the office of prompter,
he discharged his arduous duties in a way that ensured him the
attachment of every member of the company. A man of
highly-cultivated intellect, Mr. Clifford was not less
distinguished for his goodness of heart, manliness of
disposition, and integrity of principle.”
11.—Mr. Gepps, of the White Lion Inn, Beccles, for a
wager of £200, drove his “celebrated bay pony”
one hundred miles in twelve hours. He started from the Swan
Inn, Harleston, at 4 a.m., drove to the Ram Inn, Newmarket, and
returned to the Round House at Denton, midway between Harleston
and Bungay. The journey was performed 35 minutes within the
time stipulated. “The pony received no punishment
from the whip, yet the wantonness of the act is much to be
regretted.”
19.—Died at Kempstone, Lieut.-General the Hon. William
FitzRoy. He was the seventh son of Charles, first Lord
Southampton, and had served in the campaigns in Holland and
Egypt. Upon retiring from the Army, he applied himself to
agricultural pursuits.
20.—Two prisoners, named Smith and Middleton, escaped
from the Norwich City Gaol. “One lowered himself by a
rope of blankets from the cell, and the other leaped down a depth
of 25 ft., by which he sprained his ankle, so that they got no
further than Dereham, where they were both retaken on the
22nd.”
24.—At Norwich Theatre was produced, for the benefit of
Mr. Smith, “an entirely new drama written for the occasion
by T. Dibden, called ‘The Factory.’” The
performance concluded with a new drama, also acted for the first
time, entitled, “Margaret of Ragensburg,” written by
Mr. G. Smith. The plot of “The Factory” had a
local setting, and the scenery, painted by Thorne,
“consisted of accurate views of the Yarn Factories
at Lakenham and St. Edmund’s, and the interior of St.
Andrew’s Hall at the late commemoration of Bishop
Blaize.”
24.—The attainment by her Royal Highness the Princess
Victoria of her legal majority on her eighteenth birthday was
celebrated with much enthusiasm. The Corporation of Norwich
held a special meeting, at which, on the motion of Mr. Bignold,
seconded by Mr. Barwell, an address was voted to her Royal
Highness. The members then proceeded in state to the
Cathedral, where a special service was held and the sermon
preached by Prebendary Wodehouse. Upon returning to the
Guildhall, refreshments were provided by the Mayor, who, in the
evening, gave a dinner at the Swan Inn. At Yarmouth a Royal
salute was fired in the Roads by his Majesty’s revenue
cutters; and at East Dereham the West Norfolk Conservatives
celebrated the event by dining at the Assembly Rooms, under the
presidency of Mr. Charles Loftus. The day was also observed
in other towns and villages.
25.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, under
the presidency of the Mayor, a movement was inaugurated for the
erection of a monument in the Cathedral to the memory of Bishop
Bathurst.
29.—The birthday of William IV. falling this year on
Sunday, was celebrated, for the last time, on the following day
(the 29th), the anniversary of the Restoration of Charles II.
3.—At the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, was exhibited
“Monsieur Daguire and Co.’s celebrated grand
spectacular revolving dioramic panorama, representing views of
the city of Paris and the conflicts of the memorable days of
July, 1830, and also the battle of Navarino.” There
were ten views, each 35 ft. in width, and the whole painted on
16,000 square feet of canvas.
7.—The first annual general meeting of the proprietors
of the East of England Bank was held “in the board room of
the extensive premises now rapidly completing for the Bank in the
Old Haymarket, Norwich.”
10.*—“Married, lately, at Stoke Dammeral, Devon,
Mr. Charles Thurtell, R.N., to Ann Augusta, youngest daughter of
Mr. John Morgan, surgeon, R.N.”
21.—This day was received at Norwich intelligence of the
death of his Majesty King William IV. The bells of all the
city churches were tolled throughout the day. On the 25th
(Sunday) the pulpits, communion tables, and reading-desks of all
churches were draped in black, and special sermons were
preached. In consequence of the funeral taking place on
Saturday, the 7th, the public markets at Norwich were held on the
6th. On the day of the interment, the shops in the city,
without a single exception, were closed, and public business
entirely suspended. The Mayor and Sheriff, with members of
the Corporation, attended the special service at the Cathedral,
where the sermon was preached by Dean Pellew.
23.—The accession of her Royal Highness the Princess
Alexandrina Victoria to the Crown of the United Kingdom was
proclaimed in Norwich with the customary formalities. The
members of the Corporation assembled at the Guildhall and took
the oath of allegiance, after which they
proceeded to the leads, where, amid a scene of great enthusiasm,
the Mayor read the Proclamation, and “God save the
Queen” was played by a band in the Market Place. The
civic procession, escorted by the 17th Lancers, under the command
of Major St. Quintin, made a detour of the city, and the
Proclamation was read at various places en route.
The accession was officially proclaimed also at Yarmouth and
Lynn.
27.—The 17th Lancers, commanded by Major St. Quintin,
marched from Norwich Barracks, and were replaced by three troops
of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, under the command of Major Huntly.
1.—Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, one of the leaders of the
Conservative party in Norwich, issued his address as
Parliamentary candidate for Ashburton, Devonshire. (At the
election Mr. Browne polled 83 votes, against 98 recorded for his
opponent, Mr. Lushington.)
6.—Notice was given of the appointment of Mr. Charles
Drake as registrar for the Conesford district; Mr. W. P. Nichols,
Mancroft district; Mr. William Henry Taylor, West Wymer district;
and Mr. William Tawell Roper, Coslany district, under the new Act
of Parliament for the registration of births, deaths, and
marriages. Mr. John Oddin Taylor was appointed registrar of
marriages for the whole of the districts above-named, and Mr.
Francis John Blake was superintendent registrar.
9.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council,
addresses of congratulation to the Queen and of condolence with
the Queen Dowager were unanimously adopted.
21.—The elevation to the Peerage of Mr. T. W. Coke, of
Holkham; by the names, styles, and titles of Viscount Coke and
Earl of Leicester, was announced in the “London
Gazette” of this date.
24.—The nomination of candidates for the representation
of Norwich took place, consequent upon the death of the King, at
the Guildhall. Arthur Richard Wellesley, Marquis of Douro,
was nominated by Sir Robert John Harvey, and seconded by Mr.
Samuel Bignold; the Hon. Robert Campbell Scarlett by Lieut.-Col.
Harvey, seconded by Mr. E. T. Booth; Mr. Benjamin Smith (son of
the late member) by Mr. Edward Trafford, seconded by Mr. W.
Dalrymple; and Mr. W. Mountford Nurse by Mr. J. W. Robberds,
seconded by Dr. Evans. Polling commenced on the 25th, and
the result was declared on the 26th, as follows:—Douro (C),
1,863; Scarlett (C), 1,865; Smith (L), 1,843; Nurse (L),
1,831. On the 27th the newly-elected members dined with
their supporters at the Norfolk Hotel, and the chairing took
place on the 28th.
—The nomination of candidates took place at the Town
Hall, Yarmouth, and the polling on the 25th resulted as
follows:—C. E. Rumbold (L), 790; W. Wilshere, 779; Lord
Baring, 699; and C. S. Gambier, 685. The two first-named
were elected.
—Major Keppel, the Liberal candidate, made a triumphal
entry into Lynn, accompanied by a band of music and escorted by
the Holkham tenantry and the tenantry of Sir W. B. ffolkes.
The nomination took place on the 25th, and upon a poll being
demanded voting commenced at
once. The result was declared as follows:—Lord George
Bentinck (C), 473; Sir Stratford Canning (C), 389; Major Keppel
(L), 367. The two first-named were declared elected.
4.—The result of the polling at the West Norfolk
election was declared at Swaffham; Mr. William Bagge (C), 3,178;
Mr. W. L. W. Chute (C), 2,877; Sir W. B. ffolkes (L), 2,838; Sir
Jacob Astley (L), 2,713.
5.—The nomination of candidates for East Norfolk took
place at Norwich. Mr. Edmond Wodehouse and Mr. H. N.
Burroughes (Conservatives) entered the city escorted by upwards
of 400 horsemen. The Liberal candidates were Mr. William
Howe Windham and Mr. Richard Hanbury Gurney (who was confined to
his house by a severe attack of gout). The polling was held
on the 8th and 9th, and the result was declared on the
10th:—Wodehouse, 3,645; Burroughes, 3,523; Windham, 3,237;
Gurney, 2,978. The majority on the first day’s poll
being 170 against them, the Liberal candidates withdrew from the
contest. Mr. Burroughes celebrated his return by giving a
fête champêtre at Burlingham Hall on the
16th.
12.—A dreadful murder was committed at Aylmerton.
James Moy, a labourer, after rocking his infant son to sleep, cut
the child’s throat with a pocket-knife. At the
inquest the Coroner’s jury returned a verdict of wilful
murder, and the prisoner was committed to Norwich Castle to await
his trial. At the Norfolk Assizes, in April, 1838, before
Mr. Justice Bolland, the jury found that the man was insane and
incapable of pleading, and his lordship directed his detention at
Thorpe Asylum.
23.—Died at Ramsey Abbey, Huntingdonshire, Mr. William
Henry Fellowes, of Haveringland Hall, aged 69. “He
was for upwards of 30 years one of the representatives of that
county in Parliament, and was universally esteemed in all
relations of life, and particularly by his extensive tenantry, to
whom he was a kind and indulgent landlord.”
24.—A public discussion took place at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich, between the notorious Richard Carlile and the Rev.
John Green, a Dissenting minister, upon the subject of the
validity of the Scriptures. “The discussion was
conducted in an orderly and peaceable manner. Mr. Green
held Carlile firmly to the point on all questions, and compelled
him to acknowledge himself unable to overthrow the testimony he
quoted.” A second discussion was held on the 28th,
when Carlile was again beaten by his opponent; and on the 29th he
was hooted from the Market Place for attempting to address a
meeting. On Jan. 5th, 1838, Mr. Green was presented with a
set of books purchased by public subscription, “as a
testimony of esteem and gratitude for the very able and
satisfactory manner in which he had conducted the
controversy.”
26.—Royal licence and authority were granted to Mr.
William Blake, of Swanton Abbots, to assume and use the surname
of Jex in addition to and before that of Blake, and to bear the
arms of Jex quarterly in the second quarter with those of
Blake.
26.*—“The Incorporation of Tunstead and
Happing comprises 41 parishes, and it is remarkable that there is
not one able-bodied man either an inmate of the Workhouse or
receiving parochial relief. Such has not been known since
the Workhouse was built in the year 1787.”
—*“Last week a number of youngsters at Norwich had
an election for the members of the Lilliput Parliament. The
polling took place at the Old Library. After a severe
contest, during which it was alleged by the ‘Purples’
that a great deal of cooping, bribery, treating, and double
voting took place on the part of the ‘Blues,’ and
that sums to the amount of two pence were given for a vote, the
‘Blues’ claimed the victory, and chaired their
members on the following day, with a splendid procession, banners
and flags flying, and the band playing, ‘Wave your Blues
and Whites.’ The ‘Purples’ did not
acknowledge this defeat, and on Tuesday last they also chaired
their candidate with a procession equal in grandeur, after which
the leading characters dined at the Bell Inn, and an election
ball took place in the evening, at which 320 persons were
present.”
1.—Heavy rain and hailstorms occurred throughout the
county. “At Stibbard and Guist during a severe
thunderstorm £300 worth of damage was done on several
occupations. Barley and wheat were completely beaten out by
the hailstones, which lay six inches deep in places on the
following morning.”
9.—A shocking affair took place at Catton. Mr.
Jonathan Whitley Cooper, an attorney practising in Norwich, was
driving in a gig with his clerk (Thirkettle), when he was
accosted by a man named Cornelius Moor. Mr. Cooper drew a
pistol, discharged it at the man, and wounded him severely.
Moor was conveyed to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where he
died the same night. On the following day Mr. Cooper was
apprehended and committed to the Castle on the charge of killing
Moor, and also of shooting at a man named Ford near the same
place, on the same evening, with intent to murder. The case
caused great excitement in Norwich. It was alleged that the
prisoner had entertained malice towards the deceased arising out
of circumstances connected with the Norwich election. Mr.
Cooper had been professionally engaged on the Conservative side,
and it was stated that the deceased, having promised to vote for
that party, voted for the Liberals. At the Coroner’s
inquest the imputation of malice or any preconceived design was
so completely negatived by the evidence, and more especially by
the dying declaration of Moor, who was quite unknown to the
prisoner, that the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, which
so greatly excited the indignation of the populace that they were
with difficulty prevented from assaulting the jurymen on their
leaving the Coroner’s court. There was also a hearing
of the case before the Recorder (Mr. Preston) and another
magistrate, with the result that the prisoner was committed to
the Castle on the mittimus of the magistrates, and
confined in one of the felons’ cells. Application was
made to the county magistrates for bail, and was refused.
Under these circumstances, counsel was instructed to apply to the
Judge of the Queen’s Bench for an order on the Norfolk
justices to admit the prisoner to bail.
Mr. Justice Littledale made the order accordingly, and the
accused was released in his own recognisances of £500 and
four sureties of £100 each. (See April 4th,
1838.)
17.—Died in Norwich, aged 77, Mr. John Whitaker
Robberds. He was elected Alderman in 1806, served the
office of Sheriff in 1807, and was Mayor in 1814.
25.—A prize-fight took place at Thurton for £5 a
side, between Ostler and Cricknell, well-known Norwich
pugilists. “After a contest of one hour and a
quarter, Ostler having broken a bone in his hand by a fall, was
obliged to give in, and Cricknell was declared the
victor.”
—“What was termed a temperance festival”
took place at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. Upwards of
one thousand persons were present, and five hundred applications
for tea tickets were refused. The Lord Bishop of Norwich
delivered an address. Supper followed, and
“everything was conducted in good order.”
2.—Died at Rome, Mr. Henry Bernes. “This
artist was not long since a visitor in Norwich, and was known as
Mr. Burlowe, a name he took to distinguish himself from his
brother, the celebrated sculptor, which branch of art he also
followed. Amongst other works of his hand is the last bust
taken of Dr. Bathurst, our late venerable Bishop, in his 88th
year.”
8.—Died at Grosvenor Street, London, in her 75th year,
the Dowager Duchess of Leeds. Her grace was mistress of the
robes to the Queen Dowager. She was a daughter of Mr.
Thomas Anguish, and married the Duke of Leeds in October,
1788.
9.—Died in St. Clement’s, Norwich, aged 55, Mr.
Richard Shaw, who was elected Sheriff in 1818, Alderman in 1835,
and was one of the Town Councillors for the Seventh Ward.
16.—M. Thalberg, “the extraordinary
pianist,” appeared at a concert given at the Assembly Room,
Norwich, by Mr. Mori. Miss Fanny Woodham and Mr. Parry,
jun., were the other performers.
—The Bishop of Norwich concluded his “circuit of
confirmations.” The total numbers confirmed during
the circuit were 3,354 males and 6,919 females.
18.—Died, at the age of 77, Mr. James Robinson, of St.
John Maddermarket, “the oldest medical practitioner in
Norwich.” For 38 years he filled the office of City
Surgeon, and was for 45 years surgeon to the House of
Correction.
23.—Mr. R. W. Dowson, of Geldeston, was presented with a
piece of plate by the agriculturists of Norfolk and Suffolk,
“as a testimony of their sincere regard and high estimation
of his strict integrity in mercantile pursuits manifested during
the last half century.”
29.—At St. Swithin’s Church, Norwich, were
baptised “a Jewish Israelite and his two children, on which
interesting occasion his wife, who from Christianity had lapsed
into Judaism, was again received into the Church.”
9.—At the meeting of the Norwich Town Council for the
election of Mayor, Mr. T. O. Springfield nominated Mr. Samuel
Shalders Beare, and Mr. Bignold Mr. William Martin
Seppings. The former was elected, by 28 votes to 17.
Mr. Massey moved the appointment of Mr. John Francis as Sheriff,
and Mr. Rackham proposed Mr. James Steward. Mr. Francis was
appointed, by 27 votes to 12.
11.*—“The tobacco manufacturers residing in
Norwich have obtained from the Lords of the Treasury and the
Commissioners of Customs the privilege of bonding that article at
Yarmouth, where a warehouse has been specially fitted up for the
purpose, and is now stored with manufactured tobacco of the value
of about £5,000 when the duty is paid on it. Mr.
Newbegin and Mr. Wigham are the first importers.”
18.*—“By the official account of the duty on hops
of the growth of 1837 we find Norfolk makes a return of £48
10s. 0d.”
21.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, it was
agreed, on the motion of Mr. Barwell, to appoint a committee to
consider the propriety of encouraging the establishment of a
school of design, with the view to the improvement of the
manufactures of the city. (See May 9th, 1838.)
29.—Died at his house, St. Catherine’s Close,
Norwich, in his 92nd year, Mr. John Morse. “This
justly respected gentleman was Father of the old Corporation of
Norwich.” He was elected an alderman of the North
Mancroft Ward in 1777, served the office of Sheriff in 1779, and
was twice Mayor, namely, in 1781 and 1803.
30.—The 24th Article of the Deed of Settlement having
empowered a general meeting of the members to make bylaws for the
regulation and government of the Norwich Union Life Insurance
Society, to be binding when confirmed by two other general
meetings summoned for that purpose, the third general meeting was
held on this date, with the object of finally confirming the
bylaws adopted at a general meeting on November 2nd, and
confirmed by a second general meeting on November 16th. An
extraordinary degree of interest was manifested, and deputations
arrived at Norwich from all parts of the kingdom. The
meeting, which was held in a booth erected in Mr. Bignold’s
garden, was attended by about 300 or 400 persons. Mr.
O’Connell, M.P., the famous Irish agitator, was
present. “On this occasion his whole course was
pre-eminently marked by good feeling, excellent temper, and
discreet judgment, united to a gentlemanlike exercise of his
acknowledged tact and talent in furtherance of a most salutory
object, in which he was happily successful,” namely, the
obtaining of a unanimous expression of approval of the reports
made by the committee for revising the bylaws.
—Mr. O’Connell, M.P., was entertained at dinner at
the Angel Inn, Norwich, by members of the Whig-Radical
interest. Mr. T. O. Springfield presided. At nine
o’clock on the following morning, prior to his departure
from the city, Mr. O’Connell addressed a large meeting at
St. Andrew’s Hall.
4.—In the House of Commons a petition was presented by
Sir F. Burdett against the return of
Messrs. Rumbold and Wilshere as members for Yarmouth. It
was alleged that the grossest bribery had been practised.
(See April 28th, 1838.)
14.—A pauper named John Cawdron died at Norwich
Workhouse, of which institution he had been an inmate 47 years, 8
months, 3 days, at the cost of £350 16s. 7d.
16.—At this date the following coaches ran from the
Norfolk Hotel, Norwich:—To London, the Phenomena, every
morning at 6.30. To Newark, the Union, every morning,
except Sunday, at 7. To Birmingham, the Royal Mail, every
evening at 7 (through Lynn, Spalding, &c.). To Lynn,
the Day coach. To Yarmouth, coaches three times a
day. To Lowestoft, the Pilot, every afternoon. To
Fakenham and Wells, a coach every afternoon at 4. To
Watton, the Royal George.
18.—On the occasion of the benefit of Mr. and Mrs.
Atkins, at the Royal Amphitheatre, Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, was
produced “a grand local historical and romantic original
drama, written expressly for this entertainment by Mr. R. F.
Rayner, called ‘Etheldrida, Princess of Norwich, or the
Kings of Mercia and East Anglia and the Wild Woman of Mosswold
Heath.’”
21.—The load of Christmas fare which left Swaffham for
London on this date “did not reach the Golden Cross,
Charing Cross, until half-past four on the following morning,
although drawn by relays of six horses all the way from
Brandon.”
25.—“For its extreme mildness and sunny brightness
this was more like May Day than Christmas Day, with the
thermometer at 55 and a southern breeze.”
30.*—“The town of Diss has been lighted with gas,
which produces a splendid effect, and reflects great credit on
Messrs. J. and T. Whaite, ironfounders, by whom it is
supplied.”
1.—The weather on this day was of a beautiful and
spring-like character. During the remainder of the week
“the moon in her first quarter and the planet Venus made
the evenings most brilliant. Never in the memory of man did
the old year go out or the new one come in with such splendour as
the last and the present. Both days in all respects
resembled April or even May much more than December or
January.”
3.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, “for the purpose of taking into consideration the
present dreadful condition of the negroes, with the view of
petitioning both Houses of Parliament for the abolition of the
system of apprenticeship.” The Mayor presided, and
the principal speakers were Mr. George Thompson, the eloquent
advocate of the negroes’ cause, and Mr. Thomas Fowell
Buxton. Similar meetings were held in various parts of the
county.
5.—The new District Schools at St.
Augustine’s Gates, Norwich, were opened by the Lord
Bishop. They were intended to accommodate 450 children, and
were supported by voluntary subscriptions.
6.—Wintry weather set in with great severity. The
frost commenced on the 7th, and continued to increase in
intensity till the 20th, “when the thermometer recorded 30
degrees below freezing point, a depression greater than in the
intense frost of 1814, when, on January 9th, it stood at 28
degrees below freezing.” There was a thaw on the
21st, but on the 23rd the frost recommenced, and on the 24th the
weather was bitterly cold. Remarkable snowdrifts occurred
on roads near the coast. “The river at Lynn was a
solid bed of ice. From the eastern side to the opposite
shores of West Lynn and North Lynn persons passed and re-passed
with the same facility and safety as if it had been land. A
similar circumstance had not occurred for half a
century.” A second thaw, with a southerly wind,
commenced on the 29th, but on February 1st the wind veered to the
east, and another frost set in. From February 13th to the
15th the weather was so severe that water indoors was frozen, and
on the 16th the thermometer stood at 16 degrees below freezing
point. A decided thaw took place on the 22nd, but on the
23rd a fourth frost occurred. In the week commencing March
4th a rapid thaw was followed by heavy rains, ice and snow
vanished with surprising rapidity, and business was resumed on
the navigable streams, which for so long had been
impassable. Throughout the frost “the poulterers were
abundantly supplied with British and foreign wild fowl of all
descriptions.”
12.—Died at Downham Market, in his 69th year, Mr. G. W.
Lemon, son of the Rev. G. W. Lemon, formerly vicar of East Walton
and rector of Gayton Thorpe. He was for 40 years an annual
contributor to “Fulcher’s Ladies’ Pocket
Book,” and wrote for the newspaper Press many articles on a
variety of subjects.
15.—The members of the Norwich Madrigal Society held
their first public meeting at the old Library Room, St.
Andrew’s Hall. The programme contained a composition
by Mr. J. F. Hill, son of Mr. John Hill, the Festival chorus
master, entitled, “I saw fair Chloris.”
“It is a madrigal truly worthy of the Elizabethan age, and
has been recognised as such by the London Madrigal Society, into
whose stock it has been received. Not a single modern
phrase is to be detected.”
18.—The old Norwich Glee Club, revived under the title
of “The Norwich Glee and Harmonic Society,” gave its
first concert under the conductorship of Mr. Harcourt, organist
of St. Stephen’s church.
22.—The tide in Yarmouth Harbour was the lowest ever
recorded. “The bed of the river was left dry more
than 20 feet from the quay head.”
27.*—“The severity of the weather has induced
several families in the neighbourhood of Holt to adopt the
American fashion of travelling in sledges. The greatest
curiosity is caused among the natives.”
5.—Norwich Theatre was opened for the season with the
engagement of the Boleno family, who appeared in a
pantomime-ballet, followed by tableaux, &c.
7.—At a general meeting of the shareholders of
the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, it was resolved “that the
property lately used as a public library be purchased, and the
building committee authorised to make such alterations and
additions thereto as may be requisite for affording accommodation
to the Museum, the Literary Institution, the Norfolk and Norwich
United Medical Book Society, and any other institution of a
literary or scientific nature who may wish to take rooms under
the same roof as the Museum, the money to be raised by voluntary
donations and shares of £5 each, bearing interest at three
per cent. per annum.”
9.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, Mr. Bignold
moved the appointment of a committee to draw up a petition to
both Houses of Parliament in favour of the adoption of the penny
postage. The petition was adopted on February 22nd.
16.—Died, aged 83, Mr. Edmund Manning, of London Street,
Norwich, “the oldest and wealthiest retired tradesman in
St. Peter Mancroft.” He was a brazier by trade.
“Some property which his father left him with what he had
himself industriously acquired, was so parsimoniously hoarded
during his long-protracted life it accumulated the immense sum of
£70,000, of which between £50,000 and £60,000
were in the Funds. His annual income at the time of his
death was upwards of £2,100 a year, and his expenses were
probably not 20s. a week. The great bulk of his property
was left to distant relations for whom he affected to have no
regard, whilst those whose expectations he had raised (even on
the day before his death) had reason to be dissatisfied. He
gave to Mr. T. S. Norgate £29,000, and to the Rev. T. S.
Buckle £14,500, and to Mr. Manning, of London,
£14,500. The remainder he has bequeathed, in various
sums, from £1 to £300, to friends and acquaintances
and to certain charitable institutions. He also bequeathed
£4,000 three per cent. Consols to the trustees of the
charity schools, the dividends to be applied annually to
apprenticing poor boys.”
19.—A prize-fight took place at Bedingham, between
Cricknell and Balls, of Norwich. “After a contest of
53 minutes, Balls was obliged to give in.”
24.*—“Died lately, in the Workhouse at Downham
Market, at the advanced age of 100 years, Samuel Simpson.
He retained his faculties to the last, and was able to walk with
astonishing alacrity.”
—*“We cannot but lament the loss which science
sustains in the death of Mr. Samuel Woodward. He was an
excellent geologist, particularly as regards his native
county. His principal works were ‘The Outline of the
Geology of Norfolk’ and ‘Synopsis of British Organic
Remains.’ He was a skilful and unwearied antiquary,
and through his means were recorded many valuable notices of
Norfolk antiquities.”
—The ship Benwell, Captain Moody, 300 tons burden, bound
from Newcastle to London, with a cargo valued at £20,000,
was lost on Sheringham Shoals. “The crew of eleven
hands, two male and five female passengers, were landed on
Burnham beach almost in a state of nudity.”
5.—Died, aged 82, Mr. Edward Roger Pratt, of Ryston
House, near Downham Market, “of whom it
may be said that he exhibited in every relation of life a perfect
picture of the old English gentleman.” On the death
of Sir Jacob Astley, in 1817, he unsuccessfully contested the
county.
12.—Lord Suffield’s staghounds met on Crostwight
Common. The stag crossed the road to Beeston Hall, and ran
thence by Rackheath to Wroxham, Salhouse, Woodbastwick, Ranworth,
Burlingham, Upton, and Acle; crossed the Bure and made for
Stokesby, Thrigby, and Caister, going within a mile of
Yarmouth. He then took to Breydon, where he was
secured. Distance from point to point, 18 miles; country
covered, from 25 to 30 miles.
16.—At the meeting of the county magistrates, at
Norwich, it was decided that in future the Quarter Sessions be
adjourned to Swaffham instead of to Lynn.
17.—Died at Diss, in his 83rd year, Mr. Meadows
Taylor. “It is a singular fact that Mr. Taylor and
his uncle, the late Mr. Meadows, had carried on business as
solicitors in the same town and the same house for the long
period of 97 years.”
19.—Died, Mr. Thomas Bray, farmer, of Diss, aged
79. “He was the sole proprietor of Bray’s Diss
waggon, which has travelled over the road under the same name for
upwards of a century. He was interred on the 26th, when the
hearse was followed by his children and descendants in eight
gigs.”
22.—Henry Pettett, a convict under sentence of fifteen
years’ transportation for horse stealing, broke out of his
cell at Norwich Castle. “He made a rope of his
blanket, which he tied round a ring in his cell and the rest
round his irons, to prevent their clanking, and let himself down
into the arch. Thence he proceeded to the top of the
Castle, but suddenly falling down he pitched his head into a
bucket, by which he was somewhat seriously injured.”
28.—In a letter addressed to the officers,
non-commissioned officers, and privates of the Norfolk Yeomanry
Cavalry, Lord Sondes announced that the Government had disbanded
a great part of the Yeomanry force raised under precisely similar
conditions to their own. He added that he had resigned his
commission as Major-Commandant, and advised the regiment to
disband themselves and not wait to be dismissed. The Lord
Lieutenant afterwards appointed Capt. Loftus to the vacant
command; and the Dereham troop, partially disorganized by Lord
Sondes’ resignation, was re-formed in the Eastern division
as the Hingham troop, and placed under the command of Captain
Ives. The uniform of the regiment at this date “was
like that of the 2nd Life Guards, with silver instead of gold
lace.”
—Sir James Flower, of Eccles Hall, accompanied by Lady
Flower, arrived in Norwich to attend the Judges of Assize as High
Sheriff of Norfolk. He was escorted to the Swan Inn by a
cavalcade of farmers. At Attleborough and Wymondham crowds
of people welcomed the High Sheriff with bands of music.
Throughout the Assize week he gave official and other dinners,
upon a scale of princely magnificence, and the festivities, for
such they were, concluded with a bespeak at the Theatre, where
“Mr. Martin sang the song of the Eccles Hunt, ‘The
Apple-green Coats with the Collars of Blue.’”
30.—Died at Little Walsingham, Mrs. Elizabeth
Jackson, aged 82. “She was one of the earliest
supporters of the Wesleyan Methodists in Lynn, and often enjoyed
the honour of entertaining the venerable founder of the society,
the late Rev. John Wesley, Dr. Coke, and others.”
31.*—“Last week was buried, at Diss church,
Susanna Baldry, widow, in the 104th year of her age. She
was born in the year 1734, in the seventh of George II., and was
a subject of four Kings and a Queen.”
—*“We regret to announce the death, in his 77th
year, of Lord Berners, so long known as the sporting Col. Wilson,
of Newmarket. His lordship’s falconry establishment
at Didlington was also well known, as he gave annually several
flights of hawks at the Newmarket meetings.” His
horse Phosphorus won the Derby in 1837. His lordship was
succeeded in his title and estates by his brother, the Rev. Henry
Wilson.
4.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Baron Bolland,
Jonathan Whitley Cooper, gentleman, was placed at the bar charged
with the wilful murder of Cornelius Moor, at Catton. Mr.
Byles and Mr. Roberts were for the prosecution, and Mr. Fitzroy
Kelly, Mr. O’Mally, and Mr. William Cooper for the
defence. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty of
murder, but guilty of manslaughter. A verdict of acquittal
was taken in the further charge against the prisoner of
maliciously shooting at a man named Ford. He was sentenced
to be imprisoned in the House of Correction for one year.
11.—An election petition, presented by Mr. T. O.
Springfield and others, against the return of Mr. Edmond
Wodehouse and Mr. H. N. Burroughes for East Norfolk, was
withdrawn.
16.—The popular burletta, “Jim Crow, or the Flight
to America,” was produced at Norwich Theatre. Mr.
Dunn appeared as Jim Crow, and “gave the celebrated song as
sung by him upwards of 3,000 times.” “We dare
scarcely give our opinion of this composition, finding ourselves,
as we do, at such complete variance with the taste of the great
Metropolis, which has run wild in ecstatic enthusiasm over this
precious piece of jingling nonsense.”
18.—Died at Binham, aged 89, Thomas Row, “the last
of a body of woolcombers who had been employed there from time
immemorial.”
23.—The cuckoo was not heard until this date,
“being the latest indication of the vernal season since
1767, in which year it did not sing till May 7th, and the latest
ever known in 51 years, according to the late Mr. Marsham’s
observations at Stratton Strawless.”
28.—The hearing of the petition against the return of
Mr. C. E. Rumbold and Mr. William Wilshere, as members for
Yarmouth, commenced before a Committee of the House of
Commons. “A compromise was effected, by which one of
the members vacates, and Mr. Baring is to succeed. Counsel
for the petitioners unfolded a scene of profligate corruption to
an unparalleled extent. If the petition had been prosecuted
with the vindictive feeling and party spirit exhibited on a
former occasion, the committals to Newgate would have been so
numerous and the prosecutions so sweeping as to
have carried ruin into many of the principal
families.” At the election, which took place on
August 23rd, Mr. Baring was opposed by Mr. Wilshere, and the poll
was declared as follows:—Wilshere, 735; Baring, 702.
“A poor man who felt much interest in the result of the
election declared that if Mr. Baring lost he would hang himself
in less than an hour after the poll closed, and he actually did
it.”
7.—Mr. Sinclair, of Drury Lane and Covent Garden,
appeared for a short season, commencing on this date, in a round
of operatic parts at Norwich Theatre, after an absence of
seventeen years.
9.—The Norwich Town Council adopted, on the motion of
Mr. Barwell, a memorial to the Board of Trade in favour of the
establishment of a school of design.
11.—A Committee of the House of Commons commenced the
hearing of the petition of Isaac Wiseman and others against the
return of the Hon. Robert Campbell Scarlett and the Marquis of
Douro, as members for the city of Norwich. The principal
allegations were bribery and corruption and the improper keeping
of the poll. On May 12th, after an examination of the
poll-books, the Committee passed the following
resolution:—“That Arthur Wellesley, commonly called
the Marquis of Douro, is duly elected; that Robert Campbell
Scarlett is not duly elected; and that Benjamin Smith is duly
elected, and ought to have been returned.” The Orange
and Purple Club, at a meeting held at the Norfolk Hotel, on May
30th, under the presidency of Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, voted an
address to Mr. Scarlett, acknowledging the services he had
rendered to the Conservative cause.
18.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, Mr.
Brightwell moved that a petition be presented to the House of
Commons in favour of a national system of education. The
proposed petition stated that “every individual in the
country in early life, without regard to sect or party, should be
afforded the opportunity of obtaining the elements of useful
knowledge and an acquaintance with the sacred
Scriptures.” Mr. Barwell seconded. Mr. Seppings
moved, as an amendment, the insertion of the clause: “Your
petitioners pray that you will not sanction any schemes of
education which do not include with the daily reading of the Holy
Scriptures a full measure of religious instruction based upon the
Word of God, nor any general system of national education which
does not secure the careful assistance and superintendence of the
National Church.” The amendment was negatived, and
the original motion adopted.
24.—At Norwich Theatre was performed for the first time
a drama entitled, “The Siege of Lynn.” Another
new piece was produced on May 31st, called “Pickwick, or
the Sayings and Doings of Sam Weller.”
26.—John Folker, a mariner, who had seen much active
service, died at Lynn at the age of 86. “He was the
only survivor of the many Lynn seamen who fought in the memorable
battle of April 12th, 1782, when the British Fleet, under the
command of Sir George Bridges Rodney (afterwards Lord Rodney),
engaged and defeated the French Fleet, under Count de Grasse, in
the West Indies. Folker steered Admiral
Rodney’s flagship through the whole of that eventful
conflict. He was buried in St. Margaret’s churchyard,
and was carried to the grave by six seamen on a bier over which
was the Union flag, supported by six naval warriors who had
served on board the British Fleet.”
2.*—“It was Mr. George Borrow, formerly of this
city, who was arrested in Spain for publishing the Testament in
Spanish and the translation of the Gospel of St. Luke into the
gipsy language, but was liberated at Sir George Villiers’
request. Count Ofalia declared that Mr. Borrow had been
discharged from his confinement with unspotted honour and
reputation. He, moreover, ordered the policeman on whose
evidence he had been arrested to be punished, and promised the
expenses should be paid by the Government.”
17.—Upwell church was opened after restoration.
The Bishop of Norwich, who preached the sermon, referred to
“the boundless munificence of the Rev. W. Gale Townley,
through whose exertions and mainly at his expense had been
produced one of the most richly ornamented edifices in the
kingdom.”
19.—Pockthorpe Guild was held at Norwich.
“The annual amusements took place, and the
‘Mayor,’ upon taking office, delivered an address on
the green at Patteson’s Cellar House, to the effect that he
would endeavour to remove the duty off tea and sugar, which was
received with great cheering. The evening terminated with
the accustomed sports, as climbing the greasy pole, grinning
through collars, and a variety of other entertainments. The
celebration of the anniversary of Pockthorpe Guild can be traced
as far back as the year 1772.”
28.—The Coronation of Queen Victoria was celebrated in
Norwich with great rejoicings. At half-past ten the Mayor
and members of the Corporation assembled at the Free School, and
proceeded thence to the Cathedral, where the sermon was preached
by the Rev. Samuel Stone, the Mayor’s chaplain, from the
text, “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?” (Esther iv. 14.) The
“Hallelujah Chorus” was rendered. At noon a
troop of the 4th Dragoon Guards, under Major Makepeace, formed up
in the Market Place “and fired a feu de joie with
their pistols, and afterwards gave three cheers, flourishing
their drawn swords above their heads in honour of the
Queen.” The officers then retired to the Guildhall,
where the Mayor, in the presence of a large company, proposed the
Queen’s health. The parishioners of St. Peter
Mancroft entertained, at the Corn Exchange, 750 poor persons, and
similar feasts were given to the poor of other parishes.
One thousand workpeople employed at the Yarn Factory dined in ten
parties at ten public-houses, and formed afterwards an imposing
procession, with Mr. Bignold at their head. In the evening
the city was illuminated, and there was a grand display of
fireworks in the Market Place. The Mayor entertained 160
guests at dinner at Chapel Field House, and the members of the
Orange and Purple Club dined at the Theatre, “which, by
throwing a flooring of boards from the stage over the pit, was
converted into a commodious banqueting room. In the
background was a drop scene, giving a view of St.
Andrew’s Hall on a banqueting day.” Mr. W. J.
Utten Browne presided, and many ladies who graced the gathering
by their attendance were provided with seats in the dress
circle. Similar celebrations took place at Yarmouth, Lynn,
and other towns in the county. Every village commemorated
the event, “and everywhere it was a joyous day, for
The squire’s wide hall
And the cottage small
Were full of good English cheer.”
On the 29th the Corporation of Norwich held a special meeting,
and voted an address to the Queen, “after a long and angry
debate, in consequence of the address containing sentiments in
which the Conservative party could not concur.” The
result was the framing of another address, signed by 5,000
freemen, freeholders, and citizens, praying her Majesty “to
preserve inviolate the Union between Church and State.”
28.—The Norwich Race Meeting, called on this occasion
the “Coronation Races,” took place on Mousehold
Heath, and was attended by 30,000 spectators.
6.—At the county magistrates’ meeting, at Norwich,
a resolution was adopted for the erection of a new Shirehall at
Swaffham, and at the meeting on October 9th a committee was
appointed to further the scheme, which was estimated to cost
£1,750. On January 4th, 1839, the justices ordered
the carrying out of plans prepared by Mr. Browne, the cost not to
exceed £2,141.
7.*—“A handsome boat, completely fitted out as a
phaeton, has been built by Mr. Philip Neale, of St. Giles’s
Gates, and is now exhibited to the public. It is built for
a sporting gentleman, and is capable of containing bedding and
luggage, the fore part being enclosed by hatches, and altogether
of a novel description.”
11.—A meeting of Norwich camlet weavers was held at the
Green Hill Gardens, for the purpose of hearing a report from the
deputation sent to Yorkshire by the union to enquire into the
truth of the statement of the employers with reference to the
cause of the reduction of wages, namely, the great quantity of
camlets manufactured in and exported from Yorkshire. It was
resolved, after hearing the deputation, “that the proposed
reduction was perfectly unnecessary, and that they were
determined to support a strike by all legal means in their
power.” The business of Mr. Robberds was obstructed
by persons being prevented from taking work at reduced
prices. On August 27th a number of weavers complained to
the magistrates that they had been subjected to intimidation on
proceeding to work at Mr. Robberds’, and on the 29th they
were escorted to the factory by a large force of police.
The military were held in readiness in case of disturbance.
In consequence of work having been cut from the looms, the houses
of all the weavers were strongly guarded.
19.—Mr. Owen, of New Lanark, expounded “his
visionary projects for the new organization and classification of
society,” in a series of lectures which commenced at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, on this date.
23.—A remarkable case of body-stealing came
before the Norwich magistrates. Mary Maxey, the widow of
John Maxey, complained that Mr. George Perowne, a veterinary
surgeon, practising in the parish of All Saints, had gone to her
house during her absence and removed the body of her husband, who
died on July 8th. On the 12th she saw the body at Mr.
Perowne’s, where the deceased had formerly worked; and on
the 14th she saw it again, but the heart had been taken out and
the corpse otherwise “cut and hackled.” On the
15th, accompanied by the mourners, she went to take the body away
for burial, but Mr. Perowne drove them out of the yard with a
gun, alleging that the corpse was his property, and that he had
paid for it sixteen years previously. It was afterwards
taken to the steeple of All Saints’ church, where it
remained without a shroud. Mr. Perowne was too drunk to
appear at court on that day, but he was apprehended, and on the
24th taken before the magistrates, to whom he stated that he had
purchased the body of the deceased during his lifetime, and
contended that it was his property. He had “cut it
up” in the interests of science. The magistrates
reminded Mr. Perowne that his practice did not require a
knowledge of the anatomy of the human body, and that his premises
were not licensed for anatomical studies. Mr. Perowne
replied that he was a member of St. Bartholomew’s
Hospital. The Bench committed him for trial at the Assizes,
which were held on August 6th, before Mr. Justice Littledale, who
said he understood that no bill would be presented in the
case. The accused was called upon and formally
discharged.
30.—Mr. Farren, of Drury Lane and Covent Garden,
commenced a six nights’ engagement at Norwich Theatre, as
Lord Ogleby (“The Clandestine Marriage”). His
other characters were Uncle Foozle, Sir Peter Teazle, Pierre
Galliard (“The Soldier of 102”), Admiral Kingston
(“Naval Engagements”), Robert Bramble (“The
Poor Gentleman”), Odbody (“Advice Gratis”), Sir
Abel Hardy (“Speed the Plough”), &c. Mr.
Farren afterwards performed at Yarmouth Theatre.
—Violent hailstorms, accompanied by thunder and
lightning, occurred in many parts of the county. At Cockley
Cley great damage was done. “Pieces of ice as big as
walnuts were found lying under the hedges next morning, and the
turnips were out into shreds.”
1.—This being the day on which the “negro
apprentices” of the West Indies were admitted to freedom,
the event was commemorated by a united prayer meeting, presided
over by Mr. Alexander, at Prince’s Street chapel,
Norwich.
2.—A “foot-steeplechase” took place at
Whitlingham. The competitors had to pass several times
through the river. The event was chiefly remarkable for
“the perfect deluge of base coin put in circulation by the
swell mob from London.” The landlord of Whitlingham
Gardens alone took £4 worth of bad silver. In the
disturbance which ensued a constable named Hansell had his leg
broken.
3.—The High Sheriff (Sir James Flower) arrived at
Norwich to attend the Judges of Assize, Mr. Justice Parke and Mr.
Justice Littledale. With Lady Flower he took up his
quarters at the Norfolk Hotel, and, as at
previous Assizes, dispensed hospitality with most ostentatious
liberality.
13.—Died in Norwich, aged 38, Mr. Horatio Beevor Love,
portrait painter.
17.—Died at her house in Surrey Street, Norwich, in her
96th year, Miss Elizabeth Lany, the last survivor of the three
daughters and sole children of the Rev. Benjamin Lany, rector of
Mulbarton. “On both paternal and maternal sides she
was allied to some of the best families in Norfolk and
Suffolk.”
21.—A grand bazaar was held at the New Inn, Cromer, in
aid of the fund for maintaining the “defence
wall.” After the sale “the jetty, the Victoria
Parade (between the walls), and the cliffs were thronged with
fashionable promenaders,” and in the evening “120
ladies and gentlemen repaired to the New Inn ball room, where
quadrilles and waltzes were got up.”
28.—This was the hottest day of the summer. The
thermometer stood at 83° in the shade. A thunderstorm
occurred in the evening, and Mrs. Roach, a schoolmistress at
Wroxham, was killed by lightning. The weather on the 29th
was cold, wet, and boisterous.
1.—A white sparrowhawk was shot in Lakenham valley.
6.—The “London Gazette” of this date
contained the announcement that the Queen had granted to Mr.
Isaac Preston, of Stanfield Hall, Recorder of Norwich, her Royal
licence and authority to use the surname of Jermy, in lieu of
that of Preston.
8.*—“A porpoise, weighing 1 cwt. and upwards, was
lately taken at West Somerton, near the free staith adjoining
lands occupied by Mr. H. M. Thompson. Its length was 5 ft.
3 in., and after being boiled it produced 5½ gallons of
oil. The distance from the sea is at least 25
miles.”
10.—Mdlle. Placci gave an Italian concert at the
Assembly Rooms, Norwich. She was assisted by Signor
Paltoni, Signor Bogrey, Signor Puzzi (horn), and Mr. Harcourt
(pianoforte).
12.—A public meeting was held in Surlingham parish
church, presided over by the Rev. E. Day, rector of Kirby, in aid
of the Church Missionary Society. Addresses were given by
the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Pelham, the Rev. E. C. Brewer, Mr. W.
Sparkes, and the Rev. J. Patteson. Similar meetings, some
of a purely secular character, were held in parish churches at
this date.
20.—Mr. Joseph Wiggins, a well-known and popular
coachman, was presented, at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, with a
handsome silver cup, “in testimony of the respect for his
general good conduct during his dragmanship of eleven years on
the Norwich and Lynn road.”
21.—The Norwich fillover weavers passed a resolution
“that the system of copying patterns from manufactured
fillover work, as is now practised by Scotch manufacturers, is
the principal cause of the depression of our branch of the
manufacture, and loudly appeals to the Legislature for their
interference.”
24.—An extraordinary riot occurred at Stanfield
Hall, the seat of Mr. Isaac Jermy. The mob, led by a person
named Larner, who professed to be a claimant to the Stanfield
property, took forcible possession of the mansion. The 4th
Dragoon Guards were summoned from Norwich to aid the civil
power. The intruder and his followers were expelled from
the premises, and about 80 taken into custody and lodged in
Norwich Castle. At the Norfolk Assizes, on April 13th,
1839, before Mr. Justice Vaugham, 70 of the accused were
sentenced to one week’s imprisonment, and the remainder to
terms varying from three months to two months.
6.*—“A female specimen of the Peregrine falcon was
lately shot by Mr. Walter Roper, of Norwich, whilst it was in the
act of stooping at some pigeons at Duke’s Palace
Bridge. It is almost an unprecedented occurrence for a bird
of retired habits like the peregrine, and so rare in Norfolk, to
have been killed in the centre of a large city.”
11.—During a gale in the night, 2,000 sail of ships
sought refuge in Yarmouth Roads. “To supply their
wants more than £3,000 were laid out in Yarmouth on
Saturday alone, and the butchers were obliged to kill every
bullock, sheep, &c., that they could get.”
15.—The Hingham Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry, commanded by
Capt. Ives, were presented with a standard by the Lord Lieutenant
of the county.
20.*—“The match trade, which for many years has
been an excuse for begging, is likely soon to be ruined by the
superior demand for lucifers for obtaining an instantaneous
light, which are now selling at so cheap a rate. One
tradesman alone in Norwich (Mr. Wiles, of Exchange Street) has
had delivered this week by water and land carriage 20,000
boxes.”
28.—The Chartist movement commenced in Norwich.
Mr. J. R. Stephens, from Ashton, and Mr. Julian Harney addressed
meetings in the Market Place in support of the
“people’s charter,” which, amongst other
things, demanded universal suffrage, annual Parliaments, the
ballot, and the non-property qualification for members of
Parliament. On the 29th a meeting was held at St.
Andrew’s Hall, the use of which was granted by the
Mayor.
5.—A meeting was held at Yarmouth in furtherance of the
movement for decreasing the hours of shop assistants. The
employers were asked to close their shops at eight o’clock
from Michaelmas to Lady Day, and at nine in the summer months,
except on Saturday, when they should close at ten o’clock
in the evening. Like meetings were held at Norwich and
Lynn.
9.—Mr. John Marshall was elected Mayor of Norwich, and
Mr. Henry Woodcock appointed Sheriff.
10.—The completion of the building of the new
chimney of the Yarn Factory near Whitefriars Bridge, Norwich,
“was celebrated by a band of music placed on the top
playing national airs and ‘God save the Queen,’
accompanied by the workmen joining in chorus, when a flag was
hoisted and several guns fired from the top. The shaft is
165 feet high, with a coping of cast-iron weighing upwards of 4
tons.” The builders were Mr. Everett Cattermoul and
Mr. C. Darkins.
22.—Tom Allen, “the faithful servant of Lord
Nelson,” died at Greenwich Hospital. He was born at
Burnham Thorpe, in 1764, and joined the Navy in 1793. He
first served on board the Agamemnon, under the command of Captain
Nelson. After the death of Nelson, Allen entered the
service of Sir William Boston, R.N., at Costessey, and by the
influence of Sir Thomas Hardy, one of the Lords of the Admiralty,
was enabled to end his days at Greenwich.
24.—Died in Norwich, Mr. James Lambe, aged 56.
“He was well known to the managers of the Festivals and to
many musical people as a noted and accurate copyist. His
endowments were not of an ordinary kind. He was a ready
versifier, with considerable humour and some share of
imagination. With the works of Shakespeare, Milton, and the
poets of Queen Anne’s time he was intimately
acquainted. He had lived on terms of familiarity with
Crabbe, to whom he had acted as amanuensis. Like many other
sons of genius, he had endured the extremes of poverty; but under
every privation and under many temptations he uniformly preserved
his cheerfulness and his integrity. His latter years were
passed in comparative comfort, through the kindness of a
professional gentleman, who gave him constant
employment.”
26.—North Walsham was lighted with gas for the first
time, in celebration of which a band of music paraded the town
and a dinner took place at the King’s Arms Inn. The
gas works were erected by Mr. John Malem.
—The sloop Volharden, of Flushing, with a crew of nine
hands, was brought into Yarmouth Roads by the Badger Revenue
cutter, Lieut. R. Perceval, R.N., on suspicion of
smuggling. Spirits in large quantities were found on
board. Two of the crew were sentenced to six months’
imprisonment by the Yarmouth magistrates on December 7th.
Lieut. Perceval recommended them to mercy, on the ground that
they had rendered valuable assistance to the Badger when she was
in difficulties, and the sentences were commuted to three
months’ imprisonment.
3.—A fine specimen of the little bustard was shot in a
turnip field at Old Buckenham.
—Cushing and Smith, Norwich pugilists, seconded by
Cricknell and Perowne, fought 13 severe rounds on Mousehold
Heath. Throughout Cushing had the advantage of his
opponent, and won.
6.—The Royal Amphitheatre and Circus at the Pantheon,
Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich, opened for the season, under the
management of Mr. Atkins. In addition to the circus
performance, equestrian spectacles, ballets, “musical
soirées,” and comic pantomimes were produced.
14.—The “London Gazette” of this date
contained the announcement that the 4th Royal Irish Dragoons, a
portion of which regiment was then stationed in Norwich, had
permission to wear upon their standards and appointments the
harp, crown, and star of the most illustrious Order of St.
Patrick.
18.—Died in Friar’s Street, Lynn, Mrs. Ann Larner,
aged 100 years.
22.—The weight of turkeys sent by Messrs. Mack and
Co.’s. van from Norwich to London on this day was 6 tons 18
cwt.; before the end of the journey the load was increased to 10
tons.
26.—The Theatre Royal, Norwich, was occupied during the
Christmas holidays by Mr. Ducrow’s equestrian company from
the Royal Amphitheatre, London. Among the pageants produced
were “Charlemagne,” “St. George and the
Dragon,” “Mazeppa,” and “Timour the
Tartar.” The season closed on January 26th, 1839.
5.—Died at Braconash, aged 85, Elizabeth, widow of Mr.
Thomas Berney, and third and last surviving daughter of Sir
George Duckett, Bart., of Hartham, Wilts. “Mrs.
Berney was a true representative of an English lady of times
past, in its dignified and most attractive form.” At
the funeral at Braconash, on the 15th, the hearse was preceded by
“a canopy of plumes of feathers, borne by a mute with two
others, one on each side.”
7.—A severe gale raged on the Norfolk coast, and many
vessels were wrecked. Thirteen sail of vessels belonging to
Yarmouth, with 100 hands on board, were missing, and at a public
meeting held in the borough on the 23rd, a fund was started for
the relief of the widows and children.
14.—At Lynn Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder (Mr.
Martin John West), an indictment was preferred by Dr. John
Tweedale, of that town, against Mr. William Drake, of East
Dereham, and Mr. James Bowker, charging the defendants with
provoking him to fight a duel, and with common assault. Mr.
Drake, a solicitor, was employed by the Conservative party in the
borough to attend the revision of the municipal voters’
lists, and a quarrel arose in consequence of certain evidence
given by Dr. Tweedale as a charity trustee. The defendant
Drake was found guilty of a common assault, and fined £5;
and Bowker was acquitted.
—The agitation for the repeal of the Corn Laws was
commenced in Norwich by the holding of a preliminary meeting, at
which a petition in favour of the movement was agreed to. A
common hall was held on February 7th, presided over by the Mayor
(Mr. J. Marshall), when the Chartists attended and created a
great disturbance. A resolution in favour of repeal was
adopted. The Town Council discussed the subject
on February 8th and 11th, and a motion for petitioning both
Houses of Parliament for a total repeal was carried by 26 votes
to 20. Meetings with the same object became general
throughout the county.
16.—Heigham Episcopal chapel, Norwich, was consecrated
by the Bishop of the Diocese, and was known afterwards as the
chapel of the Holy Trinity.
21.—Died at Catton, aged 38, the Rev. Dacre Barrett
Lennard, sixth son of Sir Thomas Barrett Lennard, of Belhus,
Essex, rector of St. Michael at Plea, Norwich, and chaplain to
H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex and Lord Western. His remains
were interred on the 28th “in a vault near the altar of his
church.”
28.—Died at Hampstead, Sir William Beechey, R.A., aged
86. He was a native of Burford, Oxfordshire, and in early
life settled and married in Norwich. Elected an associate
of the Royal Academy in 1793, he painted in the same year a
full-length portrait of Queen Charlotte, who honoured him with
the appointment of Queen’s portrait painter. In 1798
he painted an equestrian portrait of George III., with the Prince
of Wales and Duke of York, reviewing the 3rd and 10th Dragoons,
attended by Lieut.-General Dundas, General Sir William Fawcett,
and Major George Goldsworthy. In the same year he received
the honour of knighthood, the first instance of its being
conferred on an artist since the time of Sir Joshua
Reynolds. At St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, there are
four portraits by Sir William, namely, those of Admiral Lord
Nelson, Mr. John Patteson, Mr. Elisha de Hague, and Mr. J. S.
Patteson. His son, Capt. Beechey, R.N., was one of Capt.
Sir Edward Parry’s lieutenants in his second expedition
towards the North Pole.
3.—This day (Sunday) a prize-fight took place on
Costessey Common, between Rix and Clarke, of Norwich, seconded by
Cricknell and Blanchflower, “of the new scientific
school.” Sixty-three rounds were fought, in 1 hr. 20
mins. Rix was the victor. “Never were two men
more severely punished by each other.”
6.—The Rev. W. J. Bakewell, upwards of eleven years
minister of the Unitarian chapel, Norwich, “who is about to
embark for America,” was presented by his congregation with
a purse of 105 sovs.
10.*—“The week before last, in a little more than
three days, Sir Richard Sutton, Bart., and a small party of
friends shot 1,313 pheasants and an immense quantity of hares,
rabbits, partridges, and woodcock, on his estate at Lynford and
Tofts.” (This was described as “killing, not
sporting.”)
—Mr. William Dalrymple resigned office as one of the
surgeons of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and Mr. J. Godwin
Johnson was elected in his place.
11.—A trotting match took place at Attleborough, between
a horse named Scroggins, belonging to Mr. Ling, of Besthorpe, and
a cob the property of Mr. Robert Large, of Ellingham. The
match was run in two mile heats, and was won by the former, in
the presence of upwards of 3,000 spectators.
19.—Mr. Hotson, solicitor, of Long Stratton,
while driving to Norwich, was robbed of a purse of money and a
case of bank notes, near Harford Bridges. One of his
assailants pulled him back in the gig and covered his mouth with
his hand while three others rifled his pockets. At the
Norwich Quarter Sessions, in April, a man named Daniel Archer was
charged with the offence, and acquitted.
21.—The litigation respecting the Norwich charities
entered upon its final stage in the House of Lords, when the
appeal, Bignold and others v. Springfield came on for
hearing. Lord Wynford said the question he had to propose
was that the judges should state their opinion whether, having
reference to the 74th section of the Municipal Corporation Act,
the administration of the charities continued in the old
Corporation after August 1st, 1836. Mr. Justice Littledale
asked for time to consider the question. On June 24th the
House decided in favour of the then trustees. Lord Chief
Justice Tindal said: “Upon the whole we think the
administration of the charity estates did not continue in the
persons described in the 71st section of the 5th and 6th William
IV. after August 1st.” The order was confirmed, with
costs against the appellants.
—The Marquis of Douro presented to the House of Commons
a petition signed by 1,600 of the inhabitants of Norwich for
leave to bring in the Norwich Improvement Bill. The Bill
was read a first time. It passed its second reading on
March 21st, and was read a third time on June 19th. The
object of the Bill was to repeal the then existing Acts and to
substitute a more effectual provision for the better paving,
lighting, and improvement of the city. At a special meeting
of the Town Council on July 16th it was agreed to petition the
House of Lords in opposition to the Bill “in the way it
should come from the Commons.” When the Bill was
before the Committee of the House of Lords on July 23rd objection
was taken that the notices on the part of the promoters were
insufficient, and the Bill was consequently lost. At a
meeting of the Paving Commissioners on December 17th it was
reported that costs amounting to £1,500 had been incurred
in opposing the Bill.
2.—Smallpox was reported to be very prevalent in
Norwich. Within the preceding month one hundred persons
died of the disease.
5.—An alarming report was circulated about the arming of
the Chartists in Norwich, where, it was stated, a club had been
formed for the more extensive distribution of pikes and other
weapons. “Some are formed like a common halbert,
others have a crescent at the bottom and the blade pointed
forward, with a sharp edge, supposed to be designed for cutting
the girths or reins of horses. It is said that about 60
will leave Norwich armed with these weapons, and some of them
with pistols, for the north of England.” At a meeting
of the Town Council on March 11th the Mayor said, in reply to
questions by Mr. Bignold, that the report had been greatly
exaggerated. Pikes had been manufactured, but there was not
a great number of them. Meanwhile the Chartists held
meetings in Norwich Market Place, on Mousehold Heath,
and elsewhere. In August pikes and guns were taken by the
police from various persons, and on the 10th of that month John
Dover, the keeper of a beer shop in St. Paul’s, was
apprehended on the charge of giving an order to James Tillett, a
smith, to make pikes for unlawful purposes, and was bound over to
appear at the Assizes. On the 14th the Chartists made a
demonstration on Mousehold Heath; the police force was
strengthened in consequence, special constables sworn in, and the
staff of the West Norfolk Militia held in readiness for immediate
action. On Sunday, the 18th, the Chartists attended the
Cathedral service in a body, and were appealed to by the Bishop
to take to heart the words of advice he addressed to them.
On the evening of the same day they attended St. Stephen’s
church and interrupted the preacher, the Rev. P. Booth, with
hisses and noise. The church of SS. Simon and Jude was
visited on Sunday, the 25th, and hundreds were unable to gain
admission in consequence of the crowd. “A text had
been sent to the Rev. John Owen by some of the Chartists, with a
respectful request that he would preach from it, and the greatest
order prevailed.”
8.—A heavy fall of snow took place. The Birmingham
mail coach arrived in Norwich ten hours late, and on the 9th
several carriers were unable to reach the city.
11.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council a petition
“from certain persons, denominating themselves
anglers,” was read, requesting that means should be taken
to prevent the dragging of the river for fish. It was
stated that fishing for smelts was at one time a source of income
to many persons, several boats having earned as much as £23
a year. The petition was referred to the magistrates, who
were asked to prohibit illegal fishing.
16.*—“A fine white-tailed eagle was last week shot
on Beachamwell Warren. It measured between the tips of the
wings 7 ft. 5 ins., and weighed 10¾ lbs. It has been
preserved by the Rev. H. Dugmore, of Swaffham.”
20.—Fakenham Steeplechases took place. Among the
other meetings this season were Eccles Hunt Steeplechases, March
26th; North Walsham, April 12th; and Barnham Broom, April
18th.
21.—Died at his apartments in London, Mr. Edmund Henry
Barker, of Thetford. “He had rendered valuable
services to literature; in early life he was an intimate and
respected friend of Dr. Parr; and his labours on the Thesaurus of
Stephens will remain a noble monument of his indefatigable zeal
in the cause of Greek literature.” He was buried at
St. Andrew’s, Holborn.
24.—Died, aged 85, Mary, wife of Captain Richard Browne,
of the Cathedral precincts, Norwich, and eldest daughter of Dr.
John Murray.
26.—The troop of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards,
stationed at Norwich, marched thence for Clifton. They were
replaced in April by two troops of the 9th Lancers, commanded by
Capt. Fullarton.
1.—Mr. G. V. Brooke appeared at Norwich Theatre as Sir
Edward Mortimer (“The Iron Chest”). During the
short season he performed a round of his favourite
characters.
6.*—“We regret to find our anticipations
that the Eastern Counties’ Railway is to terminate at
Colchester have been realised, as it seems the directors have
come to the conclusion not to carry it further, in accordance
with the wishes of the Lancashire proprietors, who hare so great
a stake in the undertaking.” On May 6th a rule
nisi was granted in the Bail Court to compel the Company
to proceed with the works in accordance with their original
contract with the public. (The Act of Parliament was
obtained upon the representation that the line should be carried
from London to Yarmouth.) In the Court of Queen’s
Bench on June 22nd Lord Chief Justice Denman, in delivering
judgment on the points raised, said: “Upon the whole,
without coming to any final decision, we think the case is
involved in such doubt as to require the return of the mandamus,
and that a writ should go for that purpose.”
9.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Vaughan,
John Hall and Wm. Palmer were indicted upon the unusual charge of
stealing a bell from a parish church. The bell was lying in
the west end of North Walsham church, and the prisoners, with the
assistance of a man named John Daniels (who turned Queen’s
evidence), took it away in a cart, broke it up, and endeavoured
to dispose of the metal in Norwich. The prisoners were
sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, with hard
labour. (For an account of a similar theft see December
28th, 1839.)
10.—At the same Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice
Tindal, an action was brought against an overseer named Burrell,
of Lynn, for the recovery of a penalty of £50 for failing
to deliver a signed list of persons claiming to be registered as
voters under the Municipal Reform Act. A verdict was given
for the plaintiff, a Mr. King, for the amount claimed.
11.—Charles Daines was indicted at the Norfolk Assizes,
before Mr. Justice Vaughan, for the wilful murder of Elizabeth
Daines, his infant daughter, by poisoning her at Hempnall on
March 11th. The prisoner was acquitted. He was then
charged with attempting to murder his wife by poisoning her with
arsenic, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The
execution took place on the Castle Hill, Norwich, on April
27th. “He appeared to die an exceedingly hard
death. He clasped his hands, and raised his arms several
times towards his breast, as if in the act of prayer,
unquestionably showing that consciousness had not left him.
His remains were buried in St. Michael-at-Thorn
churchyard.”
13.*—“We understand it is in contemplation to
revive in Norwich under different regulations and on a more
extensive scale those annual art exhibitions, which for the last
six years have ceased to take place. It is proposed to form
a society, through the medium of which artists and amateurs in
Norwich and its neighbourhood may have the opportunity of
offering to public inspection and patronage productions in any
department of art. The large room in the building, lately
occupied as a bazaar in St. Andrew’s, is to form the
gallery.” (The exhibition was opened on August
16th.)
—*“An enormous eel was lately brought to Norwich
Fish-market. It weighed 25 lbs., and was sold to be placed
in the collection of a London naturalist.”
13.—Died at Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich,
Elizabeth Bentley, “the Norwich poetess,” in the 72nd
year of her age. She was born in the parish of All Saints,
and was the only child of Daniel Bentley, a journeyman shoemaker,
who died in 1783. Two years after her father’s death
she developed a taste for versification, and in 1791 appeared the
first volume of her poems, dedicated to Mr. Wm. Drake, jun.,
M.P. The profits of the publication (from the contributions
of nearly 2,000 subscribers) enabled her for many years, with the
income arising from a small school, to support the declining age
of her mother. Another volume of her poems was published in
1821.
6.—At the sale of effects at Gunton Hall, very high
prices were realised for the wine, liquors, and ale.
Griffith’s port (1830) sold at 81s. per dozen; Fontignac,
at £8 per dozen; curaçoa, £13 per dozen;
brandy, £9 per dozen; ale, £4 per barrel. At
Tattersall’s, 49 horses and colts belonging to Lord
Suffield produced £4,400, and the pack of 47 couples and 13
bitches with their whelps £280.
9.—The Yarmouth Town Council accepted the tender of the
Rev. Mark Waters for the presentation to St. George’s
chapel. The minimum price fixed was £620; the highest
tender £661.
14.—The Purple and Orange Club, at a meeting presided
over by Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, and held at the Maid’s Head
Inn, adopted an address to the Queen, expressing regret at the
threatening aspect of affairs in our Colonial possessions, and of
sedition manifest in England, and imploring her Majesty to summon
to her counsels “all those upright and enlightened
statesmen whose consistent advocacy of Conservative principles
has obtained for them the respect and confidence of the
nation.” On the 23rd the Norwich Town Council adopted
a counter address, “thanking her Majesty for her choice of
ministers who deserve the regard of the nation by righteous
taxation, by extending commerce, by improving criminal and civil
laws, by commuting tithes, by amending the Poor-laws, by granting
self-government to the people by municipal corporations, and by
making provision for national education.”
15.—By the fall of a floor at Taverham paper-mills, a
man and a woman were killed.
25.*—“A tomb of novel construction has lately been
erected in Diss churchyard. It is constructed entirely of
cast-iron, and for neatness, security, and durability excels
anything of the kind we have ever noticed.”
27.—The Norfolk and Norwich Literary Institution closed
its rooms at the Assembly House, Norwich. The library was
opened at the new rooms adjoining the Museum in St.
Andrew’s Street, on July 8th.
—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry mustered on Thornage Green
and marched to Holt for six days’ permanent duty, under the
command of Major Loftus.
1.*—“A respectable young man a few days since, at
Norwich, undertook for a wager that he would take the
sum of five shillings in one hour by travelling the city with a
basket containing threads, tapes, cottons, &c., which he
accomplished, and proceeded on the second hour, when he took 4s.
6d. more.”
5.—The Norwich Tonnage Bill was read a third time in the
House of Commons. This measure was intended to provide a
new mode of application of the tolls and dues, first to defray
the expenses of obtaining the Act; secondly, to pay interest on
all sums borrowed under the powers of the Act, and to promote an
accumulative fund for the purpose of paying off all the principal
monies; and thirdly to keep in repair bridges, &c., to free
Carrow Bridge, Duke’s Palace Bridge, and Foundry Bridge, to
keep in repair St. Andrew’s Hall and the Guildhall, and to
pay for any permanent improvement, such as widening streets,
&c.
7.—Died at Shadwell Lodge, in his 86th year, Sir Robert
John Buxton, Bart. He had successively represented in
Parliament for several years the borough of Thetford, and the
borough of Bedwin, Wilts.
11.—A prize-fight for £25 a side was fought at
Pulham, between Brassey and Bailey, of Norwich. In 1 hour 8
minutes 72 rounds were contested, “during which time Bailey
never had a chance.” Brassey was seconded by John
Stanfield and Charles Utting, and Bailey by Jem Perowne and
Bounce Brown. “On Sunday, the 9th inst., no less than
five of these disgraceful scenes took place in the parish of
Earlham.”
15.*—“A full length portrait of the rector, the
Rev. William Manning, by Mr. Thomas Ronds, of London, formerly of
Diss, has been placed in the committee room of the Diss Hospital,
the result of a subscription set on foot by the
inhabitants.”
22.*—“‘The Tour,’ a poem written
anonymously, published by Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., and printed
by Gowing, of Swaffham, is, independent of its literary merits,
highly creditable to the West Norfolk press. The
frontispiece, Lake Lucerne, is drawn by Wright, of
Swaffham.”
26.—A fire occurred on the premises of Mr. Bush, cabinet
maker, Roach’s Court, Fisher’s Lane, Norwich, and was
one of the most destructive that had taken place in the city for
many years. The factory was destroyed, and with it the
adjoining house, occupied by a silk weaver, who lost his stock of
silk and machinery. “The fire engines were not in a
state for such an emergency, and many of the leather pipes had to
be tied up with handkerchiefs.”
6.*—“Mr. Smith, who has managed the Norwich
Theatre for the last 25 years, has retired altogether from the
concern, which is now in the hands of his son, Mr. George
Smith.”
13.—A person of eccentric character, named John Coe, of
Chapel Street, Crook’s Place, Norwich, died on this
date. “For 34 years he was a trunk maker in St.
Lawrence’. Deceased had made his own coffin five
years ago, of old soap chests and tea chests, and had polished it
up so that it looked like mahogany. It was composed of 165
pieces, and on the lid was a black plate,
bearing a quotation from the Burial Service. The deceased
had also made a coffin for his wife, who survives him, but this
had to be disposed of to inter the remains of a poor woman whose
friends could not find the money to purchase one.”
15.—A prize-fight took place on Mousehold Heath,
Norwich, between Brundell and Thetford, who were seconded
respectively by Perowne and Cricknell. Fifty-two rounds
were fought, in 1 hour 15 minutes. Both men were severely
punished. Brundell was the winner.
—Died at his house, Chester Square, London, Mr. Praed,
M.P. for Aylesbury. The deceased, who was in his 37th year,
was Deputy High Steward of Cambridge University, and formerly
Conservative member for Great Yarmouth.
16.—The “London Gazette” of this date
contained the announcement: “The Queen has been pleased to
grant unto Henry le Strange Styleman, of Hunstanton Hall,
Esquire, her Royal licence and authority that he and his issue
may, out of respect for the memory of his great grandmother,
Armine Styleman, eldest of the two daughters of Sir Nicholas le
Strange, take and use the name of le Strange in addition to and
after that of Styleman.”
17.—Two musical artistes who afterwards achieved much
local celebrity, Madame de Belleville Oury (pianist to H.R.H.
Princess Frederick of Prussia) and Mr. Oury (principal violinist
at the Italian Opera in Paris), made their first appearance in
Norwich at a matinée musicale, given at the house
of Madame Oury Crook, Chapel Field, Norwich.
20.*—“A fine specimen of that rare and exquisitely
beautiful fish, the Opah, or Zeus Imperialis was taken
alive at Hunstanton. It measured 3 ft. 3 ins. in length, 1
ft. 10 ins. across, and 7 ins. thick. It was purchased for
Wisbech Museum.”
25.—Died, aged 66, Mr. William Snow, many years master
of the Black Bull Coffee House, in Norwich Market Place.
“He was a man of superior ability in his profession as a
cook and purveyor for festive parties.”
29.—Mr. George Smith commenced the first season of his
management at Norwich Theatre by engaging Madame Vestris and Mr.
Charles Mathews. The pieces produced during the visit of
these eminent performers were “The Welsh Girl,”
“Patter versus Clatter,” and “Loan of a
Lover.”
6.—A correspondent, in a letter of this date, called
attention in the Norfolk Chronicle to
the use of dogs as animals of draught. “I saw,”
he wrote, “in a big, overloaded baker’s cart this
week a disproportioned dog, willing but quite unable to pull his
cruel load up Market Place Hill. Let the inhabitants of
Norwich withdraw their custom from any baker who is guilty of
this barbarism.”
14.—The Fakenham coach, on its journey to Norwich, was
descending Guist Hill, when one of the leaders fell, the pole
broke, and the coach was overturned. The only person
seriously injured was a Mrs. Flowers, of
London, who sustained a broken thigh and received a severe wound
in the neck.
28.—The Cley estate, the property of Mr. John William
Tomlinson, was sold by auction in London by Mr. W. W. Simpson,
for £32,000.
2.—Died at Annesley Place, Cambridge, aged 61, Mr. W.
Wilkins, M.A., R.A. He was the architect of Downing College
and of the new buildings at King’s, Trinity, and Corpus
Christi Colleges; the University College, London, and the
National Gallery were erected from his designs, as were also the
Shirehall and the Theatre Royal at Norwich. Mr. Wilkins
graduated as a member of Caius College, of which he was
afterwards Fellow. He was the author of “Magna
Græcia” and other works on architecture. With
his father, Mr. William Wilkins, F.S.A., he resided some years in
Norwich.
15.—A cuckoo, in fine plumage, was shot in the garden of
Messrs. Howes, Red Lion Street, Norwich.
17.—At the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival, which
began on this date, the programme included “Israel in
Egypt,” the new oratorio “Calvary,” produced on
the 19th and conducted in person by the composer, Spohr;
selections from the “Redemption,” and the
“Messiah.” A miscellaneous concert took place
each evening, and the Festival concluded with a fancy dress
ball. The principal artistes were Signora Persiani, Signora
Placci, Miss Birch, Miss Hawes, Madame Stockhausen, Mr. Hobbs,
Mr. H. Phillips, Mr. Balfe, Mr. Young, Mr. Francis, Signor
Tamburini; Mr. F. Cramer was leader of the band, and Professor
Taylor conducted. The gross receipts were £5,639 0s.
5d., and the gross expenses £4,343 4s. 2d.
—A two days’ race meeting commenced on Mousehold
Heath, Norwich, and was attended by 30,000 persons.
23.—The foundation-stone of Yarmouth Hospital was laid
by Mr. Simon Cobb, Mayor of the borough.
25.—Mr. Hampton made a balloon ascent from the Gas
Works, Bishop Bridge, Norwich, at 4.30 p.m., and descended
prematurely in a field at Rackheath. A parachute containing
a monkey was detached from the car as the balloon passed over
Mousehold Heath.
2.—A great demonstration took place at Norwich, on the
occasion of the third anniversary of the
“Teetotalist” Society. A procession, headed by
a band of music, started from Castle Meadow, paraded the
principal streets of the city, and arrived at St. Andrew’s
Hall at five o’clock. After tea the Bishop addressed
the meeting, and “declared in the most positive manner his
deep conviction of the value of the society.” Mr.
Samuel Wiseman and Mr. James Jarrold were presented with silver
medals by the temperance workers in the city.
8.—The Norwich Paving Commissioners adopted ground plans
and elevations for the widening and improvement of Briggs Street,
and it was agreed that the cost be met
proportionately by the trustees of D’Oyley’s fund,
the Paving Commissioners, and the Tonnage Commissioners. At
a meeting of the Paving Commissioners, on December 10th, it was
decided to carry out the contemplated improvements on the east
side of the street, and that conjointly with the Tonnage
Commissioners, they should spend a sum not exceeding
£2,000.
9.—Mr. Hampton made a second balloon ascent at
Norwich. The balloon was filled at the Gas Works, and
floated thence by means of guide ropes to the yard of the Cavalry
Barracks. Among the persons who availed themselves of the
opportunity of ascending in the balloon while in its captive
state was Col. Harvey, who, on September 7th, 1825, made an
ascent from Richmond Hill Gardens with Mrs. Graham
(q.v.). Mr. Hampton was accompanied by Mr. William
Shalders, jun., and the balloon descended on the estate of the
Rev. T. Mack, of Tunstead, ten miles distant from Norwich.
On October 16th Mr. Green, the celebrated aeronaut, then on a
visit to Mr. R. Crawshay, of Honingham, ascended in his
“Coronation” balloon, from Norwich Gas Works.
“A parachute with a cat in the basket was thrown out, and
descended at Catton.” The balloon descended at
Trunch, after a journey of twenty-five minutes’
duration.
16.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, William Wales was
indicted for maliciously shooting cattle, the property of Mr.
Robert Mack, jun., at Hainford, on August 18th. It was
proved that the prisoner had shot several valuable beasts.
He had already served seven years’ transportation, and, on
being found guilty, was sentenced to transportation for the term
of his natural life.
—Died in London, Mr. Charles M. Curtis, aged 44, an
artist of considerable merit. He was a native of Norwich, a
brother of the accomplished author of “British
Entomology,” and for several years devoted his talents to
drawing objects of natural history and to the illustration of
scientific works.
25.—The centenary of Wesleyanism was commemorated at
Norwich. On the 28th 1,000 members of the body had tea at
St. Andrew’s Hall, which was also attended by 1,200
children from the Wesleyan Sunday schools in the city.
30.—St. Mary’s Baptist chapel, Norwich, which had
been closed for four months, for the purpose of enlargement, was
re-opened for public worship. The preachers were the Rev.
Dr. Andrew Reed, of London, and the Rev. Eustace Giles, of
Leeds. “The chapel, which is now one of the most
elegant in this part of the kingdom, and is capable of seating
more than one thousand persons, was densely crowded by a
congregation amounting to nearly 1,600 persons.”
5.—At Yarmouth Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder,
Mr. N. Palmer, Fortunatus Robert Townshend Crisp was indicted for
publishing, in a paper called the “Paul Pry,” a
slanderous and malicious libel upon Henry Holmes Baker.
Many persons in Yarmouth had, it was stated, been grossly
libelled in this notorious publication. Defendant was found
guilty, and ordered to pay damages amounting to £5.
9.—Capt. Philip John Money was elected Mayor, and
Mr. John Barwell appointed Sheriff, of Norwich.
11.—Mr. Arrow, auctioneer, of Lynn, was served with an
Exchequer writ under peculiar circumstances. Proceedings
had been taken against several individuals in St.
Margaret’s parish for non-payment of Church rates, and
their goods were distrained and put up for auction in the
Saturday Market Place. Among other articles offered was a
silver-cased watch. Mr. Arrow not having a licence to sell
plate, offered the works only, and proposed to make a present of
the case to the person who purchased the works, and in this
manner the watch was disposed of. On receiving the writ,
Mr. Arrow wrote to the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes, giving
a full explanation of the circumstances, whereupon further
proceedings were stayed.
16.*—“A new Paving Bill is being prepared by Mr.
C. S. Gilman, and its entire management is to be entrusted to a
committee of inhabitants and owners of property in Norwich and
the hamlets.” Among its objects were the prevention
of the erection or maintenance of any toll-gate in any part of
the hamlets, the acquisition of powers to widen Briggs Street,
Theatre Street, and London Street; to open a carriage way through
the Back of the Inns from London Street to White Lion Street; to
afford public carriage communication from the Back of the Inns
through Angel Street to the Castle Ditches, and to effect other
improvements conducive to the health, cleanliness, and security
of the inhabitants. (See January 31st, 1840.)
22.—At a meeting of the county magistrates, held at the
Shirehall, Norwich, the Hon. and Rev. R. Wilson moved, Lord
Wodehouse seconded, and it was resolved by a large majority to
adopt the new Constabulary Act throughout the county. The
force, known as the “Rural Police,” was constituted
as follows:—One chief constable, at the salary of
£500 per annum; 12 superintendents, at £100 each; and
120 petty constables, at £1 each per week. Each
superintendent was allotted a district of twelve square
miles. On January 3rd, 1840, Lieut.-Col. Richard Montague
Oakes was appointed Chief Constable.
23.—Ducrow’s Circus was opened at the Ranelagh
Gardens, Norwich.
26.—A meeting of the insurers in the Norwich Union Life
Office was held at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, “to take
into consideration the examiners’ report, agreeable to the
resolutions of the meeting held on the 6th inst.”
These proceedings arose mainly because of long-continued personal
attacks made upon Mr. Bignold by Mr. Bacon, editor of the
“Norwich Mercury.” “The character of Mr.
Bignold was placed on the highest pinnacle of unimpeachable
honour and good fame; and the present state of the
society’s affairs is founded on that firm and equitable
basis of adjustment which fully warrants its members in looking
forward to years of increasing prosperity and success for the
establishment.”
21.—Wombwell’s Menagerie was exhibited at
Norwich. The collection had largely increased in extent
since its previous visit, and included three elephants.
“In consequence of the rapid growth of the enormous
elephant, G. W. has been obliged to erect the largest machine
in the form of a waggon that was ever built, so
ponderous as to require six roller wheels to support it, and from
12 to 18 horses to draw it.”
21.—Died in St. Stephen’s, Norwich, aged 65, Mr.
William Moore. He served the office of Sheriff in 1824, and
of Mayor in 1835. Mr. Moore was the last Mayor elected by
the old Corporation before the Municipal Corporations Act came
into force.
24.—The weather on this day was only ten degrees colder
than on June 24th. “The thermometer out of doors
remained at 50.”
28.*—“One night last week some persons stole from
the church at Swardeston one of the bells. The rogues broke
the bell to pieces on the spot, and although the blows must have
made a great noise, the villagers were not alarmed, and the
sacrilegious depredators were enabled to carry off their booty
unmolested.”
1.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder,
Mr. Jermy, James Ollett Marshall and James Darkin were indicted
for publishing in a paper called “The Searcher” a
libellous article on Mr. Sparkall, of Norwich. Marshall was
sentenced to two months’ imprisonment, and Darkin fined
£5.
4.—Died at Hempnall, in his 101st year, William Reed,
cordwainer.
7.—A prize-fight took place on Pulham North Green,
between Cricknell and Cain. After six rounds had been
fought, Cricknell was taken into custody by the “Rural
Police,” conveyed to Harleston, and bound over to keep the
peace for twelve months. “The concourse of persons
was not so numerous as has been noticed on similar
occasions. Whether this arose from the necessary secrecy of
the scene of action, on account of the declared intentions of the
magistrates to put a stop to these demoralising sights, or the
early hour (ten o’clock) the combatants set-to, cannot be
fully determined. But that these brutal attacks are fast
declining in the estimation of the middle classes may be fairly
presumed by the paucity in number and the circuitous route taken
by many of them to the battlefield.”
10.—The Penny Postage “came into operation this
day, according to the official regulations. Our advertising
friends and correspondents will also be pleased to observe that
unless the penny postage be prepaid the expense of them will be
double on their orders or
communications. Since the ‘schoolmaster has been
abroad’ the plural of penny is twopence. A letter not
exceeding half-an-ounce in weight may be sent from any part of
the United Kingdom to any other part for one penny, if paid when
posted, or for twopence if paid when delivered.” On
January 18th it was announced “the penny postage reduction
has about trebled the number of letters in Norwich and in other
towns, but printed circulars have formed a great proportion of
this temporary increase. A tradesman in this
city, we are informed, has sent out several thousands of such
penny postpaid circulars.”
15.—Died, Mr. J. Purdy Beacham, aged 70, for 54 years a
highly-respected member of the Norwich Theatrical Company.
19.—A severe thunderstorm occurred. A stack of
barley at Overstrand was struck by lightning and entirely
consumed; and on the 20th, during a heavy gale at Carlton
Forehoe, a barn was blown down. On the 21st the
thunderstorm raged with increased fury at Carlton Rode, where the
lightning struck the premises of Mr. James Ringer, a miller, and
set the thatch roof on fire. “His married daughter
(Mrs. Matthews) was struck, and her clothes set on fire in twenty
different places. Her sister was also enveloped in
flames. The lightning inflamed her neck and shoulders, ran
down her back, her side and breast, ran down her legs, and burned
her heels, even the bottoms thereof, but neither her stockings
nor boots were the least injured. Of her upper apparel,
every article was burnt through and through.”
23.—A fine schooner, named the Lady Sondes, was launched
from the shipyard of Mr. Lubbock, at Wells-next-the-Sea.
The vessel was built for Messrs. R. and R. Brereton, of Blakeney,
and was intended for the foreign trade. This was a very
busy year for Norfolk shipbuilders. From Mr. J.
Parker’s yard at the same town was launched, on May 20th,
the Saucy Lass schooner; from Mr. Joseph Hastings’ yard at
Yarmouth, on June 16th, a vessel of 200 tons burden; from Mr. F.
Preston’s yard at Yarmouth, on July 16th, a fine vessel
named the Maid of Athens; from Mr. Fellowes’ yard at
Yarmouth on September 15th, the Earl of Leicester brig; and from
the yard of Mr. Ambrose Palmer, Yarmouth, on October 28th, a
vessel of 400 tons, called the Hamlet.
28.—Steeplechases took place at Long Stratton.
Among the other meetings this season were the military
steeplechases by the officers of the 9th Royal Lancers at
Shimpling Hall on March 3rd; the Fakenham Steeplechases on March
13th, over a four-mile course, with the winning-post on Hempton
Green, where, in the heavy weight race, the silver cup, value
£100, with 50 sovs. added, was won by Mr. Skelton’s
ch.h. Colonel, ridden by Wright (sixty-five years of age), and
Mr. J. Elmere’s br.h. Lottery (winner of the Liverpool
stakes) was unplaced; the Norfolk and Suffolk Steeplechases, at
Diss, on March 17th; the Loddon Steeplechases, on March 27th; and
the Yarmouth Steeplechases, on March 31st.
31.—The petition for the new Norwich Improvement Bill
was presented in the House of Commons by the Marquis of Douro,
who, on February 26th, introduced the Bill. On the previous
day (February 25th) a common hall was held at the Guildhall, at
which it was resolved that there was no necessity for the Bill,
and a petition was drawn up in opposition to it.
1.—Norwich Theatre opened for the season with the
production of “The Lady of Lyons,” in which the part
of Claude Melnotte was played by Mr. G. V. Brooke.
“When we see the huge amphitheatre which is now in rapid
progress towards completion on the Castle Meadow, under the sanction of the constituted authorities, for the
reception of another batch of horse riders so soon after the
visit of Ducrow’s troupe, and just at the very moment the
players are come, we are constrained to observe that the jewel of
fair play does not appear likely to be awarded as it ought to be
to a class of her Majesty’s servants.” On
February 4th Mr. J. Russell, of Drury Lane and Covent Garden,
appeared in the parts of Dominique (“The Deserter”)
and Pat Murphy (“The Happy Man”). Before the
end of the season it was announced that Mr. G. V. Brooke had been
added to the permanent strength of the Norwich Company.
2.—A remarkable case of somnolence was reported at
Norwich. John Browne, master of the Yarmouth Bridge
public-house, Red Lion Street, who died on this day, aged 39, and
was reputed to be the heaviest man in the city, had been
constantly afflicted with sleepiness. “He weighed at
the time of his death nearly 27 st., and had generally slept away
his time. He kept awake only a few minutes at a time, and
even in conversation fell asleep. Browne was several years
turnkey at the City Gaol, and was then by no means a man of over
size, but he had been increasing in bulk for several years,
notwithstanding the rigid temperance which he observed, living
entirely upon dry toast and tea. His coffin was 3 ft.
across, 6 ft. long, and 1 ft. 9 in. in height.”
10.—The marriage of her Majesty the Queen was celebrated
in Norwich. The Mayor and members of the Corporation,
wearing white favours, attended service at the Cathedral, where
the sermon was preached by the Rev. Prebendary Wodehouse.
After service the quarterly meeting of the Town Council was held
at the Guildhall, when congratulatory addresses to her Majesty
and Prince Albert were adopted. At one o’clock the
9th Lancers, under the command of Capt. Arthur Williams, entered
the Market Place and fired a feu de joie with their
pistols; “the trumpeters played ‘God save the
Queen,’ and the soldiers gave three hearty cheers,
flourishing their sabres in the air.” Luncheon was
afterwards served in the Council Chamber, “the principal
object on the table being a large wedding-cake, lavishly
decorated.” At five o’clock one hundred
gentlemen dined at the Swan Inn, under the presidency of the
Mayor. At night there was a firework display in the Market
Place. On the staging at the north-east angle of the Market
Place the fireworks were prematurely exploded; a rocket was
driven through the shutters of a shop on the Walk, and another
entered the second storey window of a house in London
Street. A man was severely wounded in the face, and others
were also injured. A ball took place at the Assembly Room,
“and in conformity with the wishes of the committee of the
Council, the pit and gallery of the Theatre were thrown open
gratis.” The pieces performed were “The Wedding
Day” and “The Illustrious Stranger,” followed
by the pantomime, “The House that Jack Built.”
There were many parochial celebrations. At Yarmouth the
vessels in the harbour were decorated with flags, the Revenue
cutter in the Roads fired a royal salute, and a public dinner was
held at the Town Hall. At a county meeting held at the
Shirehall, Norwich, on March 21st, at which Mr. Henry Villebois,
High Sheriff, presided, congratulatory addresses were ordered to
be sent to her Majesty and Prince Albert.
12.—At the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, Mr. William Stark
delivered a lecture on “The functions of the
brain phrenologically considered.” It was really a
defence of the theory of phrenology, and gave rise to much
adverse comment.
15.—Died, aged 31, Mr. George Stannard, younger brother
of Mr. A Stannard, the Norwich artist. The deceased was
described as “an artist of superior talents.”
19.—Died, in his 108th year, Richard Pattle, of
Rudham. “He was a poor but honest man, and had
through life earned his bread by the sweat of his brow, and was
so respected by his neighbours that they some time ago employed
an artist to take his likeness, from which a print was published,
and is now in possession of most of the neighbouring gentry and
farmers.”
27.—A fire occurred on the newly-erected premises of Mr.
Thorrold, engineer and ironfounder, near Foundry Bridge, Norwich,
“and totally consumed all but the bare walls.”
2.—Batty’s Royal Circus commenced a season in
“the most elegant, spacious, and substantial building ever
erected in Norwich.” Its site was on the Castle
Meadow. One of the principal productions of the season was
the spectacle, “The Council of Clermont,” in which
trained lions and leopards were introduced.
7.—At a meeting of the owners and occupiers of land in
the Hundred of Henstead, held at the Bell Inn, Orford Hill,
Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. Robert Fellowes, it was
determined to present a petition to Parliament against any
alteration in the Corn Laws. The question was discussed at
a meeting of the Norwich Town Council on March 24th, on a motion
by Mr. Marshall that a petition be presented to Parliament
“to repeal the present laws affecting the importation of
foreign corn, and to substitute such a duty as shall secure to
the agriculturists of the country present protection, with the
prospect of a progressive diminution of that duty as well as of
others which form our commercial code.” The motion
was negatived. Mr. Bell, of the “Farmers’
Journal,” delivered a lecture in Norwich Corn Hall at the
close of the market on March 28th, and argued that the theory of
Free Trade was false in the principle on which it professed to be
founded. On the 11th a public discussion took place at St.
Andrew’s Hall between Mr. Bell and Mr. Ackland, one of the
lecturers of the Manchester Anti-Corn Law League. Many
meetings were held, for and against repeal, in different parts of
the county.
—*“Died, lately, Mr. Robin Wade, of Ditchingham,
aged 102.”
—*“Mr. William Bagge, M.P. for West Norfolk, has
lately purchased Col. Say’s estate at Crimplesham, for
£35,000, including the timber.”
14.—At the Norfolk Sheriff’s Court at Norwich, a
jury was empanelled to assess damages in a case of crim.
con., in which the plaintiff was Mr. Edward William Trafford,
and the defendant Mr. Ellis, a lieutenant in the 9th Royal
Lancers stationed at Norwich in 1839. The Attorney-General
(Sir John Campbell) was one of the counsel for the plaintiff, Mr.
Thesiger was leading counsel for defendant, and Mrs. Opie was a witness in the case. Mr. N. Palmer,
barrister, was deputed by the High Sheriff to preside. The
damages were laid at £5,000, and the special jury, composed
of county gentlemen, assessed them at £500. On August
4th the Royal assent was given to Mr. and Mrs. Trafford’s
Divorce Bill.
20.—At a meeting of the county magistrates, held at the
Shirehall, Norwich, Mr. Henry Champion Partridge and Mr. Isaac
Jermy, Recorder of Norwich, were elected Chairmen of the Norfolk
Quarter Sessions.
29.—Died in St. Giles’ Street, Norwich, aged 47,
Mr. Christopher Edwards, formerly a solicitor. “The
deceased was better known by the appellation Cutty Edwards, and
was possessed of considerable talent and natural wit. No
man experienced more the vicissitudes of fortune. He once
had a comfortable property, but latterly felt the bitter pangs of
want.”
30.—Norman’s School, erected in the parish of St.
Paul, Norwich, by the trustees of Alderman Norman, who died May
10th, 1724, “he bequeathing his property upon trust for
ever for the purpose of boarding, clothing, and educating the
sons of his own and his first wife’s relations,” was
opened. The “claimants,” with their children,
marched in procession from Chapel Field to the bowling-green of
the New Inn, St. Augustine’s Gates, where the boys were
regaled with buns. A party numbering 500 was entertained to
tea in the school-room, when Mr. Samuel Daynes proposed
“The Memory of Alderman Norman.” On July 28th
the “claimants” presented a silver cup to Mr. Daynes,
“as a memorial of their esteem for his indefatigable
exertions in obtaining and establishing the claims of those who
could prove descent from their munificent benefactor.”
31.—The Judges of Assize, Sir James Parke and the Hon.
Sir Edward Hall Alderson, arrived at Norwich. Their
lodgings on this occasion were at St. Catherine’s Hill.
1.—A match against time took place on Swaffham
Racecourse. “Mr. B. Land’s celebrated chestnut
mare Lady Jane was backed to do 20 miles in an hour for 100
guineas.” Odds of 5 to 4 were laid against the mare,
“but she accomplished the task with the greatest ease,
having one minute and a half to spare, and trotted in the last
few yards.”
6.—A meeting of the freemen of Norwich was held at St.
Andrew’s Hall, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament
“to repeal so much of the Municipal Reform Act as debars
freemen of the right to be enrolled as burgesses under the same,
and to confer on the freemen and burgesses of all cities,
boroughs, and towns corporate within the operation of the Act the
right to vote at all municipal elections.” Mr. John
Culley presided, in the absence of the Mayor, and the petition
was adopted. On May 4th the freemen went in procession with
a band of music and numerous flags and banners, from the
Pope’s Head to the Greyhound Inn, Surrey Street, where,
through Col. Harvey, they presented the petition to the Marquis
of Douro, M.P., who promised to support it
in the House of Commons. The petition to the House of Lords
was presented by Lord Mansfield, formerly Lord Stormont, one of
the members for Norwich.
17.—Died in St. George Colegate, Norwich, aged 41,
Emily, eldest daughter of John Crome, founder of the Norwich
Society of Artists. “In her pictures of fish, fruit,
and flowers it may be justly said that no one has represented
these objects with greater fidelity to nature, combined with a
tasteful and picturesque manner of grouping them.”
18.*—“Children who are sickly are taken to a woman
living in St. Lawrence, Norwich, for the purpose of being cut for
a supposed disease called the spinnage. The infants are on
a Monday morning taken to this woman’s, who, for
threepence, with a pair of scissors cuts through the lobe of the
right ear, then makes a cross with the blood upon the forehead
and breast of the child. On the following Monday the same
barbarous and superstitious ceremony is performed upon the left
ear, and on the succeeding Monday the right ear is again
condemned to undergo the same ceremony, and in some cases it is
deemed necessary to perform the ridiculous operation nine
times.”
2.*—“Married lately at St. Peter’s, in
London, by the Rev. Thomas Grose, George Henry Borrow, Esq., for
many years a resident in Spain, and a native of Norwich, and only
surviving son of the late Captain Borrow, to Mrs. Mary Clarke, of
Oulton Cottage, in Suffolk.”
3.—Died at Bath, Mr. Thomas Manning, of Orange Grove,
Dartford, and formerly of Diss. “An eminent linguist,
he accompanied Lord Amherst’s embassy to China, and was
considered the best Siamese scholar in Europe, Dr. Morrison and
Mr. St. Julien being his only rivals. He was able to speak
fluently fifteen languages, and maintained a correspondence with
the literati of the world. For months he resided at
H’lassa, in the kingdom of Thibet, and was the only
Englishman who had ever penetrated to the metropolis of the
Lama. There he spoke during his sojourn only Latin, and on
his departure received the benediction of the Lama.”
6.—Died, aged 76, Mr. James Sillett, of King Street,
Norwich. “As an artist he stood unrivalled in his
minute and accurate delineations of fish, fruit, and
flowers. From 1781 to 1790 he studied from the figure at
the Royal Academy, under Professors Reynolds, Barry, and others,
whose lectures he also attended. He began to exhibit at
Somerset House in 1796, which he continued at intervals for
upwards of 30 years, part of which time he practised as a
miniature painter with great success. He afterwards settled
in his native city, and gained pre-eminence in his skilful and
faithful delineations in oil and water colours. In later
days he undertook architectural subjects. In 1815 he was
President of the Norwich Artists’ Society, of which he was
one of the original members, but, in consequence of disputes
arising, he and two other of the original members quitted
it. He continued annually to exhibit, although he never
afterwards joined the society, which, from want of encouragement,
gradually dissolved in a few years.”
7.—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall,
Norwich, “to take into consideration the propriety of
petitioning Parliament to afford to every part of the United
Kingdom the advantage now enjoyed by the Metropolis of not having
any post delivery on the Sabbath day.”
9.*—“Married lately at Catfield, by the Rev. J.
Prowett, Mr. John Curtiss, aged 85, to Miss Rogers, an agreeable
young lady. The morning was ushered in with the ringing of
bells and firing of guns. A large barge was prepared for
the accommodation of the company to row on the lake in front of
his mansion. In the evening an excellent band of music
tended to the great amusement of hundreds who assembled on the
cheerful occasion, when all the younger ones joined in the rustic
dance, which was kept up till a late hour, after which there was
a grand display of fireworks.”
13.—Matthew Rackham, over seventy years of age, started
from Norwich at four o’clock in the morning and walked to
Yarmouth, where he arrived at nine o’clock, and returned to
Norwich by six o’clock in the evening, “without
experiencing any fatigue, although he had to contend with an
adverse wind accompanied with rain during the whole of his
journey out.”
18.—Mr. G. V. Brooke took his benefit at Norwich Theatre
as Hotspur in “King Henry the Fourth” (Part 1).
“The degree of estimation in which this young actor is held
was displayed in a general call for him at the end of the piece,
a proceeding which is frequently resorted to in London, but which
we are not aware of having seen occur here before.”
22.—The remaining troop of the 9th Royal Lancers marched
from Norwich Barracks, under the command of Capt. Whalley.
Two troops and the headquarters of the 8th Royal Irish Hussars,
commanded by Col. the Hon. G. B. Molyneaux, took over the
Barracks on June 5th.
25.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, commanded by Major
Loftus, commenced permanent duty at Cromer. The regiment
consisted of three troops, namely, the Rainham Troop (Capt. H. B.
Caldwell); the Hingham Troop (Capt. Ferdinand Ives); and the Holt
Troop (Capt. John Mott). “The uniform and
appointments assimilate closely in cut and other details with
those of her Majesty’s regiments of Dragoon
Guards.”
1.—Died at Thetford, aged 63, Mr. Thomas Withers Gill,
an alderman of the borough, who had twice served the office of
Mayor.
—The publication commenced in bi-monthly shilling parts
of “The Eastern Arboretum: a new Botanical Work on the
Trees of Norfolk,” by James Grigor; illustrated by T.
Ninham. London: Longman and Co.; Norwich: John Stacy, Old
Haymarket.
4.—A public meeting, presided over by the Dean, was held
in Norwich, “to receive a report on the city National
Schools, established in the year 1708, and to consider the best
means of advancing the benevolent objects of these most ancient
charitable institutions.” Resolutions were passed
pledging the meeting to support the schools, “which were
the first and for a long time the sole means of educating the children of the poor, and also the cause of similar
institutions in later years.”
5.—The tender of the Rev. Mr. Kent, of East Winch, for
the purchase of the patronage of St. Mary’s Church, Bury
St. Edmund’s, at 3,000 guineas, was opened and accepted by
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
9.—Mr. W. M. Warcup, surgeon, of East Dereham, was
presented with a piece of plate by the inhabitants of Swanton
Morley, “in testimony of their respect for his skilful and
successful treatment of the poor of that parish during fourteen
months when typhus fever of a very malignant character extended
itself into the family of almost every poor person in the
village.”
—The question of the practicability of paving Guildhall
Hill, Norwich, with wood, “in order to prevent the noise
and interruption from carriages passing up and down the hill
during the holding of Quarter Sessions, Assizes, and
magistrates’ sittings,” was introduced by the Mayor
(Capt. Money) and referred to a Committee of the Paving
Commissioners, who, on October 13th, reported that “a wood
pavement was not suitable for declivities.” A
macadamised road was thereupon ordered to be made.
13.*—“We regret to find some of the finest parts
of the antient church of Yarmouth are doomed to
destruction. Handbills inviting tenders for the work have
for some time been in circulation. The principal object of
demolition is the splendid east window of the south isle, one of
the most elaborate examples of a highly-enriched style of
architecture in the county. This capacious building has
long been suffering from the effects of mutilations which every
admirer of our antient ecclesiastical architecture must
lament. The modern and ghastly eastern windows of the north
isle and chancel are deformities which would disgrace a
dilapidated church of the meanest village.”
15.—Mr. Farren, of Covent Garden, and Mr. J. Vining, of
the same theatre, formerly a favourite actor in the Norwich
Company, commenced a short engagement at Norwich Theatre.
The plays in which they appeared included “The Clandestine
Marriage,” “The Day after the Wedding,”
“The School for Scandal,” &c.
—A public meeting, convened by the Mayor, was held at
the Guildhall, Norwich, “for the purpose of congratulating
her Most Gracious Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert on
their late most happy escape from the atrocious attempt at
assassination.” The address was moved by Col. Harvey,
and seconded by Dr. Wright. The notorious Chartist, Dover,
moved a direct negative, which the Mayor refused to accept.
The address was then adopted. An address was also agreed to
by the Town Council on the 15th, and on the 21st the Mayor and
Corporation attended the thanksgiving service at the
Cathedral. Addresses were adopted by the Corporations of
Yarmouth and Lynn, by the clergy of the diocese, and by various
public bodies in the city and county, and a special form of
prayer was used at all the churches. A county meeting took
place at the Shirehall, Norwich, on June 27th, at which
congratulatory addresses to the Queen, the Prince Consort, and
the Duchess of Kent were adopted. Dover and a party of
Norwich Chartists occupied the gallery and created much
disturbance.
16.—John Mountjoy, the pedestrian, commenced a
series of remarkable feats at Norwich. At Ranelagh Gardens
he performed the task of taking up with his mouth, without
touching the ground with his knees, 100 eggs placed a yard apart
and dropping them into a bucket of water without breaking them,
and leaping over 50 hurdles 4 ft. high placed ten yards apart,
making a distance of 6½ miles. He undertook to do
this in one hour, and accomplished it in 58 minutes 56
seconds. On June 22nd he began his walk from the Shirehall
Tavern, Castle Ditches, to Symonds’ Gardens, Yarmouth, and
back twice a day for six successive days, a distance of 76
miles. He finished the undertaking on Saturday, June
27th. After he had crossed Foundry Bridge on his last
return journey he was followed by a tremendous crowd, who bore
the toll collectors before them and made a free passage.
The only remuneration Mountjoy received for his self-imposed task
were the contributions prompted by the generosity of the
public. On July 13th, at Ranelagh Gardens, he ran a mile,
walked backwards a mile, ran a wheelbarrow half a mile, trundled
a hoop a mile, hopped 200 yards, picked up with his mouth 40
hazel nuts placed a yard apart without putting his knees to the
ground, and jumped over 30 hurdles ten yards apart within five
minutes of the time stipulated, one hour. On August 31st he
started to walk to London and back, by way of Cambridge, in 48
hours. Leaving Ranelagh Gardens at four o’clock in
the morning, he reached Wymondham at 5.5 and Thetford at 9.20,
Barton Mills before 11, and Newmarket at 12.45. After
leaving Newmarket, he incautiously drank some cold water, which
had such an effect upon him that he lay for an hour and a quarter
outside the Swan Inn at Bottisham. Having somewhat
recovered, he resumed his walk and reached Cambridge a little
before five o’clock, and Melbourne at nine, where he was
again taken ill and obliged to lie down for an hour. He
then struggled on to Royston, where “he was obliged to lie
down under a hedge, with none but strangers around
him.” On reaching Buntingford he was advised to give
in, but he pursued his course to within a mile of Ware, when he
was obliged to relinquish the undertaking. Mountjoy, on
September 10th, jumped 144 hurdles and ran twelve times round the
racecourse on Mousehold Heath in 1 min. 4 sees, under the hour
(distance not stated); and on September 13th walked 20 miles
backwards and 20 forwards on the Catton Road, starting at 9 a.m.
and finishing at 7.4 p.m.
18.—Died at Coltishall, aged 62, Mr. Thomas Stallard
Webb, historical engraver to the Queen. “For the long
term of 38 years this eminent artist most assiduously devoted his
great talents, in conjunction with the late Thomas Holloway and
Richard Slann, who survives, exclusively to the engraving of the
celebrated cartoons of Raphael from the original paintings in the
possession of her Majesty, the last plate of which series was
completed only a few weeks before his death. This splendid
work will carry down his name to posterity amongst the first
artists of the age.”
23.—The foundation-stone of Christ church, New Catton,
was laid by the Hon. and Very Rev. Dean Pellew, after a special
service at the mother church of St. Clement, at which the sermon
was preached by the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Pelham, rector of Bergh
Apton. The architect was Mr. Brown, the contractors Messrs.
Wright and Cattermoul and Messrs. Watson and Neale, the site was
given by Mr. S. D. Page, and the entire cost of the work was
£2,400. “More than 300 years have
elapsed since a parish church has been raised in this city.
Of the 36 churches, St. Andrew’s is the last that was
erected, or rather rebuilt, about the year 1500, on the site of
an ancient church.”
1.—On the opening of the Eastern Counties Railway from
Shoreditch to Brentwood, the London coaches from Norwich,
Yarmouth, and other places in Norfolk and Suffolk there
transferred their passengers and mails to the trains in
communication with the Metropolis.
4.*—“The very antient lectorium or
reading-desk which has for many years lain neglected in Norwich
Cathedral has, by order of the Hon. the Very Rev. the Dean,
recently been restored, and is now placed in the choir. It
was originally adorned with figures, which, in the time of the
usurpation, were destroyed or mutilated. These figures have
been replaced by others cast in brass and elaborately chased by
Mr. John Herbert, from models furnished by Mr. Ollett.”
9.—Died in St. Stephen’s, Norwich, aged 81, Mr.
John Stafford, “a man well known in the sporting world,
having been many years a noted cock-feeder.”
18.*—[Advt.] “The public are respectfully
informed that the Angel Inn, Market Place, Norwich, having been
recently disposed of, is now refurnishing and fitting up with
every convenience for the reception of families and commercial
gentlemen, and will in future be known as the Royal
Hotel.”
23.—In recording the anniversary of an Oddfellows’
Lodge at Lynn on this date, the Norfolk
Chronicle stated: “The name
‘Oddfellows,’ by which the Order is distinguished,
scarcely does justice to the institution, as corresponding with
its importance and its noble and generous principles. To
those who are unacquainted with the real merits of the society,
there is a sort of peculiarity in the title of
‘Oddfellows’ which may seem to imply something of
buffoonery united with thoughtless revelling.”
30.—Died, aged 50, Mr. B. Harrison, many years a popular
actor on the Norwich stage.
31.—Married, Mr. Charles Fisher, of the Norfolk and
Suffolk Company of Comedians, to Miss Richardson, only daughter
of Richard Richardson, gent., of Swafield, North Walsham.
—The non-commissioned officers and men of the East
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry presented to Major Charles Loftus a
silver candelabrum, in “testimony of the sincere regard and
admiration which they bear towards him both as their commanding
officer and as a private gentleman.” The presentation
was made by Lord James Townshend, at a dinner given at the
King’s Arms Inn, East Dereham, under the presidency of
Quarter-Master Wood.
1.—Sir John Patteson and Sir Edward Hall Alderson, the
Judges of Assize, arrived at Norwich.
3.—Mr. Yates, Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, and Mr. Paul
Bedford commenced a six nights’ engagement at Norwich
Theatre for the Assize week, in the new drama, “Jack
Shephard.” Mrs. Keeley appeared in the title
rôle, Mr. Yates as Abram Monday, and Mr. Bedford as
Joe Blueskin. Mrs. Keeley (née Goward) was
formerly a member of the Norwich Company. On the 10th Miss
Ellen Tree and Mr. George Bennett, of Covent Garden and Drury
Lane, appeared in Sheridan Knowles’ play,
“Love.” Mr. Bennett was the son of an old actor
on the Norwich stage, and of Miss Tree it was said: “She is
indeed one of Nature’s noblesse, an histrionic
genius of the first order, an ornament to her arduous, anxious,
and ill-requited profession.”
—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Patteson,
John Randalsome, aged 40, was indicted for the murder of his
wife, at Thwaite, on June 19th. A singular feature of the
case was that none of the murdered woman’s relatives were
aware that she was married to the prisoner. Randalsome had
formed an illicit acquaintance with a girl named Punchard, and
desired to be rid of his wife. Having enticed her from the
house of her father, with whom she resided, he wounded her
severely about the head and face with a hedge stake, and threw
her into a pond. The medical evidence proved that death
resulted from drowning. The jury returned a verdict of
guilty, and the prisoner was executed on the Castle Hill,
Norwich, on August 22nd.
—The new Amphitheatre and Royal Albert Saloon, Ranelagh
Gardens, St. Stephen’s Gates, Norwich, was opened.
“The building is after a new design, constructed with great
solidarity, and on a considerably increased scale of
dimensions. The circle is about 150 feet in circumference,
lighted up with a splendid chandelier of 20 gas burners,
suspended from the centre of the cone, which is glazed from the
top downwards about 15 ft. Round the spacious arena rise
lower and upper tiers of boxes splendidly fitted up. The
entrance to the circle and boxes is through a lofty and
well-proportioned saloon, about 70 ft. long and 30 ft.
wide. The façade of the building presents above the
principal entrance an open portico of three arches looking into
the gardens; and there is an exactly similar arcade opening
internally towards the theatre.” A portion of the
building here described is now the Victoria Station of the Great
Eastern Railway.
2.—At the King’s Head Inn, Diss, the brewery,
public-houses, mansion, farm, and other property of Mr. Robert
Sheriffe, of Diss, were sold by auction by Mr. W. W. Simpson, of
London. The brewery and public-houses were purchased by Mr.
Samuel Farrow, and the amount realised by the three days’
sale was £50,000. “The great increase in the
value of country public-houses apparent from the enormous prices
which have lately been realised for this description of property
leads us to believe that the shook which the trade suffered on
the passing of the Beer Bill some years since has been entirely
recovered, and that country public-houses are now even of greater
value than they were antecedent to the passing of that
measure.”
9.—The two days’ annual race meeting commenced on
the Mousehold course, Norwich.
10.—A “great ringing festival” took
place at Heydon, to celebrate the opening of the new peal of
bells put up by Thomas and Joshua Hurry, of Norwich. Prizes
were competed for by the ringers, and a “farmers’
ball” concluded the festivities.
12.—On this date was reported the discovery of the
remains of Sir Thomas Browne, in the church of St. Peter
Mancroft, Norwich. “The bones of the skeleton were
found to be in good preservation, particularly those of the
skull. The brain was considerable in quantity, but changed
to a state of adipocere resembling ointment of a dark brown
hue. The hair and the beard remained profuse and perfect,
though the flesh of the face as well as of every other part was
totally gone. With respect to the formation of the head, we
are informed that the forehead was remarkably low, but the back
of the cranium exhibited an unusual degree of depth and
capaciousness. Sir Thomas Browne died on October 12th,
1682.”
14.—Died at Honing, Thomas Holt, aged 105.
21.—M. Liszt, the celebrated pianist, performed at two
grand concerts at Norwich, in the morning at the Assembly Rooms,
and in the evening at the Theatre. The other artistes were
Mr. Mori, Mdlle. de Varny, Miss Louisa Bassano, and Mr. J.
Parry.
22.—Under the management of Messrs. Hewlett and Trory, a
morning concert was given at the Assembly Rooms, and an evening
concert at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, at which the
performers were Madame Persiani, Signor Negri, Signor Rubini, and
Signor Puzzi. “In two consecutive days we have had
four concerts and heard four of the greatest performers of the
present day—Persiani, Puzzi, Rubini, and Liszt.”
24.—From a meadow near Bishop Bridge, Norwich, Mr.
Charles Green ascended in the Nassau balloon, accompanied by Mr.
R. Crawshay and his sons, Messrs. F. and E. Crawshay, Mr.
Nicholas Bacon, Mr. Shalders, and Mr. Andrews. The balloon
rose at four o’clock, and descended at five o’clock,
at Metton, near Felbrigg.
1.—Died at his residence in the Lower Close, Norwich,
aged 90, Sylas Neville, M.D. “Of this venerable
gentleman, for a great many years an inhabitant of this city,
living as he did in a state of perfect seclusion, there is little
to record beyond the fact of his having been born in London and
having taken his doctor’s degree at Edinburgh, in
1775. His inaugural essay, ‘De Prognosi in
Febribus,’ delivered on the occasion, is in print, and
bears testimony to his acquirements both as a classic and as a
pathologist. During many years and to the last moments of
his existence, Dr. Neville was chiefly indebted to the kindness
of friends around him for the means of subsistence.”
5.—George Edward Seales, known as a common informer,
procured the conviction of a coach proprietor, at the Norwich
Police Court, for carrying more than the regulation number of
passengers. Seales, on leaving the Guildhall, was violently
assaulted by the mob, and was escorted to his home by twenty
police-officers.
6.—Col. Petre, of Westwick, presided at a meeting
at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, at which was formed, for the
prevention of cruelty to animals, a society known as “The
Animals’ Friend Society.”
—The Countess of Leicester sustained a compound fracture
of the leg by a fall from her horse whilst riding in Holkham
Park.
16.—A brace of trout was taken in an eel net at the New
Mills, Norwich. The female weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz., and was
23½ inches in length; the male was 4 lbs. 12 oz. in
weight, and 23 inches in length.
2.—On Mr. T. R. Buckworth’s estate at Cockley
Cley, near Swaffham, “a party of several gentlemen killed
the extraordinary number of 630 head of game, consisting of 331
pheasants, 15 partridges, 176 hares, and 108 rabbits.”
5.—Gaslight was used for the first time at Harleston; to
celebrate the event a public dinner was held at the Magpie
Inn.
6.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, presided over by Mr. John Joseph Gurney, at which an
auxiliary of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, for
the purpose of abolishing slavery throughout the world, was
formed. Mr. Henry B. Stanton, secretary of the New York
Anti-Slavery Society, was the principal speaker.
9.—Mr. Edward Willett was elected Mayor, and Mr. Richard
Coaks appointed Sheriff, of Norwich.
—Died at his residence, St. Margaret’s Place,
Lynn, aged 63, Mr. John Prescott Blencowe, who had several times
served the office of Mayor of that borough.
10.—The Norwich Polytechnic Exhibition was opened in the
premises known as the Royal Bazaar, St. Andrew’s. The
exhibition consisted of scientific objects, paintings, drawings,
machinery, &c. Professor Partington delivered a course
of lectures on arts and manufactures.
18.—A county meeting was held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, in furtherance of the movement for suppressing the slave
trade in Africa. The High Sheriff (Mr. H. Villebois)
presided. The Chartists attended in force, and “gave
groans for the Whigs of Norwich, for Mr. J. J. Gurney, the Bishop
of Norwich, and Sir T. Fowell Buxton.” The
ringleader, Dover, moved a resolution affirming that the meeting
“views with deep regret the many proofs of despotic slavery
now increasing at home, and it therefore pledges itself to use
all its exertions to put a final stop to slavery wherever it is
found to exist.” This was negatived, amid great
uproar, and the resolutions drafted by the promoters of the
meeting adopted.
22.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the birth of
a Princess (Princess Royal). The bells of St. Peter
Mancroft were rung, and next day (Monday) there were further
demonstrations of joy. On December 2nd a special meeting of
the Norwich Court of Guardians was held, “to drink the
health of the Queen and the Princess Royal”; and on the
same day the Bishop, in celebration of the birth, entertained the
inmates of the Workhouse. The Town Council, on
the 10th, adopted a loyal and dutiful address of
congratulation.
22.—A severe gale occurred on the Norfolk coast, and
resulted in the loss of several lives. Ships were driven
ashore at Cromer.
14.—A young man named William Bunting appeared before
the Norwich magistrates, charged with using threatening language
to Mr. R. N. Bacon, of the “Norwich Mercury.”
The defendant, a groom in the service of Capt. Ives, rode a horse
named Newman Nogs at Long Stratton steeplechases on December
9th. The animal was injured, and had to be destroyed.
The complainant, in his report in the “Mercury,”
insinuated that the rider “had too much nog in his
head”; and Bunting, taking offence, called at the office,
and threatened to horsewhip Mr. Bacon. It was alleged that,
during the interview, Capt. Ives rode backwards and forwards in
front of the office. Defendant was ordered to find
sureties, and keep the peace.
26.—Navigation between Norwich and Yarmouth was
obstructed by the frozen state of the river.
28.—A cricket match was played on the ice on Scoulton
Mere, between two selected elevens from the parish of
Hingham. “Mr. W. Waller’s side went in first,
and after some fine play, and still finer falls, were out for 66
runs. Mr. W. Roberts’ side then took the bat, and
scored 170 runs in the most slashing style, hitting the ball
quite off the ice in all directions. Some of the players
wore skaits, and others their stump shoes, &c., to prevent
falling.”
30.—At a meeting held at the East India and Colonial
Rooms, Pall Mall, under the presidency of Mr. W. L. W. Chute,
M.P., the Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge Railway Company was
formed, for the purpose of constructing a line to proceed from
Yarmouth to Bishop’s Stortford, by way of Norwich,
Wymondham, Attleborough, Thetford, Newmarket and Cambridge.
The principal promoter was Mr. J. W. Rastrick, and the adoption
of the scheme was agreed to on the motion of the Marquis of
Douro, seconded by Mr. Samuel Bignold. The estimated cost
of the line was two millions, and of locomotives and carriages,
£200,000.
31.—The weather “was warmer and more brilliant
than the last days of May are sometimes found to be.”
In the previous week the thermometer stood at eleven degrees
below freezing point.
3.—A severe gale, with thunder, lightning, and
hailstorms, occurred.
4.—A correspondent writing to the Norfolk Chronicle on this date announced the
discovery, in the old Library Room at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, of an antique chest containing the remains of
a valuable collection of Roman and English coins. John
Kirkpatrick, in his will, dated July, 1727, made the following
bequest: “I give to the Mayor, Sheriffs, citizens and
commonalty of Norwich all my ancient MSS. and all my medals and
antient coins of silver and brass, to be deposited in the library
of the new Hall” (the Guildhall). The coins found at
St. Andrew’s Hall formed the remnant of that
collection.
7.—The thermometer fell to zero at Norwich. The
cold was so intense that fowls under cover were frozen to
death. Great distress prevailed, and meetings were held at
Norwich, Yarmouth, and Lynn, to adopt measures for the relief of
the poor.
9.—Died in the Cathedral Precincts, Norwich, in his 77th
year, the Rev. Peter Hansell, one of the Minor Canons of the
Cathedral, an office which he had held for upwards of fifty-four
years. For more than half a century he was minister of St.
John de Sepulchre. His remains were interred, on the 15th,
in the south transept of the Cathedral.
—Died, aged 52, Samuel Thurston, for more than 30 years
a ringer at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich. “As a
practical ringer and theorist combined, the art has lost one of
its brightest ornaments. The date tablets erected in
different parishes throughout the city and county record his fame
as a ringer.”
16.—All the marshes and low-lying lands in the vicinity
of Norwich were flooded upon the breaking up of the frost.
Owing to the heavy state of the roads, the mail and stage coaches
were delayed several hours beyond their usual time. The
weather was remarkably warm and brilliant in the last week of the
month.
3.—Wintry weather set in with increased severity, the
rivers were icebound, and navigation was completely stopped at
Lynn.
—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. Ed. Willett) entertained a
large party at the Royal Hotel, in celebration of the christening
of the Princess Royal. “Four swans formed a
conspicuous figure in the second course, and the ancient and
costly Corporation plate was brought into requisition on this
occasion. Previous to the removal of the cloth the
beautiful antique massive gilt dishes were passed round with rose
water in them.” In the evening a ball was held at the
Assembly Rooms.
8.—Miss Ellen Tree commenced a six nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre. Her impersonations included
Julia (“The Hunchback”), Letitia Hardy, Mrs. Haller,
Constance (“The Love Chase”), Juliana (“The
Honeymoon”), and Pauline.
12.—Died, at East Dereham, in her 101st year, Mrs.
Carter, widow of the Rev. John Carter, formerly minister of the
Independent chapel, Mattishall.
—Died, Sir Astley Paston Cooper, Bart., aged 78
years.
27.—Died at Scarning, aged 67, the Rev. L. Walton,
perpetual curate of Wendling and Longham, and many years master
of the Free Grammar School, Scarning.
5.—The Norwich Philharmonic Society, established on the
dissolution of the Hall Concert, gave its first concert.
22.—The Mayor of Yarmouth (Mr. S. Palmer),
“assisted by the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons,”
laid the first stone of the Victoria Hotel at Yarmouth.
“Corn, wine, and oil, emblems of plenty, were offered and
poured upon the stone.” The hotel, and adjoining
houses known as Kimberley Terrace, were erected by the Victoria
Building Company, “for the reception of families of the
highest distinction.”
5.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Bosanquet,
Charlotte Yaxley, alias Middleton, aged 22, was indicted
for the murder of Lavinia Kerrison, the thirteen months old
illegitimate child of her husband, by drowning it in a duck-pond
at Yarmouth, on March 23rd. She was found guilty, and
sentenced to transportation for life.
10.—Intelligence was received at Norwich of the
massacre, by Malay pirates, in the Straits of Timor, of the crew
of the Pilot Southseaman in June, 1840. The captain, first
officer (Mr. Gidney, brother of Mr. J. W. Gidney, of East
Dereham), and twenty-five seamen fell victims whilst gallantly
defending the ship.
13.—Died, aged 85, John Rayson, of Pulham.
“For nearly half a century he had been deprived of the use
of his legs, but this did not prevent his travelling daily
between Pulham and Harleston as postman or letter carrier, for 47
years.”
17.—A new “local drama,” entitled,
“Rose Maynard, the Factory Girl of Norwich,” was
produced for the first time at Norwich Theatre. “The
piece is of home manufacture, but we cannot compliment the
weaver of this dramatic warp and woof of his
judgment in laying such a fabric before an audience in
Norwich.” The scenery, by Thorne, included views of
St. Saviour’s church, the Palace Gate, St. Martin-at-Palace
Plain, and Whitefriars’ Bridge.
27.—Died at South Walsham, aged 75, Mr. Henry
Codling. “Unassisted by the aid of any tutor, he
acquired no mean degree of mathematical knowledge. He
understood the doctrine of fluxions, and delighted in his
favourite author, Maclaurin. He was a constant annual
correspondent with the ‘Ladies’ Diary,’ to
within a few years of the close of his life, and received prizes
for the solution of the most knotty questions contained
therein.”
28.—The headquarters of the 8th Royal Irish Hussars
marched from Norwich for Manchester, and on the same day two
troops of the 7th Dragoon Guards marched in, under the command of
Major Bolton.
—Died at Chigwell Row, Mr. Luke Greaves Hansard, aged
61. “He was printer to the House of Commons, and
eldest son of Luke Hansard, a native of Norfolk.”
5.—The Bishop of Norwich confirmed 500 persons at
Diss. His lordship, in the course of this
visitation, confirmed 10,464 young persons.
11.—Mr. Carter, “the celebrated African Lion
King,” appeared at Norwich Theatre “with his troupe
of acting animals, consisting of lions, tigers, leopards, and
panthers, in a new drama, entitled, ‘The Lion of the
Desert.’” Mr. Carter took the part of
“Abdallah, a dumb Arab.” “It requires no
little nerve on the part of the actors and actresses to play to
such rough customers, and much credit is due to the members of
the Norwich Company who took a share in the
performance.”
17.—At Norwich, R. Coates, “the great London
pedestrian,” walked 50 miles in twelve hours; on the 18th
ran 50 miles, on the 19th ran 40 miles backwards, on the 20th ran
a pair of wheels 22 miles, rowed a boat 10 miles, jumped 300
flights of hurdles placed ten yards apart, and threw 100
somersaults. “All these events on the several days
were performed in the space of twelve hours.” At the
Green Hill Gardens, Norwich, Coates undertook to walk, on June
1st, 2nd, and 3rd, fifty miles in twelve hours each day,
“half backwards and half forwards, and accomplished this
extraordinary feat the last day with ten minutes to
spare.” At the same gardens, on June 30th, he
commenced walking 1,000 half miles in 1,000 successive
hours. “He has to walk a half mile every succeeding
half hour day and night, but he has the privilege of walking two
half miles together, the last and first part of the
hour.” Coates was credited with the due
accomplishment of the feat. On August 10th a man named
Charles Thurlow began a walk of 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours at
Richmond Hill Gardens, Norwich, and completed what was said to
have been a genuine performance on September 21st. Another
pedestrian named Henry Raven, started to walk the same distance
in the same time on the Lord Nelson ground, Lakenham, on
September 29th, and completed his undertaking on November
10th.
—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, under the command of
Major Loftus, marched into Norwich, headed by their brass band,
and on the following day proceeded to Yarmouth for a week’s
permanent duty.
18.—Sir Jacob Astley, of Melton Constable, Norfolk, and
of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, took his seat in the House of
Peers as Baron Hastings. The termination of the
long-pending abeyance of the Barony of Hastings in favour of Sir
Jacob was celebrated with great festivities at Foulsham and
Holt. “According to the date of his barony, the 18th
of Edward I., 1290, next below Lord de Roos, Baron Hastings is
the most ancient baron of the United Kingdom.”
20.—Mr. G. V. Brooke commenced a six nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre.
2.—At a meeting held at the Assembly Rooms, East
Dereham, under the presidency of Lord Sondes, it was agreed
“that in consequence of the unprincipled attacks made upon
the owners and cultivators of the soil by the employment of hired
agitators to inflame the minds of the lower orders of society
against them, it is expedient that some steps be adopted for the
protection and defence of those interests.” It was
also decided to form an association which was known as
the Central Norfolk Society for the Protection of Agriculture,
and was affiliated to the British Agricultural Protection
Association, an organization which worked in opposition to the
Anti-Corn Law League.
2.—A meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, in pursuance of a requisition addressed to the Mayor,
stating that “her Majesty’s Ministers had been guilty
of an act of gross and wanton injustice and spoliation in
depriving the freemen of this and other cities and boroughs of
their vested municipal rights; that by their unremitting
endeavours to uphold and perpetuate in all their unmitigated
harshness and severity the heartless and oppressive provisions of
the new Poor Law they had evinced an utter disregard to the
wants, feelings, and rights of the poor, and that their recent
attempts to deprive the colonial and agricultural interests of
the empire of a just protection under the specious and delusive
pretext of supplying a deficiency in the revenue which their own
mismanagement had occasioned, had rendered them wholly unworthy
of the confidence of the country.” Between two
thousand and three thousand persons were present, and the
greatest confusion prevailed, owing to the action of a large body
of Chartists, led by the notorious John Dover. It was
proposed that Col. Harvey should take the chair, but the
Chartists elected one Matthew Smith, a working man. On the
latter assuming the presidency of the meeting, Col. Harvey, Mr.
Bignold, and other gentlemen left the hall. A number of
resolutions of a revolutionary character were adopted, and Dover,
at the conclusion of the meeting, congratulated his followers on
the success of the gathering, remarking that “it had cost
the Tories £20 for bills, and the Whigs £20 for
bullies.” The proceedings, which were of a very
orderly character, concluded with three cheers for Fergus
O’Connor. Meanwhile the gentlemen who had convened
the original meeting adjourned to the Norfolk Hotel, where they
passed a series of resolutions emphasising the statements
contained in the requisition. During the whole of the
proceedings the hotel was besieged by a riotous mob, several
serious assaults were committed, and on the 3rd some of the
rioters were charged before the magistrates.
9.—Litcham Races took place on this date. Among
the other local meetings was that at East Dereham, on June 23rd,
where the commencement of the sport was announced by the ringing
of the church bells, and the cup was won by Mr. Column’s
c.g. Day Star. The trophy “weighed 41 oz., and
contained by admeasurement eight pints of Howard’s
sparkling champaign, which the fortunate winner twice filled, and
the company partook of it with true English feeling.”
The Yarmouth meeting took place on July 20th and 21st, the
Norfolk and Norwich Races were held on Mousehold Heath, Norwich,
on September 8th and 9th, and Swaffham Races on September
15th.
19.*—“For nearly the middle of June, so cold a
season has never perhaps been experienced as during all last
week. Fires and great coats were in general requisition,
and coachmen and guards were to be seen muffled up as if we had
been in the depth of winter.”
28.—The Marquis of Douro and Mr. Benjamin Smith, the
retiring members, were nominated for the representation of
Norwich in Parliament. Dover, the Chartist, nominated a
third candidate, Mr. William Eagle, of Lakenheath, Suffolk.
“Conservatives and Whigs, in the show of
hands, voted against Eagle, and the Sheriff declared the Marquis
of Douro and Mr. Smith duly elected.” Dover thereupon
demanded a poll for Eagle, but was unable to deposit one-third of
the expense (about £200). The proceedings were
temporarily adjourned. “Dover then went out of the
room, and, after the lapse of half an hour, something took
place which our readers will guess by the result. When
Dover came back there was no further demand for a poll—we
believe Dover received £50 to withdraw the
nomination.” The rumour quickly spread among the
Chartists that Dover had “sold” them. The mob
waylaid him in Dove Lane, and he retreated to the Guildhall for
protection. The windows of the room in which he was
supposed to have taken refuge were demolished by the stones
thrown by the mob, and the police who went out to quell the
disturbance were assailed by volleys of brickbats and other
missiles. The 7th Dragoon Guards were called out, the Mayor
read the Riot Act, and in the excitement and confusion Dover left
the Guildhall unnoticed. On the 29th the Chartists
assembled in force and went to the King’s Head, St.
George’s Colegate, where Dover lived with a woman named
Charlotte Humphrey. They burst into the house and found him
armed with his Chartist weapons, which were wrested from him; he
was knocked down, brutally belaboured, and hurried to the river,
and would have been thrown from the bridge had it not been for
the piteous intercession of one of his children. The mob
were moving towards the Market Place with their prisoner when he
was rescued by the police. At the same time a detachment of
dragoons, commanded by Cornet Crofts, with the Mayor at their
head, rode up, a coach was procured, and Dover, having been
placed inside, was conveyed, under military escort, to the City
Gaol, where his serious injuries were attended to by the surgeon
of the prison. On the 30th several persons appeared before
the magistrates and were punished for taking part in the
disturbances. Public tranquillity was somewhat restored the
same day by a procession in which “Philip Augustus, the
musical pieman,” and “Jerry, the lucifer match
seller, in a military costume, with an immense plume of feathers
in his cap,” were “chaired.”
28.—Lord George Bentinck and Sir Stratford Canning were
returned unopposed for the borough of King’s Lynn.
—Mr. W. Wilshere, Mr. C. E. Rumbold, Mr. Thomas Baring,
and Mr. Joseph Soames were nominated candidates for the
representation of Yarmouth. The proceedings were marked by
great disorder. The polling, on the 29th, resulted as
follows:—Wilshere, 945; Rumbold, 943; Baring, 501; Soames,
494. The two first named were declared elected.
30.—Thetford election took place. The Hon. W.
Bingham Baring (Conservative), 86; Lord Euston (Whig), 71; Sir
James Flower (Conservative), 71. Before a Committee of the
House of Commons, on May 4th, 1842, a petition was presented on
behalf of Sir James Flower, on the ground that several votes
polled for Lord Euston were bad, as the voters had lost their
qualifications. His lordship declined to take any part in
these proceedings. The objection against one voter having
been sustained, Sir James Flower was placed in a majority, and
the Committee then passed the following
resolution:—“That the Right Hen. Henry FitzRoy,
commonly called the Earl of Euston, was not duly elected member
for the borough of Thetford; that Sir James Flower, Bart., was duly elected, and ought to have been
returned; and that the Committee have altered the poll by
striking off the vote of William Burlingham from the poll of the
Earl of Euston.”
5.—Mr. William Bagge and Mr. W. Lyde Wiggett Chute, the
former members, were nominated and returned unopposed as members
for West Norfolk. “The town of Swaffham was one blaze
of pink and purple.” The candidates were escorted to
the Shirehall by an imposing procession, and after the nomination
the election dinner was held at the Assembly Rooms, under the
presidency of the Hon. Francis Baring.
10.—Mr. Edmond Wodehouse and Mr. Henry Negus Burroughes,
the former Conservative members for East Norfolk, entered Norwich
at the head of a great cavalcade of freeholders, and were
nominated at the Shirehall. Mr. Palmer, Recorder of
Yarmouth, and Mr. William Wilde, Coroner for Norwich, nominated
and seconded Sir William J. H. B. ffolkes as the Whig
candidate. The polling, on the 13th, was declared as
follows:—Wodehouse, 3,498; Burroughes, 3,437; ffolkes,
1,379.
12.—Died at Denton, near Harleston, Sarah Witton, aged
100 years, “leaving twenty-nine great-grandchildren still
living, they being the origin of one daughter.” The
deceased was “the daughter of John and Eleanor Middleton,
who lived to attain to the great age of 105 years.”
15.—Died in the Chantry, Norwich, Monsieur De Rouillon,
“an eminent professor and teacher of French, and
extensively known as the author of several grammatical and other
useful literary works.”
26.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Williams,
a special jury tried the important action, Palmer and another
v. Irving, chairman of the Alliance Insurance
Company. The action was brought by the executors of a
person of the name of Howes to recover from the company the sum
of £1,503, the amount of a policy on the life of
Howes. The defendant disputed the liability to pay, on the
ground that Howes had suffered from consumption, was addicted to
habits prejudicial to life, and that the policy had been obtained
by fraud. After a long trial, an arrangement was arrived
at, and a verdict given for the defendant, both sides to pay
their own costs, and the policy to become void. Policies
with other offices were similarly affected by the result of the
trial.
28.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Williams,
John Self, aged 20, was charged with the murder of Jemima
Stimpson, aged 15, at Wymondham, on July 17th. The prisoner
killed the girl by striking her on the head with a spade, and
afterwards threw the body into a pond. He was found guilty,
sentenced to death, and on August 14th executed on the Castle
Hill, Norwich.
16.—The two troops of the 7th Dragoon Guards marched
from the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, en route for
Ireland. On the 25th a portion of the 13th Light Dragoons,
recently returned from active service in India,
marched in. The headquarters of the regiment were stationed
at Ipswich. The commanding officer was Lieut.-Col. Richard
Brunton, youngest son of Mr. John Brunton, formerly manager of
Norwich Theatre, and brother of the Dowager Countess Craven.
17.—Experiments were made on Yarmouth beach, in the
presence of coastguard officers, with the view of testing the
capabilities of Manby’s mortar and Dennett’s rocket
in carrying out a line for effecting communication with stranded
vessels. “The result of the experiments appears to be
that each apparatus is possessed of qualities peculiar to
itself. The rocket unquestionably carries the furthest, and
flies with great precision. It is also more portable, but
the unanimous opinion was that the rocket and mortar should go
together, and so far from being considered rivals, they should be
regarded as coadjutors in promoting the beneficent object which
each must have in view.”
26.—A four-oared match between London and Norwich crews,
for £50 a side, took place from Coldham Hall to Thorpe
Gardens, distance seven miles. The crews were composed as
follow: London—Lett (stroke), Moulton, Maynard, Perry, G.
Maynard (cox.). Norwich—William Gurling (stroke),
Henry Gurling, Clarke, Tom Lefevre, W. Buttle (cox.). The
boats started at 4.30 p.m.; the Londoners rowed the distance in
53 minutes, and the Norwich men in 56 minutes. The London
boat, the most perfect specimen of a four-oar ever seen in
Norwich, weighed 124 lbs. In a second match, on August
28th, in Norwich-built boats, from Bramerton to Thorpe, the
London crew won by 25 seconds. On the same day a match
between London and Norwich amateurs (London: Messrs. Chinery and
Thompson; Norwich: Messrs. Clabburn and Russell), was rowed from
Postwick to Thorpe (two miles), stakes £10.
“The striking of the flags was nearly simultaneous, but the
Londoners were declared the winners.”
—A balloon ascent was made from Lynn Gasworks by Mr.
Gypson, accompanied by Mr. Thomas Oxley and Mr. D. Nelson.
A second ascent took place on September 9th. On September
18th Mr. Gypson ascended from Swaffham Gasworks.
6.—Mr. and Mrs. Wood commenced an operatic engagement at
Norwich Theatre. The productions included “La
Somnambula,” “Fra Diavolo,” “Love in a
Village,” and “The Waterman.”
14.—The Coltishall Brewery estate, consisting of a
residence and cottages, 53 inns and public-houses, and about 260
acres of land, formerly the property of Mr. Robert Howes,
deceased, was offered for sale by auction, at the Norfolk Hotel,
Norwich, by Mr. W. W. Simpson, of London, and realised about
£50,000.
13.—Van Amburgh, with his collection of trained animals,
performed at Lynn. “The elephant arrived covered with
a sort of coat à la Mackintosh, and, to prevent injury to his feet,
he had something on in the shape of boots.” The show
also visited Norwich, and was located in the Ranelagh
Gardens. “As a menagerie it is inferior to
Wombwell’s; as a spectacle it is scarcely to be compared
with Carter’s.”
19.—At the Norwich Quarter Sessions, before Mr. Isaac
Jermy, Recorder, Jacob Macro, woollen draper, refused to take the
oath as a member of the grand jury, “because Scripture said
‘Swear not at all.’ The Recorder: Then, sir, I
think it right to fine you the sum of £50, to be paid to
the use of her Majesty.” The fine was subsequently
reduced to £20.
8.—An exceedingly rare fish, the maigre (sciæna
aquila), was captured off Sheringham. It measured 5 ft.
2 in. in length, weighed 68½ lbs., and was preserved by
Mr. George Johnson, chemist, of Norwich.
9.—At a meeting of the Norwich Paving Commissioners, it
was decided to try the experiment of paving Briggs’ Street
with wood. It was suggested that “pieces of fir 14
in. or 15 in. long, having been peeled, be put down as they grow,
with gravel between each.”
—Mr. John Marshall was elected Mayor of Norwich, and Mr.
William Storey appointed Sheriff.
10.—On the arrival at Norwich of the intelligence of the
birth of the Prince of Wales, the Union flag was hoisted on the
towers of St. Peter Mancroft, St. Stephen, St. Giles, and of
other parish churches, and the bells of St. Peter rang rejoicing
peals. On Sunday, the 14th, a special form of thanksgiving
was used at the church services; on November 16th and December
4th the Norwich Town Council and the county magistrates voted
addresses of congratulation to the Queen and Prince Albert; and
on December 7th the Bishop of Norwich gave a dinner to the
inmates of the Workhouse. “The Queen graciously
received the congratulations of the boys of Paston Grammar
School, North Walsham, and requested that an additional week of
holidays be granted to them at the ensuing Christmas vacation, in
commemoration of the happy event.”
13.—On this date was published the judgment given in the
Consistory Court of Norwich, by Mr. Evans, in the suit, Loftus
husband v. Loftus wife. The suit was brought by the
Rev. Arthur Loftus, of Fincham, against Mary Anna Ray Loftus, for
restitution of the conjugal rights of marriage. The Court
ruled that Mr. Loftus was fully entitled to judgment, and
admonished Mrs. Loftus to return to her husband.
14.—Died at Blickling Hall, the seat of the Dowager Lady
Suffield, John William Robert Kerr, Marquis and Earl of Lothian,
aged 48. The funeral of the deceased nobleman took place at
Blickling church, on November 24th.
16.—Christ church, New Catton, was consecrated by the
Bishop of Norwich, and the sermon was preached by the Hon. and
Rev. J. T. Pelham, rector of Berghapton. “The
Chartists marched in procession to the church and were refused
admission, and then commenced every possible description of
insult and injury. The Bishop and other gentlemen,
on leaving the church, were scandalously assailed by the mob;
near St. Clement’s church some stones were thrown, and it
was with difficulty that the crowd was kept off. The Right
Rev. prelate was escorted to the Palace, and at the gate three
cheers were given for his lordship.” Eleven arrests
were made, and several convictions were recorded during the two
days’ hearing at the Police Court. The ringleader, a
man named Hewett, was committed for trial at the Quarter
Sessions, and on January 4th, 1842, the Recorder (Mr. Isaac
Jermy) sentenced him to two calendar months’ imprisonment,
ordered him to find two sureties and keep the peace for twelve
months, and to remain in custody until such sureties were
forthcoming.
17.—At the dinner of the Marham Hunt, held at the Crown
Inn, Swaffham, Mr. Henry Villebois was presented with a silver
candelabrum, weighing 200 oz., in recognition of “the
liberal and sporting manner in which he had contributed to the
general amusement” of the members of the Hunt.
19.—A meeting of landowners and others was held at
Yarmouth, for the purpose of considering a scheme proposed by Mr.
Robert Stephenson, for constructing a railway from Yarmouth to
Norwich. Two other proposed railways were before the
public, and in both cases it was proposed to construct bridges
over the river. Mr. Stephenson’s railway, first known
as the Valley Line, pursued a route which obviated the necessity
of crossing the river, but the scheme included a plan for
diverting the course of the stream at Thorpe for a distance of
about 50 chains. The scheme, which was estimated to cost
£150,000, was adopted, and the line, the first to be opened
in Norfolk, was called afterwards the Yarmouth and Norwich
Railway.
24.—The celebrated Distin family gave the first of three
concerts at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
27.*—“The memorial statue of the late venerable
Bishop Bathurst, by the far-famed hand of Chantrey, has been
erected this week in Norwich Cathedral.” This was the
last work of Chantrey, who died in London shortly after his
departure from Norwich. “The estimate for the
monument of Bishop Bathurst was £2,500; Chantrey took it
for £1,500; the block of Carrara marble alone must have
cost him nearly £1,000.”
—The Census returns were published on this date.
The statistics affecting Norwich were as follow:—Houses,
inhabited, 13,889; uninhabited, 805; building, 53;
persons—males, 28,014; females, 33,832; total,
61,846. The population of Norfolk, exclusive of Norwich,
was 350,775.
7.—A flood occurred at Norwich, after twenty-four
hours’ rain. It was the sixth that had taken place
since October 5th. “The waters were as high if not
higher than on any former inundation of our marshes.”
23.—The Phenomena coach, with its Christmas load,
started from Norwich, drawn by a team of six greys, “which
were all managed by Mr. Thomas Wiggins, in a style which would
have done credit to a first-rate whip, and which was never
before attempted by any coachman on the road.”
24.*—“We have lately had exhibited in Norwich a
new system of skaiting on the saloon in the Ranelagh Gardens and
at the Corn Exchange. It is called Tachypos, and is a kind
of skait each running on two iron wheels about six inches in
diameter, and fastens on to the foot in a similar way to the
common skait, with protection to the legs up to the knees.
With these persons may travel at the rate of nine miles an hour
upon the common road. The Tachypos is invented by Mr. J.
Ayton, of this city, and differs considerably from the Tachypos
lately exhibited at the principal theatres in London. There
are at this moment boys exhibiting upon them, and are cutting
round the corners and corn-stands with all imaginable ease and
rapidity.”
—Wombwell’s Menagerie arrived at Norwich, and was
exhibited on the Castle Hill. The collection included a
pair of giraffes, one of which was killed by an accidental
fall. “The elephant is a magnificent animal, but we
think the walking exercise which Van Amburgh’s elephant is
obliged to take, instead of being drawn from place to place by
some twelve horses, conduces to a clearer complexion and a better
state of health.” For the first time, Wombwell
advertised that he had a keeper “who goes into the den of
the trained lions and tigers.”
7.—At a meeting of the county magistrates, held at
Norwich, the Earl of Orford presented a petition signed by a very
large number of occupiers of land, “praying for a
considerable change, if not a total abrogation, of the police
force, as the introduction of the force had not decreased either
the number of robberies or cases of vagrancy, while the expenses
of the county were much increased by the costs arising from the
prosecution of persons apprehended by the police for offences of
a very trivial nature.” The Rev. J. C. Collyer
presented a counter petition from the clergy, landowners, and
inhabitants of Reepham, “praying that no alteration take
place in the county police, which had been found a most useful
body in that part of the county.” A resolution was
unanimously adopted affirming that great benefits had been
derived from the introduction of the police, and thanking Col.
Oakes, the Chief Constable, for his exertions in the formation of
the force.
8.—Deputations from the various agricultural societies
in East Norfolk attended a meeting at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich,
at which the East Norfolk Agricultural Association was formed,
for the exhibition of stock and agricultural implements in
Norwich or its vicinity. Lord Wodehouse was elected
president, and Mr. E. C. Bailey secretary. The first show
was held on Norwich Cricket Ground, on September 13th.
There were twenty-four classes of live stock, and four entries of
implements; 800 persons were present, and the sum of £40
was taken at the gates. Lord Wodehouse presided at the
dinner, held at the Assembly Rooms.
14.—The Lynn mail coach, on its journey to
London, overturned between Melbourne and Royston, and Simpson,
the coachman, was killed.
15.—“Died last week, in the 85th year of his age,
Mr. Thos. Leech, hosier, one of the oldest inhabitants of
Diss. He was the representative of the venerable Bishop
Blaize in the last procession of the wool-combers held at Diss at
about the same time the like pageant was exhibited at Norwich,
Diss having been esteemed a great manufactory of hosiery, and one
of the chief in Norfolk and Suffolk.”
19.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, it was
decided to celebrate the christening of the Prince of Wales by
the erection of an almshouse, and to raise £1,000 for
carrying out the scheme. At an adjourned meeting, on
January 25th, the resolution was rescinded, because “the
opening of an alms-house was only the opening of a pauper
warren.” On the same day a dinner was given at the
Royal Hotel, a ball took place at the Assembly Rooms, and the
inmates of the Workhouse were entertained.
5.—Richard Cricknell, the Norwich pugilist, died on this
date. “He had never been well since he fought with
Cain (on January 7th, 1840, q.v.); the injury which he
received to his head deprived him of his reason, and he had since
been in the Bethel.”
6.—Died at Budleigh-Salterton, near Exeter, aged 70, the
Rev. William Gilpin, who had been twice stationed in Norwich as
Wesleyan Superintendent, namely, in 1809 and 1824, during which
periods “the great chapels” in Calvert Street and St.
Peter Mancroft were erected.
9.—Died at his seat at Thorpe Lodge, aged 87,
Lieut.-Col. Harvey, a magistrate and deputy-lieutenant of the
county, and a justice of the peace for Norwich. He was also
“Father of the City.” Born in 1755, he was
elected Sheriff of Norwich in 1784, Alderman for the Middle Wymer
Ward in 1787, and Mayor in 1792. During the war which was
terminated by the Treaty of Amiens he raised and commanded a
troop of Volunteer Cavalry, called the Norwich Light Horse,
which, on the renewal of hostilities with France, was augmented
to a squadron, of which he was appointed Major. In 1824 he
became by seniority Lieut.-Col. Commandant of the 3rd Regiment of
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry and continued at the head of the corps
until the three county regiments were disembodied. In
1825–26 he served the office of High Sheriff of
Norfolk. The Thorpe Lodge estate was sold at the Norfolk
Hotel, Norwich, by Mr. Culley on June 9th and 10th. The
amount realised by the auction was £35,000 and sales by
private contract brought the amount to £50,000.
10.—Lord Jocelyn was elected unopposed Member of
Parliament for Lynn, to fill the vacancy caused by the
appointment of Sir Stratford Canning as Ambassador at
Constantinople.
26.—A prospectus was issued inviting the public to
subscribe £800 in 40 shares of £20 each, for the
purchase of a steam carriage (patented by Mr. W. Parr) to run for
hire between Norwich and Yarmouth. (There is no further
record of the proposed undertaking.)
7.—The Norwich weavers commenced a strike to enforce a
return to the scheduled prices paid in 1836. The women and
girls employed at Mr. Wright’s factory struck on July 19th,
and paraded the streets with alms-boxes; and on August 22nd the
jacquard weavers adopted a similar course. In the latter
case Mr. Hinde and Mr. Steward agreed to their demands, and
Messrs. Willett and Francis urged the making of mutual
concessions.
—Died, aged 86, Elizabeth Hawes, widow, of
Coltishall. “She was born and reared in humble life,
and was the only sister of that eminent scholar, Richard Porson,
and though under widely different circumstances, her mind showed
traces of the relationship in perception, memory, and the power
of application.”
23.—Disturbances took place at Lynn in consequence of a
reduction in the wages of coal porters and sailors. The
rural police were summoned, special constables sworn in, and a
troop of the 13th Light Dragoons were ordered from Norwich.
Several of the ringleaders were sent to jail.
26.—The publication of Part I. of Mr. David
Hodgson’s “Antiquarian Remains, Principally Confined
to Norwich and Norfolk,” was announced on this date.
—*“A plan has been set on foot for the
establishment of an Art Union for East Anglia, with the view of
giving encouragement to the fine arts in this county and its
vicinity. The exhibition is intended to be opened at
Norwich at or prior to the Festival week.” The
society was known as the East of England Art Union, and the first
exhibition was opened “at their well-lighted gallery in
Exchange Street,” on July 27th. The exhibitors
included J. Stark, J. B. Crome, S. B. Colkett, M. E. Cotman, A.
Stannard, R. Ladbrooke, J. B. Ladbrooke, T. Lound, R. Leman,
&c.
4.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Serjeant
Atcherley, George Barber, aged ten years, was indicted, upon the
Coroner’s inquisition, for murdering John Smith, aged
eight, by throwing him over Shotford Bridge into the river
Waveney, on November 6th, 1841. The only direct evidence to
criminate the prisoner was his own confession, which was
extracted from him by a witness who had chained him up and
frightened him by threats. The Commissioner directed the
jury to acquit the prisoner, who was afterwards received into the
establishment of the Philanthropic Society, St. George’s
Fields, London.
5.—A singular case was tried at the Norfolk Assizes,
before Lord Chief Justice Tindal. The defendants, John
Utting and Anna Bunn, were indicted for conspiring against one
Daniel Durrant, of Winterton, a criminal then under sentence of
transportation for life. Durrant, at the Summer Assizes in
1841, was charged with committing a rape upon Bunn, on whose
evidence and that of John Utting, a constable at Filby, he was
convicted and sentenced. Soon afterwards Durrant’s
wife died of grief, and Bunn, labouring under the pangs of
remorse, confessed to the Rev. Mr. Sidney, of
Acle, that the statements which procured the conviction of
Durrant were false. It was further shown that Utting had
planned with Bunn to ruin Durrant. The jury now found that
Durrant was not guilty of the charge on which he was convicted,
and returned a verdict of guilty against Utting, while Bunn, who
had not been called upon to plead, was discharged. Utting
was taken before the Court of Queen’s Bench, on May 9th,
and was there sentenced by Mr. Justice Patteson to twelve
calendar months’ imprisonment in Norwich Castle.
“The issue of the prosecution was that Durrant was restored
to liberty and returned home. Only three years ago he would
have been executed for this crime. He was formerly an
innkeeper, with a good business. Through this unfounded
charge he has lost his wife, who died of a broken heart, and he
and his three young children are now destitute.”
Public subscriptions were made on behalf of this unfortunate
man.
16.*—“During the Assizes the Norwich Scholars
ascended the tower of St. Peter Mancroft and made a grand attempt
to ring 6,729 changes of Stedman’s Cinques. They
attained about 6,000, in four hours and a half, after which the
gudgeon of the tenor broke, which, with the stock and implements,
weighs 5,000 lbs. and upwards. It fell on the beams beneath
with a tremendous crash, but sustained no injury. The
ringers were more frightened than hurt.”
—*“Messrs. Whaites, of Ingham, have, in two days
during the last fortnight, killed 116 couples of snipes; on the
first day 54 couples, on the second day 62 couples.”
Other remarkable feats of snipe shooting were recorded during the
year. On October 15th Mr. Robert Fellowes, jun., killed, on
Sir William Beauchamp Proctor’s marshes at Langley, 60
couple; and on November 17th, at Rockland, Mr. Richard Crawshay
killed, at one shot, four snipe on the wing.
—The publication, by subscription, was announced of a
new tragedy, entitled, “De Valencourt, or the Fate of
Extremes,” by Mr. William Henry Hoskins, principal
tragedian and deputy stage manager at the Theatre Royal, Norwich,
and Mr. H. H. Hoskins, author of “The Spaniards’
Ransom,” &c. The publishers were C. Mitchell, Red
Lion Court, Fleet Street, London; Matchett and Co. and Bacon and
Co., Norwich. The play was produced at Norwich Theatre for
the first time on May 14th. “In the piece there is an
imitation of Shakesperian language and dialogue; there are many
striking, and some touching passages, but allied with much that
is very strained and exaggerated.”
23.—Mr. Abington, “a graduated member of Trinity
College, Cambridge, and also of the English Bar,” who had
adopted the stage as a profession, made his first appearance at
Norwich Theatre, as Hamlet.
1.—A serious fire occurred at Hillington Hall, the seat
of Sir William ffolkes, Bart. The fire was confined to the
servants’ apartments, which were totally destroyed, and the
main building was saved by the unroofing of the intervening
structure.
6.—Samuel Wilkinson, of Mill Street, Peafield, appeared
before the Norwich magistrates and stated that he wished to sell
his wife. The magistrates referred him to the
Ecclesiastical Court, but he said he would effect the sale and
take the risk. On the 7th, at or near the Prussia Gardens,
he sold his wife for a guinea, and received a sovereign on
account. On the 10th Wilkinson was bound over to keep the
peace for assaulting his wife. In the course of the hearing
the following written agreement was produced:—
“This is to satfy that I Samyoul Wilkerson
sold my wife to Mr. Gorge Springle for the sum of one pound one
before witness.
Samyoul X Wilkerson
Maryann Wilkerson X her mark
Gorge Springle X his mark
Frederick Cornish, witness.”
7.—Died, Mr. George Cooke Tucker, landlord of the New
Inn, Cromer. “The present flourishing establishment
was built and raised by him. Possessed of a peculiar
courteousness of manner, and endowed with great kindness of
disposition, he was alike esteemed by the resident gentry and the
general inhabitants of the place and neighbourhood. He had
reached the patriarchal age of ninety years.”
11.—Died, aged 62, Mr. William Norman, Windsor Place,
New Lakenham, “many years hair dresser to his late Majesty
George III.”
18.—At Norwich Theatre was produced, for the first time,
a new melodrama, in three acts, entitled, “The Student of
Jena,” by Mr. Wm. Cooper, B.A., barrister, of
Norwich. “The play is founded on the romance of the
‘Diamond Watch,’ a piece of diablerie,
emanating from the German school.”
26.—Thurlow, the pedestrian, commenced a walk of 2,000
miles in one thousand hours, at Richmond Hill Gardens,
Norwich. (No further record.) Robert Skipper,
“the celebrated pedestrian, of Norfolk and Norwich, having
been absent on the Continent and in different counties, where he
has won several matches, and is now in his 55th year,”
began a walk on June 21st, of 50 miles per day for twenty
successive days, at the Green Hill Gardens, St. Augustine’s
Gates, Norwich. He completed the task on Sunday, July 10th,
“and did not appear to be in the least
distressed.”
28.—Mr. and Mrs. Wood commenced, at Norwich Theatre, a
five nights’ engagement, prior to their final retirement
from the stage. The operas produced included “Fra
Diavolo,” “Midas,” “La Somnambula,”
and “Norma.”
—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry assembled at Swaffham for
eight days’ permanent duty, under the command of Major
Loftus.
30.—Cricket was revived in Norwich by a match played on
this date, between the Norwich Club and the officers and privates
of the 13th Light Dragoons. “Considerable fluctuation
has for the last few years in Norwich marked the practice of this
celebrated manly game, and about two years since nothing appeared
more probable than its extinction.”
1.—Another instance of the holding in church of a public
meeting for secular purposes occurred on this date. The
inhabitants of Stoke Holy Cross assembled at the parish
church to discuss the propriety of establishing a benefit
society. Mr. T. Brightwell presided over the meeting.
14.—Died, aged 65, at Long Island, United States, Mr.
John Hunt, engraver, formerly of Norwich. He was the author
of a work on British ornithology.
19.—A severe thunderstorm occurred at Norwich.
“The wind blew a perfect hurricane. Rushing in a
straight line for Catton, it caught the high wall in St.
Clement’s Square, and blew down about 30 yards of solid
brickwork.” The sails of Catton mill were blown off,
trees were torn up by the roots, and the river suddenly rose
above the banks in places. At Harleston a marsh mill was
overturned and houses were unroofed.
21.—Died at the Euston Hotel, London, Mr. Fred. Yates,
aged 45, manager of the Adelphi Theatre. He married, in
1823, Miss F. Brunton, granddaughter of Mr. John Brunton, of
Norwich.
30.—Died at Longford Hall, Derbyshire, aged 88, Thomas
William Coke, Earl of Leicester. His lordship was born on
May 6th, 1753, and was returned for Norfolk in 1776. With
one brief intermission, he continued to represent the county
until 1832. He was created Earl of Leicester in 1837.
He married, in his twenty-third year, his cousin Jane, youngest
daughter of Mr. James Dutton, who died June 2nd, 1800, leaving no
male issue. After remaining twenty-two years a widower, he
married, February 26th, 1822, Lady Anne Amelia Keppel, third
daughter of the Earl of Albemarle, her ladyship being then 19 and
Mr. Coke 70 years of age. The issue of the marriage were
Thomas William, born in 1822; Edward Keppel, 1824; Henry Coke,
1827; Wenman Clarence Walpole, 1828; and Margaret Sophia, who, at
the Earl’s death was only ten years of age. The
remains of the deceased nobleman arrived at Swaffham on July
10th, and were placed in the large room at the Crown Inn.
From four o’clock in the afternoon until nine in the
evening the body lay in state, and immense numbers of persons
passed through the apartment. At nine o’clock on the
morning of the 11th, muffled peals were rung, and at eleven
o’clock the funeral procession started for
Tittleshall. It passed through Castle-acre, the Lexhams,
and Litcham. “At every spot where the main road
crossed the cross roads were carriages in waiting to fall into
the procession, which, marching in close order, was two miles in
length.” At Tittleshall church, where the interment
took place, there was a great gathering of the personal friends
and tenantry of the deceased earl.
2.—Died at Hexham, Northumberland, aged 86, Mr. William
Cooke, formerly of North Creake. “About 60 years ago,
under the auspices of Mr. T. W. Coke, and upon the estate of Earl
Spencer, he introduced into Norfolk the drill system for
corn. He subsequently introduced into the same county the
Northumberland turnip husbandry, and, in conjunction with Sir
Mordaunt Martin and Dr. Letsome, established the cultivation of
mangold wurzle in England. During his latter years he
devoted much time and his high mathematical attainments to
perfecting the plough.”
4.—The first meeting for enforcing the Income-Tax
was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, when Commissioners were
appointed for the several Hundreds named in the Act of
Parliament. Similar meetings took place at Yarmouth and
Lynn.
6.—Races were held at East Dereham. The other
meetings this season were at Norwich on July 12th and 13th,
Downham July 22nd, and Yarmouth September 6th and 7th.
9.—The funeral of Lord Townshend, who died at Hutton
Lodge, Yorkshire, on June 28th, aged 56 years, took place at
Bintry church.
14.—Major Boxall, of Swaffham, was killed at the brewery
of Mr. Morse, in that town, by the fall of a portion of the
roof.
16.—At a meeting of the yeomanry and tenantry of both
political parties, held at the Swan Inn, Norwich, it was decided
to erect, by public subscription, a monument to the memory of the
late Earl of Leicester. (See January 7th, 1843.)
23.—A correspondent, writing under this date to the
Norfolk Chronicle, complained of the
danger and annoyance caused on the public roads by vehicles drawn
by dogs. “If,” he wrote, “Parliament
deemed it necessary two years ago to pass an Act prohibiting,
under a severe penalty, the use of dogs as beasts of draught or
burden in London and its neighbourhood for twenty miles around,
surely the same necessity, as well on the score of humanity as of
personal security to the public, does exist in reference to every
other portion of the kingdom.”
24.—Died, aged 60, at Hunter Street, Brunswick Square,
London, John Sell Cotman.
1.—An acrobat, named Alleni, was descending a rope
“in his chariot of fire,” at the Greyhound Gardens,
Ber Street, Norwich, when his apparatus failed, the rope broke,
and the unfortunate performer, falling a distance of thirty feet,
was seriously injured.
6.—A correspondent complained that the “unrivalled
tower” of Norwich Cathedral, then undergoing restoration,
was “under the care of a plasterer, to be patched and
pieced in his best manner with a compound of villainous
ingredients scarcely tolerable on a shop front.” Mr.
John Brown, the Cathedral architect, replied, on August 10th, to
the effect that the substance used was not plaster, but
“hydraulic cement, calcined limestone and sand, which is
more durable than stone.” Much newspaper controversy
ensued.
20.*—“Last week a block of granite of nearly two
tons weight was fixed on the south battlement of Norwich Castle,
containing the following inscription:—“This Royal
Castle, built by William Rufus, as Knychton testifies in his
Chronicle, on the site of one much more ancient, has been used as
a county gaol since the year 1345, and was finally vested in the
magistrates of Norfolk for that purpose by Royal grant confirmed
by Parliament in 1806. The ornamental work and facing of
the exterior having fallen into a state of extreme decay, the
same was ordered to be restored at the expense of the county by
the Court of Quarter Sessions, in April, 1834. Its
restoration was carried into effect
with the most careful adherence to the details of the antient
work in Bath stone, as most resembling that of Normandy, which
had been originally used, under the superintendence of the
visiting justices, and completed in 1839. The battlements
and corbel table were designed from the best discoverable
authorities, as no portion remained of the original termination
of the building. Anthony Salvin, Esq., of London,
architect; Mr. James Watson, of Norwich, stonemason.”
[The Norfolk Chronicle expressed
regret “at the necessity, if any such existed, for the
adoption of a process which has for ever hidden from human eyes
the whole exterior of this celebrated Anglo-Norman
keep.”]
27.—A finner whale, discovered stranded upon a shoal in
Lynn Roads, was secured by a boat’s crew who fastened a
rope to its tail. When the tide rose the whale dragged the
boat with great velocity towards the town. After a struggle
of seven hours, it was landed. It measured 50 ft. in
length.
—*“Her Majesty has been pleased to grant unto
William Hardy Cozens, Esq., of Letheringsett, her Royal licence
to take and use the surname and arms of Hardy, in addition to his
present name, in compliance with a condition contained in the
will of his late uncle, William Hardy, Esq., of Letheringsett
Hall.”
30.—A great rowing match took place on the Yare, at
Norwich, in the presence of thousands of spectators. The
match, which was open to all England, was for a subscription cup
or purse of £50, and was to be rowed in four-oared 36ft.
boats, by amateurs. Competing crews were entered by the
Leander Club, London; King’s College Club, London; the
Cambridge Amateur Club, and the Norwich Amateur Club. The
odds throughout were greatly in favour of the Londoners, and many
heavy bets were made on Cambridge. The course, about three
miles, was from stakes on Bramerton Common to a spot nearly
opposite Thorpe Gardens. “The boats started two and
two; the first two boats were started 100 yards apart at the same
time; the winning boat of each pair had therefore to row another
heat. By the casting of lots, the Leander was pitted
against King’s College, and Norwich against
Cambridge. The Leander had the lead of King’s
College, and Cambridge the lead of Norwich.”
King’s College and Norwich won the first heat—the
former in 22 minutes 30 seconds, and the latter in 21 minutes 30
seconds. In the final heat Norwich beat King’s
College easily. The winning crew were composed as
follow:—J. Kidd, 9 st. 10 lb.; J. Wigham, 10 st. 9 lb.; W.
Clabburn, 11 st. 7 lb.; T. Clabburn (stroke), 9 st. 2 lb.; F.
Bolingbroke (cox.), 8 st. 11 lb. Trained by Noulton.
—The Royal squadron accompanying the Queen on her voyage
to Scotland passed Yarmouth at five am. On the return of
her Majesty, on the evening of September 16th, several yawls put
out to sea, and the occupants were gratified with a sight of the
Queen and Prince Albert on the main deck of the Trident
steamer. Loud cheers were given for the Sovereign and her
Consort.
10.—The publication of Part I. of Mr. Henry
Ninham’s “Picturesque Antiquities of Norwich”
was announced.
13.—The Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival
commenced. Miscellaneous concerts were given at St.
Andrew’s Hall on the evenings of the 13th, 14th, and
15th. The morning performances included, on the 14th, Parts
II. and III. of the “Creation”; on the 15th, Parts
II. and III. of “The Fall of Babylon” (composed
expressly for the Festival by Spohr); and on the 16th,
“Samson.” A fancy dress ball was given on the
night of the 16th. The artistes engaged at the Festival
were: Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Rainforth, Miss Maria B. Hawes,
Miss Bassano, and Signora Pacini; Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Phillips, Mr.
Balfe, Mr. Bradbury, Mr. Young, Mr. Walton, and Signor
Rubini. Professor Taylor conducted. The surplus
amounted to £716 15s. 2d.
—A circus company, under the management of Madame
Ducrow, commenced a series of performances at Norwich
Theatre. “The whole of the stage, 43 ft. square, was
formed into a circus ring, decorated round with appropriate
devices. The circle was rendered moveable, so that dramatic
representations similar to the late Astley’s Amphitheatre
were introduced.” These included “The Spanish
Bullfight, or the Muleteer,” “Mazeppa,”
“The Secret Mine, or the Hindoos of the Ruby Cliffs,”
&c. To enable the audience to obtain a full view of the
ring performances, the floor of the pit was raised.
14.—Died at Yarmouth, in his 49th year, Mr. J. B.
Crome. “Besides inheriting the talents of that
well-known ‘Father’ of the Norwich school of
painting, he possessed literary attainments and theoretical
knowledge which conferred both honour and advantage on his
practical pursuits of Art.”
24.*—“The Queen has been pleased to grant unto the
Rev. James Tooke Hales, of Glazenwood, in Essex, and of Thompson,
in Norfolk, her Royal license and authority to assume the surname
of Tooke in addition to and after that of Hales, and to bear the
arms of Tooke.”
—*“Mr. C. F. Hall, of Norwich, has been appointed
second leader of the orchestra of Drury Lane Theatre, after a
contest of skill. He is the composer of two ballads,
‘I have dream’d of hopes defeated’ and
‘The Inconstant.’”
8.*—“At a late sitting of the magistrates at
Litcham to hear appeals against assessed taxes, Mr. Lynes, one of
the appellants, accused the Surveyor of Taxes of partial
conduct. He alleged that Mr. F. Beck, of Mileham, owned
greyhounds for which he was not charged duty. Mr. Beck
jumped up and got hold of Mr. Lynes’ nose, which he held
for some time. Mr. Lynes retaliated by striking Mr. Beck
several blows on the head and face, and a battle ensued.
The police interfered, and Capt. Fitzroy ordered the parties into
custody. It was stated that there had previously been a
quarrel between Mr. King, the magistrates’ clerk, Mr. Beck,
and Mr. Lynes, and Mr. King had challenged the latter to fight a
duel. Mr. King acknowledged that he had sent a
challenge. For the fight in the magistrates’ room Mr.
Beck and Mr. Lynes were bound over to keep the peace for twelve
months. Mr. King was also bound over in sureties to keep
the peace towards Mr. Lynes for twelve months.” At
the Norfolk Assizes, on April 3rd, 1843, the action Lynes
v. Beck, for assault, was tried before Lord Chief Justice
Tindal, and judgment was given for the
plaintiff, damages one shilling. The Judge remarked that
the assault was of a very degrading and contumacious
character.
11.—Died at his house on Scoles’ Green, Norwich,
Mr. Robert Ladbrooke, artist, in his 73rd year.
13.—Died at Tunbridge Wells, aged 55, Sir John Jacob
Buxton, Bart., of Shadwell Park, Norfolk, and of Tockenham House,
Wilts. He served the office of High Sheriff of Norfolk in
1841–2.
19.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, Johnson Hemnell was
sentenced to fifteen years’ transportation for stealing
promissory notes, gold, and silver, to the amount of £150,
the property of Mr. Harrison Wells, of Dilham. On the night
after his conviction the convict accompanied two of the prison
warders to Seething, where he showed them a garden bank in which
£108 of the stolen money was found concealed.
7.—An inquest was held at the Hare Arms, Stow Bardolph,
on the body of John Vare, who died under singular
circumstances. On October 24th, at the Swan Inn, Downham,
“he recited with considerable spirit to a party of
tradesmen a piece out of ‘Othello,’ and at the
finish, where Othello dies, deceased, as in the character, fell
with considerable violence on the hearthrug at full length with
his face down wards. He complained of considerable pain,
went home, and died.”
9.—Mr. Alderman Mitchell was elected Mayor, and Mr.
William Freeman appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
18.—Died at Rawal Pindi, Lieut. Richard Edward Frere,
13th Light Infantry, aged 25. He had been in every action
throughout the war in Afghanistan, was repeatedly wounded, and
was mentioned with distinction in dispatches.
19.*—“Messrs. Wells and Gardner, of Birmingham,
have entered into an arrangement with T. T. Berney, Esq., of
Morton Hall, Norfolk, for the manufacture of his patent
cartridges so much approved by gentlemen and sportsmen generally,
and have appointed local agents.”
26.*—“Sir Robert Peel has recommended her Majesty
to grant an annual pension of £100 to Mr. John Curtis, the
eminent naturalist and author of the great work, ‘British
Entomology.’” Curtis was a native of
Norwich.
24.—A singular story of a supposed murder was
published. A human skeleton was recovered from the bed of
the river at Costessey Mills by a “didling” boat
owned by Messrs. Culley. The circumstance was recalled that
a Jew pedlar, known as “Old Abraham,” had
mysteriously disappeared eight years previously. It was
also remembered that one Robert Page, sentenced to transportation
for life for sheep stealing at Drayton, on March 27th, 1834, had
told the prison warders that if he were taken to Costessey he
could show them, beneath a willow
tree, “something that would make their hair stand on
end.” By a curious coincidence, the skeleton was
found beneath a willow which overhung the river. It was
stated that the body had been staked down in the bed of the
stream.
31.*—“During last week the coaches and vans were
laden with turkeys and game for London. From the Magnet
Office alone upwards of 1,600 packages were consigned, containing
at least 2,400 turkeys, besides geese and game. The other
coaches have had their share. One manufacturing firm in the
city sent 1,000 lbs. weight.”
2.—Norwich Theatre opened for the season at reduced
prices of admission, namely, boxes, single ticket, 4s., half
price 2s., family tickets to admit six £1; upper boxes 2s.,
half price 1s.; pit 1s. (no half price); gallery 6d.
The entire house had been redecorated by Mr. Thorne. Mr.
Frederick Vining, of the Haymarket Theatre, London, and his
daughter, Miss Vining, appeared on the 16th in the parts of
Benedict and Beatrice, and fulfilled an engagement of seven
weeks. The season, one of the most successful that Mr.
Smith had experienced, was chiefly remarkable for the large
number of “bespeaks” given, amongst others, by the
officers of the 13th Light Dragoons, the Royal and Norfolk Hotel
Wine Clubs, the Governor and Deputy-Governor of the Court of
Guardians, &c.
5.—A heavy fall of snow on this day was accompanied by
lightning and thunder.
6.—The first annual meeting of the Norfolk Flax Society,
the object of which was “to promote the cultivation of a
plant for the produce of which vast sums of money are annually
sent abroad,” was held at Norwich. It was stated that
the soil and climate of the county were “equal and perhaps
superior to any in the world for the growth and perfection of the
plant, and its cultivation would be more profitable than that of
any other crop.” The method of “forming linseed
into compound to fatten cattle” was demonstrated in a booth
on the Castle Meadow, and an exhibition of articles manufactured
from flax was held at St. Andrew’s Hall. The Hon. W.
R Rous was President of the Society, to which about eighty
prominent agriculturists belonged. M. Demann, a Belgian
agriculturist, was engaged as the Society’s agent, and many
meetings were held in the county in furtherance of the
movement.
7.—The promoters of the scheme for the erection of the
Leicester monument appointed a “committee of taste,”
who recommended the building of a column, of artistic
design. At a meeting held at the Norfolk Hotel, on January
21st, the much vexed question of the site was discussed and a
decision was given in favour of Holkham Park, mainly by the votes
of a number of subscribers of ten shillings each in the
neighbourhood of Wells. Efforts were made to secure the
erection of the monument at Norwich, and the
supporters of either place were invited to vote upon the
subject. After the poll a scrutiny was held, and on August
5th it was announced that 322 votes had been given in favour of
Holkham, and 281 in favour of Norwich.
9.—Died, aged 60, at Birmingham, Mr. Vaughan, “the
highly respectable musician and once excellent tenor
singer.” He was a native of Norwich, and when quite
young was a member of the choir of St. George’s Chapel,
Windsor. He was afterwards engaged at Westminster Abbey,
St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Chapel Royal. On the
death of Mr. Harrison, in 1812, Mr. Vaughan was appointed
principal tenor at the King’s Concerts of Ancient Music, he
sang at most of the provincial musical festivals, and was a
member of several musical clubs in the Metropolis.
14.—The first touring circus in Norfolk at which
performances were given under canvas was that belonging to Batty,
“sole proprietor of Astley’s Royal
Amphitheatre,” who on this date erected at Lynn Mart a tent
65 ft. in height and 300 ft. in circumference. It was the
same tent placed on the site of the Royal Exchange when Prince
Albert laid the first stone of the new building, and on that
occasion it afforded accommodation for 1,400 persons. In
the autumn of the same year Richard Sands’ American circus
toured the county, giving one performance only in a
“spacious pavilion” at each town visited. A
procession of “twenty-five caparisoned horses” was a
feature of the show. After this date the circus touring
system became general during the summer and autumn months.
22.—Died at Caen, Normandy, aged 76, the Rev. T.
D’Eterville, “a well-known and respected inhabitant
of Norwich for upwards of forty years, who retired a few months
ago to end his days in his native country.”
[Borrow’s “preceptor in the French and Italian
tongues.”]
23.—The coach from London to Norwich, driven by Thomas
Wiggins, ran into a brewer’s dray at Tasburgh, during a
thick fog and was overturned. Mr. Scott, of Newton
Maid’s Head, one of the outside passengers, was jammed
between the coach and a tree, which had to be cut down to
extricate him, Wiggins was thrown head first off the box seat and
severely injured, and the guard, Thomas, was dashed against a
tree stump and killed outright, “his head being completely
split open.” It was not until January 22nd, 1844,
that Wiggins was able to resume his duties. It was then
stated: “So highly is this excellent whip esteemed along
the line of road, that at the several inns where the coach
stopped to change horses it appeared as if the landlords had
determined to celebrate the circumstance by making it a general
gala day.”
26.—Died at Cheltenham, aged 60, Major-General Sir John
Thomas Jones, Bart., K.C.B., of Cranmer Hall. He served in
the Royal Engineers during the campaign in Calabria, and was
present at the Battle of Maida and the attack on Scylla Castle;
in the Peninsular campaign he was in the retreat to Corunna; he
accompanied the expedition to Walcheren and was present at the
reduction of Flushing, served in the campaigns of 1810, 1811, and
1812 in the Peninsula, received
the medal for Badajos, and was shot through the ankle joint at
the siege of Burgos, in October, 1812. He entered the
service as second-lieutenant on August 30th, 1798, and retired
with the rank of major-general on January 10th, 1837.
27.—Yarmouth Orange Fair was held. “Like the
generality of fairs, it has fallen sadly out of repute, and but
for the immense quantity of fruit from which it takes its name
anyone might have passed the Market Place without noticing
it.”
17.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, on
the motion of Mr. A. Dalrymple, a petition to Parliament was
adopted in opposition to the Income Tax, on the ground that it
was “unjust, unwise, repugnant, and
unproductive.”
18.—The Watton coach, on its way from Norwich, with six
female outside passengers, stopped at Barford Cock. During
the temporary absence of Allen, the coachman, the horses started
off at full gallop, and were not stopped till they arrived at
Hingham. With the exception of a wheel being taken off a
passing vehicle, no damage was done.
4.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice
Tindal, was tried the case, the Queen against Edward
Painter. The prosecution, for assault, was instituted by
Mr. Jeremiah Cross, corn merchant, of Norwich. An
indictment had been preferred at the Norwich Quarter Sessions and
a true bill returned, which the defendant removed by writ of
certiorari, and the case now came on for trial on the
civil side of the Court. The plaintiff, in June, 1842, was
invited to the Rising Sun Inn, kept by Mr. John Abel, and he was
there met by Painter, who for several minutes thrashed him with
an ash stick so severely that for a considerable time afterwards
plaintiff was under medical treatment. For the defence it
was alleged that Cross had grossly insulted the defendant’s
daughter, hence the thrashing. The jury found a verdict of
guilty, and on May 10th, when defendant appeared before the Court
of Queen’s Bench to receive judgment, he was fined one
shilling and discharged. On June 24th the following
advertisement was published: “Ned Painter having been
subjected to the expense of wanton and persecuting litigation,
his friends intend giving him a benefit at the Pantheon, Royal
Victoria Gardens, on which occasion the Stars of the Fancy have
resolved to rally round and support an old and tried veteran of
the Prize Ring. Among the prominent professors of the
Pugilistic Art who will appear are Tom Spring, Champion of
England, and Ben Caunt, the modern champion.”
7.—Great excitement was created in Norwich by the
conviction at the Assizes before Mr. Justice Coleridge, of John
Harper, a well-known auctioneer, on the charge of stealing cloth
entrusted to him for sale at North Walsham by a Leeds
manufacturer named Jonas Driver. Mr. S. Bignold, Mr.
Beckwith, solicitor; Mr. T. M. Keith, solicitor; the Rev. S.
Stone, the Rev. W. Hull, and other prominent citizens testified
to the general honesty and integrity of the prisoner,
who, amid a strong manifestation of feeling in Court, was
sentenced to seven years’ transportation.
7.—Mr. Cobden, M.P., Col. Thompson, and Mr. Moore,
representatives of the Anti-Corn Law League, addressed a large
meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of
Mr. J. H. Tillett. A body of Chartists created some
disorder. On the 8th a meeting of farmers “of the
most complete party complexion” took place at the Hall,
when Mr. A. Morse, of Swaffham, “author of one of the prize
essays of the League,” presided, and addresses were
delivered by Mr. Cobden and his friends. The League at this
date was actively promulgating its principles in all parts of the
county.
15.—The ship Phya sailed from Lynn for Quebec, with
emigrants. “Whilst the population keeps increasing,
and machinery keeps lessening the demand for manual labour, many
thousands must seek to provide for themselves and families in
distant regions.”
20.—The construction of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway
commenced on this date on the Postwick Hall Farm (in the
occupation of Mr. Gillett), near Thorpe Asylum. The
excavation of the New Cut from Trowse Hythe to Whitlingham Reach
was begun on May 6th. In October an engine with ballast
waggons was running between Reedham and Yarmouth; and in November
another engine appeared on the Postwick end of the line.
“Its marvellous facility in whirling along any number of
loaded waggons elicited exclamations of astonishment from the
many hundreds of Norwich people who went out to see
it.” (See April 12th, 1844.)
—In the waistband of the trousers of a notorious
housebreaker, named James Fisk, who was apprehended at Surlingham
on this date, “was found sewed up the Lord’s Prayer,
written backwards, which he carried about with him as a fancied
protection against the power of human law.”
—The marriage of the Earl of Leicester and Miss
Whitbread, daughter of Mr. S. C. Whitbread, at Cardington church,
Bedfordshire, was celebrated with great rejoicings at
Wells-next-the-Sea, where 800 school children were entertained,
and 1,400 of the poor inhabitants had dinner on the
Buttlands.
21.—At Norwich Theatre was performed a new drama,
entitled, “Mokanna, or the Veiled Prophet of
Khorassan,” written by Mr. William Cooper, barrister, and
originally produced at Lynn Theatre. An anonymous handbill,
printed by J. Fletcher, Upper Haymarket, Norwich, was afterwards
circulated, describing the play as a “barefaced exhibition
of profligacy,” and calling upon the citizens to denounce
it. The strictures were grossly unfair.
25.—The foundation-stone of St. Mark’s church,
Lakenham, was laid by the Very Rev. Dean Pellew. The
architect was Mr. John Brown, and the builder Mr. James
Worman. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich
on September 24th, 1844.
28.—The two troops of the 13th Light Dragoons marched
from Norwich Barracks for Hounslow. They were replaced on
May 22nd by the Scots Greys, commanded by Col. Clarke.
Mainly through the influence of the Duke of Wellington and the
Marquis of Douro, the headquarters of the regiment were stationed
at Norwich.
4.—Business was entirely suspended in Norwich on the
occasion of the funeral of H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex. The
Corporation attended service at the Cathedral, and afterwards
assembled at the Guildhall and adopted addresses of sympathy.
6.—At the Norwich Police Court, a woman named Kedge
complained to the magistrates that another woman, of the name of
Clarke, had bewitched her “by sending her and her children
a vast number of vermin.” Clarke replied that Mrs.
Kedge had harboured her (Mrs. Clarke’s) husband, and had
given her a small piece of paper, whereon was very small
writing. It was found to be the Lord’s Prayer.
Mrs. Kedge acknowledged having given this to Mrs. Clarke, and
said it would “prevent her from doing her further injury,
for when she had herself put it in defendant’s hands, all
danger from witchery was over.”
13.*—“One day last week a steam coach, constructed
on a new principle, was tried at Witton, on the Yarmouth road,
before a large concourse of spectators, but although the steam
was put on, the coach would not move an inch. When pushed
it proceeded a short distance and stopped. The
experimenters at last lifted the coach from the road, when the
wheels went round with alarming velocity.” On May
27th the carriage was advertised for sale by private contract, by
Mr. Joseph Emmerson Bane, at the King’s Head Inn,
Blofield.
—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, commanded by Major
Loftus, commenced their annual eight days’ training at
Fakenham.
17.—The inhabitants residing in the vicinity of
Duke’s Palace Bridge memorialised the Norwich Town Council
to take the necessary steps to free the bridge from toll.
18.—Died at his residence in Union Street, South Lynn,
Mr. Peter Lewis Dacheux, an immigrant from France, aged 83.
“He had resided at Lynn for many years, and had long
officiated as Roman Catholic priest in that town. He was a
schoolfellow of Bonaparte, and in his boyish days had many a
scuffle with that celebrated personage.”
23.—Mr. Braham, assisted by his son and pupil, Mr.
Charles Braham, gave a concert at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich.
13.—The Norwich Town Council decided, on the motion of
Mr. Barwell, to memorialise the House of Commons in favour of Mr.
Rowland Hill’s scheme of penny postage.
14.—Norwich Theatre was re-opened for a limited number
of nights at the close of the regular season, when “The
Tempest” was produced from the original text, with Miss
Grant as Ariel, and Miss Vining as Miranda. On the occasion
of her benefit, on June 27th, Miss Grant took the part of Tom
Tug, in “The Waterman.”
15.—On opening the East of England Bank at Lynn, it was
discovered that during the preceding night upwards of
£4,000 had been stolen. A clerk, named William Henry
Sangar, aged nineteen, had committed the theft, in the absence of
Mr. Spiller, the manager, and had absconded. He was
apprehended on July 3rd, at Pooley Bridge,
Ullswater, with £4,300 in his possession. At Lynn
Quarter Sessions, on July 17th, he was charged before the
Recorder, Mr. Martin J. West, with stealing £4,362 1s. 6d.,
and, on pleading guilty, was sentenced to fourteen years’
transportation. The Recorder expressed the hope that he
would not have to appear at the Assizes to answer the still more
serious charge of forgery. He was, however, indicted at the
Norfolk Assizes on August 3rd, on two counts, for forgery, and on
pleading guilty was sentenced by Baron Alderson to transportation
for life.
16.—For nearly three hours “the sun was surrounded
by a bright and beautiful halo, whilst several others appeared in
its vicinity, intersecting the main one in several
directions.” A similar appearance was observed in the
summer of 1826.
1.—The fares by the Royal Norwich mail from the Star,
Haymarket, to the Belle Sauvage, Ludgate Hill, were reduced from
this date to 16s. inside and 8s. outside.
4.—Mr. Charles Gill and Miss Vining, two popular
performers with the Norwich Company, eloped from the city.
“The attachment between the parties has been of long
standing, but it was opposed by the young lady’s friends,
on account of the disparity of years.” Mr. and Mrs.
Gill appeared at Yarmouth Theatre on September 8th.
—Died at North Walsham, Captain Thomas Withers, R.N.,
aged 73. He entered the service in 1793, joined Nelson in
the Agamemnon, which formed part of Lord Hood’s fleet at
the occupation of Toulon, and took part in the reduction of
Bastia and Calvi, and in the several actions in which the ship
was engaged. In 1796 he joined the Captain, and in the
following year, in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, had the
distinguished honour of commanding the division which boarded the
San Nicolas, and from that ship the San Josef. He was made
lieutenant next day, and soon after appointed to the Terrible,
under the command of Sir Richard Bickerton, and served during the
expedition against the French in Egypt. In April, 1803, he
was appointed to the command of the Expedition (44 guns), and was
chiefly engaged in the Mediterranean until 1804. In 1805 he
accepted employment under the Transport Board, and in 1809
received post rank.
8.—A whirlwind occurred at Blakeney. In its course
it carried away several yards of a wall two feet thick, took from
some smacks the hatchings, which were blown upon the marshes, and
blew a man off the seat of a threshing machine. The stable
at the White Horse was unroofed, and a quantity of Mr.
Temple’s hay was blown to the distance of a mile.
15.—Arising out of an assault case, a curious story
about witchcraft was told to the Norwich magistrates. Mr.
and Mrs. Curtis alleged that a Mrs. Bell had bewitched them three
days after Tombland Fair, and they had been bewitched ever
since. “Mrs. Curtis saw Mrs. Bell light a candle and
fill it with pins. She then put some red dragon’s
blood, with some water, into an oyster-shell, and having repeated
a form of words over it, her (Mr. Curtis’) husband’s
arms and legs were set fast, and when he lay down he could not
get up again without somebody helping him.”
The man made a similar statement, and said that to the
dragon’s blood and water Mrs. Bell added some parings of
her own nails, put the mixture over the fire, and muttered an
incantation.
19.—A young man named Robert Smithson “wagered
that he would run over the nine bridges in Norwich in twenty-five
minutes.” He performed the distance, nearly four
miles, in twenty-two minutes.
24.—Died at Shotley Parsonage, Ipswich, aged 91, the
Rev. Samuel Forster, D.D., formerly head-master of Norwich Free
Grammar School. On resigning, in 1811, Dr. Forster became
private tutor to the son of the Marquis of Bristol. Sir
Edward Berry, Nelson’s flag captain at the Battle of the
Nile, married the doctor’s eldest daughter.
29.*—“In the melancholy list of passengers on
board the Pegasus, lost off the Fern Islands on July 19th, we are
sorry to observe the name of Mr. Elton, for many years a
favourite tragedian in the Norwich Company, and latterly holding
a most respectable station on the London boards.”
—The Assize week performances at Norwich Theatre opened
with the appearance of Miss Montague, of Drury Lane, as
Juliet. On July 31st Miss Clara Novello, Miss Sybella
Novello, Mr. Manvers, and Mr. Stretton, of Drury Lane, performed
in Belleni’s opera, “Norma,” and in “Acis
and Galatea”; and on August 7th Madame Céleste and
Mr. Webster commenced a four nights’ engagement in
“St. Mary’s Eve,” “The Woman
Hater,” and “The French Spy.”
6.—Died at Gaywood, aged 70, Mr. Thomas Marsters, for
many years the representative at Lynn of the Norfolk Chronicle. “He was
extensively read in the poets and classics, and his taste for the
drama induced him, when he resided at Gaywood Hall, to become
lessee of Lynn Theatre, on the boards of which he occasionally
performed as an amateur.”
9.—Norwich and many parts of the county were visited by
one of the severest thunderstorms that had occurred for many
years. It was accompanied by a hailstorm which did immense
damage—in the city windows and conservatories were smashed,
in the county garden and field crops were destroyed. The
first floors and cellars in Surrey Street, St. Stephen’s
Street, Rampant Horse Street, the Market Place, and London Street
were flooded, and in places morsels of ice lay from four to five
inches deep. The storm lasted half an hour. The
performance at the Theatre was stopped, and the terrified
audience in the gallery rushed down the stairs and found the
passage filled with water, which prevented their escape.
The river at Bishop Bridge rose one foot in five minutes.
At two o’clock on the morning of the 10th, the rain and
hail again descended with great violence, and “a surface of
flame spread across the heavens, followed by a clap of thunder
which seemed to rend the welkin.” Another storm
occurred on the 15th, and on the 18th waterspouts were observed
at Rushall and Dickleburgh. At a meeting at the
Bishop’s Palace on the 19th, steps were taken for the
relief of the sufferers, a public subscription organized, and
surveyors appointed to assess the damage. In September the
Committee reported that the total losses amounted to
£30,770 2s. 3d. In some parishes a
voluntary rate of threepence in the pound was paid to assist the
relief fund. The contributions from the parishes amounted
to £5,622, and individual subscriptions to
£4,391.
16.—The left wing of the Cavalry Barracks at Norwich was
destroyed by a fire which originated in the forage barn.
The men of the Scots Greys succeeded in saving the remainder of
the buildings.
31.—Died at Stisted Hall, Essex, aged 87, Mr. Charles
Savill Onley, bencher of the Middle Temple. He was third
son of Mr. Robert Harvey, merchant and banker, of Norwich, by
Judith, daughter of Capt. Onley, R.N. Mr. Onley (then Mr.
Charles Harvey) was called to the Bar on November 24th,
1790. In 1783 he was elected Steward, and in 1801 Recorder,
of Norwich. In 1804 his portrait was painted by Lawrence,
at the expense of the Corporation, and hung in St. Andrew’s
Hall. In 1812 he was returned to Parliament, and at the
dissolution in 1818 retired from the representation of the city,
but sat for Carlow from 1820 to 1826. It was in December,
1822, that he took the name of Savill Onley, on the death of his
maternal uncle, the Rev. Charles Onley, through whom he came to
the possession of a fine estate in Essex, besides a large
personal property. He resigned his Recordership in
1826. He was lieutenant-colonel of Col. Patteson’s
battalion of Norwich Volunteers, enrolled in 1808 as a regiment
of Local Militia. He married, first, Sarah, daughter of Mr.
J. Haynes, by whom he had issue one son, Onley Savill Onley, who
married his cousin Caroline, daughter of Mr. John Harvey, of
Thorpe; and two daughters, Sarah, married to Mr. William Harvey,
and Judith, to Mr. Charles Turner. Mrs. Harvey died in
1800, and he married, secondly, Charlotte, sister of his former
wife.
7.—Father Mathew attended a temperance festival at
Norwich. He addressed a meeting on St. Martin-at-Palace
Plain in the morning, and a public gathering at St.
Andrew’s Hall in the evening, at which the Lord Bishop and
Mr. J. J. Gurney were present. On the 8th Father Mathew,
from twelve to six o’clock, “administered the pledge
to all who cared to receive it.” The Norfolk Chronicle observed: “We cannot
but feel that the members of the Church of England are pledged to
temperance already, and have therefore no necessity to repeat the
pledge before a Romish priest.”
11.—The Earl of Leicester laid the foundation-stone of
the new quay at Wells-next-the-Sea.
16.—A platform was erected on the summit of the spire of
Norwich Cathedral by a party of Sappers and Miners, to support an
observatory for the purpose of the trigonometrical survey then
being made throughout the kingdom, by order of the Board of
Ordnance.
23.*—“Died, lately, aged 101, Mr. Robert Holmes,
of St. Augustine’s, Norwich.”
27.—Died at Ramsgate, Lieut.-General Beevor. He
was the last surviving son of Mr. James Beevor, of Norwich.
He served in Flanders in the campaigns of 1793–4–5;
in 1801–2 he was actively employed in Egypt, and he took
part in the protracted operations in the Peninsula and
Portugal.
2.—Mrs. Fitzwilliam, of Covent Garden Theatre, commenced
a six nights’ engagement at the Theatre Royal,
Norwich. She was described as the first comic actress of
the day and a most accomplished vocalist. On the 7th Mrs.
Fitzwilliam was joined by Mr. Buckstone, of the Haymarket
Theatre, with whom she appeared in “My Tender Charge”
and “Foreign Airs and Native Graces.”
14.—In a case before the county justices at the
Shirehall, Norwich, in which the keeper of Hellesdon toll-bar was
summoned for unlawfully taking toll in respect of a vehicle
called a “wheel machine,” interesting particulars
were given of the contrivance, which belonged to a Norwich
mechanic named Matthew Fish. It was described as
“only a barrow worked by the feet, and not propelled by
machinery.” The carriage was shown outside the Court,
and “appeared to be a very ingenious machine, which could
be worked at the rate of ten miles an hour on a level
road.” It had three wheels and two levers. Mr.
Repton, the clerk to the turnpike trustees, urged that the narrow
wheels cut up the road more than those of heavy carriages, and
that such contrivances for evading toll and the keeping of
horses were increasing. These carriages were considered
a nuisance on the roads, no horses liked to pass them, and the
Act laid a heavy toll upon them to prevent them running on any
turnpike at all. The matter was ultimately settled without
a conviction.
16.—Carter, the “Lion King,” appeared at
Norwich Theatre with his trained lions, &c., in a drama
founded on the adventures of Mungo Park. “The
submissive bearing with which they crouched to the lash and the
utter want of animation and spirit which they exhibited, divested
the exhibition of all sense of danger.”
17.—A severe gale occurred on the Norfolk coast, several
vessels were driven ashore, and five lives were lost off
Bacton.
23.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry paraded at East Dereham
and received from the Lord Lieutenant of the county a standard,
in commemoration of the honour conferred upon it by Prince
Albert, in allowing the corps to be called after his name.
“The helmets, which formerly were fronted with the Maltese
Cross, now exhibit the Royal Arms.”
9.—Mr. Freeman was elected Mayor, and Mr. George Lovick
Coleman appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
25.—Mr. Murray announced the publication of “The
Correspondence of William Taylor of Norwich (author of
‘English Synonyms’) with Robert Southey, Esq., from
1791 to 1830, with a memoir of his life and works,” by J.
W. Robberds.
2.—A meeting of landowners, agriculturists, and
merchants of the county, presided over by the High Sheriff (Mr.
Tyssen), approved the scheme of the Norwich and Brandon
Railway, expounded by Mr. G. P. Bidder. The estimated cost
was £380,000, to be raised in 19,000 shares of £20
each. (See July 29th, 1845.)
9.—The first person in Norwich to advertise
“patent photographic portraits” was Mr. Beard, of the
Royal Bazaar. These likenesses were stated to be
“surprisingly correct,” and severe chemical tests
proved that they would “last to infinity.” The
prices ranged from one to two guineas.
—Mr. George Pinson, Governor of Gressenhall Workhouse,
was selected by the visiting justices Governor of the County Gaol
at Norwich Castle, in succession to Mr. Johnson, resigned.
15.—Died in St. Peter Southgate, Norwich, John Smith,
gardener, aged 102.
16.—The improvement of Briggs’ Street, Norwich,
was completed, and the Paving Commissioners were paid £700
by the trustees of the D’Oyley fund.
19.—Died, Mrs. Elizabeth Barbara Bulwer Lytton, widow of
General Bulwer, of Heydon Hall, and daughter and sole heiress of
Richard Warburton Lytton, of Knebworth Park, Herts.
“She was mother of the Ambassador at Madrid, of Sir Edward,
who succeeds to the estates, and of Mr. W. L. Bulwer, of Heydon
Hall. The literary tastes and accomplishments of Mrs.
Bulwer Lytton may have had an influence in early life upon her
son’s mind. Many poems of hers circulated amongst her
immediate friends are full of feeling and grace.”
26.—The report on the Christmas trade at Norwich stated
that the stage coaches conveyed 3,036 hampers of game and poultry
to London. Sykes’ waggons in five days conveyed to
the Metropolitan market 68 tons of meat, game, and poultry, from
Norfolk and Suffolk.
—For the first time for many years, Norwich Theatre
opened on Boxing Day. The programme included “The
Stranger,” “Cherry Bounce,” and the pantomime
“Harlequin Baron Munchausen.” The other
Christmas attractions were Batty’s Equestrian Company at
the Pantheon, Victoria Gardens, and Wombwell’s Menagerie on
the Castle Meadow.
9.—A meeting was held at Norwich, under the presidency
of Mr. T. Brightwell, at which it was resolved to raise a
subscription to pay the legal expenses of Mr. John Francis and of
four other recusants, proceeded against in the Court of Arches
for failing to make a rate for repairing the parish church of St.
George Colegate. When the case was heard in the Arches
Court, counsel for Mr. Francis protested that upon the face of
the citation it did not appear that he had been guilty of any
ecclesiastical offence cognisable by the Court, neither did it
appear that the parish church was in need of repair. These
arguments were overruled by the Court,
whereupon Mr. Francis took the case to the Court of Queen’s
Bench, and on May 9th Mr. Justice Denman delivered judgment in
favour of the appellant, on the ground that the citation was bad,
because of there being no adequate allegation of any spiritual
offence.
13.—Mr. H. J. Wallack, of Drury Lane Theatre, formerly a
member of the Norwich circuit, and Mrs. Wallack, commenced an
operatic engagement at Norwich Theatre, in the “Barber of
Seville.”
3.—In the Court of Exchequer, before Lord Abinger and a
special jury, an information was heard against three persons
named Phillips, of Swanton Abbot, for the recovery of penalties
for a violation of the Excise laws by means of illicit
distillation. The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
It was stated that defendants had rendered themselves liable to
penalties amounting to £12,000, but the Crown would be
satisfied with a verdict for one penalty of £200, which,
trebled, amounted to £600. Judgment was then entered
for the last-named sum.
—Permission was given by the authorities of the Norfolk
and Norwich Hospital for the formation of a hospital museum, on
the understanding that there should be no alienation of the funds
of the institution. On October 19th it was reported to the
Governors that the museum had been completed, and an inscription
on vellum was voted to Mr. William Dalrymple, in grateful
acknowledgment of his donation of his entire collection in
anatomy and pathology, and to Mr. J. G. Crosse for his valuable
contributions. (See September 10th, 1845.)
7.—John Franklin, “known by the name of Bill
Downey, the celebrated Southtown pedestrian,” for a wager
of £10 walked from the Duke’s Head Inn, the Quay,
Yarmouth, to the Shirehall, Norwich, and back, in eleven and a
half hours.
8.—A meeting was held at North Walsham, for the purpose
of forming a Protection Association against the attacks of the
Anti-Corn Law League. Similar associations were formed in
other parts of the county, and about fifty petitions were sent to
Parliament, praying that no alteration be made in the state of
the law.
10.*—“A society for insurance against damages by
hail has been established in Norwich, an influential body of
gentlemen having accepted the office of directors, and numerous
parties have intimated their intention to take advantage of this
institution.”
13.—A new historical play, entitled, “Zopyrus, the
Hero of Persia,” by Mr. William Cooper, barrister, of
Norwich, was produced for the first time at Norwich, Theatre.
15.—A singular person, named Jemima Cock, died at Long
Stratton. “She was 78 years of age, and was known for
many years as a letter-carrier of the Post Office, and although
no scholar, was never known to make a mistake in that
department. She once travelled the country as a seller of
rakes and other implements. She wore top boots, kindly
given to her by gentlemen of the village, and dressed her head
with a hat like Mrs. Twankey’s in the play of the
‘Ladies’ Club,’ and long before, and
at the time of her demise was, by order of the parish, made
governess of the clink. She leaves no relative or friend to
mourn her loss, save one, and those placed under her kind
attention in prison-like confinement, and the poor weary
barefooted traveller who wandered thither for shelter (and
repose) from the fury of the pelting storm.”
20.—It was announced in the “London Gazette”
that Sir E. L. Bulwer, Bart., in compliance with a direction
contained in the will of his late mother, Elizabeth Barbara
Bulwer Lytton, of Knebworth, would thereafter use the surname of
Lytton in addition to and after that of Bulwer, and also bear the
arms of Lytton quarterly in the first quarter with his own family
arms.
26.—An information was laid before the Docking
magistrates by Robert Bullock, a common informer, against Mr.
William Shearman, of Burnham, under 52 Geo. III., cap. 93, for
having, on November 17th, 1843, “assisted Mr. Charles
Edward Overman and 20 other persons in the taking of a hare by
means of two greyhounds, the said act of assisting not being done
in the company or presence and for the use of any person who had
then duly obtained a certificate in his own right and who then
and there used his own dogs for the taking of the said
hare,” whereby he rendered himself liable to a penalty of
£20. Evidence was adduced showing that the dogs which
ran at the West Burnham Coursing Meeting, where the alleged
offence took place, belonged to qualified persons. The
Bench recorded a conviction, against which the defendant
appealed, at the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, held at Norwich on
March 13th. The Court quashed the conviction. Twenty
other cases depended upon the result of this appeal.
—Died in London, aged 73, Mr. John Wright. He was
a native of Norwich, and going early in life to the Metropolis,
where he had the superintendence of Hookham’s Reading
Rooms, in Old Bond Street, he became acquainted with many of the
leading political and literary characters of the day, by whose
support he entered into business as a publisher, in
Piccadilly. He was the particular friend of Gifford, the
poet, and the rencontre between that individual and Peter
Pindar took place at Wright’s house. He was
afterwards connected with Cobbett in the publication of the
“Weekly Register,” but this terminated in a lawsuit,
in which the latter gained little credit. Literary pursuits
of various kinds occupied Mr. Wright’s attention for the
remainder of his life, and his assistance was much sought after
by publishers and others, in affording which and in attendance at
the House of Commons he generally spent his time. He was
supposed to have had the superintendence and correction of
“Hansard’s Debates.”
28.—Died at Ingolville, near Havre, Mr. John Morse,
formerly of Sprowston. He was a magistrate and deputy
lieutenant of the county, and served the office of High Sheriff
in 1807. His remains were interred at Sprowston, on March
12th.
5.—The Norwich Court of Guardians passed a series of
resolutions on the new Poor Law Amendment Bill, expressing regret
that the measure contained a clause extending the powers of the
Poor Law Commissioners to places hitherto governed by local Acts
of Parliament, and thereby to a considerable extent repealed
those Acts.
9.*—“A very fine specimen of the osprey or
sea eagle, in full plumage, measuring 7 ft. 5 in. from tip to tip
of the wings, was lately shot at Westwick by one of the
gamekeepers of Mr. J. Petre.”
16.*—“Ministers connected with the party which
seceded last May from the Scotch Church have visited Norwich this
week, for the purpose of detailing their version of the
differences between them and the Presbyterian Establishment and
of raising ‘siller’ to enable them to carry on their
system.”
25.—Lord Chief Baron Abinger and Mr. Justice Patteson,
Judges of Assize, arrived at Norwich. Lord Abinger, on the
30th, received a deputation of the principal merchants of the
city, who represented to him the unfairness and expense attending
the mode of conducting bankruptcy proceedings. On April 1st
his lordship was taken suddenly ill at Bury St. Edmund’s,
the next town on the Assize circuit, and on April 7th he
died. His lordship’s political connection with
Norwich commenced in 1832. As Sir James Scarlett he was
returned with Lord Stormont in 1833 a member for the city, and on
December 15th received the honorary freedom. When Sir
Robert Peel was unexpectedly called upon to form a Conservative
ministry, the office of Chief Baron was conferred upon Sir James
Scarlett, who was called to the House of Lords by the title of
Baron Abinger, of Abinger, in the county of Surrey, and of the
city of Norwich.
30.—Died, aged 81, at Wymondham, Mr. John Cullyer.
“He was an excellent arithmetician, and the author of a
scientific work entitled, ‘The Gentleman’s and
Farmer’s Assistant,’ containing tables for the
measurement of land, &c.”
4.—Hales, the Norfolk giant, was exhibited at Tombland
Fair. He was 8 ft. in height, and weighed 33 stones.
8.—Mrs. Yates and Mr. O. Smith appeared at Norwich
Theatre in the “Christmas Carol,” produced under the
superintendence of its adaptor, Mr. Edward Stirling, stage
manager of the Adelphi Theatre. Mrs. Yates was a
granddaughter of Mr. Brunton, many years manager of the Norwich
circuit.
11.—The Norwich Town Council completed the arrangements
respecting the purchase by the Corporation of the Foundry Bridge
tolls, and empowered the City Committee to negotiate for the
borrowing of £8,000 for the purpose. The new iron
bridge which replaced the old wooden structure was opened for
traffic on June 29th. It was erected by Messrs. Bradley and
Co., of Wakefield, from designs by Mr. C. D. Atkinson, of the
same town, at the cost of £800.
12.—Major-General Pasley, Government Inspector,
accompanied by the Lord Bishop of Norwich, and several of the
directors, proceeded in “a train of carriages” from
the Norwich terminus to Yarmouth by the new Yarmouth and Norwich
Railway. This was the first train that ran out of the city,
and its departure was witnessed by thousands of the
inhabitants. (See April 30.)
20.—The Scots Greys, during the week ending this date,
marched from the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, en route to
Edinburgh.
20.*—“The parish clerk of St.
Peter’s, Terrington, has caused his coffin and gravestone
to be prepared, although in excellent health. The former he
keeps in his sleeping room, and uses as a wardrobe, and the
latter stands in the church, ready to be put down when
required. The stone contains the following:—
“This aged clerk, long ere he died,
His coffin had and placed by his bedside;
His neighbours all well know the truth is spoke—
’Twas made of Mr. John Perry’s best oak;
His old friend Death just touch’d him with his spear
And in pure kindness laid him quietly here.
“The upper part of the stone contains the name, with
blanks for cutting age, &c., when the time of his dissolution
shall take place.”
24.—Died at Boyland Hall, aged 66, the Hon. Frederick
Paul Irby, C.B., Rear-Admiral of the White. He was born
April 18th, 1779, and was second son of the second Baron
Boston. He entered the Navy in 1791, was present in Lord
Howe’s action on June 1st, 1793, at Camperdown under Lord
Duncan, and afterwards saw much active service. He was
severely wounded in an action fought with a French frigate off
the Isle of Los, on the coast of Guinea.
—Died in Julian Place, Norwich, aged 38, Mr. Thomas
Wiggins. “He had been proprietor of and a celebrated
whip on the Phenomena coach from Norwich to London for several
years, and was much respected by all for his skill as a
coachman.”
30.—The Yarmouth and Norwich Railway was formally opened
on this date. The county was indebted to Mr. R. Stephenson,
the celebrated engineer and “father of railways,” for
the introduction of the line. He and his friends, supported
to a limited extent only by residents in Norwich and Yarmouth,
contemplated it as the commencement of a grand line from the east
to the west of England, in connection with other systems
extending north and south. The prospectus was issued on
January 15th, 1842; the Act of Parliament obtained June 18th,
1842; and the first meeting of proprietors held at the Victoria
Hotel, Yarmouth, on August 5th, 1842. The total cost of the
undertaking was estimated at £200,000. The first
half-yearly meeting of shareholders was held at the Royal Hotel,
Norwich, on February 26th, 1843. Messrs. Grissell and Peto
constructed the line, at the cost of £10,000 per
mile. The rolling stock of the company consisted of five
locomotives and a number of passenger carriages, supplied by Mr.
Wright, of London. “The third class are six-wheeled
carriages, open, and at present without seats. We trust
they will not long continue so; the inconvenience of standing,
especially to females, during a journey in cold weather, will be
very great.” Thousands of persons assembled at Thorpe
Station to witness the departure of the first train at 10.30,
hundreds thronged the line at various points, and a great crowd
gathered at Yarmouth to see the arrival. Howlett’s
brass band occupied a third-class carriage next the engine, and
the other carriages were reserved for 200 guests, specially
invited by the directors. The train started amid loud
cheers, and accomplished the journey in 50½ minutes; the
return trip was done in 44 minutes. At four o’clock a
dinner was held at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, under the
presidency of Mr. S. M. Peto, supported right and left by the
Mayors of Norwich and Yarmouth. The
railway was opened for public traffic on May 1st, when 1,015
passengers were booked.
4.*—“Last week 100 stand of arms were received at
our barracks for the Norwich Enrolled Pensioners. The dress
consists of a peaked, glazed cap, with scarlet band and star in
front, a blue frock coat, similar to those worn by the French
infantry, with scarlet epaulettes edged with brass, and dark
mixture trousers with broad red stripes. Sergeants will be
each armed with a light carbine and cutlass. The whole will
be called out occasionally for exercise and drill.”
6.—A troop of the 4th Light Dragoons arrived at
Norwich.
—The Bishop of Norwich confirmed 1,277 persons at the
Cathedral.
18.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry commenced eight
days’ permanent duty at Holt.
20.—Mr. Govett, formerly assistant minister at St.
Stephen’s church, Norwich, “whose eccentricities were
often the cause of great pain to many members of the
congregation,” was baptised at Mr. Brock’s chapel,
“with six young ladies whom he had persuaded unhappily to
follow his errors.”
1.—The season terminated at Norwich Theatre. The
manager (Mr. G. Smith) said, in the course of his customary
address: “Having been for nearly 30 years a member of the
company, I am most reluctantly compelled to chronicle the one now
closing as the very worst season within my
recollection.”
19.—Died at Knapton, aged 59, Mr. Jeffreson Mills,
Commander R.N. He served from 1799 until the Peace in
1815. “During his career he assisted at the capture
of 26 line of battleships, 18 frigates, and 21 sloops of war and
privateers. He was the author of a masterly vindication of
Lord Nelson’s proceedings in the Bay of Naples.”
22.*—“The fatal ball by which Nelson received his
death wound, and which was in the possession of the late Sir W.
Beatty, M.D., R.N., at his death came into possession of Col.
Beatty, R.M., and his brother, Mr. Vincent Beatty,
ci-devant captain of the late 24th Light Dragoons, by whom
it has been presented to her Majesty, and most graciously
received. The ball, with the particles of the coat and
epaulette which were forced into the body, is neatly and
elegantly set within a crystal case, which is appropriately
mounted with a double cable coiled around its
circumference. It opens like a watch.”
24.—Madame Vestris and Mr. Charles Mathews commenced a
short engagement at Norwich Theatre, in “Patter
versus Clatter,” “Loan of a Lover,”
“Grist to the Mill,” and “Follies of a
Night.”
13.—At Marsham, near Aylsham, were rung 10,080 changes
of Oxford treble bob major, “the longest peal on eight
bells ever completed in this
county.” It was composed by Eversfield, of London,
and rung in 5 hours 44 minutes.
22.—Died at Longford Hall, Derbyshire, whither she had
retired for her accouchement, Anne Amelia Dowager Countess of
Leicester, wife of the Right Hon. Ed. Ellice, M.P. for
Coventry. The third daughter of the Earl and Countess of
Albemarle, and born on June 16th, 1803, she married, on February
26th, 1822, Mr. Thomas William Coke, of Holkham, who was created
Earl of Leicester in 1837, and died in 1842. Her ladyship
married Mr. Ellice on October 25th, 1843.
25.—A cricket match, Marylebone Club and Ground against
Norfolk with Fuller Pilch, commenced at Lord’s.
Norfolk, 60-111; Marylebone, 79-71. The return match
commenced at Swaffham on Sept. 5th. Marylebone, 19-32;
Norfolk, 45-6.
29.—The celebrated dwarf, Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton),
made his first appearance in Norwich at the Theatre Royal, where
he was introduced by Mr. Barnum, the equally famous showman.
30.—Mr. Justice Williams, in charging the Grand Jury at
the Norfolk Assizes, dwelt upon the alarming increase of
incendiarism.
1.—Madame Céleste and Mr. Webster commenced an
engagement at Norwich Theatre. One of the features of the
entertainment was the dancing of “le Polka.”
This dance, which was introduced for the first time in Norwich,
was described as “a mixture of the waltz and the
cracovienne, and extremely pretty when danced well.”
All the local dancing masters advertised it, and it gave fresh
life and animation to the ball rooms. “Nothing was
more wearisome,” it was said, “than the eternal first
set of quadrilles, and comparatively few joined in the waltz; in
the polka we have a dance full of life, elegant in its figures,
and with the additional charm of being accompanied by music of
the most attractive character.” At the Norwich
Sessions Ball, on Sept. 16th, it was a great attraction; Mr.
Frank Noverre gave a “polka ball” at the Assembly
Rooms on December 2nd; and at Miss Bidwell’s ball, at the
same place, on December 5th, “these ladies danced the polka
in character, giving a good delineation of Madame Céleste
and Mr. Webster.”
—A sculling match took place between Messrs. Corby and
Wigham, from the New Cut, Whitlingham, to Mutford Lock and back,
a distance of 60 miles, for £25 a side. Corby, the
winner, rowed the distance in 10 hrs. 21 mins., the whole of the
return journey being against a strong wind and tide. Wigham
gave up at Buckenham.
2.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Williams,
William Frost, aged 35, was indicted for having, on April 8th, at
Whitwell, murdered his four children, whose ages ranged from five
years to ten weeks, by striking them on the head with a
hammer. Mr. W. P. Nichols, Mr. G. W. W. Firth, and Mr.
Crosse testified to the insanity of the prisoner, against whom a
verdict of not guilty was returned, and he was ordered to be
confined in the Criminal Lunatic Asylum, St. George’s
Fields, London.
3.*—“About 60 cwt. of tea and coffee have
been brought to Norwich by the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway
Company, for Messrs. Wolton and Co., of London Street. We
should not be surprised if that practice become more general in
busy weeks, particularly when the wind is contrary for the
favourable transit of the wherries.”
—At the Norfolk and Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice
Alderson, the action, Cory v. the Yarmouth and Norwich
Railway Company, was heard. It was an action sent down from
the Vice-Chancellor’s Court, in which the plaintiff sought
to restrain the defendants from carrying passengers from their
railway terminus across the Bure or Yare to Great Yarmouth, on
the ground that the right of the plaintiff as proprietor of the
ancient ferry and of the suspension bridge which supplied its
place, was thereby infringed. At the suggestion of the
Judge, an agreement was arrived at between the parties.
(See May 2nd, 1845.)
7.—Intelligence was received at Norwich of the birth of
a Prince (Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh).
The bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung, and the Town Council
in due course sent to the Queen a congratulatory address.
9.—Great festivities took place at Ellingham, near
Bungay, in celebration of the return of Col. Smith from active
service in India.
12.—The opera of “The Bohemian Girl” was
performed at Norwich Theatre for the first time. The
principals included Miss Rainforth, Mr. Harrison, and Mr.
Stretton, of Drury Lane Theatre; Mr. Gilbeigh, Mr. Duval,
&c. The numerical strength of the orchestra was more
than trebled by the services rendered by professional and amateur
instrumentalists of the city. The conductor was Mr. C. F.
Hall, one of the leaders of the Drury Lane orchestra
“Norma” was also produced. The week’s
performances received very inadequate support.
19.—Killed at Sekerran, Borneo, aged 39, George Steward,
youngest son of Mr. Timothy Steward, of Great Yarmouth. He
was in the East India Company’s service, and volunteered to
accompany Capt. Keppel, R.N., in his expedition against the
pirates of Borneo. While ascending a river in a native boat
he was surrounded by the enemy and slain.
—Died at Bracondale, Norwich, aged 78, Mr. Roger Kitson,
a schoolmaster, who sixty years previously succeeded Mr.
Massingham at the then well-known academy in St. Andrew’s
Broad Street. He had a talent for poetical composition, and
belonged to the Confraternity of United Friars and other literary
societies.
21.—The Norwich Mechanics’ Institute was
dissolved. On October 27th its surplus funds, amounting to
£120, were handed over to a new society, known as the
Athenæum, in which the Rev. A. Bath Power, Mr. J. J.
Gurney, and other gentlemen were interested. The society
met at rooms in the Market Place.
24.*—“The operation of Lord Brougham’s Act,
for the abolition of imprisonment for debt, has had the effect of
clearing the Norwich Gaol of all the debtors except one.
Its operation will be very disadvantageous to the prisoners
sentenced by the Court of Conscience or Requests, as they had
laid a part of their time, and a very few days more would have
exempted them from future liability, whereas now they go out
subject to other proceedings and executions against their
goods.”
28.—A shocking accident occurred at Dereham
Theatre, to Mr. Dillon, one of the performers. He had just
dressed for his part, and approaching too near to a lighted
candle, the inflammable material which he wore immediately caught
fire, and he was enveloped in flames. He ran about the
stage in terror, and some of the audience, rushing forward,
endeavoured to extinguish the fire, but they did not succeed
until he had been seriously injured.
31.—Among Norwich improvements completed during the
preceding twelve months were mentioned at this date the building
of Victoria Street, the erection of new houses in place of old
and unsightly ones near St. Giles’ Gates, and the widening
of the street in that locality; the reconstruction of the Wensum
Street and Tombland Corner; and the construction of the
embankment between Foundry Bridge and Carrow Bridge.
9.—Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean appeared in
“Hamlet” at Norwich Theatre, and on succeeding
evenings played in “The Gamester,”
“Macbeth,” “The Lady of Lyons,”
“Richard the Third,” and “The
Stranger.”
—The Royal squadron escorting the Queen on her voyage to
Scotland was off the Norfolk coast from 7 a.m. to 12 noon.
The coastguard fired rockets at various points, which were
answered from the Royal yacht.
11.—Died at Cheltenham, the Ven. Henry Bathurst,
Archdeacon of Norwich and rector of North Creake.
12.—The organ at St. Nicholas’ church, Great
Yarmouth, was reopened after renovation. The instrument was
built in the 18th century, by Abraham Jordan, and repaired in
1812 by G. P. England. It was finally repaired by Messrs.
Grey and Davison, of Gray’s Inn Road, London.
19.—At a meeting of the members of the medical
profession in Norwich, held at the Guildhall, under the
presidency of Mr. J. G. Crosse, approval was expressed of the
registration clauses in Sir James Graham’s Bill for the
better regulation of medical practice in the United Kingdom.
26.—The new chapel, dedicated to St. Edmund, at Walpole
St. Peter, was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich.
—A meeting was held at the King’s Arms Hotel, East
Dereham, in furtherance of a scheme for constructing a railway
from Wymondham to that town, with extensions to Lynn and
Downham. Lord Sondes, on October 7th, presided over a
meeting at the Guildhall, Norwich, at which the undertaking was
approved. It was estimated to cost £10,000 per
mile. (See December 7th, 1846.)
10.—Died at Norwich, Mr. Thomas Turner, “a
well-known amateur on the river.” “Agreeable to
the wishes expressed by the deceased, he was
conveyed from Carrow to Thorpe on board a sailing-boat, from
which he was carried on the shoulders of six boating men in blue
jackets and white trousers to his last resting-place in Thorpe
churchyard.”
16.—Van Amburgh’s Circus and Menagerie were
exhibited in a large marquee erected in Chapel Field,
Norwich.
17.—Dereham and Swaffham Theatres were advertised to be
sold by auction, “under the will of the late Mr. David
Fisher.” After this date there are no further records
of the Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians, so long under
the management of the Fisher family.
—Mr. Rush, “a respectable farmer,” of
Hevingham, was accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun
“left in the kitchen of his house by his son, James
Blomfield Rush, auctioneer and farmer, of Wymondham.”
18.—M. Jullien gave the first of three concerts at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.
26.—In the Arches Court, the Rev. William Henry
Henslowe, perpetual curate of Wormegay, was suspended from the
ministry for three months, for refusing on two occasions to bury
the corpse of Sarah Bowden, a parishioner who had been baptised
by a minister of the Primitive Methodist persuasion. The
case was brought before the Court by letters of request from the
Bishop of Norwich.
9.—Sir William Foster, Bart., was elected Mayor, and Mr.
John Betts appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
24.—Died at his residence, St. Catherine’s
Cottage, St. John de Sepulchre, Norwich, aged 73, Mr. Jonathan
Matchett, senior proprietor of the Norfolk
Chronicle. He had been connected with the journal
for 51 years, and became its head on the decease of his
father-in-law, Mr. Stevenson, in 1821.
27.—Died at his house at Costessey, aged 69, Mr. Richard
Mackenzie Bacon, principal proprietor and editor of the
“Norwich Mercury.” Mr. Bacon was the editor
also of “The Quarterly Musical Magazine and
Review.”
28.—Mr. Tom Cross, the celebrated “gentleman
whip,” driver of the Lynn and London coach, delivered at
the Assembly Rooms, Lynn, a lecture on Shakespeare.
3.—Died at Swaffham Vicarage, aged 92, the Rev. William
Yonge, vicar of the parish and Chancellor of the Diocese.
5.—Mr. Edward Stracey, of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich,
the respondent in a suit respecting the tenancy of a pew in the
parish church, was taken into custody and lodged in the City Gaol
by a process of the Norwich Ecclesiastical Court, because of his
refusal to pay the costs imposed by the Court.
14.*—“The winter has set in most severely,
with an intense ground frost and the wind in the east. The
navigation of the river between Norwich and Yarmouth and from
that port to Beccles, Bungay, and Aylsham, has been stopped by
ice, but not a particle of snow has fallen.”
5.—The Rev. Charles Chapman, who was elected vicar of
the parish on November 5th, 1832, preached his farewell sermon at
St. Peter Mancroft church, Norwich. The Rev. Thomas Wilson,
M.A., was elected to the vacant living.
7.—At Norwich Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder (Mr.
Isaac Jermy), John Dover, the notorious Chartist leader, was
found guilty of receiving stolen silk, &c., the property of
William Martin and others, and sentenced to fourteen years’
transportation.
13.—Cooke’s Royal Circus was opened at the
Amphitheatre, Victoria Gardens, Norwich. During the season
various “horse spectacles,” pantomimes, farces, and
burlettas were produced.
18.—Died at his house near St. Giles’ Gates,
Norwich, Mr. James Bennett, a man of great scientific
attainments. By trade a watchmaker, “he invented an
instrument for performing the operation of the trepan, which was
mentioned with much praise by Sir Astley Cooper in his lectures,
and ever afterwards used by that distinguished surgeon. He
was the first man who made an electrical machine in
Norwich. To different societies he sent original
contributions, and presented articles of value, particularly the
splendid anatomical preparations of the late Mr. Stevenson,
veterinary surgeon, Castle Meadow, which were given to a museum
in London. He took great interest in witnessing surgical
operations, and could dissect an eye very beautifully. He
was an adept at music and drawing, and was one of the original
members of the Hall Concert.” Mr. Bennett served the
office of Sheriff in 1826, and by virtue of seniority was
“Father of the Common Council.” He was the
oldest surviving “brother” of the intellectual and
benevolent confraternity, the College of United Friars, and was
for many years a member of the Castle Corporation.
25.—The Norfolk Chronicle
published the results of an inquiry into the state of the
manufactures of Norwich, and in its comments stated:
“Norwich has lost its former prominence as a manufacturing
city, partly in consequence of the high price of coals compared
with the North and West, and partly from improvements in
machinery being tardily introduced. We regret that while
8,000 persons are employed in or connected with our factories and
mills, a large number are constantly without work, and this is
likely to be the state of things for some time to
come.”
26.—On this date occurred the highest tide ever recorded
at Yarmouth. The depth of water on the bar was 19 ft. 6
in. A severe gale prevailed,
and several vessels were in distress. The Phœnix
yawl, which went out to the assistance of a brig stranded on the
north end of the Scroby Sand, was lost, and seven of her crew
drowned.
19.—Died at his residence, Northrepps Hall, Cromer, Sir
T. Fowell Buxton, Bart. He was in his 59th year.
23.—Died at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, Mr. Thomas
Stannard, engraver, aged 55.
24.—The Hon. W. B. Baring, M.P., who had accepted the
office of Paymaster to the Forces, was re-elected without
opposition member for the borough of Thetford.
28.—Mr. Samuel Lover, author of “Rory
O’More” and other Irish tales, gave, at the Assembly
Rooms, Norwich, his “Irish Evening, illustrative of the
national characteristics, legends, superstitions, mirth, and
melody of his country, entitled, ‘Paddy by Land and
Sea.’” The entertainment was repeated on the
29th.
—At an inquest held at Costessey, by Mr. Pilgrim, one of
the County Coroners, upon the exhumed body of a woman named Jane
Mary Lovett, who was alleged to have died in childbirth, in
consequence of improper treatment by a medical man named Gaches,
a verdict of manslaughter was returned. Mr. Gaches
contrived to escape from the custody of Inspector Barrett,
concealed himself in the park, and ultimately absconded from the
neighbourhood. He was re-arrested on March 29th, in a
railway carriage at Shoreditch, and at his trial at the Norfolk
Assizes on April 8th the jury, by direction of Mr. Justice
Patteson, returned a verdict of not guilty.
5.—Died at his residence in the Upper Close, Norwich,
Dr. Warner Wright, aged 70. He was founder of the Norwich
Dispensary, and in 1804 was chosen a physician of the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital, a position which he resigned in 1840. For
many years he was visiting physician to the Norfolk County
Lunatic Asylum, and to the Norwich Bethel, and was placed upon
the commission of the peace for the city in 1836.
12.—John Tawell, indicted at Aylesbury Assizes for the
murder of Sarah Hart, at Salt Hill, by poisoning her, came of a
respectable Norfolk family. “Augustus Metcalfe, who
served the office of Mayor of Norwich in 1716, was the maternal
grandfather of Tawell’s father. Thomas Tawell, uncle
of John Tawell’s father, served the office of Sheriff of
Norwich in 1723, and died during his shrievalty.
Tawell’s father was a shopkeeper, and had resided in
several places in the neighbourhood of Norwich.” The
convict, who was a Quaker, was executed on March 28th.
15.*—“The frost has now continued, with few
intermissions, for eighteen weeks, a longer period than has been
remembered for the last thirty years.”
19.—A meeting of the principal inhabitants was
held at the Guildhall, Norwich, under the presidency of the Mayor
(Sir William Foster), “to determine on the steps to be
taken for arresting the progress of the epidemic diseases so
extensively prevailing, and for mitigating the sufferings of the
afflicted poor.” It was stated that between 1,500 and
1,600 persons had been attacked by small-pox, measles, scarlet
fever, and typhus. The attention of the authorities was
directed to the insanitary condition of the city, and a fund was
started for cleansing and disinfecting the houses of the
poor.
26.—Sir James Graham’s Bill for the amendment of
the Law of Settlement was considered at a public meeting held at
the Guildhall, Norwich. Disapproval of the measure was
expressed. The Court of Guardians and other public bodies
passed resolutions in opposition to the Bill, which was received
unfavourably in other parts of the county.
29.*—“A salmon trout, measuring 23 inches in
length and weighing 5 lbs., has been taken while fishing for pike
in the river Wensum, near Hellesdon.”
1.—Died at Winfarthing, aged 80, Mr. Philip G.
Browne. “He was author of ‘The History of
Norwich,’ &c., &c., and was parish clerk of
Winfarthing for upwards of fifty years.”
7.—At Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Baron Parke, George
William Wilson, formerly cashier of the Norwich Court of
Guardians, was charged with embezzling various sums, amounting to
£1,245, the property of that body. The jury returned
a verdict of not guilty. A further charge of stealing a
book belonging to the Guardians was deferred to the Summer
Assizes, on which occasion no evidence was offered, and the
prisoner was discharged.
—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Patteson,
Robert Richard Royal, James Barnard Hall, and James Mapes were
indicted for the murder of Harriet Candler, at Yarmouth, on
November 18th, 1844. The principal witness was a man named
Samuel Yarham, who had turned Queen’s evidence. The
jury acquitted the prisoners. (See March 27th,
1846.)
8.—Bawdeswell church was consecrated by the Bishop of
Norwich. The church became dilapidated in 1740, but a
portion of the ruined building was fitted with pews and used
until 1843, when it was found necessary to rebuild the church, at
the cost of £1,400. Mr. J. Brown, of Norwich, was the
architect, Mr. William Gillham, of Rainham, contractor, and Mr.
Francis Cushing, of North Walsham, sub-contractor.
14.—The east wall of the chancel of St. Julian’s
church, Norwich, fell with a tremendous crash, which greatly
alarmed the neighbourhood. The church was re-opened on
January 18th, 1846.
19.—The foundation-stone of the new church of St. John,
King’s Lynn, was laid by the Bishop of Norwich. The
building was consecrated by his lordship on September 24th,
1846.
21.—Died at his official residence, Woolwich, Colonel
Sir George C. Hoste, C.B. He was the third son of the Rev.
Dixon Hoste, rector of Tittleshall, and was gazetted lieutenant
in the Royal Engineers on December
20th, 1802. He was attached to the expedition to the
Mediterranean commanded by General Sir J. Craig, and was present
at the battle of Maida, and distinguished himself on other
occasions in Sicily, Egypt, and Calabria. He was employed
in the two attacks on Antwerp in 1813, and gained the rank of
brevet-major for the skill and gallantry which he displayed in
leading the Guards at the storming of Bergen-op-Zoom. At
the battle of Waterloo he was attached to the corps led by the
Prince of Orange, and was subsequently upon the personal staff of
the Duke of Wellington. For his services during this
campaign he received the distinction of C.B.
26.—At a meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich Shipwrecked
Mariners’ Society, held at the Shirehall, Norwich, Mr. J.
J. Gurney called attention to a new form of life-preserver made
and presented to the society by a reporter of the Norfolk Chronicle. “It consists
of a linen jacket covered with oblong pieces of cork. The
head is put through a circle, and the jacket falls down at the
back and the front of the person wearing it, leaving the arms
perfectly free, being suspended from the shoulders and strapped
round the body. There is a semi-circular thick cork collar
in front and coming under the chin, so that the jacket is not
only calculated to keep any person afloat in the water, but also
to keep his head at a sufficient elevation. It was agreed
that the jacket should become the property of the
society.”
2.—An appalling loss of life was occasioned at Yarmouth
by the fall of the Suspension Bridge, which had been the subject
of so much litigation between Mr. Cory and the Yarmouth and
Norwich Railway Company. A clown named Nelson, belonging to
Cooke’s Equestrian Circus, had announced that he would
perform the feat of sailing in a tub drawn by four geese from the
old Draw Bridge to the Suspension Bridge. Thousands of
persons assembled to witness the spectacle, and upon the bridge
itself there were between 400 and 500. The bridge, which
was the chief means of transit from the railway terminus to the
town, and had been widened to admit of increased traffic by a
footpath constructed on either side, was suspended from two
piers. Just as the clown was entering the Bure, at ten
minutes to six o’clock, there was a rush to the south side
of the bridge, the suspension rods snapped, the chains gave way,
and “the bridge fell on that side like the leaf of a table
let down,” pouring the crowd upon it into the water.
A terrible scene ensued. As many as possible were rescued
and conveyed to the Vauxhall Gardens, but notwithstanding the
efforts made by watermen in boats and upon the river banks, there
was fearful loss of life. An inquest was opened at the
Church Hall on the 3rd, when Mr. Cooke, the proprietor of the
circus, intimated that he would at once withdraw his company from
the town. The inquiry was adjourned from time to time, and
at the last sitting Mr. James Walker, C.E., who had been sent
down to examine into the cause of the disaster, reported: (1) the
immediate cause of the accident was a defect in the welding of
the bar which first gave way; (2) that the quality of the iron
and the workmanship were defective, and the accident would not
have happened had the work been properly examined at the time of
construction; (3) the widening of the bridge appeared to have
been made without sufficient reference
to its original strength and the weight which it had to support;
and (4) that in the original construction of the bridge the
casualty of a great load all on one side did not appear to have
been contemplated. The jury returned a verdict in
accordance with Mr. Walker’s conclusions. The number
of dead bodies recovered was 77; some, however, were supposed to
have been carried away by the current. Nearly all the
sufferers were children or very young persons, but it was related
as “a very extraordinary circumstance” that
“Mr. Thomas Bowles, aged 84, who was on board the Royal
George when she sank, and who is probably the only living
survivor, should have been on the Suspension Bridge during the
late accident. He was precipitated into the water, but was
once more miraculously saved.”
3.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry assembled at East
Dereham in stronger force than on any previous occasion, for
eight days’ permanent duty.
—The last troop of the 4th Dragoons marched from Norwich
Barracks, and were, on the same day, replaced by the 7th
Hussars.
5.—Died at West Somerton, aged 74, “Mr. William
Hales, father of nine children, whose united heights amount to 57
ft. 6 in., including the Norfolk giant and giantess.”
7.—The experiment was made at Norwich Theatre of still
further reducing the prices of admission to 2s. 6d. for dress
boxes, and to 1s. 6d. for the upper circle.
8.—Mr. Walter Morgan, aged 23, of the firm of Messrs.
Morgan, of the King Street Brewery, Norwich, met with his death
by falling into a vat of beer.
10.*—“A handbill has been published in Norwich
showing that out of 1,664 persons who have had small-pox, 1,536
had not been vaccinated, and only 128 were vaccinated. Out
of 506 who had escaped the disease altogether, only 84 had not
been vaccinated, and 422 vaccinated. Of 141 who had died
from small-pox, only four had been vaccinated, one a man 93 years
old; the other three were suffering from teething or were
otherwise ill when vaccinated.”
24.*—“The Hanworth Hall estate, comprising a
mansion, cottages, and 1,465 acres of land, has been disposed of
by private contract to Mr. William Howe Windham, of Felbrigg
Park, for £65,000.”
26.—A series of lectures on phonography was commenced at
the Assembly Rooms, Norwich, by Mr. Joseph Pitman and Mr.
Reid. “Mr. Reid appears to have mastered the system
so far as to be able to follow a speaker, but no reporter has yet
adopted it.”
2.—Mr. Macready, accompanied by Mr. Ryder, “a
highly respectable actor,” commenced a three nights’
engagement at Norwich Theatre. He appeared in the
characters of Hamlet, Richelieu, and Macbeth.
21.—Miss Fitzwilliam appeared at Norwich Theatre in the
Assize week performances. She took the leading parts in
“The Belle of the Hotel,” “My Little Adopted,”
“Foreign Airs and Native Graces,” &c. At
the conclusion of the season, on the 26th, Mr. George Smith
announced to the audience that he had resigned the management of
the circuit. “He had been,” he said,
“thirty-one years a member of the Norwich Company. He
had witnessed the drama in its high and palmy state; he had seen
its gradual decline. Many had been the causes assigned for
this decay—the increase of Dissent and fanaticism on the
one hand, errors of management on the other, and the reduction of
prices.”
29.—A prize-fight took place on Mousehold Heath,
Norwich, between Jim Woods and Ben Clarke, “the Norfolk
Slasher,” for £5 a side. Woods was the
favourite, at 5 to 2, and obtained “first blood,” but
in the second round Clarke struck him a severe blow on the temple
and felled him. In the third round Clarke put in another
blow, and as his opponent was falling, struck him behind the ear
and laid him senseless. Clarke was declared the winner,
after a contest which lasted only five minutes.
—The Norfolk Railway was opened. The directors ran
a special train from Trowse to Cambridge, by which about 200
guests, including the Dean and Mayor of Norwich, were
conveyed. A special train from London brought a like
contingent to Cambridge, where luncheon was served, under the
presidency of the chairman of the Eastern Counties Railway, Mr.
Henry Bosanquet. One of the first projects for a long line
was the proposal to construct a railway between London and
Norwich, via Thetford, with a continuation to
Yarmouth. A prospectus was printed and partially circulated
in 1825, but the scheme was abandoned. In 1835 the
prospectus of the Eastern Counties (or Grand Eastern Counties)
Railway appeared. The requisite notices were published in
November of that year, application was made in the ensuing
session of Parliament for a Bill, and the first Act for the
construction of the works received the Royal assent on July 4th,
1836. Up to 1840 this line was opened only as far as Warley
Lane, between Brentwood and Warley Common. In 1843 it was
completed as far as Colchester, but as the original capital was
more than expended in carrying the line that distance, all hope
of proceeding to Norwich was abandoned. In 1839 two Acts
connected with the Northern and Western Company were passed, and
received the Royal assent on July 19th. The first was for
the purpose of extending the time for the purchase of land as far
as Bishop’s Stortford, and the second was chiefly to
confirm an agreement with the Eastern Counties Company as to the
terms, &c., for passing over their line. In 1840
another Act was passed, receiving the Royal assent on June 4th,
for reducing the joint stock capital to £700,000, giving
the company power to raise £240,000 on debentures so soon
as one moiety of the capital should be paid off, and abandoning
that portion of the line between Bishop’s Stortford and
Cambridge. In 1840 the idea of railway communication
between Norwich and the Metropolis was revived, and it was
resolved to form a company, to be styled the Norfolk, Suffolk,
and Cambridge Railway Company. It was afterwards known as
the East Anglian Railway Company. It received the support
of the landowners’ committee in Norfolk, and the expense
was estimated as follows: From Bishop’s Stortford to
Cambridge, 22 miles, £572,000; from Cambridge to Norwich,
63 miles, £1,126,695; from Norwich to Yarmouth, 18 miles,
£291,512. After the opening of the Yarmouth and
Norwich line according to the plan of Mr.
Stephenson, the project for the East Anglian Railway was dropped
for a time, and was revived by the promoters of the Norwich and
Brandon Railway, the prospectus of which was published in
1843. The capital to be raised was stated to be
£380,000, in 19,000 shares of £20 each. In the
Session of 1844 an Act was applied for and received the Royal
assent in the month of June. The line in connection with
that from Yarmouth and with that from Ely to Brandon resulted,
and it was known as the Norfolk Railway. Messrs. Grissell
and Peto were the contractors, and Messrs. Stephenson and Bidder
the engineers in chief. The works were commenced at
Wymondham on May 17th, 1844, and finished on July 1st,
1845. The first through train to London started from Trowse
on the morning of July 30th. At that date the swing bridge
at Trowse had not been completed. Of the travelling it was
said it “cannot be rendered more comfortable than it is
upon the Norfolk Railway.”
12.—The foundation-stone of the Leicester monument was
laid in Holkham Park by Lord Coborne, in the presence of a large
gathering of the nobility and gentry and of the tenant-farmers of
Norfolk.
15.—Died at his residence in Golden Ball Street,
Norwich, aged 78, Mr. John Angell, who served the office of
Sheriff in 1825 and of Mayor in 1830.
16.*—“Within the last few days no less than 500
coach horses have been sent for sale at Aldridge’s
Repository, owing to the further opening of the Northern and
Eastern Railway from Bishop’s Stortford by way of Ely and
Thetford to Norwich, and the consequent discontinuation of
coaches.”
6.—The Brundall estate, consisting of a mansion and 143
acres of land, the property of the Rev. L. B. Foster, was sold by
Mr. Spelman, of Norwich, for £12,500, to Mr. T. G.
Tuck.
—The Newmarket mail coach was overturned at Cringleford
Gate, and of the six outside passengers, all of whom were more or
less cut and bruised, a lady had her arm broken and a gentleman
sustained a fractured collar-bone and dislocated arm.
10.—The museum at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital was
opened, under the presidency of the Lord Bishop of Norwich.
11.—A cricket match commenced at Swaffham, between the
Marylebone Club and the Norfolk Club, and concluded on the
12th. “Fuller Pilch, the hope of Norfolk, was
beautifully caught for seven runs. A great damper was
thrown on their spirits by this untoward event, and the rest of
the side did little to retrieve the misfortune.”
Marylebone, 162; Norfolk, 42-83.
16.—Died at Yarmouth, aged 69, Mr. Richard Sutton.
“He was very eccentric, and had such a love for mathematics
that though extremely poor he had often been known to sell his
dinner in order to procure some old book on
mathematics.”
16.—The Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Musical
Festival commenced. The principal vocalists were Madame
Grisi, Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Dolby, Miss Poole, Sig. Mario,
Sig. F. Lablache, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Machin, Mr.
Bradbury, and Herr Standigl. Mr. T. Cooke was leader of the
band, Mr. Benedict conductor, and Mr. Turle organist. The
programme included selections from the “Stabat
Mater,” “The Seasons,” “Il Don
Giovanni,” Purcell’s “Jubilate,”
Mozart’s “Requiem,” “Calvary,”
“Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “The
Messiah.” On the 19th a ball took place at St.
Andrew’s Hall. The gross receipts amounted to
£5,432 9s. 6d., and expenses to £4,180 10s. 9d.
The Sheriffs of London (Mr. Hunter and Mr. Sidney) attended the
Festival, and were, on the 19th, entertained at dinner at the
Royal Hotel.
27.*—“The Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Company has
reduced the charge for the use of the telegraph and dispatching a
messenger to any part of Norwich from 4s. 6d. to 2s.
6d.”
7.—A meeting of the Wesleyan Methodists of the Norwich
circuit was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, for the
purpose of raising a consolidated fund to redeem the chapel
debts, amounting to £6,900. It was proposed to create
a capital to be raised in 6,900 shares of £1 each, the
payments to be made at intervals of three months during the
ensuing five years.
13.—Died “that excellent and philanthropic
lady,” Mrs. Fry, who for many years “devoted her time
and her purse to ameliorate the miseries of the inmates of our
various prisons.”
14.—Lord Suffield was installed Grand-Master of
Freemasons in the province of Norfolk.
1.*—“Mr. Charles Fisher, who for the last two or
three seasons has been a general favourite on the Norwich
circuit, has accepted an engagement at the Prince’s
Theatre, London.”
—*“The North Walsham Theatre, which eighteen years
ago cost Mr. D. Fisher £1,800, has lately been sold for
about £400, and is to be converted into a school, to be
conducted on the National system.” The school was
opened on May 25th, 1846.
4.—A prize-fight took place near Harford Bridges,
between Ben Clarke and Smith. After a contest lasting
twenty minutes, the former was declared the winner.
6.—Large numbers of birds were attracted by Happisburgh
light during stormy weather on this date. Forty-five dozen
larks, eight and a half dozen starlings, and many other birds,
were taken.
7.—Trowse Swing Bridge, erected from a design by Mr.
Bidder, was swung across the river for the first time. It
underwent Government inspection on December 9th, and the first
trains ran over it on December 15th.
7.—Sir Lawrence Jones, Bart., of Cranmer Hall,
was murdered by robbers at Macri, in Turkey. He was in his
29th year. On July 8th, 1846, his remains were interred in
the family vault at Sculthorpe.
10.—Mr. John Betts was elected Mayor of Norwich, and Mr.
Jeremiah Colman appointed Sheriff.
16.—Died, aged 72, Gregory Robinson, of the Bull’s
Head Inn, Ber Street, Norwich. “The deceased in early
life entered the Navy, and was with Lord Howe on June 1st, 1794,
and in several other engagements. He was one of the crew of
the St. George when that vessel was wrecked on the coast of
Jutland, on December 24th, 1811.”
3.—A public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich, to consider the propriety of memorialising the
Government to open the ports of Great Britain and Ireland for the
admission of foreign grain free of duty, in consequence of the
apprehended scarcity of food. The Mayor presided, and Mr.
Tillett moved that a petition be presented to Parliament for the
immediate repeal of the Corn Laws. A similar petition was
adopted by the Norwich Town Council on the 9th.
12.—In the Arches Court, Sir H. Jenner Fust gave
judgment in the suit Kitson v. the Rev. Arthur Loftus,
vicar of Fincham St. Martin and rector of Fincham St.
Michael. The case came before the Court by letters of
request from the Bishop of Norwich, and the articles, in
substance, charged Mr. Loftus with gross immorality.
Sentence of deprivation was passed.
—A “remarkable and unprecedented” occurrence
took place at the meet, on Mulbarton Common, of the Norfolk
Subscription Pack of Staghounds. A bailiff, on behalf of
the Rev. J. H. Steward, of Carlton House, served notices upon all
who were suspected of being about to commit a trespass.
“The eccentricity of such a proceeding created much
amusement, and the consequence was a change of position was
ordered.”
22.—The van of a menagerie travelling through Potter
Heigham overturned into a ditch, and the bars of the
tiger’s cage giving way, “the animal escaped, after
biting off the head of an eagle.” The neighbouring
farmers, armed with guns, and the labourers with pitchforks, went
in pursuit of the beast. An unsuccessful endeavour was made
to entangle him in a sheep-net. “A large hamper
containing a piece of flesh was then placed in his way.
Upon his jumping in to seize the food the lid was drawn down and
soon secured, the animal uttering the most hideous
yells.”
24.—A serious accident occurred on the Norfolk Railway
near Thetford. The up-train from Norwich was proceeding at
a rapid rate when the engine left the line and fell down the
embankment. The engine-driver, named Pickering, was killed
instantly, and the stoker, Richard Eager, had both legs broken,
and died shortly after his removal from the scene of the
accident. None of the passengers were seriously hurt.
The accident was supposed to be due to the excessive speed at
which the train was travelling—fifty-five miles an
hour.
26.—Norwich Theatre was opened, under the
management of Mr. Abington, M.A., lessee of Southampton
Theatre. The circuit also included the Cambridge, Bury St.
Edmund’s, Ipswich, Colchester, and Yarmouth Theatres.
The old company had been dispersed, and regret was expressed that
the new company was not likely to maintain the reputation of the
Norwich stage.
31.—The customary peals were rung at St. Peter Mancroft,
Norwich. “In the centre of the circle stood the
celebrated pitcher, capable of holding seventeen quarts, which
was moulded by John Dearsley in the year 1749. This the
churchwardens (Mr. W. Butcher and Mr. Robert Fitch) liberally
filled with punch.”
6.—The West Norfolk Agricultural Protective Association
held a meeting at the Town Hall, King’s Lynn, under the
presidency of Lord Hastings, “to preserve the Corn Laws
from further violation.” A similar meeting was held
at North Walsham on the 8th. On January 20th a great
meeting took place at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, at which
addresses were delivered by Mr. Cobden and Col. Thompson in
favour of the repeal of the Corn Laws, and a resolution, moved by
Mr. Geary, and seconded by Col. Angerstein, “that the Corn
Laws and all other laws designed to restrict trade under pretence
of protecting particular classes are unjust in principle and
injurious in operation, and ought to be forthwith
abolished,” was carried by a large majority, in face of an
amendment proposed by Mr. Wodehouse, M.P., and supported by Lord
Hastings, Mr. Hamond of Westacre, and other prominent
Protectionists. “Reporters from all the London daily
papers attended the meeting, and the proprietors engaged special
trains to carry back the report of the proceedings. The
first special left Norwich Station at 8.45 p.m., and reached
Shoreditch at 12.40 a.m.; the second left at 10.29 p.m. and
reached London at 2.38 a.m. At half-past two p.m. on
Wednesday (the 21st) we received the ‘Times’
containing the speeches to the extent of rather more than four
columns.”
7.—Died at Malta, aged 77, the Right Hon. John Hookham
Frere, of Roydon Hall, eldest son of Mr. John Frere, formerly
member for Norwich. Mr. Hookham Frere was educated at Eton,
where he had Canning as a school companion. When very young
he evinced a love for verse, and made, when only an Eton school
boy, his clever translation of the Anglo-Saxon War Song on the
victory of Athelstan, written when the Rowley controversy was at
its height. George Ellis gave it a place in his historical
essay before his “Specimens of the Poets,” and Scott
invariably spoke of it as something more than a mere
curiosity. Another of Mr. Frere’s works was a
“prospectus and specimen” of his “Intended
National Work by William and Robert Whistlecraft of Stowmarket in
Suffolk, Hemp and Collar Makers, intended to comprise the most
interesting particulars relating to King Arthur and his Round
Table”—the precursor and original of
Byron’s “Beppo” and “Don
Juan.” “I have written,” says Byron,
“a poem of 84 octave stanzas, in or after the excellent
manner of Mr. Whistlecraft, whom I take to be Mr.
Frere.”
17.*—“All the coaches between Norwich and London
have ceased to run, the last being the mail through Bury St.
Edmund’s, which was discontinued on the 6th inst. Six
or seven coaches direct to London from Norfolk have been
discontinued, and about 700 horses thrown off the road.
There are, however, about 30 coaches constantly running from
various towns to the principal stations between Yarmouth and
London. There are many omnibuses, cabs, and flys. The
railway has very much increased the number of horse conveyances
to and from all the towns along the line. In fact, horses
are dearer than ever they were and more in demand, and the
consumption of oats is not likely to be diminished, but rather
increased.” The adverse effects of the railway were
shown in the following paragraph, published on April 25th:
“During the droving season last year 9,300 beasts were
housed at the Bird-in-Hand public-house, Tasburgh, and the
landlord purchased for their consumption, and for horses,
&c., 50 tons of hay; but so great is the diminution of the
traffic occasioned by the Norfolk Railway, that during the
present season only twelve beasts have been taken in, and the
landlord has had occasion for only eight and a half hundredweight
of hay.”
21.—The Norwich School of Design was opened by Sir J. P.
Boileau, Bart.
31.*—“By order of the Mayor and magistrates of
Norwich, the shop-keepers have had notice that no goods are to be
exposed or sold after ten o’clock on Sunday morning, and
bakers are not to sell or bake goods after half-past one
o’clock in the afternoon.” Several tradesmen
were afterwards charged before the magistrates for contravention
of the order.
2.—A large sea-borne vessel, heavily laden with coal,
and between 60 and 70 tons burden, was brought up to the head of
the navigation at Norwich, the first vessel of the kind that had
ever got beyond Foundry Bridge. It was a Dutch-built craft,
drawing only two feet of water, and was the property of Messrs.
Bullard and Watts, St. Michael-at-Coslany Bridge.
6.—Mr. D. N. Fisher gave the first of three subscription
concerts at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. The
artistes included Mdlle. Schloss, Madame and Signor F.
Lablache, Mr. W. L. Phillips (principal violoncello), Mr. D. N.
Fisher (leader), Mr. William Sterndale Bennett (director), and
Mr. James Harcourt (director of rehearsals). “The
musical world of Norwich owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Fisher
for introducing to them Mr. William Sterndale Bennett. As a
pianist, Mr. Bennett, without the extravagance and with less fire
and brilliance than Liszt, has all the expression and musical
enthusiasm of that performer.”
27.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Maule,
Samuel Yarham was indicted for the murder of Harriet Candler, at
Yarmouth, on November 18th, 1844. The prisoner, who at the
Spring Assizes in 1845 turned Queen’s evidence against
three other men (Hall, Mapes, and Royal) charged with the murder,
had made certain admissions which led to his apprehension at
Gloucester, where he had gone to work. The jury found him
guilty, and he was sentenced to death. The execution took
place on the Castle Hill, Norwich, on April 11th (Tombland
Fair-day), in the presence of 30,000 spectators.
“Eight hundred persons came from Wymondham in one train; it
was found necessary to use bullock-trucks to convey the people,
there not being a sufficient number of regular
carriages.” The fancy fair (the Sick Poor Repository)
and all business in the city was suspended during the
morning. “After the execution, gongs, drums, and
other instruments commenced their uproar, mountebanks and clowns
their antics, the vendors of wares and exhibitors of prodigies
their cries, while the whirligigs and ups-and-downs were soon in
full swing. The public-houses round the Hill were crowded,
and hundreds finished the day in riot and intoxication.
Royal and Hall were on the Hill during the execution, and got
jostled by the crowd. They were turned out of the Golden
Ball public-house and other houses where they presented
themselves.” Owing to the scandalous character of the
proceedings, a public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall
on April 17th, under the presidency of the Mayor, when it was
decided to petition Parliament for the abolition of capital
punishment.
1.—The first general meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich
Archæological Society was held at the Norfolk and Norwich
Museum, under the presidency of the Lord Bishop of Norwich.
8.—Died at his residence at Lakenham, aged 81, Mr.
Thomas Thurtell, formerly an Alderman of Norwich, who served the
office of Sheriff in 1815, and of Mayor in 1828. “He
was universally esteemed as an honest and upright
man.” (See April 30th.)
11.—George Clarke, a Norwich pedestrian, commenced a
walk of 1,500 miles in 1,000 successive hours, “a mile and
a half at the beginning of each hour,” at the West End
Retreat Gardens, Norwich. (The result was not
recorded.)
16.—The Rev. R. F. Elwin, of Norwich, was presented with
a silver coffee service, in recognition of “his promotion
of the objects of the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival from
its institution, in 1824.”
18.—The 7th Hussars left Norwich for Ipswich, where they
joined headquarters and marched for Hounslow. They were
succeeded by the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabineers), with
headquarters and staff. “This regiment received its
nom de guerre from being the first corps which carried the
modern carbine.”
20.—The Norwich Board of Health was established as a
permanent institution at a meeting held at the Guildhall.
Among its objects was the encouragement of vaccination
amongst the poor. The Bishop of Norwich was elected
president, and the Mayor vice-president.
21.—Many hundreds of persons attended a steeplechase
meeting at East Dereham. “The course from the Common
was marked out by flags describing a circle round the country,
over Mr. Greenacre’s piece, across Mr. Neale’s land,
and round to the Common again, making a distance of three and a
half miles in two rounds.”
—The first stone of the Cromer sea-wall was laid by the
vicar, the Rev. W. Sharp, in the presence of the Earl and
Countess of Carnarvon and Lord Porchester. The contractors
were Messrs. Wright and Cattermole, of Norwich, and the engineer
Mr. J. Wright, of Westminster. On the same day the first
pile of the new jetty was driven. The works were opened
amid much festivity on August 7th.
23.—The North Cove Hall estates were sold at the Norfolk
Hotel, Norwich, by Mr. Simpson, for £36,960.
29.—At a meeting of “The Friends of Permanent and
Universal Peace,” held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
under the presidency of Mr. J. J. Gurney, it was resolved:
“That in consideration of the points now at issue between
this country and the United States of America, involving, as they
do, the question of war or peace, an address be presented to the
magistrates and to the ministers of the several denominations of
the city of Norwich in Connecticut, and generally to the people
of the United States, asking them to use their endeavours to
avert war.”
30.—At the Norwich Police Court, Mr. George Thurtell,
horticulturist, was charged with assaulting a Mr. Riches, of St.
George Colegate. Mr. Riches was the Norwich correspondent
of the “Daily News,” and he had sent to that journal
a notice of Mr. Thomas Thurtell’s death “and a
private communication respecting one of Mr. Thurtell’s
sons.” Mr. George Thurtell was greatly incensed on
seeing the paragraph, more particularly as his father was not
dead at the time, although he had been ill for some weeks, and
meeting the complainant in the Market Place, he severely
chastised him with a whip. The Bench, who considered the
paragraph highly improper, imposed upon the defendant the nominal
fine of one shilling. (See January 5th, 1848.)
8.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry commenced eight
days’ permanent duty at Cromer.
9.*—“During the last week as many as 18 seaborne
vessels, via Lowestoft, many of them of considerable
burden, have been lying at Foundry Bridge, Norwich, laden with
coke, coals, and other materials, for delivery at the railway
station. This proves how excellent and how practical was
the plan of our late fellow-citizen, Mr. Crisp Brown, and must
cause universal regret that it then failed.”
18.—An inquest was opened at Happisburgh by Mr. Pilgrim,
one of the County Coroners, upon the bodies of Jonathan Balls,
his wife, and four grandchildren, who were believed to have been
poisoned. The bodies had been exhumed, and were placed in a
tent erected in the churchyard; peace officers were sworn to
prevent the incensed villagers from
rushing into the tent. Several other bodies were
disinterred, and in nearly every instance traces of arsenic were
found. At the adjourned inquiry some curious facts were
elicited. Suspicion pointed to Balls as having destroyed
his wife and grandchildren, and then poisoned himself. His
conduct years previously had been suspicious, children having
died suddenly while at his house. What number of persons
had been thus destroyed it was impossible to ascertain. The
jury found that, in the majority of the cases, death resulted
from the effects of poison, but how it was administered there was
no evidence to show.
26.—The bells of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, were rung
on the reception of the news of the birth, on the previous day,
of a Princess (Princess Helena Augusta Victoria).
31.—Died at Kimberley Hall, in his 76th year, the Right
Hon. John Baron Wodehouse. He was born January 11th, 1771,
and married November 18th, 1796, Charlotte Laura, only child and
heiress of Mr. John Norris, of Witton Park. He succeeded to
the peerage on the death of his father in 1834. He was made
Lord Lieutenant of the county and Vice-Admiral of the coast in
the room of Lord Suffield in 1821, and he had also served as
Colonel of the East Norfolk Militia, and was Steward of Norwich
Cathedral. His lordship was succeeded in his title and
estates by his grandson, John Gurdon Wodehouse, son of Henry
Wodehouse and of Anne, only daughter of Mr. T. T. Gurdon.
The deceased nobleman was a staunch Conservative. “He
was of commanding appearance, both in personal figure and dignity
of deportment. During the contest for the representation of
Norfolk in 1806 it was remarked with perfect truth that three
finer men or more perfect gentlemen than Mr. Windham, Mr. Coke,
and Col. Wodehouse never presented themselves together as
candidates for the electoral suffrages of a great
county.”
5.—A fire occurred at St. James’s Factory,
Norwich. Upwards of one thousand persons were, in
consequence, thrown out of employment.
25.—The first meeting of a new archery society, known as
the West Norfolk Bowmen, of which Sir William B. ffolkes was
“Prime Warden,” and Lady ffolkes “Lady
Patroness,” was held at Reffley Wood, near King’s
Lynn.
27.—The first excursion train from London arrived at
Norwich. It conveyed 800 passengers, who left Shoreditch at
one p.m., and reached Norwich at eight p.m. The first
excursion train from Yarmouth to London was run on June
29th. “There were 1,500 persons when it left Trowse
Station at a quarter to nine, in 37 carriages. The
passengers had increased to 2,000, and the carriages to 52,
before it reached London, at 5.15 p.m.” The return
fare was 7s. 6d. On June 30th 6,000 passengers were
conveyed by two special cheap trains to Yarmouth and back.
Hundreds of Nonconformist Sunday School children were taken at
threepence a head, and the return fare for ordinary passengers
was one shilling. Ten thousand persons assembled at Thorpe
Station to witness the return of the excursionists.
3.—A cricket match was played on the Norwich Ground,
between eleven resident members of the Norwich Club and the
Messrs. Colman (eleven brothers). In the first innings the
club headed their opponents by five runs only, and in the second
innings had 50 runs to get. At eight o’clock, when
the wickets were drawn, they had obtained 22 runs for four
wickets. Scores: The Messrs. Colman, 87-54; the Club,
92-22. Game unfinished. The following were the
Colmans:—Samuel, Joseph, William, Barnard, Thomas,
Jeremiah, Henry, Edward, James, Robert, and John.
4.—The great heat on this day so affected the iron Swing
Bridge at Trowse as to prevent its being opened for the
accommodation of the river traffic. At the magisterial
proceedings which followed, it was urged in defence that the heat
caused the ironwork to expand.
9.—The first direct communication from Norwich to London
was made through the medium of the electric telegraph.
—An experimental trip from London to Rotterdam was made
by the railway company, via Norwich and Yarmouth.
The railway journey was performed in 3 hrs. 35 mins. 15 secs.,
and was more successful than the trip by the steamer known as the
Norfolk. On the return voyage the crew were under the
influence of drink, bad weather was experienced, and the vessel
got out of her course. The boiler of the engine of the
return train to London burst when a mile and a half from Ely, and
the excursionists alighted from the carriages and walked to that
city. The Norfolk afterwards plied regularly between
Yarmouth and Rotterdam.
12.—Died, Charlotte Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Lewis Tonna
and only daughter of the Rev. Michael Browne, Minor Canon of
Norwich Cathedral. She edited “The Christian
Ladies’ Magazine,” and was the author of
“Letters from Ireland,” and of many religious
works.
20.—Norwich Theatre was opened, under the management of
Mr. Davenport, who had become lessee of the circuit, in place of
Mr. Abington. He announced that “he would be able to
avail himself of the occasional services of his daughter, the
eminent actress.” The company included Mr. L.
Melville, Mr. Henry Loraine, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Cranfield, and Mr.
J. Clarence. It was said to be better than Mr.
Abington’s company, but inferior to that of Mr. George
Smith.
27.—A match between the Norfolk Cricket Club and
Marylebone commenced at Lord’s, and finished on the
28th. Marylebone, 117-122; Norfolk, 119-32. The
return match was played at Swaffham on August 10th, 11th, and
12th. Marylebone, 52-149; Norfolk, 86-82.
28.—Died, aged 49, Mr. John Hill, nearly 20 years
chorus-master of the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival.
—Died at Bath, aged 58, Lieut.-Col. Richard Brunton,
youngest son of Mr. John Brunton, manager of Norwich Theatre, and
brother of the Dowager Countess Craven. He entered the Army
young, and went through the Peninsula War. He was several
times wounded, and had his lip shot away. “He was in
the same battle in which several Norwich men were wounded in the
leg, one of whom was Mr. R. Blake. He was also wounded at
Waterloo, in defending the baggage from an attack by
the enemy. He joined his regiment (the 13th Light Dragoons)
in India in 1819, and brought it home, having the command of it,
about five or six years since. Whilst lying in Norwich with
the regiment, in 1841 and 1842, he was universally beloved by
both officers and men.” Col. Brunton married the
widow of Col. Wallace, but left no family.
1.—The first consignment of foreign beasts were sold on
Norwich Hill by Mr. Stephen Fromow. Dutch bullocks made
£13 10s. each, and Dutch lambs from 9s. to 20s. each.
“No doubt a regular trade will be ultimately established
here in foreign stock, but whether to the advantage of any party
except the foreign importer time must show.”
4.—Lord George Bentinck, M.P., was entertained at dinner
at Lynn by “the friends of agricultural protection, as a
testimony of their esteem for the public integrity and
perseverance displayed by him in the House of Commons during the
recent discussion on the Corn Law Importation Bill.”
The Earl of Orford, High Steward of Lynn, presided, and one of
the principal speakers was Mr. Disraeli, M.P., who had a most
enthusiastic reception.
19.—The Provincial Medical and Surgical Association held
its anniversary meeting at Norwich. Mr. J. G. Crosse was
President for the year.
—Died at Ormesby, Capt. Richard Glasspoole. He was
President of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum in 1844–45, and
a large contributor to the zoological department of that
institution.
26.—Died at Norwich Castle, in his 90th year, Mr.
William Cole, formerly an attorney at Loddon. “He was
committed to prison for debt in January, 1830, and remained there
till the time of his death, never having been out of the walls of
the prison 16 years and 8 months.”
2.—Burgh Castle, the ancient Garianonum, was
offered for sale by auction at the Bear Hotel, Yarmouth, by Mr.
Pettingill, and was purchased for £1,500 by Sir John P.
Boileau, Bart., President of the Norfolk and Norwich
Archæological Society.
17.—A meeting of tenant-farmers was held at the Norfolk
Hotel, Norwich, presided over by Mr. Leamon, of Whitwell.
After addresses by a deputation from the “Total Repeal Malt
Tax Association,” a committee was appointed to form a
district branch of the society in Norfolk.
26.—The railways from Lynn to Downham and from Lynn to
Narborough were opened on this date.
9.—Mr. Jeremiah Colman was elected Mayor, and Mr.
Charles Winter appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
13.—The London markets were, for the first time,
“expressed by electric telegraph” in the Norfolk Chronicle. Discussing the
possibilities of “this wonderful medium of
communication,” that journal observed: “A division in
the House of Commons after any important debate may be
communicated at all stations from London to Yarmouth in a few
minutes.”
16.—The first recorded canary show in Norwich was held
on this date, at the Greyhound Inn, Ber Street, when 300
specimens belonging to a canary club were exhibited.
24.—A trout, weighing 9½ lbs., was captured in a
net near the New Mills, Norwich.
27.—The Norwich Corporation delegated their powers to
the Watch Committee “to appoint a fire brigade of six men,
whose business it will be to attend all fires in Norwich with the
Corporation engine, which is to be managed by the brigade
exclusively. The men in the daytime are to act as common
policemen, and to sleep near the station house, where the engine
is kept, each night, that they may be ready in case of
alarm.”
5.*—“The directors of the Norfolk and Eastern
Counties Railway, with the view of giving the poorer classes
greater facilities, have started a fourth class. The return
fare to London is 7s. 6d.”
7.—The Wymondham and Dereham Railway was opened for
goods traffic. The Bill for the construction of this
railway, which was applied for by the Norfolk Company, was
strenuously opposed by Norwich traders, who considered that a
direct line to Dereham would be to their greater advantage.
The Act authorised the Company to make an extension of 22½
miles from Dereham to Wells, with a branch line of 6½
miles to Blakeney, making the total from Wymondham 40½
miles. Messrs. Grissel and Peto were the general
contractors, and the electric telegraph was established under the
superintendence of the Rev. A. Bath Power. (See
February 15th, 1847.)
18.—Winter set in with great severity. The
Dereham, Swaffham, and Lynn coach was unable to leave Norwich,
owing to the great depth of the snow.
20.—A fine specimen of the black grouse was shot at
Swanton.
—A riot occurred at Pulham St. Mary Workhouse. The
paupers made a preconcerted attack upon the bread store, and were
with difficulty driven back by the officials. Thirteen of
the ringleaders were committed to Norwich Castle for terms
ranging from seven days to two months’ imprisonment.
(See January 5th, 1847.)
26.—Norwich Theatre opened for the Christmas season with
the play of “George Barnwell” and the pantomime
“Fortunio.” Mr. Davenport, “in compliance
with public feeling,” reduced the prices of admission,
which had been raised on his taking over the management.
—Many of the roads in the country were stated to be
“half a yard deep in mud,” and almost
impassable. “Heavy goods in large quantities have
lately been sent from Norwich to London and from thence to
Ipswich by rail, 196 miles, instead of the direct route of 40
miles by road, the rail conveyance being
cheaper and quicker. It would be a great advantage in this
and other counties if a general Act were passed for widening and
levelling the turnpike roads and for laying down tramways on
which carriages could be drawn by horses or by engines of small
power to the principal railway. Unless some measure of this
sort be carried out, the common roads will soon be of little use,
and not worth keeping in repair.”
1.—A new form of entertainment was introduced at this
date—“Ethiopian minstrelsy,” the precursor of
the Christy minstrels. The troupe appeared at Norwich
Theatre. “The band consists of five harmonists, with
black faces and white eyes, black coats and white cuffs, black
trousers and white waistcoats, black stocks and white
collars. The instruments are a violin, two
‘banjoes’ (instruments that look like guitars run to
seed), a tambourine, and ‘bones’ (a species of
castanet).”
4.—Died at Earlham, in his 59th year, Mr. Joseph John
Gurney. He was a son of John Gurney, of Earlham, and a
grandson of John Gurney who died in 1770, and had been “the
connecting link by which the hand-spun yarn of the South of
Ireland was brought to add its stores to the wants of our
artizans.” Mr. J. J. Gurney received his early
education under the Rev. M. Browne, of Hingham; he then went to
the Academical Institution at Oxford. He was a great
traveller. Several times he visited the West Indies,
travelled twice on the Continent, made a tour in Scotland, in
company with Mr. Hoare, for the purpose of inspecting the
prisons, and, accompanied by Mrs. Fry, he visited Ireland in the
spring of 1827, in order to personally investigate the condition
of the prisons and the charitable institutions of that
country. On July 8th, 1837, he embarked at Liverpool for
Philadelphia on a Gospel mission to parts of North America and
the West Indies. Of this tour he gave an interesting
account in “Familiar Letters to Amelia Opie”; his
“Winter in the West Indies” is described in
“Familiar Letters to Henry Clay of Kentucky.”
He was three times married; his first wife was a daughter of Mr.
J. Birkbeck, of Lynn, his second a Wiltshire lady, and his third
an American lady. Mr. Gurney was the author of several
works in addition to those above-mentioned, and was one of the
greatest philanthropists of his day. Memorial services were
held at many places of worship in Norwich on the Sunday following
his death, and on the day of the funeral (January 12th) business
in the city was suspended. The interment took place at the
Gildencroft, when the rites peculiar to the Society of Friends
were performed.
5.—Serious acts of insubordination were committed by the
inmates of Swainsthorpe Workhouse, “on the ground that they
wanted more victuals.” Damage was done to the windows
to the amount of £30.
14.—The use of
anæsthetics—“ethereal fumes “—was
introduced at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital by Dr. Hull, in
the extraction of teeth. (See December 30th,
1847.)
23.—At a meeting held at the Swan Inn, Norwich, the East
Norfolk and West Norfolk Agricultural Societies were amalgamated
under the title of the Norfolk Agricultural Society. The
first general meeting of the newly-formed society was held on the
same day, when Lord Hastings was elected President. The
first show took place on the Cricket Ground, Norwich, on June
18th, and for several years the exhibitions were held alternately
in the city and at Swaffham.
27.—Died, aged 67, Mr. George Fisher, formerly of the
Norfolk and Suffolk Company of Comedians.
31.—Died, in his 93rd year, the Rev. John Oldershaw,
Archdeacon of Norfolk. He was born at Leicester, where his
father practised as a surgeon, and was educated at Oakham Grammar
School and at Emanuel College, Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A.
in 1776, and obtained the distinguished honour of senior wrangler
of his year. About this time he became private tutor to
Charles Manners Sutton, who was afterwards Bishop of Norwich and
Archbishop of Canterbury. He was elected a Fellow and
public tutor of his College; when Sutton became Bishop of Norwich
he appointed him his examining chaplain. Mr. Oldershaw
married Anne, daughter of Sir John Hynde Cotton, Bart., of
Maddingley, Cambridgeshire, and took up his residence at Harpley,
as curate. He was presented in 1797 to the Archdeaconry of
Norfolk, and was soon after nominated to the rectory of
Redenhall-with-Harleston. Archdeacon Oldershaw was for many
years one of the most active magistrates in the county.
5.—At a meeting held at the Guildhall, Norwich, presided
over by the Mayor, it was decided to open a public subscription
for the relief of the distress among the Irish peasantry,
consequent upon the failure of the potato crop. For the
same object collections were made in the places of worship in
city and county.
6.—The warehouse in Rose Lane, Norwich, belonging to Mr.
Kitten was burnt down, and its contents, consisting of barrels of
grease, resin, and other inflammable materials, destroyed.
Another serious fire occurred on the same premises on May
20th.
15.—The opening of the Wymondham and Dereham Railway for
passenger traffic was celebrated with great festivities.
Mr. Gidney, of Dereham, one of the principal promoters of the
line, entertained a large company at luncheon at the Norfolk
Hotel, Norwich, and in the evening a dinner took place at the
King’s Arms Hotel, Dereham, in which town the day was
observed as a general holiday. “Along the road from
the station,” it was stated, “many new and
handsome-looking houses have been built, far superior to any
modern houses in Norwich.”
17.—Died at his residence in the Cathedral Precincts,
Norwich, the Rev. Canon Edward South Thurlow, rector of Houghton
le Spring, Durham. He was appointed Prebendary of Norwich
in 1788.
25.—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. Jeremiah Colman)
turned the first sod on the Norwich extension of the Ipswich and
Bury Railway. The ceremony took place on Mr. Cyrus
Gillett’s farm in the parish of Markshall. Several
gentlemen filled barrows with earth, which other gentlemen,
including the Sheriff (Mr. Charles Winter) wheeled away—a
proceeding which elicited from Mr. Willett the remark that
“if they went on at that rate they would leave little work
for the navvies to do.” The company then assembled
for luncheon, under the presidency of Mr. A. Ogilvie, and many
congratulatory speeches were made. (See November
7th, 1849.)
28.—The shop of Mr. Cooper, silversmith and jeweller,
London Street, Norwich, was broken into and goods of the total
value of £2,000 stolen.
4.—Died at his residence, in St. Giles’, Norwich,
Dr. Edward Lubbock, aged 43. He was the younger son of Dr.
Richard Lubbock, and was educated at the Free Grammar School,
under Valpy. He commenced his medical studies under Dr.
Skrimshire at Peterborough, became a student at Guy’s
Hospital, and afterwards proceeded to Edinburgh University, where
he took his degree as M.D. His devotion to the study of
anatomy and physiology led him, conjointly with Mr. Nichols, to
establish in Norwich, about 1830, a school for dissection.
He was one of the physicians of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
and of the Bethel.
10.—A public meeting, presided over by the Mayor, was
held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, “to oppose the
oppressive operation of the present Law of Settlement upon the
industrious poor.” Petitions were presented to
Parliament praying for the abolition of the system, and demanding
that the poor should be relieved out of a national fund.
15.—Died, in his 92nd year, the Rev. Stephen Allen, for
56 years minister of St Margaret’s, Lynn. “In
early life Mr. Allen was a pupil of Archdeacon Paley, and by his
mother’s marriage with the celebrated Dr. Burney he enjoyed
frequent opportunities of mixing in that brilliant circle of
which Madame D’Arblay was at once the life and the
ornament.”
24.—A public fast and humiliation were observed in
Norwich.
30.—An inquest was held at Tibenham, by Mr. Pilgrim, one
of the County Coroners, on the bodies of Mrs. Pearson and Mrs.
Everett, the wives of farmers living in that parish.
Several deaths had occurred under mysterious circumstances, and
in these two cases post-mortem examinations revealed the
fact that death was due to arsenical poisoning. The inquiry
was several times adjourned, and on May 13th the jury returned a
verdict to the effect that the women died from poison wilfully
administered by some person or persons unknown.
3.—The new road from the bottom of Long John’s
Hill to Lakenham Mills, with the bridges and viaduct beyond the
mills, was completed by the contractors, Messrs. Watson,
Wright, and Cattermoul, from plans prepared by Mr. J. Brown.
17.—A brig of 150 tons, named the Countess of Leicester,
and intended for the southern trade, was launched from Mr.
Tyrell’s shipyard, at Wells-next-the-Sea. She was
classed A 1 for twelve years, and was the finest ship ever
launched at Wells.
22.—The new County Court, for the recovery of small
debts, was held for the first time, at the Guildhall, Norwich,
before Mr. T. J. Birch, the Judge. In consequence of the
jurisdiction of this Court, the old Court of Conscience was
abolished.
30.—St. Mark’s Schools, Lakenham, erected from
designs by Mr. J. Brown, were opened.
1.—The remains of the Hon. Isabella Stafford Jerningham,
who died at Genoa on January 1st, were interred in the family
vault beneath the altar in the chapel at Costessey Hall. At
the same time was interred the body of the Hon. Frances Stafford
Jerningham, who died at Paris in May, 1838. It was placed
by the side of the remains of her twin sister, the Hon. Georgiana
Stafford Jerningham, who died at Leamington in 1841.
3.—Mr. Davenport, lessee of the Norwich Theatre, was
fined by the magistrates in a nominal sum for assaulting a man
who was selling tickets outside the Theatre under the regular
prices of admission. The sale took place upon what was
known as a “ticket night.” Mr. Davenport
alleged that by this system, which was allowed in no other town,
the former manager, Mr. Smith, had lost in twenty years
£6,000 from the treasury of the circuit.
15.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry commenced its annual
training at Wells-next-the-Sea. The drills took place in
Holkham Park, where the regiment was hospitably entertained by
the Earl of Leicester.
11.—The Norwich Small Tenements Bill was referred to a
Committee of the House of Commons. On the 12th the
Committee settled the clauses determining that the owners of
cottages of the annual value of £6 and under should be
rated at one-third of the yearly value or rent.
28.—Mr. Henry Russell, “from America,” gave
his entertainment at the Concert Room, Swan Inn, Norwich.
The programme included most of the favourite songs of the popular
composer. The performance was repeated on the 29th.
Mr. Russell made a return visit to Norwich, and appeared at the
Theatre on September 6th and 8th.
1.—The railway from Reedham to Lowestoft was opened.
3.—The Norwich Chamber of Commerce was announced
to be “in full activity.” It was formed for the
purpose of associating bankers, merchants, and other persons
interested in the trade and commerce of the city, “so as to
enable them to promote such objects as may be best calculated to
benefit and protect commercial interests, and to further the
carrying out or attainment of such measures as the exertions of
individuals may be less adequate to accomplish.”
5.—Feargus O’Connor, the leader of the Chartists,
addressed a large meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich.
19.—Mr. and Mrs. Keeley commenced a week’s
engagement at Norwich Theatre.
26.—Madame Céleste appeared at Norwich Theatre as
Madeline (“St. Mary’s Eve”) and Julien
(“The Cabin Boy”).
28.—The Marquis of Douro, Mr. Samuel Morton Peto, and
Mr. John Humphries Parry were nominated candidates for the
representation of Norwich. A poll was demanded, and the
election took place on the 29th. The poll was declared on
the 30th, as follows:—Peto, 2,448; Douro, 1,727; Parry,
1,572. The chairing of the successful candidates took place
on August 2nd.
—Thetford Election: The Right Hon. W. B. Baring and the
Earl of Euston were returned unopposed.
29.—Yarmouth Election: Lord Arthur Lennox, 834; Mr.
Octavius Edward Coope, 813; Mr. Charles Edmund Rumbold, 729; Mr.
Francis Henry Goldsmid, 698. The two first-named were
returned. (See February 7th, 1848.)
—The Archæological Institute of Great Britain and
Ireland commenced its annual meeting at Norwich. The
proceedings concluded on August 5th.
30.—Lynn Election: Lord George Bentinck and Lord Jocelyn
were returned unopposed.
3.—East Norfolk Election: Mr. Edmond Wodehouse and Mr.
Henry Negus Burroughes were returned unopposed.
6.—Mary Ann Havers, of Norwich, a girl in humble life,
who possessed remarkable musical ability, died on this
date. She was educated at a school supported by private
subscription, where singing according to the Norwich Sol-fa
system was taught, and she became one of the best organizers of
village choirs ever sent out of the city. Before she was
fifteen years old she went to Southampton to give instruction;
thence she was invited to Salisbury, and met with successive
engagements in Dorsetshire, the Isle of Wight, Staffordshire,
Kent, and Warwickshire.
9.—The “London Gazette” announced that the
Queen had granted to Robert Blake, of Swafield, her Royal license
and authority, in compliance with a wish expressed in the will of
the Rev. John Humfrey, of Wroxham, to take the surname of Humfrey
immediately after that of Blake, and to quarter the arms of
Humfrey with those of Blake.
10.—The railway extension from Narborough to Swaffham
was opened.
10.—The nomination of candidates for the
representation of West Norfolk took place at Swaffham. The
Conservative procession started from Friars’ Thorns, headed
by the candidates, Mr. William Bagge and Mr. H. L. S. le
Strange. It extended two miles in length, and included
1,000 yeomen on horseback. The Whig procession, with the
candidates, Mr. A. Hamond and the Hon. Ed. Keppel Coke at its
head, started from Swaffham Splashes, and was in all respects as
imposing as the other. At the nomination the show of hands
was in favour of the Conservatives, and Sir William ffolkes
demanded a poll for Messrs. Hamond and Coke. The polling
took place on the 13th and 14th. The contest, one of the
severest that had ever taken place in the county, resulted as
follows:—Bagge, 3,113; Coke, 3,052; Hamond, 2,935; le
Strange, 2,676.
17.—Mr. J. B. Wigham and Mr. J. L. Barber, members of
the Norwich Amateur Rowing Club, launched their pair-oared boat
at Villequier, on the Seine, at 2.30 p.m., and rowed to Paris,
where they arrived at 9 a.m. on August 24th. The distance
was upwards of 300 miles, and the actual time occupied in rowing
was 57 hours 25 minutes. For more than 200 miles the men
rowed against a current which flowed at four miles an hour.
“Galignani’s Messenger” described it as an
“unparalleled feat.”
28.—The New Adelphi Theatre, Victoria Gardens, Norwich,
was opened, after extensive alterations and improvements, under
the management of Mr. R. Gordon. “As You Like
It” was produced, with Mr. Fred. Phillips in the part of
Jacques. Mr. Phillips, who came from the Royal Pavilion
Theatre, London, was subsequently editor of the “Norwich
Argus.”
30.—Mr. Farren and his son, Mr. H. Farren, appeared, the
former as Sir Anthony Absolute, and the latter as Captain
Absolute, at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.
11*.—“At Deopham, near Hingham, a skeleton has
been found, underneath the floor of an old barn, which was being
pulled down, and it is supposed to be the remains of Thomas
Jolly, aged 20, the heir of the estate, who was missing 52 years
since, and is supposed to have been murdered. A piece of
his dress and a small portion of his handkerchief were also
found.”
22.—Mdlle. Jenny Lind, engaged by Mr. George Smith, late
manager of the Theatre, and Mr. C. F. Hall, made her first
appearance at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. Mr. Gedge
was responsible for the payment of her fee of £1,000, of
which amount she gave £200 to the charities of the
city. Mdlle. Lind was accompanied by Madame F. Lablache,
Signor Gardoni, and Signor F. Lablache, and Mr. W. Balfe was
director of the concert. She appeared again on the 23rd and
25th. Mdlle. Lind stayed at the Palace as the guest of the
Bishop of Norwich.
30.—Died at Bath, aged 65, Mr. Benjamin Plim Bellamy,
for many years lessee of the Assembly Rooms there. Mr.
Bellamy, some 30 years previous to his death, was a favourite
actor on the Norwich circuit. On vacating the stage
in 1819 he took the editorship of the “Bury Herald,”
but in 1823 went to Bath and resumed his original
profession. He became manager of the Theatre there in 1827,
which he soon after resigned on becoming lessee of the Assembly
Rooms, and Master of the Ceremonies.
12.—Mr. George Dawson, of Birmingham, lectured at the
Assembly Rooms, Norwich, on “The Characteristics of the
Age.”
16.—The Catfield estates, formerly the property of Col.
Cubitt, deceased, were sold by auction at the Norfolk Hotel,
Norwich, by Messrs. Spelman and Sons, for £27,930.
—A report was presented to the Governors of the Norfolk
and Norwich Hospital, upon the result of inquiries made into
certain serious allegations by the Messrs. Dalrymple, who had
asserted that, compared with other hospitals of the same size,
the utility of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital was in an inverse
ratio to its cost of maintenance. The meeting was adjourned
for a week, but discussion upon the statement and report was
avoided, on the understanding “that such regulations would
be framed from the two documents as would improve the management
of that noble institution.”
20.—Elihu Burritt, “the learned blacksmith,”
of Massachusetts, U.S., delivered a lecture at St. Mary’s
chapel, Norwich, on “The Organic Sinfulness of all
War.”
23.—A high tide overflowed the salt marshes at
Wells-next-the-Sea and drowned 240 ewes, the property of Mr.
Hudson, of Warham.
25.—The East Anglian Railway, from Lynn to Ely, was
opened.
9.—Mr. G. L. Coleman was elected Mayor, and Mr. James
Watson appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
23.—The Queen’s Speech was, for the first time,
transmitted to Norwich by electric telegraph.
“Through the politeness of the Rev. A. B. Power, the
superintendent of the electric telegraph along the Norfolk line,
the Queen’s Speech was transmitted to us before 4 h.
p.m. The transmission commenced at 2 h. 15 m. p.m., and our
reporter took it down till the transmission was finished at 3 h.
45 m.”
3.—Rajah Brooke of Sarawak was entertained by his old
schoolfellows of the Free Grammar School, at a dinner held at the
Royal Hotel, Norwich. During his stay in Norfolk he visited
the Earl of Leicester at Holkham, the Earl of Albemarle at
Quidenham, and Mr. H. S. Partridge at Hockham.
7.—Died in London, aged 76, Mr. William
Dalrymple, “one of the most eminent of general
practitioners in chirurgery and medicine in Norwich.”
24.—Died at Yarmouth, in his 81st year, Sir George
Parker, K.C.B., Admiral of the Red. He entered the Navy at
a very early age, and served under his uncle, Sir Peter
Parker. He took part in the capture of the Cannanon on the
Malabar coast, and was senior lieutenant of the Phœnix at
the capture of La Resolve, French frigate, and of the Crescent in
her gallant action and capture of the Rennon in 1793, previous to
which he brought to England the despatches of Admiral
Cornwallis. In 1805, when commanding the Stately, he, in
company with the Nassau, destroyed, after a running fight of two
hours, a line of battle ship of 74 guns. He was appointed,
in 1808, to the command of the squadron in the Baltic, and on his
return to England he was appointed to the Aboukir (74), which he
commanded in the Walcheren Expedition. In 1841 he attained
the rank of Admiral of the Red.
29.—Died at the residence of his son (the Rev. W. R.
Crotch), at Taunton, “that eminent musician,” Dr.
Crotch. He was born in Norwich in 1772, and in his
twenty-second year was appointed professor of music in the
University of Oxford. In 1822 he became principal of the
Royal Academy of Music.
30.—Chloroform was, for the first time, used in a
surgical operation at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
“A young woman had her leg amputated after having inhaled
the fumes from a convenient apparatus. She became perfectly
insensible to pain, and continued so throughout the
operation. Her sensations were apparently of a very happy
description, as she partly amused herself by singing psalms in a
very clear and distinct voice, and partly by holding lively
conversations with imaginary persons during the performance of
this painful operation. The state of unconsciousness
appeared to be more rapidly induced by the use of chloroform than
is usually effected by spirits of ether. Its exhalation
also was more easy and agreeable, and the duration of its
influence longer.”
1.—Methwold church was re-opened after
restoration. “The centre of the nave has been given
to the poor, and the outside aisles appropriated to the
rich.”
3.—Mr. Aldridge, “the African Roscius,”
appeared at Norwich Theatre in the character of Othello, and
afterwards as Zanga (“The Revenge”), Fabian
(“The Black Doctor”), and Bertram. He was a
native of Africa, and was described as a very intelligent
actor.
5.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, at Norwich, George
Thurtell (47), horticulturist, “who appeared like a dying
man,” pleaded guilty to stealing
various articles from the house of Mr. Farrer, of Sporle, where
he had been entertained as a guest while engaged as a landscape
gardener in laying out the grounds. The prisoner, who was a
son of Mr. Alderman Thurtell, of Norwich, and brother of the
notorious John Thurtell, the murderer of Mr. Wear, was sentenced
to twelve months’ imprisonment. He died before the
completion of his sentence (July 26th).
13.—The elephant belonging to Wombwell’s Menagerie
died whilst being exhibited at Norwich. The animal was said
to be 85 years old.
19.—Mrs. Butler, “once so celebrated as Fanny
Kemble,” commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre, in the
character of Mrs. Beverley. She appeared also as Julia
(“The Hunchback”) and Pauline.
28.—The Yarmouth Haven and Pier Commissioners determined
to oppose at every stage the Norwich and Yarmouth Navigation
Bill, by which it was sought to obtain powers for improving the
navigation of the river Yare by straightening, widening, and
deepening the channel, so as to admit of the passage of seaborne
ships from Yarmouth to Norwich. Application was made in the
Court of Chancery for an injunction to restrain the Corporation
of Norwich from raising funds by means of the borough rate to
forward the Bill, which went before a Committee of the House of
Commons on May 2nd. Counsel for the promoters intimated on
May 5th that they did not intend to offer further evidence in its
support, whereupon the Bill was withdrawn.
4.—The driver of the Brandon, Fakenham, and Wells coach,
benumbed with cold, fell from the box seat unknown to the
passengers, and was severely injured. The accident occurred
at Toftrees. “The horses proceeded at their usual
pace, turning all corners, crossing Hempton Common, up the narrow
street into Fakenham, and passing several carts and other
vehicles on the way. They pulled up at the Crown Inn, as
usual, and waited for the porters and ostlers. The coach
stops on alternate nights at the Crown and Lion Inns, and this
was the proper night for it to stop at the Crown.”
7.—The Yarmouth election petition against the return of
Lord Arthur Lennox and Mr. Octavius E. Coope, on the ground of
corrupt practices, came before the Committee of the House of
Commons. On the 14th the Committee found that “gross,
systematic, and extensive bribery prevailed amongst the freemen
at the last and previous elections, and considered it their duty
to express to the House their unanimous opinion that the freemen
should be disfranchised, and that no writ should be issued for
the borough until legislative measures had been taken for the
purpose of such disfranchisement.” The members were
unseated. The Disfranchisement Bill received the Royal
assent on June 30th, and the names of 1,106 voters were struck
off the list, leaving the constituency at 876. On the same
day the writ was issued for the election. Mr. C. E.
Rumbold, Mr. Joseph Sandars, and Mr. Bagshaw were nominated
candidates on July 7th; a poll was demanded, and the result was
declared on the 8th, as follows:—Sandars, 416; Rumbold,
386; Bagshaw, 300.
27.—Died at Hill’s Farm, Attleborough, Mr.
Theophilus Smith, aged 68. “He was a man of
considerable talent and mechanical skill. In 1841 he had, through the kindness of the Earl of
Albemarle, an introduction to Prince Albert at Windsor Castle,
when a variety of ingenious models invented by Mr. Smith for
improving the construction of the plough were submitted to and
obtained the approbation of his Royal Highness, and a patent was
subsequently taken out for what has become well known to
agriculturists as ‘Smith’s Patent Albert
Plough.’ Mr. Smith presented two poems to Prince
Albert, addressed, ‘To the Queen’ and ‘To the
Prince of Wales,’ and shortly after a beautiful family
Bible, elegantly bound and emblazoned with the Royal Arms, was
transmitted from Windsor Castle to Mr. Smith, with an inscription
intimating that it was presented ‘by command of her
Majesty.’ The Royal autograph and that of Prince
Albert were, at Mr. Smith’s request, inserted.”
4.*—“Freehold building land is now freely selling
on what is called Diss Common, for building purposes, at the rate
of £700 per acre, which before the railway was barely worth
the tillage.”
13.—The 16th Lancers arrived at Norwich, from
Brighton. Men and horses came by special trains, and were
under the command of Lieut.-Col. Smyth, C.B. The regiment
had just returned from India, “where it had shared in the
glorious battles of Aliwal and Sobraon.”
18.—Intelligence was received at Norwich that the Queen
had given birth to a Princess (Princess Louise Caroline
Alberta). The Corporation sent a congratulatory
address.
22.—Died at Thetford, aged 107, Mrs. Catherine
Brand. “She was a pious Roman Catholic, and her first
marriage was on the day of the Coronation of George III., to Mr.
Main, by whose name, in her second widowhood, she preferred to be
called.”
23.—Died at his residence in Surrey Street, Norwich, Mr.
Edward Temple Booth, aged 84. In 1820 he was appointed
Sheriff, in 1821 Alderman, and in 1826 Mayor. He was
president of the Norwich Union Fire and Life Insurance
Societies.
30.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Baron Pollock and
a special jury was tried the action Jermy v. Rush.
The plaintiff, who was Recorder of Norwich, sought to recover
damages from the defendant for a breach of covenants in respect
of the lease of a farm at Ketteringham. The jury returned a
verdict for the plaintiff on all issues—damages
£420.
11.—Madame Anna Thillon made her appearance at Norwich
Theatre as La Catarina in Auber’s opera, “Crown
Diamonds.” She also took the part of Roxalana
(“The Sultana”).
13.—Died at Cromer Hall, aged 73, Mr. Henry Baring.
14.—Mr. Sims Reeves made his first appearance in Norwich
at a concert given by Jullien at St. Andrew’s Hall, under
the management of Mr. William Howlett.
10.—Mr. G. V. Brooke, after an absence of several years,
appeared at Norwich Theatre for one night, in the character of
Othello.
15.—Mr. Webster, of the Haymarket Theatre, commenced a
three nights’ engagement at Norwich Theatre as Stanislaus
(“The Roused Lion”) and Michael Bradshaw (“Old
Honesty”).
22.—Mr. Henry Russell, the favourite vocalist, gave his
entertainment at Norwich Theatre.
23.—The enforcement of the regulation of the Poor Law
Commissioners for the separation of married men from their wives
in workhouses, gave rise to a serious disturbance among the
inmates of Norwich Workhouse. The rioting was resumed on
June 16th. A policeman named William Callow, while engaged
in removing the refractory paupers from the Workhouse to the
Police-station, was struck by a stone and received fatal
injuries. A verdict of wilful murder against some person
unknown was returned by the Coroner’s jury.
27.—The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry assembled at Fakenham
for their annual training—the last in the history of the
regiment. (See May 19th, 1849.)
28.—Died at Castleacre, Ann Stanford, widow, in her
104th year.
30.—A military race-meeting was held by the 16th
Lancers, on land near the Heart’s Ease Inn, Plumstead Road,
Norwich. The “Citizens’ Races” took place
over the same course on the 31st.
26.—A masquerade and fancy dress ball took place at
Norwich Theatre. The pit was converted into a
ball-room. “The attendance was moderate and not very
select.”
—The foundation-stone of the Jewish synagogue in St.
Faith’s Lane, Norwich, was laid by Mr. Joel Fox. The
building was consecrated by the Rev. Dr. N. M. Adler, Chief
Rabbi, on Sept. 6th, 1849.
13.—The Rev. C. Turner was elected perpetual curate of
St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
28.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Baron Parke, a
libel action, Quarles v. Bacon and another, was
tried. The plaintiff, a solicitor at Fakenham, claimed
damages against the defendants, proprietors of the “Norwich
Mercury,” for stating in that journal he was guilty of such
conduct as to warrant his being struck off the rolls. The
jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages 40s.
4.—A sculling match for £50 a side took place
between Mr. J. L. Barber, of Norwich, and Mr. Knight, of
Wymondham. The distance was
fifty-five miles, namely, from Thorpe Gardens to Reedham, thence
through the New Cut and Lake Lothing to Mutford Bridge, and back
to the starting-point. Mr. Knight started at 6.56 a.m., and
Mr. Barber at 7.1 a.m. On the return journey Mr.
Barber’s boat was upset during a severe thunderstorm and
squall. Resuming, he rowed to Cantley, where he was taken
from his boat almost insensible and conveyed to the inn.
Mr. Knight reached Thorpe Gardens at 3.39 p.m., having rowed the
distance in 8 hrs. 43 mins.—1 hr. 34 mins. less than it had
ever been covered before.
9.—Died at his house at Langham, Capt. Marryat,
C.B. He was well-known as the author of several works of
fiction, founded principally on the naval service. He was a
Fellow of the Royal Society, a magistrate and deputy-lieutenant
of the county of Norfolk, and was in his 56th year.
11.—A singular accident occurred at Mattishall. A
boy named Thomas Ireson, ten years of age, tied himself to the
tail of a cow, and the infuriated animal kicked him to death.
24.—St. Nicholas’ church, Great Yarmouth, was
re-opened after restoration. The sermon was preached by the
Bishop of Oxford. Luncheon was served at the Town Hall, and
was attended by the Bishops of Norwich and Oxford, Mr. Baron
Alderson, M. Guizot, a former Prime Minister of France, and by
many other distinguished guests.
6.—The Royal Victoria and Albert steam yacht, with the
Queen and Prince Consort on board, passed off Cromer at 6.30
a.m., on her voyage to Aberdeen. The coastguard discharged
rockets and fired from the mortars a salute of seven rounds.
—Died, aged 73, Mr. John Palmer, of St. Mary’s,
Thetford. “He had been twenty years afflicted with
rheumatic gout, and for the past sixteen years had never left his
bed but once, on which occasion he was carried to the poll at the
borough election in the summer of 1842, in the contest between
the Earl of Euston and Sir James Flower, when his vote on the
Conservative side carried the election.”
7.—A two-days’ cricket match, between the
Marylebone Club and Ground and the County of Norfolk (with
Wisden) commenced at Swaffham. The principal scores for the
former were made by the Hon. E. Grimstone and the Hon. F.
Ponsonby, and for the latter by Mr. Charles Wright, the Rev. F.
French, and Wisden. Marylebone, 84-76; Norfolk, 106-56.
11.—The East Anglian Railway from Lynn and Swaffham was
opened for passenger traffic to Dereham.
—Miss Helen Faucit commenced an engagement at Norwich
Theatre. She was supported by Mr. W. Shelley, from the Park
Theatre, New York, and by Mr. H. Farren.
—H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, who visited Norwich for
the purpose of attending the Triennial Musical Festival, arrived
at Trowse Station, where he was received by the Mayor (Mr. G. L.
Coleman) and the Sheriff (Mr. J. Watson), who
were attended by the principal officers of the Corporation,
mounted. “The four whifflers, in proper dress,
created much merriment by brandishing their weapons to keep a
passage, but they had not the agile grace of the old retainers of
our ancient Corporation, and the procession, though the best we
have seen in Norwich since the Municipal Reform Act passed, fell
short of that imposing dignity which graced our ancient displays
of civic pomp.” His Royal Highness, who was the guest
of the Bishop of Norwich, left the city on the 15th.
12.—The Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Musical Festival
commenced at St. Andrew’s Hall, with a grand evening
concert, at which selections from “Il Matrimonio
Segreto” and from “Le Nozzi di Figaro” were
given. The following were the principal items in the
week’s programme:—Sept. 13th, “The
Christian’s Prayer” and selections from “The
Creation”; evening, “The First Walpurgis Night”
and selections from “La Clemenza di Tito”; Sept.
14th, “Elijah”; evening, selection from
“Fidelio,” &c.; Sept. 15th, “Davidde
Penitente” and “Israel in Egypt.” In the
evening a dress ball was given, at which Jullien’s band
performed. The principal vocalists at the Festival were
Madame Viardot Garcia, Madame Castellan, Mdlle. Alboni, Miss Anne
Williams, Miss Martha Williams, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Lockey, Mr.
H. Phillips, Mr. H. Whitmore, and Signor Lablache. Mr. H.
Blagrove was leader of the band, Mr. Benedict conductor, and Mr.
Harcourt organist. The gross receipts were £5,266 4s.
2d.; the gross expenses £4,598 10s. 7d., and the net
surplus £667 13s. 9d.
21.—Lord George Bentinck, M.P., was discovered dead on a
footpath at Thoresby, about six miles from his seat at
Welbeck. The Coroner’s jury found that death was due
to heart disease. The deceased nobleman was first elected
for King’s Lynn in 1828, in succession to his uncle, Lord
William Bentinck. He had previously acted as private
secretary to Mr. Canning, a near relative by marriage. His
lordship was the recognised leader of the Protectionist party,
and as a firm supporter of the Turf did much to reform the abuses
which existed upon it in his time. The vacancy created by
his death in the representation of Lynn was filled by the
election of the Hon. E. H. Stanley, who was returned without
opposition on December 22nd.
23.—Under the provisions of the new Tavern Act, the
public-houses in Norwich were closed at 12 p.m. “The
streets in the lower parts of the city and all round the Market
Place were crowded with persons returning home with pots of malt
liquor.” On the 25th informations were preferred
against many publicans for failing to close their houses at the
prescribed time.
28.—Died at Pulham, aged 43, Mr. R. B. Harvey, a
well-known flock-master, who did much to improve the breed of
sheep in Norfolk. He was a frequent exhibitor at the shows
of the Royal Agricultural Society and of the local agricultural
associations.
17.—The first conviction under the new Act for
preventing the extension of diseases in sheep was recorded at
Norwich, when Mr. Betts, cattle dealer, of Old
Buckenham, was fined for exposing on the Castle Meadow sheep that
were suffering from sheep-pox or variola ovina.
23.—The Adelphi Theatre, Norwich, was opened under the
management of Mr. George Smith, formerly lessee of the Theatre
Royal. The company included Mr. and Mrs. Sidney (Miss J.
Trafford).
31.—St. Matthew’s church, Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich,
at which building operations commenced in the second week in
August, was “founded” by the chairman and members of
the committee.
9.—Mr. Samuel Bignold was elected Mayor, and Mr. Robert
Chamberlin appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
13.—A salmon weighing 9 lbs. was captured in the river
near Trowse Bridge, Norwich.
21.—Died at Richmond, Mr. William James Achilles
Abington, M.A., barrister-at-law, of the Middle Temple, aged 41,
the only surviving son of Mr. William Abington, of the East India
House. The deceased gentleman was in 1845 lessee of Norwich
Theatre.
28.—Madame Dulcken, pianist to the Queen, gave a grand
concert at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich.
—Mr. Isaac Jermy, Recorder of Norwich, and Mr. Jermy
Jermy, his son, were murdered at Stanfield Hall, Wymondham, by
James Blomfield Rush. Mrs. Jermy Jermy and her maid,
Elizabeth Chastney, alarmed by the report of the firearm,
proceeded to the assistance of the victims, and were severely
wounded, the former in the arm and the latter in the hip, by
another shot fired by the murderer. Rush was apprehended
the same night at his house, Potash Farm, by Police-constable
Mortar, of the Norwich city police, and conveyed to Wymondham
Bridewell. The first examination of the prisoner took place
on the 29th, before the Hon. and Rev. R. Wilson, Mr. Cann, and
Mr. Parker. He was afterwards taken to Stanfield Hall,
where Mrs. Jermy Jermy identified him as her assailant.
Rush was further examined at Wymondham Bridewell on the
30th. At the adjourned hearing on December 2nd, Emily
Sandford, his housekeeper, gave evidence, and the prisoner was
committed to Norwich Castle, where the third hearing was
conducted in private on December 5th. The final
examinations took place at the Castle on the 13th and 14th; on
the latter date the depositions were publicly read, and the
prisoner was formally committed to take his trial on the charge
of wilful murder. On the 19th he was taken, under writ of
habeas corpus, to Stanfield Hall, where Chastney gave
evidence in his presence. The inquest on Mr. Jermy and Mr.
Jermy Jermy was opened by Mr. Press at the King’s Head Inn,
Wymondham, on November 30th, and adjourned sittings were held on
December 1st, 2nd, and 5th. On the last-named day the
Coroner issued a warrant for the detention of Emily Sandford in
Wymondham Bridewell. The final sitting of the
Coroner’s Court was held on December 19th, when the jury
returned a verdict of wilful murder against Rush. The
funeral of Mr. Jermy and his son took place at Wymondham church,
on December 5th. (See March 29th, 1849.)
22.—Mr. Prendergast, of the Norfolk Circuit, qualified
as Recorder of Norwich, in the room of Mr. Isaac Jenny,
deceased.
26.—Pablo Fanque’s Circus opened for the Christmas
holidays at the Victoria Gardens, Norwich. (On September
15th, 1849, this circus proprietor was referred to as “our
fellow-citizen, Mr. Darby, alias Pablo Fanque.”)
—Norwich Theatre was opened for the season, under the
management of Mr. Charles Dillon. The pieces produced were
“Virginius,” and the pantomime “The Naughty
Boys, Smith, Brown, Jones, and Robinson, or Harlequin and the
Great Sea Serpent.”
30.—St. Mary’s church, Norwich, was described as
being in a most disgraceful and dilapidated condition.
“It was re-pewed in 1827 by the Rev. Mr. Wodehouse, and was
then one of the neatest parish churches in Norwich.”
22.—Mdlle. Jenny Lind, assisted by Miss Dolby, Signor
Belletti, and Signor Marras, gave an evening concert at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, in aid of the charities of the
city. On the 23rd she sang at a morning concert in
furtherance of the same object. The total receipts amounted
to £1,859 11s., and £1,250 remained after the payment
of expenses. The services of the famous singer were
rendered quite gratuitously. The Mayor (Mr. Bignold) and
members of the Corporation waited upon her at the Palace, where
she was staying as the guest of Bishop Stanley, and presented to
her an address expressive of the thanks of the citizens.
2.—Mr. Michael Beverley, of Forncett St. Mary, a popular
sportsman in South Norfolk, was killed whilst hunting with Mr.
Fellowes’ hounds at Moulton. He was in his 60th
year.
4.—Many hundred persons assembled at Bacton Wood Mill,
North Walsham, to witness the baptism by immersion in the mill
stream of several men and women “who had embraced the faith
of Mormonites, or Latter-day Saints.”
13.—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
under the presidency of the Mayor, at which resolutions were
adopted in favour of a national rate, and condemnatory of the
laws of settlement and removal, “which drove the poor to
reside in large towns and unjustly limited their field of
labour.” Another resolution condemned the gross inequality in the assessments of the various parishes
in England and Wales to the relief of the poor. A petition
was ordered to be presented to Parliament in accordance with the
terms of the resolutions.
17.—A severe outbreak of cholera was recorded at Rudham,
where twenty-four deaths had occurred up to this date.
“Extreme poverty and dirt had much to do with this awful
visitation.”
27.—The agitation for the repeal of the Malt Tax was
re-opened at a meeting of the farmers of West Norfolk, held at
the Market Hall, Lynn. It was decided to petition
Parliament in favour of the repeal. Many meetings were held
with the same object in other parts of the county.
28.—Died at Leyton, aged 54, Mr. Charles Fox,
engraver. He was a son of Robert Fox, a steward on the
Costessey estate, received lessons in drawing from Charles
Hodgson, at Norwich, and was apprenticed to Mr. Edwards,
engraver, of Bungay. “His exquisite line engravings
are well known by those who value the highest specimens of skill
in that department and by the lovers of fine English
prints.”
13.—Elihu Burritt addressed a public meeting at St.
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, in favour of the settlement of
national disputes by arbitration instead of by force of arms.
20.—The railway from Dereham to Fakenham was opened for
passenger and goods traffic.
25.—Died at the Grove, Holt, in his 64th year, Major T.
A. Girling, formerly of the 5th Fusiliers, with whom he served in
the Peninsula War. He was for some years adjutant of the
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry.
29.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Baron Rolfe, the
trial commenced of James Blomfield Rush for the Stanfield Hall
murders. Mr. Serjeant Byles, Mr. Prendergast, and Mr. Evans
were counsel for the prosecution, and the prisoner conducted his
own defence. The case was opened at nine a.m., and the
Court adjourned at seven p.m. On the 30th Emily Sandford
gave evidence, and was in the witness-box nine and a half
hours. Her examination in chief lasted two hours, and the
prisoner subjected her to seven and a half hours’
cross-examination, mostly on irrelevant matters. On the
31st the Court sat from nine a.m. to 7.30 p.m.; and the case for
the Crown was completed on Monday, April 2nd. The prisoner
commenced his address to the jury shortly after nine
o’clock on the morning of the 3rd, and had not concluded
when the Court rose at ten minutes to eight o’clock.
“It was full of repetitions, and everything material might
have been said in a tithe of the time.” The address
was resumed at nine a.m. on April 4th, and concluded at twelve
o’clock, the prisoner in the two days having spoken nearly
fourteen hours. Mr. Serjeant Byles then replied for the
Crown. The Judge summed up, the jury, after a few
minutes’ consultation, returned a verdict of guilty, and
sentence of death was passed. Throughout the trial the
Court was densely crowded. The jury were conveyed each
night to the Maid’s Head Hotel, where the assembly-room was
specially fitted up for their accommodation as a sleeping apartment; and on Sunday, April 1st, they
attended morning and afternoon service at the Cathedral, under
the escort of the county officials. (See April
21st.)
2.—The garrison steeplechases of the 16th Lancers took
place at Stanninghall, near Spixworth.
21.—The execution of James Blomfield Rush, for the
Stanfield Hall murders, took place on the Castle Hill, Norwich,
in the presence of an enormous gathering of spectators.
Thousands of persons entered the city by road—“one
woman who had been confined only three weeks travelled from the
country on foot fourteen miles during the previous night, in
order to be present”—and many thousands more were
brought in by the trains. Cheap return tickets were issued
from London to Norwich, and the persons who availed themselves of
the facilities were principally members of the “swell
mob.” At Attleborough station the London detectives
who travelled by the train transferred the gang to an up-train;
several who evaded the police were apprehended immediately on
their arrival at Norwich and conveyed to the Police Station,
where they remained in custody until after the execution.
The culprit was hanged at noon, by Calcraft. “The
greatest silence prevailed, the solemn stillness being only
broken by the solitary shriek of a woman who had fainted in the
crowd.”
19.—Major Loftus, commanding Prince Albert’s Own
Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, announced to the officers,
non-commissioned officers, and privates, that the Earl of
Leicester, as Lord Lieutenant, had advised the authorities that,
in consequence of local circumstances, it was expedient to
disband the regiment. Major Loftus complained that the Lord
Lieutenant would assign “no cause for this unceremonious
dismissal.” He added: “My duty is now to give
you my last word of command, which is to obey the orders of her
Majesty’s Secretary of State and to desire that you deliver
up all your arms, clothing, and accoutrements to the respective
captains of troops, who are hereby directed to forward the arms
and sword belts to Cornet William Freeman, at my store-room at
Billingford. And I have to request that your clothing,
saddlery, &c., be conveyed to Holkham Hall, when his lordship
will have the opportunity of disposing of them as he and Sir
George Grey may think proper, for I shall give myself no further
trouble in the matter after the ungracious manner in which I have
been treated.”
20.—A telegram was received at Norwich, announcing that
the Queen had been fired at on the previous (Saturday) evening,
by an Irishman named John Hamilton. The National Anthem was
played at the Cathedral and at most of the parish churches.
24.—The Queen’s birthday was celebrated with much
rejoicing in Norwich. The Sheriff gave a dinner at St.
Andrew’s Hall to the inmates of the Workhouse and
Infirmary. The 16th Lancers paraded in the Market
Place, and the Corps of Pensioners, under Capt. Cockburn, fired a
feu de joie. The Mayor entertained a large party at
luncheon at the Guildhall, and in the evening gave a dinner at
the Assembly Rooms.
26.—Died at Montreal, Sir Benjamin D’Urban,
Commander of her Majesty’s forces in British North
America. He saw much active service during the Peninsula
War, and in 1829 became Colonel of the 51st Foot. He was a
native of Norfolk, and related to the D’Urban Blythes of
Massingham.
26.*—“One day last week a fine sturgeon, weighing
3 st. 11 lbs., and measuring 5 ft. 9 in. in length, was caught in
the river at Northwold, twenty-eight miles from the
sea.”
5.—The Rev. R. S. Bayley, of Sheffield, the originator
and promoter, gave the first of a series of addresses on the aims
and work of a new institution in Norwich known as the
People’s College. Commodious premises were taken in
St. George Colegate, where students were instructed under
competent masters.
11.—Mountjoy the pedestrian commenced the task of
walking from Norwich to Yarmouth and back twice daily for six
successive days, and completed it on the 16th.
20.—Mr. G. L. Coleman, of Norwich, was presented with a
valuable piece of plate, in recognition of his efficient
discharge of the duties of the Mayoralty in 1847–8.
The presentation was made at a dinner given at the Norfolk Hotel,
under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. Bignold).
—The demolition of the old Guildhall (or Church Hall) at
Yarmouth commenced. The building had been used as a
National School.
18.—The annual show of the Royal Agricultural Society of
England was opened at Norwich. The show ground, which
comprised about fifteen acres, was on the old Heath, near Ipswich
Road; the trials of implements took place on Mr. Parker’s
land at Bixley. H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge attended the
show, and during his one night’s stay in the city was the
guest of the Mayor. The society’s dinner, attended by
900 noblemen and gentlemen, was held at St Andrew’s Hall on
the 19th, under the presidency of the Earl of Chichester.
The show, which lasted two days, was visited by 22,000
persons.
20.—“A gentleman well known as Champion of the
Yare” undertook to row 100 miles in twenty-four
hours. He started at 12.35 a.m., and rowed to Beccles
Bridge, a distance of 40 miles, and returned to Carrow Bridge; he
then pulled down the river to Rockland Dyke, and back, a distance
of 20 miles, finishing at 8.28 p.m., and completing the whole
distance in 19 hrs. 53 mins. He rowed the last 20 miles
under three hours.
23.—Mr. Martin William ffolkes, eldest son of Sir
William ffolkes, Bart., of Hillington Hall, whilst fishing at
Castle Rising, was killed by lightning. “His hands
were not closed, and part of a cigar he had been smoking was in
his mouth.”
24.—A lecture was given at St. Andrew’s Hall, by
Professor Isham Baggs, of the Polytechnic Institution, London, on
“The Economy and Philosophy of the Electric Light, and its
present and prospective bearing on the vested interests of Gas
Companies.” The electric light was shown by the aid
of a powerful voltaic battery. It was described as “a
light of dazzling lustre and surpassing brilliancy, on which no
eye can steadily gaze. The figures on the various paintings
in the Hall appeared to start from the canvas, and every living
face displayed an almost supernatural brilliancy and
expression. The gas seemed extinguished amid the new blaze
of light.”
27.—Lieut. Gale, R.N., “of Cremorne
celebrity,” made a balloon ascent from the Cellar Gardens,
Pockthorpe, Norwich, accompanied by Mr. A. W. Pashley, of
Harleston, and Mr. Nevey. “There was a second car or
fake bottom attached by a rope to the balloon, and when at the
altitude of about a mile this was lowered thirty or forty
feet. A rope ladder was fixed to it from a trap door in the
car, and by that the gallant aeronaut descended into the lower
car, from which he discharged shells and other
pyrotechnics.” The descent was made in a field near
Coldham Hall.
23.—A grand cricket match, between an eleven of All
England and twenty of Norfolk commenced on the Norwich
Ground. All England, 63-63; Norfolk, 118-11.
25.*—“Several of those new coins, the florin, have
found their way to Norwich. It is a handsome piece of
money, but we dislike the un-English name. We also protest
against the omission of the words of the old legend intimating
that our beloved Queen reigns by ‘the Grace of God,’
and that she is the defender of the faith.”
—Particulars were given on this date of the marriage of
the notorious Lola Montez, “the ex-Countess of
Lansfeldt,” with Mr. George Trafford Heald, a lieutenant in
the Life Guards, and an owner of considerable landed property at
Freebridge Marshland and Walpole St. Peter.
28.—The Rev. John Woolley, D.C.L., was elected head
master of Norwich Free Grammar School, and on the same day the
Rev. Henry Banfather, B.D., the former master, was, on his
retirement, presented with a valuable piece of silver plate,
subscribed for by the boys and his personal friends.
4.—A curious incident occurred at the Assembly Rooms,
Norwich, at a lecture given by a Mrs. Hamilton, on “A
phrenological analysis of the heads and speeches of three of the
speakers at the soirée given on the 16th
ult. to celebrate the opening of the People’s
College.” The persons referred to were Mr. J. H.
Tillett, Mr. Wheeler, and Mr. J. W. Dowson. The lecturer,
amid much disturbance, stated that Mr. Tillett had “a large
love of approbation, too little veneration, and a large portion
of self-esteem”; Mr. Wheeler had “little veneration
or philo-progenitiveness”; and Mr. Dowson’s head
“showed beautiful Christian development.” Mr.
Tillett rose from his seat and described the lecture as “a
mass of rhodomontade, as an imposition, as non-conclusive, and as
most of it foreign to the subject. He denounced this
lecturing on heads, and asked what would be thought if he brought
down a phrenologist to lecture on the heads of his
opponents?”
4.—A balloon ascent was made from the Cavalry Barracks,
Norwich, by Mr. Green, accompanied by Mr. Rush, of Elsenham Hall,
Essex, “who was desirous of trying some experiments with a
new instrument called an aneroid barometer invented by himself,
and the first ever made on the new principle.” The
balloon descended in a field at West Newton.
6.—The death of the Right Rev. Dr. Edward Stanley,
Bishop of Norwich, occurred at Brahan Castle, near Dingwall,
Ross-shire. The body was conveyed from Invergordon by sea
by the steamer Duke of Sutherland, and landed at Yarmouth on the
19th. It arrived at Norwich on the same day, and was
deposited in the Palace Chapel, where it lay in state on the
20th, and was interred in the centre of the Cathedral nave on the
21st. “Anthony Sparrow (50th Bishop), ob. 1685, was
the last prelate buried in the Cathedral.” Bishop
Stanley was the second son of Sir J. T. Stanley, of Alderley,
Cheshire, and was born January 1st, 1779. He was elected to
the vacant see of Norwich on the death of Bishop Bathurst in
1837. “His lordship was a Liberal in politics, but
more of the Whig than the Radical, and although too conciliatory
to Dissenters, he, of late years in particular, showed himself
devoutedly attached to the Church.” He was Clerk of
the Closet to the Queen, President of the Linnean Society, and
one of the Commissioners appointed in 1848 to enquire into the
state of the British Museum.
8.—A meeting of medical practitioners was held at the
Guildhall, Norwich, to consider the best means of preventing the
spread of cholera. Rooms were hired in different parts of
the city for dispensing medicines, and special forms of prayer
were used in all the churches and chapels. November 15th,
the day appointed for thanksgiving “for deliverance from
the scourge which has lately visited this land,” was
observed in Norwich by the entire suspension of business.
All classes of citizens attended the services held at the
Cathedral and the parish churches.
2.—Victoria Gardens, Norwich, for so many generations
the popular resort of the citizens, were dismantled on this date,
when Mr. William Wilde, auctioneer, sold “the ranges of
drinking boxes, seats and tables, the scenery, fittings, and
machinery in the theatre, the fittings, benches, &c., in the
circus and saloon, the materials of the firework house, the
porter bar, cake-room, &c.” The sale was held by
order of the directors of the Eastern
Union Railway Company, who had acquired the property as the site
for their Norwich terminus.
3.—Mr. Joseph Hume, M.P., Sir Joshua Walmisley, M.P.,
Mr. George Thompson, M.P., Mr. J. H. Parry, Mr. Feargus
O’Connor, M.P., and other members of the National Reform
Association, addressed a large meeting held at St. Andrew’s
Hall, Norwich, under the auspices of the local branch of the
association. Mr. J. H. Tillett presided.
22.—Madame Sontag, Signor Calzobari, Signor Bolletti,
Signor F. Lablache, and M. Thalberg appeared at a grand concert
given at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. A second
performance took place on the 23rd.
—A public meeting was held at the Independent chapel,
Diss, for the purpose of hearing statements from Mr. James
Everett respecting the expulsion of himself and Messrs. Dunn and
Griffith from the Wesleyan Conference. On the 24th a
similar meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich,
when resolutions were passed condemnatory of the action of the
Conference and expressive of sympathy with the expelled
ministers. The agitation was continued until June 22nd,
1850, on the 19th of which month another meeting took place at
St. Andrew’s Hall, at which the Wesleyan Reformers uttered
“violent tirades against the Conference, the Missionary
Committee, and other ruling bodies of Wesleyanism.”
In December, 1850, a series of disturbances occurred at Lenwade,
where the services of the chapel were stopped and the preacher,
the Rev. C. Povah, assaulted with stones and burnt in
effigy. Magisterial proceedings at Reepham were followed by
an application in the Court of Chancery for an injunction to
restrain certain persons from interrupting Mr. Povah and other
ministers in the performance of religious worship at the Wesleyan
chapel, Cawston. The affidavits read disclosed a number of
gross outrages upon the ministers, extending over the period of
six months. Issue of the injunction was stayed upon the
defendants entering into an undertaking not to disturb or molest
the plaintiffs in the exercise of their duties.
26.—Immense quantities of fish were caught off
Yarmouth. The herring boats had from 100,000 to 200,000
fish on board. Cartloads of fish were taken to Norwich and
sold at the following rates:—Fresh herring, 10 for one
penny; boaters, 25 for sixpence; cod, one penny per pound; soles,
from three halfpence to twopence per pair.
30.—Died at Quidenham Hall, the Earl of Albemarle.
Born on May 14th, 1772, he married, on April 9th, 1792, the Hon.
Elizabeth Southwell, four years his junior, who became the mother
of sixteen children. Mr. T. W. Coke, though old enough to
be Lord Albemarle’s father, became his son-in-law in 1822,
when he espoused Lady Anne Keppel. His lordship married
secondly, on February 11th, 1822, Charlotte Susannah, daughter of
Sir Henry Hunloke, Bart.
5.—Downham Market was lighted with gas for the first
time. The event was celebrated by a dinner at the
Queen’s Head and by other rejoicings.
6.—The Oddfellows of the Norwich District, to the number
of 700, dined at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of
Mr. W. M. Kitton.
7.—The Norwich extension railway of the Eastern
Union line, completing the communication with London via
Ipswich, Colchester, and Chelmsford, was opened on this
date. It was part of the plan of the Eastern Union Company,
whose Act for making the railway from Ipswich to Colchester was
obtained in 1844. The line was commenced in 1845, and
opened on June 11th, 1846. In 1845 another Act was passed
for making a railway from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmund’s, and
in 1846 an Act was obtained for making the Ipswich and Norwich
extension. In the latter year an Act was also passed for
the amalgamation of the Eastern Union and the Ipswich and Bury
Railway Companies, and by the two united the Norwich line was
constructed. Mr. Locke was the engineer-in-chief, Mr. Bruff
the resident engineer, and Messrs. Mackenzie and Brassey the
contractors. The first train, conveying 550 ladies and
gentlemen, the guests of the directors, started from the station
(“constructed in part out of the old Pantheon”), and
proceeded to Stowmarket, where refreshments were served.
Trains from Bury, Colchester, and Ipswich brought 600 more
passengers, and the three trains uniting ran to Norwich, where
they arrived at 4.30, the band of the 16th Lancers playing the
travellers into the city. A dinner took place at St.
Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr.
Bignold), and the Sheriff (Mr. Chamberlin) gave a ball in the
evening, at the Assembly Rooms. The line was opened for the
conveyance of cattle and goods on December 3rd, and of passengers
on December 12th.
9.—Mr. Henry Woodcock was elected Mayor, and Mr. James
Colman appointed Sheriff of Norwich. Mr. Bignold reminded
the Council that when he took the office of Mayor a distinct
assurance was given that there was to be a retention of the
system of alternate Whig and Tory Mayors and Sheriffs. He
would not have accepted office but for that assurance.
2.—The consecration of the Rev. Dr. S. Hinds,
Bishop-elect of Norwich, took place at Lambeth Palace. His
lordship was installed at Norwich Cathedral on January 24th,
1850.
—Intelligence was received of the death of the Queen
Dowager. The day of the funeral, December 13th, was
observed in Norwich by the partial closing of the shops.
20.—Died at Hampstead, the Ven. Philip Jennings,
Archdeacon of Norfolk, aged 66. He was presented to his
office in 1847 by Bishop Stanley.
27.—A severe gale from the N.N.W., a heavy fall of snow,
and a high tide prevented railway communication with
Yarmouth. The line was under water for a considerable
distance. The trains on the lines to London were delayed by
deep snowdrifts. An omnibus was run between Norwich and
Yarmouth for the conveyance of passengers. “The
people on the road stared with wonderment on seeing the
six-in-hand drawing the ponderous vehicle through the
snow.”
3.—Mr. Sims Reeves took part in a performance of
“the Messiah” at St. Andrew’s Hall,
Norwich. The other vocalists included Miss Poole, Miss
Kenneth, Herr Formes, and Master Mann.
10.—A sculling match from Bramerton to Whitlingham, for
£10 a side, between R. Buttle, of Norwich, and Aldred, one
of the crew of the “Young Company,” Yarmouth, was won
easily by the former.
16.—Aylsham was for the first time lighted with gas, an
event celebrated by the ringing of the church bells, by the
distribution of beer, and by a dinner and ball at the Black Boys
Hotel. A display of fireworks ended the festivities.
18.—Acts of disorder were committed by the female
factory hands in Norwich, owing to an alteration being made in
the working hours. They broke with snowballs the windows in
the house of Mr. Douglas, one of the manufacturers, and waylaid
him on St. Martin-at-Palace Plain. To save himself from
being stripped naked, he took refuge in a neighbouring
office.
20.—Died at Ranworth, the Rev. T. B. Greaves, for forty
years vicar of South Lynn, and thirty-six years vicar of
Wiggenhall St. Giles. He was the author of a volume of
poems entitled, “Greaves’ Wilderness.”
28.—A meeting, convened by the High Sheriff (Col.
Mason), on the requisition of 3,000 signatories, was held at
Swaffham, “for the purpose of adopting means to secure the
return of a Protective policy.” The railway companies
ran special trains for the convenience of persons desirous of
attending the meeting. The High Sheriff was supported by
Lord Orford, Lord Sondes, and the members for the division.
A resolution was adopted to the effect that the depression under
which the agricultural, commercial, and industrial classes
laboured was owing principally to legislative enactments, and
nothing but a return to a protective policy could restore the
permanent prosperity of agriculture, trade, and commerce.
It was decided to present to the Queen and to Parliament a
petition embodying these views.
11.—A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, Norwich,
to give the citizens the opportunity of expressing their opinion
upon the new Water Works Bill. A resolution was adopted in
its favour. On the 12th the Town Council agreed to petition
the House of Commons in opposition to the Bill, on the ground
principally that no provision was made for such a supply of water
as the inhabitants required, and that the scale of rates was too
high. On the 19th the Corporation authorised the
expenditure of £250 “to defray the expense of
defending the rights of the present Water Works Company and of
opposing the new Water Works Bill in Parliament.” On
March 27th Mr. David Stevenson, C.E., Edinburgh, held a
public inquiry at the Guildhall respecting the application for
the new Bill, and subsequently made a tour of inspection.
He stated that Norwich was as badly supplied with water as any
place he was ever in. The Bill went before the Committee of
the House of Commons on May 2nd, and on the 16th was reported to
the House of Lords. It passed its third reading in the
House of Commons on June 3rd. The Town Council, on June
12th, appointed a committee to confer with the promoters of the
Bill as to certain clauses; and on June 15th it was announced
that the promoters had adopted a course that was satisfactory to
the representatives of the Council. Opposition was then
withdrawn. The first general meeting of the shareholders of
the Norwich Water Works Company was held on October 15th, under
the presidency of Mr. Bignold, chairman of the company.
13.—Festivities commenced at Shadwell Court, and were
continued three days, in celebration of the coming of age of Sir
Robert Jacob Buxton, who was presented by the tenantry with a
massive silver salver. The band of the 2nd Life Guards was
in attendance.
24.—Snow fell to the depth of 12 inches. A drift
occurred in the chalk cutting between Narborough and Swaffham,
and delayed railway traffic.
26.—Died at Lambeth, aged 66, Mr. William Bath,
President of the Money Order Office, St. Martin’s le
Grand. He was Mayor of Yarmouth in 1824 and 1826, and was
the first Mayor of that borough after the passing of the
Municipal Reform Act, when he occupied the civic chair during two
successive terms.
5.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief Baron
Pollock, Blofield John Rix and Henry Senior were charged with
stealing, embezzling, and misappropriating various sums of money,
to the amount of £10,589 18s., the property of their
employers. Both prisoners were employed at the Diss
Bank. The proprietor, Mr. Dyson, was taken seriously ill in
the month of December, 1848, and an arrangement was made that Mr.
Thomas Lombe Taylor, son of Mr. Meadows Taylor, a former partner
with Mr. Dyson, should be taken into partnership, and the
partnership commenced in 1849. On January 19th Mr. Dyson
died, and Mr. Taylor intended to dispose of the business to the
firm of Messrs. Harveys and Hudson. It became necessary to
go through the accounts, and then the frauds were
discovered. The prisoners were tried on a charge of simple
larceny, whereupon they pleaded guilty, and were sentenced, Rix
to 18 months’ and Senior to 12 months’
imprisonment.
—The action, Berney v. Delane and Co., was tried
at the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief Baron Pollock.
The question at issue was the right to the use of the stream
which worked Taverham Mills. The defendants manufactured
the paper for “The Times” newspaper, “and their broadsheets were every day scattered round the
terrestrial globe, and were to be found in every corner of the
earth.” In order to carry on their business, the
defendants had the right to raise the stream behind their mills;
they had not only raised it to the height they were entitled to
enjoy, but very much higher; so high that they had flooded the
lands of Mr. Thomas Trench Berney, and had rendered them useless
for sheep grazing. The case was ultimately referred to Mr.
Russell Gurney, and a verdict for the plaintiff was taken on
account of the damage laid in the declaration, subject to such
reference.
17.—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. Woodcock) having offered
to provide an illuminated clock and clock turret at the
Guildhall, on condition that the Corporation removed the false
ceiling in the Council Chamber and laid open the old roof, it was
unanimously resolved to accept the clock. It was made by
Messrs. Moore, of Clerkenwell, London, and fixed in a turret
designed by Mr. Kerr, in the month of October.
30.—The headquarters of the 16th Lancers marched from
Norwich for Hounslow.
1.—Sultzer’s public baths were opened in St.
Augustine’s, Norwich. In the course of six months
they were used by 10,943 persons.
4.—Attention was directed to the system then becoming
more prevalent than ever, of driving dogs in trucks or small
carts along the public roads. “To say nothing of the
cruelty to the dogs, few horses will pass them without risk of
accident.”
6.—The season terminated at Norwich Theatre. The
house was under the management of Mr. Clarence (afterwards known
as Mr. Clarence Holt).
14.—The Norwich Town Council adopted an address of
congratulation to the Queen and Prince Albert upon the birth, on
May 1st, of a Prince (Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught).
16.—Mr. W. Lee, C.E., one of the Inspectors of the Board
of Health, opened, at the Guildhall, Norwich, a public inquiry
into the sanitary state of the city. It lasted eight
days.
—A sturgeon, measuring 6 ft. 2 in. in length and 3 ft. 6
in. in girth, and weighing 15 st. 3 lbs., was shot in the river
Wissey, near Hilgay Bridge. “It is surprising how a
fish of this size could get up the river so far, as it had to
pass through several sluices.”
17.—Died at Mill Hill, Hendon, aged 57, Sir James
Flower, Bart. He was a son of the first baronet, by the
eldest daughter and co-heiress of Mr. James Squire, of
Portsmouth. In 1816 he married the daughter of Sir Walter
Stirling, Bart. He succeeded his father in 1834. In
1838 he filled the office of High Sheriff of Norfolk, and in 1843
was appointed a deputy-lieutenant for Herefordshire. A
Conservative in politics, he contested the representation of
Thetford with the Earl of Euston, when a “double
return” resulted. On petition, Sir James was declared
the sitting member. The first baronet was an alderman of
the City of London, who filled the office of Lord Mayor in the
year of the Jubilee.
19.—Lieut. John Allen, commander of the Prince of
Wales Revenue cutter, boarded off Happisburgh a vessel named the
Sea Flower, of Hull, and found her laden with 122 bales of
contraband tobacco of 50 lbs. each, the duty upon which amounted
to £900. The vessel and cargo were confiscated.
24.—The headquarters of the 11th Hussars arrived at
Norwich, under command of Col. the Earl of Cardigan.
“This regiment has a fine appearance. The uniform is
blue jacket, braided, scarlet trousers, and bearskin
cap.”
—The Queen’s birthday was celebrated at Norwich by
the Pockthorpe “Corporation” parading in the Market
Place, “the ‘Mayor’ and ‘Aldermen’
wearing their scarlet gowns and bearing themselves with all the
conscious dignity of office.” The Sheriff of Norwich
(Mr. James Colman) entertained the inmates of the Workhouse, the
Infirmary, and the Boys’ Home to dinner at St.
Andrew’s Hall, and the Mayor (Mr. Woodcock) gave a dinner
at the Assembly Rooms.
29.—A new organ, the gift of Col. Mason, was opened at
Necton church.
5.—An extraordinary will was left by Miss Margaret
Creake, of St. Andrew’s, Norwich, whose death occurred on
this date. She was the last of three sisters, very
eccentric in their manners and parsimonious in their way of
living. She directed that her relatives who chose to prove
their identity should receive one shilling each; a legacy of
£20 was left to one neighbour, and of £10 to
another. She directed that £50 be given to each
homeless person above 68 years of age in London, Ireland, and
Scotland, and that all her real estate be employed in founding a
hospital for aged persons, the hospital to be built and the
inmates habited according to her directions. The property,
valued at £20,000, being insufficient, the wishes of the
testatrix could not be carried out. Upwards of 1,000
persons visited the late residence of the deceased, “the
filthiness of which was beyond description.” Shortly
after the death of Miss Creake, a chemist named Woolner, with
whom she had been intimate, committed suicide by poisoning
himself. It was then rumoured that the woman had met with
her death by foul means. The Coroner (Mr. Wilde) ordered
the exhumation of the body from St. Clement’s
churchyard. An examination of the remains was made by Mr.
T. W. Crosse, who attributed death to natural causes.
9.—Died at Norwich, aged 60, Mr. John Green Crosse,
senior surgeon of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Mr.
Crosse was a native of Suffolk, and received his early
professional education under Mr. Bailey, at Stowmarket.
After a distinguished career as a medical student in London, he
became demonstrator of anatomy in Dublin. He visited Paris,
where he made himself sufficiently acquainted with the French
schools of medicine to enable him on his return to publish
“Sketches of the Medical Schools of Paris.” He
settled in Norwich in 1815, and in the following year married a
daughter of his former master and friend. In 1825 he was
elected assistant-surgeon of the Hospital, and on the death of
Mr. Bond succeeded to the surgeoncy on August 25th, 1826.
There he gained for himself a surgical reputation which was described as “not local, not provincial, not
British, not European, but universal.” Mr. Crosse was
one of the founders of the Pathological Society; he was a Fellow
of the Royal Society, a Fellow of the College of Surgeons of
England, a Doctor of Medicine in the Universities of Heidelberg
and St. Andrew’s, a member of several scientific bodies,
and the author of many valuable professional works and
papers. His remains were interred on June 14th, in the
burial ground of Norwich Cathedral.
9.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the death of
H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. The bells of the city
churches were tolled.
29.—Mrs. Charles Gill (Miss Vining) appeared at Norwich
Theatre, after an absence of five years, and was enthusiastically
received by a crowded house.
3.—Comment was made upon the altered circumstances of
the Norwich Assize week:—“Alterations in our system
of jurisprudence have caused some change in the character of our
Assizes, and diminished the number attending them; whilst changes
of our social system have led the higher classes to join less in
the popular amusements of the people.”
10.—Potash Farm, formerly occupied by James Blomfield
Rush, was sold by auction by Mr. Butcher, for £3,100.
The purchaser was Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart.
17.*—“Messrs. E. and R. W. Blake, of Norwich, have
purchased the Yarn Factory, with its machinery, for
£14,000, under direction of the Master in Chancery, under
the Winding-Up Act. The stock is valued at £7,219,
making, with the purchase, the sum total of
£21,219.”
—Died, Hannah Sarah Hancock, daughter of the Rev. Thomas
Wigg Hancock, of St. Helen’s parsonage, Norwich. She
was born on November 8th, 1781. At eight years of age she
compiled a dictionary for children, and throughout her life took
great interest in music and painting. She received the
silver medal of the Society of Arts in 1805, and in 1807 was
granted a second silver medal by the same society for an oil
painting after the design by Rubens in the altarpiece at
Antwerp.
—Considerable inconvenience was caused at Norwich by a
strike of the firemen and engine-drivers on the Eastern Counties
Railway.
24.—Died at Birkenhead, Lieut.-Col. Edwin
Cruttenden. Of an old Norfolk family, he was born in
1784. He received a commission in the Royal Artillery in
1804, was stationed ten years in the Mauritius, and in 1814 was
engaged in the capture of Oswego, North America. He was
appointed lieutenant-colonel in 1841.
20.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, an
address was ordered to be presented to the Bishop of Norwich on
his appointment to the diocese. The presentation took place
at the Palace, on October 4th.
28.—Died at his residence, James Street, Buckingham
Gate, London, Mr. Thomas Amyot, F.R.S., F.S.A., in his 76th
year. He was the eldest son of Mr. Peter Amyot, of St.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich, and was articled to Messrs. Foster and
Unthank, solicitors, of that city. On the accession to
power, in 1806, of the Fox and Granville parties, the Right Hon.
William Windham, Secretary for the Department of War and the
Colonies, appointed Mr. Amyot his private secretary. On the
dissolution of that short-lived Administration, he received a
lucrative Colonial appointment as Registrar of Slaves in the
British West India possessions, a position which he continued to
hold until his functions gradually ceased on the passing of the
Slavery Abolition Act. Mr. Amyot was interested in literary
pursuits and archæological research. He married Jane,
only daughter of Mr. Edward Colman, surgeon, of Norwich, by whom
he had two sons and six daughters.
23.—A fine schooner was launched from Mr. T.
Tyrrell’s shipyard at Wells-next-the-Sea.
24.—“The Times” was shamefully hoaxed on
this date. A letter had been sent to the editor, with the
intimation that a Protectionist meeting was to be held at Lynn,
to be addressed by the Hon. E. H. Stanley, M.P., Mr.
D’Israeli, and other gentlemen. “The
Times” sent its representatives, who found that no such
meeting had been announced or even contemplated.
27.—Died at Blickling Hall, the Dowager Lady
Suffield. “She was born in the year 1767, her early
life being passed during one of the most eventful periods, both
socially and politically, which have marked our
history.” Her father was John Hobart, second Earl of
Buckinghamshire, who had been Ambassador at St. Petersburg, and
was afterwards Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In 1792 she
married William Assheton, second Lord Suffield, and in 1744 her
youngest sister, Amelia Ann, was married to Lord
Castlereagh. “In consequence of this union her
connection with the political world was maintained even more
intimately than before. Throughout her life she continued
to take a lively interest in the politics of the county, and the
influence of the united houses of Gunton and Blickling in the
days of contested elections was not lightly esteemed by
conflicting parties.” In 1821 she became a widow, and
thenceforth devoted herself to charitable works. The family
estates descended to the Marquis of Lothian, her
grand-nephew.
2.—The announcement was made of the engagement of Mr.
and Mrs. F. Phillips as members of the Norwich Company, under the
management of Mr. Joseph Clarence. Mrs. Phillips,
who was professionally known as Miss Ellen Daly, had acquired
Metropolitan celebrity, and “was equally at home in serious
work, in domestic comedy, and in fashionable life.”
8.—The ceremony of turning the first sod of the great
undertaking known as the Norfolk Estuary Works was performed at
Lynn by Sir William ffolkes. The Earl of Hardwick, the Earl
of Leicester, Mr. R. G. Tounley, M.P., and Miss Wodehouse each
deposited a spadeful of earth upon a barrow, which was wheeled
away by the Mayor. It was estimated that 150,000 acres of
land would be reclaimed from the sea by the completion of the
work.
9.—Mr. Henry Woodcock was re-elected Mayor of
Norwich. Mr. Edward Blakely was appointed Sheriff.
11.—The Norwich Protestant Association held a meeting at
St. Andrew’s Hall, and adopted an address to the Queen
“on the recent invasion of her Majesty’s prerogative
by the Pope.” On December 7th the clergy of the
diocese presented to the Bishop an address upon the same subject;
and on December 14th the High Sheriff (Mr. E. R. Pratt) presided
over a county meeting at the Shirehall, when resolutions
condemnatory of the action of the Pope were adopted, and an
address voted to the Queen. Many meetings were held in all
parts of the county, and for some weeks “Papal
aggression” was made a popular cry.
21.*—“Baron Rolfe has been raised to the peerage,
by the dignity of Baron Cranworth, of Cranworth, in the county of
Norfolk.”
26.—Mr. J. Clarence produced a pantomime at Norwich
Theatre (title not given). Of the scenery and dresses it
was said, “We never saw anything, even in the Metropolis,
more superb and more beautiful.”
END OF VOL. I.