1849.
JANUARY.
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.
FEBRUARY.
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.”
MARCH.
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.)
APRIL.
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.”
MAY.
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.”
JUNE.
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.
JULY.
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.
AUGUST.
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.
SEPTEMBER.
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.
OCTOBER.
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.
NOVEMBER.
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.
DECEMBER.
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.”
1850.
JANUARY.
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.
FEBRUARY.
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.
MARCH.
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.
APRIL.
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.
MAY.
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.
JUNE.
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.
JULY.
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.
AUGUST.
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.
SEPTEMBER.
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.
OCTOBER.
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.
NOVEMBER.
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.
DECEMBER.
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.