1860.
Jan. 3rd. Three cases of wine, eight of spirits, and five of oil, and a cask of vinegar, landed here, having been picked up by the smack “Chance.”
Jan. 4th. Schooner “Hero,” of and for Yarmouth, went ashore on Palling Beach and became a total wreck. Sold for £9.
Jan. 20th. The people in Southtown alarmed by the report of a “Spring-heel’d Jack” in the locality for some days previous. The supposed fiend, who assaulted one of the employés on the East Suffolk railway, and left him insensible on the ground, was said to be a man clad in a white tight-skin dress, and goat’s horns fixed to his head.
Jan. F. Palmer, Esq., appointed hon. surgeon to the Rifle Volunteer Corps.
Feb. 2nd. The fishing lugger “Paymaster,” belonging to Mr. B. Fenn, sailed from Yarmouth to Portsmouth, a distance of 240 miles, in 23 hours.
Feb. 14th. A detachment of the Donegal Militia (162) left Yarmouth for Deptford.
Feb. 16th. The premises of Messrs. Bullimore, West, and Todd, coachbuilders, carpenters, &c., destroyed by fire.
Feb. 16th and 18th. Officers of the Donegal Militia performed at the Theatre on behalf of the Hospital. Used Up and the Irish Attorney were represented.
Feb. 17th. The fishing smack “John Bull” driven on Yarmouth beach in a gale. The crew of five were taken out of the rigging by a lifeboat crew, and all saved except one boy. George Milligan, at the risk of his own life, bravely rescued a helpless man who was lashed to the rigging. In March, he and Capt. T. Davies, R.N., inspecting commander of the Yarmouth Coastguards, received silver medals for their bravery on this occasion, and the lifeboat crew £24.
Feb. 24th. Enquiry opened in the House of Commons upon the petition against the return of Sir E. Lacon and Sir H. Stracey, Barts., as M.P.’s for the Borough. After seven days’ investigation, the Chairman of the Committee announced them as duly elected.
Feb. 28th. A tremendous hurricane, which for about half-an-hour in the afternoon raged with the greatest fury, the pressure per square foot being 30 lbs. The like not known before for many years. In 1839 it reached only 28 lbs.
Feb. A beautiful silver épergne, of Eastern design, representing a giraffe feeding under a palm tree, presented to the Rev. J. B. Bampton on his leaving Yarmouth for Dover, by the supporters and students of the Yarmouth Government School of Art and Navigation, as a token of esteem.
March 7th. At a Levée at St. James’ Palace, Captains S. C. Marsh and W. J. Foreman; Lieut. A. W. Morant and Dr. Stephenson, of the 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers; and Capt. J. H. Orde, Lieut. E. P. Youell, Ensign J. Tomlinson, and Hon. Assistant Surgeon F. Palmer, 2nd Norfolk Rifle Volunteers, were introduced to her Majesty by the Earl of Leicester, Lord Lieutenant of the County.
March 13th. A new fishing smack, “Harriett Todd” launched. Mr. Todd lost the smack “Viper,” and had three others damaged in the gale of the 20th Nov., 1861.
March. The brave crew of the Gorleston Lifeboat “Ranger” awarded the sum of £233 by the owner of the brig “Martin Luther,” for assisting his vessel into Harbour during the hurricanes of Feb. 28th.
March. Petition sent to the House of Commons for total abolition of Church rates; also a petition to suppress Bribery by a condign punishment upon all guilty of the practice. The latter was signed by 230 electors, and presented to the House on the 24th instant, by J. Mellor, Esq., M.P.
March. Loss of the Yarmouth fishing smack “Emerald,” and seven hands, about twenty miles east of the Leman and Owen Sands.
April 6th. Artillery and Rifle Volunteers’ first demonstration on the South Denes.
April 10th. Conservative Banquet at the Theatre. The entire pit was boarded over on a level with the stage, where the tables were arranged; and a military band played in the gallery. A marquee was erected on the plain as a reception room.
April 23rd. First stone of the Gorleston Methodist New Connexion Chapel laid. Building cost £250. It was opened July 22nd.
May 17th. The barque “Caroline” launched, after being repaired at an outlay of £5,000, from Mr. Powell’s yard. The band of the Donegal Militia played “Rule, Britannia” as she glided off the incline.
May 28th. Fearful gale and loss of life at sea; eight vessels—brigs, schooners, and a barge—lost on Scroby and in the Cockle Gat, with their crews; also 14 fishing vessels and 156 men and boys, lost off Yarmouth. The appeal to the town and nation on behalf of 50 widows and 160 orphans left destitute resulted in the handsome sum of £10,000. Her Majesty and Prince Consort headed the list with £100 each. In a former gale the north-east pinnacle of St. Peter’s Church fell over the nave and crashed through the roof into the organ gallery, the organ narrowly escaping. Damage estimated at £250.
June 5th. G. S. Harcourt, Esq., resigned the Secretaryship of the Sailors’ Home owing to ill-health.
June 30th. The Channel Fleet of 13 vessels, under the command of Sir C. Freemantle, anchored in the Roads, and comprised the “Royal Albert,” 121 guns; “Donegal,” 101; “Edgar,” 91; “Aboukir,” 91; “Conqueror,” 101; “Trafalgar,” 91; “Centurion,” 91; “Algiers,” 91; “Mars,” 80; “Mersey,” 40; “Diadem,” 32; also the “Greyhound” corvette, and “Locust.”
July 9th. Procession through the town of the Foresters and Members of the Eastern Star Provident Association to the Victoria Gardens, where a gala was given.
July 18th. Sir Samuel Morton Peto presented with a superb china dessert service, and an elaborately-worked plateau épergne candelabrum and other plate, value about £2,000, by 300 subscribers, as a token of regard and obligation to him in making the East Suffolk Railway.
July 24th. Prince of Wales’ Own Donegal Militia, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Lord Claude E. Hamilton, left Yarmouth for Ireland, after staying twelve months.
Aug. 8th. The Norfolk Militia Artillery arrived at the Southtown Barracks, and were disbanded on the 20th. This regiment was embodied in April, 1859, and in May left for Sheerness, and thence for Woolwich.
Sept. 3rd. First prize competition meeting of the Rifle Volunteers held.
Sept. W. Strike, Esq., Collector of Customs, promoted to the Collectorship at Waterford; he was succeeded by W. C. Maclean, Esq., Comptroller at Portsmouth.
Oct. 15th. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean, the celebrated Tragedians, appeared at the Theatre Royal in The Wife’s Secret.
Oct. 26th. A short sun-fish caught on the North Beach. It was 4 ft. in length, and weighed about 11 stone. A fine specimen was also caught off Yarmouth in 1821.
Nov. 3rd. Frightful boiler explosion on board the steamer “Tonning,” off Yarmouth.
Nov. 7th. Race by two herring traders—the brig “Susan Bailey,” of Ipswich, and schooner “The Belle,” of Brixton—from Yarmouth to Leghorn. The latter arrived at her destination after a run of nearly 17 days, the “Susan Bailey” being two days behind her.
Nov. 10th. The brig “Eleanor,” 300 tons register, launched in full rig from Messrs. Beeching’s yard.
Dec. 28th. Melancholy occurrence at the Theatre, caused by the sudden death of Tom Algar, the clown, during the Christmas Pantomime. On Jan. 4th Mr. Owen, the manager, gave a benefit to the widow and orphans.
Dec. 29th (Saturday). The town, in consequence of a hard frost, had the gas cut off from 5 p.m. till 9, and then only partially.
Dec. The Rev. Henry Ralph Nevill, M.A., nominated to the Honorary Canonry in the Cathedral Church in Norwich, vacated by the death of the Rev. W. M. Hanson.
Fish Depôt, near the Jetty, erected.
The sum collected in Market Tolls this year was £220 12s., about the average for the last 22 years.
Parliamentary returns show that the number of houses in Yarmouth compounded for by landlords was 1,098, of the annual gross-rent of £6; and 229 at £7.
About 1,300 Voters on the Register this year.