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.
SEPTEMBER.
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.”