JULY.
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.
AUGUST.
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.