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.
MAY.
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