1853.
JANUARY.
8.—M. Gompertz’s panorama of the invasion of British India by the Sikh Army of the Punjaub was exhibited at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. One of the scenic attractions was a representation of “the crypt of the Holy Sepulchre, under three distinct aspects,” a dioramic illusion which forms a popular feature in similar entertainments at the present day.
13.—A miraculous escape was recorded at Swaffham. A drunken man named Edward Horsepool went into the yard of the Angel public-house, at three o’clock in the morning, with the intention of lying down in a shed. By mistake he opened the door of the covering of a disused well, and stepping in, fell to the bottom, a depth of 117 feet. A tramp sleeping in the shed was awakened by the man’s cries, and gave an alarm. Mr. William Laxon, collar maker, procured ropes, and Horsepool was rescued uninjured, after having been half an hour in 20 feet of water. He had kept his head above the surface by clinging to the broken sides of the well.
22.—In the Prerogative Court, before Sir J. Dodson, was tried the action Gilbert (administratrix of Woolner) v. Hammond. It had reference to granting administration, with will annexed, to the goods of Miss Margaret Creak, of Norwich, who died on June 5th, 1850, possessed of personal property of about £30,000 and realty of the estimated value of £500 per annum. The will bore date January 13th, 1844, and its effect was to leave, with some trifling exceptions, the personal property to Mr. Woolner, a chemist and druggist, who was also appointed executor. The will was originally propounded by Woolner, who afterwards committed suicide, and his sister, Mrs. Gilbert, now applied for probate, as his administratrix, which was, in the first instance, opposed by Mrs. Hammond, a cousin-german and one of the next-of-kin of the deceased, but she died during the pendency of the suit, and her husband subsequently took up the case. When the disposition of the property became known, a great many rumours were put in circulation, imputing foul play to Mr. Woolner, which was the cause of his committing suicide. Judgment was pronounced, on Feb. 4th, in favour of the will. The Judge said the relatives had a right to inquire into the transaction, and had they confined themselves within due limits would have been entitled to costs out of the estate; but they had persisted down to the close of the argument in charges which they had failed to prove, and, therefore, in decreeing probate of the will to Mrs. Gilbert, he must accompany it with the condemnation of Mr. Hammond in £100 costs, nomine expensarum.
FEBRUARY.
17.—Mr. C. J. Palmer, at a meeting of the Yarmouth Town Council, called attention to the unsatisfactory condition of the Corporation records, and stated that many of the documents in existence in Manship’s time no longer existed, whilst several others belonging to the town were in the hands of private individuals in Norwich. A committee was appointed to examine and schedule the charters and rolls, and to avail themselves of the services of Mr. Henry Harrod, of Norwich, “for their better elucidation and classification,” at an expense not exceeding £20.
18.—The first snowfall of the season occurred on this date, and was heavier than had been known for several years. The mails were delayed, and great inconvenience occasioned. The morning train from London was detained for fourteen hours at Lakenheath. At Lynn, on the 23rd, the tide rose to a great height, and the low-lying parts of the town were under water. A breach occurred in the river bank near Magdalene, and occasioned the loss of much live stock and farm property.
21.—Died at Leeds, aged 69, the Rev. Robert Fountaine Elwin, rector of Wilby-with-Hargham. He was well known in Norwich for the active part he had taken in the Musical Festivals from their commencement. A few years before his death he retired to Leeds, where he resided with his only daughter, Mrs. Hyde. Mr. Elwin not only possessed fine musical taste, but was skilled in mechanics, and an excellent connoisseur of the fine arts. “Whether in the company of the great, presiding at the Choral Society’s meetings, or lecturing to mechanics, it was always delightful and instructive to listen to him.” Mr. Elwin’s paternal grandfather married a granddaughter of Oliver Cromwell.
24.—In the House of Commons, Capt. Baldero presented a petition from certain electors at Norwich, who had petitioned the House against the return of the sitting members, complaining that their petition had been withdrawn without their consent, and praying that the order discharging the petition might again be put on the orders of the House. Mr. T. Duncombe presented a protest from Col. Dickson, complaining of the withdrawal of the petition. It was alleged that Mr. Brown, the Parliamentary agent, had been guilty of a breach of privilege by withdrawing the petition. A motion for printing the petition was agreed to. On March 2nd a Select Committee was appointed to inquire into the matter. The investigation commenced on March 10th, and concluded on March 17th, on which day Mr. Duncombe brought up the report of the Committee. They were of opinion that Mr. Brown had received no instructions to withdraw the petition, but as they could find no precedent as to the proper mode of proceeding under the circumstances, they left it to the House to determine whether it could comply with the prayer of the petitioner. On March 12th a great Liberal meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. Coaks), at which resolutions were adopted expressing indignation at the allegations made before the Select Committee with regard to Messrs. Peto and Warner. A duel was to have been fought between Col. Dickson and Col. Forester (a witness before the Committee) on March 19th, but “at the eleventh hour the matter was fortunately adjusted by the friendly interposition of an hon. member who sits on the opposite side of the House. Mr. Culpepper represented Col. Dickson, and Mr. Craven Berkeley, M.P., was the friend of Col. Forester.” It subsequently transpired that the withdrawal of the petition formed part of an arrangement and compromise entered into between Mr. Henry Edward Brown and Mr. James Coppock, solicitor, in pursuance of which eight petitions were simultaneously withdrawn, as implicating the seats of ten members of the House, namely, Norwich, 2; Kidderminster, 1; Gloucester, 1; Middlesex, 1; Youghal, 1; County Down, 2; and West Norfolk, 2.