—At a meeting of the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, Sir Samuel Bignold was presented by the proprietors with his portrait (painted by Sandys), in recognition of his long and successful services as secretary.
16.—The marriage of Lady Anne Coke, second daughter of the Earl of Leicester, with Lieut.-Colonel Edmund Manningham Buller, of the Rifle Brigade, second son of Sir Edward Manningham Buller, of Dilhorn Hall, Staffordshire, was solemnised at Holkham church.
20.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, the report of Mr. J. W. Bazalgette on the condition of the low-level sewer was adopted, and it was agreed to consult Sir John Hawkshaw and Mr. J. F. Bateman. On July 21st it was decided, on their recommendation, to line the sewer with cast-iron tubing; and on November 17th the Council passed a resolution in favour of applying to the Local Government Board for powers to raise for the purpose a sum not exceeding £25,000, on mortgage of the General District Rates.
23.—The marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh was celebrated in Norwich by the partial decoration of the city. The 3rd Dragoon Guards and the Volunteers paraded in the Market Place and fired a feu de joie, and at a special meeting of the Town Council congratulatory addresses were adopted and the loving-cup passed round. At night a display of fireworks took place on the Castle Meadow, and on the 27th the Mayor gave a soirée at St. Andrew’s Hall.
31.—The General Election, the first contested under the Ballot Act, commenced in Norfolk, with the unopposed return for the Northern Division of the Hon. Frederick Walpole and Sir Edmund K. Lacon, Bart.
—King’s Lynn election took place. The candidates were the Hon. R. Bourke, 1,163 votes; Lord Claud Hamilton, 1,093; Sir William ffolkes, Bart., 999; and Mr. E. R. Wodehouse, 895.
FEBRUARY.
2.—Sir William Bagge, Bart., and Mr. G. W. P. Bentinck were returned unopposed for West Norfolk.
4.—Polling took place at Norwich, “when, owing to the operation of the Ballot Act, there was less excitement than usual.” The votes were counted on the 5th, and the poll was declared at five o’clock, as follows: Mr. J. J. Colman, 6,138; Mr. J. W. Huddleston, Q.C., 5,823; Mr. J. H. Tillett, 5,776; and Sir H. J. Stracey, Bart., 5,290. The number of votes polled was 11,786, and the time occupied in counting, eight hours. (See August 16th, 1875.)
10.—The South Norfolk election took place. The votes were counted at the Shirehall, Norwich, on the 11th, and the result was declared as follows: Mr. C. S. Read, 3,146; Sir R. J. Buxton, Bart., 3,010; Mr. R. T. Gurdon, 2,699. Mr. Read, M.P., and Sir R. J. Buxton, M.P., were, on April 9th, entertained at a banquet given at Wymondham by the Conservatives of the district, when Mr. H. W. B. Edwards, chairman of the South Norfolk Conservative Registration Association, presided.