DECEMBER.
12.—The old parish church of St. Bartholomew, Heigham, Norwich, which had undergone complete restoration and enlargement, by the addition of a north aisle, at the cost of £2,500, was opened by the Lord Bishop of Norwich.
17.—A special meeting of the Norwich Town Council adopted a vote of sympathy with the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, on the death of the Grand Duchess of Hesse (Princess Alice of England), and a muffled peal was rung upon the bells of St. Peter Mancroft. Similar votes were adopted by the Corporations of Yarmouth and Lynn; and the county magistrates voted an address to her Majesty on January 4th, 1879.
19.—Mr. E. C. Bailey resigned the office of Clerk to the Norwich Board of Guardians, after a service of thirty-four years. He was succeeded in the appointment by Mr. John Cross.
22.—Died at his residence, Surrey Street, Norwich, Mr. William Peter Nichols, F.R.C.S., aged 77. Mr. Nichols was born at Yelverton, and was educated at King Edward VI. School, Norwich, under Valpy. He was subsequently articled to Mr. Dalrymple, and, having studied at St. Thomas’ and Guy’s Hospitals, under Sir Astley Cooper, passed his examinations, and in 1823 established himself in Norwich, where he speedily made a reputation, although it was not until late in life that he reaped the full honours he deserved. On the death of Mr. J. G. Crosse, Mr. Nichols was elected surgeon of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, a position he held for twenty-two years, and relinquished the post in 1872, when probably the highest possible testimony was paid to his skill as an operator by Dr. Copeman, who mentioned that in lithotomy his average of successful cases was higher than that of Dr. Donne, Dr. Martineau, or Mr. Norgate, all giants in their day. On his retirement from office he was unanimously appointed honorary consulting surgeon. Mr. Nichols was also consulting surgeon to the Bethel Hospital, and, with Mr. J. F. Watson, successfully carried on for many years the private asylum at Heigham Hall. He was elected Mayor of Norwich in 1865, and had the honour to take the lead in the reception of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Queen of Denmark, when they visited the city in 1866. In politics he was a Liberal, and occupied at various times a seat in the Town Council. He was also a magistrate of the city.
23.—Died at his town residence, 36, Upper Brooke Street, Lieut.-Colonel James Duff, M.P. He was born at Innis House, Elgin, on July 29th, 1831, and was the son of General Sir James Duff, who married Miss Eliza Charlotte Prescott, eldest daughter of General Sir Beeston Prescott, Bart., of Theobald’s Park, Herts. Educated at Rugby, he entered the Army in 1851, as ensign in the 23rd Fusiliers, with which regiment he afterwards went to the Crimea, and obtained his captaincy in 1854. At the battle of Inkerman he was taken prisoner, and on his release acted as aide-de-camp to General Syssons, who commanded the Second Brigade Light Division until the end of the war. Captain Duff then embarked with his regiment for China, but the Indian Mutiny breaking out meanwhile, they were ordered to Calcutta, to assist in its suppression. Captain Duff was present with Lord Clyde at the capture of Lucknow, and was specially mentioned in dispatches for his services. He received the Crimean medal with two clasps, the Turkish medal, the 5th class of the Medjidie, &c. In 1858 he left the service, and the following year married Mary, only daughter of Mr. Edward Dawkins, of Upper Brooke Street, London, and niece of Mr. John Berney Petre, of Westwick House. On taking up his residence in the county, he was appointed to the command of the 3rd Administrative Battalion of Norfolk Rifle Volunteers, and, on the death of the Hon. Frederick Walpole, was returned as Conservative member for North Norfolk. In conjunction with Sir Robert Buxton, Mr. Clare Sewell Read, Mr. Colman, and Sir Edmund Lacon, he was unwearied in his exertions to secure the passing of the Norfolk and Suffolk Fisheries Preservation Act, and the modification of Mr. Mundella’s Fisheries Bill to the advantage of the district which he represented.
26.—The Christmas amusements at Norwich included Messrs. Edwards and Waldegrave’s pantomime of “The Children in the Wood, or Harlequin Good Humour, the Wicked Uncle, and the Good Fairy Birds of the Forest,” at the Theatre; and Bostock and Wombwell’s Menagerie on the Castle Meadow.
1879.
JANUARY.
4.—A meeting, convened by the Mayor (Mr. Harry Bullard), and attended by many of the riparian owners of the county, was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, “for the purpose of determining whether an inquiry should be made into the causes of the recent floods, and for devising some means to prevent their recurrence.” A committee was appointed to hold an inquiry, and in the month of June Sir John Hawkshaw, C.E., made a report, in which he stated that floods might be prevented by suitable works, the cost of which would be heavy if charged entirely on the flooded lands, but moderate if spread in suitable proportions. Mr. Bullard, on November 10th, was presented with his portrait, painted by Mr. Ventnor, in recognition of the services he had rendered to his fellow-citizens during the floods.