1.—St. John’s church, Yarmouth, was re-opened after further enlargement, at the cost of £1,500. Within a quarter of a century the building had been five times enlarged.
—Died, at Glaisdale Lodge, Hunstanton, Rhoda Bunn, formerly of Wolferton, in her 104th year. She was born at Beeston-next-Mileham, on February 23rd, 1781, “and shortly after her last birthday was presented by the Queen with her portrait upon receipt of a photograph of the old lady sent by the vicar, the Rev. A. Waller.”
7.—Colonel George Wilson Boileau was presented by the members of the 1st Volunteer Battalion Norfolk Regiment, at Norwich, with a massive silver Monteith bowl “as a mark of respect and esteem on his retirement in 1883, after commanding the battalion fifteen years.”
14.—A large meeting of the Conservative party in West Norfolk was held at Swaffham “with the object of supporting the Lords in their constitutional action with regard to the Franchise Bill.” This was the first of many meetings held throughout the county at which the principle of redistribution was strongly enforced, and Mr. Bright’s famous dictum at Bradford in 1859 quoted: “Repudiate without mercy any Bill of any Government, whatever its franchise, whatever its seeming concessions may be, if it does not redistribute the seats.” At Lynn, on July 22nd, Sir Stafford Northcote, Lord Cranborne, and Mr. Bourke addressed a largely-attended meeting in support of redistribution, and at Norwich, on the 29th, the Earl of Donoughmore, Sir Hardinge Giffard, Q.C., M.P., and Sir R. J. Buxon, M.P., spoke in favour of the action of the House of Lords.
—The newly-erected parish church at Edgefield was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich. The dilapidated church of SS. Peter and Paul standing upon the confines of the parish had been demolished, and the materials capable of being re-used were utilised for the erection of the new church upon a more convenient site. The demolition was commenced on November 13th, 1882, and the building of the new church was carried out from plans by Mr. J. D. Steading, of Charlotte Street, Bradford Square, W.C., by Mr. Bartram, builder, of Aylsham, at the cost of £1,900.
30.—Deopham church was re-opened, after restoration by Messrs. Cornish and Gaymer, of North Walsham.
AUGUST.
9.—Died, at Merton Rectory, the Rev. George Crabbe, B.A. He was a son of the eldest brother of the celebrated poet Crabbe, and was born at Pucklechurch, Somerset, in 1819. Educated at Bury St. Edmund’s School, and at Queen’s College, Cambridge, he was presented to the living of Merton by Lord Walsingham, father of the present peer. Mr. Crabbe married his cousin, the third daughter of the Rev. George Crabbe, younger son of the poet. During the last two or three years of his life he was engaged in examining and arranging the family documents at Merton Hall, and the result of his researches was published in 1883 by direction of the Committee of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society, under the title of “Robert de Grey, Recusant.” This was followed by Part I. of “A Report on the Muniments of Merton Hall, Norfolk,” published in the “Norfolk Antiquarian Miscellany,” edited by Walter Rye. Part II. was nearly completed at the time of his death.
11.—Great heat was experienced on this date. “The heat registered in the shade was 90 degrees at Eaton, and 95 in Park Lane, Norwich.” A violent thunderstorm occurred on the 12th.
13.—Died suddenly, at Brighton railway station, the Duke of Wellington. Born February 3rd, 1807, he succeeded his illustrious father, the greatest of British generals, on September 14th, 1852. As Lord Douro he was elected Conservative member for Aldeburgh in 1830, and retained his seat until 1831. In 1837 he was returned for Norwich, and continued to sit until July, 1852, a few months previous to the death of his father. During the life of Sir Samuel Bignold, with whom he was on terms of the closest intimacy, the Duke of Wellington was a frequent visitor to Norwich, the last occasion being in 1874, when he joined in the celebration of the venerable knight’s 83rd birthday, on October 13th, and on the following evening accompanied him to the annual dinner of the Eldon Club.