1857.
JANUARY.
4.—During a violent gale from the north, several ships went ashore at Yarmouth. “The beach presented a melancholy appearance, from the number of vessels upon it.”
8.—The Rev. A. C. Copeman was elected minister of the parish of St. Andrew, Norwich. The Revs. T. Rust, J. W. Cobb, and R. Wade withdrew from the contest, and Mr. Copeman defeated the remaining candidate, the Rev. J. W. Evans, by 96 votes to 33.
19.—The D Battery, Field Artillery, commanded by Major Strange, marched from the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, en route for Aldershot. P Field Battery arrived from Woolwich on the 21st, under the command of Major Hoste.
23.—A sea eagle was shot at Winterton. It measured from its beak to its tail 3 feet, and from tip to tip of its wings 8 feet.
27.—A dinner was held at the Angel Inn, North Walsham, to celebrate the restoration of the Market Cross.
—Died at his residence, Park Crescent, London, in his 70th year, the Hon. Sir Edward Hall Alderson, Baron of her Majesty’s Court of Exchequer. He was the eldest son of Mr. Robert Alderson, barrister-at-law, and Recorder of Norwich, by the daughter of Mr. Samuel Hurry, of Great Yarmouth, where he was born in 1787. He received his early education at the Charter House and at Caius College, Cambridge. Elected a Fellow of his college, he, in 1812, proceeded M.A. On being called to the Bar, he went the Northern Circuit. In conjunction with Mr. Barnewell, he edited five volumes of reports of cases heard in the Court of King’s Bench between 1815 and 1820. In 1830, though still wearing the stuff gown, he was promoted an additional puisne judge in the Court of Common Pleas, and received the honour of knighthood. In 1834 he was transferred from that Court to a puisne judgeship in the Court of Exchequer, where for many years he was second to Baron Parke. Baron Alderson was a careful, learned, and conscientious judge, though his mind was naturally inclined to take a rather hard and dry view of the question at issue, and to strip it, almost to a fault, of extraneous matter.
28.—A singular action for defamation of character was tried before Mr. Justice Williams and a special jury in the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. Stephen English, Chief Constable of Norwich, was the plaintiff, and Capt. Black, Chief Constable of Norfolk, the defendant. The damages were laid at £3,000. According to the opening statement of Mr. Serjeant Byles, Capt. Black felt himself aggrieved that Mr. English should be styled Chief Constable of Norwich, and wrote to the Watch Committee several letters upon the subject, stating that Mr. English’s assumed title, instead of his proper title, “superintendent of police,” had caused him (Capt. Black) obstruction and official inconvenience in the discharge of his duties. These letters had no effect, and Capt. Black then published handbills reflecting upon the personal character of Mr. English. He stated that the antecedents of Mr. English in relation to other county forces were so disreputable as to cause his expulsion from more than one of them. This was the defamatory statement complained of. Many witnesses were examined on both sides, and on the 29th the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £50. On February 13th Sir Henry Stracey, M.P., in Committee on the Chief Constables Bill, moved to insert in clause 4, “And whereas disputes having arisen as to the title of Chief Constable, for avoiding the same the title of Chief Constable shall be exclusively applicable to and borne by the officer appointed by the justices of any county in General or Quarter Sessions assembled, and the title Head Constable by the officer appointed by the Watch Committees of boroughs and cities.”