Many large portions of land were washed away in 1611, previous to which the inhabitants expended considerable sums of money and ingenuity in a fruitless attempt to maintain a small harbour. In the winter of 1799, the light-house cliffs, projecting from the beach three hundred and twenty feet, made several remarkably large shoots, one of which brought with it half an acre of ground, and extended into the sea beyond low water mark. On January 15th, 1825, another large mass of earth was detached from the light-house hills, and fell with great force on the beach, extending in breadth above three hundred yards from the cliffs, covering an area of twelve acres, and containing, it was supposed, not less than half a million of cubic yards of earth. The fall of this enormous body was sudden and unexpected. A large stream of water issued from the bank immediately after its fall, and discharged itself down upon the beach with great noise and violence. Early in the morning of August 19th, 1832, another large shoot of the cliffs occurred near the light-house, which threatened the destruction of that useful edifice. It was deemed expedient to erect another on the hill, two hundred and fifty yards inland; but the remains of the old one are still standing about three-quarters of a mile east of the town, where it was built of brick in 1719.
These immense landslips were almost entirely owing to the numerous fresh water springs abounding in this locality, but the damage the town of Cromer experienced, and referred to in Chapter III., was caused by the ocean, during a continuous gale of wind.
According to tradition, Cromer church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is supposed to have been erected in the reign of Henry 4th, soon after the village of Shipden disappeared. It is a large and handsome edifice, built of flint and free-stone, in the Gothic style, with a fine tower 154 feet in height, and richly ornamented with sculpture. The west entrance, the north porch, and the chancel have been long in ruins, and very little of the latter now remains; and history informs us, that many of its ornaments were destroyed by Cromwell’s soldiers, who converted it into barracks.
As a watering place Cromer richly deserves the celebrity it has attained; and the encomiums conferred by those who have visited it during the summer months, are certainly not exaggerated. Nature indeed, appears to have bestowed her favours with no sparing hand to render it a delightful retreat for the invalid—or those who require a relaxation from the noise and bustle of a city life—and for those who are desirous to prosecute their studies with ease and comfort, almost amounting to enchantment. The most fastidious could but be pleased with the beauty of the surrounding scenery—with the accommodation provided by enterprising individuals—with the civility and courteous demeanour of its inhabitants, who from the highest to the lowest grade, take every possible pains to deserve lasting esteem and friendship. The fishermen too are exceedingly well behaved, and their looks pourtray a contentment approaching to happiness, that indicates the labour attending their perilous vocation is rewarded.
The village of Shipden, with its church dedicated to St. Peter, which lay between Cromer and the sea, has wholly disappeared.
ECCLES.
Eccles by the Sea, nine miles east by south of North Walsham, was a hamlet of the great lordship of Hasborough or Happisburgh, from whence it is about two miles distant. It not only appears fast sinking into oblivion itself, but also holds a fearful destiny over a large tract of valuable marsh land in the eastern division of the county, by reason of the inlet it may sooner or later afford to an irruption of the sea.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor it was held by Edric, a Dane of noble extraction, afterwards by Ralph, Earl of Norfolk, through whom it became forfeited to the Crown. William the Conqueror bestowed it upon Roger Bigot, whence it passed successively into the hands of William de Albini, ancestor of the Earls of Arundale, William le Parker, and several other noblemen of renown in the annals of chivalry.
Many curious privileges and customs the lords of the manor derived in those days—for we find in 33rd of Edward the 1st, 1305, William le Parker was entituled to receive wreck of sea, lagan, and resting geld, customs, and other profits upon the sea and land, and of every crew of a ship or boat washing their nets in the said village after Michaelmas to Martlemas, an hundred herrings, and also a fee for goods, chattels, &c., coming to land by sea, without the help of the said William or his servant, or resting upon the land one day and one night; and if the said William or his men, &c., immediately after imminent danger, or after shipwreck, shall do their endeavour to save such things, then the said William shall have a third part of all such things, or the value of them, unless of his good will he will omit something, but must not be asked.—Among the land customs was the bed gild, and at every wedding, noble or ignoble, the lords of the manor had the privilege of consummating the nuptials of the bride, or receiving a fee instead. This indecorous system prevailed in some parts of Scotland not many years since.
These arbitrary laws, enacted in the earlier period of England’s history, when ignorance prevailed, and barbarism allowed the honoured and the wealthy to impose exactions cruel and oppressive, on those beneath them, may possibly have in many instances, from humanity, been omitted. At all events, as knowledge advanced, we find that not only have those which pressed so heavily upon the poor industrious fishermen been cancelled, but that others have been reduced to an extent compatible with the necessary protection to property exposed to the pilferer, from lamentable accidents on the coast. And it is highly gratifying to observe, that until recently no murmur or complaint has been raised against the lords of the manor, and this is confined to two or three districts, and arose from the following circumstance:—From time immemorial, it appears, persons have been allowed to take whatever sea-beach materials they required for domestic or other purposes, without molestation or the exaction of any fee. But the increasing demand induced individuals who were deputed by the lords of the manor to officiate in their stead, to apply for permission to charge so much per freight or load; which being granted, a pretty income has been realized from the hundreds of loads of sand, stones, &c., removed annually.—A curious coincidence, however, is connected with it. One of these deputy lords, a few years since, observed that the removal of sea-beach materials, within a given distance of the road or gangway to the beach, afforded an inlet for the ocean to under mine and remove the foot of the gangway to such an extent, that an expence was necessarily incurred, from time to time, in repairing it, besides the loss of land on either side of it. He therefore applied for permission to fix up a board in the vicinity, on which was printed—