—The Lynn Town Council resolved to put an end to the absurd and obnoxious impost known as “the Lady Mayoresses’ Pin Money.” “For many years the custom has prevailed in the town of the constables (who perform no other duties) going round to all the inhabitants in October and November and collecting from all who were foolish enough to pay it a kind of blackmail, under the ridiculous title of the Lady Mayoresses’ Pin Money, pretending that it was legally payable under the charters, and that those who did not pay would be summoned before the magistrates or the County Court. It appears that the custom has grown out of the collection of fines for non-attendance at the Court Leet held annually by the Mayor as Lord of the Manor; but for many generations past no such attendance has been either any use or capable of enforcement. The fines have also completely lapsed, and those who collect the ‘pin money’ are completely ignorant of its origin. The pretence has been that the money was to buy a piece of plate for the Mayoress, but in reality the greater part of it has been appropriated by the collectors themselves, and of the many pounds obtained not more than some fifty shillings annually found its way into the borough fund.”
12.*—“There appears to be some probability that the absurd system of inspection of weights and measures at Lynn by a ‘jury of headboroughs’ going round the town in a posse and discharging their functions in such a manner that the innocent only are punished and the guilty easily escape detection, is about to come to an end. Several persons have refused to admit the headboroughs on their premises, and others have declined to pay the fines imposed on them by the ‘jury’; and as the authority of this jury is based on ancient charters of very doubtful legal force, and there is no prospect of that authority being respected or enforced, the jury have refused to be sworn in again on the Court Leet by which they are appointed. It may be hoped, therefore, that the farce has come to an end, and that very shortly a proper and efficient officer will be appointed under the provisions of the Weights and Measures Act.”
14.—The newly-erected chancel of St. Mark’s church, Lakenham, Norwich, built at the cost of about £1,000, was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich.
24.—A severe gale occurred off the Norfolk coast. Many shipping casualties were reported. The screw steamer William Hutt, 530 tons, employed as a transport during the Crimean War, was lost off Yarmouth with her crew of sixteen hands, whilst on a voyage from Sunderland to London, with coals.
DECEMBER.
17.*—“Mr. Thomas W. Rutland, carpenter, West Wymer Street, Norwich, has invented a very ingenious means of communication between the passengers and guard in a railway train. It has the additional advantage of acting also as an extra break when required. By its use a passenger can at once communicate with both guard and driver, and at the same time a signal is exhibited which shows from what carriage the alarm is given.”
20.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, a communication was received from the Dean and Chapter as to the giving up of their interest in Mousehold Heath, with the view of enabling the Council to convert the Heath into a people’s park.
26.—The Christmas “burlesque and comic pantomime” produced at Norwich Theatre was written by F. C. Burnand, and entitled, “Snowdrop, King Bonbon, and the Seven Elves, or the Magic Mirror and the Fatal Sewing Machine.” At Sanger’s Circus, on the Castle Meadow, was produced “the equestrian pantomime,” entitled, “Jack the Giant Killer, or Harlequin and the Fairies of the Crystal Fountain.” A great novelty at the Christmas Fair was “the striking feature of a roundabout worked by a steam engine, which at the same time turns a barrel organ.”
30.—Died at Dunston, John Fish, aged 100 years and 10 months.
1865.
JANUARY.
2.—The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at Holkham Park, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Leicester. On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th his Royal Highness shot over the estate, and on the latter date 2,000 head of game was killed. On the night of the 5th a distinguished company were invited to a ball, given by the Earl and Countess; and on the morning of the 6th the Prince and his noble host engaged in wildfowl shooting. Their Royal Highnesses returned to Sandringham the same afternoon.
7.*—“Amongst the recent improvements in Norwich there are none to bear comparison with the magnificent bank of Messrs. Harveys and Hudson, which is now approaching completion by Messrs. Lucas, nor will there be one which has been erected at so small a comparative cost. The contract for the new bank, of which Mr. P. Hardwicke is the architect, does not exceed £13,000.” The bank was opened for business on January 1st, 1866.
13.—The Prince of Wales visited Lord Walsingham, at Merton Hall, and attended a meet of the West Norfolk Hunt. On the 14th, after a day’s cover shooting, has Royal Highness returned to Sandringham, accompanied by the Hon. T. de Grey.
31.—The agitation against the Malt Tax was re-opened this year at Lynn, when a great meeting, convened by the West Norfolk Anti-Malt Tax Association, was held at the Town Hall, under the presidency of the High Sheriff (Mr. H. Lee Warner). On February 4th, at a preliminary meeting held at the Swan Hotel, Norwich, presided over by Mr. Clare Sewell Read, the farmers of East Norfolk formed a similar association, and at a public meeting which took place on February 18th, Sir Henry Stracey was elected president, Mr. Robert Gillett treasurer, and Mr. G. H. Murrell secretary. Many petitions were signed in the district in favour of the repeal of the tax.
FEBRUARY.
3.—A meeting of the inhabitants was held at the Corn Hall, Yarmouth, “to take into consideration the provisions of the Haven and Port Bill, and to determine whether the scheme should be supported or opposed in Parliament.” This Bill was intended to supersede the functions of the Haven Commissioners and to protect the shipowners and fishermen, but great opposition was raised against it by the class in whose interests it was avowedly framed. The Norwich Town Council, at a meeting on March 21st, decided to oppose the measure. A Committee of the House of Commons, by whom the Bill was considered, on March 30th unanimously resolved that, “in the absence of unanimity of feeling among the parties affected, including the town of Yarmouth itself, it is not expedient to pass the preamble of the Bill.” It was, therefore, thrown out. (See April 30th, 1866.)
MARCH.
6.—The respective merits of the new iron ploughs introduced by Messrs. Ransomes and Sims, of Ipswich, and of the common Norfolk plough, were tested on Messrs. Salter’s farm at Attleborough. “In their lightness and symmetry the former presented a strong contrast. The Norfolk plough drew nearly half as heavy again as the iron ploughs, or in the proportion of 3 to 2 in the shallow work, and in the deep work one quarter heavier, or in the proportion of 4 to 5.”
10.—A remarkable incident occurred at Lakenham church. A wedding had been arranged, and the Rev. C. Baldwin, of St. Stephen’s, Norwich, had promised, with the approbation of the vicar, the Rev. A. Pownall, to officiate. When the wedding party arrived at Lakenham, they found the church closed. An entrance was effected, but the vestry was locked, and neither surplice nor books were provided for the clergyman. “It was suggested that a sheet should be borrowed, and the Rev. Mr. Baldwin, habited in this novel vestment, proceeded to unite the parties in the bonds of matrimony, and after having sent to the clergyman’s house for the parish registers, the happy couple were at length enabled to proceed on their wedding trip. Mr. Pownall, who was himself the cause of the whole difficulty, having forgotten to inform the clerk of the forthcoming ceremony, issued the following extraordinary handbill:—‘Lakenham church. A solemn service will be held on Friday, the 24th inst., to avert the wrath of Almighty God and to deprecate His righteous judgments in consequence of the profanation of His sanctuary on Monday last . . . Ezekiel v., 11.’” The incident gave rise to much comment.
15.—A great fire occurred at Frazer’s sawmills, near St. Martin-at-Palace church, Norwich, and resulted in the loss of about £4,000 worth of property.
18.—Died at North Walsham, Mary Doughty, aged 101 years.
28.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, was tried a remarkable action for assault, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution. The plaintiff, Mr. Albert Pell (son of Sir Albert Pell, of Northamptonshire), with his brother, while on a visit to Yarmouth, crossed the fields of the defendant, Mr. Mayes Wigg, at Caister. They had with them a Skye terrier, and defendant, alleging that they were poaching, gave them into the custody of a policeman, who, after detaining them at his cottage, took them before a magistrate at Thrigby. The charge was dismissed, whereupon the present action was commenced. The jury found for the plaintiff on the first count, charging assault and false imprisonment, and awarded damages £5; and for defendant on the second count, charging malicious prosecution.
APRIL.
4.—Died at Yarmouth, Mr. George Danby Palmer, aged 77. In early life Mr. Palmer was an active supporter of the Tory party, but previous to the passing of the Reform Bill he adopted Liberal principles, and after the introduction of the Municipal Reform Act became decidedly Radical. He was the oldest member of the borough Bench, and a justice of the peace for the county. “Possessed of large property, he lavished his wealth with unsparing hand upon those whom he deemed worthy of his assistance, but as it was rendered so unobtrusively, with the exception of the recipients of his bounty, the world was not aware of his generosity. He was a straightforward Englishman, and was greatly lamented by all classes in Yarmouth.”
17.—The English Grand Opera Company, under the management of Mr. G. B. Loveday, commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre. Madame Haigh-Dyer, Miss Annie Kemp, Miss Ada Taylor, Mr. Brookhouse Bowler, Mr. Grantham, Mr. E. Connell, Mr. Oliver Summers, and Mr. Henry Rowland were the principal artistes, and the works produced included “Faust,” “Dinorah,” “The Crown Diamonds,” “Lucrezia Borgia,” “The Lady of Lyons” (burlesque), “Satanella,” and “Norma.”
MAY.
17.—The Snettisham Hall estate of 2,600 acres and a rental of £3,600 was offered for sale at Garraway’s. The highest bid was £99,000, and the reserve was declared at £130,000.
20.—In the Court of Queen’s Bench, the action, le Strange v. Rowe, which raised an important question as to sea-shore rights, came on for hearing. The defendant was proceeded against for taking shingle, sand, and shell-fish from the sea shore in the manor of Snettisham, belonging to the plaintiff. About twenty special pleas were set up by the defendant and demurred to in point of law, on the broad ground that there could not be in law any such rights as alleged, “either in all the subjects of the realm or by Royal grant or by custom or by prescription in inhabitants or occupiers.” The Court deferred judgment, and ultimately referred the case to the Norfolk Assizes for decision as to questions of fact. At Norwich, on August 4th, the case was adjourned to enable the plaintiff to amend the declarations. The case came before Lord Chief Justice Erle at the Norfolk Assizes on August 13th, 1866, when the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages one shilling. In the Court of Queen’s Bench, on May 28th, 1867, application was made for a new trial, on the ground of misdirection and that the verdict was given for the plaintiff against the weight of evidence. The application was refused.
23.—An earthquake shock was distinctly felt along the coast from Scratby, on the north of Yarmouth, to Lowestoft, on the south.
24.—The Queen’s birthday was observed as a general holiday at Norwich. A detachment of the 16th Lancers and the Volunteers were reviewed in Chapel Field, and fired a feu de joie in the Market Place; the Mayor gave a luncheon at the Guildhall, and the Volunteers were entertained at the Corn Hall. The Mayor’s ball took place in the evening, at St. Andrew’s Hall.
27.—Considerable opposition was manifested, not only by the villagers, but by the citizens of Norwich, to an attempt made by Capt. Bellairs to enclose Mulbarton Common. A meeting was held in the village, at which a strong protest was made against the proposal, and it was asserted that if ever the ancestors of Capt. Bellairs had possessed the power to effect the enclosure, they had allowed their rights to lapse.
JUNE.
2.—The detachment of the 16th Lancers, en route to India, marched from the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, accompanied to the city boundary by the officers and band of the Norfolk Light Horse Volunteers.
7.—Mr. A. Dennison, brother of the Speaker of the House of Commons, visited Norwich, for the purpose of hearing the bells of St. Peter Mancroft. “He rang the tenor in good style, and was highly delighted with the quality of tone of this far-famed peal of twelve.”
9.—In the Court of the Queen’s Bench, application was made in the action, the Queen v. the Middle Level Commissioners, for a rule calling upon them to show cause why a mandamus should not issue commanding them to make and maintain a bridge with a commodious road or hailing path in the place formerly occupied by their sluice which was destroyed in the great inundation in 1862. A rule was granted. (See January 7th, 1867.)
13.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, a report was received from Mr. Bazalgette, C.E., who had visited Norwich with the view of determining what steps could be taken for the immediate purification of the river Wensum in the vicinity of the city. He stated that it would be impossible to render the river pure so long as it continued to be a receptacle for the town refuse; and he had examined the city and suburbs to ascertain how to improve the drainage and to dispose of the sewage. The time would come, he added, when a drainage scheme would be urgently necessary, and very costly. The Council authorised the Sanitary and River Committees to expend a sum not exceeding £50 in obtaining levels and plans and other information required by Mr. Bazalgette, “to assist him in the preparation of his scheme for diverting the drainage from the river.” On October 17th Mr. Bazalgette’s scheme was laid before the Council. It provided for two intercepting sewers, one for the higher and the other for the lower parts of the city, both forming a junction on the opposite side of the river near Trowse Station, whence the sewage would be conveyed to a point on Mr. Harvey’s estate at Crown Point, to the east of the old Whitlingham Road. The plan also comprised the completion of the drainage of the western part of the city, then unconnected with the main sewers. For the first part of the scheme £50,000 was required, and for the latter £30,000. On October 31st the Council adopted a recommendation of the Sanitary and River Committees, that it was desirable to try more fully the possibility of cleansing the river by flushing and sluicing or otherwise before proceeding to carry out Mr. Bazalgette’s report; that the City Engineer be instructed accordingly; and that immediate steps be taken to improve the drainage on the south side of the city, at a cost not exceeding £10,000. (See April 21st, 1866.)
15.—The first two-days’ show of the Norfolk Agricultural Association commenced in Chapel Field, Norwich. The society’s dinner was held at the Royal Hotel, and was presided over by the Marquis Townshend.
17.—Died at Elm Lodge, near Hampton, Lord Charles FitzRoy, second son of the fourth Duke of Grafton. His lordship was born on February 28th, 1791, and married, in 1825, Anne, eldest daughter of George Augustus Henry, first Earl of Burlington. Lord Charles was at the battle of Corunna, and served in the Walcheren Expedition with the Guards. In 1811 he joined Lord Hill’s staff, and was present at the siege and capture of Badajoz, and at the battles of Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Othes, Toulouse, and Waterloo, and received the war medal with eight clasps. For two years he served with the army of occupation in France. His lordship sat in Parliament, as member for Thetford, from 1818 till the passing of the Reform Bill, and at the General Election which ensued was elected for Bury, in the Liberal interest. He was Vice-Chancellor of the Household from 1835 to 1839, and was also appointed a Privy Councillor. In four successive Parliaments he represented Bury, and resigned his seat in 1847.
JULY.
1.—The 5.30 p.m. express from London to Norwich had a narrow escape. On reaching a portion of the line near Harford Bridges, the engine, on running down the incline, left the metals, and, tearing up the permanent way for some distance, stopped on the wooden bridge which crosses the Yare a little below Old Lakenham. “One of the carriages was overturned, and the occupants, among whom was Lord Stafford, had to make their escape by climbing through the windows which were then uppermost.” None of the passengers were seriously hurt.
7.—At a Liberal meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, certain accusations founded upon letters received from Mr. John Bright, M.P., were made against Mr. Robert Edmond Chester Waters, one of the Conservative candidates for the representation of the city. The principal charges were that Mr. Waters (previously a Liberal) had been compelled to resign his membership of the Reform Club for cheating at cards, and that while he came before the Norwich electors as a Protestant Churchman, in Rome he professed to be a Roman Catholic. Mr. Waters declared these statements to be scandalous and false; and on the 8th announced that he had authorised legal proceedings to be taken against Sir William Foster and the Rev. George Gould for making imputations on his personal character. On the 10th a deputation, consisting of Messrs. H. S. Patteson, Edward Field, D. Dalrymple, and J. H. Tillett, proceeded to London to investigate at the Reform Club the truth of the allegations, and in the course of the day the following telegram was received simultaneously by Sir Samuel Bignold and Sir William Foster: “We have the minutes. They have been produced before us, and we find that it is true that Mr. Waters was accused of cheating at cards at the Reform Club, and unanimously called upon by the committee to resign to prevent expulsion, and further that he did, on receiving that communication, resign on the 23rd November, 1860.” The telegram was dated from the Reform Club, and signed by the deputation. In consequence of the telegram, Messrs. Fred Brown, J. B. Morgan, F. E. Watson, and Henry Ling issued a notice stating that they felt it their duty to withdraw their support from Mr. Waters as one of the candidates for the city. Mr. Waters thereupon stated that he would stand independently. The nomination took place at the Guildhall on the 11th. The other candidates were Sir William Russell and Mr. Edward Warner, Liberals; and Mr. Augustus Goldsmid, Conservative. The polling took place on the 12th, and was officially declared on the 13th, as follows:—Russell, 1,845; Warner, 1,838; Goldsmid, 1,466; Waters, 1,363. Mr. Waters, who was exceedingly popular with what the Norfolk Chronicle described as “the lower order of Conservatives,” made a return visit to Norwich on October 10th, and was escorted by a torchlight procession round the city. Thirty thousand people assembled in the Market Place, the bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung, and the late candidate, after making a complimentary call upon Sir Samuel Bignold, proceeded to the Norfolk Hotel and addressed from the window a dense crowd assembled in St. Giles’ Street. On the 11th he was entertained at dinner by the Eldon Club; and at St. Andrew’s Hall, on the 12th, was received with the utmost enthusiasm by a crowded audience. Mr. Waters, who was accompanied by Lord Henry Thynne and Sir Alfred Slade, was presented with a massive silver epergne, “by a very large number of the Conservatives of Norwich, as an expression of their cordial sympathy and regard, and in appreciation of the gallant and chivalrous spirit in which, under difficulties unprecedented, he fought the battle of the Conservative cause loyally, courteously, and fearlessly at the Parliamentary election for Norwich, 1865.” A “testimonial dinner” was given to Mr. Waters at the Norfolk Hotel on the evening of the 13th, when the Norwich Conservative Association was inaugurated. Upwards of 100 members were at once enrolled, and on the 14th Sir Samuel Bignold, in response to the request of a deputation, accepted the presidency.
8.—A meeting of the independent electors of East Norfolk was held at the Swan Hotel, Norwich, for the purpose of selecting a candidate to contest the constituency in the interests of the supporters of the movement for the repeal of the Malt Tax. Mr. Clare Sewell Read, who had been for some time prominently identified with the party in favour of the repeal, was unanimously chosen. Mr. Jacob Henry Tillett attended the meeting and made a remarkable speech. If Mr. Read were nominated, he said, he would help him to the utmost of his power; and he added, “If you want money, if you want help, if you want what enthusiasm I can put into the cause, let your chairman write to me and I will respond with all my heart.” The nomination took place at the Shirehall on the 15th. Several times the proceedings were stayed and consultations held by the leaders of the respective parties, with the view of effecting a compromise. The candidates nominated were Mr. Edward Howes, Sir Thomas Beauchamp, and Col. Coke. Mr. Robert Leamon offered not to proceed with the nomination of Mr. Read if the Liberal party would pledge themselves to return to Parliament a Malt Tax repealer; in the absence of that assurance he nominated Mr. Read, whose candidature was seconded by Mr. H. S. Grimmer. It was subsequently agreed by the friends of Mr. Howes to permit the name of Mr. Read to appear upon the election cards and posters issued by the former. The poll was opened on the 18th, and was officially declared on the 20th, as follows:—Howes, 3,100; Read, 2,985; Beauchamp, 2,150; Coke, 1,994
11.—The nomination of candidates for the representation of Yarmouth was held at the Town Hall. Sir E. H. K. Lacon, Bart., and Mr. J. Goodson, Conservatives, and Mr. Philip Vanderbyl and Mr. Brogden, liberals, were nominated. The polling took place on the 12th, and resulted as follows:—Lacon 828; Goodson, 784; Brogden, 634; Vanderbyl, 589. (See March 20th, 1866.)
11.—At Thetford, the Hon. Alexander Hugh Baring and Mr. Robert John Harvey Harvey, Conservatives, and Mr. Thomas Dakin (Alderman of London and Sheriff of Middlesex), Liberal, were nominated to represent the borough. The poll, on the 12th, resulted as follows:—Harvey, 193; Baring, 137; Dakin, 69.
12.—Lord Stanley and the Hon. Frederick Walpole, Conservatives, and Sir T. Fowell Buxton, Liberal, were nominated for the representation of King’s Lynn. The polling, on the 13th, resulted in the return of Lord Stanley, 445 votes, and Sir T. Fowell Buxton, 401 votes. Mr. Walpole polled 339 votes.
—Died at Herne Bay, aged 43 years, Mr. Samuel Peckworth Woodward, Ph.D., F.G.S., assistant in the Geological Department of the British Museum, and second son of Mr. Samuel Woodward, of Norwich. He was a member of several learned societies, and in 1845 was appointed professor of botany and geology at the Royal Agricultural College.
19.—The nomination of candidates for West Norfolk took place at Swaffham. The Conservatives were Mr. William Bagge and the Hon. T. de Grey (the latter strongly opposed as “an excessive game preserver”); and the Liberals, Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart. (Conservative member for Cheltenham in 1847), and Mr. Brampton Gurdon. The poll was opened on the 22nd, and the following was the result: Bagge, 2,710; de Grey, 2,611; Jones, 2,133; Gurdon, 2,088. A petition against the return of the successful candidates was dismissed, owing to informality in the recognisances. Great disturbances took place at Swaffham, for which several persons were punished at the ensuing Quarter Sessions. Mr. de Grey, on his return to Merton, on the 24th, was most enthusiastically received at Watton and other places on the route.
26.—The comic singer Vance—“the Great Vance”—made his first appearance in Norwich at St. Andrew’s Hall. “He is the original singer of the absurd ‘Slap Bang,’ and has better recommendations, but the judicious portion of the audience could not see enough in him to explain the great success he has achieved in the Metropolis.”
AUGUST.
5.—A reminiscence of the old convict days was forthcoming in a case tried before Lord Chief Baron Pollock at the Norfolk Assizes. Cornelius Bradnum, a fruit dealer, was indicted for being feloniously and unlawfully at large at Heckingham on February 6th, 1865, “he having been transported for the term of his natural life, in pursuance of a certain judgment against him at the Norfolk Assizes on July 21st, 1847, on an indictment for burglary.” The prisoner, in his defence, made a remarkable statement, to the effect that in consequence of his having given information of an intended mutiny of the convicts at Gibraltar, his sentence was mitigated to fifteen years. From Gibraltar he was sent to Swan River, Western Australia, where the Governor gave him his ticket of leave, and after “serving his ticket” he received a free pardon. He then went to Callao, in Peru. One evening, when standing on the Mole, he was kidnapped, put upon an American ship, and brutally ill-used and crippled. Sixty-five dollars had been paid for him, but as he was useless he was put ashore at Hamburgh, whence, after remaining some time in hospital, he came to England. Unfortunately, he had left at Callao the document conveying to him his free pardon. The prosecution denied that a free pardon had been granted. His lordship said it was for the prosecution to show that the prisoner’s statement was untrue, after using that statement against him as evidence. The statement must be taken as true until it was contradicted. It had not been contradicted, and, he added, turning to the jury, “It is for you to say whether you believe it or not. I must say I don’t see why you should not believe it, and why he is not entitled to a verdict of not guilty.” The jury acquitted the prisoner.
5.—A large meeting of agriculturists was held at the Swan Hotel, Norwich, for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken to combat “a disease known as the Russian murrain, which had broken out among the cattle of Norfolk.” Mr. Clare Sewell Read, M.P., presided, and, in the course of the proceedings, alarming reports were given of the spread of the contagion and of the immediate steps that were necessary to arrest its progress. A deputation, consisting of Mr. Read, Mr. Steeds, Mr. W. Smith, and Mr. R. Leamon, was appointed to wait upon the Home Office, and at a committee meeting on the 9th Mr. Read reported what had taken place. It was resolved, on the motion of Sir Thomas Beauchamp, who headed the list with a donation of £100, that a public subscription be opened at once, and Professor Simonds, in a long address, showed that the disease was of foreign importation, and was known in Russia, whence it came, as rinderpest. At this meeting it was reported that in the neighbourhood of North Walsham alone losses to the extent of £1,000 and upwards had been sustained. Isolation of the herds and the slaughter of diseased animals were the means advocated for stamping out the murrain. A Norfolk Cattle Plague Association was at once formed, and at a large and influential meeting, held at St. Andrew’s Hall on the 12th, under the presidency of Mr. Read, whose great services at this crisis were acknowledged by the Earl of Leicester, resolutions were adopted (1) recommending to the consideration of the public the means suggested by Professor Simonds for dealing with the disease, and urging that no farmer should purchase any store stock in any market for the period of six weeks; (2) that a subscription be entered into for the purpose of meeting the losses sustained by those who should conform to the resolutions drawn up by the committee, and for defraying the expenses incurred in carrying out the objects of the meeting; and (3) that no person who did not subscribe to the amount of twopence in the pound on his assessment should participate in the relief. At this meeting the Earl of Leicester contributed a donation of £500. Meetings of the Cattle Plague Association were then held weekly, reports were presented upon the state of the disease in various parts of the county, and matters of detail received attention. On October 21st a public meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of the Earl of Leicester, “to consider the desirability of closing all markets in the county of Norfolk.” Sir Thomas Beauchamp moved, and the Earl of Albemarle seconded, a resolution in favour of the adoption of this course, which was agreed to. During this month Mr. Read was appointed a member of the Royal Commission to inquire into the causes of cattle plague and to suggest remedies. The Commission recommended the slaughter of animals and the stringent prohibition of the passage of cattle across public roads, &c. At Norwich and elsewhere there were frequent magisterial proceedings against dealers and others for contravention of the Orders of Council; medical men and veterinary surgeons suggested many remedies for the disease, and quacks advertised their nostrums, but the end of the year found the fatal rinderpest more rampant than ever. Science seemed confounded by the insidious character of the outbreak, and precautionary measures appeared to be vain to prevent its extension. It was officially announced that from September 6th to December 20th compensation had been given in respect of 1,486 animals, to the amount of £9,448 3s. 11d. (See February 23rd, 1866.)
8.—A barque named the Edgar, of 600 tons burthen, built by Messrs. Fellows and Son, for the South American trade, was launched from their shipyard at Southtown, Great Yarmouth.
11.—The Earl of Leicester issued to the tenants on his estate an address, in which he referred to an election circular sent out to them during his absence in Norway, the spirit of which he described as “a flagrant contradiction of the principles and practices that have been professed and followed on the Holkham estate for nearly a century.” His lordship had counselled not coercion in any form, but the adoption of every legitimate measure to achieve the return of Mr. Gurdon and Sir Willoughby Jones at the West Norfolk election; but the zeal of his agent (Mr. Shellabear) in carrying out instructions which were only indicated and not given in detail led him to issue a circular which had caused much scandal, the impolicy and unfittingness of which no one now saw more clearly than his lordship himself.
12.—Died at Kew, Sir William Jackson Hooker, K.H., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., Regius Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow. Sir William was a native of Norwich, where his father, Mr. Joseph Hooker, a manufacturer, took much interest in horticulture, and possessed a rich collection of succulent and other exotics. Hooker spent some of his earlier years in the study of agriculture with Mr. Robert Paul, of Starston Hall, but the death of a relative enabled him to devote himself to his favourite pursuit, natural history. With his brother, Mr. Joseph Hooker, the Rev. James Brown, and other naturalists, he thoroughly explored the rich district of the Norfolk Broads in the study of ornithology. He was the author of several works, and editor of the “Botanical Magazine.” Resigning the appointment of Regius Professor for the curatorship of the Royal Gardens at Kew, he received the honour of knighthood in 1835, and in 1845 had conferred upon him the degree of D.C.L. by the University of Oxford. He married a daughter of Mr. Dawson Turner, of Yarmouth. His eldest son, Dr. Hooker, F.L.S., was no less distinguished than his father for his valuable works in natural history and for the scientific explorations with which his name was associated.
13.—Died at Southwell, the Ven. Archdeacon Wilkins, D.D. He was born at Norwich in 1785, and was the youngest son of Mr. William Wilkins, F.S.A., and brother of the Professor of Architecture in the Royal Academy. Educated at the Grammar School, Bury St. Edmund’s, under the headmastership of Becher, he entered Caius College, Cambridge, in 1803, and having received his degree, removed to Oxford to prosecute his favourite study of divinity. He was ordained at Norwich in 1808, and was ultimately presented to the vicarage of St. Mary’s, Nottingham, where he ministered single-handed to a population of 28,000. He was the author of “A History of the Destruction of Jerusalem,” and of several other works.
18.—A sculling match, known as the “Great Lynn Sweepstakes,” was contested over the Ouse championship course in the Eau Brink Cut, a distance of 3,300 yards. The competitors were Robert Chambers, champion of the Tyne and ex-champion of the Thames; Harry Kelley, who just previously had wrested the championship of the Thames from his formidable North country rival; and Robert Cooper, of Newcastle. The sweepstakes amounted to £50, with £100 added by the Lynn Regatta Committee. The conditions provided that if three competed the winner should receive £200 and the second man £50, and if only two came to the post a first prize of £200 only would be given. The race lay between Cooper and Kelley alone. The former kept a slight lead, and as Kelley’s efforts to pass him were unavailing, he rowed past the winning-post a quarter of a length ahead. The referee decided that Kelley had won, disqualified Cooper on the ground that he had taken the other man’s water, and awarded second prize to Chambers. At a meeting presided over by the Mayor of Lynn (Mr. W. Monement), a protest was lodged by Cooper’s backers against the second prize being awarded to Chambers. The Mayor decided to withhold the second prize until the referee had been communicated with, and handed to Kelley a cheque for £200. Cooper’s protest was ultimately disallowed.
26.—The 13th Hussars, with headquarters, arrived at Norwich Cavalry Barracks.
SEPTEMBER.
8.—A prize-fight took place on Grimstone Common, between Pooley Mace and a man named Rackaby. After five rounds had been contested, the police stopped hostilities, and Rackaby’s party declining to resume the fight, the stakes were awarded to Mace.
30.—Died at Clive House, Beckenham, Kent, in his 71st year, Lieut.-Col. Henry Alexander, 96th Foot. He was born at Caister, and entered the Army as ensign in the 28th Foot in June, 1811. He received the war medal with six clasps for Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, and Toulouse.
OCTOBER.
3.—The first Church Congress commenced at Norwich. The Congress sermon was preached at the Cathedral by the Archbishop of York, and the first general meeting was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, presided over by the Bishop of Norwich. The final meeting took place on the afternoon of the 5th, after which the members of Congress attended luncheon, given at the new bank by Mr. R. J. H. Harvey, M.P. Two thousand guests were present. On the morning of the 6th, the Bishop of Oxford preached the annual sermon at the Cathedral on behalf of the Five Religious Societies.
9.—Died at the house of Mrs. Church, Lady Lane, Norwich, Bartholomew Gattey, “the eccentric but clever flute-player at the Theatre Royal.” For forty years he had scarcely been absent from his place in the orchestra of the theatres in the Norwich circuit, “a position to which he fondly clung, in spite of many most favourable offers of engagement that were made to him, and which, if accepted, would, no doubt, have resulted in his obtaining a position in the musical world of honour and emolument. At length a mind never very strong gave way, and he was obliged to have recourse to the assistance of his friends. Mr. Hewlett and other gentlemen got up a concert for him in December, 1863, and £50 was realised, which, with Mr. Gattey’s simple habits, was sufficient for his maintenance until his death.” He was a son of Mr. Gattey, a yarn manufacturer, and a native of Norwich, and had attained his 64th year.
14.*—“Died at his residence, Bury St. Edmund’s, Mr. Frederick Ladbrooke, portrait painter. The deceased was the youngest son of the late Mr. Robert Ladbrooke, one of the founders of the celebrated Society of Norfolk and Norwich Artists. He was a painter of considerable power.”
18.—The ceremony of cutting the first sod of the East Norfolk Railway was performed on the estate of Mr. C. Jecks, Sheriff of Norwich, by Lady Suffield, in the presence of a large number of spectators. In the evening a dinner, attended by representatives of most of the principal families in the county, was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, in celebration of the event. Lord Suffield presided. (See August 13th, 1870.)
21.*—“The Queen has been pleased to grant to Edward John Stracey, of Sprowston, Lieut.-Colonel of the Scots Fusilier Guards, her Royal licence and authority that he and his issue may, in compliance with a clause contained in the last will and testament of James Clitherow, take and use the name of Clitherow in addition to that of Stracey.”
25.—A new lifeboat, named the James Pearce, was launched at Yarmouth. It was built at the cost of £350, subscribed by the artisans of Birmingham, and presented through the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to the Caister station.
30.—Died at Hilgay, aged 110 years (as was originally stated), Mr. John Naylor, formerly landlord of the Crown Hotel, Downham Market. An amended notice, published on November 18th, says: “The late Mr. John Naylor, who died on the 30th ult., and was supposed by his eldest son to be only 110 years of age, appears from the parish register of Welney to be 117, he having been born on the 29th of May, 1748. In 1825 the deceased retired from his business as a publican, he having kept the Crown at Downham and the George and Dragon at Hilgay in succession, and had since lived on a small property of his own in the latter village. He was always a smart, active man, and constant in taking his walk up to October, 1860. Since that time he had been confined to his house, but used to sit up in his chair for some portion of the day until June, 1864, when he did so for the last time. His sight had failed him, but his hearing was so good that he could distinguish the voices of his friends, and he was rational until within six weeks of his death.”
NOVEMBER.
1.—Died of apoplexy, at his residence, Acton Green, Middlesex, John Lindley, F.R.S., Ph.D., and formerly Professor of Botany at University College. He was born at Catton, near Norwich, in 1799, and was the son of a nurseryman. His first literary effort, after devoting much of his early youth to the practical details of botany, was the translation of Richard’s “Analyse de Fruit” from the French, and the contribution of some papers to the Transactions of the Linnæan Society. Afterwards he proceeded to London, where he was engaged by Mr. Loudon to assist in the production of the “Encyclopædia of Plants.” In 1832 he published his “Introduction to Systematic and Physiological Botany,” but his chef d’œuvre was the “Vegetable Kingdom.” For more than a quarter of a century Dr. Lindley filled the chair of Botany at University College, London, and in 1860 was appointed examiner in the University of London. He was a member of several learned bodies, and edited the horticultural department of the “Gardeners’ Chronicle” from its commencement in January, 1841, to the time of his death.
7.—Lord Hastings, master of the East Norfolk Foxhounds, was presented with his portrait in oil, subscribed for by 400 gentlemen of the Hunt. The portrait was painted by Mr. Eddis, and his lordship was depicted in hunting dress, mounted on Archer, his favourite hunter. Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart., made the presentation, on behalf of the subscribers.
8.—The Marquis and Marchioness Townshend, whose marriage had taken place a few weeks previously, were welcomed with great enthusiasm on their return to Rainham, and were presented by the tenantry with a handsome silver epergne.
9.—Mr. William Peter Nichols was elected Mayor, and Mr. William Jary Cubitt appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
DECEMBER.
2.—Died at Necton Hall, Colonel William Mason. He was the head of an old county family, whose head, Paul Miller Mason, a citizen of London, built Necton Hall in the time of Henry VII. Col. Mason served the office of High Sheriff in 1849, was for many years a chairman of Quarter Sessions at Swaffham, and was Lieut.-Colonel of the East Norfolk Militia.
4.—The Prince and Princess of Wales left Sandringham, on a visit to Lord and Lady Suffield, at Gunton Park. Their Royal Highnesses travelled by special train from Wolferton to Lynn and thence to East Dereham, where they were received by Lord Suffield, Viscount Hamilton, and the Hon. Harbord Harbord. A guard of honour was formed by the 15th Norfolk Volunteer Company, under the command of Capt. Bulwer, and their Royal Highnesses, entering a carriage drawn by four greys, proceeded along Norwich Road and the Market Place. Three triumphal arches were erected in the town, which was handsomely decorated, guns were fired, and the church bells rung, and in the evening there was a display of fireworks. After leaving Dereham, the Royal visitors proceeded by way of Swanton, Bylaugh, and Bawdeswell to Reepham, where the Aylsham Volunteers, commanded by Capt. Scott, provided a guard of honour. At Aylsham their Royal Highnesses were welcomed with great enthusiasm, and at Gunton Park gates the North Walsham corps, commanded by Major Duff, mounted a guard of honour. On the 5th and 6th the Prince shot over the estate, and on the evening of the last-named day a dinner and ball were given at the hall. On the 7th his Royal Highness attended a meet of the East Norfolk Foxhounds, and on the 8th shot on the Hanworth side of the hall. The visit terminated on the 9th. The Prince and Princess had arranged to honour Lord Sondes by attending luncheon at Elmham Hall, but, owing to intelligence received of the critical condition of the King of the Belgians, the visit was postponed. Their Royal Highnesses left Elmham station by special train, and arrived at Sandringham the same afternoon.
7.—The Rev. J. M. Bellew gave public readings from the great poets and other authors, with organ accompaniments, at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. He was described as “a perfect master of the elocutionary art.”
20.—Died at Yarmouth, in his 71st year, Mr. Edward Cubitt, of Honing Hall. He served in the Peninsular War with the 4th Dragoons, was at the retreat from Burgos, and received the medal with clasps for Vittoria, Pampeluna, and Toulouse.
26.—The Christmas pantomime at Norwich Theatre was entitled, “Camaralzaman and Badoura, or the Little God of Love and the Good Fairy of Lake Lovely.”
1866.
JANUARY.
6.—At a meeting of the Norfolk Agricultural Association, held at the Swan Hotel, Norwich, it was decided to abandon the annual show for that year, “because the bringing of cattle from all parts of the country would be inconsistent with what is being done to prevent the transit of cattle during the prevalence of the cattle plague.”
8.—The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Hon. T. de Grey, arrived at Holkham, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Leicester. “Their Royal Highnesses de facto opened the new line of the West Norfolk Junction Railway, which had been pushed forward by the contractor so as to be ready for the purpose.” It was by this line that the Prince and Princess travelled to Holkham. Their Royal Highnesses returned to Sandringham on the 13th.
11.—The first wintry weather of the season was experienced on this date, when there was a considerable fall of snow, accompanied by showers of rain and sleet, followed by a sharp wind frost. Telegraphic communication with London was suspended, in consequence of the blowing down of several miles of the telegraph line.
—Lost in the Bay of Biscay, by the wreck of the steamship London, on her voyage to Australia, the Rev. John Woolley, D.C.L., formerly headmaster of Norwich Grammar School, Fellow of University College, Oxford, and principal and professor of classics and logic in the University of Sydney. Mr. G. V. Brooke, the actor, formerly a member of the Norwich Company, went down in the same ill-fated vessel.
13.—The new building, then known as the Consolidated Bank, London Street, Norwich, was opened for the transaction of business. It was designed by Mr. R. M. Phipson, of Norwich and Ipswich, and built by Mr. Hall, of Pottergate Street, at the cost of £4,000. It is now known as the National Provincial Bank.
—A vessel running through Yarmouth Roads was observed to be flying a “waif.” Two lifeboats, the Rescuer, belonging to the Ranger Company, and the Friend of All Nations, the property of the Young Company of Beachmen, put off to her assistance. The Rescuer, in attempting to pass through the rough water at the bar, unshipped her rudder, was capsized, and twelve of her crew of sixteen were drowned.
15.—Judgment was given in the Arches Court by Dr. Lushington, in the action, Edwards and Mann v. Hatton, otherwise known as the “Mattishall Church Rate case.” The plaintiffs were the churchwardens, and the defendant a parishioner of Mattishall. Hatton having refused to pay the Church Rate, proceedings were taken in the Arches Court to enforce it. The whole sum in dispute was 6s. 8d., but it had given rise to many months of litigation, to much unpleasantness and ill-feeling in the parish, and to rioting and disturbance. Two objections were urged against the rate: (1) That proper notice had not been given on the church doors, as provided by the Act of Parliament; and (2) that the rate was unequal and unjust. The Court entered judgment for the churchwardens, and condemned the defendant in the costs of the protracted proceedings.
FEBRUARY.
1.—Under the Prisons Act, 1865, the old borough jail at Lynn ceased to be used as a prison.
2.—Mr. F. W. Windham, who for five or six years had enjoyed unenviable notoriety, died suddenly at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich. He had been unwell for several days, and was seen by his medical attendant, Mr. F. C. Bailey, on January 31st. Mr. Windham became better on February 1st, and still further improvement was manifested on the 2nd; but later in the day his symptoms were completely altered, and became so alarming that Mr. Bailey called in Dr. Bateman and Dr. Eade. Every effort was made to restore animation, but without avail; this victim of an ill-spent life gradually sank, and in a few hours expired, in the presence of the medical men and of some of the servants of the hotel. Death was due to the obstruction of the circulation by a clot of blood in the pulmonary artery. On the 7th the body was removed to Tucker’s Hotel, Cromer, and the interment took place on the 8th, in the family vault at Felbrigg. Mr. Windham had completely dissipated the residue of the extensive property which he inherited, after payment of the law expenses contingent on the great suit, Windham v. Windham (q.v. November 22nd, 1861), and became dependent for a livelihood on the little income he made as driver of the Cromer coach. His uncle, General Windham, had made arrangements by which he was supplied with the means of living respectably. He had rooms at the Norfolk Hotel, but generally spent his time in one or other of the low public-houses in the city. The effect of his death was to deprive Mrs. Windham of the annuity granted on Mr. Windham’s life, and of any interest whatever in the Hanworth estate.
16.—A case was heard at East Dereham Petty Sessions, in which the points urged in the Corn Hall litigation in 1857–58 were again brought prominently before the public. George Squire, a Lincolnshire merchant, was charged with assaulting Charles Howard, the keeper of the Corn Hall. He had paid twopence for admission, and Howard informed him that he ought to take a merchant’s ticket and hire a stand. In the course of the altercation, defendant took plaintiff by the collar and pinched his neck. Mr. J. C. Chittock, solicitor, on behalf of the defendant, contended that any person had a right to go into the hall, whether he paid for doing so or not, because at the Summer Assizes in 1857 the proprietors were indicted for obstructing a highway and a verdict was given for the Crown. The hall was built upon a highway known as Lion Hill, and Lion Hill had never ceased to be a highway. The Bench determined that they had no jurisdiction, and dismissed the case.
18.—Died at Great Yarmouth, Mr. Isaac Preston, aged 92 years. One of the oldest inhabitants of the borough, he had, previous to the passing of the Municipal Reform Act, held several important offices in connection with the Corporation, and was twice Mayor. He was a justice of the peace and a deputy-lieutenant for the county, and was one of the promoters of the movement for the erection of the Nelson Column on the South Denes.
23.—A serious difficulty arose at Norwich, owing to the operation of the Cattle Diseases Prevention Act. A large number of dealers, apprehending that the provisions of the Act would not be enforced until the following week, sent stock to Norwich for the market on the 24th, or for transmission by rail to London. Two hundred fat beasts arrived at Trowse for conveyance, but the railway authorities refused to receive them. Salesmen on the Hill experienced the same difficulty, and dealers had to dispose of their cattle as best they could. Many beasts were sent to butchers for immediate slaughter; others were removed to Trowse. The Mayor (Mr. Nichols) went down on the 25th to see what help he could render, but the only way out of the difficulty was to send the animals to the Norwich slaughter-houses, whence the principal portion of the meat was forwarded to London. In order to obviate any further difficulty of the kind, the Norwich Town Council, on the 27th, resolved to erect slaughter-houses and to provide a dead meat market. The cattle plague continued with unabated virulence. Thursday, March 8th, was observed as a day of humiliation, business was suspended, and special services were held at the Cathedral and the parish churches. Similar services took place throughout the county. On June 30th it was announced, “Rinderpest is now nearly extinct in Norfolk and Suffolk”; and on October 13th it was stated: “The non-existence of the cattle plague in the county has rendered the work of the Central Committee and the Cattle Plague Association very light.” Norwich Cattle Market was re-opened on November 17th.
MARCH.
6.—A dastardly attempt was made to destroy the church of St. Lawrence, Norwich. Mr. David Penrice, the churchwarden, accompanied by a lad, went to prepare the church for evening service, and found it to be full of gas. The lad, on endeavouring to open the windows, was overcome by the fumes. Assistance was obtained, and it was discovered that every burner in the church had been fully turned on. At the Police Court, on the 21st, a lad named George Nobbs, described as a shoemaker, of St. Martin-at-Oak, was charged with “wilfully and maliciously turning on the gas at St. Lawrence’ church, thereby endangering the lives of her Majesty’s subjects.” The offence was fully proved, but the magistrates dismissed the case, on the ground that “the lad did not show he had any knowledge of the consequences of the act.”
13.—A boiler explosion occurred at the brewery of Messrs. Arnold and Wyatt, St. Margaret’s Plain, Norwich. William Whitworth, an engine driver, was killed, “his body being hurled into the beck containing six quarters of boiling wort.”
20.—The hearing of the petition against the return of Sir E. H. K. Lacon and Mr. J. Goodson commenced, before a Committee of the House of Commons. Bribery, undue influence, and treating were alleged. The inquiry concluded on the 22nd, when the chairman (the Right Hon. J. R. Mowbray) announced that the Committee had arrived at the unanimous conclusion that the members had been duly elected. On April 12th Mr. Mowbray gave notice of his intention to move the appointment of a Royal Commission “to inquire into the corrupt practices which prevailed at the last election for Great Yarmouth.” The Commissioners, Mr. Wyndham Slade, Mr. Lucius Henry Fitzgerald, and Mr. George Russell, began their sittings at the Town Hall on August 16th, and on September 11th adjourned until October 3rd, on which day the proceedings recommenced. The final adjournment took place on October 15th, the thirty-fourth day of the inquiry. Six hundred and fifty-six witnesses were examined, and full investigations made as to the elections of 1865, 1859, and 1857. The Commissioners reported that corrupt and illegal practices extensively prevailed, and in consequence the borough was disfranchised.
27.—The 13th Hussars marched from Norwich, en route to Newcastle.
28.—In the course of a civil action, Creake v. Smith, at the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Baron Martin, reference was made to “the science of Bibliomancy,” as practised by a “cunning woman” in the neighbourhood of Wells-next-the-Sea. The defendant, who was landlord of the Railway Hotel at Wells, had lost articles from his house, and had consulted the woman with the view of discovering the thief. A Bible was suspended by a string and made to revolve; during its revolutions the names of several suspected persons were called out, and it was alleged that it stopped on the name of the plaintiff being mentioned—a clear proof that he was the guilty person. The defendant returned to the hotel, alleged that Creake was a thief, “for he knew it by the turn of the Bible,” and dismissed him from his service. Hence these legal proceedings for slander and wrongful dismissal, which resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff on the first count, and for the defendant on the second count.
APRIL.
2.—Loveday’s English Grand Opera Company commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre. The principals included Madame Florence Lancia, Mdlle. Ella Miraldi, Miss Annie Leng, Miss Fanny Leng, Mr. Brookhouse Bowler, Mr. Grantham, Mr. Oliver Summers, and Mr. Henry Rowland. The repertory included “La Somnambula,” “Il Trovatore,” “Don Giovanni,” “Faust,” “Dinorah,” “Der Frieschutz,” “Lucrezia Borgia,” “Norma,” and “Satanella.”
3.—Died at Hethel Hall, John Davy Brett, formerly major in the 17th Lancers, and lieut.-colonel of the 1st Norfolk Battalion of Volunteers, aged 51.
5.—The marriage of the Right Hon. Charles Adolphus Murray, seventh Earl of Dunmore, and Lady Gertrude Coke, third daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, took place at Holkham. The ceremony was honoured by the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who arrived at the Hall on the 4th, as the private guests of the Earl and Countess of Leicester.
9.—Died at Chequers Court, Herts., aged 56, Lieut.-Col. Francis L’Estrange Astley, commandant of the Norfolk Militia Artillery. He was born in 1810, and married first in 1835, Charlotte, second daughter of Mr. N. Micklethwait, of Taverham; and secondly, in 1854, Rosalind Alicia, fifth daughter of Sir Robert Frankland Russell, Bart.
21.—The Norwich sewerage scheme was further considered by the Town Council. A scheme known as the Hope scheme, introduced at a previous meeting, was abandoned, and the future management of the matter referred to a committee selected from members opposed to the scheme. On May 12th appeared the announcement that preliminary steps had been taken in Chancery by the inhabitants of Thorpe and a bill filed against the Mayor and Corporation for an injunction to compel them to desist from emptying sewage into the river. On May 15th a special committee reported that certain attempts made to cleanse the river had been attended with considerable success, and at the same meeting a memorial was presented by the inhabitants of the city, expressing regret and disappointment at the abandonment of the proposed plan for diverting the sewage from the river, and stating that under no circumstances whatever should the stream be made use of as a sewer. Acting upon counsel’s opinion, the Corporation, on May 31st, determined that it was needful at once to take measures for the diversion of the sewage from the river. The Sewerage Committee resigned, and a new committee was appointed. This committee, on July 10th, recommended the hiring “of 1,300 acres of land on the Crown Point estate, for the purpose of irrigating the same with the Norwich sewage.” The recommendation was agreed to. On October 9th the Town Clerk was authorised, under the direction of the Special Sewerage Committee, to give the necessary notices to enable application to be made in the next Session of Parliament for an Act of Parliament for carrying out sewerage works, and for the preparation of the necessary plans to be deposited in conformity with the Standing Orders of the House. (See January 15th, 1867.)
22.—The Rev. John Alexander, minister of the Independent congregation meeting at Prince’s Street, Norwich, resigned the pastorate of the chapel, after a service of nearly half a century. Mr. Alexander came to Norwich on April 4th, 1817, and for a time officiated at the Tabernacle belonging to Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion. His small congregation next met at the Lancastrian School, and in order to retain his services they built the Prince’s Street chapel, where he ministered until the date of his resignation. He was succeeded by the Rev. G. S. Barrett, B.A., of the Lancashire Independent College.
24.—Died at Coltishall Hall, Mr. William Burroughes. The younger son of a family seated in Norfolk for considerably more than one hundred years, he was educated at Norwich Grammar School “in the palmy Valpeian days,” and at St. John’s College, Cambridge. He was upon the commission of the peace for the county, chairman of the visiting justices, and joint secretary of the Norfolk Agricultural Association.
30.—The Great Yarmouth Fish Wharves and Tramways Bill and the Great Yarmouth Haven, Port, and Rivers Bill, were before a Committee of the House of Commons. The first-named Bill went through Committee without opposition on May 7th, and the latter was ordered to be reported on May 28th. The Port and Haven Bill, among other matters, provided that the Commission should consist of thirteen members, namely, four for Yarmouth (two to be elected by the Corporation, one by the registered shipowners and payers of dues, and one by the owners of fishing vessels and payers of dues on fish); three elected by the justices of Norfolk; three by the justices of Suffolk; and three by the Corporation of Norwich, one of each set of Commissioners for Norfolk, Suffolk, and Norwich being a merchant residing and carrying on business within the district for which he was elected. (See October 28th, 1867.)
MAY.
2.—The organ at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, restored by Mr. Hedgeland, at the cost of £430, was used for the first time at commemorative services held at the church. The instrument was built by Renatus Harris, in 1707.
5.*—“Lord Suffield has been appointed Lieut.-Col. Commandant of the Norfolk Militia Artillery, in place of the late Col. Astley.”
11.—Intelligence was received from London that the banking firm of Overend, Gurney, and Co. had been compelled, owing to the panic in the money market, to suspend payment. The announcement created great anxiety in Norwich, lest the firm of Messrs. Gurney and Co. were involved. Public confidence was restored by a notice issued by the firm, who stated that they were in no way liable, and were not affected by the affairs of Messrs. Overend, Gurney, and Co. A meeting of the citizens was at once convened at the Guildhall, under the presidency of the Mayor, and a resolution passed “declaring publicly and unhesitatingly its unbounded confidence in the house of Messrs. Gurneys and Birkbecks, and its unabated reliance on its perfect financial security.” (See January 1st, 1869.)
23.—Mrs. Bulwer, wife of Capt. Bulwer, commanding the 15th (Dereham) Company of Rifle Volunteers, opened a new rifle range at Billingford by firing the first shot, in the presence of a large gathering of Volunteers and civilians.
24.—The Queen’s birthday was celebrated at Norwich by a parade in Chapel Field of the 1st Norfolk Light Horse Volunteers and the Artillery and Rifle Volunteers. The Mayoress (Mrs. Nichols) laid the foundation-stone of the new Drill Hall, and after the ceremony luncheon was served at St. Andrew’s Hall.
—The Norfolk and Norwich Gymnastic Society held their first annual sports on the Newmarket Road Cricket Ground. The programme included gymnastic exercises, boxing, high jumping, flat and hurdle racing, &c.
31.—The new church at Thorpe St. Andrew was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich. The site on the north side of the old church was given by Mr. William Birkbeck; the building was designed by Mr. Thomas Jeckyll, of Norwich and London, and the contractor and subcontractors were Mr. Cornish, of North Walsham; Mr. J. W. Lacey and Mr. Rust, of Norwich. The estimated cost of the work was £4,000.
JUNE.
1.—The Marquis of Hartington having stated in the House of Commons that as the troops would be accommodated in the new barracks at Colchester, the Government intended to give up the Cavalry Barracks at Norwich, and the lease having expired, the buildings would be handed over to the Dean and Chapter of Norwich, to whom they belonged, a meeting of citizens was held at the Guildhall, at which a resolution was passed asking the authorities to reconsider their determination. A deputation consisting of the Earl of Leicester, the Earl of Albemarle, Lord Suffield, the members of Parliament for the city, and other gentlemen, waited upon Lord Hartington at the War Office on June 14th, and on July 7th it was announced that, after due consideration, the authorities had decided to continue the barracks at Norwich.
6.—Earl Fortesque attended at the Free Library, Norwich, and presented the prizes awarded under the Cambridge Prize Scheme.
JULY.
11.—Lord Stanley, on his appointment as Foreign Secretary in the new Conservative Administration, was re-elected without opposition member of Parliament for the borough of King’s Lynn.
16.—A meeting was held at the Rampant Horse Hotel, Norwich, to consider what steps should be taken to prevent the intended closing of Victoria Station, under the Great Eastern Railway (Additional Powers) Bill. A memorial was addressed to the Town Council, calling attention to the fact that this was the fourth attempt made by the company to close the terminus, and that by the Act of Parliament which sanctioned the amalgamation of the Eastern Union with the Eastern Counties Railway a special clause was inserted for the sufficient maintenance of the station. On these grounds the Corporation were asked to oppose the Bill. At a meeting of the Town Council on the 17th, a letter was read from the company, in which they offered, in consideration of being permitted to close the station, to contribute £1,000 towards the improvement of Foundry Bridge. The Council were not prepared to accede to the proposition. When the Company’s Bill was before the Committee of the House of Commons, in March, 1867, the clause providing for the abandonment of the station was disallowed.
19.—St. Giles’ church, Norwich, was re-opened, after extensive restoration. A new chancel had also been built, and a new organ, costing £350, erected. The scheme included the widening of the street by the giving up of a portion of the churchyard. The restoration was carried out, under the direction of Mr. R. M. Phipson, by Mr. J. W. Lacey, conjointly with Messrs. Atkins and Hawes. The total cost of the work was about £4,000, of which £1,000 was given by the rector (the Rev. W. N. Ripley).
25.—The National Archery meeting commenced at Crown Point, Norwich, and was continued on the 26th and 27th. The show of the Norfolk and Norwich Horticultural Society was held in the grounds on the 26th (when the band of the 1st Life Guards was present), and a ball was given at St. Andrew’s Hall in the evening.
28.—Died at Bramerton, in his 76th year, Mr. William Wilde, Coroner for Norwich. “In Mr. Wilde the city has lost an active and intelligent public officer and a useful citizen, and the Liberal party a most efficient agent. To his shrewdness, accurate judgment, and devotion to their interests, the Liberals of Norwich and elsewhere have been indebted for many a triumph.” Mr. Wilde was a member of the Court of Guardians, and for some time its chairman, and a member of the Festival Committee. He had been Coroner for thirty years.
31.—A new lifeboat, named the Leicester, was launched at Gorleston. It was purchased by a fund amounting to £900 inaugurated by the Mayoress of Leicester (Mrs. Hodges), and was lodged in a new lifeboat house built at the cost of £250.
AUGUST.
5.—Died at his seat at Honingham, the Right Hon. and Rev. Lord Bayning. His lordship was the second son of Mr. Charles Townshend, who was created Baron Bayning in 1797, and succeeded his brother, Charles Frederick, as third Baron on August 2nd, 1823, when he assumed, by sign manual (in lieu of his patronymic, Townshend), the name of his maternal grandfather, William Powlett. Born on June 8th, 1797, he married, on August 9th, 1842, Emma, only daughter of Mr. W. H. Fellowes, of Ramsey Abbey, Huntingdon, by whom he had one son, who died twelve months previously to his lordship’s death, and the barony thus became extinct. Lord Bayning was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.A. in 1818, and was appointed rector of Brome, Suffolk, in 1821, and rural dean in the diocese of Norwich in 1844. He resigned the rectory of Brome in 1847, and was appointed to the rectory of Honingham with the vicarage of East Tuddenham in 1851. His lordship was High Steward of Norwich Cathedral, Vice-President of the Norwich Diocesan Association for the Propagation of the Gospel, of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society, and of the Institution for the Indigent Blind, and he was a trustee of the Norwich Savings Rank, &c. For some years he was treasurer and a most active promoter of the Diocesan Church Building Society.
6.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, Mr. Edward S. Bignold was elected Coroner, in place of Mr. Wilde. In order to take the office, he resigned his seat in the Town Council, and was permitted to retire without paying the customary fine.
10.—A new self-righting lifeboat was launched at Happisburgh. The vessel was presented to the National Lifeboat Institution by the people of Huddersfield, who contributed upwards of £1,000 for its purchase.
14.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice Erle and a special jury, was tried the libel action, Athill v. Soman. The declaration stated that the libel was published in a newspaper called the “Norwich Argus,” of which the defendant was the printer, and was contained in a letter signed “Honour Lingley,” dated November 25th, 1865. The writer accused Athill, a superintendent of police, of wrongfully ransacking her chests of linen at a house at Sprowston called the “Haunted Cottage,” at which disturbances had taken place, and where Athill had been present in the discharge of his official duties. The damages were laid at £500; the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages one farthing. Application was made on behalf of the plaintiff for costs, but his lordship held that “there was not a solitary instance of any personal malice or ill-will on the part of the defendant,” and refused it. The county magistrates subsequently contributed to a fund to defray the expenses of the plaintiff.
25.—At the sale of the Lessingham House estate, by Messrs. Hewitt and Capon, at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, a portion of Surlingham Broad was purchased by Mr. R. Pratt, for £1,300. “The last time this lot was sold by public auction it fetched about £900.”
27.—The Hon. Thomas de Grey, M.P., shooting on Blubberhouse Moor, made a bag of 215 brace of grouse, “a feat which has not met with its equal on any of the Yorkshire moors, nor on any other in England or Scotland.”
SEPTEMBER.
4.—Died at the King and Miller Inn, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, of “mortification of the big toe,” William Pilch, the cricketer, formerly of Norwich, in his 69th year.
19.—Died at Southsea, aged 80, General Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart., son of Sir William. Clayton, fourth baronet. He saw much service in the Peninsular campaign. On the death of his father, in 1834, he succeeded to the extensive patrimonial estates in Norfolk, Bucks., Surrey, and South Wales. Sir William’s Norfolk seat was White Hall, Saham Toney.
22.*—“The Dean and Chapter of Norwich have offered to confer the office of Lord High Steward of the Cathedral Church, vacant by the death of Lord Bayning, on the Earl of Kimberley, and his lordship has signified to the Dean and Chapter his intention to accept the office. The grandfather and the great-grandfather of the present Earl have been Lord High Stewards of the Cathedral.”
25.—Minnie Stratton, daughter of “General Tom Thumb” and Mrs. Stratton, died at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, and was, on the 26th, buried at the Cemetery. “Mr. and Mrs. Stratton were chief mourners, and there was a large number of spectators.”
—A boiler explosion took place at the dye and chemical works of Messrs. Stark and Co., Duke’s Palace Street, Norwich. Three men (Taylor, Breeze, and Clarke) were killed on the spot, and three others died of their injuries. The Coroner’s jury found that the explosion was due to the defective construction of the boiler. At the Norwich Assizes, on March 27th, 1867, an action was brought by Mr. Stark against Messrs. Riches and Watts, for the recovery of damages. A verdict was given for plaintiff, the amount to be assessed by arbitration. (See February 19th, 1868.)
OCTOBER.
6.—The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, “to co-operate with the Central Chamber of Agriculture in watching over the measures affecting the agricultural interest,” was established at a meeting held at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. C. S. Read, M.P. On October 20th Mr. Read was elected chairman, and Mr. Richard England vice-chairman.
13.—Norwich Theatre was opened for the winter season, under the management of Mr. J. F. Young, who had previously managed, with success, the Yarmouth and Lynn Theatres.
—Died at Great Chart Rectory, Kent, the Hon. and Very Rev. George Pellew, D.D., Dean of Norwich. He was third son of Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, afterwards Viscount Exmouth, and was born in Tregeny, Cornwall, in 1793. Educated at Eton and at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he took his B.A. degree in 1815 and his M.A. in 1818, he received holy orders in 1817, and in 1820 married the Hon. Frances Addington, second daughter of the first Viscount Sidmouth. In 1823 he was appointed to a canonry in Canterbury Cathedral, where he resided until his preferment to the Deanery of Norwich in 1828, on the death of Dean Turner. The degree of D.D. was conferred upon him in the same year, and in 1852 he was presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the living of Great Chart, which he held at the time of his death. Besides publishing “Sermons preached in Cathedral Churches on the Leading Doctrines of the Church of England” (1848), he wrote “The Seven Ages of a Christian’s Life” (1866) and a “Memoir of Lord Sidmouth” (1847). Dr. Pellew left three daughters and a son.