28.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, Sir Peter Eade was elected to fill the casual vacancy of Mayor, occasioned by the death of Col. Bignold. The Mayor-elect nominated Mr. C. R. Gilman as his deputy.
JUNE.
1.—The 1st Volunteer Battalion Norfolk Regiment formed a marching column of 200 of all ranks, and under the command of Col. Dawson proceeded to Stratton Strawless, where a camp was formed in the park. On the 2nd the march was resumed to Blickling Park, where the column encamped, and in the afternoon attended service at the parish church. On the morning of the 3rd outpost duty was practised, and in the afternoon the column marched to Norwich, and was dismissed at the Drill Hall.
2.—A serious fire occurred on board the Jenny Lind steamboat at Foundry Bridge, Norwich.
11.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice Russell of Killowen, Frederic Butcher, 15, carpenter’s apprentice, was indicted for feloniously shooting at the Rev. Arthur Hamilton Upcher, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm, at Baconsthorpe, on January 3rd. The prisoner was found guilty, and recommended to mercy on account of his youth. He was sentenced to nine calendar months’ imprisonment.
—At the Norwich Assizes, before the Lord Chief Justice, Frederick Miles, 27, labourer, was indicted for the wilful murder of Mildred Miles, his wife, at St. John Timberhill, Norwich, on June 1st. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, but strongly recommended him to mercy on the ground that he had received great provocation. His lordship passed sentence of death, which was afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life.
15.—Died at 24, Fairfax Road, South Hampstead, London, Mr. Philip Soman, senior proprietor of the “Norfolk Daily Standard,” aged 60.
18.—The old Toll House premises at Yarmouth were opened as a museum.
19.—Mr. Henry Staniforth Patteson was elected leader of the Conservative party in Norwich, in place of Lieut.-Col. Bignold, deceased.
21.—A terrible tragedy occurred near Yarmouth. George Stanford, a bank clerk, aged 25, in the employment of Messrs. Gurneys and Co., drowned his fiancée, Edith Mary Argyle, in the Steam Mill dyke, at Caister, and then committed suicide by drowning himself.
29.—The foundation-stone of the new church of St. Peter, Sheringham, was laid by Mrs. Upcher, the principal contributor of the total sum of £7,000, the estimated cost of the building. The church was designed by Messrs. St. Aubyn and Wadling, of Lamb Buildings, Temple, London, and the contractors were Messrs. Bardell Bros., of King’s Lynn.
JULY.
1.—The election campaign was opened in Norwich by a meeting of the Liberal Two Hundred held at the Agricultural Hall under the presidency of Mr. George White, when Mr. Thomas Terrell, Q.C., 13, St. Petersburg Place, Paddington, W., was adopted as the colleague of Mr. F. W. Verney. The Conservative electors met at St. Andrew’s Hall on the 3rd, under the presidency of Mr. Patteson, and the name of Sir Harry Bullard was announced as the colleague of Mr. Samuel Hoare. On the 6th Earl Spencer addressed a Liberal meeting at St. Andrew’s Hall, and on the 8th at the same place Mr. Goschen was the principal speaker at a Conservative meeting. Sir Harry Bullard, who had been absent in Norway, returned to Norwich on the 10th, and was received with an extraordinary demonstration of popular enthusiasm. The nomination took place on the 12th, and the polling on the 16th, and the result was declared as follows:—Hoare, 8,166; Bullard, 8,034; Terrell, 7,330; Verney, 7,210.
4.—The Summer Show of the Norfolk Agricultural Association was opened at Wymondham. In the absence of the president, Mr. J. J. Colman, the public luncheon was presided over by Mr. R. Harvey Mason. The show closed on the 5th.
5.—Died at the Clyffe, Corton, Caroline, wife of Mr. J. J. Colman. Mrs. Colman was the eldest daughter of Mr. W. H. Cozens-Hardy, of Letheringsett Hall, and was in her 64th year. Her death was lamented by all classes of citizens, and the representatives of all political parties attended the funeral, which took place at the Rosary on the 10th.
12.—Mr. T. Gibson Bowles (C.) and Mr. Hubert George Beaumont, Piccadilly Chambers, London (L.), were nominated candidates for the representation of King’s Lynn. Polling took place on the 15th: Bowles, 1,395; Beaumont, 1,326.
—Sir John Colomb (C.) and Mr. J. M. Moorsom (L.) were nominated for Great Yarmouth. Polling took place on the 16th: Colomb, 3,528; Moorsom, 2,893.
13.—The nomination of candidates for South Norfolk took place at the Shirehall, Norwich. Mr. Thomas Hamer Dolbey, Stratford House, Sutton, Surrey, barrister-at-law, was proposed by the Liberals, and Mr. Francis Taylor, of Diss, brewer, by the Unionists. Polling on the 17th: Taylor, 4,281; Dolbey, 3,445.
—At the Shirehall, Norwich, Mr. Henry Rider Haggard, of Ditchingham House, land owner and occupier, was nominated Unionist candidate, and Mr. Robert John Price, of 104, Sloane Street, Chelsea, barrister-at-law, Liberal candidate, for East Norfolk. On the polling day, the 19th, the Unionist candidate and his supporters were attacked at Ludham by a gang of Liberal roughs, and Mrs. William Hartcup, who occupied one of the carriages, received a severe wound on the head from a stone thrown by a person in the crowd. The incident gave rise to many expressions of public indignation. The result of the election was declared at the Shirehall, Norwich, on the 20th: Price, 4,606; Haggard, 4,408. (See July 30th.)
—The nomination of candidates for North Norfolk took place at Aylsham. Mr. Herbert Hardy Cozens-Hardy, Q.C., of Letheringsett Hall, was nominated by the Liberals, and Sir Kenneth Hagar Kemp, Bart., of Mergate Hall, Braconash, banker, by the Unionists. The polling on the 22nd resulted as follows: Cozens-Hardy, 4,246; Kemp, 3,738.
17.—Mr. Robert Thornhagh Gurdon, of Letton Hall, Unionist, and Mr. F. W. Wilson, newspaper proprietor and farmer, of the Dale, Scarning, Liberal, were nominated at East Dereham as candidates for Mid Norfolk. Polling took place on the 24th: Wilson, 4,220; Gurdon, 4,086.
—At Swaffham candidates were nominated for the representation of South-west Norfolk. Mr. Thomas Leigh Hare, of Stow Bardolph, was proposed by the Unionists, and Mr. Richard Winfrey, Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, farmer and newspaper proprietor, by the Liberals. The polling took place on the 25th: Hare, 3,968; Winfrey, 3,762.
18.—Mr. Joseph Arch, of Barford, Warwickshire, officially described as a labourer, was at King’s Lynn nominated Liberal candidate for North-west Norfolk. The Unionist nominee was Mr. Edward Kendrick Bunbury Tighe, Woodstock, Kilkenny, Ireland, and Albany Chambers, Piccadilly, London, lieutenant in the Army Reserve, and justice of the peace for Kilkenny. The polling took place on the 26th: Arch, 4,817; Tighe, 3,520.
—A shocking catastrophe occurred on Ormesby Broad. A sailing boat occupied by nine young fishermen capsized in a sudden squall, and six of the party were drowned.
21.—Died, the veteran actor and theatrical manager, Mr. William Sidney (Mr. Sidney Young), who for many years in the old days of stock companies controlled the destinies of the Norwich Theatre. Mr. Sidney was a capable exponent of character parts. Of late years he had devoted himself almost entirely to stage management, and was responsible for the staging of several of the most successful productions at the Adelphi and other London theatres.
30.—At Smallburgh Petty Sessions, Lord John Wodehouse was summoned for assaulting Mr. John Gaymer, builder and contractor, at North Walsham, on July 17th; and William Saul, a dealer, was charged with aiding and abetting. The complainant was presiding at a Conservative meeting held in North Walsham, marketplace, when Lord Wodehouse seized him by the coat, dragged him from the chair, and using most foul language offered to fight him for £50. In this he was abetted by Saul. The chairman of the Bench (Sir H. J. Preston, Bart.) said the redeeming part of the case was that there was no actual violence that had resulted in injury. Lord Wodehouse was fined £3 7s. 6d., and costs £1 12s. 6d., and Saul £1, and costs to the like amount. The Lord Chancellor afterwards removed the name of Lord Wodehouse from the commission of the peace. At the same court nine persons were summoned for taking part in the riot at Ludham on the day of the East Norfolk election, and the majority were convicted and fined in various amounts.
AUGUST.
1.—The parish church of Burnham Thorpe, restored at the cost of about £7,000 as a memorial to Nelson, who was a native of the village, was opened for public worship on this the anniversary of the battle of the Nile. The work was carried out from designs by Sir A. Bloomfield.
8.—Mr. John Edmund Wentworth Addison, Q.C., who had been appointed to fill the vacancy in the judgeship of the Norfolk County Court on the retirement of Mr. E. P. Price, Q.C., took his seat for the first time at the Aylsham Court. Mr. Addison was formerly Member of Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne, and Recorder of Preston.
12.—Dramatic performances were given at Norwich Theatre by the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards on this and the five succeeding nights in aid of the funds of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The pieces produced were “Easy Shaving,” and a burlesque of “Faust.”
14.—The Elmham shorthorns and red polls, the property of Mr. Fulcher, were sold by Mr. John Thornton, and realised the total sum of £1,961 3s. 6d.
25.—The Hunstanton yawl, Princess of Wales, with sixteen persons on board, capsized whilst on a trip to Skegness, and five were drowned.
29.—The 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, after being quartered in Norwich for over two years, marched for Colchester. The headquarters of the 7th Dragoon Guards marched in on September 18th.
SEPTEMBER.
12.—The premises of Messrs. Sullivan and Co., wholesale confectioners, West End Street, Norwich, were destroyed by fire.
19.—The Channel Squadron arrived in Yarmouth Roads. The vessels included the Royal Sovereign (flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Walter Kerr), Empress of India, Resolution, and Repulse, battleships; the Blenheim, Endymion, and Bellona, cruisers; the Halcyon, gunboat; and the Speedy, torpedo gunboat. The officers and men numbered 4,500. Civic and public entertainments were given in honour of the visit. The squadron steamed south on the 24th.
23.—Climatic variations of a remarkable character were recorded. The thermometer on the grass in the morning fell to freezing point (32 degrees), at two p.m. it stood at 77.2 degrees in the shade, one degree higher than the point known as summer heat, and about seven degrees higher than the average maximum day readings for the month of July. In the screen the thermometer fell to 38.4 degrees, the range of temperature for the day being nearly 40 degrees. The minimum was about 12 degrees below, and the maximum about 12 degrees above the usual standard for September. On the 24th the maximum shade temperature was 75.8 degrees.
25.—At the Guildhall, Norwich, the honorary freedom of the city was conferred upon the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade). At the conclusion of the proceedings the members of the Corporation proceeded to the Castle Museum, where a portrait of the Mayor, painted by Mr. Stanhope A. Forbes, was unveiled by Lord Walsingham.
27.—Died at Welborne Rectory, the Rev. George Robert Winter, Hon. Canon of Norwich Cathedral, in his 69th year. He was a son of Mr. Roger Winter, barrister-at-law, Calcutta, and grandson of Mr. John Winter, of Acton, many years solicitor to the Bank of England. Educated at Eaton and at Brasenose College, Oxford, Canon Winter was for many years vicar of Swaffham. In his University days he was a famous athlete, president of the Boat Club, stroke of the Brasenose boat, and a bold and fearless horseman. In addition to his other accomplishments Canon Winter was a very clever artist.
28.—Died at Ipswich, Dr. John Ellor Taylor, F.G.S., F.L.S., aged 60. Dr. Taylor was the son of a foreman in a Lancashire cotton factory, and early in life was sent to the engineer’s shop of the London and North-Western Railway, at Crewe. He subsequently removed to Manchester, and contributed to the newspapers, and on adopting journalism as an occupation secured an appointment on the “Norwich Mercury.” During the smallpox epidemic in 1872 he contributed a remarkable series of articles to the “Eastern Daily Press” on “Haunts and Homes of Smallpox in Norwich,” the materials for which he obtained by personal visits to the dwellings of the stricken people. Resolutely declining to be vaccinated, he contracted the disease, which considerably marred his hitherto handsome features. He left Norwich to become the curator of Ipswich Museum and editor of “Hardwick’s Science Gossip,” and in 1885 visited Australia on a lecturing tour. Dr. Taylor was the author of several works, notably “Geological Stories,” “The Playtime Naturalist,” “Half-hours in the Green Lanes,” “Half-hours at the Seaside,” “The Sagacity and Morality of Plants,” &c.
OCTOBER.
8.—The Church Congress commenced its proceedings at Norwich. The members were welcomed at the Guildhall by the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade), after which the Congress sermons were preached at the Cathedral by the Archbishop of York, and at St. Peter Mancroft by the Bishop of Salisbury. The sessional proceedings were opened at the Agricultural Hall at two p.m. by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, who delivered the inaugural address, and afterwards an address of welcome was presented by the Nonconformist bodies. Sectional meetings took place day by day at St. Andrew’s Hall, the Conservative Club Assembly Room, St. Giles’ Street, and in the Assembly Room at the Agricultural Hall. An ecclesiastical art exhibition was held at St. Giles’ Hall (the old Skating Rink), and during the week meetings of various Church societies took place. The Mayor and Mayoress held a reception at the Castle Museum on the 11th, and the farewell sermon was preached at the Cathedral on the 13th by the Bishop of Peterborough.
21.—Died at Christchurch, Mr. Henry Reeve, C.B., D.C.L. The son of a physician, he was born at Norwich in 1813, and educated at the Grammar School under Valpy. He afterwards proceeded to Geneva, where he completed his education. Mr. Reeve began his literary career by a translation of De Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” published in 1835. It was followed, in 1840, by a translation of M. Guizot’s “Washington.” In 1837 Mr. Reeve was appointed Registrar of the Privy Council, and occupied the post for exactly fifty years. He was a frequent contributor to the “Edinburgh Review,” of which he ultimately held the editorship for forty years.
22.—The first of several meetings held in furtherance of a projected line of railway between Forncett and Haddiscoe took place at Hempnall. The distance proposed to be covered was fourteen miles, and the estimated cost of a single line, £1,500 per mile, or a total of £21,000. The directors of the Great Eastern Railway in October, 1896, intimated that they did not see their way to provide the railway communication suggested. (See April 23rd, 1898.)
27.—The sixth specimen recorded in Norfolk of Ray’s bream (Brama Raii) was taken in the nets of a Yarmouth drifter.
NOVEMBER.
2.—The Norwich Volunteer Medical Staff Corps was disbanded.
—A public meeting representative of the agricultural and trading interests, convened by the Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, was held at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, to consider what action should be taken in consequence of the publication of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture by the Assistant-Commissioner (Mr. R. Henry Rew) to bring the disastrous condition of agriculture in Norfolk under the attention of the Government. Resolutions were adopted requesting the Prime Minister to receive a deputation of Norfolk agriculturists. On the 6th Lord Salisbury replied that he was so well aware of the existing state of things that he would be reluctant to put a deputation to the trouble of attending to lay their views before him especially as the whole question was occupying the attention of the Government. He promised to give special attention to certain points afterwards submitted to him by the secretary to the Chamber. (See February 7th, 1896.)
9.—Mr. John Moore was elected Mayor and Mr. George Arthur Coller appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
13.—In the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, before Mr. Justice Romer, was heard the action Gould v. Coaks. This was a new phase of the prolonged litigation arising from the Crown Bank failure. This action was brought by the plaintiff, the trustee in the bankruptcy of Harvey and Hudson’s Bank, against Mr. Coaks, and the representatives of Mr. E. C. Bailey, deceased, and of Mr. Hill, deceased. The plaintiff asked for an account of all monies received, for an enquiry of all purchases, leases, and profits which had been made or received by Mr. Coaks in connection with the estate, and also that interest upon the sums found due should be calculated as from the date of the receipt until time of payment. The argument in support of the plaintiff’s case lasted until the 15th, when Mr. Warmington, Q.C., by whom he was represented, said that an arrangement had been arrived at by counsel on both sides. The plaintiff proposed to take an order of a general character as between himself and Mr. Coaks of all sums he had received in respect of the estate of Sir Robert Harvey. Mr. Coaks also gave up all the purchases that he had made either of the bankrupt’s estate or the separate estate, and there would be the usual enquiry with regard to them in order to bring out those which were profitable and those which were not, giving to the plaintiff the opportunity of taking those which were profitable and to leave the others according to the usual plan, and there would be an account of profits. There would also be an enquiry as to balances in Mr. Coaks’ hands in respect to which he would be charged with interest. The costs were to be moderated, and so moderated as that no costs were to be allowed which had been charged elsewhere. (See August 5th, 1896.)
DECEMBER.
8.—Died at Parham, Suffolk, in his 80th year, the Right Rev. George Hills, D.D. He became in 1848 vicar of Yarmouth, and was appointed in 1853 Honorary Canon of Norwich Cathedral. In 1859 he was consecrated first Bishop of British Columbia. In 1892 Bishop Hills exchanged colonial work for the country benefice where he died.
14.—Died at 32, Albert Hall Mansions, London, Mrs. Jones, widow of the Rev. Canon Herbert Jones, and daughter of Mr. Daniel Gurney, of North Runcton. She was the authoress of several works, including “Memoirs of Princess Charlotte,” and “Sandringham, Past and Present.” Mrs. Jones had also contributed many interesting articles to the “Edinburgh Review.”
15.—Died at Diss, Mr. Thomas Edward Amyot, F.R.C.S., eldest son of Mr. Thomas Amyot, F.R.S., F.S.A., aged 78. Of geology Mr. Amyot had much practical knowledge, was one of the first to write about the famed Hoxne pits, and he also assisted Canon Greenwell in his examination of the Grimes’ graves. With his pencil he was very clever, rather after the style of Caldicott, and quite as original. His facility in writing verse was well known. His “Legend of Cologne” was criticised as being not inferior to “Ingoldsby”; and his “Oleum Jecoris Aselli,” after the rhythm of “Hiawatha,” was pronounced by Bishop Goodwin as being one of the cleverest things of the kind he had ever read. Astronomy was also one of Mr. Amyot’s favourite studies.
19.—Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, visited Norwich for the purpose of inaugurating the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Queen Street. His lordship was escorted from Thorpe railway-station to the Home by a detachment of the 7th Dragoon Guards. After inspecting the premises he proceeded to the Guildhall, where he was entertained to luncheon by the Mayor (Mr. John Moore). His lordship afterwards attended the inaugural meeting held at St. Andrew’s Hall, and delivered an address.
1896.
JANUARY.
21.—The Norwich Town Council approved a scheme formulated by the Charity Commissioners for the administration of Anguish’s endowment for boys. It involved the expenditure of about £1,000 per year for the education, under certain conditions, of poor boys in the city.
—The announcement was made that Mr. Clare Sewell Read had decided to relinquish farming in Norfolk and to settle in or near London. Mr. Read gave a farewell address at East Dereham Market Tea on January 31st; and on September 19th the Norfolk Executive Committee adopted, on the motion of Mr. R. T. Gurdon, a resolution recording the valuable services rendered to the county by Mr. Read, as chairman of the committee, in all matters relating to the diseases of animals. At Honingham on September 21st Mr. and Mrs. Read were presented with farewell gifts by the inhabitants of that and adjoining parishes on the occasion of their departure after thirty years’ residence in the district. (See September 25th, 1897.)
22.—Mr. F. H. Tulloch, an inspector of the Local Government Board, held an inquiry at the Guildhall, Norwich, as to an application by the Town Council for sanction to borrow £72,000 for sewerage purposes, and to appropriate the New Mills estate for the purposes of a power-station for the City works. On September 29th the Council accepted tenders for the construction of sewerage and surface water sewers in district No. 5 for £17,480, and for the construction of river works and power-station buildings on the New Mills estate for £5,039. (See October 17th, 1899.)
28.—A burglary was committed at the shop of Mr. Edward Morley, jeweller and silversmith, the Walk, Norwich, and property to the value of nearly £2,000 stolen. The thieves were never discovered.
FEBRUARY.
3.—Died at Billingford Hall, East Dereham, Lady Parry, widow of Rear-Admiral Sir William Edward Parry, the distinguished Arctic navigator. Her ladyship, who was in her 88th year, was a daughter of the Rev. Robert Hankinson, of Walpole, and first married, in 1831, Mr. Samuel Hoare, of Hampstead. Her second marriage took place on June 29th, 1841.
5.—The Ecclesiastical Lectures were resumed at Norwich Cathedral by Bishop Barry, who dealt with “The Life and Times of St. Ambrose.” The concluding lecture was given on March 4th by the Rev. H. C. G. Moule, D.D., Principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge, on “The Life and Times of St. Augustine.”
7.—A deputation representing the Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture waited upon the First Lord of the Treasury (Mr. Balfour) and the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Walter Long) for the purpose of urging various points for the alleviation of the distressed condition of agriculture.
10.—Mr. Henry Bowyer Sparke, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Bowyer Sparke, of Gunthorpe Hall, was presented with a massive silver punch bowl by the tenantry on the estate on the occasion of his coming of age.
15.—A conference of delegates representing the Boards of Guardians in the county was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, to consider a proposal adopted at a meeting held the previous year in favour of the amalgamation of workhouses.
17.—The infant Prince of the Duke and Duchess of York was christened at Sandringham church by the Bishop of Norwich in the names of Albert Frederick Arthur George.
28.—Mr. H. S. Patteson was entertained at a banquet given at the Maid’s Head Hotel, Norwich, in recognition of his life-long services to Conservatism and in celebration of the attainment of his 80th year. Mr. Patteson was presented with a replica in silver gilt of three pieces of ancient plate in the possession of the Corporation.
MARCH.
3.—Dr. Thomson, medical superintendent of the Norfolk County Asylum, delivered a lecture before the Norfolk and Norwich Medico-Chirurgical Society on “The New Photography,” and gave a practical demonstration of the Röntgen rays.
10.—Died at Cincinnati, while travelling in the United States as a member of Sir Henry Irving’s company, Mr. Henry Howe. Born in Norwich on March 31st, 1812, he was the son of a Quaker gentleman named Hutchinson, and was educated at the Ackworth School of the Society of Friends in Lancashire, where, for a time, he had John Bright as a fellow scholar. At the age of 19 he absconded from home and joined a strolling company. Mr. Howe made his first appearance in London at the Victoria Theatre in October, 1834, and afterwards became a member of the Covent Garden company under Macready. In 1881 he joined the Lyceum company and remained with them uninterruptedly until the time of his death.
APRIL.
8.—Captain Wiggins, the Arctic explorer and navigator, who had recently returned from Siberia, lectured in Norwich upon the Nansen expedition.
9.—The Norwich Diocesan Conference commenced at the Town Hall, Ipswich, under the presidency of the Bishop of the Diocese, and was continued on the 10th.
12.—Died at Lady Lane, Norwich, Mr. Edward Samuel Bignold. Born on October 13th, 1821, he was son of Mr. Thomas Bignold, and nephew of Sir Samuel Bignold. Mr. Bignold held several public appointments, including the office of City Coroner, to which he succeeded on the death of Mr. William Wilde in 1866.
—Thanksgiving services were held at the church of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, on the occasion of the re-opening of the tower after restoration at the cost of £1,200.
13.—A military tournament by the 7th Dragoon Guards commenced at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, and concluded on the 18th.
18.—Dr. Bunnett was presented at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, with an illuminated address and a cheque for £280, on the attainment of his “musical jubilee.”
23.—A deputation of Norfolk farmers and graziers waited upon Mr. Walter Long, President of the Board of Agriculture, and requested that a clause might be inserted in the Government Cattle Diseases Bill permitting the importation of live Canadian cattle. Mr. Long was unable to comply with the demands of the deputation.
MAY.
1.—At a special meeting of the Board of Governors of the Jenny Lind Infirmary, held at the Guildhall, Norwich, Mr. Colman offered to present to the charity, as a memorial to his late wife, the necessary site upon which to erect a new infirmary. The offer was gratefully accepted, and the Committee of Management were empowered to take steps for collecting funds and for preparing plans. (See January 23rd, 1897.)
5.—Mr. R. W. Ladell, solicitor, was elected by the Norwich Town Council to the office of City Coroner, rendered vacant by the death of Mr. E. S. Bignold.
7.—Mr. and Mrs. Kendal and their London company appeared at Norwich Theatre in “A Scrap of Paper.” “A White Lie” was produced on the 8th, and “The Ironmaster” on the 9th.
12.—Mr. J. L. Toole with his London company appeared at the Assembly Room, Agricultural Hall, Norwich, in the comic sporting play “Thoroughbred.”
15.—Lord Tweedmouth, as president of the Norwich Gladstone Club, delivered his inaugural address to the members at the Assembly Room, Agricultural Hall, Norwich.
21.—The annual training of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars (Yeomanry Cavalry), commanded by Lieut.-Col. A. G. Lucas, commenced at Yarmouth.
25.—Louis Tussaud’s exhibition “All the World in Wax” was opened at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich. One of the attractions was the display for the first time in Norwich of the cinematograph or “living pictures.”
JUNE.
1.—Dr. Jameson, of Transvaal raid fame, travelling as Dr. Johnson, accompanied by Dr. Rutherford Harris, visited Norwich, and stayed at the Maid’s Head Hotel.
2.—The coming of age of Mr. John Calthorpe Blofeld, eldest son of Mr. Blofeld, of Hoveton House, was celebrated by the tenantry on the Hoveton estate.
11.—Died at Wreningham Rectory, the Rev. Arthur Wilson Upcher, who for 48 years was rector of Ashwellthorpe and Wreningham. Born at Sheringham in 1815, he was an excellent oar, and rowed number seven in the Cambridge boat when the first University boat race was contested from Westminster to Putney in 1836. Mr. Upcher was also a remarkably good shot.
13.—The announcement was made that Messrs. Gurneys and Co. had issued a circular stating the completion of arrangements for an important amalgamation of the businesses of certain private banks as a company under the name of Barclay and Co., Limited. The registered capital was £6,000,000. On October 31st the members of the old firm of Messrs. Gurneys and Co. were presented with a massive silver shield mounted on solid oak, and an illuminated address in which the subscribers, the citizens of Norwich, expressed their high appreciation of the long and honourable career of the firm and the influence for good exercised individually by the members. The presentation was made by the Mayor (Mr. John Moore).
19.—In the Queen’s Bench Division, before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury, the action Austin v. the Central News, Limited, and several provincial newspapers, the “Norfolk News” included, came on for trial. Mr. Austin, M.P. for West Limerick, complained that the defendants had published a libel concerning him, in a paragraph stating that in a speech he had sympathised with dynamiters. The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £1,000, of which the “Norfolk News” Company were adjudged to pay £100.
30.—A recumbent effigy placed in the north transept of Norwich Cathedral to the memory of the late Bishop Pelham was unveiled by the Rev. Canon Patteson. It was the work of Mr. James Forsyth, sculptor, of Finchley Road, Hampstead.
JULY.
1.—The Summer Show of the Norfolk Agricultural Association opened at East Dereham. The Hon. Ailwyn E. Fellowes, M.P., presided at the luncheon. The exhibition closed on the 2nd.
—The octo-centenary thanksgiving services commenced at Norwich Cathedral. The opening service was attended by the high official dignitaries of county and city, who entered the Cathedral in procession, marshalled by officers of the 7th Dragoon Guards. The Archbishop of Armagh preached to a vast congregation, and at the conclusion of the service the Dean and Mrs. Lefroy entertained a large and distinguished company to luncheon in a marquee erected in the Deanery grounds. The services were continued throughout the week.
1.—A party of American Congregationalists on a tour through Europe arrived at Norwich from Ely, attended the commemoration service at Norwich Cathedral, and were included among the guests at the Dean’s luncheon. In the evening they were present at a gathering held in their honour at the Old Meeting House, “the oldest home of Congregationalism in the city.” The Mayor (Mr. John Moore) presided, and the visitors were accorded an enthusiastic reception.
9.—Three sisters, Clara, Eleanor, and Ida Elizabeth Louisa Vipan, were drowned whilst wandering upon the treacherous sands at Holkham.
10.—The old colours of the 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment, brought from Aldershot by Colonel Shepherd and other officers, were laid up in the choir of Norwich Cathedral. The colours were borne under escort from the west door to the choir, the band of the 4th Battalion playing “The March of the Israelites.” With the usual ceremony the colours were then handed over to the care and custody of the Dean and Chapter.
21.—Mr. Ben Greet’s Company of Woodland Players gave at Bracondale Woods, Norwich, open air representations of “Twelfth Night” and of scenes from “Much Ado about Nothing,” in aid of the building fund of the Jenny Lind Infirmary.
22.—The marriage took place at Buckingham Palace of Princess Maud and Prince Charles of Denmark. Their Royal Highnesses were enthusiastically received at Lynn and Sandringham on their way to Appleton Hall. At Norwich the marriage was celebrated by the ringing of bells and by the display of flags on the public buildings. The county of Norfolk presented to their Royal Highnesses as a wedding gift an oak chest containing a service of plate, and the citizens of Norwich gave a handsomely appointed victoria. Gifts were also sent by the boroughs of Yarmouth and Lynn, and by the tenantry on the Sandringham estate.
AUGUST.
2.—The Norfolk Volunteer Infantry Brigade went into camp at Colchester under the command of Brigadier-General W. E. G. L. Bulwer.
5.—The Lord Chief Justice, with whom was Mr. Justice Lawrence, sitting as a divisional court, delivered judgment in an application “in re a solicitor, ex parte the Incorporated Law Society.” In this case the Statutory Committee of the society on July 10th, 1896, made a long and elaborate report, in which they stated that a certain number of allegations of professional misconduct had been proved to their satisfaction. The Lord Chief Justice dealt at considerable length with various points in the case, and concluded by saying: “The court would be failing in its duty if it did not in the most emphatic way mark its sense of the scandalous story disclosed in this report.” The order of the court was “that Isaac Bugg Coaks, of Bank Plain, Norwich, be struck off the rolls, and that he do pay the costs of the inquiry before the Statutory Committee and the costs of this application.”
26.—Mr. Fred Morgan, lessee of Norwich Theatre, was presented with a massive silver Monteith punch bowl and a purse of gold by members of the theatrical profession and personal friends.
SEPTEMBER.
2.—Died at Adelaide Place, Windsor, in her 91st year, Miss Jane Rigby, “second daughter and last surviving child of Dr. Edward Rigby, of Norwich.”
12.—A demonstration took place at Norwich in aid of the funds of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
27.—Died at St. Andrew’s Parsonage, Norwich, the Rev. Arthur Charles Copeman, M.B., vicar of St. Andrew’s, Honorary Canon of Norwich Cathedral, and rural dean of Norwich, aged 72. He was the youngest son of Mr. Edward Breese Copeman, and was born at Coltishall. At the age of 15 he was placed under the care of his eldest brother, Dr. Edward Copeman. On entering King’s College, London, as a medical student, he obtained his M.B. degree at the London University, won the gold medal in anatomy and physiology, and became an associate of King’s College. At the end of his student days he was offered, on the nomination of the Chancellor of the University, and accepted it, a commission on the Army Medical Staff. He soon resigned it, however, and commenced private practice at Epsom, when it became his ambition to enter the Church, and forthwith he applied himself to reading for Holy Orders. Ordained by the Bishop of Worcester, he was in 1851 admitted deacon and priest, and for the next five years held curacies at Warwick, Bury St. Edmund’s, and Wisbech. In the last-named town he worked single-handed among the cholera-stricken inhabitants, and received from them in recognition of his services an address, a collection of theological works, and a cheque for £100. Mr. Copeman’s work in Norwich began in January, 1857, when he was elected vicar of St. Andrew’s. He was appointed rural dean in 1870, and honorary canon in 1877. In 1881, on the death of Mr. Field, he became chairman of the Norwich Board of Guardians. He had been a member of the School Board, and was identified with the managing bodies of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and other charitable institutions.
29.—The Norwich Town Council, on a representation of the Inspector-General of Cavalry that the city would cease to be the headquarters of a cavalry regiment unless the drill-ground on Mousehold Heath were enlarged, authorised the hiring of 62 acres of land adjoining the drill-ground for a term not exceeding five years, at a rent to be agreed upon.
OCTOBER.
6.—The Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival commenced at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, with a performance of “Jeptha.” On the morning of the 7th was produced the dramatic oratorio “The Rose of Sharon,” and in the evening Suite No. 1 “Peer Gynt” (Grieg), “Blest Pair of Sirens” (C. Hubert H. Parry), conducted by the composer; a new violin concerto in D Minor (Frederic Cliffe), composed expressly for the Festival, and conducted by the composer, and the dramatic cantata “Fridolin” (A. Randegger), conducted by the composer. “Elijah” was performed on the morning of the 8th; and in the evening was produced the poetic cantata, “Hero and Leander” (Liugi Mancinelli), composed expressly for the Festival, and conducted by the composer. On the morning of the 9th was performed the sacred trilogy, “Redemption” (Gounod); and in the evening, overture, “Leonora,” No. 9 (Beethoven); Irish ballad for chorus and orchestra, “Phaudrig Crohoore” (C. V. Stanford), first time of performance, and conducted by the composer; suite in D Minor (Edward German), conducted by the composer; and Act 3, “Lohengrin” (Wagner). The principal artistes were Madame Albani, Miss Gertrude Izard, Madame Ella Russell, Miss Katherine Fisk, Miss Sarah Berry, Mr. Edward Lloyd, Mr. Reginald Brophy, Mr. Ben Davies, Mr. Watkin Mills, Mr. J. H. Brockbank, Mr. Andrew Black, and M. Tivadar Nachez (violin). Mr. Alberto Randegger was conductor. The receipts amounted to £5,191 17s. 2d., and the payments to £4,738 4s. 7d. Of the balance £200 was allocated to the local charities.
7.—The Prince of Wales visited Norwich on the occasion of the Musical Festival. Princess Louise, who with the Marquis of Lorne, was staying at Sheringham as the guest of Lord and Lady Battersea, arrived at Thorpe Station at 11.45, and awaited the arrival of the Royal train from Wolferton. The Prince of Wales, who was accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of York, arrived at twelve o’clock, and was received by Lord Suffield, who presented to their Royal Highnesses the Mayor and Mayoress and the Sheriff. Joined by Princess Louise the Royal party drove to St. Andrew’s Hall, where they were received by Mr. F. Oddin Taylor, honorary secretary to the Festival Committee, Mr. H. C. Bolingbroke, chairman of the Orchestral Committee, and Mr. C. R. Gilman, Deputy-Mayor and chairman of the Committee of Management. During an interval their Royal Highnesses were entertained to luncheon by the Mayor in the old Crypt of the Friars of the Sack; and at the conclusion of the performance they proceeded to the County Club. The Duke and Duchess of York and Princess Louise afterwards drove to the Cathedral, where they were received by the Dean, and had afternoon tea at the Deanery; and the Prince of Wales attended a Masonic gathering at the Agricultural Hall, where his Royal Highness unveiled a bust of Lord Suffield, presented to his lordship to mark the conclusion of his twenty years of office as Provincial Grand Master. His Royal Highness subsequently visited the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, and proceeded to the Deanery. The Royal visitors afterwards dined at the County Club, and attended the evening performance at St. Andrew’s Hall. They left early, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of York for Sandringham, and Princess Louise for Overstrand.
9.—Princess Louise, accompanied by the Marquis of Lorne, M.P., arrived at Norwich from Cromer, and proceeding to the High School for Girls distributed the prizes.
11.—A memorial service was held at Norwich Cathedral on the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury. “The late Archbishop’s sister, Miss Benson, was for some years head-mistress of the Norwich High School for Girls when that institution had its home in St. Giles’ Street at the house now occupied by Sir Peter Eade.”
16.—Died at Norwich, Mr. William Alexander Delaselle Eden, better known as William Herbert, the actor. Before adopting the stage as a profession he held a commission in the 33rd (Duke of Wellington’s) Regiment. His remains were interred at West Runton.
17.—A recommendation by the Norfolk Highways Committee that the management of main roads in the county should in future be imposed upon the District Councils constituted therein, was rejected by the Norfolk County Council by 44 votes against 20.
21.—The first celebration of the anniversary of Trafalgar was observed in Norwich, on the initiation of the Navy League, by the decoration of the Nelson statue in the Cathedral Close.
NOVEMBER.
9.—Mr. Charles Rackham Gilman was elected Mayor and Mr. Henley Curl appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
18.—It was reported at a meeting of the Norwich Town Council that plans had been deposited at the Town Clerk’s office for a proposed tramway scheme. At a meeting of the Council on December 15th it was stated that another scheme had been introduced, and was known as the Norwich and District Light Railways. Its object was to bring into closer connection with the city the outlying hamlets of Costessey, Thorpe St. Andrew, Trowse Newton, and Eaton, and plans had been deposited by the New General Traction Company, Limited. Both schemes were referred to committee. (See January 19th, 1897.)
21.—The Duke of York, as president of the Norfolk and Norwich Christmas Show Association, arrived at Norwich and visited the exhibition of the association at the Agricultural Hall. His Royal Highness, on leaving the show, had luncheon with Mr. Colman, at Carrow Abbey, and in the afternoon left Trowse station for Sandringham.
25.—At a meeting of the Norwich Board of Guardians a deputation was appointed to visit towns where the rate-books were made out in street older, and to obtain information upon the subject of an improved method of collecting the rates. This important matter, originally introduced by Mr. William Coke Gee, resulted in the adoption of a system by which the rate-books were made out in street order, the daily collection of rates introduced, the rate collectors’ districts redistributed, and the half-yearly collection ended in March and September.
27.—Died at Hill House, Mill Hill Road, Norwich, Mr. Thomas Ballan Stead, permanent secretary of the Ancient Order of Foresters. Mr. Stead came from Dundee on the removal of the headquarters of the society to Norwich. Prior to his election as secretary to the Foresters, Mr. Stead was engaged in journalism, and devoted himself mainly to studying questions affecting the social well-being of the artizan classes.
DECEMBER.
2.—Mr. Bancroft, the actor, gave a reading of Charles Dickens’ “Christmas Carol” at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, in aid of the Blind School and the Norwich Lying-in Charity.
9.—A regimental ball given at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, by Colonel Rough and officers of the 7th Dragoon Guards.
12.—Mr. Caleb Barker was elected secretary to the Norfolk Agricultural Association in place of Mr. James Bacon, resigned.
14.—A poll was opened for the election of a vicar for the parish of St. Andrew, Norwich. The candidates were the Rev. A. G. Copeman, son of the late vicar, the Rev. S. A. D. Suffling, and the Rev. R. Middleton. Mr. Copeman received 170 votes, Mr. Suffling 129, and Mr. Middleton 46.
28.—Died at Park Lane, Norwich, Mr. Manning Prentice Squirrell, aged 61. He was a son of Mr. Robert Squirrell, of Stowmarket, and head of the firm of Squirrell and Utting, merchants. In 1887 Mr. Squirrell was returned as a Liberal member of the Norwich Town Council, but dissented from his party, and at a subsequent election was defeated at the poll. A well informed man, he took great interest in economic and fiscal questions, and was an active member of the Norwich Science Gossip Club.
1897.
JANUARY.
19.—The Norwich Town Council ordered a petition to be presented to Parliament against a scheme for the construction of electric tramways in the city. This course was adopted not in a hostile spirit, but with the object of making the best terms possible for the citizens. On February 9th the Corporation gave its consent to the Tramways Bill then before Parliament, and on February 23rd a petition signed by nearly 23,500 inhabitants of the city was presented to the Town Council, asking them to support the projected electric tramways as distinct from the proposed scheme of light railways. The Parliamentary and By-laws Committee on April 13th reported that they had considered side by side the merits and proposals of the New General Traction Company, Limited, to construct electric tramways in the city and Thorpe, and of the British Electric Traction Company, Limited, to construct light railways in the city and district, and were of opinion that the interests of the city would be best served by making an arrangement with the former company. It was understood that the company had given an undertaking to withdraw their Bill from Parliament at any time upon the request of the Corporation. On April 23rd the Council adopted the following motion:—“(a) To enable the New General Traction Company, Limited, to carry their Bill through Parliament if terms can be arranged with the company satisfactory to the committee, for the construction of electric tramways in the city; (b) to oppose the application of the British Electric Traction Company, Limited, for an order by the Light Railway Commissioners authorising the company to construct light railways in the city and adjoining districts; (c) that the committee be authorised to take such action and incur such costs as may in their opinion be necessary to carry out the above resolutions.” On May 31st the Norwich Electric Tramways Bill was considered by a Select Committee of the House of Commons, and it was announced that all opposition had been withdrawn; and on July 20th it was stated that the Bill had passed through the House of Commons and been read a second time in the House of Lords. (See February 5th, 1898.)
19.—The resignation of Mr. Robert Hitchman, of the office of Chief Constable, which he had held for 38 years, was received by the Norwich Town Council, who granted him a retiring pension of £273 6s. 8d.
—The Norwich Town Council accepted the offer of Messrs. Gurneys and Co. to present to the Corporation a set of civic robes.
22.—The roads in many parts of the county were rendered impassable by snowdrifts; the river traffic between Norwich and Yarmouth was impeded by ice, and in the stormy weather which prevailed much damage was occasioned to the Yarmouth fishing fleet and coast-bound vessels.
23.—A public meeting convened by the Lord-Lieutenant of the county (the Earl of Leicester) and the Mayor (Mr. C. R. Gilman) was held at the Guildhall, Norwich, to decide upon the method of celebrating locally the Diamond Jubilee of her Majesty the Queen. The Dean of Norwich moved “That subscriptions be invited in order to raise a sum of money, to be called the Diamond Jubilee Fund, for the purpose of building a new Jenny Lind Infirmary for Sick Children, it being the strong feeling of the meeting that no memorial could be found more typical of the tender sympathy and interest ever shown by her Majesty in the sufferings and needs of her people.” Viscount Coke seconded the resolution, and a committee was appointed to raise the fund. (See March 15th, 1898.)
25.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Cave, Henry Greaves Corsbie (37), clerk, pleaded guilty to feloniously endorsing and uttering a banker’s cheque for the payment of £31 12s. 1d. with intent to defraud the Norfolk and Norwich Savings Bank on July 15th, 1893, and was sentenced to seven years’ penal servitude. The prisoner had been guilty of frauds extending over a period of ten years.
—John George Foster (35) was indicted at the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Cave, for the wilful murder of Alice Maria Newby, at 60, Pottergate Street, Norwich, on December 8th, 1896. He was found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to penal servitude for life.
FEBRUARY.
2.—The Girls’ Home in Botolph Street, Norwich, established by the Board of Guardians with the object of removing young children from workhouse surroundings, was opened by the Mayor (Mr. C. R. Gilman).
6.—A sudden thaw accompanied by heavy rain caused extensive floods in low-lying districts of the county. Great alarm was occasioned in Norwich by the rising of the Wensum and the flooding of premises in Heigham Street. The waters subsided on the 7th.
7.—Died at Luxor, Egypt, Mr. Alan Cozens-Hardy Colman, aged 30, son of Mr. J. J. Colman, of Carrow House, Norwich. Mr. Colman, who was a member of the Norfolk County Council, was of a studious disposition, and applied himself to mechanics. Although in affluent circumstances he voluntarily became a pupil at the Stratford works of the Great Eastern Railway Company, was for a number of years an active confrere of the workmen employed there, adapted himself to their conditions of labour, and made himself generally popular.
11.—Died at Hackford Hall, Reepham, Georgina Frances Amy, widow of Mr. John Collyer, and eldest daughter of Sir William Johnston, of that ilk, of Hilton House, Woodside, Aberdeen. Mrs. Collyer, who was in her 92nd year, was at the time of Wellington’s great campaign being educated at Brussels, where her parents resided, and were among the guests who attended the Duchess of Richmond’s ball on the night before Waterloo. She had a vivid recollection of June 15th, 1815. With her younger sisters, she in the early dawn watched from the windows of her parents’ house the troops passing to the field. Later in the day the girls attended school as usual, and soon became aware that the battle had begun. The servant sent to fetch her from school lost herself in the crowd, and the children made their way home alone, groping by the walls and passing through the throng of troops marching to the field and the thickening stream of prisoners and wounded returning. On the 17th and 18th she was all day helping her parents to hand water and wine to the wounded as they passed the door. Mrs. Collyer had personal recollections of Mendelssohn, whose wife was long her intimate acquaintance, and of Spohr, whose playing she had often heard and admired.
18.—The members at Norwich of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives resolved to go out on strike. On April 17th it was stated “the desertions from the ranks of the shoe strikers and their return to work have been steady and persistent during the week, although many hundreds are still out.” Several charges of intimidation from time to time occupied the attention of the magistrates. On July 20th the Mayor made an appeal to masters and men to endeavour to formulate a plan for the settlement of their differences, but without effect. The strike having lasted six months, a meeting of the men was held at the Victoria Hall, at which it was stated that £10,000 had been expended in strike pay, and it was resolved that the struggle be continued. After lasting thirty-four weeks the strike came to an end on October 22nd, when terms were signed by the representatives of the masters and of the men. The last distribution of strike pay was made on the 23rd, and the men returned to work on the 25th (St. Crispin’s Day).
MARCH.
5.—Died at his residence in the Close, Norwich, the Rev. Canon James William Lucas Heaviside. In 1838 he was professor of mathematics at Haileybury College, in 1843 examiner in mathematics and natural philosophy at the University of London, and in 1858 examiner for the Council of Military Education. He was appointed Canon residentiary of Norwich Cathedral in 1860, and afterwards became examiner in mathematics to Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, who, when stationed at Norwich with his regiment, the 7th Hussars, was a frequent visitor at Canon Heaviside’s residence. Her Majesty the Queen, to mark her appreciation of his services, presented him with a massive silver inkstand and a portrait of the Duke. For many years Canon Heaviside was chairman of the governors of the Grammar and Commercial Schools, a trustee of Norman’s Endowed School, and one of the trustees for the management of the local charities. When the first Norwich School Board was formed in 1872 Canon Heaviside was elected chairman.
6.—The removal of Judge Addison from the Norfolk County Court Circuit to Southwark, and the appointment of Mr. William Willis, Q.C., as judge in his place, was announced.
—Died, the Rev. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, LL.D., compiler of the “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,” and of other well-known works. Dr. Brewer, who was nearly 87 years of age, spent his younger days in Norwich as a teacher in his father’s school. In 1832 he went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, took his degree in Civil Law in 1835, and obtained his degree as LL.D. in 1844. He was ordained in 1834 in the diocese of Ely. At the time of his death he was residing with his son-in-law, the Rev. H. T. Hayman, vicar of Edwinstowe, Newark.
16.—Died at his London residence, 37, Hyde Park Gardens, W., the Right Hon. Sir Edward Ebenezer Kay, of Thorpe Abbots, Scole. He was a son of Mr. Robert Kay, of Bury, Lancashire, and brother Sir J. Kay Shuttleworth. Born January 2nd, 1822, he studied for the law, began his career as law reporter, and became Queen’s Counsel in 1866. At the General Election in 1874 he contested Clitheroe in the Liberal interest, and was defeated. In 1878 he gave up exclusive practice in Vice-chancellor Bacon’s Court and became a special. On the retirement of Vice-Chancellor Malins in 1881 Kay was made a “journeyman judge” of the Chancery Division, and in that position he remained until the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Bacon in 1886. In 1890, on the retirement of Sir Henry Cotton, Mr. Justice Kay was promoted to the Court of Appeal. He was on the commission of the peace for the county, and was formerly a chairman of Norfolk Quarter Sessions.
17.—Sir William Harcourt, leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, addressed a meeting of the National Liberal Federation at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich. The Earl of Kimberley presided and delivered an address, which elicited severe strictures from Lord Salisbury in the House of Lords on March 19th.
21.—Died at the Cheshire Cheese Hotel, Surrey Street, Strand, when fulfilling a professional engagement in London, Mr. Mark Knights, chief reporter on the staff of the “Eastern Daily Press.” Mr. Knights was suffocated by an escape of gas in his bed-room, and at the inquest the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. He was the author of several works on archæological and other subjects. His “Highways and Byways of Norwich” and “Peeps at the Past” are regarded as standard works. Relinquishing the study of antiquarian matters, which by his skilful treatment interested a wide circle of readers, Mr. Knights had taken up the work of interpreting Shakespeare in the light of Scripture, a subject that appealed to a very limited section. He published in 1893 a book entitled “Hamlet Interpreted,” which failed to bring him a reputation such as he achieved by his archæological works. Mr. Knights was 53 years of age, and had been thirty-five years engaged on the Press.
APRIL.
13.—Mr. Edwin F. Winch, Chief Constable of Truro, was appointed Chief Constable of Norwich at the salary of £350 per annum.
14.—Mr. Sydney Cozens-Hardy, clerk to the Norwich School Board, was presented with an illuminated address by the officials of the Board on the attainment of his twenty-one years’ service.
18.—Died at Orford Hill, Norwich, the Rev. William Frederic Creeny, M.A., F.S.A., aged 72. Mr. Creeny graduated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 1853, and was soon afterwards ordained. After serving as curate at St. Mark, Lakenham, he removed to Wellingborough, and subsequently became chaplain to the Bishop of St. Helena, and chaplain of St. Leonard and Isle of Ryde, Sydney, where he remained until 1872. In 1873–4 he was curate of St. John, Upper Norwood, and in 1876 curate of Soham, Cambridgeshire. In the latter year he was presented by Lady Lothian to the living of St. Michael-at-Thorn, Norwich. Mr. Creeny enriched the transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society by many valuable contributions relating to the history of Norwich, and in 1884 he published his magnificent work on “Monumental Brasses on the Continent of Europe,” a field of labour “hitherto almost untilled.” Another scarcely less laborious task was achieved by the publication by Mr. Creeny, in November, 1891, of “Illustrations of Incised Slabs.” Mr. Creeny had visited India, China, and Palestine, and his experiences in the Holy Land were afterwards published in a small book entitled “Notes of a Journey to Jerusalem.”
22.—The Norwich Diocesan Conference was opened at Noverre’s Rooms, Norwich, and concluded on the 23rd. A special meeting was held on June 10th to discuss the subject of local taxation as affecting tithe rent-charge.
30.—The Countess of Leicester opened at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, a “Foreign Fair,” in aid of the building fund of the St. George’s Home for Working Girls.
MAY.
2.—Died at Tunbridge Wells, the Very Rev. Edward Meyrick Goulburn, D.D., formerly Dean of Norwich, aged 79. Born in London on February 11th, 1818, he was a son of Mr. Serjeant Goulburn, Q.C., and was educated at Eton, whence he proceeded to Balliol College, Oxford, where he obtained his B.A. degree in 1839. In 1842 he was admitted into deacon’s orders by Dr. Bagot, Bishop of Oxford, and in the same year was ordained priest. A Fellow of Merton College, Dr. Goulburn was, on the elevation of Dr. Tait to the deanery of Carlisle in 1849, appointed to the head-mastership of Rugby School. He resigned the post in 1858, and became minister of Quebec Chapel, St. Marylebone. In 1859 he was nominated by the Bishop of London to St. John’s, Paddington, and was appointed prebendary of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Upon the deanery of Norwich becoming vacant in 1866 by the death of the Hon. and Very Rev. Dean Pellew, who had held it since 1828, Dr. Goulburn was appointed thereto. He was the author of several theological works. A learned antiquary, he succeeded Sir John Boileau, F.S.A. (who died in 1869), as president of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society. He did much for the restoration of Norwich Cathedral, and expended upon the work from his own private means the sum of £10,000, and raised the further amount of £4,000. In conjunction with Precentor Symonds, Dean Goulburn wrote the greater portion of the valuable work “The Ancient Sculptures in the Roof of Norwich Cathedral”; and in 1876 published a life of Herbert de Losinga. One of his last works was the “Life of Dean Burgon.” Dean Goulburn was also the author of the “Book of Rugby School.”
24.—The Queen’s birthday was observed at Norwich by a military review on Mousehold Heath. The 7th Dragoon Guards, the depôt company of the Norfolk Regiment, the 3rd Battalion Norfolk Regiment (Militia), and the Artillery and Rifle Volunteers took part.
JUNE.
1.—The centenary of the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society was celebrated at Norwich. A banquet was held at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of Mr. H. S. Patteson, and was attended by the society’s representatives from all parts of the world.
10.—At the Norwich Assizes, which commenced on this date, before Mr. Justice Mathew, John Furness, aged 64, solicitor, was indicted for fraudulently appropriating to his own use a deed of mortgage on December 30th, 1887. He was found guilty, and recommended to mercy on account of his age, and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment without hard labour.
16.—The Summer Show of the Norfolk Agricultural Association was opened at Fakenham. Viscount Coke presided at the public luncheon. The show closed on the 17th.
20.—The celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria began at Norwich this day (Sunday) with special thanksgiving services at the Cathedral, St. Peter Mancroft, and other churches. On the 21st 125 carcases of sheep and 20 quarters of beef allotted to Norwich out of the gift sent from Australia for distribution among the poor in the large towns of Great Britain, were divided among 1,500 recipients at Blackfriars’ Hall. The Jubilee day was celebrated on the 22nd. Early in the morning the bells of St. Peter Mancroft were rung, and a Royal salute of twenty-one guns fired on Mousehold Heath by the mounted batteries of the Artillery Volunteers. Later 9,000 children from the public elementary schools assembled in the Market Place and sang the National Anthem, and Mr. George White, Chairman of the School Board, announced, amid great enthusiasm, that the Queen had conferred the honour of knighthood upon the Mayor (Mr. C. R. Gilman). A service of praise and thanksgiving was held at the Cathedral at 11 o’clock, and was attended in state by the Mayor and Corporation. At noon the Artillery and Rifle Volunteers, with the depôt company of the Norfolk Regiment, fired a feu de joie in the Market Place, and at one o’clock Sir Charles and Lady Gilman held a reception at the Guildhall, where the company were invited to drink the Queen’s health. In the afternoon there was a floral procession through the streets of the city, sports took place on the Earlham Road Recreation Ground, a “costume” cricket match was played on the Lakenham ground, and a captive balloon made frequent ascents from the Cattle Market. In the evening the city was illuminated, a firework display was given, on Castle Meadow, and a bonfire lighted on St. James’s Hill. On the 24th the Mayor and Sheriff gave a dinner at St. Andrew’s Hall to upwards of 1,000 of the aged poor, and in the evening Sir Charles and Lady Gilman held a brilliant reception at the Castle Museum. The Jubilee was observed at Yarmouth, Lynn, Thetford, and at all towns and villages in the county.
JULY.
16.—The Wild-Collins voting apparatus, for expediting and facilitating voting at Parliamentary and Municipal elections, invented by Mr. Edward Wild and Mr. A. E. Collins, City Engineer, was exhibited at the Municipal offices, Norwich.
17.—Died at Old Buckenham, Mr. William Thomas Simpson, in his 67th year. A native of Bury St. Edmund’s, where his father was master of the Grammar School, he was the senior partner of the old established firm of Salter and Simpson, auctioneers and valuers. Mr. Simpson had great practical knowledge of agriculture, and was an excellent breeder and judge of cattle.
AUGUST.
2.—The proceedings of the High Court of the Ancient Order of Foresters opened at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich. The delegates had been received on July 31st by Sir Charles and Lady Gilman at St. Andrew’s Hall. A fête took place at Catton Park on the 2nd, and a garden party was given at Hellesdon House by Sir Harry and Lady Bullard on the 3rd.
3.—A fire occurred on Ringland Hills. It extended over an area of between seven and eight acres, and destroyed many trees in the adjoining plantation.
6.—Great damage was done by a fire which occurred at Cullingford’s paper mills, St. Martin’s Plain, Norwich.
12.—Relays of cyclists belonging to the four battalions of the Norfolk Volunteer Infantry Brigade, conveyed a message from Lynn to Yarmouth, viâ Norwich and Brandon, and back, a distance of 162 miles in 12 hours 55 minutes. The cyclists carried their usual equipment, which included rifle and bayonet, water bottle, and haversack.
—A fire occurred on premises in Denmark Street, Diss, and caused damage estimated at £6,000.
18.—The Mayor of Norwich (Sir Charles R. Gilman) received honour of knighthood at the hands of the Queen at Osborne House.
20.—The Wayside Chapel at Houghton St. Giles’ was opened. The building, which had been used at a barn, is an interesting example of the transition from the Decorated to the Perpendicular style. It was built about 1380, and had become by purchase the property of Miss Boyd, of Kilburn, a wealthy Roman Catholic lady, who undertook its restoration. A party of “pilgrims” from London formed a procession at Walsingham, and headed by a crucifix and lighted tapers, and attended by a priest, walked to the chapel, where a private service was held.
31.—The China Cup, won at the Bisley meeting by a team of Norfolk Volunteers, was ceremoniously handed over to the custody of the Mayor (Sir Charles R. Gilman) at the Castle Museum, Norwich. The Cup was first won by Norfolk in 1877.
SEPTEMBER.
2.—Died at Gressenhall Workhouse, Peter Pentney, in his 101st year. He was a native of Mattishall, and “unlike most reputed centenarians he was able to produce a duly certified copy of his baptismal register.”
4.—A waterspout occurred off Cromer in wet and stormy weather. It struck the trawler Strive about six miles south-west of Smith’s Knoll. The vessel was turned on her beam ends, and considerably damaged. The waterspout, which towered above the mast of the trawler, travelled at a rapid rate, and in three minutes was out of sight.
8.—Died at Park Lane, Norwich, Mr. James Spilling, editor of the “Eastern Daily Press.” Mr. Spilling was a native of Ipswich, where he was born in 1825, and came to Norwich in 1863 to fulfil an engagement on the “Norfolk News.” He was the author of a series of sketches in the East Anglian vernacular illustrative of rural life and humour; his more solid work was devoted to the exposition of the philosophy and theology of Swedenborg, in whose teachings Mr. Spilling had a sincere belief. These books included “The Evening and Morning,” “Amid the Corn,” “Among the Flowers,” “The Wreath and the Ring,” and “Our Society.”
13.—Died at 35, King Street, Norwich, Mr. William Philip Barnes Freeman, aged 84. He was the eldest son of Mr. William Freeman, Mayor of Norwich in 1843, and received his early education under Capt. Bailey, at Hellesdon. Afterwards he went to the Yarmouth Academy under the Rev. Mr. Bowles, where he obtained lessons in drawing from John Sell Cotman, and his education was completed at Norwich Grammar School under Valpy. His art studies were continued under Cotman for water colour and under T. B. Ladbrooke for oil painting, and he was intimate with David Cox, Stark, Henry Bright, Vincent, and other artists of his day. Mr. Freeman was a contributor to the exhibitions of the Royal Academy and of the Royal Society of Artists. His grandfather, Jeremiah Freeman, his father, and his uncle, Philip Barnes, were all members of the old Norwich Society of Artists founded by Old Crome.
20.—A Military and Naval Exhibition was opened at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, by Colonel Burton, commanding the 9th Regimental District.
23.—Mr. Paynton Pigott, Chief Constable of Norfolk, was presented by the officers and men of the County Constabulary with a gift of silver plate on the occasion of the seventeenth anniversary of his election to the office.
25.—At the Shirehall, Norwich, was unveiled by Mr. R. T. Gurdon a portrait of Mr. Clare Sewell Read, subscribed for by the county in acknowledgment of his valuable services in the interests of agriculture. The portrait, which was painted by J. J. Shannon, R.A., was afterwards hung at the Castle Museum.
OCTOBER.
15.—A special Church mission commenced at Norwich and was concluded on the 29th.
18.—St. Clement’s churchyard, Norwich, laid out as a public garden by the Norwich Playing Fields and Open Spaces Society, was opened by the Mayor (Sir Charles R. Gilman).
24.—Died, at Oberlin House, St. Leonard’s Road, Ealing, in his 90th year, the Rev. John Stoughton, D.D. The son of a Norwich solicitor he was born in the parish of St. Michael-at-Plea, and was for sixty-five years in the Congregational ministry. Among his literary works was his book entitled “Recollections of a Long Life.”
—Died at Cranley Place, London, Mr. Francis Turner Palgrave, formerly Professor of Poetry at Oxford. The eldest son of Sir Francis Palgrave, he was born at Great Yarmouth in 1824, and was educated at the Charterhouse and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a scholar. In 1847 he took his degree with a first in Classics, and was elected to a Fellowship at Exeter College. From 1850 to 1855 he was Vice-Principal of the training college at Kneller Hall, and after acting as secretary to Earl Granville, became assistant secretary to the Committee of the Privy Council on Education.
26.—A serious outbreak of typhoid fever was reported at Lynn; and by December 18th 440 cases and 43 deaths had occurred. The disease was occasioned by the impurity of the water supply, and it was stated that at least 75 per cent. of the cases could be traced to the drinking of unboiled water.
—Mr. T. Richmond Pinder resigned the head-mastership of King Edward VI. Middle School, Norwich, to which he was appointed in 1862. Mr. William Robert Gurley, M.A., of the Perse Grammar School, Cambridge, was on February 8th, 1898, elected to fill the vacancy.
—Died at Old Lakenham, Norwich, Mr. Carlos Cooper, barrister-at-law. He was the second son of Mr. Charles Cooper, and was born February 12th, 1815. Educated at Norwich Grammar School he was called to the Bar by the Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 1839, and was appointed Recorder of Thetford in 1865. He afterwards became Recorder of King’s Lynn, was placed on the commission of the peace for the city of Norwich in 1873, and shortly afterwards appointed judge of the Guildhall Court of Record on the death of Mr. Nathaniel Palmer.