27.—Died, Jacob Astley, Lord Hastings, of Melton Constable and of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. He was son of Sir Jacob Henry Astley, fifth baronet, by the youngest daughter and co-heiress of Samuel Browne, of King’s Lynn. His lordship was born in 1797, married in March, 1819, the youngest daughter of Sir Henry Watkin Dashwood, Bart., and succeeded his father in the baronetcy in 1817. As one of the heirs of Sir John de Hastings, who sat in the Parliament of 18th Edward I., he was summoned to the House of Peers in 1841. He was appointed first Captain and Commandant of the Norfolk Militia Artillery in 1853, and Hon. Colonel in 1856. From 1832 to 1837 he represented West Norfolk in Parliament. His lordship was succeeded by his son, the Hon. Jacob Henry Delaval Astley, born in 1822.
5.—At the County Sessions, at Norwich, the Committee appointed at the previous Sessions recommended that the Chief Constable, on the application of the High Sheriff, be allowed to supply police-constables for keeping order in the Assize Courts, in place of the javelin men previously employed, the High Sheriff engaging to pay the additional expense. The Chairman (Sir Willoughby Jones) remarked that theoretically the javelin men kept the Courts, but practically they kept the neighbouring public-houses. The recommendation was agreed to. On March 27th, Mr. Justice Williams was received at Victoria Station by the High Sheriff (Mr. Henry Birkbeck) and a posse of policemen, “in the place of the time-honoured body which had long constituted a conspicuous part of the pomp and circumstance of our Assizes, having at length succumbed to the utilitarian tyranny of the age. His arrival at the Shirehall and Guildhall was signalised, however, by the customary fanfaronade on a couple of inharmonious trumpets.”
15.—St. Giles’ church, Norwich, was for the first time lighted with gas, and evening services were held there from this date.
17.—Mr. E. E. Benest, City Surveyor, tendered his resignation to the Norwich Town Council, after eight years’ service. He was succeeded, on March 14th, by Mr. Thomas D. Barry.
20.—Lord Sondes was presented by his Norfolk tenantry with a piece of plate, of the value of 140 gs., as a birthday gift and as a testimony of the esteem in which he was held by them as a landlord and nobleman.
7.—A fire occurred on the premises of Mr. W. C. Aberdein, pastry cook, Dove Street, Norwich. The outbreak itself was not of a serious character, but in a room upon the adjoining premises of Mr. Cubitt, ironmonger, was stored upwards of 400 lbs. of gunpowder, which was safely removed in wet blankets. The circumstance caused much sensation, and the practicability of establishing a public powder magazine was discussed by the magistrates.
20.—Died at King’s Lynn, Mr. J. F. Reddie, many years organist at St. Margaret’s church, in that town.
24.—A petition against the return of Sir Edmund Lacon and Sir H. Stracey, as members of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, in April, 1859, commenced before a Special Committee of the House of Commons. The petitioners, Mr. Joseph Bayly, surgeon, and Mr. Robert Pilgrim, linen draper, alleged bribery, undue influence, treating, and intimidation. On March 1st the Committee declared the members to have been duly elected, and were of opinion that one of the witnesses, Henry Fayerman, had been guilty of wilful and corrupt perjury. The members were received with great enthusiasm on their return to Yarmouth, and were entertained at a public dinner, given at the Theatre, on April 12th. At the Westminster Police Court, on June 11th, Fayerman was committed for trial on the charge of perjury, but at the Old Bailey, on July 12th, the jury gave a verdict of acquittal.
28.—A terrible gale raged throughout the country. At Norwich, between ten o’clock and noon, the thermometer rose from 36 degrees to 47 degrees; at two o’clock it registered 45 degrees. The wind blew from the west, veering occasionally to the north and to w.n.w., but during the height of the gale it blew west by north. Great damage was done to buildings, trees were uprooted, and “locomotion was extremely difficult and laborious, and, indeed, quite out of the question to those of the fair sex whose fashionable expanded dresses, assuming the properties of parachutes, compelled them to undertake a species of aerial voyage for a distance of a few yards, or exposed them to the still more unpleasant predicament of having their parachute garments inverted.” There were many disasters along the coast, and several lives were lost.
9.—A Special Committee of the House of Commons sat to decide various questions arising out of the elections at Norwich in 1859. The first point to be decided was whether Lord Bury’s claim, by virtue of the election in July, was not nullified by the bribery which was proved to have been made by his agents when he was returned with Mr. Schneider in April; and secondly, whether, in the event of such disqualification, Sir Samuel Bignold or Colonel Boldero had a valid claim. There were three petitions: (1) against the return of Lord Bury and the qualification of Sir Samuel Bignold, on the ground that both had been guilty of bribery at the April election, and the seat was, therefore, claimed for Colonel Boldero (signed by Josiah Fletcher, S. Jarrold, and J. J. Kempster); (2) alleging the disqualification of Lord Bury, and claiming the seat for Sir Samuel Bignold (signed by J. G. Johnson and R. Kerrison); and (3) alleging the disqualification of both Lord Bury and Sir Samuel Bignold, and claiming the seat for Colonel Boldero (signed by P. Back and G. C. Stevens). No appearance was put in in support of the first petition. The Committee declared that Lord Bury was not merely disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons during the then Parliament, but the last election was void, in consequence of his lordship having been found, since that return, guilty of bribery by his agents. A writ was then issued for another election, and on March 28th the following candidates were nominated: Mr. W. Forlonge (C), Aynhoe Park, Northamptonshire; Mr. W. D. Lewis, Q.C. (C); Sir William Russell (L), and Mr. Edward Warner (L). The polling took place on the 29th, and the result was officially declared on the 30th, as follows: Warner, 2,083; Russell, 2,045; Forlonge, 1,636; Lewis, 1,631.
24.—Died at his residence, Hillington Hall, aged 73, Sir William John Henry Browne ffolkes, Bart. He represented the county, and afterwards the Western Division, as a supporter of Liberal principles from 1830 through the Reform era, but lost the seat on the redaction of the Conservative party in 1837, when Mr. Bagge and Mr. Chute were returned. As a magistrate, country gentleman, and landlord, Sir William was highly esteemed. He was Chairman of Quarter Sessions at Swaffham, and chairman of the Norfolk Estuary Company. He was succeeded by his grandson, William Howell, then in his twelfth year, and eldest son of Martin Brown ffolkes, who was killed by lightning in July, 1849.
24.—The Rev. J. W. L. Heaviside was installed Canon of Norwich Cathedral, in succession to Canon Wodehouse, resigned. Mr. Heaviside was a professor at Haileybury College, an examiner in mathematics for the University of London and for the Council of Military Education, and a brother of Mr. Heaviside, formerly master of the Norwich School of Art.
29.—At the Norwich Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and a special jury, was tried a libel action, in which Mr. Samuel B. Cory, solicitor, Yarmouth, was the plaintiff, and Mr. T. W. Bond, publisher of the “Norfolk News,” Norwich, the defendant. The libel was contained in a letter written to the newspaper by a Mr. Fabb, who alleged, among other things, that Mr. Cory had laid informations in certain game cases, with the object of putting the fees into his own pocket. Mr. Fabb, it was understood, had indemnified the “Norfolk News.” The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with one farthing damages, as to that part of the libel above quoted, and for the defendant as to other portions of the libel, on the ground that they had been justified as true. The effect of the verdict was that plaintiff had to pay his own costs and half the costs of the defendant. In a second action, Mr. Fabb sued Mr. Cory for malicious prosecution, and obtained a verdict for £30 damages.
30.—Died, in her 63rd year, at Cheltenham, while on a visit to her son-in-law, the Rev. J. F. Fenn, Lady Bignold, wife of Sir Samuel Bignold.
2.—An important will case, Wright v. Wilkin, commenced at the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and a special jury. It was brought in the form of an action for ejectment to recover possession of certain tenements and lands held by the defendant, Thomas Martin Wilkin, solicitor, of Lynn, under the will of an old lady named Mary Mann. The plaintiff, who was heir-at-law, alleged that the will was obtained from an infirm and weak-minded person by fraudulent practices and contrivances. The will had already been disputed, and in that trial a verdict was given in favour of Mr. Wilkin; this action was brought because there had come to the knowledge of the plaintiff facts and circumstances which had been entirely withheld from the former jury. The trial lasted until the afternoon of the 3rd, when the jury found for the defendant, subject to argument upon certain points reserved. These were stated in the Court of Queen’s Bench on April 9th, and were to the effect that the devise to the defendant was defeated by his neglect to comply with a condition of the will, namely, that the devise was conditional on the devisee paying off certain legacies within twelvemonths in case the personal estate should be insufficient for that purpose. It transpired that the personal estate was insufficient, but the defendant did not pay one of the legacies within the time stipulated. It was also contended for the plaintiff that the devise to the defendant was void, inasmuch as it was a contrivance to defeat the Statute of Mortmain, several of the legacies being for charitable purposes, and that the defendant had misled the testatrix by not telling her that, under 43rd George III., she could leave as much as five acres of land for the repair of the church. Lord Chief Justice Cockburn granted a rule nisi. In the Court of Queen’s Bench, on November 27th, the Lord Chief Justice said the rule must be discharged, as the words in the will were not intended to impose a condition, the non-observance of which would involve forfeiture. Mr. Justice Crompton and Mr. Justice Blackburn concurred. The rule was discharged.
24.—The Queen’s birthday was celebrated at Norwich by a parade on Mousehold of the Royal Horse Artillery, the West Norfolk Militia, and the Rifle Volunteers. The Mayor afterwards entertained the officers at luncheon at the Guildhall, and in the evening the Volunteers dined at St. Andrew’s Hall, under the presidency of Major Brett.
28.—A violent gale from the north-west did extensive damage in Norwich and throughout the county. Terrible disasters were reported on the coast. Twenty vessels belonging to Yarmouth and Lowestoft were lost, 200 men and boys perished, and 240 women and children were left in a state of destitution. On the 29th an inquiry was held at Yarmouth into certain allegations as to the conduct of the beachmen and crew of the lifeboat. It was stated that, in consequence of differences which had arisen, much valuable time was lost in launching the lifeboat, and a resolution expressing regret at the delay was adopted. A public fund was raised for the destitute families of the local fishermen. During the gale, the north-east pinnacle of St. Peter’s church, Yarmouth, was dislodged, the windows of Cromer church were blown in, and at Blickling 247 oaks were uprooted in the Great Wood, 216 in Hercules Wood, and 190 in other portions of the park. It was estimated that 1,500 trees were levelled on the estate.
—The American horse tamer, Rarey, gave an exhibition of his system of training, in the riding school at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich.
4.—The Royal Horse Artillery marched from the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich, en route to Woolwich, and were escorted to the city boundary by the Rifle Volunteers.
9.—An extraordinary case, arising out of the sudden disappearance of a lad named Vansittart, came before the Norwich magistrates. The lad was a son of Mr. Vansittart, member of Parliament for Windsor, and had been placed at school under the care of the Rev. F. H. S. Hodgson, rector of Rackheath. At Brighton, some time previously, he had developed Roman Catholic tendencies, and his friends were anxious to remove him from the sphere of such influences. Mr. Hodgson, while engaged in parochial duties, missed the youth, and gave information to the police at Norwich, who found him at the house of a Roman Catholic jeweller, named Beha. The lad made a very singular statement, to the effect that an Italian priest, attired in a long blue cloak, had persuaded him to leave school and join the Roman Catholics in London; that he had gone to Norwich and met Canon Dalton, the priest at St. John Maddermarket Roman Catholic chapel, to whom he had shown a watch belonging to a school-fellow; that Canon Dalton had advanced him six shillings, and recommended him to take the watch to Beha, for the purpose of raising sufficient money to pay the balance of his railway fare to London; and that he was preparing to start for town when he was detained by the police. Canon Dalton declared that he had not seen the lad prior to his coming to St. John Maddermarket. The matter was adjourned for further inquiry, and on the 11th Canon Dalton, Jacob Beha, Matthew Beha, and Thomas Foulsham were required to attend before the magistrates, when the proceedings were deferred until the 18th, the persons named protesting against the course adopted by the Bench, and urging that no charge had at present been preferred against them. Another adjournment took place until the 25th, when Mr. Serjeant Ballantine appeared for the prosecution, and preferred a charge of conspiracy against Canon Dalton and the Behas. The boy Vansittart gave evidence, and, in cross-examination by Mr. Woollett, counsel for the defence, admitted that he had told “a tissue of lies,” and that the main points of his story were entirely invented by himself. The magistrates dismissed the case, but expressed the opinion that the conduct of Canon Dalton was exceedingly reprehensible in not advising the lad to return to his father.
18.—Died at his residence, at Thorpe, General Sir Robert J. Harvey, C.B., K.T.S., Knight Commander of the Order of St. Bento d’Avis, F.R.S., F.A.S. Sir Robert, who was in his 75th year, saw much active service during his military career. He was present at the battles of the Douro and Busaco, the battle of Salamanca, the siege of Burgos, and at Vittoria, the Pyrenees (where he was wounded in the thigh by a musket shot), Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, and Toulouse. The long-protracted war having been brought to a close in 1815 by the crowning victory at Waterloo, on the anniversary of which he died, he returned to Norwich and became an acting partner in the bank of Harveys and Hudson, and was head of the firm at the time of his death. He was a magistrate and a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk, president of the Norwich Union Life Office and the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, chairman of the General Reversionary Interest Society in London, and founder of several other important institutions of a kindred character. In politics he was a Conservative, but took no prominent part in local affairs. Sir Robert married a daughter of Mr. Robert Harvey, of Walton, Suffolk, a distant relative, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Mr. R. J. H. Harvey. The will of the deceased was proved on February 21st, 1861, when the personalty was sworn under £350,000. “Mr. R. J. H. Harvey has purchased all his brother’s (Mr. E. K. Harvey’s) interest under the will, so that he is now in possession of the whole of the real and personal property of his late father, subject to Lady Harvey’s life interest in the Mousehold estates and to the annuities named in the will.”
19.—At a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, it was agreed, “That the Lords of the Treasury having sanctioned the sale to the New Street Company of the property required by them belonging to the Corporation for the sum of £3,260, and having required to be informed of the purpose to which the Corporation propose to apply such purchase-money, this Council agrees, with the sanction of the Lords of the Treasury, to apply £2,000 towards the making of the new street, which, on its completion, will be vested in the Corporation, and, the remaining £1,260 towards the widening of the present approach to the Cattle Market by Rose Lane.”
30.—The Channel Fleet, under the command of Admiral Sir C. Fremantle, K.C.B., arrived in Yarmouth Roads. Since the year 1814 no two ships of the line had been moored at the same time off Yarmouth. The fleet consisted of nine ships of the line, two frigates, a corvette, and a tender. The Mayor and Corporation of the borough waited upon the Admiral and invited the officers to a ball, but orders came for the fleet to sail early on the morning of July 2nd.
9.—Mousehold Rifle Range was used for the first time by the Norwich Volunteers. The first prize-meeting took place on September 17th, when there were twelve competitors from the city and twenty-four from the county.
23.—The Donegal Militia left Yarmouth.
27.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Chief Baron Pollock and a special jury, an action, Gillings v. Manders, was tried. The plaintiff was a carpenter at Yarmouth, and the defendant the proprietor of a travelling menagerie. One of the attractions of the show was the performance of a Zulu named Maccomo, who was styled a “Lion King,” and fired off pistols and carbines in a cage containing half a dozen lions and lionesses. In a performance given at Yarmouth, Maccomo, instead of firing his pistol to the top of the cage, discharged it among the spectators, and the wad entering the plaintiff’s eyes destroyed it. Muccomo said it was the result of an accident. One of his lions attacked him in a fit of temper, and the trigger, catching in the beast’s mane, was prematurely discharged. The jury found for the plaintiff, damages £150.
31.—In the Norwich Episcopal Consistory Court, Mr. Chancellor Evans gave judgment in a protracted case, Archdeacon Bouverie v. the Rev. W. L. Barnes. The suit was instituted by the Archdeacon of Norfolk, against the rector of Knapton, for procurations for the years 1856–57–58–59. The plaintiff alleged, in his libels, that he was entitled to receive from the rector the sum of 7s. 7½d., due at Michaelmas every year, by reason of his visiting, of his archidiaconal dignity, or by custom. Mr. Barnes required the Archdeacon to prove such parts of his case as were not admitted, and, further, he said that, supposing the case as stated in the libels were proved, the Archdeacon was not entitled to be paid his procurations for the years 1857–58–59, because he did not in those years hold a parochial visitation at Knapton. The Court decreed in favour of the Archdeacon, with costs, and Mr. Barnes gave notice that he should appeal against the judgment. No further proceedings, however, were taken.
27.—Died at Hampstead Marshall, Newbury, Berks., the Right Hon. Louisa, Dowager Countess of Craven, aged 78. She was a daughter of Mr. John Brunton, manager of Norwich Theatre, and half a century before her death was a favourite actress upon the Norwich and the London stage. She married the Earl of Craven in 1807, and of the marriage there were three sons and a daughter.
28.—The first festival of the associated choirs belonging to the Norfolk and Suffolk Church Choral Association, established in October, 1859, was hold at Norwich Cathedral.
30.—Died at her residence in Kentish Town, aged 61, Elizabeth, widow of Frederick Yates, formerly of the Adelphi Theatre. She was a daughter of John Brunton, the younger, of Norwich and a niece of the Dowager Countess of Craven. She made her début at King’s Lynn, in the character of Desdemona, and her first appearance in London at Covent Garden Theatre, on Sept. 12th, 1817, as Letitia Hardy. At Covent Garden she continued to play leading high comedy until 1824, when she married Mr. Frederick Yates, who died in 1842, leaving an only son, born in 1831. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Yates remained at the Adelphi with Mr. Webster, played for one season at the Lyceum with Madame Vestris, and finally retired from the stage in 1849.
17.—The Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Musical Festival commenced at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, with an evening performance of “The Creation.” The morning performances were as follow: On the 19th, the “Dettingen Te Deum” and “The Last Judgment”; on the 20th, “Abraham” and “As the hart pants”; and on the 21st “The Messiah.” Miscellaneous programmes were performed on the evenings of the 19th and 20th. The principal vocalists were Madame Clara Novello (her farewell appearance), Mdlle. Titiens (her first appearance), Madame Weiss, Miss Palmer, Madame Borghi Mamo (her first appearance), Mr. Sims Reeves, Signor Giulini, Mr. Willye Cooper, Mr. Santley, Mr. Weiss, Signor Belletti; solo pianoforte, Miss Arabella Goddard; leaders of the band, Mr. Sainton and Mr. H. Blagrove; solo violon-cello, Signor Piatti; organist, Mr. Harcourt; chorus master, Mr. J. F. Hill; conductor, Mr. Benedict. A “fancy dress ball” was announced for the evening of the 21st. “Only three individuals appeared in fancy dress—costumes which, from their quality, would have far more fitted a masquerade at the Baronial Hall than an elegant assembly like that of Friday evening. The wearers of them evidently felt ill at ease, and, after enduring the rather marked observation that they attracted for some time, were glad to call a fly and take their departure.” The total receipts of the Festival amounted to £5,095 16s., and the disbursements to £4,179 12s. 1d.
18.—The Earl of Leicester, as Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, and Major-General Wood, C.B., reviewed 1,200 Volunteers of the city and county on Mousehold Heath, Norwich.
20.—Prince Jerome Bonaparte, with his suite, consisting of an aide-de-camp and six members of the French Ministry, visited Gressenhall Workhouse and made particular enquiries into the management of the institution.
28.—Died at Upper Harley Street, London, in his 85th year, Mr. Charles Lombe, of Great Melton. He was a son of Dr. Beevor, of Norwich, and succeeded to the entailed estate on the death of his nephew, Mr. Edward Lombe, son of the first Mr. Lombe. Mr. Charles Lombe was succeeded by Mr. Edward Evans, eldest son of Mr. T. B. Evans, formerly of Norwich. (See November 10th.)
30.—The headquarters of the 10th Hussars, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Baker, arrived at the Cavalry Barracks, Norwich.
10.—Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean gave a farewell performance at Norwich Theatre, prior to their departure for America. “One of the largest and most fashionable audiences which have ever assembled at the Theatre was brought together, at twice the ordinary playhouse prices in Norwich.” Mr. Kean appeared as Sir Walter Amyott, and Mrs. Kean as Lady Amyott, in “The Wife’s Secret.” On the 13th they performed in “Louis XI.,” and afterwards appeared at Yarmouth Theatre.
10.—An inquest was held at the Bethlehem Hospital, London, on the body of Anthony Abel, a criminal lunatic, who had been removed from Norwich after being acquitted of a charge of murder on the ground of insanity. He had been an inmate of the establishment since June 18th, 1817. When 25 years of age he was indicted for the murder of his uncle near Thetford. “For many years he was considered so violent and dangerous that he was confined in a strong room, and under the old régime then in use in the establishment, he had a strong belt and gloves, and was put into irons.”
22.—Mr. George Dawson lectured at the Free Library, Norwich, on “Pepys’ Diary.”
—Norwich Theatre was opened for a brief season by Mr. Charles Dillon and Miss Gomersal.
24.—Mr. Henry Villebois, master of the Norfolk Fox Hounds, was presented with his portrait, subscribed for by 400 gentlemen, “in appreciation of his untiring and successful efforts to promote field sports in the county of Norfolk.” Lord Sondes presided at the dinner held at the Town Hall, Lynn, and presented the portrait, which was painted by F. Grant, R.A.
29.—At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, the resignations of Aldermen Sir W. Foster and Gibson were accepted, and Mr. R. J. H. Harvey and Mr. Fred Brown were elected to fill the vacancies. “The abolition of political ascendancy in the Town Council has been accomplished by the general consent of the influential men of each party, and duplicate agreements have been signed by at least three-fourths of the Corporation. To the Mayor (Mr. J. H. Tillett) belongs the honour of having taken the initiative in this laudable effort.”
3.—A description was published of an iron lighthouse, completed by Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnards, of the Norfolk Iron Works, Norwich, for the Brazilian Government. It was designed by Messrs. Bramwell and Reynolds, of Westminster, for erection on the island of Abrolhos, on the coast of Brazil. Made in sections, it was temporarily erected by the riverside near St. George’s Bridge. The tower was circular in form, and constructed of 144 iron plates. Its base was 17 ft. in diameter, it was 46 ft. in height, and the lantern at the summit was 16 ft. high.
—A fearful boiler explosion occurred on the steamship Tonning, off Yarmouth, by which eight persons were blown out of the vessel and never again seen, three subsequently died, and several were seriously injured. The Tonning was an iron vessel of 734 tons register, belonging originally to the North of Europe Steam Navigation Company, and was afterwards employed in the conveyance of cattle and passengers between England and the Continent.
9.—Mr. W. J. Utten Browne was elected Mayor, and Dr. Dalrymple appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
10.*—“The Queen has been pleased to grant unto Edward Evans, of Great Melton and of Bylaugh, clerk, her Royal licence and authority that he may, in compliance with a proviso contained in the will of his great uncle, Sir John Lombe, henceforth take and use the surname of Lombe only, and use and bear the arms of Lombe in lieu of his present surname and arms of Evans.”
—*“Mr. George Allen, of St. Stephen’s, has introduced to Norwich the manufacture of elastic cloth, a fine material which has hitherto only been made in the West of England.”
17.—During a strong gale from the n.n.w., several vessels lying off Yarmouth parted from their anchors and were driven ashore and wrecked. Several lives were lost.
1.—A gunpowder explosion occurred at the shop of Mr. Marrison, gun maker, Little Orford Street, Norwich. The entire shop front was wrecked, as also was that of the adjoining shop, occupied by Mr. Frankland, photographer and dealer in art materials. Two lives were lost. Mrs. Dady, sister of Mr. Frankland, was sitting in a room over Mr. Marrison’s shop, and was dashed by the force of the explosion to the ceiling. She fell through the chasm in the floor to the burning ruins beneath, where she was fearfully injured. Charles Hill, a shop boy in the employment of Mr. Marrison, was killed outright, and terribly mangled. The force of the explosion shattered the windows of the Bell Hotel and of other houses in the vicinity. At the Norwich Assizes on March 26th, 1861, before Chief Baron Pollock, Mr. Marrison brought an action against the London Union Fire Office, for the recovery of £300 under a policy of insurance on his stock and furniture. The plaintiff had been offered and had refused £100 in settlement of the claim. The company then proved that the plaintiff had kept more gunpowder on his premises than was allowed by the terms of his contract, whereupon the judge ordered a non-suit.
3.—Died at Brighton, in his 61st year, Capt. Frederick Loftus, formerly of the 17th Lancers, youngest son of General and Lady Elizabeth Loftus, and grandson of George, first Marquis Townshend and Charlotte, Baroness De Ferrars and Compton. His remains were interred at Rainham, on December 11th.
5.—The suit, Gurney v. Gurney and Taylor, came before the Divorce Court, Westminster. The husband sought dissolution of marriage, on the ground of misconduct by the wife. A petition had been presented for the settlement of property then vested in the wife in favour of the children, the issue of the marriage, and the Solicitor-General applied for a rule nisi calling on the respondent, Mrs. Gurney, to show cause why a plea or a pleading in the nature of or intended to be a plea should not be taken off the file, and why the petition for settlement should not be treated as unanswered or unopposed. Sir C. Cresswell granted a rule nisi. Evidence was given in the case on January 22nd, 1861, and the decree was made absolute on May 22nd.
11.—In the Vice-Chancellor’s Court was heard the action, Berney v. the Norfolk and Eastern Counties Railway Company. By an agreement dated June 6th, 1843, the plaintiff sold certain land to the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway Company, and it was provided that such company should establish and for ever maintain a station in connection with their railway at Reedham, on part of the land sold to them by plaintiff. Nothing was said in the agreement in reference to stopping trains at the station. In 1844 the Norwich and Yarmouth railway was completed, and a station was constructed in accordance with the agreement, and called the Barney Arms Station, at which certain trains stopped. In 1845 the Norwich and Yarmouth Company was incorporated with the Norfolk Railway Company, and trains continued to stop at the station until 1850, when the Norfolk Company discontinued the practice. The plaintiff thereupon instituted this suit, praying for a specific performance of the agreement of June, 1843, and an injunction to restrain the Norfolk Company from permitting the trains on their railway to pass the Berney Arms Station without stopping thereat, which was, in effect, to compel the company to stop the trains at that station. The motion for the injunction did not come on, in consequence of an arrangement whereby the Norfolk Company agreed to stop at Berney Arms Station one train from Norwich and one from Yarmouth on every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The Norfolk Railway was now worked by the Eastern Counties Railway on an agreement dated in 1854, which had received the sanction of the Legislature. The Eastern Counties Company were then made parties to the suit. Although the trains then stopped in a manner satisfactory to the plaintiff, there was no security that they would continue to do so. The Vice-Chancellor said there must be a specific performance of the agreement of June, 1843, and an order that one train from Norwich and one from Yarmouth should stop at Berney Arms Station on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday in every week; but he should also order that each of the companies should pay £100 to the plaintiff by way of costs. But for the plaintiff’s forbearance in this respect, it would be difficult to say whether the Eastern Counties Company would have escaped from the litigation with having nothing else to pay than the plaintiff’s ordinary costs.
14.—The Norwich Operatic Union gave its second concert, at St. Andrew’s Hall. The programme included “Norma” and selections from “Il Trovatore.” The principal vocalists were Mdlle. Paripa, Mdlle. Vaneri, Mr. Santley, and Mr. Swift. Mr. Bunnett, B.M., conducted.
16.—The first of a series of special services was conducted at Norwich Theatre, by the Rev. T. B. Stephenson, Wesleyan minister. “The boxes were reserved for the most respectable-looking, and the unmitigated plebs. were relegated to the pit and gallery. The occupants of the gallery conducted themselves as the gods usually do, and were rebuked by the preacher, who took up his position on the stage in front of the drop scene, surrounded by a number of persons of both sexes.”
25.—This was the coldest Christmas that had been experienced for at least a century. “At the Literary Institute at Norwich the minimum registered was 3 degrees above zero. At Costessey the register was 7 degrees below zero, or 39 degrees lower than the point at which water freezes. A peculiarity of the temperature on Christmas-day was the fact of its being colder in the morning than during the night. The coldest register was between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and there was scarcely any appreciable variation till after two o’clock. Ice was about four inches thick.”
26.—The pantomime at Norwich Theatre was entitled, “Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper and the Fairy Godmother from the Realms of Golden Palms.” Wombwell’s Menagerie was stationed on the Castle Meadow, and performances were given at the Royal Crystal Palace Amphitheatre, Golden Ball Street, under the management of Messrs. Emidy and Moffatt. The lessee was Mr. C. Testar.
27.—Died at 36, Berkeley Square, London, in his 57th year, Dr. Edward Rigby. He was the eldest son of the celebrated Dr. Rigby, of Norwich, and was educated at the Grammar School, under Dr. Valpy. He graduated at Edinburgh, and subsequently commenced practice in London, where he gradually raised himself to the very highest branches of his profession.
5.—At the annual meeting of the Norfolk Agricultural Association, held at the Swan Hotel, Norwich, Mr. Clare Sewell Read moved that the annual show for 1861 be held at East Dereham, instead of at Swaffham. This effort to abolish the system of holding the exhibitions alternately at Norwich and Swaffham was defeated by 19 votes to 15.
6.—The frost continued with unusual intensity, and on this day snowstorms, which covered the ground to the depth of twelve inches, occurred. On the 10th a public meeting was held at Norwich, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr. W. J. Utten Browne), at which a fund was inaugurated to relieve the distresses of the poor. In a few days the sum of £4,139 12s. 11d. was subscribed. The river was frozen from Norwich to Yarmouth, and on the 16th a large party of ladies and gentlemen assembled on the ice on Breydon and “skated” quadrilles. The frost continued for more than five weeks, during the whole of which period the ground was covered with snow.
11.—Walsingham Quarter Sessions were held for the last time. Sir Willoughby Jones, who presided, informed the Grand Jury that the Sessions would be removed part to Swaffham and part to Norwich, “on account of the expenses being so great in proportion to the number of prisoners for trial.” On March lst the Bridewell ceased to be used as a house of correction, and the prisoners were removed to Norwich Castle.
16.—Died, aged 85, Mr. Kinnebrook, for many years a proprietor of the “Norwich Mercury.”
18.—Died, in his 60th year, Mr. Thomas Lound, for 35 years confidential clerk at King Street Old Brewery, Norwich. “As an artist, but principally as a painter in water-colours, he had maintained a high reputation for many years. The local river and rural scenery afforded materials for a large proportion of his works. He occasionally painted street scenes and monastic ruins, and of late years he made excursions into Wales and Yorkshire, bringing home with him a vast variety of subjects.” In addition to his own collection, he left many water-colour drawings by Bright, Thirtle, Cox, and others, some of them of considerable value.
26.—At Norwich Castle, James Blomfield Rush, aged 30, “eldest son of the Rush,” was committed for trial on the charge of breaking into the dwelling-house of Mr. Abraham Cannell, farmer, Cringleford, on the night of January 12th. At the Norfolk Assizes, on March 27th, before Chief Baron Pollock, the prisoner was acquitted. At subsequent dates he was twice acquitted for housebreaking, but at the Norfolk Quarter Sessions on March 11th, 1862, was sentenced to four years’ penal servitude for breaking into a house at North Tuddenham.
13.—In the Court of Queen’s Bench, before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury, an action was brought by Mr. Costerton, solicitor, of Yarmouth, against Sir Edmund Lacon, M.P., for a scandalous attack made upon the plaintiff by the defendant in the course of an election speech. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages 40s.
25.—Judgment was given by the Barons of the Exchequer in the cause Morant v. Chamberlin. It was an action between the Corporation of Yarmouth and Mr. G. D. Palmer, who claimed a right to a portion of the south end of the public quays. Judgment was for the plaintiff, damages £5 5s. “This decision thus settles this long-pending dispute, now nearly three years from its commencement, and decides the right of the Corporation to the soil of the quays and the right of the public to the free use of the same without any of the inconveniences which for so long a time prevented the proper enjoyment of the part in dispute. The verdict gives the plaintiffs the costs of this heavy litigation, except on two unimportant issues. The defendant will have to pay somewhere about £2,800.”
16.—On this date was published the announcement that the First Norfolk Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps had been attached to the City of Norwich Rifle Volunteer Corps for administrative purposes. The mounted corps, which numbered 50, was commanded by Capt. F. Hay Gurney. The uniform consisted of scarlet tunic with blue facings, white cross belt, white breeches, and Napoleon boots. The head-dress was a busby with blue bag; the forage-cap was blue trimmed with white.
16.—Intelligence was received at Norwich of the death, of the Duchess of Kent. On the 17th (Sunday) special references were made to the melancholy event at the religious services in the city, and at intervals the age of the deceased was tolled upon the muffled bells of the Cathedral and St. Peter Mancroft church. The Town Council, on April 5th, adopted an address of sympathy with the Queen.
—The Surlingham estate was sold by Messrs. Butcher, at the Royal Hotel, Norwich, for £16,895.
26.—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Chief Baron Pollock and a special jury, was tried the libel action, Cufaude v. Cory. The plaintiff and defendant had taken different sides at the election of a vestry clerk at Yarmouth, and the libel was contained in a handbill issued during the contest by the defendant, who referred to the printed statement of the income and expenditure of the Guardians, to which body the plaintiff was clerk, as “cooked,” and left the sum of £779 unaccounted for. The special jury returned a verdict for plaintiff, damages £500. In the Court of Queen’s Bench, on April 17th, Mr. Lush moved for a rule to set aside the verdict, on the ground of excessive damages. A rule was granted. Mr. Cufaude subsequently consented to a reduction of damages from £500 to £300, “much against the advice of his counsel.”
2.—The High Sheriff of Norfolk (Mr. J. T. Mott) delivered a lecture at Noverre’s Rooms, Norwich, on “The Paston Letters.”
10.—The 10th Hussars Steeplechases took place at Crostwick.
23.—A vessel, named the Harmony, built by Messrs. Fellows and Son, of Yarmouth, for the Moravian mission in Labrador, was launched.
18.—The census returns were published on this date. In Norwich the number of inhabited houses was 17,012; uninhabited, 786; building, 97. The population consisted of 33,717 males, and 40,697 females; total, 74,414.
20.—A serious military riot took place at Yarmouth, between men of the Royal Artillery and of the East Norfolk Militia. Belts and stones were freely used. A party of 200 Artillerymen, armed with swords and knives, issued from the arsenal, and were going to the assistance of their comrades, when Mr. R. Steward, by persuasion and threats, kept the greater portion from proceeding further. Officers of both corps exerted themselves to quell the disturbance, and strong pickets were stationed at the bridge, to prevent the Artillery from entering Yarmouth and the Militia from crossing to Southtown.
13.—The Norwich Grammar School athletic sports were held for the first time.
18.—A memorial was presented to the Norwich Town Council, by farmers, graziers, dealers, &c., praying the Corporation to enlarge the Cattle Market. The Market Committee recommended the Council to adopt in its entirety a plan for executing the work, at a cost not exceeding £20,000. This scheme involved the demolition of the notorious locality known as Pump Street.
20.—Mr. and Mrs. Ringer, of Walcot Green, near Diss, left their house in charge of a servant, named Susan Garrod, and on their return in the evening found her suffering from several gunshot wounds in the head and face, inflicted by a man named Charles Sheldrake, a returned convict, employed as a groom and gardener by Mr. Ringer. Sheldrake, after committing the deed, secreted himself in a wood. On being called on by the police to surrender, he placed the muzzle of a double-barrelled gun to his mouth and blew out his brains. At the inquest the jury returned a verdict of felo de se, and the Coroner gave a warrant for the interment of the body between the hours of nine and twelve o’clock. “The body was accordingly buried at ten o’clock at night, under one of the paths in the churchyard.”
24.—The London Royal English Opera Company commenced a week’s engagement at Norwich Theatre. The repertory included “four new successful operas never before performed in Norwich,” namely, Balfe’s “The Rose of Castille,” Loder’s “The Night Dancers,” Macfarren’s “Robin Hood,” and Balfe’s “Satanella, or the Power of Love.” In addition to the above-named works, “Il Trovatore,” “Martha,” and “Maritana” were produced. The artistes included Miss Fanny Ternan, Miss Bronte, Miss Angel, Miss Fanny Reeves, Mr. Edmund Rosenthal, Mr. J. Manley, Mr. E. D. Corri, Mr. Oliver Summers, and Mr. Elliott Galer. Mr. W. Meyer Lutz was the conductor. The performances received very inadequate public support. The company revisited Norwich for six nights, commencing on September 9th.
—Herr Kolisch, the celebrated chess-player, contested, at the Rampant Horse Hotel, Norwich, 13 games simultaneously against some of the best players in the neighbourhood. He won eight games, lost three, and two were drawn.
28.—Died, at Feniton Court, Devonshire, the Right Hon. Sir John Patteson. The second son of the Rev. Henry Patteson, and nephew of Mr. John Patteson, who for some time represented Norwich in Parliament, he was born in that city on February 11th, 1790. He was educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, and, after talking his degree, removed to London and entered at the Middle Temple. On being called to the Bar, he went the Northern Circuit. “He had been only nine years a barrister, he had not a silk gown, he had never led a cause or once addressed a jury,” when he was appointed to the Queen’s Bench, and from that time to February 11th, 1852, continued to discharge the duties of his high office with a reputation for industry, learning, and integrity.
20.*—“The first number of the Norfolk Chronicle was published on the 18th of July, 1761. We are, therefore, as journalists, exactly 100 years old. . . . The difference between the newspapers of the last and present century is, perhaps, more conspicuous in the quantity of space occupied than in any other respect, and the present sheet is at least four times the size of our first publication.”
27.*—“The repairs at St. Gregory’s church, Norwich, the interior of which has been undergoing general restoration, have brought to light an interesting fresco, representing the renowned fight between St. George and the Dragon, a subject which has a local association, St. George being the titular saint of the city and patron of a once flourishing civic company. The painting, which, in all probability, is of a date of the middle of the fifteenth century, was discovered on the removal of the organ at the west end of the north aisle, for the purpose of cleaning the wall. The figures are life-size, and the colours and drawing exceedingly good.”
—At the Norfolk Assizes, before Chief Justice Erle and a special jury, a libel action, Lane v. the Yarmouth Free Press and Printing Company, Limited, was tried. Damages were laid at £300. The declaration alleged that the defendants published in a paper called the “Yarmouth Independent,” certain reflections upon the plaintiff in his capacity as collector of market tolls. The defendants contended that, at the request of and by agreement with the plaintiff, they had inserted in the newspaper a paragraph explaining the alleged libel, and had exonerated him from the imputations made against his character, and plaintiff had accepted it as satisfaction. The case ended with the withdrawal of a juror.
1.—Died at the residence of his son-in-law, 48, Elgin Crescent, Notting Hill, in his 84th year, Philip John Money, formerly captain of the 17th Regiment. He was a magistrate of Norwich, and served the office of Mayor in 1839.
2.—The celebrated tight-rope walker, Blondin, made his first appearance at Norwich. The rope was fixed at an altitude of about 60 feet, in a field on Newmarket Road. “It is a very fortunate circumstance for M. Blondin that he crossed Niagara and had the Prince of Wales for a spectator, for it has added a much greater interest to has performances than they would otherwise have acquired, and even, if we may judge from what we saw here, they deserved.”
4.—Mr. Edward Casson, aged 33, medical superintendent of the County Lunatic Asylum at Thorpe St. Andrew, committed suicide by poisoning himself.
8.—Holy Trinity church, Norwich, was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. “The ceremony should have taken place three weeks previously, but at the eleventh hour the Bishop requested that a capital fund of about £300 should be provided prior to the consecration. As the committee were then about £1,000 in debt, it was felt to be indiscreet to increase their risk, and consequently it was determined to delay the opening of the church until they had received nearly all that they required. In less than three weeks more than £1,200 had been subscribed out of the £1,300 then supposed to be needed.” The consecration was attended by the Mayor (Mr. W. J. Utten Browne) and several members of the Corporation.
29.—A troop of the 15th Hussars left Norwich, en route to York; the remainder of the regiment marched on September 3rd.
12.—A great review of the whole of the Volunteer Companies in the county and city, with the Norwich Mounted Volunteers and the Yarmouth Artillery, was held at Holkham Park, by Major-General Sir Archdale Wilson, Bart., K.C.B. This was the first occasion on which the corps had been brigaded since their formation. The review was fixed for eleven o’clock, but in consequence of a breakdown in the railway arrangements, and the consequent detention of companies on their way to the rendezvous, the parade was not formed until 2.15 p.m. The troops numbered upwards of 1,700, and were divided into two brigades, commanded respectively by Lieut.-Col. Custance and Major the Hon. F. Walpole, West Norfolk Militia. The railway company displayed the same incompetency in conveying the corps from Holkham as in taking them there, and the Norwich men did not reach the city until six o’clock on the morning of the 13th.
28.—The headquarters of the 5th Dragoon Guards arrived at Norwich Cavalry Barracks, from Aldershot. “It is known in the service as the ‘Green Horse,’ being the only cavalry regiment which wears green facings.”
13.—Died, Sir William Cubitt, the eminent engineer. Born in Norfolk, in 1785, he was apprenticed to a joiner, and, becoming a very superior handicraftsman, he rapidly took a prominent position as a maker of agricultural implements. Within a short time he became a millwright, and about 1807 invented self-regulating windmill sails, and ultimately became connected with Messrs. Ransome and Son, of Ipswich. He was the inventor also of the treadmill for gaols and houses of correction. His reputation increasing his engagements, it became necessary for him to remove to the Metropolis in 1826, and after that period there was scarcely a port, harbour, dock, navigable river, or canal in the United Kingdom with which he was not in some way engaged. The South-Eastern Railway from London to Dover was designed and executed by him. He undertook the bold project of blowing away the face of the Round Down cliff, which he successfully executed by exploding 18,000 lbs. of gunpowder in one blast, and precipitated one million tons of chalk cliff into the sea. The great landing-stage at Liverpool, the deck of which was nearly one acre in extent, was a unique example of his work. As consulting engineer of the Great Northern Railway, he materially contributed to the production of one of the best lines in England. One of his last public works was the superintendence of the construction of the palace for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, which he undertook at the pressing instance of his coadjutors on the Royal Commission, and his services were recognised in a marked manner by the Queen and the Prince Consort.
22.—The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. W. J. Utten Browne) delivered a lecture to the members of the parochial library, Lakenham, on “The Times of King Charles the First.”
24.—Died, suddenly, of apoplexy, at his residence, West Parade, Earlham Road, Norwich, in his 46th year, Mr. Edward Garrod, editor of the Norfolk Chronicle.
28.—Charles Dickens gave the former of two readings at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. The work selected was “David Copperfield.” On the 29th he read “Nicholas Nickleby at Mr. Squeer’s School,” and the Trial scene from the “Pickwick Papers.” “Our opinion is,” the Norfolk Chronicle remarked, “that Mr. Dickens as a reader fails to do justice to himself as an author.”
6.—Norwich Theatre was opened, under the management of Mr. George Owen. Mr. Sidney, however, retained the lesseeship.
8.—Died at Hingham, in her 100th year, Mrs. Rebecca Houchen.
9.—The new Corn Hall at Norwich was opened for business. The contractors for the building were Messrs. Ling and Balls, of Norwich, and for the roof Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnards. The total cost was about £8,000. The work was executed from the designs of Mr. Barry, of Norwich, and Mr. H. Butcher, of 37, Bedford Row, London; and the roofs were adapted and carried into detail from the design of the architects by Mr. E. A. Cowper, C.E., of Westminster. The first brick of the new building was laid on May 1st, 1861.
—Mr. John Oddin Taylor was elected Mayor, and Mr. Addison John Cresswell appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
10.—Died at North Runcton Rectory, in his 85th year, the Rev. James Cumming, M.A., professor of chemistry in the University of Cambridge, to which office he was elected in 1815. He was a Fellow of Trinity College, and had held the living of North Runcton for more than forty years.
22.—In the Court of the Lords Justices in Lincoln’s Inn, a petition was presented by Major-General Charles Ash Windham, Capt. Windham, the Marquis of Bristol, Lord Alfred Hervey, M.P., Lord Listowel, and others, praying that a writ de lunatico inquirendo might issue against William Frederick Windham. In support of the petition, affidavits were read which alleged a variety of eccentricities and extravagances on the part of William Frederick Windham, and laid great stress upon a marriage he had contracted with one Agnes Ann Rogers, better known by the name of Agnes Willoughby. The judges, after hearing the affidavits on the other side, considered that a prima facie case had been made out, and allowed the prayer of the petition. On December 4th, in the Vice-Chancellor’s Court, a motion was heard for the committal of Mr. James Bowen May for contempt of court, in having, during the infancy of William Frederick Windham, and without the knowledge of his guardian or the sanction of the Court, drawn or sided and abetted in drawing the said William Frederick Windham into a promise of marriage with Agues Rogers or Willoughby, in which promises had been made of settlements or dispositions of his property in her favour. The motion was refused, with costs. On December 11th the Court of Chancery granted leave to William Frederick Windham to raise as a mortgage charge on his property the sum of £2,000, in order that he might defend himself before the Commission. The Commission held its first sitting in the Court of Exchequer, Westminster, on December 16th, under the presidency of Mr. Samuel Warren, Q.C., one of the Masters in Lunacy. Mr. Windham was the only son of Mr. Howe Windham, who died in 1854, and the great-grandson of Mr. Windham, the great politician. He became of age on August 9th, 1861, when he succeeded to the Felbrigg Hall estate, worth upwards of £1,200 a year, and to other properties in which he had a life interest, and which, in the year 1869, would yield him £9,000 a year more. During his minority he was under the guardianship of his uncle, General Windham, and of his mother, Lady Sophia Hervey. He married a woman of loose character, upon whom he bestowed jewellery of the value of £1,200 or £1,400, and upon whom he settled a present annuity of £800, with a further annuity of £1,500 contingent upon his coming in to the whole of his property in 1869. It was also alleged that he sold, in a wild and reckless way, and upon terms of the utmost disadvantage, the whole of the timber, ornamental as well as useful, on the Felbrigg estate. The inquiry lasted thirty-four days, and upwards of 150 witnesses were examined. It is said to have cost something like £160 per hour, or nearly £3 per minute, for all the leading talent of the Bar of England was engaged in the case. On January 30th, 1862, the jury returned the following verdict: “That the said Mr. William Frederick Windham, at the time of taking this inquisition, was a person of sound mind, so as to be sufficient for the government of himself, his manners, his messuages, his lands, his tenements, his goods, and his chattels.” The moment the verdict was uttered a loud and enthusiastic cheer rose from the audience, and was repeated again and again. When Mr. Windham left the Court he was received outside with the shouts of an admiring crowd, who almost carried him to the cab in which he drove away, amid a deafening cheer. In the Court of Equity, on April 23rd, 1862, the Lords Justices refused to exonerate the alleged lunatic from the payment of the whole of the costs, amounting to £20,000, consequent upon the enquiry.
30.*—“The portrait of Mr. J. H. Gurney, M.P., President of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, has this week been placed on the walls of that institution. It was painted by F. Grant, R.A., at the cost of 200 guineas.”
7.—Died, in his 73rd year, Mr. Charles Turner, who was Sheriff of Norwich in 1824, elected Alderman in 1832, and was Mayor in 1834. He was the last Mayor who served the full term of office under the old Corporation.
9.—A six miles race for £50 was run at the Green Hill Gardens, Norwich, between Deerfoot, the celebrated Seneca Indian, Brighten, the “Norwich Milk Boy,” and Long, of Middlesbrough. This was one of the so-called matches run during a provincial tour by these pedestrians. Deerfoot wore his Indian costume, decorated with shells and feathers. He stood 5 ft. 11 in., was of muscular frame, but not well knitted, and his limbs were long and loose, contrasting badly with the neat, compact figure of the “Milk Boy.” Among the spectators of the “match,” which was, of course, won by the Indian, were the Duke of Wellington and Sir Samuel Bignold.
15.—Intelligence was received in Norwich of the death of the Prince Consort. Early on the following morning (Monday) the Mayor requested the citizens to partially close their business establishments until after the funeral. On the day of the funeral (December 23rd), business was entirely suspended, and the Mayor and Corporation, accompanied by the Rifle Volunteers, attended service at the Cathedral. The Nonconformist bodies held a united service at St. Andrew’s Hall, at which the Rev. John Alexander delivered an address. Addresses of condolence with the Queen were voted by the Norwich Town Council, on December 30th, and by a county meeting, held at the Shirehall, under the presidency of the High Sheriff (Mr. J. T. Mott), on January 18th, 1862.
26.—Mr. George Owen produced the Christmas pantomime, “Puss in Boots,” at the Theatre Royal, Norwich; and Mander’s Royal Menagerie was exhibited on the Castle Meadow. The African “lion tamer,” Maccomo, whilst performing at the latter show, on the 28th, was severely attacked by a young lion, and narrowly escaped with his life.
2.—Mr. Thomas Richmond Pinder, head master of Hingham Endowed School, was elected head master of the new Commercial School, built on the site of the old Workhouse, adjoining St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, at the cost of about £1,500. The school was designed by Mr. James S. Benest, architect to the trustees, and built by Messrs. Ling and Balls. It was opened as King Edward the Sixth’s Commercial School, on July 28th.
19.—An alarming fire occurred in the centre wing of Swaffham prison. The inmates of the cells, who were greatly terrified, were safely removed, and afterwards conveyed to Norwich Castle. The roof of the new portion of the prison was completely destroyed, with three looms and a considerable quantity of stock in raw materials and manufactured articles.
28.—Died at Swainsthorpe, Eleanor Harrison, widow, aged 101.
30.—A rifle match, between eleven Norfolk and a like number of Northamptonshire Volunteers, took place at the seat of Earl Spencer, Althorp Park. The teams were under the respective commands of Lord Bury and Earl Spencer. Northamptonshire won by 170 points against 164 made by their opponents. The return match, which took place on the Mousehold Range, Norwich, on September 27th, was also won by Northamptonshire, by 17 points.
1.*—“A private named Thomas Nelson, attached to one of the troops of the 5th Dragoon Guards, now stationed in Norwich, is said to have become the possessor of a fortune of £70,000, besides a fine estate near Liverpool, of the value of £9,000 per annum.”
3.—H.R.H. the Prince of Wales visited Norfolk, “for the purpose of inspecting the Sandringham Hall estate, with the view of purchasing it for shooting purposes, for which it is well adapted.” On the 22nd it was announced that his Royal Highness had concluded the purchase for £220,000, and, it was added, “Norfolk people entertain strong hopes that they shall see a good deal of their future Sovereign.”
15.—The subject of the proposed amalgamation of the Eastern Counties, the Norfolk, the Eastern Union, the East Anglian, and other railways’ communicating with Norwich obtained publicity on this date. The Norwich Town Council, on the 21st, decided to petition Parliament against the Railway Amalgamation Bill, on the ground that the amalgamation was calculated to injuriously affect the citizens by depriving them of the advantages of competition in railway transit.
1.—Died at his house at Charlton, Kent, aged 86, Professor Peter Barlow, F.R.S. He was born in the parish of St. Simon, Norwich, in October, 1776. Related to one of the leading manufacturing families in the city, the Columbines, his early life was passed in their warehouse. He continued there about three years, and during that period acquired, by his own industry, a considerable knowledge of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation, and French. Subsequently he obtained a situation in a school in Essex, and afterwards proceeded to Shipdham, when, the master dying, he succeeded to the school, and married a Shipdham lady. He commenced a regular correspondence with the “Ladies’ Diary,” then under the management of Dr. Hutton, professor of mathematics at Woolwich, whose attention was favourably attracted by the contributions furnished by Mr. Barlow. Dr. Hutton recommended him as candidate, in 1801, for the post of additional master at the Royal Military Academy, and he was successful. In 1811 he published his first work, “The Theory of Numbers,” in 1813, “The Mathematical Dictionary,” and in the same year his “Mathematical Tables.” In 1817 his work, “The Strength of Materials,” was published. In 1819 he turned his attention to magnetic experiments, in which he was very successful in developing the laws of action and in the application of those laws to the correction of a long-standing error in navigation. For this discovery he received several honorary and pecuniary rewards. His “Essay on Magnetic Attraction” was published in 1819.
25.—The new Poor Removal Act came into force. It materially altered the law of settlement, and made new regulations as to the manner in which parishes contributed their share to the common fund charges of the unions.
31.—An accident occurred at a circus building at St. Stephen’s Gates, Norwich, hired by Mace and King, the pugilists, for the purposes of a benefit performance. The rows of seats elevated one above the other and forming the pit were densely crowded with spectators, whose weight broke the frail supports, with the result that the centre of the pit fall with its load of human beings. Many were severely bruised and shaken, and one man, suffering from a broken leg, was removed to the Hospital.
10.—Madame Jenny Lind Goldschmidt appeared at a miscellaneous concert, given at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, and on the 11th sang in Haydn’s oratorio, “The Creation.” The other artistes included Mr. Sims Reeves, Signor Belletti, Mr. H. Blagrove (solo violin), Signor Patti (solo violoncello), and Mr. Otto Goldschmidt (pianoforte). The chorus for the oratorio was composed of members of the Cathedral choir and of the Norwich Choral Society.
21.—Tom Sayers, “the pugilistic ex-champion,” visited Norwich with his circus, “exhibited his belts, medals, and the diamond ring presented to him by the students of Oxford, and set-to with young Hicks, of Birmingham.” Heenan, the American pugilist, brought a circus to Norwich on September 11th, and “apologised to the spectators for not sparring, as the authorities had forbidden him, and it was only on giving this promise that he was allowed to erect his tent on the Castle Hill.” Mace’s circus visited the city on October 6th. “The spectators were disappointed at the non-appearance of Mace, the magistrates having forbidden him to give an illustration of his noble art.”
3.*—“Died last week, at Rackheath, Phœbe Clayburn, at the advanced age of 103 years. She had 22 children, and her eldest son is now living at Bramerton, aged 80 years; her grandchild is 50; her great-grandchild is 20, and her great-great-grandchild is now two years of age.”
4.—The large tract of land known as the Middle Level of the Fens, which had been greatly improved by the construction of the Middle Level Drain, a small river which collected the waters of the district and discharged them into the Ouse near Wiggenhall St. German’s, was inundated, in consequence of a breach in the sluice erected at the point where the two streams joined. The tide, no longer confined to the channel of the Ouse, rushed up the drain, broke through the bank on the west side at two places, and, in a wild torrent, overspread the adjacent lands. Efforts were at once made to strengthen the dams, by placing vast quantities of clinch and gravel at the foot of the piles. On June 20th, a meeting of the owners and occupiers of land was held at the Globe Hotel, Lynn, under the presidency of the Rev. Henry ffolkes, at which resolutions were passed requiring the Middle Level Commissioners to take prompt and efficient measures to prevent the recurrence of such a disaster. It was also agreed that more satisfactory means for redress for damage should be given than were afforded by the Middle Level Act, and that application be made to Parliament for the insertion in the Middle Level Bill then before the House of Lords of necessary provisions for securing both objects. At the Norfolk Assizes, on July 29th, before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, commenced the long course of litigation resulting from the inundation. Mr. William Mason, lessee of 18 acres of land at Tilney All Saints, within the Marshland Fen district, sued Mr. Wise, clerk to the Middle Level Commissioners, for the recovery of £500 damages sustained through the alleged negligence of the Commissioners in making and maintaining the Middle Level Sluice and Drain. Leave was given to both sides to move in the Common Pleas or Queen’s Bench for the removal of the trial to London. On August 16th it was announced that the expenses incident to the disaster were estimated at about £25,000, to meet which £20,000 had been taken up by way of temporary loan. A second disaster occurred on October 4th. One of the outfall sluices of the Marshland Smeeth and Fen Drain, an important arterial drain running into the Ouse about 200 or 300 yards northward of the ruined Middle Level Sluice, gave way, and again a wide extent of country was submerged. Four hundred navvies were at once set to work to form a dam of many thousands of sacks filled with earth. On the 5th the temporary dam gave way bodily, and the entire mass having been carried a score yards up the drain, sank out of sight. The tidal water having overcome the obstacle, went with a rush and a roar on its work of devastation, carrying with it great quantities of earth and timber. About 1,000 acres were flooded; 4,000 acres were under water before the completion of another temporary dam on the 8th. After that the water was removed by means of huge syphons. On November 10th the Court of Common Pleas refused a rule for the changing of the venue of the trial of the action, Mason v. Wise, from Norfolk to Surrey, and with this decision ended the first stage of the legal proceedings. (See January 31st, 1863.)
5.—The Braham Grand English Opera Company commenced a six nights’ engagement at Norwich Theatre, with the performance of “Il Trovatore.” The other operas produced during the engagement included “The Bohemian Girl,” “Robin Hood,” “The Daughter of the Regiment,” “Der Freischutz,” “Cinderella,” and “Lucia Di Lammermoor.” Among the principals were Miss Fanny Ternan, Miss Maria Ternan, Mdlle. A. Kemp, Mr. Brookhouse Bowler, and Mr. Hamilton Braham.
24.—The Norfolk Volunteer Service Association was formed at a meeting held at the Shirehall, Norwich, under the chairmanship of the Lord Lieutenant, who was elected president. Its objects were, “the promotion of rifle shooting and giving permanence to the Volunteer corps throughout the county.” The first prize-meeting was held on the Mousehold Range, Norwich, from September 8th to 11th.
27.—The Channel Squadron, under the command of Rear-Admiral Robert Smart, arrived in Yarmouth Roads, and on June 1st was joined by the St. George, with H.R.H. Prince Alfred on board. The Squadron sailed for the Downs on the 4th.
11.—In the Divorce Court, before Sir C. Cresswell, judgement was given in the action, Burroughs v. Burroughs and Silcock. This was a cross suit. Mrs. Burroughs prayed for the restitution of conjugal rights, and her husband, in his answer, charged her with adultery, and prayed for a judicial separation. In the second case Mr. Burroughs prayed for a dissolution of marriage, on the ground of his wife’s misconduct. The second case had been tried by a common jury on March 6th, 7th, 8th, and 13th, and terminated in a verdict that neither the petitioner, the respondent, nor the co-respondent had been guilty of adultery. His lordship had deferred judgment in the first suit, in order that his opinion might not affect the opinion of the jury in the second suit, which had not then been tried. He now said he thought Mrs. Burroughs had misconducted herself, and he could not order her husband to take her home again. He, therefore, dismissed her petition for restitution. He refused, however, to pronounce a decree of judicial separation, on the ground that as the parties themselves had been examined, he could not treat the husband’s answer as a counter petition.
16.—At Swaffham County Court, a jury was engaged in the trial of an action, Green v. Sayers. The plaintiff, a shoemaker, sought to recover £25 damages for an assault by the defendant, described as “a circus proprietor, but better known as the ex-champion of England.” The case excited great local interest. “The defendant,” it was said, “conducted himself with a degree of modesty, propriety, and decorum that caused no little feeling in his favour.” The assault arose out of a dispute as to the withholding of change alleged to be due to the plaintiff on money tendered for admission to the defendant’s show, and the jury gave a verdict for Green, damages £5.
19.—A great Volunteer review took place at Yarmouth. The first brigade of 910 men was commanded by Lieut.-Col. Astley, Norfolk Artillery; the second (1,230 men) by Lieut.-Col. Sir E. Lacon, Bart., M.P., and the third (350 men) by Lieut.-Col. Custance. The reviewing officer was Col. Guy, C.B., and the proceedings were witnessed by many thousands of spectators.
24.—Died, in the Workhouse of the Loddon and Clavering Union, in her 105th year, Mary, widow of Samuel Lock, of Loddon.
—An extraordinary fight took place between a bull and a stallion, both the property of Mr. James Coker. The animals were grazing in a field near the Chase at King’s Lynn, and became engaged in a deadly combat, which ended in the bull disembowelling the horse with its horns. The stallion was valued at £60.
1.—The marriage of H.R.H. Princess Alice and the Grand Duke of Hesse was celebrated throughout the county with great rejoicing. The day was observed at Norwich as a public holiday; at a special meeting of the Town Council a congratulatory address to the Queen was adopted; the Mayor gave a luncheon at St. Andrew’s Hall, and in the evening a firework display was given in the Market Place.