Norfolk Annals Volume Ii Part 91

17.-The Norwich School of Music was established at a meeting held at the Guildhall.

-Mr. A. E. Collins, M.I.C.E., of Reading, was appointed by the Norwich Town Council, city engineer and architect in place of Mr. Buchan, resigned.

25.-Mr. Joseph Arch, M.P., at a meeting held at New Buckenham, delivered to the agricultural labourers his famous address which was quoted throughout the country for some time afterwards. "You poor, craven milk-and-water fools," said the hon. member for North-west Norfolk, "why, you b.u.t.ton up your pockets at the thought of paying 2d. a week when you are told by a lot of lying scampery and scandalism that I have run away with your money. . . . Professor Rogers once said when speaking of the tenant farmers, that their heads were as soft as the mangolds they grew.

I think some of the labourers' heads are as soft as the mangolds they hoe."

28.-The Norfolk Volunteer Brigade camp commenced at Yarmouth. The four battalions numbered 1,923 of all ranks. Brigadier-General Bulwer was in command.

AUGUST.

1.-Gunton church, erected in the park on the site of the ancient parish church by Sir William Harbord, Bart., in 1769, was re-opened after restoration.

4.-The old buildings of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum were closed prior to the removal of the specimens, &c., to the new museum at Norwich Castle. (_See_ October 23rd.)

17.-The West Dereham Cotswolds, bred by Mr. Hugh Aylmer, deceased, were sold by Mr. John Thornton and Messrs. Salter and Simpson. Averages: 156 shearlings, 52s. 3d.; 64 two-shear, 51s. 2d.; 128 full-mouthed, 46s.; 100 ram lambs, 31s.; 20 old sheep, 7; 79 shearling rams, 7 5s.; 100 ewe lambs, 7 1s. Total proceeds of the sale, 2,601 18s. 6d.

22.-The sixth annual conference of the Inst.i.tute of Journalists was opened at Norwich, under the presidency of Mr. J. J. Colman, M.P. Mr. P.

W. Clayden, general editor of the "Daily News," delivered the inaugural address on the 23rd, and the business proceedings concluded on the 24th.

A garden party was given at Carrow Abbey by Mr. Colman, the Mayor and Mayoress held a reception at St. Andrew's Hall, and the conference dinner took place at Yarmouth Aquarium. Cambridge was visited on the 27th.

28.-Died, William Coutts, seventh Earl of Albemarle. He was born in 1832, and succeeded to the t.i.tle on the death of his father in 1891.

Lord Beaconsfield, recognising the services he had rendered to the Conservative party, elevated him to the House of Peers in 1876 as Baron Ashford. In 1857, as Lord Bury, he, with Mr. Schneider, contested Norwich in the Liberal interest and achieved a victory over Sir Samuel Bignold. At the election which took place two years afterwards the same two candidates were returned. Lord Bury then had the honour to be appointed Treasurer of her Majesty's Household, and this rendered it necessary for him to again contest the const.i.tuency. Sir Samuel Bignold again unsuccessfully opposed him; but a pet.i.tion was presented against Lord Bury's return, and the election was declared void. In 1860 Sir William Russell and Mr. E. Warner became members for the city. From 1860 to 1865 Lord Bury represented Wick, and from 1868 to 1874 Berwick. On the Liberal disruption he changed sides and contested Stroud in the Conservative cause in 1875, but he was unsuccessful. In early life his lordship did military service in the Scots Guards, and served in India as _aide-de-camp_ to General Lord FitzClarence. For a time he acted as secretary to Earl Russell, and was created a Privy Councillor in 1860 and K.C.M.G. in 1870. In 1855 he married Sophia, daughter of Sir Allan McNab, Prime Minister of Canada.

29.-The Roman Catholic church, erected on the site of the old City Gaol at Norwich, at the sole cost of the Duke of Norfolk, was opened. The building, which was only partially completed, was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, and is dedicated to St. John Baptist. The sermon at the opening ceremony was preached by the Rev. Dr. Headley, Bishop of Newport and Menevia.

SEPTEMBER.

3.-The Trades Union Congress was opened at Norwich under the presidency of Mr. John Burns, M.P. The delegates, 400 in number, were entertained at Cromer by Mr. Samuel h.o.a.re, M.P., and at Carrow Abbey by Mr. Colman, M.P. The proceedings closed on the 8th with a "trades procession"

through the streets of the city.

4.-A new lifeboat, the gift of Mrs. Upcher, was launched at Sheringham.

The vessel, which was "christened" by the donor the Henry Ramey Upcher, replaced a lifeboat named the Augusta given by the squire fifty years previously.

10.-Died at Moseley, Birmingham, Mr. John Hawkes, aged 100 years. For many years he was a clerk in Messrs. Gurney's Bank at Norwich, and was pensioned by the firm in 1865.

-Died at Lees Court, Faversham, Earl Sondes. His lordship was born in 1824, and was formerly a captain in the Royal Horse Guards and lieutenant-colonel of the East Kent Mounted Rifles. From 1868 to 1874 he was Conservative member for East Kent. In 1859 he married a daughter of Sir H. J. Stracey, of Rackheath.

24.-The Mayoress of Norwich (Lady Eade) unveiled at the Jenny Lind Infirmary a medallion terra-cotta bust of Madame Jenny Lind Goldschmidt, presented to the inst.i.tution by her husband, Mr. Otto Goldschmidt.

Madame Albani, who was on a professional visit to the city, attended the proceedings.

25.-A concert was given at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, at which the princ.i.p.al performers were Madame Albani, Mdlle. Antoinette Trebelli, Madame A. Gomez, Mr. Edward Lloyd, Mr. Charles Santley, Mr. Braxton Smith, Mr. Norman Salmond, the Meister Glee Singers. M. Emile Sauret (violin), Mr. B. Patterson Parker (violoncello), Mr. John Thomas (harpist to the Queen), and the Swiss Ladies' Orchestra. Performances were also given on the 26th, 27th, and 28th.

29.-Died at West Rudham Hall, Mr. John Morton, aged 55. He was a great authority on all agricultural matters, an eminent breeder of horses and cattle, and a frequent judge at shows in England and on the Continent.

OCTOBER.

3.-Mr. Jerome K. Jerome, the well-known author of "Three Men in a Boat"

and "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow," gave a lecture at the a.s.sembly Room, Agricultural Hall, Norwich, on "Humour, Old and New."

12.-At the Norwich Consistorial Court application was made to Mr.

Chancellor Blofeld by the vicar and churchwardens of St. John Timberhill for a faculty to confirm the erection of a rood or crucifix, and its accompanying figures, on a rood loft in the church. The application was supported by Sir Walter Phillimore. The Chancellor delivered judgment on November 10th. A faculty to confirm the erection of the rood loft and of the figures then on the rood beam and to authorise the placing of other figures there was refused. A faculty to confirm the erection of a screen without a rood loft, and to authorise the placing of gates in an existing screen, the erection of proposed side screens with gates in them, and the erection of choir stalls with a screen behind them, was granted.

15.-A great meeting was held at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich, presided over by the Hon. Ailwyn Fellowes, M.P., to protest against the proposed disestablishment of the Church in Wales. The princ.i.p.al speaker was the Rev. Thomas Moore, author of "The Englishman's Brief on behalf of his National Church."

17.-At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions, before Mr. J. B. R. Bulwer, Q.C., George Chapman, William Chapman, Robert Howard, John Howard, and William Furness were indicted for "unlawfully and riotously a.s.sembling with other persons to the number of 200 and more to disturb the public peace," at Horsham St. Faith's, on August 10th. The disturbance arose in consequence of a local farmer, Mr. W. W. Cook, employing imported labour because he was unable to arrange terms with the St. Faith's men. The prisoners, with the exception of Furness, pleaded guilty. The jury were unable to find a verdict in the case of Furness. Another jury were empanelled, and a verdict of guilty returned. Furness was sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labour, and the other prisoners were bound over to keep the peace for twelve months, George Chapman to pay in addition a fine of 5.

18.-The Rev. Arthur Thomas Lloyd, D.D., vicar and Hon. Canon of Newcastle-on-Tyne, was at Westminster Abbey consecrated Suffragan Bishop of Norwich, by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The right reverend Bishop had previously been collated and inst.i.tuted-on October 16th-to the rectory and parish church of North Creake, and on the same day collated to the Archdeaconry of Lynn formed out of the Archdeaconries of Norfolk and Norwich under an order of her Majesty, dated August 23rd, 1894. "By 26th Henry VIII., c. 14, provision was made for the appointment of two Suffragans within the diocese, to bear the t.i.tular names of Thetford and Ipswich. In 1536 John Salisbury and Thomas Manning were consecrated by Archbishop Cranmer as Suffragan Bishops of Thetford and Ipswich, and now again after the lapse of three centuries and a half the Bishopric of Thetford is revived."

20.-Died, in his 84th year, Mr. William Henry Cooke, Q.C., County Court judge for Oxfordshire, and Recorder of the city of Oxford. He was some time judge of the Norfolk County Court, and a justice of the peace for the county. Mr. Cooke was the eldest son of the Rev. W. Cooke, vicar of Bromyard, Herefordshire.

-Died at Wilby Hall, aged 79, Mr. Samuel Colman. He was one of the eleven sons of Mr. Robert Colman, of Rockland, who const.i.tuted the famous team of cricketers.

23.-The Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of York visited Norwich and opened the Castle Museum and Fine Art Gallery. Their Royal Highnesses arrived from Sandringham, and were received at Thorpe Station by the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade), the Sheriff (Mr. Barwell), the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Mr. J. H.

Gurney), and other prominent officials. Escorted by the 1st King's Dragoon Guards the Royal visitors drove to the Castle, where they were received by a distinguished gathering, and presented with an address by the Corporation. The Duke having declared the building open, their Royal Highnesses made a tour of the Museum, and were afterwards entertained to luncheon in the Fine Art Gallery. Leaving the Castle under escort of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars, the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess proceeded to the Girls'

Technical School, St. George's Plain, where they were received by the Countess of Leicester and Mr. and Mrs. Gurney Buxton. Their Royal Highnesses having inspected the School of Cookery, visited the Cathedral, and thence drove to Thorpe Station, en route to Wolferton. The streets of Norwich were decorated in honour of the visit, and in the evening the city was illuminated. The Mayor and Mayoress held a reception at the Cattle, and a military tattoo in which the pipers of the Scots Guards, the depot companies of the Norfolk Regiment, and the Volunteers took part, was given on the Recreation-ground, Earlham Road.

NOVEMBER.

9.-Lieut.-Col. Bignold was elected Mayor of Norwich, and Mr. Samuel Garerd Hill appointed Sheriff.

13.-Died at Eckling Grange, East Dereham, Mr. Charles Norton Elvin, M.A.

He was well known as an authority on heraldry, and was the author of several standard works on the subject.

17.-The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture considered the report of a special committee appointed to enquire into the condition of agriculture in Norfolk. The committee reported that the fall in the value of the Norfolk corn crops, comparing 1894 with 1874, was nearly, if not quite, 3,000,000. In 1874 Norfolk had 762,000 sheep and 128,000 cattle; in 1894 519,000 sheep and 126,000 cattle. Recommendations were made that the whole question of the appreciation of gold, and of the fluctuation of current values, and the incidence of rates and taxes to meet the altered position of agriculture, be reconsidered; that the law of a.s.sessments be amended; that the t.i.the Commutation Act be revised, so that lands which could no longer be cultivated with corn at a profit should not be t.i.thed on a corn basis; and that a Pure Beer Act be pa.s.sed charging an extra duty upon all beer made from substances other than barley, malt and hops.

The report and recommendations were adopted. At about this date Mr. R.

Henry Rew, a.s.sistant commissioner, conducted enquiries in various parts of the county into the condition of agriculture. (_See_ November 2nd, 1895.)

23.-Died at Cathedral Street North, Norwich, Miss Emily Stannard, aged 67. She was the only child of Joseph and Emily Stannard, both painters of the Norwich School.

28.-The autumnal conference of the Church a.s.sociation opened at Norwich, and concluded on the 29th.

29.-Lord and Lady Amherst of Hackney and their daughters, Lady William Cecil, and the Hon. Sybil, Florence, Margaret, and Alicia Amherst, were presented with valuable testimonials subscribed for by persons of all shades of political opinion in South-west Norfolk. The gift to his lordship, in recognition of the public services he had rendered in Parliament, was a portrait of himself painted by the Hon. John Collier, to Lady Amherst was given a silver writing set, and to her daughters pearl and gold duster bracelets, as tokens of the esteem in which they were held throughout the const.i.tuency. Mr. T. L. Hare, M.P., made the presentations in the presence of a large company who had been invited to luncheon in the museum at Didlington Hall.

DECEMBER.

4.-The first meetings of Parish and District Councils elected under the new Local Government Act, 1894, were held. The percentage of unopposed returns at the elections in Norfolk was 72.4. The first election of Guardians for Norwich under the Act took place on the 17th.

6.-Died at his residence, 6, Cavendish Square, in his 82nd year, Horatio Walpole, fourth Earl of Orford. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and afterwards when reading for the Bar occupied the same chambers as Disraeli, who took great interest in him. His lordship married, in 1841, Harriet Bettina Frances, daughter of the Hon. Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew. He was succeeded by his nephew, Robert Horace Walpole, elder son of the Hon. Frederick Walpole.