Norfolk Annals Volume I Part 68

OCTOBER.

6.-A number of silver coins, some of them bearing date 1577, were dug up by a gardener at Thorpe, who sold them for 30.

13.-The portrait of Mr. Henry Francis, Mayor of Norwich in 1824, was hung in St. Andrew's Hall. The artist was Mr. Lane, of Greek Street, Soho.

18.-Died at Costessey, Mrs. Anne Maria Teresa Vere, aged 100, sister of Mr. Charles Gosnold, formerly of Norwich.

20.-Killed at the battle of Navarino, aged 24, Lieut. George William Howe FitzRoy, R.N., of H.M.S. Dartmouth, second son of Lieut.-General the Hon.

William FitzRoy, of Kempston Lodge.

NOVEMBER.

3.*-"At the auction mart last week Mr. Hoggart sold the well-known estate called St. Andrew's Hall, Old Buckenham, a fine mansion house, and 532 acres of land, at 29,300."

10.-It was announced that Mr. Smith, manager of Norwich Theatre, had taken of the patentee, Mr. Wilkins, a seven years' lease of that and the other houses in the circuit.

-Mr. Mathews commenced a three nights' engagement at the a.s.sembly Rooms, Norwich.

17.*-"The expense of erecting the house of industry at Wicklewood in 1777 was defrayed by a tontine called the 'Forehoe Tontine,' consisting of 110 shares at 100 each, bearing an interest of 5 per cent. Fifty years have now elapsed, and in 1827 there are still 50 survivors out of the original number."

25.-Died at Prospect Place, Gorleston, aged 65, Mr. F. F. Hope, for 30 years paymaster of the East Norfolk Militia. "Previously he was an officer of the line, saw much service during the great American War, was at the siege of Yorktown in Virginia in 1781, and there taken prisoner by the combined Armies of France and America, with the whole of the British Army under Lord Cornwallis."

DECEMBER.

16.-The small organ in East Dereham church, mentioned by Dr. Burney in his "History of Music" as a curiosity, which was built by the famous Schmidt, in 1666, for the Hon. Roger North, of Rougham Hall, and purchased for the parish in 1786 for the small sum of 30, was, after enlargement under the direction of the Rev. R. F. Elwin, of Norwich, opened before a congregation of 1,600 persons, by Mr. Last, of Orford.

The builder, Mr. Joseph Hart, of Redgrave, found that Schmidt's pipes were as sound as on the day they were finished.

-A boy of 13, named William Moore, was brutally murdered in a field at Brisley, by John Kenney, a lunatic, aged 24. The body was horribly mutilated. The prisoner was committed for trial on the Coroner's warrant, on the charge of wilful murder, and at the Lent a.s.sizes, held at Thetford on March 21st, before Mr. Baron Garrow, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, on the ground of the insanity of the accused.

22.*-[Advt.] "A main of c.o.c.ks will be fought at the White Hart Inn, Swaffham, on Thursday, the 27th of December, 1827, for 50 guineas, between Mr. J. Farrer, of Necton, and Mr. G. Gould, of Swaffham. A very superior day's play is expected, as there are several other matches besides."

-*"Died lately, at Northrepps, Hannah Storey, in her 101st year."

-Lieut.-Col. Harvey, commanding the 3rd Regiment of Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry, addressed a letter to the Marquis of Lansdowne, Secretary of State for War, detailing the services rendered by the regiment in quelling disturbances, &c., and expressing the hope that the Government would not order the disbandment of the corps. His lordship replied that he had not lost sight of the valuable services of the Yeomanry, but that the Barracks at Norwich were then, and were likely to continue, a station for regular cavalry, and consequently he was unable to accede to the request to continue the pay and allowance to the regiment.

24.-Died at Lynn, Samuel Pearson, a journeyman cabinetmaker, "who, in the intervals of his labour, acquired a deep knowledge of mathematics, and possessed the faculty of communicating his knowledge to others. He established a mathematical academy, which had every prospect of success."

29.-Miss C. Morgan's Menagerie was exhibited on the Castle Hill, Norwich.

-Great excitement was caused in Yarmouth by the discovery that upwards of twenty recently interred bodies had been removed from the churchyard by resurrection men. "The churchyard was quickly crowded by the population.

Wives were searching for the remains of their deceased husbands, husbands for those of their wives, and parents for their children." Three men, Thomas Smith, _alias_ Vaughan, William Barber, and Robert Barber, were apprehended, and committed for trial at Yarmouth Quarter Sessions, whence, on April 1st, 1828, the indictment was removed by writ of _certiorari_ to the Court of King's Bench. The case was tried at Norwich a.s.sizes, before Lord Chief Baron Alexander, on August 11th, 1828, when only Vaughan (or Smith) was proceeded against. Robert Barker turned King's evidence, and described the method by which the graves were robbed, and how the bodies were sent to London by the wain. A verdict of guilty was returned, and on November 14th, 1828, the prisoner was brought up for sentence in the Court of King's Bench. He urged that he was driven by poverty to the commission of the offence, and was sentenced by Mr. Justice Bayley to six months' imprisonment in the house of correction at Norwich.

31.-Miss Clark, a native of the city, commenced an engagement with her equestrian company at the Pantheon, Ranelagh Gardens, Norwich.

1828.

JANUARY.

4.-A grand concert, given at Wells Theatre, was attended by Earl Rosebery, Lord and Lady Bury, Lord Dalmeney, Viscountess Andover, Admiral Digby, Lady H. Primrose, the Hon. Misses Anson, the Hon. B. Primrose, &c.

The programme opened with Haydn's "Surprise Sinfonia," and the _artistes_ engaged included M. Venna, Master Sporle, Madame Baur, and Mr. Barron.

"Gentlemen amateurs" sang glees, and at the close of the concert a ball took place, at which 200 were present.

18.-A resurrection-man was shot in Bacton churchyard by a party of grave watchers. He was in the act of disinterring the body of one James Howlett, who was accidentally killed a few days previously. The resurrectionist, although badly wounded, effected his escape in the darkness.

23.-Norwich Theatre opened for the season with Mr. Smith as manager and lessee.

24.-Died, Mr. Martin Fountain, who was Sheriff of Norwich in 1812.

26.-Atkins' Menagerie was exhibited on the Castle Hill, Norwich.

31.-Lord William Bentinck addressed a circular letter to his const.i.tuents at Lynn, announcing his resignation as one of the members for the borough, in consequence of his appointment as Governor-General of India.

FEBRUARY.

4.-Lord George Bentinck was elected without opposition a member for King's Lynn. "No colours were worn, agreeable to the regulations of Lord John Russell's most sapient Act, and for which the ribbon-makers must feel highly indebted to him in depriving them of a source of consumption for an important branch of British manufacture of no inconsiderable extent."

5.-At a meeting of the Norwich Court of Guardians, a report was adopted in favour of altering the mulcts of the a.s.sessable property in each of the parishes and hamlets of the city. In the parishes the old valuation was 61,302; the new, 89,080; increase, 27,778-45 per cent. In the hamlets the old valuation was 19,722; the new, 21,487; increase, 1,765-about 9 per cent. At the vestry meetings in several parishes the new a.s.sessment was rejected-(1) on the ground of increased local and public burdens to which the citizens would be exposed by increased rent on such valuation; and (2) because of the disproportion of the a.s.sessment of the hamlets as compared with the a.s.sessment of the city at large. At a meeting of the Guardians on April 1st, a resolution was adopted declaring the mulct to be unequal, and advising that steps be taken to place it upon a fair and equitable basis.

8.-A "trial of speed" took place between the Westacre and Melton Constable hounds. "A n.o.ble stag stood before the hounds an hour and ten minutes, but from the numerous field, amounting at least to 400, the greater part of whom were shamefully riding the roads and heading the stag at every point, the sport was not brilliant. Through the greater part of the day the Westacre hounds took the lead, carried the best head, and did all the work; but from the jockeyship of Sir Jacob Astley's huntsman in continually lifting his hounds, and numerous hors.e.m.e.n pressing on them in the lanes and woods, so completely frightened the Westacre hounds, which are more timid and less accustomed to such crowds than the Melton, that most of them were thrown out and could not again recover their ground." The match took place in the neighbourhood of East Dereham.

12.-In the Court of King's Bench, Sir James Scarlett moved for a rule to show cause why a _quo warranto_ information should not be filed against Mr. Angell, of Norwich, for exercising the office of alderman without being properly elected thereto. "A very ancient custom," he said, "prevailed at Norwich on the election of aldermen, which he was sure would not, from its antiquity, receive their lordships' sanction. It was called the cooping of voters, and consisted of taking the voters by force in a body, bribing them, giving them drink, and keeping them locked up until they consented to vote for the party on whose side they had been taken." It was alleged that several of the supporters of Mr. Angell's opponent (Mr. Marshall) were waylaid, carried away by force in a coach, put on board a boat on the broads, and had persons placed over them as guards. If these persons had had their liberty, Mr. Marshall, it was contended, would have been elected. Lord Tenterden granted a rule to show cause. It was abandoned, however, on April 28th, and "the bells of St. Peter rang a triumphant peal on the result being known."

13.-A squadron of the 6th Dragoons arrived at Norwich Barracks, to replace the depot of the 12th Lancers.

23.-A man named Bailey did penance in the chancel of Yarmouth parish church for applying an opprobrious epithet to a Mrs. Jenner. "It being a very great novelty, there was a large a.s.semblage of persons to witness the performance of the ceremony and to hear Bailey repeat his recantations, which continued for some time, but he did _not_, as generally supposed, stand in a white sheet."

MARCH.

5.-The election of a County Coroner took place at Norwich, consequent upon the resignation of Mr. C. Bringloe. Mr. E. Press, of Hingham, the successful candidate, polled 1,073 votes, as against 766 obtained by his opponent, Mr. Henry Hobart, Norwich.

17.-Died at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, aged 68, Sir James Edward Smith, M.D., F.R.S., President of the Linnaean Society. He was born in Norwich December 2nd, 1759, proceeded to Edinburgh University in 1780, and completed his medical studies in London. In 1792 he had the honour of instructing her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Princesses in botany at Windsor. He married, in 1796, a daughter of Mr. Robert Reeve, of Lowestoft, and in 1810 received the distinction of knighthood. He was the author of "English Botany," and other works.

18.-Mr. Macready appeared at Norwich Theatre in the part of Virginius.

On subsequent evenings he performed the characters of Macbeth and William Tell.

22.*-"Died at Canton, in China, by falling overboard, Henry, son of Mr.