Chronological Retrospect of the History of Yarmouth and Neighbourhood Part 61

Jan. A portion of the North Denes levelled, preparatory to laying the rails of the North Norfolk Railway. (See Oct. 27th, 1875.)

Jan. 9th. Charles Diver, Esq., elected Justices' Clerk for the East and West Fleggs, in place of the late Mr. S. B. Cory, deceased.

Jan. 9th. Fifteen fis.h.i.+ng craft belonging to Messrs. Smith and Son, sold at the "Star" for 13,320; and on Feb. 5th ten of the late Mr. J. W.

Parsley's realised 5,615.

Jan. 16th. P.c. Edwards presented with a handsome timepiece and purse of 4 14s., by the salesmen, buyers, and boatowners, for his attention and courtesy to them at the Fishwharf.

Jan. 19th. The Stradbroke Road Board Schools, Gorleston, opened. Cost, with fittings, 3,000; accommodate 500 children. (See Nov. 9th, 1875.)

Jan. 30th. Very heavy gale and boisterous high tide, parts of the town being inundated. 18 Yarmouth smacks and over 100 hands were lost. The Yarmouth "Mark Lane" lifeboatmen bravely rescued the crew (12) of the barque "Constantia," wrecked on Scroby. Fifty-five widows, 108 children, and 17 aged parents were left dest.i.tute in this locality. The local relief fund reached 2,540, and in London 6,800. The first grant voted for Yarmouth and district was 2,745.

Jan. 30th. Calico fancy dress ball at St. Andrew's Hall, Gorleston.

Feb. 5th. Charles John Palmer, Esq., presented with a gold watch, a silver flower-basket, and a purse of 100 guineas, as a complimentary testimonial for his local literary researches &c.; 235 persons subscribed 233 9s. 6d. (See 1830.)

Feb. 18th. New oak pulpit in the parish church erected and used for the first time by the Vicar, the Rev. George Venables, S.C.L.

Feb. The Secretary of State for War decided on the formation of an Administrative Battalion, to consist of the 2nd Norfolk (Yarmouth), 4th Suffolk (Bungay), 14th Suffolk (Beccles), and 17th Suffolk (Lowestoft), under the t.i.tle of the 1st Administrative Battalion Norfolk Rifle Volunteers, with headquarters at Yarmouth.

Feb. 19th. Sir James Paget, Bart., F.R.S., D.C.L., LL.D., appointed one of the Serjeant-Surgeons in Ordinary to the Queen, in the room of Sir William Fergusson, Bart., deceased. He is the son of the late Mr. Samuel Paget, of this town, and was born in 1814.

Feb. 21st. John Clowes, Esq., solicitor, died, aged 67 years. This gentleman formerly filled the office of Town Clerk of the Borough; he was also a member of the Council and Board of Guardians for many years, besides being Lord of the Manor of Caister. (See 1822 and 1840.)

Feb. The body of a male child, about five months old, sent from Liverpool Station to the Vauxhall terminus in a small black bag; but no clue was ever found to the supposed murderess or the gentleman to whom it was consigned.

March. J. H. Orde, Esq., resigned after 18 years' service in the 2nd Norfolk Rifle Volunteer Corps. On June 21st he was presented with a valuable gold repeater watch by the Corps, at the Drill Hall, as a memento of esteem.

March 5th. Major General Francis Montague Maxwell Ommanney, B.A., died at Yarmouth, aged 50 years.

March 6th. Benjamin Daniels, a farmer of Scratby (five miles from the birthplace of Hales), and the last of the East Anglian giants, died and buried at Ormesby St. Margaret, aged 45 years. Height, 6 ft. 6 in.; weight, 24 stone; width across the shoulders, 20 in.; and possessed great strength.

March 25th. Income of the Haven Commissioners for the past year, 11,927 12s. 11d.; an increase of 782 11s. 5d. on the previous year. The imports in 1877 included 87,729 tons of coal, 288,032 qrs. of corn, and tonnage dues 176,475 tons, &c.; on fish and fis.h.i.+ng vessels, 2,110.

Number of wherries trading on the Bure, 108, of 1,934 tons burthen, and the income from this source, 455 16s. 3d.

March 28th. First Military a.s.sault-at-Arms at the Drill Hall by the Non-commissioned officers and men of the 1st Royal Dragoons from Norwich; and a second on April 17th, 1879, by the 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers.

March 31st. The Registrar-General reported 300 births, 135 marriages, and 179 deaths, 66 of the latter being persons of 60 years old and upwards, in the Borough during the past three months.

April 16th. The schooner "Jane" (121 tons), of Colchester, lost, with six hands, in a heavy gale, on the Cross Sands; and on the 19th the Norwegian barque "Suez" was beached south of the Wellington pier, with the loss of one of her crew.

April 22nd. The Great Yarmouth Church of England, "Mission" opened, and lasted a week.

May 3rd and 5th. The Corporation _versus_ J. W. de Caux. Arbitration proceedings taken respecting the owners.h.i.+p of the Town wall, on the site of "Town Wall House," Theatre Plain, and subsequently decided in favour of defendant.

May 4th. The National Lifeboat Inst.i.tution reported the gallant services rendered by the Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat crews in saving 22 men from s.h.i.+pwreck during recent gales.

May 8th and 9th. A locomotive engine, intended for the North Norfolk Railway, drawn on rails through Regent Street and Market Place _en route_ to the Beach Station. It was named the "Ormesby," and weighed about 18 tons; on the 9th and 10th July a second engine, the "Stalham," was dragged by horses along Regent Street, Regent Road, and Nelson Road North. On Sept. 13th, a third engine, the "North Walsham," and a fourth, the "Martham," on March 28th, 1879. The carriages also had to be conveyed in like manner. (See Aug. 7th.)

May 17th. Rev. S. Hooke presented with a handsome timepiece by the congregation of St. Peter's Church.

May 24th. Sergeant-Major Britton, Colour-Sergts. J. Norton and J. Wall, Sergt. J. Steel, Corporal W. Page, and Privates T. Freebury and R. Hayes, belonging to the 9th Regiment, each presented at Southtown Armoury with a medal for long service and good conduct.

May 25th. The smack "Dauntless" lost on Haak Sand.

May 27th. Rev. Edward Venables, B.A., son of the Vicar of Yarmouth, ordained by the Bishop of Chichester, and was appointed to a curacy at Hastings.

June 8th. The Royal Hotel partly rebuilt and re-modelled.

June 16th. Five gentlemen belonging to the Britannia Amateur Rowing Club rowed from Wroxham to Norwich, _via_ Yarmouth (63 miles), in 10 hrs. 40 min.

June 17th. Three Gorleston young men-Edwin Darby, Augustus Hawes, and Arthur Thrower-accidentally drowned in the river Wensum.

June 24th. On the death of his father, Viscount Canterbury, K.C.B., G.C.M.G., Henry Charles, fourth Viscount (who married in 1872 Amyee Rachel, the only daughter of the late Hon. F. Walpole, M.P.), succeeded to the t.i.tle.

July 2nd. The Norfolk and Suffolk Fisheries Bill pa.s.sed the House of Lords, and Royal a.s.sent given by Commission on July 19th.

July. The billyboy "Breeze," of this port, collided with H.M.S. "Wye,"

off Carlton, and foundered.

July 9th. The inhabitants and the Board of Trade awarded Thomas Love and William Mann, of the smack "Fawn" two medals and two watches for their bravery in rescuing five hands from the smack "Bessie," of London, during the gale of Jan. 30th.

July 10th. Mr. I. S. Cooper's tender of 325 10s. for each of the two brick mortuary chapels in the new Cemetery accepted by the Corporation.

July 11th. The Royal a.s.sembly Rooms purchased by Mr. W. Butcher for 1,975. (See 1851, and April, 1869.)

July 21st to 27th. Encampment of the 3rd and 4th Norfolk Rifles (about 920 rank and file), under command of Lieut.-Col. Duff, M.P., and Lieut.-Col. R. T. Gurdon, on the North Denes. On the brigade day about 2,000 volunteers, divided into 30 companies, were manuvred, and it was estimated that some 20,000 civilians were present.

July 24th. Mr. Charles John Stokes (22), a member of the Lynn Volunteers, mysteriously drowned in the river Yare. On the 28th the body was picked up, and subsequently buried at Lynn; but by order of the Secretary of State it was (Aug. 31st) exhumed, and a _post-mortem_ examination made, but no marks of violence were discovered.

July 25th. The two princ.i.p.al stones of the nave of St. James' Church laid by the Mayor (T. B. Steward, Esq.) and Mayoress. Cost of the nave was given at 3,150.

July 27th. Capt. Stokes, of the smack "Falcon," awarded a gold watch by the Emperor of Germany for rescuing the crew of the wrecked s.h.i.+p "Elise,"

in Nov., 1876.

Aug. 7th. The North Norfolk Railway having been inspected the previous day by Major-General Hutchinson, R.E., was opened to the public as far as completed, namely, Yarmouth, Caister, and Ormesby (5 miles). The line was constructed by Messrs. Wilkinson and Jarvis, of London. May 16th opened to Hemsby, and on July 15th, 1878, from this village to Martham.

(See May 8th and July.)

Aug. 9th. St. George's Board Schools, St. Peter's Plain, opened, Mr. J.

T. Bottle being the architect. This Gothic building comprises girls'

school, 64 ft. by 20 ft., and accommodates 200 children; infants' room, 60 ft. by 23 ft., for 300 girls; and another room, 24 ft. by 20 ft.; also lobbies, offices, and an open and covered playground. Cost, 2,370.

Aug. 11th. Collision between the steam tugs "United Service" and "Express" at the Harbour's mouth. Estimated damage to the latter, 200.

Aug. 21st. Mr. Charles Panchen, of this town, rescued from drowning a gentleman visitor whilst bathing from the South Beach, and in Nov. was awarded the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal for his gallantry.

Aug. 21st. Miss Clementine Stirling-Graham died at Duntrune, aged 95.

On the death of this lady, John Edmund Lacon, Esq., of this town, succeeded to her estates in Forfars.h.i.+re, and to all papers and relics of the great Viscount Dundee.