Norfolk Annals Volume Ii Part 93

1.-The 1st Volunteer Battalion Norfolk Regiment formed a marching column of 200 of all ranks, and under the command of Col. Dawson proceeded to Stratton Strawless, where a camp was formed in the park. On the 2nd the march was resumed to Blickling Park, where the column encamped, and in the afternoon attended service at the parish church. On the morning of the 3rd outpost duty was practised, and in the afternoon the column marched to Norwich, and was dismissed at the Drill Hall.

2.-A serious fire occurred on board the Jenny Lind steamboat at Foundry Bridge, Norwich.

11.-At the Norfolk a.s.sizes, before Lord Chief Justice Russell of Killowen, Frederic Butcher, 15, carpenter's apprentice, was indicted for feloniously shooting at the Rev. Arthur Hamilton Upcher, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm, at Baconsthorpe, on January 3rd. The prisoner was found guilty, and recommended to mercy on account of his youth. He was sentenced to nine calendar months' imprisonment.

-At the Norwich a.s.sizes, before the Lord Chief Justice, Frederick Miles, 27, labourer, was indicted for the wilful murder of Mildred Miles, his wife, at St. John Timberhill, Norwich, on June 1st. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, but strongly recommended him to mercy on the ground that he had received great provocation. His lords.h.i.+p pa.s.sed sentence of death, which was afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life.

15.-Died at 24, Fairfax Road, South Hampstead, London, Mr. Philip Soman, senior proprietor of the "Norfolk Daily Standard," aged 60.

18.-The old Toll House premises at Yarmouth were opened as a museum.

19.-Mr. Henry Staniforth Patteson was elected leader of the Conservative party in Norwich, in place of Lieut.-Col. Bignold, deceased.

21.-A terrible tragedy occurred near Yarmouth. George Stanford, a bank clerk, aged 25, in the employment of Messrs. Gurneys and Co., drowned his _fiancee_, Edith Mary Argyle, in the Steam Mill d.y.k.e, at Caister, and then committed suicide by drowning himself.

29.-The foundation-stone of the new church of St. Peter, Sheringham, was laid by Mrs. Upcher, the princ.i.p.al contributor of the total sum of 7,000, the estimated cost of the building. The church was designed by Messrs. St. Aubyn and Wadling, of Lamb Buildings, Temple, London, and the contractors were Messrs. Bardell Bros., of King's Lynn.

JULY.

1.-The election campaign was opened in Norwich by a meeting of the Liberal Two Hundred held at the Agricultural Hall under the presidency of Mr. George White, when Mr. Thomas Terrell, Q.C., 13, St. Petersburg Place, Paddington, W., was adopted as the colleague of Mr. F. W. Verney.

The Conservative electors met at St. Andrew's Hall on the 3rd, under the presidency of Mr. Patteson, and the name of Sir Harry Bullard was announced as the colleague of Mr. Samuel h.o.a.re. On the 6th Earl Spencer addressed a Liberal meeting at St. Andrew's Hall, and on the 8th at the same place Mr. Goschen was the princ.i.p.al speaker at a Conservative meeting. Sir Harry Bullard, who had been absent in Norway, returned to Norwich on the 10th, and was received with an extraordinary demonstration of popular enthusiasm. The nomination took place on the 12th, and the polling on the 16th, and the result was declared as follows:-h.o.a.re, 8,166; Bullard, 8,034; Terrell, 7,330; Verney, 7,210.

4.-The Summer Show of the Norfolk Agricultural a.s.sociation was opened at Wymondham. In the absence of the president, Mr. J. J. Colman, the public luncheon was presided over by Mr. R. Harvey Mason. The show closed on the 5th.

5.-Died at the Clyffe, Corton, Caroline, wife of Mr. J. J. Colman. Mrs.

Colman was the eldest daughter of Mr. W. H. Cozens-Hardy, of Letheringsett Hall, and was in her 64th year. Her death was lamented by all cla.s.ses of citizens, and the representatives of all political parties attended the funeral, which took place at the Rosary on the 10th.

12.-Mr. T. Gibson Bowles (C.) and Mr. Hubert George Beaumont, Piccadilly Chambers, London (L.), were nominated candidates for the representation of King's Lynn. Polling took place on the 15th: Bowles, 1,395; Beaumont, 1,326.

-Sir John Colomb (C.) and Mr. J. M. Moorsom (L.) were nominated for Great Yarmouth. Polling took place on the 16th: Colomb, 3,528; Moorsom, 2,893.

13.-The nomination of candidates for South Norfolk took place at the s.h.i.+rehall, Norwich. Mr. Thomas Hamer Dolbey, Stratford House, Sutton, Surrey, barrister-at-law, was proposed by the Liberals, and Mr. Francis Taylor, of Diss, brewer, by the Unionists. Polling on the 17th: Taylor, 4,281; Dolbey, 3,445.

-At the s.h.i.+rehall, Norwich, Mr. Henry Rider Haggard, of Ditchingham House, land owner and occupier, was nominated Unionist candidate, and Mr.

Robert John Price, of 104, Sloane Street, Chelsea, barrister-at-law, Liberal candidate, for East Norfolk. On the polling day, the 19th, the Unionist candidate and his supporters were attacked at Ludham by a gang of Liberal roughs, and Mrs. William Hartcup, who occupied one of the carriages, received a severe wound on the head from a stone thrown by a person in the crowd. The incident gave rise to many expressions of public indignation. The result of the election was declared at the s.h.i.+rehall, Norwich, on the 20th: Price, 4,606; Haggard, 4,408. (_See_ July 30th.)

-The nomination of candidates for North Norfolk took place at Aylsham.

Mr. Herbert Hardy Cozens-Hardy, Q.C., of Letheringsett Hall, was nominated by the Liberals, and Sir Kenneth Hagar Kemp, Bart., of Mergate Hall, Braconash, banker, by the Unionists. The polling on the 22nd resulted as follows: Cozens-Hardy, 4,246; Kemp, 3,738.

17.-Mr. Robert Thornhagh Gurdon, of Letton Hall, Unionist, and Mr. F. W.

Wilson, newspaper proprietor and farmer, of the Dale, Scarning, Liberal, were nominated at East Dereham as candidates for Mid Norfolk. Polling took place on the 24th: Wilson, 4,220; Gurdon, 4,086.

-At Swaffham candidates were nominated for the representation of South-west Norfolk. Mr. Thomas Leigh Hare, of Stow Bardolph, was proposed by the Unionists, and Mr. Richard Winfrey, Long Sutton, Lincolns.h.i.+re, farmer and newspaper proprietor, by the Liberals. The polling took place on the 25th: Hare, 3,968; Winfrey, 3,762.

18.-Mr. Joseph Arch, of Barford, Warwicks.h.i.+re, officially described as a labourer, was at King's Lynn nominated Liberal candidate for North-west Norfolk. The Unionist nominee was Mr. Edward Kendrick Bunbury Tighe, Woodstock, Kilkenny, Ireland, and Albany Chambers, Piccadilly, London, lieutenant in the Army Reserve, and justice of the peace for Kilkenny.

The polling took place on the 26th: Arch, 4,817; Tighe, 3,520.

-A shocking catastrophe occurred on Ormesby Broad. A sailing boat occupied by nine young fishermen capsized in a sudden squall, and six of the party were drowned.

21.-Died, the veteran actor and theatrical manager, Mr. William Sidney (Mr. Sidney Young), who for many years in the old days of stock companies controlled the destinies of the Norwich Theatre. Mr. Sidney was a capable exponent of character parts. Of late years he had devoted himself almost entirely to stage management, and was responsible for the staging of several of the most successful productions at the Adelphi and other London theatres.

30.-At Smallburgh Petty Sessions, Lord John Wodehouse was summoned for a.s.saulting Mr. John Gaymer, builder and contractor, at North Walsham, on July 17th; and William Saul, a dealer, was charged with aiding and abetting. The complainant was presiding at a Conservative meeting held in North Walsham, marketplace, when Lord Wodehouse seized him by the coat, dragged him from the chair, and using most foul language offered to fight him for 50. In this he was abetted by Saul. The chairman of the Bench (Sir H. J. Preston, Bart.) said the redeeming part of the case was that there was no actual violence that had resulted in injury. Lord Wodehouse was fined 3 7s. 6d., and costs 1 12s. 6d., and Saul 1, and costs to the like amount. The Lord Chancellor afterwards removed the name of Lord Wodehouse from the commission of the peace. At the same court nine persons were summoned for taking part in the riot at Ludham on the day of the East Norfolk election, and the majority were convicted and fined in various amounts.

AUGUST.

1.-The parish church of Burnham Thorpe, restored at the cost of about 7,000 as a memorial to Nelson, who was a native of the village, was opened for public wors.h.i.+p on this the anniversary of the battle of the Nile. The work was carried out from designs by Sir A. Bloomfield.

8.-Mr. John Edmund Wentworth Addison, Q.C., who had been appointed to fill the vacancy in the judges.h.i.+p of the Norfolk County Court on the retirement of Mr. E. P. Price, Q.C., took his seat for the first time at the Aylsham Court. Mr. Addison was formerly Member of Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne, and Recorder of Preston.

12.-Dramatic performances were given at Norwich Theatre by the 1st King's Dragoon Guards on this and the five succeeding nights in aid of the funds of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The pieces produced were "Easy Shaving," and a burlesque of "Faust."

14.-The Elmham shorthorns and red polls, the property of Mr. Fulcher, were sold by Mr. John Thornton, and realised the total sum of 1,961 3s.

6d.

25.-The Hunstanton yawl, Princess of Wales, with sixteen persons on board, capsized whilst on a trip to Skegness, and five were drowned.

29.-The 1st King's Dragoon Guards, after being quartered in Norwich for over two years, marched for Colchester. The headquarters of the 7th Dragoon Guards marched in on September 18th.

SEPTEMBER.

12.-The premises of Messrs. Sullivan and Co., wholesale confectioners, West End Street, Norwich, were destroyed by fire.

19.-The Channel Squadron arrived in Yarmouth Roads. The vessels included the Royal Sovereign (flags.h.i.+p of Vice-Admiral Lord Walter Kerr), Empress of India, Resolution, and Repulse, battles.h.i.+ps; the Blenheim, Endymion, and Bellona, cruisers; the Halcyon, gunboat; and the Speedy, torpedo gunboat. The officers and men numbered 4,500. Civic and public entertainments were given in honour of the visit. The squadron steamed south on the 24th.

23.-Climatic variations of a remarkable character were recorded. The thermometer on the gra.s.s in the morning fell to freezing point (32 degrees), at two p.m. it stood at 77.2 degrees in the shade, one degree higher than the point known as summer heat, and about seven degrees higher than the average _maximum_ day readings for the month of July. In the screen the thermometer fell to 38.4 degrees, the range of temperature for the day being nearly 40 degrees. The _minimum_ was about 12 degrees below, and the _maximum_ about 12 degrees above the usual standard for September. On the 24th the _maximum_ shade temperature was 75.8 degrees.

25.-At the Guildhall, Norwich, the honorary freedom of the city was conferred upon the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade). At the conclusion of the proceedings the members of the Corporation proceeded to the Castle Museum, where a portrait of the Mayor, painted by Mr. Stanhope A. Forbes, was unveiled by Lord Walsingham.

27.-Died at Welborne Rectory, the Rev. George Robert Winter, Hon. Canon of Norwich Cathedral, in his 69th year. He was a son of Mr. Roger Winter, barrister-at-law, Calcutta, and grandson of Mr. John Winter, of Acton, many years solicitor to the Bank of England. Educated at Eaton and at Brasenose College, Oxford, Canon Winter was for many years vicar of Swaffham. In his University days he was a famous athlete, president of the Boat Club, stroke of the Brasenose boat, and a bold and fearless horseman. In addition to his other accomplishments Canon Winter was a very clever artist.

28.-Died at Ipswich, Dr. John Ellor Taylor, F.G.S., F.L.S., aged 60. Dr.

Taylor was the son of a foreman in a Lancas.h.i.+re cotton factory, and early in life was sent to the engineer's shop of the London and North-Western Railway, at Crewe. He subsequently removed to Manchester, and contributed to the newspapers, and on adopting journalism as an occupation secured an appointment on the "Norwich Mercury." During the smallpox epidemic in 1872 he contributed a remarkable series of articles to the "Eastern Daily Press" on "Haunts and Homes of Smallpox in Norwich," the materials for which he obtained by personal visits to the dwellings of the stricken people. Resolutely declining to be vaccinated, he contracted the disease, which considerably marred his. .h.i.therto handsome features. He left Norwich to become the curator of Ipswich Museum and editor of "Hardwick's Science Gossip," and in 1885 visited Australia on a lecturing tour. Dr. Taylor was the author of several works, notably "Geological Stories," "The Playtime Naturalist,"

"Half-hours in the Green Lanes," "Half-hours at the Seaside," "The Sagacity and Morality of Plants," &c.

OCTOBER.

8.-The Church Congress commenced its proceedings at Norwich. The members were welcomed at the Guildhall by the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade), after which the Congress sermons were preached at the Cathedral by the Archbishop of York, and at St. Peter Mancroft by the Bishop of Salisbury. The sessional proceedings were opened at the Agricultural Hall at two p.m. by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, who delivered the inaugural address, and afterwards an address of welcome was presented by the Nonconformist bodies. Sectional meetings took place day by day at St. Andrew's Hall, the Conservative Club a.s.sembly Room, St. Giles' Street, and in the a.s.sembly Room at the Agricultural Hall. An ecclesiastical art exhibition was held at St. Giles' Hall (the old Skating Rink), and during the week meetings of various Church societies took place. The Mayor and Mayoress held a reception at the Castle Museum on the 11th, and the farewell sermon was preached at the Cathedral on the 13th by the Bishop of Peterborough.

21.-Died at Christchurch, Mr. Henry Reeve, C.B., D.C.L. The son of a physician, he was born at Norwich in 1813, and educated at the Grammar School under Valpy. He afterwards proceeded to Geneva, where he completed his education. Mr. Reeve began his literary career by a translation of De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America," published in 1835. It was followed, in 1840, by a translation of M. Guizot's "Was.h.i.+ngton." In 1837 Mr. Reeve was appointed Registrar of the Privy Council, and occupied the post for exactly fifty years. He was a frequent contributor to the "Edinburgh Review," of which he ultimately held the editors.h.i.+p for forty years.