Norfolk Annals
Chapter 197 : 7.-The Norwich Cricket Week theatrical performance, organized by Sir Kenneth Kemp, Bar

7.-The Norwich Cricket Week theatrical performance, organized by Sir Kenneth Kemp, Bart., was given at the Theatre Royal. It consisted of the production of the comedy, "Upper Crust." The piece was performed again on the 9th.

SEPTEMBER.

2.-A violent thunderstorm occurred, accompanied by torrents of rain, which did excessive damage to unharvested crops.

19.-An amateur performance of "Lady Deadlock's Secret" was given at Norwich Theatre in aid of the funds of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

Lady Monckton sustained the character of Lady Deadlock, and was supported by Mr. Charles Colnaghi, Mr. George Nugent, Mr. E. F. Nugent, Mr. C. H.

Clark, Mr. Eustace Ponsonby, Mr. C. W. A Trollope, and other distinguished amateurs. The performance was repeated on the 20th.

27.-Lieut.-Colonel Bignold, leader of the Conservative party in Norwich, was presented with his portrait, painted by W. B. Richmond, A.R.A., and with an alb.u.m containing an illuminated address and list of subscribers-members of the Conservative party in city and county. The presentation was made by Sir Harry Bullard at a garden party given by Colonel Bignold at Harford Lodge.

29.-Died, at St. Benedict's Plain, Norwich, Mr. George Branwhite Jay, aged 43. He was a native of Great Yarmouth, where his father practised as surgeon. Mr. Jay devoted much time to the study of parish and other registers, and for some time before his death had been engaged in preparing for the press a work, ent.i.tled, "Transcript of St. George of Tombland Register."

OCTOBER.

15.-A conference of members of the Church of England Temperance Society, held at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich, was addressed by the Bishop of London.

23.-The lifeboat Elizabeth Simpson, presented to the National Lifeboat Inst.i.tution by Miss Elizabeth Simpson Stone, of Norwich, was launched at Gorleston. On the 24th the boat was towed up the river to Norwich in order that the donor, who was unable to be present at the launch, might inspect the craft.

25.-The Higher Grade School, erected in Duke Street by the Norwich School Board, was opened. Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P., gave an address, and the Mayor, Sheriff, and members for the city also took part in the proceedings. In the evening the Sheriff (as Chairman of the School Board) and Mrs. White gave a _conversazione_ at St. Andrew's Hall. The school, which occupies the site of the old Duke's Head Inn, was designed by Mr. J. H. Brown, architect to the Board, and built by Messrs. J.

Youngs and Son.

-Wroxham House, the residence of Mrs. Blake-Humfrey, was destroyed by fire. Soon after the fire was discovered a great quant.i.ty of wine was stolen from the cellars, and at the Petty Sessions held at the s.h.i.+rehall, Norwich, on November 2nd, seven persons were convicted of the theft. It was alleged that one of the accused was taking away the wine in a bucket.

NOVEMBER.

2.-The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture pa.s.sed a resolution affirming that the suppression of pleuro-pneumonia should be placed in the hands of the Government, and that compensation for compulsory slaughter be paid out of the National Exchequer, and not from the local rates.

7.-The Baroness Burdett-Coutts delivered an address at the Guildhall, Norwich, in support of the objects of the Norwich Band of Mercy.

9.-Mr. William Howard Dakin was elected Mayor and Mr. Edward Orams appointed Sheriff of Norwich.

13.-Died, at Tunbridge Wells, in his 81st year, Sir S. Morton Peto. He received his baronetcy for having contracted, in December, 1854, to construct a railway from Balaclava to Sebastopol, and other works, without profit or remuneration for superintendence. He was Liberal member for Norwich from 1847 to 1855, and successively represented Finsbury and Bristol. Sir Morton Peto was a civil engineer, and formerly a member of the firms of Grissell and Peto and of Peto and Betts.

16.-Died, Mr. Charles Edward Tuck, of St. Giles' Street, Norwich, and the Grove, Blofield, in his 81st year. He was the fourth son of Mr. Thomas Tuck, of Strumpshaw Hall, and for many years practised as solicitor, and took an active part in public affairs. A Conservative in polities, he was elected in 1864 Mayor of Norwich. Mr. Tuck was a justice of the peace for the city, and vice-president of the Norwich Union Fire Office.

DECEMBER.

4.-Died, at Mount Pleasant, Norwich, Mrs. E. Ling, aged 101 years.

9.-The Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Edinburgh arrived at Didlington Hall on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Tyssen Amherst.

10.-Sir Harry and Lady Bullard entertained the members of the Norwich and Norfolk Conservative Club, and their friends, to a _soiree_ given at St.

Andrew's Hall, Norwich.

17.-At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council it was reported that notice had been received from the solicitor to the Norwich Tramways Company of their intention to abandon the tramway scheme authorised by the Norwich Tramway Order, 1887. (_See_ January 19th, 1897.)

-A resolution in favour of pet.i.tioning the Queen for an Order in Council authorising the alteration in the number or boundaries of the wards of the city, was adopted by a nominal majority of the Norwich Town Council.

A majority of two-thirds of the members of the Corporation was necessary in order to make the motion effective. (_See_ July 21st, 1891.)

-Died, at Taplow, aged 62, Colonel J. E. Harvey, of Thorpe, Norwich, and Springfield, Taplow. He was the eldest son of Mr. Kerrison Harvey, and entered the Army as ensign in the 36th Regiment. He took part in the suppression of the insurrection in Cephalonia, when that island was placed under martial law in 1849, and served with the 41st Regiment in the Crimean campaign. In 1869 he was appointed staff officer of pensioners, and served in that capacity in Jersey and at Great Yarmouth until 1881, when he retired into civilian life. Colonel Harvey married, in 1858, Octavia, daughter of the Rev. Richard Stevens, vicar of Belgrave, Leicesters.h.i.+re.

21.-Mr. George Ginnett's Circus opened for the season at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich.

26.-Lord Hartington arrived at Westacre as the guest of Sir Henry James.

After three days' shooting his lords.h.i.+p proceeded to Sandringham on a visit to the Prince and Princess of Wales, and remained there until January 6th, 1890, when he left for Merton Hall on a shooting visit to Baron de Hirsch, the then tenant of the Hall. Lord Hartington was taken ill immediately on his arrival, and was confined to bed for nearly three weeks by severe congestion of the lungs. His lords.h.i.+p was enabled to return to town on January 30th.

1890.

JANUARY.

7.-Died, at St. John's House, Norwich, Mr. Samuel Grimmer, in his 76th year. Mr. Grimmer for many years sat in the Town Council as a representative of the Second Ward, and was chairman of the Sewerage and Irrigation Committee. He was Mayor in 188081, and entertained the Prince and Princess of Wales and other distinguished visitors on the occasion of the opening of the Fisheries Exhibition.

8.-Maria Brown, aged 62, wife of a labourer, was murdered at Pulham St.

Mary Magdalene, by Elijah Snelling, her son-in-law. Snelling was tried at the Norfolk a.s.sizes on March 5th before Mr. Justice Denman, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The sentence was afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life.

10.-A white-tailed eagle of nine pounds weight was shot near Wretham decoy.

-Died, at Brundall, Mr. George Lovick Coleman, in his 78th year. He was for more than half a century proprietor of a well-known drapery establishment in St. Giles' Street, Norwich. In 1843 Mr. Coleman was appointed Sheriff, and four years subsequently was elected Mayor, and at the close of his term of office was presented by the citizens with a handsome epergne in recognition of his services to the city. He took great interest in the Volunteer movement, served originally in the Rifle Corps, afterwards in the Norwich Light Horse, and finally in the Artillery, of which he ultimately became captain commandant. In his early days Mr. Coleman professed Liberal principles, but became Conservative.

11.-Mr. C. S. Read gave an address at the Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, in which he adversely criticised the working of the Agricultural Holdings Act, and moved and carried a resolution affirming that the failure of the Act demanded the attention of the President of the Board of Agriculture.

Mr. Read addressed the Farmers' Club, in London, on the same subject, on March 31st, when a similar resolution was adopted.

14.-Mrs. Punt, of East Wretham, the oldest pauper upon the relief books of the Thetford Union, attained her 102nd year.

18.-Many persons in Norwich were reported to be suffering from influenza.

Several men at the Cavalry and the Britannia Barracks were attacked by the complaint, which, however, was not of an aggravated character.

21.-The Town Council of Norwich voted the honorary freedom of the city to Mr. William Cadge "in recognition of the services he has rendered to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and especially in the n.o.ble gift recently made to its funds." The certificate of freedom was formally presented in a silver casket to Mr. Cadge at the Guildhall on March 21st.

FEBRUARY.

7.-The Mayor of Norwich (Mr. W. H. Dakin) presided at a common hall at which a resolution was pa.s.sed calling upon the Charity Commissioners to remove from their scheme certain obnoxious clauses affecting the administration of the local charities. On March 28th the Mayor received from the Charity Commissioners a letter explaining that the restrictions in the scheme against the benefits of the charities being extended to persons who were, or who had recently been in receipt of Poor-law relief, were in the view of the Commissioners calculated to encourage habits of thrift and to give effect to the well-known law against persons in receipt of Poor-law relief partic.i.p.ating in such charities. In the circ.u.mstances the Commissioners did not consider that they would be justified in entertaining the application to amend the scheme with the view of allowing those in receipt of Poor-law relief to benefit by the funds.