Norfolk Annals
Chapter 185 : 26.-Mr. E. P. Weston, the celebrated pedestrian, who on the 15th completed his walk of

26.-Mr. E. P. Weston, the celebrated pedestrian, who on the 15th completed his walk of 5,000 miles in as many consecutive hours (Sundays and Christmas Day excluded), delivered a lecture at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, on "How I Came to Walk into Walking." The Mayor (Dr.

Eade) presided. Weston, whose address was in the cause of temperance, stated that in fourteen years he had walked 56,000 miles.

28.-Intelligence was received at Norwich of the death, at Cannes, of the Duke of Albany. The great bell of St. Peter Mancroft was tolled, and flags displayed at half-mast. References were made to the sad event by preachers in various places of wors.h.i.+p on Sunday, the 30th; on April 8th the Town Council pa.s.sed a resolution of condolence with her Majesty the Queen and the d.u.c.h.ess of Albany; and on April 10th the county magistrates adopted a similar resolution.

APRIL.

12.-Died, at Rackheath Park, Lady Stracey, wife of Sir Henry J. Stracey, Bart. Her ladys.h.i.+p was a daughter of Mr. George Denne, of the Paddock, Canterbury, and married Sir Henry on March 5th, 1835. Of the marriage there were eight sons and six daughters.

-Died, at Yarmouth, Mr. William Norton Burroughs, in his 86th year. He was Mayor of the borough in 1846.

14.-Madame Cave-Ashton's Opera Company commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre, in "Il Trovatore."

25.-Died, at Morningthorpe Rectory, the Rev. Edmund Nelson Rolfe, eldest son of the Rev. Robert Rolfe, rector of Hempnall aged 73. He was first cousin to Lord Chancellor Cranworth. "Of an old Norfolk family, he bore the Christian name of Nelson to mark his relations.h.i.+p to the great Lord Nelson. His mother was a daughter of the Rev. Edmund Nelson, and aunt to Horatio Viscount Nelson."

28.-The Royal a.s.sent was given to "The City of Norwich (Mousehold Heath) Scheme Confirmation."

MAY.

1.-At St. Paul's Cathedral, the Rev. Sidney Linton, D.D., vicar of St.

Philip's, Heigham, Norwich, was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of Riverina, New South Wales. A farewell meeting was held in St. Philip's parish on May 26th, when the Bishop received parting gifts.

13.-"Cuthbert Bede" (the Rev. Edward Bradley), author of "Verdant Green,"

lectured in the a.s.sembly Room, Agricultural Hall, Norwich, on "Modern Humourists."

19.-In the Court of Appeal, Lords Justices Baggallay, Cotton, and Lindley commenced the hearing of the appeal case, Boswell and others _v._ Coaks and others. This was an appeal from the judgment of Mr. Justice Fry in the action brought by Mr. J. F. Boswell and Mr. James Baxter on behalf of themselves and of other unsatisfied creditors of Sir Robert John Harvey, deceased, against Isaac Bugg Coaks and others, to have the purchase of a life interest on certain property set aside. Mr. Justice Fry had given judgment for the defendants, and from that judgment the plaintiffs now appealed. On Wednesday, 28th, the sixth day of the hearing, their lords.h.i.+ps adjourned until after the Whitsuntide recess. The hearing was resumed on June 12th, and continued until June 16th, when Lord Baggallay said their lords.h.i.+ps would consider their judgment. On July 31st judgment was given for the plaintiffs. "The arguments of counsel and examination of witnesses in the appeal occupied the time of the Court for nine days, and it is just over six weeks since the case closed and their lords.h.i.+ps announced that they would consider their judgment. It amounts to a complete vindication of the action taken by the plaintiffs, for whom practically the verdict throughout was given, with costs." (_See_ December 9th, 1885.)

29.-Died, at Wimbledon, the Right Hon. Sir Bartle Frere, G.C.B., G.C.S.I.

He belonged to an ancient family established in Norfolk and Suffolk from the time of the Conquest, and was a younger brother of Mr. George Edward Frere, of Roydon, near Diss. Born on March 29th, 1815, he was educated at Bath Grammar School, and at the age of seventeen was nominated to Haileybury; in the entrance examination he came out last but one, but once admitted he set himself to work with such energy that at the end of 1833 be pa.s.sed from the college as its foremost student into the ranks of the Company's Civil Service. His name will ever be a.s.sociated with South African diplomacy.

31.-A great county and city meeting was held at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, under the presidency of the Earl of Leicester, for the purpose of taking such measures as might be necessary to induce the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England to hold their annual meeting at Norwich in 1886. Resolutions were adopted in furtherance of the objects of the meeting. (_See_ July 12th, 1886.)

JUNE.

10.-A fire occurred at Scole, and resulted in the destruction of the shop of Mr. A. Pett.i.t, and of other property. Mr. Pett.i.t's loss amounted to upwards of 1,000.

-Died, at Catton, Mrs. Mary Sewell, widow of Mr. Isaac Sewell. She was the daughter of Mr. John Wright, of Buxton, and was born in 1797 at either Felthorpe or Great Yarmouth. Most of her early life was spent at the former place; and in 1818 she married Mr. Sewell, of Yarmouth.

Subsequently they removed to the neighbourhood of London, where they resided until 1835. During the next twenty years they lived at Brighton and at Chichester, and then removed to Bath, where they remained till 1867, when Mrs. Sewell went to reside with her son at Catton. Her connection with literature began at a very early period of her life, and her publications were both numerous and popular. The most successful were "Mother's Last Words" and "Our Father's Care." The former was issued by Messrs. Jarrold on November 1st, 1860, and up to January 25th, 1884, upwards of one million copies had been printed and circulated.

Similar success attended the latter work, which proved equally popular.

Mrs. Sewell was originally a member of the Society of Friends, but in consequence of misgivings she withdrew in 1834, and for a time attended a Congregational chapel in London. On her removal to Brighton she a.s.sociated herself with the Church of England. "She was no sectarian, but a Christian in the broadest and most genuine sense."

18.-The Summer Show of the Norfolk Agricultural a.s.sociation opened at Lynn, and was continued on the 19th. Sir Lewis W. Jarvis was president.

26.-Died, at Newmarket Road, Norwich, Mr. John Pymar, aged 76. For more than fifty years he served the city in various capacities, but never aspired to the higher offices. For nearly half a century Mr. Pymar was a member of the Board of Guardians, and for more than forty years an alderman of the city. Throughout his career he was a moderate and consistent Liberal.

-Died, at Prince's Street, Norwich, Mr. John Quinton, for fifty-five years librarian at the Norfolk and Norwich Literary Inst.i.tution, aged 72.

28.-Died, at Yarmouth, aged 73, Mr. Charles Cory Aldred, Deputy-Mayor of the borough. In early life he served as naval surgeon in H.M.S.

Dreadnought, and was afterwards surgeon-major in the Norfolk Artillery Militia.

29.-The Rev. Frederick Baggallay, who had been elected vicar of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, in succession to the Ven. Archdeacon Nevill, officiated for the first time. He was the fifth son of the Right Hon.

Sir Richard Baggallay, Lord Justice of Appeal, and formerly curate at St.

George's, Hanover Square.

JULY.

1.-St. John's church, Yarmouth, was re-opened after further enlargement, at the cost of 1,500. Within a quarter of a century the building had been five times enlarged.

-Died, at Glaisdale Lodge, Hunstanton, Rhoda Bunn, formerly of Wolferton, in her 104th year. She was born at Beeston-next-Mileham, on February 23rd, 1781, "and shortly after her last birthday was presented by the Queen with her portrait upon receipt of a photograph of the old lady sent by the vicar, the Rev. A. Waller."

7.-Colonel George Wilson Boileau was presented by the members of the 1st Volunteer Battalion Norfolk Regiment, at Norwich, with a ma.s.sive silver Monteith bowl "as a mark of respect and esteem on his retirement in 1883, after commanding the battalion fifteen years."

14.-A large meeting of the Conservative party in West Norfolk was held at Swaffham "with the object of supporting the Lords in their const.i.tutional action with regard to the Franchise Bill." This was the first of many meetings held throughout the county at which the principle of redistribution was strongly enforced, and Mr. Bright's famous dictum at Bradford in 1859 quoted: "Repudiate without mercy any Bill of any Government, whatever its franchise, whatever its seeming concessions may be, if it does not redistribute the seats." At Lynn, on July 22nd, Sir Stafford Northcote, Lord Cranborne, and Mr. Bourke addressed a largely-attended meeting in support of redistribution, and at Norwich, on the 29th, the Earl of Donoughmore, Sir Hardinge Giffard, Q.C., M.P., and Sir R. J. Buxon, M.P., spoke in favour of the action of the House of Lords.

-The newly-erected parish church at Edgefield was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich. The dilapidated church of SS. Peter and Paul standing upon the confines of the parish had been demolished, and the materials capable of being re-used were utilised for the erection of the new church upon a more convenient site. The demolition was commenced on November 13th, 1882, and the building of the new church was carried out from plans by Mr. J. D. Steading, of Charlotte Street, Bradford Square, W.C., by Mr.

Bartram, builder, of Aylsham, at the cost of 1,900.

30.-Deopham church was re-opened, after restoration by Messrs. Cornish and Gaymer, of North Walsham.

AUGUST.

9.-Died, at Merton Rectory, the Rev. George Crabbe, B.A. He was a son of the eldest brother of the celebrated poet Crabbe, and was born at Pucklechurch, Somerset, in 1819. Educated at Bury St. Edmund's School, and at Queen's College, Cambridge, he was presented to the living of Merton by Lord Walsingham, father of the present peer. Mr. Crabbe married his cousin, the third daughter of the Rev. George Crabbe, younger son of the poet. During the last two or three years of his life he was engaged in examining and arranging the family doc.u.ments at Merton Hall, and the result of his researches was published in 1883 by direction of the Committee of the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, under the t.i.tle of "Robert de Grey, Recusant." This was followed by Part I. of "A Report on the Muniments of Merton Hall, Norfolk," published in the "Norfolk Antiquarian Miscellany," edited by Walter Rye. Part II. was nearly completed at the time of his death.

11.-Great heat was experienced on this date. "The heat registered in the shade was 90 degrees at Eaton, and 95 in Park Lane, Norwich." A violent thunderstorm occurred on the 12th.

13.-Died suddenly, at Brighton railway station, the Duke of Wellington.

Born February 3rd, 1807, he succeeded his ill.u.s.trious father, the greatest of British generals, on September 14th, 1852. As Lord Douro he was elected Conservative member for Aldeburgh in 1830, and retained his seat until 1831. In 1837 he was returned for Norwich, and continued to sit until July, 1852, a few months previous to the death of his father.

During the life of Sir Samuel Bignold, with whom he was on terms of the closest intimacy, the Duke of Wellington was a frequent visitor to Norwich, the last occasion being in 1874, when he joined in the celebration of the venerable knight's 83rd birthday, on October 13th, and on the following evening accompanied him to the annual dinner of the Eldon Club.

21.-Died suddenly, at Cranmer Hall, Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart., aged 63.

He was the second son of Major-General Sir John Thomas Jones, K.C.B., _aide-de-camp_ to the Queen (who was created a baronet in 1831), by Catherine Maria, daughter of Mr. Effingham Laurence, of New York.

Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took a wrangler's degree in 1843, he entered for the Bar, but his future career was decided by the death of his brother, Sir Laurence Jones, who, having held the baronetcy for only two years, was murdered by brigands whilst on a tour in Turkey, in November, 1845. Sir Willoughby, on succeeding to the baronetcy, devoted himself to the pursuits and duties of a country gentleman. He was for nearly thirty years Chairman of the Norfolk Court of Quarter Sessions, chairman of the Norwich centre of the Cambridge Local Examinations, and a member of the Archaeological Society and of the Naturalists' Society. He also took great interest in the Volunteer movement, and in its early days was captain of the 10th Company of Norfolk Rifles. Sir Willoughby served the office of High Sheriff in 1851, and married in 1856 his cousin, Emily, daughter of Mr. Henry Taylor Jones, of Chatham, by whom he left three sons and four daughters. In early life he was a Conservative, and as such sat for Cheltenham in 184748; but he afterwards changed his principles, and in 1865, as a Liberal, unsuccessfully contested West Norfolk.

25.-Mr. Edward Terry commenced a three nights' engagement at Norwich Theatre, as Captain Ginger ("Weak Woman"). His other impersonations were Chevalier Walkinshaw ("The Rocket"), Kerry ("Kerry, or Night and Morning"), and Paul Pry.

26.-A long and heated discussion took place at a meeting of the Norwich Town Council on a motion for adopting a recommendation by the Libraries Committee "that the reading room at the Free Library be opened on Sundays from 3 o'clock until 9 p.m., from Michaelmas to Christmas next, by way of experiment." A strong protest was handed in on behalf of the clergy of the city, and the motion was defeated by 21 votes against 12.

SEPTEMBER.