Norfolk Annals
Chapter 62 : 5.-One hundred "bankers" from Bedfords.h.i.+re arrived at North Walsham and c

5.-One hundred "bankers" from Bedfords.h.i.+re arrived at North Walsham and commenced digging the North Walsham and Dilham Ca.n.a.l. "The first spade of earth was taken out by Mr. William Youard, the band striking up 'G.o.d save the King.'"

-A prize fight took place between Camplin and Murrell, of Norwich, on a meadow near Thorpe, for 10 aside. Murrell was the winner.

7.-The Archdeacon of Norwich convened a meeting of clergy at the Maid's Head Inn, Norwich, at which a pet.i.tion to the House of Commons was adopted stating that the signatories were not in agreement with their brethren who had pet.i.tioned Parliament in opposition to Roman Catholic claims. Seventy signatures were appended. The other pet.i.tion against the Bill for conceding the claims of the Roman Catholics was signed by the Bishop of Norwich and 200 clergy. A similar pet.i.tion was adopted by the Corporation on May 3rd by thirty-three votes against six.-The intelligence that the Emanc.i.p.ation Bill had been rejected by the House of Lords was received in Norwich on May 19th with the ringing of the bells of St. Peter Mancroft and of the other churches in the city.

16.-Died at Ryslip, near Uxbridge, the Right Hon. Lady Wodehouse, aged 77. She was the only surviving daughter of the Hon. Charles Berkeley, of Bruton Abbey, Somersets.h.i.+re, niece of Lord Berkeley of Stratton, and the last of that branch of the Berkeley family. Her ladys.h.i.+p's remains were interred at Kimberley on May 27th, when the funeral procession was headed by fifty mounted tenants on the estate.

18.-A meeting of the citizens was held at St Andrew's Hall, Norwich, by requisition, at which resolutions were adopted asking the legislature "to undertake at the earliest opportunity such a revision of the Corn Laws as may secure cultivators of the soil from a recurrence of those ruinous fluctuations in price which the present system has occasioned, and at the same time complete that liberal commercial policy in which progress has already been made." A pet.i.tion based on the resolution was prepared and presented to Parliament. It received 14,385 signatures.

21.-Married at St. Giles' Church, Norwich, by the Rev. C. J. Chapman, Lieut. Charles Thurtell, R.N., third son of Mr. Thomas Thurtell, alderman of Norwich, to Mrs. Dunham, of Chapel Field.

23.*-"Died at Lynn, the Widow Oldershaw, aged 107."

MAY.

1.-Four candidates were nominated at the Mayoral Election at Norwich. A poll was demanded, and the result was declared on the same day (Sunday) as follows:-Alderman Day, 679; Alderman Booth, 579; Alderman Leman, 152; Alderman Burt, 150. "It is somewhat singular that the father of the Mayor-elect was also chosen on a Sunday, May Day so falling in 1808."

9.-The Norwich Museum was opened at a house in the Upper Haymarket.

14.*-"The work of constructing the new Theatre was commenced, at Norwich, last week. Mr. Wilkins is the architect and patentee, and the site is nearly adjoining to the ground on which the present Theatre stands, and at the back of the green rooms."

29.-At Yarmouth Quarter Sessions, before the Recorder (Mr. Robert Alderson), Mary Neal, aged 42, Susan Neal (21), her daughter, and William Neal (18), son, were charged with attempting to murder the family of Mr.

Hales, cordwainer, of Howard Street, Yarmouth, by poisoning them. It was alleged that the female prisoners persuaded William Neal, an apprentice of the prosecutor, to place a.r.s.enic in the food of his master's family to avenge some fancied grievance. Mr. and Mrs. Hales and their children narrowly escaped death. Sentence of death, afterwards commuted to transportation, was recorded.

30.-The members of a newly established club, called the Norwich Loyal Society, held their first anniversary dinner at the Wheat Sheaf Inn, Bethel Street, in commemoration of the birthday of Pitt.

JUNE.

6.-The 2nd Dragoon Guards marched from Norwich for Hampton Court Barracks.

15.-A cricket match was played at Litcham "with the six Alexanders, of Hingham, and the five Cus.h.i.+ons, of s.h.i.+pdham, on the one side, against the town of Litcham on the other." The stakes, 22 sovereigns a-side, were won by the "families" by one wicket. The families, 55-88; Litcham, 82-60.

18.-The last performances took place at the old Norwich Theatre. The pieces were "The Provoked Husband" and the farce "A Roland for an Oliver." The concluding season had proved very productive to the patentee and the performers. The total amount accruing from the twenty benefits was 1,732, an average of 86 12s. exclusive of "ticket nights."

20.-A special meeting of the Yarmouth Corporation was held for the purpose of promoting the erection of a new church in the town. The sum of 1,500 was voted in aid of the fund, and a piece of land given as an eligible site.

21.-Guild Day at Norwich. The aldermen, Sheriffs, and Town Clerk had breakfast with the Mayor-elect, Mr. T. S. Day, and afterwards went to the house of the Mayor (Mr. H. Francis), "their carriages pa.s.sing through the newly-made opening in the city wall at the end of Pottergate Street, where an arch had been formed with boughs." The subsequent procession to the Cathedral was headed by two bands of musicians and "Snap." The guests at the Guild feast at St. Andrew's Hall numbered 450, and "the proceedings, from the excellence of the wines, were protracted till about eleven o'clock, when the worthy donor of the feast retired from the chair."

30.-Died at his house in Surrey Street, Norwich, Mr. William Manning, of Ormesby, in his 94th year. "This gentleman was the Father of the Magistracy of Norfolk, and had been 65 years on the commission."

JULY.

2.-The steam packet Lowther started from Yarmouth on a pleasure excursion to Rotterdam, and arrived at its destination at six o'clock on the evening of the 3rd. The vessel returned to Yarmouth on the 10th after a pa.s.sage of 27 hours.

4.-Madame Tussaud's exhibition opened at the a.s.sembly Rooms, Norwich.

-The company of ringers at St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, presented to Mr.

Samuel Thurston "an elegant silver gilt jewel for his eminent services in composing the peal of 5,016 of Norwich Court, 12 in, and ringing the tenor in a superior style."

11.-Four troops of the Scots Greys (2nd North British Dragoons) marched into Norwich. "Their veteran colonel, Sir Thomas Pate Hankin, rode at the head of this very fine body of men and horses. Their excellent regimental band, including keyed bugles and kettledrums, played before them from their entrance at St Stephen's Gates to the Cavalry Barracks."

12.-Mr. Thorogood, coachman and part proprietor, "completed his fourth year of driving the Times coach to London and back again to Norwich the next day without missing one single day. The total number of miles in four years, up and down-163,520."

23.-Direct conveyance from Norwich to Boston by the Independence new coach was announced.

28.-Eleven hundred persons were confirmed at Norwich Cathedral by the Bishop of the Diocese.

-The peal of bells at St. Andrew's Church, Norwich, increased from eight to ten, and re-hung by T. Hurry, was re-opened by ten of St. Peter Mancroft ringers.

30.*-(Advt.) "The annual main between the gentlemen of Norwich and Yarmouth will be fought at the Two-Necked Swan, Market Place, Yarmouth, on the race days, for 5 a battle and 25 the odd; to show 25 mains and six byes. Feeders: Lamb for Norwich; Steward for Yarmouth. The first pit will begin fighting at ten o'clock each morning before the racing."

30.-Died at Cowes, the Right Hon. the Earl of Craven, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Berks., Recorder of Coventry, and a lieutenant-general in the Army. His lords.h.i.+p, who was in his 55th year, married on December 12th, 1807, Miss Brunton, of Covent Garden Theatre, and formerly of the Norwich Company, and left issue Viscount Uffington, another son, and a daughter.

AUGUST.

1.-Lord Chief Justice Abbott and Lord Chief Baron Alexander, Judges of a.s.size, were received at Harford Bridge, Norwich, by the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Col. Harvey). "Being a member of the Corporation, the Mayor and his brethren determined to accompany him with the city Sheriffs, and a procession was formed in the following order:-Two blue coats on horseback; justices and aldermen of Norwich in their carriages; city Sheriffs' officers on horseback; the Under Sheriff's ditto; the Sheriffs in a carriage and four; two blue coats, with the castles, on horseback; two mace bearers, ditto; the Under-Chamberlain with small mace, ditto; the Mayor in his carriage with the Town Clerk and sword bearer; the High Sheriff's trumpeters on horseback; his marshalmen, ditto; 24 javelin men, ditto, in dark blue liveries with orange c.o.c.kades; the Under-Sheriff of Norfolk; the High Sheriff in his elegant carriage drawn by six fine brown horses, the coachman, postillions, and footmen in livery, with his chaplain, the Rev. Edward Bellman; servants on horseback; Sir Robert John Harvey and Mr. George Harvey, the High Sheriff's sons, in a chariot. It is said that a similar procession has not taken place here for the last 100 years."

2.-At the Norfolk a.s.sizes, held at Norwich before Lord Chief Justice Abbott, the action Fellowes _v._ Steward, clerk, was tried, with the object of deciding whether the plaintiff had set out his t.i.the in a manner warranted by law. The plaintiff's men cut the t.i.the wheat on seven acres of land, each man taking a strip or rig of land, and after cutting each strip returned and put his sheaves into shocks of ten each.

The plaintiff's bailiff set out the t.i.the by taking every tenth sheaf from the shock and placing it a yard or two from the rest. He then put a bough on every sheaf so laid apart, and replaced it in the shock whence he had taken it. The next day the sheaves, except those marked as t.i.the, were carted. Mr. Alderman Steward, of Norwich, who was acting as agent for his son, the rector of Saxlingham, stated that the corn should be t.i.thed in sheaves before it was shocked. Mr. Fellowes endeavoured to prove that the corn had been set out according to the custom of the place. The Judge censured the plaintiff for adopting the method of separating the t.i.the corn from the other corn and mixing it with the shock again, as it opened the door to the practice of all kinds of fraud.

The plaintiff was non-suited.

5.-At the Norwich a.s.sizes, before Lord Chief Justice Abbott, the _qui tam_ action Woodewis _v._ J. S. Patteson came on for trial. It was brought to recover a penalty of 100 under 3rd George IV., chap. 77, by which persons trading in excisable liquors were precluded from taking part, as magistrates, in licensing proceedings. It was alleged that Mr.

Patteson interfered, on the application of the plaintiff, to have a house licensed for the sale of home-brewed beer and London porter in Fishgate Street, Norwich, nearly opposite one belonging to himself. The answer was that this was an attempt to fix a stigma on the character of Mr.

Patteson. The Judge said the jury could find a verdict for the plaintiff without impeaching the character of the defendant. The jury returned the following verdict: "We give the plaintiff 100 damages; at the same time we entertain a very high opinion of the high honour and good faith of Alderman Patteson and the other gentlemen of the Corporation."

6.-Died at Ryde, Isle of Wight, Mr. John Lens, "his Majesty's ancient Sergeant at Law," aged 69. He was a native of Norwich, and was educated at the Free Grammar School.

-Mr. Graham made a balloon ascent from Richmond Hill Gardens, Norwich, at 6.5 and descended at Beighton at 6.30 p.m. He made a second ascent on August 30th and descended at Earlham. He was advertised to ascend on September 6th in company with the High Sheriff, but the balloon was inadequate in lifting power. A second attempt was made on the 7th. Mr.

Graham had to resign his place to Mrs. Graham, who successfully made the ascent with Col. Harvey, and descended in safety at Bradeston, near Brundall.

13.-The governors of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital received from his Majesty the King a copy of Arnold's edition of Handel's works in 49 volumes "for the use of those engaged at the Musical Festival connected with the charity."

22.-At a rent audit dinner held at Woodbastwick the tenants presented to Mr. John Cator a silver vase, of the value of 120, as "a token of regard and respect for his liberal abatement of rent during four years of unprecedented depreciation of agricultural produce, by which means they were able to continue in the occupation of their farms during the wreck and ruin of thousands, and now times are altered for the better, hope to be enabled to pay their rents and meet their landlord as before with money in their pockets, cheerful countenances, and grateful hearts."

30.-Election of freemen's Sheriff at Norwich. The candidates were-Mr.

James Brooks, jun., 865 votes; Mr. Alderman Springfield, 501; Mr. William Scott ("nominated with the view of dividing Mr. Brooks's interest"), 0.

SEPTEMBER.