Norfolk Annals
Chapter 8 : 25.-A general fast was observed. At Yarmouth, the Shrops.h.i.+re Militia and Volunteers

25.-A general fast was observed. At Yarmouth, the Shrops.h.i.+re Militia and Volunteers on permanent duty, to the number of nearly 2,500, attended Divine service.

26.-The Helena war sloop, of 20 guns, Capt. Losack, was launched from Mr.

John Preston's dockyard at Yarmouth.

-The North Walsham Light Infantry marched into Yarmouth for 14 days'

permanent duty.

-The 7th Battalion of the Army of Reserve, to which 500 Norfolk and Suffolk men belonged, volunteered to extend their services and become a regiment of the line.

JUNE.

1.-The City of Norwich Battalion of Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Harvey, began one month's permanent duty in Norwich. The battalion mustered 500, exclusive of officers.

4.-The King's birthday was celebrated in Norwich. The detachment of Royal Artillery, the 24th Regiment of Foot, and the Norwich and Catton Volunteers, to the total number of 1,700, paraded on the Castle Hill, and fired a _feu de joie_. At Cromer, the Sea Fencibles, under Capt.

Tremlett, R.N., three companies of the 4th Battalion Norfolk Volunteers, commanded by Lieut.-Col. George Windham, and the Volunteers of the Cromer battery had a sham fight at that place. Other Volunteer corps in the county held ceremonial parades.

7.-The water mills of Mr. Wm. Partridge, of North Walsham, were destroyed by fire.

11.-A sham fight, in which all the regular and auxiliary troops stationed in Norwich were engaged, took place at Bramerton. A pontoon bridge, formed of wherries, was made use of in the course of the operations.

18.-The Corporation of Norwich granted the Blackfriars' site in St.

Andrew's to the Court of Guardians for 200 years, the latter body having considered plans for improving the workhouse there for the accommodation of 800 persons.

-A motion by the Common Council of Norwich, to confer the freedom of the city upon Mr. R. Fellowes, M.P., and Mr. W. Smith, M.P., was, on a division, rejected by the aldermen by ten votes to eight.

-A motion was made in the Common Council to augment the sum of 100, allowed to the Mayor towards defraying the expenses of the Guild-day festival, but, as the revenue of Norwich did not justify the increase, it was not acceded to by the aldermen. The allowance of 100 was fixed 80 years previously.

25.-Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. "Mr. c.o.ke won the sweepstakes, having estimated with more exactness than any of his compet.i.tors the weight both of wool and of carcase of the Southdown ewe slain on the occasion." A drill for "scattering at the same time turnip seed and the dust of pounded oil cakes, believed to be the best adapted manure," was exhibited.

30.-Several "battles" were fought on Yarmouth Denes by the soldiers of the Shrops.h.i.+re Regiment. In an encounter between a private and an officer's servant, the former received injuries from which he died three hours after, and at the inquest a verdict of manslaughter was returned against his a.s.sailant.

Major-General Money was appointed to the staff of the Eastern District.

The command consisted of 32,000 fully equipped and efficient men.

Under Mr. Pitt's Defence Bill the quota for Norfolk was 1,813 men.

JULY.

1.-The City of Norwich Battalion of Volunteer Infantry terminated its permanent duty of 30 days. All ranks received the highest commendation of Major-General Milner and Lieut.-Col. Metzner.

3.-The malt kiln, with a granary and dwelling-house, at the new brewery of Messrs. Prentice and Co., King Street, Norwich, was destroyed by fire.

The loss amounted to nearly 1,000.

5.-The East Harling magistrates fined a farmer 20s., for refusing to send his waggon to a.s.sist in taking the baggage of the East Suffolk Militia from Thetford to Downham, after having been summoned for that purpose.

6.-Mrs. Bennett, wife of an actor in the Norwich company, gave birth to triplets.

-A foot race was run by Lord Frederick Bentinck and the Hon. Edward Harbord for the sum of 100 guineas, between the second and third milestone on the Edgeware Road, London. Mr. Harbord won easily.

12.-Died, aged 82, at Walsingham Abbey, Mr. Henry Lee Warner, "in whom the gentleman and scholar were happily blended." His fine estate at Walsingham was devastated by lawless persons, whom, from mistaken leniency, he would not molest. He rose late in the evening, breakfasted at midnight, and dined at four or five o'clock in the morning. He wore a gold-laced hat, and waistcoat, with deep slashworked sleeves and richly-embossed b.u.t.tons, a deep chitterling of rich yellow lace, and curved-toed shoes, with oblong buckles. Mr. Lee Warner served the office of High Sheriff in 1782, and was lineally descended from John Warner, Bishop of Rochester, whose estates he possessed, as well as those of Sir James Howe, Bart., of Berwick, Wilts., and of Mr. Henry Lee, in Kent.

14.-Messrs. Fisher and Scragg's Company of Comedians concluded a theatrical season at East Dereham. Fisher ultimately a.s.sumed the sole management of the company, which for many years performed in its own theatres on the Norfolk and Suffolk Circuit.

-At the Norwich Court of Mayoralty, Mr. Edward Manning, citizen and brazier, was elected Sheriff, but was discharged from office on paying the statutory fine of 80. The letter was afterwards sent to Mr. James Pastons, citizen and grocer, and to Mr. John Howard, citizen and baker, who were also excused from serving on both paying the same fine. The letter was then sent to Mr. James Watts, citizen and butcher, who received his discharge on payment of the fine. It was next sent to Mr.

Cotton Wright, citizen and coomber, who verbally replied that "he had neither ate nor drank at the expense of the Corporation, and he should neither pay the fine nor serve the office." Mr. Wright paid the fine, but denied that he had sent the message above quoted. Eventually Mr.

John Wright, citizen and linen draper, accepted office.

16.-The Yarmouth Volunteer Infantry terminated a fortnight's garrison duty there.

21.*-"The Norwich and Yarmouth water frolics last week offered the utmost gratification to lovers of aquatic exercises. Nearly twenty boats proceeded from Sandling's Ferry to Postwick Grove and the Wood's End, and, if the day proved unfavourable, mirth and good humour prevailed."

The Mayor of Yarmouth and several members of the Corporation proceeded in a wherry, "purposely fitted up and plentifully stored," over Breydon.

Several boats started for a silver cup, which was won by Mr. Lovell's craft.

-A "farewell dejeune" was given at Cromer by Brigadier-General Sherbrooke, on his removal from the Holt district. Breakfast was served at the New Inn, and was attended, amongst others, by Col. and Mrs.

Macdonald, Sir Jacob and Lady Astley, and Sir Edward and Lady Berry.

Then the company adjourned to a barn, where dancing was kept up till five o'clock in the afternoon.

23.-A silver vase, which cost upwards of 700, was presented by Mr.

Dusgate, in the name of the farmers of Norfolk, to Mr. T. W. c.o.ke, "as a token of their esteem, for the liberality of his conduct as a landlord, and of their grat.i.tude for the benefit of his example as a practical farmer and most valuable member of society."

24.-The Mayor and magistrates of Norwich resolved to present a pet.i.tion against the Corn Regulation Bill, which, however, was pa.s.sed and received the Royal a.s.sent. The Act was framed to govern the export and import of England and Scotland by one general average of each country, taking the aggregate average of the twelve maritime districts of England and four of Scotland as the rule. Exportation was prohibited when wheat was above 54s. and barley 31s. per quarter. When wheat was at or under 48s. a five s.h.i.+lling bounty was to be given per quarter on exportation, and when barley was at or under 28s., a bounty of 2s. 6d. a quarter. A duty of from 6d. to 2s. 6d. was to be imposed on foreign corn imported if the price was as high as 66s. or 63s.

25.-The East and West Regiments of Norfolk Militia marched from Colchester Barracks to c.o.xheath Camp, in Kent, which was reached on the 27th.

28.-A general meeting of Lieutenancy was held at the s.h.i.+rehall, Norwich, to carry into execution an Act "for establis.h.i.+ng and maintaining a permanent additional force for the defence of the realm, and to provide for augmenting his Majesty's regular forces, and for the gradual reduction of the Militia of England."

30.-At the Norfolk a.s.sizes, held at Norwich, before Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, a prisoner, named John Heath, was charged with an offence committed at Great Melton, "but it being proved that the prisoner was both deaf and dumb by the visitation of G.o.d, the prosecution was stopped, but he was ordered to remain till the next a.s.sizes." (There is no further record of the case.)

Col. Bulwer, of Heydon, was this month appointed Brigadier-General in the Eastern District. On August 8th, he fixed his headquarters in Norwich, and reviewed the several corps of Volunteers in the city, and on September 1st it was announced that the general had been ordered to Liverpool, to take command of the Volunteers in that district.

AUGUST.

3.-A violent thunderstorm occurred. Several horses were killed by lightning in different parts of the county; mills and barns were damaged, and trees torn up by the roots.

4.-At the Norfolk and Norwich a.s.sizes, the action, Palmer _v._ James and William Bloomfield, was tried. It was an action for trespa.s.s, and the plaintiff, a miller at Elsing, claimed 2,000 damages because the defendants, occupiers of land at Bylaugh, had cut away a large part of the bank of the river Wensum, whereby a great quant.i.ty of water escaped from the stream into an old river or drain, and he was deprived of its service for the working of his mill. The hearing lasted ten hours, and Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, who left the court at eleven p.m., received the jury at his lodgings, when they returned a verdict for the defendants. In the Court of Common Pleas, on November 12th, rule _nisi_ was taken for a new trial, but there is no further record of the case.

9.-Died, aged 83, the Rev. Robert Potter, M.A., Prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, vicar of Lowestoft, and a translator of aeschylus and other writers of Greek tragedy.

13.-The troops in the Eastern district received orders to hold themselves in readiness to take the field at the shortest notice.

18.-The death was recorded, at Bungay, of Mr. Thomas Miller, who was born at Norwich on August 14th, 1731. He was an extensive collector of books and antiquities, and in 1795 issued the "Miller half-penny," of which only twenty-three pieces were struck off.

22.-A thres.h.i.+ng machine on an entirely new principle, invented by a Devons.h.i.+re engineer, named Ball, was tested at Norwich. At Hethersett, on December 6th, in compet.i.tion with another machine, built by John Brown, a Norwich mechanic, it thrashed in 50 minutes 40 seconds about 29 coombs of barley, Brown's machine breaking down. Mutual recriminations and threats of legal proceedings followed, but without result.