Norfolk Annals Volume I Part 10

28.-The pantomime, "Don Juan," was produced at Norwich Theatre "in a style which, for the display of beautiful scenery and of appropriate decorations and costumes, is very rarely to be witnessed on provincial boards."

29.-Died, aged 57, Mr. Thomas Wodehouse, of Sennowe Lodge. He was one of the gentlemen of his Majesty's Privy Chamber, in which office he was succeeded by Mr. J. W. Thomlinson, of Cley.

FEBRUARY.

2.-Bishop Manners Sutton, of Norwich, was nominated by the King and chosen, February 12th, Archbishop of Canterbury. On the 13th, his Grace arrived at the Palace, Norwich, from London; and on the 15th, the Mayor and Court of Aldermen proceeded in state from the Guildhall to the Palace, where the Recorder (Mr. Harvey) read an address of congratulation to the Archbishop. The clergy of Norwich, on the 16th, waited on his Grace, when the Rev. Prebendary Pretyman addressed the Archbishop in an appropriate speech. On the 17th, his Grace preached his farewell sermon at the Cathedral, and on the 18th departed for Lambeth.

9.-A woman, who had eloped from her home in Kent with a horse dealer, was found by her husband in a house in St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich. She refused to return to him. The dealer offered to buy the woman for 5, and her husband, agreeing, placed a halter round her neck, and surrendered all right and t.i.tle to her for the sum named.

19.-Died, at his house, the Town Close, Norwich, Mr. Jeremiah Ives, senior alderman of Norwich. He was 78 years of age, and had served the office of Mayor in 1769-1795.

20.-A solemn fast was observed at Norwich.

21.-Mr. Robert Herring, of Bracondale, elected an alderman, in place of Mr. Jeremiah Ives, deceased.

23.-Experiments were made at Norwich to test the practicability of firing a field-piece from a common waggon without injury to the vehicle. The idea, which originated with Major-General Money, "succeeded perfectly, and the horses stood steady during the discharge of the field-piece."

24.-The clergy of Norwich, having intimated that it was their intention to apply to Parliament for an increase of their incomes by a.s.sessment, considerable feeling was manifested in opposition. The Corporation at a quarterly a.s.sembly resolved to oppose the application. Vestry meetings were held throughout the city, and the inhabitants unanimously expressed an opinion adverse to the clergy's proposal.

-The freedom of the city was conferred on Mr. John Frere, the former, and Mr. Robert Fellowes and Mr. William Smith, the then Parliamentary representatives of Norwich.

-A lease of the Dutch Church was granted to the Corporation for 200 years, for the use of the poor in the workhouse; the Dutch congregation reserving the right to bury their dead in the church, and to hold Divine service therein every forenoon of the first Sunday in the month.

MARCH.

4.-Died, aged 60, Elizabeth Clayton, of Wells-next-the-Sea. "This woman, from an early propensity for masculine employments, had worked as a s.h.i.+p's carpenter at the dockyard of the above port upwards of 40 years, and always in man's apparel. She used to drink, chew tobacco, and keep company only with workmen, yet would never enter into the matrimonial state. She was a strong robust woman, and never permitted anyone to insult her with impunity."

18.-The Rev. Henry Bathurst, D.D., "elected Bishop of this Diocese by the Dean and Chapter." His lords.h.i.+p was installed on May 10th.

23.-At a meeting at the Guildhall, Norwich, resolutions were agreed to "condemning the proposed alterations of the course of the mail coach from London to Norwich by way of Bury, from the consequent later delivery of the letters to the post-office here, and from the earlier despatch from thence, to the great inconvenience of the mercantile and trading houses of the city." Representations to this effect were made to the Postmaster-General, but without result. The coach started from the King's Head, Norwich, at four o'clock, and pa.s.sed through Thetford, Bury, and Newmarket. It ran every day and stopped at the Golden Cross, Charing Cross, London. Another coach, by Ipswich and Colchester, set up at the Swan with two Necks, Lad Lane.

28.-Miss Aickin, "an actress of superior talents and personal attractions," made her first appearance at Norwich Theatre in the character of Widow Cheerly in the comedy of "The Soldier's Daughter," and as Aura in the farce of "The Farm House." She played the part of Hamlet on May 4th.

30.*-"The Rev. William L. Gebbart has been elected minister of the Dutch congregation, and also appointed minister of the French church in Norwich."

-*"It is in contemplation to establish telegraphic communication between Norwich and Yarmouth for mercantile purposes." In October the Norwich Corporation agreed to pay 10 annually for its support.

-*"An earthen pot, containing 500 pieces of antient English silver coin, was ploughed up in a field near Aylsham. The pieces consisted chiefly of groats of Henry VII. and pennies of the Edwards. There were two gold angels of Henry VI."

APRIL.

6.*-"A person in the country has lately been convicted, before Mr. Crowe, Mr. Astley and Mr. Norris, in the legal penalty for working and digging in his garden and openly profaning the Sabbath. It is to be hoped that his example will operate towards the discontinuance of the practice, which, perhaps, is nowhere so prevalent as in this county."

-Leeds Mays, for horse stealing, was executed on the "new drop" on the Castle Hill, Norwich.

-Charles Pegg was publicly whipped in Norwich Market Place, for purchasing soldiers' necessaries.

13.*-(Advt.) "A main of c.o.c.ks will be fought on Easter Tuesday and Wednesday, 21 in the main for ten guineas the battle, and 30 guineas the odd; and likewise two turn outs for 20 the battle, and also two byes.

April 16th and 17th, at Hindringham Duke of York. The first pair of c.o.c.ks to be pitted at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. Accommodation for man and horse. Feeders, Fox for Walsingham; Whisker for Wighton."

22.-At Swaffham, a man, named Angel, undertook for a trifling wager to run 20 miles in three hours. He ran it with ease in 2 hours 50 minutes.

27.-Two gun brigs, of 14 guns each, were launched from Mr. John Preston's dockyard at Yarmouth.

28.-The oil mill at h.e.l.lesdon, belonging to Mr. Wm. Parkinson, was destroyed by fire. The loss amounted to between 2,000 and 3,000.

MAY.

2.-A public meeting was held at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich, when resolutions, expressive of obligations to Earl St. Vincent, for promoting an enquiry into naval abuses, with thanks to Mr. Whitbread for introducing the tenth report of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry to the notice of the House of Commons; and thanks to Mr. Robert Fellowes, M.P., and Mr. W. Smith, M.P., for supporting Mr. Whitbread's motion, were unanimously agreed to.

3.-The Common Council of Norwich proposed a vote of thanks to Earl St.

Vincent, to the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, to Mr. Whitbread, and to the members of Parliament for the city. This was negatived by the aldermen by 12 votes to 4.

6.-An impressment took place at Yarmouth. "s.h.i.+ps' parties stopped every person they met without discrimination or respect for appearances. No less than 300 persons were impressed. Some were confined in the rendezvous of the town gang, others were marched to the barracks or conveyed to the boats lying in readiness at the jetty, and the whole body were carried during the night on to the Monmouth. Next morning a regulation took place, and 50 only were detained."

14.-At a county meeting, held at the Norwich s.h.i.+rehall, several resolutions, thanking Earl St. Vincent and the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, and Mr. Whitbread, Sir J. H. Astley, and Mr. T. W. c.o.ke for their patriotic and independent conduct in Parliament, were unanimously agreed to.

18.-An officer of the Shrops.h.i.+re Militia decided in his favour a wager of ten guineas, "to pick up 100 stones laid in Chapel Field, Norwich, at a distance of a yard from each other, and to deposit them in two baskets placed at the extremities of the line, in the s.p.a.ce of one hour."

Another person, a few weeks afterwards, performed the same feat in 44 minutes.

25.-Married, by special licence by the Bishop of Norwich, at his lords.h.i.+p's house in Manchester-square, London, Mr. Benjamin Bathurst, secretary of legation to the Court of Stockholm, to Miss Call, daughter of Sir John Call, Bart. (In November, 1809, when travelling to England with important despatches as envoy to the Court of Vienna, Bathurst mysteriously disappeared in the town of Perleberg, and was never more seen or heard of.)

-*"A street, 26 feet wide, is about to be opened, forming an entrance, which has long been most desirable, from Chapel Field directly into Bethel Street, Norwich."

The several battalions of Volunteer Infantry in the county performed a month's garrison duty in Yarmouth. The Norwich Volunteers were on duty in the city.

JUNE.

1.-Lord Frederick Beauclerk and the Hon. Edward Harbord ran a hundred yards race on Lord's Cricket Ground, London. Mr. Harbord was beaten by two yards. He afterwards ran the same distance against Mr. Lambert, and won easily.

4.-The King's birthday was celebrated in Norwich by the garrison and Volunteers, who paraded to the number of 1,800 and fired a _feu de joie_ on the Castle Meadow. The weather was very cold, and at nine o'clock at night the thermometer registered 36 degrees, only four degrees above freezing point.

8.-William Carter, a private in the City of Norwich Battalion of Infantry Volunteers, convicted, before a regimental court martial, of absenting himself from parade on four successive days, was publicly disgraced and dismissed the battalion.

22.*-"Gabriel Swallow, aged 13, son of a gamekeeper to the Hon. Col.

Harbord at Hunworth, shot 21 bullets at a target 80 yards distant for a bet of two guineas. With the exception of three shots, they were all placed within 5 inches of the centre; three bullets were one inch from the centre; five ditto, two inches; six ditto, three inches; one ditto, four inches; two ditto, five inches; one ditto, 5 inches."

24.-Holkham Sheep Shearing commenced. Mr. Ball's thres.h.i.+ng machine was shown at work. An ingenious model of a dibbling machine, made by a young man in the neighbourhood; a mowing machine, invented by Mr. Burrell, of Thetford; a scuffler, by Mr. Clarke; the model of a thres.h.i.+ng machine, by Mr. Cook, of Aylsham; and an improved drill, by Messrs. Wilson and Standish, of Lynn, were also exhibited. The sweepstake, to estimate the weight of Mr. c.o.ke's three-shear Leicester wether, was won by Lord Winchilsea, who guessed within half a pound of the actual weight.