Charles Mackie

“ A heavy fall of snow on the 12th, followed by a rapid thaw and continuous rain, had the effect of greatly swelling the tributaries of the Yare and Wensum. Simultaneously, a north-west wind occasioned a high tide at Yarmouth, so that the river waters were denied their natural outlet. Instead of ebbing with the tide, the Yare rose steadily on the 15th, and many thousand acres of marshes lying between Norwich and Yarmouth were inundated on the following day. The New Mills at Norwich, were, however, responsible for the greater part of the damage from which the city suffered. ”

“ In 1854 he entered Parliament as member for King’s Lynn, and sat for that borough until his resignation in 1865. As a naturalist Mr. Gurney was a recognised authority both in Europe and America, more especially on raptorial birds, and the magnificent collection in the Norfolk and Norwich (now the Castle) Museum owes its existence almost entirely to his energy and liberality. He was for many years a member of the East Anglian banking firm of Gurneys and Birkbecks, a justice of the peace for Norfolk, senior member of the Norwich Bench, and a magistrate for Lynn. ”

“ Simms Reeve, who appeared for the prosecution, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich owned the Heath, and the people of Pockthorpe, whether they had the right or not, claimed common rights. The Dean and Chapter did not dispute those rights, and the people not only used the Heath themselves, but let it to others to graze their cattle, to take turf at so much per hundred, and gravel at so much per load. The revenue formed a common fund, managed by a committee elected each year at a public meeting, at which the clergyman of the parish presided. ”

“ Men bearing historic names, and of widely different sentiments, had from time to time been entertained beneath his roof—Williams, Dr. Gary, Moffat, Doctors Philip and Wolff, of missionary fame; Joseph Kinghorn, the eloquent Irving, Belzoni, the Egyptian explorer; Professor Sedgwick, George Borrow, and many others who had done good service in the cause of religion, literature, and science. A close observer of nature, Mr. Brightwell gave much of his time to entomology, and a fine collection of insects in the Norfolk and Norwich Museum was formed by him. ”

“ On October 29th a meeting was held at the Guildhall, convened by the following circular, issued by the Mayor (Mr. Middleton) and the Deputy-Mayor (Mr. Field) : “Having heard from various quarters that an unusual effort will be made by each political party to secure the majority at the approaching municipal elections, we take upon ourselves the responsibility of asking our fellow-citizens to meet . . . with the view of saving the city, if possible, from a repetition of p. 85those disgraceful proceedings which have recently taken place in Norwich.” ”

“ Fisher, his father and family, made greater efforts than any other family ever did to establish and cultivate in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk a taste for the drama, at a time when this amusement was more calculated to serve the highest office of the stage than in the present degenerate days. Mr. Fisher built himself theatres at Bungay, Beccles, Halesworth, Wells, North Walsham, Dereham, Lowestoft, Eye, and other towns, entirely at his own cost. ”

“ A resolution was adopted affirming that the operation of the proposed Bill would be very prejudicial to the interests of the ratepayers and inhabitants, by placing the future management of the gas supply in the hands of a company which had no local connection or sympathy with the interests of Norwich, and over whom the rate-payers and inhabitants would have no control. The meeting having heard the report of the Special Committee appointed by the Corporation, cordially approved the course adopted by the Committee, and pledged itself to use every effort to oppose the passing of the Bill. ”

“ Edward Burgess, accompanied by several members of the committee of the Unemployed Relief Fund, applied for the issue of a summons for libel against the Norwich District Visiting Society and the editor of the Norfolk Chronicle. The newspaper had published an article in which the committee were referred to “as certain persons who are not entitled to constitute themselves almoners of the general public as an excuse for pursuing their favourite policy of sending round the hat and beating a drum in the manner of other mountebanks.” ”

“ The Master of the Rolls, on July 17th, gave his decision upon the Grammar School case, which had long been before the Courts. It was ordered that twenty-one governors be appointed; the sum of £1,000 per annum derived from land and house property was to be appropriated to the maintenance of the Grammar School and Commercial School; the benefits of the Grammar School were to be open to all England; and all the expenses to which the Corporation and those who represented Norwich had been put were to be paid by the Charity Trustees. ”

“ The trains met near Thorpe village, the impact producing a terrific crash which resembled a peal of thunder. The drivers and firemen of the locomotives were killed, eighteen passengers were killed on the spot, and about fifty were severely wounded, of whom five died in the course of a few days, making a total of twenty-five killed. The dead and dying were removed to Field’s boathouse and to the Tuns Inn, and the injured were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. ”

“ Two hundred fat beasts arrived at Trowse for conveyance, but the railway authorities refused to receive them. Salesmen on the Hill experienced the same difficulty, and dealers had to dispose of their cattle as best they could. Many beasts were sent to butchers for immediate slaughter; others were removed to Trowse. The Mayor (Mr. Nichols) went down on the 25th to see what help he could render, but the only way out of the difficulty was to send the animals to the Norwich slaughter-houses, whence the principal portion of the meat was forwarded to London. ”

“ Mr. Ketton was a native of Norwich, where for many years he was engaged in commercial pursuits. His success enabled him, when Mr. Windham’s affairs became embarrassed, to purchase the Felbrigg estate, where he resided until the period of his death.
—Died at Reigate, Surrey, from the effects of injuries inflicted upon himself, Mr. Benjamin Land, better known as “Ben Land,” a sporting character of great celebrity in his day. Mr. Land began life as a Norfolk farmer, and gave great encouragement to steeple-chasing in the county, upon the introduction of that sport in the first half of the century. ”

“ JANUARY.
5.—A great meeting of Norfolk farmers was held at the Agricultural Hall, Norwich, at which was passed a series of resolutions affirming that they viewed with alarm the serious loss imposed upon the nation by the importation of live stock from countries where foot and mouth disease was known to exist, and calling upon the Government to order the withdrawal of existing restrictions on the removal of stock in England. On the 29th a similar meeting, presided over by Lord Walsingham, was held at Lynn, and a third meeting took place at Fakenham on the 31st. ”

“ The Lynn Town Council resolved to put an end to the absurd and obnoxious impost known as “the Lady Mayoresses’ Pin Money.” “For many years the custom has prevailed in the town of the constables (who perform no other duties) going round to all the inhabitants in October and November and collecting from all who were foolish enough to pay it a kind of blackmail, under the ridiculous title of the Lady Mayoresses’ Pin Money, pretending that it was legally payable under the charters, and that those who did not pay would be summoned before the magistrates or the County Court. ”

“ Samuel Graystone, mate of the Ant, from Yarmouth to Plymouth, had signed articles to go the voyage, but was forcibly prevented by seamen from boarding his ship. Masters of other vessels complained to the magistrates that they had been subjected to similar treatment. The staff of the East Norfolk Militia and the Coastguard were called out to keep the riotous seamen in check, and two troops of the 11th Hussars were conveyed by special trains from Norwich to assist in quelling the disturbance. The cavalry rode through the town, and quickly cleared the streets. ”

“ On the 17th it was resolved, at a meeting of the Town Council, to write to the Secretary of State, pointing out that on April 17th a resolution was passed in the House of Commons affirming that occupiers in counties and boroughs should be relieved either in whole or in part of charges imposed for lunatics, the expenditure for such purpose being almost entirely independent of local control. The Home Secretary was asked whether he felt it imcumbent by compulsory measures to force upon the local rates of Norwich an expenditure estimated at between £40,000 and £50,000. ”

“ A revolting performance was given at one of the shows at the Norwich Christmas Fair. “A man and woman, said to be Kaffirs, actually fed upon live rats, in the presence of continually succeeding audiences.” The details, as published in the newspaper, are too horrible to be quoted. The Mayor, on being informed of the proceedings, prohibited the exhibition, after which raw flesh was substituted for live rats. At Walsingham, a few days afterwards, the show was visited by many hundreds of country folk; at Wells the police expelled the performers from the town. ”

“ Justice Kekewich. This case raised the question of the right of the freemen to receive in perpetuity the rents of the Town Close Estate, a valuable plot of land of about 100 acres in extent, which was conveyed to the city in 1524 by the Prior of Norwich. It was contended on the part of the plaintiffs that this land became vested in the Corporation for the exclusive benefit of the freemen, the terms in the original grant “citizens” and “commonalty” being synonymous with “freemen.” ”

“ The learned judge, in his report to the Speaker of the House of Commons, stated that although no corrupt practice was proved to have been made with the knowledge or consent of any of the candidates, and, further, it was proved to his entire satisfaction that neither Sir Henry Stracey nor the other candidates at the said election had any personal knowledge of or connection whatever with bribery or any other illegal or corrupt practice, he had determined that Sir Henry Stracey was not duly elected, and that his election was rendered void by the acts of his agents. ”

“ The long-protracted war having been brought to a close in 1815 by the crowning victory at Waterloo, on the anniversary of which he died, he returned to Norwich and became an acting partner in the bank of Harveys and Hudson, and was head of the firm at the time of his death. He was a magistrate and a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk, president of the Norwich Union Life Office and the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, chairman of the General Reversionary Interest Society in London, and founder of several other important institutions of a kindred character. ”

“ A train from Norwich to Lowestoft came to a standstill in the Mutford cutting, and was not got out until the afternoon of the 17th. The snow drifted to the depth of seven feet upon most of the lines, some of which remained closed for three days. Many of the roads were impassable for vehicular traffic, and in some instances the mail bags were carried across country on foot. Great distress prevailed amongst the poor, and special funds were raised in several towns for their relief. At Norwich the amount contributed was £2,227. On the 22nd a rapid thaw commenced. ”

“ Mr. Knights was suffocated by an escape of gas in his bed-room, and at the inquest the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. He was the author of several works on archæological and other subjects. His “Highways and Byways of Norwich” and “Peeps at the Past” are regarded as standard works. Relinquishing the study of antiquarian matters, which by his skilful treatment interested a wide circle of readers, Mr. Knights had taken up the work of interpreting Shakespeare in the light of Scripture, a subject that appealed to a very limited section. ”

“ The Norwich Town Council, on the 21st, decided to petition Parliament against the Railway Amalgamation Bill, on the ground that the amalgamation was calculated to injuriously affect the citizens by depriving them of the advantages of competition in railway transit. ”

“ H. M. Pitt’s Comedy-Drama Company commenced an engagement at Norwich Theatre. The company re-appeared at the Theatre on November 25th, for a season of eighteen nights—its farewell visit.
15.—Died at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, from cancer on the tongue, Mr. John Joseph Cotman, aged 63. “As an artist he would have rivalled his father, John Sell Cotman, but unhappily his unquestionably great genius was marred by an eccentricity which at times verged on insanity, and ruined a career which should have been one of honour and renown to himself and of profit to his family.” ”

“ The magistrates granted an order for its destruction, and on the 22nd and 23rd it was publicly burned in the Cattle Market. At the Norwich Police Court, on February 7th, Mr. Barnes was summoned for sending the wheat to the mills with the view of preparing it for human consumption, and was fined 40s. and costs. The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, on February 8th, discussed “the policy of destroying agricultural produce by any local authority under the Nuisances Removal Act, 1863, without sufficient proof of its unfitness for feeding or some other useful purpose.” ”

“ A collection was then made for the widows and orphans of soldiers in South Africa, and a resolution adopted affirming that Great Britain must be the paramount power in South Africa, and expressing the hope that the Government would prosecute the war to its final issue with the utmost vigour. On November 9th meetings were held in various parts of Norfolk under the auspices of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations, at which resolutions were adopted expressive of confidence in the Government. ”

“ General Seager rose from the ranks. He was regimental sergeant-major of the 8th Hussars when that regiment was stationed in Norwich in 1840, and formed an attachment for a young lady residing in the Close, whose parents interfered and stopped the further progress of the engagement, which they would hardly have done could they have anticipated the career which lay before the disdained young sergeant-major. Though in the ranks, he was the son of a Liverpool merchant. He won his honours and promotion in the Crimea and in the Indian Mutiny. ”

“ George Alden Stevens, solicitor, in low 57th year. An entirely self-made man, he rose by perseverance and integrity to become a partner in the firm of Miller and Son. He was an ardent politician, and for several years argent to the Liberal party, and the constant adviser of Mr. Jacob Henry Tillett throughout his chequered experiences on the hustings and in the election courts. Mr. Stevens was a member of the Town Council, and an alderman, and it was largely due to his generosity and zeal that Chapel Field was transformed from a barren and useless waste into a beautiful garden. ”