Jan. 8th. “Volunteer” steam-tug on fire in the harbour.
Jan. 13th. Inauguration Dinner of the Eastern Star Provident Association Friendly Society held at the Corn Hall. The society started with near 900 members in 12 branches established in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Jan. Rorqual whale, 45 feet in length, and weighing about 20 tons, caught at Winterton, and exhibited on Wrestler’s Plain.
Feb. 6th. Mr. J. B. Beales appointed Inspector of Weights and Measures, succeeded by Mr. E. D. Louttid, who resigned the office in Jan., 1871; and on Feb. 27th, 1871, Mr. F. W. Robinson was appointed. (See 1874.)
Feb. 20th. Man-of-war ship “Blenheim,” 74 guns, anchored in the Roadstead.
Feb. 28th. The schooner “Branch” launched from Mr. Fellows’ yard.
Mar. 1st. The iron screw-collier “Isby” run ashore south of Caister.
Mar. 28th. E. Watkin and W. Torrens McCullagh, Esqs., returned to Parliament for the Borough, by a majority of 158. Parliament dissolved on Mar. 21st. Grand procession of the United Seamen’s Association.
Mar. Mr. George Tewsley appointed Superintendent of the Borough Police. (See 1872, 1877, and 1878.)
April. A fine sturgeon, a Royal fish, caught off Yarmouth.
A mammoth tusk picked up at sea, which measured 4 ft. on the bend and 21 in. in girth.
May 15th. Thackeray, the novelist, lectured in Yarmouth: Subject—Georges III. and IV.
May 16th. Emily Major, dressed in male attire, attempted to escape from Gaol.
May 27th. Two Russian trophies received at Yarmouth. The Mayor applied to Lord Panmure for them in June, 1856.
June 7th. Corner-stone of St. John’s Church laid. This building, which cost £2,000, was opened Feb. 7th, 1858. In 1859 the southern aisle was added as a memorial to the late Miss Maurice, and opened by Bishop Hills before his departure for British Columbia.
June 8th. The Bill authorising the construction of the Britannia Pier read a third time and passed. This Pier was opened by a public company, July 13th, 1858, which has since dissolved.
Aug. 28th. Meeting of the British Archæological Association at the Town Hall.
Aug. 29th. The House of Commons decided the election to Parliament of W. T. McCullagh and E. Watkins, Esqs., as invalid. A. W. Young and J. Mellor, Esqs., were returned to Parliament in their place; the next day a monster meeting, between 10,000 and 12,000 people being present, was held on the Quay. E. Watkin, Esq., was drawn by men, by means of a rope attached to his carriage, from the Railway Station round the town.
Sept. 15th. Two Prize Fights took place on the banks of the Yare, between Batson and Slack, and Stamp and Turner.
Sept. 18th. Meeting at the Town Hall on the Indian Mutinies; £233 17s. subscribed in the room for the sufferers.
Sept. 24th. Organ at St. Peter’s Church opened. It was built by Messrs. Bishop and Starr, at a cost of £400.
Sept. 30th. Day of National Fasting and Humiliation.
Oct. 14th. Dinner given to Sir E. H. K. Lacon, Bart., at the Town Hall.
Oct. 22nd. Loss of the s.s. “Ontario” and 24 of her crew, on the Barber Sand. A dreadful gale and great destruction to the shipping.
Oct. Government Schools of Art and Navigation established, mainly through the exertions of the Rev. J. B. Bampton.—Exhibition of Paintings, &c., held at these schools in 1860. These schools occupy part of a Mansion formerly the residence of the Paget family.
Oct. 29th. Demonstration of the Liberal party at the Town Hall.
Nov. 12th. A warm Vestry Meeting (the second) at the Town Hall for making a Church Rate of 1½d. in the £, to include St. Peter’s. The report of the Church property in the town was made by a committee appointed at the first meeting, and it was resolved that no rate should be made. The Church party demanded a poll, which lasted till the following afternoon, but they lost it by 121 majority. The Church party finding they were defeated, the Parish Church and St. George’s Chapel Clocks were stopped till Dec. 22nd, when they were set going after nearly six weeks’ rest.
Nov. 17th. T. P. Burroughs, Esq., passed his examination for admission as a Solicitor.
Dec. 4th. The steamship “Rapid,” of Leith, sunk on the Cross Sands, and in 1858 divers were employed to raise some of her stores, consisting of wine, drapery goods, hearthrugs, smoked meats, tins of herrings, &c., which were sold at St. George’s Hall, Corn Hall, and on Hall Quay.
Jan. 1st. Fire in Jane Place, destroyed the roofing of three houses, and entirely demolished the whole of a net chamber. It originated in Mr. Moore’s workshop.
Jan. 11th. Testimonial, consisting of a splendid tea and coffee service, with an oval 24-inch waiter, weighing 203 ozs., presented to B. Fenn, Esq., by the Fishermen’s Provident Society.
Jan. 18th. The Aztec Lilliputians, the reputed Gods of the Pagan Temple of Iximaya, exhibited at the Corn Hall, Regent Street.
Feb. 11th. An Address voted by the Town Council to her Majesty on the marriage of H.R.H. the Princess Royal to H.R.H. Prince Frederick William of Prussia.
Feb. The Lord Chancellor appointed six (out of 15 candidates) new Magistrates for the Borough, viz., P. Pullyn, D. A. Gourlay, F. Palmer, W. T. Clarke, J. Barker, and J. Owles, Esqs.
Feb. 11th. The Town Battery ordered to be removed. The materials were sold for £84 12s.
Mar. 8th. The Fermanagh Light Infantry Militia (845 rank and file), commanded by Lord Enniskillen and the Hon. S. Crichton, arrived in Yarmouth.
Mar. 14th. The “Frederica,” 420 tons register and 600 tons burthen, launched from Mr. T. Branford’s yard. Between 8,000 and 4,000 persons witnessed the sight.
April 15th. Collision between the s.s. “Ernestide” and the Prussian ship “Thomas” off Yarmouth. The former foundered.
April 22nd. St. John’s Church consecrated, and in the same month the stone pulpit and the communion plate at this church were bought out of the proceeds of sale of the book, “Story of Samuel Brock.” The Church was opened Feb. 7th; enlarged in 1859, 1866, and 1868.
May 4th. Riot at Southtown between the Fermanagh Militia and some coalheavers.
May 19th. The brig “Nil Desperandum,” 800 tons register and over 500 tons burthen, launched from Mr. J. Rust’s yard. Thousands of persons witnessed the sight.
May 26th. The Corn Exchange, Regent Street, sold to R. Steward, Esq., for £1,540; and in 1870 was purchased by Government for the New Post and Telegraph Offices, &c.
June 10th. Sir E. N. Buxton, M.P., died at Cromer, aged 46 years.
June 15th. Congratulatory address voted by the Town Council to J. Paget, Esq., on his appointment as Surgeon-Extraordinary to her Majesty the Queen.
June 20th. Dawson Turner, Esq., M.A., F.S.A., F.R.S., &c., died at Brompton, aged 83 years, and his will was sworn under £70,000 personality. He was born Oct., 1775, at Yarmouth, where his father was a banker. He was educated at the Grammar School at North Walsham, and entered Pembroke College, Cambridge, in 1793. At his father’s decease he became a partner in the firm of Messrs. Gurneysand Co., and managed the Yarmouth bank. He married the daughter of the late William Palgrave, Esq., of Coltishall. His library comprised 40,000 volumes.
June 29th. County Election between Cooke and Stracey, for the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Buxton. The former returned by a large majority. Each party had a booth in the Yarmouth Market Place.
July 4th. Rev. William Tritton, of Cambridge, preached his first sermon at the Independent Chapel, King Street.
July 13th. Britannia Pier opened.Déjeûnergiven in the afternoon on the Pier to the shareholders and their friends, 150 in number. The structure cost about £6,000.
July 16th. Grand Procession of the Freemasons to and from St. Nicholas’ Church to the Town Hall, where about 125 gentlemen sat down to an excellent dinner.
July 20th. Nottingham Order of Oddfellows opened a new Court in Middlegate Street, and next day was publicly commemorated by a procession through the town, headed by Hulley’s Saxhorn Band.
July. Fifty-seven invalids, mostly Indian sufferers, arrived at the military Hospital on the South Denes from Chatham.
Aug. 26th. The Norfolk Hotel sold by auction to Messrs. Hills and Underwood for £2,160.
Aug. 30th. G. Wells Holt, Esq., Magistrates’ Clerk, tendered his resignation to the Magistrates. He ably filled the office for over 22 years. His son William succeeded to the office, to whom a dinner was given at the “Crown and Anchor” on Oct. 4th. (See Dec. 4th, 1884.)
Sept. 2nd. Riot in Charlotte Street and Broad Row with the Fermanagh Militia. Tradesmen obliged to close their shops.
Sept. 4th. Royal yacht “Grille,” belonging to the King of Prussia, arrived in the Harbour.
Sept. 8th. Two Prussian frigates, “Thetis” and “Gefion,” under the command of the High Admiral Prince Adalbert, arrived in the Roadstead.
Sept. 23rd. The Louth Rifles, under the command of Sir John Robinson, and comprising 500 men and 24 officers, arrived in Yarmouth.
Oct. 1st. First Evening Service held at St. George’s Chapel after the gas had been laid on.
Oct. 6th. An elegant Church Service, bound in turkey morocco, presented to the Rev. Robert Boyle, LL.D., by the inhabitants of Gorleston, as a farewell token of their esteem.
Nov. 15th. The s.s. “Hunwick” sunk off the Jetty. Ship and cargo valued at £8,500. The crew saved.
Nov. The Rev. G. Hills, B.D. resigned the incumbency of St. Nicholas’ Church, on his appointment to the Bishopric of British Columbia. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred by diploma at a convocation at Durham on the 30th.
Nov. Mr. G. Dowey appointed Station Master, and resigned in 1884.
Dec. 13th. The Rev. W. D. Wade, B.A., incumbent of St. Mary’s Church, Southtown, presented with a purse of 60 guineas.
Dec. 23rd. S. C. Burton, Esq., solicitor, sworn as a Commissioner to Administer Oaths in the High Court of Chancery of England.
Dec. Rev. H. R. Nevill, incumbent of St. Mark’s Church, Lakenham, near Norwich, appointed to the incumbency of Yarmouth; and the Rev. G. I. Pellew, curate of St. Nicholas’ Church, appointed to fill the vacancy at Lakenham.
Dec. Mr. J. M. Petts, late chief officer at the Coast Guard Station at Gillingham, Chatham, promoted by the Admiralty to be chief officer of the Yarmouth Coastguard. In March, 1866, he was presented with a gold watch and guard (value £65) and a silver cup (value £85), subscribed for by 121 gentlemen of the town, and presented at the Town Hall by the Mayor (C. C. Aldred, Esq.), in recognition of many acts of bravery in saving shipwrecked crews. He resigned the office on Oct. 1st, 1870. From Oct. 5th, 1859, to Feb. 14th, 1870, no less than 40 vessels were wrecked on the beach and off the coast, from whichMr. Petts, in conjunction with those under his command, was instrumental in rescuing 295 lives. Joined the service June 22nd, 1827.
Deaths: Jan. 17th, Rev. J. Pike, the much-esteemed minister of the Independent Chapel, Gorleston, died directly after leaving the pulpit, where he officiated in the service.—Mar. 4th, Sir Eton S. Travers, aged 69 years.—Mar. 15th, Mr. S. V. Moore, a respected member of the Town Council.
The winter was remarkably fine, neither wind, rain, nor snow interrupting fine weather till 31st March, when snow fell, and a severe frost followed.
Jan. 1st. Sailors’ Home established. Its completion on Feb. 2nd was celebrated by a tea given to a large party of beachmen and their wives at the Norfolk Hotel. The Home cost about £2,000.
Jan. 12th. Mr. James Buddrell, master of the fishing vessel “Hosannah,” presented with a first-class silver medal and diploma from the Emperor of the French for saving the lives of 11 men, the crew of the French brig “La Prospère,” off Hasbro’.
Jan. 12th. The Queen constituted the Colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver’s Island to be a Bishop’s See, and appointed the Rev. George Hills, D.D., to be ordained and consecrated Bishop of it. This ceremony was performed at Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishops of Norwich and Oxford, on Feb. 24th. In Jan. Dr. Hills was presented with a handsome communion service by the members of his congregation, and on the 26th of May was presented at the Town Hall with a testimonial, value £400, as a token of esteem. He reached his new diocese in March, 1860.
Jan. 17th. The Rev. H. Hitcham died, aged 40 years.
Jan. 19th. The sloop “Eliza” launched from Mr. J. Rust’s yard.
Feb. 10th. An Address voted by the Town Council to her Majesty on the birth of a grandson, heir to the Throne of Prussia.
Feb. 17th. Cuthbert Collingwood Hall, Esq., of Beach House, on the Marine Parade, died at his seat, Collingwood Court, near Windsor. Mr. Hall was one of the earliest advocates of our Marine Parade, and gave £50 towards its construction. He married the granddaughter and co-heiress of the celebrated Admiral Cuthbert Lord Collingwood, who commanded at Trafalgar after Lord Nelson received his death wound.
Feb. 20th. The “reading-in” ceremony and first sermon preached by the Rev. H. R. Nevill at St. Nicholas’ Church. The text chosen was 1 Cor. ii. 1, 2.
Feb. Portrait of Lord Sondes, High Steward of the Borough, placed in the Town Hall.
Mar. 17th. St. Patrick’s Day was ushered in at break of day by the band of the Louth Rifles playing through our streets the Irish air dedicated to the patron saint.
Mar. 21st. East Suffolk Railway Bill read a third time in the House of Commons and passed. The line was opened at Southtown on the 1st of June.
April 5th. E. W. Watkin and A. W. Young, Esqs., addressed a large meeting of between 2,000 and 3,000 persons on the Hall Quay; and again on the 15th.
April 13th to 16th. Charles Stratton, commonly known as “General Tom Thumb,” with a company, gave an entertainment at the Theatre.
April 19th. The “Athelstan” launched from Messrs. Fellows’ yard. This fine vessel was commanded by Captain John Braccy, of Yarmouth. (See Aug. 18th, 1882.)
April 29th. Sir E. H. K. Lacon, Bart., and Sir Henry J. Stracey, Bart., returned to Parliament.—Votes—L., 693; S., 653; Watkin, 568; Young, 537. This was the first time of polling in wards. No hustings. Nomination from the “Crown and Anchor” balcony.
May 12th. Cardinal Wiseman, accompanied by Lord Stafford and a party of friends, paid a visit to Yarmouth.
May 26th. The house of Mr. Bradnum, at Gorleston, struck by lightning, the fluid knocking a chimneypot through the roof, smashing the windows and frames, and doing other damage.
May 27th. First meeting, called by the Mayor at the Town Hall, respecting the enrolment of Rifle Volunteers at Yarmouth.
June 7th. Miss Ann Turner, daughter of the late Dawson Turner, Esq., presented the Town Council with 17 rolls, &c., relative to the History of Yarmouth.
July 11th. Eighty invalids, mostly Indian sufferers, arrived at the Military Hospital on the South Denes from Chatham.
July. The schooner “Alma” brought to Yarmouth nine 68 and one 54-pounder guns from Woolwich for the North and South Batteries. There were six guns mounted on each battery, namely, three 82, two 68, and one long 24-pounders, some of them weighing as much as five tons.
July. B. Dowson and F. Worship, Esqs., appointed Deputy-Lieutenants of the County.
Aug. 12th. The fine vessel “Himalaya,” 375 feet in length, with her saloon of 100 ft., brought a portion of the Donegal Militia to Yarmouth, who were landed by the steam-tug “Robert Owen” at the Barrack Wharf; and on the 14th the vessel left, having previously embarked the Louth Rifles for Preston.
Sep. 1st. Appointment of officers for the Rifle Volunteers, and the services of the men accepted by Government.
Sept. 7th. Rev. W. Griffiths, M.A., minister of the Congregational body, ordained at King Street Chapel.
Sept. 12th. Fire at Mr. S. Ives’ premises, in Howard Street; estimated damage, £150. Another fire originated at the same place on June 5th, 1867, doing damage to the amount of £600.
Sep. 26th. C. P. Molly, Esq., of Liverpool, contributed a Mural Drinking Fountain for the Borough. R. Steward, Esq., contributed one in Nov., which is now placed in front of the Sailors’ Home.
Sept. 28th. Services of the Artillery Volunteer Corps accepted by Government, and the appointment of officers confirmed.
Sept. Water supplied by the Yarmouth Water Works Company to the inhabitants of Southtown.
Oct. 8th. Riot in King Street with four of the Donegal Militia, one of whom when in custody at the Police Station attempted to set fire to his cell, and ameléetook place before it could be extinguished.
Oct. 25th. Violent gale, 14 lives lost off this coast, and 80 shipwrecked seamen lodged at the Sailors’ Home. A sloop driven through the Britannia Pier and severed it in two.
Nov. 30th. First stone of St. Andrew’s Church laid. Contract for building was £1,050 10s. In March, 1864, a schoolroom was built adjoining the church, which cost £500 more.
Dec. 16th. TheNorfolk Standard, published by Mr. J. Cooper, was discontinued. The same publisher printed theYarmouth Weekly Newsand theYarmouth Standardpreviously.
Dec. 20th. Rev. F. W. Johnson, who was appointed in Jan., 1858, minister of St. John’s Church, died in London. By will he bequeathed £3,000 to endow the Beach and Harbour Mission.
Dec. 27th. Jacob Astley, Baron Hastings, and a baronet of England, died at his town residence, aged 62 years. He was born on Nov. 13th, 1797, and was the eldest son of Sir Jacob Henry Astley. The late lord married, on Mar. 22nd, 1819, Georgiana Caroline, youngest daughter of Sir Henry W. Dashwood, Bart., and sister of the late Marchioness of Ely. (See Dec. 24th, 1875.)
Francis Worship, E. P. Youell, and J. Clark, Esqs., appointed as Magistrates.
Bastard shark caught off Yarmouth.
Thirty-two thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine barrels of herrings shipped at Yarmouth for foreign ports.
Vice-Admiral Lovell, K.H., who had served under Nelson at Trafalgar, died, aged 72.
New Lifeboat-house erected by the National Association at a cost of £400.
Jan. 3rd. Three cases of wine, eight of spirits, and five of oil, and a cask of vinegar, landed here, having been picked up by the smack “Chance.”
Jan. 4th. Schooner “Hero,” of and for Yarmouth, went ashore on Palling Beach and became a total wreck. Sold for £9.
Jan. 20th. The people in Southtown alarmed by the report of a “Spring-heel’d Jack” in the locality for some days previous. The supposed fiend, who assaulted one of the employés on the East Suffolk railway, and left him insensible on the ground, was said to be a man clad in a white tight-skin dress, and goat’s horns fixed to his head.
Jan. F. Palmer, Esq., appointed hon. surgeon to the Rifle Volunteer Corps.
Feb. 2nd. The fishing lugger “Paymaster,” belonging to Mr. B. Fenn, sailed from Yarmouth to Portsmouth, a distance of 240 miles, in 23 hours.
Feb. 14th. A detachment of the Donegal Militia (162) left Yarmouth for Deptford.
Feb. 16th. The premises of Messrs. Bullimore, West, and Todd, coachbuilders, carpenters, &c., destroyed by fire.
Feb. 16th and 18th. Officers of the Donegal Militia performed at the Theatre on behalf of the Hospital.Used Upand theIrish Attorneywere represented.
Feb. 17th. The fishing smack “John Bull” driven on Yarmouth beach in a gale. The crew of five were taken out of the rigging by a lifeboat crew, and all saved except one boy. George Milligan, at the risk of his own life, bravely rescued a helpless man who was lashed to the rigging. In March, he and Capt. T. Davies, R.N., inspecting commander of the Yarmouth Coastguards, received silver medals for their bravery on this occasion, and the lifeboat crew £24.
Feb. 24th. Enquiry opened in the House of Commons upon the petition against the return of Sir E. Lacon and Sir H. Stracey, Barts., as M.P.’s for the Borough. After seven days’ investigation, the Chairman of the Committee announced them as duly elected.
Feb. 28th. A tremendous hurricane, which for about half-an-hour in the afternoon raged with the greatest fury, the pressure per square foot being 30 lbs. The like not known before for many years. In 1839 it reached only 28 lbs.
Feb. A beautiful silver épergne, of Eastern design, representing a giraffe feeding under a palm tree, presented to the Rev. J. B. Bampton on his leaving Yarmouth for Dover, by the supporters and students of the Yarmouth Government School of Art and Navigation, as a token of esteem.
March 7th. At a Levée at St. James’ Palace, Captains S. C. Marsh and W. J. Foreman; Lieut. A. W. Morant and Dr. Stephenson, of the 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers; and Capt. J. H. Orde, Lieut. E. P. Youell, Ensign J. Tomlinson, and Hon. Assistant Surgeon F. Palmer, 2nd Norfolk Rifle Volunteers, were introduced to her Majesty by the Earl of Leicester, Lord Lieutenant of the County.
March 13th. A new fishing smack, “Harriett Todd” launched. Mr. Todd lost the smack “Viper,” and had three others damaged in the gale of the 20th Nov., 1861.
March. The brave crew of the Gorleston Lifeboat “Ranger” awarded the sum of £233 by the owner of the brig “Martin Luther,” for assisting his vessel into Harbour during the hurricanes of Feb. 28th.
March. Petition sent to the House of Commons for total abolition of Church rates; also a petition to suppress Bribery by a condign punishment upon all guilty of the practice. The latter was signed by 230 electors, and presented to the House on the 24th instant, by J. Mellor, Esq., M.P.
March. Loss of the Yarmouth fishing smack “Emerald,” and seven hands, about twenty miles east of the Leman and Owen Sands.
April 6th. Artillery and Rifle Volunteers’ first demonstration on the South Denes.
April 10th. Conservative Banquet at the Theatre. The entire pit was boarded over on a level with the stage, where the tables were arranged; and a military band played in the gallery. A marquee was erected on the plain as a reception room.
April 23rd. First stone of the Gorleston Methodist New Connexion Chapel laid. Building cost £250. It was opened July 22nd.
May 17th. The barque “Caroline” launched, after being repaired at an outlay of £5,000, from Mr. Powell’s yard. The band of the Donegal Militia played “Rule, Britannia” as she glided off the incline.
May 28th. Fearful gale and loss of life at sea; eight vessels—brigs, schooners, and a barge—lost on Scroby and in the Cockle Gat, with their crews; also 14 fishing vessels and 156 men and boys, lost off Yarmouth. The appeal to the town and nation on behalf of 50 widows and 160 orphans left destitute resulted in the handsome sum of £10,000. Her Majesty and Prince Consort headed the list with £100 each. In a former gale the north-east pinnacle of St. Peter’s Church fell over the nave and crashed through the roof into the organ gallery, the organ narrowly escaping. Damage estimated at £250.
June 5th. G. S. Harcourt, Esq., resigned the Secretaryship of the Sailors’ Home owing to ill-health.
June 30th. The Channel Fleet of 13 vessels, under the command of Sir C. Freemantle, anchored in the Roads, and comprised the “Royal Albert,” 121 guns; “Donegal,” 101; “Edgar,” 91; “Aboukir,” 91; “Conqueror,” 101; “Trafalgar,” 91; “Centurion,” 91; “Algiers,” 91; “Mars,” 80; “Mersey,” 40; “Diadem,” 32; also the “Greyhound” corvette, and “Locust.”
July 9th. Procession through the town of the Foresters and Members of the Eastern Star Provident Association to the Victoria Gardens, where a gala was given.
July 18th. Sir Samuel Morton Peto presented with a superb china dessert service, and an elaborately-worked plateau épergne candelabrum and other plate, value about £2,000, by 300 subscribers, as a token of regard and obligation to him in making the East Suffolk Railway.
July 24th. Prince of Wales’ Own Donegal Militia, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Lord Claude E. Hamilton, left Yarmouth for Ireland, after staying twelve months.
Aug. 8th. The Norfolk Militia Artillery arrived at the Southtown Barracks, and were disbanded on the 20th. This regiment was embodied in April, 1859, and in May left for Sheerness, and thence for Woolwich.
Sept. 3rd. First prize competition meeting of the Rifle Volunteers held.
Sept. W. Strike, Esq., Collector of Customs, promoted to the Collectorship at Waterford; he was succeeded by W. C. Maclean, Esq., Comptroller at Portsmouth.
Oct. 15th. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean, the celebrated Tragedians, appeared at the Theatre Royal inThe Wife’s Secret.
Oct. 26th. A short sun-fish caught on the North Beach. It was 4 ft. in length, and weighed about 11 stone. A fine specimen was also caught off Yarmouth in 1821.
Nov. 3rd. Frightful boiler explosion on board the steamer “Tonning,” off Yarmouth.
Nov. 7th. Race by two herring traders—the brig “Susan Bailey,” of Ipswich, and schooner “The Belle,” of Brixton—from Yarmouth to Leghorn. The latter arrived at her destination after a run of nearly 17 days, the “Susan Bailey” being two days behind her.
Nov. 10th. The brig “Eleanor,” 300 tons register, launched in full rig from Messrs. Beeching’s yard.
Dec. 28th. Melancholy occurrence at the Theatre, caused by the sudden death of Tom Algar, the clown, during the Christmas Pantomime. On Jan. 4th Mr. Owen, the manager, gave a benefit to the widow and orphans.
Dec. 29th (Saturday). The town, in consequence of a hard frost, had the gas cut off from 5 p.m. till 9, and then only partially.
Dec. The Rev. Henry Ralph Nevill, M.A., nominated to the Honorary Canonry in the Cathedral Church in Norwich, vacated by the death of the Rev. W. M. Hanson.
Fish Depôt, near the Jetty, erected.
The sum collected in Market Tolls this year was £220 12s., about the average for the last 22 years.
Parliamentary returns show that the number of houses in Yarmouth compounded for by landlords was 1,098, of the annual gross-rent of £6; and 229 at £7.
About 1,300 Voters on the Register this year.
Jan. 1st. Yarmouth specially appointed as one of the 32 Ports into which wine in casks was allowed to be imported, but the “testing” not permitted unless by special grant.
Jan. 6th to 11th. Colder weather than had been experienced in Yarmouth within living memory.
Jan. 15th. Meeting at the Town Hall for the relief of the poor in the town; £330 subscribed in the room.
Feb. 1st. “Iconoclast” lectured at the Theatre to a crowded house. Subject, “What Must a Man Do to be Saved?” Admission, 6d. and 2d.
April 8th. Census taken. The returns were as follows: Population of Yarmouth, 13,207 males; 16,881 females—30,088. Gorleston and Southtown, 2,029 males; 2,456 females—4,485. Houses inhabited in Yarmouth, 6,861; uninhabited, 239; building, 73; inhabited in Gorleston and Southtown, 975.
April 13th. A detachment of the Royal Artillery, comprising 403 men, officers included, with 15 women and 19 children, arrived at the Armoury from Woolwich.
April 24th. The barque “Harmony,” 300 tons register, or about 450 burthen, launched from Mr. H. Fellows’ yard, after which a religious service was held on board. She was built for carrying Missionaries to Labrador, and was the second built by Mr. Fellows for the Moravian Mission, the one built in 1833 being of the same name.
May 20th and 21st. Riot in the town between the Royal Artillery and the E. N. Militia. About 100 men, armed with sabres, broke out of the Armoury, and rushed down the road towards the bridge like wild men, where several hundred civilians had congregated, but who fled before the soldiers, spreading terror in the neighbourhood. Tradesmen had to close their shops.
May 24th. Gable-end of a three-storey house, built on the site of the Convent of Blackfriars, in Friar’s Lane, fell out from top to bottom.
May 29th. The Rev. James Tann, 14 years Pastor of the Particular Baptists of this town, died.
June 18th. Stormy meeting at the Town Hall respecting the election of a Vestry Clerk. The four following days a poll was taken, which resulted in the return of Mr. S. B. Cory by a majority of 233 votes. Cory, 856; Mr. C. H. Chamberlin, 623. Mr. Cory died in Oct. 1876. (See Aug. 16th, 1861, and Nov. 1876.)
June 23rd. Rev. H. Squire, Unitarian Minister of this town, terminated 30 years’ Ministry. On Aug. 5th he was presented with a silver inkstand, value £30, by the members of the congregation. He died in London, Aug. 1869, aged 62.
June 30th. Comet first seen in Yarmouth. Its brightness and length of tail rivalled Donati’s, which appeared in 1858.
June. Mons. A. A. Desfougerais appointed as French Maritime Consul and Agent in Yarmouth, by the French Government.
June. Mr. F. Danby Palmer passed legal examination in honours, he being the first local candidate who obtained that distinction.
June. Lieutenant E. Leeds, R.A., instructor to the Artillery Volunteers, presented by the officers and men of the corps with a gold watch and chain, as a memento of their esteem.
July 6th. Sir Francis Palgrave, K.H., Deputy-Keeper of her Majesty’s Records, died, aged 72 years. He married the daughter of the late Dawson Turner, Esq., of Yarmouth, and was Knighted in 1832 for his services and attention to Constitutional and Parliamentary literature.
July. Mr. George Tyrrell, builder, of Southtown, received the Government contract for altering and re-constructing the Redoubt at Harwich. In May, 1862, he also obtained the Government contract for the erection of a Fort at Bembridge Town, Isle of Wight, at an outlay of about £40,000.
Aug. 16th. Purse of £70 presented to Mr. S. B. Cory, the newly-appointed Vestry Clerk. (See June 18th.)
Aug. Turkish Baths on Regent Road established, but were not in existence many months.
Aug. Mr. J. S. Cobb passed his examination at the Royal College of Surgeons, and obtained his diploma as a dental surgeon.
Sept. 1st. Mr. F. W. Rolfe played his opening service at St. Peter’s Church, and received his appointment as organist. In Nov., 1870, he was presented with a purse of £11 by the members of the St. Peter’s Musical Association. He died in 1884.
Sept. 12th. Yarmouth and other Norfolk Volunteers reviewed at the Earl of Leicester’s Park at Holkham.
Oct. 26th. Alarming Fire at Mr. J. Self’s fish storehouse and drying-rooms, in Row 145. Estimated damage, £400. And on Nov. 25th, Mr. T. W. Downing’s fish-stores; damage, £200.
Nov. 2nd and 3rd. Heavy gale and great loss of life and property; 19 shipwrecked seamen received at the Home; the previous ten days, 44.
Nov. 21st. New Lifeboat sent to Yarmouth by the National Institution.
Nov. 26th. A site on the South Denes, for erecting an Iron Mission Church and Schools, granted by the Town Council to the Rev. H. R. Nevill. The Church was opened for Service on March 4th, 1862. Cost, £500. (See May 26th, 1869.)
Nov. 28th. Artillery Volunteers’ First Distribution of Prizes and Presentation of eight Saluting Flags, which cost £14, the gift of fifty lady subscribers, took place at the Corn Hall.
Nov. The fishing-lugger “Triumph,” of Yarmouth, lost in a gale in the North Sea, and 11 hands, principally belonging to Sherringham. Mr. J. W. De Caux, assisted by the Mayor (R. Steward, Esq.), collected £52 13s. for the widows and orphans.
Nov. The Rev. Hezekiah Martin, B.A., Curate of Caister Church, presented by the parishioners with a silver salver as a tribute of esteem.
Dec. 14th. H.R.H. the Prince Consort died, aged 42. During the ensuing week all outward manifestations of sorrow were paid in Yarmouth to the deceased Prince—shops were partly closed, flags raised half-mast, mourning uniform worn by volunteers, &c. On the 23rd the Town Council adopted a vote of condolence to her Majesty.
Dec. The Rev. F. C. Skey, late Curate of St. Nicholas’ Church, appointed Minor Canon in Bristol Cathedral. A gold pencil case was presented to him (Dec. 19th) by the scholars and teachers of St. Peter’s School.
St. John’s School erected.
St. Andrew’s Institute established in Charlotte Street, but removed to the North Quay in 1865.
Deaths: Oct. 21st, Mr. David Hogarth, who ably filled the position of Postmaster of Yarmouth for upwards of twenty years, aged 68.—Nov. 1st, John Goate Fisher, Esq., aged 82.—Nov. 4th, Mr. T. W Chevalier, Head Master of the School of Design, aged 30.
March 1st. 1862 changes of grandsire triples, composed and conducted by Mr. William Lee, were rung on eight bells in the Parish Church Steeple.
April 9th. Suffolk Militia Artillery, commanded by Colonel Adair (460 men), arrived at Southtown.
May 5th. Corner stone of the Bethel laid, and the Chapel opened Aug. 15th. Cost about £300.
May 23rd. The Priory Musical Class presented Mr. Musgrave with a silver inkstand.
May 27th. A portion of the Channel Fleet anchored in the Roadstead. It comprised the “Revenge,” 91 guns; “Trafalgar,” 90; “Emerald,” 51; “Chanticleer,” 17; and the gunboat “Porpoise.” They waited the arrival of the “St. George,” the vessel in which H.R.H. Prince Alfred sailed.
May. C. J. Palmer, Esq., presented the Corporation with a scarlet gown and a black gown, originally worn by the Mayors. The former to be worn on extraordinary and the latter on ordinary occasions.
June 1st. The man-of-war ship “St. George,” 90 guns, with. 900 men on board, joined the Channel Fleet in the Roadstead. On the following morning (Monday) a royal salute of 21 guns was fired from the North Battery, and a gay display of colours hoisted by every ship in the Harbour, in honour of Prince Alfred. The same afternoon the Sailor Prince, accompanied by Major Cowell, the Rev. W. Lake Onslow, and the Hon. Manners Sutton, landed on the Beach, and proceeded to the South Denes, where a cricket match was played by 11 Officers of the Fleet against 11 Gentlemen of Great Yarmouth.
June 19th. Review of the Eastern Counties’ Volunteers at Yarmouth. No less than 30,000 spectators from all quarters of the country assembled on the South Denes to witness the review, which was of the grandest description. A dinner was afterwards given to the Volunteers (3,500) and about 250 other guests, on the St. George’s Denes, which passed off admirably. Purveyor, Mr. J. Franklin, Crown and Anchor. The cost to the town was about £530.
July 9th. Blondin, the Niagara rope-walker, appeared at the Victoria Gardens.
July 16th. Caister lifeboat, while lying on Caister Beach, was struck by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm.
July. H. R. Harmer, Esq., solicitor, appointed a Commissioner to Administer Oaths in Admiralty.
Aug. 19th. Sir E. Lacon assumed the command of the Artillery Volunteer Corps on the resignation of Major S. C. Marsh.
Sept. 12th. Grand fête of Norfolk Volunteers at Crown Point, Norwich.
Oct. 8th. The celebrated Rev. C. H. Spurgeon preached at the Wesleyan Chapel.
Oct. 20th. Fearful gale. About 1,000 vessels sheltered in the Roadstead. Five others were reported to have gone down on the Sands with their crews.
Nov. 21st. Public meeting at the Town Hall, for raising a fund to relieve the distressed Lancashire operatives. £160 was subscribed in the room.
Nov. The Trustees of the Municipal Charities received the sanction of the Charity Commissioners to erect a Grammar School at Yarmouth, which was built and opened July 29th, 1863.
Dec. 20th. High tide. On the Southtown Road the water was a foot deep, and many parts of the town were inundated. The tide was higher than that recorded in 1816. Mr. T. W. Downing lost the smack “Gem” in the gale.
Dec. 22nd. The brig “Lotus” launched from J. W. Rust’s yard. Dimensions—length, 103 ft.; breadth, 24 ft.; depth, 24 ft.; burthen, 258 tons.
Deaths: Feb. 27th, the Rev. Thomas C. Clowes, formerly Incumbent of St. Mary’s Church, and Head Master of the Preparatory Grammar School, Southtown, at Ashbocking Vicarage, aged 61.—March 20th, Mr. Henry Danby Palmer, third son of George Danby Palmer, Esq., aged 47.—Nov. 12th, Nathaniel B. Palmer, Esq., aged 37.
Jan. 1st. Assembly Rooms opened by a company. On Feb. 13th, 1870, the Billiard Rooms were destroyed by fire; damage, £700.
Jan. 20th. Smack “Baron Campbell,” belonging to Mr. Yaxley, foundered in a heavy gale. The crew, after battling with the fury of the waves for 13 hours, and being nearly exhausted at the pumps, were gallantly rescued by the crew of the smack “Greyhound.”
March 10th. Marriage of Prince Albert Edward with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, at Windsor. The display of enthusiasm at Yarmouth somewhat resembled the Volunteer Review of June 19th, 1862, with this difference—the town in the evening was brilliantly illuminated, and a display of fireworks took place in the Market Place. Nearly 600 Volunteers were entertained by Sir E. Lacon to a sumptuous repast at his stores on the North Quay. 4,669 school children were regaled with a tea at the town’s expense, which, with all other expenses, incurred an outlay of £259. The subscriptions amounted to £322.
March. 19th. The Yarmouth Gas Bill Clauses to incorporate the Company, and make further provisions for lighting the town, were agreed to by a Committee of the House of Commons. The bill was read a third time, and passed March 23rd.
March. The Rev. John Beazor ordained as Deacon by the Bishop of Tasmania.
April 18th. A fine otter captured on the Hall Quay.
April. The Royal Marriage Celebration Committee presented R. Steward, Esq., and Capt. W. J. Foreman with a silver medal as a souvenir of the eventful occasion, and in recognition of their valuable services.
May 12th. Sardinian barque “Mississippi,” with 1,000 tons of cargo, sprang a leak and was beached, but got off again by the Gorleston boatmen for £300, when (on the 16th) she stranded on the Bar. In June she was dry-docked in the yard of Messrs. Fellows and Sons.
May 26th. Charles Marsh, a nigger acrobat, went up the Nelson Monument, got outside, and after clambering up the caryatides to the figure of Britannia, performed some of his gambols, but accidentally missing his footing, fell headlong from the trident to the ground, a distance of 140 ft., and was killed.
May 31st. First service for the ordaining of priests and deacons held at St. Nicholas’ Church by the Bishop of Norwich. Five ordained as deacons and four as priests.
June 17th. The Norfolk Agricultural Society held their Annual Show of Stock and Implements for the first time at Yarmouth. The prizes offered were £558 in money, £53 in silver medals, and £37 in four silver cups.
June 24th. Bishop Hills returned to England upon a visit from British Columbia, and preached at St. Nicholas’ Church, Aug. 16th.
June 25th. Mr. N. Clowes, Secretary to the Young Men’s Association, was presented with “Routledge’s Edition of the Poets” (19 vols.), as a mark of esteem.
June 25th. The Yarmouth Gas Bill read a third time and passed, and received the Royal assent June 29th.
June. David Falcke, James Scott, and William Briggs, Esqs., were approved as Magistrates by the Lord Chancellor.
July 1st. The barque “Egbert,” 400 tons burthen, launched from Messrs. Fellows and Sons’ yard.
July 6th. Two men accidentally killed by the falling of a hatchway belonging to the wherry “Rigby,” while at Burgh Water Frolic with a freight of 90 or 100 pleasure-seekers, many of whom were precipitated into the water.
July 14th. The Channel Squadron, under the command of Admiral Dacres, visited Yarmouth Roads. It comprised the “Edgar,” 71 guns; “Black Prince,” 41; “Warrior,” 40; “Liverpool,” 39; “Royal Oak,” 35; “Emerald,” 35; “Resistance,” 16; “Defence,” 16; and the corvette “Trinculo.” Totals—293 guns, 6,800 horse-power, and 4,799 men.
Aug. 26th. Memorial stone of the new Baptist Chapel, St. George’s Park, laid. Contract for building, £1,500.
Sept. 15th. Review on Mousehold Heath of the Norfolk Volunteers, on which occasion Corporal J. Wilshak, of Yarmouth, was presented with the Champion’s Prize (£20 and bronze medal) from the hands of Lady Suffield.
Sept. 18th. Messrs. Churchwardens Steward and Aldred presented with a silver tea service each, by members of the congregation of St. Nicholas’ Church, in testimony of their esteem. (See Nov. 23rd, 1879.)
Sept. 26th. First number ofYarmouth Chroniclepublished by Messrs. Steer and Godfrey.
Oct. 3rd. The cutter “Samuel and William” (60 tons), belonging to Messrs. Smith and Sons, launched, this being the first built at Runham, near the Suspension Bridge. She was built by Messrs. Winter and Pigg. The father of the latter built the yacht, “Red Rover,” the property of S. Nightingale, Esq.
Oct. Mr. C. C. Newcombe, appointed Postmaster.
Oct. A pedestrian named Elson, of Nottingham, walked for several days from Yarmouth to Lowestoft and back three times each day—a distance of sixty miles a-day.
Nov. 2nd. The Board of Health decided to borrow £3,000 for extending the Parade south, on the suggestion of C. J. Palmer, Esq.
Nov. 9th. R. Steward, Esq., elected as Mayor. On March 10th, 1864, Mr. Steward was presented with a testimonial, value £200, subscribed for by the town. It comprised an elegant tea and coffee service, a silver salver, and a cake basket.
Nov. 16th. The Royal Sea Fisheries Commissioners held an enquiry at the Sailors’ Home.
Nov. 20th. Destructive fire at the farm of Mr. J. Hammond, at Gorleston.
Nov. 21st. Mr. Robert Hales, the Norfolk Giant, died in Yarmouth, aged 43 years. He was born at West Somerton, May 2nd, 1820. In the prime of life his height was 7ft. 6in., and he weighed 33 stone. He measured round the chest 64in., waist 62in., thigh 36in., calf of leg 21in., across the shoulders 36in. His father was 6ft. 6in., and mother 6ft. in height. His brothers averaged 6ft. 5in., and sisters 6ft. 3in.
Nov. 29th. Rear-Admiral Sir J. H. Plumridge, K.C.B., died at Hopton. He was distinguished for many gallant services in Egypt, Denmark, Genoa, and Bomarsund. He was Knighted in 1855.
Nov. 30th. Mr. H. Panks presented with a silver watch and chain, and a book, as a mark of esteem and appreciation of his efficient services as organist, by the congregation of St. John’s Mission Room.
Nov. The Rev. W. T. Harrison presented with a handsome pocket communion service.
Nov. The lifeboat “Friend of all Nations” launched from Mr. Critton’s yard. Cost nearly £400.
Dec. 3rd. Furious gale (more disastrous than recorded May 28th, 1860), attended with loss of 17 smacks, 2 schooners, and 1 brig, belonging to Yarmouth, and all their crews; also seven other vessels lost off the coast. The total number of lives lost was 145 menand boys, leaving 73 widows and 110 orphan children. Her Majesty’s gunboat “Ruby,” one of the vessels despatched from the Humber to search for the missing smacks, was lost on Texel Beach. On the 21st, the Government sent from Sheerness the steamer “Medusa” (800 tons) to search the North Sea for missing smacks, but she returned unsuccessful. On the 28th a meeting was convened at the Town Hall by the Mayor, for relieving the sufferers, £222 being subscribed in the room, which, with other subscriptions, amounted to nearly £2,000, her Majesty heading the list with £100.
The Yarmouth College, South Quay, established; and Sutherland House School in 1875.
Dec. 8th. Case of arbitration at the Town Hall between the Corporation and the Gas Company as to the value of 10,000 square yards of land for building the new Gas Works. The Corporation demanded £7,646, but the arbitrator (Mr. Rodwell, Q.C.) awarded £4,106 15s.
Dec. 14th. The schooner “Spray” on fire, and was run ashore near the Wellington Pier. She was laden with deals, coal, and coke; valued at about £700.
Dec. 16th. Owing to the death of Major S. C. Marsh on Aug. 30th, the Artillery Volunteers presented his family with a solid silver working model of a field piece, with a miniature officer at the trail end, the whole standing on a chased silver plateau and an ebony stand, as a memento of Mr. Marsh’s connection with the Corps.
Dec. 17th. Conversazione at the Public Library, many objects of interest exhibited.
Great Yarmouth Building Society established.
Deaths: Mar. 25th, William Yetts, Esq., J.P., aged 67.—April 6th, John S. Coxon, Esq., who held the office of Postmaster for one year, aged 32. April 29th, Joseph G. Plummer, Esq., J.P., aged 58.—May 8th, William T. Clarke, Esq., J.P., aged 49.—May 19th, Mr. William Green, many years Overseer of the Parish, aged 74.—Sept. 18th, Rosamond Matilda, widow of the late Dawson Turner, Esq., at Kirkley, Lowestoft, aged 52.—Sept. 25th, John Youell, Esq.,A.L.S., aged 89.—Oct. 7th, Ambrose Reeve Palmer, Esq., of Haddiscoe Hall, aged 51.—Nov. 4th, Edmund Reeve Palmer, Esq., for many years Registrar of Yarmouth County Court, aged 63.—Nov. 30th, Capt. B. Love, E.N.M., aged 71.
Jan. 28th. Rev. John Walker, M.A., instituted to the Rectory of Bradwell; and the Rev. John James licensed to the Curacy of Southtown.
Jan. Rev. T. K. Richmond, six years Curate of St. Nicholas’ Church, elected Chaplain of St. George’s Hospital, London. On the 17th of March this gentleman was presented with a gold lever watch, value £27, and a purse of £10, by a number of parishioners; and a silver communion service by the Clergy.
Feb. 10th. The Danish corvette “Neils Juel,” 450 men and 47 guns, and a powerful ironclad gunboat captured a Prussian ship outside the sands, and after putting a prize crew on board, took her to Copenhagen.
Feb. 27th. D. Tomkins, Esq., elected a member of the College of Preceptors.
March 1st. The brig “William and Richard” foundered off the Monument. Seven men belonging to the Admiralty cutter “Dolphin,” seven beachmen, and five from the screw-collier “Ryhope,” were immersed in the water, four being drowned.
March 2nd. Petition presented to the House of Commons by Edward Howes, Esq., M.P., from the Haven Commissioners of Yarmouth, in opposition to the East Norfolk Railway Bill.
Launches: March 31st, the first barge, “The Garson;” April 26th, barge “Whitwell;” July 5th, the barque-rigged vessel “Oriental;” Aug. 20th, schooner “Shepherdess.”
March. The Rev. Arthur P. Holme, M.A., licensed by the Bishop of Norwich to the Incumbency of St. Andrew’s Church.
March. James Morris Hill, Esq., late Major Military Train, approved of by her Majesty to fill the Adjutancy of the 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers.
April 28th. John Dawson, Esq., admitted a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.
July 20th. The East of England Joint Stock Bank (established in Dec., 1835) suspended payment, with liabilities amounting to £576,963 7s. 5d., and assets £453,256.
Aug. 1st. Mr. S. Allies appointed Borough Gaoler.
Aug. Rev. A. B. Crosse resigned the Incumbency of St. John’s Church. On Dec. 30th this gentleman was presented with a handsome clock, value £30, and a purse of 60 guineas, previous to his leaving for Kessingland.
Aug. 15th. Three fishermen out of seven belonging to Cromer lost off the Haven’s mouth, out of the crab-boat “Garibaldi.”
Sept. 9th. Review of the members of the Norfolk Rifle Volunteer Association on the South Denes, in the presence of 9,000 people. Four battalions were reviewed, viz.—1st Norfolk A. V., 178; 1st Norfolk Rifles, 356; 2nd Norfolk, 218; and 2nd Norfolk Administrative Battalion, 294; Norwich Light Horse, 68—numbering in all, officers and men, 1,106.
Oct. 16th. The three-decked steamer “Ontario,” 4,000 tons burthen, 350 h.p., and laden with 2,000 tons of coal and iron, struck on Hasbro’ Sands. All efforts to get her off having failed, she was abandoned by her crew of 80, inclusive of officers, and on the 21st she foundered. 70 of the crew, rescued by the tug “Pioneer,” were afterwards forwarded to their respective homes by the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. The “Ontario” was built this year at Jarrow, Durham. Her registered tonnage was 2,083, length 370 feet, and depth 48 feet, and her estimated value £120,000—£90,000 covered by insurance.
Oct. 21st. Festival service to commemorate the partial restoration of St. Nicholas’ Church, which was thrown open for the first time for 200 years—the time of Cromwell, 1649.
Nov. 15th. The Rev. G. Firth, five years and four months pastor of the Independent Chapel, Gorleston, presented with an electro-plated tea service, as a markof esteem, by his friends, previous to his leaving Gorleston.
Nov. 24th and following nights, very heavy gales. Six vessels out of several hundreds then lying in the Roadstead were driven ashore, and 10 lives lost off the coast. The barque “Sea Serpent” came ashore 20 yards off the Wellington Pier. Through the exertions of Capt. Bevon and Mr. J. M. Petts, ten men were brought ashore in the cradle of Manby’s apparatus. The s.s. “William Hull,” laden with 600 tons of coal, foundered in St. Nicholas’ Gat, and her crew of 16 hands all perished, except one. At Gorleston 23 sailors were saved by the beachmen and Manby’s apparatus.
Dec. 7th. A crew of 13 hands gallantly rescued by the Yarmouth lifeboat from the Austrian brig “Zornizza,” which foundered on Scroby Sands. The National Lifeboat Institution sent the beachmen £25, and they also received an acknowledgment of thanks from the Austrian Government.
Dec. 15th. The Haven Bill adopted by the Town Council.
St. Nicholas’ Churchyard contained 3,847 gravestones.
Deaths: Jan. 17th, Wm. Briggs, Esq., J.P., aged 63.—May 7th, Lieut.-Colonel C. S. Naylor, at Bognor, aged 75.—May 21st, John Brightwen, Esq., partner in Gurney’s banking firm, died at Thorpe, near Norwich, aged 81.—July 23rd, George W. Steward, Esq., M.B., M.A., second son of the Rev. G. W. Steward, Incumbent of Caister, aged 28.—Oct. 19th, the Rev. Mark Waters, Incumbent of St. George’s Chapel, aged 57.—Nov. 10th, Capt. Barry Haines, R.N.—Nov. 11th, Rev. E. B. Frere, M.A., aged 82.
Jan. 8th. Hopton Church destroyed by fire. On Sept. 27th, 1866, the new Church was consecrated by the Bishop of Norwich.
Jan. 11th. Mr. Robert Warner Durrell, organist of the Independent Chapel, Gorleston, presented with a splendid timepiece by the choir as a memento of their esteem; and on Jan. 11th, 1870, an easy chair.
Jan. Sergt. Berry promoted to the rank of Inspector; and on Dec. 15th, 1870, the town presented him with a gold watch, value £20, and a purse of £140 in money, in recognition of his valuable services.
Feb. 1st. Royal Hotel Company proposed to be formed in Yarmouth at a cost of £25,000, in 2,500 shares at £10 each. On Jan. 23rd, 1868, 1,182 shares had been taken by 48 shareholders, and the claims against the Company were £7,379 10s., including a mortgage of £3,000 on the Royal Hotel, which led to serious litigation.
Feb. 27th. The Haven and Port Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons by a majority of 112.
March 8th. Mr. A. W. Morant appointed to the Town Surveyorship of Norwich. His office in Yarmouth was filled by Mr. H. H. Baker, on May 13th.
March 31st. Mr. J. R. Jones, who had been Head Master of the Government School of Navigation since its establishment on Oct. 1st, 1857, resigned his appointment, having accepted the post of Head Master of the Board of Trade Navigation School at Aberdeen.
June 13th. Lieut. H. R. Harmer presented with a silver salver by the Yarmouth Rifle Volunteers, as a mark of esteem on his retiring from the corps.
July 12th. Sir E. H. K. Lacon, Bart., and J. Goodson, Esq., returned to Parliament for the Borough. Votes—L., 828; G., 784; A. Brogden, Esq., 634; P. Vanderbyl, Esq., 589. J. C. Marshman, Esq., retired from the contest in favour of the latter.
Oct. 12th. Henrich Erenschiusen, a Dutch sailor, committed a shocking tragedy on a fellow-shipmate by stabbing him through the heart, at the City of London Tavern, Charlotte Street. Sentenced to twenty years’ penal servitude.
Oct. 25th. The lifeboat “James Pearce” launched from Messrs. Mills and Blake’s ship-yard.
Dec. The Gospel Hall erected by Mr. T. C. Foreman, subsequently proprietor of theFree LanceNewspaper.
Deaths: Jan. 8th, Benjamin Dowson, Esq., aged 77.—Jan. 14th, John Barker, Esq.—July 21st, Mr. Matthew Hastings Swann, aged 58. In 1835 this gentleman penned and published a “Guide to Yarmouth.”—Nov. 21st, B. Fenn, Esq., aged 73.
Jan. 13th. The lifeboat “Rescuer” upset at Gorleston Pier, and twelve of her crew drowned. The names of the rescued were E. Woods, Wm. Austin, Geo. Palmer, and Robt. Warner. Eight widows and over thirty orphan children were left unprovided for.
Jan. 27th. Exhibition of curiosities, &c., at the Town Hall, closed after five weeks.
Feb. St. George’s Denes laid out as a park and promenade, at a cost of £449 to the town. June 21st, 1807, an épergne of frosted silver and a silver salver were presented to Mr. Edward Stagg, by 200 subscribers, for the promoting and laying out of these grounds. A portion of it was laid out in 1884 as a lawn tennis ground.
Apr. 23rd. Foundation stone of the Gorleston Wesleyan Chapel laid.
May 7th. First Yarmouth Annual Spring Meeting held.
July 10th. H.M.S. “Dauntless,” 36 guns, and carrying 280 men; July 14th, H.M.S. “Trafalgar;” and on the 15th, H.M.S. “Irresistible,” anchored in the Roadstead.
July 19th. General holiday. Volunteer Review day; 1,300 Volunteers practised on the South Denes.
July 20th. Fishwharf and Tramway Bill passed in the House of Lords.
July 31st. The lifeboat “Leicester,” presented by Mrs. Hodges, launched at Gorleston. Cost, £600.
Aug. 16th. Royal Commission of Inquiry into the state of bribery at Parliamentary elections opened before Wyndham Slade, Lucius Henry Fitzgerald, and George Russell, Esqs., barristers-at-law, at the Town Hall. The inquiry lasted 34 days, and over 700 witnesses were examined. (See Feb. 15th, 1867.)
Dec. 3rd. The town, through an accident at the Gas Works, put in total darkness. Loss of gas estimated at about 100,000 cubic feet, value £1,000.
Dec. 12th. Loss of the fishing-lugger “William and Mary,” belonging to Mr. Utting, and nine lives, off Pakefield.
Dec. 30th. Meeting at the Town Hall on behalf of the sufferers from a colliery explosion in Yorkshire and Staffordshire.
“Chapters on the East Anglian Coast,” in two vols., 800 pages, published.The London Quarterly Reviewof April, 1807, says, “We have seldom met with a more elaborate, exhaustive, beautiful, and ably-written guide-book and local history.” It was penned by Mr. John Greaves Nall, who died in June, 1876.
Messrs. Lacons, Youell, and Co.’s Bank re-erected.
Top of Recent Road, near Town Wall House, widened by the Corporation.
A wooden circus building, on Mr. De Canx’s garden, converted into the Regent Hall, and used as a Theatre, &c. It has since been demolished.
Deaths: Feb. 2nd, Mr. W. P. Windham, at Norwich.—Feb. 9th, John Bessey Hilton, Esq., aged 44.—Feb. 18th, Isaac Preston, sen., Esq., aged 92.—Sept. 4th, David Falcke, Esq., J.P., at Paris.—Dec. 18th, Mr. Joseph Tomlinson, sen., brewer, aged 78.
Jan. 1st. Oddfellows’ Hall opened in Gorleston.
Jan. 5th. Eighteen hands lost from the brigs “Sarah” and “The Ark,” in collision in the South Ham, 500 yards off Gorleston Pier.
Jan. 8th. Mr. F. W. Maryson presented with a silver star, at the Steam Packet Tavern, by the Nottingham Order of Oddfellows.
Jan. 12th. Heavy gale. Six vessels lost, and 48 shipwrecked mariners afterwards taken to the Sailors’ Home.
Jan. Fish Wharf scheme proposed, and on April 20th the wharf was commenced by “turning the sod.” The Fish Wharf and Tramway Bill cost £2,481. (See Feb. 16th, 1869.)
Jan. 16th. Loss of the “Eclipse,” at Dieppe, and three lives.
Feb. 15th. The report of the Royal Commissioners laid before the House of Commons; March 15th, Petition presented by Sir Edmund H. K. Lacon, Bart., against the Disfranchisement of the Borough; May 30th, the Borough disfranchised; June 7th, another Petition presented to the House of Commons against the Disfranchisement; and one to the House of Lords, July 29th, but all proved unavailing.
Feb. 22nd. Mr. C. Rumbold appointed as a Relieving Officer.
Feb. 26th. The Elizabethan house of C. J. Palmer, Esq., sold by auction for £1,150, and the fixtures for £64 14s. 6d.
March 21st. Mr. S. Durrell resigned the Overseership of Gorleston Parish.
April 2nd. First meeting of the Port and Haven Commissioners under the new Act of Parliament. H. N. Burroughes, Esq., resigned the chairmanship.
April 4th. Foundation stone of the Gourlay Wesleyan Day Schools laid. The founder, D. A. Gourlay, Esq., J.P., gave £1,000 towards the building.
April 20th. A party of gentlemen, comprising Messrs. Spence, Fenner, Everard, R. Veale, Moore, Silvers, Douglas, Neave, and Harrison, had their boat upset on Ormesby Broad, 100 yards from the shore, and narrowly escaped drowning.
April 21st. Heavy gale, and loss of the smacks “Swan” and “Talisman” and twelve hands.
May 8th. Service of plate presented at the Duke’s Head Hotel to W. Heath, Esq., of Ludham Hall.
May 16th. Foundation-stone of the new Primitive Methodist Chapel, Queen’s Road, laid. Chapel opened Sept. 26th. Building cost £1,000.
May 20th. Reform meeting. Mr. Edmond Beales, the great Reformer, addressed from 2,000 to 3,000 people from the balcony of the Steam Packet Tavern.
June 1st. A halibut, weighing 161 lbs., 6 ft. in length, and 30 inches across, captured by a smack; and in March, 1868, two were caught off the coast—one weighing 198 lbs., and the other 140 lbs.
June 24th. Resolved by the Town Council to have new fire engines and a fire escape for the Borough; their capabilities were tested on Sept. 9th. On Aug. 20th an engine was provided for Gorleston.
June. Sergeant John Quince presented with a gold-mounted meerschaum pipe by the officers of the Artillery Militia.
July 6th. First London daily passenger boat to Yarmouth.
July. E. H. L. Preston, Esq., received from the Belgian Government the Decoration of Knight of the Order of Leopold, in recognition of 28 years’ service as Consul.
Aug. 29th. Roman Catholic Mortuary Chapel opened by the Bishop of Demerara. Foundation stone laid on Aug. 15th, 1866, by Lady Stafford.
Sept. 10th. “Routledge’s Magazine for Boys’” lifeboat for Caister launched. Built by Messrs. Beeching at a cost of £300.
Sept. Mr. G. B. Kennett, managing clerk to Mr. W. Holt, appointed clerk to the Norwich Magistrates.
Sept. Permanent Fund established. The surplus of £500 remaining from the relief fund of Dec., 1863, was added to this institution, and in Jan., 1868, the Princess of Wales sent a cheque for £25 to this Fund.
Oct. 3rd. The dead body of an infant found wrapped up in a bundle in Mr. Knight’s yard; Jane Jarron was examined on 11th, and committed for trial at the Assizes on the charge of murder on the 18th. Acquitted Dec. 5th.
Nov. 6th. Mr. James Sharman, keeper of the Nelson Monument, died, aged 82 years. He was a Trafalgar veteran, and one who assisted Lord Nelson in his dying moments.
Nov. 10th. The Rifle Volunteer Drill Hall opened by the Mayor, Captain E. P. Youell. Cost £1,200.
Dec. 2nd. High tide; the Southtown Road and various parts of the town near the river were inundated, through the banks of Breydon being broken. On the following day there was a heavy gale, when the Gorleston lifeboat “Rescuer” was again capsized(see Jan. 13th, 1866) through collision with the fishing lugger “James and Ellen,” and 23 were drowned, including 11 of the crew of the “George Kendall,” for whose widows and orphans a special donation of £234 was received. The number of men lost off the coast was 85, leaving 33 widows and 71 children destitute.
Launches: April 16th, fishing boat “Express,” from Messrs. Hastings Brothers’ yard; May 20th, smack “Spring Flower,” from Messrs. King and Baker’s yard; July 4th, smack “Pathfinder,” from Messrs. J. and H. Beeching’s yard; July 8th, smack “Hermit,” from Mr. A. J. Palmer’s yard; Aug. 13th, smack “Mermaid,” from Mr. Rust’s yard; Aug. 20th, model pleasure boat “Nonpareil,” from Messrs. Aldred and Morl’s yard; Sept. 10th, smack “Olga,” from Messrs. Fellows’ yard; Oct. 24th, smack “Silver Cloud,” from Messrs. Critten and Clarke’s yard; Oct. 31st, Mr. Lawrie’s small steamtug “Enterprise,” she being the first iron vessel built at this Port.
Dec. 6th. The Haven Commissioners resolved to borrow £27,188 15s. for Haven improvements.
Dec. 26th. An original local Christmas pantomime, entitledNeptune’s Decree, &c., was produced at the Theatre Royal, written by “Felix,” a local author.
Deaths: March 2nd, W. H. Bessey, Esq., J.P.—Dec. 25th, W. Mayes Bond, Esq., aged 66.—Dec. 31st, Mr. J. Norman, aged 80.