Chapter 9 No.9

Jan. 3rd.-The prisoners in the Gaol and Bridewell returned thanks to the Mayor (J. Baker, Esq.) for the plentiful dinner of roast beef, plum pudding, and a quart of ale each, which he gave them on Christmas Day.

Jan. 10th.-A large alligator had been taken by a Dutch fishing boat off Orford Ness.

Jan. 14th.-H.M. frigates Castor (Capt. Lord J. Hay) and Conway (Capt. Eden), together with the French frigate Arcade, came into the Roads to victual and get a supply of water.

Jan. 17th.-A number of ladies and gentlemen visited the men-of-war; and on the following Tuesday the vessels proceeded "out of the Cockle," accompanied by the Royal Charlotte cutter (Lieut. Harmer), she "keeping to windward until lost to view."

Jan. 31st.-A suggestion had been made at the Corporation assembly as to reform of that body, but was not supported.

Feb. 7th.-A fine vessel of 216 tons had been launched from Mr. Preston's yard, and it was stated that "It is now allowed by merchants from all parts of the world that the finest and handsomest vessels are now built in this port."

Feb. 21st.-The Flora, a French frigate, had arrived in the Roads.

Feb. 28th.-The petition against the return of Messrs. Windham and Keppel (M.P.'s for East Norfolk) had "excited much surprise and indignation amongst the numerous friends of these gentlemen in the town."

March 7th.-It was proposed to start a steam packet for the conveying of goods and passengers to Hull.

A warrant from the Speaker of the House of Commons had been received, requesting the attendance of the Mayor and Town Clerk before a Committee of the House "to give an account of all matters relating to the town and Corporation; consequently J. Baker, Esq., and S. Tolver, Esq., had left Yarmouth on Monday."

A public meeting on the question of Corporation Reform had been held, Mr. C. Sayers in the chair. Messrs. J. Shelly and S. Cobb spoke, and a petition was adopted, which received 1,958 signatures.

A petition had also been adopted by the members of the "Yarmouth Union of the Working Classes" against "The Irish Coercion Bill."

March 14th.-The Inquiry as to the administration of Corporate affairs was proceeding in London, when the following gentlemen were there upon that business on behalf of the Corporation:-The Mayor, the Town Clerk, and the Water Bailiff, while Messrs. Worship, Barth, Shelly, and Barrett represented the Town Committee.

March 21st.-The works at St. Peter's Church were "at a stand" for the want of funds, ￡600 being required.

April 4th.-The Haven Commission were indebted ￡25,000.

The Sessions were held with the "light calendar of 15 prisoners."

April 18th.-Lord Orford had accepted the office of Lord High Steward of the Borough, rendered vacant through the death of Lord Exmouth.

The Rev. Mark Waters had been appointed one of the ministers of St. George's Chapel.

April 24th.-The Rev. Mr. Clarke of Norwich, had accepted the ministry of St. Peter's, the ladies proposed to present the communion plate to this Church.

May 23rd.-The mackerel fishing had been very unsuccessful.

A meeting had been held to approve of the proposed Rules for the intended Proprietary Grammar School.

May 30th.-A Commission had been appointed to inquire into Corporate affairs "on the spot."

Sir F. Palgrave had obtained from H.M. Commissioners of Records the presentation of some valuable publications to the Library.

June 13th.-Lord Exmouth had arrived in his yacht, and subsequently sailed with his brother, the Vicar (the Hon. E. Pellew), for St. Petersburgh.

June 20th.-Vice-Admiral Parker had been appointed a K.C.B.

July 11th.-The following is the account of the Burgh Water Frolic:-

"Monday last being the day appointed for our annual water frolic, an immense quantity of boats (from the splendid pleasure barge to the humble punt) started from our Bridge at eleven o'clock a.m. with a favourable and somewhat stiff breeze from the N.E. At two o'clock the various crafts laid-to in the Narrows to witness the sailing match. The competitors were the Venus (cutter-rigged boat), Last; Algerine (latteener), Craske; Emerald, (latteener) Col. Jones; and the Hornet, Everett. The prize (an elegant silver cup) was won by the Venus. At starting the Hornet had the lead for a short distance, when she was passed by the Venus, and on rounding the upper cross stake the latter boat and the Emerald were close together, and remained so, till they got within the Narrows, when the Colonel succeeded in passing her, winning the first by about half a minute. In two minutes after the Venus recovered her lost ground and passed her opponent, and succeeded in rounding the stake one minute before the Emerald, who, however, neared so fast that had not the Venus rounded the flag very closely she must have lost the match, the Colonel being to windward. The oldest boater never remembers so closely contested a run. After sailing, the various crafts (which absolutely studded the river) got under weigh, and proceeded towards the ancient Garianonum, opposite to which they dined. At seven o'clock p.m. the boats started for home, where they arrived in about an hour, all safe, nothing having occurred to damp the pleasures of the day, which was an extremely fine one. At Burgh, Chase, the spirited proprietor of the Neptune Gardens, was completely at home, while on the adjacent hills, opposite the cage, various groups of happy faces were to be seen enjoying tea, &c. This, together with the immense crowd of company that congregated on the road, presented a scene that must have been witnessed to have been fully appreciated. Among the company were our worthy Mayor and a large party of fashionables in the handsome barge belonging to W. Fisher, Esq., S. T. Berney, and J. Penrice, Esqs., in the former's fast-sailing boat Meteor, Mr. Alderman Barth in the admiral's (Green's) boat, &c., &c. This, together with the countless multitudes that crowded the decks of the tug, Royal Sovereign and Emperor steamers, made the river appear a sort of floating fair. On the next day a number of boats, barges, &c., sailed to the Berney Arms to witness a rowing match (for a silver cup, given by Mr. Barnett, the landlord of the house) by four-oared gigs, which was won by the Wasp, a Norwich boat, belonging to William Gallant, jun. Nearer home we observed an unusually large number of stalls, &c., at our bridge foot. On the whole, there seemed nothing wanting to make this annual festival worthy of brighter days, but the presence of the Corporation barge, without which (although no brawlers against innovation) we cannot but think the Regatta is shorn of much of its glory."

July 18th.-A fight had taken place on the Factory Denes, for one Sovereign, between Thomas Purdy, of Caister, commonly known as "The Caister Champion," and George Elliott, of Ingham. At the 133rd round (the battle lasted 1 h. 50 min.) Elliott was declared the victor.

Two men (Seager and Hanson) had quarrelled in the Bear Tap, when Nathaniel Lacey, in trying to part them, was knocked down and his leg broken.

August 22nd.-"As early as nine o'clock on Friday morning an immense concourse of genteely-dressed persons had congregated before St. Peter's Church, anxious not to miss the opportunity of witnessing the solemn and imposing ceremonial about to take place. At ten o'clock the principal door was thrown open, and this large assemblage entered. The greatest order and decorum prevailed, owing certainly to the excellent arrangement of C. Symonds, Esq., one of the Churchwardens for the year, who, to prevent confusion, had issued tickets, which were left at the houses of the respectable housekeepers, without the least distinction, as also at the various lodging houses for the use of the visitors. About eleven o'clock the Mayor (John Baker, Esq.), with the customary regalia, attended by several other members of the Corporate body entered the church, and were shown to the pews appropriated for their reception. The Bishop of Winchester soon arrived with his Chaplain and Registrar and proceeded up the middle aisle to the altar, where the service began by the latter gentleman presenting the petition to the Bishop, who redelivered it to the Registrar, when it was by him read aloud. The Right Rev. Prelate then pronounced the following words, in a solemn, appropriate, and sonorous tone of voice-"I am now ready to give my full consent to that which you have desired, and may Almighty God bless the good work in which we are about engaging." His Lordship then, with his officers and clergy, walked to the west end of the church and back again to the altar, repeating alternate versicles of the 42nd Psalm. The Bishop having seated himself at the table, the Deed of Consecration was read by the surrogate (the Very Rev. the Dean of Norwich), after which his Lordship read the exhortation, prayers, &c., appointed for the occasion. The usual morning prayers were read from the desk by the Hon. and Rev. E. Pellew, with the exception of those parts especially appropriated to the occasion, which were read by the Bishop. The reading Psalms most judiciously selected for the occasion were the 84th, 122nd, and 132nd; the lessons, parts of the 8th chapter of 1st Kings, and of the 10th chapter of Hebrews. After the prayers, verses 6, 7, and 8 of 26th, with Gloria Patri, was performed by a very full orchestra of instrumentalists and vocalists. The common service was performed by the Bishop, with the exception of the Epistle and the Nicene Creed, which were read by his Lordship's Chaplain, the Rev. Alexander Dallas. The 100th Psalm (Tate and Brady's version) was then sung by the whole choir. The sermon, a striking, apposite, and eloquent one, was preached by the Rev. Mr. Clark, the appointed minister of the Church, from Genesis, chapter 28th, verses 16 and 17-"And Jacob awaketh out of his sleep, &c." [832 young persons were confirmed by the Bishop of Winchester.]"

August 29th.-The Races had been held, and on "Tuesday and Wednesday the great annual main of cocks had been fought at the Bush Tavern, South Quay, between the gentlemen of Norwich and the gentlemen of Yarmouth for ￡5 a battle and ￡50 the odds, which was won by Norwich, who were six battles a head."

Sept. 15th.-The smack Endeavour, of London, had been seized with 65 casks and 16 bales (2,800 lbs. in weight) of tobacco on board her.

The following Corporate officers had been chosen:-John Danby-Palmer, Esq., Mayor; Mr. James Jay, Chamberlain; F. R. Reynolds, Esq., and J. M. Bell, Esq., Churchwardens.

The late gales had caused an immense quantity of sand and shingle to be washed into the Harbour, so as to form a point opposite the South Pier.

Oct. 3rd.-The following is the report of the Yarmouth Guild Day:-

On Monday the Mayor and the Mayor Elect (J. Danby-Palmer, Esq.), accompanied by the Earl of Orford and the members of the Corporation, attended divine service at St. Nicholas' Church, by the Hon. and Rev. Edward Pellew, after which the Rev. Thomas Baker, Chaplain to the Body Corporate, preached an excellent sermon. After service the Corporation adjourned to the Guildhall, where the Mayor-Elect was sworn into office with the customary ceremonies.

The Recorder (Mr. Sergeant Merewether) being absent, the Town Clerk, previous to presenting the patent of appointment as Lord High Steward of the Borough to the Earl of Orford, addressed his Lordship, observing that the Corporation entertained a high sense of the honour conferred upon them by his Lordship's acceptance of an office which (as constituted by one of the charters of the borough) assimilated with that of Lord High Steward of England, an office of great power and authority, having under the King the regulating the administration of justice, which had not since its forfeiture in the reign of Henry the Third, by its hereditary possessor, been granted to any one except upon and for particular occasions, and had only been presented to one of the Nobility and a Lord of Parliament. So by the Charter of King Charles, the High Steward of the borough of Yarmouth must be 'unus praeclarus vir,' the meaning of which might be gathered from the appointment of William, Earl of Yarmouth, to be the first modern High Steward, and that to the present time the office had been filled by noblemen distinguished by their talents and services as statesmen, or great naval and military commanders. Amongst them were the celebrated Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, a second Robert Earl of Orford, and George Earl of Orford, who together held that office for nearly 60 years, much to the honour and advantage of the Borough. Although their connection with that noble family had been interrupted, it had not been forgotten by the Corporation, who were happy in having the honour of renewing it in the person of his Lordship, in whom they found that 'praeclarus vir' pointed out by the charter, and they doubted not but that his Lordship would support them in all transactions grounded in honour, honesty, and good faith, and having for their object the public good, and that he would defend and maintain their ancient rights, privileges, and immunities. The Town Clerk then presented Lord Orford with his appointment, and assured his Lordship that his presence among them would always be hailed with pleasure by the Corporation.

The Earl of Orford was then sworn, and immediately addressed the Mayor and Corporation in an eloquent speech, in which he said he claimed no merit to himself for the choice which had been made by the Corporation, but attributed it solely to the recollection of the former connection of the borough with his ancestors, which had been so handsomely alluded to by the Town Clerk, and to that firm line of conduct in political life which he had thought it his duty steadfastly to pursue, which it was his pride and pleasure to maintain, and that although the Corporation might have selected a person of more influence than himself, yet he would yield to no one in zeal, and no exertion on his part would be spared to uphold the rights, privileges, and immunities of the Corporation, which had that day been entrusted to the Mayor, and which it was to be hoped he would be permitted to resign unimpaired to his successor. He himself should always feel it his duty and pleasure to render his services available to the true interests of the borough.

The other annual officers were then sworn, and the Mayor, accompanied by the High Steward and the Corporate Body, walked to the Town Hall, where a most splendid entertainment was provided for upwards of three hundred and thirty gentlemen, among whom were the Right Hon. the Earl of Orford, the Right Hon. Viscount Nevill, the Hon. Mr. Justice Alderson, the Hon. the Rev. E. Pellew, the Hon. P. H. Abbott, Sir E. K. Lacon, Bart., Vice-Admiral Sir George Parker, K.C.B., Col. Petre, Col. Mason, Robert Marsham, Esq., J. Postle, Esq., Stratton Marsham, Esq., E. H. K. Lacon, Esq., W. M. Praed, Esq., Rev. C. Penrice, Rev. J. Humfrey, Rev. - Clarke, Rev. J. Gunn, Rev. B. Winthorp, John Penrice, Esq., R. Rising, Esq., S. Palmer, Esq., W. Carpenter, Esq., Capt. Onslow, R.N., Capt. M. Kelly, R.N., Capt. Travers, R.N., Major Travers, Capt. Carew, R.N., H. Munro, Esq., B. Caldecott, Esq., &c., &c.

The healths of their Majesties-the Princess Victoria and the rest of the Royal Family-his Majesty's Ministers, and the Duke of Wellington, were drank. On the health of the Earl of Orford being given, the noble Lord, in returning thanks, alluded to the commission for investigating Corporations, declaring 'that he denounced the illegality of the commission.' His Lordship gave the health of the Mayor and Prosperity to the Town of Yarmouth, for which the Chief Magistrate expressed his acknowledgment, stating his determination to do all he could to forward the best interests of the town on every occasion.

On the health of Mr. Justice Alderson being given, the learned Judge spoke of the Constitution of this country as being so framed as to allow all who had the talents and industry to arrive at the very highest dignities the King could confer, and concluded by saying that the question for the people to consider was whether they would close the avenues to those dignities. The healths of Lord Nevill, Mr. Charles Palmer (the son of the Mayor), Sir E. K. Lacon, Lord Walpole and the House of Wolterton, Lord Wodehouse and the House of Kimberley, and a variety of other toasts were given; after which the Mayor and a large party adjourned to the Ball at the Bath Rooms, where dancing continued till a late hour.

Oct. 31st.-"On Monday evening last, as Mr. Marsh, of the house of Marsh and Barnes, wine and spirit merchants, was returning in his gig from Beccles, he overtook a female on the road near Fritton, who, as Mr. M. passed, implored assistance. He pulled up, and finding the poor creature in an exhausted and high state of nervous excitement, and that she was on her way to this place, he took her up, when she stated as follows-that she had walked from Yarmouth to Heckingham House to obtain relief for a relative residing in Yarmouth, that she had obtained 3s., was returning home across the Marshes, and when near the New Cut and bridge over the dam, she saw two men, who appeared to come from a wherry, and when they met her one of them presented a pistol and threatened to shoot her, but she answering in the negative to the enquiry of "Do you know us," one of them said, "Don't shoot her." They then searched, took from her 2s. 6d., some halfpence, and a handkerchief with some trifles, knocked her down by a blow on the face, and so left her. When she recovered she proceeded on her journey till the above gentleman humanely assisted her into the town and relieved her; but she was so weak from the fright as to stagger when she left the gig. She states that she thinks she could recognize one of the men. Might not some enquiry as to what wherry was moored in the Cut at that time lead to the detection of the perpetrators of so diabolical an act as that of distressing the distressed. We respectfully submit to the gentlemen who are the guardians for the hundred of Heckingham if some safe plan could not be devised to relieve non-resident paupers, so as to obviate the necessity of a journey by them of so many miles."

Dec. 5th.-The winter assemblies having been discontinued for two years had been revived, and the first assembly had been held at the Town Hall, (the Mayor (J. Danby Palmer, Esq.) and Vice-Admiral Sir George Parker, K.C.B., Stewards). It was attended by all the principal families of the town and neighbourhood.

Dec. 12th.-A fine schooner named the Fairy Queen, 150 tons register, had been launched from W. Lubbock's yard.

Dec. 28th.-The altar piece presented to St. Peter's Church by Col. Mason was put up on Christmas Eve.