Read Ebook: Yarmouth Notes 1830-1872. Collated from the File of the Norwich Mercury by Palmer Frederick Danby

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Yarmouth Notes

BY FREDERICK DANBY PALMER.

GREAT YARMOUTH: PRINTED BY J. BUCKLE, KING STREET. 1889.

PREFACE

F. D. P.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES LORD SUFFIELD, P.C., K.C.B., &c, &c.

FIRST SERIES, 1830-40.

"When found, make a note of"--

CAPT. CUTTLE.

Jan. 2nd.--Contains an advertisement of the report of the "Norfolk Association for preserving the lives of Shipwrecked Mariners," held at Norwich, William Barth, Esq., in the chair, from which it appears that an investigation had taken place as to the loss of seven men from the brig Hamond, and that as the lifeboat was not constructed with a view to affording aid to vessels immediately on the beach, Mr. Ambrose Palmer had most kindly offered to supply a boat for that purpose.

Jan. 9th.--The prisoners in the gaol returned thanks to Mr. Daniel Hook for the good dinner of "roast beef and plum pudding and a quart of ale each," which he had given them on New Year's Day.

Jan. 21.--Mr. William Ferrier had given a lecture on Natural History, at the Mechanics' Institution; and at an adjourned meeting of the Public library, Mr. Charles Nicholls entered upon the office of Treasurer in the room of the Rev. H. R. Bowles, deceased; and Mr. Thomas Hammond was re-elected librarian.

Jan. 28th.--Charles John Palmer, Esq., had been elected a F.S.A.

Feb. 4th.--Navigation was stopped by the frost.

Feb. 11th.--A Fisherman's Provident Society had been established, to which George Danby-Palmer, Esq., "had been a liberal subscriber, and had accepted the office of treasurer, Mr. Thomas Hammond acting as secretary."

March 25th.--A meeting had been held at the New Hall to take into consideration "the expediency of building a new church," when Robert Wall, Esq., George Danby-Palmer, Esq., Samuel Tolver, Esq. , and Mr. Ferrier took part, and a resolution was carried against the proposal to build the church.

April 3rd.--A boldly contested steeplechase had been run off between several gentlemen of the Munro Hunt, when the prize, a large silver Cup and cover, was won by H. Munro, Esq., who rode the distance, from Fritton to Gorleston , in fifteen minutes. Above forty gentlemen afterwards dined at the Bear.

April 15th.--A meeting had been held at the New Hall "for the purpose of petitioning Parliament for the further reduction of taxation and a retrenchment in the public expenditure." George Danby-Palmer, Esq., was in the chair, and William Barth, Esq., Simon Cobb, Esq., John Shelley, Esq., John Burton Palmer, Esq., William Smith, Esq., Mr. John Barnes, Mr. Boulton, Mr. Dennent, and Mr. Barrett, took part in the proceedings.

April 22nd.--Much damage had been done to the shipping and in the town by a gale.

May 6th.--A meeting had been held for the purpose of appointing a select vestry for the parish.

July 8th.--The Hon. Col. Anson and Mr. Rumbold had arrived to canvass the Borough.

July 15th.--A funeral service had been held for the late King It was estimated that there were 3,000 persons in the church.

July 22nd.--Messrs. Preston and Campbell had arrived. They were attended "by upwards of 400 persons, 50 gentlemen on horseback, and an enormous company of gentlemen in their carriages, comprising all the consequence and wealth of the town."

Aug. 12th.--A meeting had been held to congratulate the King on his accession to the Throne ; to the resolution then passed Mr. Palmer received a reply from Sir Robert Peel, stating that the King had received the same in a most gracious manner.

Aug. 15th.--Messrs. Anson and Rumbold had been returned "after a severe opposition by almost the entire force of the Corporation." The poll closing--Anson, 944; Rumbold, 944; Campbell, 754; Preston, 754. A dinner of their supporters was afterwards held at the Masonic Hall.

Aug. 26th.--Contains an advertisement that "the old annual main of cocks would be fought near the Feathers' Inn, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 7th and 8th September, between the gentlemen of Norwich and Yarmouth, for five sovs. a battle and 50 the odds. Feeders--Stafford, Norwich, and Lamb, Yarmouth."

Sept. 2nd.--On the "decollation of S. John" the following officers were elected for the Borough for the ensuing year:--

Mayor elect--Edmund Preston, Esq.

Chamberlain--Mr. Robert B. Fenn.

Collectors--Charles Costerton, Esq., and Mr. James Clarke.

Muragers--Charles Symonds and Charles J. Palmer, Esqs.

Dec. 9th.--A meeting had been held to petition the legislature for a Reform in Parliament. The Mayor , Mr. Alderman Barth, Mr. S. Cobb, John Shelley, Esq., and John Brightwen, Esq., took part in the proceedings.

Dec. 23rd.--The self-styled Gorleston and Southtown Corporation dissolved, and formed itself into the "Hand in Hand Friendly Society," and it was ordered that "the regalia of the late Corporation should be sold and the money arising therefrom distributed among the poor of the parish."

Feb. 17th.--Amongst the vessels lost and driven ashore by the then late gales were the Alfred , the Flora, the Juno , the Elizabeth and Mary Welch , and the Anson .

March 5th.--Contains the following notice of Mr. Palmer's Fancy Dress Ball:--

MR. PALMER'S FANCY BALL.

In our notice of this amusement at the late Festival, we recollect to have said--"The ice has been broken, the pleasure has been felt, and we shall be mistaken if the next effort be not more successful." This prediction, intended at the time to be applied to future festivals, we did not expect to be so soon, so completely, or so successfully fulfilled, as in the instance we now have the pleasure to record. This entertainment was given at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening last, in celebration of the attainment of his majority by Mr. S. Palmer, the grandson of the late Danby Palmer, Esq., whose extended private connections and still wider mercantile pursuits have bequeathed to his grandson a more numerous portion of friends than it is the lot of most persons to enjoy at an early period of life. The invitations were sent out with such hospitality, the preparations were on so munificent a scale, that the spirit of the donor seemed to diffuse itself not only to all those who were about to be present, but to all the inhabitants of the borough. The novelty, the continued arrivals, the firing of cannon, the banners floating at the Town Hall, and in various parts of the town, the gay appearance of the ships in the harbour, most of which were decorated with pennons, as were several vessels in the Roads--all aided in keeping alive the expectation, so that in the evening the Quay, around the hall, was crowded with persons anxious to see the company--so anxious, indeed, that the carriage windows were assailed by men and women jumping up to get a peep at the interior. The company began to assemble about half-past eight, and on entering the ball room were announced by name, and received by Mr. Palmer and his mother and Miss A. Burton These ladies appeared in very elegant Court dresses, and Mr. Palmer in a full-dress Court suit. Till ten o'clock the company continued to arrive, at which hour Mr. Palmer opened the Ball by leading off a country dance with Miss A. Burton. We never saw a similar entertainment combining so great a variety of character. The brilliancy of the colours and the constant succession of costumes, the reliefs, the contrasts, and the varying shades, reminded us forcibly of those beautiful combinations formed by the kaleidoscope, of which, visually, this scene may be said to have been an animated representation. On the one side of a quadrille was to be seen the gawdy Spaniard, leading with haughty dignity the lively Mrs. Ford of the Elizabethian age; while behind him stood pondering o'er the fleeting vanity of this world the solitary Friar; opposite ranged the joyous Sailor, indulging his mirth at the expense of the courtly dignity of his fair partner. At one end was the Old Gentleman of two centuries since, in all the gravity and politeness of that age, leading forth some sprightly Tyrolese; while at the other was a Chinese Mandarin, paired off with a black-eyed Gipsy; a little further, and the Scotchman promenaded with the brilliant Circassian; the Frieselander with the simply-dressed Quakeress; the Queen of Scots with the bronze and fierce Turk; the reckless Massaroni with the lively Mrs. Page; the dark Colombian with the prim lady of an hundred years ago; the Forester with the Flower Girl; the haughty Knight Templar with the simple Swiss Peasant; the chivalrous Pole with the heavy Russian; the youthful Ivanhoe with a French Peasant; and to crown the diversity, Day and Night were to be seen at once, arm and arm with a Chimney Sweep.

April 14th.--The Preston , with passengers, for Prince Edward's Island and Quebec, had been towed down the Harbour.

May 5th.--This number contains the following account of the Borough Election, consequent upon the rejection of a Reform Bill:--

The Mayor, in opening the proceedings, said that the electors were met to exercise an important trust, that of electing two persons to represent the Borough--a trust at all times of the greatest responsibility, but certainly never more so than at the present eventful crisis. Determined as he was to act with strict justice, and with that fairness and impartiality which were the best ornaments of the office he had the honour to hold, he entreated that the contest in which they were now about to be engaged might be conducted on both sides with that order and decorum that forbearance and moderation due from gentlemen to gentlemen, and from man to man.

Mr. B. Dowson, in a brief but emphatic address, put in nomination the Hon. George Anson, this was seconded by R. Palmer Kemp, Esq.

T. Clowes, Esq., then proposed, in an address replete with sterling sense and strength, C. E. Rumbold, Esq., seconded by J. Shelley, Esq., who adverted to the circumstance of Mr. Colville being a merchant connected with the West Indian Trade and a supporter of colonial slavery.

Col. Anson and Mr. Rumbold addressed the electors at considerable length, pointing out the merits of the measure they supported, during which they were enthusiastically cheered.

Mr. Colville also spoke at length, amid much tumult, during which he was interrupted by loud yells of various kinds--attacking the Bill for its disfranchising nature, and defending colonial slavery.

Mr. Bliss had not arrived at that time.

A poll was determined and immediately opened and continued till five o'clock on that and the following day, when the numbers were announced by the Committee of Anson and Rumbold to be--

For Col. Anson 748 Mr. Rumbold 748 Mr. Colville 503 Mr. Bliss 497

The poll was adjourned till Monday.

On Sunday morning, however, Messrs. Colville and Bliss left the town, or, as our correspondent writes, "May Day became more than commonly exhilarating, by the agreeable information quickly diffused through the town, that the enemies of freedom and of the Constitution had fled, happy in evading and escaping from merited punishment, so irritated were the minds of the lower class of society against these obtruders, without a shadow of claim to their suffrages, that, by their flight on Sunday morning, they probably escaped an ablution in the waters of the beautiful river Yare."

On Monday the books opened, and at the close the final numbers were--

For Col. Anson 903 Mr. Rumbold 903 Mr. Colville 547 Mr. Bliss 541

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