Tag: 200 Years Ago

Back to my series of posts about what was happening in Norwich 200 years ago this week. And, it’s yet another reminder of just how dangerous a city it was at that time, crime seemed to be rocketing and this is another example of the problems that were faced. The Norwich Mercury reported:

“On Sunday last an inquisition was held at the Workhouse, in the parish of St. Andrew, before Mr William Bell, coroner, on the body of Elizabeth Chaney, aged 19 years, who was picked up in the River Wensum, near Blackfriars Bridge. Septimus Sterey and John Plummer deposed, that they took the body out of the water that morning about 9 o’clock; marks of violence appeared on her face and blood on her cap. Jane Nixon, of the parish of St. Andrew, stated that she has known the deceased upwards of seven months, who, occasionally, came to her house to clean; that deceased was a very steady girl, and was a good character; had in her pocket, when she left witness’s house, one shilling in silver, which she had not had when found; deceased left between 10 and 11 o’clock on Saturday night.

John Cook, living in the Water Lane, in the parish of St. George’s Colegate, said he heard a scuffle in the lane about 11 o’clock on Saturday evening; went to the door, and saw a man and woman (cannot say that she was the deceased). The man appeared to use violence, and the woman ran away; the man followed her. The man had on a dark coloured coat and light trowsers [I like this old style of spelling trousers]. Jeremiah Sexton stated he lived in Water Lane; on the Saturday morning, sweeping there, found a pair of pattens near the staithe, and by the water side saw foot steps. Sarah Nixon deposed, that the deceased lodged at her father’s, and slept with her; knew the pattens to belong to the deceased by the strings, for she gave them to her.

The Coroner said, as there was no evidence adduced to prove how or by what means the poor girl came into the water, the Jury could return no other verdict than found drowned under very suspicious circumstances.”

As the Coroner hinted, this was a murder, but with no evidence to ever prove anything, but it seems to me to the worst of domestic abuse. I didn’t know what a ‘patten’ was, but it’s a clog or sandal. St. Andrew’s Workhouse, housed in St. Andrew’s Hall, was in operation between 1712 and the 1850s, before larger premises were constructed in Dereham Road. Also, Water Lane is now known as Hansard Lane. These were certainly challenging times for the city.

In the latest in my riveting series of posts from 200 years ago, this was published in the Norwich Mercury in January 1824.

“On Monday evening some person or persons cut a hole in a papered pane of the shop window of Mr Steward’s repository, in Magdalen Street, and took through the same three bottles in japan ink. A similar trick was played a week or two since at the window of Mr Brown, baker, of the same street.”

I hadn’t heard of papered panes before, although having thoroughly researched the matter (looked briefly on Google), they seem to have been relatively common and were also a feature in the early United States (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greased_paper_window) for those who couldn’t afford glass or weren’t able to have anyone nearby who had the skills to make it. Indeed, glass windows in residential properties wasn’t much of a thing for the poorer classes until the early seventeenth century. Having paper windows certainly feels rather sub-optimal though, not least because some pesky people cut through them to steal stuff.

Anyway, I digress, more interesting posts to come.

The latest in my series of articles from the Norwich Mercury of 200 years ago this week. It’s crime related and just a short note that:

“Sam Garwood was sentenced at Norfolk Adjourned Sessions for stealing a piece of wood. He was sent to Walsingham Bridewell for three months.”

Interestingly, the courtroom is still there in what is a museum in Walsingham, although not one that I’ve visited. The Petty Sessions for the area were held there until 1974 and it’s one of those perhaps mistaken attempts by Government to try and centralise everything. The Bridewell was a separate building, constructed in 1787 and built along the lines of John Howard’s vision for a modern and reforming prison. It was built on the site of the former leper hospital and it was expanded in 1822 to add 16 more cells. In the year that Garwood was sentenced, five tread wheels for grinding corn were added and I assume that he was forced to use them. The Bridewell closed in 1861, but it’s still there and nearly untouched with access possible by getting the key from the Shirehall Museum. Indeed, I now want to go as I last went to Walsingham during partial lockdown and most things were shut.

As for poor Sam, it seems a harsh punishment, but he had been imprisoned the year before and perhaps the court took that into account. Indeed, there was a Sam Garwood who was imprisoned in the same area on 31 July 1843, so this whole prison thing didn’t seem to work (unless it was a different Sam Garwood). Unfortunately, there are a few Samuel Garwoods who were in Norfolk at the time, so I can’t work out which one it was.

And another in my series of posts from the Norwich Mercury of 200 years ago, this one was published on 13 December 1823, and it relates to the condition of the streets of Norwich. I rather like the picture that this article conjures up of the state of Norwich streets at the time, albeit clearly greatly improved in the years that preceded this article.

“The inhabitants and the visitors of Norwich must have (for some time past) regarded with no slight satisfaction the attractions which have been going on in various parts of the city. We well remember the anticipations of the friends of the act for watching, paving, lighting and cleansing our streets, and it appears to us the time is now come when the realisation of so much of what they prophesied is come to pass, that they have cause for triumph. Certain it is that many of the streets of the city are greatly improved: the shops are in themselves more elegant as well as more convenient, and the display of goods of all sorts is more varied and tasteful. The progress of things has, without doubt, effected many of these desirable changes, but no little is owing to the spirit of improvement, which, when once excited into action, is unlimited in its operation.

One present purpose however is not so much to speak of general as of a local alteration, which appears to be to be amongst the most beneficial the city has yet undergone. We allude to the striking improvement in the market and the streets adjoining. Never, we will venture to assert, has any thing been done since the passing of the Act (near seventeen years) more worthy of public regard and approbation, than this will be when its completion, which is nigh approaching, is effectuated. In tracing its progress, we observe that a sewer of considerable length and capacity has been made sufficient to receive the filthy tide of waters which formerly flowed on the surface from offensive private drains and channels, to the great annoyance and inconvenience of the inhabitants, and the utility of common sewers was never made more perceptible.

The pavement between White Lion Lane and Brigg’s Lane, which was of late absolutely unsafe for carriages, from its irregular surface, broken into deep ruts and holes, is now brought to a smooth and commodious level, with a spacious foot-way on its sides, and is indeed in no respect inferior to the best-paved streets of the metropolis. The Hay Hill, from its rude, mis-shapen and irregular form, intersected as it was by channels in all directions, and almost impassable, is now made of easy ascent, and perfectly safe both as a carriage-way and to foot passengers.

These improvements are continuing to Bethel Street. And here we are most forcibly struck with the metamorphosis which the public spirit of a single gentleman has wrought. It is within every one’s remembrance, that this street was amongst the vilest in the whole city – the houses dirty and squalid, the pavement all but impassable, while the wretched inhabitants of the adjacent yards and thoroughfares were of a description to reduce and almost annihilate the value of the few decent habitations the street contained. Since Mr Hawkes came to live in it, he has gradually removed every one of these objections; and while he has advantaged his own property, he has ornamented the whole length of the street, and set a noble example of what may be effected by a spirited individual. For the other improvements, the city is indebted to the contribution of £300 from the Corporation and the liberal subscription of £200 from the inhabitants of St. Peter’s Mancroft, which have enabled the Commissioners, who are always anxious to do their utmost, to effect the work.

Nor can we conclude our article without paying to Mr Rooks, the surveyor, the tribute that is due to his talent and attention. This gentleman has been resident here during a long and active life, and he has been employed in great public works and in many private undertakings, which, if less conspicuous, are scarcely less ornamental or less useful according to their degree. It is therefore with particular pleasure that we offer our best acknowledgements to him for he combines zeal with judgement and both with the feelings and the manners of a man of taste and talent.

This subject matter naturally leads us to something further. One of the most narrow and dangerous avenues to the market is the confined street called Brigg’s Lane. St. Stephen’s Street is greatly bettered, and wants but little to render it a good and open approach. Rampant Horse Street is still more spaciou, but those advantages are incalculably lessened by the existence of the insufficient passage which Brigg’s Lane presents. If we remember rightly, the Rev. Henry D’Oyley, a Clergyman of Hempnall, devoted some of the last years of his life to soliciting from parish to parish and from house to house a subscription for the purpose of enlarging this avenue.”

Returning briefly to my series of posts from newspapers of 200 years ago this week…. This is from the Norwich Mercury and it’s an advert that was just a little intriguing, bearing in mind that ‘eructative’ means ‘belching’. It reads:

“W. GREENWOOD, Lobster Lane, Norwich.

Highly sensible and grateful for past favours, most earnestly solicits a continuance of the same, respectfully notifying to his friends and the public, that he has commenced making sausages for the season, assuring them that they are made of the best meats, and spiced in a process peculiar to himself, and possessing a flavour inherent in them the most delicious to the taste and depriving them of that eructative quality so unpleasant to the palate, which is generally the case after eating sausages. Are only to be had at his old establishment, in the Lobster Lane.

NB, home cured hams, blacked breasts, tongues, &c, having that delicacy of flavour and fine tenderness of texture for which they have been held up and so highly esteemed.”

As an aside, the &c is the old printing version of etc. The sausages of the early nineteenth century certainly seemed to have been of a dubious quality if this advert can be believed. Lobster Lane is the little stretch of road that connects Pottergate with Bedford Street, an area of the city where the Saxons were present as a kiln from that period was found on the street. The street, I assume, was named after the Lobster pub which was once located here. Unfortunately, I can’t find out much about Mr Greenwood, but I would have rather liked to try these decadent sausages of his.

 

Another in my series of posts featuring articles from 200 years ago this week. This one is on a subject that I’ve written about before, which is the wave of mental health issues that were being reported at the time, a reminder this isn’t some new situation as a few people suggest. The article reads:

“Monday last an inquest was held at the Windmill public house, in the parish of St. Michael at Thorn, before Mr William Bell, coroner, on view of the body of Joseph Lindsey, aged 68, who hanged himself. Jurors’ verdict, non compos mentis.”

I’ve tried to delve a little into this man’s life, he was born on 4 August 1754, the son of John and Anne Lindsey. At the time of the death he lived in the St. Stephen parish of the city and he was buried on 4 November 1823 at St Stephen’s Church in Norwich. This is the church which is today a main route into the Chantry shopping centre and I don’t know if anyone purchased a gravestone for Joseph, but it isn’t there now if they did. Burials for suicides were complex at the time, but there doesn’t seem anything different about this one judging from the church register. Such a tragedy, but at least his name hasn’t been entirely lost to history, although the story behind his life might well have been.

Incidentally, the Windmill pub was located at 24 Ber Street and was damaged during an air raid in 1942, finally being demolished in 1970.

And the latest in my series of posts relating to things that happened in the news 200 years ago. I’m constantly surprised at just how much crime there was in Norfolk at this time, the newspapers have some quite violent crimes reported and there were no shortage of robberies. I’m intrigued at this one as there doesn’t seem to be much about the White Lion in Drayton on-line (the authoritative resource at https://www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norfolkd/drayton/draytwl.htm has limited information on the pub).

The article reads:

“On Monday night last, between the hours of 12 and one o’clock, an attempt was made to enter the White Lion public house, at Drayton, by breaking through a brick wall in the back part of the premises 18 inches in thickness, ten inches in depth & two feet & an inch in breadth, which the thieves had nearly effected, when they were overheard by Mr. Howard, the landlord, who saw three men run away from the place.”

Can I just mention the detail of the journalism where the width of the wall was given to quite a high degree of accuracy. I also referred to violent crime and the article above in the newspaper was this one:

“Yesterday se’nnight, soon after eight o’clock, some evil disposed person threw with great violence, a large case knife through the shop window of No. 16 Dove Lane, without doubt to inflict some deadly wound upon some one, the wretched miscreant immediately fled and mixed with a crowd in the market-place and so evaded pursuit. The knife feel very near one of the ladies of the shop.”

Firstly, I’ve never heard of the word ‘sennight’ before, but it apparently is an archaic word for ‘a week’. Secondly, this is an horrendous crime and would make the national news if it happened today. There’s this temptation to believe that crime is somehow a recent innovation, but I can’t help thinking that it must have been a lawless and frightening time to live in Norwich.