Volume Ii Part 100 (1/2)

1.-A ball was given at Drayton House in celebration of the silver wedding of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Walter, who were the recipients of many presents and congratulations. On the 3rd the workmen employed at the Taverham and Bawburgh mills and the labourers on the estate were entertained to dinner.

6.-Barnum and Bailey's great show visited Norwich, and was located upon a piece of land on Unthank Road. The performances were repeated on the 7th. Upwards of 42,000 persons visited the show. (_See_ July 29th, 1899.)

13.-Died at Earlham Road, Norwich, Mr. John William Sparrow, solicitor, for many years Registrar of the Guildhall Court of Record.

-The coming of age of Mr. Robert Hamilton Kemp, eldest son of Sir Kenneth Kemp, Bart., was celebrated at Gissing Old Hall.

18.-Died at the Clyffe, Corton, Mr. Jeremiah James Colman, of Carrow House, Norwich, aged 68. Mr. Colman came of an old family of Norfolk yeomen. One of his ancestors, Jeremiah Colman, who was born in 1777, established a flour mill at Bawburgh, and afterwards carried on business at Norwich, whence he removed to Stoke Holy Cross, where was formed the nucleus of the great commercial undertaking now existing at Carrow. The subject of this notice was the son of James Colman, and was born in 1830.

In 1856 he married Caroline, daughter of Mr. W. H. Cozens-Hardy, of Letheringsett. Mr. Colman was interested in agricultural pursuits and the breeding of stock, and his famous herd of red-polls, and equally well-known flock of Southdowns were for years represented at all the great shows. Art and literature obtained his attention, and he collected an unrivalled library of local works at Carrow Abbey. Mr. Colman embarked largely in commercial enterprises connected with the Press.

With Mr. Jacob Henry Tillett he was instrumental in founding the ”Norfolk News” and other newspapers published by that company, and was largely interested in the ”Star,” the ”Morning Leader” and the ”East Anglian Daily Times.” In 1862 Mr. Colman was appointed Sheriff of Norwich, and in 1867 was elected Mayor. He was first nominated for Parliamentary honours upon the unseating on pet.i.tion of Mr. Tillett in 1871. His Conservative opponent was Sir Charles Legard, whom he defeated by 1,200 votes. This was the last election contested by open voting, in Norwich.

At the General Election of 1874 Mr. Tillett, freed of his disabilities, was nominated as colleague of Mr. Colman; the Conservative candidates were Mr. Huddleston, Q.C., and Sir Henry Stracey, Bart. Mr. Colman and Mr. Huddleston were returned. The next election took place in 1880, when the Liberal party once more made a strenuous effort to secure the return of Mr. Tillett by the aid of Mr. Colman's popularity. The Conservative nominees were Mr. Henry Harben and the Hon. W. F. B. Mainwaring. The Liberals were returned by an overwhelming majority. At the election of 1885 occurred the first indication of the disasters which were to befall Liberalism in Norwich. Mr. Harry Bullard was nominated to oppose Mr.

Colman, with whom as second Liberal candidate was Mr. R. S. Wright. For the first time in his political career Mr. Colman had to be content with second place, for Mr. Bullard was returned at the head of the poll with 7,297 votes, against 6,666 polled by Mr. Colman, and 6,251 by Mr. Wright.

Mr. Bullard was unseated on pet.i.tion, and it was stated at the time that Mr. Colman was opposed to the course taken by his party. Mr. Samuel h.o.a.re was then elected unopposed in the place of Mr. Bullard. At the General Election in 1886 Mr. Colman regained his former position at the head of the poll with 6,295 votes as against 6,156 polled by Mr. h.o.a.re, who had Mr. C. S. Read as his colleague. This election was noteworthy as the last occasion upon which Mr. Tillett was nominated. In 1892 Mr.

Colman made his last appearance as a Parliamentary candidate, and with him was nominated Mr. James Bedford. Mr. h.o.a.re, Conservative candidate, was returned by a majority of 311 above Mr. Colman; and the representation of the city remained thus until the General Election of 1895, when Mr. Colman retired, and for the first time in sixty years the Conservative party returned two members, Mr. h.o.a.re and Sir Harry Bullard.

Mr. Colman, who was one of the greatest benefactors in Norwich, was held in deserved esteem alike by political friends and opponents, and many expressions of public regret were recorded. He was predeceased (on the 15th) by his mother, Mrs. Mary Colman, who died at Town Close Lodge, in her 93rd year. It was announced at a meeting of the Norwich Town Council on October 18th that Mr. Colman had bequeathed to the Castle Museum, free of duty, his collection of oil paintings and water colours by Norfolk and Norwich artists. The collection was valued at 5,000.

OCTOBER.

16.-Died at Fairstead House, Newmarket, aged 82, Mr. John F. Clark, the famous racing judge. Mr. Clark was a native of Norwich, and on leaving school joined his father as a builder. He afterwards became an architect, and during his professional career designed many ecclesiastical buildings, and restored others. He also planned most of the modern grand stands upon the princ.i.p.al race courses in England. Mr.

Clark was appointed judge by the Jockey Club in 1852, and was the third member of his family who had held the office, from which he retired at the close of 1888.

18.-The Norwich Town Council decided to widen Fye Bridge from 22 feet to 36 feet at the estimated cost of 1,000, two-fifths of which were payable by the Norwich Electric Tramways Company.

24.-The National Union of Women Workers of Great Britain and Ireland opened its annual conference at Prince's Street Rooms, Norwich; and on the 27th the Mayor and Mayoress held a reception at St. Andrew's Hall.

30.-Died at Lowestoft, Mr. Frederick Elwin Watson, aged 88. He twice served the office of Mayor of Norwich, in 186667 and in 187071. He was for many years a warm supporter of the Norwich Church of England Young Men's Society.

NOVEMBER.

8.-Died at Wymondham Vicarage, in his 96th year, the Rev. Robert Eden, M.A., Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and honorary canon of Norwich Cathedral. He was the author of several works, including ”The Churchman's Theological Dictionary,” ”Some Thoughts on the Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures,” ”A History of Preaching,” ”The t.i.tle Page of the Revised Version of the Holy Bible,” &c. In his young days Canon Eden was acquainted with Whately, the famous divine, and was for a time a.s.sistant librarian at the Bodleian Library.

9.-Mr. George Henry Morse was elected Mayor and Mr. Henry Skelton appointed Sheriff of Norwich.

18.-The Norwich and Norfolk Conservative Club was opened in its new premises, the Royal Arcade, Norwich. Sir Alfred Jodrell, Bart., presided on the occasion.

26.-The remarkable recovery of a lost register belonging to the parish of Gressenhall was reported. ”The books, which dated from 1538 to 1710, were discovered lying on a shelf in an upper room with a number of other old doc.u.ments, at Docking Hall. A certain Hon. Hugh Charles Hare, who was rector of Docking from 1708 to 1711, was also rector of Gressenhall, and probably to him may be traced the removal of the books to Docking, where they had remained for nearly two hundred years.”

28.-The 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars, arrived by train at Norwich, from Southampton, where they had disembarked the same day from the Simla.

DECEMBER.