2.--Died at Shipdham, Mary, widow of Mr. Henry Tash, farmer, in the
hundredth year of her age.
3.--At the Norfolk Court of Quarter Sessions a report was presented upon
the expenditure of the county, into which a committee had inquired in
consequence of representations made at public meetings in various
districts, to the effect that the ratepayers were unable to control the
finances. The Court passed a resolution affirming that the evidence
given before the committee had tended to prove that the financial affairs
of the county had been conducted by the Court of Quarter Sessions with
proper attention to economy, with just regard to the public interests,
and with the publicity required by law.
18.*--"A few days since the steeple of Drayton church fell to the ground
with a tremendous crash, the lead which covered the falling mass being
completely buried in the _debris_."
20.--A prolonged magisterial inquiry took place at Reepham, into
disturbances at Lenwade arising out of the Wesleyan schism. Two parish
constables, Samuel Fairman and John Elliott, were fined for refusing to
perform their duty when requested by the Rev. C. Povah. At Aylsham Petty
Sessions, on February 4th, four persons were charged with disturbing the
Wesleyan congregation at Cawston on January 19th, and three were
committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions. One of the defendants,
Elizabeth Southgate, was ordered by the Court, on March 13th, to pay a
penalty of 40 pounds; the other two were discharged on their own
recognisances to appear at the next Quarter Sessions. A singular case
arising from the same disruption came before the Vice-Chancellor, Lord
Cranworth, on May 7th. The relators and plaintiffs were the Rev. William
Worker and the Rev. George Badcock, and the defendants the trustees of
two deeds dated 1814 and 1837, declaring the trusts of the Methodist
chapel at Holt subject to the trusts of a deed executed in 1784 by John
Wesley, by which the Wesleyan body was organized. The funds for building
the chapel were advanced in 1814 by Mr. Hardy, who, in 1821, received
from the trustees a mortgage of the chapel to secure his advances, which
amounted to about 700 pounds. In 1833 the debt was reduced to 350
pounds. The congregation having increased, it was determined, in 1837,
to build a new chapel, and a site was purchased and conveyed to the
trustees upon the trusts of a deed of another chapel, prepared in 1832,
and known to the Methodist body as the "model deed," to which all
subsequent deeds were conformable. By the trusts then declared, such
persons only were to be permitted to preach as should be duly approved by
a Methodist body called the Conference. Mr. Hardy assisted in advancing
money to build the new chapel, and received as security a mortgage on the
chapel. When the schism occurred it was alleged that the majority of the
trustees of the chapels mortgaged were among the schismatics, who now
called themselves Wesleyan Reformers, and that they had all formed a
scheme of wresting the chapels from the preachers appointed by the
Conference. The defendant united with the character of mortgagee those
of acting trustee and treasurer of the two chapels, and it was alleged
that he was using his powers as mortgagee, and had publicly recommended
others to do the same--most of the Wesleyan chapels being mortgaged--for
the purpose of carrying the general scheme into effect, and thus to
deprive the Conference of the old body of Methodists of the use of their
chapels. Mr. Hardy accordingly advertised the chapels for sale, and
actually sold the old chapel, which was then in possession of the
Reformers for their preachers. Similar proceedings by ejectment were
resorted to by a person named Hill, to whom Mr. Hardy had transferred his
second mortgage, for the recovery of the new chapel, and led to the
filing of this information, which disputed the propriety of the
transactions. His lordship was of opinion that Mr. Hardy, as mortgagee,
had a right to assert a title adverse to the trust, and to transfer his
mortgage to Hill. It might be proper to appoint new trustees in the
place of those who had ceased to have any sympathy with the religious
body from which they had seceded, but there was no ground for immediate
interference. The motion was therefore refused, and there was no order
as to costs.
20.--A great Protestant meeting was held at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich,
under the presidency of Mr. Samuel Bignold, at which were adopted
addresses to the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, protesting
against the aggression of the Pope, and condemning the Tractarian
movement in the Church of England.