2.--The appointment of Dr. Bates, of Edinburgh, as organist and master of
the choristers at Norwich Cathedral, was announced.
7.--The county magistrates decided to hire of Mr. James C. Snelling the
mansion known as Eaton Hall as lodgings for the judges of Assize, at the
yearly rental of 250. On January 20th, Mr. Justice Hawkins, after
delivering his charge to the Grand Jury at the Norfolk Assizes, said he
could not offer the magistrates his gratitude for their endeavours to
provide for the comfort of her Majesty's judges, unless, indeed, they
thought he and his marshal had the habits and tastes of a Polar bear and
an Arctic fox. Eaton Hall was well fitted for one or both, as it was
simply a bleak house in a frozen waste; it was redolent of putty and
paint; workmen were tapping just beyond the dining-room door in precisely
the same way as he should expect to hear tapping in the back manufactory
of an undertaker's shop; and the rooms were furnished with the view to
economy and discomfort with a show of luxury skilfully but not very
judiciously combined. On November 15th Mr. Justice Field, in concluding
his charge to the Grand Jury, said he found the accommodation at Eaton
Hall exceedingly nice and extremely comfortable, and he added, amid
laughter, he had not seen any Polar bears or Arctic foxes.
10.--The jubilee of the Norwich District of the Manchester Unity of
Oddfellows was celebrated by a special service held at the Cathedral, and
attended by several hundred members, and by the Mayor and Corporation.
"The Order was introduced into Norfolk in the year 1835 by five
woolsorters from the North of England--John Raven, Walter Meldrum, Thomas
Dack, Benjamin Fearnside, and Thomas Lambert. They were the founders of
the mother lodge of the district, the Travellers' Rest, the first place
of meeting being at the New Brewery, Pockthorpe." The Mayor (Mr. John
Gurney) entertained to dinner at St. Andrew's Hall, on May 18th, upwards
of 900 members of the Order.
19.--At a meeting of the Norwich Town Council, an application was
received from the Norwich School Board for the consent of the Corporation
to an assignment of the lease of the Dutch Church from the trustees to
the Board, with the view of converting the building into a higher grade
school. The Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society addressed to the
Council a strong protest against the application, which was refused by 35
votes against 12. On April 21st a meeting was held, under the presidency
of the Mayor, at the Old Bank Buildings, at which it was moved by Mr.
Colman, M.P., seconded by Mr. Harry Bullard, and unanimously agreed,
"That the provisional contract entered into by Mr. Frederic Oddin Taylor
in February last for the purchase of the lease of the Dutch Church be
adopted, and that a scheme be formulated assuring the future inalienable
use of the building as an adjunct to and in connection with St. Andrew's
Hall, subject to existing rights." It was further decided to raise by
public subscription the sum required (800) to present the building,
"hereafter to be called Blackfriars' Hall," to the city after proper
renovation. The Town Council on June 29th passed a resolution expressing
warm appreciation of the efforts made by Mr. F. Oddin Taylor, and
received a deputation composed of the gentlemen who had taken part in the
movement, from whom they accepted Blackfriars' Hall as a gift to the
citizens.
21.--Died, at Child's Hill House, Hampstead, Mr. Joseph Hoare, in his
72nd year. He was the fourth son of Mr. Samuel Hoare, banker, of London,
by his marriage with Louisa, daughter of Mr. John Gurney of Earlham. Mr.
Hoare, who was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, was a Deputy
Lieutenant for the county of Middlesex, and was president of the
Hampstead Conservative Association. In May, 1859, he was returned to the
House of Commons as member for Hull, but was unseated on petition. He
married, in 1847, Rachel Juliana, second daughter of Mr. Charles Barclay,
M.P. For many years it was his custom to spend the summer at Cromer,
where he was known as a generous supporter of charitable and religious
institutions.
22.--At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Justice Hawkins, John Thurston,
30, labourer, was indicted for the wilful murder of Henry Springall, an
old man, at Hingham, on December 5th, 1885. The prisoner was found
guilty, and received sentence of death. The execution took place at
Norwich Castle on February 10th. The culprit was a nephew of Henry
Webster, who was hanged at the same prison on May 1st, 1876, for the
murder of his wife at Cranworth.
--St. Cuthbert's church, Sprowston, erected at the cost of 2,000, was
opened by the Bishop of Norwich. The building was designed by Mr. A. R.
G. Flemming, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, and the contractor was Mr.
G. E. Hawes, of Norwich.
26.--A violent explosion, caused by an escape of gas, occurred at
Victoria Station, Norwich.