6.--Died, at Ormesby Lodge, Sir Edmund Henry Knowles Lacon, Bart. He was
the eldest son of Sir Edmund Knowles Lacon, and his wife, Eliza Dixon,
eldest daughter and co-heiress of Mr. Thomas Beecroft, of Sculthorpe
Hall. Born August 14th, 1807, he was educated at Eton and Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, where he took his B.A. in 1828 and his M.A. degree in
1831. In 1839 he married Eliza Georgiana, daughter of Mr. James Esdale
Hammet, of Battersea. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1839. Sir Edmund
was first returned to Parliament for the borough of Yarmouth in 1852. At
the next General Election, in March, 1857, Mr. McCallagh and Mr. E. A.
Watkin gained the representation of the constituency by a narrow majority
over Sir Edmund and his colleague, the Hon. Charles Smyth Vereker, son of
Viscount Gort. A petition was presented, and a Committee of the House of
Commons declared the election void. Thereupon Sir Edmund issued an
address, but subsequently followed the example of Mr. Vereker, and
retired, so that Serjeant (afterwards Mr. Justice) Mellor and Mr.
Adolphus W. Young had a walk-over. On the dissolution taking place in
1859 he and Sir Henry Stracey defeated Messrs. Watkin and Young; a
petition and enquiry followed, but they were declared duly elected. In
1865 Sir Henry Stracey retired, leaving Sir Edmund with Mr. James Goodson
as his colleague, and both were returned in opposition to Mr. Alexander
Brogden and Mr. Philip Vanderbyl, who presented a petition, which, though
the sitting members were undisturbed, resulted in the Committee reporting
that they had reason to believe corrupt practices had prevailed. A Royal
Commission and the disfranchisement of the borough followed. Then came
the Reform and Redistribution Acts of 1868, under which the county of
Norfolk was divided into three parts, and Yarmouth was merged in the
Northern Division. At the first election under the new arrangement Sir
Edmund Lacon and his colleague, the Hon. Frederick Walpole, were
returned, notwithstanding the powerful opposition of the Liberal party,
who had brought forward Mr. Edmond R. Wodehouse and Mr. R. T. Gurdon. A
petition was presented, and failed. In 1869 Sir Edmund was presented by
his constituents with a piece of silver plate weighing 900 ozs., and
valued at upwards of 600, in recognition of his services to the
Conservative cause. In 1874 he and Mr. Walpole were returned unopposed,
and in 1880 there was again no contest, when Sir Edmund and Mr.
(afterwards Sir Edward) Birkbeck were elected on the death of Colonel
Duff, who had succeeded Mr. Walpole. Under the redistribution scheme of
1885 Yarmouth was allowed one member, but at the next General Election
Sir Edmund retired, and Sir H. W. Tyler was elected in his stead. Sir
Edmund Lacon was senior partner in the banking firm of Lacons, Youells,
and Co., and in the extensive brewery of Lacons and Co. On the death of
Lord Sondes in 1875 he was appointed High Steward of Yarmouth; he was a
Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk and a magistrate for Norfolk and Suffolk.
Sir Edmund was formerly Colonel Commandant, and at the time of his death
Honorary Colonel, of the East Norfolk Militia.
9.--A serious fire occurred at the Orchard Street Saw Mills, Norwich,
occupied by Messrs. Cunnington Bros, timber merchants. Considerable
damage was done to the machinery and stock-in-trade, and a large building
was destroyed.
11.--The detachment of Royal Engineers, who had for ten years been
engaged on the Ordnance Survey, left Norwich for York. The work in
Norfolk was completed in 1883, and it was found that very little
alteration was needed in the map drawn thirty or forty years previously.
The survey of the northern half of Cambridgeshire was then commenced and
was completed in 1885; this was followed by the survey of a portion of
Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire, including the city of Peterborough;
and finally the southern half of Lincolnshire, which was finished in
April, 1887. The detachment, including women and children, numbered 120,
and the official papers, books, &c., weighed between 30 and 40 tons. The
first commanding officer was Captain Macpherson, who was succeeded by
Captain Day and by Major Washington.
20.--The new Hospital, erected at Dene Side, Yarmouth, was publicly
opened by Sir James Paget, the distinguished physician, a native of the
town. The total cost of the institution was estimated at 10,750.