Hanworth Hall

I was leading a ramble from Aldborough in North Norfolk on Thursday and one of the places of interest on the walk was Hanworth Hall.  I had never heard of or seen this hall before so I have undertaken a little research about it.  Haworth Hall has a history stretching back to the 15th century, primarily associated with the Doughty family. The original house, however, was destroyed by fire around 1700. A new house was then built, likely by Robert Doughty, who died in 1770.  Robert Lee Doughty, upon inheriting the estate in 1770, initiated the landscaping of the parkland. He consulted with Humphry Repton in 1789-1790, who provided expert advice on the park's layout. After Robert Doughty's death without heirs, the estate passed through several families, including the Lukins, Mayows, and Windhams (of Felbrigg fame).  The property was sold in 1900 to Joseph Gurney Barclay for his son, Henry Barclay, due to debt and is currently owned privately.  Here is a link and picture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanworth_Hall#:~:text=It%20is%20built%20of%20brick,latter's%20son%20William%20Frederick%20Windham.

What is a Lych Gate?

I attended a walk with Colin on Monday at St Giles Church in Norwich and he mentioned its lych gate which prompted me to think about these structures that we often see in front of churches.  Lych gates are the ornamental gateways which lead to churchyards. They symbolise the threshold between the secular (non-religious) and sacred zones of a parish and once served a practical function of storing a coffin before burial. Their name derives from the Anglo-Saxon or German word for corpse: lich, or leiche.

Medieval lych gates were used as a meeting point and shelter for mourners. The group would convene beneath it and would be met by the priest prior to entering the consecrated churchyard for the funeral service. Lych gates continued to be built throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and later examples, particularly after the First World War, were often erected as memorial structures.  Here is an article for those who would like to read some more:

https://www.somersetandbathparanormal.co.uk/the-origins-of-the-lychgate

History of Faberge

We had a very interesting talk on Faberge today.  From a St Petersburgh goldsmith to the iconic brand it is today, via the Russian revolution, escape to Switzerland, here is the link that reveals all:  

https://www.faberge.com/pages/history?srsltid=AfmBOorT1NcRkbRUeUJI8HdjXiA8tSkpIC_N-GJiLaps8balcXZNhwq4

Ragged Staff Graffiti

Here is a picture of the alleged “Ragged Staff” at St Peter Hungate of mid 15th century origin.  The "Ragged Staff" in the context of graffiti refers to a heraldic symbol, specifically a knotted stick or staff with branches protruding from it, often associated with the Earls of Warwick in medieval times. It's found as graffiti, particularly in churches, and is sometimes mistaken for a simple outline or a heraldic symbol of the Earls of Warwick.  However, given that the “Ragged Staff” is quite frequently seen, research suggests it also had religious significance, possibly linked to St. Christopher, pilgrimage, and even concepts of resurrection.  Here is a link for supplemental reading if you are interested:

https://ritualprotectionmarks.com/2023/06/05/the-virgin-mary-the-ragged-staff-a-stick-to-beat-the-devil-with/#:~:text=The%20ragged%20staff%20symbol%20is,Torode%202022%2C%20Champion%202017).

Humphry Repton

Thanks to Chris Tracy and his team at the Heritage Centre for the excellent session they put on for us on Tuesday.  To answer the question I asked during Tuesday’s session, Humphrey Repton compiled 400 red books.  This article details his life for those that wish for further reading on him:

https://thegardenstrust.org/news/humphry-repton-life-work/

William Buston, Norwich Photographer

 These photos by William Buston ARPS are taken from The Norfolk Annual, October 1936 (first two) and Oct 1938.  They were part of an article in the latter entitled “Colegate. An Ancient Norwich Way”.  Not much is known about William Buston – a photographer in Norwich in the late 1930’s. George Plunkett, a much-better known Norwich photographer of the 20th c. mentions one of Buston's photos in reference to "Ber Street" - "In the Norfolk Annual published in October 1937, there appeared a photograph by William Buston of this building, (Bond’s) taken from the entrance to Golden Ball St, and captioned "Corner Doomed to Destruction" - an accurate prophecy, although not for the reason the photographer had envisaged."
 I have found out that an album of early twentieth century photographs including many by Buston is part of the Bridewell Museum's holdings.  I understand that the photos are also now digitised into the Picture Norfolk collection at the Heritage Centre in the Forum.
I have been unsuccessful in finding out if there are other editions of The Norfolk Annual, but if anyone spots any, I would be happy to purchase them. There are quite a few more photos  in the two mags (by other photographers) and I will try to post some on the Club page over the next weeks.

Norwich Swing Riots of 1830s

Chris Tracy mentioned the riots of 1837 during the recent “Silk, shawls and other stuff”  session recently.  These riots appear to relate to the “Swing” riots of the 1830s which were country wide, led by the mysterious Captain Swing.  The riots followed the poor harvest of 1830 which resulted in lower wages for agricultural workers.  The objective was to stop the spread of new threshing machines and rich farmers and clergymen were targeted.  The penalties were severe countrywide, with nine being hanged and 450 deported to Australia.  To find out more, please select the following link:

https://norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/2022/05/07/he-will-have-the-dance-of-swing-norfolks-involvement-in-the-swing-riots-of-1830s-england/