Some of the following article may be familiar to some of you but hopefully you will enjoy a refresher. It all started with the Midwinter Solstice thousands of years ago. Did you know that masters served slaves during the Roman midwinter celebration but what was it called and what would they have eaten? Christmas comes from the medieval Christ Mass but when was it first recorded? How long did they celebrate for in medieval times? And what was the Yule Log? What were the Christmas Sugar Banquets? It is widely known that Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband introduced Christmas trees and decorations to Britain but what Victorian tradition brought about Boxing Day? To find out the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link:
Wednesday, 23 December 2020
History Quiz
I thought a history quiz may be enjoyable over the festive period so here are 57 questions from History Extra. The questions are on page one and the answers can be found on page two of the following link:
The Feast and Fast of Traditional Advent
Most of us enjoy the countdown to Christmas and opening the Advent windows but what are the origins of Advent? Was it a countdown to a celebration or something completely different? What were the early Advent boxes? What did St Martin’s Day signify? How was medieval stollen made? What was wassailing? To find out the answers to these questions and more related information, please select the following link:
Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Heavens Above!
Sunday, 20 December 2020
The Victorian Workhouse
Here is a related article about life in a workhouse. So were workhouses the awful places described by Dickens? The origins of the workhouse go back to the Black Death but why did individuals enter a workhouse? The Poor Laws forced some husbands to sell their wives to reduce the cost to the authorities. The Deepwade Union Workhouse was built in 1836 two years after the Poor Law Amendment Act but what change did this statute bring? One of the tasks inmates were forced to do was “picking oakum” which involved unpicking a piece of rope into many corkscrew strands. If you want to find the answers to these questions and more related information, then select the following link:
Deepwade Union Workhouse
I attended a Ramblers walk at Pulham Market last Thursday and the starting point was the Deepwade Union Workhouse on the A140 just before the Old Ram public house at Tivetshall. I have driven past this building on numerous occasions and have always thought that it was an old workhouse, so here is an article on it’s history. It was erected in 1836 but who built it? Why was an attempt made to burn it down in 1844? What was the ticket system? It became a Public Assistance Institution in 1930 which was effectively a workhouse under local government control. It’s purpose changed serval times after this date and if you want to find the answers to these questions and more related information, then select the following link:
History of Almhouses
Doughty’s Hospital was an Almshouse. So what was an Almshouse? Here is an article on the history of Almshouses. How were they impacted by the dissolution of the monasteries? How were these linked to craft guilds and Dick Whittington? To find out the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link:
Doughty's Hospital
Voilet Aitken
Another formidable lady mentioned during the talk by Frank Meeres was Voilet Aitken. She was the daughter of Canon Aitken of Norwich Cathedral. What were her activities as a Suffragette and was she ever sent to prison? Did she have to endure hunger strike and force-feeding? To find out the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link:
Ethel Leach
I attended the talk by Frank Meeres called Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives on Thursday and learned about a number of Norfolk women who had fought for women’s rights. One of these was Ethel Leach, so I thought a related article would be of interest. When did she found the Great Yarmouth Women’s Suffrage Society and when was she elected to the Great Yarmouth School Board? Did you know she became a councillor, an alderman and Great Yarmouth’s first female mayor? To find out the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link:
Music for the Angels - St Edmund, Acle, and Ancient Secrets at St Gregory, Heckingham
These are a couple of articles written by Colin on the Ragged Ramblers Blog. What did the angels bagpipes sound like at St Edmund, Acle? What are the ancient secrets of St Gregory, Heckingham? What was the story of John and Elizabeth Crowe’s daughters? What is a palimpsest? How are the members of the nearby Union Workhouse commemorated? Why is there no rood screen? Also, please take time to view the wonderfully carved Romanesque South doorway. To find the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link, you will need to scroll down to find the St Gregory article:
The Norwich Hippodrome, St. Giles Street, Norwich
I wasn’t aware that there was a Norwich Hippodrome on St Giles Street. It was located where the multi-storey car park is now. So when was it built and who was the architect? It was erected as an opera house and playhouse with a seating capacity of 1,836. Who appeared there? What happened to it in 1942? And when was it closed? To find the answers to these questions and more information please select the following links:
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Anchored in Beer and Land - The Estate Plans of Bullard's Brewery
You may recall that I sent a link out recently of the forthcoming events by the Norwich Records Office. This is one of their presentations focusing on Bullard’s and the Norfolk brewing industry. Of course it was safer to drink beer than water in 19th century Norwich but how many brewers were there? Why were some inns named “Arms”? Who was Paul Pry? Why were some inns named “The Horse Shoe Inn”? To find answers to these questions and find out more please select the following link and press play (you may also need to move the red bar to the start):
Thursday, 12 November 2020
The National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag)
I have always wondered what Germany’s equivalent of Remembrance Day is? How does Germany remember the the victims of war and tyranny? What wartime song do they sing in Parliament? They treat this as an occasion not only to mourn the dead but also to illustrate the tragedy of war and to speak out for peace. To find out more, please select the following article:
Ten Stories Of Wartime Sacrifice
Here are some stories of sacrifice for which we owe so much. So who were the Canary Girls and what did they do? What dangers did they face? Who was the sixteen year old who won a VC at the Battle of Jutland? Doctor Noel Chavasse was the only man to get the Victoria Cross and Bar in the First World War but how did he win it? There is also a story about a Scottish missionary who looked after 400 girls who died in Auschwitz. To obtain answers to these questions and to find out more, please select the following link:
We Shall Keep the Faith by Moina Michael
I am always moved by the Remembrance Day Services as we honour the sacrifices made by our armed forces. I do hope this continues for future generations. Anyway, the first item is a lovely wartime poem:
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields
Tuesday, 3 November 2020
Lions At Colney Hall
Tony Harper has suggested this fascinating article. Can you believe that lions were kept at Colney Hall. Where did they come from and how did they get to Norfolk? And did one go them really kill a member of the Barclay family? To find out more please access the following link:
https://www.edp24.co.uk/features/barclay-colney-hall-1-5318789
Human Touches at St Andrew's, Frenze, South Norfolk
Colin has started writing on a blog called Ragged Ramblers, he writes under the moniker of ‘Munro Tweeder-Harris, Esq.’ He has written three articles recently and here is one of them. It is about St Andrews Church at Frenze in South Norfolk. This wonderful little church has an excellent Tudor brick porch with some medieval finger prints and some medieval graffiti. If you would like to find out more then please select the following article and also take time to explore this wonderful blog:
Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights in Norfolk
Rachel at the Heritage Centre has informed us that they have launched an online exhibition/blog in partnership with the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network called “Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights in Norfolk.” This is to support the British Library’s exhibition which has opened today. The website can be accessed via this link:
https://unfinishedbusinessnorfolk.wordpress.com/.
They are also running a programme of online events, including talks by Frank Meeres and Gill Blanchard, which may be of interest to you. These can be accessed via the following link:
History Behind Common Superstitions
On a related theme, here is an article on common superstitions that remain to this day. So why did the Ancient Romans believe that breaking a mirror would bring bad luck? Why is sneezing a risky activity? The Egyptian umbrella was only used by the nobility and its shade was sacred. In the 14th century, black cats were thought to be causing Black Death. Why do you break the trinity when walking under a ladder? To answer these questions and find out more please select the following article:
https://www.insider.com/history-origin-people-superstitions-2018-4
10 things you didn’t know about Halloween!
It’s that time of year again! So what is the history of Halloween - I always thought it came from America? Does it have religious origins? It appears they don’t carve pumpkins in Somerset, instead they carve mangel-wurzels but what do the children chant? It looks like Trick or Treat came from America (I knew there was an America connection)! So where did the supernatural and scary bits come from? It was even once romantic. To answer these questions and find out more please select the following article:
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/halloween-history-facts-pumpkins-ghosts/
Henry Walpole (1558 - 1595)
Here is another interesting article on the Walpole family. The family name originates from the Norman conquest and was derived from the Old English words welle, meaning well, and pol, meaning pool, and refers to a pool formed by a well. We all know about Robert Walpole the Prime Minister, but who was Henry Walpole? An English Jesuit martyr from Docking, Norfolk who was executed at York for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy during Elizabeth I’s reign. Yes - atrocities occurred during her reign! Where did he become a follower of the Jesuits? When was he beatified and canonised? To answer these questions and find out more please select the following article:
Mannington Hall
I was out walking with the Ramblers last Thursday at Mannington Hall near Corpusty on the Holt Road and I wondered what its history was. It is a lovely 15th century moated house built in iron stained flint. William Lumnor built it in 1460 but where did the oaks come from (clue: from a very influential Norfolk family of the time)? It is the current home of the Walpole family but when did it become a Walpole home? How many varieties of roses are in its gardens? What scandal was the 4th Earl of Orford involved in? To answer these questions and find out more please select the following articles:
Ketteringham Hall
I visited Ketteringham Hall for the first time on Sunday - oh what a lovely place! There is also an Orangery there that has some lovely home made cakes and pastries. We didn’t eat there but we have made a note to go back. There is a lovely view if you sit outside. This gave me the idea for a related article on the history of Ketteringham Hall. The best article I could find was by Britain but Car - so not the normal historical source! Did you know it is reputed to be the home of Lady Jane Grey - the nine day queen? What was it’s military purpose during WWII? And what is it’s connection to Lotus cars? To answer these questions and learn more, please select the following article:
https://www.britainbycar.co.uk/ketteringham/339-ketteringham-hall
Earl Grey Tea
My wife loves Early Grey Tea. Long gone are the days when only the rich drank it. I thought a related article would be of interest. Where did it come from? As is often the case, there are a number of theories. Who was Earl Grey? How was Bergamot oil used to flavour the tea? To answer these questions and learn more, please select the following article:
Africans in Tudor and Stuart England
Here is another related article. Since I saw the last Mary Queen of Scots film which had Adrian Lester playing one of Queen Elizabeth’s advisers, I have always wondered whether there were prominent black people in Tudor society and it appears there were. It all started with Catherine of Aragon and her entourage which included Moors from her native country. One such black person became a freeman of the City of York but who was he? Over 300,000 poor souls were transported across the Atlantic in bondage mainly by the Spanish and Portuguese but of course some by Francis Drake, so did many of these find their way into Tudor society? There is evidence that Francis Drake held one such captive in such high regard that he named a fort after him. To answer these questions and learn more, please select the following article:
https://www.tudorsociety.com/africans-in-tudor-and-stuart-england-by-conor-byrne/
John Blanke
I thought the following would be of interest after seeing his name mentioned under a Black Lives Matter article. John was a trumpeter for Henry VIII and he petitioned Henry for a pay rise - brave man! It is also apparent that John is a free man not a slave and probably a Christian. He also knew his value to the King which prompted this bold move. How much of a pay rise did he require? What were his reasons? Was he successful? What did the King buy him as a wedding gift? To answer these questions and learn more, please select the following article:
Norfolk Record Office - News and Events October 2020
Colin has asked me to circulate the up coming news and events from the Norfolk Record Office, please see the below email.
https://norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/events/
Norfolk Village Signs
I recently saw a book on village signs and I thought that a related article would be of interest. I don’t normally like including Wikipedia as a source but this was the best article I could find about the background to village signs. I didn’t realise that it all started in Norfolk with Edward VII - something else we are indebted to him (remember he brought the Victorians to Norfolk and helped to establish resorts such as Hunstanton and Cromer). To find out more please read the following article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_sign
The Gin Craze
The effects of the consumption of gin on the inner city population of London during the 18th century has been compared to the impact of crack cocaine on the American inner city ghettos. It was the arrival of William of Orange to the English throne in 1689 that drove the popularity of jenever (clear, botanically rich, malted grain-based spirit) in England and turned gin from being a medicine to a fashionable drink. It resulted in Eight Gin Acts! Did these Acts achieve their objective? Who were the professional informers? What was the shocking case of Judith Defour? To find out more please read the following article:
https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1108/gin/history-of-gin-1728-1794
The Window Tax
We have been discussing methods of taxation in one of my U3A History Groups, so I thought a related article may be of interest. Introduced in 1696 this tax was intended to tax the rich more and the poor less - but did it achieve it? How did inhabitants try to avoid paying the tax? What was the impact on public health? And what constituted a window? To find out more please read the following article:
Life A Hundred Years Ago - Would You Fancy It?
This is an interesting article from the EDP. It outlines the fashions, foodstuffs, entertainments of the day. How much would a Cadillac car cost you? Which King visited Norwich? How much could you buy a brick built villa for in Ipswich? And there were still hangings taking place in Norwich. To find out more please read the following article:
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/history-norfolk-and-suffolk-in-the-1920s-1-6445511
The Captain's Parks
The following is an interesting article from the excellent Colonel Unthanks Norwich website. It is about Captain Arnold Edward Sandys-Winsch who built five parks throughout Norwich during the 1920s and 1930s. But what parks did he build and in what architectural style? He also planted 20,000 trees throughout Norwich which we all enjoy today and probably take for granted. What manpower was used to build these parks? There is also a 1950s cafe menu included in the article which is also worth a look and is very much different to the menus we see today! Please select the following link to find out more:
https://colonelunthanksnorwich.com/2019/07/05/the-captains-parks/
Tuesday, 8 September 2020
Norfolk Record Office - Autumn Online Events Programme
These kick off with Frank Meeres presenting on Richard Caister, “The Good Vicar” on Wednesday Sept 23rd. Future events include; Bullards Brewery, the grand tour and Norwich and the plague, these can be accessed via the following link:
https://norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/history-talks/
Margaret Elizabeth Fountaine
Margaret is another person I didn’t know anything about. She was famous for being a lepidopterist and an adventurer which is a unique mix. But what is a lepidopterist? Where did she travel to? What did she collect and where is her collection held now? She travelled the world on horse back at great risk to herself but who was her guide and companion for 27 years? She is also famous for the diary she kept between 1878–1939 and for her carefully drawn sketchbooks of larvae and pupae, many previously un-described, which are held in the Natural History Museum. To find out more please select the following links, in the second link you will also find a short film about her:
https://peoplepill.com/people/margaret-fountaine/
https://norfolkwomeninhistory.com/1851-1899/margaret-fountaine/
Tuesday, 1 September 2020
Coronavirus Pandemic Pictures
You may recall that in April I included a request from the Heritage Centre for History Groups to start collecting information and photographs relating to the Coronavirus Pandemic. These records would display how we responded and lived through the crisis to future generations. A member of our group, David Woods, has taken some excellent photos of the crisis and I have included some of them below.
Maharaja Duleep Singh
There is a statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh on Butten Island in Thetford. I have never heard of him, so who is he? Why is there a Sikh statue in Thetford? He was the last Sikh ruler, removed by the British and exiled to Britain in 1854. Where did he live on the Norfolk/Suffolk border? Which member of the royal family was he a firm favourite of? What was the Koh-i-Noor diamond and where does it reside today? Sikh pilgrims visit the statue every year. To find out more please select the following links:
VJ Day
On Saturday, it was 75 years since the Japanese surrender and the end of the Second World War. It is wonderful that we commemorate these occasions and long may it continue! The following link has 11 photos depicting some of the celebrations. You can feel the release of the anguish of six years of war in the smiles! Please select the following link:
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
The Case of Silas Chapman - 7th July 1856
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18560707-675&div=t18560707-675&terms=Norwich#highlight
Edward Boardman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Boardman
George Skipper
https://colonelunthanksnorwich.com/2017/02/15/the-flamboyant-mr-skipper/
Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Unlocking The Archive - Discover Historic Books
Seven Artworks Of The Battle Of Britain
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/7-artworks-of-the-battle-of-britain
Ten Inspiring Stories of the Battle Of Britain
Please note you can click on See Object Record to obtain more information on the artefact.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-inspiring-stories-of-bravery-during-the-battle-of-britain
Eight Things You Need to Know About The Battle Of Britain
History Of NHS In Charts
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44560590
History of the National Health Service (NHS)
Thursday, 2 July 2020
Six Things You Didn’t Know About Edward VI
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/six-things-you-probably-didn-t-know-about-edward-vi/
Monday, 27 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Pictures of the Duke of Norfolk's Palace
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
Local Sculpture Quiz
