Thomas Paine

Here is an article I sent out in 2020.  Thomas was born and educated in Thetford.  In 1774 he emigrated to the American colonies on the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin.  In 1776 he became one of the founding fathers of the American War of Independence when he wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense which played a major role in influencing the American colonies to continue their fight for independence against the British.   He then travelled to France in 1787 as a supporter of the French Revolution and in 1791 published the Rights of Man.  Paine spoke out effectively in favour of republicanism as against monarchy and went on to outline a plan for popular education, relief of the poor, pensions for aged people, and public works for the unemployed, all to be financed by the levying of a progressive income tax. As a member of the National Convention he campaigned unsuccessfully to save the life of King Louis XVI, favouring banishment rather than execution and was imprisoned when Robespierre came to power.  He was released in 1794 and returned to the United States in 1802. An exponent of Deism, he called Christianity “a fable.” and denied “that the Almighty ever did communicate anything to man, by…speech,…language, or…vision.” .  He died in 1809.

Below is a link to an Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Thomas Paine, just left click on the link to access the article:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Paine  

Below is a link to a You Tube clip on the story of Thomas Paine:

With these links just left click on the link and the film should fire up, you can pause/play the film similar to pause/play on your TV.  You may have to drag the red bar on the video to play from the start.  You also should be able to select skip to bypass the adverts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJbGgZowCcA

Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London

Following on from the trip to Dereham Tuesday, here is an article on “Bloody Bonner” who owned the cottage we visited.  The article is a good insight into his life and his bloody reign of terror during the reign of Mary I.  Also note that contrary to common belief, religious persecution did take place during the reign of Elizabeth I.  Please select this link to find out more information:  

https://www.tudorsociety.com/edmund-bonner-bishop-of-london/?utm_content=cmp-true

Maddermarket Theatre

 Originally built as a Roman Catholic chapel in 1794.  Here is a picture of the chapel:

In the nineteenth century it had been used as a baking soda factory, a grocery warehouse, and as a hall for the Salvation Army. It was small, the main body of the building measuring only forty by forty-six feet. However, a vaulted ceiling gave it excellent acoustics; more importantly, it already had galleries on three sides. 

The building was quickly converted by the Guild of Norwich Players from a state of near-dereliction into an Elizabethan style playhouse. Nugent Monck, the founder of the Guild of Norwich Players used to say it was a half scale model of the Fortune Theatre, although later scholars have suggested that Blackfriars Theatre would be a more accurate comparison.  

The Maddermarket Theatre opened in 1921.  The founder was Nugent Monck who had worked with William Poel. Poel was the first to restore Shakespeare's plays with the full text and to play them in the Elizabethan style without elaborate scenery.

The theatre is reputed to have a spirit monk haunting the walls of the theatre who over the years many audience members have claimed to have seen as well as actors and actresses saying they too have seen the monk. In 2004 an actress even claimed she was pushed by the entity!

Maddermarket

Just in case you missed some of the information on my Heritage Walk, here are my notes on the Maddermarket, note that brown coloured water tasted better than the black and scarlet water:

The Maddermarket site stands on the location of what was a medieval market that sold scarlet dye called ‘madder’ and this is where the theatre got its name from. The dye was used to colour textiles allegedly first discovered in Tutankhamen’s tomb.  It has been called Maddermarket since the 13th century.

Madder is a plant. The root was also used to make medicine. The root was recommended in the treatment of yellow jaundice, obstruction of the spleen, the melancholy humour, palsy, sciatica, and of bruises.  Currently can be used for conditions such as kidney stones, menstrual disorders, urinary tract disorders, wound healing, and many others.

The River Wensum is reported to have run red due to the madder dye. In 1850 it was reported that residents near the Duke’s Palace Bridge, were taking their water supply directly below the dye works, and the water was coloured according to the dye being used. People found brown coloured water the best as “the black spoiled the tea and so did the scarlet”!