Black Anna of The Jolly Butchers

You may have heard of Black Anna, the landlady of the Jolly Butchers on Ber Street.  She became famous for her jazz renditions in the pub and people flocked to see and hear her perform.  She was from Italian descent and her real name was Antoinette Hannent and it looks like that she learnt about jazz from the U.S. servicemen during WWII.  Sadly she died in 1976 and the pub closed in the same year.  Here is a film of her being interviewed and also performing, the performances are at the start and the end of the film, just select the Watch For Free button:  

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-life-and-music-of-black-anna-1973-online

Here is an article that provides more information about Black Anna:

https://norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/antoinette-hannent-black-anna/

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal

Adrian O'Dell mentioned this canal in his talk as part of the development of the industry within North Walsham during the 19th century.  Opened in 1826, for a short period the canal was an important means of transportation from Antingham to the River Ant at Wayford and thereon to Great Yarmouth.  Such cargoes as corn, flour, timber, cattle cake and animal feedstuffs were transported along this waterway until it was cheaper to move these cargos by train or road.  Here is an article that explains it all:

https://www.northwalshamheritage.org.uk/north-walsham-and-dilham-canal/

The Quakers and the Gildencroft

I visited the Quaker Meeting House on Upper Goat Lane today with Colin.  It was the first time I have been inside and I have included some photos below.  It was no surprise to find it to be very plain and practical and it was interesting to discover the history of the building that was built in 1826 and also the history of the Quaker burial ground at Gildencroft.  Here is an article that explains it all:

http://www.staugustinesnorwich.org.uk/History_-_The_Quakers.html

Church Architecture

I went on a Heritage Walk with Colin today and in one of his books he had the following diagrams which show the shape of church window arches and the period they relate to.  The early English arches are 13th century, the decorated ones are 14th century and the perpendicular arches (where the baluster goes all the way to the top) are 15th century.  I have always wanted a simple and easy way to identify the age of a church in most cases and this is it.  Of course there are exceptions but this is the general rule.   Hopefully you will find this useful:

The Bread and Blood Riots of 1816

I’ve been reading about the rioting that occurred in Norwich during the Georgian period.  It was a period of significant social unrest and Norwich had a reputation of being a hotspot.  Here is an article that describes one incident which came about after the introduction of the Corn Laws of 1815.  The latter was introduced to charge import duties on grain from overseas and also to keep the price of home grown grain high to promote political power and land ownership - it all sounds like a recipe for large unrest amongst the poorer masses:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.wordpress.com/category/georgian/

Thomas and Samuel Bignold

Here is old article worth repeating.  Did you know that Thomas Bignold was squeezed out of control of Norwich Union by the Board and his sons?  What were the antics of Samuel’s rascal son?  Was Charles Bignold a willing participant in Norwich Union? And how long did the Bignold’s control the organisation for?  If you don’t know the answers, and even if you do - select the link below:

https://joemasonspage.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/norwich-union-the-bignolds/

A Very Victorian Christmas

Somebody suggested an article on the above at the last meeting but I cannot remember who it was - sorry whoever you are!  Anyway I do like to honour requests.  We probably all know how hard you had to work in Victorian times, so hard that a lot of people had to get married at Christmas as it was the only time they could get two days off!  Here is an article that explains more:

https://thecowkeeperswish.com/2018/12/08/christmas-weddings-in-victorian-england/