George Vancouver

Don mentioned an article on George Vancouver to me today, so hopefully you will enjoy this.  Born in Kings Lynn on 22nd June 1757, he entered the navy at 13 years old - yes he was 13 years old!  Nelson was 12 years old when he joined the Navy.  So what was George famous for?  Why is there an island and a city named after him?  Which famous explorer did he accompany on his second and third voyages?  What was the book that was published after his death in 1798?  It’s a great insight into Nelson’s navy.  Please select the following link to find out more:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Vancouver

Here is a more detailed account of his life.  It goes into more detail on his apprenticeship with Cook and his experiences in the Caribbean where there was more opportunity for promotion because of the high death rate!  It also explains the Nootka Sound Affair.  What was George charged with on his return to England?  Where is an annual commemorative ceremony held for George?  Please select the following link to find out more:

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/vancouver_george_4E.html

Great Yarmouth Venetian Waterways

I was talking to Jackie today and she suggested including an article on the Great Yarmouth Venetian Waterways.  It looks like they are worth a visit because they have recently been restored.  I didn’t realise who and why they were built, when you find this out you will get a great insight into society after the First World War.  They were built in 1928 but which workers were given priority to build them?  Who was the designer?  When did The Waterways fall into decline?  They have been restored in 2019 but which workers were given priority to work on the restoration?  And where did the finance come from?  Please select the following link to find out more:

https://venetianwaterways.com/about/

Here is a more detailed account of The Venetian Waterways for those that are interested in more information.  I didn’t realise that decorative features (Nursery Rhyme tableaux, a large volcano, statutes) had been added in the 1950s but have subsequently been removed:  Please select the following link to find out more:

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001618 

St Benet's Abbey and Windmill

I was undertaking a recce for a Ramblers walk recently and came across St Benet’s Abbey and Windmill located on a lovely spot on the River Bure in the middle of the Broads, and I wondered what its history was.  So here is a film by the Bald Explorer that explains some of its history.  Why is there a windmill built in the abbey and what was its purpose?  How old is the abbey and how long has there been a church on this site?  Listen and discover the staggering facts about its dissolution during the Reformation.  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link, you may need to press play and move the red bar back to the start to play the talk, and also give the film a thumbs up:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20i7e-afwD8

Here is a written article to supplement the above.  What happened to the abbey during the Peasants Revolt?  Who was the famous Norfolk knight who is buried in a chapel near the high altar?  There is more information about the dissolution of the abbey.  Please select the following link to find out more:

https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/norfolk/abbeys/st-benets-abbey.htm

Discord, Dispute and Toleration in Reformation Norwich

Here is an interesting insight into Norwich during the reformation period by Muriel C McClendon.  Given what was happening in the King’s Court and other parts of the country, the Norwich magistrates took a different stance.  It’s staggering that they didn’t attract the attention of the monarch’s court.  But what was their motive and why did they take a more tolerant approach?  What were the past disputes which had resulted in outside intervention.  What action did the magistrates take against Thomas Miles for his harsh words on religious doctrines, the priesthood and the Virgin Mary?  Did the magistrates approach change during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary Tudor?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link, you may need to press play and move the red bar back to the start to play the talk, and also give the talk a thumbs up:  

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

Here is a summary of Muriel’s book which supplements the above talk.  It describes how the Norwich magistrates endorsed each change in Tudor religious policy in a formal sense, however they neglected to enforce conformity and to discipline religious dissidents in their jurisdiction. Please select the following link to find out more:

https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=1111

Whifflers of Norwich

Tony Harper mentioned the Whifflers of Norwich to me today and I thought a related article would be of interest.  Most of you probably know the Whiffler Pub on the Ring Road at Hellesdon but what is a Whiffler?  What important role did they perform?  When did this art die out?  What was the processional route they took through Norwich?  What type of costume did they wear?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link:  

https://joemasonspage.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/the-whifflers-of-norwich/

Here is another article on the Whifflers of Norwich.  So who was Snap the Dragon and what religious significance did it take?  What was Guild Day?  To find out more please select the following link:

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2018/06/

Please select the following link to see the Whiffler’s costume:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/picturenorfolk/10596233893/in/photostream/ 

Honingham Hall Shooting

Here is another interesting short film from the Little Bit of History series.  The hall was commissioned in 1605 by Sir Thomas Richardson and then passed down through a number of esteemed owners to Sir Eric Teichman in 1935.  Eric was an explorer/secret agent/diplomat - so he had an interesting life!  But where was he posted during the Second World War?  He retired in 1943 and journeyed back along the old silk road to England and Honingham Hall.  Why did Private George E. Smith, aged 28 years, of Pittsburgh and Private Leonard S. Wijpacha of Detroit take out guns from the armoury of the local American airbase?  Why did Sir Eric go outside to seek out the supposed poachers?  What did the GIs do with the body?  Were they brought to justice?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link and press play (you may need to move the red bar back too the start, you can also give a thumbs up to the film):  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oe18p1cLwM&t=93s

Here is a related article on the Honingham Hall Shooting.  Please select the following link:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2020/05/30/a-murder-at-honingham-hall/

The Great Yarmouth Body Snatchers

Here is an interesting short film from the Little Bit of History series.  Body snatching was such an awful crime, especially the trauma it caused the bereaved.  It is a shocking insight into the 19th century culture - they even body snatched children!  And the body snatchers were paid by highly respected members of society!  What Yarmouth cemetery were 20 bodies snatched from?  What bodies were surgeons legally allowed to use for medical research in 1827?  Why did unscrupulous surgeons turn to criminals to acquire more bodies?  What famous surgeon openly admitted to using body snatchers and which king was he surgeon to?  How much did the surgeons pay for each body?  The 1832 Anatomy Act brought an end to body snatching but what bodies did it allow to be used for medical research?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link and press play (you may need to move the red bar back too the start):  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xZNs14wdY

Here is a related article on the Great Yarmouth Body Snatchers.  Please select the following link:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2019/02/22/bodysnatchers-of-great-yarmouth/