Chapter 7, Rows 17-27.indd

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Chapter Seven

ROW SEVENTEEN

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

NORTH SAYS CORNER ROW (Palmer) Say’s Row (Johnson)

Say was a prominent trader at the west end of this row, in

a many windowed shop. Norwich has its “Say’s Court”

in Barrack Street. (recorded in Johnson’s notes)

Dr. Girdlestone died suddenly in 1822 from an

aneurysm of the heart. He was walking on the

Quay and staggered and fell. He was taken into

the nearest house, number two, but was found

to be dead.

The Occupants, Row Seventeen

In 1886 and later, there were no occupants, as

the brewery was here.

Charles Palmer tells us that Row number seventeen,

from North Quay to George Street, was called North

Says Corner Row. The dwelling house at the north-west

corner fronting the Quay was an old house faced with

white brick, which in the seventeenth century was the

residence of Brightin Wakeman Esq. This house at the

end of the eighteenth century and beginning of the

nineteenth was the property and residence of Thomas

Girdlestone Esq., an eminent Physician who had been

born at Holt, Norfolk in 1758. After passing some

years with the army in India he settled

in Yarmouth, where he succeeded

Dr. Aikin, and practised with great

success for thirty seven years. Dr.

Girdlestone was tall, slender and

upright, scrupulously dressed in black

with silk stockings and half gaiters,

a white cravat, an ample shirt frill,

powdered head and pigtail. He could

be seen walking through the town

with his gold-headed cane. He was

the author of several medical works,

and contributed to the professional

journals. In 1805 he published an

address to the inhabitants strongly

urging the advantages of vaccination,

and rebutting all the arguments then

brought against it.

Maps of Row 17 are with Row 18 (pages

188, 189, 190).

Photo. George Street, 15.7.2006.

186

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row Eighteen -

South Say’s Row (Palmer)

Row number Eighteen from Say’s Corner to George

Street was called South Say’s Corner Row. This row

and Row Seventeen, can be seen in the photograph

of Say’s Corner. A large house in Row Eighteen

had in Palmer’s time been divided up, but this is

not apparent in the photograph.

A substantial number of the dwellings in this area

were only approached by narrow passages and did not

front onto any row at all. The houses here certainly

were in the main very small indeed and undoubtedly

would have been totally devoid of any modern con-

veniences.

The Occupants, Row Eighteen

In 1886 and later, there were no occupants, as the brew-

ery was here.

Row 18, a very short Row to George

Street.

We can see that the houses here are all quite small

with only two storeys, but many had attic rooms

in the roof with dormer windows. Tall chimneys

higgledy-piggledy all over the place and Georgian

windows with slender glazing bars are apparent in

all the houses.

Parked in Row 18!

Two houses on the south side of Row Eighteen had

external wooden shutters as do the two houses facing

down towards us in the centre of the open space.

This was very much a residential area in the 18th.

and 19th. centuries, although the south side of row

18 had innumerable small dwellings along it by

1906, and it had been widened to form Brewery

Street. The widening all came from the north side

by demolishing the houses along the centre where

Say’s corner was and the area between the south side

of Row 18 and The Conge was unaltered.

Pavement is the site of Row 18 (looking east).

187

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Rows17and18

(1758)

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Row17

Row18

188

Pavement is the site of Row 18 (looking west).

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Sayer's Corner and the

Paget’s Brewery on North Quay

(1738)

Sam Paget’s old

brewery, picture along

the line shown

(right to left)

Row 17

Row 18

Sayer's

Corner

The Old

Brewery

Aldi store, 15,1,06

Below left, Aldi Store, 25.1.06, below right,

Lacon’s Brewery store, 1987.

Line of Row

17 18

189

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

R O W 17

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

the residence

of the famous

botanist,

Lily Wigg

the "Green yard"

1758

Row 13

two old "lost"

rows

Row 17

Row 18

North

1906

Quay

Brewery store

George Street

Row 13

1985

Row 17

Row 18

Now the site of “Aldi” store

Below, inside Aldi Store, 25.1.06

190

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

ROW NINETEEN -

WRESTLER’S ROW (Palmer)

(Not mentioned in Johnson’s Notebook)

facing onto brewery plain, but this of course was not a

retail outlet. The 1943 photo also shows the offices of the

brewery, which by then look quite different to the 1700

or 1894 frontage, which we are privileged to be able to

view. Whether the “Anchor of Hope” was Yerrell’s or

Woodcock’s warehouse I do not know.

The Occupants, Row Nineteen

In 1886 and later, there were no occupants, as

the brewery was here.

In the Row Survey of 1936 it says- “Rows 16,

17, 18, 19, do not exist, having been absorbed into

Lacon’s Brewery Business”.

28.12.2006

Row no. nineteen from George Street to Church

Plain was called Wrestler’s Row, because it led

directly to the ancient Wrestler’s Inn. Early in the

seventeenth century this house was called “Thir-

kell’s”, but as far back as 1691 it was known as the

Wrestler’s and then extended westwards as far as

Middle Street. (as it was originally called, later to

be Charlotte Street, now Howard Street. This being

so, the Wrestler’s must have been included within the

space between rows nineteen and twenty One, which

was in 1906 part of the brewery, and in 1989 the

Tesco’s Supermarket Store. If the eastward part of

this space on Swinden’s map is indeed Thirkell’s or

the Wrestler’s, then it appears to be a dormy house

or annexe, with a garden behind it on the west side.

The further west end of the area between these two

rows seems to be taken up with a rabbit warren of

very small dwellings. The premises of the Wrestlers

had previously belonged to Daniel Tills and John

Albert Hendrick, subsequently to Joseph Partridge,

Robert Newman and Samuel Meadow. Part of the

Wrestler’s was reconverted in Palmer’s time to a

liquor shop, called the “Anchor of Hope”, but this

was the part fronting Brewery plain and is to be

seen on the photograph. There was also

a spirit store in the brewery

Paintings inside the Wrestlers Inn, 28.12.2006.

191

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Photo about 1940.

Yerrells

Wrestlers

Lacons

Row 16

Woodcock’s

1772

Row 19

o nce all of this area

belonged to Thirkell's,

later to become part

of the Wrestlers,

1906

Row 19

1985

site of row19

Site of Row 19, 25.1.06,

now “Palace Bingo”

Row 21

Tesco's supermarket

store

Row 19 would have run through

the centre of Tesco's store, and

rows 16 and 21 are along the

sides of the building, except that

192

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row Twenty, from

Charlotte Street to

the Market Place,

now Brewery Plain

to the Market Place,

was named Swan

Row, because at the

south-east corner is

the Public House

called The “ Swan

with Two Necks ”.

In the seventeenth

century it was the

property of William

Cosh, a wealthy

brewer, and then

called the “ Three

Flower Deluces ”. He

died in 1681 aged 63,

having been Bailiff in 1679. The house was left to his

nephews and then to Francis Morse, who sold it in 1740

to William Browne Esq. The row was called Barrett’s

so far back as 1485, Barrett being Bailiff in 1488.

ROW TWENTY

SWAN ROW

STEWARDS ROW. (Palmer)

Bailiff Barrett’s Row, 1485

Wrestler’s Tap Row

Swan Row

Two Necked Swan Row

Steward’s Row

Steward’s The Chemists Row

Lacon’s Row (1934)

(seven names from Johnson)

At the north-east corner in Palmer’s time was a

Chemist and Druggist shop in an old house partially

rebuilt. The next houses to the north were in the

seventeenth century the property of Joseph Cotman.

House number three was at that time a Public House

called The “ White Bear ”, and the back premises

abutted in part upon those of the Wrestler’s and “ The

Duck ”. The Chemist and Druggist’s shop was rebuilt

again subsequent to the war, having been bomb

damaged, and there are photographs of these premises

both prior to and subsequent to the war. The house

at no. 2 in the Market Place, were in the seventeenth

century the property of Richard Brightin, and were

wine and spirit vaults.

The Two-Necked Swan, 16.7.2006.

Johnson wrote- “known subsequently as Wrestlers

Tap Row, Swan Row, Two Necked Swan Row,

Steward’s Row or Steward The Chemist’s Row.

How charming an entrance at the

east end! “SLIP IN” . This sign was

displayed in the 1920’s. There was

a covered entrance to the row at the

east end, with four heavy beams

overhead, the curved wooden spurs

(adze hewn), protecting posts for the

doorsteps. There were many chimney

pots, a graceful curve in the wide

row, and irregular gables. The clean

colour-washed walls set off the half-

timbered houses. Robert Barrett,

the Yarmouth bailiff of 1488, was

one of the 12 burgesses that amended

the tavern known as the Two Necked

Swan , was formerly the “ Two Fleur

DeLuces ”, owned by William Cosh,

who was Bailiff together with Samuel

193

Inside the Two-Necked

Swan, 16.7.2006.

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

In the photo, (taken

many years previous)

no. 12 is where the

young family is

looking out of the

gateway on the left.

The Holts had just

married, and came here

from Row 55 (Bank

Row). In the photo,

the row previously

flagged and cobbled,

had been concreted,

with the sewer laid

underneath, down the

middle of the row.

Other occupants of

the row included-

William Bishop who

worked at Jewson’s.

Bishop had a daughter,

and a son, Billy. The

Varleys lived at no. 4.

William Varley was a

fisherman. There was

a daughter Lilly. The

father and son were

both lost at sea on the

same fishing boat. old

ordinances in 1491,

and compiled some 33

clauses towards the

better government of

the town. There was

a tavern in the row,

according to Harry

Johnson. If so, this is

very unusual indeed,

all pubs normally

being at one end or

other of the rows.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Continued from prev.page :

Row 20, looking east, about 1925.

Fuller in 1679. Portions of his will were recorded

by Dawson Turner in 1848 in his “sepulchral

Reminiscences”. Cosh died aged 68 in 1681, and

was buried in St.Nicholas church. On August 22nd.

1906, by permission of the Rt. Worshipful, the Mayor,

(William Palgrave), a live crocodile was displayed in

a commodious room (at the Two Necked Swan ). The

price of admission was one shilling. (five new pence)

Similar exhibits were then common. Mr. A. Goddard

was the licensee in 1928. (extract of Johnson’s notes)

the position of Mayor in 1991 in order to save

money. Although one I have spoken to agrees

with this move, very little serious protest has

been noted since. Nevertheless this is a very sad

loss indeed in terms of our heritage. This was

the position in 1994, when the magasine version

of this work was printed. See list of Mayors for

relevant dates.

A most amazing thing is that the Council, despite

evident disagreement of the population, discontinued

194

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Yarmouth had other rows that took

the Steward name, such as “The

Pawnbroker” etc.

Nos.1 and 2 the market place was known as Bur-

rough’s corner in association with “Doctor” Bur-

roughs who had a wine and spirit business there.

Harry Johnson said that this was the oldest licensed

tavern in the district (although the Feathers

and the White Lion also lay claim.).

The Steward family have long been

Chemists and Druggists. In 1828 they

were so designated, and in 1891 Mr.

Hurry Palmer took over. It appears that

what was in the 1920’s known as Dr.

Burrough’s corner was the first shop

of Mr. Steward, later moving to no.

5, at the north-east corner of row 20.

On retirement the family resided at

Hog Hill. On 18th. January 1928, at 19

Wellesley Road died the last surviving

child, Susan Emma, of Charles Samuel

Dale Steward, the founder of this

long established family business.

The pre-war shop-front, with its four

Corinthian columns and the curious

and rare iron trellis ventilators to the cellars were

fitted in the early 1870’s 2 . The shop next north, no.

4, was for many years the popular eating house of J.W.

Peacock, father of the veteran Mercury contributor of

the 20’s. Peacock Row, no. 142, took its name from this

family.In 1845, Newman the whitesmith had his place

in Row 20, and in 1886 Mr. Tripp the lamplighter

was to be found there. The “familiar figure with

pole and ladder was rare even in Johnson’s time” 4 .

There exists a collection of the lamplighter’s poems

it seems by George A. Stephen, F.L.A., Norwich

Librarian of that time.

Boys from flat above Row 20 (picture page 197)

playing soccer across the Market, 28.12.2006.

The “ Rampant Horse ”, so long associated with

Charles Hart, was situated at the south-west

corner of the row. Here Joseph Watson retailed

vegetables from the gardens of Mr. Money,

dabbled in marine stores and furniture, and

eventually obtained a beer licence that finished

early in the first world war. The north gable of

this residence was of flint and brick, containing

two “cow-mouth” windows, and owing to serious

dilapidations, the whole was renovated and cement

rendered a few months prior to Johnson writing in

1928. (The same old story!)

For over a century the Forder family were resident

and in business in the vicinity. The directory for

1850 quotes Robert Forder of Row 20, and Thomas

Forder, of Charlotte Street, both furniture dealers.

The latter is mentioned in Pigot’s 1830 directory

as an auctioneer and appraiser (valuer), at the same

address. This family came from the Fleggs, and

in 1836 mention is made in White’s Norfolk, of a

cork tree, 75 years old to be seen in Mr. Forder’s

garden in Martham. At no. 3 Market Place, and

presiding over his well known lengthy bookstall

in the 1870’s was Robert Forder, a familiar fig-

ure in his top hat. His son John Forder died May

8th. 1926. These gentlemen were fond of recalling

tales of the press-gangs and their hauls made at the

Wrestler’s and the tavern in the row. At the mu-

seum was a tuning pipe used at the Parish Church

by one of the family early in the 19th.Century.

The Row Survey of 1936 shows this row to have

been by then demolished.

In 1934, Alice and Archie Holt moved here to no.

12, and must have been among the last residents

prior to the clearance. The entrance to their house

can be seen in the photograph, and is between

Forder’s and Barnes’ warehouse (the grocer’s). The

house had a tiny kitchen, a yard at the front, a main

room, three stories, two bedrooms above, and a cel-

lar below. Amazingly the cellar had once been used

to smoke herring, where “speets” had been hung

in the large chimney. Here it was possible to climb

up in the chimney, where you could then hang over

the dividing wall, and look down into the kitchen.

195

No 1 Market Place

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The chimney still smelled strongly of herring. The

cellar floor was made of rammed earth. Outside in

the yard, the lean-to with copper and tap, (which

froze up in the winter), can be seen on the plan.

14. Hodds, Charles

The Rows

15. Gown, Charles

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

1 Palmer

The Occupants, Row Twenty, 1927

(From 5 Market Place to Howard Street north)

2 Johnson

3 Alice Holt

North side

4 see row 113 regarding the lamplighters

2. Haylett, William James

The Occupants, Row Twenty, 1886

3. Kippen, Mrs.

(From Market Place to Howard Street north)

4. Varley, William

Tripp, G., lamplighter

South side

Lovett, T., blacksmith

6. Vince, Robert

Hall, C., bricklayer

7. Yerrell, Charles

Church, R.

8. Brackenbury, Bertie George

Baker, J., painter

9. Rudrum, James George10. Lovick, William

Nurse, F., porter

11. Forder, Frank, cabinet maker (workshop)

Alabaster, Mrs.

12. Larn, George

Rudd, H., cooper

14. Hunter, Harry

Spinks, F.

15. Garrett, Harry Edward

Folkes, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Twenty, 1913

The Occupants, Row Twenty, 1936

(From 5 Market Place to Howard Street north)

(From 5 Market Place to Howard Street north)

North side

North side:

1 and 2. Read, Richard

1 and 2. Buckle, Mrs.

3. King, William

3. Bishop, William

4. Sharman, Cecil Thomas

4. Varley, William

South side

South side:

6. Comer, Henry George

6. Vince, Robert

7. Money, Joseph

7. Yerrell, Charles

8. Rudd, Mrs.

8. Brackenbury, Bertie George

9. King, Bertie, Richard

9. Rudrum, James George

10. Lovick, William

10. Lovick, William snr.

11. Forder, Robert, cabinet maker

12. Lovick, William, jun.

12. Plummer, Mrs.

13. Forder, Frank, cabinet maker (workshop)

Forder, carpenter

196

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row20

The “White Bear”

The druggist

and chemist

1772

The “Three Flower

De Luces” 1681

The Gallon Pot, 16.7.2006.

The “Rampant

Horse”

4

5

6

1906

7

8

The “Two Necked Swan”

14. Stone, William

Midland Bank

15. Palmer, William

Reynold

“Gallon Pot”

1985

x

Row 20

x , flat above Row 20, see page 195.

197

Row 20

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

ROW TWENTY ONE

Fill, The Auctioneer’s Row

Smith, The Cabinet Maker’s Row.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

(names as per Palmer)

Smith the Upholsterer’s Row, 1854

(latter name from Johnson’s notes)

This row led from Howard Street North to George Street.

The north side was wholly occupied by Lacon’s Brewery,

being their north boundary. At the commencement of

the 19th. Century, the Fill family were auctioneers

and appraisers. Fill of Charlotte Street recorded his vote

as a householder in 1837 for Rumbold and Wilshere.

This James Fill previously resided nearer to the “New

Street” (Regent Street) in 1813, and at one time lived

at Jetty Road (St. Peter’s Rd.). He was probably the son

of William Fill, who was made a freeman in 1795. James

Fill lies buried in the new extension to the cemetery

immediately east of King Henry’s Tower. Inscriptions

were on both sides of the headstone. The Smith family

followed the Fills at the S.E. corner of the row as

cabinet makers, upholsterers, and paper hangers. This

was in the early 1850’s, and in the poll books Robert

Sharman Smith was recorded as having voted for Sir

Edmund Lacon and Vereker on 28th. March 1857. (no

such thing as secret votes then!) Up until 1919, a son,

Robert Thomas Sharman Smith carried on the business.

He was long associated with St.Andrew’s Church,

being churchwarden for many years. The residence was

formerly a private one. It had a splendid flint front,

and stone dressing around the windows. A tablet in a

fair state of preservation was still to be seen by Johnson,

bearing the date 1577. The gable at the north end had

been rebuilt some years previously, and some fine oak

beams were uncovered. In 1928 Mr. Fred J. Pert was

carrying on the business as cabinet maker, having worked

in the shop for the previous 30 years. At the north-east

corner of the row fronting Howard Street were the offices

of Lacon’s Brewery, erected in 1885.

Row 21 (photo. 18.12.93).

guineas - (2 pounds, and two shillings) for an

inside seat, and 23 shillings - (one pound and

3 shillings) for an outside seat. Fourpence was

the rate per mile for short distances inside,

and 2 pence outside. It took fifteen hours to

reach London in those days, whereas now the

same journey can be less than three hours by

train or by road. In the Tolhouse Museum was a

combined knife and pistol as used by the stage

driver on the London coach. Here also in Row

21 at no. 12, lived the last of the post boys

who conveyed the mails to and from Yarmouth

by road. Tom Colman was born on 4th. January

1824, by coincidence, the same date as his future

wife. He came from Lowestoft at the age of

eight, and commenced service with Dr. William

Ferrier at 135 King Street. This was Duffell’s

the fruiterers in 1928. There is a splendid photo

of this shop in 1903, selling tea, margarine and

other groceries. No. 135 is next to Row 113, it

was later Walter Bebee’s shop, and now in 1991

is Peter Howkin’s Jewellers. At 13 years of age

Tom Colman engaged himself to John Browne,

the landlord of the Angel Inn, who was the mail

coach contractor for the post-office of Row 63.

At this time the mail guard was George Watts who

resided at Row 106. Young Tom was sworn in as

postboy in front of Messrs. Hammond, Barker and

Fenn at the Star Inn. Other postboys locally were

John Gardiner, Tom Hodson, and George Wilson.

For some 20 years Colman was a familiar figure

at the Post Office in the row, and later at Hall

Quay, when in 1840 it was transferred to the S.W.

corner of Row 53. Later Colman was the licensee

of the “Norfolk and Norwich Arms” from about

1857 to 1875. This establishment with its stables

was involved with the visit of the Prince of Wales,

later Edward VII, in 1872. On the north side of

this row formerly was a passage leading to Row

19, and near here were Kemp’s cow sheds. Many

rows had dairies, and it was a common sight to

see daily, the cattle coming home from the Denes

and the marshes. Row 21 shared in the general

mourning occasioned by the tragic fall of the

Previously on this site was an eating house kept by

J.Bartlett, a flageolet player. The Warren family lived

in this row in the 19th. century. Thomas Warren,

known as”Old Warren,” was a noted stagecoach

driver, and a clever hand at “the ribbons”(horse’s

reins). Whilst promoting the Gt.Yarmouth to Norwich

Railway, the solicitor of the railway company

frequently made the journey to Norwich by travelling

on the outside of “Warren’s Coach”. His errand was

well-known and it greatly angered the old man.

“Why look ye here” he would exclaim, “I have but

three passengers, and how is a railroad to answer I

should like to know?” Formerly “Old Warren” had

driven the London stagecoach, “The Lord Nelson”,

leaving the Star Inn at 8 o’clock in the morning. The

fares charged in those far off times are interesting- 2

198

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

suspension bridge on May 2nd. 1845. Involved

in this disaster, of four persons over 30 years of

age, one of whom was Frederick Lucas of row 21.

Lolly Ruffold was a famous man of the street

in the 1890’s, acting as “judge” of the “ Black

Swan judge and jury” held every Sunday. He was

popular at verse and song making,and could reel

off “candle curtain” lectures etc., not only locally,

but at the foot of London Bridge. “Lolly” as he

was called, eked out a meagre existence as a rag

and bone dealer, and is credited with being one

of the batch of news sellers who sold the first

Eastern Evening News in Yarmouth on Jan. 2nd.

to Mr. W.S. Wigg, the Regent Street Jeweller.

“Lolly” Ruffold died at no. 1 Row 21. This

gentleman was George Ruffold, father of Thomas

Ruffold of Row 63, married Elizabeth Dowd,

from Ireland, and they lived in this row prior to

1900. Lucy, their daughter, was born here on 31st.

October 1887. George was a general labourer

according to Lucy’s birth certificate. The children

of George and Elizabeth were Tom, Lucy, Nellie,

John, Annie, Mary Lucy, and Elizabeth.

The Occupants, Row Twenty one, 1886

(From Howard Street north to George Street)

Lodge, Mrs.

Powell, B.

Westgate, W.

Freeman, W.

Bracey, C., smack owner

Brown, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Twenty one, 1913

(From 19 George Street to Howard Street North)

2. Hubbard George

5. Taylor, Charles

6. Loveday, Mrs.

Tom and Lucy were great pals, Tom eventually

moved to Row 63. Nellie (Ellen) had a large

family, married George Stone, and moved to

Liverpool. John’s marriage failed, although he

had a girl and a boy, his wife taking the children

to some unknown place, whereas John passed

a while in Norwich, endings his days in Hull

with Maudie Shreaves, who is thought to be a

relation. Annie died at a young age, although,

Maudie Shreaves is thought to have been her

daughter. Lucy born 1887, died 15/2/68. Having

married Arthur Dean, they lived in London. Three

children included Hazel, Olive and Arthur, who

died aged 3 years. Their sister Elizabeth born

3/9/1890, died 2/10/78, having been married

3 times, to Alfred Brady, then to Benjamin

Brady and then to Thomas Carmichael, the first

husbands being killed in the first and second

wars. She lived a while in Yorkshire, and then

after marrying Carmichael at Kilmarnock, at

Southampton. Elizabeth her mother, wife of

George (Lolly) went to live also at Southampton

when widowed, then in London, and with the

outbreak of bombing, to Warrington, where she

stayed with her daughter Mary.

7. Woodrow, John, cabinet maker

11. Grimmer, Ernest

The Occupants, Row Twenty one, 1927

(From 19 George Street to Howard Street

North)

2. Smith, John B.

4. Campling, Mrs.

5. Sarbutt, Mrs.

7. Church, Mrs.

8. Love, John

9. Gilham, Samuel William

9a. Hopwood, Albert

10. Lamb, Mrs.

11 . Rolfe, Mr. S.

No occupants recorded in 1936.

Johnson says that there was a cut-flint fronted

house at the S.E. corner with the date 1577.

“Another song was called for, and Ruffold the elder

produced from his pocket a sheaf of ballad sheets. These

were passed round for sale at a penny each, and soon

several dozens were disposed of. The song selected this

time was a so-called “good old drinking song”. Father

and son sang again, and received an ovation. Then they

passed on their way to the next public house”. (See “Rags

and Bones and Ballads, p.201.)

The 1936 Row survey says that Rows 20, 21, 22,

and 23, had been demolished, and the area was

known as the Conge. The demolition included

that part of George Street from Row 19 to Row

24, which crossed Rows 20-23.

3 William Ferrier was in the same class as C. J.

Palmer at Nichols’ school.

199

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

R O W 21

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

passage to row 19; somewhere near here

were Kemp's cow sheds.

1772

Fill's house(1837)

built 1577

1906

Row

19

George

Street

Row

21

19

Row

23

20

1985

no.64 Howard St.

View from east end, 23.1.06

21

Tesco store, south half

Became Mecca Bingo

2005

In 1985 this was the empty

Middleton's builders works

shortly to be demolished,

first a carpark, now

"Copperfield House".

the site of Fill's

ancient house

is now occupied

by a public toilet

200

Copperﬁeld House, 25.1.06

There follows the story of John and Lolly Ruffold. as told

by James Gellatley the Salvationist.

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

“Rags and Bones and

Ballads”

John Ruffold

by James Gellatly

The bar room of the Three Herrings was crowded

one Saturday evening in 1884. The Scottish fish-

ing season in Great Yarmouth was at its height

and in the spacious tap room packed almost to

excess were many hefty fellows “frae ayont the

Tweed”. They were in “fer their Wee Drappie”-

often more than was good for them.

Suddenly above the confused murmur of the con-

versation sounded a roar of welcome as George

Ruffold and his eight year old son John entered.

“Here they come”

“Now for a good song”

Come on Ruffold! Lets have one of your best!

“All right, me hearties, what’s it to be?

“Aw give us a verse or twa o’ Annie Lawrie”,

shouted a big Scot. “We’ll a jine in the chorus;

we ken that fine”.

George “Lolly” Ruffold,

“Right ye are boys.....come on Johnnie!” and in

a rich baritone, the public house singer, accom-

panied by the sweet piping tones of the boy, lifted

the lovely old Scottish ballad:

So it went on ‘til a very late hour that Saturday night.

By the time that they had reached their last house of

call, Ruffold and his boy were hardly able to stand.

Their voices too, had become incoherent; but that

didn’t matter very much, as by that time of night their

audiences were likewise in a fuddled state and inca-

pable of judging the merits of anything.

Maxwelton braes are bonnie

Where early fa’s the dew,

it was there that Annie Lawrie

At last the pair turned their faces homeward, but to

what a home! The mother was a poor enough crea-

ture, who took little or no interest in her husband

or children. Their home was just a sleeping conven-

ience, and wretched enough for that.

Gied me her promise true,

Gied me....

The refrain was taken up by the whole room, with

an enthusiasm that made itself heard for a long

way down the quayside.

Ruffold senior, now getting toward middle life, was

noted all over the town for his wild and dissolute

habits. People shook their heads when they spoke of

the Ruffolds, and how they were bringing up their

boy, who was dragged around the public houses of a

night and plied with drink. A law should be made to

stop such goings on!

When the song was finished, a great round of

applause was accorded, and drinks were pressed

upon the singers, father and son alike. The little

boy drank his beer with the air of an experienced

toper, while the men looked on approvingly; for

with most of the frequenters of those houses beer

drinking and manliness were one and the same

thing.

Such happenings as this did eventually bring about

the law prohibiting children from entering public

houses.

But meantime young Ruffold was a source of profit

to his “depraved” parents. The child’s welfare was

subordinated to the selfish desire of the drunkard to

put money in his pocket and beer down his throat.

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The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

John’s gipsy girl mother, had met her husband

when he had followed her tribe around the country.

She had married him when she was eighteen

years of age. The next year or two they had spent

in going from place to place, hawking simple

wares and living loosely in lodging houses, and

sometimes out in the open.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

During the fishing season or perhaps in the

summer they would trek to Great Yarmouth, where

young Mrs Ruffold would divide her time between

gutting herrings on the quayside and making beds

at a nearby public house and lodging house, where

they looked after her little family. Her husband

meanwhile sold lemonade and other seasonable

commodities- on the quayside in winter, and on the

beach in summer.but he drank practically all that

he earned. The mother also drank freely so that

from the start their married life was governed by

the effects of alcohol, as were so many, then.

From time to time they would go back to the east

end of London. It was during one of these periods

in 1876, that John their third child was born, in

a Bethnal Green side street. Not a long way from

there, eleven years before, William Booth had

begun his great work.

The baby was only three weeks old when his

parents turned once more to the seaside town,

travelling by water; and by reason of the rough

weather it took them about twenty hours to reach

the port. This time they decided to remain in

Yarmouth. Ruffold set up a kind of sugar boiling

business, and hawked his “lollipops” as he called

them, in exchange for rags and bones.

sleeping convenience, and wretched enough for that.

His wife with her three little ones went in other

directions, hawking sundry items of haberdashery.

Ruffold senior, now getting toward middle life, was

noted all over the town for his wild and dissolute

habits. People shook their heads when they spoke of

the Ruffolds, and how they were bringing up their

boy, who was dragged around the public houses of

a night and plied with drink. A law should be made

to stop such goings on! Such happenings as this did

eventually bring about the law prohibiting children

from entering public houses.

Johnny’s first recollection was of being carried

by his mother’s side as she tramped from street to

street selling her goods. The warmth of her body

and the snugness of the shawl in which he was

carried were vivid memories.

John grew into a sturdy little lad. His father

was quick to notice that he had inherited an

attractive singing voice, and in spite of a certain

crude fondness for his son, he did not hesitate

to exploit him, at a tender age, for his own ends.

He cared little for the child’s morals or for other

consequences; so for years the boy knew only

too much of debauchery and other evils. By that

time of night their audiences were likewise in a

fuddled state and incapable of judging the merits

of anything.

Meantime young Ruffold was a source of profit

to his dissolute parents. The child’s welfare was

subordinated to the selfish desire of the drunkard to

put money in his pocket and beer down his throat.

(This is Gellatly’s view, which seems over-extreme,

when a living was hard indeed to make, and at a

time when the employment of children was commom

enough, and most had no schooling.)

John Ruffold had become acquainted with several

showmen, and he was accepted as an assistant at

a travelling freak show, which had a fair run of

success in various parts of the country, and at the

Agricultural Hall in London.

At last the pair turned their faces homeward,

but to what a home! The mother was a poor

enough creature, who took little or no interest in

her husband or children. Their home was just a

202

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

(against his thirty-four inches!) To carry on his more

prosaic calling of boot and shoe repairer.

Ruffold, not wanting to leave the business, obtained

a job with another showman. This time his role was

to stand in a coffin placed on end, with his face

showing through an aperture from which downward

a gruesome skeleton was painted on the coffin.

The challenge to the public was : Three balls for

twopence! Every time you hit his fat head, you win a

fat cigar!

A smack from one of those balls of rubber was more

painful than from a boxing glove with a fierce fist

behind it. Fortunately for Ruffold there were not

many hits, but every hit was a misfortune for the man

standing in the coffin. Night after night he would

crawl to his bed in a corner under the roundabouts,

with bruises on his poor face, and sometimes a black

eye- a fine advertisement for the next days work.

One day Ruffold was caught stealing corn to appease

his hunger; he was sentenced to a fine of 10 shillings

or 7 days in jail. His boss paid the fine on condition

that John remained in his service. Ruffold consented,

but was now so thoroughly disgusted that he stayed

only a week longer before he cleared out. The boss, an

unscrupulous fellow, often cheated his assistant out of

his share, says Gellatly.

Maudie Shreaves, daughter of Alice

Ruffold, lived with her Uncle John in the

latter part of his life at Norwich.

Somehow he scraped together a little money, bought

a pedlar’s licence and a very small stock of goods,

and set out to travel the country. Sometimes he made

enough to get a night’s doss, but often he slept in the

open. After wandering from place to place for some

time, he turned his steps towards his home town. One

day, in Colchester, he heard a familiar voice. It was

his father, singing in the street, and selling his ballad

sheets. “Hallo Dad” shouted young Ruffold, “I didn’t

know you had left home”.”Yus, my son”, replied the

father. “I got sick of the old trade there, and at this

time of year there ain’t much doin’, so ‘ere I am.”

A special feature of this show was a dwarf, a

native of Yarmouth, known at home by the name

of “Tuppenny Rice”, but for show purposes as

“Sir Richard Crossley”. Other exhibits were a

sheep with five legs, a chicken with one wing, and

a composite animal reminiscent of the beast of

the apocalypse- a creature with a goats head and

six horns, a sheep’s body and a cat’s tail.

Like father like son. Both were restless spirits. They

decided on a partnership, and for a while it was quite

like old times, but it did not last long. Summed up,

it was just drink, drink, and more drink. Soon they

quarrelled and separated. The son had thought out

another idea to gain a living. He would try to write

some original ballads or recitals, have them printed,

and then recite or sell them in the streets and market

places. The subjects chosen were shipwrecks, murders

and other sensational current events. Ballad singing

and reciting at that time was a very popular form of

entertainment, and young Ruffold was amazed at the

success which attended his efforts. In six months he

turned over nearly one hundred pounds.

It should be noted that there were still travelling

freak shows in England in the 1970’s. I saw

one at Abingdon, occupying the High Street, in

1973, where there was a woman with no body, a

bearded lady, Siamese twins, several dwarfs and

others, who were on show for employment just

as in the 1890’s. Likewise, in Yarmouth, even

in the 1990’s, Peter Jay was employing a young

man called the ape man, being totally covered in

hair, at the Hippodrome, but a campaign by the

“Mercury” caused cancellation of the act.

All went well for a while, but the show began

to wilt. Funds ran low. Eventually the concern

became bankrupt, and was sold up. The dwarf

retuned to his home, and his six feet tall wife

203

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Alice married Tom,

son of Lolly; Janet

married Walter

Allen; Nellie married

Walter Prince; Ethel

married Clarence

Denton. These photos

were obtained from

Pauline (Ruffold) Steward,

my practice nurse. By

coincidence, Mrs King

(see Row 60) had a copy

of the old Salvationist

pamphlet, and then I

discovered John’s writings

in Norwich PRO.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

John Ruffold kept a list of his works in those

days:-

The pressure sometimes caused bleeding at the

nose, which would last several hours. One morning

Ruffold found himself in a strange room, an attic. He

woke up shivering with the cold in the grey dawn; he

had been lying on a small bed fully dressed. Sitting

up he looked around. There was no door in this

queer room, only a small skylight.

subject Number sold £ - s. -d.

“Southend Murder” 2,000; £8 -6- 8

“Yorkshire Murder” 2,000; £8- 6- 8

“Old Mother Dyer” 2,000; £8- 6- 8

“Where am I?” he wondered. “How did I get in

here?” “Puzzled, he investigated, walking around,

and tapping the walls. But he could find no door;

apparently he was a prisoner. He shouted, but there

was no response. Really scared, he walked again

round his “prison”.

“Seaman Fowler” 1,000; £4- 3- 4

“Yarmouth Murder” 2,000; £8- 6- 8

“Parson and Norwich Lady” 5,000; £20- 16- 8

This time he kicked a mat aside, and discovered a

trap-door. Lifting it he made his way down a step

ladder, to find that he was in the house of a drinking

pal. He had been brought up to the spare room

helplessly drunk the night before, to sleep off the

effects of his debauchery.

“Gorleston Vicar” 1,000; £4- 3- 4

“Diss murder” 2,000; £8- 6- 8

On one occasion however, John was caught out.

He had written a ballad about the execution of a

recent murderer; at the last minute a reprieve was

granted, and two thousand sheets were wasted.

Much worse behaviour is apparent today, financed

by the tax-payer. See Deneside and 1 York Road.

When the demand for ballads on such sordid

topics began to wane, Ruffold struck out on a

rather inconsistent line, which in any case could

not persist long; he wrote temperance ballads! For

a time he did fairly well, but it soon became known

that the tee-total champion could be found any

night in the public houses of the town, enjoying

the profits of his days work - so that was the end

of that!

Sometimes he would go to sea in a fishing boat, or

find a job unloading the herring catch. But, being a

true landsman, he was not fond of this kind of work,

and only when he could get nothing else would he

take to the work among the fish.

He was much more in his element pushing a rag and

bone barrow, or selling his ballad sheets.

In Ruffold’s life, Sunday was no different from other

days. He had hardly ever seen the inside of a church;

religion had no place in his wild life. If anything,

Sunday was a specially busy day for him. The sale of

Sunday newspapers at that time was a vexed question

in Great Yarmouth. Ruffold was in the forefront in

this trade, and almost every week he was fined for

selling Sunday papers (a far cry from todays liberal

By this time the drink habit absolutely dominated

him. It was quite an ordinary thing, when he

competed with one of his boozing mates, for two of

them in the course of two hours, to drink between

them, thirty to thirty-five pints of beer.

204

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

laws!); but the newsagents always paid the

fine, so the offence was regularly repeated. The

local authorities took the matter higher, but the

newspaper proprietors stepped in, and paid the

still higher fines imposed. Meanwhile Ruffold

found a good deal of money by this Sunday work-

money of course to pour down his throat.

anything for beer. So when young Ruffold was saved,

the news spread quickly through the town. His life was

watched. He has stood the test, and the test has left

him a conqueror.” About a year after his conversion,

he felt the urge to become a Salvation Army Officer.

He was accepted, and in due course entered training.

The townsfolk presented him with an expensive

travelling trunk.

One of the last of his “booze-ups”, as he called

them, was in the year 1901. Queen Victoria

had passed away, and a great memorial service

was being held in the parish church. A great

circus was in the town at the time, and the large

pavilion of the show was erected on the market

square to serve as an overflow for the crowds

expected. Thousands of townspeople gathered to

pay homage to the memory of the great Queen.

Ruffold was there, but not to honour his late

sovereign. One of the local tradesmen, who had

shrewdly laid in a stock of memorial buttons, had

asked Ruffold to be responsible for their sale, at

a good profit. Here was a scoop, as he was the

only one selling such emblems. By the time the

service began he had sold out, and made a good

few pounds profit. He turned away from the

hush and solemn service and sought out some of

his boozing pals. In some surreptitious way they

had secured a quantity of liquor, even though the

public-houses were closed, and they spent the day

in an orgy of drinking and gambling! In a couple

of days or so, Ruffold’s profit had vanished.

In the year 1910 John Ruffold had fallen on bad

times. His marine store business had gone down a

good deal, and he decided to sell up his little home,

and emigrate to Canada. There he worked hard, and

linked up with the Salvation Army Corps at Neepawa,

Manitoba, but he never settled, and returned home in

1914. Soon after war broke out, he found himself in

the armed forces, and he served at Gallipoli, and in

Palestine. John Ruffold spent his last years living in

Norwich with failing eyesight, but continuing a devout

Salvationist.

Yarmouth Celebrities of the end of the Nineteenth

Century, as I knew them, by being in their company,

often a short sketch of each, and how they emerged into

celebrity.

By John Ruffold.

John Cobb was of good parentage, his people being

a well-known mechanical professional tradesman, to

wit - a surgeon dentist. The above John Cobb was not

of stability. He was always shifty and would not rest in

comfortable surroundings. He liked the rough side of

life: “The streets” of which he was always upon doing

something for someone for some remuneration.

Such excesses resulted eventually in alcoholic

poisoning. He was attacked by delirium tremens.

One night, not long after the memorial service,

he was carried with great difficulty to his

lodgings 1 , and put to bed in a state of raving

madness. Becoming extremely violent, he was

removed to the work-house infirmary, where

he was placed in a padded room. When he had

calmed a little, he was placed in a ward with a

number of other men. There he lay in a critical

state, his whole system on fire.He remembered

the whole of his body being packed with snow

Certainly he was a character. His clothing did not seem

to ﬁt and soon he came shiny with one boot done up and

one not a trouser leg up half mast high, a bob-tailed coat,

a small boy’s cap, a short dirty clay pipe and the heels

of his boots down to the upper. All this made him have a

peculiar gait.

He was known to hundreds as a “policemen’s tout” or by

some who called jalk (Jack?) a “copper’s nark”.

In self-denial week, he offered to collect from all

of the rows. The salvationists had not troubled

the people there, thinking them too poor, but

Ruffold set himself to gather 30 shillings.

Often seen walking with the policeman and especially

sergeants, lots would think the “coppers nark” the true

description, but let me say here that he was not so.

“I’ll get it in farthings he said, and did so,

collecting £2 from those poor homes, and £3-

10s. in all, including a guinea he received for a

watercolour that he bought for a few pence.

Actually he was harmless in this respect for I knew him

not to be implicated in any police case. What John Cobb

really was to the police in his day was their friend and

helper. Many jobs he did for them at their homes for a

triﬂe towards his keep, he having lodging at a working

men’s lodge in row 47. (see Row 47)

At the time of his conversion, Alderman E. J.

Middleton wrote in the local press:

“The Ruffold conversion has made a great

impression on the town; he was so well-known.

His father was for years a Yarmouth character;

a talented man, but an atheist and a drunkard-

1 Row 47.

205

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

ROW TWENTY TWO

Shuckford The Basket-maker’s Row, 1829

Felstead’s Row

Bumpstead’s, 1867

Barnes’ Row

(all names from HBJ’s notes)

Row no. Twenty Two ran from Charlotte Street or Brewery

Plain to the Market Place, at the south-west corner facing

Charlotte Street was an old house having the letters

“E.C.I.” in iron, probably the residence of Egilius Call,

who in 1634 was a strenuous opposer of the exaction

of the Ship Money. That site now of course is Futter’s

Furniture & Carpet Warehouses and premises. Frank Futter

started his furniture business in St. Nicholas Road, and

Stanley Bircham from Row 27 worked there with him as

his upholsterer. Stanley had some furniture of his own

sold in the shop, but was never a partner, indeed when

business was slack he was laid off on the Labour. There

was a store-room above the shop which ran along over

all three shops, and here the upholstery was carried on,

and mattresses re-stuffed. Most boarding houses would

have all their mattresses re-stuffed each year, prior to the

season, as there were no spring mattresses available then.

Some modern proprietors could benefit from this practice

still, judging from many beds in low class lodgings and

hotels that I have had the misfortune to inspect! On the

left (as seen in the photo of the shop) were the stairs

to the store room. All the furniture was hauled up to the

store room by the pulley and hoist seen above the first-

floor doorway. The only other employee before the war

was Wilfred Bircham, who was a bound apprentice. Five

shillings a week was the pay of an apprentice starting in

1934. The hours of an apprentice then were from half past

eight in the morning, until ten at night. Frank Futter, whose

father had worked the horse cabs, had been apprenticed

at Boning’s and Arnold’s (King Street, site of Marks and

Spencer). He became a master tradesman.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Row 22, 5th Feb. 1939, by P. Rumbelow.

edge of the National Westminster Bank, no.1, The

Conge. (The history of the Barnes family and their

shop is in the Market Place section).

At the south-east corner of this row in 18th. and 19th

century, was a house (no. 9, Market Place) whose

Frank Futter’s Shop in St. Nicholas

Road, Stanley Bircham standing outside

(see Row 27.)

North side, Row 22, after clearance of south side.

No.8, in the Market Place, is now Claxton’s Menswear

Shop, on the edge of the extended Conge, Row Twenty

Two would have run along the northern pavement of the

Conge. This shop was formerly that of the Barnes grocery

family for over a hundred years. The position of Row

Twenty Four would now be just covered by the northern

Frank Futter (senior), son of Frederick, married

Julia. Frank snr had six brothers, one brother was

a coal merchant, Ralph moved to be a bookmaker

in Rugby, James Fred, Cyril, another went to sea

and died of a fever, aged 17 in Columbo. Another

brother went into the army. James, The sister

married Jack Seago the scrap merchant of Row

133.

206

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Julia and Frank lived in row 22 on the site of the

present furniture store. Julia, born 20th August

1913, came from Cambridge. Her mother moved to

Yarmouth to keep house for her Uncle, Sam Murkin,

after her husband was killed during WWI. Murkin,

later spelled Markin, was a railwayman, who later

worked as a roadbuilder. Julia’s mother married

John Henry Markin as her second husband, a sailor

in the merchant navy. They lived at number 4, with

his father, until January 1939, when they moved to

Chaucer Road. Frank Futter started his furniture

business stuffing matresses at a shop in St. Nicholas

Road, then progressed to a much larger one on the

Conge, as well as one in Gorleston (now closed), and

a third shop in Lowestoft, which has offices above.

Frank Futter started his furniture business in

St.NicholasRoad, and Stanley Bircham from Row

27 worked there with him as his upholsterer. Stanley

had some furniture of his own sold in the shop, but

was never a partner, indeed when business was slack

he was laid off on the Labour. There was a store-

room above the shop which ran along over all three

shops, and here the upholstery was carried on, and

mattresses re-stuffed. Most boarding houses would

have all their mattresses re-stuffed each year, prior to

the season, as there were no spring mattresses avail-

able then. Some modern proprietors could benefit

from this practice still, judging from many beds in

low class lodgings and hotels that I have had the

misfortune to inspect!

porch.

On the

left

front

of the

main

room

was a

washing

copper,

and

across

the

room, the stairs led up on the right hand side, beside

the pantry. The kitchen was

separate, in the yard, with a

staircase to a bedroom above.

The two bedrooms above

the “front” room, each had

a fireplace, the chimney

tap

toilet

Row 22

yard

Stair

Market Place

20

24

Front

room,

2 bedrooms

above each other

4

Pantry

On the left (as seen in the photo of the shop) were

the stairs to the store room. All the furniture was

hauled up to the store room by the pulley and hoist

seen above the first-floor doorway. The only other

employee before the war was Wilfred Bircham, who

was a bound apprentice. Five shillings a week was

the pay of an apprentice starting in 1934.

29

32

22

26

Front

door

stairs

yard

3

The hours of an apprentice then were from half past

eight in the morning, until ten at night. Frank Futter,

whose father had worked the horse cabs, had been

apprenticed at Boning’s and Arnold’s (King Street,

site of Marks and Spencer). From the apprenticeship

he qualified as a master tradesman.

Frank snr. was a cousin of another local Futter

family, who have a bookmaker’s business. Fred,

brother of Frank, was a coal merchant, as is his son.

Frank Jnr. married Barbara, and their two children

went to Hopton school. Once or twice a year then

their children went with the whole school, whilst

Frank Etheridge was headmaster, to Hopton Hall, to

be entertained to tea by Mrs Noel.

toilet

1

2

leading up

from the fire

below the

washing copper.

A separate

chimney was

in the kitchen,

with a range.

The water tap

was out in the

yard.

No.1 Row 22 was behind Barnes’ shop on the north

side. There was then a yard, and no.2 was on the east

side within the yard, no.3 was opposite that, on the

west side of the yard. No 4 was then next down the

row, with its own small yard. At no.4 the front door

opened outwards into the row, and inside was a small

207

Frank and Julia Futter, 1931. Regent Road

toilet

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

site would now be in the centre of the Conge, then

an ironmongers shop, as Palmer described: “When

Louis the Eighteenth under the assumed name of the

“Count De Lisle” had landed at Yarmouth on the 30th.

October in 1807, he was taken to the same house,

which was then occupied by Admiral Billy Douglas.

Louis XVIII came on shore from a Swedish frigate,

the “Freya”, in the Admiral’s barge, accompanied by

the Duke D’Angouleme and the Duke D’Berri and

others. He was received by Admirals Douglas and

Essington. Their carriages took them all to the above

house, where breakfast was served. Also present

were Sir Samuel Hood, Admiral Russell, and several

naval captains. Douglas was the Port Admiral of Yar-

mouth, and esteemed as a “bluff but brave and good

sailor”. His son also attained the rank of Admiral,

and one of whose daughters married the Reverend

Augustus Bellman, Rector of Moulton”. Apparently

the Count D’Artois afterwards Charles the Tenth,

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Frank and Julia on riverboat, 1931.

Above right, the shop window,

16.7.2006. Top right, Barnes’ win-

dow.

Claxtons Menswear, 18.12.94, N.E corner of

Row 22.

This store was once Barnes’ Grocer’s,

see Market Place (volume 2).

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A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

then called “Missure”, as being heir

presumptive to the throne of France,

had come down from London to meet

his Royal brother. Also present was the

Prince D’Comday, the Duke D’Bourbon

and the Duke D’Grammont.

Plane, H.

3. Wright, Philip

The Occupants, Row Twenty

Two, 1913

4. Markin, Henry

6. Simmons, Sidney

(From 8 Market Place to Howard

Street North)

7. Slack, Mrs.

North side

8. McDonald, Frederick

1. Farrant, Alfred

9. Smith, Harry

3. Summers, Henry

10. McSteen, Thomas

The Occupants, Row Twenty Two,

1886

4. Stigwood, Thomas

11. Barnes, Mrs.J.F.

( From Market Place to Howard Street

North)

5. Gedge, Horace

South side

6. King, Wilfred

12. Dix, Albert

Jackman, J., fisherman

7. Ives, George

13. Molland, George L.

Lambert, W., bricklayer

8. Rising, Mrs.

14. Breeze, Ernest

Bond, J., bricklayer

9. Ayles, Mrs.

15. George, John

Whincop, W., painter

10. McSteen, Robert

16. Harvey, Mrs.

Tye, C., shoemaker

11. Platford, John

The Occupants, Row Twenty

Two, 1936

Dickie, G, Whitesmith

South side

(From 8 Market Place to 5

Howard Street North)

North side

1. Ives, Mrs.

2. Ives, Joseph Harry

3. Wright, Philip

4. Markin, Henry

5. Simmons, Sidney Richard

6. Simmons, Herbert

Frank and Julia on an-

other outing, a chara-

banc ride.

7. Slack, Ernest Robert

Jackman, Mrs.

12. King, Harry

8. Pagano, Thomas

14. Rudd, Mrs.

Simmons, B.

9. Smith, Harry

Gowing, J.

Gowing, F.

15. George, John

10. McSteen, Thomas

Holmes

Rudd, C., lightsman

16.George, Henry

11. Gibbs, Mrs.

Hewitt, F.

Conden, J.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Two,

1926

South side

Platford, Mrs.A.

Hunn, R., brush-maker

12. Dix, Albert

(From 8 Market Place to Howard

Street North)

Simmons, A, coal heaver

16. Harvey, Ambrose

Beaumont, G., beach-man

North side

Brooks, Mrs. A.

1. Ives, Joseph Henry

Rudd, Mrs.

2. Pearce, Richard Harold

209

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

ROW TWENTY THREE

(Palmer gave no name)

Tooke the Baker’s Row, 1826 (John-

son)

From George Street to Charlotte Street.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

There were a few old houses still in the row in

Palmer’s time. A property in this row at no. 20,

was advertised for auction on 12th. July 1894,

at the “Star” Hotel, by Thomas Cranmer. It was

one of thirty residences for sale upon the death

of Mr.William Wright Wright. This is typical of

the type of ownership of row property. Generally

a landlord had built up a sizeable holding, and

rented all the property out. Number 20 was a

brick and tile built cottage containing five rooms

with cellar and outbuildings. At the time, the

property to the east was owned by Mr. Knowles,

and that on the west was owned by Mr.

George. No. 23 was rented by

Thomas Stanton at a rent of

£6-10s a year, payable weekly,

with the landlord paying the

rates.

The roof of “Tesco” store is visible behind the

W.C. Photo taken standing at east entrance to

the former row.

1772

Fill's house, then Smith,

built of flint and stone

Row 23 had been demolished

prior to the Row Survey in

1936.

Row 23

The Occupants,

Row Twenty

Three, 1886

(From Howard

Street north to

George Street)

6

5a

1906

Fred Pert, cabinet maker

here in 1928

Hayes, A., lodg-

ing house keeper

19

20

21

11 9 8 7

4

2

1

12

5

3

no.64 Howard

Street North

Smith, Mrs.

22 2119 18 17 16 15 14 13

Newby, H.

22

23

Fenn, J., labour-

er

lodgings were

available at nos. 1 and 2

Bowles, Mrs.

Harvey, A.

Row 21

Whitby, Mrs.

Yarham, Mrs.

Goffin, Mrs.

Griffin, W.

Line of Row 23, now edge of the Conge

1985

Patridge, R., fish

house

Middleton's Office

210

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Burwood, H.

22. Thompson, Lewis Frederick

Warden, Mrs.

Blowers, J.

The Occupants, Row Twenty

Three, 1927

Mc.Donnell, R.

Smith, J., shoemaker

(From 64 Howard Street north to

George Street)

11. Stone, Edward

George, J., smacksman

North side

South side

Read, Mrs.

1. Goreham, William Feargus

13. Warden, William

Fisher, Mrs.

2. Harrod, Mrs.

14. Roberts, Mrs.

Coney, J.

3. Ellis, Isaac

15. Beales, Mrs.

Holmes, R.

4. Colman, Edward

16. Canwell, Mrs.

5. Brown, Joseph

17. Dullimore, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Three, 1913

5a. Culley, Mrs.

20. Wigg, Benjamin C.

(From 64 Howard Street north to George

Street)

5b. Crooks, Charles

21. Arthur, Archibald

North side

6. Cushion, Miss

22. Harrington, Herbert

Walter

1. and 2. White, George, lodging house

7. Gown, Joseph

5. Brown, Joseph

8. Gosling, Frederick William

9. Halsey, George

5a. Harvey, Edward, fish curer (same fish house

as Mr.Partridge in 1886?)

10. Woodhouse, Miss Mabel

6a. Culley, Mrs.

6. Bulley, Edward

7. Prettyman, Joseph John

8. Gosling, Frederick William

9. Cohen, Henry

10. Warden, William

11. Addy, Benjamin

“Copperﬁeld House” job centre, 1993.

Below- the south-west corner of Row 23,

approximately at the position of the “For

Sale” sign. 25.1.2006.

South side

13. Bales, John

15. Beales, Mrs.

16. Harvey, Josiah

17. Smith, Mrs.

18. Hanton, George

20. Harris, Arthur

21. Long, John

211

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

ROW TWENTY FOUR

BLUE ANCHOR ROW .

This was named Blue Anchor Row, 1829 as

by Palmer, also as Foulsham’s Row by H.B.

Johnson

Alexandra, Mrs.

The Rows

High, F., boot and shoe maker

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Goffin, Mrs.

Whittaker, W., gardener

Row no. Twenty Four when it ran from Charlotte

Street to the Market Place was called the Blue

Anchor Row from the public house at the south-

east corner fronting the Market Place. At the

south-west corner was a public house formerly

called the “ Spread Eagle ”. There are a number

of photographs of this old row prior to it’s

disappearance. The photograph of Blue Anchor

Row dated 1880 appears to have been taken from

the west end as evidenced from the curvature. The

row is cobbled at the sides and appears to have

a brick pavement down the centre. The Row

Survey of 1936 says that demolition had taken

place that included that part of George Street

from Row 19 to Row 24 which crossed rows 20

and 23. “In George Street, near to, and backing

onto Row 24 are two houses of some interest built

over basements which had at an earlier date been

occupied as living-rooms. These basements are

no longer in use. They are however found to be

quite dry. Blue Anchor Row has one interesting

old house with a good shop front on either side

of its door. The shopfront windows are divided

by sash bars, and date from about 1800. The rest

of the building is older. It is in three storeys and

has sash windows with a tiled roof”.

Smart, R., clothes dealer

Carter, Mrs.

Neil, J., fish shop

Beckett, W., smacksman

Rowlett, R.

Preston, J., smacksman

The Occupants, Row Twenty Four, 1913

(From Market Place to Howard Street North)

North side

7. Whitehead, Albert

7. Whitehead, Reginald, boot maker

8. George, Walter James

10 and 11. Evans, Henry, shellfish dealer

South side

15. Tuck, Walter

The Occupants, Row Twenty Four, 1886 (From

Market Place to Howard Street North)

16. Myhill, Mrs.

Larn, G., shrimp catcher

17 and 18. George, Mrs.B., china and glass dealer

Chipperfield, G., umbrella mender

19. Spinks, Robert

Easter, G., fish hawker

Wright, G., fish curer

Wolsey, J., carter

The south side of Row 24 ran along the south side of the

Conge where now extended to the Market Place. The

extension of the Conge took place during the Row clear-

ance of 1936. Henry Swinden’s 18th century map, and the

Ordnance Survey Map of 1886 show the Conge as it was

prior to the clearance, with Row 24 intact.

212

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

11. Langley, Harry

MarketPlace

12. Grieks, Robert Thomas

13. Myhill, Mrs.

1758

Row24

South side

15. Tuck, Walter

Row26

16. Page, William Edward

17. Crane, Sidney

17a. Rouse, Victor Stanley

18. Graham, Herbert Smith

19. Smith, Charles Edward

lamp passage

20. Page, William George

21. Burgess, Mrs.E.

21a. Rodwell, Henry

22. Jessop, Benjamin

The Occupants, Row Twenty Four, 1936

(From 10 Market Place to 8 Howard Street

North)

North side

South side

7. Bolton, Victor

15. Tuck, Walter

10. Ash, Richard Thomas

16. Page, William Edward

17. Runniff, Walter Herbert

18. Jarmey, Albert

20. Woodhouse, Miss

lamp passage

21. Burgess, Mrs.E.

22. Allen, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Four,

1927

(From Market Place to Howard

Street North)

north side

7. Bolton, Victor

Looking into the Police yard from the Conge(Row 24)

25.1.06. note the speed camera van just coming out!

10. Cuthbert, Goerge

213

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Row 24 was to the right of the

National westminster Bank.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

16.7.06

North side

16.7.06

7. Bolton, Victor

Site of Row 24

10. Cuthbert, George

22. Jessop, Benjamin

11. Langley, Harry

12. Grieks, Robert Thomas

The Occupants, Row Twenty Four, 1936

13. Myhill, Mrs.

(From 10 Market Place to 8 Howard Street North)

South side

North side

15. 16. Page, William Edward

7. Bolton, Victor

17. Crane, Sidney

10. Ash, Richard Thomas

17a. Rouse, Victor Stanley

South side

18. Graham, Herbert Smith

15. Tuck, Walter

19. Smith, Charles Edward

16. Page, William Edward

lamp passage

17. Runniff, Walter Herbert

20. Page, William George

18. Jarmey, Albert

21. Burgess, Mrs.E.

Tuck, Walter

21a. Rodwell, Henry

214

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Detail from Henry Swinden’s map,

1758 (right).

20

Market Place

22

Row 24 26

Old shops in Row 24

The Conge, prior to the

row clearance, only

ran as far as George

Street

Row 24, photo by

P.E.Rumbelow, 1939.

The left side shows

the pre-war row

clearance.

215

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Row 24, possibly numbers 17 and 18.

Position of the old half row

216

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

ROW TWENTY FIVE

called FIGHTING COCK ROW by Palmer

called Fighting Cock Row,

Coach and Horses Row

Golden Lion Row

Doughty the Leather Cutters Row, 1829,

by Harry Johnson

In the 18th century, it can be seen that the Conge

was was a wider than average row, about the same

width as Broad Row is now. When Swinden sur-

veyed it for his map, Row 23 led from the south

east corner of the Conge and led on to Row 24 and

the Market Place. Row 25 was the next row south

from 23, and led into 26 towards the market ( see

Swinden’s map with row 24). One hundred years

later, Charles Palmer stated that Row twenty five led

from George Street, at the south-east corner of the

Conge to Charlotte Street, and was formerly called

Fighting Cock Row, from the sign of a Public House

facing the Conge. Afterwards called the Coach and

Horses and then the Golden Lion; in Palmer’s time

it had also been called Doughty’s Row. A William

Doughty of Yarmouth voted for Astley & Grey in

the Norfolk election of 1714. A Public House called

the “Dolphin Tavern”, and a granary in the Conge

belonged to the Church.There is a photograph of

the Lacon’s Public House fronting North Quay on

the south-west corner of the Conge, now the site of

modern offices. Row Twenty Five was also filled

with small tenement dwellings by 1906. There is

a photo of Row Twenty Three looking east, with

its cobbled street, and a photo from the north-east

showing a building in the same row, when the row

had become an open space as a result of demolition,

before the Second World War. The walls of this old

building were constructed of brick and pebbles.

This row was not mentioned in the 1936 survey.

On 5th and 6th February 1939, Philip Ernest

Rumbelow was out and about with his brownie

box camera. He took 4 photographs of a trench

that had been dug as an air-raid shelter.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Five, 1886

(Garwood, R., fish merchant

Condon, W., china mender

Churchell, Mrs. A.

Photos by P.E.Rumbelow, 6.2.1939

Mell, J.W.

Hunter, R.

Edmunds, J.

217

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Seaman, J.

10. Rump, Thomas William

The Rows

Larn, G.

South side

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Brown, Mrs.

13. Allard, Mrs.

Mills, J.

15. Carver, Mrs. (previous directory 1913 had been spelt with an L)

Howard Street North to George Street)

Hall, Mrs.

Rainford, Mrs., midwife

The Occupants, Row Twenty Five, 1913

(From 60 Howard Street North to George Street)

Although 10 houses were occupied on the north side in

1913, only three were occupied on the south.

North side

1. Bean, Mrs.

2. Clarke, Alfred

1907

3. Keatley, Thomas

4. Ford, William Walter

60 Howard Street north

Row 25

5. Carter, William

6. Churchill, Mrs.

Row 25

Row 27

7. Murray, Henry

9. Underwood, William

Row 27

10. Pearce, Harry

59 Howard Street North

(numbering inbetween

not known)

south side

Line of former Row

13. Allard, Mrs.

15. Calver, John

1985

16. Hunter, George William Edward

The Occupants, Row Twenty Five, 1927

(From 60 Howard Street North to George Street)

North side

1. Himpleman, Mrs.

3. Marshall, Mrs.

4. Durrant, William Edward

5. Gray, Mrs.

6. Newstead, Ezra

7. Gowen, Samuel George

8. Page, Mrs. Mary

9. Catchpole, Nathan

Photo looking west along the line indicated

218

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

ROW TWENTY SIX

(Palmer gave no name)

the south side, but by 1955 the row had been cleared of

it’s occupants for ever.

Dr.Smith’s Row, 1828

Prior to becoming a doctors house, occupied by Parson

Custance, together with part occupied by Anthony Miles,

the house that became Norman’s shop was occupied prior

to 1773 by Alderman John Wallis, ironmonger, and the

widow Manby. This is related in a deed of bargain and

sale for a year between Robert Allen Cordwainer, and

Sam Haw, gentleman, made on 7th. October 1773. John

Bell the attorney of Row 97 and Hopton Hall legally drew

this transaction. The deed itself was found by me in with

those of the Carpenters Arms or Great Eastern, later the

Oakwood.

Beehive Row

Lorimer’s Row, 1867

Wilds Row, 1878

Penny the Grocer’s, 1898

(all names from Johnson’s notebooks)

Row no. Twenty Six from Charlotte Street to

Market Place or Howard Street to Market Place: at

the north-east corner of the row was an old house

with a modern front, which was very substantially

rebuilt in the style of the early part of the eighteenth

century 1 . This house is now Norman’s Furniture

store. Parson Custance, Surgeon, who died in 1781

aged 45, whilst filling the Office of Chamberlain,

lived here. A new election had taken place, and

James Fisher 2 , mayor, of 55 North Quay, was

chosen. In 1814 the same house was the residence

of William Taylor Esq., a popular Surgeon, and in

1822 it was purchased by James Pearson Smith

Esq. M.D. After that it was owned by Mr. Harry

Worship, Surgeon who died in 1859 aged 49.

Today (1995) the site of the row entrance can be

seen to have been blocked off , but the site can

easily be identified to the right side (north) of

Norman’s store. The ground floor was converted

into a shop occupied by Simon Norman, Cabinet

Maker, and to the north was a house and shop

for many years occupied by Mr.Derek Gooch a

dealer in old and curious books, of which he had

always a large stock. At the south-west corner was

a public house called “The Griffin”, and after that

the “Duke of York”. That house 3 was purchased in

1739 by William Browne Esq. brewer 4 , from John

Kett of Wymondham, Surgeon. This row had not

been given a name by Palmer, but it might well

have been called “Surgeon’s Row”, it seems to me.

The row would have been between nos. fifteen and

fourteen in the Market Place. The row was still

present in 1906, but has disappeared forever with

the building of the Police Station.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Six, 1886

(From Howard Street North to George St.)

Cook, J.

North, T. traveller

Notes:

Barber, J.W., bricklayer

1 No.14 Market Place

Watson, H.

2 James Fisher of 55 North

Quay

Cork, C.

Harvey, E., beachman

3 No.12 Howard Street

Nicholson, F., fisherman

4 William Browne, brewer, of

55 North Quay

Bulwer, H., dealer

Claxton, E.

Hubbard, Mrs.

Bean, R., bricklayer

Myhill, J., labourer

Watson, Mrs.

South, J., slaughterer

Woods, J., shoemaker

Spanton, B.

North, T.

Johnson said that Dr.Custance in 1781, Dr.Taylor in

1814, Dr.Smith in 1828, and Dr.Worship in 1859,

lived in the house at the N.E.corner.

Lawson, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Six, 1913

(From 14 Market Place, to Howard Street North )

The Row Survey of 1936 said “Nos. 6 and 7 in this

row have good pedimented doors and sash win-

dows divided into panes. In the same row, nos.11,

12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, (dating from about 1880)

have very dark ground floor rooms”.

North side

1. Hatch, Ernest

2. Hicks, Robert

In 1952 nos.7,12,14 and 16 were still occupied on

3. Lingard, Charles

219

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

4. Stanton, Albert

2. Greensted, Thomas

Edward

The Rows

4a. Brown, Thomas

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

5. Myhill, Mrs.

3. Thompson, Albert

W.

South side

4a. Woollard, James J.

6. Page, William

South side

7. Taylor, Mrs.

6. Burrage, Walter Wil-

liam

9. Woodhouse, Miss

10. Catchpole, Miss

7. Jarmey, Albert Rob-

ert

11. Collins, Robert

8. Plummer, Mrs.B.

12. Burrage, Walter, W.

11. Mobbs, Mrs.

13. Thompson, Charles

12. Marsden, Charles

14. Holmes, Charles

13. Clarke, Robert

15. Leonard, Albert

14. Holmes, Mrs.R.

16. Hollis, William

The Occupants,

Row Twenty Six,

1927

(From 16 Market Place to

Howard Street North)

15. Bear, James

16. Brinded, Thomas

Jun.

Behind the gentleman walking, is the site

of Row 26.

North side

1. Sherwood, William

2. Brooks, Albert

3. Gunn, George

4. Kent, Edward

Here Andrew

Fakes, Treasurer of

the Archaeological

Society, crosses in

front of a doorway

that was never a

row. There was

a half row once,

between the bank

and Norman’s

Store. See 1906

plan, next page,

and detail of

Swinden’s map

with Row 24, also

plan on page 216.

(photo. 25.1.06).

5. Stanton, William

8. Love, Mrs., B.

9. Herne, Mrs.

10. Brown, Frank

11. Fisk, Mrs.

The Occupants,

Row Twenty Six,

1936

(From 14 Market Place,

to 11 Howard Street

North )

North side

1. Falco, Frank

220

site of Row 24 and

a half

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row 26

1772

Parson Custance

the surgeon’s house,

1780

Old half Row

Row 26

1906

half Row

(see p.216)

4

Row 26

16 15

14

13

12 11 9

10 8

7

Wm.Page, 1913

W.Shorten, chimney sweep

(1936)

At no.7.

1985

Norman’s store

Police

station

Bank

Line of

Row 26

13,14

yard

15

Job centre

Row 27 Photos.

Top of next page: the old glass slide.

Next page, bottom right:Thomas

Bircham selling a rooster at the

livestock market. This page, left,

Mrs George, Martha Bircham’s

mother. Right, in the yard at no.7,

Row 27.

221

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

ROW TWENTY SEVEN

WELL ROW

Well Row, 1639

Doughty the Leather Cutters South Row,

1829

(the dated names are from Johnsons notes)

At one time this was called “Well Row”, from a deep

well of good water, situated in an adjacent yard, and

of good repute with the inhabitants. David Service, a

Scotsman and poet, lived in this row, and died aged

52 in the Yarmouth Workhouse. (now Northgate Hos-

pital). In 1995 the west end of this row can be found

to run along the north boundary of an old warehouse,

and the path of the row can just about be traversed,

being right along the very edge of the buildings on

the south side of the Conge, from George Street to

Howard Street.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Johnson recorded that at no. 8 in row 27 were some

carved doorjambs and high doorsteps.

No mention of this row is made in the 1936 Row

Survey.

There is only one known ancient view of row 27,

an old glass slide with a watermark on it, showing

a silhouetted figure passing down the narrow row.

(photo. top right)

The bullocks were weighed on a weighbridge with

a big dial showing everyone the weight, and then they

were led into the ring. There were iron pens for the

bullocks at the front of the yard, that could hold 2,030

bullocks. There were also, some covered pig pens;

double pens with a dividing gate, and perhaps four

or five pigs in one pen. There were four water pumps

for cleaning the pens and yard, but all the water was

brackish, so Thomas had to bring a jug of water for

the clerks to drink, all the way from the row, when he

came into work. The sheep pens were all wooden, and

The Bircham family lived at no.7 in this row. Thomas

James Bircham came here with his parents when he was

a baby. His father was Charles, whose name appears on

the list for 1913. The other children of Charles Bircham

were Charlie, Herbert, William (“Bungy”), Eddie and

Harriet. Harriet remained in the house with Thomas

and helped him to look after the young family there

for many years. The Bircham family originated near

Aylsham, and several villages

were called “Birch Hamlet”.

Top right, next page, is a

picture of Thomas and his

young wife during the first

World War. He was in the

Royal Artillery, and was made

up to Sergeant in the field for

conspicuous bravery. After

the war, Thomas was yardman

for the Great Yarmouth

Cattlemarket. The market was

run by Maddison, Miles, and

Sutton, whose office was in

Regent Street, next to Baird’s

Shoe shop. (?11a.) Thomas

worked there until he retired in

the 1970’s, having started there

in 1926. The cattle market was

on the corner of Stafford Road

and Station Road. The market

took place every Wednesday.

222

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

made of oak. There were also ramps for the animals

to come off the horsedrawn carts. Separately there were

cages for hens, cockerels, rabbits and ferrets. These

pens were positioned at a height for easy viewing. There

was also a roofed-over house for calves, with their own

saleyard. In another area was sold the “deadstock”,

which was all sorts of miscellaneous items, furniture,

bicycles, sugarbeet, swedes, even motorcars. One day

when young Wilfred Bircham was playing about in the

yard, he drove a car all round the yard using its foot-

operated starter motor! All the water pumps in the yard

had to be primed before use, so that a bucket of water

was always kept back for this purpose.

no.6. Alice was his daughter, who had a daughter

also Alice, now Howard. Opposite to no.7, the

Bircham’s house, was in the 20’s, a large open space,

where earlier houses had already been cleared.

There were then six houses left on the north side,

and there was a passage between the houses of

Mrs.Caulk’s house, and that of the Horsleys. Then

there was a row of houses, with at no. 4, at no. 3,

Francis George; at no. 2, James Grimmer, and at

no. 1, Samuel Curry.

The attic at no. 7 had a roof with sloping eaves,

and the rats and mice ran in the space under the

tiles. In the attic slept Thomas Bircham and his

No.7 was the first house into the

row on the right-hand (south) side,

from George Street. There were

entrances into the yard, and into the

house, off the row. Out in the yard

was a tap, the only water supply.

There was also an outside toilet.

In a small tiled and pitched roof

washhouse was a washing copper.

The little passage further into the

row behind Beevor’s bakehouse

was the way into the properties

of the Huggins family, and the

back ways to the Lissamore’s

and the Salmon family’s houses.

Also down this passage was a

communal wash-house, and two

toilets. Fred Lissamore and his

wife Emily Louisa, had two boys,

Harry and Louis. Fred Lissamore

worked as a builder for Mr.Grimble, as did Harry. Two

girls in the family were Maud, and May (now Clough),

another was Violet, who settled in Rhodesia. After the

clearance, this family moved to Madden Avenue. Maud,

was an avid dancer. Unwell as a child, she was looked

after by her mother until she died, and then by her sister

May. Both survived in 1994 in extreme old age living

together in “Homelea” residential home in Apsley Road.

Harry joined a rescue squad in London in the war. Frank,

another son, was in the army, and contracted malaria

in India. At one time he was in the T.A., and a keen

footballer and boxer in his spare time. Louis (“Joe”)

was in the R.A.F. in the war, and worked for Middleton

the newsagent for a while. Bertie Salmon had a son, also

called Bertie, who worked for Buckle the printer; there

was also Johnnie, Pamela and Queenie.

Staff Sargeant Thomas Bircham, with

Stanley, Ernest, Ronald and Martha.

Johnnie Salmon had a stall on the market. Further up the

row was Old Oscar Gray, living next to Lissamore, with

Olley and Traynier further up. Oscar Gray was “well

to do”, and always well dressed. At number 11 lived

William Hodds, and at 10, Robert Thacker, a docker,

with daughter Marjorie, whose son later ran Middleton’s

bookshop in the Market Place. Together with the

Birchams and Gladcys Plane (Row 40) they attended St.

Stephen’s Mission in Howard Street, run by Captain

Tippler. Robert Gallant lived next to the Birchams, at

Martha and baby John in the row

clearance area outside their house, 1937.

223

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

wife and the baby, in a

double bed. In the same

attic room were two cots,

with Leslie in one, and

Geoffrey in another. In

the next corner of the

room was a single bed

occupied by Wilfred and

Tommy. Later babies were

Margaret and Marjory

then Grace, who were

the girls that mother had

following the eight boys,

and succeeded by a final

boy. The room below on

the middle floor, was

divided by a blue curtain.

Harriet, the spinster sister

of Thomas snr., occupied

the greater part of this

room. Two boys were in

one bed in the other part.

Gracie slept later in

her aunt’s room.

Latterly, mother

became anaemic, and

Harriet did much of

the looking after of

the children. Wilfred

had charge of baby

John, the last child,

born in 1933.

Vincent, H., smack owner

1. George, Francis Herbert

The Rows

Crompton, T.

2. Brown, Mrs.

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Twaddle, T.

3. Hutchins, Bert Charles

Blowers, H., fisherman

4. Winter, John

Howling, J.

5. Kruber, Mrs.

Eastick, D.

6. Caulk, James

Dodd, J.

South side

Jacobs, W.

7. Bircham, Charles

The Occupants, Row Twenty Seven,

1913

8. Palmer, Mrs.

9. Harding, William

(From Howard St. North to George

St.)

10. Watts, John

North side

11. Myhill, James

The Occupants,

Row Twenty

Seven, 1886

(From Howard Street

North to George St.)

Hudson

Rous, Mrs.

Gibbs, W., twine-

spinner

Jones, J., bird fan-

cier

Caulk, Mrs.

Dawson, Mrs.

Manning, Mrs.

Todd, I.

Gallant, Miss

Pillow, D.

224

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Jeffrey

(born 1925)

and Leslie

(born 1923)

below left.

The Occupants, Row Twenty Seven,

1936

(From Howard St. North to George St.)

South side

7. Bircham, Thomas

7. Bircham, Stanley, Frank, upholsterer

Below,

Tommy and

Wilfred in

St Nicholas

Choir,

about 1927.

8. Dye, William

Wilfred Bircham

married May

Edwards. (see

Row 4)

9. Haudiquet, Marceau Jules A.

10. Thacker, Robert, William

Playing hobby horses in

the yard at no.7.

11. Hodds,

William

12. Traynier,

Henry

13. Holley,

Ernest

15. Tann, Percy

16. Lissamore,

Harry

17. Salmon, Bertie

Benjamin

12. Folkes, Albert

5. Horsley, Ernest

17a, Huggins,

James

13. Love, Mrs.

6. Caulk, Mrs.

15. Vincent, George

South side

16. Lissamore, Harry

7. Bircham, Thomas

17. Salmon, Bertie

Benjamin

8. Gallant, Robert

Charles

18. Hammond, William

9. Harding, William

The Occupants, Row

Twenty Seven, 1927

10. Thacker, Robert,

William

(From Howard St. North to

George St.)

11. Hodds, William

12. Traynier, Henry

North side

13. Holley, Ernest

1. Curry, Samuel

15. Gray, Oscar

2. Grimmer, James

16. Lissamore, Harry

3. George, Francis,

Herbert

17. Salmon, Bertie

Benjamin

David, son of Leslie Bircham, playing with

the pump in the cattlemarket.

4. Winter, John

17a, Huggins, James

225

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Rows

Seventeen

to Twenty

Seven

Thomas

Bircham, left,

whilst his

children play in

the cattle stall.

The cattlemarket

was where

“Homebase”

D.I.Y. store now

stands.

Wilfred Bircham (in mask)

Tom Bircham

Prescott sisters

Jumbo Stanton

Mrs Stanton

Teddy Prescott

Louis

Rump

(Carnival

King)

Mrs

Rump

Martha

Bircham

Doris Rump

End of Volume One

Volume Two, North Quay, Rows 28-47.

226