looking back issue 2

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Edwards High Street

Watton

At the History of Watton and Wayland

HERE WE ARE AGAIN! Well, you seemed to have enjoyed the first issue of Looking Back and I am sufficiently encouraged to embark on the second and it looks as if there will be many more. One of the first things I hope you will notice is the different look this month. I hope this will avoid the confusion at Edwards we experienced last time because Looking Back looked so much like The Wayland News. You will also notice that this issue is sixteen pages rather than the twelve of the last. The simple reason is I couldnt fit in all that I wanted to! If a jobs worth doing and all that. Although the price is still only 1 for this issue, it is not sustainable at that. So would you please remember that in future if I increase the number of pages the cover price will change. It will be 1 for twelve, 1.50 for sixteen and eighteen pages, and if we ever get to 24 pages - which I doubt we will except for very special occasions - then it will be 2. I hope you will find that acceptable, but meanwhile please enjoy this sixteen pager on me!! In this issue I have concentrated on past Carnival - or Hospital Week as it was more commonly known in the earlier days. On the back page is a round up of some of the feedback and information I have received on the first issue. On Page 12 I have attempted to give you some of my thoughts on the origin of the Clock Tower in Watton High Street. I hope next time to look at the legend of the Great Fire of Watton.

LOOKING BACK AT CARNIVALS OVER THE YEARS

This issue concentrates on Carnival over the years. The first two pictures here are (left) 1929 - Meeting the Queen off the train from Stow Bedon. Holding trumpet is Billy Edwards and holding the Crown Ernie Edwards. Holding the Queens train are left Benny Carter and right James Garner (both were to die in a Japanese prisoner of war camp) The Queen and her attendants are left to right Sylvia Julnes, Mona Eyre, Kathleen Peeke-Vout, Susie Smithson and Joyce Bird. The picture below that shows the Queen on her float. The picture above is from 1961 and the Queen this year is Lorraine Sales, her attendants are (left) Rosemary Tait and Mary Burns, wearing the regalia is Alan Dockray. The Queen at that time was customarily crowned in the market place and the picture below show the scene during the crowning event in 1960.

The means of the choosing of the carnival queen has varied over the years between a committee decision, public vote at a dance and also a more general public vote. Illustrated extreme left is the stand from - I think - 1949 offering the choices for the Queen and allowing people to vote. Sadly I do not know any names here but if you do please get in touch. Another common event - when we had a swimming pool - was the Swimming Gala and pictured left is an exciting moment during a relay race at the old pool.

1927 HOSPITAL WEEK According to George Jessup, the week, whose programme is presented here, of July 17th to 21st 1927 was the first of what was to become the annual fundraising week for the Cottage Hospital. Still taking place today of course, Carnivals popularity has waxed and waned since the Hospital closed in 1950, but it has always been a major event in towns year with many people having fond childhood memories of being decked out in fancy dress and parading through the High Street. In the early days the procession would form up at the train station at around 5.30pm. The Carnival Queen (or King and Queen some years) would be taken to Stow Bedon station where they would board the 6:10 (or there abouts) train from Thetford which would be decorated with greenery and ribbons. On arrival at Watton, they were met on the platform by their entourage and then lead the procession to the meadow where Charles Avenue now stands, George says that processions could be up to two miles long! Pictured left is one entry - though I cant be sure its 1927 I think it probably is because of the ages of the two young boys in front who I am fairly sure are Billy and Ernie Edwards. The centre couple are Mrs and Mr Eric Symonds (whose programme this was) and to their right Mr and Mrs Albert Edwards. You can see by the programme that a week full of events was planned including the first Trail of Pennies - something I recall from my childhood in the fifties, starting at the Post Office on the kerbside and growing through the day.

THESE ARE THE MERRYMAKERS WHOSE CONCERT IN WAYLAND HALL IS

FEATURED ON PAGE 9 OF THIS PROGRAMME. THEY ARE (BACK ROW L TO R)

JOE SWAN, MR JONES, GERALD FRAZER, ERIC SYMONDS AND FRONT ROW L TO

R: SYLVIA JULNES, STELLA ADCOCK, MRS GEORGE DRAKE, MRS JONES.

I think this is Mrs Eric Symonds in fancy dress for Carnival outside the railway station. I cant be sure the date is 1927 but the Colmans Mustard Website at: www.colmansmustardshop.com says: The Mustard Club was an advertising campaign that ran from 1926 to 1933. Like many classic campaigns it began with a secret. The first adverts appeared as bus posters asking "Has father joined the Mustard Club?" Later a department with 10 girls was established to deal with the 2000 applications a day to join the club. Looks like it was effective!

WHY HOSPITAL WEEK? Pictured right is the building that housed what Hospital Week is really about. The building still stands on Thetford Road, on the right hand side as you leave town, though it has since been converted into flats. There is no question that such a facility was of huge benefit to the town as was shown in the Annual report and Accounts of 1939. This is reflected in the support shown by the residents of the area in giving to the funds. The Carnival Committee of 1939 had given 110-12-10 Annual Subscriptions and house to house collections raised 25-0-6 in Watton and the villages 36-0-3 from the villages. Church Collections had raised 12-7-2 and collecting boxes in the town 3-6-7. Patients themselves paid in fees a total of 40-1-0 . A total of 82 patients had been admitted and 102 out patients treated with 6 deaths. 34 In-patient and 23 Out-patient operations had been performed. As to residence of in-patients, 19 came from the town and the rest from all the villages but also 1 from London, 2 from Hingham and 1 from Hemsby. On the subsequent pages is the programme for the Hospital Week at Watton July 4th to 10th 1937. It was described on the front, which is in gold foil (hence not reproducible here), as the Coronation Year Programme. It also carried the pictures of George IV and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). Page size was 9 inches by 3.75 inches. Costing 3d the programme was compiled by Mr George Drake of The Gables, Watton. The Gables was the name of the house that is now behind 10A, B & C High Street, previously Leeks Electrical. Obviously Coronation Year was a very special occasion and judging by the programme there was plenty to the population to take part in. Construction of the new RAF Station had just commenced and the papers carried news that wasnt always encouraging. One wonders whether this years carnival revellers knew or worried about what was soon to come.

IMPRESSIONS OF

WATTON CARNIVAL

THURSDAY, JULY 8TH 1937

BY JULIE GROOM

Oh thank the power no giftie gie us To see ourselves as others see us ??

If Dickens had been here last week on local colour bent to seek his book would surely be a largen with lots of comments in the margen.

The day of days was warm and bright, and folks in scores enjoyed the sight of watching all who had the neck to join the motley in their trek.

Our Chairman in a suit of grey most unprofessional, for the day, is sure to make our physic nice for raking in the need pice .

Our Secretary thin and white has had no rest by day or night ere he recovers from the strain Hospital week is here again.

The men who with a widening smile A golden programme did compile, we hope twill never be his luck to be well caught, or, out for Duck

The stewards without undue haste put us into our proper place, and Judges all with one accord, gave to us each our just reward

An ex S.M. marched with the Banner, in truly Regimental manner, Great difficulty the policemen found to keep the crowd within the bound

They came in ones, they came in twos, Like jabbering monkeys from the Zoos in black and whites, in reds and blues, with naked feet, or patent shoes.

The Watton Band, backed up by Watts played stirring tunes, at certain spots, they wished that Torn would call a halt and give them something made from malt.

Shirley was there and with her came, a little refugee from Spain And though they were of no great size, they took a first and second prize.

Burlington Bertie came from Bow, and Punch brought Judy to the Show, One little girl with flowing hair, Reminded us twas crowning Year.

A Wind Mill not for grinding corn, Two tramps in rags looked so forlorn, as if they hadnt any home, and Darby came along with Joan.

One boy came tied up in a sack, One had a soot brush on his back, And one small girl with cheeks so rosy was dressed up in a patch work Cosy.

Of Butterflies we counted two Their wings were such a pretty hue, And one boy had upon his back a Coat made from a Union Jack.

Pied Piper came with rats and mice, And tried our Children to entice, but when he played upon his pipe the Mothers held their offsprings tight.

Prince Edward, who pushed by his Nannie was sure the youngest one of any, and as he did not like the throng he raised his voice in doleful song.

Hardy and Laurel, Awful freaks, were really women dressed in breeks, Sensola in her cap and shawl, looked quite the oldest of us all.

The Light that failed the silly clown came in a night cap and a gown, with hopeful heart and aching feet and candle drooping from the heat.

The Little man whose busy day Is often filled with naught but play, his clothes I hear were borrowed But?? He looked a proper little Knut

And Liza too had come to stay a Zulu Chief from far away, a Pierrot with lips so red, a Good Knight ready quite for bed.

The Water Works without a doubt, was getting ready for a drought, The Gentleman who wore a queue looked so forlorn without his Beau.

High oer the Hedge flew Sunny Jim Twas never Force that raised him, its certain that so old a bird, was born before of Force wed heard.

A lighthouse tall we did espy, and two Jack Tars were standing by, ready to lend a helping hand, should we get wrecked upon dry land.

The Speed Cop really was a joke, and mounted on his stubborn moke, for speed, he surly was the limit, the Night-Mare Bike was nowhere in it

Will Hay was there with all his class, And as the rival school went past, we heard Will to his boys say This Now all stand up and loudly Hiss

Some South Sea Islanders were there with backs and faces brown and bare, at making eyes they had their wack, thats why their mate looked extra Black

An Aeroplane just made for two, scattered the crowd as it passed through, The Sergeant must be very slow, to let young Bardwell plane so low.

The Red Cross Car with Nurses two could find no work at all to do, nobody even threw a fit, although they laughed a tidy bit.

Edna our Queen for one short week, From Cressingham we had to seek, So nobly did she look the part, and filled it too with all her heart.

Attended by both Page and maids, in colours that neer runs nor fades rode by in state in Coach so gaily decorated for the day.

Her maidens Four, who on the whole, so charmingly did fill the role, But, then the public never dreams, what fun they had behind the scenes.

Wee Helen Groom who bore the Crown, in jacket red and silken gown, Her duties carried out with ease, Her sweetness did the people please.

Of Robins merry little men, tis quite beyond my scratching pen, to write how very good and sweet they did behave through all the meek,

Queen Ednas own so trim and neat, escorted her along the street, The Mayor in a coach of Gold, looked quite at home, so we are told.

Her Parents mingled with the crowd, Their Hats looked tight They were so proud, with swelling hearts and eyes most bright, they watched what made their purse more light

Edna will neer forget that day, and when shes old and weak and grey, Shell fold her feeble hands and dream of days when once she reigned as Queen.

When children Grand, around her knees shall cry A story Grannie please, in quavering voice she will relate, How once she rode in royal state.

In gilded coach, and how the Crowd, cheered loudly as she passed, and bowed, Then she will heave a deep drawn sigh, and live again in days gone by.

(P.S.) Wattonians may be rightly named Stand Offish and for oddness famed, whet eer our faults we always make, the Stranger welcome in our Gate

WHERE THE MONEY

RAISED WAS SPENT

Reproduced to the left are 4 pages from the Victoria Cottage Hospital - Watton - Forty First REPORT and ACCOUNTS - Year ending Dec. 31st, 1939. Because of the lack of space I have only included two of the more interesting pages which give a brief account of events in that year and also the balance sheet. It is interesting to note the various expenditures the largest of which after wages was Housekeeping which was almost five times the expenditure on drugs and dressing. I cant help wondering what that ratio is today!! Also of note is the ARP expenditure - I do not know what this was but I would presume perhaps a shelter, signage etc. It looks like 1939 was a tight year.

THE CEREMONIAL KEY A few years ago I was given the opportunity to record this key which was used on the official opening of the hospital. On the top it says: Opened the 20th July 1899 on the reverse was inscribed: Watton Jubilee Cottage Hospital. The key is in silver.

THE IMPRESSIONS OF ONE WHO WAS THERE A pictures worth a thousand words is an oft quoted phrase and sometimes that is true. But occasionally one comes across words that convey more than a picture ever can and the poem below is a perfect example. I am grateful to Dudley Groom for lending me this to copy a while ago and it was written by his Aunt Julie (who sadly died a couple of years ago). In it she describes the Monster Carnival Procession and in a way that conveys the feeling of the parade that I can not describe . . .

FRANK BROWN

DRESSED AS

LITTLE BO-PEEP

This picture is Frank Brown who, dressed as Little Bo-Peep took part in the procession. Frank was a printer at Harveys and served his apprenticeship there before the war and returned to his job after the war was over. He is pictured below at the typesetting desk. It is very likely that Frank set quite a bit of the programme reproduced her.

1961 CARNIVAL

I have chosen to reproduce this programme because it goes so well with the pictures of Lorraine Sales (now Councillor Lorraine McCarthy) as this was the year that Lorraine was Carnival Queen. It is interesting to note there are no trade adverts apart from the back cover (below) which was for Cecil Chapman Safe Removal Service. (perhaps that style of advert might not be used today!) The Carnival in this year was really about raising money for the planned new swimming pool and it is evident how th school and RAF were involved. I remember the demonstrations

by the Watton RAF Fire Fighting Unit, as a nine year old the flames and foam made a big impression on me! The other event I remember was the childrens Treasure Hunt - the excitement of knocking on neighbours doors seeking the items on the list! Were we more easily entertained in those days? The cartoons initialled LS were executed by Mr (Les) Saward who was art teacher at the Secondary Modern School.

I will, from time to time, try to give you some insight of my research into the history of Watton, and this is my first attempt. I am not an academic, nor do I class myself as a Local Historian. I am an enthusiast - some would say an obsessive - who in his own amateurish way is trying to understand and record the history of what I regard as my home. Therefore, I accept that this is perhaps not the most brilliant piece you will ever read, but I will try and give you my take on the subject and my reasons for it. I will always try to give you the sources of my information and if my interpretation is proven to be flawed, you will at least understand where it came from! I cannot stress strongly enough that I mean no criticism of anyone or any organisation who, in the past, has set down their ideas on this subject and with whom I disagree, I offer this simply as my own thoughts. Lastly, I know I tend to ramble on a bit and this is going to be a long story so grab a drink of whatever you prefer and when you are sitting comfortably Ill begin . . . On Watton Clock Tower is a green plaque on which are inscribed these words The Clock Tower. Built in 1679 by Christopher Hey a Mercer of Watton. The lower part of the building was the town lock-up and it is believed that the top held a bell to warn of fire. Thus it appears that, at first sight, this is the story of the origins of the Clock Tower in a nutshell. Now, one of the many problems faced when researching a subject is determining what information is reliable and what information is not. It is best, if possible, to refer to what are called Primary Sources which are records of events described or recorded by someone who either participated in or witnessed them or who got their information from others who did. But even when one has access to primary sources they are still open to (mis)interpretation. Then there are secondary sources which in essence are, if you like, second hand interpretations of primary sources. Over the years, the same secondary source may be quoted (and misquoted!) in books and in turn, those books may then be quoted and so on. The problems for the student of history come along when an error is present in the secondary source and that error is then, in good faith, presented as fact many years down the line. For example, on the BBC Norfolk Voices website pages about Watton it says, The Watton Clock Tower was built in 1679 by Christopher Hey who delt (sic) in fabrics and cloth. The tower is said to have been built to house a fire warning bell after the great fire of Watton in the 1670's. In Watton Through The Ages George Jessup, probably Wattons best known, most knowledgeable and most respected historian, writes: On the north side of the town centre stands the Clock Tower built in 1679 by Christopher Hey. It has some ornamental battlements and an ornate cupola in which was placed a bell, known as the "Ting-Tang", to warn the inhabitants should fire break out again. So it seems fairly certain that 1679 is the date of the Clock Towers construction and its purpose was to house a bell to warn of fire. On the 31st March 1974, as a result of Local Government changes, Watton Parish Council became a Town Council with a Town Mayor as its Chairman. A special service was held at St Marys to mark the occasion and a Souvenir Programme, Watton, Past Present and Future was published and in this was published the following: On 25th April 1674 a terrible fire destroyed the entire centre of the town. 60 houses besides barns, stables and outhouses of all sorts were destroyed to the value of 7,450 with goods estimated at a further 2,660. A brief was approved for the whole kingdom, and many congregations gave generously until the fund was closed in September 1675. Soon after the Clock Tower in the High Street was erected by Christopher Hey a local mercer. It was commonly referred to as the Ting Tang, and the bell in its turret was to be rung to give warning in case of another fire. He sold the Tower to the town on April 12th 1680. A further account in 1851 tells us "This bell is now used to give notice of service and town meetings This practice has now lapsed. Note how it is suggested that the Clock Tower was built soon after the fire of 1674 and sold to the town in 1680. And finally, if you refer to the last issue of Looking Back and the Town Guide pages 11 and 13 you will read the following: On Saturday, April 25th, 1673, a fire of terrible extent occured (sic) in the town. Over sixty houses with the butcher's shambles were burnt down, the value of the destroyed property being estimated at 7,450, in addition to which goods to the value of 2,660 were consumed in the fire. A brief was granted the town to gather over all England until September 20th, 1675 . . . To prevent such a disastrous occurrence in future, Christopher Hey erected the Clock Tower, which contains the Town Clock and over it a bell, the latter to give warning in case of fire, and to awaken the people of the town should such a calamity happen at night. This bell is still the town's fire signal. The Clock Tower was subsequently sold by Hey to the town. . . . The Clock Tower bears the date 1679. Three things to note here: The discrepancies in the dates - both 1673 and 1674 being quoted for the fire; The identical amounts for the damage done by the fire and the current use of the bell as the towns fire signal at the time the guide was printed. In almost any reference to the towns history one finds the information relating to the fire almost word for word. So, from where did this information originate and can we rely on its accuracy?

It appears that all these works quote Francis Blomefields An essay towards a topographical history of the county of Norfolk, which was published in 11 volumes in 1811(1) . He writes: In 1673, on Saturday the 25th April, there happened a most dreadful fire in this town, which burnt down above 60 houses, besides barns, stables, and outhouses, the butchers shambles, &c. to the value of 7450l and goods to the value of 2660l, for which there was a brief granted to gather all England over till the 20th of Sep, 1675. This entry is in Volume 2 which is one of those generally regarded as being very well executed therefore we should put some weight on

his assertions - although he did get the year wrong! I also get the feeling that the description of the fire has been inserted almost as an afterthought, it doesnt seem to sit in the natural flow of the text as I would have expected. After the history of the manors he then gives a description of the town at that time including the earliest explanation I have seen of the Hare & Barrel rebus and one might then have expected that paragraph on the fire. But next comes the best part of two pages on the history of the church with the paragraph about the fire at the end of that. And one other point, he makes no mention at all of the Clock Tower. Perhaps that means nothing, but Blomefield was writing about Watton in 1738 some 64 years after the fire and I wonder from where his information was obtained. You can read more about Blomefield at the excellent Norfolk Her i t age Explo rer web si t e a t www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk and a very interesting essay By David Stoker on the chronology of the works creation is at http://users.aber.ac.uk/das/texts/factotum.htm So, what can we do today about trying to discover the story of the clock tower and what primary sources can we trace? Probably the best primary source I have seen is the Town Book (2) and this records elements of story first hand. The book appears to be a collection of assorted pages that were brought

together at some time - although they may have started life as a book. It is the sort of thing that would have been stored in a Parish Chest - usually in a towns Church. I do not know whether that was the case with ours but it contains some interesting information. The often quoted accounts of the Drykyns are said to be in this book but I have yet to see them despite studying the original for some time; many pages are very badly faded and the handwriting is very difficult to decipher in places. Much of its content relates to the Church Wardens accounts and those of the overseers of the poor, these are always quite brief, but they do allow us a little useful information. It seems from anecdotal evidence that much of the Manorial Records of Watton were destroyed in the blitz of London in WWII because they were sent there for safe(!) storage - though if you have any information on this I should be very pleased indeed to hear from you - however there are some gems housed at the Norfolk Record Office. I am grateful to them for giving me permission to reproduce some in this and future issues of Looking Back. To get the register dates I have used below, I have relied on my own readings of the parish registers from the NRO but I have also cross checked them with the transcripts done so well by Jean Loizou and published by the Mid Norfolk Family History Society. The main player in our story is Mr Christopher Hey, Mercer of Watton. And in order to understand the tale we need to get to know him and his family a little. The term Mercer is derived from the French for merchant, and from the Latin merx meaning merchandise. Medieval mercers were involved in the trade of mercery meaning the exporting of woollen materials, and the importing of luxury fabrics such as silk, linen and cloth of gold. We can tell the Hey family were active in Watton, both in business and in public life through one of the documents available to us which is a Rentall" of the Market(3) taken in 1595. This document is in effect a census of business life in Watton at the time. According to it, The patriarch of the Hey family line Christopher (our Christophers Grandfather), held 2 shops, up to five stalls, a half share in the Angell, Bens Pytte, 10 acres of land, the Great Monge close, an acre of meadow and a messuage (a house with its land and outbuildings). The Angell was shared with one John Bettes who was also named as a Mercer(4) and who also held the George and the Christopher but no shops or stalls. Christopher and his wife Mary had 10 children of whom the most significant were Charles and John. Charles was a Woollen Draper(5) but he seems to have had diverse interests, for instance, a microfilm of a copy of a court roll(6) describes the surrender of 3 butchers stalls, in the north west corner of the market, by Charles Hey and Mary his wife to Thomas Scott of Ovington on October 26th 1620. Charles and Mary had four children, the only one of whom I have come across was William who was a Grocer(7) in 1643. Charles brother John of whom I know very little, married Ann Scott on the 24th July 1614 and their only child, (our) Christopher Hey, was baptised on the 19th November 1615. But tragedy was to strike as Christophers father was buried on 11th August 1617 - just over thirty one years old when he died and when Christopher was not yet two. I can find no record to suggest that Ann married again and it is recorded in the parish registers that Anne Hey Widdow was buryed on the 13th June 1668. I cant help but wonder if perhaps Christophers uncle, Charles, took them under his wing as it were and saw Christopher through childhood to Mercery himself. It would seem that Christophers mother was able survive without remarrying though this tended not to be the norm - maybe this implies some wealth?

The next we hear of our Christopher is when the first born of his family, John, is baptised on the 11th May 1641 (the first two children that I believe were theirs are spelt in the register in the form Hye, but mother and fathers name match and variable spelling was common at this time. Sadly I do not know where Mary came from or when they married as it does not appear in to happened in Watton). Prior to Marys death in late December 1673, they had a total of 12 children and they were John, John, Christopher, Ann, Mary, George, Thomas, William, Ann, Jane, Elizabeth and Lucy. Many died as babies though Christopher reached 24 years, Elizabeth 21 years and Thomas 79 years. As to Mary, William, Jane and Lucy I have not been able to trace their burial so I cannot say how long they lived. It is evident that family names were significant to them and this may be important to us later on. The next significant fact we know about Christopher was that he issued his own trade token and the front and back of one is pictured here (thanks to Norman Phillips for this). The tokens were supposed to have the value of a farthing (they were also the same size) and Christopher Heys token, known today as a Watton Farthing, now

has a value of around 30! Thousands of trade tokens were issued after 1648 to make up

for the lack of small change in circulation in part because of the Civil

War - imagine if today the smallest coin available were a one pound coin! The practice was finally banned in 1672. It seems that these particular tokens

were generally intended to be used locally and were redeemable for goods

rather than coin and, although I do not know whether the tradesman needed the money to back up the coinage in circulation, it seems reasonable to assume that users would need to have confidence in the ability of the merchant to be able to supply goods to the value thereof. This would indicate some wealth on their part. Of course, Watton was a market town and Christopher had good reason to encourage trade by the use of these tokens, and perhaps he was doing the town a favour if all the towns tradesmen would honour it. But I believe by issuing it Christopher was also saying something else, it was a way of saying Im here, Im in business, and I mean, business!. Now, I cannot say for certain whether Christopher was Parliamentarian or Royalist in outlook and knowing this would allow closer dating, but I do feel that traders are, and always have been, a pragmatic lot and it is likely that it was the realities of trading conditions that governed their decisions at the time more than political affinity. But there may be a clue . . . Christopher was a very active member of the towns governance at times. From the Town Book we know he was one of the two Churchwardens in the years 1647, 1648, 1649, 1654, 1655, 1656 and 1658. he was an overseer for the poor in 1651 and 1652 and an overseer for the highways in 1657. Yet in the period 1660 to 1668 i.e. after the Restoration, he served as an overseer for the highways once (1664). The job of Churchwarden was quite onerous and at times expensive, and not always a popular post. In The Parish Chest(8) W E Tate writes that No doubt the warden often heaved a sigh of relief when he came to the end of his year of office . . . so one wonders why Christopher served as often as he did if the job was that bad! I think it likely, from the above evidence, that Christopher was a strong Puritan and no doubt a Parliamentarian (as was much of Norfolk) and this was reflected in his service (and I choose the word carefully) to the town at the time of the interregnum. After nearly a decades rest post Restoration, he was once again in service as Churchwarden in 1669, 1670, 1671, 1672, 1674, 1677, 1678 and 1680.(9) I am going to stretch the evidence a little further here! It was the case that the Churchwardens were chosen with the consent of the vicar and the towns people, and I suggest that with a record of service such as his as a churchwarden, Christopher must have been a fairly popular man and I believe that equally he had a fondness for his town and did much towards its continuance. So here is Christopher Hey, a businessman well liked by the population, who is puritan in outlook and works hard for the benefit of the town. And then on Saturday 25th April, 1674 came the fire. I am going to leave the full story of the fire for another (next?) issue but we will touch on some aspects of it here. That a fire took place is beyond reasonable doubt, as there is one contemporary piece of evidence that records the event. From the minute book of The Court Of Maioralty 1674: Wednesday 13th May 1674 The Aldermen of the severall wards of ye city are desired to send for the churchwardens & overseers of the poore in the parrishes of thier wards and signifie this order to them viz that Mr Maior and ye court doe require them upon Monday next to give to the inhabitants in their severall parrishes and receive their charitable contribution to the releif of the poore distressed inhabits in Watton who suffered by the late fire and to set down in wrightinge wh[a]t every person gives and to bringe ye whole moniye they collect to ye court upon Wednesday 20th instant. This firmly places the fire in 1674 and not 1673 as Blomefield had it. And then, later on is recorded: 11th July 1674 Mr Chri[stopher] Hay & severall others of the inhabitants of Watton came to ye court and gave their humble and hearty thanks to ye Court for promotinge the charitable benevolence of ye inhabitants of ye city towards the releife of the poore of that town who suffered by a great fyre lately there So Christopher is again at the forefront for the town in collecting monies and thanking the people of Norwich for their assistance. The problem is, I have never been able to find any accounting of this or any other money that was collected under the terms of the Brief - but then I havent seen the Brief either. With damage amounting to that which Blomefield says the town was badly hurt and presumably

(SOME OF) THE STORY OF THE CLOCK TOWER

THE CLOCK TOWER AROUND 1909

some considerable sums were collected. But although we might have expected that these would be recorded in the Town Book, they are not. This does not mean there was something funny going on but I do find this rather strange. And I have not found any other mention locally of the fire or its size - which if you think about it, given the destruction it apparently caused, is also slightly odd. You would think there would be some mention in the accounts of say, Saham or Ovington or any of the other parishes around. Again, I am not saying they are not there, just that I havent seen them - although I have looked. Utilising the power of the Internet has however yielded a little more information further afield. From a page at: http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/35commen.htm which is a site dedicated to the The Genealogy and Local History of the Wirksworth Area comes the following extract from their registers: August 22 1675 A Briefe for a Fire at Watton in ye county of Norfolk was published & ye sume of sixteen shillings & elevenpence farthing collected for the same. What do we have that might be a primary source that accounts for the clock tower? Well I have reproduced it above and this is the page from the Town Book that records the SALE of the clock tower. Take a few moments to study it and then read my transcription below: April the 12th 1680 Memorand[um] the day and year above said it was agreed by the Minister and Churchwardens and the rest of the Inhabitants of the Towne of Watton. That Mr Christopher Hey having delivered in an account of 70l . 19s. 06d (70.19.6) disbursed in building a Clock house and fitting up of a Clock and Bell. and whereas upon the account 40l (40) was allowed out of the Collection toward the saide building and charges which being deducted these approved due to the said Mr Hey 30 - 19 - 6 (30.19.6) which sum of mony he shall have paid him in manner & forme following that is say six pound yearly to be paid him upon a churchwardens rate and so yearly six pound for five years ensueing the date hereof whereof the first six pound is to be paid now before the Churchwardens for the former year 1679 goe of and it is further agreed that the inhabitants of Watton shall pay 2l (2) for the ground on which ye house stands and that the said mr Christopher Hey doe give sufficient assurances of the ground upon such a rent paid to the Minister and Churchwardens of the parish of Watton for ever (the following people have then signed the page): Henry Tooley vic of Watton, Christopher Hey, Thomas Hey, Tho Scott & Ralph Fues Churchwardens, Robt James, *Tho Payatt (his mark), *Phillip Ward, Steven Lanes, *John Howling, Robt Bennet (his mark), William Lyncone (his mark), Robt Murrill (his mark), James Nelson, Will Candler, Tho Tooke, Tho Lincoln, Will Sunthoren, *Chas Losen (his mark). (please note that because of the difficulty in reading the sometimes poor writing the names marked * are best guesses) Added in the hand of Christopher Hey at the bottom left of the document is the following: It is fur Agreed with the consent of the Cheife Inhabetance that the

rent of the Townland is to be allowed unto Christopher Hey in [par]t of his six pounds [per] Anno Do untill his disburs[ments] above written be fully satisfied & what is wanting of the money that the rent doe not fullie satisfied is to be [pay]d him by the Church Wardens. So lets think a little about what is written here. The document dates to April 12th 1680. The clock tower cost 70-19-6 to build and it held a Clock and a Bell. Christopher was allowed 40 out of the Collection leaving 30-19-6 owing to him which was to be paid over 5 years at 6 per year raised from a churchwardens rate, presumably because they did not have sufficient ready cash to pay him the full sum outright. The first 6 was to be paid before the churchwardens of 1679 go i.e. in their accounts. This means, I think, that the formal date of sale was intended to be in 1679. Also, the town was to pay 2 for the ground upon which the tower stood. Then, in a manner that makes one think further negotiation took place after the document was signed, Christopher negotiated that the rent he paid for his Townland (in effect his allotments in todays terms) was to be allowed as a part of that shortfall (perhaps he was not certain that the rate would be raised?). I am suggesting that this is the reason for the date of 1679 on the

Clock Tower - the date the town purchased it, not the date it was built.

It is clear that there was a clock in the tower, and I feel this is significant because of the rarity of public clocks at this time.

It is clear that there was a bell although its purpose is not stated, there can be little doubt it was a warning bell.

There is no mention it was intended as a Lock Up So why did he sell it to the town in 1679/1680? Well the clues here are in another document from the town book reproduced here. And here is the transcription I have made of it: April ye 17th Anno D[o]m[ini] 1682 Memorand ye day and yeare above written that uppon ye Considerat[ion] of Nineteen pounds which is due to Christop[her] Hey of watton from yeInhabitants of ye town of Watton Concerning ye building of ye Clockhouse And uppon ye Consideration of Thomas Hey his son sealing A Release bargaine & sale to severall feofees of ye said Clockhouse to ye use of ye inhabitants of Watton aforesaid as by an Indenture bearing date of second day of April last past (written between the lines here below the word indenture is the word apeare?? but it is not clear where it belongs) That ye Churchwardens together with ye consent of ye Rest of ye Cheife inhabitants of ou[r] said town whose names are hereunto subscribed have bargained & to Farm Lett unto ye said Christop[h]er Hey his execut[or]s And Administrad all ye town Lands as it is now in ye use & occupation of the said Christop[her] Hey (at this point written above the line is shown by a insertion thus ^) Robt Murrill & Thomas Trundle (back to normal) Rent of Five pounds and six pence (again above the line by an insertion thus ^) for three yeares next to come (back to normal) And wee doe hereby acknowledge the Reseipt of ye whole Rent being Fifteen pounds and shilling and six pence, and we doe

further agree that ye Remaining [par]te of ye Moneys due to him being: three pounds eighteen shillings & six pence shall be put in to ye Churchwardens Accounts & collected by them at six & twenty shillings p[er] yeare untill it be fully payd Witness ou[r] hands ye day & yeare above written (signatures follow) Andrew Hall ye vic De watton, Tho: Brett, Ralphe Fues, James Nelson, the mark of Robart Murrell, the mark of Abraham Pooly, Jo[hn] George, Will Candler, *Robert Brett, Thomas Browne, Tho Lincoln, Tho Tooke, Will Sunthorne, Will Lyncolne, the mark of Jo[hn] Parsons, the mark of Robt Bennit, John Howard. (please note that because of the difficulty in reading the sometimes poor writing the names marked * are best guesses) It appears that this document is tidying up the fact that the town still owe Christopher 19 that the deal is being closed by allowing him his rent for the next three years. But to me, the key here is the phrase is . . . ye said Christop[h]er Hey his execut[or]s And Administrad . . . Christopher Hey is still very much alive at this time so why is there mention of an executor or administrator? This point has never been raised before to my knowledge, maybe it was assumed he was dead - but we know he was buried the 5th July 1682 about two and a half months after the above so that isnt it. Maybe he was too ill to administer his affairs - that is certainly a possible explanation but then I came across the following from the Norfolk Lieutenancy Journal 1676 - 1701(11): August 11 1682. That whereas on the information of Peter George of Watton chief constable of Wayland Hundred it appears that Christopher Hey, late Chief Constable, had collected 10-6-2 for the single weeks assessment and died insolvent without accounting for the same, and that the said Peter George had collected 9-14-3, charged upon his division and paid it to the said Christopher Hey, the said Peter George be required to use his utmost endeavour to receive from the heirs or executors the same composition as the rest of the creditors. Christopher was bankrupt when he died! Knowing this, I believe, forces us to put a whole new interpretation on the events given above. How much he was in debt is indicated by the following from the same journal: April 18 1683. Major Wm de Gray was empowered to receive 7-0-0 from the executors of the late Christopher Hey who died insolvent, as a composition for 20-0-5 being assessment monies collected by him. So the authorities received less than 35% of the monies owing them after Christophers death. So when was it built? I do not know for certain, but I have a very strong suspicion that it was in 1674 just after the fire. And my reason for thinking this is as follows. In the battlements of the clock tower today are some very distinctive carved red bricks or tiles. Evidently when placed in position there were not enough to do the job and some were reproductions and are

THE PAGES FROM THE TOWN BOOK THAT RECORD THE SALE OF THE CLOCK TOWER - THEY DATE FROM 1680 AND 1682

ABOUT THE FRONT PAGES Ill let you in on a little secret. The Wayland News was not published before 1996, so this months front page (and last months concerning the Heinkel) is in fact a spoof, or rather, my idea of what The Wayland News might have looked like had I been editing it at the time it purports to come from. I have however, and will continue so to do, made great efforts to make it as accurate and as authentic as I can. Where possible, I will use original pictures and accounts to form the core of the story and other material will come from contemporary sources. I did not take the space last month to adequately explain this fact, and just to avoid doubt in years to come: The Adcocks advert was real although the layout was revised to reflect The Wayland News style, similarly Edwards. The advert for James Garner was a true scan of an original and Durrants was a complete fabrication - although their business was as described. The story of the Heinkel is completely accurate and there is a follow up to that story elsewhere this month. This month the adverts are based on real people and their trades - with one notable exception, Edwards Newsagents. They are the longest lived business in the High Street but even Chriss shop does not extend back to 1674! Christopher Hey was a Mercer whose house was where Corals bookmakers, previously Adcocks, stands. And The Angell is mentioned in several different documents and stood, I believe, where Greenland Houchland Pomerory solicitors now is, previously of course, Sharmans Butchers. The account of the fire is derived solely from my imagination but with style, sentences and phrases derived from the front page of The London Gazette as published September 3 to September 10th 1666. Although imaginary, I have included facts, for example the Brief and visits to Norwich. I think the account is a reasonable interpretation of the way in which events may have happened, and although the building of the Clock Tower may not be quite what you expected to read, I will attempt to justify that in the article above. The picture of the fire is entitled Firehooks used to fight a fire at Tiverton in Devon, England, 1612. The image was scanned from Adrian Tinniswood, By Permission of Heaven: The Story of the Great Fire of London (London: Jonathan Cape, 2003), pp. 7677. It was sourced from Wikipedia at the following url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Firehooks.1612.png The account of the Old Bailey trial is taken from Tim Hitchcock and Robert Shoemaker, 'Gender in the Proceedings', Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, 17 June 2003). The Proceedings of the Old Bailey 7th July, 1675 I have included it to indicate the sort of material we might have published back then and reflects the public taste for news - perhaps no different from today! The site, www.oldbaileyonline.org is a very interesting one and worth a bit of exploration if you have Internet access and some spare time - actually a lot of spare time!

visible as yellow or whitish versions of the red ones - I have pictured some of the red ones here (above). The material and colour from which these are made exactly matches that of a plaque that, until recently, was in the back wall of the building built off of the back of 30 High Street - Adcocks old shop now Corals, that is also pictured here (right the panel close up and below in situ). Made of carved red brick I believe that the tiles now in the battlements surrounded the

plaque to make up an imposing panel of vibrant red colour. The plaque carries the monogram of CHA as you can see. Now compare that with the monogram of the token which was CHM and you will see the similarity of form. On the token it undoubtedly means Christopher and Mary Hey, this layout being commonplace on tokens. So what does CHA mean? Remember, Mary, Christophers wife died in December 1673 and it is, perhaps, surprising that he did not use her initial again, who knows, maybe they didnt get on! Equally it may be that he had his sights set on another lady of the town - it was commonplace to remarry very quickly after the death of a spouse - it was often a simple question of survival. However, believing Christopher to be of the nature as described above, I am guessing that for whatever reason he has adopted the initial of his

mother, Ann. My only evidence that this may be the case is the strength with which their children were named in the family names. But the one thing about which there can be no doubt is the date, 1674. As to where the panel was positioned my case is this: In or around 1830 the tower underwent some refurbishment with a new clock and bell being installed and the outside rendered (sadly). This coincides with the building of what was Horsburghs Chemist and is now Adcocks TV shop. When built, the chemist shop encased all but the front of the clock tower and there are traces in the west wall of the tower of a bricked up hole. This space is plain to see from the inside of the tower and I have pictured it here. I suspect the builders removed the panel and installed part of in the back wall of the existing building (which I think was built at the same time as the tower - Ill explain that next month!) and used the spare tiles as a decorative feature in the new tower. Now if the panel were filling this hole in the west wall of the clock tower, what a sight that would have been. The traveller approaching the town from the west would be greeted by what would have been a huge (by their standards) advertising hoarding in an imposing tower which made it plain that this was the business premises of Mr Christopher Hey, Mercer of Watton. And to reinforce the awesome sight, the tower held a public clock, which as far as I can establish, would have been one of only three in the county at that time - but this is an area for further research - what a status symbol that would have been! It would be entirely consistent, I think, with Christophers attitude, that after the fire, Christopher himself decided to build a tower to house a warning bell but at the same time to use it to his advantage to promote his business by installing a clock and a red brick panel saying Im Here!! - a sound business man. I will leave you with a number of questions to ponder over - the same ones I have been wrestling with for some years now. Is it possible that Christopher built the tower in 1674 as a statement of commercial standing and as a grand advertisement, but also as a town facility is so far as he included a bell to warn of fire. Then at some point in the next few years suffered a severe financial loss, so great as to force him into debt to the point that he sold the tower to the town as a means to raise capital. I believe the town would have been very sympathetic towards Christopher because of his previous service and do all they could to assist him. Does the collection referred to in the sale document refer to the collection from the Brief or was it a whip round mounted by the town to help one of its stalwarts or is that just romantic twaddle? For whatever little it is worth, I believe he did build it as a statement, and that the town rallied around in his hour of need. He must have been a great man whatever the true story. One last thing, the question of the tower being used as a lock-up. Until the day before I completed this, I never had come across anything to suggest that the clock tower was used as a lock-up. But, while googling away on the Internet I came across a book on Google Books entitled A Topographical Dictionary of England published in 1831 by Samuel Lewis. And in Vol. 4 is the following description of the town: Watton, a market town and parish in the hundred of WAYLAND, county of NORFOLK . . .the streets are lighted with oil, and the inhabitants are supplied with water from springs . . . In the centre of the town is a small building, with a clock and one bell, the latter rung on Sundays, a preparatory to divine service: the lower part is used as a lock up house So there we are then, the one and only statement I have seen that it was indeed used as a lock up at some point in its life - but as Martin Anscombe pointed out, it cant have been very effective, as the weights from the clock extend down to the ground floor and there is no evidence they were ever encased. More research to do ! ! ! Footnotes and explanations. (1) It would be very, very expensive to buy an original copy, but it can be purchased for a more reasonable 49 on CD from the Archive CD Books Project at http://www.rod-neep.co.uk (2) Watton Town Book - Norfolk Record Office reference PD 218/1 (3) Watton hall in Watton - A Rentall of the Shoppes Stalles there dew yearly at micholmas mad the xxiij of July xxxvij yeare of

THIS IS A CLOSE UP OF THE PANEL THAT I THINK ONCE WAS PLACED IN THE SIDE WALL

OF THE CLOCK TOWER. THE DATE IS VERY CLEARLY 1674 AND THE INITIALS CHA

Queene Elizabeth. Norfolk Record Office Reference: NRS 18144, 33A3 (4) Norfolk Record Office reference WLS VII / 3, a grant from Edward Floode Lord of Watton Hall manor identifies John Bettes as a Mercer. (5) Norfolk Record Office reference WLS VII / 4, an indenture dated 29th June 1670 refers to an indenture dated 31st October 1614 which names Charles Hey ~ Woollen Draper. (6) Norfolk Record Office reference MF RO 127 / 7 (document 32) (7) Norfolk Record Office reference WLS VII /4 / 9 tells of William Hey a grocer selling to Symond Salter, a Woollen Draper, land in Spycers Close on the 20th December 1643 (8) The Parish Chest. W.E. Tate Chichester: Phillimore & Co. 1983 (9) Any or all of these dates may be one year out! The problem is that at this time (Julian Calendar) the year changed on Lady Day or the 25th March, which means that the 24th March 1674 and the 26th March 1675 were only two days apart. Accounts were sometimes delivered before and sometimes after the new year. A full transcription of the Town Book to establish continuity will sort this out but is something I have yet to do. In any event it makes little material difference to the thrust of my argument. (10) Norfolk Record Office reference NCR/CASE 16/SHELF A / 24 (11) Norfolk Lieutenancy Journal 1676 - 1701 Norfolk Record Society Volume 30, Page 39. PICTURED BELOW IS THE CURRENT CLOCK

MECHANISM WHICH DATES, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM

THE LOWER PICTURE, TO 1827 - 180 YEARS OLD!

THE WAYLAND NEWS

GREAT F IRE STRYKES WATTON

T he Gentlemen and others of the Towne try to prevent the spread of the fyre by the pulling down of buildings. Our vicar

Mr Henry Tooley doth pray for deliverance

Published in Watton for the Month of October In the Year of Our Lord Sixteen Hundred and Seventy Four

until July that Mr Hey was called again before the Court to receive such

monies as has been given by the good people of that place. And so it came

to pass that upon the day of the 11th of July that Mr Christopher Hey &

severall others of the inhabitants of Watton went to the court and gave

their humble and hearty thanks to the Court for promotinge the

charitable benevolence of the inhabitants of the city towards the releife

of the poore of this towne. The final account having been made it is now

recorded the fyre did burn down above 60 houses, besides barns,

stables and outhouses, the butchers shambles, &c. to the value of 7450l

and goods to the value of 2660l.

If hunger and thirst doth ale thee then you will

find much comfort at the THE ANGELL

in Watton Street

Publik Announcement

Mr Christopher Hey of The Worshipful Company of Mercers

desireth it known by all people of the parrishes

of the countie that he holdeth large stocks of the finest cloths and silks

to be had in all of the Kingdom at most reasonable pryces

T he normal course of this paper having been interuppted for

severall monthes by the sad and lamentable accident of Fire

happened lately in the town, it hath been thought by Mr

Christopher Hey and the other Cheife Inhabetance of the towne that

a full account of it should be made in The Wayland News for the

benefit of divers readers.

On the morning of Saturday 25th April at ten of the clock in the

morning there happened to break out a fire in the houses of the

towne. Where the fire started we cannot say for it is not known

unto us; It fell out most unhappily that the wind fermented it in the

thatch of the houses and great damage was suffered by many of the

towne.

Seeing that the fyre was not beat downe and extinguished, vicar

Henry Tooley sayeth that the men should pluck down some houses

to make a gap that the fyre can not cross but so many thought that

was doing the worke of the fyre that they continued in there great

labour and diligence to preventeth the spread, but to no good cause.

So it was that the words of our vicar were heard and some houses

were made sacrifised to be sertain the course of the fyre should be

stopped and it was; by the blessing of God brought to be controled

and seasonably beaten down.

On the Sunday after; the whole towne did attend in Church and

gave thanks that no person had been lost to fyre and though many

have lost their houses they were all of good spirit at this memorable

deliverance.

Led by the Churchwardens and the Overseers of the Poore an

appeal was mayde unto His Majestie that the towne might be granted

a bryef to collekt monies from all over the Kingdom that releife

might be given to them that hath suffered most. This His Majestie

was pleased to grant and so appeal has been made unto the whole

inhabetance of the country and may continue until 20th September in

the year 1675.

On Wednesday 13th May Mr Hey and severall others did attend to

Norwich and the Court of the Maior where Aldermen of the

severall wards of ye city were desired to send for the churchwardens

& overseers of the poore in the parrishes of thier wards and signifie

an order to them that Mr Maior and ye court doe require them upon

the Monday next to give to the inhabitants in their severall parrishes

and receive their charitable contribution to the releif of the poore

distressed inhabits in Watton who suffered by the late fire and to

bringe ye whole moniye they collect to ye court upon Wednesday

20th instant.

It doth seem that there was some small feeling in the parishes of the

City that they should not be paying unto their Maior for it was not

Let it be known that

Mr Christopher Edwards a Honest, Just and Honorable Man

and one with whom many of the towne transact thier business

Now carrys good stocks of papers, quills and all manner or wryting matlerials for the akedemic and

those studious of nature

Mr Spcyer Can supply divers people with the

best Herring From Yarmouth upon his Market Stall every Wednesday

I t is thought by those affeked by the fyre that they shall not

attempt to rebuild what is left of the old towne and that from

this time all peoples shall lyve neare to the shoppes and the

Market Place.

Mr Christopher Hey hath let it be known that he is to put up a tower

next to his house and that this tower will hold a clock and a bell. The

bell is to be rung should the towne suffer another burning warning all

peoples of the conflagration so that they and thier tenements might

be saved more easily.

It is thought that in the countie of Norfolk there be other publik

clocks in Norwich and Kings Lynn only and there will be much of

benefit to the people of the towne when they might be able tell when

they should be at thier business or praising God for thier salvation

this yer. Once again goodwill of Mr Hey towards the towne and it

inhabitence is shewn.

An Account of the Tryal and Condemnation of Eliz. Lillyman, who

killed her Husband. For which she was condemned to be Burned,

with the manner of her Deportment at her Tryal at the Proceedings at the Sessions-

House in the Old-Bayly, upon Wednesday the 7th of July instant There was tryed that unhappy creature that kill'd her Husband at

Goodmans Fields, viz. Elizabeth Lylliman ; she seem'd to be a person of

some 50 years of age, old both in years and wickedness; her carriage was

very strange both at her Arraignment and Tryal, for after her

Indictment read, and the Clark demanded her Plea to the same, she fell

into a kind of passion, and desired of the Court that she might see her

dear Husband before she pleaded, which she insisted upon with seeming

earnestness for some time; but this appeared to the Court to be but a

mad kind of Artifice, designed out of her feigned passionate Zeal to her

Murthered Husband to take off the suspicion of her being instrumental

to his death, but this would not serve the turn, for upon her Tryal the

Fact was evidently proved against her by several witnesses, the people

of the house where they were when the Murther was done, did attest

how that a little time before the Murther, the party murthered, (having

got a dried mackerel for his supper, went out to a Cobler that kept a Stall

next adjoyning to the house, and borrowed his knife of him to dress his

Fish; that while the Fish was a broyling, the people of the house being

gon out of the Room, at their return, they found poor Lylliman with

the aforesaid knife in his body, and the blood streaming out after it in

this condition, nevertheless he had so much strength as to go to the

door, and called to the Cobler of whom he borrowed the knife, to come

to him, and then imbracing him, cryed out dear Countryman, my wife

has stab'd me with a knife I borrowed of you, which words he reiterated

3 or 4 times, and then sunk down dead; The Chirurgion that searched

the wound did attest that the knife was entred into his very heart;

notwithstanding all which evidence, this bloody woman had the

confidence to deny the Fact, and to pretend her self to be clearly

innocent of it; but it was too evidently proved against her, and the

whole matter being left to the Jury, they brought her in guilty of petty

Treason.

Elizabeth Lillyman had judgment to be burned to ashes, when she came

to the Bar, she did, as formerly, passionately request to see the body of

her husband before she died, saying she could not else dye in peace. But

this action of hers, was suspected rather as a fit of raving, then the result

of a considerate mind, from one who was so apparently proved to be his

Murtheress.

THE OVINGTON HEINKEL I was contacted by Gerald Warnes after the last issue. Frank was Gerald's father and as he was only two at the time of the incident Gerald had not known much about it and had been researching the event. A lot of the information in the article was new to him. Gerald has since sourced this cutting (left) from the archives of the Eastern Daily Press - I have reproduced it here with their permission. By searching the Archives on the Internet site for the London Gazette: www.gazettes-online.co.uk I was able to locate the publishing of Dudleys and Franks names (right Crown Copyright). Ronnie Thompson was another who got in touch with his memories. Ronnie was going to work on the morning of the 18th February behind Westmere House on Lord Walsinghams estate. They were just opening a five bar gate when all around them was tracer fire which Ronnie thinks came from the RAF station firing at the Heinkel. How they werent hit he didnt know because it was all around him. They heard that the aircraft had been brought down and at 4pm he rushed over to Ovington to look at the aircraft but the soldiers guarding it wouldnt let him near it because they had been letting people close it and even sit in the cockpit but bits were being lost to souvenir hunters. The following Sunday Ronnie was out on his bike and cycling along and a despatch rider stopped him and told him to get off the road. Two Queen Marys (large lorries) came along with the aircraft on board, the first with fuselage and second with wings and engines (he thinks on way to Farnborough). Despatch rider gave him a Jubilee Clip marked BRU GERMANY - now lost. Sometime later Ronnie was in Watton and a Heinkel 111 painted all yellow passed low overhead as if it had just taken off from airfield - he thinks that was the Ovington A/C brought back here to teach aircraft recognition. Robin Brown, in an article in Saham Saga around 2000, told how the crew the crew - Pilot; Feldwebel Heinrich Busch under the command of of Oberleutnant Erich Langrach, with Unteroffizier Werner Schmoll as radio operator and two others as air gunners who were based at Lille in Occupied France, had been ordered to attack a convoy in the mouth of the Wash at dawn. After one change of aircraft due to unserviceability, shortly after the start of the mission this aircraft's radio and radio compass became unserviceable. In these circumstances the air-craft should have returned to base but they decided to carry on. This was a bad decision as there was a lot of cloud, most of it down to ground level and very little chance of seeing where they were. Navigating by gyro compass and dead reckoning they flew until they supposed they were over the Wash but still there was no break in the cloud so, at about 7 o'clock, they decided to return to base. They altered course for Lille, steering 120 degrees and flying at about 3,000 feet, When they estimated they were over Belgium they descended to 900 feet and broke cloud and saw the coast ahead. Unfortunately this was the coast of Norfolk, not Occupied Europe, a fact they soon realised when an unfamiliar landscape appeared and anti-aircraft guns started firing at them. The rest is history. Subsequently the German pilot, Helnrich Busch who was a staunch Nazi, when a prisoner-of-war in Canada, was found guilty of murdering a fellow PoW, one who had professed anti-Nazi sentiments, Busch was court-martialled and executed on 18th December 1946.

HOW TO CONTACT LOOKING BACK You can contact Julian by ringing 01953 881 885. You can write to him at 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE Or email on [email protected] I would welcome contributions and memories to the above address

All views expressed in Looking Back are published in good faith and believed to be correct. BUT you should not rely on the accuracy of any information for any reason without independently verifying it for yourself. While every care and effort is made to ensure accuracy

the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. This issue of Looking Back was published by :

Julian Horn, 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE and printed by: Rollmark (Dieletlit) Ltd., Howlett Way, Fison Industrial Estate, Thetford, Norfolk. Telephone 01842 754984

FEEDBACK ROUNDUP THAT ELEPHANT!

I had a call from Fred Brock of Nelson Court about the elephant featured last month. Fred also had a picture of an elephant at Watton (they must be more common than I thought - though have never seen one myself!). Fred tells me that it was 1954 and the elephant had arrived at the train station and was being walked down to the circus - probably on Hall & Palmers Meadow. Fred is on the bike extreme left with Chris riding on the seat. The picture was taken just past Dyes garage where Dorrington House stands now. Its easy to see the excitement in the faces of the accompanying children! Probably the first time many of them had seen such a beast. Fred also allowed me to copy many other pictures from his album which no doubt will be used in future issues. Thanks Fred!

PUZZLE PICTURES I was contacted by several people with information as to who was on the pictures, in particular thanks to Barry Cator and Alan Alderton. If you remember Alan Alderton, he can be contacted at [email protected] and he would be pleased to hear from you. Alan wrote of picture 6: General Election Year between 1956 / 60... I was there !!!!! L to R 3rd girl in Jackie Roberts behind JF Barbara Scott and Valerie Lovick 1st Boy .. Peter Reeve.. John Houchin. behind John is myself !! next to John. Barry Cator and finally David Saunders Mr Fairhead was announcing the result front row were the Candiates successful Boy /Girl were either side of Mr Fairhead and those behind were their '' Election Supporters''. From Barry: Photo 6/7 it was 1959 the year of a general election, Macmillan won for about a third time. It was decided to run a school election for Head boy/girl along the lines of a general election. Vote for me and I will give you everything you ask for sort of advertising. The only difference being candidates were chosen by the staff and it was compulsory, not if you wanted to or not. On the photo closest is David Saunders, then next is me from Caston no more to be said, Next John Houchen from Watton a good friend but after leaving school joined the RAF Police and I never saw him again. The 4th. in line John Reeve from Rockland. After leaving school I remember he was involved in a motor cycle accident. Standing behind just his head showing is Alan Alderton I remember after leaving he worked for a gents outfitters in Norwich. then I think a girl Adcock but I just can not remember any more details sorry but it is 48 years ago! I will try and compile a complete list of names in due course but theres a start. But it does demonstrate how quickly names can be lost to history! To try to prevent this, if you have any further information I should be very glad to hear from you.

ABOUT COPYRIGHT ETC. I have tried to ensure that I have appropriate permissions (where required) to reproduce the material included in this publication. If you feel I have breached your copyright please contact me. Some of the material, e.g. the Wayland News front pages, will be the copyright of Looking Back, though I will in general freely give my permission to reproduce such material upon request. You must however request permission before reproducing any material from this publication. Original material used in Looking Back that has been sourced from the archives housed at the Norfolk Record Office will be noted as such together with the document references, and I am very grateful to them for giving me permission to reproduce images and transcriptions. If you want to investigate local history and the archives further, go online to look at the catalogue which is at http://nrocat.norfolk.gov.uk Paper cuttings generally are from the Eastern Daily Press or Thetford and Watton Times which titles are in the ownership of Archant. I am grateful to them for their permission to reproduce such clips. Other material may be Crown Copyright and is reproduced under PSI Licence number is C2007000530 - again items will noted as such where identified. Lastly all the content in Looking Back is published in good faith and believed to be accurate and correct. BUT you should not rely on of any information for any reason without independently verifying it for yourself.

looking back issue 2

Documents

carnival queen

pictured left

hospital week

extreme left

issue concentrates

edwards high street

watton high street

left benny carter