Category Archives: C18th Norfolk

Working for the Georgian Customs

Posted on March 14, 2020 by William Savage

It wasn’t job you could just walk into. Before you became a Customs officer you had to embark on six months training. This took place at some of the more important ports in the country, including Yarmouth and Lynn in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Keeping the Peace | Comments Off on Working for the Georgian Customs

Stannard & Taylor: A Lesson from History

Posted on December 4, 2019 by William Savage

How the collapse of a Norwich cloth merchant through rash over-expansion and foreign adventures helped trigger the decline of the trade in Norwich “Stuffs” (fine worsted fabrics), which was further accelerated by changing technology and new materials. Philip Stannard was … Continue reading →

Posted in Commerce, Textiles | Comments Off on Stannard & Taylor: A Lesson from History

Norfolk Fends off Napoleon

Posted on November 20, 2019 by William Savage

Fears of a French invasion were not new to late-eighteenth century Englishmen. There had been at least three credible invasion threats between 1744 and 1783, and various steps to counter invasion had been taken. How likely Norfolk was as a … Continue reading →

Posted in C18th Norfolk, Military | 3 Comments

Georgian Ghosts

Posted on October 23, 2019 by William Savage

With Halloween approaching, I thought it might be interesting to look at the rise of the ghost story in Georgian England. The nineteenth century marked the summit of popular interest in ghosts and spirits, thanks to the advent of photography. … Continue reading →

Posted in C18th Norfolk | 4 Comments

“If You Want A Job Done Properly …”

Posted on October 9, 2019 by William Savage

Turning once again to the pages of the Ipswich Journal for April 15th, 1721, we find this fascinating report of a criminal trial held in Edinburgh, at which one James Campbell of Burbank, “late of the Stores in Edinburgh Castle”, … Continue reading →

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Competing Pleasure Gardens

Posted on May 22, 2019 by William Savage

The most famous pleasure gardens of the eighteenth century were undoubtedly those in London. However, other towns and cities established similar gardens, amongst which Norwich had, perhaps, the most and some of the longest-lasting. At one time, five main gardens … Continue reading →

Posted in C18th Norfolk, Georgian Society, Leisure | 2 Comments

Electioneering and Corruption in Georgian England

Posted on April 24, 2019 by William Savage

Voting in parliamentary elections in Georgian England was neither democratic nor free from undue influence. By modern standards, the whole system could be labelled as corrupt and biased. The presence of so-called ‘Rotten Boroughs’ — elections decided by a handful … Continue reading →

Posted in C18th Norfolk, Georgian Society, Politics | Comments Off on Electioneering and Corruption in Georgian England

Organised Crime in the 18th Century

Posted on March 20, 2019 by William Savage

It’s often said that there is nothing new under the sun, and this story from the Stamford Mercury for April 16th, 1772, certainly bears this out. It makes it quite clear that large-scale, organised crime is far from being the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime | 1 Comment

“Crier! Call the Ghost”!

Posted on December 19, 2018 by William Savage

“A remarkable instance of a person being tried for murder on the pretended information of a ghost.” This was the headline above an article in the Chelmsford Chronicle dated 9th April, 1784. The minute I saw it, I knew it … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime | 4 Comments

The Terrors of the 18th-century German Ocean

Posted on November 21, 2018 by William Savage

Our correspondent at Corton has favoured us with the following melancholy account of the damage the shipping sustained by the high winds, on Tuesday and Wednesday last, near that place: ­­ The Millbank, of Lynn, John RITETRIE, master, to the … Continue reading →

Posted in C18th Norfolk, Commerce, Travel | Comments Off on The Terrors of the 18th-century German Ocean