The Glaven Historian No.8 1 THE GLAVEN HISTORIAN The Journal of the Blakeney Area Historical Society No.8 2005 Contents Editorial 2 Jonathan Hooton “Minstrel” Biography of a Sailing Ship 3 Ronald Beresford Dew Kenneth Ernest William Allen 1909-1992 An appreciation 12 Pamela Peake Innkeepers and Blacksmiths of Blakeney The Allen Connection 17 John White Some Historically Significant Trees in Norfolk 32 Richard Jefferson “Lest We Forget” HMS Proncess Victoria and War Graves in North Norfolk Churchyards 47 John Peake A Snapshot of Blakeney Haven in 1565 58 D J B White Blakeney Point and University College London 68 Back Pages Work in Progress; Snippets 74 2 The Glaven Historian No.8 Editorial elcome to issue 8 of The Glaven cialise in Innkeeping and Blacksmithing. Pamela Historian. No archaeology in this issue Peake puts the Allen family into its context W– which might come as a relief to some among the other innkeepers and blacksmiths of you – but a distinctly natural history flavour who served the community into the 20th century. to a couple of pieces; John White is a well- Often a very small and seemingly insignifi- known dendrologist who has used his skills to cant find can lead to a much wider investigation. demonstrate just how ancient some of our trees Richard Jefferson was sufficiently intrigued by are – and that is just the ones that are still his accidental “discovery” of the graves of three standing, still growing. The related discipline of servicemen, washed up on the beach near Cley dendrochronology has been of tremendous value within days of each other in June 1940, to delve in calibrating radio-carbon dating technology, into where they had come from and how they thereby greatly increasing its precision. By the came to be there. His investigations led him to use of these techniques it is possible to date the, the reports of the sinking of the HMS Princess still living, great Bayfield Oak to 1346, and from Victoria a month earlier, the graves of other crew that to surmise that it was in all probability self- members along the North Norfolk coast, and seeded at a time when the human occupants of eventually to contact with two survivors of the the area were rather too preoccupied with the sinking. It also seems that, in the fog of war, Black Death to worry about oak saplings identification of bodies washed ashore was not appearing in their midst. quite as scrupulous as it might be today. Other flora (and fauna) in the Glaven Valley John Peake, likewise intrigued by the 15th- have long attracted attention, both academic 16th century graffiti of ships to be found – if you and mercenary. An example of the former is the are sufficiently diligent – in several local church- laboratory set up at Blakeney Point by Professor es, has used a survey of 1565 as the basis for a F W Oliver on behalf of the Botany Department look at the life of the Haven and its people in the of University College, London, as recounted by 16th century. This 1565 Survey is a quite Dr Donald White. remarkably detailed document which, together We return to our familiar maritime theme other surviving documents such as with Wills with Jonathan Hooton’s portrait of the schooner and Inventories, enables the local historian to Minstrel. Though no doubt the mariners of the build up a good impression of the economic life day cursed it as red tape (the expression existed of our forebears 450 years ago. in the 19th century having been coined by The Back Pages have expanded slightly to Dickens, and popularised by Carlyle) the accommodate a work in progress, the survey of improvements to official record-keeping through Cockthorpe church. Frank Hawes and Pamela the Victorian period has made the life of mari- Peake are arranging for a group of BAHS mem- time historians much easier, as has the inven- bers to make a survey of All Saints, a delightful, tion of photography. All these resources have if redundant, local church. It is small enough for been brought to bear on the creation of this this not to be a lifetime’s work (we hope) but “biography”. varied enough to sustain interest. The project One of the cornerstones of local history will look at more than just the fabric of building research in the Glaven Valley is the amazing col- but has started with a Survey of the structure. lection of notes and transcriptions gathered The monumental inscriptions have also been together by the late Kenneth Allen who is recorded – more next time. remembered in this issue in an appreciation A topical note, given the recent General written by his old friend Ronald Beresford Dew. Election, is struck by Monica White who has The Allen collection is in the Norfolk Record dug up a report of how election campaigns were Office, but, thanks to the generosity of Professor conducted locally almost a hundred years before Dew, a duplicate set has been lodged in the the first Great Reform Act. The hustings in Holt History Centre, Blakeney. must have been not unlike those depicted so Pamela Peake has complemented the Allen graphically by William Hogarth, and in Thomas Appreciation by delving into the history of the Love Peacock’s Melincourt – our parliamentary family in Blakeney. Arriving in the middle of the democracy has come a long way since then, but, 19th century, the Allen family seemed to spe- many would argue, still has a long way to go. The Glaven Historian No.8 3 Minstrel Biography of a Sailing Ship by Jonathan Hooton Synopsis: The Minstrel traded during the second half of the 19th century and into the next, visiting Blakeney and other ports along the North Norfolk coast. Here the wealth of information about the schooner is reviewed, from voyages along the coast and overseas to the people who built, owned and sailed her. mong the photographs of Blakeney quay time that the Countess of Leicester was being that survive from the end of the 19th cen- launched and she must be the vessel shown in Atury, there are several that include the the model under construction next to the topsail schooner Minstrel. In addition a photo- Countess of Leicester. She is shown stern on graph of a ship painting of her and a two dimen- with the hull ready for planking.3 To have such sional image of her being constructed also sur- a representation is very rare and this coupled vive. The existence of a good photographic with the photographs of Minstrel towards the record, plus the fact that she traded from all of end of her career, make her pictorially, very well the North Norfolk ports for more than 50 years documented for a small coasting vessel. made the Minstrel a suitable subject for further Charles Claxton was the surveying officer at research. Wells in 1847 when the Minstrel was registered She was built at Wells and although in the on 4th September. She was the seventeenth ves- 1840s and 50s, there was a trend to invest in sel registered that year, bearing in mind that the bigger vessels, intended for the deep-sea trade, figure also included vessels registered at Cley. the majority of vessels built were sloops and Eight of these were small fishing craft built at schooners of between 50 and 100 tons. The Sheringham, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Minstrel was typically one of these vessels that Ludham; four were larger vessels built else- formed the backbone of the trade of Wells. Built where, bought second hand and re-registered at in 1847, she was able to partake in the height of Wells, and four had been built at Wells that year. the 19th century trade, and, lasting until 1904, In addition to the 151 ton Countess of Leicester, she also saw the decline. Tyrrell had also built and launched the 95 ton schooner Teazer also registered in April 1847. Early History During the same period John Lubbock had built the schooners Sydney Claude (84 tons, regis- here were two shipyards in Wells at that tered in February) and Edward Coke (87 tons, time, John Lubbock’s and Henry Tyrrell’s registered in August) indicating a prosperous and the Minstrel was built at the latter’s period for the Wells shipbuilders. T The Minstrel was registered at 59 tons, had yard at the East End, just past Jolly Sailor’s Yard. The launch was recorded by the Norfolk two masts and her measurements were; length Chronicle, which stated “Yesterday afternoon 57.3 feet, breadth 15.3 feet and depth 8.4 feet. (25th August) at six o’clock, a very pretty She had a graceful square stern, was carvel schooner called the Minstrel was launched from built (i.e. the planking was laid flush and not Mr H T Tyrrell’s shipyard. She is the property of overlapping) and had a scroll rather than a fig- T T Mack Esq. of Burnham.”1 A few months ear- urehead. She was entirely owned by Thomas 4 lier, in April 1847, Tyrrell had launched the Thirtle Mack of Burnham Thorpe. Her master, Countess of Leicester, the largest vessel to be Henry Howell, also came from Burnham Thorpe. built at Wells to that date and described as “a Thomas Mack was described as a ship owner in splendid brig” and “the finest specimen of ship- the registers, which he was, but in previous building ever constructed at Wells.”2 The event entries he had just been described as a mer- was also recorded, probably by Tyrrell himself, chant.