ROW THIRTY SIX ‑
(Palmer gives no name)
A.H.Patterson the Naturalists Row
(name suggested by Johnson)
Neil,the shoemaker's Row, 1828*2
Mouse, The Pawnbroker's Row, 1830*2
Row thirty six ran from George Street to Howard
Street or Charlotte
Street. At a house on the north side of this row, with a small enclosed
garden in front, resided for many years Cornelius Girling Harley, who died in
1843, aged 75.
Mr.Harley, son of Robert Harley of Yarmouth,was
by nature endowed with a vigorous mind, and was well read in many
subjects, especially Chemistry, Geography and History. This was particularly
remarkable as he had from an early age been afflicted with a sight defect, and
an operation had been performed,
but which had not improved
matters. Indeed, this had caused the
loss of one eye, and severe impairment of the other. He was in fact just able
to see enough to be able to get about outdoors. In addition to this misfortune
his frame was weak, and he was unfit for any of the common employments of the
time. His impairment of sight was, however, no barrier to acquiring knowledge,
for his friends were delighted to read to him, and they in return had the
benefit of his pleasant and sage remarks. His memory was remarkably
retentive, and his judgement clear and
sound. Many young people, sons and daughters of his intimate friends also were accustomed to reading to him. He was
good hearted, and in turn assisted them in their studies by reason of
his extensive general knowledge. With the
assistance of his friends he kept up a literary correspondence, and was held in
high esteem by many eminent men. He was a strenuous advocate of civil
and religious liberty, and for the
advances of science.
It may well be said that in 1991 these aims
have been realised, although it seems at the expense of an abandonment of the
old art of correspondence, and a great lack of following of the Church.
Although perhaps about a third of the population today attend Church on an
irregular basis, it may be said that
really it
has remarkably little influence at all upon the
general population.
Cornelius Harley was not quite totally blind, and could see just enough in the one
eye to be able to guide his steps. Tall and very thin, with rounded shoulders,
head bent, and immaculately dressed, with a black coat and white cravat, drab
breeches, and white socks on his skinny
legs, he could be seen daily wending his way to the public library,
using his stick, or perhaps to the
houses of his intimate friends. His head was completely bald except for a tiny fringe of hair at the back from ear to ear.
Mr. Harley resided for many years in this row,
his household being managed by a most faithful and attached servant, usually
known as "old Betty". After many years the house at the end
of the row, was converted into a beer house. The people who frequented
it would laugh at the lank figure of Harley, picking his way so carefully to
and from his home. Their rude jesting
upset him greatly, and all the annoyance at last compelled him
to move to a house on church
plain adjoining the Guild Hall.
He died there suddenly, and
painlessly, and was buried in the
chancel of the parish church, where there
was a flat stone inscribed
to his memory. For nearly half a
century he had kept a daily weather journal.*1
This would
now be most interesting, especially as it seems that the climate is
getting ever drier due to the build up
of the so‑called greenhouse
gasses, mainly carbon dioxide, in the global atmosphere. It remains to be seen just how
much of a tragedy this will be. In theory, if carried to sufficient extreme it may
reduce the polar icecap, and thereby could consign Great Yarmouth to the Status
of Dunwich.
In
any event the motor car is
surely the most destructive force in
existence. The greatest cause of premature death in this country, if not the
whole of the civilised world, is the
motor car. (In the "undeveloped" countries it is measles that is the
greatest cause of premature death.)
In his will, Harley had left £100 to the Yarmouth Hospital, and made
provision for his faithful
servant. There is an engraved drawing of him by J.P. Davis.
The family of
Harley had previously
been millers, and
in 1770 the corporation had
granted a lease for 60 years to William Harley to build a flour mill upon the Denes. This was long known as
Harley's Mill. Harley's mill was at map
ref. TG52880815, on the site of the beach railway station, now the coach
station carpark. It was burned down in 1852. (paper by G.Rye, Norfolk Archaeology)
The only part of any of the Dene mills that still exists, is below the roadway
and house at Gordon Terrace, where in 1994 the cellar of the south mill,
"Hovell's Mill, can still be found. In 1850, the mill itself, then known
as Greengrasses Mill, was moved to Hamilton Road, but the cellar remained below
ground at Gordon Terrace, later built upon with the afore-named terrace. (map
ref.TG52880742) Greengrasses mill was transported through the town to its new
site on rollers. It was demolished in 1907, sold by auction on 9th. October
1907, with all its equipment, and a nine year old pony.
Arthur
H. Patterson, the East Coast
Naturalist, author and cartoonist, author of 22 books, and numerous pamphlets etc. was born in this
row.
John
Mouse established a pawnbrokers business opposite the west
entrance upon the site of
the White Friars convent. Here also, the Roman Catholics commenced in Yarmouth. Twenty years ago (from
1927) the residents petitioned for a
post to prevent barrows causing a nuisance. *2
In the Row Survey of 1936‑ "Mostly
of well kept small houses but few have
enough light. No. 17 is opposite a clearing, better lit. Nos. 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, and 6 on the north side are set back.
These houses date from 1860, and are an example of replanning with more
air space. The houses have good entrances, with doorways in a style 40 years
earlier (1800). The front yards
have iron railings in a
dwarf wall, an example which could be
adopted and applied in many
rows. For these reasons the houses
opposite are much more open and with
better light".
In 1952
Albert Artis lived at no. 21 (south
side), and at no. 22 was William Alfred
Mewse, who was still residing here in 1955.
Arthur Patterson was born on October
19th. 1857, at no. 8 in this row. He was in fact registered as Henry
Arthur, but soon became known as Arthur
Henry. Arthur's great‑grandfather had been a Scottish
Highlander, a soldier who had fought
under General Wolfe
at Quebec in 1758, and who had moved to Kings Lynn and later to Norwich,
and who worked there laying
pavements. His son was a shoemaker in Lower Westwick Street and Castle Meadow, and was a
staunch methodist.
Arthur's father William had been born in
Magdalen Street, Norwich, in 1818. He moved to Yarmouth with his wife Mary Ann
in 1845. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1860, having had eight children, of whom Arthur was the only one that
would survive to pass the age of 21. Arthur was only three when his mother
died.
Arthur
was brought up as a Methodist, and every Sunday was spent at the Methodist Sunday School and
Temple on Church Plain. He also went to the day school there. At the age of 15, he was appointed Pupil
Teacher, under Mr.Wallis, at the day
school. After that school
was closed, he taught at the Trafalgar Road Board
School. He had been introduced to
Breydon and the Breydoners at the age of 13 by
John Bessey, landlord of the Bowling Green Tavern, where he was
delivering newspapers. On February 5th. 1880, Arthur married Alice
Elizabeth Paston, daughter of a sawyer
and lay Methodist preacher, whom he had met as a youngster at the Methodist School. They initially lived in
Market Road. Arthur had several jobs,
and started some writing for additional
income. He started his own small zoo, displayed on the beach and in the
Market Place, and in 1885 he was
offered a job as keeper at
Preston Zoo. He became very ill
there however, following many
adventures, in the course of travelling to Chile, and then through
Europe with the "Boxing Kangaroo".
He returned to Yarmouth to become a warehouseman, and from this time onwards,
tended to go out onto Breydon in the
very early hours,
spending his evenings at home
writing notes. He had already published several books and articles, and he
established a following of such locals as Ben Dye and Phillip Rumbelow, who
became such an interested observer
of the local scene and its natural
history. Rumbelow was then a very young man, and must have learned a great deal
from Patterson. Ben Dye the Baker, had
his own shop at 10, Row 60, and his maternal grandfather was William Graves,
the pipe maker in the Conge.
Patterson assumed the pseudonym "John
Knowlittle" at the age of 39, and
wrote regularly for the "Yarmouth Mercury",
"Evening News", and "Eastern Daily Press", also articles
for such as the "Zoologist".
His articles were brought to life by his talented drawing and vivid cartoons.
It
had been in
November 1892 that he obtained employment as school attendance officer,
at which he was most successful, and which provided him a reasonable income until he retired, and which,
no doubt gave him greater
opportunities for his nature rambles.
In May
1935, long overdue without doubt, he was elected an associate of the Linnaean Society. He died on Sunday 27th. October 1935 at Northgate
Hospital. *3
*1 Palmer
*2 Johnson
*3 Beryl Tooley:
"John Knowlittle"