Row no. Twenty Six
from Charlotte Street to Market Place or Howard Street to Market Place: at the
north‑east corner of the row was an old house with a modern front, which
was very substantially rebuilt in the style of the early part of the eighteenth
century.*1
This house is now Norman's
Furniture store. ParsonCustance, Surgeon, who died in 1781 aged 45, whilst
filling the Office of Chamberlain, lived here. A new election had taken place,
and Mr. James Fisher*3 was chosen. In 1814 the same house was the residence of
William Taylor Esq., a popular Surgeon, and
in 1822 it was purchased by James Pearson Smith Esq. M.D. After that it
was owned by Mr. Harry Worship, Surgeon who died in 1859 aged 49.
Today (1995) the site
of the row entrance can be seen to have been blocked off , but the site can
easily be identified to the right side (north) of Norman's store.
The ground floor
was converted into a shop occupied by
Simon Norman, Cabinet Maker, and to the north was a house and shop for many years occupied by Mr.Derek Gooch a dealer in old and curious
books, of which he had always a large stock.
At the south‑west
corner was a public house called "The Griffin", and after that the
"Duke of York". That house*4 was purchased in 1739 by William Browne
Esq.*5, from John Kett of Wymondham,
Surgeon. This row had not been given a
name by Palmer, but it might well have been called "Surgeon's Row",
it seems to me. The row would have been between nos. fifteen and fourteen in
the Market Place. The row was still present in 1906, but has disappeared
forever with the building of the Police Station.
Johnson said that
Dr.Custance in 1781, Dr.Taylor in 1814, Dr.Smith in 1828, and Dr.Worship in
1859, lived in the house at the N.E.corner.
The Row Survey of
1936 said‑ "Nos. 6 and 7 in
this row have good pedimented doors and
sash windows divided into panes. In the
same row, nos.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, (dating from about 1880) have
very dark ground‑floor
rooms".
In 1952 nos.7,12,14
and 16 were still occupied on the south side, but by 1955 the row had been cleared of it's occupants for ever.
Prior to becoming a
doctors house, occupied by Parson Custance, together with part occupied by Anthony
Miles, the house that became Norman's shop was occupied prior to 1773 by
Alderman John Wallis, ironmonger, and the widow Manby. This is related in a
deed of bargain and sale for a year between Robert Allen Cordwainer, and Sam
Haw, gentleman, made on 7th. October 1773. John Bell the attorney of Row 97 and
Hopton Hall legally drew this transaction. The deed itself was found by me in
with those of the Carpenters Arms or Great Eastern, later the Oakwood.
*1 No.14, Market Place
*2 named in
Johnson's notebook
*3 James Fisher of 55
North Quay
*4 No. 12, Howard
Street
*5 William Browne,
brewer, of 55 North Quay