ROW 132 ‑
ADAM THE BARBER'S ROW (Palmer)
Dovercourt Row
Adam the Barber's Row
Breazant's the Butcher's Row, 1829
Cook Ellis' Row (Johnson)
Rows 111, 112, 117, 118, 123, 124, 128, 129, 132, 133 map
Row OneHundred and Thirty Two map
From
South Quay to Middlegate:
“This
row took it's name from the eight cottages on the north side that are above the level of the row,
and enclosed by iron railings, known as Dovercourt Cottages. (see tablet
"Dovercourt Row"). At the south‑west corner lived Monox Rivett,
a councillor dismissed from the corporation at the restoration. A rarity these
days is a tapestry iron with a fleur de lis, iterior, to be seen on the north‑west
corner building”[1].
Row
no. 132 from South Quay to Middlegate Street, was called Adam the Barber's Row.
Barber's poles are still to be seen, but when barbers were surgeons they were
chiefly practiced in phlebotomy (blood letting).
On
the south side was a house which early in the 18th. century belonged to the
Benting family. Robert Benting, who died in 1796, aged 47 was the last
collector of salt duties in Yarmouth.
At
the south‑west corner on the Quay, stood a house, since rebuilt and
encased in white brick, which in the early part of the seventeenth century, was
in the possession of Monox Rivett, a member of the corporation who was
dismissed by them at the restoration. He died in 1674 aged 47, and the property
later sold by his son, also Monox Rivett, then of Norwich, to Steven Thomas of
whom it was purchased in 1721 by Thomas Cooper, the elder ‑ merchant, who dying in 1725, devised
it to Mary Spilman his daughter, wife of Samuel Spilman, mariner. In 1756 it
was sold by Thomas Spilman their son, then residing at North Walsham, to
William Goskar, compass maker. It was for some years occupied by James Bracey,
who died in 1817, aged 42; having been purchased in 1842 by Henry Glasspoole*3,
and the last occupant was William Davie, who died there in 1873 aged 70.
At a
cellar under Captain Spilman's house was to be sold (as in 1716 Norwich
Gazette), all sorts of wine very reasonably. At, per.gallon, "tent",
7 shillings; "canary" five and threepence; sherry,
"mountain", and white and red lisbon, by the pint‑ 7
pence. (all very strange old
descriptions now)
Sid
Drew had been on his holidays to Yarmouth every year from the age of four. He
remembers the summers then as always having been bright and warm when they came in July and August, although
by the time that he was fourteen, they had perhaps become a little cooler. It
was always during either the last week of July or in the first week of August
that the family took their annual holiday. During the first one or two days,
his mother would make them stay under the jetty out of the sun so that they
would not burn. As soon as they arrived each year they almost ran, straight
down to the beach and under the jetty (no sun cream then). The sand was not
quite so high in those days, and there was plenty of room. Doris his wife, (see Row 134), also did the
same, but they didn't know each other at the time. Every school holiday the
children were packed off to the beach with a bottle and sandwich. Half a dozen
of them went down together.
Sid
eventually spent most of the war in Norfolk, was demobbed here, and just before
the war they stayed with the Gowen family in Burnt Lane, and he first met his
wife, whilst on demob. leave. Doris was the only one left there to look after
the visitors. Doris remembers going to
school with Muriel Butcher, whose father had been murdered in Middlegate, and
she can describe the house in Row 134, where she slept in the 2nd floor attic
bedroom. She had a single bed and her brothers a double in the same room. Their
parents slept in the room below, and they all lived in the little kitchen,
about 10 feet square, with its cooking range as the sole heating, gas lamps,
and no electricity. There was an outside toilet, and of course no bathroom.
They used chamber pots kept under the beds. These I can remember still in
common use in my own childhood in the fifties, when of course there were few
inside toilets. Doris first went to school in a very small infants school at
St.John's Church Hall.
Sid
says that the house in Row 132 was almost identical to the afore-mentioned in 134.
They lodged with a fisherman's family, who crammed into the kitchen and
scullery so that the Drews could rent the upper two rooms for their holiday.
They always lodged at the same place. Father was a railwayman from London.
Every year from 1927 on they spent a week here. He remembers that they walked
up the row and across Middlegate street, entering Row 130 (St.Peter's Paved
Row) slightly set to the left across Middlegate, and coming out from there into
St.Peters road, they went that way to the beach. They could not afford to visit
any of the restaurants, and mother bought whatever they would eat during the
day in the shops as they went. Doris'
Aunt was housekeeper to old Dr.Connell, who was famous in the war for bravely
going about the rows in an air‑raid to attend a man who had been strafed.
(machine‑gunned from a German aeroplane)
Doris'
grandfather was the grave digger in St.Nicholas churchyard. He was sometimes
taken his lunchtime sandwiches by Daniel Gowen from Row 134. One thing she
remembers was how the stillborn children used to be buried at the foot in the
grave of anyone who happened to be buried at the same time, although of course
they would not be related. The grave-digger died in 1924, aged 77. Father used to vote for Harbord, who was a
good sort, he had helped him out in bad times, and was well known for his
generosity. Sid and his brothers and
sisters wore all‑in‑one bathing suits on the beach. They thought it
wonderful to run around with such freedom. They had a light lunch on the beach,
and evening meal in the lodgings.
John
Haylett at no.13 was the brother of Kathleen Symonds' mother, Kathleen being
the wife of Moses Powles in row 142. John Haylett worked at Sutton's fish
house. He had three children, Iris, Dorothy, and Raymond. Their mother was
Mabel Bacon. Clearly "common law" wives were around then. This is now
very common practice in Great Yarmouth. Opposite to John Haylett lived William
Reece. The Hayletts lived in the terrace that had the railings removed in the
first world war, but the shutters were still there. John was a thin fellow, of
average height. William Reece's daughter Gladys married John's son Raymond, who
was in the fire service in the war and for a while after he had the Ferry‑boat
Inn.
*3
In 1781 the "Monkey" revenue cutter, commander Capt Glasspoole,
accompanying some merchant ships, fell in with the notorious pirate, Capt. Fall
and beat him off.
The Occupants, Row 132, 1886
(from Middlegate Street to South Quay)
1. Bullen, H., carter
2. Earl, F., smacksman
3. Park, J., Blacksmith
4. Albrow, R., fisherman
5. Grimmer, F., fisherman
6. Adcock, J., labourer
Bulley, E.
Brown, W.
Woodcock, J.
7. Riches, R., mariner
8. Mitchell, C.
9. Smith, B.
10. Clarenbold, A., fisherman
11. Gaze, W., fisherman
12. Page, F.H., lightsman
13. Bartram, J., fisherman
14. Soanes, C., lightsman
15. Rous, J.
Park, C.
16. Masterson, J., fisherman
17. Lock, J., labourer
18. Childs, Mrs.E.
19. Sutton, J., fisherman
20. Sharmen, W., labourer
21. Carter, J., mariner
22. Waters, Mrs
23. Sutton, J., fisherman
24. Boyce, Mrs.A.
25. Rackham, W., lightsman
Page, T.
The Occupants, Row 132, 1913
(from Middlegate Street to South Quay)
north side
1. Jay, Ernest
2. Saunders, John Albert
3. Fenn, Alfred
5. Collins, John
6. Quinn, Mrs
7. Banham, Benjamin
11. King, Edward, Ambrose
12. Cockrill, Charles
13. Norton, Mrs
14. Wiseman, William
15. Bartram, William
16. Richardson, Robert
17. Knowles, Joseph Alfred
18. Snowling, George
south side
20. Couper, Edgar
21. Pease, Mrs.
22. Riches, Reuben
23. Hastings, Mrs.
24. Marshall, Daniel
25. Pillar, John
26. Hogg, Robert
27. Neslen, Richard
28. Jacobs, William
28a. Clarke, James
28b. Harman, George
28a. Lark, William
29b. Bryanton, Walter Thomas
29. Helsdon, Arthur Isaac
30. Last, Mrs.
The Occupants, Row 132, 1927
(from Middlegate Street to South Quay)
north side
1. Jay, Ernest
2. Neeve, Mrs.
3. Fenn, Miss
4. Stone, John Lewis
5. Carter, William Ernest
6. Pillar, John
7. Carter, Thomas William
11. Bryanton, Walter
12. Lodge, Mrs
13. Howard, Mrs
14. Kirk, Robert James
15. Bartram, William
16. Philpott, Walter, James
17. Knowles, Joseph Alfred
18. Farrow, Robert Ernest
south side
20. Miller, Wilfred, Alfred
21. Cockrill, Joseph
22. Blyth, Samuel
23. Sadler, Arthur
24. Pitt, Thomas James
25. Reece, William Charles
28. Jacobs, William Robert
28a. Clarke, James
28b. Herman, George
29a. Wiley, Mrs
29b. Watson, Walter George
29. Temple, John
30. Ives, Ernest Edward
The Occupants, Row 132, 1936
(from Middlegate Street to South Quay)
north side
1. Jay, Ernest
2. Neeve, Mrs.
3. Watts, Robert W.
4. Gook, Robert M.
5. Brooks, William
6. Pillar, John
7. Carter, Thomas William
11. Bryanton, Walter
12. Lodge, Mrs
13. Haylett, John F.
14. Culley, Harry
15. Bartram, William
16. Philpott, Walter, James
17. Knowles, Joseph Alfred
18. Farrow, Robert Ernest
south side
20. Miller, Wilfred, Alfred
21. Cockrill, Joseph
22. Blyth, Samuel
23. Smith, Frederick
24. Reece, William C.
25. Grimmer, Ernest
28. Carter, William
28a. Clarke, James
29a. Newark, Albert
29b. Watson, Walter George
29. Beck, Mrs.E.L.
30. Ives, Ernest Edward