Row 67 ran from the Quay to Howard
Street. At the north‑west corner
stood an old three storey house known as the "Star Hotel". It had a
square-cut flint front, and was built towards the close of the 16th Century by
William Crowe, a rich merchant who filled the office of bailiff in 1596, and
again in 1606. John Crowe who was bailiff of Yarmouth in 1547 and
1554, was probably the eldest son of John Crowe of Crowe's Hall, and therefore
Uncle to the above. William Crowe was probably a member of the "Merchant Adventurers
of England", invested by Queen Elizabeth I with special trading
privileges, since the arms of that
company appeared carved on the
fireplace in the principal room. This room on the first floor, fronting the
Quay, was lined with wainscotting. The square panels were black with age and reached to a height of five
feet. The old Elizabethan fireplace
had been filled up so as to fit
a small stove, and on removing the woodwork in 1865 the original chimney piece
of Caen stone was uncovered.
(most later fireplaces being smaller, the originals are usually
to be found if the smaller
insert is removed, but this can lead to significant problems of restoration
as I discovered at Mardle House Lound, and I was not been brave enough
to attempt this at Hopton Hall)
The Star Hotel on the right, entrance to Row67 on its left
In Palmer's time the ceiling remained
intact and was quite remarkable.
The pendant ceiling was divided
into six compartments
enriched with mouldings, fruits and flowers. The
original window also
existed entire, having fourteen lights and latticed panes, all in two tiers,
and in an oak carved frame.
The Nelson room in the Star Hotel
Behind the kitchens of this hotel
had been a banqueting house that
in 1740 had been completely destroyed to make room for a malthouse,
and afterwards this was
converted to stables, which were
eventually in their turn demolished to make way for extra rooms added to the
hotel. Beneath the Star Hotel, and
extending eastward were extensive vaulted cellars. William Crowe, who purchased Caister Castle, is believed to have
been the son of William Crowe the
builder of this house. He was
born in 1617, and married Jane, daughter of Thomas Bransby of Gt.Yarmouth, by
Mary his wife, a daughter of Christopher Edmond Crowe of East
Bilney. He carried on the business of an upholsterer, in London, and
combined that trade with
the lending of money, and appears to have been well known,
for Pepys, in his Diary under the date 20th Oct.1660, speaks of having called
at Crowe's the upholsterers in Bartholomews. Sir William Paston
borrowed large sums of money off
him and in 1659 sold to Crowe
the castle of his ancestors at
Caister, which he
had abandoned for his new residence in Oxnead.
This William Crowe died about
1668, aged 51, and
by his will had a monument
erected to his memory in Caister
Church. Thomas Bransby of Gt.Yarmouth, merchant, son of Thomas
Bransby of Shottisham, died in 1641
leaving two sons, Thomas Bransby of Caister and Gt.Yarmouth, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1681,
and Robert Bransby of Gt.Yarmouth who died in
1692 leaving considerable property.
In 1991, there is Bransby's
meat factory on the Harfreys Industrial
Estate. The Crowe family remains numerous in Caister and Hemsby,
but the name of Crowe is not common in Gt.Yarmouth itself.
In 1992 Robert Crowe of Nottingham way was at
one time working in Bransby's meat factory. Thomas Bransby resided in the
house on Row 67, and died there in
1683 aged 56, leaving an only child,
Elizabeth, sole heir of her father and uncle, who married Sir Philip
Astley,Baronet, of Melton Constable, and died in 1738, aged 67, leaving a son, Sir Jacob Astley, Baronet, who sold
the house to Thomas Dawson
of Gt.Yarmouth, merchant
and maltster. He demolished the banqueting
room, and erected a malthouse on
the site.
Dawson*3 conveyed the property in
1749, to Robert Wilson of London, a
wealthy corn merchant, who died in 1765, leaving two daughters, his co‑heirs.
One, Dorothy, married Anthony
Chamier, and died without issue.
The other. Elizabeth, became the
wife of Thomas Bradshawe, by whom she had four sons, the last
of whom was
Augustin Hill Bradshawe Esq., of Lower Seymour Street, in
1806, he sold the Star tavern to Mr.William Wolverton, who in 1824 conveyed
it to Mr.George Bennett, then a comic actor
attached to the Norwich Company
of players. By him it was sold to Mr.William Holmes Diver, who in 1865 conveyed
it to Mr.Shales, who was then the proprietor.
A society of friends was
instituted in 1769, by John Fisher, Robert Cory, Benjamin Norfor, William Norfor,
George Riches, and
John Sayers, as a social
club. Some portraits
were painted, including one of Nathaniel Symonds*4, who
long filled the office of
treasurer, one of
Norfor, and a portrait of Nelson, which was presented to the club in
1805, and which hung in the room,
and the room was then known as the "Nelson Room".
It is not suggested by Palmer that
Nelson ever stayed at the Star or in the Nelson Room. (although others have since made that assumption with
no substance.)
*3 A Dr.John Dawson was listed
near here at a later date, but neither are any relation to the Dr.John Dawson who in 1993 is practising
at the Lawn Avenue Surgery.
*4 This portrait would be of very great interest if it could be
located.
The house at the south‑west corner of the row facing the Quay, was
formerly vested in John Warren of Burgh
Castle, and in
1686 conveyed to William Salter of Norwich. From him it descended to
William Salter of Gt.Yarmouth, his
son and heir, who conveyed it in
1700 to John Riseborow, then an alderman of Norwich, which he in 1723 sold to Thomas Royal. It
was then a tavern called "The Black
Boys".
Royal had been elected town clark
in 1720, in succession to Mr.Turner. He pulled
down the Black Boys, which stood a little backward,
and by leave of the corporation erected
a stately house which stood
until Palmer's day. In 1747 the house so built
by Royal was conveyed to John Ramey, one of the most
remarkable men in local history in the
18th.century. The son of John
Ramey master-mariner by Margaret Pulteney his wife, (the father was lost at sea
in 1718 when the son was an infant), Ramey
commenced life as an attorney,
and his shrewdness and wisdom soon enabled him to
take up a leading position. His great ambition was not only to make a fortune,
but also to form a Political party in the town with him as leader.
He married Abigail, one of the two daughters and
eventual co‑heirs of William Browne. He supported his father
in law in his political
endeavours, (see 55 North
Quay) and eventually
as a result succeeded him in the lucrative post of Receiver General for
the county. Ramey was
Mayor in 1760
and 1763. By
this time had
acquired considerable estates
in Ormesby and
Scratby, which gave him so much influence that he was
popularly called the "King of Flegg". On 10th Feb 1768, at
Yarmouth church, his eldest daughter Abigail Browne, was married to
Alexander, 9th Earl
of Home, and she became the mother of Alexander, 10th Earl of Home,
the direct ancestor of the present Earl. Alec, Lord Home, was
to become Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1963.
During the latter days of his life
Ramey resided at Scratby Hall, where he
died in 1794, aged 75, being then the oldest
member or "father" of the corporation. He was buried at Ormesby.
Scratby Hall, the country
house of Ramey was occupied by his daughter, the
dowager Countess of Home until her
death in 1814 aged 68. The house had originally been built by John
Fisher. (see 55 North Quay), and was
sold by him to Ramey at a time when
it was occupied and leased by Silas Neville. Silas Neville, his fortune starting to
dwindle, decided to study medicine at Edinburgh, which he did in company with the Earl of Home. He spent his
winters in Scotland studying and
the summers at
Scratby Hall. Rather similarly, I studied medicine at Dundee, except that I spent both summer
and winter playing golf,
the winter at
Carnoustie, and the summer at Folkestone in Kent.
Ramey purchased all the property east of his Yarmouth house, as far as Howard Street, and converted
a considerable portion of it into a
garden, and left the whole after
his death to
his widow, who resided there until her own death in 1799. She left the property to
her daughter, the dowager Dutchess of
Home, who occupied it as a town house until 1811, when
she sold it to John Watson, at
that time town clerk. Watson held office until
1822. He married
Mary, daughter of William Fisher, and died in 1828, aged 78, his wife
dying in the same year aged 77.
During the last few years of his
life, John Watson resided at
No.14 Regent Street, where after his death his books and
paintings were sold in 1829. Among
the latter was a view of
Yarmouth harbour by Butcher, Palmer
suggests that this is
probably as fine a view as those
in the town hall, and questions what has become of it.*5 What indeed? In 1835 the above mentioned house was
purchased by William Travers Cox M.D., who
resided in it for some years.
Subsequently a corn‑hall was erected on a
portion of the garden, having an entrance to it from Regent Street. The house when sold by Dr.Cox
was fitted up
as a commercial clubhouse, but after a few
years the club was broken up. The adjoining house to the south was called "Dobbs", and was conveyed in 1660
by Thomas Utber of Beccles to James King, merchant, whose son and heir Henry King in 1683 brought it
into settlement on his marriage with
Rebecca Atkin. She, dying in 1694 devised it to his widow who married
Thomas Moore. She left it to her
step daughter Eliza Moore who married Robert Atkin, and from her
the property descended to her eldest son and heir Thomas Atkin, who sold
it in 1738. The house was subsequently occupied by the Rev.Edward White who
was one of the ministers of
St.George's Chapel for nearly
sixty years 1732‑1791,
after whose death it became
the property and residence
of Thomas Ridge, Surgeon. In 1788 he
married Sarah, daughter of John Baker, merchant, and died in 1822 aged 61 leaving daughters only. His
only son had been drowned whilst bathing in the sea
in 1811, aged 16.
*5 There is a well known print of the Market Place by Butcher, also
one of the Quay, and the originals are
in the Town Hall, but this was altogether a different picture.
No residents listed in this row 1886 onwards.