ROW SIXTY NINE ‑ (Palmer gives no name)
(Not mentioned in Johnson's notebook)
Rev.Welham's Row (1715)*3
Hurry's Row (1783)*3
This row led from Howard Street
to King Street,
and was absorbed by Regent Street. On the south side near to the east end, stood an old
house which in the early part of the
18th century was
the residence of the
Rev.John Welham of Caius College Cambridge, who was one of
the first two ministers appointed to St.George's Chapel, which preferment he
resigned in 1724. He was also headmaster of the Grammar School. (which, it
should be remembered was at that
time over the bridge, on
the site which was to become the
railway yards, then a timber yard, and is
now W.H.Smiths large store‑ "Do It All".1990)
Southtown Road, photo P.E.R.
He was presented to the
Rectory of Cantley in 1720 by Sir
Harbord Harbord, and held it for six years. The house was next occupied by Musgrove Heightington, doctor of music,
who in 1733 was appointed organist
at St.Nicholas Church. The next
tenant was William Burton M.D., who died
in 1756, aged
53, and whose immediate ancestors played a distinguished part in local
politics. He published a parody
on Popes "Homer" and
other poems. Herman Burton was returned to Parliament for the Borough
in 1312, when none but Burgesses could
be elected, but no more is heard of the
name until the breaking out of the civil war, when
William Burton came
forward with money and
plate in support of the Parliament. So zealous was he
that he contributed
one of his "best
spoons", and a "silver
bodkin", and from that time took a leading part in municipal affairs.
In 1647 he signed the solemn league and covenant, and in the following
year he was one of the Cannoneers, and
had charge of the great ordinance at
the bridge, and kept a
store of gunpowder in his own house.
"What man could
do more to show his
patriotism?" ‑says Palmer. Actually I would have thought this
extremely dangerous, and could have led to the premature development of Regent
Street!
In 1649 Burton was chosen an Alderman in the place of George
England, whose politics had not
kept place with the times, and who had therefore been dismissed. In this,
the first year of the Commonwealth, Burton was elected
Bailiff. The town then was in a
very sorry state, and a
petition was presented to parliament, presenting the sad
condition of this poor town yet
under the miseries and depredations of war (while the land is at peace), asking
that you will be pleased to grant
to us such a part
of the lead and other useful
materials of that vast and altogether useless Cathedral in Norwich towards the building of a workhouse to
employ our almost starved poor, and
repairing our piers or
otherwise, as you shall think fit and sufficient." This petition is printed
in Swinden's History,
P.473.
This was not granted, and in
1656 Burton was sent to London with a petition to the Lord Protector,
setting forth the
sad condition of the town. (It
should be remembered that at this time
James Joyce had not been
brought in to
redesign the harbour and rivers mouth, and the trade of
the town was for about a century in a
parlous state due to the continual silting up of the river's mouth )
He got no money, but Oliver
Cromwell granted him a
commission to raise three hundred men
with the rank of Major and found
the arms. Cromwell raised a parliament, and Burton, who was connected with Cromwell
by the marriage of his son with the
daughter of General Desbrowe, who was himself married to Jane, sister of
Oliver Cromwell, became member of Parliament for Yarmouth,
and one of the seventy members who offered the crown to Cromwell.
Burton was returned as M.P. for
Yarmouth, and was one of seventy
members who, in the following year offered the crown to Oliver.
At the restoration of
the monarchy, Burton was dismissed
from the corporation, and his name defaced wherever it appeared. For many
years he was then forced to reside in Holland, although he did ultimately
return to Yarmouth, where he died
in 1673, aged 65, and was buried in St.Nicholas
Church. John Burton his son, was also
M.P. for Yarmouth in 1701.
The last owner of the house was
George Hurry Esq., who purchased
it in 1793 and died in 1797, aged
58. His widow resided in it until her
death in 1811, when the house was sold to the
commissioners for making the new street, by whom it was taken down. George Hurry was the eighth and
youngest son of Thomas Hurry, merchant, who
married in 1762,
Caroline, one of the two daughters and co‑heirs of Francis
Parson. She was an agreeable lady with a
handsome fortune.
*3 Colin Tooke's "Rows of
Gt.Yarmouth"
No residents listed in this row 1886 onwards.