ROW NINETY ﷓ MEWS HALF ROW *1 Old Suzannah's Row, 1813

At the south‑west corner of this row, was a house and shop, formerly the property and residence of Godfrey Goddard, whitesmith. At the opposite corner facing Middlegate Street was an old house now divided, which had on the first floor three large oblong windows now modernised.

In 1674 it was in the possession of William Tracey, and in 1770 it was conveyed by the Rev. Robert Adkin to Mr. Briggs, whose widow in 1786 sold it to Thomas Ridge, surgeon, who resided here until he removed to the quay.

The 1936 row survey says ‑ "Mews Half Row has on its north side the base of a medieval wall, below a wall of more recent date. This is said to be a boundary wall of the Friars Minor. There is an overhanging storey in this row".

In 1890 there was a brothel here. The town Clerk was instructed to prosecute Alice Shearing for keeping a brothel in row 90. In the same year it was noted that there were 18 deaths from Typhoid Fever. The rows still had an open drain down the middle, and the houses had earth closets. The local press thought this better than a sewer and water closets, a view supported by Dr. Wyllys, who said that sewer gas was the cause of Typhoid, and that the disease was more frequent amongst the better class of people who had installed flush toilets.

In 1992 prevalent infectious diseases haven't really changed that much. There are a substantial number of people who have contracted Shigella Dysentery, a very similar disease to Typhoid, spread easily by imperfect hygiene when using flush toilets! Only twelve or so years ago there was an enormous outbreak of Typhoid in some local hotels, and at Pontin's camp at Hemsby, with hundreds of cases. (1979) Scabies and head lice are common enough. Tuberculosis is seen only occasionally as opposed to earlier this century. When Doctor Ley (picture see vol. 1) was first in practice in Yarmouth (c.1910), the flea infestation of some persons was incredible. Nevertheless, he felt Yarmouth better than the east end of London. "In Yarmouth I found in the main that my patients were clean and house proud. The beach became flea-ridden in summer and visitors brought them into the houses, but we never saw bugs, and in the winter, fleas were not prevalent. Anyway they were not looked upon as inevitable, as in London."

When Mabel Parker was married, she moved from her parents home in Row 35 to that of her husband's parents in Row 90. This was no. 21 , and was the house on the south side that faced directly up Howard Street or Blind Howard Street.

Here Harry Symonds had ten children, in a house that was two up and two down with an attic above. The front door went directly into the living room, there was a kitchen and scullery behind, and two bedrooms above. In the summer they took in lodgers, and the whole family would retreat onto the third floor, where there was a single large attic room. There was an outside privy, and of course, no bathroom. They lived there from before the first W.War until the second. On Sundays the roast dinner was cooked in the oven at Hewitt's Bakery. This was usual practice, as few had electricity then.

The Rudrums were next door. Ella Rudrum and her husband both worked at the Pleasure Beach. She had a darts stall there. On the other side were the Stolworthys who had a son called Edward, who was an exceptionally spoiled child, doted upon by his mother, and who never did anything for himself. It was the grandmother's house.

Arthur and Olive Stolworthy also lived in this row, but further up. Olive was Arthur's daughter, and theirs was a two roomed house, having but one room down, and one up, nevertheless she was a privileged child as her parents only had one child to clothe and feed.

Eventually the Symonds house was bombed. Harry Symonds (jnr.) worked at Grouts factory, and lost a finger in a machine there. Up the row, Benjamin Smoughton and his wife were a childless couple. She was a very nervous woman. Percy Bottomley had three daughters, one of whom was Molly. William Denton had a son, Stanley, a painter for the corporation now. Further up was Ernest Gibbs and his family. Other children in the row loved to go into their house just to wonder at it, as it was so filthy and primitive. They would drink from a roughly opened tin-can instead of a cup. Nothing was washed or cleaned. They ate directly from the table without plates. True medievalism! Now there is a saying if anyone's is dirty‑ its just like the Gibbs' house! Gibbs had a number of children, all true urchin children.

In Howard Street at that end at that time there was a lot of tuberculosis, and people would spit out in the street. At no. 10 row 90, lived the Barnes'. Mrs Barnes had had her face severely burned and always wore a scarf completely covering her face, even her eyes, it was so badly disfigured. She lived on her own with one son, her son did the shopping, she never ventured from the house, although the house was immaculate.

Near to the east end of the row at that time, lived Albert Miles Cutting, and Ada Alice Cutting. They lived at number 3, which was the house of Ada's mother, and William Burkitt Brown, her father. After Ada's mother died in 1929, Ada's sister Lilly stayed to look after her father, eventually marrying herself, just before the war. The Cuttings then moved back in to look after old Mr. Brown. Brown had been a corporation labourer.

Albert Miles Cutting was a docker. It was inconstant work on the docks, and days on the labour inbetween-whiles only brought in a shilling a week per person. The Cuttings had three boys, Albert, John, and Reggie. The house at no. 3 had it's entrance direct from the row. There is a photo of Mrs.Brown and Lilly at the front door. There is also a photo. of Ada cutting scrubbing the pavement outside. The house had a living room with stairs at one side, a kitchen with range and copper, and a toilet out the back. The next row was very close behind, and there was a gate into the row at the back. There was an oil lamp on a chain hanging from the ceiling, and two gas lamps on the living‑room wall. There was no electricity here until 1937. As there was of course no refrigerator, there was a meat safe out the back on the wall, with a mesh front, where milk, butter or eggs might be stored. Milk was delivered every day up and down the rows on a barrow. Mr. Gibbs from down the row assisted on this round on a part‑time basis. Gibbs was employed on the boilers at the workhouse. Sometimes young Albert Cutting would lend a hand. Mr. Hatch had the milk business, and worked from Rodney Road. The house had two floors, and no cellar. There were two bedrooms, one larger at the front. The boys shared a bed in the back bedroom, two up and one down. They could pass comics through the window to a boy in the house next‑door. There was a small fireplace in the bigger bedroom.

The Occupants, Row Ninety, 1886

( from King Street to Middlegate Street )

Beales, Mrs.

Dean, W., gas labourer

Thrower, C., smacksman

Eastick, Mrs.

Bracey, M., Tailor

Harvey, H., labourer

Isaacs, J., - carpenter's shop

Withers, J., blacksmith

Simbad, F., bootmaker

Rainer, G.F., caulker

Hennison, Mrs.

Hudson, Mrs.

Garrard, Mrs.

Mitchell, R.

Lark, E.C., cooper

Stuart, E., bootmaker

Brown, H., fisherman

Jackman, Mrs.E.

Lark, W.

Jackman, Miss

Cardey, J.R., shoe worker

Watts, Mrs.

Howes, G.H.

Beavers, Mrs.

Spinks, M.

Marshall, J.

Marshall, W., bricklayer

Hacon, C., cabinet maker

Stone, Mrs.M., dressmaker

Mackenzie, J., weaver

Folkard, D., mariner

Dean, F.

The Occupants, Row Ninety, 1913

( from 159 King Street to 11a, Middlegate Street )

North side

2. Ingram, Mrs.

3. Cardey, Robert

4. Franklin, Mrs.

5. Field, Robert

6. Utting, William

7. Webb, Frederick

8. Turrell, George Daniel

9. Baker, Mrs.

10. Barnes, Walter

11. Bartram, Robert James

12. Elsey, Miss

.......Howard Street South......

13. Crane, William

14. Staff, Edward Robert

South side

Rose, William Samuel, blacksmith

18. Dinsdale, Miss

19. Bunnewell, Frederick

20. Bartram, Robert

21. Symonds, Henry

22. Stolworthy, Mrs.

23. Carter, Benjamin

24. Shoobridge, Arthur

25. Bexfield, Mrs.

26. Lowther, William

27. Stamsbery, Mrs.

28. Atkins, John

29. Harrod, Frederick Joseph

30. Brown, William Birkett

31. Spink, George

The Occupants, Row Ninety, 1927

( from 159 King Street to 11a, Middlegate Street )

North side

2.Boyce, Bertie

3. Brown, William

4.Chandler, Frank

5. Jarrold, Arthur

6. Utting, William

7. George, Alfred

8. Lowther, William

9. Pitts, Frank

10. Barnes, Walter

11. Stolworthy, Mrs.

.......Howard Street South......

13. Crane, William

14. Staff, Edward Robert

South side

Utting, George A., coal dealer

18. Simnett, Hedley

19. Bunnewell, Frederick

20. Bartram, Robert

21. Symonds, Henry

22. Stolworthy, Mrs.A.

23. Carter, Benjamin

24. Smoughton, Walter George

25. Bexfield, Mrs.

26. Fletcher, Percy Gordon

27. Stambery, Mrs.

29. Calver, George

30. Thompson, Mrs.

31. Balls, Walter

The Occupants, Row Ninety, 1936

( from 159 King Street to 11a, Middlegate Street )

North side

2.Boyce, Bertie

3. Brown, William

4.Chandler, Frank

5. Thurston, George Edward

6. Utting, Horace

7. George, Alfred

8. Whitehead, Bertram

9. Hannant, Samuel Fraser

10. Barnes, Walter

11. Stolworthy, Arthur James

.......Howard Street South......

13. Crane, William

14. Staff, Edward Robert

South side

Utting, Mrs.Ida, coal dealer

18. Simnett, Hedley

19. Bunnewell, Frederick

20. Rudrum, Jack

21. Symonds, Henry

22. Stolworthy, Mrs.A.

23. Carter, Benjamin

24. Smoughton, Walter George

25. Bexfield, Mrs.

26. Fletcher, Percy Gordon

27. Bottomley, Percy B.

28. Denton, William

29. Webb, Mrs.

30. Gibbs, Ernest George

31. Balls, Walter