Description by William Hewitt in 1844

This is on page 97 of the following book.

Hewitt, William

An essay on the encroachments of the German Ocean along the Norfolk coast
[Printed by Matchett, Stevenson, and Matchett, 1844]

[Transcription copyright © Pat Newby]

Horsey next the Sea must have been formerly one of the most uninviting hamlets ever beheld. It lies between Waxham and Winterton, and is eleven miles north by west of Yarmouth. Its lonely situation, its containing a large lake, called Horsey-mere, and intersected with ditches of stagnant water, cannot render it even now prepossessing. And were it not for its complete exposure to wind from every quarter, it probably would be very unhealthy. - Such a singular aspect did it assume some years since, that an early historian, alluding to Horsey, recommended it to the notice of government, as being peculiarly adapted for prisoners of war, especially the French; observing they could be retained there readily, as there was only one road to it; and its growing roots in abundance, besides an innumerable quantity of frogs, the expense for maintaining them would be inconsiderable.

The present proprietor's highly respected ancestor, about fifty years since, purchased the manor, when it was of little value, being generally flooded, and having expended a considerable sum of money in draining the marshes, repairing the sea-bank, and making a road to Somerton, an adjoining village leading to Yarmouth, has rendered it one of the most fertile estates in the county.

On the sea-bank within the bounds of this parish is Little Waxham, a manor of 160 acres; but the village, and its church dedicated to St. Margaret, were swept away by the ocean many years ago.

See also the Horsey parish page.

These pages are for personal use only. They may not be copied, and the links within them may not be harvested for use on your own web pages. Please see the Copyright Notice.

Copyright © Pat Newby.
July 2011

• The Magna Carta can be seen at the British Library. The British Library web site includes many related resources including this translation of Magna Carta into modern English.

• The Victoria History of the Counties of England is a series of books giving good information about county history.

• The National Archives web site gives some useful background to historical resources, including The Domesday Book and The Jacobite Risings, 1715 and 1745.Look generally at their Research Guides. The National Archives website also includes some fascinating historical resources in their Education pages.

• The English Peerage (1790) is a book about the ancient and present state of the English Nobility in 1790.

• The Battle of Stamford Bridge the battle which ended the Viking era of English history.

• The Rural History Centre, a national centre for the study of development in agriculture, the countryside and food.

• Regia Anglorum - Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British Living History. A re-enactment society which attempts to recreate a cross section of English life around the turn of the first millennium.

• Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy provided by Chris Phillips.

• Medieval Source Material on the Internet by Chris Phillips.

• Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516 compiled by Dr. Samantha Letters.

• The Land and Freedom pages - another view of English Civil War History from Tony Gosling.

• The Village Labourer 1760-1832: A Study in the Government of England before the Reform Bill by J.L. and Barbara Hammond.

• If you are able to find a copy, this book is an excellent resource for fathoming old weights and measures.
  A Dictionary of English Weights and Measures from Anglo-Saxon Times to the Nineteenth Century. Ronald Edward Zupko University of Wisconsin Press 1968.

KINGS, QUEENS, ARCHBISHOPS & BISHOPS
OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Notes

• Brass* - from 1992 "bronze" 1p and 2p coins were made from copper-plated steel.
• Silver* - from 1920 "silver" coins contained only 50% silver, and from 1947 "silver" coins were made entirely of cupro-nickel.
• Cupro-Nickel* - the alloy used for 20p coins contains more copper than the other cupro-nickel coins.

UK and Ireland: History

• British History Online is a "digital library of British historical sources .... including text and information about people, places and businesses from the 12th century to the present day".
• History On-line - a comprehensive resource from the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London.
• The British Association for Local History's journal The Local Historian now makes all but the most recent three years of its issues freely available online.
• The British Library provides an extensive set of Learning History (and other subjects) pages.
• Listing of Rulers of England and Great Britain from 829AD, compiled by Dick Eastman.
• Information about the Kings and Queens of England and Scotland has been provided by Colin Hinson. He has also made available a table of Kings, Queens, Archbishops & Bishops which is also available as an Excel spreadsheet.
• Information from the book The English Peerage, which actually covers a wider area than just England.
• Local History Magazine have information related to the local history scene.
• The Virtual Museum of "treasures" from The National Archives - "collected over a 1000 years of British history".
• Anglo-American Legal Tradition - "Documents from Medieval and Early Modern England from the National Archives in London" (a huge resource).
• The Spartacus Educational website has provided some interesting and useful material on many aspects of British History, including:
  • Art & Artists
  • The Chartist Movement
  • First World War
  • Child Labour: 1750-1900
  • Journalists and Newspapers
  • Parliamentary Legislation
  • The Monarchy: 1750-1900
  • Members of Parliament: 1750-1820
  • Members of Parliament: 1850-1950
  • The Peterloo Massacre
  • Prime Ministers: 1780-1900
  • Political Parties and Government Legislation
  • Parliamentary Reform: 1750-1832
  • 19th Century Railways
  • Religion and Society
  • Emancipation of Women: 1780-1920
  • Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders
  • Political Parties and Election Results
  • Trade Unions and the Labour Movement
• The Brigham Young University of Utah has provided online versions of many Primary Documents relating to the History of the United Kingdom.
• Britannia's British History website (archived copy) offers some very useful material from many periods of British history. Their History Sources page (archived copy), which provides the text of many important documents and speeches, is particularly interesting, as are their Timelines of British History (archived copy).
• Another useful Timeline allows you to discover the historical events which were occurring throughout the lives of any chosen ancestor.
• The Great Britain Historical Database - from the Vision of Britain website.
• 19th Century: Victoria Research Web provided by the History Department of Indiana University.
• NetSERF's Hypertext Medieval Glossary (archived copy) explains many of the obscure terms we might encounter in our research.
• Robin Alston's Library History - The British Isles - To 1850 (archived copy) provides "a comprehensive series of files covering libraries, institutional, commercial and private in the British Isles from the late medieval period to the year 1850".
• A brief guide to British Coins 1861-2000.
• The Victorian Web covers many aspects of nineteenth century life including Biography, History, Politics, Gender, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Technology, Literature, Visual Arts and Victorian Design.
• The Heritage Trail (archived copy) - "One of his sceptred isle's greatest assets is her incredible wealth of heritage. From Stone Age Circles to Iron Age hill forts, Roman Baths to Medieval Castles, ruined Abbeys to vast Cathedrals, fine Manor Houses to Victorian seaside piers and pavilions - we have it all. The aim of this site is to offer the visitor a comprehensive insight into as much of Britain's heritage as possible."
• Current Value of Old Money - useful links and information by Roy Davies.
• The H-Net Discussion Network for British and Irish History.
• Great Britain and the United Kingdom History courtesy of "Teacher Oz".
• Knud Mariboe's Encyclopedia of the Celts.
• At the end of the 19th century, Mr Charles Booth held an Inquiry into the Life and Labour of the People of London - his 1889 descriptive map of London poverty is also online.
• An Overview of the The Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace.
• Internet Modern History Sourcebook covers a wide range of topics dating from the 16th century to the present.
• The William Morris Gallery - "Discover the life and works of Britain's most inspiring designer at the newly-refurbished William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, London".
• History in Focus: The Victorian Era from the History Online website.
• A Web of English History - history of the period 1760-1850.
• The Victoria County History website gives information on the status of this ambitious project and includes the drafts of some unpublished articles destined for future volumes.
• Victoria County History: Place Index. An Index of places mentioned in the titles of articles in the published volumes of the Victoria History of the Counties of England.
• Useful dates in British History for the local historian or genealogist.
• Outlaws and Highwaymen a "History of the Highwaymen and their Predecessors, the Medieval Outlaws" made available by Gillian Spraggs.
• Roughly Date a Victorian or Edwardian Lady (archived copy) Photographs sorted by date by Roger F. Vaughan. Another useful site for dating photographs is The Costume Gallery which deals with changes in fashion over the years.
• A History of Women's Regency Fashion: Brocades, Fragrance, Lace, and Powder.
• Sewing Patterns and Guides for Historical Clothing and Costumes, by Lulus.
• The entire 3500 British Pathe news film archive covering "news, sport, social history and entertainment from 1896 to 1970" is now available online. The search facility allows one to locate and immediately view summaries and stills. Low resolution film "preview files" can be downloaded for viewing using Windows Media Player, free of charge to UK residents (though only after providing credit card and other identifying information).
• Britain on Film - by the National Film Institute: "1,000s of beautifully preserved films, capturing 120 years of Britain on Film"
• The National Co-operative Archive provides information on all aspects of the Co-operative movement.
• Historical Photographs are available from:
  • The Genealogist Image Archive.
  • Mary Evans Picture Library. 
  • Francis Frith.
  • History Pin - user-submitted historical photographs.
  • Britain From Above - free aerial photographs of Britain from 1919.
• Tim Lambert's Local Histories pages, provide histories of mny towns and cities in of towns and cities in the UK and Ireland.
• Jorge H. Castelli provides a large Tudor History web-site.
• Chamber's Book of Days - "a miscellany of popular antiquities in connection with the calendar".
• Pound Sterling - the History of the Pound, by Wikipedia.
• The British Isles - from the History Files website.
• The British Civil Wars, Commonwealth and Protectorate website