Philanthropy
We gathered again last Thursday at the Norfolk Record Office to further explore documents from the strong room. Each document is related to the Land Act Tax and the five selected commissioners who were selected to be explored in further depth. The five commissioners we are exploring are Michael Bland, Elisha De Hague, John Harrison Yallop, Phillip Meadows Martineau and William Herring. Some of these names are very familiar around Norwich.
All the commissioners were involved in civic duties as elected Aldermen, Sheriffs and some as Mayors. Two of the group De Hague and Herring also belonged to the Society of United Friars. Elaine, one of the History Detectives spent the day exploring this quasi monastic group which met for the promotion of intellectual culture and social fellowship. Taking visual and procedural processes from monastic orders each member of the group would adopt the dress from a specific order. Initially formed in 1785, it later expanded its focus to include large scale charitable relief in the form of soup kitchens. The ‘books of transactions’, records of committee and conclave meetings regularly feature De Hague’s name and later Herring also.
The notes are fascinating and the group were interested in both local and national developments in the arts and literature but also in progressive social reform. There is an entry which details information about the Robert Owens developments at New Lanark. His advanced systems of factory management and balancing of profitable business practices with workforce care, providing opportunities for education and development were innovative to say the least. These types of developments must have been of interest to the group in Norwich given the variety of factories within the city at the time. http://www.newlanark.org/robertowen.shtml
