A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Lords to support Lord Melbourne's government. Under his presidency the 

 Norfolk and Norwich branch of the Bible Society, which he called the most 

 excellent of all human institutions, was inaugurated ii September, i8ii,^ 

 at a meeting held at St. Andrew's Hall, with a committee consisting of eight 

 members of the Established Church, and eight of other denominations. One 

 of its most prominent supporters was the Quaker minister, Joseph John 

 Gurney, the well-known philanthropist and religious writer. The year 

 before the bishop's death, it was proposed at a meeting held in the room of 

 the Clerical Society of Norwich, 20 October, 1836, to form a Norwich 

 branch of the Diocesan Church Building Association, and resolutions for 

 forming it were adopted unanimously on 19 November, following.- This 

 much-needed step prepared the way for the great work of rebuilding and 

 restoring parsonages and churches which has been carried out by his 

 successors.' His charge at his primary visitation shows that he recognized 

 the good points in the evangelicals, and he consistently advocated the claims 

 of dissenters as well as of Roman Catholics ; his own church views being so 

 broad that he incurred the charge of socinianism. It has been thought that 

 his general amiability rendered him far too lax in the administration of his 

 large diocese,* which his great age must for a long time at least have made a 

 task altogether beyond his capacity. 



He was succeeded by Bishop Edward Stanley, who, when he was 

 consecrated 1 1 June, 1837, had for thirty-two years done the work of a most 

 conscientious and energetic parish priest at Alderley, to which living he had 

 been presented by his father. He was appointed by Lord Melbourne, after 

 having refused the offer of Manchester, the immediate creation of which 

 bishopric was then contemplated ; he took a different side from the 

 majority of the clergy on such questions as the Test Act, Roman Catholic 

 Relief, and Church Reform,^ showing great moral courage in adhering to 

 what was then regarded as a most unclerical position. His son, Arthur 

 Penrhyn Stanley, dean of Westminster, published his addresses and charges, 

 and a memoir of his life. From this we learn ° that the diocese, until its 

 partial reduction by the Ecclesiastical Commission at the time of his elevation, 

 had comprised a number of benefices equal to that of the whole Protestant 

 Establishment of Ireland, and still contained 863, an amount larger than in 

 any other, except Lincoln and Chester. At his primary visitation Bishop 

 :Stanley gave the number of incumbents as 646, of curates not incumbents as 

 215, and stated that only 313 incumbents resided in their parsonages, and 106 



^ B.M. 4,193, dd. 57. ' 1891 e, 2 (40»). 



' Even so Norfolk is remarkable for the number of churches that have disappeared, or are in a more or 

 less ruinous condition. Kelly (1904 edition) enumerates seventy-two ; Alprington, Anthingham, Ashby near 

 Yarmouth, Attleboro', Babingley, Barwick, Barton Bendish, Bawsey, Bayfield, East Beckham, Beeston St. 

 Andrew, Billockby, Bowthorpe, Buckenham Tofts, Burgh near Yarmouth, Burnham Sutton, Caldecote, East 

 •Carleton, Cley next Sea, Colveston, Little Cressingham, Eccles by Sea, Egmere, Fletcham, Fouldon, Garbolde- 

 sham, Gasthorpe, Gillingham, Glandford, Hackford next Recpham, Hargham, Hautbois, Hindolveston, 

 Holverstone, Irmingland, Keswick, Letton, Leziatte, Lynford, North Lynn, Mannington, Marshall, Mintlyn, 

 Oby near Yarmouth, Ormesby, Overstrand, Puttesley, Pensthorpe, Pudding Norton, Quarles, Raynham West, 

 Ringstead Parva, Rockland St. Margaret, Roudham, Roxham, Ryburgh Parva, Saxlingham Thorpe, Shotesham, 

 Somerton East, Stiffkey, Sturston, Testerton, Thorpe Parva, Tunstall, Wallington, Waxham, Weeting, 

 Whitlingham, Wolverton, and West Wretham. Of course this is not so serious as it might be, because it must 

 be acknowledged that Norfolk had been very much overbuilt. 



• J. H. Overton, Engl. Ch. in the 19M Cent. 113. 



* Ibid. 114. ' Addreae! and Charges, 29, 72. 



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