The 18^th Century

After the death of the childless Queen Anne in 1714, the search was on for a new King. Of course, direct descendants of the Stewarts were alive and well in France, but they were Roman Catholics and unacceptable. The search widened and alighted on a distant relative, GEORG, Grand Duke of Braunschweig and Lüneburg and Elector of the German Empire. Georg became George I, King of Britain, France, Ireland and Hannover.

Therefore Britain and the North German State of Hannover were joined as one kingdom, and remained so until the death of William IV in 1837, when the German State could not, by law, accept Victoria as Queen, though her daughter married the King of Prussia and German Emperor.

During the reign of the German Georges, the Stewart Pretenders, Old and Young, tried to wrest the throne from the German dynasty. Bonnie Prince Charlie raised an army in Scotland and invaded England, but he got no further than Manchester before he was chased “O’er the sea to Skye” and thence back to France.

Sharrington was, of course, too far south to be involved in the fracas. So, we come to the 19th century, where documents relating to Sharrington are more in evidence.

The 19th Century

In 1797, the Enclosure Acts closed off Sharrington Common, parcelling out Common Land to landowners. This was countrywide, not only in Norfolk, and coincided with the Napoleonic Wars. Discontent had festered between Farmers and Labourers.

Norfolk was the most troubled area in Britain for the first thirty years of the 19^th century. Wages were near starvation level. Parliament was dominated by Landowners and Farmers and The Corn Laws were passed which prevented the importation of grain. British corn reached a very expensive 80 Shillings a quarter.

In 1830, there were food riots, with starving labourers attacking corn mills. The most hated were threshing machines, which deprived the labourer of winter employment. Wage meetings and riots are known to have occurred in Binham, Langham, Blakeney, Cley, Salthouse, Kelling, Weybourne, Bodham and Baconsthorpe. Destruction of threshing and other machines is known to have taken place in the parishes of Holt and Field Dalling. These troubles were the cause of the beginnings of Trade Union activities in 1870.

By Peter Chapman 2000

Reference:

An Historical Atlas of Norfolk. Published by Norfolk Museums Service. 2^nd edition.