Author Archives: victoriadraper24

The Botanical Diaries: A Victorian Teen’s Summer Adventures

Posted on 16 January 2025 by victoriadraper24

The needles of a 500-year-old yew tree, a sprig of oak from Sherwood Forest, a piece of seaweed from the seaside resort of St Leonards. These are not typical artefacts you might expect to find in Norfolk Record Office. Yet, … Continue reading →

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Christmas in a foreign country

Posted on 20 December 2024 by victoriadraper24

We tend to think of Christmases as a time for having fun with friends and family. Often we forget about those who are unable to do so, particularly those who are working or stationed abroad. This was the case for … Continue reading →

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Poor Jack-  Food for the Poor or How to Make a Fortune

Posted on 29 November 2024 by victoriadraper24

My first independent foray into archival research at the Norfolk Record Office gave me a real headache in trying to understand the text but it was a fascinating and rewarding journey which lead to researching topics in many ways. Norfolk … Continue reading →

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Disaster on Prince of Wales Road, Norwich: September 1923

Posted on 13 November 2024 by victoriadraper24

Prince of Wales Road was built in 1860s as a grand thoroughfare for visitors from Norwich’s new Thorpe Railway Station to travel into the city centre. Old photographs show it lined on one side mainly by grand houses with shops … Continue reading →

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Pauper emigration from the parish of Guestwick in the 1830s.

Posted on 10 October 2024 by victoriadraper24

Researched and written by Christine Shackell The parish of Guestwick lies between Fakenham and Aylsham in north Norfolk. In 1831 the census recorded that there were 37 houses with 188 inhabitants.1 It comprised a scatter of cottages and farms with … Continue reading →

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From workhouse, to prison, to asylum, what could the future hold for Harriet Kettle?

Posted on 27 September 2024 by victoriadraper24

After spending her formative years in and out of the workhouse, the asylum and five periods of imprisonment in what sounds like a plot of a Dickensian novel, what were the chances that Harriet Kettle, could not only survive to … Continue reading →

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THE BROWN LADY OF RAYNHAM HALL: The World’s Most Infamous Ghost (continued)

Posted on 14 August 2024 by victoriadraper24

The Brown Lady was not to remain hidden for long. The next witness to be terrorised was Captain Frederick Marryat, a friend of the family. Staying at the house in 1836, he is supposed to have asked to sleep in the most … Continue reading →

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THE BROWN LADY OF RAYNHAM HALL: The World’s Most Infamous Ghost

Posted on 31 July 2024 by victoriadraper24

If you have arrived here as a fan of history, folklore and Norfolk, I will surmise that you have heard of, and perhaps even been fortunate enough to visit Raynham Hall. Situated in West Norfolk, the Hall began construction in … Continue reading →

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