BOUDICCA Died c60 AD The wife of Prasutagus, King of the Iron Age Iceni tribe (who occupied what’s now Norfolk, east Cambridgeshire, and northern Suffolk), she led a tribal revolt that almost ended Roman rule in Britain. Roman historian Cassius Dio described her as “very tall, in appearance most terrifying – with a great mass of the tawniest hair which fell to her hips.”
SARAH ANNA GLOVER 1786–1867 You may not have heard of Norwichborn Sarah Glover, but you’ve certainly run through Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si-Do once or twice. In 1827, Sarah was using a simple method of musical notation to teach her pupils, which was published in 1835. She very rarely gets due credit for this innovation – that goes to John Curwen, who ‘borrowed’ her ideas in 1841. Sarah did, however, find lasting fame by inventing the harmonicon.
JULIAN OF NORWICH c1342-1416 Although we don’t know anything about her ‘real’ identity, Julian of Norwich was the first woman to write a book in English. Her ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ contains reflections on her 16 visions of the crucified Christ, and is best know for her words “all shall be well and all shall be well, all manner of thing shall be well.” In 1413 she was visited by the visionary Margery Kempe (see below).
ANNA GURNEY 1795-1857 Anna Gurney was a scholar, poet, philanthropist, translator and the first female member of the British Archaeological Association. She also purchased a Manby Mortar (used to fire a line to a ship in peril) for the town of Sheringham to help save the lives of shipwrecked sailors. When she was buried in Overstrand Church (near Cromer), 2,000 people attended her funeral and her coffin was borne by local fishermen.
MARGERY KEMPE c1373–1438 Born in King’s Lynn (though it was still called Bishop’s Lynn in those days) the visionary Margery Kempe wrote the earliest surviving autobiography in English – even though it was only first published in full in 1936.
ANNA SEWELL 1820-1878 Born in Great Yarmouth, Anna Sewell only wrote one book. She never married and never had children, but her book Black Beauty is one of English literature's most popular classics for children.
ALICE L’ESTRANGE 1585–1656 Lady L’Estrange was the keeper of household and estate accounts at Sedgeford Estate from 1609 until 1654 – she received rents, kept the intricate sheep accounts, organized grazing regimes and crop rotations, and drew up rentals and field books. MARY HARDY 1733–1809 Mary Hardy was born at Whissonsett, near Fakenham, and started a dairy on November 28th, 1773, eight years after she married William Hardy of East Dereham, who owned a maltings, brewery and small farm. Her amazing diary, which recounts the working lives of ordinary men and women, ends just two days before her death and runs to some 500,000 words – and has just been published in full (edited by Margaret Bird) by Burnham Press. FANNY BURNEY 1752–1840 The writer Frances Burney was born in King’s Lynn. Hugely successful in her time (she was paid £1,000 for the copyright of her novel Camilla), she led a fascinating life, mixing with British royalty and exiles from the French
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I am not afraid to do what I think is right – and not afraid to do what sometimes other people maythink is wrong. – Margaret Fountaine Revolution. Virginia Woolf described her as the mother of English fiction. ANN DRUMMOND 1778–1819 Ann Drummond has an interesting (albeit slightly odd) place in history – she was the very first person to be buried in the very first private cemetery in England (the Rosary Road Cemetery in Norwich). Her husband, the Presbyterian Minister Thomas Drummond, was the founder of the cemetery.
MARGARET FOUNTAINE 1862-1940 Hailing from South Acre, Margaret Fountaine was an adventurer, diarist and famed lepidopterist (someone who studies butterflies and moths). In 50 years, she travelled to 60 countries and her collection of about 22,000 butterflies was left to the Castle Museum in Norwich. ETHEL COLMAN 1863-1948 The second of the famous mustard manufacturer's four daughters, Ethel Mary Colman was the first female Lord Mayor in England. She was also a descendent of Mary Hardy (see above). FLO WADLOW 1912-2013 Cook and author Florence Georgiana Wadlow was born in London, but was brought up in Wells. At the age of 23, she was appointed cook at Blickling Hall by Lord Lothian (the last private owner of Blickling). Her book ‘Over a Hot Stove: A Kitchen Maid’s Story’ tells the story of her fascinating life in domestic service. Flo died earlier this year on 9th January.
KLmagazine July 2013