I Need A Hero!

It’s ‘Norfolk Day’ today – we're supposed to celebrate the joys of our fair county, and honour our local heroes. Here are some of mine.

Boudicca, Warrior Queen of the Iceni. [1st century] Her husband had been a King over East Anglia, and the occupying Romans had allowed him to be a ‘client king’. When he died, the Romans confiscated his lands, as there was no male heir. so Boudicca, his widow objected. She was flogged, and forced to watch her young daughters brutally raped. So she raised an army of 100,000 and led them to fight the Romans in an act of revenge.  “… we must either conquer or die with glory. There is no alternative. Though I am a woman, my resolution is fixed. The men, if they prefer, may survive with infamy and live in bondage. For me there is only victory or death.” I hate violence- but I admire a woman who stood up for herself, and inspired others to fight for liberty.

Elizabeth Fry [1780-1845] Born in Norwich, into the prestigious Gurney banking family. They were Quakers, and she married Joseph Fry [nephew of the founder of Fry’s Chocolate] with whom she had eleven children. She was a very clever and caring woman. She worked tirelessly for prison reform – instrumental in the passing of the 1823 Gaols Act, which mandated sex-segregation in English Prisons, and female warders, to protect women from exploitation. And SO practical. When women were transported as convicts to Australia, she provided each with a small bag containing cloth, needles and threads. On the long voyage, they could sew a quilt. On arrival that quilt could keep them warm, or be sold to raise funds, or be displayed as evidence of skills. She set up shelters for the homeless and a training school for nurses [inspiring Nightingale to do the same] I respect someone who was wealthy, and could have been a ‘lady of leisure’ but felt that her Christian faith meant she should use her advantages to do good for the less fortunate.

Anna Sewell [1820-1878] Also a Quaker, she was born in Great Yarmouth. The family moved to London, where her leg was badly injured in an accident when she was 14. Walking was really painful, so she travelled everywhere in a horse drawn carriage. She became a fanatical animal lover- and joined her mother in working as an ardent abolitionist. Her brother was widowed  - Anna returned to Norfolk and she helped him raise his family of seven children. She’d become increasingly conscious of the cruel way that horses were treated – forced to pull heavy loads, and kept under inhumane conditions. She wrote a book – from the horse’s point of view, describing the cruelty. The book was Black Beauty. She sold it in 1877 to Jarrolds the Publishers for £40. It was an instant success [The RSPCA endorsed this exposure of animal abuse] Anna fell ill, dying just a few months later. She is buried locally near Aylsham. The book, originally intended for adults as a protest, has become a children’s favourite. Anna cared not only for people, but for all God’s creatures, and never let her own disability hold her back. I honour her courage.

There are many other Norfolk women who made a difference - Edith Cavell, St Julian of Norwich, and more …but no space left. Their legacy should be celebrated every day, not just on Norfolk day.

PS thanks for all the kind remarks yesterday about the bears. If you are considering making one yourself please email for some tips - it may save you both time and hassle!