Susanna Wade Martins – författare

Thomas William Coke, the Norfolk landlord, was a legend in his own lifetime as a man dedicated to progressive reforms in agriculture and to the improvement of the conditions of his tenants. His Holkham estate was set up as a fine example to be followed by farmers and landlords alike. This book deals with the work of both Thomas William Coke and his son, their agents and their tenants at Holkham through the nineteenth century and into the early years of the twentieth. It shows how far even the most dynamic landlord needed a progressive tenantry and how far the tenantry relied on the landlord for the provision of good farm buildings and other capital expenditure. The building work of the estate in the erection of both farms and cottages is studied in detail. The aim of the book is to show life and work on the Holkham estate both from the landlord's point of view and from that of the tenant farmer and cottager.

Norfolk has a wealth of important archaeological sites, historic buildings and landscapes. This guide is the first to use them to tell the county’s rich history.Starting with real footprints of people who lived here nearly 1 million years ago, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places will take you on a chronological journey through prehistoric monuments, Roman forts, medieval churches and Nelson’s Monument, right up to twentieth-century defensive sites. With detailed entries illustrated by aerial photographs and ground-level shots, here you will find a reliable guide to historic places that are either open to the public, or are visible from public roads or footpaths for you to explore.

Norfolk played a unique role in the development of conservation. This book narrates the story of the movement, from its origins five hundred years ago to the present day.Rare and beautiful Norfolk, as described by the artist John Sell Cotman in 1841, with its rich wildlife habitats, historic buildings, diverse landscapes and archaeological sites, has long been a focus of interest for both naturalists and antiquarians. It has also been at the forefront of the modern conservation movement. The Norfolk Archaeological Trust, still the only local trust of its kind, was founded in 1923; the Norfolk Naturalist Trust, (later the Norfolk Wildlife Trust), founded in 1926, was the first county wildlife trust; while Blickling Hall was the first property to be accepted by the National Trust under its Country House Scheme. By the 1970s traditional marsheswere seen as particularly under threat and it was proposals to drain part of the Broadland marshes that led to the introduction of conservation schemes which have transformed much of British agriculture.In this engaging book, the author traces the history of the conservation movement and the people who were involved, including the Norfolk botanist and founder of the Linnean Society, Sir James Smith. In particular, she shows the influence of changingsocial attitudes and priorities upon the movement and ideas of heritage. Susanna Wade Martins is an honorary fellow of the School of History at the University of East Anglia; her previous publications include Coke ofNorfolk: A Biography and The Countryside of East Anglia (with Tom Williamson).

An engaging account of the life of a nineteenth-century priest.The Revd Benjamin Armstrong, for many years vicar of the market town of East Dereham, Norfolk, is best-known for what have been described as "one of England's greatest clerical diaries", eleven volumes spanning his whole adult life, between 1850 and 1888. This first full biography puts his story into the context of the period in which he lived: a time of turmoil in the church, with its conflict between high and low forms of service, and theological arguments, stirred up not least by controversies over Darwin's theories of creation. It also vividly portrays rural life at a time of great change, when society became more fluid, railways allowed the economy to grow and develop, and thevote was extended. We see this through the eyes of Armstrong himself, a fine example of the then "new-style" Church of England clergy who lived in their parishes, took more services than their predecessors, supported their schools and showed a genuine concern for the well-being of their parishioners. By the time he retired, church life in Dereham had been transformed, with congregations typically of 1,000 at each of the Sunday services.Armstrong also served on various Local Boards, as well as setting up the Literary Institute, the Rifle Volunteers and supporting musical and cultural events. He also had a full social life; his friends included prominent townspeople and the local clergy, gentry and aristocracy -- and there are incisive pen portraits of many of his associates and their eccentricities. These activities are set against the background of his family life, with its moments of tragedy and worry, including the death of a young child and the elopement of another.Dr SUSANNA WADE MARTINS is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History at the University of East Anglia. Her previous publications includeThe East Anglian Countryside: Changing Landscapes 1870-1950 with Tom Williamson (2008), Coke of Norfolk, 1754-1842 (2009) and The Conservation Movement in Norfolk - A History (2015).

First modern biography of Thomas William Coke, first earl of Leicester, who revolutionised agricultural practices and became an outspoken critic of Britain's war against America over independence.Thomas William Coke ("Coke of Norfolk") (1754-1842) is best known as one of the main promoters of the improved farming of the "Agricultural Revolution". He was also a county MP for over forty years between 1776 and 1832; and the owner of one of the finest palladian mansions in Britain, and by far, the largest estate in Norfolk at Holkham Hall. A friend of Charles James Fox, he moved in the highest Whig social circles and lavishly entertained distinguishedfriends from both political and academic fields who came to Holkham for its splendid library, works of art and antiquities as well as the game coverts. A charismatic figure, he was an outspoken critic of Britain's war against theAmericans in their fight for independence which made him friends who visited and corresponded across the Atlantic.Despite his importance, both locally and nationally, there has been no full scale biography of him for a hundred years - a gap which this book sets out to address. It sets his agricultural achievements in a wider context, and places Coke himself in his milieu, as one of a small circle of landed grandees who were of major influence duringa period of political turbulence and agricultural change. The author also examines Coke's reputation as a "patriot".Dr SUSANNA WADE MARTINS is Honorary Research Fellow, School of History, University of East Anglia.