Lamas (or Lammas)

Lamas Village Sign (With 2 'ms')

The village name, thought to be of Danish origin, can be spelt with either one of two 'ms'. In the Domesday book, it appears as Lamers but in other early documents there is a dot over the 'm' signifying a double letter.

Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell, who was the author of Black Beauty, is buried in the graveyard of the Quaker chapel in Lamas. The chapel has now been turned into a house and some of the stones from the graveyard have been set into the front wall of the house. However, more gravestones are visible in the garden among the yew trees.

Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell and her mother Mary were both Quakers and worshipped in the chapel. Anna wrote only one book during her lifetime but it has remained an enduring children's classic. The story, which concerns the mistreatment of horses, is written from the horse's point of view.

Anna Sewell's Grave Stone

The Old Quaker Chapel, Lamas

Yew Trees where Anna Sewell was Buried

See also Buxton, Great Yarmouth, Norwich and Old Catton.
 

Walter Rye

Inside St. Andrew's Church there is a memorial window to Walter Rye (1834-1929) the Norfolk antiquary. Rye spent most of his life working as a solicitor in London - but from the age of 21 onwards he always took walking or cycling holidays in Norfolk.

Walter Rye

At the age of 56 he retired from the law and moved to the county on a permanent basis. He was actively engaged in founding the Broads Protection Society, was Lord Mayor of Norwich from 1908-9 and had a passion for restoring old buildings - including St Leonard's Priory on Mousehold. For some years he was also the proprietor of the Maid's Head Hotel - ostensibly to prevent it being let to a brewer.

Rye wrote many books about the county including a history of the parish of Heigham and a follow-up to Rev Robert Forby's (see Fincham) Vocabulary of East Anglia. In his day he was also an outstanding athlete, a crack pistol shot and a pioneer of cycling.

Walter Rye is buried in the churchyard; his grave lies just inside the entrance gate on the right hand side. He lived in the village for a number of years.

Walter Rye's Grave at Lamas

St. Andrew's Church is beautifully located next to the River Bure and is probably seen to best advantage from the riverside path - which starts at Brampton Bridge, passes close to the grounds of Oxnead Hall and finishes at Buxton.

Lamas Church from the River Bure
 

Links:

More photographs of Anna Sewell locations in Norfolk

St. Andrew's Church