Happy Families
Happy Families published by Norvic Mill, c.1920s. Go back in time through the sight of these delightful comical sketches of the families of Farmers, Squires and Landlords through to Milkmen, Ploughmen and Cobblers.
Above: cards from Happy Families by Norvic Mill, c.1920s. 48 cards in total. For all four card games they made each with the same back design.
I have long suspected that these Norvic Mill games were made in Norwich (Norvic was the Viking name for Norwich). Years ago I spoke to the Archivist at Jarrolds, a long established printer, whose premises were in a disused water mill on the river Wensum. The print and publishing side of Jarrolds was sold in 2005 and they concentrated on their retailing business. The archivist told me that the entire archive had been shipped to the buyer already. He had a vague memory that at one time Jarrolds published games and also, he thought, card games. Now I see online that the Jarrold archives have been secured by Norfolk county council and have been catalogued. A few pages have been published and I look forward the rest being available soon.
