Chapter XIV: Part 14

_Mellon_, Alfred.--Though actually born in London, Mr. Mellon's parents (his father was a Frenchman) were residents in Birmingham, and we must claim this popular conductor as a local musician of note. He was only twelve when he joined the Theatre Royal band, but at sixteen he was the leader and remained so for eight years, removing to London in 1844. In 1856 Mr. Mellon conducted the opening performances at the Music Hall in Broad Street (now Prince of Wales's Theatre): and will be long remembered for the "Promenade Concerts" he gave at Covent Garden and in the provinces. He died from the breaking of a blood-vessel, March 27, 1867.

_Mogridge_, George, born at Ashted Feb. 17th, 1787, and brought up as a japanner, was the original "Old Humphrey" of our childhood's days, the author of "Grandfather Grey," "Old Humphrey's Walks in London," "Old Humphrey's Country Strolls," and other juvenile works, of which many millions of copies have been sold in England, America, and the Colonies. "Peter Parley's Tales" have been also ascribed to our townsman, who died Nov. 2, 1854.

_Munden_, T.--In the year 1818, Mr. Munden (born in London in 1798) came to this town as organist of Christ Church, and was also chosen as teacher of the Oratorio Choral Society, and to this day it may be said that the reputation of our Festival Choir is mostly based on the instruction given by him during his long residence among us. From 1823 till 1849 Mr. Munden acted as Assistant-conductor at the Festivals, retiring from public life in 1853.

_Muntz_.--The Revolution in 1792 drove the Muntz family to emigrate from their aristocratic abode in France, and a younger son came to this town, where he married a Miss Purden, and established himself in business. From this alliance sprung _our_ race of the Muntzes. George Frederic, the eldest, was born in November, 1794, and losing his father in early life, was head of the family in his 18th year. He devoted himself for many years, and with great success, to mercantile affairs, but his most fortunate undertaking, and which has made his name known all over the world, was the manufacture of sheathing metal for ships bottoms. It has been doubted whether he did any more than revive another man's lapsed patent, but it has never been questioned that he made a vast sum of money out of the "yellow metal." In politics, G.F.M. took a very active part, even before the formation of the Political Union in 1830, and for many years he was the idol of his fellow-townsmen. He was elected M.P. for Birmingham, in January, 1840, and held the seat till the day of his death, which took place July 30, 1857. His name will be found on many a page of our local history, even though a statue of him is not yet posed on a pedestal.

_Murdoch_, William.--Born at Bellow Mill, near Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, in 1750, and brought up as a millwright, came here in search of work in 1777. He was employed by Boulton at 15s. per week for the first two years, but he soon became the most trusted of all the many engaged at Soho, and never left there though offered £1,000 a year to do so. The first steam engine applied to drawing carriages was constructed by him in the shape of a model which ran round a room in his house at Redruth in 1784, and which is still in existence. As an inventor, he was second only to Watt, his introduction of gas lighting being almost equal to that of the steam engine. He lived to be 85, dying November 15, 1839, at his residence, Sycamore Hill, Handsworth. His remains lie near those of his loved employers, Boulton and Watt, in the parish church.

_Pettitt_.--Mr. Joseph Pettitt, who died Sept. 9, 1882, in his 70th year, was a local artist of note, a member of the Society of Artists, and for many years a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy, our local, and other exhibitions. In his younger years Mr. Pettitt was employed in the papier-mâché trade, a business peculiarly suited to persons gifted with artistic faculties. His earliest specimens of landscape attracted attention, and Mr. Joseph Gillott commissioned the painter to furnish a number of Swiss views for the collection of pictures he had began to gather. Mr. Pettitt pleased the penmaker, and soon made a name for himself, his works being characterised by fine colour and broad vigorous handling.

_Phillips_, Alderman, died Feb. 25, 1876. A member of the first Town Council, and Mayor in 1844. Mr. Phillips long took active part in municipal matters, and was the founder of the Licensed Victuallers' Asylum.

_Pickard_, James.--A Birmingham button maker, who patented, Aug. 23, 1780, the use of the crank in the steam engine to procure rotary motion. He is supposed to have got the idea from overhearing the conversation of some Soho workmen while at their cups. The first engine in which it was used (and the fly-wheel) was for a manufacturer in Snow Hill, and was put up by Matthew Washborough, of Bristol.

_Plant_.--Mr. T.L. Plant, who died very suddenly in a railway carriage in which he was coming into town on the morning of August 31, 1883, came to Birmingham in 1840. As a meteorologist, who for more than forty years had kept close record of wind and weather, he was well known; his letters to the newspapers on this and kindred subjects were always interesting, and the part he took in advanced sanitary questions gained him the friendship of all. Mr. Plant was a native of Yorkshire, and was in his 64th year at the time of his death.

_Playfair_, William (brother of the eminent Scotch mathematician) was engaged as a draughtsman at the Soho Works, after serving apprenticeship as a millwright. He patented various inventions, and was well known as a political writer, &c. Born, 1759; died, 1823.

_Postgate_, John.--This name should be honoured in every household for a life's exertion in the obtainment of purity in what we eat and drink. Beginning life as a grocer's boy, he saw the most gross adulteration carried on in all the varieties of articles sold by his employers, and afterwards being with a medical firm, he studied chemistry, and devoted his life to analysing food and drugs. Coming to this town in 1854, he obtained the assistance of Mr. Wm. Scholefield, by whose means the first Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry was appointed; the revelations were astounding, but it was not till 1875 that anything like a stringent Act was passed whereby the adulterators could be properly punished. The author of this great national benefit was allowed to die almost in poverty, uncared for by his countrymen at large, or by his adopted townsmen of Birmingham. Born October 21, 1820, Mr. Postgate died in July, 1881.

_Ragg_, Rev. Thomas.--Once a bookseller and printer, editor and publisher of the _Birmingham Advertiser_, and author of several works, one of which secured for him the goodwill of the Bishop of Rochester, who ordained him a minister of the Established Church in 1858. He died December 3rd, 1881, in his 74th year, at Lawley, Salop, having been perpetual curate thereof from 1865. His parishioners and friends subscribed for a memorial window, and a fund of a little over £200 was raised for the benefit of the widow, but a very small part thereof went from Birmingham.

_Ratcliffe_.--Mr. John Ratcliffe, who had in past years been a Town Commissioner, a Low Bailiff, a Town Councillor, and Alderman, was chosen as Mayor in 1856, and, being popular as well as wealthy, got reappointed yearly until 1859. In the first-named year, H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge was the Mayor's guest when he came to open Calthorpe Park. When the Princess Royal was married, in 1858, the Mayor celebrated the auspicious event by giving a dinner to more than a thousand poor people, and he headed the deputation which was sent from here to present England's royal daughter with some articles of Birmingham manufacture. On the occasion of the Queen's visit to open Aston Park, Mr. Mayor received the honour of Knighthood, and became Sir John, dying in 1864, in his 67th year.

_Rennie_, John.--The celebrated engineer and architect, who built Waterloo and Southwark Bridges, Plymouth Breakwater, &c., was for a short time in the employ of Boulton and Watt.

_Roebuck_, Dr. John, grandfather of the late John Arthur Roebuck, M.D. was born at Sheffield in 1718; came to Birmingham in 1745. He introduced better methods of refining gold and silver, originated more economical styles of manufacturing the chemicals used in trade (especially oil of vitriol), and revived the use of pit coal in smelting iron. After leaving this town he started the Carron Ironworks on the Clyde, and in 1768 joined James Watt in bringing out the latter's steam engine. Some mining investments failed before the engine was perfected, and his interest thereon was transferred to Mr. Boulton, the doctor dying in 1794 a poor man.

_Rogers_.--John Rogers, one of "the glorious army of martyrs," was burnt at Smithfield (London) on February 4, 1555. He was born in Deritend about the year 1500, and assisted in the translation and printing of the Bible into English. He was one of the Prebendaries of St. Paul's, London, but after Queen Mary came to the throne he gave offence by preaching against idolatry and superstition, and was kept imprisoned for eighteen months prior to condemnation and execution, being the first martyr of the Reformation. He left a wife and eleven children. See "_Statues and Memorials_."

_Russell_.--William Congreve Russell, Esq., J.P., and in 1832 elected M.P. for East Worcestershire, who died Nov. 30, 1850, aged 72, was the last of a family whose seat was at Moor Green for many generations.

_Ryall_, Dr. John.--The first headmaster of the Edgbaston Proprietary School, which opened under his superintendence in January, 1838, his connection therewith continuing till Christmas, 1846. He was a man of great learning, with a remarkable command of language, and a singularly accurate writer. Born March 11, 1806, his intellectual acquirements expanded so rapidly that at sixteen he was able to support himself, and, passing with the highest honours, he had taken his degree and accepted the head mastership of Truro Grammar School before his 21st birthday. For the last 30 years of his life he filled the post of Vice-President of Queen's College, Cork, departing to a better sphere June 21, 1875.

_Ryland_, Arthur.--Descendant of a locally long-honoured family this gentleman, a lawyer, added considerably to the prestige of the name by the prominent position he took in every work leading to the advancement of his townsmen, social, moral, and political. Connected with almost every institution in the borough, many of which he aided to establish or develop. Mr. Ryland's name is placed foremost among the founders of the Birmingham and Midland Institute, the Art Gallery, the public Libraries, the Hospitals for Women and Children, the Sanatorium, &c., while he was one of the greatest friends to the Volunteer movement and the adoption of the School Board's system of education. During life he was appointed to all the leading offices of citizenship, in addition to being chosen President of the Law Society and other bodies. He died at Cannes, March 23, 1877, in his 70th year.

_Scholefield_, William.--Son of Joshua Scholefield, was chosen as the first Mayor after the incorporation, having previously been the High Bailiff of the Court Leet. In 1847 he was elected M.P., holding that office through five Parliaments and until his death July 9, 1867 (in his 58th year). In the House, as well as in his private life and business circles, he was much esteemed for the honest fixity of purpose which characterised all his life.

_Shaw_, Charles, commonly known as "Charley" Shaw, was a large manufacturing merchant, and held high position as a moneyed man for many years down to his death. He was as hard as a nail, rough as a bear, and many funny tales have been told about him, but he is worth a place in local history, if only for the fact that it was principally through his exertions that the great monetary panic of 1837 was prevented from becoming almost a national collapse.

_Sherlock_.--Though not to be counted exactly as one of our Birmingham men, Thomas Sherlock, Bishop of London, who purchased the manor estates in or about 1730, must have a place among the "noteworthies." Hutton states that when the Bishop made his bargain the estate brought in about £400 per annum, but that in another thirty years or so it had increased to twice the value. The historian goes on to say that "the pious old Bishop was frequently solicited to grant building leases, but answered, 'his land was valuable, and if built upon, his successor, at the expiration of the term, would have the rubbish to carry off:' he therefore not only refused, but prohibited his successor from granting such leases. But Sir Thomas Gooch, who succeeded him, seeing the great improvement of the neighbouring estates, and wisely judging fifty pounds per acre preferable to five, procured an Act in about 1766, to set aside the prohibiting clause in the Bishop's will. Since which, a considerable town may be said to have been erected upon his property, now (1787) about £2,400 per annum." Bishop and historian alike, would be a little astonished at the present value of the property, could they see it.

_Small_, Dr. William.--A friend of Boulton, Watt, and Priestley, and one of the famous Lunar Society, born in county Angus, Scotland, in 1734, dying here in 1778. A physician of most extensive knowledge, during a residence in America he filled the chair of Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Williamsburg, Virginia. In the beautiful pleasure grounds of Soho House, when Matthew Boulton lived, there was an urn inscribed to the memory of Dr. Small, on which appeared some impressive lines written by Dr. Darwin, of Derby:--

"Here, while no titled dust, no sainted bone,
No lover weeping over beauty's bier,
No warrior frowning in historic stone,
Extorts your praises, or requests your tear;
Cold Contemplation leans her aching head,
On human woe her steady eye she turns,
Waves her meek hand, and sighs for Science dead,
For Science, Virtue, and for SMALL she mourns."

_Smith_.--Mr. Brooke Smith (of the well-known firm of Martineau and Smith), a valued supporter of Penn Street and Dale Street Industrial Schools, the Graham Street Charity, and other institutions connected with the welfare of the young, died in April, 1876, in his 78th year. A Liberal in every way, the sound common sense of Mr. Brooke Smith, who was noted for an unvarying courtesy to all parties and creeds, kept him from taking any active share in local politics where urbanity and kindliness is heavily discounted.

_Sturge_, Joseph.--Born August 2, 1793, at Alberton, a village on the Severn, was intended for a farmer, but commenced trading as a cornfactor at Bewdley, in 1814, his brother Charles joining him in 1822, in which year they also came to Birmingham. Mr. Sturge was chosen a Town Commissioner, but resigned in 1830, being opposed to the use of the Town Hall being granted for oratorios. He was one of the directors of the London and Birmingham Railway when it was opened in 1836, but objecting to the running of Sunday trains, withdrew from the board. In 1838 he was elected Alderman for St. Thomas's Ward, but would not subscribe to the required declaration respecting the Established religion. At a very early date he took an active part in the Anti-slavery movement, and his visit to the West Indies and subsequent reports thereon had much to do with hastening the abolition of slavery. When the working-classes were struggling for electoral freedom and "the Charter," Mr. Sturge was one of the few found willing to help them, though his peace-loving disposition failed to induce them to give up the idea of "forcing" their rights. Having a wish to take part in the making of the laws, he issued an address to the electors of Birmingham in 1840, but was induced to retire; in August, 1842, he contested Nottingham, receiving 1,801 votes against his opponent's 1885; in 1844 he put up for Birmingham, but only 364 votes were given him; and he again failed at Leeds in 1847, though he polled 1,976 voters. In 1850 he visited Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark, and in February, 1854, St. Petersburgh, each time in hopes of doing something to prevent the wars then commencing, but failure did not keep him from Finland in 1856 with relief for the sufferers. In 1851 he took a house in Ryland Road and fitted it up as a reformatory, which afterwards led to the establishment at Stoke Prior. Mr. Sturge died on May 14, 1859, and was buried on the 20th in Bull Street. His character needs no comment, for he was a Christian in his walk as well as in his talk.

_Taylor_, John.--Died in 1775, aged 64, leaving a fortune of over £200,000, acquired in the manufacture of metal buttons, japanned ware, snuff boxes, &c. It is stated that he sent out £800 worth of buttons weekly, and that one of his workmen earned 70s. per week by painting snuff boxes at 1/4d. each. Mr. Taylor must have had a monopoly in the latter, for this one hand at the rate named must have decorated some 170,000 boxes per annum.

_Tomlins_.--Samuel Boulton Tomlins, the son of a local iron merchant (who was one of the founders of the Birmingham Exchange) and Mary Harvey Boulton (a near relative to Matthew) was born September 28, 1797, at Park House, in Park Street, then a vine-covered residence surrounded by gardens. His mother was so great a favourite with Baskerville that the celebrated printer gave her one of two specially-printed Bibles, retaining the other for himself. After serving an apprenticeship to a bookseller, Mr. Tomlins was taken into Lloyd's Bank as a clerk, but was soon promoted to be manager of the branch then at Stockport, but which was taken over afterwards by a Manchester Banking Company, with whom Mr. Tomlins stayed until 1873, dying September 8, 1879.

_Ulwin_.--Though nearly last in our list, Ulwin, or Alwyne, the son of Wigod, and the grandson of Woolgeat, the Danish Earl of Warwick, must rank first among our noteworthy men, if only from the fact that his name is absolutely the first found in historical records as having anything to do with Birmingham. This was in King Edward the Confessor's time, when Alwyne was Sheriff _(vice-comes)_ and through his son Turchill, who came to be Earl of Warwick, the Ardens and the Bracebridges trace their descent from the old Saxon kings, Alwyne's mother being sister to Leofric, III., Earl of Mercia. Whether Alwyne thrived on his unearned increment or not, the politicians of the time have not told us, but the possessions that came to him by the Dano-Saxon marriage of his parents seems to have been rather extensive, as it is written that he owned not only the manor of Birmingham, but also Halesowen, Escelie, Hagley, and Swinford in Wirecescire (Worcestershire), Great Barr, Handsworth, Penn, Rushall and Walsall, in Staffordshire, as well as Aston, Witton, Erdington, and Edgbaston. The modern name of Allen is deducible from Alwyne, and the bearers thereof, if so inclined, may thus be enabled to also claim a kingly descent, and much good may it do them.

_Underwood_, Thomas.--The first printer to introduce the art of lithography into Birmingham, and he is also credited with being the discoverer of chromo-litho, and the first to publish coloured almanacks and calendars. He did much to foster the taste for art, but will probably be most generally recollected by the number of views of old Birmingham and reproductions of pictures and maps of local interest that he published. Mr. Underwood died March 14, 1882, in his 73rd year.

_Van Wart_.--Henry Van Wart, was born near New York, Sept. 25, 1783, and took up his abode with us in 1808. By birth an American, by descent a Dutchman, he became a Brum through being naturalised by special Act of Parliament, and for nearly seventy years was one of our principal merchants. He was also one of the first Aldermen chosen for the borough. Died Feb. 15, 1873, in his 90th year.

_Ward_.--Humble Ward, son of Charles I.'s jeweller, who married the daughter of the Earl of Dudley, was created Baron Ward of Birmingham. Their son Edward thus came to the title of Lord Dudley and Ward in 1697.

_Warren_.--Thomas Warren was a well-known local bookseller of the last century. He joined Wyatt and Paul in their endeavours to establish the Cotton Spinning Mill, putting £1,000 into the speculation, which unfortunately landed him in bankruptcy. He afterwards became an auctioneer, and in 1788 had the pleasure of selling the machinery of the mill in which forty years previous his money had been lost.

_Watt_, James, was born at Greenock, Jan. 19, 1736, and (if we are to credit the somewhat apocryphal anecdote of his testing the power of steam as it issued from his aunt's teakettle when a little lad barely breeched) at an early age he gave evidence of what sort of a man he would be. In such a condensed work as the present book, it is impossible to give much of the life of this celebrated genius; but fortunately there are many biographies of him to which the student can refer, as well as scientific and other tomes, in which his manifold inventions have been recorded, and in no corner of the earth where the steam-engine has been introduced can his name be unknown. After many years' labour to bring the new motive power into practical use, Watt, helped by his friend Dr. Roebuck, took out his first patent in 1769. Roebuck's share was transferred to Matthew Boulton in 1773, and in the following year James Watt came to Birmingham. An Act of Parliament prolonging the patent for a term of twenty-four years was obtained in May, 1775, and on the first of June was commenced the world-famous partnership of Boulton and Watt. Up to this date the only engine made to work was the one brought by Watt from Scotland, though more than nine years had been spent on it, and thousands of pounds expended in experiments, improvements, and alterations. Watt's first residence here was in Regent's Place, Harper's Hill, to which (Aug. 17, 1775) he brought his second wife. He afterwards removed to Heathfield, where the workshop in which he occupied his latest years still remains, as on the day of his death. In 1785, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; in 1806, the University of Glasgow conferred the degree of LL.D. upon him, and in 1808 he was elected a member of the National Institute of France. One of the latest inventions of James Watt was a machine for the mechanical copying of sculpture and statuary, its production being the amusement of his octogenarian years, for, like his partner Boulton, Watt was permitted to stay on the earth for longer than the so-called allotted term, his death taking place on the 19th of August, 1819, when he was in his 83rd year. He was buried in Handsworth Church, where there is a monument, the features of which are said to be very like him. A statue was erected to his memory in Westminster Abbey in 1824, and others have been set up in Birmingham, Manchester, Greenock, and Glasgow. The following is the inscription (written by Lord Brougham) on the tomb of Watt in Westminster Abbey, towards the cost of which George IV. contributed £500:--

"Not to perpetuate a name which must endure while the peaceful arts
flourish, but to show that mankind have learned to honour those who
best deserve their gratitude, the King, his ministers, and many of the
nobles and commoners of the realm, raised this monument to JAMES WATT,
who, directing the force of an original genius, early exercised in
philosophical research, to the improvement of the steam-engine,
enlarged the resources of his country, increased the power of man, and
rose to an eminent place among the most illustrious followers of
science and the real benefactors of the world. Born at Greenock, 1736;
died at Heathfield, in Staffordshire, 1819."

One of James Watt's sons, Gregory, who devoted himself to science and literature, died in 1804, at the early age of 27. James, born Feb. 5, 1769, resided for a number of years at Aston Hall, where he died in 1848. In 1817 he voyaged to Holland in the first steam vessel that left an English port, the engines having been manufactured at Soho. He was of a very retiring disposition, and not particularly popular with the public, though valued and appreciated by those admitted to closer intimacy.

_West_.--Though he did not come to Birmingham until close upon sixty years of age, being born in 1770, William West, in his "History of Warwickshire," published one of the best descriptions of this town ever yet prepared. He had establishments in London and Cork, and was the author of several amusing and interesting works, such as "Tavern Anecdotes," "Fifty Years' Recollections of an Old Bookseller." &c., now scarce, though "West's Warwickshire" may often be met with at the "Chaucer's Head," and other old bookshops.

_Williams_, Fleetwood, who died in 1836, at the early age of 29, was the author of sundry locally interesting prose works and poetical "skits." He was connected with several debating clubs, and showed talent that promised future distinction.

_Willmore_.--James Tibbets Willmore, a native of Handsworth, was an eminent landscape engraver, famed for his reproductions of Turner's works. His death occurred in March, 1863, in his 63rd year.

_Winfield_.--Mr. Robert Walter Winfield, though he took comparatively little part in the public life of our town, deserves a prominent place among our men of note as a manufacturer who did much towards securing Birmingham a somewhat better name than has occasionally been given it, in respect to the quality of the work sent out. Starting early in life, in the military ornament line, Mr. Winfield began in a somewhat small way on the site of the present extensive block of buildings known as Cambridge Street Works, which has now developed into an establishment covering several acres of land. Here have been manufactured some of the choicest specimens of brass foundry work that could be desired, no expense being spared at any time in the procuring of the best patterns, and (which is of almost equal importance) the employment of the best workmen. The goods sent from Cambridge Street to the first Great Exhibition, 1851, obtained the highest award, the Council's Gold Medal, for excellence of workmanship, beauty of design, and general treatment, and the house retains its position. Mr. Winfield was a true man, Conservative in politics, but most, truly liberal in all matters connected with his work-people and their families. In the education and advancement of the younger hands he took the deepest interest, spending thousands in the erection of schools and the appointment of teachers for them, and not a few of our present leading men have to thank him for their first step in life. The death of his only son, Mr. J.F. Winfield, in 1861, was a great blow to the father, and caused him to retire from active business through failing health. His death (Dec. 16, 1869), was generally felt as a loss to the town.

_Wyatt_.--John Wyatt, one of Birmingham's most ingenious sons, invented (in 1738) the spinning of cotton by means of rollers, but unlike Richard Arkwright, who afterwards introduced a more perfect machine and made a fortune, the process was never other than a source of loss to the original inventor and his partners, who vainly tried to make it a staple manufacture of the town. The weighing machine was also the work of Wyatt's brain, though he did not live to see the machine in use, dying Nov. 29, 1766, broken down by misfortune, but honoured by such men as Baskerville and Boulton who, then rising themselves, knew the worth of the man whose loss they deplored. Wyatt's grave is on the Blue Coat School side of St. Philip's churchyard.

_Wyon_.--A celebrated local family of die-sinkers and medalists. William Wyon (born in 1795) receiving the gold medal of the Society of Arts, for his medal of Ceres, obtained in 1816 the post of second engraver at the Mint, his cousin, Thomas Wyon, being then the chief. One of the finest medals engraved by him was that of Boulton, struck by Thomason, in high relief, and 4in. in diameter. He died in 1851, having produced all the coins and medals for Queen Victoria and William IV., part of George IV.'s, and prize medals for many societies. His son, Leonard Wyon, produced the Exhibition medals in 1851.

The preceding are really but a few of the men of note whose connection with Birmingham has been of historical interest, and the catalogue might be extended to great length with the names of the De Birminghams, the Smalbrokes, Middlemores, Colmores, and others of the old families alone. Scores of pages would not suffice to give even the shortest biographies of the many who, by their inventive genius and persistent labour, placed our town at the head of the world's workshops, the assistants and followers of the great men of Soho, the Thomasons, Taylors, and others living in the early part of the century, or the Elkingtons, Chances, &c., of later days. A volume might easily be filled with lives of scientific and literary men of the past, Hutton the historian, Morfitt, poet and barrister; Beilby, Hodgetts, Hudson, and other bookmen, to say naught of the many Press writers (who in their day added not a little to the advancement of their fellow-townsmen), or the venerable doctors, the school teachers and scholars, the pastors and masters of the old School and the old Hospital. Mention is made of a few here and there in this book; of others there have been special histories published, and, perchance _some_ day "Birmingham men" will form the title of a more comprehensive work.

~Novel Sight.~--The appearance in the streets of Birmingham of a real war vessel would be a wonderful thing even in these days of railways and steam. Sir Rowland Hill, speaking of his childhood's days, said he could recollect once during the war with Napoleon that a French gunboat was dragged across the country, and shown in Birmingham at a small charge. He had never then seen any vessel bigger than a coal barge, but this was a real ship, with real anchor and real ship guns.

~Numbering of Houses.~--We are rapidly improving in many ways, and the gradual introduction of the system of alternate numbering, the odd numbers on one side of the street, and the evens on the other, is an advance in the right direction. Still, the fixing of the diminutive figure plate on the sideposts of a door, or, as is frequently found to be the case, in the shadow of a porch, is very tantalising, especially to the stranger. Householders should see that the No. is placed in a conspicuous spot, and have the figures painted so that they can be well seen even on a dusky evening.

~Nunneries.~--See "_Religious Associations_."

~Nurseries.~--The outskirts, and indeed many parts of the town, less than a century back were studded with gardens, but the flowers have had to give place to the more prosaic bricks and mortar, and householders desirous of floral ornaments have now in a great measure to resort to the nursery grounds of the professed horticulturists. Foremost among the nurseries of the neighbourhood are those of Mr. R.H. Vertegans, Chad Valley, Edgbaston which were laid out some thirty-five years ago. The same gentleman has another establishment of even older date at Malvern, and a third at Metchley. The grounds of Messrs. Pope and Sons, at King's Norton, are also extensive and worthy of a visit. There are other nurseries at Solihull (Mr. Hewitt's), at Spark hill (Mr. Tomkins'), at Handsworth (Mr. Southhall's), and in several other parts of the suburbs. The _Gardeners' Chronicle_, the editor of which is supposed to be a good judge, said that the floral arrangement at the opening of the Mason Science College surpassed anything of the kind ever seen in Birmingham, Mr. Vertegans having supplied not less than thirty van loads, comprising over 5,000 of the choicest exotic flowers and evergreens.

~Oak Leaf Day.~--In the adjoining counties, and to a certain extent in Birmingham itself, it has been the custom for carters and coachmen to decorate their horses' heads and their own hats with sprays of oak leaves on the 29th of May, and 99 out of the 100 would tell you they did so to commemorate Charles II. hiding in the oak tree near to Boscobel House. It is curious to note how long an erroneous idea will last. The hunted King would not have found much shelter in his historical oak in the month of May, as the trees would hardly have been sufficiently in leaf to have screened him, and, as it happened, it was the 4th of September and not the 29th of May when the event occurred. The popular mistake is supposed to have arisen from the fact that Charles made his public entry into London on May 29, which was also his birthday, when the Royalists decked themselves with oak in remembrance of that tree having been instrumental in the King's restoration.

~Obsolete Street Names.~--Town improvements of one sort and another have necessitated the entire clearance of many streets whose names may be found inscribed on the old maps, and their very sites will in time be forgotten. Changes in name have also occurred more frequently perhaps than may be imagined, and it will be well to note a few. As will be seen, several streets have been christened and re-christened more than once.

Baskerville-street is now Easy-row.

Bath-road is Bristol-street.

Beast Market was that part of High-street contiguous to New-street; also called English Market.

Bewdley-street, afterwards Ann-street, now Colmore-row.

Birch Hole-street has been improved to Birchall street.

Black Boy Yard is now Jamaica-row.

Brick Kiln lane is the Horse Fair.

Broad-street--Dale End was so called in the 15th century.

Buckle-row. Between Silver-street and Thomas-street.

Button Alley--Bishop-street, Masshouse-lane.

Butts-lane--Tanter-street; The Butts being Stafford-street.

Catherine-street--Whittal-street.

Cawsey (The Causeway)--Lower part of Digbeth.

Chapel-street--Bull-street was so called in the 14th century.

Chappel-row--Jennens'-row and Buck-street.

Charles or Little Charles-street--Now part of New Edmund-street.

Cock-street--Upper part of Digbeth; also called Well-street.

Colmore-street--From Worcester-street to Peck-lane.

Cony Greve street is now Congreve-street.

Cooper's Mill-lane is Heathmill-lane.

Corbett's Alley--Union-street.

Corn Cheaping or Corn Market was part of the Bull Ring.

Court-lane--Moat-lane.

Cottage-lane--Sheepcote-lane.

Crescent-street--Part of King Edward's Road.

Cross-street--Vauxhall-street.

Crown-street, afterwards Nelson-street is now Sheepcote-street.

Deadman's Lane--Warstone-lane.

Ditch--The Gullet was The Ditch.

Dock Alley--New Inkleys.

Dudwall-lane--Dudley-street

Farmer-street--Sand-street.

Ferney Fields--Great Hampton-street

Feck-lane or Peck-lane--Covered by New-street Station.

God's Cart-lane--Carrs-lane.

Grindstone-lane--Westfield-road.

Hangman's-lane, or Hay Barns-lane--Great Hampton-row.

Harlow-street--Edmund-street.

Haymarket--one of the names given to Ann-street.

High Town--Upper part of Bull Ring.

Hill-street--Little Charles-street.

Jennings-street--Fox-street.

King-street and Queen-street, as well as Great Queen-street, have made way for New-street Station.

Lake Meadow-hill--Bordesley-street and Fazeley-street.

Lamb-yard--Crooked-lane.

Long-lane--Harborne-road.

Ludgate-hill was part of Church-street.

Martin-street--Victoria-street.

Mercer-street, or Spicer-street--Spiceal-street.

Mount Pleasant--Ann-street.

New road--Summer-row.

Old Meeting-street has at various periods been known as Grub-street, Littleworth street, New-row, and Phillips-street.

Pemberton's-yard, Lower Minories, or Coach-yard--Dalton-street.

Pitt-street and Porter-street were portions of Old Cross-street.

Priors Conigree-lane, or Whitealls-lane is now Steelhouse-lane.

Priory-lane--Monmouth-street.

Rother Market--New-street next to High-street and High-street next to New-street was once so called.

Sandy-lane--Snow Hill in the 16th century. Lee Bank-road has also been called Sandy-lane.

Shambles--Part of Bull Ring.

Swan Alley--Worcester-street.

Swinford-street--Upper end of New-street.

Temple Alley, also called Tory-row--Temple-row.

Walmer-lane (in the 15th century Wold Moors)--Lancaster-street.

Water-street--Floodgate-street.

Welch End or Welch Market--Junction of Bull-street, High-street, and Dale End.

Westley's-row, Westley-street, or London 'Prentice-street forms part of Dalton-street.

Withering-street--Union-street.

Wyllattes Green--Prospect Row.

~Old Cock Pump.~--This was the old pump formerly under St. Martin's Churchyard wall, from which the water-carriers and others obtained their supply of drinking water. The rule of the pump was "last come last served," and frequently a long string of men, women, and children might be seen waiting their turn. Many of us can recollect the old Digbeth men, with their shoulder-yoke and two buckets, plodding along to find customers for their "Wartâ;" and certain elderly ladies are still in existence who would fear the shortening of their lives were their tea-kettles filled with aught but the pure Digbeth water, though it does not come from the pump at St. Martin's, for that was removed in 1873. It has been written that on one occasion (in the days before waterworks were practicable, and the old pump was a real blessing), when the poor folks came to fill their cans early in the morning, they found the handle gone, and great was the outcry thereat. It soon afterwards transpired that a blacksmith, short of iron, had taken the handle to make into horseshoes.

~Old Meeting House Yard.~--The name gives its own origin. One of the earliest built of our Dissenting places of worship was here situated.

~Old Square.~--There are grounds for believing that this was the site of the Hospital or Priory of St. Thomas the Apostle; the reason of no foundations or relics of that building having been come across arising from its having been erected on a knoll or mount there, and which would be the highest bit of land in Birmingham. This opinion is borne out by the fact that the Square was originally called The Priory, and doubtless the Upper and Lower Priories and the Minories of later years were at first but the entrance roads to the old Hospital, as it was most frequently styled in deeds and documents. Mr. John Pemberton, who purchased this portion of the Priory lands in 1697, and laid it out for building, would naturally have it levelled, and, not unlikely from a reverent feeling, so planned that the old site of the religious houses should remain clear and undesecrated. From old conveyances we find that 20s. per yard frontage was paid for the site of some of the houses in the square, and up to 40s. in Bull Street; the back plots, including the Friends' burial ground (once gardens to the front houses) being valued at 1s. to 2s. per yard. Some of the covenants between the vendor and the purchasers are very curious, such as that the latter "shall and will for ever hereafter putt and keep good bars of iron or wood, or otherwise secure all the lights and windows that are or shall be, that soe any children or others may not or cannot creep through, gett, or come through such lights or windows into or upon the same piece of land." Here appears the motive for the erection of the iron railings so closely placed in front of the old houses. Another covenant was against "putting there any muckhill or dunghill places, pigstyes or workhouses, shopps or places that shall he noysome or stink, or be nautionse or troublesome," and also to have there "no butcher's or smith's slaughter house or smithey harth." One of the corner houses, originally called "the Angle House," was sold in 1791 for £420; in 1805 it realised £970; in 1843, £1,330? and in 1853, £2,515. The centre of the Square was enclosed and neatly kept as a garden with walks across, for the use of the inhabitants there, but (possibly it was "nobody's business") in course of time it became neglected, and we have at least one instance, in 1832, of its being the scene of a public demonstration. About the time of the Parliamentary election in that year, the carriageway round the Square had been newly macadamised, and on the polling day, when Dempster Heming opposed William Stratford Dugdale, the stones were found very handy, and were made liberal use of, as per the usual order of the day at that time on such occasions. The trees and railings were removed in 1836 or 1837 in consequence of many accidents occurring there, the roadways being narrow and very dangerous from the numerous angles, the Street Commissioners undertaking to give the inhabitants a wide and handsome flagging as a footpath on all sides of the square, conditionally with the freeholders of the property giving up their rights to and share in the enclosure.

~Omnibuses.~--The first omnibus was started in 1828, by Mr. Doughty, a fishmonger, and its route lay between the White Swan, Snow Hill, to the Sun, in Bristol Road. In 1836 an "Omnibus Conveyance Co," was proposed, with a magnificent capital of £5,000. The projectors would have been a little startled if they could have seen the prospectuses of some of our modern conveyance companies.--See "_Tramways_."

~Open Spaces.~--March 8, 1883, saw the formation of the Birmingham Association for the Prevention of Open Spaces and Public Footpaths, the object of which is to be the securing of the rights of the public to the open spots, footpaths, and green places, which, for generations, have belonged to them. There are few such left in the borough now, but the Association may find plenty to do in the near neighbourhood, and if its members can but save us one or two of the old country walks they will do good service to the community.

~Orange Tree.~--This public-house was built in 1780, the neighbourhood being then known as "Boswell Heath." A walk to the Orange Tree over the "hilly fields," where Conybere and other streets now are, was a pleasant Sunday morning ramble even forty years back.

~Oratory.~--See "_Places of Worship_."

~Organs.~--According to the oft-quoted extract from the Halesowen Churchwardens' books--"1497. Paid for repeyling the organs to the organ maker at Bromycham 10s,"--organ-building must have been one of the few recognised trades of this town at a very early date. It is a pity the same accounts do not give the maker's name of the instruments for which in 1539 they "paid my lord Abbot 4 marks," or name the parties who were then employed and paid for "mending and setting the organs up, 40s." Whether any of the most celebrated organs in the country have, or have not, been made here, is quite uncertain, though the Directories and papers of all dates tell us that makers thereof have never been wanting. In 1730, one Thomas Swarbrick made the organ for St. Mary's Church, Warwick, and the Directory for 1836 gives the name of Isaac Craddock (the original maker of the taper penholder), who repaired and in several cases enlarged the instruments at many of our places of worship, as well as supplying the beautiful organ for St. Mary's, at Coventry.--The tale has often been told of the consternation caused by the introduction of a barrel organ into a church, when from some catch or other it would not stop at the finish of the first tune, and had to be carried outside, while the remainder of its repertoire pealed forth, but such instruments were not unknown in sacred edifices in this neighbourhood but a short time back [see "_Northfield_"].--A splendid organ was erected in Broad Street Music Hall when it was opened, and it was said to be the second largest in England, costing £2,000; it was afterwards purchased for St. Pancras' Church, London.--The organ in the Town Hall, constructed by Mr. Hill, of London, cost nearly £4,000 and, when put up, was considered to be one of the finest and most powerful in the world, and it cannot have lost much of its prestige, as many improvements have since been made in it. The outer case is 45ft. high, 40ft. wide, and 17ft. deep, and the timber used in the construction of the organ weighed nearly 30 tons. There are 4 keyboards, 71 draw stops, and over 4,000 pipes of various forms and sizes, some long, some short, some trumpet-like in shape, and others cylindrical, while in size they range from two or three inches in length to the great pedal pipe, 32ft. high and a yard in width, with an interior capacity of 224 cubic feet. In the "great organ" there are 18 stops, viz.: Clarion (2ft.), ditto (4ft.), posanne, trumpet, principal (1 and 2), gamba, stopped diapason, four open diapasons, doublette, harmonic flute, mixture sesquialtra, fifteenth, and twelfth, containing altogether 1,338 pipes. In the "choir organ" there are nine stops, viz.: Wald flute, fifteenth stopped flute, oboe flute, principal, stopped diapason, hohl flute, cornopean, and open diapason, making together 486 pipes. The "swell organ" contains 10 stops, viz.: Hautbois, trumpet, horn, fifteenth, sesquialtra, principal, stopped diapason, open diapason, clarion, and boureon and dulciana, the whole requiring 702 pipes. In the "solo organ" the principal stops are the harmonica, krum, horn, and flageolet, but many of the stops in the swell and choir organs work in connection with the solo. In the "pedal organ" are 12 stops, viz.: Open diapason 16ft. (bottom octave) wood, ditto, 16ft., metal, ditto, 16ft. (bottom octave) metal, bourdon principal, twelfth, fifteenth, sesquialtra, mixture, posanne, 8ft. trumpet, and 4ft. trumpet. There are besides, three 32ft. stops, one wood, one metal, and one trombone. There are four bellows attached to the organ, and they are of great size, one being for the 32ft. pipes alone. The Town Hall organ had its first public trial August 29, 1834, when the Birmingham Choral Society went through a selection of choruses, as a kind of advance note of the then coming Festival.

Orphanages.--The first local establishment of the nature of an orphanage was the so called Orphan Asylum in Summer Lane, built in 1797 for the rearing of poor children from the Workhouse. It was a very useful institution up to the time of its close in 1852, but like the Homes at Marston Green, where the young unfortunates from the present Workhouse are reared and trained to industrial habits, it was almost a misnomer to dub it an "orphan asylum."--An Orphanage at Erdington was begun by the late Sir Josiah Mason, in 1858, in connection with his Almshouses there, it being his then intention to find shelter for some three score of the aged and infantile "waifs and strays" of humanity. In 1860 he extended his design so far as to commence the present Orphanage, the foundation stone of which was laid by himself Sept. 19 in that year, the building being finished and first occupied in 1863. In addition to the expenditure of £60,000 on the buildings, the founder endowed the institution with land and property to the value of £250,000. No publicity was given to this munificent benevolence until the twelve months prescribed by the statute had elapsed after the date of the deed, when, on the 29th of July, 1869, the Orphanage and estates were handed over to seven trustees, who, together with Sir Josiah himself, formed the first Board of Management. At his death, as provided by the trust deed, seven other trustees chosen by the Birmingham Town Council were added to the Board. The inmates of the Orphanage are lodged, clothed, fed, maintained, educated, and brought up at the exclusive cost of the institution, there being no restriction whatever as to locality, nationality, or religious persuasion of parents or friends. In 1874 the building was enlarged, so as to accommodate 300 girls, 150 boys, and 50 infants, the original part being reserved for the girls and infants and a new wing built for the boys. The two are connected by the lofty dining hall, 200ft. long, with tables and seats for 500 children. Every part of the establishment is on a liberal scale and fitted with the best appliances; each child has its separate bed, and the playgrounds are most extensive.--The Princess Alice Orphanage, of which the foundation-stone was laid Sept. 19, 1882, has rather more than a Birmingham interest, as it is intended in the first instance for the reception of children from all parts of the country whose parents have been Wesleyans. In connection with the Wesleyan Thanksgiving Fund, Mr. Solomon Jevons, of this town, made an offer to the committee that if from the fund they would make a grant of £10,000 towards establishing an orphanage in the neighbourhood of Birmingham, he would supplement it by a donation of £10,000. After due consideration the offer was accepted. Plans were prepared by Mr. J.L. Ball for as much of the building as it was proposed immediately to erect, and the contract was let to Messrs. J. Wilson and Sons, of Handsworth. The sanction of her Majesty the Queen was obtained to call the building the "Princess Alice" Orphanage, in memory of her lamented daughter, the late Princess of Hesse. The site chosen is about halfway between Erdington and Sutton Coldfield on the Chester Road, and very near to the "Beggar's Bush." Facing the road, though forty yards from it, is the central block of buildings, 250 feet in length, including the master's house, board room and offices, store rooms, &c., with a large hall, 90 feet by 33 feet, for use as a dining hall, general gatherings, morning prayers, &c., the children's homes being in cottages at varying distances, so that when the whole twenty-four homes (twelve each for boys and girls) are erected it will be like a miniature village, sundry farm buildings and workshops being interspersed here and there. Each cottage is intended to be the home of about twenty children, but at first, and until the funds for the maintenance of the orphanage have been increased, the inmates will be limited to the accommodation that can be provided at the central block and the nearest two or three homes, the rest being built as occasion offers.

~Oscott College.~--See "_Schools_," &c.

~Oxford, (Edward).~--The boy Oxford who shot at the Queen, on June 10, 1840, was born here and had worked at several shops in the town.

~Oxygen.~--It was on the first of August, 1774, that Dr. Priestley discovered the nature of oxygen or "dephlogisticated air." If he could visit Oxygen Street in this town in August of any year, he would probably say that the air there to be breathed required dephlogisticating over and over again.

~Packhorses.~--In and about the year 1750 the only method of conveying parcels of goods from here to London was by means of packhorses, the charge being at the rate of £7 to £9 per ton; to Liverpool and Bristol, £5.

~Panorama.~--A circular erection in New Street, and now partly incorporated in the Society of Artists building, where early in the century panoramas of various kinds were exhibited.

~Panoramic View.~--A peculiar view of this town was published in 1847 by Ackermann of London, and was thus called, as it purported to give the thoroughfares pictorially, showing the houses as they would appear from a balloon over Moseley Street. The size was 27-1/2 in. by 14-3/4 in. As a curiosity it is prizable, but its correctness of delineation is marred very much by the plan adopted.

~Pantechnetheca.~--A large place of general business, opened in 1824, at the New-street end of Union-passage. In 1817, there stood on this spot a publichouse, known as the "Old Crown," the entrance to which was in a large, open gateway at its side, through which a path led to the cherry orchard. The Pantechnetheca was one of "the sights" of the town, the exterior being ornamented with pillars and statues; while the name was not only a puzzle to the "Black Country" visitors, but quite a subject of dispute as to its etymology among the Greek scholars of the Grammar School opposite.

~Paradise Street.~--The footpath on the Town Hall side used to be several feet higher than the causeway, and was supplied with iron railings. If the name had been given in late years, it might be supposed to have been chosen because the doors of the Parish Offices are in the street.

~Parish Offices.~--See "_Public Buildings_."

~Parkesine.~--A material used for knife handles and other purposes, so named after its maker, Alexander Parkes, a well-known local manufacturer, who said it was made from refuse vegetable fibre, pyroxyline, oil, naphtha, and chloride of sulphur.

~Park Lane.~--From Aston Cross Tavern to the Birchfield Road, originally being the road outside the wall of Aston Park. The first lots of land for building that were sold were those fronting Church Lane, and they fetched an average price of 2s. 2d. per yard, each lot being 12 yards by 60 yards. The next were the lots marked out by the side of Park Lane, and it was at about the middle of Park Lane that the first house was built in Aston Park in 1854 or 1855.

~Park Road.~--Leading over the hill from Aston Cross to Aston Church, was the first laid out, and the first opened to the public (Easter Monday, 1855) through the old grounds belonging to the Holts.