Chapter XV: Part 15

~Parks.~--Thanks to the munificence of Miss Ryland, Lord Calthorpe, Sir Charles Adderley, and Mr. W. Middlemore, with the concurrent generosity of the Church authorities, in whom the freehold of our churchyards was invested, Birmingham cannot be said to be short of parks and public grounds, though with all put together the area is nothing like that taken from the inhabitants under the Enclosures Acts of last century. The first movement for the acquisition of public parks took the shape of a town's meeting, Dec. 22, 1853, when the burgesses approved the purchase, and in 1854 an Act was obtained for the formation thereof. The first to be opened was Adderley Park, Aug. 30, 1856, the gift of Sir Charles Adderley. Its area is 10A. Or. 22P., and it is held nominally on a 999 years' lease, at a rental of 5s. per year. Calthorpe Park was opened June 1, 1857; its area being 31A. 1R. 13P., and it is held under a grant by the Calthorpe family that is equivalent to a conveyance in fee. Aston Park was opened Sept. 22, 1864; its area is 49A. 2R. 8P., and it belongs to the town by purchase. Cannon Hill Park, the gift of Miss Ryland, was opened Sept. 1, 1873; its area being 57A. 1R. 9P. In 1874, the Town Council gave the Trustees of Holliers' Charity the sum of £8,300 for the 8A. 8R. 28P. of land situated between the Moseley Road and Alcester Street, and after expending over £5,400 in laying out, fencing, and planting, opened it as Highgate Park June 2, 1876. In 1876 Summerfield House and grounds covering 12A. 0R. 20P. were purchased from Mr. Henry Weiss for £9,000, and after fencing, &c., was thrown open as Summerfield Park, July 29, 1876. In the following year, Mr. William Middlemore presented to the town a plot of ground, 4A. 1R. 3p. in extent, in Burbury Street, having spent about £3,500 in fencing and laying it out, principally as a recreation ground for children (the total value being over £12,000), and it was opened as Hockley Park, December 1, 1877.--Small Heath Park, comprising 41A. 3R. 34p., is another of the gifts of Miss Ryland, who presented it to the town June 2, 1876, and in addition provided £4,000 of the £10,000 the Town Council expended in laying it out. The formal opening ceremony took place April 5, 1879. There are still several points of the compass directing to suburbs which would be benefited by the appropriation of a little breathing place or two, and possibly in due time they will be acquired. The Nechells people have had laid out for their delectation the waste ground near the gas works which may be called Nechells Park for the time being. The Earl of Dartmouth in June, 1878, gave 56 acres out of Sandwell Park to the inhabitants of West Bromwich, and they call it Dartmouth Park.

~Park Street~ takes its name from the small park or wood surrounding Park House, once existing somewhere near to the burial ground.

~Park Street Gardens~--As they are now called, comprise the Park Street Burial Ground and St. Bartholomew's Churchyard, the possession of which (under a nominal lease for 999 years) was given by the Rectors of St. Martin's and St. Bartholomew's to the Corporation according to the provisions of the Closed Burial Grounds Act. The whole area included a little over five acres, and the size thus given was valued at £50,000. About half an acre was devoted to the widening of the surrounding streets, the remainder being properly fenced in and laid out as recreating grounds and gardens. The opening ceremony took place, June 25, 1880.

~Parliamentary Elections.~--Notwithstanding the safeguards provided by the Ballot Act, and all the deterrent measures enacted against bribery and intimidation, and those peculiar tactics known as "getting up steam," the period of an election for Parliamentary representatives is a time of great excitement even in these days. But it is comparatively naught to what it used to be, when the art of kidnapping Tory voters, or "bottling" Whigs, was considered as only a small part of the education required by aspiring political agents. Leading burly prizefighters to clear the hustings on nomination day, upsetting carriages containing voters going to poll, and such like practical jokes were all _en regle_, and as such "goings-on" were to be found as much on the one side as the other, neither party's pot had a right to call the opponent's kettle black. Prior to the enfranchisement of the borough, one of the most exciting elections in which the Brums had been engaged was that for the county of Warwick in 1774, when Sir Charles Holte, of Aston Hall, was returned. The nomination took place Oct. 13, the candidates being Mr. Shipworth (a previous member), Mr. (afterwards Lord) Mordaunt, and Sir Charles, who for once pleased the Birmingham folks by calling himself an "Independent." The polling, which commenced on the 20th, was continued for ten days, closing on the 31st, and as Mr. Mordaunt had the lead for many days the excitement was intense, and the rejoicings proportionate at the end when the local candidate came in with flying colours. The voting ran:--Shipwith, 2,954; Holte, 1,845; Mordaunt, 1,787.--A Birmingham man was a candidate at the next great county contest, forty-six years after. This was Mr. Richard Spooner, then (1820) a young man and of rather Radical tendencies. His opponent, Mr. Francis Lawley, was of the old-fashioned Whig party, and the treatment his supporters received at the hands of the Birmingham and Coventry people was disgraceful. Hundreds of special constables had to be sworn in at Warwick during the fourteen days' polling, business being suspended for days together, but Radical Richard's roughs failed to influence the election, as Mr. Lawley obtained 2,153 votes against Mr. Spooner's 970. As Mr. Spooner grew older he became more prominent in commercial circles, and was peculiarly _au fait_ in all currency matters, but he lost his hold on local electors by turning to the Conservative side of politics. Of this he was more than once reminded in after years, when speaking in the Town Hall, by individuals taking off their coats, turning them inside out, and having put them on again, standing prominently in front of "Yellow Dick" as they then called him.

That the inhabitants of Birmingham, so rapidly increasing in numbers and wealth, should be desirous of direct representation in the House of Commons, could be no wonder even to the most bigoted politicians of the last and early part of the present century. Possibly, had there been '91 Riots, nor quite so much "tall talk," the Legislature might have vouchsafed us a share in the manufacture of our country's laws a little earlier than they did, and the attempt to _force_ a member through the doors of the House could not have added to any desire that may have existed in the minds of the gentlemen inside to admit the representative of Birmingham. The Newhall Hill meeting of July 12th, 1819, may be reckoned as the first pitched battle between the invaders and defenders of the then existing Parliamentary Constitution. The appointment of Sir Charles Wolesey as "Legislatorial Attorney and Representative," with instructions to take his seat as M.P. for the town (and many so styled him), even though made at a meeting of 20,000 would-be electors, does not appear to have been the wisest way to have gone to work, notwithstanding the fact that Sir Charles himself said _he_ had no doubt of their right to send him up as their Member. Prosecution of the leaders followed, as a matter of course, and if the twenty-and-odd-thousands of the local Conservative electors of to-day were thus to try to obtain _their_ due share of representation in the House, most likely the leaders of such a movement would be as liberally dealt with. The "battle of freedom," as the great Reform movement came to be called, has often been described, and honour been given to all who took part in it. The old soldiers of the campaign should be allowed, if they choose, to "fight their battles o'er again," as long as they live, but it is about time that the hatchet of party spite, (hitherto so freely used in local political warfare) was buried out of sight, and all sides be as willing to give equal rights as their fathers were to fight for theirs. Birmingham, however, was not without _some_ friends in Parliament, and on the occasion of the disfranchisement of the borough of East Retford in 1827, it was proposed by Mr. Charles Tennyson that the two seats thus voided should be given to Birmingham. Mr. George Attwood was High Bailiff at the time, and he at once called a public meeting to support Mr. Tennyson's proposition by petition. The Public Office was not large enough for those who attended the meeting (June 22, 1827) and they adjourned to Beardsworth's Repository, where speeches were delivered by the leading men of all parties. Petitions to both Houses were drawn up and signed, the county members, Dugdale Stratford Dugdale and Francis Lawley, Esqrs., being asked to introduce the one to the House of Commons, and Lord Dudley and Ward (Baron of Birmingham) and Lord Calthorpe to support the petitioners' prayer in the Upper House. Mr. Tennyson (who afterwards took the name of D'Eyncourt) brought in his Bill, but notwithstanding all that could be said or done by the friends of the town they were outvoted (March 21, 1828), and the Bill was thrown out. The next four years were full of trouble, and the news of the passing of the Reform Bill (June 7, 1832), which at last gave Birmingham its long-sought political rights was most welcome indeed. The first election day was fixed for December 12, and for some time it was rumoured that Mr. Richard Spooner would stand in opposition to Messrs. Thomas Attwood and Joshua Scholefield, the chosen representatives of the Liberals; but the Conservative party, deeming it but right that those who had borne the brunt of the constitutional fight should be allowed the first honours of the local victory, declined to oppose those gentlemen, and they were accordingly returned without opposition. The hustings had been erected on a plot of land opposite the Public Offices and here the nominations took place at the early hour of 8 a.m. The proceedings were over by nine o'clock, but the "victory," as the popular party chose to consider it, did not satisfy them, and as there was an election on at Walsall the same day it was determined that the Birmingham Liberals should go there to help Mr. Bosco Attwood in his contest with Mr. Foster. A procession of some thousands, with bands and banners, according marched the whole of the distance so Walsall, and if their behaviour there represented what they were prepared to do at home had they not been allowed to have their own way, it was well for Birmingham they were not opposed. Long before evening this town was in the most fearful excitement, the passengers and guards of the various coaches which had passed through Walsall bringing the direst news of fire and riot, mixed with reports of the military being called out and firing on the people, numbers being killed, &c. Fortunately there was much exaggeration in these tales, and by degrees most of the Birmingham men found their way home, though many were in sad plight through the outrageous behaviour of themselves and the "victorious" crew who went off so gaily with them in the morning. The elections in after years may be briefly chronicled.

1835.--At the general election, which occurred this year, the Town Hall was first used as the place of nomination (Jan. 7th). During the proceedings the front of the great gallery gave way and precipitated those sitting there on to the heads of the people below, but providentially, the injuries received were not of a serious character. Mr. R. Spooner was most impatiently heard, and the show of hands was decidedly against him. The state of the poll showed:--

Thomas Attwood 1,718 votes } Joshua Scholefidd 1,660 " } Returned. Richard Spooner 915 "

1837, August.--At this election the late sitting members were opposed by Mr. A. G. Stapleton, but unsuccessfully, the voting being

Thomas Attwood .. 2,145 } Joshua Scholefield .. 2,114 }Returned. A.G. Stapleton .. 1,046

1840, January.--Mr. Attwood having resigned, Sir Charles Wetherell appeared in the Conservative interest against Mr. G.F. Muntz. Mr. Joseph Sturge, who also issued an address to the electors, retiring on the solicitation of his friends, on the understanding that the whole Liberal party would support him at the next vacancy. The result was in favour of Mr. Muntz, thus--

Geo. Fred. Muntz .. 1,454--Returned. Sir C. Wetherell .. 915

1841, July.--Mr. Richard Spooner, who opposed Messrs. Muntz and Scholefield, was again defeated, through receiving the suffrages of double the number of electors who voted for him in 1835. The returns were--

Geo. Fred. Muntz .. 2,176 } Joshua Scholefield .. 1,963 }Returned. Richard Spooner .. 1,825

1857, March.--The same gentlemen were again returned without opposition.

1857, August.--On the death of Mr. Muntz, though the names of George Dawson and others were whispered, the unanimous choice fell upon Mr. John Bright, "the rejected of Manchester," and it may be truly said he was at that time the chosen of the people. Birmingham men of all shades of politics appreciating his eloquence and admiring his sterling honesty, though many differed with his opinions. Addresses were early issued by Baron Dickenson Webster and Mr. M'Geachy, but both were at once withdrawn when Mr. Bright consented to stand and _his_ address appeared.

1859, April.--At the election of this year, though defeat must have been a foregone conclusion, Mr. Thomas D. Acland waged battle with Messrs. Scholefield and Bright, and the result was:--

William Scholefield .. ..4,425 } John Bright .. .. ..4,282 }Returned. T.D. Acland .. .. ..1,544

1864, December.--On the death of Mr. Spooner, Mr. Davenport-Bromley, (afterwards Bromley-Davenport) was elected un-opposed, and retained his seat until his death, June 15, 1884.

1864.--Householders, whose rates were compounded for by their landlords, had hitherto not been allowed to exercise their right of voting, but the decision given in their favour, Feb. 17, 1864, was the means of raising the number of voters' names on the register to over 40,000.

1865, July.--Whether from fear of the newly-formed Liberal Association (which was inaugurated in February for the avowed purpose of controlling the Parliamentary elections in the borough and adjoining county divisions), or the lack of a sufficiently popular local man, there was no opposition offered to the return of Messrs. Scholefield and Bright at the election of this year.

1867, July.--On the death of Mr. Scholefield, Mr. George Dixon was nominated by the Liberals and opposed by Mr. Sampson S. Lloyd The result was:--

Geo. Dixon .. .. .. ..5,819 Returned. S.S. Lloyd .. .. .. ..4,214

1868, November.--This was the first election after the passing of the Reform Bill of 1867, by which Birmingham became entitled to send three members to the House of Commons; and as the Bill contained a proviso (generally known as the "minority clause") that each voter should be limited to giving his support to two only of the candidates, an immense amount of interest was taken in the interest that ensued. The Conservatives brought forward Mr. Sampson S. Lloyd and Mr. Sebastian Evans, the Liberal Association nominating Messrs. John Bright, George Dixon, and Philip Henry Muntz (brother to the old member G.F. Muntz). The election has become historical from the cleverly-manipulated scheme devised by the Liberal Association, and the strict enforcement of their "vote-as-you're-told" policy, by which, abnegating all personal freedom or choice in the matter the electors under the influence of the Association were moved at the will of the chiefs of their party. That the new tactics were successful is shown by the returns:--

George Dixon .. .. .. 15,188 } P.H. Muntz .. .. .. 14,614 }Returned. John Bright .. .. .. 14,601 } S.S. Lloyd .. .. .. 8,700 S. Evans .. .. .. 7,061

1868, Dec. 21.--Mr. Bright having been appointed President of the Board of Trade, was re-elected without opposition. He held office till the close of 1870, but for a long time was absent from Parliament through illness.

1873, Aug. 6.--Mr. John Jaffray, one of the proprietors of the _Daily Post_, contested East Staffordshire against Mr. Allsopp, but he only obtained 2,893 votes, as against Mr. Allsopp's 3,630.

1873, Oct. 18.--Soon after recovery of health Mr. Bright returned to his seat, and being appointed to the office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was re-elected in due course.

1874, Jan. 30.--No opposition was made to the re-election of Messrs. Bright, Dixon, and Muntz.

1876, June 27.--Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was elected without opposition on the resignation of Mr. Dixon.

1880, March 31.--Though free from all the rioting and possible bloodshed that would have attended such an occasion a hundred years ago, the election of 1880 was the most exciting and hardest-fought battle between the two great political parties of the town yet recorded in local history. The candidates were Messrs. John Bright, Joseph Chamberlain and Philip Henry Muntz, the previous members and nominees of the Liberal Association, and Major Burnaby and the Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe, Conservatives. There were 139 polling stations, and no less than 47,776 out of the 63,398 persons whose names were on the register, recorded their votes under the protection of the Ballot Act of 1870, now first brought into use at a Parliamentary election. The usual courtesies (!) appertaining to political contests were indulged in to considerable extent, and personalities of all sorts much too freely bandied about, but the election altogether passed off in the most creditable manner. The returns of the polling stood thus--

Philip Henry Muntz..... 22,803} John Bright............ 21,986} Returned. Joseph Chamberlain..... 19,476} Major Burnaby.......... 15,716 Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe 14,270

An analysis of the polling issued by the Mayor about a week after the election showed that 16,098 voters supported the Conservative candidates and 33,302 the Liberals. Deducting the 2,004 who "split" their votes between the parties, and 380 whose papers were either rejected or not counted as being doubtful, the total gives 47,396 as the actual number whose votes decided the election. As a curiosity and a puzzle for future politicians, the Mayor's analysis is worth preserving, as here re-analysed:--

PLUMPERS.

Calthorpe only .. .. 42
Burnaby only .. .. 164 206
Chamberlain only .. .. 50
Muntz only .. .. 199
Bright only .. .. 86 335

SPLIT VOTES.

Calthorpe and Muntz .. 153
Calthorpe and Chamberlain .. 83
Burnaby and Muntz .. 1,239
Burnaby and Chamberlain .. 182
Bright and Calthorpe .. 104
Bright and Burnaby .. 243 2,004

CON. PARTY VOTES.

Burnaby and Calthorpe .. 13,888 13,888

LIBERAL PARTY VOTES.

Chamberlain and Muntz .. 9,410
Bright and Muntz .. 11,802
Bright and Chamberlain .. 9,751 30,963

Voting papers rejected and doubtful 380
________

Total number of voters polled.. .. 47,776

Mr. Bright having been again appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr. Chamberlain chosen as President of the Board of Trade, they were re-elected, without opposition, early in May following the election. Three other local Liberal gentlemen were returned to Parliament during this general election, viz.:--Mr. Jesse Collings for Ipswich (receiving 3,074 votes), Mr. H. Wiggin for East Staffordshire (4,617 votes), and Mr. J.S. Wright for Nottingham (8,085 votes). The last-named, however, did not live to take his seat, dying very suddenly while attending a committee-meeting at the Council House, Birmingham, on the 15th April.--See "_Statues_," &c According to the published returns of January, 1884, Birmingham was then the largest borough constituency in England, the number of electors on the register then in force being 63,221: Liverpool coming next with 61,336; and Lambeth third, with 55,588; but Glasgow was the largest in the United Kingdom, with 68,025. The largest county constituency in England and Wales was Middlesex, with 41,299 electors; the next being South-West Lancashire, with 30,624; the third, South-East Lancashire, with 28,728; and the fourth, the southern division of the West Riding, with 27,625. The total electorate for England and Wales, was 2,660,444; Scotland, 331,264; and Ireland, 230,156.

The following statistics have been taken from the returns named, showing in respect of each constituency in this neighbourhood, the area of each borough, city, or county division, the population, the number of inhabited houses, the number of voters and their qualifications, and the Members sent to Parliament prior to the passing of the Franchise and Redistribution Bills of 1885, and are worth preserving for future local reference:--

[Transcriber's note: this table has been split in order to fit the page width.]

-------------------------------------------------------------------- | Borough, City | Area in | Population |Inhabited Houses | | or County | Square | in | in | in | in | | Division | Miles. | 1871 | 1881 | 1871 | 1881 | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | Birmingham | 13 | 343,787 | 400,774 | 68,532 | 78,301 | | Bewdley | 11-1/4 | 7,614 | 8,678 | 1,717 | 1,839 | | Bridgnorth | 17 | 7,317 | 7,212 | 1,565 | 1,52[**] | Coventry | 10 | 41,348 | 46,563 | 9,334 | 10,185 | | Droitwich | 43 | 9,510 | 9,858 | 1,931 | 2,006 | | Dudley | 12 | 82,249 | 87,527 | 15,985 | 16,889 | | E. Staffordshire | 218 | 101,564 | 138,439 | 19,960 | 26,003 | | E. Worcestershr. | 324 | 147,685 | 117,257 | 30,551 | 35,781 | | Evesham | 3-1/2 | 4,888 | 5,112 | 1,001 | 1,050 | | Kidderminster | 3-3/4 | 20,814 | 25,633 | 4,292 | 5,062 | | Lichfield | 5 | 7,347 | 8,349 | 1,543 | 1,678 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | 1 | 15,948 | 17,493 | 3,180 | 3,393 | | N. Staffordshire | 396 | 120,217 | 132,684 | 24,194 | 26,403 | | N. Warwickshire | 383 | 134,723 | 170,086 | 29,032 | 35,151 | | S. Warwickshire | 462 | 96,905 | 99,592 | 20,803 | 21,485 | | Stafford | 1 | 15,946 | 18,904 | 2,939 | 3,385 | | Stoke-on-Trent | 14 | 130,575 | 152,394 | 24,582 | 28,350 | | Tamworth | 18 | 11,493 | 14,101 | 2,357 | 2,772 | | Walsall | 11-3/4 | 49,018 | 59,402 | 9,566 | 11,140 | | Warwick | 8-1/2 | 10,986 | 11,800 | 2,418 | 2,518 | | Wednesbury | 17-3/4 | 116,809 | 124,437 | 22,621 | 23,443 | | W. Staffordshire | 434 | 100,413 | 117,737 | 20,134 | 23,261 | | W. Worcestershr | 341 | 66,419 | 67,139 | 13,895 | 13,928 | | Wolverhampton | 29-1/2 | 156,978 | 164,332 | 30,424 | 31,475 | | Worcester | 5 | 38,116 | 40,354 | 8,043 | 8,539 | --------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | City or Borough Electors. | | ------------------------------------------------- | | £10 | | Freehold | Freemen | | Borough, City | Occupiers and | Lodgers | and | or Voters | | or County | Inhabitant | | Burgage | by Ancient | | Division | Householders. | | Tenants. | Rights | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Birmingham | 63,149 | 72 | .. | .. | | Bewdley | 273 | 2 | .. | 1 | | Bridgnorth | 055 | .. | .. | 163 | | Coventry | 4,733 | 12 | .. | 3,995 | | Droitwich | 1,409 | .. | .. | 1 | | Dudley | 14,833 | 1 | .. | .. | | E. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | E. Worcestershr. | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Evesham | 794 | 11 | .. | 20 | | Kidderminster | 3,898 | 5 | .. | .. | | Lichfield | 1,095 | 7 | 101 | 39 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | 2,431 | 5 | .. | 679 | | N. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | N. Warwickshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | S. Warwickshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Stafford | 2,764 | 22 | .. | 798 | | Stoke-on-Trent | 21,131 | 13 | .. | .. | | Tamworth | 2,220 | 6 | .. | 3 | | Walsall | 9,821 | 3 | .. | .. | | Warwick | 1,742 | 4 | .. | 15 | | Wednesbury | 19,807 | 3 | .. | .. | | W. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | W. Worcestershr | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Wolverhampton | 23,559 | 31 | .. | .. | | Worcester | 5,948 | 59 | .. | 355 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | County Electors. | | | --------------------------------------------------- | Borough, City | |Total No. | | | or County | £12 | £50 |Owners. | of | M.P.'s | | Division |Occupiers. |Tenants. | |Electors. |Returned| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Birmingham | .. | .. | .. | 63,221 | 3 | | Bewdley | .. | .. | .. | 1,276 | 1 | | Bridgnorth | .. | .. | .. | 1,218 | 1 | | Coventry | .. | .. | .. | 8,740 | 2 | | Droitwich | .. | .. | .. | 1,410 | 1 | | Dudley | .. | .. | .. | 14,834 | 1 | | E. Staffordshire | 5,106 | 141 | 6,481 | 11,728 | 2 | | E. Worcestershr. | 4,745 | 567 | 6,931 | 12,243 | 2 | | Evesham | .. | .. | .. | 825 | 1 | | Kidderminster | .. | .. | .. | 3,903 | 1 | | Lichfield | .. | .. | .. | 1,242 | 1 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | .. | .. | .. | 3,115 | 2 | | N. Staffordshire | 3,008 | 1,071 | 7,141 | 11,220 | 2 | | N. Warwickshire | 5,878 | 516 | 5,603 | 11,997 | 2 | | S. Warwickshire | 2,561 | 688 | 3,253 | 6,502 | 2 | | Stafford | .. | .. | .. | 3,584 | 2 | | Stoke-on-Trent | .. | .. | .. | 21,144 | 2 | | Tamworth | .. | .. | .. | 2,229 | 2 | | Walsall | .. | .. | .. | 9,824 | 1 | | Warwick | .. | .. | .. | 1,761 | 2 | | Wednesbury | .. | .. | .. | 19,810 | 1 | | W. Staffordshire | 2,715 | 661 | 8,570 | 11,946 | 2 | | W. Worcestershr | 1,142 | 1,033 | 4,426 | 6,601 | 2 | | Wolverhampton | .. | .. | .. | 23,590 | 2 | | Worcester | .. | .. | .. | 6,362 | 1 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Parsonage.~--The Old Parsonage, at the corner of Smallbrook Street and Pershore Street, an old-fashioned two-storey gabled house, was moated round and almost hidden by trees, and has been preserved for future historians in one of David Cox's sketches, which remains as a curious memento of the once rural appearance of what are now some of the busiest spots in town. The house was pulled down in 1826.

~Parson and Clerk.~--A noted publichouse on the old Chester Road is the Royal Oak, better known as "The Parson and Clerk." An old pamphlet thus gives the why and wherefore:

"There had used to be on the top of the house two figures--one of a
parson leaning his head in prayer, while the clerk was behind him with
uplifted axe, going to chop off his head. These two figures were
placed there by John Gough, Esq., of Perry Hall, to commemorate a law
suit between him and the Rev. T. Lane, each having annoyed the other.
Mr. Lane had kept the Squire out of possession of this house, and had
withheld the licenses, while the latter had compelled the clergyman to
officiate daily in the church, by sending his servants to form a
congregation. Squire Gough won the day, re-built the house in 1788,
and put up the figures to annoy Parson Lane, parsons of all sorts
being out of his good books."

~Parsons, Preachers, and Priests of the Past.~--It would be a lengthy list or make note of all the worthy and reverend gentlemen who have, from pulpit or platform, lectured and preached to the people in our town, or who have aided in the intellectual advancement and education of the rising generation of their time. Church and Chapel alike have had their good men and true, and neither can claim a monopoly of talent, or boast much of their superiority in Christian fellowship or love of their kind. Many shepherds have been taken from their so-called flocks whose places at the time it was thought could never be filled, but whose very names are now only to be found on their tombs, or mentioned in old magazines or newspapers. Some few are here recalled as of interest from their position, peculiarities, &c.

_John Angell James_.--A Wiltshire man was John Angell James, who, after a short course of itinerary preaching came to Birmingham, and for more than fifty years was the idolised minister of Carr's Lane congregation. He was a good man and eloquent, having a certain attractive way which endeared him to many. He lived, and was loved by those who liked him, till he had reached the age of 74, dying Oct. 1, 1859, his remains being buried like those of a saint, under the pulpit from which he had so long preached.

_Samuel Bache_.--Coming as a Christmas-box to his parents in 1804, and early trained for the pulpit, the Rev. Samuel Bache joined the Rev. John Kentish in his ministrations to the Unitarian flock in 1832, and remained with us until 1868. Loved in his own community for faithfully preaching their peculiar doctrines, Mr. Bache proved himself a man of broad and enlightened sympathies; one who could appreciate and support anything and everything that tended to elevate the people in their amusements as well as in matters connected with education.

_George Croft_.--The Lectureship of St. Martin's in the first year of the present century was vested in Dr. George Croft, one of the good old sort of Church and King parsons, orthodox to the backbone, but from sundry peculiarities not particularly popular with the major portion of his parishioners. He died in 1809.

_George Dawson_.--Born in London, February 24, 1821, George Dawson studied at Glasgow for the Baptist ministry, and came to this town in 1844 to take the charge of Mount Zion chapel. The cribbed and crabbed restraints of denominational church government failed, however, to satisfy his independent heart, and in little more than two years his connection with the Mount Zion congregation ceased (June 24, 1846). The Church of the Saviour was soon after erected for him, and here he drew together worshippers of many shades of religious belief, and ministered unto them till his death. As a lecturer he was known everywhere, and there are but few towns in the kingdom that he did not visit, while his tour in America, in the Autumn of 1874, was a great success. His connection with the public institutions of this town is part of our modern history, and no man yet ever exercised such influence or did more to advance the intelligence and culture of the people, and, as John Bright once said of Cobden "it was not until we had lost him that we knew how much we loved him." The sincerity and honesty of purpose right through his life, and exhibited in all his actions, won the highest esteem of even those who differed from him, and the announcement of his sudden death (Nov. 30, 1876) was felt as a blow by men of all creeds or politics who had ever known him or heard him. To him the world owes the formation of the first Shakesperian Library--to have witnessed its destruction would indeed have been bitter agony to the man who (in October, 1866) had been chosen to deliver the inaugural address at the opening of the Free Reference Library, to which he, with friends, made such an addition. As a preacher, he was gifted with remarkable powers; as a lecturer, he was unsurpassed; in social matters, he was the friend of all, with ever-open hand to those in need; as a politician, though keen at repartee and a hard hitter, he was straightforward, and no time-server; and in the word of his favourite author, "Take him all in all, we ne'er shall look on his like again."--See "_Statues_," &c.

_W. D. Long_.--The Rev. Wm Duncan Long (who died at Godalming, April 12, 1878), according to the _Record_, was "a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." In our local records he is noted as being distinguished for hard work among the poor of St. Bartholomew's, of which parish he was minister for many years prior to 1851.

_Thomas Swann_.--The Rev. Thomas Swann, who came here in January 1829, after a few years' sojourn in India, served the Cannon Street body for 28 years, during which time he baptised 966 persons, admitting into membership a total of 1,233. Mr. Swann had an attack of apoplexy, while in Glasgow, on Sunday, March 7, 1857, and died two days afterwards. His remains were brought to Birmingham, and were followed to the grave (March 16) by a large concourse of persons, a number of ministers taking part in the funeral service.

_W. L. Giles_.--The Rev. W. Leese Giles, who filled the pulpit in Cannon Street from Oct., 1863, to July, 1872, was peculiarly successful in his ministrations, especially among the young.

_Lewis Chapman_.--The Rev. Lewis Chapman (taken to his fathers Oct. 2, 1877, at the age of 81), after performing the duties and functions of Rabbi to the local Jewish community for more than forty-five years, was, from his amiability and benevolence, characterised by many Gentile friends as "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile."

_Hon. G. M. Yorke_.--Brother to the late Earl of Hardwicke, and born in 1809, Mr. Yorke, on finishing his University education, entered the army, obtaining a commission in the Fourth Dragoons; and, considering his subsequent connection with Birmingham in a widely different character, it is curious that his first visit here should have been paid as an officer of dragoons in the Chartist riots of 1839. Mr. Yorke's personal tastes, however, led him to prefer the Church to the army, and he entered into holy orders, the Bishop of Worcester, in 1814, presenting him to the rectory of St. Philip's: and at a later period he was nominated Rural Dean. Mr. Yorke held the living of St. Philip's for the long period of thirty years--until 1874--when the Prime Minister appointed him Dean of Worcester. During his residence in Birmingham Mr. Yorke did much public service in connection with various educational institutions. He promoted good schools in St. Philip's parish, and was an active member of the committee of the Educational Prize Scheme, and then of the Education Aid Society, both of them institutions which were of great value in their day. He also took a strong interest in the affairs of Queen's College, of which he was for many years the Vice-president. In the Diocesan Training College, at Saldey, he likewise took part as a member of the managing body and he was interested in the School of Art and the Midland Institute. Wherever, indeed, there was educational work to be done, the Rector of St. Philip's was sure to be found helping in it; and though there have been many Rectors at the church it can be truly said that none left more regretted by the poor, notwithstanding the aristocratic handle to his name, than did Mr. Yorke. The Hon. and Rev. gentleman died at Worcester, Oct. 2, 1879.

_J.C. Miller_.--The Rev. John Cale Miller (born at Margate, in 1814), though only thirty-two, hail already attracted the notice of the Evangelical Party in the Church, and his appointment to St. Martin's (Sept. 1846), gave general satisfaction. His reputation as a preacher had preceded him, and he soon diffused a knowledge of his vigour as a worker, and his capacity as an administrator. Few men have entered so quickly into popular favour as Dr. Miller did, which may, perhaps, be accounted for by the fact that he not only showed a sincere desire to live in harmony with the Dissenters of all shades, but that he was prepared to take his full share in the public work of the town, and determined to be the minister--not of any section of the people, but of the parish altogether. Under his direction St. Martin's became a model parish. New facilities were afforded for public worship, schools were established, parochial institutions multiplied under his hand, an ample staff of curates and scripture-readers took their share of labour, and the energies of the lay members of the congregation were called into active exercise. To the Grammar School, the Midland Institute, the Free Libraries, the Hospitals and Charities of the town, the Volunteer movement, &c., he gave most assiduous attention, and as long as he remained with us, his interest in all public matters never failed. In the early part of 1866, Dr. Miller was presented to the living at Greenwich, taking his farewell of the townspeople of Birmingham at a meeting in the Town Hall, April 21, when substantial proof of the public goodwill towards him was given by a crowded audience of all creeds and all classes. A handsome service of plate and a purse of 600 guineas, were presented to him, along with addresses from the congregation of St. Martin's, the Charity Collections Committee, the Rifle Volunteers (to whom he had been Chaplain), the Committees of the Hospitals, and from the town at large. The farewell sermon to St. Martin's congregation was preached April 29. In 1871 Dr. Miller was appointed residential Canon of Worcester, which preferment he soon afterwards exchanged for a Canonry at Rochester as being nearer to his home, other honours also falling to him before his death, which took place on the night of Sunday, July 11, 1880.

_George Peake_.--The Rev. G. Peake, Vicar of Aston, from 1852 to his death, July 9, 1876, was a ripe scholar and archæologist, a kind-hearted pastor, and an effective preacher.

_Isaiah Birt_.--Mr. Isaiah Birt, a native of Coleford, undertook the pastorship of Cannon Street in 1800, holding it until Christmas, 1825, when from ill-health he resigned. The congregation allowed Mr. Birt an annuity of £100 until his death, in 1837, when he had reached 80 years of age.

_Thomas Potts_.--The Rev. Thomas Potts, who died in the early part of December, 1819, at the age of sixty-and-six, was, according to the printed funeral oration pronounced at the time, "an accurate, profound, and cautious theologian," who had conducted the classical studies at Oscott College for five-and-twenty years with vigour and enthusiasm, and "a grandeur of ability peculiarly his own."

_Sacheveral_.--Dr. Sacheveral, the noted and noisy worthy who kicked up such a rumpus in the days of Queen Anne, was a native of Sutton Coldfield, and his passing through Birmingham in 1709 was considered such an event of consequence that the names of the fellows who cheered him in the streets were reported to Government.

_Pearce_.--Ordained pastor of Cannon Street, Aug. 18, 1790. Mr. Pearce, in the course of a short life, made himself one of the most prominent Baptist divines of the day, the church under his charge increasing so rapidly that it became the source of great uneasiness to the deacons. Mr. Pearce took great interest in the missionary cause, preaching here the first sermon on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society (Oct., 1792), on which occasion £70 was handed in; he also volunteered to go to India himself. Suffering from consumption he preached his last sermon Dec. 2, 1798, lingering on till the 10th of October following, and dying at the early age of 33. He was buried at the foot of the pulpit stairs.

_Slater_.--Hutton says that an apothecary named Slater made himself Rector of St. Martin's during the days of the Commonwealth, and that when the authorities came to turn him out he hid himself in a dark corner. This is the individual named in Houghton's "History of Religion in England" as being brought before the Court of Arches charged with having forged his letters of orders, with preaching among the Quakers, railing in the pulpit at the parishioners, swearing, gambling, and other more scandalous offences.

_Scholefield_.--The pastor of the Old Meeting Congregation in 1787 was named Scholefield, and he was the first to properly organise Sunday Schools in connection with Dissenting places of worship.

_Robert Taylor_.--The horrible title of "The Devil's Chaplain" was given the Rev. Robert Taylor, B.A., who in 1819-20 was for short periods curate at Yardley and at St. Paul's in this town. He had been educated for the Church, and matriculated well, but adopted such Deistical opinions that he was ultimately expelled the Church, and more than once after leaving here was imprisoned for blasphemy.

_Charles Vince_.--Charles Vince was the son of a carpenter, and was a native of Surrey, being born at Farnham in 1823. For some years after reaching manhood Mr. Vince was a Chartist lecturer, but was chosen minister of Mount Zion Chapel in 1851, and remained with us till Oct. 22, 1874, when he was removed to the world above. His death was a loss to the whole community, among whom he had none but friends.

_John Webb_.--The Rev. John Webb, who about 1802 was appointed Lecturer at St. Martin's and Minister of St. Bartholomew's was an antiquarian scholar of some celebrity; but was specially valued here (though his stay was not long) on account of his friendship with Mendelssohn and Neukomm, and for the valued services he rendered at several Festivals. He wrote the English adaptation of Winter's "Timoteo," or "Triumph of Gideon," performed at the Festival of 1823, and other effective pieces before and after that date, interesting himself in the success of the Triennials for many years. He died February 18, 1869, in Herefordshire.

_William Wollaston_.--That eminent English divine, the Rev. William Wollaston, who was born in the neighbouring county of Stafford, in 1659, was for several years assistant, and afterwards head master at our Free Grammar School, but, coming into a rich inheritance, retired. He died in 1724.

And so the list might go on, with such names as the Rev. Charles Curtis, of St. Martin's (1784) the Rev. E. Burn, of St. Mary's (1818), the Rev. John Cook, of St. Bartholomew's (1820), the Rev. W.F. Hook, of Moseley (1822), afterwards Dean of Christchurch; Dr. Outram, of St. Philip's (who died in 1821); Rann Kennedy, of St. Paul's; G.S. Bull, of St. Thomas's; with I. C. Barratt, of St Mary's, and many other clergymen and ministers, who have departed in these later years.

~Patents.~--The first patent granted to a Birmingham inventor is dated May 22, 1722, it being granted to Richard Baddeley for having "with much pains, labour, and expense, invented and brought to perfection 'An Art for making streaks for binding Cart and Wagon Wheels and Box Smoothing Irons' (never yet practised in this our kingdom) which will be more durable and do three times the service of those made of bar iron," &c., &c. It is not particularly wonderful that the toyshop of England should stand first on the list as regards the number of patent grants applied for and taken out. As Bisset said--

Inventions curious, various kinds of toys,
Engage the time of women, men, and boys;
And Royal patents here are found in scores,
For articles Minute--or pond'rous ores.

By the end of 1799 the list shows that 92 patents had been granted to Birmingham men after Richard Baddeley had brought out his "patent streaks," and during the present century there have been many hundreds of designs patented or registered, scores of fortunes being made and thousands of hands employed, but often the inventors themselves have sold their rights for trifling amounts or succumbed to the difficulties that stood in the way of bringing their brainwork into practical use. Could the records of our County Asylums be thoroughly inspected, it is to be feared that disappointed inventors would be found more numerous than any other class of inmates. The costs of taking out, renewing, and protecting patents were formerly so enormous as practically to prevent any great improvements where capital was short, and scores of our local workers emigrated to America and elsewhere for a clearer field wherein to exercise their inventive faculties without being so weighted down by patent laws. The Patent Law Amendment Act of 1852 was hailed with rejoicing, but even the requirements of that Act were found much too heavy. The Act which came into force Jan. 1, 1884, promises to remedy many of the evils hitherto existing. By this Act, the fees payable on patents are as follows:--On application for provisional specification, £1; on filing complete specification, £3; _or_, on filing complete specification with the first application, £4. These are all the fees up to the date of granting a patent. After granting, the following fees are payable: Before four years from date of patent, £50; and before the end of eight years from the date of patent, £100. In lieu of the £50 and the £100 payments, the following annual fees may be paid: Before the end of the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years. £10 each year; before the end of the eighth and ninth years, £15 each year; and before the end of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth years, £20 each year.--If the number of words contained in the specifications constitutes the value of a patent, that taken out by our townsman, James Hardy (March 28, 1844), for an improvement in tube-rolling must have been one of the most valuable ever known. The specifications filled 176 folios, in addition to a large sheet of drawings, the cost of an "office copy" being no less than £12 18s! The _Mechanics' Magazine_ said it could have all been described in 176 words.

~Patriotic Fund.~--The local collection for this fund was commenced October, 25, 1854, and closed February 22, 1858, with a total of £12,936 17s. 3d.

~Paving.~--A "patent" was obtained in 1319, 12th Edw. II., to "take toll on all vendible commodities for three years, to pave the town of Birmingham;" and as the funds thus raised were not sufficient for such a "town improvement," another "patent" for the purpose was procured in 1333, 7th Edw. III., the toll being fixed at one farthing on every eight bushels of corn. What the paving was in the early part of the present century is best told in the following extract from Bissett's "Magnificent Directory," published in 1800:--

The streets are pav'd, 'tis true, but all the stones
Are set the wrong end up, in shape of cones;
And strangers limp along the best pav'd street,
As if parch'd peas were strew'd beneath their feet,
Whilst custom makes the Natives scarcely feel
Sharp-pointed pebbles press the toe or heel.

About 1819-20 the roadways were stoned with the aid of a steam paving-engine, supplied with a row of six heavy rammers, which dropped on the uneven stones and drove them into the roads, the engine moving about a foot after each series of blows. A wood roadway was laid in Moor Street in April, 1873; and in June, 1874, the Council decided also so to pave New Street, High Street, and Bull Street. At their meeting, June 1876, it was resolved to spend £30,000 a year for six years in paving streets, and they have done all _that_.

~Pawnbrokers.~--In December, 1789, a Bill was prepared for presentation to Parliament "to suppress all pawnbrokers within the town." and to establish in lieu a general office for pledges. Wonder what our uncles thought of it.

~Peace.~--A branch of the Workmen's Peace Association was formed December 18, 1871.

~Pebble Mill Pool.~--The last few years a favourite spot for suicides, no less than thirty-nine persons having drowned themselves there since 1875. Strangely enough there was not a single similar case in the four years preceding, and only three cases of accidental drownings in the last 27 years.

~Peck Lane.~--Originally called Feck Lane, leading out of New Street, next to the Grammar School, was closed and cleared for the Railway Station. Steep and narrow as the old thoroughfare was, it was at one time thought quite as much of as Bull Street.

~Pearls and Pearl Fisheries.~--A few small pearls are occasionally found enclosed in the nacre (or mother-of-pearl) of shells cut up for buttons, &c., but seldom of much value, though it is related that a few years back a pearl thus discovered by a workman, and handed over to his employer, was sold for £40, realising £150 afterwards. In March, 1884, Mr. James Webb, Porchester Street, had the good fortune to find a pearl weighing 31 grains in an Australian shell he was cutting up, and it has been valued at £100. As there is a good market here for pearls, no doubt many others have been found that "have not come to light." A few years back, "pearl fisheries" of rather an extraordinary kind were here and there to be found in the outskirts, the prices of good workable shell having risen to to such an extent that it paid to hunt for and dig up the scrap flung away in former years, as much as 15s. to 20s. per bag being obtained for some of these finds. One smart little master who recollected where his scrap was deposited some years before, in the neighbourhood of St. Luke's, paid the spot a visit, and finding it still unbuilt upon, set to work, and carted most of it back, and having improved tools, made a handsome profit by this resurrection movement.-- See "_Trades_."

~Pens.~--The question as to who made the first steel pen has often been debated; but though Perry and Mason, Mitchell and Gillott, and others besides, have been named as the real original, it is evident that someone had come before them; for, in a letter written at least 200 years back (lately published by the Camden Society), the writer, Mary Hatton, offered to procure some pens made of steel for her brother, as "neither the glass pens nor any other sort was near so good." Silver pens were advertised for sale in the _Morning Chronicle_, in June, 1788, as well as "fountain pens;" and it has been claimed that an American supplied his friends with metallic pens a dozen years prior to that date. There was a Sheffield artisan, too, before our local men came to the front, who made some pens on the principle of the quill, a long hollow barrel, pointed and split; but they were considered more in the light of curiosities than for use, and fetched prices accordingly. Mr. James Perry is said to have given his workmen 5s. each for making pens, as late as 1824; and Mr. Gillott got 1s. each for a gross he made on the morning of his marriage. In 1835, the lowest wholesale price was 5s. per gross; now they can be had at a trifle over 1d. per gross. Even after the introduction of presses for the manufacture of steel pens (in 1829), there was considerable quantities of little machines made here for cutting quill pens, the "grey goose quill" being in the market for school use as late as 1855, and many bankers and others have not yet discarded them. In May, 1853, a quantity of machinery was sent out to America, where many skilled workmen had gone previously; and now our Yankee cousins not only make their own pens, and run us close in all foreign markets, but actually send their productions to Birmingham itself.--See "_Trades_."

~People's Hall.~--The foundation stone of the People's Hall, corner of Loveday and Princip Streets, was laid on Easter Monday, 1841, by General (then Colonel) Perronet Thompson. The cost of the building was £2,400, and, as its name implies, it was intended, and for a short time used, as a place for assemblies, balls, and other public purposes. Like a number of other "institutions for the people," it came to grief, and has long been nothing more than a warehouse.

~Pershore Road~ was laid out in 1825.