Chapter XVII: Part 17

_Aston Church_.--It is impossible to fix the date of erection of the first church for the parish of Aston, but that it must have been at a very early period is shown by the entry in the Domesday Book relative to the manor. The parish itself formerly included Bordesley and Deritend, Nechells and Saltley, Erdington and Witton, Castle Bromwich, Ward End, and Water Orton, an area so extensive that the ecclesiastical income was very considerable. In Henry III.'s reign the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield received twenty marks yearly out of the fruits of the rectory, the annual value of which was sufficient to furnish £26 13s. 4d. over and above the twenty marks. Records are in existence showing that the church (which was dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul) was considerably enlarged about 300 years after the Conquest, and a renovation was carried out nearly a century back, but the alterations made during the last few years (1878-84) have been so extensive that practically it may be said the edifice has been rebuilt. The seating capacity of the old church was limited to about 500, but three times that number of persons will, in future, find accommodation, the cost of the extensions and alterations having been nearly £10,000. The ancient monuments, windows, and tablets have all been carefully replaced in positions corresponding to those they filled formerly, with many additions in the shape of coloured glass, heraldic emblazonments, and chaste carvings in wood and stone. The old church, for generations past, has been the centre-point of interest with local antiquarians, as it was, in the days far gone, the chosen last resting-place of so many connected with our ancient history--the Holtes, the Erdingtons, the Devereux, the Ardens, the Harcourts, the Bracebridgss, Clodshalls, Bagots, &c. Here still may be seen the stone and alabaster effigies of lords and ladies who lived in the time of the Wars of the Roses, two showing by their dress that while one was Lancasterian, the other followed the fortunes of York. The tablets of the Holte' family, _temp_. Elizabeth and Charles, and the Devereux monument of the Jacobean era, are well preserved, while all around the shields and arms of the ancient families, with their many quarterings, form the best heraldic collection anywhere near Birmingham. The parish registers date from the 16th century, and the churchwardens accounts are preserved from the year 1652. Among the facts recorded in the former we may note the burial of the dozen or so Royalist soldiers who lost their lives while defending Aston Hall from the attacks made on it by the Birmingham men in December, 1643; while in both there are quaint entries innumerable, and full of curious interest to the student and historian. The Rev. W. Eliot, M.A., the present vicar, was instituted in 1876 (commencing duty Feb. 25, 1877), the living (£1,600 value) being in the presentation of trustees. In connection with the Church, there are Mission Rooms in Tower Road and in Alfred Street, with Sunday Schools, Bible classes, Dorcas, and other societies. The first portion of the late additions to the Church was consecrated July 5, 1880; the new chancel on Sept. 8, 1883

_Bishop Rider's_, a square-towered brick edifice in Gem Street, was built in 1837-38, the laying of the foundation stone (August 23, 1837) being characterised by the almost unheard-of conduct of the low denizens of the neighbourhood, who pelted the Bishop of Lichfield with mud on the occasion. The consecration took place Dec. 18, 1838, and the building cost £4,600. The living, valued at £300, is in the hands of trustees, the present vicar being the Rev. J.P. Gardiner. The vicarage, which was completed in 1862 at a cost of £2,240, is in Sutton Street, Aston Road-- too near a residence to the church not being deemed advisable even five-and-twenty years after the opening ceremony of 1837. In 1879 the galleries were removed, and the church re-pewed and otherwise renovated, the re-opening taking place July 28, there being now 860 free sittings.

_Christ Church_, New Street.--At first known as "The Free Church," this edifice was for no less than ten years in the hands of the builders. The cornerstone was laid July 22, 1805, by Lord Dartmouth, in the absence of George III., who had promised, but was too ill, to be present. His Majesty, however, sent £1,000 towards the building fund. It was consecrated July 13, 1813; finished in 1816; clock put in 1817. The patron is the Bishop of Worcester, and to the living (valued at £350), is attached a Prebendary in Lichfield Cathedral. The present Vicar, since 1881, is the Rev. E.R. Mason, M.A. There is accommodation for 1,500, all the seats being free, but at one time the worshippers were limited in their freedom of sitting by the males having to take their places on one side and the females on the other, a custom which gave rise to the following epigram:

"Our churches and chapels we generally find
Are the places where men to the women are joined;
But at Christ Church, it seems, they are more cruelhearted,
For men and their wives go there and get parted."

Mission services in connection with Christ Church are held in the Pinfold Street and Fleet Street Schoolrooms.

_Christ Church_, Gillott Road, Summerfield. The foundation stone of a church to be erected to the memory of the late Rev. George Lea (for 43 years connected with Christ Church and St. George's, Edgbaston) was laid Nov. 27, 1883. It is intended to accommodate 850 persons, and will cost about £8,000, exclusive of a tower 110ft. high which will be added afterwards at a further cost of £1,200.

_Christ Church_, Quinton, was erected in 1841, at a cost of £2,500, and will seat 600, two-thirds being free. The living is valued at £200, is in the gift of the Rector of Halesowen (in whose parish Quinton was formerly included), and is held by the Rev. C.H. Oldfield, B.A.

_Christ Church_, Sparkbrook, is a handsome Gothic erection, built on land given by Mr. S.S. Lloyd, the first stone being laid April 5, 1866, and the opening ceremony on October 1, 1867. The living, a perpetual curacy, is in the gift of trustees, and is valued at £350 per annum, and has been held hitherto by the Rev. G. Tonge, M.A. The building of the church cost nearly £10,000, the accommodation being sufficient for 900 persons, one-half the seats being free. The stained window in chancel to the memory of Mrs. S.S. Lloyd, is said by some to be the most beautiful in Birmingham, the subject being the Resurrection. There are Mission Rooms and Sunday Schools in Dolobran Road, Montpellier Street, Long Street, and Stratford Road, several thousands having been spent in their erection.

_Christ Church_, Yardley Wood, was built and endowed by the late John Taylor, Esq., in 1848, the consecration taking place April 4, 1849. Vicarage, value £185; patrons, trustees; Vicar, Rev. C.E. Beeby, B.A. Seats 260, the 60 being free.

_Edgbaston Old Church_.--It is not known when the first church was built on this site, some writers having gone so far back as to fix the year 777 as the probable date. The present edifice, though it incorporates some few remains of former erections, and will always be known as the "old" church, really dates but from 1809-10, when it was re-built (opened Sept 10, 1810) but, as the Edgbastonians began to increase and multiply rapidly after that time, it was found necessary to add a nave and aisle in 1857. There is now only accommodation for 670, and but a hundred or so of the seats are free, so that possibly in a few more years the renovators and restorers will be busy providing another new old church for us. The patron is Lord Calthorpe, and the living is valued at £542, but the power of presenting has only been exercised three times during the last 124 years, the Rev. John Prynne Parkes Pixell, who was appointed vicar in 1760, being succeeded by his son in 1794, who held the living fifty-four years. At his death, in 1848, the Rev. Isaac Spooner, who had for the eleven previous years been the first incumbent of St. George's, Edgbaston, was inducted, and remained vicar till his death, July, 1884. In the Church there are several monuments to members of the Calthorpe family, and one in memory of Mr. Joshua Scholefield, the first M.P. for Birmingham, and also some richly-coloured windows and ancient-dated tablets connected with the oldest families of the Middlemores and others.

_Hall Green Church_ was built in Queen Anne's reign, and has seats for 475, half free. It is a vicarage (value £175), in the gift of trustees, and now held by the Rev. R. Jones, B.A.

_Handsworth Church_.--St. Mary's, the mother church of the parish, was probably erected in the twelfth century, but has undergone time's inevitable changes of enlargements, alterations, and rebuildings, until little, if any, of the original structure could possibly be shown. Great alterations were made during the 15th and 17th centuries, and again about 1759, and in 1820; the last of all being those of our own days. During the course of the "restoration," now completed, an oval tablet was taken down from the pediment over the south porch, bearing the inscription of "John Hall and John Hopkins, churchwardens, 1759," whose economising notions had led them to cut the said tablet out of an old gravestone, the side built into the wall having inscribed on its face, "The bodye of Thomas Lindon, who departed this life the 10 of April, 1675, and was yeares of age 88." The cost of the rebuilding has been nearly £11,000, the whole of which has been subscribed, the reopening taking place Sept. 28, 1878. There are several ancient monuments in fair preservation, and also Chantrey's celebrated statue of Watts. The living is valued at £1,500, the Rector, the Rev. W. Randall, M.A., being his own patron. The sittings in the church are (with a few exceptions only) all free and number over 1,000, Sunday and other services being also held in a Mission Room at Hamstead.

_Holy Trinity_.--The first stone of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Camp Hill, was placed in position Sept. 29, 1820. The building was consecrated Jan. 23, 1823, and opened for services March 16 following. The cost was £14,325, and the number of sittings provided 1,500, half to be free. The services have from the first been markedly of a Ritualistic character, and the ornate decorations of the church have been therefore most appropriate. The living (value £230) is a vicarage in the gift of trustees, and is at present held by the Rev. A.H. Watts, who succeeded the Rev. R.W. Enraght after the latter's suspension and imprisonment.-- See "_Ritualism_."

_Holy Trinity_, Birchfields.--First stone placed May 26, 1863; consecrated May 17, 1864. Cost about £5,000. The living (value £320) is a vicarage in the gift of the Rector of Handsworth, and is now held by the Rev. P.T. Maitland, who "read himself in" May 16, 1875.

_Holy Trinity_, North Harborne, was built in 1838-39 at a cost of £3,750, and will seat 700, one half being free. The living (value £300) is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield.

_Immanuel Church_, Broad Street.--The foundation stone was laid July 12, 1864; the consecration took place May 7, 1865; the cost of erection was a little over £4,000; there are seats for 800, of which 600 are free; and the living (valued at £300), has been held until now by the Rev. C.H. Coleman, the presentation being in the hands of trustees. The "Magdalen" Chapel was formerly on the site.

_Iron Churches_.--May 22, 1874, an edifice built of iron was opened for religious purposes in Canon Hill Park, but the congregation that assembled were so scanty that in July, 1875, it was deemed expedient to remove it to Small Heath where it was used as a temporary "Oldknow Memorial" Church. Other iron churches have been utilised in the suburbs since then, and there is now no novelty in such erections, a score of which may be found within half the number of miles.

_St. Agnes'_, Moseley, off Wake Green Road.--The foundation stone was laid October 3, 1883, and its estimated cost is put at about £8,000. At present only a part sufficient to accommodate 400 persons is being proceeded with, but when completed the edifice will hold double that number, and will be 127 ft. long by 48 ft. wide, a tower and spire rising from the centre of the west end to a height of 137 ft.

_St. Alban's_.--A Mission chapel, dedicated to St. Alban, was opened in Leopold Street in September, 1865. This now forms a school belonging to the adjoining church, which was opened March 7, 1872. The curacy is held by the Revds. J.S. and T.B. Pollock, but the friends of those gentlemen have since ejected a far handsomer edifice, the Church of St. Alban the Martyr, at the corner of Conybere Street and Ryland Street, at a cost estimated at £20,000--£1,500 being paid for the site. The first stone of this magnificent building was laid January 31, 1880, the opening service taking place at 6.30 a.m., May 3, 1881. There is free seating for 1,000 in the new church, for 460 in St. Alban's, Leopold Street, and for a further 400 in the Mission Room--the services being entirely dependent on the gifts to the offertory, &c. On the Saint's day the special collections have for years been most remarkable, seldom less than £1,000 being given, while occasionally the amount has been more than four times that sum, The services are "High Church," with three daily celebrations and seven on Sunday.

_St. Andrew's_, Bordesley.--The foundation-stone was laid July 23, 1844, and consecration took place, Sept. 30, 1846. The cost of the building was about £5,000, the site being given. The value of the living is £320, the Bishop and trustees having the right of preferment alternately. There is accommodation for 800, one-fourth of the seats being free. The present Vicar is the Rev. J. Williamson, M.A. The iron-built church of S. Oswald, opposite Small Heath Park, Coventry-road, is attached to S. Andrew's.

_St. Anne's_, Duddeston, consecrated Oct. 22, 1869, is a brick building, giving accommodation for 810, half the seats being free. The Bishop presents the living, being of the nett value of £260. Rev. T.J. Haworth is the Vicar. Services also at the Mission Room, Great Francis Street.

_St. Anne's_, Park Hill, Moseley.--This Chapel-of-Ease to Moseley was built at the expense of Miss Anderton, of Moseley Wake Green, the consecration taking place Sept. 22, 1874. The living is valued at £150, and is in the gift of the Vicar of Moseley, the present incumbent being the Rev. J. Leverett, M.A. Half the 400 seats are free.

_St. Asaph's_, Great Colmore Street,--the freehold of the site was given by Mr. Cregoe Colmore, and the erection of the church, which yet wants the tower and spire, cost £5,450. The cornerstone was laid Aug. 22, 1867, and the building was consecrated Dec. 8, 1868. There are 950 sittings, of which 500 are free. Trustees present. The living, value £300, being now held by the Rev. R. Fletcher, M.A.

_St. Augustine's_, Hagley Road, the foundation stone of which was laid Oct. 14, 1867, was consecrated September 12, 1868, the first cost being a little over £9,000, but a tower and spire (185 ft. high) was added in 1876 at a further cost of £4,000. It is a Chapel-of-ease to Edgbaston, in the gift of the Bishop. Value £500. Held by Rev. J.C. Blissard, M.A. Seats, 650.

_St. Barnabas_, Erdington.--This church, originally built in 1823, at a cost of about £6,000, with accommodation for 700 only, has lately been enlarged so as to provide 1,100 sittings (600 free)--£2,700 being expended on the improvements. The Vicar of Aston is patron, and the living is valued at £300. The re-opening took place June 11, 1883. Rev. H.H. Rose, M.A., has been Vicar since 1850.

_St. Barnabas'_, Ryland Street.--First stone laid Aug. 1, 1859; consecrated Oct. 24, 1860; renovated in 1882. Has sittings for 1,050, of which 650 are free. Value £300, in the gift of trustees. Present Vicar, Rev. P. Waller. Services also at Mission Room, Sheepcote Street.

_St. Bartholomew's_.--The building of this church was commenced in 1749, the site being given by William Jennens, Esq., and £1,000 towards the building by his mother, Mrs. Anne Jennens. Lord Fielding also gave £120 to pay for an altar-piece, which is greatly admired. Surrounded for very many years by a barren-looking graveyard, the huge brick-built edifice was very unsightly, and being close to the Park Street burial ground it was nicknamed "the paupers' church." Since the laying out of the grounds, however, it has much improved in appearance. The Rector of St. Martin's presents, and the living is valued at £280. There are 1,800 sittings, 1,000 being free. Week-night services are also held in Mission Room, Fox Street.

_St. Catherine's_, Nechells.--Foundation stone laid July 27, 1877; consecrated November 8, 1878; cost nearly £7,000; seats 750, more than half being free. Yearly value £230; in the gift of trustees. Present vicar, Rev. T.H. Nock, M.A.

_St. Catherine's_ Rotton Park.--The Mission Room in Coplow St., in connection with St. John's, Ladywood, is the precursor of this church yet to be built.

_St. Clement's_, Nechells.--First stone laid, October 27, 1857; consecrated August 30, 1859. Seats 850 (475 free). Vicarage, value £300, in the gift of Vicar of St. Matthew's. Present incumbent, Rev. J.T. Butlin, B.A. Services also at Mission Room, High Park Street.

_St. Cuthbert's_, Birmingham Heath, was commenced April 19, 1871; opened March 19, 1872, and has seats for 800, half being free. Yearly value £250; in the hands of trustees. Present incumbent, Rev. W. H. Tarleton, M.A.

_St. Cyprian's_, Hay Mill.--The foundation-stone of this church (built and endowed by J. Horsfall, Esq.), was laid April 14, 1873, and the opening services were held in the following January. The ceremony of consecration did not take place until April 23, 1878, when a district was assigned to the church. Rev. G.H. Simms is the present Vicar, and the living (value £150) is in the gift of the Bishop.

_St. David's_, Bissell Street--First stone was laid July 6, 1864, and the building was consecrated in the same month of the following year. The cost of erection was £6,200, and there is accommodation for 955, 785 seats being free. The living (value £300) is in the gift of trustees, and is at present held by Rev. H. Boydon, B.A. Week night services also at Mission Room, Macdonald Street.

_St. Edburgh's_,--The parish church of Yardley, dating from Henry VII.'s reign, contains monuments relating to several of our ancient families of local note. The living is a vicarage (value £525) in the gift of the Rev. J. Dodd, the present vicar being the Rev. F.S. Dodd, M.A. There is accommodation for 600, a third of the seats being free.

_St. Gabriel's_, Pickford Street.--The first stone was laid in September, 1867, and the consecration took place Jan. 5, 1869. The sittings number 600, most being free. The living (value £300) is in the gift of the Bishop, and is held by the Rev. J.T. Tanse, vicar. A mission room at the west end of the church was opened Dec. 14, 1878. It is 105ft. long by 25ft. wide, and will seat 800. The cost was about £3,500, and it is said the Vicar and his friends saved £2,500 by building the rooms themselves.

_St. George's_.--When first built, there were so few houses near Great Hampton Row and Tower Street, that this church was known as "St. George's in the Fields," and the site for church and churchyard (3,965 square yards) was purchased for £200. The foundation stone was laid April 19, 1820, and the consecration took place July 30, 1822. The tower is 114ft. high, and the first cost of the building was £12,735. Renovated in 1870, the church has latterly been enlarged, the first stone of a new chancel being placed in position (June, 1882) by the Bishop of Ballarat, formerly rector of the parish. This and other additions has added £2,350 to the original cost of the church, which provides accommodation for 2,150, all but 700 being free seats. The living (value £500) is in the gift of trustees, and the present Rector is the Rev. J.G. Dixon, M.A. The church was re-opened March 13, 1883, and services are also conducted in New Summer Street and in Smith Street Schoolrooms.

_St. George's_, Edgbaston.--First stone laid Aug. 17, 1836; consecrated Nov. 28, 1838. Cost £6,000. Perpetual curacy (value £300), in the gift of Lord Calthorpe. 1,000 sittings, of which one-third are free, but it is proposed to considerably enlarge the building, and possibly as much as £8,000 will be spent thereon, with proportionate accommodation.

_St. James's_, Ashted.--Originally the residence of Dr. Ash, this building was remodelled and opened as a place of worship, Oct. 9, 1791. As Ashted Chapel it was sold by auction, May 3, 1796. Afterwards, being dedicated to St. James, it was consecrated, the ceremony taking place Aug. 7, 1807. The living (value £300) is in the gift of trustees, the present vicar being the Rev. H.C. Phelps, M.A. Of the 1,350 sittings, 450 are free, there being also a mission room in Vauxhall Road.

_St. James's_, Aston.--The mission room, in Tower Road, in connection with Aston Church, is known as St. James's Church Room, it being intended to erect a church on an adjoining site.

_St. James's_, Edgbaston, which cost about £6,000, was consecrated June 1, 1852, and has 900 sittings, one-fourth being free. Perpetual curacy (value £230) in the gift of Lord Calthorpe. The 25th anniversary of the incumbency of the Rev. P. Browne, M.A., was celebrated June 7, 1877, by the inauguration of a new organ, subscribed for by the congregation.

_St. James's_, Handsworth, was built in 1849, and has 800 sittings, of which one half are free. The living (value £300) is in the gift of the Rector of Handsworth, and the present vicar is the Rev. H.L. Randall, B.A.

_St. John's_, Deritend.--The "Chapel of St. John's," was commenced in 1375; it was licensed in 1381 by the monks of Tickford Priory, who appointed the Vicars of Aston, in which parish Deritend then was; it was repaired in 1677, and rebuilt in 1735. The tower was added in 1762, and clock and bells put in in 1776. This is believed to have been the first church in which the teachings of Wycliffe and the Reformers were allowed, the grant given to the inhabitants leaving in their hands the sole choice of the minister. This rite was last exercised June 15, 1870, when the present chaplain, the Rev. W.C. Badger, was elected by 3,800 votes, against 2,299 given for a rival candidate. There is accommodation for 850, of which 250 seats are free. It is related that when the present edifice was erected (1735) a part of the small burial ground was taken into the site, and that pew-rents are only charged for the sittings covering the ground so occupied. The living is valued at £400. For a most interesting account of this church reference should be made to "Memorials of Old Birmingham" by the late Mr. Toulmin Smith. Services also take place at the School Room, and at the Mission Room, Darwin Street.

_St. John's_, Ladywood, built at a cost of £6,000, the site being given by the Governors of the Free Grammar School, and the stone for building by Lord Calthorpe, was consecrated March 15, 1854. In 1881, a further sum of £2,350 was expended in the erection of a new chancel and other additions. The Rector of St. Martin's is the patron of the living (valued at £330), and the present Vicar is the Rev. J.L. Porter, M.A. The sittings number 1,250, of which 550 are free. Services are also conducted at the Mission Room, Coplow Street, and on Sunday evenings in Osler Street Board School.

_St. John's_, Perry Barr, was built, endowed, and a fund left for future repairs, by "Squire Gough," of Perry Hall, the cost being about £10,000. The consecration took place Aug. 6, 1833, and was a day of great rejoicing in the neighbourhood. In 1868 the church was supplied with a peal of eight bells in memory of the late Lord Calthorpe. The living (valued at £500) is in the gift of the Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe.

_St. John the Baptist_, East Harborne, which cost rather more than £4,000, was consecrated November 12, 1858. It has sittings for 900, of which number one half are free. Living valued at £115; patron Rev. T. Smith, M.A.; vicar, Rev. P. Smith, B.A.

_St. John the Evangelist_, Stratford Road.--A temporary iron church which was opened April 2, 1878, at a cost of £680. A Mission Room, in Warwick Road, Greet, is in connection with above.

_St. Jude's_, Tonk Street, which was consecrated July 26, 1851, has 1,300 sittings, of which 1,000 are free. In the summer of 1879, the building underwent a much-needed course of renovation, and has been still further improved by the destruction of the many "rookeries" formerly surrounding it. The patronage is vested in the Crown and Bishop alternately, but the living is one of the poorest in the town, only £150.

_St. Lawrence's_, Dartmouth Street.--First stone laid June 18, 1867; consecrated June 25, 1868; has sittings for 745, 400 being free. The Bishop is the patron, and the living (value £320) is now held by the Rev. J.F.M. Whish, B.A.

_St. Luke's_, Bristol Road.--The foundation stone of this old Norman-looking church was laid July 29, 1841, but it might have been in 1481 to judge by its present appearance, the unfortunate choice of the stone used in the building giving quite an ancient look. It cost £3,700, and was consecrated Sept. 28, 1842. There are 300 free seats out of 800. The trustees are patrons, and the living (value £430) is held by the Rev. W.B. Wilkinson, M.A., vicar.

_St. Margaret's_, Ledsam Street.--The cost of this church was about £5,000; the first stone was laid May 16, 1874; the consecration took place Oct. 2, 1875, and it finds seating for 800, all free. The Bishop is the patron of the living (a perpetual curacy value £300), and it is now held by the Rev. H.A. Nash. The schoolroom in Rann Street is licensed in connection with St. Margaret's.

_St. Margaret's_, Olton, was consecrated Dec. 14, 1880, the first stone having been laid Oct. 30, 1879.

_St. Margaret's_, Ward End, built on the site, and partly with the ruins of an ancient church, was opened in 1836, and gives accommodation for 320 persons, 175 seats being free. The living, value £150, is in the gift of trustees, and is held by the Rev. C. Heath, M.A., Vicar.

_St. Mark's_, King Edward's Road.--First stone laid March 31, 1840; consecrated July 30, 1841. Cost about £4,000, and accommodates 1,000, about a third of the seats being free. A vicarage, value £300; patrons, trustees; vicar, Rev. R.L.G. Pidcock, M.A.

_St. Martins_.--There is no authentic date by which we can arrive at the probable period of the first building of a Church for the parish of Birmingham. Hutton "supposed" there was a church here about A.D. 750, but no other writer has ventured to go past 1280, and as there is no mention in the Domesday Book of any such building, the last supposition is probably nearest the mark. The founder of the church was most likely Sir William de Bermingham, of whom there is still a monumental effigy existing, and the first endowment would naturally come from the same family, who, before the erection of such church, would have their own chapel at the Manor House. Other endowments there were from the Clodshales, notably that of Walter de Clodshale, in 1330, who left twenty acres of land, four messuages, and 18d. annual rent, for one priest to say mass daily for the souls of the said Walter, his wife, Agnes, and their ancestors; in 1347, Richard de Clodshale gave ten acres of land, five messuages, and 10s. yearly for another priest to say mass for him and his wife, and his father and mother, "and all the faithful departed"; in 1428, Richard, grandson of the last-named, left 20s. by his will, and bequeathed his body "to be buried in his own chapel," "within the Parish Church of Bermyngeham." Besides the Clodshale Chantry, there was that of the Guild of the Holy Cross, but when Henry VIII. laid violent hands on all ecclesiastical property (1535) that belonged to the Church of St. Martin was valued at no move than £10 1s. From the few fragments that were found when the present building was erected, and from Dugdale's descriptions that has come down to us, there can be little doubt that the church was richly ornamented with monuments and paintings, coloured windows and encaustic tiles, though its income from property would appear to have been meagre enough. Students of history will readily understand how the fine old place came gradually to be but little better than a huge barn, the inside walls whitewashed as was the wont, the monuments mutilated and pushed into corners, the font shoved out of sight, and the stained glass windows demolished. Outside, the walls and even the tower were "cased in brick" by the churchwardens (1690), who nevertheless thought they were doing the right thing, as among the records of the lost Staunton Collection there was one, dated 1711, of "Monys expended in public charitys by ye inhabitants of Birmingham, wth in 19 years last past," viz.:--

In casing, repairing, &c., ye Old Church £1919 01 9-1/2

Adding to ye Communion Plate of ye said Church
275 ounces of new silver 80 16 06

Repairing ye high ways leading to ye town
wth in these 9 years 898 00 01

Subscribed by ye inhabitants towards erecting
a New Church, now consecrated, and Parsonage house 2234 13 11
------------
In all £5132 12 3-12

In the matter of architectural taste the ideas of the church wardens seem curiously mixed, for while disfiguring the old church they evidently did their best to secure the erection of the splendid new church of St. Philip's, as among other entries there were several like these:--

"28pds. 2s. wch Mr. Jno. Holte has collected in Oxford towards
building ye New Church."

"Revd. £30 from Sir Charles Holte, Baronet, for the use of the Com.e
of the New Church."

From time to time other alterations were made, such as new roofing, shutting up the clerestory windows, piercing the walls of the chancel and the body of the church for fresh windows attaching a vestry, &c. The churchyard was partly surrounded by houses, and in 1781 "iron pallisadoes" were affixed to the wall. In this year also 33ft. of the spire was taken down and rebuilt. In 1807 the churchyard was enlarged by the purchase of five tenements fronting Spiceal Street, belonging to the Governors of the Free Grammar School, for £423, and the Commissioners having cleared the Bull Ring of the many erections formerly existing there the old church in its hideous brick dress was fully exposed to view. Noble and handsome places of worship were erected in other parts of the town, but the old mother church was left in all its shabbiness until it became almost unsafe to hold services therein at all. The bitter feelings engendered by the old church-rate wars had doubtless much to do with this neglect of the "parish" church, but it was not exactly creditable to the Birmingham men of '49, when attention was drawn to the dangerous condition of the spire, and a general restoration was proposed, that what one gentleman has been pleased to call "the lack of public interest" should be made so manifest that not even enough could be got to rebuild the tower. Another attempt was made in 1853, and on April 25th, 1854, the work of restoring the tower and rebuilding the spire, at a cost of £6,000, was commenced. The old brick casing was replaced by stone, and, on completion of the tower, the first stone of the new spire was laid June 20, 1855, the "topping" being successfully accomplished November 22nd following. The height of the present spire from the ground to the top of the stone-work is 185ft. 10 1/2in., the tower being 69ft. 6in., and the spire itself 116ft. 4 1/2in., the vane being an additional 18ft. 6in. The old spire was about 3in. lower than the present new one, though it looked higher on account of its more beautiful form and its thinner top only surmounted by the weathercock, now to be seen at Aston Hall, The clock and chimes were renewed at a cost of £200 in 1858; the tunes played being "God save the Queen" [Her Majesty visited Birmingham that year], "Rule Britannia," "Blue Bells of Scotland," "Life let us cherish," the "Easter Hymn," and two other hymns. Twenty years after (in 1878) after a very long period (nine years) of inaction, the charming apparatus was again put in order, the chimes being the same as before, with the exception of "Auld lang syne," which is substituted for "God save the Queen," in consequence of the latter not giving satisfaction since the bells have been repaired [vide "_Mail_"]. The clock dial is 9ft. 6in. in diameter. The original bells in the steeple were doubtless melted in the troublesome days of the Commonwealth, or perhaps, removed when Bluff Hal sequestered the Church's property, as a new set of six (total weight 53cwt. 1qr. 15lbs.) were hung in 1682. During the last century these were recast, and addition made to the peal, which now consists of twelve.

Treble, cast in 1772, weight not noted.
Second, " 1771, ditto.
Third, " 1758, weighing 6 2 16
Fourth, " 1758, " 6 3 27
Fifth, " 1758, " 8 0 20
Sixth, " 1769, " 8 2 12
Seventh " 1768, " 9 3 12
Eighth, " 1758, " 11 3 6
Ninth, " 1758, " 15 1 17
Tenth, " 1758, " 17 3 2
Eleventh " 1769, " 27 3 16
Tenor, " 1768, " 35 0 8

The ninth bell was recast in 1790; fourth and fifth have also been recast, by Blews and Son, in 1870. In the metal of the tenor several coins are visible, one being a Spanish dollar of 1742. The following lines appear on some of the bells;--

On Seventh:--"You singers all that prize your health and happiness, be
sober, merry and wise and you will the same possess."

On Eighth.--"To honour both of God and King, our voices shall in
concert ring."

On Tenth.--"Our voices shall with joyful sound make, hills and valleys
echo round."

On Tenor.--"Let your ceaseless changes raise to our Great Maker still
new praise."

The handsome appearance of the tower and spire, after restoration, contrasted so strongly with the "dowdy" appearance of the remainder of the church, that it was little wonder a more determined effort should be made for a general building, and this time (1872) the appeal was no longer in vain. Large donations were given by friends as well as by many outside the pale of the Church, and Dr. Wilkinson, the Rector, soon found himself in a position to proceed with the work. The last sermon in the old church was preached by Canon Miller, the former Rector, Oct. 27, 1872, and the old brick barn gave place to an ecclesiastical structure of which the town may be proud, noble in proportions, and more than equal in its Gothic beauty to the original edifice of the Lords de Bermingham, whose sculptured monuments have at length found a secure resting-place in the chancel of the new St. Martin's. From east to west the length of the church is a little over 155ft., including the chancel, the arch of which rises to 60ft.; the width, including nave (25ft.) and north and south aisles, is 67ft.; at the transepts the measure from north to south gives 104ft. width. The consecration and re-opening took place July 20, 1875, when the church, which will accommodate 2,200 (400 seats are free) was thronged. Several stained windows have been put in, the organ has been enlarged, and much done in the way of decoration since the re-building, the total cost being nearly £25,000. The living (£1,048 nett value) is in the gift of trustees, and has been held since 1866 by the Rev. W. Wilkinson, D.D., Hon. Canon of Worcester, Rural Dean, and Surrogate. The burial ground was closed Dec. 9, 1848.

_St. Mary's_, Acock's Green, was opened Oct. 17, 1866. The cost of erection was £4,750, but it was enlarged in 1882, at a further cost of £3,000. There are 720 sittings, 420 being free. The nett value of the living, in the gift of trustees, is £147, and the present vicar is the Rev. F.T. Swinburn, D.D.

_St. Mary's_, Aston Brook, was opened Dec. 10, 1863. It seats 750 (half free), and cost £4,000; was the gift of Josiah Robins, Esq., and family. Perpetual curacy, value £300. The site of the parsonage (built in 1877, at a cost of £2,300), was the gift of Miss Robins. Present incumbent, Rev. F. Smith, M.A.

_St. Mary's_, Moseley.--The original date of erection is uncertain, but there are records to the effect that the tower was an addition made in Henry VIII.'s reign, and there was doubtless a church here long prior to 1500. The chancel is a modern addition of 1873; the bells were re-cast about same time, the commemorative peal being rung June 9, 1874; and on June 8, 1878, the churchyard was enlarged by the taking in of 4,500 square yards of adjoining land. The living, of which the Vicar of Bromsgrove is the patron, is worth £280, and is now held by the Rev. W. H. Colmore, M.A. Of the 500 sittings 150 are free.

_St. Mary's_, Selly Oak, was consecrated September 12, 1861, having been erected chiefly at the expense of G.R. Elkington and J.F. Ledsam, Esqrs. There are 620 sittings, of which 420 are free. The living is in the gift of the Bishop and trustee; is valued at £200, and the present vicar is the Rev. T. Price, M.A.

_St. Mary's_, Whittall Street, was erected in 1774, and in 1857 underwent a thorough renovation, the reopening services being held August 16. There are 1,700 sittings of which 400 are free. The living is a vicarage, with an endowment of £172 with parsonage, in the gift of trustees, and is now held by the Rev. J.S. Owen.

_St. Matthew's_, Great Lister Street, was consecrated October 20, 1840, and has sittings for 1,400, 580 seats being free. The original cost of the building was only £3,200, but nearly £1,000 was expended upon it in 1883. Five trustees have the gift of the living, value £300, which is now held by the Rev. J. Byrchmore, vicar. The Mission Room, in Lupin Street, is served from St. Matthew's.

_St. Matthias's_, Wheeler Street, commenced May 30th, 1855, was consecrated June 4, 1856. Over £1,000 was spent on renovations in 1879. The seats (1,150) are all free. The yearly value of the living is £300, and it is in the gift of trustees. The vicar is the Rev. J.H. Haslam, M.A.

_St. Michael's_, in the Cemetery, Warstone Lane, was opened Jan. 15, 1854, the living (nominal value, £50) being in the gift of the directors. Will accommodate 400--180 seats being free.

_St. Michael's_, Northfield.--Of the original date of erection there is no trace, but it cannot be later than the eleventh century, and Mr. Allen Everett thought the chancel was built about 1189. The five old bells were recast in 1730, by Joseph Smith of Edgbaston, and made into six. The present building was erected in 1856-7, and has seating for 800, all free. The living, valued at £740, is held by the Rev. R. Wylde, M.A., and connected with it is the chapel-of-ease at Bartley Green.

_St. Michael's_, Soho, Handsworth, was opened in 1861. It has 1,000 sittings, one-half of which are free. The living is valued at £370, is in the gift of the Rector of Handsworth, and is now held by the Rev. F.A. Macdona.

_St. Nicolas_, Lower Tower Street--The foundation stone was laid Sept. 15, 1867; the church was consecrated July 12, 1868, and it has seats for 576 persons, the whole being free. The Bishop is the patron of the living, value £300, and the Vicar is the Rev. W.H. Connor, M.A.

_St. Nicholas_, King's Norton.--This church is another of the ancient ones, the register dating from 1547. It was partially re-erected in 1857, and more completely so in 1872, morn than £5,000 being expended upon it. The Dean and Chapter of Worcester are the patrons of the living (nett value £250), and the Vicar is the Rev. D.H.C. Preedy. There are 700 sittings, 300 of which are free.

_St. Oswald's_, situated opposite Small Heath Park, is an iron structure, lined with wood. It will seat about 400, cost £600, and was opened Aug. 10, 1882, being for the present in charge of the clergyman attached to St. Andrew's.

_St. Patrick's_, Highgate Street.--Erected in 1873, at a cost of £2,300, as a "School-chapel" attached to St. Alban's, and ministered unto by the Revds. J.S. and T.B. Pollock. 800 seats, all free.

_St. Paul's_, in St. Paul's Square.--The first stone was laid May 22, 1777, and the church was consecrated June 2, 1779, but remained without its spire until 1823, and was minus a clock for a long time after that. The east window in this church has been classed as the A1 of modern painted windows. The subject, the "Conversion of St. Paul," was designed by Benjamin West, and executed by Francis Eggington, in 1789-90. In May, 1876, the old discoloured varnish was removed, and the protecting transparent window re-glazed, so that the full beauty and finish of this exquisite work can be seen now as in its original state. Of the 1,400 sittings 900 are free. The living is worth £300, in the gift of trustees, and is held by the Rev. R.B. Burges, M.A., Vicar.

_St. Paul's_, Lozells.--The first stone was laid July 10, 1879, and the building consecrated September 11, 1880. The total cost was £8,700, the number of sittings being 800, of which one half are free. Patrons, Trustees. Vicar, Rev. E.D. Roberts, M.A.

_St. Paul's_, Moseley Road, Balsall Heath.--Foundation stone laid May 17, 1852, the building being opened that day twelvemonth. Cost £5,500 and has sittings for 1,300, of which number 465 are free. The Vicar of King's Norton is the patron of the living (value £300), and it is held by the Rev. W.B. Benison, M.A.

_St. Peter's_, Dale End, was begun in 1825, and consecrated Aug. 10, 1827, having cost £19,000. Considerable damage to the church was caused by fire, Jan. 24,1831. There are 1,500 sittings, all free. The living is valued at £260, is in the gift of the Bishop, and is held by the Rev. R. Dell, M.A., Vicar.

_St. Philip's_.--The parish of St. Philip's was created by special Act, 7 Anne, c. 34 (1708), and it being the first division of St. Martin's the new parish was bound to pay the Rector of St. Martin's £15 per year and £7 to the Clerk thereof, besides other liabilities. The site for the church (long called the "New Church") and churchyard, as near as possible four acres, was given by Mrs. Phillips, which accounts for the Saint's name chosen. George I. gave £600 towards the building fund, on the application of Sir Richard Gough, whose crest of a boar's head was put over the church, and there is now, in the form of a vane, as an acknowledgment of his kindness. Other subscriptions came in freely, and the £5,000, first estimated cost, was soon raised. [See "_St. Martins_"]. The building was commenced in 1711, and consecrated on October 4th, 1715. but the church was not completed until 1719. The church was re-pewed in 1850, great part restored in 1859-60, and considerably enlarged in 1883-84. The height of the tower is 140ft., and there are ten bells, six of them dating from the year 1719 and the others from 1761. There is accommodation for 2,000 persons, 600 of the seats being free. The nett value of the living is £868, the Bishop being patron. The present Rector, the Rev. H.B. Bowlby, M.A., Hon. Canon of Worcester, and Surrogate, has been with us since 1875,

_St. Saviour's_, Saltley, was consecrated July 23, 1850. The cost of building was £6,000; there are 810 seats, 560 being free; the living is vnlued at £240, and is in the gift of Lord Norton; the present Vicar is the Rev. F. Williams, B.A.

_St. Saviour's_, Villa Strest, Hockley.--Corner-stone laid April 9, 1872; consecrated May 1, 1874. Cost £5,500, and has seats for 600, all free. The living (value £250) is in the gift of trustees, and is now held by the Rev. M. Parker, Vicar.

_St. Silæs's_ Church Street, Lozells, was consecrated January 10, 1854, the first stone having been laid June 2, 1852. It has since been enlarged, and has now 1,100 sittings, 430 being free. The living (value £450) is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of trustees, and is held by the Rev. G. C. Baskerville, M.A. The Mission Room in Burbury Street is served from St. Silas's.

_St. Stephen's_, Newtown Row, was consecrated July 23, 1844. The building cost £3,200; there are 1,150 sittings, of which 750 are free; the living is valued at £250, is in the gift of the Bishop and the Crown alternately, and is now held by the Rev. P. Reynolds, Vicar, who also provides for the Mission Room in Theodore Street.

_St. Stephen's_, Selly Hill, was consecrated August 18, 1871, the first stone having been laid March 30, 1870. The patrons are the Bishop and trustees; the living is valued at £200; it is a perpetual curacy, and the incumbent is the Rev. R. Stokes M.A. Of the 300 sittings 100 are free.

_St. Thomas's_, Holloway Head.--First stone laid Oct. 2, 1826; consecrated Oct. 22, 1829, having cost £14,220. This is the largest church in Birmingham, there being 2,600 sittings, of which 1,500 are free. In the Chartist riots of 1839, the people tore up the railings round the churchyard to use as pikes. The living (value £550) is in the gift of trustees, and is held by the Rev. T. Halstead, Rector and Surrogate.

_St. Thomas-in-the-Moors_, Cox Street, Balsall Heath.--The church was commenced to be built, at the expense of the late William Sands Cox, Esq., in the year 1868, but on account of some quibble, legal or ecclesiastical, the building was stopped when three parts finished. By his will Mr. Cox directed it to be completed, and left a small endowment. This was added to by friends, and the consecration ceremony took place Aug. 14, 1883. The church will accommodate about 600 persons.

_St. Thomas the Martyr_.--Of this church, otherwise called the "Free Chapel," which was richly endowed in 1350 (See "Memorials of Old Birmingham" by Toulmin Smith), and to which the Commissioners of Henry VIII., in 1545, said the inhabitants did "muche resorte," there is not one stone left, and its very site is not known.

_Stirchley Street_ School-Church was erected in 1863, at a cost of £1,200, and is used on Sunday and occasional weekday evenings.

~Places Of Worship.~--_Dissenters'_.--A hundred years ago the places of worship in Birmingham and its neighbourhood, other than the parish churches, could have been counted on one's fingers, and even so late as 1841 not more than four dozen were found by the census enumerators in a radius of some miles from the Bull Ring. At the present time conventicles and tabernacles, Bethels and Bethesdas, Mission Halls and Meeting Rooms, are so numerous that there is hardly a street away from the centre of the town but has one or more such buildings. To give the history of half the meeting-places of the hundred-and-one different denominational bodies among us would fill a book, but notes of the principal Dissenting places of worship are annexed.

_Antinomians_.--In 1810 the members of this sect had a chapel in Bartholomew Street, which was swept away by the L. and N.W. Railway Co., when extending their line to New Street.

_Baptists_.--Prior to 1737, the "Particular Baptists" do not appear to have had any place of worship of their own in this town, what few of them there were travelling backwards and forwards every Sunday to Bromsgrove. The first home they acquired here was a little room in a small yard at the back of 38, High Street (now covered by the Market Hall), which was opened Aug. 24, 1737. In March of the following year a friend left the Particulars a sum of money towards erecting a meeting-house of their own, and this being added to a few subscriptions from the Coventry Particulars, led to the purchase of a little bit of the Cherry Orchard, for which £13 was paid. Hereon a small chapel was put up, with some cottages in front, the rent of which helped to pay chapel expenses, and these cottages formed part of Cannon Street; the land at the back being reserved for a graveyard. The opening of the new chapel gave occasion for attack; and the minister of the New Meeting, Mr. Bowen, an advocate of religious freedom, charged the Baptists (particular though they were) with reviving old Calvinistic doctrines and spreading Antinomianism and other errors in Birmingham; with the guileless innocence peculiar to polemical scribes, past and present. Mr. Dissenting minister Bowen tried to do his friends in the Bull Ring a good turn by issuing his papers as from "A Consistent Churchman." In 1763 the chapel was enlarged, and at the same time a little more land was added to the graveyard. In 1780 a further enlargement became necessary, which sufficed until 1805, when the original buildings, including the cottages next the street, were taken down to make way for the chapel so long known by the present inhabitants. During the period of demolition and re-erection the Cannon Street congregation were accommodated at Carr's Lane, Mr. T. Morgan and Mr. John Angell James each occupying the pulpit alternately. The new chapel was opened July 16, 1806, and provided seats for 900, a large pew in the gallery above the clock being allotted to the "string band," which was not replaced by an organ until 1859. In August, 1876, the Corporation purchased the site of the chapel, the graveyard, and the adjoining houses, in all about 1,000 square yards in extent, for the sum of £26,500, the last Sunday service being held on October 5, 1879. The remains of departed ministers and past members of the congregation interred in the burial-yard and under the chapel were carefully removed, mostly to Witton Cemetery. The exact number of interments that had taken place in Cannon Street has never been stated, but they were considerably over 200; in one vault alone more than forty lead coffins being found. The site is now covered by the Central Arcade. Almost as old as Cannon Street Chapel was the one in Freeman Street, taken down in 1856, and the next in date was "Old Salem," built in 1791, but demolished when the Great Western Railway was made. In 1785 a few members left Cannon Street to form a church in Needless Alley, but soon removed to Bond Street, under Mr. E. Edmonds, father of the well-known George Edmonds.--In the year 1870 fifty-two members were "dismissed" to constitute a congregation at Newhall Street Chapel, under the Rev. A. O'Neill.--In the same way a few began the church in Graham Street in 1828.--On Emancipation Day (Aug. 1, 1838), the first stone was laid of Heneage Street Chapel, which was opened June 10, 1841.--In 1845 a chapel was erected at Shirley; and on Oct. 24, 1849, the Circus in Bradford Street was opened as a Baptist Chapel. Salem Chapel, Frederick Street, was opened Sept. 14, 1851.--Wycliffe Church, Bristol Road, was commenced Nov. 8, 1859, and opened June 26, 1861.--Lombard Street Chapel was started Nov. 25, 1864.--Christ Church, Aston, was opened April 19, 1865.--The Chapel in Balsall Heath Road was opened in March, 1872; that in Victoria Street, Small Heath, June 24, 1873; and in Great Francis Street, May 27, 1877. When the Cannon Street Chapel was demolished, the trustees purchased Graham Street Chapel and schools for the sum of £14,200, other portions of the money given by the Corporation being allotted towards the erection of new chapels elsewhere. The Graham Street congregation divided, one portion erecting for themselves the Church of the Redeemer, in Hagley Road, (opened May 24, 1882), while those living on the Handsworth side built a church in Hamstead Road (opened March 1, 1883), each building costing over £10,000. The first stone of the Stratford Road Church (the site of which, valued at £1,200, was given by Mr. W. Middlemore) was laid on the 8th of June, 1878, and the building, which cost £7,600, was opened June 3, 1879. Mr. Middlemore also gave the site (value £2,200) for the Hagley Road Church, £6,000 of the Cannon Street money going to it, and £3,500 to the Stratford Road Church.--The Baptists have also chapels in Guildford Street, Hope Street, Lodge Road, Longmore Street, Great King Street, Spring Hill, Warwick Street, Yates Street, as well as at Erdington, Harborne, King's Heath, Selly Oak, Quinton, &c.