Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham Part 4

~Battle Of the Alma.~--A disturbance which took place at a steeplechase meeting at Aston, Monday, March 26, 1855, received this grandiloquent t.i.tle.

~Battles and Sieges.~--It is more than probable that the British, under their gallant Queen Boadicea, fought the Romans more than once in the near vicinity of this district, and very possibly in those happy days of feudalism, which followed the invasion of the Normans, when every knight and squire surrounded himself with his armed retainers, sundry skirmishes may have taken place hereabouts, but history is silent. Even of the battle of Barnet (April 14, 1471), when the Earl of Warwick and 10,000 men were slain, we have not sufficient note to say, though it can hardly be doubted, that many Birmingham citizens went down. But still we have on record one real "Battle of Birmingham," which took place on the 3rd of April, 1643. On that day our town was attacked by Prince Rupert, with some 2,000 horse and foot; being pretty stoutly opposed, his soldiers slew a number of inhabitants, burnt nearly 80 houses, and did damage (it is said) to the extent of 30,000. It took five days for the news of this exploit to reach London. In the week following Christmas of the same year, a number of townspeople, aided by a party of the Commonwealth soldiers, laid siege to, and captured, Aston Hall.

~Bazaars.~--When originated none can tell. How much good done by means of them, n.o.body knows. But that immense amounts have been raised for good and charitable purposes, none can deny--and then, "they are _such_ fun!". "Grand Bazaars" have been held for many an inst.i.tution, and by many different sects and parties, and to attempt to enumerate them would be an impossibility, but the one on behalf of the Queen's Hospital, held in April, 1880, is noteworthy, for two reasons:--first, because the proceeds amounted to the munificent sum of 5,969, and, secondly, from the novelty of the decorations. The body of the Town Hall was arranged to represent an English street of the olden time, a baronial castle rising tower upon tower at the great gallery end, and an Elizabethan mansion in the orchestra, with a lawn in front, occupied by a military band. The sides of the Hall const.i.tuted a double row of shops, the upper storeys (reaching to the galleries) being filled with cas.e.m.e.nts and balconies, from whence the doings in the street could be witnessed.

~Bean Club.~--The first anniversary we read of was that held July 17, 1752, at which meeting Lord Fielding gave 120 to erect an altarpiece in St. Bartholomew's.

~Beardsworth (John).~--Founder of the Repository, began life as driver of a hackney coach, in which one night he drove a beautiful young lady to a ball. John went home, dressed, procured admission to the ball, danced with the lady, handed her to the coach, drove her home, and some time after married her. The lady's cash enabled him to acquire an ample fortune, being at one time worth nearly a quarter of a million, most of which, however, was lost on the turf. The Repository was the largest establishment of the kind in the kingdom, and Beardsworth'a house adjoining was furnished in most splendid style, one centre table (made of rich and rare American wood) costing 1,500.

~Beelzebub.~--Watt's first steam engine was so christened. It was brought from Scotland, put up at Soho, and used for experimenting upon.

It was replaced by "Old Bess," the first engine constructed upon the expansive principle. This latter engine is now in the Museum of Patents, South Kensington, though Mr. Smiles says he saw it working in 1857, seventy years after it was made.

~Beer.~--Brewers of beer were first called upon to pay a license duty in 1784, though the sellers thereof had been taxed more or less for 250 years previously. The effect of the heavy duties then imposed was to reduce the consumption of the national and wholesome beverage, which in 1782 averaged one barrel per head of the then population per annum, down to half-a-barrel per head in 1830, its place being filled by an increased consumption of ardent spirits, which from half-a-gallon per head in 1782, rose by degrees to six-sevenths of a gallon per head by 1830. In this year, the statesmen of the day, who thought more of the well-being of the working part of the population than raising money by the taxation of their necessaries, took off the 10s. per barrel on beer, in the belief that cheap and good malt liquors would be more likely to make healthy strong men than an indulgence in the drinking of spirits.

Notwithstanding all the wild statements of the total abstainers to the contrary, the latest Parliamentary statistics show that the consumption of beer per head per annum averages _now_ only seven-eighths of a barrel, though before even this moderate quant.i.ty reaches the consumers, the Government takes [see Inland Revenue returns, 1879, before alteration of malt-tax] no less a sum than 19,349 per year from the good people of Birmingham alone. Of this sum the brewers paid 9,518, the maltsters 425, beer dealers 2,245, and beer retailers 7,161.

~Bells.~--There was a bell foundry at Good Knave's End, in 1760, from whence several neighbouring churches were supplied with bells to summon the good knaves of the day to prayers, or to toll the bad knaves to _their_ end. There was also one at Holloway Head, in 1780, but the business must have been hollow enough, for it did not go ahead, and we find no record of church bells being cast here until just a hundred years back (1732), when Messrs. Blews & Son took up the trade.

Birmingham bells have, however, made some little noise in the world, and may still be heard on sea or land, near and far, in the shape of door bells, s.h.i.+p bells, call bells, hand bells, railway bells, sleigh bells, sheep bells, fog bells, mounted on rockbound coasts to warn the weary mariner, or silver bells, bound with coral from other coasts, to soothe the toothless babbler. These, and scores of others, are ordered here every year by thousands; but the strangest of all orders must have been that one received by a local firm some fifteen years ago from a West African prince, who desired them to send him 10,000 house bells (each 3/4 lb. weight), wherewith to adorn his iron "palace." And he had them!

Edgar Poe's bells are nowhere, in comparison with

Such a charm, such a chime, Out of tune, out of time.

Oh, the jangling and the wrangling Of ten thousand brazen throats.

Ten bells were put in St. Martin's, in 1786, the total weight being 7 tons, 6 cwt. 2 lbs.

The peal of ten bells in St. Philip's were first used August 7, 1751, the weight being 9 tons 10 cwt. 22 lbs., the tenor weighs 30 cwt.

A new peal of eight bells were put up in Aston Church, in May, 1776, the tenor weighing 21 cwt. The St. Martin's Society of Change Ringers "opened" them, July 15, by ringing Holt's celebrated peal of 5040 grandsire triples, the performance occupying 3 hours 4 minutes.

Eight bells and a clock were mounted in the tower of Deritend Chapel, in 1776, the first peal being rung July 29.

The eight bells in Bishop Ryder's Church, which weigh 55 cwt., and cost 600, were cast in 1868, by Blews and Sons, and may be reckoned as the first full peal founded in Birmingham.

There are eight bells in Harborne Parish Church, four of them bearing date 1697, two with only the makers' name on, and two put in February, 1877, on the 24th of which month the whole peal were inaugurated by the ringing of a true peal of Stedman triples, composed by the late Thomas Thurstans, and consisting of 5,040 changes, in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

The St. Martin's ringers officiated.

The six bells of Northfield Church were cast by Joseph Smith, of Edgbaston, in 1730.

St. Chad's Cathedral has eight bells, five of which were presented in 1848 as a memorial to Dr. Moore; the other three, from the foundry of W.

Blews and Sons, were hung in March, 1877 the peculiar ceremony of "blessing the bells" being performed by Bishop Ullathorne on the 22nd of that month. The three cost 110. The bells at Erdington Catholic Church were first used on February 2, 1878.

~Bellows to Mend.~--Our townspeople bellowed a little over their losses after Prince Rupert's rueful visit, but there was one among them who knew how to "raise the wind," for we find Onions, the bellows-maker, hard at work in 1650; and his descendants keep at the same old game.

~Bennett's Hill.~--There was a walled-in garden (with an old brick summer-house) running up from Waterloo-street to Colmore-row as late as 1838-9.

~Benefit and Benevolent Societies.~--See "_Friendly Societies_."

~Bellbarn Road~, or the road to Mr. Bell's barn.

~Bermingham.~--The Irish family of this name descended from Robert, son of Peter de Bermingham, who left here and settled in Connaught about the year 1169.

~Bibles and Testaments.~--In 1272 the price of a Bible, well written out, was 30 sterling, and there were few readers of it in Birmingham.

The good book can now be bought for 6d., and it is to be hoped there is one in every house. The Rev. Angell James once appealed to his congregation for subscriptions towards sending a million New Testaments to China, and the Carrslaneites responded promptly with 410 8s., enough to pay for 24,624 copies--the publisher's price being 4d. each. They can be bought for a penny now.--A local Auxiliary Bible Society was commenced here May 9, 1806.

~Bingley Hall~--Takes its name from Bingley House, on the site of which it is built. It was erected in 1850 by Messrs. Branson and Gwyther, at a cost of about 6,000, the proprietary shares being 100 each. In form it is nearly a square, the admeasurements being 224 ft. by 212 ft., giving an area of nearly one acre and a half. There are ten entrance doors, five in King Edward's Place, and five in King Alfred's Place, and the building may be easily divided into five separate compartments. The Hall will hold from 20,000 to 25,000 people, and is princ.i.p.ally used for Exhibitions and Cattle Shows; with occasionally "monster meetings," when it is considered necessary for the welfare of the nation to save sinners or convert Conservatives.

~Bird's-eye View~ of the town can be best obtained from the dome of the Council House, to which access may be obtained on application to the Curator. Some good views may be also obtained from some parts of Moseley Road, Cannon Hill Park, and from Bearwood Road.

~Birmingham.~--A horse of this name won the Doncaster St. Leger in 1830 against 27 compet.i.tors. The owner, John Beardsworth, cleared 40,000. He gave Connolly, the jockey, 2,000.

~Birmingham Abroad.~--Our brethren who have emigrated do not like to forget even the name of their old town, and a glance over the American and Colonial census sheet shows us that there are at least a score of other Birminghams in the world. In New Zealand there are three, and in Australia five towns.h.i.+ps so christened. Two can be found in Canada, and ten or twelve in the United States, the chief of which is Birmingham in Alabama. In 1870 this district contained only a few inhabitants, but in the following year, with a population of 700, it was incorporated, and at once took rank as a thriving city, now proudly called "The Iron City," from its numerous ironworks, furnaces, and mills. Last year the citizens numbered over 12,000, the annual output of pig-iron being about 60,000 tons, and the coal mines in the neighbourhood turning out 2,000 tons per day. The city is 240 miles from Nashville, 143 miles from Chattanooga, and 96 miles from Montgomery, all thriving places, and is a central junction of six railways. The climate is good, work plentiful, wages fair, provisions cheap, house rent not dear, churches and schools abundant, and if any of our townsmen are thinking of emigrating they may do a deal worse than go from hence to that other Birmingham, which its own "daily" says is a "City of marvellous wonder and magic growth," &c., &c.

~Birmingham Begging.~--Liberal to others as a rule when in distress, it is on record that once at least the inhabitants of this town were the recipients of like favours at the hands of their fellow-countrymen. In the churchwardens' books of Redenall, Norfolk, under date September 20, 1644, is an entry of 6s. paid "to Richard Herbert, of Birmingham, where was an hundred fifty and five dwelling house burnt by Pr. Rupert."

~Birmingham Borough,~ which is in the hundred of Hemlingford, and wholly in the county of Warwick, includes the parish of Birmingham, part of the parish of Edgbaston, and the hamlets of Deritend-and-Bordesley, and Duddeston-c.u.m-Nech.e.l.ls, in the parish of Aston. The extreme length is six miles one furlong, the average breadth three miles, the circ.u.mference twenty-one miles, and the total area 8,420 acres, viz., Birmingham, 2,955; in Edgbaston, 2,512; and in Aston, 2,853. Divided into sixteen wards by an Order in Council, approved by Her Majesty, October 15, 1872. The mean level of Birmingham is reckoned as 443 feet above sea level.

~Birmingham Heath.~--Once an unenclosed common, and part of it may now be said to be common property, nearly 100 acres of it being covered with public buildings for the use of such as need a common home. There is not, however, anything commonplace in the style of these erections for sheltering our common infirmities, as the Workhouse, Gaol, and Asylum combined have cost "the Commons" something like 350,000. The Volunteers in 1798 made use of part of the Heath as a practice and parade ground.

~Birmingham Bishops.~--The Rev. John Milner, a Catholic divine and eminent ecclesiastical antiquary, who was educated at Edgbaston, was appointed Bishop Apostolic in the Midland district, with the t.i.tle of "Bishop of Castaballa." He died in 1826, in his 74th year.--Dr.

Ullathorne was enthroned at St. Chad's, August 30th, 1848, as Bishop of the present Catholic diocese.--The Rev. P. Lee, Head Master of Free Grammar School in 1839, was chosen as the first Bishop of Manchester.-- The Rev. S. Thornton, St. George's, was consecrated Bishop of Ballarat, May 1, 1875.--The Rev. Edward White Benson, D.D., a native of this town, was nominated first Bishop of Truro, in December, 1876, and is now Archbishop of Canterbury.--The Rev. Thomas Huband Gregg resigned the vicarage of East Harborne in March, 1877, and on June 20 was consecrated at New York a Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

~Birmingham~ (~Little~).--In a record of the early date of 1313 there is mention of a place called Little Birmingham (parvam Birmingham), as being in the hundreds of North and South Erpyngham, Norfolk.

~Birmingham in the Future.~--It has been proposed that the Borough should be extended so as to include the Local Board districts of Harborne and Handsworth, Balsall Heath, Moseley, King's Heath, part of King's Norton parish, the whole of Yardley and Ac.o.c.k's Green, part of Northfield parish, all Aston Manor, Saltley, Witton, Little Bromwich, and Erdington, covering an area of about 32,000 acres, with a present population of over half a million.

~Blind Asylum.~--See "_Philanthropic Inst.i.tutions_."

~Blondin~ made his first appearance at Aston Park, June 8, 1861; at the Birmingham Concert Hall, December, 1869, and March, 1870; at the Reservoir September, 1873, and September, 1878. Mrs. Powell, who was known as the "Female Blondin," was killed at a fete in Aston Park, July 20, 1868, by falling from the high rope.

~Bloomsbury Inst.i.tute.~--Opened in 1860. The memorial stones of the lecture-hall in Bloomsbury Street were laid August 6, 1877, the 750 cost being given by Mr. David Smith. Seats 500.

~Blue Coat School.~--See "_Schools_."

~Blues.~--The United Society of True Blues was founded in 1805 by a number of old Blue Coat boys (formerly known as "The Grateful Society") who joined in raising an annual subscription for the School.

~Board Schools.~--See "_School Board_."

~Boatmen's Hall,~ erected on Worcester Wharf, by Miss Ryland, was opened March 17, 1879.

~Bonded Warehouses.~--Our Chamber of Commerce memoralised the Lords of the Treasury for the extension of the bonded warehouse system to this town, in December, 1858, but it was several years before permission was obtained.

~Books.~--The oldest known Birmingham book is a "Latin Grammar, composed in the English tongue," printed in London in 1652, for Thomas Underhill, its author having been one of the masters of our Free School.

~Book Club (The).~--Commenced some few years previous to 1775, at which time its meetings were held in Poet Freeth's, Leicester Arms, Bell-street. As its name implies, the club was formed for the purchase and circulation among the members of new or choice books, which were sold at the annual dinner, hence the poet's hint in one of his invitations to these meetings:--

"Due regard let the hammer be paid, Ply the gla.s.s gloomy care to dispel; If mellow our hearts are all made, The books much better may sell."

In these days of cheap literature, free libraries, and halfpenny papers, such a club is not wanted.