Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham by Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell

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_Football_ is a game as old as the hills, and there are hundreds of
clubs in the town and district, the best meadow for the purpose (at the
Lower Grounds) being about 125 yards long by 75 yards broad. The Aston
Villa is the chief club.

_Hare and Hounds_.--Every suburb and district has its club of Harriers
or Hare and Hounds, an annual cross-country amateur championship contest
being started in 1879. At the last (Feb. 9, 1884) the Birchfield
Harriers scored their fourth victory against the Moseley Harriers twice.

_Hunting_.--Time was when the sight of scarlet coats and hounds was no
novelty in Birmingham, but those who would now join in the old English
sport of hunting must go farther afield, the nearest kennels being at
Atherstone. The announcements of the meets in this and adjoining
counties appear regularly in the _Midland Counties' Herald_.

_Jumping_.--At the Lower Grounds in July, 1881, Mr. P. Davine, of
Belfast, jumped 6ft. 3in. the highest previous record having been 6ft.
2-1/2in., the performance of Mr. M.J. Brookes, (Oxford U.A.C.) at Lillie
Bridge, March, 1874.

_Lacrosse_, a popular Canadian game, was introduced here June 23, 1883,
by a team of Canadian Amateurs and Iroquois Indians, who exhibited their
prowess at the Lower Grounds.

_Lawn Tennis_, at first known as Lawn Racquet, was the invention of the
late Major Gem, who played the first game in 1865 with his friend Mr.
Perera. of Great Charles Street.

_Pedestrianism_.--Among the earlist noted achievements of local peds. is
that of George Guest, who having wagered to walk 1,000 miles in 28 days
finished his task Feb. 1, 1758, with five hours to spare, doing six
miles in the last hour he footed it.--Mr. E.P. Weston, the walker _par
excellence_, was at Bingley Hall in April, 1876, and at the Lower
Grounds in Jan., 1884, when on his walk of 5,000 miles in 100 days.--A
six days "go-as-you please" match came off at Bingley Hall in Sept.,
1882, and a ridiculous exhibition of a similar nature occurred in the
following year, when women were induced to walk for the sport of gaping
idiots.

_Pigeon-flying_ has been for several generations the favourite amusement
of numbers of our workers, and the flyers have a club of their own,
which dates from August, 1875.

_Pigeon-shooting_ is a cruel sport, not much favoured in this locality,
and now that a cheap clay pigeon has been invented for use in this game,
instead of the live birds, it is to be hoped that the disgraceful
practice will be confined to the Hurlingham boys.

_Prize-fighting_ was long the popular sport of high and low life
blackguards, and Birmingham added many a redoubtable name to the long
list of famous prize-fighters, whose deeds are recorded in "Fistiana"
and other chronicles of the ring. Among the most conspicuous of these
men of might, were Harry Preston, Davy Davis, Phil Sampson, Topper
Brown, Johnny and Harry Broome, Ben Caunt, Sam Simmonds, Bob Brettle,
Tass Parker, Joe Nolan, Peter Morris, Hammer Lane, and his brothers,
with a host of other upholders of fisticuffs, the record of whose
battles will _not_ be handed down to posterity in the pages of
_Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham_, though, as a matter of history, it
may be noted that the earliest account we have of a local prize-fight is
of that which took place in Oct. 1782, for 100 guineas a side, between
Jemmy Sargent, a professional, and Isaac Perrins, one of the Soho
workmen. Jemmy knuckled under after being knocked down thirteen times,
in as many rounds, by the knock-kneed hammerman fiom Soho, whose mates,
it is said, won L1,500 in bets through his prowess. Attempts have lately
been made to revive the old sport, but the sooner the would-be adepts
learn that their occupation is gone the better it will be for them, and
all men.

_Racing and Steeplechasing_ was not, unknown to the Brums of the 18th
century, as the _Gentleman's Magazine_ makes note of the races at
Birmingham, May 27 to 29, 1740, but where the old racecourse was
situated it is impossible to tell. Indeed it is doubtful whether any
special course has ever long been in existence, as at various dates we
read of races being held at Aston, Bordesley, Deritend, Walmer Lane, and
other places. The Four Oaks Park, adjoining Sutton Park, formerly the
property of a private gentleman, was bought by a company in June, 1879,
for the purpose of laying out a racecourse in this neighbourhood, of a
similar nature to that of Ascot, and other great racing centres. In
addition to the Hall, the buildings comprise a grand stand (the memorial
stone of which was laid June 2, 1880), and a club stand, each 70ft. by
66ft., with two galleries of seats refreshment, private, and other
rooms. Also a second stand for the general public, 62ft. by 31ft. and a
press and jockey stand, 53ft. by 31ft. The "paddock" occupies nearly
three acres, while an area of 115ft. by 72ft. is devoted to "the Ring."
The cost of these various buildings and their necessary adjuncts is
estimated at about L12,000, the structures themselves, which are built
of red brick with stone facings, accommodating 3,000 persons. The course
is about a mile and a half in circumference, and the "straight" about
five furlongs in length. The Park includes an area of 130 acres, and the
first race was run March 1, 1881.--No steeplechases have been run on the
old Wolverhampton course since 1855, and no flat races since Aug. 1877.

_Running Records_.--Mr. W.G. George, of the Moseley Harriers, won a two
mile handicap at Stamford Bridge, April 24, 1884, in 9 min. 17 2-5 secs.
On May 17, same year, he ran four miles, in 19 min. 39 4-5 secs. On July
28 following, he covered, in the hour, 11 miles, 932 yds., 9 in., being
37 yds. 2 ft. 3 in. less than the hitherto unsurpassed hour record of
the celebrated Deerfoot in 1862. Another of George's feats took place
May 1, 1882, when he ran ten miles in 52 min. 56-1/2 secs.

_Skating Rinks_ were opened at the Lower Grounds May 1, 1875; at Bingley
Hall, Oct. 2, 1875; at Moseley, Dec. 6, 1876; and at Handsworth, Oct. 8,
1877; and, for a time, the amusement was exceedingly popular, more than
one fortune accruing from the manufacture of patent and other roller
skates. One of the most noteworthy feats on the slippery rinks was the
skating of 200 miles in 24 hours by a Mr. F. Betteridge at Bingley Hall,
Aug. 20, 1878.

_Swimming_.--The Birmingham Leander Club commenced their aquatic
brotherhood in June, 1877, and the members do themselves honour by
gratuitously attending the public baths in the summer months to teach
the art of swimming to School Board youngsters. [See "_Baths_,"] The
celebrated swimmer, Captain Webb, who was drowned at Niagara, July 24,
1883, visited this town several times, and the Athletic Club presented
him with a gold medal and purse December 4, 1875.

~Statues, Busts, and Memorials.~--For many years it was sneeringly said
that Birmingham could afford but one statue, that of Nelson, in the Bull
Ring, but, as the following list will show, the reproach can no longer
be flung at us. Rather, perhaps, it may soon be said we are likely to be
over-burdened with these public ornaments, though to strangers who know
not the peculiarities of our fellow-townsmen it may appear curious that
certain local worthies of the past have not been honoured in marble or
bronze.

_Attwood_.--The figure of Thomas Attwood, in Stephenson Place, New
Street, is the work of Mr. John Thomas, who did much of the carving at
the Grammar School. The cost was about L900, and the statue was unveiled
June 6, 1859.

_Blue Coat Children_.--The stone figures of a Blue Coat boy and girl
over the entrance to the School in St. Phillip's Churchyard, were
sculptured by Mr. Edward Grubb, in 1770, and Hutton thought they were
executed "with a degree of excellence that a Roman statuary would not
blush to own." In 1881 the appearance of the figures was _improved_ by
their being painted in correct colours.

_Bright_.--At the time of the Bright Celebration in 1883, the Birmingham
Liberal Association commissioned Mr. A. Bruce Joy to execute for them a
marble statue of Mr. Bright, which the Association intend placing in the
new Art Gallery. The statue itself is expected to be finished in 1885,
but Mr. Bright has expressed his satisfaction with the model, which
represents him standing erect in an attitude of dignified tranquility,
easy and natural with his left hand in the breast of his coat, while the
other hangs down by his side, emblematic of the Christian charity so
characteristic of our distinguished representative.

_Boulton_.--There is a fine bust of Matthew Bolton in Handsworth, and as
the owner of the great Soho Works certainly did much to advance the
manufactures of this town, foreigners have often expressed surprise that
no statue has been erected to _his_ memory.

_Buddha_.--The bronze statue of Buddha, now in Aston Hall, is supposed
to be 2,500 years old, and was found buried among the ruins of a temple
at Soottan, on the Ganges, Dec 6, 1862. It was presented to this town in
1864 by Mr. Samuel Thornton.

_Chamberlain, J_.--The memorial at the rear of the Town Hall bears the
following inscription:--

"This memorial is created in gratitude for public service given to
this town by Joseph Chamberlain, who was elected town councillor in
November, 1869, Mayor in 1873, and resigned that office in June, 1876,
on being returned as one of the representatives of the borough of
Birmingham in Parliament, and during whose mayoralty many great works
were notably advanced, and mainly by whose ability and devotion the
gas and water undertakings were acquired for the town, to the great
and lasting benefit of the inhabitants."

The memorial was desisigned by Mr. J.H. Chamberlain, of the firm of
Martin and Chamberlain, and was presented to the town October 26, 1880,
during the mayoralty of Mr. Richard Chamberlain. The medallion of the
right hon. gentleman is the work of Mr. Thomas Woolner, R.A.

_Chamberlain, J.H._--The sum of L2,744 13s. 6d. raised by subscription
for the founding of a memorial of the late Mr. John Henry Chamberlain,
was given to the Midland Institute, with which the lamented gentleman
was so intimately connected.

_Dawson_.--A public meeting was held Jan. 3, 1877, to decide on a
memorial of George Dawson, and the sum of L2,287 13s. 9d. was subscribed
for a statue to be erected at the rear of the Town Hall, but it was
esteemed so poor a portrait that after a little while it was removed, in
favour of the present statue. A very pleasing bust, which is a very
striking likeness and really characteristic portrait was unveiled at the
Church of the Saviour, Aug. 8, 1882. It bears the following
inscription:--

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

GEORGE DAWSON, M.A.

Coming to this town in the year 1844, he gathered round him a band of
followers, who found in his teaching a fervent religious spirit, and a
fearless trust in God as our Heavenly Father, in union with an earnest
search after truth. To perpetuate such union they built this Church,
which he opened August 8. 1847, and in which he ministered until his
death. Not in this Church only, but throughout the land did he
everywhere teach to nations: that they are exalted by righteousness
alone--to men: "To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."

He was born February 24. 1821, and died November 10, 1876.

"I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT."

Mr. T.J. Williamson, who executed this bust was entrusted with the order
for the new statue.

_George IV_.--The first bronze statue ever cast in Birmingham was that
of George IV., the work of Sir Edward Thomason, in 1823. Sir Edward
employed the best of talent and spared no pains to turn out a splendid
work of art, but he never found a customer for it. The statue is 6ft.
high, weighing 2-1/2 tons, and costing over L1,500, but was sold in
November, 1880, to a gentleman in the neighborhood for L150, little more
than the value of the metal. _Goldsmith_.--The statue of Goldsmith, in
the hall of the Reference Library, is a plaster cast of the bronze
statue manufactured by Messrs. Elkington for the City of Dublin.
_Hill_.--The sum of L1,500 was raised by public subscription, for the
purpose of erecting a statue of Sir Rowland Hill. The work was executed
in marble by Mr. P. Hollins, and pending the erection of the new Post
Office buildings, the charge of the statue was accepted by the Exchange
Buildings Committee, September 12, 1870 and remained in the Birmingham
Exchange until the year 1874, when it was removed to the position in
which it at present stands, in the corner of the principal room of the
Post Office, Paradise Street.

_Hill, M.D._--A very fine bust of Matthew Davenport Hill, the first
Recorder for the borough, is placed in the Art Gallery at the Reference
Library.

_James_.--A bust of the Rev. Angell James may be seen at Aston Hall.

_King Edward VI._--When the old Grammar School was taken down the statue
of the King, which had stood in its niche in the front of the old
building for generations, was broken to pieces on account of so many
gentlemen (including governors) wanting it; as all could not have it, it
was destroyed!

_Mason_.--The erection of a statue in his honour as proposed in 1870 not
meeting with the approval of Sir Josiah Mason (then Mr.), the Town
Council paid Mr. E.G. Papworth, the chosen sculptor, a solatium or
honorarium of 150 guineas. The worthy knight not being now alive to veto
the project, a figure of him has been placed opposite the College in
Edmund Street.

_Murdoch_.--There is a bust of William Murdoch, the introducer of
coal-gas as an illuminant, in Handsworth Church. Another would not be
out of place in the new Gas Office.

_Nelson_--The bronze statue of Lord Nelson in the Bull Ring was executed
by Westmacott, and uncovered June 6, 1809. The artist received L2,500,
but the total cost (raised by subscription) with the pedestal, lamps,
and palisading, was nearly L3,000. The corner posts are old cannon from
the Admiral's ship the Victory.

_Peel_.--The statue of Sir Robert Peel, near the Town Hall, cost L2,000,
and was unveiled August 27, 1855. He faced towards Christ Church at
first, and was protected from Tories and Protectionists by iron
railings, until March, 1878, when his bonds were loosed, and he was
allowed to look down New Street.

_Priestley_.--The statue of the discoverer of oxygen, near the Town
Hall, was uncovered August 1, 1884. The amount subscribed as a Priestley
memorial fund was L1,820, of which L972 went for the philosopher's stone
effigy, about L10 for a tablet on the site of his house at Fair Hill,
and L653 to the Midland Institute to found a scholarship in chemistry.

_Prince Albert and the Queen_.--In 1862, after the death of the Prince
Consort, a Memorial Committee was formed and a fund raised for a statue,
the execution of which was entrusted to Mr. Foley, and it is said to be
one of his finest productions. It was placed in the old Art Gallery, and
uncovered August 27, 1863. It was in the reading-room at the time of the
fire, but fortunately escaped injury. The balance of the fund was deemed
sufficient for a companion statue of Her Majesty, and Mr. Foley received
the commission for it in 1871. At his death the order was given to Mr.
Woolner, who handed over his work to the town in May, 1884, the ceremony
of unveiling taking place on the 9th of that month. According to the
_Athanaeum_ it is "one of the finest portrait statues of the English
School, combining a severe yet elegant design with execution of the
highest kind, every element being thoroughly artistic." Thousands have
seen it alongside the Prince's statue in the hall of the Reference
Library, but few indeed have been heard to say they like it. Both
statues are ultimately intended to be placed in the Council House.

_Rogers_.--A memorial bust of John Rogers, a native of Deritend, and one
of the first martyrs of the Reformation, was unveiled in St. John's,
October 29, 1883.

_Scholefield_.--A bust of William Scholefield, M.P., for the borough, is
at Aston Hall.

_Sturge_.--The statue, and most appropriate memorial of Edmund Sturge,
at the Five Ways, which cost about L1,000, was undraped June 4, 1862.
Messrs. Bright and Scholefield, M.P.'s, being present.

With a true sorrow that rebuked all feigning,
By lone Edgbaston's side
Stood a great city in the sky's sad reigning
Bareheaded and wet-eyed.

Silent for once the restless hive of labour,
Save the low funeral tread,
Or voice of craftsman whispering to his neighbour
The good deeds of the dead.

_Timmins_.--An almost life-speaking marble bust of Mr. Sam. Timmins was
placed in the Reference Library, April 26, 1876. It was destroyed in the
fire, but has been replaced, and few could tell the present bust is not
the original one.

_Tyndale_.--The Londoners have honoured themselves by erecting on the
Thames Embankment a statue to the memory of the Reformer Tyndale, whom
we have partly to thank for the English version of the Bible. To help
pay for their ornament it was decided that the names of all towns
subscribing L100 or more should be inscribed on the pedestal, and the
Bible-lovers of Birmingham scraped together L86 15s. 3d. for the
purpose, leaving the Mayor (Mr. Wm. White) to dip into his own pocket
for the remaining L13 4s. 9d.

_Unett_.--The granite obelisk in St. Philip's churchyard, opposite
Temple Street, was erected to the memory of Lieut. Colonel Unett, who
fell at the storming of Sebastopol. It was uncovered June 19, 1857.

_Watt_.--One of the finest productions of Francis Chantrey, the
sculptor, is generally acknowledged to be the monument in Handsworth
Church to James Watt, which was placed there in September, 1827. The
figure is said to bear a very remarkable resemblance to Mr. Watt, who is
represented seated in a Grecian chair, with compasses and open book, as
though tracing on the open page. On the front of the pedestal is
inscribed:--

JAMES WATT,
BORN
19 JANVARY,
1736.
DIED
23 AVGVST,
1819,
PATRI OPTIME MERITO.
E.M.P.

The statue in Ratcliffe Place was subscribed for in 1867, and the figure
is very like the portrait of Watt. It was unveiled Oct. 2, 1868.

_Whateley_.--A marble bust (by Peter Rollins) of J.W. Whateley, Esq.,
M.D., was placed in the Board Room of the General Hospital, June 1,
1877.

_Wright_.--Mr. John Bright, June 15, 1883, uncovered the statue erected
in memory of Mr. J.S. Wright, in front of the Council House. The
inscription upon it is as follows:--

"John Skirrow Wright, born February 2, 1822, died April 13, 1880. In
memory of the simplicity, kindliness, and integrity of his life and of
his unselfish, untiring, and patriotic devotion as a public man, this
monument is erected by the united gifts of all classes in the town he
loved and for which he laboured."

~Steam Engines.~--The first steam engine (then called a fire engine)
used for the purpose of pumping water from coal mines was put up in 1712
by Newcomen and Calley, at a colliery near Wolverhampton, owned by Mr.
Back, the ironwork, &c., being made in Birmingham, and taken hence to
the pit-head. The first of Watt's engines made at Soho, was to "blow the
bellows" at John Wilkinson's ironworks at Broseley, in 1776. Watt's
first pumping engine was started at Bloomfield Colliery, March 8, 1776.
Having overcome the rotary motion difficulties, Watt applied steam to
tilt hammers and rolling mills in 1781, and to corn-grinding mills in
1782; taking out patents in 1784 for the "governor," "parallel motion,"
&c., including also specifications for a travelling engine, though it
was William Murdoch who first made a practical working model of a
locomotive. The first engine worked by steam in this town that we have
record of was put up at same works in Water Street, in 1760.

~Steamships.~--If we do not build steamships in Birmingham, it was James
Watt who proposed the use of screw propellers (in 1770); Wm. Murdoch,
who invented the oscillating cylinder (in 1785); Watt and Boulton, who
furnished engines (in 1807) for the first regular steam picket in
America; and James Watt, jun., who made the first steam voyage on the
sea (October 14, 1817), crossing the Channel in the _Caledonia_, and
taking that vessel up the Rhine.

~Stirchley Street~, about a mile and a quarter north-east of King's
Norton, has a Post Office, a Police Station, a Board School, and a
Railway Station. Notwithstanding these signs of modern civilisation, and
the near proximity of Cadbury's Cocoa Manufactory, Stirchley Street is,
as it has been for many a generation, a favourite country outing place
for weary Brums having a chance hour to spend on change of scene.

~Stocks.~--Putting people in the stocks appears to have been a very
ancient mode of punishment, for the Bible tells us that Jeremiah, the
prophet, was put in the stocks by Pashur, and the gaoler who had charge
of Paul and Silas at Philippi made fast their feet in a similar way.
Whether Shakespeare feared the stocks when he refused to go back to
"drunken Bidford," after sleeping off the effects of one carouse with
the "Sipper's Club" there, is not chronicled, but that the stocks were
not unknown to him is evident by their being introduced on the stage in
"King Lear." The _Worcester Journal_ of Jan. 19, 1863, informs us that
"this old mode of punishment was revived at Stratford-on-Avon, for
drunkenness, and a passer-by asking a fellow who was doing penance how
he liked it, the reply was--'I beant the first mon as ever were in the
stocks, so I don't care a fardin about it." Stocks used to be kept at
the Welsh Cross, as well as a pillory; and when the Corporation closed
the old prison in High Street, Bordesley, they took over the stocks
which formerly stood alongside the whipping-post, on the bank in front
of the present G.W.R. Station. The last date of this punishment being
inflicted in this town is 1844, when the stocks were in the yard of the
Public Office in Moor Street.

~Storms and Tempests.~--A great storm arose on Wednesday, November 24,
1703, which lasted three days, increasing in force. The damage, all over
the kingdom, was immense; and at no period of English history has it
been equalled. 15,000 sheep were drowned in one part of Gloucestershire.
We have no record of the immediately local loss.--In a storm on March 9,
1778, the windmill at Holloway Head was struck by lightning, the miller
was hurt, and the sails shattered.--January 1, 1779, there was a violent
gale, which, while it wrecked over 300 vessels on our coasts did great
damage as far inland as Birmingham--Snowstorms were so heavy on January
23 and 24, 1814, that all communication between here and London was
stopped for five days.--There was a strong gale September 26, 1853,
during which some damage was done to St. Mary's Church, to the alarm of
the congregation therein assembled.--A very heavy storm occurred June
15, 1858, the day after the Queen's visit, lasting for nearly three
hours, during which time three inches of rain fell, one half in twenty
minutes.--Some property in Lombard Street was destroyed by lightning,
June 23, 1861; and parts of Aston, Digbeth, and the Parade were flooded
same time.--There was a terrific thunderstorm, August 26, 1867; the
rainfall being estimated at seventy-two tons per acre.--During a heavy
thunderstorm, June 17, 1875, the lightning set fire to a workshop in
Great Charles Street: killed a women in Deritend, and fourteen sheep and
lambs at Small Heath.--In a heavy gale, January 30, 1877, a chimney
stack was blown down in Jennen's Row, killing two men; and a wall was
levelled in Harborne Road, on February 20, another poor fellow losing
his life.--During the night of August 2 and 3, 1879 (when many parts of
the outskirts were flooded in comparatively the shortest time in
memory), the residence of W.E. Chance, Esq., Augustus Road, was struck
by lightning, and considerable damage done; but no personal injuries
were reported.--During the storm of October 14, 1881, much local damage
was done, while round Coventry and Tamworth districts many hundreds of
trees were broken or uprooted. In Windsor Park, 960 trees were blown
down and more than a thousand damaged; 146 shipwrecks occurred on the
coasts.--During a gale December 11, 1883, a large stained glass window
of St. Philip's Church was shattered; part of a house in Charles Henry
Street was blown down, two persons being killed; a child was killed at
Erdington, by chimney falling through roof, several persons had limbs
fractured, and there was generally a great injury to property.--On
Sunday, June 15, 1884, St. Augustine's Church, Hagley Road, and the
Congregational Chapel, Francis Road, were struck by lightning during a
tempest, and the Chapel was somewhat injured.

~Streets.~--It is not every street that is a street in Birmingham, for,
according to the Post Office Street List, besides a dozen or so to which
distinctive names have been given, like Cheapside, Deritend, Digbeth,
Highgate, Islington, &c., and 726 streets called Streets, there are in
the borough 178 Roads, 86 Lanes, 69 Rows, 19 Squares, 11 Crescents, 2
Quadrants, 5 Arcades, 1 Colonnade, 5 Parades, 484 Terraces, 1,572
Places, 26 Passages, 20 Yards, 47 Courts (named, and twenty times that
number numbered), 16 Mounts (twelve of them Pleasant), 24 Hills, 5
Vales, 2 Valleys, 23 Groves, 4 Retreats, 11 Villas, 14 Cottages, 2
Five-Dwelling, 179 Buildings, 14 Chambers, 12 Walks, 4 Drives, 3
Avenues, 5 Gullets, 1 Alley (and that is Needless), 1 Five-Ways,
1 Six-Ways, 6 Greens, 2 Banks, 2 Villages, 3 Heaths, 3 Ends, and 1 No
Thoroughfare.