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

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_Chemical Manufactures_.--About 50,000 tons of soda, soup, bleaching
powder, oil of vitriol, muriatic acid, sulphuric acid, &c., are
manufactured in or near Birmingham, every year, more than 20,000 tons of
salt, 20,000 tons of pyrites, and 60,000 tons of coal being used in the
process.

_China_, in the shape of knobs, &c., was introduced into the brass
founding trade by Harcourt Bros, in 1844. China bowls or wheels for
castors were first used in 1849 by J.B. Geithner.

_Chlorine_.--James Watt was one of the first to introduce the use of
chlorine as a bleaching agent.

_Citric Acid_.--Messrs. Sturge have over sixty years been manufacturing
this pleasant and useful commodity at their works in Wheeley's Lane. The
acid is extracted from the juice of the citron, the lime, and the lemon,
fruits grown in Sicily and the West Indies. The Mountserrat Lime-Juice
Cordial, lately brought into the market, is also made from these fruits.
About 350 tons of the acid, which is used in some dying processes, &c.,
is sent out annually.

_Coins, Tokens, and Medals_.--Let other towns and cities claim
preeminence for what they may, few will deny Birmingham's right to stand
high in the list of money-making places. At what date it acquired its
evil renown for the manufacture of base coin it would be hard to tell,
but it must have been long prior to the Revolution of 1688, as in some
verses printed in 1682, respecting the Shaftesbury medal, it is thus
sneeringly alluded to:

"The wretch that stamped got immortal fame,
'Twas coined by stealth, like groats in Birminghame."

Smiles, in his lives of Boulton and Watt, referring to the middle of the
last century, says, "One of the grimmest sights of those days were the
skeletons of convicted coiners dangling from gibbets on Handsworth
Heath." Coining was a capital offence for hundreds of years, but more
poor wretches paid the penalty of their crimes in London in a single
year than here in a century, wicked as the bad boys of Brummagem were.
An immense trade was certainly done in the way of manufacturing
"tokens," but comparatively few counterfeits of the legal currency were
issued, except in cases where "a royal patent" had been granted for the
purpose, as in the instance of the historical "Wood's half-pence,"
L100,000 worth (nominal) of which, it is said, were issued for
circulation in Ireland. These were called in, as being too bad, even for
Paddy's land, and probably it was some of these that the hawker,
arrested here Oct. 31, 1733, offered to take in payment for his goods.
He was released on consenting to the L7 worth he had received being cut
by a brazier and sold as metal, and his advertisements (hand bills)
burnt. These bad half pence weighed about 60 to the lb., 2s. 6d. worth
(nominal) being somewhat less than 10d. in value. In the ten years prior
to 1797 it has been estimated that 700 tons of copper were manufactured
here into tokens, and the issue of the celebrated Soho pence, providing
the nation with a sufficiency of legitimate copper coin, did not stay
the work, the number of tokens in circulation in the early part of the
present century being something wonderful, as many as 4,000 different
varieties having been described by collectors, including all
denominations, from the Bank of England's silver dollar to a country
huckster's brass farthing. More than nine-tenths of these were made in
Birmingham, and, of course, our tradesmen were not backward with their
own specimens. The Overseers issued the well-known "Workhouse Penny," a
copper threepenny piece, silver shillings and sixpences, paper notes for
2s. 6d., and leather bonds for 5s. With the exception of the penny these
are all scarce now, particularly the 5s., 2s. 6d., and 6d., a specimen
of the latter lately being sold at auction for 47s. In 1812 Sir Edward
Thomason struck, for a Reading banker (Mr. J.B. Monk), 800 gold tokens
of the nominal value of 40s. each; but this was just a step too far, and
the Government forbade their use. In the same year he also manufactured
two million penny tokens for our soldiers in Spain, which were _not_
forbidden. The permitted manufacture of token money came to an end with
the year 1817, an Act coming into force Jan. 1, 1818, forbidding further
issue from that date, or the circulation of them after the end of the
year, except in the case of the Overseers of Birmingham, who were
granted grace till Lady-day, 1820, to call in what they had issued. In
1786 Boulton struck over 100 tons of copper for the East India Co., and,
adding to his presses yearly, soon had plenty of orders, including
copper for the American Colonies, silver for Sierra Leone, and a
beautiful set for the French Republic. To enumerate all the various
coins, medals, and tokens issued from Soho would take too much space,
but we may say that he brought the art of coining to a perfection very
little surpassed even in the present day. In 1789 he made for the Privy
Council a model penny, halfpenny, and farthing, but red-tapeism delayed
the order until 1797, when he began coining for the Government
twopennies (only for one year), pennies, halfpennies and farthings,
continuing to do so until 1806, by which time he had sent out not less
than 4,200 tons weight. In this coinage of 1797 the penny was made of
the exact weight of 1 oz., the other coins being in proportion. In 1799,
eighteen pennies were struck out of the pound of metal, but the people
thought they were counterfeit, and would not take them until a
proclamation ordering their circulation, was issued December 9th. They
became used to a deprecation of currency after that, and there was but
very little grumbling in 1805, when Boulton was ordered to divide the
pound of copper into 24 pennies. The machinery of Boulton's mint, with
the collection of dies, pattern coins, tokens, and medals, were sold by
auction in 1850. The collection should have numbered 119 different
pieces, but there was not a complete set for sale. The mint, however,
could not be called extinct, as Messrs. Watt and Co. (successors to
Bolton and Watt), who had removed to Smethwick in 1848, struck over
3,300 tons of copper and bronze coin between 1860 and 1866, mostly for
Foreign countries. The first English copper penny (1797) was struck in
Birmingham, and so was the last. Messrs. Ralph Heaton and Son (the mint,
Warstone Line) receiving the contract in April, 1853. for 500 tons of
copper coin, comprising pence, half-pence, farthings, half-farthings,
and quarter-farthings. The present bronze coinage came into use December
1st, 1860, and Messrs. Heaton have had several contracts therefor since
then. This firm has acquired a reputation quite equal to the Soho Mint,
and hive supplied the coins--silver, copper, and bronze--for Belgium,
Canada, China, Chili, Denmark, Germany, Hayti, India, Republic of
Columbia, Sarawak, Sweden, Tunis, Turkey, Tuscany, Venezuela, and other
Principalities and States, including hundreds of tons of silver blanks
for our own Government and others, sending workmen and machinery to the
countries where it was preferred to have the coins struck at home.
Boulton, in his day, supplied the presses and machinery for the Mint on
Tower Hill (and they are still in use), as well as for the Danish,
Spanish, and Russian authorities. Mexico, Calcutta, Bombay, &c. Messrs.
Heaton, and the modern Soho firm, also dealing in such articles.
Foremost among modern local medallists, is Mr. Joseph Moore, of Pitsford
Street, whose cabinet of specimens is most extensive. An effort is being
made to gather for the new Museum and Art Gallery a collection of all
coins, medals, and tokens struck in Birmingham, and if it can be
perfected it will necessarily be a very valuable one.

_Coal_.--Over half-a-million tons of coal are used in Birmingham
annually.

_Cocoa_.--The manufacture of cocoa cannot be classed among the staple
trades of the town, but one of the largest establishments of the kind in
the kingdom, if not in the world, is that of Messrs. Cadbury, at
Bournville, where nearly 400 persons are employed. The annual
consumption of cocoa in this country is estimated at 13,000,000 lbs.,
and the proportion manufactured by Messrs. Cadbury, who have houses in
Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, &e., may be guessed at from the fact
that their works cover nearly four acres, and packing-boxes are required
at the rate of 12,000 per week.

_Copying Presses_ were invented by James Watt in, and patented in, May,
1780. His partner, Boulton, had a lot ready for the market, and sold 150
by the end of the year.

_Compressed Air Power_.--A hundred years ago every little brook and
streamlet was utilised for producing the power required by our local
mill-owners, gun-barrel rollers, &c. Then came the world's
revolutioniser, steam, and no place in the universe has profited more by
its introduction than this town. Gas engines are now popular, and even
water engines are not unknown, while the motive power derivable from
electricity is the next and greatest boon promised to us. Meanwhile, the
introduction of compressed air as a means of transmitting power for long
distances marks a new and important era, not only in engineering
science, but in furthering the extension of hundreds of those small
industries, which have made Birmingham so famous a workshop. In the
Birmingham Compressed Air Power Company's Bill (passed March 12, 1884),
the principle involved is the economic utility of centralising the
production of power, and many engineers are of opinion that no other
means can possibly be found so convenient as the use of compressed air
in transmitting motive power, or at so low a cost, the saving being
quite 20 per cent, compared with the use of steam for small engines. The
Birmingham Bill provides for the supply of compressed air within the
wards of St. Bartholomew, St. Martin, Deritend, and Bordesley, which
have been selected by the promoters as affording the most promising
area. In the three wards named there were rated in March of 1883, as
many as 164 engines, of which the nominal horse-power varied from 1/2 to
10, fifty-nine from 11 to 20 fifteen from 21 to 30, six from 32 to 50,
ten from 52 to 100, and four from 102 to 289. Assuming that of these the
engines up to 30-horse power would alone be likely to use compressed
air, the promoters count upon a demand in the three wards for 1,946
nominal, and perhaps 3,000 indicated horse-power. To this must be added
an allowance for the probability that the existence of so cheap and
convenient a power "laid on" in the streets will attract other
manufacturers to the area within which it is to be available. It is
proposed, therefore, to provide machinery and plant capable of
delivering 5,000 indicated horse-power in compressed air, and to acquire
for the works sufficient land to permit of their dimensions being
doubled when extension shall become necessary. The site which has been
chosen is a piece of ground belonging to the Birmingham and Warwick
Canal Company, and situated by the canal, and bounded on both sides by
Sampson Road North and Henley Street. Here the promoters are putting
down four air-compressing engines, driven by compound and condensing
steam engines and which are to be heated by six sets (four in each set)
of elephant boilers. From the delivery branches of the air-compressors a
main 30in. in diameter will be laid along Henley Street, and,
bifurcating, will be taken through Sampson Road North and Stratford
Street at a diameter of 24in. The mains will then divide, to as to pass
down Sandy Lane, Fazeley Street, Floodgate Street, Bradford Street,
Bromsgrove Street, and other thoroughfares, giving off smaller branches
at frequent intervals, and so forming an elaborate network. The whole
cost of buildings, plant, and construction is estimated at L140,500, but
upon this large outlay it is hoped to realise a net annual profit of
L9,164, or 6-1/2 per cent, on capital. The engineers, reckoning the
annual cost of producing small steam power in Birmingham at L10 per
indicated horse-power, which will probably be regarded as well within
the mark, propose to furnish compressed air at L8 per annum, and if they
succeed in carrying out the scheme as planned, it will without doubt be
one of the greatest blessings ever conferred on the smaller class of our
town's manufacturers.

_Fenders and Fireirons_.--The making of these finds work for 800 or 900
hands, and stove grates (a trade introduced from Sheffield about 20
years back) almost as many.

_Files and Rasps_ are manufactured by 60 firms, whose total product,
though perhaps not equal to the Sheffield output, is far from
inconsiderable. Machines for cutting files and rasps were patented by
Mr. Shilton, Dartmouth Street, in 1833.

_Fox, Henderson and Co_.--In March, 1853, this arm employed more than
3,000 hands, the average weekly consumption of iron being over 1,000
tons. Among the orders then in hand were the ironwork for our Central
Railway Station, and for the terminus at Paddington, in addition to
gasometers, &c., for Lima, rails, wagons and wheels for a 55-mile line
in Denmark, and the removal and re-election[1] of the Crystal Palace at
Sydenham.-See "_Exhibitions," "Noteworthy men_."

[Footnote 1: Transcriber's note: this is probably a typographical error
for "re-erection".]

_Galvanised Buckets_ and other articles are freely made, but the
galvanisers can hardly be pleasant neighbours, as at the works of one
firm 40 to 50 carboys of muriatic acid and several of sulphuric acid are
used every day, while at another place the weekly consumption of
chemicals runs to two tons of oil of vitriol and seven tons of muriatic
acid.

_German Silver_.--To imitate closely as possible the precious metals, by
a mixture of baser ones, is not exactly a Birmingham invention, as
proved by the occasional discovery of counterfeit coin of very ancient
date, but to get the best possible alloy sufficiently malleable for
general use has always been a local desideratum. Alloys of copper with
tin, spelter or zinc were used here in 1795, and the term "German" was
applied to the best of these mixtures as a Jacobinical sneer at the
pretentious appellation of silver given it by its maker. After the
introduction of nickel from the mines in Saxony, the words "German
silver" became truthfully appropriate as applied to that metal, but so
habituated have the trade and the public become to brassy mixtures that
German silver must always be understood as of that class only.

_Glass_--The art of painting, &c. on glass was brought to great
perfection by Francis Eginton, of the Soho Works, in 1784. He supplied
windows for St. George's Chapel, Windsor, Salisbury and Lichfield
Cathedrals, and many country churches. The east window of St. Paul's,
Birmingham, and the east window of the south aisle in Aston Church, are
by Eginton. One of the commissions he obtained was from the celebrated
William Beckford, Lord Mayor of London, for windows at Fonthill, to the
value of L12,000. He was not, however, the first local artist of the
kind, for a Birmingham man is said to have painted a window in Haglev
Church, in 1756-57, for Lord Lyttelton, though his name is not now
known. William Raphael Eginton (son of Francis) appeared in the
Directory of 1818, as a glass-painter to the Princess Charlotte, but we
can find no trace of his work. Robert Henderson started in the same line
about 1820, and specimens of his work may be seen in Trinity Chapel; he
died in 1848. John Hardman began in Paradise Street about 1837,
afterwards removing to Great Charles Street, and thence to Newhall Hill,
from which place much valuable work has been issued, as the world-known
name well testifies. Engraving on glass is almost as old as the
introduction of glass itself. There is a beautiful specimen in the Art
Gallery. Glass flowers, fruit, &c., as ornamental adjuncts to
brassfoundry, must be accredited to W. C. Aitken, who first used them in
1846. American writers claim that the first pressed glass tumbler was
made about 40 years back in that country, by a carpenter. We have good
authority for stating that the first pressed tumbler was made in this
country by Rice Harris, Birmingham, as far back as 1834. But some years
earlier than this dishes had been pressed by Thomas Hawkes and Co., of
Dudley, and by Bacchus and Green, of Birmingham. No doubt the earliest
pressing was the old square feet to goblets, ales, jellies, &c.
Primitive it was, but like Watt's first engine, it was the starting
point, and Birmingham is entitled to the credit of it. It is very
remarkable that none of the samples of Venetian glass show any pressing,
although moulding was brought by them to great perfection. It would not
be fair to omit the name of the first mould-maker who made the
tumbler-mould in question. It was Mr. James Stevens, then of Camden
Street, Birmingham, and it is to him, and his sons, James and William,
that the world is greatly indebted for the pressing of glass. The older
Stevens has been dead some years, and the sons have left the trade.
Previous to this mould being made for tumblers, Mr. James Stevens made
some pressed salt-moulds to order for an American gentleman visiting
Birmingham. Some of the most beautiful works in glass fountains,
candelabra, &c., that the world has ever seen have been made at Messrs.
Oslers, Broad Street, whose show rooms are always open to visitors.

_Guns_.--The imitative, if not inventive, powers of our forefathers have
been shown in so many instances, that it is not surprising we have no
absolute record of the first gun-maker, when he lived, or where he
worked, but we may be confident that firearms were not long in use
before they were manufactured here. The men who made 15,000 swords for
the Commonwealth were not likely to go far for the "musquets" with which
they opposed Prince Rupert. The honour of procuring the first Government
contract for guns rests with Sir Richard Newdigate, one of the members
for the county in William III.'s reign, a trial order being given in
1692, followed by a contract for 2,400 in 1693, at 17/-each. For the
next hundred years the trade progressed until the Government, in 1798,
found it necessary to erect "view-rooms" (now "the Tower", Bagot Street)
in Birmingham. From 1804 to 1817 the number of muskets, rifles,
carbines, and pistols made here for the Government, amounted to
1,827,889, in addition to 3,037,644 barrels and 2,879,203 locks sent to
be "set up" in London, and more than 1,000,000 supplied to the East
India Co. In the ten years ending 1864 (including the Crimean War) over
4,000,000 military barrels were proved in this town, and it has been
estimated that during the American civil war our quarreling cousins were
supplied with 800,000 weapons from our workshops. Gunstocks are chiefly
made from beech and walnut, the latter for military and best work, the
other being used principally for the African trade, wherein the prices
have ranged as low as 6s. 6d. per gun. Walnut wood is nearly all
imported, Germany and Italy being the principal markets;--during the
Crimean war one of our manufacturers set up sawmills at Turin, and it is
stated that before he closed them he had used up nearly 10,000 trees,
averaging not more than thirty gunstocks from each. To give anything
like a history of the expansion of, and changes in, the gun trade during
the last fifteen years, would require a volume devoted solely to the
subject, but it may not be uninteresting to enumerate the manifold
branches into which the trade has been divided--till late years most of
them being carried on under different roofs:--The first portion, or
"makers", include--stock-makers, barrel welders, borers, grinders,
filers, and breechers; rib makers, breech forgers and stampers; lock
forgers, machiners, and filers; furniture forgers, casters, and filers;
rod forgers, grinders, polishers, and finishers; bayonet forgers, socket
and ring stampers, grinders, polishers, machiners, hardeners, and
filers; band forgers, stampers, machiners, filers, and pin makers; sight
stampers, machiners, jointers, and filers; trigger boxes, oddwork
makers, &c. The "setters up" include machines, jiggers (lump filers and
break-off fitters), stockers, percussioners, screwers, strippers, barrel
borers and riflers, sighters and sight-adjusters, smoothers, finishers
makers-off, polishers, engravers, browners, lock freers, &c., &c. The
Proof-house in Banbury Street, "established for public safety" as the
inscription over the entrance says, was erected in 1813, and with the
exception of one in London is the only building of the kind in England.
It is under the management of an independent corporation elected by and
from members of the gun trade, more than half-a-million of barrels being
proved within its walls yearly, the report for the year 1883 showing
383,735 provisional proofs, and 297,704 definitive proofs. Of the
barrels subjected to provisional proof, 29,794 were best birding single,
150,176 best birding double, and 160,441 African. Of those proved
definitively, 63,197 were best double birding barrels, 110,369
breech-loading birding, 37,171 breech-loading choke bore, and 54,297
saddle-pistol barrels. As an instance of the changes going on in the
trades of the country, and as a contrast to the above figures,
Birmingham formerly supplying nearly every firearm sold in England or
exported from it, trade returns show that in 1882 Belgium imported
252,850 guns and pistols, France 48,496, the United States 15,785,
Holland 84,126, Italy 155,985, making (with 3,411 from other countries)
560,653 firearms, valued at L124,813, rather a serious loss to the gun
trade of Birmingham.

_Handcuffs and Leg Irons_.--It is likely enough true that prior to the
abolition of slavery shackles and chains were made here for use in the
horrible traffic; but it was then a legal trade, and possibly the
articles were classed as "heavy steel toys," like the handcuffs and leg
irons made by several firms now. A very heavy Australian order for these
last named was executed here in 1853, and there is always a small demand
for them.

_Hinges_.--Cast-iron hinges, secret joint, were patented in 1775 by
Messrs. Izon and Whitehurst, who afterwards removed to West Bromwich.
The patent wrought iron hinge dates from 1840, since which year many
improvements have been made in the manufacture of iron, brass, wire,
cast, wrought, pressed, and welded hinges, the makers numbering over
three score.

_Hollow-ware_.--The invention of tinning iron pots and other hollow-ware
was patented in 1779 by Jonathan Taylor, the process being first carried
out by Messrs. Izon and Whitehurst at their foundry in Duke Street. The
enamelling of hollow-ware was Mr. Hickling's patent (1799), but his
method was not very satisfactory, the present mode of enamelling dating
from another patent taken out in 1839. Messrs. Griffiths and Browett,
Bradford Street, have the lion's share of the local trade, which is
carried on to a much greater extent at Wolverhampton than here.

_Hydraulic Machinery_ is the specialite almost solely of Messrs. Tangye
Bros., who established their Cornwall Works in 1855.

_Jewellery_.--A deputation from Birmingham waited upon Prince Albert,
May 28, 1845, at Buckingham Palace, for the purpose of appealing to Her
Majesty, through His Royal Highness, to take into gracious consideration
the then depressed condition of the operative jewellers of Birmingham,
and entreating the Queen and Prince to set the example of wearing
British jewellery on such occasions and to such an extent as might meet
the royal approval. The deputation took with them as presents for the
Queen, an armlet, a brooch, a pair of ear-rings, and a buckle for the
waist; for the Prince Consort a watch-chain, seal, and key, the value of
the whole being over 400 guineas. The armlet (described by good judges
as the most splendid thing ever produced in the town) brooch, ear-rings,
chain and key were made by Mr. Thomas Aston, Regent's Place; the buckle
and seal (designed from the Warwick vase) by Mr. Baleny, St. Paul's
Square. It was stated by the deputation that 5,000 families were
dependent on the jewellery trades in Birmingham. The "custom of trade"
in connection with jewellers and the public was formerly of the most
arbitrary character, so much so indeed that at the Great Exhibition of
1851, the Birmingham jewellers did not exhibit, except through the
London houses they were in the habit of supplying, and the specimens
shewn by these middlemen were of a very unsatisfactory character as
regards design. It is almost impossible to describe them without
appearing to exaggerate. Construction in relation to use went for
nothing. A group of Louis Quatorze scrolls put together to form
something like a brooch with a pin at the back to fasten it to the
dress, which it rather disfigured than adorned; heavy chain-like
bracelet, pins, studs, &c., of the most hideous conceits imaginable,
characterised the jewellery designs of Birmingham until about 1854-55,
when a little more intelligence and enterprise was introduced, and our
manufacturers learned that work well designed sold even better than the
old-styled ugliness. A great advance has taken place during the past
thirty years, and Birmingham jewellers now stand foremost in all matters
of taste and design, the workmen of to-day ranking as artists indeed,
even the commonest gilt jewellery turned out by them now being of
high-class design and frequently of most elaborate workmanship. At the
present time (March 1885) the trade is in a very depressed condition,
thousands of hands being out of employ or on short time, partly arising,
no doubt, from one of those "changes of fashion" which at several
periods of our local history have brought disaster to many of our
industrial branches. It has been estimated that not more than one-half
of the silver jewellery manufactured in Birmingham in 1883, passed
through the Assay Office, but the total received there in the twelve
months ending June 24th, 1883, amounted to no less than 856,180 ounces,
or 31 tons 17 cwt. 4 lbs. 4 oz., the gold wares received during same
period weighing 92,195 ounces, or 3 tons 7 cwt. 12 lbs. 3 oz., the total
number of articles sent in for assaying being 2,649,379. The directory
of 1780 gave the names of twenty-six jewellers; that of 1880 gives
nearly 700, including cognate trades. The fashion of wearing long silver
guard-chains came in in about 1806, the long gold ones dating a score
years later, heavy fob chains then going out. The yearly make of wedding
rings in Birmingham is put at 5,000 dozen. Precious stones are not to be
included in the list of locally manufactured articles, nor yet "Paris
pastes," though very many thousands of pounds worth are used up every
year, and those anxious to become possessed of such glittering trifles
will find dealers here who can supply them with pearls from 6d., garnets
from 2d., opals from 1s., diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, &c.,
from half-a-crown, the prices of all running up according to size, &c.,
to hundreds of pounds per stone.