If a reader, fond of antiquity, should object, that I have comprized the
_Ancient state of Birmingham_ in too small a compass, and that I ought
to have extended it beyond the 39th page; I answer, when a man has not
much to say, he ought to be hissed out of authorship, if he picks the
pocket of his friend, by saying much; neither does antiquity end with
that page, for in some of the chapters, I have led him through the mazes
of time, to present him with a modern prospect.
In erecting a new building, we generally use the few materials of the
old, as far as they will extend. Birmingham may be considered as one
vast and modern edifice, of which the ancient materials make but a very
small part: the extensive _new_, seems to surround the minute _old_, as
if to protect it.
Upon the spot where the Welch Cross now stands, probably stood a
finger-post, to direct the stranger that could read, for there were not
many, the roads to Wolverhampton and Lichfield.
Though the ancient post, and the modern cross, might succeed each other,
yet this difference was between them, one stood at a distance from the
town, the other stands near its centre.
By some antique writings it appears, that 200 years ago this spot bore
the name of the Welch End, perhaps from the number of Welch in its
neighbourhood; or rather, from its being the great road to that
principality, and was at that time the extremity of the town, odd houses
excepted. This is corroborated by a circumstance I have twice mentioned
already, that when Birmingham unfortunately fell under the frowns of
Prince Rupert, 137 years ago, and he determined to reduce it to ashes
for succouring an enemy, it is reasonable to suppose he began at the
exterior, which was then in Bull-street, about twelve houses above
the cross.
If we were ignorant of the date of this cross, the style of the building
itself would inform us, that it rose in the beginning of the present
century, and was designed, as population encreased, for a Saturday
market; yet, although it is used in some degree for that purpose, the
people never heartily adopted the measure.
In a town like Birmingham, a commodious market-place, for we have
nothing that bears the name, would be extremely useful. Efforts have
been used to make one, of a large area, now a bowling-green, in
Corbet's-alley; but I am persuaded the market-people would suffer the
grass to grow in it, as peaceably as in their own fields. We are not
easily drawn from ancient custom, except by interest.
For want of a convenient place where the sellers may be collected into
one point, they are scattered into various parts of the town. Corn is
sold by sample, in the Bull-ring; the eatable productions of the garden,
in the same place: butchers stalls occupy Spiceal-street; one would
think a narrow street was preferred, that no customer should be suffered
to pass by. Flowers, shrubs, etc. at the ends of Philip-street and
Moor-street: beds of earthen-ware lie in the middle of the foot ways;
and a double range of insignificant stalls, in the front of the
shambles, choak up the passage: the beast market is kept in Dale-end:
that for pigs, sheep and horses in New-street: cheese issues from one of
our principal inns: fruit, fowls and butter are sold at the Old Cross:
nay, it is difficult to mention a place where they are not. We may
observe, if a man hath an article to sell which another wants to buy,
they will quickly find each other out.
Though the market-inconveniencies are great, a man seldom brings a
commodity for the support of life, or of luxury, and returns without a
customer. Yet even this crowded state of the market, dangerous to the
feeble, hath its advantages: much business is transacted in a little
time; the first customer is obliged to use dispatch, before he is
justled out by a second: to _stand all the day idle in the market
place_, is not known among us.
The upper room of this cross is appropriated for a military guard-house.
We find, December 16, 1723, an order made at a public meeting, that "A
guard house should be erected in a convenient part of the town, because
neither of the crosses were eligible." But this old order, like some of
the new, was never carried into execution. As no complaint lies against
the cross, in our time, we may suppose it suitable for the purpose; and
I know none but its prisoners that pronounce against it.
SAINT MARTIN's.
It has been remarked, that the antiquity of this church is too remote
for historical light.
The curious records of those dark ages, not being multiplied, and
preserved by the art of printing, have fallen a prey to time, and the
revolution of things.
[Illustration]
There is reason for fixing the foundation in the eighth century, perhaps
rather sooner, and it then was at a small distance from the buildings.
The town stood upon the hill, whose centre was the Old Cross;
consequently, the ring of houses that now surrounds the church, from the
bottom of Edgbaston-street, part of Spiceal-street, the Bull-ring,
Corn-cheaping, and St. Martin's-lane, could not exist.
I am inclined to think that the precincts of St. Martin's have undergone
a mutilation, and that the place which has obtained the modern name of
Bull-ring, and which is used as a market for corn and herbs, was once an
appropriation of the church, though not used for internment; because the
church is evidently calculated for a town of some size, to which the
present church-yard no way agrees, being so extremely small that the
ancient dead must have been continually disturbed, to make way for the
modern, that little spot being their only receptacle for 900 years.
A son not only succeeds his father in the possession of his property and
habitation, but also in the grave, where he can scarcely enter without
expelling half a dozen of his ancestors.
The antiquity of St. Martin's will appear by surveying the adjacent
ground. From the eminence upon which the High-street stands, proceeds a
steep, and regular descent into Moor-street, Digbeth, down
Spiceal-street, Lee's-lane, and Worcester-street. This descent is broken
only by the church-yard; which, through a long course of internment, for
ages, is augmented into a considerable hill, chiefly composed of the
refuse of life. We may, therefore, safely remark, in this place, _the
dead are raised up_. Nor shall we be surprised at the rapid growth of
the hill, when we consider this little point of land was alone that
hungry grave which devoured the whole inhabitants, during the long ages
of existence, till the year 1715, when St. Philip's was opened. The
curious observer will easily discover, the fabric has lost that symmetry
which should ever attend architecture, by the growth of the soil about
it, causing a low appearance in the building, so that instead of the
church burying the dead, the dead would, in time, have buried
the church.
It is reasonable to allow, the original approach into this place was by
a flight of steps, not by descent, as is the present case; and that the
church-yard was surrounded by a low wall. As the ground swelled by the
accumulation of the dead, wall after wall was added to support the
growing soil; thus the fence and the hill sprang up together; but this
was demonstrated, August 27, 1781, when, in removing two or three old
houses, to widen St. Martin's Lane, they took down the church-yard wall,
which was fifteen feet high without, and three within. This proved to be
only an outward case, that covered another wall twelve feet high; in the
front of which was a stone, elevated eight feet, and inscribed, "Robert
Dallaway, Francis Burton." Church-wardens, anno dom. (supposed) "1310."
As there is certain evidence, that the church is, much older then the
above date, we should suspect there had been another fence many ages
prior to this. But it was put beyond a doubt, when the workmen came to a
third wall, four feet high, covered with antique coping, probably
erected with the fabric itself, which would lead us far back into the
Saxon times.
The removal of the buildings to accommodate the street, the construction
of the wall, beautified with pallisades, is _half_ an elegant plan, well
executed. If we can persuade ourselves to perform the other half, by
removing the remainder of the buildings, and continuing the line to the
steps, at the bottom of Spiceal-street, the work will stand in the front
of modern improvement.
In the south-east part of the wall, covered by the engine-house, upon
another stone, nearly obliterated, is, John Enser, Richard Higginson,
Church-wardens, 1709.
Other church-yards are ornamented with the front of the buildings, but
that of St. Martin submits to the rear.
The present church is of stone; the first upon the premises; and perhaps
the oldest building in these parts.
As the country does not produce stone of a lasting texture, and as the
rough blasts of 900 years, had made inroads upon the fabric, it was
thought necessary, in 1690, to case both church and steeple with brick,
except the spire, which is an elegant one. The bricks and the
workmanship are excellent.
Though the fabric is not void of beauty, yet being closely surrounded
with houses, which destroy the medium of view, that beauty is
totally hid.
The steeple has, within memory, been three times injured by lightning.
Forty feet of the spire, in a decayed state, was taken down and rebuilt
in 1781, with stone from Attleborough, near Nuneaton; and strengthened
by a spindle of iron, running up its centre 105 feet long, secured to
the side walls every ten feet, by braces--the expence, 165_l_. 16s.
Inclosed is a ring of twelve musical bells, and though I am not master
of the bob major and tripple-grandfire, yet am well informed, the
ringers are masters of the bell-rope: but to excel in Birmingham is
not new.
The seats in the church would disgrace a meaner parish than that of
Birmingham; one should be tempted to think, they are the first ever
erected upon the spot, without taste or order: the timber is become hard
with age, and to the honour of the inhabitants, bright with use. Each
sitting is a private freehold, and is farther disgraced, like the coffin
of a pauper, with the paltry initials of the owner's name. These divine
abodes are secured with the coarse padlocks of a field gate.
By an attentive survey of the seats, we plainly discover the increasing
population of Birmingham. When the church was erected, there was
doubtless sufficient room for the inhabitants, and it was probably the
only place for public worship during 800 years: as the town increased,
gallery after gallery was erected, 'till no conveniency was found for
more. Invention was afterwards exerted to augment the number of
sittings; every recess capable only of admitting the body of an infant,
was converted into a seat, which indicates, the continual increase of
people, and, that a spirit of devotion was prevalent among them.
The floor of the church is greatly injured by internment, as is also the
light, by the near approach of the buildings, notwithstanding, in 1733,
the middle roof of the chancel was taken off, and the side walls raised
about nine feet, to admit a double range of windows.
Dugdale, who wrote in 1640, gives us twenty-two drawings of the arms, in
the windows, of those gentry who had connection with Birmingham.
1. Astley. 10. Freville.
2. Sumeri. 11. Ancient Birmingham.
3. Ancient Birmingham. 12. Knell.
4. Ancient Birmingham, 13. Fitz-Warrer.
the 2nd house. 14. Montalt.
5. Seagreve. 15. Modern Birmingham.
6. Modern Birmingham. 16. Hampden.
7. Ancient and modern 17. Burdet.
Birmingham, 18. Montalt.
quartered. 19. Modern Birmingham.
8. Peshale quartering 20. Beauchamp.
Bottetort. 21. Ferrers.
9. Birmingham quartering 22. Latimere.
Wyrley.
These twenty-two coats are now reduced to three, which are,
Number two, in the east window of the chancel, which is _or, two lions
passant azure_, the arms of the family of Someri, Lords of
Dudley-castle, and superior Lords of Birmingham; which having been
extinct about 450 years, the coat of arms must have been there at least
during that period.
Number three, in the south window of the chancel, _azure, a bend lozenge
of five points, or_, the ancient arms of the family of Birmingham, which
perhaps is upwards of 400 years old, as that coat was not used after the
days of Edward the First, except in quarterings.
And number ten, in the north window, _or, a cross, indented gules_;
also, _five fleurs de lis_, the ancient arms of Freville, Lords of
Tamworth, whose ancestor, Marmion, received a grant of that castle from
William the Conqueror, and whose descendant, Lord Viscount Townshend, is
the present proprietor. Perhaps this coat hath been there 400 years, for
the male line of the Freville family, was extinct in the reign of Henry
the Fourth.
Under the south window of the chancel, by the door, are two monuments
a-breast, of white marble, much injured by the hand of rude time, and
more by that of the ruder boys. The left figure, which is very ancient,
I take to be William de Birmingham, who was made prisoner by the French,
at the siege of Bellegard, in the 25th of Edward the First, 1297. He
wears a short mantle, which was the dress of that time, a sword,
expressive of the military order, and he also bears a shield with the
bend lozenge, which seems never to have been borne after the above date.
The right hand figure, next the wall, is visibly marked with a much
older date, perhaps about the conquest. The effigy does not appear in a
military character, neither did the Lords of that period. The value of
these ancient relicts have long claimed the care of the wardens, to
preserve them from the injurious hand of the boys, and the foot of the
window cleaner, by securing them with a pallisade. Even Westminster
abbey, famous for departed glory, cannot produce a monument of equal
antiquity.
At the foot of these, is another of the same materials, belonging to one
of the Marrows, Lords of Birmingham.
Under the north east window, is a monument of white marble, belonging to
one of the Lords of the house of Birmingham: but this is of modern date
compared with the others, perhaps not more than 300 years; he bearing
the _parte per pale, indented or, and gules_.
In the church is an excellent organ, and in the steeple a set of chimes,
where the ingenious artist treats us with a fresh tune every day of
the week.
Upon one of the CENTRE PILLARS.
Here lieth the bodies of William Colmore, Gent. who died in 1607, and
Ann his wife, in 1591: also the body of Henry Willoughby, Esq; father to
Frances, wife of William Colmore, now living; he died 1609.