cheese by the cosy fireside of a public-house kitchen; this was followed
by sundry publicans reserving a better room, in which a joint was served
up for their "topping customers." One who got into trouble and lost his
license, conceived the idea of opposing his successor, and started
dining-rooms, sending out for beer as it was required, but _not_ to his
old shop. This innovation took, and when the railways began bringing in
their streams of strangers, these dining-rooms paid well (as several of
the old ones do still). The next step was the opening of a large room in
Slaney Street (June 8, 1863), and another in Cambridge Street, with the
imposing title of "Dining Halls," wherein all who were hungry could be
fed at wholesale prices--provided they had the necessary cash. Our
people, however, are not sufficiently gregarious to relish this kind of
feeding in flocks, barrackroom fashion, and though the provisions were
good and cheap, the herding together of all sorts spoilt the
speculation, and Dining Halls closed when "Restaurants" opened.--See
"_Luncheon Bars_."
~Diocese.~--Birmingham is in the diocese of Worcester, and in the
Archdeaconry of Coventry.
~Directories.~--The oldest Birmingham Directory known was printed in
1770, but there had been one advertised a few years earlier, and every
now and then, after this date one or other of our few printers ventured
to issue what they called a directory, but the procuring a complete list
of all and every occupation carried on in Birmingham appears to have
been a feat beyond their powers, even sixty years back. As far as they
did go, however, the old directories are not uninteresting, as they give
us glimpses of trade mutations and changes compared with the present
time that appear strange now even to our oldest inhabitants. Place for
instance the directory of 1824 by the side of White's directory for 1874
(one of the most valuable and carefully compiled works of the kind yet
issued). In the former we find the names of 4,980 tradesmen, the
different businesses under which they are allotted numbering only 141;
in 1874 the trades and professions named tot up to 745, under which
appears no less than 33,462 names. In 1824, if we are to believe the
directory, there were no factors here, no fancy repositories, no
gardeners or florists, no pearl button makers, no furniture brokers or
pawnbrokers (!), no newsagents, and, strange to say, no printer.
Photographers and electro-platers were unknown, though fifty years after
showed 68 of the one, and 77 of the latter. On the other hand, in 1824,
there were 78 auger, awlblade and gimlet makers, against 19 in 1874; 14
bellows makers, against 5; 36 buckle and 810 button makers, against 10
and 265; 52 edge tool makers and 176 locksmiths, against 18 of each in
1874; hinge-makers were reduced from 53 to 23; gilt toy makers, from 265
to 15. (Considering the immense quantity of gilt trifles now sent out
yearly, we can only account for these figures by supposing the producers
to have been entered under various other headings). Among the trades
that have vanished altogether, are steelyard makers, of whom there were
19 in 1824; saw-makers, of whom there were 26; tool-makers, of whom
there were 79, and similorers, whatever they might have been. Makers of
the time-honoured snuffers numbered 46 in 1824, and there were even
half-a-dozen manufacturers left at work in 1874. The introduction of
gas-lighting only found employ, in the first-named year, for three
gasfitters; in 1874, there were close upon 100. Pewterers and
manufacturers of articles in Britannia metal numbered 75 in 1824,
against 19 in 1874, wire-drawers in the same period coming down from 237
to 56. The Directories of the past ten years have degenerated into mere
bulky tomes, cataloguing names certainly, but published almost solely
for the benefit (?) of those tradesmen who can be coaxed into
advertising in their pages. To such an extent has this been carried,
that it is well for all advertisers to be careful when giving their
orders, that they are dealing with an established and respectable firm,
more than one bogus Directory having come under the notice of the writer
during the past year or two. The issue of a real Post Office Directory
for 1882, for which the names, trades, and addresses were to be gathered
by the letter-carriers, and no body of men could be more suitable for
the work, or be better trusted, was hailed by local tradesmen as a
decided step in advance (though little fault could be found with the
editions periodically issued by Kelly), but unfortunately the proposed
plan was not successfully carried out, and in future years the volume
will be principally valued as a curiosity, the wonderfully strange
mistakes being made therein of placing the honoured name of Sir Josiah
Mason under the head of "Next-of-Kin Enquiry Agents," and that, too,
just previous to the exposure of the numerous frauds carried out by one
of the so-called agents and its curiousness is considerably enhanced by
the fact that a like error had been perpetrated in a recent edition of
Kelly's Directory.
~Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society~ in 1882 gave assistance to 642
persons, at an average cost of 9s. 9-1/2d. each--£315 19s. 4d. £161 16s.
5d. of this amount came from the convicts' gratuities, while the cost of
aiding and helping them took £192 2s.
~Dispensary.~--Established in 1794; the first stone of the building in
Union Street was laid December 23, 1806, and it was opened for the
reception of patients early in 1808, the cost being about £3,000. It has
been one of the most valuable institutions of the town, thousands
receiving medical assistance every year, and is supported by voluntary
subscriptions. A branch Dispensary was opened in Monument Road, Feb. 27,
1884. Provident Dispensaries, to which members pay a small monthly sum
for medicine and attendance, were organised in 1878, the first branch
being opened at Hockley in October of that year. In the first fifteen
months 3,765 individuals, paid subscriptions, and about £577 was paid
for drugs and doctors fees. There are also branches at Camp Hill and
Small Heath.
~Dissenters.~--In 1836 there were 45 places of worship belonging to
various denominations of Dissenters here; there are now about 145.--_See
"Places of Worship_."
~Distances~ from Birmingham to neighbouring places, county towns, trade
centres, watering places, &c. Being taken from the shortest railway
routes, this list may be used as a guide to the third-class fares--
Reckoned at 1d. per mile:--
Miles.
Aberdare........... 111
Aberdeen........... 437-1/2
Abergavenny ..... 79
Abergele .......... 109
Aberystwith ..... 123-1/2
Acock's Green ..... 4-1/4
Albrighton ........ 20
Alcester ........ 24
Aldershot.......... 111-1/2
Alnwick ......... 52-1/2
Alrewas ......... 26
Alton Towers ...... 52-1/2
Alvechurch......... 13-1/2
Arbroath........... 310
Ashbourne.......... 56-1/4
Ashby-de-la-Zouch . 41-1/2
Ashton-under-Lyne.. 84-1/2
Aylesbury ....... 84
Bala............... 94
Banbury ........... 42
Bangor............. 135
Barmouth ........ 116
Barnsley ......... 95-1/2
Barnstaple ........ 181
Barnt Green ...... 12
Barrow-in-Furness 160
Basingstoke........ 108-1/2
Bath............... 98-1/2
Battersea ......... 115-1/2
Bedford ........ 82
Beeston Castle..... 64-1/2
Belper ............ 50
Berkswell.......... 13
Berwick ......... 281
Bescot Junction ... 7-1/2
Bettws-y-Coed...... 134
Bewdley ........... 22-1/2
Bilston ........... 9-1/2
Birkenhead ........ 90
Blackburn ......... 113
Blackpool ......... 124
Bletchley ......... 65-1/2
Blisworth ......... 49-1/2
Bloxwich .......... 10-1/2
Bolton ............ 95-1/4
Borth ............. 113
Bournemouth ....... 173
Bradford .......... 120-1/2
Brecon ............ 95
Bredon ............ 40-1/2
Brettle Lane ...... 12
Bridgnorth ........ 20
Bridgewater ....... 127
Brierley Hill ..... 11-1/2
Brighton .......... 166
Bristol ........... 94
Bromsgrove ........ 16
Bromyard .......... 41
Buckingham ........ 70-1/2
Builth Road ....... 88
Burslem ........... 49
Burton-on-Trent ... 32
Bury St. Edmunds .. 133
Bushbury Jun'tion . 13
Buxton ............ 79
Cambridge ......... 111-1/2
Cannock ........... 15-1/2
Canterbury ........ 175-1/2
Cardiff ........... 109
Carlisle .......... 196
Carmarthen ........ 187-1/2
Carnarvon ......... 143-1/2
Castle Bromwich ... 5-3/4
Castle Douglas .... 248-1/2
Chapel-en-le-Frith 89
Cheadle ........... 77
Cheddar ........... 115-1/2
Chelsea ........... 110
Cheltenham ........ 49-1/2
Chepstow .......... 84
Chester ........... 75
Chesterfield ...... 65-1/2
Chippenham ........ 117
Chipping Norton ... 60
Chirk ............. 62-1/2
Church Stretton ... 54
Cinderford ........ 83-1/2
Cirencester ....... 84-1/2
Clapham Junction .. 113
Clay Cross ........ 62
Cleobury Mortimer . 29
Clifton Bridge .... 97
Coalbrookdale ..... 30
Codsall ........... 16-1/2
Coleford .......... 80
Coleshill ......... 11-1/2
Colwich ........... 25-1/2
Colwyn Bay ........ 115
Congleton ......... 58
Conway ............ 120-1/2
Coventry .......... 18-1/2
Cradley ........... 9
Craven Arms ....... 61-1/2
Crewe Junction .... 54
Croydon ........... 123
Crystal Palace .... 120
Darlaston ......... 9-1/2
Darlington ........ 175-1/2
Deepfields ........ 9-1/2
Denbigh ........... 97
Derby ............. 42-1/2
Devizes ........... 143-1/2
Didcot ............ 76
Dolgelly .......... 106
Doncaster ......... 96-1/2
Dorchester ........ 184
Dorking ........... 133
Droitwich ......... 23
Dublin ............ 232
Dudley ............ 8
Dumfries .......... 229
Dundee ............ 347
Dunstable ......... 79
Durham ............ 198
Edinburgh ......... 297-1/2
Elgin ............. 450
Ely ............... 127
Erdington ......... 4-1/2
Etruria ........... 47
Evercreech Junct'n 121
Evesham ........... 34
Exeter ............ 170
Falmouth .......... 286-1/2
Farrington ........ 87
Fearnall Heath .... 25
Fenny Compton ..... 34-1/2
Fenny Stratford ... 67
Festiniog ......... 145
Filey ............. 178
Fleetwood ......... 126
Flint ............. 87-1/2
Folkestone ........ 202
Forfar ............ 304
Forge Mills ....... 9
Four Ashes ........ 19
Frome ............. 138
Furness Abbey ..... 158-1/2
Garstang .......... 115
Glasgow ........... 286
Glastonbury ....... 140
Gloucester ........ 56-1/2
Gosport ........... 150
Gravelly Hill ..... 3
Great Barr ........ 4-1/2
Great Bridge ...... 7
Grimsby ........... 136-1/2
Guildford ......... 120
Hagley ............ 13-1/2
Halesowen ......... 9
Halifax ........... 122-1/2
Hanley ............ 47-1/2
Harborne .......... 4
Harlech ........... 126
Harrowgate ........ 133
Harrow ............ 101
Hartlebury ........ 22
Hartlepool ........ 186
Hastings .......... 192-1/2
Hatton ............ 17-1/4
Haverfordwest ..... 218-1/2
Heath Town ........ 12
Hednesford ........ 17-1/2
Henley-on-Thames .. 103
Hereford .......... 57
Hertford .......... 108
Higham Ferrers .... 69-1/2
High Wycombe ...... 95
Hitchin ........... 92
Holyhead .......... 159-1/4
Holywell .......... 91-1/2
Huddersfield ...... 105-1/2
Hull .............. 134
Ilfracombe ........ 195
Inverness ......... 490
Ipswich ........... 167
Ironbridge ........ 30
James Bridge ...... 9
Jedburgh .......... 263
Keighley .......... 116-1/2
Kendal ............ 148
Kenilworth ........ 21
Kidderminster ..... 18-1/2
Kilmarnock ........ 278-1/2
Kings Heath ....... 5
Kings Norton ...... 6
Kingstown ......... 226
Kingswood ......... 13
Knowle ............ 10-1/2
Lancaster ......... 127-1/2
Langley Green ..... 5-1/4
Leamington ........ 21
Ledbury ........... 43
Leeds ............. 115
Leicester ......... 39-1/2
Leominster ........ 80
Lichfield ......... 18
Lincoln ........... 91-1/2
Liverpool ......... 97-1/2
Llanberis ......... 143
Llandudno ......... 123
Llanelly .......... 167-1/2
Llangollen ........ 72-1/2
Llanrwst .......... 131
Llanymynech ...... 69
London ............ 113
Longton ........... 48
Loughborough ...... 50
Lowestoft ......... 201
Ludlow ............ 69-1/2
Lydney ............ 79
Lye Waste ......... 10-1/2
Lynn .............. 135
Macclesfield ...... 66
Machynllyth ....... 101
Maidenhead ........ 105-1/2
Maidstone ........ 175-1/2
Malvern (Great) ... 36-1/2
Manchester ........ 85
Margate ........... 187
Market Bosworth ... 27-1/2
Market Drayton .... 48
Market Harboro'.... 46
Marlborough ....... 133-1/2
Marston Green ..... 6-1/2
Maryport .......... 224
Matlock Bath ...... 59
Menai Bridge ...... 136
Merthyr ........... 111-1/2
Middlesbro' ....... 176
Milford Haven ..... 228
Milverton ......... 21
Mold .............. 87
Monmouth .......... 96-1/2
Montrose .......... 401
Moreton-in-Marsh .. 46
Moseley ........... 3-3/4
Much Wenlock ...... 33
Nantwich .......... 56
Neath ............. 105-1/2
Netherton ......... 8
Newark ............ 71-1/2
Newcastle-on-Tyne . 215
Nwcstle-udr-Lyme .. 47-1/2
Newmarket ......... 126
Newport (Salop) ... 39
Newport (Mon.) .... 101
Newton Road ....... 5
Newton Stewart .... 278
Northallerton ..... 160
Northampton ....... 49
Northfield ........ 8-3/4
North Shields ..... 216-1/2
Norwich ........... 181
Nottingham ........ 58
Nuneaton .......... 20
Oakengates ........ 28-1/2
Oldbury ........... 5-1/2
Oldham ............ 85
Olton ............. 5
Oswestry .......... 62-1/2
Oxford ............ 66
Paisley ........... 286
Pelsall ........... 11
Pembroke Dock ..... 175
Penkridge ......... 22-3/4
Penmaenmawr ....... 125
Penrith ........... 178
Penzance .......... 302
Perry Barr ........ 4
Pershore .......... 43-1/2
Perth ............. 344
Peterborough ...... 96-1/2
Plymouth .......... 222-1/2
Pontypool ......... 90
Port Dinorwic ..... 139
Portishead ........ 105-1/2
Portmadoc ........ 134
Portsmouth ........ 162-1/2
Prestatyn ......... 101
Princes End ....... 9-1/2
Prollheli ......... 138
Queen's Ferry ..... 82
Ramsgate .......... 192-1/2
Reading ........... 93
Redcar ............ 189
Redditch .......... 17
Reigate ........... 138-1/2
Rhyl .............. 105
Rickmansworth .... 98
Rochdale .......... 104-1/2
Ross .............. 70
Rotherham ......... 88
Round Oak ......... 10-1/2
Rowsley ........... 63-1/2
Ruabon ............ 67-1/2
Rugby ............. 80-1/2
Rugeley ........... 21-1/2
Runcorn ........... 75
Ruthin ............ 116
Ryde .............. 160
St. Alban's ....... 101
St. Asaph ......... 111
St. Helens ........ 85-1/2
St. Leonard's ..... 190-1/2
Salford Priors .... 28
Salisbury ......... 157-1/2
Saltburn .......... 191
Sandbach .......... 58-1/2
Scarboro' ......... 173
Selly Oak ......... 2-1/2
Sharpness ......... 75
Sheffield ......... 79
Shepton Mallett ... 152
Shifnal ........... 25
Shrewsbury ........ 42
Shustoke .......... 12
Smethwick ......... 3-1/2
Solihull .......... 6-1/2
Southampton ....... 139
Southport ......... 107-1/2
South Shields ..... 209
Spon Lane ......... 4-1/2
Stafford .......... 29
Stamford .......... 72
Stechford ......... 3-1/2
Stirchley Street .. 3-1/2
Stirling .......... 336
Stockport ......... 79
Stoke ............. 45-1/2
Stokes Bay ........ 150
Stourbridge ....... 13-1/2
Stourport ......... 22
Stranraer ......... 301
Stratford-on-Avon . 26
Stroud ............ 70
Sunderland ........ 208
Sutton Coldfield .. 7
Swansea ........... 156-1/2
Swan Village ...... 5-1/2
Swindon ........... 100
Tamworth .......... 18
Taunton ........... 138-1/2
Teignmouth ........ 184
Tenbury ........... 38
Tewkesbury ........ 44-1/2
Thirsk ............ 151
Thrapstone ........ 75-1/2
Tipton ............ 8
Torquay .......... 195-1/2
Towcester ......... 54
Trefnant .......... 113
Trentham .......... 43
Trowbridge ........ 128
Truro ............. 275-1/2
Tunbridge Wells ... 165
Tunstall .......... 47
Tutbury ........... 37
Ulverstone ........ 152
Uppingham ......... 61-1/2
Upton-on-Severn ... 49
Uttoxeter ......... 45-1/4
Uxbridge .......... 118
Wakefield ........ 101-1/2
Wallingford ....... 84-1/4
Walsall ........... 8
Warminster ........ 120
Warrington ........ 78
Warwick ........... 21-1/2
Water Orton ....... 7-1/2
Wednesbury ....... 8
Wednesfield ....... 12
Weedon ............ 42
Welshpool ......... 61
Wellington ........ 32
Wells ............. 123
Wem ............... 52
West Bromwich ..... 4
Weston-supr-Mare .. 114
Weymouth .......... 191
Whitacre Junction . 10-1/2
Whitby ............ 187
Whitchurch ........ 51
Whitehaven ........ 193
Wigan ............. 91
Willenhall ........ 11
Willesden Junction 107
Wilnecote ......... 16-1/2
Wincanton ......... 130
Winchester ........ 127
Windermere ........ 156
Windsor ........... 113
Winson Green ...... 2-1/2
Wirksworth ........ 56
Witton ............ 3-1/2
Woburn Sands ...... 70
Wokingham ......... 100
Wolverhampton ..... 12
Wolverton ......... 60
Worcester ......... 27-1/2
Worthington ....... 50
Wrexham ........... 72
Wylde Green....... 6
Yarmouth .......... 201
Yeovil ............ 152
York .............. 130-1/2
~Dogs.~--A 5s. duty on dogs came into force April 5, 1867; raised to 7s.
6d. in June, 1878; This was not the first tax of the kind, for a local
note of the time says that in 1796 "the fields and waters near the town
were covered with the dead carcases of dogs destroyed by their owners to
avoid payment of the tax." The amount paid per year at present for "dog
licenses" in Birmingham is about £1,800. The using of dogs as beasts of
burden (common enough now abroad) was put a stop to in London at the end
of Oct. 1840, though it was not until 1854 that the prohibition became
general. Prior to the passing of the Act in that year, dogs were
utilised as draught animals to a very great extent in this neighbourhood
by the rag-and-bone gatherers, pedlars, and little merchants, as many as
180 of the poor brutes once being counted in five hours as passing a
certain spot on the Westbromwich Road. There have been one or two
"homes" for stray dogs opened, but it is best in case of a loss of this
kind to give early information at the nearest police station, as the art
of dog stealing has latterly been much cultivated in this town, and it
should be considered a duty to one's neighbour to aid in putting a stop
thereto.
~Dog Shows.~--The first local Dog Show was held in 1860, but it was not
until the opening in Curzon Hall, December 4, 1865, that the Show took
rank as one of the "yearly institutions" of the town.--See
"_Exhibitions_."
~Domesday Books.~--The so-called Domesday Book, compiled by order of
William the Norman Conqueror, has always been considered a wonderful
work, and it must have taken some years compiling. Some extracts
touching upon the holders of land in this neighbourhood have already
been given, and in a sense they are very interesting, showing as they do
the then barrenness of the land, and the paucity of inhabitants. Though
in Henry VIII.'s reign an inventory of all properties in the hands of
Churchmen was taken, it did not include the owners of land in general,
and it was not till Mr. John Bright in 1873 moved for the Returns, that
a complete register of the kind was made. It would not be easy, even if
space could be given to it, to give the list of individuals, companies,
and corporation who claim to be possessors of the land we live on in
Birmingham and neighbourhood; but a summary including the owners in this
and adjoining counties may be worth preserving. As will be seen by the
annexed figures, Warwick and Stafford rank high in the list of counties
having large numbers of small owners (small as to extent of ground,
though often very valuable from the erections thereon). There can be no
doubt that the Freehold Land and Building Societies have had much to do
with this, and as Birmingham was for years the headquarters of these
Societies, the fact of there being nearly 47,000 persons in the county
(out of a total population of 634,189) who own small plots under one
acre, speaks well for the steady perseverance of the Warwickshire lads.
That we are not wrong in coming to this conclusion is shown by the fact
that leaving out the Metropolitan Counties, Warwick heads, in this
respect, all the shires in the kingdom.
WARWICKSHIRE.
Extent Gross
of estimated
lands. rental.
Owners of Numbr. Acres £
Less than 1 acre ....... 46894 5883 1808897
1 acre and under 10 1956 7727 93792
10 acres " 50 1328 31485 114243
50 " " 100 447 31904 76178
100 " " 500 667 137372 398625
500 " " 1000 82 55542 134005
1000 " " 2000 47 67585 208718
2000 " " 5000 34 100185 275701
5000 " " 10000 8 53380 90848
10000 " " 20000 4 49953 74085
No areas given ......... 49 -- 43205
-----------------------
Total .... 51516 541021 3318303
STAFFORDSHIRE.
Less than 1 acre ....... 33672 4289 974133
1 acre and under 10 4062 14164 252714
10 acres " 50 1891 44351 224505
50 " " 100 544 39015 124731
100 " " 500 557 111891 881083
500 " " 1000 90 62131 177372
1000 " " 2000 79 70637 278562
2000 " " 5000 28 90907 219792
5000 " " 10000 13 82560 136668
10000 " " 20000 7 96700 212526
20000 " " 50000 1 21433 41560
No areas given ......... 2456 -- 606552
No rentals returned .... 1 2 --
-----------------------
Total .... 43371 638084 3630254
WORCESTERSHIRE.
Less than 1 acre .......160[**]8 4733 444945
1 acre and under 10 2790 10136 151922
10 acres " 50 1305 31391 138517
50 " " 100 457 32605 92257
100 " " 500 589 118187 258049
500 " " 1000 66 46420 122817
1000 " " 2000 34 46794 89267
2000 " " 5000 25 78993 131886
5000 " " 10000 5 33353 54611
10000 " " 20000 3 38343 88703
No areas given ......... 522 -- 112107
-----------------------
Total .... 21804 441061 1685735