bye-road running at the back of the Dog or Talbot Inn, the owners of
which, some 300 years ago, were named Leays. When the Market Hall was
built and sewers were laid round it, the workmen came upon what was at
the time imagined to be an underground passage, leading from the
Guildhall in New Street to the old Church of St. Martin's. Local
antiquarians at the time would appear to have been conspicuous by their
absence, as the workmen were allowed to close the passage with rubbish
without a proper examination being made of it. Quite lately, however, in
digging out the soil for the extension of the Fish Market at a point on
the line of Lease Lane, about 60ft. from Bell Street, the workmen, on
reaching a depth of 8ft. or 9ft., struck upon the same underground
passage, but of which the original purpose was not very apparent. Cut in
the soft, sandstone, and devoid of any lining, it ran almost at right
angles to Lease Lane, and proved to extend half way under that
thoroughfare, and some four or five yards into the excavated ground.
Under Lease Lane it was blocked by rubbish, through which a sewer is
believed to run, and therefore the exact ending of the passage in one
direction cannot be traced; in the excavated ground it ended, on the
site of a dismantled public-house, in a circular shaft, which may have
been that of a well, or that of a cesspool. The passage, so far as it
was traceable, was 24ft. long, 7ft. high, and 4-1/2ft. wide. As to its
use before it was severed by the sewerage of Lease Lane, the conjecture
is that it afforded a secret means of communication between two houses
separated above ground by that thoroughfare, but for what purpose must
remain one of the perplexing puzzles of the past. That it had no
connection with the Church or the Grammar School (the site of the old
Guild House) is quite certain, as the course of the passage was in a
different direction.
~Leasing Wives.~--In the histories of sundry strange lands we read of
curious customs appertaining to marriage and the giving in marriage.
Taking a wife on trial is the rule of more than one happy clime, but
taking a wife upon lease is quite a Brummagem way of marrying (using the
term in the manner of many detractors of our town's fair fame). In one
of the numbers of the _Gentleman's Magazine_, for the year 1788, Mr.
Sylvanus Urban, as the editor has always been called, is addressed as
follows by a Birmingham correspondent:--"Since my residing in this town
I have often heard there is a method of obtaining a wife's sister upon
lease. I never could learn the method to be taken to get a wife upon
lease, or whether such connections are sanctioned by law; but there is
an eminent manufacturer in the vicinity of this town who had his
deceased wife's sister upon lease for twenty years and upwards; and I
know she went by his name, enjoyed all the privileges, and received all
the honours due to the respectable name of wife." A rarer case of
marital leasing has often been noted against us by the aforesaid
smirchers of character as occurring in 1853, but in reality it was
rather an instance of hiring a husband.
~Leather Hall.~--As early as the Norman Conquest this town was famed for
its tanneries, and there was a considerable market, for leather for
centuries after. Two of the Court Leet officers were "Leather Sealers,"
and part of the proclamation made by the Crier of the Court when it held
its meetings was in those words, "All whyte tawers that sell not good
chaffer as they ought to do reasonably, and bye the skynnes in any other
place than in towne or market, ye shall do us to weet," meaning that
anyone knowing of such offences on the part of the "whyte tawers" or
tanners should give information at the Court then assembled. New Street
originally was entered from High Street, under an arched gateway, and
here was the Leather Hall (which was still in existence in Hutton's
time), where the "Sealers" performed their functions. It was taken down
when New Street was opened out, and though we have an extensive hide and
skin market now, we can hardly be said to possess a market for leather
other than the boot and shoe shops, the saddlers, &c.
~Lench's Trust.~--See "_Philanthropic Institutions_."
~Liberal Association.~--On Feb. 17, 1865, a meeting was held in the
committee room of the Town Hall for the purpose of forming an
organisation which should "unite all the Liberals of the town, and
provide them with a regular and efficient method of exercising a
_legitimate_ influence in favour of their political principles." The
outcome of this meeting was the birth of the now famous Liberal
"Caucus," and though the names of ten gentlemen were appended to the
advertisement calling the meeting, the honour of the paternity of the
Liberal bantling is generally given to Mr. William Harris. The governing
body of the association was fixed at two dozen, inclusive of the
president, vice, and secretary; all persons subscribing a shilling or
more per annum being eligible to become members. The "General
Committee," for some time known as the "Four Hundred," was enlarged in
1876 to Six Hundred, and in June, 1880, to Eight Hundred, the Executive
Committee, at the same time, being considerably increased. The recent
alteration in the franchise, and the division of the borough and
outskirts into seven electoral districts, has led to a reorganisation of
the Association, or Associations, for each of the seven divisions now
works by itself, though guided by a central Council.--A "Women's Liberal
Association" was founded in October, 1873, and a "Junior Liberal
Association" in October, 1878.
~Libraries.~--The first public or semi-public library founded in
Birmingham, was the Theological. In 1733 the Rev. William Higgs, first
Rector of St. Philip's, left his collection of 550 volumes, and a sum of
money, to found a library for the use of clergymen and students. The
books, many of which are rare, are kept in a building erected in 1792,
adjacent to the Rectory, and are accessible to all for whom the library
was designed.--A Circulating Library was opened in Colmore Row, in 1763,
and at one time there was a second-class institution of the kind at a
house up one of the courts in Dale End.--A "New Library" was opened in
Cannon Street, April 26, 1796, which was removed to Temple Row, in 1821,
and afterwards united to the Old Library. The latter was commenced in
1779, the first room for the convenience of members being opened in
1782, and the present building in Union Street, erected in 1798. The
report of the committee for the year 1882 showed that there were 772
proprietors, at 21s. per annum; 35 annual subscribers, at 31s. 6d. per
annum; 528 at 2ls.; 6 quarterly, at 9s. per quarter; 53 at 6s. per
quarter; 17 resident members of subscribers' families, at 10s. per
annum; and 118 resident members of subscribers' families (readers) at
5s. The total number of members was 1,479; the year's subscriptions
being £1,594. The price of shares has been raised from two to three
guineas during the past year. Receipts from shares, fines, &c., amounted
to about £480, making the amount actually received in 1882, £2,012 6s.
The expenditure had been £1,818 19s. 9d., inclusive of £60 carried to
the reserve fund, and £108 paid on account of the new catalogue; and
there remained a balance of £198 6s. 1d. in hand. £782 0s. 9d. had been
expended on the purchase of 1,560 additional books, re-binding others,
&c., making a total of about 50,000 volumes. The library needs
extension, but the shortness of the lease (thirty years only) and the
high value of the adjoining land prevents any step being taken in that
direction at present. The Birmingham Law Society's Library was founded
in February, 1831, by Mr. Arthur Ryland, and has now nearly 6,000
volumes of law works, law reports (English, Scotch, and Irish), local
and personal Acts, &c., &c. The present home in Wellington Passage was
opened August 2, 1876, being far more commodious than the old abode in
Waterloo-street, the "library" itself being a room 35ft. long, 22ft.
wide, and 20ft. high, with a gallery round it. There are several
extensive libraries connected with places of worship, such as the Church
of the Saviour, Edward Street, Severn Street Schools, the Friends'
Meeting House, &c. and a number of valuable collections in the hands of
some well-known connoisseurs, literati, and antiquarians, access to most
of which may be obtained on proper introduction.
~Libraries (The Free).~--The first attempt to found a Free Library in
this town was the holding of a public meeting in April, 1852, under the
provisions of the Museums and Libraries Act of 1850, which allowed of a
1/2d. rate being levied for the support of such institutions. Whether
the townsfolk were careless on the subject, or extra careful, and
therefore, doubtful of the sufficiency of the 1/2d. rate to provide
them, is not certain; but so little interest was shown in the matter
that only 534 persons voted for the adoption of the Act, while 363 voted
against it, and the question for the time was shelved, as the Act
required the assents to be two-thirds of the total votes given. In 1855
the Commissioner of patents presented to the town some 200 volumes,
conditionally that they should be kept in a _Free_ Library, and about
the same time another proposal was made to establish such a Library, but
to no effect. The Act was altered so that a penny rate could be made,
and in October, 1859, it was again suggested to try the burgesses. On
February 21, 1860, the meeting was held and the adoption of the Act
carried by a large majority. A committee of sixteen, eight members of
the Council, and eight out if it, was chosen, and in a short time their
work was shown by the transfer of 10,000 square feet of land belonging
to the Midland Institute, on which to erect a central library, the
preparations of plans therefor, the purchase of books, and (April 3,
1861) the opening of the first branch library and reading room in
Constitution Hill. Mr. E.M. Barry, the architect of the Midland
Institute, put in designs, including Art Gallery, but his figures were
too high, being £14,250 10s., the Town Council having only voted
£10,500. The plans of Mr. W. Martin, whose estimate was £12,000 were
adopted, the Council added £1,500, a loan for the cash was negotiated,
and building commenced by Messrs. Branson and Murray, whose tender to do
the work for £8,600 was accepted. Thirty-two applications for the chief
librarianship at £200 per annum were sent in, the chosen man being Mr.
J.D. Mullins, though he was not the one recommended by the Committee.
The Central Lending Library (with 10,000 volumes) and Reading-room, with
Art Gallery, was formally opened September 6, 1865, and the Reference
Library (then containing 18,200 volumes) October 26, 1866. In 1869, the
latter was much enlarged by the purchase of 604 square yards of land in
Edmund Street, and the total cost of the building came to £14,896. The
Branch Library at Adderley Park was opened January 11, 1864; that at
Deritend Oct. 2, 1866, and at Gosta Green Feb. 1, 1868. At the end of
1870, the total number of volumes in the whole of the Libraries was
56,764, of which 26,590 were in the Reference, and 12,595 in the Central
Lending Library. By 1877, the total number of volumes had reached
86,087, of which 46,520 were in the Reference, and 17,543 in the Central
Lending, the total number of borrowers being 8,947 at the Central, 4,188
at Constitution Hill, 3,002 at Deritend, 2,668 at Gosta Green, and 271
at Adderley Park. Meantime several new features in connection with the
Reference Library had appeared. A room had been fitted up and dedicated
to the reception of the "Shakespeare Memorial Library," presented April
23, 1864; the "Cervantes Library," presented by Mr. Bragge, was opened
on a similar date in 1873; the "Staunton Collection" purchased for
£2,400, (not half its value) was added Sept. 1, 1875, and very many
important additions had been made to the Art Gallery and incipient
Museum. For a long time, the Free Libraries' Committee had under
consideration the necessity of extending the building, by adding a wing,
which should be used not only as an Art Gallery, but also as an
Industrial Museum; the Art Gallery and its treasures being located in
that portion of the premises devoted to the Midland Institute, which was
found to be a very inconvenient arrangement. The subject came under the
notice of the Council on February 19th, 1878, when the committee
submitted plans of the proposed alterations. These included the erection
of a new block of buildings fronting Edmund Street, to consist of three
storeys. The Town Council approved the plans, and granted £11,000 to
defray the cost of the enlargement. About Midsummer the committee
proceeded to carry out the plans, and in order to do this it was
necessary to remove the old entrance hall and the flight of stairs which
led up to the Shakespeare Memorial Library and to the Reference Library,
and to make sundry other alterations of the buildings. The Library was
closed for several days, and in the meantime the walls, where the
entrances were, were pulled down and wooden partitions were run up
across the room, making each department of much smaller area than
before. In addition to this a boarded-in staircase was erected in Edmund
Street, by which persons were able to gain access to the Lending
Library, which is on the ground floor, and to the Reference Library,
which was immediately above. A similar staircase was made in
Ratcliff-place, near the cab stand, for the accommodation of the members
of the Midland Institute, who occupy the Paradise-street side of the
building. The space between the two staircases was boarded up, in order
to keep the public off the works during the alterations, and the
necessary gas supply pipes, &c., were located outside these wooden
partitions. The alterations were well advanced by Christmas, and
everything bade fair for an early and satisfactory completion of the
undertaking. The weather, however, was most severe, and now and then the
moisture in the gas-pipes exposed to the air became frozen. This
occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, January 11, 1879, and an employé
of the gas office lit a gas jet to thaw one of the pipes, A shaving was
blown by the wind across this light, it blazed; the flame caught other
shavings, which had been packed round the pipe to keep the frost out,
and in less than a minute the fire was inside, and in one hour the
Birmingham Reference Library was doomed to destruction. It was the
greatest loss the town had ever suffered, but a new building has arisen
on the site, and (with certain exceptions) it is hoped that a more
perfect and valuable Library will be gathered to fill it. In a few days
after the fire it was decided to ask the public at large for at least
£10,000 towards a new collection, and within a week £7,000 had been sent
in, the principal donors named in the list being--
£ s.
The Mayor (Mr. Jesse Collins). .. .. .. 100 0
Alderman Chamberlain, M.P. (as
Trustee of the late Mrs.
Chamberlain, Moor Green) .. .. .. .. 1000 0
Alderman Chamberlain, M.P. .. .. .. .. 500 0
Alderman Avery .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 500 0
Mr. John Jaffray.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 500 0
Mr. A. Follett Osler, F.R.S... .. .. .. 500 0
Mr. John Feeney .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 0
Mrs. Harrold .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 0
Mr. Timothy Kenrick .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 0
Mr. William Middlemore .. .. .. .. .. 250 0
A Friend .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 0
Mr. James Atkins.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 105 0
Lord Calthorpe .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 0
Lord Teynham.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 0
Mr. Thomas Gladstone.. .. .. .. .. .. 100 0
Messrs. William Tonks and Sons .. .. .. 100 0
Mr. W.A. Watkins.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 0
Mr. and Mrs. T. Scruton .. .. .. .. .. 75 0
Dr. Anthony .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 52 10
Mr. Oliver Pemberton.. .. .. .. .. .. 52 10
Alderman Baker .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Alderman Barrow .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Messrs. Cadbury Brothers.. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. J.H. Chamberlain.. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Alderman Deykin .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. T.S. Fallows.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. J.D. Goodman.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Councillor Johnson .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. William Martin .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Councillor Thomas Martineau .. .. .. .. 50 0
Councillor R.F. Martineau .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. Lawley Parker .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mrs. E. Phipson .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Messrs. Player Brothers .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. Walter Showell .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. Sam Timmins .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
The Rev. A.R. Vardy .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 0
Mr. J.S. Wright and Sons.. .. .. .. .. 50 0
In sums of £20, &c .. .. .. .. .. .. 480 5
In sums of £10, &c .. .. .. .. .. .. 247 2
In sums of £5, &c .. .. .. .. .. .. 169 5
Smaller amounts .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 8