Wart returned to England with his family, and commenced business in
Birmingham. He first occupied a house on the left-hand side of the
West Bromwich road, at Handsworth. The house, which is occupied by Mr.
T.R.T. Hodgson, is a stuccoed one, with its gable towards the road; it
stands near the "New Inn." After a short time he removed to the house
at the corner of Newhall Street and Great Charles Street, which was,
until recently, occupied by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
He afterwards bought a stone-built house in Icknield Street West. This
house stood on the right-hand side near the present Wesleyan Chapel.
It is now pulled down. In connection with this purchase, a curious
circumstance occurred. As already stated, Mr. Van Wart was born a few
days after England had acknowledged the independence of America. Those
few days made all the difference to him. Had his birth occurred a
month earlier, he would have been born a British subject. As it
was, he was an alien, and incapable of holding freehold property in
England. To get over this difficulty, he had to apply for, and obtain,
a special Act of Parliament to naturalise him. This having passed, he
was enabled to complete the purchase of the house, to which he soon
removed. Here his celebrated brother-in-law, Washington Irving, came
on a visit, and in this house the greater part of the "Sketch-book"
was written.
In 1814, the second American War was closed by treaty, and all the
world was at peace. Business on both sides of the Atlantic became
suddenly inflated, and there being at that time no restriction upon
the issue of bank notes, mercantile transactions, to enormous amounts,
were comparatively easy. Urged by American buyers, Mr. Van Wart
purchased very large quantities of Birmingham and other goods, which
he shipped to New York. In a very short time, however, a revulsion
came. Prices fell rapidly, in some cases to the extent of 50 per cent;
American houses by scores tottered and fell; the Irvings could not
weather the storm, and their fall brought down Mr. Van Wart.
As soon as he was honourably released from his difficulties, he
commenced another kind of business. He no longer sent his own goods
for sale abroad, but bought exclusively on commission for other
merchants. This business rapidly grew into one of the most extensive
and important in Birmingham; was continued by him until the day of his
death, and is still in active operation.
Having sold his house at Springfield to Mr. Barker, the Solicitor,
he removed to a house at the top of Newhall Hill, then quite in the
country: This house is still standing, but is incorporated with Mr.
Wiley's manufactory, and is entirely hidden from view by the lofty
buildings which have enclosed it. From here, about 1820, he removed
to Calthorpe Road, then newly formed, where he occupied a house--the
seventh, I think--on the left-hand from the Five Ways. From the back
windows of this house he could look across fields and meadows to
Moseley, there not being, with the exception of a few in the Bristol
Road, a house or other building visible. Here Washington Irving was
almost a constant visitor. Here "Bracebridge Hall"--the original of
which was Aston Hall--was written, and in this house some of the most
delightful letters published in Irving's biography were penned. After
a few years, Mr. Van Wart finally removed to "The Shrubbery" in Hagley
Road, where he continued to reside until his death.
After the death of his excellent wife, which occurred in 1848, he went
on a long visit to America, and while there narrowly escaped death. He
was proceeding from Boston to New York, up Long Island Sound, when a
storm arose, and the vessel was wrecked upon the Connecticut shore.
She lay some fifty yards from the land; some of the passengers got
on shore something as St. Paul did upon the island of Melita. Mr. Van
Wart, deeming it safer to hold to the wreck, remained until he was
getting benumbed, and feared losing the use of his limbs. Letting
himself down into the water, he paddled and swam amongst the broken
stuff from the ship until he reached the shore. He was, however, too
much exhausted to get upon the land, but some one, who had observed
his struggles, dragged him, quite insensible, from the water. He was
carried on men's backs some half a mile, to a farm house, where he was
hospitably treated, and nursed until he recovered.
The character of a man who had so little of the "light and shade"
of average humanity, and the placid current of whose life seemed
so unrippled, offers none of those strong contrasts, and subtle
peculiarities, which render the analysis of more stormy and unequal
minds comparatively easy. His frank and open speech; the kindly grasp
of his hand; his ever-ready ear for tales of trouble or difficulty;
the wise counsel, which was never withheld; the general bland and
suave manner; the pleasant smile, and his remarkably genial, hearty
greeting, will be long remembered, and they make it difficult to say
anything of him, except in panegyric.
There is one point, however, on which a word or two may be said, as I
think he has been somewhat misunderstood. It has been said of him that
he was "incapable of strong friendly attachments." I am of opinion
that this impression may have been caused by his very genial manner
and hearty bearing. These may have led some to think that he felt
towards them as a friend in the highest sense, while _he_ looked
upon _them_ merely as acquaintances. His friendliness was general and
diffusive, and certainly was not concentrated upon one or two objects,
as is the case sometimes with intenser natures. That he _was_ capable
of lasting friendship, however, one little circumstance will show. Mr.
S.D. Williams, of the Reservoir Road, one of the most intellectual men
of whom Birmingham could boast, was an invalid for a very long time
before his death, and, I believe, had not been outside his own gates
for nearly thirty years. During the whole of that long time, up to
within a few weeks of his death, Mr. Van Wart never missed paying him
a visit every Saturday evening. On these occasions they invariably
played whist, a game of which Mr. Van Wart, being a particularly
skilful player, was remarkably fond. His punctuality in this matter
was something remarkable; at eight o'clock to the minute he arrived,
and at five minutes to twelve exactly his coachman brought the
carriage to take his master home.
As a merchant, he was intelligent, sagacious, straight-forward,
methodical, and strictly honourable; and his cordial manner made him
a universal favourite both among manufacturers and customers. He was
much beloved by his clerks and assistants, many of whom grew gray
in his service. He was American Vice-Consul for a time, but from his
first coming to England does not seem to have taken any great interest
in American politics. During the Civil War in the States, although his
sympathies were altogether with the North, he took no public part in
the dispute, standing in strong contrast to his countryman and fellow
townsman, Mr. Goddard, who wrote voluminously, and whose writings had
a very marked effect upon the public opinion of England on that great
question. As an English politician, Mr. Van Wart was neither very
active nor very ardent. He was a Liberal, but inclined to Whig views.
He opposed Mr. Bright in his first contested election for Birmingham,
but there is reason for thinking he regretted it afterwards.
When the town was incorporated, in 1838, he was chosen to be one of
the Councillors for Edgbaston Ward, and on the first meeting of the
Council, was elected Alderman, an office he held for twenty years.
He might have been Mayor at any time, but he invariably declined that
honour. He was one of the first creation of Borough Magistrates, and
he conscientiously fulfilled the duties of that office until near his
end, when increasing deafness rendered him incapable.
In private life he was greatly beloved. Those who had the pleasure of
the acquaintance of Mrs. Van Wart say that he always treated her with
remarkable deference and consideration, "as if she were a superior
being." His intercourse with his gifted brother-in-law, Washington
Irving, seems to have been of the most close and affectionate
character. His presence at an evening party was always greeted with
a hearty welcome, up to the latest period of his life; and it was
pleasant to see, when he was verging upon his 90th year, how
young ladies seemed as desirous to meet his kindly glance as their
great-grandmothers may have been sixty years before.
Up to a year or two before his death, his robust constitution;
his quiet, regular habits; his equanimity of disposition, and his
temperate method of life, preserved his strength and vigour almost
unimpaired. Few can forget his hale and hearty presence, as he strode
along the streets of Birmingham; his peculiar walk--the strange jerky
spring of the hinder foot, and the heavy planting of the front, as
if he were striking the earth with a powerful blow--marking his
individuality, whilst the pleasant kindly smile of greeting, and the
full firm tones of his manly voice, gave evidence of vigour very rare
in a man of his age. Even to the last his strength seemed unimpaired,
and he succumbed to a chance attack of bronchitis, but for which his
constitution seemed to possess sufficient stamina to have made him a
centenarian. He died at his residence on the 15th of February, 1873,
being then in his 90th year.
He was a well-informed man, and had a most retentive memory. He had
a great fund of quiet humour, and could tell a good story better than
most men. He was a good judge of character, and, as a magistrate,
could distinguish between what was radically bad in a prisoner, and
the crime which was the outcome of want and wretchedness. During
his long Birmingham life of nearly seventy years, he was universally
respected, and when he descended into the grave it may be said that
there was no one who could say of him an unkindly word.
He was mainly instrumental in the establishment of the Birmingham
Exchange, the idea of which originated with Mr. Edwin Lander. He
exerted himself greatly in the establishment of the company which
erected the buildings, and he was its chairman until his death.
The members of this institution, to mark their sense of his worth,
commissioned Mr. Munns to paint his portrait; and if any reader is
desirous to see the "counterfeit presentment" of what Henry Van Wart
was, he has only to enter the principal hall of the Exchange, where
he will find a full-length portrait, at 87 years of age, of a man who,
more than any other I have known, was entitled to--
"The grand old name of _Gentleman_."
CHARLES SHAW, J.P., &c.
Just before the Great Western Railway Company began the construction
of their line from Oxford to Birmingham, I was passing down Great
Charles Street one afternoon, when my attention was attracted by some
unusual bustle. Near the spot where the hideous railway bridge now
disfigures the street, there was a row of carts and vans backed up to
the curbstone of the pavement on the left. From a passage by the side
of a large square brick-built house some brokers' men were bringing a
variety of dingy stools, desks, shelves, counters, and other odds and
ends of office furniture. Near the front door of the house, stood,
looking on, a well-dressed, stout-built, florid-complexioned man, of
middle height, and, apparently, of middle age. As I slackened my pace
to observe more intently the operations of the brokers' men, this
gentleman approached me, and in courteous tones, and as if appealing
to me for sympathy, said, "You can't imagine the pain these
proceedings are giving me; I was born in this house more than fifty
years ago; I have never been away from it long together; I've been
familiar, all my life, with the 'things' they are carting away, and
to see the old place stripped in this way, hurts me as much as if I
were having one of my limbs cut off." As he spoke, his voice became
tremulous, and tears--actual tears--rolled down his cheeks. I was
amazed; I was completely thunder-struck. The man who thus spoke, and
who then shed tears, was, of all men in the world, the very last I
should have thought capable of a tender emotion, or of a sentimental
feeling about a lot of worn-out stools and tables. He was generally
considered to be the _hardest_ man in Birmingham, and that this man
should be capable of sentimentalism, even to tears, was a mystery to
me then, and will be a surprise to most of those who only knew the man
superficially. He was no other than Charles--or, as he was universally
called, "Charley"--Shaw. The railway company, requiring the site of
his business premises for the construction of their line, had bought
the place, and an auction sale that day had disposed of the well-worn
effects that were being carted away.
Probably no Birmingham man occupying a prominent position, was ever
so unpopular as Charles Shaw. He was generally disliked and
somewhat dreaded. He was unscrupulous and regardless of truth,
where truthfulness and his interests were antagonistic. His manners,
frequently, went far beyond the limit of decent behaviour. I hope,
however, spite of his many failings, to show, in the course of this
sketch, that he had many redeeming qualities; that he was a most
useful citizen; and that he was not altogether so black as he was
painted.
He certainly was a strange mixture of good and bad qualities. He
seemed to be made up altogether of opposites. He was very bitter
against any one who had offended him, yet he was not permanently
vindictive. He was grasping in business, yet he was not ungenerous.
He was a most implacable enemy, yes he was capable of warm and most
disinterested friendship. He could descend to trickery in dealing,
yet as a magistrate he had a high and most inflexible ideal of
honour, honesty, and rectitude. He could be coarse in his conduct and
demeanour, and yet he could occasionally be as courteous and dignified
as the most polished gentleman. He was overbearing where he felt he
was safe, yet where he was met by courage and firmness he yielded
quietly and quickly.
My own introduction, and subsequent acquaintance, were strangely
characteristic of the peculiarly antithetic nature of the man. They
began in ill-temper, and resulted in commercial relations of a most
friendly nature, extending over many years, without a second unkindly
word. The first time I saw him occurred one day when I was making a
round of calls upon the merchants of the town, to exhibit a case of
samples of goods of my own manufacture, and I called upon Mr. Shaw.
Going up the passage I have mentioned above, and climbing a rickety
stair, I found myself in a room containing a couple of clerks. Upon
my inquiring for Mr. Shaw, one of them went into another room to
fetch him, and I took the opportunity to note the peculiarities of the
place. It was a long room with a sloping ceiling; there were two or
three very old, ink-stained, worm-eaten desks; a dingy map hung here
and there, and a few shelves and wooden presses were arranged upon the
walls. The place had been whitewashed once, no doubt, but the colour
was now about the same as that of a macadamised road, and the whole
place seemed dirty and neglected.
Presently Mr. Shaw appeared. I had heard his character pretty freely
discussed, and I was prepared for a rough reception. He looked at my
samples, and inquired very minutely into the prices of each. As to one
article, which I quoted to him at fifteen shillings the gross, I said
that in that particular item I believed my price was lower than that
of any other maker. He said nothing, but left me, went back to his
private office, returned with a file of papers, and selecting one,
addressed me in angry tones, saying, "Now, just to show you what a
_blessed_ fool you are, you shall see an invoice of those very goods,
which I have just bought at fourteen shillings." I was mistaken, that
was very clear; but I said, "It appears that I am wrong as to those,
but here are other goods which no one but myself is making; can we do
business in these?" This put him in a violent rage, for he stormed as
he said, "No! You've made a _consummate_ fool of yourself by making
such a stupid remark. I've no confidence in you; and where I've no
confidence I'll never do business." By this time I was getting a
little warm myself, and as I fastened up my case of patterns, I said,
"I hope, Mr. Shaw, that the want of your confidence won't be the death
of me. I always heard you were a queer fellow; but if you generally
treat people who call upon you on business in the way you have treated
me, I'm not at all surprised at the name you have in the town." He
looked at me furiously; came two or three strides towards me, as if he
would strike me; but, stopping suddenly, said, "I think you'd better
be off." "I quite agree with you, sir," I replied; "it's no use my
stopping here to be insulted." Upon this he returned to his private
office; the two clerks, who, during the "shindy," had been intently
searching inside their desks for something they had lost, now put down
the lids, and, looking at each other, grinned and tittered openly,
while I, to their intense relief, took up my hat and departed.
Two or three weeks subsequently, I had completed an article in my
business which was strikingly novel, and I went out to show a sample
of it to my customers. Passing Mr. Shaw's warehouse, the thought
occurred to me that it would be good fun to call upon him again, and
I accordingly soon found myself on the scene of the former interview.
Mr. Shaw was there, and to my bold greeting, "Good morning, Mr. Shaw,"
made a sulky-sounding acknowledgment. I went on--"I was here the other
day, and you told me you had no confidence in me; but I've plenty of
confidence in myself, and so I've come again." This seemed to amuse
him, and he asked, "Well, what is it?" I then showed him the sample
article, and told him the price was thirty-six shillings the gross. He
looked at it attentively, and said, "H'm! Costs you about eighteen." I
was in a bantering humour, and I replied, "No, I don't think it costs
me more than twelve; but I don't mean to sell any under thirty-six."
"Well," said he, "it's a very good thing. Send me ten gross." From
that moment we were excellent friends; I did business with him for
many years, and our intercourse was always warm and friendly.
Mr. Shaw's father was originally a working maker of currycombs, an
article, before his day, entirely made by hand. In conjunction with
his brother, he invented and took out a patent for cutting out and
shaping the various parts by machinery, and so producing the entire
article much more cheaply than before. It was a great success; they
readily sold as many as they could produce, and their profit was
enormous; it has been estimated by a competent judge to have been as
high as two hundred per cent. They soon became rich, and established
themselves as home and foreign merchants, and when they died, left,
for that period, very large fortunes. They were both men of ability,
but of no education, and they retained to the last the coarse, habits
of their early life. Mr. Charles Shaw, the subject of this sketch,
was brought up in the factory, his daily associates being the working
people of the place. Having himself no _innate_ refinement, the want
of good examples, and the prevalence of bad ones, at this period of
his life, had a permanent effect upon his habits and manners, which
in all his after prosperity he could never shake off. Had he been
liberally educated, and in early life had associated with gentlemen,
he might have risen to be one of the leading men of the nation. He had
enormous energy and great powers of steady, plodding perseverance. He
had great influence over others, and his disposition, and capability
to lead and to command, were sufficient, had they been properly
trained and directed, to have carried him to a front rank in life. His
early disadvantages prevented him from becoming other than a "local"
celebrity; but, even circumscribed as he was, he was a very remarkable
instance of the combined effects of energy and method. He amassed a
very large fortune, and left in full and active operation several very
important trading concerns. Besides his various branches of foreign
commerce, he was a manufacturer of currycombs, iron and brass
candlesticks, frying pans, fenders, cast and cut nails, and various
other goods; and, upon the whole, he may be said to have been the most
active and efficient merchant and manufacturer, of his generation, in
the Midland Counties.
In politics he was one of the very last of the old school of Tories,
and he occasionally acted as a leader of his party in the town. His
extreme opinions, and his blunt speech in relation to these matters,
frequently got him into "hot water." He was not a "newspaper
politician," for, singularly enough, he was rarely seen to look at
a newspaper, even at the news-room (then standing on the site now
occupied by the Inland Revenue Offices, on Bennetts Hill), which he
regularly frequented. Upon political topics, I am not aware that he
ever wrote a single line for publication in his whole life.
Mr. Shaw was very generous to people for whom he had a liking. He
has assisted many scores of struggling men with heavy sums, on loan,
merely out of friendship. I happen to know of one case where he, for
fifteen or twenty years, continuously assisted a brother merchant, to
the tune of L10,000 to L15,000, on merely nominal security, for which
assistance he, for the most part, charged nothing whatever.
In the great panic of 1837, Mr. Shaw, singly, saved the country from
ruin and disaster. At the time when the panic was at its height, and
the tension was as great as the country could bear, it became known
to a few that one of the great financial houses in Liverpool was
in extremities. They had accepted on American account to enormous
amounts, and no remittances were forthcoming. One Birmingham bank
alone held L90,000 worth of their paper, and acceptances to enormous
amounts were held in London, and in every manufacturing centre in
England, Ireland, and Scotland. Application had been made to the Bank
of England for assistance, to the amount of a million and a quarter,
and had been refused. Ruin seemed imminent, not only to the house
itself, but to the whole country. The calamities of 1825 seemed about
to be repeated, and alarm was universal. Mr. Shaw took up the matter
with his usual skill and wonderful energy. He went to London, and
had three interviews with the Governor of the Bank of England and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer--Mr. Francis Baring--in one day. He told
them that they had no choice; that they _must_ grant the required
relief; that to refuse would be equivalent to a revolution, and would
involve national loss to probably fifty times the amount now required.
He undertook to obtain security to a large amount in Birmingham alone.
Only the other day I had in my hand a bill for L8,000, given by one
Birmingham merchant, as a portion of this security. He succeeded. The
relief was granted. The house recovered its position, and still holds
on its prosperous way; but, except the consciousness of well-doing,
Mr. Shaw had no reward. The pecuniary value of his services to his
country in this extremity it is impossible to estimate; it is enough
to say here that they out-weighed, and cast into the shade, his many
personal faults and weaknesses. I have always thought, and still
think, that the Government ought at least to have knighted him, as
only a very slight acknowledgment of the invaluable and peculiar
service he had rendered to the nation.