December 1st, 1851. This new company gave public notice of their
intention to apply to Parliament for a Bill to give to a large portion
of South Staffordshire, together with the town of Dudley, a better
supply of water. After considerable opposition they succeeded in
obtaining the Bill in the main, and from that time our water supply has
been given by that now very enlarged company.
March 2nd, 1852. Married Miss Cresswell, of the Priory Home, to Mr.
John Beddard, Nail Factor and Iron Merchant.
_Church Rates_ becoming yearly more deservedly unpopular, not only
in Dudley but in the country at large, on March 24th, 1852, a severe
contest took place this day in St. Edmund's district parish, betwixt
the Church party and the Dissenters. A Church Rate of _5d. in the
pound_ was proposed by the Churchwardens, and 1d. in the pound by the
Dissenters; the result of the parish poll was--
For a 5d. Church Rate, 112 votes
" 1d. " 76 "
----
Majority, 36 "
April 10th, 1852. St. Thomas' parish was also most vigorously and
successfully assailed against Church Rates, and, as the parish contains
some of our large manufactures, it was at first doubtful which way
a poll would terminate; but when it became known that Messrs. A. B.
Cochrane and Samuel K. Blackwell were decidedly turned against the
future imposition of the obnoxious Church Rates, it became a foregone
conclusion that the Church party would lose the day, and be left to
provide for Mother Church as well as they could.
The following hearty appeals were made to the ratepayers at this
memorable Dudley fight for Mr. Samuel Cook's innate principles of civil
and religious freedom:--