the people of Birmingham, to permit of their viewing with much
satisfaction any arguments of a very peaceable character. The general
violence of their tone produced apprehensions among the authorities that
mischief might be anticipated; and unhappily their fears were realised
in a manner as dangerous as it was destructive.
The undisguised and inflammatory language used by many of the Chartist
leaders, rendered it necessary that the magistrates should take steps to
prevent the increase of the popular irritation, by removing from the
power of doing mischief some of those who were its chief exciters. A
body of persons had assembled in London, who were styled "The
Convention," and who were delegates from various parts of the country,
charged to exert themselves to procure the adoption of their favourite
Charter by the legislature; and when the sittings of this mock
parliament--for it assumed the character and method of business of the
House of Commons--ceased, its members dispersed themselves through the
country, haranguing their "constituents" upon the subject of their
labours, and engaging them to new exertions to secure the object which
they all had in view.
Some arrests were made of persons, the violence of whose language had
marked them as objects of public notice, and this served for a time to
check the violence of the proceedings of the supporters of the
principles of the Charter; but during the ensuing month it appeared as
if the flame of sedition was smouldering only to burst forth with
renewed vigour. In July new excitement was created. Meetings were
frequently held, both at the Bull-ring and at Holloway-head, by the
Chartists; and on the 4th of that month, a serious disturbance occurred
at the former place.
For the better security of the town, a body of about ninety of the
metropolitan police force had been despatched to Birmingham, under the
orders of Superintendant May. On the day in question an unusually large
meeting was held at the spot pointed out, when banners and flags,
bearing mottoes and other insignia, were displayed. Speeches were made,
in which the most inflammatory language was employed; but, in the midst
of the meeting, the London police, who had marched direct from the
railway-train to the Bull-ring, presented themselves, and required the
dispersion of the crowd. The order was peremptorily given, but no
effort was made to obey it, and force was resorted to, to clear the spot
of its present occupants. The mob resisted with success, for although
the police were a well organised body, and most determined in their
efforts, the number of Chartists to whom they were opposed, and their
evident preparation to meet any attack which might be made, led to their
temporary defeat. For about ten minutes the conflict was dreadful, and
individuals on both sides sustained severe and dangerous injuries. The
police were driven back into Moor-street, and, for a time, an attack on
the prison by the mob was apprehended. Fortunately, however, the 4th
Royal Irish Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Chatterton, and accompanied
by Mr. Scholefield, the mayor, arrived in time to afford assistance to
the civil authorities, and to prevent the riot proceeding to any more
dangerous lengths. The dragoons were soon aided by the Rifle Brigade,
and their formidable appearance quickly inspired alarm where confidence
the moment before had been displayed. The mob quickly took to flight,
but to proceed only to Holloway-head, where a new meeting was held. Here
Dr. Taylor and others addressed them, exhorting them to abstain from
violence; but, in spite of the exertions of these persons, they
committed some acts of serious mischief. During this riot no fewer than
seventeen persons were taken into custody, and many of these were proved
to have been implicated in the disgraceful proceedings of the evening.
The events of this day were not calculated to produce tranquillity, and
during the remainder of the week Birmingham was in a state of high
excitement. On the following Monday a crowd again assembled in the
Bull-ring, rather from curiosity, however, than any other cause; but
upon the police attempting to disperse them, they obstinately and
pertinaciously refused to retire. The resistance to authority appeared
to be mainly attributable to their dislike for the police, and the
members of that body adopted a course of violence in order to procure
obedience to their directions, that the mob should move on, not likely
to increase their popularity. Blows were resorted to, and, in some
instances, considerable injuries were inflicted upon individuals, and
threats of violence in return were not unfrequently heard; but, by dint
of perseverance, the officers succeeded in the course of the evening in
pushing their way as far as John-street on one hand, and Holloway-head
on the other, and thus procuring the observance of peace; but in the
course of their exertions much violence, though perhaps it was not
unnecessary, appeared to be done to the feelings as well as the persons
of the people.
On Tuesday the town resumed its wonted appearance, and but for the
presence of the London police, and the business-like manner of the
magistrates, who were observed to be actively engaged in the execution
of their duty, there would have been observed but slight evidence of the
late commotions; and the peace of the town being on Wednesday and
Thursday (as it was supposed) firmly re-established, fifty of the police
on the latter day returned to London.
On Thursday evening an address was posted on the walls of the town from
Mr. T. Attwood, M.P., which enjoined the maintenance of "Peace, law, and
order," and in which the honourable gentleman announced, among other
things, that he had fixed Friday the 12th of July instant, for bringing
the national petition under the notice of Parliament.
To the consideration of this question all eyes seemed now to be turned;
but on the appointed night, the motion of Mr. Attwood that the petition
should be considered by a committee of the whole house was negatived, by
a majority of two hundred and thirty-five to forty-six.
The following Monday witnessed the renewal of the excitement at
Birmingham, and the enactment of the most disgraceful scenes of riot and
plunder in that town. In the morning a meeting was held at
Holloway-head, but it proved a failure; and a second meeting was called
for the evening. This was most numerously attended, but at its breaking
up, a very large number of persons proceeded to the Bull-ring, while
others branched off on the road towards Warwick, by which it was
expected that Messrs. Lovett and Collins, who had been sent to Warwick
jail, in default of bail, on a charge of publishing a seditious libel,
on the 6th of July, in the shape of resolutions condemnatory of the
conduct of the police on the 4th of that month, and who were expected to
be set at liberty on that night, would arrive at Birmingham. Between
seven and eight o'clock the mob in the Bull-ring increased very
considerably, and the police, limited in number as they were, received
orders to procure its dispersion. Having met with some resistance, they
were compelled to resort to violence, and they wounded three men
somewhat severely; but now in order to avoid all further cause for
irritation, they were recalled into the yard of the police-office, out
of the sight of the mob, in the hope that the people would ere long
separate. This most desirable effect, however, was not produced, but the
crowd soon exhibited symptoms of tumult, and commenced breaking the
windows of the police-office, and throwing stones into the yard where
the police were drawn up.
At half-past eight the riot may be said to have actually commenced. The
mob at that hour began an attack upon all the lamps in High-street, and
Spiceall-street, and this was immediately followed by a furious assault
upon the windows of the houses there, and then upon the houses
themselves. An entrance was attempted to be forced into many of them;
but the infuriated crowd finding the weapons which they possessed (clubs
and sticks) insufficient to enable them to effect this object, turned to
procure others of a more formidable character. These were speedily
afforded by the palisades surrounding the Nelson Monument, in the midst
of the Bull-ring, which were speedily wrenched from their mortices, and
thus armed they proceeded to the work of destruction. In an incredibly
short space of time they had forced their way into the house of Messrs.
Bourne, tea-dealers, whose premises were situated at the corner of the
Bull-ring, and Moor-street, and extended to a frontage of twenty feet in
the former, and sixty feet in the latter. The shutters and doors having
yielded to their attack, they were immediately torn down,--the
warehouses were entered and pillaged, and their contents thrown into the
street. At five minutes past nine, so rapidly did they complete their
dreadful designs, they turned to the premises of Mr. Leggett, an
upholsterer, which in like manner they sacked, carrying from it, among
other things, large rolls of bed-ticking, which was speedily spread,
like a carpet, over the whole area of the space on which they were
assembled. At a quarter-past nine, a shout was raised that they should
extinguish the lamps, and speedily the mob ascended every lamp-post, and
turned off the gas, and darkness added her powers to increase the
horrors of the night.
[Illustration: _Birmingham Riots._
_P. 505._]
At this period the inhabitants of the vicinity were engaged in removing
their families, and such of their property as they could conveniently
carry; for the fury of the mob would evidently call for still further
mischief, before it was satiated. The houses of Mr. Murcott, a
cheesemonger; Mr. Dakin, a tea-dealer; Mr. Horton, a silversmith; and
Mr. Parkes, a tobacconist, were in succession assailed, and the windows
of the shop of the last-named individual were actually battered in with
silver candlesticks, removed from the shelves of Mr. Horton. The
bed-ticking which had been spread over the Bull-ring, was now collected
in a heap, and, as if to afford light to the diabolical marauders, was
set on fire.
Simultaneously with these proceedings another party of rioters had been
engaged in like acts of determined violence. By these the houses of Mr.
Allen, a biscuit-baker, Mr. Perkins, brushmaker, who was the headborough
of Birmingham; Mr. Arnold, pork-butcher; Mr. Pounteney, grocer; Mr.
Heath, cheesemonger; Mr. Walton, butcher; Mr. Fincher, leather-seller;
Mr. Bliss, (the Spread Eagle,) a person who had never rendered himself
obnoxious; Mrs. Martyns, cutler; Mr. Banks, druggist; and Mr. Gooden,
(the Nelson Inn,) were successively attacked, and more or less injured
and pillaged. The mob were about to visit the house of Mr. Wainwright,
liquor-merchant, with the same species of violence, when, however, their
respect for his articles of traffic seemed to overcome their
determination, and a cry of "No! no!" was instantly raised, and obeyed.
The shout of "Fire!" was now heard, and scarcely had the idea been
expressed when numbers of the rioters were seen carrying heaps of the
burning materials from the streets into the houses of Messrs. Leggett
and Bourne. Within a quarter of an hour the flames burst forth with
awful violence amidst the hellish yells of the rabble. The police nor
the soldiery had appeared, and the astonishment of the peaceful
witnesses to these dreadful scenes at the apparent supineness of the
magistracy, may be easily appreciated. The alarm of fire was speedily
conveyed through the town, and an engine now drove into the Bull-ring,
but the threats of violence of the crowd compelled the firemen to lash
their horses and escape from the dreadful scene of confusion into which
they had intruded themselves. New efforts were then made by the mob to
carry the fire to other houses, but by good fortune they were
unavailing, and before they could secure their object the whole body of
metropolitan police in the town, under the orders of Mr. Superintendant
May, rushed upon them armed with sabres. This was at a quarter before
ten, and thus for nearly an hour and a half had the town been left to
the unchecked violence of a furious mob. The abject fear with which they
instantly fled upon the appearance now of resistance to their further
mischievous designs, showed the ease with which their previous
proceedings might have been stayed. They were pursued by the police only
to a short distance, and then this body returned to the late scene of
action, in order to procure the extinguishment of the flames which were
still reigning with unabated violence in the houses which had been the
objects of the fury of the mob. The appearance of bodies of dragoons
marching towards the Bull-ring through Moor-street and High-street
served to complete the rout; and the immediate advance of three hundred
of the Rifle Brigade, at once dispelled all apprehension of future
danger.
While a portion of the troops remained in the Bull-ring to aid the
firemen who had now again arrived with several engines, in preventing
the further spread of the conflagration, the rest proceeded to scour
the neighbouring streets, and to clear them of the crowds of people by
which they were still occupied. This they did in excellent style, and by
a few minutes after ten o'clock there were few of the people to be seen
in the vicinity of the Bull-ring. The flames at this time were bursting
from every part of the burning houses, presenting a spectacle of awful
grandeur. At about eleven o'clock the roof of Mr. Bourne's house fell
in, and by midnight that of Messrs. Leggett had shared the same fate.
The engines continued playing upon the ruins until a late hour, so as to
avoid the possibility of a renewal of the danger.
During the night the police made many prisoners who were charged with
having been parties to the riot.
Throughout the whole of Tuesday the Bull-ring presented an appearance of
desolation which was much increased by the stillness which prevailed.
The whole town was pervaded by a similar gloom; and few shops, except
those in the outskirts, were open. As night approached, the streets
began to exhibit their usual feverish aspect; and, according to an
announcement which had been made, between seven and eight o'clock a
meeting was held at Holloway-head, which was attended by considerable
numbers. Loud complaints were to be heard escaping from many of the
persons present as to the treatment which they had experienced on the
previous night from the police, and threats of vengeance were held out.
Others pointed out the means of revenge by suggesting the seizure of the
cannon in the barrack-yard; but at about eight o'clock the whole party
was suddenly put to flight by the appearance of a troop of dragoons and
yeomanry advancing towards the spot where the meeting was held. At first
a few hisses and groans escaped them, but presently the advance of the
soldiers induced them to give way, and then they were finally entirely
put to rout by the riflemen, who scoured all the neighbouring streets,
many of the more refractory of the malcontents receiving some slight
wounds in the violence of their opposition to the authority of the law.
The soldiers soon afterwards returned to the town, and charge of the
streets was then given up to the special constables, who had been sworn
in in great numbers during the day, and the police. Parties of the
military, however, were posted at Holloway-head and the Bull-ring, at
each of which places a cannon was placed with a view to awe the people,
and to show the determination of the authorities that any new act of
aggression should be received with becoming firmness.
On Wednesday, the town seemed to be again restored to quietude, but the
military and constabulary were still on the alert.
During the week many persons were committed to Warwick jail to stand
their trial for having been parties to the riots, and for having
committed depredations in the houses which they had ransacked: but we
shall hereafter refer to the particular cases of these individuals.
With regard to the precise and immediate cause of these distressing
riots, many suggestions were thrown out, without, however, doing more
than showing them to have arisen from a general and undefinable feeling
of discontent, increased perhaps by the supposed harshness of the
conduct of the police-force. The correspondent of a morning newspaper,
who appears to have made assiduous inquiries upon the spot upon the
subject, thus sensibly describes the result of the information which he
was able to obtain. He says,--'The more opportunities that I have of
conversation with different parties, and different classes of persons
in this town, the more thoroughly am I convinced that the social
condition of the people is disorganised, and that the worst feelings,
consistent with the stability and safety of property, prevail. There is
a bitter and almost universal feeling of hatred amongst the operative
classes against employers, or those who are apparently raised above the
pressing wants and necessities of life. This is the feeling which has
been conveyed to me, not only by bankers and the richest merchants with
whom I have conversed, but it is confirmed to the letter even by
employers whose means are so humble that they toil as hard as the very
workmen to whom they pay wages. One of the latter class of employers
said to me, that what the operatives want is, 'to make every one as poor
as themselves,' to drag all down to their own level, in order that all
may feel how great are the evils of poverty. The general spread of such
a feeling was ascribed by this person to the speeches of the Chartist
leaders, to the doctrines of political economy (if they can be called
so) which they now preach, and to the incitements which they have held
out for the working classes to arm themselves. In this respect it is
plain that great pains have been taken to accustom the minds of the
populace to consider the best means of fighting with the regular
soldiers, and the most suitable means of destroying them.
"Having stated what is the description given to me of the feeling and
condition of the operatives, I next endeavoured to ascertain what were
the notions of the operatives themselves; and I may say that to my
questions, I received but one answer, namely--that it was a shame to
bring the London police amongst them; that the police had acted very
badly; that they attacked them without telling them to disperse; that
many innocent men, some bringing home their work to their employers,
were struck down by the police; and that in short the town would never
be quiet again until the London police were sent away."
With reference to the number of persons engaged in the riot, the same
writer declared his impression, that no more than two hundred
individuals were actually employed in those scenes of disorder which we
have described. Hundreds looked on without attempting to check the
progress of the events which they were witnessing, exhibiting perhaps
feelings of satisfaction rather than regret, at seeing, as they
supposed, the wealthy shopkeepers reduced to the level of poverty of
themselves; but the persons who were actively engaged did not exceed the
number mentioned. The checking of the riot, according to the same
authority, would have been of easy accomplishment, for the greater
proportion of the mischief was commenced by parties of two and three,
who were not joined by any others until it was perceived that the attack
was successful. Had the inhabitants joined to repel these assaults upon
their property, much of the mischief might have been prevented, and
still more so if the military and police forces had been brought into
operation at the commencement of the proceedings.
The conduct of the magistrates almost immediately became the object of
attack and animadversion; and memorials were presented to the government
that it might be made the subject of investigation. Mr. Dundas, a
barrister, was subsequently appointed to undertake the task of inquiring
into the grounds of complaint made, and we subjoin extracts of the
report which he presented upon the subject to the Marquis of Normanby,
Secretary of State for the Home Department. Having stated the nature of
the memorial presented to the government, in which it was alleged, that
"on the evening of the 15th of July, from half-past eight to a quarter
before ten o'clock, the mayor and magistrates failed in their duty, by
leaving the property and lives of the citizens unprotected to the
violence of an organised mob, although full and authenticated
information had been early given to the mayor and magistrates of the
borough of the intentions and plans of the rioters," he proceeded to
detail the mode in which he had carried on the investigation, and then
he said,--
"I have now the honour to transmit to your lordship the short-hand
writer's notes of the evidence, together with my opinion on the points
submitted to me.
"It appeared on the inquiry, that for several weeks before the day in
question, that is to say, before Monday, the 15th of July last, Chartist
meetings, at times consisting of many hundred persons, were frequently
held in Birmingham and the immediate neighbourhood. These meetings,
although calculated to alarm the peaceable inhabitants of the place, for
the most part passed off quietly; but some of them, and especially a
meeting held on the 4th of July, it was necessary to put down by the
military in aid of the civil power. To preserve the peace thus
disturbed, the Birmingham police was altogether inadequate, a few
constables and street-keepers being the whole force of the borough; but
between the 10th of May and the day in question, upwards of two thousand
special constables were sworn in, ward and section leaders appointed,
and instructions furnished them from the public-office for organising
and effectually employing the men in time of need. For additional
security, two detachments of the metropolitan police were sent from
London on the 4th and 5th of July; and though forty had returned in a
few days after, the rest (about fifty) remained at Birmingham, and on
the day in question were stationed at the public-office under Mr. May,
an active superintendant of the force.
"The usual course of the public-office was for some of the magistrates
to give daily attendance there from about eleven in the forenoon to
three or four in the afternoon, for the despatch of business; but it
appeared that for some time before the day in question not only were
they there in the day-time, but that some of them staid to a late hour
at night.
"The officer in command at the barracks (three-quarters of a mile off)
used to call twice a-day at the office, to communicate with the mayor on
the state of the peace of the town; nor should it be omitted, that an
excellent understanding was kept up between the civil and military
authorities, and that on every occasion when the soldiers had been
called upon to act in aid of the civil power, the assistance required
was both promptly and efficiently given.
"Some of the magistrates resided in the town; Dr. Booth's house, for
instance, was about six minutes' walk from the public-office; the mayor
and some others lived in the suburbs; while the houses of a few were
still further off; George Redford, the prison keeper, lived at the
public-office--a well-known, confidential, and intelligent man of
business.
"Such was, in general, the state of things at Birmingham, when, in the
forenoon of the day in question, a bellman was heard in several of the
streets, crying a Chartist meeting to be held that day at Holloway-head
at one, or, as it was differently reported, at half-past twelve and
half-past six o'clock. Holloway-head and the Bull-ring, about a mile
from each other, were the usual places of holding such meetings.
"It appeared, also, that at eleven o'clock of the forenoon the following
letter was sent to Captain Moorsom, a special constable of the borough,
who had acted as the medium of communication between the ward leaders
and the magistrates, viz.--