Newspapers : From Birmingham Post 150 years ago

[Radiorails]

Seeing the newspaper cutting about fines for chimney fires I can tell you that this was still thought, by many people still to be law well into the 1970's. I don't know when the application of fines ceased - possibly as a result after the re-organization of the British Fire Service in 1947. The re-organization took place to standardize the fire fighting equipment used by British brigades. WW2 had shown a high degree of incompatability of equipment from one towns fire fighting equipment to that of a neighbouring one.

The fear of fines, police etc. had the detrimental effect of people failing to call the Fire Brigade thinking that there would be a charge or fine.

Over the long period I served with a fire brigade I came across many ill informed comments made by those who, one would have thought in the second half of the twentieth century, might have been better educated.

A house fire, started by children with matches, had a delayed call for assistance due to the fact that the occupier "did not have money for they telephone"! Her neighbour correctly dialed 999.

Another dear old soul, whose home was flooded, struggled to remove the water from her home as she knew the local brigade was out helping others. She did not know that firefighters from neighbouring town would come to her aid.

There are many more events like this that one heard and I guess, sadly, are still heard.

 

[mikejee]

4.8.1862
Poor service form Utility companies who don'e care a damn is not a new phenomenon
The 1862 version of the futures market. Buy the crop and you take the risk of there not being a crop
The lower of these two notices is not uncommon in the papers of the day, there usually being at least one a week which might run for several days. Upper version is more unusual, and possibly "no further relative to me after this date" menas a divorce had been obtained. I understood that these were very unusual at this time.
An unusual seizing by bailiffs
You too can have a cork hat !

 

[Charlie]

Oooooh, I AM loving this thread!!! Thanks again Mike.

 

[Vivienne14]

How interesting that clover was grown as a crop in Witton. Hard to believe all those fields around Witton with crops of wheat and barley. One feature which has survived though is the cemetery.

I just might have to pass on the cork hat! I guess cork was built in to absorb excess sweat! I'm intrigued by the Knickerbocker hat. Can't find any reference to it. I wonder if it would have been American perhaps? Viv.

 

[Astoness]

cracking read mike..love the one about person not being held responsible for wifes debts.lol

lyn

 

[mikejee]

Lyn
Notices like this were very common. It was the possibility of divorce in the one case that brought my attention
Viv
You might be surprised by clover, but apaprently Aston also had its strawberry fields. These adverts had been running for a couple of weeks or so

 

[Astoness]

thats what i thought mike..the couple must have a a falling out...

 

[Vivienne14]

The strawberry nursery must have been worth visiting as they draw attention to the train service in the ad. They must have been referring to Perry Barr station. You get the impression it was an opportunity for an excursion. Viv.

 

[mikejee]

Yes, it must have been Perry Barr station. It is claimed ( https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/perrybarr.htm ) that, up to 1894 it was called Perry Bar station , but the c 1884 map below does not have that spelling. Very likely the nursery was still there then , and can be seen, then behind houses, to the west of the station on the south side.

 

[DavidGrain]

Perry Bar Station opened 4 July 1837 by Grand Junction Railway. Renamed Perry Barr 19 August 1894 by London and North Western Railway. Obviously those people down in Euston took some time to catch up with the correct spelling

 

[mikejee]

Perhaps sometimes one can be too polite for one's own good
Looks like they did this before they knew for certain whether he was definitely a deserter
That would be the old white £5 note, Half wouldn't be much good to anyone else.
Display of sewage plant. It is not absolutely clear but seems to be a note inserted referring to the newspaper office
Wonder what is specialised about ginger beer bottling over beer.

 

[paul stacey]

The "Company bath", or military scrub, was still used in my day.
paul

 

[mikejee]

The first part of a rather long review . the later part giving a so-very-long description of the plot and accompanying comments of some of the actors is somewhat different, but from this part i think the reviewer had it in for the theatre troup
The chimney sweep mentioned some days ago was in court. From the name it was possibly his son (or other relative) he sent up the chimney

 

[mikejee]

7.8.1862
Some things never change. Solicitors acted as dubiously then as now.
I rather like the phrase "shady age of fifty"
I don't think they mean the same thing as we do by "gasometer" !
I've never heard of a 1000 gallon cask, or an 800 gallon one for that matter. Could this be a forerunner to the large tanks fitted to some pubs in the late 1900s! Can't imagine a drey being able to carry one.
Men of respectability to deliver the Corporation directory. Can't imagine those used to deliver present directories being checked for respectability.

 

[DavidGrain]

The ale alone in a 1000 gallon cask would weigh over 4 1/2 tons.

 

[Vivienne14]

The first part of a rather long review . the later part giving a so-very-long description of the plot and accompanying comments of some of the actors is somewhat different, but from this part i think the reviewer had it in for the theatre troup
The chimney sweep mentioned some days ago was in court. From the name it was possibly his son (or other relative) he sent up the chimney

It's great to read the original words of the journalists of the time. I too am enjoying some of the quirky phrases used. But don't some of those journalists go on? ! The theatre review being a perfect example as Mike says. Sometimes, by the time you get to the end of the sentence, you've lost the gist of what it's all about. But then I suppose reading a newspaper in the 1800s was a much more leisurely activity than it is today. Wonder what they'd make of today's red top tabloids. Viv.

 

[mikejee]

8.8.1862
Not sure what an improver in th egrocery trade is, perhaps he polishes the tins

 

[DavidGrain]

An improver is someone more than say a school leaver perhaps with one or two years experience.

 

[Wendy]

When I did my apprenticeship for hairdressing, after my three years training and exams. I then signed another two as an improver. I think it was a way of keeping you after training but still called an improver even if you moved on.

 

[mikejee]

9.8.1862
A breach of promise case of complexity worthy of a plot from Eastenders
Entrapment is not a modern invention, but was used by the Victorian authorities also
Bloomers have arrived
Someone is unhappy with the curate
This product of the Hardman studios was produced after John Hardman junior had ceased to have much to do with the firm. t does not seem to be mentioned in Michael Fishers book (though the index of the book is not very good). I didn't look for Glucester though - maybe I should have done

 

[Vivienne14]

How times have changed re. breach of promise of marriage. Literature of the time is full of these instances, but now we'd write it off as experience. The second extract re. the jobbing cart is interesting. Was it illegal then to hire out a cart in this way? The official who was posing as a client seems to have made it all very plausible by using Perry Barr as his destination for the hay cart, an area abundant with farms and fields at this time. And as for 'Bloomerism' - well just plain shocking!!! Viv.

 

[DavidGrain]

Actions for Breach of Promise of Marriage were finally stopped in 1970 but had effectively died out before that time. More interesting were the cases where a man sued for breach of promise.

 

[paul stacey]

I felt very sorry for the poor girl (Breach of Promise), not only was she very old, '28' yrs for this period, but would have been a source of blighted fascination for the whole local area, but at this time in history would have been regarded as "tainted", so remained unmarried!!!. sad.
paul

 

[edcartermo]

Where is 'Glucester' Cathedral? I've noticed that proof reading was lax in 19th cen newspapers.

 

[Vivienne14]

I took it to mean 'Gloucester' Ed, but could be wrong. Viv

 

[A Sparks]

I felt very sorry for the poor girl (Breach of Promise), not only was she very old, '28' yrs for this period, but would have been a source of blighted fascination for the whole local area, but at this time in history would have been regarded as "tainted", so remained unmarried!!!. sad.
paul

I agree - poor lady, but she may actually have been lucky to have escaped being married to him - he was probably just looking for someone to look after his three children and do all the domestic work at the farm!!

 

[mikejee]

11.8.1862
Beerhousekeeper was forger
Protest on the effect of mining

 

[paul stacey]

Where was "Princes End"/? is or was it part of Birmingham, and what is it called now?
paul

 

[mikejee]

Its tipton. The Post covers other areas than birmingham , and I include things from outside if I think of interest

 

[mikejee]

12.8.1862
Probably the first case in Birmingham where someone is prosecuted for selling adulterated food, as opposed to rotten food. The offender was selling milk containing nearly a quarter added water
Report from the Weslyan conference. Hallelujah. the church has stopped evil Sunday excursione.
Not much support from his mother
Not an offence current today, fortunately
Rather odd weird practice. Reminds me of the recent murderer who cut off girl's hair while they were travelling