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Newspapers : From Birmingham Post 150 years ago
- Thread starter mikejee
- Start date
5.1.1864
I wonder why they would be keen to kill off little sparrows.
Be lucky to see a sparrow where I now live, but at the time of the press cutting sparrows would've been seen as common, vulgar, prolific and a pest. Even in the 1960s/70s/80s I remember people describing them as dirty birds and they were everywhere. But no longer. Viv.
7.1.1864
Insurance fraud by shopkeeper
And still going on today. But today they're driven by opportunities to use a large site, such as that occupied by a large 1930s pub, to re-build as flats or apartments. Viv.
Smudger
master brummie
If you`re short of sparrows i could send you a shed load. They`re certainly thriving here in Durham, & the poor tits can`t get near the feeders because the sparrows have taken them over. Still, any bird are a welcome sight ( except maybe the noisy starlings )
Radiorails
master brummie
Here we have two areas, plus the lawn, in the back garden area and three separate places with feeders in the front (more trees) garden. The birds seem to favour one place over another so probably all birds (except blackback and herring gulls) get their fair share. One flat roof area is reserved for anything gull - they take all sorts of stuff.
A kind offer Smudger, but think I'll pass on the shed load of sparrows! We never see them here (S. London), but we have an abundance of various tits. We've got colonies of cockatiels too - beautiful things although can be noisy. Just shows how nature can so easily get out of balance, and expect it's mostly down to us humans messing around with it.
Radiorails, you're certainly doing your bit for nature. You won't be wanting any of that Marke & Wards special powder then. Viv.
8.1.1864
Complaints about how railway companies bulldoze their way through districts with scarcely any consideration of their effect on the district. Now, where have I heard this more recently? (This is editorial comment . In the same issue there is a much longer piece- too long to put on the fforum, but I can e-mail it to anyone particularly interested)
Complaints about how railway companies bulldoze their way through districts with scarcely any consideration of their effect on the district. Now, where have I heard this more recently? (This is editorial comment . In the same issue there is a much longer piece- too long to put on the fforum, but I can e-mail it to anyone particularly interested)
11.1.1864
Two incidents involving a total of three deaths reported on the same day arising from falling through the ice. Heath & Safety was not much a concern then.I would think the wednesbury incident where one man was saved by tying together handkerchiefs would have involved an awful lot of handkerchiefs
Two incidents involving a total of three deaths reported on the same day arising from falling through the ice. Heath & Safety was not much a concern then.I would think the wednesbury incident where one man was saved by tying together handkerchiefs would have involved an awful lot of handkerchiefs
Surprised at how often bodies were taken to local public houses to await the Coroner. Wonder if pubs had special rooms or maybe they were just convenient public places. Viv.
Viv
At post 1049 (https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848&page=70 ) where a publican had a complaint made against him for not providing a room
At post 1049 (https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848&page=70 ) where a publican had a complaint made against him for not providing a room
Absolutely Shortie. Doesn't sit too comfortably with a pint of mild and a steak and kidney pie, does it! Viv.
Mike. So it was a condition of the renewal of the Boar's Head licence. Blimey, stiff sentence! Viv.
19.1.1864
When I see this about "building of the house by 60 juvenile British workman " , i can't help thinking of the display at the launch of the recent Olympic Games, with all those chimneys going up. This was the Victorian equivalent display.
Young lads wanting to see the sea.
Suggested route for railway to Harborne. Not sure it would have been very practical
This suggests the insurance companies (well one of them) then were more honourable than now.
When I see this about "building of the house by 60 juvenile British workman " , i can't help thinking of the display at the launch of the recent Olympic Games, with all those chimneys going up. This was the Victorian equivalent display.
Young lads wanting to see the sea.
Suggested route for railway to Harborne. Not sure it would have been very practical
This suggests the insurance companies (well one of them) then were more honourable than now.
Couldn't quite fathom how you'd collect all that stuff in a dress hem. But it looks very possible, as 1860s dresses still had very full skirts. So not only did they have volumes of material, the hems were also sometimes lined with canvas or heavy cotton. I suppose that made the hems more durable when being dragged around the streets. So you'd only need a little of the stitching of the lined hem to come away and you'd be literally sweeping up the streets. Very unhygienic, sounds disgusting. But of course, the article might also be making a case against the popular fashion for very full/crinoline-type dresses. Viv.
paul stacey
master brummie
I remember reading somewhere that in the 1850's there was an horrendous amount of female deaths from "Crinoline", dress's catching fire and burning their victims to death.paul
You're right Paul. This article of 1861 called for the Queen to lead by example. The deaths caused by crinoline sound dreadful. Viv.
https://www.theguardian.com/theguar...og/2011/may/11/newspapers-national-newspapers
https://www.theguardian.com/theguar...og/2011/may/11/newspapers-national-newspapers
paul stacey
master brummie
Truly awful statistics Viv, of course with mainly coal fires as the main domestic heating this included girl children too.paul
22.1.1864
The secons item seems to be what is now described as a sawn-off shotgun. i doubt that anyone would advertise the theft of one today !
An insurance company to insure just against windows breaking
The Walsall man's gutta percha life preserver would presumably now be described as a cosh
The secons item seems to be what is now described as a sawn-off shotgun. i doubt that anyone would advertise the theft of one today !
An insurance company to insure just against windows breaking
The Walsall man's gutta percha life preserver would presumably now be described as a cosh
23.1.1864
Good for the newspaper which gets payment from both sides of the argument.
This comment about holes in legislation convenient for higher officials to use brings to mind the tax legislation today, where large companies and individuals who subscribe money to political parties are allowed to get away with murder (at least financial murder) when avoiding tax..
This advert on emigration is in the middle of the american civil war. would not think there would be many takers.
Good for the newspaper which gets payment from both sides of the argument.
This comment about holes in legislation convenient for higher officials to use brings to mind the tax legislation today, where large companies and individuals who subscribe money to political parties are allowed to get away with murder (at least financial murder) when avoiding tax..
This advert on emigration is in the middle of the american civil war. would not think there would be many takers.
W
Wendy
Guest
On post #1256 I was interested in what a gutta-percha was. I googled it and found it was a type of tree. I assume from which rubber is made. So I assume a gutta-percha life preserver must have been a small rubber truncheon, fascinating as always thank you Mike for these wonderful snippets.
B
BernardR
Guest
Gutta-percha used to be incorporated into the very centre of golf balls this was then surrounded by a continuous strand of rubber until it was large enough to be encased in the outer covering. My Mom used to make them at Dunlop but had to be moved on to other products as there was and still isn't, any call for golf balls in the shape of Rugby balls. Not sure why but there it is.
Even today, most florists will know what gutta percha is. It's a flexible green tape used to bind flower stems. If you've worn a buttonhole or corsage to a wedding chances are it will have had the stems bound with gutta percha tape. It's flexible and keeps moisture in. However, many florists now prefer to use a waxy paper binding tape which gives a better finish to a buttonhole or corsage. Looks more realistic than gutta percha which tends to have a glossy, plastic finish.. Having said all that this gutta percha product would be useless in fighting off potential assailants. Viv.
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