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Newspapers : From Birmingham Post 150 years ago

4.8.1865
Explosion at fog signal manufactory off Bradford St

explosion_of_fog_signals_in_sandy_lane.jpg
 
Third class carriages would have been little more than open trucks at this time. Not a comfortable way to travel by any means, especially on cold, wet days. Viv.
 
very nasty accident mike....will print that off as it will be a bit of info to go with the old bottle i have from the bell lozells road

lyn
 
18.8.1865

Death of Mr James Lloyd. senior partner in Lloyds bank when it turned into linited Company

death_of_james_lloyd.jpg
 
22.8.1865
The death of REv. G.S.Bull is announced. Even cutting out the usual flattery of obituaries, he seemed to be a man who truely cared for the working man
Beards do not seem to be very popular with the second correspondent, reporting from the Weslyan Conference which was being held in Birmingham.



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beards_at_the_Weslyan_conference.jpg


Theft of communion plate from St Martins
Horticultural show held at new Mason's orphanage

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Horticultural_show_at_Mason_s_orphNgw.jpg
 
23.8.1865
Pugilistic fight between Kimberley of Bbirmingham and Manchester opponent lasts 89 rounds over 2 hours and 17 minutes.

fight_of_birmingham_man_kimberley_wih_manchester_opponrnt.jpg
 
If Bate's backers had not "thrown in the towel "after the 89th round, how many more rounds would it have taken before Bate failed "to come up to scratch" and did not "toe the line". Surprising how many present day phrases come from prize fighting days. "Saved by the bell" was from later Queensbury Rules fights.
 
Great to see the Brummie win, should still have these type of fights today, its to mamby, pamby, by half, we had milling in the military.Paul
 
25.8.1865
So it looks like even back in the mid nineteenth century, before the EEC, there were "reserved descriptions" of foods, in this case Sherry

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26.8.1865
Heard of seeds of paradise being used to adulterate beer before, but never tobacco. would have thought you would have to use quite a lot to get a good brown colour, which nowadays would be expensive.

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mikejee said:
26.8.1865
Heard of seeds of paradise being used to adulterate beer before, but never tobacco. would have thought you would have to use quite a lot to get a good brown colour, which nowadays would be expensive.
Click to expand...

I don't see what the loss to the Revenue would have been as presumably duty had been paid on the tobacco when imported and the brewer in the normal course of his trade would pay duty on the beer he produced. Perhaps the duty was paid by the maltster to prevent any fiddling by the brewer.
 
29.8.1865
These are a description of the Wolverhampton slums, but I suspect some of the Birmingham ones might be almost as bad

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very graphic description of just how bad housing conditions were mike...i would think not just in wolverhampton but all over the country at that time...

lyn
 
I agree Lyn, very graphic disclosure by the Reverend Gentleman, to think only a 150 odd years ago, our ancestor's had to en-jour such privations.Paul
 
paul stacey said:
I agree Lyn, very graphic disclosure by the Reverend Gentleman, to think only a 150 odd years ago, our ancestor's had to en-jour such privations.Paul
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paul even harder to believe that there were conditions not much better than that less than 60 years ago....
 
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Re: See Birmingham by Post Card

A "slight" difference of opinion between two witnesses, one a unnamed passer by from Perry Barr, and the other a mysterious Mr Riddiford, who's presence is not explained, so presumably must be assumed to be the friend with the policeman

slight_difference_of_opinion.jpg
 
31.8.1865
A somewhat idealistic approach to housing which almost has a Thatcheristic touch, though I think the private landlords of 150 years ago would be even less likely to fancy it than those of today

idealistic_solution_to_social_housing.jpg
 
Sounds ingenious to me. Then the social system in being, was dominated by the "Class system", and not many middle class's, so movement would have been muted at best, and wholly unacceptable to the ruling elite. Paul
 
I don’t think the idea of owning you house would have occurred to working class in those days, most didn’t know where the next weeks rent was coming from.
 
Mr Bott seems to be quite a progressive person. According to the 1861 census he was a land proprietor, so presumably his calculations would be genuine. He wrote a number of letters in the Post, all must have been rahter left-winged for the time -he objected to the eldest son automatically gaining all land on their father's death if no will was made, ignoring other sons, and also objected very strongly to comments that people should not be educated above their station, and to a rule at the grammar school that boys should be thrashed if they make more than a certain number of mistakes in their work. The 1891 census, when he is 60, shows him listed as a journalist. Sounds an interesting person for his time
 
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