Part 34
1840, January.--Mr. Attwood having resigned, Sir Charles Wetherell appeared in the Conservative interest against Mr. G.F. Muntz. Mr. Joseph Sturge, who also issued an address to the electors, retiring on the solicitation of his friends, on the understanding that the whole Liberal party would support him at the next vacancy. The result was in favour of Mr. Muntz, thus--
Geo. Fred. Muntz .. 1,454--Returned. Sir C. Wetherell .. 915
1841, July.--Mr. Richard Spooner, who opposed Messrs. Muntz and Scholefield, was again defeated, through receiving the suffrages of double the number of electors who voted for him in 1835. The returns were--
Geo. Fred. Muntz .. 2,176 } Joshua Scholefield .. 1,963 }Returned. Richard Spooner .. 1,825
1857, March.--The same gentlemen were again returned without opposition.
1857, August.--On the death of Mr. Muntz, though the names of George Dawson and others were whispered, the unanimous choice fell upon Mr. John Bright, "the rejected of Manchester," and it may be truly said he was at that time the chosen of the people. Birmingham men of all shades of politics appreciating his eloquence and admiring his sterling honesty, though many differed with his opinions. Addresses were early issued by Baron Dickenson Webster and Mr. M'Geachy, but both were at once withdrawn when Mr. Bright consented to stand and _his_ address appeared.
1859, April.--At the election of this year, though defeat must have been a foregone conclusion, Mr. Thomas D. Acland waged battle with Messrs. Scholefield and Bright, and the result was:--
William Scholefield .. ..4,425 } John Bright .. .. ..4,282 }Returned. T.D. Acland .. .. ..1,544
1864, December.--On the death of Mr. Spooner, Mr. Davenport-Bromley, (afterwards Bromley-Davenport) was elected un-opposed, and retained his seat until his death, June 15, 1884.
1864.--Householders, whose rates were compounded for by their landlords, had hitherto not been allowed to exercise their right of voting, but the decision given in their favour, Feb. 17, 1864, was the means of raising the number of voters' names on the register to over 40,000.
1865, July.--Whether from fear of the newly-formed Liberal Association (which was inaugurated in February for the avowed purpose of controlling the Parliamentary elections in the borough and adjoining county divisions), or the lack of a sufficiently popular local man, there was no opposition offered to the return of Messrs. Scholefield and Bright at the election of this year.
1867, July.--On the death of Mr. Scholefield, Mr. George Dixon was nominated by the Liberals and opposed by Mr. Sampson S. Lloyd The result was:--
Geo. Dixon .. .. .. ..5,819 Returned. S.S. Lloyd .. .. .. ..4,214
1868, November.--This was the first election after the passing of the Reform Bill of 1867, by which Birmingham became entitled to send three members to the House of Commons; and as the Bill contained a proviso (generally known as the "minority clause") that each voter should be limited to giving his support to two only of the candidates, an immense amount of interest was taken in the interest that ensued. The Conservatives brought forward Mr. Sampson S. Lloyd and Mr. Sebastian Evans, the Liberal Association nominating Messrs. John Bright, George Dixon, and Philip Henry Muntz (brother to the old member G.F. Muntz). The election has become historical from the cleverly-manipulated scheme devised by the Liberal Association, and the strict enforcement of their "vote-as-you're-told" policy, by which, abnegating all personal freedom or choice in the matter the electors under the influence of the Association were moved at the will of the chiefs of their party. That the new tactics were successful is shown by the returns:--
George Dixon .. .. .. 15,188 } P.H. Muntz .. .. .. 14,614 }Returned. John Bright .. .. .. 14,601 } S.S. Lloyd .. .. .. 8,700 S. Evans .. .. .. 7,061
1868, Dec. 21.--Mr. Bright having been appointed President of the Board of Trade, was re-elected without opposition. He held office till the close of 1870, but for a long time was absent from Parliament through illness.
1873, Aug. 6.--Mr. John Jaffray, one of the proprietors of the _Daily Post_, contested East Staffordshire against Mr. Allsopp, but he only obtained 2,893 votes, as against Mr. Allsopp's 3,630.
1873, Oct. 18.--Soon after recovery of health Mr. Bright returned to his seat, and being appointed to the office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was re-elected in due course.
1874, Jan. 30.--No opposition was made to the re-election of Messrs. Bright, Dixon, and Muntz.
1876, June 27.--Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was elected without opposition on the resignation of Mr. Dixon.
1880, March 31.--Though free from all the rioting and possible bloodshed that would have attended such an occasion a hundred years ago, the election of 1880 was the most exciting and hardest-fought battle between the two great political parties of the town yet recorded in local history. The candidates were Messrs. John Bright, Joseph Chamberlain and Philip Henry Muntz, the previous members and nominees of the Liberal Association, and Major Burnaby and the Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe, Conservatives. There were 139 polling stations, and no less than 47,776 out of the 63,398 persons whose names were on the register, recorded their votes under the protection of the Ballot Act of 1870, now first brought into use at a Parliamentary election. The usual courtesies (!) appertaining to political contests were indulged in to considerable extent, and personalities of all sorts much too freely bandied about, but the election altogether passed off in the most creditable manner. The returns of the polling stood thus--
Philip Henry Muntz..... 22,803} John Bright............ 21,986} Returned. Joseph Chamberlain..... 19,476} Major Burnaby.......... 15,716 Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe 14,270
An analysis of the polling issued by the Mayor about a week after the election showed that 16,098 voters supported the Conservative candidates and 33,302 the Liberals. Deducting the 2,004 who "split" their votes between the parties, and 380 whose papers were either rejected or not counted as being doubtful, the total gives 47,396 as the actual number whose votes decided the election. As a curiosity and a puzzle for future politicians, the Mayor's analysis is worth preserving, as here re-analysed:--
PLUMPERS.
Calthorpe only .. .. 42 Burnaby only .. .. 164 206 Chamberlain only .. .. 50 Muntz only .. .. 199 Bright only .. .. 86 335
SPLIT VOTES.
Calthorpe and Muntz .. 153 Calthorpe and Chamberlain .. 83 Burnaby and Muntz .. 1,239 Burnaby and Chamberlain .. 182 Bright and Calthorpe .. 104 Bright and Burnaby .. 243 2,004
CON. PARTY VOTES.
Burnaby and Calthorpe .. 13,888 13,888
LIBERAL PARTY VOTES.
Chamberlain and Muntz .. 9,410 Bright and Muntz .. 11,802 Bright and Chamberlain .. 9,751 30,963
Voting papers rejected and doubtful 380 ________
Total number of voters polled.. .. 47,776
Mr. Bright having been again appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr. Chamberlain chosen as President of the Board of Trade, they were re-elected, without opposition, early in May following the election. Three other local Liberal gentlemen were returned to Parliament during this general election, viz.:--Mr. Jesse Collings for Ipswich (receiving 3,074 votes), Mr. H. Wiggin for East Staffordshire (4,617 votes), and Mr. J.S. Wright for Nottingham (8,085 votes). The last-named, however, did not live to take his seat, dying very suddenly while attending a committee-meeting at the Council House, Birmingham, on the 15th April.--See "_Statues_," &c According to the published returns of January, 1884, Birmingham was then the largest borough constituency in England, the number of electors on the register then in force being 63,221: Liverpool coming next with 61,336; and Lambeth third, with 55,588; but Glasgow was the largest in the United Kingdom, with 68,025. The largest county constituency in England and Wales was Middlesex, with 41,299 electors; the next being South-West Lancashire, with 30,624; the third, South-East Lancashire, with 28,728; and the fourth, the southern division of the West Riding, with 27,625. The total electorate for England and Wales, was 2,660,444; Scotland, 331,264; and Ireland, 230,156.
The following statistics have been taken from the returns named, showing in respect of each constituency in this neighbourhood, the area of each borough, city, or county division, the population, the number of inhabited houses, the number of voters and their qualifications, and the Members sent to Parliament prior to the passing of the Franchise and Redistribution Bills of 1885, and are worth preserving for future local reference:--
[Transcriber's note: this table has been split in order to fit the page width.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------- | Borough, City | Area in | Population |Inhabited Houses | | or County | Square | in | in | in | in | | Division | Miles. | 1871 | 1881 | 1871 | 1881 | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | Birmingham | 13 | 343,787 | 400,774 | 68,532 | 78,301 | | Bewdley | 11-1/4 | 7,614 | 8,678 | 1,717 | 1,839 | | Bridgnorth | 17 | 7,317 | 7,212 | 1,565 | 1,52[**] | Coventry | 10 | 41,348 | 46,563 | 9,334 | 10,185 | | Droitwich | 43 | 9,510 | 9,858 | 1,931 | 2,006 | | Dudley | 12 | 82,249 | 87,527 | 15,985 | 16,889 | | E. Staffordshire | 218 | 101,564 | 138,439 | 19,960 | 26,003 | | E. Worcestershr. | 324 | 147,685 | 117,257 | 30,551 | 35,781 | | Evesham | 3-1/2 | 4,888 | 5,112 | 1,001 | 1,050 | | Kidderminster | 3-3/4 | 20,814 | 25,633 | 4,292 | 5,062 | | Lichfield | 5 | 7,347 | 8,349 | 1,543 | 1,678 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | 1 | 15,948 | 17,493 | 3,180 | 3,393 | | N. Staffordshire | 396 | 120,217 | 132,684 | 24,194 | 26,403 | | N. Warwickshire | 383 | 134,723 | 170,086 | 29,032 | 35,151 | | S. Warwickshire | 462 | 96,905 | 99,592 | 20,803 | 21,485 | | Stafford | 1 | 15,946 | 18,904 | 2,939 | 3,385 | | Stoke-on-Trent | 14 | 130,575 | 152,394 | 24,582 | 28,350 | | Tamworth | 18 | 11,493 | 14,101 | 2,357 | 2,772 | | Walsall | 11-3/4 | 49,018 | 59,402 | 9,566 | 11,140 | | Warwick | 8-1/2 | 10,986 | 11,800 | 2,418 | 2,518 | | Wednesbury | 17-3/4 | 116,809 | 124,437 | 22,621 | 23,443 | | W. Staffordshire | 434 | 100,413 | 117,737 | 20,134 | 23,261 | | W. Worcestershr | 341 | 66,419 | 67,139 | 13,895 | 13,928 | | Wolverhampton | 29-1/2 | 156,978 | 164,332 | 30,424 | 31,475 | | Worcester | 5 | 38,116 | 40,354 | 8,043 | 8,539 | --------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | City or Borough Electors. | | ------------------------------------------------- | | £10 | | Freehold | Freemen | | Borough, City | Occupiers and | Lodgers | and | or Voters | | or County | Inhabitant | | Burgage | by Ancient | | Division | Householders. | | Tenants. | Rights | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Birmingham | 63,149 | 72 | .. | .. | | Bewdley | 273 | 2 | .. | 1 | | Bridgnorth | 055 | .. | .. | 163 | | Coventry | 4,733 | 12 | .. | 3,995 | | Droitwich | 1,409 | .. | .. | 1 | | Dudley | 14,833 | 1 | .. | .. | | E. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | E. Worcestershr. | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Evesham | 794 | 11 | .. | 20 | | Kidderminster | 3,898 | 5 | .. | .. | | Lichfield | 1,095 | 7 | 101 | 39 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | 2,431 | 5 | .. | 679 | | N. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | N. Warwickshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | S. Warwickshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Stafford | 2,764 | 22 | .. | 798 | | Stoke-on-Trent | 21,131 | 13 | .. | .. | | Tamworth | 2,220 | 6 | .. | 3 | | Walsall | 9,821 | 3 | .. | .. | | Warwick | 1,742 | 4 | .. | 15 | | Wednesbury | 19,807 | 3 | .. | .. | | W. Staffordshire | .. | .. | .. | .. | | W. Worcestershr | .. | .. | .. | .. | | Wolverhampton | 23,559 | 31 | .. | .. | | Worcester | 5,948 | 59 | .. | 355 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | County Electors. | | | --------------------------------------------------- | Borough, City | |Total No. | | | or County | £12 | £50 |Owners. | of | M.P.'s | | Division |Occupiers. |Tenants. | |Electors. |Returned| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Birmingham | .. | .. | .. | 63,221 | 3 | | Bewdley | .. | .. | .. | 1,276 | 1 | | Bridgnorth | .. | .. | .. | 1,218 | 1 | | Coventry | .. | .. | .. | 8,740 | 2 | | Droitwich | .. | .. | .. | 1,410 | 1 | | Dudley | .. | .. | .. | 14,834 | 1 | | E. Staffordshire | 5,106 | 141 | 6,481 | 11,728 | 2 | | E. Worcestershr. | 4,745 | 567 | 6,931 | 12,243 | 2 | | Evesham | .. | .. | .. | 825 | 1 | | Kidderminster | .. | .. | .. | 3,903 | 1 | | Lichfield | .. | .. | .. | 1,242 | 1 | | Newcastle (Stff.) | .. | .. | .. | 3,115 | 2 | | N. Staffordshire | 3,008 | 1,071 | 7,141 | 11,220 | 2 | | N. Warwickshire | 5,878 | 516 | 5,603 | 11,997 | 2 | | S. Warwickshire | 2,561 | 688 | 3,253 | 6,502 | 2 | | Stafford | .. | .. | .. | 3,584 | 2 | | Stoke-on-Trent | .. | .. | .. | 21,144 | 2 | | Tamworth | .. | .. | .. | 2,229 | 2 | | Walsall | .. | .. | .. | 9,824 | 1 | | Warwick | .. | .. | .. | 1,761 | 2 | | Wednesbury | .. | .. | .. | 19,810 | 1 | | W. Staffordshire | 2,715 | 661 | 8,570 | 11,946 | 2 | | W. Worcestershr | 1,142 | 1,033 | 4,426 | 6,601 | 2 | | Wolverhampton | .. | .. | .. | 23,590 | 2 | | Worcester | .. | .. | .. | 6,362 | 1 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Parsonage.~--The Old Parsonage, at the corner of Smallbrook Street and Pershore Street, an old-fashioned two-storey gabled house, was moated round and almost hidden by trees, and has been preserved for future historians in one of David Cox's sketches, which remains as a curious memento of the once rural appearance of what are now some of the busiest spots in town. The house was pulled down in 1826.
~Parson and Clerk.~--A noted publichouse on the old Chester Road is the Royal Oak, better known as "The Parson and Clerk." An old pamphlet thus gives the why and wherefore:
"There had used to be on the top of the house two figures--one of a parson leaning his head in prayer, while the clerk was behind him with uplifted axe, going to chop off his head. These two figures were placed there by John Gough, Esq., of Perry Hall, to commemorate a law suit between him and the Rev. T. Lane, each having annoyed the other. Mr. Lane had kept the Squire out of possession of this house, and had withheld the licenses, while the latter had compelled the clergyman to officiate daily in the church, by sending his servants to form a congregation. Squire Gough won the day, re-built the house in 1788, and put up the figures to annoy Parson Lane, parsons of all sorts being out of his good books."
~Parsons, Preachers, and Priests of the Past.~--It would be a lengthy list or make note of all the worthy and reverend gentlemen who have, from pulpit or platform, lectured and preached to the people in our town, or who have aided in the intellectual advancement and education of the rising generation of their time. Church and Chapel alike have had their good men and true, and neither can claim a monopoly of talent, or boast much of their superiority in Christian fellowship or love of their kind. Many shepherds have been taken from their so-called flocks whose places at the time it was thought could never be filled, but whose very names are now only to be found on their tombs, or mentioned in old magazines or newspapers. Some few are here recalled as of interest from their position, peculiarities, &c.
_John Angell James_.--A Wiltshire man was John Angell James, who, after a short course of itinerary preaching came to Birmingham, and for more than fifty years was the idolised minister of Carr's Lane congregation. He was a good man and eloquent, having a certain attractive way which endeared him to many. He lived, and was loved by those who liked him, till he had reached the age of 74, dying Oct. 1, 1859, his remains being buried like those of a saint, under the pulpit from which he had so long preached.
_Samuel Bache_.--Coming as a Christmas-box to his parents in 1804, and early trained for the pulpit, the Rev. Samuel Bache joined the Rev. John Kentish in his ministrations to the Unitarian flock in 1832, and remained with us until 1868. Loved in his own community for faithfully preaching their peculiar doctrines, Mr. Bache proved himself a man of broad and enlightened sympathies; one who could appreciate and support anything and everything that tended to elevate the people in their amusements as well as in matters connected with education.
_George Croft_.--The Lectureship of St. Martin's in the first year of the present century was vested in Dr. George Croft, one of the good old sort of Church and King parsons, orthodox to the backbone, but from sundry peculiarities not particularly popular with the major portion of his parishioners. He died in 1809.
_George Dawson_.--Born in London, February 24, 1821, George Dawson studied at Glasgow for the Baptist ministry, and came to this town in 1844 to take the charge of Mount Zion chapel. The cribbed and crabbed restraints of denominational church government failed, however, to satisfy his independent heart, and in little more than two years his connection with the Mount Zion congregation ceased (June 24, 1846). The Church of the Saviour was soon after erected for him, and here he drew together worshippers of many shades of religious belief, and ministered unto them till his death. As a lecturer he was known everywhere, and there are but few towns in the kingdom that he did not visit, while his tour in America, in the Autumn of 1874, was a great success. His connection with the public institutions of this town is part of our modern history, and no man yet ever exercised such influence or did more to advance the intelligence and culture of the people, and, as John Bright once said of Cobden "it was not until we had lost him that we knew how much we loved him." The sincerity and honesty of purpose right through his life, and exhibited in all his actions, won the highest esteem of even those who differed from him, and the announcement of his sudden death (Nov. 30, 1876) was felt as a blow by men of all creeds or politics who had ever known him or heard him. To him the world owes the formation of the first Shakesperian Library--to have witnessed its destruction would indeed have been bitter agony to the man who (in October, 1866) had been chosen to deliver the inaugural address at the opening of the Free Reference Library, to which he, with friends, made such an addition. As a preacher, he was gifted with remarkable powers; as a lecturer, he was unsurpassed; in social matters, he was the friend of all, with ever-open hand to those in need; as a politician, though keen at repartee and a hard hitter, he was straightforward, and no time-server; and in the word of his favourite author, "Take him all in all, we ne'er shall look on his like again."--See "_Statues_," &c.
_W. D. Long_.--The Rev. Wm Duncan Long (who died at Godalming, April 12, 1878), according to the _Record_, was "a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." In our local records he is noted as being distinguished for hard work among the poor of St. Bartholomew's, of which parish he was minister for many years prior to 1851.
_Thomas Swann_.--The Rev. Thomas Swann, who came here in January 1829, after a few years' sojourn in India, served the Cannon Street body for 28 years, during which time he baptised 966 persons, admitting into membership a total of 1,233. Mr. Swann had an attack of apoplexy, while in Glasgow, on Sunday, March 7, 1857, and died two days afterwards. His remains were brought to Birmingham, and were followed to the grave (March 16) by a large concourse of persons, a number of ministers taking
## part in the funeral service.
_W. L. Giles_.--The Rev. W. Leese Giles, who filled the pulpit in Cannon Street from Oct., 1863, to July, 1872, was peculiarly successful in his ministrations, especially among the young.
_Lewis Chapman_.--The Rev. Lewis Chapman (taken to his fathers Oct. 2, 1877, at the age of 81), after performing the duties and functions of Rabbi to the local Jewish community for more than forty-five years, was, from his amiability and benevolence, characterised by many Gentile friends as "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile."