Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham Part 22

George Hall shot his unfaithful wife on Dartmouth Street Bridge, February 16, 1864, and was sentenced to death, but reprieved. He was released March 5, 1884.

Murder and suicide in Nursery Terrace, November 28, 1866.

Mr. Pryse was murdered by James Scott in Aston Street, April 6, 1867.

Mary Milbourn was murdered in Heneage Street, January 21, 1868.

Murder and suicide in Garrison Street, November 25, 1871.

Richard Smith was killed by his fellow-lodger, in Adam Street, January 7, 1872.

Thomas Picken, of St. Luke Street, killed his wife, January 22, 1872. He was found next morning hanging to a lamp-post, at Camp Hill Station.

Jeremiah Corkery stabbed Policeman Lines, March 7; was condemned to death July 9, and hung July 27, 1875.

Patrick O'Donoghue was kicked and killed at the Flying Horse, Little Hampton Street, August 7. 1875. Moran and Caulfield, the kickers, were sent to penal servitude for ten years.

A woman, resisting indecent a.s.sault, was thrown into the ca.n.a.l, October 8, 1875, and died from effects.

Emma Luke, Hope street, killed her infant and herself, October 23, 1875.

Samuel Todd, a deaf-mute, killed William Brislin, in a fit of pa.s.sion, December 31, 1875.--Fifteen years' penal servitude.

Gaorge Underhill shot Alfred Price, in Stephenson place, January 12, 1876, being in drink at the time, and thinking he was going to be robbed. Price died, and Underhill was imprisoned for twelve months.

Frederick Lips...o...b.. killed his wife because she did not get his meals ready to the time he wished, July 18, 1876.

Mary Saunders, Aston, had her throat cut by F.E. Baker, her lodger, January 16, 1877. He was hung April 17.

John Nicholson killed Mary (or Minnie) Fantham, in Navigation Street, February 23rd, 1877, committing suicide himself. He was buried as a _felo de se_.

Francis Mason, Litimer Street, stabbed his wife, June 25, 1867, but the jury called it manslaughter, and he was allowed to retire for five years.

William Toy, a gla.s.scutter, was killed in the Plasterers' Arms, Lupin Street, July 20, 1878, in a drunken row.

Edward Johnson, a retired butcher, of this town, killed his wife and drowned himself at Erdington, July 27, 1878.

Sarah Alice Vernon, married woman, aged 26, was first stabbed and then flung into the ca.n.a.l, at Spring Hill, by her paramour, John Ralph, a hawker of fancy baskets, early in the morning of May 31, 1879. He was hung August 26.

Caroline Brooks, a young woman of 20, was fatally stabbed on the night of June 28, 1879, while walking with her sweetheart, but the man who killed her escaped.

Alfred Wagstaffe, of Nech.e.l.l's Green, kicked his wile for p.a.w.ning his shirt, on October 25, 1879. She died a week after, and he was sent to penal servitude for ten years.

An Irishman, named John Gateley, was shot on Sat.u.r.day, December 5, 1880, in a beerhouse at Solihull, by a country man who got away; the murdered man had been connected with the Irish Land League.

Mrs. Ellen Jackson, a widow, 34 years of age, through poverty and despondency, poisoned herself and two children, aged seven and nine, on Sunday, November 27, 1881. One child recovered.

Frederick Serman, at the Four Dwellings, near Saltley, Nov. 22, 1883, shot Angelina Yanwood, and poisoned himself, because the woman would not live longer with him "to be clemmed."

James Lloyd, Jan. 6, 1884, stabbed his wife Martha, because she had not met him the previous afternoon. She died four days after, and he was sentenced to death, but reprieved.

Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Stewart were shot by Henry Kimberley at the White Hart, Paradise Street, Dec. 28, 1884. Mrs. Palmer died, and Kimberley was hung at Winson Green, March 17, 1885.

James Davis, policeman, while on his beat at Alvechurch, was murdered Feb. 28, 1885, by Moses Shrimpton, a Birmingham poacher and thief.

Elizabeth Bunting, a girl of 16, was murdered at Handsworth, April 20, 1885, by her uncle, Thomas Boulton.

~Museums.~--No place in England ought to have a better collection of coins and medals, but there is no Numismatic Museum in Birmingham. Few towns can show such a list of patentees and inventors, but we have no Patent Museum wherein to preserve the outcome of their ideas. Though the town's very name cannot be traced through the mists of dim antiquity, the most ancient thing we can show is the Old Crown public-house. Romans and Normans, Britons and Saxons, have all trod the same ground as ourselves, but we preserve no relics of them. Though we have supplied the whole earth with firearms, it was left to Mr. Marshall, of Leeds, to gather together a Gun Museum. Fortunately the Guardians of the Proof House were liberal and, buying the collection for 1,550, made many valuable additions to it, and after exhibiting it for a time at 5, Newhall Street, presented it to the town in August, 1876. There is a curious miscellany of articles on exhibition at Aston Hall, which some may call a "Museum," and a few cases of birds, sundry stuffed animals, &c., but we must wait until the Art Gallery now in course of erection, is finished before the Midland Metropolis can boast of owning a real Museum. At various times, some rich examples of industrial art have been exhibited in the temporary Art Gallery adjoining the Midland Inst.i.tute, and now, in one of the rooms of the Free Library, there are sufficient to form the nucleus of a good Museum. We may, therefore, hope that, in time, we _shall_ have a collection that we may be proud of. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain (April 26, 1875) gave 1,000 to purchase objects of industrial art, and it has been expended in the purchase of a collection of gems and precious stones, than which nothing could be more suitable in this centre of the jewellery trade. Possibly, on the opening of the new Art Gallery, we shall hear of other "thousands" as forthcoming.

~Musical a.s.sociations.~--There were, of course, the choirs attached to the churches previous, but the earliest Musical Society is believed to be that established by James Kempson, in 1762, at Cooke's, in the Cherry Orchard, and the founding of which led to the Musical Festivals. The members met for practice, and evidently enjoyed their pipes and gla.s.ses, their nightly song being:--

"To our Musical Club here's long life and prosperity; May it flourish with us, and so on to posterity, May concord and harmony always abound, And division here only in music be found.

May the catch and the gla.s.s go about and about, And another succeed to the bottle that's out."

This society was appropriately known as the Musical and Amicable Society from which sprung the Choral Society in 1776, though the present Festival Choral Society only claims to be in its thirty eighth year. The Birmingham Musical Society dates from 1840; the Amateur Harmonic a.s.sociation from January, 1856; the Edgbaston Musical Union from 1874; and the Philharmonic Union from 1870. The Church Schools Choral Union, the Sunday Schools Union Festival Choir, and the Birmingham Musical a.s.sociation, with one or two others, are the progeny of later years; the last on the list of musical inst.i.tutions being the Clef Club (in Exchange Buildings), established March 21st, 1832, for the promotion of musical culture by "providing a central resort for the study and practice of vocal and instrumental music, with the social advantages of a club."

~Musical Festivals.~--The credit of suggesting the first Musical Festival in aid of the funds of the General Hospital, has been a.s.signed to Mr. Kempson a local musician, who, with his friends, formed a Glee and Catch Club at Cooke's, in the Cherry Orchard. The minutes-book of the Hospital under date of May 3, 1768, records that a resolution was pa.s.sed that "a musical entertainment" should be arranged, and it was held accordingly on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September in that year, part of the performances taking place at St. Philip's Church, and part at the Theatre, then in King Street, the Festival being wound up with a ball "at Mrs. Sawyer's, in the Square." Church, Theatre, and Ball was the order of the day for many succeeding Festivals, the Town Hall, which may be said to have been built almost purposely for these performances, not being ready until 1834. The Theatre was only utilised for one evening each Festival after until 1843, when three concerts were held therein, but since that date the Town Hall has been found sufficient.

The Festival b.a.l.l.s were long a great attraction (no less than 1,700 attending in 1834), but, possibly from a too free admixture of the general public, the aristocratic patronage thereof gradually declined until 1858, when only 300 tickets having been taken, the Ball night was struck out of the future programmes. The first Festival performances were by purely local artistes, and on several occasions afterwards they formed the bulk of the performers, but as the fame of our Festivals increased so did the inflow of the foreign element, until at one period not more than half-a-dozen local names could be found in any programme.

This has been altered to a considerable extent of late years, so much so that at the last Festival nearly the whole of the chorus of voices was composed of members of our local Musical Societies, and a fair sprinkling of the instrumentalists also. A big book would be required for a full history of the Birmingham Triennial Festivals, descriptive of their rise and progress, the hundreds of musical novelties introduced, the many scores of talented artistes who have taken parts, the lords and ladies who have attended, and the thousand odd notes appertaining to them all. In the following notes are briefly chronicled the "first appearances," &c., with the results and other items for reference.

1768, Sept. 7 to 9. The oratorios of "Il Penseroso;" and "Alexander's Feast" were performed at the Theatre in King Street; Handel's "Te Deum"

and "Jubilate" with the "Messiah," at St. Philip's Church. The princ.i.p.al singers were Mrs. Pinto, first soprano, and Mr. Charles Norris, tenor; the orchestra numbered about 70, the conductor being Mr. Capel Bond of Coventry, with Mr. Pinto as leader of the band. The tickets of admission were 5s. each, the receipts (with donations) amounting to about 800, and the profits to 299.

1778, Sept. 2 to 4. The performances this time (and for fifteen festivals after), were at St. Philip's Church, and at the newly-built theatre in New Street, the oratorios, &c., including "Judas Maccabaeus,"

the "Messiah," Handel's "Te Deum," "Jubilate," "Acis and Galatea," &c.

Princ.i.p.al performers: Miss Mahon, Miss Salmon, Mr. C. Norris, and Cervetto, a celebrated violoncellist, the leader of the band being Mr.

William Cramer, a popular violinist. The choir had the a.s.sistance of "the celebrated women chorus singers from Lancashire." The receipts were again about 800, and the profits 340, which sum was divided between the Hospital and the building fund for St. Paul's.

1784, Sept. 22 to 24. President: Lord Dudley and Ward. Following after the celebrated Handel Commemoration the programme was filled almost solely with selections from Handel's works, the only novelty being the oratorio of "Goliath," composed by Mr. Atterbury, which according to one modern musical critic, has never been heard of since. Master Bartleman, who afterwards became the leading ba.s.s singer of the day, was the novelty among the performers. Receipts, 1,325; profits, 703.

1787, Aug. 22 to 24. President, the Earl of Aylesford. In addition to the miscellaneous (mostly Handelian) pieces, the oratories performed were "Israel in Egypt" and the "Messiah," the latter being so remarkably successful that an extra performance of it was given on the Sat.u.r.day following. Among the perfumers were Mrs. Billington (first soprano), Mr.

Samuel Harrison (one of the finest tenor singers ever heard in England), and Mr. John Sale (a rich-toned ba.s.s), and the "women chorus." Receipts about 2,000; profits, 964.

1790, Aug. 25 to 27. President, Lord Dudley and Ward. The "Messiah,"

with miscellaneous selections, the princ.i.p.al performers being Madame Mara, Mr. Reinhold, and Mr. Charles Knyvett, with Jean Mara (violoncellist) and John Christian Fischer (oboeist) The prices of admission were raised at this Festival to 10s. 6d. and 7s.; Theatre boxes 7s. 6d., pit 5s., gallery 3s. 6d. Receipts 1,965 15s.; profits 958 14s.

1796, Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, President, the Earl of Aylesford. The performances were like those of 1790, of a general character, besides the "Messiah;" while the two princ.i.p.al sopranos were the Misses Fletcher, daughters of a local musician. The trombone was introduced at this Festival for the first time. Receipts 2,043 18s.; profits 897.

1792, September 18 to 20. President, the Earl of Warwick. The "Messiah,"

with vocal and instrumental selections of the usual character. Miss Poole and Master Elliott among the vocalists, with Mr. Holmes (ba.s.soonist) and Signor Mariotti (trombone player), were chief of the newly-introduced performers. Receipts, 2,550; profits, 1,470.

1802, September 22 to 24. President, the Earl of Dartmonth. For the first time in this town Haydn's "Creation" was performed, in addition to the "Messiah," &c. Among the vocalists were Madame Dussek, Mrs.

Mountain, John Braham (_the_ Braham of undying fame), and Mr. William Knyvett; Mr. Francois Cramer, leader of the band (and at every festival until 1843), had with him Andrew Ashe (flautist), Aufossi (double ba.s.s), &c., with over 100 in the orchestra. Receipts, 3,820 17s. O-1/4d.; profits, 2,380.

1805, Oct. 2 to 4. President, the Earl of Aylesford. The "Messiah" was given for the first time here with Mozart's accompaniments; part of the "Creation" &c. Mr. Thomas Vaughan was among the singers (and he took part in every Festival until 1840), and Signor Domenico Dragonetti (double ba.s.s) and the Brothers Petrules (horn players) with the instruments. Receipts, 4,222; profits, 2,202.