Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham Part 24

This is the meeting described as "one of the most solemn spectacles ever seen in the world." when the whole mighty a.s.semblage took the vow of the Political Union, to "devote themselves and their children to their country's cause."--In 1833, May 20, at which the Government was censured for pa.s.sing a Coercian Bill for Ireland, for keeping on the window and house taxes, for not abolishing the Coin Laws, and for not allowing vote by ballot.

~Newhall Lane~ was the original name for that part of Colmore Row situate between Newhall Street and Livery Street.

~New John Street~, for a long time, was considered the longest street in the borough, being 1 mile and 200 yards long.

~New Market Street.~--Some ground was set out here, years ago, for a market; hence the name.

~Newspapers and Magazines.~--In 1719 there were many small "sheets of news" published in London, but the imposition of a halfpenny stamp finished the career of the majority. In 1797 a 3-1/2 d. stamp, and in 1815 a 4d. stamp was required. In 1836 it was reduced to 1d., and in 1855, after a long agitation, the newspaper duty was abolished altogether. About 1830 the trick of printing a calico sheet of news was tried, the letter of the law being that duty must be paid on news_papers_, but the Somerset House people soon stopped it. In Oct., 1834, among many others, James Guest, Thomas Watts, and William Plastans, news-vendors of this town, were committed to Warwick Gaol fur the offence of selling unstamped papers. In 1840, the total circulation of all the local papers did not reach 14,000 copies per week, a great contrast to the present day, when one office alone sends out more than 150,000 in the like time. During the Chartist agitation there were frequently as many as 5,000 to 6,000 copies of Feargus O'Connor's _Northern Star_ sold here, and many hundreds a week of the _Weekly Dispatch_, a great favourite with "the people" then. _Cacoethes scribendi_, or the scribbling itch, is a complaint many local people have suffered from, but to give a list of all the magazines, newspapers, journals, and periodicals that have been published here is impossible.

Many like garden flowers have bloomed, fruited, and lived their little day, others have proved st.u.r.dy plants and stood their ground for years, but the majority only just budded into life before the cold frosts of public neglect struck at their roots and withered them up, not a leaf being left to tell even the date of their death. Notes of a few are here given:--

_Advertiser_.--First number appeared Oct. 10, 1833.

_Argus_.--Started as a monthly Aug. 1, 1828.--See "_Allday_" under "_Noteworthy Men_."

_Aris's Gazette_.--The oldest of our present local papers was first published Nov. 10, 1741. Like all other papers of that period, it was but a dwarf in comparison with the present broad-sheet, and the whole of the local news given in its first number was comprised in five lines, announcing the celebration of Admiral Vernon's birthday. Its Founder, Thos. Aris, died July 4, 1761. Since that date it had seen but few changes in its proprietorship until 1872, when it was taken by a Limited Liability Company, its politics remaining staunchly Conservative. On May 12th, 1862, it was issued as a daily, the Sat.u.r.day's publication still bearing the old familiar name.

_Athlete_.--First issued as the "_Midland Athlete_," January, 1879.

_Bazaar_.--A quarto serial of 1823-25.

_Birmingham Magazine_.--A literary and scientific publication edited by Rev. Hugh Hutton. First appeared in Nov. 1827, running only nine numbers.

_Brum_.--A so-called satirical, but slightly scurrilous, sheet issued in 1869, for a brief period.

_Central Literary Magazine_.--First No. in Jan. 1873.

_Chronicle_.--First published in 1765 by Myles Swinney. who continued to edit the paper until his death in 1812. It was sold March 15, 1819, as well as the type foundry which had been carried on by Mr. Swinney, a business then noteworthy, as there was but one other of the kind in England out of London.

_Daily Globe_.--A Conservative 1/2d. evening paper, commencing Nov. 17, 1879, and dying Oct. 30, 1880.

_Daily Mail_.--Evening 1/2d. paper; an offshoot from the _Daily Post_, and now printed on adjoining premises. First published Sept. 7, 1870.

_Daily Post_.--First published Dec. 4, 1857, by the proprietors of the _Journal_. From the first it "took" well, and it is the leading daily paper of the Midland Counties.

_Daily Press_.--The first daily paper issued in Birmingham appeared on May 7, 1855. Like many other "new inventions," however, it did not succeed in making a firm footing and succ.u.mbed in November, 1858.

_Dart_.--A well-conducted comic weekly paper. Commenced Oct. 28, 1876.

_Edgbaston Advertiser_.--Published monthly by Mr. Thos. Britton, Ladywood. As its name implies, this publication is more of the character of an advertising sheet than a newspaper, but it often contains choice literary pieces which make it a favourite.

_Edgbastonia_.--A monthly, full of quaint and curious notes, local biographies, &c., issued by Mr. Eliezer Edwards, the well-known "S.D.R."

First sent out May, 1881.

_Edmonds' Weekly Recorder_.--First published by George Edmonds, June 18, 1819. It was alive in 1823, but date of last issue is uncertain.

_German_.--A newspaper printed in the German language made its appearance here Aug. 7, 1866, but did not live long.

_Graphic_.--A penny ill.u.s.trated commenced Feb. 21, 1883, but its growth was not sufficiently _hardy_ to keep it alive more than two _summers_.

_Gridiron_.--"A grill for saints and sinners," according to No. 1 (June 14, 1879), and if bitter biting personalities can be called fun, the publication was certainty an amusing one, so long as it lasted.

_Hardware Lion_.--Rather a curious name for the monthly advertising sheet first published Dec., 1880, but it did not long survive.

_Ill.u.s.trated Midland News_.--The publication of this paper, Sept. 4, 1869, was a spirited attempt by Mr. Joseph Hatton to rival the _Ill.u.s.trated London News_; but the fates were against him, and the last number was that of March 11, 1871.

_Inspector_.--A political sheet, which only appeared a few times in 1815.

_Iris_.--A few numbers of a literary magazine thus named were issued in 1830.

_Jabet's Herald_.--A weekly paper, published 1808, but not of long existence.

_Journal_.--A paper with this name was published in 1733, but there are no files extant to show how long it catered for the public. A copy of its 18th number, Monday, May 21, 1733, a small 4to of 4 pages, with the 1/2d. red stamp, is in the possession of the proprietors of the _Daily Post_, The _Journal_ of later days first appeared June 4 1825, and continued to be published as a Sat.u.r.day weekly until 1873, when it was incorporated with the _Daily Post_.

_Liberal Review_.--First number March 20, 1880, and a few numbers ended it.

_Looker-On_.--A quizzical critical sheet of theatrical items of the year 1823.

_Literary Phoenix_.--A miscellany of literary litter swept together by Mr. Henry Hawkes in 1820, but soon dropped.

_Lion_.--Another of the modern "satirical" shortlived sheets, started Jan. 4, 1877.

_Mercury.--The Birmingham Mercury and Warwickshire and Staffordshire Advertiser_ was the t.i.tle of newspaper of which the first copy was dated November 24, 1820. The t.i.tle of _Mercury_ was revived in 1848. on the 10th December of which year Mr. Wm. B. Smith brought out his paper of that name. It commenced with _eclat_, but soon lost its good name, and ultimately, after a lingering existence (as a daily at last), it died out August 24, 1857.

_Middle School Mirror_.--A monthly, edited, written, and published by the boys of the Middle School of King Edward the Sixth, shone forth in December, 1880.

_Midland Antiquary_.--First numbtr for Oct., 1882. A well-edited chronicle of matters interesting to our "Old Mortality" boys.

_Midland Counties Herald_.--First published July 26, 1836, by Messrs.

Wright and Dain. Its circulation, though almost gratuitous is extensive and from its high character as a medium for certain cla.s.ses of advertis.e.m.e.nts it occasionally has appeared in the novel shape of a newspaper without any news, the advertisers taking up all the s.p.a.ce.

_Midland Echo_--Halfpenny evening paper, commenced Feb. 26, 1883, as an extra-superfine Liberal organ. Ceased to appear as a local paper early in 1885.

_Midland Metropolitan Magazine_. This heavily-named monthly lasted just one year, from Dec., 1852.

_Midland Naturalist_.--Commenced Jan. 1, 1878.

_Morning News_.--Daily paper, in politics a Nonconformist Liberal; first published Jan. 2, 1871, under the editorship of George Dawson until the expiration of 1873. On Aug. 16, 1875, it was issued as a morning and evening paper at 1/2d.; but the copy for May 27, 1876, contained its own death notice.

_Mouse Trap_.--The t.i.tle of a little paper of playful badinage, issued for a month or two in the autumn of 1824.

_Naturalists' Gazette_.--In Sept. 1882, the Birmingham naturalists began a gazette of their own.

_Old and New Birmingham_ was published in monthly parts, the first being issued June 1, 1878.

_Owl_.--A weekly pennyworth of self-announced "wit and wisdom" first issued Jan. 30, 1879.

_Penny Magazine_.--This popular periodical, the fore-runner of all the cheap literature of the day, may be said to have had a Birmingham origin, as it was first suggested to Charles Knight by Mr. M.D. Hill in 1832.

_Philanthropist_.--First published (as _The Reformer_) April 16, 1835, by Benjamin Hudson, 18, Bull Street; weekly, four pages, price 7d., but in the following September lowered to 4-1/2d., the stamp duty of 4d.