November5—Worcester Riots.—The ferment which the rejectionof the Reform Bill by the Lords had created having spread generally through the country, and much terror caused by the Bristol anti-Wetherell riots, the Mayor and magistrates of Worcester swore in a number of special constables this week; and, at the request of the Mayor, the Home Secretary directed a troop of the 7th Hussars to take up their quarters at Droitwich. It was thought possible that the ill disposed might make the county Reform meeting, held this day, apoint d’appui, and the 400 special constables had express orders to hold themselves in readiness for action at any moment. However, the proceedings passed off very quietly, and the day closed without any disturbance; but unfortunately a small and purely accidental fire broke out in the back premises of Mr. Woakes in High Street. A great number of people were gathered to the spot, and a squabble occurred in the crowd, during which the hose of the fire engines was cut, and the mob seemed to regard this as the signal for disorder. Some rascals harked them on to mischief, and they first of all made an incursion into Foregate Street, where they broke all the windows in the house of Mr. France, solicitor, and on their return smashed those of Sir Anthony Lechmere and other individuals known to belong to the unpopular party. The Mayor and magistrates were already at the Hall, with a large body of special constables, and the bells of the city churches were set tolling to collect the remainder. This roused the whole town, and all the bad characters it contained were speedily enrolled amongst the mob. The special constables at the command of the Mayor sallied out of the Town Hall and engaged the rioters, and some smartish encounters took place in various directions. Several of the mob were captured and carried off to prison; but none of the specials were much hurt. The tumult still continuing, the Mayor sent off expresses to Pershore and Droitwich for the military; but, in the interim, he addressed the rioters, and attempted to induce them to disperse. Some of the leaders said they would do so if he would release the prisoners who had been taken. The Mayor, hereupon, went down to the gaol, and, amidst the huzzas of the mob, liberated the captives; but they then wanted the release of the other prisoners confined in the gaol. This the Mayor positively refused, and returned to the Guildhall. At a quarter after one Captain Bathurst, with a troop of the 7th Hussars, rode up to the Guildhall, and the mob threw some stones at them; and, as they showed no disposition to disperse, the Mayor read the Riot Act, but had no sooner done so than a stone was hurled at him, which struck him on thehead. He immediately ordered the military to clear the streets, which they did in a very short time. A great number of stones were thrown at them; but the resistance speedily ceased, and many parties were again taken into custody and conveyed to the gaol. Several of the mob were cut, though not seriously, by the sabres of the military. A detachment of the 91st Infantry arrived from Pershore about three a.m., but their services were not then required. The city, for two or three nights afterwards, wore an unquiet aspect, and desultory mobs were collected, but no further harm was done. The magistrates examined the prisoners afterwards—amounting, in all, to about thirty persons. Most of them were liberated on entering into their own recognizances to keep the peace, and a few of the worst were fined or sent to the treadmill.
Local Acts—For erecting a County Hall and Courts of Assize at Worcester; for better repairing the road from Bromsgrove to Birmingham.
Theministers, calling Parliament together again almost immediately, proposed another Reform Bill, differing from the former one in the apportionment of boroughs in the schedules, in preserving the rights of freemen by birth and servitude, and in giving freeholders in boroughs the right to vote in county elections. The second reading was carried, on the morning of Sunday, the 18th of December, 1851, by a majority of 324 to 162; the majority being thus much larger than before. The bill passed a second reading in the Lords by a majority of 9; seventeen peers who voted against the bill in 1831 voted for it in 1832, and others absented themselves. Immediately on going into committee, however, Lord Lyndhurst proposed to postpone the disenfranchising to the enfranchising clauses, and this was carried against ministers by a majority of 35. Earl Grey then applied to the King for powers to carry the bill as it stood; and, on the King’s refusing acarte blanchefor the creation of peers,ministers resigneden masse. Lord Lyndhurst was sent for by the King; but the Commons pledged themselves, by an overwhelming majority, to support only the former ministers, and, in the face of such a resolution, no ministry could be formed. Then came the thunders of theTimes, declaring that “the Queen had done it all,” the threatened run upon the Bank, and symptoms of disaffection among the soldiery. At last the King found himself obliged to put into Earl Grey’s hands all the powers he required, and he returned to office on the 15th of April. The opposition peers then, at the King’s request, absented themselves from the House, and the bill passed with little further discussion. It received the royal assent on the 7th of June. Parliament was soon afterwards dissolved; and the new constituencies, of course, returned a very large preponderance of Whig or Reform members. Three per Cents. averaged 83½; wheat averaged 58s. 8d.
January—Several attempts made to fire carpet manufactories in Kidderminster. The trade of the town in a deplorable condition; 779 heads of families receiving out-door relief weekly.
February1—Colonel Davies moved, in the House of Commons, for a committee of inquiry on the glove trade. He stated that not one-third of the number of gloves were made in Worcester that there were formerly, when 120 masters each manufactured 100 dozen a week. He attributed this distress and loss of trade entirely to the free trade in French gloves. Mr. Poulett Thomson contended, on behalf of Government, that the general manufacture of gloves in this country had increased, for the kid skins imported in the last five years had been 3,679,000, to 2,600,000 in the five years prior to the duty being taken off gloves. The distress he believed to be owing to the late increase in the importation of skins, to the use of Berlin gloves instead of kid, and to overtrading. The numbers were—against the committee, 223; for it, 168: majority against the motion, 55.
February28—A petition from the operative glovers of Worcester, having 2,206 signatures, and praying that the “system, falsely calledfree trade,” may be abandoned, forwarded to the Earl of Coventry for presentation.
April2—The freedom of the city presented to the Earl of Plymouth and Lieutenant Colonel Elrington by the hand of the recorder, the Earl of Coventry. To the former, principally in approval of his raising the Yeomanry corps; and to the latter, for his public services in the east. Colonel Elrington presented the Corporation with arms and armour, taken by him from pirates in the Persian Gulf.
April5—At a dinner given at the Guildhall, Dr. Malden in the chair, a very handsome service of plate was presented to the Mayor, Henry Clifton, Esq., in remembrance of the vigilance and energy he had shown in repressing the Worcester riots.
April17—On the memorable second reading of the Reform Bill in the House of Lords, by a majority of nine, the Earl of Coventry, Lord Northwick (both of whom had voted against the former bill), Earl Somers, Lord Foley, Lord Lyttelton, and the Bishop of Worcester voted in its favour; and Earls Plymouth and Beauchamp and the Bishop of Rochester against it.
May23—The Mayor of Worcester, Henry Clifton, Esq., was presented atlevéeby the Bishop of Worcester, and thanked by His Majesty for the “important services he had rendered on a late occasion.”
May29—The trade on the Severn stopped by the general resistance of the bow-halliers to the use of horses in towing barges up the river. They nailed the gates up along the towing path, and assembled in great numbers to prevent any horses being attached to the vessels. The magistrates made several attempts to convince them of the unreasonableness and folly of their proceedings, but to no purpose. At last the Riot Act was read, and a troop of Scotch Greys marched into Worcester from Kidderminster. Under this escort the gates were opened and several vessels taken up the river, but not without determined opposition and much disturbance. Eight men were committed for trial to the sessions.
June11and12—Celebration of the passing of the Reform Bill, in Worcester. On the Monday the Worcester Political Union, with a great number of lodges and friendly societies, paraded the streets with banners and music, and in the evening dined at various public houses. On the Tuesday evening the city was illuminated—the lighting up being almost universal, and costly transparencies and devices in many instances adopted.
June15—A Reform festival at Evesham, 700 persons dining at tables set out along the open street—Vine Street. In the space between the tables were raised twelve casks of ale, inscribed—“The King,” “Reform,” “Grey,” “Brougham,” &c. Mr. Workman presided. Dinners also at Droitwich, Redditch, &c.
July14—The cholera first made its appearance in Worcester: most of the cases occurring in the Pinch, at the back of Bridge Place, Hylton Street, a most dirty and close locality. It continued to rage till the middle of October: 293 cases having occurred in the whole; and the deaths amounted to 79. The medical men, forming the Board of Health, had been most indefatigable in their labours and attentions to the sick in the Cholera Hospital at Henwick. A very handsome subscription was entered into for the relief of cholera sufferers and their families, and the proceeds of a collection after a sermon by the Rev. Canon Benson, and of a concert at the College Hall (£156), were devoted to the same good object. The cholera visited every town in the county with more or less severity. It raged most fearfully at Droitwich, Redditch, and Dudley; the cases in the latter town amounting to 1,132, with a proportion of 250 deaths. Warm salt baths were found very beneficial at Droitwich. The Yeomanry, this year, assembled at Warwick, because of the prevalence of the disease in Worcester.
July19—TheProvincial Medical and Surgical Associationformed, at a meeting held in the board room of the Worcester Infirmary. More than fifty medical men were present; and the venerable Dr. Johnstone, of Birmingham, was called to the chair. The opening address was read by Dr. Hastings, the founder of the association; another on the objects and modes of medical investigation by Dr. Barlow; with various medical papers by Dr. Milligan, Dr. Malden, Dr. Jeffery, and others; with “A proposal to establish County Natural History Societies” by Dr. Conolly. The value and importance of this association are now fully established.
October9and10—Musical Festival at Kidderminster, in St. George’s Church, for the benefit of the National Charity Schools.The Messiahwas performed one morning, and a selection of sacred music the other. There was also a grand miscellaneous concert on Tuesday evening, and a ball on Wednesday evening. The result was highly satisfactory. The receipts were—for tickets, £853; collections, £209; donations, £180: total, £1,242. The expenses amounted to £792, and £450 was thus left as a balance in favour of the charity.
October27—The revising barristers having completed the inquiry into the first registration of the voters of the city of Worcester under the Reform Act, there were left upon the list 1,521 freemen and 721 £10 householders in addition, making a total of 2,242. Under the old state of things there were about 1,600 resident and 800 non-resident freemen, so that the Reform Act somewhat lessened the number of voters. It was stated, incidentally, that from the year 1760 to 1832 (seventy-two years) the Corporation of Worcester had admitted 5,092 freemen—viz., 2,625 by right of servitude, 1,222 by birth, 1,103 by purchase, and 142 had been honorarily admitted. The constituency of the county, after revision of the lists, amounted to 8,283—viz. 3,122 for the western and 5,161 for the eastern division. Total population, 110,348. The voters for the city and various boroughs numbered 4,235.
November5—The Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria passed through the county, escorted by the Worcestershire Yeomanry, who in reward for this service have since received the appellation of the “Queen’s Own.” The royal party passed through Tenbury, Witley, Worcester, and Bromsgrove to Hewell, where they stayed for the night, being welcomed at each of these places with the utmost loyalty and enthusiasm. At Hewell, the townspeople of Bromsgrove and Redditch presented addresses, and the nobility of the county assembled in the evening to pay their respects to their Royal Highnesses.
Measurescalled for by the state of Ireland occupied the first session of the Reformed Parliament. The Coercion Bill, for the repression of crime, was easily passed, and then came the Irish Church Bill, to abolish the Church cess or rate, in that country, to impose a graduated tax on clergymen, instead of taking first-fruits, and to abolish ten out of twenty-two bishoprics. The bill passed with little opposition; but a most important alteration was made in the Lords, as to the appropriation of the revenues of the suppressed sees. A motion, made in the Commons, for a repeal of half the Malt Tax, was carried by 162 to 152; but ministers, a few days afterwards, got the vote rescinded. Consols averaged 88; wheat averaged 52s. 11d.
January25—A police force, organised by the Worcester City Commissioners, with Inspector Sharpe at their head.
January—The Worcester Philharmonic Society, just formed, gave their first concert.
March26—Mr. G. R. Robinson moved for a committee to revise the taxation of the country, and to inquire into the propriety of substituting a property tax in lieu of a great portion of it. The motion was defeated by the opposition of Government: 155 members, however, voted in its favour; amongst the minority being the Hon. H. B. Lygon and Sir Thomas Winnington.
April8—The Worcestershire Natural History Societyformed, at a meeting held at the Guildhall, Worcester, with Sir C. S. Smith, Bart., in the chair.
May1—The Hirondelle coach, passing through Worcester, was driven from Liverpool to Cheltenham, a distance of 136 miles, in 9 hours and 33 minutes—14 miles an hour, including stoppages.
May17—On Mr. W. Whitmore’s motion to substitute a fixed duty on corn for the alterative duties then in force, Mr. G. R. Robinson and Mr. R. Godson voted in the minority. Colonel Davies also paired off in favour of the motion.
June6—Colonel Davies moved a vote of confidence in ministers, with reference to their conduct towards Portugal, which was carried by a majority of 263.
July22—Funeral of the Earl of Plymouth, in Tardebigg Church. The whole of the Yeomanry were assembled on the occasion, and great crowds gathered to witness the procession. The burial service was performed by the Lord Bishop of Worcester, assisted by the vicar of Tardebigg, the Right Hon. and Rev. Lord Aston.
September9—The Government Commissioners made their inquiries at Worcester into the Charter and Corporation of the city. The forty-eight members of the old Corporation were, of course, self-elected, and the nomination virtually rested with a few of the body. They rigidly excluded all professional men and all Dissenters. The income of the body was stated to the Commissioners to be £2,100 per annum, and the expenditure about £2,000; this included subscriptions and donations for charitable purposes, amounting to about £300 a year. It was accidentally discovered, during the inquiry, that the sword bearer charged one penny per pot on all fruit brought into the market, though the toll was only one farthing. A complaint was made that the £20 charged upon persons, not freemen, who wished to trade within the limits of the city, hadthe effect of discouraging young men from entering upon small businesses.
October—TheBridgwater Treatisespresented to the Rev. George Redford, by some members of the Worcester Literary and Scientific Institution, for “his just castigation of their scandalous libeller, ‘O. S.,’ for his refutation of the assertion ‘That the diffusion of useful knowledge leads to atheism,’ and for his defence of the anti-sectarian principles upon which the London University is founded.”
October25—A prisoner, named M‘Kenzie, confined in the City Gaol for robbery, made his escape—slipping out of his cell just as the turnkey was locking up. He had to make a jump of eleven feet from the top of one building to another; and he afterwards said that, before making it, his courage failed him, so he knelt down and asked God to assist him, and, by God’s help, he succeeded! A truly curious instance of superstitious profanity. He was retaken at Bridgnorth.
November14—Mr. Cockburn, the Government Commissioner for inquiring into Municipal Corporations, attended at Bewdley. The burgesses and capital burgesses of the borough were all elected, or chosen by the Corporation, and, before the passing of the Reform Act, the privilege of voting was thus confined to some thirty or forty persons. Previous to Mr. Robarts being elected the member, it was customary for the candidate who found favour to give some £300 or £400, and then there never was any opposition to his taking his seat. It was said that these “compliments” had always been applied to public purposes. Fifty guineas were allowed annually, out of the Corporation funds, for the bailiff’s feast. No satisfactory account was rendered of the Corporation property and receipts; and the corporate officers refused to answer any questions about the Bridge Trust, or the tolls taken thereat. The toll on foot passengers, it appeared, had been discontinued for eighteen years; but £400 a year was raised from the toll on carriages and horses.
Local Act—To enable the Stratford and Moreton Railway Company to make a branch to Shipston-on-Stour.
Onthe 1st of August in this year slavery ceased to disgrace the British colonies. The Irish Church continuedto be the principal subject of discussion in Parliament; and on the 27th of May, Mr. Ward moved that the temporalities of that church ought to be reduced; and as a majority of the cabinet had resolved so far to accede to the motion as to appoint a commission of inquiry, Mr. Stanley, Sir James Graham, the Duke of Richmond, and the Earl of Ripon resigned their offices. The other measures of the ministry with regard to Ireland were equally embarrassing in their results. The unadvised disclosures of Mr. Littleton to Mr. O’Connell, respecting the supposed intentions of the cabinet as to the Coercion Bill, led to the retirement of Earl Grey, and Viscount Melbourne became Prime Minister in his stead. The measures proposed for the relief of Dissenters were withdrawn from the opposition of Dissenters themselves; and the only act passed this session, of great public importance, was that for the amendment of the Poor Laws, which received the assent of almost all parties. Mr. Hume’s motion for a gradual repeal of the Corn Laws was negatived by 312 to 155—Sir James Graham being the principal speaker against it. In November, when the death of Earl Spencer removed Lord Althorpe to the Upper House, and so further weakened the Whigs, the King dismissed them, and called the Duke of Wellington to his councils. Sir Robert Peel was then appointed Prime Minister, and Parliament was dissolved. Three per Cents. averaged 90½. wheat, 46s. 2d.
January—Mr. G. R. Robinson, M.P. for Worcester, elected chairman at Lloyds.
February—Lord Foley made strenuous endeavours to get Worcester created a bonded port.
April8—The “Athenæum,” Foregate Street, a building erected for the accommodation of the Worcester Literary and Scientific Institution, opened by an inaugural address from C. H. Hebb, Esq., the president. A dinner, of the members and supporters of theinstitution, afterwards took place at the Bell Inn, Broad Street, with Colonel Davies, M.P., in the chair.
May9—Paganini performed in Worcester.
May15—The first stone of the Monument on the Lickey, erected to the memory of the Earl of Plymouth, laid by Lord Lyttelton—the gentry of the neighbourhood, the Cavalry, and a large concourse of spectators being present. It was raised by public subscription. It is a simple obelisk of Anglesea marble, raised on a pedestal 17 feet high and 20 feet square; the top of the pillar is 91½ feet from the ground, and it is so situated as to be seen at a distance of many miles.
May16—The first anniversary of the Worcestershire Natural History Society held in the Guildhall, Edward Holland, Esq., the newly elected president, in the chair. Dr. Streeten read the report of the committee. In the evening the members dined together at the Crown Hotel, Broad Street.
June2—The first general exhibition of paintings opened in Worcester, in the lecture room of the Athenæum, Foregate Street. It contained 195 pictures, and was a most admirable selection. Amongst others were—“Cupid interceding for Psyche,” by Etty; Constable’s “Barge on the Stour;” David Roberts’s “Antwerp Cathedral;” two from the easel of Alexander Frazer; and others by Stanfield, Danby, Pickersgill, Chalon, Jackson, Howard, Creswick, &c.; while the local artists were also very fairly represented. The pictures were very ably criticised in theWorcester Herald, by a gentleman named Cary, who, for this purpose, adopted the sobriquet of “Lorenzo.”
July—Petitions sent up to Parliament, from various parishes in the city and county, expressing confidence in the Established Church, and praying that Dissenters might be kept out of the Universities.
August1—The first number ofThe Analyst, a monthly journal of literature and natural history, principally devoted to the midland counties, published in Worcester. It was edited by William Holl, Esq., and reached a tenth volume. It was a clever and readable publication.
August17—The Bishop of Exeter preached at Hallow Church on behalf of the Sunday schools. Next day the Rev. Prelate visited Worcester, and was presented by the Mayor with a handsomely bound copy ofGreen’s History of Worcester, as a token of admiration of his zealous defence of the establishment.
September1—Lord Deerhurst, while shooting in Sir CharlesCockerell’s covers, at Sezincote, received the contents of a gun in his face, and lost the sight of his right eye.
September25—Church rate contest at Dudley, carried on with all the zeal witnessed at a general election. The anti-rate party had a few weeks before defeated the church party in vestry, but another meeting was called for this day, when a rate of 10d. in the pound was proposed by Mr. Isaac Badger, and carried on a poll by 474 to 390 votes.
Local Act—For better supplying the town of Dudley with water.
As the Reform enthusiasm had passed away, the elections resulted unfavourably for the Whigs—the great majority of the counties returning Conservative members. The Whigs, however, finding that they still possessed a majority in the new house, set themselves to oppose Sir Robert Peel’s Government on every point. They carried Mr. Abercromby, as Speaker, by a majority of 10, and an amendment on the address by a majority of 7. Sir Robert, however, continued to bring forward his measures, some of which were generally approved of, and he bade fair to gain the confidence of the country even under such disadvantageous circumstances. But on the introduction of the Tithe Bill for Ireland, Lord John Russell moved that no settlement of Irish Church affairs would be satisfactory on any other basis than that of appropriating its surplus revenues to educational purposes; and this was carried by a majority of 27. Sir Robert Peel and his colleagues then retired from office, and Lord Melbourne again became Prime Minister. The rest of the session was almost wholly spent in passing the Municipal Reform Bill, and an attempt to carry a Bill for regulating the Irish Church, which was so mutilated in the Lords that ministers abandoned it. Consols averaged 91; wheat, 39s. 4d.
February19—In the well-remembered division on the choice of Speaker for the new House of Commons under Sir R. Peel’s ministry,Sir T. Winnington, Bart., Sir C. Cockerell, Captain Winnington, Mr. G. R. Phillips, and Mr. Cookes voted in the majority of 316 for Mr. Abercrombie—and Mr. Holland, Mr. Robinson, Colonel Lygon, Mr. Borthwick, Mr. Hawkes, Mr. Bailey, and Mr. Barneby in the minority of 306 for Sir C. M. Sutton. Thus the whole 12 county members were present, and 5 voted for Mr. Abercrombie and 7 for Sir C. Manners Sutton.
March10—On the Marquis of Chandos’s motion for a repeal of the Malt Tax, which was defeated by a majority of 158, T. H. Cookes, Esq., E. Holland, Esq., Captain Winnington, J. Bailey, Esq., G. R. Robinson, Esq., Sir T. Winnington, and Mr. Hawkes voted in the majority—and Col. Lygon, Mr. G. R. Phillips, Mr. Borthwick, and Mr. Barneby in the minority.
April20—The East Worcestershire Conservative Association formed at a meeting at Droitwich, over which John S. Pakington, Esq., presided; the object being to rescue the Eastern Division from the hands of the Whigs. The annual subscription was fixed at 5s., but large donations were given by Lord Redesdale, Lord Eastnor, and others.
April—Addresses sent to Sir Robert Peel—requesting him to continue to hold office, and expressing confidence in his administration—from Worcester, Droitwich, Evesham, Hagley, and Oldswinford. A public meeting was held at Kidderminster, for the purpose of sending an address to His Majesty—the chair taken by Thomas Bradley, Esq., the High Bailiff—praying the King to continue the Government in Sir Robert Peel’s hands. The address received 1,473 signatures.
May25—The first stone of the Worcestershire Natural History Society’s Museum and Lecture Room, Foregate Street, Worcester, laid by Lord Lyttelton.
June12—Petition presented by Mr. Robinson, from Worcester, in favour of the Municipal Corporation Bill, to which 4,300 signatures were attached.
June15—The second exhibition of modern paintings opened at the Athenæum, Foregate Street, containing 228 pictures. Amongst them was M‘Clise’s fine picture, “The Installation of Captain Rock;” Danby’s “Enchanted Island” and “Solitude;” five of Constable’s; two of Creswick’s; with others by Copley Fielding, Lee, &c. The Worcester artists were well represented.
July30—The first stone of St. Paul’s Church, Blockhouse, Worcester, laid by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese; the Recorder,Earl Coventry, the Corporation, and a large concourse of spectators attending. The church was built entirely by voluntary subscription, being intended to meet the spiritual wants of the population living in the extra-parochial district, and consequently not formally under the charge of any particular clergyman.
August4—Mr. Sidebottom, as Town Clerk of Worcester, examined before the House of Lords, as one of the witnesses against the Municipal Corporations Reform Bill. His testimony went to say that the Corporation, as it was, was very good—that there was never any jobbing—that the freemen had held their rights ever since 1540—that the freemen were become such by servitude or birth, saying nothing about purchase—and that any alteration must be for the worse.
October4—The clergy and Dissenting ministers generally, throughout the county, celebrated the third centenary of the Reformation, and the printing of the first entire English Protestant Bible by Coverdale, by preaching appropriate sermons on this day.
October6, 7,and3—Mr. John Constable, R.A., the celebrated painter, lectured at the Athenæum, Worcester, on landscape painting.
October—Pershore and Upton Poor Law Unions incorporated.
December—Election of the Municipal Corporations—At Kidderminster the Conservatives had a decided majority; and W. B. Best, Esq., was chosen Mayor. At Evesham, also, they preponderated; William Barnes, Esq., the former Mayor, was here reëlected. At Bewdley the new body were all Conservatives; Slade Baker, Esq., chosen Mayor. At Droitwich they were all liberals; and E. B. Penrice, Esq., was elected chief magistrate.
Local Act—For improving the turnpike roads leading into and from the city of Worcester.
TheTithe Commutation Act and the Dissenters’ Marriage Act were the two principal measures carried this year; the other bills proposed by Government, respecting the Irish Church, Irish Corporations, and Charitable Trusts, being so altered in the Lords, that the Commons refused to agree to their amendments, and they were dropped. Consols averaged 90; wheat averaged 48s. 6d.
January19—Evesham first lighted with gas.
January26—The Worcester Diocesan Church Building Societyformed at a meeting at the Guildhall, Worcester.
February—The Kidderminster Town Council having sent up a list of six gentlemen (all Conservatives) as magistrates for the borough, Lord John Russell refused to approve it, and substituted three other parties (two being Whigs) for three of the names on the list.
April—The Commissioners appointed to inquire into the revenues of the Established Church presented their report, from which it appeared that the total number of benefices in the see of Worcester was 223; gross total income per annum £73,255: 111 curates were employed at a gross stipend of £9,002; average, £81 per annum. The incomes of the incumbents varied from £20 to £1,500 a year. The gross income of the see of Worcester was set down at £6,916, and of the Dean and Chapter at £12,088. The eight minor canons received £34 a year, the precentor £14. 15s., the schoolmaster £39. 19s. 6d., the under master £28. 1 s. 5d.
April11—Dinner given at the Star Hotel to T. C. Brock, Esq., by the Hunt Committee, on his resignation of the mastership of the hounds into the hands of Captain Candler. The Hon. W. J. Coventry took the chair; and J. S. Pakington, Esq., was vice president.
April26—The first stone of Hartlebury New Church laid by Mrs. Baker, wife of the rector, and daughter of the Bishop of the Diocese.
June30—A splendid silver vase presented, at the George Hotel, Droitwich, to Mr. T. G. Curtler, “in gratitude for his long services as Town Clerk of the borough, and as a tribute of respect and esteem for his high professional integrity and private character.” J. S. Pakington, Esq., was called to the chair by the meeting, and presented the plate in a highly eulogistic speech.
July8—The Kidderminster Messengerstarted by Mr. Arthur Brough, a bookseller in that town, and also carrying on a similar business at Stourport. It at first professed to be a neutral newspaper, and, as such, had an extensive circulation amongst men of all parties in Kidderminster and the neighbourhood. Mr. Brough afterwards thought he could, as a commercial speculation, improve the paper by making it a thorough going Tory print, and he gave it the name of theTen Towns’ Messenger, alluding to ten towns round Kidderminster in which it circulated. From this time it was furious in its politics and in the language employed to advocate its principles. It reached its greatest circulation when it extended its labours to Birmingham; the news of which town was given at much length, and it assumed, consequently the additional title ofTheBirmingham Times. This was in 1839–40; and from 1,700 to 1,800 copies, weekly, were sold at this time. In 1841, however, Mr. Brough started theNational Advertiser, by which he expected to make much more money than by theTen Towns, and in June, 1842, he sold it to the Rev. Charles Eckersall. The Tractarian principles which it now advocated were, however, by no means palatable to the majority of its readers, and the circulation of the paper gradually declined, till Mr. Eckersall—like most other amateur newspaper proprietors, having lost much money by it—got rid of it. The paper then became the property of Mr. Friend, bookseller, of Kidderminster, but, from various causes continued to fall off in circulation; and when it had sunk to some 400 weekly, it was at last altogether discontinued on the 30th of June, 1849.
August25—Two superb pieces of plate—a silver vase and salver, weighing together 286 ounces—presented to the Rev. J. Topham, M.A., of Droitwich, by J. H. H. Foley, Esq., on behalf of the parishioners and friends of Mr. Topham, who had purchased them by subscription, “as a token of respect to his general character, and a testimony of the sense entertained by them of his services in the cause of civil and religious liberty.” The ceremony of presentation took place at the Court House.
September26—St. Peter’s Church, Malvern Wells, consecrated.
September31—Mr. Macready performed at Worcester Theatre inIon.
December14—Worcester Union incorporated under the New Poor Law, and the guardians elected by the several city parishes. H. B. Tymbs, Esq., was elected chairman of the new board, and Mr. Alderman R. Evans vice-chairman.
December24—The Lord Chancellor appointed, as trustees of the Worcester charities, the gentlemen nominated by the Town Council, in preference to those named by the old Corporation. The trustees thus appointed were—the Mayor (C. H. Hebb, Esq.), Alderman R. Evans, John Dent, Esq., Mr. Alderman Hall, Robert Berkeley, jun., Esq., Alderman W. Corles, William Shaw, Esq., John Nash, Esq., George Allies, Esq., Mr. Thomas Grainger, Humphrey Chamberlain, Esq., J. P. Lavender, Esq., Mr. Alderman Howell, Francis Thomas Gibb, Esq., John Williams, Esq. The charities under the management of the six masters were exempted from the operation of the seventy-first section of the Municipal Reform Act. The Rev. E. Crane resigned the chaplaincy of Berkeley’s Hospital, and the Rev. Edwin Faulkner elected in his stead. Mr. E. Corles was chosen solicitor to the trust.
Local Act—For making the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway.
Thesubjects which occupied the attention of the legislature this year were many and important, but no measures of great public polity actually passed. Ecclesiastical matters formed the prominent topic, and a bill to abolish church rates, and provide for the reparation of churches, by putting the property of bishops, deans, and chapters into commission, was read a second time, but the majority was so small, five votes only, that ministers could not proceed with it. King William IV died on the 20th of June; and, in the elections which followed the accession of the young Queen, the Whigs with difficulty maintained their majority. Consols averaged 91½; wheat averaged 55s. 10d.
September—Great excitement in Bromsgrove over politico-parochial matters. Two parties were appointed by the Conservative party at the usual time—Easter week; but this appointment, on an appeal to Dr. Phillimore, the Chancellor of the Diocese, was declared informal and illegal. There was, consequently, a fresh election in this month, when the whole parish was routed up to vote. The result was, the choice of the two liberals—Messrs. Ellins (who had 945 votes) and Hill (who had 915). The Conservatives were Messrs. Edwards and Penn, who obtained 381 and 372 votes respectively. A scrutiny was demanded, and it dragged out a weary length with all sorts of expenses, but left the result of the election unaltered.
September13—Bazaar at Evesham, for the restoration of St. Lawrence’s Church, producing £250.
October30—Public meeting of the burgesses of Worcester at the Bell Inn, to consider the best means of declaring their grateful sense of Mr. Hebb’s constant endeavours in the behalf of civil and religious liberty, and their approval of his conduct during the two years he had filled the office of chief magistrate. It was determined that he should be requested to sit for his portrait, andthat the Council should be asked to place it in the Assembly Room, where it now hangs.
Local Acts—For amending and enlarging the powers of the act for erecting a County Hall and Courts of Assize; the New Cattle Market Act; Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Amendment Act, with powers to make branches to Worcester and Tewkesbury.
IrishTithes and Corporations—Church Rates—Jamaica and the Negro Apprenticeship System, and the Canadas—formed the subjects of discussion in Parliament. In the year previous had commenced that series of deficits which contributed so much to the weakness and ultimate downfall of the Melbourne administration: for finance is, after all, the life-blood of a ministry. The Whigs could not, however, fairly be blamed for the state of the national exchequer, which, in truth, was the unavoidable consequence of the measures of former years. Immediately after the restriction of small notes, in the year 1829, the prices of merchandise and the amount of mercantile transactions rapidly declined; though as the seasons were unfavourable, speculators managed, by aid of the sliding scale, to keep up the price of corn till 1833, when it fell to less than 40s. a quarter. Speculation in the American trade gained for a time the appearance of prosperity; but on the failure of the United States Bank in 1836, affairs were brought to a crisis, and our manufacturers and merchants were plunged into extreme distress—trade was utterly stagnated—and when the scarcity of 1839 necessitated large importations of corn, and a drain of gold to pay for it, the Bank of England was well nigh brought into the peril of 1825. Consols averaged 93; wheat averaged 64s. 7d.
January—TheWorcestershire Chronicleestablished by a joint stock company, at the head of which were some of the leadingReformers of the city and county. It was designed to supply a want, then beginning to be generally felt by this party, of an organ for the advocacy of their opinions, and the advancement of their interests through the medium of the press. The first number was published on the 3rd of January, 1838. In the year 1842 the concern passed into private hands, and was transferred to the present proprietors.
January22—Mr. Pakington made his Parliamentarydebûtin a speech on Canadian affairs, which was very well received.
January—Subscriptions at Evesham, Redditch, and Pershore, for the relief of the local poor during an inclement season.
February—George Williams, Esq., surgeon, of Bewdley, nominated by Lord John Russell as a magistrate of that borough, and the Town Council thereof very indignant at not having been consulted. The Liberals afterwardsfêtedMr. Williams at a dinner at the George Inn.
March27—Celebration of Lord Ward’s majority at Himley, Sedgley, Dudley, &c., by a succession of dinners and donations to the poor. The barrel of ale called “Big Ben,” which had been brewed on Lord Ward’s natal day, and reserved especially for this occasion, was tapped and distributed. His lordship layed the first stone of a new church at Gornal, and afterwards entertained a party of fifty gentlemen to a sumptuous feast at Himley Hall. He declared himself a Conservative.
June28—Celebration of Her Majesty’s coronation in Worcester and other county towns. In Worcester the Yeomanry and Militia, the Town Council, 5,000 Sunday school children, and the various trade companies made up a procession to the Cathedral, where a sermon was preached by Dr. Faussett. 2,100 poor people dined at the public expense in the Guildhall, Market House, and Sansome Walk. 200 gentlemen dined together at the Shire Hall; George Allies, Esq., Mayor, in the chair. Fireworks in the evening; and a public breakfast for the ladies next morning in the Shire Hall.
October4—At the annual assembly of the Yeomanry this year, Colonel Clive presented Captain Emmott with a splendid service in silver, which had been subscribed for generally by the regiment. The officers this year gave a grand ball in the New Shire Hall.
October27—A man named George Burrows committed from Droitwich for stealing hay, made his escape from the County Gaol, having managed to secrete himself in the yard until all the rest of the prisoners were marched into the chapel to attend service. Allhis gaol clothes were found returned one morning, being thrown into the court yard of the prison.
December4—Consecration of the church of St. Peter the Great, Worcester, by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. The sermon was preached by the Rev. C. Benson. The old building would only accommodate 350 persons; the present church contains 408 appropriated, and 624 free sittings. The total cost was £3,600. £169 were collected after the services this day.
December6—Consecration of Christ Church Chapel, Catshill, near Bromsgrove, by the Lord Bishop of Rochester. This chapel, built for the accommodation of a populous district, contains 520 sittings. £45 were collected after a sermon by the Bishop.
December16—Great excitement created at Bromsgrove and its neighbourhood, by the supposed murder of a Redditch needle pointer, named Joshua Hollier. He went to the Malt Shovel public house at Burcott, and was drinking, quarrelling, and fighting there during the whole of this (Sunday) afternoon, with “navvies” who worked on the Birmingham and Gloucester line then making in the neighbourhood. He went out of the house about eight o’clock, and was soon after found lying on the ground insensible. His shoes had been taken away. He was brought into the house, and shortly afterwards died without having spoken. The coroner’s jury, after six days’ examination of witnesses, returned a verdict of wilful murder against John Rose, a “navvie” who went to the house with him, and was supposed to have kicked the deceased as he lay on the ground, and so caused his death. He was heard afterwards to say he “had given him enough,” and such like expressions. The grand jury before whom the case came threw out the bill.
TheWhigs being reduced to an extremity of weakness, resigned office in May, when the measures they proposed to take with regard to Jamaica were only carried by a majority of five. Sir Robert Peel, however, was unable to form a Government, because Her Majesty would not consent to change the ladies of her bedchamber, and Lord Melbourne once more assumed the Premiership. The Chartist disturbances at Newport and elsewhere were the most notable occurrences of the year. TheCorn Law question began to secure increased attention. Consols averaged 92½; wheat averaged 70s. 8d.
January—Discussions on Socialism rife in Worcester. Robert Owen having been propounding his plans, John Brindley, head master of the Oldswinford hospital, delivered a series of lectures to refute him. A public controversy between them at the Guildhall attracted great crowds. Dr. Malden took the chair, and Brindley spoke first. Owen afterwards at great length gave a rambling account of his opinions, till he at last gave utterance to a very gross sentiment, at which a general yell arose, and the proceedings terminated in the utmost confusion. A vote of censure was passed on Owen in dumb show, and the people were so excited that he narrowly escaped some very rough treatment.
January15—Bewdley first lighted with gas.
January—The gaol fever raged in the county prison, in which, though only built for 90, no less than 209 prisoners were confined.
February18—The members for this county who voted against Mr. Villiers’s motion that parties should be heard at the bar of the House against the Corn Laws, were Mr. Bailey, Mr. Hawkes, General Lygon, Mr. Pakington, Mr. Horace St. Paul, Captain Rushout, Sir T. Winnington, and Captain Winnington. Colonel Davies and Lord M. Hill voted for it, and Mr. Godson was absent. The motion was negatived by 361 to 172.
May7—Public meeting of the citizens of Worcester to sanction the newly formedChamber of Commerce, as an association simply intended to promote the commercial interests of the city without reference to politics. Mr. Alderman Allies filled the chair, and gentlemen of all parties spoke warmly in support of the Chamber.
Parliamentwas engaged for a great part of the session with the question of privilege arising out of the Stockdale and Hansard case. The Whigs continued to hold office on most precarious tenure, being defeated in their proposal to allow Prince Albert £50,000 a year. A want of confidence motion, however, proposed by Sir J. Yarde Buller, resulted in a majority of 21 in their favour. The happy marriage of the Queen with Prince Albert of SaxeCoburg and Gotha was celebrated on the 10th February. Consols averaged 91; wheat averaged 66s. 4d.
February4—The Board of Guardians for the Pershore Union petitioned the House of Lords for the dismissal of the assistant poor law commissioners, as a useless and expensive body of men. The Rev. F. Best opposed the motion, but it was carried by 25 to 5. The Droitwich Guardians did the same.
February10—Her Majesty’s marriage kept in Worcester as a general holiday—dinners given to operatives by their employers—and a ball in the evening at the Guildhall. Public dinners at Great Malvern, Droitwich, and Evesham; and at the latter place a subscription was entered into for the poor, which amounted to 100 guineas.
March28—The Worcestershire Agricultural Society held a general meeting of members to petition against any alteration of the Corn Laws. Sir A. Lechmere, Bart., was in the chair; and the petition, which was proposed by Mr. John Williams and seconded by Mr. John Dent, was unanimously adopted.
April18—A rule granted by the Court of Queen’s Bench, calling upon E. B. Penrice, Esq., Mayor of Droitwich, to show cause why a writ ofquo warrantoshould not be issued against him for having held the office of Mayor of that borough for three successive years. This discreditable proceeding was taken under an obsolete statute of Queen Anne’s time. Though the proceedings were abandoned, Mr. Penrice resigned the office, and Mr. Alderman Tombs was elected in his stead.
May—ThePrisoners’ Relief Societyfirst established. This association, with very limited means, has done much good, and that of a very necessary kind, in assisting well behaved prisoners to go to their homes and escape from temptation on their release from confinement. The credit of suggesting it is wholly due to the Rev. Thomas Pearson.
May—ThePaul Prymade its appearance in Worcester, filled with scurrilous lampoons upon individual character, and the agent in that city received a sound horsewhipping in his own back parlour from one of the parties libelled.
June11—An excited church rate contest in the parish of St. Martin, Worcester; the numbers at the close of the poll being—for a rate of four-pence in the pound, 185; against it, 183. A similar contest took place in St. Peter’s parish a few days afterwards, which ended in a majority of 66 for the rate—185 votes for and 119 against it.
July22—Great dinner of the operatives of Bromsgrove, in an immense tent on the bowling green of the Bell Inn. G. F. Iddins, Esq., filled the chair, and nearly 1,200 persons sat down at the tables. William Acton, Esq., Mr. Twamley, Rev. T. Ashwell, Mr. J. B. Crane, Mr. F. T. Elgie, and the Rev. Mr. Blakeman were the chief speakers, and the obnoxiousness of church rates (a subject of great agitation at Bromsgrove) the chief theme.
July31—Silver bread basket and waiter, pair of snuffers and tray presented to Captain Rayer of Hillworth, by the tithepayers and titheowners of Castlemorton, for the upright manner in which he had acted as agent for the great tithes of that parish for twenty years.
August7—The Beer House Bill, introduced by Mr. Pakington, received the royal assent.
August10—The Worcester Bridge Trustees having determined to widen the bridge, and offered a premium of ten guineas for the best plan, awarded the same to Mr. E. L. Williams, in preference to the plans of Mr. Daukes and Mr. Varden, by a majority of five. The bridge has been widened in accordance with Mr. Williams’s plan, and the alteration proves to be both elegant and durable.
September23—Several bodies of dead infants found in an old house at Droitwich, where Mary Hall, an aged crone of very eccentric habits, resided. Her husband had been sexton of the parish of St. Peter’s, Droitwich, and during his last illness the woman had pretended to see his duties properly performed. These bodies, however—instead of taking the trouble to have them buried—she had stowed away amidst a variety of remnants of food and other odds and ends. The whole house was in a state of most disgusting filth. Mr. Hughes held an inquest on the skeletons, and verdicts of “Died by the visitation of God” were returned. Mr. W. H. Ricketts protested against all such proceedings, as unnecessary, and said that at the Michaelmas Sessions he should move for the disallowance of the expenses.
November10—The boiler of a new locomotive, which had been brought on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway for trial, exploded while standing in a shed at the Bromsgrove Station, and two men in the Company’s employ, named Rutherford and Scaife, were killed. The boiler plates were supposed not to have been of sufficient thickness.
November13—Lord Lyttelton became a candidate for the officeof High Steward of Cambridge, in opposition to Lord Lyndhurst. Lord Lyndhurst had 973 votes, to 487 given for Lord Lyttelton.
Local Act—For the establishment of a Court of Requests for the parishes of Kingsnorton and Northfield.
TheGovernment having determined to seek an escape from the exigencies of their financial position by a reduction of the custom duties on articles of general consumption, the party in the country, who had for some time been seeking the abolition of all such duties, immediately assumed a much greater importance. The article first chosen for operation was sugar—Lord John Russell at the same time giving notice that he intended to propose a fixed duty of 8s. upon corn. The ministers, however, were defeated in their proposal to reduce the sugar duties, by a majority of 36; and a vote of want of confidence moved by Sir R. Peel, was carried by a majority of one. Ministers then dissolved Parliament, avowedly appealing to the country on their free trade measures. The elections, however, were decidedly against them. On the reassembling of Parliament an amendment was carried on the address, by a majority of 91, and the Whigs resigned. Sir Robert Peel then took office, but nothing more was done this year in the way of legislation—the finances being made to square by adding the £2,100,000 deficiency in the revenue to the National Debt. Consols averaged 89; wheat, 64s. 4d.
January20—Accident on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, at Bredon. A train, in passing through a deep cutting, had shaken down a large quantity of earth, in which the engine became embedded, and ran off the line. The chain connecting the engine and tender snapped, and so no harm occurred to the passengers; but the stoker fell between the two, and his legs being cut off in a most dreadful manner, he soon afterwards died.
January26—The body of a respectable young female, named Mary Anne Patrick, found in Salwarpe Brook, under what at firstappeared to be very suspicious circumstances. She had been visiting relations at Wichbold, and went out on the Wednesday morning for a walk by herself, but no tidings were afterwards heard of her. When nearly a week had elapsed, the Bromsgrove fire engine was passing through the brook, and the body suddenly came to the surface. There appeared to be some severe wounds on the head, which of course originated the belief that she had been murdered; but when apost mortemexamination came to be made, it was clear that she had fallen a victim to the pernicious practice of tight lacing, and had fallen into the brook in an apoplectic fit. The coroner’s jury returned an open verdict.
July25—The fatal affray between Mr. Emanuel Maiden, of the Shakspere Inn, and John Fisher, ostler at the Star Hotel, which caused so much excitement in Worcester, occurred this evening. Maiden and Fisher had long been upon bad terms, and this night, about half-past twelve o’clock, they unfortunately met in Angel Street, and a furious quarrel took place. Maiden broke away from Sergeant Chipp, who was trying to keep him back, and ran after Fisher. Several witnesses said they saw Maiden strike Fisher on the back of the head, and he fell across the pavement. From the effects of the blow, or the fall, Fisher died on the succeeding Wednesday; and after several days’ inquiry, the coroner’s jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Maiden. He was admitted to bail on Judge’s order, and tried at the ensuing Lent Assizes, when he was found guilty, with a recommendation to mercy, and sentenced to a month’s imprisonment without hard labour.
September12—Bazaar and concert at Evesham, for raising funds towards building new national school-rooms, by which about £200 were obtained.
November—John Hill Clifton, Esq., T. G. Curtler, Esq., William Dent, Esq., Francis Hooper, Esq., Matthew Pierpoint, Esq., and R. Yapp, Esq., all Conservatives, put in the commission of the peace for the city of Worcester.
December6—TheWorcester Ophthalmic Societyformed, and a sharp contest for the assistant surgeonship between Mr. T. Walsh and Mr. Everett, the former of whom had 162, and the latter 130 votes.
December18—Several daring robberies committed on the road between Severn Stoke and Tewkesbury, and a locksmith named Richard Kington found dead—robbed, and apparently murdered—at Clifton, about midway between Severn Stoke and Kempsey. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of “wilful murder” against a man of bad character living at Severn Stoke. Kington’s knife and tobacco were found in Tippin’s small clothes, and the waggoner’s whip, which he had been carrying, in an outhouse adjoining to Tippin’s abode. Tippin was tried at the ensuing assizes, but was acquitted of the murder because there was some doubt whether the hurts on the person of the deceased might not have been caused by a cart wheel passing over his body; but he was found guilty of robbing the deceased, and sentenced to transportation for life.
Local Acts—For better assessing and collecting the poor rates in Kidderminster. For repairing the road from Hagley to Birmingham. To extend the jurisdiction of the Kingsnorton Court of Requests.
Sir Robert Peel’smeasures, which he would not disclose “till he was regularly called in,” proved to be a three per cent. income tax, a sliding scale of duties on corn, intended to keep the price at 56s., and a new tariff—all of which, in spite of many dissentients on both sides of the house, he carried by large majorities. Consols averaged 92; wheat, 57s. 3d.
January—New magistrates added to the commission of the peace at Kidderminster and Evesham. At Kidderminster, John Sutton Barber, George Hooman, James Morton, John Welch, and Thomas Bradley, Esquires. At Evesham, E. T. Perrott, Robert Blayney, and John Thomas, Esquires. Of course all were Conservatives.
February16—In the division on Lord John Russell’s amendment to Sir Robert Peel’s proposal to alter the sliding scale, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Borthwick, Mr. Barneby, Mr. Godson, Mr. Hawkes, Mr. Pakington, Mr. Taylor, General Lygon, and Mr. F. W. Knight, voted in the majority of 351 against the amendment, and Lord M. Hill and Sir T. Winnington, Bart., in the minority of 228 in its favour. Sir Thomas Wilde paired off in its favour.
April1—The Worcester glove manufacturers met and discussed Sir Robert Peel’s proposal to reduce the duty on gloves in the new tariff, and said that they should be obliged to cease to employ any men at all if it was adopted. A deputation of the gloversafterwards waited on Lord Ripon, and Sir Thomas Wilde very ably stated their case—a pleaad misericordiam.
April26—Riots in Dudley, in consequence of a reduction of wages amongst the nailors. Several people hurt by the Enniskillen Dragoons, in clearing the streets, and others committed to gaol.
June27—The Mayor of Worcester (Edward Evans, Esq.), Mr. Alderman Hastings, Mr. Alderman Lilly, and Mr. E. Webb, added to the Worcester Charity Trustees, to fill up vacancies. The Conservatives presented a petition, praying that the number of trustees might be increased from fifteen to twenty-one, of course expecting that the additional names would be appointed from their party, and so they might obtain a preponderance in the body; but this was opposed by the existing trustees, and the Lord Chancellor refused to sanction it.
July2—Sir Thomas Winnington brought home his amiable bride (eldest daughter of Sir Compton Domville) to Stanford Court, and was greeted by his tenantry and neighbours in a very enthusiastic manner—triumphal arches, music, strewing flowers, long processions, and other modes of welcome being adopted to exhibit the feeling entertained towards the honourable baronet.
July25—First stone of Wittington Church laid by the Rev. W. R. Holden.
August6—The colliers near Dudley struck for an increase of wages, and the Dudley troop of Yeomanry being called out, came upon them as they were proceeding to violence at the Cotsall pits, and took ten men prisoners.
August23—St. Michael’s Church, Worcester, consecrated by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese.
October15—Militaryfêtesat Hewell. The usual permanent duty of the Worcestershire Yeomanry was this year dispensed with, as many of the troops had been engaged in harrassing service in the collieries during the strikes; but the review was held in Hewell Park—the inspecting officer being Colonel Thorne. The whole regiment was afterwards invited by their colonel to dinner in an immense tent near the hall—900 persons sitting down to the feast. Amongst the company at the principal table were Colonel Clive (chairman), Lord Lyttelton, Lord Foley, Earl Somers, Viscount Eastnor, Lord Ward, Lord Sandys, Earl of Dartmouth, Colonel Thorne, Sir William Clinton, Sir O. Wakeman, Sir C. Throckmorton, J. H. H. Foley, Esq., J. S. Pakington, Esq., Hon. and Rev. W. W. C. Talbot, &c. Colonel Clive’s health was proposed by Lord Lyttelton, and drank with the greatest enthusiasm.
Local Acts—For the Improvement of the River Severn; Stourbridge Roads Act; Bromyard Roads Act.
Distressin the manufacturing districts gave increased force and vigour to the anti-corn law agitation; but Lord Howick’s motion for a committee of inquiry into the causes of that distress was negatived by a majority of 306 to 191, and Mr. Villiers’s annual motion for a committee of the whole House upon the corn laws was supported by only 125 members, while 381 voted against it. The defeat of Sir James Graham’s educational measure by the opposition of the Dissenters was the most remarkable feature in the Parliamentary year. In Scotland the year was most signally marked by the secession of the non-intrusionist ministers from the Established Church, carrying with them the bulk of the laity—in Ireland, by the violence of the repeal agitation, and the arrest of Mr. O’Connell—and in Wales, by the singular outbreak against turnpike gates, known as the Rebecca riots. Consols averaged 95; wheat averaged 50s. 1d.
February21—TheWorcester City Mission, a Christian society which has been, and continues to be, the means of doing a great deal of good amongst the poor, with a very small income, established at a meeting held at the Natural History Society’s room, over which the Mayor presided.
April4—The Worcester magistrates, at their quarter sessional meeting, appointed Mr. Herbert Budd as surgeon to the City Gaol, in the room of Mr. F. Walter, retired. The Council had claimed the right to see to all the expenses of the gaol, and not leave the supply of provisions in the hands of the visiting magistrates; and the magistrates claimed the right of appointing all officers, under the 38th clause of 1st Vict., cap. 78.
April17—Dinner to the Dudley magistrates, to express approval of their conduct during recent disturbances. Lord Ward presided, and Lord Lyttelton and about one hundred other gentlemen were present. The magistrates had refused to accept as bail for Chartistspersons of the same political opinions, and the matter had been made subject of severe comment in the House of Commons.
May—The Dissenters throughout the county petitioned urgently against the educational measures proposed by Government.
June20—A meeting held at Bromsgrove, with the view of alleviating the distress of the nailors, whom low wages, and a strike in consequence, had reduced to a condition of grievous wretchedness. The Right Hon. and Rev. Lord Aston took the chair, and a subscription was entered into, and a goodly sum raised, to be laid out under the management of a committee.
August1—A Commission of Inquiry opened at the Angel Inn, Pershore, into the conduct of the Rev. William Smith, Vicar of Overbury. The commissioners appointed by the Bishop were Dr. Phillimore, Chancellor of the Diocese; Archdeacon Timbrill; Rev. F. D. Gilby; Rev. T. A. Strickland; and Rev. W. Parker. The charges preferred by the parishioners were twenty-two in number, and were supported by Mr. Elgie—Mr. Foley appearing for the vicar. The inquiry lasted four days, and a great number of witnesses were examinedpro.andcon.On the 18th, the chancellor pronounced the decision of the Commission in the Lady Chapel at the Cathedral, Worcester. Many of the charges were abandoned; and of those that remained, the chancellor said that on six aprima faciecase had been made out for the Bishop to institute further proceedings. These were, the removal of tombstones without a faculty; thrice forcibly expelling the clerk during the service; placing persons in the singing gallery to “read him down;” refusing to ask the prayers of the congregation for a parishioner; and interfering in the election of churchwardens. There was also a special presentment as to his general conduct. As the Rev. gentleman refused to submit the matter to the Bishop, further proceedings were referred to the superior courts, but none were taken. The Bishop afterwards addressed an admonitory letter to the Rev. gentleman, which was published, and drew from him a very singular reply.
August2—A porter on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, named John Killcash, having been drinking in the evening, laid himself down upon the rails and fell asleep. The next train which came up severed his head from his body.
August8—The Queen Dowager took up her abode at Witley Court. Triumphal arches, and other methods of welcome, were adopted at Droitwich. On the following Monday week Her Majesty visited Worcester, and attended divine service in the Cathedral.Her return was to have been a public progress, but the torrents of rain which descended spoilt the whole affair; so that all the civic dignitaries could do was to rush down the Guildhall steps in their scarlet robes, just as Her Majesty passed, and bow their acknowledgments at the carriage door. On the evening after, the tradesmen honoured by Her Majesty’s patronage illuminated their houses. The Queen Dowager afterwards sent a cheque for £100 to the funds of the Worcester Infirmary.
August19—The first stone of a new Chapel of Ease laid at Barnard’s Green, by the Lady Emily Foley.
August30—TheSevern and Teme Fisheries Associationformed at a public meeting held in the Guildhall, Worcester; Matthew Pierpoint, Esq., in the chair.
October7—Messrs. Cobden and Bright visited Worcester, in furtherance of the anti-corn law agitation, and addressed an audience of about 1,200 people in the Guildhall. The High Sheriff refused to call a county meeting; therefore Edward Holland, Esq., took the chair. But a small proportion of the meeting were farmers. There was a show of opposition on the part of the Chartists, but it was very feeble and soon put down. The corn law repealers afterwards had a dinner at the Bell Inn; W. B. Collis, Esq., in the chair, and Robert Hardy, Esq., vice-president.
October29—The new parish church at Oldswinford opened for divine service, with two sermons by the Lord Bishop and the Rev. T. L. Claughton. The collections amounted to £207. This church cost about £5,000, and it contains 1,457 sittings—781 of which are free.
October27—The Chapel of Ease at Headless Cross consecrated. The Lord Bishop preached, and £60. 11s. were collected. The building will seat about 250 persons, and most of the sittings are free.
December10—Earl Beauchamp’s cash box, containing about £120, stolen during the night from his dressing-room, at Madresfield Court. The thief was never discovered.
December18—A Winter Assizes before Mr. Baron Rolfe, occupying three days. None of the cases tried were of much importance.
Local Acts—To enable the Worcestershire and Staffordshire Canal Company to lend money to the Severn Navigation Commissioners; to enable the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company to raise a further sum of money, and to amend the acts relating thereto.