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BIRMINGHAM. 



tin-ilium of the Romans, others state that it WHS n 

 Hntish town of some importance, and celebrated 

 lor the manufacture of arms, previous to the Ro- 

 man invasion, but very little is known of its early 

 history. During the last four centuries it has been 

 variously written Brumwychehum, Bromwycham, 

 Brummagem, and Burmynirham, also with various 

 transpositions of the voweU in the two first sylla- 

 bles. In the reign of Charles I., Birmingham dis- 

 tinguished itself in the parliamentary cause, and 

 was the scene of some conflicts, in the last of which 

 in 1643, it suffered considerably, having been taken, 

 partially burnt, and a heavy fine inflicted on the in- 

 habitants by Prince Rupert. This town was the 

 scene of a series of riots in July, 1791, which com- 

 menced on the 14th and continued several days, 

 during which much property was destroyed, includ- 

 ing the house, library, and philosophical apparatus 

 of Dr Priestley. As these riots furnish an instruc- 

 tive example of the dangers of popular ignorance, 

 some account of them may be given here. The 

 breaking out of the French Revolution occasioned 

 in this country hopes and fears equally unfounded 

 when carried to excess, as they frequently were, 

 by bigotted or over-zealous individuals. The ex- 

 citement into which the former were thrown pre- 

 vented them from distinguishing the good from the 

 bad in the institutions under which they lived : the 

 latter class of persons indulged in expectations of a 

 period of happiness and liberty altogether inconsis- 

 tent with the existence of society. While these 

 were the views under which the most violent par- 

 tizans acted, the more sober portion of the com- 

 munity were in extreme agitation, and in this un- 

 healthy state of public opinion, a trivial circum- 

 stance was calculated to produce much feverish 

 and unwarrantable alarm among those whose views 

 were not sufficiently clear-sighted to perceive the 

 true nature of the events which were taking place 

 around them, and who did not possess the wisdom 

 to direct their consequences to useful ends. At 

 this period there resided at Birmingham, Dr Priest- 

 ley, who looked with hope to the spread of liberal 

 sentiments being hastened by the great movement 

 which was taking place in France. Writing to one 

 of his friends, he said, " We are, as it were, laving 

 gunpowder, grain by grain, under the old building 

 of error and superstition, which a single spark may 

 hereafter inflame, so as to produce an instantaneous 

 explosion ; in consequence of which that edifice, 

 the erection of which has been the work of ages, 

 may be overturned <n a moment, and so effectually 

 as that the same foundation can never be built 

 upon again." By some means the above passage 

 was made public, and it had the effect of exciting 

 the enmity of all who clung, from a feeling of ven- 

 eration, to the old institutions which they saw 

 menaced. The transition was easily made from a 

 defensive to an offensive position ; and it was not 

 long before the occasion arose for such a change 

 being effected. The 14th of July, 1791, being the 

 second anniversary of the taking of that old for- 

 tress of despotism, the French bastile, was fixed 

 upon by one of the parties into which the town 

 was divided as a day of rejoicing, and it was deter- 

 mined to celebrate it by a public dinner. The 

 Other party also resolved upon a counter display, 

 and they, with very different sentiments, also re- 

 solved to get up a public dinner on the same day. 

 A number of persons congregated during the even- 

 ing around the head-quarters of each party ; 



rumours circulated among them, which they were 



too unenlightened to see the folly of, and they 

 made an attack upon the house in which the party 

 friendly to the French Revolution were assembled. 

 The windows were soon demolished, and the rooms 

 were searched by the rabble, who entered in the 

 hope of laying hold of Dr Priestley ; but he had 

 not attended the dinner. The multitude then pro- 

 ceeded to the chapel in which he was accustomed 

 to officiate, and in half an hour it was in flames. 

 A lui wards they set out for Dr Priestley's resi- 

 dence, which was about a mile out of the town ; 

 they gutted it of the furniture, books, philosophi- 

 cal instruments, and manuscripts, on which he had 

 spent some of the most valuable portion of his life. 

 On the following day (Friday, July 15th,) a num- 

 ber of the respectable inhabitants assembled in St 

 Philip's Churchyard to be sworn in as special con- 

 stables; but they were but imperfectly organized, 

 and the civil authorities did not display sufficient 

 energy for the occasion. The mob, therefore, re- 

 commenced the work of destruction, but were at 

 one time dispersed by the special constables. They 

 however rallied again, arid in a second attempt to 

 disperse them one of the special constables was 

 killed. No military force being present, the mob 

 went on to exercise their mischievous power un- 

 controlled. About 10,000 of them proceeded to 

 the house of Mr Ryland, at Easy Hill, and the pre- 

 mises were soon in flames. The wine-cellar was 

 broken open, and many of the besotted rabble be- 

 came intoxicated with its contents, and were in it 

 when the roof and heated ruins fell to the ground. 

 This day the places in which persons were confined 

 for crime were broken open, and the inmates li- 

 berated. Barrels of ale were broached in the street 

 before the houses of respectable persons who wished 

 to propitiate the favour of the capricious body into 

 whose hands the town had fallen. Mr Hutton was 

 one of those who had placed a barrel of ale before 

 his house to regale the mob. When it had been 

 emptied, they proceeded to drag him out of the 

 house, and compelled him to give them money, and, 

 not content with his compliance, they confined him 

 in a public house untif they had drunk 3'29 gallons 

 of ale at his expense, and afterwards exhibited 

 their good faith towards him by destroying every- 

 thing in his house to the minutest article. The 

 rioters closed their proceedings this day by the de- 

 struction of Bordesley Hall, the residence of John 

 Taylor, Esq. On Saturday the work of havoc 

 was resumed. The house of Mr Hutton, at Ben- 

 nett's Hill, and that of Mr Humphries, were first 

 destroyed. At the latter place it was determined 

 to make some defence, but the idea occasioned so 

 much alarm among the female part of Mr Hum- 

 phries' family that it was abandoned. As the fa- 

 mily made their escape frormthe house the mob en- 

 tered it, and the work of destruction was speedily 

 completed. At the house of Mr W. Russel, at 

 Showell Green, another attempt was made to with- 

 stand the mob, but without success. During' the 

 day the houees of Mr Hawkes, Lady Carhampton, 

 Mr Hobson, Mr Pidarck, Mr Harwood, and Mr 

 Coates, were destroyed. On Sunday morning: the 

 work of mischief was resumed by an attack on the 

 house and chapel of Mr Cox, at Wharstock. The 

 contents of the cellar were first drunk, and the 

 house and premises were then set on fire, the mob 

 waiting to see that the ruin was complete; after 

 which they disposed of the meeting-house and par- 

 sonage-house of Kingswood in a similar manner. 

 They then proceeded to Edgbaston Hall, where 



