Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-09
BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND.
"A lette- from DR.. Fred B. Robinson. ]

erS are very familiar with the city
Of Birmingham though either an
Englishman, or an easily satisfied
American really writes to one of
the greatest magazines Of the
states that Birmingham was the
best governed city in the world!
Birmingham is queer city in a
queer place. most of the time
surrounded by a queer pea-soup
atmosphere. At times this smoky
fog is SO dense that one needs a
lantern, not to find an honest
man perhaps, but to find any man
at all. The English did not
stretch their imagination when
they called the county in which
Birmingham is located the "bIack
county,. The very hills are
black and one can depend on a
daily fog or coal smoke which
sticketh closer than a brother.
In size it is, next to London, Liver
pool and Manchester, the fourth
in the kingdom: It has probably
10000 people to be blessed and
begrimed by daily bath in this
baImy, smoke-fog that pervades
the black county. The place can
be traced back almost 1000 years
when a man named Beorm lived
here. So the town has gone
through all kinds Of spelling from
Beorm to its present spelling Of
Birmingham. When William the
Conqueror, Of France, came over
and captured England he found
that this strip Of the black county
was held by a person called
AIwync.
Though this was more than
800 years ago we find that men
like women had ways Of their
own" and William showed his own
way by giving AIwyne's land to
Fitz~AuscuIf but the land soon
fell into the possession of the
great Birmingham Family. That
wonderful record the Domesday
Bool, states that in 1866 the
Manor Of Birmingham consisted
of four hides Of land, the arabic
employing six ploughs and there
was also a wood half a mile long
by four furIongs wide, so it was
really small strip Of country.
The Birmingham family who had
their castle scarce a boWshot
from the church south west wards"
ruled the manor until 1886 when
the last of the Lord Brminghams
was deprived Of his estate by the
INSCRIPTIONS minister of the king,
John Dudley. Dudley plotted
against Lord Edward Birmingham
by attempting TO make it appear
that Lord Edward had taken part
in a highway robbery near Ed
wards manor. DudIey's conspir-
acy caused Lord Birmingham's
estate to be conhscated to the
Crown. This kind Of forfeiture
went as a rule to the kings minis
ter which was no other than the
willy Dudley himself Thus the
disreputable Dudley, in a disre-
putabIe plat, disrepntably seized
the Birmingham estate which that
family had held for nearly 500
years. Birmingham grew apace
with the centuries. Henry II
granted the town a weekly market
to be held on Thursdays. To
this day the town is noted as one
Of the great markets of England.
In 1850 a curious charter was
granted TO Birmingham to hold
four days fair annually. The fair
was to begin on the eve of Ascen-
sion day, Birmingham has no
historical picture to show of zeal
and devotion, to loyalty, or at
least their show of loyalty does
| not appear so lovely as apples of
gold in baskets of silver, for fierce
dissention seems to have appeared
early and late in the city.
In 1913 King Charles reigned
and passed through the town.
This was the King Charles who
believed that he reigned by divine
right and that kings could do no
wrong no matter how hard they
tried. No one doubts that King
Charles tried hard enough and his
success may be noted by an eye
witness who saw the action of
Birmingham people as the King
passed through. The witness
said that the town proved itself so
generally wicked that it had risen
up on small parties Of the Kings
and killed or taken them prisoners
/ or sent them to Coventry, declar-
ing a more peremptory malice to
his majesty than any other place.
The Birmingham people attached
themselves to Cromwell and in
fact generally to the side opposed
to tyrants. It will be of interest
to note the visit of Leland to
BIRMINGHAM in Is2S. Gland