Page:Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham.djvu/314

302 Time.—When it is exactly twelve at noon here in Birmingham, it is 7min. 33secs. past at Greenwich, 12min. 50secs. past at Dover, and 16niin. 54secs. past at Paris; while it wants l½mins. to the hour at Manchester, 9½min. at Glasgow, 17min. 50secs. at Dublin, and 26½mins. at Cork. At Calcutta, the corresponding time would be 6.1½ p.m., Canton 7.40 p.m., Japan 9.15 p.m., Mexico 5.34 a.m., New Orleans 8.5 a.m.. New York 7.11 a.m., New Zealand 11.45 p.m., Nova Scotia 7.55 a.m., San Francisco 4.5 a.m., St. Petersburg 2.10 p.m., Sydney 10.12 p.m., and at Washington just seven o'clock in the morning.

Tithes.—One hundred and fifty years ago (if not considerably later) the Rector of St. Martin's was paid tithes in cash based on the value of the crops, &c., one acre of good wheat being tithed at 7s. d.6 ; an acre of good barley at 4s. 4½d.; an acre of flax and hemp, if pulled, at 5s.; an acre of good oats, peas, or potatoes, and all kinds of garden stuff at 3s. 9d.; for meadow land 4d. an acre, and 2d. for leasow (or leasland); 3d. being claimed for cow and her calf, l½d. for each lamb, &c. In course of time these payments were changed into a fixed tithe rent, but before matters were comfortably settled, the Rector found it necessary to give notice (April, 1814) that he should enforce the ancient custom of being paid "in kind." The gun trade was brisk at that time, but whether the reverend gentleman took his tenths of the guns, what he did with them, or how the parties came to terms is not recorded.—The tithes formerly due in kind to the Vicar of Edgbaston were commuted by Act passed June 8, 1821, into an annual "corn rent," payable by the occupiers of all kinds in the parish.

Tower.—Originally, all guns made here for Government, had to be put together in London, but when the French Revolution broke out, it was seen that a quicker mode of procedure was necessary, and an establishment in Bagot Street was erected in 1798, where all guns for Government were viewed and stamped with the "Tower' mark. Hence the name.

Town Criers were first appointed in 1526. Jacob Wilson entered into office May 4, 1853, and was pensioned off with 15s. a week in August, 1879, after a family tenure of the office, according to Jacob, of about 350 years. Surely it was a crying shame to stop the children of that family from crying in the future. The last of the criers did not last long after deposition from office, Jacob's last words being uttered in 1881.

Town Improvements.—Some fifty and odd years ago Dobbs, a local comedian, used to sing,

""Brumagem has altered so, There's scarce a place in it I know; Round the town you now must go To find old Brumagem.""

Had he lived till these days he might well have sung so, for improvements are being carried out so rapidly now that in another generation it is likely old Birmingham will have been improved off the face of the earth altogether. Prior to the days of steam, our forefathers went about their work more leisurely, for it was not until 1765 that the Act was obtained for the "enlightening" of the streets, and four years later when the first Act was passed (April 21, 1769) for street improvements. The Street Commissioners appointed by this Act, and who held their first meeting May 22, 1709, for many years did little more than regulate the traffic of the streets, keep them cleanish, and look after the watchmen. In course of time the operations of the said Commissioners were extended a little, audit is to them that we owe the existence of the central open space so long known as the Bull Ring, for they gave £1,730, in 1801, for the removal of nine tenements there and then blocking the way. Money must have been of more value then than now, for if such a purchase was