ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY OF INDUSTRIAL CLASSICS No.7 BIRMINGHAM AND THE MIDLAND HARDWARE DISTRICT ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY OF INDUSTRIAL CLASSICS No. 1. Sir Edward Baines History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain with a notice of its early history in the East and in all quarters of the globe (1835). New edition with an introduction by W. H. Ghaloner No.2. Sir Frederic Morton Eden The State of the Poor (1797). New Impression Three volumes 4to No. 3. Andrew Ure Philosophy of Manufactures, or an Exposition of the Scientific, Moral, and Commercial Economy of the Factory System of Great Britain (1835). New Impression No.4. Charles Wing Evils of the Factory System demonstrated by Parliamentary Evidence (1837). New I mpre8sion No.5. Harry Scrivenor History of the Iron Trade, from the eadiest records to the present period (1841, 1854). New I mpres8ion No.6. Alex J. Warden The Linen Trade, ancient and modern (1864, 1867). New Impression No.7. Samuel Timmins, ed. The Resources, Products, and Industrial History of Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District (1866). New Impre8sion BIRMINGHAM AND THE MIDLAND HARDWARE DISTRICT A SERIES OF REPORTS EDITED BY SAMUEL TIMMINS Published by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN 270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016 First published 1866 New impression 1967 Transferred to Digital Printing 2009 ISBN 0 7146 11476 (hbk) Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent. THE RESOURCES, PRODUCTS, AND INDUSTRIAL HISTORY 011 BIRMINGHAM AND THE MIDLAND HARDWARE DISTRICT: A SERIES OF REPORTS, COLLECTED BY THE LOCAL INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT BIRJrlINGHAM, IN 1865. BDI'fBD BY SAMUEL TIMMINS. LONDON: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192. PICCADILLY. All rigM. r .......d . This page intentionally left blank BRITISH ASSOCIATION. MEETING AT BIRMINGHAM, 1865. COMMITTEE ON LOCAL INDUSTRIES. ADKINS, HENRY. KENRICK, WILLIAM (Sec.) AITKEN, W. C. KNAP, CONRAD. BECKETT, HENRY. LEA, HENRY. BROWN, C. J. LLOYD, S. (Wednesbury.) CHANCE, R. L. MARSHALL, W. P. CHANCE, HENRY. MARTINEAU, R. F. (Sec.) COCHRANE, CHARLES. MAY, WALTER. EVANS, SEBASTIAN. NETTLE FOLD, JOSEPH. EVERITT, G. A. OSI.ER, A. F. GAUSBY, J. B. SHAW, GEORGE. GEM, EDWARD. SMITH, FREDERICK. GoODMAN, J. D. WILLS, A. W. HACKNEY, WILLIAM. WRIGHT, J. S. JONES, JOHN. SAMUEL TIMMINS, Ohairman. EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS. HENRY WIGGIN, Ohairma;n of Ezecutive Oommittee. WILLIA)[ HOLLIDAY, Treasurer. G. D. BOYLE, ) r J. H. CHAMBERLAIN, Local Secretaries. WM. MATHEWS, JUN." This page intentionally left blank EDITOR'S PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION THE Meeting of the British Association at Birmingham, in 1865, led to the formation of a Local Industries Committee, for the purpose of compiling a series of Reports on the numerous and varied products of the Midland Hardware District, of which Birmingham is the most important and, practically, the central town. The list of the Committee is given on the previous page, and the result of their labours is now presented in the following work. The trades are 80 numerous, so infinitely various, and conducted by so many different persons, that it has been found impossible to do full justice to all, or even to mention all the names and branches which extend over Birmingham alone. The Chairman and the two Secretaries, however, applied to the persons most competent to furnish information, or to prepare a report, and their proposals were favourably received, and generally with satisfactory results. A Sub Committee for the Chemical, and another for the Mechanical Trades, was appointed, and the results of their labours are included in the following pages, not always under one head but throughout the volume, as the partial classification required. Every effort was made in each department to obtain statistics of the production, workpeople, w8,ges, prices, raw material, &c., but with a few honourable exceptions the necessary information was withheld, although only the aggre gate results would have been given, the details being seen by the Chairman alone.