Personal Recollections of Birmingham and Birmingham Men | Page 4

been successful, Mr. Holliday and his then partner, Mr.
Merrett, had become its successors. It was in 1839 that the first portion
of the present palatial building was erected.
A few doors from this was the office of The Birmingham Journal, a
very different paper then from what it afterwards became. It had been
originally started as a Tory paper by a few old "fogies" who used to
meet at "Joe Lindon's," "The Minerva," in Peck Lane; and this was how
it came about: The Times had, early in 1825, in a leader, held up to
well-deserved ridicule some action on the part of the Birmingham Tory
party. This gave awful and unpardonable offence, and retaliation was
decided upon. Notes were sent to several frequenters of the room that,
on a certain afternoon, important business would be "on" at Lindon's,
and punctual attendance was requested. The room at the appointed time
was full, and the table had been removed from the centre. The
ordinarily clean-scrubbed floor was covered with sheet iron. A
chairman was appointed; and one gentleman was requested to read the
obnoxious article. This over, a well-fed, prosperous-looking,
fox-hunting iron merchant from Great Charles Street rose, and in very
shaky grammar moved, that The Times had disgraced itself and insulted
Birmingham, and that it was the duty of every Birmingham man to stop
its circulation in the town. This having been seconded, and duly carried,
another rose and proposed that in order to mark the indignation of those
present, the copy of the paper containing the offensive leader should be
ignominiously burnt. This, too, was carried; whereupon the iron-dealer
took up the doomed newspaper with a pair of tongs, placed it on the
sheets of iron, and, taking a "spill" between the claws of the tongs,
lighted it at the fire of the room, and ignited the ill-fated paper, which,
amid the groans and hisses of the assembled patriots, burned to ashes.
This ceremony being solemnly concluded, the "business" began. It was
deplored that the "loyal" party was imperfectly represented in the town.
It was considered desirable that the party should have an "organ" in the
town; and it was decided to open a subscription there and then, to start
one. The necessary capital was subscribed, and a committee was
formed to arrange with Mr. William Hodgetts, a printer in Spiceal
Street, for the production of the new paper. Mr. Hodgetts subscribed to
the fund to the extent of £50, and the singularly inappropriate name for

a weekly paper, The Birmingham Journal, was selected. The first
number appeared June 4th, 1825. The editor was Professor Bakewell. It
continued in the same hands until June, 1827, when Mr. Hodgetts paid
out the other partners, and became sole proprietor. He enlarged it in
1830, at which time it was edited by the well-remembered Jonathan
Crowther. In 1832 it was sold to the Liberal party. The Argus, in its
issue for June, 1832, thus chronicles the fact:
"THE JOURNAL.--This newspaper is now the property of Parkes,
Scholefield, and Redfern. It was purchased by Parkes in February last
for the sum of two thousand pounds, and was delivered up to him on
the 25th of March last. Poor Jonathan was unceremoniously turned out
of the editorial snuggery into the miserable berth of the Editor's devil.
'Oh, what a falling off is here, my countrymen!' And who, think ye,
gentle readers, is now Editor of The Journal? An ex-pedagogue, one of
the New Hall Hill martyrs, a 'talented' writer that has been within the
walls," &c., &c.
This seems to point to George Edmonds; but I cannot find any other
evidence that he was ever editor. Be that as it may, Crowther remained,
and the paper was published at the old office in Spiceal Street as late as
May, 1833, when it seems to have been removed to New Street, and
placed under the care of Mr. Douglas. In May of that year, Mr.
Hodgetts published the first number of The Birmingham Advertiser.
Meanwhile, Mr. Douglas sat in The Journal office, in New Street. It
was a little room, about 10 ft. by 6 ft., and the approach was up three or
four steps. Here he reigned supreme, concocted Radical leaders in bad
taste and questionable English, and received advertisements and money.
The whole thing was in wretched plight until about the year 1844,
when--Mr. Michael Maher being editor--Mr. Feeney, who was
connected with another paper in the town, went to London, saw Mr.
Joseph Parkes, and arranged to purchase The Journal. Mr. Jaffray soon
after came from Shrewsbury to assist in the management, and with care,
industry, and perseverance, it soon grew to be one of the very best
provincial papers in the country.
The Post Office occupied the site now covered by