middle and higher classes, and by the year 1814 it was possessed of a handsome Lecture Theatre, a large Museum, with good collections of fossils and minerals, a Library, Reading Room, &c., in Cannon Street. Like many other useful institutions of former days, the philosophical has had to give way to the realistic, its library of dead men's writings, and its fossils of the ancient world, vanishing in face of the reporters of to-day's doings, the ubiquitous throbs of the "Walter" and "Hoe" steam presses resounding where erst the voice of Science in chronicling the past foreshadowed the future.
Pillory.—This ancient machine for the punishment of prigs formerly stood in High Street. The last time it was used was in 1813. We pillory people in print now, and pelt them with pen and ink. The Act for abolishing this method of punishment was not passed until June 30, 1837. What became of the pillory here is not known, but there is, or was lately, a renovated specimen of the article at Coleshill.
Pinfold Street takes its name from the "pound" or "pinfold" that existed there prior to 1752. There used to be another of these receptacles for straying animals near to the Plough and Harrow in Hagley Road, and a small corner of Smithfield was railed off for the like purpose when the Cattle market was there established. The "Jacob Wilsons" of a previous date held a field under the Lords of the Manor wherein to graze their captured cattle, but one of the Town Criers mortgaged it, and his successors lost their right to the land which was somewhere about Caroline Street.
Places of Worship.—Established Church.—In 1620 there were 358 churches in Warwickshire, 130 in Staffordshire, and 150 in Worcestershire; but Sr. Martin's, Edgbaston, Aston, Deritend, and Handsworth, churches were all that Birmingham could boast of at the beginning of last century, and the number had not been increased to a very large extent even by the year 1800. As will be seen from the dates given in following pages, however, there was a goodly number of churches erected in the first half of this century, about the end of which period a "Church extension" movement was set on foot. The success was so apparent that a society was formed (Jan., 1865), and in March, 1867, it was resolved to raise a fund of £50,000, for the purpose of at once erecting eight other new churches in the borough. Miss Ryland heading the list of donations with the munificent gift of £10,000. It is difficult to arrive at the amount expended on churches previous to 1840, but the annexed list of churches, built, enlarged, or repaired in this neighbourhood from 1810 to 1875, will give an approximate idea of the large sums thus invested, the whole of which was raised solely by voluntary contributions.
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