Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A History and Guide, Arranged AlphabeticallyHarman, Thomas T.
History
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A History and Guide, Arranged Alphabetically
Harman, Thomas T.
Birmingham (England) -- History -- Dictionaries
_Tomlins_.--Samuel Boulton Tomlins, the son of a local iron merchant
(who was one of the founders of the Birmingham Exchange) and Mary Harvey
Boulton (a near relative to Matthew) was born September 28, 1797, at
Park House, in Park Street, then a vine-covered residence surrounded by
gardens. His mother was so great a favourite with Baskerville that the
celebrated printer gave her one of two specially-printed Bibles,
retaining the other for himself. After serving an apprenticeship to a
bookseller, Mr. Tomlins was taken into Lloyd's Bank as a clerk, but was
soon promoted to be manager of the branch then at Stockport, but which
was taken over afterwards by a Manchester Banking Company, with whom Mr.
Tomlins stayed until 1873, dying September 8, 1879.
_Ulwin_.--Though nearly last in our list, Ulwin, or Alwyne, the son of
Wigod, and the grandson of Woolgeat, the Danish Earl of Warwick, must
rank first among our noteworthy men, if only from the fact that his name
is absolutely the first found in historical records as having anything
to do with Birmingham. This was in King Edward the Confessor's time,
when Alwyne was Sheriff _(vice-comes)_ and through his son Turchill, who
came to be Earl of Warwick, the Ardens and the Bracebridges trace their
descent from the old Saxon kings, Alwyne's mother being sister to
Leofric, III., Earl of Mercia. Whether Alwyne thrived on his unearned
increment or not, the politicians of the time have not told us, but the
possessions that came to him by the Dano-Saxon marriage of his parents
seems to have been rather extensive, as it is written that he owned not
only the manor of Birmingham, but also Halesowen, Escelie, Hagley, and
Swinford in Wirecescire (Worcestershire), Great Barr, Handsworth, Penn,
Rushall and Walsall, in Staffordshire, as well as Aston, Witton,
Erdington, and Edgbaston. The modern name of Allen is deducible from
Alwyne, and the bearers thereof, if so inclined, may thus be enabled to
also claim a kingly descent, and much good may it do them.
_Underwood_, Thomas.--The first printer to introduce the art of
lithography into Birmingham, and he is also credited with being the
discoverer of chromo-litho, and the first to publish coloured almanacks
and calendars. He did much to foster the taste for art, but will
probably be most generally recollected by the number of views of old
Birmingham and reproductions of pictures and maps of local interest that
he published. Mr. Underwood died March 14, 1882, in his 73rd year.
_Van Wart_.--Henry Van Wart, was born near New York, Sept. 25, 1783, and
took up his abode with us in 1808. By birth an American, by descent a
Dutchman, he became a Brum through being naturalised by special Act of
Parliament, and for nearly seventy years was one of our principal
merchants. He was also one of the first Aldermen chosen for the borough.
Died Feb. 15, 1873, in his 90th year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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