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A Sheffield Chemist's Jottings in the Thirties


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This article first appeared in the Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society and is reproduced by kind permission of the Society

A SHEFFIELD CHEMIST'S JOTTINGS IN THE THIRTIES.

By JOHN AUSTEN.

THE writer of the journal from which the following extracts are taken was John Acton, druggist, of 11 Union Street, Sheffield. He was born at Wakefield in 1799 and came to Sheffield as an apprentice to Mr. George Hawksworth, druggist, in the High Street, on November 8th 1815. (Mr. Hawksworth had then been in business just ten years.)

After serving a six years' apprenticeship, he became assistant to Mr. George Jervis, of Westbar, where he stayed about a year, afterwards going to Worksop for three years, and finally commencing business on his own account in Sheffield on July 12th 1825.

Acton was very fond of using the pen (he once went to the extent of copying out the whole of Cobbett's English Grammar - no light task - his written copy filling four thick quarto volumes), and it is very likely that he kept a daily journal from the time of his apprenticeship.

The earlier years of his journal, however, are missing, and the only portion now to be traced is contained in three thick quarto volumes of closely written matter, extending over a period dating from September 12th 1834, to January 7th 1840.

In this journal he makes daily entries of the state of the weather, the time of his rising in the morning, the kind of work he has been doing, the people he has seen, besides a good deal of general town news. On Sundays he never fails to record the preachers at Carver Street Chapel (he was a regular attendant there), together with the text, and sometimes short outlines of the sermons.

Acton was passionately fond of horses, coaches, and everything pertaining thereto, and he gives several vivid accounts of his coaching journeys to Manchester, Halifax and York. His own pony (Bess) was a great favourite; his own hands fed and groomed her, and there is almost daily mention in the journal of a ride or a drive into the country. Once he drove her to Blackpool, going through Manchester, Chorley and Preston, taking two days for the journey, and after a fortnight's stay in Blackpool, returned via Blackburn, Manchester and Buxton.

Much that is in the journal is of a private nature, and relates to business and family matters; but there are many of the entries so interesting in character, in which the affairs of our own town and the customs of the times are so faithfully recorded, that they are not unworthy of our consideration.

ELECTION MATTERS.

Referring to Sheffield's second Parliamentary election, the journal runs :-

DECEMBER 16, 1834.-Mr. Bailey has declined to come forward to oppose Mr. Buckingham.[1]

DECEMBER 26, 1834.-Mr. Furness gave me a call this afternoon. He was canvassing for Gally Knight, Esq., but I soon satisfied him that I was still for Mr. Buckingham.

JANUARY 6, 1835.-At nine o'clock Mr. Marshall, of Barker's Pool, called upon me to assist him in canvassing for Mr. Buckingham, and we were hard at it until after ten o'clock. Of course, I have had no time for reading to-day.

JANUARY 7, 1835.-We have made a few more calls to-day for Mr. Buckingham, and we then walked down to the Angel Inn (his committee room), where we saw Mr. B. and several of his friends. Mr. B is looking very well indeed.

JANUARY 8, 1835.-I went down to the Angel Inn, and followed Mr. Buckingham down to the new Haymarket, where there was a great concourse of people assembled. Mr. Sansom, the present Master Cutler, opened the business of the day, but I could hear very little indeed on account of the noise. Mr. Parker spoke first, then Mr. Buckingham in his old style of eloquence, and then Dr. Holland, with Mr. William Fisher, endeavoured to be heard in favour of Mr. Samuel Bailey, but I could not catch a word on account of the tumult. It certainly seemed very strange, as Mr. Buckingham stated that they had a battle to fight without a general. Mr. Parker had to demand a poll.

JANUARY 9, 1835.-I went down (with Mr. Joseph Blackwell) to the Angel Inn about twenty-five minutes before nine o'clock. They were all busy getting ready for the contest. I returned to the Music Hall, and waited about five minutes until the clock struck nine, and I gave the first vote there - a plumper for Mr. Buckingham.

JANUARY 10, 1835.-I arose this morning soon after five o'clock in consequence of Mr. Marshall waiting upon me on Friday night, wishing me to render Mr. Buckingham all the assistance I could. I did so, and, happy to say, Mr. Buckingham was again returned: Parker, 1,607; Buckingham, 1,554; Bailey 1,434.

JANUARY 13, 1835.-Mr. Buckingham's committee had resolved to open a subscription to defray the expenses of the election. Mr. Cocking, one of Mr. B's. committee, thinks that the expenses will amount to between £300 and £400. I shall gladly subscribe my mite towards defraying the debt.

JANUARY 14, 1835.-I received a letter from Mr. Buckingham's committee this afternoon giving me an invitation to attend at the Music Hall, as Mr. B. was desirous of thanking his friends for their support. The invitation was for two, so my brother and I went soon after six o'clock. The room was quite full, and Mr. Buckingham gave great satisfaction.

FEBRUARY 6, 1835.-Mr. Vickers and Mr. Lindley called upon me to-day about my subscribing a trifle towards defraying the expenses of Mr. Buckingham's return to Parliament. I gave them a sovereign.

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

DECEMBER 6, 1834. Yesterday, the assistant minister at St. Mary's Church, stepped into my shop (accompanied by another man), with a gold chain, which he had picked up at the bottom of Burgess Street. He desired me to get it "cryed"; and it was owned by Mr. Clayton, in Pinstone Street, this morning.

JANUARY 26, 1835:-Yesterday, between 11 and 12 o'clock, as the churchwardens were fulfilling their duty in Eyre Street, they heard a woman cry out, "'Murder!" from the new School of Anatomy (the house lately occupied by Mr. John Green, of the firm of Green, Picksley and Co.). They went into the house, and found the man and his wife quarrelling, and, I understand, fighting also. A mob soon collected, which got possession of the place, and made great disturbances during the rest of the day.

This morning, the mob again assembled between eight and nine o'clock, and commenced breaking all the windows and doors, and everything they could come at, and they made a large fire in front of the house, and burnt the bed and everything belonging to the house.

The soldiers were called out. The constables were sent off in a post-chaise to fetch Mr. Bagshawe, the magistrate, to read the Riot Act. He arrived here about noon and gave the mob till one o'clock to disperse, but they did not obey the command, and they are still assembled in great multitudes.

Mr. Hadfield, my neighbour, was called upon about five o'clock to go to the Town Hall to be made a special constable. About six o'clock the mob made for Mr. Wilson Overend's, in Church Street, and completely filled it, and also the adjacent streets. They were still there at twelve o'clock at night. We fully expected them at our neighbour's (Messrs. Wright and Wilson), but, fortunately, they did not accomplish their object in Church Street, so we have not had them in our streets.

JANUARY 30.- I arose this morning at ten minutes before nine o'clock. It was a fine morning. At about one o'clock this morning our neighbour, Mr. Hadfield, called me up on account of Mrs. Sawyer having a fit, and Mr. Wood, surgeon, wanted two-pennyworth of spt. terebinth (turpentine), to rub her back with. Her husband thought she would have died, but she is nearly well again, I understand.

FEBRUARY 25, 1835.-I read the King's Speech to-day, but I don't think much of it.[2]

MARCH 3, 1835.-I took a walk down Norfolk Street about nine o'clock p.m., and I see the Post Office has been removed into High Street. So it was done either yesterday or to-day.

May 6, 1835.-At a little before 10 o'clock I went to the Town Hall to be sworn as a special constable.

JUNE 3.-After breakfast I mounted the pony and rode to Redmires Dam. I should think there are eighty men at work. I understand it is to cover eighty acres of land.

JULY 7.-I see they are removing the large pump in Barkers' Pool. They intend it to stand in the centre, which I think will be a great improvement, for the carriage road at present is so very narrow that very few people ever go that way.

OCTOBER 3, 1835.-The old Gas Company is going to lower the price of gas on the 1st of January, 1836, to five shillings per thousand feet. It is at present eight shillings, and before a new Company was talked of it was twelve shillings, which I believe was two shillings more than any other town in England.

I wish they had considered to lower the price immediately, for then we should have enjoyed the benefit a little longer. Of course, I would not burn their gas any longer than I am obliged, even if they made me a present of it, and I have no doubt there are hundreds in Sheffield of my opinion.

APRIL -5, 1836.-They commenced taking the old Sugar House down this morning. What Mr. Revell is going to build I do not know at present.

JUNE 29th.-The Botanical Gardens were opened this morning. We have a good view of the company from Sharrow Moor.

SEPTEMBER 10:-There is to be an alteration respecting gigs. I hope I shall be able to save the duty, which is £3/5/- a year, by having "John Acton, druggist, Sheffield''", painted either on the off-side shaft or on the boot behind.

SEPTEMBER 15.-I am very happy to say that part of the Stamp Duty comes off newspapers to-day. All our three Sheffield newspapers are to be reduced from 7d to4d. The Stamp was 4d., each paper, with twenty per cent off; now it is one penny net.

SEPTEMBER 17.-1 read a good portion of the "Mercury" to-day. It is the first newspaper I have seen with the penny stamp attached to it. I think it looks quite as respectable as when the stamp was fourpence, with 20 per cent discount.

DECEMBER 31, 1836.-Ridge's newspaper has more mistakes in it than all the rest of the papers I have read to-day. In one short paragraph of about 20 lines were at least 12 errors. The paragraph was about the present storm, and the inconvenience to London coaches. I wish Ridge could get hold of that doctrine (and put it into practice) about which one hears so much just now, especially at public dinners; "that it is the worst of all manners for a man to talk of himself", but nearly every week Ridge is praising himself and his newspaper. To-day he was giving the public to understand that, according to the last Parliamentary returns, the circulation of his paper was 1,025 weekly, and since then it has increased by 75 per cent. I expect the "Iris" will have a rap at him next week.

FEBRUARY 17, 1838.-A man waited on me this morning to sign a petition against Sheffield becoming a Corporation.[3] I signed it.

MAY 1, 1839.-The Waterworks Company has been taking all the wood pipes up in our street, and replacing them with iron ones.

JANUARY 1, 1840.-I filled a sheet of paper this evening with Sheffield news for Mr. Joseph Blackwell, of Howdan Pans, Newcastle, ready to be sent off as soon as the penny postage comes into operation, which I hope will be about the tenth of this month.

COACHING EXPERIENCES.

JULY 8, 1835. Mr. Lowdy Lyle, the guard of the Halifax and London coach, spent about two hours with us last night. Of course, I had a great treat in conversing with so experienced a man about my favourite topic, viz. Horses, coaches, guards and coachmen, heavy loads, slippers, and hooks, throwing over awkward turns (Chesterfield to wit). What hills to lock down, and to mind and reserve some resin in the hind boot till you get to the Nottingham going up. A little of the above talk I can enjoy with any man even on the hearth, but when on the wing, sat with the commander, with good horses, a good whip, splendid fast coach, a long journey before you, and fine weather, I don't think there can be any man more at home under such circumstances. And singular as my whim may appear to most people, I am always quite willing to bear the loose gibes thrown at me with good humour.

OCTOBER 28, 1835.-I arose this morning at a quarter before six o'clock; it was a beautiful morning. At eight o'clock I mounted the box of the "Fair Trades" coach, and went to Manchester. I had booked the Monday night previously. We had very bad cattle all the way.[4] Watson was the coachman (he was formerly guard of the York coach).... We changed horses six miles from Sheffield, and got four others much worse than those we had left behind. . . . That team, I think, took us about nine miles, and I was glad to be quit of them. . . . The third team worked better than either of the other two.. . . . At last we got hold of the four which were to take us into Manchester.

THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC OF 1837.

JANUARY 25, 1837.-I have not had such a brisk physic trade for years. Nearly every house in Sheffield is visited with the influenza. It is so bad in Glasgow that many shops are entirely closed with an inscription posted on the shuts, intimating that business will be resumed in a few days. Every newspaper I look into has a remedy for it. Paregoric, sweet nitre, and ipecacuanha wine are all the go and the people buy freely, and I daresay they take nearly all they buy, for medicine differs materially from nearly every other commodity.

I believe I have a touch of it myself: All I have taken for it as yet is a little theriaca et butyrum (treacle and butter).

FEBRUARY l.-I am so very busy with the influenza that I have had time for nothing else.

FEBRUARY 4.-I saw in the paper a most alarming account of the influenza in Sheffield and other parts of England. It is very fatal, both here and elsewhere.

I have been at the physic business rather better than 21 years, but I never knew half such a physic trade as there is now.

[1] James Silk Buckingham, one of the sitting members. His Life has recently been written by R. E. Turner. (James Silk Buckingham, 1786-1855. London, 1934.)

[2] The short-lived Peel-Wellington (Tory) ministry was now in office.

[3] On this question see Jones, G. P., and Tyler, J. E., A Century of Progress in Sheffield, in Sheffield and its Local Government; Sheffield, 1935, p. 14.

[4] Acton, unfortunately, in his description of this journey, devotes most of his space to the "badness" of the "cattle" and says little else concerning the journey. The extracts which follow, however throw some light on the number and length of the stages. There appear to have been four changes of horses en route.

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JANUARY 1, 1840.-I filled a sheet of paper this evening with Sheffield news for Mr. Joseph Blackwell, of Howdan Pans, Newcastle, ready to be sent off as soon as the penny postage comes into operation, which I hope will be about the tenth of this month.

An excellent read, Thanks to you and HAS.

The Penny Post (Penny Black, Sir Rowland Hill) actually came into being 6th May 1840. There are one or two examples known to have been used before this date (valuable), most Penny Blacks are not worth that much, there were an estimated 140 million of them produced. They were unperorated and cut from the larger sheet with scissors.

Stamps were not meant to be the way forward, Mulready cover anyone, I don't own one, but they were a fine design.

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