Friends of the Centre for
West Midlands History
Newsletter Issue 1
August 2009
Sharing the Past with the Future
W
elcome to the first issue of
the newsletter for the
Friends of the Centre for
West Midlands History. The Centre
aims to create a forum for the study of
the history of the West Midlands, and
runs the MA in West Midlands
History, an annual conference and
operates a range of day schools. The
Centre has provided support for
various historical projects and worked
with heritage professionals and
independent scholars in the wider
community.
The purpose of the Friends is to build
links between the Centre and others
with a strong interest in the history of
Day schools and
events
Friends of the Centre for West Midlands
History will receive full information about
the programme of day schools and evening
classes at the University in September. These
will include a number of events devoted to
the history and archaeology of the West
Midlands.
There will be a series of eight evening
classes: 'Matthew Boulton (1728-1809):
industry, science and the arts in Britain' on
Wednesday evenings between 21 October
and 9 December 2009, 6.30pm - 8.30pm in
the Arts Building, University of Birmingham.
The normal price for these classes is £89.
Friends will be entitled to a discount of £5.
There will also be a reduction in the price of
attending the annual conference of the Centre
for West Midlands History: 'War and Society
in the West Midlands' on Saturday 20 March
2010. More details later. To register your
interest for either of these events, contact
Malcolm Dick at [email protected].
the region or relevant professional
expertise. The overall aim is to
provide an active forum in which to
share experiences and historical
research to help raise the profile of
local and regional history in the wider
community.
The benefits of being a Friend include
discounted attendance fees at the
Centre's conferences, the opportunity
to attend exclusive social events and
visits to places of historical interest in
the region, and volunteering
opportunities.
We hope that you enjoy reading this
newsletter, and look forward to
Friends' event to
Wolverhampton Art
Gallery Saturday 12th
September 2009
We are delighted to announce the first of our
exclusive free events for the Friends of the
Centre for West Midlands History.
It will be a visit to Wolverhampton Art Gallery
on Saturday, 12th September between 2pm and
5pm, in which curator Olga Baird will give us
a talk and tour of the Museum's new Victorian
Galleries.
welcoming you at the first of our
Friends events at Wolverhampton Art
Gallery on September 12th.
In the next issue, we will introduce
you to the Committee Members of the
Friends and provide further
information about exclusive events
and activities for members.
In the meantime, please send your
feedback on this issue and any news
items that you would like to be
considered for future publication to
the Editor, Sally Hoban, at
[email protected] or write
to Dr Malcolm Dick at the University
of Birmingham.
Attendees will
need to make
their own way to
the Gallery,
which is located
just a few
minutes walk from Wolverhampton train and
bus stations in Lichfield Street. There is an
excellent café at the Gallery in which you can
purchase refreshments during the visit. You can
find out more at
www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/wolves.
For further information and to reserve a place,
please email [email protected]
or telephone 0121-427 8163. You will receive
further details about the visit when you book.
Free access to 1911 census
Birmingham Archives and Heritage is one of seven archives and libraries around England that will be
given free access to the recently completed online records of the 1911 census.
The National Archives, in collaboration with UK-based family history website findmypast.com, is
providing free access to the census, available at 1911census.co.uk. A date for the free launch of the
service at Birmingham is not yet available, however the National Archives website suggests contacting
participating institutions directly to find out the when the service will be available. Call 0121 303 4549
or email [email protected].
Are you reading this but are not a member of the Friends? If you would like to join contact Dr Malcom
Dick, Centre for West Midlands History, School of History and Cultures, University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT or email [email protected] for further information.
Matthew Boulton
1728 - 1809 Bicentenary Year
By Sue Tungate
If you have not already heard, 2009 is the
bicentenary of the death of Matthew Boulton
(1728-1809). So many of the advantages
society now enjoys are due to the brilliance
and entrepreneurship of people such as
Boulton. His vital role in developing steam
engineering with Watt, and the provision of an
efficient coinage, gave an incredible boost to
the efficiency of industry and commerce at the
start of the industrial revolution. Matthew
Boulton was also a great supporter of cultural
activities within Birmingham and a founding
member of the Lunar Society, a group of
eighteenth century enlightenment thinkers
which included luminaries such as Joseph
Priestley, Erasmus Darwin and Josiah
Wedgwood.
Boulton started life as the son of a
Birmingham button maker and rose to become
a great industrial pioneer. In the 18th century
his Soho Manufactory was well known all over
Europe, and the Soho Mint was where modern
coining methods were first developed. Boulton
also helped to establish Birmingham's canal
system and its General Hospital, and the
Birmingham Assay Office, now the busiest in
the world.
In July 2009 a prestigious international
conference was held in Birmingham to
celebrate Matthew Boulton's life and
achievements (see Dr Sally Baggott's article in
this newsletter ) and there are Boulton
exhibitions being held as far away as the Speed
Museum in Kentucky, USA, and the
Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
Fortunately you don't have to go so far to see
the most extensive exhibition, 'Matthew
Boulton: Selling what all the world desires',
which is at the Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery's Gas Hall until 27th September and
entrance is free. The exhibition shows the
invaluable contributions made by Boulton to
our nation's heritage in his artistic, social and
scientific endeavours. The exclusive collection
of pictures, artefacts, memoirs, letters and
other objects produced by Boulton, includes
material from Birmingham Museums and
Archives but also significant loans from the
Royal Collection, private collections,
Birmingham Assay Office, and other national
museums.
Another free exhibition is on until May 2010 at
the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the
University of Birmingham. It features
Boulton's Soho Mint products and is entitled
'Matthew Boulton and the Art of Making
Money'. The exhibition focuses on the art of
making money in all its aspects, as mechanical
art, fine art and the art of making a profit. The
coins, medals, tokens, dies and books on
display show a wonderful variety of artistic
designs. The exhibits have come from the
collections at the British Museum and
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, with the
majority coming from the Birmingham Assay
Office.
For more information about the Boulton
bicentenary events see
www.matthewboulton2009.org
Selling what all the world desires - Free events at
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG)
Free tours of the Boulton exhibition with a museum Guide take place on Fridays at 1pm.
Please meet at the exhibition entrance to take part in a tour. Pre-booking is not required
but numbers may be limited.
Forthcoming talks:
Saturday 22 August
'Matthew Boulton and the Forgers'
Dr David Symons, Curator of Antiquities
and Numismatics, BMAG
Saturday 29 August
'How they built a better steam engine'
Dr Jim Andrew, Collections Advisor,
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
Saturday 5 September
'Matthew Boulton and the Birmingham
Assay Office'
Dr Sally Baggott, Birmingham Assay
Office
Saturday 12 September
'Mechanical Painting: Ingenious process of
smoke and mirrors?'
Barbara Fogarty
Saturday 19 September
'Birmingham and the Toy Trade: Story of an
industrial boomtown'
Sylvia Crawley, Curator (Applied Art), BMAG
Saturday 26 September
'Enchanted Castle: Visitors to the Soho
Manufactory, 1765-1809'
Professor Peter Jones, University of
Birmingham
All talks take place in the AV room to the rear of the Gas Hall at 1pm. Talks last for
approximately 45 minutes, with time for questions and discussion. Admission free; pre-booking
not required.
Boulton Conference 2009
By Dr Sally Baggott
The conference 'Where Genius and the Arts
Preside: Matthew Boulton 1728-1809', was held at
the University of Birmingham and Birmingham
City University from 3rd - 5th July 2009. It
attracted an audience of around 75 per day (86
individuals over the weekend). Participants came
from as far afield as Australia, the United States
and Canada, and from Sweden, France, Russia
and Italy. A wide range of specialists from
universities and non- academic institutions, plus
independent scholars and interested members of
the public, gave a series of fascinating talks on a
variety of topics.
University representatives taking part came from
the Universities of Birmingham, Exeter,
Glamorgan, Oxford, Salford, and Birmingham
City University in Britain, and the University of
Turin, Italy, the College of William and Mary,
Williamsburg, Virginia, EHESS, (École des
Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) Paris,
Uppsala University, Sweden, University of
California, Los Angeles, University of Georgia,
and University of New South Wales, Australia.
Specialists included those from Birmingham
Museums and Archives services, Thinktank
Birmingham, Wolverhampton Museum and Art
Gallery, the British Museum, the Science
Museum, Linnaean Society, Coventry City
Council Conservation and Archaeology, the
Society for the History of Astronomy, the Royal
Northern College of Music, and the Birmingham
Assay Office as well as the Smithsonian
Institution, Washington DC and Powerhouse
Museum, Sydney, Australia.
The talks on Boulton ranged over his long and
varied activities from the establishment of his
famous Soho Manufactory, his relationship with
James Watt and his various employees, and his
family life. His technological developments in
metal processing, steam engines, and minting
were covered with much discussion on the
products of the Soho Mint. Also Boulton's design
in silver, Sheffield plate and ormolu plus the
establishment of the Birmingham Assay Office
were detailed. Some very useful contributions
were made about Boulton's overseas contacts such
as his Jewish partners in Paris and Thomas
Jefferson and others.
There were also visits to the exhibitions being
held at the Barber Institute for Fine Arts,
University of Birmingham 'Matthew Boulton and
the Art of Making Money and also to the
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery exhibition
'Matthew Boulton: Selling what all the World
desires', plus a concert on Saturday 'Hark I hear
Musick! An evening with Matthew Boulton and
Friends' at St Phillips Cathedral, Birmingham.
The proceedings of the conference will be
published in due course by Ashgate and
contributions will be edited by Professor Ken
Quickenden of Birmingham City University and
Dr Sally Baggott of the Assay Office.
Matthew Boulton Book List
Phillada Ballard, Val Loggie and Shena Mason
(2009) A Lost Landscape Matthew Boulton's
Gardens at Soho Phillimore, Chichester
Richard Clay and Sue Tungate (eds.) (2009)
Matthew Boulton and the Art of Making Money
Brewin, Studley
Malcolm Dick (ed.) (2009) Matthew Boulton: a
Revolutionary Player Brewin, Studley
H.W. Dickinson (1936; republished 1999)
Matthew Boulton TEE Publishing, Leamington
Spa
Richard Doty (1998) The Soho Mint and the
Industrialization of Money National Museum of
American History, Smithsonian Institution, in
association with Spink and the British
Numismatic Society. British Numismatic Society
Special Publication No 2 London
Nicholas Goodison (1974; amended 2002)
Matthew Boulton Ormolu Christies, London
Peter M. Jones (2008) Industrial
Enlightenment: Science, technology and culture
in Birmingham and the West Midlands, 17601820 Manchester University Press, Manchester
For more information and
to reserve a place please
email [email protected]
or call 0121 204 4552
Shena Mason (ed.) (2009) 'Selling What All The
World Desires': Matthew Boulton, 1728-1809
Yale University Press, London and New Haven
Shena Mason (2005) The Hardware Man's
Daughter: Matthew Boulton and his 'Dear Girl'
Phillimore, Chichester
Kenneth Quickenden (2009) Boulton Silver and
Sheffield Plate Silver Society in association
with Birmingham City University, London
Jenny Uglow (2002) The Lunar Men: Friends
who Made the Future Faber and Faber, London
New books on Matthew Boulton
One of the books resulting from Boulton 2009 is
Matthew Boulton: a Revolutionary Player, a wellillustrated and accessible book published by
Brewin Books and priced at £14.99. Edited by
Malcolm Dick, this paperback explores the life
and importance of the industrialist and
entrepreneur, who lived from 1728 to 1809.
Boulton promoted new technology and
manufacturing techniques at his Soho
Manufactory and Mint in Handsworth and the
Soho Foundry in Smethwick. Fourteen scholars
and heritage professionals communicate the state
17/09/09
Andrew P.B. Lound (2008) Lunatick
Astronomy: The Astronomical Activities of the
Lunar Society Odyssey DL, Birmingham
of current knowledge about Boulton to a wide
public as well as specialists in the history of the
18th and early 19th centuries.
Another new book is Matthew Boulton and the
Art of Making Money by Richard Clay and Sue
Tungate (eds.), also published by Brewin Books
and priced at £9.95. This catalogue accompanies
the exhibition at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Megan Gooch, who reviewed the book in the July
2009 issue of the Numismatic Circular said: 'This
book is a perfect introduction to Matthew
Boulton's role as a coin manufacturer, with a
scope broad enough to interest the non-specialist
but with enough depth of discussion that
seasoned numismatists with fine it a worthwhile
read … there is so much that can be said about
Boulton that distilling it into one relatively slim
book is quite an achievement.'
This medallic scale image of Boulton dates from 1803/4 and
was engraved during his lifetime. All the other memorial
medals showing his image were made after his death.
Matthew Boulton
Discovery Day
u Matthew Boulton's Life and Work
An exhibition in
the Great Hall and
interactive
lectures will run
in parallel with
the main lectures
on the day.
Tickets needed
for admission to
main lectures
only, which
includes a buffet
lunch.
Admission free
Presented by Dr Malcolm Dick, Director of
the Centre for West Midlands History at
the University of Birmingham.
u The Medical Dimensions of the
Lunar Society
Presented by Dr Michael Jepson, a Visiting
Fellow at Aston University until 2006 and
current committee member of The British
Society for the History of Pharmacy.
u The History and Importance of
Canals to Matthew Boulton and the
Development of the Industrial
Revolution
Presented by Graham Fisher MBE, Past
Chairman of the Staffordshire &
Worcestershire Canal Society.
u Matthew Boulton and his
Revolution in British Coinage
Presented by Sue Tungate, co-curator of
the exhibition Matthew Boulton and the Art
of Making Money at the Barber Institute.
u Matthew Boulton's Mechanical
Paintings
Presented by Barbara Fogarty, History of
Art, University of Birmingham.
u Boulton and Watt
Commemoration Lecture in
collaboration with the Lunar Society
Technologies for Sustainable
Transport
Presented by Professor
Julia King CBE FREng,
Vice-Chancellor, Aston University.
WEOLEY
CASTLE OPEN
DAY
19TH JULY 2009
By Paul Finegan
As part of National Archaeology Week,
Weoley Castle Ruins held its annual open
day on Sunday, 19th July. The Castle
(which is actually a 13th-century fortified
manor house) is a scheduled ancient
monument and is part of Birmingham
Community Museums. It has held an
open day over the last few years with
visitor numbers increasing each year and
2009 was no exception.
MA in West
Midlands History
This MA is aimed particularly at part-time, mature
students interested in the history of the West Midlands
region.
The course is broadly chronological and it covers the
history of the region from the 11th century to the end of
the 20th. It does not aim for a complete century-bycentury coverage of the history of the region, but rather
will allow the students to acquire an in depth
knowledge of a series of major themes.
Students will also have the opportunity to research a
topic of their own choice under the supervision of one
of the members of the Centre for West Midlands
History, using one of the many archival or other
historical resources available in the region. The MA
will provide students with the in-depth training
necessary to understand and use these sources.
The course is delivered through the medium of
Saturday schools (three per term), running from 10.00
a.m. to 5.30 p.m., organised around lectures, seminars,
small group workshops and day trips.
So what is the course actually like? We asked our
students to share their experiences for the newsletter.
As the gates opened at one o'clock, so did
the heavens, however that did not dampen
enthusiasm and over 900 visitors were
entertained by sword fighting displays
and a Mummers play. They were also
treated to guided tours of the Castle by
amongst others site curators Jane
McArdle and Irene de Boo and City
Archaeologist, Mike Hodder.
The site has recently received a grant
which will enable the construction of a
new visitor/community centre. The plans
for this were available, enabling visitors
to see how the site will look when
finished. Work on this project is due to
start in the next few weeks under the
guidance of Kirsty Nichol. The open day
was also used to recruit potential
volunteers from the local community who
expressed an interest in helping out at the
site at a later date.
The event closed at 4pm and a service
was held on site in the area which is
believed to have once housed the chapel.
Although there is no access to the site
itself, there is a viewing platform and
interpretation boards and there will be
open weekends and bank holidays until
2nd November.
For further information visit
www.bmag.org.uk/weoley-castle
or call 0121 464 2193.
Sue Thomas, who was a student on the MA between
2008-2010 says: 'Starting a university course as a
mature student can be an unnerving experience but on
the MA in West Midlands History there is plenty of help
available. Malcolm Dick and Sally Baggott offer
tutorial and study skills advice and the module leaders
and teachers produce detailed outlines and reading
lists. The lecturers are experts in their own fields. The
structure of the course means that second year students
are on hand to give the real low-down to the new
students - something I found very useful during my first
year. Now it's my turn to offer encouragement to those
starting the course this autumn.
Another student, Christine Mann, says: 'There is a song
which starts with the question “Where do I begin …?”
and I confess to much fellow-feeling with the lyricist. I
have been asked to share my experiences of the MA in
West Midlands History. How can I convey so much in
so little space?
'I could start with happy memories of stimulating study
days and site visits, led by expert tutors, who certainly
kept us on our toes. I would have to approve the scope
and variety of the modules and the opportunities for
investigating so many historical facets. What about the
efficiency of the course administration and the
dissemination of information? I would certainly
highlight the camaraderie with fellow enthusiasts,
sharing the frustrations and challenges every step of the
way from the 11th to the 21st century.
'Of course it was hard work. I have memories of long
hours spent in libraries and archives, studying
documents, ploughing through long reading lists
(which, it has to be said, did include some pretty heavy
tomes). Then there was the repeated editing of essays
and the suspense awaiting marks and feedback.
'These, and more, were all part of the whole rewarding
experience for me - one I would heartily recommend to
anyone interested in the history of this area. I learnt a
lot about myself as I learnt about the place I call home
and the course nurtured a desire to continue learning.
'So, where to begin? At the beginning. Request
information on the MA in West Midlands History and
see where it leads. You won't regret it.'
If you would like to find out more, contact Dr Malcolm
Dick at [email protected], or write to Dr Malcolm
Dick, Centre for West Midlands History, School of
History and Cultures, University Of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT.
'The course concentrates on the West Midlands but has
a very broad reach - covering a thousand years of
history over the two years! I can't think of another way
of getting such a good historical grounding in such a
short time. The course needs hard work and
commitment but offers tremendous rewards, new
friends, and a lot of fun.'
Roger Bruton
took this
photograph
during a visit
to Ironbridge
as part of the
MA in West
Midlands
History.
Birmingham Civic Society
Celebrating and promoting Birmingham's history is one of the main activities of the Birmingham Civic
Society and its Heritage Committee works to bring that history to the notice of residents and visitors alike.
Almost 100 Blue Plaques draw attention to just some of the men and women who have not only shaped the
city, but also influenced the country; the Society's Heritage Buildings Guide is the most popular published
guide to Birmingham, with 750,000 copies distributed so far. Now the Society's Heritage Group wants to
mark more of the important historical sites around the city by erecting History Plates. Last year, for example,
the site of Birmingham's last public hanging, in 1806, was marked in this way at a ceremony attended by the
Lord Mayor and other plaques are on the way. The Society would very much like to hear from you if you
feel there is a significant event in Birmingham's history that should be considered by the Heritage Committee
for a History Plate - they don't need to be quite so grim!
Send your suggestions by August 28th to Elaine Mitchell at [email protected] or write to
The Birmingham Civic Society, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham B3 3BS. A list of Blue Plaques is available
on the Society's website at www.birminghamcivicsociety.org.uk and if you would like a copy of the Society's
magazine, Birmingham Perspectives, please let her have your postal address.