514:
466:
99:, in 1770, claimed that Birmingham's superiority as a manufacturing town was largely due to the "superactivity" of the people, and the "mechanical contrivances and extensive apparatus which we are possess'd of". The use of hand-operated machinery and division of labour (which might see a button pass through fifty hands in the course of manufacture) was commented on by many visitors to Birmingham. Children were often employed in this sort of labour, their work being made easier by machines.
131:
699:
303:
280:
180:), most of the city's manufacturing was done in small family workshops. Payment was usually by piece-work, and workers could therefore decide when they wanted to work – it was usual for "Saint Monday" to be a day of rest in addition to the weekend, with long hours being worked later on to compensate, and employers had very little control over the working hours of their employees.
266:
205:
67:. Immigration to the city from the surrounding counties brought expansion of these industries. The population of the city increased from 5-7,000 in 1700 to nearly 24,000 in 1750, and by 1775 the population was about 40,000, making Birmingham the third largest town in the UK after
240:
around 1770, did not find widespread use in the city for another sixty years (in 1815, there were only about forty steam engines in the town, many very small). However, steam power and improvements in iron manufacturing processes were important in the development of the nearby
220:, for scientific experimentation. It is believed he converted the machinery for use in metal working. As well as milling grain it has been used for grinding bones for fertiliser, sheet metal rolling (Matthew Boulton) and wire drawing.
183:
Aside from banks, there were other kinds of institution involved in the circulation of money in
Birmingham before the modern era. For example, the Brewers Investment Corporation Ltd, with offices at Nos.3-4, County Chambers,
145:
in 1770, and the canal greatly reduced the price of goods such as coal which had previously been transported by road. The canal system was extended throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
259:
Numerous inventors emerged during
Birmingham's past, and the city's skilled workforce and infrastructure encouraged other inventors and businessmen from across the world to set up shop in the city.
548:
102:
In 1767, there were 35 gun-makers, and 27 manufacturers of other gun parts. The firm of Farmer and Galton supplied most of the weaponry to the
Company of Merchants in
320:
722:
59:
areas), and guns and brass goods were also being made. Metal was not made to any great extent in the town itself at this stage, but was mainly imported from
455:
425:
660:
599:
513:
367:
339:
95:", manufacturing buttons, buckles and other trinkets, with the trade being worth around £600,000 per annum (five-sixths of it for export).
410:
538:
498:
254:
702:
346:
386:
675:
448:
353:
110:). Pins, jewellery and papier-mâché were also produced in large quantities in the city, and goods of all sorts were exported to
680:
645:
503:
493:
324:
185:
433:
335:
228:
The long-established industrial processes in the city meant that it was actually quite late in adopting the methods of the
625:
594:
635:
589:
665:
528:
441:
615:
533:
245:, which by the end of the 18th century supplied much of the metal needed by Birmingham's manufacturing industries.
154:
313:
650:
569:
88:
51:
manufacturing knives and nails among other products. By 1683, there were 202 forges in the town (mainly in the
584:
574:
553:
360:
153:
Expansion during this period was also aided by the establishment of several banks – the button manufacturer
92:
40:
670:
162:
64:
91:
committee heard that at least 20,000 people in
Birmingham and the surrounding area were employed in the "
630:
579:
483:
229:
193:
76:
17:
176:
Despite the establishment of several large manufacturers (for example
Boulton and Fothergill's famous
685:
655:
640:
107:
620:
407:
48:
177:
142:
414:
213:
130:
119:
96:
285:
189:
716:
543:
271:
242:
217:
158:
134:
111:
60:
233:
302:
469:
465:
261:
237:
166:
44:
24:
216:, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution and leading figure of the
29:
204:
56:
118:(Boulton, in the same year, claimed that half his correspondence was in
72:
52:
170:
115:
103:
79:
described
Birmingham as "the first manufacturing town in the world".
68:
203:
129:
232:– manufacturing was so efficient and workshops so small that the
437:
296:
608:
562:
521:
476:
327:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
212:As early as 1755, Sarehole Mill was leased by
449:
8:
28:in England has developed economically since
456:
442:
434:
387:Learn how and when to remove this message
236:, developed in Birmingham by Boulton and
161:III established what was later to become
426:Stock Exchange Official Yearbook (1895)
400:
141:The first cargo was transported on the
7:
723:History of Birmingham, West Midlands
325:adding citations to reliable sources
255:Science and invention in Birmingham
14:
698:
697:
512:
464:
336:"Economic history of Birmingham"
301:
278:
264:
16:For a more general history, see
408:Midlands Pubs – Bradford Street
312:needs additional citations for
169:) in 1765, opening a branch in
192:by 1895 and was listed on the
186:Corporation Street, Birmingham
47:in about 1538, and found many
1:
137:and the modern Galton Tunnel
413:September 28, 2007, at the
739:
252:
15:
694:
510:
209:
138:
539:Parks and open spaces
499:Science and invention
230:Industrial Revolution
207:
194:London Stock Exchange
133:
63:and elsewhere in the
18:History of Birmingham
321:improve this article
157:and the ironmaster
210:
139:
106:(i.e. the African
710:
709:
529:Constituent areas
397:
396:
389:
371:
730:
701:
700:
646:Listed buildings
516:
494:Military history
489:Economic history
468:
458:
451:
444:
435:
428:
423:
417:
405:
392:
385:
381:
378:
372:
370:
329:
305:
297:
288:
283:
282:
281:
274:
269:
268:
267:
143:Birmingham Canal
126:Birmingham Canal
89:House of Commons
738:
737:
733:
732:
731:
729:
728:
727:
713:
712:
711:
706:
690:
626:Classical music
604:
558:
517:
508:
472:
462:
432:
431:
424:
420:
415:Wayback Machine
406:
402:
393:
382:
376:
373:
330:
328:
318:
306:
295:
284:
279:
277:
270:
265:
263:
257:
251:
226:
214:Matthew Boulton
202:
196:for that year.
151:
128:
97:Matthew Boulton
85:
38:
36:Early metalwork
21:
12:
11:
5:
736:
734:
726:
725:
715:
714:
708:
707:
695:
692:
691:
689:
688:
683:
678:
673:
668:
663:
658:
653:
648:
643:
638:
636:Food and drink
633:
628:
623:
618:
612:
610:
606:
605:
603:
602:
597:
592:
587:
582:
577:
572:
566:
564:
560:
559:
557:
556:
551:
549:Tall buildings
546:
541:
536:
531:
525:
523:
519:
518:
511:
509:
507:
506:
501:
496:
491:
486:
480:
478:
474:
473:
463:
461:
460:
453:
446:
438:
430:
429:
418:
399:
398:
395:
394:
309:
307:
300:
294:
291:
290:
289:
286:England portal
275:
253:Main article:
250:
247:
225:
222:
201:
198:
190:public company
188:. It became a
150:
147:
127:
124:
84:
81:
37:
34:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
735:
724:
721:
720:
718:
705:
704:
693:
687:
684:
682:
679:
677:
674:
672:
669:
667:
666:Popular music
664:
662:
659:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
619:
617:
614:
613:
611:
607:
601:
598:
596:
593:
591:
588:
586:
583:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
567:
565:
561:
555:
552:
550:
547:
545:
544:Redevelopment
542:
540:
537:
535:
532:
530:
527:
526:
524:
520:
515:
505:
502:
500:
497:
495:
492:
490:
487:
485:
482:
481:
479:
475:
471:
467:
459:
454:
452:
447:
445:
440:
439:
436:
427:
422:
419:
416:
412:
409:
404:
401:
391:
388:
380:
369:
366:
362:
359:
355:
352:
348:
345:
341:
338: –
337:
333:
332:Find sources:
326:
322:
316:
315:
310:This article
308:
304:
299:
298:
292:
287:
276:
273:
272:Cities portal
262:
260:
256:
248:
246:
244:
243:Black Country
239:
235:
231:
223:
221:
219:
218:Lunar Society
215:
208:Sarehole Mill
206:
199:
197:
195:
191:
187:
181:
179:
178:works at Soho
174:
172:
168:
164:
160:
159:Sampson Lloyd
156:
148:
146:
144:
136:
135:Galton Bridge
132:
125:
123:
121:
117:
113:
112:North America
109:
105:
100:
98:
94:
90:
83:Manufacturing
82:
80:
78:
74:
70:
66:
65:West Midlands
62:
61:Staffordshire
58:
54:
50:
46:
42:
35:
33:
31:
27:
26:
19:
696:
616:Architecture
600:Water supply
488:
421:
403:
383:
377:January 2021
374:
364:
357:
350:
343:
331:
319:Please help
314:verification
311:
258:
234:steam engine
227:
211:
182:
175:
152:
140:
101:
86:
77:Arthur Young
39:
23:
22:
224:Steam power
200:Water power
163:Lloyds Bank
155:John Taylor
108:slave trade
87:By 1759, a
75:. In 1791,
41:John Leland
676:Public Art
651:Literature
570:Government
563:Government
534:Demography
470:Birmingham
347:newspapers
293:References
238:James Watt
167:Lloyds TSB
165:(and then
45:Birmingham
25:Birmingham
585:Education
554:Transport
522:Geography
249:Invention
173:in 1770.
93:toy trade
30:Mediaeval
717:Category
703:Category
671:Religion
504:Timeline
411:Archived
57:Deritend
43:visited
631:Culture
609:Culture
595:Schools
580:Economy
575:Council
484:History
477:History
361:scholar
73:Bristol
53:Digbeth
32:times.
661:People
363:
356:
349:
342:
334:
171:London
120:German
116:Europe
104:Africa
69:London
49:smiths
686:Sport
681:Songs
656:Media
368:JSTOR
354:books
149:Banks
641:Jazz
590:Flag
340:news
114:and
71:and
55:and
621:Art
323:by
122:).
719::
457:e
450:t
443:v
390:)
384:(
379:)
375:(
365:·
358:·
351:·
344:·
317:.
20:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
