The Rev. James Dawson, during the forty years he laboured as the beloved and respected minister of this Church of Christ, secured the goodwill and esteem of all denominations. His great energy in the pulpit and his unwearied efforts amongst his flock, supported as it was by his strong evangelical views, caused his name to be revered far and wide, and the life-long result of his ministry was a cheering evidence of what spiritual blessings a good man can confer upon his fellows. Mr. Dawson was a very retiring and humble-minded gentleman, very fearful of being the cause of offence, for in 1805 we find him writing, “It appears highly improper to speak evil of any one, but much more for one Christian to speak evil of another. How hateful, then, must it appear for one minister to speak evil of another; it is exceedingly bad and most horrible.” We find his aspirations and thankfulness for his yearly increase of spiritual work to be quite child-like and steadfast; for he writes, “This evening I was very comfortable at the prayer meeting; found great liberty in addressing a few who were present; our members increase both at the prayer meetings and public assemblies, for which I am thankful, and pray they may more rapidly increase in knowledge and true holiness.” Increasing years and duties, however, pressed hard upon this zealous servant of Christ, for in the latter part of his earthly sojourn he writes thus, “Although, through the kindness and mercy of my God, I enjoy a good measure of health and vigour of constitution, yet I feel myself incompetent to the full discharge of ministerial duties; visiting becomes irksome; occasional preaching in the neighbourhood, and meeting Bible classes impracticable at my time of life. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” A monument in the chapel records his death and excellency; he died December 23rd, 1843, aged 65 years.
In August, 1844, the town was suddenly made acquainted with the unwelcome news that Mr. Hawkes was about to resign his seat in Parliament, and that a fit and proper person would have to be elected in his place. Rumour, with her thousand tongues, ran hard and fast in conjecture and doubts as to the coming candidate; for it had long been observed that the Priory influence was yearly gaining strength and dictation, and the future Reform influence in the borough was being reduced to very narrow dimensions. The minds of the electors were soon put to rest by the announcement that Mr. John Benbow, of London (of the firm of Messrs Benbow and Tucker, solicitors, London), was the favoured Tory candidate, to do battle for Church and State in Dudley. The Anti-Corn Law League (emanating from Manchester), had already done a heavy uphill work throughout the kingdom, in advocating the total repeal of the Corn Laws; and some of its most talented public advocates had already obtained seats in Parliament as the reward of their fidelity to that great public question.
The Reformers of Dudley considering that the promotion of trade and commerce was more intimately connected with them than the interests of the British Farmer, for everyone had got hold of the hackneyed saying, “that we must buy in the cheapest, and sell in the dearest market,” decided to run a Free-Trade candidate at this by-election in the person of Mr. William Rawson, the chairman of the Anti-Corn Law League. Mr. Rawson’s claims upon the electors of Dudley mainly consisted in his advocacy of Free Trade, not only in corn, but everything else, whilst “the little loaf, and the big loaf” were held up to the gazing crowd, as the sign-posts of cheap bread, good wages, and increased commercial progress, and prosperity. Mr. Benbow had the advantage of a very different introduction to the electors; to many of whom he was well-known as the legal adviser to the trustees of the then young Lord Ward, whose immense wealth and popularity was the pass-word to any man’s success. Mr. Benbow was not a fluent speaker, neither was Mr. Rawson, so that we had not much speechifying from these gentlemen; it was said, that Mr. Rawson was a great thinker; however, these deficiencies were made up by the incessant fluency of Mr. Samuel Cooke, a respectable linen draper, of Dudley, Mr. William Insull, and Thomas Hill, who had become pronounced Chartists, and whose advocacy for many years of the Nine Points of the Charter entitled them to the regard and esteem of the whole force of the working classes in this town and district. Mr. Cooke was a well-read gentleman, with a zeal and honesty of purpose which few men can aspire to; there was a purity and singleness of aim in his public deliverances which secured him the respect of all good thinking people; and when he was committed to Worcester prison for a time, for what was then construed into seditious speaking, he was received back again to the scene of his well-meant labours with public triumph and cordial congratulations.
This election, however, came off under some popular excitement, for Free Trade was then the great war cry, and it had upset one Ministry and was wrecking the stability of another; but the Castle influence was proved to be too overwhelming for the popular cause; and the day of nomination, with its hordes of men driven up to the hustings like sheep, to hold up their hands for whom they were bidden, was, in truth and in deed, a sad exhibition of what was misnamed freedom of election. Mr. Benbow was elected by a good majority, and entered the House of Commons as a decided Tory representative.
| 1. Mr. John Benbow, Tory | 388 |
| 2. Mr. William Rawson, Free Trader | 175 |
| —— | |
| Majority for Mr. Benbow | 213 |
Benefit Societies, established by the most intelligent of the working classes, had begun now to have a very beneficial effect in teaching the great principles of self help. The Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows had taken the lead throughout the country in this respect, and in the parish of Dudley we had upwards of 1,500 members enrolled.
1845. July 14th. A monster and grand procession of Odd Fellows walked the town this day, and went to a service at the Parish Church, when a collection was made for the Widows and Orphans’ Fund, amounting to £10 12s. 3d.
1845. July 30th. The Rev. Doctor Browne, Vicar of Dudley, was installed an Odd Fellow in the “Rose and Thistle” Lodge, and the worthy Doctor’s zeal on behalf of the Widows and Orphans’ was most manifest in the parish.
THE FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE.
1845. This small place of worship is approached through a passage leading out of High Street. It was originally built in 1670, was enlarged in 1793, and has since had additional alterations. The Friends are a small and select body of worshippers in this town, and appear to have suffered severe and uncharitable persecution at times, for it is recorded that on the 2nd May, 1665, four Friends of Dudley were seized by one Major Wilde, and a troop of horsemen, and taken to Worcester Gaol, kept there thirteen days till the Assizes and Sessions were over, and then committed to the common jail for three months without any trial, or even being brought into open court. At the expiration of their time of imprisonment, these Friends were brought into open court and fined 12d. each, and then dismissed. The heinous crime with which they had been charged was, “that they would not take an oath.” Surely we live in happier days of freedom and enlightenment, which is not always duly appreciated by the censorious and narrow-minded citizens of the present age, both social and religious pressure being often exercised in the sacred name of civil and religious liberty.