The Rev. G. Lewis, in the absence of the Rev. Dr. Browne, (Vicar of Dudley) begged, in the name of the clergy and ministers of Dudley, to be allowed to avail himself of that opportunity of expressing his congratulations upon his Lordship’s elevation to his new title. The title bore the impress of a new bond of connection between his Lordship and Dudley, and he (Mr. Lewis) trusted it would extend the connection, and still more closely cement the bond.
His Lordship then replied to the address of the deputation in a few observations, which were especially remarkable for their felicity and the cordial feeling they displayed. The noble Earl stated that he need not tell them that that was one of the moments of his life which gave him the greatest pleasure, and which he should remember the longest, and, as they might suppose, he could not divest himself of the personal pleasure attendant upon the reception of such a deputation on such an occasion. But far beyond any gratification this station of rank could give him, was the fact that the town and borough of Dudley shared in that gratification, and spoke out on the subject so distinctly as it did that day. But the personal gratification was not all because he felt that it was, really and truly, a congratulation upon a matter which very much affected himself and his house. In these days, when men not only demand their right to private opinions, but also the right to express those opinions, it was more than ever difficult to obtain an unanimous opinion as to who was worthy of congratulation. Still it was always a great pleasure to congratulate another; but when a man happened to be the object of such congratulations, to be the object of which such a meeting was called as that he saw before him, and the object of the expressions which had been given utterance to, the pleasure was naturally four-fold greater. With regard to what had been said about the selection of the title of Earl of Dudley, his Lordship remarked that he could not for one moment have dreamt of taking any other title. He had desired that the link between his family and the town might be drawn together closer, and be stronger than ever, and to show them that such were his desires he had taken the title of Earl of Dudley. When he was told that he must take the title from some town, he took that title from Dudley, and in adding Dudley Castle to it he had only stepped in the steps of his forefathers, and taken their precedent for his guidance. One happened to be in Worcestershire and the other in Staffordshire, although few people perhaps knew where the division of the counties was, and his only reason for acceding to what was proposed to him was that he was told he must name a place from which to take the title, and therefore he followed the precedent laid down for him. It was not only, however, that the occasion personally affected the town and himself, but it was that in so large a body as that deputation, there was a guarantee that there was a feeling abroad of the mutual benefit to be derived from the town having so much confidence in the nearest peer who happened to reside in the neighbourhood, and the fact that the peer would find he could not do without the support of his nearest neighbours. Perhaps in former times there was not so much real understanding of one another, and intimacy with one another, as had happily existed between himself and the town; he had fallen upon other times, when men were more closely drawn together by various ties but at any rate, he did not know any time when any deputation, representing so large a body, had come to Himley to offer congratulations upon any event connected with the family. After paying a very marked and highly eulogistic compliment to those who represented his house in the dignified manner he was proud to say they did, the noble Earl concluded by stating that the address presented that day would be placed amongst the papers of his family, and in his mind would be the most valuable of them, because it was a guarantee that the bonds of connection between the town of Dudley and himself would be drawn together more closely than ever.
The Dowager Lady Ward was present during the proceedings; and evinced a lively interest in them. Her ladyship, together with the noble Earl, the gentlemen composing the deputation, R. Smith, Esq., and G. Taylor., Esq., subsequently sat down to a sumptuous luncheon, and at its conclusion the deputation thanked his Lordship for the princely reception they had met with, and retired.
His Lordship has courteously accepted an invitation to a banquet at Dudley, on Tuesday, the 28th inst., and on the same day his Lordship will supply the indigent poor of the borough with beef. Upon the same day the children in the various schools in the town will receive a treat, the expense of which will be met by public subscriptions.—Birmingham Journal.
THE EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.
Yesterday a deputation from Brierley Hill waited upon the Right Hon. the Earl of Dudley, at Himley Hall, to present to his lordship, on behalf of the inhabitants of Brierley Hill and the district, their congratulations on his lordship’s recent elevation in the peerage. The deputation started from the Star Hotel (Mr. English’s), about one o’clock, in four carriages, and consisted of the following gentlemen:—Rev. S. Franklin (incumbent of Brierley Hill), Rev.—Gray (curate), Rev. J. Roebuck (Independent minister), Rev. J. Williams (Wesleyan minister), Dr. Walker, Messrs. Ford, P. Harris, R. Plant, W. H. Westwood, G. Pearson, Chapman, Wheeler, Williams, Horton, Homer, and Cook. Upon arriving at the Hall, the deputation were received by the noble Earl in a very cordial manner, and Mr. R. Plant, after making a few eulogistic remarks, proceeded to read the following address:—“We, the undersigned, clergy, ministers of the gospel, and others, inhabitants of the town of Brierley Hill and district, beg to present our congratulations to your Lordship on your accession to your family dignities and honours, bestowed upon you by the act of our most gracious Sovereign; and that you may be spared to live long in the enjoyment of your revived family title, and that it may be handed down through succeeding generations, is our fervent wish, who fully appreciate your Lordship’s interest towards us, as exhibited in your untiring efforts to promote the welfare and prosperity of this locality.” To this address were attached about 1,200 signatures. In order that beauty and harmony should be better preserved the signatures were transcribed, and with the dedication and address the souvenir took the form of a thin royal octavo volume, beautifully bound in gilt russia. On the outer cover appeared the following words:—“Address from the town and district of Brierley Hill to the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, 1860.” On the frontispiece the Earl’s crest and motto were tastefully lithographed in gold and colours, immediately succeeding which was the following dedication:—“To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley, in the county of Worcester, and of Dudley Castle in the county of Stafford, Viscount Ednam of Ednam, in the county of Roxburgh, 1860.” The dedication and address were printed in colours, and each of the pages containing the signatures was surrounded with an illuminated border. After the reception of the address, the noble Earl made a few appropriate remarks in reply. He said that an address of such a character, signed as it was by about 1,200 persons, was a source of great gratification to him, and would have been equally so if it had consisted of simple sheets of paper, instead of assuming the elegant form it had. Considering the short time occupied in obtaining the signatures (one day) it was extremely gratifying to find such a feeling exhibited towards himself and his house as was evinced by the 1,200 who had come forward and signed the document on behalf of themselves and those surrounding them. It proved that Brierley Hill was fast rising in all the importance due to a town, and he hoped it would still continue to rise, and be supplied with such public buildings as it required, towards which object he should always be happy to render a helping hand. With regard to supplying the requisite churches and chapels for the district, his Lordship took occasion to remark that it was almost impossible to “overtake” the work—to use a Scotch expression. It was also difficult to obtain ministers who would enter into the work with a proper spirit, and properly perform it, and generally it was very difficult to find sufficient accommodation for the wants of the place. After alluding to the importance of mechanics’ institutions, and kindred sources of improvement, and remarking that they were also necessary in a growing locality like Brierley Hill, his Lordship concluded by remarking that the address presented that day would be treasured along with the most honoured archives of the house and family; and as he might not stand again before the same body of gentlemen, who represented 1200 inhabitants, and doubtless many more, he begged them to convey his thanks to each person who had signed the document, and participated in the congratulations conveyed.
Deputations from Netherton, Sedgley, and Quarry Bank (near Brierley Hill) were also present. The latter address was as follows:—“To the Right Hon. Earl of Dudley, &c., &c., &c. May it please your Lordship, we, the undersigned clergy, churchwardens, and tenants under your Lordship in the new district parish of Quarry Bank, Diocese of Lichfield, and in the county of Stafford, take the liberty of congratulating your Lordship on your elevation by our most gracious Queen to the Earldom of Dudley, a dignity heretofore enjoyed by some of your Lordship’s ancestors. We humbly conceive that this evidence of Royal favour has been most judiciously conferred upon a nobleman, the management of whose property throughout this entire district justly entitles him to be ranked amongst the kindest, most liberal, and best of England’s landlords, in whom an industrious and well-conducted tenantry always find a protector, friend, and patron; at the same time your Lordship proves by great liberality your anxiety for the religious and moral welfare of the people of this district, granting, in this mining country where land is so valuable, ground for the erection of a church for the people, for a churchyard, for parsonage and gardens, liquidating the balance of mortgage due on parsonage to Queen Anne’s bounty, defraying the entire cost of introducing gas into the church, subscribing annually towards the support and the education of the young in the district, and contributing towards the aid of clerical ministrations throughout the parish. Fervently do we pray that your Lordship may long be spared to enjoy every blessing, and that the dignity conferred upon you by our gracious Queen may descend (with even increased honours) to your Lordship’s latest posterity.” The gentlemen comprising the various deputations were subsequently entertained by the noble Earl at an elegant and sumptuous luncheon, after which they thanked his lordship for his cordial reception, and retired.
The Dowager Lady Ward, with two or three lady friends, and G. Taylor, Esq. (his lordship’s estate agent), were present during the interesting proceedings.—Birmingham Journal.
After the several deputations had been gone through, it was deemed the correct thing to invite the noble Earl to a grand banquet, to be given by the Mayor, and principal inhabitants of the town and district. This ever-to-be-remembered dinner became the source of much merriment to those present, as well as annoyance and chagrin to two reporters to the press, who would not accommodate themselves to the pressure that had to be put upon the small space afforded in the Hotel Ball Room to seat 128 guests at this dinner; the consequence was, that the eloquent speeches were not reported at all, and the whole affair resolved itself into a semi-private dinner party.