Dogs.—A 5s. duty on dogs came into force April 5, 1867; raised to 7s. 6d. in June, 1878; This was not the first tax of the kind, for a local note of the time says that in 1796 "the fields and waters near the town were covered with the dead carcases of dogs destroyed by their owners to avoid payment of the tax." The amount paid per year at present for "dog licenses" in Birmingham is about £1,800. The using of dogs as beasts of burden (common enough now abroad) was put a stop to in London at the end of Oct. 1840, though it was not until 1854 that the prohibition became general. Prior to the passing of the Act in that year, dogs were utilised as draught animals to a very great extent in this neighbourhood by the rag-and-bone gatherers, pedlars, and little merchants, as many as 180 of the poor brutes once being counted in five hours as passing a certain spot on the Westbromwich Road. There have been one or two "homes" for stray dogs opened, but it is best in case of a loss of this kind to give early information at the nearest police station, as the art of dog stealing has latterly been much cultivated in this town, and it should be considered a duty to one's neighbour to aid in putting a stop thereto.
Dog Shows.—The first local Dog Show was held in 1860, but it was not until the opening in Curzon Hall, December 4, 1865, that the Show took rank as one of the "yearly institutions" of the town.—See "[Exhibitions]."
Domesday Books.—The so-called Domesday Book, compiled by order of William the Norman Conqueror, has always been considered a wonderful work, and it must have taken some years compiling. Some extracts touching upon the holders of land in this neighbourhood have already been given, and in a sense they are very interesting, showing as they do the then barrenness of the land, and the paucity of inhabitants. Though in Henry VIII.'s reign an inventory of all properties in the hands of Churchmen was taken, it did not include the owners of land in general, and it was not till Mr. John Bright in 1873 moved for the Returns, that a complete register of the kind was made. It would not be easy, even if space could be given to it, to give the list of individuals, companies, and corporation who claim to be possessors of the land we live on in Birmingham and neighbourhood; but a summary including the owners in this and adjoining counties may be worth preserving. As will be seen by the annexed figures, Warwick and Stafford rank high in the list of counties having large numbers of small owners (small as to extent of ground, though often very valuable from the erections thereon). There can be no doubt that the Freehold Land and Building Societies have had much to do with this, and as Birmingham was for years the headquarters of these Societies, the fact of there being nearly 47,000 persons in the county (out of a total population of 634,189) who own small plots under one acre, speaks well for the steady perseverance of the Warwickshire lads. That we are not wrong in coming to this conclusion is shown by the fact that leaving out the Metropolitan Counties, Warwick heads, in this respect, all the shires in the kingdom.
| WARWICKSHIRE. | |||
| Owners of | Numbr. Acres | Extent of lands. | Gross estimated rental. £ |
| Less than 1 acre | 46894 | 5883 | 1808897 |
| acre and under 10 | 1956 | 7727 | 93792 |
| 10 acres " " 50 | 1328 | 31485 | 114243 |
| 50 " " 100 | 447 | 31904 | 76178 |
| 100 " " 500 | 667 | 137372 | 398625 |
| 500 " " 1000 | 82 | 55542 | 134005 |
| 1000 " " 2000 | 47 | 67585 | 208718 |
| 2000 " " 5000 | 34 | 100185 | 275701 |
| 5000 " " 10000 | 8 | 53380 | 90848 |
| 10000 " " 20000 | 4 | 49953 | 74085 |
| No areas given | 49 | -- | 43205 |
| Total | 51516 | 541021 | 3318303 |
| STAFFORDSHIRE. | |||
| Owners of | Numbr. Acres | Extent of lands. | Gross estimated rental. £ |
| Less than 1 acre | 33672 | 4289 | 974133 |
| 1 acre and under 10 | 4062 | 14164 | 252714 |
| 10 acres " " 50 | 1891 | 44351 | 224505 |
| 50 " " 100 | 544 | 39015 | 124731 |
| 100 " " 500 | 557 | 111891 | 881083 |
| 500 " " 1000 | 90 | 62131 | 177372 |
| 1000 " " 2000 | 79 | 70637 | 278562 |
| 2000 " " 5000 | 28 | 90907 | 219792 |
| 5000 " " 10000 | 13 | 82560 | 136668 |
| 10000 " " 20000 | 7 | 96700 | 212526 |
| 20000 " " 50000 | 1 | 21433 | 41560 |
| No areas given | 2456 | -- | 606552 |
| No rentals returned | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Total | 43371 | 638084 | 3630254 |
| WORCESTERSHIRE. | |||
| Owners of | Numbr. Acres | Extent of lands. | Gross estimated rental. £ |
| Less than 1 acre .......160[**] | 8 | 4733 | 444945 |
| 1 acre and under 10 | 2790 | 10136 | 151922 |
| 10 acres " 50 | 1305 | 31391 | 138517 |
| 50 " " 100 | 457 | 32605 | 92257 |
| 100 " " 500 | 589 | 118187 | 258049 |
| 500 " " 1000 | 66 | 46420 | 122817 |
| 1000 " " 2000 | 34 | 46794 | 89267 |
| 2000 " " 5000 | 25 | 78993 | 131886 |
| 5000 " " 10000 | 5 | 33353 | 54611 |
| 10000 " " 20000 | 3 | 38343 | 88703 |
| No areas given | 522 | -- | 112107 |
| Total | 21804 | 441061 | 1685735 |
Duddeston Hall, and the Holte Family.—The first record of this family we have is towards the close of the thirteenth century when we find mention of Sir Henry Holte, whose son, Hugh del Holte, died in 1322. In 1331 Simon del Holte, styled of Birmingham, purchased the manor of Nechells "in consideration of xl li of silver." In 1365 John atte Holte purchased for "forty marks" the manor of Duddeston, and two years later he became possessed by gift of the manor of Aston. For many generations the family residence was at Duddeston, though their burial place was at Aston, in which church are many of their monuments, the oldest being that of Wm. Holte, who died September 28, 1514. That the Holtes, though untitled, were men of mark, may be seen by the brass in the North Aisle of Aston Church to the memory of Thomas Holte, "Justice of North Wales, and Lord of this town of Aston," who died March 23, 1545. His goods and chattels at his death were valued at £270 6s. 2d.—a very large sum in those days, and from the inventory we find that the Hall contained thirteen sleeping apartments, viz., "the chambur over the buttrie, the chappel chambur, the maydes' chambur, the great chambur, the inner chambur, to the great chambur, the yatehouse chambur, the inner chambur to the same, the geston chambur, the crosse chambur, the inner chambur to the same, the clark's chambur the yoemen's chambur, and the hyne's chambur." The other apartments were "the hawle, the plece, the storehouse, the galarye, the butterye, the ketchyn, the larderhowse, the dey-howse, the bakhowse, the bultinge howse, and the yeling howse," —the "chappell" being also part of the Hall. The principal bedrooms were hung with splendid hangings, those of the great chamber being "of gaye colors, blewe and redde," the other articles in accordance therewith, the contents of this one room being valued at xiij li. xiv. s. iiijd. (£13 14s. 4d.) The household linen comprised "22 damaske and two diapur table clothes" worth 4s.; ten dozen table napkins (40s.); a dozen "fyne towells," 20s.; a dozen "course towells" 6s. 8d.; thirty pair "fyne shetes" £5; twenty-three pair "course shetes" £3; and twenty-six "pillow beres" 20/-. The kitchen contained "potts, chafornes, skymmers, skellets, cressets, gredires, frying pannys, chfying dishes, a brazon morter with a pestell, stone morters, strykinge knives, broches, racks, brandards, cobberds, pot-hangings, hocks, a rack of iron, bowles, and payles." The live stock classed among the "moveable goods, consisted of 19 oxen, 28 kyne, 17 young beste, 24 young calves, 12 gots, 4 geldings, 2 mares, 2 naggs and a colte, 229 shepe, 12 swyne, a crane, a turkey cok, and a henne with 3 chekyns"—the lot being valued at £86 0s. 8d. Sir Thomas's marriage with a daughter of the Winnington's brought much property into the family, including lands, &c., "within the townes, villages, and fields of Aston, next Byrmyngham, and Wytton, Mellton Mowlberye (in Leicestershire), Hanseworthe (which lands did late belonge to the dissolved chambur of Aston), and also the Priory, or Free Chappell of Byrmyngham, with the lands and tenements belonging thereto, within Byrmyngham aforesaid, and the lordship or manor of the same, within the lordship of Dudeston, together with the lands and tenements, within the lordship of Nechells, Salteley, sometime belonging to the late dissolved Guild of Derytenne," as well as lands at "Horborne, Haleshowen, Norfielde and Smithewicke." His son Edward, who died in 1592, was succeeded by Sir Thomas Holte (born in 1571; died December, 1654), and the most prominent member of the family. Being one of the deputation to welcome James I. to England, in 1603, he received the honour of knighthood; in 1612 he purchased an "Ulster baronetcy," at a cost of £1,095 [this brought the "red hand" into his shield]; and in 1599 he purchased the rectory of Aston for nearly £2,000. In April, 1618, he commenced the erection of Aston Hall, taking up his abode there in 1631, though it was not finished till April, 1635. In 1642 he was honoured with the presence of Charles I., who stopped at the Hall Sunday and Monday, October 16 and 17. [At the battle of Edge Hill Edward Holt, the eldest son, was wounded—he died from fever on Aug. 28, 1643, during the siege of Oxford, aged 43] The day after Christmas, 1643, the old squire was besieged by about 1,200 Parliamentarians from Birmingham (with a few soldiers), but having procured forty musketeers from Dudley Castle, he held the Hall till the third day, when, having killed sixty of his assailants and lost twelve of his own men, he surrendered. The Hall was plundered and he was imprisoned, and what with fines, confiscations, and compounding, his loyalty appears to have cost him nearly £20,000. Sir Thomas had 15 children, but outlived them all save one. He was succeeded in his title by his grandson, Sir Robert, who lived in very straightened circumstances, occasioned by the family's losses during the Civil War, but by whose marriage with the daughter of Lord Brereton the Cheshire property came to his children. He died Oct. 3, 1679, aged 54, and was followed by Sir Charles, who had twelve children and lived till June 15, 1722, his son, Sir Clobery, dying in a few years after (Oct. 24, 1729). Sir Lister Holte, the next baronet, had no issue, though twice married, and he was succeeded (April 8, 1770), by his brother, Sir Charles, with whom the title expired (March 12, 1782), the principal estates going with his daughter and only child, to the Bracebridge family, as well as a dowry of £20,000. In 1817, an Act of Parliament was obtained for the settlement and part disposal of the whole of the property of this time-honoured and wealthy family—the total acreage being 8,914a. 2r. 23p, and the then annual rental £16,557 Os. 9d.—the Aston estate alone extending from Prospect Row to beyond Erdington Hall, and from Nechells and Saltley to the Custard House and Hay Mill Brook. Several claims have been put forward by collateral branches, both to the title and estates, but the latter were finally disposed of in 1849, when counsel's opinion was given in favour of the settlements made by Sir Lister Holte, which enabled the property to be disposed of. The claimants to the title have not yet proved their title thereto, sundry registers and certificates of ancient baptisms and marriages being still wanting.
Duddeston Ward Hall.—The name tells what it is for. The first stone was laid Dec. 15, 1877; it was opened June 1, 1878; will seat about 300, and cost £3,500, which was found by a limited Co.
Dungeon.—This very appropriate name was given to the old gaol formerly existing in Peck Lane. A writer, in 1802, described it as a shocking place, the establishment consisting of one day room, two underground dungeons (in which sometimes half-a-dozen persons had to sleep), and six or seven night-rooms, some of them constructed out of the Gaoler's stables. The prisoners were allowed 4d. per day for bread and cheese, which they had to buy from the keeper, who, having a beer license, allowed outsiders to drink with his lodgers. This, and the fact that there was but one day room for males and females alike, leaves but little to be imagined as to its horrible, filthy condition. Those who could afford to pay 2s. 6d. a week were allowed a bed in the gaoler's house, but had to put up with being chained by each wrist to the sides of the bedsteads all night, and thus forced to lie on their backs. The poor wretches pigged it in straw on the floors of the night rooms. See also "[Gaols]" and "[Prisons]."
Dwarfs.—The first note we have of the visit here of one of these curiosities of mankind is that of Count Borulawski, in 1783: though but 39 inches high it is recorded that he had a sister who could stand under his arm. The next little one, Manetta Stocker, a native of Austria, came here in 1819, and remained with us, there being a tombstone in St. Philip's churchyard bearing this inscription:—