orts of all kinds were
more rife than now. Prior to that, however, many attempts were made to
keep the Sabbath holy, for we read that in 1797 the heavy wagons then in
use for transport of goods were not allowed to pass through the town,
the authorities fining all offenders who were so wicked as to use their
vehicles on the Lord's Day. The churchwardens were then supported by the
inhabitants, who held several public meetings to enforce the proper
observance of the day, but there have been many changes since. In
January, 1856, a Sunday League, for opening museums, libraries, &c., on
the Sabbath, was started here. In the last session of Parliament in
1870, there were eighteen separate petitions presented from this town
against opening the British Museum on Sundays. The Reference Library and
Art Gallery commenced to be opened on Sundays, April 28, 1872, and they
are well frequented. Sunday labour in the local Post Offices was stopped
Aug. 10, 1873. In 1879 a society was formed for the purpose of
delivering lectures, readings, and addresses of an interesting nature,
on the Sunday evenings of the winter season, the Town Hall, Board
Schools, and other public buildings being utilised for the purpose (the
first being held in the Bristol Street Schools, Oct. 19, 1879), and very
popular have they been, gentlemen of all sects and parties taking part,
in the belief that

A Sabbath well spent
Brings a week of content.

In 1883, during an inquiry as to the extent of drunkenness on the
Sabbath, it was shown that the county of Warwick (including Birmingham)
was remarkably clear, as out of a population of 737,188 there had only
been 348 convictions during 1882. For Staffordshire, with a population
of 980,385, the convictions were 581. Northumberland, 687 convictions
out of 434,074. Durham, 1,015 out of 867,586. Liverpool 1,741 out of
552,425. Manchester, 1,429 out of 341,508.

~Sutton Coldfield~, on the road to Lichfield, is celebrated even more
for its park than its antiquity. The former was left to the town by the
Bishop of Exeter (John Harman), otherwise known as Bishop Vesey, who was
a native of Sutton, and whose monument is still to be seen in the old
Church. He procured a charter of incorporation in 1528, and also founded
the Grammar School, and other endowed charities, such as the Almshouses,
the Poor Maidens' Portions, &c., dying in 1555, in his 103rd year.
Thirty years' back, the park contained an area of 2,300 acres,