entury, when
they were brought from Bristol. None but the very rich wore stockings
prior to the year 1589, and many of them had their legs covered with
bands of cloth.

A petition was presented to the Prince of Wales (June 26, 1791) asking
his patronage and support for the starving buckle-makers of Birmingham.
He ordered his suite to wear buckles on their shoes, but the laces soon
whipped them out of market.

One Friday evening in July, 1750, a woman who had laid informations
against 150 persons she had caught retailing spirituous liquors without
licenses, was seized by a mob, who doused, ducked and daubed her, and
then shoved her in the Dungeon.

At a parish meeting, May 17, 1726, it was decided to put up an organ in
St. Martin's at a cost of L300 "and upwards." At a general meeting of
the inhabitants, April 3, 1727, it was ordered that, a bell be cast for
St. Philip's, "to be done with all expedition."

In 1789 it was proposed that the inmates of the workhouse should be
employed at making worsted and thread. Our fathers often tried their
inventive faculties in the way of finding work for the inmates. A few
years later it was proposed (August 26) to lighten the rates by erecting
a steam mill for grinding corn.

On the retirement of Mr. William Lucy, in 1850, from the Mayoralty, the
usual vote of thanks was passed, but with _one_ dissentient. Mr. Henry
Hawkes was chosen coroner July 6, 1875, by forty votes to _one_. The
great improvement scheme was adopted by the Town Council (November 10,
1875), with but _one_ dissentient.

A certificate, dated March 23, 1683, and signed by the minister and
church-wardens, was granted to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Ann
Dickens, "in order to obtain his majesty's touch for the Evil." The
"royal touch" was administered to 200 persons from this neighbourhood,
March 17, 1714; Samuel Johnson (the Dr.) being one of those whose
ailments, it was believed, could be thus easily removed. Professor
Holloway did not live in those days.

Sir Thomas Holte (the first baronet) is traditionally reported to have
slain his cook. He brought an action for libel against one William
Ascrick, for saying "that he did strike his cook with a cleaver, so that
one moiety of the head fell on one shoulder, and the other on the other
shoulder." The defendant was ordered to pay L30 damages, but appealed,
and successfully; the worthy lawyers of that day deciding that though
Sir Thomas might have clove the co