NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Brummagem

Brummagem (and historically also Bromichan, Bremicham and many similar variants, all essentially Bromwich·ham) is a local dialect name for the city of Birmingham, UK. The city from above Centenary Square. ...

It gave rise to the terms Brum (a generally affectionate local term for the city) and Brummie (inhabitants of the city, their accent and dialect, and frequently West Midlands accents in general). Brum is a common colloquial name for the city of Birmingham in England. ... Brummie (sometimes Brummy) is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, UK, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum. ... The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England, the United Kingdom, formed in 1974. ...

Brummagem and Brummagem Ware are also terms for cheap and shoddy imitations, in particular when referring to mass-produced goods. This use is archaic in the UK, but persists in some specialist areas in the USA and Australia.

History

The word appeared in the Middle Ages as a variant on the older and coexisting form Birmingham - spelt Bermingeham in the Domesday Book - and was in widespread use by the time of the Civil War. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Doomesday Book (also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester), was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror, that was similar to a census by a government of today. ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ...

17th century

Its negative use appears to have originated with the city's brief 17th century reputation for counterfeited groats. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also groats. ...

The word passed into political slang in the 1680s. The Protestant supporters of the Exclusion Bill were called by their opponents Birminghams or Brummagems (a slur, in allusion to counterfeiting, implying hypocrisy). Their Tory opponents were known as anti-Birminghams or anti-Brummagems. Events and Trends The Treaty of Ratisbon between France and England in 1684 ended the Age of Buccaneers. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... During the reign of Charles II of England, the Exclusion Bill crisis ran from 1678 till 1681. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Around 1690 Alexander Missen, visiting Bromichan in his travels, said that "swords, heads of canes, snuff-boxes, and other fine works of steel," could be had, "cheaper and better here than even in famed Milan." Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Sword (from Old English sweord, cognate to Old High German Schwert, literally wounding tool from a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- to wound, to hurt) is a term for a long edged weapon, fundamentally consisting of a blade, usually with two edges for striking... A cane is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, Malacca (rattan), or some similar plant, mainly used as a support, such as a walking stick or as an instrument of punishment. ... This article is about the receptacle called a box. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: MilÃ¡n) is the main city of northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ...

In 1691, The New State of England by Guy Miege said that "Bromichan drives a good trade in iron and steel wares, saddles and bridles, which find good vent at London, Ireland, and other parts." By another writer, "Bromicham" is described as "a large and well-built town, very populous, much resorted to, and particularly noted a few years ago for the counterfeit groats made here, and dispersed all over the kingdom". General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... See: A saddle is a seat for a rider fastened to a horses back. ... A bridle is a piece of equipment used to control a horse. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ...

18th century

During the 18th century Birmingham was known by several variations of the name "Brummagem".

In 1731, an old "Road-book" said that "Birmingham, Bromicham, or Bremicham, is a large town, well built and populous. The inhabitants, being mostly smiths, are very ingenious in their way, and vend vast quantities of all sorts of iron wares." A smith or metalsmith is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects. ...

Around 1750, the "England's Gazetteer" described Birmingham or Bromichan as "a large, well-built, and populous town, noted for the most ingenious artificers in boxes, buckles, buttons, and other iron and steel wares; wherein such multitudes of people are employed that they are sent all over Europe; and here is a continual noise of hammers, anvils, and files." Englands Gazetteer was a large road atlas printed in the mid 18th century. ... Archeological bronze buckles from southern Sweden A buckle (from Latin buccula) is a clasp used for fastening two things together, such as the ends of a belt, or for retaining the end of a strap. ... A small flat button Metal, plastic, and leather shank buttons. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... A claw hammer A hammer is a tool meant to deliver blows to a target, causing it to move or deform. ... A blacksmith working iron with a hammer and anvil An anvil is a manufacturing tool, made of a hard and massive block of stone or metal used as a support for chiseling and hammering other objects, such as in forging iron and steel items. ... File has several meanings: Computer file File (tool) file (Unix), a program used to determine file types. ...

The town was renowned for it's miscellany of metal and silver industries, some of these manufacturers used cheap materials and were of poor quality and design. The poorer quality "Brummagem ware" was beginning to give the better more skilled metal workers of the town a bad name, Matthew Boulton of the Lunar Society and several toy makers and silversmiths realised this and campaigned to have the town's first Assay Office constructed, great opposition came from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London but Royal assent was given for assay offices in both Birmingham and Sheffield on the same day. Eventually this filtered out the poor workmanship of silver and jewellery in Birmingham keeping only the higher quality goods which ultimately allowed the town to become one of the most important Silver manufacturing centres in Britain. Matthew Boulton. ... The Lunar Society was a discussion club of prominent industrialists and scientists, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. ... Band made of Silver. ... Assay offices are institutions setup to test the purity of precious metal items, to protect consumers. ... The third and present Goldsmiths Hall in the second half of the 19th century The second Goldsmiths Hall c. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ...

It is thought by some, inclding historian Carl Chinn, that around this time Mathew Boulton favoured "Birmingham" over "Brummagem" to cut loose from the previous negative connotations with the word. Professor Carl Stephen Alfred Chinn MBE (born 6 September 1956) is a historian, writer, radio presenter, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, media personality, local celebrity, and famous Brummie, whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham in England. ...

19th century

By the 19th century Birmingham had become one most important players in the Industrial Revolution, Matthew Boulton had taken part in the first British trade missions to China and the city was one of the most advanced, diverse and productive manufacturing centres in the modern world. Birmingham was sometimes referred to as The Toyshop of Europe, Workshop of the world or City of a thousand trades. The Birmingham pen trade prosperred and areas such as The Gun Quarter and Jewellery Quarter existed with high standards of production set out by institutions such as the Birmingham Proof House and Birmingham Assay Office, the Birmingham Mint also became renowned globally for its high quality coins as did Cadburys for it's chocolate. A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... Matthew Boulton. ... During the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham England was known as the city of a thousand trades, or Workshop of the World, manufacturing everything from pins to motorcars. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Gun Quarter is the name given to an area of the city of Birmingham, in England, traditionally (and still) associated with the manufacture of firearms and sporting guns. ... The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England is an area densely packed with independent jewellery shops and manufacturers. ... Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House was established in 1813 by an act of Parliament at the request - and expense - of the then prosperous Birmingham Gun Trade. ... Birmingham Assay Office The Birmingham Assay Office is one of the four remaining Assay Offices in the UK. The development of a silver industry in 18th century Birmingham was hampered by the legal requirement that items of solid silver be assayed, and yet the nearest Assay Offices were in Chester... The Birmingham Mint in Birmingham, England was established in 1794 in Slaney Street by Ralph Heaton I, using second-hand coin presses bought from the estate of Matthew Boulton. ... Cadbury Schweppes plc (Cadbury Trebor Bassett) is a chocolate and beverage company with its headquarters in London, UK. Jacob Schweppe developed a method to make mineral water in Geneva, Switzerland in 1783. ...

With such a vast array of items being produced it was inevitable that not all would have been of high quality, the advances of the industrial revolution enabled machines to mass produce cheaper items such as buttons, toys, trinkets and costume jewellery, a proportion of these gave rise to a pejorative use of the word "Brummagem ware" although - such items were not exclusive to the city. Costume jewelry is jewelry that is made of less valuable materials, including base metals, glass, plastic, and synthetic stones, in place of more valuable materials such as precious metals and gems. ...

The significant button industry gave rise to the term 'Brummagem button': the 1836 The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens mentions it as a term for counterfeit silver coins, but Samuel Sidney's 1851 Rides on Railways refers to it as "an old-fashioned nickname for a Birmingham workman". The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known as The Pickwick Papers, is the first novel by Charles Dickens. ... Charles Dickens was a prolific writer who was almost always working on a new instalment for a story and rarely missed a deadline. ...

By the late 19th century, "Brummagem" had become a generalised term for anything cheap and shoddy disguised as something better. It was used figuratively in this context to refer to moral fakery: for instance, the Times leader, January 29th 1838, reported Sir Robert Peel's slur on an opponent: "[he] knew the sort of Brummagem stuff he had to deal with, treated the pledge and him who made it with utter indifference". The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under the name The Times since 1788; it is the original Times newspaper. ... This article is about the British Prime Minister. ...

The negative use of the word was included in several dictionaries around the world. It was used figuratively in this context to refer to moral fakery: for instance, the Times leader, January 29th 1838, reported Sir Robert Peel's slur on an opponent: "[he] knew the sort of Brummagem stuff he had to deal with, treated the pledge and him who made it with utter indifference". The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under the name The Times since 1788; it is the original Times newspaper. ... This article is about the British Prime Minister. ...

"Carts were passing to and fro; groups of Indians squatting on their haunches were chattering together, and displaying to one another the flaring red and yellow handkerchiefs, the scarlet blankets, and muskets of the most worthless Brummagem make, for which they had been exchanging their bits of gold, while their squaws looked on with the most perfect indifference." (J. Tyrwhitt Brooks, California, 1849 [1]). 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

"The equipages were generally much more gorgeous than at a later period, when democracy invaded the parks, and introduced what may be termed a "brummagem society," with shabby-genteel carriages and servants." (Rees Howell Gronow, The Reminiscences of Captain Gronow, 1862 [2]). 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

"The furs, fossil ivory, sheepskins and brick tea brought by them after voyages often reaching a year and eighteen months, come, strictly enough, under the head of raw products. Still, it is the best they can bring; which cannot be said of what Europe offers in exchange — articles mostly of the class and quality succinctly described as "Brummagem." (Description of a trade fair, Lippincott's Magazine, 1876 [3]). 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

The term was not always used with negative meaning, Jeffrey Farnol wrote: "A belt, now," he suggested mournfully, "a fine leather belt wi' a steel buckle made in Brummagem as ever was, and all for a shillin'; what d'ye say to a fine belt?" ('The Broad Highway'[[4])

and The Rev. Richard H. Barham: "He whipp'd out his oyster-knife, broad and keen A Brummagem blade which he always bore, To aid him to eat, By way of a treat, The 'natives' he found on the Red Sea shore;

He whipp'd out his Brummagem blade so keen, And he made three slits in the Buffalo's hide, And all its contents, Through the rents, and the vents, Come tumbling out,-- and away they all hied!" ('The Ingoldsby Legends' [5]

However, as shown by James Dobbs' song I can't find Brummagem (see below), it remained in use as a geographical name for the city.

The Birmingham politican Joseph Chamberlain was nicknamed 'Brummagem Joe' (affectionately or satirically depending on the speaker). See, for instance, The Times, Aug 06, 1895: "'Chamberlain and his crew' dominated the city ... Mr Geard thought it was advisable to have a candidate against 'Brummagem Joe'". The Rt. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under the name The Times since 1788; it is the original Times newspaper. ...

Modern usage

"Brummagem" remained a staple of British political and critical discourse into the early 20th century: The Times, Aug 13, 1901 quoted a House of Commons speech by a Mr MacNeill, "The initiative of the Bill ... had the "Brummagem" brand from top to bottom. It was a mean attempt, inspired by the absurd and vulgar spirit of Imperialism, to subsidize the Crown with a parvenu title, and a tawdry gewgaw reputation". (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under the name The Times since 1788; it is the original Times newspaper. ... British House of Commons Canadian House of Commons In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ...

A Punch magazine book review for December 1917 said: "But, to be honest, the others (with the exception of one quaint little comedy of a canine ghost) are but indifferent stuff, too full of snakes and hidden treasure and general tawdriness—the kind of Orientalism, in fact, that one used to associate chiefly with the Earl's Court Exhibition. Mrs. PERRIN must not mingle her genuine native goods with such Brummagem ware". Punch was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

By the late 20th century and 21st century, British usage had shifted toward a purely geographical and even positive sense. The Housing Design Awards 1998 said of one Birmingham project, City Heights, "this gutsy Brummagem bruiser of a building handles its landmark status with ease and assurance". In The Guardian Notes from the touchline sport report, March 21, 2003, journalist Frank Keating used the headline "World Cup shines with dinkum Brummagem" to praise the performance of Birmingham-born Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The 21st century is the century that began on 1 January 2001 and will last to 31 December 2100. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... According to stereotype, spoken Australian English is thought to be highly colloquial, possibly more so than other spoken variants. ... Andrew Symonds (born June 9, 1975, Birmingham, England) is an Australian cricketer. ...

A particular activist in reclaiming the term as a traditional name reflecting positive aspects of the city's heritage is historian Carl Chinn MBE, Professor of Community History at the University of Birmingham, who produces a Brummagem Magazine. Professor Carl Stephen Alfred Chinn MBE (born 6 September 1956) is a historian, writer, radio presenter, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, media personality, local celebrity, and famous Brummie, whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham in England. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... The University of Birmingham is an English university in the city of Birmingham. ...

US usage

In the USA, the negative usage appears to have been longer-lasting. F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 novel The Beautiful and Damned uses the word twice: "It was one of the type known as 'tourist' cars, a sort of brummagem Pullman ... a single patch of vivid green trees that guaranteed the brummagem umbrageousness of Riverside Drive". Gilbert Seldes, in his 1924 book The Seven Lively Arts, wrote in praise of Krazy Kat: "everything paste and brummagem has had its vogue with us; and a genuine, honest native product has gone unnoticed". F.Scott Fitzgerald, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 â€“ December 21, 1940) was an Irish American Jazz Age novelist and short story writer. ... The Beautiful and Damned , F. Scott Fitzgeralds second novel, tells the story of Anthony Patch (a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoons fortune), and the relationship with his wife Gloria, his service in the army, and alcoholism. ... Gilbert Vivian Seldes (1893 â€“ 1970) was an American writer and cultural critic. ... Detail of a Sunday page in which Ignatz, disguised as a painting, hurls a brick at Krazy Kat, who interprets it as an expression of love. ...

Currently US collectors of political memorabilia use "brummagem" to refer to imitations. The Dictionary of Sexual Terms and Expressions by Farlex Inc, maintainers of TheFreeDictionary.com, lists several related terms such as "Brummagem buttons", tufts sewn to brassiere cups to give the appearance of larger nipples. TheFreeDictionary. ... A woman wearing a brassiere. ...

Brummagem in song

A song, I Can't Find Brummagem, was written by James Dobbs (1781-1837), a Midland music hall entertainer and collected in Victoria's Inferno: Songs of the Old Mills, Mines, Manufactories, Canals and Railways by Jon Raven, Broadside Books, 1978, ISBN 0950372234. Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ...

References

External links

Categories: Birmingham, England Professor Carl Stephen Alfred Chinn MBE (born 6 September 1956) is a historian, writer, radio presenter, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, media personality, local celebrity, and famous Brummie, whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham in England. ... Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ... F.Scott Fitzgerald, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 â€“ December 21, 1940) was an Irish American Jazz Age novelist and short story writer. ...

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