Now! Then! Alderman Herbert Bramley (Liberal) can’t see why Sheffield, on the 50th anniversary of its municipal charter, should want to become a city

1 February 1893: Alderman Herbert Bramley (Liberal) can’t see why Sheffield, on the 50th anniversary of its municipal charter, should want to become a city

Sheffield Independent. 1893/02/02. Is Sheffield to Be a city? Petition from the Council to the Queen. Sheffield. Get it:

Excerpt

Alderman H. Bramley could not see that Sheffield would be more distinguished by being known as a city than by being known as a town. If the applications were so numerous as the mayor had hinted, and if there were so many places anxious to become cities he was not sure that it would not be well to continue to be known as the largest town and not a city. They usually associated with a city a cathedral, a bishop, and sometimes an assize. They were not in possession of any one of those three desirable things. He did not know that all of them extremely desired them. He would simply like to say that he did not know that there was a widespread opinion in the town that it was desirable to take the step suggested. He did not intend to move an amendment, but would simply point out that he did not see the necessity for taking that method of recording their jubilee. The mayor observed that some members might not know that a small decaying cathedral city took precedence of Sheffield and Leeds on all state occasions, but when Sheffield was raised to the position of a city it would stand sixth or seventh [there was uncertainty about Glasgow] according to its population. Alderman Bramley thought the mayor was wrong. Sheffield would rank as the youngest city. The mayor believed he was correct in saying that on most occasions the rateable value and the size of the town were taken into consideration. The motion was then put and carried unanimously.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Leeds and Sheffield were both awarded city status in 1893. Birmingham in 1889 had been the first English town without an Anglican bishop to become one. I am slightly disappointed that Alderman Bramley didn’t go populist and bring up the Germanic etymology of “town” (< Old English tun < Proto-Germanic *tunaz, *tunan) vs the Romance of “city” (< Old French cite).

Rachel Unsworth on the Leeds campaign:

1/4
Leeds petitioned for city status when it became known that Sheffield was trying to ‘go up a league’.
The case:
🦉 population approaching 400,000
🐏 commercial importance for woollen industry
🦉 largest municipality not to be a city

Do look at ALT text and rest of 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qpZ2cYDtqZ

— Rachael Unsworth (@LeedsTours) February 13, 2023

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Original

Alderman H. Bramley could not see that Sheffield would be more distinguished by being known as a city than by being known as a town. If the applications were so numerous as the Mayor had hinted, and if there were so many places anxious to become cities he was not sure that it would not be well to continue to be known as the largest town and not a city. They usually associated with a city a cathedral, a bishop, and sometimes an assize. They were not in possession of any one of those three desirable things. He did not know that all of them extremely desired them. But he was not going to discuss that point. He would simply like to say that he did not know that there was a widespread opinion in the town that it was desirable to take the step suggested. He did not intend to move an amendment, but would simply point out that he did not see the necessity for taking that method of recording their jubilee.

[…]

The mayor observed that … some members might not know that a small decaying cathedral city took precedence of Sheffield and Leeds on all state occasions, but when Sheffield was raised to the position of a city it would stand sixth or seventh according to its population.

Alderman Bramley thought the Mayor was wrong. Sheffield would rank as the youngest city.

The mayor believed he was correct in saying that on most occasions the rateable value and the size of the town were taken into consideration.

The motion was then put and carried unanimously.

279 words.