Birmingham Soup Kitchen

Birmingham Soup Kitchen

Birmingham Soup Kitchen

In the beginning of December 1796, a soup shop was opened by subscription in Peck Lane, Birmingham, for supplying the poor with soup at a reduced price; the extra expence being defrayed by a small subscription among the inhabitants of Birmingham.
This winter the same subscription was again opened in Colmore Row, on an enlarged and improved plan; and in December last, notice was given that this soup, together with bread, were ready for delivery on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, to families according to their necessities; the price being, one penny for half a pound of household bread, and a quart of soup. The average quantity of soup so delivered, for three months past, has been 3,000 quarts a week, with 1,500 pound weight of bread; and this great relief to the necessities of the poor is supplied by a subscription, that does not quite amount to £300.
Before I state the circumstances of a charity, which does so much good at so little expence, and which reflects so much credit on its conductors, it will be proper to mention, that, in December 1795, subscriptions had been opened at Birmingham, as at other places, for the relief of the poor, on account of the high price of bread; that above £1,200 had been collected; and during that winter distributed to the poor in bread and potatoes; but that it had not given them anything like the benefit, or satisfaction, that they are now receiving from less than a fourth of that sum. In the ensuing winter, the gentlemen, who had conducted this charity, determined to adopt the example of those, who had prepared soups on Count Rumford's principle, so far varied in the cookery as to be adapted to an English taste; and, upon a subscription of about £300 they sold to the poor a meat soup with fried bread, hot every day from twelve to two, at one penny a quart. The average quantity supplied during that season was 1,000 quarts a week. On the commencement of the present winter, the receipt for the soup was improved; and the quantity distributed has increased to 3,000 quarts a week, half a pound of good wheaten bread being given with each quart o soup, for a penny; but no family being allowed to have more than 2 or 3 quarts at a time. - The overseers of the poor there, have, to their honour, opened a similar shop near the workhouse at Birmingham; so that the whole supply may now be calculated at 6,000 quarts a week.

The communication of the minute circumstances of a charity, operating so extensively and beneficially, and with so small a fund, may be interesting and useful, not only to manufacturing towns, but to every part of the kingdom.

The average prime cost of the soup, including all expences of house-rent, servants, fuel, etc is five-pence a gallon; of the bread, six-pence for four pounds; so that the loss on the 3,000 quarts of meat soup, and 1,500 lbs of bread, sold every week, may be set on an average at £12-10s-0d per week. This may possibly receive a little increase from some incidental and extra expences of the institution; but, after allowing for that, it will appear that the subscription of £300 is more than adequate to the supply of 20 weeks, a period extending from the beginning of December to the middle of the ensuing April.

For making the soup, there are 2 cast-iron boilers, of 120 gallons each; and a vessel, called a digester, for previously dissolving to a jelly the animal food that is to be used in it. The following is the receipt, and the present cost of the materials for 160 gallons of soup.
80 pounds of beef, shoulder, bosom, or sticking
pieces, (or sometimes fore quarter) with 3 ox's
melts or lungs, given in by the butchers and
weighing about 16 pounds 18s-4d
4 Legs of beef weight about 34 pounds 3s-8d
3 Ox's cheeks, weight about 27 pounds 3s-0d
37 quarts of white pease 7s-4d
21 pounds of onions 1s-8d
48 pounds of ground rice 10s-0d
12 pounds of salt 1s-3d
6 ounces of black pepper 10d
2 ounces of ground ginger 2d
Half an ounces of cayenne pepper 3d
Mint, Celery, carrots, leeks, often sent in as presents, but when purchased at cost of 1s-0d Cost of Materials for 160 gallons of soup 2-7s-6d

The reader will perceive that the original cost of the materials for 160 gallons of soup exclusive of house-rent, attendance, fuel and other incidental expences does not amount to quite three pence three farthings a gallon, and that it contains the essence of 147 pounds of meat, 48 pounds of rice, and 37 quarts of pease.
The soup is prepared by previously dissolving the meat and bones in the digester, a vessel which has been invented at Birmingham for that purpose, and is capable of dissolving bones to jelly in the space of a few hours. The gravy is then strained through a hair sieve, or cullender, and, if any part of the bones remains undissolved and there is occasion, it undergoes a second operation in the digester. The gravy, having been thus prepared the day before, is divided equally between the two boilers, with a sufficient quantity of water, and the pease then put in and boiled, until they are nearly dissolved to a pulp; this will take about 2 hours. The ground rice is then added (being first mixed with cold water) and is boiled for some time, being constantly kept stirring. Then the celery and carrots (a middle sized bowlful cut small) with a few leeks may be put in, and kept boiling about an hour; when the salt, pepper, and ginger, mixed together may be added to the soup, and the whole will be soon ready for use; and before it is distributed the dried mint is added; but not boiled in it.

Observations.
The first object of attention here, is the comparative extent and benefit of the present system of charity at Birmingham, opposed to that of December 1795. The power of giving an increased effect to Christian benevolence, by these soups, is one of the advantages for which this country is indebted to the philanthropy of Count Rumford.
(Note - Count Rumford was Sir Benjamin Thompson 1753-1814 born at North Woburn Massachusetts, he later came to England and was appointed under-secretary for the colonies, he was knighted with permission by King Geo III in 1784, he entered the service of the Elector of Bavaria and returned to England in October 1795 with the title of Count von Rumford. In the spring of 1796 he went to Ireland as the guest of Lord Pelham, and while in Dublin he introduced improvements into the hospitals and workhouses. In London he effected great improvements in the Foundling Hospital (See Ann Register Dec 1798 p 397) He was the founder of the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1799. He retired to Paris in 1809 where he lived until his death in 1814) Per DNB. Vol LVI p 205.

Such a plan for the distribution of charity, as that adopted in this part of the county of Warwick, has not merely the merit of producing a greater benefit in its effects, but of offering the only efficient and proper means of inducing the lower classes of life, to adopt a better and more nourishing system of diet, than that which they at present possess. The saving, from this new species of cookery, is proportionate to the magnitude of the scale on which it is executed; but its economy is applicable and useful in the narrowest establishment, and in the smallest cottage; and it is the best corrective of that waste of food, for which the English nation is distinguished. - It will occur to the reader, that there is a greater variety of ingredients in this, than in other receipts and that (instead of barley meal, oatmeal, and potatoes) ground rice is used; which, as far as my experiments go, is preferable to the others, being of a gelatinous nature, and very palatable and nutritive when so used.

I would submit to the consideration of the gentlemen, who, with so much real credit to themselves, have formed and conducted this establishment, whether the second operation in the digsester is necessary or advisable; and whether in the first operation, the beef bones are not dissolved as fra as is proper. To them and to all other persons who have the merit of taking the management of similar charities, I beg leave also to suggest, that there is much more waste in boiling the soup with a quick fire, and without close covers to the boilers, than any person can be aware of, who has not attentively made the experiment. Above a fifth of the food, and that the best part of the nutriment, is lost by evaporation, where the boiler is imperfectly covered; and the loss is greater still, when, as is sometimes the case, it has no cover at all.

For the preceding information, I am indebted to Mr Moser, of Frith Street, Soho; who, with the modesty generally attending on merit, has declined the publication of it in his own name. - He has, at my request, been lately making some experiments with the digester, and will soon have some of them, adapted to cottages, ready for sale at a moderate price. Those containing 4 or 5 quarts, a size proper for a cottager, will not cost above as many shillings.

It is a very gratifying circumstance, that these establishments, for administering to the necessities of the poor, are increasing with advantage and success.
For the conduct of one, established in February 1797, by a respectable committee at Lloyd's Coffee House, the public is indebted to Mr Colquhon. From this charity, a great number of indigent and distressed persons were fed twice a week, at a very small expence. This has been succeeded by a soup shop, which was opened on the 16th of January 1798 at No 53 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, where near 2,000 quarts of rich and nutritious soup are now daily distributed, at a price of a penny a quart. To this charity the Committee at Lloyd's Coffee House has given a very liberal donation. I was present today at the distribution of the soup, in Brick Lane Spitalfields, and was extremely delighted with the eagerness and thankfulness, with which the poor pressed forward to purchase so seasonable a supply for the relief of their families. An account of this charity will, I hope be given in the next report.

Another soup shop was opened in February last, in St George's Fields at a place lately called the Dog and Duck, upon a similar plan, and nearly on as large a scale; and a 3rd, very little different, was opened on the 3rd instant in Clerkenwell. - From each of these, subscribers, have recommendations sent them, to fill up in favour of such poor families, as come within their own knowledge; and they have the satisfaction of doing as much good with a penny, in this mode of distributing alms, as is done with a shilling in the common way of giving charity. These three establishments are earnestly recommended to the attention and protection of the public.

Source:
The Reports of the Society for Bettering the Condition and Increasing the Comforts of the Poor. Vol 1 1798 446 pp

30 Extract from an account of the manner in which the poor have lately been supplied with bread and meat soup, at Birmingham. by Thomas Bernard Esq. pp 226-237
Dated 6th March 1798.
Submitted by Alan Longbottom

Page updated August 06, 2007