Joseph N. Shipsides. JOSEPH N. SHIPSIDES was born at Radford, and was passionately fond of music. He became a local preacher, and afterwards a missionary at Manchester. He was exceedingly zealous, and was in 1870 addressing a Band of Hope Meeting when he staggered, sank, and in a few hours died. The Rev. Charles Garrett arranged to conduct the funeral service, when thousands upon thousands of people joined to do honour to a man who had raised himself from an humble position by his laborious, successful, and self-denying efforts to do good to others.
Richard Blakeney. RICHARD BLAKENEY, First Lieut. Royal Marines, was father of the Rev. R. P. BLAKENEY, B.A., the first Incumbent of Hyson Green Church, and was buried in the chancel where he worshipped, and which he loved. During the European war he served his country with acknowledged merit. He was an affectionate and pious man. He died in 1848, aged sixty. The Rev. R. P. BLAKENEY on leaving Hyson Green became Rector of Bridlington Old Priory Church.
John Miller. Mr. SMITH in conjunction with his son-in-law JOHN MILLER patented a steam whistle for use in fogs at sea. Mr. Miller died in 1910, aged eighty-three.
Sydney Smith.
Sydney Smith. SYDNEY SMITH was a brass-founder, his works being a little north of the Boulevard. He in 1847 invented the Steam Gauge to indicate the strength of the steam in boilers, now always in use. Upon it being patented and shown to George Stephenson, of Railway fame, he at once had one affixed at Tapton, and called attention to it as being a preventive for the numerous and appaling accidents which had then occurred by the bursting of steam-boat boilers. It was the first steam gauge which was efficient, compact, portable, and suitable for use as shewing high pressure. He also invented a rotary stocking frame, rotary steam-engine, a portable gas apparatus, spring safety valve, self-acting damp regulator, and a magnetic water gauge. Mr. Smith was educated at Repton school, where he excelled in mathematics and Latin. He was fond of literature, especially poetry. He excelled in optics, and made his own glasses for microscopic and telescopic purposes. He was a member of Tennyson Street Church. He died in 1882, aged 79.
Richard Sykes. RICHAKD SYKES was for 14 years school-master at Hyson Green, and commanded respect for his wise counsels and helpfulness. He was one of the founders and a president of the National Union of Teachers. Mr. Milner succeeded him, and has given thirty-three years' active service.
Joseph Taylor. JOSEPH TAYLOR, of Hyson Green, had an adventurous life. He was thirteen years in the army, and fought under Wellington at five places in the Peninsular War. He had also dangerous service at New Orleans, and other places in America. After his discharge he became a useful and acceptable Methodist local preacher. He died in 1830.
T B Burton. The Rev. T. B. BURTON was for thirty-seven years the pastor of the Congregational Church which was then in Forest Street. The body was then very small, and poor, and it deserves to be mentioned that the father's stipend was provided by his eldest son, JOHN BURTON, who was an artist, and whose portrait is in the Schoolroom of the Boulevard Church, and who gave his leisure time largely to the work of the church and school. The father died in 1860, aged seventy-four.
The Abbott Family. SAMUEL O. ABBOTT was a farmer and coal dealer at Hyson Green. He was for many years an active member of the Local Board, the Board of Guardians, the Town Council, etc. He was a kindly disposed man. His brother, GEORGE ABBOTT, was a butcher, Town Councillor, and was in conjunction with JAMES PURCELL a mainstay of the Methodist Free Church.
ALFRED GIBSON was book-keeper at the Nottingham Guardian Office, and had the full confidence of his employers for 24 years. He lived on Gregory Boulevard, and was one of those who introduced the Christian Endeavour movement into Nottingham, and was a member of the Executive Committee. He was connected with the Palin Street church, with the Nottingham Local Preachers' Association, and acted for some years as Honorary Pastor at Netherfield. He died in 1909, aged 59 years.
THOMAS SHEPHERD must be mentioned (notwithstanding the rule to include only deceased persons), for he has received from the Sunday School Union the gold diploma for long service, he having been a teacher at the Palin Street Sunday School over 50 years, and for 30 years he has taught and still, at 70, teaches the Infants' department. He is a particularly useful and highly esteemed officer of that church.
Cricketers Three. CHARLES BRAMPTON, batsman; SAM BIDDULPH, stumper; and THOMAS BIGNALL, batsman and bowler, were three famous cricketers in Hyson Green, but they do not seem to have left successors.
J Billyeald.
J Billyeald. JOSEPH BILLYEALD was a Lace Manufacturer. He was for many years superintendent of St. Paul's Sunday schools, for forty years a Manager of the Church Day schools, for some time Organist, and afterwards Churchwarden Stained glass windows in the Church, erected by the congregation and friends, tell of his fifty years' faithful service. He was a useful member of the City Council, and showed his independence by refusing to canvas for votes. He died in 1905, aged sixty-nine.
Mary Norris. Miss MARY S. NORRIS in 1893 built eight alms-houses of a superior kind on Berridge Road, in memory of her brother, JOHN SMITH NORRIS, who was a Civil Engineer, and a very prudent thoughtful man, who excelled as a witness giving evidence. The houses are for ladies of superior education, but reduced circumstances, being over sixty years of age. They are managed by a board of five trustees.
The Wilson Family. WILLIAM WILSON carried on business at Old Radford Mill as a cotton and angola yarn spinner, and lived at Radford House, the old house adjoining the Leen and the flour mill, east of Ilkeston road, which in those days was a very pleasant family residence with a large garden. Here he brought up a family of useful sons and daughters His father, also WILLIAM WILSON, was Mayor of Nottingham in 1811, 1816, and 1828. When he (the son) gave up business he went for a time to Torquay, but spent the rest of his days at Sherwood Hall, in Mansfield Forest. Adjoining Old Kadford cotton mill he had a mission hall (still called the Chapel), and Sunday school. He was a man of earnest convictions, a zealous temperance reformer, with whom life was a battle, and he must be a victor. He died in I860, aged sixty-six.
HENRY J. WILSON, son of the above, went and took a lease of 1,000 acres of forest land, in Sherwood Forest, and subdued and cultivated it. He afterwards removed to Sheffield, and became for fifteen years a member of the School Board, and afterwards for twenty-five years a Member of Parliament for the Holmfirth Division, every election except one being contested by a fresh opponent. He was specially active in connection with Social Purity, and the State Regulation of vice, being co-secretary with Mrs. Josephine Butler. He also took a prominent part in the Anti-Opium Crusade. As a Member of the Royal Commission he visited India, and was the only one who had the pluck to speak out strongly against the present system, which happily is now coming to an end, after being an awful curse to China for the sake of our Indian revenues.
J Wycliffe Wilson.
J.WYCLIFFE WILSON, another son, removed from Radford to Sheffield, and in 1860 took part in the management of the Sheffield Smelting Co., of which he became chairman. He became, in 1906, Lord Mayor, but he specially distinguished himself by originating what is called the ''Sheffield system of Scattered Homes," for workhouse children. This has been found so beneficial that it has been adopted in more than one hundred Unions, and he became designated "The Poor Law children's friend." He further took a considerable part in the character classification in the workhouse—separating the coarse and evil-minded from those who had properly conducted themselves in their past lives. This has been found a great comfort to many of the deserving poor. Mr. Wilson has been seventy-one years a teetotaler and non-smoker. For thirty-one years he was a member of the Sheffield Board of Guardians, and for fifteen years its chairman, and for eighteen years on the City Council. For forty-eight years he has been a Deacon of the Nether Congregational Church. His portrait adorns the walls of Sheffield Town Hall, having been painted by Mr. Hugh Riviere, and publicly presented.
Miss WILSON, daughter of WILLIAM WILSON, went to reside at Leeds, and became the wife of W. HIND-SMITH, of Y.M.C.A. note. She did a great work in Leeds years ago in connection with the "British Workmen," or public houses without the drink, and more recently she established the "Young Abstainers' Union," which has done much good.
All the three last-named were born at Radford and are still living, being between seventy-five and eighty years of age.
"The foundations of national glory are set in the homes of the people. They will only remain unshaken while the family life of our race and nation is strong, simple, and pure."—His Majesty King George V.