Diary of William Hinds of Birmingham

Volume entitled 'Journal Second Continuation' in which William Hinds wrote journal entries between 17 June 1838 and 29 May 1850.

Though Hinds was at this time working as a cabinet maker in Birmingham, the entries largely comprise a record of Hinds' studies in the field of science, in particular in medicine. He describes his passion for study and further education, demonstrating his utter commitment by rising early in order to study before his time had to be given over to business.. The journal is a record more of a driven and ultimately successful attempt to enter the medical profession than a record of daily life: Hinds never mentions the sort of business he is concerned with, does not refer to his wife at all and mentions his other interests only as the odd tiny glimpse: his church attendance, bouts of ill health, a reference to violin playing, his involvement with the local Sunday School. His closeness to his parents is obvious; he records the receipt and dispatch of letters to his parents in Escrick, and his only non-study-related expansive entries appear when he writes of his visit to them in June 1839. He records their deaths with deep feeling. The only reference to national events are to the People's Charter disturbances (May 1839) and to the introduction of Uniform Penny Post (Jan 1840). Significantly the first mention of his studying botany comes in May 1841: he was later to become, as well as a surgeon, Professor of Botany at Queen's College, Birmingham.

After October 1840 the journal entries become less regular, with no entries at all 22 October 1840 - 20 April 1841, and 9 January 1842-23 April 1843; and the only entries made after that date were written on 9 July 1843, 2 May 1844, 19 December 1846 and in August 1847, with the final entry on 29 May 1850. The handwriting in the final three entries is markedly less tidy than in earlier entries: perhaps he is adopting a typical medical man's style. 38 pages of the volume are used, the rest are left blank

The volume is a useful resource for researchers interested in reflections on the times as revealed through the single-minded determination of a young man to change his profession, entailing hours of study in addition to his fulfilling his business commitments. Hinds is shown as an individual driven by a desire to attain knowledge and qualifications to fit him for professional life as a medical man. Even when he has completed his studies, he sees before him 'a boundless field for improvement'.

The volume was originally described as a diary kept by William 'Hands', but this arose from a mis-reading of the name as it is written in the diary entry for 19 December 1846 and further investigation of related background sources confirms the name as 'Hinds'.

William Hinds was born on 25 November and baptized on 27 November 1811 in Middleton, Warwickshire, the son of James and Frances (Fanny) Hinds. He had two brothers, James and John, baptized in Middleton in 1816 and 1818 respectively, when their father was described as a coachman . James Hinds and Frances Smith had married on 30 March 1810 at at Philip's church, Birmingham. James had commenced working for the family of Lord Wenlock at the age of 13: his tombstone in Escrick, North Yorkshire [the seat of Baron Wenlock], when he died on 3 September 1839 at the age of 54 records that he had been 'a faithful servant of Lord Whenlock's [sic] family for 41 years'. William Hinds' mother Frances died on 24 January 1842 and was buried in the same grave.

William Hinds set up as a cabinet maker in Birmingham in c 1833 and married Mary Ann Kaines, some 14 years his senior, at St Philip's church, Birmingham on 3 April 1834. The marriage took place by licence and in the marriage bond William was described as a cabinet case maker. Mary Anne (Marianne) Kaines and her sister had run a dame school in Birmingham in the 1830s.
Although involved with his daily business, Hinds became passionate for improvement and self education and developed an almost fanatical interest in medical and other scientific matters. This may have sprung from early influences from the work of George Combe (1788-1858) who was at that time leader of the phrenological movement, writing extensively on the subject and attracting much attention with his public lectures. After dedicated and intense study, and practising on patients from the practice of Joseph Watts, a Birmingham surgeon in 1843, Hinds acquired a diploma to practice medicine from the School of Medicine, Birmingham, and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in May 1844. He went on to gain a degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Aberdeen in 1847.
At the time of the 1851 census William Hinds was living in Summer Row, Birmingham, then aged 39 and described as a general practitioner and graduate of Aberdeen University; his Birmingham-born wife Marianne was 55, and living with them was a nephew, James Hinds aged 9. In 1861 the nephew James, then 20, was himself a student of medicine. By 1881 William ( physician) and Marianne Hinds had moved to 10, Easy Row, Birmingham, with neice Edith Mary Hinds described as 'assistant'.

William Hinds' brother James (born 1816) arrived in Birmimgham [from Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire] in September 1841 to learn and take on the business [of cabinet making], presumably as William's time got more taken up with medical studies. By 1851 James Hinds was at Parade, Birmingham, described as a dressing case maker, employing six people; in 1861 he was described severally as a cabinet case maker and a writing desk and dressing case manufacturer with business premises in Ann Street, Bimingham, but he was living with his wife and seven children in Balsall Heath, Kings Norton, Worcestershire; he died in October 1894.
William Hinds's brother John was also skilled, working as a clerk and steel pen manufacturer; he lived with his family in Aston in 1851.
William Hinds' nephew James was the son of James Hinds the cabinet maker; he married Lucy Busby, daughter of a jeweller, in Edgbaston in 1872. He was a physician and surgeon and lived in in Halstead, Essex, where he died in 1883.

From the 1850s William Hinds acted as a Medical Officer of Health and was advisor on 'lunatics' to the Poor Law Guardians. He gave lectures at the Birmingham and Midland Institute for a number of years, and by 1860 he was Professor of Botany at Queen's College, Birmingham. In 1878 he was described as late president of Birmingham Natural History Association. His wide scientific interests encompassed campaigning against the use of arsenic in wallpaper.
He died on 18 October 1881 at the age of 69 and was buried in Birmingham General Cemetery (Key Hill Cemetery). Marianne his widow died on 6 November 1882 and was also buried there, as were his brother John who died 3 February 1897 aged 78, and Valentine Edward, elder son of John Hinds, who died December 5th 1909 aged 61 years and his [Valentine's] sister Edith Mary Cope who died February 27th 1942 aged 92.

Hinds' published works include: 'The Harmonies of Physical Science in relation to the Higher Sentiments: with observations on the study of medical science, and the moral and scientific relations of medical life' (John Churchill, London, 1853); Clinical Memoranda No 1: on pericarditis and pericardial murmers (Arthur Bache Matthews, Birmingham, 1865); Published papers: 'On Poisoning by the Cyanide of Potassium', 'On Post-Partem Uterine Haemorrhage', 'Arsenical Poisonings by Decorative Wall Papers', 'On Diphtheritic Palsy'. 'Chorea in Acute Pericarditis', Paraplegia in relation to Renal Disease', 'On Certain Phases of Disease of the Brain and Nervous System'; also 'On some point in the chemistry and physiology of aquaria' (Birmingham, White and Pike, 1878)

Sources, besides the diary, all accessed July 2016:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Combe; https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/ ; http://www.ancestry.co.uk ; http://www.jqrt.org/ ; http:www.findagrave.com; Birmingham directoires 1847, 1852/53.

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Purchased December 2015.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Octavo volume with 38 pages (about one third of the un-numbered pages in the volume) used, the remaining pages have been left blank; binding contemporary half roan gilt over marbled boards, 'ALBUM' in gilt on spine

Catalogued by A. George, in accordance with ICA General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in -house cataloguing guidelines, July 2016

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Custodial history prior to purchase not known

CRL has copies of two of Hinds' publications: 'On some point in the chemistry and physiology of aquaria' (Birmingham, White and Pike, 1878) classmark QL698 (boundwith); and 'Clinical Memoranda No 1: on pericarditis and pericardial murmers' (Arthur Bache Matthews, Birmingham, 1865) classmark RD34 (boundwith)