The Buss StoryIndex Author's
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William Church Buss (1778 - 1871)
This account is taken almost verbatim from H. Buss' Eighty Years Experience of Life. Since he was the younger brother of our main subject we may reasonably suppose that his memories of London, stories from his father and perceptions of how things were in his day will be very similar to those of Robert William Buss.
EARLY LIFE, EDUCATION AND MARRIAGE
THE eldest son of Robert Buss was William Church Buss, born in Bromley, Kent, April 4th, 1778.
William grew up a tall, bright boy, with an innate taste for music, and possessed a very clear and musical voice. After a time these advantages were recognized by those who were interested in the singing at Tunbridge church. So his father was solicited to permit this son to join the choir and become instructed in the art of choral singing. The father readily consented. The boy himself loved the choir-singing and improved to the satisfaction of his teachers. Under his father's tuition he received a good commercial education, and became an all-round favorite.
Of course, William's connection with the church occurred after he was named William Church Buss. But the fact that he was clearly introduced to the church at an early age and that his father "was solicited" by the church to have him sing in the choir, all indicates that the father already had a close affinity with the church. Was he perhaps a church warden? At any rate the naming of the son may have indicated his desire for the boy to be closely associated with the church, maybe one day to become a clergyman.
When William Church Buss arrived at fourteen years of age his father had an opportunity to apprentice him to an engraver in London. When the leaders of the choir heard of this, they represented to Mr. Buss that his son had made such satisfactory progress, was so clever and so much liked, that they thought, if retained in Tunbridge, the authorities of the church would be able to do much better for the son than by allowing him to go to London. The father, however, thought otherwise; so the London arrangement was not disturbed.
1792 was a memorable year for William C. Buss. It was his first visit to the great metropolis. His father's judicious control of both education and morals had developed the boy into an intellectual, truthful and trustworthy youth. His little world of Tunbridge, with father, mother and kindred, loving and beloved, was to be exchanged for the big London, with its million of inhabitants, its bustle, enterprises, and its numerous temptations to the young and inexperienced, to glide into vicious grooves, whenever it happened that their moral training had failed to be based upon religious conviction.
William C. Buss was duly articled to a Mr. Champ, a good engraver and a worthy family-man. His pupil so quickly manifested his good early training and general intelligence as to make him very serviceable to his master for both skill and trustworthiness.
Mr. Champ found that it was quite worth his while to place his pupil with a clever teacher of drawing and pay for his lessons, no public schools of art existing at that time. Under this tuition his instinct for fine art soon became apparent, as had been the case with his aptitude for music. He executed at this period several life-size crayon drawings of the Passions, very skillfully copied (And in his middle age, from a house-top in the neighborhood he made a large pen-and-ink drawing of the top of St. Paul's Cathedral, critically correct both in perspective and detail. The steeple and top of Christ Church in Newgate Street was, also in pen and ink, portrayed with equal fidelity and merit.)
When his voice changed it developed into a clear, sweet and rather powerful counter-tenor. He also mastered the flute. Thus, he could play and sing very well in solos, glees and other concerted pieces - social advantages very much appreciated by his circle of friends at this period.
At the end of his apprenticeship, being the most skilful of Mr. Champ's pupils, he was induced to remain in the Champ studio until his master's final retirement. Then, believing in his own ability to become a bread-winner, and trusting in Providence to sustain him with the necessary health and strength to support the luxury of a wife and children, he started in business on his own account as an engraver.
When success recompensed his efforts he looked around his connexions and selected, as the most desirable helpmeet, the pretty Mary Ann Starling, made her his wife and established himself in Jewin Street, Aldersgate, in the city of London, in 1803.
LONDON IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY
At this time the city itself was separated by fields from the village of Islington. It was the custom for pedestrians, especially after dark, to collect at Aldersgate Bars, in sufficient force to protect each other from footpads, while crossing the fields to the above village. So many disbanded soldiers and sailors let loose on society, without means of support, brought them into this evil course.
The site of the existing City Road basin was, at this period, a market garden and was thus utilized when the Grand Junction Canal Company extended this water-way through the city to the Thames.
From the village of Islington to Highgate and Hampstead, it was nearly all fields. Copenhagen House stood in the middle of cornfields. This spot became the center of New Smithfield Market.
The Old Smithfield, west of St. Bartholomew's hospital, was the great city cattle-market. Two or three times in each week droves of oxen, sheep, pigs and horses, were conducted through all the main avenues of the metropolis after ten at night, leading to this central market. These droves would occupy the entire width of the thoroughfares, so that timid people had to bolt to some place of refuge, side streets, etc., till the horned herds had passed. This inconvenience was tolerated because it appeared to be unavoidable. At last, the amazing increase of population rendered it necessary that the civic authorities should obtain legislative powers to transfer the central city market to the suburbs. Copenhagen fields were purchased on reasonable terms, and the cattle-market established there. So this cattle annoyance was removed for the present.
The London suburbs in every direction, afforded pleasant afternoon and Sunday trips in the shape of tea-gardens. Such were Ranelagh, Vauxhall, White Conduit House, Bagnigge Wells - on the River Fleet, Copenhagen House, Rosemary Branch, and scores of others in the surrounding fields. Many of these, especially the former, got up expensive concerts, at which Catalani, and other Italian primas were engaged. Balloons, then a novelty, made occasional ascents. Variety entertainments, popular at this period, were provided.
The River Fleet collected the drainage-water of the Highgate and other hills to the north and was, at Bagnigge Wells' tavern, about as wide as the New River. It was here supplied with boats for rowing. Excepting the Thames, it was the nearest river for this amusement, and flowed on through Saffron Hill, and finally emptied itself on the west side of Blackfriars Bridge. Now it flows into the deep sewage system of London.
These pleasurable tea-gardens flourished more or less, until steam established its empire as a locomotive power over rail and water. Then, their votaries were, at a trifling cost, conveyed very much farther off than the actual suburbs of the large towns. This, and the continual increase of population, made the suburban plots of land much more valuable for building sites. Thus, London and other large towns filled up their suburbs with house property, and many of the tea-gardens became neglected and were at length closed.
The New River was brought from Ware in Hertfordshire by a company, formed under Sir Hugh Middleton early in the seventeenth century, to supply London and its approaches on its north side with drinkable water. It pursued a very serpentine direction, in order to avoid cutting through private estates of owners that disapproved of this institution. The course of the river had considerable bends in passing through Hornsey and Canonbury to its terminus at the Riverhead in Clerkenwell. It was an open channel and skirted the east side of Sadlers Wells theatre. An inlet was here made into the theater-stage, and existed beyond the time of Grimaldi (the famous clown). Nautical battle-effects were thus exhibited in real water for Pantomimes and other displays.
The river-bends between Hornsey-house tea-gardens (later the center of Finsbury Park), and old Canonbury Tavern and Tea Gardens, were kindly permitted by the water company, to be used by the London youths for bathing in before eight in the morning and after eight at night. Constables were present at bathing times to keep order, and check the stealing of bather's clothes.
In suitable weather, the Buss children were permitted by their parents to walk (about three miles) to the bathing spot, and back again in time for breakfast and school, before nine o'clock. Here, with hundreds of others, they learned to swim at about eight years of age.
It was quite reasonable, as London population increased from one to two millions, that this privilege of bathing in the great drinking-water supply should be withdrawn. It was prohibited, and ultimately all the above portions were finally covered over and ceased to exist as an open channel.
A story was current at the time, that the New River Company desired to arrange with the Lea River Company, for a certain intake of the water of the latter (a tidal river) to help the supply to the former. A certain sum was agreed upon for a given-sized bore. The N. R. Company's diplomatist suggested to the other one, that, if agreeable, he thought that his company would prefer paying double the sum agreed upon, if the Lea River Company would double the size of the bore. This was consented to. If true, the reader will easily perceive how this intake was a take-in! by admitting four times the quantity of water instead of twice the supply!!
At parish and other meetings, which William Church Buss cared to attend and enter into their discussions, he spoke clearly and logically, was quite composed and persuasive. This attracted notice, and he was nominated for, and fulfilled various parochial and church official duties. He had been invited to represent the Ward of Aldersgate in the Common Council. This he declined. It would have interfered too much with his professional requirements, which were sedentary.
In the history of the world, ancient and modern, he became very well informed. Of the Histrionic art, he had a keen appreciation, sufficiently often visiting the theatres to acquire a critical judgment of the acting of Kean, the Kemble family; and of the other distinguished actors of his early manhood.
The pit of a theatre was the favorite position for the Critics. To enable the Lessees to pay high salaries to the êlite of the acting world, they advanced the pit admission fee from 2s. 6d. to 5s. The public objected to this - remonstrated, protested, threatened, and finally struck. This was the origin of the O.P. (old prices) Riots. Cat-calls, rattles, stamping of feet, hooting, shouting and many other diabolical rows, were the nightly interruptions to the performances. The disturbers added to these playful acts the smashing of the windows, breaking up the seats. These O.P. Riots became, for a short time, an institution. Non-disturbers went to witness what it was like, so that the Theatre-exchequer maintained its takings fairly well.. Of the latter class (non-disturbers), was W. C. Buss occasionally; he could not afford such a luxury too often. He used to tell how determined both sides were; on the lessee's part to enforce the high, new entrance-fee; on the disturbers' part, to quite spoil the performances, and so restore by this clamor the old prices.
In both combatants began to weary of the battle and a compromise was advised. The lessees of the two patent theatres (Drury Lane and Covent Garden) agreed to accept of 3s. 6d., and the noble public condescended to pay that price. So ended these famous "O.P. Riots."
W. C. Buss was successful in his career, his wife being in every sense, a worthy help-mate. Like most other young beginners, born without silver spoons in their mouths, he had his share of difficulties to overcome. The careful religious training, of both, in addition to his own strong will and perseverance; the wife's economy and trust in God's help, when faithfully sought, enabled this couple, to steer their domestic bark. safely through the shoals and hidden rocks of temptation.
The issue of this marriage was five children, Robert-William, Charles, William, and Henry. Six years after the birth of the latter, the sons were presented on twelfth-cake-day with a baby sister (Emma) instead of the traditional twelfth-cake.
All W. C. Buss' children were sent, till about seven years of age, to a ladies' school in the neighborhood. As each attained this age, he was placed in the school, kept by Mr. Groom, at Shaftesbury Academy. This had a very large school-room capable of accommodating 200 boys - the average attendance. It was situated in Aldersgate, Street, in the Ward of Aldersgate, within the City of London. It professed to give a good commercial education to its pupils, and it kept its word. The fee was a guinea per quarter for each scholar. Music, French, and Latin were extras. The head master and his teachers were clever, kind and good. The pupils esteemed them, and loved the school.
All the Buss' boys were persevering enough, to get their names inscribed in gold letters, on the large black boards that ornamented the walls, as prize winners. Two of them, Robert and Henry, excelled in tasteful and original ornamental printing; and before they quitted school, were requested to execute specimens thereof, in large handsomely bound books, kept as show-volumes for the inspection of future parents.
Apparently W. C. Buss married twice. His first wife, Marry Anne Starling, was the daughter of a Chas Starling, a watch-maker of St. Luke's, London. All the five children were raised by her. She died in 1845.
Thereafter William married Charlotte Sophia Kirby, daughter of the Curator of London University. She survived her husband by 15 years and died in 1886.
Francis Fleetwood Buss recalls in his journals that he had "personal recollections of my Great Grandfather (W.C. Buss) who lived in ... Barnsbury with his grand-daughter, Ellen, and her husband Mr. Harry McMahon. As head of the family he used to give Christmas parties to his sons, grandsons and to the older great grandchildren, which practice was continued until his death in 1871. Some account of these Family gatherings are to be found in the Diary of my Father, the Rev. Septimus Buss. There is a photograph of him now in my possession (1937) taken by his son, R.W. Buss, the Artist."
William Church Buss died aged 94 on September 12th, 1871, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery.