Rowland Hill (1795-1879) - lived in the town only for the first five years of his life. The modern postal system was based on his idea. The penny post, introduced in 1840, benefited the poor and business alike with its low pre-paid charge. Prior to that the recipient had to pay a heavy charge and many refused to do so. Hill's statue stands outside the town hall.  

 

Josiah Mason (1795- 1881) He was the son of a carpet-weaver, and was born in Mill Street. He began life as a street hawker of cakes, fruits and vegetables. He moved in 1816 to Birmingham. Here he found employment in the toy trade – at this time ‘toys’ was the name given to small metal and Birmingham was an international centre for such products. In 1824 he set up on his own account as a manufacturer of spilt rings by machinery, and later added the making of steel pens. Owing to the circumstance of his pens being marketed through James Perry (founder of the London stationer whose name they bore) he was less well known than other makers, although he was really the largest producer in England.

 

Self educated himself, he place great weight on the development and provision of educational opportunities for the poorer classes first via an orphanage and later he established Mason College (1880) which was one of the institutions out of which the University of Birmingham grew.