No. XI

October 14th – This day died Hannah, wife of John Needham, of Top-o’th’-Moor, in the 89th year of her age. This venerable couple had been married sixty-nine years, and lived most of that time in a thatched cot, where she died.

TWO WIVES IN ONE HOUSE. October 15th – This day a severe conflict was fought at the house of James Fielding, of Dol-stile, between his real wife and a woman whom he has had the audaciousness to marry. We hear Fielding and his sweet amourer decamped early in the morning.

October 23rd – This day, at the prize-ringing at Rochdale, the first prize for round peals was given to the ringers of Middleton. The ringers of Oldham and Ashton disputing upon the condition of change-ringing, of course there was no ringing for that prize.

SICK CLUBS – October 24th being the yearly feast of sick club societys of Oldham and its environs, the different members of clubs gave each one halfpenny to the Rev. Mr. Wrigley, and he preached them an excellent sermon in the chapel from Romans, 12th chap. And 10th verse.

October 26th – Damson plumbs 6d. per quart, and other stone fruit in proportion. Bilberries sold last season 6d. per quart, and were exceedingly scarce, very probably owing to the wetness of the last summer, which was a very wet one. Apples 2s. and 2s. 6d. per peck.

October 27th – In the beginning of last month, one Jonathan Stansfield, on a courting party, went to the house of Widow Howard, of Hill Top, where he, imprudently peeping through the windows, received a wound which cut out one of his eyes, and he, having the misfortune to lose one before, he is now in a state of darkness.

October 25 – This day, at Failsworth, a quarrel arose between Daniel Knot and James Tomlinson. Tomlinson kicked Knot over the bottom of the belly so fatally that he died on the 29th. The coroner’s jury brought in manslaughter. Tomlinson was committed to Lancaster.

“Vice, grown habitual, then we find
It is hard work to reclaim the mind.”

Monday, November 5th was observed as a day of public rejoicing, and great bonfires in most part of places.

November 11 – This day, at Oldham, one James Pearson, for being drunk during Divine service, was by the constables put in the stocks.

Many readers will remember the site of the stocks at the entrance of the church gates, near the Greaves Arms. It was usual for the constables and churchwardens to walk abroad during the time of divine service, and take into their custody Sabbath-breakers, whom they would bring with them back into church. In some cases of drunkenness it seems the offenders were put into the stocks. The old stocks are now removed to the Park, where they are exhibited as a curiosity. They could tell many a curious tale if they had but a tongue. According to Burns, stocks were only used as a place of temporary confinement, and by the constables only.

November 16th – Owing to the uncommon weather of the summer, potatoes were exceedingly scarce and dear. In some places the crops were so poor that the ground was never turned over for them. They were sold in general at 7s. 6d. to 8s. per load.

November 19th – A few days since was found at Rhodes, in a field of Mr. Joe Dunkerly’s, by a man who was working in the ground, the body of a newly-born child. The man cut it very much before he discovered it, and it was in a state of putrification. It must, undoubtedly, be the fruits of some vicious harlot, who hid it here to cover her shame.

December 3rd – Uncommon fine weather, and has been for several weeks.

December 3rd – a great deal of commotion and strife in Great Britain in consequence of a certain pamplet called “Pain’s Rights of Man,” so that his Majesty was under the necessity of issueing out his proclamation against sedicious writings.

Not only was Paine’s “Rights of Man” causing great anxiety to the Government of that day, but the Jacobins were circulating songs of an objectionable character, as may be judged form the following verse taken from one of these songs:

A political society, of which Mr. Walker was a prominent member called the Manchester Constitutional Society had been established in Manchester, in October, 1790, professedly to effect a reform in the representation of the people in Parliament; but it was imputed to the members of this institution that they sought the overthrow of the English Government in Church and State, and to substitute in its stead the French system of democracy. This opinion, erroneous as it unquestionably was, led also to an attack on the premises of Messrs. Faulkner and Birch, the printers of the ‘Manchester Herald’, which paper advocated with a warmth that belonged to those times a reform in the representation of the people in Parliament; and deprecated a war with France. For some time the rioters contented themselves with collecting in a menacing manner in front of the printing office, exclaiming, ‘God save the King’, ‘Church and King’, &c, but at length they proceeded to acts of outrage, the property of the unfortunate printers was destroyed, and they were obliged to seek refuge in a foreign country. Mr. Walker, whose ardour in favour of his principles had induced him to assemble the political societies in his warehouse at nightly meetings was suspected of designs against the Government, and at the spring assizes in 1797 this gentleman was indicted and tried at Lancaster on a charge of “having conspired with Joseph Collier and the French in case they should invade this kingdom”, but the evidence called in support of the charge failed so entirely that the leading counsel for the Crown, the late Lord Ellenborough (the Mr. Law) declared that it was improper that he should proceed in the trail, and the principal witness, Thomas Dunn, was committed to the castle at the instance of Mr. Erskine and Mr. Vaughan, counsel for Mr. Walker, for perjury. At the next assizes Dunn was brought to trial, and having been found guilty, he was sentenced to stand once in the pillory, and to be imprisoned two years in Lancaster Castle.

The distracted state of this country in 1792 and 1793 may be fairly gauged by the several entries contained in these annals relating to the publication of Tom Paines’s “Rights of Man”, and the action of the publicans, &c. What were called Constitutional Societies were being formed in London, Manchester, and in various parts of the kingdom, for the promotion of reform. The great Chatham had lent some influence in this direction, but his ideas of reform were evidently put into the shade by those politicians who for the most part formed these societies. The advanced reformers of that day went in for universal suffrage and annual Parliaments, and their principles were strengthened by what was taking place in France. Fox, Horne Tooke, and others who followed them looked with considerable favour on the French Revolution. The “Society of the Friends of the Constitution” met at the Jacobin