May 27th – Several exceeding cold days last past; strong frost in the mornings attended with an east wind, which has greatly damaged vegetation. May 29th – Died Sally, wife of James Whittaker, of Cowhill, aged 45 years. During this month the following regiments arrived in England from the Continent, viz.: - River Thames, 1st, 2nd, 3rd R. of Guards; Portsmouth, foot regiments 12th, 17th, 28th, 40th, 54th, 57th, 59th, 79th, 80th, 84th; Harwich, 3rd, 14th, 18th, 33rd, 38th, 42nd, 53rd, 63rd, 78th, 88th; Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 35th, 37th, 44th, 85th, 89th. From letters from the above regiments they confirm the intelligence received in the newspapers of the suffering of the poor men, and that during the campaign a great number were killed, wounded, and taken prisoners, besides froze to death; and likewise the 87th Regiment of Foot were taken prisoners at Bergen op Zoon in Jan. last. Bergen op Zoom was a strong Dutch fortress, the scene of many a hotly contested battle. In this year (1795) the English and Dutch were driven out by the French, who overpowered them in numbers. Green says: “The starving and unshod soldiers of the Republic threw back the English army from the Waall and the Meuse, and entered Amsterdam in triumph”. It was an ill sign that regiments were returning to England after being thrashed on the Continent. May 29th – To the surprise of all his neighbours, John Schofield, of Top of Maggott-lane, enlisted in the Sheffield Volunteers on Kersal Moor, this day. He is upwards of 50 years of age. May. – During this month the Volunteer Corps of horse and foot received orders from Government to augment their different corps, and Lord Suffield’s or the Norfolk Volunteers, and the Lancashire Fenceables picked up a deal of recruits in Oldham and its environs. John o’ Grinfilt thus alludes to this recruiting business:-
There is a spice of humour in the second line, alluding to the starved condition of the people. OBSERVATIONS. – Every necessary of life advanced to an uncommon pitch, and absolutely out of the reach of the lower classes of poor, for it is a fact that flour is selling at 2s. 6d. to 2s. 8d. per peck, meal 2s. to 2s. 2d. per peck, mutton 6d. per lb., beef 6d. per lb., veal 4½ d., lamb 8d. per lb. and 10d. per lb., bacon 8d. per lb.; fustian weaving at the lowest pitch imaginable, hatting brisk, light goods brisk, but wages low, such as ginghams, calicoes, nankeens, &c. Kersal Moor races ended on the 29th, very thinly attended.
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Some computed the spectators at one quarter, and some at one half, less than usual, but an uncommon deal of recruiting parties, which met with but poor success. The branches of the verdant oak more free from rapine and plunder, for the enthusiasm of never no peace with France, and all sorts of oppression at home, and the recent victories of the French, have humbled the mind of the enthusiast, so that the poor cottager may be without oak at his door, and the modest traveller may walk without a branch of it in his hat, so that in Manchester this year there was no demand for oak, and last year there were several cart loads of oak branches sold, and a general demand for more. No better indication of the hard times could be given than the slack attendance at these popular races. Moreover, it would seem the people were losing heart through the reverses to our armies abroad. Twenty-ninth of May was a very sorry day that year. Had not our troops been beaten by the French, and were not some English regiments returning home in a sorry plight? I have given the name of one Oldhamer who died in the Dutch campaign, and I have also noted the sufferings at Bergen of Zoom, and, as will be seen by these annals, letters had been received from Oldhamers who had suffered great privations in other places. June 4th being his Majesty’s birthday, it was ushered in with ringing of bells and other demonstrations of joy. June 6th – New potatoes sold at Manchester 3d. per lb.; at Oldham gooseberries 2d. per quart. June 8th – An absolute fact. – Jonathan Jackson, badger, of Oldham, sells his flour at 2s. 9d. per peck (12lbs. to the peck); and meal sold at 2s. 1d. per peck at Thomas Shaw’s this day. June 9th – A very high wind yesterday and this morning, which injures all fruits and vegetation. June 6th – George, son of James Wood, of Bulls Stake, aged six years, wandered from home, to the grief of his parents, but was happily found in Manchester. June 5th – Most tremendous storm this day, especially about Liverpool, Eccles, Hoxton, &c., where it thundered very much; it rained so that the waters rose astonishingly. June 6th.– A lamentable fact – This day Sarah, daughter of Adam Dawson, of Bawtry-lane, Tonge, in consequence of some dispute with her father, put an end to her life by drowning herself near that place; her age 16 years 8 months.
Poor old Rowbottom had a peculiar knack for rhyming. He did not concern himself much with the meaning of his rhymes, at least, his meaning was not always very clear. There is a sulphurous smell about the last line of this jingle which is by no means pleasant. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. XX 1795 “Riots at Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham, &c. – On Saturday, the 30th, owing to the price of different necessaries of life a large mob collected in Manchester, chiefly women and boys, and did a deal of damage by breaking the windows and furniture of the corn dealers and swailers, but, however, at evening the Light Horse, were called out of the barracks, and the mob dispersed. At Oldham the same evening a large number of women and boys collected together, and broke the windows of John Taylor, of Primrose Bank, Richard Broom, Joseph Bradley, Robert Mayall, and Abraham Jackson, all of Oldham. They retired that night after giving the above swailers some hearty curses, these deluded people believing it to be those who caused meal to be so dear. In the morning Mr. Pickford came to Oldham, and sent for a troup of Light Horse to Manchester. They soon arrived, and a large mob again collected. The principals of the rioters of the last night were apprehended, and Mary Collinson, commonly called ‘Queen’, Betty Garside, and Mary Stott were cuffed together, Edmund Standring and Joseph Ogden were handcuffed together, and conveyed to the New Bailey, under a strong escort of Light Horse. When they came near the Methodist Chapel, the mobbers made a terrible attack with stones on the military in order to rescue the prisoners. The soldiers sent for assistance, which immediately joined them and by firing their pistols and slashing away with their swords wounded several of the rioters and put their prisoners in a coach and conveyed them safe to prison. At the New Cross, Manchester, this day, the mob again assembled, and forcibly took a cart load of meal belonging to William Waring, of Waterhead Mill, which they immediately divided, when the magistrates with the Light Horse again dispersed them”. Saturday, August 1st – The mob at Oldham showed an inclination again to mischief, but Sir Watts Horton at six o’clock, morning, by his prudent, humane, and modest discourse persuaded them to go to their homes. On Tuesday, August 4th, a great number of people from Saddleworth came to Oldham, and marched for the windmill, Edge-lane, but marched back, and gave the swailers notice to lower provisions, or they would come again on Saturday.
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This caused great confusion, and Sir Watts and Mr. Pickford again called the light horse to their assistance. On Thursday, the 6th, Sir Watts and Mr. Pickford called a meeting, and remonstrated with the badgers, when Sir Watts proved himself a warm advocate to the poor, and the Badgers agreed to sell meal at 2s. per peck for the ensuing three weeks; and on Saturday, the 8th, Sir Watts Horton, Mr. Pickford, and about fifty constables, with fifty light horse, marched to Greenacres Moor to meet the Saddleworth mob, who had said they would come this day, but not appearing the magistrates dismissed the military, and the people dispersed. In all the above critical business Sir Watts Horton gained the esteem of all ranks of people, and to his judicious judgment and unexampled wisdom it was owing that peace and happiness being happily restored, and that the same lamentable misfortunes did not take place as took place in Rochdale. A curious rhyme still lingers in the memory of Mr. J. W. Mellor, solicitor, who used to hear his uncle, Mr. John Mellor, father of Mr. Justice Mellor, recite it, relating the curious circumstances of two millers of the name of Skin and Bone, being resident at Chadderton Mill during the first “Barley Times”. The rhyme is claimed as being of Manchester origin by some Manchester people, but the tradition is well established in Oldham as relating to Chadderton Mill. I take the first “Barley Times”, which I have often heard old people speak of to have been in the year 1795. The rhyme is as follows:-
Riots in Rochdale, Royton, Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, and indeed in most towns in England. On Monday, at Rochdale, owing to the dearness of provisions – meal selling at upwards of 50s. a load – a large number of people assembled. They were by the magistrates repeatedly ordered to disperse, but on refusal, Doctor Drake (vicar of Rochdale) and a magistrate ordered the Rochdale Fenciables, commanded by John Entwistle, of Foxholes, to fire, which fatally killed two aged men, wounded another in the leg, and several had a hair’s breadth escape. The soldiers remained under arms all night, but no further mischief commenced. |
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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
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