ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. XXXIV 1800 April 24th – Yesterday an uncommon fine day. There is plenty of grass and a very fine spring. April 26th – Yesterday the wind at east north-east rose to an astonishing degree, attended with severe cold rain. April 27th – Yesterday, an uncommon fine warm day, and at Manchester meal sold 87s. a load, flour and potatoes the same as last week, and at Oldham meal 42. 6d. to 4s. 8d. (and at Cowhill 4s. 9d. a peck, beff and mutton 9d. per pond, old butter 13d. per pond. April 30th – The fine weather still continues, it being continually fine warm showers and the sky brilliant and sun shining with its greatest spender, the earth, the trees, the hedges being all clothed in beautiful green. The little warblers with their sweet notes help to fill up the mass of heavenly appearances. April 28th – Betwixt 7 and 8 this evening a very sudden flash of lightning and a verey loud crack of thunder, by wich a boy in Saddleworth lost his life; he was found dead upon the road, had a quantity of wool cardings with him, witch with his cloathes where verey much burned. April 30th – This month is near its end, and was never equiled for being favourable to vegetation, it as been so fine and warm, attended with modest showers, so that the grass is as forward as it was at the latter end of last June. May 6th – Three unfortuned accidents happened this day, viz, a son of John Heywood’s, glazier, Oldham, killed with a carding engine. A man was killed in a coalpit near Hollinwood. A boy was drowned in the canal at Hollinwood. May 18th - The uncommon fine weather still continues, with every appearance of producing plenty to this poor, unhappy. Starving country. May 20th – Oldham: Early yesterday Sir. A. Horton, Mr. Hayes, of Duckenfield (the Rev. W. R. Hay), two magistrates, assisted by the Oldham Horse and Foot Associations, and some light horse from Manchester, assembled here in order to prevent a riot, which was threatened here, for handbills where distributed all over the country for that purpose.
|
A deal of people assembled, but nothing of a mobbing nature was attemted, except a few women and boys, who stoned the soldiers; And the same day three men tapped a barrel of gin, wich was in a wagon on the Oldham-road, and drunk so emoderately of it that one emediately died, and the other narrowly escaped. May 20th – Oldham: The following is an authentic statement of the following necessarys of life, viz.:- Meal, 4s. 10d. to 5s. 2d.; flour, 4s. 6d. to 5s. 6d.; barley flour, 2s. 9d. to 3s.; potatoes, one pond for 1d.; bacon, 10½ d.; butter, 14d. a pond, old but exceedingly scarce; beff or mutton, 9d.; veal, 7d. cheese, 9d.; good brown sugar, 6d. to 8d. a pond; malt, 2s. 11d. a peck, hops, 3s. a pond; hay, from 9d. to 1s. a stone; rice, 4½d.; raisons, 4d. a pond; apples, 2s. a peck; boiling peas, 8d. a quart. May 24th – Died, Ann, daughter of John Mellor, of Bottom of Northmoor. Disorder, a fever; age 20 yrs. At Manchester this day flour fell from 5s. to 7s. [sic] a load; meal, 3s. a load; and potatoes fell from 20s. to 10s, but at the close of the market they rose to 15s. a load. May 26th – At Oldham provisions fell, flour 4d. a peck, meal, 2d.a peck, potatoes 5d. a scor. May 31st – At Manchester provisions nearly same as last week. This month, wich as been one of the most favourable to vegetation ever seen, is now ended. June 2nd – Oldham: This day provisions where dearer. June 7th – At Manchester provisions of all sorts same as last week. June 6th – Ended Manchester races, notwithstanding the times, where numerously attended. June 9th – Died, James, son of John Mellor, of bottom of Northmoor, age 15 years; disorder, a violent fever. June 11th – Died Samuel Brierly, an apprentice to John Mellor, of Bottom of North Moor; age 16 years; disorder a fever. He is the third person who has died in that family. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 16th – Died Mary, wife of William Stot, of Old Clarks; disorder consumption; and died Betty, wife of Isaac Witeley, of Cromton. She was daughter of John Chetham, of Northmoor. Her father’s family was atacted with the fever, and she came to see them, caut the infection, and died of it. June 14th – Provisions rose at Manchester this day. At Oldham meal 4s. 9d.; flour, 5s. 2d.; barley, 3s. Manchester, June 21st – This day meal sold five guineas, flour 90s. a load; old potatoes 24s. a load. June 23rd – Oldham this day meal 5s. 3d., flour 5s. 6d. a peck; new potatoes 2½ d a pond; gooseberrys 3d. a quart; old potatoes not be had at any price. June 25th – Anna Lees Badger, Maygate-lane, sells meal this day 5s. 4d. a peck, 12 pond to the peck. June 28th – Manchester this day meal, flour, and potatoes rather dearer than on the 21st. Very bad old pottates selling 19s. a load, new potatoes, finest sort, 2½ d. per pond. June 30th – Barley flour of an extreme bad quality sold at Mr. Fletcher’s warehouse, Oldham, at 3s. 3d. for 12 pond. This month has been rather cold and chilly, the air filled with clouds, and little sun, consequently has not been so favourable to vegetation as the last month. Notwithstanding all sorts of vegetation have a very favourable appearance. July 5th – Manchester – Meal at one time of the day £5. 10s. a load, but at the conclusion of the market came to £5. 4s. a load. Flour and potatoes same as last week. July 9th – Died Crispin Clegg, Taylor, of Royton, a man firmly attached to the cause of freedom. This Crispin Clegg, not a shoemaker, but a tailor, would no doubt be one of the Royton Jacobins. The cause of freedom was supposed to represent anything and everything opposed to the Government of that day. But alas for the freedom which was the immediate outcome of the French Revolution, although it must be admitted the French had much to free themselves from, and, indeed, the English too, if the times had been opportune, and the Jacobins had not overplayed the tune. July 14th – Died last night, Hannah, wife of James Wolstencroft, of Lees Hall-fold; disorder, a fever.
|
July 12th – Manchester meal sold in the morning at 5 guineas a load, towards night at £5 a load; flour and potatoes same as last week. July 14th – Oldham meal 5s. 2d. to 5s. 4d. and 5s. 6d; flour 4s. 8d. to 5s. 3d. a peck; potatoes five farthings a pond. July 19th – Manchester meal and flour lowered about 7d. a load. July 26th – Manchester meal and flour lowered about 3s. a load. July 28th – Oldham meal sells 4s. 6d., flour 4s. 4d. to 4s. 8d. a peck; potatoes 1s. 4d. a pond, barley 2s 10d. a peck. Hay harvest is now concluded, and as been verey productive; it is of the best quality ever seen by the oldest person living. The weather as been exalent, such as never was seen before, and the sun has been so hot that the hay is the best ever remembered by the oldest person living, and is so sweet that it may be smelled for several fields breadth, and in several parts of this country the quantity is great. We shall soon see what effect this grand hay harvest had on the farmers, how many rushcarts they sent to Oldham Wakes, and what a high old time they had of it. Well might the hay smell so far. The farmers and factory folks were the only people doing well in these hard times. This month, July, as been the hottest since 1787. The sky as been serene and clear, and the wind as continually veered to all point. There has not been any rain, and the earth is parched up for want of rain, and a deal of meadows and pasture lands are dried and withered, as in a dry spring frost – I mean those lands which are of a hot, dry, sandy nature – but the valley and cool-bottomed lands grass exceedingly well. Grain of all sorts never promised better in the memory of the oldest person living. In consequence of the heat there as been uncommon honey falls, to such a degree that the grass, grubs, and trees have been bsmered with that stickey substance, for when one leaf of a tree as touched another it as roped like treacle, and such heavy dews as was never seen before by the oldest person living. In the morning it resembled as if it had been in the night a deal of rain. It is surely pleasant in these days of sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphur dioxide, when trees, shrubs, and even grass itself will hardly grow in Oldham, to read of these honey falls, and of that “sticky substance” roping from leaf to leaf like treacle in the depths of a dense forest. And hereby hangs a pretty tale about this “sticky substance” contributed by my friend, Mr. Pullinter, and embodying the results of recent research upon the subject. |
Page 55
William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
 |
 |
 |
