ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXVIII 1812 April 23rd – Edmund Millne entered as tenant on the public-house, near Westwood, Northmoor. April 27th – The Rev. Mr. Horden and Mr Taylor, two magistrates, met at the Spread Eagle, Oldham, and swore in a large number of constables for the parish of Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. And two hundred of the Oldham Local Militia were embodyed for fourteen days, and the rest of the regiment to be caled on duty in rotation. At Middleton, on the 21st instant, the mob entirely gutted the houses and broke the windows of the person who fired on the mob on the 20th. The furniture they laid on a heap, set fire, and consumed to ashes. April 29th – Last night an uncomon cold, rainy night, with the wind very high at north-east. The wheather has been uncomon cold this spring; in general it as froze extremely hard, and in the morning it as generally been very frosty, and not the least appearances of spring. April 29th – Yesterday an uncomon cold day; the wind very high at north-east. April 30th – Yesterday the wind more tremendous, and from the same quator, and extreem cold. May 1st – Yesterday and to day the wind still in its old quater – north-east – and is very cold. May 2nd – Saturday was Oldham fair. A moderate fine day, and midling of company. April 6th – At 10 at night the Brittish and Portuguise army, comanded by Earl Wellington stomed Badajoz, when the French general and his garrison were all made prisoners of war. They consisted of 5,000 men at the commencement of the seige; 1,200 were killed and wounded. They were made prisoners with their General Phillipon. The British loss was during the seige and storm, 60 officers, 45 sergeants, 715 rank and file killed; 251 officers, 178 sergeants, 14 drummers, 2,564 rank and file wounded; 1 sergeant, 32 rank and file missing. Portuguese loss, 12 officers, 6 sergeants, 2 drummers, 195 rank and file killed; 55 officers, 383 drummers, 684 rank and file wounded; 3 rank and file missing. Grand total loss, Portugise and British kild, wounded, and missing, 4,985.
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What Oldhamer has not heard of Badajoz? This was a border fortress in Spain, capital of a province of the same name, about five miles from the Portugese frontier. Soult captured it from the Spanish, March 11th, 1811, and Wellington having been compelled to raise the seige June 10th, obtained possession April 6th, 1812, as here stated, we are told, in the life and times of Palmerston:- “Badajoz had next to be taken, Wellington’s plan being to cross Spain and drive the French before him into their own country, but it was necessary that he should not leave the means of annoyance in his rear. In his disposition for the siege, by sending the battering trains and engineers form Lisbon by sea as if they were going to Oporto, and making arrangements apparently preliminary to the establishment of a magazine beyond the Duoro, he concealed the real end of his movements. His preparations were completed by the beginning of March, and on the 9th the various divisions under his command commenced their advance – all converging on Badajoz. To cover the siege General Hill was posted at Almendralejo with 30,000 men and Wellington himself commanded the besieging force of 22,000. The investment was not begun till the 17th, and was completed on the 24th. The bombardment continued till the 5th of April, and on the 6th the assault took place. By daylight, after a frightful slaughter, the fort was in the hands of the British. Large quantities of stores were found, and we see here the numbers of killed and wounded. The news of the capture alarmed Soult, “for the sole trophy of his Andalusian campaign had thus escaped him.” Napoleon blamed both Soult and Marmont for permitting the capture of the fortress. I have compared the losses here stated with those given by Napier in his history of the Peninsular war, and they almost quite agree. Tuesday, April 28th – In the evening Mr. Horsfall, of Marsden, was returning from Huddersfield. He was shot on Crosland Moor and so much wounded that he died on the 30th. For full particulars of this event I must refer my readers to “An Historical Account of the Luddites of 1811, 1812, and 1813, &c., printed at Huddersfield, 1882”: - Mr. Horsfall was about forty years of age, married, and had a family of children, and was a considerable manufacturer in the West Riding. He saw the fallacy and absurdity of the prejudices against machinery, and declared his intentions of resisting those who determined to destroy machinery. As stated in this annal and elsewhere he was getting home from Huddersfield market on horseback, between five and six in the afternoon and when near to Warrener House, a public house on Crosland Moor, he was shot as he was near to the corner of a plantation, by one of four men hid in the plantation. He died after languishing 38 hours. The murderers were tried at York; one turned King’s evidence. The other three were executed on Friday, January 8th, 1813. |
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May 5th – Last night Joseph Nadin, deputy constable of Manchester, arrived at Middleton attended by a large party of Scotch Greys, and about one o’clock this morning broke into several houses, and secured people in their bed. He was provided with several post-chaises, in which he emediately put his prisoners, and drove off for the New Bayley. These were persons concerned in the late riots. On the night following he came to Royton and Oldham. At Royton he apprehended one Robert Ogden; at Oldham one James Taylor and John Ragg, otherwise Wrake, and made atemts to seise more, but was frusterated. They have all since been sent to Lancaster. On Wednesday night, or early on Thursday morning, he came in the same manner to Thorp Clough to have taken two persons there, but failed in the atemt. On Friday, the 8th, he came to Oldham and received the person of one Paul Greenwood, whom the Oldham constables had secured at Narrow Gate Brow, and which he took to the New Bayley. May 9th – A party of the Stirling Militia arived at Oldham to do duty there. May 9th – At Manchester, this day, flour 93s a load; meal, 75s. to 78s.; pottatoes, 21s. a load. May 11th – Oldham: Flour 4s. 6d. to 4s. 8d.; meal, 3s. 8d. to 3s. 10d. a peck; pottatoes, 22d. a score. May 8th – Was the first spring day that apeared. The air was soft and warm, and the wind mostly south. May 6th – One, John Pemberton, of Staley Bridge, fell into a mill dam there, and was not found until the 14th instant. May 13th – Was intered, Sally, wife of Tom Nield, of Top o’th’Moor. May 14th – Died, Mary, wife of Colling, of Back of Edge; disorder, child berth. May 10th – Last night, one John Moor, a sergeant in Collonel Silvester’s local militia, and a young woman of the name of Moor, and a relation of the former where found drowned in the Rochdale Canal. It is supposed they where murdered. May 15th – This day an uncomon fine day, and has been for near week past. May 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th – Most tremendous roof days; exceeding cold with the wind north east.
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May 18th – Meal 4s. to 4s. 2d., flour 4s. 8d. to 4s. 9d. a peck; pottatoes 20d. a score. May 19th – Isaac Midgly, of Hollinwood, Jas. Taylor, of Oldham, who were wounded at Middleton, and James Ashworth, of near Hollinwood, and a constable for Chaderton, taken into custody early this morning by Major Barlow, of the Oldham local militia, and who lives at Rhodes House, and a party of Scotch Greys and constables were examined on the 21st by Mr. Horden on a charge of rioting; the wounded men discharged, and Ashworth admitted to bail. May 11th – This evening J. Bellingham shot Mr. Spencer Percival, First Lord of the Treasury and Chancelor of the Exchecer, in the lobby of the House of Commons. Lancashire has a mournful interest in this assassination. Samuel Crompton, the inventor of the mule, was in the lobby of the House of Commons at the time. Crompton’s friends were seeking to confer on him some national regard for his invention, as had been done in the case of Cartwright. I quote the following from French’s “Life of Crompton” :- “All appeared now to be progressing favourably. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was prepared to propose to the House of Commons a grant to Samuel Crompton in reward for his valuable invention, when the singularly cruel fatality that had so often before stepped in between him a prosperity again dashed the cup of success almost from his very lips. On the 11th day of May Mr. Crompton was in the lobby of the House of Commons, in conversation with Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Blackburne upon the subject of his claim, which was about to be brought forward, when one the gentlemen remarked, ‘Here comes Mr. Perceval’. The group was immediately joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who addressed them with the remark, ‘You will be…glad to know that we mean to propose £20,000 for Crompton; do you think that will be satisfactory? Mr. Crompton did not hear the reply, as from motives of delicacy he left the party and walked down a short stair leading out of the lobby; but before he left it he heard a great rush of people and exclamations that Mr. Perceval had been shot, which was indeed the fact. The assassin, Bellingham, in an instant had deprived the country of a valuable Minister, and Crompton lost a friend and patron. At the moment of the most critical importance to his fortune, Sam. Crompton, however, did not hear the shot, though so near the scene of the tragedy, nor did he see Perceval fall. The foundation on which his reasonable hopes were built was thus again swept away.” |
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