It appears also that Francis Phillips, Esq., formerly a Manchester merchant, was the first to render the unfortunate gentleman assistance. Hearing the exclamation, “I am murdered,” he rushed forward, caught Mr. Perceval in his arms, and assisted in conveying him to the secretary’s room, where he expired. After this the Liverpool ministry came into power. “But,” says Green, “the death of Perceval marks more than a mere change of Ministry. From that moment the development of English life, which had been roughly arrested in 1792 by the reaction against the French Revolution began again to take its natural course. The anti-revolutionary terror, which Burke did so much to rouse had spent most of its force by the time of the peace of Amiens, and though the country was unanimous in the after-struggle against the ambition of Buonaparte, the social distress which followed on the renewal of the war revived questions of internal reform, which had been set aside ever since the outbreak of the French Revolution as Jacobinical.” A short time since the Watch and Ward Act was put into force in Oldham, Cromton, Chadderton, Royton, Ashton-under-Lyne, &c. They watched from 9 at night till 4 in the morning. The watchmen where provided with watch bilts, rattles, trunceons, swords, pistols, and blunderbusses.
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Watch and ward says Rees, constituted one of the principal duties of constables, who, by the statutes of Winchester 13, Ed I., cap.4 are appointed to keep watch and ward in their respective jurisdictions. Ward, guard, or custodian, is chiefly intended for the daytime, in order the apprehend rioters and robbers on the highways, the manner of doing which is left to the discretion of the justices of the peace and the constable – the hundred being, however, answerable for all robberies committed therein by daylight for having kept negligent guard. Watch is properly applied to the night only, being called among our Teutonic ancestors wacht, or wacta, and it begins at the time when ward ends and ends when that begins. For the statutes of Winchester say, in walled towns the gates shall be closed from sun setting to sun rising, and watch shall be kept in every borough and town, especially in the summer season to apprehend all rogues, vagabonds, and night walkers, and make them give account of themselves. The constable may appoint watchmen at his discretion, regulated by the custom of the place, and those being his deputies have for the time being the authority of the principal. – Black’s Com. Book 1. May 22nd - Ended Kersal Moor races. The weather was favourable, but in consequence of the ever to be lamented situation of the country, the spectators where few in comparison to former times. On the 9th of April, 1812, John Rowbottom left the San Domingo. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXIX 1812 May 25th - Captain Chipendale and Thomas Whittaker, with John Chadwick, constable, and a large number of soldiers, went to Mosley, and apprehended four men on a charge of being in the riots at Midleton. They where kept in custody in Oldham until the 28th, then taken to the sessions, Royton. The magistrates commited the two to the New Bay, ley, and two were bailed. The Middleton riots were evidently looked on with a political eye by the authorities as well as in the light of industrial outrages. It was from the neighbourhood of Mossley that John Knight and some of his friends came, and John Knight was at this time under arrest for the part that he took in the political riot at the Manchester Exchange at the beginning of the year on the false charge of administering unlawful oaths, &c. No doubt the authorities were perplexed with the nature and meaning of these unlawful oaths. When these oaths became better understood through their exposure in the Luddite transactions it was seen that these oaths applied to the Luddite organisation. At this time suspicion seems to have fallen on all connected with either political or industrial organisations. Hence John Knight was tried on the charge of administering false oaths, and there seems to have been an attempt to connect some of those who were tried with John Knight with the Middleton Riots. It is not unlikely that the leaders of reform found their hands much strengthened by the popular discontent, and though no help for the distress could possible have come from any political measure, the people were glad to avail themselves of any remedy. Hence, in the year 1812, the reformers were largely increased in numbers, and organisations were formed, which seriously embarrassed the Government. Government was not altogether blameless in persecuting and prosecuting those who joined these associations, and there is great force in Archibald Prentice’s remark that Lord Sidmouth’s “mistake was in classing murder, luddism, and Radicalism in the same category, and punishing all alike.” This ought surely to have been a lesson to our rulers in after times. But Governments are slow to unlearn their prejudices, and so reformers were punished for many things for which they had no responsibility. On the other hand it seems likely that the damaging advocacy of some ardent politicians did more than anything else to delay measures for twenty years longer which must have been passed then had it not been for an opposition on the part of the upper and middle classes created almost entirely by indiscreet counsel and behaviour of some who called themselves reformers.
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It may interest the Radical party of to-day to know the political programme of stern old John Knight and some of his friends, as set forth in six resolutions, a copy of which was found among his party when he was arrested. They are extremely modest and moderate, and had they been adhered to a Reform Bill would surely have been passed before 1832. No. 1 sets forth that our nominal representatives had ceased to efficient guardians of our property liberty and lives. No. 2 accuses them of permitting wars which destroyed friendly intercourse among nations, and caused increased national expenditures, so that the burdens of the people were unsupportable. No. 3 accused them of being too much under the influence of the ministry. No. 4 hints at an extended suffrage, and says it is essential that our representatives should be elected by the people at large to give them firmness. No. 5 states that the sufferings of the people, though submitted to by hundreds or thousands, yet the millions would not submit. No. 6 states that the only hope was in reform of the House of Commons to be obtained by peaceful measures. May 31st - This morning died Mr. William Clegg, of Westwood, a man famous for projecting new roads; his age a little short of 50 years; consumption. William Clegg was evidently a man of great foresight and ingenuity. He was the first in Oldham to apply the steam engine as a moving power to the cotton mill. This he did in 1794 at Lees Hall Higher Mill. May 30th - No alterations in the price of provisions this week at Manchester, &c. On Monday, 25th, a camp was formed in Kersal Moor, and consisted of the Buckingham, the Louth (Irish), the Stirling (Scotch) regiments of militia, with some artillery; the commanders, Honorable General Maitland and General Acland. |
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