14th, Thursday – At sessions, at Spread Eagle, Oldham, William Tetlow, was commited to the New Bayley. This Tetlow, who is a native of Hollinwood, on Satuerday night last went a courting to one Jenny Ringley, at Lyme Fold, near Hollinwood, who is in a state of pregnancy by Tetlow. Some dispute arose between Tetlow and Ringly, wich was caried on the part of Tetlow to the utmost pitch of barbarity, so that the young woman is in emenent danger of her life, he having atemted to force the child from the womb by vilance of a particular nature. He was secured on Monday morning. If the woman recovers there is great danger of an abortion, wich if it should be the case he will be indicted for murder. He must remain in prison till these events are determined, Ringley recovered, and Tetlow released. And James Mellor, keeper of the Horse Shoe, Edge-lane, was convicted in the penalty of £50, with £5 costs, for mixing and using a certain drug called grains of Paradise, in brewing is ale. The adulteration of brewery beer was one reason for Cobbett advocating the use of home brewed. Cocolus Indicus, more generally known as “grains of Paradise,” had a stupefying effect on the beer drinker, and the penalty of £50 was a sufficient caution to the brewer, and marks the care with which the authorities guarded the interest of the public in this respect. 17th - Was intered at Shaw Chapel. Buckley, comonly called Buckley Bayley or Red Breeches. 18th - The notorious Jack Robishaw, formerly of Thorp, near Royton, was aprehended this morning with a quantity of stolen goods in his possession. He was taken to the New Bayley, and recognised to be the celebrated Jack Robishaw, who broke out of the prison at Rochdale in the spring of 1813 when under commitment to Lancaster on stealing a hors at Hough. He was sent from the New Bayley to Lancaster on the above charges of horse stealing. 23rd – James Whitehead, bricklayer, of Hollinwood, unfortunately killed by a scaffold breaking down when at his work near Ashton-under-Lyne.
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21st - Thursday, Dr. Law, Lord Bishop of Chester, held a confirmation at Manchester, at St. Anne’s Church, 1485 females at Collegiate Church, 758 males. On Friday, 22nd, at St. Ann’s, 195 females, at Collegiate Church 154 males. In those days of slow locomotion and bad roads a confirmation was a great event. The young neophytes were often taken in carts from all parts of the country for teens of miles round, and if the day happened to be wet the “candidates” were “baptised” as well as confirmed, both on the same day – at least, I remember an old girl, who was then a young lady, telling me so, and she was conveyed, along with many others, in a cart to the Old Church at Manchester. 27th - Died, James Stott, of Walwork Fold, Oldham, age 60. 23rd - A lamentable misfortune at Hurst, in the parish of Ashton-under-Lyne. Two men at work in sinking a coalpit, in preparing to blast the rock with gunpowder, the blast accidentally took fire, when one man was killed, and the other his skull laid bare, both eyes blown out and both hands blown off, but still living. 29th - Another lamentable misfortune. Two houses and a chandler’s shop by the rock, breaking their foundations, were precipitated into the river Irwel, at Hunts Bank, Manchester. Two young women and a man were killed, and a deal wounded. A few days ago a shocking accident happened near Wigan. Thirteen persons at work in a coal-pit. There the fire-damp exploded; 8 killed and the other five shockingly burned. The last week in July excessive hot and a deal of thunder, which did a deal of damage. 30th - Pottatoes sold at Manchester at 6s., and afterwards rose to 10s a load. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXXVI 1814 Mr. H. L. Hargreaves informs me that Grains of Paradise and Coculus Indicus were not one and the same, but both were used by brewers of beer. I am obliged for this correction. August 1st - A very serious misfortune happened at Royton. A girl of the name of Schofield, of 7 years of age, with an infant on her back, unfortunately fell, and a cart belonging to John Taylor, of Primrose-bank, passing, a wheel passed over her head and killed her on the spot. The infant fortunately escaped unhurt. Has it ever struck readers of these annals how frequently accidents of this nature have occurred. It almost seems as if the narrow roads were the cause of more deaths than our swift flying railway trains of to-day, considering the number of travellers in each instant. A deal of damage was done by the thunder storms last week in different parts of the country. The park wall of Sir Thomas Horton, Chaderton, was part thrown down by it. August 3rd - With sorrow I relate that this morning Edward Jones, a young man, was killed in a coalpit in Werneth by the firedamp. August 9th - Last night the factory of Mr. Edward Moss, situated at Waterhead Mill, was robbed of weft and twist of upwards of two hundred weight. The thiefs went in at the roof of the building. August 12th - Last night the houses of Philip Buckley, of Northmoor, Edmund Wild, of Burnley Yate, Michael Rowbottom, of Thorp Clough, were searched, and weft was found in each house, wich apears to have been stolen from Mr. Moss’s factory. The two latter were taken before Mr. Horden, who committed them to the New Bayley for tryal. Buckley made his escape. I sincerely hope this will be the last time it will fall to my lot to record the failings of my neighbours. According to E. Butterworth, Mr. Edward Moss’s Mill was erected between 1807 and 1811, and was regarded as a comparatively large concern.
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August 10th - Died William Cowdry, editor, &c., printer of the Manchester Gazette, a sincere supporter of the rights of mankind, a firm advocate for universal peace, and a truly honest man; his age, 62 years.
Cowdroy’s newspaper is kept in file at the Manchester Free Library, and contains many interesting accounts of events which transpired in the early part of this century. It represented the Radical element of public opinion. August 21st - Uncomon wet weather, and as been so for nearly three weeks last past, to the great detriment of hay and corn, for in consequence of the weather, a great deal is yet unhoused. 28th - Died, Joseph Woolstoncroft, comonly called :Dody o’th’ Barn,” of Coldhurst; age 74 years. 27th - Was Oldham Rushbearing Saterday; a fine day; one rush cart from Nimble Nook near Denton. 28th, 29th, and 30th – Fine days; a deal of genteel company, very high spending, and some little fighting. 29th - William Berry, of Failsworth, beat James Kershaw, of Royton, two miles on the Shaw-road near Edge-lane, for nine guineas; time, rather under 11 minutes. Kershaw goes by the name of “Red Rump.” 27th - The weather, wich has been for some time very wet and cold, as changed to very fine, warm, and pleasant, and the farmers that have been stoped by the weather now buisely imployed, in the hopes of compleating their hay harvest, wich, in consequence of the wet, cold weather, is the latest ever remembered. Mr. Jacob Radcliff, of Bank, finished his hay harvest this day. September 5th – Was intered at Oldham, Betty, widow of the late Joseph Clegg, of Foul Leach. She was daughter of the late Jonathan Chadwick, of Maygate-lane, millwright; her age, 42 years. 8th – Thursday was the day for granting licenses to the publicans, when Francis Dukenfield Astley, Samuel Taylor Esquires, and the Rev. Joseph Horden Clerk, three of his Majesty’s justices of peace. A sessions at Oldham for Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Cromton, and Royton, when James Barnes, of the Punch Bowl, Oldham, and the Queen Ann, Shaw Chapel, were turned without. Several new applications were made, but refused. |
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