October 30th -Last night the house of Mathew Jackson, shopkeeper, of Oldham, was broke open, and robed of a sum of mony and goods with wich the villains made clear off. October 25th -Manchester Sessions comenced, when nine received sentence of transportation. November 2nd – Last night, the chamber of Edmund Wild, of Northmoor, was robed of a quantity of beding and mony, but on the night of the 4th, the thieves generously returned them again. November 3rd – Yesterday, one Martha Hudson, a young woman, from near Hollinwood, was found drowned, near Park, in Ashton parish,. She was in a disponding state, and had left her friends a few days before. Her age, 21 years. November 7th – Early last night six men entered the house of Josuah Lancashire, of near Jumbo, within Accrington, and broke open a box, and forcibly took out £130 in Bank of England notes, with wich they made a clear escape. November 13th – One Butterworth, comonly cald Mad Adam’s wife, committed to the New Bayley, on a charge of stealing a handkerchief off a clothes hedge near Edge-lane. She was an elderly woman, and lived in Scoolcroft. November 17th – This morning, a young man was killed in a coalpit at Coldhurst. He was a Yorkshireman, but don’t know his name. Pottatoes – the crops of this useful article in general are good, and the farmers in general sell them at 6s. to 9s. a load, 8 strikes to the load. November 21st – Was intered, at Oldham, Mary Collison, widow of the late John Collison of Oldham. She died in Chadderton Workhouse. She genarly went by the name of the Queen of Poland. Her age was 70 years. November 23rd – Died Samuel Dunkerley, age betwixt 60 and 70 years of age. He was a gardiner by profesion, and had been in several gentlemen’s familys in this neighbourhood. November 24th – Mary, daughter of Betty Heap, of Maygate-lane, unfortunately burned to death. Her age, 6 years. Murat, late King of Naples, shot to death by order of court martial in Sicily, in the Kingdom of Naples, October 15th, 1815. He married Carolina, sister to Bunoparte. November 29th – This morning was found drowned in one of the locks of the Rochdale Cannal, near Failsworth, of Greenacres Moor. He had been at Manchester the day before and is supposed by the darkness of the night he had missed his road. His name was Henry Spevey, and he was a waste gather and a Yorkshire man. December 6th – This day John Chadwick, constable of Oldham, and his assistants searched the houses of John Taylor and Arthur Gordon, of Top of Hollinwood, in search of stolen goods, when a large quantity of goods supposed to be stolen were found. Taylor and Gordon were apprehended, and taken to the Spread Eagle, Oldham, where the magistrates were sitting, and were committed to the New Bayley for trial. December 7th – Michel Ney, otherwise Marshal Ney, was shot, persuant to his sentence at Paris, for citing and abbeting Bunoparte in his return from Elba to France. Ney was undoubtedly a great man as a soldier, and had received great favours from Bunoparte. A useful lesson may be drawn from the fate of this man, that there is no security against the fall of human greatness. |
Poor Ney’s deserts have often been the subject of much discussion. He would seem to have been a great man with many weak points in his character. Above all things, he was an Opportunist, and though devoted to any faction he might take up with, he evidently tried to become all things to all men that by any means he might save beautiful France. During this last summer the Unitarian Chappel in Lord-street, Oldham, was built. The price of provisions at this time, to the comfort of the poor, is petty reasonable, viz:; Flour, 2s. 1d. to 2s. 4d., of the best quality; meal, 1s. 8d. to 1s. 11d.a peck; pork, 6d; beff, 7d.; mutton, 6 1/2d. to 7d. a pond. It appears that the expences of prosecuting the war against France from 1793 to 1815, both years inclusive, as cost Great Britain above twelf thousand millions. December 18th – This morning, died, daughter of Joel Bardsley, of Holebottom, Oldham, carter; disorder, child bed. December 16th – Last night a very roff night; the wind very high and much lightning. December 17th – Last night it fell a very large fall of snow, but being very calm it was very even. December 16th – At Manchester this day, flour, 41s.; meal, 32s. a load. December 8th – At Rochdale flour 39s., meal 31s. a load. December 29th – Died, James Marlor, comonly cald “Great Jimmy” formerly of Priest-hill, but late of Oldham Workhouse. His age near 70 years. December 27th – David Jackson, a fustian cutter, formerly of Royton, intered this day at Hollinwood. December 29th – William Pickford, son of Sir Joseph Ratcliffe, Baronet, of Milnebridge, but late of Royton, intered this day at Royton, Lancashire. The above is eronious, for in consequence of the weather, the body of Mr. Pickford did not arive till the 1st. of January, 1816, and was intered the same day. When the funeral had to come some distance, it seems the weather clerk had to be reckoned with. The coach roads from much of the north must have been almost impassable, as this funeral was three days over due. It will be seen from a previous annal that there had been a heavy fall of snow, and from a subsequent annal that Mr. Pickford had died in Scotland, at or near Edinburgh. William Percival Pickford, of Royton, Esq., died without issue, and the estate, which he inherited from his maternal grandfather, he devised to his father, Sir. Joseph Radcliffe, Bart. This is how the Royton estate came into the Radcliffe family, in which it still remains. December 31st – The year 1815 is now concluded, and in its course a deal of exterordinary events have happened in consequence of most of the trades being brisk, and several sorts of provisions being low. There is every apearance of a good Cristmas. Meal, 1s. 6d. to 21s. 10d.; flour, 2s. 2d. to 2s. 4d.; beff, 6d. to 7d.; mutton, 6d. to 7d.; pork, 5 1/2d. to 6d., a pond; pottatoes, 8d. a score. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXXXI 1816 The year one thousand eight hundred and sixteen commenced on Monday, wich was a remarkable fine day, and in consequence of the reasonableness of some kinds of provisions poor people had a merry Cristmas, and where amply supplied with roast beff, ale, and pies, and it may with truth be said that poor people have not had such a happy Cristmas for a series of years, for there is universal peace with all the world which causes plenty. Peace and plenty are often associated together in the poetic mind, and perhaps this is why Rowbottom speaks of “peace which causes plenty.” Does not the old church anthem say “He maketh peace in thy borders and filleth thee with the flour of wheat?” Prentice says of this year the industrial classes “had thought that with peace there would be plenty.” They were bitterly disappointed however. This Christmas seems to have been an exceptionally happy one for the poorer classes, who were ”amply supplied with roast beef, ale, and pies.” We are told. This was only the calm before the storm. By the way, what a difference a full belly makes. Who was it that exclaimed on “the condition of England” question respecting the poor man, ‘‘Fill him his belly, you fool, and send him to sleep.” A man seldom feels so loyal or so dutiful, or even so religious, as he does over a good dinner. January 1st -William Pickford, son of Sir Joseph Radcliffe, Baronet, late of Royton, but now Mills Bridge, Yorkshire, was intered at Royton, this day. He died at or near Edinburgh, was 52 years old last December.Royton estate had been in the hands of the Percivals and Pickfords for about a century and a half. Mr. Pickford, afterwards Radcliffe had married Catherine Percival, daughter of Thos. Percival, Esq., of Royton Hall, to his first wife. The only issue of this marriage was this William Percival Pickford, born December 18, 1763. He died on the 11th December, 1815. By his will, Sir Joseph became possessed of Royton, and the estate went to his second wife’s children. |
January 5th -Died, wife of John Taylor, of Primrose Bank, corn dealer. January 7th -Died, Matty Knott, maid servant to the above John Taylor, their disorder, a fever. Died, Betty, wife of Firth of Busk, her age 25 years; disorder, child bed. January 6th -Died Ann Jackson, widdow of the late John Jackson, comonly cald Loddy. She died at Priest Hill, Oldham; her age, betwixt 60 and 70 years. January 10th -One John Mills, of Hollins, unfortunately killed by a loaded fgun accidently going off. The following is an authentic statement of the price of the following articles:- Meal, 1s. 9d. to 1s 10d.; flour, 2s. 2d. to 2s. 4d.; malt, 2s. 5d. to 2s. 6d.; treacle, 4d. to 4 1/2d.; butter, 11d. to 13d.; new butter, 16d.; candles, 7 1/2d. to 81/2d.; pork, 4 1/2d. to 6d.; beff, 6d. to 7d.; mutton, 6 1/2d. to 7d.; bacon, 7d. to 8d.; hops, 2s. 6d.; salt, 4d.; onions 1 1/2d.; sugar, 10d. to 13d.; soap (white), 9d. to 11d.; brown soap, 8d. to 10d. a pound; pottatoes, from 7 1/2d. to 9d. a score; peas, 4d. a quart; green peas, 5d. a quart; hay, 9d. to 9 1/2d. a stone; straw, 5d. a stone; white cotton comonly cald boads, 15d. to 15 1/2d.; bale cotton, 17d. per pond; coals, from 20d. to 2s. for two baskets or a horse load at the pit. This list of prices is interesting, as it shows a considerable fall in the prices of some domestic articles since the beginning of the previous year. When we consider that the Corn Bill had been passed some eight months before, this decline may not have been expected, but one must remember that a settled peace had no doubt a great influence in bringing down prices temporarily at least. The price of cotton had been greatly reduced. James A. Mann says: “In 1816 the growth of cotton received a permanent stimulus: the demand, which, under a state of war of twenty years’ duration, had continued oppressed, assisted by the opening up of the foreign trade of the country and the close of the war in 1815, exhibited a great tendency to increase, which became firmly established, and as a result, in the year 1817 we received a greatly increased supply.” The annal about the price of coal is interesting. |
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