Oldham Historical Research Group

William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard

1799
ANNALS OF OLDHAM

No. XXVII

1799

OLDHAM UNDER FEAR OF A FRENCH INVASION IN 1799

January 28th – A very keen frost commenced last night. Through the Ministers determination on war, much recruiting all over England for the different regiments. In Oldham the Lancashire Vollonteers, commanded by Lord Grey De Wilton, and the Norfolk Vollonteers, commanded by the Honorable William Ashton Harbord, son of Lord Suffield, beat up in great stile, and in consequence of badness of trade, picked up a great deal of recruits.

Wheeler has the following note on the Lancashire Volunteers:- “Early in 1797 the first regiment of Royal Lancashire Volunteers received the thanks of his Majesty, conveyed through Lord Cornwallis, for their patriotic services in Ireland. In March it is stated that the first and second battalions of Manchester and Salford Volunteer Infantry were drawn out for the first time. In April the Lancashire and Cheshire Volunteers, the former commanded by the Earl of Wilton, offered to serve in any part of Europe”. Edwin Butterworth says: “The French having threatened an invasion as early as 1794, the Volunteer system was resorted to, and in no part of the country did the patriotic flame glow with more ardour than at Oldham. The excitement, however, passed away for a time, but the alarm being renewed in 1798, two bodies of Volunteer soldiery were raised here in April in that year, in common with other towns. “The command of the horse association was entrusted to Mr. Ralph Kershaw, Copster Hill”.

The canvass as regards Oldham was evidently very complete, as I find that a schedule was made in this year, 1799, of the names and addresses of persons residing in Oldham between the ages of 15 and 60; and also of the number of persons infirm or incapable of active service, and of persons serving in Volunteer Corps or armed associations; and also of persons, who from age, infirmity, or other causes, may probably be unable to remove themselves. This list has not before been published, and it is interesting as showing the state of the public mind, evidently under fear of an invasion from the French. The schedule is without date, but I have arrived at the date by testing the ages of some of the persons mentioned; for instance, the Rev. Thomas Fawcett died 1818, aged 74, so that he would be born in 1744, and would be 55 in 1799, which is the age stated in this schedule. Many names of persons appear in this schedule whose descendants still live in Oldham, and I doubt not this list will be referred to as marking an epoch in many a family history. Some of the notes are very amusing, as they show the true Oldham pluck; for instance, “James Gartside, very lame, but willing to serve; “James Butterworth, infirm, but willing”; “Jesse Jackson, one eye, but willing”. Being a “Quaker” was evidently sufficient excuse for serving the country as a soldier.

[Transcriber’s note: This list is presented as a table sorted by surname for ease of reading. The original was in street order and therefore rather difficult to follow.]

Surname

First Name

Abode

Age

Children

Women

Abbott

Edward

Oldham

48

0

2


Allcock

Mary

Oldham

67

0

0

Housekeeper; infirm

Allen

James

Markfield

70

1

2

Very lame & incapable to serve

Allen

James

Markfield

28

0

0


Andrew

Samuel

Markfield

30

3

1


Armstrong

John

Markfield

35

1

1


Ashton

James

Mill End

51

4

2


Ashton

William

Markfield

27

1

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Ashworth

Ann

Oldham


6

2

One sick person

Bamford

Elizabeth

Oldham


0

3


Bamford

Richard

Oldham

33

1

2


Banks

John

Oldham


0

2

Absent

Bardsley

Joseph

Holebottom

29

3

1


Barlow

Edward

Oldham

18

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Barlow

Henry

Oldham

15

0

0

Rather deaf

Barlow

John

Oldham

42

3

2

Rather deaf and one eye

Barlow

Robert

Oldham

26

3

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Barnett

Peter

Oldham

36

7

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Batty

Benjamin

Chapel Street

19

0

0

One eye

Beeston

Wm.

Mill End

34

4

1


Bentley

Robert

Holebottom

16

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Berry

James

Oldham

54

0

1

One eye and lame hand

Binns

James

Holebottom

26

3

1


Binns

Thomas

Holebottom

18

0

0

(A Quaker)

Bradley

Joseph

Oldham

30

0

1

Also one person upwards of 60

Brierley

Benjamin

Chapel Street

35

1

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Brierley

James

Oldham

33

0

0


Bromett

Henry

Mill End

24

2

1


Brown

James

Oldham

24

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Bryan

Thomas

Mill End

29

2

2


Buckley

John

Holebottom

36

6

2

Oldham Loyal Association

Burrow

John

Markfield

24

2

1

One person infirm; Oldham Loyal Association

Burrow

John jun.

Markfield

18

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Bury

John

Markfield

50

0

1

Very bad windy complaint and mostly in the head

Butterworth

James

Markfield

33

4

1

Infirm but willing

Cartwright

R.

Markfield

40

1

1

Bodily infirmity

Chapman

James

Markfield

28

1

1

Lame leg and very bad

Chapman

John

Oldham

30

4

1

Crushed and infirm

Cheetham

James

Oldham

29

2

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Clegg

Benjamin

Holebottom

23

0

0


Clegg

James

Oldham

25

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Clegg

John

Oldham

52

1

3


Cocks

James (Doctor)

Oldham

46

0

1


Consterdine

Benjamin

Oldham

31

3

2


Cowper

Dan

Mill End

31

5

1


Crook

James

Markfield

33

2

1


Crossdale

William

Markfield

45

0

4


Dawson

Thomas

Holebottom

30

5

1


Dixon

Benjamin

Church Lane,
Oldham

21

0

2


Dixon

Robert

Oldham

21

0

1

Apprentice

Down

Richard

Markfield

18

0

0


Drake

John

Mill End


1

1

Absent

Etherington

John

Goldburn

78

2

1

Very feeble

Farrand

John

Oldham

21

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Farrand

Robert

Oldham

46

1

2

Infirm of a knee

Farrand

William

Oldham

23

0

0


Fawcett

Richard

Oldham

18

0

0

Oldham Yeomanry

Fawcett

Thomas (Rev)

Oldham

55

0

3

Rather deaf

Fletcher

Henry

Markfield

28

0

0

Oldham Loyal Association

Fletcher

James

Oldham

29

1

2

Oldham Loyal Association

Fletcher

John

Markfield

56

3

1

Woman upwards of 60

Fletcher

William

Markfield

30

2

2

Oldham Loyal Association

Furnivall

Benjamin

Oldham

31

3

1

Oldham Loyal Association

Ganger

Thomas Hall

Oldham

68

0

0

Two persons upwards of 67 years and one upwards of 68 years and incapable to remove

Gartside

James

Markfield

29

2

1

Very lame but willing to serve

Gartside

John

Oldham


2

1


Gibson

Abraham

Markfield

17

0

0

Apprentice

Gill

Andrew

Oldham


0

0


Greaves

John

Markfield

26

1

1


Green

William

Oldham

22

0

0

Provincial cavalry

Greg

John

Markfield

40

3

1


Griffiths

Thomas

Oldham


3

1

Absent

Haigh

James

Markfield

54

2

2

One person upwards of 60 years

Haigh

John

Markfield

15

0

0


Haigh

Sarah

Oldham


0

0

Housekeeper; very infirm


table continued on next page

Page 44

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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard
Transcribed by Mary Pendlbury & Elaine Sykes
Courtesy of Oldham Local Studies & Archives
Not to be reproduced without permission of Oldham Local Studies & Archives.
Header photograph © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for re-use under the C.C. Licence.'Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0'

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