April 15th.- Died Thomas Greaves, of Top-o’th-Moor, bricklayer, age 80 years. Riots – Wednesday, April 8th.- A riot took place at Manchester in consequence of an advertisement announcing a meeting to congratilate the Prince Regent. A vast concourse of people assembled. The meeting was to have been held in the Exchange Building, but the burroughrow postponed the meeting to a future day. About one o’clock the populance begun to be turbulant and to demolish the valuable furniture, and the window lamps and chandliers suffered the same fate. A fine picture of that worthy man, Thomas Stanley, knight of the shire of Lancashire, was also demolished. The Riot Act was read, and the Cumberland Militia and the Scotch Greys put the mob to rout. Happily no lives where lost. Matters had reached a serious pass in Manchester. It was evidently hard work for starving people to maintain their loyalty with empty stomachs. That grand old picture of Lord Stanley, which still adorns the walls of the Royal Exchange at Manchester, has a history, it would seem. Lord Stanley represented the war party, and I suppose this was the reason the Radicals vented their spleen on his portrait. This riot must be looked on as mostly of a political character. According to Wheeler it was intended to hold a meeting on the 10th April to address the Prince Regent, and assure him of support on his investments with the royal authority. Understanding, however, that opposition was intended, the authorities determined not to hold the meeting, but the populace got possession of the Exchange, and passed resolutions censuring the Government. They then destroyed the furniture, injured a picture of Colonel Stanley, and were preparing to set the edifice on fire, when the arrival of the military put a stop to their proceedings. A general spirit of disorganization appeared to prevail throughout the district.
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A short account of this riot is given in Samuel Bamford’s “Early Days”:- A serious mob likewise took place at Carlisle in April instant in consequence of the dearness of provisions. The military where assembled, and fired upon the mob, when one woman was killed and several persons wounded. And at Bristol a riot took place in April instant in consequence of the high price of provisions, but nothing serious happened; and in Nottinghamshire there as been very serious riots by the stocin weavers, who are in a distressed situation in consequence of the badness of trade. A deal of damage has been done by the mobbers. Several of the mobbers have been taken and tryed at Nottingham. Seven have transported, four for 14 years, and three for 7 years. And at Leeds, Huddersfield, and different places in Yorkshire the mob has been very turbulant. April 16th.- Yesterday an uncommon fine day, although it as for a long time been very cold, and very severe frosts in the nights, and wind generally north-east. April 17th.- Yesterday an extreem cold day. A high wind at north-east, attended with a considerable fall of snow, and at night it froze uncommonly hard, and this morning the northern hills are again covered with snow. April 2nd.- Sailed from the Downs, the San Domingo for off Flushing. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXVII 1812 April 13th – Oldham, meal, 3s. 1d. to 3s. 4d.; flour, 4s. 2d. to 4s. 4d. a peck; pottatoes, 16d. a score. April 20th - Monday, died at Middleton, universally lamented by his parents, relations, friends and acquaintances, Daniel Knott, son of Joseph Knott, of Fog-lane, Oldham. He died in consequence of a ball wich was shot under his left eye in the unfortunate affair at Midleton. He was a glazier by trade, and was a few days under 21 years of age. His good behaveour and the sweetness of temper, but, above all, the unexampled duty to his parents and valuable favours he bestowed on his parents, made his untimely fall sincerely lamented. April 20th - Monday, the most daring riots took place at Manchester, Ashton-under-Lyne, Rochdale, and Oldham, and all the neighbouring places. Their complaint was the high price of provisions, the badness of trade, and the lowness of wages in Oldham. They compelled the shopkeepers to sell their flour 3s. and meal 2s. per dozen, and some of the most daring took bread, cheese, bacon, &c. A great number went to Middleton, where there is a factory belonging to Mr. D. Burton, where they weave calicoes by steam. The mob assailed the windows, when those within the factory fired on the mob, when, horrid to relate, four were killed on the spot and a great number wounded, and some very dangerously. Those killed were Daniel Knott, aged 20 years; Joseph Jackson, a hatter, aged 16 years, both from Oldham; John Siddall from Radcliffe Bridge, aged 22 years; and George Albinson, a young man from Boardman-lane, Middleton. This riot was known as “Middleton fight.” E. Butterworth says on this day a large crowd of riotous individuals compelled the provision dealers in Oldham to sell flour at 3s. and meal at 2s. per peck. On the same day a mob of several thousand persons, many had gone from Oldham, attacked the cotton mill of Messrs. Daniel Burton and Sons, at Middleton, with the object of destroying power looms, these being regarded, although then very few in number, as a serious injury to the handloom weavers. The parties in charge of the mill firing on the mob, two young men from Oldham – Daniel Knott and Joseph Jackson – as well as two others, were killed. The following day the rioters re-assembled at Middleton, but were dispersed by the military, and while this was being effected a third individual from Oldham – John Johnson – was shot, whilst several individuals also from this locality were wounded.
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Samuel Bamford was at that time working in the warehouse of Messrs. Hole, Wilkinson, and Gartside, cotton print manufacturers, in Peel-street, Manchester. I extract the account from his early days. “One afternoon we were astonished and alarmed at the warehouse, by a report which had come into the town that the power-loom manufactory of Messrs. Burton and Sons at Middleton, had been attacked by a numerous mob with the intent of destroying the machinery, and that several of the mob had been shot dead, and a number wounded. As soon as we had locked up for the evening, I, of course, hastened off to Middleton, and on arrival found the report to be true. About two o’clock on the afternoon of this day, the 20th of April, the inhabitants of the town were surprised by the appearance of numbers of men, many of them armed with sticks and bludgeons, who simultaneously arrived in the town from various districts of the surrounding country. Several provision shops in the upper part of the town were entered and plundered of bread, cheese, and groceries. In some instances the mob seemed to arrive from all places at once, and the smaller parties having formed into one main body in the turnpike-road, the whole proceeded to the lower part of the town and there joined another large crowd, which seemingly had been waiting their arrival. In this year 1812 there had been much destruction of machinery in various parts of the manufacturing districts of the kingdom, and when the infatuation spread into Lancashire, the power looms of Messrs. Burton seem to have attracted the early attention and hostility of a great portion of the hand-working operatives who, by means of secret delegations, held frequent private meetings for the purpose of concerting measures for the stoppage and destruction of the obnoxious machines. Of these proceedings Messrs. Burton were probably informed, since a number of their weavers, dressers, and overlookers had been for some time drilled to the use of firearms within the mill. A piece or two of small ordnance were also placed within the yard opposite the main entrance, and other precautions had been taken as were deemed necessary for the defence of the place. These measures were superintended by Mr. Emanuel Burton, who was greatly respected by the workmen, and had inspired them with a portion of his own spirit of resistance. |
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