Uncomon wet weather at the conclusion of this month. About this time William Woodiwis entered as tennant on the Angel Inn, Oldham. November 7th – No material alteration in the price of pottatoes. Meall and flour each fell 4d. a peck this day. November 14th – Manchester: Meal and flour fell 10d. a load. November 18th – Sarah Clegg, of Bent, Oldham, and her niece, commited to the Bayley, the latter for stealing a quantity of cotton twist from James Buckley, cotton manufacturer, Oldham, and Clegg for receiving it, knowing it to be stolen. November 22nd – Was interred William Whitehead, comonly called Bill of Marks, of Hollinwood. November 19th - Mr. John Booth, of Greenacres, unfortuneately drowned in the canal near Duckenfield. E. Butterworth says:- “The Booths were amongst the most ancient yeomanry families of the hamlet. George Booth was a holder of land in Oldham 1735. The late John and Joseph Booth, of Greenacres, yoemen, the former of whom died in 1812 (his death mentioned in this annal) , and the latter in 1835, were partners with Messrs. Lees, Jones, and Co., the extensive colliery proprietors.” Mr. John Booth afterwards removed to Southport. Nov. 25th - Died rather sudden, Sally, widow of the late James Taylor, comonly cld old Gammy of Bunkers, of Sarahmoor. No material alteration in the prices of provisions since my last. The distresses of the country are behind all comprehension, provisions so dear and the price of labour so low. The hatters are in a very pittiable state. There are several that cannot get any hatting at all, and those that have any hatting at all are very much short, and have a deal of gates, and compeled to take from the master inferior materials wich take double time to make them make there work workmanlike; and a deal of hatters, to increase there misery, are turned weavers, spinners, or doing any kind of drugery they can meet with. Weaving is at the lowest ebb. Good velveteens or cords are wove for one shilling and 11d. a pond, and inferior sorts 18d. a pond, tabbys from 18s. to 20s. a cut, from 30 to 32 yards long, with six or seven ponds of weft in. A deal in this neighbourhood, and about Chadderton, Middleton, and other parts have been attacted with fevers, and some have died. A large number of men have inlisted into the Militias and different regiments of the line. Most of poor familys are in a state of starvation. It was about this time when Jimmy Grey, who was ‘prentice with Sam Fletcher, hatter, in Henshaw-street, enlisted in the 39th regiment of foot. As Mr. Pullinger says in his memoir, ”He thought he’d fix Sam Fletcher, and so he fixed hissel.” December 2nd – Yesterday died Joseph Dunkerley, son of James Dunkerley, of Busk; age about 18 years; disorder, a fever, with wich several of his neighbours were at this time afflicted. December 3rd – Was intered James Turner, of near Royley; formerly an eminent footman, and October 17th 1787, won the great match on Kersal Moor, beating Richard Taylor, of Hollinwood; consumtion, age about 53 years. December 2nd - Mr. John Scoles, of Pleasant Springs, near Oldham, hat manufacturer, going down to Liverpool the coach was overturned, and he was killed on the spot; his age about 60 years.
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December 3rd – Thomas Wild, of near Tollbar, Failsworth, drowned himself in the cannal near Lane-end, Chaderton. It is supposed distressed by the badness of the times was the cause of this rash act, as he left a letter with his hat and clogs on the cannal side, setting up a self-justification in commiting this wicked and rash deed in consequence of the badness of the times; his age 50 years. December 7th – Last night, it commenced a very keen frost. December 10th - This morning died, far advanced in years, Thomas Lord, of Chaderton Fold. December 12th - No alteration in the price of provisions. In the beginning of this month George Hadfield, Esquire came to reside at his estate, Westhulme, at Northmoor. The purchase of this estate by Mr. Hadfield has been noted in a previous annal. December 14th – The frost continues and rather keen. December 7th – A pack of beagles where unkeniled at Chadderton Hall, and afforded a deal of diversion in hunting the hare to a large concourse of followers. December 16th – Yesterday, died Ann, wife of Daniel Riley, of Bardsley Brow, Oldham. She was formerly Ann Schofield pudding maker. This was a mistake, it was Daniel himself that died. Same day, died, Peggy, widow of the late Frank Taylor, of Oldham, and mother of the present Doctor John Taylor, all of Oldham. A few days since Jonathan Buckly enlisted in the Royal Artillery at Oldham. He was one of the unfortunate men who was shot through the body at the unfortunate affair at Middleton. It is remarkable that all the persons wounded at Middleton have recovered, wich shows the good effects of good attendance and good surgeons. Dec. 15th - A severe cold day. 16th – The same. Dec, 17th - An uncommon cald day with snow and sleet – wind all three days north-east. Dec. 29th - Last night it commenced a fine thaw. A few days since died the wife of Christopher Taylor, and wife of John Cheetham, of Dog Kennel, near Fox Denton. Dec. 9th -Died in Lancaster Castle Edward Barlow. He had been a long time confined there for different offences, He had been 4 times tried and 3 times found guilty, and had been a common hangsman for 31 years; during that time he had executed 131 persons. It would seem that Oldham has once had the questionable reputation of furnishing the country with a hangman. Dec. 17th - Died John Cromton, of Oldham Spinnerage, about 50 years. Dec 31st - Died John Whitaker, of Cowhil, badger and shopkeeper. Disorder, consumption; age about 26 years. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXXI 1813. The year 1813 comenced on a Friday, wich was a fine, warm, calm sunshiny day, and such scenes of distress and misery where exhibited in all poor familys as never where heard of before; not the least simtoms of ancient English hospitality or Christmas cheer was to be seen, poverty, misery, and want was the general order of the day – no ale, pies, roast or boiled beef was to be met with. People in general took no notice at all of the holiday, and all poor people continued at their different occupations. What with the price of provisions and the lowness of trade, a general gloom hung on the countenances of the poor, and the country in general are in a state of actual starvation. It is impossible to convey to posterity the lamentable situation of the country, and there is no very visable hopes of a speedy change for the better. A darker picture than this could hardly have been drawn, even by the pessimistic pen of Rowbottom. A poor man himself, he wrote of the poor, and this annal must be taken as applying only to the condition of the poor. How faithfully he drew his outlines contemporary history abundantly testifies. These sombre lines are to be found in that most recent production of John Richard Green “A Short History of the English People” in which are focused his account of this period all the effects of light and shade which only a skilful painter can produce. To show how nearly the two artists agree, though writing at periods nearly a century apart, I produce here some of the darker shades of Green. “The war,” says he, “enriched the landowner, the capitalist, the manufacturer, the farmer, but it impoverished the poor. It is indeed from the fatal years which lie between the Peace of Amiens (1802) and Waterloo (1815) that we must date that war of classes, that social severance between rich and poor, between employers and employed, which still forms the great difficulty of English politics.” Again while labour was thus thrown out of its older grooves (by the introduction of machinery) and the rate of wages kept down at an artificially low figure by the rapid increase of population, the rise in the price of wheat which brought wealth to the landowner and farmer, brought famine and death to the poor, for England was cut off by the war from the vast cornfields of the Continent or America, which now-a-days redress from their abundance the results of a bad harvest. Scarcity was followed by a terrible pauperization of the labouring classes. The amount of the poor-rate rose fifty per cent, and with the increase of poverty followed its inevitable result – the increase of crime –pp. 805-6.
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A short time since William Rigby entered as tenant at the public-house at the Roundabout in Oldham, late Sarah Wood. January 7th - The body of Thomas Wild, who drowned himself on the 3rd of December, was found in the cannal, near Slacksus in the township of Chadderton. January 10th - Mary, wife of John Barlow, of Nathan Roe, Oldham, hatter, was intered this day. An authentic statement of the following articles:- Meal, 3s. 4d. to 3s. 6d.; flour, 4s. 4d. to 4s. 6d.; malt, 3s. 11d. to 4s. 0d. a peck; treacle, 6 1/2d.; butter, 13d. to 14d.; new butter, 16d.; candles, 1s.; chees, 8 1/2d. to 9 1/2d.; pork, 7 1/2d. to 8 1/2d.; beff, 8d. to 9d.; mutton, 9d.; bacon, 1s.; hops, 2s.; bale cotton, 2s. 2d.; salt, 4d.; onions, 2 1/2d.; sugar, 8d. to 10d.; soap, white or brown, 10d. to 11d. a pond; potatoes, 10d. to 1s. a score; white boyling peas, 7d. per quart; green peas, 8d. per quart; hay 9d. to 10d. per stone; straw 4d. per stone; white cotton, that is called boads, 2s. 2d. per pond. Weaving strong fustian is very low indeed; velveteens and cords are wove from 18d. to 22d. a pond, 24 hanks, and light goods are equally as bad. Hatting very, very scarse and wages low, and the materials very bad to be worked. Factory work is very bad, and a great number out of employ; the country in the greatest distress, and a deal of familys in a state of actual starvation. Our war with America seriously disturbing the cotton trade. Most of the English official documents relating to cotton for this year have been destroyed by fire. But from American sources we learn that their average export of cotton for 1812-13 and ’14, the years of the war, was only about 22 million pounds per year, and, strange enough to say, the average price was only about 12 1/2cents per pound, while in the three years following the quantity exported was nearly four times as much, and the price about 25 cents per pound., or double the price in the years of the war. This shows that the demand for cotton in England had seriously fallen off. This is accounted for by the distressed state of the country, and explains how it was that factory work was bad, as stated in this annal.
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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
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