ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXXVIII 1815 This month (March) concludes with cold, wet weather, and as been so for nearly two months. Trade – any weaving – is very bad, say good velveteens are now wove for 2s. a pound or under. The Corn Bill has been sighned by the Prince Regent. A general despondency hangs over the country. Evidently the steam loom was now making itself felt, the price of hand weaving being reduced, though the cotton trade was brisk. This year was a great landmark in the commercial history of this country, as it marks the imposition of the Corn Laws. The prosperity of the nation was factitious, resting, as green puts it, on the high price of corn produced by the war. This high price being protected by an Act passed, as we see, in this year, which prohibited the importation of foreign corn, except home wheat, had reached 80s. a quarter, which was practically a famine price, considering the low wages of the poor. The landlords carried these Corn Laws out of pure self interest. Of course their passing led to serious riots, but what of that, the Military could easily suppress them. Perhaps the imposition of these Corn Laws was the unwisest thing ever done by any Ministry, the Tory party, as represented by the landord’s interest, being chiefly responsible for their enactment. There seems to have been a Whig element as well, but as the Tories were in power they must have the chief blame. Out of a house containing 258 members, only some 77 voted for the Bill to be read that day six months. It seems to have been a pure specimen of class legislation, and many years later brought into the field such men as Cobden and Bright to obtain its repeal. In one of his fine rhapsodies Bright says: “I am here to assert the Corn Law is injurious to the great body of the people in this country, and that it is founded upon principles which involve great injustice and loss to the community, and contravene the principles of Divine Providence. I am here also to assert that the Corn Law cannot permanently secure the tenantry of England a high price for the produce of their farms, and that if it did so the tenantry would not get the benefit of that increase.”
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Perhaps if the younger Pitt had lived, the Tory party might have been spared the disgrace and humiliation of having passed this Corn Bill. Great men sometimes save their party. Judging from precedent, it almost seems to have been a calamity to the Tory party that the destinies of the empire were in the hands of a man like Castleragh, and that the grand old traditions of the party, as foreshadowed by Pitt had not been adhered to.
The Tory party however, deservedly suffered punishment for this unwisdom by exclusion from office for very many years after the Corn Laws were repealed in 1845. There were many alterations in the scale of duties in after years, but the principle being asserted in the Bill of 1815, the people were ground under the iron heel of protection for thirty long years. More of this anon. March 25th -Lancaster Assizes commenced. There were 92 prisoners; 23 received sentence of death; the rest other wais disposed of. April 1st -This morning died Thomas Whitaker of Maygate-lane; her was formerly a Royal Marine; disorder, consumtion. April 4th -This day James Holden entered as tenant on the Horton Arms public-house, Street-bridge, late Charles Holt. April 6th -Last night died Anne, widow of the late James Woolstoncroft, shopkeeper, of Cowhill; her age, 69 years. April 7th -Lancaster Assizes ended. Jenny Cheetham and Mary Schofield aquited there charge. April 12th -Manchester Sessions commenced, when James Clegg two years in Lancaster, Nancy Fenton, two years in the New Bayly, and James Cocker transported for seven years. April 18th -Last night died Ann, the widow of the late John Ogden, of Busk; her age, 72 years. April 24th -Last night died James Woolstoncroft, of Magot-lane; disorder, consumption. |
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April 24th -Yesterday the Reverend Joseph Horton left Royton Hall, and now resides at The Lodge, in Failsworth. The name should be Hordern not Horton. Though Vicar of Shaw, he evidently thought more of being a country justice than being a country parson, or he would not have removed his domicile so far away from his congregation. We must not judge of himharshly though. The country was in a fearful state, and I am not sure which was most wanted, the parson, the magistrate or the law-maker. James Butterworth says:- “Since the removal of Sir Joseph Radcliffe to Miln’s Bridge, Royton Hall had been the residence of Rev. Joseph Hordern, minister of Shaw Chapel, and being an extensive building, having some very spacious rooms, it has served him both as a residence and as a seminary for the tution of a number of noblemen and gentlemen’s sons. After Mr. Hordern, Mr. Edmund Wild was the occupier of Royton Hall. April 24th -Last night died John Sutcliff, of near Cowhill, carter, aged 71 years. A few days since, in Nathan Roe, Oldham, Cristopher Taylor, late of Whittaker Roe, Northmoor, in advanced age. April 22nd -Was executed at Chester, John Wood, of Copster Hill, near Oldham, for breaking a house near Stockport. His friends obtained his body after hanging the usual time, and arived at Copster Hill about 12 o’clock on the 23rd, and buried him at Ashton-under-Lyne on the 27th. His son, John Wood, was transported at the New Bayley Sessions, January last.
April 29th -Died awfully sudden, at Even’s, the Colliers’ Arms, Werneth, near Oldham, Richard Holt, son of Arthur Holt, brewer, of Newton Heath. He had for a short time previous to his death resided in Oldham. The wheather for several days past has been extreemly with hail and snow, and has froze severely, with the wind north north-east. Weaving of all denomination is extreem low. The price now paid for weaving 24 hanks is 1s. 9d. to 1s. 11d. per pond. Trade of all denominations is growing very slack. May 4th -John Jackson, a Chelsea pensioner and a weaver hung himself. The cord he tied to his loom rail at his house, near Rhodes Factory, Oldham. May 5th -This morning died William Haywood, joiner and carpinter, of Sapling-within-Thornham; disorder, consumption; age 60 years.
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May 6th -Hay is now selling at 5s. a truss, say three stone and a half to a truss. May 6th -One Benjamin Wade, of Shaw Chappel, in a fit of despair, cut his throat, so as to cause his instant death. May 6th -This day goosberrys sold, 1s. per quart. May 13th - This day goosbery sold 8d. per quart. May 15th - Was married at Oldham Jonathan Kay, a hatter, of Nathan Roe, Oldham, to __________ which makes his fifth wife. May 15th -Being Whitsun Monday, the children of the different charity schools in Manchester, to the number of 7,976, went to the Old Church, as customary on that day. A window being broke by accident caused alarm, and a belief that the church was falling, such confusion took place that one girl was trampled to death and several severely bruised. This accident seems to have caused the suspension of the annual Whitsuntide processions in Manchester for some years, but they seem to have been again resumed in 1819. May 3rd - A lamentable misfortune happened at Heaton Colliery, near Newcastle-upon-Tine. 52 men and boys, and a large number of horses, met with an untimely grave by a quantity of water broke into their works. May 19th - Kersal Moor races ended in consequence of badness of most kinds of buisness. They where not so numerously attended as formerly. May 23rd -George Rowbottom of Burnly Gate, enlisted into the 64th regiment of foot. May 27th -Thomas Rowbottom, of Burnly Gate, enlisted in the 2nd battalion of Lancashire Militia. May 27th -Died, Joseph, son of Daniel Lees, of Uin Nook. Disorder, consumption; age, 19 years. May 29th -Last night died, Betty, wife of Mr. Jacob Radcliffe, of Bank, Oldham, and Whitaker Fold. She was the first wife of the late Joseph Ogden, of Whitaker Fold; her age, about 70 years. May 30th -George Rowbottom left Burnley Gate on his rout for the Isle of Whight. Uncomon wet weather, and has been so for some time. Grass is in abundance, and corn in general looks well. |
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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
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