November 2nd – Died, the great, virtuous, and upright Sir James Romely, Knight. He was in a great derangement, and to the great grief of the nation, he cut is own throat. November 19th – John Wood arrived at Northmoor from Lancaster. November 19th – Robert Wrigley was sworn in as one of the special constables for Oldham, in the room of Robert Chadwick, who as retired. November 21st – Excellent fine weather still continues, and all sorts of flowers are flowering, or making attempts to flower, as in spring., and the grass is in abundance and the hedges are putting on a green verdure, as in a cold spring, especially the briar, honeysuckle, &c. November 28th – Died, Betty, wife of Robert Newton, a hatter, of Busk, age 66 years, and a woman near Oldham Edge died of taking a quantity of poyson. November 17th – Died Charlotte, Queen of England. Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III., died in her 75th year. She is spoken of as being a pattern to her sex as wife and mother. Her love of Wedgwood pottery indicates something of the domestic side to her character. “Queen’s ware,” called after her, had a great demand among the wealthier classes at that time, and is yet highly prized among rare crockery hunters. She was a very popular Queen. Even the out-and-out Radicals spoke with respect of her. November 29th – This morning died at his house in Lower Bent, Oldham, Mr. James Clegg, hat manufacturer. He had been deprived of his sight upwards of twenty years. His age 65 years. |
November 28th – Apples this year are uncomon plentiful. The crops in all parts of the kingdom have been uncomonly great. They are selling the finest sort 2d. per pond., or 2 pond for 3 1/2d. December 6th – Sunday died William Holland. He had been nearly one year affected with a vilant swelling in the back part of his neck, wich pain he bore with great fortitude. He was born January 18th, 1805. December 23rd – There was a large meeting of the lay payers of Oldham, Cromton, Chadderton, and Royton, to take into consideration the propriety of repairing the old, or building a new church, when it was agreed by a large majority to repair the old one. Each township had to contribute a certain quotum to the cost of repairing and keeping in repair Oldham Church. This seems to have been so for centuries past, and probably had its rise when the church was built. As we find that, with each estate in Oldham parish, it often happened that a pew or seat in the church was associated, and often when a transfer of the estate took place, the pew or seat was also transferred at the same time. The parishioners of the four townships became chargeable with a church lay, and according to the old church principle of popular voting at vestry meetings, the power of deciding any repairs or re-building of the church lay with the parishioners. December 25th – John, son of Jonathan Raynor, master of the Marquis Cornwallis alehouse in Henshaw-street, Oldham, was intered, with a very large assemblage of the Oddfellows, he being a member of that body. His disorder, consumption; age 19 years. December 29th – Jonah Fallows, of the Yonger, Burnley-lane, was robbed of a considerable sum of money by Ann Miller, a frail sister, at Manchester, but she was taken and commited for tryal. December 30th - Died, last night, Jas. Tetlow, of Hollinwood, 58 years. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. LXXXIX 1819 The year 1819 began on a Friday, wich was a very fine warm day, but a little misty. As for Christmas chear, there was little to be seen, and poor people scarsely left off working. Trade is very brisk, but wages low, and all the necessaries of life so very dear. Trade brisk, and yet the people too poor to observe Christmas! This shows what a toil it was to live – poor people’s money being required to buy food and clothing withal. January 2nd -Thomas Woolstoncroft, of Duck Inn, Oldham, had his pocket picked in Manchester. His pocket-book contained 25 pond notes. One pound notes were at that time a great medium of exchange in place of guineas or sovereigns. I have heard of a patent nostrum for curing our present monetary ills by adopting one pound notes. Let the advocates of such a system read carefully the history of this period, and I fancy we hall hear no more of one pound notes. January 4th -A numerous meeting was held at Bent Green, Oldham, to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning parlyament for a reform. Many people in Oldham seem to have been persistent in their demand for reform. Parliament represented chiefly the landed interest, which had assumed new shape and dimensions, being almost entirely ignored. January 16th -Last night uncomon boisterous, and the wind very high, with showers of rain and loud cracks of thunder with vivid flashes of lightning. January 18th -A very numerous and respectable meeting took place at Manchester (the celebrated Henry Hunt, Esquire, in the chair), when it was resolved to petition Parliament for a repeal of the Corn Laws. The business was conducted with every propriety and in the most peasable manner. Bamford speaks of this meeting with evident pleasure – his admiration for Hunt bursting forth in verse. About this time Hunt had attended the theatre, and for some reason had been insulted by some of the military. January 19th -At night a most dangerous fire was discovered in the mill at Church-lane, Oldham. Its appearance was most tremendous, and for a time baffled the skill and exertions of a large number of people. Who generously assisted to stop the devouring element, but not till considerable damage was sustained. |
This is the first mention I have seen of fire engines in Oldham, though a sort of fire engine is said to have been invented some 250 years before Christ. Probably the fire engines mentioned in this annal would belong to some insurance company. We seem to have been indebted to the foreigner for the invention of instruments for extinguishing fires. We read of them in foreign countries in 1518, 1637, 1672, and 1699. In England, Newsham’s engine was patented about 1,700, the air chamber being added in 1720. In 1792 Simpson further improved Newsham’s engines. In 1793 Joseph Bramah took out a patent for an engine on the vibratory principle. Steam fire engines were then unknown, the first being invented by Braithwaite in 1830. February -A Chancery list of the present judges, and when appointed:- Lord Eldon, Lord Chancellor, 1801. KING’S BENCH. COMMON PLEAS. EXCHEQUER. A dull record enough, if we did not remember that a few of these gentlemen are alluded to in a lampoon entitled “The Political Apple Pie” of that period, as follows:-
This lampoon appears to have circulated in Oldham. |
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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
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