13, March, 1812
Dear Sir,
I think that you will be of opinion that there can be no end of the turns and twistings which the question of retaining the military force in the town has assumed and is assuming. No sooner did I consider us upon velvet with regard to it having the judges consent on the one hand and the order of the War Office on the other for our protection than that very pleasant and accomodating gentleman Mr. John Thomas Becher organizes with the sanction of the Lord Lieutenant a meeting of the County Magistrates to support the Honor of the County by calling out the Civil force only, and by their directions General Hawker withdraws all the Guards this morning and altho’ the military are to be kept in the town which makes us considerably safer than if marched out I consider that in the night time the immense property in Frames in the Town is exposed to certain destruction unless the Military Patrole is re-established or an immense and expensive addition to the civil force appointed and put in duty for the night. Under these circumstances the Magistrates have met and come to the resolution which I enclose which they have directed me to communicate to the Secretary of State, General Hawker and Mr. Justice Bayley and we still hope he will not retract the consent before given to the efficient employment of the military.
The magistrates of the town are very decided in their opinion upon this point, they are determined in expressing it and then the responsibility will not rest with them. If however the Judge should refuse to sanction or General Hawker to obey them in continuing the Nightly Patrole they are unanimous in taking the most vigorous and decisive steps for the supplying the loss of it by a very great and immense increase of the civil power. I thank you for your attention to my request respecting Mr. Bullivant and am [etc.]
Geo Coldham
Town Clerk
Enclosure
At a meeting of the Magistrates of the Town of Nottingham held at the Police Office Tavern at 8 o’clock in the Evening of the 12th March 1812
Present
William Wilson Esquire Mayor
Mr Alderman Ashwell
Mr Alderman Swann
Mr Alderman Allen
Mr Alderman Howitt
Mr Alderman Coldham
Mr Alderman Bates
Resolved that this Meeting consider that the Civil Authority vigilantly exerted is perfectly competent to preserve the public Peace both as it respect the Courts of Justice and the avenues thereto and the General Tranquility and Security of the Town in the Day time during the continuance of the Assizes without any exertion of the Military force stationed in the town if the Military are continued therein: but that they are unanimously of opinion that for the reasons stated in Mr Coldham’s letter to Mr Justice Bayley it is absolutely essential to the security of the immense property in Frames now accumulated in the Town that the nightly military patrole should be continued and they are desirous that such their opinion should be immediately communicated to General Hawker by the Town Clerk and to Mr Justice Bayley on his arrival and that his sanction should be respectfully solicited to the continuance of the Military patrole during the Night.
This letter can be found at HO 42/121.
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