24th July 1816: Bury Quarter Sessions ends with sentences for machine-breakers and others

The Bury & Norwich Post of 31st July 1816 carried details of the sentences for prisoners tried at the Bury Quarter Sessions for various events that had taken place in east Anglia in previous months:

Bury Quarter Sessions did not terminate till Wednesday afternoon, when the following sentences were passed on the several prisoners, convicted subsequent to our last week's paper being put to the press:— 

Thomas Meers, Geo. Farrant, sen. Stephen Clarke, Mary Jackson, and Richard Rogers, for breaking a threshing machine at Stoke by Clare, the property of Mr. J. Wales, 12 months’ imprisonment each; George Farrant, jun. and W. Jackson, 6 months; George Frost, 3 months; C. Meers, T. Swallow, Wm. Turner, John Deeks, Sarah Jackson, and J. Angel were discharged on their own recognizance. 

Jonas Taylor, Wm. Seeley, and Jeremiah Osborn, for destroying two threshing machines, the property of Mr. Thos. Kemp, 13 months’ imprisonment; and Jas. Seeley, Jas. Howard, and Jas. Burroughs, were acquitted. 

William Edwards, for conspiring with several others with a view of inducing labourers to form themselves into a society for raising their wages, &c. at Wattisham, and elsewhere, 9 months’ imprisonment, and to find sureties for his good behaviour for one year.—No true bills against Wm. Abbott and John Payne, charged with the same offence. 

Robert Leader, Henry Poole, Robt. Durham, John Smith, John Abbott, Wm. Howe, Wm. Halls, for riotously assembling at Rattlesden and breaking a mole plough, the property of Mr. Benjamin Morgan, of Gedding; the said Robt. Leader, (styled commander) two years’ imprisonment in one of his Majesty's gaols, and the other six 12 months each; J. Button, Benj. Buxton, J. Chinnery, T. Durham, B. Steggles, R. Osborn, M. Moore, R. Baxter, Chas. and r. Cobble, Ezekiel Buxton, Mesach Moore, Jas. Southgate, J. Bird, G. King, J. Folkerd, John Steggles, T. Mattock, and J. Clover, 3 months each, or until they find sureties to keep the peace for one year, which they all procured in Court and were discharged; Wm. Richer, W. Nunn, R. Folkerd, and R. Gladwell, pleaded guilty, and were allowed to be at large on their own recognizance; & J. Golding was acquitted.

A week later, the Bury & Norwich Post corrected their coverage of the trial of another incident at Clare with the following information:

In the account of our quarter-sessions last week, we omitted the names of Jacob Halls, Sam. Gridley, Rhinaldo Bareham, and Henry Atherton, convicted of burning a threshing machine at Clare: the former of whom were sentenced to 13 months, and the latter to 9 months' imprisonment.

22nd May 1816: Crowd at Clare in Suffolk celebrate the bailing of their comrade by destroying a threshing machine

On Wednesday 22nd May 1816, Clare in Suffolk was once again the site for the destruction of a Threshing Machine. The Suffolk Chronicle of 25th May carried a report of what happened:

On Wednesday ... James Mayes, the younger, of Stoke, near Clare, in this county, was brought before the Rev. B. B. Syer, of Ketton, one of his Majestry's Justices of the Peace, charged with having threatened to set fire to a barn belonging to General Elwes, and, having given surety for the peace as the law requires, was discharged. In consequence of the arrest of this offender, some of the misguided populace assembled and proceeded to break up a threshing machine in the neighbourhood; but the General having, with a very laudable promptitude, procured the attendance of some military force, at the very crisis of the riot, the ringleaders were seized and committed for trial.

9th May 1816; Threshing Machine attacked at Clare, Suffolk

On Thursday 9th May, a Threshing Machine was attacked at Clare in Suffolk. Accounts of what happened vary, and it worth quoting two articles which appeared in the press to illustrate the confusion.

From the Bury & Norwich Post of  15th May 1816:

Thursday last a thrashing-machine was taken into the Market-place at Clare, and burnt by the populace.

From the (later) Suffolk Chronicle of 25th May 1816:

The statement of a threshing machine having been burnt in the market-place, at Clare, we understand, was incorrect. A part of the machine only was destroyed, in a field some distance from the town.

The incident was reported to the Home Office by a General Elwes on 23rd May 1816, stating it was the 'destruction of a Threshing Machine by fire', although he says it took place on the 8th May.