6th October 1812: Stockport bourgeoisie & ruling class send a memorial to the Home Secretary about John Lloyd

To the Right Honorable Lord Viscount Sidmouth,

Secretary of State for the Home Department.

The Memorial of the undersigned Inhabitants of the town of Stockport in the County of Chester, and its vicinity.

Humbly Sheweth,

That for several months previous to the fourteenth of April last divers evil disposed persons did assemble almost every night in the Fields adjacent to this Town concerning plans for the destruction of certain Machinery used in the Cotton Manufacture as well as for the purpose of swearing or twisting in all persons who wished to join in their measures the nature of which Oath now publicly known fully explains—That at these meetings it is well known Delegates from the Counties of Lancaster and Nottingham did regularly attend—That Letters were received by most of the principal Manufacturers and spinners threatening not only to burn their Factories but to take away the lives of some of them and likewise by the Magistrates equally daring and wicked—That reports were most industriously circulated amongst the lower orders of Society tending to produce the greatest terror and dismay threats being held out that if anyone should attempt either to prevent their destructive designs or to give any sort of information by which the parties might be discovered he would certainly be murdered and his property destroyed—That on the night of the fourth of April several Slugs were fired into the sleeping Room of Mr Goodair and many large Stones thrown with great violence through the Windows of the said Room—The Windows also of several other Manufacturers were broken in the night time and attempts were made in the night at different times to set fire to two or three Factories providentially without much damage the light being soon discovered—That on Tuesday the fourteenth day of April about 10 o'Clock in the Morning when most of the principal Tradesmen were gone to the Manchester Market a large Mob composed of Men (some of them in Women's Cloaths), Women and Children armed with Stones &c assembled at the upper part of Hillgate breaking the Windows and assailing the Dwellinghouses of several Spinners and Manufacturers pouring in increasing numbers into the Town attacked the House of Peter Marsland Esquire a Magistrate breaking most of the Windows and threatening the family he being at Manchester, they then proceeded to the Weaving Factory of Mr Goodair is in which they destroyed Machinery to a considerable amount, part of the Mob at the same time breaking into his Dwellinghouse demolishing his Furniture & setting Fire to it. That the alarm and apprehensions of the well disposed Inhabitants excited by these outrageous proceedings were general and excessive and had it not been for the exertions of The Reverend Charles Prescot a Magistrate and a small military force your Memorialists are convinced that the extent of their depredations the mischief on that day would have been incalculable—

That for several weeks subsequent to these wicked and, until this period, unheard of transactions this Town and Neighbourhood continued in perpetual alarm and affright, during which time John Lloyd Gentleman a Solicitor in this town did evince  unwearied zeal activity and resolution in discovering and bringing to justice many of the Ringleaders and your memorialists do testify that owing to his indefatigable exertions at the risque of his life and to the total neglect of his professional pursuits they are in a high degree indebted for the tranquillity they now enjoy—That for these valuable services in particular as well as for many others rendered to Government by Mr. Lloyd in his constant and unparalleled endeavours to suppress the same riotous spirit which now prevails in some of the neighbouring Counties your memorialists feel themselves called upon to submit this case to your Lordship beseeching that your Lordship would be graciously pleased to take it into consideration and to confer such recompence upon Mr. Lloyd as in your Lordships wisdom and justice shall seem meet

And your Memorialists will ever pray.—

John Thomas Stanley
HM Mainwaring
John Legh
Egerton Leigh
Wilbraham Egerton
E Stracey
John Clegg
Randle Wilbraham
George Wilbraham
[illegible] Trafford
[& one illegible name]

Magistrates assembled at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace held at Nether Knutsford in and for the County of Chester the 6th day of October 1812 Do approve of the above Memorial and Recommendation—

Peter Marsland
H.D. Broughton
Thos Wm Tatton

Magistrates for the Stockport Division

23rd September 1812: The mill-owner, John Goodair, sells up and quits Stockport

Five months after his home was destroyed and his premises were attacked in Stockport, John Goodair had decided to quite the town and the business altogether. An advertisement in the Manchester Mercury of 1st & 15th September 1812 drew notice to an auction of the entire contents of his factory which was to take place on Wednesday 23rd September 1812:

New and Valuable Machinery, Power Looms and other Effects.

SALE BY AUCTION,

By John Wood,

At the Factories lately occupied by Mr John Goodair, situate at Edgeley, and Stockport, in the county of Chester, (by order of his assignees,) on Wednesday the 23d September, 1812, and on such following days as may be requisite for the disposal of the whole, the sale each day commencing at ten o'clock,

An extensive assortment of very valuable MACHINERY, and EFFECTS, comprising picking machines, carding engines, drawing and fly frames, throstles, mules, warping mills and machines, dressing machines, cup presses, patent looms, straps, cans, skips, bobbins, iron safe, desks, counters, shelves, beams, scales and weights. A large quantity of joiner’s, machine maker’s and smith's tools, cast-iron, brass, new cards, and a great variety of useful and requisite implements and materials for spinning and manufacturing concerns.

The principal part of the above property is nearly new, was made by mechanics of the greatest eminence, and has been lately in use.

Catalogues containing the allotments of the whole will be ready one week previous to the sale, and may be had on application to Messrs. Scholes and Kirk, Cotton Dealers; the Auctioneer, King-street, Manchester; or to Mr. Turner, on the premises Stockport.

19th May 1812: More prisoners committed to Chester Castle

On 19th May 1812, the Chester Courant reported on a number of prisoners who had arrived at Chester Castle to face trial at the forthcoming Special Commission, which would commence in 4 days time:

On referring to our paper of the 28th ult, our reader will find a list of thirty-two prisoners, since which the following have been received at the Castle:—Abraham Broadbent and James Crossland, for riotously assembly and destroying the machinery of R. Thorniley, a manufacturer, and threatening his life; John Ellis, for destroying seven shere frames, belonging to Thomas Rhodes; and William Greenhough, for entering the shop of Elice Berry, at Tintwistle, and carrying away a quantity of flour.—John Garner, taking an unlawful oath; and James Renshaw, for obtaining divers sums of money, from different individuals, at Etchells; and Joseph Thompson, for stealing a silver soup ladle, a quantity of spoons and other articles, the property of John Goodair, at Edgeley, and for having afterwards set fire to the house and furniture. Nancy Hurst and Edward Redfern, for carrying away large quantities of meal and flour, from the warehouse and granary of the proprietors of the Huddersfield canal, situate at Staley. John Temples, for having, in company with others, entered the dwelling-house of Samuel Wagstaff, at Bollington, and stealing therefrom five silver tea-spoons and a great variety of wearing apparel; and John Heywood, for destroying machinery belonging to Messrs. Sidebothams, at Tintwistle.

9th May 1812: More prisoners committed to Lancaster & Chester Castles

The Lancaster Gazette of 9th May 1812 gave a list of prisoners recent committed to both Lancaster and Chester Castles for their alleged part in the disturbances in the respective counties:

Rioters committed and sent off to Lancaster by the magistrates of Manchester.—John Howard, Nathanial Hilton, Richard Sothern, John Atkinson, John Lee, Thomas Hoyle, Henry Ashton, Phoebe Smith, Hannah Smith, John Oakes, Samuel Crossley, and Thomas Brookes; the three last from Worsley.

John Bird has been committed, but not yet sent off.

Jos. Thompson has been committed to Chester, charged with being concerned in the tumults at Mr. Goodair’s house, at Stockport.

14th April 1812: Rioting, loom-breaking, arson & 'General Ludd's Wives' in Stockport

After the isolated incidents of the past few days in Stockport, Tuesday 14th April 1812 saw sustained disturbances in the town, with thousands of people taking part. The targets on this day were the ringleaders of bourgeois opposition to weavers demands for a minimum wage over the previous decade (Glen, p.177).

By 8.00 a.m., large crowds of people were seen collected on the outskirts of the town. The first target was the largest commercial concern in the area - the Mansion of Peter 'the Great' Marsland on Eaton Lane had all of its windows smashed by a mob. At Underbank, another house was attacked (possibly that belonging to John Bentley), and the crowd then proceeded up Hillgate, smashing the windows of a house belonging to a Mr Hindley of Hindley & Bradshaws. Next came the factory belonging to William Radcliffe, which had been subject to an arson attack only a few weeks before: this time, the crowd smashed all of the windows there.

In the midst of all this was Thomas Garside, a local Mill owner. Displaying a combination of vanity, foolhardiness & stupidity, he left his house to remonstrate with the crowd in front of a factory. Someone pointed him out and said loudly "kill him, he is a spy" and the crowd set about him, throwing stones at him en masse. Garside knew his days were numbered if he remained in front of the crowd, and on the end of the stones raining down - he ran into the crowd, using his stick to land blows and fight his way through. Eventually, he managed to get away, and headed for some cottages in the hope of finding sanctuary, but many shut their doors in his face or simply refused to open them. Eventually, Garside found a woman in one of the cottages was willing to shelter him, and he had time to catch his breath, being covered in blood and without his hat (which he later considered the be the greatest indignity). But the crowd had followed Garside, and now started to gather outside the cottages. According to Garside, he left the cottage because he feared for his Samaritan's life in sheltering him there, but whatever actually happened, Garside was soon outside again, exposed to the wrath of the crowd, who now surged forward towards him. Garside was on the on the verge of being lynched when an authoritative figure in the crowd came forward, raised his hand and ordered the crowd to stop. They obeyed, many of them copying his stance, and the man came forward to Garside telling him he must go, and that no-one would harm him. The crowd was now silent and parted to allow him through and to escape.

Garside was clear when he later reflected that the Stopfordian working class were overwhelmingly behind what had taken place in Stockport that day. He rewarded the crowd's granting of mercy by writing to the government, hinting at the need for martial law, strong reprisals and summary justice.

But now at nearby Edgeley, the home to many Irish handloom weavers, the properties and dwellings of other mill owners came under attack. Earlier in the day, at 9 o'clock that morning, a crowd had assembled there outside the gates of the factory belonging to John Goodair. Goodair himself was away in London, having possibly fled after being shot at in his house 10 days before, but his wife was at the family home at Edgeley and watched what was occurring with horror - the crowd jeered at her, shouting at her to open the windows, and throwing stones. Unlike Garside, she had the sense to not engage and remained behind locked doors. After an hour, the crowd moved away to join the rioting in Stockport.

But later, she observed from her window that the crowd were returning. She later estimated that around 3000 people were headed towards Edgeley. As they drew closer, she observed something strange - at the head of the crowd were 2 men dressed in women's clothing, whom she later heard being called General Ludd's Wives.

Mrs Goodair knew that she had to flee with her family. She closed all the windows and locked the doors, and was gathering her children in the parlour with the family nurse when her gardener rushed in, urging them all to flee now to avoid the crowd. They just managed to slip away from the gates before the crowd arrived. The crowd set about the Goodair's cottage, with many of them carrying away belongings of all kinds, and as Mrs Goodair drove away to the home of Edmund Sykes, who owned a large bleach works in Edgeley. She glanced back to see flames coming from her house and the crowd giving three cheers.

Goodair's mill was next: part of the crowd smashed all the windows, while others went inside and broke all the Steam Looms, with the semi-completed cloth in them being cut to pieces. Another 3 cheers broke out, and some in the crowd shouted out "now for Sykes", venturing to where Mrs Goodair had just fled.

By now, the military had started to arrive, and prevented the crowd from doing any damage at Sykes'. Mrs Goodair was whisked away to the Buckley Arms in Stockport, her carriage escorted by four Scotch Greys.

Later in the day, the local Magistrates ordered all public houses in the area to be closed.

4th April 1812: Rising tensions in Stockport - almost at boiling point

For a while it seemed that the factory owners in Stockport had begun to accede to the demands of their workers. The use of direct action and the threat of strikes had brought concessions, and at a meeting facilitated by Stockport Magistrates in March, an agreement was reached to raise the wages of weavers by 20%. 12 years later, before a Parliamentary Committee, the weaver Joseph Sherwin, who was on the Stockport Weavers Committee at this time related that the the capitalists were not serious:

"They told me, that they were only making game of us; they said one thing in the presence of the magistrate, and another when they met themselves."

Yet the people who this ruse was being played upon could not bear it any longer. Around this time, the journal 'The Philanthropist' (1812, p316) reported the situation in Stockport:

"Hundreds of families with three or four children have only ten or twelve shillings per week: such families cannot get sufficient food. A considerable number out of work; others only partly employed; poor unable to buy clothes; in rags. Never before saw the labouring poor look so ill, or appearing so ragged; many miserably wretched; a few nearly in a starving state. Parish consists of 20,000, and the proportion of the inhabitants able to contribute very small. The poor rate ten shillings in the pound on the assessment, and likely to bed doubled, many who formerly paid being now obliged to apply to the workhouse for relief."

 For the poor in nearby Disley, the situation was dreadful:

"Necessities of the poor urgent and extreme: the writer had not heard of any place inclosing more indigence and perishing want; many families have sought sustenance from boiled nettles and wild greens without salt" (ibid, p.317)

To make matters worse, many weavers in Stockport were Irish immigrants and therefore had no access to Parish relief. Many of them lived in Edgeley where various manufacturers had installed steam looms in their factories. The contrast between their destitution and the masters' fortunes was written starkly against the skyline that each new hungry day brought.

On Saturday 4th April 1812, the disappointment and anger of the working people in Stockport began to simmer more violently. At a Stockport steam loom factory, several windows were broken by stones being thrown. On the same night, John Goodair, the owner of a similar factory, was sitting in his house relaxing when he was shot at through his windows: he and his family managed to avoid injury despite 11 lead slugs being fired.

The manufacturers had sown the wind in March, and would be reaping the whirlwind soon enough.