21st January 1813: The Gaoler of York Castle writes to the Home Offfice about the late executions

York Castle _ 21 Jany [1813]

Mr Beckett
Sir

I beg to Acknowledge the Receipt of your Letter this morning, from which I am sorry to find that no Information has been forwarded to Lord Sidmouth or Yourself relative to the Executions of the 17 Unhappy men, 14 of whom Suffered last Saturday, three also Suffer’d on Friday the 8th Inst for the Murder of Mr Horsfall, the Account given generally the Executions in the Publick Prints are nearly Correct, except in the Instance, where the Leeds Paper States that the three Murderers Confess’d their Guilt, they by no means did so for when the Revd G Brown the Chaplain urg’d them to Confess at the Fatal Tree, they requested him not to Put any Questions to them and they were Immediately launch’d into Eternity,—

As to the other 14 men, they all Confess’d their Guilt, and Acknowledged the Distress of their Sentence, and did all true penitents, from the time of that Awfull Sentence being pass’d upon them, they never Ceased from Using their last Efforts to Obtain forgiveness from God, And I have a pleasure in Adding that during the Course of 22 Years that I have been a Witness to Such Cases, I never Saw more Sincerity in Repentance of Prisoners, than in the last 14 who Suffered, the Immense Number of People that Attended upon that Occasion was great indeed.

Attendance of both Foot Soldiers, as also three Troops of Dragoons Added to the Solemnity of that Awfull Scene, and must also had a Serious and proper Effect upon the publick mind, and I trust and do most Sincerely hope that this sad (but necessary) Example will induce those wretched and Ill advised persons in the West Riding to Consider the fate of the late Comrades, and induce them to return to the parts of Peace & Honesty,—

As to any information given by the prisoners during the time they were under Sentence of Death, Nothing Whatever to my Knowledge transpired, except, the Robbery of Balm Mill near Cleck Heaton the prisoner James Hey Confess’d that he and J. Carter who was an Evidence for the Crown, was the two persons who did Commit that Robbery,—

Upon the liberation of Joshua Haigh a Soldier in the 51st Regt of Foot (which you will perceive by the Calendar) he Informed me that one of the Murderers with whom he had formerly Slept, had Communicated to him the place where a Quantity of Guns, &c &c were deposited, & Could be found in the Neighbourhood of Huddersfd, in Consequence thereof I spoke to Genl Maitland and he dispatch’d a party with Haigh in Search thereof, but whether or not they Succeeded in finding them I have not been Obliged to learn,

My Extra Care and duty have been for Sometime very laborius, as also Expensive to me – by Additional Servants &c, which I have Stated to Mr Hobhouse a few days Ago, and I Should hope will in Some Small degree be Consider’d, having I flatter myself fulfill’d my Office to the Satisfaction of Government and the County at large,

I Remain Sir with respect
Yr Obt Hble Sert
Wm Staveley

B—Since my Writing the above I have Seen the Revd. G. Brown, who informs me that during his Visits to those Unforte Men, he put this Important Question to them “viz — In this Society formed by you and others, was there, or not, any Persons of high Station in Life Connected,—the Answer was NO, the Reason of the Chaplain Asking that Question, was owing to the Circs of Some of those men having Money paid weekly to them, as my Report,—

W.S.

12th January 1813: The trial of James Hey, Joseph Crowther & Nathan Hoyle for a robbery at Fartown

On Tuesday 12th January 1813, the remaining trials of the York Special Commission were held.

The first case was against James Hey (aged 25, a woollen-spinner), Joseph Crowther (31, a cotton-spinner) & Nathan Hoyle (45, a weaver) for the robbery of James Brook at Fartown on 29th November 1812 & for stealing from him and placing him in fear. All three pleaded Not Guilty.

James Alan Park set out the case of the prosecution, stating that James Brook was himself a poor man, a coal-miner and went to describe the prisoners “men in an inferior station in life”. An accomplice, Joseph Carter, was again witness for the Crown.

Park went on to describe the circumstances leading up to the raid: that a witness, Edward Crowther, took part in a conversation with Nathan Hoyle and another man called Jonas Mitchell on the day of the robberies at Deighton and Fartown where the plans for that evening were laid out, and it was proposed to meet at 7.00 p.m. that evening. The two other men did not turn up, but they met Hoyle the next day at noon, and Hoyle said the group had done ‘exceedingly well’.

Park stated that, in the evidence he gave when he was examined on 16th December, Joseph Crowther admitted he had taken part in the robberies, but that he was led on by the others.

A description of the raid was given, and the case was summed up by Mr. Justice Le Blanc. After that, James Brook gave evidence and related the raid in detail. Throughout his evidence, Brook would not positively swear that James Hey was the leader of the group who spoke to him that night.

Next, the witness for the Crown, Joseph Carter, gave evidence. Carter had taken part in the raids at Deighton & Fartown that night. Carter’s account of the raid at James Brook’s differed in some respects from the evidence given by Brook himself, principally in that he did not witness the words spoken and also threats made against Brook’s children in the house. Carter admitted that he had given evidence against his accomplices in the hope that it would save him.

The men that had got cold feet, Jonas Mitchell & Edward Crowther, also gave detailed evidence. Both men had given evidence to the magistrate, Joseph Radcliffe, after they had heard what had happened or had been taken up respectively.

The Huddersfield solicitor, John Allison, gave evidence that Joseph Crowther had given evidence of what had happened before Joseph Radcliffe freely ‘without promises of threats’, and Crowther’s evidence was read out in Court.

Two employers of James Hey, Robert Thomas Bradbury of Copley Mill and a Stephen Broadbent spoke about the good character of Hey. No one spoke for the two other prisoners.

The Jury retired at 12.20 p.m. and returned five minutes later, finding all three men Guilty.

11th January 1813: The trial of Job Hey, John Hill & William Hartley, accused of burglary

The second case heard on Monday 11th January 1813 was that of Job Hey (aged 40, a waterman), John Hill (36, a cotton spinner) & William Hartley (41, a tailor), who were accused of a burglary at the home of George Haigh at Skircoat on 29th August 1812. They all pleaded Not Guilty.

James Alan Park started the case by saying that he hoped the trial would not last as long as the previous one.

Park set out the details: that George Haigh, a wool-stapler living at Copley Gate near Skircoat, was in bed when he was knocked up between 11.00 p.m. at night and 1.00 a.m. in the morning on Saturday 29th August. The men on the other side of the door said that “my master, General Ludd, has sent me for your fire arms”. Although Haigh protested he had none, the men were insistent, and one of Haigh’s servants called Tillotson advised him to surrender his guns – although he had many more, Haigh gave only a musket and a pistol. It was the pistol that Park contended was now in the possession of a witness to the case, albeit in a modified state. The men outside demanded entrance and banged the door, so much so that one of them  broke the stock of his musket doing so, the remains of which were left behind. During the raid, Tillotson was told that his master should lower the price he sold his milk for.

An accomplice who had turned King’s Evidence, Joseph Carter, stated that William Hartley was the leader of a group that had met at 10.00 p.m. that evening for the raid, and that it was Job Hey that had broken the stock of his musket on the door. Park contended that a pistol later retrieved from Hey’s house was the one taken from Haigh during the raid that night.

Park read out the confession that all three prisoners had given as to their taking part in the raid that night. He assured the Jury that they had not been neither intimidated, threatened not given any promises.

Mr. Justice Le Blanc summed up the case, and then George Haigh was the first to give evidence in detail about what had happened that night. He remained on his staircase throughout and could not identify any of the prisoners.

Haigh’s servant, Tillotson, gave detailed evidence about the raid next, stating that the musket given over had no ramrod.

Next, the accomplice, Joseph Carter a cotton-spinner from Greetland, was called and stated that he, the three prisoners and up to 6 others took part in the raid. The evidence given corroborated that given by Haigh and his servant Tillotson.

Sergeant Thomas Clarke of the Suffolk Militia was next to give evidence. He had gone to arrest Hey early in December and had found he was storing just over 3 lbs of gunpowder at his house. He also admitted to storing a pistol in his house. The pistol was produced in Court, and examined by Haigh and Tillotson: Haigh had only owned his pistol for 6 weeks, and examining it, they were reluctant to swear it was the same one, as this pistol was scratched and well-used, although it was of the same type.

Two witnesses, a Mr Bradbury and a Mr Hollingworth spoke for the character of John Hill, describing him as industrious, honest and sober. Bradbury also spoke for Job Hey, who he described ‘fair’.

The Judge summed up the case and the Jury immediately announced that they found all three prisoners Guilty.