4th February 1817: Charles Mundy informs the Home Secretary that 9 Luddites have been committed for trial

Burton february 4th 1817

My Lord

I have the Honour to inform your lordship that yesterday the following persons were finally committed for trial. Savage Thomas Savage, Joshua Mitchell, John Slater, John Crowther alias Crowder. John Amos William Withers William Towle, Samuel Caldwell, alias Calder, on the deposition of John Blackburn, William Burton & John Blackburn were of course committed on their own confessions. the moment the very long deposition of Blackburn (which is now more fully made out than the short one on which I have hitherto acted & which I had the honour of transmitting to your Lordship) is copied I shall have the Honour of laying it before your Lordship.—The confirmatory evidence will be extremely voluminous & more strong and perfect in a complete chain than I have ever recollected to have met with under similar circumstances.—This I shall do myself the Honour of  transmitting to your Lordship as I collect it if it is your Lordships pleasure I should do so. it must, as I observed before, be collected by degrees: with great caution.—a prosecution of this nature cannot be carried on with any hope of success without very considerable expence. the evidence going to be searched for at Nottingham & the adjacent villages. on all roads leading from Nottingham to Loughborough, and at Loughborough & the villages contiguous thereto. many witnesses must also be brought from Tiverton in Devonshire to which place Heathcote and Boden have removed with most of their confidential workmen. I take the liberty of naming these circumstances to your Lordship is a question naturally arises as to the means whereby these expences are to be defrayed.—as far as the business has gone I ventured to act [given] the importance of the case & the necessity of prompt exertion I have of course been obliged to apply for information and the means of obtaining [confession] of the persons of the prisoners to the very active & will well [arranged] police at Nottingham. I am speaking merely of the Police & have receiv’d the most active & zealous assistance from Mr. Enfield the Town Clerk who is officially the superintendent of it. Mr. Lockett of Derby who is agent & solicitor to Heathcote & Boden I was likewise necessitated to apply to for various documents in his possession and it is impossible for any thing to have exceeded his seal & activity in this business since his arrival. I shall be oblig’d to seek assistance from Mr. Cradock of Loughborough in the progress of the collecting the evidence. Hitherto I have I have performd nearly the whole of the business with the evidence in the neighbourhood of Loughborough myself but some assistance will certainly be required between in this time & the assizes.—It is for this reason that I presume to state to your Lordship the necessity of it being known whether any pecuniary assistance is to be expected from his Majesties Government. and also whether my [illegible] for the apprehending such as the Gang as one not at present in custody should be held out

Hill & Disney are notorious persons as Luddites and it would be an object to get hold of them the others are perhaps of less consequence. the man calld little Sam will easily be discovered being gone under escort to the depot at the Isle of Wight. your lordship will see when the whole of the information derivd from Blackburn & Burton is laid before you that the persons now in custody and those who have absconded have been the leading people in all the destructive practices, known in this part of the kingdom by the title of Ludding, for some years.—

I have [etc]
C.G. Mundy

[To] The Right Honourable
The Secretary of State for the Home Department.

23rd January 1817: Informer's report on Nottinghamshire Luddites

23d January 1817.—

On Sunday last 2 men whose names I dont came to my House and asked me if I had heard Nottingham that morning—This was just before dinner—I went out with them at their request and they told me that Jack Blackner (Blackburn) was telling all he knew and that 7 were taken that morning and conveyed off to Leicester in Chaises and he also, with the Constables—They desired me to let all know of this who had been with him on any Job or that he could tell of and they desired me to go to Hucknall—They told me the Committee had sent to Arnold—I met Barker of Bulwell on Monday and he told me they had made a damned smash at Nottingham and had taken 7 and Slater, that Burton of Basford and Badder were amongst them—He said Blackburn had been telling and had caused their apprehension but he thought he did not know him for he only saw him in the night and that he had only been with those Chaps at two Jobs viz at Loughbro’ and New Radford and that Blackburn was not at New Radford but that his brother Christopher was.—He stands his ground but is on the alert ready for a start in case he should see any one appear he may not like the sight of—I went to Hucknal on Sunday and told Benjamin Butler what I heard that he did not give me any information of any one who was concerned either in the Loughbro’ or any other affair—He undertook to let them Chaps know—I was with Badder last night and the night before at Parr’s and Scattergoods—He told me they had taken Rodney (viz Wm Towle) who was one concerned in the Felony at Chapman’s Tent on the Forest ([query] should not Towle be brought to Nottingham for this offence) Badder told me it was Blackburn (he called him Blackner) who had been telling that had caused the apprehension of them—He lamented very much the affair and said they were going to try to get the three Counties of Leicester, Derby and Nottm to join and rescue them from Prison and also Blackburn and put him to death and he said there was a man not at all connected with them who would give £200 to have him dispatched for his Treachery—I have heard many people exclaim very much against Blackner’s Treachery and declare he ought to die for it—Badder also told me they had got Watson of Basford away who was going to tell before about the Loughbro’ Job but he was dissuaded from it by Jesse Towle—Watson was there, as Badder, Barker and Lomas have told me—Barker told me there were 5 from Lambley but he did not tell me their names—Badder laments much about Slater and Mitchell being in custody and that he should like to die to rescue them.

20th January 1817: Charles Mundy reports that the suspected Luddite have arrived at Leicester Gaol

Burton January 20th 1817
near Loughborough
Leicestershire

My Lord

I have the Honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordships letter enclosing a copy of the Statement given by James Towle to the High Sheriff for this County for which I beg leave to return my most grateful acknowledgements. It arrived at the same time with the Nottingham Police Officers, who brought Savage, Mitchell, Slater, Amos, Crowther, Withers & Burton taken very directly & quietly in the course of the preceding night at Nottingham, they are all now in the Gaol for this County for further examination.—Coldwell, discribed in Towles narrative as having been a Dragoon, is taken at Tewkesbury, I suppose I may expect him tomorrow or next day. Burton is a very young man, much agitated, & will I doubt not soon confess. I have ordered him to be kept separate from his companions & alone & shall visit him tomorrow. Another confession may be of service as the manifestations of the Luddite system are so various it is not to be expected one person should be able to lay open the whole. Of course I shall take care to make no promises.—Your Lordship may rely on my omitting no opportunity of obtaining information & immediately having the Honour of transmitting it to your Lordship either from the quarter from whence my former information was derived or from any other that seems worthy of credit.—I am sorry to say that the aspect of affairs in this part of the Kingdom wears a very serious appearance & the immense number of persons out of employment & of course in the utmost distress affords an opportunity to the evil disposed which your Lordship is well aware they will not fail to avail themselves of.—

I have the Honour to remain
My Lord
your Lordships most obedient very Humble Servant
C. G. Mundy

[To] The Rt Honble the Secretary of State for the Home Department

19th January 1817: Henry Enfield reports to the Home Office that suspected Luddites have been arrested

Nottingham Sunday Eveng, 19 Jany
1817

Sir

Lord Sidmouth that has been apprized, by a Communication from Mr. Rolleston, of the Hope entertained that material Disclosures relative to the Framebreakers would be made by John Blackburn, a prisoner, under charge of an Attack upon Lord Middleton's Gamekeeper.

J Blackburn’s Examination has occupied principal part of the last week—& his Disclosures have been very satisfactory—so much so that it was determined at Thursday night, by Mr Rolleston & Mr. Mundy that warrants should be issued by the Latter (as a magistrate of Leicestershire) for the apprehension of all Towle’s surviving Co-actors in the outrage at Loughborough—I received from Mr Mundy yesterday Evening thirteen warrants & in the course of last night Seven of the men were taken—the remainder I hope soon, I have no doubt, have a good Account of—Those taken are Joshua Mitchell, Jack Slater, Thos. Savage (these 3 most dreadful fellows you will at once remember) Amos, Crowther, Withers & Burton—They were sent off in Chaises this morning to Mr. Mundy—& I have this moment received a letter from him, saying that they have been before him, & are sent to Leicester—"that his old friend Slater Scowled black at him & that Burton was inclining to confess"—Slater is still open to Indictment for Framebreaking

The greatest Exertions will be made to obtain Confirmatory Evidence—& we are full of hope & expectation of ultimate success—

I have [etc]
H. Enfield

[To] J. Beckett Esqr

19th January 1817: Lancelot Rolleston reports the arrest of 8 suspected Luddites to the Home Office

My Lord

I have the honor to acquaint your Lordship, that the confession of John Blackburn has led to the apprehension of those individuals, who have for so many years infested this county. In the course of last night, Josiah Mitchell, Tho. Savage, John Amos, John Slater, John Crowther, and Wm. Withers of the town of Nottingham were taken into custody; John Plumb, & Saml. Cordwell alias the Dragoon have also been apprehended;

The constables are now in pursuit of William Towle, Aron Daykin John Hill & John Disney alias Sheepshead Jack, & I have every reason to hope they will be successful. With the names of many of these individuals I believe your Lordship acquainted, especially those who broke Messrs Heathcote & Boden's frames at Loughbro’; but I find many of them so deeply implicated in almost every atrocity perpetrated since the system of Luddism commenced, that I beg leave to submit to your Lordship whether his Majestys Government may think proper to interfere in their prosecution.

I have [etc]
Lanct. Rolleston

Watnall
Jany 19th