17th December 1813: Lancelot Bellas writes to the Home Secretary for the third time about the spy, Joseph Taylor

Marsden Decr 17th 1813

My Lord

In Your Letter dated the 11th of October [last], you referred me to Mr. Lloyd respecting the Advances which have been paid to Taylor &c by him and Mr. Allison.

At that time I was indisposed, and consequently neither wrote to, nor waited on Mr. Lloyd – Since then I have received a Certificate from him, a true Copy of which I beg leave to insert for Your Lordships Inspection—

Copy

"I certify that the Bearer Joseph Taylor has not specifically received any Sum of money by way of reward from the Government or any others to my Knowledge for his Services in the disturbed Counties

J Lloyd Solr

Stockport 7th Decr. 1813."

My Lord it appears evidently from the above, that all that Taylor has received just covers his Expences, and those who employed in this arduous Enterprize and that no Remuneration has ever been made him from any Quarter for the loss of his Time and those undaunted and signal Services which he performed at the Risk of his Life for the Restoration of Tranquility &c not only in this County but in several parts of Lancashire.

My Lord. I am sorry to observe, that this Business has for sometime been veiled in a State of Obscurity, and hid from your Lordships Eye—But now it is made manifest; and I have not a Doubt from Your Lordships Integrity and uprightness in transacting the Officers of this great Nation, that you will immediately Order Taylor to be recompensed for those great Services which he has performed, and for which he has not been requited.

In humble Expectation, of receiving Your Lordships favourable Answer I beg Leave to subscribe myself on the other side

Your Lordships most faithful and
obedient Servant

Lancelot Bellas

[To Lord Sidmouth]

8th October 1813: Lancelot Bellas writes again to the Home Office about the spy, Joseph Taylor

Marsden October 8th 1813.

My Lord.

I fully purposed meeting to give You nor myself any further Trouble upon Taylors Business. But having received a Letter dated Whitehall the 31st of August wherein You are pleased to say "that the Advances made to Taylor greatly exceed what he has stated in his Account—Probably they may. But to whom has that money been sent, not to Taylor, for he positively avers, and will make affidavit, that the Acct transmitted to Your Lordship is correct—I do not dispute Your Lordships veracity in what you say, neither will I pass any Comment upon Mr. Lloyds letter sent to me and another to Jos: Taylor, which I suppose are both in Your Lordship's Office: I only wish to be informed what money has been remitted on Taylor's Acct and to whom, as he is at present indisposed, and I am apprehensive in a distressed Situation—I have only to observe that I write this at the Request of a respectable Body of Men, who confide in Your Lordships Integrity, and hope you will have the Goodness (after having thoroughly investigated the Business) to recompense him according to his merit, as you in Your superior Judgment shall think meet, for we all think he has been very ungenerously treated—

My Lord, You see by the enclosed Certificate, that he has been a zealous, Active Officer, and has born the Burden and heat of the Day—He now lives in Jeopardy, and has risqued his Life for the Preservation of the Peace of his Country—I am with the highest Regard,

my lord, Your Lordships most
obedient Servant

Lancelot Bellas.

[To Lord Sidmouth]

[Copy of a supposed letter from Joseph Radcliffe, paying tribute to Taylor, which Bellas enclosed]:

I Joseph Radcliffe Esquire one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the West Riding of the County of York do Certify that Joseph Taylor of Failsworth in the County of Lancaster did in the month of October last apprehend and bring before me George Mellor, William Thorp, Thomas Smith and Benjamin Walker charged with the wilful murder of William Horsfall of Marsden in the said Riding Merchant     

Given under my Hand this 15th day
of June 1813.

J: Radcliffe

30th June 1813: A priest from Marsden seeks a reward for the former spy, Joseph Taylor

My Lord

I beg Leave to address you on Account of Mr. Joseph Taylor who has been indefatigable in suppressing and bringing to Justice the Luddites in the west Riding of this County—He was one of the most active of those, who secured the three diabolical Ruffians who murdered my worthy Friend and C:Warden Mr William Horsfall; and he has at different Times exerted himself both in Lancashire and Cheshire (at the Hazard of his Life) upon the same Business—He says, the only Perquisite which he has received from Government was a Suit of Cloaths, and two Pounds five Shillings in Cash: You will see my lord from the inclosed Certificate which my worthy Friend Mr. Radcliffe has given him, that he has taken an active part in order to bring these Vagabonds to condign Punishment and I trust that your Lordship will have the Goodness to procure him a Remuneration for his faithful services. Several Gentlemen in this Vicinity have advised him to Petition the Prince Regent; but I trust from the promises of Reward which were made of him (when he engaged in this perilous undertaking) by the Right Honorable Robert Rider late Secretary of State, that there will be no necessity to have recourse to a Petition—

Your Answer my Lord, will be gratefully
received, by your Lordships most obedient
humble Servant.

Lancelot Bellas Minister
of Marsden,

Marsden near Huddersfield June 30th
1813.

[To Lord Sidmouth]

I Joseph Radcliffe the squire one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace in and for the West Riding of the County of York do here by Certify that Joseph Taylor of Failsworth in the County of Lancaster did apprehend and bring before me in the month of October last George Mellor William Thorp Thos Smith and Benjamin Walker Charged with the wilfull murder of William Horsfall of Marsden Cloath merchant Given under my hand this 15th Day of June 1813

Signed

J.Radcliffe

A Coppy

28th March 1812: West Riding manufacturers turn their Mills into fortresses following warnings

On Saturday 28th March 1812, William Cartwright received a warning from a man called Abraham Pule. Pule was a cropper who had formerly worked for Cartwright before he automated his factory, and had in between times become a dealer in pigs, but was now back working as cropper at Halifax.

Pule told Cartwright that two days earlier at the place where he now worked, Waterhouse's factory, he had been party to a private conversation: the workers there said that they had heard from Huddersfield Luddites, who were planning to attack Rawfolds within the next four nights, unless they determined that Cartwright was "on his guard": if the latter, then the attack would be deferred for between 2 to 3 weeks.

Pule promised to alert Cartwright as soon as he knew the date of the attack. But Cartwright did not trust him, viewing Pule's friendly approaches as "affected motives". In any event, he had been preparing the Mill at Rawfolds for all possible eventualities.

The Mill had a certain built-in defensive nature, in the sense that it was surrounded on one side by the Spen Beck, which effectively acted as a moat. Cartwright had replaced the main door with a more substantial one reinforced with studded iron. Although the ground floor was left unprotected, he intended to use the first floor as his firing platform: the flagstones nearest the windows had been propped up against them to form embrasures, a robust defence for a defender with a musket. Cartwright planned to arm a small number of his workforce when they were needed. Later, he would apply to the Cumberland Militia to station soldiers at Rawfolds.

Cartwright had also planned to raise the alarm, by fitting a bell to the roof with a rope than ran all the way down to the ground floor to allow it to be pealed by those inside. Cartwright later estimated he had spent £80 on his preparations, equivalent to more than £53,000 at today's prices.

Ottiwells Mill (since demolished). The remains of the defensive wall & gun loops can be seen bottom left.

Another manufacturer who had an aggressive & defensive mentality was William Horsfall. Over the hills at Marsden lay the 'manufactory' of his family, Ottiwells Mill. He he had built a stone wall to surround the front of the Mill facing the road, complete with gun loops which could be used by those of his employees he had armed with muskets. Like Cartwright, he had started a night watch at Ottiwells.

A view of William Horsfall's House, Ottiwells House, showing the defensive wall, from the Huddersfield Weekly News, 27th November 1880

One thing that was clear was that any Luddite attacks on such premises would not be the one-sided affairs they had experienced thus far in the West Riding.