24th December 1816: An extraordinary letter is sent to the Home Secretary from an Overseer of the Poor in Derbyshire

Melbourne near Derby Decr 24
1816

My Lord

Permit me to lay before you a statement of the deplorable situation to which this ruined Parish is now reduced, I state no more than plain facts—There are upwards of 2000 Inhabitants 600 of whom have been employed in the Hosiery manufacture the whole of whom are now totally destitute of employment

The master manufacturers having mostly become Bankrupt; the few others have been compelled to relinquish Trade from want of means to carry it on

I myself for one have employed upwards of 200 men but through loss of property have been compelled to decline—The Poor Rates are upwards of 20 Shillings in the pound, and are daily increasing—last week The Overseers were obliged to seize the effects of no less than 40 Houskeepers for arrears of the poor rate, these 40 families of course are becoming claimants, the Workhouse cannot contain the people who apply for admittance—it has been enlarged considerably and still much too small, in fact, unless some means of relief be speedily adopted the whole parish will be reduced to a general state of Pauperism and Beggary—the few Farmers who are left are totally unable to bear up any longer—and must relinquish the cultivation of the soil, The Overseers are totally at a loss how to proceed—we ask advice? we claim assistance and it is from a motive of humanity alone I write to your Lordship, for, to see the distresses of my poor starving Workmen, of the poor in general is sufficient to rend a Heart of stone, the people are quiet, they are Loyall, but surely there is a point of suffering beyond which, it is not in human nature to endure as far as regards myself it is not material whether we have relief or not, I have still the means left of abandoning the Country; which I must shortly do if relief is not given. I have been in the habit of Travelling through most parts of the Kingdom and I can assure your Lordship this is pretty generally the case in the Manufacturing Districts—

His Majesty's Ministers delude themselves in supposing the evil only temporary, it is increasing and will increase unless the master manufacturers can replace their lost property, in short whether you believe it or not Bankruptcy and Beggary is like a Deluge rapidly overspreading the whole Land—

By shutting your eyes and ears against the Cries of all suffering people, you dont get rid of the evil, it is not by stifling stifling complaint, that a remedy is applied! although the bad Harvest has aggravated the evil it would have been little better had that not being the case—Something sufficient must be done soon too.

If I might be permitted a remedy, it would be to enable the poor to cultivate the soil, by giving them permanent employ and compelling Land owners to Allot a small portion of Land to each Cottage, where this is the case poor rates are trifling, but where they are driven by Rapacious Land holders & owners from the cultivation of the Soil to engage in manufactures, there the evil is pressing—if a heavy Tax were laid on all occupiers of Land above 100 Acres it would do much towards a remedy, one Family perhaps occupies 500 or 1000 Acres, this if divided would support 20 Families in comfort

Trade is overdone from it nothing can be expected—

I am
my Lord your Obdt Servt
An Overseer

26th December 1812: Warning signed 'Ned Ludd' posted in Melbourne, Derbyshire

After the raid on Thomas Mitchell's workshop in the early hours of Boxing Day, 26th December 1812, when the Derbyshire town of Melbourne awoke, they found a notice posted in 'a conspicuous part of town'. The notice was signed by 'Ned Ludd' and warned hosiers that vengeance against their property and person would be meted out to them if they demanded work at a rate lower than the agreed prices.

26th December 1812: 10 stocking-frames broken by Luddites in Melbourne, Derbyshire

At midnight on Saturday 26th December 1812, Derbyshire Luddites conducted their first raid in almost a year. a 'large party' of Luddites arrived at the workshop of Thomas Mitchell as Christmas Day was passing into Boxing Day and forced open the door, which lay 30 yards from Mitchell's house. Eleven stocking-frames occupied the upper floor of Mitchell's workshop, and the Luddites destroyed ten of them - windows were broken and the remains of the frames deposited through them. Unfinished work left in the frames was cut up and destroyed.

Mitchell had heard the commotion and came to his bedroom window - Luddites outside the workshop threatened him and waved a pistol at him. They then proceeded to break into his house by destroying a window and set about destroying earthenware and a looking glass.

Three hour after the raid had commenced, the Luddites proceeded to the house of Matthew Nall, 100 yards distant and started breaking a window, but they were disturbed in some way and decided to flee.

Some time later, a hatchet marked 'WC' was found in Mitchell's workshop.

27th December 1811: Address of the Framework Knitters of Melbourne

Melbourne, December 23, 1811

THE Framework-Knitters of this peaceable and hitherto undisturbed Town were very much rejoiced to hear that the Gentlemen Hosiers were taking into their consideration to redress the Grievances the Workmen labour under; and to establish a respectable, regular, and permanent Price, for the making of the different Articles belonging to that extensive and respectable Branch of ENGLISH COMMERCE: In consequence of which, the Framework-Knitters of this Town it indispensably necessary to hold a Meeting, for the purpose of stating the Prices they wish to have for the different Sorts of Work that are making at this Place. And it is hoped that the Gentlemen Hosiers will not think the Statement unreasonable, as we do not wish for any addition to the Price that was settled by One Hundred and Thirty-nine honorable Hosiers, on the 7th of May, 1805, and published in the Nottingham Review, on the 6th of December, 1811. And as there are different Sorts of Work making in this Neighbourhood at the present Time not known at the above Date of 1805, it has been thought necessary to state a Price to those Sorts of Work, and it is hoped that the Gentlemen Hosiers will readily agree to the Statement, when it is considered that it is Sixpence per Yard lower than it was Two Years ago, in the Derby Ribbed Double-looped Piece Work.

THE STATEMENT IS AS FOLLOWS:

DERBY RIBBED DOUBLE-LOOPED CORD.

24 Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1s. 9d.

26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 0d.

28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 0d.

GERMAN RIBS.

21 Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1s. 9d.

24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 0d.

BERLIN PIECES.

                White Worsted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 0d. per Yard. 

Light Drab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 2d.

Dark Drab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 3d.

Dark Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2s. 4d.

The Journeyman’s Price for making the Berlin Pieces, at this place, is 1s. 6d. per Yard, as the Yard in taken in and measured at the Warehouse; and the whole of the extra Price we have, from the Warehouse, for Colours.