28th April 1814: George Coldham sends more information about the stockingers Union to the Home Secretary

Nottingham 28th April 1814

My Lord,

I am very much gratified in being enabled to assure your Lordship that the Practice of Framebreaking has been to the present laid aside—The Magistrates are very much gratified to perceive by your Lordship’s last Letter that they were under an entire misapprehension respecting the expiration of the Revision of the Watch & Ward Act. Mr. Lewis Alsopp and Mr Alderman Ashwell my Brother Mr Alderman Coldham and myself within these last few Days had several Consultations on the subject of the present State of this District. All these Gentlemen were Members of the Committee appointed by the Corporation Nottm during the existence of the late Disturbances to assist the civil power in defence of the publick Peace & from former experience we are all of us disposed to repose the most entire confidence in each other’s Zeal and Discretion in the Service of the Publick. Considering the State of Parties here it is very important to those who watch over the Proceedings of the Societies respecting whom I have before communicated to your Lordship to have a Channel of Information connected with each of the political parties here open & accessible to them. We are all of us disposed to think that the great Arm of the United Society the executive Committee is here in Nottingham & if it be we have little hesitation in pointing out some if not all of its Members. We should be glad to have sent down to us one of the printed Constitutions of this Union. It is proper perhaps to inform your Lordship that the Secret Committee of this Corperation has closed its Accounts & is supposed by the Corperation to be fundus officio we who have been lately brought to act in concert on this subject are unanimous in our opinion that it would not be Desireable to have any avowed renewal of the Powers of that Committee because much mischief would arise from any Steps which would have a tendency to shew the persons connected with these Societies that they were under the vigilant Inspection of the Magistrates or the Police. The Bellman of this Town had my Directions some time ago to cry all Meetings of these Societies because I was persuaded in this way we should be more likely to come at the persons & their manner & time of meeting & he has at my request constantly endeavoured to watch over & make out what Information he could respecting them. With little variation he saw that almost all the Meetings are held at the Newton’s Head, Glasshouse Lane kept by one Rollet - that the Money in his Judgement is paid weekly there by the Members of the Society & that the Books containing the Accounts relating thereto are brought there for the purpose of keeping an Account thereof. We think Gravenor Henson Willm Simpson Willm. Latham John Lowater & one Savage are members of the executive [Meiney] or the Committee having the Charge of the Funds of the Society. He has seen all these men continually at Rollet’s but Willm. Simpson Savage & one Vale have been generally those who have given in Directions to give Notice of Meetings relating to the Trade—It is a most Difficult matter to find a Frameworknitter upon whom we can rely to obtain & give us Information Every constable as such is known & is more or less an object of suspicion. It is astonishing how clearly we can perceive that some of the leading Characters as we believe of these formidable Societys are engaged must continually in watching the movements of all Persons evidently acting in opposition to them. I have little Doubt that the late breaking of Frames were Directed by the executive Committee of the Union. In consequence of the more peaceable Demeanour of the People & understood order from the Societies not to break any more Frames the Magistrates have found themselves at liberty to Dispense with the Piquet Guard — which until this moment has been under orders to turn out at an Instants Notice to assist either the Constables or the military Guard of Infantry who in constant preparation for the same purpose as the Guard Recess in a centrical Situation in the Town. I beg to assure your Lordship that no Step shall be omitted to obtain Information & that you may Depend upon our being upon the alert & I am sure the Magistrates of the Town are most anxious that in any way which the Law will justify them in putting an End to this most dangerous & hitherto successful combination.

I am My Lord,
Your’s very obediently

Geo Coldham

[To] Lord Sidmouth

23rd April 1814: The solicitor Louis Allsop tells the Reverend Becher about his plans to employ a spy among framework-knitters

Nottingham
22 April 1814.
Friday Evening

My Dr Sir

I could not possibly reply to your Letter received Yesterday Afternoon by the return of the post. I shall have great pleasure in rendering to You personally any Assistance in my power respecting the Frame-breakers.

The persons who have established the Society we conversed about, when last I saw You; They whom You allude to, as invested with the power & actuated by the Will to preserve the peace of this County will do me the Credit to believe that they can command my Services at any time. But I am apprehensive, you estimate my Services too highly; unconnected as I am officially with the Magistrates, & those persons who have been actively employed in the Investigation of the proceedings before referred to, I am not in the Way of meeting with proper people to be employed in the Discovery of the Mischief, & before I could form the opinion which a discreet man ought to do, it would be necessary for me to know more of those I should employ, than I can possibly do; my Maxim is not to engage to do more than I can perform, and with all then upon a first Communication I am anxious to come to a full Explanation; with this understanding I am quite at your Service. There are certain Individuals in this place, who possess both the means & Inclination to get at the bottom of the proceedings. I have been in the habit of advising with them most confidentially for a considerable time & I have occupied the whole of this morning in a Communication with them & in directing their attention the Investigation of the Society, We spoke about; They have now allowed me the Liberty to mention their names. They are fully alive to the Extent & Danger of the Mischief; we much wanted a Set of the printed Resolutions of the Club, you had when in Nottingham, and if I am not successful in getting a Set (which I have reason to expect) I must beg of You to procure a Copy, & forward to me here. I explained to these gentleman the Substance of the Resolutions, as far as I cd. remember from the hasty perusal I had of them, and my impression thereof—We all agreed as to three of the parties, the same three I named to You, and the probability of the fourth, one only doubt respecting him being that the rest would not trust him—the men agree too, in my Suggestion that the Constitution of this Club is founded upon the Methodist System of Wesley, & this particularly struck one of my Friends as a convincing proof that Latham who is a Methodist was one; many Circumstances came out on comparing our Sentiments, to corroborate each other, not worth while troubling You or myself with—It appears to us quite evident that the principal Actors are in Nottingham and that a person, if possible, shod. be immediately procured to go amongst them, one was thought of, his name not mentioned, but some Circumstances about him came out, which induced me to think he is the same from whom you obtained the Information you stated to me at Nottingham; it was settled that We should obtain Information from Hodgson the printer, by those who could approach him in all of the Meetings & the names of the parties who usually attended at a public house in Glasshouse Lane. The parties suspected and most difficult to watch, as their time appears to be occupied very much in observing the Actions of those whose Intents or Duty they fancy, are in opposition to them. There is a regular communication with these people in Sheffield, where the Workmen have struck & it would be desirable to obtain Information therefrom. Lord Sidmouths attention should be directed to this, & to the propriety of examining at the post office here & that the different places where Committees of this Society are established, the Letters, as some may by chance be sent in that Way, tho’ they doubtless communicate by the Coaches & by private hands. a great difficulty is, what can afterwards be done; Lord S must consider whether the Magistrates have sufft power to seize these people & their papers, if not, such power ought to be given by Parliament, as well as the punishment made greater than the Law deems now to inflict upon persons guilty of unlawful Combinations—The most desirable thing would be to get at the main Springs, because while these Fellows remain untouched, altho’ the minor agents may be punished, the Hydra will always spring up again & particularly as these men are living entirely at the expense of the Society—an opportunity presented itself to me this Evening of making an Enquiry of Hodgson the printer, he printed 5000 of the papers, for which he was paid about 25£ he was employed by a Man of the name of Simpson, Kings place Woolpack Lane—it is my Intention in the Morning, if I can get time, to enquire who this Simpson is; tho’ I understand Hodgson has communicated these matters to some of the County Magistrates—I have this day heard that Latham has been travelling about the Country lately, and has been at Daventry.

Saturday evening

I have not had an Opportunity to obtain Information this day, Hodgson has been twice at Simpsons who is from home, but says he can see on Monday Morning however You had better send me a Copy of the Rules, in Case Simpson shod. refuse to let Hodgson have them—I hear that Latham has been at Tewkesbury.

I am
Mr D Sir
Most sincly Yrs

L. Allsopp

[To] Revd J T Becher

17th June 1812: Thomas Large writes to Thomas Latham about the framework-knitters Bill

1812 June 17

Sir

I have just now Red a Letter from Mr. Roper Dated Mansfield, He says they are there, complaining of the Searchers—Its a most wonderfull thing that when theres a probability of getting the Bill there should be so much objection started perticularly on the Part of the workmen 

But my Dear fellow, I tell you a Secret, I will be Damned!!! if your Trade is incorperated this year, I am sorry, you, and I, Left London when we did, or that when we had Left it,—we did not Return sooner, I am sure if we had staid in Town, our bill would have been in the House a week ago, thats all!! they've been trying the old trick, of having it in this Session, and you know What!! I was Resolved not to stand it, and if the Trade could not be incorperated, what could be done was the Question, The whole Committee of the House [of] commons said—the best way would be, to have a prohibitory bill of Single press—2 course Hole Cut up goods single cotton above No 9—peace work, to be made by the Rack, and Stockings by Schedules,—and we are only know thinking Who is to be the Judges!!! Some think the Justices, and one person says 4 of the parties 2 of each theres a precedent for this, and I like [it] the best I am confident, a bill of this sort would have been obtained before now if we had have stuck to it—Keep this Still—I expect the bill, to go into the House on Friday night, oh! that we had staid in Town it would have been through the House by this. Don't be alarmed, at this alteration for I assure you. Its just what we [obscured] up for, at first, John Smith has again hinted his wish to subscribe, after I told the whole committee of my Lord Birons handsome subscription Lord I have a good heart on it yet and can only say again. Dam my Judgement for staying so Long at Nottm. when we knew them so well, Henson has not yet come, the turn [things] have taken Ren[dered ?] his journey unnecessary to Ireland, I visit them every Day—I opened the scene of Mr Sison and Co yesterday—I told a pretty story to Dan Coke, He says He never talked with him above 10 minutes on the subject—he came up to Town to get Mr Coke to ask for him to go the Bay, with his wife, which he Refused—so you see how it is, I told you it was so

I have heard a prettv tale about Sison—Lord what a character the London Committee give him, they have wrote to Henson of Basford about him I have heard My Lord Castlereaghs opinion about our bill, he says Something must be done Imediately

Good by till tomorrow
I shall write again
Yours Thos Large.

How things will here turn out, no man can tell
Tho—I am still in hopes, they'll turn out well
Adieu—

[Addressed to:] Thos Lathom . . . Nottingham.

14th May 1812: Thomas Latham at Framework-knitters Select Committee hearing

On Thursday 14th May Thomas Latham, another member of the United Committee of Framework-knitters, gave evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committee into the Framework-knitters Petitions.

Latham echoed Thomas Large's comments of the day before about why single press lace should be prohibited. But Latham also spoke of grievances in the plain silk trade: being forced to do 'coarse' work on too fine a gauge frame, resulting in lost income; hosiers reducing wages for 'deficiencies' in work that the framework-knitters can't do anything about. Latham advocated regulation to prevent these abuses.

Latham also spoke of the practice of 'truck' - i.e. wages paid in goods rather than cash. He cited one example of a framework-knitter who was owed £2, 8s, and was given cloth, buttons and other items which he could only sell for 10s & 6.

Latham was asked to talk about what he earned, and he told the committee it was presently 12s for a 6-day week, but that it had been as high as 18-20s up to 5 years ago, which he considered to be a fair wage.

Latham lay the blame on the production of bad or 'fraudulent' work, which had brought the trade into disrepute, and he noted that the retail price of the goods they were producing had not fallen as had the workmen's wages.

7th May 1812: Gravenor Henson writes to Thomas Latham in London

1812. May 7

Nottingham . . .

Mr Latham

Sir

I have just seen the Statesman and dont find a Single Syllable respecting our Business, I feel myself much surprised that Mr Tracey would not receive the Petition from his Constituents without giving you so much trouble. Every thing here is in the greatest anxiety, I can scarce walk the Streets without being stopt to enquire how we are going on and when I go to Town again. Do for Gods sake enquire minutely of Messrs Smith and Coke our Worthy Members, whether any thing is intended speedily to be done respecting the Motion for appointing a Committee on our Business; Inform us how you go on respecting the Petitions, whether any of them have been presented Has the Leicester and Leicester County and Derby County been presented; We have written to Dublin they have not received the Sheets Have you received the Glasgow Petition Has Mr Toplis gone to Mansfield, he has not written to me yet,—We are getting veils [?] of every description, we have a Specimen of Warp Lace, that is superior to any Foreign I have seen; though made of Cotton it has not an Harl in it. The Silk Hands are all Mashing The Specimens of Lace we have ordered are Warp Silk and Cotton Ten Course Hole, Mechlin Warp, Point Nett Cotton 24 Holes to the Inch from 160 No Cotton I Maltby has sent to Manchester for it.—Point Silk Lace made from a 40 Gage 25 Holes to the Inch, We shall have it run in a superior manner by the best Hands in Town We have hopes of obtaining something entirely new in the Plain Silk Trade, The Rack has been apply'd in Principle to the Plain Frame it Works safely by pulling over the Arch and the Presser, the German Ribb has been counted to Day, More counting will go forward to morrow I have begun the Schedules, Inform me If you have recd. the Fleecy Gloves from Lowater and what Mr Waisbell says, We have some Worsted Single Thread Hose if you want them Leicester has sent for Five Pound we have not sent it, till their Witnesses is wanted Do not engage Lodgings while you are sure they are not wanted, I think I would defer it till the Committee was appointed

If you want me write I should like to remain here as long as possible; Send me word when you shall want any Witnesses, If you have pressing need of Mony which I think you have not write, I am extremely harr[ied ?] I have such a multiplicity of Business 

I think I request enough at once Do not fail Writing a minute Account, and for that purpose get a Frank for the Benefit of a Doub[l]e Letter

I Remain as Ever
Yours sincerely
G Henson

PS Roper, Greensmith, and Bowler desire to be remembered to you, they want to know if London is improved in Smell.

[Addressed to] Mr Latham . . . London.

3rd April 1812: Thomas Latham writes to Framework-knitters with a copy of the Petition to Parliament

1812. April 3

Committee Room Nottingham

Sir

You are desired by the Committee to give Notice to the Workmen of your Town and Neighbouring Villages, that you have received a Copy of the Petition, which you will have the goodness to get signed and kept very clean, You must forward it to Nottingham when Signed by Thursday next at farthest you will not fail as the Petitions from all Parts must be in London by next Saturday

I remain Sir
Yours with the utmost Respect

Thos. Latham.

NB All the Males in the Trade may sign but no Women.

---

1812.

To the Honourable the Members of the united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled.

The Humble Petition of the several persons whose Names are hereunto subscribed the Frame work knitters of the County, and the Town, and County of the Town of Nottingham.

Sheweth

That great deceits exhorbitances and Abuses are used and Practised by many of the Professors of the Art and Mystery of Frame work knitting, and by Persons denominated Hosiers and Lace Manufacturers and that many intrusions are made by inexperienced and unskilful Workmen to an extent not only alarming to ourselves but distructive to the Trade in general for which grievances we cannot obtain redress without the aid and Wisdom of Parliament.

Your Petitioners therefore most humbly Pray that leave may be given to bring in a Bill for speedily redressing those grievances of which we have so much reason to complain under such regulations and restrictions as to this Honourable House shall seem meet.

6th March 1812: Thomas Latham of the Framework-knitters Committee writes to Leicester

1812. March 6

Committee Room . . .
Sir

We have Rd. yours of the 4th Inst, and are not a Little suprised (considering our object the same, that our indeavours in the attainment of that object should be different) we supposed from the first of our existence as a body that to Petition the Legis[la]ture to take off the orders [in] Counsel though good in itself, would not have the effect of removing our grievances as to the nature of our trade; therefore attention at the beginning of this business has been solely Directed to this one object, of applying for a Legislative enactment to regulate the various branches and indeavour to root out the abuses of our Trade, we soppose if our object is not attained now, it never will be, and the orders in counsil have nothing to do with the regulations of our trade, for we are indeavouring to get Regulations what work shall be made, and how, it shall be made, and if we succeed we trust those regulations will exist when the orders in Counsil shall be no more, we do not mean to condemn your proceedings, but we would much rather your exertions were united with ours, in the attainment of the necessary Regulations, and we hope, and trust, the day is not far distant, when those orders (which we feel as much as you) must positively be taken off to satisfy the minds of millions of distressed Manufacturers—We are happy to hear that your meeting was so well attended, that good order, and unanimity prevalid, we certainly expected some information. Respecting the abuses that exist in Leicestershire in the two needle branch, we wish to put them in a regular train, and send them to Parliament, to prove the necessity of their interference—we have wrote 3 Letters to Mr. Nickols of London our Letters and his answers were Laid before the Hatton Garden Magistrates, they allowed him a Runner, to assist him in calling a meetting they have had a meeting, and promise every assistance in their power,—nay, the Magistrates have so far interfered as to Lay the correspondence, before the Secy, of State, we have not heard the result, be we hope every thing

we have calld a general meeting for monday next, March the 9th we should be glad to see some Leicester friends over

by order of the committee Yours Respectfully

Thos. Latham