5th January 1812: Arson at Mansfield

On the evening of Sunday 5th January, a hay stack belonging to a Mr Dodsley from Mansfield was set alight. The stack weighed 20 tons and was partially destroyed in the resulting fire before it could be extinguished. A reward of £400 was later offered for information about the arsonist(s).

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As reported in the Leeds Mercury of 18th January 1812 and Conant & Baker in their report at HO 42/119. The £400 reward is equivalent to £19,900.00 using the retail price index or £261,000.00 using average earnings in 2009 values.