24th August 1812: The Stockport solicitor, John Lloyd, reports the success of the Oath of Allegiance to the Home Office

Chester 24t Aug 1812

Sir

Mr Hobhouse will inform you of our success here. We have convicted a man for administering an unlawful oath and others. The principal article of Intelligence I have to communicate, is, what will give you pleasure, as it has done me & the Judges as well as others interested for the public peace & welfare of the Country — It is contained in a letter I have this day received from my friend at Stockport who is in the profession & left by me to attend such business in my absence.

I shall extract from it the material information —viz

“Stockport
Saty night 11 P.M.

It has occurred to me that you wou’d like to know how I have been occupied this morning — since it has been in a way most agreeable & in your Office a circumstance rather unusual

The mercy of Government offered to penitent Sinners will I am certain be productive of the happiest Effects & be the means of bringing back many a stray sheep into the right way upwards of 20 from Hollingworth have this morning signed their recantations and taken the Oath of Allegiance. I never saw joy more gratefully manifested than in the poor fellows’ countenances in embracing the munificent Offer & I dare to be answerable for their becoming excellent Subjects for the future. Strangers seem to have introduced the oath into that neighbourhood but I think they may be easily discovered — The taking of Jonathan Hollingworth whom you have at Chester and of Massey & Band [mentd in Donnelly's informatn] who were taken yesterday and are in the Stockport Prison now has produced a terrible Effect sensation about the Township of Hollingworth and I expect we shall have some hundreds coming for absolution.

One of your Clerks arrived this morning I was glad to see him as I do not feel quite up to the business left to my management” &c &c

We had two persons here to give Evidence that had been twisted in & we administered the Oath of Allegiance to them previously in open Court which had seemed to me to have an admirable Effect

I have [etc]

J. Lloyd

J. Beckett Esq
&c &c.

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This letter can be found at HO 42/126.