15th February 1813: The Deputy Town Clerk of Nottingham reports shots fired at an employer

Nottingham 15th Feby 1813

My Lord

By direction of the Mayor and Aldermen of this Town our report your Lordship that a most daring outrage was committed in the Town at 6 oClock yesterday morning by some person firing Slugs into the supposed Lodging room of a Mr Samuel Ash a Manufacturer of Braces and other Network. Suspicion attaching to several men the Mayor & Aldermen sat the whole of yesterday and were engaged in examining the Persons whom they apprehended until 12 oClock last night. Two of them Thomas Kirke & Thomas Neaps were committed to prison for further Examination. In the House of Kirke a large Pistol was found — concealed in a hollow part of the floor in a room in his House which is called here the House place where the Family usually reside; and it is the opinion of Major Humphrey who are seen and examined the Pistol that it had been recently fired off and that it is sufficiently large to have fired from it the Slugs found in Ash’s room

There was also found in Ash’s Kirke’s House a Bayonet and Hanger and from the facts disclosed upon his and other mens Examinations there is strong ground of Suspicion that he and Neaps have been concerned in this Transaction. There is not at present any positive proof against either of them but the Magistrates hope as upon further Investigation something will transpire to lead to the detection of the offenders.

I have [etc]
H Enfield
Dy Town Clerk

P.S.
Your Lordship will
have the goodness to excuse
the hurried writing of this
letter — Time allows not
of any Copy

[To] The Rt Honble Lord Sidmouth

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This letter can be found at HO 42/132.