27th April 1814: The Mayor of Leicester informs the Home Office that threatening letters are being sent to Hosiers

Leicester April 27th: 1814.

My Lord,

I have the honor to enclose for your Lordship’s information a copy of a Hand Bill issued yesterday. The Gentleman to whom the letter is addressed is one of the principal Hosiers in this Town, & the meeting to which it alludes was a meeting of the Hosiers convened the purpose of considering the necessity & practicability of raising the Stockingmaker’s prices. Mr. James Rawson was not present at the meeting, but some of his relations of the name of Rawson were there & spoke against the necessity of any advance. Myself & the other Magistrates here feel a great anxiety to put down this spirit on its first appearance, & we have therefore, thought fit to join in offering a Reward. I give your Lordship this information that the Government may also take cognizance of it, if your Lordship should agree with us in the paramount importance of endeavouring to crush this spirit of mischief in the bud.—This is the first manifestation of it in this Town, but I am sorry to add that some serious disturbances have taken place at Hinckley upon the same subject, & I understand that the Hosiers there have in consequence yielded to some of the men's demands.

I have [etc]

Willm Walker Mayor

[To] Lord Viscount Sidmouth
&c &c &c

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This letter can be found at HO 42/138.