Dumfries 6 August 1814
Sir
A Correspondence having lately been discovered to have commenced here, betwixt the Journeymen Stocking makers and their Brothers in Nottingham, for the purpose of forming an Association of the Trade to be connected with and dependent upon the General Society of Nottingham, the Master of the Trade became alarmed and made application to the Magistrates of this Town, who upon a Complaint from me as Procurator Fiscal of the Burgh, granted a Warrant for apprehending and bringing before them the persons complained upon for Examination. There were accordingly five Journeymen brought forward, who stated that although they had had some correspondence with the Nottingham Journeymen, they had entered into no resolutions in consequence thereof, nor formed themselves into any Society. They at the same time produced a letter from an S Simpson as Secy of one of the Committees in Nottingham strongly urging them immediately to form themselves into an Association, connected with the principal Society there; they also produced some printed regulations and 60 what Simpson in the letter called Deplomas
The Magistrates as well as the Masters here who are anxious to prevent as much as lies in their power, the diffusion of principles so injurious to the Trade and so subversive of the Peace of the Country have desired me to hand you a Copy of Simpson's letter which is prefixed; I enclose at the same time one of the Deplomas for your Information
I am [etc]
Thomas Fraser
[To] the Mayor of Nottingham
This letter can be found at HO 42/140.
No comments:
Post a Comment