19th July 1816: Heathcoat & Boden make preparations to leave Loughborough

The Leicester Chronicle of 27th July 1816 carried an article from the Nottingham Review (most probably published on 19th July 1816), about the preparations being made by Heathcoat & Boden to leave Loughborough, following the Luddite attack on 29th June:

We are sorry to find, that Messrs. Heathcote and Boden, of Loughborough, have this week been employing several people in making cases and packing up the fragments of their lace-frames, preparatory (according to general conjecture) to their removal to Tiverton, in Devonshire. All idea seems therefore given up of repairing them and continuing the business at Loughborough. This decision is variously accounted for: amongst the rest of the reasons, some say, that the apathy of the inhabitants of the town in not coming forward in a public manner, to aid in the detection of the offenders, has [given] considerable disgust. Now, whether there is any truth on this, or not, we cannot determine. But, it does appear a little singular, that in December, 1811, when some frames were broken at Sheepshead, the Loughborough Association came forward, on public grounds, and offered one hundred guineas reward, whereas, upon this recent outrage, it has been completely silent.—The removal, however, of the above-mentioned firm from Loughborough, seems likely to create a host of new adventurers there. “All hands aloft” appears to be the order of the day, in talking about forming connexions, making machines, and getting rich in a trice. A Leicester hosier has, undoubtedly, just taken a house at the town in question, and is on the point of erecting, forthwith, an extensive factory of the lace kind, which is expected to give employment, by and by, to a good many of the numerous hands now laying idle; whose droopings spirits are already considerably enlivened by this prospect of better times.—Nottingham Review.