7th September 1816: A portrait of the weavers' distress in Bolton

The Leicester Chronicle of Saturday 7th September 1816 carried a report about the situation facing weavers in Bolton, Lancashire:

Out of 4635 looms at Great Bolton, in Lancashire, 1432 are standing still from want of employment. The same proportion of looms are standing in Little Bolton. Many more are on their last warps; and to increase the misery of the labouring manufacturers the masters are refusing to credit them any advance of wages.—The poor rates are doubled, but may be doubled again without affording the desired relief to the poor.