29th April 1812: Huddersfield bourgeoisie petition the government for help

To the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Home Department

The Memorial of the secret committee for the preventing unlawful depredations on machinery and Shearing frames in the Town and neighbourhood of Huddersfield in the west Riding of the County of York.

Sheweth,

That the Town and neighbourhood of Huddersfield have been greatly disturbed by the nocturnal depredations of Shearman and other lawless Characters, associated under the pretence of destroying certain shearing frames worked by machinery – but which your memorialists believe to be only a cover the much deeper designs.

That such depredations, having succeeded in destroying nearly all the Shearing frames which are not connected with establishments on a large Scale, proceeded on the 12th inst. to commence a regular attack upon a large mill at Rawfolds in this neighbourhood, occupied by Mr William Cartwright & used entirely free shearing with the obnoxious frames; but, after having kept up a brisk and well directed fire for a considerable time, & attempted to force the doors & windows by large sledge hammers, without effect, they were repulsed; and left two of their party desperately wounded upon the spot, who are since dead.

That the depredators finding themselves unable to destroy the large establishment by force, have changed their plans, and now avow their intention to accomplish their purpose by means of assassination; and that your memorialists have obtained credible information that parties associated for these diabolical purposes, bind themselves by the following Oath,

“I. AB. do swear in the presence of Almighty God that I will be faithful to the Object to which this Oath is taken – moreover that in Case of failure in point of fidelity by any person, I will pursue him to death, and the Verge of nature”. So help me God”

That in pursuance of their new System, the above named Mr. Cartwright strongly suspects he was fired at within a quarter of a Mile of Huddersfield in broad Day, on his way home from the market, but happily without effect - And, but yesterday Mr. William Horsfall of Marsden near Huddersfield, who was one of the principal proprietors and a strenuous supporter of the shearing frames, on his return from the Market early in the Afternoon was waylaid by four persons within a mile and a half from this Town, who fired at him on the Turnpike Road, and lodged four slugs in his Thighs and the lower part of his Body, and he is now lying alive indeed, but without any hope of recovery—

That the respectable and loyal Inhabitants of the Town & neighbourhood are generally deterred from coming forward in support of the outraged Laws of the Country, by threats of assassination, which are held out to all who are acting, or are suppose likely to act in opposition to the designs of these lawless men. And already Joseph Armitage Esqr. the Son of the neighbouring Magistrate, and an active Special Constable has had his Lodging Room twice fired into. And one Mr George Whitehead another active Special Constable has been shot at when going to bed with a candle in his hand, and two slugs and a large piece of Bone lodged in his Apartment. And one Allen Edwards another special Constable in Huddersfield had his low house & Hay Loft set on fire last Monday Evening; and during the fire various reports of the assembling of mobs in different parts, were propagated, and the firing of musquets, sometimes singly, and at other times as if in Vollies, were heard in various directions & appeared to have been intended to divert the attention of the military and call them out of Town, that the Town and prison might be left unprotected in order to afford an opportunity of rescuing several prisoners confined therein, on suspicion of being concerned in the attack on Mr Cartwright’s mill - And some of the military Officers also, have been knocked down in the Streets, and the most violent threats been held out against the whole of them—

That one Betty Armstrong who was suspected of having given information against one of the wounded Men in Custody was assaulted by a mob in a most inhuman way last friday night in the Town of Huddersfield, at the door of an Inn where a piquet of Horse is regularly station, & was rescued from destruction by dragoon at the Hazard of his life – And on the following morning as she was on her way to a magistrate she was again assaulted by a mob at midday, who stand her in such a manner that she now lies languishing at an Inn & her life is despaired of

That while these alarming occurrences have been taken Place the neighbourhood Villages have held meetings (which have been attended by nearly the whole Population) to petition the magistrates not to enforce the Watch & Ward Act, and even the people of Huddersfield have themselves petitioned against it: and, tho’ it may not have been openly declared to the Magistrates, it is well known and openly avowed to be General determination among the lower and middling Classes is to oppose its being acted upon; and hitherto it is not enforced—

That in all the depredations committed by these designing men they have taken away all the fire arms they could collect, and within the last week several Houses have been forcibly entered by armed men and arms taken away, which they have tauntingly said “they would bring back when the wars were over”. And they now boast that they shall soon be able to meet their Enemies in the open day, and in various anonymous Letters they boast their numbers to be nearly 30,000, and possess a connexion with the Roman Catholics of Ireland.

That is such a state of things, the ordinary means of maintaining peace are all together insufficient – the extraordinary ones are not submitted to, and the intended Actors in them scarcely trustworthy — information of the plans of these diabolical men is not to be procured – no rewards a large enough to tempt them – and even unwilling witnesses are in danger of their Lives – the courage of the bold is useless – the timid are terrified – and every loyal man feels himself in jeopardy –

Having disclosed these facts, Your Memorialists leave it to the Wisdom of Government to adopt such measures as it shall think prudent under the existing Circumstances; but your Memorialists cannot conclude without suggesting that any measures short of a general search for Arms, or subjecting the Town neighbourhood to a lenient exercise of military Law, will not have much Avail —

Huddersfield
29th April 1812

Thomas Holroyd
Thomas Allen
W W Stables
Jno. Battye
John Whitacre
Jas. Crossland
Jo: Haigh
Jno. Allison
Francis Vickerman
Thos. Atkinson

17th March 1812: Joseph Radcliffe reports the attack on Vickerman to the Home Office

Sir

I received the favor of yours of the fourteenth yesterday, & the 2 Troop of Dragoons are at Hudfd as mentioned in mine of Saturday last, but not adequate to our wants, for had my repeated request been attended to, I am confident the mischief of which I now enclose an information, might have been prevented. Infantry, might have been quartered at Vickerman's, where the Mob commited their destruction before the Cavalry guard, having their horses at Hudfd (near two miles off) could get to their sleeping quarters, & I do hope Mr S. Ryder will see before it is too late, the necessity of giving us Infantry, as well as cavalry.

To convince the Commander of the District the more of the necessity of our having the 100 Infantry applied for, I wrote to him yesterday, the Letter, as see copy inclosed. The dirty piece of paper herewith also sent had been thrown into Vickerman's premises.—& from the Threatening Letters I have before transmited, & the offer wrote on doors, & walls, of 100 Gs for the Prince Regent's Head, it may be apprehended the present spirit may not end in the destruction of new inventions to expedite Manufactory.—On the 29th Inst I am obliged to go to Lancaster Assizes, & shall not return until Wednesday the first of Apl. Joseph Scott Esq of Woodsome will then be the next resident Magistrate to Huddersfield, should Mr. S. Ryder have any occasion to write, & from Mr. Scott what further Mischief is done will be communicated to your office.—

I also enclose a paper I last night received from the Committee desiring Mr. S. Ryder would send down one or two Bow Street officers. Their expenses will be defrayed by the Committee, & on their arrival at Huddersfield they will please to wait upon Mr. John Horsfall of Thornton Lodge, a short distance from Huddersfield, the Chairman of the Committee to consult upon what measures may be most advisable to be taken.—

& am Sir

Your most Obt
Hbe Servt
Joseph Radcliffe

Milnsbridge house
Marh 17th 1812

7th March 1812: Joseph Radcliffe writes to the Home Office about the lack of troops in the West Riding

Milnsbridge house
March 7th 1812

Sir

In compliance with your letter of Feby 26th saying you will be obliged to me for any further information respecting these unfortunate occurrences in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield, I inclose the four informations given to me yesterday after noon, too late for the post, these with the three before sent, happened from half a mile to one mile & an half of my house. These I now send are from Sarah the wife of John Sykes of Hoylhouse in Linthwait, Saml Swallow [ditto], Jno Swallow [ditto] & Jno Sykes[ ditto];—

On the receipt of yours of 3d Instant, I immediately wrote to Mjr Gn Dixon for 100 Infantry, & I wish my request to you for them, had immediately been complied with by an application to the War office, as it would have saved time & possibly might have prevent’d mischief.

Yours of the 5th is this day received, & shall be communicated to the comittee at Huddersfield without loss of time, & their determination made known to you as soon as I receive it. & am Sir

Your much Obliged
Hbe Servt

J. Radcliffe

Milnsbridge House
Mar 7th 1812.

[to J Beckett Esq]

29th February 1812: Huddersfield 'Committee for Suppressing the Outrages' publishes resolutions & offers a reward

Following the attack on William Hinchliffe early in the morning of the 27th February, some Manufacturers & Merchants in Huddersfield formed themselves into a 'Committee to Suppress the Outrages'. They met at the George Inn at Huddersfield and passed resolutions, agreeing to offer a reward for information. The Handbill below was issued two days later on the 29th February.

27th February 1812: Huddersfield Manufacturers & Merchants form 'Committee for Suppressing the Outrages'

Following the Luddite attack on the premises of William Hinchliffe in the early hours of Wednesday 27th February 1812, Merchants and Manufacturers in Huddersfield convened a meeting later the same day at the George Inn in Huddersfield to discuss what their response should be. The resolutions of this 'Committee for Suppressing the Outrages' and the rewards they offered for information were formally published two days later. The meeting itself was chaired by John Horsfall, the brother of William Horsfall, the manufacturer who had a factory at Marsden that utilised shearing frames. Huddersfield historian Alan Brooke has written a short piece about the 'Huddersfield Elite' manufacturers and merchants at the heart of the opposition to the Luddites in the West Riding:

There were meetings of merchants and manufacturers held as early as 1800 to deal with trade questions, including, no doubt, the machinery question and the Parliamentary enquiries thereinto. For example, a meeting was held in April 1800 in the George to oppose the repeal of the prohibition of wool exports to Ireland.

In response to the growth of the Clothdressers Institution and other clandestine unions, in 1805 a meeting of woollen manufacturers resolved to resist ‘unlawful combinations of workmen ... by all legal means’, in effect agreeing on a blacklist of any workers striking for ‘an advance of wages, or for attempting to enforce regulations contrary to law.’

Among the backers of these meetings occur many of the names who appear later as supporters of Henry Lascelles (see clipping from the Leeds Intelligencer, 24th August 1807, opposite), the Tory candidate in the 1807 County Election, including the Atkinsons (Bradley Mill), the Horsfalls and J Harrop of Dobcross, as well as Whitacre, Jos Scott, Jos Radcliffe, the landowner R H Beaumont and other names too common to be certain they are the same persons, such as the various Brooks and Armitages. These people were also either in the forefront of promoting machinery or in their capacity as magistrates , repressing the Luddite movement.

Lascelles was on the 1806 Inquiry into the Woollen Trade when he made his hostility to the clothiers attempts to limit machinery and retain apprenticeships according to the ancient statutes quite clear. He also attempted to implicate the clothiers Institution with that of the croppers and, by association, with the West of England disturbances of 1802. The machinery question was consequently one of the main issues in the 1807 election, particularly among the Leeds clothiers.

The merchants, manufacturers and magistrates who met in 1812 to repress the Luddites had behind them over a decade of efforts to introduce machinery, lobby parliament to repeal the laws protecting domestic industry and actively suppress working class organisation. The class and political element in the polarisation of local society must have been evident to the participants, even if it is not to some historians.