27th May 1816: The Duke of Grafton sends the Home Secretary an update on the state of Suffolk

Bury May 27.
1816

My Lord

I had the honour of acquainting your Lordship by the Post of last night from this place, that I had found such parts of this County as I had passed thro’ perfectly undisturbed, in consequence of the judicious measures of the magistracy, and the appearance of a small detachment of regular Cavalry, chiefly stationed at Bury & at Brandon. I had not then time to inform yr Ldship that I yesterday visited the Gaol, and examined various prisoners committed to it, as promoters, or abettors, of the late Disturbances, and tho’ there are artful individuals amongst them, particularly a writer of several inflammatory letters, & hand bills, I am not disposed to think, from any information which I have been able to obtain, that the disturbances, or fires which have taken place, are to be ascribed to any organized system of persons above the rank of the labouring Classes

The shock experienced by the whole of the agriculturalists, from the depression of the produce of all landed property since the last harvest, has fallen, with peculiar severity, upon all those whose subsistence depends upon their dayly labour, from the impossibility of their finding regular employment, men at reduced wages, and the difficulty of collecting poor Rates, at a period of general distress, in order to supply the wants, & increas'd privations of the poor. Under these circumstances, a spirit of discontent has prevailed during the winter, & have since been excited to shew itself by inflammatory writings, in tumultuous meetings for the purpose of destroying machinery calculated to diminish manual labour, or with threatening to induce the employers, & the overseers to increase the rates of Labour, & parochial allowances.

A well attended meeting of the magistrates was held this morning, in which all the topics touching the present situation of affairs in the County as connected with the late disturbances, were discussed; the result of which has been a perfect understanding amongst the magistracy of the principles, upon which the poor are to be maintained, but, if possible, employed. Also a clear communication between magistrates & Commandants of Yeomanry Cavalry as to the times & places, at which a greater or smaller detachment could be got together & the fullest Confidence established on the one hand, in the prompt co-operation of this Corps, if necessary, & on the other, of their not being called from their usual, and now, more than ever necessary domestic or agricultural Avocations, unless the Security of any part of the County itself was considered to be in danger.

In aid, & co-operation with this Corps & mounted special constables have been considered as likely to give & to receive confidence by joining the ranks of Yeomanry Cavalry, & I have no doubt but that if Swords could be allowed for such number of men of this description as it may be found useful to employ on the present occasion, it would give additional confidence to the men themselves as such as have a tendency to prevent tumultuous meetings.—

With regard to the measures taken by Lieut: Gen: Sir John Byng, with whom I have personally communicated this morning on the regular force required in certain points within the County, & of the Stations most convenient for Cavalry, with a view to the general object of throwing in detachments in whatever part of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, or Essex they may be required, he will have better Explained to your Lordship, than I can, these arrangements.

There undoubtedly are some places in this County which require a small military force such as is stationed in them, to give Confidence to those who act under the direction of the magistrates, & I trust I may assure your Lordship, such is my sense & that of the magistrates of the possible demand for troops at the moment, that a stronger military force, than appears indispensably necessary, will not be required by the civil authorities this County.

I take the liberty odds of all observing your Lordship that the wording of the royal proclamation does not appear sufficiently defined to meet an uniform construction from the magistrates who may have to act under it, or from the parties, who may be interested in pursuing offenders to Conviction—The reward is offered to each and every person who shall be convicted of any of the aforesaid felonies—Now the mere breaking or destroying a threshing machine or other instrument of husbandry, unless a riot be actually existing at the time, I am given to understand, amounts only to a misdemeanor in law; and I have therefore to request the favor of information from your Lordship whether the reward is intended to extend to convictions not of a Capital nature as well as to those, which are Capital.—

I have the honor to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's
most obedient humble Servt

Grafton

25th May 1816: The Duke of Grafton is concerned that East Anglian labourers may be encouraged by the events at Downham Market

Clarges Street May 25th

My dear Lord,

I received a letter this Morning from a very sensible Magistrate in Suffolk, who resides on the border of Cambridgeshire giving many particulars of the riot at Downham in Norfolk, which I had not heard before.—The point insisted on by the Mob, was that flour should be sold at 2/6 per Stone, and that labour should be at 2d per day; but finding themselves in force, there seemed to be no outrage for which they were not ripe, and excesses of various kinds were committed without bounds.

Should these rioters have succeeded in their object of fixing the price of food and labour, my correspondent observes (not knowing precisely termination of affairs in Norfolk & at Ely) that it is not likely that the population of the vicinity should be quiet; and that he has heard it currently reported that Cambridge will be in a state of Commotion this day, as well as the Villages of Soham, & other populous places in Cambridgeshire, on the borders of Suffolk. Such a report however may have no other foundation that the wishes of those who circulated it; nevertheless it is a very probable course for the current of disturbance to take; and with a view to such a state of things, or any which can arise in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, or Essex, I beg to submit to your Lordship whether the Town of Newmarket is not better calculated, in a military, as well as in every other point of view, to be a principal station for Cavalry particularly than Ely, or any place so deep in the Fens, and out of reach of communication with other points, at which disturbances may be apprehended of a description to require the prompt assistance of a Military force.

The first Suffolk Magistrate I expect to meet with on my way to Bury, will be at Newmarket, where I propose to sleep this night, to which place I will beg the favour of your Lordship to direct any communication or instructions you may have occasion to send to me. Afterwards my station will be at Bury, until I inform your Lordship of my having changed it.

I have [etc]

Grafton

[to] Viscount Sidmouth

30th April 2016: The Duke of Grafton informs the Home Secretary of the situation in Suffolk

Newmarket April 30
1816

My Lord

The Revd Mr Smyth, an acting Magistrate in Suffolk, & in the Hundred in which the riotous disposition, of which your Ldship has heard the full extent, has shewn itself, being on his way to Town, I have desired he would wait upon your Lordship, at the Secretary of States Office, tomorrow, at about one oclock, in order that you may have an opportunity of making such enquiries of him with regard to the disposition of the people, the nature of the disturbance which has taken place, the extent of the mischief done, & the causes of the prevailing discontent, as your Lordships may judge the circumstances to require.

Mr Smyth has informed me of a riotous assemblage of people (Men Women & Children) having taken place yesterday at Rattlesden, about ten Miles from Bury St. Edmunds, in this County, for the purpose of destroying a ground, or mole plough, used to save labour in draining; the farmer, occupier of the land where they had assembled, used every means to disperse them, but, in spite of his endeavours, they first executed their purpose of destroying his plough, & afterwards, without committing any other violence, left this premises, & dispersed. An information of these proceedings being laid before the magistrates at Bury, warrants were issued for the apprehension of certain of the rioters 21 in number whose activity had been particularly remembered by the farmer.

Painful as it is to me to relate these circumstances to your Lordships, it is far more so to reflect upon the causes* of the discontent which prevails in parts of this County, to which it appears very difficult to apply a remedy, but to which I am persuaded H.M. Government will feel it incumbent upon them to give, without loss of time, their almost attention:

I have the honor to be
Your Ldships
Most Obedt
& humble Svt

Grafton

*chiefly: want of employment;

[To] Viscount Sidmouth
& &c &c

29th April 1816: The Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk writes to the Home Secretary about the disturbances in the County

Newmarket
April 29. [1816]

My Lord

In consequence of the communication I had with your Ldship upon the representation you received, from a gentleman in Suffolk, a riotous disposition which had shewn itself among the lower orders of people in the neighbourhood of Bildeston, in this County, I have now the honor of enclosing, for your Ldships information, two reports, the one from the four Magistrates acting in the Division in which Bildestone is situated, the other from the Magistrates assembled at the Quarter Sessions at Bury St. Edmonds this day.

It will be painful to your Lordships to know, from such authorities, that the distress of the common people of that part of Suffolk is so great, as to have led them to the commission of certain outrages; but I trust your Lordships will be assured, from the tenor of the documents which I have enclosed, that the utmost vigilance will be used by the magistrates in suppressing riotous combinations wherever they may be discovered, & in apprehending, so that they may brought to trial for their offences, any promoters of mischief, or disturbers of the public tranquillity:

I have the honor to be
your Lordships
most Obet
& faithful Sert

Grafton

[To] Viscount Sidmouth
&c &c &c