July 1812: Letter from "a well wisher" at Daypool to "The Secretary of State", London

Daypool near Hull July

Sir,

I have too long been a dupe, to mischiefous men, by being led on, to mischief, in the west Country, and I have been guilty, of a many Crimes there, and have come here, by being deputed, for a very wicked purpose, even that, for which I now repent, & will have no concern, I am sent with others, to different parts of the Country, and especially where French Prisoners are many to some thousands, are already sworn in, to rise on a certain day, appointed in all parts of the Kingdom, on the 5th day of Novr next, the Luddites mean to rid themselves, of all their Enemys. They reckon on 50,000 French Prisoners, as helpers, as out of all that are sworn, amongs the French, not one did refuse. On that morning, several, or many heads in London, are to be laid low, to cause a confusion, all the Mails, are to be stopt’d.

Castererleaah, Liverpool. Gibbs. & several. are to fall, as fix’d on. Men are to go to all the places, where French Prisoners are, to assasinate the Gards, to let the Prisoners out, to join the Luddites, & then Mischief follows.

Tho' they appear quiet now, you are very much rong, if you trust to that. I have sent an account from here, where the arms are, in the Garrison, & what number.

But I repent, & will do no more, with them, but do you not be laid from Suspicion. Beware French Prisoners.

You need not advertize any reward for the writer of this to come forward because I won’t tho’ my conscience tell me to do this I will go no farther because by doing this I dare not return home. I wou’d not turn Kings Evidence for the World.

I will go so far as say that the Watch Word on that Day say 5th Novr next is to be LIBERTY AND LUDD, FOR EVER.

So no more from a well wisher No 1175.

1st January 1812: the Manchester spy 'B' reports on a Stockport delegate touring Yorkshire

On New Year's Eve 1811, the spy 'B' continued his reports for Colonel Fletcher about the underground in Lancashire and Cheshire.

That day, he had met a man named Waterhouse from Shaw, near Oldham. He reported that the local people were enthused by the disturbances in Nottingham, noting that the 3,000 troops stationed there could not quell the disturbances, and that an extension into other Counties would mean the government could lose control. Despite this, Waterhouse felt that things in his local area were not yet bad enough for people to rise as Nottingham had, but if they were, it would take 10,000 troops to keep them and neighbouring districts down.

On New Year's Day, 'B' reported he had met a 'Jack' (i.e. Jacobin) from Stockport who had news from another delegate that had been sent through Yorkshire. He had reported on divisions amongst committees in Leeds between those who were for revolution and those for reform. The delegate had reported the difficulties in organising experienced by the secret committee in York since the "Lord Mayre add is people allways on the Lookout". The delegate had then made his way to Hull, and the general feeling was that a rising could only succeed in the area if Hull were to be at the forefront. The Hull delegates he met held very strong fears about the response of the military in the area to any attempt at a rising as "the Garison Could Lay the town in ashes in a short time". The local committee promised to stay in regular monthly contact and the Stockport delegates plan was to head north into Teeside and Tyneside and then head back down to Halifax.

Finally, 'B' reported that the Manchester committee's plans to requisition the Borough Reeve for a public meeting about peace & parliamentary reform were still stalling.