20th January 1817: Lord Middleton updates the Home Office about the arrest of suspected Luddites

My Lord

Your Lordship has been already apprized by Mr Rolleston, a Respectable magistrate of this County, that Blackburn (the man a few days since apprehended as a Poacher in a daring attack upon one of my Game keepers) has given information of the most important nature, respecting the System & various outrages of the Luddites, who have spread terror & destruction thro’ this, & the adjoining Counties, for a period of full five years.

The Verity of this information has since been fully proved by the apprehension of nine or more of the persons described by him, as the most desperate characters.

Having obtained these means, which if managed with the ability & power of Government may totally overthrow this barbarous combination, & restore confidence & industry to this County, I consider it a Duty from me, (& I request you will believe it is with infinite respect to your Lordship that I venture) to express my own implicit belief of the important information already obtained, & that it will now be highly satisfactory to Mr Rolleston, who altho a young magistrate has certainly on this, & every other occasion shewn great intelligence & resolution, if your Lordship should be pleased to aid him with particular instructions, How further to proceed under these difficult circumstances. —

Blackburn has repeatedly express’d his confident opinion, that in consequence of the apprehension of several of those whom he has impeached, there will be a powerful & desperate attempt at Rescue, He is now confined in the House of Correction in Nottingham.—

Should this actually take place, which perhaps is not impossible, I should feel a sort of self accusation, were I not to make your Lordship acquainted with his opinion in good time, & likewise to state, that the County Jail in Nottingham is extremely insecure, & that the military in Nottingham consist merely of two Hundred & Forty infantry, & Twenty Dragoons.—

I have the Honor to remain

My Lord [etc]

Middleton

Wollaton House
Nottingham
20th Jany
1817

[To] The Viscount Sidmouth

2nd January 1817: Poaching raid on Lord Middleton's estate turns into a gun battle, prisoner taken

In the evening of 2nd January 1817, a raid on the estate of Lord Middleton, near Wollaton in Nottinghamshire, set off a chain of events that would have huge significance in the battle against the midlands Luddites.

There are several contemporary newspaper accounts of the raid. One of the most detailed was in the Stamford Mercury of Friday 17th January 1817:

On Thursday night the 2d instant, a numerous gang of poachers made their appearance at Broxtow Notts, where they took a man, who was some-time employed as an under-keeper for Lord Middleton, into close custody, in order to prevent his giving any alarm; they then proceeded to the house occupied by Mr. Cooke, one of his Lordship's keepers at Shortwood, which a part of them surrounded, while another part went in pursuit of the game. The under-keeper whom they had with them was compelled to lie down on the ground, and a man armed with a pistol sat upon him. Mr. Cooke's dog, however, having given an alarm, was instantly shot. Mr. Cooke was awakened by the report, and fired out of the window. The fire was returned on both sides several times, and an attempt was made to get into the house, but without success. The noise of the firing soon brought the watch and ward to Mr. Cooke's assistance, together with some other persons, when the poachers decamped, and attempted to make their escape: but one of them was soon discovered and secured; and three more have since been taken into custody, and committed to Nottingham county gaol.

17th December 1817: John Wheatley tells the Home Office that frame-breaking is 'falling into disrepute with the Workmen' in Nottingham

Wollaton Park Nr Nottingham
December 17.. 1816

Sir

In consequence of an Interview I had with my Lord Sidmouth, in the middle of October I take the the liberty, by his directions of addressing myself to you; on the state of the Public tranquillity in our neighbourhood.

Since I had the honor of speaking to his Lordship on the above subject, we have been sufficiently tranquil, & I [waited] the result of what has been styled the Spa Fields meeting to see if possible, if any commotion should subsist between the disaffected here & in London and as far as my information goes & opinion, I think there was none; & I have conversed with the frameworkknitters, round these parts not only in our County but that of Derbyshire & Leicester in particular; & I am sure no explosion is likely to happen in these parts at present; tho I must confess that a more regular system of meetings is evident, than ever were, for the last twenty five years—(as is termed for Parliamentary Reform) & very strong observations are made upon Public Men & Measures; Which I fear has another meaning. The time of the meeting of Parliament is looking to, with apparent anxiety & if no revival of Trade takes place in two months (which I see no prospect of) I dread the consequence; for there will most assuredly be so many Idle Men loose, that they will defy the Laws & proceed to outrage & their system here is far more regular than what appears to me, the system of the Londoners—besides they have so much local knowledge how to be troublesome to the Peaseable dispos’d and also the Military.

I think I am aware of the plans of the styled Ludites, so as to anticipate them; & to protect the Neighbourhood from disorder, & as I mean to be in London in [about] a week, I shall have the honor to wait on you, & Lord Sidmouth, to state the same & if my services can be useful to assure you of the same for it will be as agreeable to my own Principles, as it is my wish for the tranquillity.—

Should you require any particular information or any definite [point] & will state the same, as early as possible I am only three Miles from Nottm you may rely on my prompt attempting previous to my coming up.—I mention’d a particular Person in the neighbourhood of very violent sentiments against his Majesty's Government, this person is very frequently going to & from here, Birmingham & Manchester & those populous parts is, in my mind for rather mysterious objects.

There will be no more frame breaking here I think, if mischief ensues, it will be of a worse character: that system is falling into disrepute with the Workmen themselves; reasoning to themselves, the objects which I have before stated.—

Wanting the honor of your answer

I am very respectfully
Sir your most obt humble Servt
John Wheatley
Wollaton Park nr Nottingham
17th Decr 1816

2nd January 1812: Frame destroyed at Wollaton

On the evening of Thursday 2nd January, the first stocking frame of the new year was broken. The location was near to the toll bar at Wollaton, with the iron works from the frame being thrown into the nearby canal.

24th December 1811: Clashes at Lord Middleton's Estate at Wollaton

Late on Tuesday 24th December, a group of 18 men deliberately trespassed onto the land of Lord Middleton, near Wollaton in Nottinghamshire. For Middleton and his class, the end of the year was to be no less affluent than any other year, but for thousands of people in the lands bordering his estate, an empty belly was a certainty and starvation not too distant a prospect.

The men found their way to a game nursery at Shortwood, near Trowell on his estate, and set about killing his game stock of pheasants. But 4 of Middleton's gamekeepers interrupted them and a fight ensued, at the end of which one of the gamekeepers was left unconscious and badly beaten. One of the gamekeepers had managed to escape back to Wollaton Hall and raise the alarm, and the considerable guard set out to check all of the roads in the vicinity. The assumption was that the intruders were Luddites from nearby Radford, but no-one was to be found.

The intruders had made their escape with some of the dead pheasants.