The Sun.
London, England, 1808-09-10 00:00:00

L.:INC..4STER .ISSIZES, SUPT. 6.

Thomas Eekerslep, James- Crohearky, Thomas
C9uper, Thomas Gregson, Henry Gregsoh, a lad 'of
aA),tut fifteen years of age, were indiehd
.4iir having;
on the 3uth of ;Way, assembled, together with divers
other persons, in an unlawful.manner, for the pur7
pose of raising wages, and with having entered the
dwelling-houses and workshops of John.. Bridge,
William Collier, Thomas Bent, Richard Bent, John
Hart,'-Charles Prescut, and J-lin Slat, r, of Lawton
and Golborn, and by force, threats,, and intimida-
nnlawfully took and cart iesi away a great num-
bt;-r of wrMvers' shwiles. The assenqy of a large
mob, and their' riot oils behaviour,. -was &ally prov-
ed, and the Prisoners proved to be "among the mob ;
but tm account of 'their not baving done any vio-
lent aft, and all the Witnesses lot the prosecution,
who knew them, having given them a moat unde-
niable character, for being harmless and industribus,

The ATTORNEY GENERAL TOSPi when he had
finished the case, and said, as .condiaCtot of the. Pro-
secution do the part of the Crown, after the charac-
ter that hdd bk.'en given of the PrisonerS,, be. did ndt
think it' necessary pre4s the matter any, further ;
but hoped the- Prisoners would be sensible of the
lenity shewn. them. The Learned Judge said le
perfe&iy concurred, and .tolcrthe Prisoners he hoped
they would keep in wind the mercy that had been
5 hewn- them: - -

johirshaw way indi&ed for havingi! with divers
other unknown, riotously and:AnmultuotAly
assembled togettit'l- in thc... township of.Walnlesleyy
and with.,havwg, under pretence of raising wages,
stopped the spinning .AorkS of Messrs. James Kay
acid L'o. ;it Wdlmesley. • -

The Pt isooer pleaded guilty—and :on account of
some lavouraide circumstances, ,he was _liberated
on eotoro; into a recognizance for his good beha-
viout „himelf in tool. ana.two sureties in 5,01. each:
James Stott was indiaed for having in a very riot-
ous manner, together with sev,..-al persons un-
koov; to knocked at the door of the dwelling-house
ot lite Rev. Dr. Drake, at Castleton, and with having
.tiled threats and scurrilous words,, also with having
demanded money or substance.
It appeared in evidence that the Peosecutor's
hoose is near the town of. Rochdale. The riots con):
the 30th May Menced there on Monday,-
mi-
litary were sent tor on the. Tuesday ; and the Riot
iii readon the Wednesday; notwithstanding w WO.
the town continued' in a very disturbed state all the
week; itid•Dot-lor Drake's house was supposed to
f
be marked or desttu6tion, in consequence Of the
Doctor hati taken an active part to quellthe riots,
anal soldiers w ere- accordingly stationed to sleep.
_in
his house. On the Sunday tnorning, about a quar-
ter
.pas(ofie o'clock, the family were alarmed by a
violent knocking 'at the door ; the soldier got out of
bed, and 10, king out of a window over the door, he
saw .the Prisoner, and asked him what be wanted..?.
He 'repied, be -Wanted money or vi&uals, or he
should burn the house about their ears. The soldier
remonstrated with him—told him tilt, Riot Aa had
been lead, and begged of him to go home peaceably.
He, however, left the door, and he thought had
taken his advice ; at the-same time he saw a number
of' men running among the trees, in the shrubbeties;
there might be forty or titty ; he could not be posi-
tive ; they made a, great hissing : but the Prisoner
did not go among,, or speaZ to any of them. In a
short time afterwards there • was a more violent
knocking at the door ; he, in conSeirence, put on
his clothes; armed himself with his sword, went
down stairs, and found the Prisoner hi the custody
of one 4)t DoctOr Drake's men servants.
The servant of Doctor Drake stated, that he took
the Prisoner near tine door; the Ptisoner told tom he
Wanted money for the poor ; at the same time he
52w and heard a number of men in the shrubbery,
flat Roue of'-ihetu conne&ed with the Prisoner.
The Learned JUDGE lamented .that the Prisoner
had• been indicted wiong ; for, certainly, this was the.
worst case that had cone before him. It was
possib!e that he could be convicted of rioting, as he
was oot prOved to be in company. with, any Oto.-4 He
sail the Prisoner ought to hand,—been indio'ted for
iclorty, and it was, a most daring a.:, raze;
The Pt-isoner was, in conserieence, acquitted.

John. Hoylt at>6 Char/es-Watson were indiC.ted for
having; on the\Jtst day of May, riotously asseinbled
with divers persons unknOWn, and by force, entered.
the houses of Williath Eddleston,-44, Lane Side,
Haslendeu, and 'with having wilfully and malieidtisly
destroyed his tools and utensils,' used for weaving
and preparing woollen cloth. They were also
charged with similar offences in-the houses of Henry
Hindle and others, of the same place.

. - •
The mob, was 'proved to have collefied in great
num!,er's• on the 31st of May.-
• -'lenry Kindle said,' he saw them coming towards
his hon,e, which induced him to leAre 'his loom,
lock his_ door, and go into, the street. Tot Prisoners
came.td him and demanded' his 'shuttles. the replied,
they slamildnot have them:: They said they would
burst' open the door And Like:t4,em, which they ac-
cordingly did. ne went in to prevent their taking
any thing else; they, libweVer, did not attempt any
thing of ti,e kind. Hoyle Said to him, there is no
law for,me,- and knocked the Witness down. 'Wat-
S-on took his spindles away,- but told him he might
have them .again the next day, which he did at a
place in Haslenden, where all those that had been
colleted were 'fell for the' owners to take them.

"'Ann Hindle said; that her father 'Henry Hiudle's
'house Was broke open by the Prisoner Watson, and
he' took away her
,tather's spindles.
Jand BarloW said, that; on the• morning of the .
31st Of May:slie heard the mob coming towards her
house; and they havifi,g-been three times befoie .to
her house; and tala:n her Shuttles and spindles, she
was much alarmed' went out, and locked her door.
The "PriSOner Ho:;le, found her .out in the street, .
and asked her for her 'shuttles. She told him he
slia.l4.llaa. have tfienL-' He replied he. would ; and
if she Oil not unlock herdo)r, he would go-through
the window in a Minnie. • Three.of the mob then
burst open her' door; and they took her spindles.
They 'let her tie a 'rag-round them that she might
know 'them again. She obServed there must be sotne
law for thetha The Prisoner Hoyle- replied, there
was nn-Justice in England would take any notice-of
What he
Hoyle said 'hi his defence; that his spindles and
shuttles were taken away; and the reason of
his going to' Haslenden was to- join in ringing the
bells, on account of his- being told that good news
was come by the post, that cotton pieces had
risen one shilling each. He,did not go among the
mob with intent* ofrioing any harm. At the.
time he had a wife and five children star;
Both Guilty. .
Thomas Barnes, John Mathews., ?nes Ainsworth,
and Eliz.abeth Walinsley,,ere indiaed for riotously
and .tumultuously assembling,- with 'divers " other
persons, on . the 30th of May, at Blackburn, and '
breaking the windowS, and beginning Co:demolish
and pull down the house of Fleury Coupland.
John Hindle, the Chief Constable of Blackburn,
said, the mob assembled in that-town; on the 30th
of May,,amounted tii abOut 300. He saw the 'Pri-
soner, AinsWorth, among them he went to him,
and asked hi.in what he wanted ? 'He replied, he
would have what he. pleased, and do what he
pleased, for any mane On. his approachhig him; be
supposed he was going to take hini into custody,
upon which he called out, ‘4 Now, my lads, stand
to me ; don't let hie he taken." Some voices then
called out, " Throw, him, over the bridge." Early
in the mOrning.he saW_ them assemble in Grimshaw
Park, which is on 06 eminence, and has a command
of the town; by eight o'clock there were about too,
by ten o'clocl. they were -increased' to 200; and he- '
fore .eleven o'clock they were increased to between
thre and 460. They then marched into the town,
.and
.made a most alarming and terrific appearanee,
as most of them were armed with large sticks, one.
had a spade, and the Prisoner, Barnes, had a hedge-
bill ; they had the formidable appearance of a regi_
mem of soldiers ; they paraded the streets huzzaing,
hallooing; and shouting various noises; they stopped
.opposite Mr. Coupland's house, and shouted, threW
sticks; 'stones, &c. at the windoWs, till they were.
all broke. in the house. He and a Constable went'
round to the public-houses, to desire. the liindlords'
not to let the rioters have any liquor ; he weal 041
the- bridge ; some voices exclaimed—" That's him,
let us •throw him over_ the bridge." He saw the
Prisoner, IVlatthew3, on the bride, and fixed his
eyes upon him ;
,MattheWs called out—" Don't let
me be taken, my boys."—Rioting-continued all that
day, and during the nigh:, particularly Opposite Mr.
Coupland's house. The mob assembled again the
next morning, when the High Sheriff- and several
Magistrates attended, and the Riot A& was read.
A number Of Special Constables were sworn in.
Another Constable proved' seeing the Prisoner,
Matthews, opposite Mr. Coupland's house, and beard
him say—" I will,go through with it now ; I will
° have both cheese and-loaf before I leave Blackburn."
'Mr. Coupland, through fear for the safety of his
per-
son, tied from his house, and left the Witness and
several others in possession of it, to take care of it. A
cask of treacle was at the door, and he. went to get it
into the house, and t' bile he ‘vas in the a& of stoop-
ing, he received a violent blow on his back from a
stick ; on his rising, he saw the Prisoner, Ainsworth,
close to him, with a stick it; his hand; Ainsworth
shook it at him.
John Bannister said he saw the Prisoner Waltus-
with' a large stick in her hand, breaking Mr.
Coupland's windows ; and the whole of the trout
of the house was nearly demolished by the rioters.
An alibi was set up on theaart of Matthews, by
his master„ Mr. Livesey, who resides about- four
miles from Blackburn, by stating that he was at
work in his house, from half-past four o'clock in the
morning, till four in the afternoon, the day Of, the
riot, wilen he sent 'hint to Blackburn with some
.work. The Jury found then) all Guilty.
Adam InitAvorth was indiaed for having, on the
31 st ot_Majr, together with divers other persons un-
known, riotously assembled, in the parish of Roch-
dale, and haVing qtotted one guinea Prow Dr.

The Prisoner, u ith a great number of others, went
to the Dolor's house cu the electing of the second

day of the dots, and asked for money for relief: a
servnut went into the Dos tor, and brought them
out a guinea, and &rase it to the Pi isoner, when, the
.servant observed, that they had done very.xv'ell.thete
that day, for they had three tuineas and a hail in
the morning. This the POlioner or the others did
not d,2tty.—Guilty.