The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-15 00:00:00

A SCENE IN A WORKHOUSE.

At the Rochdale Petty Sessions, on Monday, James
Collinge, the governor of the Thornham division of
the Middleton workhouse, was summoned before the
Bench for bad conduct in the house, and particularly
towards James llalliwell, the Middleton governor.
Mr. Jackson said he appeared for the overseers and
for the Middleton governor of the house. The de-
fendant was the governor for the township of Thorn-
ham, and a difference had arisen since the appointment
of the Middleton governor. The workhouse was the
joint property of the townships of Middleton, Thorn-
ham, Hopwood, and Birtle-cum-Bamford, and was
built upwards of 100 years ago. Middleton and
Thornham were now the only occupiers of it; as, since
the passing of the new poor-law the two last had been
joined to the Bury union. The defendant was ap-
pointed many years ago. A meeting of the rate-payers
of Middleton was held recently, to inquire into his con-
duct. It appeared from inquiries made, that there
was not room for the Middleton inmates. In conse-
quence, the overseer gave Halliwell instructions to
break off the locks of those rooms which the defendant
had locked up, that they might not be occupied by the
Middleton paupers. The defendant was now the
officer of Thornham and Hopwood, and not of Middle-
ton; the latter township being dissatisfied with his
conduct, they had appointed the complainant as
their governor for the protection of their paupers.
The defendant's conduct had been disgraceful : he
had gone into the rooms and put water under the
beds, opened the windows, and thrown large pieces of
wood upon the floors, thus preventing the aged in-
mates from sleeping. He had no doubt it would be
contended that it was done as a right of possession.
Witness then produced the deed of the workhouse,
and also a plan of the building.—James Halliwell
said the overseers of Middleton appointed him as
their governor on the 29th of July, and gave him
possession of the workhouse. I removed two beds
into the rooms unoccupied, and went to sleep in the
room with the paupers. Collinge, the defendant, came,
and asked who was in the beds ; and he was told
that I was; he abused us very much. That was the
first night. By the Bench—What made you go into
those rooms ?—I was sent there. On the Tuesday the
overseers directed me to break the locks open, and we
took possession. The next morning we found all
locked from us but three rooms. On the Friday morn-
ing I cleaned the oven out, and placed fire under it
to heat it. It had been a rule to bake the bread at a
neighbour's house for the use of the inmates for six
years ; and when the oven was heated the defendant
threw water upon the fire, and put it out. On
Tuesday, the Gth inst., the defendant came to the
house at nine o'clock at night, and asked who had
broken open the door of the room in which he was ?
I informed him that I had an order to separate the
male from the female. I had got an old decrepit man
to bed, who was afraid of him ; he swore that he was
master of the house, and he would do as he thought
proper. He opened the windows ; and I followed him
and closed them. He threw down the bed-posts on
the room floor; fetched cans of water, and threw it
under the beds of the inmates ; then pulled my bed
down, and the overseer, who was with me, put it up
again. The inmates in the house were alarmed at
the violent conduct of the defendant. lam not
afraid of Collinge; but I pray he may be bound
over to keep the peace.—The overseer of Heap said
he was informed, on Wednesday last, that the
Middleton governor had put two men and two females
together in one room, and the directions were to se-
parate the sexes ; they were willing to build a now
pantry if that would please them. The defendant
was appointed governor of the house by four town-
ships, and that appointment had not been rescinded.
By the Bench—Are you afraid of a disturbance ?
Yes ; the complainant has gone there for nothing else.
The Rev. R. Durnford, rector of Middleton, said the
complainant was no friend of the defendant, who had
an old feud against him. He would recommend to
the Bench that the house should be divided, that each
township might know its own part. Mr. Royds—l
would recommend that the workhouse should be
divided ; and we will hind over both parties for twelve
months, in two sureties each, for their good behaviour
towards each other.-111anchester Guardian.