The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-07 00:00:00

NORTH LANCASHIRE ASSIZES

FRIDAY

Mr. Baron ROLFE entered the Nisi Priu4•Court at half-
past twelve o'clock, and the trial of the Chartists proceeded.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that, after the cross-
ex imination of Buckley, yesterday, by John Wilde, from
which it was elicited that he was kept in the chair of a public
meeting by force, he should offer no further evidence against
him. John Wilde was consequently discharged.
Thomas Pitt was also discharged, the evidence against him
not being sufficient.

Joseph Hibbert, clerk to the magistrates at Hyde, spoke
of the disturbed state of Hyde, commencing about the 7th or
Bth of August. The magistrates assembled from day to day.
Joseph Little is special high constable of Hyde, and it was
his duty to make reports to the magistrates of what was going
on. The book now produced to me [the one from which Little
gave his evidence] has frequently been in my office when the
magistrates meet, and is the book he uses to enteritis reports

Cross-examined.—l know of no particular distress at the
time in tt yoe. I did not hear of any notice for a reduction
of wages.
John Brooks, manager and overlooker of Mr. Pratt's mill,
at Stalybridge, stated that, on the 7th of August, a mob of
several thousands came to the mill, and ordered the hands to
be turned out: . He remonstrated with the mob, but they

said they would have the hands out, and that neither that nor
any other mill should work till they had got their rights.
The weekly hands in the mills were getting more wages than
they did several years ago. The spinners were receiving
from 225. to 365. per week, according to the quantity of the
work done. There were about 300 hands in the mill.
Cross-examined by Mr. DUNDAS.-1 don't know that the
hands at Bailey's were under notice of 25 per cent. reduc-
tion. Bailey's mill was stopped about a month.
Cross-examined by Mr. O'Connor.—The amount of wages
paid by me is £3lO in a fortnight. A single-dicked mule
spinner can get £6 Gs. per fortnight, from which we deduct
ten per cent. and 4s. for gas. At a double-dicked mule he
can get £lO 13s. per fortnight, from which there is twenty
per cent. deducted, and 3s. per week for gas. The spinners
pay their own piecers out of this. After deducting the

amount paid to 35 spinners, the average of the other hands
would be about 7s. 6d. per week. There was great distress
in the neighbourhood, and there had been committees of
shopkeepers to relieve the distress.
Cross-examined by James Leech.—The wages 25 years
ago were, one carder 175., two strippers 12s, and lls., frame
tenders Bs. 6d. The wages now are one carder 195., two
ditto 305., one grinder ]3s., five ditto Ils. each; strippers on
piece-work make from 13s. to 175., frame tenders 10s., 95.,
Bs. 6d. We are spinning 80's to 160's. Ten years ago we
had spinners who were spinning on 1300 spindles, and twenty
years ago they were spinning on 648 spindles. Some now
are working 2000 spindles. Some of our hands are living in
cottages belonging to the firm, but we don't force them to
live in them. We stop the rents in the counting-house be-
fore their wages are paid.
Thomas Rose, of Brookfield, near Glossop, said that he
occupied a portion of Shepley's mill, at Glossop. He de-
scribed the attack made on that mill on the 10th of August.
The hands were turned out, and the mob threatened if they
went to work again they would make them incapable of
working. He was at the meeting at Mottrarn Moor, on the
17th of August. A man named Booth made a speech in
reference to the expenses of the royal household, and told
them how expensive a thing monarchy was. It was men-
tioned that the railway men were gone to work again, and
the meeting came to the conclusion to stop them. The mob
went towards the railway to stop the workmen. The mill
was opened again on the 26th of August, and about twelve
o'clock on that day, several thousand persons came to the
mill, and endeavoured to stop work again, but they were
resisted by the workpeople. On the 30th, a mob again
attacked the mill, and broke the doors and windows, and the
doors and windows of houses in the neighbourhood. The
military were brought to the spot, and the mob was dispersed.
Cross-examined.—l know of no contemplated reduction of
wages, except that as I was paying a farthing a cut more than
any one else, I was going to reduce them to the same level.
At the meetings of the 11th and 12th, it was resolved that it
should not be a wage question. It was the Charter they
were going for.

The placard which had been so often spoken of by several
witnesses, as issued by the Chartist Executive Committee,
was here put in and read. The copy put in was taken from
the walls in Hyde, by Little, the high constable.
George Nasmyth, of the Bridgewater Foundry, Patricroft,
spoke of the mob being at Eccles on the 12th of August, and
saw them go to :Vlr. Tetlow's. He was at one of the meet
ings, and heard them recommend peace, law, and order.
Nathan Pryor, of the Bridgewater Works, Worsley, iden-
tified Morrison and Macartney, the former as having been
present when the hands were turned out, and the latter as
speaking at a meeting at Eccles in very violent terms.
George Wroe, of Eccles, also identified Macartney.
Samuel Turner, of Ashton, farmer, was at a meeting in
Stalybridge on the 9th of August, when Southam took the
chair. Pilling spoke about going to Manchester to meet the
masters, and told them not to resume labour till they got the
wages of 1840. He went to Manchester with them, and saw
them turn out the hands of several factories. He was with
the mob when they entered the town, and saw Mr. Maude
speak to him. He saw Leigh at Ashton, but not afterwards.