The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-16 00:00:00

MACCLESFIELD.

The first part of the Ashton turn-outs made their appear-
ance about Beach-bridge, near the entrance of this town, and
turned off from the Stockport road, about eleven o'clock on
Friday, towards the Lower Heys factory, where they stopped
the steam-engine, and got the hands out without difficulty,
Mr. C. Wood having, we believe, left his people at liberty
to do as they pleased. They next proceeded to Mr. Clarke's
factory, Messrs. Brocklehurses, Mr. Thorp's, Mr. Whitta-
ker'a, and others, stopping Mr. Warland's factory, Mr.
Pearson's, and others. Their numbers increased almost
imperceptibly, in consequence of many coming in from dif-
ferent quarters, and they proceeded through the town to stop
the other factories, which they effected completely. The
number which ultimately was collected in the streets—in-
cluding men, women, girls and boys—was very great indeed ;
and we hardly think it can be considered an exaggeration to
say that there were twenty or thirty thousands. There was,
of course, very little difficulty in effecting the object of get-
ting the silk factories stopped, in consequence of the turn-
out already existing in the town. They did not, however,
confine themselves to the factories, but stopped persons of
all trades, that they found at work in their route.
The mayor and magistrates had made an early application
for a military force, both to the Lord Lieutenant and to the
major-general of the district, who is in Manchester, and were
engaged during the greater part of the day in swearing in
constables ; but it was perhaps fortunate that there was no
military force at hand; since, if there had been, it appears to
us, that loss of life would have been inevitable. As it was,
the actual violence was not great. Of course, it could hardly
be considered a mere asking of charity, when men applied for
it armed with blndgeons • and, unquestionably, many people
gave them food unwillingly, and many gave, we believe, who
were objects of charity themselves. They entered the differ-
ent provision shops, and were supplied with provisions. In
one instance, at Mr. Burgess's, in Mill-street, we understand
that two of his sons were severely beaten and kicked, in con-
sequence of some resistance, or supposed resistance, to some-
thing that the crowd wished for.

After having stopped the mill in the town they proceeded
to Park-green to hold a meeting, after several persons had
addressed the assembly a person present stated that a person
had said he would give an amount of bread or flour if they
would send a delegation to him to explain whai were their
objects. He proposed now that a deputation should be sent
to him, consisting of six Stockport and two Macclesfield men,
which was agreed to, and a deputation was appoined to wait
on Mr. Micah Hall, the party in question.
It was stated during the meeting that Mr. Hall had agreed
to give them £2O worth of flour, and a motion was carried
that the Stockport people should have it all. Afterwards, a
deputation, consisting of two or three of the speakers, went
to Mr. Hall to get a note of hand from him, that the flour
might be given out by some respectable flour dealer in Stock-
port. Mr. Hall then stated that he bad intended that it
should be given to the people of Macclesfield ; but if he gave
the famishing weavers of Macclesfield a loaf, and they chose
to divide it with the people of Stockport, he had no objection
to send half to Stockport ; but he would leave it entirely with
the committee. A committee was appointed,—one, we be-
lieve, on the part of Stockport, and another on the part of
Macclesfield,—and they went away to determine the point,
and it was generally stated that the Stockport people were to
have it. A large body of weavers from Stockport proceeded
to the factory of Mr. Greg, (late M.P. for Manchester.)
They gutted several shops and houses on their way. Mr.
Greg addressed the mob, and stated that he and Mr. Cob-
den started the Anti-Corn Law League about five years ago.
After waiting some time, the parties moved off and exercised
their unlicensed privilege of drawing largely on the larders of
every farm-house with which they came in contact. Mac-
clesfield on Friday resumed its wonted quiet.