Tuesday 9 August 2016

9th August 1816: Informer's report on Nottinghamshire Luddites

9th August 1816

Last Friday but one Padley of Kimberley told F. Clarke Constable of Nottm that I was one that broke Frames along with Lanker or Langley of Kimberley 9 years since at Lanker’s house & some others. F. Clark took Padley before Dr. Wylde—Lanker came to me on the same day & told me that Padley (who is Lanker’s wife's brother) was gone to give [Information] against him & me & that they had quarrelled & something must be done to prevent us being taken. Padley was one concerned in the breaking of those Frames, and was the first went into Lanker’s & he now keeps a public House at Kimberley—Lanker told me that 2 boys then living with him saw Padley come in & break his Frame and that he should bring them forward, in case he was apprehended [against] Padley.—I told Peter Green what had taken place & he went to Padley and told him that Nottingham was alarmed at hearing he had impeached and that he would be in danger of going home if he did not deny what he had said & he prevailed upon it to go before Dr. Wylde again and contradict what he before stated.—F. Clarke afterwards saw Peter & Padley & Lanker's Brother together & he then said he saw plainly how it was, they were all alike.—Clarke has been enquiring for me at Scattergood's and I have been obliged to keep away in consequence more than I should have done.—

On Sunday Thos. Burton of Gregory's Buildings & another came to my house & told me I should have stopped the night before (I was at Scattergood's and the Leather Bottle) for they expected a Job.—He then told me if Chettle and Glover had been convicted they meant to have killed the Judge and rescued the Prisoners.—He said it was a sudden determination taken about 9 o'Clock when the men on their Trial & there were a many at the Hall then and they sallied out round the Town and fetched their forces in and they have sufficient forces to do the Job.—He said when the Judge was summing up many of them begun to grumble & one of them called the Judge a liar—He said there were 2000 ready to do the Job and it was not possible for him to escape and he would have lent a hand & went with that design.—[Village] told me last night that when F. Clarke was fixing Candles up in the outer Hall they meant to have broke his neck if they had had room to pull the ladder down he was upon.—Sherwood also told me last night that it would have been a nice Job if them Chaps (Chettle & Glover) had been convicted in the Judge killed—many others of the sets I have heard talk in the same way.—They say it was he that did them at Eley and he was dammed old Rogue and to put him to death was no more than he deserved—Burton's principal business to Bulwell was to form one of the political Societies that are in this Town—the Hampden Clubs—they have formed one at Basford but I don't know the House—There is not one at Bulwell yet.—

Mrs. Scattergood went off yesterday morning to Leicester to swear that Badder came to his house at 11 o'Clock on the 28th June.—I have heard that Towle has been identified in one instance by his Breeches & that a Pawnbroker is gone to give evidence that he had the same Breeches in pawn at the time the Job was done.—I have not heard whether they mean to kill the Judge at Leicester in case Towle, Slater & Badder should be convicted.—They think Slater will be convicted but Badder will get off, they say.—Towle also they are fearful will be convicted—last Sunday but one 2 Chaps came collecting to Bulwell,—one named John Allen lives about Coalpit lane the other Creswell lives somewhere in Parliament Street near Bunker’s Hill son of Creswell, Framesmith there, both [Framework-knitters]—Last Tuesday but one Isaac Sampson who works at Moore & Longmire's Factory told me they had collected a deal of money for them there—& he told me the Race week has been a very good one, at the beginning of the week they were £17 bad and on Sunday night following they had £120 good & £60 was collected one night.—I have heard that Wilkinson has had above £100 for the Nottingham & Loughboro’ Jobs and that men go to him and he gives them Instructions how to proceed.—Gravenor Henson & Lowater used to go to him but I think Lowater has not had anything to do with it this time & Henson has got ill will about a letter from Badder in Prison which he burnt for fear as he stated of its being found upon him.—

Crofts & Bain or Bryan who was in Gaol for Horsestealing a Pinmaker by Trade who used to work in Sheep Lane a large stout man came to me last Tuesday & wanted me to go with them 20 or 30 miles off to do some Job but they would not tell me what it was unless I would undertake to be of the party.—They said they would not be starving on the earth whilst there was anything and Bain said he would do what he could by himself without trusting to any one for he had seen so much deceit—He said if Jem (Crofts) had been done he would have got him out of Prison—He would have conveyed a little saw into Prison to him & he would have got into the Prison over Fellows’s Wall by a ladder and Jem said he had been in private talk with his wife for an hour together & Connor (the Turnkey of the County Gaol) was a Good fellow—Jem said he should go to Loughborough to his wife whose real husband is there—She goes by the name of Hallam—Bain frequents the Bird in the hand and the Peach Tree—Crofts expected being taken again about a Child he was neglected to pay to—Stevenson Constable, I think, knows about the Child—Crofts complained that I had not helped him more in Prison—I saw Jos: Mitchell at the Assizes but have not learnt whether he was at Loughborough He is friendly with me.—

This document can be found at HO 42/152.

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