Newspaper look Up George Richardson

[duckweed]

I have searched all my own sources but cannot find more about them.
About May 1815 George Richardson and eight other Scythesmith Journeymen were taken to Derby Gaol to answer the crime of forming an illegal union under the Combination Act. They were from Norton Derbyshire and the Justice was said to be called Knebb. I have a Sir William mentioned but don't know the rest of his name.

Also earlier in 1788 I have a William Oliver, Norton, Scythesmith, accused of Assault and Riot.

 

[gibbo]

Havent been able to find anything yet but still looking.

 

[duckweed]

Here's the song
The Norton Scythesmith's Song

At the Bowling green the Meeting was held,
We journeyman Scythesmith there did attend,
We drew up a statement as all had agreed
And sent to our Masters, but did not suceed.

We were summoned the Magistrate's court to attend;
Justice Jebb and Sir William nine of us did send
(Because we'd no money nor friend to give bail)
For a fortnight free lodgings in Derby jail.

And when we got there some drinking, some smoking,
While others looked sad,
We thought it was Bedlam and all going mad.

Hard boards and Long Straw we had for our Beds,
We pulled off our Breeches to put under our Heads,
We pulled off our Coats for both Blankets and Sheet,
We pulled off our Waistcoats to wrap our cold feet.

There is also a diary entry by Thomas Asline Ward on May 23rd 1814 saying it was hard on George Richardson who was a hardworking man

 

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Someones emailed me an abstract from a newspaper but not very clear.
It says they were sent to gaol for 3 months and gives the name of Samuel Fox Gleadless, James Turner Sheffield, John Ready the Younger of Norton, and John Bingham of Greenhill. Magistrates Sir William Bagshaw and Justice Joshua Jebb. They were convicted of unlawful combination for an advance of wages contrary to the statute.

 

[gibbo]

You need anything else on them DW?
Now you got some names might be easier to find something on them.

 

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I'm trying criminal records first but if you can find any more detail that would be good as I'm still missing four names.

 

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I am not getting anyone in Criminal records on A..... which seems strange to me. John Bingham obviously lived to a ripe old age as a Scythemaker.
I suspect a member of his family was transported for Horse stealing a few years later. He was quite young at the court case. About 22. Probably just finished his apprenticeship. The problem was that in 1814 the law was changed regarding apprenticeships. Previously each master had been limited in how many apprentices he could employ. All regulations were lifted. If a master could employ 10 apprentices free, why should he employ qualified who he would have to pay and if he did employ him it was going to be a lot less than before. The Cutlers Guild had all its rights to regulate the wages safety conditions etc.. all removed, so they had to form unions but the law made this also illegal.

 

[leefer]

http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=5629&inst_id=1&nv1=search&nv2=

Led a varied and distinguished life.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bagshaw..







Deliver to Tideswell in the Peak District.......very under rated part of England is the Peak District.

 

[duckweed]

Yes I like Tideswell. First place my then fiance took me when I moved to Sheffield. Its a pretty easy journey on the bus from Sheffield. I suppose if all else fails about the Norton Nine I could try the LSE archives. Bagshawe and Jebb became famous for the Treason Trials of Jeremia Brandreth etc. in 1817. There was an agent William Turner who some say incited Jeremiah and others to trying to instigate a revolution.

http://www.archive.org/details/trialsjeremiahb00ludlgoog

I have found some of the scythe makers in the Sheffield Apprentice records but strangely not all. Two of them were from the Norton Lees area, one from Four Lanes End, that place again and another from Boleshill. One Bingham went on to form a company with 2 other scythe makers which became quite a large scythe manufacturer in Norton Woodseats.

 

[gibbo]

Yes I like Tideswell. First place my then fiance took me when I moved to Sheffield. Its a pretty easy journey on the bus from Sheffield. I suppose if all else fails about the Norton Nine I could try the LSE archives. Bagshawe and Jebb became famous for the Treason Trials of Jeremia Brandreth etc. in 1817. There was an agent William Turner who some say incited Jeremiah and others to trying to instigate a revolution.

http://www.archive.org/details/trialsjeremiahb00ludlgoog

I have found some of the scythe makers in the Sheffield Apprentice records but strangely not all. Two of them were from the Norton Lees area, one from Four Lanes End, that place again and another from Boleshill. One Bingham went on to form a company with 2 other scythe makers which became quite a large scythe manufacturer in Norton Woodseats.

Hi DW,
I found some newspaper articles to do with the trial of those mentioned in the link you posted, Jeremaih Brandreth etc You interested in them?

 

[duckweed]

Yes please as it links in I think with the general upheaval of the times and the Judges attitudes.

Found a reference to a number of Scythmakers in Norton, in 1788 being charged with riot and assault but case seems to have been dropped or transferred to higher court.

 

[gibbo]

Will email them now for you.

 

[duckweed]

Great. Have looked up court records for Norton and found that prior to 1814 they were a very law abiding lot, not even drunk and disorderly. Apart from 5 of them being arrested for Riot and assault in 1788. Wonder what that was about?

 

[gibbo]

Great. Have looked up court records for Norton and found that prior to 1814 they were a very law abiding lot, not even drunk and disorderly. Apart from 5 of them being arrested for Riot and assault in 1788. Wonder what that was about?

I will have a look tomorrow and see if i can find anything on the riot one for you. Dont know how we will go but could be lucky that something was put in the papers about it.

 

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I am sure I saw an article in Sheffield Library Archives about early trade unionism in Norton. I think I will have to dig it out and find out if the Librarian can find me the newspapers in Sheffield for the time. I really want to get to grips with this as it is very local and is only quoted in one book at all. If they wrote a song about it, it would seem to be locally infamous at least. I wonder if there were any pamphlets about it.

 

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The 1788 dispute concerns 3 scythe makers and one labourer. Kind of a small riot don't you think?

Anyway the names are William Oliver, John Lee, Joseph Reyney (Reaney)and James Frith, who supposively rioted, and John Castle was the witness against them.

 

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My other source says he got it from Derby Mercury 25th May 1814 but strangely it is only a segment of an article.

 

[leefer]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=133-bag&cid=1-13-3-34#1-13-3-34

Was looking up John Lee and seems one of the Parker clan was having some trouble with him as well.....think its the same one....in the Norton section at the bottom.
Anyway the amount of documents they have in that John Rylands Library in Manchester about the Bagshaw family is staggering.
If the Bagshaws were my family i would have to have a gander...like a treasure trove.

 

[duckweed]

Not trouble with Lee just change of rental on piece of land. Anyway that was about 100 years earlier. They have loads of Bashawe documents in Sheffield Archives. The Bagshawes were very meticulous and kept all their documents.