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QUARTER SESSIONS. 



IN small market towns it is customary to hold what they term the 

 " justice-day" once a fortnight ; but it sometimes so happens that the 

 magistrate, who generally resides in the county, is absent for a longer 

 period, and it is not uncommon, on his return, to have a whole month's 

 business to despatch in one day. Thus warrants are often issued 

 against individuals, who, having ascertained the time for holding the 

 meeting, contrive to give " leg bail" for their appearance, and evade 

 their trial for several weeks. " Justice-day" is, however, mostly con- 

 sidered as a holiday, and the people repair to the town-hall, and are 

 ready with their laugh when any thing droll is going forward. The 

 calls of " order !" and " silence !" are disregarded, where perhaps not 

 above a couple of constables are in attendance. And individuals have 

 been known to refuse to pay their fines for misdemeanours, throw de- 

 fiance in the magistrate's teeth, and walk off in the presence of the 

 "justice of peace" and all his supporters; while others have grown 

 so fearless as to stand amongst the lookers-on when they have been 

 summoned, and refused to answer to the charges brought against 

 them, setting all law at defiance. In vain did the chief constable 

 (f charge the by-standers in the king's name to asssist him in the ful- 

 filment of his duty :" the painted staff was set at nought, and the legal 

 power defeated. The town about which I write did not at the time 

 this sketch commences contain above eight hundred inhabitants, and, 

 fell far short of the size of many a village. Markets we certainly had, 

 which commenced at twelve o'clock ; but as old Joe Straton once ob- 

 served, " If you come at a quarter past it's all over." As for a watch- 

 man, the oldest man in the place never heard of such a thing ; and 

 excepting on particular occasions, half a score men might have stormed 

 the town after nine o'clock, as most of the inhabitants were then in 

 bed. A few of these worthy denizens I shall attempt to bring before 

 the reader, for such a race of oddities as dwelt in Bingham are not 

 every day to be met with. The chief magistrate, justice of the peace, 

 and lord of the manor, was all vested in Sir Charles Harrison a 

 drunken, fox-hunting, roystering gentleman of the old school, whose 

 heart was far better than his head. He resided in a beautiful mansion 

 about three miles distant from the town ; he was choleric, thirsty, and 

 very fat, and on a hot day he would drive through an ocean of busi- 

 ness, in the easiest way he could, so that he might the sooner get 

 seated in the " Black's Head" over a good dinner and his bottle. He 

 was an avowed enemy to hawkers, poachers, quack-doctors, and pau- 

 pers ; hasty and over-bearing when thwarted in his purpose, but very 

 forgiving when his passion was over ; a red-hot Tory, and a regular 

 ferret at the elections. Vagrants he however would sooner at any time 

 relieve than commit to Kirton house of correction. The chief con- 

 stable was a famous hunter after this unfortunate tribe, which he often 

 brought before the worthy magistrate, to his no small annoyance. 



M.M. No. 3. G 



