640 



T%e. Life o/" William Hutton, of Birmingham'. 



disperse, they want to sell us. If you 

 will pull down Huitoii's house, I will 

 give you two guiiiens to drink, for it was 

 owing to him I lost acause in die Court." 

 The bargain was instantly struck, and 

 Hiy building fell. 



About three o'clock tliey approached 

 nie. I expostulated wiili ttiein. "They 

 would have " money." 1 gave them all 

 I had, even to a single half-penny, which 

 one of them had the meanness to take. 

 They wanted more, " nor would they 

 submit to this treatment," and began to 

 break the windows, and attempted the 

 goods. I then borrowed all I instantly 

 could, which I gave them, and shook a 

 hundred hard and hi nek hands. *• We 

 will have some drink." " You shall have 

 what you please if you will not injure 

 me." I was then seized by the collar on 

 lioth sides, and hauled a prisoner to a 

 neighbouring public-house, where, in a 

 Iialf an hour I found an ale-score against 

 me of 329 gallons. 



About five this evening, Friday, I had 

 retreated to my house at Bennet's Hill, 

 where, about three hours before, I had 

 left my afflicted wife and daughter, and 

 had seen a mob at Mr. Tukes's house in 

 my road. I found that my people had 

 applied to a neighbour to secure some of 

 our furniture, who refused: to a second, 

 who consented; but, another shrewdly 

 remarking that he would run a hazard 

 of having his own house burnt, a denial 

 was the consequence. A third request 

 was made, but cut short with a no. The 

 fourth man consented, and we emptied 

 the house into his house and barn. 

 Before night, however, he caught the 

 terror of the neiglibourhood, and ordered 

 the principal part of the furniture back, 

 and we were obliged to obey. 



At midniiiht I could see from my 

 house the flames of Bordsley Hall rise 

 with dreadful aspect. I learned that 

 after I quilted Cinningliam the mob at- 

 tacked my house there three times. My 

 son bought them olf repeatedly; but, 

 in tlie fourth, which began about nine 

 at night, they laboured till eight the next 

 morning, *vhen they had so completely 

 ravaged my dwelling, that I write this 

 narrative in a house without furniture, 

 without roof, door, chimney-piece, win- 

 dow, or window. frame. During this in- 

 terval of eleven hours, a lighted candle 

 was brought four times, with intent to 

 fire the house, but, by some humane 

 foot, was kicked out. At my return I 

 found a large heap of shaving', chips, 

 a.nd faggots, covered with about three 



liundred weight of coal, in an under 

 kitchen, ready for lighting. 



The dift'erent pieces of furniture were 

 hoisted to the upper windows to com- 

 plete their destruction; and those pieces 

 which survived the (all, were dashed to 

 atoms by three bludgeoners stationed 

 below for that service. Flushed with 

 this triumphant exercise of lawless power, 

 the words, " Down with the Court of 

 Conscience !" " No more ale-scores {to 

 be paid !" were repeated. A gentleman 

 remarked to the grand slaughterers of 

 my goods. " You 'II be hanged as the 

 rioters were in 1780." "O damn him," 

 was the reply, •• He made me pay fif- 

 teen shillings in the Court of Consci- 

 ence." Tins remark was probably true, 

 for that diabolical character which would 

 employ itself in such base work, was 

 very likely to cheat another of fifteen 

 shillings, and I just as likely to prevent 

 him. 



Burning Mr. Ryland's house at Easy 

 Hill, Mr. Taylor's at Bordesly, and the 

 destruction of mine at Birmingham, were 

 the work of Friday the 15th. 



Saturday the IQth was ushered in with 

 fresh calamities to myself. The trium- 

 phant mob, at four in the evening, at- 

 tacked ray premises at Bennet's Hill, and 

 threw out the furniture I had tried to 

 save. It was consumed in three fires, 

 the marks of which remain, and the house 

 expired in one vast blaze. The wo- 

 men were as alert as the men. One 

 female, who had stolen some of the pro« 

 perty, carried it home while the house 

 was in flames; but, retrrnini:, saw the 

 coach-house and stable unhurt, and ex- 

 claimed with the decisive tone of an 

 Amazon, "Damn the coach-house, is not 

 that down yet ! We will not do our 

 work by halves." She instantly brought 

 a lighted faggot from the building, set 

 fire to the coach-house, and reduced the 

 whole to ashes. 



The beautiful and costly mansion of 

 George Humphreys, E^q. was the next 

 victim. He had prepared for a vigorous 

 defence, and would most certainly have 

 been victorious, for he had none but rank' 

 cowards to contend with : but female 

 fears overbalanced manly courage. One 

 pistol, charged with powder, sent them 

 away; and though they returned in greater 

 numbers, one blunderbuss would have 

 banished ihem for ever. His house was 

 sacked, and the internal parts destroyed. 



The next sacrifice was the liouse of 

 William Russell, Esq. at Showell Green. 

 He had prepared men, arms, ammuni- 



