586 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1819. 



manded : and their discontent was 

 probably heightened by the in- 

 creased price of provisions, par- 

 ticularly of corn. The men en- 

 gaged in these disturbances were 

 at first principally those thrown 

 out of employ by the use of the 

 new machinery, or by their refusal 

 to work at the rates offered by the 

 manufacturers, and they particu- 

 larly sought the destruction of 

 frames owned or worked by those 

 who were willing to work at the 

 lower rates. In consequence of the 

 resistance opposed to the outrages 

 of tlie rioteis, in the course of 

 which one of them was killed, 

 they became still more exasperated 

 »nd more violent, till the magis- 

 trates thought it necessary to re- 

 quire the assistance of a consider- 

 able armed force, which was 

 promptly assembled, consisting at 

 first principally of local militia and 

 volunteer yeomanry, to whom were 

 added above400special constables ; 

 the rioters were then dispersed, 

 and it was hoped that the disturb- 

 ances had been by these means 

 suppressed. 



Before the end of the month of 

 November, however, the outrages 

 were renewed, they became more 

 serious, were more systematically 

 conducted ; and at length the 

 rioters began in several villages, 

 where they destroyed the frames, 

 to levy, at the same time, contri- 

 butions for their subsistence, which 

 rapidly increased their numbers, 

 and early in December the outrages 

 were in some degree extended into 

 Derbyshire and Leicestershire, 

 where many frames were broken. 



Iq the mean time, a considerable 

 forte both of infantry and cavalry 



had been sent to Nottingham, and 



the commanding officer of the di»- 

 trict was ordered to repair thither ; 

 and in January, two of the most 

 experienced police magistrates were 

 dispatched to Nottingham, for the 

 purpose of assisting the local au- 

 thorities in their endeavours to re- 

 store tranquillity in the disturbed 

 districts. 



The systematic combination, 

 however, with which the outrages 

 were conducted, the terror which 

 they inspired, and the disposition 

 of many of the lower orders to 

 favour rather than oppose them, 

 made it very difficult to discover 

 the offenders, to apprehend them, 

 if discovered, or to obtain evidence 

 to convict those who were appre- 

 hended, of the crimes with which 

 they were charged. Some, how- 

 ever, were afterwards proceeded 

 against at the spring assizes at 

 Nottingham, and seven persons 

 were convicted of different offen- 

 ces, and sentenced to transpor- 

 tation. 



In the mean time acts were 

 passed for establishing a police in 

 the disturbed districts, upon the 

 ancient system of watch and ward, 

 and for applying to the destruction 

 of stocking frames the punishment 

 before applied by law to the de- 

 struction of other machinery. 



The discontent which had thus 

 first appeared about Nottingham, 

 and had in some degree extended 

 into Derbyshire and Leicestershire, 

 had before this period been com- 

 municated to other parts of the 

 country. Subscriptions for the 

 persons taken into custody in Not- 

 tinghamshire were solicited in the 

 month of February at Stockport, 

 in Cheshire, where anonymous 

 letters were at the same time cir- 



rnlated. 



