POLITICAL HISTORY 



began to wear the look of a country where revolution was in the air. 

 The terrified employers imagined that revolutionary agents were at work. 

 There were stories of well dressed men traversing the country in post- 

 chaises, scattering mysterious warnings and directions, which were fol- 

 lowed by midnight outrages. Probably little incentive of the kind was 

 needed. Sussex and Berkshire were astir more early than Surrey, but 

 the neighbourhood of Egham was quickly alarmed by three incendiary 

 fires in one night. The hose of an engine playing upon one of them 

 was cut through. On Saturday, November 13, corn stacks were burnt 

 near Guildford ; on November 14, at Trouts Farm, Capel. Scarcely a 

 night passed without fires or worse outrages. At three o'clock on Sun- 

 day morning, November 14, a miller at Albury was roused by knocking 

 at his door ; he had been an overseer of the poor. Cautiously opening 

 an upper window he inquired who was there, when a gun charged with 

 small stones and nails was discharged against the lower window, which 

 belonged to the room he usually occupied, smashing every pane. His 

 address, in not speaking from the window of his own room, and the 

 darkness saved his life. Immediately afterwards his outbuildings, con- 

 taining a large stock of flour and corn, were in a blaze. The mob 

 stood round idly while efforts were made to save the contents. When 

 asked to assist in rescuing the food on which they lived some of them 

 answered, ' Why should we ? We cannot be worse off than we are.' l 

 Fires and riotous meetings continued throughout the next fortnight. On 

 Monday, November 22, the magistrates met at Dorking to consider the 

 state of the country, and apprehensive of a riot proceeded to swear in 

 special constables at the Red Lion inn. The High Street was thronged 

 by a crowd of labourers armed with bludgeons, who, hearing what was 

 being done, attacked the house, smashed every window, and knocked 

 one of the magistrates senseless with a stone. The forces of order how- 

 ever triumphed ; the Yeomanry were under arms, the Riot Act was read, 

 and eleven rioters were secured. They were subsequently removed 

 under military escort to Horsemonger gaol. On November 25 a great 

 crowd assembled at Woking, and apparently under the impression that 

 the prisoners were still at Dorking declared that they would march to 

 their rescue. Some constables and soldiers who were present were too 

 few to interfere. A magistrate, Mr. Drummond, succeeded by personal 

 influence in inducing some of them to disperse, but a body headed by 

 a leader in a smock frock started shouting, ' To Dorking, to Dorking.' 

 They never arrived, but half starved and miserable slunk away in the 

 darkness. The Woking men said that the leaders were from Horsham 

 where a mob shortly before had tried to burn the church and that they 

 were afraid to disobey them. This was about the end of the more 

 serious disturbances in Surrey, though on November 28 there were two 

 incendiary fires near Epsom. On November 23 a royal proclamation 

 had been issued against the rioters in the southern counties. Cavalry, 



1 A native of Albury was hanged for the outrage in the following January, Annual Register. The 

 evidence against him hardly sounds conclusive as it is there reported. 



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