By the Rev. G. S. Master. 



315 



neighbouring villages. Clarendon says that he was forced to retire 

 to Salisbury, where his horse committed the same horrid outrages 

 and barbarities as they had done in Hampshire" (p. 203). 



A letter written at Salisbury, March 28th, complained that "the 

 Winchester horse do much mischief not only in Somborne and 

 Thorngate Hundreds in Hants, but even as far as Alderbury, 

 carrying off as prisoners divers honest godly men. During the last 

 week they came to Winterslow, where they met a mounted carrier, 

 a godly honest countryman, who had also a baggage-horse, and two 

 men rid with him. They marched up to the amazed travellers, and 

 captured the carrier's horses and his two companions, but he himself, 

 for he hath formerly tasted of their cruelty, escaped into Buckholt 

 forest" (p. 206). 



The year 1830 was a period of severe distress amongst the 

 agricultural labourers of this neighbourhood — the low rate of wages 

 bearing with much severity upon them. Induced to believe that 

 the introduction of machinery had an injurious effect upon their 

 interests, they were guilty of serious rioting, their animosity being 

 especially directed against threshing-machines, the old-fashioned 

 ones worked hy horse-power, then in use, and intimidation, ex- 

 tortion, arson, robbery, and destruction of machinery, were rife in 

 the counties of Wilts and Hants. So serious was the outbreak 

 that a special winter assize was holden at Winchester for the trial 

 of the numerous prisoners who were in custody for these and other 

 similar offences, on the 20th of December and eight following days ; 

 Mr. Baron Vaughan, Mr. Justice Alderson, and Mr. Justice Parke 

 sitting as judges ; the Duke of Wellington, the Bt. Hon. William 

 Sturges Bourne, and Bichard Pollen, Esq., as commissioners. 



Among the ringleaders of the mob was John Thomas Cooper, a 

 native of East Grimstead, a farm-servant, 30 years of age, who, 

 having assumed the soubriquet of " Captain Hunt," and being con- 

 victed of inciting a riotous assemblage of two hundred persons to 

 destroy a hemp and sack- making factory at Eordingbridge, and of 

 other similer outrages, was sentenced to death, and hung at Win- 

 chester, his body being surrendered to his relatives for burial at 

 West Dean, January 21st, 1831, where, however, his gravestone 



