fromdifferentvillageswereindictedforassaultandrobbery。Thefeatures
variedlittle，andthespectatorsbegantofindtheproceedingsmonotonous。
MostoftheagriculturalpopulationofHampshirehadmadeitselfliableto
thedeathpenalty，iftheauthoritiescaredtodrawthenoose。Thethree
hundredwhoactuallyappearedinCourtwerelikethemenonwhomthetower
ofSiloamfell。
Acasetowhichtheprosecutionattachedspecialimportancearoseout
ofanaffairatthehouseofMr。EyreCoote。Amoboffortypersons，some
ofwhomhadironbars，presentedthemselvesbeforeMr。Coote’sdoorattwo
o’clockinthemorning。TwobandsofmenhadalreadyvisitedMr。Cootethat
evening，andhehadgiventhembeer：thisthirdbandwasapartyofstragglers。
Mr。Cootestationedhistenservantsintheportico，andwhenthemobarrived
heaskedthem，’Whatdoyouwant，mylads？’’Money，’wastheanswer。’Money，’
saidMr。Coote，’youshan’thave。’OneofthebandseemedtoMr。Cooteabout
tostrikehim。Mr。Cooteseizedhim，nineofthemobwereknockeddownand
taken，andtherestfled。Sixofthemenwereprosecutedforfeloniously
demandingmoney。BaronVaughanremarkedthatoutrageslikethismadeone
wonderwhetheronewasinacivilisedcountry，andheproceededtoraise
itsmoraltonebysentencingalltheprisonerstotransportationforlife，
exceptone，HenryEldridge，whowasreservedforexecution。Hehadbeenalready
capitallyconvictedofcomplicityintheFordingbridgeriots，andthisattempt
to’enterthesanctuaryofMr。EyreCoote’shome’followinguponthatcrime，
renderedhimasuitable’sacrificetobemadeonthealtaroftheoffended
justice’ofhiscountry。
Inmanyoftheso-calledrobberiespunishedbytheSpecialCommissions
thesumstakenweretrifling。GeorgeSteel，agedeighteen，wassentenced
totransportationforlifeforobtainingashilling，whenhewasinliquor，
fromJaneNeale：WilliamSutton，anotherboyofeighteen，wasfoundguilty
oftaking4d。inadrunkenfrolic：Sutton，whowasacarterboyreceiving
1s。6d。aweekandhisfood，wasgivenanexcellentcharacterbyhismaster，
whodeclaredthathehadneverhadabetterservant。Thejuryrecommended
himtomercy，andthejudgesrespondedbysentencinghimtodeathandbanishing
himforlife。GeorgeClerk，agedtwenty，andE。C。Nutbean，agedeighteen，
paidthesamepricefor3d。downandthepromiseofbeerattheGreyhound。
Suchcaseswerenotexceptional，asanyonewhoturnstothereportsofthe
trialswillsee。
Theevidenceonwhichprisonerswereconvictedwasoftenofthemostshadowy
kind。Eightyoungagriculturallabourers，ofagesvaryingfromeighteento
twenty-five，werefoundguiltyofriotouslyassemblingintheparishofSt。
LawrenceWoottenandfeloniouslystealing£；2fromWilliamLutelySclater
ofTangierPark。’Wewanttogetalittlesatisfactionfromyou’wasthe
phrasetheyused。Twodayslateranotherman，namedWilliamFarmer，wascharged
withthesameoffence。Mr。SclaterthoughtthatFarmerwaslikethemanin
themobwhoblewatrumpetorhorn，butcouldnotsweartohisidentity。
Otherwitnessessworethathewaswiththemobelsewhere，andsaid，’Money
wawantandmoneywawillhae。’Onthisevidencehewasfoundguilty，and
thoughMr。JusticeAldersonannouncedthathefeltwarrantedinrecommending
thatheshouldnotlosehislife，’yet，itwashisduty，’hecontinued，’to
statethatheshouldforthisviolentanddisgracefuloutragebesentout
ofthecountry，andseparatedforlifefromthosefriendsandconnections
whichweredeartohimhere：thatheshouldhavetoemploytherestofhis
daysinlabour，atthewillandfortheprofitofanother，toshowthepeople
oftheclasstowhichtheprisonerbelongedthattheycannotwithimpunity
lendtheiraidtosuchoutragesagainstthepeaceandsecurityofperson
andproperty。’
Wehaveseenthatatthetimeoftheriotsitwasfreelystatedthatthe
farmersincitedthelabourerstomakedisturbances。Huntwentsofarasto
sayintheHouseofCommonsthatinnineteencasesoutoftwentythefarmers
encouragedthelabourerstobreakthethreshingmachines。Thecountyauthorities
evidentlythoughtitunwisetoprosecutethefarmers，althoughitwasproved
inevidencethattherewereseveralfarmerspresentatthedestructionof
theHeadleyWorkhouse，andatthedemonstrationatMr。Cobbold’shouse。Occasionally
afarmer，intestifyingtoaprisoner’scharacter，wouldadmitthathehad
beeninamobhimself。Insuchcasesthejudgeadministeredrebukes，but
theprosecutiontooknoaction。Therewas，however，oneexception。Asmall
farmer，JohnBoys，oftheparishofOwslebury，hadthrownhimselfheartily
intothelabourers’cause。Anumberofsmallfarmersmetanddecidedthat
thelabourers’wagesoughttoberaised。Boysagreedtotakeapaperround
forsignature。Thepaperranasfollows：’Wetheundersignedarewilling
togive2s。perdayforable-bodiedmarriedmen，and9s。perweekforsingle
men，onconsiderationofourrentsandtithesbeingabatedinproportion。’
Insimilarcases，asarule，thefarmersleftittothelabourerstocollect
signatures，andBoys，byundertakingtheworkhimself，madehimselfamarked
man。HehadbeeninamobwhichextortedmoneyfromLordNorthesk’ssteward
atOwslebury，andforthishewasindictedforfelony。Butthejury，tothe
chagrinoftheprosecution，acquittedhim。Whatfollowedisbestdescribed
inthereportofSergeantWilde’sspeechintheHouseofCommons(21stJuly
1831)。’Boycewastriedandacquitted：buthe(Mr。Wilde)beingunableto
accountfortheacquittal，consideringtheevidencetohavebeenclearagainst
him，andfeelingthatalthoughthejuryweremostrespectablemen，theymight
possiblyentertainsomesympathyforhiminconsequenceofhissituation
inlife，thoughtithisdutytosendacommunicationtotheAttorney-General，
statingthatBoycewasdeeplyresponsiblefortheactswhichhadtakenplace：
thathethoughtheshouldnotbeallowedtoescape，andrecommendingthat
hebetriedbeforeadifferentjuryintheotherCourt。TheAttorney-General
senttohim(Mr。Wilde)tocomeintotheotherCourt，andtheresultwas
thatBoycewasthentriedandconvicted。’IntheothermorecomplaisantCourt，
FarmerBoysandJamesFussell，describedasagenteelyoungmanofabout
twenty，livingwithhismother，werefoundguiltyofheadingariotousmob
forreducingrentsandtithesandsentencedtosevenyears’transportation。(24*)
Thiswasnottheonlycaseinwhichthesympathiesofthejurycreated
adifficulty。TheHomeOfficePaperscontainaletterfromDr。Quarrier，
aHampshiremagistrate，whohadbeenparticularlyvigorousinsuppressing
riots，statingthatSirJamesParkedischargedajuryattheSpecialCommission
’undertheimpressionthattheywerereluctanttoconvictthePrisonerswhich
wasmorestronglyimpresseduponthemindoftheJudge，byitsbeingreported
tohisLordshipthat“someoftheGosportJurorshadsaid，whiletravelling
inthestagecoachtoWinchester，thattheywouldnotconvictincaseswhere
theLabourershadbeendriventoexcessbyPovertyandlowWages！”It
wasascertainedthatsomeofthoseempannelledupontheacquittingJurywere
fromGosport，whichconfirmedthelearnedJudgeinthedeterminationtodischarge
AninterestingfeatureofthetrialsatWinchesterwasthenumberofmen
justabovetheconditionofagriculturallabourerswhothrewintheirlot
withthepoor：thevillagemechanics，thewheelwrights，carpenters，joiners，
smiths，andthebricklayers，shoemakers，shepherdsandsmallholderswere
oftenprominentinthedisturbances。Tothejudgesthisfactwasariddle。
Thethreshingmachineshaddonethesemennoinjury；theyhadnotknownthe
stingofhunger；tillthetimeoftheriotstheircharactershadbeenas
aruleirreproachable。Nemorepenteturpissimusfuit，andyetapparently
thesepersonshadsuddenly，withoutwarning，turnedintothe’wickedand
turbulentmen’ofthearchbishop’sprayer。Suchculpritsdeserved，inthe
opinionsofthebench，severerpunishmentthanthelabourers，whomtheir
exampleshouldhavekeptinthepathsofobedienceandpeace。(26*)Where
thelawpermitted，theyweresentencedtotransportationforlife。Oneheinous
offenderofthistype，Gregory，acarpenter，wasactuallyearning18s。a
weekintheserviceofLordWinchester。Butthemostinterestinginstances
weretwobrothers，JosephandRobertMason，wholivedatBullington。They
rentedthreeorfouracres，keptacow，andworkedfortheneighboringfarmers
aswell。Joseph，whowasthirty-two，hadawifeandonechild；Robert，who
wastwenty-four，wasunmarried。Betweenthemtheysupportedawidowedmother。
Theircharacterswereexemplary，andthemosteagermalicecoulddetectno
blotupontheirpast。Buttheiropinionsweredangerous：theyregularlytook
inCobbett’sRegisterandreaditaloudtotwentyorthirtyofthe
villagers。Further，Josephhadcarriedonfootapetitionforreformtothe
kingatBrightonfromahundredandseventy-seven’persons，belongingto
theworkingandlabouringclasses’ofWonston，BartonStaceyandBullington，
andwasreportedtohavegivensometroubletotheking’sporterbyanimportunate
demandforanaudience。Therecitalofthesefactsgaverisetomuchmerriment
athistrial，andwasnotconsideredirrelevantbyjudgeswhoruledoutall
allusionstodistress。(27*)Aninterestinglightisthrownonthehistory
ofthispetitionbyafragmentofaletter，writtenbyRobertMasontoa
friend，whichsomehowfellintothehandsofaCaptainThompsonofLongparish，
andwasforwardedbyhimtotheHomeOfficeasavaluablepieceofevidence。
’P。S——SinceIwrotetheaboveIhavesawandtalkedwithtwopersons
whosay“BullingtonBartonandSuttonhassentapetitionandwhynot
LongparishHursborneandWherwellsendanother。”Ithinkasmuch，to
besureifwehadallsignedone，onejourneyandexpensewouldhaveserved
butwhatisexpence？WhyIwouldengagetocarryaPetitionanddeliverit
atSt。Jamesfor30shillings，andtoaplacelikeLongparishwhatisthat？
IfyoudosendonepraydonotletChurchpropertyescapeyournotice。There
istheChurchwhichcostLongparishIshouldthinknearly£；1500yearly：
yesandthereisanoldestablishedChaplewhichIwillbebounddoesnot
cost£；25annually。ForGodsake……’(illegible)。
ThefirstchargebroughtagainsttheMasonswasthatofrobbingSirThomas
Baring’sstewardof£；10atEastStratton。Themoneyhadbeentakenby
oneofthemobs；theMasonswereacquitted。Theywerenextputontheirtrial
togetherwithWilliamWinkworth，acobblerandafellowreaderofCobbett，
andtenothers，forasimilaroffence。Thistimetheywereaccusedofdemanding
£；2or£；5fromMr。W。DowdenofMicheldever。TheAttorney-General，
inopeningthecase，drewattentiontothecircumstancesoftheMasonsand
Winkworth，sayingthattheoffencewithwhichtheywerechargedwasofa
deeperdye，becausetheyweremenofsuperioreducationandintelligence。
Ahumaneclergyman，Mr。Cockerton，curateofStokeCharity，gaveevidence
totheeffectthatifthemenhadbeenmetinaconciliatorytemperinthe
morningtheywouldhavedispersed。JosephMasonandWilliamWinkworthwere
foundguilty，andsentenced，inthewordsofthejudge，to’becutofffrom
allcommunionwithsociety’fortherestoftheirlives。RobertMasonwas
stillunconvicted，buthewasnotallowedtoescape。Thenextchargeagainst
himwasthatofgoingwithamobwhichextortedfiveshillingsfromtheRev。
J。JoliffeatBartonStacey。Headmittedthathehadaccompaniedthemob，
partlybecausethelabourershadurgedhimtodoso，partlybecausehehoped
thatMr。Joliffe，beingaccustomedtopublicspeaking，wouldbeabletoPersuade
thelabourerstodispersebeforeanyharmwasdone。Therewasnoevidence
toshowthathehadanythingtodowiththedemandformoney。Hewasfound
guiltyandsentencedtotransportationforlife。Whenaskedwhathehadto
sayforhimself，hereplied，’IfthelearnedCounsel，whohassopainted
myconducttoyou，waspresentatthatplaceandworeasmockfrockinstead
ofagown，andastrawhatinsteadofawig，hewouldnowbestandingin
thisdockinsteadofbeingseatedwhereheis。’
Sixmenwerereservedforexecution，andtoldthattheymustexpectno
mercyonthissideofthegrave：Cooper，theleaderintheFordingbridge
riots；Holdaway，whohadheadedtheattackonHeadleyWorkhouse；Gilmore，
whohadenteredthejustices’roominAndover’inratheraviolentmanner’
andparleyedwiththejustices，andafterwards，inspiteoftheirremonstrances，
beenaringleaderinthedestructionofafoundryintheparishofUpper
Clatford；Eldridge，whohadtakenpartintheFordingbridgeriotandalso
’invadedthesanctuary’ofMr。EyreCoote’shome；JamesAunalls，aladof
nineteen，whohadextortedmoneyatnightwiththreatsofafire，froma
personwhomhebadelookoverthehills，whereafirewassubsequentlyseen，
andHenryCook。Cookwasaploughboyofnineteen，whocouldneitherread
norwrite。Formostofhislife，sincetheageoften，hehadbeenafarm
hand。Forsixmonthsbeforetheriotshehadbeenemployedatsawing，at
10s。aweek，butatthetimeoftherisinghewasoutofwork。Afterthe
riotshegotworkasaploughboyatabout5s。aweektillhisarrest。Like
