* Blackner's note: The twenty-six gentlemen above alluded to, subscribed the address in the following order:—John Wright—William Rawson—Thomas Rawson—Francis Hart—Samuel Statham—Roger Hunt—Thomas W. Watson—T. Smith—Charles Pennington—Francis Evans—John Fellows—John Thomson—F. Wakefield—J. Hancock—Thomas Hawksley—Robert Denison—Thomas Oldknow—Henry Hollins—S. Huthwaite—Joseph Oldknow—George Coldham—Joseph Lowe—B. Alldis—N. Clayton—W. Howitt—W. Huthwhite.
* Blackner's note: Since the above article was prepared for the press, I found, on re-examining a gentleman's letter to me on the subject of these outrages, the following memorandum:—"The town was disgraced by a most violent riot, on the 24th July, 1793: the bloodhounds of war were upon the hunt in every direction. During these transactions, the writer of this letter was eye-witness to two young men, with ropes about their necks, in the middle of a ferocious mob dragging them to the pump. He also witnessed the distribution of money among the mob from the windows of respectable houses."
† Blackner's note: The town of Nottingham raised one troop of yeomanry cavalry this year (1794) and the county raised three troops; the whole under the command of Anthony Rudolph Eyre, Esq. of Grove, near Retford.
* Blackner's note: Many honorable men, of the party we are now speaking, blushing at the darkness of the deeds and the crimes thus committed, have contended that no such committee was ever formed, no doubt believing most sincerely the assertions thus made; but how easy would it be, for me to convince them of their error, for, did not prudence and sense of moral duty forbid it, I could name every individual of that select body, the house at which they met, the person among them appointed to collect money secretly, for the purpose of engaging the ruffian navigators, then employed in cutting the canal, to aid the still more despicable wretches in the town, in hunting down, ducking, destroying the property and endangering the lives of their neighbours, who differed with them on matters of opinion. I could also name the wretch that was employed as an agent of this committee to engage and marshal the rioters, and who was furnished with the means of distributing ale, &c. among them; he was also occasionally employed as a scribe, in which capacity he wrote the inflammatory hand-bill which appeared on the 1st of July, 1794, the day previous to the commencement of the horrid scenes this year. I afterwards became well acquainted with one, and, I believe, the best, of this committee, who, in our neighbourly conversations, when these scenes have been mentioned, has often taken credit to himself for having informed several of the democrats to get out of the way, when they had been selected to be ducked;though he never admitted to me that he was one of the committee, nor was such admission necessary in order to the establishment of the fact.
I have, however, made up my mind on the subject: I will do my duty as an historian, in briefly relating the leading circumstances, but not a name among the aggressors shall be entered, as such, in this work; because the preserving of those names would be a source of local enmity and strife through generations yet unborn, inasmuch as the descendants of the injured might occasionally upbraid the descendants of the injurers; and thus, through centuries, perpetuate animosity and discord—two hateful passions, which I pray to God, may, ere long, be laid in eternal sleep.
† Blackner's note: This was the beginning of a system of abuse afterwards called spencering.
‡ ‡ ‡
* Sutton's note: A hairdresser, named Wright.
* Sutton's note: Mr. Joseph Farnsworth, watchmaker. His satire was so severely felt that the Mayor caused him to be apprehended, and lodged in gaol. After being kept there for thirty-five days, he was released without any charge being brought against him.
‡ Sutton's note: This Mr. Wright had a shop in the Shoe-booths, and subsequently at the corner of Queen-street. The wig had evidently once adorned one of his Majesty's Judges of Assize, and being wide and flowing, and profusely powdered with blue, looked remarkably conspicuous. Wright always put it on when he went to poll, or at any time of public political excitement. When not required, its usual resting-place was on a peg in his barber's shop.
* Sutton's note: The Habeas Corpus Act was in a partial state of suspension.
‡ Sutton's note: The "Britannia," in Mount-street.
* Sutton's note: Mrs. Peniston's was not the only house where such sentiments were freely expressed: they were, with the exception of Mrs. Carter's, the Sun Inn, Pelham-street (now the Durham Ox) and a few minor Democratic houses, quite common at all public places of entertainment. Any one who ventured to utter an opinion unfavourable to the war, within their precincts, was unceremoniously ejected as a Jacobin. At some of them, including Mrs. Peniston's, in St. Peter's-square, the Rose, in Bridlesmith-gate, the Peacock, in St. Peter's-square, and the Black Horse, in Stoney-street, inscriptions were stuck up in prominent places, "NO JACOBIN ADMITTED HERE." If a suspected person happened to join the company at any of these places of resort, the process of trial and ejection was usually very summary. The chairman or any one in the room, would begin to snufff as though his olfactory nerves were saluted by some offensive odour, and exclaim, with great affected disgust, "I smell a Jacobin!" All eyes would at once be directed to the supposed intruder, and unless he drank with great apparent heartiness, some unequivocal toast or other, expressive of hatred to all Democrats, the speedier he took to his legs, the better for his carcase.
* Sutton's note: Turncalf-alley.
* Sutton's note: In imitation of the French cockade.
‡ Sutton's note: Mr. Denison brought his action, and obtained compensation for the damage.
‡ Sutton's note: Judging by his notes of exclamation, the journalist evidently viewed the ducking as a capital joke.
* The man thus designated was named Pilgrim, and though undoubtedly clever, was compelled to write lampoons, and sell them in the streets, as a means of living.
‡ Sutton's note: The inhabitants of Newthorpe had been burning an effigy of Tom Paine, and when night came on, had expended all their ammunition. Unwilling to discontinue their sport, they applied to a small shopkeeper in the neighbourhood, named Matthew Lindley, for fresh supply. Lindley declined serving them, 'because,' said he, 'the sun is set, and the law forbids any person to sell powder after that time, for fear of accidents by fire.' The irritated applicants at once grossly abused him, and broke his windows. In consequence of this, he applied for legal redress, and himself and some of the offenders were ordered to attend before the magistrates, at the White Lion Inn, which was then their usual place for sitting in petit sessions; Mr. Lindley taking his brother Robert with him as a witness. Instead of obtaining redress, the brothers were forced into the centre of a mob in the inn yard, and were from thence borne into the Market-place, loaded with almost every species of indignity. Mr. Walker, however, was mistaken in inferring that both of them underwent the ablutory process. While Robert was being pumped upon in front of the Exchange, the other had the good fortune to escape into a shop on the Long-row.
* Sutton's note: Sneinton hill.
* Sutton's note: This production was headed, "The Reformation Pump," and it exhorted the Loyalists to bring the Jacobins to the Exchange pump, that they might be "converted." It concluded by the following gentle admonition: "The preaching bookseller and the atheistical shoemaker in Bridlesmith-gate must apply in time, or nothing but a halter will effect a cure." Mr. Charles Sutton, bookseller, and a local preacher amongst the Wesleyan Methodists, and Mr. Wheatley, a shoemaker, who afterwards emigrated to America, were the persons alluded to. They however kept out of the way, and escaped the threatened infliction.
* Sutton's note: Robert Denison, Esq., died at his house at Daybrook, on the 9th of July, 1826, in the 82nd year of his age. His son, Mr. Mark Denison, continues to reside in the same place; but the youngest son, Alfred, a Lieutenant of the 35th Regiment, died the day preceding the decease of his father.
* Sutton's note: This man, Nathaniel Crisp, or, as he was commonly designated, "Bishop Crisp," for some years afterwards occupied the butcher's shop at the corner of Listergate and Broad-marsh. He died in May, 1819.
Sutton's note: Though these individuals might not have been exercising, it is certain that some of the town Democrats were in the habit of so doing, as they alleged, to prepare for their future defence. They usually went early in a morning to Sneinton Plain, where they were drilled by a retired sergeant, named Robert Brown, who was subsequently landlord of the Dog and Duck, in Chandlers-lane. As a substitute for muskets, they used sticks, which were sarcastically called "wooden guns."
‡ Sutton's note: John Relps, a master stockingmaker. He was a corpulent man, and being in a profuse perspiration, the protracted ducking had a disastrous effect.
§ The Town Gaol was opened as a place of refuge.