Yorkshire Almanac 2026

Unedited excerpt

If an excerpt is used in the book, it will be shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

The extensive linen manufactory of Messrs Marshall and Benyons at Leeds was destroyed by fire Feb 13th, when eight persons were killed and twenty wounded, by the falling of a wall; the property destroyed was estimated at 8000.

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

It was immediately rebuilt (Billam 1806).

One of the alleged crimes of Mary Bateman, “the Yorkshire witch,” is said to stem from this disaster:

In the year 1796, a tremendous fire broke out in a large manufactory in [Leeds], and by the falling of one of the walls, many unfortunate people lost their lives. This calamity which harrowed up the feelings of every individual in the town and neighbourhood, of common sensibility, Mary Bateman improved to the purposes of her wicked frauds. She went to Miss. Maude, a lady known for her charitable and humane disposition, and telling her that the child of a poor woman had fallen a victim amongst the rest, and that she had not linen to lay the child out on, begged she would for pity’s sake, lend her a pair of sheets–this request was complied with; but the sheets, instead of being applied to such benevolent purpose, were pledged at a pawnbroker’s shop. Three similar instances occurred at the same time, and all the sheets were disposed of in the same way by this abandoned woman. Nor did her frauds from this calamity end here. She went round the town, representing herself as a nurse at the General Infirmary, and collecting all the old linen she could beg to dress the wounds, as she said, of the patients who had been brought into the Infirmary, but in reality to dispose of them for her own emolument!

Impositions and frauds committed against benevolence, are peculiarly atrocious; and it were much to be wished that the benevolent, who are most disposed to pardon an impostor, would bring the delinquent to justice. Had severer measures been taken with the subject of this history, it might have saved the lives of several deserving people (Anon 1811).

Something to say? Get in touch

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Bateman, Mary (1768-1809) (3), "the Yorkshire Witch," career criminal from the North Riding, hung for murder W/G ·
• Fire (14) W/G ·
• Flax (3) W/G ·
• Fraud (22) W/G ·
• 📌Leeds (248) W/G ·
• Linen (3) W/G ·
• Marshall’s Mill (1) W/G ·
• Marshall, John (1765-1845) (2), Leeds-born businessman and politician W/G ·
• Spinning (textiles) (5) W/G ·
• Work accident (22) W/G ·

All tags.

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

It was immediately rebuilt (Billam 1806).

One of the alleged crimes of Mary Bateman, “the Yorkshire witch,” is said to stem from this disaster:

In the year 1796, a tremendous fire broke out in a large manufactory in [Leeds], and by the falling of one of the walls, many unfortunate people lost their lives. This calamity which harrowed up the feelings of every individual in the town and neighbourhood, of common sensibility, Mary Bateman improved to the purposes of her wicked frauds. She went to Miss. Maude, a lady known for her charitable and humane disposition, and telling her that the child of a poor woman had fallen a victim amongst the rest, and that she had not linen to lay the child out on, begged she would for pity’s sake, lend her a pair of sheets–this request was complied with; but the sheets, instead of being applied to such benevolent purpose, were pledged at a pawnbroker’s shop. Three similar instances occurred at the same time, and all the sheets were disposed of in the same way by this abandoned woman. Nor did her frauds from this calamity end here. She went round the town, representing herself as a nurse at the General Infirmary, and collecting all the old linen she could beg to dress the wounds, as she said, of the patients who had been brought into the Infirmary, but in reality to dispose of them for her own emolument!

Impositions and frauds committed against benevolence, are peculiarly atrocious; and it were much to be wished that the benevolent, who are most disposed to pardon an impostor, would bring the delinquent to justice. Had severer measures been taken with the subject of this history, it might have saved the lives of several deserving people (Anon 1811).

Something to say? Get in touch

Similar

19 October 1808: William Perigo of Bramley finds that Mary Bateman defrauded him in promising to cure his wife Rebecca’s palpitations, and suspects she died of poisoning

23 November 1843: James Byram of Gildersome is fined ruinously for selling used tea as new

1 January 1891: Eleven snowflake girls are burnt to death during a school entertainment at Upper Wortley (Leeds)

5 August 1685: John Thompson, an ex-excommunicant, is abandoned in Leeds parish churchyard

23 January 1720: Mr Robertson demonstrates his ultra-compact inflatable boat on the Aire at Leeds

20 March 1848: Showman Pablo Fanque tells an inquest how he overfilled a poorly propped Leeds circus, which collapsed, killing his wife

25 June 1808: Dr Campbell, lodging above a chandler’s on Leeds Kirkgate, advertises the results of his treatment of anorexia, Napoleonic wounds, and all other known illnesses

7 October 1830: Mrs Stanley arrives in Leeds from London, to the surprise of her husband

26 October 1864: Martin Tobin confronts his ex-banker, William Beckett-Denison, regarding the bank charges levied on his account

11 January 1825: American comment on William Hirst of Leeds’s revolutionary and controversial labour-saving improvements to spinning and stubbing machines, patented today

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

The Leeds Mercury commented immediately on the increased productivity caused by Hirst’s innovation:

The simple, principle of this improvement is, that he doubles the number of spindles in the mule, by putting two rows instead of one. The machine invented by Mr. Cartwright contained double the number of spindles in Sir Rd. Arkwright’s jenny, and Mr. Hirst’s machine therefore contains four times that number. Yet it is surprising that the old jenny is still used in most of the manufactories in this neighbourhood… Mr. Hirst has now a machine all ready for working, containing four hundred spindles, whereas the machines commonly used in this neighbourhood have not more than eighty or ninety. (Leeds Mercury 1825/01/22)

Hirst appended two testimonials to this effect to a letter three months later to the Mercury:

Leeds, April 29, 1825
Hurst’s and Heycock have milled two olive [?] pieces for Messrs. Pawson and Smith, of Farnley, in two days, which would have taken thein four days at their own mill; and their miller declares, they are better milled than they could have done them at their own place. Their miller was with them all the time, and asserts this himself.
(Signed) JONATHAN ROBERTSHAW, Miller to Messrs. Pawson and Smith.
Messrs. John Edwards and Sons, of Pye-nest, near Halifax, also sent two pieces of white Cassimeres to be milled. Their miller stayed till they were done, which was in seven hours, and says, that they would have taken from 12 to 13 hours at home.
(Signed) WM. KITCHIN,
Miller to Messrs. John Edwards and Sons, Pye-Nest.
(Leeds Mercury 1825/04/30)

Something to say? Get in touch