Now! Then! A government agent provocateur on his way to a meeting of pro-democracy radicals at Thornhill encounters Thomas Murray, weaver and reform activist

6 June 1817: A government agent provocateur on his way to a meeting of pro-democracy radicals at Thornhill encounters Thomas Murray, weaver and reform activist

Leeds Mercury. 1817/06/21. Exploded Plots Get it:

Excerpt

About half-past seven o’clock Murray was standing near his master’s works in Meadow Lane, Leeds, when a person answering to the description given of Mr Oliver walked up and inquired the road to Dewsbury. On the road being pointed out to him, he inquired how much further Thornhill was than Dewsbury. He then asked Murray if he was out of employment, and on being told he was for that day Oliver observed that he had some business at Thornhill, and being an entire stranger in that part of the country, he should be glad if he would show him the way. After some persuasions Murray was prevailed upon to go, and on their way to Dewsbury they regaled themselves at the public house at Stump Cross with a shilling’s-worth of rum and milk, for which Oliver paid. On their arrival at Dewsbury Oliver went into a small bookseller’s shop belonging to Mr Willans [another individual targeted by Oliver], and requested his guide to wait for him at the door. When he came out he said the person he wished to see was not in, and they then went into an adjoining public house, where they again refreshed themselves at Mr Oliver’s expense. While they were in the house a woman came in and said that her husband had come in, on which Oliver immediately followed her into the bookseller’s shop, and in the space of about a quarter of an hour returned. Murray and he then proceeded to Thornhill, and when they arrived in a lane about one hundred yards from the Sportsman’s Arms, they saw three gentlemen, one of them being Major-General Sir John Byng, riding up to meet them at full speed. On their approach, Sir John advanced up to Oliver and pointing with his finger said, “I think I know you, Sir.” Oliver, affecting to be overcome with fright, made no reply. Sir John then said, “I have had an accurate description of you from London! Sir, is not your name Oliver?” Oliver remained silent, and by the orders of Sir John he was surrounded by a party of cavalry and taken into custody. Sir John then called to another detachment of yeomanry cavalry to stop Murray, and after driving him into the ditch they dragged him into the Sportsman’s Arms. Here they searched the person of the Leeds delegate, but found not a single scrap of paper upon him. At that time there were about five or six persons in the room, and he learned that they had all been picked up in different parts of the neighbourhood. When they had been in the public house about half an hour, several post chaises, which seem to have been previously prepared, drove up to the door, and in them they were conveyed to the courthouse at Wakefield. [11 days solitary confinement on prison rations.]

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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.

Abbreviations

Comment

Baines meets with Willans and Dickinson on the 13th https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3201483804/BNCN?u=leedscl&sid=bookmark-BNCN&xid=e7deebdc

source summarises https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nnkwAQAAMAAJ&vq=june%2013&pg=PA261#v=snippet&q=june%2013th&f=false

The Stump Cross Inn in Morley is still serving – perhaps they’d like to consider a special offer on rum and milk on 6 June?

John Byng in WP:

Byng became General Officer Commanding the Eastern District in England in October 1815 before transferring to be General Officer Commanding the Northern District in England in June 1816. At the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, he was absent because he had two horses entered at York races that day, and delegated command to his deputy, who failed to peacefully disperse the large crowd, resulting in 18 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

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Original

We have already stated, from the testimony of Mr. Willans and Mr. Dickinson, how Mr. Oliver was engaged in some parts of the day on Friday, the 6th of June, and the grateful feelings of one of the persons discharged by the Magistrates on Monday, has afforded us a clue to his proceedings in the early as well as the more interesting parts of the same day. Last Tuesday morning, a person of the name of Thomas Murray, one of the Leeds delegates, so called, waited upon us, to express his acknowledgments, and the thanks of the persons who had been imprisoned with him in Wakefield House of Correction, for the services which they conceived we had rendered to them, in contributing to their liberation, by exposing the real conspirators. After he had explained his business, we inquired how it happened that he had attended the meeting at Thornhill, and what was the nature of his delegation? To this he replied that he would explain the whole matter, as far as he was acquainted with the business, and the following narrative, which was delivered in the most artless manner, he is ready, we understand, to confirm upon oath:
TESTIMONY OF THOMAS MURRAY.
THOMAS MURRAY is a linen-weaver, in the employment of Messrs. Benyon, Benyon, and Bage, of this place, and says, that on Friday morning, the 6th of June, about half-past seven o’clock, he was standing near his master’s works in Meadow-lane, near the junction of the two roads from Leeds to Dewsbury, along with a young man of the name of Thomas Dovner, when a person with the appearance of a gentleman, answering to the description given of Mr. Oliver in the second edition of the Leeds Mercury of last Saturday, walked up to them and inquired the road to Dewsbury. On the road being pointed out to him, he inquired how much further Thornhill was than Dewsbury, and was told two miles. He then asked Murray if he was out of employment? and on being told that he was for that day, owing to the woman who assisted him in his business being obliged to remain at home to attend to her family: Oliver observed that he had some business at Thornhill, and being an entire stranger in that part of the country, he should be glad if he would accompany him and show him the way, for which services he would reward him, by paying his expenses, and satisfying him for his day’s work. After some persuasions Murray was prevailed upon to go, and on their way to Dewsbury they regaled themselves at the public-house at Stump-cross with a shillings’-worth of rum and milk, for which Oliver paid. During the journey the subject of politics was never introduced but once, and then Oliver informed his guide, that “Mr. Abbot was elevated to the Peerage, and he was glad of it, for he was an impartial clever little fellow.” On their arrival at Dewsbury, Oliver went into a small bookseller’s shop, (Mr. Willans’s) and requested his guide to wait for him at the door. When he came out, he said, the person he wished to see was not in, and they then went into an adjoining public-house, where they again refreshed themselves at Mr. Oliver’s expense. While they were in the house a woman came in, which Murray believes was Mr. Willans’s wife, and said, that her husband had come in, on which Oliver immediately followed her into the bookseller’s shop, and in the space of about a quarter of an hour returned. Murray and he then proceeded on their way to Thornhill, and when they had arrived in a lane about one hundred yards from the Sportsman’s Arms, they saw three gentlemen, one of them being Major-General Sir John Byng, riding up to meet them at full speed. On their approach, Sir John advanced up to Oliver, and pointing with his finger, said, “I think I know you, Sir.” Oliver, affecting to be overcome with fright, made no reply. Sir John then said, “I have had an accurate description of you from London! Sir, is not your name Oliver?” Oliver still remained silent, and by the orders of Sir John he was surrounded by a party of cavalry and taken into custody. Sir John then called to another detachment of Yeomanry Cavalry, who were on the road, to stop Murray, which they did, and after driving him into the ditch, they dragged him into the Sportsman’s Arms public-house. Here they searched the person of the Leeds Delegate, but found not a single scrap of paper upon him. At that time there were about five or six persons in the room all in custody, and he learned that they had all been picked up in different parts of the neighbourhood. When they had been in the public-house about half an hour, several post chaises, which seem to have been previously prepared, drove up to the door, and in then they were conveyed, under an escort of Yeomanry Cavalry, to the Court-house at Wakefield. From the time that Murray was apprehended, up to the period of his discharge, he never saw Oliver but once, and then he was brought into the room at the Sportsman’s Arms in custody, but he had not remained there above half a minute, when he was called out of the room by Sir John Byng, and never again appeared. After the examination at Wakefield, Murray and his fellow delegates, not one of whom, to the best of his knowledge, he had ever before seen, were committed to the House of Correction, and were there kept for eleven days in solitary confinement, and on the prison allowance.

968 words.