Now! Then! John Broughall, an elderly Jewish pedlar, complains to Sheffield magistrates that he was ejected from the Tontine Inn (Haymarket) for running a shop inside

22 September 1829: John Broughall, an elderly Jewish pedlar, complains to Sheffield magistrates that he was ejected from the Tontine Inn (Haymarket) for running a shop inside

A draft trade card for one Watson LSD(?) at the Tontine Inn, suggesting that it was possible for some to conduct business there (Harris 1800ish).

Sheffield Independent. 1828/09/26. Town Hall Tuesday. Sheffield. Get it:

Excerpt

He said that he went with his propertish to … the Tontine, and “though he never did or said no manner of thing vhatsomnever, John Monkhouse, that vas the man vot kicked and beat him.” To this grave charge, Mr Monkhouse gave a very plain answer. The complainant, he said, persisted in entering the Tontine, and taking up his station by the cupboard containing his plate, glass, etc., he had desired him to go away, and, indeed, compelled him to do so. When, returning in a short time, to his great annoyance, Master Broughall was there again, sitting amongst and displaying his merchandise as much at his ease as if he were seated on the pavé at Mayfair.” The defendant continued, that having reasonable apprehension for the safety of his plate, he did rather forcibly eject the Jew and his propertish into the innyard. The charge and defence had no sooner been made, than another coal-eyed, hook-nosed, swarthy-faced descendant of Abraham, commenced a speech in the sheeny dialect: “I tell you vot, thish shentleman is a shentleman well respected as any shentleman, and no shentleman hash a right to knock him out of doors ven he’s honeshtly dishposing of his goodsh in any shentleman’s house. And I tell you vot,” looking the magistrate full in the face, and grasping the rail with unwashed hands, as is the Jewish custom, “I tell you vot, if the shentleman who travelsh with four hundred poundsh of goodsh can’t get justish here, by ____ he shall bring hish acshon.” “Put that fellow below if he does not keep silent,” said the bench, and then proceeded to adjudicate. “It is well known that Jew pedlars, in their anxiety to dispose of their goods, obtrude into people’s houses, and become in fact great nuisances. We think Mr Monkhouse did right in putting the complainant out. But as he admits he used some extra violence, and the Jews threaten to bring an action against him, we adjudge him to pay a fine of ten shillings to the county, and receive a certificate that the complaint has been heard and determined by us, which, under Mr Peel’s late act, will prevent future proceedings.”

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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:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Despite the antisemitic tone, I’ve no doubt that the basic facts are roughly true, but it would be good to see another source. Is it in the Leeds Mercury? Sheeny (Jew) was offensive in the late 19th century and perhaps already so in 1829. OED: “Of obscure origin: compare Russian žid, Polish, Czech žid (pronounced /ʒiːd/), a Jew.” However, Matthew Mark Trumbull, a London-born “respectable radical“, soldier, defender of the Haymarket anarchists, etc. etc., has a splendid anecdote claiming that sheeny < chien:

My next door neighbor was a German Jew, and among his children was a boy about nine years old. One day he was quarreling with a Christian boy of his own age, and the Christian called him a sheeny. The Israelite replied, “I am no more a dog than you are.” Impressed by his retort, I asked him what he meant. He said, “He called me a sheeny. Sheeny is French for dog, and in Europe it is used as an insult for the Jews.” “Who told you that?” I said. And he answered, “ My mother told me.” I bave no doubt that his mother was right. Under the Norman kings occurred the persecution of the Jews in England, and as no true Norman would use a Saxon word when he could use a French word, he said chien and not “dog” when insulting a Jew. Sir Walter Scott makes Brian De Bois Guilbert say “Dog” when addressing Isaac of York, but the exact word he used was Chien, or “Sheeny.” (Trumbull 1891)

Robert Peel was Tory Home Secretary 1822-27 and 1828-30. Is the legislation mentioned tied up with the creation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829?

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Original

A NUISANCE.-The Magistrates’ room was attended this day by a number of Jews, who, it appeared in the commission of a nuisance extremely common with our peoples, had met with what they chose to call “violent assaults.” The first applicant was a juvenile dealer “in vatches and thrinkets, all varranted shewellers’ gold.” He said he entered Messrs. Shirley and Jackson’s flour mill for the purpose of disposing of his goods, when, to his grief and astonishment, a shower of fine sharps came upon him so suddenly, that before he could get out of the mill, he was as white as the miller himself. “Your Vorship only look here, (said the young Israelite, carefully untying a bundle containing his coat, with every particle of the offensive flour carefully preserved on the nap,) thish coat ish spoiled.” “What do you want us to do?” “Vy, I vont to know, if I give monish for the summons, you vill have the men vot did it up thish morning, becaush I vont to go and dishpose of my goods at Manchester.” “Consult the constables,” said the Magistrate, and Moses was troubled and departed, because he had done so before.

The second applicant was an elderly Jew named John Broughall. He said that he went with his propertish to the large public-house over the way, (the Tontine,) and “though he never did or said no manner of thing vhatsomnever, John Monkhouse that vas the man vot kicked and beat him.” To this grave charge, Mr. Monkhouse gave a very plain answer. “The complainant (he said) persisted in entering the Tontine, and taking up his station by the cupboard containing his plate, glass, &c., he had desired him to go away, and, indeed, compelled him to do so, when returning in a short time, to his great annoyance, Master Broughall was there again sitting amongst and displaying his merchandise as much at his ease as if he were seated on the pavé at May Fair.” The defendant continued, that having reasonable apprehension for the safety of his plate, he did rather forcibly eject the Jew and his propertish into the Inn yard. The charge and defence had no sooner been made, than another coal-eyed, hook-nosed, swarthy-faced descendant of Abraham, commenced a speech in the Sheenie dialect. “I tell you vot, thish shentleman (the complainant) is a shentleman well respected as any shentleman, and no shentleman hash a right to knock him out of doors ven he’s honeshtly dishposing of his goodsh in any shentleman’s house; and I tell you vot, (looking the Magistrate full in the face, and grasping the rail with unwashed hands, as is the Jewish custom,) I tell you vot, if the shentleman who travelsh with four hundred poundsh of goodsh can’t get justish here, by ____ he shall bring hish acshon.” “Put that fellow below if he does not keep silent,” said the Bench, and then proceeded to adjudicate. “It is well known that Jew pedlars, in their anxiety to dispose of their goods, obtrude into people’s houses, and become in fact great nuisances. We think Mr. Monkhouse did right in putting the complainant out; but as he admits he used some extra violence, and the Jews threaten to bring an action against him, we adjudge him to pay a fine of ten shillings to the county, and receive a certificate that the complaint has been heard and determined by us, which, under Mr. Peel’s late Act, will prevent future proceedings.”

597 words.