Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

It appears that difference had existed for some time between Mr Abimelech Hainsworth, cloth manufacturer, of Farsley, and his work-people, respecting an advance of wages, and with whose demands he had complied, only requiring them to sign an agreement stating that they were willing to work for him upon these terms; intimating, at the same time, that those who refused to sign this paper would be discharged from his service, when they had completed the work they had in hand. This stipulation it seems was offensive to the trades’ union, and he, Mr Hainsworth, received a notice from their secretary, John Powlett, stating that if he did not continue to employ the whole of his workmen, a strike would take place. Mr Hainsworth not complying with this requisition, many of his workmen, both weavers and slubbers [operators of slubbing machines, which gave a light twist to carded wool], quitted his service. Some, however, who were not members of the trades’ union, remained in his employ; among whom were James Benson, a native of Ireland, a young man about 19 years of age, and his sister, a young woman apparently some years younger, by which they became, in the slang of the union “black sheep.” On Wednesday night last, about a quarter past eight o’clock, this young man, accompanied by his sister, left Mr Hainsworth’s house, where they had been working, and set out on their return home to Stanningley, about a mile and a half distance. When they had proceeded rather more than half a mile, a number of men to the amount of thirty or forty, who appeared to be lying in ambush, suddenly started up, or came in different directions, and instantly surrounded them. The young man, who appeared to be the principal object of attack, received his death-blow, but the sister fortunately effected her escape, not, however, without receiving several severe blows on the arm from a ruffian who followed her a considerable distance.

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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

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Original

ATROCIOUS MURDER. On Wednesday night last, a murder, attended with circumstances of a most aggravated nature, was committed in the neighbourhood of Farsley, a manufacturing village about six miles from this town. It appears that difference had existed for some time between Mr. Abimelech Hainsworth, cloth manufacturer, of Farsley, and his work-people, respecting an advance of wages, and with whose demands he had complied, only requiring them to sign an agreement stating that they were willing to work for him upon these terms; intimating, at the same time, that those who refused to sign this paper would be discharged from his service, when they had completed the work they had in hand. This stipulation it seems was offensive to the Trades’ Union, and he, Mr. Hainsworth, received a notice from their Secretary, John Powlett, stating that if he did not continue to employ the whole of his workmen, a strike would take place. Mr. Hainsworth not complying with this requisition, many of his workmen, both weavers and slubbers, quitted his service. Some, however, who were not members of the Trades’ Union, remained in his employ; among whom were James Benson, a native of Ireland, a young man about 19 years of age, and his sister, a young woman apparently some years younger, by which they became, in the slang of the Union, Black-sheep. On Wednesday night last, about a quarter past eight o’clock, this young man, accompanied by his sister, left Mr. Hainsworth’s house, where they had been working, and set out on their return home to Stanningley, about a mile and a half distance. When they had proceeded rather more than half a mile, a number of men to the amount of thirty or forty, who appeared to be lying in ambush, suddenly started up, or came in different directions, and instantly surrounded them. The young man, who appeared to be the principal object of attack, received his death-blow, but the sister fortunately effected her escape, not, however, without receiving several severe blows on the arm from a ruffian who followed her a considerable distance. When she arrived at her master’s house, two persons were instantly dispatched to the spot, who found the young man lying near the foot path, apparently in a dying state and perfectly insensible. He was immediately conveyed to his master’s house, when surgical assistance was instantly sent for, and in the course, of the night he was attended by Mr. Johnson, of Bramley, and Mr. Cooper, of Bradford, surgeons, but the injury he had received was of too fatal a nature to render medical skill of any avail, and he expired about five o’clock on the following morning. On a post mortem examination of the body, it appeared that there was an extensive fracture on the posterior part of the left side of the skull, and which both the medical men stated to be the cause of his death.

Yesterday, an inquest was held upon the deceased by Christr, Jewison, Esq. Coroner for the Honour of Pontefract, at the house of Mr. John Cockshott, Fleece Inn, Farsley, when the preceding facts were stated in considerable detail, by several witnesses, but there being no evidence satisfactorily to identify the perpetrators of this murderous outrage, the further proceedings were adjourned to Wednesday next, to allow time for further inquiry.

561 words.

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.

• Farsley (4) ·
• Hainsworth, Abimelech (1769-1836) (1), "Old Bim," Farsley cloth merchant, initially bought from home weavers, own mill from 1800, employed half the village on his death ·
• Ireland (24) ·
• 📌Pudsey (11) ·
• Stanningley (2) ·
• Strike action (9) ·
• Strikebreaker (4) ·
• Textile manufacturing (59) ·
• West Riding of Yorkshire (147) ·

All tags.

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