leeslover Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 For the avoidance of doubt, I am not making this up. With credit to my dad’s mate, a keen local historian On this day in 1794 ( 21 April was Easter Monday) a mob of anti-French, Church and King loyalists broke up a public meeting called by the 'Royton Friends to Parliamentary Reform'. Dubbed ' the Royton Jacobins' the reformers were led by the Deist and political activist, Thomas Taylor (alias Mechanicus), meeting at the Light Horseman public house, run by his brother Joseph, at the bottom of Sandy Lane. Other sons of Caleb Taylor (the O'Caleb tribe) assisted. Here was housed the 'Jacobin Library', deemed to hold the banned book, The Rights of Man, by Thomas Paine. After Revolutionary France declared war, and the Reign of Terror instigated, moderate radicals deserted the Jacobins and public opinion in Oldham, Rochdale and the surrounding towns turned against them. After spending the year parading the streets of nearby towns and villages, denouncing William Pitt, King George, bankrupt bankers, the army and the downturn in foreign trade and subsequent food shortages, the Jacobins arranged a public meeting of various reform and constitutional societies, to be held in a field between the Light Horseman and Thorp, just off Flake Lane. The agenda was to petition parliament to reform the Commons on the French plan (or at least allow local representation with no wealth criterion). It was to prove a disastrous decision, with recruiting parties scouring the area for willing holidaymakers and the cross country football match between Oldham and Middleton in full swing. Anti French feeling was at its height and French 'democracy' seemed like anarchy. As scores of delegates and reformists gathered in Royton, Joseph Harrop of Barrowshaw led a mob of Church and Kingers to disrupt the meeting. On the way they passed through army recruits and recruiting parties who tagged along. And of course the football crowd ended up in the throng, with their footballs. As hundreds of people massed in Royton, Joseph Pickford of Royton Hall, JP sent for the troop of light cavalry barracked in Manchester. Reverend Drake of Rochdale mustered the newly formed Rochdale Volunteers. With ominous timing, the Reverend Seddon, of St Anne's Church Lydgate, had already denounced the proposed meeting in his Easter day sermon. Rev. Bury of St Paul's Royton took up where he left off and placed himself at the head of the mob. The inevitable happened. As footballers kicked balls into the meeting, the Jacobins retaliated in kind. Then the army recruits, joined by veterans waded in, one veteran 'taking off his wooden leg' to beat the Jacobins. While Rev Bury stood on a garden fence opposite (Where Park Lane House is today) shouting 'There goes a Jacobin! There goes one!' as the Reformists tried to flee, Harrop's boys stormed the Light Horseman, to the strains of 'God Save the King' , wrecking and looting it. A recruit was stabbed in the process. With perfect timing the cavalry arrived to disperse the meeting fully. Six Jacobin ringleaders (or slow runners) were captured, clothes torn and somewhat worse for wear, some found to be bearing knives and pistols. The rest fled the scene, giving name to the day, 'The Royton Races'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latics4lifenotjustxmas Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The inevitable happened. As footballers kicked balls into the meeting, the Jacobins retaliated in kind. Then the army recruits, joined by veterans waded in, one veteran 'taking off his wooden leg' to beat the Jacobins. While Rev Bury stood on a garden fence opposite (Where Park Lane House is today) shouting 'There goes a Jacobin! There goes one! as the Reformists tried to flee, Harrop's boys stormed the Light Horseman, to the strains of 'God Save the King' , wrecking and looting it. A recruit was stabbed in the process. With perfect timing the cavalry arrived to disperse the meeting fully. Six Jacobin ringleaders (or slow runners) were captured, clothes torn and somewhat worse for wear, some found to be bearing knives and pistols. The rest fled the scene, giving name to the day, 'The Royton Races'. Veterans with wooden legs & slow runners.... ....wait a minute Blimey some things never change! The team of 1794 is no different to the team of 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underdog Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 awww...its was a good game.....sunny too....best fighting spirit seen custer's last stand... its a funny owd game football...... Hopefully, Sat's team will show the same spirit (minus wooden leg, pistols and knives.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fittonhillbilly Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 its a disgrace someone should e mail hardy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footy68 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Where were the stewards to make everyone sit down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Where were the stewards to make everyone sit down? Apparently the stewards were the real criminals! How history (allegedly and depending on your point of view) repeats itself! I complained to the author that there were no brickbats being thrown, as they were a favourite staple of mine in riots from previous centuries: They didn't have brickbats in Royton then. But I believe the Church and Kingers had cudgels. The mob did try to drown one Jacobin in the brook near my house. They tore the sleeves off his coat trying to search him for pistols. They found one. The unfortunate man was heard to shout 'Fire' from his post at the hedge by the Light Horseman pub as the loyalists charged but there is no record of anyone actually discharging a firearm, or being shot. The wounded were stabbed and punched. So cudgels and knives will have to do. Sandy Lane was not paved then and finding brickbats was hard. Surely taking off one's wooden leg (a present from the siege of Gibraltar) to use as a weapon will do. If you wish to downgrade the Races to an affray then I suppose I can't stop you. The prosecution at the trial of the prisoners taken had trouble in this department. The prosecution referred to it as a riot, and so did the defence. But due to the discrepancies in witness statements the grand jury at the Lancaster Assizes could not judge which side were the rioters. The case was thrown out. The Jacobins then tried a prosecution but this was thrown out. The only persons convicted were two troopers who had ransacked a suspected Jacobin's house whilst returning to Manchester through Failsworth. They even dug his garden up looking for Tom Paine's book. Then they tied him to a horse, stuck pins in his legs, and paraded him through the streets. They got done for kidnapping, assault, trespassing, criminal damage and heaven knows what. I think they got two months. So, even though the locals were loyal redneck Frog hating hardliners, things were lagging somewhat behind in the courts and jury service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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