Letter – Henry Richmond to Walter Blackett – 1 Mar 1761

To Sir Wr Blackett Bt. M.P. etc London                                                                    1st March 1761

Honourd Sir   

 A no. of Colliers waggon men & others assembled in sev[era]l places in the County of Durham last week & took the militia lists f[ro]m the Constables & committed other outrages, & yesterday a large body of them armed with sticks came to Gateshead where there was a meeting of the deputy Lieuten[an]ts. Two of the Ringleaders who I am told are known, distributed to the mob printed papers of wch the enclosed is a copy, for I have not been able to get one of the originals. The Yorkshire militia were under arms in the Exch[an]ge & Guildhall to be ready in case of the mischief; But that was prevented by Mr Ridleys going into Gateshead & giving the mob assurances that the present meeting was only to draw ten men out of their ward that in case any of them who were concerned in the coal works sho[ul]d be drawn their owners wo[ul]d find substitutes for them & that after this he was satisfied there wo[ul]d be no more balloting till the law wo[ul]d be altered, wch wo[ul]d have been done  this session according to the Land tax or poor rate, if it had not been upon the Eve of a new parliam[en]t. This satisfied them, as they look[e]d upon this as having carried their point & they dispersed, all but about 200 of them, who with music at their head came into Newcastle, brandishing their sticks & publishing that they had got all they wanted, that there was to be no more balloting & that the folks in No[rthumber]land ought to follow their example. They were suffered to proceed without interruption thru’ the town, as they did no mischief to any one. But many censure the tameness of the proceedings of the proceedings both in Gateshead & Newcastle, and apprehend that if any thing hereafter is to be done in execution of the militia law these folks will be much more difficult to deal with & some of the coal owners say Mr Ridley was not authorized to promise these people such things as he did    I am etc  HR