Letter – Henry Richmond to Walter Blackett – 10 Mar 1761

To Sir Wr Blackett Bt. M.P. London                                                       Newcastle 10 March 1761

Honourd Sir

At the meeting of the deputy Lieutenants & justices yesterday at Hexham S[i]r Lance[lo]t Allgood, S[i]r Robt. Bewicke, <Coll[one]l> Delaval Mr Fenwick Mr Reed & Mr Soulsby were present. The six Co[mpanie]s of the Yorkshire Militia, being about 240 men, commanded by Major Crow were drawn up in the market place before the Gaol Gate a little after 9 o’clock. About 12, the mob armed with clubs became very numerous & riotous in the streets & market place & so bold as to venture almost within reach of the Bayonets. Several of the heads of them declared to the Militia that they meant them no harm, & that if they wo[ul]d lay down their arms they sho[ul]d not be hurt but rather rewarded, but if they obstructed them, they wo[ul]d kill every man of them. By degrees they grew still bolder & more tumultuous & several times tried to put the Bayonets aside. The justices, who were in the senter of the square formed by the militia, now grew apprehensive that the mob wo[ul]d break in upon them, & therefore ordered the proclamation to be read; wch was accordingly done three times, But the mob treated it with contempt, & in about a qua[rte]r of an hour began to attack the militia in several parts of their square & actually broke thro[ugh] the line on the left by their weight notwithstanding several were wounded by the bayonets. In this scuffle Lieutenant Hart was shot thro[ugh] the body by a pistol fired f[ro]m the mob, & it is thought cannot recover, one private man was killed & two wounded. Upon this the order was given to fire wch was at first done by three files & then by a platoon, but this not at all intimidating the mob, tho’ several of them dropt, the fire became general, & then the mob fled & dispersed imediately and I am sorry to acquaint you that 20 of them are killed & numbers wounded. This was a violent, but I realy beleive a necessary remedy for the disorder, wch was growing very great & contagious. Several bodies of men having catched It, & ignorant of what passed yesterday assembled this morning on Killingworth moor & other places, but I cannot learn what scheme they are upon. No doubt they will now soon disperse. The 6 Companies at hexham lay upon their arms all last night in the Abbey where they are still; but all, as I hear to day, is quiet in that quarter. I cannot learn that any of your miners were at hexham, I hope the expectation of their pay kept them at home. They will not be disappointed therein, for after this severe example it was thought there wo[ul]d be no disturbance or Interruption to be met with on the road & therefore my Father & the Stewards set off this morning with the money. The behaviour of the Militia seems universally applauded for they were about 6 hours under arms, & bore the insults & attacks of the mob with great composure, till the order was given to Fire. I am etc HR