SRO D4216/F/18
©Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

Transcript
D4216/F/18

Hanley August 15 1842

My dear Sir

Since the Receipt of your favour of yesterday, the work of devastation has commenced in this neighbourhood; the public offices here have had the Windows broken, and all the Books, paper, Staves etc destroyed; the same has been done at Stoke, the houses of Mr B Rose, Mr Allen and Mr Broad have been fired, and the Furniture broken or burnt; the Shops in our Town have been closed; and the congregated Colliers and others are completely Masters of the place parading & demanding Money in Groups from two to twenty; so that my door has been besieged by them throughout the day. I am very apprehensive their Success hitherto will encourage them to proceed to further Violence; and under such threatening circumstances I beg to suggest to you the Necessity of deferring the Survey for a short Time until Matters are in a more settled State. There are large Stocks of Meat and Flour in the Company’s Warehouses at Stoke and Etruria; and if the Rioters became aware of those depots, they will probably be their first Objects of plunder; and it would perhaps be imprudent for Mr Ruscoe or myself to be absent with such an unfavourable Prospect before us. I hasten to communicate to you our painful and dangerous Situation (altho’ I shall barely save this Evening’s Post) for your Government as to what should be done and I am
My dear Sir
Yours most truly
Joseph Mayer