Catalogue description Petitions relating to the case of John Jones, Jeremiah Howell and Francis Roberts....

Petitions relating to the case of John Jones, Jeremiah Howell and Francis Roberts.

Prisoner Name: Jeremiah Howell, Francis Roberts and John Jones.

Court and Date of Trial: Warwick Summer Assizes 1839.

Crime: Riotously assembling and demolishing houses in Birmingham.

Initial Sentence: Death commuted to transportation for life.

Petitions from:

• 84 inhabitants of Birmingham;
• Four inhabitants of Northampton [Northamptonshire];
• Thomas Howell brother of Jeremiah Howell and 51 inhabitants of Birmingham;
• 89 signatories from a meeting at Haswell Colliery [County Durham] on a printed form;
• 83 inhabitants of Hertford [Hertfordshire];
• unsigned petition from inhabitants of Isham [Northamptonshire];
• Three inhabitants of Kettering [Northamptonshire];
• unsigned petition from the inhabitants of Boddicott [Bodicote] Oxfordshire;
• 18 signatories from a meeting at Easington Lane Colliery [County Durham] on a printed form with a forwarding letter from James Quin attached;
• Peter Hoey, Chairman of a meeting held at Barnsley [Yorkshire]on behalf of 12,000 attendees;
• two unsigned petitions;
• D T Rowlinson on behalf of John Jones;
• unsigned petition from the ladies of Birmingham;
• 217 inhabitants of Carmarthen [Carmarthenshire];
• Joshua Scholefield MP;
• 127 inhabitants of Ipswich [Suffolk];
• William Mills;
• 19 female inhabitants of Kettering [Northampton];
• Four inhabitants of Kilbarchan [Renfrewshire];
• Unsigned petition on behalf of the inhabitants of Strathaven [Lanarkshire];
• Unsigned petition on behalf of the ladies of Birmingham;
• John Kilpatrick, chairman of public meeting at Newmilns Ayrshire which adopted the sending of a petition;
• 66 inhabitants of Birmingham residing near the Bull Ring;
• Philip Harwood on behalf of an unstated number of inhabitants of Bridport [Dorset];
• William Sprinks, chairman of a meeting of the Smithfield Charter Association which adopted the sending of a petition;
• Unsigned petition on behalf of the inhabitants of Cheltenham [Gloucestershire];
• Thomas Hodgson on behalf of the inhabitants of Hampton ward Birmingham with letter forwarding petition attached;
• 45 signatories;
• J Culley on behalf of the unstated number of members of the Loughborough [Leicestershire] Political Union with letter forwarding petition attached;
• Unsigned petition on behalf of the inhabitants of the ward of St Thomas Birmingham;
• J Jackson, chairman, on behalf of the inhabitants of Allerton in the county of York;
• 101 inhabitants of the Isle of Wight;
• Unsigned petition from Hamilton [Lanarkshire];
• 66 members of the Scottish Delegate;
• Five inhabitants of Irvine [Ayrshire];
• Ben Rushton, chairman;
• D L Rowlinson;
• 65 Quakers;
• John S Metcalfe;
• Barrister of ten years standing;
• 35 members of the Birmingham Temperance Society;
• Two petitions from Thomas Clark Junior on behalf of the burgers of the Lady Wood ward Birmingham;
• P H Muntz on behalf of the inhabitants of All Saints ward Birmingham with letter attached;
• 11 inhabitants of Birmingham with letter from John Davids attached;
• William Hills;
• Unsigned petition from the inhabitants of Kettering [Lincolnshire];
• Unsigned petition from the inhabitants of Birmingham;
• Unsigned petition from the inhabitants of Newport Isle of Wight;
• 153 inhabitants of Duddeston cum Nechells ward Birmingham;
• Five smiths of London;
• Three members of the Bloomsbury Radical Association;
• Richard Morris on behalf of the members of a meeting held at Dumfries and Maxwelltown [Dumfriesshire] with letter attached;
• Two inhabitants of Dunfermline with letter from [Viscount] Stanhope attached;
• 12 inhabitants of Birmingham;
• 67 inhabitants of Chichester [Sussex] with letter from William Malden attached;
• Seven inhabitants of Birmingham;
• Edwin Jones;
• Unsigned petition from the inhabitants of Banbury Oxfordshire;
• David McGregor on behalf of the inhabitants of Linlithgow [West Lothian];
• Joseph Sturge;
• Mary Roberts, wife of Francis Roberts, underwritten with 27 signatories and with letter from Robert Hartwick attached;
• 47 inhabitants of Birmingham with letter from William Morgan attached;
• Two petitions from William Scholefield, mayor of Birmingham;
• William Marsh, rector of St Thomas’ Birmingham;
• William Morgan;
• Thomas Wakley;
• James Mould.

Affidavits of:

• Thomas Rose, baker of Birmingham;
• Mary Ward;
• David Watson;
• John Wild;
• James Lane, gun maker of Birmingham;
• John Woodward, furnisher polisher of Birmingham;
• Charles Thompson, clerk at The Herald newspaper office;
• Sarah Holt;
• Benjamin Fowell, grocer of Birmingham;
• Mary Freeman;
• Thomas Hacker, watch maker and special constable of Birmingham;
• Robert Reading;
• Thomas Jones, whip maker of Birmingham;
• John Newby, shoe maker of Birmingham;
• Maryan Wakefield;
• James Davenport, pork butcher of Birmingham;
• David Davies, coach maker of Birmingham;
• John Crump, vice maker of Birmingham with letter signed by Joseph Wardren attached.

Summary of case against Francis Roberts; trial notes, letter and written opinion from Mr Justice Littledale, the trial judge; copy testimonials to the character of the petitioners; map of area of Bullring by F K Brown surveyor of Birmingham; letters from Edward Wilkins; Daniel Griffiths; Henry Knight; Henry Hawkes; Benjamin Rushton; John Ayer Leatherland; John Boudier; five letters from Samuel Banks; William Scholefield; John Jenkinson; two draft notes by H W; note about prisoners including that they were sent to Van Diemen's Land on board Mandarin in 1840.