Catalogue description Folios 41-42. Letter from John Ralphs and Thomas Pepper, sheriffs, Coventry,...

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Details of HO 52/20/13
Reference: HO 52/20/13
Description:

Folios 41-42. Letter from John Ralphs and Thomas Pepper, sheriffs, Coventry, [Warwickshire], regarding the apprehension of an attempt to rescue the two prisoners, Benjamin Sparkes and Thomas Burbury, sentenced to death at the Coventry Assizes for machine breaking: the machine belonging to Josiah Beck, machine maker of power looms.

He explains the principal manufacture in the city is ribbons. The population of the city and environs consists mainly of inferior people of c. 30,000 or 40,000 people, many thousands being operative weavers.

Executions at Coventry usually take place on waste ground called Whitley Common with a journey through some narrow streets populated by operative weavers required. He believes a rescue attempt would be made and asks for advice.
Date: 1832 Mar 30
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

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