HORSFALL FAMILY HISTORY

John Horsfall, the blacksmith, from Slaithwaite was a relative of William Horsfall the owner of Ottiwell's Mill at Marsden. William employed about 400 men and although some people assert that he was fairly well-liked this may have been only when things were progressing according to his will. The year was 1812 and it was at a time that mechanisation was driving the hand loom weavers into conditions of extreme poverty.

The LUDDITES were machinery breakers. The name Luddite came from the threatening letters that were sent to the owners of machines, they were signed 'Ned Lud' or 'General Lud' usually to protect the identity of the sender. In Yorkshire most Luddite activity was around Huddersfield and the Spen valley. Here the workers were mainly croppers, a highly skilled cloth finishing process. There had been intermittant disturbances in an around Huddersfield since 1802, but a particulary bad ecomonic climate at the start of 1812 significantly exacerbated the situation. A series of attacks on the premises of small clothiers who had installed cropping machines on their premises took place throughout February, March and April, and at this stage there was still a good deal of sympathy for the croppers grievances, but two incidents on the 11th and 28th April 1812, turned this sympathy into condemnation.

On 11th April a major attack on RAWFOLDS MILL in the Spen Valley was defended by the militia and, after a twenty minute exchange of fire two Luddites lost their lives. Tempers continued to run extremely high and Huddersfield was virtually a town under siege. Some of the Luddites began to arm themselves and attacks began to be directed at the millowners themselves.

As mentioned above some people thought pretty well of William Horsfall, but he was a man of quick temper and nothing seemed to rouse his temper more than the Luddites. He actively tried to encourage more factory owners to follow his lead and install machinery and a popular legend stated that he "would ride up to his saddle girths in LUDDITE BLOOD". His feelings were apparently well known and it is said that children would run in front of him taunting "I'm General Ludd", at which he became furious and chased them with his horse whip.

It was well known that William Horsfall liked to attend the market at Huddersfield and usually travelled home at about five or six in the evening. On the 28th April he was riding home from market and stopped to have a drink at Warren House. Here he bought himself a rum and water and a drink for two of his former workers, then carried on his way home to Marsden. Just as he reached an plantation owned by Mr Radcliffe about three hundred yards from Warren House a load shot rang out and caught him in the thigh. A witness following behind by some one hundred and fifty yards saw smoke and four men hiding in the plantation and, saw William Horsfall fall upon his horse's neck. He then heard him shout out 'Murder' and shouted to the culprits "what art thou not contented yet". When he reached Horsfall he was sat upright on his horse and said 'good man I am shot'. At this he fell sick and faint and blood was gushing from his side. Two boys who were collecting dung on the road were quickly despatched to fetch Mr Horsfall's brother, (the Reverend Abraham Horsfall) and he was carried back to Warren House.

Between eight and nine that evening Mr Rowland Houghton, surgeon at Huddersfield, arrived to examine the patient and found him very sick, pale and exhausted with barely a pulse to be felt. There were two wounds on the upper part of his left thigh about three inches long, another on the lower part of the scrotum, and two more on the right thigh. One large musket ball was removed from his left thigh near to his hip joint, which was produced as evidence in court.

On the 2nd ofJanuary 1813 at a special assizes in York three young men; George Mellor, William Thorpe and Thomas Smith were tried and found guilty of Mr Horsfall's murder and hung on Friday the 8th January 1813. On the 9th January seven came up for trial for their part in the attck on Rawfolds Mill; James Haigh, Jonathan Dean, John Ogden, James Brook, John Brook, Thomas Brook and Walker, and all except of James and John Brook were hung that day. Nine more Luddites were hung for stealing arms and money in March 1813. After this Huddersfield was reported quiet and the troops finally withdrawn.

Gay J Oliver © 2003 - all rights reserved