Swing, 7 Sep 2024 The Church and Captain Swing
In January 1831, William Cobbett, scourge of the clergy, surprised himself praising bishop Sumner of Winchester:
…the Bishop, in coming from Winchester to his palace at Farnham, was met by a band of sturdy beggars, whom some call robbers. They stopped his carriage, and asked for some money, which he gave them. … the next day, [he] set 24 labourers to constant work; opened his castle to the distressed of all ages, and supplied all with food and other necessaries who stood in need of them.
Good for the bishop! On £11k a year (£1.2m now), he could afford it. If only the church had a clear policy towards the Swing unrest following the bishop’s example. On the ground the dynamics of every parish were different. Think of the church as complex eco- system rather than organisation. Swing events erupted from a unique parish mix of national and local factors. Tithe, poor law and politics impinged everywhere. Locally, the character of landowner and clergyman, parish social-structure and leadership among the labourers could create calm or unrest. Clergy trod the difficult path between proclaiming the gospel of Christ, their ministry and their social status. Facing Swing was therefore a lonely personal dilemma. During Swing-tide 1830, of the 122 clergy in the 95 parishes of north-west Hampshire (everything west and north of Alresford), only 27 clergy made the record: just over one in five. About the Swing story of the other 4/5ths at present we know nothing.
Some clergy met crowds in the unrest. Band, crowd, mob, riot — subtle but important differences (as in events a few weeks ago). 17 NW Hants clergymen out of 122 were reported to have done so during peak Swing: 1 in 7. Some meetings were civil: David Cockerton, curate of Stoke Charity, to whom the crowd ‘gave … a cheer’ when he promised to speak to the farmers on their behalf. But, for others, the crowd became a mob, demanding money. There were 9 court cases where clergy were victims of extortion: 2 of the 9 were curates, the foot-soldiers of the clergy and closest to the people, paid just £30-100pa by the vicar/rector, not land- owners and lacking security. 5 were vicars, farmers of the glebe, church-owned land in the parish, receiving some tithe, on £150-300 a year. The remaining 2 were rectors, the gentry among the parish clergy, receiving the greater tithes, landowners in their own right, on £300-1000 a year. In 3 of 9 cases, tithes were mentioned: 4 other clergy headed off trouble by reducing the tithes so the farmers could raise wages. The narrowest escape was by Thomas Hodgson, the rector of East Woodhay on the county border. But nowhere in NW Hampshire was as inflamed as Selborne, where an armed mob compelled the vicar to reduce his tithe income by £300. These clergy faced the workers head-on, without much support.
Eight clergy were involved in the judicial process in December 1830. 7 gave evidence for the prosecution in the Special Assize; only one brought the prosecution himself — more about him later. On the other hand, 4 witnessed to the good character of 19 accused. One clergyman stands out. This was the hyperactive Robert Wright, 58-year-old rector of Itchen Abbas, magistrate since 1808. With fellow magistrates, he committed 65 men for trial at the Special Assize. Of these, 22 were sentenced to imprisonment, 14 transported, 1 executed — Henry Cook of Micheldever. Wright headed up a party of the Duke of Buckingham’s servants and tenants against rioters at Avington House, making 31 arrests. Wright was determined to uphold the status quo against the rioters. But he was exceptional even among clergy magistrates. The role of clergy in the courts was mixed.
Back in the parishes, in January 1831, after the sentencing, there was a wave of helpless sympathy. 15 clergy, tellingly mostly curates, closest to the people, joined farmers and employers in signing petitionary letters. Clergy pleaded the good character of 11 men, awaiting transportation: one curate appealed for the opposite, the removal of a proven trouble-maker in danger of being pardoned. A petition for 51-year-old John Allen of Charlton, father of 10 children, was signed by no less than 5 clergy. The letters typically express concern for the destitute wife and family, now even more dependent on the parish — another burden on land-owners. The success rate of these petitions was dismal. Only one petition, by the rector of Wonston, was successful. Commentators have been appalled that, following the trials, William Easton, vicar of St Mary Bourne, accepted a reward of £145 (£12,600 now) for testifying against the rioters into his vicarage. But we do not know why he did so.
One story however can be told in unusual personal detail. James Jolliffe, curate of Barton Stacey, had long known the Mason family, Joseph and younger brother Robert. They were small-holders in nearby Bullington, soundly educated, of radical leanings. 24-year-old Robert was eloquent, a natural leader, so a marked man. The Masons were in a crowd which visited Jolliffe’s house on 18 November, asking for money and food. Rural custom accepted the poor asking the rich for money; but when does begging become extortion? Joliffe gave them 5s (£24 now). He then prosecuted Robert for ‘obtaining money by threats and violence’. When examined by Mason, Joliffe had to admit he had ‘never known him guilty of a dishonest act’. Robert was nevertheless found guilty as charged, sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for life. Awaiting embarkation, Robert wrote a 2600 word letter to Jolliffe. He could not fathom the curate’s behaviour — how had Mason offended him? He quoted scripture widely to drive his questions home. He became very emotional about the plight of his widowed mother, now losing both her sons. Mason almost forgives Jolliffe — quoting one of Joliffe’s sermons he had heard, ‘as we forgive them that trespass against us.’
The letter was written at the end of January 1831, but not sent immediately. A hasty footnote was added a few days later: Robert had new information ‘that you prosecuted me because Thos. Baring in a manner compelled you.’ Baring, the great landowner, had leant on the curate, to get the troublesome Masons removed. Had Joliffe refused, he would have been dismissed: curates were vulnerable.
So, in summary, there can be no neat conclusion. The experience and reaction of the clergy of NW Hampshire to Swing was mixed. We might criticise some, applaud others, but we really do not know enough to judge justly. Those clergy ministering at the time, especially those confronted by Captain Swing, had much to reflect on in the months and years following, as did landowners and politicians. Change was needed. But have we yet solved the problems of poverty and unemployment? And how much progress have we actually made in getting the rich to fulfil their responsibility toward the common good?
1 Political Register, 18 Jan 1831, pp.157-8.
The English Project, launched the world’s first English Language Day in 2009 to mark the first occasion on which English was used in Parliament and to raise awareness of the estimated 7,000 varieties of English spoken in 100 countries worldwide.
This first Parliamentary speech in English, rather than in French, was made on 13th October 1362. In the same Parliament, a Statute of Pleading was approved that also permitted debate and law-making in English.
