The Dawn of the XIXth Century in England: A social sketch of the timesAshton, John
History
The Dawn of the XIXth Century in England: A social sketch of the times
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Many were out on parole, which I regret to say all did not respect,
many broke prison and got away; in fact, they did not know where to put
them, nor what to do with them, so that it was once seriously proposed
that, in an hour of danger, should such ever arrive, they should be
shut up in the numerous spent mines throughout England. When on parole,
the following were the regulations—they were allowed to walk on the
turnpike road within the distance of one mile from the extremity of
the town in which they resided, but they must not go into any field or
cross road, nor be absent from their lodgings after five o’clock in
the afternoon, during the months of November, December, and January;
after seven o’clock in the months of February, March, April, August,
September, and October; or, after eight o’clock in the months of May,
June, and July; nor quit their lodgings in the morning until the bell
rang at six o’clock.
If they did not keep to these regulations, they were liable to be taken
up and sent to prison, a reward of one guinea being offered for their
recapture. Should they not behave peaceably, they would also have to
return to durance.
There were also very many refugees here who were not prisoners of war,
and, in order to keep them under supervision, a Royal Proclamation was
issued on the 12th of October, citing an Act passed the last session of
Parliament, respecting the Registration of Aliens, and proclaiming that
all aliens must, within eighteen days from date, register themselves
and their place of abode—if in London, before the Lord Mayor, or some
magistrate at one of the police offices; if in any other part of Great
Britain, before some neighbouring magistrate.
However, enemies nearer home were plaguing John Bull. “Mannikin
Traitors” verily, but still annoying. Then, as now, England’s
difficulty was Ireland’s opportunity; and of course, the chance was
too tempting to be resisted. The Union (curious phrase!) was but in
the third year of its existence, and Ireland was once more in open
rebellion. Chief of the spurious patriots was one Robert Emmett, whose
picture in green and gold uniform coat, white tights and Hessian boots,
waving an immense sword, appears periodically, in some shop windows,
whenever Irish sedition is peculiarly rampant, only to disappear when
the inevitable petty rogue, the approver, has done his work, and the
windbag plot is pricked.
Emmett was the son of one of the State physicians in Dublin, and
brother to that Thomas Eddis Emmett, who was prominent in the
rebellion of 1798. Robert had so compromised himself, by his speech and
behaviour, that he deemed it wise to live abroad during the suspension
of the Habeas Corpus Act, but he returned when his father died, having
become possessed of about £2,000, which he must needs spend, in
“regenerating” Ireland.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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