QSR1828/392-393

Examination of John Jones of Luton, straw hat manufacturer.

1828

From: 1828 To: 1828

On 5th November was in his warehouse belonging to him and his brother Richard Jones. He then went across the yard into their dwelling house and heard a great noise and found a large mob throwing stones etc. at the door and window shutters; they broke some of the windows. After a short time the mob left but about an hour afterwards a mob, which he estimated as 'perhaps two hundred persons' came back down the street rolling a tar barrel on fire at both ends. As soon as the mob reached the house they began throwing stones at the windows again and the tar barrel was placed against a boarded fence. The two brothers watched from an upper window and he heard some of the mob call out 'Come out you b_______ Welsh b________. His brother asked them several times to go away and threatened to shoot them; he had a gun in his hand at the time. As the mob continued to throw stones and did not remove the barrel his brother fired the gun across the road into the fields opposite the house to frighten the people; they then went away. In a few minutes they were back again with the barrel burning as before which they placed in the same position but shortly afterwards they rolled it across the road to another fence, also belonging to his brother, and appeared to be trying to set it alight. The mob again thew stones and after calling out to them several times to leave, his brother fired a second time 'in such a direction that he would hit on one.' The mob went away, but returned yet again with the barrel; threw stones at the windows and at the brothers. His brother again threatened to shoot 'as many as twenty times.' Eventually a stone hit his brother on the head, knocking the crown of his hat in. A man in the crowd excalimed 'There we have done him for now.' His brother then fired a third time 'down the lane in the direction of the crowd' and the people went off and did not return. Gives more detail as to the direction in which his brother fird the gun. A great many windows were broken and both he and his brother 'were in a great state of alarm.' He believes the object of the mob was to set their premises on fire or do them some bodily injury.

item

Jones, John,
Jones, Richard

straw hat manufacturer, LUTON, rioting, arson