HC Deb 03 August 1832 vol 14 cc1093-6
Mr. Stanley

moved the Order of the Day for receiving the Report of the Tithes Composition (Ireland) Bill.

Mr. Hume

wished to take that opportunity of putting a question to the noble Lord, on the subject of an attack made by the military on the people at Clitheroe, respecting which he had received an account. He would read to the House the account contained in the Blackburn paper, from which it appeared that Mr. Irving, a Member of that House, had made his appearance at Clitheroe, and had not been received in a very popular manner; and the account then went on to say: "Mr. Irving and his party took, what appeared to them, the prudent course of driving through the town without stopping; nor did they re-appear in Clitheroe during the afternoon. In an evil hour, under the excitement of the indignity they had sustained, and in spite of the advice and remonstrance of the bailiff of the borough, Mr. Garstang, a requisition was despatched to Burnley for two troops of horse, signed by Colonel Clayton, Charles Whitaker, Esq. of Simmondstone, and the reverend R. Noble, of Whalley. In the evening Mr. Irving and his party returned, escorted by fifty dragoons, and attended by two clerical Magistrates; and by some strange, unpardonable infatuation, instead of taking the Worston road, which was open to them, and would have entirely avoided the borough, they chose to return through Clitheroe, at the close of a day of extraordinary excitement, and before the people had entirely dispersed. The consequences were what might be expected—the sight of the troops, and the unlooked-for appearance of Mr. Irving, influenced the multitude, already under the influence of liquor; insults were offered on both sides; the ferment increased; the Riot Act was read; and then the troops, without orders, it was said, charged the defenceless populace. Eight or tea individuals, most of them, as is but too frequent in such cases, guiltless and unoffending, were sabred in the street." He wished to know whether the Government had received any account of this transaction, and by whose authority the military had been called in? because, as elections were now on the eve of taking place throughout the country, he thought that the noble Lord ought not to lose a moment in deprecating such interference, if it was indeed true that the military on this occasion had acted without due authority.

Lord Althorp

said, that he was not in possession of the details of the circumstances to which his hon. friend had alluded. He had heard that morning, at the Office of his noble friend the Secretary for the Home Department, that some disturbance had taken place at Clitheroe; that the military were called in to disperse the crowd after the Riot Act had been read; and that, in doing so, some persons were wounded, but that no lives were lost. He was not in possession of any further details on the subject.

Mr. Warburton

said, that according to an account which accompanied the Blackburn paper, it appeared that sixteen persons were wounded, and that one man received a shot in the temple.

Mr. Burge

said, it was probable that the first accounts of the affair were greatly exaggerated. At all events, the House ought not to make the matter a subject of discussion in the absence of the hon. Member (Mr. Irving) who was interested in it.

Mr. Hunt

would not be deterred from stating what he thought on this subject, by what had fallen from the hon. Gentleman who had just sat down. It was not for him to cast imputations on Mr. Irving in his absence; and he would not. But he rose for the purpose of stating, that he had been informed that that Gentleman's Committee had been taking a liberty with his (Mr. Hunt's) name, by associating Mr. Irving with him. All he could say about the matter was, that he had received a letter a few days since, stating that it had been promulgated by this Committee that he and Mr. Irving acted together in the House, and the letter concluded by asking whether Mr. Irving was a radical? Now he must say, that, in his opinion, it was a very gross attempt to try to impose Mr. Irving on the people as a radical. With respect to this transaction at Clitheroe, it would appear that the blood of the people of England had been shed very unnecessarily; and, as was well observed in the newspaper, nothing of the sort had occurred in that county since the bloody transactions of Peterloo.

Lord Althorp

I wish to set myself right with the House. I am not sure that the Home Secretary has not already received the details of this transaction: all that I have done is to state what I myself heard from my noble friend. From him I understand that the Riot Act was read before the military were called in. I may have been guilty of a fault in not having informed myself of all the particulars; but I did not expect that any question would be asked on the subject, and therefore I did not prepare myself for it. All I have heard is, that a riot has taken place at Clitheroe in consequence of an election canvass there; that the Riot Act was read; that the military were called out, and that, though some sabre cuts were inflicted, no lives were lost.

Mr. Hume

As I am informed, the attack of the military took place before the Riot Act was read; but this is probably a mistake. I beg to say, that I am not blaming Mr. Irving; but I shall certainly blame the Magistrates, if it appears that they have acted hastily or rashly in calling out the military.

Mr. Dixon

I think that there should be no talk of blame on one side or the other, till we have proper information for our guidance. This is the first instance in which we have heard of any riot under the new Bill; and I think that it is the duty of those who have acquired influence over the people to do all in their power to induce them to give fair play, even to the most violent reform candidate; without which the Reform Bill, instead of being a benefit, will only be a curse to the country.

Mr. Hunt

observed, that the noble Lord (Lord Althorp) had said, that the Riot Act had been read before the military had charged the people. Now, he hoped it would not go forth to the public, that because the Riot Act had been read, the troops were justified in at once attacking the people. The law allowed an hour to elapse, from the time of reading the Riot Act, before the power of the military could be resorted to to disperse a crowd, and he hoped the noble Lord did not mean to send it forth to the country, that the military would be justified in at once resorting to force as soon as the Act had been read.

Lord Althorp

said, nothing had fallen from him warranting the inference that he held the opinion that the people, in case of riot, were to be attacked the moment the Riot Act was read.