Charlotte Dykins Eyewitness Account

• Place: Manchester
• Role: Spectator

23/11/1819 Went with Farren and Newy to the meeting. Saw Farren who was carrying a child moved close to the hustings. She was told by Farren that she was injured when she fell into a cellar and hit her head on a brick, but heard Farren tell others she was cut by Mr Tebull’s son.

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HO40 16 f.310 Evidence of Charlotte Dykins, 23 November 1819.

Charlotte Dykins of Manchester, Wife of Thomas Dykins of No. 66 Lombard Street Plumber & Glazier, upon her oath saith that on the 16th of August, she and Mary Anne Newy & Elizabeth Farren went to the Meeting on the Field near St Peter’s. That they three staid together until about the time Mr Hunt came when Elizabeth Farren said she would go nearer the Hustings & Examinant went with her part of the way. Examinant however did not go with her as far as she went, as she made a great noise huzzaing and holding up one of her arms, waving a Pocket Handkerchief about in a very unbecoming way. She could not wave the other as she had a child in it. Examinant soon after seeing the Soldiers coming on the ground, left and went home. In about half an hour after Examinant heard Elizabeth Farren was come home hurt, and went to her Room to see her. When she got there Examinant asked her how it happened she had hurt herself, when she said, she did not know, she did not know, and after repeating the question, she said she had fallen down into a Cellar hole among some bricks and Rubbish & that the corner of a Brick had cut her head – putting up her hand to her head at the same time.
Examinant for a few minutes left her and on her returning, she found her talking with some other people & to them she was saying that she had [been] cut by a Cavalry-man a big dark man with large black Whiskers. Examinant reminded her of what she had before said viz. that she had said that she had been hurt by a brick, when she said, she hardly knew what she said, but a Cavalry man did cut her.

In the course of two or three days after Elizabeth Farren told Examinant Mr [Tebbull’s?] son had cut her. She knew him by her having lived 7 weeks in Camp Street. Examinant told her the neighbours said she had not been cut at all but if she had been it must have been by Mr Birley. No, she said it was not him, her husband worked for him.

Examinant says she afterwards saw Elizabeth Farren after the last Lancaster Assizes, who told her she had been there to swear against [Tebbull?], and that he would be tried for his life, but that he could get off if he paid plenty of money. The Reformers had given her a great deal of money and they would get two or three hundred out of him.

That the last time Examinant saw Elizabeth Farren, to have any conversation with her, she said she was going to London to swear against Mr [Tebbull?]
Examinant says that from her Mother being a Sister of one of the Wards in Bartholomews Hospital London, whom she occasionally assisted, she has some knowledge of wounds & the mode of dressing them. She says the wound or hurt on Farren’s head was about an inch long, and from its appearance, seemed to have been cut by a fall upon some sharp edge of a stone or brick. She had also a bruise like the graze of some hard substance upon her forehead.

That the Child she had, had no cut upon it, nor did she pretend to say the child was cut.
Examinant says when Farren came home, her husband bro[ugh]t her a little bottle to rub it with and a plaister. Examinant proposed to dress it, but Farren’s husband would not allow her. He, instead of closing the wound opened it with his Fingers, put lint down into it, and then laid the plaister on. Examinant afterwards saw it & found it had been tampered with, & was festering.

That had Examinant been allowed to dress it, it would have been healed in 3 days & quite well in a week.

Examinant says Farren lived highly and was of a full habit of Body.

The X Mark of
Sworn at Manchester ) Charlotte Dykins
The 23 of November )
1819 before me )
J. Silvester

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