John Shawcross Eyewitness Account

• Place: Manchester
• Role: Injured
• Occupation: Police Clerk

Attended White Moss with Murray and Rymer. Fell unconscious after being beaten as a suspected spy.

Account

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John Shawcross sworn: examined by Mr. Serjeant Hullock

Q What are you—where do you live?

A. I live at Manchester.

Q. Did you reside there in August, 1819?

A. In Salford.

Q. Did you accompany Murray to White Moss.?

A. Yes.

Q. You set off early in the morning, and arrived at daybreak?

A. Yes.

Q. Had you any thing to do with the police at that time?

A. I was regular police clerk.

Q. Had you been so any time before?

A. Several years.

Q. Who, besides Murray, accompanied you?

A. Rymer and his son.

Q. When you got to White Moss, do you remember any particular words?

A. Nothing more than "right," "left."

Q. What happened to you?

A. I was followed by a party of the persons exercising, and beat.

Q. By. what number of persons were you followed?

A. From fifty to one hundred at least.

Q. Did they overtake you?

A Yes, Sir.

Q. Did they call to you before they overtook you?

A. The, first person who came up to me asked me who I was.

Q. Did you tell him? .

A. I said I came from Middleton.

Q. That was not so?

A. No. He said, "no you come from Manchester."

Q. What made you give that answer?

A. I was apprehensive I should be beat.

Q. What then took place?

A. Without saying any more, he knocked me down.

Q. With what?

A. His fist.

Q. Did you rise again?

A. No.

Q. Why?

A. He began to beat me again with sticks, and kicked.

Q. While you was laying on the ground?

A. Yes.

Q. How long did they continue to do so?

A. Perhaps five minutes or more.

Q. Did you then get away, or how?

A. I was knocked into a ditch, or rather kicked in.

Q. What then?

A. I then received a violent kick on the side, which deprived me of sense for some time.

Q. For what length of time you cannot tell?

A. No.

Q. When you came to yourself, what; then?

A. I found myself in the ditch, no one round me.

Q. When you returned to yourself, you found yourself alone, and got away?

A. Yes.

Q. Was you bruised?

A. A good deal.

Q. What part?

A. All over.

Q. With sticks?

A. With sticks and fists; I was also: cut with a sharp instrument, through the cheek.

Q. Was that inflicted while you was sensible?

A. No; I discovered it when I got out of the ditch.

Q. Was you cut through the cheek?

A. Through the lip.

Q. What became of Murray?

A. He passed me, and got further.

Q. Did you see him?

A. When I got up, I saw the sticks on him.

Q. Bestowing the same attention on him, as they had done on you?

A. Yes.

Q. Had you any knowledge of the party?

A. Not the least.

Q. Neither can you say whether you saw any at the meeting?

A. I was confined in my bed.

Q. For what length of time?

A. Several days.

Q. For the cause you have mentioned?

A. Yes.

Q. What induced you to go to the White Moss?

A. I had heard of meetings and drillings, and it was merely for the purpose of ascertaining whether it was so.

Q. You ascertained the fact as you have stated?

A. Yes.

Q. How long before that was it, that you heard the first reports or rumours of such proceedings?

A. I had heard, many weeks before, that there had been meetings in the neighbourhood.

Q. Did you ever see Mr. Hunt?

A. Yes.

Q. Where?

A. Several places.

Q. Manchester?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you ever see him at any public meeting at Manchester?

A. No.

Q. You have seen him walking the streets?

A. Yes.

Q. With whom?

A. If I recollect right, with Johnson.

Q. Johnson is a brush maker by trade?

A. Yes.

Q. Have you seen him do that oftener than once?

A. I cannot say I have.

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