Thomas Whittaker Eyewitness Account

• Place: Oldham
• Role:
• Occupation: Spinner

Step-brother of John Lees. Witness at his inquest, with first hand experience of the extent of the injuries suffered by Lees after returning from St.Peter’s Field.

Account

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Name: Thomas Whittaker

Occupation: Spinner (& step-brother of John Lees)

Home: Oldham

Date: 25 September 1819

Source: Lees Inquest 35 - 38

Summary: First hand observations of the extent of the injuries suffered by John Lees after returning from St.Peter’s field.

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THOMAS WHITTAKER called in by the Constable; sworn, and examined by the CORONER.

Q. What are you?
A. A cotton spinner.
Q. Where do you live?
A. With Robert Lees, to whom my mother is married.
Q. Do you know any thing of John Lees?
A. Yes; I have slept and supped with him ever since Christmas, 1818.
Q. Did you see him on the 16th of August last?
A. I did.
Q. At about what time?
A. Betwixt nine and ten o'clock in the evening, on my return¬ing home.
Q. How did he appear?
A. He looked very pale. I discovered he was wounded. I un¬dressed him, and pulled his shirt off.
Q. Did he go up stairs by himself?
A. I went up with him; he was very faint when he got to the top; and I helped him off with his clothes.
Q. How did he seem then?
A. He looked very ill, and his shirt stuck to his body, and the flesh was cut to the bone; I saw and I washed it.
Q. What cuts did you see about him?
A. I saw a severe one on his right elbow.
Q. Did he say any thing to you about his being hurt in any other part?
A. Yes; he told me that was not the worst, and he desired me to look at his shoes, how they were cut off by the horses.

Q. Did you see any marks on his shirt?
A. I did; it was cut and bloody.
Q. Did he show you any other marks of violence?
A. No, he did not.
Q. Did you examine his shoes?
A. Yes, and I found the shoe of his left foot cut off, and the
leather torn.
Q. Did you sleep with him that night?
A. I did.
Q. Were you in the habit of seeing him after this?
A. I usually saw him only at night and early in the morning, as I was out at work through the day.
Q. Do you remember his walking out any where with you after he was hurt?
A. Yes, one Sunday, he walked up to Oldham, to Widow Wright's; but we stopped a very little time.
Q. Is that a public-house?
A. It is, but we drank nothing there.
Q. Did he drink any thing that day?
A. Yes; he drank one glass of brandy and water at the King's Arms before four o'clock; he would drink no more.
Q. At what time did you return home?
A. We got home by five o'clock.
Q. Did he go to bed when he got home?
A. He sat up about an hour.
Q. Did yon go out with him after this?
A. I went with him another time to Middleton.
Q. Was that on the following Sunday?
A. It might be; but I cannot exactly recollect.
Q. Did you drink any thing then?
A. We took three pints of ale on the road.
Q. What did it cost you a-piece?
A. What we drank in the Dusty Miller cost us 4d. each.
Q. Did you drink any thing more?
A. In another place we drank a pint a-piece, three of us; and at Westwood we had a quart amongst three.
Q. Who was the man that joined you?
A. He was called William.
Q. Had you any other liquor?
A. No other, but ale.
Q. Were you all sober?
A. I cannot say we were; the deceased might be rather tipsy like; not what they call drunk; he walked well enough.
Q. What time did you get home?
A. It could not be much past twelve.
Q. Did he go out on any day after that?
A. Yes; he went to Stockport on Monday.
Q. When did he return?
A. On Tuesday evening.
Q. Were you with him on that occasion?

A. I was.
Q. At what time did you leave Stockport?
A. At six in the morning, and stopped in Manchester till Iwo o'clock, and then came home.
Q. What did you have for dinner?
A. We had some roast beef with us.
Q. How often did you stop on your road to Stockport?
A. We stopped at four houses.
Q. What did you drink at these houses?
A. In three houses we had a pint betwixt us, and a pint a-piece at the last.
Q. What did you drink at Stockport?
A. Chiefly beer; we drank no spirits.
Q. Were you both sober?
A. There was neither of us tipsy.
Q. What do you call being drunk?
A. I call it drunk when I am not capable of doing any thing.
Q. What money did you spend?
A. In Stockport we spent Is. 6d. a-piece, and 6d. a-piece back to Manchester.
Q. How did you go to Manchester
A. We walked there, and came home in a cart.
Q. Did you drink any spirits?
A. No; we did not.
Q. When was the next time you drank together?
A. On the following Sunday we had a glass of brandy and water for 8d.
Q. How did he appear then?
A. He seemed well enough; and he never made any complaints to me.
Q. When was it he appeared to grow worse?
A. It was about the Tuesday he was worse and lost his appetite.
Q. Did he continue to grow worse?
A. Yes; he got lower and weaker 'till he died.
Q. Did he complain to you of any pain in his shoulders?
A. Yes; as we lay in bed on the Wednesday night he said he had a terrible pain in his shoulders, and he could not bear them to be touched.
Q. Was that the first time you heard him complain of his shoulders?
A. It was.
Q. Did he complain of any other pain?
A. Yes; on the Thursday night he complained of a pain in his left foot, and could not rest at all, and he lost the use of his limbs.
Q. Did your mother know of it?
A. Yes; and she told the Doctor of it, who ordered it to be washed and poulticed.
Q. How did he appear after this?
A. From Friday he had no knowledge at all of what was done or said to him.

Q. Did he complain till then of his shoulders and leg?
A. Yes; if any one touched it.
Q. When did he become speechless?
A. On Sunday.
Q. Did you see any cuts on his clothes?
A. I saw cuts on his coat at the back of his neck below the cape.
Q. How long were these cuts?
A. It might be a couple of inches.
Q. Was it cut through the shirt?
A. I believe not; but the skin was rather bruised.
The CORONER—(to Mr. Harmer)—Would you ask him any thing?

The Witness examined by Mr. HARMER.

Q. The liquor you usually drank, I think, was beer?
A. Yes; when we were at the wakes we drank only beer.
Q. And after the 16th you only once saw him take a small glass of brandy and water?
A. No.
Q. Was he ever drunk, to your knowledge, after he was hurt?
A. No; he often refused to drink when he was asked.

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