Reply: ‘Make enquiries into this.’
From Torrington in the same year eighteen prisoners pray to be sent elsewhere:
‘Insultés à chaque instant par mille et millions d’injures ou menaces, estre souvent poursuivis par la popullace jusqu’à nos portes à coups de roches et coups de bâtons. En outre encore, Monseigneur, avant hier il fut tirré un coup de fusil à plomb à cinque heures apres midy n’etant distant de notre logement que d’une portée de pistolet, heureusement celuy qui nous l’envoyoit ne nous avoit point assez bien ajusté . . . qu’il est dans tous les villages des hommes proposés pour rendre justice tres surrement bien judiscieux mais il est une cause qui l’empeche de nous prouver son equité comme la crainte de detourner la populasce adverse . . . nous avons été obligés de commettre à tous moments à suporter sans rien dire ce surcrois de malheurs. . . .’
Two more letters, each signed by the same eighteen prisoners, follow to the same intent. The man who fired the shot was brought up, and punishment promised, but nothing was done. Also it was promised that a notice forbidding the insulting of prisoners should be posted up, but neither was this done. The same letters complain also of robbery by lodging keepers, for the usual rate of 4s. a week was raised to 4s. 6d., and a month later to 5s. One prisoner refused to pay this. The woman who let the lodging complained to ‘Enjolace,’ the Agent, who tells the prisoner he must either pay what is demanded, or go to prison.
A prisoner at Odiham in the same year complained that a country girl encouraged him to address her, and that when he did, summoned him for violently assaulting her. He was fined twelve guineas, complains that his defence was not heard, and that ever since he had been insulted and persecuted by the country people.
In 1758 a letter, signed by fifty-six prisoners at Sevenoaks, bitterly complains that the behaviour of the country people is so bad that they dare not go out. In the same year a doctor, a prisoner in Sissinghurst Castle, complains of a grave injustice. He says that when on parole at Sevenoaks he was called in by a fellow countryman, cured him, and was paid his fee, but that ‘Nache’, the Agent at Sevenoaks, demanded half the fee, and upon the prisoner’s refusal to pay him, reported the case to the Admiralty, and got him committed to Sissinghurst.
A disgraceful and successful plot to ruin a prisoner is told from Petersfield in 1758.
Fifteen officers on parole appealed on behalf of one of their number named Morriset. He was in bed on December 22, at 8 a.m., in his lodging at one ‘Schollers’, a saddler, when Mrs. ‘Schollers’ came into the room on the pretext of looking for a slipper, and sat herself on the end of the bed. Suddenly, in came her husband, and, finding his wife there, attacked Morriset cruelly. Morriset to defend himself seized a knife from a waistcoat hanging on the bed, and ‘Schollers’ dropped his hold of him, but took from the waistcoat three guineas and some ‘chelins’, then called in a constable, accused Morriset of behaving improperly with his wife, and claimed a hundred pounds, or he would summons him. Morriset was brought up before the magistrates, and, despite his protestations of innocence, was sent to Winchester Jail. In reply to the appeal, the Commissioners said that they could not interfere in what was a private matter.
In the same year a prisoner wrote from Callington:
‘Lundy passé je fus attaqué dans mon logement par Thomas, garçon de Mr. Avis qui, après m’avoir dit toutes les sottises imaginables, ne s’en contenta pas, sans que je luy répondis à aucune de ses mauvaises parolles, il sauta sur moy, et me frapa, et je fus obligé de m’en défendre. Dimance dernier venant de me promener à 8 heures du soir, je rancontray dans la rue près de mon logement une quarantaine d’Anglois armés de bâtons pour me fraper si je n’avois peu me sauver à la faveur de mes jambes. Mardy sur les 7 heures de soir je fus attaqué en pleine place par les Anglois qui me donnèrent beaucoup de coups et m’étant défait d’eux je me sauvai à l’oberge du Soleil ou j’ai été obligé de coucher par ordre de Mr. Ordon, veu qu’il y avoit des Anglois qui m’attendoient pour me maltraiter.’