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Extracts from "Hampshire Machine Breakers - The Story of the 1830 Riots"
by Jill Chambers
4 Quills
Letchworth
Herts SG6 2RL
ISBN 0 95159 0 3
22nd November, 1830
Farmers in the parish of Mitchelmersh attended a vestry meeting
this morning, it had been called in order to discuss the labourers
wages. Hearing of the meeting around 100 labourers gathered around
the vestry and the farmers inside heard the cry of, 'now for Hall
Farm,' rise up from the men. James Futcher, hearing the name of
his farm, rushed outside in time to see a number of the labourers
running towards his property. He caught up with them and was told
that they were going to break his machine. On seeing Mr Futcher
one of the mob, Arthur Fielder said, 'D-n your eyes, pay me the
halfcrown you owe me.' He went on to tell him that if he did not
give him the money he owed 'he should not sleep again.' Fielder
and another of the men, John Tongs, were armed with hammers, John
Collins, George Palmer and Henry Rogers carried sticks. They went
to the barn and destroyed the machine. Tongs, Rogers and Fielder
were seen to be taking an active part in the destruction while
Palmer and Collins stood by and called out. The same mob went
on to destroy a threshing machine belonging to Mr Gale.
28th December, 1830
Arthur Fielder, John Tongs, John Collins, George Palmer and Henry
Rogers were put to the bar charged with having feloniously destroyed
a threshing machine at Mitchelmersh, the property of James Futcher.
James Futcher told the Court how he had been at a meeting of farmers
at the vestry on the morning of the 22nd November when he had
heard a cry of 'On to Hall Farm!', coming from outside. He had
gone out and seen a mob going towards his farm. The mob had destroyed
his threshing machine. He was able to identify Fielder, Tongs
and Palmer as having been among the mob. The prisoners made no
defence but several witnesses spoke of their excellent characters.
The Jury returned a verdict of 'guilty against Fielder, Tongs,
Palmer and Collins but begged to recommend them to mercy. Several
of them knew the prisoner Tongs, who has a wife and five children
and up until this time he has always borne an excellent character.
Mr Futcher, the prosecutor, also begged to recommend them to mercy.
Rogers was acquitted.....................
Arthur Fielder, John Tongs, John Collins and George Palmer were
put to the bar again, along with George Collins, charged with
destroying another threshing machine. It appears that after the
mob had destroyed the threshing machine at Hall Farm they had
gone on the Mr Gale's and broken his machine to pieces. In his
defence Tongs said, 'I went with the mob, at their desire. I had
no intention of injuring any person.' The other prisoners all
stated that they had been induced to go with the mob and that
they now repented it. At the time they had thought it better to
go with the men from their own parish than to be forced to join
the Timsbury mob which they had heard was on the way. In his defence
George Collins said that he had been watching his masters ricks
for three nights and he had been there when the mob came. Mr Futcher,
his master, confirmed that this was indeed the case. The Jury
found all the men 'guilty' but begged to recommend them to mercy
on account of their previous good character and the excitement
of the times.
30th December, 1830
The remaining prisoners who had been capitally convicted were
placed in the dock in groups of around 20 and received the following
sentences: William Smith, Joseph Mason, Isaac Hill senior, Thomas
Berriman, Joseph Carter, John Sims, William Sims, Daniel Sims,
Matthew Triggs, Henry James, James Painter, Thomas Harding, John
Heath, Aaron Harding and Jacob Turner, had a sentence of death
recorded against them and it is understood that this will be commuted
to varying degrees of punishment, depending on the circumstances
in each case. John Kimber, George Steele, James Pearce, Thomas
Gregory, George Hopgood, Jacob Wiltshire, Charles Payne, James
Cook, James Baker, Charles Bulpit, John Batten, George Clarke,
John Keens, John Bulpit, George Coleman, William Boulter, William
Burgess, Thomas Goodall and James Martin, were told that their
lives would be spared but that the majority of them would not
be permitted to remain in this country. The same was said to John
Allen, Isaac Isles, William Conduit, Nicholas Freemantle, Abraham
Childs, Benjamin Harding, William Primer, James Glasspole, Isaac
Hill junior, William Winkworth, John Kear, John Nash, William
Stroud, John Pointer, Thomas Neale, George Carter, Robert Cook
and John Kingshott. Thomas Marshall, James Pumphrey, Robert Mason,
William Adams, George Rose, John Baker, James Trew, Thomas Bishop
and William Summerbee were told that the mitigating circumstances
in their cases would be duly considered. The final group to receive
sentence were John Silcock, George Pace, John Lush, Arthur Fielder,
John Tongs, John Collins, Thomas Hotson, Edward Sydenham, John
Duke, William Jenman, James Ford, Samuel Morey, George Jenman,
Peter Houghton, William Brackstone, William Hill, James Cooper
and William Watts who are each to be transported for a term of
seven years. James Varndell, Benjamin Bown and James Camis are
to be imprisoned in the Bridewell for the term of 18 months, and
to be kept at hard labour. John Chalk, Richard Etherington, Thomas
Hooper, William Kelsey, William Kinchin, John Reeves, Henry Rogers,
John Stoneage, George Tadd are to be imprisoned in the Bridewell
for a term of 12 months, and to be kept at hard labour.
TONGS John age 34 TRANSPORT: ELIZA - VDL
OFFENCE: (311) 'charged with having, on the 22nd day of November
last, at the parish of Mitchelmersh, with divers other persons,
riotously assembled together, and feloniously destroyed a threshing
machine, the property of James Futcher.-
Warrant dated December 19, 1830.' SENTENCE: Transportation for
7 years. (PRO HOll/8; HO130/1) HULK DETAILS: 10 January 1831,
received on board the prison I hulk YORK at Portsmouth, from Winchester;
age 35. (PRO HO9/9
PETITIONS OR LETTERS: Tongs has a wife and 5 children, he and
Arthur Fielder gave full confessions to all the farmers in the
parish who all expressed a readiness to forgive. The two men volunteered
their confession and did not know any prosecution was pending
when on Saturday night immediately before the Assizes - which
began on Monday, they were conveyed to Winchester and condemned
to be transported. (PRO HO17/50, Hpl3)
CONDUCT RECORD: (568) Stated this offence 'Machine breaking; married
with four children; wife Fanny Tongs on the parish at NP Romsey.'
Captain Moorey, Captain of the Guard, has in his possession a
letter from Mr Oak Esq. of Southampton, giving an extremely good
character of this man to the Archdeacon. (A0 TAS CON31/43, p .
40 )
DESCRIPTION: 5 ' 6"; sallow complexion; brown hair; brown
eyes. AGE: 34 years. TRADE OR CALLING: Blacksmith. NATIVE PLACE:
Timsbury. (AO TAS CON18/6)
MUSTERS: 1832; 1833 - Joseph Archer Esq; 1835 TofL. (PR0 HO10/48-50)
TICKET OF LEAVE: (568) Granted 1 June 1835. (PRO C0283/6, p. 432)
PARDON: (568) Free Pardon No 250, 3 February 1836. (PR0 CO/283/7,
p. 173)
BAPTISM: 20 May 1798, Timsbury, Hants.
PARENTS: Charles Tongs and Keturah Rogers . (m. 1792 Timsbury)
MARRIED : 27 June 1818, Timsbury, Hants .
WIFE: Frances Palmer; died 6 December 1866, Longford, Tasmania.
CHILDREN:
1. Susanna, baptised 23 January 1820, Mitchelmersh, Hants; married
Joseph Walker.
2. Charles, baptised 24 March 1822, Mitchelmersh, Hants; died
1 May 1853; buried Longford Anglican Church, Tasmania, age 30
years.
3. John Joseph, baptised 3 January 1826, Romsey Wesleyan Church,
Hants; married Ann Cole; died 29 March 1869; buried Longford Methodist
Cemetery, Tasmania, age 45 years.
4 . Fanny , baptised 27 January 1828 , Romsey Wes1eyan Church
, Hants.
5. Samuel, baptised 13 December 1829, Mitchelmersh, Hants; married
Hepzibah Wood; died 24 August 1875, Ulverstone, Tasmania.
DEATH: 10 June 1869, Longford, Tasmania, age 74 years. BURIED:
Longford Methodist Cemetery, Tasmania.
CENSUS : 1841 Timsbury, Hants . Fanny Tongs age 49 ; Charles Tongs
age 19; Joseph Tongs age 17; Samuel Tongs age 11. (PR0 HO107/401/13
f . 6 )
FURTHER DETAILS: John Tongs returned to England after he was pardoned,
presumably sometime after 1841 as he does not appear in the 1841
Census with the rest of his family. On 28 January 1843 he arrived
back in Tasmania on board the KING WILLIAM, this time as a free
migrant and accompanied by his family; John Tongs age 47, Frances
Tongs age 51, Susanna Tongs age 23, Charles Tongs age 20, John
Joseph Tongs age 18, Samuel Tongs age 13 and John Palmer age 28.
(John Palmer was the son of Frances Tongs by a former marriage.)
In Longford Anglican Cemetery there is a head stone to Charles
Tongs. In Longford Methodist Cemetery there is a head stone inscribed
on three sides as follows; (facing) John Tongs died 10 June 1869,
in the 74th year of his age. He was for upwards of 40 years a
constant member and useful office bearer of the Methodist Church.
Fanny wife of John Tongs died 5 December 1866 age 75 years; (on
the right hand side) John Palmer, son of Fanny Tongs by a former
husband, died 14 January 1857, aged 42 years and the first interred
in this burial ground; (on the left hand side) John Joseph Tongs
died 17 April 1869, age 45 years. It will be noted that not all
the dates on the stone agree with those given in the Register
of Deaths for the District of Longford. Descendants of John Tongs
are known to be living in Australia today.
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