Westhoughton Mill

Blue plaque on cottage near site of mill

Westhoughton Mill (Rowe and Duncough's Mill), situated in Mill Street in the town of Westhoughton, near Bolton in Lancashire, was in 1812 the site of a Luddite arson attack. It had been built in 1804 by Richard Johnson Lockett, a Macclesfield man who had bought and lived in Westhoughton Hall, and leased out in 1808 to Thomas Rowe of Manchester. Westhoughton Hall was attacked at the same time.

During 1811 and 1812 the Luddites had been attacking powered mills throughout the English North and Midlands to such an effect that the government in February 1812 passed the Frame Breaking Act making the damaging of powered looms punishable by death.

On Friday, 24 April 1812 the mill premises were set on fire by the mob and completely gutted. Trouble had been anticipated and the Scots Greys had been guarding the mill for most of the week. However, they had left for the weekend and the mill, which housed 180 powerlooms, had been left undefended except for a few workers armed with borrowed guns. When the mob arrived at the mill the Superintendent, Joseph Kay, rode to Bolton to fetch help, but by the time he returned with the militia the mill had been destroyed. Some 24 of the ringleaders were later arrested during scenes of unrest in the town and taken to Bolton. Many were untried and others found not guilty by a jury at Lancaster Assize. Of the remainder four of the accused (Abraham Charlston (aged 16), Job Fletcher (aged 34), Thomas Kerfoot (aged 26), and James Smith (aged 31)) were hanged outside Lancaster gaol. Abraham Charlston's family had claimed to no avail that he was only twelve years of age (criminals under 16 were normally reprieved). Nine others (the blue plaque in the photograph is wrong) were transported to Australia for seven years.

External links

• Includes note of the riot
• Detailed notes of the rioting
• List of accused