The Beck Incident

On the 7th of November 1831, two hundred men assembled for a meeting to discuss the problems of their failing industry. The men were the silk-weavers of Coventry. What followed was an event that shook the city, and was to be documented by Historians. Three men would be sentenced to death. One man would spend the rest of his life in poverty and end his days dependent on charity. His name was Josiah Beck.
    Josiah Beck was born in 1813 into a moderately wealthy family who lived in the small village of Ansty, near Coventry. His parents' grave can still be found in the graveyard of Saint James' Church in the village. Josiah became a successful silk weaver in Coventry. Silk weaving was then an important and lucrative cottage industry, and Coventry was dependent on it for its wealth. Most of the men of Coventry - and many of their wives - were silk weavers, having a loom in their parlour and earning a good living from their products. The 'Prices' of the silk were set high by the merchants, who could sell Coventry silk as fast as it was made. The weavers fought hard to maintain the 'Price', becoming hostile when there was any threat to it. They had a good living and wanted to keep it that way.
    Meanwhile, in the north, the wool and cotton industries were becoming increasingly mechanised by the use of steam. Mills were springing up where cottage industries had once been. Mill owners were growing rich, and the jobbing weavers were forced by circumstances to abandon their looms, and labour long and grueling hours to earn a living. Steam was becoming 'King', and in order to compete with increasing foreign imports, other industries would have to change.
    By 1830, Josiah Beck owned a workshop in New Buildings, Coventry, where he ran six hand-looms with hired labour and repaired looms for the city's weavers.. He had been successful, and with the money he had saved, and with the additional backing of his father, he began to explore the potential of steam. In 1831 he installed a steam engine in a building beside his workshop and fed a drive-shaft to his looms, mechanising them to do the work of ten men. He now owned six looms and rented space for another four. His small enterprise was turning out the work of a hundred men.
    The militant weavers of the city were not slow to acknowledge the threat to their livelihoods. And on the 7th of November that year they took decisive action...
    An account of the incident appeared in the Coventry Herald & Observer on the 11th of November 1831. The following is the actual report from that issue:

RIOTS IN COVENTRY

     For a considerable time past the trade of this city has been in a depressed state, in addition to which a reduction of the price of weaving by a few of the masters tended to create a strong feeling of dissatisfaction amongst the Weavers.
     A meeting of the men was called on Monday last, to be held in Cross Cheaping. At eight o'clock on that morning, about 200 assembled, and divided themselves into parties and went through the city to collect a larger meeting.
     At ten o'clock they again assembled, and adjourned to a large room in Little Park Street. At this meeting a committee was appointed to collect information respecting the masters who had reduced the prices, and the extent of the reduction. This being done, the meeting broke up to again assemble; at three o'clock, in Cross Cheaping.
     Up to this time no apprehensions were entertained of immediate outrage, when suddenly a party of about 200 attacked a newly erected factory, situate in the New Buildings, belonging to Mr Josiah Beck. A part of the mob having got into the factory, they proceeded to demolish some power-looms which were at work; and threw the silk and ribbons from the windows; while others were engaged in breaking the windows, and ill-using Mr. Beck, whom they beat violently, and conveyed him in a hand-cart to Cross Cheaping.
     In about a quarter of an hour from the time of the attack, the factory was found to be on fire; and in less than 20 minutes, owing to a quantity of dry wood being on the premises, the flames rushed from all the windows of the house, the roof was soon seen to fall in, and by four o'clock , the fire had reduced the whole to ruins. A man of the name of Wood, who had been employed in the factory, narrowly escaped being burned to death. When the attack was first made, he ran up stairs to the garret, where he concealed himself behind some reels. The fire, however, reached him, the boards of the floor were burning under his feet, and there was no alternative but to perish in the flames, or descend from the window. He accordingly took a blanket from off a bed in the room, fastened inside, and fortunately let himself down without sustaining any injury.
     On the news reaching the police office, the Magistrates were promptly in attendance, and Messrs Alderman Weare, Douglas, and Rotherham, hastened to the spot, where the Riot Act was immediately read by Mr Thomas Hine, the Magistrates' Clerk. The crowd, which was now considerable, began to disperse. A party of the 14th Light Dragoons, and another of the 7th Hussars, stationed here, were immediately called out, under the command of Lieut. Col. Ewart, of the Staff, to whom the public are much indebted to his prompt, spirited, but cool and temperate conduct.; they proceeded direct to the scene of action, dispersed the mob, and after leaving sufficient guard over the property, commenced clearing the streets. The shops were closed, and the City at this time presented altogether an alarming aspect. A handbill was issued by the Magistrates, calling on the respectable inhabitants to attend and act as special constables. This invitation was complied with, and many of the most respectable men of the City were sworn in. The Theatre and public houses were closed. Soldiers were stationed in and near the premises of Messrs. Day and Dodd, ribbon manufacturers, residing in Gosford Street, against whom much indignation was felt by the weavers, owing to their having given out work at a very reduced price. In fine, every possible precaution which could be resorted to was taken by the Mayor and Magistrates, which happily had the effect of not only preventing a recurrence of violence, but restoring the City to perfect tranquility. By twelve o'clock at night all was quiet, and has since continued so. As a precautionary measure, the military and special constables patrolled during the night.
     During the night, three men named William Westwick, Joseph Day, weaver, and Benjamin Sparkes, whitesmith, were taken up, said to have been concerned, and remanded for further examination. A person names Alfred Toogood was apprehended the next morning, at the ruins, and on Wednesday, Thomas Burbary, a weaver, was also taken into custody. They have also severally undergone examinations, and remanded.

In March of the following year, the same newspaper reported a full account of the trial of those accused of inciting the riot and destroying Josiah Becks' property. Three men were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for causing damage and assaulting Josiah Beck. A further three, Benjamin Sparkes, Thomas Burbury and Alfred Toogood, aged 17, were sentenced to death. However, owing to the sensitivity of the case, the Crown intervened and commuted their sentence to Transportation to the Colonies for Life.
     As a final epilogue, there remains an irony: whilst Josiah Beck died a pauper in Bablake Almshouse at the age of 83, Alfred Toogood became a wealthy Australian gentleman.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRANFIELD COOKS


Recently I have been corresponding with Peter Cook, who still lives in the village of Cranfield in rural Bedfordshire. Peter, who is 73, is the second son of Benjamin Cook, who in turn was one of the 10 children of William Cook and Margaret Cox. He has been helpful in providing me with much valuable information about the "Cranfield" contingency of the Cook Family. Following is an account of his recollections:

From a Conversation with
Peter Cook
Dated 1st Aug 2000

Peter Cook (born 1927) currently lives in Cranfield. He has a son, Christopher Malcolm. His brother’s name is Robert (born 1924), and Robert’s wife is Madge. Robert and Madge had a son who died at birth, so they adopted two girls, Elizabeth and Alison. Alison still lives locally, at Milton Keynes. Madge is currently in a residential home for which she had to sell her house to pay for her keep. 
            Peter’s father was Benjamin (Ben) Cook, who was my grandfather (Harry’s) brother (see Family Tree). In 1922 Ben married Nellie Marlow from Nottingham. She died in 1958, while Ben had already passed away in 1938. Ben owned the pub, The Carpenter’s Arms in Cranfield, which is opposite The Swan.
            Peter speaks affectionately of ‘Granny Cook’, a matriarchal figure, by all accounts, known by all in the village. Granny Cook was ‘Margaret Cook’, his Grandmother, and my Great Grandmother. Margaret Cook (Nee Cox) was married to William, Rebecca’s son. She died in 1939, aged 85, having ended her days at 17 High Street, a building which is still standing (more later). Peter remembers a photograph of Margaret, taken outside her house  at 17 High Street. ‘Roses’ Boy was also in the picture.
            Number 17 High Street was opposite the Butcher’s, Lenny Fords’ and near the ‘Cross Keys’. It is an old cottage with a bay window and a small front garden; big enough for a car. The back garden was large, and pigs were kept there. Beyond that, William (who was a cobbler) kept a large allotment (as did most villagers then) and grew wheat on it. The wheat was milled locally and Margaret made the family’s bread from it. The back garden has now been built on. Peter recalls his Uncle, Harry Cook, returning from Coventry for a while, and taking up residence there. He had not long become a bricklayer, and was of a mind to earn himself some good money by working at the new airfield where he built the barracks blocks. The work didn’t last long, however. Harry finished up building the more-complicated corners, whilst the less able earned more money by doing the ‘running in’. Before returning home, Harry did some  refurbishment work to his mothers' house, including a new stone fireplace.
            Margaret Cook (formerly Cox) and William had 14 children, four of whom died in their early years. The remaining ten were: Frank, Jesse, Sydney, Charlie, Benjamin, Ernest, Henry, Kate, Louise and Rose. The four others remain unaccounted for (2 of them were twins).
            Both Jesse and Sydney went to Australia in 1912. They sent for their wives in 1914, just as WW1 had broken out, and subsequently the voyage took 6 months because they had to join several ‘convoys’ in order to reach Australia in safety. Either Jesse or Sydney became a policeman, and then was promoted to detective. He gained acclaim when he arrested a notorious gangster.
            Charlie (whom Peter referred to as ‘Uncle Charlie’) moved to Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, where he worked in a paper mill. During WW1 he was ‘In the trenches’.
            Benjamin, Peter’s father, was a plumber and electrician, whilst also being the village publican. During WW1 he was in the Flying Corp.
            Frank was in the Navy during WW1, and was killed in action.
            Ernest was ‘The Boy’ the youngest in the family; known all his life as ‘Nobby’. Ernest got into trouble as a boy and ran away to sea. By age 14 he was serving aboard a ship in China. Later he returned home and drove a trolleybus (not a tram), working out of Hammersmith Depot in London. He married twice; his first wife bearing him a daughter, Elizabeth.
            Rose married a man (possibly ‘Wallington’) and moved to Watford. Peter remembers that Rose was in possession of the ‘Family Bible’, which held all the dates of births, christenings and marriages. This may now be in the possession of another family member, possibly Rose’s daughter or granddaughter.
            Louise (Lou) was ‘In Service’. She had an illegitimate child, Beatrice (Beatie), who’s father was the Son of the household. Lou returned home to have the baby, and later married William Wilson and had one further child. Beatrice, meanwhile, went to the United States, where she married a Cypriot restaurant owner, and, having been successful, retired to Lake Tahoe.
            "Aunt" Katie, who died quite young, was also in service to a ‘Brigadier with a VC’ in Woolwich, London. Peter remembers his portrait hanging over her fireplace. Kate remained a spinster all of her life. In later years she came home to nurse her Mother, Margaret. When Katie died she left a small amount of money, which was to be shared amongst her Brothers' and Sisters' children. It didn’t amount to much more than £20 each, but a reasonable sum in those days. Ben’s Wife, Nellie, who was the executor, traced the Australian contingency of the family and wrote telling them they were to receive some money. They apparently wrote back and ungraciously remarked, ‘If that’s all our Auntie can leave us, you can keep it!’.
            Peter remembers that the ‘Coventry’ contingency of the Cook family, Harry and his family, often visited the Cranfield branch of the family for their summer holidays. Ben would pick them up from Bletchley Station, and they would stay at the pub, The Carpenter’s Arms, where they all enjoyed a drink. There were no pumps in the pub until 1939, and Ben would bring the beer direct from the cellar, ‘four pints to each hand’. Ben and his family, in return, sometimes visited Coventry, where they stayed with Edith and Harry Lyons at the Humber Garage in Holyhead Road. Harry Lyons, Peter recalls, was very fond of football, often taking him to watch Coventry City play at Highfield Road.
            Peter recalls Edith and Harry Lyons cycling all the way to Cranfield when the garage in Holyhead Road was bombed during the 2nd World War. He also remembers other people of interest: ‘Uncle Ike’ who was probably Isaac Cook; Rebecca and Benjamin Underwood’s son. He was a cobbler. Peter says there are still many Cox’s and Billingtons’ (Susan Billington was Margaret Coxs' Mother) in the village, and knows that he is distantly related to them. There is also a family called the ‘Francis’s’, whom  again, he is uncertain of the family tie, but is related to them. (Neither can I place this family).
            When Harry Cook died in the sixties, Ben, Lou, Kate and Mum (Nellie) attended his funeral in Coventry.
            According to Peter, there are several Cooks buried in the Church Yard in Cranfield. and has offered to show me around.

END

 

HOME   I   TREE   I   PHOTOGRAPHS   I   NAME INDEX