Saint or Scoundrel 2

August 10, 1862

It’s now been a month or more since I started this project. My indisposition has improved, so I am back at work, and only have time now to write on Sundays.

Reading over what I wrote before, I realise that I haven’t even mentioned who I am - not that it matters - but for the sake of clarity, my name is Margaret Forbes and I was born in 1825, so I was a very young child when the abduction took place. I am now 38.

I also realise that I was trying too hard to sound erudite when I started writing. We never called our parents anything other than Pa and Ma. I wonder if she knew about all these letters. Maybe she helped him write them. I don’t remember ever seeing Pa sitting down to write a letter - but then he might well have done it after I was abed. Checking the dates on the letters I have here, they were not all that frequent – several months from the first to the next, and then towards the end, a year's gap between.

But writing a book has proven to be far harder than I imagined it would be. I was first of the mind to put down the letters as they were, and that would be it, but I soon realised that they are only half of the story. For it to make sense, I need to imagine what Pa would have said in his letters to Mr. Wakefield. And I need to know more about how things worked in those days. For instance, I wanted to know about how long a letter would take. So I asked my employer, Mr. Balshaw, about it. He said that in those days letters which cost tuppence (more than today) , had to go to one of the main offices in the country to be stamped - and that was London, or Edinburgh. He said the postmark was called a Bishop Mark and contained the day and month of the posting, and was to be proof that the delivery person was not over long in delivering the letter. I expect that Pa’s letters would have gone to Mr. Wakefield quite quickly - within a few days anyway.

I need to find out what Pa would have written to him before that, because the whole purpose was for Pa to tell him how Ellen, the girl he abducted was getting on. I asked Mr. Balshaw about it, and he said that there would have been stories in the newspapers at that time all about it, as it was national news. But how do I go about getting a hold of a paper from all that time ago? He also suggested, and I think this is more sensible, that I might write to the post office in Pott Shrigley, and ask them to send me names of people who might have been around at that time, who might have known what was going on. So I will do that.

Here is the next one from Mr. Wakefield.

22 July, 1826

Lancaster Castle Prison

Dear Mr. Forbes,

I am so pleased that you have agreed to continue to correspond with me. You ask about my accommodation at this prison. Being a gentleman and not without means, I am not too badly placed, although it is very difficult to have lost my freedom temporarily. All around the castle are high barriers of masonry so we feel completely shut in from the world, as if we were at the bottom of a great well.

However, I have been told that the regime here is relaxed in comparison with other gaols, in fact several of my fellow inmates have confessed that they prefer being here to being in a workhouse. The gaol holds 574 prisoners, 115, like my brother and me who are awaiting trial, and 66 for rioting. It is so overcrowded that some prisoners are sleeping in the debtors’ wing and in the infirmary.

I care little for personal luxuries. Air, exercise, water, privacy and books are all sufficient for a man of common sense and courage. I have a cell to myself, measuring 24 feet square, and I have an adjoining yard, 50 feet long. In the cell is a fire, a table, two chairs and plenty of water. Every morning my cell is opened at 6 a.m., with breakfast at half past eight. We all have to attend chapel for half an hour (I sit on my own in the condemned cell with boards up to prevent the others from staring at me.) and then work until noon. Dinner is followed by exercise and then more work until supper. Every evening I am locked in again at 7 o’clock but am provided with candles. I have a cat with one kitten living with me, and a root of grass which grows in a hole in the wall which I watch and nurse as if it were a cutting from the Tree of Life.

I try to do all I can to help the plight of my fellow inmates - many of whom are unjustly accused.

My trial (and that of my step-mother and brother) is due to take place at the beginning of August so I spend much of my time preparing my defence. I am hopeful that things will not go too badly for us. We are well represented. I know you are curious as to my side of the story, but my solicitor is most firm that I must not write to anyone of the details before the trial.

You say you know little of Ellen, whom I still consider to be my wife, but it is good to know that she is well and soon, no doubt, I shall be seeing her again at my trial.

Yours faithfully,

Edward Gibbon Wakefield  

September 5, 1862

I am so pleased that I have had some response to my letter to the Poynton-Worth postmaster. I asked him whom I might contact to find out more about the situation regarding the happenings so long ago. He has given me the name of Edward Unwin, who apparently was a publican in the area at the time of the abduction, and will have known various details. He also suggested that I might contact the family at Shrigley Hall directly, but I am unwilling to do that. After all, my book is intended to champion the man who did much damage to their family. I think it is best, at least for the time being, that I find out my information from other sources. Mr. Balshaw has suggested that I include a postal order for two shillings to make Mr. Unwin more likely to respond.

In the box with the letters, Pa also clipped articles from the Manchester Guardian as relating to the trial that August. I've decided to do a summary and will place it before Mr. Wakefield’s next letter, so that the information he gives has more interest.

From the Manchester Guardian, August 19, 1826

The newspaper article starts by talking about Mr. Justice Park fussing about where the various barristers were sitting. I shall skip over that. Mr. Coltman wished to move that Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield’s case be considered.

The Judge said, “I can hear no motion until the prisoners have pleaded. I know nothing about them until then. Besides, there are two persons indicted who have not surrendered themselves. You know very well that I cannot hear any motion of a criminal nature without having the prisoners before me.”

Mr. Coltman then requested that Edward Gibbon Wakefield should be called into the dock, which was immediately done.

Judge - Well where are the other defendants? I shall not allow any motion to be made, until they have surrendered.

Coltman - My lord, the motion with which I have at present to trouble your lordship, relates to Edward Gibbon Wakefield alone. That gentleman is now in custody on a charge of felony, for which no indictment has been found; and is therefore to move that he may be discharged out of custody for the felony, and given bail for the misdemeanor with which he is now charged. It is every day a practice that when no bill has been found for a felony -

Judge - All this is quite premature. There has been a bill of indictment found against the defendant and the proper course will be to read over to him what the grand jury have so found, and let him plead guilty or not guilty to it.

Coltman - But my lord, I have to submit that he is not at present bound to plead to this indictment at all.

Judge - Before I allow you to proceed any further, I will have the other defendant here. Where is William Wakefield?

Coltman - My lord, he is not in court, but hard by.

Judge - Call him upon his recognizance.

Tindal - Surely my lord, you will allow us to send into the grand jury room for him.

Judge - Well I don’t prevent you sending for him. I don’t hold your arms and legs. I never heard such a fuss made about a case before, and merely because it has been talked about. I hear a great deal of talk about names; but I do not know any names here.

The defendant was called three times; and after some delay, made his appearance.

Judge - Let him be put in the dock. Now the course will be, to read over the indictment; and then when the defendants are asked what they have to say, if you have any objection to making their pleading now, I will hear it.

Tindal - Surely your lordship does not require that Mr. William Wakefield should go into the dock. The usual course in this court has been to allow defendant under recognizance to go at large until they are tried. I hope your lordship will not, in this case, depart from the usual practice.

Judge - Is that the practice?

Hopkins (the deputy clerk of the crown) - My lord, the course in this court has certainly been, as a matter of favour and indulgence, to allow defendants, under recognizance, to stand out of the dock.

Judge - Well, let him come out then: I never heard such a fuss about trifles before. What harm could it to do him to stand in the dock for a short time?

Mr. William Wakefield then got over the front of the dock and took a seat behind his counsel.

William Wakefield was then arraigned, and like his brother, left his answering to his counsel.

Judge - It appears perfectly clear from this that whatever becomes of Edward, William must be tried at these assizes.  I am inclined to think that Edward is not bound to go to trial and that he is entitled to go over to the next assizes if he claims to do so.

Williams - As they are both found on the same offence, and would be supported by the same evidence, so that both defendants should have sufficient notice of the charge intended to be made against them.

Judge - I suppose you are prepared to try William.

Coltman - Why my lord, I have an observation to submit with respect to him.

Judge - But you have already submitted your observations. I am quite satisfied that he is bound to plead and try at these assizes. If you have any motion to make with respect to him, it must be about affidavit stating some special cause.

Coltman - Very well, my lord, probably we shall be prepared with an affidavit whereon to found a motion for postponing his trial also.

Judge - A strong one will be required. I can tell you that.

Tindal - Mr. William Wakefield is not bound to plead to the indictment for the conspiracy, which was a very different offence to the one for which he was originally committed by the magistrates and though he was bound to answer any charge preferred against him, that must be held to mean any charge of the same kind as the one for which he was committed. For instance, it would be very hard for him to be required to answer a charge of libel, of which he has had not notice.

Judge - I have very little difficulty in saying that Edward Gibbon Wakefield is not bound to try, if he chose to traverse till the next assizes, but it was a very different consideration whether he was bound to plead. I am of the opinion that he is bound. But I shall postpone any judgement until tomorrow morning and should take an opportunity in the interim of consulting my brother Hillock who had attended quarter sessions for some time and has an advantage which I have not enjoyed.

The next day he stated that with regard to William Wakefield, that the gentleman was bound to appear, plead and try in both indictments which had been found against him. William Wakefield then pleaded not guilty to the indictment for the misdemeanor, and after some little argument, was permitted to go at large upon his recognizance.

He was then called together with Frances Wakefield, his step-mother, to plead to in the indictment for conspiracy. They both pleaded not guilty; and bail was put in for the appearance of the latter at the next assizes. The sureties were, her husband, Mr. Edward Wakefield, in £2000, and Dr. Davies, of Macclesfield (her father) and Daniel Wakefield, Esq. the chancery barrister (Uncle to both Wakefields) for £1000 each.

Mr. Coltman then said they would not trouble his lordship to decide whether Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield was bound to plead at this assizes. He was ready to plead at once.

Edward Gibbon Wakefield was then arraigned on both indictments and pleaded not guilty to each.

Coltman - What bail does your lordship require for him?

Judge - As he is the principal in this charge, I shall require heavier bail; himself in £2,500 and two sureties in £1,250 each.

Mr Williams said that of course, there was on the part of the prosecutors, a different feeling towards this defendant, and that which they entertained towards the others. They felt great anxiety to protect the young lady from further violence, and he submitted that one condition of the recognizance out to be, to keep the peace towards Mr. Turner and his family.

Judge - That is perfectly reasonable and if anything is done by any of the defendants, contrary to that part of the recognizance, their punishment in case of conviction, will be enormously enhanced.

Coltman – I concent.

Mr. Edward Wakefield, looking exceedingly anxious and uneasy was discharged out of custody. William Wakefield on the contrary, exhibited the greatest composure.