Machynlleth The entry shown above was made in
1847, and it reads: The ringleaders of
this rabble were arrested the next day, and later fined. One of them was
fined £10, which was as much
as some people earned in a year in 1847. See
more about Constable Jones on the next page...
Crime
and punishment
Rabble
trouble in 1847
Sometimes
there are entries in his journal that remind us that there were just
two policemen to cover a huge area, and no means of calling for
backup ! On more than one occasion both the Machynlleth constables were
faced with an angry mob.
"... took into custody Richard Jones drunck
[drunk] and disorderly in the streets - on the way to the Lockup
we were obstructed by a Rabble of People and the Prisnor [prisoner]
taken from us".