Morden, and the Rev. Frederick Herbert
Maberley, curate of Bourn, Cambs., who had for some time convened
meetings of agricultural labourers in their own and surrounding
parishes, and harangued them upon the supposed horrors of the new
_Poor-law Prison_ to which they would be consigned if they did not rise
as one man to stand up for their rights! Growing bolder in their
agitation these gentlemen conceived the design of calling a monster
meeting from all the parishes belonging to the Royston Union, to be
held on Royston Heath in front of the unfinished building. An attack
upon, and the demolition of the building, was freely talked about and
expected, and from the temper which had been already displayed in
former riots, the event was looked forward to with some anxiety! The
handbill convening the meeting was of an inflammatory kind, and the new
Board of Guardians thought it necessary to call a special meeting of
their body at the Red Lion to decide what should be done. The outcome
of this meeting was that the Clerk (Mr. Thurnall), Mr. W. T. Nash, and
Mr. John Phillips were appointed a deputation to wait upon the Poor-law
Commissioners and upon the Home Secretary, to see what measures they
would advise, for the Parish Constable and the Beadle, and the swearing
in of special constables was about all that the local authority could
muster for the preservation of the peace.

This deputation waited upon Lord John Russell, then Home Secretary,
with the result that an inspector and a sufficient police force were
promised to be despatched from London to Royston on the day before that
announced for the meeting. Letters were also sent to the Lord
Lieutenants of both counties, and to the promoters of the meeting,
warning the latter of their responsibility should any serious
disturbance occur.

{172}

The day appointed for the meeting was Wednesday, 22nd June, 1836.
Inside the unfinished building on the morning of that day there is a
strange and an anxious company assembled--the Earl of Hardwicke, Lord
Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, is there, several local Magistrates,
several of the Guardians, and a posse of about a score of Metropolitan
police (the County police, as we now know them, had not then come into
existence), all assembled to await the threatened storming of the
bastille, as the new Workhouse was called by the agitators! It was
market day and the town and neighbourhood of Royston were in a
considerable state of ala