Charge of Insubordination - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

Charge of Insubordination

CHARGE OF INSUBORDINATION OF A PAUPER
IN LONGTOWN WORKHOUSE.

Jane DAVIDSON, a pauper, who appeared with an infant in her arms, was
charged with insubordination in Longtown Workhouse.

James BARTON, the master of the workhouse, stated that on Monday night he
heard a noise in the day room, or ordinary sitting room, and on proceeding there
he found the defendant washing clothes. He asked her what all that swearing
was about, and she made some complaint about ill-treatment. He told her if
she would not do as she was told she must go to the lock-up until she settled
herself. He was going to put her in the lock-up, when she said she would not
go, and flew at him and seized his hair. He had to get two officers to secure
her, and they had to put the irons on her.

Mary MOORE said she was an inmate of the Workhouse. On Monday night
defendant brought a frock, a shift, and a petticoat, for the child, into the
wash-house. Witness told her to lay them down, and she did so. The matron then came
in and seeing the things lying took them up and carried them to where the
defendant stopped. Witness did not hear what she said to her, but presently
defendant came back and swore she would have her clothes washed. The mistress said
she would have no swearing, and defendant then swore again that she would
have her own clothes. She then took them up and carried them off to her room,
using a coarse expression. Witness did not know what the mistress had said to
her. Witness was washing the things in the workhouse when she came in, and she
took them up saying they were not dirty.

The CLERK - Then it was a quarrel, I suppose, whether the things were to be
washed or not.

Mr. REES (to BARTON) - Have you any witnesses of her assaulting you?

Complainant - There was no one present but Dr. GRAHAM’s son.

The CLERK - For what reason were you putting her in the lock-up?

Complainant - For her uproarious manner. So it was reported to me.

The CLERK (to Mary MOORE) - Did she touch you?

Mary MOORE - She pushed me from the tub, and said the things should be
washed.

The CLERK - I don’t think that was a case for the lock - up; if you had
ordered her to her room it would have been sufficient. It does not appear that
the woman was so insubordinate as to require to be locked up.

Defendant - No; what I broke the door for was they took my child from me and
kept it all night. My arms are all black and blue with the irons they put on
me.

The CLERK - Was the child sucking?

Defendant - Yes; it is only eleven weeks old. The mistress came and flung
the child’s clothes at me and said she would not allow them to be washed, and I
asked what was the reason that other people could get their clothes washed,
and I could not.

Mr. REES - Do you admit putting the irons on her BARTON?

Complainant - It was not I, it was a policeman. I deemed it necessary to
lock her up to keep her quiet.

Mr. FARISH - Was the child taken from her?

Complainant - Yes, but it was put to a wet nurse we had in the house. We had
to take a laudanum bottle from her once; we were afraid of her giving it to
the child.

Defendant - I never had any laudanum in my life. Mary MOORE had I?

Mary MOORE - Not that I know of.

The CLERK (to BARTON) - It is a very wrong thing for you to make such a
charge in a court of justice. You come here to swear to facts and then you say
you only have it on representation.

Complainant said, he thought it had been the same woman they took the
laudanum from. He had been master of the workhouse nine months. He was never a
master of one before.

Mr. REES (addressing the defendant) - said, she must not give way to her
passion, but at the same time the Bench did not think the evidence was strong
enough to send her to gaol.

The Bench then told BARTON that he must be careful not to put irons on in
the future - especially on a woman.

Complainant said it was a very desperate case if the Bench had only seen it.
It was impossible to describe properly.

___________________________________

Transcribed by: Ann Selchick, 02/11/2006