Another of Carole wonder snippets.......... From: carole@clyde80.freeserve.co.uk (Carole Clyde) Hi All A few snippets relating to sharp practice etc., FORESTALLERS IMPRISONED - SKIPTON 1552 - 12th July, Three men from Skipton: Roger BAKER Robert JACKMAN and his brother Richard JACKMAN were brought before the Lord Mayor and Council at York on this date, charged with the crime of forestalling, the selling or buying of goods before they reached the market. Robert BECKWITH, Merchant Richard BURDEN Thomas MASTERS, Sadler, and Robert NEWBIGINN, Shoemaker, Witnessed the accused men, stop and appear to make a deal with, James ILLERSON, a Maltman, from Pocklington, before he reached the market with his goods. The Lord Mayor decided the three accused men were guilty and sentenced them to seven days imprisonment. The Maltman, ILLERSON, was set free. FORESTALLING AND ENGROSSING 1800- October. At the Otley Sessions, in October, three great forestallers were tried and punished, viz; David OLIVER, of Lindley, and Thomas WALL, of Addingham, for forestalling wheat and shelling, each fined £20; and Samuel WIGNALL of Keighley, for engrossing butter.' imprisoned for one month at Wakefield and fined £40. STINKING MEAT - YORK 1553 - 14th April, A butcher named Bernard HORNER Was brought before the Lord Mayor and Council at York accused of putting to sale 'corrupt and stynkynge fleshe' for which HORNER was committed to prison, 'there to remain at my Lord Maiours pleasuer' for his 'neglygens and slaknes' in allowing the meat to be offered for sale. Two gild searchers, Simon FOXGATE and John SMITH who failed to prevent this offence were also sent to prison for neglecting their duty. POISON PEPPERMINTS - BRADFORD 1858 - November 1st, the town of Bradford was this day thrown into a state of great excitement, by the discovery that several persons had died and a great number of others were ill from the effects of eating peppermint lozenges, which had been sold in the market by a person named William HARDAKER. It appeared that HARDAKER had purchased the lozenges from Joseph NEAL, a wholesale confectioner in Stone Street. Mr. NEAL in the manufacture of lozenges was in the habit lf mixing with the sugar a quantity of what is called 'daft,' in a chemical language it would be called sulphate of lime, and is popularly known as plaster of paris, or gypsum. Mr. NEAL sent to the shop of Mr. HODGSON, druggist, of Shipley, for some 'daft' but Mr. HODGSON was ill and a young man in his employ named William GODDARD, not knowing where to find the article made enquiry of the master, who directed him to a cask in one corner of the cellar. The young man went into the cellar, and by mistake, insteadof supplying the applicant with 12lbs of 'daft', gave him 12lbs of arsenic. Unfortunately the 12lbs of arsenic was mixed with 40lbs of sugar, and 4lbs of gum into lozenges. 40lbs of lozenges were sold to HARDAKER, who sold 5lbs retail in the Bradford market the same night. Each lozenge, it is supposed would contain 9 and one half grains of arsenic, and as 4and one half grains are considered to be a poisonous dose, each lozenge was sufficient to poison two persons. As the lozenge weighed at the rate of 16 to the ounce, there was sufficient poison distributed in the shape of lozenges by HARDAKER as would kill nearly 2,000 reckoning 12 ounces to the pound. The consequences therefore might have been more fearful, as it was however, the poisoning caused about 200 others to be ill. HODGSON, GODDARD and NEAL, were taken into custody and committed on a charge of manslaughter. The prosecution was subsequently withdrawn as against GODDARD and NEAL, and on HODGSON being tried on the 21st of December, at York, he was acquitted. All the best Carole Jan in Bronte Country Co-List Admin Eng-Yorks, Bradford Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Updated daily automatically. WARNING ..... To help prevent any virus transmission DO NOT open any attachments to this mail unless the attachment filename is quoted in my first line of the message text