Page 284 of The Armor of Light

The high point of the proceedings came when mill hands gave evidence. It became shockingly clear that the Combination Act had been used to bully and punish workers in ways Parliament had never intended, and many MPs were outraged.

A master bootmaker in London had halved the pay of his men and, when they refused to work, had summoned them before the Lord Mayor, who had sentenced them all to hard labour. A similar story was told by a cotton weaver from Stockport, who had been beaten up by a constable and jailed for two months, along with ten other men and twelve women.

Sal said: ‘A strike in Kingsbridge was settled by negotiation between a group representing the masters and a group representing the hands. Part of the agreement was that when a master planned to introduce new machinery he would discuss it with the hands.’

Hume said: ‘Was the master obliged to do as the hands wanted?’

‘No. He was obliged to discuss, that’s all.’

‘Carry on.’

‘One of the masters, Mr Hornbeam, surprised his hands by introducing a new scribbling engine without discussion. I went to his house with another member of the hands’ delegation, Colin Hennessy, and one of the masters, David Shoveller, and the three of us spoke to him about it.’

‘Did you threaten him?’

‘No, we merely reminded him that the best way to avoid a strike would be to stick to the agreement.’

‘What happened next?’

‘The following day I was awakened early and taken to the home of Mr Will Riddick, a justice. The same happened to Mr Hennessy.’

‘What about Mr Shoveller?’

‘No action was taken against him. But Mr Hennessy and I were accused of combination and sentenced to hard labour.’

‘Was there any relationship between Mr Hornbeam and the justice?’

‘Yes. Hornbeam was Riddick’s father-in-law.’

There was a murmur of shock and disapproval among the committee members.

Hume said: ‘So, to sum up: you told Mr Hornbeam that he was breaking an agreement; he then had you arrested and accused you of combination; whereupon his son-in-law sentenced you to hard labour.’

‘Yes.’

‘Thank you, Mrs Hennessy.’

The committee produced a report that condemned the Combination Act without reservation.

The act was repealed a few days later.

*

Will Riddick died the same year, and Roger became the squire.

Sal and Colin moved to Badford and took over the village general store.

Sal never saw Joanie again, but a man with a strange accent came to Badford with a letter from her. When Joanie had served her sentence she had married a settler and they had started a sheep farm in New South Wales. It was hard work, and she thought often about her daughter, Sue, but she loved her new husband and she was not planning to return to England.

Kit, Roger, Sal and Colin all moved into the manor house.

The first thing they did was to put Will’s dogs out of the house to live in the yard next to the stables, permanently.

Then they scrubbed the hall clean, with help from Fanny.

A week later they put on ragged old clothes and painted all the panelling in the house a creamy shade of white.

Sal said: ‘Well, at least now the house has a new smell.’