Mr Farly, Exon, March 3d, 1731
The following Letter was found laſt Sunday Morning, fix’d (by a private Hand) againſt the Church Hatch, entering into the Yard at Thorverton. By giving it a Place in your Paper you’ll oblige many of your conſtant Readers
Thomas M__rt__n,
We Weavers and Combers, loyal Subjects of King George the Second, are willing to ſerve him and his Country, at the Peril of or Lives, and to do our Duty; but to pick Stones in Radmore’s, Crome’s Thine or any other Man’s Ground we will not : if any of our Brethren pick one Stone in any Man’s Ground, we will make him ride our Black Nagg with Severity. Inſtead, M__rt__n, of thy covering the Hills with us, we will cover the Town with 500 Brethren, if need be, to make ſuch a Rogue an Example to all Mankind, by making thee to ride our Black Nagg like a long May Pole.
Note – that M__rt__n is the preſent Surveyor of the Highways, and is a very tall Man, and hand ſummoned the Weavers to pick Stones on the Hills. The Black Nagg is a Cool-Staff, which the Combers carry their Brethren upon after any Tranſgreſſion
London Journal, 17th April, 1731 (online, Burney Collection)