The Assizes
Amy glanced around. In the public gallery, she saw the Earl of Harrogate. He looked smart in his three-quarter black coat, chequered waistcoat and grey trousers. His white cravat tied high around his neck accentuated his dark good looks. He sat with the other toff, his friend, Lord Bellinger, whose house she’d been staying in. The Earl had arranged everything and, before she knew what was happening, she’d found herself in the staff quarters of Lord Bellinger’s house, learning how to do the chores that his household staff carried out. The Earl had told Amy to learn as much as she could and then he would find her a job in service. Working as a scullery maid wasn’t what she wanted to do, but somehow she didn’t care. Her own fate was of little importance.
Her action of pulling her shawl further around her shoulders wasn’t to block out the cold, but to help hold herself together. Little Elsie’s face came to her – angelic in death as in life, and holding a promise that she would always look out for Amy. She knew Elsie would have the means to, for God would want to have such a cherub by His side and would listen to her requests. Eeh, Elsie, lass, ask Him to make things reet and get me and the boys back with Ruth. But if that’s not to be, then beg of Him to please save Seth and George from the death-penalty. Please . . .
The jangling sound of keys and iron chains stiffened her body. Her eyes fixed on the top of the stairs leading up from the cells. Two heads appeared. Amy’s throat tightened. She’d not clapped eyes on her brothers since three weeks ago, when the magistrate had committed them to stand trial. Seth spotted her first. His once-chubby cheeks were gaunt and sunken, and his eyes, looking bigger than she remembered, stared as if unseeing. A nerve twitched under one of them. Then George’s head turned in her direction. Amy caught her breath in her lungs. Oh, dear God! Strong-willed George had cuts and bruises on his face.
Swallowing hard, she tried a little smile and a nod, to send them hope. The sharp tapping of a wooden hammer on the clerk’s desk made her jump. A silence had fallen, but it was broken by the sound of everyone in the court rising together as the clerk bellowed, ‘Please be upstanding for his worship, Judge Cradgley.’
A man with an unreadable expression came through the doors behind the bench. His red-blotched face, with its large bulbous nose, looked hideous in the long, tightly curled wig that sat squarely on his head. The clerk and the lawyers bowed towards the judge. Amy did the same, but was glad to see that he then indicated they should sit, as she didn’t think her wobbly legs would hold her much longer.
‘The defendants will remain standing.’ This, from the clerk, was followed by another bow towards the judge, who then spoke for the first time.
‘Seth Dovecote and George Dovecote, you are charged along with another, Ruth Dovecote, who is not in court today, but has been put under warrant for her arrest.’
A sound of protest came from the gallery, having the effect of stopping Amy from voicing the one that rose in her. Does the Earl not know that Ruth is to be charged an’ all? It doesn’t seem like it. And, if he does, surely he would have told me?
The judge had paused and looked up towards the gallery, before continuing, ‘And has two counts against her, which shall be heard by this court upon her arrest. Seth Dovecote, together with George Dovecote and Ruth Dovecote, you are jointly charged that, on 12th January 1850, you did knowingly act in a manner that could cause harm to others, by walking on the highway. Your behaviour resulted in the death of the Earl of Harrogate, Lord Bertram Rollinson, his unfortunate driver, a Mr Vernon Orton, and in injuries to Lady Rollinson. How do you plead?’
The answer of ‘Guilty’, though said together, came out in different tones: Seth’s pitifully, George’s with defiance. Though it shocked Amy to hear them pleading guilty, at this moment she was more concerned about George’s attitude. She willed him to look contrite.
‘Very well. As you have admitted this charge, it falls to me to pass a sentence on you. But before doing so, I want it recorded that any such sentence does not automatically apply to Ruth Dovecote, who is to be further charged with causing grievous bodily harm to one Trevor Sugden, whilst executing his duty of keeper in charge of the welfare of the mentally insane in Merchant Street, Union’s Workhouse Hospital. And that the warrant for Ruth Dovecote’s arrest carries this additional charge.’
Seth and George looked over at Amy as this was read out, shock showing on both of their faces. But then in Seth’s expression she read a question, and she knew he must be wondering how it came about that she had got off scot-free. The judge’s next words told them. ‘It is known that there were three other members of the Dovecote family on the highway at the time of the accident. Let it be recorded that Amy Dovecote, sister of the accused, has been shown the leniency of the victim’s brother, in thanks for what she and they did to save the victim’s mother. The other two members of the Dovecote family, and present at the scene, were Mrs Rose Dovecote, killed in the accident, and an infant, who had not reached the age of knowing right from wrong and shall not be named, nor shall her presence be recorded.’ Though pain stabbed Amy on hearing her ma’s name, it vied with relief that the judge had not mentioned Elsie’s death. That would have shocked Seth and George to the core, and most likely would have tipped George over the edge, rendering him incapable of keeping his temper. As it was, there was still a chance for them. The Earl had promised he’d do what he could to get them a lenient sentence, but an outburst from George could ruin that.
Her breath stayed painfully in her lungs, held there in suspense, as the moment was now upon them when her brothers’ fate would be sealed.
‘Seth Dovecote and George Dovecote, the charges against you carry the sentence of hanging—’
The intake of breath around her sounded like a death-knell. Please, please, God, I beg of you, help them. Elsie, lass, if you can hear me – pray, lass, pray. Amy’s eyes fixed on the judge. She knew that if he were to pass the sentence of hanging, he would reach for his black hat. He remained still, his voice not wavering.
‘However . . .’ At this one word, Amy’s breath came out of her in an audible sigh. The judge glanced up at her, but didn’t comment, though his eyebrows were raised in disdain. The few seconds’ delay this caused held her locked in a state of extreme anxiety. At last he continued. ‘The new Earl of Harrogate, Lord Frederick Rollinson, has requested that some leniency be shown to you, given the actions taken by you both, in that you calmed the horses long enough to get his mother out of the stricken carriage and, further, your attention to getting her somewhere she could receive help. And so, Seth Dovecote and George Dovecote, I therefore sentence you both to deportation.’
A moan from Seth took up the split-second silence that followed this. George put out his hand towards Seth, but the prison officer standing with them knocked it away. No matter, Seth had seen the gesture and straightened his stature in response.
As the judge’s voice droned on about the British Penal Colony in Australia, where they would be sent for a period of no fewer than five years, Amy gave in to her body and let it fold. Relief mixed with deep sadness at the prospect of never seeing them again; it was too much of a burden for her, for she’d heard that folk never came back from such a place. But as the sentencing came to an end, she was determined to help her brothers by standing straight and giving them a smile of encouragement.
Once the boys had been taken down, she hurried over to the Earl, but was warded off by Lord Bellinger. ‘Get away with you, girl – are you not satisfied? Leave my Lord Rollinson in peace now. He has his grieving to do. He has done his duty by you; now be off!’
Not to be put off, Amy begged, ‘Please, M’Lord, I just need to ask if I can see me brothers – please. I’ll not see them again after today . . . Please.’
‘You are lucky that you will know they are alive. If I had my way, they would hang – and you and your sister with them. Now, realize when you are in receipt of all the favours to be granted, and take your leave.’
‘No, let her alone, my Lord Bellinger. Amy, sit down, I will see what I can do.’
Moving away from the furious Lord Bellinger, whose voice she could hear giving the Earl an earful of a lecture, Amy sat back in her seat and prayed with everything that was in her.
Silence settled around her as everyone left the court, leaving her alone in this huge room with a ceiling that seemed as if it must touch the sky. Every move she made echoed back from it, engulfing her in fear of what this courtroom stood for. She prayed. Please, God, let me never sit here again and hear our Ruth being sentenced. Because there’s naw chance she’d get off with owt lighter than the gallows. With this thought, her imagination showed her the hopelessness of Ruth ever having made it across the fells of the Bowland Hills, as surely she must have tried to do.
The Earl had ridden out the day after she’d met him, to look for Ruth. He’d gone as far as he thought Ruth would have got. Why he should do this, she had no idea, because he had no malice in him when he set out, nor had he sounded angry when he hadn’t found Ruth, only desperately concerned. This was strange, for a man of his standing. She could understand him wanting to find Ruth to hand her in, but she’d known this wasn’t his intention. It wasn’t like one of the toffs, to care about her kind. Mind, she had to admit the Earl was different from any she’d ever heard of.
Giving up on trying to understand his reasons for everything, Amy let her mind drift through all the sorrow that got her weeping when she was alone at night. And now she had more sadness on top of it all. How would she cope with the lads being in a place she couldn’t imagine, and with never seeing them again? But then, that were better than having them dead. Her ma used to say that in life there was always a glimmer of hope. Oh, Ma, what hope have I now?
With this question, she realized how she’d changed. Not many weeks ago she’d been so young – a normal fifteen-year-old helping her ma at home and working on the farm alongside her da. Life hadn’t been easy, and she’d been facing the prospect of having to leave soon to find paid work, because her da had said that, although he’d kept her at home longer than most, they needed the extra money she could bring in. He’d said in his kindly way, so as not to make his words hurt, that the family had missed out on any extra coming in, with Ruth being unable to work. Poor Da, if he knew what was happening, he’d be so sad. He tried to keep his family fed and warm, and worked from dawn till dusk for us.
Funny, but the trek across the Bowland Hills to the big town of Blackburn had taken over from the heartache of losing him and had helped her to cope with the grief of his loss. It had felt like an adventure to her. She hadn’t been able to wait to see what Blackburn was like.
Well, she knew now, and it were no big deal. She preferred the country, with its fresh smell – not that you got much of that when you went near the cowsheds! But still, it had been home, and for the most part she’d been happy and carefree. Now she knew what it felt like to be alone, and facing a lifetime of being so. Fighting the despair of her situation and the plight of her brothers, Amy told herself: I have to face it, I have no choice. Aye, and I’ll have to take up the Earl’s offer and go into service. Me life’s mapped out for me by circumstance. The thought didn’t sit well with her, for she’d hoped to work in an office, or to take up teaching young ’uns. She could do that, with the learning she had, and she knew she could take in as much knowledge as she needed to, so that she could qualify. But now she had to think of how being in service would provide a roof over her head and keep her belly full. Aye, and keep her that busy that she’d have less time to think. Less time to grieve. She had to be grateful to the Earl, for looking out for her welfare and for all he’d done for Seth and George.
Amy knew what life in service would be like, as she’d had a taste of it in Lord Bellinger’s home. His housekeeper had set her to work at helping with all and sundry. She’d hated most of the chores that the girls of her age did: dunking laundry in the yard, cleaning and setting the fires and, worst of all, emptying all the piddle-pots.
Looking up at the ceiling, Amy felt a thought shuddering through her: Eeh, naw – don’t let that be me fate!
‘Come on, out of there!’
Shock at hearing this said in a sharp, commanding tone rendered Amy speechless for a moment. She looked down to see a court official standing at the bottom of the steps leading to the gallery. ‘I have to stay, Sir. The Lord Rollinson, the Earl of Harrogate, is coming back for me.’
The court official gave her a disbelieving look. ‘That’s as may be, but the court sessions are over for the day, and I’m charged with locking up. You can wait outside.’
‘But if the Earl comes back, you will tell him where I am?’
‘Aye, if I see him. But you’re best to wait by the desk out there in the corridor. If this Lord Rollinson is coming, that’s most likely where he’ll ask for you.’
Amy wriggled. The bench she was sitting on in the corridor had made her bottom hard. A good hour must have passed, and the building was emptying of people, and still the Earl didn’t come. What if they’ve taken the lads elsewhere, ready for their journey? Oh God, please bring the Earl to me.
‘We’re locking up now, Miss.’ The voice of the court official came to her again. ‘And I’ve checked outside and there’s no carriages in the courtyard. Your Lord has long since gone. So, let’s have you on your way now.’
‘But he said he would come back. I have to wait.’
‘He’s not in the building, and the prisoners have been taken away. There’s only me here, and I’m ready for the off.’
Shocked to have her worst fears confirmed, Amy stood. The stiffness in her limbs pained her, but she held herself steady. ‘Where would they take the prisoners, Mister?’
‘Back to their prison cells at the police house, until their punishment can be carried out. Them for the gallows will be hanged at midnight; them for prison sentences will be sent on the morrow to different prisons; and them for deportation will be on their way to the docks at Liverpool.’
‘What, already? Naw, they can’t. I have to see me brothers.’
‘Them two as were up last? They’re gone. I saw them taken out to the prison wagon with the rest, about thirty minutes since. You’ve no chance, lass.’ He guided her towards the doors and gently pushed her through. ‘Get off home and be quick about it. There’s some reet rogues come out at neet around these parts.’
Outside, the cold didn’t just sting Amy’s skin, but whipped into the very heart of her, cutting right through her thin coat. It brought to the fore her hunger and thirst. Remembering that she still had the halfpenny the housekeeper had given her, to get a mug of tea, she looked longingly at the glow of a brazier further along the road. A tattie-man. As she came up to the blazing fire, the heat of it seeped into her. One of the shadowy figures huddled around it called out, ‘Eeh, lass, what’re you doing out in this? Come and have some hot tea. Only a farthing a mug, and it’s good stuff an’ all.’
‘Aye, I will, and I’ll take one of them tatties, if you’ll take another farthing for one.’
‘Glad to. There ain’t many folk about, so I’m cutting me prices to get rid. Here you go. Sit on that box there.’
The hot mug warmed Amy’s hands and the steam rising from it blurred her vision. Putting it down, she took the hot tattie handed to her and had to juggle it, as it threatened to burn her hands. When it had cooled a little, biting into it gave her the taste of creamy potato and smoke-burned crispy skin. Delicious! For a moment she forgot her troubles, as she filled her belly and allowed the low chatter of the group to lull her into a comfortable place.
The sound of the distant rumble of a carriage along the cobbled road brought her back to the real world and the pain it held. She hoped, with all that was in her, that it meant the Earl had come back to bring her some good news.
Looking back in the direction of the courthouse, Amy saw that a glow of light still surrounded the building. The silhouette of a horse and carriage drew her towards it. Lifting her mug and taking a last gulp of the tea, she rose and, still clasping her tattie, ran towards the carriage. ‘I’m here, I’m here . . .’
A gentleman alighted and looked towards her. She could see, from his height, that it wasn’t the Earl. Her pace slowed with the disappointment this brought her. Then some hope rose in her again as she saw it was Lord Bellinger. Maybe he had a message?
‘Ah, so you didn’t give up, I see? Well, come along. Lord Rollinson had an engagement and, by the time he’d sorted out an arrangement for you, he couldn’t wait around to tell you what had happened. He charged me with delivering the news to you, as I was coming back into town.’
Coming up to him, she saw that he had a smile on his face. And he’d used a pleasant voice to her, which hadn’t been her experience of him when she’d heard him barking orders out to his staff. But then most folk did have a good side, and maybe he was showing his now. ‘Has the Earl said as I can see me brothers, M’Lord?’
‘He has, but everything has to be paid for. Girls like you know that. So first I am going to take you to a house that I know. They will teach you how to pay for whatever you want. And I will be your first tutor.’
‘I don’t want to go to naw house. I’ll go back to the kitchens till—’
‘You’re no longer welcome there. I am not prepared to house one of your kind. Your brothers are paying the price for you getting off scot-free, and I don’t want to stand the cost of keeping you. You owe me already. Now, get into the carriage, and hurry up about it.’
‘Naw. Please, M’Lord, tell me about me brothers and I’ll be on me way. I’ll not go back to naw house. I’ll take care of meself. I’ll get a job in mill.’
‘Not if I have any say in it, you won’t. I own three of them, and I can influence those who own the others. Now, do as you’re told. It is freezing out here and it’s not much warmer inside the carriage, so we need to get going as quickly as we can. Come along. This is the best solution. You’ll enjoy what goes on there and will be well looked after. There’s a few who are partial to young ones – myself included. I’m looking forward to the treat of taking you. And after I’m done, I will tell you what you need to know about your brothers and will pay you well.’
Panic gripped Amy. Looking back along the street, she saw that the light from the brazier had lessened and those who had been standing around it had gone; most had shifted as the carriage approached, no doubt fearing it was the police. As she looked in the other direction, she saw nothing but a blanketing darkness. She’d take her chance with the brazier; at least there’d be some warmth for a while. Turning, she ran towards it.
‘Your choice, but a stupid one. I’ll tell the Earl I didn’t see you.’
Tears stung like ice on Amy’s cheeks as she sank down on the pavement next to the dying flames of the brazier. Oh, Ma . . . I want me ma. Ma, help me, help me.