Report of Richard Perryn, 1 individual petition (Mary Moakson, prisoner's wife; and...

Report of Richard Perryn, 1 individual petition (Mary Moakson, prisoner's wife; and 1 collective petition (7 people, including the vicar and churchwardens of Ecclesfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire), on behalf of Thomas Moakson, basket maker, convicted at the Lent Yorkshire Assizes at York in 1788, at York, for stealing 41/2 guineas in gold and some silver, property of John Dickinson, labourer, at the dwelling house of Samuel Lidsder[?] a Sheffield publican, in February 1788. There is also a written evidence from Joseph Garside, labourer, and a number of what appears to be character references/evidences by Laurence Shaw, Joseph Hudson, Joseph Platts, Samuel Brook, Jonathan Roddis[?] and Thomas Schofield (several of them are collectively signed) from Wadsley, Bradfield, Ecclesfield, and Hoyland Swaine, all in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Grounds for clemency: always known to be honest, previous good character, honest parents, the prosecutor is a bad character and has taken the case against the prisoner to revenge an old grudge against his father, that a witness (Joseph Garside) who would have been able to clear the prisoner's name was not asked to appear in court, the health of both the prisoner and wife have deteriorated since the trial and his wife had borne 9 children but only 1 was still alive (not all had survived birth). Initial sentence: 7 years transportation. Recommendation: none made, annotated 'Nothing to be done for him'.

Folios 21-28.