1. THE WITHAM FIRES AND THE 1820S
   • The 1820s: Historical Background
   • Witham and the Fires
2. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND THE WITHAM FIRES
   • The initial reaction to an offence
   • Whether to prosecute
   • The trial
   • Sentences and Petitions
3. THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND
   • National and local interests
   • Poverty and prosperity
   • Strangers and friends
4. CONCLUSION
   • Acknowledgements
   • Select Bibliography
   • Select List of Sources

1. THE WITHAM FIRES AND THE 1820S

In 1846 Robert Bretnall of Witham wrote in his diary: 'November 5th ... It was this day 18 years ago that the Witham Fires begun and the same day I had the row with old Martin Brunwin'.¹

So far, investigation has failed to discover the details of the row, except that it is clear from other parts of the diary that it was still raging in 1846. However, the 'Witham fires' were recorded fully in the newspapers and other records of 1828 and 1829. This makes it possible to study them in considerable detail, and there is therefore an opportunity to view the fires in the context of the time and place in which they occurred. As a result, an apparently random series of sensational events can be seen to have some more general significance. The particular episode and the historical background can each illuminate the other. This study will therefore amplify the details and the circumstances of the Witham fires in the hope of achieving such illumination. Section 2 will discuss them from the point of view of law enforcement, and Section 3 will deal with some aspects of the society in which they took place. First, however, there will follow a summary of the historical context, and a brief description of the actual events at Witham.

Next page: The 1820s: Historical Background