Undated
Petition of Occupiers of Mills.
To the Honble the Commons of great Britain in Parlimt assembled
The Honorable petitioners of 100 persons whose names are herewith subscribed being owners & Occupiers of Mills upon the River Stroud Water between Framiload & Wallbridge in the County of Gloucester
Sheweth
That a Bill is depending in this Honble House to amend an Act passed in the 3d yr of his late Majestrys Reign for making navigable the River Stroud Water in the Co of Gloster from the River Severn at or near Framiload to Wallbridge near the Town of Stroud in the same County & to give other powers for the purposes of making a navigation from Framiload to Wallbridge afsd.
That there are upon the sd River bet Wallbridge & Framiload afsd 42 pairs of Stocks 16 Gigg Mills & 7 Napping Mills employed in the Woollen Manufacture w6 pais of Mill Stones employed in grinding Corn & a Iron Wire Mill a Steel Wire Mill 6 pairs of Rolls for rolling Iron a Sliting Mill & a rounding Hamer for Braziers Rods employed in Manufacture of Iron all of which are wrought by Wheels turned by the Water of the sd River for which purpose a great force & weigh of Water is necessary.
The Mills upon a Moderate Calculation afford Employment for 5000 & thereby give Bread to above 9000 persons & during the Summer Months in genl have not a sufficient Supply of water to keep them going more that 2 Thirds & sometimes not more than half their Time & shod the proposed navigation take place it wod deprive your petitioners of a great Quantity of Water & render their Mills of little use.
That at the Time of passing the sd Act of the 3d of his late Majestys Reign the Legislature were so attentive to the Int of the Millholders for the sake of the Trade ? bone by the sd Mills, that provision was made ? that the intended Navigation did not be worked during 2 months in the Summer & by an act made in the 32d yr of his sd late majesty for amending the sd Act the Undertakers thereby appointed are expressly prohibited from making or Using any Lock & a method is therein prescribed for answering the purpose of navigation withour any waste of water wysover.
That your petitioners apprehend that the advantages to arise from the proposed navigation will not be adequate to the Injury thereby done to private property & that making the same in the manner proposed by ? Bill will be highly injurious to the Woollen & Iron Manufactures carried on within the sd County to a very considerable Extent.
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray this Honble House that they may be heard by their Councel agt the sd Bill & that the same may not pass into a Law or that they may have such other Relief
Rd Clutterbuck Hallidayh Phillipps
Danl Chance Nathl Jenisson
Henry Reddall Thos Haycock
The mark of Thos Pride, Jno Beard Wm Hill
Jno James Eliz Wilding
Jno Purnell Jno Purnell
Ambrose Reddall Jno Harmer
Jasper Clutterbuck Wim Purnell
Joseph Harthorne Thos Turner
Jno James Jno Warner
Dan, Partridge G Aug Selwyn
Bevan Smith
The Millowners Petition
