Just before Christmas in 1828, 26 men from Nantwich helped themselves to some of Squire Corbett's pheasants at Darnhall, eight miles away, shot at the keepers and killed their dog.
Following the offer of a large reward for information, one of the men "peached" on his companions who were all arrested and put in the town gaol. When they were taken out to appear before the magistrates, a substantial proportion of the population of Nantwich rioted and attempted to free the men.
Major Tomkinson, as he was then, borrowed a horse and succeeded in getting the band back in the lock-up, where they were guarded by a troop of soldiers sent for from Chester. They were subsequently sent for trial at Chester Assizes, where six of the men were actually tried and sentenced to fourteen years transportation.
They were put on a hulk in the Thames to await a transport ship, but after several months, unbelievably, a solicitor from Hough, near to Nantwich, was able to obtain their release on account of a flaw in the wording of their indictment.
The book includes an account of the trial of the poachers and also that of the rioters, during which Major Tomkinson was an important witness. The names of many local people are mentioned who were involved on both sides of the law and the stories of several of the men who were freed are followed up.
The Darnhall Poaching Affray - The Nantwich Poachers and the Riot, by Don Tomkinson, is published by The Family History Society of Cheshire.
Don Tomkinson, 2006, don.tomkinson@lineone.net