Newport Chartists Vol.4, p.77

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[top right hand margin:-} 77
Reg[in]a. v[ersus] Unknown Persons
William Llewellyn is a son of Mr John
Llewellen of Abercarne House - was at
Abercarne House all day Sunday 3rd
day of November instant. In the Evening
of the same Day I heard a rumour that
the Chartists were going to ride - After
wards about 10 o'clock of the same Evening
while I was sitting in the Parlour with
the rest of my family - Our Servant
Ann Thomas rushed towards the parlour
Door, opened it and said "The Chartists
at at the Kitchen Door and they say
they will come in" My father, my
brother, myself my mother and some
female friends of ours, immediately left
the Parlour and went into the front
Hall where we met Charles Maisly my servant Man when my mother begged
that all the men meaning myself
my Brother and father, would get out
of the way - my mother then
went towards the kitchen - My father
and brother went out through the front
Door, but I not being able to find my
hat immediately did not go out with
them. When I found it I went out
through the front Door and went towards
the Back door where the
Chartists were - As I approached I heard them beating
the Door violently several were

very loudly demanding the door to be
opened saying "Come let us in" . By the time I reached the
Back Door it was open and so
was the kitchen window. I saw
several of the mob in the Kitchen

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through the Window, My mother
was in the middle of those in the
Kitchen - There were about 20
of them in the Kitchen at that time
and about 8 or ten remained outside
The men inside had several
Candles in their hands and all or
most of them were armed with
weapons, many of them carried Guns
and others mandrils & most of them iron weapons I do not know
whether the men outside were armed
as it was Dark - On my reaching
the Back Door I said Hallo "
what's going on here, when one man whom
I could not identify grasped me
on the shoulder, saying "Who are
you, You must come with us"
I said, "Stop a Bit I want to go
in and see what is going on"
He said nothing and I then
passed into the Kitchen without
further interruption. When I entered
I observed my mother in conversation
with one of them who appeared to be
their leader. I heard him say that
"We must have all the men and
arms in the house" my mother replied
that there were neither men nor arms
in the house. He repeated that "if there
"were any arms, that my mother had
"better give them up at once" but
my mother insisted there were none
in the house. my mother then said
to the leader that "as he appeared to
be a better Educated man than the

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rest, she trusted he would keep
his men in order & from doing mischief
He replied " I have some trouble with
them, they are unruly set." My
mother said " If you want anything
to Eat or drink, you may have it"
One of them asked for some Beer -
my mother said we had not Beer -
but only Cider. then another at the window outside said loudly
"We don't want Bread and Cheese
or Beer but men and Arms"
The Leader said to my mother, " I will thank you for some Bread & Cheese & Cider
and asked me if I was the Master
of the house " I said, no, "I am not"
I then heard a noise that made me
turn round and saw Charles Maisly
the servant man collared by 3 or 4 of
them . The Confusion was great just now
and I followed Ann Thomas our Servant
to the Cellar, where she had been
sent by my mother for the Cider
to tell her to make haste in getting
it. While at the Cellar Door I heard
the footsteps of men upstairs. I
immediately went to the Kitchen &
spoke to the Leader. I told him
that some of his men had got up
stairs, that there were some females
upstairs, who, if they saw his
men would be frightened to Death
& I begged he would come with
me to order them back - which he
Consented to Do - I let him up
stairs to the room in which the females were & in going up passed some of the men
when I got up to the room I heard several
in the adjoining room - The leader

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told the females " that

they need not be alarmed, as they should
not be harmed. The men in the
adjoining room in the meantime before
it, and I returned with the Leader down
stairs and on the way Down on the
2nd landing we met a party of the
men who were standing there one
of them opened the Door of the
bedroom when the leader told two of them
that there was nothing to be found
there, they then shut the Doors -
two others at the same time were going up
towards the top landing when the
leader told them to come back
there were neither men nor arms there
He then ordered them Down. They went
accordingly I passed through into the Kitchen
and they immediate went out through
the Back Door Excepting the Leader
who remained in the Kitchen to take
some Bread & Mead & Cider & He then
said to me Do you live here. I said
not Exactly, I live in the neighbourhood
he said to me looking significantly "You
are one of us" I said " of course I am
& then went out alone into the Yard
through the back Door leaving the
Leader behind in the Kitchen with my
mother. I then got into the House
through the front Door. I didn't know
one of the men that attacked our house, they
were all strangers to me. Numbers of people
were going down towards Newport all night. & myself
and family were greatly alarmed lest they would
make a 2nd attack and I watched outside the
house during a great part of the night afterwards -

[in left hand margin:-] W[illia]m Llewellin