Richard Birnie to Henry Hobhouse, permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office 1817-1827. Birnie was the police magistrate at Bow Street in charge of the police officers who helped apprehend the Cato Street conspirators. The Mendicity Society was founded in 1818 to stop people begging in London: it gave charity to beggars on the condition that they immediately left the area. Davidson deceived the society by asking for money to redeem his tools, which he had previously pawned, and used it to redeem a gun instead.
(Catalogue reference HO 44/4/100)
Transcript
Bow Street, 8pm
Thursday
Dear Sir,
It is a curious fact that Davidson (the man of colour) had thirty shillings on Tuesday from the Mendicity Society under the pretence of redeeming his working tools which were pawned, and yesterday morning he redeemed a blunderbuss, which he had pawned at the shop of Alders Pawnbrokers on Berwick Street. We found a Blunderbuss in Cato Street in the hands of the man who attacked Mr Fitzclarence.
Yours most faithfully,
Richard Birnie
H Hobhouse Esq