Hi Janette,
James Diggles was, as Saddler as already said, aged 34 at the time of his death. James was employed as a Footman and was, and had been since being a young boy, in the employ of John Armitage Esq. of Woodhouse, Rastrick. On Friday the 5th November James had been drinking with some local gamekeepers in a local public house when an argument started between another party and one of the gamekeepers. The argument drew on with threats of violence from the other party until a fight broke out between one of the gamekeepers and a man called James Ellis.
Eventually the fight was broken up and the other party of eight left the pub. About midnight the gamekeepers also left the pub only to be set upon by the other group of men who had left earlier. The out come of this fight was that James Diggles and another were seperated from the gamekeepers and were set upon by the group of eight. Having both been knocked down in the fight, James and Emanuel Brook were left where they fell but one of the assailants went back to James and hit him violently about the head.
The other gamekeepers came back to find James in a bad way but he managed to walk back with them to the public house for help. James and Emanuel were taken to John Armitages house where James was seen by a doctor and two surgeons. However James died on the tuesday from the wounds that had been inflicted on him.
All of the assailants where caught and at the York Assizes on 4th April 1825 John Dawson, Henry Nuttall, John Dyson, James Ellis, James and Christopher Tiffany and John Bray were aquitted of the murder of James. Anthony Bray, who had been seen as the main person to have inflicted the wounds on James was found guilty of the Manslaughter of James Diggles.
A full newspaper account of the murder can be found in The Times for November 22nd 1824, page 3; Issue 12504; col, C
and a full newspaper account of the trail can be found in The Times for 7th April 1825, page 3; Issue 12621; Col, B. under the heading "Lent Assizes".
hope this helps
old rowley
