(It was whispered that the Lord Lieutenant himself stood in some awe of him.) His favourite character, however, was that of plain citizen of his native town.

"I'm an Axcester man," he would declare in his public speeches, and in his own way he loved and served the little borough.

For its good he held its Parliamentary representation in the hollow of his hand; and, as Overseer of the Poor, had dared public displeasure by revising the Voters' List and defying a mandamus of the Court of King's Bench rather than allow Axcester to fail in its duty of returning two members to support Mr.Percevall's Ministry.

In 1800, when the price of wheat rose to 184s a quarter, a poor woman dropped dead in the market place of starvation.

At once a mob collected, hoisted a quartern-loaf on a pole with the label--"We will have Bread or Blood," and started to pillage the shop's in High Street.