INTRODUCTION

THOMAS HERBERT COOKE'S time as land agent on the Middleton Hall estate in south-west Wales is well documented in a series of letters dating from 1841 to 1847, now held at the National Library of Wales. This is a rare collection, and one which presents unique insights. Being personal in nature, these letters reveal information that would not have been preserved in estate records. In this sense, they are a valuable resource to the historian. Cooke's letters, written to his mother and brother in his native Northamptonshire, list the duties undertaken by the land agent. However, they also give a real sense of his various frustrations and fears, many of which stem from the difficult relationship with his employer, Edward Abadam. The letters are also revealing of the attitude of a newcomer to the local area, with Cooke critical of the use of the Welsh language in church, agricultural practices of the tenantry and poor quality of the land he was expected to manage. Whilst he appears as a rather melancholic character, pessimistic and critical, his tendency to worry was completely justified during the summer of 1843, when he witnessed at first hand the Rebecca Riots. This chapter will introduce Cooke and his employer before discussing how the letters chart the activities of Rebecca and her daughters in the immediate vicinity of the estate. It will reveal how the land agent and his employer became targets of Rebecca's wrath, highlighting the potentially difficult position estate middlemen held within society.

‘HE KNOWS BUT LITTLE OR NOTHING OF BUSINESS’: DIFFICULT TIMES AT MIDDLETON HALL

Born on 28 January 1798 and baptised at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, Thomas Herbert Cooke was the eldest son of a prosperous yeoman farmer, Thomas Cooke, and his wife Charlotte née Kirby. On his father's death in 1822, Cooke inherited the family estate, which included land in the parishes of Silverstone and Whittlebury. However, according to the terms of his father's will, provisions had to be made for Cooke's six sisters, leaving the heir with very little money in order to sustain the estate. In September 1830 Cooke set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia, presumably in search of employment opportunities. Ultimately, this sojourn proved unsuccessful and he returned to England. His early experiences of financial difficulties and challenges give context to the often fretful tone of his letters.