William Coachworth
In 1838, William Coachworth was involved in an uprising of agricultural workers at Bossenden Wood, Dunkirk, led by John Nichols Tom (alias Sir William Percy Honeywood Courtenay, self-styled Knight of Malta, later known as Mad Tom). During the attempted arrest of Tom and the ensuing battle, a number of people were killed and wounded. As "Sir William" led his followers into battle, two men "who had no stomach for the fight", "slipped away and took to their heels among the trees". "These two were Ovenden, the old workhouse inmate, and a man called Couchworth". During the battle, William Coachworth was hit in the neck by a ricocheting bullet, which ended up in his mouth. Amongst the dead was William’s next door neighbour, William Foster. He left a widow and five children
In all, some forty nine people were involved in the incident; William Coachworth and three others were charged with complicity to one of the murders committed by Tom, and were sent to Maidstone gaol to await trial. Altogether, sixteen men were committed. The parishes were faced with the cost of supporting the families of the dead and those in custody; the Union made some emergency payments but only three families, including the Coachworths and the Fosters were given outdoor relief. William Coachworth had a wife and five children, who, in the week following the battle, received relief in kind to the value of six shillings from the Relieving Officer of the Faversham Union, as did the Fosters. This relief was stopped by order of the Guardians on 29th August, on the grounds that the trial had ended. This seemed a curious reason to give in the case of the Fosters, since William Foster was dead. William Coachworth was, however, able to return to support his family.
The trial began on 7th August 1838 at Maidstone; the Grand Jury, which included the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Denman, discharged seven of the fifteen accused, including William Coachworth.