held on the 7th of December, 1816, for the purpose of deliberating on the proper method of remedying the present distresses of the country.
with a full report of the speeches, on that occasion
Kilmarnock, printed by H.Crawford, 1816.
12mo. pp45. disbound pamphlet. light browning and marking, but generally clean. small stain and more noticeable marking to title-page.
the meeting was held at 11am in a field called the Dean Park, with an attendance estimated to be between four and five thousand.
The primary aim of the meeting was to consider the propriety of petitioning the Prince Regent and both House of Parliament on the distressed state of the country.
The meeting was opened by Mr. McLaren, with speeches delivered by Mr. Johnston and Mr. Craig, followed by the reading of sixteen resolutions prepared by the Committee that had been formed to prepare for the meeting.
The grievances of the good people of Kilmarnock echoed those being proclaimed from other towns and cities in the country, including the high burden of taxation, corruption in high places, and under representation in parliament; a general swelling of discontent in the population that was eventually to lead to the Reform Act of 1832.
The pamphlet itself is very scarce, with the only recorded holding being with the National Library of Scotland. But also present here is the [apparently unrecorded] original printed broadside entitled "Petition to the Prince Regent. To His Royal Highness, George, Prince of Wales, Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the humble address and Petition of the Burgesses and Inhabitants of the Town of Kilmarnock", also printed by H. Crawford.
The broadside measures 45x16.5cm, fairly lightly affected with foxing and browning, but carelessly folded with heavy creasing and a 2cm tear to the right margin, with tiny loss of text to one word.
