Peterloo Massacre | English history [1819] | Britannica.com English history [1819] Columbine High School shootings Peterloo Massacre, (Aug. 16, 1819), in English history, the brutal dispersal by cavalry of a radical meeting held on St. Peter’s Fields in Manchester . The “massacre” (likened to Waterloo) attests to the profound fears of the privileged classes of the imminence of violent Jacobin revolution in England in the years after the Napoleonic Wars. To radicals and reformers Peterloo came to symbolize Tory callousness and tyranny . Peterloo Massacre, Manchester, England, August 16, 1819; wood engraving. The Print Collector/Heritage-Images The August meeting was the culmination of a series of political rallies held in 1819, a year of industrial depression and high food prices. Presided over by the radical leader Henry Hunt , the meeting was intended as a great demonstration of discontent, and its political object was parliamentary reform. About 60,000 persons attended, including a high proportion of women and children. None was armed, and their behaviour was wholly peaceable.

The magistrates, who had been nervous before the event, were alarmed by the size and mood of the crowd and ordered the Manchester yeomenry to arrest the speakers immediately after the meeting had begun. The untrained yeomenry did not confine themselves to seizing the leaders but, wielding sabres, made a general attack on the crowd. The chairman of the bench of magistrates thereupon ordered the 15th Hussars and the Cheshire Volunteers to join the attack; in 10 minutes the place was cleared except for bodies. The numbers of killed and wounded were disputed; probably about 500 people were injured and 11 killed. Hunt and the other radical leaders were arrested, tried, and convicted—Hunt being sent to prison for two years. Learn More in these related articles: Peterloo Massacre Peterloo Massacre ▼ Primary Sources ▼ Peterloo Massacre In March 1819, Joseph Johnson , John Knight and James Wroe formed the Manchester Patriotic Union Society. All the leading radicals in Manchester joined the organisation. Johnson was appointed secretary and Wroe became treasurer.

The main objective of this new organisation was to obtain parliamentary reform and during the summer of 1819 it was decided to invite Major Cartwright , Henry Orator Hunt and Richard Carlile to speak at a public meeting in Manchester . The men were told that this was to be "a meeting of the county of Lancashire, than of Manchester alone. I think by good management the largest assembly may be procured that was ever seen in this country." Cartwright was unable to attend but Hunt and Carlile agreed and the meeting was arranged to take place at St. Peter's Field on 16th August. The local magistrates were concerned that such a substantial gathering of reformers might end in a riot. The magistrates therefore decided to arrange for a large number of soldiers to be in Manchester on the day of the meeting. This included four squadrons of cavalry of the 15th Hussars (600 men), several hundred infantrymen, the Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry (400 men), a detachment of the Royal Horse Artillery and two six-pounder guns and the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry (120 men) and all Manchester's special constables (400 men).

At about 11.00 a.m. on 16th August, 1819 William Hulton , the chairman, and nine other magistrates met at Mr. Buxton's house in Mount Street that overlooked St. Peter's Field . Although there was no trouble the magistrates became concerned by the growing size of the crowd. Estimations concerning the size of the crowd vary but Hulton came to the conclusion that there were at least 50,000 people in St. Peter's Field at midday. Hulton therefore took the decision to send Edward Clayton, the Boroughreeve and the special constables to clear a path through the crowd. The 400 special constables were therefore ordered to form two continuous lines between the hustings where the speeches were to take place, and Mr. Buxton's house where the magistrates were staying. Print of the Peterloo Massacre published by Richard Carlile The main speakers at the meeting arrived at 1.20 p.m. This included Henry 'Orator' Hunt , Richard Carlile , John Knight , Joseph Johnson and Mary Fildes .

Several of the newspaper reporters, including John Tyas of The Times , Edward Baines of the Leeds Mercury , John Smith of the Liverpool Mercury and John Saxton of the Manchester Observer , joined the speakers on the hustings. At 1.30 p.m. the magistrates came to the conclusion that "the town was in great danger". William Hulton therefore decided to instruct Joseph Nadin , Deputy Constable of Manchester , to arrest Henry Hunt and the other leaders of the demonstration. Nadin replied that this could not be done without the help of the military. Hulton then wrote two letters and sent them to Lieutenant Colonel L'Estrange , the commander of the military forces in Manchester and Major Thomas Trafford, the commander of the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry . Major Trafford, who was positioned only a few yards away at Pickford's Yard, was the first to receive the order to arrest the men. Major Trafford chose Captain Hugh Birley , his second-in-command, to carry out the order. Local eyewitnesses claimed that most of the sixty men who Birley led into St. Peter's Field were drunk. Birley later insisted that the troop's erratic behaviour was caused by the horses being afraid of the crowd.

The Manchester & Salford Yeomanry entered St. Peter's Field along the path cleared by the special constables. As the yeomanry moved closer to the hustings, members of the crowd began to link arms to stop them arresting Henry Hunt and the other leaders. Others attempted to close the pathway that had been created by the special constables. Some of the yeomanry now began to use their sabres to cut their way through the crowd. Print of St. Peter's Massacre When Captain Hugh Birley and his men reached the hustings they arrested Henry Hunt , John Knight , Joseph Johnson , George Swift , John Saxton , John Tyas , John Moorhouse and Robert Wild. As well as the speakers and the organisers of the meeting, Birley also arrested the newspaper reporters on the hustings. Lieutenant Colonel L'Estrange reported to William Hulton at 1.50 p.m. When he asked Hulton what was happening he replied: "Good God, Sir, don't you see they are attacking the Yeomanry? Disperse them." L'Estrange now ordered Lieutenant Jolliffe and the 15th Hussars to rescue the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry .

By 2.00 p.m. the soldiers had cleared most of the crowd from St. Peter's Field. In the process, 18 people were killed and about 500, including 100 women, were wounded. Richard Carlile managed to avoid being arrested and after being hidden by local radicals, he took the first mail coach to London. The following day placards for Sherwin's Political Register began appearing in London with the words: 'Horrid Massacres at Manchester'. A full report of the meeting appeared in the next edition of the newspaper. The authorities responded by raiding Carlile's shop in Fleet Street and confiscating his complete stock of newspapers and pamphlets. James Wroe was at the meeting and he described the attack on the crowd in the next edition of the Manchester Observer. Wroe is believed to be the first person to describe the incident as the Peterloo Massacre. Wroe also produced a series of pamphlets entitled The Peterloo Massacre: A Faithful Narrative of the Events. The pamphlets, which appeared for fourteen consecutive weeks from 28th August, price twopence, had a large circulation, and played an important role in the propaganda war against the authorities.

Wroe, like Carlile, was later sent to prison for writing these accounts of the Peterloo Massacre. Poster entitled Manchester Heroes was published in 1819 Moderate reformers in Manchester were appalled by the decisions of the magistrates and the behaviour of the soldiers. Several of them wrote accounts of what they had witnessed. Archibald Prentice sent his report to several London newspapers. When John Edward Taylor discovered that John Tyas of The Times , had been arrested and imprisoned, he feared that this was an attempt by the government to suppress news of the event. Taylor therefore sent his report to Thomas Barnes , the editor of The Times. The article that was highly critical of the magistrates and the yeomanry was published two days later. Tyas was released from prison. The Times mounted a campaign against the action of the magistrates at St. Peter's Field .

In one editorial the newspaper told its readers "a hundred of the King's unarmed subjects have been sabred by a body of cavalry in the streets of a town of which most of them were inhabitants, and in the presence of those Magistrates whose sworn duty it is to protect and preserve the life of the meanest Englishmen." As these comments came from an establishment newspaper, the authorities found this criticism particularly damaging. Other journalists at the meeting were not treated as well as Tyas. Richard Carlile wrote an article on the Peterloo Massacre in the next edition of The Republican . Carlile not only described how the military had charged the crowd but also criticised the government for its role in the incident. Under the seditious libel laws , it was offence to publish material that might encourage people to hate the government. The authorities also disapproved of Carlile publishing books by Tom Paine , including Age of Reason , a book that was extremely critical of the Church of England . In October 1819, Carlile was found guilty of blasphemy and seditious libel and was sentenced to three years in Dorchester Gaol.

Carlile was also fined £1,500 and when he refused to pay, his Fleet Street offices were raided and his stock was confiscated. Carlile was determined not to be silenced. While he was in prison he continued to write material for The Republican , which was now being published by his wife. Due to the publicity created by Carlile's trial, the circulation of The Republican increased dramatically and was now outselling pro-government newspapers such as The Times . James Wroe was at the meeting and he described the attack on the crowd in the next edition of the Manchester Observer. Wroe is believed to be the first person to describe the incident as the Peterloo Massacre . Wroe also produced a series of pamphlets entitled The Peterloo Massacre: A Faithful Narrative of the Events. The pamphlets, which appeared for fourteen consecutive weeks from 28th August, price twopence, had a large circulation, and played an important role in the propaganda war against the authorities. The government wanted revenge and Wroe was arrested and charged with producing a seditious publication. He was found guilty and sentenced to twelve months in prison, plus a £100 fine.

After the Peterloo Massacre, Viscount Sidmouth , the Home Secretary, sent a letter of congratulations to the Manchester magistrates for the action they had taken. Lord Liverpool and his Tory government responded to the Peterloo Massace by introducing new legislation. When Parliament reassembled on 23rd November, 1819, Lord Sidmouth , the government 's Home Secretary, announced details of what later became known as the Six Acts . By the 30th December, 1819, Parliament had debated and passed six measures that it hoped would suppress the reform movement. This included the Seditious Meetings Prevention Act - a measure which prohibited the holding of public meetings of more than fifty people without the consent of a sheriff or magistrate. The trial of the organisers of the St. Peter's Field meeting took place in York between 16th and 27th March, 1820. The men were charged with "assembling with unlawful banners at an unlawful meeting for the purpose of exciting discontent". Henry Hunt was found guilty and was sent to Ilchester Gaol for two years and six months. Joseph Johnson , Samuel Bamford and Joseph Healey were each sentenced to one year in Lincoln Prison.

John Edward Taylor was a successful businessman who was radicalized by the Peterloo Massacre . Taylor felt that the newspapers did not accurately record the outrage that the people felt about what happened at St. Peter's Fields. Taylor's political friends agreed and it was decided to form their own newspaper. Eleven men, all involved in the textile industry, raised £1,050 for the venture. It was decided to call the newspaper the Manchester Guardian . A prospectus was published which explained the aims and objectives of the proposed newspaper: "It will zealously enforce the principles of civil and religious Liberty, it will warmly advocate the cause of Reform; it will endeavour to assist in the diffusion of just principles of Political Economy." The first four-page edition appeared on Saturday 5th May, 1821 and cost 7d. Of this sum, 4d was a tax imposed by the government. The Manchester Guardian , like other newspapers at the time, also had to pay a duty of 3d a lb. on paper and three shillings and sixpence on every advertisement that was included. These taxes severely restricted the number of people who could afford to buy newspapers. Two aspects of the Six Acts was to prevent the publication of radical newspapers.

The Basphemous and Seditious Libels Act was a measure which provided much stronger punishments, including banishment for publications judged to be blaspemous or sedtious. The Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act was an attempt to subjected certain radical publications which had previously avoided stamp duty by publishing opinion and not news, to such duty. A Stamp Tax was first imposed on British newspapers in 1712. The tax was gradually increased until in 1815 it had reached 4d. a copy. As few people could afford to pay 6d. or 7d. for a newspaper, the tax restricted the circulation of most of these journals to people with fairly high incomes. During this period most working people were earning less than 10 shillings a week and this therefore severely reduced the number of people who could afford to buy radical newspapers. Campaigners against the stamp tax such as William Cobbett and Leigh Hunt described it as a "tax on knowledge". Chartists such as Henry Hetherington , James Watson , John Cleave , George Julian Harney and James O'Brien joined Richard Carlile in the fight against stamp duty .

As these radical publishers refused to pay stamp-duty on their newspapers, this resulted in fines and periods of imprisonment. In 1835 the two leading unstamped radical newspapers, the Poor Man's Guardian , and The Cleave's Police Gazette , were selling more copies in a day than The Times sold all week. It was estimated at the time that the circulation of leading six unstamped newspapers had now reached 200,000. In the House of Commons , John Roebuck led the campaign against taxes on newspapers. In 1836 the campaigners had their first success when the 4d. tax on newspapers was reduced to 1d. The same year Parliament agreed to remove the tax on pamphlets. The campaigned continued and in 1849 a group of publishers led by Henry Hetherington formed the Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee. However, it was not until 1855 that the newspaper stamp duty was finally abolished. ▲ Main Article ▲ Primary Sources (1) In his book Passage in the Life of a Radical , the political activist, Samuel Bamford described the procession from Middleton to Manchester on the 16th August, 1819.

First were selected twelve of the most decent-looking youths, who were placed at the front, each with a branch of laurel held in his hand, as a token of peace; then the colours: a blue one of silk, with inscriptions in golden letters, 'Unity and Strength', 'Liberty and Fraternity'; a green one of silk, with golden letters, 'Parliaments Annual', 'Suffrage Universal'. Every hundred men had a leader, who was distinguished by a spring of laurel in his hat, and the whole were to obey the directions of the principal conductor, who took his place at the head of the column, with a bugleman to sound his orders. At the sound of the bugle not less than three thousand men formed a hollow square, with probably as many people around them, and I reminded them that they were going to attend the most important meeting that had ever been held for Parliamentary Reform. I also said that, in conformity with a rule of the committee, no sticks, nor weapons of any description, would be allowed to be carried. Only the oldest and most infirm amongst us were allowed to carry their walking staves. Our whole column, with the Rochdale people, would probably consist of six thousand men.

At our head were a hundred or two of women, mostly young wives, and mine own was amongst them. A hundred of our handsomest girls, sweethearts to the lads who were with us, danced to the music. Thus accompanied by our friends and our dearest we went slowly towards Manchester. (2) Archibald Prentice , Historical Sketches and Personal Recollections of Manchester (1851) The morning of the 16th of August came, and soon after nine o'clock the people began to assemble. From the windows of Mr. Baxter's house in Mosley-street, I saw the main body proceeding towards St. Peter's Field, and never saw a gayer spectacle. There were haggard-looking men certainly, but the majority were young persons, in their best Sunday's suits, and the light coloured dresses of the cheerful tidy-looking women relieved the effect of the dark fustians worn by the men. The " marching order," of which so much was said afterwards, was what we often see now in the processions of Sunday-school children and temperance societies. To our eyes the numerous flags seemed to have been brought to add to the picturesque effect of the pageant.

Slowly and orderly the multitudes took their places round the hustings, which stood on a spot now included under the roof of the Free Trade Hall, near its south-east corner. Our company laughed at the fears of the magistrates, and the remark was, that if the men intended mischief they would not have brought their wives, their sisters, or their children with them. I passed round the outskirts of the meeting, and mingled with the groups that stood chatting there. I occasionally asked the women if they were not afraid to be there, and the usual laughing reply was - " What have we to be afraid of?" I saw Hunt arrive, and heard the shouts of the sixty thousand persons by whom he was enthusiastically welcomed, as the carriage in which he stood made its way through the dense crowd to the hustings. I proceeded to my dwelling-house in Salford, intending to return in about an hour or so to witness in what manner so large a meeting would separate. I had not been at home more than a quarter of an hour when a wailing sound was heard from the main street, and, rushing out, I saw people running in the direction of Pendleton, their faces pale as death, and some with blood trickling down their cheeks.

It was with difficulty I could get any one to stop and tell me what had happened. The unarmed multitude, men, women, and children, had been attacked with murderous results by the military. The magistrates had resolved, at the last moment, that Hunt, and the friends who accompanied him to the hustings, should be apprehended in the face of the meeting. It was a great assemblage, and, no doubt, they thought the capture of the ringleaders in the presence of sixty thousand persons would produce a salutary effect. There was abundance of force at hand to render resistance hopeless. The number of special constables had been greatly increased, two hundred additional having been sworn in for the occasion; a portion were stationed round the hustings, and another formed a line of communication thence to the house in which the magistrates were assembled, a distance of about a hundred yards.

Near to the field, ready the moment their services were required, were six troops of the 15th Hussars, a troop of horse artillery, with two guns, the greater part of the 31st regiment of infantry, some companies of the 88th regiment, the Cheshire yeomanry; of between three and four hundred men, and the Manchester yeomanry, of about forty, the latter hot-headed young men, who had volunteered into that service from their intense hatred of radicalism. (3) With John Tyas in prison it is believed that John Edward Taylor provided the report that appeared in The Times on 18th August, 1819. When the Yeomanry arrived the greater part of the persons who were at the outskirts of the assembly on that side instantly ran away; but the main body remained compact and firm, and finding the soldiers halt under the houses, faced round and cheered them. But a few moments had elapsed, when some orders were given to the troops, and they instantly dashed at full gallop amongst the people, actually hacking their way up to the hustings.

A cordon of special constables was drawn from the house occupied by the Magistrates towards the stage, and these fared as ill from the attacks of the soldiers as the people at large. A comparatively undisciplined body, led on by officers who had never had any experience in military affairs, and probably all under the influence both of personal fear and considerable political feeling of hostility, could not be expected to act either with coolness or discrimination; and accordingly, men, women, and children, constables, and Reformers, were equally exposed to their attacks. Numbers were trampled down, and numbers were cut down. When they arrived at the hustings, the standards were torn, or cut from the hands of those who held them. Hunt was taken along by the constables to the house where the Magistrates were sitting, crying out 'Murder' as he was every instant struck by the bludgeons of numbers of constables who surrounded him.

An attempt was made to knock his hat off, but unsuccessfully; and just as he was going up the steps, a person, who shall be for the present, nameless, with a club of large size, struck him with the force of both hands a blow on the head, which completely indented his hat, and almost levelled him with the ground: of this I can produce evidence on oath. Whether the Riot Act had been read, I am not enabled positively to say; but I affirm, from actual observation, that not the slightest breach of the peace had been committed, or appeared, as far as I can judge, likely to take place; and, most certainly, instead of an hour being allowed after proclamation, for the people to disperse, not twenty minutes had elapsed, after. Hunt came upon the ground, before the carnage began. What are the charges on which Hunt and the rest are arrested, I know not. Rumour says High Treason, of which carrying the cap of liberty is stated as an overt act. (4) In his book Passage in the Life of a Radical , the political activist, Samuel Bamford described the attack on the crowd at St.

Peter's Fields on the 16th August, 1819. Mr. Hunt, stepping towards the front of the stage, took off his white hat, and addressed the people. Whilst he was doing so I heard a noise outside the crowd. Some persons said it was the Blackburn people coming, and I stood on tip-toe and looked in the direction whence the noise was coming from, I saw a party of cavalry in blue and white uniform come trotting, sword in hand. The cavalry received a shout of good-will. The cavalry, waving their sabres over their heads; and then, slackening rein, and striking spur into their seeds, they dashed forward and began cutting the people. "Stand fast," I said, "they are riding upon us;" The cavalry were in confusion; they evidently could not, with the weight of man and horse, penetrate that compact mass of human beings; and their sabres were plied to cut a way through naked held-up hands and defenceless heads. "Shame!" was shouted then "break!

break!" they are killing them in front, and they cannot get away." On the breaking of the crowd the yeomanry wheeled, and, dashing whenever there was an opening, they followed, pressing and wounding. Women and tender youths were indiscriminately sabred or trampled. A number of our people were driven to some timber which lay at the foot of the wall of the Quakers' meeting house. Being pressed by the yeomanry, a number sprung over the balks and defended themselves with stones which they found there. It was not without difficulty, and after several were wounded, they were driven out. A young married woman of our party, with her face all bloody, her hair streaming about her, her bonnet hanging by the string, and her apron weighed with stones, kept her assailant at bay until she fell backwards and was near being taken; but she got away covered with severe bruises. In ten minutes from the commencement of the havoc the field was an open and almost deserted space.

The hustings remained, with a few broken and hewed flag-staves erect, and a torn and gashed banner or two dropping; whilst over the whole field were strewed caps, bonnets, hats, shawls, and shoes, and other parts of male and female dress, trampled, torn, and bloody. Several mounds of human flesh still remained where they had fallen, crushed down and smothered. Some of these still groaning, others with staring eyes, were gasping for breath, and others would never breathe again. (5) Martin Wainwright , The Guardian (13th August, 2007) There are mugs and candlesnuffers in museums saying "Do not forget 1819" and school essay questions going back to the earliest days of exams, but the site of one of Britain's greatest social upheavals is still marked only by a modest - and only partially true - blue plaque.

This week, the city whose conscience was seared by the death of nine men, a woman and a child at a mass demonstration demanding the vote, will see the launch of a campaign for a "prominent, accurate and respectful" memorial to the brief mayhem known to history as the Peterloo massacre. People and institutions in Manchester and Salford are banding together to press the city council for a "worthier monument" than 32 words on the plaque which fail even to say that anyone was killed, alluding instead to the crowd's "dispersal by the military". Events this Thursday - the massacre's 188th anniversary - will highlight concern that Peterloo is in danger of being forgotten. "We're talking about something here on the scale of Tiananmen Square in terms of democratic history," said Paul Fitzgerald, who draws radical cartoons under the name Polyp and is one of the organisers of the Peterloo Memorial Campaign. "It's ridiculous that all we have is this euphemistic plaque.

We intend to commission a sculpture in the end, but in the meanwhile, let's get people talking." The project is backed by local trade unions, and Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians who say the occasion has for too long been treated "as a secret". "Even people who know the history come to Manchester and fail to find out where Peterloo happened," said Derek Clarke, secretary of Greater Manchester Trade Union Councils. "I arrived from north Wales to work here, and it took me ages to pin down the actual site. "We don't want to fall behind our neighbours, such as Hyde which has just unveiled a statue outside its town hall of the Chartists, who drew much of their inspiration from Peterloo. The massacre was one of the most influential events to happen in Manchester's history." Peterloo saw an estimated 60,000 people gather peaceably to back demands that the growing industrial towns of Britain should have the right to elect MPs. Less than 2% of the population had the vote at the time, and resentment was sharpened by "rotten boroughs" such as the moribund Wiltshire village Old Sarum which had 11 voters and two MPs. Manchester and Leeds had none.

Plans to elect a "shadow parliament" put the wind up the Tory government which was also frightened that the power of Henry "Orator" Hunt, the main speaker at Peterloo, might turn the Manchester crowd into a mob. The local volunteer yeomanry, described as "younger members of the Tory party in arms", was ordered to disperse the meeting, with fatal results. "The magistrates effectively let local shopkeepers and businessmen, people with a stake in the status quo, loose on the crowd," said Mr Clarke. More than 1,000 disciplined regular troops, including an artillery unit, stayed in the background but added to the air of crisis. As well as the 11 deaths, and possibly a 12th which historians are still researching, hundreds of people were wounded by sabre slashes and crushed in the panic. The name Peterloo, combining Manchester's traditional meeting place St Peter's Fields with the battle of Waterloo fought four years earlier, was coined immediately by the radical Manchester Observer. The immediate result of the tragedy was a complete crackdown on reform, but it proved hugely influential in the longer run.

"It is fundamental to the history of our democracy," said Tristram Hunt of Queen Mary College, London University, who last year organised a national competition in the Guardian for radical landmarks in need of better commemoration which saw Peterloo come second only to Putney parish church, site of the 1647 Putney debates where rank and file members of the Roundhead army argued the case for a transparent democratic state. "It is really great news that Manchester is on the march about this. Peterloo has a direct and powerful lineage to the Chartists." Manchester has seen previous, short-lived attempts to highlight the massacre before, but the reaction in the immediate aftermath - that the violence was a stain on the city's reputation - has regularly resurfaced and sapped enthusiasm. The Labour-led city council has prevaricated about anything grander than the plaque on the Radisson Hotel. Last year's Labour conference in Manchester saw delegates surprised at what some called a virtual conspiracy of silence. Former Labour city councillor Geoff Bridson said: "It is like a secret episode from the past." Renewed civic pride offers a real chance to change all that, said Dr Hunt. "The old, rather uncertain Manchester was scared of its history.

Now it is confident enough to look back with pride." The campaign is backed by the three museums of working class and "people's" history in Manchester and Salford. The director of the national People's History Museum, Nick Mansfield said: "Peterloo is a critical event not only because of the number of people killed and injured, but because ultimately it changed public opinion to influence the extension of the right to vote and give us the democracy we enjoy today. It was critical to our freedoms." (6) Michael Bush, letter to The Guardian (15th August, 2007) It is great news to hear (History, August 13) that a Peterloo memorial campaign has been organised. But hopefully the organisers and journalists will get abreast of recent research. It is now known there were as many as 18 deaths, not 11-12, with total casualties revised upwards from around 500 to 700, with the majority of injuries inflicted by the military rather than by the crush of the crowd. All this is examined in my recent book, "The Casualties of Peterloo".

In addition, the massacre was the work not only of Mancunians serving as volunteer cavalrymen but of regular troops, since 340 Hussars also charged the crowd. For Mancunians and even for the development of democracy, the event is not so easy to appreciate as you suggest. After all, the massacre was carried out by respectable Mancunians on the authority of the town council. And it is arguable that the event - in showing how crowds could be effectively controlled by small numbers of troops - delayed the establishment of democracy by over 50 years. Peterloo represented a humiliating defeat for the power of the people and one from which it had great difficulty in making a recovery. Geoff Bridson says Peterloo "is like a secret episode from the past", but many books have been written about it over the last half century. Lecturing in Saddleworth on a cold February night last year, I found myself talking to a full house. As for Derek Clarke's difficulties in identifying the actual site, all he needed to do was to visit the magnificent Manchester library, a stone's throw from the site, and the staff in the local studies unit would have gladly directed him to it.

Mike Leigh to make movie of Peterloo massacre | Film | The Guardian Mike Leigh Mike Leigh to make movie of Peterloo massacre Veteran British director to return to 19th century for a film based on the 1819 Peterloo massacre in Manchester Yeomanry charging crowds during the Peterloo massacre. Photograph: Augustus Rischgitz/Getty Images Mike Leigh Mike Leigh to make movie of Peterloo massacre Veteran British director to return to 19th century for a film based on the 1819 Peterloo massacre in Manchester Friday 17 April 2015 04.45 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 19 July 2016 09.50 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Nearly a year after the premiere of his biopic of JMW Turner, Mike Leigh has announced his intention to return to the 19th century for his next film. Peterloo, due to start shooting in 2017, is a drama about the infamous 1819 Manchester massacre, which killed an estimated 18 protesters and injured up to 700. “There has never been a feature film about the Peterloo massacre,” said Leigh .

“Apart from the universal political significance of this historic event, the story has a particular personal resonance for me, as a native of Manchester and Salford.” The massacre occurred when government troops – including local yeomanry – charged a crowd of around 60,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Field in Manchester to demand the reform of parliamentary representation. The rally was organised by the Manchester Patriotic Union, who commissioned radical orator Henry Hunt to speak. But he was arrested shortly before the rally begun, and cavalry drew their sabres to try to disperse the gathered crowds, leading to confusion and loss of life. Christened Peterloo as a nod to the Battle of Waterloo, which occurred four years before, the massacre preceded further government crackdowns. But the outcry sparked was one of the key contributing factors to the establishment of the Manchester Guardian. Pinterest Mike Leigh on Turner – video The movie will see Leigh reuniting with longtime collaborators such as cinematographer Dick Pope, producer Georgina Lowe and executive producer Gail Egan. Any further details on casting have not yet emerged.

The director, now 72, was born in Herfordshire but raised in Salford, where he remained until he won a scholarship to Rada in 1960. He is currently in rehearsals for an English National Opera production of The Pirates of Penzance. His 1999 biopic of Gilbert and Sullivan, Topsy-Turvy, was a first foray into period film-making, followed in 2004 by Vera Drake, which starred Imelda Staunton as a backstreet abortionist in 1950s London. After another decade chronicling contemporary life, Mike Leigh went back to mid-1800s for Mr Turner, which won plaudits for its portrayal of the radical artist’s last 25 years. After taking the best actor prize for Timothy Spall at Cannes last May, the film went on to earn four Oscar nominations and more than £7m at the UK box office alone. However, some felt the film was unfairly overlooked at the Baftas, where it failed to be recognised in any major categories. As well as snubs for the direction and acting, it wasn’t nominated for either best film or outstanding British film.

Leigh was however awarded that year’s Bafta fellowship, however, and used his acceptance speech to address the controversy. “Your taste is your prerogative,” he told Bafta voters. “Some people are expecting me to be rude this evening … you’re in for a disappointment.” He then thanked everyone he had ever worked with as well as “the boneheads, philistines and skinflints” who had refused his requests for funding. His films had been better off without them, he said, before adding: “May you all rot in hell.” The Battle of Peterloo, Manchester, 1819 By Ellen Castelow , Contributing Writer | Comments Not Waterloo but Peterloo! England is not a country of frequent revolutions; some say it is because our weather is not conducive to outdoor marches and riots. However, weather or no weather, in the early 1800's, working men began to demonstrate on the streets and demand changes in their working lives. In March 1817, six hundred workers set off from the northern city of Manchester to march to London. These demonstrators became known the 'Blanketeers' as each carried a blanket.

The blanket was carried for warmth during the long nights on the road. Only one 'Blanketeer' managed to reach London, as the leaders were imprisoned and the 'rank and file' quickly dispersed. In the same year, Jeremiah Brandreth led two hundred Derbyshire labourers to Nottingham in order, he said, to take part in a general insurrection. This was not a success and three of the leaders were executed for treason. But in 1819 a more serious demonstration took place in Manchester at St. Peter's Fields. On that August day, the 16th, a large body of people carrying banners bearing slogans against the Corn Laws and in favour of universal suffrage, held a meeting at St. Peter's Fields. The magistrates of the day became alarmed and ordered the arrest of the principal speakers. As the Yeomanry attempted to obey the order, they were surrounded by the horde of people and the Hussars were sent in to help them. In the general panic which followed, fifteen people were killed and about five hundred injured.

Manchester Yeomanry charge at Peterloo This became known as the 'Peterloo Massacre' The 'massacre' aroused great public indignation, but the government of the day stood by the magistrates and in 1819 passed a new law, called the Six Acts, to control future agitation. The Six Acts were not popular; they consolidated the laws against further disturbances, which the magistrates at the time considered presaged revolution! The people viewed these Six Acts with alarm as they allowed that any house could be searched, without a warrant, on suspicion of containing firearms and public meetings were virtually forbidden. Periodicals were taxed so severely that they were priced beyond the reach of the poorer classes and the magistrates were given the power to seize any literature that was deemed seditious or blasphemous and any meeting in a parish that contained more than fifty people was deemed illegal. The Six Acts gave rise to a desperate response and a man called Arthur Thistlewood planned what was to become known as the Cato Street conspiracy….the murder of several cabinet ministers at dinner. The conspiracy failed as one of the conspirators was a spy and informed his masters, the ministers, of the plot.

Thislewood was caught, found guilty of high treason and hanged in 1820. The trial and execution of Thistlewood constituted the final act of a long succession of confrontation between government and desperate protestors, but the general opinion was that the government had gone too far in applauding 'Peterloo' and passing the Six Acts. Eventually a more sober mood descended on the country and the revolutionary fever finally died out. So while the Battle of Waterloo is remembered as a turning point in English history, 'Peterloo' is also remembered as a sign that the people of England have the ability to right 'wrongs' should the occasion warrant it! Tweet If you enjoyed this article, you might also like... The Rebecca Riots - The Rebecca Riots were in fact a series of protests that took place between 1839 and 1843, throughout the rural areas of west Wales ...The protesters were mainly simple farming folk who had been angered ... Tolpuddle Martyrs - Sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony ...for being in a trade union ... Ascott Martyrs - A true story of 16 indomitable women and their struggle for justice ...

Lancashire Cotton Famine - By 1825, cotton was Britain’s biggest import and the dominant force of the economy was the Lancashire cotton industry. However the American Civil War brought the industry to its knees ... Advertising Manchester remembers Peterloo Massacre, 195 years on - Manchester Evening News Manchester remembers Peterloo Massacre, 195 years on The anniversary will also see hundreds of marchers gather in Manchester this weekend Share More than a dozen people were killed when soldiers charged at protesters at St Peter’s Field in 1819 Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email The Peterloo Massacre, one of the darkest days in Manchester’s history, was being remembered today - 195 years on. Fifteen people were killed and hundreds injured when cavalry and soldiers charged a peaceful city centre rally on August 16, 1819. The protestors, who had marched to St Peter’s Field in Manchester from across the region, were calling for parliamentary reforms and national political change. The bloody massacre – and the outcry it sparked – helped to shape British democracy.

The anniversary was being honoured and remembered today at a simple wreath-laying ceremony at 1pm beneath the red Peterloo plaque on the side of the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, formerly the Free Trade Hall. Actress Maxine Peake read out names of the people who died in the Peterloo Massacre in a previous memorial Tomorrow (Sunday) actress Maxine Peake will be one of a number of famous faces attending a solemn Peterloo Massacre anniversary ceremony. A host of star names - including DJs Dave Haslam and Mary-Anne Hobbs - will each read out the name of one of the victims. And for the first time this year, campaigners have compiled a brief biography of each of the victims, details which will also be read out at the ceremony on Sunday. It is the second time that former Shameless star Ms Peake, 40, has joined forces with campaigners at the annual Peterloo Massacre event. The ceremony will take place on the plaza in front of Manchester Central Convention Centre, formally the G-Mex Centre, at 1pm.

Paul Fitzgerald, chairman of the Peterloo Memorial Campaign, said: “We’re very pleased to announce that Maxine Peake will be joining us to participate in the commemoration and the reading of the names of the dead. This year we’ve collected a lot of biographical information about each of those who lost their lives, which should make for a powerful event, as we do what we can to honour their memory.” Meanwhile, walkers from across Greater Manchester will retrace the routes to Manchester taken by tens of thousands of campaigners before the massacre. The marches will follow the original routes to the city centre from Bolton, Eccles, Middleton, Salford and Stockport to arrive in time for the ceremony and name reading. Organisers also hope this year’s march and ceremony will add weight to a campaign for a permanent memorial in Manchester. Renowned artist Jeremy Deller has been approached by the council with a view to commissioning a suitable design. Like us on Facebook

Question: In which year was the Peterloo Massacre?
Answer: 1819