Peterloo Massacre in England 1819

After the Napoleonic Wars, England contained a privileged class fearful of revolution and lower classes hungry for parliamentary and economic reforms. In March 1819, Joseph Johnson, John Knight and James Wroe formed the Manchester Patriotic Union Society. All the leading radicals in Manchester joined the organization. The main objective of this new organization was to obtain parliamentary reform. A clash was inevitable, and it came on August 16, 1819, at St. Peter's Field in Manchester, at a peaceful rally, the last of a series of 1819 gatherings sponsored by the radical society, to protest economic depression, high food costs, and government inaction.

In Manchester the magistrates worried that such a large gathering of reformers might end in a riot. Therefore, they called upon a substantial armed force to be present 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, the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry (120 men) and all of Manchester's special constables (400 men).

At least 50,000 people (some estimate about 60,000) had gathered in St. Peter's Field by noon of August 16, 1819. Although there was no disorder, the magistrates grew concerned about the size of the crowd. Shortly after the speakers (including Henry 'Orator' Hunt, Richard Carlile, John Knight, Joseph Johnson and Mary Fildes) arrived, at about 1:30pm, the magistrates concluded that there was "great danger" and ordered the arrest of Henry Hunt and the other leaders of the demonstration. As elements of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry moved toward the speakers, members of the crowd began to resist. Nonetheless, the arrests were successfully carried out. However, by this time the military was ordered to disperse the crowd in order to rescue the embattled Manchester and Salford Yeomanry. The 15th Hussars attacked the crowd and cleared the field in about 10 minutes. The action resulted in 11 deaths and more than 400 wounded, including 100 women. Moderate reformers in Manchester were appalled by the decisions of the magistrates and the behavior of the soldiers. An inquiry cleared the authorities, but public indignation earned the bloody outrage its ironic name, a bitter pun on Waterloo. James Wroe is believed to be the first person to describe the incident as the Peterloo Massacre (sometimes called the Manchester Massacre).

Following the Peterloo Massacre, the reactionary government of Lord Liverpool introduced legislation to prevent future reformist meetings of the sort that took place in Manchester. Parliament adopted the so-called Six Acts in December 1819. These repressive measures restricted the freedoms of speech and assembly and other civil liberties, increased taxes on newspapers and fines for seditious libel, expanded the right of the police to search private homes, and provided for the speedy trial and harsh punishment of offenders against public order.

References

Encyclopedia of World History, 520-1; Modern European History, 234; Dictionary of Wars, 369; Peterloo Massacre.

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