The Peterloo Massacre – The Radical British History

Posted on August 16, 2015 Updated on August 16, 2015

Peterloo Massacre took place on 16th August 1819, in Manchester, United Kingdom. It marks a brutal chapter in English history where a peaceful gathering of protesters in St. Peter’s Fields in Manchester were viciously dispersed by the cavalry.

The years after the end of the Napoleonic wars were marked by poor economic conditions along with periods of famine and unemployment. Lack of suffrage in Northern England also contributed to political radicalism.

On 16th August, a peaceful gathering was organized to showcase the prevailing discontentment and seek reform in parliamentary representation. The gathering was presided over by the radical leader Henry Hunt and was attended by around 60,000 people.

Soon after the meeting commenced, the Local magistrates worried by the huge turnout ordered the Manchester yeomanry to arrest the speakers. However, the Cavalry did not limit themselves to arresting the speakers but charged at the crowd wielding sabres. The 15th Hussars and the Cheshire Volunteers also joined the attack against the crowd. Around 400 -500 people were injured and 15 were killed (the numbers remain disputed).

After the Peterloo Massacre (Named after a comparison with Battle of Waterloo) the Government passed the Six Acts as an attempt at parliamentary reform. The Manchester Guardian, today known as the Guardian was also founded post this appalling incident.

The Peterloo Massacre represents the tyranny and the fear in the minds of the privileged sections of the society towards the looming Jacobin revolution in the years following the Napoleonic Wars. However, the Massacre failed to have any significant impact on Parliamentary reforms.

In 2007, a new plaque with greater details of the massacre was unveiled by the Manchester City Council. The plaque reads “On 16 August 1819 a peaceful rally of 60,000 pro-democracy reformers, men, women and children, was attacked by armed cavalry resulting in 15 deaths and over 600 injuries.”

Source: BBC; Britannica; The British Library; Historic UK