When the Jacobite army arrived in Manchester in late November 1745, Jacobite recruiting agents — including the charismatic Sergeant Dickson of the Manchester Regiment — had preceded the army, gathering volunteers. Pro-government citizens and constables attempted to obstruct this recruitment and minor confrontations occurred in the streets. The crowd was divided: some cheered the Highlanders, others jeered. Francis Townley and his officers set up their recruiting stand in the market place and gathered perhaps 300 volunteers for the Manchester Regiment. Anti-Jacobite citizens who protested faced intimidation. The polarised atmosphere in Manchester reflected England's genuine division over the Stuart cause.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near Greater Manchester