Battlefields›Chartist general strike suppression 1842
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Chartist general strike suppression 1842

1842
Lancashire, England
Era
modern
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Lancashire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
mill owners and a large military deployment across the manufacturing districts.
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Lancashire factory workers and Chartist organisers
Outcome
Strike suppressed by military in August 1842. Over 1,500 arrested across northern England. Leaders transported or imprisoned. The Plug Plot demonstrated the connection between industrial and political radicalism.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Plug Plot general strike of 1842 saw Lancashire factory workers pull the plugs from boilers to stop machinery and march from town to town recruiting strikers. The strike was the largest in British history to that date and had explicit Chartist political demands alongside wage claims. Military suppression was extensive.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Chartist general strike suppression 1842

Chequerbent embankment of Bolton and Leigh Railway
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 miles
Affetside Cross at Affetside 75m north west of the Pack Horse Inn
Scheduled monument · ~3.4 miles
Round cairn 280m west of Old Harpers Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.7 miles
Stone circle, ring cairn and two round cairns on Cheetham Close
Scheduled monument · ~3.8 miles
Roman road at Bottom o' th' Knotts Brow
Scheduled monument · ~3.9 miles
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