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Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819

Q: When did Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819 take place?

Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819 took place in 1819, in Greater Manchester, England. Cavalry charged and dispersed an estimated 40,000-50,000 strong peaceful pro-reform assembly within about ten minutes; organisers including Henry Hunt were arrested; the government supported the magistrates and yeomanry; the Six Acts were subsequently passed restricting public meetings and the press; the event became a defining moment in British democratic and labour history.

1819

Greater Manchester, England

Era

modern

Battle Type

Skirmish

Location

Greater Manchester, England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Peaceful pro-democracy reform demonstrators led by Henry Hunt

Victor

Local magistrates, Manchester and Salford Yeomanry, and 15th Hussars (dispersed the crowd; government backed their action)

Forces involved

Approximately 40,000-50,000 demonstrators gathered on St Peter's Field, confronted by around 600 men of the 15th Hussars, 400 Cheshire Yeomanry, 120 Manchester and Salford Yeomanry cavalry, several hundred infantry, Royal Horse Artillery with two six-pounder guns, and 400 special constables

Outcome

Cavalry charged and dispersed an estimated 40,000-50,000 strong peaceful pro-reform assembly within about ten minutes; organisers including Henry Hunt were arrested; the government supported the magistrates and yeomanry; the Six Acts were subsequently passed restricting public meetings and the press; the event became a defining moment in British democratic and labour history.

The Battle

History & Significance

Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819 was a modern skirmish, fought at Greater Manchester, England in 1819. Local magistrates, Manchester and Salford Yeomanry, and 15th Hussars (dispersed the crowd; government backed their action) prevailed over Peaceful pro-democracy reform demonstrators led by Henry Hunt. Cavalry charged and dispersed an estimated 40,000-50,000 strong peaceful pro-reform assembly within about ten minutes; organisers including Henry Hunt were arrested; the government supported the magistrates and yeomanry; the Six Acts were subsequently passed restricting public meetings and the press; the event became a defining moment in British democratic and labour history.

Confirmed battlefield location

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819 lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Casualties & Losses

18 people killed (11 on the field, others died subsequently from wounds) and 400-700 injured

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819

This page covers Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview

An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.

Monuments

The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.

Battlefields

The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.

Roman Britain

The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.

Domesday

The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.

Civil War

The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.

LiDAR

Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.

Local Names

What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.

Historical Maps

Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.

Literature

The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.

Legal

The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.

Spotlight

A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.

Target Zones

For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.

Timeline

The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819

The Hanging Bridge immediately south of Manchester Cathedral

Scheduled monument · ~0.6 mi

The Hanging Bridge is a stone arch bridge located immediately south of Manchester Cathedral in Lancashire, England. The bridge dates from the medieval period and spans the River Irwell, serving as an important crossing point in Manchester's historic centre. Its construction reflects the engineeri…

Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Clayton Hall moated site

Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Clayton Hall moated site is a medieval monument located in Lancashire, England. The site comprises the remains of a moat that once surrounded a residential enclosure, representing a form of elite domestic settlement common in medieval England. The moat, which survives as an earthwork feature, dat…

Keith Williamson / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Peel Moat

Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

Peel Moat is a medieval motte-and-bailey castle situated in Lancashire, England. The monument comprises an earthen mound, or motte, characteristic of Norman fortification techniques, likely constructed during the 11th or 12th century. The site represents a significant example of early medieval de…

Slbs / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bridgewater Canal's Barton Aqueduct embankment and retaining walls

Scheduled monument · ~4.4 mi

Barton Aqueduct is a masonry aqueduct carrying the Bridgewater Canal across the River Irwell in Lancashire, constructed between 1760 and 1761. Designed by James Brindley as part of the Duke of Bridgewater's pioneering canal scheme, the structure represents a major engineering achievement of the e…

Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Canal tunnel entrances and wharf

Scheduled monument · ~5.8 mi

Canal tunnel entrances and wharf is a scheduled ancient monument comprising infrastructure associated with Lancashire's canal network development during the Industrial Revolution. The site includes the portal structures of a canal tunnel and adjoining wharf facilities, representing the engineerin…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Ringley Old Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~6.6 mi

Ringley Old Bridge is a stone arch bridge located in Lancashire, crossing the River Irwell near Whitefield. The bridge dates from the medieval period and represents an important example of pre-industrial river crossing infrastructure in the region. Constructed in stone with a single arch, the bri…

Parrot of Doom / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Remains of eastern wall of the Roman fort

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles

Section of an early medieval boundary ditch known as the Nico Ditch in Platt Fields 480m SSE of Platt Hall

Scheduled monument · ~2.4 miles

Other modern Battles

Battle of Carrickfergus (1760)

In the same landscape

Battles near Peterloo Massacre Manchester 1819

Storming of Bolton (1644)

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