Peterloo Massacre

Historical Context Essay

John Gardner (Anglia Ruskin University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Domains

Massacres, purges

Dates

Date of occurrence 1819-08-16

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

On 16th August 1819 a crowd of 80,000 ¹ people gathered in St Peter’s Fields in Manchester at a meeting organised by Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt, a leading Parliamentary reformer, to listen to speeches demanding universal suffrage, lower taxation and better living conditions for the working classes. The speeches were never delivered as the local authorities decided that Hunt and his comrades should be arrested. Members of the manufacturing class in the uniform of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry, aided by the Cheshire Yeomanry and the 15^th Hussars - veterans …

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2453 words

Citation: Gardner, John. "Peterloo Massacre". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 October 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=856, accessed 21 April 2025.]

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Peterloo Massacre

Domains

Dates

Places

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