The Story of Peterloo

Francis Archibald Bruton (1869 - 1929)

On 16th August 1819 around 60,000 people gathered at St. Peter’s Fields, Manchester, to rally for parliamentary reform. Shortly after the meeting began, a troop of Hussars and local yeomanry rode into the crowd, wielding clubs, swords and sabres, leaving 18 dead and more than 700 severely injured. In the following years, the Peterloo Massacre was the subject of several trials and inquiries. It now counts as one of the most significant events in the history of the British labour movement. Francis Archibald Bruton’s account of the day’s events, published for its centenary and based on a detailed examination of contemporary accounts, is both dispassionate and moving.(Introduction by Phil Benson)

Genre(s): *Non-fiction, History

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Front matter Phil Benson
00:01:49
Play 02 02 - The site Phil Benson
00:03:31
Play 03 03 - Authorities on the details of Peterloo Phil Benson
00:06:22
Play 04 04 - The unrest that followed the Napoleonic wars Phil Benson
00:17:49
Play 05 05 - The story of Peterloo Phil Benson
00:07:40
Play 06 06 - The processions from the outlying districts Phil Benson
00:22:55
Play 07 07 - The charge of the Manchester Yeomanry Phil Benson
00:12:42
Play 08 08 - The Manchester Yeomanry in difficulty Phil Benson
00:07:28
Play 09 09 - The fateful decision Phil Benson
00:23:24