About Peterloo

On 16th August 1819, 60,000 people gathered on what was then known as St Peter’s Field in Manchester to peacefully demand the reform of parliamentary representation.

When troops, including local government forces, charged the crowds, the tragic result saw 18 people lose their lives and around 700 injured. This was to become known as the Peterloo Massacre.

Peterloo symbolises public protest, the struggle for democracy and the fight against political repression, at a time when such was the need for economic, social and political reform that ordinary people in numbers never seen before took to the streets.

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