Eyewitness Accounts

To commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre the Peterloo 2019 Ambassadors have worked in partnership with Professor Robert Poole (University of Central Lancashire), author of Peterloo: the English Uprising and the Age of Revolution at University of Kent to compile the 400+ eyewitness accounts which include press reports and petitions.

This is the first time the original accounts have been compiled into an online archive. You can now use the website to search by name, place and role and learn more about the eyewitness accounts from 1819.

Ralph Yates Eyewitness Account

April 1820? Statement re events of 16/8/1819 near the Exchange seeing men marching and carrying large sticks and he thought it was the beginning of a revolution.

Place: Manchester
Role: Spectator
Occupation: Cotton Twist Dealer

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Abraham Wrigley Eyewitness Account

Testifies to peacefulness of crowd and seeing cavalry cutting people and chasing them as they dispersed. Hat knocked off by a cavalry sword.

Usually walked with a stick; did not bring it to the meeting as he was informed not to bring any instruments whatsoever. Managed to escape, with some difficulty, and saw many injured people whom he knew.

Place: Oldham
Role: Spectator
Occupation: Cotton Spinner

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William Gould Eyewitness Account

Testifies to there being great alarm in the area at the numbers of people gathering. He and his neighbours prepared to barricade their warehouses.

Place: Manchester
Role: Spectator
Occupation: Merchant

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Joseph Brierley Eyewitness Account

Testifies that from close to the hustings he saw havoc caused by the military. Then he was pushed, along with others, into a cellar where the body of a dead woman lay.

Place: Oldham
Role: Demonstrator
Occupation: Hatter

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Jeremiah Garnett Eyewitness Account

On the hustings for Hunt’s speech. Escaped before arrests were made. Testifies to seeing Yeomanry striking the crowdnear the hustings and being impeded by the density of the crowd. Limited recollection of Hunt’s words.