Ballads and songs of Peterloo

Fri 2 Aug 7 – 9pm

A talk by Alison Morgan on the ballads and songs of Peterloo with live music of the period performed by Pete Coe, Laura Smyth and Brian Peters.

Alison has written a book on the subject which includes over seventy poems, published either as broadsides or in radical periodicals and newspapers of 1819. Pete, Laura and Brian are singers and musicians from North West England who will perform some of the songs which describe the terrible events of the day itself, when mounted soldiers charged a peaceful crowd demanding votes for all and killed or injured many men, women and children by their indiscriminate use of sabres, and tell of later political developments inspired by the carnage.

Light refreshments will be provided.