Catherine Coltman Petitioner

• Place: Manchester
• Role: Demonstrator,Injured,Petitioner

Widowed mother of nine children, Catherine witnessed the Yeomanry Cavalry approach and indiscriminately sabre the crowd. She suffers three broken ribs as people fall on her and she believes this shielded her from even worse injury.

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Petition of Catherine Coltman of Manchester

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of Catharine Coltman, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner attended the Meeting held in Manchester on St. Peter’s Plain on the 16^th of August, 1819; the Petitioner was about the middle of the crowd, the greatest peace and good order prevailed, when, about half and hour after Mr. Hunt had ascended the hustings, the Yeomanry Cavalry rode most furiously amongst the multitude, cutting indiscriminately, sparing neither age nor sex; the Petitioner was thrown down with a number of other persons, at which time three of her ribs were broken, and the Petitioner verily believes, that owing to a number of persons having fallen upon her was the means of saving her life as the Cavalry most unmercifully cut at those persons with their sabres, regardless of their cries and supplications for mercy; the Petitioner, who is a widow and the mother of nine children, is at this time, and has been ever since she received the injury, in a very weak state; the Petitioner humbly prays, That the House will cause an inquiry to be made into so wanton and shameful an outrage.

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