Daniel Mellor Petitioner

• Place: Oldham
• Role: Injured,Petitioner

Crowd peaceful until cavalry attacked, petitioner was strapped in crowd and had wrist cut open.

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Petition of Daniel Mellor of Caverlow House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821 Transcribed by Lauren Jaye Gradwell

(No. 597)

A Petition off Daniel Mellor, of Caverlow,in the township of Oldham,and County Palatine of Lancaster,Weaver, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner attended the Meeting at Manchester on the 16th of August 1819; that the people there met were perfectly peaceable, and did not manifest any disposition to riot or tumult at the time; that the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry made a most outrageous attack upon the assembled multitude, at which time a scene of horror and confusion took place which baffles all description, and which is almost too horrible to contemplate;the Yeomanry Cavalry, as appeared to the Petitioner, cut at all within their reach, even women, and children, did not escape their fury, the cries for mercy from their peaceable and defencless victims were answered by the most horrid curses and imprecations; the Petitioner, shocked at the dreadful havoc around him, and alarmed for his own safety, endeavoured to make his escape, but all the avenues of escape appeared to be completely blocked up, either by the military or the crowds of people who were attempting to fly; the Petitioner in this extremity endeavoured to seek shelter in a cellar near the Windmill Public House, but the moment that the Petitioner laid his left hand upon their on railway leading to the cellar, one of the Cavalry struck him with his sabre, and inflicted a deep wound in the Petitioner’s wrist, which disabled him from following his employ for ten weeks; the Petitioner therefore humbly, respectfully but earnestly prays, the House will cause an inquiry to be made into the dreadful and bloody transactions of that never-to-be-forgotten day.

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