Edward Dwyer Petitioner

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

Edward witnesses intoxicated Manchester Yeomanry indiscrimatly attack the crowd. He escapes to Quaker burial ground climbing a tree but is followed by two Yeomanry who cut at him in the tree. He falls but escapes alive as they move on to attack others.

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Petition of Edward Dwyer of Manchester

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of Edward Dwyer of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner, while attending a peaceable and orderly Meeting, held at Manchester on the 16^th of August 1819, for the purpose of petitioning the House on the defective state of the Representation of the people in the House; the Petitioner was, together with a great majority of the said Meeting, without just cause of provocation wilfully and maliciously attacked by the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, who rode (being in a state of intoxication at the time) most furiously amongst the people so assembled, cutting at them indiscriminately with their sabres; in an attempt to escape, the Petitioner was pursued into a burying-ground belonging to the Quakers, by two of the aforesaid Yeomanry; the Petitioner to avoid their fury climbed into a tree, in which position they cut at him with their sabres, and bruised him on several parts of the body; one of the Yeomanry at length cut the Petitioner on the back of his hand, when the Petitioner fell from the tree, and while the Yeomanry were in pursuit of other persons who were in the inclosure, the Petitioner effected his escape; the Petitioner humbly prays, That the House will be pleased to cause inquiry to be made into such an inhuman outrage.

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