James Chisnall Petitioner

• Place: Oldham,Royton
• Role: Demonstrator,Injured

1821 petition about his experience of being sabred and trampled on during the meeting at SPF.

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Petition of James Chisnall

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of James Chisnall, of Royton, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner went to Manchester on the 16^th day of August, 1819, to attend a Public Meeting convened for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of petitioning the Legislature on the subject of Parliamentary Reform; that in a short time after the business of the said Meeting commenced, the Cavalry came and surrounded the hustings, one of whom struck the Petitioner with his sword upon the left elbow and upon the right temple of his head; the Petitioner got amongst the Constables, who beat him with their truncheons and knocked him down, afterwards a horse trod upon his right arm; some men lifted the Petitioner up, and desired him to go to the Manchester Infirmary, but he begged to be placed near some door, to see if he could recover strength to go home, but the Cavalry came and probably would have wounded the Petitioner again if he had not been taken into a house; the Petitioner, when he was trying to go home, was overtaken by some Constables, who took him to the Infirmary, the Doctor dressed his wounds, and told him he ought not to go to Meetings; the Petitioner complained of distress as being the cause of Meetings, and the Doctor sent him home; the Petitioner was some months before he could work again, and he even now feels the injurious effects of his wounds; that the Petitioner has never heard of any person that has been brought to trial for the killing and wounding which took place on the aforesaid day of His Majesty’s most faithful and unoffending subjects; he therefore most humbly prays, That the House will in its great wisdom and goodness be so condescending as to institute an inquiry into the fatal proceedings which took place at Manchester on the aforesaid day.

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