James Greaves Petitioner

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

Petitioner attended the meeting and claimed that most people did no wrong, and were peaceful – he was stabbed in his right side.

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Petition of James Greaves of Hollins

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of James Greaves, of Hollins, in the township of Oldham, and County of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner attended the Meeting held at Manchester on the 16^th of August 1819, which Meeting the Petitioner really believes was called only for the purpose of considering the best means of obtaining a Constitutional Reform in the Commons House of Parliament; with sorrow the Petitioner calls the recollection of the House to the fatal carnage of that day; that day of blood, the Petitioner hopes, will be accounted for to God and our Country; the multitude of people on that day did no wrong, but were peaceably assembled; when Mr. Hunt, came on St. Peter’s Field with his attendants the people rejoiced, and soon after he got on the hustings the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry made a charge, and took Mr. Hunt, with some others, prisoners; then they fell upon the people cutting and maiming them with their sabres, which the Petitioner will never forget whilst he has life and recollection; the Petitioner then fled for safety into the Quaker’s Meeting-house yard, opposite the hustings; the Petitioner had only been there a few minutes before several of the Military got into the Meeting-house yard and they cut a great many people there in the sight of the Petitioner, therefore the Petitioner had to make another escape, over a large wall that belongs to the Meeting-house, into St. Peter’s Field, again; as soon as the Petitioner got over he was attacked by one of the Military, who asked the Petitioner what right he had there; the Petitioner asked for mercy, and he exclaimed, “Damn your eyes, I’ll give you mercy,” and as soon as he spoke these words he stabbed his sabre into the Petitioner’s right side, inflicting a great wound, which disabled the Petitioner from following his employ for upwards of five weeks; the Petitioner therefore prays, That the House will institute an inquiry into the transactions of that bloody day.

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