John Brierly Petitioner

• Place: Oldham,Royton
• Role: Petitioner,Spectator

Petitions for inquiry into an unprovoked and wanton attack on the large body of people assembled.

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Petition of John Brierley

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of John Brierley, of the township of Royton, in the parish of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner attended a public Meeting, advertised to be held at Manchester, on the 16^th of August 1819; that the Petitioner arrived at the place of meeting in Manchester, about one o' clock at noon; that in about three quarters of an hour after his arrival at the place of meeting, a most violent, wanton, and unprovoked attack was commenced on the people assembled, by a large body of Yeomanry Cavalry and Special Constables, by which several hundreds were seriously hurt and wounded, several lives lost, and the personal safety of the Petitioners greatly endangered; that the Petitioner conceives it necessary, in order to preserve a due respect for the administration of justice, that so wanton an act of aggression should not go unpunished; that, in the opinion of the Petitioner, the first step towards bringing the guilty parties to punishment, is by a proper inquiry into these before-mentioned transactions, either judicial or legislative; that, as our Courts of Law refuse to institute the necessary inquiry; the Petitioner fervently intreats, that it may no longer be delayed by the House, otherwise justice may, in this case, be completely lost sight of; the Petitioner, therefore, most humbly, but at the same time most earnestly prays, that the House will be pleased to institute an immediate and full inquiry into the transactions which took place at Manchester on the 16^th of August 1819.

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