John Brookes Petitioner

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

Petitioner briefly describes the wounds he received and emphasises the peacefulness of the meeting.

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Petition of John Brookes of Manchester

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of John Brookes, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster was presented, and read; setting forth, that the Petitioner, while exercising a right which the Petitioner conceived he enjoyed, in common with  every Englishman, by attending a Meeting held on St. Peter’s Field, in Manchester, on the 16^th of August 1819, the Petitioner was violently assailed by a Military Force; a foot-soldier gave the Petitioner a desperate wound on the head, which disabled the Petitioner for upwards of one month; the Petitioner gave no provocation whatever to any of the soldiers, nor to any other person; neither did the Petitioner see any tumult, or any disposition on the part of the people to commit any; the Petitioner saw the Cavalry cut-most furiously at the people; the Petitioner saw many persons who were wounded, and several who  were killed; and the Petitioner conceives that wilful murder was committed; the Petitioner humbly prays that the House would be pleased to cause an inquiry to be made into these transactions.

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