Margaret Goodwin Petitioner

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

A member of the cavalry named Thomas Shelmerdine inflicted a sabre wound on her head. She was later trampled almost to death, before being shown mercy by a member of the yeomanry.

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Petition of Margaret Goodwin of Manchester

House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, 15 May 1821

 

A Petition of Margaret Goodwin, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner was at the Meeting held in Manchester on the 16^th day of August 1819; she arrived at the Meeting an hour before the proceedings commenced; all was peace and harmony till the Yeomanry Cavalry rode amongst the people; to escape was impossible, the Petitioner was rode over by the Yeomanry, and while she was laying on the ground one of the troop of Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, of the name of Thomas Shelmerdine, gave the Petitioner a severe wound on the head with a sabre; the Petitioner was nearly trampled to death by the horses of the Cavalry; while in this situation, and weltering in blood, one of the 15^th Hussars, who perceived her perilous situation dismounted from his horse, and humanely rendered every assistance to the Petitioner, and gave the Petitioner into the hands of two women, who conveyed her from the scene of slaughter to an adjoining cellar; and the Petitioner, who is a widow, was confined to her room several weeks in consequence of the injury she received; and praying, That the House would be pleased to cause an inquiry to be made into this horrible outrage.

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