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Ralph Yates Eyewitness Account
- Place: Manchester
- Role: Spectator
- Occupation: Cotton Twist Dealer
April 1820? Statement re events of 16/8/1819 near the Exchange seeing men marching and carrying large sticks and he thought it was the beginning of a revolution.
Account
Download accountHO40 16 f.307
Ralph Yates undated [April 1820?]
Transcribed by Peter Castree
Ralph Yates of Manchester Cotton Twist Dealer upon oath saith, that he was at the Manchester Exchange on the 16th of August last about 11 o’clock in the Morning at the time a very large body of people, principally men, marched past the Exchange under apparent discipline, with a Bugle, Banners and several Caps of Liberty. That one of the Banners was a black flag having upon it “Lees Saddleworth and Mosley Union” and “Equal Representation or Death”. On another Flag “Let us die like Men and not be sold like Slaves”, “No Corn Laws” upon another. The Men which formed the Bulk of this body had most of them sticks, some of them having more the appearance of a defensive or offensive weapon than a walking stick. This body was nearly 20 minutes in passing.
Informant was also at the Exchange about ½ past 12 o’clock or one o’clock when Henry Hunt, Johnson, Knight and some others passed the Exchange in an open Carriage, a woman was seated on the Dickey waiving [sic] a white flag. Hunt and his party were preceded by a band of music and a large body of people and followed by a still larger body of people. The people both before and after Hunt marched in military order principally men and the greater part of them had sticks some of them carried up and of large dimensions.
The greater part of the sticks Informant saw carried by the people both with the black flag and with Hunt were not such as he should chuse to walk with but such as he should take out if he were going out at night with which to defend himself.
That when the Black flag passed he could not help exclaiming to a Mr Chiswell a friend of his “Good God where is this to end, is this the beginning of a Revolution.”
That when the people with Hunt came up to the Exchange and at the time he (Hunt) got opposite to the Exchange he (Hunt) called out “Halt” or “Stop”. The people immediately obeyed him, and the music ceased playing. He (Hunt) then stood up in the carriage and said, pointing his hand and looking at the Exchange “Before we give them (or the geese) three cheers, now let us give them nine groans,” or nine hisses. Informant is not certain which, but one of the two expressions were used. Hunt then took off his hat and waived it and a tremendous shouting took place. Informant thought at the time the people mistook Hunt’s motion of the Hat as a signal for shouting, many of them being at too great distance to hear his words, and the shouting drowned every other waive. The woman on the dickey at the same time waived the flag in front of the exchange.
Hunt and his party remained before exchange about five minutes.
Informant’s impression was then and still is that the conduct of Hunt and those with him before the Exchange was that of defiance and insult & the expression upon Hunt’s Countenance was most malicious and contemptuous at the time he said let us give them nine groans or hisses and when he took off his hat.
Ralph Yates