Roger Entwistle Eyewitness Account

• Place: Manchester
• Role: Spectator
• Occupation: Gentleman

4/10/18 Statement about the events of 16/8/1819 including seeing brickbats thrown and pistol fire.

Account

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The information of Roger Entwisle of Manchester Gentleman taken upon oath before me one of his majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the County of Lancaster this fourth day of October 1819.

 

Who saith that on Monday the sixteenth day of August last he was in company with Mr Robert Mutrie at the Albion Hotel purposely to see the procession which was expected from Stockport to join the meeting at St. Peter’s.

Between eleven and twelve o clock he this informant saw many thousand persons men women and children marching into Manchester from Stockport with two flags and two Caps of Liberty – at the head of which procession was a stage coach on which was Moorhouse and several others (men and women). Moorhouse had on a white hat which he frequently took off to cheer the people as he passed on in Piccadilly – a great number of the men had large sticks on their shoulders – they also cheered and shouted with Moorhouse – from the Albion informant went to St. Peter’s where an immense population had assembled – it was now about twelve o clock. Shortly afterwards a cart made its appearance loaded with planks for the erecting the hustings. Informant then went to St Peter’s church to see various large bodies of people (which informant understood came from Oldham) marching down Moseley Street, many of whom had large sticks and marched to a band of music. They joined the mob in St. Peter’s in marching order as near the hustings as they could get. Many of them marched as well as any regular soldiers, the band playing “Rule Britannia” and numbers singing and calling “Britons never will be slaves”.

About one o clock informant hearing that Mr Hunt was in an open carriage went to the end of St. Peter’s Street (the corner of Deansgate) which leads to the areas of St. Peter’s to have a correct view of Hunt’s approach. Hunt was in an open carriage with Moorhouse and several others, a woman upon the Dickey carrying a flag – in this way Hunt and his companions approached the hustings. Informant then placed himself on an elevated situation about ten yards from the husting.  Mr Hunt having been proposed to take the chair he took it and addressed the mob. Informant does not now recollect what Hunt said, he however recollects that Hunt alluded to the postponement of the meeting which he congratulated the people upon as being favourable to their cause by their numbers having been increased. Whilst Hunt was speaking, the Manchester Yeomanry appeared in a street opposite the hustings which informant thinks is called “Mount Street”. Instantly on the appearance of the Yeomanry Hunt waved his hat and the mob waved their sticks and hats in the air shouting as defying the Cavalry. During the shouting and defying a gentleman on horseback spoke to Captain Birley and the Cavalry immediately advanced towards the hustings at a sharp trot brandishing their swords in the air, whilst the Yeomanry were so advancing. Informant saw several brickbats, stones and sticks thrown at them by the mob from the back part of the hustings which informant is confident of must have hit bruised and hurt many of the Yeomanry and their horses. Upon seeing these outrages committed by the mob, informant became afraid and joined the special constables for protection. Informant positively swears that the Yeomanry so attacked and assailed had not used their swords either in striking or cutting or in any other hostile way whatever against any person whatsoever, nor had any person up to that time as far as informant could judge received injury from any of the Yeomanry horses. Informant distinctly heard the firing of pistols or guns in a quarter where the military could not have been and has no doubt whatever that the same were fired by the mob.  Informant being told that Hunt was taken from the hustings joined the Constabulary and went away with them.

 

Roger Entwisle

 

Sworn before me.

James Watkins

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