Samuel Allcard Eyewitness Account

• Place: Oldham
• Role: Eyewitness
• Occupation: Plasterer

Account

Download account

Lloyd’s Evening Post, 29 Sept. 1816. Cutting pasted into MCL 942.730731 P95. 

Samuel Allcard, of No. 11, Portugal Street, Oldham Road. – I am about 20 years of age, and am by trade a plasterer. I am a native of Ashford, near Bakewell in Derbyshire, but work being scarce at home, I came to Manchester to seek employment, and was induced by curiosity to go to St. Peter’s, and see the meeting. I stood upon the railing at the next door to the sign of the Windmill, until the cavalry came in among the crowd, and formed the circle round the hustings. The people were then wedged close to where I stood, and I endeavoured to get in amongst them, but I could not succeed, and I therefore dropped into the cellar or area, with about six others, and we crouched down in a corner to avoid being seen. At last one of the soldiers (after the people had been driven away) saw us, and he cried out, “D—n your souls, come out of that cellar.” We thought it best to comply, to save our lives, and I was the first to come up into the street; and on doing so I saw three soldiers waiting to attack us; one made a severe cut at me, by stooping down my head I avoided the blow, and I heard his sword rattle very hard against something. The man who stood second did not attempt to strike me, but the third struck me with the flat of his sword on the head, which did not hurt me very much; I then ran to get up with the rest of the crowd, and several of the Yeomanry made cuts at me, but I avoided them. When I got to the crowd I endeavoured to force myself in among them, but their backs were towards me, and so close, that I could not succeed. 

At this time several soldiers were striking the people with their swords, and one who was very active came up to me, and seeing his sword-arm uplifted, I and those next to me called out “Murder!” on which he said, “Damn you, get along,” and made a cut at me, which fell on my head; the drown of my hat had been entirely cut off; I turned round, and the Yeoman made a second cut, which penetrated through the front of my hat, and slightly wounded my forehead; I followed close to the crowd, and was sometimes scrambling onto the ground, and sometimes on my feet, and by the confusion that occurred, and some of the foremost falling, the people were piled in heaps upon one another, and while in this situation the Yeomanry still kept cutting at them. At last I succeeded in getting out of the pressure, and went down Peter’s Street, and crossed Deansgate, where I got an entry for safety, and then I discovered that I had got a severe cut across the back of my right hand, which has ever since disabled me from the use of it, and a stab on the elbow which penetrated to the bone. At one time, when the Yeoman was cutting at me, one of the Hussars came up to him, and lifting up his own sword, said to the  Yeoman, “You b—y  rascal, that’s murder; if you do that again I’ll split you down,” and the Yeoman never struck me afterwards. 

September 9, 1819. SAMUEL ALLCARD. 

I have examined the wounds of the above Samuel Allcard, and they have evidently been inflicted with a sabre, or some sharp instrument. I am of the opinion that the use of one of the fingers of the right hand is entirely lost, and that it ought to be amputated. 

(Signed) William Basnett, Surgeon. 

Back to list