Thomas Bowker Eyewitness Account

• Place: Lancaster
• Role: Injured

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Thomas Bowker

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES xli (1819-20) 1180-3. House of Commons Thursday 16 Dec 1819.

Mr Lambton presented a petition from Thomas Bowker of Crawshawfold, in the county Palatine of Lancaster, setting forth:

That on the 16th day of August last, the petitioner attended a public meeting at Manchester, which meeting the petitioner at that time supposed, and still believes, to have been perfectly legal, but that, notwithstanding its legality, and the decorum which prevailed, it was violently attacked and dispersed by the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, acting under the local magistracy; that in the confusion which ensued the petitioned was throw down and trampled upon by the horses, and by the crowd who were flying in terror from their attack, whereby he was shockingly bruised in many parts of his body and his limbs, and he had no sooner recovered from his perilous situation than he attempted, as well as his disabled state would permit him, to retire from the scene of danger and confusion, but had not proceeded farther than a street nearby, the name of which is to him at present unknown, than he was attacked by a foot soldier whom he believes belonged to the 88th regiment, and received a severe wound in the belly from a thrust of his bayonet, at the same time that another soldier of the same regiment made a desperate push at the petitioner, which he avoided by throwing himself on the ground; that for these severe bruises and wounds, whereby the petitioner was prevented for a considerable time from earning his livelihood, and from the effects of which he is not yet recovered, he has received no indemnification, and trusting in the wisdom and humanity of the House, which cannot see the liberties of Englishmen wantonly violated, nor their lives put in jeopardy, he solicits such interference on the part of the House as shall bring the authors and executors of the above outrage to the bar of his country."

The petition having been brought up and read, Mr Lambton said, he regretted extremely the troubling the House with any thing relating to himself. But in consequence of what was stated the other night by a noble lord, he had written immediately to his agent. It would be in the recollection of that House, that the noble lord had stated he was informed that his (Mr. L.'s) agent had dismissed several individuals from his mines in consequence of their being radicals. By a letter which he had this day received from Durham, his agent positively assured him that no radicals had been dismissed from his employment, that he was astonished such reports should be propagated; that the men were never more peaceable than at the present moment.

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