Peterloo 1819-2019

Institute of Creativity, Communities and Culture (ICCC)

On 16 August 1819 a peaceful mass rally for parliamentary reform at St Peter’s Fields, Manchester, was attacked by armed cavalry, resulting in 18 deaths and nearly 700 serious injuries. It was a formative event in the history of British democracy.

Professor Robert Poole has written the definitive history, Peterloo: the English Uprising (2019), and co-written a graphic novel, Peterloo: Witnesses to a Massacre. He has given dozens of public talks and workshops, and acted as consultant to the 2019 bicentenary programme, which received national media coverage. This project was an Impact Case Study for REF 2021

Peterloo 1819 tapestry
Peterloo 1819 tapestry