Moira Nolan
Monday 16 August 1819. The field was packed with at least 60,000 men, women and children. As the radical speaker Henry Hunt took to the stage, the mood rapidly changed. Watching from the edge of the field, local magistrates ordered mounted yeomanry to clear the area. They charged, followed by cavalry hussars. Their sabres flashed and the air became thick with the noise of thundering hooves and the screams of the injured. At least 18 died from their injuries, including a two year old child and a pregnant woman. Over 600 were injured. All for the crime of demanding parliamentary representation. The Prince Regent wrote from his yacht to thank the Manchester Magistrates for their “prompt, decisive and efficient measure for the preservation of public tranquillity”.