Peterloo by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Peterloo by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The Peterloo Massacre took place in Manchester 200 years ago. The authorities ordered armed cavalry to charge a large, peaceable crowd that was gathered to press for parliamentary representation. It is thought that fifteen people were killed and over 600 injured.

'It all seems so unfair. They were inarticulate. They had come, with all the hilarity of a general holiday, to ask that they might have a Voice. They were met by the bungling of incompetent authorities, behind whom loomed the great, strong, repressive Government, saying: I am God, and King, and Law, backed by a House of Commons that was hopelessly unrepresentative.'

The Massacre has been called one of the defining moments of its age, however the government's response was to suppress opposition and those people calling for parliamentary reform.

This 200th anniversary edition reprints The Story of Peterloo which was written for the centenary of 16 August 1919 by F.A. Bruton. It also contains Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetic response to the Massacre, The Mask of Anarchy.

The book includes all the photos from Bruton's book as well as two maps to locate the scene of the Massacre.

Included in this 200th anniversary edition are annotations to aid readers' understanding of the background behind the people involved and some of the archaic terms used.