The Peterloo Massacre refers to a violent dispersal by British cavalry of a radical meeting for parliamentary reform. On August 16, 1819, the meeting was held on St. Peter’s Fields in Manchester. It was the culmination of public discontent intensified by industrial depression and high consumer prices. The magistrates, alarmed by the size of 60,000 attendees, issued arrest orders of the speakers right after the start of the meeting. However, when the untrained yeomanry started attacking the armless crowd, the magistrates ordered the 15th Hussars to ride in and join the violence. It is estimated that there were 11 deaths and around 500 injuries. The brutal overreaction of the government proved the profound fears of ruling classes regarding a possible Jacobin revolution in England.
The Peterloo Massacre served as a warning for London authorities. Therefore, when there appeared to be a threat of armed demonstration in Hyde Park by the working classes against the new Tory Government, Mill took it upon himself to assuage the tensions and “prevent much mischief” (290). Indeed, his success in discouraging any escalations brought deep relief and warm gratitude from Mr. Walpole.
Sources:
1. “Peterloo Massacre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Peterloo-Massacre.
2. The Peterloo Massacre - Maps of Where It Happened, www.peterloomassacre.org/map.html#.