Peterloo Massacre Expert Tour (before the annual reading of the names)

Schedule

Sat Aug 16 2025 at 11:00 am to 12:45 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Saint Peter's Square,Manchester,M2 5PD,GB | Manchester, EN

Advertisement
Join Ed Glinert, Manchester's leading historian, to hear the full story of the Peterloo Massacre.
Join Ed Glinert, Manchester's leading historian, for the story of the most dramatic event in British politics, the 1819 Peterloo Massacre.
The tour will end in time to witness the annual reading of the names of the Peterloo dead at the Peterloo Memorial at 1pm.
***
The Peterloo Massacre of 16 August 1819 was the most dramatic incident in English political history. Sabre-wielding troops charged 60,000 Mancunians at a rally called to lower the price of bread and demand the vote. More than a dozen people died and some 650 were injured.
The first few decades of the 19th century, enshrined in public imagination as the elegant age of the Regency, were a time of severe political repression in England. The Tory government, led by Lord Liverpool, feared that the kind of revolutionary activity recently witnessed in France would break out in England – probably in Manchester, where social conditions were so desperate – and chose decided to stamp out all dissent and free speech.
The government was at war with France, which saw Wellington triumph over Napoleon’s forces at Waterloo in 1815.
But as Paul Foot once wrote, the British government was also waging war against its own people.
This guided tour, visiting the site of St Peter’s Field in Manchester city centre where the Peterloo Massacre took place, has been devised by Ed Glinert, political commentator with 40 years’ experience for various leading newspapers, magazines and publishers, who worked with legendary left-wing political journalist Paul Foot at Private Eye combating injustice, and once worked with Mike Leigh, director of the Peterloo film.
Glinert, who has researched the story for decades, brings his unique touch to this chilling story, going into extraordinary detail, explaining the build-up to the events, the violence of the day, 16 August 1819, and the dreadful aftermath, introducing related events, themes and people: Shelley’s powerful poem, The Masque of Anarchy; the birth of the Manchester Guardian; the Cato Street Conspiracy; the Six Acts; Tom Paine and his bones – even Anthony Burgess.
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Saint Peter's Square,Manchester,M2 5PD,GB, United Kingdom

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

New Manchester Walks

Host or Publisher New Manchester Walks

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Manchester

Chorlton Makers Market!
Sat, 16 Aug at 10:00 am Chorlton Makers Market!

Oswald Road Primary School- Chorlton

MUSIC LIVE-MUSIC
Goldsmith Vintage Manchester Kilosale
Sat, 16 Aug at 10:00 am Goldsmith Vintage Manchester Kilosale

M1 1JQ

SHOPPING
Join for free at the Dubai Property Expo in Manchester
Sat, 16 Aug at 10:00 am Join for free at the Dubai Property Expo in Manchester

Hilton Manchester Deansgate

BUSINESS EXHIBITIONS
Mosaic Art Workshops in Manchester
Sat, 16 Aug at 10:30 am Mosaic Art Workshops in Manchester

Central Hall

WORKSHOPS KIDS
Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour
Sat, 16 Aug at 12:00 pm Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour

Whitworth Locke

LGBT-PRIDE FESTIVALS
Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour
Sat, 16 Aug at 12:00 pm Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour

Whitworth Locke

LGBT-PRIDE FESTIVALS
Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour
Sat, 16 Aug at 12:00 pm Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Tour

Whitworth Locke

LGBT-PRIDE FESTIVALS
TDS Worlds Fest!
Sat, 16 Aug at 12:00 pm TDS Worlds Fest!

Gorton North, Manchester

FESTIVALS SPORTS
Sun, 29 Dec at 04:30 pm ADULT GIFT VOUCHER FOR THE DIDSBURY GHOST WALK

Ye Olde Cock Inn

GHOST-HUNTS
Sun, 29 Dec at 04:30 pm ADULT GIFT VOUCHER FOR THE ORIGINAL MANCHESTER GHOST WALK

M2 4EG

GHOST-HUNTS
Sun, 29 Dec at 04:30 pm ADULT GIFT VOUCHER FOR THE SATURDAY NIGHT MANCHESTER GHOST WALK

Lock 91

GHOST-HUNTS CORONATION-WEEKEND
Writing Peterloo: An Erasure Poetry Workshop
Thu, 14 Aug at 12:00 pm Writing Peterloo: An Erasure Poetry Workshop

Manchester Cathedral

ART LITERARY-ART
LGBT Foundation Lunch & Learn at ABC Buildings
Thu, 14 Aug at 12:00 pm LGBT Foundation Lunch & Learn at ABC Buildings

ABC Buildings

LGBT-PRIDE HEALTH-WELLNESS
Angel Meadow: A Tour into the Victorian Hell-Hole
Fri, 15 Aug at 06:00 pm Angel Meadow: A Tour into the Victorian Hell-Hole

Victoria Station Approach,City Centre,Manchester,M3 1WY,GB

Peterloo Massacre Expert Tour (before the annual reading of the names)
Sat, 16 Aug at 11:00 am Peterloo Massacre Expert Tour (before the annual reading of the names)

Saint Peter's Square,Manchester,M2 5PD,GB

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCES
VJ Day 80 Celebration
Sat, 16 Aug at 11:00 am VJ Day 80 Celebration

Davyhulme Park Bowling Pavilion

"Fame is the Spur" \u2013 the Great Peterloo & Manchester novel...guided tour
Sat, 16 Aug at 02:30 pm "Fame is the Spur" – the Great Peterloo & Manchester novel...guided tour

Saint Peter's Square,Manchester,M2 5PD,GB

Peterloo, The Rock Musical
Sat, 16 Aug at 03:00 pm Peterloo, The Rock Musical

53two

LIVE-MUSIC
Peterloo, The Rock Musical
Sat, 16 Aug at 08:00 pm Peterloo, The Rock Musical

53two

LIVE-MUSIC
Free Heritage bus rides
Sun, 17 Aug at 10:00 am Free Heritage bus rides

Boyle Street, Cheetham, M8 8UW Manchester, United Kingdom

What's Happening Next in Manchester?

Discover Manchester Events