21 Aug 1842
Page 1
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Newspaper
Weekly Chronicle
Location
London, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Date
Aug 21, 1842
Page
1
A mob of about 1000, armed with iron truncheons, attacked near Walton, clashing with police and forced military aid to quell the riot. Police suffered injuries, 38 rioters captured and sent to the House of Correction, factories and mills disrupted until Thursday morning when work resumed.
Reports from Leeds and surrounding towns describe planned and actual disturbances as coal miners and textile workers organize marches, swear in special constables, and clash with authorities. Prince George of Cambridge attends, troops quarter, mills stopped, and riots spread to Huddersfield Wakefield Bradford Halifax and Bolton with patrols and arrests.
A violent mob from Bradford and Todmorden besieged Bradford town bringing armed men, stones, and destruction. The 11th Hussars and police faced rioters. after the Riot Act, troops fired three volleys wounding several, prompting dispersal. About 36 prisoners were secured and later conditions calmed with shops reopening in the morning.
Crowds from Bury and surrounding towns threaten violence as the riot act is reiterated. Cavalry patrols, Highlanders, and police reinforce Bolton while mills and foundries lay idle, meetings at the Crown Inn pledge not to return to work until a charter is law.
A morning meeting in Scholes Orchard Wigan drew about 100,000 unemployed weavers and colliers. By evening a 3,000 strong mob roamed the town, looting colliery workplaces, forcing workers off jobs, and clashing with authorities as placards announced the Riot Act.Wigan and Coventry reports detail unrest, peace efforts, and arrests as crowds resist with threatened violence and authorities suspend work.
The document from Manchester dated August 16 1842 presents a pledge by the people's delegates to seek political rights to relieve widespread destitution. They vow to avoid actions harming life or property, to assemble at ten oclock, and to consult shopkeepers clergy and middle classes while urging cessation of wealth production until deliberations conclude.
Letters from Blackburn recount a day of mass turning out of hands at Livesey and Hodgetts mill met by two companies of the 72d Highlanders. A man was struck, and soldiers fired after a hostile crowd, leaving several wounded and two dead. Later riots near Forrest’s hands were fended off by the military. Authorities warn of further disruption and possible canal and bridge sabotage as troops may be sent to restore order.
In Leicester the stocking makers have struck over wage pressures amid fears of a Chartist led protest. Thousands of glove hands and framework knitters parade for alms, meetings in the market place urge wage rises, and authorities warn of possible disturbances. Police and magistrates prepare to act as unrest grows and a £50 reward is posted for information.
Reports from Liverpool describe influx of strangers from manufacturing districts causing alarms of riot risk. Town authorities mobilized constabulary and barracks troops while a second chartist meeting at Nelson assembly rooms drew large crowds with no disturbance. In Derbyshire hosiery workers at Belper strike over wage reductions amid industry-wide abatement.
The Dundee Advertiser reports large crowds seeking relief and a planned intimidation tactic in Dundee, met with military and police restraint. In Calton, a loom factory dispute sparked a brief strike, minor clashes, and the dismissal of a worker who altered cloth length, with order restored as most workers returned to terms.
In Dunfermline a tense day ended with troops from Stirling guarding the jail as a large crowd of colliers formed near the town. Police and dragoons cleared streets after clashes with constables, while weavers appeared pacified and further disturbances were reported near Halbeath with a watchman wounded. Local officials and dragoons remained vigilant amid fears of renewed unrest.
A copied letter from Ashton to Hull details 1842 unrest with mills shut, wages demands, and calls for nationwide stoppages. It describes violence, armed clashes, and mobilization to Manchester, Stockport, and Derbyshire. The Stepney chartist meeting is noted as overhyped, with 2,000 max present and many spectators, few engaged speakers.
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