Peterloo 2019, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre -which saw 18 people killed and around 700 injured by troops during a human rights rally in Manchester – draws to a close this week with the premiere of a film titled Peterloo Descendants.
The film draws together stories of six Peterloo descendants who include Keith Stafford the great-great-great grandson of John Stafford, an illiterate poet and musician whose ballads documented the day, Robert Cornish the great-great grandson of Colonel Ralph Fletcher, who was one of the magistrates, and Sue Stennett whose great-great-great-grandfather, John Edward Taylor, would go on to establish The Guardian in the aftermath of the Massacre.
The film is part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Peterloo 2019 project, in which the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage at Manchester Metropolitan University worked with genealogist Michala Hulme, and Manchester Histories held workshops and carried out a public call out to identify potential Peterloo family links.
Thousands of people have attended over 180 events hosted by Manchester Histories over the year and the website www.peterloo1819.co.uk brings together all the work and research that has been carried out, including 400 eyewitness accounts to the Peterloo Massacre that have been made available in a searchable format for the first time. In addition to this, over 300 Manchester schools have received a copy of the graphic novel Peterloo: Witnesses to a Massacre (Polyp, Schlunke, and Poole).
"The Peterloo Massacre is part of the DNA of Manchester and one of the most important milestones in the history of Britain's democracy" says Karen Shannon, Chief Executive of Manchester Histories "However, the authority's treatment of protesters in the aftermath of the bloodspill on the day and attempts to restrict reporting meant it has not had its rightful place in people's consciousness.
"Working with wonderful cultural partners, community groups and individuals we've been able to creatively explore this chapter of history and its contemporary relevance to our lives, to understand whose shoulders we are all stood on and to recognise what the themes of democracy, protest and freedom of speech mean to our lives today" she adds "Having a screening of Peterloo Descendants is a fitting finale to Peterloo 2019, reminding us that Peterloo was about the lives of ordinary individuals who stood up to be heard and call for change."
Peterloo Descendants
Tuesday 26th November 5.30pm-7pm
Number 70 (former Cornerhouse), Manchester
The event is free but to ensure a place tickets can be booked in advance – click here
The film is 30 minutes long and will be followed by a Q&A.
Main photo shows Sue Stennett
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