Protest and Repression 1815-22
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Key Tories

Lord Liverpool - First Lord of the Treasury and
Leader of the House of Lords and Prime
Minister
 Lord Eldon - Lord Chancellor
 Lord Sidmouth - Secretary of State for the
Home Department
 Lord Castlereagh (Lord Londonderry after
1821) - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
and Leader of the House of Commons
Luddism
The luddites were handloom weavers
made redundant by new machinery in
textile industry
 They lost their skilled employment,
wages and status. Between 1800-1820
their wages declined from 27 shillings
per week to around 8 as factory work
replaced old techniques

Luddites
The luddites attacked the new ‘wide frames’
introduced to the industry.
 Luddism started in Nottingham in 1811. The
Luddites organised raids on mills at night
during which wide frames would be smashed
 Luddite tactics spread later to Lancashire and
Cheshire were new ‘power looms’ were being
introduced with many factories being stormed
and machines smashed

The Government’s Response to
Luddism
Lord Liverpool’s government made
machine smashing punishable by death
in 1812.
 Leading luddites were rounded up and
executed – many followers of the
Luddites were transported

Spa Fields

Spa Fields was planned by a radical group called the
Spencian Philanthropists who followed the
revolutionary ideas of Thomas Spence.
 Spence believed in the nationalisation of all land and
the abolition of all taxes except for progressive income
tax
 In 1816 the Spencian Philanthropists planned a huge
open air meeting in Spa Fields on the edge of London
where a giant petition demanding reform was to be
presented to the Prince Regent.
 The vents however turned into 2 meetings as there
was a split between the Radicals (who wanted first
and foremost the vote for all men), and the Spencians
who supported the more socialistic programme
Spa Fields

With such a large number of
demonstrators in London (10,000+)
some trouble was perhaps inevitable,
and the more extreme of the protestors
were seen carrying French tricolours,
and a gunsmiths was broken into and
some weapons stolen. A mob marched
on the city were they were dispersed by
a force collected by the Lord Mayor.
The Government’s Reaction
Liverpool’s government was thoroughly
alarmed by these events (remembering the
French Revolution, and basing their reaction
from information given by Lord Sidmouth’s
spies some of whom had stirred up the trouble
to give them something interesting to report.)
 The Government suspended Habeas Corpus
and past laws banning ‘seditious’ meetings

What is Habeas Corpus?
Habeas Corpus is the body of law which
protects an individual from unfair trial,
and imprisonment without charge
 The suspension of Habeas Corpus
meant that the government could arrest
and imprison anyone they suspected of
‘sedition’

The Blanketeers 1817
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The march of the blanketeers was planned by a group
of Manchester radicals to petition the Prince Regent
for political reform (votes), relief of poverty and the
reversal of Sidmouth’s repressive measures following
Spa Fields
The blanketeers (so called because they carried
blankets) were to march from Manchester to London
to deliver the petition
A meeting was planned at St Peter’s Field Manchester
to give them a big send off, but before the march could
start it was broken up by troops and the leaders
arrested. Many were arrested and imprisoned without
charge as Habeas Corpus had been suspended
The Pentrich or Derbyshire Uprising
1817
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In the Spring of 1817 rumours of an uprising in
Derbyshire were being reported back to the
government by Sidmouth’s spies.
One particular spy named Oliver was sent by
Sidmouth to infiltrate the heart of the conspiracy.
Oliver made it his business to stir up an armed
rebellion which would give the government an excuse
for yet more repression.
Only a few men were persuaded by Oliver the Spy to
take up arms – in Huddersfield and Derbyshire.
In Derbyshire Jeremiah Brandreth headed around 200
poorly armed men and was quickly captured by troops,
arrested and executed with 3 other ‘ringleaders’. 14
others were transported to Australia
Peterloo 1819
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With the return of poor harvests and unemployment the agitation
of the period reached a climax in the Peterloo Massacre of 1819.
A mass meeting was planned at St Peter’s Fields to demand
political reform.
It was to be addressed by Orator Hunt and was planned to
peaceful. There were no weapons allowed, and the
demonstrators were instructed to ‘wear their best clothes’
A vast crowds gathered faced by a force of yeomanry collected
together by local magistrates.
Hunt started to speak but half way through his address was
arrested, general chaos ensued the yeomanry were ordered to
charge the crowd.
11 people were killed by the yeomanry, including 2 women and a
child. Over 400 people were injured
Government Reaction to Peterloo
Sidmouth immediately congratulated by
letter the Manchester authorities for what
they had done at Peterloo.
 He then rushed through Parliament ‘The
Six Acts’ – repressive measures aimed
at ‘keeping public order’

The Six Acts
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The Training Prevention Act prohibited civilian bodies from training in the use of
weapons.
The Seizure of Arms Act, linked to the Training Prevention Act, gave JPs and
magistrates the right to search private houses for weapons, to seize them and their
possessors.
The Seditious Meetings Act restricted to parish level all public meetings that were
called to discuss 'any public grievance or any matter on Church and State'. Organisers
had to proved local magistrates with due notice of the time and place of the
meeting. The magistrates were empowered to change the date and/or time of the
meeting at will, to prevent any attempt to organise insurrection. This was, perhaps, the
most serious infringement of public liberty.
The Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act fixed the penalties for these activities to
fourteen years' transportation. Magistrates were empowered to seek, seize and
confiscate all libellous materials in the possession of the accused.
The Misdemeanours Act provided for speedier legal machinery so that people could
be brought to trial faster. This reduced the likelihood of bail being obtained by the
accused; it also allowed for quicker convictions.
The Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act greatly increased the taxes on printed matter,
including newspapers, periodicals and pamphlets. Publishers and printers had to
provide securities for their 'good behaviour' . Any publication appearing at least once a
month, and costing less than 6d. was subject to a tax of 4d. The Act restricted the
freedom of the legitimate press. Radical publications simply went 'underground'.
Public Reaction
Many were horrified by the thought of
English troops charging a peaceful
crowd and public opinion swayed against
the government and the repressive
measures it introduced
 The name ‘Peterloo’ suggests the
general and ironic contempt most people
had for the victory of the magistrates and
the government

Cato Street Conspiracy

This was a plot by the Spencian
philanthropists, led by Arthur Thistlewood, to
assassinate the entire cabinet
 They planned to assassinate a number of
cabinet ministers, overthrow the government
and establish a Committee of Public Safety to
oversee a radical revolution, similar to the
French Revolution. According to the
prosecution at their trial, they had planned to
form a provisional government headquartered
in the Mansion House.
Cato Street

The involvement of Sidmouth’s spies was
important again in stirring up this unrest.
 The plotters had intended to blow up the
cabinet as they dined together – the ‘Dinner’
was an invention of spies and infiltrators and
eventually Thistlwood and 11 other
conspirators were tried and executed.
Thistlewood himself was the last man in
England to be beheaded