4 The Riot Act and the Peterloo Massacre

Prior to the establishment of the ‘New Police’ in 1829 the judiciary (and magistrates in particular) were responsible for the suppression of unrest and the maintenance of public order. If a disturbance (or potential disturbance) was brought to the attention of a magistrate, it was generally his responsibility to decide how to handle the matter. Under common law a ‘riot’ (sometimes involving only two or three people) was a minor matter, punishable only by prison or a fine. However, if a more serious disturbance seemed likely, the magistrate could ‘read the Riot Act’ (as in Figure 5).

Figure 5 The Riot Act and Proclamation (1715) [Description: Photograph of the full Riot Act 1714. The lower part contains the proclamation that was to be read aloud: "Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George the First for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies."] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_Act#/media/File:The_Riot_Act_text.jpg

The text reads as follows:

Once the Riot Act had been read out at the scene, the offence of ‘riot’ became a felony, punishable by death. Thus, any individuals who failed to leave the area within an hour could be subdued by force (as opposed to ‘reasonable means’). In the case of a major disturbance, the magistrate was able to seek assistance from troops.

Use of troops could result in death or serious injury. This is exemplified by the Peterloo Massacre which took place at St Peter’s Field, Manchester in 1819 and has been described as:

Figure 6: The Peterloo Massacre, 1819 [Description: Colour engraving: An alarmed crowd in a square are being attacked by cavalry with sabres raised. Some are lying wounded on the ground; others, including one woman, are standing on a raised platform holding banners watching the events unfold.] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Peterloo_Massacre.png

Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 there was an economic downturn with high prices and high unemployment. Only about 11 per cent of men had the vote and there were campaigns petitioning parliament for everyone to have the vote. These were rejected, however, and a mass rally was organised in Manchester for August 1819 attended by the Radical orator, Henry Hunt. Shortly after the demonstration began, magistrates asked troops to arrest Hunt. The Riot Act was read and troops were used in an attempt to disperse the angry crowd. The troops charged on horseback with sabres drawn; between 9 and 20 protestors were killed, and between 400–700 were injured.

The event became known as the ‘Peterloo massacre’ and the social and political ramifications were huge. A desire for more effective control over working-class protests contributed to the introduction of the New Police. From 1829 onwards, while magistrates and the Riot Act remained important in the control of dissent, the new civilian police gradually took over this task, developing tactics and expertise as time went on.