The Peterloo Photograph with Michael Wood and Michala Hulme at Manchester Central Library
Creative Tourist
Clearing out his parents house after his mother’s death two years ago, Michael Wood found a box of memorabilia. There were photos, letters, postcards, and books that had belonged to his father, whose family had lived in Failsworth in Manchester from the 1720s. Among them was a photograph from 1884 showing a group of eleven Peterloo veterans from Failsworth. In 1819, young men and women, they had marched with Sam Bamford’s Middleton contingent to St Peters Fields, carrying a banner which they saved from the troops, and now proudly displayed for the camera 65 years on. This is thought to be the only surviving image of Peterloo veterans. So who were they? What were their stories? Starting with the photo Michael uncovers a fascinating tale of family history, local politics and the national story.
