THIS MONTH… 1817
ANNIVERSARIES THAT HAVE MADE HISTORY
On 10 March 1817, thousands of textile workers converged on St Peter's Field, near Manchester. Organised by local firebrands Samuel Drummond and John Bagguley, the rally was the start of a march south to London to present the Prince Regent (the future King George IV) with a petition for better pay and working conditions. Those in attendance - many of them weavers had been encouraged to bring blankets in anticipation of sleeping along the roadside. But as they prepared to embark on
