Chartist Riots

Disruption of the Peak Forest
& Macclesfield Canals in 1842

Introduction
Chartism was a working-class movement whose aim was to reform Parliament to permit working men to be represented in Parliament. This movement, which was active over the period 1838 to 1857, was at its strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848 when there were riots instigated by Parliament's rejection of three Chartist petitions. The riots of 1842 were mainly in the industrial areas of the North West, the Midlands and South Wales and they became known as the first General Strike, also known as the Plug Riots [1]. The latter name arose because of the policy of removing boiler plugs to bring factories and mills to a standstill. In South Wales they were known as the Rebecca Riots. The riots commenced as a protest against wage cuts and they were swiftly taken up by Chartist leaders with the aim of causing a general strike that would carry on until the 'People's Charter' became law. Manchester and industrial towns to its south east was a specific centre of attention with strikes, meetings and processions in Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield, Glossop, Manchester, Mottram, Stalybridge and Stockport. Above all, Hyde played an especially important part in the area for the reform of Parliament. There were instances of railways being disrupted but the Peak Forest Canal was singled out for special attention, as it was considered to be an important industrial route. For that reason, the canal (and the mills alongside it) received particular attention by the rioters and it is believed to be the only occasion that a canal was attacked in this way. Replicated below are newspaper reports recording the disruption to the Peak Forest Canal.

The year 1842 is believed to be the first year in which the Government used the then new railway system to move troops for the purpose of maintaining public order and this is how it was recorded:

Peak Forest Canal
The article below describes how a riot, commencing in New Mills, disrupted the working of the Peak Forest Canal, especially around Bugsworth Basin and the canal company's quarries. It also records how local industry was disrupted.

Derby Mercury, 24 Aug 1842 Chapel-en-le-Frith - On Wednesday, the 10th instant (10 Aug 1842), a body of men and women, computed at six and seven thousand, made their appearance in New Mills, Derbyshire, and turned out all the hands from the mills; from there they proceeded to Mr. Walsh's print works, at Furnis, and ordered all hands out. Mr. Walsh entreated them to let him work one day more, to complete an order, but they refused, drew the fire from under the boilers, let off the steam, and forced him to stop his works; from there they proceeded to Messrs. Wright and Hodgson's cotton mills, at Bugsworth, and turned all the hands out; from there to Bugsworth Basin, where they turned out all the lime burners and stone getters at Crist quarry, belonging to the Peak Forest Canal Company; from there they proceeded to the paper works at Whitehall, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, belonging to Messrs. Ingam, Barnes, and Hughes. Mr. Ingam wished to know their object. One of the turn-outs explained that they would have the same rate of wages as they received in 1840, and that they would have it before they went to work again. By this time night had approached, and they returned by the same route to New Mills. Early on Thursday morning they re-assembled, and proceeded to Bridgham-green Mills, belonging to Mr. Riley, and turned the hands out; from there to Chapel-en-le-Frith, where, also, they stopped all kinds of works, and also stopped the carts on the road; from there they went to Mr. Kirk's iron works, and compelled all his men to leave work; from there they proceeded to Blackhole limestone quarries, and stopped all the men at work belonging to Peak Forest Canal Company; and from there to Doveholes lime kilns, which they stopped also. On Friday, the mob having heard that Mr. Walsh's works were resumed, proceeded to the Furnis print works with all haste, let his reservoir off, and did a great deal of damage. All the collieries have been stopped.

Note: In the first and third press cuttings below there is confusion about the names (and spelling) of the three persons alleged to have destroyed lock gates somewhere on the Marple flight of locks in order to disrupt the movement of boats along the Peak Forest Canal.

Jackson's Oxford Journal, 20 Aug 1842 On Tuesday the 16 Aug 1842 three persons named William Mortimer, James Kershaw and William Smith, were committed for trial for rioting and breaking lock-gates on the Peak Forest Canal, on the 15 Aug 1842.
Manchester Times & Gazette, 20 Aug 1842 At Marple, we are informed, a party of turn-outs from the neighbourhood of Hyde pulled up and destroyed a lock-gate on the Peak-forest Canal, on Monday (15 Aug 1842), and thereby cut off, for a time, all communication at that part of the canal.
Caledonian Mercury, 13 Oct 1842 Chester - James Kershaw, William Marten and Joseph Taylor were charged with having feloniously thrown down and destroyed a lock on the Peak Forest Canal, on the 15 Aug 1842, with a view to obstruct the traffic on the line of the canal. Martin and Kershaw were found guilty, and Taylor was acquitted. Taylor was, however, subsequently indicted for a conspiracy at Marple, and found guilty.
The sentence passed upon the prisoners tried today were as follows:
Joseph Taylor, 16 months with hard labour in Chester Castle.
James Kershaw and William Morton, one year each, with hard labour, in Knutsford House of Correction.

The report below described the Chartists as a mob and it stated that the men in charge were Joseph Taylor of Marple Bridge and Christopher Doyle of Manchester.

The above report suggests that it was the single lock gate at the head of the lock that was damaged.

Macclesfield Canal
There was also a disturbance at nearby Shepley's Bridge and Shepley's Mills on the Macclesfield Canal. An account of what happened was given to the court by William Moore, a Dresser at Shepley's Mills:

A mob of around 250 strong was assembled on and around the bridge where they demanded that all hands be turned out of the mills. In response to their demands, Mr James Shepley, the mill master, stopped all work and turned out all the hands, which numbered about 500 or 600 persons.

Shepley's Mills were situated on the offside of the Macclesfield Canal immediately beyond Shepley's Bridge where there was a also a wharf. Shepley's Mills were sometimes referred to as Rhode Mills on account of two mill masters, Shepley and Rhodes, being related. Rhodes also had a mill in the Glossop area.

Roll of the 59 defendants

AIKIN, Wiiliam ARTHUR, James, alias McARTHUR ALLINSON, John ARRAN, John BAIRSTOW, John BROOKE, Robert BEESLEY, William BROPHY, Patrick Murphy BOOTH, William CAMPBELL, John CARTLEDGE, James COOPER, Thomas CLARKE, Joseph CHIPPENDALE, James CHALLENGER, Alexander CANDELET, George CROSSLEY, John DOYLE, Christopher DURHAM, John FLETCHER, John FRASER, Thomas FENTON, James GRASBY, James HARNEY, George Julian HILL, William HOYLE, John JOHNSON, George LEACH, James LEACH, John LOMAX, John LEES, Robert LEWIS, John McDOUALL, Peter Murray McCARTNEY, Bernard MASSEY, John MAHON, Thomas MOONEY, James MORRIS, David NORMAN, John O'CONNOR, Feargus OTLEY, Richard PARKES, Samuel PILLING, Richard PITT, Thomas ROSS, David RAILTON, Thomas RAMSDEN, Robert SCHOLEFIELD, James SCHOLEFIELD, William SMITH, Thomas Browne SKEVINGTON, James STEPHENSON, William STORAH, Thomas TAYLOR, Frederick Augustus TAYLOR, James THORNTON, John WOOLFENDEN, Albert WILDE, John WOODRUFFE, William

Shepley's Bridge on the Macclesfield Canal at Marple looking south, Apr 2012.

On the 10 Aug 1842, this bridge was the scene of Chartist unrest when a mob of around 250 strong descended upon Shepley's Mills and congregated on and around Shepley's Bridge.

Here they were met by Mr Shepley and a number of his workers who were told that, 'We want all the hands turned out of the mills.' Therupon, Mr Shepley stopped the mills and turned out 500 or 600 workers.

Chartist Movement statue in Hyde (Plug Riots)
This statue is named ‘Pull the Plug, Ring the Change’ and it was unveiled on the 28 Nov 2002. It is situated on Market St in front of Hyde Town Hall. It was sculptured by the Stephen Broadbent of the Stephen Broadbent Studio. It commemorates the important part that the people of Hyde played in the reform of Parliament and their endeavour to improve the working conditions of men women and children.

It is comprised of the raised figures of two children running, the one on the left is holding a plug aloft while the other is ringing a bell. The plug concerns the riots of 1842 that were mainly in the industrial areas of the North West, the Midlands and South. These riots became known as the first General Strike, also known as the Plug Riots. The latter name arose because of the policy of removing boiler plugs to bring factories to a standstill.

The banner draped between the two children has the motto, ‘Pull the Plug, Ring the Change'. Below them are six panels representing the six key demands in the People’s Charter which are:

  1. A vote for every man over the age of 21.
  2. Secret ballots.
  3. No property qualification.
  4. Payment of MPs.
  5. Constituencies of equal size.
  6. Annual Parliament (not introduced).

The children portrayed in the six panels represent important changes in the law to protect and improve the working conditions of children aged between six and fourteen years.

Further Reading
Manchester Guardian, 17 Aug 1842, pp. 1-2.
Haywood, A (Manchester) and Cleave, J (London): 'The Trial of Feargus O'Connor (barrister-at-law) and fifty-eight others on a charge of sedition, conspiracy, tumult and riot' (1843).
Gammage R G: 'History of the Chartist Movement 1837-1854' (1854).
Hovell, Mark: 'The Chartist Movement' Manchester University Press & Longmans, Green & Co, 1925).
Mather F C: 'Public Order in the Age of the Chartists' (Manchester University Press, 1959).
Pavasovic, Milan: 'No Mean City, A History of Dukinfield' (Neil Richardson, pp. 26-29, 1984).