Manchester pauses to mark 200th anniversary of Peterloo Massacre

Hundreds of people gathered on the site of the Peterloo Massacre to pay their respects to the people who were killed and injured 200 years ago.

As many as 60,000 people had walked into St Peter’s Field, Manchester, from towns and villages across Lancashire to demand parliamentary reform on 16 August 1819.

However, the peaceful protest was crushed by massed forces, leaving 18 people dead and hundreds injured.

In a moving ceremony, including a minute’s silence, the names of the dead were read shortly after 1.30pm – the time the cavalry charged in 1819.

To find out more about the events happening to mark the 200^th anniversary of Peterloo in Manchester, go to www.peterloo1819.co.uk