A Slap at Slop and The Bridge Street Gang

On 16 August 1819, blood ran in the streets of Manchester. 18 people were killed and hundreds injured attending a peaceful demonstration at St Peter’s Field, now the area around St Peter’s Square. 60,000 people had gathered to demand the vote. The massacre became known as Peterloo. A major event in Manchester’s history and a defining moment for Britain’s democracy.

Despite widespread public sympathy in response to the massacre, the government’s immediate response was to toughen laws, which limited the freedoms of both the public and the press. The new legislation became known as the Six Acts.

Even with these new oppressive laws, people continued to meet in secret in support of reform. Many braved the oppressive Six Acts, to express their anger in print. The radical press played an important role in keeping the reform movement going. The Manchester Guardian newspaper (now known as The Guardian national newspaper) began in 1821 as a direct consequence of what happened at St Peters Field. The attempt to silence government critics only encouraged journalists to develop inventive new ways of conveying the message of reform.

William Hone was an English radical writer and publisher active in the early 19th century. In partnership with illustrator George Cruikshank, Hone published a number of political works, most of which aimed to highlight the abuses of political office.

Hone and Cruikshank’s A Slap At Slop was first published in 1821 as a short satirical news sheet. Most notably, it covers the Peterloo Massacre, featuring a satirical design for both a monument and medal for the soldiers of Peterloo.

Part of the national commemorations marking 200 years since the Peterloo Massacre, this object featured in the Disrupt? Peterloo and Protest exhibition in 2019 at People’s History Museum to tell the story of Peterloo and highlights its relevance today.