A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Moral Fibre’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Peterloo’ for the Dollhouse gallery.
The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from 1st – 25th August 2024. Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
‘A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything’ ~ Joan Erikson
Peterloo
“If we don’t vote, we are ignoring history and giving away the future” Pat Mitchell.
Our vote matters.
With each election, I think of those who came before us. Those who fought to give us the Right to Vote. Emelia Pankhurst and the fight for Women’s Suffrage; and the peaceful protestors at Peterloo in 1819.
On 16 August 1819, 60,000 people congregated in St Peter’s Field in Manchester – the largest ever political gathering of working-class people. Folk from towns across Lancashire marched to the field carrying banners with slogans supporting political reform and the right to vote; included were workers from Middleton near Rochdale, carrying a banner of locally woven blue silk, with the words ‘Liberty, Fraternity, Unity, Strength’ in hand-painted gold lettering.
Their peaceful protest turned bloody when Manchester magistrates gave orders to disperse the crowd. The Yeomanry pulled out their sabres and charged the crowd on horseback. An estimated 18 people died and more than 650 were injured in the chaos.
The tragic incident is known as the Peterloo Massacre. A moment when ordinary people stepped up to protest in a way that has made its mark in history and with a legacy that lives on to today.
Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand embroidered cotton cloth, DMC embroidery thread.
The Middleton banner is part of the Touchstones Rochdale archives.
Credit: Touchstones Rochdale, People’s History Museum.
This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.
Update August 2024:
Peterloo in the ‘Moral Fibre’ Dollhouse exhibition.
