Photo by R. H. Fletcher
Samuel Bamford’s House at Middleton
To face page 76
3.—CONSTABLES’ STAVES.
(a) In the Catalogue of the Old Manchester & Salford Exhibition (held at the Art Gallery in 1904), on p. 27, exhibit 157 appears as “Handcuffs belonging to Joe Nadin, Deputy Constable of Manchester at the time of Peterloo;” lent by G. C. Yates, Esq. On the same page, exhibit 167 is a “Special Constable’s Staff, used at the time of Peterloo in Manchester, and then the property of Mr. Beever;” lent by C. Shiel, Esq. This collection is now for the most part dispersed.
Photo by R. H. Fletcher
Three Relics of Peterloo
To face page 77
(b) Mr. T. Swindells, of Monton Green, in the third volume of his Manchester Streets and Manchester Men, mentions “A Special Constable’s Staff” given to him by a descendant of James Fildes. It is inscribed: “A relic of Peterloo. Special Constable’s Staff which belonged to the late James and Thomas Fildes, grocers, Shudehill, Manchester.”
(c) In November, 1919, on the afternoon of the day on which I was to lecture on The Story of Peterloo, at the Rylands Library, Mr. W. W. Manfield, of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, brought me three interesting relics of Peterloo, which have been in the possession of his family since 1819. On the occasion of Peterloo his father and grandfather saw the crowd streaming through Salford after the catastrophe, and their curiosity led them to walk out to St. Peter’s fields. There they picked up the three relics, which have been carefully preserved ever since. One of them is a long, heavy Constable’s baton, apparently of rosewood, with the Royal Arms painted at the thicker end. (See Illustration opposite.)
4.—HEAD OF FLAGSTAFF.
The second of Mr. Manfield’s relics is the head of one of the Banner poles carried at Peterloo. It is shaped like the traditional cap of Liberty, and inscribed in neat gilt capitals: “Hunt and Liberty.” (See Illustration.)