CASE STUDIES
Main outcomes:
Individuals established a link or gathered more evidence of a connection to their Peterloo relative Created a unique film about Peterloo family connections
Members of the public enabled to use Ancestry and My Family Tree software
Peterloo descendants had the opportunity to read a name of the dead as part of the ‘From the Crowd’ 200th anniversary weekend. These included a relative of reformer Richard Carlile who flew in from USA; a relative of Edmund Dawson who was killed at Peterloo; a relative of the founder of The Guardian newspaper; a 95-year old descendant of a clockmaker from Rochdale. This was a very emotional experience for the descendants and was a poignant moment in the ceremony. Through the ‘Trace Your Peterloo People’ event, complete beginners started their own family research Engaged the public in learning more about Peterloo by organising press and media interviews with descendants
Discovered stories and interviewed individuals representing all ‘sides’ of the Peterloo story – those who attended as poor members of the working class, as well as journalists, reformers, militia and magistrates A placement for an MA student who helped capture film and photography during the descendant interviews, and who was able to further her own academic research and produce a photographic portfolio
Peterloo 2019 : Impact Report
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Key Learning:
Interviewing descendants for the film illustrated that everyone’s story is uniquely interesting, and that family research brings an emotional response to historic events through a sense of personal connection. Encouraging press interest in the descendants’ personal journeys of discovery, meant the Peterloo story reached new audiences.
Establishing the Peterloo diaspora is geographically huge, from Australia, Europe, USA and throughout all regions of the UK. Legacy of project:
The collaboration with Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society was extremely positive and both partners are keen to work together on future projects
The 30-minute Peterloo Descendants film is hosted on the peterloo1819 website and Manchester Histories Youtube channel for all to view
The production of the only film of its kind relating to Peterloo that is therefore a unique snapshot in time of Peterloo family connections and a totally one-off resource
