The Lancashire weavers’ riots of April 1826 were one of the most dramatic events in the history of the English cotton industry.

Twenty three members of the South Pennine Archaeology Group gathered in Chatterton last week to re-enact this remarkable story.

After two days of power loom breaking in Accrington, Over Darwen and Clitheroe an angry mob of almost 3000 men and women headed towards Rawtenstall. There they smashed all the power looms in the factory owned by David and Benjamin Whitehead.

The mob now dreamt of wiping all power looms off the face of the earth. To the south of Rawtenstall lay Ramsbottom, Bury and Manchester so the leaders decided they must go south confident of local support and with no opposition from the militia.

They destroyed looms at Dearden Clough Mill then marched on towards Thomas Aitken’s Chatterton factory on the banks of the Irwell.

Here they did face opposition as Colonel Kearney, head of the local militia came to realise the mob’s intentions. He became determined to stop the mob from marching on towards Manchester where the simple vengeful power loom breaking could erupt into total anarchy.

He led his troop to the home of William Grant, a local manufacturer and magistrate. As the mob marched on down Chatterton Old Lane they were stopped by the troopers and William Grant read the Riot Act. The rioters knew that this meant they could be shot at by the  militia but undeterred they broke out of the lane and rushed across the fields towards Thomas Aitken’s factory in Chatterton. Here they broke into the factory and destroyed the looms.

Colonel Kearney gave the order to fire and six people were shot dead; James Lord, John Ashworth, James Rothwell, Richard Lund, James Whatacre and an innocent bystander Mary Simpson.

The mob then waded across the River Irwell and headed towards Summerseat determined to realise their objective of total destruction of all power looms.

Perhaps the highlight for the group was hearing the Riot Act read by a retired schoolteacher although calls of ‘Come on lads, let’s smash them looms’ were heard immediately afterwards!  Despite heavy rain in the last half hour, all agreed that it was a reet gud do!