John Saxton was born in Manchester
in 1776. He was initially a worker in the cotton industry but in 1818
helped James Wroe and Joseph
Johnson to start the radical newspaper, the Manchester
Observer. Within twelve months the Manchester
Observer was selling 4,000 copies a week. Although it started
as a local paper by 1819 it was sold in most of the large towns and
cities in Britain. Henry Hunt called the
Manchester Observer "the
only newspaper in England that I know, fairly and honestly devoted
to such reform as would give the people their whole rights."
John Saxton and his wife Susanna were both active in the campaign
for universal suffrage. Susanna Saxton was secretary of the Manchester
Female Reformers and a writer of several political pamphlets.
John Saxton was on the platform with the other journalists at the
meeting at St. Peter's Field on 16th August
1819. John Tyas claimed that when the soldiers
broke up the meeting they attempted to kill John Saxton. Later Saxton
was arrested along with Henry Hunt, Joseph
Johnson, Joseph Healey, Samuel
Bamford, James Moorhouse, Robert Wild and Robert Jones and charged
with an "alleged conspiracy to alter the law by force and threats
and for convening and attending an illegal, riotous and tumultuous
meeting at Manchester on Monday, 16th August 1819."
Although John Saxton was arrested it is believed that he smuggled
out contributions to the reports that appeared in the Manchester
Observer about the events at St. Peter's
Field. Saxton also contributed to the series of pamphlets on
The Peterloo Massacre published by the Manchester
Observer and edited by John Edward
Taylor. It is believed that either John Saxton or John
Wroe who was the first person to use the term "Peterloo"
to describe the attack.
The trial took place in March, 1820. John Saxon argued that he was
on the platform as a journalist rather than as a speaker. After three
days of evidence, five of the men, Hunt, Johnson, Knight, Healey and
Bamford were found guilty of the charge of "assembling with unlawful
banners at an unlawful meeting for the purpose of exciting discontent".
Saxon along with Moorhouse, Jones and Wild were found not guilty and
released.
(1)
On 14th August, 1819 John Saxton wrote about the proposed meeting
at St. Peter's Field in the The Manchester Observer.
A requisition
was issued for a public meeting on 16th August. This notice brought
forth a flaming Posting Bill bearing the signatures of nine County
Magistrates. The poster, purporting to be issued by the Magistrates
of Manchester and Cheshire, cautions "all persons, at their peril
to abstain from attending the meeting". Is there an instance
where any popular meeting has been otherwise than orderly or constitutional?
We know the people well: and we are sure, if they are not provoked
and driven to desperation, from the contempt and ill-treatment of
their rulers, that their conduct will always prove such as to render
abortive the incendiary plots of any set of men.
(2)
John Saxton was probably involved in writing the article that appeared
in The Manchester Observer on 21st August, 1819.
From Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Middleton, from the more distant towns
of Leeds, Sheffield, etc. came thousands of willing votaries to the
shrine of sacred liberty. When Mr. Hunt and his friends had taken
their station on the hustings, it is supposed that no less than 150,000
people were congregated in the area near St. Peter's Church.
Mr. Hunt ascended the hustings about half-past one o'clock and proceeded
to address the immense multitude. Whilst thus engaged, and without
the shadow of disorder occurring or likely to occur, our fears were
raised to horror, by the appearance of the Manchester and Salford
Yeomanry Cavalry, who were galloping into the area, and proceeded
to form in line ready for action.
The bugle sounded a charge and a scene of murder and carnage ensued.
Men, women, and children, without distinction of age or sex became
the victims of these monsters. People flew in every direction to avoid
these hair-brained assassins, who were supported by detachments from
the Hussars. The latter, however, did not deal out death and wounds
with the same liberal hand as our townsmen.
(3)
John Tyas reported in The
Times on 19th August, 1819 how soldiers had attempted to kill
John Saxton during the Peterloo Massacre.
Saxton,
of the Manchester Observer, was standing in the cart. Two
privates rode up to him. "There", said one of them "is
the villain Saxton; do you run him through the body." "No,"
replied the other, "I had rather not - I leave him to you".
The man immediately made a lunge at Saxton, and it was only by slipping
aside from the blow that his life was saved. As it is, it cut his
coat and waist coat, but fortunately did him no other injury. A
man within five yards of us in another direction had his nose completely
taken off by a blow of a sabre.
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