The Sale area

Sale Old Hall, undated. Trafford Local Studies Collection, cat. ref. TL0628.

Photograph of Captain John Moore's Uniform, undated. A military uniform that had belonged to John Moore was found at Altrincham Library in the 1970s. It dated from his time as Captain of the Ashton-upon-Mersey-cum-Sale Volunteers. The uniform was sent for conservation and then transferred to the Cheshire Military Museum where it could be displayed. Trafford Local Studies Collection, cat. ref. 2889. 

At the time of Peterloo, John Moore of Sale Old Hall was one of two Chief Constables in Manchester and, as such, was responsible for keeping the peace on the day. The warrant for the arrest of Henry Hunt was placed in his hands, although he was unable to make his way through the crowd to carry this out.

He was an important witness in the Redford vs. Birley trial of 1822 in which Hugh Birley and other members of the Yeomanry were charged with the assault of Thomas Redford. This gives us his first-hand account of his version of events.  

Very shortly after Hunt’s arrival he was sent for by the Magistrates, and when he got to their room he found a warrant was issued . . . he left the room with the warrant.

They went down stairs, and the Boroughreeve mounted his horse and placed himself on the left of the Yeomanry, who had at that time come up.

He was thrown down by the pressure of the crowd in the first instance; He thinks a minute or two must have elapsed before he was able to get up; He had not seen any of the Cavalry strike at the people up to that time, if any thing of that sort had taken place near him he must have seen it, but nothing of the sort occurred; The warrant was in Nadin’s custody at this time; He was thrown down a second time by one of the 15th Dragoon; The warrant was then exectured.

From what he saw that that [sic] morning he considered the town to be in very imminent danger; the crowd under the direction of Hunt was very much calculated to endanger the public peace on that day; He was entirely engaged on the Field on the 16th; They had between 300 and 400 Special Constables there; The aid of the military was absolutely necessary, as the civil power was unequal to the task.

- Chief Constable John Moore’s account of the 16 August 1819, reported in ‘Manchester Meeting, Sixteenth August 1819: A Report of the Trial, Redford Against Birley and Others, for an Assault on the Sixteenth of August 1819, before Mr. Justice Holroyd and a Special Jury, At the Lancaster Spring Assizes 1822.