Sunday and I feel I need tom do some writing on those dark moments in history…..the US has ours like the Trail of Tears, Wounded Knee, My Lai, Kent State, etc but since I have so many UK readers I wanted to see their dark moments in their history.
Every country has them but in this case are they the darkest days of English history?
I read an article of some of those dark times…..but according to my readers are these the best examples of dark moments?
According to the article these are the top 10 moments of darkness….
10. The Peterloo Massacre
On August 16, 1819, a large crowd of 60,000 working class people gathered in St. Peter’s Field (now St. Peter’s Square) in Manchester to advocate for parliamentary representation at a time when only the rich, land-owning elite were allowed to vote. According to contemporary reports, the protesters were, by and large, orderly and disciplined, dressed in their best outfits, carrying around banners that said things like “Universal Suffrage” and “Equal Representation.” In exchange, the magistrates sent in the cavalry who immediately started cutting people down with sabers and stomping them to death.
An estimated 14 to 18 people were killed during the massacre while another 600 to 650 were injured. The government sided with the local magistrates and their priority then became to crack down on those trying to spread word of the Peterloo Massacre, as it became known, under the charge of sedition. The organizers were arrested, as were journalists, particularly those from the radical publication the Manchester Observer.
Even in modern times, the government has had issues properly addressing what really happened at St. Peter’s Field. Up until recently, the only reminder of what occurred on that spot was a blue plaque that simply said that the military dispersed a crowd of 60,000, carefully omitting the word “massacre.” It wasn’t until 2007 that a new, truthful plaque took its place.
https://www.toptenz.net/dark-moments-from-british-history.php
Not being a British historian I found these incidents fascinating……but how accurate are they?
Please if there are others that need to be added then let me know for I am listening.
Also I am not looking for more US dark moments….if you read this then I am looking for history of the UK.
I Read, I Wrote, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Some interesting events, but hardly the darkest moments in our history.
Starting with the 11th century, I would go with;
1) The Norman Conquest.
2) The Wars of The Roses.
3) The Black Death. (Bubonic plague)
4) The English Civil War.
Best wishes, Pete.
I thought those were a bit much and there would be others more dark….thanx for helping us Colonials understand…LOL chuq
Henry VIII comes to mind.
Enclosure laws and life if the factory workers at the beginning if the industrial revolution.
English could be cruel when deciding who would be or remain king. Voting to elect the chief executive is a much better method. But still leaves people bitter over the outcome.
When Britain leaves the EU I expect there will be more dark days ahead. Bur you did not ask about future dark periods.
Especially for Catholics I would imagine…..early 20th century for the workers is a good one as well…….thanx for the suggestions…chuq
I don’t know when it started or ended (at least, the general movement), but the institution of “work houses” and then the Poor Laws and Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 (saying men had no financial obligation to their illegitimate offspring, which exacerbated baby farming and led to mass murders of infants by women like Amelia Dyer for money).
I watch too many historical crime shows, but this article on Amelia Dyer and baby farming helps. https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/amelia-dyer/
Honestly, when I first heard about the work houses and then the 1834 act, I yelled WTF?! at the TV in shock. Who the hell thought THAT was a good idea? And why? Ugh…
I’d call that a really dark period in British history, largely for the tens of thousands of women and babies affected.
Thanx for your thoughts…..I hope you have a good Christmas…..chuq