Peterloo: Imagine a World
A visually stunning and highly acclaimed classroom resource bringing to life the events at Peterloo (Manchester) in 1819 – when a crowd of peaceful protesters campaigning for political reform was attacked. For students aged 10-16s, addressing perspective, sources, and political campaigns in British history.
View / Download the Graphic Novel for Free as a Printable PDF:
Meet the authors
About the resource
Across twenty pages packed with vivid panels, insights and ideas, Peterloo: Imagine a World illustrates the tragic events that unfolded in Manchester in August 1819 during the pivotal ‘Peterloo Massacre’ in which hundreds of people were injured and eighteen died. The protest was galvanised by changing circumstances in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution, as powerful new expectations across an industrialising nation confronted the limitations of the political system.
The highly acclaimed graphic novel commemorates a pivotal moment in British political history, dropping its fictional young main characters into very real sources, contexts, and histories to allow for probing discussions about perspective and experience – as the event is explored through the eyes of children (many of whom were present among the 60,000 who gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation). Its distinctive way of conveying the intensity and implications of the event led to its being used across hundreds of UK schools, and adapted into schemes of work and standalone lessons that extend beyond social history into citizenship, morality, and politics.
The resource is adapted from a fuller graphic novel, Peterloo: Witness to a Massacre (2019) and draws on the definitive work of historian Prof. Robert Poole, Peterloo: The English Uprising (OUP, 2019) as well as objects and insights in the wider Age of Revolution project that Ben Marsh coordinated from the University of Kent, with the support of Waterloo200 Ltd.
This is so good, class are mesmerised – we paused for break just as the magistrates decided to arrest Hunt. They can’t wait to see what happens next.
– teacher feedback
Additional materials
OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS
- Learning Resources from the Peterloo1819 commemorative project which the graphic novel fed into. Onward links to YouTube videos and clips from films etc.
- People’s History Museum learning resources – with objects and images from their collection, some of which were adapted into the graphic novel.
INTERPRETIVE TOOLS
- Ten minute video explainer of the backdrop and tragic unfolding of the events at St. Peter’s Fields (below).
- Documents and information about the government’s response to the protest at the National Archives online.
- Peterloo Witness Project which transcribed evidence from the trials.
TEACHING IDEAS
- Online article and accompanying resources by Jen Turner and Arthur Chapman, ‘Helping Year 8 to Understand Historians’ Narrative Decision-Making’ in Teaching History (April, 2023) – see additional resources for a three-lesson enquiry for Year 8 students
- Year 5/6 Scheme of Work by Alison Mansell on “Why should we remember Peterloo?”
INTERVIEWS & PODCASTS
- Interview with Mike Leigh and Jacqueline Riding about the film Peterloo (2018) for the Historical Association.
The Peterloo Massacre in Summary
