Heritage Talk: Weaver's Uprising with Dr David Scott

Chatterton: Acknowledging The TruthOn the third day of the Lancashire Rising, 26th April, 1826, at least six people were shot dead at Aitkens Mill, Chatterton.

The known dead were James Lord, John Ashworth, James Rothwell, Richard Lund, Mary Simpson and James Waddicar.

Several others were seriously injured, and it remains unknown if anyone later died of their wounds.

This talk starts by detailing the findings of collaborative work undertaken by researchers at The Open University and The National Archives to bring to light and critically scrutinise archival evidence on the 1826 Chatterton Massacre.

After detailing several key eye witness testimonies, and other evidence from 1826 newspapers and parish records, the focus shifts to (1) the ways in which the indiscriminate killings at Chatterton were effectively hidden in plain sight and (2) the work that has been done in recent years towards the acknowledgement of state violence and establishing a dignified and respectful public memory of those who died.Dr David Gordon Scott works at The Open University.

He is founder and chair of the Weavers Uprising Bicentennial Committee, a registered charity formed in 2022 to facilitate the 200th Anniversary commemorations of the 1826 Lancashire Rising and Chatterton Massacre.

He has secured several grants from The Open University for collaborative archival research and the creation of new educational resources and was lead author of the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant supporting the bicentennial commemorations across Lancashire in 2026.Rise Up! Raising Awareness and Transforming Understandings of the 1826 Weavers Uprising