After
the political riots in March, 1817, Magistrates in Manchester
decided to form the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry. Major
Thomas Trafford, was appointed commander of the Yeomanry. Hugh
Birley, a factory owner from Manchester, was given the rank of
captain and became Major Trafford's second-in-command. Over one hundred
and twenty men volunteered to serve in the Manchester & Salford
Yeomanry. The occupations of these men included shopkeepers, publicans,
watchmakers, insurance agents, tobacconists, farriers, horsebreakers
and brewers. Members of the Yeomanry tended to hold Tory
political opinions and had a deep hatred of Radicals.
Manchester and
Salford Yeomanry at Peterloo
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