David to follow in footsteps of weaver rebels
ONE man and his dog will tread in the footsteps of 19th century oppressed workers in a commemorative trek raising funds for a food bank.
Dr David Scott and faithful Flossy will set out on the five-day walk later this month, which aims to pay homage to the 1826 Weavers Uprising in Rossendale and Ramsbottom, which culminated in the Chatterton Massacre.
The inaugural ‘weavers uprising remembrance walk’ will be representative of the route taken by the starving handloom weavers during the four-day riots in April of that year, and will be up to 50 miles in total.
David is raising money for Ramsbottom Pantry, as well as boosting awareness of the bicentennial in April 2026 – which has seen community members and local historians form a remembrance committee, to be formally launched on the first day of the walk.
Between April 24 and 27, 1826, thousands of weavers walked from town to town across the West Pennines and Rossendale with the aim of deliberately destroying as many power looms as possible in the east Lancashire cotton mills.
This destruction was part of a co-ordinated and symbolic action to raise political awareness of their extreme poverty, and the absence of any government intervention to protect their wellbeing.
David and Flossy will be completing the route in five stages – with a bit of help from their friends along the way – starting in Whinney Hill, near Accrington as the rioters did – and ending near Broad Clough after entering Bacup on Day 5.
The third day will see members of the South Pennine Archaeology Group link up with David and Flossy near Dearden Clough at 11am for the next leg to Chatterton Peace Act.
This part of the walk will include a reading of the Riot Act by Barbara Smith, chair of SPAG, who will be portraying the role of magistrate William Grant.
David said: “Many hundreds of power looms were destroyed over four days in April 26.
“Six people were killed and many others wounded by soldiers at the Aitkens and Lord Mill at Chatterton, including two people who were observers, after soldiers fired over 600 bullets into a crowd of approximately 3,000 people.
“The number who died later of their wounds remains unknown, but a seventh protestor died on September 26, 1826 due to a ‘visitation of God’ (a heart attack) brought on after receiving a death sentence.”
The remembrance committee will aim to lobby
local councils and MPs, work with local heritage groups and museums to advocate and organise commemorative events over the next four years.
The remembrance walk is the first such event and will include the laying of a wreath in Chatterton at noon on Tuesday, April 26 as part of the act of remembrance of all those who died. Further details can be found at the twitter page @
uprisingweavers.
Ramsbottom Pantry is a volunteer-run organisation established by Beverly Bramwell to support people in the Rossendale area experiencing food poverty.
The pantry is completely donation driven and relies on the generosity of the local community to help those who need it.
David added: “In a time of increased demands for the right to food and the
ever-deepening cost of living crisis in UK, it seems more important than ever to recognise the suffering of the east Lancashire weavers nearly 200 years ago and to provide support for local people struggling with food poverty today through organisations like Ramsbottom Pantry.”
●●TO donate visit gofundme.com and search for ‘Ramsbottom Pantry food bank’.