In the 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 from Accrington on the five-day walk later this month, which aims to pay homage to the 1826 Weavers Uprising, 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 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 with the aim of deliberately destroying as many power
looms as possible in the east Lancashire cotton mills.
This destruction was part of a coordinated 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 - along 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.
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.
“Between April 1826 and March 1827, many east Lancashire weavers and members of their families died - ostensibly of starvation - including very large numbers of young children.”
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. Further details can be found at the twitter page @ uprisingweavers
David’s sponsorship will raise funds for Ramsbottom Pantry.
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’.