Article

The Stockport ( Cheshire ) Anti Irish riots 1852

The Stockport Riots of June 1852 made national and international news and were based on racism and religious bigotry.

I have looked at old newspaper articles to gather evidence about the Stockport riots of 1852. Trouble started when famine starved Irish families had come to Stockport looking for work in the mills. This hard work was resented by the local community as taking English jobs and wooing and marrying English women. At this time, religious processions which used icons or clergymen in vestments were banned. But each year, the Irish community held a legal procession for the children in the three local Catholic schools. It complied with the law and had no Catholic symbols, icons or clergy in vestments. The procession was therefore a legal one. ... is that the spark that fanned the flame... or was it waiting to happen?

This lovely church replaced the one destroyed by anti Catholic protesters .

Stockport's position53.47459881049975, -2.364501953125
Stockport near Manchester53.47459881049975, -2.364501953125

The Sunday before the riots, the 17th annual catholic procession had taken place with the usual attacks on the children by the local community. The next day, the local Protestant Association held a procession carrying an effigy of a priest and anti -catholic placards. A report about the riots in The Freeman's Journal July 3rd 1852 found that the children's procession was not the cause of the riots but that it had started as an attack on Irishmen in the Bishop Blaise pub the evening before.

The Glasgow Herald of July 2nd 1852 however recorded that, a young Englishman shouted abuse at the Catholic priest watching the Catholic procession and when this young man went into the Bishop Blaise pub the following night he was a 'marked man.' This was it seems the start of the riot but it seems that the town was a powder keg waiting to ignite. The local community were ready to attack and the Irish were ready to protect themselves. Many buildings were destroyed, as were Irish homes on Rock Row. Catholic churches were looted and destroyed.

There would appear to be many causes; poor social conditions, racist Anti-Irish feelings, employment problems, political agitation, fear, alcohol and an ignorant misunderstanding of what constitutes a legal procession.

The Stockport rioters marched on the Catholic chapel at Edgeley determined to kill the Catholic Canon Randolph Frith who was hiding with protestant friends in the town. The house and the chapel were totally destroyed. The rioters stole alcohol and then set off to burn down St Michael's Catholic chapel, nearby. The military were called and The Riot Act was read. The Irish community had to leave their homes in Rock Row and camp out in the open in Crookley Woods nearby for safety and then worshipped in the ruins of their Catholic Chapel. The Church registers up to this time were destroyed.

Investigations by The Daily News in 1852 found that there was no provocation by the Catholics. The procession held no sectarian symbols and was "an expression of justifiable pride of the Catholics in the tidy and intelligent appearance of their children attending the schools". It was a display which in a free and enlightened state, all have a right to make.

The Derby Mercury reported the trials. Stockport men received the largest sentences for incitement and attacks on Catholic chapels receiving between 18 months and two years hard labour between them. Irish men involved were given sentences of between 2 months and 15 months hard labour for their role.

The Freeman's Journal in July 1852 reported that Canon Randolph Frith arrived in Dublin in 1852 appealing for funds to help to rebuild the church. With his fundraising energy, in less than 12 months, the canon had restored St Philip and St James. It is now called Our Lady and The Apostles and stands proudly in Stockport.

Updated October 28, 2015

Comments

VeronicaJun 22, 2024

Spellings in Britain were only standardised in the mid 20th C

DerdriuMarrinerJun 6, 2024

Thank you for your comment below in answer to my same-day observation and question.

It's disappointing that Crookley woods is no more.

Why is it that its remnant carriageway is name-changed to Crookily Way (instead of Crookley Way)?

VeronicaJun 16, 2018

Great questions.
The Irish couldn't afford to be owners. They were tenants.
Crookley woods is now built over and industrialised and all that remains of it is a duel carriageway called Crookily Way.

The riots are forgotten. I think they should be remembered.

DerdriuMarrinerJun 16, 2018

Veronica, Thank you for memorializing the tragedy. Are the Stockport riots still remembered? Is Crookley Woods still in existence? Were the Irish owners or tenants in Rock Row?

frankbeswickMar 4, 2016

While we have little day to day control over politicians, we hold them to account at elections.

VeronicaMar 4, 2016

but WE won't be doing that. People talk about us in UK ruling OURSELVES away from Europe, "WE will govern ourselves" . NO we won't ; the politicians will still be doing it ; we won't .

frankbeswickMar 3, 2016

There are several depressed towns around Greater Manchester, roll on the devolution of responsibility to the Greater Manchester region, which will enable us to unleash our own energies to solve our own problems.

VeronicaMar 3, 2016

I didn't know that. Ty. But then , sadly, Stockport is quite a depressed little town now.

arthurchappellMar 3, 2016

The Bishop Blaize only closed quite recently

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

Thanks to all for the debate and comments. They have evolved beautifully into a very interesting discussion.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

You are right. Language may certainly have been an issue in the case highlighted by BSG.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

I think racism stems from fear.

You make an excellent point. There was no need for there to be three churches but the people felt less threatened as immigrants having their own church and it as not for religious reasons.

Great comment . ty for posting .

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

I hope the management did something about it.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

They are also ugly , so there ya go !

frankbeswickOct 1, 2015

To some extent the language of sermons might have been an issue, as it was with Welsh chapels in the nineteenth century, but you are right, that was not a religious difference. However, while tensions between groups were rare, they did occur and that led to the schism of some Polish Catholics after the mainstream church, which they believed was dominated by the Irish, tried to obtain control over the Poles' money, which was plentiful. The schism is now almost over, after the election of John Paul had a beneficial influence on the resolution of the dispute.

blackspanielgalleryOct 1, 2015

These things remind me of where I grew up. We had no violence between the groups, but we did have a Catholic church in the middle of a city block, and across the street was the rectory. The rectory was also right behind another Catholic church, which faced a cross street. Why two Catholic churches about a hundred feet apart? One was attended by those of Irish descent, the other by the German population. There was also a nearby chapel for the French. Obviously this was not a religious difference.

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

While I overlooked the racist comment "potato" one that I did not overlook was once when during a class I quoted an Irish proverb and one girl, shouted "Irish b******d. That was a disciplinary matter, and I reported her to the management for racist abuse. From discussions with her I suspected she had far right affiliation

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

I was once affectionately described by one of my niece's friends as a large, lovable leprachaun. I did not take it as an insult. I am of medium/slightly short height, but I am told that I Iook Irish. Leprachauns have a crock of gold, so where is it?

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

I've been called leprechaun for years ; it's racist and heightist. I just let it go over my head.

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

While I agree that the riots were largely motivated by religion and race, I think that less violent animosity has been associated with class as well. It was a poison brew of various nasty elements, mixed in different proportions in different people. I remember a classroom once when I mentioned the word Irish and an Asian lad called out "potato." Nothing religious in that, it was pure cultural animosity. I pointed out that my wife is Irish heritage and so I was racially offended. He looked sheepish and apologized.

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

I am proud of my Irish heritage but many aren't and weren't in the past.

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

Most of the people in Belfast want peace. they are lovely people but there are always people who thrive on disruption and violence.

The Stockport anti-Irish riots were largely religious and racist related.

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

In England anti-Irish feeling has had a complex pattern. It was linked to Protestantism, as the Irish were Catholic. But there was always a class element to it, for the middle class were aware that Irish were often poor and were certainly out of the status system in Britain, and so they did not want to associate themselves with the Irish,often denied having Irish blood and were generally not sympathetic to the Irish. But in recent years anti-Irish feeling as faded. It is partly to do with the effective ending of English people's sense of being a Protestant nation, and also the fact that many of us have Irish blood, so we cannot deny our ethnic kinship with the Irish.

blackspanielgallerySep 30, 2015

I can still remember reading of riots in Northern Ireland just a few decades ago, so there has recently been ill will. I doubt this had a common cause, since the more recent problems were with an attempt to reunite Ireland, and this was well withing England.

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

No. You know that I am no pacifist. Any male who grew up in Wythenshawe must know how to fight

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

...is there not ? ...

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

What's to be afraid of. There is nothing wrong in fighting back.

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

Yes I am afraid the Irish were all too willing to fight back. !

My son was married at that church , the rebuild of the burned down one !

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

It is the same today. I once taught an aggressive young man with extreme right tendencies who used to enjoy going to the annual [Irish] Manchester Martyrs march to throw bricks at the Fenians. Of course, the Fenians thoroughly enjoyed throwing bricks back.

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

That would be a great idea Frank but now the school year has started I am severely limited for time .

I personally think the anti Irish riots were often purely for a good punch-up to be honest as opposed to anything else.

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

Britain had occasional anti-Irish riots, whose motive was a mixture of race and religion and often economic pressures.

Veronica, why don't you do something on the Murphy riots, which affected Gorton Monastery and St Anne's at Fairfield?

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

Yes indeed. Family tree searchers can find no catholic registers about Stockport baptisms, marriages, deaths because they were destroyed in the anti-irish riots. Things don't change much do they. Immigrants weren't welcomed then and not now either. Sadly.

MiraSep 29, 2015

I didn't know of any riots in the UK directed at the Irish. This was interesting, and rather major, since they destroyed the church and church registers!

Comments

VeronicaJun 22, 2024

Spellings in Britain were only standardised in the mid 20th C

DerdriuMarrinerJun 6, 2024

VeronicaJun 16, 2018

DerdriuMarrinerJun 16, 2018

Veronica, Thank you for memorializing the tragedy. Are the Stockport riots still remembered? Is Crookley Woods still in existence? Were the Irish owners or tenants in Rock Row?

frankbeswickMar 4, 2016

While we have little day to day control over politicians, we hold them to account at elections.

VeronicaMar 4, 2016

but WE won't be doing that. People talk about us in UK ruling OURSELVES away from Europe, "WE will govern ourselves" . NO we won't ; the politicians will still be doing it ; we won't .

frankbeswickMar 3, 2016

VeronicaMar 3, 2016

I didn't know that. Ty. But then , sadly, Stockport is quite a depressed little town now.

arthurchappellMar 3, 2016

The Bishop Blaize only closed quite recently

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

Thanks to all for the debate and comments. They have evolved beautifully into a very interesting discussion.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

You are right. Language may certainly have been an issue in the case highlighted by BSG.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

I hope the management did something about it.

VeronicaOct 1, 2015

They are also ugly , so there ya go !

frankbeswickOct 1, 2015

blackspanielgalleryOct 1, 2015

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

I've been called leprechaun for years ; it's racist and heightist. I just let it go over my head.

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

I am proud of my Irish heritage but many aren't and weren't in the past.

VeronicaSep 30, 2015

frankbeswickSep 30, 2015

blackspanielgallerySep 30, 2015

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

No. You know that I am no pacifist. Any male who grew up in Wythenshawe must know how to fight

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

...is there not ? ...

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

What's to be afraid of. There is nothing wrong in fighting back.

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

Yes I am afraid the Irish were all too willing to fight back. !

My son was married at that church , the rebuild of the burned down one !

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

frankbeswickSep 29, 2015

VeronicaSep 29, 2015

MiraSep 29, 2015

I didn't know of any riots in the UK directed at the Irish. This was interesting, and rather major, since they destroyed the church and church registers!