1842 petition.....  

In another time of depression, 1842, there was a second petition, claimed to have 3,750,000 signatures, including 10,000 from North Staffordshire, which was again rejected. 

Strikes and protest meetings were suppressed in many parts, though the events in the Potteries were "the most destructive riots, resulting in the largest number of prisoners being arrested, imprisoned and transported of all the disturbances in Britain throughout the Chartist period." (R Anderson & R Fyson, The Chartists &, Rioters).

But note that the start of the disturbances was a miners' strike against wage reductions from July 11th. The strike spread and had a serious effect on other industries. Contact was made with other areas and the miners saw their strike in a national context rather than just local. (Fyson) The political movement of Chartism was developing its own strategy. There had been some hope of manufacturers like the Ridgways adopting the Charter in 1842; at the same time, Chartists were active in opposition to the new Poor Law. They also soon offered support to the striking miners and, of course, some miners were Chartists.

When North Staffordshire was experiencing a severe crisis of depression, strike and political action, news arrived that at Manchester the Trades Conference there had called for a general strike for the Charter and asked other towns to do the same. On Monday 15th August, 1842, Chartists and miners combined declared that "all labour cease until the People's Charter becomes the law of the land." This was followed by turning out those at work in the potteries and pits in and around Hanley and an increasingly inflamed situation...

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