Mary Fildes

Mary Fildes
Mary Fildes holding the Reform Society Flag at the Peterloo massacre published by Richard Carlile
Born	Mary Pritchard 1789 (1789) Cork, Ireland, United Kingdom
Died	1876 (aged 86–87) United Kingdom
Occupation	Suffragette, political activist
Known for	President of The Manchester Female Reform Society
Spouse(s)	William Fildes
Children	Luke Fildes
Relatives	Luke Fildes (grandson)

Mary Fildes was a political activist and an early Suffragette she was the President of The Manchester Female Reform Society, she is recorded as one of the main protagonists at the infamous Peterloo massacre 1819, she is also the paternal grandmother of Luke Fildes.

Born Mary Pritchard 1789 in Cork, Ireland, she married William Fildes, Reedmaker, 18 March 1808, Cheshire, England. They had eight children, James Fildes, father of Luke Fildes (1808) Samuel Fildes (1809) George FIldes (1810), Robert Fildes (1815) Sarah (1816). Thomas Paine Fildes (1818) Henry Hunt Fildes (1819) John Cartwright Fildes (1821)

Mary named her children after some of the famous political figures of the day: John Cartwright,Thomas Paine and Henry Hunt

In 1819 on 16 August, a vast orderly concourse of working men and women assembled on St. Peter's field around what's now St Peters Square on the then outskirts Manchester. Fildes along with other female activists including Elizabeth Gaunt & Sarah Hargreaves were to be placed on the platform or in Hunts carriage holding the flags and banners of the society's represented.

The magistrates fearing unrest and anarchy then gave orders to the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry. A number of the orderly concourse were killed and several hundred were seriously wounded. Mary Fildes was wounded severely while riding on the box sear of Henry Hunt's carriage. In the confusion of the massacre she tumbled off the carriage seat. Eye-witness account 'Mrs. Fildes hanging suspended by a nail on the platform of the carriage had caught her white dress. She was slashed across her exposed body by an officer of the cavalry'.

Reports claimed that the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry attempted to murder her while arresting the leaders of the demonstration. Although badly wounded Mary Fildes survived and continued her campaign for the vote.

The first victim of the massacre was two-year old William Fildes son of Charles & Ann Fildes of Kennedy Street. Ann claims to have been running errands to Cooper Street when she was knocked down by the approaching cavalry and William was thrown from her arms. Although at present no connection is made between Ann, William, and Mary, the closeness of Cooper Street to St Peters Fields indicates that Ann's husband Charles may have been related to Mary's husband William, who was known to have cousins in Manchester at the time. Therefore, Ann may have been in attendance to support her relative at the rally, creating an alternative story as for her reasons for being in the area.