ABSTRACT
Weapons were handed round and eagerly examined. There were spring daggers and knives and sticks loaded with lead. The ‘Maceroni pike’ was about six feet long and hinged in the middle for easy carriage. When the pike was extended a metal sleeve slid over the hinge to increase stability. At an age of unsophisticated pleasure an open air meeting attracted many who looked forward to a sort of show in the company of others, working-class folk who cared little for politics or punctuality. The people momentarily appeared to waver and be on the point of breaking when a man in a frock coat, more respectable than the rest of those present, pointed dramatically to the banner.
