Easton Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Easton Massacre was an incident in which the British
armed forces
shot and killed three citizens of Easton, Dorset
during an attempt to press
male members of the town into service. April 1, 1803 saw the first of several landings carried out by the frigate
Eagle, commanded by George Wolfe to capture men and press them into the armed forces. One man was carried back to the Eagle but was found exempt and released.
The next day, April 2 a larger force landed and impressed 2 men. Holding them prisoner, the landing force continued to Easton Square where they were met by a large group of citizens who had received warning of the press gangs and had gathered to stop them. When Robert Bennett was taken and the crowd attempted a rescue, the captain fired on them. The marines under his command also opened fire and after the shooting stopped 3 people had been killed. The dead were Alexander Andrews, Richard Flann and William Lano, and in addition there were two wounded, one of which, Mary Way, later died of her wounds.
Soon after, the force returned to their ship with no additional prisoners.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
shot and killed three citizens of Easton, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
during an attempt to press
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
male members of the town into service. April 1, 1803 saw the first of several landings carried out by the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Eagle, commanded by George Wolfe to capture men and press them into the armed forces. One man was carried back to the Eagle but was found exempt and released.
The next day, April 2 a larger force landed and impressed 2 men. Holding them prisoner, the landing force continued to Easton Square where they were met by a large group of citizens who had received warning of the press gangs and had gathered to stop them. When Robert Bennett was taken and the crowd attempted a rescue, the captain fired on them. The marines under his command also opened fire and after the shooting stopped 3 people had been killed. The dead were Alexander Andrews, Richard Flann and William Lano, and in addition there were two wounded, one of which, Mary Way, later died of her wounds.
Soon after, the force returned to their ship with no additional prisoners.