 By the beginning of 1819 pressure generated by poor economic conditions was at its peak and had enhanced the appeal of political radicalism among the cotton loom weavers of south Lancashire . In January 1819 , a crowd of about 10 @,@ 000 gathered at St Peter 's Fields to hear the radical orator Henry Hunt and called on the Prince Regent to choose ministers who would repeal the Corn Laws . The meeting , conducted in the presence of the cavalry , passed off without incident . 
