 The crowd that gathered in St Peter 's Field arrived in disciplined and organised contingents . Each village or chapelry was given a time and a place to meet , from where its members were to proceed to assembly points in the larger towns or townships , and from there on to Manchester . Contingents were sent from all around the region , the largest and " best dressed " of which was a group of 10 @,@ 000 who had travelled from Oldham Green , comprising people from Oldham , Royton ( which included a sizable female section ) , Crompton , Lees , Saddleworth and Mossley . Other sizable contingents marched from Middleton and Rochdale ( 6 @,@ 000 strong ) and Stockport ( 1 @,@ 500 – 5 @,@ 000 strong ) . Reports of the size of the crowd at the meeting vary substantially . Contemporaries estimated it from 30 @,@ 000 to as many as 150 @,@ 000 ; modern estimates are 60 @,@ 000 – 80 @,@ 000 . Scholar Joyce Marlow describes the event as " The most numerous meeting that ever took place in Great Britain " and elaborates that the generally accepted figure of 60 @,@ 000 would have been six per cent of the population of Lancashire , or half the population of the immediate area around Manchester . 
