 The government declared its support for the actions taken by the magistrates and the army . The Manchester magistrates held a supposedly public meeting on 19 August , so that resolutions supporting the action they had taken three days before could be published . Cotton merchants Archibald Prentice ( later editor of The Manchester Times ) and Absalom Watkin ( a later corn @-@ law reformer ) , both members of the Little Circle , organised a petition of protest against the violence at St Peter 's Field and the validity of the magistrate 's meeting . Within a few days it had collected 4 @,@ 800 signatures . Nevertheless , the Home Secretary , Lord Sidmouth , on 27 August conveyed to the magistrates the thanks of the Prince Regent for their action in the " preservation of the public peace " . That public exoneration was met with fierce anger and criticism . During a debate at Hopkins Street Robert Wedderburn declared " The Prince is a fool with his Wonderful letters of thanks ... What is the Prince Regent or King to us , we want no King – he is no use to us . " In an open letter , Richard Carlile said : 
