" Moonraker " is a nickname sometimes given to people from the town ( and other places ; see Moonrakers ) . Middleton has been the birthplace and home to notable people , of national and international acclaim . Amongst the most notable persons of historic significance from the town include Thomas Langley ( born in Middleton in 1363 ) who served as Bishop of Durham , Cardinal of the Catholic Church , Lord Chancellor of England , and as England 's first '' de facto '' Foreign Secretary . Samuel Bamford was a radical writer and politician . He led the Middleton contingent to the meeting at St. Peter 's Fields in August 1819 , pressing for parliamentary reform , which ended in the Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Middleton, Greater Manchester