The time of the French Revolutionary Wars ( 1793-1802 ) was comparatively prosperous for Lancashire workers as although technology had reduced the importance of some traditional jobs , overall there was plenty of work and wages were high . During the Napoleonic Wars ( 1803-1815 ) that closely followed , exports diminished but this did not cause great hardship locally . However the peace led to a period when prices remained high but wages continuously fell . Although Manchester and surrounding towns had been effected by the Luddite riots , it was not until 1818 that disturbances are recorded in Burnley . In September a Lancashire-wide strike of spinners and weavers saw large crowds on the streets and the magistrates called troops from Manchester to disperse them . A few days later a mob attacked the constable and " broke open " the prison to release those arrested . Alarmed by the situation , the local authorities in 1819 not only constructed a new prison , but took the decision to station troops in the town with temporary barracks established at Lane Bridge . A protest meeting in early August subsequently saw the only speaker arrested , whereas a similar one two weeks later in Manchester is remembered as the Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Burnley Barracks