Editing Oldham (section)

=== Social history ===
[[File:MandK Industrial Revolution 1900.jpg|thumb|Workmen leaving [[Platt Brothers|Platt's Works]], Oldham, 1900]]
Oldham's [[social history]], like that of other former [[Parliamentary franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918|unenfranchised]] towns, is marked by politicised [[civil disturbance]]s, as well as events related to the [[Luddite]], [[Suffragette]] and other [[Labour movement]]s from the [[working class]]es.{{sfnp|Brownbill|1911|pp=92–108|ps=}}<ref name="Oldham Beyond" />  There has been a significant presence of "[[Friendly society|friendly societies]]".{{sfnp|Bateson|1949|p=|ps=}}<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.unionancestors.co.uk/AtoZ%20O.htm|publisher=unionancestors.co.uk|access-date=30 October 2007|title=Trade Union Ancestors; A to Z of trade unions&nbsp;– O|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114230113/http://www.unionancestors.co.uk/AtoZ%20O.htm|archive-date=14 November 2007}}</ref> It has been put that the people of Oldham became radical in politics in the early part of the 19th century, and movements suspected of [[sedition]] found patronage in the town.{{sfnp|Brownbill|1911|pp=92–108|ps=}} Oldham was frequently disturbed by bread and labour riots, facilitated by periods of scarcity and the disturbance of employment following the introduction of [[cotton-spinning machinery]].{{sfnp|Brownbill|1911|pp=92–108|ps=}}

On 20 April 1812, a "large crowd of riotous individuals" compelled local retailers to sell foods at a loss, whilst on the same day [[Luddites]] numbering in their thousands, many of whom were from Oldham, attacked a cotton mill in nearby [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]].{{sfnp|Butterworth|1981|p=|ps=}} On 16 August 1819, Oldham sent a contingent estimated at well above 10,000 to hear speakers in St Peter's Fields at Manchester discuss political reform;{{sfn|McPhillips|1977|p=23}} it was the largest contingent sent to Manchester.{{sfnp|Marlow|1969|p=120|ps=}} John Lees, a cotton operative and ex-soldier who had fought at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]], was one of the fifteen victims of the [[Peterloo Massacre]] which followed. The 'Oldham inquest' which proceeded the massacre was anxiously watched; the [[Court of King's Bench (England)|Court of King's Bench]], however, decided that the proceedings were irregular, and the jury were discharged without giving a verdict.{{sfnp|Brownbill|1911|pp=92–108|ps=}}

[[Annie Kenney]], born in nearby [[Springhead, Greater Manchester|Springhead]], and who worked in Oldham's cotton mills, was a notable member of the [[Suffragette]] movement credited with sparking off suffragette militancy when she heckled [[Winston Churchill]], and later (with [[Emmeline Pankhurst]]) the first [[Suffragist]] to be imprisoned. Oldham Women's Suffrage Society was established in 1910 with Margery Lees as president and quickly joined the Manchester and District Federation of the [[National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies]].{{sfnp|Crawford|2000|p=|ps=}} The [[Chartism|Chartist]] and [[History of the cooperative movement|Co-operative movements]] had strong support in the town, whilst many Oldhamers protested in support of the emancipation of [[Atlantic slave trade|slaves]].<ref name="Oldham Beyond" /> The [[Riot Act]] was read in [[1852 United Kingdom general election|1852 on election day]] following a mass public brawl over the [[Reform Act]],<ref name="OSD" /> and irregularities with parliamentary candidate nominations.{{sfnp|Bateson|1949|p=|ps=}}

For three days in late May 2001, Oldham became the centre of national and international media attention. Following high-profile [[Racism|race-related]] conflicts, and long-term underlying racial tensions between local [[White British]] against [[British Pakistani]] and [[British Bangladeshi]] communities, major riots broke out in the town. Occurring with particular intensity in the [[Glodwick]] and [[Coldhurst]] areas of the town, the [[2001 Oldham riots]] were the worst racially motivated riots in the United Kingdom for fifteen years prior, briefly eclipsing the sectarian violence in [[Northern Ireland]] in the media.<ref name="Ritchie">{{citation|author=Ritchie, David |url=http://www.oldhamir.org.uk/OIR%20Report.pdf |title=The Ritchie Report |publisher=oldhamir.org.uk |date=11 December 2001 |access-date=17 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007165542/http://www.oldhamir.org.uk/OIR%20Report.pdf |archive-date=7 October 2007 }}</ref> At least 20 people were injured in the riots, including 15 police officers, and 37 people were arrested. Similar riots took place in other towns in [[northern England]] over the following days and weeks. The 2001 riots prompted governmental and independent inquiries, which collectively agreed on community relations improvements and considerable regeneration schemes for the town.<ref name="Ritchie" /><ref name="Cantle">{{citation|url=http://www.oldham.gov.uk/cantle-review-final-report.pdf |publisher=[[University of Coventry]] |author=Cantle, Ted |title=Challenging Local Communities to Change Oldham |date=30 March 2006 |access-date=31 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128022214/http://www.oldham.gov.uk/cantle-review-final-report.pdf |archive-date=28 November 2007 }}</ref>  There were further fears of riots after the death of Gavin Hopley in 2002.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2838221.stm Teenager 'died after gang attack'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326221957/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2838221.stm |date=26 March 2008 }}, BBC, 10 March 2003</ref><ref>
{{Cite web |url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/1584/gavin-deserves-better |title=HOPE not hate blog: Gavin deserves better<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912104430/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/1584/gavin-deserves-better |archive-date=12 September 2013 |url-status=dead  }} 
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