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Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we remember a dark and defining moment in the long struggle for political reform in Scotland—the Greenock Massacre, which occurred on April 8th, 1820. It was a day that would etch itself into the collective memory of a nation striving for justice, and a flashpoint in the movement that came to be known as the Radical War.

To understand what happened that day in Greenock, we need to set the stage. The year was 1820, and Scotland was simmering with discontent. Decades of economic hardship had left working-class communities struggling to survive. The Napoleonic Wars were over, but soldiers returning home found few jobs, and industrialization had disrupted traditional livelihoods. Wages were low, food prices high, and conditions in factories and mills were often brutal. But more than that, the people—especially in places like Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock—were fed up with having no say in the government that ruled them.

At the heart of the unrest was a growing radical movement. These were not just rebels or dreamers—they were skilled workers, weavers, artisans, and thinkers who believed in reform. Inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and the American War of Independence, Scottish Radicals called for universal male suffrage, parliamentary reform, and better working conditions. Peaceful protests and petitions had been ignored, so more desperate measures began to surface.

In early April 1820, the so-called “Radical War” erupted. There were strikes, rumors of insurrection, and skirmishes across the Central Belt. The government, fearing a full-blown revolution, responded with brutal force. On April 8th, five Radical prisoners were being escorted from Paisley to the jail in Greenock. These men were believed to be organizers or sympathizers in the uprising and had become symbols of the wider struggle.

But as the small convoy reached the heart of Greenock, they were met by an angry crowd. Hundreds of townspeople, outraged by the government's crackdown and determined to rescue their fellow citizens, gathered in protest. Tensions escalated rapidly. The Port Glasgow Militia, charged with guarding the prisoners, found themselves surrounded.

What happened next was both chaotic and tragic.

The militia, likely young and inexperienced, panicked. They opened fire into the crowd without warning. In the space of a few minutes, eight people were killed and at least ten others were wounded—most of them unarmed civilians. The dead included men, women, and even a child, all caught in the crossfire of a moment that spiraled out of control.

But Greenock wasn’t done yet. In the aftermath of the shooting, the crowd, furious and grief-stricken, surged forward. They stormed the jail and successfully freed the prisoners. It was an act of defiance that sent shockwaves across Scotland—and to the authorities in London. The message was clear: the people were no longer afraid to stand up for their rights, even at the cost of their lives.

The massacre marked a turning point in the Radical War. Although the broader uprising was eventually suppressed—leaders arrested, some executed, others transported to penal colonies—the Greenock Massacre remained a potent symbol of the cost of resistance and the power of collective action. Over time, the events of April 1820 helped lay the foundation for future reforms. Slowly but surely, political change did come to Scotland, driven in no small part by the sacrifices of those who had stood their ground in towns like Greenock.

Today, there's little to mark the site of the massacre—no grand monument or elaborate memorial. But the memory lives on, passed down through generations, whispered in family histories, and written into the conscience of a nation that never stopped pushing for justice.

Thank you for joining me on This Day in Scottish History. I hope this story of courage, sorrow, and resilience has shed some light on Scotland’s rich and often turbulent past. For more tales from the annals of Scottish history, be sure to check out my blog at bagtownclans.com/thisday. Until next time, I’m Colin MacDonald—Haste Ye Back!

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