Background
The Wolverhampton by-election was held after the passageArrival of the troops
After the polling was completed for the first day, a mass of Anson's supporters surrounded Goodricke's campaign headquarters in the Swan Inn and threw some stones at the windows. The town magistrates, who considered the situation to be quickly getting out of hand, in part owing to the lack of sufficient police (there were a small number of untrained special constables on hand, who could or would dare do little in the face of the mob), called in a troop of the 1st Dragoons that had been stationed nearby, per an earlier request by the magistrates. Once the soldiers had arrived, the Riot Act was read by one of the magistrates and the soldiers almost immediately fired at the mob which had by now moved to the cemetery. Four people were shot. Later, the soldiers charged the crowd, dealing out blows with the flat sides of their swords.Controversy
A number of widely divergent accounts of the events were given and it seems impossible to fully reconcile them. The critics also alleged that instead of the customary one hour, only five minutes were given to the crowd to disperse after the reading of the Riot Act.Death of a soldier's horse
All sides agree that the proximate cause for the soldier's charge on firing and the crowd was the death of one of the soldiers' horses. However, the accounts substantially differ on what actually happened to the horse. According to one version, the horse was killed by a stone thrown by the mob - showing that the soldiers were provoked. According to another account, the soldiers first charged the crowd and the horse fell during the charge. A third version, offered in Parliament by ?? was that the horse was stabbed by a short knife, once again partially vindicating the soldiers' conduct. However, it is possible that the horse was accidentally stabbed by a sword drawn by one of the soldiers.Role of the soldiers
Another source of contention was the subsequent dispersal of the soldiers into small group of twos and threes. According to one position (voiced for example by Sir G. Hardinge), this was a highly irregular measure, as the soldiers were no longer under the control of the officers and could engage in wanton acts of cruelty. Others had alleged that this dispersal was necessary to patrol the town and to re-establish public order.Inquiry
Aftermath
Sir F. Goodricke actually won the election and sat for two years in Parliament (not standing for re-election in 1837). During that time he never rose to speak.Sources
* * * {{cite web , url=http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1835/jun/01/disturbance-at-wolverhampton , title=Disturbance at Wolverhampton , website=Commons and Lords Hansard, the Official Report of debates in Parliament , author=UK Parliament Riots and civil disorder in the West Midlands 1835 in England 1835 riots History of Wolverhampton 19th century in Staffordshire May 1835 events 1835 crimes in the United Kingdom