Hugh Hornby Birley was a leading Manchester Tory who is reputed to have led the fatal charge of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry at the Peterloo Massacre on 16 August 1819.
Career
He was also instrumental in founding the Royal Victoria Gallery of Practical Science in 1839. He was associated with the Royal Manchester Institution and a moving force in the establishment of Owens College. Hugh Hornby Birley was buried in the family vault in Saint Peter"s Church, Manchester.
Membership
Hugh"s brother, Joseph Birley (1782–1847), was the father of Hugh Birley who served as Member of Parliament for Manchester from 1868 to 1883.
