Wordsworth’s Sites of Massacre

Keynote one-hour paper on Wordsworth's sites of massacre at Wordsworth Conference Foundation, Rydal Hall. This talk is about how Wordsworth was drawn to places where massacres took place. From imagining ancient Briton's warring on Sarum's Plain, Wordsworth went on to visit sites of massacre in Paris, Waterloo and Manchester at St. Peter’s Field, where 200 years ago next Friday 18 people were killed on the day and over 650 were injured at what became known as the Peterloo Massacre. My talk will concentrate on Wordsworth’s visits to these sites, his responses to them and will examine why Wordsworth chose to go on these pilgrimages and what he might have gained from them. The question which drives this talk is what drew the poet to places 'where the dust/ Was laid with tears.'