200 years ago, seven people were shot dead by soldiers at North Sands beach, Sunderland. Striking seafarers and other working-class protesters and bystanders were shot dead on this bloody day during the 1825 Seamen’s Strike. In this talk, I describe the context of the strike and the massacre, name those who died and talk about the bicentennial commemorations held in Sunderland in August 2026.

On the day before the massacre, attempts to negotiate a settlement collapsed, so striking seamen returned to the River Wear on their small coble boats to prevent larger ships from sailing. The shipowners then attempted to break the strike. On 3rd August 1825, under the leadership of local magistrate John Davison and Lieutenant Phillips, soldiers from the 3rd Light Dragoons themselves boarded boats to stop the strikers' disruption. The striking seamen on the river retreated to the stony beach at North Sands, where more than 100 people, including women and children, had gathered. Davison consulted with Lieutenant Phillips before giving the troops orders to open fire. Seven people died as a result of the shootings.