Editing Gordon Riots (section)

==Riots==

===March on Parliament===
On 2 June 1780 a huge crowd, estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 strong, assembled and marched on the Houses of Parliament. Many carried flags and banners proclaiming "[[Popery|No Popery]]", and most wore blue [[cockade]]s which had become the symbol of their movement. As they marched, their numbers swelled. They attempted to force their way into the House of Commons, but without success. Gordon, petition in hand, and wearing in his hat the blue cockade of the Protestant Association, entered the Commons and presented the petition. Outside, the situation quickly got out of hand and a riot erupted. Members of the [[House of Lords]] were attacked as they arrived, and a number of carriages were vandalised and destroyed.<ref>Hibbert pp. 47–53</ref>

Despite being aware of the possibility of trouble, the authorities had failed to take steps to prevent violence breaking out. The Prime Minister, Lord North, had forgotten to issue an order mobilising the small number of [[Constables]] in the area. Those that were present in the House of Commons were not strong enough to take on the angry mob. Eventually a detachment of soldiers was summoned, and they dispersed the crowd without violence. Inside the House of Commons, the petition was overwhelmingly dismissed by a vote of 192 to 6.<ref>Hibbert p. 56</ref>

===Embassies attacked===
Once the mob around Parliament had dispersed, it seemed to the government that the worst of the disorder was over. However, the same night a crowd gathered and attacked the Roman Catholic [[Sardinian Embassy Chapel]] in [[Lincoln's Inn Fields]].<ref>{{cite book
|editor1=Riley, W. Edward |editor2=Gomme, Laurence |chapter=Lincoln's Inn Fields: The Church of SS. Anselm and Cecilia
|title=Survey of London, volume 3: St Giles-in-the-Fields, pt I: Lincoln's Inn Fields
|publisher=Institute of Historical Research
|year=1912
|pages=81–84
|chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74157
|access-date=16 February 2013}}</ref> [[Bow Street Runners]] and soldiers were called out and made thirteen arrests, although most of the [[Leadership|ringleaders]] had managed to escape. The same night [[Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory|the chapel]] of the [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavarian]] Embassy in Warwick Street, [[Soho]], was destroyed<ref>{{cite book
 |title=The London Encyclopedia
 |first1=Christopher
 |last1=Hibbert
 |first2=Ben
 |last2=Weinreb
 |first3=John
 |last3=Keay
 |first4=Julia
 |last4=Keay
 |year=2010
 |edition=reprint, 3rd
 |publisher=Pan Macmillan
 |page=170
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sAA9olZqPSMC&pg=PA170
 |isbn=9781405049252}}</ref> and crowds caused random violence in streets known to house rich Catholics.<ref name="Church of the Assumption">{{cite web |last1=Bruton |first1=J. Makali |title=Church of the Assumption |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=211951 |website=The Historical Marker Database |publisher=J.J. Prats |access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>

===Moorfields===
[[File:Rocque e1 MoorgateCrop.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Map of [[London Wall]], [[Moorgate]], Moorfields and [[Bethlem Royal Hospital]] from [[John Rocque's Map of London, 1746|John Rocque's Map of London, dated 1746]].]]
The area of [[Moorfields]], one of the poorest parts of the city, was the home of many Irish immigrant workers and had a large area of open ground where crowds could assemble. Despite the appeal of a prominent Irish merchant, James Malo, to the [[Lord Mayor of London|Lord Mayor]], [[Brackley Kennett]], no additional protection was offered to the area. During 3 June a crowd had gathered in Moorfields, and by nightfall it began to go on the rampage. Malo's house was amongst the many to be sacked and burned.<ref>Hibbert pp. 66–71</ref>

[[Newgate Prison]], where rioters arrested on 2 June were being held, was attacked and largely destroyed, as was [[The Clink]].<ref>{{Cite web | title = Southwark – Winchester House and Barclay's Brewery | work=British History Online | access-date = 2009-07-25 | url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45264 }}</ref> This allowed large numbers of prisoners to escape, many of whom were never recaptured. Severe destruction was inflicted on Catholic churches and homes and chapels on the grounds of several embassies, as well as on [[New Prison]], [[Fleet Prison]], and the house of the Lord Chief Justice, [[William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield]], including the destruction of the house's library.<ref name="a836">{{cite book | last=Devine | first=Tom M. | last2=Young | first2=John R. | title=Eighteenth Century Scotland | publisher=Birlinn Ltd | date=2022-01-06 | isbn=978-1-78885-553-2}}</ref> On 7 June, called "Black Wednesday" by [[Horace Walpole]], the riot reached its climax. An attempt on the Bank of England was narrowly averted when a combination of the London Military Association and regular troops repulsed rioters, resulting in heavy casualties.<ref>George Rudé, "The Gordon Riots: A Study of the Rioters and Their Victims: The Alexander Prize Essay," ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' Vol. 6 (1956), pp. 97–98</ref>

===Army repression===
[[File:The Gordon Riots by John Seymour Lucas.jpg|thumb|''[[The Gordon Riots]]'' by [[John Seymour Lucas]], 1879. Soldiers are shown deployed to confront the rioters.]]
The army was called out on 7 June and given orders to fire upon groups of four or more who refused to disperse. About 285 people were shot dead, with another 200 wounded. Around 450 of the rioters were arrested. Of those arrested, about twenty or thirty were later tried and executed. Gordon was arrested and charged with high treason but was acquitted. Brackley Kennett, the Lord Mayor, was convicted of [[criminal negligence]] for not reading out the [[Riot Act]] and was given a £1,000 fine.<ref>Babington p. 27</ref> The military units which dealt with the rioters included the [[Household Cavalry|Horse Guards]], [[foot guards#United Kingdom|Foot Guards]], [[Inns of Court Regiment|Inns of Court Yeomanry]], the [[Honourable Artillery Company]], line infantry including the [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)|2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment]], and militia from the city and neighbouring counties.<ref>Philip Mansel, pp. 126–127, ''Pillars of Monarchy'', {{ISBN|0-7043-2424-5}}</ref> The defence of the Bank of England was conducted by the [[9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot|9th Regiment of Foot]] under the command of [[Thomas Twisleton, 13th Baron Saye and Sele]].