Gordon Riots 1780

Two interesting letters from the period.

Lincoln Inn Fields, London, June 3rd 1780 – Least my dear friends at Peel should be under any apprehension for us, on account of this mob, I will write to day to tell you we neither suffered fright nor danger by it, though they were very noisy all night, and there still is a continual crowd about the Sardinian Ambassador’s. I do believe there were very many thousands of people assembled yesterday in St. George’s fields, who afterwards went to Westminster Hall, but did no sort of harm there further than crowding the Hall and making it hot, and sometimes shouting at the people they did not like as they passed. Lord George Gordon was seen by Mr. Leycester haranguing the crowd, with his hat off, for a considerable time, and misleading an unruly ignorant set of people in St. George’s fields. He afterwards came to them out of the House of Commons, and said he could get no answer as to the repeal of the Roman Catholic Act, and advised them to attend every day in a body, till their petition was granted. They then vowed they would destroy all the Roman Catholic chapels, and, as it was a very hot day, took care to get drunk in good time, and as soon as it was dark, began to attack our neighbourhood, though till we went to bed, at eleven, they seemed not to do any mischief.