Commencement of the reign of King Mob--Sunday Trading Bill,
1855--Riots--Withdrawal of the Bill--Meetings about high price of
food, 1855--Rough play and window smashing.
This riot was accidental and unpremeditated. We now come to the reign of
King [Greek: dêmos] in the Park, and it began on Sunday, July 1, 1855,
in a demonstration against Lord Robert Grosvenor’s “Sunday Trading
Bill”--the following account of which is abridged from _The Times_ of
July 2, 1855.
“Three o’clock was the advertised time for the proceedings to begin,
and, notwithstanding that Sir Richard Mayne[50] had had placards posted
in the metropolis, announcing that the meeting would not be allowed to
take place, long before that hour Constitution Hill, and the walks in
St. James’s Park, were literally crowded by thousands, who were all
wending their way towards Hyde Park. By half-past two o’clock there must
have been nearly 150,000 men, women and children present. Many, judging
from their dress, were of the respectable class. The proceedings began
by the usual stump oratory, which continued for some time, until a cry
of ‘the Police’ being raised put an abrupt termination to it.
“About 30 or 40 policemen made their way towards the man, but he had
decamped, and a great number of men, finding that he was not allowed to
address them, commenced hissing and hooting at the police, and some
cried out, ‘Down with the Crushers!’ This gave rise to an extraordinary
scene of confusion. Some of the men commenced knocking the constables’
hats off, and, to protect themselves, the men were obliged to use their
truncheons with considerable force. Several carriages containing company
came in sight, when every one present commenced crying out, ‘Go to
church,’ and ‘Take your horses out.’ The police, finding that this
frightened the horses, commenced seizing those who uttered the
expressions. In return, the crowd laid hold of the officers, and
endeavoured to rescue their prisoners. Of course, this could not be
allowed, and the police were compelled to use their staves vigorously,
and with marked effect on the mob--but they kept their prisoners, and
sent them off to the police-station in cabs. One man, to escape capture,
plunged into the Serpentine, but had not got more than half across, when
he seemed likely to sink. He was rescued by an officer of the Royal
Humane Society, and duly was enrolled in the ranks of the captured. The
police were heavily reinforced, and the riot was put down--but not
before 104 rioters were lodged in the police cells, who were in time
dealt with by the magistrate.
“On the next day, Lord Robert Grosvenor withdrew the objectionable Bill;
but this did not satisfy the mob, who met again in Hyde Park on the
following Sunday, 8th July, but, finding no excitement there, they went
into Belgravia, and took to the pleasant pastime of window smashing,
the houses which suffered most being those of the Earl of Sefton, Duke
of Marlborough, Lady Somers, Count Kielmansegge, and the Archbishop of
York. Lord Palmerston, who was then Prime Minister, and Lord Brougham,
both had a narrow escape from stoning.”
This making Hyde Park a Cave of Adullam, was too great a novelty to be
let rest; so we find, that it being war time, and provisions somewhat
high, a meeting must needs be held to talk about the high price of
food--and one took place on Sunday, 14th October, 1855. _The Times_ of
next day says:--
“For many days past large placards have been posted on the hoardings
about London, deploring the present high price of bread, setting forth
possible causes and certain remedies for the evil, and calling on the
working men of the metropolis to meet in ‘Our Park’ on Sunday next
(yesterday) for the purpose of giving expression to their feelings on
the subject, and taking measures for bringing about a change in so sad a
state of affairs. Accordingly, yesterday, about 2 o’clock, great numbers
of persons were found wending their way towards the Park, where already
had assembled many, not of the best orders of society, and of those
itinerant gentry who ply their various callings on such occasions.
“Until 3 o’clock nothing of an unusual character occurred; but, shortly
after the hour named, a movement towards the centre of the Park gave
indication of something exciting, and a rush from all parts to the point
of attraction brought together, of a sudden, a crowd that continually
increased, until, at last, as many as 5000 persons must have assembled
together, the majority of them being of respectable appearance. All the
available men of the police force, and those who would have been,
otherwise, off duty for the day, were disposed about the Park, in case
their services should be required, but not the slightest interference in
the subsequent proceedings took place.
“Presently, two immense rings were formed, and a man of serious aspect,
with a profusion of hair about his face, made his way to one of the
spaces thus made, and addressed the people. He said he was a
hard-working man; that it was no vain desire for popularity that had
induced him to leave his large family on the Sabbath for the purpose of
meeting his fellows in Hyde Park; it was because he believed he had it
in his power to help his fellow-countrymen to a right understanding of
the purpose for which they had assembled together. After two of the most
plenteous harvests that ever blessed the earth, bread was at famine
prices. The war was set forth as the cause of this. There was plenty of
corn in Turkey, which could be imported at 20_s._ a quarter, and yet
Russian corn at 73_s._ a quarter was permitted to be brought over. The
speaker, who was said to be an eloquent carpenter, had proceeded in this
strain for upwards of an hour, when a counter-agitation seemed to be
rising within twenty yards of the crowd which had gathered around him.
“A baker by trade was endeavouring to defend the corn-factors and landed
proprietors, against whom his opponent had been inveighing; but the mob
was in no humour to listen to the ‘other side,’ and a cry of ‘Out with
him’ having been raised, the baker was pushed and dragged, and carried
off in the direction of the Marble Arch. Two or three gentlemen
interfered to defend the unfortunate man from the usage to which his
boldness had subjected him; but he did not escape even then, and he
would, undoubtedly, have received some rough treatment, had not a body
of police appeared to the rescue. The inspector on duty at that spot
evidently saw an admirable chance of giving a favourable turn to the
events of the day. Eight officers, surrounding the baker, trotted off
with him at a smart pace, followed by an immense number of persons,
among whom were those who appeared to be most bent on mischief; they ran
on, following the baker and his guard towards Apsley House and outside
the Park. Returning to the carpenter, whose audience had been
considerably thinned, he was found to be still holding forth; he
continued to speak and to declaim against ‘the powers that be,’ until
dusk, when he brought his harangue to a close.”
On the next Sunday, Oct. 21st, another meeting took place in the Park,
upon the same subject, when the same speaker congratulated his audience
on again exercising their now recognized privilege of meeting in “their
own Park.” Of course he wandered from his subject, and became violently
political. “He also propounded a plan of attaching the police to the
cause of the working classes, by appealing to them, as men and brothers,
through the intervention of tracts, adding that every citizen should be
a soldier, and every man a voter. He was winding up in a magniloquent
peroration, when a diversion in his immediate neighbourhood attracted
the attention of the greater portion of his audience towards a new
object. This was an unfortunate young man dressed in livery, apparently
an officer’s servant, whom a great crowd was chasing, hooting, and
pelting with turf. What umbrage he had given them--whether it was his
connection with a wealthy or an aristocratic master, as indicated by his
dress, or what else, it was difficult to ascertain. Some said he had
been circulating a tract among the crowd which was obnoxious to them;
others, that he was the servant of a nobleman equally obnoxious; but be
that as it may, he was followed and pelted without mercy for a
considerable distance. Being hotly pressed, he took refuge behind a
tree, but this availed him little, and he started afresh, but only to be
subjected to renewed ill-treatment. At last he took to his heels,
contrived to elude or outstrip his tormentors, and to get beyond their
reach.
“This incident over, the idler and more wanton part of the crowd amused
themselves by throwing tufts of grass and other missiles at a number of
police who had returned in front of the magazine guard-house, from
protecting the unfortunate footman. This continued for some little time,
and, at one time, looked threatening; but the policemen, who showed the
greatest forbearance under the annoyance, contrived to separate, and the
delinquents gradually became tired of the fun. Proceeding, after this,
in the direction of the Marble Arch, to a spot where a crowd had
collected, we found another orator holding forth in a style of rude
eloquence, which, both in its matter and manner, was not without its
attractions to many. He was relating the history of the appropriation of
land in this country, and, at the point when we came within reach of his
voice, he was telling how William the Conqueror parcelled out the
English territory among his followers. Another philanthropist, with a
brown-paper parcel under his arm, and somewhat advanced in life, was
advocating, in another part of the Park, the system of Communism as a
panacea for the high price of food and almost every other evil.”
Of the next meeting _The Times_ of October 29, 1855, says, “Yesterday
(Sunday) another unseemly assemblage of persons congregated in Hyde
Park, partly under the auspices, and at the bidding of a small knot of
individuals who, under the pretext of agitating for cheap bread, really
seek to disseminate political doctrines, which the people of this
country, including almost every class of them, have long since, and over
and over again, refused to endorse, and who, for the last few weeks,
have converted a place to which thousands of the inhabitants of this
metropolis, of all ranks, were accustomed to resort for agreeable and
healthy recreation, into the rendezvous of a mob. It is however,
satisfactory to be able to add, on the assurance of those persons
themselves, given yesterday, and in the course of the week, that this is
to be the last of the gatherings, as far as they are concerned.” The mob
wound up their day’s amusement by smashing windows at the West End, the
value of the glass broken in Curzon Street alone being over £150.
Of course, the promise that the meeting of 28th October was to be the
last was not kept, and another, and, if possible, more disgraceful riot
took place on Sunday, November 4. Commenting upon it, _The Times_ of
next day observes:--
“Yesterday, from about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, till about nightfall,
Hyde Park was the scene of one continual riot, of a disgraceful and
intolerable description; and not the less so, perhaps, because it was
not accompanied by any serious injury to property, nor any loss of
life--results with which the mind is apt to connect great popular
tumults--though in many instances it was attended with the commission of
personal violence on a number of unoffending persons. It is a naked,
incontrovertible fact, let it bear what interpretation it may, and with
whomsoever the blame may rest, that a place set apart for the recreation
of the people of all ranks and classes, without distinction, was,
yesterday (a Sunday), almost wholly surrendered to a lawless, ruffianly
mob, without anything like an organized attempt to suppress the tumult
to which they gave themselves up, or to prevent the violence they were
ever ready to inflict, although some creditable, but isolated, and not
always successful efforts were certainly made by individual members of
the police force, at the inevitable risk of great violence to
themselves, to secure the most conspicuous of the ringleaders.
“And who were the persons, and what was their character, by whom this
reckless and unprovoked attack was made to disturb the public peace? No
section of the middle--still less of the upper class of inhabitants;
none of the community of artisans; nobody having a just, or well-defined
grievance to complain of--none even, perhaps, of the parties by whom
these Sunday gatherings were originally convened; but a pack of
contemptible boys and lads, including a large proportion of vagabonds
and ruffians of all kinds and degrees, with which this metropolis
abounds, some thousands strong in the aggregate, who had collected there
for no other purpose than that of the most wanton mischief, and from no
other but the most insensate motives.”
There was the same rioting next Sunday (11th November), only this time
some arrests were made. One man got a month’s imprisonment for
obstructing the police, another two months for assaulting two policemen,
a boy had fourteen days for disorderly conduct, and a man was fined £3
1_s._ for distributing handbills.
Sunday, 18th November, was the last of these series of riots, and on
this occasion there were plenty of police--some 700 or 800, and they
seem to have been better handled than usual. “Towards 4 o’clock a rush
was made in the direction of the bridge at the east end of the
Serpentine, and the crowd followed in considerable numbers, as did also
a portion of the police. Crossing the bridge at a run, the
crowd--chiefly boys--made for the Albert Gate, for a purpose, probably,
which had better be imagined than stated in terms; but there they were
received by two mounted inspectors and a company of policemen on foot,
who guarded the outlet, and effectually prevented their escaping into
the adjacent streets. The youngsters, thus foiled, stood for some time
in a body in front of the residence of the French ambassador, and
eventually dispersed, some returning into the Park. This incident had
the effect of thinning the crowd considerably in the middle of the
enclosure, but night had set in before those who lingered there could be
persuaded to depart. Captain Labalmondière kept moving his patrols
through and through the crowd in every direction, without any very
perceptible effect in lessening their number. At length the police
completely tired them down, and the people slowly retreated into the
streets, without, so far as we could ascertain, doing any damage.”
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