a new method of depredation, by passing through the streets in the
characters of Sailors and Coal-heavers in such numbers as to intimidate
persons into complying with their demands for money. It is but justice,
however, to add, that the real Sailors treated them with the utmost
severity when they had an opportunity of meeting with them.
The Journeymen Tailors soon after caught the combination-fever, and
collected, in humble imitation of the Seamen, in Lincoln's-inn-fields,
to proceed with a petition for redress of their _sewing_ grievances.
They too had leaders, and to those the Magistrates applied successfully
in dissuading them from their purpose; but unfortunately these helms of
the vast body were unable to swerve the many-headed monster, and yet by
the exertion of a little address the Magistrates contrived to prevail
on them to entrust the petition to a deputation of six; and the rest
dispersed.
Although the Coal-heavers and Sailors appear to have acted under the
influence of the same cause, an attempt to obtain an increase of wages,
they had become inveterate enemies before the middle of June, and
actually fought with such rancour as to use swords and fire-arms; the
consequence of which was many wounds, and several deaths, inflicted by
each party; and the newspapers even assert that seven soldiers and a
serjeant lost their lives in attempting to quell a riot in Wapping,
when twenty of the aggressors were killed.
That the reader may form a just estimate of the wicked proceedings of
some of those infatuated wretches the Coal-heavers, I shall introduce
an abstract of the trial of seven of them for shooting at John Green on
the 21st of April, 1768.
"Abstract of the Trial of John Grainger, Daniel Clark,
Richard Cornwall, Patrick Lynch, Thomas Murray, Peter
Flaharty, and Nicholas M'Cabe, for shooting at John Green
contrary to the Statute on the 21st of April last.
"John Green, living at the bottom of New Gravel-lane,
Shadwell, deposed, that he was employed as Deputy Agent
under Mr. William Russel, who, as agent appointed by Mr.
Alderman Beckford, was concerned in the execution of the
Act of Parliament for regulating Coal-heavers; that before
this they were under the direction of Justice Hodgson, and
revolted from the coal-undertakers, insisting first upon
sixteen-pence a score, and then eighteen-pence, but at last
would have nothing to do with the undertakers, and would have
their price under the Act of Parliament; that Mr. Russel and
the deponent had fixed upon an office at Billingsgate for
registering the Coal-heavers, but none of them came there;
alledging they were under the direction of Justice Hodgson,
to whom only they would apply; that the deponent was sent
with a complaint to the Justice by Mr. Russel, desiring a
meeting with him, which he excused, but would send his clerk,
and further told him, that if Mr. Russel did not desist,
he would meet with trouble, and he would give him a pretty
dance to Westminster-hall, for the Act of Parliament was in
so vague a manner that any body might keep an office, and
that as they had the best men at their office, they did not
fear to have the business; that, however, in a few days after
Mr. Russel advertised for men to come, but none came; and
then he advertised for their coming at such a time, or he
would employ such able-bodied men as chose to come, whereupon
many came, and they were put in the gangs; that Dunster,
Justice Hodgson's clerk, having seen the deponent do this at
Billingsgate, he brought to his door no less than three or
four hundred of these men, a great many of whom threatened
they would pull down his house, or they would do for him;
that the Deponent went to the Mansion-house to acquaint
the Lord Mayor of the danger he was in, and received for
answer, that he must be directed by some Magistrate in his
neighbourhood; that on Saturday morning, the 16th of April,
the Coal-heavers having put up some bills, a neighbour's
servant went and pulled one down, upon which the Coal-heavers
cried out, that Green's maid had pulled down their bills,
and then they directly came running from different parts
to his door to the amount of one hundred and upwards. The
purport, the Deponent said, of these bills was a libel on Mr.
Alderman Beckford, and what was done was Mr. Russel's own
doing.----The acts of violence committed by the Coal-heavers
against this Deponent, best appear from his own words.
"I asked them, said he, what they wanted with me; they cried,
'by Jesus they would have my life if I offered to meddle with
any of their bills;' I said I had not meddled with any, nor
none had that belonged to me; one of them cried, 'By Jesus
he shall have a bill put up at his own window;' he took up
a handful of dirt, and put it upon the window, and put the
bill upon it; another of them laid hold of my collar, and
dragged me off the step of my door; another said, 'Haul him
into the river;' said another, 'By Jesus, we will drown him.'
I got from them, and retreated back into my house. After that
I went to Billingsgate, and met several of them there; they
threatened they would have my life. When I came home, I saw
a great many of these people running from their different
habitations, some with bludgeons, or broomsticks, and weapons
of that sort; they did not collect themselves in a body, but
were running to the head of New Gravel-lane; I believe about
four or five hundred of them came within two hundred yards of
my house; they went to Mr. Metcalf, a neighbour of mine, and
threatened him; there was one of them that was a pretended
friend of mine, that had promised, when he knew of any thing
against me, he would let me know; I sat up to guard my house,
and I sent my wife and children out of the house; after that
I prevailed upon my wife to stay in the house upon this man's
intelligence; he came about twelve, and told me nothing was
intended against me, that they had done their business they
were about; I went to bed, and was asleep; I was awaked by
my sister-in-law, calling, 'Mr. Green, Mr. Green, for God's
sake, we shall be murdered;' this was about one o'clock on
the Sunday morning; I jumped out of bed, and ran into the
next room where my arms were; I took and levelled one, and
said, 'You rascals, if you do not be gone, I will shoot you;'
they were then driving at my doors and shutters, the noise
was terrible, like a parcel of men working upon a ship's
bottom; I could compare it to nothing else; I fired among
them; I believed I fired about fourteen times; and, when I
had not any thing ready to fire, I threw glass bottles upon
them; they were at this about a quarter of an hour, when
they all dispersed. On the Monday I went to Billingsgate
about eleven; I saw several of them there who threatened me;
Dunster was there also; they told me they would do for me if
I did not desist in my proceedings, which was to register
such people as applied; there were always some of the
Coal-heavers about Dunster, he talked of the advertisements
that had been in the paper, and said they were mine; for he
said Mr. Russel had told him he totally declined having any
thing to say in it, and it was my doing only; I said, 'Do not
deceive these men, that is very wrong of you;' I asked him,
if Mr. Russel did not tell him he would advertise to this
effect; I began to be afraid, and, as many of them came about
me, I left them.
"Nothing happened after till Wednesday night, that was the
20th, about seven in the evening; then I saw a great many of
these Coal-heavers assembling together, about three or four
hundred yards from my house, going up Gravel-lane. I shut
up as fast as I could, and told my wife to get out of the
house as fast as she could with her children; accordingly
she went away with the child that was asleep in the cradle;
Gilberthorp was in the house drinking a pint of beer (I did
not know his name then); said I, 'Brother tarpawling (he is a
seafaring man), I am afraid I shall have a desperate attack
to-night from what I have heard; will you stand by me, and
give me all the assistance you can?' 'Yes,' said he, 'that I
will.' When the house was secured backwards and forwards, I
went up stairs; some stones had broke some windows there; I
believe some of them had thrown stones and run away; I heard
them call out _Wilkes and Liberty_; I saw the neighbours
lighting up candles, for these people shall have no occasion
at all to use me ill. I went to the window and begged of them
to desist, and said, if they knew any thing particular of
me, I was willing to resolve any thing they wanted to know:
seeing I could not defend myself, I disguised myself, and put
on an old watch-coat and a Dutch cap, and went down stairs
in order to get a Magistrate to come and prevent my house
from being pulled down; I had one Dunderdale, a shoemaker,
that lodged in my house, he went down with me; when I came
down to the back-door, I heard them threaten they would have
me and my life; I then found it impossible to get out of
the house; I ran up stairs then, fully determined to defend
myself as long as I was able: I spoke to them again in the
street from the window, and desired them to tell me what I
had done; they called out in the street 'they would have me
and hang me over my sign-post;' others said 'they would broil
and roast me,' and words to that effect; stones came up very
fast. I then took a brace of pistols from the table, and
fired among them, loaded with powder only; after that I kept
firing away among them what arms I had loaded with bird and
swan shot; they dispersed in the front then; I immediately
ran backwards, they were heaving stones into the back chamber
windows; I fired from the back chamber windows; after I had
fired some few rounds backwards, they desisted from heaving
stones into the back part of the house, but I did not find
they had left the place. I was again attacked both in front
and back part of the house; I fired among them sometimes
from the front of my house, and sometimes from the rear; I
imagined they would have broke into the house presently, if
I had not kept a warm fire upon them; I heard them call out
several times, I am shot, I am wounded; still they said 'they
would have me, and do for me.' I had various attacks in the
night; I saw no fire-arms they had till eleven or twelve in
the night: they were driving at the door about ten, but I
cannot tell with what; I looked through the door, and saw
their hands moving, driving something hard against it. About
twelve they fired into the house, both in the front and the
rear; the balls struck the cieling in the room where I was,
sometimes close over my head; as they were in the street, and
I in the one-pair of stairs, the balls went into the cieling,
and dropped down on the floor; I could not walk about the
room with any safety, I was forced to place myself by the
wall between the windows, and sometimes I would crawl under
the window to the next, and sometimes I stood behind the
brackets; then I would stand up and drive among them like
dung; I have seen their balls strike the cieling as I have
stood under the cover of the wall, and as I have been going
to fire, they have come over my head, and some lodged in the
cieling.
"This firing continued all the night and all the morning at
different periods.
"When I attacked them backwards, I used to crawl out of the
window on my belly, and lie upon the wash-house leads with my
arms; I have heard them say, "You that have arms are to fire
upon him, and you that have stones are to heave, and so many
to break the door, and so many to climb the wall." If they
got up there, they could get in at the window from the leads.
I had Gilberthorp below to guard the door, for part of the
front door was broke. I got off, I believe, about nine in the
morning, when I had no more ammunition left, only the charge
that I had in my blunderbuss, except what was in the musket,
that would not go off; so I said to the men that were in the
house, 'You see they are firing from every quarter, there is
no help for me, they will come in, and I can make no return
upon them to check their insolence; the best way to make them
desist, is for me to get out of the house, you will all be
very safe whether I make my escape or not.' Mr. Gilberthorp
said, 'Do what you think best.' I said, 'They only want
me, if they get me it is all over, or if they know I am
gone, they will desist.' I took my blunderbuss over my arm,
and my drawn hanger in my hand, and went out of the back
window upon the leads; I saw several of them in the alley, I
levelled the blunderbuss at them, and said, 'You rascals, be
gone, or I'll blow your brains out, especially you (that was
to one under me); but I scorn to take your life.' He said,
'God bless you, Mr. Green, you are a brave man;' he clapped
his hand on his head, and ran away. I went over into Mr.
Mereton's ship-yard, one of the shipwrights met me; just as
I jumped, he said, 'Mr. Green, follow me;' he took me to a
saw-pit, and shewed me a hole at the end where the sawyers
used to put their things; he said, 'Go into that hole, you
will be safe enough;' said I, 'Don't drop a word but that I
am gone over the wall;' I got in, he left me; there I lay
till the guards came. I heard the mob search for me; some
said he is gone one way, some another; they were got into the
yard, I heard one of the shipwrights say he is gone over the
wall, and gone away by water.
"When the guards came, one of the shipwrights came to me,
and desired to know what I should do; I said, 'Go and tell
the officer to draw his men up and come into the yard, and
I will surrender myself to him.' The soldiers came, and I
came out of the saw-pit; I had nothing but my handkerchief
about my head; I had been wounded between ten and eleven at
night; I surrendered myself to the officer; Justice Hodgson
said, 'Mr. Green, you are one of the bravest fellows that
ever was; who do you intend to go before, me, or Sir John
Fielding?' I said, 'I do not care who it is;' then said he,
'you will go before me;' accordingly we went, and when I
came there he committed me to Newgate.--In the course of
this evidence it does not appear, that the deponent swore to
the identity of any of the prisoners, as engaged in the act
of firing against, or otherwise assailing his house, though
he did to some few of them threatening him at Billingsgate;
but this identity was sworn to by the next evidence, George
Crabtree, in the persons of Cornwall, David Clark or Clarey,
Lynch, Flaharty, and Grainger. The first he saw fire several
times towards Green's windows; Clark he also saw fire after
Green had shot his brother; Grainger he saw heaving a stone,
or brickbat, at Green's windows, and Lynch with a musket in
his hand, but did not see him fire. Robert Anderson swore
to Clark's and Cornwall's firing several times, as did also
Andrew Evenerus to Clark's firing. Thomas Cummings swore to
the same as committed by Flaharty, Clark, Lynch, Cornwall,
and Murray, and he particularly accused Flaharty of getting
into his own house and firing out at his garret windows.
Philip Oram and William Burgess corroborated the same as to
Cornwall; and the latter saw M'Cabe and John Grainger firing,
knowing their persons but not their names. M'Cabe asked him
for his sleeve-buttons to load a piece with to fire at
Green, and moreover examined his coat, and wanted to feel in
his pocket for something to load: M'Cabe also inquired in the
house, where he the deponent lodged, for the pewter spoons
and pots to cut them in pieces for shot, saying he would pay
for them. There were several other evidences to prove the
identity of the prisoners as concerned in this riot. Some of
the prisoners declared their innocence of the charge; others
said they were there with the design of keeping the peace,
and preventing the escape of Green, who had been guilty
of murder by firing out of his windows. Several appeared
to their character, but all seven were brought in guilty,
_Death_, and were executed the 26th of July pursuant to their
sentence."
The last disgraceful act of this turbulent æra was marked with
additional depravity: a set of Spital-fields weavers had constituted
themselves a deliberative body, and decreed that all possessors of
looms should send them a tax of four shillings each. Their place of
rendezvous was the Dolphin in Cock-lane, and their denomination the
"Cutters;" and, justly dreading the consequences of their conduct,
they were provided with swords and fire-arms, to defend themselves,
and intimidate those to whom they wrote. A Mr. Hill exhibited the
following order to the Magistrates of Bow-street in October 1769: "Mr.
Hill, you are desired to send the full donation of all your looms to
the Dolphin in Cock-lane. This from the conquering and bold Defiance
to be levied four shillings _per_ loom"--and obtained a summons for the
keeper of the Dolphin, which that person disobeyed. Officers were then
dispatched to ascertain whether the Cutters had really assembled; and
oath having been made that they were sitting, a warrant to search the
house was issued, and a Magistrate, several officers of the Police,
and a party of Soldiers, went to execute it between eight and nine
o'clock in the evening. They found this diabolical assembly in full
progress, receiving the contributions of terrified manufacturers; and
almost at the same instant received the fire of the whole number. A
soldier fell dead, and the miscreants fled over the house tops; but
four were apprehended. A detachment of the guards afterwards did duty
in the neighbourhood, and had their quarters in the Parish-church. This
precaution terminated the operations of the Cutters.
From 1776 till 1780, the inhabitants of London enjoyed a degree of
tranquillity they must have long panted for. Temporary disturbances
of the peace through sudden resentment, and the riots arising from
inebriation, are too common for recital, and are seldom heard of
beyond the parish in which they occur; but the effervescence of June
1780 spread like a torrent through every avenue of the Metropolis, and
convulsed every quarter of the Kingdom. That one man should accomplish
such an effect, and that his weapon should have been _intolerance
only_, where tolerance is one of the gems which distinguish England
from all Europe, is most astonishing. Our Legislature, acting upon the
long-approved system of religious benevolence, would have erased from
the Statute-books those restrictions which were calculated to repress
a _powerful_ enemy, and which had become useless through the lapse of
time and the cessation of hostility; yet, _Protestants_ objected, and
acted the part of tyrants and bigots marshalled by a _madman_.
When an incendiary seizes upon a real grievance, or upon the presumed
violation of any favourite point with the publick, let the peaceable
Citizen beware how he listens to his _interested_ declamations; let
him remember that his _passions may be excited_ by inflammatory
insinuations; in short, let him remember the sophistry of Lord George
Gordon; the errors of his predecessors, the cries of No Popery, the
burning of part of London, the triumph of thieves, the exaction of
money--realized in the horrors of 1780!
Had the multitude collected by the harangues of the miserable man
alluded to possessed individually a grain of sense or reflection,
they must have disbelieved his monstrous charge, that the Legislature
intended to encourage or introduce the Roman Catholic religion, or, as
he termed it, Popery. The very idea is so ridiculous that I should be
ashamed to attempt to disprove it.
Under every disadvantage which might reasonably have been supposed to
exist against the probability of raising so extensive a whirlwind of
civil commotion, the adventurous chief commenced his operations by
legally opposing the projected measures; but, fired by the homage paid
to him, Lord George Gordon conceived the vast design of leading the
whole community to the doors of Parliament with a Petition in their van
unexampled in the number of its signatures. This he accomplished; but,
observe the result: the _petitioners_ became _dictators_; the friends
of _toleration_ were insulted, and barely escaped with their lives from
a lawless mob (for to such had the petitioners degenerated); the voice
of the _leader_ was drowned in yells of _No Popery_; and the deluded
Citizen fled to his home, resigning his country to its fate, and
trembling with apprehension lest his late friends should involve _him_
in the ruin he contributed to promote.
Let us now turn a hasty glance towards those dreadful harpies who
spread through London, compelling the passenger to join in the general
exclamation or watch-word of destruction, and to wear blue cockades,
or hang badges at their doors, indicative of their detestation of
Popery; and see them employed, unmolested, burning Roman-catholick
chapels, the dwellings of members of that faith, _and the mansions of
some of our most revered Judges and Legislators_! Even the admired and
venerated Mansfield, the modern father of British law, lost his house,
his valuable papers, and barely escaped with life. Invigorated by these
scenes of horror, the ruffian emerged from his den, and filled the
place of the appalled _petitioner_: flames spread on every side, the
prisons were stormed and burnt, the convicts freed, and the metropolis
was resigned to theft and destruction by the light of the various
conflagrations.
After the intoxicated and wicked plunderers had rioted in excess till
almost exhausted by exertion and debauchery, the hitherto nerveless
arm of Government was raised, troops were poured into London, and the
civil power became less terrified; the wretches still employed in works
of horrible depravity were fired upon, many were killed and wounded,
and numbers were apprehended and committed for trial. Thus London once
more tasted the sweets of that repose, which would never have been
interrupted, had not Bigotry and Passion triumphed in breasts where
more gentle guests ought to have presided. Many vagabonds expiated
their crimes with their lives after the subsequent trial; but a far
greater number were victims to their own brutal acts, when plundering
and drinking, surrounded by fire and falling walls.
It is strange that I should be compelled to record such scenes, without
one cheering instance of manly exertion on the side of order, to
relieve the odious picture. Why did not every thing in the shape of an
honest _man_, arm in the defence of their families? Why was it that
every muscle relaxed, that every nerve trembled, in the hour of danger?
This fact cannot be satisfactorily explained.
The Riots of 1780 should close the article of popular tumult; an
occurrence so important ought to be the last scene of the Drama:
indeed it has not yet been even faintly copied, though much turbulence
prevailed in consequence of the trial of Sir Hugh Palliser, the
meetings of the Corresponding Society, the trial of Hardy, Tooke, &c.
the destruction of Crimping-houses; and, to complete the catalogue,
certain inflamed partizans dragged the Monarch from his coach when
returning from exercising one of the most important functions of his
great office: these and some other lesser acts of violence, are well
known to have originated with the frantic votaries of the French
revolution, the Republicans of England who have lived to see the
great _Republick_ of France governed by an _Emperor_, and the Empire
surrounded by Kings created by that Emperor!
FOOTNOTES:
[15:A] The liberality of sentiment which I ever have and ever shall
entertain towards Christians of every denomination, has induced me
to reprobate all acts of violence committed by them under the mask
of Religion. Passages of my former publications similar to the above
have induced certain narrow-minded men to assert that I am a _Roman
Catholic_. Were that the fact, I fancy some other articles written
by me might be pointed out, which would obtain for me pretty severe
penance from my Confessor. Good criticks, be assured I was baptized,
and have ever been, an unworthy member of the Church of England, and am
actually a descendant of Cranmer, who died to establish that faith.
[16:A] This subject may be allowed to be familiar to me, and I have
perhaps had more than common means of judging; and I now declare it to
be my full and decided opinion that London was burnt by Government,
to _annihilate the plague_, which was grafted in every crevice of the
hateful old houses composing it.
[51:A] Addressed to a Society at Jonah's Coffee-house.