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67-717: The phrase " read the riot act " has passed into common usage for a stern reprimand or warning of consequences. The Riot Act 1714 was introduced during a time of civil disturbance in Great Britain , including the Sacheverell riots of 1710, the Coronation riots of 1714 and the 1715 riots in England. The preamble makes reference to "many rebellious riots and tumults [that] have been [taking place of late] in diverse parts of this kingdom", adding that those involved "presum[e] so to do, for that

134-409: A felony without benefit of clergy , punishable by death. The proclamation could be made in an incorporated town or city by the mayor , bailiff or "other head officer", or a justice of the peace . Elsewhere it could be made by a justice of the peace or the sheriff , undersheriff or parish constable . It had to be read out to the gathering concerned and had to follow precise wording detailed in

201-433: A London police force. There appeared painted on the wall of Newgate Prison a proclamation that the inmates had been freed by the authority of "His Majesty, King Mob" . The term " King Mob " afterwards denoted an unruly and fearsome proletariat . Edmund Burke later recalled the riots as a dangerous foretaste of the 1789 French Revolution : Wild and savage insurrection quitted the woods, and prowled about our streets in

268-610: A chance, join forces with their co-religionists on the Continent and attack Britain. He enjoyed popularity in Scotland where he took part in a successful campaign to prevent the same legislation from being introduced into Scots law , although the Act continued in force in England and Wales and in Ireland. The success in obstructing the law in Scotland led Gordon to believe he could enjoy similar success in

335-471: A crowd with the words (or words to the effect of): Our sovereign lady the Queen doth strictly charge and command all manner of persons here assembled immediately to disperse themselves and peaceably depart to their own homes. God save the Queen. Anyone remaining after 15 minutes may be charged and imprisoned for one month (first offence) or three months (repeat offence). The act does not apply to crowds gathered for

402-698: 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. 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 . Bow Street Runners and soldiers were called out and made thirteen arrests, although most of

469-578: A lesser disturbance such as an affray or an unruly gathering may be deemed an unlawful assembly by the local authorities and ordered to disperse. Failure to obey such an order would typically be prosecuted as a summary offence. Acts similar to the Riot Act have been enacted in some Australian states. For example, in Victoria the Unlawful Assemblies and Processions Act 1958 allowed a magistrate to disperse

536-410: A number of carriages were vandalised and destroyed. 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

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670-626: A prominent Irish merchant, James Malo, to the 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. Newgate Prison , where rioters arrested on 2 June were being held, was attacked and largely destroyed, as was The Clink . This allowed large numbers of prisoners to escape, many of whom were never recaptured. Severe destruction

737-721: A scene set in 1780 refers to the Gordon Riots, showing the Sex Pistols hung in effigy. BABYLONdon , a novel by English SF/Fantasy author John Whitbourn (2020), blends a detailed depiction of the Gordon Riots with supernatural plot elements and an apocalyptic denouement. The Invisibles , a comic series by Grant Morrison features a principal character mostly known as King Mob . Mentioned by Peter O'Toole's character to Aldo Ray in The Day They Robbed The Bank of England , referencing that he and his men had been guarding

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804-445: A vivid evocation of the Gordon Riots, with two unsympathetic characters taken for Papists and finding refuge in the home of the rich Spanish Jew, the father of the young Jewish woman at the centre of the love story. Charles Dickens ' 1841 novel Barnaby Rudge is centered on a long and detailed description of the Gordon Riots and features Lord George in a prominent role. John Creasey 's 1974 novel The Masters of Bow Street depicts

871-552: Is liable to receive a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. In Canada, the Riot Act has been incorporated in a modified form into the Criminal Code , a federal statute. Sections 32 and 33 of the Code deal with the power of police officers to suppress riots. The Code defines a riot as an "unlawful assembly" that has "begun to disturb the peace tumultuously". When twelve or more persons are "unlawfully and riotously assembled together",

938-519: The 2005 Belize unrest . While there is no specific form of words provided for such proclamations, they must be made "in the King's name". The provisions are formed in sections 231, 246 and 247 of the country's criminal code, providing particularly that: Any magistrate, or in the absence of any magistrate any commissioned officer in Her Majesty's naval, military or air force service or any police officer above

1005-460: The Criminal Code requires the assembled people to disperse within thirty minutes. When the proclamation has not been read, the punishment for rioting is up to two years of imprisonment. When the proclamation has been read and then ignored, the penalty increases, up to life imprisonment. The maximum penalty of life imprisonment also applies to someone who wilfully uses force to hinder the reading of

1072-541: The Earl of Shelburne shocked many by proposing in parliament that Britain should consider forming a force modelled on the French police. The riots destroyed the popularity of the radical politician John Wilkes , who led citizen militia against the rioters. Many of his followers saw this as a betrayal; some of them may have been among the rioters. A pamphlet and a book of poems defending the role of Gordon were written and published by

1139-466: The Gordon Riots of 1780, when the authorities felt uncertain of their power to take action to stop the riots without a reading of the Riot Act. After the riots, Lord Mansfield observed that the Riot Act did not take away the pre-existing power of the authorities to use force to stop a violent riot; it only created the additional offence of failing to disperse after a reading of the Riot Act. The Riot Act

1206-459: The House of Commons to deliver a petition demanding the repeal of the Act. After the first march to Parliament, further riots occurred involving groups whose grievances were nationalist, economic, or political, rather than religious. Aside from the issue of Catholic emancipation, it has also been suggested that the driving force of the riots was Britain's poor economic situation: the loss of trade during

1273-702: The Popery Act 1698 . Lord George Gordon , head of the Protestant Association, argued that the law would enable Catholics to join the British Army and plot treason. The protest led to widespread rioting and looting, including attacks on Newgate Prison and the Bank of England and was the most destructive in the history of London. Violence started on 2 June 1780, with the looting and burning of Catholic chapels in foreign embassies. Local magistrates, afraid of drawing

1340-699: The Riot Act and was given a £1,000 fine. The military units which dealt with the rioters included the Horse Guards , Foot Guards , Inns of Court Yeomanry , the Honourable Artillery Company , line infantry including the 2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment , and militia from the city and neighbouring counties. The defence of the Bank of England was conducted by the 9th Regiment of Foot under the command of Thomas Twisleton, 13th Baron Saye and Sele . The riots damaged

1407-526: The ringleaders had managed to escape. The same night the chapel of the Bavarian Embassy in Warwick Street, Soho , was destroyed and crowds caused random violence in streets known to house rich Catholics . 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

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1474-431: The Gordon Riots and the recalcitrance of Lord North to the establishment of a police force. In Bernard Cornwell 's Sharpe novels (1981–2007), the protagonist Richard Sharpe's mother was killed during the riots while he was still a child. Miranda Hearn's 2003 historical novel A Life Everlasting depicts the main protagonists caught up in the riots as innocent Londoners. In the film The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle ,

1541-520: The Queen. The need to read the Riot Act was removed by section three of the Crimes Amendment Act (1987 No 1). A riot act was passed by the Massachusetts state legislature in 1786 during Shays' Rebellion . At the federal level, the principle of the Riot Act was incorporated into the first Militia Act (1 Stat. 264) of 2 May 1792. The act's long title was "An act to provide for calling forth

1608-919: The Riot Act " entered into common language as a phrase meaning "to reprimand severely", with the added sense of a stern warning. read someone the riot act Look for Read someone the riot act on one of Misplaced Pages's sister projects : [REDACTED] Wiktionary (dictionary) [REDACTED] Wikibooks (textbooks) [REDACTED] Wikiquote (quotations) [REDACTED] Wikisource (library) [REDACTED] Wikiversity (learning resources) [REDACTED] Commons (media) [REDACTED] Wikivoyage (travel guide) [REDACTED] Wikinews (news source) [REDACTED] Wikidata (linked database) [REDACTED] Wikispecies (species directory) Misplaced Pages does not have an article with this exact name. Please search for Read someone

1675-648: The United States Code , Chapter 13, Section 254. Prohibitions against inciting riots were further codified in United States federal law under 18 U.S. Code § 2101 – Riots , as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 , passed by the United States Congress. Because the authorities were required to read the proclamation that referred to the Riot Act before they could enforce it, the expression " to read

1742-459: The United States. After learning of the riots, the Spanish government pulled back from peace negotiations with Britain, concerned that the disorder would lead to a widespread collapse of the current British administration. The riots highlighted the problems Britain faced by not having a professional police force, a notion which was opposed as foreign and absolutist . The day after the riots broke out,

1809-562: The act granted, it was used both for the maintenance of civil order and for political means. A particularly notorious use of the act was the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 in Manchester . The act also made it a felony punishable by death without benefit of clergy for "any persons unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled together" to cause (or begin to cause) serious damage to places of religious worship, houses, barns, and stables. In

1876-522: The act was read in Kingstown during "The Labour Rebellion" In New Zealand the Riot Act was incorporated into sections 87 and 88 of the Crimes Act 1961. The proclamation is worded as follows: Her Majesty the Queen commands all of you to disperse immediately and to go quietly to your homes or to your lawful business, upon pain of being charged with an offence punishable by imprisonment for five years. God save

1943-522: The act was reduced to transportation for life by section one of the Punishment of Offences Act 1837 . The Riot Act eventually drifted into disuse. The last time it was definitely read in England was in Birkenhead , Cheshire, on 3 August 1919, during the second police strike , when large numbers of police officers from Birkenhead, Liverpool and Bootle joined the strike. Troops were called in to deal with

2010-585: The act were restricted to within one year of the event. At times, it was unclear to both rioters and authorities as to whether the reading of the Riot Act had occurred. One example of this is evident in the massacre of St George's Fields of 1768. At the trials following the incident, there was confusion among witnesses as to when the Riot Act had actually been read. In the 1768 massacre of St George's Fields, large numbers of subjects gathered outside King's Bench Prison in Southwark, south London, to protest against

2077-412: The act; several convictions were overturned because parts of the proclamation had been omitted, in particular "God save the King". The wording that had to be read out to the assembled gathering was as follows: Our sovereign lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon

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2144-450: The detachment became more functional than ceremonial, doing their duties in service dress with automatic weapons. George Walker 's anti- Jacobin novel The Vagabond (1799) anachronistically resituates the Gordon Riots amidst the political events of the 1790s. Its narrator unwittingly becomes a prominent figure in the riots, which Walker depicts as solely destructive and acquisitive. Maria Edgeworth 's 1817 novel Harrington contains

2211-467: The event of buildings being damaged in areas that were not incorporated into a town or city, the residents of the hundred were made liable to pay damages to the property owners concerned. Unlike the rest of the act, this required a civil action. In the case of incorporated areas, the action could be brought against two or more named individuals. This provision encouraged residents to attempt to quell riots in order to avoid paying damages. Prosecutions under

2278-408: The incarceration of John Wilkes . Officials feared that the crowd would forcibly release Wilkes, and troops arrived to guard the prison. After some time, as well as provocation by the rioters, the troops opened fire on the crowd. There were several fatalities, including non-participants of the riot who were struck by stray bullets. Some scholars believe that this massacre set the legal precedent for

2345-455: The justified use of force in future riots. The provision pertaining to the use of force can be found in section 3 of the Riot Act: ...and that if the persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, or any of them, shall happen to be killed, maimed or hurt, in the dispersing, seizing or apprehending, or endeavouring to disperse, seize or apprehend them, that then every such justice of

2412-522: The militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions". Section 3 of the Militia Act gave power to the president to issue a proclamation to "command the insurgents to disperse, and retire peaceably to their respective abodes, within a limited time", and authorized him to use the militia if they failed to do so. Substantively identical language is currently codified in title 10 of

2479-603: The mob's anger, did not invoke the Riot Act . There was no repression until the government finally sent in the army, resulting in an estimated 300–700 deaths. The main violence lasted until 9 June 1780. The riots occurred near the height of the American War of Independence , when Britain, with no major allies, was fighting American rebels, France, and Spain. Public opinion, especially in middle-class and elite circles, repudiated anti-Catholicism and lower-class violence, and rallied behind Lord North's government . Demands were made for

2546-567: The name of reform.... A sort of national convention ... nosed parliament in the very seat of its authority; sat with a sort of superintendence over it; and little less than dictated to it, not only laws, but the very form and essence of legislature itself. The stated intention of the Papists Act 1778 was, as its preamble notes, to mitigate some of the official discrimination against Roman Catholics in Great Britain. It absolved Catholics from taking

2613-493: The pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King. In a number of jurisdictions, such as Britain, Canada and New Zealand, wording such as this was enshrined and codified in the law itself. While the expression "reading the Riot Act" is cemented in common idiom with its figurative usage, it originated fairly and squarely in statute itself. In New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961, section 88, repealed since 1987,

2680-474: The peace, sheriff, under-sheriff, mayor, bailiff, head-officer, high or petty constable, or other peace-officer, and all and singular persons, being aiding and assisting to them, or any of them, shall be free, discharged and indemnified, as well against the King's majesty, his heirs and successors, as against all and every other person or persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, that shall happen to be so killed, maimed or hurt, as aforesaid. There

2747-503: The people. However, Paul Monod has argued that "no matter how much one would like to interpret the Gordon Riots ... as economically motivated, they remain fundamentally anti-Catholic in character". Shortly after the riots had broken out, the Duke of Richmond suggested that they were directly attributable to the passing of the Quebec Act six years before, which, among other provisions, removed

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2814-558: The polemicist and hymn-writer Maria De Fleury . The events at the Bank of England started a tradition where a detachment of soldiers, usually from the Brigade of Guards , would march to the bank to perform security duties. Until 1963 the duty was performed by the Guards in Home Service Dress with bearskin , though tennis shoes were worn inside the bank. From that date until 31 March 1973

2881-414: The prison to read the proclamation. The proclamation is worded as follows: Her Majesty the Queen charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business on the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life. God save the Queen. Unlike the original Riot Act,

2948-401: The proclamation can be read by a number of public officials, such as justices of the peace, provincial court judges, mayors, and sheriffs. The proclamation can also be read during prison riots: Quebec and Manitoba have designated senior correctional staff as justices of the peace for the purpose of reading the proclamation, while other provinces will ask a local justice of the peace to travel to

3015-585: The proclamation, or to those fail to disperse and who have reasonable grounds to believe the proclamation would have been made had the official not been hindered by force. The proclamation was read during the Winnipeg general strike of 1919 and the 1958 riot over racial discrimination against First Nations in Prince Rupert, British Columbia . One recent reading was during Vancouver's Stanley Cup riot in June 2011 . Despite

3082-400: The punishments provided by the laws now in being are not adequate to such heinous offences". The act created a mechanism for certain local officials to make a proclamation ordering the dispersal of any group of twelve or more people who were "unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled together". If the group failed to disperse within one hour, then anyone remaining gathered was guilty of

3149-428: The purpose of an election. The same act allows a magistrate to appoint citizens as "special [police] constables" to disperse a crowd and provides indemnity for the hurting or killing of unlawfully assembled people in an attempt to disperse them. The Act was significantly amended in 2007. Belize , another former British colony, also still retains the principle of the Riot Act; it was last read on 21 January 2005, during

3216-409: The rank of inspector, in whose view a riot is being committed, or who apprehends that a riot is about to be committed by persons being assembled within his view, may make or cause to be made a proclamation in the Queen's name, in such form as he thinks fit, commanding the rioters or persons so assembled to disperse peaceably. Any person who does not disperse within one hour of the proclamation being read

3283-441: The reading of the proclamation, rioters were almost always charged under s 65 due to the difficulty of proving the elements of the offence in s 68. Many rioters also faced charges related to assaulting peace officers, mischief, theft, arson and assault. In St Kitts on 29 January 1935 the act was read at Buckley's Estate located on the western outskirts of Basseterre during the "Sugar Workers Rebellion" In St Vincent on 21 October

3350-460: The reference to the Protestant faith from the oath of allegiance, and guaranteed free practice of Catholicism. This view was ridiculed by many of his colleagues. Another suggested cause was Britain's weakened international position, which had arisen from the country's isolation in Europe and the disappointing news coming from the ongoing war. Some rioters were against the continuation of

3417-661: The religious oath when joining the British Armed Forces as well as granting a few and limited liberties. There were strong expedient reasons for this change. British military forces at the time were stretched very thinly in what had become a global American War of Independence, with conflicts ongoing with France, Spain, and the new United States. The recruitment of Catholics would be a significant help to address this shortfall of manpower. The 1698 anti-Catholic laws had largely been ignored for many years and were rarely enforced. Because of this, many leading Catholics were opposed to

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3484-584: The repeal of these laws, fearing it would stir up anti-Catholic sentiment for little practical return. It was also pointed out that large numbers of Catholics, recruited in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands , were already serving in the military. In spite of this, the government decided to press ahead with the Bill, and had it introduced in Parliament by Sir George Savile . The Protestant Association of London had

3551-466: The reputation of Britain across Europe, where many saw British constitutional monarchy as an inherently unstable form of government. This came at a time when Britain was searching for allies, particularly Catholic Austria, in the American War of Independence to challenge the strong coalition the French had built. Britain had also initiated secret negotiations with Catholic Spain to end Spanish support of

3618-454: The rest of Britain and Ireland. Early in 1780 Gordon had several audiences with King George III but was unable to convince him of what he saw as the dangers of the act. George III initially humoured Gordon, but grew increasingly irritated with him and eventually refused any future audiences. The political climate deteriorated rapidly. On 29 May 1780, Gordon called a meeting of the Protestant Association, and his followers subsequently marched on

3685-517: The riot act in Misplaced Pages to check for alternative titles or spellings. You need to log in or create an account and be autoconfirmed to create new articles. Alternatively, you can use the article wizard to submit a draft for review, or request a new article . Search for " Read someone the riot act " in existing articles. Look for pages within Misplaced Pages that link to this title . Other reasons this message may be displayed: If

3752-714: The rioters. The last time it was read in Scotland was by the deputy town clerk James Gildea in Airdrie in 1971. The act was repealed on 18 July 1973 for the United Kingdom by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973 . The Riot Act passed into the law of those countries that were then colonies of Great Britain, including the North American colonies that would become the United States and Canada . In many common-law jurisdictions,

3819-461: The rioting and looting that had begun, and a magistrate read out the Riot Act. None of the rioters subsequently faced the charge of a statutory felony. Earlier in the same year, at the battle of George Square on 31 January, in Glasgow , the city's sheriff was in the process of reading the Riot Act to a crowd of 20,000–25,000 when the sheet of paper he was reading from was ripped out of his hands by one of

3886-415: The support of leading Calvinist religious figures, including Rowland Hill , Erasmus Middleton , and John Rippon . Lord George Gordon became its president in 1779, in an effort to force the repeal of the Papists Act. An articulate propagandist, though eccentric, Gordon inflamed the mob with fears of Papism and a return to absolute monarchical rule . He implied that Catholics in the military would, given

3953-480: 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

4020-487: The war had led to falling wages, rising prices, and periodic unemployment. As Rudé noted, there was no general attack on the Catholic community, "the victims of the riots" being distinguished by the fact they were "on the whole, persons of substance". Voting in parliamentary elections was restricted by a property threshold, so most Londoners were unable to vote and many hoped for reforms to make Parliament more representative of

4087-515: The war, and many strongly supported American independence, while others were angry that Britain's war effort was being mishandled by Lord North . In many cases a mix of issues blended together and drove people to take part in the rioting. 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 " No Popery ", and most wore blue cockades which had become

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4154-399: Was also confusion regarding the use of troops as it pertained to the one-hour mark. Rioters often believed that the military could not use force until one hour had passed since the reading of the proclamation. This is evident in the actions of the rioters at the massacre of St George's Fields, particularly their provocative behaviour towards the soldiers. The Riot Act caused confusion during

4221-490: 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

4288-625: 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 . 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. The army

4355-740: Was read prior to the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 and the Cinderloo Uprising of 1821, as well as before the Bristol Riots at Queen's Square in 1831. Both are held to be related to the Unreformed House of Commons , which was righted in the Reform Act 1832 . Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis Bond Head and his administrators read the act during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. The death penalty created by sections one, four and five of

4422-404: Was specifically given the heading of "Reading the Riot Act". If a group of people failed to disperse within one hour of the proclamation, the act provided that the authorities could use force to disperse them. Anyone assisting with the dispersal was specifically indemnified against any legal consequences in the event of any of the crowd being injured or killed. Because of the broad authority that

4489-522: Was the page I created deleted? Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_someone_the_riot_act " Gordon Riots The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778 , which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British Catholics enacted by

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