Event 3: How Revolutionary Was the Spa Fields Riot?

Event 3: How revolutionary was the Spa Fields Riot?

What was the Spa Fields Riot?

It was a protest meeting in December 1816 held in Spa Fields outside the city of London. The meeting got out of control.

What happened at the Spa Fields Riot?

A group of radicals (politicians who believed that the way Britain was run needed complete and radical change immediately) called a great meeting. The speaker would be Henry Hunt, a well known radical leader. Many of the crowd drank too much before Hunt could speak. A man called Watson led a mob from the crowd which broke into a gunsmith's shop, stole weapons and marched towards the city. Some people in the mob carried the flag of the French revolutionaries – the tricolour. The Lord Mayor of London ordered soldiers to stop the mob. Three hundred people were arrested and the crowd was sent home.

Who supported the Spa Fields Riot?

Radicals throughout the country agreed that Britain needed to change. They demanded reform – that means big changes in the way the country was run. For example most wanted to see all working men able to vote for MP's in the House of Commons. At the time, only a few rich men had the vote. However, some middle class radicals were afraid that protest meetings would get out of hand and lead to violent revolution. Some of these leaders stayed away from the Spa Fields meeting because of this.

At the time of the Riot many people had been thrown out of their jobs, wages had got lower and the price of bread was very high. Britain was suffering because the war with France had ended in 1815 and fewer ships, guns, ammunition and uniforms were needed. Many ordinary people listened to the Radicals and hoped that reform would improve their lives. Others joined in demonstrations as an excuse to drink, have a good time or maybe join in any exciting trouble that might happen. Rich people and many middle class people were very frightened that violence could lead to revolution. Some agreed that reform was necessary but they preferred to back the Tory government’s refusal to change at all – after all reform could lead to revolution.

How did the government react to the Spa Fields Riot?

The Tory government of Lord Liverpool believed that the radicals were secretly plotting a revolution right across the country. They employed spies to report back to London and sometimes to provoke trouble among the radicals, so that troublemakers could be caught and punished. The main ringleaders of the Spa Fields Riot were accused of high treason and put on trial. However, the government's chief witness against them was a spy call Castles. During the trial, it was proved that he had been paid to stir up trouble. It was also shown that he was a bigamist (married to two women at the same time) and sometimes looked after a brothel. The jury let the leaders of the Riot off.