Podcast appearances and mentions of gordon riots

Dominic is joined today by the inimitable Professor Ian Haywood, of the Centre for Inclusive Humanities at the University of Roehampton. Together they delve into the astonishing 'Riots of Eighty' that gripped London for a week and were brought thrillingly to life in Dickens' Barnaby Rudge ...Ian is a specialist in the radical politics and visual culture of the period of 1750-1850, and has published extensively on that period in books such as Bloody Romanticism: Spectacular Violence and The Politics of Representation and Queen Caroline and the Power of Caricature in Georgian England (for Palgrave); and appropriately for today The Gordon Riots: Politics, Culture and Insurrection in Late Eighteenth-Century Britain (for Cambridge University Press) … Reading the following excerpts in this episode is wonderful actress Hollie Hales:1, 2 & 16. Barnaby Rudge (C. 68 Dickens)3. Sketches of Popular Tumults (Craik)4, 5, 6, 11 & 13.  The Scots Magazine (June 1780)7 & 10. Narrative of the late Riots and Disturbances ... (Holcroft)8. The Riot Act9. Kentish Gazette (June 1780)11. (Source to be inserted!) 12. King's Proclamation14. Northampton Mercury (July 1780)15. Oxford Journal (August 1780)The sound of crowds, gunshots & horses in this episode were used with permission from Epidemic Sound Support the Show.If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrardHost: Dominic GerrardSeries Artwork: Léna GibertOriginal Music: Dominic GerrardThank you for listening!

The award-winning actor and writer Patterson Joseph takes the listener on a  fascinating journey into the captivating life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, an African man who found favour among the highest reaches of 18th-century British society,  and who had a front-row seat to the infamous Gordon Riots of 1780 ...Sharing the inspiration behind his thrilling novel -The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho-Paterson shares his unique writing processes, heavily influenced by Dickens' immersive character development, and his uncanny knack for sensory detailHere is also a link to Paterson reading the audiobook of Sancho:https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Secret-Diaries-of-Charles-Ignatius-Sancho-Audiobook/B09TD1SGLZWelcome to CHRISTMAS at Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire!A series that digs deep into the life and works of one of the greatest novelists of all time ... Thank you for listening to Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! this Christmas.If you're enjoying these episodes and would like to make a small donation to cover the costs of producing them, please follow the link at the bottom of the description, and you can buy a coffee. Every one bought makes a huge difference ...MERRY CHRISTMAS and see you in the NEW YEAR !Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrardHost: Dominic GerrardSeries Artwork: Léna GibertOriginal Music: Dominic GerrardThank you for listening!

"the hapless soldier's sigh runs in blood down Palace walls" 

As the cost of war takes its toll in England, group of voters in Yorkshire create an Association to question the King's role in running the Government.  A mob burns London to protest wartime laws allowing granting Catholics additional rights, including that of enlistment in the Army. Blog https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com includes a complete transcript, as well as pictures, and links related to this week's episode. Book Recommendation of the Week: King Mob: The Story of Lord George Gordon and the Riots of 1780, by Christopher Hibbert Online Recommendation of the Week: A state of the representation of the people of England, on the principles of Mr. Pitt in 1785; with an annexed state of additional propositions, by the Rev. Christopher Wyvill: https://archive.org/details/stateofrepresent00wyvi Join the Facebook group, American Revolution Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/132651894048271 Follow the podcast on Twitter @AmRevPodcast Join the podcast mail list: https://mailchi.mp/d3445a9cd244/american-revolution-podcast-by-michael-troy  ARP T-shirts and other merch: http://tee.pub/lic/AmRevPodcast Support this podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AmRevPodcast or via PayPal http://paypal.me/AmRevPodcast

Dominic is joined by the brilliant  John Bowen:  Professor of 19th Century Literature at the University of York. He is the author of Other Dickens: Pickwick to Chuzzlewit a book which focuses on Dickens' early novels. John's work has brought him in to close collaboration with many of the UK's leading cultural organisations: such as the BBC, British Library, and the V&A. He was also was an academic advisor to David Edgar's adaptation of A Christmas Carol for the RSC.In this episode they discuss Dickens' first historical novel set against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780. The 'forgotten' masterpiece that is Barnaby Rudge ...Support the show

While there's much talk about the huge gains made by the American colonists, and the triumphant launching of the United States of America, far less is generally said about the effect of the American war in the mother country itself. Since Britain was also fighting France, Spain and Holland, the impact on its economy was massive, and on the political establishment if anything even more massive. Loyalty swung wildly, old allies became new adversaries, or vice versa, administrations were formed and fell in rapid succession. All this happened while in the background the latest battle was being fought between king and parliament over who would have the greatest authority over government. Illustration: Soldiers deployed during the Gordon Riots, by John Seymour Lucas, in a painting of 1879. Public Domain Music: Bach Partita #2c by J Bu licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License

In this episode we discussed the role played by architecture and the built environment in relation to political protest movements. Whether at the Battle of Cable Street, Chartist demonstrations in the 19th century, protests against racist police violence in the 1980s or Extinction Rebellion, protests always take place in specific architectural environments that shape and determine the course of political action, however, we often underestimate the agency of these protest movements in shaping the built environment through their actions. Contributors: Adam Elliott-Cooper is a researcher based at the University of Greenwich, who works on histories of racism and policing in Britain. His first monograph, Black Resistance to British Policing, was published by Manchester University Press in May 2021. He is also co-author of Empire's Endgame: Racism and the British State (Pluto Press, 2021). Katrina Navickas is a Reader in History at the University of Hertfordshire, researching and teaching the history of protest and collective action, especially in relation to contested spaces and places in Britain from the 18th century to today. Her book Protest and the Politics of Space and Place, 1789-1848 was published by Manchester University Press in 2015. Hannah Awcock is a researcher based at the University of Edinburgh who is interested in the social, cultural, and historical geographies of resistance, publishing on subjects from the 1780 Gordon Riots to climate protests at COP26. Morgan Trowland is a Civil Engineer and member of the protest group Extinction Rebellion. Your hosts were Matthew Lloyd Roberts and Dr Jessica Kelly, and this project was devised with Neal Shasore. This podcast is produced by Front Ear Podcasts.

"you have more fun at a Glasgow funeral than you do at an Edinburgh wedding"

But have you heard about the Gordon Riots and the Newgate Prison liberation? Me either until recently! Britain's history with religion and persecution of "the other" has been long documented, but it was news to me that a riot was triggered by the House of Commons trying to lessen restrictions on the Catholics. While you would assume most people involved in the riots would be staunch Protestants that were anti-catholic, there were mostly working class members in the actual 40,000-60,000 group of rioters. In this episode, I talk about 3 individuals that you wouldn't think about being major actors in the riot, specifically because two of them were former slaves from the American colonies-- John Glover and Benjamin Bousey. The third individual, Charlotte Gardiner, was the only one of the three hanged for her crimes, which was the fate many fell to before the expansion of prisons and sentencing, and she seemed like a force to reckon with. 

Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 1 Title: Barnaby Rudge Overview: Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television. The last production was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, silent films were made in 1911 and 1915. Published: 1841 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Novel, Serial Novel, Social Criticism Novel, Novella, Bildungsroman, Fiction Novel Episode: Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 1 Part: 1 of 5 Length Part: 6:06:11 Book: 5 Length Book: 29:01:12 Episodes: 1 - 17 of 83 Narrator: Mil Nicholson Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, scam, debt, morality play, perception, discovery Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 2 Title: Barnaby Rudge Overview: Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television. The last production was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, silent films were made in 1911 and 1915. Published: 1841 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Novel, Serial Novel, Social Criticism Novel, Novella, Bildungsroman, Fiction Novel Episode: Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 2 Part: 2 of 5 Length Part: 5:55:23 Book: 5 Length Book: 29:01:12 Episodes: 18 - 34 of 83 Narrator: Mil Nicholson Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, scam, debt, morality play, perception, discovery Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 3 Title: Barnaby Rudge Overview: Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television. The last production was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, silent films were made in 1911 and 1915. Published: 1841 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Novel, Serial Novel, Social Criticism Novel, Novella, Bildungsroman, Fiction Novel Episode: Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 3 Part: 3 of 5 Length Part: 5:49:11 Book: 5 Length Book: 29:01:12 Episodes: 35 - 51 of 83 Narrator: Mil Nicholson Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, scam, debt, morality play, perception, discovery Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 4 Title: Barnaby Rudge Overview: Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television. The last production was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, silent films were made in 1911 and 1915. Published: 1841 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Novel, Serial Novel, Social Criticism Novel, Novella, Bildungsroman, Fiction Novel Episode: Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 4 Part: 4 of 5 Length Part: 5:55:53 Book: 5 Length Book: 29:01:12 Episodes: 52 - 68 of 83 Narrator: Mil Nicholson Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, scam, debt, morality play, perception, discovery Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 5 Title: Barnaby Rudge Overview: Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television. The last production was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, silent films were made in 1911 and 1915. Published: 1841 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Novel, Serial Novel, Social Criticism Novel, Novella, Bildungsroman, Fiction Novel Episode: Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens - Book 5, Part 5 Part: 5 of 5 Length Part: 5:14:32 Book: 5 Length Book: 29:01:12 Episodes: 69 - 83 of 83 Narrator: Mil Nicholson Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, scam, debt, morality play, perception, discovery Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

We remember the year 1780 and the Gordon Riots. The reading is "A Ballad of Trees and the Master" by Sidney Lanier. — We’re a part of 1517 Podcasts, a network of shows dedicated to delivering Christ-centered content. Our podcasts cover a multitude of content, from Christian doctrine, apologetics, cultural engagement, and powerful preaching. GIVE BACK: Support the work of 1517 today CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter This show was produced by Christopher Gillespie (gillespie.media).

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most destructive riots in London's history, which reached their peak on 7th June 1780 as troops fired on the crowd outside the Bank of England. The leader was Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, who objected to the relaxing of laws against Catholics. At first the protest outside Parliament was peaceful but, when Gordon's petition failed to persuade the Commons, rioting continued for days until the military started to shoot suspects in the street. It came as Britain was losing the war to hold on to colonies in North America. The image above shows a crowd setting fire to Newgate Prison and freeing prisoners by the authority of 'His Majesty, King Mob.' With Ian Haywood Professor of English at the University of Roehampton Catriona Kennedy Senior Lecturer in Modern British and Irish History and Director of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York and Mark Knights Professor of History at the University of Warwick Producer: Simon Tillotson

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most destructive riots in London's history, which reached their peak on 7th June 1780 as troops fired on the crowd outside the Bank of England. The leader was Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, who objected to the relaxing of laws against Catholics. At first the protest outside Parliament was peaceful but, when Gordon's petition failed to persuade the Commons, rioting continued for days until the military started to shoot suspects in the street. It came as Britain was losing the war to hold on to colonies in North America. The image above shows a crowd setting fire to Newgate Prison and freeing prisoners by the authority of 'His Majesty, King Mob.' With Ian Haywood Professor of English at the University of Roehampton Catriona Kennedy Senior Lecturer in Modern British and Irish History and Director of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York and Mark Knights Professor of History at the University of Warwick Producer: Simon Tillotson

Dordingull mánudaginn 8. apríl (454) Í þætti dagsins höldum við áfram að halda upp á íslenskan rokk apríl, Drep, Gordon Riots, Shogun, Dimma, Katla og Grave Superior. Lagalistinn: drep - Friend Sororicide - Deathless Keelrider - Martyr Grit Teeth - The Fall Grave Superior - Open Casket, Open Mouth Gordon Riots - Bury Me With The Seasons Spünk - Incestfest Kontinuum - Lightbearer Shogun - Lying Under Oath Kookaveen - In Graves Hryðjuverk - Til Sölu Alchemia - Paradise Bootlegs - Fórnarlamb tískunnar Dimma - Andsetinn Katla - Kaldidalur Aukalag: Momentum - Between Two Worlds

Dordingull mánudaginn 8. apríl (454) Í þætti dagsins höldum við áfram að halda upp á íslenskan rokk apríl, Drep, Gordon Riots, Shogun, Dimma, Katla og Grave Superior. Lagalistinn: drep - Friend Sororicide - Deathless Keelrider - Martyr Grit Teeth - The Fall Grave Superior - Open Casket, Open Mouth Gordon Riots - Bury Me With The Seasons Spünk - Incestfest Kontinuum - Lightbearer Shogun - Lying Under Oath Kookaveen - In Graves Hryðjuverk - Til Sölu Alchemia - Paradise Bootlegs - Fórnarlamb tískunnar Dimma - Andsetinn Katla - Kaldidalur Aukalag: Momentum - Between Two Worlds

Prime Ministers didn’t last long as one administration quickly gave way to another. Since the Ministry of Henry Pelham ended under the reign of George II in 1754, Great Britain had seen seven men, and eight administrations holding office for no more than two to three years apiece. That was until the rise of Frederick North as he ascended to the First Ministry For twelve years, twelve long years, with the full support and consent of George III, he would preside over the most powerful Empire of the world. Yet there was little doubt that time had taken its toll, aging the 49 year old perhaps the full measure of a lifetime in little over a decade. Even before his rise the American situation was beginning to steam. Within his first three month in office it would boil over. Within 6 years protests had turn to violence, violence to open defiance, and defiance to revolution as the American colonies asserted their Independence from the Court of Saint James. Perhaps, at times, he knew he was in over his head. Even as he declared the colonies in a state of rebellion in 1775, following Bunker Hill, he had sought to resign in favor of a Prime Minister who perhaps more experience in handling these affairs. In 1776, following the Battle of Saratoga, he would once more attempt to offer his resignation. The next year, as France entered the war, he would try again. In fact, on numerous occasions he had sought to set aside his own ambition, and alleviate his burden for someone he believed more apt and able, and each time the George III refused. Yet, resignation would come. It just not in the form that he had perhaps hoped as he was marked as the man who lost the war. By February 27th, 1782, it would become clear that the end was now near for not only Lord North but also the Revolution that had come to define so much of his administration. Even as word of the fall of Yorktown reached him, he would confide in his diary, “Oh God! It's all over.” Now General Henry Seymour Conway was rising to the floor of the House of Commons. Despite his majority in Parliament, the hold that Lord North had was beginning to crack as defections from his Tory’s strengthened the Whig Opposition. Five days earlier Conway had tried to end the War. He would fail by one vote. Now, with his resolution reworked, and reworded, 234 would vote for it, 215 would vote against. With a 19 vote majority a motion would pass to recognize America’s Independence and begin the peace process.  Deserted, abandoned by many in his party, not just those who voted for the measure, but also by those who chose rather to be absent than vote for or against, it would be only the second time in the history of the Westminster System that a government had lost a vote of no-confidence. A few days later the papers would declare, “In consequence of this important decision, the nation are at last within the prospect of enjoying the blessings of a Peace with America.“ Having faced not just the American Revolution, but the Falkland Crisis against Spain, the Gordon Riots in Ireland, the potential invasion of the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, and the prospect of losing Gibraltar, North couldn’t hold on anymore, nor lead the pro-War cause. But then it wasn’t as if he wished to either. Within the next few weeks he would tender his resignation to George III. It would, despite it all, be with hesitation and reluctance that the King would accept. The Marques of Rockingham, after almost 16 years out of power, would be asked to lead despite the disdain the monarch felt towards him. Within less than half a year though Rockingham would be dead at age 52 from the flu. Despite the instability that would arise from the three Whig Prime Ministers who would take to the office between the resignation of Lord North and the rise of William Pitt the Younger in 1783, peace for the former American colonies would be secured at the Treaty of Paris, the lasting legacy of the almost ten months that William Petty, the Earl of Shelburne, spent as Prime Minister.

In 1780, as a protest against the First Catholic Relief Act of 1778, a petition was brought to Parliament in London which sparked the Gordon Riots.   Some days later a small crowd was seen near the Catholic mission in … Continue reading →

The First Catholic Relief Act in 1778 led to the  Gordon Riots of 1780 which lasted for a week and were of great ferocity in London where many major public buildings including the Bank of England, the prisons of Newgate … Continue reading →

Gripping conclussion of Dicens's novel plus the not so gripping conclusion of TV Lark and more from Sceptred Isle.  Enjoy

In June 1780 the most destructive urban riots in English history erupted onto the streets of London. Sparked by resistance to the Catholic Relief Act of 1778, the riots soon escalated into a sustained assault on government properties and institutions. Fuelled by popular resentment against the...

Religious partisanship is normal, explicable, and terminal. It kills Christianity. It sure killed me. Or maybe it wised me up. This podcast concerns Charles Dickens' novel "Barnaby Rudge", which was published in 1841. Dickens' subject was the "No Popery" riots that took place in 1780 in London. They are also known as the "Gordon Riots". Dickens used this astonishing episode to observe the causes of theological hatred, and its consequences. Dickens was a conscious Protestant and heartfelt Christian, but he was upset by religious malice. "Barnaby Rudge" gets to the bottom of it, in 661 pages. This podcast gives you the Reader's Digest version in 36 minutes.

Institute of Historical Research Britain's Lost Revolution: Remembering the Gordon Riots on their 230th Anniversary Matthew White (University of Hertfordshire) British History in the Long Eighteenth Century seminar series

Institute of Historical Research Britain's Lost Revolution: Remembering the Gordon Riots on their 230th Anniversary Fanatical and Tumultous Associations: Dissenters, Methodists and Anti-Popery in the Gordon Riots John Seed (University of Roeh...

Institute of Historical Research Britain's Lost Revolution: Remembering the Gordon Riots on their 230th Anniversary Tim Hitchcock (University of Hertfordshire) British History in the Long Eighteenth Century seminar series

Institute of Historical Research Britain's Lost Revolution: Remembering the Gordon Riots on their 230th Anniversary The Gordon Riots: The Supreme Spectacle Ian Haywood (University of Roehampton) British History in the Long Eighteenth Ce...

This episode of CS is titled Results.Now that we've taken a look at some of the movements and luminaries of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, it's time for a review of the results and their impact on The Church.Once we embark in the next Era of Church History, we'll find ourselves in the weeds of so many movements we're going to have to back up and take it in an even more summary form than we have. Turns out, the warning Roman Catholics sounded when Protestants split off turned out to be true. They warned if Luther and other Reformers left the Mother Church, they'd commence a fragmenting that would never end. They foretold that anyone with their own idea of the way things ought to be would run off to start their own group, that would become another church, then a movement of churches and eventually a denomination. The hundreds of denominations and tens of thousands of independent churches today are testimony to that fragmenting.The problem for us here with CS is this – There's no way we can chronicle all the many directions the Church went in that fragmenting. We'll need to stand back to only mark the broad strokes.Though the Enlightenment heavyweight John Locke was an active advocate of religious tolerance, he made it clear tolerance didn't apply to Catholics. The fear in England of a Catholic-Jacobite conspiracy, valid it turned out, moved Locke and the Anglican clergy to be wary of granting Catholics the full spectrum of civil rights. On the contrary, the English were at one point so paranoid of Rome's attempt to seize the throne, a 1699 statute made the saying of a Latin mass a crime.Many Roman Church apologists were talented writers and challenged Anglican teachings. In 1665, Bishop Tillotson answered John Sergeant's treatise titled Sure Footing in Christianity, or Rational Discourses on the Rule of Faith. Sergeant worried some Protestants might convert to Catholicism for political reasons. His anxiety grew in 1685 when the Roman Catholic Duke of York, James II, became king. King James's Declaration of Indulgences removed restrictions blocking Catholics from serving in the government.The arrival of William III and the Glorious Revolution ended James' efforts to return England to the Catholic fold. He was allowed to leave England for France at the end of 1688. Then in 1714, with the Peace of Utrecht ending the War of the Spanish Succession, France's King Louis XIV, promised he'd no longer back the Stuart claim to England's throne.During the 18th C, Catholics in England were a minority. At the dawn of the century, there were only two convents in England, with a whopping 25 nuns. By 1770, the number of Catholics still only numbered some 80,000. They lacked civil and political rights and were considered social outsiders. The Marriage Act of 1753 disallowed any wedding not conducted according to the Anglican rite, excepting Quakers and Jews.This is not to say all English Protestants were intolerant of Roman Catholics. Some of the upper classes appreciated varied aspects of Roman culture. They owned art produced by Catholic artists and thought making the continental Grand Tour a vital part of proper education. One of the chief stops on that Tour was, of course, Rome.Still, anti-Catholic feelings on the part of the common people were seen in the Gordon Riots of 1780. When the 1699 statute banning the Mass was removed, a mob burned down Catholic homes and churches. Catholics didn't receive full civil liberty until the Emancipation Act of 1829.While Anglicans, Baptists, and Catholics sniped at each other, they all agreed Deism represented a serious threat to the Christian Faith. England proved to be Deism's most fertile soil.In 1645, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, Father of English Deism, proposed five articles as the basis of his rationalist religion.1) God exists;2) We are obliged to revere God;3) Worship consists of a practical morality;4) We should repent of sin;5) A future divine judgment awaits all people based on how they've lived.Charles Blount published several works that furthered the Deist cause in England. John Toland's Christianity not Mysterious in 1696 opened the floodgates of Deistic literature. Contemporaries of John Locke viewed his The Reasonableness of Christianity as preparing the way for Toland's explicitly Deist work. Locke tried to blunt the accusation by saying while Toland was a friend, his ideas were his own and had no connection to his own.The first half of the 18th C saw an onslaught of literature from Deists that seemed to batter Anglicans into a corner and make the Gospel seem insipid. So much so that in 1722 Daniel Defoe complained that “no age, since the founding and forming the Christian Church was ever like, in openly avowed atheism, blasphemies, and heresies, to the age we now live in.” When Montesquieu visited England in 1729 he wrote “There is no religion, and the subject if mentioned, excites nothing but laughter.” The Baron certainly over-stated the case since other evidence indicates religious discussion was far from rare. But in his circle of contacts, the place theological discussion had once played was now greatly diminished.Eventually, in response to this wave of Deist literature, Christian apologists embarked on a campaign to address a number of -isms that had risen to silence the Faith. They dealt with Deism, Atheism, a resurgent Arianism, Socinianism, and Unitarianism. Their task was complicated by the fact many of their Deist opponents claimed to be proponents of the “true” teachings of the Christian faith.Richard Bentley observed that the claims of Deists attacked the very heart of the Christian faith. He summarized Deist ideas like this – “They say that the soul is material, Christianity a cheat, Scripture a falsehood, hell a fable, heaven a dream, our life without providence, and our death without hope, such are the items of the glorious gospel of these Deist evangelists.”A number of Deists argued that God, Who they referred to as the Architect of the Universe, does not providentially involve Himself in His creation. Rather, He established fixed laws to govern the way the world runs. Since the laws are fixed, no biblical miracles could have taken place. So, the Bible is filled with errors and nonsense, a premise deists like Anthony Collins claimed was confirmed by critics like Spinoza. Prophetic pointers to a Messiah in the Old Testament could not have been fulfilled by Christ since prophecy would violate the fixed law of time.Deists maintained that salvation is NOT an issue of believing the Gospel. Rather, God requires all peoples to follow rationally construed moral laws regarding what's right and wrong. Since a measure of reason is given to everyone, God is fair, they contended, in holding everyone accountable to the same rational, moral standards.The astute listener may note that that sounds close to what some scientists advocate today. We hear much about the growing number of once atheist scientists coming to a faith in God. That report is true, but we need to qualify the “god” many of them are coming to faith in. It's a god of the small ‘g', not a capital “G” as in the God of the Bible. The god of many recent scientist converts is more akin to the Watchmaker deity of the Deists than the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and The Apostle Paul.Deists believed what they called “natural religion” underlying all religion. We learn of this religion, not from the special revelation of Scripture. We learn it from, as Immanuel Kant would say “the starry heavens above, and the moral law within.”Christian apologists unleashed scores of books in an anti-deist counterattack. One of the most effective was Jacques Abbadie's Treatise on the Truth of the Christian Religion. Published in 1684, it was one of the earliest and most widely circulated apologetics for the truthfulness of the Christian faith based on “facts.” Abbadie was a Protestant pastor in London. He countered Deist arguments against the resurrection and alleged discrepancies in Scripture. The points he made remain some of the most potent apologetics today. He pointed out the public nature of Christ's appearances after the resurrection. The change in the disciples' attitudes, from trembling in fear to confidence in the truthfulness and power of The Gospel as evidenced by their preaching and willingness to die for the Faith. In the 18th C, Abbadie's work was found in the libraries of more French nobles than the best-selling works of Bossuet or Pascal.You may remember a couple of episodes back, our brief coverage of the work of the skeptic David Hume. Hume attacked the concept of “cause and effect,” claiming it was only an unsubstantiated presupposition allowing for it that made cause and effect a rule. Hume's criticism turned those who bought his ideas into inveterate critics unable to come to conclusions about anything. John Wesley described Hume as “the most insolent despiser of truth and virtue that ever appeared in the world, an avowed enemy to God and man, and to all that is sacred and valuable upon earth.”The Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid developed an erudite response to Hume's skepticism. In his An Essay on Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense, published in 1764, Reid critiqued Hume's theory: “The theory of ideas, like the Trojan horse, had a specious appearance both of innocence and beauty; but if those philosophers had known, that it carried in its belly death and destruction to all science and common sense, they would not have broken down their walls to give it admittance.” Hume's principles, Reid showed, led to absurd conclusions.While Skepticism and Deism gained many adherents early on, and Christianity struggled for a while as it adjusted to the new challenge, it eventually produced a plethora of responses that regained a good measure of the intellectual ground. This period can be said to be the breeding ground for today's apologetic culture and the core of its philosophical stream.In 1790, Edmund Burke rejoiced that Christian apologists had largely won out over the Deists.At the dawning of the 18th C, the Scottish clans with their rough and tumble culture and the warlike tradition continued to reign over a good part of the Scottish Highlands, which accounts for about a third of the total area. In contrast, the capital of Edinburgh was a small city of no more than 35,000 crowded into dirty tenements, stacked one above another.By the Act of Union of 1707, Scotland and England became one. The Scottish Parliament was dissolved and merged with the English. Scots were given 45 members in the House of Commons. But tension remained between north and south.In the Patronage Act of 1712, the English Crown claimed the right to choose Scottish pastors; an apparent end-run by the Anglican Church of England around the rights of Presbyterian Scotland. Seceder Presbyterians refused to honor the pastors appointed by England. They started their own independent churches.Then, in 1742 the Cambuslang Revival swept Scotland. For four months, the church in Cambuslang, a few miles from Glasgow, witnessed large numbers of people attending prayer meetings and showing great fervency in their devotion to God. In June, George Whitefield visited and preached several times. In August, meetings saw as many as 40,000. The pastor of the church wrote, “People sat unwearied till two in the morning to hear sermons, disregarding the weather. You could scarcely walk a yard, but you must tread upon some, either rejoicing in God for mercies received, or crying out for more. Thousands and thousands have I seen, melted down under the word and power of God.”Whitefield then preached to large crowds in Edinburgh and other cities. Other centers of revival popped up.In the second half of the 18th C, Scotland gained a reputation as a center for the Enlightenment under such men as David Hume, Thomas Reid, Adam Smith, and Francis Hutchison. Voltaire wrote that “today it is from Scotland that we get rules of taste in all the arts, from epic poetry to gardening.”An interesting development took place in Scotland at that time, maybe born by a weariness of the internecine conflict endemic to Scottish history. A cultured “literati” in Edinburgh participated in different clubs, but all aimed at striking some kind of balance where people of different persuasions could hold discourse without feeling the need to come to blows. They sought enlightened ways to improve society and agriculture. In the inaugural edition of the Edinburgh Review, 1755, the editor encouraged Scots “to a more eager pursuit of learning themselves, and to do honor to their country.”Evangelicals like Edinburgh pastors John Erskine and Robert Walker hoped to reform society using some of the new ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. They embarked on a campaign to safeguard and expand civil liberties. But unlike more moderate members of the Church of Scotland, they believed conversion to personal faith in Christ was a prerequisite for reform. Erskine appreciated George Whitefield and edited and published a number of Jonathan Edwards' works.In Ireland, the Glorious Revolution was not at all “glorious” for Catholics. On July 1, 1690, the armies of the Protestant King William III defeated the forces of the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne and seized Dublin. In 1691, Jacobites in Ireland either fled or surrendered. The Banishment Act of 1697 ordered all Catholic clergy to leave Ireland or risk execution. Poverty and illiteracy made life miserable for large numbers of Irish Catholics.English restrictions on Ireland were brutal. Power resided in the hands of a small group of wealthy Anglican elite of the official Church of Ireland. Even Scottish Presbyterians who had settled in Ulster were excluded from civil and military roles. And the Irish had to pay the cost of quartering English troops to keep the peace.Not to be denied, some Catholic priests donned secular clothes so as to continue to minister to their spiritual charges without putting them in danger.In the last decades of the 18th Century the Irish population grew rapidly. Methodists numbered some 14,000 in 1790 and allied with other Protestants who'd come over from England, settled the north of the Island. Protestants in Ireland, whatever their stripe, typically held fierce anti-Catholic sentiments, just as Catholics were hostile toward Protestants.In 1778 the Catholic Relief Act allowed Catholics to buy and inherit land. In 1782 the Irish Parliament gained independence, and laws against Catholics were changed. But the English monarchy managed to maintain its authority and put down the Irish Rebellion of 1798.The upshot is this à The Gospel faced a withering barrage from some of the most potent of Enlightenment critics, skeptics, and foes. The Church was slow to respond, which allowed the ideas of rationalism to poison the well of much Western philosophical thought. The challenge was eventually answered, not only with an eloquent reply but by the stirring of the Holy Spirit Who brought winds of revival for which the most elite skeptic had no comeback.Christianity was tested in the British Isles during the 18th C, but it passed the test.