was expected less than general conflagration. tion. I stated to you, that I have great reaThe next day an attack was meditated upon son to believe, and I hope it will come out the Bank, and I believe upon the Pay and before this day is over, that there were some Excise offices; happily his majesty, by his of that association who meant no more than anxious care, and extraordinary and unremit- to lay their apprehensions before parliament, ting exertions, had been able to collect toge- willing to leave them to their consideration ther a force; all the troops within a consider- and judgment, intended to present their peable distance were brought up to the metro- tition in the ordinary form, and in a constitupolis, and they gave a check to the fury of the tional way, attended by very few of the pemob; this was upon the Thursday, when titioners. But that did not square with the they were making an attempt upon the Poul- views of their president. Their president had try Compter. Every person I believe is con- been in parliament, he had observed the vinced, that if a stop had not been then put sentiments of many upon the subject of this to the outrages, the whole of this town would repeal; he possibly despaired of any immehave been destroyed in a very short time; diate relief being given, for certainly the subfor though the repeal of the bill was the pre-ject required great consideration; the circumtended cause, and the Roman Catholics the stances, if any, to shew danger to be appreobject at first of their violence, that distinc-hended from the repeal of the Bill were to be tion would soon have vanished-the reputed investigated. A difficulty was thrown upon papist-the friend of the papist, and all those the business; this Bill invited the Catholics who had not the least connection with them, to give a pledge of their fidelity and loyalty; if in any respect obnoxious to the mob, would this they had done upon the faith of enjoying have suffered-It is astonishing to me, that that degree of freedom from penalties and puthe whole town was not destroyed, consider- nishments which the Act held out to them; ing the number of Roman Catholics employ- there were besides other weighty consideraed in our manufactories here, and others who tions. But deliberate proceedings would not are doomed to the most laborious employ- answer the purpose; the session of parliament ments in this town; had they interposed in was near expiring; the prisoner at the bar defence of their innocent brethren to preserve advertised for a general meeting to propose them from ruin what must have been the an attendance on this petition by numbers; consequence!-A bloody war must have taken the proposal at a general meeting, where all place; and if an attack upon the houses of came that pleased without distinction, was imProtestants had been provoked, the whole of mediately assented to; there are people who this town, even before the military could have attend these places who cannot exist without arrived to our assistance, might have been the opportunity of plunder; the prisoner upon destroyed-Before the insurrection was put this declared that he would not present the an end to, there appeared strong marks of petition unless he was attended by twenty the machinations of our inveterate enemies. thousand people; did such an idea ever strike What was the meaning of opening the prisons any man that meant well to the peace and -what was the intent of that attack upon the tranquillity of the country, that he would not national credit of the kingdom, the Bank of present it without he was attended by twenty England? was that upon the ground of thousand people, and they were to be marked, Popery, or for the repeal of this bill? Other they were to be distinguished by cockades, circumstances concurring, leave no doubt that that he might know the friends of the pegreater designs than at first appeared were tition, or the friends to the Protestant cause? opening to the public. Good God! is a cockade the test of adHaving stated in general the outlines of the herence to any good cause; every man that violences committed during these few days, came there with a cockade, whatever his to the eternal disgrace of this country, for it views were, was considered as a friend to the can never be wiped off, it remains for me to Protestant religion; there was no other title state to you, what share the prisoner at the to admission into this body, but merely havbar had in them; for there can be no doubt ing cockades in their hats-Then he gave dithat all persons who contributed to the perpe-rections, that they should be formed into divitration of them are as criminal as the very persons who committed the act, and more so, especially, if they are to be ascribed to their incitement and encouragement. Gentlemen, you have now before you, as will appear upon the evidence, the author of all these violent and disgraceful proceedings, to whom the whole is to be imputed; an offender of such a description has not often appeared in a court of justice. I have already stated to you the Protestant Association, but have not mentioned to you, leaving it to this stage of the business, that the prisoner was the president of that associat sions; a general could not make a more proper disposition of his army; the London division was to go to the right, the Scotch to the left, Westminster to one part, Southwark to the other part; and then they were to be marched off in these divisions. I dare say it struck many who were there, that this proposal must be attended with tumult and breaches of the peace at the least; the very collection of so great a number was never made in any country without doing mischief; but to take off apprehensions of that kind, he bid them recollect what the Scotch had done. By their firm conduct they had prevented the Bill. from extending to them; he recommended to this body, to twenty thousand men! the firm conduct of the Scotch, which consisted in the most violent insurrection and tumult that ever was known in that city, and in acts of violence against the Roman Catholics who committed no fault, nor applied for redress, but were taken up as men innocently suffering, and men that ought to be relieved. Is a mob not able to take the hint? It would have been too much for the prisoner to have said, Gentlemen, go and pull down all the houses of the Roman Catholics: the civil magistrates would have interposed; but it was, Recollect what the Scotch did by their firm conduct; and he added, he did not desire them to run any danger which he was not ready to share with them, and that he would meet them there; and was ready to go to the gallows for their cause; greater encouragement could not be given to a set of men; they looked up to him as a man of education and high birth; they probably did not at that time suspect the snare he was drawing them into, when he offered and pledged himself, and that he would even go to the gallows with them in the business; he published an advertisement for a meeting of these people, and though he mentioned only twenty thousand, he had an expectation of a much larger army. The advertisement I will read to you, "Protestant Association. Whereas no hall in London can contain forty thousand men, Resolved that this association do meet on Friday next." Court. Gentlemen of the Jury; I observe some of you are taking notes, you are not to attend to any thing stated to you by the counsel unless it is afterwards proved by the witnesses. Mr. Attorney General. I open to you from my instructions what is given me as facts, and where witnesses are put down to prove them; I am not answerable for the truth of them. God forbid that any thing I mention unsupported by proof should turn to the prejudice of the prisoner at the bar. The first resolution says, "Resolved that this association do meet on Friday next, June the 2d, in St. George's-fields, at ten o'clock in the morning; to consider of the most prudent and respectful manner of attending their petition, which will be presented the same day to the House of Commons." Forty thousand men to meet to consider of the most prudent and respectful manner of presenting a petition, how are they to be consulted! how is their opinion to be asked! this is a disguised business." Resolved, for the sake of good order and regularity, that this association, on coming to the ground, do separate themselves into four divisions; to wit, the London division, the Westminster division, the Southwark division, and the Scotch division. Resolved, that the London division do take place upon the right of the ground toward Southwark; the Westminster division second; the Southwark division wish third; and the Scotch division upon the left; all wearing blue cockades in their hats to distinguish themselves from the Papists, and those who approved of the late act in favour of Popery." "So every man that did not wear a cockade in his hat was to be distinguished as a favourer of Popery and of the late act of parliament; and that every man who would put a cockade in his hat, be his description what it might, was to be considered as a friend to this petition; in short he was to be a friend to the purposes in view. "Resolved, that the magistrates of London, Westminster, and Southwark, are requested to attend, that their presence may over-awe and control any riotous or evil-minded persons who may to disturb the legal and peaceable deportment of his Majesty's Protestant subjects."-Now, gentlemen, what an insult is this upon the civil magistrates! this last paragraph adds to the mockery of the advertisement; is of a piece with the other I observed upon, in the circumstances of these people calling for a protection from the civil magistrates against those who should disturb their legal and peaceable deportment; for God's sake, who is there that durst look in the face of forty thousand men! this army wants a protection, and calls upon the magistrates for it; but what magistrates? the London, Westminster, and Southwark; of the two first none can act but in London and Westminster, and in Southwark I believe hardly one magistrate resided, and besides these men were out of the borough of Southwark, so that not one of the magistrates, if called upon to keep the peace, and to protect forty thousand men, could act at all. This advertisement was evidently to disguise the real purpose and views of the meeting. I have already stated to you the assembly the advertisement produced on the 2d of June; the prisoner at the bar appeared at their head with his cockade; they were drawn up, and under orders, I presume, from him. Upon a person's carrying a message from the prisoner to them, the march began, that I have already stated to you; he received them, or came along with them, I do not know which, to the House of Commons, and there presented the petition. This body of men will appear to you to have been totally under his influence and management; the insult and violence at the House of Commons I have already described to you, and the force used there; no persuasion whatever, no exertion could deliver the House of Commons from the situation they were in till very late at night. He had it in his power at any moment to have done it, nay in the height of the tumult those in the lobby called to him to know whether they should quit the lobby; it was impossible to have a division until the lobby was cleared, but nothing could be done without his directions; it was not safe for him to order them to stay and obstruct the proceedings of the House in plain terms; but he did that which was equivalent; he told them to be steady and persevere; that he would state to them the case; that he had called for a division, that there was no doubt at all that it was against them, but, if they continued in the lobby, the House could not divide; this he stated to them, not that he advised them; and then that he might not appear to have given them any directions, he left it to them to do as they pleased; it was enough to leave to them that by clearing the lobby the business would be put off, whereas they wanted it to be instantly urged on, and carried through; he was applied to over and over to desire them to go out; a word from him would have done it, and then parliament would not have been compelled to suffer the disgrace of passing an act without examination, and without forming a judgment upon the subject. Gentlemen, you will find that he reminded them over and over of the conduct of the Scotch; he told them the civil magistrate was sent for, but they need not regard him, for he believed he was a petitioner; that the guards, if they came, would do them no hurt; in short, by his persuasions and incitements, he kept that body at the door, imprisoning the members. When the Scotch, said he, pulled down the mass-houses, they had redress. Lord Weymouth sent an assurance that the Bill should not be extended to Scotland, and shall the Scotch be better than you? No language could convey more intelligible directions to these people; if they did not succeed by the force upon the House of Commons, they were to resort to the other plan; the Scotch, said he, had redress when they pulled down the mass-houses, you know what the Scotch did by their firm conduct; this he said to them who were under his influence and command; men who would have departed if he had given them the word; who looked to him solely for instructions for their conduct, and besides he mentioned too that there was no doubt that his majesty, when he heard of the insurrections within ten miles of London, and of their flocking up to town, would send his ministers to promise a repeal if the prisoner and his adherents were not able to accomplish their purpose at the House, the Scotch plan he had recommended was to be adopted; they instantly flew to the chapels of the ambassadors, afterwards to the houses of the Roman Catholics, and of those who had given obstruction to the mob. What became of the prisoner does not appear; but you will find, when they re-assembled again upon the Tuesday, after the violent outrages on the preceding evening, Sunday and Monday, he came to the House of Commons, with the same symbol of being their head and leader, that of a cockade, and which was a plain token of his approbation of their actions. They had all their colours flying about Palaceyard.—Without remorse, without advising them to depart peaceably, without remonstrating with them about the mischiefs they had done; he was led off in triumph through the city of London to the Mansion-house, and other places, by a large body; this happened upon the Tuesday. On the Wednesday he sent an advertisement to the papers of a very singular nature' to be inserted in the Thursday's papers, it did get into some papers, it is this; Lord George Gordon went in person to three different places, where the tumults were subsisting, to harangue the mob, and exhort them to a peaceable and legal deportment; he stood for a considerable time among parties of foot soldiers, accompanied by one of the London sheriff's, but all this was without effect, lord George Gordon not being able to give them any assurances that the act would be repealed." This advertisement held out to the mob, that they were to look forward to some assurances; that they were to continue their depredations till some assurance should be given, and that this was the only reason why the violences were not stopped. Did he flatter himself that he should have assurance from any quarter that this Bill would be repealed! He adds, several merchants requested lord George Gordon to sign papers that they were friends to the Protestant interest, &c. So he states himself in his own hand-writing, that he was the person who had been, and was to be applied to, for protections; we shall shew you one of his protections granted upon the Wednesday,but nothing carries with it stronger evidence, under his own hand, that all the world looked upon him as the only person who had the government of the mob, in the depredations they were then committing; he does not say I refused them, or that I granted them, he certainly meant that others should apply in the same way for protections, it was to demonstrate that he was, and was looked upon to be the only man whose name and signature would protect them from the violence of this mob; his name did furnish a protection in one case which we shall give in evidence; he gave a protection to a person who had a Roman Catholic tenant or lodger in his house he found his house had been threatened, and applied to the prisoner for a protection-he got one, and experienced the benefit of it. Can any body doubt, after this evidence, that the prisoner at the bar was not the author of these disturbances, and that to his encouragement, incitement, and means, they are to be ascribed? Perhaps he will tell us, he had no other object but the repeal of this Bill; and that if other views, of a more alarming and extensive nature, mixed in the operations of the mob, they are not imputable to him; but if he had no other object than the repeal of this Bill, sure, his measure of guilt is of no. ordinary size; will it be enough for him to say, I would have checked the mob in the. violence of their proceedings, but I was not able to do it; that will be no excuse, if he exhorted them to begin, and look to that as the means to procure a repeal. If he has turned out upon the public this many headed monster, to ravage and destroy, it will be no excuse to say, I wanted to check its rage and fury! he has designedly given birth to the outrage, and must stand by the consequences; it is just he should. to the London tavern, in Bishopsgate-street; and to St. Margaret's-hall, in the borough of Southwark. Did you see the prisoner at all or at any of those places?-Not at all, but at most of them. Do you recollect which of them you saw Gentlemen, if these facts are proved, lay him at?-I saw him at St. Margaret's-hall, your hands upon your hearts, and ask your-at Greenwood's rooms, at the Old Crown and selves, whether to the prisoner, all that was Rolls tavern, Chancery-lane, and at Coachdone, is not to be imputed. It is not an ac- maker's-hall. cidental assistance, or encouragement, but he Do you remember seeing him at Coachis the contriver of the whole. If you are sa-maker's-hall, at the last meeting, previous to tisfied of this, you will pronounce him guilty, their going up to the House of Commons ?—I and your verdict will teach the present and remember it very well. future ages this lesson, that no man, however exalted in birth, situation, or connexion, can violate the peace, the order, the government, and the laws of his country with impunity. I shall, in order to prove the case, call some witnesses, not so many, I hope, as you may have seen in a list, which, by some means, has been published; it is not the object I know, of delivering lists of witnesses, that they should appear in the public newspapers, but you have seen a great many in a list of witnesses published-the necessity of putting down many will be obvious to you, for we had no power over the witnesses at the time their names were inserted, several are to the same fact, that if any, from accident, sickness, or any other cause, could not attend, others, in that list, might be called, for we cannot supply their places by witnesses not named in the list; it is therefore of necessity, that we have inserted so many witnesses to the same transaction, but I shall not trouble you with more than I think sufficient to establish the facts. Gentlemen, I beg pardon for taking up so much of your time, but in a cause of such importance and expectation, it becomes my duty to be as particular in the state of the facts, materially affecting the prisoner, as it is in my power to do. Evidence for the Crown. William Hay sworn. Examined by Mr. Solicitor General. Do you know the prisoner, lord George Gordon?-Yes. Do you remember seeing him at any time at Coachmaker's-hall?--I saw the prisoner at Coachmaker's-hall on the 7th of January, 1780. Do you recollect at that time any thing said by the prisoner, and if you do, mention what it was? It was on the 29th of May I heard the prisoner announce to a very numerous assembly, the hall was crowded," That_the Associated Protestants (as they were called) amounted to upwards of 40,000 in number; that on Friday the 2d of June it was resolved, they should meet, at ten o'clock in the morning, in St. George's-fields, in four separate divisions or columns, arrayed or dressed in their best clothes. Mr. Kenyon. Was it arrayed or dressed?— A. I think his words were, "to have your best clothes on, with blue cockades in your hats, as he himself should wear a blue cockade, to distinguish them from other people who were Papists or friends to Roman Čatholics." His lordship gave orders how these four different bodies should take their ground, and what fields they should assemble in. Í cannot charge my memory exactly with the positions of those four columns, but I think the London division were to go to the field on the right of the road. Court. Do you at all recollect the order?A. I cannot charge my memory. Do you recollect any thing you heard said by the prisoner?-Not that evening; but I recollect some evenings before, at the Crown and Rolls, lord George Gordon being present, his lordship read over the preambles or certain parts of penal laws of Charles the 2d, William and Mary, and George the 2d. After reading those acts, he observed, "That by his majesty's giving his assent to the Quebec law, and the late act of parliament tolerating the Roman Catholics in England, his counsellors had brought him to that pass or situation in which James the 2d was after his abdication." One of the Jury. Were those his lordship's words?-A. As nearly as I can recollect. Did you see him at different times at that He then read his majesty's coronation oath, meeting between the 7th of January and the and said " It was his opinion, that his majesty 2d of June, the day the multitude went to the had broken that oath." He observed, that House of Commons ?-Five or six times, but" the people in his country did not mince the not at that place, the association What association ?—The association called the Protestant Association, was adjourned from place to place. It was adjourned to Greenwood's rooms, in the Hay-market; to the Old Crown and Rolls, in Chancery-lane; matter, they spoke out, or spoke their minds freely, and avowed it to be true." Do you remember any thing else?—I do not recollect any thing else; these are the most emphatical expressions I can charge my memory with. You do not recollect, at present, any other inflammatory expressions made use of by lord George Gordon, either at Coachmaker'shall, or any of the preceding meetings?None. Did you go to the meeting in St. George'sfields, on the 2nd of June?—I went there, but did not mix among the people. Did you see a multitude of people gathered together there?—A vast multitude. One of the Jury. What number do you imagine there might be ?-I cannot tell; I had never seen so many together before, and could not make a calculation, Had they any particular marks or badges? -They had all cockades, and there were ban ners. Was any thing written upon the banners or the cockades?-Nothing on the cockades that I observed. On the banners I think I saw Protestant Association; and one banner I believe had No Popery! on it. Did you see the prisoner there?-Yes. I saw him at a great distance; he was going off the field then towards the House of Com mons. Did you hear him address himself to this multitude?—I could see lord George Gordon was haranguing the people, but I was not near enough to hear what he said. Which way did this multitude march? I can say nothing of their marching, further than what I saw in Fleet street. I came home and saw them come through Fleetstreet, and march by St. Dunstan's church, in their way to the House of Commons. Was there a large number came that way? -Yes. Had they the same cockades and banners? -Yes, the same cockades, and one or two of the banners. Did you afterwards on that day come down towards the House of Commons ?—I did. Did you see a number of the same people about the House?—I did; they appeared to be the same people. Had they the same cockades and banners? -Yes, they had. Did you get into the lobby of the House of Commons?-I was there about three hours. Was that filled with some of this multitude?-The lobby was crowded with them. What was their behaviour?-Very riotous. The noise was generally occasioned by chiming of lord George Gordon's name. Lord George Gordon's name was the constant chime. The great noise appeared to me to be made by those words, Lord George Gordon. Do you recollect their calling out at all to any of the members of the House of Commons who were in the lobby?—I remember two or three members coming into the gallery over the lobby of the House and speaking to them. Do you remember the mob crying out to the people in the lobby?-I cannot pretend VOL. XXI. to say, there was such great confusion and noise. While these people were in the lobby, and you were there, did you see lord George Gordon?-I saw my lord George Gordon once in the place over the lobby. Did you hear him say any thing at that time? Yes. He exhorted them, "to continue stedfastly to adhere to so good and glorious a cause as their's was. He promised he would persevere in it himself, and he hoped, although there was very little expectation from the House of Commons, that they would meet with redress from their mild or gracious sovereign." Do you recollect any thing else in particular?—I think that is the substance of every thing I heard his lordship say; I have repeated all the words that I thoroughly remember. One of the Jury. Are you thoroughly satisfied that you have repeated the words of lord George Gordon?—I am. Do you recollect seeing any flags at any other place in the course of the mischief which followed?-I saw one of the flags at the burning of the Fleet-prison; that flag which had the words No Popery! on it. Could you perceive whether the person who had the flag at the Fleet-prison, was one you had seen in St. George's-fields, or about the House of Commons?—I am very clear it was the same man, for I looked at him. Where was it you had before seen that man, you saw with the flag at the Fleetprison? I saw him carrying that flag in Fleet-street. Do you mean at the time when the multitude marched to the House of Commons ?— Yes; and I saw that very man at Westmin ster. It was on Friday the multitude were here; were you at either the Sardinian or Bavarian ambassador's chapels?—I was at that chapel in Lincoln's-inn-fields. At what time on Friday night were you there ?-I think it was about ten o'clock. Did you see any mischief done there?-A great deal. I was astonished at the cruelty of what I saw. What was the cry of the people who were employed in that business ?-It generally was, No Popery! Had the persons that were doing that mischief blue cockades in their hats?—I did not see a single cockade in the chapel; I saw many with blue cockades before I got into the chapel, in the same street, Duke-street. Did those persons form a part of the same mob that did the mischief? They seemed to be by-standers, they stood encouraging them. Did the people with blue cockades join with the people who were crying No Popery?—It was while I was within the chapel, I heard the cry without the chapel. The person who did all the mischief, whom I saw in the chapel, had no hat on; there were about five 2 L |