BattlefieldsGordon Riots Kenwood House defended 1780
modern

Gordon Riots Kenwood House defended 1780

1780
Middlesex, England
Era
modern
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Middlesex, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
the Spaniards Inn landlord using free alcohol as diversion.
VS
Victor
Kenwood House defenders
Forces
Gordon rioter crowd of several hundred
Outcome
Kenwood House saved. The defence by private initiative rather than government action highlighted the weakness of the state response in the first days of the riots.
The Battle

History & Significance

Gordon Riots crowds marched toward Kenwood House in Hampstead intending to destroy it as the home of Lord Mansfield who had given legal opinions favouring Catholic relief. Landlords from the Spaniards Inn diverted the crowd with free drink, saving Kenwood from destruction.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Middlesex

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Middlesex