Battlefields›Gordon Riots — King's Bench Prison stormed 1780
modern

Gordon Riots — King's Bench Prison stormed 1780

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

Who Fought

Defeated
Prison staff and civil authorities
Forces
London Trained Bands inadequate to resist
VS
Victor
Gordon rioters
Forces
Gordon rioter crowds; prison staff
Outcome
King's Bench burned and prisoners freed; guards overwhelmed; military restoration of order followed
The Battle

History & Significance

Gordon Riots mobs attacked and burned the King's Bench debtors prison in Southwark, releasing all prisoners; the attack was part of a coordinated assault on London's prisons and symbols of Catholic toleration

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Gordon Riots — King's Bench Prison stormed 1780

Roman riverboat, 136m west of Greenwood Theatre
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 miles
Abbey buildings, Bermondsey
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
Romano-British bath house and medieval remains at 11-15 Borough High Street
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
The Globe Theatre
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
Remains of Winchester Palace, Clink Street and waterfront
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
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