In the late 1660s, a number of severe anti-Catholic Acts were passed, after the restoration of the monarchy. That situation persisted for some years until, in 1778, the Roman Catholic Relief Act reversed much of the previous legislation. That new Act, in its turn, caused a protestant backlash until, eventually, a petition was drawn up by a member of parliament, Lord George Gordon.
Gordon was a retired navy lieutenant and it was Friday 2 June 1780, when he led a crowd estimated at somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000, to the House of Commons, to hand the petition in. To show their support, many members of that crowd wore blue cockades, or carried small blue flags with the legend: ‘No Popery!’ The petition was presented, but the crowd did not disperse and by that evening, the crowd had become a mob, intent on further action.
The first targets were Catholic churches, whose windows were smashed, doors broken open and furniture removed and burned. Later still, the mob turned their attention to Catholic businesses, and houses. From there, public buildings were targeted including the Bank of England, and three prisons: Newgate, Fleet and the Marshalsea.
Parliament had been slow to act against the rioters, but finally, on Wednesday 7 June, troops were sent in with orders to fire on the mob. In all, some 285 people were killed, 173 wounded and 139 arrested. The final vestiges of the riot would not actually be quelled until Friday 9 July, but to all intents and purposes, the worst of the trouble was over by 7 June, and the trials of those involved could begin.
Somewhat surprisingly, Lord Gordon himself was acquitted of the charge of riot. He continued to act as a member of parliament, though he would later be imprisoned for libel, dying in Newgate prison in 1793. Many of the other rioters were not as fortunate. In all, thirty-five men and three women were sentenced to death. Around half of those were reprieved, including the London hangman, Edward Dennis, who would later be called on to execute the others. Of the three women, only one escaped the hangman’s noose. This chapter is the story of the other two: Charlotte Gardiner and Mary Roberts.
John Lebarty was an Italian, who ran a public house and shop from his home in St Catherine’s Lane. At one stage, Mary Roberts had lodged next door to Mr Lebarty, but she was noisy and argumentative. Eventually, Mr Lebarty called in the authorities and had her evicted. Mary, however, did not move far, taking fresh lodgings further down the same street. According to later testimony, however, Mary may well have borne a grudge.
The petition was presented to parliament on 2 June. Four days later, on Monday 5 June, when the riot was in full swing, Lebarty said that he had seen Mary Roberts in the street, outside his house, shouting that this was a papist’s house and must be pulled down. Further, he claimed that the next evening, Tuesday 6 June, she was back again, making precisely the same threats. By now, Lebarty had grown somewhat concerned for his own safety and left his house, staying in lodgings some distance away. He was, therefore, not at home on the evening of Wednesday 7 June, when the mob smashed the windows of his house, gained entry, forced open the front door and began hurling his belongings into the street. These same belongings were then taken up to Tower Hill where a large bonfire was built and Lebarty’s possessions burned. Meanwhile, his house was methodically torn down, until only a broken shell remained.
By the time the government forces had restored order in the area, Lebarty’s house was no more, but a number of arrests were made, and neighbours helped in picking out those they said they had seen destroying the house. In addition to Mary Roberts, these same neighbours also picked out a black girl, Charlotte Gardiner, who they said had been one of the ringleaders. Both women were then charged with riot and appeared together, before Lord Chief Baron Skynner, on 28 June 1780.
The first witness for the prosecution was John Lebarty himself who told the court of his earlier arguments with Mary Roberts, having her evicted from her lodgings and her subsequent threats to destroy his property. He described her language as most foul and had little doubt that she intended to carry out her threats. This is why he had left his home and sought safe lodgings elsewhere.
He was followed to the stand by Thomas Brumett who lived next door but one to Lebarty, in St Catherine’s Lane. He testified that during the two days that the house was being attacked, he saw Mary Roberts carrying away Lebarty’s beds, pillows and bolsters. These were taken to the top of Tower Hill and thrown onto a large bonfire.
Though Lebarty himself had fled his own home, he had not bothered to take his servant with him. Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Frazer said that she was asleep in bed when the mob smashed the windows and gained entry. Elizabeth then went downstairs, to find her master’s house full of strangers, but amongst that crowd were two women. Elizabeth recognised one as Mary Roberts and, since the other was a black woman, she had little difficulty in also picking out Charlotte Gardiner.
Elizabeth watched in horror as Charlotte encouraged the mob to destroy the house crying:
More wood for the fire.
Down with it, down with it.
More wood for the fire.
By now, people were throwing things out of the windows, into the street, where others picked them up and carried them off to the bonfire on Tower Hill. As for Mary Roberts, Elizabeth saw her take a bed outside and drag it up the hill.
Thomas Morris lived in Deptford, but at the time of the riots, he was in St Catherine’s Lane. It was around 11.00 pm on 7 June, when he saw people breaking into Mr Lebarty’s house. Morris left the area, only to return with an armed officer at around 3.00 am the next morning. They both saw Mary Roberts hanging out of an upstairs window and Morris told the officer to aim his weapon at her in order to intimidate her. It apparently had little effect, for Mary merely shouted that he might, ‘Fire and be buggered.’ Morris was present when the rioters were finally subdued and heard Mary say, as she was arrested, that she was holding some of Mr Lebarty’s property for him.
Letitia Harris lived directly opposite to Mr Lebarty’s home and she testified that she had seen Charlotte Gardiner take a bed out of the house, on her shoulders. In all, Gardiner made some thirty to forty trips out of the house, taking things with her up Tower Hill. At one stage, she even took off her shoes and stockings, so that she might work faster.
Elisabeth Jolliffe also lived on the opposite side of St Catherine’s Lane and she reported that the mob had arrived outside Lebarty’s house at some time between 10.00 pm and 11.00 pm. Once they had broken in, it was Charlotte Gardiner who shouted encouragement to the others, crying out, ‘Wood for the fire, damn your eyes. More wood for the
fire.’
Charlotte Gardiner could say little in her own defence, but Mary Roberts did her best to avoid her fate. She claimed that she had simply been returning to her lodgings, at about 11.00 pm, when the mob had stopped her and demanded to know if she was a Catholic. When she told them that she was not, they said that she must help them destroy this papist’s house or they would suffocate her. Indeed, one man then placed a bolster over her head and tried his best to stop her breathing, so that eventually she was forced to join in, for her own safety.
To support this testimony, Mary called Thomas Buddin, who also lived in St Catherine’s Lane. He testified that before Mr Lebarty had left the area, he had deposited many of his personal possessions inside Buddin’s home for safekeeping. During the destruction of Lebarty’s house, Buddin had seen Mary picking up papers and other personal items and heard her say, ‘I will take care of them for Mr Lebarty. When he comes for them, he shall have them.’
The final witness was Mary’s sister-in-law, also named Mary Roberts. She said that she had married the prisoner’s brother and so had known Mary for some twelve or thirteen years. During that time she had always had a good character and had never been in trouble with the law.
The jury now had to decide on the fate of both women. In the case of Charlotte Gardiner, there could be little doubt as to her guilt, but did Mary Roberts deserve the same fate? Only Lebarty had testified that he had heard her issue threats and she had saved some of his property from destruction. Was that the act of an innocent women, forced into helping the mob, or was it some sort of insurance policy so that she could demonstrate that she was not really a part of what had happened? In the event, the jury chose to believe that she too was guilty and both women were then sentenced to death.
Although Tyburn was the main execution place for London, there were also cases where the condemned were hanged close to where they had committed their crimes. Such was the case with Charlotte and Mary, and indeed, all the rioters condemned to death.
The executions began on Tuesday 11 July 1780, and it was on that date that Charlotte Gardiner and Mary Roberts were hanged, along with William McDonald, on a gallows constructed on Tower Hill, the closest open spot to St Catherine’s Lane. On the same day, William Brown was hanged in Bishopsgate Street and William Pateman was hanged in Coleman Street.
Other executions followed. On Wednesday 12 July, James Henry was executed on Holborn Hill. That same day, Richard Roberts and Thomas Taplin met their fate in Bow Street. Enoch Fleming was hanged in Oxford Road on Thursday 13 July. Precisely one week later, on 20 July, James Jackson was hanged in Old Bailey, John Gamble was executed in Bethnal Green and Samuel Solomons was hanged in Whitechapel. Friday 21 July, saw five executions: George Staples in Coleman Street, Jonathan Stacey in White’s Alley, and Benjamin Waters, Thomas Price and James Burns in Old Street. The last two, John Gray and Charles Kent, were hanged together in Bloomsbury Square, on Saturday 22 July.