Massacre of St George's Fields

On 10 May 1768, the imprisonment in King's Bench Prison of the radical John Wilkes (for writing an article for The North Briton, that severely criticised King George III) prompted a riot at St George's Fields. After the reading of the Riot Act, six or seven people were killed by troops, starting with a young man named William Allen.^[1] The event became known as the Massacre of St George's Fields. Allen was pursued to the "Horse-shoe Inn," Stones End, and shot in the inn-yard. He was buried in the churchyard at Newington, where a monument was erected to his memory.^[2] The Irish playwright and government supporter Hugh Kelly made a defence of the government's right to use force against Wilkes' supporters. This in turn led to a riot at the production of Kelly's new play A Word to the Wise at the Drury Lane Theatre, forcing the production to be abandoned.

References

See also

• List of massacres in the United Kingdom
• Boston Massacre, two years later

Coordinates: 51°29′56″N 0°06′18″W / 51.499°N 0.105°W / 51.499; -0.105