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Riotous Littleport |
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The Littleport meeting was held in the Globe Inn, where the beer flowed, and ill feeling ran high with the 60 or so people demanding increased wages and greater support simply to survive. People were lucky to be employed on farms at that point, even though they were paid only eight or nine shillings; the cost of a week’s worth of wheat was about six shillings, leaving little or nothing to spare. The crowds grew, and one man, by the name of Cornwall, summoning almost the entire 2000 strong local community to the Globe Inn.
The mob, angry with their plight and at the shameless actions of local farmer Martin, armed themselves with whatever they could find and proceeded to attack wealthy landowners and businessmen, demanding money and looting local shops and homes.
Out of control
The fowling guns the crowd used could have inflicted great damage |
They then visited the local magistrate and Vicar, Reverend Vachell. After unsuccessfully attempting to suppress the mob, by threatening them with a gun, Vachell and his family fled to Ely, alerting local magistrates. Drastic measures followed and the First Royal Dragoon Guards (based at Bury St Edmunds) were immediately summoned.
Having ransacked most of Littleport, the mob took a wagon and horses and, after mounting two 6ft long fowling guns, normally used for shooting water-born game, on the wagon, a sizeable crowd moved off towards neighbouring Ely. It was here, in the market place, they made their demands for a living wage to bring an end to starvation for their families.
Metcalfe, an Ely magistrate, confirmed that the labourers would receive an increase in pay to counter the high prices of grain, and additional benefits which would cover the high price of flour. However, with a combination of alcohol and empty stomachs re-fuelling their anger, the horde then proceeded to loot Ely. The Dragoon Guards stepped in, terrifying the crowd, and this time they succeeded in dispersing the labourers.
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