Key Events- The Spa Fields Riots (1816)

Context

• Thomas Spence arrested for selling Thomas Paine's 'Rights of Man'- continued selling radical pamphlets etc for 20 years afterwards
• By early 1800's he had established himself as leader of radicals who advocated for revolution in Britain
• He encouraged the formation of small radical groups 
• These groups were blamed for the Bread Riots of London in 1800, however there was insufficient evidence to convict them
• He died in 1814 and was buried by his 14 followers who promised to keep his ideas alive 
• They formed the Society of Spencean Philanthropists and met in small groups to discuss how to create an equal society 
• Advocated for universal (male) suffrage, annual general elections, and secret ballot
• Their activity concerned the government. They put in place a spy (John Castle) who would report to the supervisor of Home Office spies- John Stafford
• In October 1816 he reported that they planned to overthrow the government
• Held their first mass meeting on the 15th of November 1816 in Spa Fields, Islington
• A key speaker at this event was Henry 'Orator' Hunt. He had a petition for the Prince Regent (future George IV) with their demands
• This initial meeting did not become violent
• George then refused to meet with Hunt to speak and so they organised a second mass meeting for December

During the Riot

• Spenceans gathered in Spa Fields once again om the 2nd December 1816- this time it spiralled put of control into the riot 
• Speakers included James Watson, and once again, Henry Hunt- they ended up resorting to using force
• Local Magistrates sent 80 police officers to the scene to disperse the crowds
• One man (Joseph Rhodes) was stabbed, a pedestrian was killed
• The four leaders- James Watson, Arthur Thistlewood, Thomas Preston, and John Hopper, were arrested and charged with high treason
• The event only lasted one day

Aftermath

• Watson was the first to be tried- the main prosecution witness was the government spy, John Castle
• The defence showed Castle had a criminal recorder which made his testimony unreliable
• The jury decided Castle was an agent provocateur and so did not convict Watson
• Because of the failure of the case against Watson, the decision was made to release the other three who were also due to be tried for treason

Consequences

• It was one of the first instances of mass meeting is public- the government wanted to avoid any more from happening
• They failed to do so as it was followed by the Blanketeers in March 1817, and the Peterloo Massacre in 1819
• Passed the Treason Act and Seditious Meeting Acts which were collectively known as the Gagging Acts (so  called as it restricted people's rights). These were in response to this and similar events which followed
• Treason Act- high treason to assassinate the Prince Regent 
• Seditious Meeting Act- banned public meetings within a mile of the gates of Westminster (sunset clause so automatically expired in July 1818)