the Gordon riots
noun /ðə ˈɡɔːdn raɪəts/
/ðə ˈɡɔːrdn raɪəts/
[plural]- a series of violent disturbances that lasted for a week in 1780 in London, the most serious riots ever to occur in Britain. They started when a large group of people, led by Lord Gordon (1751-93), went to the House of Commons to protest against the Emancipation Act. They also attacked the Bank of England and Newgate prison, allowing prisoners to escape and cause more damage. The riots are described in Charles Dickens's novel Barnaby Rudge.