An Atlas of Rural Protest in Britain 1548-1900 by Charlesworth Andrew

Author:Charlesworth, Andrew.
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781351625746
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)
Published: 2017-05-08T04:00:00+00:00

Map 23. Food: 1756-7

Rioting began in August 1756 in Staffordshire and Warwickshire when wheat prices rose from an average 4/6 per bushel to over 8/-. Several large crowds roamed the countryside attacking boulting mills, grain dealers and retailers whilst also setting prices and seizing grain at the market place (see pp. 111-13). The following week saw outbreaks in Nottingham, Sheffield and Derby as prices rose throughout the general area. For two weeks Nottingham and vicinity were in an uproar as local colliers and the labouring poor destroyed ten mills and roamed the countryside taking money, food and drink from farmers. With prices rising rapidly in the England-Wales border region in October the lull in rioting, which had set in after the riots in Nottingham were suppressed in early September, did not last. Beginning in Gloucestershire in October rioting spread to Shropshire and Worcestershire in November and to Herefordshire and Monmouthshire in December. By January 1757 the price of wheat reached 9/- per bushel in south Wales and colliers from Pembrokeshire rioted, seizing grain from ships at Haverfordwest and Laugharne. Rioting had also spread to Cornwall, Devon and Somerset by this time while isolated outbreaks occurred in the north at Berwick-on-Tweed and in Cumberland. April, May and June saw the most widespread rioting of the entire 17 months. Wheat prices reached their peak in early June in most markets in England; at Mark Lane, in London, the price of a quarter of wheat was 70/- while at Devizes it was nearly 80/-. Areas hitherto unaffected now experienced three months of almost continuous rioting which began in Dorset and spread to Hampshire, Oxford, Cambridge, Norfolk and also to the Manchester area. July and August were quiet months but when prices failed to return to acceptable levels in September, fresh incidents occurred and continued until December.

Although prices did not decline significantly for some time no rioting is reported after December. The opening of ports for grain importation, supplies of grain provided through subscriptions, by individuals and by city corporations and a government ban on the use of grain for distilling purposes all helped to mitigate the effects of shortages on the poor.

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