The Gordon Riots
When the American Revolution began Irish Catholics had long been prohibited from joining the British Army. The ban prevented arming Irish Catholics, who were seen as subversives by the ruling British protestant class, and was effected by the requirement of all soldiers of the Crown taking a loyalty oath which included defending the faith, in this case the faith of the Church of England.
In 1778 Parliament passed the Papists Act of 1778 which, among other things, allowed for the enlistment of Irish Catholics in the British Army. The requirement to take an oath to defend the faith was removed for Irish Catholics, causing resentment among Protestants. Despite the well-recognized need to recruit additional manpower for the army the Act was the cause of disquiet, particularly in British cities, including London.
By 1780 antipathy towards the act and the accusations by its opponents of its leading towards Papism and absolute monarchy had tied it to the Royal propensity to prosecute the war in North America. In the summer of 1780 what began as a protest march on Parliament quickly degenerated into a riot. A mob overran Newgate Prison and destroyed most of it, along with Catholic churches, schools, and homes. The Bank of England suffered heavy damage at the hands of the mob, as did many other London buildings and institutions.
Units of the Army and Home Guard were called out to control the riot. They were ordered to fire into the mob whenever and wherever it refused to disperse and nearly 300 rioters were killed. The riots did immeasurable damage to the international prestige of the British at a time in which they were desperately trying to garner international support against the allies of the Americans. Catholic Austria was discouraged from entering into an alliance with England against the French by the riots, whose leader, George Gordon, was charged with High Treason (he was found not guilty).
It was the Gordon Riots which, upon receipt of the news of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown the following year, impelled the collapse of the government of Lord North and British overtures for peace. Thus one of the critical battles which led to American independence occurred on the streets of London, far removed from Washington’s army and battlefields of North America.