Leeds dripping riot
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53°47′56″N 1°33′03″W / 53.798893°N 1.550969°W
| Leeds dripping riot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 22 February 1865 | ||
| Location | Park Square, Leeds, England 53°47′56″N 1°33′03″W / 53.798893°N 1.550969°W | ||
| Caused by | Trial perceived as unfair | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death | 1 | ||
| Arrested | 5 | ||
| Damage | Broken windows | ||
| Charged | 5 | ||
The Leeds dripping riot was an act of civil disorder that occurred in Leeds, England on 22 February 1865. The riot was a response to the imprisonment of a local woman for the theft of dripping. During the riot one person was seriously injured and subsequently died while five people were arrested and charged with riotous conduct.
Eliza Stafford was a cook employed by Henry Chorley, a surgeon and local magistrate, at his house at 8 Park Square, Leeds, Yorkshire. In January 1865, Chorley discovered that Stafford had disposed of 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) of dripping to a local dressmaker.[1] Chorley was angered by Stafford's action, and pressed for her to be prosecuted for theft; the case was eventually heard before the Leeds Borough magistrates on 23 January 1865. During the trial, Stafford admitted to having disposed of the dripping, but claimed that disposing of the dripping was a perquisite of the job. Chorley, in evidence, stated that the incident was only one of several similar incidents, though this was the only one he had any direct evidence of.[1] The magistrates convicted Stafford of the theft and sentenced her to one month's imprisonment in Armley Gaol.[2][3]
Protests
The case was widely reported and many people considered the prosecution petty and the punishment harsh.[4] The critics also drew attention to the circumstances of the trial which for reasons unexplained had been heard in private, not in public as normal, and before magistrates known to Chorley.[4] The Times reported chalked inscriptions expressing support for Stafford appearing throughout Leeds; and that Chorley had been insulted and accosted in the street.[5] The protests culminated in a demonstration, estimated at being between 12,000 and 15,000 people, outside the prison on the Saturday before Stafford was due to be released from which a smaller number of people, about 700, protested outside Chorley's house. Apart from some snowballs being thrown, these protests all passed off peacefully.[6]
