Topics > Historical Periods > 18th Century > 1760s > 1761 > Hexham Riots, 1761

Hexham Riots, 1761


British armed forces were severely streched during colonial conflics with France and Spain in North America, India and other parts of the world - know as the "Seven Years' War" (1754-1763). A Milita Act was passed by the British parliament to ballot (conscript) people into militias to free up and support the regular armed forces. In 1761 the process of gathering names for the ballots began for the North East of England and Hexham was to be one of the main recruiting centers in the region. The first enlistments were to take place on 9th March 1761, and a detachment of North Yorkshire Militia were present in anticipation of trouble. Large numbers of protesters came from Hexham, Slaley, Broomley, Corbridge, Chollerton, Stamfordham, and many other neighbouring parishes. The Riot Act was read when the crowd refused to disperse, the protestors advanced and fighting broke out. The milita were orded to open fire on the crowd, and around 50 people were killed, and many more wounded. This riot and other protests around the country were a factor Britain's negotiations for peace with France, leading to the 1763 Treaty of Paris - a temporary break in hostilities!

1761 Corbridge Hexham Stamfordham Slaley Chollerton
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from http://www.ndfhs.org/Articles…
The Hexham Riot
- "...the Hexham Riot, which broke out on March 9th 1761, was the outcome of an attempt to introduce a system of balloting for the militia. Balloting met with opposition throughout …
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Simon Cotterill
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki…
Lord Cornwallis/Hexham Riot
- "The Hexham Riot occurred in March 1761 in Hexham, Northumberland when a crowd protesting the introduction of a new recruiting system for the British militia were fired on by members …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
Hexham
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Hexham
- Overview About Hexham Map Street View   Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the …
Corbridge
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Corbridge
- Overview About Corbridge Map Timeline Street View Corbridge is a large village by the River Tyne, located about 3 miles east of Hexham and 17 miles west of Newcastle. Corbridge …
Slaley
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Slaley
- Overview Map Street View Slaley is a village to the south east of Hexham in Northumberland. "There have been references to a settlement at Slaley since the time of the …
Chollerton
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Chollerton
- Overview About Chollerton Map Street View Chollerton is a village located to the north of Hexham, Northumberland. It is situated near the River North Tyne and the A6079 road runs …
Stamfordham
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Stamfordham
- Overview About Stamfordham Map Street View   Stamfordham is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, about 11 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne, 5 miles west of Ponteland and …

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