Tag: riot

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Crime and Punishment Rural Life

The Aignish Riot

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In 1888, landless crofters at Aignish demanded a tenant farmer vacate so they could divide his land up for crofts. The Riot Act was partially translated into Gaelic and 11 men were arrested. The marines, police, and the Royal Scots were sent to quell the riot.

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It really was fixed-bayonets vs. cas chroms. The arrested men all got sentences of about a year. Aignish Farm wasn’t broken up into crofts until 1905. A memorial statue now stands at the site of the riot.

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Aignish Memorial. Photo from Am Baile. https://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/21987/1/EN21987-aignish-memorial-isle-of-lewis.htm

It would seem that many of the London papers were on the side of the crofters, judging from the positive language used to discuss the riot. For context, the Illustrated London News published these sketches of Lewis:

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References

Aignish Memorial. Am Baile https://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/21987/1/EN21987-aignish-memorial-isle-of-lewis.htm

Illustrated London News. 21st January 1888, pg. 1.
Illustrated London News, 28th January 1888, pg. 13
Penny Illustrated Paper. 4th February 1888, pg. 1.

Categories
Crime and Punishment Rural Life

Beauly Snowball Riot of 1847

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In 1847 during the Highland Famine, a farmer tried to ship grain out of Beauly and was stopped by a group of starving men. The Sheriff tried to read the Riot Act and got a snowball to the face. 600 folk were at the Beauly Snowball Riot, which took 70 soldiers to break up.

Many in the English press had little sympathy for the starving folk of Beauly:

Whatever want of food may be felt at Beauly, there seemed to be no lack of whiskey [sic]. In the evening, the heroes who had volunteered their services in aid of the villages, were seen reeling home intoxicated. They had money to put themselves into this state, but they had none to buy bread!

Leamington Spa Courier, Saturday 27th February 1847

Sources
“The Beauly Rioters”. John O’ Groat Journal, Friday 16th April 1847, pg 3.

Categories
Food and Drink Uncategorized

The Sour Milk Rebellion

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In 1829 when farmers hiked up the price of sour milk, women rioted at Kilmarnock cross. They smashed milk jugs on the heads of anyone who paid the new prices, threw milk at the police, and flooded streets with milk from the carts.

Their cause won out. The farmers went back to charging the old fair price for milk.

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Edinburgh Snowball Riot of 1838

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On Jan 11th 1838, after students at the University of Edinburgh were attacked by locals, a multi-day snowball riot broke out on the quadrangle. Heavily armed, the local police and the 79th Highlanders beat and arrested students. 35 students were apprehended by the police and five students were put on trial. All were acquitted. 

Battle of the Quadrangle
From Left: Charles John Dalrymple, Alfred Westmacott, John Aikenhead, Edward Kellet, Robert Scot Skirving.
  • University of Edinburgh Students’ Committee (1838) Report of the Trial of the Students on the Charge of Mobbing, Rioting, and Assault, at the College, on January 11 and 12, 1838. Andrew Shortrede: Edinburgh. 100pp.
  • Anon (1838) The University Snowdrop: An Appendix to the Great Trial. Richard Weston & Son, Edinburgh. 82pp