| Citation |
AWM.737.020
19-26 May 1737:21, 22 (908)
London. . . Mar. 7. Last Saturday night a great number of
footmen assembled together with sticks, staves, and other
offensive weapons, in a tumultuous and riotous manner, and
broke open the doors of Drury-lane Playhouse for not being
let into what they called their gallery, and fought their
way in so desperate a manner to the stage door (which they
forced open) that five or six and twenty persons were
wounded in a very dangerous manner, in the fray; and Col. De
Veil, who was in the house, being thereupon applied to, and
required to read the proclamation, did accordingly attempt
to do it, having a small guard to support him; but such was
the violence and number of footmen in this riotous assembly,
notwithstanding their Royal Highnesses the Prince and
Princess of Wales, and others of the Royal Family were
there, that is was impossible to appease their fury, without
coming to such extremities as he thought very improper; and
being thus obstructed, and hindred from reading the
proclamation, in the execution of his duty, and not knowing
where this dangerous attempt would end, he caused several of
the ringleaders of this disturbance and riot to be taken
into custody, the audience having been put into the utmost
confusion, & several ladies greatly frightened. The
prisoners that were taken were under examination before Col.
De Veil, in an adjacent room to the play-house, till two of
the clock in the morning, and several of them (after long
information) were committed to Newgate. A great number of
persons wounded had during that time, their wounds dress'd
by a surgeon in the said room.
|