ABSTRACT
In 1836, Charles Dickens chose the Gordon Riots of 1780 as the subject for his first foray into serious historical fiction, Barnaby Rudge. Remembered as a shameful outpouring of Protestant intolerance against Catholics that temporarily transformed London’s streets into a violent conflagration, the Gordon riots captivated Dickens. Writing excitedly to his friend John Forster, Dickens describes being consumed by the riot’s energy and momentum:
I have let all the prisoners out of Newgate, burnt down Lord Mansfield’s and played the very devil. Another number will finish the fires and help us on towards the end. I feel quite smoky when I am at work. I want elbow-room terribly. 1
