{{Short description|1809 riots in London}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use British English|date=August 2012}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2026}} [[File:Killingnomurder.jpg|thumb|400px|Cartoon of the riots by [[Isaac Robert Cruikshank]]]] The '''Old Price Riots''' of 1809 (also sometimes referred to as the '''O.P.''' or '''OP riots''') were caused by rising prices at the new Theatre at [[Covent Garden]], [[London]], after the previous one had been destroyed by fire. Covent Garden was one of two "patent" theatres in London in the nineteenth century, along with Drury Lane. When Drury Lane was burned down, Covent Garden became the premiere theatre in that time. The riots lasted three months, and ended with [[John Philip Kemble]], the manager of the theatre, being forced to make a public apology. It was said that as many as 20 people died and many more were wounded during this event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/ticket-prices-keep-rising-arent-rioting/|title=Ticket prices keep rising; why aren't we rioting?|website=Exeunt Magazine|author=Saville, Alice}} 18 September 2019</ref>
==Causes== [[File:Covent Garden Theater and the Old Price Riots antisemitic medal, House of Hanover, George IIII, 1760-1820.jpg|thumb|[[Antisemitic]] medal, depicting [[Shylock]] as a symbol of greed and the new prices.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.amuseum.org/anti-semitism/page68.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190712132644/http://www.amuseum.org/anti-semitism/page68.html| archive-date = 2019-07-12| title = JEWISH-AMERICAN HALL OF FAME JEWISH MUSEUM IN CYBERSPACE}} </ref>]] On 20 September 1808, the original [[Covent Garden Theatre]] was destroyed by a fire along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts. The damage was estimated at £250,000.<ref>Robert Chambers' Book of Days</ref> However, a public subscription was introduced by the Duke of York, King George III and the Duke of Northumberland, which contributed £76,000.<ref>Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London</ref> The new theatre opened on 18 September 1809. The cost of constructing and furnishing the building, however, was so high that the management was forced to raise the prices from six [[shilling]]s to seven for the boxes, from 3 shillings and [[Sixpence (British coin)|sixpence]] to four shillings for the pit, and the third tier, usually reserved for the public, was converted into private boxes at a rent of £300 per year. The gallery price was unchanged but often referred to as "pigeon holes" since people inside could only see the legs of the performers.<ref>Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London...</ref>
On the opening night, riots broke out during a performance of ''[[Macbeth]]'' and continued throughout the play. At the end, the audience refused to leave so Kemble sent for the [[Bow Street Runners|Bow Street police]] and other private militias,<ref>[https://olh.openlibhums.org/articles/10.16995/olh.13/ The Covent Garden Old Price Riots: Protest and Justice in Late‑Georgian London]</ref><ref>Long, Ni David. ''Bizarre London: Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises'' p. 105</ref> but this only made the situation worse, and the rioters did not disperse until 2am. After the first night, the rioters only came in at half price time, and the inside of the theatre was covered with banners and slogans. Newspapers and journals reported frequently on the riots, citing as central to its continuation a perceived suppression of customary liberties and a lack of dialogue between the patrons and the management.<ref>[http://kar.kent.ac.uk/28378/ The OP War, Libertarian Communication and Graphic Reportage in Georgian London]</ref> At one point, a coffin was carried in with the message "Here lies the body of the new price, which died of the [[whooping cough]] on 23 September 1809, aged 6 days". The riots were to last another 64 days.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} However, unlike earlier riots, little damage was done to the theatre and the whole affair was characterized by a "spirit of fun".<ref>[http://www.jasa.net.au/london/theatre.htm The London Theatre]</ref> The rioters even had a name for themselves: the OPs. The OPs stretched across class and cultural lines, ranging from businessmen to labourers, and pushed Kemble to lower the prices.<ref>Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London</ref> Kemble did so (and also issued an apology) and the situation returned to normal, until he tried to maintain half the number of private boxes at the start of the next season – the riots started again, forcing him to withdraw his plan.
==Daniel Mendoza and the Old Price Riots== In an attempt to quell the rioters Kemble hired the [[boxing|boxer]] [[Daniel Mendoza]] and his associates to contain them. This tactic misfired and resulted in increased violence, as shown in the contemporary [[caricature]] by [[Isaac Robert Cruikshank]], ''Killing No Murder as Performing at the Grand National Theatre ''.<ref>Opened a pub after the Lee fight in ''The Jewish Boxer's Hall of Fame'', Blady, Ken, (1988) Shapolsky Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, p. 15</ref> Mendoza can be seen at the centre, uttering the words '' 'Down down to H--l with all OPs & say twas Dan that sent thee there.' '' Mendoza, who had lost his championship in 1795 and was now in his mid forties, was already semi-retired; he had turned down a return match against Lee in 1807 saying that he was devoted only to teaching the sport. It seems that his participation in the OP Riots also lost him following with his supporters amongst the poorer folk of London, who now saw him fighting on behalf of the 'toffs'. Some of Mendoza's biographers therefore see the incident as a turning point in his popularity, although he still gave occasional demonstration bouts.
== History of the Old Price Riots == *Robinson, Terry F. [http://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=terry-f-robinson-national-theatre-in-transition-the-london-patent-theatre-fires-of-1808-1809-and-the-old-price-riots National Theatre in Transition: The London Patent Theatre Fires of 1808-1809 and the Old Price Riots.] ''BRANCH: Britain, Representation, and Nineteenth-Century History.'' Web. 29 March 2016.
==Earlier incidents== There had been previous riots in 1762 when the management of Covent Garden Theatre had threatened to raise seating prices.
==References== {{Reflist}}
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[[Category:1809 in London]] [[Category:1809 riots]] [[Category:History of theatre]] [[Category:19th-century riots in London]] [[Category:Royal Opera House]] [[Category:1800s crimes in London]]