The stated intention of the Papists Act of 1778 had been, as its preamble notes, to mitigate some of the official discrimination against Roman Catholics in the Kingdom of Great Britain.

It had absolved Catholics from taking the religious oath when joining the British Armed Forces as well as granting a few and limited liberties.

There had been strong expedient reasons for this change.

British military forces at the time were stretched very thinly in what had become a global American War of Independence, with conflicts ongoing with France, Spain, and the new United States.

The recruitment of Catholic people would be a significant help to address this shortfall of manpower.

The 1698 anti-Catholic laws had largely been ignored for many years and were rarely enforced.

Because of this, many leading Catholics had been opposed to the repeal of the Act, fearing it would stir up anti-Catholic sentiment for little practical return.

It had also been pointed out that large numbers of Catholics, recruited in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, were already serving in the military.

In spite of this, the government had decided to press ahead with the Bill, and had it introduced in Parliament by Sir George Savile.

The Protestant Association of London has the support of leading Calvinist religious figures among  including Rowland Hill, Erasmus Middleton, and John Rippon.

Lord George Gordon had become its President in 1779, in an effort to force the repeal of the Papists Act.

An articulate propagandist, though eccentric, Gordon had inflamed the mob with fears of Papism and a return to absolute monarchical rule.

He implied that Catholics in the military will, given a chance, join forces with their co-religionists on the Continent and attack Britain.

He enjoys popularity in Scotland where he takes part in a successful campaign to prevent the same legislation from being introduced into Scots law, although the Act continues in force in England and Wales and in Ireland.

The success in obstructing the law in Scotland has led Gordon to believe he can enjoy similar success in the rest of Britain.

Early in 1780 Gordon had had several audiences with King George III but had been unable to convince him of what he saw as the dangers of the Act.

George III had initially humored Gordon, but had grown increasingly irritated with him and eventually refused any future audiences.

The political climate has deteriorated rapidly.

On May 29, 1780, Gordon calls a meeting of the Protestant Association, and his followers subsequently march on the House of Commons to deliver a petition demanding the repeal of the Act.

Further riots occur after the first march to Parliament, involving groups whose grievances are nationalistic, economic, or political, rather than religious.

Aside from the issue of Catholic emancipation, it has also been suggested that the driving force of the riots is Britain's poor economic situation: the loss of trade during the war has led to falling wages, rising prices, and periodic unemployment.

Voting in parliamentary elections is  restricted by a property threshold, so most Londoners are unable to vote and many hope for reforms to make Parliament more representative of the people.

A huge crowd, estimated at forty thousand to sixty thousand strong, assembles on June 2, 1780, and marches on the Houses of Parliament.

Many carry flags and banners proclaiming "No Popery", and most wear blue cockades, which have become the symbol of their movement.

As they march, their numbers swell.

They attempted to force their way into the House of Commons, but without success.

Gordon, petition in hand, and wearing in his hat the blue cockade of the Protestant Association, enters the Commons and presents the petition.

Outside, the situation quickly gets out of hand and a riot erupts.

Members of the House of Lords are attacked as they arrive, and a number of carriages are vandalized and destroyed.

Despite being aware of the possibility of trouble, the authorities had failed to take steps to prevent violence breaking out.

The Prime Minister, Lord North, had forgotten to issue an order mobilizing the small number of Constables in the area.

Those that were present in the House of Commons are not strong enough to take on the angry mob.

Eventually a detachment of soldiers is summoned, and they disperse the crowd without violence.

Inside the House of Commons, the petition is overwhelmingly dismissed by a vote of 192 to 6.

Once the mob around Parliament had dispersed, it seemed to the government that the worst of the disorder was over.

However, the same night a crowd gathers and attacks the Roman Catholic Sardinian Embassy Chapel in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Bow Street Runners and soldiers are called out and make thirteen arrests, although most of the ringleaders have managed to escape.

The same night the chapel of the Bavarian Embassy in Warwick Street, Soho, is destroyed.

The area of Moorfields, one of the poorest parts of the city, is the home of many Irish immigrant workers and has a large area of open ground where crowds can assemble.

Despite the appeal of a prominent Irish merchant, James Malo, to the Lord Mayor, Brackley Kennett, no additional protection is offered to the area.

During June 3, a crowd has gathered in Moorfields, and by nightfall it begins to go on the rampage.

Malo's house is among the many to be sacked and burned.

Newgate Prison is attacked and largely destroyed, as is The Clink.

This allows large numbers of prisoners to escape, many of whom will never be recaptured.

Severe destruction is inflicted on Catholic churches and homes and chapels on the grounds of several embassies, as well as on the Bank of England, Fleet Prison, and the house of the Lord Chief Justice, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield.

The Duke of Richmond suggests, shortly after the riots break out, that they are directly attributable to the passing of the Quebec Act six years before, a concept that is ridiculed by many of his colleagues.

Another suggested cause is Britain's weakened international position, which has arisen from the country's isolation in Europe and the disappointing news coming from the ongoing war.

Some rioters are against the continuation of the war, and many strongly support American independence, while others are angry that Britain's war effort is being mishandled by Lord North.

In many cases a mix of issues blends together and drives people to take part in the rioting.

The army is called out on June 7 and given orders to fire upon groups of four or more who refuse to disperse.

About two hundred and eighty-five people are shot dead, with another two hundred wounded.

Around four hundred and fifty of the rioters are arrested.

Of those arrested, about twenty or thirty will later be tried and executed.

Gordon is arrested and charged with high treason, but will be found not guilty.

Brackley Kennett, the Lord Mayor, will be convicted of criminal negligence for not reading out the Riot Act and given a £1,000 fine.

The military units that dealt with the rioters include the Horse Guards, Foot Guards, Inns of Court Yeomanry, the Honourable Artillery Company, line infantry including the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), and militia brought in from neighboring counties.

The defense of the Bank of England is conducted by the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot under the command of Thomas Twisleton, 13th Baron Saye and Sele.

The Riots damage the reputation of Britain across Europe, where many see British constitutional monarchy as an inherently unstable form of government.

This comes at a time when Britain is searching for allies, particularly Catholic Austria, in the American War of Independence to challenge the strong coalition the French have built.

After hearing of the riots, the Spanish government breaks off peace negotiations with Britain, believing that the disorder will lead to a widespread collapse of Britain and wishing to take advantage of it.

The riots highlight the problems Britain faces by not deploying a professional police force, a notion which is opposed as it is considered foreign and absolutist.

The Earl of Shelburne had shocked many the day after the riots broke out by proposing in parliament that Britain should consider forming a force modeled on the French police.

The riots destroy the popularity of radical politician John Wilkes, who led troops against the rioters.

Many of his followers see this as a betrayal; some of them may have been among the rioters.

A pamphlet and a book of poems defending the role of Gordon are written and published by the polemicist and hymn-writer Maria De Fleury.

The events at the Bank of England start a tradition where a detachment of soldiers, usually from the Brigade of Guards marches to the bank to perform security duties.

Until 1963 the duty will be performed by the Guards in Home Service Dress with bearskin, though tennis shoes are worn inside the bank.

On March 31, 1973 the detachment will become more functional than ceremonial, doing their duties in service dress with automatic weapons.