Littleport Riot

Date: May 22, 1816 • Location: Littleport, United Kingdom

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1816.

A riot broke out in Littleport, England, over high unemployment and rising grain costs, spreading to Ely the next day before being quelled by troops.

The Ely and Littleport riots occurred between 22 and 24 May 1816 in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, caused by high unemployment and rising grain costs, similar to the general unrest which spread throughout England following the Napoleonic Wars.