Dripping Heck! The Leeds Dripping Riot of 1865

Eliza Stafford worked for a surgeon at Number 8 Park Square in the centre of Leeds. Park Square was an oasis of green, near the Town Hall and the Infirmary. It was also known locally as the Harley Street of the North because of the number of surgeons who lived there. Eliza’s mild-mannered employer was one Henry Chorley, who uncharacteristically took exception to the fact that Eliza had taken to draining off the fat from the Sunday roast and was selling it to a local dressmaker in order to make a few extra pence to add to her wages.

Henry, who happened to also be a Magistrate, called it theft, whereas Eliza called it a perk of the job.

He took her to court. Henry made sure that the case was held in private and that his friend, the mayor, sat on the bench so it wasn’t what you would call an even contest.

The verdict – a month’s imprisonment in Armley Gaol for stealing 2 lbs of dripping.

During that time, local feeling ran high. Slogans were chalked on the walls of Henry Chorley’s house, and he was frequently followed by people hurling insults at him or singing chants, which often included a chorus repeating the words “dripping dripping.”

On 22^nd February 1865 a huge crowd gathered outside the prison gates to cheer the release of Eliza. A band had been invited to mark the occasion, which was to be a celebration to mark the end of what they saw as a gross injustice, but it quickly descended into a farce worthy of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

The scheduled time of her release was 9 o’clock, but Eliza was nowhere to be seen. She had been whisked away through the back door to catch the 7 a.m. train to Scarborough.  She was to stay there with her daughter until all the fuss had died down.

Unfortunately, no one had thought to tell the Chief Constable; one William Bell. He, too, expected her to turn up to make a little speech, so his assurances to the crowd only made matters worse.

In the event, many made their way down to number 8 Park Square. Some hurled bricks and stones at Mr. Chorley’s house. Others broke some of the windows.

The hapless Chief Constable followed on behind. Henry Chorley stood at the door and tried to reason with the crowd but failed. However, William Bell did manage to clear a space in front of the house to quell the commotion, but unfortunately, at that very moment, the constable accidentally slipped and fell, fracturing his arm in the process.  Chief Constable Bell was clearly having one of those days!

Over the lunch hour, the crowd swelled. At that point, Chief Constable Bell handed over control to Superintendents Senior and Hunt. It turned out to be not such a good idea.

They decided that reinforcements were required. The Mayor and Magistrates agreed.

A call went out to the Bradford Police Force, and even a telegram was dispatched to the 8^th Hussars in York.

The police did mount a charge in the afternoon to clear Park Square, but by then, many bystanders had returned to work, so there was no repeat of the Peterloo debacle which took place in Manchester. Only one man, a potter from Dewsbury Road named George Hodgson (sometimes recorded as George Hudson), was knocked down in the stampede and trampled on. He died in hospital later on.

In all, seven men were arrested and charged with riotous conduct, but in true Leeds fashion, there was a happy ending.

In the course of the trial and its subsequent publicity a large cash collection had been made on behalf of Eliza. The desired aim was that she would open a public house in Scarborough, but after the riot was quelled, no record was ever found as to her whereabouts.

There is no record of Henry either, for that matter, but at least the people of Leeds had made it clear what they thought about dripping!

NorthernLife Dec/Jan/Feb 24/25