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The Great Cheese Riot of 1766: When Nottingham Went to War Over Dairy Prices
In 1766, soaring food prices led the people of Nottingham to riot at the annual Goose Fair. Angered by the cost of cheese, a vital staple, they seized goods, rolled cheeses down the street, and clashed with authorities in a dramatic protest against hunger and perceived profiteering.
When the Price is Wrong
What does it take to push a city to its breaking point? Political oppression? Social injustice? In 1766 Nottingham, the answer was simpler and far more visceral: the price of cheese. While it sounds like a peculiar punchline today, the Nottingham Cheese Riot of October 2nd, 1766, was a deadly serious affair rooted in desperation, hunger, and a public outcry against economic exploitation.
The Scene of the Crime: Nottingham's Goose Fair
The stage was set at the famous Nottingham Goose Fair, a bustling annual market where people from all over the region gathered to trade. But the year 1766 was one of hardship. Poor harvests had driven up the cost of all staple foods, from grain to meat. For the working class, cheese wasn't a luxury for a charcuterie board; it was a crucial, affordable source of protein and calories. When merchants arrived at the fair and set the price of cheese artificially high to maximize their profits, the simmering resentment of the populace boiled over.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene. When a farmer attempted to leave with his unsold, overpriced wares, a crowd descended, seizing his cart. What followed was a city-wide eruption of fury. According to contemporary accounts:
...a large body of people... seized on the cheese, and the whole was carried away. They then proceeded to the warehouses of the other cheese-factors, which they broke open, and the cheese found therein was either distributed amongst the crowd, or thrown into the river.
The rioters didn't just steal the cheese; they made a statement. They rolled giant wheels of cheese down Wheeler Gate and other steep hills, a dramatic and symbolic act of defiance against the merchants they viewed as profiteers. The Mayor, fearing a total breakdown of order, appeared and read the Riot Act of 1714, formally commanding the crowd to disperse. They refused.
More Than Just Dairy-Induced Rage
It's easy to laugh at the idea of a 'cheese riot', but the event was a symptom of a much larger issue. Historians refer to this as a conflict over the 'moral economy'. The common people held a deep-seated belief that there was a 'just' and 'fair' price for essential goods. When merchants and landowners abandoned this social contract in favor of pure profit, especially during times of scarcity, the people felt they had a right to enforce the old rules themselves, often through rioting.
This was not an isolated incident. The year 1766 saw over thirty similar food riots across England as citizens protested against high prices and the exportation of grain while they themselves were starving. The Nottingham riot was simply one of the most memorable.
The Aftermath
The unrest in Nottingham grew so severe that the 15th Dragoons, a cavalry regiment, were called in to restore order. In the ensuing chaos, one man, a farmer from Belton named William Eggleston, was killed. He was tragically struck by a soldier's sword while reportedly trying to protect his own property. Several others were arrested and sent to the county gaol.
The Great Cheese Riot serves as a fascinating reminder that history's pivotal moments aren't always grand political struggles. Sometimes, they are raw, desperate conflicts over the most basic human need: the right to eat. It shows us that when people feel they are being priced out of survival, even a humble block of cheese can become a powerful symbol of rebellion.