18 September 1809: Old price riots

On this day, 18 September 1809, the old price riots began in the Covent Garden Theatre in London during the opening night of Macbeth in protest at increased prices at the newly reopened venue. The original theatre had burned down, and when it reopened standard ticket prices had increased from 3 shillings and sixpence to 4 shillings. After the play ended, the audience refused to leave so the owner, John Kemble, called police, however this escalated the situation and rioters did not disperse until 2 AM. Kemble later hired a famous boxer and some of his associates to quell the protests, but this also failed and resulted in increased violence. Protests and disorder, heavily imbued with humour and merriment, continued for 64 days until Kemble reverted his prices and issued an apology.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9052/old-price-riotsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History