(Description) Figure 4 Unknown artist, An Exact Representation of the Burning, Plundering and Destruction of Newgate by the Rioters, on the Memorable 7th of June 1780, 1781, engraving, 31 x 44 cm. British Museum, London 1880, 1113.4252. Photo: © Trustees of the British Museum. The rioters attacked Newgate Prison with a view to freeing fellow rioters who had been arrested and imprisoned there.

National identity in Britain and Ireland, 1780–1840

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In the foreground of the etching are crowds of men, women and children. Some are armed with sticks or cudgels actively ‘rioting’, while others stand talking or are simply observing. A large building in the background is consumed by a raging fire that bursts through windows and the roof.