(From Bristol)

The riots broke out in Bristol in 1832 and were largely instrumental in getting the Reform Act passed in the following year. Queen's Square, Bristol, was the centre of the trouble, and here the rioters burned down practically two-thirds of the buildings. An outstanding legal ease arose from the riots. A Mr. Pinney was then Mayor of Bristol, and he was indicted for misconduct during the disturbance. Rex v. Pinney is still quoted as a leading case in constitutional law. A historically accurate account of the Bristol riots is given in Stanley Weyman's novel 'Chippings.'