In what became known as the 'Evil May Day' riots, a crowd of approximately a thousand London apprentices were incited to xenophobic rage by an inflammatory speech given at St Paul's Cross on Easter Tuesday at the encouragement of a broker called John Lincoln. On May Day a mob congregated in Cheapside, and attacked foreign residents living in a 'liberty' area called St Martin le Grand. Although three hundred of the rioters were pardoned, sixty were convicted of treason and hanged on orders from Wolsey, along with their leader John Lincoln.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "In 'Evil May Day' riots London apprentices attack foreign residents". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14241, accessed 06 May 2024.]