History of London minor crimes. Public hangings were common in London, and were popular public events. In 1780, London was rocked by the Gordon Riots, an uprising by Protestants against Roman Catholic emancipation led by Lord George Gordon. Severe damage was caused to Catholic churches and homes, and 285 rioters were killed. In the year 1787, freed slaves from London, America, and many of Britain's colonies founded Freetown in modern-day Sierra Leone. Up until 1750, London Bridge was the only crossing over the Thames, but in that year Westminster Bridge was opened and, for the first time in history, London Bridge, in a
HMS Belliqueux (1780) "Belliqueux" on 8 April 1807, while "Belliqueux" was in the Bay of Bengal. "Belliqueux" was employed as a prison ship from 1814, and was broken up in 1816. Citations References HMS Belliqueux (1780) HMS "Belliqueux" (Eng. "warlike") was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 5 June 1780 at Blackwall Yard, London. She was named after the French ship captured in 1758. In 1781 "Belliqueux" took part at the Battle of Fort Royal, and in 1782 she was at the Battle of the Saintes. In 1796 she came under the command of Captain