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 Amphion (1780) HMS Amphion (1780) HMS "Amphion" was a Royal Navy 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the "Amazon" Class built in Chatham in 1780 which blew up on 22 September 1796. On 6 September 1781, a small squadron under the command of the "Amphion's" captain John Bazely, in conjunction with General Benedict Arnold, completely destroyed the town of New London, Connecticut, together with stores and shipping in the harbour. On 3 January 1782 "Amphion" recaptured the British sloop , which the French had captured at the capitulation of Yorktown on 19 October 1781. On 22 September 1796, "Amphion" was completing repairs at Plymouth,