Porteous Mob - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: porteous mobPorteous mob
Porteous mob, an extraordinary riot and conspiracy which occurred in Edinburgh in 1736. On the occasion of the execution of a man named Wilson Porteous, the Captain of the City Guard, fearing a riot, had given orders to fire on the crowd who had assembled to witness the spectacle, and several persons were killed. For this he was tried and sentenced to death, but on the eve of his execution he was respited by orders from London. This enraged the mob, with whom Porteous was very unpopular, with the result that they rose, stormed the Tolbooth in which Porteous was confined, and themselves hanged him in the Grassmarket. For an account of the inquiries made into the affair by the Crown Counsel, see Scott's Heart of Midlothian, Centen. ed., note D....
lynch
lynch : to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction lynch·er n ...
Cucking stool
A kind of chair formerly used for punishing scolds and also dishonest tradesmen by fastening them in it usually in front of their doors to be pelted and hooted at by the mob but sometimes to be taken to the water and ducked called also a castigatory a tumbrel and a trebuchet and often but not so correctly a ducking stool...
Demagogue
A leader of the rabble one who attempts to control the multitude by specious or deceitful arts an unprincipled and factious mob orator or political leader...
goaded
compelled forcibly by an outside agency as mobs goaded by blind hatred...
leaderless
lacking a leader as a leaderless mob running riot in the streets...
Lynch
To inflict punishment upon especially death without the forms of law as when a mob captures and hangs a suspected person See Lynch law...
Mob
A mobcap...
Mobbish
Like a mob tumultuous lawless as a mobbish act...
Ochlocracy
A form of government by the multitude a mobocracy mob rule...
- << Prev.
- Next >>
Sign-up to get more results
Unlock complete result pages and premium legal research features.
Start Free Trial