The Nottingham |Cheese Riot of 1766-The Game
Historical Background
In 1766 we had an earlier version of the cost of living crises after a poor wheat harvest put the price of food up. In Nottingham during the annual Goose Fair tons of cheese was being sold in large wheels at twice the price they had been a week earlier in other parts of the country. Disgusted by the prices the mainly women and “rude boys” of Nottingham went on the rampage stealing cheese and looting shops. Because the cheese came in large wheels it was easy to just roll them away. The mayor attempted to restore order and for his efforts was knocked down by a rolling cheese into the mud. The crowd then attacked boats on the river Trent loaded up with cheese and warehouses were looted. The Dragoons were called in and a man was shot dead although he was defending his cheese and was shot by accident. A number of young lads were dragged before the Magistrates who at this time used to perform trials in private homes and pubs. On this occasion it was in a coffee shop. The mob out side began throwing stones at the windows and fearing more violence those arrested where released. This incident is talked about a lot in the museum that I work and we thought it would be interesting to recreate it as a miniature game at a staff social. So I got to work thinking what the best way of adapting the story to the tabletop.
The Mayor recreating the event for the 250th anniversary in 2016
Did you steal that realistic looking cheese sir?
The backdrop sounds absolutely fantastic. As a Dutchman, I can wholly relate to the idea that a good cheese is worth fighting over. Do you know what ruleset you’ll be using? Can’t wait to see where this goes!