Mohocks
Encyclopedia
The Mohocks were a gang
that terrorized London
in the early 18th century, attacking men and women alike. Taking their name from the Mohawk
Indians, they assaulted both men and women, disfiguring their male victims and sexually assaulting their female victims. The matter came to a head in 1712 when a bounty of £100 was issued by the royal court for their capture.
The president of the club was known as "The Emperor of the Mohocks" and was distinguished by a crescent tattoo on his forehead.
This gang was also known as the "young bloods", which was later shortened to "bloods". This name is possibly the origin of the British sense of the adjective bloody
, which was not considered particularly impolite until the 19th century.
According to Lady Wentworth, "They put an old woman into a hogshead
, and rolled her down a hill; they cut off some noses, others' hands, and several barbarous tricks, without any provocation. They are said to be young gentlemen; they never take any money from any." (Wentworth Papers, 277)
The Mohocks were the worst and the last of the gangs of street bullies who terrorized London after the Restoration
. The first gang to appear were known as the Muns, who were followed by the Tityré Tūs, the Hectors, the Scourers, the Nickers, and the Hawkubites
.
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
that terrorized London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the early 18th century, attacking men and women alike. Taking their name from the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
Indians, they assaulted both men and women, disfiguring their male victims and sexually assaulting their female victims. The matter came to a head in 1712 when a bounty of £100 was issued by the royal court for their capture.
The president of the club was known as "The Emperor of the Mohocks" and was distinguished by a crescent tattoo on his forehead.
This gang was also known as the "young bloods", which was later shortened to "bloods". This name is possibly the origin of the British sense of the adjective bloody
Bloody
Bloody is the adjectival form of blood but may also be used as an expletive attributive in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, South Africa , New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Anglophone Caribbean and Sri Lanka...
, which was not considered particularly impolite until the 19th century.
According to Lady Wentworth, "They put an old woman into a hogshead
Hogshead
A hogshead is a large cask of liquid . More specifically, it refers to a specified volume, measured in either Imperial units or U.S. customary units, primarily applied to alcoholic beverages such as wine, ale, or cider....
, and rolled her down a hill; they cut off some noses, others' hands, and several barbarous tricks, without any provocation. They are said to be young gentlemen; they never take any money from any." (Wentworth Papers, 277)
The Mohocks were the worst and the last of the gangs of street bullies who terrorized London after the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. The first gang to appear were known as the Muns, who were followed by the Tityré Tūs, the Hectors, the Scourers, the Nickers, and the Hawkubites
Hawkubites
The Hawkubites were a gang that terrorized the city of London from 1711 to 1714, during the reign of Queen Anne. It is claimed that the Hawkubites beat up women, children, watchmen, and old men in the streets after dark. They preceded the dreaded Mohocks...
.
In fiction
- John GayJohn GayJohn Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
(better known for The Beggar's OperaThe Beggar's OperaThe Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
) wrote a play in 1712 titled The Mohocks - this was printed but never acted in his lifetime. - Daniel DefoeDaniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
's 1722 novel Moll FlandersMoll FlandersThe Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders is a novel written by Daniel Defoe in 1722, after his work as a journalist and pamphleteer. By 1722, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, with the success of Robinson Crusoe in 1719...
describes Mohocks attacking people at a market. - In the historical novel ManituanaManituanaManituana is a novel by Wu Ming first published in Italian in 2007.Wu Ming is a collective of five authors founded in 2000. The members were formerly associated with the Luther Blissett Project and wrote the international best-selling novel Q....
by Wu MingWu MingWu Ming is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna.In their pre-Wu Ming days, the group wrote the novel Q ....
, a 1770s incarnation of the Mohock gang tries to contact Joseph BrantJoseph BrantThayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, a MohawkMohawk nationMohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
leader in visit to the king, and they apply to become the seventh IroquoisIroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
nation. - The Charlie Trees A Jacobite Novel by B. Dew Roberts Published by Chatto & Windus 1951 (page 10: 'Set upon? By those damned Mohocks, I suppose?')