On Sunday 29 June 1857 a mob entered the town and broke the corn exchange's windows and seized corn and demanded money from shopkeepers. On July the gentry and traders recruited about 500 men and went to Upwell, captured 60 people and placed them in irons. On 4 September a report was made to the lords justices of 14 malefactors condemned at Wisbech for a riot; two were sentenced to be executed the following Saturday and twelve for transportation. The Wisbech Working Men's Club and Institute was formed in 1864. It was once considered one of the most financially successful of its type in England. It remains one of the oldest.
On Sunday 29 June 1857 a mob entered the town and broke the corn exchange's windows and seized corn and demanded money from shopkeepers. On July the gentry and traders recruited about 500 men and went to Upwell, captured 60 people and placed them in irons. On 4 September a report was made to the lords justices of 14 malefactors .condemned at Wisbech for a riot; two were sentenced to be executed the following Saturday and twelve for transportation. The Wisbech Working Men's Club and Institute was formed in 1864 It was once considered one of the most financially successful of its type in England. It remains one of the oldest.