Inclusion criteria
This is a list of massacres that have occurred in the purely geographical definition of the island of Great Britain and minor outlying islands and excludes Northern Ireland and massacres in Ireland before independence.
List DateNameLocationDeathsInjuriesNotes211Severan GenocideStirlingshire and PerthshireunknownCassius Dio's Roman History (Book LXXVII, Chapter 15) records that Septimius Severus ordered the following When the inhabitants of the island again revolted, he summoned the soldiers and ordered them to invade the rebels' country, killing everybody they met; and he quoted these words:
"Let no one escape sheer destruction,
No one our hands, not even the babe in the womb of the mother,
If it be male; let it nevertheless not escape sheer destruction."60 or 61Boudica's attacks on Roman citiesCamulodunum (modern-day Colchester), Londinium (modern-day London), Verulamium (modern-day St Albans)70,000–80,000 (Mostly Britons)Forces led by Boudica, Queen of the Iceni tribe, massacred both Romans and Britons in Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium. Her forces were later defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Watling Street.633–634Cadwallon ap Cadfan's occupation of NorthumbriaNorthumbria UnknownKing Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd, defeated and occupied the Kingdom of Northumbria after allying with King Penda of Mercia. Bede describes Cadwallon's actions during the occupation, stating "though he bore the name and professed himself a Christian, was so barbarous in his disposition and behaviour, that he neither spared the female sex, nor the innocent age of children, but with savage cruelty put them to tormenting deaths, ravaging all their country for a long time, and resolving to cut off all the race of the English within the borders of Britain".Bede, H. E., Book II, chapter 20.
Cadwallon's occupation ended when he was killed at the Battle of Heavenfield. 13 November 1002St. Brice's Day massacreTerritory of England under Anglo-Saxon controlUnknown The St. Brice's Day massacre was the extermination of immigrant Danes, their families and descendants, including those of mixed Danish and Anglo-Saxon descent on orders of the Anglo-Saxon King Æthelred the Unready and took place in remaining territory in his control in what is now England, at a time England was subject to Danelaw. Gunhilde sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, the King of Denmark was a victim along with her husband Pallig Tokesen1066Harald Hardrada's attack on ScarboroughScarboroughNo survivorsAttack by Vikings led by Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson. A prelude to the Battle of Stamford Bridge and ultimately the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Scarborough was subsequently absent from the Domesday Book.1069–1070Harrying of the NorthThe North of England between the Humber and the Tees100,000William the Conqueror's men burnt whole villages and slaughtered the inhabitants. Foodstores and livestock were destroyed so that anyone surviving the initial massacre would starve over the winter.October 1136Massacre of Norman, English, and Flemish SettlersCardigan and surrounding areas10,000Keynes, Simon (2001). "Florence". In Michael Lapidge; et al. (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 188.Following the victory of Gwynedd and Deheubarth over the Norman forces at the Battle of Crug Mawr, the Welsh targeted the foreign settler population. Many fled to the fortified town of Cardigan for safety, which was subsequently taken and burned by the Welsh."Coflein: Crug Mawr, site of battle, near Cardigan". Retrieved 1 January 2019.16 March 1190Massacre of the Jews at YorkYork, England"A wave of anti-Semitic riots culminated in the massacre of an estimated 150 Jews – the entire Jewish community of York – who had taken refuge in the royal castle where Clifford's Tower now stands. The chronicler William of Newburgh described the rioters in York as acting 'without any scruple of Christian conscientiousness' in wiping out the Jewish community." 30 March 1296Massacre of BerwickBerwick-upon-Tweed, Scotland (at the time)7,500–16,000unknownAfter besieging the Scottish town, English troops massacred the civilian and military population.10–12 February 1355 St Scholastica Day riotOxford, England 93UnknownA riot culminating from tensions between the people of the city of Oxford and the academic community of the University.21 October 1490Massacre of MonzievairdMonzievaird, Scotlandpossibly 120Blood feud between the Murray and Drummond families.1521Amersham MartyrdomsAmersham, Buckinghamshire6Massacre of Lollards for the heresy of reading the Bible in English1549Clyst Heath MassacreClyst Heath, Devon900Massacre of bound and gagged rebels from Cornwall and Devon taken prisoner during the Prayer Book Rebellion.1577Eigg massacreIsle of Eigg, Scotland395Clan warfare: according to the Clanranald legend, all but one of the Isle of Eigg's MacDonald clan were asphyxiated by their rival MacLeod clan in the massacre cave on the south coast of the island.28 May 1644Storming of BoltonBolton, EnglandDuring the English Civil War, Royalist forces under Prince Rupert of the Rhine slaughtered a large population of the strongly Parliamentarian town of Bolton.September 1644Sack of AberdeenAberdeen, ScotlandDuring the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Royalist forces under General Montrose sacked the city of Aberdeen after it defied his authority.1645Battle of PhiliphaughPhiliphaugh, Scotland400During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Irish soldiers and camp followers killed after surrender by the Covenanters.1646Dunoon massacreDunoon, Scotland200Rivalry between Clan Campbell and neighbours of the Clan LamontMay 1647Battle of DunavertyKintyre, Scotland300More than 300 of MacDougalls and MacDonald's followers, men, women and children, were slaughtered at Dunaverty after being promised quarter (mercy) by the Covenanters.13 February 1692Massacre of GlencoeGlen Coe, ScotlandCommitted by government troops under Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, for failing to swear an oath of allegiance to the newly crowned William of Orange.9 March 1761Hexham RiotHexham45 - 51?300 est.Massacre of demonstrators at Hexham Market Place by North Yorkshire militia.10 May 1768Massacre of St George's FieldsLondon, EnglandCommitted by the Horse Grenadier Guards and the Third Regiment of Foot Guards during a riot against the imprisonment of John Wilkes in St. George's Fields.29 October 1797Massacre of TranentTranent, East Lothian, Scotland12Townsfolk, including women and children, were killed by members of the Cinque Ports Dragoons, a fencible cavalry regiment, during a protest against the Act of Parliament to raise a Scots militia by a form of conscription.16 August 1819Peterloo MassacreManchester, Lancashire, EnglandCommitted by the 15th Hussars and the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry during a large outdoor political demonstration for male universal suffrage in St. Peter's Field. Led to the enacting of the Six Acts.May – 7 June 1831Merthyr RisingMerthyr Tydfil, WalesDescribed by historian John Davies as "the most ferocious and bloody event in the history of industrialised Britain", the rebellion in Merthyr Tydfil and surrounding areas broke out following protests against falling wages, the price of bread, and forced redundancy. During the bloodiest incident, Argyll and Sutherland Highlander troops sent to retake Merthyr fired on protesters during a fight against a large crowd.4 November 1839Newport RisingNewport, WalesLed by John Frost, between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers armed with home-made weapons marched on Newport, intent on liberating fellow Chartists who had reportedly been taken prisoner. About 22 demonstrators were killed when troops opened fire on them. The leaders of the rebellion were convicted of high treason, and sentenced to transportation for life.12/13 August 1842Preston Strike of 1842Preston, Lancashire, EnglandThe Mayor Samuel Horrocks read the Riot Act. This gave local authorities the right to use force if necessary to disperse unlawful assemblies and stop riots. When violence escalated and the crowd did not disperse, the 72nd Highlanders fired into the crowd, shooting at least eight men.13 December 1867Clerkenwell explosionLondon, England12120The Irish Republican Brotherhood attempted to free a member named Ricard O'Sullivan Burke from Clerkenwell Prison by blowing up a wall with gunpowder. The explosion damaged several nearby buildings and killed twelve people. No prisoners escaped.25 August 1939Coventry bombing Coventry, England 570A bicycle bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army exploded without warning on Broadgate in Coventry city centre. Five bystanders were killed and there were over 70 injuries, 12 of them serious. Two of the perpetrators, Peter Barnes and James McCormick were convicted and executed for the crime.22 February 1972 Aldershot bombing Aldershot, England 7 18 A car bomb outside the headquarters of the British Army's 16th Parachute Regiment by Official IRA member Noel Jenkinson.4 February 1974M62 coach bombingWest Yorkshire, England 12 38 A bombing on a coach carrying servicemen and their families by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. 5 October 1974 Guildford pub bombingsGuildford, England 5 65 Two bombs detonated in two Guildford pubs by the PIRA who targeted them because they were popular with British servicemen.21 November 1974Birmingham pub bombingsBirmingham, England21182Two bombs detonated in two Birmingham pubs by the PIRA.16 August 1980Denmark Place fireLondon, EnglandAn arson attack against a nightclub on Denmark Street by patron who was angry at being barred from the club for arguing with a barman. Described – before the Lockerbie bombing – as the deadliest mass murder in modern British history.19 August 1987Hungerford massacreHungerford, EnglandA spree shooting/murder–suicide. Led to the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988. 21 December 1988Lockerbie bombingLockerbie, Scotland Bombing on the Pan Am Flight 103; the dead included eleven locals on the ground.26 February 1994Clerkenwell cinema fireLondon, EnglandAn arson attack against a cinema in Clerkenwell by patron who was angry at having to pay entry fee again after leaving.13 March 1996Dunblane massacreDunblane, ScotlandA school shooting/murder–suicide. Deadliest mass shooting in UK history.7 July 20057 July 2005 London bombingsLondon, EnglandAl-Qaeda attack. Four coordinated terrorist Suicide bombings in central London between 08:50 and 09:47. It was the United Kingdom's worst terrorist incident since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.2 June 2010Cumbria shootingsCumbria, EnglandA killing spree/murder–suicide.14 August 2011Rzeszowski family homicidesSt Helier, Jersey60A mass stabbing and Familicide committed by Damian Rzeszowski.1 January 2012Horden shootingHorden, England41A mass shooting/murder–suicide.22 March 20172017 Westminster attackLondon, England649A vehicle and knife Islamist terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster.22 May 2017Manchester Arena bombingManchester, England1017Islamist terrorist suicide attack at Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert. In May 2018, the number of injured was revised to 800.3 June 20172017 London Bridge attackLondon, EnglandIslamic State (ISIS) vehicle and knife attack.12 August 20212021 Plymouth shootingPlymouth, England6 people killed including the gunman after a mass shooting in Keyham, Plymouth. The gunman was Jake William Davison.29 July 20242024 Southport stabbingsSouthport, England310A mass stabbing at a yoga and dance workshop.
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