Barnaby Rudge
Preserved but no longer current.
The principal interest in this book is the picture it gives of the Gordon Riots of 1780. For the general impression he gives and some of the particulars Dickens relied upon the descriptions given to him by those who remembered the event clearly. The book came out in parts in 1840, only sixty years after the riots.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Barnaby Rudge” mean?
The principal interest in this book is the picture it gives of the Gordon Riots of 1780. For the general impression he gives and some of the particulars Dickens relied upon the descriptions given to him by those who remembered the event clearly. The book came out in parts in 1840, only sixty years after the riots.
Is “Barnaby Rudge” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.