JOHN BOWES, of Streatlam Castle, the founder of Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, was one of the Liberal candidates standing in the 1841 election.

On June 28, he canvassed Darlington in an impressive way. He entered town in a grand carriage led by two horsemen and a band playing See The Conquering Hero Comes.

Behind him were 300 horsemen four abreast, from Weardale. Then there was a procession of carriages filled with his supporters and then another 200 voters on horseback, all covered in blue and white rosettes, and flying banners. It was an amazing show of strength.

A platform had been built outside the Sun Inn - where HSBC now is - from which, at 2pm, outgoing Liberal MP Joseph Pease introduced him.

Mr Pease spoke for 20 minutes, but was drowned out by a large "hooting, roaring and bellowing" crowd.

Mr Bowes' words received similar short shrift, so by 3pm the meeting was over and the mob left to slake its thirst in nearby pubs.

At 7.30pm, a fight broke out.

The police intervened, rashly striking out with their truncheons on Mr Robson, "a quiet inoffensive character" who was a butcher in Skinnergate.

He fell to the ground and word spread like wildfire that he was dead.

"A general attack was then made on the police who took refuge in the town hall, " says William Longstaffe, Darlington's great Victorian historian.

For nearly four hours, the police were besieged inside their own lock-up, as the mob broke every window.

Shortly after 11pm, the mob charged at the locked north door, broke it down, and rampaged into the town hall.

But the police had changed out of their uniforms and smuggled themselves out of the south door and melted anonymously into the chaos.

"The mob, finding that they had escaped, tore up the bar railings, broke the forms and chairs, and committed every kind of outrage, " says Longstaffe.

Satisfied by their orgy of destruction, they then went home, smashing the odd window on the way.

The putty on the new glass in the town hall was barely dry when, in early December, the borough bailiff, Thomas Bowes, tried to ban the throwing of fireworks. So the people built an enormous bonfire in the Market Place, which they lit at 5pm and set off copious amounts of explosives.

"For four hours or upwards every moveable combustible was in danger of being taken and burnt, " says Longstaffe.

The police, understandably, tried to prevent the ransacking of the town centre, but were once again chased into the town hall.

There they were trapped, as the mob broke 30 panes of glass and filled the night sky with rockets. At least the constables had a good view.

ASpart of the Covered Market's 150th anniversary celebrations on Friday and Saturday, Chris Lloyd is giving an illustrated talk on its history. It will take place at 2pm on Saturday in the Central Hall. Tickets are free, but should be booked by calling 01325-388207 during office hours.