In 1902, George Martin was arrested for having a package of gunpowder. His aim was to use this gunpowder to blow up a stand at St. George the Martyr during Edward VII’s Royal Procession through London. Due to the occasion, the church had decided to build a stand on the steps of the church and rent out seats for people to watch the procession, just as they had done during Queen Victoria’s 1897 Jubilee. The money raised would be used to fund the parish school. George Martin was an ordained Anglican Priest but in 1902 was not practicing, was working at Borough Market and living on Newcomen Street. Martin’s objectives in trying to blow up the stand was to protest the erection of the stand on consecrated ground and also highlight the relationship between the Church of England and the upper classes, creating a barrier between the church and the general population. It is unknown if this was a genuine social protest or if George Martin was suffering from mental health problems.
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