From the Maitland Mercury report:
Back in the 1800s the opposite sides of Free Church Street, Maitland, were anything but harmonious.
With the Catholics on one side and the Presbyterians on the other, the small street was fraught with religious tension.
Until March 1860, when all hell broke loose in what is known as the religious riot of Maitland.
“The minister was bashed, his brother was bashed and a few days later the Catholics stoned all the buildings in High Street that belonged to the Presbyterians,” Maitland Regional Museum committee member Janece McDonald said.
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, June 30, 2015.
