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1839 South Wales Chartist Rising

A Key Stage 2 & 3

Educational Resource Pack

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Contents Introduction

How do we choose the Government in the United Kingdom nowadays?

How was the Government in the United Kingdom chosen in the past?

Who were the Chartists and what did they believe?

Views for and against the People’s Charter

What happened at first between supporters and opponents of the People’s

Charter?

Had there been any violent protests in South Wales before 1839?

What work did people do in the valleys of South Wales during the 1830s?

What was the ‘truck system’ and why was it so unpopular amongst workers?

What were homes like in the valleys of South Wales during the 1830s?

Preparations for the march to Newport

The march to Newport

After the march—the Empire strikes back!

Was this the end of Chartism?

Did Chartism end in complete failure?

Were the 6 points of the People’s Charter ever achieved?

What happened to John Frost, Zephaniah Williams and William Jones?

Teachers’ Notes & Sources

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14

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21

27

40

46

53

61

64

72

78

86

90

92

93

95

96

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Introduction

Just after 9 o’clock in the morning on 4th November 1839 about 5,000

people with weapons from the valleys of South Wales marched towards

the Westgate Hotel in the town of Newport.

Look carefully at the images on the next 4 pages.

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5

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After looking carefully at the last 4 pages, describe what you think may

have happened that morning in Newport.

What might have been the cause of this?

On the next page, is part of a poster that was printed after

the events of 4th November 1839.

Read it carefully and use a dictionary to help you understand

any difficult words.

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10

After reading the poster, answer the questions below:

1) What name was given to the people that marched to Newport on 4th

November 1839?

2) What happened? How did the march end?

3) In your own words, describe what you think happened on the 4th

November 1839 at Newport.

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Very few of the men killed at the

Westgate Hotel could be identified

at first.

Over the next few days, relatives

of men who had still not returned

home came to Newport to find out

what had happened to them.

The parents of 19 year-old George

Shell brought a letter with them to

Newport that had been written by

their son just before the march

started.

Sadly, George was one of the men

killed at the Westgate Hotel.

Here is a copy opposite:

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Read the letter on the previous page carefully and use a dictionary to

help you understand any difficult words.

1) What clues does this letter tell you about the purpose of the march?

2) What did George Shell think may happen to him at Newport?

A report on the death of George Shell was published in the local

newspaper. There is a copy of the report on the next page.

The report mistakenly names him as John instead of George Shell!

Read the report on the next page carefully and use a dictionary to help

you understand any difficult words.

3) What was the cause of George Shell’s death?

4) According to the newspaper report, who was to blame for

his death?

5) Why wasn’t his death thought of as a murder?

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How do we choose the Government in the

United Kingdom nowadays?

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Today all adults can have a say in how the country is run.

All people aged 18 or over are able to vote in elections to

chose the person or party that will best represent or

support their own views or interests.

In elections, voters make their choice on a

ballot paper and then place their paper

inside a ballot box— the choice made is

known only to the voter.

The votes are then counted and the person receiving the

most votes is able to represent a town or area as a

member of Parliament (or MP for short).

Each town or area—known as a constituency– has

roughly the same number of voters living within it.

Each member of Parliament also receives a wage during

the time that they are elected as an MP.

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MPs are often members of

a group or party with

similar views and ideas.

The group or party with

the largest number of MPs

in Parliament usually

forms the Government of

the country.

The Government makes important decisions

that affect all of our lives. It makes new laws or

changes existing laws to please the group or

party in Government and their supporters.

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How was the Government in the United

Kingdom chosen in the past?

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The way that members of Parliament and

the Government of the United Kingdom

was chosen during much of the 19th

century (or 1800s) and before then, was

very different to that we have today.

During the time of the march of the

Chartists to Newport in 1839, most

adults were not able to vote in elections.

Poor, working people felt that their views and interests were being

ignored by Parliament, which was controlled by rich and powerful men.

During much of the 19th century or 1800s, only men who either owned

or rented property of a certain value were allowed to vote.

Members of Parliament didn’t receive any wages either so only rich

people could afford to become an MP. Besides, an MP had to be the

owner of a lot of property anyway to be allowed to become a member

of Parliament in the first place!

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The number of voters in constituencies or different

voting areas also varied a great deal.

Some rich men could buy their place or ‘seat’ in

Parliament because many of the smaller

constituencies contained so few voters that enough

of them could be persuaded or promised favours in

return for their support in elections.

Votes were not made in secret as they are today.

They were published for everyone to see!

A rich and powerful man could check who

had voted for him or not!

This put voters under pressure in an election

contest because they would be worried what

might happen to them if they voted against,

say, a rich and powerful landlord.

20

Many people felt that the great wealth being

created by new industries, which grew rapidly

during the 19th century (1800s) in Britain, was

not being shared out fairly.

It appeared to many that a few people were

becoming very wealthy but life for most people

was very hard and improving very slowly, if at all.

Many ordinary people felt that the only way to

make things fairer was to give everyone a say in

how the country was being run.

Many people believed that it was only fair that

everyone had a right to vote in secret in elections

for Parliament.

They also wanted changes to rules that prevented

ordinary people from becoming members of

Parliament.

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Who were the Chartists and what did they

believe?

“Here’s a health to the Radical boys,

May tyranny fail, and freedom prevail”

A Popular Chartist slogan from the 1830s

22

In 1837, a small group of MPs

and members of the ‘London

Working Men’s Association’

drew up a list of demands for

changes to the voting system.

This was called the ‘People’s

Charter’.

Millions of poor, working

people were inspired by these

ideas. Supporters of the

‘People’s Charter’ were known

as ‘Chartists’.

Read the ‘Six Points of the

People’s Charter’ carefully and

use a dictionary to help you

understand any difficult words.

23

Where support for the People’s

Charter was strong, local societies

or ‘lodges’ were formed. Chartists

usually held their meetings in

rooms at public houses that were

run by supporters of the Charter.

At lodge meetings, supporters of

the Charter gave talks and held

discussions to encourage and help

spread Chartist ideas.

Although Chartists did not

campaign for votes for women,

many women’s groups are known

to have existed. Women supporters

of the People’s Charter are known

to have met at the Royal Oak public

house at Coalbrookvale, Blaina.

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Members of Chartist lodges were encouraged to carry membership

cards to show their support for Chartism. Here is an example below:

25

Between 1837 and 1839, Chartist lodges met all over South Wales.

Popular Chartist speakers such as Henry Vincent and William Edwards

spoke to crowds of thousands of people gathered at open-air meetings

in South Wales.

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Many ordinary, working people became involved in

Chartism; so many that this became a cause of

alarm to people who were the owners and masters

of mines, works and the land.

They feared that Chartism was a threat to their

property and businesses. Soon, the masters and

owners began to organise against the Chartists.

Above:

Henry Vincent

Threats of violence and tensions increased on

both sides —those in favour of the People’s

Charter and those against it.

Left: Chartist MP,

Feargus O’Connor

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Views for and against the People’s Charter

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View in favour of every man having the right to vote

As a young girl, I kept a door underground and then, a bit older, I pushed drams in

Mr Bailey’s collieries. We work 14 to 16 hours a day, 6 days a week only to receive a

miserable wage in return. Many of us have no choice but to take our children to work

in dangerous conditions so that we may earn just enough to survive.

We, the workers, have had enough of being ruled by the rich. We demand the right to

have a say in choosing the Government. We demand a say in how decisions and laws

of this country are made. We say that our problems can only be heard and dealt with if

every man over 21 years of age has the right to vote regardless of his wealth or the

value of his property.

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View against every man having the right to vote

I am Reverend Jenkins, Minister at Dowlais. Chartism teaches the idea

that all men are equal. There is nothing in nature or in the Bible that

supports this idea. The Bible tells us of kings, princes, judges, carpenters

and workmen. Equality is a thing opposed to all else on earth, in heaven

and in hell.

What would the poor gain by every man having the right to vote?

They will gain nothing but setting workmen against each other. They

would neglect their work and waste their time in election squabbles.

Poverty is not the result of unfair and cruel laws, or the oppression of the

rich. It is the design of God. Poverty has existed at all times and in every

country of the world.

30

View in favour of a secret ballot at elections

I am a puddler at Nantyglo Ironworks, the son of a farm labourer, who came

here to find work. What would be the point of voting for the workers’ candi-

date in elections if we had to do so in public, in full view of our employers and

our landlords? If we did not support their candidate they would dismiss us

from work, evict us from home and discredit our name so we would never

find work again. It is not enough to simply vote. The vote must be recorded in

private so we cannot be bullied or threatened in any way.

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View against a secret ballot at elections

What do workmen expect from voting by ballot? In other words, secret voting or

voting for or against a person without the possibility of that person finding out

which side I voted and no-one being able to find out the truth!

It would enable someone to vote for Mr A. and then to say to Mr B. that it was

for him he voted! It is nothing but a law for rogues, nothing but a cloak for lies,

dishonesty and hypocrisy!

32

View in favour of ending property qualification for MPs

Who amongst us is rich enough to become an MP?

In order to stand for election to Parliament, we must be owners of property.

Ordinary men like ourselves are excluded.

How can rich landowners understand our problems and concerns?

How can a rich man know what it is like to work a 15-hour day in dangerous

conditions for a pathetic wage that ends the moment a man is ill or unfit to

work?

The rich have no understanding, so cannot represent our views.

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View against ending property qualification for MPs

You may have been in the habit of looking at the rich Ironmasters with envy

– but what anxiety, mental labour and toil must they experience.

They experience banks collapsing and their debtors failing to repay debts

owing to them. They suffer from the carelessness of those they employ.

The assumption that the rich are idle drones is a mistaken one; it is to them

that workers owe most of their comforts.

If the ‘People’s Charter’ became law in this country, it would be worse and

more miserable to live as a slave in one of the slave states of America.

34

View in favour of members of Parliament being paid

We need working men in Parliament to fight for us. What's more, these men need to

be paid a decent salary so that their families do not starve whilst they look after the

interests of their fellow workers in Parliament.

35

View against members of Parliament being paid

With respect to having Members of Parliament paid - this is too absurd an idea

for an idiot to be the author of it. We have some inefficient MPs now but if they

were paid wages they would be 10 times more so.

How to increase their own wages would occupy the whole of their thoughts!

Besides, do you not complain that taxes are too many already? And yet you

would establish a new tax, towards which all working men would have to pay.

36

View in favour of equally sized voting areas

We know of places where one Member of Parliament represents over 20,000

voters but elsewhere just 700 people. We insist that there must be the same

number of people in each voting area.

37

View against equally sized voting areas

The population of the manufacturing and mining districts is more condensed

than the farming districts.

The weight of numbers of MPs who would be sent from the manufacturing and

mining districts would act with such force in Parliament that the country MPs

would be unable to withstand it and would be overwhelmed!

The field of coal would beat the field of barley!

This would create a division in Parliament between rural and industrial

interests and may upset the balance of members.

This could threaten the stability of the Government and might upset trade,

which would cause the working man to suffer.

38

View in favour of annual elections to Parliament

To make sure that we are not betrayed we must be certain to elect Parliament each

and every year. With 7 years between elections now, it is all too easy for an elected

member to forget the promises made to the people that voted for him. It is too easy

for those who join the ranks of Parliament to be seduced by life in London.

To stay in touch with the people's needs and concerns, each MP must face his

electors every year and be judged at the ballot box on his efforts. There will be no

dragging of heels or forgetting of his roots if annual parliaments are the rule.

39

View against annual elections to Parliament

What possible benefits could be gained from annual elections?

Annual squabbles and upsetting of the peace and trade of the country?

I have heard hundreds of workmen complain that election times were poor for

them because they were forced to lose many days’ work and wages, of course.

Would any workman wish to have these annual losses?

No one would benefit except the public houses!

40

What happened at first between supporters

and opponents of the People’s Charter?

41

The authorities tried to stop

Chartist meetings by declaring

their gatherings as illegal.

In May 1839 two popular speakers,

Henry Vincent and William

Edwards were arrested and sent

to prison in Monmouth jail.

Read the poster opposite and use

a dictionary to help you under-

stand any difficult words.

1) What might Henry Vincent mean

by ‘the jails of our tyrants’?

2) Who are the people that Henry

Vincent calls ‘our enemies’?

3) Why did Vincent believe that

Chartists should keep the peace?

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Following the arrest of Henry

Vincent, a protest by Chartist

supporters in Newport was

broken up by the police.

Read the poster opposite and

use a dictionary to help you

understand any difficult

words.

John Frost calls the Chartists,

the ‘working men of

Monmouthshire.’

What is he asking them to do

in his message?

43

In summer of 1839, a petition of over 1 million signatures demanding

the ‘People’s Charter’ was presented to Parliament. However the

Chartists’ demands were refused and the Charter was rejected by MPs.

44

The news that Parliament had rejected the Chartist petition did not go

down well with Chartists in South Wales. They held meetings throughout

the summer and autumn of 1839 to discuss their next step.

A Chartist meeting held on 12th August 1839 near Tredegar is thought

to have been the largest gathering of people anywhere in Wales during

the 19th century. Read the notice above carefully and use a dictionary

to help you understand any difficult words.

What was the purpose of the meeting at Duke’s Town?

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In secret, Chartist leaders in the

valleys began to make plans for

an armed uprising of workers to

achieve their aims by force. They

believed there was no hope that

peaceful action would ever gain

the ‘People’s Charter’.

So what caused protests in South

Wales to become violent, leading

to the attack on Newport on 4th

November 1839?

For us to make any sense of why

this happened, we need to study

the background to what life was

like in South Wales in the years

leading up to 1839.

46

Had there been any violent protests in

South Wales before 1839?

47

In 1816, the price of iron fell. To reduce the cost of making iron, the

people who ran the many ironworks in South Wales decided to reduce

the wages of their workers to save money. This decision caused rioting

across a wide area and the army was called upon to restore order. How-

ever workers were both angry and determined and, ironworkers and

colliers battled with soldiers for many weeks until peace was restored.

48

After 1816, the ironmaster at Nantyglo called Joseph Bailey was so wor-

ried about his workers taking violent action against him that he decided

to build 2 defended towers, similar to a castle from the Middle Ages!

Known as the ‘round houses’, the towers are circular in shape and built

of stone. They were designed to be a refuge for the ironmaster’s family

and supporters in times of trouble.

Right: One of the two towers

built at Nantyglo by Joseph

Bailey.

49

The Times newspaper of 15 May 1822

In 1822, after

another fall in

the price of iron,

ironmasters

again tried to

reduce workers’

wages.

Violent protests

broke out once

more across

South Wales.

Again, the army

was called upon

to restore order.

50

The Times newspaper of 1 May 1822

By 1822, it was clear that the workers’ protests were well organised.

Large groups, in disguise, would attack their enemies or property

belonging to them during the night. Usually warnings were given to

their intended target beforehand; as the reputation of these night-time

raids grew, a threat was often sufficient to have the desired effect.

51

The groups that carried out these secret and violent night-time raids

were known as the ‘Scotch Cattle.’

Here are 2 examples of their warnings.

52

Source 20— Leaders of

the ‘Scotch Cattle’ groups

or ‘herds’ were known as

‘bulls’ and on this warning

notice, the hearts of 2

traitors are “fixed upon the

horns of the bull!”

In 1831, ironmasters again reduced wages and violent protests by

workers occurred again. In Merthyr Tydfil, workers took control of the

town and fought off the army for a week.

By 1839, in times of trouble, workers in South Wales were well-

practised and capable of organising violent protests to achieve their

aims.

53

What work did people do in the valleys of

South Wales during the 1830s?

54

Children’s Employment Commission report 1842—Nantyglo

Let’s look at evidence collected around

the time of the 1839 armed rising by a

Government inspector whose job it

was to find out what work children and

young people were doing in the iron-

works and mines in South Wales.

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Children’s Employment Commission report 1842—Nantyglo

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Children’s

Employment

Commission

Report 1842

In your own words,

describe a week in

the life of an ‘air-

door boy’ or a

‘carter’.

How would you

feel if you had to

do any of these

jobs instead of

going to school?

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Children’s Employment Commission report 1842

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Children’s Employment Commission report 1842

How many hours did David Jones work

each day or night?

How old was he when he started work?

What do you think a free school was?

3s. means 3 shillings in old money.

There were 12 old pennies in a shilling.

How many pence did David Jones earn

in one week?

How many hours did he have to work

each week to earn this amount?

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Children’s Employment Commission report 1842

How long was a

working day for

people in the mines

and ironworks?

Were the hours of

work the same for

children as adults?

How would you feel if

you had to work

these hours for six

days every week

without holidays?

Why might owners

and managers claim

that children worked

fewer hours than was

actually the truth?

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Children’s Employment Commission report 1842

Why was it unusual for colliers (coal miners) to live beyond 50 years?

What diseases did they suffer from by working underground?

61

What was the ‘truck system’ and why was it

so unpopular amongst workers?

62

Nantyglo Ironworks

‘truck’ shop tokens

People who worked for most ironworks and coal mines in South Wales in

the early 19th century or 1800s weren’t paid in money!

Instead they were paid in goods supplied by the company through their

own shop! The problem with this was that the goods in the company’s

shop were more expensive than similar items sold in independent shops

(around 25% dearer). Workers also complained that the goods in the

company shop were of poor quality. To many people this system of pay-

ment to workers called ‘truck’ seemed very unfair.

63

It was made illegal in 1831 for workers to be paid in ‘truck’. However,

owners of ironworks and collieries in South Wales used a loophole in

the law to continue using the ‘truck’ system of paying their workers by

keeping the pay offices and company shop accounts separate. This

caused much resentment on the part of workers who often never saw

any money come out of their wages!

Evidence of John Evans, Schoolmaster, Children’s Employment

Commission Report 1842

64

What were homes like in the valleys of

South Wales during the 1830s?

65

Nantyglo by Henri Gastineau about 1830

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View in Coldbrookvale by Henri Gastineau about 1830

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Look carefully at the drawings made by Henri Gastineau about 1830.

Think about what it may have been like to live and work in

these places during the 1830s.

Report by Seymour Tremenheere 1839

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Report by Seymour Tremenheere 1839

What were houses like?

Let’s look at some more

evidence collected by

inspectors at the time.

Left: An example of

workers’ housing in the

1830s at Long Row,

Nantyglo

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Report by J.C.Symons 1847

70

Artist’s reconstruction of Nantyglo House, farm and roundhouses —

home of the Bailey’s, ironmasters at Nantyglo.

71

Make a list of the things that would have made many ironworkers and

colliers in South Wales feel angry in the time leading up to 1839.

Think carefully about what it may have been like to live and

work in these places during the 1830s after studying the

pictures and written evidence on pages 39 to 56.

72

Preparations for the

march to Newport

Chartist song—printed

in January 1840

73

Throughout the autumn of 1839, in complete secrecy, the leaders of

Chartist lodges drew up plans to take control of all the mines and iron-

works and a number of towns in South Wales. With the help of their

allies in England, they believed that the Chartists would take control of

Britain and form a new Government based on the ‘People’s Charter’.

The planned date of the rising is thought to have been decided upon at a

meeting of 500 Chartists at Zephaniah Williams’ beer-house at

Coalbrookvale, Blaina on 3 October 1839.

Leading Chartist, John Frost from Newport,

had tried to persuade the Chartist leaders in

the valleys to delay their uprising, telling

them that Chartists in other areas of Britain

weren’t yet ready to join them but feelings

ran so strongly that he failed to postpone

their plans.

Right: Pikes used by the Chartists

74

It is thought that the Chartist leaders’ most ambitious plan was to seize

control of the towns of Brecon, Newport, Pontypool, Monmouth, Usk,

Cardiff and Abergavenny on 5 November. The attacks would coincide

with Guy Fawkes’ Day, which would add to the sense of confusion.

From his base at Blackwood during the

week before the rising, John Frost appears

to have persuaded the other leaders to

make several changes to their strategy.

Possibly having doubts about the Chartists’

strength, Frost persuaded the leaders to

combine most of their forces for an attack

on Newport a day earlier, on 4 November,

and then to attack the other towns on the

next day as originally planned.

Right: Chartist leader, John Frost, 1840

75

Frost believed that the soldiers in Newport drank heavily on Sunday

night so it would be easier for the Chartists to take control of the town

if they marched into Newport during the early hours of Monday

morning, 4 November 1839, whilst everyone in the town was asleep.

Frost was confident that the soldiers were sympathetic with Chartists’

aims and would lay down their weapons without a shot being fired.

For the assault on Newport, John Frost was

chosen to lead the Chartist groups from the

Blackwood area; Zephaniah Williams of

Coldbrookvale near Blaina was to take charge

of the Chartists from the heads of the valleys

towns; William Jones was to lead the Chartists

from the Pontypool and Abersychan areas.

Right: Chartist leader, Zephaniah Williams, 1840

76

The Chartists in Merthyr and Pontypridd were to be held back in

reserve and used to attack Brecon and Cardiff on Tuesday 5 November.

The Chartists who attacked Newport on Monday were to march on Usk

and then Abergavenny on the same Tuesday.

News of the Chartists’ successes in South Wales would be a signal for

Chartists across Britain to rise up at once; the Government would be

overwhelmed and unable to contain all the outbreaks.

After the assault on Newport, however, any

advantage of surprise that the Chartists would

have had, would be quickly lost. Seizing control

of the other towns would therefore be a much

more difficult task since the authorities would

have time to prepare defences against them.

Right: Chartist leader, William Jones, 1840

77

For the revised plan to

work, everything would

now depend on achieving

success at Newport.

In the days leading up to 4

November, guns were

collected and weapons

such as pikes were made

by Chartists across the

valleys.

Right: Map showing routes

taken by Chartist marchers

on 3 & 4 November 1839

78

The march to Newport

79

On Sunday 3 November 1839, members of Chartist lodges were finally

told that they were to march on Newport that evening and ordered to

gather their weapons, food and to meet up in readiness for action.

In many places, Chartists searched their areas and forced men to join

them on the march.

Hundreds of families must

have anxiously watched their

fathers, husbands, sons and

brothers leave home and

wondered if they would ever

see them alive again.

Downpours of torrential rain

fell throughout Sunday and

Monday morning.

80

In the early hours of Monday morning, a few miles outside Newport,

thousands of men huddled inside shelters wherever they could find

them, trying to dry their clothes and gunpowder whilst waiting for the

final order to march on Newport.

Many hours late and in broad daylight, the

wet and weary Chartists resumed their

march on Newport.

John Rees (Jack the fifer) led the assault

on the Westgate Hotel. Here, Thomas

Phillips, was directing the defence of the

town and was keeping prisoner some

Chartists arrested that night.

Thomas Phillips, Mayor

of Newport in 1839.

81

The Chartists may not have known that soldiers were at the Westgate

hotel too. After marching all night and soaked to the skin, ‘the men who

entered Newport were fitter at the time for a hospital than for a battle.’

What happened just after at 9am at the Westgate Hotel is described on

pages 4 to 9.

After 15 minutes of fierce fighting, the initial assault force abandoned

the attack on the hotel. The soldiers drove away anyone who tried to

help wounded Chartists in front of the hotel and many that were

‘mortally wounded, continued to writhe in tortures, crying for water’.

At 11am, the Chartists occupied most

of the town and gunfire was still to be

heard. At 2pm, most of the town was

still in the hands of the Chartists.

Westgate Hotel about 10am on

4 November 1839

82

It wasn’t until the approach of nightfall that

the Chartists withdrew completely. A fresh

attack after dark was expected by the

town’s defenders but this never came.

Mayor Thomas Phillips sent for more troops

who arrived from Bristol on Tuesday.

At once, troops set up defensive positions

north of Newport as thousands of armed

Chartists made their way towards Abercarn

on Tuesday evening, only 9 miles away.

Around Blackwood, Chartists gathered for a

new assault. Panic gripped Newport and

some people fled from the town.

But no new attacks came.

British army uniforms of

the early 19th century

83

In Newport, George Shell and 9 other Chartists killed at the Westgate

were buried on 7th November at St.Woolas’ Church.

Burial register for St.Woolas’ Church, Newport

The handwriting reads: Buried at once in 4 graves. Ten men, names

unknown, shot by a party of the 45th Regiment of Foot in a Chartist

insurrection before the Westgate Inn, November 4th 1839

84

Some of the injured men were treated by surgeons for gunshot wounds

at the workhouse in Newport. The leg of Morgan Jones of Tredegar was

so badly injured that it had to be removed by doctors! This was at a time

when doctors had no anaesthetics to knock out the patient whilst the

operation was being carried out. Ouch!

Admissions register for Newport Workhouse for November 1839.

Other injured men made it back to their home areas where they could

perhaps receive treatment for their wounds without being linked to the

Chartist rising and the events at Newport.

85

We will probably never

know the exact

number of people

killed or injured during

the Chartist rising.

Only those men who

died in and around the

Westgate hotel have

been identified.

Their names are listed

on the right:

86

After the march—the Empire strikes back!

87

British soldiers poured into the valleys to prevent a new ‘Chartist rising’

and arrest Chartist leaders. Although John Frost was captured quickly,

others avoided capture for weeks and some even escaped altogether.

The authorities wanted the 3 main ring-leaders quickly brought to trial

and sentenced for their part in the rising as an example to others.

The trials began

on 31 December

at Monmouth.

14 men were

charged with the

offence of high

treason, which

carried the death

penalty!

88

John Frost was the first leader put on trial. On 8 January 1840, the jury

found him guilty of the crime of treason. The same verdict was passed

in the cases of Zephaniah Williams and William Jones. All 3 prisoners

were sentenced on 15 January. Here is the judge’s sentence:

89

The executions of the 3 ring-leaders was

set for 6 February 1840. From their cell,

they could hear the scaffold being built

ready for their execution.

Despite campaigns by supporters, the

Government was only persuaded at the

last minute by a legal argument to

change the sentences on the prisoners

from death to transportation for life.

The 3 men arrived in Van Diemen’s Land

(now Tasmania) by ship on 30 June 1840

to begin their sentences.

Right: A guide to Van Diemen’s Land from

the 19th century. What clues does the

cover give you as to what went on there?

90

Was this the end of

Chartism?

No. Chartism was the first mass protest

movement that involved millions of

ordinary, working people.

Supporters of the ‘People’s Charter’

continued to campaign for the right to

change the voting system.

Chartist protests and meetings still

continued but these were largely

peaceful in nature.

Right: Notice for a Chartist

meeting at Merthyr Tydfil in 1848

91

In all, 5 national petitions were sent to Parliament demanding changes

to the way that MPs and Governments were elected. The largest petition

of 1842 collected over 3 million signatures.

There was also a petition that demanded the pardon of Frost, Williams

and Jones a year after their trial. All 6 petitions were rejected.

After the failure of the

3rd national petition in

1848, many Chartists

lost hope as every

avenue of protest had

been tried but all had

ended in failure.

Chartist meeting at

Kennington Common

on 10 April 1848

92

Did Chartism end in complete failure?

In the 1850s, many Chartists switched their support from Chartism to

the new Liberal Party. Chartists did not win the right for all men to vote

during the lifetime of the Chartist movement.

However, today, all but one of the 6 points of the ‘People’s Charter’ has

become reality – the one exception being the Chartists’ demands for

annual Parliaments. Today elections have to be held at least every 5

years, rather than every 7 years in the early 19th century.

Chartism helped to change people’s ideas about politics and their own

individual rights. In this sense, the Chartists did not fail, but success

took rather longer than they might have hoped.

On the next page is a list of all the changes to the voting system that

have taken place in the United Kingdom from the Chartist period up to

the present time.

93

Were the 6 points of the People’s Charter

ever achieved?

In 1858 the property qualification for MPs was abolished.

In 1867 the right to vote was given to male house-holders in towns,

doubling the number of people allowed to vote.

In 1872 voting by secret ballot was introduced.

In 1884 the right to vote was given to all male house-holders.

In 1885 the model of equally populated voting areas was introduced.

In 1911 Members of Parliament first received a regular salary.

In 1918 women over 30 were given the right to vote for the first time; all

men aged over 21 were also given the right to vote.

In 1928 women over 21 were given equal voting rights as men.

In 1969 the minimum voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 for all.

94

The right of all citizens to have a vote and a say in how their country is

run and governed is one that we take for granted today in the United

Kingdom.

However, as we have seen, these rights did not come about without the

personal sacrifices of many men and women.

We owe a great debt to those people who suffered and gave their lives

in the cause of Chartism and democracy.

In the words of an important Chartist leader, Dr William Price of

Pontypridd, who wrote in 1839:

“Today, we are fighting for something more than our own freedom—

for that of our children and the children of our children.”

95

What happened to John Frost, Zephaniah

Williams and William Jones?

In 1856, after many campaigns from

supporters for their reprieve, all received

free pardons. John Frost returned to

Britain but Tasmania became the home of

Zephaniah Williams and William Jones for

the rest of their lives where they both

became successful businessmen.

John Frost was buried at Horfield Church

in Bristol in 1877. His gravestone carries

a verse which says, ‘The outward mark

of respect paid to men merely because

they are rich and powerful hath no

communication with the heart.’

96

Teachers’ Notes & Sources Use of the materials included in this pack as a learning resource or case study will be relevant to the following programmes of study: Wales KS2 / History Changes to people’s daily lives in the locality in the nineteenth century Wales KS3 / History Changes that happened in Wales, Britain and the wider world between 1760 and 1914 and people’s reactions to them It looks at the story of the South Wales Chartist rising through evidence relating to the nature of the movement, the experience of some of those involved and the reaction of the authorities. A con-sequence of industrialisation was the creation of new industrial communities in hitherto rural backwaters. Chartism was a movement which was a catalyst for the workers’ rising of 1839 rather than being the direct cause of it. The brutal working and living conditions that existed in the new in-dustrial settlements created a working class hungry for social and political reform as a means of addressing the gross inequalities of early Victorian society. The South Wales rising of 1839 is one response to the social, economic and technological transformation of Wales during this period. QCA Schemes of Work: Key Stage 3 Unit 11: Industrial changes - Action and reaction Key Stage 3 Unit 16 Section 3: Who was struggling for political change between 1815 and 1848? Links could also be made to: Key stage 4 GCSE WJEC Specification A & B, which requires an in-depth study of ‘Popular Move-ments in Wales and England, 1815-1845’.

97

Why did conditions in South Wales before 1839 give rise to an organised,

armed attack in the name of the ‘People’s Charter’?

Many working people in the iron and coal-producing towns and villages in South Wales lived in poor quality and

overcrowded houses, which were often owned by the works providing them with work.

There were few clean water supplies and sewerage systems. Outbreaks of diseases such as cholera were

caused by polluted drinking water. Poor living conditions made it more likely that people fell victim to disease.

People worked very long hours in dangerous conditions. They had no compensation in the event of serious injury

or death. Desperation forced entire families to work, even children as young as 5. Whenever demand for iron fell,

ironmasters reduced wages to cut their costs forcing families into near starvation with no other real support.

Workers were often permanently in debt to the companies for which they worked due to the ‘truck system’. This

forced workers to accept payment in over-priced goods instead of proper wages that could be spent anywhere.

There was little trust between the owners and managers who were mainly church-going, English people and the

majority of workers who were Welsh-speaking, chapel-goers.

Since 1816, there had been a history of violent and organised attacks by groups of workers against those who

they felt threatened their livelihoods. The ‘Scotch Cattle’ had been active since at least 1822.

Working people resented the fact that fortunes were being made by the few who owned the ironworks and mines

whilst the majority who worked for them lived no better than slaves.

Many people felt that the People’s Charter offered hope of a better future by giving poor, working people a say in

how the Government was constituted. These hopes were dashed by the rejection of the petition by Parliament

and those advocates of ‘physical force’ within the Chartist movement in South Wales gained the upper hand.

The People’s Charter and its rejection in 1839 was a catalyst for the rising and not the underlying cause.

Preparations for the rising were made, which through a combination of poor leadership and confused strategy,

notwithstanding the horrendous weather of 3 & 4 November 1839, ended in failure.

98

Sources: Pages 4 & 5: ‘The attack of the Chartists on the Westgate Hotel, Newport. Nov 4th 1839’ by J.F. Mullock. National Library of Wales collection. (WlAbNL)003381769

Page 6: The Chartist attack at Newport. Nov 4th 1839’ by John Wyart. Newport City Library collection

Pages 7 & 81: Scene outside Westgate Hotel after riots on 4 November 1839. Tredegar Museum

Page 9: ‘Dreadful Riot and Loss of Life at Newport!’ November 1839. Gwent Archives collection. D.361 J.E.W.Rolls Scrapbook

Page 11: Handwritten mock-up of letter by George Shell published on part of Handbill—see page 9

Page 13: Coroner’s Inquests, Monmouthshire Merlin, 7 December 1839. Gwent Archives collection.D124.881-896

Pages 23 & 24: ‘Chartist’ membership cards, National Charter Association of Great Britain, 1840s

Page 26: Portraits of Henry Vincent and Feargus O’Connor, 1840s. National Portrait Gallery

Pages 29, 31, 33, 35, 39: (text abridged) from ‘Chartism Unmasked’ by Rev. Evan Jenkins, 1840 & Glamorgan, Monmouth & Brecon Gazette & Merthyr Guardian, 28 December 1839. Gwent Archives Collection. D124.881-896

Page 41: ‘To the Men & Women of Newport’ by Henry Vincent , 25 April 1839. Newport City Library collection

Page 42: ‘To the Working Men of Monmouthshire’ by John Frost, 1839. Newport City Library collection

Page 43: Carrying the Chartist Petition to Parliament, 1842

Page 44: Handbill entitled ‘Council of the General Convention, August 1839. Newport City Library collection

Page 45: Chartists meeting at night, 1840s

Page 47: ‘Merthyr Riots 1816’ by Penry Williams. Cyfarthfa Castle Museum collection

Page 49: ‘Riots in Monmouthshire’, The Times (newspaper), 15 May 1822

Page 50: The Times (newspaper), 1 May 1822

Pages 54 to 60 & 63: (Extracts from) Inquiry into the Employment and Condition of Children in Mines & Manufac-tories, 1842

99

Sources: Pages 65 & 66: ‘Nantyglo’ and ‘View in Coldbrookvale’ by H.Gastineau, 1830. Science & Society Picture Library

Pages 67 & 68: (Extracts from) Report on the Mining Districts of South Wales, H.S.Tremenheere, 1839-40

Page 69: (Extracts from) Report of Commission of Enquiry into the State of Education in Wales,1847

Page 70: Reconstruction of Nantyglo house, farm and round houses by Michael Blackmore

Page 71: Nantyglo by Henri Gastineau, 1830. National Museum of Wales.

Page 72: Popular Chartist song, from Glamorgan, Monmouth & Brecon Gazette & Merthyr Guardian, 30 Novem-ber 1839. Gwent Archives Collection. D124.881-896

Page 74: ‘Chartist Chiefs, No.1, John Frost’, ‘Chartist Chiefs, No.2, Zephaniah Williams’, ‘Chartist Chiefs, No.3, William Jones’, 10 January 1840. Gwent Archives Collection. D.361 J.E.W.Rolls Scrapbook

Page 80: Mayor of Newport, Thomas Phillips, 1840 from ‘The Monmouthshire Chartists’, Newport Museum, n.d.

Page 83: St. Woolas’ Church, Newport. Burial Register, 7th November 1839. Gwent Archives Collection

Page 84: Newport Union Workhouse. Admissions Register, November 1839. Gwent Archives Collection

Page 85: List of the Rebel Dead from ‘South Wales and the Rising of 1839’, Ivor Wilks, 1984

Page 87: ‘Trial of the Chartist Chief, Zephaniah Williams at Monmouth for High Treason’ 1840. Gwent Archives Collection. D.361 J.E.W.Rolls Scrapbook

Page 88: Monmouthshire Merlin (newspaper), 18 January 1840. Gwent Archives Collection. D124.881-896

Page 89: Early book about Tasmania, showing instruments of punishment

Page 90: Handbill advertising Chartist meeting at Merthyr Tydfil, 20 March 1848

Page 91: Photograph of the Chartist meeting at Kennington Common, London, 10 April 1848

A note on copyright: Copyright is reserved for all sources contained in this resource. Permission to reproduce,

copy or publish any of the enclosed images and text in any form including digital copying and electronic formats

is strictly forbidden. Application for reproduction must be made to the appropriate repository cited above.

Please send any enquiries to the Access to Heritage Project at Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.