Everything about The Tolpuddle Martyrs totally explained
The
Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of
19th century British labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the
Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a
friendly society and operated as a trade-specific
benefit society. But at the time, friendly societies had strong elements of what we now consider is the predominant role of
trade unions. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were subsequently sentenced to
transportation to
Australia.
The historical events
In 1824 the
Combination Acts, which made "combining" or organising in order to gain better working conditions illegal, had been repealed, so trade unions were no longer illegal. In 1832, the year of a Reform Act which extended the vote in England but didn't grant universal suffrage, six men from
Tolpuddle in
Dorset founded the
Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers to protest against the gradual lowering of wages in the
1830s. They refused to work for less than 10 shillings a week, although by this time wages had been reduced to seven shillings a week and were due to be further reduced to six shillings. The society, led by
George Loveless, a
Methodist local preacher, met in the house of Thomas Standfield.
In
1834 James Frampton, a local landowner, wrote to the
Prime Minister,
Lord Melbourne, to complain about the union, invoking an obscure law from
1797 prohibiting people from swearing
oaths to each other, which the members of the Friendly Society had done.
James Brine,
James Hammett,
George Loveless, George's brother
James Loveless, George's brother in-law
Thomas Standfield, and Thomas's son
John Standfield were arrested, found guilty, and transported to
Australia.
When sentenced to seven years' transportation, George Loveless wrote on a scrap of paper the following lines:
God is our guide! from field, from wave,
From plough, from anvil, and from loom;
We come, our country's rights to save,
And speak a tyrant faction's doom:
We raise the watch-word liberty;
We will, we will,we will be free!
They became popular heroes and all, except James Hammett, were released in
1836, with the support of
Lord John Russell, who had recently become
Home Secretary. Four of the six returned to the UK, disembarking at Plymouth, a popular stopping point for transportation ships. A plaque next to the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth's historic Barbican area commemorates this.
Hammett was released in
1837. Meanwhile the others moved, first to Essex, then to
London, Ontario,
Canada, where there's now a monument in their honour and an affordable housing
co-op/ trade union complex named after them. They are buried in a small London, Ontario, cemetery on Fanshawe Park Road East. Hammett remained in Tolpuddle. He died in the Dorchester
workhouse in 1891.
Cultural and historical significance
A monument was erected in their honour in Tolpuddle in
1934, and a sculpture of the martyrs, made in
2001, stands in the village in front of the
Martyrs Museum
there.
An annual festival is held in Tolpuddle, organised by the
Trades Union Congress (TUC) featuring a parade of banners from many trade unions, a memorial service, speeches and music. Recent festivals have featured speakers such as
Tony Benn and musicians such as
Billy Bragg, as well as others from all around the world. The festival is usually held in the third week of July - see
Tolpuddle Martyrs festival
The story of Tolpuddle has enriched the history of trade unionism, but the significance of the Tolpuddle Martyrs continues to be debated since
Sidney Webb and
Beatrice Webb wrote the
History of Trade Unionism (1890) and continues with such works as Dr Bob James's
Craft Trade or Mystery (2001).
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were portrayed in the 1987 film
Comrades, directed by
Bill Douglas.
There are streets named in their honour in:
Image gallery
Image:Tolpuddle_martyrs_museum.jpg|The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Museum.
Image:Tollpuddle_Loveless_cottage.jpg|The cottage of George Loveless.
Image:Tolpuddle_martyrs_festival.jpg|Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival in 2004.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tolpuddle Martyrs'.
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