***The Tolpuddle Martyrs***
Nine miles east of Dorchester on the road to Poole lies the small Dorset village of Tolpuddle one of the most famous villages in the world. Violence on picket lines and bloody battles between striking workers and police would seem to have little in common with this quiet little village, yet it was beneath a giant sycamore at Tolpuddle that Trade Unionism in England had its beginnings .
In 1830 the wage of an agricultural labourer was nine shillings. In the following years the wage was reduced to eight shillings, and then to seven. In 1834, the workers were faced with the fact of their wages being reduced to six shillings. It was against this background, sometime between 1831 and 1833, (the precise date being unclear) that the men of Tolpuddle started up a Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers (F.S.A.L.). Inspired by George Loveless, a farm labourer, the society grew rapidly through the winter months, and so it was agreed that in the Spring the men would not accept any work for less than 10 shillings a week. Scared of the repetition of the rural unrest which had spread across Southern England in 1830, the authorities ordered the arrest of six men: James Brine, James Hammett, George Loveless, James Loveless (George's brother), George's brother in-law, Thomas Standfield and his son, John Standfield. In March 1834 the six were arrested for unlawful assembly and charged with 'administering unlawful oaths'. Although the Trade Union was perfectly legal they had made the mistake on its formation of taking a pledge of loyalty. The Unlawful Oaths Act had been passed in 1797 to deal with a naval mutiny, but never repealed. It was for breaking this law that they were brought for trial at the Dorchester Assizes. During the trial John Toomer, (a local farmer), described how he found union rules in a box in the house of George Loveless. As expected the jury, (which included John Bond, John H.Calcraft, James C.Flyer, George Pickard Junior and Nathaniel Bond), found them all guilty as charged despite the fact that James Hammet (22), although a member of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers, had not been present at the meeting. The judge under pressure from the government of the day sentenced sent George Loveless and his companions to seven years transportation to the penal colony in New South Wales, Australia, 'not for anything they had done, but as an example to others'. However the six men had became popular heroes, and a large protest movement formed. One of their supporters Lord John Russell in his argument to the Prime minister, Lord Melbourne to pardon the Tolpuddle Martyrs stated "that if being members of a secret society and administering secret oaths was a crime, the reactionary Duke of Cumberland as head of the Orange Lodges was equally deserving of transportation". In March 1836, the Government was forced to remit the sentences in the face of public pressure. Only one of the six, James Hammett settled again in Tolpuddle, where he died in 1891. His grave is in the churchyard. Among the others, three emigrated to London, Ontario, Canada, where John Standfield eventually became the Mayor of his district. James Brine married Elizabeth, John Standfield's sister in1839. Their descendents live there today and the name of Tolpuddle is remembered in several local organisations.. The Tolpuddle Martyrs contributed a proud chapter in the history of Trade Unionism and in 1934 on the centenary of their trial, the The Trades Union Congress (TUC) erected six memorial cottages in the village and founded the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum. The house of Thomas Standfield, where the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers met can still be seen in the village. The Dorchester court, built in 1796/7, in which the Martyrs were tried is now open to the public as part of West Dorset District Council's headquarters. Once a year, in July the village is host to a major gathering and march of Trades Union members, leading socialist politicians, under colourful banners, march past the green where a commemorative seat and shelter was erected in 1934 by the wealthy London draper Sir Ernest Debenham. All that remains of the giant sycamore tree under which the martyrs used to meet is a stump, the rest of the tree having been removed for safety reasons. ©2000 The Dorset Page |
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 clearly at the time, friendly societies had strong elements of what we now consider is the predominant role of trade unions. They were subsequently sentenced to transportation to Australia.
Related Topics: 19th century - British - Friendly society - Benefit society - Trade union - Transportation - Australia ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Reform Act of 1832 made unions legal, and that year 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 were as low as 6 shillings a week. The society, led by George Loveless, a Methodist local preacher, met in the house of Thomas Standfield. Related Topics: Reform Act of 1832 - Tolpuddle - Dorset - 1830s - George Loveless - Methodist local preacher ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ In 1834 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 Friendly Society had done. James Brine, James Hammett, George Loveless, George's brother James, George's brother in-law Thomas Standfield, and Thomas' son John Standfield were arrested, found guilty, and transported to Australia. Related Topics: 1834 - Prime Minister - Lord Melbourne - 1797 - Oath - Australia ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ They became popular heroes and were released in 1836, with the support of Lord John Russell who had recently become Home Secretary. George Loveless was later involved in the Chartist Movement, while the others moved to London, Ontario, Canada, where there is now a monument in their honour. There was also a monument 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. Related Topics: 1836 - Lord John Russell - Home Secretary - Chartist Movement - London, Ontario - Canada - 1934 - 2001 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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. Related Topics: Trades Union Congress - Tony Benn - Billy Bragg ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The story of Tolpuddle has enriched the history of trade unionism, but the significance of the Tolpuddle Martyrs continues to be debated since Sidney and Beatrice Webb wrote the History of Trade Unionism (1890) and continues with such works as Dr Bob James Craft Trade or Mystery (2001). Related Topics: Sidney - Beatrice Webb |
