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Tolpuddle martyrs
Tolpuddle martyrs. In 1834 six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, who formed a trade union lodge, were sentenced to seven years' transportation under an Act of 1797 forbidding ‘unlawful oaths’. Their leader, George Loveless, was a methodist and seems to have been in contact with delegates from Robert Owen's Grand National Consolidated Trade Union, who advised on the necessary ritual and initiation ceremony, including an oath of loyalty. Although unions were no longer illegal after the repeal of the Combination Acts, and the Tolpuddle men sought only to resist a reduction in wages, the government feared rural unrest, including rick-burning and machine-breaking. The harsh sentence provoked a campaign of petitions and mass demonstrations organized by the GNCTU. Two years later the six were pardoned. In 1838 they returned home, but five of them later emigrated to Canada.
John F. C. Harrison |
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JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html |
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Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs name given to six English agricultural laborers who in 1834 were prosecuted for trade union activities and sentenced to transportation. In 1833 these laborers, led by George and James Loveless (or Lovelace), formed a branch of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Laborers at Tolpuddle, in Dorset. With the approval of the Whig government, which feared a renewal of the agricultural agitation of 1831, they were arrested on the trumped-up charge of administering illegal oaths and were sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. Public reaction throughout the country made the six into popular heroes, and the sentence was finally remitted in 1836 after continuous agitation. One of the six returned to Tolpuddle; the others emigrated to Canada. |
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Cite this article
"Tolpuddle Martyrs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tolpuddle Martyrs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tolpuddl.html "Tolpuddle Martyrs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tolpuddl.html |
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Tolpuddle martyrs
Tolpuddle martyrs In 1834 six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, who formed a trade union lodge, were sentenced to seven years' transportation under an Act of 1797 forbidding ‘unlawful oaths’. Although unions were no longer illegal after the repeal of the Combination Acts, the government feared rural unrest, including rick‐burning and machine‐breaking. The harsh sentence provoked a campaign of petitions and mass demonstrations. Two years later the six were pardoned. In 1838 they returned home, but five of them later emigrated to Canada.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html JOHN CANNON. "Tolpuddle martyrs." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html |
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Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs Name given to six British farm labourers in Dorset, s England, who were sentenced to transportation for forming a trade union (1834). The government was worried by the growth of organized labour, but as unions were not illegal, the Dorset men were charged with taking a seditious oath. After a public outcry, they were pardoned in 1836.
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"Tolpuddle Martyrs." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tolpuddle Martyrs." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-TolpuddleMartyrs.html "Tolpuddle Martyrs." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-TolpuddleMartyrs.html |
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Tolpuddle martyrs
Tolpuddle martyrs six farm labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset who attempted to form a trade union and were sentenced in 1834 to seven years' transportation on a charge of administering unlawful oaths. Their harsh sentences caused widespread protests, and two years later they were pardoned and repatriated from Australia.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tolpuddle martyrs." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Tolpuddlemartyrs.html |
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