Table of Contents
What event led to the Tolpuddle Martyrs being treated so harshly?
They were arrested on charges under an obscure act during a labour dispute against cutting wages before being convicted in R v Loveless and Others and sentenced to penal transportation to Australia.
What were the Tolpuddle Martyrs really being punished for?
Tolpuddle Martyrs, six English farm labourers who were sentenced (March 1834) to seven years’ transportation to a penal colony in Australia for organizing trade-union activities in the Dorsetshire village of Tolpuddle.
Why were the labourers in Tolpuddle unhappy?
The labourers were arrested ostensibly for administrating unlawful oaths, but the real reason was because they were trying to protest at their already pitiful wages. Six of the Tolpuddle labourers were arrested: George and James Loveless, James Brine, James Hammett, Thomas Stansfield and his son John.
What happened to the Tolpuddle Martyrs after their transportation?
Five Martyrs were shipped in appalling conditions to New South Wales, where they were assigned as convict labour to landowners. George Loveless, delayed by illness after the Trial, later went in chains to Tasmania. They did not return to England until three years after their infamous Trial.
The ties between the families of the Tolpuddle Martyrs can be seen through the various family trees. The descendents are proud of their roots back to Tolpuddle. The South West TUC has tried to combine the trees in a single complex diagram.
When did the Tolpuddle Martyrs arrive in Sydney?
We will, we will, we will be free! James Loveless, the two Standfields, Hammett and Brine sailed on the Surry to New South Wales, where they arrived in Sydney on 17 August 1834. George Loveless was delayed due to illness and left later on the William Metcalf to Van Diemen’s Land, reaching Hobart on 4 September.
Where are the martyrs of Tolpuddle memorial located?
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 Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum. Martyrs’ Day commemoration in 2005
How many children did James Hammett have before he died?
Hammett had been imprisoned in 1829 for allegedly stealing some pieces of iron. In 1875 the Agricultural Workers Union presented James with an illuminated address and a fine engraved watch. He married three times and had seven children. Before his death in 1891 he moved into Dorchester Workhouse so as not to be a burden on his family.