According to the Dic Penderyn Society, Dic Penderyn was the first Welsh working class martyr, murdered by the state for his part in the Merthyr Rising of 1831.
He was tried, sentenced and hanged in Cardiff for his alleged involvement in the Merthyr Riots. He was buried outside the churchyard in Aberavon in an unmarked grave, where a monument has now been erected.
The Uprising (known as the Merthyr Riots) will be remembered for the 5 days when the people held the town against the Imperial troops. Workers' goods had been seized in payment of debt, leaving them without basic living materials. The rioters destroyed only the buildings storing this property. No looting of other premises took place.
Afterwards, all the ring leaders were arrested. Richard Lewis, (Dic Penderyn) and Lewis Lewis, the Huntsman were sentenced to be hanged for their part in organising the Rising. Despite numerous peititons and letters asking for clemency, Dic Penderyn was hanged at Cardiff Goal on 13 August 1831, becoming the first martyr of a new breed of working class.
Lewis Lewis was reprieved and sentenced to be transported. The workers returned to work with severe pay custs. The Army was again stationed at Dowlais, near Merthyr. The trade union movement was crushed and leaders black-listed, only to re-emerge at the end of the decade.
Reasons behind the Uprising:
For further details:
Viv Pugh, tel: 01685 377883
e-mail: pughmv@aol.com
e-mail: greatmerthyrtydfil@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/dic_penderyn_the_welsh_martyr
He was tried, sentenced and hanged in Cardiff for his alleged involvement in the Merthyr Riots. He was buried outside the churchyard in Aberavon in an unmarked grave, where a monument has now been erected.
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| Image from Walesonline, also available elswhere on the internet. http://i1.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/article5414798.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/zzdix-5414798.jpg |
The Uprising (known as the Merthyr Riots) will be remembered for the 5 days when the people held the town against the Imperial troops. Workers' goods had been seized in payment of debt, leaving them without basic living materials. The rioters destroyed only the buildings storing this property. No looting of other premises took place.
Afterwards, all the ring leaders were arrested. Richard Lewis, (Dic Penderyn) and Lewis Lewis, the Huntsman were sentenced to be hanged for their part in organising the Rising. Despite numerous peititons and letters asking for clemency, Dic Penderyn was hanged at Cardiff Goal on 13 August 1831, becoming the first martyr of a new breed of working class.
Lewis Lewis was reprieved and sentenced to be transported. The workers returned to work with severe pay custs. The Army was again stationed at Dowlais, near Merthyr. The trade union movement was crushed and leaders black-listed, only to re-emerge at the end of the decade.
Reasons behind the Uprising:
- No fresh water supply
- No sewage system
- Frequent epidemics of typhoid, cholera, scarlet fever, etc.
- Merthyr virtually a 'pocket Borough' controlled by the Ironmasters
- Long hours of work
- Frequent pay cuts due to trade slumps
- Dangerous work, injuries daily, death common
- Very poor housing - back-to-back houses often rat infested
- Truck system - workers paid with tokens to be used only in Ironmaster's shop
- 1830 a time of trade recession
- Reform Movement
- Collapse of the Poor Law Relief System
For further details:
Viv Pugh, tel: 01685 377883
e-mail: pughmv@aol.com
e-mail: greatmerthyrtydfil@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/dic_penderyn_the_welsh_martyr
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