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309:, 'Lewis the hunter') marched there to demand a reduction in the price of bread and an increase in their wages. The demands were rejected, and after being advised to return to their homes, attacked the inn. Engaged by the Sutherland Highlanders, after the rioters seized some of their weapons, the troops were commanded to open fire. After a protracted struggle in which hundreds sustained injury, some fatal, the Highlanders were compelled to withdraw to
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453:, said that a man called Ianto Parker had given him a death-bed confession, saying that he had stabbed Donald Black and then fled to America fearing capture by the authorities. James Abbott, a hairdresser from Merthyr Tydfil who had testified at Penderyn's trial, later said that he had lied under oath, claiming that he had been instructed to do so by
260:, took to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil, calling for reform, protesting against the lowering of their wages and general unemployment. Gradually the protest spread to nearby industrial towns and villages and by the end of May the whole area was in rebellion, and it is believed that for the first time the
331:
For eight days, Penydarren House was the sole refuge of authority. With armed insurrection fully in place in the town by 4 June, the rioters had commandeered arms and explosives, set up road-blocks, formed guerrilla detachments, and had banners capped with a symbolic loaf and dyed in blood. Those who
441:
Following this reprieve, the Grey ministry was determined that at least one rebel should die as an example of what happened to rebels. The people of
Merthyr Tydfil were convinced that Richard Lewis (Dic Penderyn) was not responsible for the stabbing, and 11,000 signed a petition demanding his
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presented a petition to the House of
Commons calling for Dic Penderyn to be posthumously pardoned, stating that there was "strong feeling in Wales that Richard Lewis - Dic Penderyn - was wrongly executed."
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After storming
Merthyr town, the rebels sacked the local debtors' court and the goods that had been collected. Account books containing debtors' details were also destroyed. Among the shouts were cries of
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to
Australia when one of the police officers who had tried to disperse the crowd testified that he had tried to shield him from the rioters. He was transported aboard the vessel
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dispatched to
Merthyr Tydfil to restore order. Since the crowd was now too large to be dispersed, the soldiers were ordered to protect essential buildings and people.
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had military experience had taken the lead in drilling the armed para-military formation, and created an effective central command and communication system.
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By 7 June the authorities had regained control of the town through force with up to 24 of the protesters killed. Twenty-six people were arrested and put on
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On 1 June 1831, the protesters marched to local mines and persuaded the men on shift there to stop working and join their protest. In the meantime, the
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Since 2013, a music festival named after the rising has been held annually in
Merthyr to promote working class culture and social justice in arts.
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In 2015, stylist
Charlotte James and photographer Tom Johnson published a series titled Merthyr Rising, showcasing residents of the town.
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Ambushing and disarming the
Swansea Yeomanry on the Swansea Road, and throwing them back in disorder to
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for taking part in the revolt. Several were sentenced to terms of imprisonment, others sentenced to
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419:) for stabbing a soldier (Private Donald Black of the Highland Regiment) in the leg with a seized
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included a song about the
Merthyr Rising, entitled "Cheese and Bread", in the 2018 album
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were under siege in the Castle Hotel, and the protesters effectively controlled
Merthyr.
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This allowed them to control the town and engage the formal military system, including:
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232:, of 1831 was the violent climax to many years of simmering unrest among the large
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The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008.
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Ambushing the 93rd's baggage-train on the Brecon Road, under escort of 40 of the
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On 2 June, while local employers and magistrates were holding a meeting with the
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1013:- Historical Photographs and Information Relating to the Merthyr Rising.
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809:"Merthyr Rising 2022 announces line-up for first time since pandemic"
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Beating off a relief force of 100 cavalry sent from Penydarren House.
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was used a symbol of working class rebellion in the United Kingdom.
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Lewsyn yr Heliwr's sentence was downgraded to a life sentence and
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release. The government refused, and Richard Lewis was hanged at
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and the surrounding area. The Rising marked the first times the
952:"Miners to models: Merthyr Tydfil strikes a pose – in pictures"
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contained two poems about Dic Penderyn and the Merthyr Rising.
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Throughout May 1831 the coal miners and others, who worked for
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Graffiti in Merthyr Tydfil showing a person raising a red flag
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Having sent messengers, who had started strikes in Northern
637:"The Merthyr Rising 1831: rage, rebellion and the red flag"
983:: An anthology of radical poetry from contemporary Wales"
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Organising a mass demonstration against Penydarren House.
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at the Castle Inn, a group led by Lewis Lewis (known as
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of revolution was flown as a symbol of workers' revolt.
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Old Merthyr Tydfil: Dic Penderyn and the Merthyr Rising
927:"Merthyr Rising: the spirit of a determined Welsh town"
782:"Dic Penderyn should be pardoned, MPs told in petition"
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celebrates Richard Lewis. Radical singer-songwriter
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
292:had ordered in the army, with contingents of the
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27:Violent labour protest in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
751:"Lewis, Richard ('Dic Penderyn'; 1807/8-1831)"
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294:93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
386:, executed after the Merthyr Rising, outside
316:Some 7,000 to 10,000 workers marched under a
722:The Cardiff Five: Innocent Beyond Any Doubt
611:"1831: the Merthyr Rising and Dic Penderyn"
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508:Musical Theatre society in February 2022.
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559:"The Merthyr Riots: Settling the Account"
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
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486:' song "Dic Penderyn" on his 1972 album
401:to Australia, and two were sentenced to
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343:, and drove them into the Brecon hills.
313:, and abandon the town to the rioters.
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1062:William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
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1057:Working class in the United Kingdom
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538:Trade unions in the United Kingdom
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1052:Riots and civil disorder in Wales
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925:Mallon, Steve (3 December 2015).
834:"Merthyr Rising Festival - About"
563:National Library of Wales Journal
411:) for Robbery and Richard Lewis (
154:during the Merthyr Rising of 1831
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693:"1831: Merthyr Tydfil uprising"
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662:"Dic Penderyn (Richard Lewis)"
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641:International Marxist Tendency
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977:Atashi, Shara (9 July 2022).
853:"Keeping the Red Flag Flying"
756:Dictionary of Welsh Biography
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807:John, Lucy (14 March 2022).
592:"A history of Welsh protest"
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635:Attard, Joe (2 June 2020).
609:Reddebrek (31 March 2015).
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150:depicting people raising a
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514:The 2022 poetry anthology
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228:, also referred to as the
900:University College London
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285:('down with the king').
838:Merthyr Rising Festival
719:Sekar, Satish (2012).
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981:Gwrthryfel / Uprising
672:on 15 September 2015.
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590:(25 November 2011).
446:on August 13, 1831.
428:penal transportation
399:penal transportation
148:Hablot Knight Browne
54:improve this article
906:on 18 February 2022
451:the Rev. Evan Evans
438:, New South Wales.
18:Merthyr Rising 1831
878:"Cheese and Bread"
502:Bloomsbury Theatre
498:Ballad of a Wobbly
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341:Glamorgan Yeomanry
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958:. 26 January 2016
896:"My Land's Shore"
732:978-1-904380-76-4
596:BBC Blogs - Wales
478:In creative works
282:i lawr â'r Brenin
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990:. Retrieved
987:Nation.Cymru
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494:David Rovics
484:Meic Stevens
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467:Welsh Labour
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52:Please help
47:verification
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910:18 February
326:ironmasters
322:magistrates
276:caws a bara
1042:Food riots
1032:1831 riots
1021:Categories
702:2018-10-05
697:libcom.org
573:2021-08-12
544:References
521:/ Uprising
518:Gwrthryfel
380:Plaque to
252:Beginnings
189:Casualties
110:April 2013
80:newspapers
992:11 August
979:"Review:
471:Ann Clwyd
465:In 2015,
201: 24
181:Caused by
163:June 1831
962:25 March
936:25 March
882:Bandcamp
862:25 March
818:25 March
792:25 March
646:25 March
620:25 March
569:(2): 124
527:See also
318:red flag
262:red flag
246:red flag
207:Arrested
194:Death(s)
168:Location
152:red flag
857:Tribune
504:by the
421:bayonet
372:Outcome
175:, Wales
94:scholar
766:4 June
729:
615:LibCom
489:Gwymon
461:Legacy
268:Events
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395:trial
351:Neath
242:Wales
101:JSTOR
87:books
994:2023
964:2022
938:2022
912:2022
864:2022
820:2022
794:2022
768:2018
727:ISBN
648:2022
622:2022
432:John
324:and
224:The
160:Date
73:news
786:BBC
469:MP
240:in
56:by
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