33:
333:), arriving at the colony on the last day of June 1840. In 1848 he described the terrible treatment handed out in the colony, 'Many have I known, though guilty of the offence for which they suffered, commit murder in order to expire on the gallows rather than endure the punishment'. Once there he made plans to escape, but remained.
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been pulled down over his head by the mine-owners. Apparently, stories said that
Williams spat every time the name of Christ was mentioned. In 1830 Williams launched a Political Union in Tredegar and the following year, in 1831, is thought to have been instrumental in forming the Humanists/Dynolwyr of Nantyglo.
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At the age of 33 he came to
Sirhowy, as a free thinking rationalist, with strong radical views, rather than one of religious conviction. Williams believed that Christ was nothing more than a good man; but a sufficiently good man that had he been living at Coalbrookvale in 1839 his house would have
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He was given a conditional pardon in 1854 allowing him to live anywhere outside of the UK; this was amended to a full pardon in 1856. He decided to remain in
Tasmania, and brought his wife and family out from Wales to Australia. He discovered coal on the island and made a considerable fortune from
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Your conduct and your doctrine are at variance; for you are holding to your flock that God will have the number which he has decreed, and afterwards go into my neighbours to persuade them that an impotent mortal like myself may be the means of leading an infinite number of those who are already
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He was a free thinking man in religious matters and the local
Working Men's Association met at his home. On the wall in The Royal Oak was 'a picture of the Crucifixion with the enigmatic caption: 'This is the man who stole the ass'. At the Coach and Horses in Blackwood, Zephaniah Williams met
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Those who distrust reason in matters of faith deem its free and unshackled exercise, not withstanding all their concessions in their pious moods as of essential importance in worldly matters, in which they forget not to use the wisdom of serpents, however wanting in the innocence of
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When prejudice has shut the eye of the mind the brightest rays of truth shine in vain. When men are thus incapacitated for the reception of truth they become liable to become guilty of injustice, ill-nature, and ill manners to others; and insensible of what is properly owing to
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decreed for happiness (for you could not mean that such as are reprobate could be endangered by my heresy) into eternal misery. According to your tenets I could not be but fulfilling what I was ordained to fulfil, and the act, in itself, is right.
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I would advise all men to take nothing upon trust but all on trial, whether in politics, religion, ethics, or anything else : to sit down with a determined resolution: to examine closely: and to be directed by that which reason most
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We know that man is a social being and that consequently he has a capacity for friendship. Friendship is as old as the first formation of society and in its own nature so necessary that I know not how a social being could exist without
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of 1839. Found guilty of high treason, he was condemned to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in
Tasmania. Eventually he was pardoned, and his discovery of coal on that island earned him a fortune.
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This letter (printed by John
Partridge of Newport) to Rev. Benjamin Williams, who was a nonconformist minister, written in Sirhowy in 1831, expresses his view on a number of subjects. The extracts are as follows :
192:. He was fortunate enough not only to have a fair amount of schooling, and becoming literate in both English and Welsh, but also having the character to be self-educated, particularly studying geology.
575:
580:
570:
407:
302:, and as an individual prepared to settle disputes in less conventional ways. Some histories refer to his having been prosecuted at
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on 16 January 1840 with the verdict of 'guilty of high treason' - sentencing to death by hanging, drawing, and quartering.
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in 1833 for blowing up a coal mine in a dispute with the mineowner. Other histories refer to him having been an
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For his part in the
Chartist Rising on Newport he was sentenced by The Special Commission held at
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281:
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It was at this time only natural that such a man would emerge as a natural leader during the
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and had a son
Llewellyn. Daughters Jane and Rhoda were born in 1825 and 1827 respectively.
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83:
8:
330:
291:
This site is sometimes regarded as the greatest armed rebellion in 19th century
Britain.
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431:
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area to march south reaching the outskirts of the town at about 9am; halting at
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298:. Known as the "Blackwood Infidel", he had a reputation as a political
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who vigorously promoted his views - very controversial at the time.
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184:, Wales, with much of his childhood spent near the then village of
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But his sentence was commuted and he was transported for life to
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The men assembled at the Royal Oak before marching as one into
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196:
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At the age of 25 he married Joan, then living for some time in
62:
288:. Thirty soldiers (red-coats) were at the Westgate Hotel.
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313:
218:
at
Nantyglo, from where he used to pay his colliers.
155:(1795 – 8 May 1874) was a Welsh coal miner and
241:He was subsequently prosecuted for his part in the
458:. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 86.
348:Letter to Benjamin Williams by Zephaniah Williams
188:, also living for some periods in Caerphilly and
542:
430:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 29.
483:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 30.
481:The Last Rising: The 1839 Newport Insurrection
449:
447:
428:The Last Rising: The 1839 Newport Insurrection
159:campaigner, who was one of the leaders of the
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231:- a magistrate and supporter of the cause.
337:it, so founding the Tasmanian coal trade.
280:, continuing to the square, and on to the
31:
506:
408:List of convicts transported to Australia
453:
268:, he led a large column of men from the
535:, The Starling Press Ltd, Newport: 1975
543:
533:The Early Days of Sirhowy and Tredegar
392:On Inconsistency in the Use of Reason
478:
425:
255:
511:. Wales Books - Glyndwr Publishing.
314:Transportation to Australia for life
383:On The Doctrine of Pre-destination
13:
576:Welsh prisoners sentenced to death
14:
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581:Convicts transported to Australia
571:People from Blackwood, Caerphilly
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472:
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210:and later a Master Collier at
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340:He died a prosperous man at
7:
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276:, then moving as a mass to
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214:and innkeeper, keeping the
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597:
479:Jones, David J.V. (1986).
454:Williams, Gwyn A. (1978).
426:Jones, David J.V. (1986).
206:He became a coal miner or
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30:
23:
507:Humphries, John (2004).
16:Welsh political activist
497:, Longman, London: 1996
172:Williams was born near
80:8 May 1874 (aged 78–79)
509:The Man from the Alamo
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250:Newport, Monmouthshire
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238:in south east Wales.
342:Launceston, Tasmania
320:Shire Hall, Monmouth
252:on 4 November 1839.
84:Launceston, Tasmania
331:Tasmania, Australia
456:The Merthyr Rising
256:The Newport Rising
153:Zephaniah Williams
25:Zephaniah Williams
327:Van Diemen's Land
274:St. Woolos Church
236:Chartist movement
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115:Years active
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133:Criminal penalty
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356:On Rationalism
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344:on 8 May 1874.
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143:Criminal status
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561:Welsh atheists
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531:Oliver Jones,
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493:Edward Royal,
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374:On Friendship
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282:Westgate Hotel
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246:Newport Rising
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178:Sirhowy Valley
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161:Newport Rising
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137:Transportation
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123:Known for
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55:Sirhowy Valley
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37:1874 engraving
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365:On Prejudice
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266:William Jones
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182:Monmouthshire
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110:Mineral Agent
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59:Monmouthshire
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556:1874 deaths
551:1795 births
370:themselves.
260:Along with
91:Nationality
545:Categories
414:References
262:John Frost
229:John Frost
168:Early life
107:Occupation
76:1874-05-08
566:Chartists
361:approves.
278:Stow Hill
216:Royal Oak
186:Blackwood
99:Education
495:Chartism
402:See also
270:Nantyglo
243:Chartist
222:Chartist
190:Nantyglo
157:Chartist
146:Pardoned
127:Chartism
308:atheist
300:Radical
296:Newport
286:Newport
208:collier
515:
462:
434:
397:doves.
212:Blaina
197:Machen
174:Argoed
51:Argoed
329:(now
94:Welsh
63:Wales
49:near
513:ISBN
460:ISBN
432:ISBN
264:and
118:1839
70:Died
46:1795
43:Born
379:it.
304:Usk
248:at
547::
446:^
284:,
180:,
176:,
61:,
57:,
53:,
521:.
468:.
440:.
78:)
74:(
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