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The Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle will forever be associated with the birth of trade unionism and the six men known to history as the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
The Enclosure Act of 1794 split the lands of the Tolpuddle Manor into three: West Farm leased to Joseph Bowering; Middle of Mill Farm to George Riggs; and East Farm to James Northover. This marked turbulent times in the Dorsetshire countryside seeing stirrings of political and religious dissent in the village. In the early 19th century, new machines and methods were leaving workers with falling pay and unemployment. Dorset was already a low-paid area but the employers wanted to cut pay even further. At this time agriculture was the dominant industry. Families survived on a meagre income and lived in crowded cottages. Methodism and other non-conformist forms of worship were spreading with their more open and free approach to religious service.
In the 1830s, life for farm workers was hard and they could not bear more cuts to their pay. In 1834, six men in Tolpuddle met in secret to discuss forming a union to bargain for better pay. At that time the weekly wage for workers was set at 9 shillings, a figure which really represented little more than starvation wages.
Like most small villages, the same surnames run down the generations and with large families, the six farm workers who became the Tolpuddle Martyrs, were part of a close-knit community and many were related in some way. Five of the Tolpuddle Martyrs were Methodists, with George and James Loveless local preachers.
The local squire, alarmed at the prospect of social revolt, convinced Home Secretary, Lord Melbourne, that charges should be brought against the men, not for forming a union, which was perfectly legal, but for administering a secret oath, which was not. By combining unrelated laws aimed at suppressing revolt in the armed forces, Squire James Frampton was able to get the six men convicted, and sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia.
The public outcry was such that the government was forced to back down and after three years the men were eventually exonerated and allowed to return. Their 'martyrdom' is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of trade unionism.
On their return five of the Martyrs lived in Essex and then emigrated to Canada. Only one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, James Hammett, remained in Tolpuddle after returning from exile, and his grave can be found in the churchyard of the village church, a short stroll from the Green.
Martyrs Museum:
At the west end of the village is the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Museum, incorporated into a set of six almshouses built in 1934 in memory of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Each of the almshouses is named after one of the men. The Museum tells the harrowing tale of the Martyrs arrest, trial and punishment, leading to the foundation of modern day trade unionism. There is a powerful sculpture by Thompson Dagnall of George Loveless at the front of the museum. The seat back of the sculpture bears a quote from Loveless: "We will, we will, we will be free".
Please click here for more information about the Museum and the Martyrs.
photo courtesy of Tolpuddle Methodist Chapel
Martyrs Cottage:
Thomas Standfield’s cottage where the men met stands on the main road near what is now Orchard Meadow and is known as Martyrs’ Cottage.
The Old Chapel:
Next to the Martyrs’ Cottage is a tiny cobb chapel now known as The Old Chapel. For more information about the Old Chapel click here.
Martyrs Tree
A thatched hut on the triangular village green was erected in the Martyrs’ memory in the 1930s, and near the hut is the 320 year old Sycamore tree, the Martyrs’ Tree, under whose boughs the men gathered. A plaque at the base of the tree commemorates the fact that it has been designated one of fifty “Great British Trees” by The Tree Council It has been under the care of the National Trust since 2004.
courtesy of BBC 2014
In 2014 the tree was pollarded to promote its future health, as reported by the BBC in 2014:
"A 300-year-old tree, regarded as the birthplace of the trade union movement, is being pruned for the first time in more than a decade. The sycamore in the Dorset village of Tolpuddle was where farm workers met in 1834 to protest over wages."
"The National Trust said work was needed as although the tree remains healthy, the trunk is becoming weak in places. Tree surgeons have begun cutting back the crown to encourage new growth.
National Trust Warden Rob Rhodes said: "The work increases the vigour of the tree and removes weight so it doesn't get caught by the wind and get pulled apart."
It is hoped the regular pollarding work, which was last carried out in 2002, will mean the sycamore may live for another two hundred years."
Tolpuddle Festival
There has been an annual gathering to mark the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs since the 1930s. It began as a Sunday afternoon event with wreaths laid on the grave of James Hammett, followed by a procession of banners and speeches. Today, the annual event sees, on the third weekend in July, thousands of trade unionists from around the UK and the world arriving in Tolpuddle to celebrate the memory of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the legacy they left behind.
Please visit the Martyrs' website for much more information on the Martyrs, the Museum and the Festival: click here
Other Places of Interest in Tolpuddle
Other sites of interest in the village connected to the Martyrs' legacy are:
The grave of James Hammett in the burial ground of the village church
and the "new" Methodist Chapel
Ref and thanks to:
https://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/
https://www.tuc.org.uk/tolpuddle-martyrs-festival-and-museum
https://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/museum
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-29948177
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