case study: tolpuddle matrys

• what were they?

  • life was tough for farm labourers in Tolpuddle. Local labourers led by George Loveless, asked their employees to increase wages after it being cut several times. Farm owners refused and cut the wages again. In 1833, the labourers set up a union, the friendly society of agricultural labourers. Each man blindfolded and swore an oath of secrecy and support the union.
• what happened when the farm owners found out about the union?

  • despite the oath of secrecy, owners found out. They used a law, originally meant to keep discipline in the navy. It said that for sailors, taking a secret oath was illegal and could lead to mutiny. The gov used the law to include all secret oaths, meaning they had changed the definition of crime for their own purpose.
• results?

  • although joining a union wasn't a crime and they didnt threaten anyone, loveless and 5 others were arrested & sentenced to 7 years transportation to Australia. The trade union movement was badly hit by the sentence, speaking up for worker rights was celebrated
  • on the 17th of aug, after a voyage of 111 days, the tolpuddle men arrived in Sydney harbour & forced to walk to the farms where they could work.
• How did people in Britain react?

  • widespread anger
  • these men were regarded as matrys for union rights and campaigned against the unfair treatment. At one meeting in London, 25,000 people attended and a petition demanding their release signed by over 25,000 people.
  • Eventually in March 1836, the gov granted all 6 men pardon. However, it was another 2 more years before all men were able to return home and it was another 20 years until trade union movements began to recover
• Key factors:

  • POVERTY AND WEALTH: the men had their wages cut, they were not earning a living wage despite working long hours and doing hard work.
  • A.I.S: ordinary people wanted life to be fairer- public pressure eventually forced the gov to change their minds
  • GOV: changed the law to make the secret oath taken by the men illegal- shows the desperation they had to stop workers fighting for their rights. They were harshly punished to deter others from joining a union and demanding fairer wages