Tolpuddle Martyrs Sentenced to Penal Colony in Australia

On this day, six farm workers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, were sentenced to seven years in a penal colony in Australia. The workers, dismayed by recent pay cuts and on the verge of starvation, had sworn a secret oath as members of a friendly society (an early form of trade union). Such societies were not illegal but the British establishment was determined to stamp out any form of organised protest and therefore invoked an obscure 1797 law against ‘unlawful oaths‘ to accuse the six men. After the sentence was pronounced, the working classes organised a massive demonstration march in London and a petition with 800,000 signatures was delivered to Parliament protesting about the sentence. The ‘Tolpuddle Martyrs’ were eventually pardoned in March 1836. Their courageous action is remembered for inspiring the creation of trade unions and protecting employees’ rights.

Puoi trovare altre brevi notizie storiche QUI

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