The Merthyr Rising

by Gwyn Alfred Williams

Gwyn A. Williams here tells the story of the Merthyr Rising of 1831, an uprising in which thousands of iron workers employed by William Crawshay II took to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales to protest the Reform Bill of 1831, which resulted in, among other things, the lowering of their wages. The rebels drove the military out of town but were eventually crushed when troops returned in greater numbers. Drawing on many firsthand accounts, Williams recounts the insurrection, arguing that the events of 1831 in Merthyr were central to the emergence of a working class in South Wales.

Genres: History, British Literature, Nonfiction

237 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1979

About the author

Gwyn Alfred "Alf" Williams was a Welsh historian particularly known for his work on Antonio Gramsci and Francisco Goya as well as on Welsh history.

Reviews

[Anthony Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I can still remember the day when I encountered my first Conservative, a shock all the greater in that it coincided with the crisis of puberty".

Thus Gwyn Williams, introducing his home town of Merthyr Tydfil, famously a socialist town in the Welsh valleys, as Williams himself was famously a socialist. Gwyn Williams, known to some as "Gwyn Alf", was for many the 20th century historian of popular culture. At the very least, he stood as a diminutive giant as the equal of other giants in the same field, men such as E P Thompson, Eric Hobsbawm and Christopher Hill. His undergraduate lectures, which I myself witnessed, were delivered as though from a soap box, bowling his students along with good humour, intelligence and insight.

This inspirational scholarly account tells of the Merthyr Rising of 1831, a self-consciously working class revolt set against the Reform Bill campaign, in which some two dozen revolutionaries were killed and seventy wounded. The narrative moves effortlessly between accounts of day to day events to analysis of the local class structure, the place of religion and music, and the price of food. Melbourne the Prime Minister, with his characteristic guile and wisdom had only one individual hanged. Even so, this man, Dic Penderyn, lived on in local legend, as martyr and hero, into recent times.

Williams account of the Merthyr Rising is full of his characteristic wit, energy and spirit. It is a splendid book.

[Judith Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moved to Wales last year with my returning Welsh husband, learning Welsh at the Soar in Merthyr with a group of warm, witty and friendly Merthyr people.

Very glad to have read this informative history of the Merthyr Rising and fascinating early union activity. I must ask our Welsh teacher if this subject is taught to schoolchildren in Merthyr.

[GRANT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merthyr Tydfil is a beautiful town. It is all warm and friendly now with green spaces filling in over the industrial ravages of the past. While much industry has gone and the good people struggle with their economic challenges, I have found them to be open-hearted and welcoming.

For a solid history, this book is highly readable. The author knows his subject and in a couple of prefaces in the edition that I read, he explains his roots in the town and the social and socialist history that he knew. I am proud to say that I am a relation by marriage of one Abednego Jones who carried a flag of reform. See, https://johnelinorvaughan.blogspot.co...

Williams provides an excellent background on the history and social conditions leading to the rising. Then the events roll forward and carry through the tragedy and sacrifices leading to some reforms. Dic Penderyn and all those he represents should be everyone's heroes.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwyn Williams brilliantly explores one of Wales most important spontaneous social justice actions.

[Josh Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m terrible at reading nonfiction so this took me way too long. There was a lot of background and context provided by the author that, while necessary, turned into a bit of a trudge through the first half of the book. Once I got to the events of the worker uprising and the its fallout, however, the contextualization was valuable, and the bigger picture of the Welsh working class became much more profound by the end of the book. As with most working class histories, it’s generally a sad story with few victories, but it also highlights the importance of resistance, solidarity, the demanding of rights by any means necessary, and the reflecting of where we would be without the heroic actions of workers.

[D.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best study available on the subject of the Merthyr Rising.

[Mabon Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolute best book about the Merthyr Rising. Gwyn Alf’s perspective is incredible as always.