The Rebecca Rioter

by Amy Dillwyn

Country men disguised as women, the Rebecca Rioters rose up against the oppressive imposition of steep taxes at the toll gates of rural Wales in the late 1830s. This story, first published in 1880, tells the tale of Evan Williams, a young working class man struggling to come to terms with the injustice and social inequalities of the world he lives in. His rebellious actions have dramatic consequences not only for himself, but inadvertently, for the woman he loves.

Genres: Classics, Victorian, Fiction, Historical, 19th Century, Historical Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn (16 May 1845 – 13 December 1935) was a novelist from South Wales who wrote in English.

She was also a businesswoman, and social benefactor being one of the first female industrialists in Britain.

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one - well written, easy to ready and an engaging story, touching on a period and place in history I didn't know much about. It reminded me a little of R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone in tone, and is certainly one I'd recommend.

[amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring only read it for my history exam

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rebecca Rioter is surprisingly lively and easy to read, thanks to the narrator's voice. He's a lively man who, unsurprisingly given the title of the book, becomes involved in civil unrest in Wakes: The Rebecca Riots, which were directed a turnpikes because of the fees they took, which little benefitted the common people. The book also traces Evan's relationship with the local Squire's daughter, Gwenllian, and how she affects him.

Amy Dillwyn is an interesting writer -- an early Welsh feminist who championed 'rational' clothing and took over her father's ailing business -- and bettered its fortunes -- after his death. That, and her father's own involvement in the Rebecca Riots, on the opposite side of it to the rioters, make this very interesting just from that, and it did prove to be both fun and easy to read.

The end of the story is a little preachy, but somehow all of it manages to feel real and accurate. The preachiness isn't so bad, really. The note of hiraeth at the end rings very true, though I don't know if non-Welsh readers will understand it for what it is.

The introduction, by Katie Gramich, is very good on the context of the story -- Amy Dillwyn's life, and the riots -- which will help readers who, like myself, hadn't heard of the riots before. (Yay for growing up in England, not.)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good to find a book based around the Rebecca Riots even if the storyline veers off that somewhat in to unnecessary (but very Victorian) melodrama, as well get a perspective on nineteenth century urban working class Wales (although this was pretty didactic). Dillwyn also uses a strange (if actually quite thoughtful) device of having the characters’ dialogue echo Welsh sentence construction to denote when they are speaking in Welsh - which readers definitely need to be aware of before reading as it can be quite off putting although it’s the kind of effect that would probably earn rave plaudits today! Overall it’s interesting more as social history than great literature. For me it was no less readable for that but that may not be the case if you have less interest in the period and place.

[Bethan Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, if at times clunky, bit of Welsh literature!

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book. When reading it, I felt an increasing disappointment that it would not give me any better understanding of the history or motivation for the Rebecca Riots. The main character Evan is not a historical character but a fictional creation by the author. There is also Bill's story- entirely fictional and artificial which for me increased the sense of distance from the real history of the time. After finishing the novel, I read Katie Gramich's introduction which I did find thought provoking. Amy Dillwyn's life story is an intriguing one.
The introduction notes that Dillwyn had just read and been hugely impressed by reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'd be interested to know whether she had read Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South and if so how she had reacted to it. I think's there's an interesting comparison to be made of the fictional accounts of the factory strike in Milltown and the Rebecca Riots.

[David Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't recommend reading this unless you're specifically interested in either 19th century literature or Welsh literature. Even then, it's not great.

The initial part of the story starts off alright but then after it reaches half way through, all of the major plot points to come are already obvious, making the second half a slog. The framing story involving the noble family and the two huge coincidences involving them are unsatisfying and unconvincing.

My biggest problem was the main character. I found the main character both very boring and stupid, which is unfortunate because he is also the narrator. He spends the story going around being influenced by everyone else. Often he says things like "and I never would have thought of this if Mr Whatever hadn't said that". This is a character so stupid that he engraves his name and address on his gun, uses it in front of police, then drops it in front of them just so that he can run faster.

The writing is mostly easy. The dialogue is a pain to read though because the author decided to make uneducated characters and the narrator use broken grammar in their speech.

The occasional description made of rural life can be interesting seeing as the novel is so old. The fact that the author knew people who were around at the time of the Rebecca Riots is also interesting. Overall though, I disliked it.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was written in 1880 and not the kind of book i usually read.... but it was set in swansea (somewhere i know quite well) which made it more interesting to me and actually it was easy to read and went along at quite a pace. it was also ridiculous and melodramatic and was probably trying to teach me something at the end (poor people are just as good as rich people), but still, i was surprised at how much i enjoyed it.

[Seren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me preface this review by saying I’m not a well read classics reader so my review may be meaningless, but I have thoughts I want to share regardless.

In terms of classics I have read, this is a very easy to follow narrative without the dominant use overly complicated old English usually seen in classics. However, this is easy to follow because the writing is so boring and shallow. The book is written through simple “I did this and then this happened.” Or “I think this thing is bad and it makes me mad.” There is no nuance, no use of interesting language, literary devices or themes. It’s all tell ZERO SHOW.

The characters make no sense either. The main character Evan, is completely contradictory and annoying to read the perspective of, he comes to the same conclusions every page it feels like, and his morals are finicky. He watches a man get murdered and he doesnt really care until he remembers a girl he likes would find it wrong, so suddenly he feels its wrong. But then, does not feel compelled to report this murder, and then BEFRIENDS and justifies the murderers actions because he’s kinda chill ig. Also, Evan feels as though murder is deeply wrong, but then does not care that he kills somebody, only cares when he remembers the girl he likes thinks murder is wrong. He flip flops back and forth on his morals for seemingly no reason whatsoever.
Also, annoyingly at the end of the book he blames his situation and the things he did on lack of education. Hear me out, you do not need an education to understand murder and violence is wrong? Also, he was taught by “his” lady, so idk why he’s making excuses. It’s probably meant to be a social commentary, but his character isn’t the one who should be saying anything.

His obsession with Miss Gwenllian is weird and rooted in seemingly nothing but he finds her eyes pretty. He refers to her as ONLY “My miss” and lowkey I almost laughed when at the end of the book she doesnt even remember him. He is so insignificant to her but he bases his entire life and personality around pleasing her when HE saved HER originally. You could argue he’s indebted to her because she provides him an education, but he clearly only sits with her to learn so he can be with her, so even that point falls short.


This character, Tom, is written as a lazy, murderer, thief and is interested in Evans sister and for some reason, all the characters don’t like him at the start and then randomly start liking him although nothing prompts this change?? If anything, it’s even WEIRDER that Evans likes him MORE AFTER HE MURDERS SOMEBODY?!!

Now to talk about perspective. Evans is the narrator and consistently talks to the audience, however, there are points in the book where he states things are happening without him being there, and without reasonable way of KNOWING. For example, when Pugh rats out the Rebecca’s rioters, he talks about this as though HE WAS IN THE ROOM BUT HE WASNT. At the end, it was still only ASSUMED Pugh ratted out the rioters but the way it was described made it seem like Evan knew for sure this is how it happened.

Don’t start on miss Gwenllian because she is so devoid of personality and actual importance to the plot it doesnt even make sense. She exists so he can be obsessed with her, that’s it. Near the end of the book Evans makes a choice risking death so he can simply talk to her. Uneducated or not, no person would ever make this choice, hes just straight up stupid and his morals change so much you ask WHO EVEN IS THIS CHARACTER im supposed to CARE about.

Also, in the first few paragraphs, the context explains this book is supposed to be against violence, however, the actual message is different. Cops are (and rightly) described as bad people. The rioters are heroic. Evans feels PLEASURE and JOY in fighting, hurting and even killing a man. (But then has weird inconsistent moments where hes concerned for peoples safety? Again this character makes no sense.)
If anything, the book feels FOR violence and FOR the rioters.

One good thing about this book is that I was interested in the subject material and how it portrayed visually how the riots happened. However, because its written in such a blunt way, you’d probably get more of a story out of a non fiction history book.

In conclusion: This book annoyed me, the characters are annoying. I gave it a two because i was bothered to finish it and like welsh history.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

mõtlesin lugedes ühel hetkel, et huvitav, kas ma olen ainus inimene, kellele see raamat "Mahtra sõda" meenutab, ja jõudsin järeldusele, et see on täiesti võimalik, sest ma võin vabalt olla ainus inimene maailmas, kes on lugenud nii "Mahtra sõda" kui "The Rebecca Rioteri".

kusjuures ma ei mäleta "Mahtra sõjast" tegelikult ülemäära palju. aga siin on olemas nii see üldine vaib, et "ükskord prahvatab vimm, mis kogunend salaja" (mõisate asemel põletatakse küll teemaksu kogumise punkte, ja jah, ma tean, et Mahtra sõjas ei jõudnud keegi mingi mõisapõletamiseni nagunii) kui progressiivsepoolsete vaadetega mõisapreili (Vilde guvernandi asemel) kui isegi Huntaugu Miina, ptüi, Martha, kellel on vaja mitme kosilase vahel valida. (Marthal tundub küll agentsust olema veidi rohkem kui Miinal, aga samas kandidaadid on kõik jube kehvad.)

samas jällegi pole siin tegu mingi kriitilise realismiga, vaid puhas romantiline seikluslugu on siin ajalooliste sündmuste otsa kokku kirjutatud - siin on mõrvu ja röövimisi ja laevahukke ja noore kirjaoskamatu külapoisi süte all hõõguv armastus kättesaamatu mõisapreili vastu ja ärapõlatud peigmees reedab konkurendile kättemaksmise nimel kogu revolutsiooni ja võllast pääsemiseks tuleb põgeneda Ameerikasse või saada välja saadetud Austraaliasse. reeturi laip leitakse hiljem mahajäetud kaevandusšahti põhjast. ja hulga imeliste kokkusattumuste tulemusena jõuab beebina varastatud laps täismehena oma perekonna juurde tagasi, just parajasti sel hetkel, kus meessoost pärijat hädasti tarvis oli.

ühesõnaga, möllu kui palju ja näpuotsaga ühiskonnakriitikat ka hulka, aga lõpuks jäi loo sõnum mulle ikkagi veidi segaseks. nii et raamatu põhiliseks väärtuseks mu jaoks osutusid eessõnad, kus räägiti ära autori elulugu (muidugi oli see vaeste inimeste haridusest ja elukäigust hooliv mõisapreili tema enda alter ego!) kui näpuotsaga natuke ka neist Rebecca mässudest, mille käigus Walesi talupojad enne 19. sajandi keskpaika naiseriietesse maskeerunutena teetollitõkkeid hävitasid. (Rebecca nimi sellele võeti piiblist, esimene Moosese raamat 24:60 - "sinu sugu vallutagu oma vihameeste väravad".)

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/amy-dillwyn-biography-and-the-rebecca-rioter/

The Rebecca Rioter is the only one of Dillwyn's books not set in the present day (ie the 1880s); instead it tells the story of an episode of revolutionary unrest in her part of Wales in 1843, two years before she was born, in which agricultural workers and small farmers joined together to destroy the toll-booths which controlled access to the roads. Crucially, the insurgents became known as the Rebecca Rioters because they disguised themselves by dressing up in women’s clothes before mounting their attacks on state property.

Her account is told in the first person by Evan Williams, one of the rioters, and is totally sympathetic to them and their cause, though a bit tainted by the charming condescension of the local squire’s daughter (and stand-in for the author), Gwenllian, who takes our hero on as a special project and then (implausibly) successfully pleads for his life after he unintentionally shoots her father dead. He gets transported to Australia, and the narrative is presented as a dying account to the local doctor there, who sends it home to Wales.

I must say that I found it refreshingly robust in its defence of uprising against the tyranny of London, and it’s interesting that it was translated into Russian almost as soon as it had been published in English. Dillwyn’s sources included her own father’s diary account of managing the authorities’ violent suppression of the rioters, so the fact that she takes the other side is even more interesting. The 2001 Honno Welsh Women’s Classics edition has a thoughtful and analytical introduction by Katie Gramich.

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who had never even heard of the Rebecca Riots before reading this book, I enjoyed the historical accuracy this book provided. Unfortunately I found the story to be quite dull in places, probably because it did not try to sensationalize any of the events. Everything happens as it would have, and did happen, in real life. I found the protagonist extremely uninteresting, as well. There was a lot of potential for him in theory in that he is this young, uneducated boy who is not a radical himself but is radicalized by those around him. He murders someone, which he initially justifies, but then, because of other things he discovers, he ends up feeling incredibly guilty and essentially turning himself in. There was a lot of potential for character analysis here, but none of these things are ever really the focus, and he just ended up being underdeveloped. All of the mysteries that have been built throughout the book are tied together nicely at the end, though, and I did enjoy learning more about the Rebecca Riots.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read - Synopsis: Country men disguised as women, the Rebecca Rioters rose up against the oppressive imposition of steep taxes at the toll gates of rural Wales in the late 1830s. This story, first published in 1880, tells the tale of Evan Williams, a young working class man struggling to come to terms with the injustice and social inequalities of the world he lives in. His rebellious actions have dramatic consequences not only for himself, but inadvertently, for the woman he loves.

Having never heard of the Rebecca Rioters until recently I ordered this book to learn more, which I did but also learned about the Author Amy Dillwyn and would now like to read more of her books or more about her life.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet. This book deals with a real historical event, but Amy Dillwyn has found a way to stick close to the real story while also giving her characters room to breathe. Evan is an engaging protagonist who the reader sympathises with even when they don't agree with him. Evan, far from accepting the realities of classist societies without question, satirizes them beautifully again and again. One of my favourite passages from the novel is the one in which he imagines how the upper classes would react if poor people entered their homes without invitation and started inspecting the place and asking "well-meaning" philanthropic questions.

[Alison Alice-May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to learn more about the Rebecca riots than I did by reading this little book. The story that was told surrounding the tale was fast paced and readable. The narrator was a young man who was fed up with the society in which he found himself and the differences between rich and poor. He was eager to join his fellow man and joined other Rebecca rioters to burn down the tolls that hit the poor of the country as an unwelcome tax. At first he was surprised by the level of violence involved but then his own violence left him with feelings of regret and shame. There is a tale of romance woven through the book and the reader is left with a small understanding of events that disturbed the Welsh countryside in the mid 1800s.

[Pammy Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, written by a female author in the 1800's based in Wales. It was recommended to me by Gemini, Googles AI chat as I was looking specifically for books based in Wales covering this time period.

We follow the main characters pov through the story, and the main character can frustrate you at times with their choices.

The way the Welsh dialogue is portrayed is genius, I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Overall an interesting story but you won't learn an awful lot about the Rebecca Riots from it.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rollicking, readable novel about the real-life riots carried out by working-class people, farmers and agricultural workers against tollgate taxes in the mid-nineteenth century, cross-dressing as ‘daughters of Rebecca’ to disguise themselves. Narrated by one of the rioters, who becomes infatuated with the daughter of a rich magistrate, the book also lends itself well to genderqueer and feminist readings.

[meg ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

admittedly far more interesting than i thought it would be! i found it to be an easy read, and very engaging, until about 75% through. the last 25% was of mixed pacing for me that made it slightly tedious to read, but i can appreciate all of the little details from earlier in the book finally being resolved.

[Lucienne Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, another great discovery thanks to Honno. I shall certainly read some more books by Amy Dillwyn.

[Billy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel that marks a stark departure from the 'first-contact' romances of the period. That is to say, Dillwyn hasn't internalised the imperial gaze that the early Welsh romances seem to harbour and her characters are nothing like the quaint superstitious natives that occupy their pages. There is an obvious class dimension to the radical subject matter and Dillwyn shows a refreshing self-awareness as far as class is concerned. Dillwyn's father, a powerful landowner, was himself involved in the Rebecca conflicts and Dillwyn herself, a successful industrialist, seems to question the values and class interests of her milieu.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book stands the test of time. In spite of the age of the writing, it’s very readable.