| Swing Riots
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Swing Riots were an uprising by the rural workers of the arable south and east of England in 1830. They sought higher wages and to halt to the introduction of threshing machines which threatened their livelihoods. They reinforced their demands with rick-burning, the destruction of threshing machines and cattle-maiming among other things. Mystery surrounds the leader of the riots, Captain Swing, who is supposed to have written several of the letters sent to farmers and others. These were first mentioned by The Times on the 21 October. Captain Swing has never been identified, although many people believe that he never existed and was created by the workers as a figurehead and fictional target for their opponents. The Swing Riots were an agricultural phenomenon. Following years of war, high taxes and low wages, farm labourers finally snapped in 1830. These farm labourers had faced unemployment for a number of years due to the widespread introduction of the threshing machine and the policy of enclosing fields. No longer were thousands of people needed to tend the crops, a few would suffice. With fewer jobs, lower wages and no prospects of things improving for these workers the threshing machine was the final straw, the object that was to place them on the brink of starvation. The Swing Rioters smashed the threshing machines and threatened farmers who had them. The riots were dealt with harshly. Nine of the rioters were hanged and a further 450 were transported to Australia. These riots added to the strong social, political and agricultural unrest in the 1830's. The 'Swing' riots were a big influence on the Whig Government, leading to the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. |
| One of the 450 transported was Thomas Brind (aged 38) who was sent on a ship called the Eliza with many other Swing rioters. Thomas Brind is said to have been sentenced to seven years transportation and to have gained his freedom in VDL, dying there in 1860. Interestingly another was Job Hatherall (see below), whose granddaughter married another Thomas Brind from Aldbourne. |
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I am researching the following names in Wiltshire: The main name is HADRILL [Hatherell, Haddrill and other phonetic variations included]. HADRILL is researched from 1729 to after 1836. Parishes include: Seagry, Kington St Michael, Langley Burrell, and later a link to Bath in Somerset. HATHERELL also married and immigrated to Norfolk, England. Have you seen the books "Wiltshire Machine Breakers" by friend,
Author Jill (Chambers) & reference to: Roma Wiltshire, England. Regards, Gordon Self GKSelf@IEE.org |
| One of the Topuddle martyrs was called Brine |