Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Industrialisation & Unrest
The iron industry had been growing steadily across Wales since the mid-18th century with
an explosion of ironworks around Merthyr Tydfil. Industrialists constructed roads, canals
and tramways, changing the face of the valleys forever. Major engineering developments
from this period include Thomas Telford's spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and his
graceful suspension bridge at Conwy.
As the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, workers were increasingly dissatisfied with
the appalling conditions and low rates of pay. Trade unions emerged and the first half of the
19th century was characterised by calls for a universal right to vote. In 1839 the Chartist
Riots broke out in towns such as Newport when a petition of more than one million signa-
tures was rejected by Westminster. Between 1839 and 1843 the Rebecca Riots broke out in
the rural southwest. The name 'Rebecca' refers to a biblical verse: 'Rebecca... let thy seed
possess the gate of those who hate them'. The 'Daughters of Rebecca' (men dressed in wo-
men's clothes) attacked the hated turnpike tollgates that charged hefty tolls for those using
the roads.
In 1847 the Commission on Education published a damning report on the state of education in Wales. It
questioned Welsh morality and blamed the inluences of religious nonconformity and the Welsh language
for allegedly lax morals. The introduction of the 'Welsh Not', a ban on speaking Welsh in schools, created
a tide of anger.
