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The Newport Rising As the Iron and Coal works grew in Monmouthshire, more and more people flooded into the area looking for work. It was these people - especially the tradesmen and skilled workers - who joined the Chartists. For a long time Chartists used peaceful methods to advertise their cause. The main way was by organising monster-sized petitions where everyone signed their name as a way of showing their support. These Chartists were called the Moral Force Chartists. But the government ignored these petitions. By 1839 the Chartists in Monmouthshire began to become more angry about the governments lack of action. Some of these Chartists thought that change would only happen if the government was forced to change. These Chartists were called the Physical Force Chartists.
The arrest of Vincent had the opposite effect. Other Chartist leaders now became angry and John Frost, their leader, decided to force the authorities to free Vincent. The plan was for three groups of men to march down from the mining valleys and meet at Cefn, north of Newport. The groups would be led by John Frost from Blackwood, Zephaniah Williams from Ebbw Vale and William Jones from Pontypool. At Newport, the Chartists would force the authorities to free Vincent. For some people, that was all that was intended. For others, the demonstration of force was the start of a revolution. Newport would be captured by the Chartists and this would be a sign for other Chartists to rise up in England. Remember, many of the Chartists were armed. They were also breaking the law by trying to get Vincent out of jail. By starting a revolution they were definitely breaking the law! |
The
main leader of the Chartists in South Wales in 1839 was Henry Vincent
(pictured left) who was very popular with the workers. He was
a Physical Force Chartist who said that the only way to get the vote
was by force. This frightened the authorities who arrested Vincent,
hoping that the problem would be solved.
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