“The ploughs of the country are…awkward. The furrow is seldom more than half turned, by which the growth of weed is encouraged…The land is thus reduced in the last stage of poverty Marl, so successfully used by the English farmer, is sparingly adopted by the Welsh. In cutting wheat they still use the common reaping hook.” This source illustrates the Welsh farmers struggle in farming with only very simple, backwards methods used. There is a comparison made to the English farming methods to the Welsh farmers’ methods which gives us a comparison to the extent of technology used by other farmers compared to the Welsh. This source was written by Rev J Evans who is an educated man touring South Wales in 1804. The passage was written before the Rebecca Riots so may not portray the right image of what the farming conditions were like then. On the other hand, the source will not be biased as there is no point to be proven with it, the article is not politically charged. Rev J Evans does uses many farming words and seems to understand the farming techniques at the time.
The increase in population at this time and the decrease in demand fro produce led to the depression in agriculture. Along with the farmers struggle to grow their produce, they were also having trouble selling it. Welsh farmers found their produce fetching less at market while they were still slaving on their fields for up to 16 hours a day. This was worsened by the fact the tithe the farmers had to pay to the church, which used to be a percent of what they earned was now changed to a fixed rate. The farmers despised this. It did not allow for bad harvest or low sales.
“Last time I had the tithe to pay, I could only make up seven sovereigns…we are worse off than ever. Yet my husband has not spent sixpence on beer these twenty years……but now this tithe comes so heavy.” Evidence of Mary Thomas of Llanelli from the Commission of Enquiry into South Wales 1844. This is a primary source given by a farmers’ wife. It states the financial struggle the farmers were under. This source is reliable even though it was told by a farmers wife, it was told under oath and recorded so wouldn’t have been changed. Mary Thomas was obviously looking out for her own interest, but the source was given under oath so she is unlikely to lie. The farmers desperately tried to stay financially okay as the only financial relief they could get was to go into the workhouse. This was under the poor law amendment act 1834. This was despised as families were split up, people were treated harshly with disrespect and made to complete pointless tasks such as braking stones.
“Agricultural labourers arrive at starvation point rather than apply for poor relief, knowing that if they do so they will be dragged into the union workhouse.” The Times 1843. The depression in agriculture made the times even more unbearable for the farmers. In 1830s there was a poor harvest which was part of the agricultural depression. There was a fall for the demand of agricultural produce which caused a decrease in price. At this time there was an agricultural revolution in England, which did not arrive in Wales. The Welsh farmers who could not communicate with the English because of the language difference were too poor to afford the machinery and methods of farming. This caused Wales to plunge into agricultural depression. The new tithe on the farmers meant that the fixed rate would be taken from the farmers even through the agricultural depression.
Another fact that led to the Rebecca Riots was the tension between the farmers and the land owners. The absent land owners were rich English speaking men who rarely visited the farmers land. The farmers’ lives were controlled by the land owners, they were members of the Church of England and MP’s and JP’s for the area. This meant that the land owners had all the power over the welsh farmers. They controlled everything in the area and were usually corrupt and used the power for their own interest.
“They (the gentry) all, however had social position and they also held political power in West Wales. Ordinary people did not have the right to vote at this time. JP’s had important responsibilities for law and order, they decided how money was spent on such things as roads and bridges and how poor relief was given to people…some of the gentry who were active JP’s were corrupt and used the power for their own interest.” This source was written by D. Egan a Welsh historian who wrote school books. This means he may have a very bias opinion towards the welsh and will have written in simpler terms so may not have covered all points. The information is likely to be true though as it was written over a decade after.
All these reasons combined together needed the final straw on the donkey’s back to make the farmers react, this was the numerous tollgates which were erected across Wales. The farmers were furious that they were now being charged to use the roads they frequently travelled along to reach the market and buy lime. The number of tollgates and frequency of them caused the farmers to riot.
“The farmers loudly complain of the oppressive nature of the tolls. They gave me an instance of a parish road on which a toll had been erected. A fortnight ago a bridge on this was broken down by a flood. The trustee refused to do anything.” This was evidence by William Williams given under oath so is likely to be true. This shows that the farmers are being stopped from retrieving fertiliser for their crops because of the toll gates’ high prices. The toll gates were the catalyst for the Rebecca Riots.
The Commission of Enquiry was set up in 1843 by Thomas Frankland to address the reasons and problems the farmers of West Wales faced. Thomas Bullin, a toll gate owner was asked to give evidence at the Commission.
Q: “Have you heard much complaints of the tolls by people?”
A: “Not more than you would hear on other parts of the country”
Q: “Have you ever rented tolls in England?”
A: “Yes”
Q: “Do you consider tolls higher in Wales than in England?”
A: “No, I do not think they are”
Q: “Are the gates more frequent?”
A: “No, I do not think they are”
This source gives the impression that the Welsh are fussing over nothing, and that they have the same conditions as the English. But the poverty of the Welsh was not taken into account. Bullin has given the image that nothing was wrong because of his bias so this source is not reliable. The Commission of enquiry found that,
“The chief grounds of complaint were the mismanagement of funds, the frequency and the amount of tolls and in some cases the conduct of the toll collectors.” D. Egan also says,
“The report also criticised the ignorance of the Welsh language.” The commission made “Firm recommendations for reforming the turnpike trusts including the introduction of equal tolls and the setting up of Road Boards to take control of the roads.” These recommendations became law in August 1844.
Through this essay I have concluded that there are a number of factors that caused the farmers to riot. These included poverty, agricultural depression, the farmers’ relationship with the land owners and the tollgates. No one would listen to the farmers’ pleas so they were forced to take the law into their own hands. The riots stopped after the Commission when the farmers could voice their opinions. This proves that the “Rebeccaites” were justified in their actions and that the Rebecca Riots were a justifiable expression of rural discontent.
