Walk in the Footsteps of the Chartists
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Old Post Office t o M John Frost was born here in Thomas Street, now 4 City of J 2 5 demolished. The site is marked with a plaque. a Further along High Street was John Frost’s newport Walk in the draper’s shop. e Plac John Frost John Frost in 1840 rence Cla Square Chartist Sculptures Named after the Did you know that around 22 men were shot Footsteps of 11 Chartist leader, in Union, Prudence and Energy by 1839 this was an A Christopher Kelly, erected in 1991 to 4 dead on a Newport street in 1839? They D open space known as 0 1 o 4 2 commemorate the Chartist Rising. 9 c Friars Field, where 5 k 4 B S K were Chartists. They were demonstrating for H t i Chartist meetings r n i e y g g The Chartists e a h s took place. t w w s S freedoms we take for granted today. n a t y e r Frost Coin e e u e ©Newport Museum and Art Gallery Chartism a national movement trying to improve the The Westgate Hotel Q t living and working conditions for all through Built in 1799 (rebuilt 1886), it sits at the Newport junction of Stow Hill and the old High Street. Chartist Statues © Crown copyright (2016) Visit Wales Museum & Art Parliamentary Reform. 22 Chartists died here and many more were A Gallery 4 wounded in their struggle for justice. et 0 tre 4 r S 2 ne The Museum has a kin S K in nsisted The Mayor’s House g comprehensive rter” co s ple’s Cha w e Peo 10 et a display about the “Th e y Mayor Thomas Phillips’ house C tr o S m history of Chartism emands: was at the bottom of Stow Hill e Street rn k six d ridg m o of B e C and the events that rc facing the Westgate Hotel, on 9 ia u l S Friars Walk took place in N tr . the site of which is now Coral lot o e t bal e Shopping Secre r Newport. • t 8 t Bookmakers. h Centre o over 21 S Ω R ll men t s for a r 7 I Vote e V c • e E t R . s ment for MP U • Pay S S c A e K cies h Chartist weapons 4 nstituen The Mayors House next to The Westgate o 13 0 o o ual size c ©Newport Museum and Art 4 q l g E 2 • following the Rising Ps L Gallery on for M ©Newport Museum and Art Gallery a John Frost alificati n a ty qu e • No proper Square t tary elections 14 i rliamen St Mary’s Church • Annual Pa The r The church was under construction at the time Ω Parrot Inn e and the marchers called to the workmen to join S C t This is where Frost o 12 o h them. Some of the Chartists made their way m w t e m called a meeting on H e t through the construction site to the back of the tr S e i s The Newport story starts in 1839 when thousands of l le r l ar c 30th October 1838 s h i Westgate Hotel. C a l i working men gathered in the South Wales Valleys S when an audience of t r t e e 400 – 500 people and marched on Newport through a cold and wet Newport Cathedral t r Churchyard adopted “The a November night. The exact motives for the march People’s Charter”. Ten unnamed Chartists were buried here h are debatable. Some, including John Frost, were in St Woolos by the military at the dead t c Artists impression of the soldiers ree V St protesting about the injustices and asking for the of night in unmarked graves. A memorial, burying the Chartists ictor ill r ia P H release of fellow Chartists. Others were intent on erected in 1989, is located on the main L u path to the church. Original National Charter Association o creating an uprising. Cottages Membership Card. St Woolos Square : The only evidence on This leaflet will help you to discover more about A Chartist force of over 3,000 men led Stow Hill of houses e Road on by John Frost and Zephaniah Williams lift remaining from 1839. t Chartism and to walk in the footsteps taken by those Ω C passed this spot as they made their i 3 Chartists on 4th November 1839. © Newport Museum and Art Gallery s way down Stow Hill. 4 6 Friars b Stow Hill For an easy downhill walk, take the bus from the Bus House to M4 J V 27 i e Stow Hill c 5 a r Station to Newport Cathedral. Buses R1, 2C and 151 a Former home of 1 g e w The Union Workhouse H Thomas stop outside the Cathedral. The Six Bells i Discover the part that Newport played in ll Protheroe who A company of the 45th Regiment of Foot 18 year old Susan Stephens, giving d managed the a k Soldiers were billeted here. A detachment o testimony to Newport Magistrates u This leaflet was produced by Our Chartist . R lands of Sir o c the last mass Treason Trial in the UK and s . of 30 soldiers, under the command of “… saw the prisoner Heritage with support from HLF. r said she o i a Charles Morgan i d r u Lieutenant Grey, were sent to take up Lovell passing her house the 6 F t s of Tredegar Park. s r position inside the Westgate Hotel early in Bells on Stow Hill with a mob with e t the reason this city claims to be t a the morning of November 4th. a gun in his hand.” m t OUR CHARTIST HERITAGE r Friars Field a . w w B w 2 e y “Newport: Home of the Vote ” l b l e d V Friars House e u n Belle Vue Park e g L i a s n e e D In 1839 it was not unusual for After a nationwide campaign 1 The Union 3 Newport 5 Six Bells several families to live in a small 9 Westgate Hotel for clemency, he and the other Workhouse Cathedral Public House cottage. Pay was low; at times 2 Welsh leaders (Zephaniah Churchyard you couldn’t afford fuel or food; Williams and William Jones) children had to work to help were transported to Van Diemens Land, eventually make ends meet. The Chartists being fully pardoned in 1856. wanted a better life for all and Chartist statue outside The wanted Parliament to better Westgate © Crown copyright John Frost and the memory of Mulluck’s engraving of the Rising (2016) Visit Wales represent working people. They © Newport Museum & Art Gallery the Chartists live on in the wanted ordinary people to be respect and affection the city of Newport pays to them. able to vote and even to stand 12 The Parrot Inn John Frost Square is as Members of Parliament. 10 Chartist Newport Cathedral and Stow Hill “Give us up the prisoners!” undergoing massive changes © Crown copyright (2016) They wanted change - to some Sculptures “Give us up the prisoners!” and soon there will be other Visit Wales this was a threat. artworks reminding us of the The annual children’s march the Chartists cried as they part that Newport played in Stand at the gates of St 7 St. Mary’s reached the Westgate Hotel, securing the vote for all men Woolos hospital. In 1839 the The Marchers rallied at Cwrt y the hub of the town. The and women. Bella, at the bottom of Belle Church red stone building was the Newport Cathedral - © Crown Chartists charged the front copyright (2016) Visit Wales Vue Lane and then made their newly built workhouse, the last door which was defended by way to this point. The route to When the Chartists marched hope for the local poor and Special Constables. Guns How would you feel if one of the Workhouse was barred by past this church it was still destitute. On the morning of were fired. Chartists pushed your family was shot dead by Special Constables, as was the being built by Irish immigrant 4th November soldiers of the their way into the building. Thomas Walker © Newport Museum the authorities and their body lane to the home of Lewis workers. The Chartists shouted & Art Gallery 45th Regiment were billeted The shutters flew open; the Chartist Statues © Crown copyright buried secretly? Edwards, the Chief Magistrate. to the workers up on the stone here, and after the rising the soldiers filed past the window (2016) Visit Wales So they were forced along Stow walls to join them. Some of the Near to the Westgate Hotel is wounded and prisoners were This actually happened. Hill, past the Six Bells Public firing volley after volley of the site of The Parrot Inn John Frost © Newport Museum and marchers even tried to get into These sculptures mark the site brought here. Somewhere in this churchyard House (now Church House) with shots into the crowd, who where Frost held a meeting on Art Gallery the back of the Westgate where at least 22 ordinary men lie the remains of 10 Chartists, John Rees (Jack ‘the Fifer’) and panicked and fled. 30th October 1838 when an Hotel by making their way died campaigning for political including George Shell, shot David Jones (Dai ‘the Tinker’) 2 Friars House through the building site.