This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Baker, Leonard Title: Spaces, Places, Custom and Protest in Rural Somerset and Dorset, c. 1780-1867. General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. 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Spaces, Places, Custom and Protest in Rural Somerset and Dorset, c. 1780-1867 Leonard John Baker A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts School of Humanities September 2019 Word Count: 79,998 Abstract This thesis examines how material space, meaningful place and custom shaped the forms and functions of protest in rural Somerset and Dorset between 1780 and 1867. Through their everyday lives and interactions with the local environment, countryfolk struggled against not only landscape change but also political exclusivity, poor working conditions and cultural transformations. Through analysis of both major protests and everyday acts of resistance, this study reveals how rural landscapes gave tangible substance and structure to otherwise intangible traditions, identities, customs and political beliefs. It argues that during their acts of resistance, rural protestors sought to materially remake the landscape to align with their moral beliefs and customary relationships. For these men and women, the physicality of a contested space had just as much meaning as any symbolic performance. This thesis also illustrates the importance of placing major acts of protest within the context of local everyday lives, social relationships and legacies of resistance. Answering calls to examine resistance ‘holistically’, this thesis examines the role that local socio-economic conditions, ritual, custom and physical spaces had in shaping the repertoires of protest movements whilst also influencing how rural communities perceived resistance. Due to their focus on local spaces, customs and identities, rural communities in Somerset and Dorset have been characterised as venal, deferent or sporting limited political horizons. Conversely, this thesis reveals how popular protests and rituals frequently incorporated national and international concerns. Contesting local spaces and utilising customary performances did not prevent rural men and women from connecting to wider networks and mentalities. Rather, by seizing and remaking key political sites protestors could contest national political issues from their locality. During their protests, rural people attempted to physically and symbolically construct, or reconstruct, an ‘ideal’ world, to be enforced in their locality and the nation beyond. Declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: ............................................................. DATE: ......................... Acknowledgements I would like to sincerely thank my family for their unwavering support over the past four years. With their assistance I was able to survive my descent into the world of ‘oppressive’ hedges, ‘malicious’ cows and ‘skimmington rides’ mostly unscathed. Without the excellent work of staff at the Dorset History Centre and the Somerset Heritage Centre, this work would have never been completed. I cannot thank them enough for putting up with me as I requested yet another Quarter Sessions Roll to be hauled out of the storeroom by a team of archivists just so I could add another footnote to this thesis. To my supervisors, Richard Sheldon and James Thompson, I owe an unmeasurable debt. When I arrived at the University of Bristol as an undergraduate in October 2010 their lectures and seminars made me realise that I wanted to make my love of history into a career. During my doctorate, their support and guidance has been invaluable. I pray that they have forgiven me for my essay-length emails sent at four in the morning. Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 1 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 2 Rural Protest History: Patricians, Plebeians, Custom and the Spatial Turn ........................... 5 Sources, Scope and Structure ............................................................................................... 24 Chapter 1: The Moral Ecology of the English Crowd? Space, Performance and Landscape Change in Somerset and Dorset, c. 1780-1867 ................................................. 37 Performing Ownership: Landscape Change, Private Property and Social Relationships .... 43 Performing Continuity: Enclosure Protests and Defending Landscapes ............................. 55 Performing Control: Conflict on the River Tone, 1824-1832 .............................................. 69 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 82 Chapter 2: ‘The Most Riotous Unprincipled Men’: Custom, Place and Protest in the Vale of Blackmore, c. 1800-1845 ........................................................................................... 85 Physical and Moral Geographies in the Blackmore Vale .................................................... 89 Sixpenny Handley: Custom, Coppices and Captain Swing ................................................. 95 Stalbridge: Place and Paternalism ...................................................................................... 110 Pimperne: Divergent Ecological Visions ........................................................................... 123 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 129 Chapter 3: ‘Let Us Storm Yonder Castle of Corruption’: Elections, National Politics and Local Spaces, c. 1820-1867 ........................................................................................... 133 Electoral Politics and Rural Involvement ........................................................................... 138 Election Rituals, Deference and Controlling Spaces ......................................................... 144 Barricades in Blandford: Electoral Violence and the Exemplary Periphery ...................... 159 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 173 Chapter 4: Tolpuddle, c. 1780-1840: Regrounding the Martyrs ..................................... 176 Established Repertoires: Rural Collective Action and Everyday Life ............................... 181 Established Networks: Trade Unions, Political Unions and the Rural Worker ................. 191 Tolpuddle’s Injurious Legacy? Collective Action Post-1834 ............................................ 202 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 213 Chapter 5: ‘The Town Appeared to Have Been Given Up to Bacchanalian Riot’: The Customary Calendar, Local Spaces and National Protests ............................................. 216 Communal Protests and the Customary Calendar .............................................................. 221 Bonfire Night, Effigies and National Political Protests ..................................................... 231 Taming Festivity from Without and Within ....................................................................... 241 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 252 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................