Back in the late 1600s, Edward Llwyd noted that Merthyr was a village of about 40 houses and some of the inhabitants were religious dissenters. By 1801 the population was 27,000 and exceeded the combined population of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

The growth was focused on the 4 ironworks, which employed 9,000 men, these were in order of construction –

Dowlais (1750s) – Guest

Plymouth (1760s) – Guest / Wilkinson

Cyfarthfa (1760s) – Bacon / Crawshay

Penydarren (1780s) – Homfrey

The workers lived in the townships of Georgetown, Thomastown, Williamstown, Penydarren, Dowlais etc each of which had a local identity and much loyalty between workers. The townships were unified by the High St.

The rows of houses were known as Rhanc and had small square windows and stone tiled roofs.

George Borrow visited in 1854 on his journey through Wales. “The town is large and populous … the houses are generally low and mean and built of rough grey stone. Merthyr, however can show several remarkable edifices, though of a gloomy Satanic character … I saw enormous furnaces ..streams of molten metal …an immense wheel impelled around with frightful velocity by a steam engine of 240HP

Background

There had been a history of unrest in the town in previous years –

1800 Dragoons were sent for and 2 ironworkers were executed

1816 There was no violence. Recorded in painting by Penry Williams, aged 14

The 1831 Rising was the most serious. There were several causes for the unrest.

• The truck shops (Crawshay had already got rid of his but other iron-masters still operated them)
• Unemployment, wage cuts and depression in the iron trade as result of ending of Napoleonic wars. ¼ of furnaces been
• shut down. The price of food rose
• Workers demanded electoral reform and unionism. (The Reform Bill was published on 1^st March 1831 but fell far short of workers’ expectations and was defeated in House of Commons, leading to a general election. Crawshay and Guest supported Reform).
• The Court of Requests seizing property of money  defaulters. Joseph Coffin, the president of  the Court of Requests becomes the most hated man in 1831. There were complaints against its ruthless bailiffs. Shopkeepers who were owed money exploited the situation. Police constables were racketeering.

A mass meeting of workers was held at Riverside on 2^nd May. By 9^th May crowds marched through the town, burning effigies and breaking windows of Tories who opposed Reform. Two leaders were committed to prison but were then rescued by 3000 men who stormed the Bush Inn.

At this point the authorities lost control of Merthyr. Crowds marched nightly, burning effigies and demonstrating for Reform.

On 15 May 1831, at a meeting at Bryn Gwyn, Aberdare it was decided to invite the men of Monmouthshire to a great rally at the annual Waun Fair above Dowlais on Monday  30^th May.

It was estimated that 8-10000 attended the meeting a great white banner of Reform was unfurled. As well as being political there were speeches about wages and working practices, abolition of the Court of Requests and abolition of imprisonment for debt.

Merthyr’s  Court of Requests was set up in 1809 to recover small debts by seizing goods to reimburse the creditors, typically the local shopkeepers. It could also advance credit, putting the poorer workers into debt servitude.

The following day, 31^st May , bailiffs from the Court of Requests were prevented by physical force from seizing goods belonging to Lewis Lewis, Lewys yr Heliwr in Penderyn. This was the first act of resistance.

On 1^st June the Aberdare truck shop was attacked

On the 2^nd June a planned insurrection broke out in Merthyr. Bands of men moved through the town from house to house and to the area behind the Castle Inn where many of the tradespeople lifed They demanded the return of goods that had been seized by the Court of Requests. Tradespeople were in fear of their lives and took refuge in the Castle Inn. The magistrates (Bruce and Hill) enrolled 70 Special Constables and the Riot Act was read in English and Welsh but to no effect.

That evening, the mob attacked the house of the president of the Court of Requests, Joseph Coffin. Windows were broken, then they broke through the back door and rampaged through the house. Furniture and books were hurled through the windows and set on fire. Mrs Coffin and 2 children were upstairs but managed to escape, Coffin himself had fled.  The house was further up the High St from the Casrle Inn and the burning could be seen from its windows.  It was then that the magistrates (Bruce and Hill) stationed in the Castle Hotel decided to send for the soldiers. Highlanders from Brecon, and Yeomanary from Llantrisant. They also composed a letter to Lord Melbourne at the Home Office to justify their decision.

On 3^rd June, the 93^rd Highlanders marched from Brecon to Merthyr and were mocked along the way but eventually at the Castle Inn where the magistrates and shopkeepers had taken refuge. A crowd of some 10,00 pressed up closely to the soldiers who were drawn up in front of the inn and again the riot act was read. A deputation from the crowd was invited into the inn to put forward their demands but these demands were rejected.

The High Sherriff told the crowd that if they didn’t disperse, the soldiers would be used. Crawshay and Guest also tried to get the crowd to disperse but to no avail.

Lewis Lewis climbed up a lamppost and called for the soldiers to be disarmed. The crowd surged forward and some soldiers were disarmed and some stabbed. Soldiers in the inn opened fire and 3 of the rioters were killed in the first volley. After about 15 minutes the crowd was put to flight. In all, 16 soldiers were wounded (though none by gun fire) and perhaps 24 of the crowd killed. Fearing a renewed attack on the Castle Inn, the authorities withdrew to the safer position of Penydarren House. The 93^rd Regiment then arrived from Newport. That night the rioters searched for weapons in readiness to attack Penydarren House.

By Saturday 4^th June more troops began arriving in Merthyr. The Swansea Yeomanry Cavalry were ambushed amongst the slag heaps of Hirwaun and forced to surrender their weapons and retreated to Neath, where they rearmed and marched back to Merthyr. Another ambush took place at Cefn Coed y Cymmer to stop ammunition arriving from Merthyr. The Glamorgan Yeomanry were sent out to assist and were fired upon but eventually managed to get the waggons into town.

 An advance party of rioters arrived at the House brandishing the sabres they had taken from the Swansea Cavalry. The soldiers prepared to repulse the attack with cavalry formed front and rear of the house. Near Cyfarthfa Castle a deputation from Penydarren met the crowd and after discussion the attack on Penydarren House was stopped.

It is at this point that the initiative is with the authorities. On Sunday 5^th June they issued a Proclamation threatening that the bearers of weapons would guilty of High Treason and Rebellion. Furthermore, all persons in meetings exceeding 12 people would be punished.

The rebellion then began to collapse. 2 leaders were captured and the crowd fled in all directions. This was followed over the next few days by massive police raids and a manhunt. By Tuesday 7^th June 18 were in custody and men began to return to work.

Lewis Lewis was captured by 2 policemen in woods at Hendrebolon near his home in Penderyn and locked in the cellar of the Lamb Inn. The prisoners including Pic Penderyn were sent to Cardiff to face trial.

On 14^th July Lewis Lewis and Dic Penderyn were jointly charged with wounding Donald Black, a private in the 93^rd Highlanders, with a bayonet attached to a gun. Dic Penderyn was found guilty and Lewis Lewis not guilty on this charge but was already under sentence of death for attacking the house of Thomas Lewis. In all Justice Bosanquet sentenced 5 to death but 3 were reduced to transportation. The death sentences on Lewis Lewis and Dic Prederyn were to stand but 2 weeks later Lewis Lewis was reprieved and sentenced to transportation for life. This was due to the testimony of Special Constable John Thomas who Lewis Lewis had earlier shielded from the rioters.

Donald Black could not identify Dic Penderyn.

Joseph Tregelles Price, a Quaker Ironmaster from Neath presented a petition to have them both transported

Dic Penderyn was hanged at St Mary’s Street, Cardiff on 13^th August. He declared his innocence throughout and his last words were. ‘O Arglwydd dyma gamwedd’. His body was taken to Aberafan for burial.

DP lived in Ynys Fach on the other side of the river. Born 1808 in cottage named Penderyn, Aberafan

Ann Clwyd presented a petition to the House of Commons in 2015 for a pardon, but there hasn’t been one.

The Inquests (from The Cambrian newpaper)  

On the death of John Hughes – the only inquest held on those killed

The facts of the case appear to be these —

On the night of the 2^nd after Mr Coffin’s house had attacked, his furniture committed to the flames, and his wife and children threatened with being burnt in the house, a requisition from the inhabitants of Merthyr was presented to Mr Bruce and Mr A Hill, imploring them to send for soldiers without further delay …

Witness Ann Harris. I saw a man with a musket and bayonet on it fall in the street. Whilst he was falling, one of the mob came up to him, and took the gun from him. The man rose but fell down immediately. I saw his blood flow … I saw him taken into Wm Robert’s house. I saw a great number run before him, and he was among the last who ran from the soldiers.

Witness William Robert I remember a wounded man brought into my house … I helped him up the steps, he was afterwards taken in to the care of Dr Thomas (surgeon)

Witness Wm Thomas (surgeon) About an hour after the mob were dispersed.. I asked leave of the Sheriff to get the dead bodies removed from the road. 8 or 9 bodies were removed into the coach house of the Castle Inn. In about 5 mins afterwards, Wm Robert told me there was a man in his house wounded very badly. I went there instantly … I examined and found him wounded by a gun shot; it had entered the centre of his back and came out above his navel. There had been much haemorrhage. I found his diaphragm wounded, and that it was mortal. I had him removed as easily as possible home; visited him twice that evening; he died between 10 and 11 at night…. He was sensible to the last…I asked him how the matter happened  “I was running away with a soldier’s musket and was shot; I have been in 6 battles and was never wounded before. I ought to have died a better death, but this is the way I had it at last”

Wm Thomas continued– On Friday morning the 3^rd, I saw the soldiers arrive at the Castle Inn; a large mob, which was continually increasing came with them. The mob had in their hands large bludgeons, mandrel handles, and a man carrying a red flag on a long pole… When the soldiers halted, the mob closed about them, and hemmed them in a dense mass on all sides, so as to make it impossible to bring down their arms. Refreshment was brought to them. The High Sheriff had previously read The Riot Act, he stood on a chair on the steps. Mr Bruce then explained in Welsh what the Sheriff had read, and impressed on them the fatal consequences if they did not disperse. Mr Anthony Hill and Mr Crawshay then addressed them. Mr Guest addressed them from the windows above. The mob at this time were calling to each other in Welsh “Press on, press on, keep your ground, keep close to the soldiers.” They were 3 deep in front of the Inn… I saw Lewis the Huntsman getting up to the lamp iron. Lewis addressed the mob –“ We are met to have our wages risen, and the Iron Masters have brought soldiers to meet us. Now boys, if you are of the same mind as I am, let us fall on them and take their arms”. This was in Welsh. He then dropped down … a rush was made on the soldiers. I saw 3 or 4 men wrestling with one soldier for his musket – there were 3 or 4 soldiers on the ground – and at the same time a crash of the windows, by a volley of stones, brickbats, cinders and sticks. No firing had taken place at this time, the steps were taken 3 or 4 times, the mob occasionally forcing their way into the house, and then repulsed by the soldiers defending the passage. After several of the soldiers in the street had been struck down, the firing began from the windows above. A voice soon after the firing had commenced gave the alarm, that the mob were coming in at the back of the house; on hearing this I (Dr Thomas) guided an officer and 3 soldiers to the yard behind the house … and were within 10 or 15 yards of the back door. They fell back a bit and then assailed the soldiers with a shower of stones and bricks. The soldiers then fired and 2 0r 3 of the mob fell. The alarm was then given, that they were coming towards the Inn from the river side … The soldiers cleared the yard and went to the street … I saw Lewis the Huntsman, with a musket in his hands and calling to the others to stop and stand their ground…  The soldiers were firing on the street and the mob were firing off the cinder bank at the back of the Castle.

Rhisiart Dafys 2024