Tolpuddle Martyrs
Beneath a sycamore tree in Tolpuddle, near Dorchester,
Dorset, England in 1834 six farm workers met to form the first trade union
in Britain. For this act, the six men were tried, convicted, and shipped
to exile in Australia. A public
outcry forced England to pardon the men.
Five decided not to remain in England after their return so journeyed
with their families to Upper Canada. George
and James Loveless, Thomas and John Stanfield, and James Brine all
came to the London district.
George arrived in Hamilton in 1844 and the story goes
that along with his son George Jr. struck out on foot for London.
George built a long cabin on Fanshawe Park Road near Highbury.
The Loveless family lived there for years and George and his wife
were buried at nearby Siloam Cemetery.
George died in 1874 at age 77. James
Loveless lived in London Township then moved into town to become caretaker
of North Street Methodist Church, later Queen’s Ave Church, which was
destroyed by fire in 1895.
Thomas and son John Stanfield settled on a farm near
Bryanston. Thomas remained there for the rest of his life but John moved
to London, opened a hotel in East London and was for awhile reeve of
independent East London.
The Brine family had originally moved north to Huron
County but moved back to London to be near the Lovelesses.
John Brine and his wife lived to their 90s and were buried at St.
Mary’s. The Standfields and
James Loveless were buried in Mount Pleasant.
George Loveless was the leader of the six men who were
arrested on February 24th, 1834. They
were charged will mischievous behaviour and trying to induce labourers to
attend meeting, and to enter into illegal societies or unions.
Each was sentenced to seven years deportation. George Loveless was sent to Tasmania, the rest to Botany Bay,
an Australian penal colony.
The story began when employers threatened to reduce the
farm labourers wage from seven shillings (98 cents) per week.
Loveless organized the local workers to resist when promises
extracted from employers were not met.
They sought the advice of the Grand Consolidated Trades Unions which
was formed in London England under Robert Owen.
The advice obviously was ill advised or the Tolpuddle men
misunderstood the advice because they were charged under the Mutiny Act of
1797 which forbade the taking of illegal oaths.
The judge said he was making an example of these men to
warn others attempting such crimes and endangering the security of the
country and the maintenance of its laws.
A public outcry of the deportation sentencing led to nearly one
million people signing petitions of one kind or another.
On March 14, 1836 the government granted full pardon to the men.
Not too many people remember the Tolpuddle Martyrs
although there is a plaque on Fanshawe Park Road at Siloam Cemetery
honouring the martyrs. There was also a pilgrimage to the site in 1934, 100 years
after the event. The Trades and
Labour Congress of Canada held its annual convention in London. John Marchbank, the delegate from the British Labour Movement
brought some earth from Tolpuddle to sprinkle on George Loveless’ grave.
In return Marchbank upon his return to Tolpuddle sprinkled soil from
Loveless’ grave upon the grave of the sixth martyr James Hammett who had
remained in England.
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Encounter Magazine
February 2, 1986
Family Herald, Montreal
Montreal Star Co. 1986
The London and Middlesex Historical Society
