John Lovell and the People's Charter
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The Newport rising
On 4 November 1839, 5,000 men marched into Newport ,in Monmouthshire,
and attempted to take control of the town. Led by three well-known
Chartist leaders (John Frost, William Jones and Zephaniah
Williams), they gathered outside the Westgate Hotel, where
the local authorities were temporarily holding a number of
potential troublemakers. Troops protecting the hotel then
opened fire, killing at least 22 people, and brought the uprising
to an abrupt end. Among the injured was a Chartist named John
Lovell, who was shot in the thigh and badly wounded.
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Newport rising: eyewitness accounts
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The birth of Chartism
Why was there such violence in Newport in 1839? In the late
1830s, Britain's growing working-class population didn't have
a strong political voice and weren't allowed to vote. Frustrated
by the slow progress in achieving democracy, William Lovett,
a member of the London Working Men's Association, wrote the
People's Charter, a call for the right to vote. From this
idea, the Chartist movement was born.
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The Chartists wanted the vote for all men (though not for
women) and a fairer electoral system. They also called for
annual elections, the payment of MPs, and the introduction
of a secret ballot.
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When Chartist supporters took the People's Charter
to Parliament, in July 1839, it was massively rejected, by 235
votes to 46. In the same month, serious unrest - known as the
'Bull Ring riots' - took place in Birmingham city centre, where
policemen from London broke up peaceful Chartist meetings. Facing
such police harassment and with little success in Westminster,
some Chartists looked towards more radical action. |
What led to the rising?
Working conditions in many coalfields and ironworks in South
Wales were harsh, and there was often conflict between workers
and employers. Given these circumstances, it was no surprise
that Chartism developed quickly. In the summer of 1838 a Working
Men's Association was formed in Newport to publicise the People's
Charter. Within six months, the radical leader John Frost
estimated that there were between 15,000 and 20,000 Chartists
in the county of Monmouthshire.
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From the beginning, one man - John Lovell - played
a leading role in the Association. Originally from Northamptonshire,
Lovell had settled with his wife in Newport where he worked
as a gardener and became known as a committed Chartist. |
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knew Lovell as a potential troublemaker. He had been one of
a number of leading Chartists held by police during rioting
in Newport after the arrest of one of their leaders, Henry Vincent,
in May 1839. |
Prison inspector's report on Lovell
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National Land Company register, 1847
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The aftermath
Within days of the November rising, 14 of the ringleaders
were arrested and in December they were accused of high treason.
Frost, Jones and Williams were found guilty and sentenced
to death. Because he pleaded guilty, Lovell received a lighter
sentence: transportation for life.
However, a nationwide campaign saved the Newport Chartists,
and the Whig government reduced
their sentences. Instead, Frost, Jones and Williams got transportation
for life and Lovell received a five-year prison sentence.
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Why was the rising important?
Historians have described the events of November 1839 as
- among other things - a 'Welsh nationalist revolt', a 'monster
demonstration' and, simply, a 'riot'. And there is still disagreement
about what the Newport Chartists aimed to achieve. What is
clear is that the Newport rising was not a spontaneous popular
protest but an organised event, planned in advance.
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The Newport rising was a turning point for the
Chartist movement. 'Physical force Chartism' was no longer popular,
and an uprising of the size seen in Newport never happened again.
However, thanks to the vigorous lobbying and campaign in support
of the convicted Chartists, which led to their sentences being
reduced, the movement gained strength and popularity throughout
Britain.
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