Solidarity across the Severn: Newport, Bristol and reform in October 1831

Ball, Roger; Poole, Steve; John, Drury

Abstract

In Newport, Monmouthshire on Monday 31 October 1831, a confrontation occurred between the ‘lower orders’ of the town and three reserve companies of the 11th Regiment of Foot. The infantry had been marched from Cardiff and their commanding officer was attempting to requisition a steam packet for transit to Bristol, in order to suppress what had become the most serious riot of the nineteenth century Britain. This study situates a detailed account of the Newport ‘incident’ within the recent historical context of the town and the movement for reform in 1830-31. It is quite possible that the Newport ‘incident’ could have led to a casualty toll similar in scale to that of the contemporary ‘Merthyr rising’ or of events such as the ‘Bristol Bridge massacre’ of 1793. The fact that it did not does not reduce its importance as what appears to be an act of solidarity with ‘Reform’ rioters of a neighbouring city, albeit across the Severn estuary and in a different country both geographically and culturally.

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Publication Date: Oct 10, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 12, 2025
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Edition: 1
• ISBN: 9781919644837
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13746634
• Publisher URL: https://sixpointscardiff.com/products/solidarity-across-the-severn-newport-bristol-and-reform-in-1831
• Genre: Local history