The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who, in 1834, were convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. They were arrested on charges under the Unlawful Oaths Act during a labour dispute over cut wages before being convicted in R v Loveless and Others and sentenced to penal transportation to Australia. They were pardoned in 1836 after mass protests by sympathisers and support from Lord John Russell and returned to England between 1837 and 1839.
The shelter in Tolpuddle erected as a memorial in 1934
Grave of James Hammett after the wreath laying ceremony during the 2016 Tolpuddle Martyrs festival
The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Museum
Martyrs' Day commemoration in 2005
Dorset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.
Image: Durdle Door Overview
Image: The Pier, Bournemouth geograph.org.uk 2049229
Image: Sherborne Abbey 8415
Corfe Castle, captured and destroyed by Cromwell's army in 1646