184 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



each side of the arch is a marble slab with words inscribed 

 thus : 



ERECTED 



IN 

 <.f the 



EAITHEUL and BRAVE 



of this village 



WHO IN 1834 SO NOBLY 



SUFFERED TRANSPORTATION 



in the Cause of 



LIBERTY, JUSTICE, 



and RIGHTEOUSNESS 

 and as a STIMULUS 



to our own 

 and FUTURE GENERATIONS 



TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS. 



HONOUR " \\E HAVE INJURED NO MAN'S 

 REPUTATION, CHARACTER, PER- 

 SON or PROPERTY ; WE WERE 

 UNITING TOGETHER TO PRE- 

 SERVE OURSELVES, AND OUR 

 WIVES AND OUR CHILDREN, 

 EROM UTTER DEGRADATION AND 

 STARVATION." 



(GEORGE LOVELESS. Defence) 



GEORGE LOVELESS. 

 JAMES LOVELESS 

 JAMES HAMMETT. 

 THOMAS STANEIELD. 

 JOHN STANFIELD. 

 JAMES BRINE. 



UNVEILED by ARTHUR HENDERSON, M.P., 



Mtl\' 2/Ul, TQI2. 1 



1 It will be remembered that those men askul for an increase in wages 

 from 8s. to QS. a week, instead of which wages were reduced to ys. a week 

 and the men were threatened with a reduction to MS. Only then, 

 when driven down to starvation point, did these men attempt to form a 

 union. Nothing has been finer in the history of our courageous peasantry 

 than *!:< b(aring of the>c men during this cruel and vindictive trial. Be- 

 sides the words of Georcje Loveless it would be interesting to record the 

 verses v. hie. h James Loveless scribbled on a piece of paper and threw 

 among the crowd as he was being led away for deportation. 

 C.od is our guide ! no swords we draw, 



We kindle not war's battle fires ; 

 liv reason, union, justice, law, 



We ( laim the birthright of our sires. 

 \Vc raise the watchword Liberty, 

 We will, we will, we will be free ! 



The litt'e Wc-!evan < hapc! i> where tin -se men u^ed to worship, and 

 it is interesting to note that Mi--< Ilammfctt, a second cousin of James 

 Hammett, is a leader at the chapel at the pie-ent time; and a son of 

 Janus Jk'inmctt still liv< ^ at 'J'olpuddle. 



I leani that James Lovekss and Haniinctt jjioke at one of Arch's 

 meetings, and persecution again arose and labourers were evicted from 

 their hi mes. Hammett's cousin then bought a field and. built twelve 

 cottages on it, so that the tenants ( ould go to chapel and have a union if 

 they wished. 



An (.Id lady, Mrs P.ush, the widow of a shepherd, rom'-inlxTs the martyrs 

 and is willing to talk of them. Later on the National Agricultural 

 Labourers' Union started a branch at 'J'olpuddle. 



