Year: 2020

A guest post from Ray Hopgood.

The intention of this article is not to narrate the causes or events of late 1830 in South West Berkshire which subsequently became known as the “Swing Riots”. These disturbances which had swept across Southern England are more than amply covered by articles on the internet, but especially in the volumes “Captain Swing” by Rude and Hobsbawm, covering the whole movement but especially “Berkshire to Botany Bay” for the events in this area by the local historian, the late Norman Fox.

It is the tables at the end of Norman Fox’s book which are the main sources of this article. It is an extensive analysis of the participants, both alleged and actual, of the disturbances. There are four main area of study; namely age, marital status, literacy and occupation.

When considering the ages of the “rioters” it is noticeable that they are not a gang of hot-headed youths, indeed only one, Jason Greening, was a teenager of nineteen years of age, with oldest being Francis Norris at 41, a serious age for an agricultural labourer at that period. Indeed 8, or 36%, of the men were over 30 with 16, or 73%, married (including 2 widowers) often with families. The remaining 6 or 27% were single. These are hardly archetypal hot-headed disaffected youths which tend, usually, to form the bulk of the participants of riotous assemblies.

It is noticeable that their literacy levels seem to be higher in this group compared to others We do not know the levels of those who were deemed to be literate, whether it was true literacy, a very minimal skill level or perhaps just “barking at print”. However, even with these caveats the overall level of seems high compared to the common perception of “Hodge” the ignorant rural clod. 50% claimed to be able to read and write, 32% could read only that is 82% with some level of literacy and only 18% were either illiterate or were not part of the sample.

In Jill Chamber’s study of the disturbances in Berkshire in particular  (The Machine Breakers of Berkshire) she states that of the 138 arraigned at the Reading Special Commission 37:27% could read only, 25:18% could read and write and the remaining 76:55% were illiterate.

The idea of higher than expected levels of social standing is also reflected in the occupations of the partakers. When studied closely only 9 or 41% of the men could be called agricultural labourers. Shepherds included in this category, as although skilled workers in their own right they did undertake other farming jobs. The rest 13 or 59% can fairly be deemed tradesmen ranging from a tailor to Master bricklayer. Although some of the trades, for example blacksmithing and wheelwrighting no doubt gained most of the employment from the agricultural scene they were skilled technicians again in the own right.

The differential of status is acknowledged in the severity of the sentencing for the same offences. The judges believing that the educated tradesmen were not simple souls who had been misled but men who has a clear understanding of their actions and were, therefore, more culpable.

Mr Justice Parker was particularly scathing to Oakley and Darling when passing their death sentences and that as a carpenter and blacksmith “… had no business or pretence to mix yourself up in these transactions”.

This casts doubt on naming of these disturbance, notably by the Hammonds in their work as “the Last Labourers Revolt” and that the participants were of a very different and varied type than has been considered in the past.

A guest post from Mark Thomas.

The Bluecoat School building is often thought of as only a school but newspaper articles show other users of the building, particularly during the latter half of the 19th Century.  Thanks to the power of online search I have discovered the following:-

Thatcham Agricultural Society

The Thatcham Agricultural Society was formed in 1839 and held the Thatcham annual ploughing match. From 1840 to 1848 the Society held their Annual Dinner after the competition in the Bluecoat School or, as they called it, “the large schoolroom of Lady Frances Winchcombe’s Charity”. The schoolroom was decorated with evergreens and flowers of every description (but mostly dahlias).

From the 1843 report:- “The Schoolroom was most superbly decorated with flowers and the multiplicity of designs formed of the choicest dahlias, representing stars, crowns and appropriate sentiments, and even the horses and plough as at work in the field, interspersed with laurels and banners.” 60 sat down to dine in 1843, and 80 in 1846 which must have been a tight squeeze.  

The meal was a “cold collation”.  The speeches were numerous, as were the number of toasts.  Between 16 and 24 toasts were drunk each year and the proceedings clearly became quite lively.

The expression that the toasts were drunk with “three times three” was puzzling, but it seems to be an old expression for “three cheers”.

The Agricultural Society folded in 1849, but was resurrected in 1884.  Between 1887 and 1889 the Society again held their annual dinner at the Bluecoat School. The 1889 dinner attendance was 75.  As previously the schoolroom was “gaily decorated with flags and mottos” by the ladies. There were speeches and singing, but the number of toasts had been reduced to half a dozen. In 1890 the enlarged Society moved their annual dinner to the Infants School. 

Other users

Apart from the Agricultural Society, other users of the Bluecoat School were:

• 1810.  A surgeon, Dr Beam, gave a lecture in favour of vaccination, advocating “the preventative power of cow-pox against the contagion of the inoculated smallpox”. 
• 1863. The members of the Association of Church Schoolmasters held their quarterly meetings in August and October. 
• 1864.  Thatcham Literary Society.  Mr Buckmaster of the South Kensington Museum gave a lecture to a large audience on “What the public should know, or the importance of an acquaintance with Elementary Science”.
• 1866.  Rev Bradshaw, curate of Bucklebury, gave a lecture on “Getting About”. 
• 1866. Thatcham Literary Society. J. Hinton gave a lecture to a large audience. “Reading from various Authors”
• 1871. After the Dedication of St Luke’s the 26 members of the choir retired to the Bluecoat schoolroom for a substantial dinner. 
• 1875.  A group of Ratepayers met at the Bluecoat School to organize opposition to the plan for the new Thatcham drainage [sewerage] scheme to be “foisted” on the town by the Rural Sanitary Authority at Thatcham’s expense.  The ratepayers believed a sewerage system was not needed in a small village like Thatcham.
• 1876.  Lecture by Rev James Ormiston from Dudley for the Thatcham and Cold Ash Branch of the Church Association:- “The Confessional”.  Attendance was large and many were unable to gain admission. 
• 1894.  The tenants of Henley’s Allotments met the owner, Mr Staniford, to hear that the rent would be reduced because of the crop failure caused by drought.