Following an insurrection in Canterbury in December 1647, the accused leaders were put on trial in May 1648. However, the Grand Jury refused to indict. The events that followed culminated in the Kentish Rebellion: one of the most significant uprisings of the Second English Civil War. After the jury failed to reach a verdict, they … Read more
In 1647 the celebration of Christmas was declared by Parliament to be a punishable offence. In Canterbury, attempts to enforce this led to discord, rebellion, and violence that erupted in a series of riots. On Wednesday 22nd December 1647 the Canterbury Town Crier declared that Christmas Day would be a normal market day. The mayor … Read more
John Morton was a preacher and farmer who, in the nineteenth century, saved Bucklebury Common in Berkshire from enclosure, and therefore ensured it continued to be accessible to all. Morton was born into a poor family in 1788. His father died when he was eight years old, and he moved with his mother to Hope … Read more
For the 3 million people living in slums in post-war Britain, the refrain that “they had never had it so good” was an insult. Families were living in single rooms with no bathroom, sharing toilets and cooking facilities with multiple other residents. The housing was often substandard, with no foundations and crawling with vermin. Paying … Read more
Torquay is regarded as a sleepy and affluent place. Yet, despite its ‘sleepy’ reputation, the Riot Act was read twice in the nineteenth century. The town was one of great inequality. While large villas were built for wealthy families, there was a shortage of homes for the working people. In one slum, two thousand men, … Read more
For nineteen years, a group of women maintained camps around the perimeter of an American base at Greenham Common in Berkshire, protesting the storage of nuclear weapons. The actions were part of a wider movement, spearheaded by CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). The American military eventually withdrew from Greenham and in 2002, a memorial garden … Read more
In March 1984, the Conservative government announced the closure of twenty coal mines with a loss of 20,000 jobs. In response, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) announced a strike which ultimately lasted a year and, at its peak, involved 142,000 workers. The strike was one of the most bitter trade disputes in British history, … Read more
The records show numerous occasions when riot and rebellion occurred in Devon. The reasons for disorder were many and included food shortages, price rises, and opposing religious views. Background Between 1790 and 1801, bread prices quadrupled and wages failed to keep up with rising prices. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the Corn … Read more
Pat Wilson was a stalwart campaigner for people’s rights to use our network of public footpaths and rights of way. She was for many years the Ramblers’ Association representative in North-West Kent. As Local Correspondent, and later Vice President, of the Open Spaces Society (the oldest conservation society in the country), she also campaigned for … Read more
Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, came from a long line of bankers and philanthropists. Although he considered the hereditary peerage to be against his political and personal principles, he served in the House of Lords from 1971 until his death. He was a champion of human rights both at home and abroad and his Buddhist … Read more
