Coal miners and others riot in Merthyr…
May 1831 CE
Coal miners and others riot in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales for improved working conditions in the Merthyr Rising of 1`831
William Crawshay II, an ironmaster when he had taken over the Cyfarthfa Ironworks in South Wales from his father, is known as the 'Iron King'.
The coal miners and others who work for him comprise the large working class population of Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding area, in which unrest has been simmering for years.
The Merthyr Rising is precipitated by a combination of the ruthless collection of debts, frequent wage reductions when the value of iron periodically fell, and the imposition of truck shops.
Instead of using normal coin of the realm, some ironmasters pay their workers in specially minted coins or credit notes, known as "truck.” These can only be exchanged at shops owned by the same ironmasters.
Many of the workers object to both the price and quality of the goods sold in these company-owned shops.
Throughout May 1831, many take to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil, calling for reform, protesting against the lowering of their wages and general unemployment.
Gradually the protest spreads to nearby industrial towns and villages and by the end of the month of May the whole area is in rebellion, raising for the first time on British soil* the red flag of revolution, associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. (In the 1840s, the red flag will be adopted internationally as the symbol of the working classes.)
The rebels, or protesters, storm Merthyr, sack the local debtors' court and its collected goods, canceling debt and destroying records and receipts.
Among the shout are cries of 'Caws a bara' (cheese with bread) and 'I lawr a'r Brenin' (down with the king).
*But not British waters: British sailors mutinied near the mouth of the River Thames in 1797 and hoisted a red flag on several ships.
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