Learn about Chartism and the Plug riots resources that we hold in Central Library
A great piece by one of our team to accompany her latest display…
‘The theme of this year’s Heritage Weekend is People Power. In keeping with this I decided to create a display around Chartism and Plug Riots in Central Library. This involved a lot of research to find suitable articles and images. Rather than write a blog about Chartism I will talk you through my research process using library resources. You could use this to find out more about Chartism or other areas of local and family history that may capture your interest.
I used resources that are available in Central Library but many can also be accessed in other Calderdale Libraries.
Background Reading/ Secondary Sources
The 1840s and 1850s is a fascinating period but politically and socially complex. Before I started looking for display items I needed to get a better understanding of the period and of Chartist activity across Britain and more locally.
First up a search for Chartism on the online library catalogue
https://calderdale.spydus.co.uk
Some books that I found helpful were:
‘Chartism’: Asa Briggs
‘Halifax 1842: A year of Crisis’. Catherine Howe
‘A Chartist Insurrection: a study of Chartism and the Plug Plot Strikes in the West Riding of Yorkshire’: Will Parker
‘John Fielden’s Todmorden’: Linda Croft
Weaver to Web
Weaver to web is a visual archive of Calderdale’s history. It has lots of digitised resources like photographs and pamphlets as well as short introductions to historic themes including Chartism and Plug Riots. https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/wtw/
Halifax Antiquarian Society Transactions
Halifax Antiquarian Society Transactions are a great place to start with any local history research. These are articles written by local history enthusiasts and go back to 1901. You can search the index here https://www.halifaxhistory.org.uk/index-search/ and view the transactions in the library.
Some articles I read were:
‘Chartism in the Calder Valley 1838 – 1850’
‘Chartism, Temperance and Methodism in Halifax 1832 – 1839’
‘The Chartist Movement in Halifax and District’
‘Benjamin Rushton (1785 – 1853) Handloom Weaver’: J.A. Hargreaves
I used these resources to create a timeline of events to help me focus and identify dates I wanted to look up in newspapers. I ended up using this timeline in the display as a way of adding context.
The references used in books and articles are also a great source of information. They can provide a short cut or starting point to primary sources. In this case I noted down dates and newspapers I wanted to look at.
Primary Sources
Newspapers
Newspaper articles can be a goldmine of information, from reporting of events, inquests, marriage announcements, letters pages and opinion pieces.
The main newspaper I used was the Halifax Guardian which is available on microfilm in the library. The Halifax Guardian reported the Plug Riots in great detail including those arrested and injured in the riots.
I also looked at the Northern star which was a Chartist newspaper edited by Feargus O’Connor. We have this paper available on microfilm but it has also been digitised and is available through 19th Century British Newspapers; allowing you to search for key words and people
The final paper I used was the Illustrated London News, as they reported and illustrated the Plug Riots in Halifax. I was able to view this through the British Newspaper Archives which can be accessed in the library.
Handbills
I was looking for something visual for the display so had a look at our handbill collection to see if there was anything relevant. I came across a great poster from 1848 warning against mass public gatherings. You can search our online catalogue for ‘handbill’ to peruse the collection listings or pop into Local Studies where we have listings by date and theme and of course the handbills themselves.
Ben Wilson – Memoirs of a Halifax Chartist
Another interesting find from our collection was Ben Wilson: Memoirs of a Halifax Chartist. This had a great first hand description of the Plug Riots and also of Benjamin Wilson’s funeral.
Jonathan Booth
I was particularly interested in Jonathan Booth who following the Plug Riots was reported in the Halifax Guardian as a ‘flag dresser, Northowram. Shot through the abdomen. Not expected to live through the night’
I wanted to find out if he did in fact die. Firstly I looked on Ancestry (available in all libraries) and quickly found a civil death registration and a burial record for him. I then went back to the newspapers and found an inquest into his death which confirmed he died from injuries sustained in the Plug Riots.
There is a lot more I’d like to know about Jonathan. This could be a great family/ local history project for someone….
Was he married/ did he have children? What happened to them after his death? Try looking on Ancestry at census, marriage and birth records.
Who paid for his funeral? Did the Chartists provide any financial help for his family? Try looking at newspapers, maybe his funeral was reported on.
Did his death cause any additional controversy or was he just forgotten about?
Does he have descendants still living in Halifax?’
