The Captain Swing Riots

United Reform Church Hall, Boulevard, Waterloo St, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1LF

The ‘Swing riots’ were a massive wave of protests, machine breaking, arson and extortion carried out by impoverished farm labourers and village artisans between the summers of 1830-31. Beginning in Kent the movement spread rapidly to engulf numerous counties in southern England. The uprising became known as the ‘Swing riots’ as the collective destruction was usually preceded by threatening letters to landowners signed by the mysterious ‘Captain Swing’. This talk considers the context and content of this largely forgotten rural rebellion, how it spread and its impact in a period of significant political unrest.

Note: This is a U3A members event, new members welcome to join at the talk. Please speak to Robert Charters there.